On this day during W.W. 2

Enjoyed that, thank you AetV.

Thanks to all service men past and present for your services in the armed forces !

Maybe the kids now adays would remember history if they had cell phones in WW2.  :-(

In remembrance of all those who served in the D-Day landings 74 years ago- especially those who gave their lives for their country and their cause. My hat’s off to them.

June 10 is a day that will live on in infamy. It was marked by several well-known German atrocities against the civilian population of occupied countries.

On this day in 1942, the Germans started the destruction of the village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia and the massacre of its population. On the same day in 1944, the villages of Oradour-sur-Glane in France and Distomo in Greece were destroyed in a similar way.

Today is the start of the Eastern Front.

And also, the beginning of its end, three years later.

Thank God it worked out in our (the Allies) favor!

On this day in 1941, a certain Romanian “locotenet,” a former Iron Guardist, a fascist of the lowest sort, commenced his shenanagans on the Eastern Front.  He was quoted as saying this to his artillery commander when he lost his patience and wanted to fire what he thought would be the first shot of Barbarossa: “Is it that we cannot start because Mr. (Germany? Hitler?) wants all the credit?  We want to get to the pubs in Odessa before the Germans, do we not?”

In a more figurative translation, he wanted to quickly end the war and get a beer.  Despicable man.

I was referring more to his insubordinance and the atrocities he later committed in Moldova and Ukraine.  Some people seem to forget that genocide and civillian abuse were not only the main Axis powers’ method of war.
My personal opinion on the matter is that I like no wars and dry weddings.

And I would appreciate if you would stop insulting France.

I just watched The King’s Choice.  At least some Norwegians have a patriotic view of the war.

Hope this will post

https://www.opslens.com/files/2017/06/100204-F-1234S-002-1.jpg

Well https://www.opslens.com/files/2017/06/100204-F-1234S-002-1.jpgiltryagain
Ok it’s the b 25 s that I thought looked cool.  Anyway…

July 3rd 1944, the British and Canadian armies were locked in bitter fighting liberating Caen.  Vive la france!

5th July 43: The battle of Kursk began today. It would prove to be Germany’s last offensive in the East. Units from Model’s 9th Army attacked from the north, while units from Hoth’s 4PZ Army attacked alongside Army Detachment Kempf attacked into the salient from the south.
The Germans used 90 new Ferdinands and 200 Panthers, alongside the tried and tested older Mk IIIs, IVs and various independent Companies of Tigers as well as full strength 503rd amd 505th Heavy Tank  Battalions.
The Russians were prepared, having mined extensively and installed 1000s of AT guns and Artillery pieces.

August 8, 1944. Western Front

On this day in 1944, German panzer ace Michael Wittmann and his entire crew are killed after being ambushed by Allied tanks in Normandy.

On 8 August 1944, Anglo-Canadian forces launched Operation Totalize. Under the cover of darkness, British and Canadian tanks and soldiers seized the tactically important high ground near the town of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil. Here they paused, awaiting an aerial bombardment that would signal the next phase of the attack. Unaware of the reason the Allied forces had halted, Kurt Meyer, of the SS Hitlerjugend Division, ordered elements of his command to counterattack and recapture the high ground.

Wittmann led a group of seven Tiger tanks, from the Heavy SS-Panzer Battalion 101, supported by additional tanks and infantry. His group of Tigers, crossing open terrain towards the high ground, was ambushed by tanks from A Squadron 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, A Squadron Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, and B Squadron 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps. During the ambush, anti-tank shells – fired from either the British or Canadian tanks – penetrated the upper hull of Wittmann’s tank, igniting the ammunition. The resulting fire engulfed the tank and blew off the turret. The crew of the destroyed tank were buried in an unmarked grave. In 1983, the German war graves commission located the burial site. Wittmann and his crew were reinterred together at the La Cambe German war cemetery in France.

