On this day during W.W. 2

You let me down Wittman…

I found my missing “m” Garg!
I would post more here, but do not have the time to go too much in to detail. 
I am in to anniversaries, not just WW2 ones. Any battles(especially victories over the French, or English fought ones).
Know very little about War of Independence.

August 19th 1942. Operation Jubilee.  5000 Allied soldiers, including 50 US Rangers and two units of Commandos landed at Dieppe, France. 3500 would be casualties (only 600 German ones) and it would be a disaster for Canada, the worst since the days of the Somme. The Infantry were drawn from 2nd CanadianDivision: 4th and 6th Brigades and the 14th Tank Battalion, the Calgary Tanks.
It was meant to be a raid to ascertain German preparedness for a Second Front, much demanded by Stalin. It turned out to be another reverse for the hard pressed Allies and the recriminations lasted long afterwards.

Operation Jubilee

Thats where the first “Canadian Zombies” started the infection.

Churchill’s dress rehearsal for overlord.

Most important lesson learnt was not to attack a port. Second, that they needed total air supremacy.
Germans  could not believe the Allies thought they could take the beaches with only one Division against one Regiment backed with Artillery.
Also thought it was a feint.
Just like Normandy landings two years later!

September 1st 1939. Somebody invaded Poland and started it all off. (Made A&A real too.)
5 Armies crossed the border, 4 from Eastern Germany and 1 from E Prussia. There was no declaration of war. The Polish air force was wiped out on this day, much of it caught on the ground. The Germans deployed 1300 aircraft, all modern compared to Poland’s 935 mostly obselete ones.
The two Army Groups North and South comprised 62 Divisions, 6 Armoured and 10 mechanised.Of  Poland’s 40 Divisions none were armoured and it’s few tanks were light and old, enough to equip a Brigade.
Hitler was so sure France would not react, that he left only 44 Divisions facing their 100. As for Britain he knew there was not time to come to France’s aid before all would be over in the East. He had Stalin’s Russia as an ace up his sleeve too.

3rd September 1939. Britain declares war on Germany at 11am, after a 2 hour ultimatum. France follows at 5pm. They wanted more time to prepare for mobilisation and feared German Air attacks. The British Admiralty did  not want to delay so as to sink as much German merchant shipping already at sea and prevent her submarines breaking out of the North sea.
Europe really was at war.

Sept 8th 1943. Italy formally surrendered.
They had signed an armistice in secret on the 3rd, but wanted time to aid the Allies and disrupt any German plans to hamper the Allied landings due in a few hours(the 9th:Avalanche). The Germans were prepared and implemented operation Achse: the disarming of their erstwhile allies. The Italian fleet sailed to Malta, but the battleship, Roma, was sunk by a remote controlled bomb! (On the 9th).
The Allies had been on the Italian mainland since the 3rd Seprember when, contrary to Montgomery’s wishes, 8th Army had crossed the straits of Messina and in Operation Baytown, landed the XIII corps at Reggio and started slowly fighting up the peninsula. This landing had not worried the Germans and was being contained. They were waiting and tomorrow, the 9th, when the Allies landed at Salerno, they reacted.

Sept 9th 1943. Operation Avalanche and the smaller Slapstick. (1st Airborne land by sea(!) at Taranto.)
The main invasion was Mark Clark’s 5th Army, which landed at Salerno. The 36th(Texas) Division and 2 UK Divisions  from X Corps (46th and 56th) disembarked. The 3 Divisions had to fight hard, the 36th not gaining ground until the reserve Regiment came ashore and with the help of naval bombardments. Other units, some Commandos and Rangers were more lucky.
By the end of the day the Allies had penetrated about 5 miles.
The German commander of 14PZ Corps, Hermann  Balck (formerly  excellent 11PZ Division commander on the Eastern Front) was satisfied with the day’s work and regrouped his 16th Pz Division, aided with the reinforcement from the north of his strong HG and 15th Pzg. 76Pz Corps had also sent the 29Pzg Division north to Salerno.
The battle for Italy proper had begun.

I did not know this:found it by fluke.
Sept 11th( famous for many battles over history) 1939.
Canada declared war on Germany. It was its first independent DOW.
Later Canada was to declare war on Italy(10 June 40) and Japan(7 July 41).
Wiki also says that Canada eventually had 1 million men under arms and finished the war with the world’s 4th biggest airforce and 3rd biggest surface fleet.
Maybe Larry should give you your own nation!

@wittmann:

Wiki also says that Canada eventually had 1 million men under arms and finished the war with the world’s 4th biggest airforce and 3rd biggest surface fleet. Maybe Larry should give you your own nation!

That would be nice, though in fairness Canada’s third-biggest-fleet status resulted from: a) the sinking of the naval forces of such major-league competitors as Japan, and b) the fact that many of Canada’s surface-combat ships were in fact small escort vessels like corvettes and frigates.  Canada’s senior naval officers at the time were to some extent looking beyond WWII, from which they hoped to emerge with a powerful navy – which in practical terms meant “with more than just the few destroyers we have now, and hopefully with a few even bigger units.”

We have the biggest coast line in the world… why we relegated ourselves, to a fleet smaller than BC Ferries is beyond me.

@Gargantua:

We have the biggest coast line in the world… why we relegated ourselves, to a fleet smaller than BC Ferries is beyond me.

Partly, I would imagine, because warships are expensive, and partly, I would also imagine, because some of that enormous coastline is locked in ice and because much of it borders on uninhabited territory.

