Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 9

Today in World War II History—July 19, 1940 & 1945

US poster honoring Jimmy Doolittle, WWII

85 Years Ago—July 19, 1940: Germany holds a victory parade in Berlin.

Hitler appoints twelve field marshals and promotes Hermann Göring to new rank of Reichsmarschall.

Hitler orders Britain to settle for peace; within one hour, the BBC unofficially replies in the negative.

80 Years Ago—July 19, 1945: Lt. Gen. James Doolittle re-establishes US Eighth Air Force in Okinawa, having transferred from England.

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Today in World War II History—July 18, 1940 & 1945

Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933 (US Library of Congress) and Henry A. Wallace (US Department of Agriculture)

85 Years Ago—July 18, 1940: Royal Air Force sinks German invasion barges in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and at Saint-Omer, France.

At Democratic convention in Chicago, Franklin Roosevelt is nominated for a third term as president with vice presidential candidate Henry A. Wallace.

Germany begins “Radio Caledonia” broadcasts to Britain, urging Scottish separatism.

Strike photo taken by USS Hancock aircraft showing an attack on the Yokosuka Navy Yard, Tokyo Bay, Japan, 18 Jul 1945 (US National Museum of Naval Aviation)

80 Years Ago—July 18, 1945: US Third Fleet carrier aircraft sink Japan’s last big battleship, Nagato, at Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo.

At Bedford Naval Magazine in Nova Scotia, explosions occur for 24 hours, but only one person is killed.

Brazilian Expeditionary Force parades through Rio de Janeiro after return from Italy.

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Today in World War II History—July 17, 1940 & 1945

Josef Stalin, Harry Truman, and Winston Churchill at the Potsdam Conference, Germany, 17 Jul 1945 (Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum: 63-1455-26)

85 Years Ago—July 17, 1940: In England, pub owner Percy Tibble captures 4 downed German airmen with a toy pistol.

80 Years Ago—July 17, 1945: Potsdam conference begins outside Berlin—Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin, and Harry Truman meet to discuss postwar Europe and the end of the war with Japan.

First joint US-British strike on Japan as British Task Force 37 and US Task Force 38 hit the Tokyo area, also the first British attack on Japan.

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Today in World War II History—July 16, 1940 & 1945

Atomic bomb ‘Gadget’ exploding during Operation Trinity, Alamogordo, NM, 16 Jul 1945 (US Department of Energy)

85 Years Ago—July 16, 1940: Vichy France revokes citizenship of naturalized French citizens who are Jewish, which applies to occupied France as well.

Germany deports 22,000 French from Alsace (which will be annexed to Germany) to France.

80 Years Ago—July 16, 1945: First atomic bomb is detonated at Alamogordo, New Mexico.

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Today in World War II History—July 15, 1940 & 1945

Insignia of the US 1st Armored Division

85 Years Ago—July 15, 1940: Democratic Party convention opens in Chicago.

A British commando raid on Guernsey in the German-occupied Channel Islands fails; of 140 men, 40 land but are unable to complete missions—36 escape and 4 are left behind to become POWs.

US establishes its first armored divisions, the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions.

The rector of Old Bolingbroke, England, is sentenced to 4 weeks prison for ringing a church bell (reserved for invasion alerts).

Britain bans fireworks, kites, and balloons.

80 Years Ago—July 15, 1945: Italy declares war on Japan.

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Today in World War II History—July 14, 1940 & 1945

Battleship USS Indiana, battleship USS Massachusetts, and cruiser USS Quincy bombarding Kamaishi, Japan, 14 Jul 1945 (US National Archives: 80-G-K-6035)

85 Years Ago—July 14, 1940: BBC broadcasts its first live coverage of the Battle of Britain, by reporter Charles Gardner.

Loew’s poster for the 1945 musical film Anchors Aweigh, 1945 (public domain via Wikipedia)

80 Years Ago—July 14, 1945: France celebrates its first Bastille Day since 1939.

US Third Fleet warships fire directly on Japan for the first time; first shot is fired by battleship USS South Dakota.

US Task Force 38 carrier aircraft fly 1,381 sorties to Japan (Hokkaido and northern Honshu), sinking 34 ships, including 7 train ferries, severing transportation between the two islands.

Movie premiere of musical Anchors Aweigh, starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Kathryn Grayson, famous for Kelly’s dance with animated mouse Jerry.

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Today in World War II History—July 13, 1940 & 1945

WWII poster

85 Years Ago—July 13, 1940: In Britain, the first Free Polish fighter squadron in the RAF is established.

Japanese-Americans returning to Sacramento, CA after being released from Rohwer Center internment camp in McGehee, Arkansas, 30 Jul 1945 (US Library of Congress)

80 Years Ago—July 13, 1945: Japanese ambassador Sato meets with Soviet foreign minister Molotov to discuss peace with the Allies without unconditional surrender.

Ben Chifley becomes Prime Minister of Australia.

US War Relocation Authority announces all but one internment camp for Japanese-Americans (Tule Lake) are to close by December 15.

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Today in World War II History—July 12, 1940 & 1945

British poster in “Pots and Pans into Planes” scrap collection campaign, WWII

85 Years Ago—July 12, 1940: Britain launches “Pots into Planes” campaign to collect aluminum for military use.

Vichy French Head of State Marshal Philippe Pétain appoints Pierre Laval as vice president.

80 Years Ago—July 12, 1945: On Mindanao in the Philippines, US Eighth Army lands at Sarangani Bay to crush final resistance.

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Today in World War II History—July 11, 1940 & 1945

Marshal Philippe Pétain, Head of the French State, 1941 (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

85 Years Ago—July 11, 1940: Vichy France ratifies new totalitarian constitution; Marshal Philippe Pétain assumes position as Head of the French State (État français).

US 3¢ postal stamp, 11 July 1945 (US National Postal Museum: 1980.2493.2969)

80 Years Ago—July 11, 1945: At Waw, Burma, British repel attack by remnant of Japanese army.

US Post Office issues 3¢ stamp featuring the Iwo Jima flag raising.

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Today in World War II History—July 10, 1940 & 1945

British poster, WWII (Imperial War Museum)

85 Years Ago—July 10, 1940: Battle of Britain begins with German Luftwaffe attacks on British shipping and on southern England.

National Assembly of the Third Republic of France votes to ban the Third Republic, granting Marshal Philippe Pétain dictatorial powers and the ability to alter the constitution. French motto “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” (liberty, equality, fraternity) is replaced with “Travail, Famille, Patrie” (work, family, fatherland).

Japanese deploy new A6M Zero fighters against Chinese forces.

Vichy propaganda poster featuring Marshal Pétain and Vichy motto “Travail, Famille, Patrie” (work, family, fatherland), 1942 [Public domain via Wikipedia]

80 Years Ago—July 10, 1945: US Navy Task Force 38 begins raids on Japan coordinated with US B-29 heavy bombers; 1,000 aircraft strike airfields near Tokyo.

B-29 Superfortress bombers near Mount Fuji, Japan, July 1945 (US National Parks Service)

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