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| TIMELINE 1944
Jan. 10 - The GI Bill of Rights, first proposed by the American Legion, was passed by Congress. The Bill, more formally known as the Service men's Readjustment Act of 1944, was intended to smooth demobilization for America's almost 16 million servicemen and women. Postwar college and vocational school attendance soared as more than 50 percent of honorably discharged veterans took advantage of educational benefits of up to $500 a year for tuition, plus a living allowance. When they returned home to marry and start families in record numbers, veterans faced a severe housing shortage. The home loan provisions of the GI Bill provided more than 2 million home loans and created a new American landscape in the suburbs. Jan. 11 - Cracow-Plaszow Concentration Camp was established. Jan. 13 - Three German Reich plane factories are ruined in bombing, 64 U.S. aircraft were lost in raid. Jan. 15 - The American 5th Army successfully broke the German Winter Line in Italy with the capture of Mount Trocchio. Jan. 20 - Allied forces began unsuccessful operations to cross the Rapido River and seize Cassino, Italy With a land bridge now open, the Soviet Union launched a winter offensive to push the Germans back, and to permanently break the blockade of Leningrad. This was accomplished with the Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive. They captured Novgorod in the north on Jan. 20th. By February, the Red Army had advanced into Estonia and had reached the pre-war borders of Poland. Jan. 21 - 649 British bombers attack Magdeburg. 447 German bombers attack London.
Allies Land at Anzio Jan. 22 - During the early morning hours of Jan. 22, troops of the 5th Army swarmed ashore on a 15 mile stretch of Italian beach near the pre-war resort towns of Anzio and Nettuno. The landings were carried out so flawlessly and German resistance was so light, that the British and American forces were able to gain their first days objective by noon, moving 3-4 miles inland by nightfall. The ease of the landings and the swift advance was noted by one paratrooper of the 504th Paratrooper Infantry Regiment, 82nd Air born Division, who recalled that D-day at Anzio was sunny and warm, making it very hard to believe that a war was going on and that he was in the middle of it. The location of the Allied landing, 30 miles south of Rome and 55 miles northwest of the main line of resistance running from Minturnoon on the Tyrrhenian Sea to Ortona on the Adriatic, surprised local German commanders, who had been assured by their superiors that an amphibious assault would not take place during January or February. Thus when the landing occurred the Germans were unprepared to react offensively. Within a week however, as Allied troops consolidated their positions and prepared to break out of the beachhead, the Germans gathered troops to eliminate what Hitler called the "Anzio abcess". The next 4 months would see some of the most savage fighting of World War II. Jan. 27 - The Soviet Union announced the end of the deadly German siege of Leningrad, which had lasted 880 days, and killed 600,000 people. Jan. 28 - 683 British bombers attack Berlin. Jan. 31 - Operation Overlord (D-Day) was postponed until June. U.S. forces, under Vice-Admiral Spruance began invading Kwajalein Atoll and other parts of the Japanese-held Marshall Islands. January - Communist partisans, supplied with British weapons, gained control of southern Albania. A number of interned Japanese-Americans refused to be drafted unless their civil liberties were restored. They were pardoned in 1947. Feb. 1 - The Soviet Union revised the Constitution of 1936, establishing separate commiserates of defense and foreign affairs for each of the Soviet Socialist Republics. Each republic could establish and maintain its own army, which would be a component of the Red Army. They could also conduct independent negotiations with foreign governments and had the power to conclude treaties.
February - The Italian people voted in a referendum to abolish the Monarchy and establish a Republic. Victor Emmanuel III abdicated the thrown in 1944 to his son Umberto. Umberto then went into exile in Portugal. Enrico de Nichola became the Provisional President and served until the new Constitution went into effect Jan. 1, 1948. Feb. 11 - The U.S. and Britain restored the Italian civil government on Sicily, Sardinia, and the mainland south of the Provinces of Salerno and Potenza. The Allied Control Commission and the Allied Military Government had administered these areas with the support of the Advisory Council of Italy, composed of representatives from the United States, Great Britain, The Soviet Union, and the French Committee for National Liberation. Feb. 12 - Wendell Wilkie entered the American Presidential race against Franklin D. Roosevelt. Feb. 15 -
Feb. 16 - Fighting at Anzio intensifies as Kesselring throws a force of seven divisions into the attack hitting the U.S. 45th and the British 56th Divsions hard. German aircraft lend strong support to the attacks and hit Allied shipping as well. The ammunition ship Elihu Yale is destroyed in one air attack. At Cassino, the New Zealanders continue to throw themselves against the German paratroops and make little progress. Elements of the German 3rd Panzer Corp are stopped 12 miles from the perimeter of the Korsun Pocket. They have captured a bridge over the Gniloy Tikich River, but are exhausted and conclude any further action would be pointless. The 56,000 men of Group Stemmermann inside the pocket are ordered to prepare for a breakout attempt. The Deception Plan -
The deception plan for D-Day was based on the premise that, while everyone, on both sides of the channel, knew an invasion would happen, precisely when and where it would occurred was unknown. Montgomery's 21st Army Group Headquarters included a small organization known as R Force. It was responsible for ensuring:
Therefore a major deception scheme, known as Operation Fortitude, was mounted. This tried to suggest that the Allied plan was for a limited invasion sailing from Scotland to liberate Norway, followed by main landings across the Dover Straits to liberate the rest of Europe. Operation Fortitude North involved the display of fake or "dummy" aircraft on the airfields of Scotland. Four squadrons of dummy Boston light bombers were assembled on Scottish airfields, with two real hard working Bostons flying around the relevant bases and ensuring plenty of radio traffic to be picked up by the Germans.
The main effort was placed on Fortitude South, to fix German attention on the "obvious" invasion target of Pas de Calais, as the nearest French coastline to the United Kingdom. While camps and assembly areas for the real invasion force around the Portsmouth/Southampton and the south-west ports were the subject of extensive camouflage work to hide them from the German reconnaissance aircraft, military facilities in eastern and southeastern England were deliberately allowed to have their camouflage deteriorate or be implemented clumsily so they became more easily detected. As thousands of military vehicles gathered on the south coast, hidden as much as possible from view, other vehicles were moved into eastern England and parked less carefully in visible groups or along roadsides. As in Scotland, carefully faked radio traffic suggested that 12 imaginary assault divisions were mustering in the east and southeast of England, with General Patton making high profile visits to units of the non-existent "14th U.S. Army". Operation Quicksilver -
One of the most intensive efforts went into simulating the assembly of the Pas de Calais "invasion fleet". Every available landing craft was used for the real invasion. So, under Operation Quicksilver III, large numbers of dummy Landing Craft Tanks (LCT's) kits were produced. The idea was to simulate the assembly of an invasion fleet in East Anglia and its gradual move down the coast to Dover and Folkestone in readiness for the final assault on Calais. Two infantry battalions, 4th Battalion the Northamptonshire Regiment and the 10th Battalion The Worcestershire Regiment - were sent to a special training school and set up at the village of Waldringfield on the River Deben to be taught how to assemble, float and maintain dummies. The dummies themselves, officially called Devices No36 and No52, but code named Bigbobs, comprised of canvas stretched over a lightweight tubular steel frame, floating on an array of 45-gallon oil drums. Building the Bigbobs was very labor intensive, each kit had over 500 parts, filling six or seven 3-ton trucks, and took 20 men 6 hours to assemble. When complete, it weighed eight tons and looked convincingly like a real Landing Craft Tank Mark II, (Device #36) or Mark V, (Device #52). Double Agents -
The Germans had about 50 agents in England at the time, but the B1A (counter intelligence division of MI5) had caught and recruited many of them as double agents. In fact, though they never knew it, MI5 controlled all of the German agents in Berlin at that time. They planned to feed the German intelligence a misleading picture of the invasion preparations via their own agents. Reports were sent indicating troop movements in the southeast, opposite the Pas de Calais. However no troop placements were ever reported in the Normady area. Reports were also made that troops were untrained and ineffective, to give the picture that an invasion was scheduled for much later in the year. The key double agent for Fortitude was Garbo: Juan Pujol Garcia. Other double agents were known by the code names: "Brutus", "Mutt", "Freak", "Tricycle", Treasure", and "Tate". Although none of them achieved the same stature in German eyes as Garbo did. Operation Overlord - The immense scope of the Allied preparation was probably the greatest thing they had going for them. The planning was very detailed and accurate and the final plan was the culmination of years of organized and effective planning. The Allies had been planning an invasion of Hitler's Europe as long ago as 1942. It began with the appointment of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a strong and highly capable commander who was immensely liked by his peers and as well as a new headquarters staff, SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force). SHAEF was made up of six of the best officers the Allies had. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Air Marshall Leigh-Mallory, Air Marshall Tedder, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, and Admiral Bertram Ramsey.