Thanks for puttin that in to perspective, Marc. Did astound me when I first read it.

Sept 17th 1944. 20000 Paras from the82nd,101st and 1st British Airborne dropped behind the German lines in Holland today. Their objective was the bridges all the way to the Rhine. They would hold them until relieved by British ground forces from 30xxx. The plan was Montgomery’s and it was simple, but audacious. Resistance was expected to be light as the Germans had been retreating for weeks. Allied morale and expectations were high. It was expected the Paras would be relieved in 48 hours. Once the final bridge was relieved, the Ruhr and Germany proper would be theirs for the taking and the war over by Christmas.

Over 4000 planes escorted and transported the Paras and pulled gliders in the two air armadas. THe Germans were able to put just 75 planes in the air, insufficient to cause � much damage. All told 68 planes and 71 gliders were lost or had to turn back.Importantly, 35 of the gliders were from 1st Airborne and included 2 17lb AT guns.

The 101’s objective was Eindhoven and the bridges nearest the front lines.All went well,except at Son, where the bridge was blown. The 82nd(next up the line)also did well, but 2 of yhe 3 bridge over the Waal were blown and there was now no direct route from Grave to NIjmegen. The Germans , with FM Model in command, reacted well to the landings, realising Nijmegen was the key. Unknown, or ignored by the Allies more appropriately, the cadre of IISS(Bittrich) was resting and refitting in the area. This veteran formation was just what was needed on which to build a defence. The 10thSS(Harmel) was ordered to Nijmegen and the 9th(Harzer) West of Arnhem to prevent the 1st Para reaching the bridges there. Student(of 7th Para and Crete fame) was ordered to hold around Eindhoven. As it stood, the German defence was based on small mixed arms ad hoc units, learnt on the Eastern Front and proven very effective at holding until real reinforcements arrived. Hitler realised the landings’ importance and assured Model he would have all available resources.

The1 st Airborne was dropped furthest, 64 miles from the front lines and 8 miles from its objectives and because of a shortage of aircraft was going in over 3 days. It was hampered thus, having to leave half its Infantry to protect the Drop Zones while only one Brigade, the 1st Para took all the day’s objectives. It was to prove too much. The 3 Battalions took 3 different routes and resistance was building all the time. Only Johhnie Frost’s 2nd Battalion made it to the bridge and he was only able to hold the Northern end. He had some mortars and 2 6lb AT guns. He was soon joined by 1st Para HQ, minus its commander, Lathbury.( He and the Division commander were later trapped and had to hide in an attic, therefore missing out on the most important moments of the landings: the start.) At least now Frost had radio communication with Division and some idea of when help was coming to him. � Â

Meanwhile, the ground forces, led by the Guard’s DIvision was finding movement to the bridges very hard going. EvenEindhoven was not taken on the 1st day, but it had been expected to fall within 3 hours. THere were still many miles and many bridges to cross, not all secured.

Sept 18th 1944. The day started badly for the Allies as the weather closed in, delaying by 4 hours the day’s para � and glider reinforcement and resupply. Ridiculously, the Germans had air superiority and attacked, without damaging, some bridges.
30xxx, which had only managed 8 miles, before stopping for the night resumed its march and took Eindhoven.
82nd Para had been unable to cApture the bridge at Best before it was blown and at Son the British still needed to build a Bailey bridge, but with the capture of the important � bridge at Grave and only the Ninmegen one to take, things were looking ok.
At Arnhem the balance of 1st Para Brigade tried to push to the bridge to join Frost, but made little headway against Spindler’s Kampfgruppe. What was needed was the 4th Para Brigade delayed because of weather. It landed at 3, just in time to repell a German attack on the DZs.
Unfortunately, 1st’s Division commander was in hiding and unable to influence the battle.Hicks took temporary command and decided to detach 2nd South Staffs and send them in to Arnhem. WhenHackett’s 4th Brigade landed he tookhis 11th btn away.Tensions between the 2 Brigadiers were high. The Division needed Urquhart, its commander.
Hick’s plan was to attack again tomorrow with these 2 fresh battalions aiding what was left of 1st Brigade.It would be the Division’s last chance to reach the bridge and Frost.

Sept 19th. The weather was still bad over England and 101st only received half of the gliders, the 82nd none and 1st Airborne the 35 belonging to the Polish brigade, but not the Para brigade itself. As for resupply, that was worse than yesterday. 1st Airborne received only 10%, most falling to the Germans as DZs had been captured and the Germans now knew the direction the planes were coming and had set up Flak along the way.
1st Para Brigade’s early morning attempt to reach the bridges floundered once again. By 10am there were only 150 unwounded men. Hackett’s 2 Battalions moved to the Heights to the North East. German pressure was to prove too strong and each would soon be reduced to 250 men each. The only real morning’s success was the release from hiding of the Division commander. He called off 1st Brigade’s attack, the 11th Btn had been wrecked too and reinforced the attack from the NE with the 7thSKOB from the Airlandind Brigade. He also dispatched Colonel Barlow to the bridge to take over the defences. (1st Brigade commander was injured and hiding as he knew.) Barlow never made it. Most of the Poles became casualties on landing at 4pm too as the Germans were on top of the LZs.
30xxx crossed the Bailey bridge at Son and had reached Grave by 820 and were at Nijmegen by the afternoon with a battalion of tanks and co. of Mech Inf and a battn of the 505  and already plans were to take the bridge tomorrow.