World War II Daily: DDay to VEDay
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Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
Wonder if those SS were told they weren't to be shot or it they were waiting for the death knell...
Wonder if those SS were told they weren't to be shot or it they were waiting for the death knell...
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
Random shots should have been fired into the ground near their heads the entire time they were allowed to "rest".
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
Out of the 915 photos I've posted so far as part of the 'D-Day to VE-Day', this is one of the most satisfying.
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
As an aside, a friend of mine just posted this picture (on Facebook) of his parents wedding in Munich in 1946 where Oscar Schindler was the best man. Incidentally, his two uncles were the musicians portrayed in 'Schindler's List' - his uncle Leo is also in the photo, with his accordion:
As an aside, a friend of mine just posted this picture (on Facebook) of his parents wedding in Munich in 1946 where Oscar Schindler was the best man. Incidentally, his two uncles were the musicians portrayed in 'Schindler's List' - his uncle Leo is also in the photo, with his accordion:
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
As an aside, Fiona Ritchie of the radio show "The Thistle and Shamrock" related a quip about accordions: "A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the accordion, and doesn't."
For the record, I'm okay with accordion music n small doses.
As an aside, Fiona Ritchie of the radio show "The Thistle and Shamrock" related a quip about accordions: "A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the accordion, and doesn't."
For the record, I'm okay with accordion music n small doses.
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
April 15, 1945: On the western front, in the north, Canadian 1st Army drives toward Appeldoorn, attacking Groningen, captures Arnhem, Leeuwarden, Harlingen, Dokkum, and Dollart Bay, and isolates the German forces around Delfzijl. US 1st Army continues reducing the Ruhr pocket, eliminating the German 11th Army in the Harz Mountains, and pushing toward Dessau while US 9th Army mops up along west bank of the Elbe River and reduces the Ruhr pocket. US 3rd Army continues mopping up pockets, pushing toward Chemnitz, and halts at positions along US-Soviet demarcation line. Dwight Eisenhower orders US 3rd Army under George Patton and US 6th Army Group under Jacob Devers to make a thrust toward Austria. Further south, US 7th Army advances around Nuremberg and Loewenstein while French 1st Army conducts another crossing of the Rhine, captures Kehl and Offenburg, and continues clearing the Black Forest. 1,280 US 8th Air Force bombers drop napalm bombs on the German stronghold in Royan, France.
British 11th Armoured Division (2nd Army) troops liberate the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany, finding approximately 60,000 prisoners inside, most of them half-starved and seriously ill, and another 13,000 corpses lying around the camp unburied. Bergen-Belsen is the only concentration camp taken by the British and the soldiers are unprepared for what they found there. In fact most of the details will not appear in the media until a couple of days after the liberation, when the first medical team arrives. Mass graves are dug to hold up to 5,000 corpses at a time. The former army guards from the SS are deliberately made to use their bare hands to bury the prisoners, many of whom had died of contagious diseases.
Troops of F Company, 2nd Battalion, 405th Regiment, US 102nd Infantry Division discover the aftermath of the massacre committed by German SS and Luftwaffe troops two days prior near Gardelegen, Germany.
Oberstleutnant Gerhard Prawitt, the commandant of the Oflag IV-C prisoner of war camp at Colditz Castle in Germany, receives the order to transfer the prisoners in his charge toward the east. As he moves to carry out the order, the prisoners refuse to cooperate as they know the European War is coming to an end. By the evening, as US 9th Armored Division nears Colditz, and SS guards begin to flee without orders. The Nazis begin evacuation from Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrueck concentration camps, with thousands murdered during a forced march.
Hitler orders that if the Allies split Germany in two, Doenitz will take command in the north and Kesselring in the south.
To the east, Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front begin a final offensive against remnants of German 4th Army in Samland, with most defenders falling back to Pillau. Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front advances toward Graz in occupied Austria. In Czechoslovakia, Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front attacks toward the Mührisch-Ostrau industrial region of Moravia, while Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front moves towards Brno.
In Italy, British 8th Army crosses Sillaro River, advances toward Budrio, and attacks toward Bastia and Argenta gap while US 5th Army attacks around Monte Pigna, Monte Mantino, Suzzano, and Vergato and opens attacks toward Bologna. US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army and British 8th Army operations. US 15th Air Force attacks Nervesa della Battaglia, Ponte di Piave, Casarsa della Delizia, and Ghedi with 312 bombers and 191 fighters while also supporting US 5th Army operations with 830 B-24 and B-17 bombers in its busiest day of the war.
Pictured: British troops are seen crouching against German snipers action in Arnhem on April 15, 1945
DUKW of US 7th Army being loaded with gasoline jerrycans for a quick transfer across the Rhine
B-24J Liberators of the 579th Bomb Squadron (US 8th Air Force) drop incendiary bombs made from fighter plane drop tanks filled with napalm on targets near Royan, France, April 15, 1945. Note the smoke marker dropped by the lead aircraft.
An inmate of the Bergen-Belsen camp, after liberation. Bergen-Belsen, Germany, after April 15, 1945
Situation map from April 15, 1945
April 15, 1945: On the western front, in the north, Canadian 1st Army drives toward Appeldoorn, attacking Groningen, captures Arnhem, Leeuwarden, Harlingen, Dokkum, and Dollart Bay, and isolates the German forces around Delfzijl. US 1st Army continues reducing the Ruhr pocket, eliminating the German 11th Army in the Harz Mountains, and pushing toward Dessau while US 9th Army mops up along west bank of the Elbe River and reduces the Ruhr pocket. US 3rd Army continues mopping up pockets, pushing toward Chemnitz, and halts at positions along US-Soviet demarcation line. Dwight Eisenhower orders US 3rd Army under George Patton and US 6th Army Group under Jacob Devers to make a thrust toward Austria. Further south, US 7th Army advances around Nuremberg and Loewenstein while French 1st Army conducts another crossing of the Rhine, captures Kehl and Offenburg, and continues clearing the Black Forest. 1,280 US 8th Air Force bombers drop napalm bombs on the German stronghold in Royan, France.