Operation Overlord - COSSAC One of the first plans was known as the COSSAC (Combined Anglo-American) plan. This included a plan to use two airborn brigades to protect the flanks of the three landings in Normandy. Montgomery added an ammendment to the COSSAC plan. He wanted to attack on five beaches in Normandy with support being given to the amphibious landings by two airborn divisions landing on the flanks of the beach in the area of Caen and in the southeast corner of the Cotentin Peninsula. He wanted a specific beach assigned to a specfic army from either Britain or America. He couldn't envision a joint force landing on each beach. Eisenhower backed Montgomery's plan and the final plan was to look very simular to Montgomery's plan. Where Montgomery had wanted five divisions to land, Eisenhower's desire was to land more men - 18 divisions by D-Day plus 10 more. The planning and logistics for Operation Overlord were unparalleled in history. The Allies had to ensure none of the plan would be released. Fooling the Germans into thinking the Allied invasion would take place at the Pas de Calais was the main target. In the first three days of the attack, Overlord planned to move over 100,000 men and nearly 13,000 vehicles. The plan also included the movement of an artificial harbor so that men and materials could be landed easier once the beaches had been secured. Overlord had built into it the movement of 3 million men in 47 divisions, moved by 6000 ships with air cover provided by 5000 fighter planes would be commited to the battle of Normandy. 26 divisions of British, Canadian, Commonwealth and free European troops, 21 American divisions, totaling 140,000 troops. About 6,900 vessels under the command of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay would be involved in the invasion. Including 4,100 landing craft, 12,000 aircraft under the command of Air Marshall Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory were to support the landings, along with 1,000 transports to fly in the parachute troops. 10,000 tons of bombs would be dropped against the German defenses, and 14,000 attack sorties would be flown. Objective for the first 40 days:
The three month objective was to control a zone bounded by the Loire River in the south, and the Seine River in the northeast. Operation Overlord - German Preparations Hitler decided in November of 1943 that the threat of invasion of France could no longer be ignored. Hitler appointed Field Marshal Erwin Rommel as Inspector of Coastal Defenses, and later commander of Army Group B, the ground forces charged with the defense of northern France. Rommel believed the best way to defeat an invasion was to counterattack the beaches with armor as soon as possible. But Rommel's authority was limited, since he wasn't the overall commander of the German forces in the west, that title belonged to Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. von Rundstedt - supported by the commander of the Panzer Group West, Geyr von Schweppenburg, who was in turn supported by Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Inspector General of the Armored troops - avoided concentrating the Panzer divisions farther inland so the primary enemy line of advance could be determined, then a counterattack in force could be launched. In an attempt to resolve the dispute, Hitler split six available Panzer divisions in northern France, and allocated three divisions to Rommel. The remaining three divisions were placed a good distance back from the beaches, and couldn't be released without direct approval from Hitler's operations staff. The air defenses of northern France comprised just 169 fighter aircraft, since airfields in northern France had been pummeled by constant Allied air attacks.
Uncertainty about the Allied landing place also upset German plans. In order to sustain an offensive, the Allies would have to take a deep water port, or land at Pas de Calais and simply use the shorter shipping route to make up for the slower off loading. This being the case an invasion would have to take place near Brest, Cherbourg or Le Havre, the only ports within easy shipping and aircraft range of England. Rommel inspected the shoreline defenses, known as the Atlantic Wall, and ordered many improvements before D-Day. Some bunkers were still under construction when the Allied forces landed. Operation Overlord - Allied Invasion Plan
The order of battle was approximately as follows, east to west:
German Defences The Normany defenses were under the command of the German LXXXIV Korps (Erich Marcks), German 7th Army (Friedrich Dollman). The order of the battle in the landing area was as follows, from east to west:
D-DAY ! June 6, 1944 - The Landings
The French Resistance The BBC, in its French service from London, would regularly transmit hundreds of personal messages, masking the few of then that were really important. A few days before D-Day, the commanding officers of the French Resistance heard the first line of Paul Verlain's poem, "Chanson d'Automne". Translated into English, "Long sobs of autumn violins". Which was code for the "day" was imminent. When the second line, "wound my heart with a monotonous languor" was heard, the Resistance knew that the invasion would take place within the next 48 hours. They knew it was now time for them to go about their various pre-assigned missions, which included destroying selected water towers, telephone lines, roads, and railways. Airborn Landings The British 6th Airborn Division was the first full unit to go into action, at sixteen minutes past midnight, in Operation Tonga. One set of objectives was Pegasus Bridge and other bridges on the rivers of the east flank of the landing area. The bridges were quickly captured by glider forces and held until they were relieved by the Commandos later on D-Day. Another objective was the large gun battery at Merville. Although the glider and paratrooper force was widely scattered, they were able to destroy the battery. But the diminished assault team suffered 50% casualties in the attack. The 82nd (Operation Detroit) and the 101st Airborn (Operation Chicago) was less fortunate in completing their main objectives quickly. Partly because of unmarked landing zones, radio silence, poor weather and difficult terrain, many units were widely scattered and unable to rally. Some paratroopers drowned when they landed into the sea or in deliberately flooded areas. After 24 hours, only 2,500 of the 6,000 men in the 101st had assembled. The 82nd occupied the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise early on the morning of June 6, giving it the claim of the first town liberated in the invasion. Sword Beach The regular British Infantry was able to get a shore at Sword Beach with only light casualties. They had advanced about 5 miles by the end of the day but failed to make some of the deliberately tested targets set by Montgomery. Caen in particular, a major objective, was still in German hands by the end of D-Day. #1 Special Service Brigade went ashore in the second wave led by #4 Commando with the two French troops first. The British and the French of #4 Commando had separate targets in Ouistreham. Juno Beach
The Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach faced 11 heavy batteries of 155 mm guns and 9 medium batteries of 75 mm guns, as well as machine gun nests, pillboxes, other concrete fortifications, and a seawall twice the height of the one at Omaha Beach. The first waves suffered 50% casualties, the second highest of the D-Day beachheads. Despite the obstacles, within hours the Canadians were off the beach and beginning their advance inland. By the end of the day, 15,000 Canadians had been successfully landed, and the 3rd Canadian Division had penetrated further into France than any other Allied force, despite having faced such strong resistance at the beachhead. The 21st Panzer Division launched the first D-Day counterattack between Sword and Juno Beaches, and the Canadians held against several stiff counterattacks by the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend on June 7th & 8th. Gold Beach The casualties were quite heavy at Gold Beach too. Partly because of the swimming Sherman DD tanks were delayed, and the German's had strongly fortified a village on the beach. However, the 50th Division overcame their difficulties and advanced almost to the outskirts of Bayeau by the end of the day. With the exception of the Canadians at Juno Beach, no Division came closer to their objectives than the 50th did. Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach was the bloodiest of all the landing beaches on D-Day. Elements of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division and the U.S. 29th Infantry Division faced the German 352nd Division, one of the best trained on the beaches. Omaha was the most heavily fortified beach, and the pre-landing bombardment (from Navy & Air Force) of the bunkers proved to be ineffective. On the Eastern sector, 27 of the 32 DD tanks deployed never made it to the beach. On the Western sector the DD's were landed directly on the beach, but suffered heavy losses due to the German 88's defending the beach. The official record stated that, "within 10 minutes of the ramps being lowered, the leading company had become inert, leaderless, and almost incapable of action. (most every officer and NCO had been killed or wounded) It had become a struggle for survival and rescue." There were about 1,000 men killed (more than 3,000 casualties overall), most dying in the first few hours. Commanders considered abandoning the beachhead, but small units, often forming ad hoc groups, eventually took the beach and pressed inland. Pointe du Hoc
The massive, cliff-top gun emplacement at Pointe du Hoc was the target of the U.S. 2nd Ranger battalion. The task of the 225 men, led by Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder, was to scale the 100 foot cliffs, while under enemy fire, using ropes and ladders. Then they were to attack and destroy the guns, which were thought to command the Omaha and Utah landings. Only 90 of these men survived the onslaught of being picked off by the Germans at the top of the cliffs, who bombarded them with grenades, bullets, even rocks and bottles. The emplacement was successfully reached, and the guns, which had been moved out (probably during the bombardment), were found and destroyed. The emplacement was then further destroyed by the remaining Rangers, who took no prisoners. Utah Beach
Casualties on Utah Beach, the Western most landing zone, were 197 out of 23,000 landed, the lightest of any beach. The U.S. 4th Infantry Division was able to press inland relatively easily and succeeded in linking up with parts of the ariborn divisions, which had helped secure the beachhead and confuse the enemy before the landings, with heavy casualties. After The Landings - Once the beachhead was established, two artificial Mulberry Harbours (a type of temporary harbor developed to unload cargo onto the beach), were towed across the English Channel in segments and made operational June 9th. One was constructed at Arromanches by British forces, the other at Omaha Beach by American forces. The Omaha harbour was destroyed in severe storms around the 19th of June. Approximately 9,000 tons of material was landed daily at the Arromanches harbour until the end of August 1944, by which time the ports of Antwerp and Cherbourg had been secured by the Allies, and had begun to return to service. The German defenders positioned on the beaches put up relatively light resistance, being ill-trained, and short on transport and equipment, and having been subjected to a week of intense bombardment. An exception was the 352nd Infantry division. The tenacity of the 352nd's defence, and also the indication by Allied intelligence that that there would only be two battalions of the 716th Division there, was responcible for Omaha Beach's high mortality rate. June 9-12 Allied Summer Offensive in Italy U.S. and British forces launched a major offensive in central Italy. On August 12th the Allies captured Florence after bitter fighting. The Italian Socialist Republic, under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, was limited to northern Italy. Although the Allies made some additional advances on the western coast of the Italian mainland, capturing Ravenna, a Winter Line emerged by January 1945 in a stalemate. June 15 - Invasion of Saipan Unlike flat coral islands, Saipan is a volcanic island whose beaches and flat lands are dominated by inland hills, with heavily jungled and jagged cliff faces, rock outcroppings, sinkholes and caves. Saipan, about 15 miles long, was well fortified by the Japanese, manned by 25,000 Japanese Army troops, including an armored regiment of 48 tanks, plus an additional 6,000 naval personnel, and an operational airfield. At 0700 on June 15th, 8,000 U.S. Marines came ashore from 34 LST's, launching hundreds of Army and USMC anphibian tractors that crawled to the beach under protective fire, establishing themselves on the southwest coast of Saipan. The invasion, under the command of Lt. Gen. Holland M. Smith, USMC, Commanding General, V Anphibious Corps, established a beachhead that held against Japanese counterattacks. The next day U.S. Army units joined the Marines on Saipan and a drive to claim the island began.
