We Remember:
1939: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA: The Federal Bureau of Investigation'
1940: OKW issues Fuehrer Directive #17: In order to establish the necessary conditions for the conquest of England, air and sea warfare will be intensified against the English homeland.
(i) The Luftwaffe is to overpower the RAF with all the forces at its command. The attacks are to be directed primarily against flying units, their ground installations, and their supply organizations. The aircraft industry (including anti-aircraft production) should also be targeted.
(ii) After local air superiority is won, the air war will continue against ports and stores of food and provisions. Damage to ports on the south coast must be minimized in view of our future operations.
(iii) Attacks on enemy warships and shipping may be reduced in order to concentrate on above mentioned operations. Operations should be carried out such that air support can be called upon for urgent naval activity, or an invasion, at any time.
(iv) The Fuehrer reserves the right to order terror attacks as measures of reprisal. (v) Intensified air and sea operations should begin on or after 5th August, weather permitting. (Marc Roberts)
RAF4 Group (Whitley).Bombs oil refinery at Dusseldorf. (Andy Etherington)
Submarine HMS Spearfish on patrol in the North Sea is torpedoed and sunk, 180 miles WSW of Stavanger, by U-34 with its last remaining torpedo. The U-boat surfaced to look for survivors and found AB William Pester (on his first patrol) who was the only survivor of the sinking, 29 became casualties.
(Andy Etherington and Alex Gordon)
HMS Narwhal is paid off. After leaving the Humber on 22 July for a minelaying mission off Norway, she fails to return. (Andy Etherington)
A Luftwaffe conference is held, at The Hague, to plan the invasion of Britain. (Andy Etherington)
Mediterranean:
Submarine HMS Oswald on patrol south of the Strait of Messina reports Italian Navy movements.
After detection by the Italians, HMS Oswald is rammed and sunk by Italian destroyer Ugolino Vivaldi. The RN submarine makes no attempt to escape or to attack the Italian ship, possibly because the commander suffers from night blindness when he is suddenly called to the bridge.
The RN commander (who ordered abandon ship BEFORE the ramming occurred, when Vivaldi was 100 yards away) is court martialled on 5
charges for the loss of his ship and found to have been negligent in performing his duties. He is sentenced to forfeit all seniority as a lieutenant commander, to be dismissed and to be severely reprimanded. There were 3 casualties, but 52 of the crew survived to become POW. (Andy Etherington and Alex Gordon)
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor left Lisbon, Portugal today aboard the US liner Excalibur after the collapse of a Nazi plot to pressure them into leading peace moves against the duke's brother, King George, and Churchill. The couple, who were living in France, fled to Spain when the Germans invaded and went on to Lisbon. At von Ribbentrop's request, the Falanhist Miguel Primo de Rivera contacted the Duke and was gratified to be told that Churchill was a warmonger. Rivera suggested that the Duke might again be King. "Oh, no", said the Duke, "That would be unconstitutional!
HMS Argus reaches the intended flying off position for the RAF reinforcements for Malta. At the pre-flight briefing, the RAF pilots are shocked to discover that distance to Malta is well beyond the capability of their aircraft. Acknowledging their willingness to follow orders, they casually bring up the point that plunking the 12 Hurricanes in the Mediterranean Sea can hardly be the desired goal of their lordships. Unwilling to take the pilots word for their aircraftâs capability, a series of hasty messages are dispatched to England; the answers subsequently verify that the RAF pilots assessment of the their aircraft is correct. Having already been discovered by Italian reconnaissance planes, this means that the need for HMS Argus to close Malta will entail heavy risk as the flight must be delayed until tomorrow.
Sure enough, later that afternoon the expected attacks from Regia
Aeronautica units based in Sardinia develop, but numerous interceptions by HMS Ar Royal's Skua II fighter aircraft of both 800 and 803 Squadrons down one contact plane and chase off another, then break up the actual attacks while downing an S-79. No damage is sustained by the RN.
