75th anniversary of D-Day...
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I'm not a mechanical engineer, but I'd guess that the problem with putting a 75mm cannon into a turret was managing recoil in a turret. Otherwise, they would have just put a long-barrel 88mm cannon in tanks right off the bat.
When designing the Grant, I'd wager some engineer said, "Well, we need the medium length 75mm cannon (because the Germans have already put a short-barrel 75mm in their Mark IV), so let's just mount it in the hull. We can put a turret with a 37mm cannon on top for good measure, but hull-mounting the 75mm will solve the recoil problem." That is what that tank looks like to me: a compromise. The 75mm cannon could traverse left and right 14 degrees (page 2), so the hull had to be aimed fairly well at the target that the commander wanted to shoot.
The difference between the M3 Lee and the M3 Grant was the turret.
The Grant is to the left, the Lee to the right.
When designing the Grant, I'd wager some engineer said, "Well, we need the medium length 75mm cannon (because the Germans have already put a short-barrel 75mm in their Mark IV), so let's just mount it in the hull. We can put a turret with a 37mm cannon on top for good measure, but hull-mounting the 75mm will solve the recoil problem." That is what that tank looks like to me: a compromise. The 75mm cannon could traverse left and right 14 degrees (page 2), so the hull had to be aimed fairly well at the target that the commander wanted to shoot.
The difference between the M3 Lee and the M3 Grant was the turret.
The Grant is to the left, the Lee to the right.
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September 29, 1944: On the Western Front, Canadian troops capture Cape Gris Nez near Calais, France; the Germans and Canadians in the region agree on a 24-hour truce so that civilians in the area can evacuate. The news that the Canadians have captured the last remaining gun batteries in the Calais area is greeted with jubilation in the streets of Dover, England - since the start of the war, Dover had experienced 187 shelling attacks in addition to numerous bombing and V1 attacks.
Corporal John Harper of the British York and Lancaster Regiment leads his section across 300 yards of open ground under heavy fire to take enemy positions at Antwerp, Belgium. He then goes ahead alone to clear the advance with grenades until he is killed. For this he would be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
Other elements of Canadian 1st Army attack the Breskens pocket along the Scheldt estuary. US 1st Army attacks Roermond and Lammersdorf while there are continuing attacks and counterattacks on US 3rd Army front.
Over northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force supports ground operations and attacks transportation lines and there is heavy air-to-air combat over the Netherlands as Luftwaffe fighters engage the RAF sweeps. US 9th Air Force attacks targets along and beyond the front with 400 bombers and 1,500 fighter sorties. US 8th Air Force utilizes 198 B-24 bombers to fly fuel to France and RAF Bomber Command sends 72 bombers to Belgium carrying fuel for ground forces.
In Romania, 21 American OSS agents (under Lieutenant Commander Frank Wisner) are dropped into Bucharest to liberate 1,888 captured Allied airmen. As they evacuate the airmen, they also bring many Romania diplomatic documents to prevent Soviet capture.
On the eastern front, elements of Soviet 8th Army land on Muhu (Moon) Island, from which German defenders withdraw. German 6th Army and Hungarian 2nd Army open new attack around Cluj. 57th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front attacking toward Belgrade against strong resistance by German Army Group F.
In Italy, more slow progress as the British 8th Army, hindered by flooding, takes Savignano and Castelvecchio. US 5th Army is engaged around Stazzema, Montefredente, Fornelli, and Monte Battaglia. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack rail lines around Milan.
In reprisal for the local support given to the partisans and the Resistance between September 29 and October 5, 1944, SS-Sturmbannführer Walter Reder leads soldiers of the SS-Panzer-Aufklärungsabteilung 16 to systematically kill hundreds of people in Marzabotto. They also kill numerous residents of the adjacent Grizzana Morandi and Monzuno, the area of the massif of Monte Sole (part of the Apennine range in the province of Bologna). Historians have struggled to document the number of victims: some sources report up to 1,830 victims; others estimate 955 people killed. Today, the Peace School Foundation of Monte Sole reports 770 victims. This number is close to the official report by Sturmbannführer Reder, who reported the "execution of 728 bandits". Among the victims, 45 were less than 2 years old, 110 were less than 10 years old, 95 were less than 16 years old, 142 were over 60 years old, 316 were females and five were Catholic priests.
