WE REMEMBER AUGUST 25th

We Remember:

1939:     Hitler orders an attack on Poland to begin tomorrow, the 26th.  At the last minute he cancels this order after hearing of the formal alliance signed between Britain and Poland and that Mussolini is refusing to join a war a this time.  Britain and France are attempting to use Mussolini to influence Hitler.  All that effort is wasted because the fact that France is more intransigent than Britain becomes known to Hitler. (John Nicholas)

For the first time in seven and a half years, the base rate of the Bank of England in increased, from 2% to 4%. (Andy Etherington)

Coventry is bombed by IRA terrorists. (Andy Etherington)

Numbers of border incidents increase. In Makeszowa, near Katowice, German soldiers took over the court house and railway station; Poles broke into an wrecked the offices of a German newspaper. More reservists are called up and cars and horses requisitioned.   (Andy Etherington)

The Panzerschiffe "Deutschland" sails from Wilhelmshaven in preparation for raider activities in the North Atlantic in the event of a declaration of war. (Alex Gordon)

1940:     RAF Bomber Command: The first bombing raids are made on Berlin.
Nine Wellingtons of  99 Sqn. along with eight of 149 Sqn go to Berlin. They are accompanied by Whitleys and 12 Hampdens of 61 and 144 Squadrons.
4 Group (Whitley). Bombs industrial targets at Berlin and the Ruhr. Whitley and Wellington crews are told that their main target "is the Siemens & Halske factory at Siemenstadt, producing 85% of the electrical power used by the German forces." Hampden crews are told to demolish Berlin's Klingenberg power station. Other objectives are the Henschel Aircraft Factory, the Bucker training aircraft factory at Rangsdorf, Tempelhof aerodrome and Tegel's gasworks. (Andy Etherington)

RAF Fighter Command: Attacks on RAF Driffield and Airfields in south-east, south and south-west (Warmwell), the bombers are heavily escorted.
No large raids appear until 16:00, when a strong force heads for Weymouth. The only other sizeable raid of the day develops over Kent around 18:00.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 20; RAF, 16. (Andy Etherington)

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are formally incorporated into the Soviet Union. (Andy Etherington)

In the U.S., the first parachute wedding ceremony is performed by Reverend Homer Tomlinson at the New York World's Fair for Arno Rudolphi and Ann Hayward. The minister, bride and groom, best man, maid of honor and four musicians were all suspended from parachutes. (Jack McKillop)

1941:     British land troops at Bandar Shapur, Abadan and Khoramshahr, Iran. The Soviets move into Iran with one column advancing on Tabriz, which is bombed.  Two additional Soviet columns are advancing around the Caspian Sea. (John Nicholas)

A sudden counter-attack by two Soviet divisions stops the advance of Light Brigade T north-east of Viipuri. The brigade commander Col. Tiiainen is lethally wounded and the brigade is forced back. After two days of intense fighting the 12nd ID manages to stop the Soviet attack. (Mikko HŠrmeinen)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-452 is sunk about 237 nautical miles (440 kilometers) southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland, in position 61.30N, 15.30W, by depth charges from the RN antisubmarine trawler HMS Vascama (FY 185) and depth charges from an RAF Catalina Mk. 1B or II, of No. 209 Squadron based at Reykjavik, Iceland. All hands, 42-men, on the U-boat are lost.   (Jack McKillop)

1942:     NEW GUINEA: Three hundred fifty Japanese troops of the Sasebo 5th Special Naval Landing Force bound for Milne Bay from Buna, are stranded on Goodenough Island, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, when RAAF Kittyhawks from Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, destroy all seven of their beached barges. In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF P-400 Airacobras of the Allied Air Force attack Buna Airfield and antiaircraft positions near the airfield.  (Jack McKillop)

SOLOMON SEA: An Allied Air Force reconnaissance aircraft spots a Japanese convoy consisting of two light cruisers, five destroyers and two submarine chasers en route from Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, to Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. Bad weather prevents RAAF Kittyhawks of Nos. 75 and 76 Squadrons from attacking the convoy.  (Jack McKillop)