In in effort to curb further attacks on the 2nd, HMS Ark Royal lays plans for a dawn attack on the Italian bomber bases in Sardinia. (Mark Horan)
The book "Why England Slept," written by 23-year-old John Fitzgerald Kennedy as his senior essay for Harvard, is published. This, his first book, describes England's lack of readiness for WWII. (Jack McKillop)
U-25 (Type IA) is sunk in the North Sea north of Terchelling at position
54.14N, 05.07E to British mines. 49 dead (all crew lost).
Mine barrage Field No 7. was laid by the destroyers HMS Express, Esk, Icarus and Impulsive in the North Sea on 3 March, 1940. It probably accounted for several U-boats on their inbound or return journey. (Alex Gordon)
1941: US President Roosevelt forbids the export of oil and aviation fuel from the US to any country except in the Western Hemisphere, Britain and the British Commonwealth.
German forces withstand strong Russian counterattacks north of the Pripet Marshes.
The USN transport USS West Point (AP-23, ex SS America) arrives in New York City from Lisbon, Portugal, carrying American and Chinese consular officials from Germany, Italy and German-occupied countries. (Jack McKillop)
In Boston, Massachusetts, a Microwave (AI-10) radar developed by the Radiation Laboratory and featuring a Plan Position Indicator (PPI) scope is given its initial airborne test in the Lockheed XJO-3 at Boston Airport. During the test flights, which continue until 16 October, scientists operate the radar and devise modifications while USN personnel pilot the aircraft. During the tests, surface vessels are detected at ranges up to 40 miles (64.4 km); radar-guided approaches against simulated enemy aircraft are achieved at ranges up to 3.5 miles (5.6 km). (Jack McKillop)
In the U.S., "Parade" magazine devotes three full pages to a feature article describing the U.S. Army's new vehicle, the "Truck, 1/4-ton, 4x4." The magazine calls it "...the Army's most intriguing new gadget." The gadget is a "tiny truck which can do practically everything." The new "gadget" is more commonly known as the "Jeep." (Jack McKillop)
In U.S. baseball, New York Yankee pitcher Lefty Gomez breaks the major league record for walks in a shutout by walking 11 batters as the Yankees defeat the St. Louis Browns 9-0. (Jack McKillop)
1942: German Army Group A continues the advance through Salsk and reaches the Kuban River near Kropotkin.
A USN submarine sinks a Japanese merchant freighter and oiler off Japan. (Jack McKillop)
"In the U.S., the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) goes on strike because they are told that phonograph records are a "threat to union members' jobs." During the next several months, union musicians refuse to play in recording sessions but live, musical radio broadcasts continue. In September 1943, Decca Records becomes the first record company to sign a deal with the AFM to pay royalties of up to five cents a record to the AFM benevolent fund for unemployed musicians. The strike finally ends in November 1944 when RCA Victor and Columbia Records agree to terms. (Jack McKillop)"
U-166 (Type IXC) was sunk on 30 July, 1942 in the Gulf of Mexico, in position 28.5N, 89W, by depth charges from the USN submarine chaser, USS PC-566. All 52 crewman on the U-boat were lost..
Gudmundur Helgason, who is Mr. U-boat.net, added the following:
The discovery of U-166 (June 10, 2001) This boat was finally discovered and documented in late May 2001 after years and years of unsuccessful research and wreck-hunting. The wreck was located some 45 miles (72.4 km) south of the mouth of Mississippi River, by C & C Technologies with their AUV during oil-survey work for BP Amoco and Shell. (Jack McKillop)
USA, Territory of Hawaii: Ingram M. Stainback appointed governor. (Denis Peck)
1943: General Giraud will now preside, only when purely military matters are discussed, as the Free French reorganize. DeGaulle will preside over all other topics.
Tokyo announces that Burma is now and independent nation. Ba Maw signs a secret treaty with Japan and declares war on the US.
On Sicily the fighting is heavy around Troina.
AMPLIFYING THE ABOVE:
On the ground in Sicily, U.S. ground forces advance east along the coast, approach Troina further inland, and begin a movement to flank defenses. The British, to the south, penetrate into Regalbuto.
