On the night of 25/26 September 1944, the remnants of the British 1st Airborne Division (1st AB) trapped in the Oosterbeek Perimeter withdraw back across the Rhine.
To get caught up on how Operation Market Garden turned sour, check out Indy's latest video by following the link in our bio. He left us off on 21 September with the disastrous drop of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade and the 1st AB under constant German attack.
After British XXX Corps' Guards Armored Division was halted by German defenses past Nijmegen, the 43rd Wessex Division was given the task to link up with the Poles at Driel, but only advanced on the morning of 22 September and took until that evening to reach Driel.
Once they linked up with the Poles, the 43rd Division's engineers attempted to assist them in two river crossings, that night and again at 0300 hours on 24 September to relieve the 1st AB. However, only 35 made it across the first time and 153 the second.
Another relief attempt by the 4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment begins at 0100 hours today, but most boats carrying the 315 men land too far downstream, and 200 of them are captured.
British commanders decide to withdraw and abandon the operation. At 0600 hours, Major General Urquhart, 1st AB's commander, receives the withdrawal plan.
At 1000 hours, two SS Kampgruppe supported by tanks launch an assault against the 1st AB. The British paras hold throughout the day, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
At 2200 hours, concealed by rain and artillery from XXX Corps, Urquhart's men begin the withdrawal, Operation Berlin. Guided through the dark by tape laid out by the Glider Pilot Regiment, they reach the river bank.
Two British and two Canadian sapper companies ferry them across the river throughout the night until, eventually, they come under German fire. Of the 10,095 that dropped near Arnhem, 2,163 British, among them 75 of the Dorsets, and 160 Poles make it back.
On the morning of 26 September, the 600 or so 1st AB troops too wounded to evacuate or left to hold the line surrender to the Germans.
Operation Market Garden is over.
Picture: British POWs at Arnhem
Source: Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S73820
On 24 September 1944, Staff Sergeant Joseph Edward Schaefer (aged 26), Company I, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, singlehandedly captures 10 German soldiers and repels an assault on his unit's position near Stolberg, Germany.
For his actions, SSG Schaefer will be awarded the Medal of Honor on 22 August 1945. His citation will read:
˝He was in charge of a squad of the 2d Platoon in the vicinity of Stolberg, Germany, early in the morning of 24 September 1944, when 2 enemy companies supported by machineguns launched an attack to seize control of an important crossroads which was defended by his platoon. One American squad was forced back, another captured, leaving only SSG Schaefer's men to defend the position. To shift his squad into a house which would afford better protection, he crawled about under heavy small-arms and machinegun fire, instructed each individual, and moved to the building... S/Sgt. Schaefer assigned his men to positions and selected for himself the most dangerous one at the door. With his M1 rifle, he broke the first wave of infantry thrown toward the house. The Germans attacked again with grenades and flame throwers but were thrown back a second time, S/Sgt. Schaefer killing and wounding several. Regrouped for a final assault, the Germans approached from 2 directions. One force drove at the house from the front, while a second group advanced stealthily along a hedgerow. Recognizing the threat, S/Sgt. Schaefer fired rapidly at the enemy before him, killing or wounding all 6; then, with no cover whatever, dashed to the hedgerow and poured deadly accurate shots into the second group, killing 5, wounding 2 others, and forcing the enemy to withdraw. He scoured the area near his battered stronghold and captured 10 prisoners... Remaining in the lead, crawling and running in the face of heavy fire, he overtook the enemy, and liberated the American squad captured earlier in the battle. In all, single-handed and armed only with his rifle, he killed between 15 and 20 Germans, wounded at least as many more, and took 10 prisoners.
Picture: Crew of an American 57 mm anti-tank gun firing in Aachen
Source: U.S. Army
On 23 September 1944, U.S. President Roosevelt responds to Republican criticisms in his first 1944 Campaign speech to the Teamsters Union in Washington, D.C.
Roosevelt was nominated by the Democratic Party for a fourth term over two months ago, which you can read about in our 20 July post, but he has been silent since he addressed the public from Puget Sound Navy Yard on 12 August. Furthermore, the press and political pundits have picked up on his sickly and tired appearance, favoring the Republican candidate, Gov. Thomas Dewey.
The Republican party has used his absence to push the narrative that he is corrupt and incompetent. But the most recent accusations seem to have taken a turn for the ridiculous.
They accused Roosevelt of accidentally leaving his pet Scottish Terrier, Fala, on the Aleutian Islands in Alaska while touring there and having a U.S. Navy destroyer retrieve the dog, costing taxpayers $20 million.
Fala, given to Roosevelt by his cousin Margaret Suckley in 1940, has been a loyal companion on the President's travels worldwide and is somewhat of a national celebrity.
He finishes today's speech with the following, suggested to him as a joke by filmmaker Orson Wells:
˝These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me, or my wife, or on my sons. No, not content with that, they now include my little dog, Fala. Well, of course, I don’t resent attacks, and my family doesn’t resent attacks, but Fala does resent them. You know, Fala is Scotch, and being a Scottie, as soon as he learned that the Republican fiction writers in Congress and out had concocted a story that I had left him behind on the Aleutian Islands and had sent a destroyer back to find him — at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three, or eight or twenty million dollars- his Scotch soul was furious. He has not been the same dog since. I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself — such as that old, worm-eaten chestnut that I have represented myself as indispensable. But I think I have a right to resent, to object to libelous statements about my dog.˝
Picture: President Roosevelt lifts Fala as he prepares to leave in his car, 3 Aug 1941
Source: AP Photo
On 22 September 1944, the last German troops in Boulogne surrender to the 3rd Canadian Division.
Recently, 4 September, Hitler designated the Channel ports as 'fortresses', ordering a fight to the last man. General Ferdinand Heim was given command of the 10,000 troops in Boulogne and the heavily fortified positions at La Tresorerie, the town of Wimereux, Mont Lambert, Fort de la Crèche, and various fortifications south of Outreau on the peninsula.
Bad weather and transferring artillery and armor from the Le Havre sector have so far delayed the Canadian attack on Boulogne, Operation Wellhit. But to the 8th and 9th Infantry Brigades of Major General Daniel Spry's 3rd Canadian Division, this proved valuable in gathering intelligence from civilians expelled from Boulogne.
On 17 September, the 9th Brigade attacked La Tresorerie to the north while the 8th Brigade pushed onto Mont Lambert. Even with support from the specialized tanks from the British 79th Armoured Division, the multitude of minefields, gun emplacements, and craters slowed their advance. Nevertheless, they captured La Tresorerie and Mont Lambert by 1100 hours on 18 September, and the 8th advanced into the city center and reached the River Liane.
On 19 September, the 8th Brigade's North Shore Regiment swung north against Wimille and Wimereux, which the 9th attacked from the north.
By 21 September, only Wimiereux, Fort de la Crèche, and the two forts at Le Portel on the Outreau peninsula remained in German hands.
Prompted by further aerial bombardment, the German troops in Wimiereux and Fort de la Crèche surrender today around 0800 hours.
Shortly after the Canadians broadcast an ultimatum, the garrison of the northern fort on the Outreau peninsula surrenders.