U.K.: The Duke of Kent, an RAF air commodore (Brigadier General in USAAF) and the youngest brother of King George VI, has become the first member of the Royal Family to die on active service and perhaps the first to die in an air disaster. He is killed today when Shorts S-25 Sunderland Mk. III, msn S-2298, RAF s/n W4026 assigned to No. 228 Squadron, based at Oban, Scotland, crashes at 1400 hours local near Dunbeath, Scotland. The aircraft is en route to Iceland with 14 people aboard; all are killed. An official announcement said that the Duke, attached to the staff of the inspector-general of the RAF, was on his way to Iceland, on duty. The plane hit high ground at Eagle Rock in the Scottish Highlands in poor visibility possible caused by a navigational error but the exact cause is never found. Shepherds heard the engines cut and the sound of a crash, and saw a spurt of flame. The bodies are recovered at dawn today. One survivor is found wandering in the hills, burnt and shoc
ked. He is Flight-Sergeant Andrew Jack, aged 21, of Grangemouth, the crew's rear gunner. The duke, who was born in 1902, served in the Royal Navy from 1916 to 1929 He left for medical reasons and started flying as a hobby a year later. He is married to Princess Marina of Greece. Their third child, Prince Michael, was born seven weeks ago. The death of the Duke is the first in 500 years that the son of a King of England is killed while on active duty. The investigation is classified as secret.  The records of the investigation are not released when the date for release is reached is 1957. The surviving crew member, Flight-Sergeant Andrew Jack, consistently refused to discuss the flight . Some reports show 15 people dead in the wreckage. This one additional person to the number on the manifest and the 32 minutes to travel 60 miles (97 kilometers) to the crash site result in some lingering questions.  (John Nicholas, Andy Etherington and Jack McKillop)

USSR:     Mozdok on the Terek River is the scene of heavy fighting on the Eastern Front. (John Nicholas)

South Pacific:      The last act of the Battle of the Eastern Solomons is played out today.  The convoy bearing elements of General KawaguchiÕs 35th Brigade, under command of Admiral Tanaka in Jintsu, is turned back.  The convoy, intended to reinforce Guadalcanal, is bombed with two transports, light cruiser Jintsu damaged and one destroyer, Mitsuki, sunk.  Jintsu is damaged by a Marine SBD from Henderson Field, Admiral Tanaka is knocked unconcious in the explosion.  Mitsuki is sunk during a level bombing by B-17s.  The Japanese, realizing the cost of daylight naval operations within range of Henderson Field, turn to high speed destroyer runs at night for resupply efforts.  These will become known as ÒThe Tokyo ExpressÓ.  Thus this battle ends as a clear victory, both tactical and strategic, for the US. (John Nicholas)
     The Japanese invasion force sailing towards Guadalcanal is hit hard by 4 USMC and 3 USN SBD Dauntlesses, and 4 USMC F4F Wildcats 125 mi (201 km) from the island at 0835 hours; a Marine SBD pilot hits the light cruiser HIJMS Jintsu and another damages the transport Boston Maru while a USN SBD pilot mortally damages the large transport Kinryu Maru. At 1015 hours, 8 B-17s from Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Island sink the destroyer HIJMS Mutsuki as it is attempting to sink the damaged transport. In the afternoon, USN SBDs attack 2 transports and their 5 escorts as they retreat back to Rabaul.    (Jack McKillop)

In the Aleutians, a US 11th Air Force photo reconnaissance B-24 Liberator flies over Kiska, Attu and Adak Islands, then turns back because of mechanical failure.   (Jack McKillop)

In Greece, US Army Middle East Air Force B-24s attack the Corinth Canal.    (Jack McKillop)

NAURU ISLAND: Japanese troops occupy undefended Nauru Island. Nauru, an 8 square mile (21 square kilometer) island located about 380 nautical miles (704 kilometers) west-southwest of Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati), has large phosphate deposits.ÊÊ
(Jack McKillop)

In Portuguese South Africa, five USN nurses, who had been held as POWs by the Japanese, are repatriated to the diplomatic corps at Mozambique. The five, Lieutenants (jg) Leona Jackson, Lorraine Christiansen, Virginia Fogerty and Doris Yetter, under the command of Chief Nurse Marion Olds, had been captured on Guam on 10 December 1942. They continued caring for casualties at the U.S. Naval Hospital on Guam until 10 January 1942 when they were transported to Japan. Held for three months in the Zentsuji Prison on Shikoku Island, they were moved to the Eastern Lodge in Kobe on 12 March until being placed on the Swedish-America line ship SS Gripsholm and brought to Mozambique. (Jack McKillop)

1943:     German HS 293 glider bombs are used unsuccessfully against an anti-submarine vessel hunting U-Boats in the Bay of Biscay. This is the first operational use of this weapon.

Allied offensive operations on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands end.

The Soviets capture Akhtyrka and Zenkov near Kharkov.

