Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 76

Today in World War II History—October 23, 1943

Shoulder patch of the US First Army, WWII

80 Years Ago—Oct. 23, 1943: US First Army under Lt. Gen. Omar Bradley takes operational control of US Army forces in England.

In Singapore, the provisional government of India (affiliated with Japanese) under Subhas Chandra Bose declares war on US and UK.

Mohandas Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose at the meeting of the Indian National Congress, Haripura, India, 1938 (public domain via WW2 Database)

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Today in World War II History—October 22, 1943

Maj.-Gen. Robert Laycock, 1943 (Imperial War Museum: TR 1425)

80 Years Ago—Oct. 22, 1943: Maj.-Gen. Robert Laycock becomes British Chief of Combined Operations.

In Italy, the British Eighth Army crosses River Trigno north of Termoli at night.

A German meteorological team is landed by U-boat U-537 at Martin Bay, Labrador, to establish weather station “Kurt,” which isn’t discovered by the Canadians until 1981.

German Weather Station Kurt on the Hutton Peninsula, Labrador, 22 Oct 1943 (German Federal Archive)

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Today in World War II History—October 21, 1943

First Sea Lord Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound on Queen Mary en route to Québec Conference, 1943 (Imperial War Museum A 16722)

80 Years Ago—Oct. 21, 1943: Former British First Sea Lord Adm. Sir Alfred “Dudley” Pound dies, age 66; replaced on Oct. 15 by Adm. Sir Andrew Cunningham.

The German Luftwaffe bombs Naples, Italy, for the first time; the air raid also hits US hospitals at Mostra Fairgrounds, killing 11 patients and medical personnel.

Danish resistance stages an elaborate rescue from the Danish Military Hospital for Lt. Col. Torben Ørum, who ran a private espionage ring and was about to be deported to Germany for execution.

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Today in World War II History—October 20, 1943

Irena Sendler, 1942 (public domain via Wikipedia)

80 Years Ago—Oct. 20, 1943: United Nations War Crimes Commission is established.

Germans arrest Polish social worker Irena Sendler for smuggling 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto; she will be saved from her death sentence when Polish Resistance members bribe the guards to release her and mark her off as already executed.

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Today in World War II History—October 19, 1943

Chemical structure of streptomycin (public domain via Wikipedia)

80 Years Ago—Oct. 19, 1943: Third Moscow Conference begins: Allies agree to strip Germany of territory acquired since 1938; Stalin agrees to demand unconditional surrender of the Axis powers.

Scientists at Rutgers University isolate streptomycin, the first aminoglycoside antibiotic—in clinical trials in March 1946, future Senator Robert Dole becomes the third patient treated with the medication.

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Today in World War II History—October 18, 1943

Recruiting poster for Royal Air Force Bomber Command, WWII

80 Years Ago—Oct. 18, 1943: Germans send first Roman Jews to Auschwitz; of 1200 Jews arrested in Rome, only 16 will survive the war.

On a mission to Hannover, Germany, RAF Bomber Command suffers its 5,000th loss out of 144,500 sorties, a 3.5% loss rate.

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Today in World War II History—October 17, 1943

“Bridge over the River Kwai” by Leo Rawlings, depicting four prisoners of war building bridge on Burma Railway, 1943 (Imperial War Museum: ART LD 6035)

80 Years Ago—Oct. 17, 1943: Japanese complete Burma-Siam “Death Railway,” 93,000 Allied POWs and natives were killed in its construction.

Germans begin evacuating art from the Abbey of Monte Cassino to the Vatican as the Allies approach; most of the monks, nuns, orphans, schoolchildren, and refugees evacuate to Rome as well.

Last German armed merchant cruiser in the Pacific, Michel, is sunk by submarine USS Tarpon off Chichi Jima.

German troops unloading art treasures from the Abbey at Monte Cassino in the Vatican, late 1943 (German Federal Archive: Bild 101I-729-0003-13)

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Today in World War II History—October 16, 1943

Shoulder patch of US Ninth Air Force, WWII

80 Years Ago—Oct. 16, 1943: After transfer from Italy, US Ninth Air Force is re-formed as a tactical force at Sunninghill, England, under Lt. Gen. Lewis Brereton (Eighth Air Force to be a strategic force).

US-built Lend-Lease destroyer escorts, transferred to the Royal Navy (which calls them frigates), enter combat for the first time, escorting an Allied North Atlantic convoy.

Italian Air Force begins to fly with the Allies in Italy.

New song in Top Ten: “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old.”

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Today in World War II History—October 15, 1943

Portrait of Gen. William Slim and the badge of the British Fourteenth Army, 1945 (The National Archives, United Kingdom: INF 3/5)

80 Years Ago—Oct. 15, 1943: British Fourteenth Army is activated in India under Lt. Gen. Sir William Slim.

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Today in World War II History—October 14, 1943

Map showing US Eighth Air Force mission to Schweinfurt, Germany, 14 October 1943 (Source: US Army Air Force)

80 Years Ago—Oct. 14, 1943: Schweinfurt mission: US Eighth Air Force sends 291 B-17s (plus 29 B-24s flying a diversion) to bomb the ball-bearings plant at Schweinfurt, Germany; 60 B-17s lost. Heavy losses lead to temporary suspension of daytime bombing without fighter escort.

Luftwaffe Oberleutnant Walter Nowotny becomes the first fighter pilot in the world with 250 victories.

Prisoners at Sobibor concentration camp destroy extermination facilities; 47 successfully escape and join partisans.

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