Sunday, April 29, 1945. Dachau.

U.S. troops liberated Dachau.  In outrage over what they discovered, some SS Guards were executed along with the camp commandant.

Hitler married Eva Braun, his long time mistress.

Braun had been in a relationship with Hitler for a long time.  She was a photographer by picked up trade and relatively young when she met Hitler.  She had already attempted suicide twice in her relationship with the dictator by this point in time.

Braun's family survived the war.  Her mother Franziska, died aged 91 in January 1976.  Her father, Fritz, died in 1964. Her sister Gretl, left a widow by the execution of Fegelein, gave birth to a daughte on May 5 1945 and later married Kurt Beringhoff, a businessman.  She died in 1987.  Braun's elder sister was not part of the Hitler inner cricle and Ilse died in 1979.

Hitler's German Shepard Blondi was given cyanide capsules as a test of their lethality and died.

Germans signed the terms of surrender in Italy and Austria which provided that the fighting would end on May 2.  This effected the surrender of 1,000,000 Axis troops.

The Battle of Collecchio ended in Allied victory.

SS Obergruppenführer Matthias Kleinheisterkamp committed suicide after being captured by Soviet troops.

Italian fascist Achille Starace was killed by Italian partisans.

The Allies began dropping food to the people of the Netherlands:

29 April 1945

Last edition:

Saturday, April 28, 1945. The fate of the fascists.

Labels: 1940s, 1945, Army, Battle of Berlin, Berlin Germany, boats and ships, Clara Petacci, Eva Braun, German SS, Italian partisans, Italy, Mussolini, Philippines, Red Army, World War Two

Tuesday, April 24, 1945. Berlin surrounded.

The Red Army surrounded Berlin.

The Battle of Halbe in the Spree Forest.

The Germans began the final evacuation of Dachau.

Railyards in Nurnberg, Germany. 24 April, 1945.  Photographer: T/4 Sidney Blau, 163rd Signal Photo Co.

The U-546 sank the USS Frederick Davis and then was sunk itself.  The loss caused Admiral Dönitz to disband the wolfpack it was part of.

The RAF raided Berchtesgaden, it's last significant action in Europe in World War Two.

Ernst-Robert Grawitz, age 45, German physician and SS officer killed himself and his entire family with grenades.

Major League Baseball cancelled the 1945 All Star game due to travel restrictions.

"Pfc. Robert A. Vincent, L.I., N.Y., offers K rations to Okinawan children, found in Gusukuma during the drive to Machinato airstrip. 24 April, 1945."

Last edition:

Monday, April 23, 1945. Where's Hitler?

Labels: 1940s, 1945, Adolf Hitler, Berlin Germany, boats and ships, Ethnicities, Freeman Field Mutiny, Hermann Göring, Nazi Germany, Okinawa, Pacific, Racism, The Holocaust, Weapons, World War Two

Tuesday, April 10, 1945. The Great Jet Massacre.

The "great jet massacre" occurred in which Allied aircraft shot down fifty Me 262s causing the Luftwaffe to abandon the aerial defense of Berlin.

The last reconnaissance flight over the UK was flown by the Luftwaffe, using a Ar234.

US Army Corporal Rick Carrier discovered Buchenwald leading to its liberation the following day.

" Eating K rations somewhere in Germany are, left to right: Pfc. Marvin Beard, Reeves, Tenn., and Pfc. Philip Isaacs, New Haven, Conn. Großfahner, Germany. 10 April, 1945.  Company E, 385th Infantry Regiment, 76th Infantry Division.  Photographer: T/5 Sam Gilbert, 166th Signal Photo Co."

The US 84th Infantry Division took Hanover.  The 9th Army took Essen.

The Battle of Authion began in the French Alps

The RAF sank the U-878 in the Bay of Biscay.

Despite severe wreckage, no casualties were suffered when poor visibility caused this C-54 to crash on Yonton airfield, Okinawa. Many usable parts were salvaged from the plane. 10 April, 1945.

The 96th Infantry Division seized part of Kakazu Ridge.

The 14th Corps reached Lamon Bay and captured Mauban on the Philippines.

The British 4th Corps captured Thazi in Burma.

Last edition:

Monday, April 9, 1945. The End of B-17 Production.

Labels: Battle of Bologna, China, German Resistance Movements, Imperial Japanese Army, Indonesia, Italy, July 20 Plot, Operation Opossum, Red Army, The Battle of West Hunan (湘西會戰), World War Two

Wednesday, March 14, 1945. Large bombs.

