August 23
We Remember:
1939: The Soviet-German Nonaggression pact is concluded today and will be signed tomorrow in Moscow. This agreement, between previous antagonists, contains secret terms setting up spheres of interest. Poland is to be divided, the Baltic States and Finland are part of the Soviet sphere. (John Nicholas)
At this stage Lithuania, the southernmost of the Baltic States, was assigned to the German sphere of interest. It wasn't until a month later when the USSR and Germany revised the pact and Germany switched, on Soviet initiative, Lithuania to a large swathe of Poland. (Mikko HŠrmeinen)
Chamberlain and Hitler exchange messages. Chamberlain warns that Britain is prepared to help Poland with force. Hitler declares that he can never renounce his interest in Danzig and the Corridor. The Danzig Senate proclaims Forster, the nazi leader in Danzig, head of state.
King George leaves Balmoral and returns to London. (Andy Etherington)
French citizens are advised to leave Paris. Churchill leaves France and returns to London. Daladier asks the Permanent Committee for National Defence whether they could stand by and watch the disappearance of Poland and Rumania; they agree that they cannot. (Andy Etherington)
Sir Percy Loraine (British Ambassador to Rome) is confident that the Italians will not fight, and Mussolini declares himself ready to mediate. (Andy Etherington)
Colonel Beck agrees to passage for Soviet Forces through Poland. (Andy Etherington)
Khalkin-Gol: Northern group reinforced by 212th Airborne Brigade seizes the Palets Heights. In fierce hand to hand combat 600 Japanese soldiers are killed. Zhukov begins to reduce to trapped Japanese forces. (Andy Etherington)
In England, Lloyd's of London increases war-risk rates as Europe braces for war.
In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average, responding to the news of potential war in Europe, suffers a US$3.25 (US$40.12 in year 2000 dollars) drop to close the day at US$131.82 (US$1,627.41 in year 2000 dollars). (Jack McKillop)
Belgium proclaims neutrality. (Jack McKillop)
France begins war mobilization. (Jack McKillop)
1940: In Britain, some Luftwaffe bombers drop their bombs on London, when they are unable to find their targets. The attack is unintentional, and against explicit instructions of the German high command. (Jack McKillop)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: RN destroyer HMS Hostile (H 55) en route from Malta to Gibraltar runs into minefield 5AN, laid a couple of days previously by the Italian destroyers Maestrale, Grecale, Libeccio and Scirocco, about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) west of the Italian island of Pantelleria. The area was considered to be a safe area. Hostile is eventually scuttled and sunk by torpedo from HMS Hero (H 99) after her crew has been transferred. (Alex Gordon and Jack McKillop)
ROMANIA: A DC-3-227 of the Romanian airline LARES (Linile Aeriene Romane Exploatate cu Statul) crashes at Cluj; all 21 on the aircraft are killed. (Jack McKillop)
1941: The German 2nd Panzer Group and 2nd Army of Army Group South begin advancing south to link up east of Kiev with Army Group South. Hitler has insisted on this change in strategy, which stops the German advance on Moscow.
