Thursday, May 4, 1944. Smoke on the Water.

Sgt. Sam Marinkovich, Anaconda, Mont., Sgt. Raymond Pasvogel, Davenport, Iowa, write up daily paper "The Cyclops Sentinel". Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea. 4 May, 1944.  Sgt Marinkovich is wearing heavily hobnailed boots, something the US generally did not issue in World War Two.  The boots are almost certainly British pattern "clodhoppers" that were issued as replacements in Australia.  Boots are one of the very few items of Commonwealth issuance that Americans sometimes issued in World War Two.

Troops making C-Ration coco.  The soldier on the far left is wearing the rarely seen light pattern field jacket.   This photograph illustrates something that surprised Japanese soldiers, which was that American uniforms were comfortable and practical.  Of interest, every single uniform item depicted in this photograph came into US use either since the start of the war, or immediately before, except for the boots depicted.

From "Uncle Mike":

May 4, 1944: The St. Louis Browns Desegregate Sportsman's Park

Gaslight premiered in New York City.

It's another one I haven't seen, but should.

Sarah Sundin reports that another Overlord exercise occured:

Today in World War II History—May 4, 1944: In Exercise Fabius, a full-scale rehearsal for D-day, Allied troops who will land on Sword, Juno, Gold, and Omaha Beaches make landings on English beaches.

The RAF hit rail facilities at Budapest at night.

The U-371 was scuttled off of Algeria.  The U-846 was attacked and sunk in the Bay of Biscay by the RCAF.

Smoke on the Water was recorded. . . the patriotic Red Foley one . .  not the Deep Purple one.

Last prior edition:

Wednesday, May 4, 1944. Japanese Command Changes.

1940s, 1944, 1948, 1949, Battle of the Atlantic, boats and ships, Burma, French Resistance Movements, Imperial Japanese Navy, Indian Army, Indian Ocean, Medicine, Movies, Personalities, War Crimes, World War Two

Sunday, April 30, 1944. Pre fab. Draft McArthur?

US trucks being landed at Hollandia.

The U.S. Navy bombarded Satawan while the US air assault on Truk continued.

Prefabricated homes, aimed for the post-war market, went on show in London.

Draft MacArthur?

Last prior edition:

Saturday, April 29, 1944. More friendly fire, Raid on Truk, More German strikes in the Channel.

1940s, 1944, Art, Bill Mauldin, boats and ships, Canadian Navy, Cartoons, German Kriegsmarine, New Guinea, Norman Rockwell, Pacific, Truk, U.S. Navy, World War Two

Saturday, April 22, 1944. American landings at Hollandia and Aitape.

US troops on Aitape, April 22, 1944.  This is a curious photograph for a number of reasons, including that all of the men in the immediate foreground are carrying M1 Carbines rather than M1 Garands.  Further, the solider closes to the camera is wearing paratrooper boots.  This would somewhat make me suspect that they are Rangers, but I don't know of Rangers landing at Aitape.

U.S. forces began landed in Western New Guinea in Operations Reckless (Hollandia) and Operation Persecution (Aitape).

Surprisingly, the Japanese were ill prepared for the operation, and the landings rapidly gained a foothold.

The Marshalls campaign ended with the US taking Ungelap.

The Japanese took Chengchow in China.

Combined, the day's event in the Far East demonstrated the interesting nature of the war at the time, and the problems confronting the Japanese.  The Japanese were advancing in China and on the Burmese Indian frontier, but losing territory rapidly in the Pacific, where they effectively had no means of stopping the flow of events.  Gaining enough ground on the Asian mainland to force a conclusion to the overall war was rapidly becoming impossible, as was defending what it had taken in the Pacific in order to advance that original goal.

Mesovouno was subject to German mass killings for the second time, the first time being in October 1941.

Mussolini met with Hitler and his entourage to complain about German caused problems in the Italian Social Republic, which the Germans didn't really care about.

The Kingdom of Afghanistan drove rebel Mazrak Zadran and his followers into the hills.  He was in rebellion in support of a rival claimant to the Afghani throne.

Last prior edition:

Friday, April 21, 1944. Les Françaises obtiennent le droit de vote.

1940s, 1944, Battle of Gurba, Battle of Imphal, Bretton Woods, Charles de Gaulle, Economics, France, Free French, Italy, New Guinea, Royal Air Force, Ukraine, Ukrainian National Army, Women, World War Two