British 11th Armoured Division (2nd Army) troops liberate the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany, finding approximately 60,000 prisoners inside, most of them half-starved and seriously ill, and another 13,000 corpses lying around the camp unburied. Bergen-Belsen is the only concentration camp taken by the British and the soldiers are unprepared for what they found there. In fact most of the details will not appear in the media until a couple of days after the liberation, when the first medical team arrives. Mass graves are dug to hold up to 5,000 corpses at a time. The former army guards from the SS are deliberately made to use their bare hands to bury the prisoners, many of whom had died of contagious diseases.
Troops of F Company, 2nd Battalion, 405th Regiment, US 102nd Infantry Division discover the aftermath of the massacre committed by German SS and Luftwaffe troops two days prior near Gardelegen, Germany.
Oberstleutnant Gerhard Prawitt, the commandant of the Oflag IV-C prisoner of war camp at Colditz Castle in Germany, receives the order to transfer the prisoners in his charge toward the east. As he moves to carry out the order, the prisoners refuse to cooperate as they know the European War is coming to an end. By the evening, as US 9th Armored Division nears Colditz, and SS guards begin to flee without orders. The Nazis begin evacuation from Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrueck concentration camps, with thousands murdered during a forced march.
Hitler orders that if the Allies split Germany in two, Doenitz will take command in the north and Kesselring in the south.
To the east, Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front begin a final offensive against remnants of German 4th Army in Samland, with most defenders falling back to Pillau. Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front advances toward Graz in occupied Austria. In Czechoslovakia, Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front attacks toward the Mührisch-Ostrau industrial region of Moravia, while Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front moves towards Brno.
In Italy, British 8th Army crosses Sillaro River, advances toward Budrio, and attacks toward Bastia and Argenta gap while US 5th Army attacks around Monte Pigna, Monte Mantino, Suzzano, and Vergato and opens attacks toward Bologna. US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army and British 8th Army operations. US 15th Air Force attacks Nervesa della Battaglia, Ponte di Piave, Casarsa della Delizia, and Ghedi with 312 bombers and 191 fighters while also supporting US 5th Army operations with 830 B-24 and B-17 bombers in its busiest day of the war.
Pictured: British troops are seen crouching against German snipers action in Arnhem on April 15, 1945
DUKW of US 7th Army being loaded with gasoline jerrycans for a quick transfer across the Rhine
B-24J Liberators of the 579th Bomb Squadron (US 8th Air Force) drop incendiary bombs made from fighter plane drop tanks filled with napalm on targets near Royan, France, April 15, 1945. Note the smoke marker dropped by the lead aircraft.
An inmate of the Bergen-Belsen camp, after liberation. Bergen-Belsen, Germany, after April 15, 1945
Situation map from April 15, 1945
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
April 16, 1945: The unstoppable Allied Armies continue to beat back the Nazis from both east and west - the inexorable squeeze continues.
On the eastern front, Canadian troops capture Harlingen, Groningen, and Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, while British 2nd Army units attack Uelzen and advance toward Bremen and Soltau. US 1st Army closes up to the Elbe River and Mulde River to await Soviets, reducing Harz Mountain pocket, and eliminating the Ruhr pocket as resistance there begins to collapse. Elements of the US 1st Army capture Solingen and Wuppertal, and General Bayerlein surrenders German LIII Korps to 7th Armored Division (US 1st Army). US 9th Army prepares to attack Magdeburg and continues mopping up rear areas. US 3rd Army continues mopping up around Bayreuth, pushing toward Chemnitz, and drawing up to stop lines.
US 9th Armored Division liberates the prisoners at the Oflag IV-C camp at the "escape-proof" Colditz Castle in Germany. US Private First Class Alan Murphey receives the formal surrender from German Hauptmann Eggers at the courtyard of the castle. Throughout the war, 316 POWs attempted escapes from the castle with 32 making "home runs", which was the most of any camp.
Further south, US 7th Army reaches the outskirts of Nuremberg and begins to attack while other elements push through Loewenstein. French 1st Army continues clearing the Black Forest.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Regensburg with 294 bombers, Plattling with 77 bombers, Straubing with 76 bombers, and Landshut with 273 bombers. US 8th Air Force fighters claim 747 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed on the ground. US 9th Air Force fighters claim 215 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed on the ground. US 15th Air Force fighters attack transportation lines. RAF Bomber Command sends 175 aircraft to attack Schwandorf, 23 aircraft to attack Gablingen, 64 aircraft to attack Berlin, and 23 aircraft to attack Munich overnight.
The Allied Chiefs of Staff formally decree the ending of the area bombing campaign against Germany. In one of British Bomber Command's last major operations of the war, 900 bombers are despatched to attack the German island fortress of Helgoland. An additionalr eighteen British Lancaster bombers of No. 617 Squadron RAF attack the German heavy cruiser Lützow at Swinemünde, Germany (now Swinoujscie, Poland). All but two of the aircraft are hit, although only one is lost (becoming No. 617 Squadron's last loss of the war). A near miss by a "Tallboy" 12,000-lb bomb tears a large hole in the bottom of the Lützow, crippling her.