In India, Admiral Louis F Mountbatten, RN, is appointed Supreme Allied Commander, Southeast Asia.   (Jack McKillop)

In China, 8 B-25s, with fighter escort, bomb Kowloon Docks at Hong Kong.    (Jack McKillop)

In England, the US Eighth Air Force is assigned to the role of bombing important Luftwaffe targets in Operation STARKEY, designed to contain enemy forces in the west to prevent their transfer to the Eastern Front, and to serve as a dress rehearsal in the Pas de Calais, France area for the invasion of western Europe. The Allies hope to provoke the Luftwaffe into a prolonged air battle.
    The VIII Air Support Command flies Missions 34A & 34B against two targets in France. (1) 21 B-26B Marauders bomb the power station at Rouen at 1832 hours and (2) 31 B-26s attack Tricqueville Airfield at 1834 hours; they claim 1-8-5 Luftwaffe aircraft. (Jack McKillop)

ITALY: During the day, 135 Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, escorted by 140 P-38 Lightnings, bomb airfields at Foggia with the loss of two bombers. During the night of 25/26 August, RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group attack two targets: 75 bomb the marshalling yard at Taranto with the loss of one aircraft while two bomb a target of opportunity at Scalea. Meanwhile, four RAF Liberators drop leaflets over Naples. (Jack McKillop)

In the Solomon Islands, 13 US Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, along with 40+ USMC SBDs and an escort of fighter aircraft, pound barge centers at Webster and Ringa Coves on New Georgia Island. 6 B-24s, along with 24 USMC fighters, hit Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island. Other P-40s strafe large motor vessels and a barge in the northwestern part of the Slot. (Jack McKillop)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-523 is sunk about 415 nautical miles (768 kilometers) west of Vigo, Spain, in position 42.03N, 18.02W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Wanderer (D 74) and the corvette HMS Wallflower (K 44). Thirty seven of the 54-man U-boat crew survive.  (Jack McKillop)

1944:     The French 4th Armored Division enters Paris.  German General Choltitz diobeys orders to fight for the city and surrenders, avoiding damage to the city.

The British XXX Corps enters Vernon on the Seine.  The XII Corps prepares to cross at Louviers.  Canadian forces liberate Elbeuf.

The US VIII Corps begins a major attack on Brest.  This attack is assisted by HMS Warspite bombarding.

Avignon in southern France is liberated by US forces.  Fighting in Toulon and Marseilles continues.

ITALY: During the night of 25/26 August, the British Eighth Army (British V, Canadian I and Polish II Corps) begin their main assault on the Gothic Line from the Metauro River line. The Germans, taken by surprise, offer only ineffective oppostion. Meanwhile, 73 RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group visually bomb the marshalling yard and canal at Ravenna.  (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)

Tartu, Estonia is liberated by Soviet forces under Masiennikov.  This is an important point in the German defense lines.

The Finnish Ambassador in Stockholm, G. A. Gripenberg meets the Soviet Ambassador Alexandra Kollontay and hands her a letter written by Foreign Minister Enckell. In the letter Enckell informs the Soviet government that Finland is willing to start peace negotiations in Moscow. On the same day Finland officially informs Germany that the promise made by the ex-President Risto Ryti to Ribbentrop (that Finland shall not make peace unless in full agreement with Germany) is in force no more. (Mikko HŠrmeinen)

In the Kurile Islands, a US Eleventh Air Force B-24 flies reconnaissance over Shasukotan, Onnekotan, and Harumukotan Islands but drops no bombs due to accurate AA fire.    (Jack McKillop)

In China, 3 US Fourteenth Air Force B-24s bomb Kowloon docks in Hong Kong.  (Jack McKillop)

