Friday, May 19, 1944. Dewey take the GOP nomination.

155s firing on Wadke Island, May 19, 1944.

The Allies took Gasta Itri, Monte Grande, Pico and n the Aquino airfield, in the Liri Valley.

Task Group 58.2 raided Marcus Island.

B-17 Donna Mae II seconds before a bomb dropped from a B-17 above her, under which she had drifted, struck her horizontal stabilizer and caused the plane to go straight down, killing the entire crew.

The Republican primary process concluded with the Oregon Primary.  Dewey was the nominee.

Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the original Star Wars, was born.

Thursday, May 18, 1944. Monte Cassino ends.

And in more ways than one.

The Germans had withdrawn, leaving only 30 men too wounded to be moved. The Poles were the first Allied troops in the monastery.

It would be rebuilt.

Stalin ordered the Crimean Tartars deported from their homeland. The action was carried out on the excuse that some Tartars had collaborated with the Germans, which was actually true of every Soviet ethnicity, including, in large numbers, the Russians.  Repression of the Tartars would carry on for decades after the war, and the disaster has never been sufficiently redressed.

The Admiralty Islands Campaign and the Battle of Wakde ended in Allied victories.

Gerd von Runstedt as Commander in Chief of German forces in the west.

Von Runstedt was an old soldier by this point, having been born in 1875 and having entered the Prussian Army in 1892.  Like MacArthur in the U.S. Army, he'd retired before the war, having left service in 1938, although he was five years older than MacArthur, who was old for a U.S. Army commander.  An erasable character, he was not personally fond of Hitler, knew of plots to kill him which he kept to himself, but would not participate in them as he felt the concept disloyal.

After the war he was imprisoned for four years and upon his release found himself separated from his wife due to the division of Germany. She was in the American Zone of occupation, but he could not secure permission to visit her, as the US was upset by the British decision to release him.  He died in 1953 at age 77.

It can be argued that his decision not to support the July 20 plotters was instrumental in the coup's failure.

Last prior edition:

Wednesday, May 17, 1944. Landing at Wakde.

1940s, 1944, Battle of Wakde, Burma, Italy, Merrill's Maurauders, Nationalist Chinese Army, Operation Diadem, Operation Straight Line

Wednesday, May 17, 1944. Landing at Wakde.

 

The US landed on Wakde.

US forces also landed on Insumarai and at Arare on mainland New Guinea.

The U.S. Navy raided Surabaya's oil installations in the  Dutch East Indies by air, and then the night B-24s did so again.

Merrill's Marauders and Chinese Nationalists captured Myitkyina airfield.  Allied troops landed by glider later that day.

Allied forces took Piumarolo, Monte Faggeta, Esperiam Formiam Sant'Angelo. The Germans decide to withdraw to a new defensive perimeter.

From Sarah Sundin:

Today in World War II History—May 17, 1944: Allied Expeditionary Air Force approves black & white invasion stripes for aircraft for D-day to prevent friendly fire, not announced yet to maintain security.

Last prior edition:

Tuesday, May 16, 1944. The Romani Uprising, Advancing in Italy

1940s, 1944, Allied Powers, Auschwitz, Belgium, boats and ships, Diplomacy, German SS, Gypsies, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Operation Diadem, Romani Uprising, The Holocaust, World War Two

Tuesday, May 16, 1944. The Romani Uprising, Advancing in Italy

Romani, gypsies, rebelled at Auschwitz.  Tipped off by a Yugoslavian member of the SS, a Pole alerted the Gypsies the night prior of the SS plan to destroy their camp the following day. Armed with shovels and other tools, they refused to come out of their buildings, and a confused SS withdrew.  The event was bloodless, but the destruction of the camp and the murder of its occupants was only postponed.

Perhaps coincidentally, or not, the first train carrying Hungarian Jews arrived at Auschwitz on this day as well.

Pvt. Joseph A. Zbin, Cleveland, Ohio, of Co. A, 338th Inf. carrying a 90 lb load of mortar ammo through town of Scauri. 16 May, 1944.  He's armed with a M1 Carbine.  He died in 1977 at age 55 back in Ohio.

Allied forces generally advanced in Italy, save for at Monte Cassino where the Polish 2nd Corps was meeting difficult resistance.

Twenty three year old 1st Lt. Keith J. Bauer, 937th F.A. Battery, of Arkansaw Wis., washes up on this day in 1944.  His post-war plans were, reportedly to "get married", "get a farm", "get out of the Army".  Bauer was from a farm family.  Bauer was a pilot and was still in the Army in 1954, so apparently his plans changed, or he was recalled during the Korean War.  In this photograph you can tell that he's an officer simply because his wool shirt has epaulets.

