September 1
WE REMEMBER
1930 (MONDAY)
GERMANY: The Young Plan, the second renegotiation of Germany's World War I reparation payments, goes into effect. A new committee, chaired by the American Owen D. Young, met in Paris on February 11, 1929, to revise the Dawes Plan of 1924. Its report, accepted with minor changes, went into effect today. It reduced the amount due from Germany to 121 billion Reichsmarks in 59 annuities, set up the Bank for International Settlements to handle the transfer. (Jack McKillop)
1939 (FRIDAY)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German pocket battleship (armored ship) Admiral Graf Spee refuels from the tanker Altmark southwest of the Canary Islands. Altmark obtained the fuel oil in Port Arthur, Texas, USA, in August. Meanwhile, Admiral Graf Spee's sistership, Deutschland, is in the North Atlantic ready to commence operations. (Jack McKillop)
BULGARIA: The government of Bulgaria issues a declaration of strict neutrality, maintaining close cooperation with Yugoslavia. (Jack McKillop)
CANADA: In Ottawa, Ontario, Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King proclaims the War Measures Act, retroactive to 25 August. This act appropriates required regulatory acts and authority from the provinces. (Jack McKillop)
The 1st and 2nd Canadian Divisions are authorized as the Canadian Active Service Force. The Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Navy Reserve and Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve are placed on active service. (Jack McKillop)
The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, the Royal 22e Regiment, the Royal Regiment of Canada and 14 militia regiments are mobilized. (Jack McKillop)
CHINA: The USN light cruiser USS Marblehead (CL-12) transports U.S. Marines from Chinwangtao to Shanghai to bring the 4th Marine Regiment to full strength in the event that the Japanese try to take advantage of the war in Europe. (Jack McKillop)
CUBA: Cuban President Federico Laredo Bru issues a proclamation declaring the neutral position of Cuba's government. (Jack McKillop)
FREE CITY OF DANZIG: Albert Forster, leader of the National Socialists in Danzig, announces the reunion of Danzig with Germany in response to the German invasion of Poland. The Free City of Danzig, with adjoining territory of 731 square miles (1 893 square kilometers), was established as a free state under the League of Nations in 1919. (Jack McKillop)
DENMARK: The government declares its neutrality. (Andy Etherington)
FINLAND: The government declares its neutrality. (Andy Etherington)
FRANCE: The French government accepts Italian Premier Benito Mussolini's proposal for a peace conference. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: At 0540 hours local, Berlin radio broadcasts Chancellor Adolf Hitler's proclamation to his army; the invasion had been launched "in order to put an end to this lunacy." Then at 1000 hours local, Hitler is driven through an abnormally silent Berlin to the Reichstag, from where he broadcasts the news to the world. (Andy Etherington)
The Ambassadors of the British and French governments issue an ultimatum to the German government to pull out of Poland. (Jack McKillop)
Chancellor Hitler names his successors,: Herman Goering, Commander of the Luftwaffe, and Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party. (Jack McKillop)
The government issues a decree forbidding listening to any foreign radio station, with the death penalty imposed for spreading false foreign radio news. (Jack McKillop)
ITALY: At 1500 hours local, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini addresses the Council of Ministers in Rome and announces non-intervention. (Andy Etherington)
LATVIA: Latvian president Karl Ulmanis issues a declaration of strict neutrality. (Jack McKillop)
NEWFOUNDLAND: The Act for the Defence of Newfoundland is instituted to grant The Commission of Government broad powers over economic and social life as necessary to defend the country. (Jack McKillop)
NORWAY: Norway's King Haakon VI proclaims the neutrality of his country. (Andy Etherington)
POLAND: Three German Armeegruppen (Army Groups) begin the invasion of Poland at 0345 hours GMT, officially launching the world into what would be the most destructive and deadly war in all of history. Massive strikes by the Luftwaffe destroy vital communications and assembly areas, decimating the Polish air force on the ground. Panzer and motorized divisions make deep penetrations into the Polish defenses, using tactics soon to be known as the Blitzkrieg. Officially, the first shots of the war are fired from the 28 centimeter (11-inch) deck guns of the vintage World War I battleship Schleswig-Holstein. The ship had survived the ravages of WWI and entered service in the Kriegsmarine in 1935, serving initially as a cadet training ship. Under the guise of honoring the anniversary of the Battle of Tannenburg, the German battleship, complete with a hidden cargo of Marinesturmkompanie (Marine Assault) troops, was allowed by the Poles to anchor directly off the strategic island of W
