Boxing Day, 1944. Third Army broke through to Bastogne.

The Third Army broke through to Bastogne, relieving the siege of the city.  The Royal Air Force hit the German transportation hub at St. Vith.

"Anti-tank gun on guard against attempted German breakthrough on Bastogne. 26 December, 1944. 101st Airborne Division."

Churchill opened a conference between all parties in the Greek political crisis.

The Japanese Navy, in its last raid on the Philippines, hit Mindoro.

Today In Wyoming's History: December 26. Boxing Day: 1944  Kentucky beat Wyoming in football, 50 to 46, in Buffalo New York.

Last edition:

Christmas Day, 1944. Benignitas et humanitas

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Battle of Leyte, Battle of the Bulge, Christmas, Clothing, German Wehrmacht, Greek Civil War, Paratroopers, Radio, the spoken word, The written word, Winston Churchill

Friday, December 22, 1944. "Nuts!".

Bastogne was surrounded.

General Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz, commander of German forces outside of Bastogne, sent a major, a lieutenant and two enlisted men to deliver an ultimatum to US forces.  The ultimatum, delivered to 101st artillery commander, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, who was in command, read:

To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.

The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Ourthe near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.

There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.

If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours term.

All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity.

The German Commander.

McAuliffe read the note, crumpled it up, and muttered, "Aw, nuts" after realizing that the Germans were asking for a U.S. surrender, rather than the other way around. Lieutenant Colonel Harry Kinnard suggested that McAuliffe's response summed up the situation well and  reply was typed and delivered by Colonel Joseph Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry, to the German delegation. It stated:

To the German Commander.

NUTS!

The American Commander.

The German commander was confused by the reply, understandably, and asked Harper what it meant. Harper replied; "In plain English? Go to hell."  McAuliffe himself never used profanity.

Slowed progress caused Guderian to recommend the German offensive in the Ardennes be halted.

Guderian and McAuliffe's assessment was realistic.  While from the outside the American situation appeared desperate, in fact it was not.  The German advance had been massively slowed by American resistance, including by relatively inexperienced troops.  At Bastogne the Germans now faced two airborne divisions which were used to being surrounded.

President Roosevelt signed the Flood Control Act of 1944.

A new provisional government was formed in Hungary.

The People's Army of Vietnam was formed.

Last edition:

Thursday, December 21, 1944. St. Vith taken.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Bastogne, Battle of Ormoc Bay, Battle of the Bulge, Belgium, Siege of Bastogne, St. Vith, U.S. Air Force, World War Two

Thursday, December 21, 1899. Leonard Wood goes back to Cuba.

General  and physician Leonard Wood arrived in  Cuba to serve as its Governor General.

Last edition:

Friday, December 15, 1899. British defeat at Colenso.

Labels: 1890s, 1899, Battle of Colenso, Boer Armies, Boer War, British Army

Wednesday, December 20, 1944. Besieged Bastogne.

Bastogne was reached by the Germans and put under siege.

The 3d Army began advancing against German forces committed to Wachts am Rhein.

"These American soldiers from the 28th Division Band and Quartermaster Company stayed and fought the Germans in Wiltz, Belgium, until their ammunition was exhausted. Shown at Bastogne, Belgium, these soldiers evacuated Wiltz after they had used all their ammunition. Bastogne, Belgium, 20 December, 1944. 28th Infantry Division."

"Troops of 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion, all their vehicles lost in combat, manning the front line near Bastogne, Belgium, 20 December 1944. Troops of 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion, all their vehicles lost in combat, manning the front line near Bastogne, Belgium, 20 December 1944."

Dwight Eisenhower was promoted to five star rank.

The US Women Airforce Service Pilots organization was disbanded as no longer needed.  Hap Arnold, who had advocated for incorporating the organization into the Air Force, noted:

The WASP has completed its mission. Their job has been successful. But as is usual in war, the cost has been heavy. Thirty-eight WASP have died while helping their country move toward the moment of final victory. The Air Forces will long remember their service and their final sacrifice.

Last edition:

Tuesday, December 19, 1944. Reacting to Wacht am Rhein.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Army, Bastogne, Battle of Leyte, Battle of the Bulge, Bernard Law Montgomery, British Army, Chester Nimitz, Dwight Eisenhower, German Army, Omar Bradley, St. Vith, World War Two

Tuesday, December 19, 1944. Reacting to Wacht am Rhein.

 

"Troops of 10th Armored Division preparing for attack on German spearhead headed toward Bastogne, Belgium, await order to move out. Note refugees in foreground. 19 December, 1944. 10th Armored Division."

The Germans took about 9,000 surrounded U.S. troops prisoner in the Schnee Eifel region on the Belgian-German border.  US forces were pushed out of German territory.  The 6th SS Panzer Army reached Stavelot and 5th Panzer Army approached Houffalize. US forces in-between these advances continue to hold Gouvy and St. Vith.

"Infantrymen of 1st U.S. Army gather in Bastogne, Belgium, to regroup after being cut away from their regiment by Germans in the enemy drive in this area. 19 December, 1944. 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division."

Eisenhower appoints Field Marshal Montgomery, commanding British 21st Army Group, to lead all Allied forces to the north of " the Bulge" and General Bradley, all Allied forces to the south reflecting the tactical situation.

"101st Airborne Division on the road between Bastogne and Houffalize, Belgium, as they move up to stem German drive. 19 December, 1944. 101st Airborne Division."

Chester Nimitz was promoted to five star rank.

Japan determined to cease reenforceing the Japanese 35th Army on Leyte.

The Japanese aircraft carrier Unryū was sunk in the East China Sea by the Redfish. The German submarine U-737 sank in a collision with depot ship MRS 25 in Vestfjorden, Norway.

The French newspaper Le Monde published for the first time.

Last edition:

Monday, December 18, 1944. Typhoon Cobra.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, boats and ships, British Army, Dekemvriana (Δεκεμβριανά), Douglas MacArthur, Greek Civil War, Internment of Japanese, Navy, Oklahoma, Pacific, Petroleum, Weather, World War Two, Wyoming

Friday, December 15, 1944. Glenn Miller Lost.

The airplane carrying definitive band leader of the 1940s, Glen Miller, disappeared over a fog bound English Channel.  Miller, age 40, was serving as the leader of the US Army Air Forces Orchestra.

Miller's influence on US military music would be profound.

The U.S. Seventh Army captured Riedseltz, Salmbach and Lauterbourg in France.

The RAF made a largescale daylight raid on the submarine pens at Ijmuiden.

The Sixth Army landed on Mindoro and faced very little ground resistance, but heavy air resistance.  The US forces included a regiment of paratroopers.

Admiral William D. Leahy was promoted to five star rank, the first officer to be so promoted and the senior most officer in the Armed Forces.

The Chinese Army captured Bhamo, Burma.

Hollywood Canteen including the Andrews Sisters, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Joan Crawford, Jimmy Dorsey and Roy Rogers was released.

Last edition:

Thursday, December 14, 1944. The tragedy of Lupe Vélez.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, actors and actresses, Mexico, Military, Netherlands, Palawan Massacre, Philippines, Prisoners of War, U.S. Navy, War Crimes, World War Two

Monday, December 11, 1944. The Great Snowstorm of 1944.

The Great Snowstorm of 1944 set in, impacting  northeastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, upstate New York, southern Ontario and southern Quebec.

Scene from Toronto..

The British 8th Army crossed the Lamone.

The Soviets heavily bombard Budapest.

The US 7th Army entered Haguenau.   The Germans unsuccessfully attacked 3d Army bridgeheads over the Saar.

The Germans completed the murder of the inmates of the Hartheim Euthanasia Centre.

British reinforcements reach Athens to combat some 25,000 ELAS troops.

The USS Reid was sunk off of Leyte by a kamikaze.

Kia (기아), then Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業), was founded in Seoul, which of course was occupied as part of the Japanese Empire.

Last edition:

Sunday, December 10, 1944. Hall of Fame.

Labels: 1930s, 1939, 1940, 1944, baseball, Battle of Leyte, boats and ships, Clothing, Diplomacy, France, Kamikaze, Nobel Prize, USSR, World War Two

Saturday, December 9, 1944

 

"Men of 13th Inf. Regt., 8th Div., U.S. Army, move along a road which winds its way through Hurtgen Forest, Germany. 9 December, 1944. 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division."

Last edition:

Friday, December 8, 1944

Labels: 1940s, 1944, B. B. Brooks, British Army, Collaborators, German Army, Germany, Italy, Iwo Jima, Personalities, Philippines, World War Two, Wyoming

Tuesday, December 5, 1944. The Royal Navy in the Greek Civil War.

The Royal Navy shelled Greek communist positions near Piraeus.

The Red Army took Szigetvár and Vukovar, Hungary.

Canadians took Ravenna, Italy.

The Liberty ship Antoine Saugrain was sunk by Japanese aircraft in Leyte Gulf.  And on the ground:

Today in World War II History—December 5, 1939 & 1944: US launches final offensive on Leyte in the Philippines, driving into the Ormoc Valley. Victory ship SS Red Oak Victory is commissioned into the US Navy

"Men of the 121st Regt., 8th Inf. Div., U.S. First Army, after 15 days at the front, move back along the road from Hurtgen, Germany. 5 December, 1944. 121st Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. Photographer: T/3 Jack G. [illegible], 165th Signal Photo Co."

" An American infantryman keeps firing while two of his comrades insert fresh ammunition in their rifles, as steady fire from this sheltered infantry covers advance near Rosteig, France. December 5, 1944. K Company, 398th Infantry Regiment, 100th Infantry Division. Rosteig Area, France. December 5, 1944."  Note that the men are wearing L. L. Bean Maine Hunting Shoe boots.

Last edition:

Monday, December 4, 1944. The Dutch Famine.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, boats and ships, Chinese Army, Dekemvriana (Δεκεμβριανά), Dutch Famine, Food, Germany, Greece, Greek Civil War, Imperial Japanese Navy, Netherlands, World War Two

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

Today in World War II History—December 4, 1939 & 1944: US Third Army crosses the Saar River at Saarlautern, Germany. Italian partisans liberate Ravenna in first major partisan attack in Italy.

Sunday, December 3, 1944. Dekemvriana (Δεκεμβριανά)

The Dekemvriana (Δεκεμβριανά) began with British troops and Greek police opening fire on a massive left wing demonstration in Athens. This effectively commenced the Greek Civil War.

The Red Army took Miskolc, Hungary.

The USS Cooper was sunk in Ormoc Bay by the Japanese destroyer Take.

The British Home Guard stood down.

The US 20th Corps crossed the Saar in assault boats and secured the main bridge of the Saar.  The 13th Corps reached the Roer.

Last edition:

Saturday, December 2, 1944. Advances in Europe, the Army Navy Game, Eiji Sawamura（沢村栄治).

Labels: 1930s, 1939, 1940s, 1944, Army, baseball, Conscription, football, Germany, Imperial Japanese Army, Personalities, War Loan Drives, World War Two

Saturday, December 2, 1944. Advances in Europe, the Army Navy Game, Eiji Sawamura（沢村栄治).

The 7th Army reached the Rhine.  The 3d Army reached Saarlautern.  The 9th Army took Leiffarth and Roerdorf.

Army won the Army Navy Game.  The crowed of 66,659 included 30,000 members of the general public who were admitted on the condition of living within 8.3 miles of the game in Baltimore and buying a $25.00 war bond.

Twenty Seven year old professional Japanese baseball player Eiji Sawamura（沢村栄治）was killed when a troopship he was on was sunk on this day in 1944.  He'd been drafted into the Japanese Army in 1939, but released each season to play baseball.

Last edition:

Wednesday, November 29, 1944. Prisoner Exchange.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Battle of Leyte, boats and ships, Canada, Conscription, Conscription Crisis, Prisoners of War, Quebec, World War Two

Saturday, December 2, 1899. Battle of Triad Pass

The Battle of Tirad Pass, the "Philippine Thermopylae", took place in northern Luzon in the Philippines. A 60-man Filipino rear guard commanded by Brigadier General Gregorio del Pilar was ultimately defeated by the 33rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment under Major Peyton C. March, with the delaying action allowing  President Emilio Aguinaldo and his troops escape capture.

Last edition:

Thursday, November 23, 1899. "I detest war, people congratulate me; the men seem to look on me like a father, but I detest war the more I see of it."

Labels: 1890s, 1899, Boer War, British Army

Sunday, November 26, 1944. Covering up a crime against humanity.

Himmler ordered the crematorium at Auschwitz destroyed to cover up the concentration camp's crime against humanity.

"American infantryman kneels in the rubble to draw a bead on a sniper in the burning building. Germany, 26 November, 1944."

2nd Battalion, 414th Infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry Division,

The U.S. Seventh Army captured Steige and Villé.  T he 1st Army captured Weisweiler to the west of Cologne.

"This is all that is left of an American half track after a direct hit from a German shell. 26 November, 1944. 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division."

The Red Army captured capture Michaloyce, Slovakia.

General Alexander was promoted to Field Marshal and appointed the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean.

Last edition:

Saturday, November 25, 1944. Heavy resistance on Leyte, V2 attack in London.

Labels: 1920, 1920s, 1940s, 1944, Armor, Army, baseball, Battle of Leyte, Dutch Army, Imperial Japanese Army, Italy, Rocketry, Russo Ukrainian War, Weapons, World War Two