The Soviet Air Force bombed the rail yards at Minsk.

The Allied powers entered into an agreement with Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway about immediate post-war governance.

British Coast Command harried German submarines.

Anti-aircraft crew training at Ft. Bliss, May 16, 1944.

Last prior edition:

Monday, May 15, 1944. Deportation of the Hungarian Jews.

1940s, 1944, Aircraft, Auschwitz, Battle of the Atlantic, boats and ships, Disaster, German SS, Hawaii, Hungary, Operation Overlord, Russian Orthodox Church, The Holocaust, World War Two

Sunday, May 14, 1944. Route to Rome.

Today in World War II History—May 14, 1944: 80 Years Ago—May 14, 1944: In Italy, US II Corps breaks German Gustav Line, opening the route to Rome.

Sarah Sundin's blog.

The Luftwaffe raided Bristol at night.

E-boats attacked Allied landing craft near the Isle of Wight.

Albanian SS rounded up 281 Kosovo Jews for deportation to concentration camps.

Vichy radio reported that French cardinals had appealed to the Roman Catholic clergy in Britain and the United States to use their influence to ensure that the French civilian population towns, works of art and churches would be spared from Allied bombing as much as possible,

2nd Lt. Trava Thomas of Okmulgee, Okla., arrives with full pack at the Brisbane, Queensland railroad station. 14 May, 1944.

The ironically named America Maru was sunk by the USS Nautilus.  Most of the occupants of the ship were Japanese civilians being evacuated from Saipan, the overwhelming majority of whom were killed in the sinking.

George Lucas was born in Modesto, California.

Last prior edition:

Friday, May 12, 1944. Heroism in Italy. End of the war in the Caucasus.

1940s, 1944, Battle of the Caucasus, Heroes, Indian Army, Italy, Nazi Germany, Operation Diadem, Personalities, Red Army, Rome, U.S. Air Force, World War Two

Saturday, May 13, 1944. Battle of the Tennis Court ends.

The long-running Battle of the Tennis Court ended in an allied victory.

The Axis completed its withdrawal from Crimea, having evacuated over 150,000 troops, a stunning effort given the context of the battle going on there.

78,000 were killed or captured by the Soviets in this time frame.

Cpt. Richard Wakeford.

On 13th May, 1944, Captain Wakeford commanded the leading Company on the right flank of an attack on two hills near Cassino, and accompanied by his orderly and armed only with a revolver, he killed a number of the enemy and handed over 2O prisoners when the Company came forward. On the final objective a German officer and 5 other ranks were holding a house. After being twice driven back by grenades. Captain Wakeford, with a final dash, reached the window and hurled in his grenades. Those of the enemy, who were not killed or wounded, surrendered. Attacking another feature on the following day, a tank became bogged on the start line, surprise was lost and the leading infantry were caught in the enemy's fire, so that the resulting casualties endangered the whole operation. Captain Wakeford, keeping his Company under perfect control, crossed the start line and although wounded in the face and in both arms, led his men up the hill. Half way up the hill his Company came under heavy Spandau fire; in spite of his wounds, he organized and led a force to deal with this opposition so that his company could get on. By now the Company was being heavily mortared and Captain Wakeford was again wounded, in both legs, but he still went on and reaching his objective, he organized and consolidated the remainder of his Company and reported to his Commanding Officer before submitting to any personal attention. During the seven hour interval before stretcher-bearers could reach him his unwavering high spirits encouraged the wounded men around him. His selfless devotion to duty, leadership, determination, courage and disregard for his own serious, injuries were beyond all praise.

Wakeford became a solicitor (lawyer) after the war and died in 1972 at age 51.

Also in Italy, the Polish 2nd Corps unsuccessfully attacked Monte Cassino, sustaining heavy casualties in the effort.  The French Expeditionary Corps took Castelforte and Monte Mailo.

Sarah Sundin reports: 

Today in World War II History—May 13, 1944: In drive for Rome, French troops break through Gustav Line. Premiere of Cowboy and the Senorita, starring Roy Rogers & Dale Evans in their first film together.

She also noted that Klaus Dönitz, son of the commander of the German Kriegsmarine, was killed when his torpedo boat went down off the English coast. 

The U-1224, now in Japanese service as the RO-501, was sunk in the Atlantic, making it one of two Japanese flagged submarines to be sunk in the Atlantic.

The French Resistance halted self propelled artillery production at the Lorraine-Dietrich works, Bagneres de Bigorre.

Pensive won the Preakness.

Last prior edition:

Friday, May 12, 1944. Heroism in Italy. End of the war in the Caucasus.