Pictured: A British soldier poses next to the recently captured German 380mm gun Todt Battery at Cap Gris Nez; Troops from 2nd Infantry Division moving to defensive positions at St. Vith, Belgium on September 29, 1944.; The memorial to John Harper at the Depot de Mendicitie, where he was mortally wounded. A ceremony is held here every September to honor him and the others who fell.; FEB (Força Expedicionária Brasileira) soldier in Tuscany, Italy, September 29, 1944.
Corporal John Harper of the British York and Lancaster Regiment leads his section across 300 yards of open ground under heavy fire to take enemy positions at Antwerp, Belgium. He then goes ahead alone to clear the advance with grenades until he is killed. For this he would be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
Other elements of Canadian 1st Army attack the Breskens pocket along the Scheldt estuary. US 1st Army attacks Roermond and Lammersdorf while there are continuing attacks and counterattacks on US 3rd Army front.
Over northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force supports ground operations and attacks transportation lines and there is heavy air-to-air combat over the Netherlands as Luftwaffe fighters engage the RAF sweeps. US 9th Air Force attacks targets along and beyond the front with 400 bombers and 1,500 fighter sorties. US 8th Air Force utilizes 198 B-24 bombers to fly fuel to France and RAF Bomber Command sends 72 bombers to Belgium carrying fuel for ground forces.
In Romania, 21 American OSS agents (under Lieutenant Commander Frank Wisner) are dropped into Bucharest to liberate 1,888 captured Allied airmen. As they evacuate the airmen, they also bring many Romania diplomatic documents to prevent Soviet capture.
On the eastern front, elements of Soviet 8th Army land on Muhu (Moon) Island, from which German defenders withdraw. German 6th Army and Hungarian 2nd Army open new attack around Cluj. 57th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front attacking toward Belgrade against strong resistance by German Army Group F.
In Italy, more slow progress as the British 8th Army, hindered by flooding, takes Savignano and Castelvecchio. US 5th Army is engaged around Stazzema, Montefredente, Fornelli, and Monte Battaglia. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack rail lines around Milan.
In reprisal for the local support given to the partisans and the Resistance between September 29 and October 5, 1944, SS-Sturmbannführer Walter Reder leads soldiers of the SS-Panzer-Aufklärungsabteilung 16 to systematically kill hundreds of people in Marzabotto. They also kill numerous residents of the adjacent Grizzana Morandi and Monzuno, the area of the massif of Monte Sole (part of the Apennine range in the province of Bologna). Historians have struggled to document the number of victims: some sources report up to 1,830 victims; others estimate 955 people killed. Today, the Peace School Foundation of Monte Sole reports 770 victims. This number is close to the official report by Sturmbannführer Reder, who reported the "execution of 728 bandits". Among the victims, 45 were less than 2 years old, 110 were less than 10 years old, 95 were less than 16 years old, 142 were over 60 years old, 316 were females and five were Catholic priests.
Pictured: A British soldier poses next to the recently captured German 380mm gun Todt Battery at Cap Gris Nez; Troops from 2nd Infantry Division moving to defensive positions at St. Vith, Belgium on September 29, 1944.; The memorial to John Harper at the Depot de Mendicitie, where he was mortally wounded. A ceremony is held here every September to honor him and the others who fell.; FEB (Força Expedicionária Brasileira) soldier in Tuscany, Italy, September 29, 1944.
That was the same photos displayed a few weeks earlier, described as the 2nd ID fighting into Brest. I recall the infantryman lying on his left side with the knife tied to his right lower leg. Given the context and the description, I believe this was a picture of the fighting in Brest, although Pinterest says otherwise.
September 30, 1944: The 7,500 man German garrison in Calais finally surrenders to Canadian troops. At one time, Hitler thought Calais would be the focus of the cross-Channel invasion. The Canadian 1st Army continues attacking north and west of Antwerp. To the south, German forces launch heavy counterattacks to the flanks of the US XII Corps (part of Patton’s US 3rd Army) - throughout the day the Germans are hammered back, eventually losing over 100 tanks before a full retreat. US 1st Army opens attacks around Vortum and Overloon and US 7th Army attacks around Rambervillers and Foret de Parroy.