esterplatte, located at the mouth of the Vistula River in Danzig. At 0347 hours GMT, permission is given to the ship to open fire on the island, a strategic point on the Baltic Coast needed to support the troops advancing to the south. Shortly after 0347 hours GMT, the ship opens up its massive main guns, firing at near-point-blank range and zero elevation. Needless-to-say, the shells literally pound the small island, but although the ships guns devastate the target, they inflict minimal casualties on the Poles stationed within. When the Marinesturmkompanie hidden within the Battleship disembarks and launches its main assault on the island, it is repulsed after taking heavy casualties. Another assault is launched later in the morning, again by the Marinesturmkompanie, after more shelling from the Schleswig-Holstein, but this assault also ends in heavy German casualties. The Westerplatte would prove impossible to take on the first day of WWII. (Jack McKillop)
German tanks thundered across the Polish border at precisely 0345 hours GMT today. Supported by Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers, which are being used as airborne artillery. They are making rapid progress in penetrating Poland's forward defenses. The assault is fast and violent, with units racing ahead to envelop and destroy the Polish defenders. Warsaw is bombed by He 111 and Do 17 bombers, pounding Polish airfields and strategic targets while Bf 109 fighters hunt down those Polish planes which have managed to get airborne. First reports speak of the German Army Group South striking north-east from Silesia while the Fourth Army is advancing from Pomerania to link up with the Third Army pushing southwest from East Prussia. The pattern that is emerging is of the Germans using their traditional technique of the double pincer movement against the Polish forces which are largely concentrated near the frontier to protect the industrial areas. It seems that Marshal of Poland Eduard Sm
igly-Rydz, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, hopes to hold the line until Britain and France come to his rescue. The force of the attack mounted by German General Walther von Brauchitsch, Commander in Chief of the Army, must cast doubts upon the Poles ability to resist until their allies attack in the west. (Andy Etherington)
The Jablunka Pass is forced against fierce resistance of Polish mountain troops. Army Group South units move as much as 15 miles (24 kilometers) on this first day. (Andy Etherington)
Albert Forster, leader of the National Socialists in Danzig, announces the reunion of Danzig with Germany in response to the German invasion of Poland. (Andy Etherington)
In Warsaw at 1400 hours, Polish Foreign Minister Colonel Josef Beck formally breaks relations with Germany. (Andy Etherington)
PORTUGAL: Portuguese Prime Minister AntÛnio de Oliveira Salazar declares the neutrality of his country. (Jack McKillop)
ROMANIA: Romania proclaims neutrality. (Jack McKillop)
SWEDEN: The government declares its neutrality. (Andy Etherington)
SWITZERLAND: The government declares its neutrality. (Andy Etherington)
UNITED KINGDOM: At 0728 hours local. the British Foreign Office learns of the German invasion of Poland. At 1400 hours local the British mobilisation starts. The House of Commons is summoned for an 1800 hour session with all blackout curtains drawn. (Andy Etherington)
All British Broadcasting Co. (BBC) studios and transmitters are converted in the early hours to wartime conditions; this includes arranging two synchronised groups of radio transmitters to prevent radio direction finding, and creation of the "Home Service" on radio (at 0815 hours local). BBC Television Service, with continuity links from the Radio Exhibition at Olympia, closes at 1210 hours, ending unceremoniously with a Mickey Mouse cartoon, "Mickey's Gala PremiPre," in which the last words are a Greta Garbo caricature saying "Ah tink ah go home." (The order to close the service had not been received at Alexandra Palace at noon.) In the eight months of the year to date television transmitters have operated for an aggregate of 2,403 hours and had an audience of around 20,000-25,000 households. (Jack McKillop)
Young children from London and other urban areas are evacuated due to the fear from air attacks.