1940s, 1944, Battle of the Caucasus, Heroes, Indian Army, Italy, Nazi Germany, Operation Diadem, Personalities, Red Army, Rome, U.S. Air Force, World War Two

Friday, May 12, 1944. Heroism in Italy. End of the war in the Caucasus.

The two-year-long Battle of the Caucasus ended in a Soviet victory.  

What's partially amazing about this is that the Soviets and Axis forces were fighting a war that was effectively far behind the real front lines by this point.  The Axis forces should have withdrawn from this region months prior to this.

The war in Italy at this point was remarkably multinational, with the US 5th Army including a wide variety of western units, including units of the Indian Army. Sepoy Kamal Ram won the Victoria Cross in Italy for single handely wiping out a German machinegun post, causing a second one to surrender a,d n assisting a feelow soldier in the destruction of a third.

His citation.

In Italy, on 12 May 1944, after crossing the River Gari overnight, the Company advance was held up by heavy machine-gun fire from four posts on the front and flanks. As the capture of the position was essential to secure the bridgehead, the Company Commander called for a volunteer to get round the rear of the right post and silence it. Volunteering at once and crawling forward through the wire to a flank, Sepoy Kamal Ram attacked the post single handed and shot the first machine-gunner; a second German tried to seize his weapon but Sepoy Kamal Ram killed him with the bayonet, and then shot a German officer who, appearing from the trench with his pistol, was about to fire. Sepoy Kamal Ram, still alone, at once went on to attack the second machine-gun post which was continuing to hold up the advance, and after shooting one machine-gunner, he threw a grenade and the remaining enemy surrendered. Seeing a Havildar making a reconnaissance for an attack on the third post, Sepoy Kamal Ram joined him, and, having first covered his companion, went in and completed the destruction of this post. By his courage, initiative and disregard for personal risk, Sepoy Kamal Ram enabled his Company to charge and secure the ground vital to the establishment of the bridgehead and the completion of work on two bridges. When a platoon, pushed further forward to widen the position, was fired on from a house, Sepoy Kamal Ram, dashing towards the house, shot one German in a slit trench and captured two more. His sustained and outstanding bravery unquestionably saved a difficult situation at a critical period of the battle and enabled his Battalion to attain the essential part of their objective.

He was 19 years old at the time, and would remain in the Indian Army after the war, retiring in 1972.  He died in 1987 at the age of 57. 

The 5th Army made progress against the Gustav Line.  The French Expeditionary Corps captured Monte Faito. The British 13th Corps crossed the Rapido opposite of Cassino.

Frederick Schiller Faust, better known by his pen name Max Brand, was killed by artillery while working as a writer attached to U.S. infantry, a request he'd made some weeks earlier.  He was 51 years old.

The United States Army Air Force hit synthetic oil plants at Leuna-Merseburg, Bohlen, Zeitz, Lutzkendorf and Brux.

ME 410 photographed from a B-17 over Brux.

A20 hit by flak over France.  Pilot 1st Lt Robert E. Stockwell and gunner S/Sgt Hollis A. Foster were killed. Bombardier Lt. Albert Jedinak and gunner S/Sgt. Egon W. Rust bailed out and were captured.

The State Department was busy trying to find a way to save Rome from destruction.

German U-boat commander Oskar Kusch was executed for holding views critical of Adolf Hitler.

Last prior edition:

Thursday, May 11, 1944. Operation Diadem.

1940s, 1944, 1944 at the Movies, Blog Mirror, Bougainville, German Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring, Italy, Movies, Operation Diadem, Personalities, Royal Air Force, The Holocaust, World War Two

Thursday, May 11, 1944. Operation Diadem.

Japanese foxholes located under bank of draw in the 129th Infantry, 37th Division sector on Bougainville, Solomon Islands. The jungle growth has been cleared by the fierce artillery fire.  May 11, 1944.

Allied forces broke through German defenses in the Liri Valley in Operation Diadem with the first attacks being by the British 4th Infantry Division and the 8th Indian Infantry Division, with fire support from the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade.  All the Allies fighting in Italy would participate in the offensive.

Allied air forces raided the French coast, with Calais particularly hard hit.

Oberst Walter Oesau (123 victories) was shot down and killed over the Eifel Mountains.  

Oesau had been goaded into flying by Luftwaffe chief Hermann Göring on that day even though he'd been sick in bed with the flu, Göring calling his command to see if he was flying.  Göring had been turning his ire on unit commanders who were not regularly flying, and upon learning that Oesau was in bed he basically accused him of cowardice.  He did skillfully fight three P-38s but was killed by cannon fire from one of the aircraft attempting to make an emergency landing.\

Oesau had fought in the Spanish Civil War, but there's little known about him overall.  He was not a flamboyant figure and included no special markings on his aircraft.

