Tuesday, April 18, 1944. 4,000 tons v. 53.

The USS Wyoming in Chesapeake Bay, April 18, 1944. The Wyoming was a training ship during World War Two and was so frequently in Chesapeake Bay she was nicknamed "The Chesapeake Raider".

The combined Allied Air Forces achieved a new daily record, and dropped over 4,000 tons of bombs on Germany and occupied France.

On the same day, the Luftwaffe sent 125 aircraft on a raid over London, the last of the "Little Blitz" air raids.  Fourteen German aircraft were brought down. Fifty-three tons of bombs were dropped on the city, and a hospital was amongst the buildings hit.

The Red Army took Balaclava.

German and Hungarian forces counterattacked at Buchach.

The British government banned coded radio and telegraph transmissions from the UK.  Diplomats are forbidden to leave, and diplomatic bags are censored, with excepts for the US, USSR and the Polish government in exile. Incitement to strike is made a punishable offense.

The British 5th Brigade linked up with the Kohima garrison, braking the encirclement of the city.

The USS Gudgeon was sunk off of Iwo Jima by a Mitsubishi G3M.

The Vatican established the Pontificia Commissione di Assistenza to provide rapid, non-bureaucratic and direct aid to needy populations, refugees, and prisoners in Europe.

Last prior edition:

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.

1940s, 1944, Aircraft, Cartoons, Communists, Greece, Greek Civil War, Greek Partisans, Imperial Japanese Navy, Nazi Germany, Personalities, Royal Air Force, Uman–Botoșani Offensive, World War Two

Sunday, April 16, 1944. Black Sunday.

The RAF hit Romania for the first time. On the same day, the Soviet Air Forces hit Galatz. 

The Germans began to gather Hungarian Jews, some 800,000 in number, into ghettos.  Prior to this phase of the war, Hungarian Jews had been oppressed by their own nation, but not subject to deportation to the death camps.

The Red Army took Yalta.  The Germans attempted to push the Red Army back over the Dnestr.

A large air raid was staged on Hollandia, Indonesia.  The mission was successful with no losses, but the aircraft ran into a severe weather front on the return and 46 of the 170 aircraft in the raid went down.  The day acquired the name "Black Sunday" as a result.

The attacking force was made up of  B-24s, B-25s and A-20s, escorted by P-38s

862 Poles were killed by Ukrainian SS troops of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division. (1st Galician) in Chodaczków Wielki, part of pre war Poland which is now Velykyi Khodachkiv, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine.

The Parczew partisans helped take over that town in Poland on this day.

The U-550 was sunk off of Nantucket.  It was found in 2012:

Search team finds U-boat off Nantucket

African American artillerymen were in action on Bougainville.

155 Long Tom of B Btry, 49th Coastal Artillery, being loaded for firing.  Bougainville, April 16, 1944.  Section 1 of this unit, which had not been deployed overseas, would be disbanded the following month as the need for coast artillery faded.  Section 2, depicted, here, had obviously been converted to heavy field artillery.

1st section gun crew, Btry. A, 593rd F.A. Bn, load 105mm howitzer, preparatory to firing. Bougainville. 16 April, 1944.

USO events were going on in the UK.

In the US, General Robert E. Wood, former head of the America First Committee, stated that there was no connection between the pre-Pearl Harbor organization and the current party which was then led by the Reverend Gerald Smith, its presidential candidate that year.  Smith would receive 1,780, votes for the Oval Office, most of those from Texas and Michigan.

Last prior edition:

Saturday, April 15, 1944. Romania attacked from the air, Teenagers lose at Tarnopol, Politics in Minnesota, Hydro-Québec

1940s, 1944, Aircraft, boats and ships, Cameras, Chichijima, Eastern Front, Farmers Labor Party, German Army, Iwo Jima, Operation Guidance, Polesti Romania, Politics, Romania, Royal Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy

Saturday, April 15, 1944. Romania attacked from the air, Teenagers lose at Tarnopol, Politics in Minnesota, Hydro-Québec

PB4Y Photo Reconnaissance Liberators on a photo mission in the South Pacific , April 15, 1944.

PhoM1c E.S. Ujvarosy and PhoM1c R.M. Rhodes check their cameras, magazines, and data sheets before taking off on a mission in a Navy PB4Y photo reconnaissance plane. Cameras, left to right: F56-40”, two K-18’s 24”, K-17-12” and a K-17-06”. Lying on its side is vertical view finder. April 15, 1944.

