Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 42

Today in World War II History—September 6, 1939 & 1944

US Army V-2 cutaway drawing showing engine, fuel cells, guidance units and warhead, 1 August 1945 (US Air Force photo)

85 Years Ago—Sept. 6, 1939: German troops take Kraków, Poland.

Britain institutes convoys for shipping between the Firth of Forth and the Thames Estuary.

80 Years Ago—Sept. 6, 1944: Germany launches first V-2 in combat, toward the Paris suburbs; the V-2 is the world’s first true rocket. (Read more: “The Moon Landings—The World War II Connection”)

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Today in World War II History—September 5, 1939 & 1944

Douglas A-26C of the US 386th Bomb Group, Boxted, England, September 1944 (USAF photo: K3369)

85 Years Ago—Sept. 5, 1939: In Poland, Germans cross the Vistula River and take fortress of Graudenz.

President Roosevelt declares US neutrality and upholds ban on export of weapons.

US Navy establishes the Neutrality Patrol to monitor military operations in the Western Hemisphere and declares a Neutrality Zone 300 miles off the US East Coast.

Patch of the US Ninth Army, WWII

80 Years Ago—Sept. 5, 1944: “Mad Tuesday” (Dolle Dinsdag) in the Netherlands—a BBC report of imminent liberation leads the Dutch to celebrate in the streets and 65,000 Dutch Nazi sympathizers to flee to Germany.

US Ninth Army is activated in France under Lt. Gen. William Simpson and enters combat.

With Soviet troops on the Bulgarian border, the USSR declares war on Bulgaria, and Bulgaria breaks relations with Germany.

First use of Douglas A-26 Invader light bomber by US Ninth Air Force in England.

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Today in World War II History—September 4, 1939 & 1944

Recruiting poster for Royal Air Force Bomber Command, WWII

85 Years Ago—Sept. 4, 1939: French and German troops skirmish on Maginot Line on French border.

First mission by RAF Bomber Command—10 of 16 Blenheims bomb German naval ships at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, but 5 bombers are lost.

Ocean liner RMS Queen Mary arrives in New York, having departed England on August 30, carrying 2552 passengers, including Bob Hope. (Read more about the wartime history of the Queen Mary and see photos from my tour: “The Sky Above Us—Tour of the Queen Mary”).

Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA, June 2017 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

80 Years Ago—Sept. 4, 1944: British liberate Antwerp, Belgium, but fail to capture Scheldt Estuary, the crucial approach to the port.

Allies launch commando and air raids to hinder German retreat in the Balkans.

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Today in World War II History—September 3, 1939 and 1944

King George VI of the United Kingdom delivering his radio address announcing Britain’s entry into the war with Germany, Buckingham Palace, London, 3 Sept 1939 (United Kingdom National Archives)

85 Years Ago—Sept. 3, 1939: Britain, France, Australia, and India declare war on Germany.

Winston Churchill becomes First Lord of the Admiralty, his WWI post.

In North Atlantic, German submarine U-30 sinks British liner Athenia (112 killed, including 69 women, 16 children, and 28 Americans).

SS Athenia in Montreal harbor, 1933 (Library and Archives Canada: PA-056818)

80 Years Ago—Sept. 3, 1944: Nazis deport Anne Frank and her family on the last transport from Westerbork transit camp in the Netherlands to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Free French troops take Lyon, France.

British troops take Brussels, Belgium.

Civilians celebrate as British vehicles enter Brussels, 4 September 1944 (Imperial War Museum: BU 482)

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Today in World War II History—September 2, 1939 and 1944

British poster, WWII

85 Years Ago—Sept. 2, 1939: Britain & France issue joint ultimatum that Germany must withdraw from Poland within 12 hours.

Britain passes National Service Act, instituting conscription for men 19-41 years old.

Songs in Top Ten in US include “Moon Love,” “Over the Rainbow,” “Sunrise Serenade,” and “Beer Barrel Polka.”