Over northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force supporting ground operations. US 9th Air Force conducts fighter sweeps and attacks rail targets. US 8th Air Force utilizes 100 B-24 bombers to fly fuel to France. RAF Bomber Command sends 74 bombers to Belgium carrying fuel for ground forces and 14 aircraft on special operations with supplies and agents for Resistance forces overnight.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Munster with 288 bombers, Hamm with 206 bombers, and Bielfeld with 257 bombers. RAF Bomber Command sends 139 aircraft to attack Sterkrade and 136 aircraft to attack Bottrop during the day followed by 46 aircraft to attack Hamburg overnight.
Staff at Gen. Eisenhower’s Supreme Head.quarters Allied Expe.di.tion.ary Force (SHAEF) estimate that since the beginning of the Nor.mandy landings on D-Day (June 6), one million German soldiers have been killed, captured, or taken prisoner by Allied forces.
In Poland, elements of the German 9th Army complete destruction of units of Polish Home Army in Kampinos Forest outside Warsaw. The Polish Home Army pocket in Zoliborz district of Warsaw surrenders - only the Warsaw city center remains in hands of Home Army.
In Italy, British 8th Army takes Tribola, Montalbano, Monte Reggiano, and Borghi while US 5th Army pushes forward around Forni, La Lima, Monte Cappello, and San Adriano. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack targets throughout the Po valley and elsewhere in northern Italy.
Pictured: US 4th Armored Division’s 155mm Long Tom mounted on a Sherman tank chassis.; US Coast Guardsman Fireman 1st Class Charles Tyner displaying his helmet, damaged by large shrapnel during the invasion of Southern France.; German soldier with flamethrower attacks basement entrance and pours fire down the stairs - anyone in the basement either dies of fire or asphyxiation. Such flame thrower troops (Brendkommando) went house to house and city block to city block to neutralize basement spaces during the Warsaw Uprising.; Operations of A Company, 349th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division, near the town of Belvedere, Italy, September 30, 1944.
Over northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force supporting ground operations. US 9th Air Force conducts fighter sweeps and attacks rail targets. US 8th Air Force utilizes 100 B-24 bombers to fly fuel to France. RAF Bomber Command sends 74 bombers to Belgium carrying fuel for ground forces and 14 aircraft on special operations with supplies and agents for Resistance forces overnight.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Munster with 288 bombers, Hamm with 206 bombers, and Bielfeld with 257 bombers. RAF Bomber Command sends 139 aircraft to attack Sterkrade and 136 aircraft to attack Bottrop during the day followed by 46 aircraft to attack Hamburg overnight.
Staff at Gen. Eisenhower’s Supreme Head.quarters Allied Expe.di.tion.ary Force (SHAEF) estimate that since the beginning of the Nor.mandy landings on D-Day (June 6), one million German soldiers have been killed, captured, or taken prisoner by Allied forces.
In Poland, elements of the German 9th Army complete destruction of units of Polish Home Army in Kampinos Forest outside Warsaw. The Polish Home Army pocket in Zoliborz district of Warsaw surrenders - only the Warsaw city center remains in hands of Home Army.
In Italy, British 8th Army takes Tribola, Montalbano, Monte Reggiano, and Borghi while US 5th Army pushes forward around Forni, La Lima, Monte Cappello, and San Adriano. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack targets throughout the Po valley and elsewhere in northern Italy.
Pictured: US 4th Armored Division’s 155mm Long Tom mounted on a Sherman tank chassis.; US Coast Guardsman Fireman 1st Class Charles Tyner displaying his helmet, damaged by large shrapnel during the invasion of Southern France.; German soldier with flamethrower attacks basement entrance and pours fire down the stairs - anyone in the basement either dies of fire or asphyxiation. Such flame thrower troops (Brendkommando) went house to house and city block to city block to neutralize basement spaces during the Warsaw Uprising.; Operations of A Company, 349th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division, near the town of Belvedere, Italy, September 30, 1944.
I'll bet the Coast Guardsman had a helluva a headache. That one million figure is hard to grasp, how that loss could be sustained, on top of the losses on the eastern front. I know a lot were Volksdeutsch from places like Sudetenland and Romania - and some weren't even German-speakers - but still. And yet the population of Germany exceeds France by some 20 million - and France's land area exceeds Germany's by around 100 million square miles. IOW, France is by comparison, empty. The demographics now limiting population growth in all of Europe started operating in France much earlier, around a century...