In the air, 230+ P-40s, the largest Ninth Air Force total to date, attack Adrano, the area near Randazzo, Messina, Milazzo, Taormina, and shipping in the Straits of Messina. During the night of 31 July/1 August, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons bomb Randazzo and Adrano. and the next day, B-25 Mitchells hit Milazzo. Northwest African Tactical Air Force light and medium bombers hit Paterno, Randazzo, Adrano, Bronte, Santa Maria di Licondia, and motor transport in the Orlandoarea area. Northwest African Coastal Air Force Beaufighters score hits on shipping between Sardinia and Italy. (Jack McKillop)
In Italy, during the night of 31 July/1 August, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons drop leaflets on Rome and Naples. During the following day, B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb Capodichino Airfield. (Jack McKillop)
In Rumania, 177 B-24 Liberators, of the IX Bomber Command (including B-24s on loan from the Eighth Air Force) are dispatched to bomb oil refineries at Ploesti and nearby Campina. The operation (TIDALWAVE) is costly, 54 planes and 532 airmen are lost, but damage to the targets is severe. Five Medal of Honors are awarded for this mission. (Jack McKillop)
In the Aleutian Islands, 7 Eleventh Air Force B-24s bomb the Main Camp area on Kiska Island through the overcast. (Jack McKillop)
In the Solomons, a Japanese destroyer rams and sinks Motor Torpedo Boat 109 (PT-109). Two crewmen are killed but 11 survive including the captain, Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, USNR. The 11 men are finally rescued by a PT boat on the evening of 7 August.
On New Georgia Island, 18 USMC SBD Dauntlesses and 18 TBF Avengers, escorted by 30 Allied fighters, bomb ammunition dumps, AA positions and ground defenses around Munda.
On Bougainville, 21 Thirteenth Air Force B-24s, 16 P-38 Lightnings, and P-40s, and 30+ USN aircraft attack Kahili Airfield while other P-40s and 80+ USN aircraft hit shipping in nearby waters. (Jack McKillop)
In the U.S., ground is broken for the construction of the first uranium enriching plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The facility is built at a cost of US$280 million (US$2.745 billion in year 2000 dollars) and is completed in the summer of 1944. (Jack McKillop)
U-383 (Type VIIC) is sunk west of Brest, France, at position 47.24N, 12.10W, by depth charges from a RAF Sunderland Mk. III, aircraft "V" of No. 228 Squadron based at RAF Pembroke Dock, Pembroke, Wales.. 52 dead (all crew lost).
The boat reported to BdU late on 1 Aug reported its unability to dive after an aircraft attack. It was apparently lost due to the extensive damages
resulting from the attack.
U-454 (Type VIIC) is sunk at 1400hrs in the Bay of Biscay northwest of Cape Ortegal, Spain, at position 45.36N, 10.23W, by depth charges from a
Sunderland Mk. III, aircraft "B" of No. 10 Squadron, RAAF, based at RAF Mount Batten, Devon, England. No 10 Squadron was one of the few pre-war regular RAAF squadrons. It served the entire war in the European Theatre. (Mike Alexander) 33 dead, 15 survivors. (Alex Gordon-Additional info on A/C from Jack McKillop)
In New York City, race-related rioting erupts in Harlem, resulting in several deaths. (Jack McKillop)
1944: US General Patton takes command of the 3rd Army. The 12th Army Group, Bradley, now consists of the 1st Army, Hodges, and the 3rd Army. The 21st Army Group, Montgomery, now consists of the British 2nd Army, Dempsey, and the Canadian 1st Army, Crerar.
Patton heads for Brittany.
Today the Finnish Parliament formally acknowledges President Ryti's resignation, tendered on 29 July. Prime Minister Edwin Linkomies acts as a provisional President of the Republic, and he immediately receives a proposal that Marshal Mannerheim is to be elected as President by a special law without elections. The law is passed by the Parliament as fast as possible, and it comes into force on 4 Aug. (Mikko HŠrmeinen)
Kaunas, Lithuania falls the the Third Belorussian Front. Most routes to East Prussia from the Baltic States are cut off.
The Home Army, of the London based Polish government, begins open operations in Warsaw. The Russians halt their advance towards Warsaw. These are purely political moves.