The RAF Lancaster "S for Sugar" completed its 100th mission.

Today in World War II History—May 11, 1944 In Italy, Germans release Jews of Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, and Swiss citizenship under pressure from these neutral governments.

Movie premiere of The White Cliffs of Dover, starring Irene Dunne.

Social Security Administration ruling reflecting a marriage on this date, and a complicated set of relationships.

SSR 60-9. STATUS OF CHILD IN THE WOMB

A child conceived during its mother's marriage to her first husband, but born after her re-marriage to her second husband is the stepchild of the second husband from the date of such marriage.

M was divorced from F on March 25, 1944. She married P on May 11, 1944. A child, C, was born to M on July 13, 1944. P died on May 20, 1945. An application for child's benefits on P's social security account was filed September 23, 1959, on behalf of C.

Section 216(e) of the Social Security Act defines the term "child" as including a stepchild of a deceased individual who has been a stepchild "for not less than one year immediately preceding the day on which such individual died."

In view of the general principle that when justice or convenience requires, the child in the womb is dealt with as a human being even though physiologically it is part of the mother, the marriage of P and M created a steprelationship between P and M's child, C, even though C was unborn at that time. Since the marriage of P and M occurred more than one year prior to P's death, and C had been conceived and was in existence at the time of the marriage, it is held that C was P's stepchild for one year prior to his death as required by section 216(e) for becoming entitled to benefits on his earnings record.

Last prior edition:

Wednesday, May 10, 1944. New Medals.

1940s, 1944, boats and ships, Burma, Imperial Japanese Navy, Merchant Marine, Nationalist Chinese Army, Personalities, Red Army, U.S. Navy, World War Two

Sunday, April 23, 1944. Hollandia taken, MacArthur lands, John C. Squire's posthumous MoH, Greek troubles, Pyrgoi Massacre, Tragic accident, Missing mobster.

 Gen. MacArthur, Colonel Lloyd Lehbras, his aides, and other high officers, landing on the beach at Aitape, New Guinea, 23 April, 1944.

Hollandia fell to US forces and Tadji airfield is taken.  However, resistance was met inland at Sabron and the beachheads were experiencing congestion.

F4U crashing on the USS Guadalcanal, April 23, 1944.

The Amagiri was sunk in the Makassar Strait by a mine.

Mussolini agreed to continue permitting Italian troops to be trained in Germany. The best of them were to be used to form a new National Republican Army.

In Italy, U.S. Army PFC John C. Squires lost his life in an action which resulted in his receiving a posthumous Medal of Honor.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. At the start of his company's attack on strongly held enemy positions in and around Spaccasassi Creek, near Padiglione, Italy, on the night of 23-April 24, 1944, Pfc. Squires, platoon messenger, participating in his first offensive action, braved intense artillery, mortar, and antitank gun fire in order to investigate the effects of an antitank mine explosion on the leading platoon. Despite shells which burst close to him, Pfc. Squires made his way 50 yards forward to the advance element, noted the situation, reconnoitered a new route of advance and informed his platoon leader of the casualties sustained and the alternate route. Acting without orders, he rounded up stragglers, organized a group of lost men into a squad and led them forward. When the platoon reached Spaccasassi Creek and established an outpost, Pfc. Squires, knowing that almost all of the noncommissioned officers were casualties, placed 8 men in position of his own volition, disregarding enemy machinegun, machine-pistol, and grenade fire which covered the creek draw. When his platoon had been reduced to 14 men, he brought up reinforcements twice. On each trip he went through barbed wire and across an enemy minefield, under intense artillery and mortar fire. Three times in the early morning the outpost was counterattacked. Each time Pfc. Squires ignored withering enemy automatic fire and grenades which struck all around him, and fired hundreds of rounds of rifle, Browning automatic rifle, and captured German Spandau machinegun ammunition at the enemy, inflicting numerous casualties and materially aiding in repulsing the attacks. Following these fights, he moved 50 yards to the south end of the outpost and engaged 21 German soldiers in individual machinegun duels at point-blank range, forcing all 21 enemy to surrender and capturing 13 more Spandau guns. Learning the function of this weapon by questioning a German officer prisoner, he placed the captured guns in position and instructed other members of his platoon in their operation. The next night when the Germans attacked the outpost again he killed 3 and wounded more Germans with captured potato-masher grenades and fire from his Spandau gun. Pfc. Squires was killed in a subsequent action.