UNITED STATES: President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeals to Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland to have their armed forces "in no event and under no circumstances" bombard civilians or unfortified cities under conditions of reciprocity. (Jack McKillop)
President Roosevelt appoints Admiral William D. Leahy, who had recently retired as Chief of Naval Operations, as Work Projects Administrator for the Territory of Puerto Rico. (Jack McKillop)
George C. Marshall is sworn in as US Army Chief of Staff. (John Caccese)
The entire long range bomber force of the USAAC consists of 17 Boeing four-engine bombers: one XB-15, 13 Y1B-17s and three B-17Bs. (Jack McKillop)
Two motion pictures are released today: (1) the mystery "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," based on a story by Arthur Conan Doyle, is directed by Alfred L. Werker and stars Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce and Ida Lupino. The plot had Holmes trying to outwit Professor Moriarty who is planning to steal the Crown Jewels. (2) The comedy "The Women," based on a play by Clare Boothe Luce, is directed by George Cukor and stars an all female cast, i.e., Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine, Marjorie Main, Virginia Grey, Ruth Hussey, Hedda Hopper and Mary Beth Hughes; Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen appear in uncredited bit parts. The plot involves divorce, cattiness and competition in a group of female "friends." (Jack McKillop)
YUGOSLAVIA: Yugoslavia announces a declaration of strict neutrality. (Jack McKillop)
1940 (SUNDAY)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 1720 hours GMT, the German submarine U-32 attacks the Dakar Task Force about 243 nautical miles (450 kilometers) west-northwest of Stornoway, Outer Hebrides, U.K., in position 58.10N, 12.55W. The British light cruiser HMS Fiji (50) is damaged and she will be out of commission for six months. Her place is taken by the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Australia (H 84). (Andy Etherington and Jack McKillop)
British destroyer HMS Ivanhoe (D 16) is scuttled in the North Sea off the Dutch Coast about 76 nautical miles (120 kilometers) north-northwest of Amsterdam, Netherlands, in position 53.25N, 03.48E after suffering mine damage. (Alex Gordon and Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: Royal Air Force (RAF) Whitleys of No. 4 Group bomb industrial targets at Munich and southeastern Germany. (Andy Etherington)
The German "New British Broadcasting Station" (NBBS} propaganda radio station declares that "Dover (England) is already practically German territory." (Andy Etherington)
ITALY: RAF Whitleys of No. 4 Group bomb industrial targets at Milan and Turin. (Andy Etherington)
KENYA: Italian troops invading from Italian Somaliland capture Buna.
LITHUANIA: In Kovno, the Japanese consul Sempo Sugihara, who had been issuing exit visas to Jews, is expelled. (Andy Etherington)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Reinforcements are sent to the British's Mediterranean Fleet right through until the end of the year. They are covered from Gibraltar by Vice Admiral James Somerville, Commander of Force H, and then met in the central basin by Vice Admiral Andrew Cunningham, Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean. The opportunity is taken to run in supplies of men and material to Malta. Early in September the new British fleet carrier HMS Illustrious (87), with an armoured flight deck, battleship HMS Valiant (02) and two cruisers are transferred in this way in Operation "Hats." On passage with them, aircraft from HMS Ark Royal (91) attack Sardinian targets. HMS Illustrious, having joined with the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle (94), sends aircraft against Rhodes. The Italian Fleet sorties during these operations, but fails to make contact. The arrival of HMS Illustrious allows Admiral Cunningham to go ahead with his plans to attack the Italian battlefleet at Taranto. (Andy Etheringto
n)
UNITED KINGDOM: BATTLE OF BRITAIN: The weather is fair with cloudy patches during the morning, clearing during the afternoon. During the day, there is heavy damage to Fighter Command airfields following four major attacks. German activity is on a reduced scale compared with the previous day and fewer aircraft are employed, but three attacks of importance developed in the East Kent area. Aerodromes again appeared to be the objectives. In the North and East, reconnaissances by single aircraft are made between Humber and Lowestoft in the forenoon, and in the latter area five plottings are recorded. There are six other reconnaissances in the Harwich-Cromer zone. In the afternoon two reconnaissances are made and in one of these the position of a convoy off Yarmouth is reported. Thick cloud prevented further action. At 1040 hours interception is made of the reports transmitted by enemy aircraft over Derby. In the Southeast at 1050 hours, about 50 Luftwaffe aircraft crossed the coas
t near Dover and other raids followed. By 1100 hours about 100 German aircraft are over Kent and Thames Estuary. Some penetrated to Biggin Hill, Kenley, Gravesend, Hornchurch and North Weald Airfields. Two Balloons of the Dover Barrage are shot down. Fighter squadrons intercepted and shot down several Luftwaffe aircraft. At 1340 hours some 70 enemy aircraft crossed the Coast between Dover and Dungeness. A second wave of about 80 aircraft followed. Biggin Hill and Kenley Airfields are the objectives. Four squadrons from No 11 Group are sent to intercept; meanwhile No 12 Group provided one squadron from Duxford to patrol North Weald. At 1530 hours five raids totaling 70 aircraft again crossed the Coast between Dover and Dungeness. Of these abut 20 circled on the Coast line but others penetrated towards Maidstone and the Thames Estuary, and attacked Dunkirk. Further enemy casualties are inflicted. As in the previous raids hostile patrols are maintained in the Channel whilst the
