"Children of the Soviet Union whose parents were captured by the Germans and made to work in one of the German aircraft and rubber tire plants at Sanbach Odenwald, Germany, are shown playing a game.
The factory Seventh Army troops found intact when they pushed through. Note the white flag flying in background. This factory made automobile, airplane, bicycle tires and [censored] for Messerschmitts. 31 March, 1945. Photographer: T/5 Louis Weintraub, 163rd Signal Photo Co. Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive.
The Red Army prevailed in the Upper Silesian Offensive.
The U.S. Navy sank the I-8 off of Okinawa.
The British and Nationalist Chinese armies took Kyaukme.
The French 1st Army crossed t he Rhine near Speyer.
Operation Varsity, part of Operation Plunder, saw British, Canadian and American airborne troops drop around Wesel, Germany.
Little remembered, and sometimes criticized, the successful operation remains the largest airborne operation ever conducted on a single day and in one location. Much of the criticism has been based on the operation perhaps being unnecessary, but it's notable that by the end of this day, Montgomery's forces of Operation Plunder, which included American, British and Canadian troops, had established a bridgehead over the Rhine five miles deep.
German troops in Hungary were retreating in disorder.
The Red Army took Spolot on the Baltic coast between Gdynia and Danzig.
Task Force 58 raided Okinawa.
The Allied Chinese New 1st Army links up with the Chinese 50th Division near Hsipaw, bringing the campaign in northern Burma to an end.
The first attempted use of the the Yokosuka MXYZ Ohka suicide jet failed when the flight of Betty bombers carrying them towards their target, the US fleet off of Okinawa, was intercepted and all the bombers shot down.
The Battle of West Henan–North Hubei (豫西鄂北會戰) between the Chinese National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army began.
The RAF hit Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, which also resulted in 125 civilian deaths.
The Royal Air Force hit Venice harbor from the air.
Operation Spring Awakening was launched by the Germans. It would be their last major offensive. An Eastern Front offensive, oil reserves were the target.
King Michael of Romania installed Petru Groza as Prime Minister of Romania due to Soviet pressure.
The Soviets began to arrest or kill anyone associated with the Polish Government In Exile or the Polish Home Army.
The famous tank battle in Cologne between a German Panther and a M26 named Eagle 7 took place. It's one of the best known American v. German tank battles of World War Two, and ironically took place in a large urban environment.
The battle was, unusually, completely filmed.
The crew of Eagle 7, after the battle.
"The crew of an M26 Pershing tank, nicknamed "Eagle 7," of the 3rd Armored Division pose for a photo after their famous victorious tank duel against a German Panther tank in Cologne, Germany, March 1945. Commander - Sgt. Robert M. Earley of Fountain, Minn Gunner - Cpl. Clarence E. Smoyer of Lehighton, Pa Loader - Pvt. John S. Deriggi of Scranton, Pa Driver - T/5 William D. McVey of Jackson, Mich Assistant Driver - Pvt. Homer L. Davis of Morehead, Ky.
The Chinese 1st Army took Lashio, Burma.
"The crew of the Ninth U.S. Army Sherman tank who escaped injury though their vehicle was hit by four German 88 shells in action during the capture of Hottorf, near Erkelenz, Germany. L to R: Tec 5 John Helbo, driver, South Plainfield, N.J.; Tec 5 William B. Paff, cannoneer, Morrisville, Pa.; Sgt. Matteo Fortino, tank commander, Bronx, New York; Pfc. Leo V. Digangi, gunner, Jackson Heights, Long Island, N.Y.; and Pfc. Steve Raguseo, assistant driver. 6 March, 1945."
U.S. infantry advancing with Sherman, Spangle, Belgium, September 9, 1944.
A captured Japanese Mitsubishi A6M fighter, the Zero, was displayed in Cheyenne (Wyoming State History Calendar).
A coup in Bulgaria put the Communist Fatherland Front (Отечествен фронт) in control of the country, which it would control until the fall of Hungarian Communism in 1986. It dissolved in 1990.
French race car driver Robert Benoist, a member of the French Resistance, was executed at Buchenwald.
The U-484 was sunk by the Royal Navy northwest of Ireland.
Ten mule team draws heavy Chinese howitzer over many mountains in the Burma Road on its way to the fighting at Tung Ling, Yunnan, China. 9 September, 1944.
The Japanese took Hengyang, China. The vastly outnumbered Chinese forces had held out for six weeks.
German panzer ace SS-Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittmann was killed when his tank was hit by fire from a Canadian tank and the ammunition within it detonated, killing the entire crew.
The British buried the bodies of the tankers in unmarked graves at the location, which is not surprising as the crew would have been just another group of dead Germans to them. In 1983, German authorities recovered the bodies and reburied them in a German military cemetery in France.
Wittmann had cult status within Nazi Germany and has since retained it with German armor fans. He died during Operation Totalize which was seeing large-scale success.
The possible encirclement of the German forces as a possibility began to be noticed by Omar Bradley, with Falaise already noticed as a focal point. Bradley brought it to Eisenhower's attention on this day.
Greek partisans attacked German forces, with the aid of the SAS, aat Damasta in Crete. Predictably, the action resulted in severe German reprisals.
The United States and United Kingdom signed the Anglo-American Petroleum Agreement in Washington, D.C. The agreement, which would have regulated the petroleum industry globally, fell apart and was never ratified by the U.S. government due to petroleum industry opposition.
The HMCS Regina was sunk north of Trevose Head by the U-667.
The somewhat bizarre Ju 287 jet bomber made its first flight.
Only two would be made and the project was then cancelled.
Claus von Stauffenberg attempted an assassination attempt on Hitler for the second time, this time at the Wolf's Lair, but Hitler left the meeting that was targeted early and von Stauffenberg hurriedly recovered the bomb.
After this attempt, the only criteria on going forward with the plan was that Hitler be present.
The Second Battle of Odon began with a British offensive in their sector of Normandy.
The French took Poggibonsi in Italy.
The Battle of Nietjärvi began with a Red Army attack on Finnish positions.
The SAS raid on Symi ended in an Allied victory, achieving more than it had set out to do, including the wasteful deployment of German resources.
Japanese troops commenced atrocities on Guam, killing 16 out of 30 people of the village of Merizo. They herded them into a cave and threw in hand grenades.
Task Force 74 bombarded Japanese positions near Aitape, New Guinea.
The U-319 was sunk by a B-24 of the RAF in the North Sea.
Joseph Sadi-Lecointe, 53, famous French aviator, died from the after effects of Gestapo torture while he was held by the Germans.
Chinese soldiers march to front crossing treacherous Salween River by means of temporary suspension bridge, July 15, 1944.
Actor Jan Michael Vincent was born in Denver, the son of a serviceman.
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.