Dissatisfied with progress, on June 25th Gen. Smith replaced the Army commander and ordered a new drive on both fronts. By the 27th, the Nafutan Peninsula was taken in the south and the drive north captured hard-won locations named "Death Valley", "Hell's Pocket", and "Purple Heart Ridge". The drive continued into the narrow north end of the island, finally pushing the Japanese commander, Gen. Saito, and his troops to the last cliffs with their backs against the sea. On the morning of July 7th Gen. Saito odered a final charge against the Americans by all Japanese who could walk. As the Army and the Marines repulsed them, Saito commited suicide. Two more days of cave demolition annhilated the enemy and brought American units to Marpi Point, ending the battle for Saipan. June 17 - German V-1 Attacks. The Germans began a new airborn offensive against Britain, launching pilotless planes under jet propulsion filled with explosives. The V-1 aircraft were first generation drones and were eventually replaced by more advanced V-2 Missiles. French troops landed on the island of Elba in the Mediterranean. Iceland declared full independance from Denmark and became a Republic. June 20 - "Marianas Turkey Shoot" - The Battle of the Philippine Sea, also known as the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" began when Japanese naval forces attacked the stronger U.S. forces. On the first day U.S. fighters from carrier ships downed 219 of the 326 Japanese planes sent against them. While the air battle was going on, U.S. submarines sank Ozowa's two largest carriers, one of them his flagship. On the second day dive bombers sank a third big carrier. After that, Ozowa steered north toward Okinawa with only 35 planes left. It was the end for Japanese carrier aviation. June 20 - Soviet Finnish Offensive. On the northern front, the Red Army launched an offensive against the Finns which resulted in the Russian capture of Vyborg on June 20th.
June 22 - Operation Bagration. At Vitebsk, elements of the 3rd Belorussian Front penetrate the defenses of the trapped German 53rd Corps. During the night a breakout is attempted but most of the 28,000 German troops are either killer or captured. Other elements of the 3rd Belorussian Front capture Orsha, to the south, during the night. Forces of the 2nd Belorussian Front capture Mogilev. The attacks of the 1st Belorussian Front encircle Bobruisk, trapping 40,000 troops of the 41st Panzer Corps. June 23 - Ploesti, Pomania. In one of the largest air strikes of the war, the U.S. 15th Air Force sent 761 bombers against the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. June 24 - The Soviet offensive continues to roll forward with advances of 20-25 miles being common. Elements of the 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian Fronts force cut the Orsha-Vitebsk rail line and trap the German 53rd Corps. The Germans are odered to conduct a breakout attack. The 2nd Belorussian Front advances. June 27 - Allied forces captured Cherbourg, which placed the major port under Allied control. During the first 100 days following D-Day the Allies were able to ship 2.2 million men, 450,000 vehicles, and 4 million tons of supplies to support the invasion of northern France. This extraordinary achievement was made possible by perfecting the services of supply. The enormous output of Allied factories and shipyards, which made it possible to duplicate all wrecked or damaged equipment, was also an important factor. June 29 - The last fortifications at Cherbourg are surrendered allowing the Americans to begin port cleaning operations. The destruction by the Germans was immense and initial estimates indicated that it would be at least 3 weeks before any tonnage could be landed into the city. Meanwhile, the British use their heavy bomber force on the tactical battlefield in an attempt to obliterate the 2nd and 9th Panzer divisions at Villers-Bocage. The destruction is widespread, including some serious "friendly fire" losses. July 1 - President Roosevelt declares that "the Manhatton Project" is to receive the highest priority for resources. July 2 - Representatives of the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire to plan for the post-war international financial system. The delegates proposed the creation of the International Monetary Fund, with a net credit of $8.8 billion, to help stabilize national currencies after the war, and the International Bank for Recontruction and Development, (later called the World Bank), capitalized with $10 billion, to help reconstruction efforts and promote a vibrant world economy. Australian and American forces under Gen. Patrick land on Numfoor Island in New Guinea. There is no Japanese resistance. Meanwhile fighting on Saipan and Biak continues. July 3 - The Soviet offensive contiues as Minsk, the capitol of Belarus, is captured by elements of the 3rd Belarussian Front forming a pocket of elements of the German 4th Army east of the city. Those elements of Army Group Center that still have freedom of action are withdrawing in disorder. Meanwhile, Hitler sacks General Lindemann and puts Freissner in charge of Army Group North. Having regrouped, U.S. forces open their first major attacks south out of the Normandy beachhead. The attacks meet stiff resistance in the dense bocage country, and stormy weather hampers air support. July 9 Allied tanks broke through German defenses near St.Lo and fanned out, disorganizing enemy resistance. Persistant bombing of all the bridges and railways severely crippled the German attempts to bring up adequate forces to halt Allied drives. The last remnants of the Japanese forces around Ukhurl were destroyed as the British 14th Army continued to advance toward Chindwin River. The offencive in Italy continues with the U.S. 88th Division taking Volterra. The last organized resistance on Saipan ends as 7,000 Japanese soldiers commit suicide rather than surrender to American forces. July 11 - Fighting in Normandy intensifies as the Germans launch a counterattack spearheaded by Panzer Lehr against the U.S. 9th Infantry Division. To the east, Hill 112 is captured again as the British 2nd Army continues to advance slowly south. The United States recognized Charles de Gaulle's faction as the government of France. The encirclement of the remnants of German 4th Army (35,000 men) in the area around Minsk is completed. Churchill was briefed on interviews with four escapees from Auschwitz. That night he wrote in his diary, "..this is probably the greatest and most horrible crime ever commited in the whole history of the world." July 13 through Aug 26 - American, Canadian, and British forces broke out of the Normandy beachhead and advanced into northern France. Allied tanks broke through German lines and advanced across northern France capturing Rennes, and reaching Nantes on Aug. 6th. Allied air attacks prevented the Germans from reinforcing their lines and a German Army was annhilated in the Falaise Gap by Aug. 23rd. Flushed with victory, the Allied troops captured Orleans on Aug. 17th, Paris Aug. 23rd, and Tours Aug. 26th July 18 - In reponse to the turning tide against Japan in the Pacific, General Hideki Tojo and his cabinet resigned. He was replaced by General Kunaiki Koiso as Premeir and Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai as Vice Premier. July 20 - In an attempt to kill Hitler, Colonel Count Claus Baron Schenk von Stauffenberg smuggled a briefcase bomb into the conference room at Wolf's Lair, Hitler's East Prussian headquarters. During the briefing Count von Stauffenberg placed the breifcase under the table, setting it next to the table leg. He then left the room. General Brandt noticed the briefcase and moved it to the other side of the table support, away from Hitler. The bomb went off at 12:42 pm, killing one person and mortally wounding three others. Another 20 people at the conference were injured.