The last organized Japanese resistance on Tinian ends. 6,000 KIA and 250 POW; the US has 390 KIA and 1800 WIA.
In the Netherlands, 13-year-old Anne Frank makes the last entry in her diary that she has kept for two years while hiding with her family in Amsterdam. On 4 August, the Grune Polizei raid the secret annex in the house Anne and her family are hiding in and they are deported to Germany. Anne Frank dies in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at age 15. (Jack McKillop)
In China, 90+ Fourteenth Air Force P-40s and P-51 Mustangs on armed reconnaissance hit trucks, troops, supplies, and river shipping in and around Hengyang, Leiyang, Sinshih, Hengshan, Liling, Changsha, and Siangyin; the airfield and railroad yards at Hengyang are also bombed. (Jack McKillop)
The USAAF's Eight Air Force in England flies two missions.
Mission 508: 1,291 bombers and 432 fighters are dispatched to attack airfields, bridges and tactical targets in France; 5 bombers and 4 fighters are lost:
1. 193 B-17s drop 2,281 containers of supplies to French Resistance forces (Operation BUICK) at four locations in southeastern France, i.e., Chalon-Sur-Saone, the Savoie area, Haute-Savoie and west of Geneva; 3 P-51 groups furnish escort.
2. 76 B-17s bomb Tours Airfield; 1 B-17 is lost. Escort is flown by 51 P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost .
3. 400 B-17s attack 5 airfields and a railway bridge in the area south and southwest of Paris; 112 hit Bricy Airfield at Orleans, 108 hit Chateaudun Airfield, 59 hit Melun Airfield, 58 hit Chartres Airfield, 36 hit Chartres Bridge, 15 hit targets of opportunity, and 12 hit Mondesir Airfield at Etampes; 3 B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 138 P-38s and P-51s.
4. 284 B-24s are dispatched to bomb targets in the Paris environs; bad weather causes 100+ aborts; 66 hit Rouen, 47 hit Melun Airfield, 44 hit Nogent Bridge, 33 hit targets of opportunity, 29 hit Bricy Airfield at Orleans, 24 hit Montereau Bridge, 12 hit Nanteuil Bridge, 12 hit Villeroche Airfield, 11 hit Coulommiers Bridge, and 6 hit Chartres Airfield; a B-24 is lost,. Escort is provided by 127 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51s; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 2 P-47s are lost.
5. 191 B-24s, sent against 8 V-weapon sites in northwestern France, run afoul of bad weather which causes multiple aborts; 61 of the planes manage to bomb 3 sites; escort is provided by 81 P-47s.
Mission 509: 6 B-17s drop leaflets on France and Belgium during the night. (Jack McKillop)
In France, the USAAF Ninth Air Force's XIX Tactical Air Command becomes operational in conjunction with the US Third Army; the Ninth's fighter and fighter-bomber groups (Ninth Air Force refers to them collectively as fighter-bomber groups) are divided between the IX and XIX Tactical Air Commands; about 250 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs bomb rail bridges at Mezieres-sur-
In the Territory of Hawaii, the U.S. Army Air Forces, Pacific Ocean Areas (AAFPOA) is activated at Hickam Field with Lieutenant General Millard Harmon as Commanding General. Harmon is to be responsible to Lieutenant General Robert C Richardson, Jr, Commanding General US Army Forces, Pacific Ocean Areas (USAFPOA), for logistics and administration, and to Admiral Chester W Nimitz, Commander-in-
Two motion pictures are released in the U.S. today.
"The Pearl of Death," a mystery based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons," is directed by Roy William Neill and stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. The plot has Holmes looking for a bust of Napoleon containing a pearl before the owners are killed by the villainous "Creeper."
