On 3 June 1944, when German forces ambush his unit on patrol near Valmontone, Italy, Private Elden H. Johnson (aged 23) protects his comrades while they escape the kill zone.
For his actions today, Pvt. Johnson will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on 16 May 1945. His citation will read:
˝For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Pvt. Johnson elected to sacrifice his life in order that his comrades might extricate themselves from an ambush. Braving the massed fire of about 60 riflemen, three machine guns, and three tanks from positions only 25 yards distant, he stood erect and signaled his patrol leader to withdraw. The whole area was brightly illuminated by enemy flares. Then, despite 20-mm machine-gun, machine-pistol, and rifle fire directed at him, Pvt. Johnson advanced beyond the enemy in a slow deliberate walk. Firing his automatic rifle from the hip, he succeeded in distracting the enemy and enabled his 12 comrades to escape. Advancing to within five yards of a machine gun, emptying his weapon, Pvt. Johnson killed its crew. Standing in full view of the enemy, he reloaded and turned on the riflemen to the left, firing directly into their positions. He either killed or wounded four of them. A burst of machine-gun fire tore into Pfc. Johnson and he dropped to his knees. Fighting to the very last, he steadied himself on his knees and sent a final burst of fire crashing into another German. With that he slumped forward dead. Pvt. Johnson had willingly given his life in order that his comrades might live. These acts on the part of Pvt. Johnson were an inspiration to the entire command and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.˝
Pictures: 3rd Div. infantrymen enter the town of Mondragone and "capture" it during the practice of landing exercises held by the 3rd Inf. Div. 31 July, 1944.; Portrait of Pvt. Elden H. Johnson
Sources: Signal Corp Archive SC 270614; MoH Convention
On 2 June 1944, USAAF bombers and escort fighters complete the first shuttle bombing mission of Operation Frantic as they land at Soviet airbases in Ukraine.
We previously covered the complicated negotiations over setting up Operation Frantic in a post when Stalin approved the plan on 2 February.
Lt. Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, commander of U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe, in charge of Operation Frantic, decided that aircraft would be drawn from the Eighth Air Force in Britain and Fifteenth Air Force in Italy. B-17s are to operate from Soviet bases in Poltava and Mirgorod, while the fighters fly to the westernmost airbase at Piryatin. USSTAF Eastern Command was set up at Poltava, with a Soviet-imposed limitation of 1,200 U.S. personnel between the three bases.
Following months of reconstruction work on the three airfields with U.S.-provided materials and Soviet labor, Spaatz ordered Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker, commander of Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, to personally lead the first mission, FRANTIC-1, dubbed ˝Frantic Joe˝. Eaker selected the rail marshaling yard at Debrecen in Hungary after Soviet commanders refused to approve targets in Latvia.
This morning, with Eaker as copilot of the lead B-17 ˝Yankee Doodle II˝, 130 B-17s take off from airfields around Foggia in Italy. 69 P-51s escort them as they bomb a marshaling yard at Debrecen in Hungary.
Upon landing, Soviet officials warmly welcome Eaker at Poltava as around 20 U.S., British, and Soviet war correspondents swarm them.
The mission will be hailed internationally as a great success, but Stalin will not be happy with the coverage that hinted at the U.S. helping him win the war. His military commanders will mirror this as their growing confidence in victory will make them increasingly reluctant to allow foreign forces to operate in Soviet territory.
On 6 June, the B-17s will successfully bomb Galați airfield, Romania. Then, on 11 June, Eaker will lead the FRANTIC-1 group, 126 B-17s, and 60 P-51s to bomb Focșani airfield, Romania, and back to Italy to complete the first mission.
Picture: 97th Bombardment Group flew the first aircraft to Russia on a shuttle mission. 2 June 1944
Source: USAF Archives
On 1 June 1944, BBC's Radio Londres (Radio London) broadcasts the first stanza of Paul Verlaine's poem "Chanson d'automne" as a coded message to the French Resistance.
The BBC's French language broadcasts gained massive importance when Charles de Gaulle, who had fled to London the previous day, obtained special permission from Winston Churchill to broadcast his L’Appel du 18 juin (The Appeal of 18 June) to the French people.
On 19 June 1940, Radio London added the Ici la France (Here is France) program from 20:30 to 20:45 to counter the German-controlled Radio Paris and the Vichy government's Radiodiffusion Nationale. This sparked a veritable war of the airwaves.
Then on 7 July, the British appointed Michel Saint-Denis, alias Jacques Duchesne, to form a French team with its national programs and aspirations. They began to broadcast on 14 July, but by 6 September, renamed it to Ici Londres ! Les Français parlent aux Français... (This is London! The French speaking to the French...). The first four notes of the theme song, Beethoven's 5th Symphony, correspond to the letter V for Victory in Morse code.
Colonel Buckmaster, head of the French section of Special Operations Executive (SOE), saw the intelligence potential. In September 1940, he adapted the section reserved for personal messages from escapees to their families in France to begin sending coded messages to the Resistance. The Germans cannot understand these without the codebook.
Today, Beethoven's 5th is heard across most of France despite the German jamming. Radio London broadcasts over 200 coded messages. The three verses of Verlaine's poem, ˝Les sanglots longs, Des violons, De l'automne˝ (When a sighing begins/In the violins/Of the autumn-song) directly address the Ventriloquist circuit, operating south of Orléans, to inform it that invasion is coming within two weeks and to stand by for the next three lines, which would be the signal to cut railway lines 24 hours before the Allied landings. The Germans intercept the message but assume it is a general message on invasion to all Resistance circuits.
Picture: Jacques Duchesne, head of the BBC's French language program
Source: Rue des archives
On 31 May 1944, Lieutenant General Kotoku Sato, commander of the Japanese 31st Division, defies his superiors and retreats from Kohima.
When we last covered the Battle of Kohima on 11 April, the British-Indian garrison was holding out in isolated circles of defense (south to north: GPT Ridge, Jail Hill, DIS, FSD, Kuki Picquet, Garrison Hill, and IGH Spur) along the Kohima Ridge.
While the 161st Indian Infantry Brigade, relieved at Jotsoma by Major General Grover's British 2nd Division, advanced to relieve the Kohima garrison, the Japanese captured the Deputy Commissioner's bungalow and tennis court at Kohima.
A Japanese night attack on 18 April split the defenders in two. But that morning, the combined artillery, air, and tank fire from the 161st Brigade and Grover's 6th Brigade broke the siege. By 20 April, the Kohima garrison's 300 wounded were evacuated, and the 6th Brigade took their positions.
Sato reluctantly detached three battalions to Imphal on orders from his superior, Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi, and then went on the defensive with four battalions at Naga Village and Major General Miyazaki's four battalions on Kohima Ridge after failing to take Garrison Hill on 23 April.
Grover waited until 4 May to launch an offensive with his entire division. The 5th Brigade reached Naga Village by 5 May, while 4th Brigade took until 13 May to clear Kohima Ridge by storming the tennis court and DC's bungalow.