Hitler escaped the bombing attempt with only slight injuries. Members of the conspiracy included: Col. Gen. Beck, Carl Gordeler, Field Marshal Witzleben and Gen. Halder. Hitler mounted a major purge to root out the German resistance. Baron von Stauffenberg and three other Wehrmacht officers were immediately and summarily executed by firing squad. Former Colonel General Beck was allowed to commit suicide. Hitler's revenge was horrifying: In all, over 5,000 people would be rounded up and shot, many of them innocent, as a result of the assassination attempt. July 21 - U.S. Marines from the 3rd Amphibous Corp landed on Guam. The 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions established beachheads at Asan and Agat bringing nearly 55,000 troops ashore. Progress against the well-entrenched, hard-fighting Japanese defenders of the beachhead were delayed by many factors including difficult terrain, high humidity, frequent rain showers, and problems landing equipment and reinforcements. As on Saipan, the Japanese fired upon the invading Marines from well prepared positions in caves and tunnels as well as pillboxes situated on the beaches, cliffs, and hills overlooking the beaches. At 0700 on July 26th, Army artillery, backed by naval guns, planes and batteries on nearby islands, began a bombardment as cover for a new infantry assault, designed to break the defenses of Orote. Combined U.S. attacks with armor and infantry made slow progress up the peninsula, but finally completed the operation on July 29th. In four days, between 2,000 and 3,000 Japanese defenders on the Orote Peninsula had been killed as Americans captured the territory, with its harbor and airfield. The Japanese still held key high ground in the mountains dominating the island, and little progress had been made. The Marine and Army units from the original north and south landings linked up on July 28th and took several of the hills that threatened the beaches, creating a consolidated line for the first time. The assault phase ended with a 25 square mile beachhead controlled by the U.S. 3rd Marine Division and the 77th Division. During the invasion of Guam, U.S. forces suffered 8,000 casualties, including more than 1,000 killed. More than 17,500 Japanese defenders died. Thousands of native Chamorros were discovered and liberated from Japanese concentration camps. July 24 - The Red Army drove the Germans from the last important Russian city, liberating Pskov. The capture of this strategic city opened the way for a Soviet invasion of Estonia. July 25 - Operation Cobra begins as 2,500 bombers including 1,500 heavy bombers from the U.S. 8th Air Force, saturate the German lines west of St. Lo with 4,150 tons of bombs. Panzer Lehr is all but wiped out in the attack. The U.S. 7th Corps, having suffered over 600 "friendly fire" losses from the bombers and having to negotiate the shattered ground, made slow but steady progress. The attack was supported by the U.S. 13th Corps to the east and the 8th Corps to the west. Meanwhile, Canadian forces opened a fresh set of attacks toward Falaise, south of Caen.
Japanese forces launch suicidal attacks on Guam and Tinian. 1,200 Japanese soldiers die on Tinian, while 3,000 die on Guam. The attacks fail to dislodge the Americans, but they also prevent the beachheads from linking up. Aug. 7 - In a desperate attempt to stem the breakthrough at Avranches, the German 7th Army manages to scrape together 45 tanks from 4 separate divisions. Although Mortain falls, it is meaningless as RAF fighter bombers pummeled the advancing Germans and the die-hard defense offered by the U.S. 30th Infantry Division stopped the offensive before it had hardly begun. German losses were very heavy. In other action in northwest France, the Canadians launch Operation Totalize. Supported by 600 tanks, over 700 heavy artillery pieces, and a raid by 1,000 heavy RAF bombers, they succeed in breaking through the German lines southwest of Caen and advance toward Falaise. The U.S. 15th Corps is redirected north to sweep behind the German 7th Army left rear and close with the Canadians in order to encircle the Germans. Meanwhile, attacks by the U.S. 8th Corps attacks German garrisons at Brest, St. Malo, and Lorient. Aug. 15 - Allied forces launched Operation Dragoon, hitting the beaches of southern France between Toulon and Nice. Although smaller than the Normandy invasion, nearly 100,000 troops were landed by sea and air. The attack, led by the U.S. 7th Army, was a complete surprise. The U.S. 3rd, 45th, and 36th Infantry Divisions made the initial landings and were supported by French paratroopers and commandos. Air support came from over 1,500 planes. Naval support came from 5 battleships, 24 cruisers, and 91 destroyers. The Allies took less than 200 losses in the attack and by the end of the day were firmly established ashore having taken 6 towns and captured 2,000 Germans. To the north, the British 2nd Army engaged in heavy fighting in Tinchebray. The Canadian 1st Army continued to slug its way to Falaise. The U.S. 1st Army, released to attack, attempted to move north to meet the Canadians, but met stiff resistance. The U.S. 3rd Army continued to drive into Brittany and central France. Aug. 16 - The Roosevelt administration froze Argentina's gold assests in the U.S. as the Argentinian government failed to cooperate fully in the war against the Axis powers. Aug. 21 - Representatives from the U.S., the British Commonwealth, and the Soviet Union met at Dumbarton Oaks, in Washington, DC, to plan for the establishment of the United Nations. The objective for the UN was to replace the League of Nations with a more effective organization to preserve world peace and security. The tentative proposals, known as the Dumbarton Oaks Plan, served as the basis for the Charter of the United Nations. The major sticking point at the conference was the veto issue. The Soviets refused to bar a member of the Security Council from voting on an issue to which itself was a party. The UN proposal was officially unveiled on October 9th. Aug. 23 - When the Red Army reached the mouth of the Danube River and captured Jassy and Kishniev, King Michael of Romania dismissed the government of General Ion Antonescu and accepted the United Nations Armistice terms. The Red Army advanced into Romania to take up occupation duties. The Romanian surrender trapped most of the German Black Sea fleet, with the exception of smaller warships which were able to sail up the Danube before the Soviet advance. Soviet domination of the Black Sea opened up a strategic supply route which permitted more cargo to reach the Soviet Union. Aug. 24 - Citizens of Paris rioted against German forces of occupation as Allied armed divisions crossed the Seine, and approached the Capital. French Forces of the Interior, which had been organized for underground resistance and supplied with arms, rose against the retreating Germans.
Aug. 25 - Allied forces led by the French 2nd Armored Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Lecleric, liberated Paris. The liberation of Paris was hastened by an open rebellion by Parisians against the Nazi's in the days leading to the liberation. Despite orders from Hitler that Paris should be held to the last and to destroy the city, Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz surrendered Aug. 25th, after initially heavy fighting with Leclerc's French 2nd Armored Division. On the same day, Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French forces moved back into the War Ministry on the rue Sainte-Dominique, then made a rousing speech to the populaton from the hotel de Ville. The next day, U.S. and British forces entered the city and were greeted by quite an emotional welcome. Aug. 26 - Nov. 15 British and Canadian forces advanced along the northern French coast, capturing Rouen on Aug. 30th and Calais on Sept. 30th. They continued their attack into Belgium in September. Aug. 27 - RAF bomber command launches their first large scale daylight raids over Germany hitting oil refineries in the Rhur. Meanwhile, the U.S. effort continues. On this day, over a thousand bombers were commited to targets in Anklam, Grossenbrode, Neubrandenburg, Parow, Peenemunde, Rechlin, Lubeck, Rostock, Schwerin, and Wismar. Aug. 29 - Allied commanders turned over the administration of Paris to General Charles de Gaulle and the French Committee for National Liberation. Aug. 31 - Following the terms of the Romanian armistice, Red Army forces occupied Bucharest. Sept. 2 - Allied forces, which had penetrated into Belgium, liberated Brussels.
Sept. 3 - The 68th, and last transport of Dutch Jews, which included Anne Frank, left for Auschwitz. Sept. 6 - Allied planning for the end of the war in Europe began as the U. S. government announced that a million men would be demobilized after Germany's surrender, while in England, British officials relaxed blackout and other civil defense measures and ended mandatory service in the Home Guard. Sept. 7 - After having over 2,300 V-1 bombs hit London, for the first time in history, the Germans employed rocket-propelled V-2 missiles as weapons. Their V-2 missiles represented an advanced stage of technology, with missiles hitting Antwerp and London on Sept. 7th. Sept. 11 - 16 Roosevelt and Churchill meet in Quebec City to review the strategic plans for the final victories over Germany and Japan. The chief issues during the talks were the demarcation of the occupation zones after the conquest of Germany and the policy of post-war governance. The Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr. introduced the Morgenthau Plan, a draconian policy which would have reduced Germany to an agrarian economy. The plan was tentatively approved at Quebec, but political criticism led President Roosevelt to disavow the policy a month later. Patton's U.S. 3rd Army crosses the German frontier near Trier as other elements hook up with the U.S. 7th Army forces advancing from the south. Elements of the British 2nd Army crosses the Dutch border east of Antwerp. The British 1st Corps, (Canadian 1st Army), opens an assult on the German garrison at Le Harve. Sept. 12 - Oct. 21 The American 1st Army crossed the German frontier near Eupen and U. S. armored forces entered Germany north of Trier. The Americans advanced to Aachen by Oct. 21st., but the German defenses on the Siegfried Line stiffened and haulted the American advance. Sept. 15 - The western Allies close with the Siegfried Line as the U.S. 1st Army captures Maastricht and Eysden, the U.S. 3rd Army takes Nancy, the British 2nd Army crosses the Meuse-Escaut canal, while the U.S. 7th Army and the newly activated 1st French Army close on the German border and come under the command of SHAEF. De Gaulle, having set up his government, orders the arrest of Marshal Petain and other members of the Vichy government for their collaboration with the Nazis.