German raids are in progress over England. In the Southwest, reconnaissance aircraft transmitted reports on British Naval Units South West of Lands End at 1050 hours. The position indicated is correct. (Andy Etherington)
During the night, Liverpool is attacked again with smaller raids in the Midlands and South Wales. German activity is much reduced compared with that of the previous nights and the areas attacked are quite different. Only a small number of isolated raids went to the Industrial Midlands. Main raids are confined to three areas only, Kent, Bristol Channel and South Wales and Tyne/Tees. Many early raids are plotted over Kent and into the Thames Estuary. Attacks are reported on Detling Aerodrome, Dunkirk and Rye. This area is however, clear by midnight. A continuous flow passed to the Bristol Channel and South Wales, some aircraft believed to be on mine-laying. This area appeared to be the main target of the night. A few of these raids passed North as far as the Sealand area. Shortly after midnight a number of raids appeared off the Norfolk Coast and flew North West to the Tyne/Tees area. Mine-laying is suspected but several raids crossed inland before returning home in the di
rection of the Dutch Islands. Other mine-laying is suspected off the Humber, Thames Estuary and Dungeness to Poole. (Andy Etherington)
RAF fighters claim 25-10-24 Luftwaffe aircraft; the British lose 15 aircraft with six pilots killed or missing. (Andy Etherington)
1941 (MONDAY)
CHINA: In Shanghai, the US Consul General, the Commander of the U.S. Navy's (USN's) Yangtze Patrol and the Commanding Officer of the 4th Marine Regiment, recommend that all US naval forces in China, i.e., river gunboats and US Marines, be withdrawn. (Jack McKillop)
FRANCE: Air France Bloch 220 msn 12, registered F-AQNL and named "Languedoe," crashes into a lake after engine failure during takeoff from Bollemont; two of the 17 aboard survive. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: All Jews in the Reich above the age of six required to wear the Yellow Star. (Jason Leech)
UNITED KINGDOM: A Consolidated Liberator Mk. I, RAF s/n AM915, operated by British Overseas Airways (BOAC), crashes into a hillside near Campbeltown, Argyll, England; all ten aboard are lost. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: President Franklin D. Roosevelt pledges every effort to defeat Germany stating "our fundamental rights-including the rights of labor-are threatened by Hitler's violent attempt to rule the world." (Jack McKillop)
The USN assumes responsibility for escorting convoys from a point off Argentia, Newfoundland to Iceland. At the same time, the US Navy forms a DENMARK: Strait (between Greenland and Iceland) patrol with units of the Atlantic Fleet with two heavy cruisers and four destroyers. U.S. escorts are now allowed to convoy ships of any flag provided there is at least one ship with a U.S. flag.
The First issue of Intelligence Bulletin is published. (Bill Howard)
U.S.S.R: German forces are now within artillery range of Leningrad. East of the city their advance nears the south edge of Lake Ladoga. German forces recapture Mga. The important rail hub would be held for nearly three years. As General Heinz Guderian commander of the 2nd Panzer Army, launches his forces south to encircle Kiev, General Semen Timoshenko, commander of the Southwestern Front, begins a major counter attack at Gomel.
A Japanese fishing trawler strikes a mine and sinks near the Soviet port of Vladivostok. Japan demands a guarantee of safety for their ships and reparations for the lost ship. The Russians tell Japan they would pay for nothing and they should stay clear of Soviet ports. (Jack McKillop)
1942 (TUESDAY)
ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: U.S. forces complete the occupation of Adak Island. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: While tracking Convoy SC-97 (Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada to the U.K.), German submarine U-756 is sunk about 477 nautical miles (884 kilometers) southwest of Reykjavik, Iceland, in position 57.41N, 31.30W, by the Canadian corvette HMCS Morden (K 170). All 43-men on the U-boat are lost. (Jack McKillop)
CRETE: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Force B-24 Liberators attack the harbor at Candia, scoring several direct hits on a vessel and hitting others. (Jack McKillop)
EGYPT: The forces of General Erwin Rommel, commander Panzer Army Africa, suffer from a lack of supplies. One Panzer Division is out of fuel. The 15th Panzer makes no progress. The British 8th Armored Division learns an expensive lesson with German anti-tank guns. (John Nicholas)
In the air near El Alamein, Hauptmann (Captain) Hans Joachim Marseilles, the finest marksman in the Luftwaffe, shoots down 17 RAF aircraft during three missions, the largest one-day total a fighter pilot will score during the war. He is awarded GERMANY's highest decoration, the Diamonds of the Knight's cross of the Iron Cross. (Jack McKillop)
Two U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) squadrons of the US Army, Middle East Air Force fly escort missions and sweeps with RAF. USAAF B-25 Mitchells, in conjunction with RAF light bombers, hit trucks and tanks in the battle area of Alam-el-Halfa. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command dispatches 231 aircraft of five types to bomb Saarbr¸cken. The Pathfinders illuminate and marked town which they believed to be Saarbr¸cken and the Main Force bombed accurately. A total of 205 aircraft claimed good bombing results. But the town bombed is Saarlouis, 13 miles (21 kilometers) to the northwest and situated in a similar bend of the River Saar. The small, non-industrial town of Saarlouis and the villages immediately surrounding are heavily damaged. The exact extent of this damage is not recorded but 52 civilians are killed. No bombs fell in Saarbr¸cken. Four bombers are lost. (Jack McKillop)
JAPAN: Japanese Foreign Minister TOGO Shigenori, taking the blame for Japan's failure to conclude a quick end to the war, resigns and Prime Minister General TOJO Hideki assumes the post of Foreign Minister. On the 17 September, TANI Masayuka is appointed Foreign Minister.