The US Eighth Air Force in England flies 4 missions.
     Mission 570: 1,191 bombers and 708 fighters, in 3 forces, make visual
bombing attacks against aircraft component plants, Luftwaffe experimental
stations and the synthetic oil industry; 18 bombers and 7 fighters are
lost; numbers in parenthesis indicate number of bombers attacking the
target. (1) B-24s attack aircraft component plants at Rostock (116),
Schwerin (106), Wismar (91) and Lubeck (81); 11 others hit Grossenbrode
Airfield and 4 hit targets of opportunity; 5 B-24s are lost; escort is
provided by 243 P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; they claim 11-2-3
aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost. (2) B-17s bomb the Rechlin Experimental Station
(179) and oil refinery at Politz (169); 6 others hit targets of
opportunity; 8 B-17s; escort is provided by 215 P-47s and P-51s; they claim
4-0-2 aircraft; 4 P-51s are lost. (3) B-17s attack the Peenemunde
Experimental Station (146), Neubrandenburg Airfield (108) and Anklam
Airfield (73); 21 others hit Parow Airfield and 5 hit targets of
opportunity; 5 B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 171 P-47s and P-51s;
they claim 36-0-28 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost.
     Mission 571: 10 B-24s fly an Azon glide bomb mission to Moerdijke, the
Netherlands but the target is missed. Escort is provided by 36 P-47s.
     Mission 572: 107 bombers and 172 fighters are dispatched to make visual
attacks on liquid oxygen and ammonia plants in Belgium and northern France:
(1) 31 38 B-17s hit Henin Littard; and (2) B-24s bomb Willerbroeck (18),
Tertre (17), Tiller/Liege (12) and La Louviere (10); 4 others hit St Trond
Airfield and 1 hits a target of opportunity.   Escort for Mission 572 is
provided by 152 P-38s and P-51s.
     Mission 573: 6 B-17s drop leaflets on France and Belgium during the night.
     1 C-47 Skytrain flies a CARPETBAGGER mission during the night. (Jack McKillop)

In France:
     Paris is liberated by French and US troops.
     The US Ninth Air Force sends about 240 A-20 Havocs and B-26s to attack
various enemy strongholds in and around Brest supporting the ground forces'
attempt to capture Brest harbor; fighters provide air cover for 5
divisions, fly armed reconnaissance along the Seine River, and sweeps in
wide areas around Paris which is liberated; fighters of the IX Tactical Air
Command raid, and set afire with napalm tanks, the reported HQ of Field
Marshall Walter Model (Commander-in-Chief West) and Verzy.
     A-20s of the US Twelfth Air Force hit targets of opportunity during the
night of 24/25 August, and during the day fly armed reconnaissance over the
Rhone Valley and hit ammunition stores; B-25s and B-26s attack Rhone River
bridges at Avignon, Culoz, Saint-Alban-du-Rhone, Pont d'Ain, and Loyes, and
hit gun positions around Marseille. (Jack McKillop)

AUSTRIA: One USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bomber based in Italy bombs a railroad bridge as a target of opportunity.  (Jack McKillop)

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy bomb four targets, three of them in Brno: 82 bomb the Kurim aircraft factory at Brno, 80 bomb Brno Airfield and 79 bomb the Lison aircraft engine factory at Brno; one bomber is lost. The fourth target is Prostejov Airfield which is hit by 71 bombers with the loss on one.  (Jack McKillop)

HUNGARY: Three bombers of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force hit targets of opportunity including a railroad bridge.  (Jack McKillop)

US Seventh Air Force B-24s from Saipan Island hit the airfield on Iwo Jima
Island and a B-24 bombs Yap Island. (Jack McKillop)

US Far East Air Force B-24s strike Koror and Malakal Islands, Palau Islands, Caroline Islands.  (Jack McKillop)

BAY OF BISCAY: German submarine U-667 is sunk about 18 nautical miles (34 kilometers) west-southwest of the sub base at La Rochelle, in position 46.00N, 01.30W, by a mine in the minefield Cinnamon. All 45 men on the U-boat are lost.    (Jack McKillop)

FRANCE: The French 2d Armored Division, bypassing resistance in the Versailles area, get forward elements into Paris from the southwest at 0700 hours local. The U.S. 4th Infantry Division enters the city from the south at about 0730 hours local. FFI forces and jubilant French civilians assist in the methodical clearing of scattered strongpoints within the city. The German commander in Paris, Lieutenant General Dietrich von Cholitz, surrenders formally to Brigadier General Jacques-Philippe LeClerc of the French 2d Armored Division at 1515 hours local. The U.S. 22d Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, establishes a bridgehead across the Seine River south of Paris.  (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
     The U.S. VIII Corps begins a major attack on Brest at 1300 hours local after preparatory bombardment for an hour but three divisions make little headway.  The British battleship HMS Warspite bombards the German garrison with her 15-inch (38,1 centimeter) guns.  (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
     The British 43d Division establishes a bridgehead across the Seine River at Vernon under cover of artillery fire.  (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
     In Southern France, the U.S. 3d Infantry Division drives through Cavaillon, Orgon and Avignon without opposition.  (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
     The US Ninth Air Force sends about 240 A-20 Havocs and B-26s to attack various enemy strongholds in and around Brest supporting the ground forces' attempt to capture Brest harbor; fighters provide air cover for five divisions, fly armed reconnaissance along the Seine River, and sweeps in wide areas around Paris which is liberated; fighters of the IX Tactical Air Command raid, and set afire with napalm tanks, the reported HQ of Field Marshall Walter Model (Commander-in-Chief West) and Verzy.  (Jack McKillop)
     A-20s of the US Twelfth Air Force fly armed reconnaissance over the Rhone Valley and hit ammunition stores; B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders attack Rhone River bridges at Avignon, Culoz, Saint-Alban-du-Rhone, Pont d'Ain, and Loyes, and hit gun positions around Marseille.  (Jack McKillop)
     German submarine U-178 is scuttled at Bordeaux to prevent capture by the Allies.  (Jack McKillop)Ê