When Major General Frank Messervy's 7th Indian Infantry Division began to arrive from Arakan, Sato's situation worsened. His starving troops had resorted to foraging, captured food stocks, and were also low on ammunition. They held against British-Indian attacks on 16, 24, and 28 May. But Sato had already signaled Mutaguchi on 25 May that he would retreat on 1 June if no supplies arrived.
Today, Sato sees no supplies and decides it is enough. He orders a retreat, and Miyazaki's battalion-sized group fights a delaying action. Mutaguchi radios: ˝Retreat, and I will court-martial you.˝ Sato replies: ˝Do as you please. I will bring you down with me˝.
Picture: Indian and Gurkha soldiers inspect captured Japanese ordnance
Source: NAM. 1998-01-154-6
On 30 May 1944, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel conducts another inspection of the Atlantic Wall defenses.
Rommel's first inspection, which we covered on 19 December last year, left him unimpressed.
Under his orders, engineering troops and Osttruppen (foreign troops from Russia) workers have spent the last five months improving and fortifying various positions. From January to May 1944, over 4,600 hardened fortifications, including those on the French Mediterranean coast, were erected. Despite material shortages, the amount of concrete used on the Atlantic Wall since the start of 1944 has doubled from 357,000 to 722,100 cubic meters per month.
But Rommel's main contribution is a simpler multi-layered field of foreshore obstacles to pin an invasion force on the beaches. By mid-May, 517,000 obstacles of five main types had been built, and 31,000 equipped with mines. First is the 2.5-3-meter-tall (8-10 feet) wooden or concrete stakes planted on the beaches and angled to rip open the hull of landing craft. A second layer consists of V-shaped ramps rigged with impact-fuzed mines or artillery shells. Third is the concrete tetrahedron designed to beach or destroy landing craft, followed by the 'hedgehog' tank obstacles. Finally, heavy steel antitank structures resemble gates, about 2.7 m (9 feet) high and wide, nicknamed 'Belgian gates'. Further back, any field large enough for a glider landing is now strewn with 'Rommel's asparagus', 4-to-5-meter (13 to 16 ft) logs.
The troop buildup has been substantial. Since October 1943, the number of German divisions between the Bay of Biscay and the Dutch coast has gone from 38 to 58, consisting of 3,300 artillery pieces, 1,343 tanks, and 1,873,000 troops.
Nevertheless, material shortages have continued to frustrate Rommel.
During his inspection today, he discovers that of the originally planned six layers of obstacles, only three are complete. He is further disappointed when his commanders inform him only around 6.5 million mines are in place out of his projected need for 50 million.
Picture: Rommel inspecting the German 21st Panzer Division, Normandy, France, 30 May 1944
Source: Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-300-1865-06
On 29 May 1944, the Luftwaffe launches the last bombing mission of Operation Steinbock, by now dubbed the ˝Baby Blitz˝.
If you read our post covering Operation Steinbock's first raid on 21/22 January, you'd have known that the Luftwaffe did not get off to a great start.
Since then, the Luftwaffe has conducted around 40 major raids against British cities, with almost half of that number against London. The bombers flying on 3/4 February widely scattered their bombs, with only 26 of 190 tons hitting London. On 13/14 February, they did even worse, with only 4 of 158.5 tons dropped finding their target. Accuracy improved later in February, with the nightly raids between 18 and 24 February being particularly deadly, killing 556 people and wounding another 1,228.
But the Luftwaffe was paying dearly for every bomb dropped. Their losses amounted to 72 aircraft or 5.2% of the available forces in February alone. And when Generalmajor Platz, in charge of Operation Steinbock, ordered his bombers to target Hull and Bristol throughout March, the losses got even worse at 75 aircraft or 8.3% of the total committed forces.
By the end of April, with losses again at 75 aircraft and now 8.7%, the Luftwaffe lost most of their bombers and irreplaceable aircrews.
Platz assembled the last significant concentration of 150 bombers for a raid on 14/15 May against Bristol. Losses have been lighter this month at only 50 aircraft but amounted to 10% of the total number available.
Tonight, 29 May, Platz orders the cancellation of Operation Steinbock following tonight's final raid against Portsmouth and Falmouth.
Overall, the Luftwaffe has permanently lost some 329 aircraft and hundreds of aircrew, with that number climbing to 524 if aircraft damaged and needing lengthy repairs are counted.
On the other hand, the British have lost only 14 aircraft, with another 14 lost in intruder operations into France. But as with all strategic and terror bombings, the civilians have suffered the most, as the Luftwaffe's bombs have cost 1,556 civilians their lives.
Picture: Heinkel He 177 on airfield with crew
Source: Bild 101I-676-7969A-25
On 28 May 1944, Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief Expeditionary Force (ANCXF), issues the order to ˝execute Operation Neptune˝.
Ramsay's order is the culmination of months of preparation. On 24 April, ANCXF issued commanders Naval Order, Operation NEPTUNE (ONs), a 700-page, 7.6 cm (3 inches) thick book of orders in sealed envelopes.
On 9 May, Ramsay issued a notice that all plans and orders would be frozen as of 0900 on 12 May, with the arrival of the air plan, so that no alterations would be possible and confusion over orders would be reduced.
Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, commander of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF), explained during a meeting on 16 May that an aircraft corridor in which Naval anti-aircraft fire would be prohibited was to be established. As you'll know from our post on 17 May, Leigh-Mallory approved the painting of 'invasion stripes' as an IFF measure to further secure his aircraft from any trigger-happy naval gunners.
The recent discovery of new beach obstacles and defenses, including those discovered by the commando raid we covered in a post on 15 May, has narrowed the possible invasion dates dependent on weather, tidal, and lighting conditions. So on 23 May, Supreme Commander General Eisenhower ordered in special code that D-day was provisionally fixed for 5 June.
Then, at 2330 on 25 May, all holders of ONs received the code to open their envelopes.
Today, Ramsay confirms the order to ˝execute Operation Neptune˝. He fixes H-Hours at 0610 (Force O), 0600 (Force U), 0645 (Forces S and G), 0655 (Force J, right sector), and 0705 (Force J, left sector). All invasion forces go into lockdown, and no personnel are permitted to leave their ships or bases from this point forward.
All is set for the largest amphibious invasion in human history. And if you want to see how it goes, then subscribe to our D-Day 24 Hours YouTube channel (follow this link: https://youtube.com/@D-Day24Hours-sm5pe), where we will premiere ground-breaking 24-hour coverage of the Normandy landings at 00:00 CET on 6 June.
Picture: Sherman tanks embarking onto LCT-610 at Gosport, 3 June 1944
Source: IWM H 39000
On 27 May 1944, a clue for 11 across in a crossword puzzle in 'The Daily Telegraph' reads "[common]... but some bigwig like this has stolen some of it at times." The answer is 'Overlord'.
If you recall our post from 2 May, several significant codenames for the Allied invasion of northern France appeared in crossword puzzles in 'The Daily Telegraph' and caused alarm within Mi5.
Today's clue revealing the codename of the entire invasion plan is akin to mockery for Mi5, so they go on a manhunt for a German agent.