The Japanese government creates the "Greater East Asia Ministry," to run its empire. Headed by AOKI Kazuo, the function of this ministry is to exploit the labor and resources of the conquered territories as much as possible. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: On the Kododa Track in Papua New Guinea, the Japanese continue their assault on Australian troops but the Australians hold their ground. During the day, Australian troops in Milne Bay patrol forward up to a mile (1,6 kilometers) east of K.B. Mission. (Jack McKillop)
RAAF Kittyhawks of the Allied Air Forces hit a Japanese headquarters at Wagga Wagga on Milne Bay while USAAF P-400 Airacobras strafe Kokoda and Kokoda Pass in the Owen Stanley Range. (Jack McKillop)
SOLOMON ISLANDS: The 6th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) lands on Guadalcanal to maintain Henderson Field. (Jack McKillop)
USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb and damage a Japanese flying boat support ship and a destroyer off Buka Island. (Jack McKillop)
Throughout September 1942, Americans on Guadalcanal lack adequate fighter strength, although carrier planes that can be spared are employed at Henderson Field. A trickle of supplies to the garrison increases only slightly. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: A federal judge in Sacramento, California, upholds the wartime detention of Japanese-Americans as well as Japanese nationals.
U.S.S.R.: There is heavy fighting in Stalingrad, where German units have reached the suburbs in some areas.
Troops from the Russian 11th Army land on the Taman Peninsula from Kerch.
Units of 1.Panzerarmee (First Panzer Army under General Ewald von Kleist) form a bridgehead across the Terek river at Mozdok in the Caucasus. (Jack McKillop)
1943 (WEDNESDAY)
ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Two USAAF Eleventh Air Force P-40s, attempting to intercept Japanese aircraft reported near Attu Island, abort because of weather. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The USN assumes full responsibility for all airborne antisubmarine operations by US forces in the Atlantic and USAAF units are reassigned. (Jack McKillop)
BAKER ISLAND: The US Army's 804th Engineer Aviation Battalion lands on Baker Island, about half way between Australia and the Territory of Hawaii, to build an advance airfield to support the upcoming invasions in the Gilbert Islands. The landing is supported by the USN's Task Force 11 (Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee, Jr.), formed around small aircraft carriers USS Princeton (CVL 23) and Belleau Wood (CVL 24). The dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 1) in this operation pioneers the use of this type of ship in amphibious operations. Also involved are the PBY-5A Catalinas of USN Patrol Squadron Thirty Three (VP-33) based on Canton Island. The squadron conducted day searches toward the Gilberts covering the occupation of Baker Island. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Iboki Plantation and Rein Bay; five Fifth Air Force B-26 Marauders attack the Cape Gloucester area; and 12 RAAF Beaufighters attack the island. (Jack McKillop)
BURMA: USAAF Tenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb rail facilities at Mandalay. (Jack McKillop)
CHINA: Seven USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and eight P-40s attack a Japanese destroyer and the dock area at Shihhweiyao; a P-40 and three P-38 Lightnings attack a barracks at Yangsin, shipping at Wuchang and Kutang and a train and antiaircraft guns near Puchi; six P-40s sink a small river tanker near Ichang and strafe Japanese cavalry at Ocheng; and three P-40s attack Swatow Airfield and the port area. (Jack McKillop)
ITALY: Units of the British join aircraft and artillery in the bombardment of the Calabrian coast in preparation for Operation BAYTOWN, the British invasion of Italy.