Finnish modified Soviet Il-4 bomber, April 23, 1944.

A communist mutiny on five Greek warships (it's always the sailors) was put down by loyal Greek forces.

Also in Greece, the Pyrgoi Massacre took place in which the SS killed 563 men, women and children, with the aid of local Greek accomplices.

Marion Harris, the first white singer to widely sing and record blues, died in a hotel fire caused by her falling asleep with a lit cigarette. She was 48 years old.

Canadian bootlegger Rocco Perri went for a walk in Hamilton Ontario to clear his head and disappeared.  It's widely believed he was fitted with cement shoes and drowned, but there are those who assert he lived into the 1950s in the U.S.

Last prior edition:

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

1940s, 1944, Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947, Afghanistan, Battle of Hollandia, China, Hollandia, New Guinea, Operation Ichi-Go, Operation Persecution, Operation Reckless, World War Two

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

Black artillerymen of Btry B., 140th FA Bn., 37th Div. Btry firing a 105 on Bougainville. 21 April, 1944.

Charles de Gaulle issued a decree giving French women the right to vote.

It's hard to imagine that the vote came to French women this late.

US troops inspecting German one many torpedo at Anzio.

Japanese troops captured Crete West Hill during the Battle of Imphal.

As Sarah Sundin notes on her blog:

Today in World War II History—April 21, 1944: German Gen. Hans-Valentin Hube is killed in a plane crash at Berchtesgaden; Gen. Erhard Raus replaces him over German First Panzer Army.

She also noted that a massive US task force with up to twenty aircraft carriers had attacked  Hollandia, Wakde, Sawar, and Sarmi, New Guinea from the air in preparation for landings.  D-Day was the following day.

The following statement, a product of Bretton Woods, was released:

Italy formed a coalition government.

The RAF hit Cologne, La Chappelle (Paris), Lens and Ottignies (Brussels).

The Battle of Gurba occured in Ukraine, but it's obscure.  It was an action between the Soviets and the Ukrainian National Army, and relatively large-scale for such an encounter.

Last prior edition:

Thursday, April 20, 1944. Bombs for Hitler's birthday.

1940s, 1944, Adolf Hitler, baseball, Battle of Anzio, Battle of Kohima, boats and ships, German Kriegsmarine, German Luftwaffe, Merrill's Maurauders, Operation U-Go, Personalities, Royal Air Force, U.S. Navy

Wednesday, April 12, 1944. Soviet invasion of Romania fails, Withdrawal of Crimea commences, Victor Emmanuel makes retirement plans.

The First Battle of Târgu Frumos, the attempted Soviet invasion of Romania, which the Soviets and Russians don't really agree was attempted, ended in Axis victory.

On the same day, the Germans began withdrawing from Crimea, which was rapidly falling far behind Soviet lines.  The Red Army occupied Tiraspol, northwest of Odessa.

Romanian destroyer Regele Ferdinand.

The evacuation was by sea, and it was one of the most significant operations of the Romanian Navy during World War Two, with both the Romanian and German navies taking part.  In spite of Soviet efforts,  7,000 German and Romanian troops from Crimea in phase one of the operation, and 113,000 would ultimately be taken out.  This was impressive, but has to be balanced against the decision in error not to withdraw from Crimea earlier, which was due to Hilter's instance that it not occur.  Axis personnel losses during the evacuation were in fact massive.

King Victor Emmanuel announced plans to step down from office and appoint Crown Prince Umberto of Piedmont "Lieutenant of the Realm" upon the Allies taking Rome, which they were having trouble doing.

The I-174 was sunk off of Truk by a B-24.

The National Religious Broadcasters Association was founded in Columbus, Ohio following the Federal Council of Churches proposing to ban paid religious programming and limit broadcast personalities to individuals approved by their denominations which would have effectively removed Evangelicals from the airwaves.  The Association sought to preserve Evangelical access to the airwaves.

Religious broadcasting was different at the time. While there was some Catholic broadcasting, it was really quite limited and would remain so until the establishment of EWTN in 1981.  Most broadcasting was accordingly Protestant.

Improvising.

 

Service truck made stateside on base from Dodge WC. April 12, 1944.

1940s, 1944, 3/4 ton, 4x4, Dodge, Dodge WC, Dodge Weapons Carrier, U.S. Army, World War Two

The Summer Lake State Game Management Area was established by the State of Oregon.

Last prior edition:

Tuesday, April 11, 1944. Plowing.

1940s, 1944, Aircraft, boats and ships, Boston Massachusetts, Crimea, Equine Transportation, Netherlands, Pacific, Red Army, U.S. Air Force, Victory Gardens, World War Two