They quickly locate the crossword compiler, 54-year-old WWI veteran Leonard Dawe, headmaster at London's Strand School for Boys. The school was evacuated to Effingham, Surrey, near a U.S. and Canadian military base. Agents arrest Dawe and his colleague Melville Jones.
Mi5 will interrogate Dawe for days after quickly releasing Jones. Dawe will fervently deny having any knowledge of classified information. Unfortunately for him, the crossword puzzles he had already sent to the editors will continue to incriminate him.
On 30 May, the puzzle clue will be "This bush is a centre of nursery revolutions˝, and the answer printed on 31 May will be 'Mulberry', the name of the portable harbors intended for the invasion of France. The clue on 1 June will read "Britannia and he hold to the same thing", and the answer will be 'Neptune', the codename for the amphibious element of the invasion.
But Mi5 will be unable to get anything out of Dawe and will release him on 7 June.
Four decades later, Ronald French, one of Dawe's students, will reveal that Dawe would invite him and other students to fill out a blank crossword grid as an exercise. French overheard the invasion plans and codenames while talking or playing with the young soldiers at the nearby base and kept a record in his notebook for Dawe's 'crossword exercises'. After his release, Dawe ordered him to burn the notebook and swear an oath of secrecy following a stern lecture on national security.
But Dawe also likely wanted to protect himself from being fired by The Daily Telegraph and the school for plagiarism.
Picture: Compilation of crosswords incriminating Dawe
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 26 May 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), issues a memorandum titled ˝Preservation of Historical Monuments˝.
Ahead of the invasion of Western Europe, the Allies are keen to avoid a repeat of controversy and condemnation similar over the destruction of the Monte Cassino Abbey by USAAF bombers, which you can check out in our posts on 15 and 16 February, especially after the recent appeal by French Catholic Cardinals, which you can read in our 14 May post.
Today, Eisenhower issues a memorandum to all military officers under his command to address the issue of collateral damage:
1. Shortly we will be fighting our way across the Continent of Europe in Battles designed to preserve our civilization. Inevitably, in the path of our advance will be found historical monuments and cultural centers which symbolize to the world all that we are fighting to preserve.
2. It is the responsibility of every commander to protect and respect these symbols whenever possible.
3. In some circumstances the success of the military operation may be prejudiced on our reluctance to destroy these revered objects. Then, as at Cassino, where the enemy relied on our emotional attachments to shield his defense, the lives of our men are paramount. So, where military necessity dictates, commanders may order the required action even though it involves the destruction of some honored site.
4. But there are many circumstances in which damage and destruction are not necessary and cannot be justified. In such cases, through the exercise of restraint and discipline, commanders will preserve centers and objects of historical and cultural significance. Civil Affairs Staffs at higher echelons will advise commanders of the locations of historical monuments of this type, both in advance of the front lines and in occupied areas. This information, together with the necessary instructions, will be passed down through command channels to all echelons.˝
From U.S. National Archives NAID #7505528
Picture: The San Tommaso Cathedral in Ortona gutted during the December 1943 fighting,
Source: National Archives of Canada, PA-136308
On 25 May 1944, the Germans launch Operation Rösselsprung (Knight's Move), to capture or kill Marshal Josip Broz Tito, leader of the Yugoslav Partisans.
With his Partisans recognized as an Allied force, Tito established his HQ near Drvar in Bosnia, where the Allied military missions are based, and 10,000-16,000 Partisan 1st Proletarian Corps troops are deployed.
Kurt Rybka, the 500th SS Parachute Battalion commander, planned the operation as a two-part assault by 314 paratroopers and 354 glider-borne troops based on incompletely passed-on information by SD's Otto Skorzeny. Concurrently, 16,000 troops of the XV Mountain Corps, reinforced by V SS Mountain Corps and 2nd Panzer Army reserves, would launch a nine-pronged assault in the Drvar-Bosanski Petrovac area.
At 0635 today, the Luftwaffe bombs Drvar, and the 500th SS lands at 0700. By 0900, Rybka establishes his HQ at the local cemetery, and his forces begin the search for Tito. Rybka realizes Tito's HQ is in a cave north of the town and attacks it at 1030. His forces take heavy casualties, which allows Tito and 20 of his staff to escape at 1115.
With his second wave of 220 paratroopers killed or scattered, Rybka retreats to the cemetery. Between 1600 and 1800, Rybka is wounded and flown out. The Partisans launch repeated but cautious attacks. Meanwhile, Tito and his staff rendezvous with a battalion of the 1st Proletarian and the Allied military missions in the village of Potoci before proceeding to Kupres.
German forces, Ustashe, and Chetniks, advance with varied success, as they and their air support come under attack by the Allied Balkan Air Force called in by the British mission.
At 0330 on 26 May, the Partisan attack on the last 250 combat-effective 500th SS troops will end as the message that Tito escaped arrives. The 500th SS will be relieved at 1245 tomorrow, but fighting will continue for several days.
Tito, his staff, and the Allied missions will escape to Kupres, from where the RAF will fly them to Bari in Italy on 3 June and to the British-held island of Vis in the Adriatic on 6 June.
Picture: 500th SS soldiers hold Tito's captured uniform
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Maps: Wikimedia Commons
On 24 May 1944, Churchill lays out the post-liberation political order in France during a speech to Parliament.
During today's Parliamentary debate on foreign affairs, Churchill explains why the Allies will proceed cautiously regarding post-liberation political arrangements in France:
˝There is no doubt that this political entity, the French Committee of National Liberation, presides over, and directs, forces at the present time which, in the struggle against Hitler in Europe, give it the fourth place in the Grand Alliance. The reason why the United States and Great Britain have not been able to recognise it yet as the Government of France, or even as the Provisional Government of France, is because we are not sure that it represents the French nation in the same way as the Governments of Britain, the United States and Soviet Russia represent the whole body of their people. The Committee will, of course, exercise the leadership to establish law and order in the liberated areas of France under the supervision, while the military exigency lasts, of the supreme Allied Commander, but we do not wish to commit ourselves at this stage to imposing the Government of the French Committee upon all of France which might fall under our control without more knowledge than we now possess of the situation in the interior of France...
In Norway and the Low Countries it is different. If we go there we shall find that continuity of lawful government is maintained by the Governments which we recognise... with perfect and unbroken continuity... On the other hand, we are not able to take a decision at this time to treat the French Committee of National Liberation, or the French Provisional Government, as it has been called, as the full, final, and lawful embodiment of the French Republic. It may be that the Committee itself may be able to aid us in the solution of these riddles and I must say that I think their decree governing their future action constitutes a most forceful and helpful step in that direction...˝
Picture: Prime Minister Winston Churchill and General Charles De Gaulle review French soldiers during their meeting in Marrakesh, 13 January 1944
Source: IWM HU 60057
On 23 May 1944, the British take General Hans Cramer, last commander of the Afrika Korps, through Operation Overlord staging areas in England to repatriate him back to Germany.
This is part of a deception plan called Operation Fortitude, conducted by SHAEF's special section Ops (B), commanded by Colonel Noel Wild, and R Force, under Colonel David Strangeways. Since January 1944, they have been creating the impression of staging operations in southeastern England and around Dover, across from Pas-de-Calais, to convince the Germans that Pas-de-Calais is the real invasion target.