USAAF Twelfth Air Force P-40s bomb a zinc plant at Iglesias and strafe a factory north of Gonnesa while medium and light bombers hit Bova Marina, areas near Salina and Sant' Eufemia d'Aspromonte town area and bridge at Oliveto. (Jack McKillop)
During the night of 1/2 September, 38 RAF (B-24) Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group visually bomb the North marshalling yard at Aversa while two other Liberators drop leaflet on Genoa. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: Allied air operations are intensified in preparation for the offensive against Lae, Northeast New Guinea. The USAAF Fifth Air Force is concentrating on airfields, supply points and shipping in the New Guinea - Bismarck Archipelago area. (Jack McKillop)
Twenty USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators and 40+ B-25 Mitchells bomb supply dumps in the Alexishafen-Madang area of Papua, New Guinea. (Jack McKillop)
PACIFIC OCEAN: In the Coral Sea, USN destroyer USS Wadsworth (DD-516) picks up an underwater sound contact and drops seven patterns of depth charges sinking Japanese submarine HIJMS I-20 about 148 nautical miles (274 kilometers) north-northeast of Port Vila, Espiritu Santo Island, New Hebrides Islands, in position 15.38S, 166.57E. (Jack McKillop)
PHOENIX ISLANDS: From this date through 14 September, eight USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators conduct daily sea-search operations from Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands. (Jack McKillop)
SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Vella Lavella Island, a battalion of the U.S. 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, driving on the Kokolope Bay, reaches the Orete Cove area, about 14 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of Barakoma. (Jack McKillop)
TUNISIA: All ADMINISTRATIVE functions of the USAAF elements assigned to the Northwest African Air Force are transferred to the appropriate US Twelfth Air Force organizations
- HQ Northwest African Air Force (NAAF) to HQ Twelfth Air Force
- Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) to XII Bomber Command
- Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) to XII Air Support Command
- Northwest African Coastal Air Force to XII Fighter Command
- Northwest African Air Service Command (NAASC) to XII Air Force Services Command
- Northwest African Air Force Troop Carrier Command to XII Troop Carrier Command (Provisional)
- Northwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing to Photo Reconnaissance Wing (Provisional)
- Northwest African Training Command (NATC) to XII Training Command (Provisional).
OPERATIONAL control remains with the Northwest African Air Force. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill arrives at the White House for a conclusion of his Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, talks with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Jack McKillop)
Technical Manual (TM) E 30-451, Handbook on German Military Forces, dated 1 September 1943, is issued. This is an update to the prior one. It is interesting to note that this is issued before U.S. and Allied troops have encountered many of the new German weapons. Not covered are such items as the MP 44, the Panzerfausts and many other items. (Bill Howard)
U.S.S.R.: Soviet troops make good progress around Smolensk and Vyazma capturing Dorogobuzh and south around Taganrog.
1944 (FRIDAY)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-247 is sunk about 76 nautical miles (140 kilometers) west-southwest of Plymouth, Devonshire, England, U.K., in position 49.54N, 05.49W, by depth charges from the Canadian frigates HMCS St John (K 456) and Swansea (K 328). All hands, 52-men, on the U-boat are lost. (Jack McKillop)
The British corvette HMS Hurst Castle (K 416) is hit by one torpedo fired by German submarine U-482 at 0722 hours GMT and sinks off the coast of County Donegal, …ire, about 41 nautical miles (75 kilometers) northwest of Londonderry, County Derry, Northern Ireland, in position 55.27N, 08.12W. The corvette is escorting tanker convoy CU-36 (Caribbean to U.K.). There are no casualties, 105 survivors are rescued by the British destroyer HMS Ambuscade (D 38). (Alex Gordon and Jack McKillop)
BELGIUM: Three USAAF Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses fly a Micro H mission to attack a fuel dump in the Bois del la Haussiere; escort is provided by two P-51 Mustangs. (Jack McKillop)
BONIN AND VOLCANO ISLANDS: USN Task Group 38.4 surface units, heavy cruiser USS New Orleans (CA-32), light cruiser USS Biloxi (CL-80) and four destroyers, bombard Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands. The Japanese do not return fire. (Jack McKillop)
BULGARIA: Prime Minister Dobri Bozhilov is replaced by Constantine Muraviev.