From their positions on the Oder-Neisse Line, Soviet 1st Byelorussian and Soviet 1st Ukrainian Fronts began their final push on Berlin. The 1st Belorussian Front (Marshal Zhukov), to the east, and 1st Ukrainian Front (Marshal Konev), to the southeast, lead the assault with support from 2nd Belorussian Front (Marshal Rokossovsky) in the north. Stalin is nominally in command of the operation and at this time it is not clear whether the armies commanded by Zhukov, or those commanded by Konev, are to make the final assault on the city. The two Soviet Fronts comprise over 2,000,000 men with more than 6,000 tanks and self-propelled guns, about 6,000 aircraft and almost 16,000 artillery tubes. The German troops defending the line are organized into Army Group Vistula (General Heinrici), facing 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts, and Army Group Center (Field Marshal Schorner), facing 1st Ukrainian Front. There are about 1,000,000 German troops deployed in fairly strong and well-prepared positions overlooking the west bank of the Oder River and Neisse River, however, they lack significant armor, artillery and aircraft. After the massive artillery preparation, the attacks of 1st Belorussian Front begin from the Soviet bridgehead already taken west of the Oder, near Kustrin. By a well-timed short withdrawal the forces of the German Army Group Vistula have avoided the worst effects of this Soviet bombardment, but they have insufficient strength to do more than hold the Soviet attack temporarily. The attack of 1st Ukrainian Front begins a little later over the Neisse, north and south of Triebel.
Despite the Nazis’ inevitable defeat, Hitler issues a directive: ‘he who gives the order to retreat is to be shot on the spot’.
In Italy, British 8th Army troops cross the Fossa Marina canal east of Argenta and capture Medicina and Bastia and assault the Argenta gap. US 5th Army pushes through as Germans begin to fall back. US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army and British 8th Army operations while US 15th Air Force, mostly grounded by poor weather conditions, attacks targets around Bologna with 98 bombers.
Pictured: Dutch civilians welcoming Canadian troops of the the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, April 16, 1945
US Infantrymen running down a street in Waldenburg, Germany in search of the enemy. April 16, 1945
US troops on the Colditz Castle bridge, Sachsen, Germany, April 16, 1945
Inhumane conditions at Buchenwald, April 16, 1945. Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Prize winning author of Night, is on the second bunk from the bottom, seventh from the left.
Soviet ZiS-3 guns bombarding German positions near Seelow Heights, Berlin, Germany, April 16, 1945
April 16, 1945: The unstoppable Allied Armies continue to beat back the Nazis from both east and west - the inexorable squeeze continues.
On the eastern front, Canadian troops capture Harlingen, Groningen, and Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, while British 2nd Army units attack Uelzen and advance toward Bremen and Soltau. US 1st Army closes up to the Elbe River and Mulde River to await Soviets, reducing Harz Mountain pocket, and eliminating the Ruhr pocket as resistance there begins to collapse. Elements of the US 1st Army capture Solingen and Wuppertal, and General Bayerlein surrenders German LIII Korps to 7th Armored Division (US 1st Army). US 9th Army prepares to attack Magdeburg and continues mopping up rear areas. US 3rd Army continues mopping up around Bayreuth, pushing toward Chemnitz, and drawing up to stop lines.
US 9th Armored Division liberates the prisoners at the Oflag IV-C camp at the "escape-proof" Colditz Castle in Germany. US Private First Class Alan Murphey receives the formal surrender from German Hauptmann Eggers at the courtyard of the castle. Throughout the war, 316 POWs attempted escapes from the castle with 32 making "home runs", which was the most of any camp.
Further south, US 7th Army reaches the outskirts of Nuremberg and begins to attack while other elements push through Loewenstein. French 1st Army continues clearing the Black Forest.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Regensburg with 294 bombers, Plattling with 77 bombers, Straubing with 76 bombers, and Landshut with 273 bombers. US 8th Air Force fighters claim 747 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed on the ground. US 9th Air Force fighters claim 215 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed on the ground. US 15th Air Force fighters attack transportation lines. RAF Bomber Command sends 175 aircraft to attack Schwandorf, 23 aircraft to attack Gablingen, 64 aircraft to attack Berlin, and 23 aircraft to attack Munich overnight.
The Allied Chiefs of Staff formally decree the ending of the area bombing campaign against Germany. In one of British Bomber Command's last major operations of the war, 900 bombers are despatched to attack the German island fortress of Helgoland. An additionalr eighteen British Lancaster bombers of No. 617 Squadron RAF attack the German heavy cruiser Lützow at Swinemünde, Germany (now Swinoujscie, Poland). All but two of the aircraft are hit, although only one is lost (becoming No. 617 Squadron's last loss of the war). A near miss by a "Tallboy" 12,000-lb bomb tears a large hole in the bottom of the Lützow, crippling her.
From their positions on the Oder-Neisse Line, Soviet 1st Byelorussian and Soviet 1st Ukrainian Fronts began their final push on Berlin. The 1st Belorussian Front (Marshal Zhukov), to the east, and 1st Ukrainian Front (Marshal Konev), to the southeast, lead the assault with support from 2nd Belorussian Front (Marshal Rokossovsky) in the north. Stalin is nominally in command of the operation and at this time it is not clear whether the armies commanded by Zhukov, or those commanded by Konev, are to make the final assault on the city. The two Soviet Fronts comprise over 2,000,000 men with more than 6,000 tanks and self-propelled guns, about 6,000 aircraft and almost 16,000 artillery tubes. The German troops defending the line are organized into Army Group Vistula (General Heinrici), facing 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts, and Army Group Center (Field Marshal Schorner), facing 1st Ukrainian Front. There are about 1,000,000 German troops deployed in fairly strong and well-prepared positions overlooking the west bank of the Oder River and Neisse River, however, they lack significant armor, artillery and aircraft. After the massive artillery preparation, the attacks of 1st Belorussian Front begin from the Soviet bridgehead already taken west of the Oder, near Kustrin. By a well-timed short withdrawal the forces of the German Army Group Vistula have avoided the worst effects of this Soviet bombardment, but they have insufficient strength to do more than hold the Soviet attack temporarily. The attack of 1st Ukrainian Front begins a little later over the Neisse, north and south of Triebel.
Despite the Nazis’ inevitable defeat, Hitler issues a directive: ‘he who gives the order to retreat is to be shot on the spot’.
In Italy, British 8th Army troops cross the Fossa Marina canal east of Argenta and capture Medicina and Bastia and assault the Argenta gap. US 5th Army pushes through as Germans begin to fall back. US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army and British 8th Army operations while US 15th Air Force, mostly grounded by poor weather conditions, attacks targets around Bologna with 98 bombers.
Pictured: Dutch civilians welcoming Canadian troops of the the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, April 16, 1945
US Infantrymen running down a street in Waldenburg, Germany in search of the enemy. April 16, 1945
US troops on the Colditz Castle bridge, Sachsen, Germany, April 16, 1945
Inhumane conditions at Buchenwald, April 16, 1945. Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Prize winning author of Night, is on the second bunk from the bottom, seventh from the left.
Soviet ZiS-3 guns bombarding German positions near Seelow Heights, Berlin, Germany, April 16, 1945
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
I hope no will object a personal diversion, in this excellent running account, of the events folowing the Normandy Invasion.
Many soldiers, who fought in the European theater, have reported the combat became much more brutal, once inside the German borders. The change was attributed to the fanaticism of the Hitlerjugend. It may be hard to comprehend, to those who have no familial connection to the war, that an entire generation of young boys were brainwashed, from the time of their birth, that their lifes were pledged to a murdering lunatic. These unfortunate young boys never knew a normal life. They grew up in a world of violence, where such insanity was the only norm they knew.
Apparently, my dad had a violent encounter, with one of these unfortunate young boys, who he believed was about 12. On only two occassions, he mentioned to my mom, and one of his three sisters, that he had to shot and kill one of these misguided young boys. It was a traumatic event, that deeply troubled Dad, for the remainder of his short life.
Dad was never the same, once he returned home, from the war. He had recurring nightmares, screaming out in terror, of events that he endured. From accounts that I have read, most of the Luftwaffe attacks, at the Remagen Bridgehead campaign, took place at night. That was probably the root of Dad's trauma, with the subsequent encounter with a member of the Hilter Youth, pushing Dad over the edge. While Gen. Patton might not agree, a lot of our fighting troops could not handle the sudden impact of the horror of combat. We now call this trauma PTSD. There is no doubt that Dad was one of those who suffered greatly, with this disorder.
Fifty five years ago, today, Easter Sunday, 1960, Dad's suffering ended. While an autopsy was not performed, I firmly believe he died of a heart attack, brought on from a heat stroke, that he suffered, on Good Friday afternoon. When he returned home, on that Friday evening, Dad had a washed-out greyish-yellow pallor, to his skin. Mom was horrorfied, acting as if he was already dead. In a sense, he was. While none of us knew it, his fate was likely already sealed, as he probably depleted his electrolytes to the point where the heart was fatally damaged.
The sad, ironic twist to this was he had confided, to some of his closest buddies, that he was not long for this world. Once the mind loses the will to live, the body inevitably follows. Having myself survived cancer, at just about the same age as Dad, when he passed, I have seen this firsthand. While no one can say that the brief horrors he endured, in the war, caused his death, it certainly played a role, in how the rest of his life played out.
Seeing how my dad was affected by only being in combat for at most 6 weeks, I am constantly amazed in how the soldiers who fought in Europe, were able to return home, and create the world many of us grew up in. Not to mention the airmen, who flew in those same skies. And the sailors and Marines, who fought in the Pacific Theater. They probably were all troubled, to one degree, or another. Yet, they overcame whatever troubled them, and made the life we knew possible.
Their numbers are greatly diminished, by today. I hope that everyone who has read this thread thinks of all these brave young Americans, at least once, every year, on Memorial Day. The day is near when none of them will no longer be with us. We all owe them more than we can ever repay them.
If you will permit me one further digression, there is a mysterious twist to this tale.
Mom and I went to church without Dad. We observed the service in different parts of the church. When we met up, afterwards, we both knew that something was terribly wrong. The ride home was extremely uneasy and uncomfortable. We arrived home to find Dad dead, on the floor.
Both of us could tell you exactly where we were, and what we were doing, at the precise instance when my dad apparently died. While I happened to be alone (going from one room to another), Mom was in the main congregation hall, and required attention, as she suddenly collapsed, in full view of everyone there. Unaware of what was happening, she was dazed and confused, unsure of where she was, or why she was there.
I can't claim any special insight into what happens after we die, or whether we have a soul or not. But I can tell you, something inexplicable, and eerie, happened when my dad most likely died. I can not describe that feeling. All I can say is I hope to never experience it again. It is something I will never forget.
OK, enough of my personal weirdness. Back to kicking Schicklgruber's butt!
I hope no will object a personal diversion, in this excellent running account, of the events folowing the Normandy Invasion.
Many soldiers, who fought in the European theater, have reported the combat became much more brutal, once inside the German borders. The change was attributed to the fanaticism of the Hitlerjugend. It may be hard to comprehend, to those who have no familial connection to the war, that an entire generation of young boys were brainwashed, from the time of their birth, that their lifes were pledged to a murdering lunatic. These unfortunate young boys never knew a normal life. They grew up in a world of violence, where such insanity was the only norm they knew.
Apparently, my dad had a violent encounter, with one of these unfortunate young boys, who he believed was about 12. On only two occassions, he mentioned to my mom, and one of his three sisters, that he had to shot and kill one of these misguided young boys. It was a traumatic event, that deeply troubled Dad, for the remainder of his short life.
Dad was never the same, once he returned home, from the war. He had recurring nightmares, screaming out in terror, of events that he endured. From accounts that I have read, most of the Luftwaffe attacks, at the Remagen Bridgehead campaign, took place at night. That was probably the root of Dad's trauma, with the subsequent encounter with a member of the Hilter Youth, pushing Dad over the edge. While Gen. Patton might not agree, a lot of our fighting troops could not handle the sudden impact of the horror of combat. We now call this trauma PTSD. There is no doubt that Dad was one of those who suffered greatly, with this disorder.
Fifty five years ago, today, Easter Sunday, 1960, Dad's suffering ended. While an autopsy was not performed, I firmly believe he died of a heart attack, brought on from a heat stroke, that he suffered, on Good Friday afternoon. When he returned home, on that Friday evening, Dad had a washed-out greyish-yellow pallor, to his skin. Mom was horrorfied, acting as if he was already dead. In a sense, he was. While none of us knew it, his fate was likely already sealed, as he probably depleted his electrolytes to the point where the heart was fatally damaged.
The sad, ironic twist to this was he had confided, to some of his closest buddies, that he was not long for this world. Once the mind loses the will to live, the body inevitably follows. Having myself survived cancer, at just about the same age as Dad, when he passed, I have seen this firsthand. While no one can say that the brief horrors he endured, in the war, caused his death, it certainly played a role, in how the rest of his life played out.
Seeing how my dad was affected by only being in combat for at most 6 weeks, I am constantly amazed in how the soldiers who fought in Europe, were able to return home, and create the world many of us grew up in. Not to mention the airmen, who flew in those same skies. And the sailors and Marines, who fought in the Pacific Theater. They probably were all troubled, to one degree, or another. Yet, they overcame whatever troubled them, and made the life we knew possible.
Their numbers are greatly diminished, by today. I hope that everyone who has read this thread thinks of all these brave young Americans, at least once, every year, on Memorial Day. The day is near when none of them will no longer be with us. We all owe them more than we can ever repay them.
If you will permit me one further digression, there is a mysterious twist to this tale.
Mom and I went to church without Dad. We observed the service in different parts of the church. When we met up, afterwards, we both knew that something was terribly wrong. The ride home was extremely uneasy and uncomfortable. We arrived home to find Dad dead, on the floor.
Both of us could tell you exactly where we were, and what we were doing, at the precise instance when my dad apparently died. While I happened to be alone (going from one room to another), Mom was in the main congregation hall, and required attention, as she suddenly collapsed, in full view of everyone there. Unaware of what was happening, she was dazed and confused, unsure of where she was, or why she was there.
I can't claim any special insight into what happens after we die, or whether we have a soul or not. But I can tell you, something inexplicable, and eerie, happened when my dad most likely died. I can not describe that feeling. All I can say is I hope to never experience it again. It is something I will never forget.
OK, enough of my personal weirdness. Back to kicking Schicklgruber's butt!
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
Awesome post Cuda. Very sobering.
God bless your dad and all the military for their service.
Awesome post Cuda. Very sobering.
God bless your dad and all the military for their service.
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
Thank you for sharing, Cuda - I really appreciate it.
Thank you for sharing, Cuda - I really appreciate it.
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
Cuda, I appreciate your sharing. My brother was a navigator on a B-17 and caused a Dutch village to be wiped out by error. He wrestled with that the rest of his life. Your dad's dehydration MI is not that uncommon. When we had the condo in Vail, we had a nice young maintenance guy, early 30s, who had one. He went with his family down to Lake Havasu over the 4th, air temps at about 110F. They were out on the lake and, by his account, he drank most of a case of beer, and he wasn't a large person. Of course, you don't sweat that you can tell it in those humidities (unless you lick your skin) and the beer is a false friend, slaking thirst but dehydrating at the same time. Finally, he was gripped with terrible chest pains. They saved him, but with a damaged heart, by massive IVs of normal saline and plasma. He told me later that they joked that it was more like an oil change, since his blood was about the thickness of engine oil...
Cuda, I appreciate your sharing. My brother was a navigator on a B-17 and caused a Dutch village to be wiped out by error. He wrestled with that the rest of his life. Your dad's dehydration MI is not that uncommon. When we had the condo in Vail, we had a nice young maintenance guy, early 30s, who had one. He went with his family down to Lake Havasu over the 4th, air temps at about 110F. They were out on the lake and, by his account, he drank most of a case of beer, and he wasn't a large person. Of course, you don't sweat that you can tell it in those humidities (unless you lick your skin) and the beer is a false friend, slaking thirst but dehydrating at the same time. Finally, he was gripped with terrible chest pains. They saved him, but with a damaged heart, by massive IVs of normal saline and plasma. He told me later that they joked that it was more like an oil change, since his blood was about the thickness of engine oil...
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
I was messing around on google maps the other day and ran across this at Utah Beach, Normandy. I believe those are german trenches...or fighting positions?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I was messing around on google maps the other day and ran across this at Utah Beach, Normandy. I believe those are german trenches...or fighting positions?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
April 17, 1945: It’s Tuesday - today marks 45 weeks (315 days) since the D-Day Invasion at Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Europe.
On the western front, German resistance in the Netherlands is effectively ended with the surrender of the Apeldoorn garrison. The Germans had intended to make a stand along the canal, but the Canadians sent the 5th Armoured Division up from Arnhem to surround the town. After this the remaining German garrisons along the Grebbe Line follow suit and by April 19, fighting was almost finished, allowing food supplies to be sent forward for the starving Dutch population. British 2nd Army attacks Uelzen, advances around Soltau and Harburg, and attacks toward Bremen against strong resistance. US 9th Army attacks into Magdeburg and takes an increasing number of prisoners of war, while US 1st Army pushes toward Leipzig and further reduces the Ruhr pocket. Field Marshal Model gives his remaining troops the choice of trying to get home, of trying to fight their way out of the Ruhr region in Germany, or of surrendering - most choose to surrender. US 3rd Army continues pushing forward and regrouping for new attacks. Further south, US 7th Army attacks into Nuremberg, capturing the rail marshaling yard and airport, and receives orders to push to Swiss border. French 1st Army continues to clear German 19th Army from the Black Forest.
Over Germany, thirty three British Lancaster bombers of 5 Group (six carrying Grand Slam bombs and the remainder carrying Tall Boy bombs) attack Helgoland, Germany; they later report that the center of the island is still ablaze from the previous day's attack. US 8th Air Force attacks Dresden with 590 bombers, Aussig with 87 bombers, and rail targets with 92 bombers. US 8th Air Force fighters claim 250 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed on the ground. RAF Bomber Command sends 101 aircraft to attack Cham, 61 aircraft to attack Berlin, and 43 aircraft to attack Ingoldstadt airfield overnight.
Soviet 1st Belorussian Front captures Seelow, but German 8th Army inflicts heavy losses and prevents a breakthrough with unexpectedly fierce resistance. Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front blasts a gap in German 4th Panzer Army and commits tank armies against Zossen and Potsdam, breaking through to Berlin. Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front captures Fischhausen and attacks Pillau in Samland and 46th Army of Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front captures Wilhelmsdorf and Zisterdorf.
In Italy, British 8th Army pushes to Gaiana River and continues attacking the Argenta gap. US 5th Army attacks around Sarzana, Monte Ferra, Monte Prospero, Monte Moscoso, Monterumici, Pianoro, and Sevizzano-Gorognano area. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack bridges and support US 5th Army and British 8th Army operations while US 15th Air Force supports US 5th Army operations around Bologna with 751 bombers.
Pictured: Infantry of the 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers, 49th (West Riding) Division, searching houses in Ede in The Netherlands, April 17, 1945
A Sherman Firefly of 5th Canadian Armoured Division assists troops of 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers, 49th (West Riding) Division to clear the Germans from Ede, April 17, 1945
Hauptsturmführer Josef Kramer is transported in a Jeep during an inspection of the camp on the morning 17 April 1945 after his arrest. He had been stripped to the waist, and his braces and boots removed to prevent him from hanging himself. The man standing over Kramer is Sergeant George Robinson. Dated: April 17, 1945
April 17, 1945: It’s Tuesday - today marks 45 weeks (315 days) since the D-Day Invasion at Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Europe.
On the western front, German resistance in the Netherlands is effectively ended with the surrender of the Apeldoorn garrison. The Germans had intended to make a stand along the canal, but the Canadians sent the 5th Armoured Division up from Arnhem to surround the town. After this the remaining German garrisons along the Grebbe Line follow suit and by April 19, fighting was almost finished, allowing food supplies to be sent forward for the starving Dutch population. British 2nd Army attacks Uelzen, advances around Soltau and Harburg, and attacks toward Bremen against strong resistance. US 9th Army attacks into Magdeburg and takes an increasing number of prisoners of war, while US 1st Army pushes toward Leipzig and further reduces the Ruhr pocket. Field Marshal Model gives his remaining troops the choice of trying to get home, of trying to fight their way out of the Ruhr region in Germany, or of surrendering - most choose to surrender. US 3rd Army continues pushing forward and regrouping for new attacks. Further south, US 7th Army attacks into Nuremberg, capturing the rail marshaling yard and airport, and receives orders to push to Swiss border. French 1st Army continues to clear German 19th Army from the Black Forest.
Over Germany, thirty three British Lancaster bombers of 5 Group (six carrying Grand Slam bombs and the remainder carrying Tall Boy bombs) attack Helgoland, Germany; they later report that the center of the island is still ablaze from the previous day's attack. US 8th Air Force attacks Dresden with 590 bombers, Aussig with 87 bombers, and rail targets with 92 bombers. US 8th Air Force fighters claim 250 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed on the ground. RAF Bomber Command sends 101 aircraft to attack Cham, 61 aircraft to attack Berlin, and 43 aircraft to attack Ingoldstadt airfield overnight.
Soviet 1st Belorussian Front captures Seelow, but German 8th Army inflicts heavy losses and prevents a breakthrough with unexpectedly fierce resistance. Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front blasts a gap in German 4th Panzer Army and commits tank armies against Zossen and Potsdam, breaking through to Berlin. Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front captures Fischhausen and attacks Pillau in Samland and 46th Army of Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front captures Wilhelmsdorf and Zisterdorf.
In Italy, British 8th Army pushes to Gaiana River and continues attacking the Argenta gap. US 5th Army attacks around Sarzana, Monte Ferra, Monte Prospero, Monte Moscoso, Monterumici, Pianoro, and Sevizzano-Gorognano area. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack bridges and support US 5th Army and British 8th Army operations while US 15th Air Force supports US 5th Army operations around Bologna with 751 bombers.
Pictured: Infantry of the 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers, 49th (West Riding) Division, searching houses in Ede in The Netherlands, April 17, 1945
A Sherman Firefly of 5th Canadian Armoured Division assists troops of 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers, 49th (West Riding) Division to clear the Germans from Ede, April 17, 1945
Hauptsturmführer Josef Kramer is transported in a Jeep during an inspection of the camp on the morning 17 April 1945 after his arrest. He had been stripped to the waist, and his braces and boots removed to prevent him from hanging himself. The man standing over Kramer is Sergeant George Robinson. Dated: April 17, 1945
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Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
Wrong year (according to the pic). Belgrade had been liberated in 1944.Bomb plot for American bombing raid of April 17, 1945
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
I found out, a few short years ago, and much too late, that my godmother's husband was shot down over The Netherlands. A Dutch family hid his crew in their attic, for the remainder of the occupation. He wrote a book about it, but I never learned any of the details.
Too bad "Bud" was still not here to re-release it. Today, it would be turned into a TV movie-of-the-week, I would imagine.
At least Yossarian managed to dump his bomb load over the Mediterranean. Making him the most notorious killer of fish, in the entire US Army Air Corps.
Funny that you should mention that...............
I found out, a few short years ago, and much too late, that my godmother's husband was shot down over The Netherlands. A Dutch family hid his crew in their attic, for the remainder of the occupation. He wrote a book about it, but I never learned any of the details.
Too bad "Bud" was still not here to re-release it. Today, it would be turned into a TV movie-of-the-week, I would imagine.
At least Yossarian managed to dump his bomb load over the Mediterranean. Making him the most notorious killer of fish, in the entire US Army Air Corps.
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
Not sure how that one slipped past me, thanks.
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
April 18, 1945: On the western front, Canadian 1st Army captures eastern end of the Ijsselmeer causeway and seals off German forces in western Netherlands while elements of British 2nd Army capture Uelzen and Lueneburg and prepare to attack Bremen. US 1st Army pushes toward Leipzig and enters Düsseldorf while US 9th Army captures Magdeburg. The remaining 325,000 encircled German troops in the Ruhr pocket of western Germany surrender. The Western Allies report that German prisoners taken since the Normandy invasion have reached two million, with the exact count at 2,055,575. US 3rd Army sends units across the Czechoslovakian border near Prex. To the south, US 7th Army begin fighting in the old city section of Nürnberg against continued resistance and French 1st Army attacks toward Stuttgart. French Army Detachment of the Atlantic completes capture of Royan north of the mouth of the Gironde on the Bay of Biscay, taking approximately 5000 German prisoners.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Rosenheim with 148 bombers, Traunstein with 65 bombers, Freising with 61 bombers, Passau with 194 bombers, and Straubing with 174 bombers. US 15th Air Force attacks Welheim with 78 fighters. RAF Bomber Command sends 969 aircraft to attack naval base,, and 36 aircraft to attack the Schleissheim airfield.
As German troops surrender Helgoland to the Allies peacefully, SS men shoot some of them for the ‘traitorous act’.
Soviet 1st Belorussian Front finally breaks through the German 8th Army near their Seelow Heights defensive lines at Berlin - Joseph Goebbels burns files in his office as Soviet troops approach. 2nd Belorussian Front brake the Oder defensive line between Schwedt and Stettin, Germany. Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front encircles Spremberg and Cottbus and pushes forward.
In Italy, British 8th Army crosses the Gaiano River and pushes into Argenta gap - German 29th Panzergrenadier Division unsuccessfully attempted an armored counterattack against the British bridgehead north of the Fossa Marina canal. US 5th Army pushes forward as Germans withdraw from some positions. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack bridges and in continuing support of US 5th Army and British 8th Army operations while US 15th Air Force supports US 5th Army operations around Bologna with 473 bombers.
Hitler insists: If the German people lose the war, they will have proved themselves unworthy of me.
Pictured: British troops pick their way through the ruins of Argenta, 18 April 1945
An M4 tank burns at the intersection of Karl Heine Str. and Zschochersche Str. in Leipzig, Germany, April 18, 1945
Surrendering German civilians pass a Churchill tank in Uelzen, Lower Saxony, Germany April 18, 1945
Map depicting Allied campaign in the Ruhr, Elbe, and Mulde regions, April 5-18, 1945
April 18, 1945: On the western front, Canadian 1st Army captures eastern end of the Ijsselmeer causeway and seals off German forces in western Netherlands while elements of British 2nd Army capture Uelzen and Lueneburg and prepare to attack Bremen. US 1st Army pushes toward Leipzig and enters Düsseldorf while US 9th Army captures Magdeburg. The remaining 325,000 encircled German troops in the Ruhr pocket of western Germany surrender. The Western Allies report that German prisoners taken since the Normandy invasion have reached two million, with the exact count at 2,055,575. US 3rd Army sends units across the Czechoslovakian border near Prex. To the south, US 7th Army begin fighting in the old city section of Nürnberg against continued resistance and French 1st Army attacks toward Stuttgart. French Army Detachment of the Atlantic completes capture of Royan north of the mouth of the Gironde on the Bay of Biscay, taking approximately 5000 German prisoners.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Rosenheim with 148 bombers, Traunstein with 65 bombers, Freising with 61 bombers, Passau with 194 bombers, and Straubing with 174 bombers. US 15th Air Force attacks Welheim with 78 fighters. RAF Bomber Command sends 969 aircraft to attack naval base,, and 36 aircraft to attack the Schleissheim airfield.
As German troops surrender Helgoland to the Allies peacefully, SS men shoot some of them for the ‘traitorous act’.
Soviet 1st Belorussian Front finally breaks through the German 8th Army near their Seelow Heights defensive lines at Berlin - Joseph Goebbels burns files in his office as Soviet troops approach. 2nd Belorussian Front brake the Oder defensive line between Schwedt and Stettin, Germany. Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front encircles Spremberg and Cottbus and pushes forward.
In Italy, British 8th Army crosses the Gaiano River and pushes into Argenta gap - German 29th Panzergrenadier Division unsuccessfully attempted an armored counterattack against the British bridgehead north of the Fossa Marina canal. US 5th Army pushes forward as Germans withdraw from some positions. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack bridges and in continuing support of US 5th Army and British 8th Army operations while US 15th Air Force supports US 5th Army operations around Bologna with 473 bombers.
Hitler insists: If the German people lose the war, they will have proved themselves unworthy of me.
Pictured: British troops pick their way through the ruins of Argenta, 18 April 1945
An M4 tank burns at the intersection of Karl Heine Str. and Zschochersche Str. in Leipzig, Germany, April 18, 1945
Surrendering German civilians pass a Churchill tank in Uelzen, Lower Saxony, Germany April 18, 1945
Map depicting Allied campaign in the Ruhr, Elbe, and Mulde regions, April 5-18, 1945
Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)
April 19, 1945: On the western front, British 2nd Army attacks Bremen across the Elbe River while Canadian troops capture the Luftwaffe base of Stade, 25 miles west of Hamburg, without opposition. US 1st Army captures Halle and Leipzig and reduces German 11th Army pocket in the Harz Mountains. US 9th Army prepares positions along the Elbe River and eliminates bypassed pockets in the rear. US 3rd Army continues pushing to the Czechoslovakian border and prepares to advance into Austria. US 7th Army attacks central Nuremberg and French 1st Army attacks toward Stuttgart.
In the Allied dominated skies, US 8th Air Force attacks multiple transportation targets while US 9th Air Force aircraft fly armed recon, escort, patrols, ground support, and tactical bombing missions, including about 375 bomber sorties against Ulm, Neu Ulm, Gunzberg, Donauworth, and Schelklingen. Rad Bomber Command sends 617 Lancaster, 332 Halifax, and 20 Mosquito aircraft to attack Helgoland; 3 Halifax bombers are lost. The attack prompts Germany to evacuate civilians from the island to the mainland. RAF Bomber Command sends 49 aircraft to attack Munich , 36 aircraft to attack shore batteries on Heligoland Island, 79 aircraft to attack Berlin, and 43 aircraft to attack airfields.
To the east, the German 8th Army crumbles around Seelow Heights and Soviet 1st Belorussian Front pushes toward Berlin. Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front pushes toward Torgau, Wittenberg, and Berlin. The Polish 2nd Army of Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front captures Rothenberg.
Goebbels gives a speech for Hitler's birthday promising that Germany will ultimately prevail in the face of all misfortune and Allied strength.
In Italy, British 8th Army troops make a breakthrough along the Gaiana River and push into Argenta gap. US 5th Army reached the Po plateau and pursues withdrawing German forces toward Bologna and the Po River. US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army operations and attack targets throughout northern Italy while US 15th Air Force bombers attack targets in northern Italy. Italian frogmen piloting British-built Chariot manned-torpedoes sink the uncompleted aircraft carrier Aquila, preventing the Germans from scuttling the ship to block the entrance to Genoa harbor.
Pictured: 3rd Infantry Division under heavy enemy fire in Nuernberg, April 19, 1945
Pvt Herbert Norman, 194th Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, is obviously amused with his catch, a batch of teenage German army soldiers happy to be captured and looking inquiringly at their smiling captor. Norman is armed with an M3 SMG known as the "grease gun" in GI parlance. Location is Muenster, Germany on April 19,1945
Army Pfc. Raymond Gasiorowski takes Leipzig, his company's pet puppy, for a walk in Leipzig, Germany. April 19, 1945
B-17G Fortresses of the 546th Bomb Squadron drop their loads on the rail yards at Elsterwerda, Germany, Apr 19 1945. Note the smoke marker dropped by the lead aircraft signaling the remaining aircraft to drop their bombs.
April 19, 1945: On the western front, British 2nd Army attacks Bremen across the Elbe River while Canadian troops capture the Luftwaffe base of Stade, 25 miles west of Hamburg, without opposition. US 1st Army captures Halle and Leipzig and reduces German 11th Army pocket in the Harz Mountains. US 9th Army prepares positions along the Elbe River and eliminates bypassed pockets in the rear. US 3rd Army continues pushing to the Czechoslovakian border and prepares to advance into Austria. US 7th Army attacks central Nuremberg and French 1st Army attacks toward Stuttgart.
In the Allied dominated skies, US 8th Air Force attacks multiple transportation targets while US 9th Air Force aircraft fly armed recon, escort, patrols, ground support, and tactical bombing missions, including about 375 bomber sorties against Ulm, Neu Ulm, Gunzberg, Donauworth, and Schelklingen. Rad Bomber Command sends 617 Lancaster, 332 Halifax, and 20 Mosquito aircraft to attack Helgoland; 3 Halifax bombers are lost. The attack prompts Germany to evacuate civilians from the island to the mainland. RAF Bomber Command sends 49 aircraft to attack Munich , 36 aircraft to attack shore batteries on Heligoland Island, 79 aircraft to attack Berlin, and 43 aircraft to attack airfields.
To the east, the German 8th Army crumbles around Seelow Heights and Soviet 1st Belorussian Front pushes toward Berlin. Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front pushes toward Torgau, Wittenberg, and Berlin. The Polish 2nd Army of Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front captures Rothenberg.
Goebbels gives a speech for Hitler's birthday promising that Germany will ultimately prevail in the face of all misfortune and Allied strength.
In Italy, British 8th Army troops make a breakthrough along the Gaiana River and push into Argenta gap. US 5th Army reached the Po plateau and pursues withdrawing German forces toward Bologna and the Po River. US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army operations and attack targets throughout northern Italy while US 15th Air Force bombers attack targets in northern Italy. Italian frogmen piloting British-built Chariot manned-torpedoes sink the uncompleted aircraft carrier Aquila, preventing the Germans from scuttling the ship to block the entrance to Genoa harbor.
Pictured: 3rd Infantry Division under heavy enemy fire in Nuernberg, April 19, 1945
Pvt Herbert Norman, 194th Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, is obviously amused with his catch, a batch of teenage German army soldiers happy to be captured and looking inquiringly at their smiling captor. Norman is armed with an M3 SMG known as the "grease gun" in GI parlance. Location is Muenster, Germany on April 19,1945
Army Pfc. Raymond Gasiorowski takes Leipzig, his company's pet puppy, for a walk in Leipzig, Germany. April 19, 1945
B-17G Fortresses of the 546th Bomb Squadron drop their loads on the rail yards at Elsterwerda, Germany, Apr 19 1945. Note the smoke marker dropped by the lead aircraft signaling the remaining aircraft to drop their bombs.
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