I missed this earlier, but the battle of Dompaire was important in September 1944.
The Germans (on Hitler's orders) created a bunch of Panzer brigades in the summer and fall of 1944. These brigades were supposed to be a part of the rebuilding of German armored forces and stabilizing the fronts, both east and west (but especially east).
The collapse of the western front meant they had to be deployed west in September 1944.
The 16th Volksgrenadier Division was cut off by the French near Epinal in September 1944. The Army Group commander General Blaskowitz ordered the 112th Panzer Brigade to open an escape route.
The brigade counterattacked and reached Dompaire, France on the night of 12 September.
A French army unit attacked them in Dompaire on the morning of 13 September 1944.
The shortcomings of the Panzer brigades made themselves obvious: no organic artillery (which is insane), no organic engineers (which is insane), no organic air defense (which, given Allied air superiority, is absolutely insane).
By this point, the Germans were simply frittering away their scarce resources or experiments like der Fuehrer's panzer brigades.
October 1, 1944: The 3rd Canadian Division suffered just 300 casualties in the siege of Calais but captured 7,500 Germans - bringing their toll of prisoners taken in clearing the Channel ports to almost 30,000. Wreckage to the dock facilities is extensive, however, and the port will not be available for shipping until November 1944. Elements of Canadian 1st Army attack across Antwerp-Turnhout canal toward South Beveland peninsula. German attacks from Arnhem area against British 2nd Army around Nijmegen bridges.
The 29th US Infantry Division enters Germany, holding an extended front north of the historic city of Aachen. They begin a series of attacks on Aachen, but the Germans - fully recovered from the debacle in Normandy - give little ground and inflicted heavy casualties each time the 29th ID launches an attack. US 1st Army attacks to clear Peel marshes and prepares for a major attack around Aachen. US 3rd Army attacks Grevenmacher, Foret de Gremecey, Chambrey, and Lemoncourt-Fresnes ridge while further south, US 7th Army attacks around Foret de Parroy and Rambervillers-Baccarat road.
In the skies above northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force continues supporting ground operations and flying sweeps. US 9th Air Force conducts limited operations in poor weather conditions. RAF Bomber Command sends 73 bombers to the continent carrying fuel for ground forces.
Overnight over Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 48 aircraft to attack Brunswick and 22 aircraft to attack Heilbronn, Krefeld, and Dortmund.
The Polish resistance Home Army (Armia Krajowa) has been fighting for two months to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany in the Warsaw Uprising. The Uprising was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces, but the Soviet advance stopped short, enabling the Germans to regroup. The Uprising was the largest single military effort taken by any European resistance movement during World War II, lasting 63 days with little outside support.
In Italy, British 8th Army attacks along the Fiumicino River. US 5th Army under attack around Monte Catarelto but attacking elsewhere along the front, with US 2nd Corps (part of US 5th Army) attacking northward in the direction of Bologna, liberating several villages on their way to capturing Monte Battaglia. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack targets along the front line and in the Po valley.
Pictured: Ruins of Calais in October, 1944.; German troops near Arnheim, October 1, 1944.; German soldiers prepare a Goliath tracked mine in Warsaw, Poland, October 1, 1944.; Tankers of the 755th Tank Battalion rest in the recently captured Italian village of Monghidoro, October 1, 1944.
The 29th US Infantry Division enters Germany, holding an extended front north of the historic city of Aachen. They begin a series of attacks on Aachen, but the Germans - fully recovered from the debacle in Normandy - give little ground and inflicted heavy casualties each time the 29th ID launches an attack. US 1st Army attacks to clear Peel marshes and prepares for a major attack around Aachen. US 3rd Army attacks Grevenmacher, Foret de Gremecey, Chambrey, and Lemoncourt-Fresnes ridge while further south, US 7th Army attacks around Foret de Parroy and Rambervillers-Baccarat road.
In the skies above northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force continues supporting ground operations and flying sweeps. US 9th Air Force conducts limited operations in poor weather conditions. RAF Bomber Command sends 73 bombers to the continent carrying fuel for ground forces.
Overnight over Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 48 aircraft to attack Brunswick and 22 aircraft to attack Heilbronn, Krefeld, and Dortmund.