Source: Wikipedia

August 8, 1940. Battle of Britain

For the first time in two weeks the British send a shipping convoy of about 25 merchant ships with armed Royal Navy escorts through the English Channel. However, the German Freya Radar at Cap Gris Nez had picked them up, and it was a gift that was not to be missed. German Torpedo boats attack before dawn sinking three steamers, then out went the order to the 8th Flying Corps at Abbeville to send out all available Ju87 Stuka dive-bombers and the fighters based at the Luftwaffe 27 Group at Carquebut and Crepon, with orders for all aircraft to set course for the British convoy CW9 codenamed “Peewit”. In all, some 300 Ju87’s and 150 Bf109s take to the air with orders to destroy this convoy.

Spitfires of 41st, 64th, 65th and 610th Squadrons scrambled immediately and headed for the Channel to intercept the German formation. A dogfight of huge proportions then took place between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe as several hundred aircraft fought over the English Channel. Later that day the convoy was again attacked off the Isle of Wight and another huge air battle took place. With the Luftwaffe planes low on fuel it was a short but hard fought exchange with heavy loses for both sides. This was a bad day for the Royal Air Force with several pilots Killed although losses for the Luftwaffe were also heavy.

August 11, 1941. Battle of the Mediterranean

The Luftwaffe bombs and badly damages Royal Navy net-layer Protector with an aerial torpedo while en route from Port Said to Alexandria. Corvette HMS Salvia takes Protector in tow back to Port Said, where they arrive in the evening.

The Red Sea is full of German mines, and US ships have been traversing it since the last Italian port in East Africa fell. Today, one of those US freighters, 5685-ton Iberville, hits one and is damaged. It makes it to port.

Operation Guillotine, the British reinforcement of Cyprus, continues as Australian sloop HMAS Parramatta departs from Port Said for Famagusta.

At Malta, Luftwaffe Junkers Ju-87 reappear over the island for the first time in weeks. Nine Stukas attack the Ta Qali area and Grand Harbour, damaging some warehouses and private dwellings. The RAF claims two of the Stukas. Rome radio claims that this small raid is a massive success, stating “A veritable shower of bombs was rained down on [Luqa] aerodrome” and “The attack on the naval base of Valletta was extremely effective. Loud explosions were heard and huge fires visible from a great distance were started.”

Nice Capt walker. I have always loved the Stuka. MY fav being the, 37mm cannon armed, G1 model, naturally.

August 13, 1941. Battle of the Mediterranean

The British continue replacing worn-out Australian troops with Polish soldiers at Tobruk. This is done at night throughout the week with the usual fast nightly supply runs.

Royal Navy 1267-ton schooner Kephallinia makes a supply run from Alexandria to Tobruk, but sinks for unexplained reasons not far from Alexandria. HMS Hero is nearby and picks up survivors.

Operation Guillotine, the British reinforcement of Cyprus, continues as Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Neptune, minelaying cruiser Abdiel, and destroyer Jackal take troops to the island.

An Italian departs from Naples bound for Tripoli. The convoy is composed of five freighters escorted by five destroyers and a torpedo boat.

The Luftwaffe attacks Alexandria during the night.

At Malta, a Maryland sent to drop propaganda leaflets on Tunisia is shot down.

Source: worldwartwodaily

Photo: “Australian troops occupy a frontline position at Tobruk, 13 August 1941. Between April and December 1941 the Tobruk garrison, comprising Australian, Polish, Indian and British troops, was besieged by Rommel’s forces. It fell to the Germans after the battle of Gazala on 21 June 1942 but was recaptured five months later.” © IWM

August 13, 1941. Eastern Front

OKH Chief of Staff Franz Halder on 13 August 1941 has a conference with Chief of Staff for Army Group South at Uman and the army generals under Field Marshal von Rundstedt’s command. Afterward, Halder writes: The consensus is that the projected missions can be carried out. At present we have no clear plans yet for solving the Kiev problem and for swiftly occupying the Crimea. Considering that the capture of Kiev and the Crimea, in fact, are the two primary missions of the Army Group, not having a plan for achieving these objectives is not overly reassuring for the Army Group’s prospects.