They first created the First United States Army Group (FUSAG), initially a small administrative formation commanded by Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, by transferring its command to the more prominent Lieutenant General Patton and filling the ranks with vast numbers of real and made-up units.
Strangeways' six-component plan, Quicksilver, has focused primarily on using double agents to feed German intelligence false information, reinforced with scripted and intentionally easily decrypted radio traffic under Quicksilver II and physical deception under Quicksilver III-VI.
But today, 23 May, the Allies aim to confirm their deception by giving the Germans a trustworthy source. As two Ops (B) agents drive General Cramer from a POW camp in Wales to London for his repatriation back to German due to health issues, they maintain a conversation to convince Cramer he is taken through FUSAG staging areas in southeastern England. With all the roadsigns and town names removed, he doesn't know he is driven through the actual staging areas in south-central England. To add to the deception, Patton and FUSAG staff invite Cramer to dinner in London before his departure, and make sure to let slip Pas-de-Calais during the conversation.
Upon his return to Germany, Cramer will report directly to Hitler that all is ready for an Allied invasion at Pas-de-Calais.
If you want to learn about another Allied deception, Operation Mincemeat, check out Astrid's two-part coverage on YouTube by following the link in our bio.
Picture: Dummy inflatable Sherman tank next to a real Sherman
Source: U.S. National Archives
On 22 May 1944, 'Life' magazine publishes a controversial photograph of an American girl with a Japanese skull sent to her by her naval officer boyfriend.
As early as September 1942, U.S. military authorities issued orders for disciplinary actions against the desecration of Japanese war dead after Marines were found to be collecting ears on the second day of the Guadalcanal Campaign in August 1942. One Marine responded to questions about the practice by pointing out that some of his comrades discovered photos of mutilated Marines and then: "We began to get down to their level".
U.S. troops have since been collecting gold teeth and bones to fashion them into necklaces and letter openers. It isn't limited to U.S. troops, as some Australian soldiers have collected gold teeth. Stewed and cleaned skulls seem to be a common 'trophy'.
Most inexplicably, soldiers have sent some of these souvenirs back home, sometimes even upon requests by family members. Prompted by this, in January 1944, the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a directive against 'trophy hunting' and 'souvenir collecting'.
Today, Life publishes its weekly issue with Ralph Crane's photo captioned: ˝When he said goodbye two years ago to Natalie Nickerson, 20, a war worker of Phoenix, Ariz., a big, handsome Navy lieutenant promised her a Jap. Last week Natalie received a human skull, autographed by her lieutenant and 13 friends, and inscribed: “This is a good Jap—a dead one picked up on the New Guinea beach.” Natalie, surprised at the gift, named it Tojo. The armed forces disapprove strongly of this sort of thing.˝ It is unclear whether the photograph is staged or not.
Life's editors will receive dozens of condemnatory letters, while the lieutenant who sent the skull will be identified but only lightly reprimanded. On 13 June, Army and Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) will issue a memorandum condemning such practices.
But the damage will already be done, as on 10 August, the Japanese press will receive Crane's image via Berlin and widely reprint it as an example of ˝American barbarism˝, which will cause nationwide shock and anger.
Pictures: Picture of the Week, 22 May 1944
Sources: Life Magazine
On 21 May 1944, an explosion aboard a Landing Ship Tank (LST) moored in West Loch, Pearl Harbor, destroys several other LSTs and causes hundreds of casualties.
West Loch, a subarea of Pearl Harbor, the other two being East and Middle, was spared entirely from the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941.
The past few weeks, West Loch has been unusually crowded, with 29 LSTs packed tightly in the various berths and filled with vast amounts of fuel, ammunition, and smaller vehicles in preparation for Operation Forager, the invasion of the Mariana Islands and Palau, scheduled for 15 June. Approximately 120 crew and around 200 Marines on each LST have been training for the upcoming operation.
At 1508 hours today, a large explosion erupts aboard LST-353, moored at T-8 (Tare 8), throwing burning shrapnel and fuel across a considerable area. At 1511 hours, another massive explosion goes off. LSTs in the neighboring T-9 and other berths begin to flee for the corners of West Loch or out to sea.
One LST at T-8 breaks free and cuts several other LSTs' lines. Five more LSTs drift south towards the exit when the largest explosion rocks the loch and ignites LSTs in T-9. In the chaos and smoke, smaller vessels run over many sailors thrown overboard.
At 1650 hours, LST-353 finally sinks, and serious firefighting efforts begin as fireboats arrive from Honolulu Harbor and East Loch.
Most fires will be extinguished or contained by 0800 hours on 22 May, but several LSTs will burn for days. Most of the sailors and Marines were on leave during the explosions. However, 163-392 are killed, and about 400 more were wounded.
In total, 6 LSTs, 3 LCTs, 17 LVTs, and eight howitzers will be lost. Operation Forager will be delayed by only a day, as replacements will arrive quickly.
Based on eyewitness accounts, an investigation will ultimately conclude that the initial explosion was caused by a dropped mortar round, a cigarette, or welding sparks igniting high-octane gasoline vapors during the loading process. Stricter regulations against smoking and training for the loading process will quickly be adopted.
Pictures: LST-39 afire in Pearl Harbor, 22 May 1944
Sources: U.S. National Archives
On 20 May 1944, Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) agents capture a nearly intact German V-2 ballistic missile near Blizna, southeast Poland.
After the RAF bombed the Peenemünde Army Research Center on 18 August 1943, the German high command split work on the V-2 missile between three independent operating centers: assembly facilities in the Harz mountains in Germany, a research and development complex in Ebensee, Austria, and a testing facility near Blizna.
Already in October, the Germans began forcibly evacuating villages around Blizna. Then on 5 November 1943, they set up an SS base nearby. Using slave labor from the nearby Pustków concentration camp, they constructed roads, railways, and supporting infrastructure.
Despite the Germans' best efforts to conceal the test facility, going as far as building a fake village complete with plaster figures of people and animals, Armia Krajowa (AK) operatives in the area noticed something was up.
The AK first reported the evacuations to British intelligence in October 1943. Then, on 22 February, they reported a projectile "12 metres (39 feet) long, with a diameter of one and a half metres (4.9 feet) and a weight of twelve tons." Initially, the British were skeptical. But, the evidence soon mounted.
Three AK agents began a dangerous game of trying to locate crashed missiles before the Germans could get to them and soon reported a strong smell of alcohol, indicating the type of rocket fuel. When the Germans began round-the-clock test firings in April, they collected sketches and small parts of the crashed missiles.
Tonight, 20 May, the AK strikes gold when an almost intact V-2 lands on the swampy bank of the Bug River near Sarnaki village, some 128 km (80 miles) east of Warsaw. Local agents and civilians push the rocket deep enough into the mud and swamp so the Germans cannot find it.
The AK will slowly recover the missile and then smuggle it in parts to several secret laboratories in Warsaw for analysis. With the help of British intelligence, they will attempt to transport the parts back to England in July.
