September 3
We Remember
1933 (SUNDAY) GERMANY: Chancellor Adolf Hitler renounces war except against Bolshevism stating ". . . because the German people know that no war could take place which would gain for their country more honor than was won in the last war . . . Germany is not in need of rehabilitation on the battle-field, for there she had never lost her prestige. . . . By waging war on Bolshevism, Germany . . . is fulfilling a European mission. . . ." (Jack McKillop)
1937 (FRIDAY) CHINA: Japanese forces advance rapidly through northern China, without meeting much resistance from the Chinese. The Japanese rapidly gained control of Zhangjiakou (Kalgan) today. (Jack McKillop)
1939 (SUNDAY) ATLANTIC OCEAN: The 13,581 ton passenger liner SS Athenia carrying 1,103 civilians including 300+ U.S. citizens attempting to return to the U.S., was sailing about 250 nautical miles (464 kilometers) west-northwest of Londonderry, County Derry, Northern Ireland, German submarine U-30, commanded by Kapitanleutnant (Lieutenant Commander) Fritz-Julius Lemp, fires torpedoes (without warning) which strike the Athenia at 1939 hours GMT sinking what Lemp thought was an armed merchant cruiser. The ship was en route from Liverpool, England to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The German Navy has sent three radio messages to their submarines in the afternoon stating that Germany was at war and the subs could begin hostilities in accordance with the Prize Rules without waiting for provocation. The submarine captain spots the Athenia, which was blacked out and zigzagging and appears to be carrying deck guns and was therefore a legitimate target. The Prize Rules call for th
e submarine to fire a shot across the Athenia's bow but instead, the captain fires two torpedoes, one of which hit the ship. The second torpedo malfunctions and the submarine submerges to avoid being hit. After a period of time, the submarine surfaces and seeing that Athenia was not sinking, the captain orders a third torpedo fired but this also misses. The submarine was now close enough to see its silhouette and the captain compares it with his Lloyd's Register and discovers his mistake. Soon afterwards, U-30 intercepts a plain-language radio transmission from the stricken ship identifying itself as the Athenia. The captain neither reports this incident to naval headquarters nor does he aid the survivors. On the Athenia, 118 crewmen and passengers, including 28 U.S. citizens, are killed in the initial explosion or die later as a result of the sinking. Three merchant ships and three British destroyers rescue the survivors. U-30 returns to Germany on 27 September and Lemp adm
its his mistake. The Germans learn of the sinking from British news broadcasts and are appalled because of the memory of unrestricted submarine warfare of World War I, especially the sinking of the passenger liner RMS Lusitania, was brought up on the first day of World War II. After looking at the submarine deployment charts, it was evident that U-30 was responsible but Chancellor Adolf Hitler decrees that accusations would be confronted with categorical denial. To throw the British off the track still further, the Propaganda Ministry under Josef Gšbbels spreads the story that the British has torpedoed the liner themselves in a scurrilous attempt to bring the United States into the war. This story was published in Volkischer Beobachter on 23 October, fully a month after Lemp has confirmed the truth. The Germans deny any involvement with the sinking of the Athenia for the rest of the war. (Jack McKillop)
European war comes to the Americas: less than three hours after the British declaration of war on Germany, British light cruiser HMS Ajax (22) intercepts the German freighter SS Olinda, about 130 nautical miles (240 kilometers) east of Montevideo, Uruguay, off the River Plate, in position 34E58'S, 53E32'W. Not having a prize crew available to seize the enemy merchantman, Ajax shells and sinks her. (Jack McKillop)
The British Home Fleet deploys aircraft carriers to seek out and destroy German submarines: HMS Ark Royal (91) off the northwestern approaches to the British Isles, HMS Courageous (50) and HMS Hermes (D 95) off the southwestern approaches.
AUSTRALIA: Australia declares war on Germany. Prime Minister Robert G. Menzies speaks on a national radio broadcast stating, "It is my melancholy duty to inform you officially that, in consequences of a persistence by Germany in her invasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war upon her and that, as a result, Australia was also at war." (Jack McKillop)
BELGIUM: While the Belgian government mobilized the kingdom's armed forces, Prime Minister Hubert Pierlot declares the country's neutrality in the event of a European war. (Jack McKillop)
DENMARK: The Danish government promises to observe strict neutrality. (Andy Etherington)
EGYPT: The Egyptian government proclaims martial law, in order to deport Germans, impose censorship, and arrest persons suspected of espionage. (Jack McKillop)
ƒIRE: The government remains neutral and takes extreme measures to deal with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) insurgency and shortages caused by disruption in shipping. World War II came into Irish history books as ãThe Emergency.ä Eireâs "neutrality" takes a decidedly Allied tilt. Irish citizens are free to join the British forces (43,000 from ƒire vs 38,000 from "loyal" Northern Ireland) or work in British factories, Allied airmen shot down over Eire are quietly repatriated while Axis flyers are interned, Allied overflights are ignored, British intelligence agents operate out of a flying boat base at Foynes, County Limerick, and weather reports from the west of Ireland are regularly relayed to the British. Northern Ireland enters the war by virtue of its status as an integral part of the United Kingdom. The Unionist cabinet in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, calls on London to impose conscription on the province several times during the course of the conflict. The
British refuse fearing that Nationalist opposition would make such a measure more trouble than it would be worth. (Jack McKillop)
FRANCE: At 1700 hours local, the French ultimatum expires and France too was at war with Germany. (Andy Etherington)
The first Cannes Film Festival was due to start but was cancelled due to the declaration of war. The French government has agreed to underwrite costs, selecting Cannes in preference to Biarritz. Also promised was a Palais des Festivals, finally constructed in 1949. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW or Armed Forces High Command) issues FŸhrer Directive #2 for the Conduct of the War. (I) Confirmation of declarations of war by England and France. (ii) Re-iteration of German primary aim: to rapidly and victoriously conclude operations in Poland. (iii) Confirmation of basic principles for war in the West as laid down in Directive #1. Kriegsmarine authorised to begin offensive actions. In war against merchant shipping, prize regulations are to be observed (U-boats included). The entrance to the Baltic will be mined without infringing neutral waters. Offensive and defensive blockade measures will be carried out in the North Sea. Luftwaffe attacks against English Naval forces (including ships in port and positively identified troopships) will only be made in the event of similar English air attacks. Air attacks on the English homeland and merchant shipping must await a FŸhrer order. (iv) The opening of hostilities in the West was to be l
eft to the enemy. Naval action against France will only be permitted if the enemy has opened hostilities. Air attacks against France will only follow air attacks by France against Germany. Germany must not provoke the initiation of aerial warfare. Air strength must be conserved for expected future decisive action. (v) ÎOrder Xâ (partial mobilization) was extended to the entire armed forces. The conversion of the German economy to a wartime basis was decreed. (Marc Roberts)
During the day, Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command dispatches 28 aircraft, one Blenheim, 18 Hampdens and nine Wellingtons, to locate German warships. The Blenheim, of No 139 Squadron, was the first RAF aircraft to cross the German coast in WWII. On the night of 3/4 September, ten Whitleys from Nos 51 and 58 Squadrons dropped 13.5 tons of leaflets over Hamburg, Bremen and The Ruhr. The leaflets tell Germans that Adolf Hitler's promises are worthless, that Germany was near bankruptcy, and weak compared to Allied forces. This was the start of Operation NICKEL. (Jack McKillop)
INDIA: Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy of India declares that India was at war with Germany. (Andy Etherington)
NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand declares war on Germany. (Jack McKillop)
NEWFOUNDLAND: Newfoundland enters World War II by virtue of Britainâs declaration of war. The Newfoundland Constabulary seizes the SS Christopher V. Doornum, a German freighter anchored at Botwood, as a prize of war. (Jack McKillop)
POLAND: In the town of Bydgoszcz, the population flees in panic early in the morning, as guns start firing "burst after burst" in the city streets. Military baggage wagons are driven off "as fast as the horses could gallop," cars and lorries all crowing to get over the bridge over the Brda River. But the firing was coming not from the German Panzers, but from "diversionists." German-Poles with Nazi sympathies, or Germans who has infiltrated into Poland to act as a Fifth Column in the days immediately preceding the war.. The Poles of Bydgoszcz forgot their panic and turned against the "diversionists" and in sharp street fighting, win back the town, administering the firing squad to any captured "diversionists." (Andy Etherington)
The 3rd (East Prussia) and 4th (Pomerania) Armies of Army Group North link up eliminating all Polish resistance in the Danzig Corridor except for Mlawa forts in the north. (Andy Etherington)
SPAIN: The Spanish government declared its intension of remaining neutral in a European war over the future of Danzig. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED KINGDOM: At 1115 hours local, no reply has been received from the Germans to the British ultimatum which expired at 1100 hours; Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcasts from the Cabinet room of 10 Downing Street: "I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at Ten Downing Street. This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note, stating that, unless the British Government heard from them by eleven o'clock that they are prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country was at war with Germany. You can imagine what a bitter blow it was to me that all my long struggle to win peace has failed. We have done all that any country could do to establish peace. The situation in which no word given by Germany's ruler could be trusted, and no people or country could feel themselves safe, has become