ÒOrionÓ, a German merchant cruiser, arrives in the Gironde Estuary. After 510 days, 6 ships for 39,000 tons have been sunk. Seven other ships were sunk with the raider ÒKometÓ.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Whilst escorting convoy OG.71 (U.K. to Gibraltrar), Flower class corvette HMS Zinnia (K 98) is torpedoed by U-564 about 125 nautical miles (231 kilometers) northwest of Lison, Portugal, in position 40.25N, 10.40W. The corvette explodes after the torpedo struck and caused 49 casualties. (Alex Gordon and Jack McKillop)
1942: U.S.S.R.: After a year-long siege of the city, Hitler orders the final attack on Leningrad (Operation Nordlicht). (Jack McKillop)
A battle group of the 16th Panzer Division and the 3rd and 60th Infantry Divisions rapidly advances from the Don River, reaching the west bank of the Volga River between Rynak and Erzovka north of Stalingrad. (John Nicholas)
At Izbushensky in the bend of the River Don, the Italian Savoia Cavalry, made up of 600 mounted men, counter attack Soviet Army units comprised of 2,000 men with mortar and artillery support. One cavalry squadron attacks head on, while the other, possessing only sabers, rides behind the enemy lines on horseback. They completely catch the Soviets by surprise and overrun the Soviet position. This last calvary attack of World War II resulted in the destruction of 2 Soviet battalions, another battalion forced to withdraw and the capture of 500 POW's, 4 large artillery pieces, 10 Mortars, and 50 machine guns. (Jack McKillop)
Six hundred Luftwaffe bombers attack Stalingrad as the battle for the city begins. Incendiaries dropped by the German bombers burn three-quarters of Stalingrad to the ground; 40,000 Russians are killed. (Jack McKillop)
USN heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37), escorted by destroyers USS Rodman (DD-456) and USS Emmons (DD-457) and British destroyer HMS Onslaught, arrives at Murmansk, and disembarks men and unloads equipment from two RAF Bomber Command squadrons that have been transferred to Northern Russia. The ships depart the following day to return to the British fleet base at Scapa Flow, Orkneys. (Jack McKillop)
Achieving a propaganda victory, German troops climb Bt Elbrus in the Caucasus.
US Admiral Fletcher with TF 61 and Japanese Admiral Nagumo with the units of the IJN begin skirmishes which will result in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. The US force built around 3 fleet carriers and the IJN force is built around 2 fleet carriers and one escort carrier. These units of the IJN are charged with a mission of delivering additional troops and supplies in a convoy to Guadalcanal. This will develop into the 3rd carrier vs. carrier battle of the war.
In Eire, a Luftwaffe Ju 88 and an RAF Spitfire Mk. V crash after they shoot each other down. The Spitfire, assigned to No. 315 (Polish) Squadron based at Ballyhalbert, County Down, Ireland, crashes at Ratoath, County Meath; the pilot, Sergeant Sawiak, is taken to the hospital but dies of his injuries. The Ju 88 crashes at Touger, County Waterford; one of the four man crew is injured. The four Germans are interned for the rest of the war. (Jack McKillop)
GILBERT ISLANDS: Japanese light cruiser HIJMS Yubari, accompanied by four destroyers and supporting ships, shells Nauru Island in preparation for landings there. (Jack McKillop)
U.K.: Prime Minster Winston Churchill accepts President Franklin D. Roosevelt's proposal that the U.S. operate Persian Gulf facilities for aid to USSR. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.: In baseball, former Washington Senators pitcher (1907-1927) Walter Johnson pitching to former New York Yankees star (1920-1934) Babe Ruth is the pregame attraction that draws 69,000 fans for the New York-Washington game at Yankee Stadium in New York City. The large turnout provides US$80,000 (US$889,000 in year 2002 dollars) for Army-Navy relief. Ruth hits the fifth pitch into the right-field stands, and then adds one more shot before circling the bases. Sixteen Army-Navy relief games contribute $523,000 (US$5.8 million in year 2002 dollars) during the season. (Jack McKillop)
1943: Tonight 4 US destroyers will bombard Finschhafen, New Guinea. They are supporting air ops against Wewak.
Amplifying the above:
The main 5 AF raids against Wewak were delivered on 17 and 18 August,
so this shoot would have been too late to provide an effective
diversion. Perhaps this bombardment was part of the deception plan
designed to draw attention from the landing of 9th Division AIF at Lae
on 4 Sep 43? (Michael Mitchell)
Bomber Command opens "The Battle of Berlin" by dispatching 335 Lancasters, 251 Halifaxes, 124 Stirlings (poor devils) and nine Mosquitoes to the city. Total force dispatched: 719 aircraft. Together with the aircraft involved in route marking, mine-laying and leaflet dropping (still dropping leaflets?), 788 Bomber Command aircraft were committed. In addition 26 Mosquitoes and ten Beaufighters of Fighter Command were dispatched to fly as intruders over German night-fighter fields and along the bombers route. Bomb tonnage carried was 1,812 tons, 53% high explosive, the remainder incendiaries. Thirty Blind Marker aircraft crews were handed a complicated plan which did not work. Their strike photographs showed that the dropped markers were centered four miles south-west of the Aiming Point and it was around that point that the ensuing raid developed. The problem was due to the inadequate H2S radar sets not because of any inadequacy on the part of the Marker crews.