"Mortar team of the 99th Infantry Division, U.S. First Army, prepares to fire 81mm mortar shell to halt advance of enemy patrol in woods between American-held Ariendorf, and Germany-held Honningen.

14 March, 1945. Company M, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division."

The Red Army took Zvolen, Czechoslovakia.

Army Group South committed its reserves in Hungary.

The RAF used a 22,000 lbs bomb, the largest conventional bomb of the war, for the first time on a raid on the Bielfeld viaduct.

The U-714 and U-1021 were sunk by British and South African surface ships, and a mine, respectively.

Last edition:

Tuesday, March 13, 1945. The road to Mandalay.

Labels: 1940s, 1945, Battle of Kiauneliškis, British Army, Burma, China, Chinese Army, Indian Army, Lithuania, Lithuanian Partisans, Red Army

Sunday, March 11, 1945. Essen destroyed.

The RAF destroyed Essen.

The Battle of Kiauneliškis between Lithuanian partisans and the Red Army.

The British 36 Division took Mongrmit, Burma.

"Men of the 32nd Division are standing outside the Information and Education Tent at the Headquarters of the 32nd Division. Taytay, Luzon, P.I. 11 March, 1945. 32nd Infantry Division."

Last edition:

Saturday, March 10, 1945. The execution of Gen. Émile Lemonnier.

Labels: 1940s, 1945, Australian Navy, boats and ships, Eastern Front, French Army, French Indochina, Imperial Japanese Army, Spain, The Battle of Wide Bay, The Great Tokyo Air Raid, War Crimes, World War Two

Tuesday, February 13, 1945. Dresden.

By Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1994-041-07 / Unknown author / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5483604

The bombing of Dresden commenced.  It would end on the 15th.

Dresden was an ardently Nazi city that was rail transport and communication center, and contained 110 factories and 50,000 workers.  The raid was to have commenced as a daylight raid by the USAAF 8th Air Force but bad weather precluded it, so the RAF commenced operations first instead with a nighttime raid.  Polish pilots servign in British supplied units had their sidearms removed due to outrage over the Yalta Agreement.  Two raids were conducted that night.  The USAAF hit the following day.  A firestorm erupted during the raids leading to mass destruction,

Up to 25,000 civilians, a fraction of the casualties claimed by the German propogandists, lost their lives due to the raid.  

The bombing became infamous, in part because of the grossly exaggerated casualty figure, but also because of the horrible nature of the destruction.  In reality, the city was more of a military target than legend would have it, and if the destruction was horrific, which it was, it raises the question of the overall morality of the Allied bombing efforts, particularly as they evolved during the war.

The Germans surrendered Budapest to the Red Army.

The British 2nd Army completed clearing the Reichswald Forest.

The US Navy began operations in Manila Bay.  

Corregidor was bombarded.

The 11th Airborne Division took Caviete.

Last edition:

Monday, February 12, 1945. Peru enters the war.

Labels: 1940s, 1945, Alabama, Greece, Greek Resistance Movements, Heinrich Himmler, Japan, Missippii, Peru, Philippines, War Crimes, Weather

Friday, February 9, 1945. Black Friday. Heroes and victims in the Philippines.

A force of Bristol Beaufighters attempted an attack on the German destroyer Z33 and its escorting vessels in  Førde Fjord, Norway.  The position was heavily defended and the raid a failure with heavy losses, resulting in the event being termed Black Friday.

The British reached Millingen on the Rhine.

The Australians prevailed at the Battle of Tsimba Ridge on Bougainville. . . yes that was still going on.

Cleto Rodriguez performed the actions that resulted in his being awarded the Medal of Honor.

He was an automatic rifleman when his unit attacked the strongly defended Paco Railroad Station during the battle for Manila, Philippines. While making a frontal assault across an open field; his platoon was halted 100 yards from the station by intense enemy fire.

On his own initiative, he left the platoon, accompanied by a comrade, and continued forward to a house 60 yards from the objective. Although under constant enemy observation, the 2 men remained in this position for an hour; firing at targets of opportunity, killing more than 35 hostile soldiers and wounding many more.

Moving closer to the station and discovering a group of Japanese replacements attempting to reach pillboxes, they opened heavy fire, killed more than 40 and stopped all subsequent attempts to man the emplacements. Enemy fire became more intense as they advanced to within 20 yards of the station.