intolerable.... We have resolved to finish it. It was the evil things we shall be fighting against - brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution... ...and against them I am certain that the right will prevail." (Andy Etherington)
Winston S. Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, and a member of the British Inner War Cabinet. (Jack McKillop)
Almost immediately a siren sounded in London, its sound sending people to the shelter, but it proves to be a French civilian plane near Croydon airport. (Andy Etherington)
The mass evacuation of children from cities to the reception areas considered safe has been proceeding for three days. By tonight 1,473,391 evacuees, including escorts and teachers, have arrived in the reception areas. 827,000 are school children traveling with their teachers, 535,000 are women expecting babies or with children under school age. Residents who take evacuees will be paid 10/6 for one child and 8/6 for each extra child. (Andy Etherington)
The British Parliament passes the National Service (Armed Forces) Act making all men aged between 18 and 41 other than those in reserved occupations liable for conscription (drafting). (Andy Etherington)
The Royal Navy deploys to its war stations, the Home Fleet has returned to Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands and elements are preparing to escort the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) across to France. The BEF will initially consist of four regular divisions under General Lord Gort, VC. (Andy Etherington)
Cinemas (movie theaters) are closed throughout the country to prevent concentrations of people being caught in air raids, which never materialise. Except for those in the centre of London, cinemas re-open within the next two weeks. As a result, UK cinema admissions dip by 30 per cent during the first month of war but by November are already above average and continue to grow to record levels by 1946. (Jack McKillop)
The U.S. freighter SS Saccarappa, with a cargo of phosphates and cotton, was seized by British authorities. The ship was released on 8 September after British authorities seize cargo and unload them. (Jack McKillop)
The British government announced the establishment of a naval blockade of Germany. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares in a fireside chat that the U.S. would remain a neutral nation in regard to the war in Europe, but he could not ask every American to remain neutral in thought as well as action. (Jack McKillop)
YUGOSLAVIA: the first and only Yugoslavian Grand Prix automobile race was held at Kalemagdan Park in Belgrade. This race, the last Grand Prix event before World War II, was won by the great Italian champion Tazio Nuvolari. (Jack McKillop)
1940 (TUESDAY) FRANCE: Since yesterday a total of 84 RAF bombers have attacked a U-boat base at Lorient in France and tried to set forests alight in South Germany. (Andy Etherington)
GERMANY: Hitler also asks for an increase in the output of 2,200 pound (998 kilogram) bombs, designed for use against built up areas. (Andy Etherington)
Operational Orders for the invasion of Britain are issued. Sealion was now scheduled for 21 September. (John Nicholas)
U-57 (Type IIC) was sunk at 0015 hours local at BrunsbŸttel (the western entrance to the Kiel canal) about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) northeast of Bremerhaven in position 53.53N, 09. 09E, after a collision with the Norwegian steamship SS Rona; six dead. Raised in September 1940. Repaired and returned to service as a training boat on 11 January 1941. Scuttled on 3 May 1945 at Kiel. (Alex Gordon and Jack McKillop))
RAF 4 Group (Whitley). Bombs oil plants at Berlin (Andy Etherington)
ROMANIA: King Carol II of Romania survives an assassination attempt. (Andy Etherington)
The Legionary Revolution breaks out at 0900 hours local. Fighting in Bucharest, Brasov and Constanta results in the death of nine Legionaries. Most public buildings are quickly occupied and the Palace was surrounded. General Coroama, Commander of the Bucharest Army Corps, refuses to order his troops to fire on the Legionaries. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED KINGDOM: The cabinet approves compensation of up to UK£2,000 (US$7,910) for each house destroyed by Luftwaffe air raids. (Andy Etherington)
BATTLE OF BRITAIN: The weather is fine and warm with some cloud and drizzle in the north, haze in the Channel and Straits. During the day, the Luftwaffe executes further heavy airfield attacks. The German's effort was directed to one main attack in East Kent and the Estuary in the morning, and to one minor attack in the early afternoon. In the North and East, at 1610 hours two reconnaissances took place off East Anglia reporting on convoys, and at 1700 hours two other single aircraft reported on convoys East of Skegness and East of Yarmouth. In the Southeast, at about 0830 hours one aircraft at 22,000 feet (6 706 meters) made a reconnaissance to North Foreland, along the Kentish Coast to Eastchurch, and out by Dungeness. At 0915 hour, 40 minutes after assembly south and East of Calais, 20+ aircraft at 20,000 feet (6 096 meters) approached Deal but appeared to be intercepted by one squadron off North Foreland. A further formation of about 80 aircraft flew up the North sid
e of the Estuary at 25,000 feet (7 620 meters). These are followed by other raids composed by thirty Doâs and fifty Me110's and the objective was North Weald where damage was caused. One of the RAFâs squadrons has just landed there from a previous patrol and was refueling. Pilots are unable to gain altitude in sufficient time to attack the enemy. Splits from this raid flew towards Debden, Hornchurch and Thames Haven. One small raid made towards Maidstone and one of 15 aircraft towards Biggin Hill but no definite objective was singled out. At 1115 hours when the attacking forces are dispersing two other raids consisting of 30 aircraft in all went inland at Deal and North Foreland. They penetrated only a short distance before returning. Manston however was bombed at this time but no damage was caused. At 1300 hours two raids of 12+ aircraft flew from Calais, France, towards Foreness but are driven off by one fighter squadron. At 1400 hours six enemy raids are active off the Ke
nt Coast and one of these entered the Estuary. In the South and West, at 0830 hours one aircraft made a reconnaissance flight to within 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of the Needles. At 1130 hours three high level reconnaissances by single aircraft are tracked in the Bristol, Liverpool, and Birmingham areas. At 2055 hours aircraft approached Start Point and Portland. No interceptions are made. (Andy Etherington)
During the night, Liverpool was bombed once again and there are harassing raids on South Wales and the southwest coast. German activity was on a similar scale to that of recent nights but confined almost entirely to the Liverpool, South Wales and Kentish areas. Very little attention was paid to the Industrial Midlands. From 2100 hours a steady stream of raids from the Brest and Cherbourg areas of France was plotted to South Wales and Bristol. Many aircraft flew on to Liverpool and a few as far as Barrow-in-Furness. Successive waves followed to Liverpool and whilst the rest of the country was almost clear by 0100 hours raids are still passing towards Liverpool at 0230 hours. Extensive mine-laying is suspected along the whole of the East Coast from Aberdeen to the Thames Estuary and along the South Coast as far as Poole. Some of these raids penetrated a short distance inland in the Tyne, Tees, Yorkshire, and Kent areas. Others are suspected of mine-laying in the Bristol Ch
annel and in Liverpool Bay. (Andy Etherington)
Today, the RAF claims 25-11-10 Luftwaffe aircraft; the British lost 20 aircraft with ten pilots killed or missing. (Jack McKillop)
Mabel Cole, the wife of the publican of the Rising Sun Pub in Lydd, Kent, England, has every reason to be suspicious when a well-dressed young man knocked on the door at 0900 hours local and asked for a glass of cider. He spoke with a foreign accent in a prohibited area - and he was plainly ignorant of English licensing laws. Mrs Cole sent him across the road to Tilbey's stores to buy some cigarettes while she summoned help. The young man, a Dutchman, was one of four well-dressed spies - two of them German - who landed on the beach here today before being arrested. (Andy Etherington)
UNITED STATES: President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces the "destroyers - for - bases" agreement. The President tells Congress that he acted on his own authority in trading the 50 overage destroyers for bases in British colonial territory in the Western Hemisphere.
In New York City, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) television station W2XAB transmits the first high definition color TV broadcast from the Chrysler Building, using 343 lines of resolution. This was the first telecast of any kind from CBS since the closing of their scanner station in 1933.
Clarinetist Artie Shaw and the Gramercy Five records the song "Summit Ridge Drive" for Victor Records. (Jack McKillop)
1941 (WEDNESDAY) CHINA: Nationalist Chinese forces recapture Foochow from the Japanese. (Jack McKillop)
FRANCE: The RAF Bomber Command dispatches 140 aircraft to Brest during the night of 3/4 September, but are recalled due to deteriorating weather. However, 53 aircraft failed to receive the signal and continued the mission, bombing the estimated position of German warships through a smoke-screen with little success. (Jack McKillop)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: The 6,338 ton Italian motor vessel MV Andrea Gritti, part of a convoy heading from Naples, Italy, to Tripoli, Libya, was torpedoed by British aircraft about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) off the coast of Sardinia. The ship blows up and sinks with the loss of 347 men. (Jack McKillop)
POLAND: The first experimental mass killings using Zyklon-B gas begin at Auschwitz located
in the suburbs of the city of German occupied Oswiecim. (Mikko HŠrmeinen)
UNITED STATES: The government negotiates currency stabilization agreements with Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador. (Jack McKillop)
President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the Japanese Ambassador replies to the message and the statement received from the Ambassador on 28 August. In formulating his replies, the President could not overlook the attendant circumstances and developments. Because of these circumstances and developments, the President and his consultants felt that, to ensure any hope of the success of a meeting between the President and the Japanese Prime Minister, the achievement of a prior meeting of minds on basic principles was a necessary condition precedent. Hence, the President in replying expressed a 'desire to collaborate with the Japanese Prime Minister to see whether there could be made effective in practice the program referred to by the Japanese Government in its message of 28 August and whether there could be reached a meeting of minds on fundamental principles which would make practical a meeting such as the Japanese Minister has proposed. . . . At no time, then, or later, did