The Polish resistance Home Army (Armia Krajowa) has been fighting for two months to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany in the Warsaw Uprising. The Uprising was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces, but the Soviet advance stopped short, enabling the Germans to regroup. The Uprising was the largest single military effort taken by any European resistance movement during World War II, lasting 63 days with little outside support.
In Italy, British 8th Army attacks along the Fiumicino River. US 5th Army under attack around Monte Catarelto but attacking elsewhere along the front, with US 2nd Corps (part of US 5th Army) attacking northward in the direction of Bologna, liberating several villages on their way to capturing Monte Battaglia. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack targets along the front line and in the Po valley.
Pictured: Ruins of Calais in October, 1944.; German troops near Arnheim, October 1, 1944.; German soldiers prepare a Goliath tracked mine in Warsaw, Poland, October 1, 1944.; Tankers of the 755th Tank Battalion rest in the recently captured Italian village of Monghidoro, October 1, 1944.
The Hürtgen Forest hubris is about to start. In fact, it's already started. When we get into it, I'm going to post General Gavin's analysis, from when he saw it unfold...
I was viewing a video on the Hürtgen Forest meat grinder before seeing your comment. The casualties (killed and wounded) are astounding. The American defeat is generally glossed over in WWII history but one could say that SHAEF could be judged to be, at a minimum wrong footed, if one looks at Market Garden, Hürtgen and Ardennes in succession.
October 2, 1944: On the western front, the US 1st Army (part of US 12th Army Group) launches an offensive against the German-held Siegfried Line (aka the German ‘West Wall’) between Aachen (to the south) and Geilenkirchen (to the north).
2nd Canadian Infantry Division marches north from Antwerp, Belgium toward South Beveland, the Netherlands. US 3rd Army attacks around Serrieres and other points while further south US 7th Army continues attacking in Foret de Parroy and captures Grandvillers.
German Wehrmacht commander Friedrich Christiansen orders a raid on the village of Putten, Gelderland, in the Netherlands as retaliation for the killing of his subordinate Leutnant Sommers by the Dutch resistance. When he heard about the actions of the resistance near Putten, Christiansen is reported to have said, “Das ganze Nest muss angesteckt werden und die ganze Bande an die Wand gestellt!" ("Put them all against the wall and burn the place down!”). Many civilians are executed, 661 men are deported to labor camps and the village is burned. After the war ends, Christiansen is tried and convicted of war crimes, but spared execution.
In the skies over northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force continues supporting ground operations and flying sweeps. US 9th Air Force conducts operations in support of ground forces and against industrial targets throughout Belgium, France, and western Germany. RAF Bomber Command sends 71 bombers to the continent carrying fuel for ground forces.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Kassel with 656 bombers, Cologne with 110 bombers, Hamm with 266 bombers, and targets of opportunity with 100 bombers. Overnight, RAF Bomber Command sends 34 aircraft to attack Brunswick and 15 aircraft to attack Pforzheim, Dortmund, and Frankfurt. A German Me-262 jet fighter engages two P-47 fighters but runs out of fuel and crashes, marking the first official USAAF victory over a Luftwaffe jet.
On the eastern front, Soviet 57th Army attacking elements of German Army Group F in the Negotin sector south of Turnu Severin. The 47th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainine Front cuts off elements of German Serbia Group around Negotin.
In Occupied Poland, the Warsaw Uprising, led by the Polish Home Army (AK), is finally crushed by Nazi Germany after 63 days of fighting largely due to lack of food and ammunition (the Soviet armies never moved to assist the Polish). An estimated 15,200 fighters and over 200,000 civilians have been killed, while the German occupation forces have lost 16,000. Most of central Warsaw is in ruins.
British 8th Army attacking toward San Martino. US 5th Army attacks around Monte Catarelto, Cedrecchia, Monghidoro, and Idice valley. S 12th Air Force operations limited by poor weather, but bombers attack targets in the Po valley overnight.