Then, covered by his companion, Pvt. Rodríguez boldly moved up to the building and threw 5 grenades through a doorway killing 7 Japanese, destroying a 20-mm. gun and wrecking a heavy machinegun. With their ammunition running low, the 2 men started to return to the American lines, alternately providing covering fire for each other's withdrawal.. In 2+1⁄2 hours of fierce fighting the intrepid team killed more than 82 Japanese, completely disorganized their defense, and paved the way for the subsequent overwhelming defeat of the enemy at this strongpoint.

Two days later, Pvt. Rodriguez again enabled his comrades to advance when he singlehandedly killed six Japanese and destroyed a well-placed 20-mm gun. By his outstanding skill with his weapon, gallant determination to destroy the enemy, and heroic courage in the face of tremendous odds, Pvt. Rodriguez, on two occasions, materially aided the advance of our troops in Manila.

Rodriguez had lost both of his parents when he was only nine years old, and had been raised by relatives.  He went on after the war to serve first in the Air Force and then again in the Army, retiring in 1970.  He passed away in 1990 at age 67.

John N. Reese, Jr. also was conveyed a Medal of Honor for his actions on this day, in the same theater, but his was a posthumous award.

He was engaged in the attack on the Paco Railroad Station, which was strongly defended by 300 determined enemy soldiers with machineguns and rifles, supported by several pillboxes, 3 20mm. guns, 1 37-mm. gun and heavy mortars. While making a frontal assault across an open field, his platoon was halted 100 yards from the station by intense enemy fire. On his own initiative he left the platoon, accompanied by a comrade, and continued forward to a house 60 yards from the objective. Although under constant enemy observation, the 2 men remained in this position for an hour, firing at targets of opportunity, killing more than 35 Japanese and wounding many more. Moving closer to the station and discovering a group of Japanese replacements attempting to reach pillboxes, they opened heavy fire, killed more than 40 and stopped all subsequent attempts to man the emplacements. Enemy fire became more intense as they advanced to within 20 yards of the station. From that point Pfc. Reese provided effective covering fire and courageously drew enemy fire to himself while his companion killed 7 Japanese and destroyed a 20-mm. gun and heavy machinegun with handgrenades. With their ammunition running low, the 2 men started to return to the American lines, alternately providing covering fire for each other as they withdrew. During this movement, Pfc. Reese was killed by enemy fire as he reloaded his rifle. The intrepid team, in 2½ hours of fierce fighting, killed more than 82 Japanese, completely disorganized their defense and paved the way for subsequent complete defeat of the enemy at this strong point. By his gallant determination in the face of tremendous odds, aggressive fighting spirit, and extreme heroism at the cost of his life, Pfc. Reese materially aided the advance of our troops in Manila and providing a lasting inspiration to all those with whom he served.

Likewise, Joseph J. Cicchetti received the same posthumous award for action in the same theater.

He was with troops assaulting the first important line of enemy defenses. The Japanese had converted the partially destroyed Manila Gas Works and adjacent buildings into a formidable system of mutually supporting strongpoints from which they were concentrating machinegun, mortar, and heavy artillery fire on the American forces. Casualties rapidly mounted, and the medical aid men, finding it increasingly difficult to evacuate the wounded, called for volunteer litter bearers. Pfc. Cicchetti immediately responded, organized a litter team and skillfully led it for more than 4 hours in rescuing 14 wounded men, constantly passing back and forth over a 400-yard route which was the impact area for a tremendous volume of the most intense enemy fire. On one return trip the path was blocked by machinegun fire, but Pfc. Cicchetti deliberately exposed himself to draw the automatic fire which he neutralized with his own rifle while ordering the rest of the team to rush past to safety with the wounded. While gallantly continuing his work, he noticed a group of wounded and helpless soldiers some distance away and ran to their rescue although the enemy fire had increased to new fury. As he approached the casualties, he was struck in the head by a shell fragment, but with complete disregard for his gaping wound he continued to his comrades, lifted one and carried him on his shoulders 50 yards to safety. He then collapsed and died. By his skilled leadership, indomitable will, and dauntless courage, Pfc. Cicchetti saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers at the cost of his own.

Filipino accountant and educator Nicanor Reyes Sr. was killed by the Imperial Japanese forces at Manila.  Likewise killed were his wife and two youngest children.  The Japanese also murdered the residents of the  Catholic Vincentian Central House in San Marcelino St, Manila.

The U-864 was sunk off of Bergen by the British submarine HMS Venturer.  Both submarines were submerged, making this the only example of a submarine sinking another submerged submarine.

Hitler examined a model of post war Linz.

Last edition:

Thursday, February 8, 1945. Offensives started in the East and West.