Sept. 17 - In a massive display of air supremacy, Allied forces launched a massive attempt to secure the bridgehead over the Rhine River at Arhnem. Elements of three airborn divisions, over 1,500 planes and 500 gliders dropped elements of three airborn divisions into Holland in an attempt to capture a corridor leading from Eindhoven to Arnhem that crosses five water bodies including two major river bridges. The initial landings were a great success. Two of the bridges were captured intact. The bridge at Son was destroyed before it was secured. The major river bridges over the Waal at Nijmegen, and the Rhine at Arnhem were not secured. However, one British battalion was able to establish a perimeter on the north side of the Arnhem bridge. Unknown to the Allies, the British dropped onto the 9th SS and 10th SS Panzer Divisions. The German divisions were resting and refitting and therfore under strength, but their presence would creat havoc in the next week. The airborn assault was in conjunction with an armored drive by the elite British XXX Corps spearheaded by the Guards Armored Division. They ran into very determined and unexpected resistance, advancing only 7 miles on the first day. Operation Market Garden continues as fog prevents reinforcement airdrops until late in the afternoon. German forces launch strong attacks against the British positions at Arhnem. Attempts to reinforce the battalion in the town at the bridge proves fruitless. XXX Corps was able to advance 20 miles relieving the 101st Airborn, but was forced to stop to repair the bridge at Son. Elements of the 82nd Airborn engaged in heavy street fighting in Nijmegen as they moved onto the bridge there. The British submarine Tradwind torpedoed Junya Maru. Tradewind, a twin-screw Triton-class boat of the Royal Navy, attacked Japanese merchant ship Junya Maru, killing an estimated 4,320 people - approx. 1,700 Western POWs, 500 Indonesian prisoners, and thousands of Japanese slave laborers. Tradewind's captain, Lt. Cmdr. S.L.C. Maydon, wasn't aware until many years later that the ship he had sunk had been carrying human cargo, including thousands of his own and Allied troops. Sept. 22 - Operation Market Garden continues to grind on, as XXX Corps is able to advance to within six mile of Arhnem, but no farther. Bad weather prevents resupply drops to the British paratroops as ammunition runs low. German forces launched strong attacks on the airborn corridor at Uden and Veghel that stopped traffic on the road and forced British tankers to reinforce the 82nd Airborn. The supporting attacks by the Canadian 1st Army succeeds in capturing Boulogne. Sept. 24 - Allied invasion of Greece. British airborn forces landed in Greece and advanced on Athens, liberating the capital on Oct. 13th. Sept. 26 - The first full scale plutonium reactor, the B pile, at Hanford was completed and loaded with uranium. This reactor contained 200 tons of uranium metal, 1200 tons of graphite, and was cooled by 5 cubic meters of water per second. It was designed to operate at 250 megawatts, producing some 6 kg of plutonium a month. On this day Fermi supervised the reactor's start-up. After several hours of operation at 100 megawatts, the B pile inexplicably shut down, then started itself up again the next day.
Within a few days this was determined to be due to poisoning by the highly efficient neutron absorber Xenon-135, a radioactive fission product. The B reactor, and others under construction, had to be modified to add extra reactivity to overcome this effect before production could begin. Oct. 2 - Polish forces, under the command of General Bor (Tadeo Komorowski), surrendered to the Germans after several months of pitched fighting in Warsaw. The Poles launched the uprising in anticipation of a Red Army offensive into Poland. Soviet aid never materialized as the Germans reduced to the city to ruins.
Oct. 7 - Several hundred Jewish prisoners assigned to Crematorium IV at Auschwitz-Birkenau rebelled after learning they were going to be gassed. During the uprising, the prisoners killed three guards and blew up the crematorium and adjacent gas chamber. The prisoners used explosives smuggled into the camp by Jewish women who had been assigned to forced labor in a nearby armaments factory. The Germans crushed the revolt and killed almost all the prisoners involved in the rebellion. The Jewish women who had smuggled in the explosives were publicly hanged. Oct. 9 - 19 Prime Minister Wnston Churchill traveled to Moscow to meet with Premier Josef Stalin. The two leaders adopted the Percentages Agreement, whereby they divided the Balkan region into spheres of influence. Under the terms of the agreement, the Soviets would predominate in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania while Britain would assume power in Greece. Both countries would share influence in Yugoslavia. The two leaders also agreed to Poland's borders, with the Curzon Line serving as Poland's eastern boundary and the Oder River as the western border. President Frankin Roosevelt, when learning of the agreements reached in Moscow, announced the United States would not be bound by the terms. Oct. 19 - U. S. forces conducted amphibious assaults on the island of Leyte in the Philippine Islands. General Douglas MacArthur commanded the invasion force that would reconquer the Philippines. From Oct. 21-25th the Imperial Navy attempted to destroy the U.S. invasion force. In the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Japanese lost 40 ships and 405 aircraft, while an additional 46 ships were damaged. This battle effectively eliminated the Japanese Imperial Navy as an offensive threat in the Pacific. The U.S. concluded a series of offensives in the Philipiines, landing forces on Mindoro Island Dec.15th, Luzon Feb. of 1945, and Palawan June of 1945.