The US 15th Air Force sent 500 sorties to Bucharest and Ploesti.  The war had reached the point where the Western Allies air attacks were now directly assisting the Soviet offensive in the east.

The Red Army took Tarnopol. German commander Gen. von Neindorff was killed in the fighting and nearly the entire German garrison was lost.

The original German commander at Tarnopal had deemed the defense hopeless and had reported it so.  The garrison of the doomed city was made up of new troops, most of whom were recent German teenage conscripts.  Only 55 of some 4,000 troops escaped the city.

British X class submarine, in this case the X25.

In Operation Guidance a British midget mine laying submarine, the X24 attacked the floating dock at Bergen, but the raid was not successful as the boat's charges were placed on a large German merchant vessel rather than the dock.

Aircraft from the USS Yorktown raided Chichijima and Iwo Jima.

African American troops on Bougainville, April 15, 1944.

The Minnesota Democratic Farm Labor Party was founded by the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the larger, yes larger, Farmer–Labor Party.

The left wing Farm Labor Party had been hugely successful in Minnesota. Founded in 1918, it's run to 1944 is one of the most successful state third party stories in the US.

Montreal Light, Heat & Power was taken over by provincial entity Hydro-Québec.

Last prior edition:

Friday, April 14, 1944. Indian drama.

1940s, 1944, Bangladesh, Battle of Kohima, China Burma India Theater, Eastern Front, India, Indian Army, Indian National Army, Pakistan, The Law of Unintended Consequences, Ukrainian National Army, World War Two

Thursday, April 13, 1944. Soviet advances in Crimea.

The Red Army took Feodosia, Evpatoriya and Simferopol in Crimea.  The Axis forces of the 17th Army fell back on Sevastopol.

Australian troops took Bogodjim on New Guinea.

The U.S. Army Air Force and RAF raided numerous coast batteries in Normandy.

Operation Overlord had effectively already begun.

Martial law was lifted in Hawaii.

In April 1944, Vogue covered fashions in Texas, Florida and California.

It's worth noting that all of these dresses were fairly plain, reflecting the wartime view on the same.

The last model (must have been teenage girl's clothing there) doesn't look very comfortable with the pony.

Last prior edition:

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

1940s, 1944, Conservation, Crimea, First Battle of Târgu Frumos, German Kriegsmarine, Italy, Oregon, Protestant, Radio, religion, Romania, Romanian Navy, World War Two

Tuesday, April 11, 1944. Plowing.

An RAF Mosquito raid destroys the Central Population Registry building in The Hague, destroying the records of the Gestapo.

The Red Army captures Dzhankoy and Kerch, Crimea.

The USS Redfin sank the Akigumo.

The U-108 was destroyed in its pen at Stettin in a U.S. Army Air Force air raid.

 USS Altamaha (CVE-18). Crash of TBM April 11, 1944.

Last prior edition:

Monday, April 10, 1944. Odessa taken by the Red Army.

Battle of Anzio, boats and ships, British Army, Burma, China Burma India Theater, India, Indian Army, Odessa Ukraine, Operation U-Go, Royal Air Force, The Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, World War Two

Sunday, April 6, 1924. The launch of the around the world flight.

The Aerodrome: Sunday, April 6, 1924. The launch of the around t...: 

Sunday, April 6, 1924. The launch of the around the world flight.

The United States Army Air Service launched its around the world flying expedition from Seattle, Washington, although as previously noted, it could be argued the party had commenced several days prior by flying to Seattle.

Chicago, the lead Douglas World Cruiser.

Around the World in 175 Days, 1924: Department of State Contributions to the U.S. Army Aerial Circumnavigation: Part I

Fascist swept Italian parliamentary elections.

Note, they really swept them.  So, like Germany later, authoritarianism was brought about by the vote.

Last prior edition:

Saturday, April 5, 1924. Fighting the KKK in Lilly.

1920s, 1924, Animals, Apostolic Christianity, Art, Ethnicities, Immigration, Ku Klux Klan, Mining, Pennsylvania, Rabbits, Racism, Teapot Dome Scandal, Unions, Weather

Monday, March 17, 1924 Telephones and grim news.

The first around the world flight attempt was commenced by the United States Army Air Service.  The aircraft consisted of four Douglas World Cruisers.