Subjected to bombardment from the tanks and flame-throwers, General Heim and his forces in the southern fort surrender at 1630 hours.
9,500 German soldiers have surrendered, while another 500 have been killed or wounded. The Canadians have suffered 600 casualties.
Picture: Sergeant H.A. Barnett, Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit,
talking with a surrendered German officer near Boulogne, 21 Sep 1944
Source: Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit
On 21 September 1944, Private John Roderick Towle (aged 19), Company 'C', 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (504th PIR), part of the 82nd "All American" Airborne Division, singlehandedly engages multiple German armored vehicles and destroys an infantry strongpoint near the village of Oosterhout, Netherlands.
For his actions, PVT Towle will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on 15 March 1945. His citation will read:
˝The rifle company in which Pvt. Towle served as rocket launcher gunner was occupying a defensive position in the west sector of the recently established Nijmegen bridgehead when a strong enemy force of approximately 100 infantry supported by 2 tanks and a half-track formed for a counterattack. With full knowledge of the disastrous consequences resulting not only to his company but to the entire bridgehead by an enemy breakthrough, Pvt. Towle immediately and without orders left his foxhole and moved 200 yards in the face of intense small-arms fire to a position on an exposed dike roadbed. From this precarious position Pvt. Towle fired his rocket launcher at and hit both tanks to his immediate front. Armored skirting on both tanks prevented penetration by the projectiles, but both vehicles withdrew slightly damaged. Still under intense fire and fully exposed to the enemy, Pvt. Towle then engaged a nearby house which 9 Germans had entered and were using as a strongpoint and with 1 round killed all 9. Hurriedly replenishing his supply of ammunition, Pvt. Towle, motivated only by his high conception of duty which called for the destruction of the enemy at any cost, then rushed approximately 125 yards through grazing enemy fire to an exposed position from which he could engage the enemy half-track with his rocket launcher. While in a kneeling position preparatory to firing on the enemy vehicle, Pvt. Towle was mortally wounded by a mortar shell. By his heroic tenacity, at the price of his life, Pvt. Towle saved the lives of many of his comrades and was directly instrumental in breaking up the enemy counterattack.˝
Picture: Airborne Infantry Advances in Holland
Source: Signal Corps Archives
On 20 September 1944, troops from the 4th Indian Infantry Division capture the city-state of San Marino.
San Marino has been spared from the war, save for a single Allied bombing run on 27 June 1943, owing to the city-state's declaration of neutrality. But when the I Canadian Corps crossed the Foglia River and broke through the first defenses of the Gothic Line, which we covered on 30 August, the Allied and German outlook on Sammarinese neutrality began to change. You can get caught up with the Allied advance since then by following the link in our bio to Indy's weekly coverage on YouTube.
While Polish and Canadian troops attempted to reach Rimini along the coast, British and Indian units fought their way through several German defensive lines until reaching the Coriano Ridge on 12 September.
On 13 September, the German 278th Infantry Division moved into San Marino to use the elevated positions on Monte Titano for reconnaissance and artillery observation. The British 56th and 46th Infantry Divisions made little progress on the 15 and 16 September, but they got a foothold on the Gemmano Ridge and took the town of Montescudo, only 3.2 km (2 mi) from San Marino.
Troops from the 4th Indian Division crossed the Marano River into Sammarinese territory early 17 September. By 0500 hours, the 1st Battalion, 9th Gurkha Rifles Regiment (1st/9th Gurkhas), captured positions on the heights of Points 343 and 366. They soon had to abandon Point 366 but managed to hold Point 343, with heavy losses, until the 4th/11th Sikh Regiment and the 11th Indian Brigade moved around to the north and encircled San Marino.
The 11th Brigade's Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders launched an assault into the city from the north yesterday, 19 September.
Early morning today, the Highlanders' assault is halted by strong German defensive positions above the road running up the mountain into the city. But with tank support, they make steady progress uphill and clear the Germans from the city shortly after noon with minimal casualties.
Picture: Soldiers of the British 8th Army in a battle in the Republic of San Marino; September, 1944.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 19 September 1944, representatives from the Soviet Union and Great Britain, acting on behalf of all the United Nations at war with Finland, meet with Finnish representatives in Moscow and sign an armistice, ending hostilities between the two sides.
If you've been following Indy's weekly coverage on our YouTube channel (which you can check out by following the link in our bio), you'll know that after Finnish President Risto Ryti resigned on 1 August, Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim succeeded him and began negotiating with the Soviets over taking Finland out of the war.
Today, Allied (Soviet) High Command representative Colonel General Andrei A. Zhdanov, the representatives of the Government of Finland, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Enckell, Minister of Defence General Rudolf Walden, Chief of General Staff General Erik Heinrichs, and Lieutenant General Oscar Enckell, meet in Moscow to sign the armistice agreement.
Germany has lost another ally, and Finland is out of the war. But for the Finns, the peace comes at a cost.
According to the armistice agreement, the Finnish government must recognize the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, which ended the Winter War. In addition, all German forces must be expelled from the territory of Finland.
But that is not all. Finland must cede 37 municipalities in the Petsamo, Salla, and Karelia Districts to the Soviet Union, equalling 44 106 23 square kilometers (17 029 51 square miles) or 11% of its territory.
Finland will pay the Soviet Union reparations in the form of goods to the effect of $300 million (set at 1938 exchange rates) over a period of six years.
Among other general terms, the Finnish government will have to dissolve and ban all military, paramilitary, and political organizations considered to be fascist by the Soviet Union.
With agreements made by Roosevelt and Churchill at the Second Quebec Conference a few days ago, which you can check out in our 16 September post, to disarm and deindustrialize Germany and now these terms against Finland, just how harsh are the Allies going to punish the Axis states?
Picture: Finnish and Soviet officers gather for negotiations on 5 September 1944
Source: Finnish Army Archives
On 18 September 1944, the Royal Navy submarine HMS Tradewind torpedoes and sinks the Japanese 'hell ship' Jun'yō Maru.
As the survivors from the Rakuyō Maru and Kachidoki Maru sunk by U.S. submarines, which you can read about in our 12 September post, were waiting to be rescued, the Jun'yō Maru, the epitome of a 'hell ship', arrived at the port of Tanjung Priok on the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies on 14 September.
Japanese troops began cramming some 4,320 Javanese forced laborers (jap. rōmushas) into holds 1 and 2, and around 2,200 POWs (1,382 Dutch, 58 British, eight U.S., three Australians, and several hundred Ambonese and Menadonese soldiers from the KNIL, the Royal Dutch Indies’ Army) into holds 3 and 4. Preparing the old and rusty ship took two days, during which several dozen POWs and rōmushas died from exposure on the top deck.
At 1500 hours on 16 September, Jun'yō Maru sailed for Padang, from where the prisoners were to be transported to Pekanbaru and build a railway across Sumatra. The prisoner's suffering continued, with no drinking water and very little food aboard the ship. Those who perished were thrown overboard.