Oct. 20 - General Douglas MacArthur stepped ashore on A-Day (attack day) at Leyte in the Philippines, 2 1/2 years after he'd said, "I shall return". He landed with Sergio Osmena, the President-in-exile, and General Carlos Romulo, who later served as Foreign Minister. Oct. 23 - The Allied governments officially recognized the French Provincial Government under the leadership of General Charles de Gaulle. The Allied governments officially recognized the Itialian Government under the leadership of Ivanoe Bonomi. Battle of Leyte Gulf Oct. 23 - 26 The Battle of Leyte Gulf marked the eclipse of the Imperial Japanese naval power, the last sortie in force for the Imperial Navy, and the largest naval battle ever fought on the face of the earth. It was separated into four parts, each carrying it's own name:
Leyte Gulf ~ Battle of the Sibuyan Sea On the morning of Oct. 24th, it was Intrepid's Air Group 18 that drew air search sea duty for the area including the Sibuyan Sea. Shortly after 0800, one of the fighter/bomber teams that were sent out to search the area, dispatched news to Halsey that at the entrance of the Sibuyan Sea they had found the fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Kurita. Several hundred miles to the south, in a different search sector, planes from the Enterprise and her Air Group 20 located the two old battlewagons under the command of Admiral Nishimura. Halesy wasted no time, from the fleet flagship battleship New Jersey, at 0837 the call went to the three available carrier task groups, "Strike, repeat, Strike, Good Luck." Aboard the carriers of Bogan and Davison, the crews readied the attacks planes for their strikes against the oncoming dreadnought fleet. Admiral Frederick Sherman's Task Group 38.3 consisted of carriers, Essex, Lexington, Princeton, and Langley. Vice-Admiral Takiijiro had decided to utilize the remaining weak firepower of his 1st Air Fleet in attacking U.S. carriers rather than covering Kurita. As a result, he was able to muster almost 80 planes in a powerful strike against Sherman's forces. From Essex, Lexington, Princeton, and Langley fighters scrambled to intercept the enemy. There seemed to be little reason for worry, but there was. It wasn't a massive strike that dealt damage to the U.S., but a single D4Y Judy dive-bomber, clinging closely to the U.S. returning fighters and escaping detection, that singled out the light carrier Princeton as its target. The Judy planted an armor-piercing bomb in the middle of the flightdeck. Inside the Princeton, the bomb had wrecked the ready-made Avengers that had been intended for the strike on Kurita, igniting several fires inside the hangar deck. Sherman left behind the Birmingham and three destroyers, and was on his way to strike Kurita. The Birmingham and her supporting destroyers tended to the ailing Princeton. At first it seemed like the damage to the Princeton wasn't too bad, then at 1530 her aft magazines, heated by the blaze in the hangar deck, ignited, sending splinters in all directions, killing 230 Birmingham crew members and maiming others. Wither her aft deck blown away, and the hangar deck fires out of control, Capt. Buracker decided to abandon ship. At 1630, he left as last man alive. The destroyer Irwin was ordered to scuttle the carrier with torpedoes, but she had little luck. Almost being hit by her own circle-running torpedoes, frustration spread like fire among the crew. Finally, the light cruiser Reno was ordered to finish the job. While the Princeton was struggling for her survival, deckload strikes from Gerry Bogan's task group swooped down on Kurita's Center Force. Simultaneously, from Dave Davison's forces came air strikes on Nishimura's smaller, but potent force. The results were less than expected. As bombs churned the waters around the Yamashiro and Fuso, others merely ignited small fires aboard the battleships. The cruiser Mogami, tagging along with the battleships, was hit by rockets, but showed no sign of damage. The destroyers had also been strafed, but showed no damage and continued onward. Leyte Gulf ~ Battle of Cape Engano The four carriers under the command of Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa, Ziuikaku, Zuiho, Chitose and Chiyoda, the later three converted to submarine tenders, were home to only a hundred planes. Each of Halsey's groups had 250 planes ready for use. Ozawa's task was to make himself known to the U.S. fleet, thus drawing it away from Kurita. An easy task under nrmal circumstances, however their Gods of war thought it best to deny Ozawa his sighting. The one reason being that by the time Ozawa had desired to be found, the U.S. group had other sectors to cover and was busy with other things. Admiral Sherman had his hands full combating Vice-Admiral Onishi Takijiro's air strikes from Luzon to care much about searches. When Ozawa intercepted the news of Kurita's temporary retirement, he opted to retire to the north. Despite having no idea of Kurita's whereabouts, Ozawa felt obliged by an order from the Combined Fleet commander Toyoda, who had ordered all task forces to attack. On the morning of the 25th, Ozawa began his active part in the battle. Having received a position report from a scout plane he'd sent out earlier, he launched a 75-strong air strike against the target, which the Americans never realized came from a carrier. He didn't realize that he'd already been sighted, at 1640 on the 24th, a Helldiver had found him but no attack materialized because of the swiftly coming darkness. Now Halsey had his three available carrier groups moving north at swift speed, poised to strike Ozawa and to wipe out the enemy carriers for good. Halsey left nothing behind him, despite repeated pleas from Vice-Admiral Willis Lee, in command of Halsey's battleships, to let him have two light carriers and stay south to cover the San Bernardino Strait. Halsey wouldn't hear of it, he was determined to get the first crack at the Japanese carriers and do it right there. In doing so, he left considerable problems for Admiral Thomas Kinkaid, commanding the 7th Fleet in Leyte Gulf. Kinkaid had arrayed his available naval power in order to repulse the threat posed by Admiral Shoji's smaller Southern force, including the 6 battleships of his bombardment squadron. He firmly believed that Lee was indeed guarding his northern flank. The road to Leyte was wide open for anyone to try it however. While disaster loomed for the 7th Fleet forces put in the middle of Leyte Gulf, the same held true for the redoubtable Admiral Ozawa. He had placed himself to the north of the U.S., abreast Cape Engano. He had retained little aerial firepower, only a rudimentary air defense group, which was hurriedly reinforced when at 0700 when they spotted the Americans to their south. The initial air strike of five was already telling the battle's story, against little resistance, the Americans brushed aside the air defenses, then concentrated on the carriers. The Chitose was disabled, the Zuikaku severely damaged, the destroyer Akizuki sunk. The next wave, two hours later, found the Zuikaku and Zuiho behind the main part of the fleet, as was the Chitose. The combined force of the second and third waves smashed the small Chiyoda. At the end of the fifth wave, Ozawa's fleet had been bombed into submission, although the U.S. still hadn't been able to destroy the Ise and the Hyuga. Four other battleships had been destroyed by air attack, the Hiei, which had been crippled in prior action, and the Haruna. Luck helped Ozawa for a final time as he was heading north. Just as Halsey was releasing Admiral Lee to use his fast battleships to sink the remainder of Ozawa's force, news arrived from Kinkaid and Nimitz; Leyte Gulf was under attack, Halsey was thought to have taken care of that possibility. Left to mop up Ozawa was a small cruiser-destroyer force under the command of Rear-Admiral Laurence T. DuBose, who had sunk the Chitose with gun and torpedo fire. Lee and the battleships headed south, desparate to help their beleaguered comrades in the Gulf. Leyte Gulf ~ Battle of Surigao Strait Nishimura's "Southern Force" consisted of the battleships Yamashiro and Fuso, the cruiser Mogami, and 4 destroyers. They were attacked by bombers on Oct. 24 but they sustained only minor damage. Because of the strict radio silence imposed on the Central and Southern Forces, Nishimura was unable to synchronize his movements with Shima and Kurita. When he entered the narrow Surigao Strait, at about 02:00 Shima was 40 km behind him, and Kurita was still in the Sibuyan Sea, several hours from the beaches at Leyte. As they passed the Cape of Panaon Island they ran into a deadly trap set for them by the 7th Fleet Support Force. Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf had 6 battleships (the Mississippi, Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, California and Pennsylvania) 4 heavy cruisers, (USS Louisville, Portland, Minneapolis and HMS Shropshire) 4 light cruisers, (USS Denver, Columbia, Phoenix, Boise), 29 destroyers and 39 PT boats. To pass the strait and reach the landings, Nishimura would have to run the gauntlet of torpedoes from the PT boats, evade the 2 groups of destroyers, proceed up the strait under the concentrated fire of 6 battleships in line across the far mouth of the strait, and then break through the screen of cruisers and destroyers. At about 03:00 Fuso and the destroyers Asagumo, Yamagumo, and Mishishio were hit by torpedoes. Fuso was broken in two, but did not sink. Then at 03:50 the battleships opened fire. Having Radar Fire Control (a computer that helped weapon systems to hit the target) meant that American battleships could hit targets at a distance at which the Japanese could not reply. The Yamashiro and Mogami were crippled by 16 inch (406 mm) armor-piercing shells. The Shigure turned and fled but lost steering and stopped dead. The Yamashiro sank at 04:19. At 04:25 Shima's force of 2 cruisers, Nachi and Ashigara, and 8 destroyers reached the battle. Seeing what they thought were the wrecks of both of Nishimura's battleships, (it was the 2 halves of the Fusa instead), he realized the hopelessness of passing the strait and ordered a retreat. His flagship the Nachi collided with the Mogami, flooding Mogami's steering-room. The Mogami was sunk by aircraft the next morning. The bow half of the Fuso was destroyed by the USS Lousiville and the stern half sank off Kanihaan Island. Out of 7 ships, Nishimura's only remaining ship was the Shigure. The Yamashiro was the last battleship to engage another in combat, and one of the few to have been sunk by another battleship. This was the last battle in naval history to take place solely between all-gun warships. Leyte Gulf ~ Battle off Samar Kurita passed through the San Bernardino Strait at 03:00 on Oct. 25th and steamed south along the coast of Samar. Three groups of the 7th Fleet, led by Admiral Kinkaid, were there to stop them. Each with 6 escort carriers and 7 or 8 destroyers. Admiral Thomas Sprague's Task Unit 77.4.1 consisted of the Sangamon, Suwannee, Chenango, Santee, Saginaw Bay, and Petrof Bay. Admiral Felix Stump's Task Unit 77.4.2 consisted of the Natoma Bay, Manilla Bay, Marcus Island, Kadashan Bay, Savo Island and Ommaney Bay. Admiral Clifton Sprague's Task Unit 77.4.3 consisted of the Fanshaw Bay, St. Lo, White Plains, Kalinin Bay, Kitkun Bay, and Gambier Bay. Each escort carrier had about 30 planes, making more than 500 planes in all. Escort carriers were slow and lightly armored and stood little chance in an encounter with a battleship. A mix up in communications led Kinkaid to believe that Admiral Willis A. Lee's Task Force of 34 battleships was guarding the San Bernardino Strait to the north, therefore there would be no danger form that direction. But Lee had gone with Halsey in pursuit of Ozawa. The Japanese came by Admiral Clifton Sprague's ships at 06:45, taking the Americans by complete surprise. Kurita mistook the escort carriers for fleet carriers and thought he had the whole American 3rd fleet under the 18 inch (457mm) guns of his battleships. Sprague directed his carriers to turn east towards a squall, hoping that bad visability would reduce the accuracy of the Japanese gunfire, and sent his destroyers in to distract the Japanese battleships and buy time. The destroyers attacked the Japanese line with suicidal determination, drawing fire and scattering the Japanese formations as ships turned to avoid the torpedoes. The Yamato found herself between 2 torpedoes on parallel courses and for 10 minutes she headed away from the action, unable to turn back for fear of being hit. The American destroyers Hoel and Johnston, and destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts were sunk and 4 others were damaged. The small carriers bravely returned fire with the only guns they had, their single stern mounted 5 inch (127mm) anti-aircraft guns. The guns had little chance of inflicting any damage on even unarmored surface ships.
