1940: The Germans begin 'Operation Red', the ‘Battle of France’ with 119 divisions, including 10 Panzer division's. Army Group B, with 50 divisions, opens the offensive against the French left wing which is anchored along the Somme for 120 miles, in fortified positions known as the Weygand Line, just 100 miles from Paris. Home Defence commander Ironside announces the creation of the ‘lronsides’, small groups of highly mobile, armed men for defence against parachutists.1940: Hauptmann. Mölders, leader of III/JG 53 and Germany's top air ace (25 kills) is shot down near Compiegne and taken prisoner.
1941: Germans say 15,000 prisoners taken in Crete. British later say 12,970 unaccounted for.
1941: Secret transfer of 4000 Marines to Iceland.
1941: US House Appropriations committee introduces largest Army expenditure bill since the First World War at S10,000 million.
1942: USA declares war on Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania and warns Japan that she will retaliate in kind if gas is used.
1942: Operation 'Birdsong' kicks off between Roslavl and Bryansk, as 5,000 German troops pursue 2,500 partisans. In four weeks, 1,198 partisans are killed, for the loss of 58 German dead. Even so, the Germans are not happy as "The partisans," a German officer reports, "continued their old tactic of evading, withdrawing into the forests, or moving in larger groups into the areas South and Southwest of the Roslavl-Bryansk highway and into the Kletnya area." Although no further partisan attacks are reported in the area, "mines continued to be planted" and several German vehicles damaged.
1942: Germans besiege Sevastopol.
1942: The Eighth Army continue to engage the Afrika Korps in the ‘Cauldron’ losing 150 tanks, 133 guns and 6,000 men in two days.
1943: Battle of Pantelleria-Island with airfield; 11,000 Italian troops; guns controlling access to Sicily. A six-day air bombardment forces the garrison to surrender without an invasion. This is also the first time the Tuskegee "Black Eagles" flew under Colonel Ben Davis.
1943: U-513 (Kptlt. Sohler) sinks 4 ships off the coast of Brazil.
1944: Eisenhower gives the go ahead order for the D-Day landings in 24 hours when Stagg predicts a clearing of weather.
10:15 p.m.-"Wound my heart with a monotonous languor"-BBC radio cue for the French Resistance.
10:30 p.m.-101st Screaming Eagles finish their takeoff (822 C-47's). Ike visits airfield: "Good luck to you tonight soldier."
1944: The first mission by B-29 Superfortress bombers occurs as 77 planes bomb Japanese railway facilities at Bangkok, Thailand.
1945: Moscow Radio announces the award of the highest Russian honour, the 'Order of Victory', to Montgomery and Eisenhower.
1945: The four allied powers sign a declaration on the defeat of Germany, which divides the country into four zones.
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"Its a dog eat dog world out there, and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear!"
posted 06-05-2001 06:28 AM
posted 06-05-2001 09:38 AM