Picture: AK collects parts of the V-2 from the Bug; A-4 trials at Blizna
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 19 May 1944, the USAAF B-17G 'Miss Donna Mae II' is lost to an unusual and tragic case of friendly fire.
Following a four-day pause in bomber operations, today, USAAF 1st and 3rd Bomb Divisions fly from England to Berlin to bomb government buildings and industrial complexes, respectively. Among 3rd Division's 94th Bomb Group are B-17Gs 'Miss Donna Mae II' (number 42-31540; 331st Bomb Squadron) and 'Trudy' (number 42-97791; 332nd Bomb Squadron).
In their designated combat box (a vertically and horizontally staggered formation to ensure the greatest protective coverage by the gunners), the 331st Bomb Squadron takes up the low section of the box while the 332nd flies above, with Trudy immediately above and to the left of Miss Donna Mae II.
As they approach Berlin, they spot Luftwaffe Bf 109s and Fw 190s, which soon attack the lower combat boxes. But the USAAF fighter escorts fend off the German planes after they shoot down only one B-17. The bomber crews breath a sigh of relief as they prepare to face their next threat, the German flak.
Over the outskirts of Berlin, the flak bursts start to pepper the formation. But the flak is relatively light, albeit accurate. It hits a few bombers, but none go down.
The Pathfinder aircraft (PFF) signals the bomb drop, as Miss Donna Mae's and Trudy's crews eagerly await to drop their bombs and head home.
As they release their bombs, Miss Donna Mae II slows down and drifts to the left. One of Trudy's 450 kg (1,000 lbs) bombs hits and tears off Miss Donna Mae II's left horizontal stabilizer. The stricken plane begins to spin violently, which causes one of the wings to break off. In this death spiral, the crew cannot bail out, and all 11 die when the plane crashes near Oderberger Straße, Berlin.
The crew killed are Pilot Marion Reid, Co-pilot Lew Carter, Navigator Roger Tessier, Bombardier Stan Duffield, Flight engineer/top turret gunner Lee Kieffer, Radio Operator John Boone, Ball turret gunner Ludwig Huth, Waist gunner Jim Kalahar, Waist gunner Dick Brennan, Tail gunner Willard Christensen, obs-T/Sgt John Davis.
Pictures: The final moments of B-17G 'Miss Donna Mae II'
Source: U.S. National Archives
On 18 May 1944, Allied troops finally capture Monte Cassino after 123 days of fighting.
Operation Diadem began at 2300 hours on 11 May. Lieutenant General Leese's British Eight Army and General Clark's U.S. Fifth Army attacked the Gustav Line along a concentrated 32 km (20-mile) front between Monte Cassino and the coastline.
For an in-depth look at Diadem, check out Indy's latest video by following the link in bio, as we will focus on the Polish II Corps' attack on Abbey Hill.
Lieutenant General Władysław Anders planned for the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division to attack the pass between Albaneta and Villa Sant' Angelo. The 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division would attack Point 593 and Albaneta and advance down Points 569 and 476 to take the monastery.
A minefield and twice as many Germans as expected halted the initial Polish attack that night. With heavy casualties and Germans counterattacking, Leese ordered Anders to hold early morning on 12 May.
But pressure mounted along the Gustav Line between 13 and 15 May as French Moroccan troops and the U.S. II Corps advanced to the south.
When the British 78th Division pressured Highway 6 southwest of Cassino on 16 May, Anders' troops attacked again. The 6th Lwów Brigade captured Colle Sant' Angelo, while the 2nd Carpathian Brigade moved onto Point 593 but met heavy fire from Points 505 and 575.
Yesterday morning, the British 78th Division cut Highway 6 and pincered German positions with the Polish troops. By late afternoon, supported by over 200 bombing sorties and in bloody hand-to-hand combat, the Polish captured Albaneta. Kesselring recognized the position as untenable and ordered the 1st Fallschirmjäger-Division to withdraw.
This morning, Polish and British troops link up in the Liri Valley 3.2 km (2 miles) west of Cassino town as the Carpathian Division moves onto Abbey Hill. A patrol of the 12th Podolski Lancers enters the monastery and discovers only 30 wounded German soldiers and their medics. At 1020 hours, the lancers raise the Polish flag over Monte Cassino and claim victory.
Picture: Polish soldiers raise their flag on the ruins of the abbey
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Maps: Matthew Parker, Monte Cassino
On 17 May 1944, Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, commander of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF), approves the painting of 'invasion stripes' on Allied aircraft as an IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe) measure for Operation Overlord.
While planning for thousands of Allied aircraft to fly non-stop during the amphibious landings on D-Day, commanders feared increased misidentification and friendly fire. With little time to develop a technological solution to the IFF problem, they looked for a simple one.
After introducing the Hawker Typhoon fighter, the RAF quickly realized the similarity of its silhouette to the Luftwaffe's Focke-Wulf Fw 190 led to friendly-fire incidents. So on 5 December 1942, they began painting four black stripes separated by three white stripes on the bottom of the Typhoon's wings. But they stopped this practice on 7 February 1944.
Today, Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory approves the official specifications of 'invasion stripes', convinced by the simplicity and efficiency of the solution.
Ground crews are to paint five white and black stripes (in a WBWBW pattern) 46 cm (18 inches) wide, placed 15 cm (6 inches) inboard of the national roundels on the wings and 46 cm (18 inches) forward of the tailplane on the fuselage. On twin-engine aircraft, the stripes are to be painted 61 cm (24 inches) wide, placed 61 cm (24 inches) outboard of the engine nacelles on the wings, and 46 cm (18 inches) forward of the tailplane around the fuselage. The specification includes all fighters and medium bombers but leaves out heavy, four-engined bombers, as the Luftwaffe has very few.
For security reasons, the order will be given with only a few hours' notice, on 3 June for transports and gliders and on 4 June for fighters and medium bombers, so the quality and neatness of the stripes will depend on the 'artistic' talent of the 'erks' (RAF ground crews).
High commanders had decided on aircraft paint before, as when the USAAF removed the paint from most of their planes last year! You can learn why from our 14 December post.
Picture: RAF ground crew painting invasion stripes on Supermarine Spitfire
Source: Archives/Royal Air Force
On 16 May 1944, Romani prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp stage an uprising.
After Heinrich Himmler ordered all Romani people to be sent to concentration camps for extermination on 16 December 1942, the SS set up a separate camp within Auschwitz II-Birkenau, Section B-IIe, known as the Zigeunerfamilienlager ("Gypsy Family Camp"). Since then, around 23,000 Romani have been deported here, of which 6,500 have survived and are in the camp currently.
Since Rudolf Höss returned to his post as camp commandant to supervise 'Operation Höss', the deportation and extermination of Hungarian Jews, on 8 May, he decided that more space was needed. So on 15 May, Höss ordered the liquidation of all prisoners in the Gipsy Family Camp.
Commander and rapportführer (reporting officer) of the Gypsy Family Camp disagreed with the SS and their methods and asked Polish political prisoner Tadeusz Joachimowski to warn the Romani prisoners that at Lagersperre (curfew) the following day, the SS would enter the camp and round them up for execution.