the Government of the United States reject the Japanese proposal for a meeting; it strove hard to bring about a situation which would make the holding of such a meeting beneficial. (Jack McKillop)
In baseball, the New York Yankees clinch the American League flag (third straight) on the earliest date in major league history as the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-3. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.S.R.: The Soviet government extends mandatory service in the military to all those born in 1922 (19 year olds) and cancels all previous deferments. (Jack McKillop)
1942 (THURSDAY) ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Six bombers and five P-38 Lightnings of the U.S. Army Air Forcesâs (USAAFÕs) 11th Air Force are dispatched to bomb Japanese-held Kiska Island and fly air cover over Kuluk Bay, Adak Island but five bombers and three fighters abort due to weather; the others strafe seaplanes and boats in Kiska Harbor and nearby installations claiming 1-4 seaplanes destroyed on the water. This was the longest over-water attack flight thus far in World War II; the two fighters which reach the target area return from the 1,260 mile (2 028 kilometer) round trip with only 40 US gallons (33 Imperial gallons or 151 liters) of fuel left. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-162 fires torpedoes at the British destroyer HMS Pathfinder (G 19) but misses and was sunk about 157 nautical miles (291 kilometers) northeast of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, British West Indies, in position 12.21N, 59.29W, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Vimy (D 33), Pathfinder (G 19) and Quentin (G 78); 49 of the 51 U-boat crewmen survive. The sub has been on three patrols credited for sinking 14 ships for a total of 82,027 tons. (Jack McKillop)
German submarine U-705 was sunk about 367 nautical miles (679 kilometers) west of itâs base at Saint-Nazaire, France, in position 46.42N, 11.07W, by depth charges from an RAF Whitley Mk. V, aircraft ÒPÓ of No. 77 Squadron based at Chivenor, Devonshire, England; all 45 crewmen are lost. The boat has been on one patrol sinking an American freighter of 3.279 tons in the North Atlantic on 15 August. (Jack McKillop)
On 27 August, the U.S. Navy's (USNâs) transport USS Wakefield (AP-21, ex SS Manhattan) departed the Clyde estuary as part of Convoy TA-18, bound for New York City. During this evening, fire breaks out deep within the bowels of the ship and spreads rapidly. In the port column of the formation, Wakefield swings to port to run before the wind while fire-fighting begins immediately. Ready-use ammunition was thrown overboard to prevent detonation, code room publications are secured, and sick bay and brig inmates are released. The destroyer USS Mayo (DD-422) and light cruiser USS Brooklyn (CL-40) close to windward to take off passengers, a badly-burned officer, and members of the crew not needed to man pumps and hoses. Other survivors are disembarked by boat and raft, to be picked up by the screening ships. At 2100 hours, USS Brooklyn again comes alongside to remove the remainder of the crew, while a special salvage detail boards the ship. On 5 September, towing operations com
menced, and the transport nosed aground at McNab's Cove, near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, at 1740 hours on the 8th. When fire-fighting details arrived alongside to board and commence the mammoth operation, fires still burned in three holds and in the crew's quarters on two deck levels. The last flames are extinguished four days later, and the ship was refloated on the 14th. While USS Wakefield was undergoing partial repairs in Halifax harbor, a torrential rainstorm threatened to fill the damaged ship with water and capsize her at her berth. Torrents of rain, at times in cloud-burst proportions, poured into the ship and caused her to list heavily. Salvage crews, meanwhile, cut holes in the ship's sides above the waterline, draining away the water to permit the ship to regain an even keel. For the next ten days, the salvagers engage in extensive initial repair work-cleaning up the ship, pumping out debris, patching up holes, and preparing the vessel for her voyage to the Bos
ton, Massachusetts Navy Yard for complete rebuilding. Temporarily decommissioned, the charred liner proceeded to Boston with a four-tug tow, and was declared a "constructive total loss." The Government purchased the hulk from the United States Lines and stripped the vessel to the waterline. The repairs and alterations began in the fall of 1942, and lasted through 1943. On 10 February 1944, USS Wakefield was recommissioned at Boston. (Jack McKillop)
AUSTRALIA: Lieutenant General George C. Kenney assumes command of the 5th Air Force in Brisbane, Queensland, where the 5thâs HQ was remanned at Townsville, Queensland. The 5th has not functioned as an air force since February 1942 while USAAF units served under the control of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM). After the dissolution of ABDACOM USAAF units served under U.S. Army Forces in Australia and later the Allied Air Forces. General Kenney retains command of the Allied Air Forces. The ãnewä 5th consists of eight groups, five bomber groups, three fighter groups and a photographic reconnaissance squadron. (Jack McKillop)
EGYPT: At El Alamein, Operation BERESFORD was initiated by the 2d New Zealand Division and the British 132d Brigade; the objective was German General Erwin Rommel's weakest point, Munassib. 132d Brigade runs into the determined paratroopers of the German Ramcke Brigade and the Italian Folgore Division, both eager to prove their abilities. The advance turns into a mess of confused communications, burning trucks, and disintegration when the brigade commander was wounded. The New Zealand, 21st and 28th Battalions, do better, with the force charging through their depression. The New Zealanders take 50 POWs, both take their objectives, but run into heavy German resistance. The Germans suffer another 2,450 casualties, lose 50 guns and 400 armored fighting vehicles and 10,000 tons of fuel was used up. Because of his loses, Rommel adopts the "Capisaldi" (strong points) defense Marshall Rodolfo Graziani, Commander of the Italian Forces in Libya, This defense was used in 1940 for the v
ery same reasons, i.e., too weak to attack, no resources for a mobile defense and an order not to retreat. A final stand was set for El Alamein. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-25 Mitchells hit troop concentrations, vehicles, and airfield installations in the battle area of Alam-el-Halfa, Egypt and behind enemy lines; P-40s, mostly operating with the RAF, escort bombers and engage fighters in combat, claiming at least one shot down. (Jack McKillop)
FRENCH INDOCHINA: USAAF Tenth Air Forceâs China Air Task Force B-25 Mitchells dump bombs and pamphlets on Hanoi in the first U.S. raid against that city; munitions, supplies, and several parked aircraft are destroyed or damaged; nine Japanese interceptors pursue the B-25s for about 30 miles (48 kilometers) but fail to make contact. For the next three weeks, bad weather and inaccurate Chinese weather forecasts severely limit bomber operations. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: During the night of 3/4 September, the RAF Bomber Command dispatches 11 aircraft, seven Wellingtons, three Stirlings and a Halifax, to bomb Emden. Eight could only bomb through cloud on dead-reckoning positions; two Wellingtons are lost. (Jack McKillop)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-24 Liberators attack a convoy at sea. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australians continue their withdrawal to and beyond Templetonâs Crossing. (Jack McKillop)
In the Milne Bay area of Papua New Guinea, the Australians continue their advance against Japanese. During the night, two Japanese destroyers enter the bay and receive a report that there are only about 200 effective Japanese troops left to fight; as the two destroyers depart at about 2400 hours, they shell the shoreline without much effect. (Jack McKillop)
In the air, USAAF 5th Air Force P-400 Airacobras bomb and strafe the Kokoda Pass area, hitting the airfield at Kokoda, and in the vicinity of Alola, Isurava, and Missima; B-25s Mitchells and A-20 Havocs attack the Mubo-Busama-Salamaua area in Northeast New Guinea. (Jack McKillop)
SOLOMON ISLANDS: USMC SBD Dauntlesses bomb and strafe 34 Japanese landing barges off Santa Isabel Island and a USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress strafes seaplanes at Faisi Island in the Shortland Islands. (Jack McKillop)
On Guadalcanal during the evening, the first USMC R4D Skytrain lands at Henderson Field. Brigadier General Roy S. Geiger, USMC, and a small staff, will establish the advance HQ of the 1st Marine Air Wing which will have operational control of all Allied aircraft. The R4D departs with Marine wounded. (Jack McKillop)
SPAIN: General Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator, ousts the Cabinet members, and achieves full control of the government. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: The government announces agreements for Reciprocal Lend-Lease Aid to the United States and its Armed Forces by the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and the Free French. (Jack McKillop)
Frank Sinatra bids adieu to the Tommy Dorsey Band and his Orchestra as he starts his solo singing career. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.S.R.: The Germans continue to push toward Stalingrad, Grozny and Novorossisk against stubborn resistance. They are reported at the western suburbs of Stalingrad. (Jack McKillop)
1943 (FRIDAY) BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, RAAF Catalinas bomb Gasmata Airfield and USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators bomb the Cape Gloucester area. (Jack McKillop)
CHINA: The USAAF 68th and 69th Fighter Wings, redesignated 68th and 69th Composite Wings in December 1943, are activated in Kunming to oversee combat operations of the 23d and 51st Fighter Groups respectively. (Jack McKillop)Ê
EAST INDIES: The USAAF Fifth Air Force flies light raids against targets on Ceram Island in the Moluccas Islands and Timor Island in the Sunda Islands, both in the Netherlands East Indies.. (Jack McKillop)
FRANCE: The VIII Air Support Command flies Mission 44 without loss: (1) 36 B-26B Marauders are dispatched to the Beaumont le Roger Airfield and 31 hit the target at 1007 hours; (2) 36 are dispatched to Tille Airfield at Beauvais and all hit the target at 0907 hours; and (3) 69 are dispatched to the Nord Airfield at Lille and 31 hit the target at 0828 hours.