Halder also sets down his impression of Hitlers most recent Fuhrer Directive, “Supplement to Directive 34.” Halder writes: Attack on Moscow by Army Group Centre is approved, but approval is made conditional on so many factors… that the freedom of action which we need for the execution of the plan is severely restricted. Note that Halders says the army does not have the full freedom of action “which we need.” Not want, need. Already, doubt is creeping into the high command as to whether Moscow will or even can be captured.

In the Far North sector, The Finns continue making slow progress around Lake Ladoga. However, the advance toward the Murmansk railway at Loukhi has slowed to a crawl as the Soviets bring in reinforcements by rail - a luxury the Finns do not have.

In the Army Group North sector, there are fierce battles at Luga, where Panzer Group 4 is attempting to blast out of a bridgehead, and Staraya Russa, where the Germans are pulling back. In effect, for the moment the German offensive has run tight and the Soviets are giving as good as they get.

In the Army Group Centre sector, the Soviets continue beating against the exposed German Yelnya bridgehead. General Guderian refuses a request for a pullback there. At Krichev, XXIV Corps (General of Panzer Troops Geyr von Schweppenburg) subdues a pocket of Soviet troops and takes 16,000 prisoners, 76 guns, and 15 tanks.

In the Army Group South sector, leader Ion Antonescu orders the Romanian 4th Army to stop its offensive at Odessa. He orders the generals to build up a position along the Khadzhibey Estuary to the northwest of the city before proceeding further. The halt doesn’t really affect the battle because the Soviet troops in Odessa are under orders to stay put anyway - and anyone who disobeys a Red Army order to hold their position usually winds up wishing they had regardless of what would have happened to them in the position.

German 11th Army captures Cherson (Kherson), a key crossing over the Dneipr. While still over a hundred miles from the Crimea, Cherson controls the main line of communications to it. Soviet destroyers and gunboats are used in the defence.

Source: worldwartwodaily

August 13, 1940. Battle of Britain. Eagle Day.

The Luftwaffe launch their first major offensive against Britain under the codename Adler Tag or Eagle Day. The two previous days the Luftwaffe have bombed British Radar installations and believing them to be crippled launch massive bombing attacks against the airfields of the Royal Air Force in an attempt to clear the skies over Southern England in four days.

From first light until dusk wave after wave of Luftwaffe formations attack several targets along the South coast of England and the airfields of the RAF further inland. The RAF engage the enemy and huge air battles take place all over Southern England with the Luftwaffe losing several aircraft. Goring has ordered his fighters to stay with the bombers thus putting the Luftwaffe fighters at a serious disadvantage against their RAF counterparts. As Gunther Ball, a Luftwaffe pilot of 8/JG52 explains, “We in J52 were very inexperienced, in just two months, our strength fell from thirty-six pilots to four. We really wasted our fighters. We didn’t have enough to begin with, and we used them in the wrong way, for direct close escort. We were tied to the bombers, flying slowly - sometimes with flaps down - over England. We couldn’t use our altitude advantage nor our superiority in a dive. Of course, the Spitfire had a marvellous rate of turn, and when we were tied to the bombers and had to dogfight them, that turn was very important”.

Eagle Day does not go well for the Germans as all Radar Stations were back up and running by this time and detected the huge enemy formations in plenty time for the RAF to be scrambled and get to a high enough altitude that they could swarm down on the enemy aircraft. Luftwaffe bombers also became vulnerable as they bombed targets further inland as this was beyond the range of their fighter support, who had to return to their airfields in France to refuel. The Spitfires and Hurricanes as can be imagined had a field day and shot down over 40 Luftwaffe bombers and 36 fighters while the Royal Air Force lose only 13 aircraft with most pilots bailing out over England and back with their squadrons by that evening.