It seemed possible for Sprague's ships to escape total destruction, but at 09:20 Kurita turned and retreated north. The destroyer attacks had broken up his formations, he'd lost tactical control, and the heavy cruisers Chokaim, Suzuya and Chickuma, had been sunk by concentrated air and sea attack. Signals from Ozawa had disabused him of the notion he was attacking the whole of the 3rd fleet, which meant that the longer he continued to engage, the more likely it was that he'd suffer devestating air strikes from Halsey's cruisers. He retreated north then went west through the San Bernardino Strait under continuous air attack. The Nagato, Haruna, and Kongo were severely damaged. He'd begun the battle with 5 ships, and returned home to Japan with only the Yamato. Nov. 29 - The office of War Information revealed that the German's had sunk over 22 million tons of Allied and neutral merchant shipping between Sept. of 1939 and Jan. 1 of 1944. Despite this staggering loss, the U.S. had replaced this tonnage, launching 4,308 ships with a deadweight tonnage of over 44 million during the same period. By 1944, the Allies had achieved naval superiority in the Battle of the Atlantic, destrying over 500 U-boats. Dec. 10 - The french and Soviet governments signed a 20 year Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance. General Charels De Gaulle negotiated the agreement with the Russians in Moscow. Dec. 16 - Jan. 15, 1945 Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge was known as different things to different countries. To the Germans it was known as Operation Wacht Am Rhein. It was also known as the Second Battle of the Ardennes, and the Ardennes Offensive. This was to be the last major German offensive on the western front. The Germans had intended to split the Allied line in half, capturing Antwerp and proceeding to sweep north to encircle and trap the Allied armies. Hitler believed this would force the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis favor. The "bulge" refers to the extension of the German lines in this battle, forming an arc into Allied controlled territory. Although it was ultimately successful, the offensive tied down large numbers of Allied resources, and the Allies slow response to the gap in their lines set their timetable back by months. But the offensive did allow the Allies to depleat the best the German army had to offer as well, thus leaving Germany's remaining forces in poor supply. This was to be the largest land battle the U.S. Army had ever fought till then. At 05:30 the German assualt began with a massive artillery barrage on the Allied Troops facing the 6th SS Panzer Army. By 08:00 all 3 German armies attacked through the Ardennes. In the northern sector, the 6th SS Panzer Army assaulted Losheim Gap and the Elsenborn Ridge in an effort to break through to Liege. In the center, the 5th Panzer Army attacked towards Bastogne at St. Vith. These road junctions were of great importance. In the south, the 7th Army pushed toward Luxembourg in the effort to secure the flank from Allied attacks. Using the same tactics the Russians had used against German lines during Operation Bagration, the German's first wave consisted mainly of infantry. They cleared the way and created a pincher like effect in the front that could be exploited by armored troops. The intitial advance caught the Americans by surprise. Many of the forward deployed units surrendered, but strong resistance further from the back greatly slowed the German advance. Attacks by the 6th SS Panzer Army infantry units in the north fared badly due to unexpected fierce resistance from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division and the U.S. 99th Infantry Division, which was attached to the 2nd Division, at the Elsborn Ridge, stalling their advance. This forced Dietrich to unleash his Panzer forces too early. Starting Dec. 16th, horrible snowstorms engulfed the Ardennes area. While this had the desired effect of keeping Allied aircraft grounded, it also proved to be a problem for the Germans, as poor road conditions hampered their advance. Thousands of vehicles were bogged down in massive traffic jams due to the weather. The German's fared better in the center and south as they attacked positions held by the 28th Infantry Division and the 106th Infantry Division. All along the lines, however, the inexperience of some of the German troops was evident. They tended to attack from the open and marched without cover, making them prime targets for the Americans to ambush. The recent Allied developement of proximity-fuzed artillery shells took a heavy toll on troops out in the open. Hitler had predicted it would take Eisenhower 2 or 3 days before he realized fighting in the Ardennes was a major offensive and not a counter attack. His prediction was proven quite wrong. Before the end of the first day, Eisenhower had ordered vast reinforcements to the area. The Red Ball Experess stopped moving supplies and started moving troops. Within a week 250,00 troops had been sent. At the same time the 101st Airborn Division was ordered to defend the town of Bastogne. The 82nd Airborn Division was also thrown into the battle north of the bulge, near Leige. Dec. 17 - Operation Stosser The start of Operation Stosser had been delayed by a day due to the bad weather and fuel shortages. The new drop zone was set for 03:00 Dec. 17th. The drop zone was 11km north of Malmedy and the target was the Baraque Michel crossroads. Von der Heydte and his men were to take it and hold it for 24 hours until the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, thereby hampering the flow of Allied reinforcements and supplies into the area. Just after midnight on the morning of Dec. 17th, 112 Ju52 transport planes with about 1,300 German paratroopers on board took off in a powerful snowstorm, with strong winds and extensive low cloud cover. As a result, many planes went off course, and the men were dropped as far away as 12 km from their intended targets, with only a fraction making it. Strong winds also took off target those paratroopers whose planes were relatively close to the drop zones and made their landings far rougher. By noon a group of about 300 managed to assemble, but this force was too small and too weak to counter the Allies. Col. van der Heydte abandoned plans to take the crossroads and instead ordered his men to harass the Allied troops in the area with guerilla-like actions. Because of the extensive dispersal of the jump, with German paratoopers being reported all over the Ardennes, the Allies thought a major divisional sized jump had taken place, resulting in confusion and causing them to allocate men to secure their rear instead of sending them off to the front to face the main German thrust. Operation Grief Skorzeny successfully infiltrated a small part of his battalion of disguized, English speaking Germans behind enemy lines. Although they failed to take the vital bridges over the Meuse, the battalion's presence produced confusion out of all proportion to their military activities, and rumors spread like wildfire. Even General Patton was alarmed, and on Dec. 17th he described the situation to Eisenhower as "Krauts speaking perfect english, raising hell, cutting wires, turning road signs around, spooking whole divisions, and shoving a bulge into our defenses." Checkpoints were soon set up all over the Allied rear, greatly slowing the progress of equipment and soldiers. Military Police (MP's) drilled servicemen on things which every American was supposed to know. Such as the identity of Mickey Mouses's girlfriend, baseball scores, or the capital of Illinois. The latter question resulted in the brief detention of General Omar Bradley himself, although he gave the correct answer...Springfield...the GI who questioned him incorrectly thought the answer was Chicago. Nonetheless, the tightened security made things harder for the German infiltrators, and some of them were captured. Even during interrogation they continued their mission of spreading dissinformation. When asked about their mission they would reply, they'd been told to go to Paris to kill or capture Eisenhower. Security around the General was greatly increased, and he was confined to his headquarters. Becuase these prisoners had been captured in American uniforms they were later executed by firing squad. This was the standard practice of every army at the time, although it was left ambivalent under the Geneva Convention. Which merely stated that soldiers had to wear uniforms that distinguished them as combatants. In addition, Skorzeny was an expert in international law and knew that such an operation would be well within its boundaries as long as they were wearing german uniforms when firing. Skorzeny and his men were aware of their fate, and most wore German uniforms under their Allied uniforms in case of capture. Skorzeny avoided capture and survived the war, leading a colorful life thereafter. December 17 - Malmedy Massacre In the north, the main armored spearhead of the 6th SS Panzer Army consisted of 4,800 men and 600 vehicles under the command of the Wafen-SS Colonel Jochen Peiper, pushed west ino Belgium. at 07:00 they seized a U.S. held fuel depot at Bullingen, where they paused to refuel before they continued westward. At 12:30 hours, near the hamlet of Baugnez, on the height halfway between the town of Malmedy and Ligneuville, they encountered elements of the U.S. 