The VIII Bomber Command flies Mission 90 against Luftwaffe air installations in France; escort was provided by 160 P-47 Thunderbolts; 9 B-17s and a P-47 are lost. (1) 100 B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the Romilly sur Seine air depot at 0903-0911 hours; (2) 38 B-17s bomb the Meulan-les-Mureaux Airfield; (3) 37 bomb the Caudron-Renault aircraft engine factory near Paris; (4) 28 bomb St. Andre Del'Eure Airfield; (5) 18 bomb the dummy St. Aubin Airfield at Dieppe; and (6) 12 bomb Fauville Airfield at Evreux. (Jack McKillop)
The RAF Bomber Command dispatches 32 Wellingtons, six Mosquitos and six Halifaxes to an ammunition dump in the ForLt de Raismes, near Valenciennes; 39 bomb the target without loss. Two mining missions are flown: 12 aircraft lay mines off Gironde and four mine off La Pallice. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: During the night of 3/4 September, the RAF (RAF) Bomber Command dispatches 316 Lancasters and four Mosquitos to bomb Berlin. Because of the high casualty rates among Halifax and Stirling crews in recent Berlin raids the heavy force was composed only of Lancasters. Two hundred ninety five aircraft bomb with the loss of 22 Lancasters, nearly 7.0 per cent of the force. The Mosquitos are used to drop 'spoof' flares well away from the bombers' route to attract German night fighters. The raid approached Berlin from the northeast but the marking and bombing are, once again, mostly short of the target. That part of the bombing which did reach Berlin's built-up area fell in residential parts of Charlottenburg and Moabit and in the industrial area called Siemensstadt. Several factories are hit and suffered serious loss of production and among 'utilities' put out of action are major water and electricity works and one of Berlin's largest breweries. Thirteen Lancasters bomb thre
e targets of opportunity. (Jack McKillop)
ITALY: Units of the British XIII Corps, Eighth Army, cross the Straits of Messina and land north of Reggio di Calbria at 0430 hours local. The 1st Canadian Division captures Reggio di Calbria without opposition. The landing was a diversion to distract German forces commanded by Field Marshal Albert Kesselring from the Allies' upcoming landing near Salerno, 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Naples. Kesselring wasn't fooled; he delays the British advance in Calabria by blowing bridges, mining roads and planting booby traps and withdraws his Sicilian veterans toward Salerno. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
In the air, 38 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the marshalling yard at Sulmona with the loss of six aircraft. USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20 Havocs, A-36 Apaches, fighters and RAF light bombers hit gun positions throughout the toe of Italy, attack airfields at Crotone and Camigliatello and hit railway yards at Marina di Catanzaro and Punta di Staletti, troop concentration near Santo Stefano d'Aspromonte and road junctions and bridges at Cosenza. (Jack McKillop)
During the night of 3/4 September, RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group visually bomb three airfields: 44 bomb Capodichino Airfield in Naples; 27 bomb Capua Airfield; and four bomb Torre Annunziata Airfield. (Jack McKillop)
JAPAN: The worst earthquake in ten years kills 1,400 people in Tottori, 300 miles (483 kilometers) west of Tokyo. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, heavy and medium bombers blast gun emplacements and terrace defenses in the Lae area. Nine Japanese ãBettyä bombers (Mitusbishi G4M, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers) target Allied landing craft at Morobe in the morning without success. (Jack McKillop)
PACIFIC OCEAN: Three USN vessels sink three Japanese vessels: (1) the destroyer USS Ellet (DD-398) sinks Japanese submarine HIJMS I-25, about 173 nautical miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Espiritu Santo Island, New Hebrides Islands, in position 13.10S, 165.27E; (2) the submarine USS Pollack (SS-180) sinks a transport about 124 nautical miles (230 kilometers) south of Tokyo, Japan, in position 33¡38'N, 140¡07'E; and (3) submarine USS Pompano (SS-181) sinks a merchant cargo ship about 391 nautical miles (725 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, Japan, in position 41.00N, 144.34E. (Jack McKillop)
SARDINIA: In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force P-40s on a sweep hit Pula and Capo Carbonara radar installations. (Jack McKillop)
SICILY: Italian Prime Minister Pietro Badoglio radios General Giuseppe Castellano of the General Staff the authorization to surrender. The secret armistice that will take Italy out of the war on 8 September was signed at Cassbili with U.S. General Walter Bedell Smith, Chief of Staff Allied Expeditionary Force, initialing the agreement for the Allies. No announcement of this was made until arrangements to prevent the German takeover of the government can be worked out. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
SOLOMON ISLANDS: Twenty-plus USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators and 14 P-40s plus 30+ USN airplanes attack Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island. Vila Airfield on Kolombangara Island was bombed by five B-24s and ten USN aircraft. Meanwhile, five P-40s strafe a wharf at Webster Cove on New Georgia Island. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: After 15 months of training, Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division ship out by sea to England, on the transport ship SAMARIA. This was the group in "The Band of Brothers." (Gene Hanson)
U.S.S.R.: Putivl, NE of Konotop falls to the Soviet Army. Bovask in the Dontets Basin was also liberated.
1944 (SUNDAY) BELGIUM: British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery orders the British Second Army to drive speedily to the Rhine River and secure a crossing. (Jack McKillop)
The British Guards Armoured Division drives into Brussels and blocks the exits from the city while the U.S. 3d Armored Division captures Mons. (Jack McKillop)
BURMA: Five USAAF Tenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack and slightly damage the Tabpalai Bridge northeast of Hsipaw; a B-25 knocks out the center span of a railroad bridge in the area and another causes considerable damage at Indaw.
CAROLINE ISLANDS: A lone USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberator, on armed reconnaissance bombs, Yap in the Caroline Islands. (Jack McKillop)
CHINA: Twelve USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bombed marshalling yards at Nanking; seven B-25 Mitchells destroy at least 45 trucks and damage about 100 others during armed reconnaissance from Hengyang to Tungting Lake and Yoyang; two others bomb Hengyang Airfield; 100+ P-40s, P-51 Mustangs, and P-38 Lightnings attack troops, railroad targets, bridges, and other targets of opportunity in areas around Changning, Hengyang, Sungpai, Chuki, Yangtien, Hengshan. (Jack McKillop)
EAST INDIES: On Celebes Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators attack two targets: 22 bomb Langoan Airfield and 37 bomb Lembeh Strait warehouses and shipping. B-25s hit the village of Tobelo on Halmahera Island. Fighter-bombers hit oil tanks and a radio station at Boela on Ceram Island. (Jack McKillop)
FRANCE: German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt assumes command of the German armies in the West. (Jack McKillop)
The U.S. First Army (Hodges) reaches the border of Luxembourg. The fleeing Germans are suffering huge losses. Hodges's troops surround and will soon capture 30,000 troops near Mons. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
Tournai and Abbeville are liberated by the 21st Army Group and the U.S. Third Army crosses the Moselle River. (John Nicholas)
In the air, Eighth Air Force P-47s strafe transportation targets in Namur. (Jack McKillop)
In southern France, the commander of the U.S. 36th Infantry Division orders his men to halt and allow the French 1st Infantry Division to liberate Lyon, France's third-largest city. Most of the German Nineteenth Army have managed to withdraw northward. (Jack McKillop)
In the air, the USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 601: 391 B-17 Flying Fortresses make a visual attack on 16 gun batteries and defensive installations in the Brest area; 2 B-17s are lost; escort was provided by 15 P-51 Mustangs without loss but bad weather cancels fighter-bomber mission by 50 P-38 Lightnings against strongpoints in the same area. A second mission was flown by 61 aircraft against a supply dump at Bricy Airfield in Orleans.
USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s supporting ground troops pound strongpoints and bridges in the Brest area; fighters fly armed reconnaissance, ground support, and sweeps in northern and eastern France, Belgium, and western Germany. (Jack McKillop)
FRENCH INDOCHINA: USAAF Fourteenth Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets near Haiphong, and in the Red River Valley. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: In the air, 325 B-17 Flying Fortresses of the USAAF Eighth Air Force using H2X radar to bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen and one hits a target of opportunity. P-47 Thunderbolts strafe transportation targets at Cologne. (Jack McKillop)
HUNGARY: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers visually bomb three rail targets: 58 bomb railroad bridge at Szeged while one bombs a marshalling yard in the same city and 54 bomb the railroad at Szajol. (Jack McKillop)
ITALY: The British 46th Division cross the River Conca River while the Canadian 5th Armoured Division clears Misano. (Jack McKillop)
In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack railroad and road bridges in the western Po Valley while fighter-bombers blast motor transport and rolling stock in the Turin area. (Jack McKillop)
MARIANA ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts hit Pagan and Maug Islands with rockets.. (Jack McKillop)
NETHERLANDS: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatched 675 aircraft, 348 Lancasters, 315 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitos, to carry out heavy raids on six airfields: 112 aircraft hit Soesterberg, 112 bomb Venlo, 112 attack Volkel, 104 hit Gilze-Rijen, 103 bomb Eindhoven and 88 bomb Deelen. All raids are successful and only one Halifax was lost from the Venlo raid. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: In Dutch New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force fighter-bombers hit Babo, Warren and Nabire Airfields, Manokwari storage and personnel areas, and strafe areas along Maccluer Gulf. Meanwhile, RAAF Kittyhawks conduct another strike against Babo Airfield and for the first time, carry a 1,500 pound (680 kilogram) bombload. The 50 percent increase in bombload was made possible by the sturdier build of the Kittyhawk Mk. IV (= USAAF P-40N) with which the squadron was equipped. (Jack McKillop)
In Northeast New Guinea, the fighters fly coastal sweeps in the Wewak area, strafing troops, supplies, and occupied areas. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED KINGDOM: In England, Lieutenant Ralph Spalding, USN, and a radio operator of the Special Air Unit, Fleet Air Wing Seven (FAW-7), takes off in a TORPEX laden PB4Y-1 Liberator from Fersfield, Norfolk, sets the radio controls and then parachutes to the ground. Ensign James M. Simpson, USNR, in a PV-1 Ventura, takes control and flies the PB4Y to attack German submarine pens on Helgoland Island. Unfortunately, the PV-1 crew loses sight of the Liberator in a rainstorm and it crashes into a barracks and industrial area on Dune Island. A second attempt was later made with Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., USNR, at the controls of a PB4Y-1 but the aircraft explodes before Kennedy and the radio operator can bail out and Project APHRODITE was then cancelled. (Jack McKillop)
VOLCANO ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Iwo Jima. (Jack McKillop)
WAKE ISLAND: On Wake Island, the USN's Task Group 12.5 (Rear Admiral Allen E. Smith), comprising the small aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26), three heavy cruisers, and three destroyers, pound Japanese installations. (3 SEPTEMBER
WE REMEMBER
1931 (THURSDAY))
YUGOSLAVIA: King Alexander I announces the end of the dictatorship and the introduction of a new constitution which includes a two-chamber parliament and the end of regional parties. (Jack McKillop)
1933 (SUNDAY)
GERMANY: Chancellor Adolf Hitler renounces war except against Bolshevism stating ". . . because the German people know that no war could take place which would gain for their country more honor than was won in the last war . . . Germany is not in need of rehabilitation on the battle-field, for there she had never lost her prestige. . . . By waging war on Bolshevism, Germany . . . is fulfilling a European mission. . . ." (Jack McKillop)
1937 (FRIDAY)
CHINA: Japanese forces advance rapidly through northern China, without meeting much resistance from the Chinese. The Japanese rapidly gained control of Zhangjiakou (Kalgan) today. (Jack McKillop)
1939 (SUNDAY)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The 13,581 ton passenger liner SS Athenia carrying 1,103 civilians including 300+ U.S. citizens attempting to return to the U.S., was sailing about 250 nautical miles (464 kilometers) west-northwest of Londonderry, County Derry, Northern Ireland, German submarine U-30, commanded by Kapitanleutnant (Lieutenant Commander) Fritz-Julius Lemp, fires torpedoes (without warning) which strike the Athenia at 1939 hours GMT sinking what Lemp thought was an armed merchant cruiser. The ship was en route from Liverpool, England to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The German Navy has sent three radio messages to their submarines in the afternoon stating that Germany was at war and the subs could begin hostilities in accordance with the Prize Rules without waiting for provocation. The submarine captain spots the Athenia, which was blacked out and zigzagging and appears to be carrying deck guns and was therefore a legitimate target. The Prize Rules call for the submarine to fire a s
hot across the Athenia's bow but instead, the captain fires two torpedoes, one of which hit the ship. The second torpedo malfunctions and the submarine submerges to avoid being hit. After a period of time, the submarine surfaces and seeing that Athenia was not sinking, the captain orders a third torpedo fired but this also misses. The submarine was now close enough to see its silhouette and the captain compares it with his Lloyd's Register and discovers his mistake. Soon afterwards, U-30 intercepts a plain-language radio transmission from the stricken ship identifying itself as the Athenia. The captain neither reports this incident to naval headquarters nor does he aid the survivors. On the Athenia, 118 crewmen and passengers, including 28 U.S. citizens, are killed in the initial explosion or die later as a result of the sinking. Three merchant ships and three British destroyers rescue the survivors. U-30 returns to Germany on 27 September and Lemp admits his mistake. The Ge
rmans learn of the sinking from British news broadcasts and are appalled because of the memory of unrestricted submarine warfare of World War I, especially the sinking of the passenger liner RMS Lusitania, was brought up on the first day of World War II. After looking at the submarine deployment charts, it was evident that U-30 was responsible but Chancellor Adolf Hitler decrees that accusations would be confronted with categorical denial. To throw the British off the track still further, the Propaganda Ministry under Josef Gšbbels spreads the story that the British has torpedoed the liner themselves in a scurrilous attempt to bring the United States into the war. This story was published in Volkischer Beobachter on 23 October, fully a month after Lemp has confirmed the truth. The Germans deny any involvement with the sinking of the Athenia for the rest of the war. (Jack McKillop)
European war comes to the Americas: less than three hours after the British declaration of war on Germany, British light cruiser HMS Ajax (22) intercepts the German freighter SS Olinda, about 130 nautical miles (240 kilometers) east of Montevideo, Uruguay, off the River Plate, in position 34E58'S, 53E32'W. Not having a prize crew available to seize the enemy merchantman, Ajax shells and sinks her. (Jack McKillop)
The British Home Fleet deploys aircraft carriers to seek out and destroy German submarines: HMS Ark Royal (91) off the northwestern approaches to the British Isles, HMS Courageous (50) and HMS Hermes (D 95) off the southwestern approaches.