"Wilson," a biography of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. President, is directed by Henry King and stars Alexander Knox as Wilson, Charles Coburn, Geraldine Fitzgerald as Mrs. Wilson, Thomas Mitchell, Cedric Hardwicke as Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and Vincent Price; Reed Hadley appears in an uncredited role. The film is nominated for ten Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (Knox); it wins five technical awards. (Jack McKillop)
In the U.S., the top pop songs today are (1) "Amor" by Bing Crosby; (2) "I'll Be Seeing You" by Bing Crosby; (3) "Long Ago and Far Away" by Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest; and (4) "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)" by Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five. (Jack McKillop)
1945: Vol III No 12 Believed to be last issue of US Intelligence Bulletin is Published. (Bill Howard)
In Japan, 30+ Iwo Jima-based VII Fighter Command P-51s hit airfields and other targets in the Osaka-Nagoya area; bad weather prevents numerous other fighters from reaching targets.
About 50 Far East Air Force B-24s bomb targets in the Nagasaki dock and harbor area; B-25s and fighter-bombers in the Nagasaki area hit docks, railroad yards, and shipping; other B-24s bomb Koniya Airfield and hit Kakeroma Island; 80+ P-47s hit railroad bridges and other railroad targets at
Sendai and P-47s fly their first combat mission from Iwo Jima, joining VII Fighter Command P-51s in a sweep over southern Honshu Island; and rolling stock and airfields are attacked in the Okazaki, Itami, and Nagoya areas.
During the night of 1/2 August, 801 of 836 B-29 Superfortresses dispatched carry out 1 mining, 5 fire-bomb and 1 bombing raids on Japan; this is the heaviest B-29 raid to date. One B-29 is lost.
Mission 305: 37 B-29s drop mines in Shimonoseki Strait, in Nakaumi Lagoon, at Hamada, Sakai, Yonago, Najin, and Seishin; 5 others mine alternate targets.
Mission 306: 169 B-29s attack the Hachioji urban area destroying 1.12 sq mi (2.90 sq km), 80% of the city; 3 others hit alternate targets; a B-29 is lost.
Mission 307: 173 B-29s hit the Toyama urban area, a center of aluminum, ballbearing and special steel production, destroying 1.87 sq mi (4.84 sq km), 99.5% of the city; 1 other hits an alternate target.
Mission 308: 125 B-29s attack the Nagaoka urban area destroying 1.33 sq mi (3.44 sq km), 65.5% of the city; 5 others hit alternate targets.
Mission 309: 160 B-29s hit the Mito urban area destroying 1.7 sq mi (4.40 sq km), 65% of the city; 1 other hits a target of opportunity.
Mission 310: 120 B-29s bomb the Mitsubishi Oil Company at Kawasaki but could only add slightly to the damage previously inflicted; 2 other hit targets of opportunity. (Jack McKillop)
In Manila, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz meet and agree on a line of demarcation to separate aerial operations undertaken by their forces. Except for B-29s and their escorts, the Far East Air Forces will operate west of 135W longitude and all Pacific-fleet controlled units will operate east of 135W longitude. Longitude 135W is slightly west of Kobe and Osaka on Honshu Island. (Jack McKillop)
On Wake Island, the USN's Task Group 12.3 consisting of the light aircraft carrier USS Cabot (CVL-28) with Light Carrier Air Group Thirty Two (CVLG-32), the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) and a destroyer screen, bombs and bombards the island. This is the 7th attack on the island by the USN. (Jack McKillop)
In China, Major General Albert F Hegenberger becomes Commanding General Tenth Air Force as HQ Tenth Air Force moves from Piardoba, India to Kunming, China (HQ at Kunming was officially opened on 23 July). The scheduled role of the Tenth Air Force in China is almost identical with its completed Burma mission: to act as the tactical air force giving direct support and providing air supply to Chinese ground forces operating south of 27N latitude. (Jack McKillop)
MEXICO: Lineas Aereas Mineras Boeing 247D, msn 1723, registered XA-DUY, crashes into a mountain near San Luis Potosi; all 12 aboard the aircraft are killed. (Jack McKillop)
In U.S. baseball, New York Giants manager and right fielder Mel Ott hits his 500th career home run off Boston Braves' pitcher Johnny Hutchings during a 9-2 Giants victory at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Ott is the third major league baseball player to hit 500 home runs. Ott bats .308 with 21 home runs this year as the Giants finish in fifth place. (Jack McKillop)
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