Today, on 16 May, at 1900 hours, the gong is sounded for the Lagersperre and SS cars drive into the Gipsy Family Camp. Around 60 SS soldiers approach the barracks, but the Romani, armed with shovels, knives, and stones, refuse to come out. The SS soldiers, stunned, back away to their vehicles. After consulting with their commander, the SS soldiers leave the camp. The Romani manage to save themselves from certain death.
Sadly, this will not last long. Throughout June and July, the Romani will be moved into the even-numbered camp blocks as tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews will be accommodated in the odd-numbered ones. Then, on the morning of 1 August, the SS will take transport around half of the Romani prisoners, those fit for work, to Auschwitz I, Ravensbrück, and Buchenwald concentration camps.
Throughout the 2 August and early morning of 3 August, SS soldiers will close down the Gipsy Family Camp, murder the remaining 2,897 Romani women, children, elderly people, and the infirm in the gas chambers and burn their bodies in Crematorium V.
Picture: Romani prisoners at Belzec extermination camp, 1940
Source: USHMM 74705
On the night of 15/16 May 1944, British commandos land on several beaches in northern France to survey German defenses.
Worrying D-Day planners has been a recent discovery made during gun-camera analysis from an RAF plane that attacked German pillboxes along the coast. When several of the plane's rockets landed in the ocean, underwater explosions were noticed. Fears arose of a new type of underwater mine, so Operation Tarbrush was launched to investigate. You can check out the similar Operation Postage Able from our post on 1 January.
Conducting Tarbrush is No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando, a unique unit comprised of volunteers from German-occupied Europe. 3 Troop ('X' Troop), commanded by Captain Bryan Hilton-Jones, composed of German, Austrian, or Eastern European Jews, was organized into two-man teams led by Captains Ernest Leigh Smith and George Henry Lane, a Hungarian Jew (born György Lányi).
Tonight, motor launches drop off three Tarbrush teams in inflatable boats some 3.2 km (2 miles) off the French coast. Under cover of darkness, Tarbrush 5 lands near Les Hemmes, northeast of Calais, while Leigh Smith's Tarbrush 8 and Lane's Tarbrush 4 land between Ault and Quend Plage, south of Calais.
Lane discovers stakes with regular anti-tank 'Teller' mines on their tips planted into the beaches so that the mines would be underwater in high-tide conditions and thus triggered by landing craft. However, Lane concludes that the metal mines have corroded and were triggered by the rockets but are otherwise ineffective. Leigh-Smith's team brings back one of the mines for inspection.
On 17 May, Lane will be captured after landing at the wrong place as part of Tarbrush 10. Luckily for Lane, he will not be executed under Hitler's Commando Order, like the OSS team in Italy we covered in posts on 22 and 26 March. He will be questioned, over tea, by Field Marshall Rommel himself. Lane will successfully conceal his accent and origin and be imprisoned at Fresnes Prison. Eventually, he will escape and hide with relatives near Paris until liberation.
Pictures: Commandos practice at Achnacarry August 1943, Tellermine atop a stake
Sources: IWM H 31408; Wikimedia Commons
On 14 May 1944, French Cardinals appeal to clergy in the USA and Great Britain to influence their governments to ensure that the bombing efforts spare French towns, works of art, and churches.
The recent intensification of Allied bombing across France in preparation for D-Day under the 'Transportation Plan', which we covered in a post on 9 May, has undoubtedly affected German war logistics. Still, it has also destroyed significant parts of French towns and cities despite Allied efforts to target rail infrastructure precisely. French civilian casualties have been a regrettable side-effect of the campaign, although they have not reached the catastrophic numbers predicted by Winston Churchill.
Today, French Cardinals appeal for a more humane air war via radio address:
˝The bombing of France fills our hearts with sadness and anxiety.
Thousands of civilians have been killed and wounded, and their homes, as well as churches, schools, and hospitals, have been destroyed.
We ask you to intervene with your respective Governments to ensure that the civilian population of France and Europe may be spared as much as possible. We are convinced that with more care military objectives will not be confused with humble dwellings in the neighborhood.
We believe that our towns, our works of art, and our churches in particular should be spared.˝
Will we see a repetition of the horrible destruction of Italian towns or have Allied air commanders changed their tactics sufficiently to ensure higher precision bombing?
Picture: Aerial view of the city of Vire after the bombardments of 6 June 1944.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 13 May 1944, during an attack on two hills near Cassino, Captain Richard Wakeford (aged 22), 2/4th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment, killed several and took 20 more Germans prisoner.
For these actions, King George VI will award Cpt. Wakeford the Victoria Cross later this year. Cpt. Wakeford's citation will read:
"On 13th May, 1944, Captain Wakeford commanded the leading Company on the right flank of an attack on two hills near Cassino, and accompanied by his orderly and armed only with a revolver, he killed a number of the enemy and handed over 20 prisoners when the Company came forward.
On the final objective a German officer and 5 other ranks were holding a house. After being twice driven back by grenades. Captain Wakeford, with a final dash, reached the window and hurled in his grenades. Those of the enemy, who were not killed or wounded, surrendered.
Attacking another feature on the following day, a tank became bogged on the start line, surprise was lost and the leading infantry were caught in the enemy's fire, so that the resulting casualties endangered the whole operation. Captain Wakeford, keeping his Company under perfect control, crossed the start line and although wounded in the face and in both arms, led his men up the hill. Half way up the hill his Company came under heavy Spandau fire; in spite of his wounds, he organized and led a force to deal with this opposition so that his company could get on.
By now the Company was being heavily mortared and Captain Wakeford was again wounded, in both legs, but he still went on and reaching his objective, he organized and consolidated the remainder of his Company and reported to his Commanding Officer before submitting to any personal attention.
During the seven hour interval before stretcher-bearers could reach him his unwavering high spirits encouraged the wounded men around him. His selfless devotion to duty, leadership, determination, courage and disregard for his own serious, injuries were beyond all praise."
Pictures: German POW paratroopers guarded by New Zealand soldiers; Richard Wakeford receiving his VC from King George VI
Sources: Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1975-014-31; Wikimedia Commons
On 12 May 1944, Sepoy (Private) Kamal Ram (aged 19), 3rd Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment, British Indian Army, neutralizes three German machine gun posts during an assault on the Gustav Line across the River Gari in Italy.
King George VI will award Sepoy Ram the Victoria Cross on 27 July 1944. Ram's citation will read:
˝In Italy, on 12 May 1944, after crossing the River Gari overnight, the Company advance was held up by heavy machine-gun fire from four posts on the front and flanks. As the capture of the position was essential to secure the bridgehead, the Company Commander called for a volunteer to get round the rear of the right post and silence it.
Volunteering at once and crawling forward through the wire to a flank, Sepoy Kamal Ram attacked the post single handed and shot the first machine-gunner; a second German tried to seize his weapon but Sepoy Kamal Ram killed him with the bayonet, and then shot a German officer who, appearing from the trench with his pistol, was about to fire.