AUSTRALIA: Australia declares war on Germany. Prime Minister Robert G. Menzies speaks on a national radio broadcast stating, "It is my melancholy duty to inform you officially that, in consequences of a persistence by Germany in her invasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war upon her and that, as a result, Australia was also at war." (Jack McKillop)
BELGIUM: While the Belgian government mobilized the kingdom's armed forces, Prime Minister Hubert Pierlot declares the country's neutrality in the event of a European war. (Jack McKillop)
DENMARK: The Danish government promises to observe strict neutrality. (Andy Etherington)
EGYPT: The Egyptian government proclaims martial law, in order to deport Germans, impose censorship, and arrest persons suspected of espionage. (Jack McKillop)
ƒIRE: The government remains neutral and takes extreme measures to deal with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) insurgency and shortages caused by disruption in shipping. World War II came into Irish history books as ãThe Emergency.ä Eireâs "neutrality" takes a decidedly Allied tilt. Irish citizens are free to join the British forces (43,000 from ƒire vs 38,000 from "loyal" Northern Ireland) or work in British factories, Allied airmen shot down over Eire are quietly repatriated while Axis flyers are interned, Allied overflights are ignored, British intelligence agents operate out of a flying boat base at Foynes, County Limerick, and weather reports from the west of Ireland are regularly relayed to the British. Northern Ireland enters the war by virtue of its status as an integral part of the United Kingdom. The Unionist cabinet in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, calls on London to impose conscription on the province several times during the course of the conflict. The
British refuse fearing that Nationalist opposition would make such a measure more trouble than it would be worth. (Jack McKillop)
FRANCE: At 1700 hours local, the French ultimatum expires and France too was at war with Germany. (Andy Etherington)
The first Cannes Film Festival was due to start but was cancelled due to the declaration of war. The French government has agreed to underwrite costs, selecting Cannes in preference to Biarritz. Also promised was a Palais des Festivals, finally constructed in 1949. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW or Armed Forces High Command) issues FŸhrer Directive #2 for the Conduct of the War. (I) Confirmation of declarations of war by England and France. (ii) Re-iteration of German primary aim: to rapidly and victoriously conclude operations in Poland. (iii) Confirmation of basic principles for war in the West as laid down in Directive #1. Kriegsmarine authorised to begin offensive actions. In war against merchant shipping, prize regulations are to be observed (U-boats included). The entrance to the Baltic will be mined without infringing neutral waters. Offensive and defensive blockade measures will be carried out in the North Sea. Luftwaffe attacks against English Naval forces (including ships in port and positively identified troopships) will only be made in the event of similar English air attacks. Air attacks on the English homeland and merchant shipping must await a FŸhrer order. (iv) The opening of hostilities in the West was to be l
eft to the enemy. Naval action against France will only be permitted if the enemy has opened hostilities. Air attacks against France will only follow air attacks by France against Germany. Germany must not provoke the initiation of aerial warfare. Air strength must be conserved for expected future decisive action. (v) ÎOrder Xâ (partial mobilization) was extended to the entire armed forces. The conversion of the German economy to a wartime basis was decreed. (Marc Roberts)
During the day, Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command dispatches 28 aircraft, one Blenheim, 18 Hampdens and nine Wellingtons, to locate German warships. The Blenheim, of No 139 Squadron, was the first RAF aircraft to cross the German coast in WWII. On the night of 3/4 September, ten Whitleys from Nos 51 and 58 Squadrons dropped 13.5 tons of leaflets over Hamburg, Bremen and The Ruhr. The leaflets tell Germans that Adolf Hitler's promises are worthless, that Germany was near bankruptcy, and weak compared to Allied forces. This was the start of Operation NICKEL. (Jack McKillop)
INDIA: Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy of India declares that India was at war with Germany. (Andy Etherington)
NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand declares war on Germany. (Jack McKillop)
NEWFOUNDLAND: Newfoundland enters World War II by virtue of Britainâs declaration of war. The Newfoundland Constabulary seizes the SS Christopher V. Doornum, a German freighter anchored at Botwood, as a prize of war. (Jack McKillop)
POLAND: In the town of Bydgoszcz, the population flees in panic early in the morning, as guns start firing "burst after burst" in the city streets. Military baggage wagons are driven off "as fast as the horses could gallop," cars and lorries all crowing to get over the bridge over the Brda River. But the firing was coming not from the German Panzers, but from "diversionists." German-Poles with Nazi sympathies, or Germans who has infiltrated into Poland to act as a Fifth Column in the days immediately preceding the war.. The Poles of Bydgoszcz forgot their panic and turned against the "diversionists" and in sharp street fighting, win back the town, administering the firing squad to any captured "diversionists." (Andy Etherington)
The 3rd (East Prussia) and 4th (Pomerania) Armies of Army Group North link up eliminating all Polish resistance in the Danzig Corridor except for Mlawa forts in the north. (Andy Etherington)
SPAIN: The Spanish government declared its intension of remaining neutral in a European war over the future of Danzig. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED KINGDOM: At 1115 hours local, no reply has been received from the Germans to the British ultimatum which expired at 1100 hours; Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcasts from the Cabinet room of 10 Downing Street: "I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at Ten Downing Street. This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note, stating that, unless the British Government heard from them by eleven o'clock that they are prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country was at war with Germany. You can imagine what a bitter blow it was to me that all my long struggle to win peace has failed. We have done all that any country could do to establish peace. The situation in which no word given by Germany's ruler could be trusted, and no people or country could feel themselves safe, has become
intolerable.... We have resolved to finish it. It was the evil things we shall be fighting against - brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution... ...and against them I am certain that the right will prevail." (Andy Etherington)
Winston S. Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, and a member of the British Inner War Cabinet. (Jack McKillop)
Almost immediately a siren sounded in London, its sound sending people to the shelter, but it proves to be a French civilian plane near Croydon airport. (Andy Etherington)
The mass evacuation of children from cities to the reception areas considered safe has been proceeding for three days. By tonight 1,473,391 evacuees, including escorts and teachers, have arrived in the reception areas. 827,000 are school children traveling with their teachers, 535,000 are women expecting babies or with children under school age. Residents who take evacuees will be paid 10/6 for one child and 8/6 for each extra child. (Andy Etherington)
The British Parliament passes the National Service (Armed Forces) Act making all men aged between 18 and 41 other than those in reserved occupations liable for conscription (drafting). (Andy Etherington)
The Royal Navy deploys to its war stations, the Home Fleet has returned to Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands and elements are preparing to escort the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) across to France. The BEF will initially consist of four regular divisions under General Lord Gort, VC. (Andy Etherington)
Cinemas (movie theaters) are closed throughout the country to prevent concentrations of people being caught in air raids, which never materialise. Except for those in the centre of London, cinemas re-open within the next two weeks. As a result, UK cinema admissions dip by 30 per cent during the first month of war but by November are already above average and continue to grow to record levels by 1946. (Jack McKillop)
The U.S. freighter SS Saccarappa, with a cargo of phosphates and cotton, was seized by British authorities. The ship was released on 8 September after British authorities seize cargo and unload them. (Jack McKillop)
The British government announced the establishment of a naval blockade of Germany. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares in a fireside chat that the U.S. would remain a neutral nation in regard to the war in Europe, but he could not ask every American to remain neutral in thought as well as action. (Jack McKillop)
YUGOSLAVIA: the first and only Yugoslavian Grand Prix automobile race was held at Kalemagdan Park in Belgrade. This race, the last Grand Prix event before World War II, was won by the great Italian champion Tazio Nuvolari. (Jack McKillop)
1940 (TUESDAY)
FRANCE: Since yesterday a total of 84 RAF bombers have attacked a U-boat base at Lorient in France and tried to set forests alight in South Germany. (Andy Etherington)
GERMANY: Hitler also asks for an increase in the output of 2,200 pound (998 kilogram) bombs, designed for use against built up areas. (Andy Etherington)
Operational Orders for the invasion of Britain are issued. Sealion was now scheduled for 21 September.
