The Battle of Hill 609 commenced, in which the U.S. II Corps took on and defeated the Afrika Korps in the first clear-cut US victory against the European Axis of World War Two. The II Corps in Tunisia by that time was commanded by Omar Bradley.
Bradley entered the military only due to the education opportunity West Point afforded, having originally intending to go to the University of Missouri to study law. Born into poverty, with his father dying when he was 15, he was employed as a boilermaker prior to entering West Point. Taking the admittance examination was suggested by a Sunday School teacher. An excellent athlete, he was offered positions in professional baseball while in West Point.
Heinrich Himmler directed concentration camps to cease murdering inmates capable of working in order to use them for labor. The mentally ill incapable of working were moved to priority execution status.
Sarah Sundin notes on her blog:
Today in World War II History—April 27, 1943: Radar-jamming devices become operational in eastern England. British & Indian Chindits cross the Chindwin River in return to India from raids in Burma.
The Chindits were a special long range penetration unit made up of British, Gurkha and Burmese soldiers. They were officially the 3d Indian Infantry Division. They were named after lions, using a corruption of the Burmese name for lions, Chinthe (Burmese: ခြင်္သေ့). Lions are a popular symbol in Burma. Asiatic Lions do still exist, although we do not tend to think of lions in Africa, but in fact they once had a much wider range.
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