On this day during W.W. 2

January 1, 1945. Western Front

Hitler launches Operation Bodenplatte, hundreds of planes of the Luftwaffe begin attacking Allied airfields in the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Operation Bodenplatte (Baseplate), launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the Second World War. The goal of Bodenplatte was to gain air superiority during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge so that the German Army and Waffen-SS forces could resume their advance. The operation was planned for 16 December 1944, but was delayed repeatedly due to bad weather until New Year’s Day, the first day that happened to be suitable.

Secrecy for the operation was so tight that not all German ground and naval forces had been informed of the operation and some units suffered casualties from friendly fire. British signals intelligence (Ultra) recorded the movement and build-up of German air forces in the region, but did not realise that an operation was imminent.

The operation achieved some surprise and tactical success, but was ultimately a failure. A great many Allied aircraft were destroyed on the ground but replaced within a week. Allied aircrew casualties were quite small, since the majority of Allied losses were grounded aircraft. The Germans, however, lost many pilots who could not be readily replaced.

Post-battle analysis suggests only 11 of the Luftwaffe’s 34 air combat Gruppen (groups) made attacks on time and with surprise. The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, while the German ground forces continued to be exposed to Allied air attack. Bodenplatte was the last large-scale strategic offensive operation mounted by the Luftwaffe during the war.

@captain-walker The 109 is my favourite WW2 Ft. I think those might be K4s. They were the bsst and last mass produced ones. They only had a 30mm cannon and two heavy Mgs (in The nose). They could reach 440 mph. They were the best 109 built and a match for the Allied planes. The problem was the inexperience of the late War pilots.

you should start doing these again.

January 13, 1945

Sgt. Clearance Pfeifer and Pfc. Sherman Maness of the 11th Armored Division bringing back two captured German prisoners, Longchamps, Belgium.

Notice the .45-cal. M3 SMG ‘Grease Gun’ and .30 cal. Browning MG mounted on the Jeep.

14th Jan. 1941

Italian submarine Cappellini and British auxiliary cruiser Eumaeus engaged in a gun fight for three hours 100 miles west of Freetown, British West Africa. Cappellini suffered three casualties and was badly damaged, but was able to sink Eumaeus, killing 27.
Source: ww2dbase
Photo: Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini

January 16, 1941. Malta

80 Luftwaffe Stuka dive-bombers attack Valletta Harbour, Malta, trying to finish off British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious which was badly damaged by Stukas while escorting the Excess convoy on January 10. HMS Illustrious, destroyer HMS Decoy (on the day when repairs from bomb damage in November 1940 are completed) and Australian cruiser HMAS Perth are hit or damaged by splinters from near misses, but none sink. British steamer Essex is also damaged. 10 Stukas are shot down.

I love the picture of the crashed Stuka because it’s pitched forward at an angle that makes it look exactly like an airborne Stuka that’s diving for an attack.

@CWO-Marc How funny: I thought it was really sad!

@Wittmann said in On this day during W.W. 2:

@CWO-Marc How funny: I thought it was really sad!

I guess the perspective depends on which side of a Stuka attack a person is on: delivery or receipt. :)

@CWO-Marc said in On this day during W.W. 2:

@Wittmann said in On this day during W.W. 2:

@CWO-Marc How funny: I thought it was really sad!

I guess the perspective depends on which side of a Stuka attack a person is on: delivery or receipt. :)

Heh Heh Yea cool pic.

Must’ve been destroyed on ground ? Certainly not an air crash. Kinda hard to tell, looks like burn marks by the engine ? Possible training accident ?

What do you guys think ?

Or I guess it coulda been shot down and when he tried to land, it ended that way ?

@barnee it could have been hit while trying to take off also…

January 18, 1944. Monte Cassino
In Italy the assault on the Cassino lines continues. The days following the 17th January saw some of the deadliest fighting of the campaign as first the French, then the British – a term which encompasses the Canadians, the Indians and the New Zealanders – and then the Americans, tried to break through.
Photo: British 5.5 inch medium artillery in action during the night barrage which opened the assault on the Garigliano River by the British 10th Corp
Source: WWII Today

On this day in 1942, Malaya, a 2-pounder anti-tank gun from Australian 2/4 Anti-Tank Regiment destroyed 9 Japanese tanks.
Source: RG Poulussen

@captain-walker said in On this day during W.W. 2:

On this day in 1942, Malaya, a 2-pounder anti-tank gun from Australian 2/4 Anti-Tank Regiment destroyed 9 Japanese tanks.

That same 2-pounder anti-tank gun would not do much against the tanks running around on the Eastern Front…

-Midnight_Reaper

@Midnight_Reaper That is a mad statistic. Thanks for the post.

@Midnight_Reaper yeah…no kidding. The armor plate on that anti tank gun is probably thicker than those Japanese tanks.

@captain-walker yea there hand grenades weren’t very good either : )

@barnee another pic of that engagement…