Sepoy Kamal Ram, still alone, at once went on to attack the second machine-gun post which was continuing to hold up the advance, and after shooting one machine-gunner, he threw a grenade and the remaining enemy surrendered.
Seeing a Havildar making a reconnaissance for an attack on the third post, Sepoy Kamal Ram joined him, and, having first covered his companion, went in and completed the destruction of this post.
By his courage, initiative and disregard for personal risk, Sepoy Kamal Ram enabled his Company to charge and secure the ground vital to the establishment of the bridgehead and the completion of work on two bridges.
When a platoon, pushed further forward to widen the position, was fired on from a house, Sepoy Kamal Ram, dashing towards the house, shot one German in a slit trench and captured two more. His sustained and outstanding bravery unquestionably saved a difficult situation at a critical period of the battle and enabled his Battalion to attain the essential part of their objective.˝
Ram will be the second youngest Indian VC recipient.
Picture: King George VI pinning the Victoria Cross on Sepoy Kamal Ram, 26 July 1944
Source: IWM NA 17270
On 11 May 1944, during a joint address with Winston Churchill to the British Parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King reaffirms Canada's commitment to the war effort.
As covered in our 1 May post, the Prime Ministers and High Commissioners of all British Dominions arrived in London for the first Commonwealth Prime Minister's Conference.
Today, Prime Minister King addresses both Houses of Parliament:
˝Churchill: Like most of us here he is a party politician. Well, there is nothing to be ashamed of in that. Then there is the link which joins together the old world and the new which links the vast American people with whom I trust we shall ourselves develop a fraternal association which joins them by another link to Canada bound by the sacred ties to the Mother country and also by terms of the deepest intimacy and friendship to the United States clamps the whole structure of this benignant, glorious British Empire into one homogeneous mass...
Mackenzie King: The free nations of the world can never forget that it was the indomitable resistance of the people of Britain that bought the precious time for the mobilization of the forces of freedom around the globe.
It is however not of Britain but of Canada that I am expected to speak on this occasion. I place first the aspect I regard as most significant. Canada's war effort is a voluntary effort. It is the free expression of a free people.
Our first duty is to win the war. But to win the war we must keep the vision of a better future... No lesser vision will suffice to give the victory over those who seek world domination and human enslavement. No lesser vision will enable us fittingly to honour the memory of the men and women who are giving their all for freedom and justice. In the realization of this vision, the Governments and people who owe a common allegiance to the Crown may well find the new meaning and significance of the British Commonwealth and Empire. It is for us to make of our association of free British nations "a model of what we hope the whole world will some day become.˝
Picture: William Lyon Mackenzie King stands beside Winston Churchill
Source: Library and Archives of Canada
On 10 May 1944, Lavrentiy Beria, head of the Soviet NKVD, accuses Crimean Tatars of mass desertion from the Red Army and appeals to Stalin for their mass deportation to Uzbekistan.
On 22 April 1944, as the Red Army was crushing the German defenses in Crimea, Beria sent a memorandum to Stalin to accuse the Crimean Tatars of mass desertion. Beria has done this before to other Soviet minorities. You can learn more about Beria and the NKVD's role in previous deportations by watching Spartacus' War Against Humanity series (click the link in bio).
Today, 10 May, Beria sends a letter to Stalin outlining “the treacherous actions of the Crimean Tatars against the Soviet people” and “the undesirability of further residence of the Crimean Tatars on the frontier border of the Soviet Union.” He also proposes evicting all Crimean Tatar population to Uzbekistan.
Tomorrow, 11 May, Stalin, as head of the GKO, will issue secret Decree 5859ss, titled simply ˝On the Crimean Tatars˝. It will justify the banishment of all Tatars from Crimea through accusations of collaborationism, reprisals against Soviet troops and partisans, and attempting secession from the Soviet Union. The Decree will outline the process of 'resettlement' with the Tatars allowed to bring some property, food and medical assistance provisions on their trip to Uzbekistan, and even loans.
In reality, at 0300 hours on 18 May, 32,000 NKVD officers will begin violently rounding up all Crimean Tatars, allowing them only a few minutes to collect 20-30 kg of belongings. By 20 May, 180,014 Tatars will be forced onto 67 trains headed for Uzbekistan. Thousands will die during the journey. By 8 June, over 200,000 people will be deported, including other 'foreign subjects' and minorities.
On 14 July 1944, the Soviet government will allow 51,000 people, mostly Russians, to settle into the empty Crimean Tatar homes. However, the Crimean economy will quickly decline because of a lack of skilled farmers and workers.
At least 30,000 Tatars will die of starvation, exhaustion, and diseases in the first year after resettlement.
Picture: Deported Crimean Tatars unloaded from trains in Uzbekistan
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 9 May 1944, the Allies intensify the bombing of key railroads and rail infrastructure across France in preparation for D-Day.
With the lessons of Anzio still fresh, General Eisenhower and his deputy, RAF Air Marshal Arthur W. Tedder, brought in Solomon “Solly” Zuckermann to plan an air campaign to prevent a rapid German response to the upcoming Normandy landings.
Zuckermann, who formulated Operation Strangle to break the stalemate in Italy, again proposed targeting specific, high-value railway centers and heavy repair facilities. You learn more about Operation Strangle from our 23 March post.
But this action ran into immediate opposition from Lt. Gen. Spaatz, commander of U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe, who wants to deal with the Luftwaffe first. More importantly, Winston Churchill who fears considerable French civilian casualties will push France towards the Soviet Union. They budged after Eisenhower threatened to resign unless an agreement was reached before a 25 March meeting.
On 17 April, Eisenhower's directive specified rail centers as the No. 2 priority in the overall Allied bombing campaign. Two days later, Ninth Air Force, Twelfth Air Force, and RAF Bomber Command were joined in railroad bombing by the Eight and Fifteenth Air Force.
The campaign has yielded significant results despite Churchill's renewed protests. Military train capacity in Northern France fell from about 58,000 tons a day in early March to barely 25,000 tons in early May, while track available plummeted from about 379,805 km (236,000 miles) to just 99,779 km (62,000 miles). The Germans also transferred 28,000 workers from constructing defenses on the Atlantic Wall to repairing railways.
Today, 9 May, low-level attacks by P-47s, B-26s, and other attack aircraft intensify against all targets, including bridges and workers repairing the damage.
But it seems the bombings have drawn Field Marshal Rommel's attention. Today, he tours the Cotentin (Cherbourg) Peninsula and orders seven battalion-strength units to the Normandy area.
Pictures: A-20Gs bomb Point du Hoc in Normandy, May 1944; Paris railroad marshaling yard destroyed by bombing
Source: U.S. Air Force Archives
On 8 May 1944, President Edvard Beneš of the Czechoslovak government-in-exile signs a treaty of alliance with Joseph Stalin that guarantees that the territory of Czechoslovakia will be liberated by the Red Army and returned to Czechoslovak civilian control.
President Beneš now appears to be set on gaining a legal guarantee of the Soviet's respect for the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia.