The initial leg of the trip was from Santa Monica, California, to Seattle, which was the actual departure point.

Today In Wyoming's History: March 17: St. Patrick's Day: 1924  Work began on a dial telephone system at Guernsey. 

If Guernsey was getting good news, there was grim news on this St. Patrick's Day for central Wyoming residents.

Last prior edition:

Saturday, March 15, 1924. Passing symbols and elections.

Wednesday, March 15, 1944. US Ninth Air Force in England begins pre-invasion tactical missions for Operation Overlord.

Today in World War II History—March 15, 1944: 80 Years Ago—Mar. 15, 1944: Countdown to D-day: US Ninth Air Force in England begins pre-invasion tactical missions for Operation Overlord (D-day).

From Sarah Sundin's blog.

I don't usually do two "on this day" posts for the same year, in one day, but that was a significant omission on my part.

Last prior:

Wednesday, March 15, 1944. The destruction of Monte Cassino.

Wednesday, March 15, 1944. The destruction of Monte Cassino.

Allied aircraft dropped 14,000 tons of bombs on Monte Cassino and fired 195,000 rounds of artillery.  British, Indian and New Zealand troops tried, and failed, to take the abbey.

The Red Army crossed the Bug.

US troops held off a Japanese assault on the American beachhead at Bougainville.

Additional cavalry landed on Manus Island in the Admiralities.

The Japanese crossed the Chindwwin River in Burma.

The U-653 was sunk in the North Atlantic by the Royal Navy.  The British submarine Stonehenge was lost in the Indian Ocean.

The State Anthem of the Soviet Union replaced The Internationale as the anthem of the USSR.

Last prior:

Tuesday, March 14, 1944. Isolating Ireland

Monday, March 6, 1944. "Black Monday"

The first large scale daylight bombing raid on Berlin occured.  The raid, remembered as Black Monday, involved 814 bombers and 944 fighters from bases in southern England.  69 bombers were lost.

Miss Donna Mae II sustaining damage after the B-17 drifted under another B-17 dropping its bomb load. The plane would go down with all eleven crewmen.

P-51 pilot Donald Blakeslee would fly the first such aircraft over the city.  An early American fighter pilot, he first joined the RCAF in 1941, he served in the USAF until 1965 and passed away in 2008 at age 80.

For those watching Masters of the Air, it is depicted in Episode 7.

The Red Army took Volochysk.

Finland rejected a Soviet peace proposal that included interning German troops that were inside of Finland and restoring the 1940 borders.  The proposal was very similar to what the Finns would accept the following September and represented, effectively, a defeat, which is likely why it was not accepted, in part, at this time, although it was also surprisingly generous on Moscow's part.

Company B, 2nd Chemical Bn. Cassino area, Italy. 6 March, 1944.

The U-744 was sunk in the Atlantic, and the U-973 was sunk in the Arctic.

Orderlies from 25th Field Hospital loading wounded Chinese soldiers into airplane.

Albanian partisan Ramize Gjebrea age 20, was executed by a partisan firing squad for "immoral behavior", that being having intercourse with a male partisan.  She was engaged to another person.  The charge was denied by both parties, but she was convicted and, on this day, shot.

This is interesting partially as Albanian partisans were Communist dominated, but as was often the case with Communist partisan groups, and even Communist societies, traditional morality was strictly observed even though Marx had expressly rejected it and Communist revolutionaries most definitely did not observe them.

Baker City, Oregon, weather station.

Sunday, March 5, 1944. The Uman–Botoșani Offensive, Yeager shot down.

A member of No. 9 Commando at Anzio, equipped for a patrol with his Bren gun, 5 March 1944.

The Red Army began the Uman–Botoșani Offensive in Ukraine.  It would become one of hte most successful Soviet offensives of the war.  On this day they took Iziaslav and Yampil.

The 77th Indian Infantry Brigade, the Chindits, was inserted in Burma by glider.

Flight Officer Chuck Yeager was shot down by Unteroffizier Irmfried Klotz, east of Bordeaux, France, on his eighth combat mission.  Russ Spicer, who would, like Yeager, remain in the Air Force after the war, was also shot down.  Unlike Yeager, Spicer did not live a long life, dying at age 59 just after he retired from the Air Force as a Maj. Gen.