U-57 (Type IIC) was sunk at 0015 hours local at BrunsbŸttel (the western entrance to the Kiel canal) about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) northeast of Bremerhaven in position 53.53N, 09. 09E, after a collision with the Norwegian steamship SS Rona; six dead. Raised in September 1940. Repaired and returned to service as a training boat on 11 January 1941. Scuttled on 3 May 1945 at Kiel. (Alex Gordon and Jack McKillop))
RAF 4 Group (Whitley). Bombs oil plants at Berlin (Andy Etherington)
ROMANIA: King Carol II of Romania survives an assassination attempt. (Andy Etherington)
The Legionary Revolution breaks out at 0900 hours local. Fighting in Bucharest, Brasov and Constanta results in the death of nine Legionaries. Most public buildings are quickly occupied and the Palace was surrounded. General Coroama, Commander of the Bucharest Army Corps, refuses to order his troops to fire on the Legionaries. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED KINGDOM: The cabinet approves compensation of up to UK£2,000 (US$7,910) for each house destroyed by Luftwaffe air raids. (Andy Etherington)
BATTLE OF BRITAIN: The weather is fine and warm with some cloud and drizzle in the north, haze in the Channel and Straits. During the day, the Luftwaffe executes further heavy airfield attacks. The German's effort was directed to one main attack in East Kent and the Estuary in the morning, and to one minor attack in the early afternoon. In the North and East, at 1610 hours two reconnaissances took place off East Anglia reporting on convoys, and at 1700 hours two other single aircraft reported on convoys East of Skegness and East of Yarmouth. In the Southeast, at about 0830 hours one aircraft at 22,000 feet (6 706 meters) made a reconnaissance to North Foreland, along the Kentish Coast to Eastchurch, and out by Dungeness. At 0915 hour, 40 minutes after assembly south and East of Calais, 20+ aircraft at 20,000 feet (6 096 meters) approached Deal but appeared to be intercepted by one squadron off North Foreland. A further formation of about 80 aircraft flew up the North sid
e of the Estuary at 25,000 feet (7 620 meters). These are followed by other raids composed by thirty Doâs and fifty Me110's and the objective was North Weald where damage was caused. One of the RAFâs squadrons has just landed there from a previous patrol and was refueling. Pilots are unable to gain altitude in sufficient time to attack the enemy. Splits from this raid flew towards Debden, Hornchurch and Thames Haven. One small raid made towards Maidstone and one of 15 aircraft towards Biggin Hill but no definite objective was singled out. At 1115 hours when the attacking forces are dispersing two other raids consisting of 30 aircraft in all went inland at Deal and North Foreland. They penetrated only a short distance before returning. Manston however was bombed at this time but no damage was caused. At 1300 hours two raids of 12+ aircraft flew from Calais, France, towards Foreness but are driven off by one fighter squadron. At 1400 hours six enemy raids are active off the Ke
nt Coast and one of these entered the Estuary. In the South and West, at 0830 hours one aircraft made a reconnaissance flight to within 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of the Needles. At 1130 hours three high level reconnaissances by single aircraft are tracked in the Bristol, Liverpool, and Birmingham areas. At 2055 hours aircraft approached Start Point and Portland. No interceptions are made. (Andy Etherington)
During the night, Liverpool was bombed once again and there are harassing raids on South Wales and the southwest coast. German activity was on a similar scale to that of recent nights but confined almost entirely to the Liverpool, South Wales and Kentish areas. Very little attention was paid to the Industrial Midlands. From 2100 hours a steady stream of raids from the Brest and Cherbourg areas of France was plotted to South Wales and Bristol. Many aircraft flew on to Liverpool and a few as far as Barrow-in-Furness. Successive waves followed to Liverpool and whilst the rest of the country was almost clear by 0100 hours raids are still passing towards Liverpool at 0230 hours. Extensive mine-laying is suspected along the whole of the East Coast from Aberdeen to the Thames Estuary and along the South Coast as far as Poole. Some of these raids penetrated a short distance inland in the Tyne, Tees, Yorkshire, and Kent areas. Others are suspected of mine-laying in the Bristol Ch
annel and in Liverpool Bay. (Andy Etherington)
Today, the RAF claims 25-11-10 Luftwaffe aircraft; the British lost 20 aircraft with ten pilots killed or missing. (Jack McKillop)
Mabel Cole, the wife of the publican of the Rising Sun Pub in Lydd, Kent, England, has every reason to be suspicious when a well-dressed young man knocked on the door at 0900 hours local and asked for a glass of cider. He spoke with a foreign accent in a prohibited area - and he was plainly ignorant of English licensing laws. Mrs Cole sent him across the road to Tilbey's stores to buy some cigarettes while she summoned help. The young man, a Dutchman, was one of four well-dressed spies - two of them German - who landed on the beach here today before being arrested. (Andy Etherington)
UNITED STATES: President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces the "destroyers - for - bases" agreement. The President tells Congress that he acted on his own authority in trading the 50 overage destroyers for bases in British colonial territory in the Western Hemisphere.
In New York City, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) television station W2XAB transmits the first high definition color TV broadcast from the Chrysler Building, using 343 lines of resolution. This was the first telecast of any kind from CBS since the closing of their scanner station in 1933.
Clarinetist Artie Shaw and the Gramercy Five records the song "Summit Ridge Drive" for Victor Records. (Jack McKillop)
1941 (WEDNESDAY)
CHINA: Nationalist Chinese forces recapture Foochow from the Japanese. (Jack McKillop)
FRANCE: The RAF Bomber Command dispatches 140 aircraft to Brest during the night of 3/4 September, but are recalled due to deteriorating weather. However, 53 aircraft failed to receive the signal and continued the mission, bombing the estimated position of German warships through a smoke-screen with little success. (Jack McKillop)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: The 6,338 ton Italian motor vessel MV Andrea Gritti, part of a convoy heading from Naples, Italy, to Tripoli, Libya, was torpedoed by British aircraft about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) off the coast of Sardinia. The ship blows up and sinks with the loss of 347 men. (Jack McKillop)
POLAND: The first experimental mass killings using Zyklon-B gas begin at Auschwitz located
in the suburbs of the city of German occupied Oswiecim. (Mikko HŠrmeinen)
UNITED STATES: The government negotiates currency stabilization agreements with Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador. (Jack McKillop)
President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the Japanese Ambassador replies to the message and the statement received from the Ambassador on 28 August. In formulating his replies, the President could not overlook the attendant circumstances and developments. Because of these circumstances and developments, the President and his consultants felt that, to ensure any hope of the success of a meeting between the President and the Japanese Prime Minister, the achievement of a prior meeting of minds on basic principles was a necessary condition precedent. Hence, the President in replying expressed a 'desire to collaborate with the Japanese Prime Minister to see whether there could be made effective in practice the program referred to by the Japanese Government in its message of 28 August and whether there could be reached a meeting of minds on fundamental principles which would make practical a meeting such as the Japanese Minister has proposed. . . . At no time, then, or later, did
the Government of the United States reject the Japanese proposal for a meeting; it strove hard to bring about a situation which would make the holding of such a meeting beneficial. (Jack McKillop)
In baseball, the New York Yankees clinch the American League flag (third straight) on the earliest date in major league history as the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-3. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.S.R.: The Soviet government extends mandatory service in the military to all those born in 1922 (19 year olds) and cancels all previous deferments. (Jack McKillop)
1942 (THURSDAY)
ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: Six bombers and five P-38 Lightnings of the U.S. Army Air Forcesâs (USAAFâs) 11th Air Force are dispatched to bomb Japanese-held Kiska Island and fly air cover over Kuluk Bay, Adak Island but five bombers and three fighters abort due to weather; the others strafe seaplanes and boats in Kiska Harbor and nearby installations claiming 1-4 seaplanes destroyed on the water. This was the longest over-water attack flight thus far in World War II; the two fighters which reach the target area return from the 1,260 mile (2 028 kilometer) round trip with only 40 US gallons (33 Imperial gallons or 151 liters) of fuel left. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-162 fires torpedoes at the British destroyer HMS Pathfinder (G 19) but misses and was sunk about 157 nautical miles (291 kilometers) northeast of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, British West Indies, in position 12.21N, 59.29W, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Vimy (D 33), Pathfinder (G 19) and Quentin (G 78); 49 of the 51 U-boat crewmen survive. The sub has been on three patrols credited for sinking 14 ships for a total of 82,027 tons. (Jack McKillop)
German submarine U-705 was sunk about 367 nautical miles (679 kilometers) west of itâs base at Saint-Nazaire, France, in position 46.42N, 11.07W, by depth charges from an RAF Whitley Mk. V, aircraft ãPä of No. 77 Squadron based at Chivenor, Devonshire, England; all 45 crewmen are lost. The boat has been on one patrol sinking an American freighter of 3.279 tons in the North Atlantic on 15 August. (Jack McKillop)
On 27 August, the U.S. Navy's (USNâs) transport USS Wakefield (AP-21, ex SS Manhattan) departed the Clyde estuary as part of Convoy TA-18, bound for New York City. During this evening, fire breaks out deep within the bowels of the ship and spreads rapidly. In the port column of the formation, Wakefield swings to port to run before the wind while fire-fighting begins immediately. Ready-use ammunition was thrown overboard to prevent detonation, code room publications are secured, and sick bay and brig inmates are released. The destroyer USS Mayo (DD-422) and light cruiser USS Brooklyn (CL-40) close to windward to take off passengers, a badly-burned officer, and members of the crew not needed to man pumps and hoses. Other survivors are disembarked by boat and raft, to be picked up by the screening ships. At 2100 hours, USS Brooklyn again comes alongside to remove the remainder of the crew, while a special salvage detail boards the ship. On 5 September, towing operations com
menced, and the transport nosed aground at McNab's Cove, near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, at 1740 hours on the 8th. When fire-fighting details arrived alongside to board and commence the mammoth operation, fires still burned in three holds and in the crew's quarters on two deck levels. The last flames are extinguished four days later, and the ship was refloated on the 14th. While USS Wakefield was undergoing partial repairs in Halifax harbor, a torrential rainstorm threatened to fill the damaged ship with water and capsize her at her berth. Torrents of rain, at times in cloud-burst proportions, poured into the ship and caused her to list heavily. Salvage crews, meanwhile, cut holes in the ship's sides above the waterline, draining away the water to permit the ship to regain an even keel. For the next ten days, the salvagers engage in extensive initial repair work-cleaning up the ship, pumping out debris, patching up holes, and preparing the vessel for her voyage to the Bos