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower distributes to his combat units a report by the U.S. Surgeon General that reveals the hazards of prolonged exposure to combat. "[T]he danger of being killed or maimed imposes a strain so great that it causes men to break down. One look at the shrunken, apathetic faces of psychiatric patients...sobbing, trembling, referring shudderingly to 'them shells' and to buddies mutilated or dead, is enough to convince most observers of this fact." On the basis of this evaluation, as well as firsthand experience, American commanders judged that the average soldier could last about 200 days in combat before suffering serious psychiatric damage. British commanders used a rotation method, pulling soldiers out of combat every 12 days for a four-day rest period. This enabled British soldiers to put in 400 days of combat before being deleteriously affected. The Surgeon General's report went on to lament the fact that a "wound or injury is regarded, not as a misfortune, but a blessing." The war was clearly taking a toll on more than just men's bodies.
Pictured: Troops from 101st Airborne, 506th PIR in Holland, October 2, 1944.; A Sherman of 6th Armored Division, equipped with huge mine rollers leading a column of vehicles by Nancy, October 1944.; The shattered remains of Warsaw after the uprising, October, 1944.; Robinson Crusoes of Warsaw were people who, after the end of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising & the subsequent planned destruction of Warsaw by Nazi Germany, decided to stay & hide in the ruins of the German-occupied city. The period of hiding spanned as long as three & a half months, from the day of the capitulation of the uprising, October 2, 1944, until the entry of the Red Army on January 17, 1945. Most of the Robinsons were Jews, although a considerable number of non-Jewish Poles were also present.
2nd Canadian Infantry Division marches north from Antwerp, Belgium toward South Beveland, the Netherlands. US 3rd Army attacks around Serrieres and other points while further south US 7th Army continues attacking in Foret de Parroy and captures Grandvillers.
German Wehrmacht commander Friedrich Christiansen orders a raid on the village of Putten, Gelderland, in the Netherlands as retaliation for the killing of his subordinate Leutnant Sommers by the Dutch resistance. When he heard about the actions of the resistance near Putten, Christiansen is reported to have said, “Das ganze Nest muss angesteckt werden und die ganze Bande an die Wand gestellt!" ("Put them all against the wall and burn the place down!”). Many civilians are executed, 661 men are deported to labor camps and the village is burned. After the war ends, Christiansen is tried and convicted of war crimes, but spared execution.
In the skies over northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force continues supporting ground operations and flying sweeps. US 9th Air Force conducts operations in support of ground forces and against industrial targets throughout Belgium, France, and western Germany. RAF Bomber Command sends 71 bombers to the continent carrying fuel for ground forces.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Kassel with 656 bombers, Cologne with 110 bombers, Hamm with 266 bombers, and targets of opportunity with 100 bombers. Overnight, RAF Bomber Command sends 34 aircraft to attack Brunswick and 15 aircraft to attack Pforzheim, Dortmund, and Frankfurt. A German Me-262 jet fighter engages two P-47 fighters but runs out of fuel and crashes, marking the first official USAAF victory over a Luftwaffe jet.
On the eastern front, Soviet 57th Army attacking elements of German Army Group F in the Negotin sector south of Turnu Severin. The 47th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainine Front cuts off elements of German Serbia Group around Negotin.
In Occupied Poland, the Warsaw Uprising, led by the Polish Home Army (AK), is finally crushed by Nazi Germany after 63 days of fighting largely due to lack of food and ammunition (the Soviet armies never moved to assist the Polish). An estimated 15,200 fighters and over 200,000 civilians have been killed, while the German occupation forces have lost 16,000. Most of central Warsaw is in ruins.
British 8th Army attacking toward San Martino. US 5th Army attacks around Monte Catarelto, Cedrecchia, Monghidoro, and Idice valley. S 12th Air Force operations limited by poor weather, but bombers attack targets in the Po valley overnight.
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower distributes to his combat units a report by the U.S. Surgeon General that reveals the hazards of prolonged exposure to combat. "[T]he danger of being killed or maimed imposes a strain so great that it causes men to break down. One look at the shrunken, apathetic faces of psychiatric patients...sobbing, trembling, referring shudderingly to 'them shells' and to buddies mutilated or dead, is enough to convince most observers of this fact." On the basis of this evaluation, as well as firsthand experience, American commanders judged that the average soldier could last about 200 days in combat before suffering serious psychiatric damage. British commanders used a rotation method, pulling soldiers out of combat every 12 days for a four-day rest period. This enabled British soldiers to put in 400 days of combat before being deleteriously affected. The Surgeon General's report went on to lament the fact that a "wound or injury is regarded, not as a misfortune, but a blessing." The war was clearly taking a toll on more than just men's bodies.