In Berlin 2,611 properties were hit, 854 persons were killed and 83 more were missing. Despite this, the raid was not a success. In order to destroy Berlin Bomber Command would have to knock down and open buildings with HE so that the later incendiaries could start fires. Cities were not destroyed with HE but with fire. Many incendiaries fell on roofs and rolled off and burned in the streets. The fire had to be concentrated in one sector of the city and so intense that it overwhelmed the fire services. Bomber Command would learn.
Aircraft lost were:
Lancasters: 335 dispatched, 20 lost (6.0%)
Halifaxes: 251 dispatched, 25 lost (10.0%)
Stirlings:ÊÊÊÊÊÊ124 dispatched, 17 lost (13.7%). (Jay Stone)
In China, the Japanese bomb Chungking for the first time since 1941. (Jack McKillop)
In Burma, USAAF Tenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells fly a low-level strike against Myitnge bridge, knocking out a center span and badly damaging 2 others. (Jack McKillop)
ITALY: USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 LIberators visually bomb two targets at Bari:16 attack the airfield and 12 bomb the marshalling yard. Meanwhile, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) B-26 Marauders bomb the Battipaglia marshalling yard. (Jack McKillop)
During the night of 23/24 August, RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group visually bomb four targets: 78 aircraft bomb the marshalling yard at Bagnoli, one bombs Ischia Island, and one bombs Villa Literno. Two aircraft also drop leaflets over Genoa. (Jack McKillop)
JAPAN:The Japanese General Staff decides to abandon the central Solomons and concentrate its forces in the northern islands of the archipelago, notably Bougainville. (Jack McKillop)
PACIFIC: USN submarine USS Paddle (SS-263) sinks Italian merchant passenger/cargo ship SS Ada off Hamamatsu, Japan, in position 34.37N, 137.53E. (Jack McKillop)
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: USN submarine USS Grayling (SS-209) delivers supplies to Filipino guerrilla forces on Panay Island. (Jack McKillop)
1944: The French resistance has largely freed Paris after fierce fighting. East of Paris Melun falls to US forces. South of Paris French troops with the US V Corps move forward to join the advance toward the French capitol.
AMPLIFYING THE ABOVE:
German SS engineers begin placing explosive charges around the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (Jack McKillop)
Montgomery advances toward the River Seine.
In the south French troops reach the outskirts of both Marseilles and Toulon.
Rumanian King Michael dismisses Marshal Antonescu. General Sanatescu is appointed as Prime Minister. Rumania then accepts Russian armistice terms.
12 divisions of the German 6th Army are cut off by the Second and Third Ukraine Fronts. The Second Ukraine Front also takes Vaslui south of Jassy.
US forces are withdrawn from Numfoor, New Guinea after this area is captured.
In Burma, 32 USAAF Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts support British advances down the railroad in the Pinbaw area hitting gun positions, troops, and HQ buildings, immediately north of Pinbaw, and along Nansonti Creek; and 6 P-47s bomb Onsansaing, and 8 P-51 Mustangs bomb an encampment near Kadu. (Jack McKillop)
In China, 4 Tenth Air Force P-51s hit Lungling and Mangshih; 5 others attack guns, fuel dump, and other targets of opportunity along the Burma Road from Wanling to Lungling while 7 more hit buildings and vehicles during sweeps of the general Mangshih-Chefang area; and 12 P-51s hit targets of opportunity southwest of Lungling and 2 P-40s strafe trucks at Chefang.