ton, Massachusetts Navy Yard for complete rebuilding. Temporarily decommissioned, the charred liner proceeded to Boston with a four-tug tow, and was declared a "constructive total loss." The Government purchased the hulk from the United States Lines and stripped the vessel to the waterline. The repairs and alterations began in the fall of 1942, and lasted through 1943. On 10 February 1944, USS Wakefield was recommissioned at Boston. (Jack McKillop)
AUSTRALIA: Lieutenant General George C. Kenney assumes command of the 5th Air Force in Brisbane, Queensland, where the 5thâs HQ was remanned at Townsville, Queensland. The 5th has not functioned as an air force since February 1942 while USAAF units served under the control of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM). After the dissolution of ABDACOM USAAF units served under U.S. Army Forces in Australia and later the Allied Air Forces. General Kenney retains command of the Allied Air Forces. The ãnewä 5th consists of eight groups, five bomber groups, three fighter groups and a photographic reconnaissance squadron. (Jack McKillop)
EGYPT: At El Alamein, Operation BERESFORD was initiated by the 2d New Zealand Division and the British 132d Brigade; the objective was German General Erwin Rommel's weakest point, Munassib. 132d Brigade runs into the determined paratroopers of the German Ramcke Brigade and the Italian Folgore Division, both eager to prove their abilities. The advance turns into a mess of confused communications, burning trucks, and disintegration when the brigade commander was wounded. The New Zealand, 21st and 28th Battalions, do better, with the force charging through their depression. The New Zealanders take 50 POWs, both take their objectives, but run into heavy German resistance. The Germans suffer another 2,450 casualties, lose 50 guns and 400 armored fighting vehicles and 10,000 tons of fuel was used up. Because of his loses, Rommel adopts the "Capisaldi" (strong points) defense Marshall Rodolfo Graziani, Commander of the Italian Forces in Libya, This defense was used in 1940 for the v
ery same reasons, i.e., too weak to attack, no resources for a mobile defense and an order not to retreat. A final stand was set for El Alamein. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-25 Mitchells hit troop concentrations, vehicles, and airfield installations in the battle area of Alam-el-Halfa, Egypt and behind enemy lines; P-40s, mostly operating with the RAF, escort bombers and engage fighters in combat, claiming at least one shot down. (Jack McKillop)
FRENCH INDOCHINA: USAAF Tenth Air Forceâs China Air Task Force B-25 Mitchells dump bombs and pamphlets on Hanoi in the first U.S. raid against that city; munitions, supplies, and several parked aircraft are destroyed or damaged; nine Japanese interceptors pursue the B-25s for about 30 miles (48 kilometers) but fail to make contact. For the next three weeks, bad weather and inaccurate Chinese weather forecasts severely limit bomber operations. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: During the night of 3/4 September, the RAF Bomber Command dispatches 11 aircraft, seven Wellingtons, three Stirlings and a Halifax, to bomb Emden. Eight could only bomb through cloud on dead-reckoning positions; two Wellingtons are lost. (Jack McKillop)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: U.S. Army, Middle East Air Forces B-24 Liberators attack a convoy at sea. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: On the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Australians continue their withdrawal to and beyond Templetonâs Crossing. (Jack McKillop)
In the Milne Bay area of Papua New Guinea, the Australians continue their advance against Japanese. During the night, two Japanese destroyers enter the bay and receive a report that there are only about 200 effective Japanese troops left to fight; as the two destroyers depart at about 2400 hours, they shell the shoreline without much effect. (Jack McKillop)
In the air, USAAF 5th Air Force P-400 Airacobras bomb and strafe the Kokoda Pass area, hitting the airfield at Kokoda, and in the vicinity of Alola, Isurava, and Missima; B-25s Mitchells and A-20 Havocs attack the Mubo-Busama-Salamaua area in Northeast New Guinea. (Jack McKillop)
SOLOMON ISLANDS: USMC SBD Dauntlesses bomb and strafe 34 Japanese landing barges off Santa Isabel Island and a USAAF 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress strafes seaplanes at Faisi Island in the Shortland Islands. (Jack McKillop)
On Guadalcanal during the evening, the first USMC R4D Skytrain lands at Henderson Field. Brigadier General Roy S. Geiger, USMC, and a small staff, will establish the advance HQ of the 1st Marine Air Wing which will have operational control of all Allied aircraft. The R4D departs with Marine wounded. (Jack McKillop)
SPAIN: General Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator, ousts the Cabinet members, and achieves full control of the government. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: The government announces agreements for Reciprocal Lend-Lease Aid to the United States and its Armed Forces by the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and the Free French. (Jack McKillop)
Frank Sinatra bids adieu to the Tommy Dorsey Band and his Orchestra as he starts his solo singing career. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.S.R.: The Germans continue to push toward Stalingrad, Grozny and Novorossisk against stubborn resistance. They are reported at the western suburbs of Stalingrad. (Jack McKillop)
1943 (FRIDAY)
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, RAAF Catalinas bomb Gasmata Airfield and USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators bomb the Cape Gloucester area. (Jack McKillop)
CHINA: The USAAF 68th and 69th Fighter Wings, redesignated 68th and 69th Composite Wings in December 1943, are activated in Kunming to oversee combat operations of the 23d and 51st Fighter Groups respectively. (Jack McKillop)Ê
EAST INDIES: The USAAF Fifth Air Force flies light raids against targets on Ceram Island in the Moluccas Islands and Timor Island in the Sunda Islands, both in the Netherlands East Indies.. (Jack McKillop)
FRANCE: The VIII Air Support Command flies Mission 44 without loss: (1) 36 B-26B Marauders are dispatched to the Beaumont le Roger Airfield and 31 hit the target at 1007 hours; (2) 36 are dispatched to Tille Airfield at Beauvais and all hit the target at 0907 hours; and (3) 69 are dispatched to the Nord Airfield at Lille and 31 hit the target at 0828 hours.
The VIII Bomber Command flies Mission 90 against Luftwaffe air installations in France; escort was provided by 160 P-47 Thunderbolts; 9 B-17s and a P-47 are lost. (1) 100 B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb the Romilly sur Seine air depot at 0903-0911 hours; (2) 38 B-17s bomb the Meulan-les-Mureaux Airfield; (3) 37 bomb the Caudron-Renault aircraft engine factory near Paris; (4) 28 bomb St. Andre Del'Eure Airfield; (5) 18 bomb the dummy St. Aubin Airfield at Dieppe; and (6) 12 bomb Fauville Airfield at Evreux. (Jack McKillop)
The RAF Bomber Command dispatches 32 Wellingtons, six Mosquitos and six Halifaxes to an ammunition dump in the ForLt de Raismes, near Valenciennes; 39 bomb the target without loss. Two mining missions are flown: 12 aircraft lay mines off Gironde and four mine off La Pallice. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: During the night of 3/4 September, the RAF (RAF) Bomber Command dispatches 316 Lancasters and four Mosquitos to bomb Berlin. Because of the high casualty rates among Halifax and Stirling crews in recent Berlin raids the heavy force was composed only of Lancasters. Two hundred ninety five aircraft bomb with the loss of 22 Lancasters, nearly 7.0 per cent of the force. The Mosquitos are used to drop 'spoof' flares well away from the bombers' route to attract German night fighters. The raid approached Berlin from the northeast but the marking and bombing are, once again, mostly short of the target. That part of the bombing which did reach Berlin's built-up area fell in residential parts of Charlottenburg and Moabit and in the industrial area called Siemensstadt. Several factories are hit and suffered serious loss of production and among 'utilities' put out of action are major water and electricity works and one of Berlin's largest breweries. Thirteen Lancasters bomb thre
e targets of opportunity. (Jack McKillop)
ITALY: Units of the British XIII Corps, Eighth Army, cross the Straits of Messina and land north of Reggio di Calbria at 0430 hours local. The 1st Canadian Division captures Reggio di Calbria without opposition. The landing was a diversion to distract German forces commanded by Field Marshal Albert Kesselring from the Allies' upcoming landing near Salerno, 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Naples. Kesselring wasn't fooled; he delays the British advance in Calabria by blowing bridges, mining roads and planting booby traps and withdraws his Sicilian veterans toward Salerno. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
In the air, 38 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the marshalling yard at Sulmona with the loss of six aircraft. USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20 Havocs, A-36 Apaches, fighters and RAF light bombers hit gun positions throughout the toe of Italy, attack airfields at Crotone and Camigliatello and hit railway yards at Marina di Catanzaro and Punta di Staletti, troop concentration near Santo Stefano d'Aspromonte and road junctions and bridges at Cosenza. (Jack McKillop)
During the night of 3/4 September, RAF Liberators of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group visually bomb three airfields: 44 bomb Capodichino Airfield in Naples; 27 bomb Capua Airfield; and four bomb Torre Annunziata Airfield. (Jack McKillop)
JAPAN: The worst earthquake in ten years kills 1,400 people in Tottori, 300 miles (483 kilometers) west of Tokyo. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, heavy and medium bombers blast gun emplacements and terrace defenses in the Lae area. Nine Japanese ãBettyä bombers (Mitusbishi G4M, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers) target Allied landing craft at Morobe in the morning without success. (Jack McKillop)
PACIFIC OCEAN: Three USN vessels sink three Japanese vessels: (1) the destroyer USS Ellet (DD-398) sinks Japanese submarine HIJMS I-25, about 173 nautical miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Espiritu Santo Island, New Hebrides Islands, in position 13.10S, 165.27E; (2) the submarine USS Pollack (SS-180) sinks a transport about 124 nautical miles (230 kilometers) south of Tokyo, Japan, in position 33¡38'N, 140¡07'E; and (3) submarine USS Pompano (SS-181) sinks a merchant cargo ship about 391 nautical miles (725 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, Japan, in position 41.00N, 144.34E. (Jack McKillop)
SARDINIA: In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force P-40s on a sweep hit Pula and Capo Carbonara radar installations. (Jack McKillop)
SICILY: Italian Prime Minister Pietro Badoglio radios General Giuseppe Castellano of the General Staff the authorization to surrender. The secret armistice that will take Italy out of the war on 8 September was signed at Cassbili with U.S. General Walter Bedell Smith, Chief of Staff Allied Expeditionary Force, initialing the agreement for the Allies. No announcement of this was made until arrangements to prevent the German takeover of the government can be worked out. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
SOLOMON ISLANDS: Twenty-plus USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators and 14 P-40s plus 30+ USN airplanes attack Kahili Airfield on Bougainville Island. Vila Airfield on Kolombangara Island was bombed by five B-24s and ten USN aircraft. Meanwhile, five P-40s strafe a wharf at Webster Cove on New Georgia Island. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED STATES: After 15 months of training, Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division ship out by sea to England, on the transport ship SAMARIA. This was the group in "The Band of Brothers." (Gene Hanson)
U.S.S.R.: Putivl, NE of Konotop falls to the Soviet Army. Bovask in the Dontets Basin was also liberated.