CAROLINE ISLANDS: A lone USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberator on an armed reconnaissance flight bombs Yap Island and Marshall Island-based B-24s bomb Truk Island. Meanwhile, USAAF Fifth and Thirteenth Air Force B-24s hit targets in the Palau Islands. (Jack McKillop)
CHINA: Twelve USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Kai Tek Airfield, Hong Kong, and a supply depot south of Canton. (Jack McKillop)
FINLAND: The Finnish government receives an ultimatum from the Soviet Union, stating that Finland has to accept the Soviet terms for starting the peace negotiations (as stated on the 29 August) by 2 September, or the hostilities will go on. Parliament, originally set to decide on the matter on 5 September, is hurriedly called to convene at 1800 hours local tomorrow. (Mikko H‰rmeinen)
FRANCE: The serious German collapse had caused bitter debate among senior Allied Generals. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander, Supreme Headquarter Allied Expeditionary Force, favors a broad front strategy. British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, Commander of the 21st Army Group, advocates a single thrust strategy. This debate will continue for several months.
In northern France, the Canadian 2d Division liberates Dieppe and the port is reopened within a week. The U.S. 12th Army Group, commanded by Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, is transferred to the direct command of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) from the command of British General Bernard Montgomery. Elements of the U.S. Third Armored Division advances quickly through Vervins to La Capelle. Meanwhile, the U.S. Third Army, commanded by Lieutenant General George S. Patton, is practically immobilized by an acute shortage of fuel. An enforced lull allows the German to build up fortifications behind the West Wall. The U.S. VIII Corps continues preparations for renewing an all-out assault on Brest when ammunition is more plentiful. (Jack McKillop).
In southern France, the French II Corps continues toward Lyon and captures Serriers and Firminy. (Jack McKillop)
In the air over northern France, USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders attack fortifications in the Brest area which artillery fire had been unable to reduce; escorting fighters fly sweeps and armed reconnaissance in northern and eastern France, and fly cover for six divisions in the Amiens, Saint-Quentin, Cambrai, Reims, and Verdun areas and the Brussels, Belgium area. (Jack McKillop)
Twenty seven USAAF Eighth Air Force bombers visually bomb the V2 supply dump at Bricy Airfield in Orleans. (Jack McKillop)
During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 121 aircraft, 97 Halifaxes, 15 Mosquitos and nine Lancasters, to bomb two V2 rocket storage sites: 56 bomb La Pourchinte, 31 bomb the North site at Lumbres and 26 hit the South site at Lumbres without loss. Both raids are successful, the Lumbres attack particularly so. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: Azon-equipped USAAF Eighth Air Force B-24 Liberators hit the Ravenstein railroad bridge without loss; escort is provided by 15 P-51 Mustangs. One B-17 Flying Fortress bombs a railroad junction at Hallach (Jack McKillop)
During the night of 1/ 2 September, 34 of 35 RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos dispatched bomb the port at Bremen without loss. (Jack McKillop)
GREECE: Because of Allied successes on other fronts, German Army Group F is forced to begin withdrawing from Greece and islands in the Ionian and Aegean Seas. The main withdrawal route, the rail line through Skoplje and Belgrade, Yugoslavia, is so effectively hit by heavy bombers of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force during the first half of September that an aerial withdrawal of German troops is begun from airfields in the Athens area. All three airfields are made unserviceable by USAAF attacks during the latter half of the month. (Jack McKillop)
GREENLAND: The US Coast Guard gunboat, USCGC Northland (WPG-49), locates the German weather ship Kehdingen off Great Kodeyey Island and gives chase. The crew of the weather ship scuttles it to avoid capture. Also in the area is the German U-boat U-703 which attempts to attack USCGC Northland but is blocked by ice. (Jack McKillop)
HUNGARY: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators visually bomb five targets: (1) 52 bomb the marshalling yard at Debrecen; (2) 51 bomb the marshalling yard at Szajol; (3) 31 bomb the railroad bridge at Szolnokl (4) 25 bomb the railroad bridge at Mezotur; and 11 bomb the marshalling yard at Berettyo Ujfalu. Two B-24s are lost. (Jack McKillop)
INDIAN OCEAN: In the Arabian Sea, German submarine U-859 sinks a 7,422 ton British merchant freighter about 725 nautical miles (1 343 kilometers) south-southwest of Karachi, India, in position 14.10N, 61.04E. (Jack McKillop)
ITALY: The U.S. Fifth Army begins pursuing the Germans across the Arno River. The British V and Canadian I Corps penetrate the main defenses of the Gothic Line on Mounts Gridolfo and Tomba di Pesaro, commanding the Foglia River valley. (Jack McKillop)