Today, the Jun'yō Maru, escorted by two IJN motor boars, sails along the eastern coast of Sumatra. HMS Tradewind, patrolling the area, spots the small convoy. For Tradewind's commander, Lieutenant-Commander Maydon, the unmarked and lightly escorted cargo ship is a perfect target. At around 1600 hours, he orders four torpedoes to be fired.
Two torpedoes hit the Jun'yō Maru, and the Japanese crew takes the only two lifeboats. Within 15 minutes, the ship lists heavily, and then her bow rises vertically above the water before disappearing beneath the waves, taking hundreds down with her.
Her two escorts pick up some survivors, but those deemed too weak are thrown back into the water.
Japanese vessels will continue picking up survivors tomorrow, saving some 680 POWs and 200 rōmushas. Those survivors will immediately be placed in the prison in Padang and then taken to Pekanbaru to work on the railway.
Some 5,640 will perish at sea.
Picture: Japanese cargo ship Jun'yō Maru in 1933
Source: Vancouver Archives
On 17 September 1944, thousands of paratroopers and glider-borne troops of the First Allied Airborne Army drop into the Netherlands to launch Operation Market Garden.
Just a week ago, Field Marshal Montgomery briefed his subordinate officers on the plan, which you can read about in our 10 September post.
At 0930 hours, 2,083 Allied aircraft (1,051 troop carriers and 516 glider/tug combinations), carrying 20,000 troops, 511 vehicles, 330 artillery pieces, and 590 tons of stores, take off in near-perfect weather.
The landings proceed far better than any before. Over 84% of the 82nd AD lands within 1 km (0.6 miles) of their drop zones. The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) lands at Grave while the 505th PIR and 508th PIR drop on the Groesbeek Heights with the 376th Parachute Artillery Battalion.
The 101st AD's landing is slightly less successful, with the 501st PIR landing south of Veghel, but 1st Battalion drops by mistake at Heeswijk, 4.8 km (3 miles) on the wrong side of the Willems Canal and the River Aa. The 502nd PIR and 506th PIR land with the divisional headquarters just north of the Sonsche Forest.
Only half of the British 1st AD lands in the first wave. At 1330, the 1st Airborne Corps HQ lands near Groesbeek village, while the 1st Parachute Brigade drops at 1353 west of Arnhem.
The 1st Parachute Brigade advances to Arhnem, but their Reconnaissance Squadron quickly runs into German defensive units and fails to reach the bridge in the city.
British XXX Corps launches its assault with an artillery barrage at 1415 hours and, by 1500, cross into the Netherlands. But the Irish Guards, spearheading the advance, are ambushed from both sides by the concealed guns of the 9th SS Panzer Division and take several hours to push through with the assistance of fighter-bombers. By 1900, they reach Valkenswaard, only advancing 11 km (7 miles) of the planned 21 km (13 miles).
The 501st PIR secures the bridges at Heeswijk and Veghel, and the 502nd PIR captures the Sint-Oedenrode bridge by 1600 hours, but the 506th PIR fails to reach the bridge in the town of Son before the Germans blow it up.
Picture: Paratroops landing at Wolfheze
Source: IWM BU 1163
On 16 September 1944, U.S. President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill, and the Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff Staff (CCS) depart Quebec after a five-day discussion on the plans for final victory and post-war arrangements.
When Roosevelt and Churchill met in Quebec back in August 1943 for the Quadrant Conference, the situation was very different.
And here we are, 13 months later, the German and Japanese forces are on the back foot, much of Europe is free from Nazi rule, and Allied forces have made their first crossings into German territory.
On 11 September, the two leaders arrived in Quebec to launch this conference, codenamed Octagon.
They and the CCS reached agreements and set dates for future operations against Japan, with increased involvement from the Royal Navy. They set the tentative date for defeating Japan as December 1945.
A CCS memorandum has outlined the geographical limits for the zones of occupation of Germany to each of the Big Three:
British forces will occupy Germany west of the Rhine and east of the Rhine north of the line from Koblenz, following the northern border of Hessen and Nassau to the border of the area allocated to the Soviet Government.
The forces of the United States will occupy Germany east of the Rhine, south of the line Koblenz-northern border of Hessen-Nassau, and west of the area allocated to the Soviet Government.
It also seems like the two leaders have given serious consideration to a Treaty of Versailles-esque solution by tentatively approving the memorandum titled "Suggested Post-Surrender Program for Germany", written by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr.
Morgenthau's proposal (which you can read in photo 2) argues for Germany's complete demilitarization and partitioning and a deindustrialization of the Ruhr.
As President Roosevelt departs at 1730 hours today, the conference ends.
Will Germany collapse by the end of the year? Will Morgenthau's idea become a reality? Is such a 'punishment' a good idea?
Picture: British and American combined Chiefs of Staff with Roosevelt and Churchill
Source: U.S. National Archives 292627
On 15 September 1944, the U.S. 1st Marine Division makes a costly amphibious landing on Peleliu Island.
With the bloody but successful capture of the Marianas behind them, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff selected the small 9.7 km (6 mi) long and 3.2 km (2 mi) wide Peleliu Island as the next invasion target, aiming to capture its strategically important airfield in Operation Stalemate II.
Major General William H. Rupertus and his reinforced, 28,000-strong 1st Marine Division were selected for the job. Four battleships and seven cruisers of the U.S. Third Fleet arrived off Peleliu on 12 September and began bombarding the island.
But Lieutenant Colonel Kunio Nakagawa's 2nd Infantry Regiment (11,000 troops) was unfazed. Japanese tactics have changed, focusing on digging defensive positions into the ridges and hills to form a defense in depth.
Today, at 0832, the 1st Marine Regiment, under Colonel Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, lands on the northern beaches (White 1 and 2) and advances 90-320 m (100-350 yards) to a tall coral ridge, not present on any maps, bristling with Japanese guns peeking through small slits. It takes them several hours to advance past the ridge, even with tank support.
The 5th Marine Regiment, under Colonel Harold Harris, lands in the center (Orange 1 and 2) and, by early afternoon, reaches the airfield.
At the southern end (Orange 3), 7th Marine Regiment, under Colonel Herman Hanneken, suffers heavy casualties as beach obstacles force LVTs to advance in column. Inland, the Marines encounter a series of Japanese pillboxes and then a dense swamp, again unmarked on their maps.
At 1620 hours, 17 Japanese tanks, supported by infantry, launch a well-coordinated counterattack across the airfield. However, the tanks advance too far and are taken out.
By the end of the day, the Marines dig in along a 3.2 km (2-mile) long and 1.6 km (1 mile) wide stretch of land, having already suffered 200 dead and 900 wounded.
Check out Indy's video tomorrow by following the link in our bio to see how the assault on the airfield goes.
Picture: Marines on one of the "Orange" landing beaches seek cover from Japanese fire behind an LVT
Source: U.S. Navy Archives
On 14 September 1944, First Lieutenant Edgar H. Lloyd (aged 22), Company E, 319th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division, single-handedly neutralizes five German machine gun positions near Pompey, France.