Labels: 1940s, 1945, Alaska, Alger Hiss, Army, British Army, Canadian Army, Espionage, Heroes, Lower Silesian Offensive, Luzon, Native Alaskans, Operation Veritable, Racism, Red Army, World War Two

Monday, January 22, 1945. Relentless.

Cavalrymen of the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps approaching Allenstein, Prussia, now Olsztyn, Poland.  January 22, 1945.  A least a few of these horses appear to be panjes, Russian peasant ponies.  Allenstein dates back to 1334, when it was founded as a military outpost by the Teutonic Knights.  It rebelled against those knights in 1454 and joined the Kingdom of Poland.  Nicholas Copernicus, famous scientist and Catholic Deacon, lived there from 1516 to 1521.  It became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772 during the First Partition of Poland.  Given this, in reality, the post World War Two result simply returned it to what it had originally been, Polish.

The Red Army took Insterburg, Allenstein and Deutsch Eylau in Prussia as well as Gneizo.

The British Army took St. Joost and other towns near Sittard. The US 1st Army attacked all along the front between Houffalize and St. Vith.

Kriegsmarine torpedo boats attacked a convoy north of Dunkirk while other torpedo penetrated into the Thames Estuary.

The British IV Corps took Htilin in Bruma and the Battle of Hill 170 began. The British also took Tilin.

M4 Sherman of the 19th King George's Own Lancers, Burma, 22 January 1945

The Royal Air Force destroyed a liquid oxygen factory in  Alblasserdam in a Spitfire raid.  The oxygen was used for rockets.

The 1st Corps engaged the Japanese in heavy fighting near Carmen and Rosario on Luzon.

Last edition:

Sunday, January 21, 1945. Removing Hindenburg.

Labels: 1940s, 1945, Army, Battle of Tannenberg, Belgium, British Army, Burma, Eastern Front, German Kriegsmarine, Kamikaze, Luzon, Paul von Hindenburg, Philippines, Royal Navy, U.S. Navy, World War Two

Sunday, December 17, 1944. SS murders in Belgium.

 

Soldiers of SS Kampfgruppe Peiper murdered eighty-four U.S. prisoners of war at Malmedy.

Peiper survived the war and a death sentence for war crimes, which was commuted and oddly took up residence in France.  In spite of clear warnings that he should get out, he stayed, and was murdered himself on Bastille Day, 14 July 1976, by French communists who also set fire to his house.

Peiper is also associated with the 1943 Boves Massacre in Italy.

On the same day, eleven 11 African-American prisoners of war were murdered by members of the 1st SS Panzer Division at Wereth, Belgium.

The Germans took Lanzerath Ridge.  U.S. resistance held the Germans up for an entire day.  While the Germans were advancing, things were already going wrong.

Eisenhower released the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions from reserve and committed them to the Ardennes.  Elements of the 12th Army Group were redeployed as well.

"An anti-tank gun is rapidly put into position in a forward area on the German-Belgium border, to repel a strong German counter attack in the First Army sector. 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, V Corps, First U.S. Army. 17 December, 1944.

The Germans took 9,000 US pows at Ecternach.

The RAF hit Ulm in a nighttime raid for the first time.

The Army's Western Defense Command rescinded orders to incarcerate people of Japanese ancestry from the West coast.

Last edition:

Saturday, December 16, 1944. Wacht am Rhein

Labels: "Wacht am Rhein", 1940s, 1944, Battle of Mindoro, Battle of the Bulge, George C. Marshall, German Wehrmacht, Mussolini, World War Two

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

Tuesday, December 12, 1944. Heavy artillery.

240 mm howitzer firing into Germany from France, December 12, 1944.

The 3d Army captured the V-rocket factory at Wittring in eastern France.

Harold Alexander was promoted to Field Marshal and made Supreme Commander of Allied Force Headquarters in the Mediterranean.

The British commenced an offensive towards Akyab, Burma.

The RAF attacked Witten in a daylight raid. They were escorted by American P-51s.  The city was the last industrial city in the Ruhr to have escaped bombing.

Greek communists asked for cease fire terms.

The U-416 collided with a German minesweeper and sank.  The Z35 and Z36 destroyers were sunk by mines in the Gulf of Finland.  Japanese destroyer sYūzuki and Uzuki were sunk by the U.S. Navy.

Last edition:

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

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Army, Dekemvriana (Δεκεμβριανά), Greek Civil War, Hungary, Kamikaze, Nazi Germany, Ontario, Quebec, U.S. Navy, Weather, World War Two