Crew of USS Finback pulling downed airman Lieutenant (jg) George Bush from the water off Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands, 2 Sep 1944 (Photo: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum)

80 Years Ago—Sept. 2, 1944: Finland breaks diplomatic ties with Germany and accepts Soviet peace terms.

US Fifth Army secures Pisa, Italy.

Lt. (jg) George H.W. Bush’s torpedo bomber is shot down over Chi Chi Jima, he bails out and is rescued by sub USS Finback; his 2 crewmen are killed.

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Today in World War II History—September 1, 1939 and 1944

Today is the 85th anniversary of the start of World War II. I will be adding “85 Years Ago” to my “80 Years Ago” posts. I hope you find them informative.

German troops at the Egiertowo crossroads on the road to Danzig during the initial invasion of Poland, 1 Sep 1939 (US Library of Congress: Lot-3951-12)

85 Years Ago—Sept. 1, 1939: World War II begins when Germany invades Poland with 52 divisions, German Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers hit bridges over the Vistula, and German battleship Schleswig-Holstein bombards Polish naval base at Westerplatte.

Britain begins evacuating 1.9 million mothers & children from cities over the next three days.

George C. Marshall is named US Army Chief of Staff and is promoted to full general.

German troops removing the Polish emblem from the wall of a post office in Danzig, 1 Sep 1939 (German Federal Archive, Bild 183-H27915, Photographer: Hans Sönnke)

80 Years Ago—Sept. 1, 1944: Patton’s US Third Army offensive temporarily slows due to gasoline shortage.

German Army Group F begins withdrawal from Greece. Movie premiere of Arsenic and Old Lace, starring Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane.

Map of the western front in Europe, 1 September 1944 (US Army)

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Today in World War II History—August 31, 1944

Bing Crosby singing at the opening of the Stage Door Canteen in London, 31 August 1944 (US National Archives: 111-SC-193249)

80 Years Ago—August 31, 1944: US and Australian forces secure New Guinea, with 100,000 Japanese troops remaining isolated on New Guinea.

Soviets take Bucharest, Romania.

Stage Door Canteen opens at Piccadilly in London; Bing Crosby sings for the opening.

Men of the 1st Battalion, US 19th Infantry, carrying supplies near Hollandia, New Guinea, April 1944 (US Center of Military History)

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Today in World War II History—August 30, 1944

Gen. Charles de Gaulle and his entourage at the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, 26 Aug 1944 (Imperial War Museum: HU 66477)

80 Years Ago—August 30, 1944: British Eighth Army launches main attack on Gothic Line in Italy, crossing the Foglia River.

French Provisional Government is established in Paris under Gen. Charles de Gaulle.

Soviets take Ploesti oil fields in Romania, depriving Germans of crucial source of oil.

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Today in World War II History—August 29, 1944

Troops of the US 28th Infantry Division march down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris, 29 Aug 1944 (US National Archives: 111-SC-193197)

80 Years Ago—August 29, 1944: In China, Japanese launch drive south from Hengyang toward US Fourteenth Air Force bases at Liuchow and Kweilin.

US 28th Infantry Division parades down the Champs-Élysées in Paris, led by their commanding officer and hero of Omaha Beach, Gen. Norman Cota.

Armed Slovak resistance under Ján Golian rises against Germans and Slovak fascists, primarily in the mountains, lasts through October 28.

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Today in World War II History—August 28, 1944

André Diethelm, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, Emmanuel d’Astier de La Vigerie, and General Monsabert reviewing troops, Marseille, France, 29-31 Aug 1944 (Archives Normandie 1939-1945: p013088)

80 Years Ago—August 28, 1944: Crucial southern French ports of Marseille and Toulon formally surrender to Free French troops.

British Board of Trade announces the average woman purchases one dress, two yards of cloth, and one-quarter suit per year under rationing.

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