USAAF Twelfth Air Force B-25 Mitchells score excellent results against road and railroad bridges north and northeast of Venice; fighter-bomber and fighters bomb and strafe roads, troop concentrations, supply dumps, and German HQ in the battle area north of Florence, and fly armed reconnaissance from Ventimiglia along the coast to La Spezia. During the night of 1/2 September A-20 Havocs hit a pontoon bridge and targets of opportunity in the Po Valley; and fighter-bombers blast roads, bridges and gun emplacements in Po Valley, docks at Savona, and shipping off shore. (Jack McKillop)
Twenty six USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers visually bomb the Pisani railroad bridge at Bora without loss. (Jack McKillop)
JAPAN: In the Kurile Islands, a USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-25 Mitchell bombs a shack on the southwestern coast of Paramushiru Island and sinks a nearby ship; five other B-25s on this mission turn back due to overcast. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: In preparation for the invasion of the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters moves to Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea. (Jack McKillop)
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: The USN submarine USS Narwhal (SS-167) lands 10 tons of supplies, five Filipino officers and 18 enlisted men on the east coast of Luzon. The sub takes out four U.S. enlisted men. (Jack McKillop)
Fifty five USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Likanan and Matina Airdromes on Mindanao. (Jack McKillop)
ROMANIA: German submarine U-23 enters Constanta harbor and fires three torpedoes at 0230 hours local; one torpedo hits the stern of the Romanian steamer SS Oituz causing the ship to sink. The ship is later refloated and declared a total loss. U-23 left her attack position at 0400 hours and laid a mine barrage in Constanta roads near Tuzla lighthouse. No vessels are reported lost on the barrage. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED KINGDOM: The British Chiefs of Staff propose an airborne and amphibious assault on Rangoon, Burma, in 1944. This operation is coded Operation DRACULA
HQ of the USAAF's IX Troop Carrier Command comes under administrative control of HQ US Strategic Air Forces in Europe and under operational control of HQ First Allied Airborne Army, to increase efficiency, especially for planning, training, and preparation of airborne operations. Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force now can deal directly with all elements of an airborne force through a single unified command instead of through various army groups and air forces, e.g., 12th and 21st Army Groups, USAAF Ninth Air Force, and RAF components. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: Selective Service announces that no men over 26 years old will be drafted (conscripted) during the rest of 1944. (Jack McKillop)
Project Bumblebee (as it is later known) came into being as the USN's Bureau of Ordnance reports that a group of scientists from Section T of the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) are investigating the practicability of developing a jet-propelled, guided, anti-aircraft weapon. Upon completion of the preliminary investigation, a developmental program is approved in December by the Chief of Naval Operations. In order to concentrate upon the guided missile phase of the anti-aircraft problem, the OSRD and Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, completed withdrawal, also in December, from the proximity fuze program which thus came completely under the Bureau of Ordnance. (Jack McKillop)
The top pop songs today are (1) "Amor" by Bing Crosby; (2) "I'll Be Seeing You" by Bing Crosby; (3) "Time Waits for No One" by Helen Forest; and (4) "Is You is or is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)" by Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five. (Jack McKillop)
YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers visually bomb five targets: (1) 56 B-24s bomb the railroad bridge at Mitrovica; (2) 56 bomb the railroad bridge at Mesgrada; (3) 55 bomb the railroad bridge at Kraljevo; (4) 55 B-17s bomb the airfield at Nis; and (5) 17 bomb the marshalling yard at Novi Sad. (Jack McKillop)
1945 (SATURDAY)
JAPAN: Two civilian internment camps are located in the Tokyo area and the captives are freed and transferred to the American hospital ship USS Benevolence (AH-13). (Jack McKillop)
Soviet forces occupy Kunashiri and Shikotan Islands in the Kurile Islands. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: The motion picture "Isle of the Dead" is released. This horror movie, directed by Mark Robson, stars Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew and Jason Robards, Sr. The plot had a group of people quarantined on a Greek Island in 1912 and an old peasant woman believes that a young girl is a vampire kind of demon. (Jack McKillop)
In baseball, Philadelphia Phillies' center fielder Vince DiMaggio ties a major league record by hitting his fourth grand slam home run of the season. Traded to the Phillies by the Pittsburgh Pirates on 31 March 1945, DiMaggio finishes the season with a .257 batting average and 19 home runs for the last place Phillies. (Jack McKillop)
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