1944 (SUNDAY)
BELGIUM: British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery orders the British Second Army to drive speedily to the Rhine River and secure a crossing. (Jack McKillop)
The British Guards Armoured Division drives into Brussels and blocks the exits from the city while the U.S. 3d Armored Division captures Mons. (Jack McKillop)
BURMA: Five USAAF Tenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack and slightly damage the Tabpalai Bridge northeast of Hsipaw; a B-25 knocks out the center span of a railroad bridge in the area and another causes considerable damage at Indaw.
CAROLINE ISLANDS: A lone USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberator, on armed reconnaissance bombs, Yap in the Caroline Islands. (Jack McKillop)
CHINA: Twelve USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators bombed marshalling yards at Nanking; seven B-25 Mitchells destroy at least 45 trucks and damage about 100 others during armed reconnaissance from Hengyang to Tungting Lake and Yoyang; two others bomb Hengyang Airfield; 100+ P-40s, P-51 Mustangs, and P-38 Lightnings attack troops, railroad targets, bridges, and other targets of opportunity in areas around Changning, Hengyang, Sungpai, Chuki, Yangtien, Hengshan. (Jack McKillop)
EAST INDIES: On Celebes Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators attack two targets: 22 bomb Langoan Airfield and 37 bomb Lembeh Strait warehouses and shipping. B-25s hit the village of Tobelo on Halmahera Island. Fighter-bombers hit oil tanks and a radio station at Boela on Ceram Island. (Jack McKillop)
FRANCE: German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt assumes command of the German armies in the West. (Jack McKillop)
The U.S. First Army (Hodges) reaches the border of Luxembourg. The fleeing Germans are suffering huge losses. Hodges's troops surround and will soon capture 30,000 troops near Mons. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
Tournai and Abbeville are liberated by the 21st Army Group and the U.S. Third Army crosses the Moselle River. (John Nicholas)
In the air, Eighth Air Force P-47s strafe transportation targets in Namur. (Jack McKillop)
In southern France, the commander of the U.S. 36th Infantry Division orders his men to halt and allow the French 1st Infantry Division to liberate Lyon, France's third-largest city. Most of the German Nineteenth Army have managed to withdraw northward. (Jack McKillop)
In the air, the USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 601: 391 B-17 Flying Fortresses make a visual attack on 16 gun batteries and defensive installations in the Brest area; 2 B-17s are lost; escort was provided by 15 P-51 Mustangs without loss but bad weather cancels fighter-bomber mission by 50 P-38 Lightnings against strongpoints in the same area. A second mission was flown by 61 aircraft against a supply dump at Bricy Airfield in Orleans.
USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20s supporting ground troops pound strongpoints and bridges in the Brest area; fighters fly armed reconnaissance, ground support, and sweeps in northern and eastern France, Belgium, and western Germany. (Jack McKillop)
FRENCH INDOCHINA: USAAF Fourteenth Air Force fighter-bombers attack targets near Haiphong, and in the Red River Valley. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: In the air, 325 B-17 Flying Fortresses of the USAAF Eighth Air Force using H2X radar to bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen and one hits a target of opportunity. P-47 Thunderbolts strafe transportation targets at Cologne. (Jack McKillop)
HUNGARY: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers visually bomb three rail targets: 58 bomb railroad bridge at Szeged while one bombs a marshalling yard in the same city and 54 bomb the railroad at Szajol. (Jack McKillop)
ITALY: The British 46th Division cross the River Conca River while the Canadian 5th Armoured Division clears Misano. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers attack railroad and road bridges in the western Po Valley while fighter-bombers blast motor transport and rolling stock in the Turin area. (Jack McKillop)
MARIANA ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts hit Pagan and Maug Islands with rockets.. (Jack McKillop)
NETHERLANDS: During the day, RAF Bomber Command dispatched 675 aircraft, 348 Lancasters, 315 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitos, to carry out heavy raids on six airfields: 112 aircraft hit Soesterberg, 112 bomb Venlo, 112 attack Volkel, 104 hit Gilze-Rijen, 103 bomb Eindhoven and 88 bomb Deelen. All raids are successful and only one Halifax was lost from the Venlo raid. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: In Dutch New Guinea, USAAF Fifth Air Force fighter-bombers hit Babo, Warren and Nabire Airfields, Manokwari storage and personnel areas, and strafe areas along Maccluer Gulf. Meanwhile, RAAF Kittyhawks conduct another strike against Babo Airfield and for the first time, carry a 1,500 pound (680 kilogram) bombload. The 50 percent increase in bombload was made possible by the sturdier build of the Kittyhawk Mk. IV (= USAAF P-40N) with which the squadron was equipped. (Jack McKillop)
In Northeast New Guinea, the fighters fly coastal sweeps in the Wewak area, strafing troops, supplies, and occupied areas. (Jack McKillop)
UNITED KINGDOM: In England, Lieutenant Ralph Spalding, USN, and a radio operator of the Special Air Unit, Fleet Air Wing Seven (FAW-7), takes off in a TORPEX laden PB4Y-1 Liberator from Fersfield, Norfolk, sets the radio controls and then parachutes to the ground. Ensign James M. Simpson, USNR, in a PV-1 Ventura, takes control and flies the PB4Y to attack German submarine pens on Helgoland Island. Unfortunately, the PV-1 crew loses sight of the Liberator in a rainstorm and it crashes into a barracks and industrial area on Dune Island. A second attempt was later made with Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., USNR, at the controls of a PB4Y-1 but the aircraft explodes before Kennedy and the radio operator can bail out and Project APHRODITE was then cancelled. (Jack McKillop)
VOLCANO ISLANDS: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Iwo Jima. (Jack McKillop)
WAKE ISLAND: On Wake Island, the USN's Task Group 12.5 (Rear Admiral Allen E. Smith), comprising the small aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26), three heavy cruisers, and three destroyers, pound Japanese installations. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers visually bomb four transportation targets: (1) in Belgrade, 98 bomb the Sava railroad bridge and (2) 54 bomb the Pancovo railroad bridge; (3) 54 bomb the ferry at Smederevo; and (4) one bombs the Subotica marshalling yard. (Jack McKillop)
1945 (MONDAY) BONIN ISLANDS: Off the Bonin islands, Lieutenant General TACHIBANA Yoshio, the local commander, signs the surrender documents on board the USN destroyer USS Dunlap (DD-384) off Chichi Jima. General Tachibana was later convicted and executed for a particularly gruesome series of war crimes perpetuated against U.S. airmen who has been captured in the area during 1944-45. (Jack McKillop)
FRENCH INDOCHINA: In Laos, Franco-Laotian forces enter Vientiane and release interned French civilians. (Jack McKillop)
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: Japanese General YAMASHITA Tomoyuki Yamashita, the commander of the Philippines, surrenders to Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright at Camp John Hay, Baguio, Mountain Province, Luzon, Philippine, Islands
WAKE ISLAND: Off Wake Island, the Japanese surrender in a ceremony on board the American destroyer escort USS Levy (DE-162).
UNITED STATES: Top songs on the pop music record charts are (1) "Till the End of Time" by Perry Como; (2) "On The Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe" by Johnny Mercer; (3) "Gotta Be This Or That (Part 1)" by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra; and (4) "You Two Timed Me One Time Too Often" by Tex Ritter. (Jack McKillop)
YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers visually bomb four transportation targets: (1) in Belgrade, 98 bomb the Sava railroad bridge and (2) 54 bomb the Pancovo railroad bridge; (3) 54 bomb the ferry at Smederevo; and (4) one bombs the Subotica marshalling yard. (Jack McKillop)
1945 (MONDAY) BONIN ISLANDS: Off the Bonin islands, Lieutenant General TACHIBANA Yoshio, the local commander, signs the surrender documents on board the USN destroyer USS Dunlap (DD-384) off Chichi Jima. General Tachibana was later convicted and executed for a particularly gruesome series of war crimes perpetuated against U.S. airmen who has been captured in the area during 1944-45. (Jack McKillop)
FRENCH INDOCHINA: In Laos, Franco-Laotian forces enter Vientiane and release interned French civilians. (Jack McKillop)
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: Japanese General YAMASHITA Tomoyuki Yamashita, the commander of the Philippines, surrenders to Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright at Camp John Hay, Baguio, Mountain Province, Luzon, Philippine, Islands
WAKE ISLAND: Off Wake Island, the Japanese surrender in a ceremony on board the American destroyer escort USS Levy (DE-162).
UNITED STATES: Top songs on the pop music record charts are (1) "Till the End of Time" by Perry Como; (2) "On The Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe" by Johnny Mercer; (3) "Gotta Be This Or That (Part 1)" by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra; and (4) "You Two Timed Me One Time Too Often" by Tex Ritter. (Jack McKillop)
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