ROMANIA: German submarines U-18 and U-24 are scuttled at Konstanza on the Black Sea, in position 44.12N, 28.41E. Eight men are killed on the U-18.  (Jack McKillop)

U.S.     Bob Hope was at Biak on 25 August 1944 putting on a special show for the Air Corps. He is seen in the "Jolly Rogers" staff car holding a captured Japanese flag which was presented to him. The Jolly Roger's squadron got all the limelight. (Denis Peck)

1945:     CHINA: Nationalist forces enter Nanking and Shanghai.  (Jack McKillop)
     For no apparent reason, John Birch, an American missionary before the war and an Army captain during the war. is killed by the Chinese communists. Birch, a Baptist missionary in China when the war started, was commanding an American Special Services team when ordered to halt by Communist troops. A scuffle ensued and Birch was shot dead. In the 1950s, Robert Welch created a right-wing anticommunist organization named the John Birch Society. (Jack McKillop)

FRENCH INDOCHINA: As the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, the Communist  Viet Minh under Ho Chi Minh aimed to take power. Due to Emperor Bao Dai's Japanese associations, Ho Chi Minh was able to persuade him to abdicate today, handing power to the Viet Minh, an event that greatly enhanced Ho's legitimacy in the eyes of the Vietnamese people. Bao Dai was appointed "supreme advisor" in the new government in Hanoi, which asserted independence on 2 September 1945.  (Jack McKillop)

JAPAN: There are reports of large numbers of people "committing hara-kiri before the Imperial Palace in Tokyo."   (Jack McKillop)
     In the Kurile Islands, Soviet troops occupy Paramushiru Island. USN PB4Y-2 Privateers based in the Aleutian Islands continue their photographic missions over Onekotan, Shasukotan and Harumukotan Islands.  (Jack McKillop)
     Carrier-based USN aircraft begin daily patrols over airfields and attempt to locate and supply POW camps. This operation continues until 2 September.  (Jack McKillop)
     Two USAAF 7th Fighter Squadron P-38 Lightnings, one flown by Lieutenant Colonel Clay Tice, Jr., Commanding Officer of the 49th Fighter Group based at Motuba Airfield on Okinawa, lands at Nittagahara on Kyushu at 1205 hours local. The second aircraft was low on fuel and could not return to Okinawa. The two had been part of a six-plane element flying over Japan. At 1305 hours, the American were contacted by officers and men of the Imperial Japanese Army and although conversation was difficult, they were greeted in a friendly manner. Prior to landing, Colonel Tice had contacted an SB-17 Flying Fortress of the of the 6th Air Sea Rescue Squadron and advised him of the situation. The SB-17 landed at approximately 1315 hours and with a fuel pump and hose furnished by the Japanese, the Americans transferred approximately US 260 gallons (216 Imperial gallons or 984 liters) of fuel from the SB-17 to the P-38. The SB-17 and two P-38s took off at 1445 hours and landed on Okinawa at 
1645 hours. (Jack McKillop)

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: General YAMASHITA Tomoyoki, Commander of the 14th Area Army, informs the commander of the US 32d Infantry Division that he has ordered all Japanese troops in the Philippines to lay down their arms.  (Jack McKillop)

U.S.: Vice-Admiral Willis A. "Ching" Lee Jr. succumbs to a fatal heart attack while in his launch, returning to his flagship, USS Wyoming (AG-17), off the coast of Maine. Lee had been Commander, Battleships, Pacific Fleet from April 1943 to December 1944 and then commanded Battleship Squadron Two (BatRon 2) until June 1945. He was sent to the Atlantic to command a special unit researching defenses against the Kamikaze threat. He is buried, with honors, at Arlington National Cemetery.  (Jack McKillop)
     The seven German POWs convicted of hanging a fellow German submariner in the shower room of Compound 4 at Camp Papago, 8 miles east of downtown Phoenix, Arizona, on 12 March 1944, are executed at Fort Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas.