Monday, April 17, 1944. The Uman–Botoșani Offensive Concludes, First Shots of the Greek Civil War, The Martyrdom of Fr. Max Josef Metzger, A Mystery Flight, Up Front in U.S. newspapers.

Soviet soldiers in Ukraine examining a destroyed Panther tank. By Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113828084

The Uman–Botoșani Offensive concluded in a wide-ranging Soviet victory.  The Soviets had advanced 190 miles in one month, cleared southwestern Ukraine and entered Romania and Moldova.   The offensive had been, moreover, carried out during spring mud season, the rasputitsa.  It was one of the most successful Soviet advances of the war.

The Take-Ichi sendan (竹一船団, "Bamboo No. One" convoy) left Shanghai with two infantry divisions to reinforce the Philippines and western New Guinea.  Its story was to be fateful and strategically important.

Following an attack on his unit by Greek Communists on Orthodox Easter Monday, Greek army officer and partisan, Col. Dimitrios Psarros (Δημήτριος Ψαρρός), founder of the partisan National and Social Liberation organization was executed in an early indication of how things were going to go as the Axis control of Greece loosened.  Greece would be in a civil war before the end of World War Two.

Fr. Max Josef Metzger, German Catholic Priest and founder of the German Catholic Peace Association, was executed by the Nazi German state.  He is regarded as a Catholic martyr.

The U-342 was sunk in the North Atlantic by a RCAF PBY.

Civilian airliner Deutsche Lufthansa D-AOCA, a Junkers Ju-52/3m was shot down on scheduled service E.17 from Vienna to Athens with stops in Belgrade, Sofia, and Thessaloniki. An Allied fighter sweep of Belgrade mistook it for a military aircraft.  Five of its seven occupants were killed.

A Royal Air Force Warwick passenger plane went down over the UK, creating a mystery.  As the recovery of its doomed passengers occured, large amounts of cash were found with them.

United Features Syndicate began to run Bill Mauldin's Up Front in U.S. newspapers.

Last prior edition:

Sunday, April 16, 1944. Black Sunday.

1940s, 1944, Aircraft, Artillery, Black Sunday, boats and ships, Chodaczków Massacre, Crimea, Romania, Royal Air Force, Soviet Air Forces, The Holocaust, U.S. Air Force, United Service Organization, Weather

Sunday, February 13, 1944. The sinking of the Henry and Irma.

The Norwegian cargo ship Henry and passenger ship Irma were sunk off Kristiansund by two ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy due to their not having markings, according to the Royal Norwegian Navy.

The sinking became controversial, and remains so.

The USS Macaw ran aground at Midway and sank.  

The U.S. 14th Air Force raided Hong Kong.

The Germans assassinated Cretan resistance fighter Yiannis Dramoutanis.

The Red Army took Luga, Polna and Lyady.  Trapped German units pulled out of Korsun-Sevchenkosky late in the day, but did not break out of encirclement.

Horseshoe Dam Site Bridge, Maricopa County, Arizona.  February 13, 1944.

Monday, December 13, 1943. The Kalavryta Massacre.

The German 117th Jäger Division destroyed Kalavryta, Greece and killed 460 adult men of the town.  We noted this event a few days back.  It was a reprisal for partisan activity.

1,462 U.S. bombers carpet bombed Bremen, Hamburg and Kiel.  P-51Ds are used as escorts for the first time in the raid.

The U-172, U-391 and U-593 were sunk.