For his actions, 1LT Lloyd will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on 7 April 1945. His citation will read:
˝For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On September 14, 1944, Company E, 319th Infantry, with which 1st Lt. Lloyd was serving as a rifle platoon leader, was assigned the mission of expelling an estimated enemy force of 200 men from a heavily fortified position near Pompey, France. As the attack progressed, 1st Lt. Lloyd's platoon advanced to within 50 yards of the enemy position where they were caught in a withering machinegun and rifle crossfire which inflicted heavy casualties and momentarily disorganized the platoon. With complete disregard for his own safety, 1st Lt. Lloyd leaped to his feet and led his men on a run into the raking fire, shouting encouragement to them. He jumped into the first enemy machinegun position, knocked out the gunner with his fist, dropped a grenade, and jumped out before it exploded. Still shouting encouragement he went from 1 machinegun nest to another, pinning the enemy down with submachine gun fire until he was within throwing distance, and then destroyed them with hand grenades. He personally destroyed 5 machineguns and many of the enemy, and by his daring leadership and conspicuous bravery inspired his men to overrun the enemy positions and accomplish the objective in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. His audacious determination and courageous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States.˝
Picture: Men of US Army 2nd Infantry Division advancing into Brest, France under German machine gun fire, 9 Sep 1944
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 13 September 1944, SS officers execute SOE agents Yolande Beekman, Noor Inayat Khan, Eliane Plewman, and Madeleine Damerment.
Just over a week ago, on 5 September, we covered the SS career and execution of SOE agent Major Gustave Biéler in Flossenbürg concentration camp.
When the Gestapo arrested Bieler back in January, they also arrested fellow Musician circuit agent and radio operator Yolande Beekman. To learn more about their arrest and Beekman's career, check out our 13 January post.
After their arrest, Beekman was transferred to Fresnes Prison, where she was subjected to brutal torture and interrogation. But after they could not get any information from her, the Gestapo transferred her to the civilian prison for women at Karlsruhe in Germany on 12 May, along with seven other agents, including Noor Inayat Khan, Eliane Plewman, and Madeleine Damerment. Khan's story was covered in detail in Episode 24 of Astrid's Spies and Ties series on YouTube, which you can find by following the link in our bio.
Plewman joined the SOE in March 1943 and parachuted into France on 13/14 August that year to join the Monk circuit as the main courier and wireless operator. She was arrested when Gestapo agents raided a Resistance safehouse in Marseille on 23 and 24 March 1944. Damerment had the misfortune of being arrested immediately upon landing near Chartres in France on 29 February 1944 because the Gestapo used Khan's radio to transmit false messages back to Britain.
Suddenly and for unknown reasons, the four women were handcuffed and led onto a train at 0130 hours on 10 September under the supervision of Gestapo officer Max Wassmer.
Late last night, they arrived at Dachau concentration camp.
This morning, two SS soldiers, under the direction of SS Obersturmbannführer Wilhelm Ruppert, lead the women into the courtyard and force them to kneel. Wassmer informs them that they are sentenced to death, to which Beekman asks whether they can protest the sentence. Wassmer informs them that they cannot.
Then, Rupert executes them with a shot through the back of the neck.
Picture: Barbed-wire fence and moat that surround Dachau concentration camp
Source: USHMM 17001
In the early hours of 12 September 1944, a U.S. Navy submarine wolfpack attacks a Japanese convoy transporting over two thousand British and Australian POWs.
Convoy HI-72 departed Singapore on 6 September, consisting of the transport/passenger ships Kachidoki Maru, Asaka Maru, Shincho Maru, Nankai Maru, Zuiho Maru, Kimikawa Maru, and Rakuyō Maru, carrying 866 Japanese passengers, thousands of tons of bauxite, oil, and aviation fuel, as well as some 2,267 British and Australian POWs (1,317 aboard the Rakuyō Maru and around 950 aboard the Kachidoki Maru). The convoy escorts comprised Coastal Defense Ships Hirado, Mikura, Kurahashi, two sub-chasers, and IJN destroyer Shikinami.
Meanwhile, USS Sealion (II), Growler, and Pampanito moved into position between the Luzon Strait and Hainan Island based on ULTRA intercepts that indicated an important Japanese convoy would pass through the area.
Yesterday morning, Kagu Maru, Gokoku Maru, and Kibitsu Maru of MAMO-03 sailing from Manila, joined Convoy HI-72.
At 0155 hours today, Growler torpedos and sinks Hirado, but the convoy moves on.
Then, at 0531 hours, one torpedo strikes Nankai Maru, and two hit Rakuyō Maru's No. 1 hold and engine room, leaving her dead in the water.
At 0655, Growler's torpedos sink Shikinami; her depth charges explode and injure or kill many survivors in the water. Aboard the Rakuyō Maru, Japanese kick out any POWs trying to board lifeboats. At 0845, Nankai Maru sinks.
The other Japanese transport ships and two escorts proceed north while the other escorts begin picking up survivors. By 1900 hours, the Japanese escorts head off, sailing over many of the 1,200 POWs they leave in the water.
At 2250, Pampanito's torpedos hit Zuiho Maru and Kachidoki Maru. By 2337, Kachidoki Maru sinks, taking 413 POWs with her.
Tomorrow, 13 September, Japanese ships will rescue most Japanese survivors and some 520 POWs from Kachidoki Maru.
Between 15 and 18 September, Pampanito and Growler, assisted by USS Barb and Quenfish, will rescue 149 POWs.
1,559 Australian and British POWs will be killed or lost at sea.
Picture: Survivors being rescued by the crew of USS Pampanito, 15 September 1944
Source: AWM 305634
On 11 September 1944, a five-man infantry combat patrol from the U.S. 5th Armored Division crosses the Our River and enters German territory.
The 5th Armored Division landed on Utah Beach as part of General Patton's Third Army on 24 July. Between 2 and 8 August, the division swept through Avranches and Vitré into Le Mans. On 12 August, they reached Argentan.
The 5th then drove 128 km (80 miles) east and captured the Eure River Line at Dreux on 16 August. Following heavy fighting in the Eure-Seine corridor, the division was transferred to Lieutenant General Hodges' First Army as part of XV Corps on 26 August.
Attached to V Corps, the division passed through Paris on 30 August, spearheading the drive through the Compiègne Forest and to the Belgian border on 2 September.
As Patton's Third Army was dealing with its fuel shortage, which you can read about in our 1 September post, the 5th Armored Division led the First Army's advance by moving 160 km (100 miles) in 8 hours and crossing the Meuse River on 4 September. Yesterday, the 5th liberated Luxembourg City and moved into positions along the German border.
Early in the afternoon today, Lieutenant Loren L. Vipond, 2nd Platoon lead of Reconnaissance Troop B, 85th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, orders a combat patrol across the Our River.
Sergeant Warner W. Holzinger leads the attached French interpreter, Lieutenant Lille, Corporal Ralph Diven, Technician 5th Grade Coy Locke, and Private First Class George McNeal across after surveying the other bank for enemy activity.
They slowly wade through the waist-deep water, and as they step foot onto German soil, they realize they just crossed in front of a well-camouflaged German bunker. Fortunately, the bunker is unoccupied.
They pass more abandoned fortifications as they move through the deserted village of Gemünd. Climbing up a steep hill past the village, they stand in the middle of the Siegfried Line, left to decay after the fall of France.
After noticing no enemy activity, the patrol returns with the honor of being the first in Germany.
Picture: Two U.S. soldiers look down on a row of "dragon's teeth" at the Siegfried Line
Source: U.S. National Archives
On 10 September 1944, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery briefs his subordinates on a daring airborne operation set to commence on 17 September.
The advance of the Allied armies has begun to slow down as they approach the borders of Germany, struggling with supply line issues we discussed on 1 September when General Patton's 3rd Army ran out of fuel.
Furthermore, toward the end of August, Field Marshal Montgomery, with Churchill's support, began to advocate for a 'single thrust' strategy in opposition to the agreed upon 'broad front' strategy, which foresees the Allied armies advancing abreast into Germany.
Pressured by potential strain on relations between his commanders, General Eisenhower caved in and gave Montgomery command over the First Allied Airborne Army (FAAA) on 23 August for the thrust into Germany.
Montgomery proposed Operation Comet a few days later, which involved one airborne division plus an airborne brigade dropped to secure bridges over waterways from the Belgian-Dutch border up to the Lower Rhine River near Arnhem, Netherlands, to open the path into the Ruhr.
However, bad weather delayed the launch of the operation. Then, as the airborne troops boarded the planes on 8 September, the operation was canceled as the weather worsened.
Undeterred, Montgomery raised the troop requirements and received approval from Eisenhower to set 17 September as D-Day for the operation.
Today, Montgomery briefs his commanders of the two-part Operation Market Garden.
The Market portion will have the U.S. 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, the British 1st Airborne Division, and the Polish 1st Parachute Brigade land and secure the major water obstacles and bridges along Highway 69 and the Eindhoven‑Nijmegen‑Arnhem corridor.
The 'Garden' ground forces, the British 8th, 12th, and 30th Corps', will move abreast and link up with the 101st by the end of D-Day, and by D+3 or D+4 pass through the airborne forces and encircle the Ruhr industrial zone in Germany.
The plan is undoubtedly ambitious and could end the war very quickly if it works.
Picture: Montgomery studies a map with Lt-Gen Horrocks, XXX Corps, and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
Source: IWM BU 766
On 9 September 1944, Belgian Foreign Minister Paul Henri Spaak announces the signing of the Netherlands–Belgium–Luxembourg Customs Convention.
With the war's outcome looking increasingly certain to be Allied victory in Europe, the three governments-in-exile already signed a monetary agreement on 21 October 1943, which fixed exchange rates between the Belgian–Luxembourg franc (which have operated under a common exchange rate since 1921) and the Dutch guilder.
Four days ago, on 5 September, they Netherlands–Belgium–Luxembourg Customs Convention in London.
Today, Spaak issues a letter to inform Belgian government officials and diplomats of the nature of the treaty:
˝I am writing to inform you that, on 5 September, Belgium and Luxembourg... signed a Customs Union with the Netherlands. Although transitional in nature, the Customs Union is designed to foster economic recovery and to create the conditions for a more permanent union at a later date... Under the Customs Union Agreement... the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union and the Netherlands adopted a common customs tariff that abolishes the collection of all customs duties among them. The common rules applicable to goods from third countries are liberal in nature. All basic food necessities, as well as supplies and equipment needed for resuming production, will be granted temporary duty-free entry. Those items will make up the bulk of imports during the period when the Agreement is in force.
The Agreement sets up four bodies responsible for coordinating the measures established by the Customs Union’s common rules.
A Customs Administration Council will table measures seeking to unify laws and regulations governing the collection of import and excise duties.
An Administrative Committee for the Regulation of External Trade will coordinate rules on import licences and import and export quotas.
A Council for Trade Agreements will coordinate agreements with third countries...˝
Picture: Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (left to right: Paul-Henri Spaak, Eelco van Kleffens, and Joseph Bech) sign the monetary agreement on 21 October 1943
Source: Netherlands National Archives
On 8 September 1944, the first V-2 ballistic missiles hit Paris and London.
With V-1 (Vergeltungswaffe 1 or 'Vengeance Weapon 1') attacks decreasing in frequency, it seems that Hitler's vengeance will not be fulfilled.
However, the Wehrmacht-funded development and testing of liquid-fuel propulsion, primarily headed by engineers Werner von Braun, Walter Riedel, Walter Tiel, and Arthur Rudolf, of the Aggregate (A) series of rockets since 1933 has given the Germans a functional V-2 (Vergeltungswaffe 2 or 'Vengeance Weapon 2') by now.
Unlike the V-1, propelled by a pulse-jet engine along its entire flight path, the 14 m (45 ft) long V-2 is propelled high into the air for 65 seconds and then guided onto its target along a ballistic arc. The propellant mixture of 75% ethanol/25% water mixture (B-Stoff) for fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX) (A-Stoff) for oxidizer launches the 12,500 kg (27,600 lbs) V-2 around 80 km (50 mi) into the air. Then, an analog computer controls the fin-mounted control surfaces via electrical-hydraulic servomotors based on inputs from a pair of gyroscopes to guide the missile along a predetermined flight path. Achieving a speed of 5,760 km/h (3,580 mph) during take-off and 2,880 km/h (1,790 mph) at impact, the V-2 can deliver its 975 kilogram (2,150 lb) warhead without being detected by Allied radar.
At 0830 hours this morning, Artillerie Abteilung 485 fires a V-2 from a truck-towed Meillerwagen mobile-launch platform positioned in the Wassenaar suburb in the Hague, Netherlands. Shortly afterward, the missile strikes the Porte d'Italie in Paris but causes minor damage and no casualties.
In the afternoon, Art. Ab. 485 launches two more V-2s at London. One explodes in Epping, northeast of London, and causes no damage.
At precisely 18:40:52, the other hits Staveley Road in the Chiswick district of London. It destroys eleven houses and damages fifteen others. The explosion kills three people: Ada Harrison (aged 63), Rosemary Clarke (aged 3), and Bernard Browning (aged 28).
It seems as if Duncan Sandy's statement we covered in yesterday's post, was premature.
Picture: V-2 prepared for launch in Cuxhaven, Germany
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 7 September 1944, as Allied armies overrun the last V-1 launch sites in France, the British government proclaims 'victory' over Hitler's 'Vengeance Weapons'.
When the first V-1 hit East London on 13 June, which you can read about in our post from that date, few expected that over 8,000 would follow. For the past seven weeks, between 100 and 150 of the deadly 'flying bombs' have been fired at Britain every day.
But as the Allied armies swept across France, fewer launch sites remained, and the Luftwaffe bombers air-launching the V-1s found themselves increasingly short on fuel and pilots.
At least 1,000 V-1s crashed shortly after being fired or failed to reach their target. Even when the attacks peaked on 3 August, of the 316 V-1s fire, only 220 reached Britain.
While the Operation Crossbow bombings have been less effective than was hoped, the steady buildup of concentric cordons of anti-aircraft batteries, now mainly guided by advanced gun-laying radar and equipped with proximity-fused shells, has proven to be a significant part of the solution. Combined with the hard work of RAF pilots flying de Havilland Mosquitos, Griffon-engined Spitfires, and P-51 Mustangs, this has meant that more than half of the V-1s have been shot down.
But sadly, none of this has been enough to save the hundreds killed and injured when a V-1 exploded atop the Guard's Chapel, which you can read about in our 18 June post, or the thousands of other casualties across London.
Today, a British Government communique puts the total casualties in the V-1 attacks at 5,817 killed, 22,870 slightly wounded, and another 17,086 hospitalised.
However, some seem to be more enthusiastic. Member of Parliament and Chairman of the War Cabinet Committee for defence against German flying bombs and rockets, Duncan Sandys, publicly states: ˝Except possibly for a last few shots, the Battle of London is over-we have beaten Hitler's secret weapon, the V-1, which was to have terrorised Britain into making a negotiated peace.˝
Picture: Canadian soldiers sitting atop a German V-1 “buzz bomb,” which failed to reach its target in Britain, 1944
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 6 September 1944, members of the Frank and van Pels families arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp after being deported from the Netherlands by Nazi authorities.
Anne Frank, her father Otto, mother Edith, and sister Margot went into hiding in an Achterhuis (Secret Annex) located behind Otto's office at 263 Prinsengracht in Amsterdam on 6 July 1942, shortly after the Germans began systematically deporting Jews from the Netherlands. Joined by the van Pels family (Hermann, Auguste, and Peter), and Fritz Pfeffer, a family friend, they managed to live and avoid discovery by the Nazis with the help of Otto's employees.
That is until SS-Oberscharführer Karl Silberbauer discovered the secret passage in the building just over a month ago on 4 August. To learn more about the circumstances of the arrest, check out Episode 108 of Spartacus' War Against Humanity Series by following the link in our bio.
After being interned for a month at the Westerbork transit camp in the Northeastern Netherlands, the Frank and van Pels families and Pfeffer were forced into a freight train headed for Auschwitz alongside 1,019 other Jewish prisoners on 3 September.
Today, the train arrives at Auschwitz. SS guards separate the men from the women and children and begin the selection process. 15-year-old Anne narrowly avoids being selected for extermination in the gas chambers with the 549 children, elderly, and unfit for work. Instead, SS guards force Anne, Margot, and their mother, Edith, into the overcrowded women's barracks and assign them to hard labor in the camp.
Otto is separated from his family, leading them to believe he is among those sent to the gas chambers. The van Pels family and Pfeffer are also selected for hard labor.
Within less than a year, all members of the group that hid in the Secret Annex, except Otto, will die in the Nazi concentration camp system.
Picture: Selection on the ramp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, 1944
Source: Yad Vashem
On 5 September 1944, an SS firing squad executes SOE agent Major 'Guy' Gustave Biéler in Flossenbürg concentration camp.
Born on 26 March 1904 in Beurlay, France, to Swiss parents, Gustave Daniel Alfred Biéler spent most of his youth in Lausanne in Switzerland. In 1924, he emigrated to Montreal, Canada, where he worked as a teacher and translator.
In 1939, Biéler volunteered with the Canadian Officers' Training Corps. By 1940, he was a commissioned officer with the rank of Major in the Le Régiment de Maisonneuve. The regiment was transferred to Scotland early that year, and Biéler was assigned as the unit's intelligence officer, which attracted the attention of SOE's Section F leader, Colonel Maurice Buckmaster. On 4 June 1940, Bieler, codename 'Commandant Guy', became the first Canadian SOE recruit.
However, Biéler's first mission started off poorly. When he parachuted into France on 18 November 1942, Bieler fractured his spine as the result of a rough landing. Even after recovering for months in a Paris hospital and suffering chronic pain, Biéler insisted on completing the mission.
Once he regained mobility and moved to Saint-Quentin, he began intensively recruiting resistance members and civilians into his MUSICIAN circuit. He built an extensive network of 25 teams across northern France despite not having a wireless operator. MUSICIAN soon rose to the top of the Gestapo's most wanted list because of their constant interference with German transportation lines.
Biéler finally got his wireless operator, Yolande Beekman, on 18 September 1943. With Beekman's help, Bieler further expanded MUSICIAN and intensified sabotage operations.
But the Germans arrested Beekman and Biéler this January. You can read about the arrest and Beekman's story in our 13 January post.
The Gestapo subjected Bieler to three months of brutal torture and interrogation, and when they couldn't extract any information, transferred him to Flossenbürg concentration camp in Bavaria.
Bieler's strength has earned him respect even among the Germans, as an SS honor guard executes him today.
Picture: Execution site in the Flossenbürg concentration camp
Source: U.S. National Archives
On 4 September 1944, Private Gino Joseph Merli (aged 20), 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, remains at his position near Sars-la-Bruyère in Belgium even as German troops repeatedly overrun it.
For his actions, Pvt. Merli will be awarded the Medal of Honor on 15 June 1945. His citation will read:
˝He was serving as a machine gunner in the vicinity of Sars la Bruyere, Belgium, on the night of 4–5 September 1944, when his company was attacked by a superior German force. Its position was overrun and he was surrounded when our troops were driven back by overwhelming numbers and firepower. Disregarding the fury of the enemy fire concentrated on him he maintained his position, covering the withdrawal of our riflemen and breaking the force of the enemy pressure. His assistant machine gunner was killed and the position captured; the other 8 members of the section were forced to surrender. Pfc. Merli slumped down beside the dead assistant gunner and feigned death. No sooner had the enemy group withdrawn then he was up and firing in all directions. Once more his position was taken and the captors found 2 apparently lifeless bodies. Throughout the night Pfc. Merli stayed at his weapon. By daybreak the enemy had suffered heavy losses, and as our troops launched an assault, asked for a truce. Our negotiating party, who accepted the German surrender, found Pfc. Merli still at his gun. On the battlefield lay 52 enemy dead, 19 of whom were directly in front of the gun. Pfc. Merli's gallantry and courage, and the losses and confusion that he caused the enemy, contributed materially to our victory.˝
Picture: Men of Company M, 3d Battalion 18th Infantry Regiment,1st Infantry Drivision, lay in wait for German paratroopers being driven out of the woods in Sourbrodt, Belgium
Source: Signal Corps Archives SC 198297
On 3 September 1944, Britain marks the fifth year since the start of the war with a special radio program broadcast by the BBC.
Those tuning into the BBC's radio frequency today are greeted by a call to observe a National Day of Prayer to mark the fifth anniversary of Britain's declaration of war on Nazi Germany.
This is not the first such call, as His Majesty King George VI has called for such observance several times since the outbreak of war. The first National Day of Prayer was called for on 27 March 1940, when hundreds of thousands of British soldiers were stranded at Dunkirk. The next came on 11 August 1940, calling young people to pray for the future.
Only a month later, on 8 September 1940, another call for prayer went out as Luftwaffe bombers blanketed the sky over Britain. The next followed on 26 March 1941. The fifth National Day of Prayer came on the third anniversary of the war's start, 3 September 1942, with Allied forces battling against Field Marshal Rommel's Afrika Korps in Egypt. On the eve of the capitulation of Italy, 3 September 1943, another call to prayer went out. The last National Day of Prayer in Britain was called this spring ahead of the Normandy landings.