The Fourteenth Air Force dispatches 7 B-25s and 21 fighter-bombers to attack villages, compounds, other targets of opportunity near Hengyang, Lingyang, and Anjen; 40+ fighter-bombers hit villages, shipping, troops, supplies, and other targets of opportunity around Ichang, Yangtien, Siangtan, and Yiyang, and south of Sungpai and Siangyin. (Jack McKillop)
In France, 142 USAAF Eighth Air Force P-47s bomb and strafe rail transportation from Saint-Omer to Reims, France; 2 P-47s are damaged.
The Eighth Air Force also dispatches 6 B-17 Flying Fortresses to drop leaflets in France and Belgium during the night.
The Ninth Air Force sends 4 B-26s to drop leaflets in the Lisieux-Bernay area; fighters fly ground forces cover, sweeps, armed reconnaissance over the battle areas and along the Seine River, and attack artillery positions; 150+ C-47 Skytrains fly supply and evacuation missions and several hundred reconnaissance aircraft fly tactical, visual, photographic, and artillery adjustment reconnaissance missions (Jack McKillop)
AUSTRIA: B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators of the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy bomb six targets in Austria: In Vienna, 68 bomb the Vosendorf Oil Refinery, 53 bomb the marshalling yard and 13 bomb the industrial area. Other targets hit are Markersdorf Airfield at St. Polten by 133 bombers, an aircraft engine plant at Wiener Neudorf by 94 aircraft (23 used H2X radar), and the industrial area at St. Leonhaid by 26 aircraft. Twelve aircraft are lost. (Jack McKillop)Ê
HUNGARY: One Fifteenth Air Force bomber bombs the marshalling yard at Nagykanizsa. (Jack McKillop)
ITALY: Eighty three Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack a railroad bridge at Ferrara with the loss of two aircraft.
In France and Italy, USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack road and rail bridges north of the Arno River and roads leading north from Florence, and also hit bridges in the Rhone Valley of France; widespread haze in parts of France and Italy prevents accurate bombing; fighter-bombers continue to attack communications, gun positions, and road movements in the Provence battle areas. (Jack McKillop)
USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24s from Saipan in the Mariana Islands, bomb Yap and Iwo Jima Islands while P-47s hit Pagan and Aguijan Islands, Mariana Islands. Gilbert Island-based B-25s attack Ponape Island. (Jack McKillop)
USAAF Far East Air Force B-24s pound the Galela, Halmahera Island, area; in New Guinea, B-24s hit Langgoer Airfield and Saumlakki; fighter-bombers hit the airfield at Nabire, Moemi, and Urarom, the village of Moari, and town of Manokwari; B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers continue to attack barge hideouts, troops, villages, and general targets of opportunity around Wewak. (Jack McKillop)
JAPAN:The Japanese General Staff decides to abandon the central Solomons and concentrate its forces in the northern islands of the archipelago, notably Bougainville. (Jack McKillop)
PACIFIC: USN submarine USS Paddle (SS-263) sinks Italian merchant passenger/cargo ship SS Ada off Hamamatsu, Japan, in position 34.37N, 137.53E. (Jack McKillop)
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: USN submarine USS Grayling (SS-209) delivers supplies to Filipino guerrilla forces on Panay Island. (Jack McKillop)
In the U.S., the top pop song hits today are (1) "I'll Be Seeing You" by Bing Crosby; (2) "Amor" by Bing Crosby; (3) "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet" by Ella Mae Morse; and (4) "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)" by Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five. (Jack McKillop)
1946: The US Army inactivates the 122nd Infantry Battalion (Separate), formed with personnel of Greek ancestry in Cairo, Egypt. This outfit was redesignated as Third Contingent, Unit "B," Operational Group, Office of Strategic Services and arrived in Egypt 21 Jan 44. Ê
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