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. After a short battle the Americans surrendered. They were disarmed and sent to stand in a field near the crossroads. A tank pulled up, and shortly afterwards a truck pulled up. A single SS officer pulled out a pistol and shot a medical officer standing in the front row. Then he shot a man standing next to the medical officer. Other soldiers joined in with machine guns. It's not known why this happened, there's no record of an SS officer giving that order, however such killings of POW's was routine. News of the killings raced through Allied lines. Afterward the order went out, "SS were to be shot on sight". Captured SS soldiers who were part of the Kampfgruppe Peiper were tried in the controversial Malmedy Massacre Trial following the war. The fighting went on and by evening the Liebstandarte had pushed north to engage the U.S. 99th Infantry Division and Kampfgruppe Peiper arrived in front of Stavelot. He was already behind the timetable as it took 36 hours to advance from Eifel to Stavelot, it had taken only 9 hours in 1940. As the Americans fell back they blew up bridges and fuel dumps, denying the Germans critically needed fuel and further slowing their progress. The Assault of Kampfgruppe Peiper - Peiper entered Stavelot on Dec. 18th but encountered fierce resistance by the American defenders. Unable to defeat the American force in the area, he left a smaller support force in town and with the bulk of his forces he headed for the bridge at Trois-Ponts. But by the time he'd reached it the Allied forces had destroyed it. Peiper then headed for the village of La Gleize and from there to Stoumont. There, as Peiper approached, the American engineers blew up the bridge and the American troops were entrenched and ready to fight a bitter battle. His troops were cut off from the main German force and supplies when the Americans captured the poorly defended Stavelot on Dec. 19th. As their situation in Stoumont became hopeless, Peiper decided to pull back to La Gleize where he set up his defenses waiting for the German relief force. As no relief force was able to penetrate the Allied defenses, on Dec. 23rd Peiper decided to break through back to the German lines. The men of Kampfgruppe were forced to abandon their vehicles and heavy equipment, although most of the unit was able to escape. St. Vith - In the center, the town of St. Vith, a vital road junction, presented the main challenge for both von Manteuffel's and Dietrich's forces. The defenders, led by the U.S. 7th Armored Division, elements of the U.S. 9th Armored Division, and U.S. 28th Infantry Divisions successfully resisted the German attacks, slowing the German forces movement. The Germans managed to capture St. Vith on Dec. 21st, but U.S. troops fell back to entrenched positions in the area, presenting an impossible onstacle. By Dec. 23rd, the German's shattered their flanks, the defenders position became untenable and the U.S. troops were ordered to retreat west of the Salm River. As the German plan called for the capture of St. Vith by 1800 hours on Dec. 17th, the prolonged action in and around it presented a major blow to their timetable. Bastogne - On December 19th, the senior Allied commanders met in a bunker in Verdun. Eisenhower, realizing the Allies could destroy German forces much easier when they were out in the open and on the offensive than if they were on the defensive, told the generals, "The present situation is to be regarded as one of opportunity for us and not of disaster. There will be only cheerful faces at this table." Patton, realizing what Eisenhower implied, responded, "Hell, let's have the guts to let the bastards go all the way to Paris. Then we'll really cut them off and chew them up." Eisenhower asked Patton how long it would take to turn his 3rd Army north to counter attack. Patton said he could do it in 48 hours, to the disbelief of the other generals present. What they didn't know was that before the meeting, Patton had ordered his troops to move northward. By the time Eisenhower asked how long it would take, the troops were already on their way. By Dec. 21st, the German forces had surrounded Bastogne, which was defended by the U.S. 101st Airborn Division and Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division. Conditions inside the perimeter were tough, most of the mecial personell and supplies had been captured. Despite German attacks, the perimeter held. When Gen. Anthony McAuliffe was awakened by a German invitation to surrender, he gave a reply that has been variously reported, and probably unprintable. There is no disagreement however, as to what he wrote on the paper to the Germans: NUTS!! That had to be explained to the Germans and the non-American Allies. (it was explained to the Germans as "go to Hell!") Rather than launching one simultaneous attack around the perimeter, the German forces concentrated their assaults on several individual locations and attacked in sequence. Although this compelled the defenders to constantly shift reinforcements in order to repell each attack, it tended to dispell the German's numerical advantage. Allied Counter Offensive - The weather conditions began improving on Dec. 23rd, allowing the Allied forces to attack. They launched devastating bombing raids on the German supply points in the rear, and the P-47's began destroying the roads. The Allied forces also helped the defenders of Bastogne, dropping much needed medicine, food, blankets and ammunition. A team of volunteer surgeons flew in by glider and began operating in a tool room. By Dec. 24th the German advance was effectively stalled short of the Muese River. They had outrun their supply lines and shortages of fuel and ammunition were critical. Up to this point the German losses had been light, notably in armor, which was mostly untouched except for Peiper's losses. On the evening of the 24th Gen. Hasso von Manteuffle recommended to Hitler's Military Adjutant a halt to offensive operations and a withdrawal back to the West Wall. Hitler rejected it. Patton's 3rd Army was now battling to relieve Bastogne. At 1650 on Dec. 26th the lead element of the 37th Tank Battalion of the 4th Armored Division reached Bastogne, ending the seige. Germans Strike Back - On Jan. 1, 1945, in an attempt to keep the offensive going, the Germans launched 2 new operations. at 09:15 the Luftwaffe launched Operation Bodenplatte, a major campaign against Allied airfields in the Low Country. Hundreds of planes attacked the airfields, destroying or severely damaging some 465 aircraft. However the Luftwaffe lost 277 planes, 62 of them to Allied fightersand 172 mostly because of an unexpected high number of Allied flak guns. On that same day Operation Nordwind, a diversonary attack into the Alsace region began. The fighting ranged over 150 kilometers from Saarbrucken in the north to the Rhine in the south. After 13 days of fighting, the Americans fell back, having taken some 11,609 casualtiesbut inflicting 23,000. Allies Prevail - While the German offensive had ground to a halt, they still controlled a dangerous salient in the Allied line, from which their Panzers could wreak havoc. The Allied counter attack was slated to begin on Jan. 1, 1945. Patton's 3rd Army in the south, centered around Bastogne, would attack north, Montgomery's forces in the north would strike south. The 2 forces would meet up at Houfflalize. Many of the men slated for attack were incredulous, they couldn't believe that after 2 weeks of heavy fighting they were being asked to spearhead another offensive. Not only were they exhausted, but the temperature during January 1945 was the coldest on record. Trucks had to be run every half hour or the oil would freeze, weapons would freeze, so the men took to urinating on them to keep them warm. The men wore multiple overcoats and slept with 3 or 4 blankets. But the offensive went forward, notwithstanding morale. Eisenhower had put American troops in the north, under Montgomery's British 21st Army Group command. Eisenhower wanted Montgomery to go on the offensive Jan. 1, with the aim of meeting up with Patton's 3rd Army and cutting off most of the attacking Germans, trapping them in a pocket. However, refusing to commit men he felt were unprepared in a snowstorm, Montgomery didn't launch the attack until Jan. 3rd. By which time substantial numbers of German troops had already managed to disengage, albeit with the loss of their heavy equipment. Bradley later protested this assignment vehemently, describing Montgomery as "all out, right-to-the-toes-mad", and refusing to serve under him. At the start of the offensive, the 2 Armies were only separated by 40 kilometers. American progress in the south was also slow, about a kilometer a day. The Germans performed a fighting retreat, doing their best to delay the Americans. The majority of the German force escaped the battle, although the fuel situation had become so dire that most of the German armor had been abandoned. On Jan. 7, 1945, Hitler agreed to pull back most of the forces from the Ardennes, including the elite SS Panzer Divisions, thus ending all offensive operations. The Ardennes Offensive was now over, leaving the Allies to mop up the remaining German stragglers. On the same day Montgomery held a press conference at Zonhoven in which he gave credit for the victory to the "courage and good fighting quality" of the American soldiers, characterizing a typical American as a "very brave fighting man who has that tenacity in battle which makes a great soldier." He went on to talk about Allied teamwork, and praise Eisenhower, stating that, "teamwork wins battles, and battle victories wins wars. On our team is the Captain, General Ike." Some of his comments, particularly his noting that when the situation "began to deteriorate", Eisenhower placed him in command of the north, were inflammatory to Patton. The comments implied that the situation worsened under his leadership, until he was rescued by Montgomery "with a bang". Bradley and Patton both threatened to resign unless Montgomery's command was changed. Subsequently Bradley began to court the press, and it was stated that he would rarely leave headquarters "without at least 15 newspapermen." It's been suggested that he and Patton began to leak information detrimental to Montgomery. Athough the German advance was halted, the overall situation remained dangerous. On Jan. 6th, Winston Churchill once again asked Stalin for support. On Jan. 12th, the Red Army launched the Vistula-Oder Offensive in Poland and East Prussia. Soviet sources claim this was done ahead of schedule, while most Western sources doubt it, and instead claim the Soviet offensive was delayed because of the siuation in the West, with Stalin waiting out until both sides had militarily exhausted themselves. The Battle of the Bulge ended when the 2 American forces met up on Jan. 15, 1945.
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