Irmfried Klotz did not survive the war.  He was actually a fairly green pilot, and the FW190 he was flying was shot down by another P51 in the same dogfight.  He bailed out, but his parachute did not open.

Yeager would escape to Spain by March 30, and then return to action.  Spicer spent the rest of the war in a POW camp.

Friday, March 3, 1944. The death of Teresa Gullace and of hope for Poland.

Teresa Gullace, seven months pregnant, was killed by a German soldier when she attempted to pass a sandwich to her husband, who was detained by the Germans in Rome.  She was part of a group of women that had gathered to protest the Germans holding their husbands.

The scene was later depicted in Rosellini's 1945 Rome open city, one of three great films by the director set during World War Two and filmed immediately after, and which used amateur actors to a large degree.

The U.S. Army Air Force hit the Roman rail facilities at the Tiburtino, Littorio and Ostiense marshalling yards.  There were 400 civilian casualties.

Over 500 railroad passengers died of carbon monoxide poisoning during a protracted stall in a tunnel at Balvano, Italy.  It's one of the worst rail disasters of all time.

Stalin shut the door on further negotiations on the Polish border.

The Soviet Union created the Medal of Ushakov and the Medal of Nakhimov, both of which were awarded to sailors.  Interestingly, they were both named after Imperial Russian officers.

Japanese troops on Los Negros launched a night attack, which was repulsed by US cavalrymen.

The 3d Infantry Division repulsed a German attack on the Anzio beachhead at Ponte Rotto.  It would be the last German offensive action at Anzio.

Paul-Émile Janson, a Belgian Prime Minister just before World War Two, died at Buchewald at age 71.

Friday, February 25, 1944. Operation Avalanche concludes.

Operation Argument, the "Big Week", concluded.  The last raid was as combinedone by the US 8th and 15th Air Forces on the Messerschmidt works at Regensburg and Augsburg followed by the RAF hitting the same target that night.

Regarded as an Allied victory, actual results

• On 2/20 the 1st, 2nd and 3d Bombardment group failed to reach its target and attacked their secondary targets.
• On 2/21 all the 924 bombers launched failed to hit their assigned targets and all hit secondary targets.
• On 2/22, 252 B-24s were assigned targets, but only 177 were launched and only 74 saw combat action.  None of the 33 B-17s in the 3d Bombardment Division reached their targets as they were all recalled due to weather conditions.
• 2/23.  All operations were suspended due to bad weather.
• 2/24.  The RAF conducted an ineffective raid on aircraft plants at Schweinfurt.
• 2/25/26 The RAF carried out an accurate and effective raid on Augsburg, destroying 60% of the city.  It had been hit earlier than day by the 8th and 15th U.S. Air Forces.

During the offensive, the Eighth Air Force lost 97 B-17s, 40 B-24s and another 20 aircraft were scrapped due to damage. Operational strength of bomber units dropped from 75% to 54%.  The 15th Air Force lost 14.6% of its operational strength.  RAF Bomber Command, which of course operated at night, lost 5.7% of its strength.  It is noted by historians that these losses were significantly smaller than prior raids.

German losses were massively overestimated by Allied aircrews, something that was highly typical.  However, the Germans did sustain high losses of fighters overall, with the mission partially designed to draw in fighter attacks.  14% of its fighter pilots were killed in the raid, a loss that ended up partially crippling the Luftwaffe for the remainder of the war.

The accidental bombing of Nijmegen was a humanitarian disaster.  Perhaps somewhat ironically, Queen Wilhelmina's home in exile was bombed on this day by the Luftwaffe, and she narrowly escaped death.

B-17G "Nine O Nine"

The Collins Foundation B-17G Nine O Nine.  This plane isn't the original Nine O Nine, but a B-17G painted to match the original Nine O Nine's colors.

Riding in a B-17

B-17G Madras Maiden

A B-17 and a B-24

The B-17 Nine-O-Nine, which has appeared here in prior photographs, back at the Natrona County International Airport.

The Republic of Iceland was founded with the Icelandic parliament, severing ties with the Danish monarchy.  A referendum in May would make it official.

The Tango Maru was sunk in the Java Sea by the Rasher, taking 3,500 Japanese laborers and hundreds of Allied POWs down with her.  The Rasher also sank the Ryūsei Maru that same day with 5,000 Japanese soldiers going down with her.

The HMS Inglefield was sun by a guided bomb off of Anzio.