This treaty is a clear continuation of his diplomatic efforts last year, when he signed the "Treaty of Friendship, Mutual Aid, and Postwar Cooperation" in Moscow with President Mikhail Kalinin of the Soviet Union, which you can learn more about from our post on 12 December.
Beneš has also reversed his stance on resistance to the German occupation once the Red Army reached the borders of Czechoslovakia on 9 April 1944. Previously he had opposed it, believing it had the potential for useless loss of life, but he has been calling for revolutionary resistance over radio addresses for the past few weeks.
Today, 8 May, Beneš meets Joseph Stalin and signs a treaty that places a legal obligation for the Soviet Union's respect for Czechoslovak sovereignty.
The treaty provides for the creation of two zones once the Red Army enters Czechoslovak territory: the ˝Operational Zone˝, where the Soviet High Command will have the decisive power in all matters, and the ˝Rear Zone, where the Soviet High Command will transfer civil administration to an ˝Administrative Delegation˝, to be appointed by the Czechoslovak Government in London, and allow for the formation of the Czechoslovak armed forces. This 'Delegation' will, according to the treaty, have representatives from all government departments.
However, the treaty does stipulate some limitations on Czechoslovakia's sovereign rights justified in the text by military reasons and by the necessity for Soviet military personnel to remain under Soviet jurisdiction.
In the upcoming weeks František Němec, amember of the National Assembly of the Czechoslovak Republic for the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party, will be appointed as the head of the 'Administrative Delegation' under the treaty.
Picture: Edvard Beneš
Source: ČTK
On 7 May 1944, the Red Army breaks through German defenses in Sevastopol and pushes into the city.
At the beginning of the war, Sevastopol was considered one of the most defendable fortress cities in the world, and the Soviets held it for about 250 days before finally capitulating. However, Sevastopol in early 1944 is barely a shadow of its former self. The defenses have not been rebuilt, which means that the German lines are porous and largely unfortified. However, this has not deterred Hitler, who has personally ordered that the city be held at all costs, and in flagrant denial of the facts, he expects it to hold out as long as the Russians did in 1941 and 1942. Even a personal visit from Field Marshal Schörner failed to sway Hitler’s irrational order.
By the middle of last month, General Tolbukhin’s 4th Ukrainian Front had pushed the Nazis and their Romanian allies all the way back into a tight corner of the Crimea around Sevastopol.
As you can see in Indy's weekly episodes, nearly 121,000 German and Romanian troops from the 17th Army clustered within the city’s confines. They are not yet broken, but many hope to simply be evacuated to safety across the Black Sea. Around 38,000 of them, mostly Germans, do manage to get away, but Soviet naval and air forces sink a massive percentage of the evacuating ships.
At the same time, Tolbukhin has been preparing for the final assault. Now he has around 600 tanks, 6,000 mortars, and big guns, and about 470,000 men ready.
On the 5th heavy artillery began shelling the entire German line. Then, in a two-pronged attack, the 2nd Guards Army pinned down Axis forces in the north, as the 51st Army and Independent Coastal Army made the main thrust through the hills from the east.
Today, 7 May, the Soviet assault cracks the only solid line of German defenses, and Red Army troops pour into the city.
With typical Fuhrer “timeliness”, Hitler will finally approve evacuation on the 9th. By then, the situation is well out of control for the Axis forces, and by 12 May, the remaining thousands are either killed or taken prisoner.
Picture: Soviet T-34 tank on Lenin Street in Sevastopol, 9 May 1944
Sources: TASS
Map: Flames of War
On 6 May 1944, Captain John Niel Randle (aged 26), commander of 'B' Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment, leads an attack on General Purpose Transport (GPT) Ridge during the relief of the Kohima garrison and successfully destroys a key Japanese bunker.
Cpt. Randle will be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. Randle's citation will read:
˝On the 4th May, 1944, at Kohima in Assam, a Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment attacked the Japanese positions on a nearby ridge.
Captain Randle took over command of the Company which was leading the attack when the Company Commander was severely wounded. His handling of a difficult situation in the face of heavy fire was masterly and although wounded himself in the knee by grenade splinters he continued to inspire his men by his initiative, courage and outstanding leadership... He then went forward and brought in all the wounded men who were lying outside the perimeter. In spite of his painful wound Captain Randle refused to be evacuated and insisted on carrying out a personal reconnaissance with great daring in bright moonlight prior to a further attack...
At dawn on 6th May the attack opened, led by Captain Randle, and one of the platoons succeeded in reaching the crest of the hill held by the Japanese. Another platoon, however, ran into heavy medium machine gun fire from a bunker on the reverse slope of the feature...
With utter disregard of the obvious danger to himself Captain Randle charged the Japanese machine gun post single-handed with rifle and bayonet. Although bleeding in the face and mortally wounded by numerous bursts of machine gun fire he reached the bunker and silenced the gun with a grenade thrown through the bunker slit. He then flung his body across the slit so that the aperture should be completely sealed. The bravery shown by this officer could not have been surpassed and by his self-sacrifice he saved the lives of many of his men and enabled not only his own Company but the whole Battalion to gain its objective and win a decisive victory over the enemy.˝
Pictures: Scene of devastation at Naga village near Kohima; Portrait of John Niel Randle
Sources: IWM IND 3709; HU 2000
On 5 May 1944, Spain halts the free export of tungsten to Germany in exchange for the USA lifting its oil embargo.
With Franco's Spain shifting from pro-German non-belligerency toward clear neutrality, Spain's exports of tungsten ore to Nazi Germany's war industry, has remained the primary thorn in the Allies' side.
The Germans had secured Spain as a key export partner by establishing the large commercial conglomerate, Sociedad Financiera Industrial (SOFINDUS), formed in 1936 under the name Rowak. Through bilateral agreements in 1937 and 1939, they ensured German enterprises gained ˝favored economic treatment˝ and circumvented prohibitions on direct foreign ownership.
According to British and US estimates from July 1943, Germany needs at least 3,500 tons of tungsten annually. Without Spanish exports, Germany's tool-machine industry and its capacity to produce armor-piercing shells would effectively collapse.
Thus, the Allies stepped up their efforts in November 1943 after learning of secret Spanish-German agreements from February and August 1943. In exchange for armaments from Germany, Spain provides Germany with almost half its annual requirement of tungsten.
Britain and the US had cautiously implied an oil embargo in talks with Spain until 14 January 1944, when Spanish Minister for Industry and Commerce Carceller defended Spain’s agreements with Germany. After the embargo was in place, Britain continued to hold a moderate stance in requesting a partial Spanish embargo on tungsten to Germany. The US has maintained its requirement for a complete ban on exports.
On 2 May 1944, Spain finally signed a secret agreement with the US and Britain to limit its tungsten exports to Germany to 580 tons for the year, expel German spies from its territory, and withdraw the remainder of the Blue Division.
Today, 5 May, oil shipments to Spain resume as tungsten shipments to Germany come to a grinding halt.
However, hundreds more tons of tungsten will reach Germany illegally until the Franco-Spanish border is closed in August 1944.
Picture: Production of Stug III, Berlin, Altmärkische Kettenwerk GmbH (Alkett), 1943
Source: Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1985-100-33