But today, on the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of war, BBC broadcasts a program led by Dr. William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, calls Britons to prayerful reflection and thanksgiving. The British Parliament marks the anniversary differently, announcing that so far, 242,995 British citizens have been killed, 80,603 are missing, 311,500 have been wounded, and 290,381 are in enemy captivity.
An air of hope certainly lingers following the recent victories won by the Allies. Just today, at 2000 hours, the British Guards Armoured Division is met by cheering crowds in Brussels.
But with the Allied armies driving into the heart of Europe from all sides and Nazi German and her few remaining allies continuing to fight, one must wonder: How many more from all nations will die before this war is over?
Picture: Congregation in Westminster Cathedral, London, during National Day of Prayer, 1941
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 2 September 1944, troops from the U.S. 36th Infantry Division (ID) enter Lyon.
As General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny's French Army B encircled Toulon and Marseille, Major General Lucian Truscott's VI Corps pushed north to cut off the German retreat up the Rhône River Valley.
Aware of the German path of retreat, Truscott ordered Task Force Butler, VI Corps' mechanized forces, to advance toward Grenoble parallel to that path.
By 21 August, Task Force Butler captured the hills north of Montélimar, along the German path of retreat, but Truscott ordered them to attack the town only when the 36th ID's infantry arrived on 22 August. By this time, the 45th ID had reached Grenoble.
But when the 11th Panzer Division's tanks arrived on 24 August, the 36th ID, incorporating Task Force Butler, failed to make progress into Montélimar.
Conversely, Gen. Weise's forces grew with the arrival of the 198th Infantry Division and various Luftwaffe units, which allowed him to launch a series of counterattacks on 25 August. While these attacks gained some ground, the battle soon became a frustrating stalemate.
By 29 August, the remaining German forces in Montélimar surrendered to U.S. troops, but the bulk of the 19th Army managed to withdraw toward Lyon.
Truscott was eager to cut off the German retreat again and ordered the 3rd ID and French II Corps directly up the Rhône. At the same time, the 45th Division moved through Grenoble and then north along the Swiss border. The 36th ID moved north between the other two units.
The 3rd ID and 36th ID were less than a few kilometers from Lyon, while the 45th ID was battling with the 11th Panzer over Meximieux.
Early afternoon today, 2 September, reconnaissance patrols from the 36th Divisions' 142nd and 143rd regiments enter Lyon and contact French Resistance forces as they are fighting the remaining Vichy and Milice units in the city. They learn that the Germans had already left the city and demolished most bridges across the Saône and the Rhône.
Tomorrow, the only remaining 2,000 German troops in Lyon will surrender.
Picture: French civilians meet U.S. troops on the Guillotière bridge
Source: Le Progress Archives
On 1 September 1944, the 3rd U.S. Army's advance grinds to a halt because of a fuel shortage.
The rapid dash across France by Major General George S. Patton's 3rd Army since its activation on 1 August and the Operation Cobra breakout has been nothing short of impressive. The XII Corps left Le Mans on 15 August and was in Orléans the following evening. By 20 August, XV Corps had a bridgehead over the Seine between Mantes and Gassicourt. From there, the 3rd Army captured Fontainebleau on 23 August before turning northeast, taking Sezanne on 27 August, Reims on 28 August, and by 31 August, establishing bridgeheads across the Meuse River.
Thus, between 1 August and today, the 3rd Army's supply lines stretched from 80 km (50 miles) to 643 km (400 miles). Ordnance, transportation, and engineer battalions have been playing catch-up. The trucks of the main armament depot company have often had to travel 400 km (250 miles) back to the beach to get gasoline to haul weapons from Cherbourg. The situation has been reportedly so bad that Patton's Ordnance personnel have been passing themselves off as members of the First Army to draw gasoline from First Army fuel dumps.
The air forces have not been absent from this effort to fuel the Allied advance. Just on 19 and 24 August, the 3rd Army received 1,499,023 liters (396,000 gallons) and 1,389,246 liters (367,000 gallons) of fuel by air. But on 27 August, delivery was only 95,000 liters (25,000 gallons). As expected by Eisenhower, the needs of Paris' civilians burdened Allied supply lines, with 1,500 tons of supplies daily being diverted there from the military supply chain by 29 August.
Another attempt to remedy the situation was launched on 25 August, the 'Red Ball Express'. Under Brigadier General Ewart G. Plank, the convoy system, using over 6,000 Army trucks operated mainly by black U.S. soldiers, carries supplies to troops at the front in a continuous loop from the Normandy ports.
But not even that is enough, as Patton's 3rd Army stops today near Verdun, just 49 km (30 miles) from the Moselle River.
Picture: M4 Sherman tanks crossing a field in France
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 31 August 1944, Partisans rescue 105 Allied POWs from a forced labor site near the village of Ožbalt in Slovenia.
Earlier this year, an Australian and British POW, Private Ralph Frederick Churches, and Driver Leslie Arthur Laws began planning an escape while working on the railway between Maribor and Dravograd, near the village of Ožbalt as part of Working Camp 1046/GW, formerly Stalag XVIII-D based in Maribor, Slovenia.
Fortunately, Slovene Partisans from the 4th Operational Zone began planning to establish another liberated zone in northeastern Slovenia. More significantly, the SOE/MI9-led British Liaison Mission to the Partisans was running Operation Cuckold and planning a raid on the POW camps in the Maribor railyard after learning on 21 June of their location and that the railyard was selected as a target for Allied strategic bombing.
In July, Elisabeta Zavodnik, a local from Ožbalt, introduced Churches and Laws to her cousin, Anton, part of the partisans' forward detachment. After Anton informed them of a potential rescue mission, they recruited six other POWs to help them.
On 30 August, as instructed by Anton the day before, all except one of the POWs escaped. Anton introduced them to the Partisans 2nd Strike Brigade 'Ljubo Šercer' and several Cuckold mission operatives in the village of Lovrenc na Pohorju in the liberated zone. They learned the raid on the camp in Maribor was canceled as the MI9 agent was delayed elsewhere. However, Churches convinced the partisans to launch a raid independently from the Cuckold mission.
Early this morning, Churches and Laws lead the partisans from the 3rd Battalion to the Ožbalt worksite, where they disarm the eight German guards and free 70 POWs. On Churches' suggestion, the partisans raid other camps, freeing 20 French POWs and forced laborers and then nine British POWs. The partisans escort all the prisoners back to the liberated zone in Pohorje.
By mid-September, the partisans will escort the POWs to Semić in southeastern Slovenia. From there, an SOE/MI9 mission will organize their flight to Bari, Italy, on 21 September.
Picture: POWs at Camp 1046/GW in Maribor
Source: AWM
On 30 August 1944, troops of the I Canadian Corps cross the Foglia River and break through the Gothic Line.
The next stage of the Allied advance in Italy, Operation Olive, began at 2235 hours on 25 August, with the Canadian 1st Infantry Division, I Canadian Corps, crossing the Metauro River. To their east, the Polish II Corps advanced up the coast toward Rimini. To their west, the British 46th Infantry Division and the 4th Indian Infantry Division advanced through the mountains.
The 16 km (10 mile) stretch of ground between the Metauro and Foglia, meticulously prepared by the Germans by demolishing or bulldozing any structure that would provide cover, took the Canadian troops several days to fight through. However, even though Field Marshal Kesselring was aware that the main Allied assault was coming along the coast by 28 August, the bulk of his troops were still not in position along the Gothic Line.
Yesterday, 29 August, the Canadian 5th Armored Division (AD) was in a position overlooking the Foglia River. When Major General Bert Hoffmeister, 5th AD's commander, observed the Gothic Line fortifications, he saw they were mostly unoccupied. He immediately informed I Canadian Corps commander, Lieutenant General Burns.
Following hours of aerial bombardment today, Lt. Gen. Burns orders the attack at 1730 hours today.
Two regiments of the 1st Infantry Division, the West Nova Scotias (WNS) and Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), attack on the right. At the same time, 5th AD’s Perth Regiment and Cape Breton Highlanders move inland on the left. The WNS is caught in a minefield and forced to retreat after suffering heavy casualties. The Perth Regiment captures Point 111, becoming the first unit to cross the Gothic Line.
To the west, the PPCLI seizes the heights of Points 115 and 133.
Tomorrow, these breakthroughs will allow the 5th AD's tanks to drive 5 km (3 miles) into the Gothic Line and capture the vital Point 204 north of Montecchio.
Check out Indy's upcoming video for a more in-depth view of the Allied offensive.
Picture: 48th Highlanders of Canada advance toward the Gothic Line
Source: Library and Archives of Canada PA168941
On 29 August 1944, Slovak resistance forces and parts of the Slovak Army launch an uprising against German occupation forces and Jozef Tiso's collaborationist government.
A diverse group of emigres have been coordinating the resistance in Slovakia since 1939, including the Czechoslovak government-in-exile led by Edvard Beneš, former political party members, civic resistance groups, the church, and the illegal Communist Party.
In December last year, after Beneš contacted dissidents within the Slovak Army, these groups came together and established the Slovak National Council. The founding agreement and the first program document – the Christmas Agreement, demanded the restoration of the Czechoslovak Republic and the equal status of Slovakia within it.
With the Council's support, the dissident sections of the army under Lieutenant Colonel Ján Golian, the First Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia, began stockpiling supplies in military bases in central and eastern Slovakia in March 1944.
By August, with the Red Army just 40 km (25 mi) from the northeastern Slovak border, two divisions of the Slovak Army and the entire eastern Slovak Air Force moved to Prešov in northeastern Slovakia, planning to take control of the Dukla Pass in the Carpathian Mountains ahead of the arrival of Soviet troops.
However, on 25 August, communist partisans took control of the city of Turčiansky Svätý Martin in northern Slovakia and captured the head of the German military mission to Romania. Two days later, they executed him and occupied the city of Ružomberok. In response, Hitler ordered 20,000 German troops to occupy Slovakia.
Today, the German occupation forces enter Slovakia. At 1900 hours, Slovak Defence Minister, General Ferdinand Čatloš, announces the occupation on state radio. Just an hour later, at 2000 hours, forced by the circumstances, Lt. Col. Golian issues the order to launch the uprising. His forces move to occupy Banská Bystrica in central Slovakia.
Check out Indy's upcoming video by following the link in our bio to learn how the situation develops.
Picture: 18th Anti Aircraft Artillery Batery, that took part in Slovak National Uprising
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 28 August 1944, German forces in Marseille and Toulon surrender to the French Army B.
Only two days after the Allied landings in Southern France, which you can read about in our 15 August post, German Army Group G commander Johannes Blaskowitz ordered his troops to retreat.
He ordered the 13,000-man garrison in Marseille, primarily composed of the 244th Infantry Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Hans Schaeffer, to defend as long as possible. Similarly, 18,000 troops remained in Toulon, primarily from the 242nd Infantry Division, commanded by Rear Admiral Heinrich Ruhfus.
U.S. forces pushed north and northwest from their beachhead while General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny's French Army B pivoted west toward Marseille and Toulon.
General de Tassigny divided his forces into two, with General de Larminat's initial assault on 20 August making little progress against Toulon. In contrast, General de Monsabert's troops rapidly advanced north and then south, managing to cut the road between Marseille and Toulon.
On 21 August, after an argument over operational command, General de Tassigny took command of de Larminat's forces. De Monsabert's units encircled Marseille on 22 August, which prompted German troops to demolish the Old Port of Marseille and one of the city's landmarks, the Marseille Transporter Bridge, to slow a seaside Allied advance.
On 23 August, German forces in Toulon fell back to their inner defensive lines. Meanwhile, a battalion of the 7th Algerian Tirailleurs broke into Marseille through the eastern suburbs early on 23 August and was met by Resistance forces who had launched an uprising the day before. By 0800 hours, they occupied the city center and allowed the rest of the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division to pour in.
By 26 August, German forces in both cities were isolated into small strongholds and subjected to heavy naval and aerial bombardment.
Today, Rear Admiral Ruhfus in Toulon and Maj. Gen. Schaefer in Marseille surrender to the French commanders.
Picture: (From left) André Diethelm, General de Tassigny, General de Monsabert and Emmanuel d'Astier de La Vigerie reviewing troops in liberated Marseille
Source: Wikimedia Commons
On 27 August 1944, Technical Sergeant Stephen Raymond Gregg (aged 30), 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, provides cover for the evacuation of multiple wounded soldiers and continues the fight after escaping capture by the Germans near Montélimar, France.
For his actions, TSgt Gregg Sr. will be awarded the Medal of Honor on 17 April 1945, with the citation:
˝As his platoon advanced upon the enemy positions; the leading scout was fired upon and Second Lieutenant Gregg immediately put his machineguns into action to cover the advance of the riflemen. The Germans, who were at close range, threw hand grenades at the riflemen, killing some and wounding seven. Each time a medical aid man attempted to reach the wounded, the Germans fired at him. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Second Lieutenant Gregg took one of the light .30-caliber machineguns, and firing from the hip, started boldly up the hill with the medical aid man following him. Although the enemy was throwing hand grenades at him, Second Lieutenant Gregg remained and fired into the enemy positions while the medical aid man removed the seven wounded men to safety. When Second Lieutenant Gregg had expended all his ammunition, he was covered by four Germans who ordered him to surrender. Since the attention of most of the Germans had been diverted by watching this action, friendly riflemen were able to maneuver into firing positions. One, seeing Second Lieutenant Gregg's situation, opened fire on his captors. The four Germans hit the ground and thereupon Second Lieutenant Gregg recovered a machine pistol from one of the Germans and managed to escape to his other machinegun positions. He manned a gun, firing at his captors, killed one of them and wounded the other. This action so discouraged the Germans that the platoon was able to continue its advance up the hill to achieve its objective...˝
Picture: US Army soldiers push inland after landing in Southern France
Source: Wikimedia Commons