Pictured: Troops from 101st Airborne, 506th PIR in Holland, October 2, 1944.; A Sherman of 6th Armored Division, equipped with huge mine rollers leading a column of vehicles by Nancy, October 1944.; The shattered remains of Warsaw after the uprising, October, 1944.; Robinson Crusoes of Warsaw were people who, after the end of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising & the subsequent planned destruction of Warsaw by Nazi Germany, decided to stay & hide in the ruins of the German-occupied city. The period of hiding spanned as long as three & a half months, from the day of the capitulation of the uprising, October 2, 1944, until the entry of the Red Army on January 17, 1945. Most of the Robinsons were Jews, although a considerable number of non-Jewish Poles were also present.
Looking at those pictures of Warsaw, it seems like the Germans spent a lot of resources leveling a city they had to know the Russians would soon control. It seems to me they would have been better off bombing the Russians.
I cannot begin to imagine how horrible it must have been for the survivors of these bombed European cities to see what was left of their homes once the dust settled.
I cannot begin to imagine how horrible it must have been for the survivors of these bombed European cities to see what was left of their homes once the dust settled.
It was a spasm of pure hatred on Hitler's part. It was what he had wanted done to Paris but got frustrated...
October 3, 1944: It’s Tuesday - today is D+119, marking 17 weeks since the D-Day Invasion at Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Europe.
In the battle for Holland, RAF heavy bombers breach the sea wall guarding the Dutch island of Walcheren, near Westkapelle, sending flood waters over most of the island in a successful effort to weaken German defenses and installations. American armor also drives the Germans out of Overloon, southeast of Nijmegen. Further south, the German towns of Ubach and Palenberg are captured, along with Rimburg castle - during the push thirty-nine pillboxes are knocked out.
North of Aachen, elements of US 1st Army (part of US 12th Army Group) break through the German forces holding the Siegfried Line, scoring a second major breach in the German west wall. A four mile drive (which threatens Aachen with encirclement), put the Allied forces almost to the main highway running north of the fortress city of the Siegfried Line. Bach (nine miles north of Aachen and three below Geilenkirchenlt), defended by troops ordered to hold or be shot, is two miles inside Germany. The US Third army begins what will be a 10-day attack on Fort Driant, a main fortress guarding Metz.
A 60-hour truce begins in Dunkirk, France between Allied and German troops to allow the evacuation of civilians.
Over northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force supports ground operations and flies sweeps. US 9th Air Force conducts operations in support of US 3rd Army around Metz and attacks rail targets in western Germany.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Nurnberg with 454 bombers, Wesseling with 87 bombers, Gaggenau and Lachen with 250 bombers, Giebelstadt airfield with 49 bombers, and targets of opportunity with 155 bombers. RAF Bomber Command sends 43 aircraft to attack Kassel and 21 aircraft to attack Aschaffenburg, Pforzheim, Munster, and Kamen overnight.
On the eastern front, German forces withdraw from Dago (Hiiumaa) Island in the Baltic Sea. Soviet 57th Army defeats elements of German Army Group F in the Negotin sector south of Turnu Severin. Soviet 46th Army captures Pancevo near Belgrade and Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front links up with Tito's partisans and pushes towards Belgrade.
In Poland, Bor-Komorowski (commander of the Polish Home Army) signs the surrender agreement in Warsaw in the early morning hours, with promise that civilians will be safely evacuated from the ruined city and soldiers will be treated as legal combatants. On Bor-Komorowski's orders, General Okulicki escapes Warsaw to assume command of Polish Home Army forces outside the city.
In Italy, US 5th Army attacking around Monte Vigese, Campiano, Monte dell Galletto, Quinzano, Sassoleone, Monte Battaglia, and Monte Ceco. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack targets along the front line and in the Po valley.
Pictured: Aerial photograph of bombs exploding on the Walcheren dyke, Walcheren Island, the Netherlands during a RAF Bomber Command raid, October 3, 1944; US Army troops cracked the Siegfried Line, a line of defensive forts and tank defenses built by Germany during World War I, north of Aachen, Germany on October 3, 1944.; The men of US 3rd Army deal with the mud of France, October 1944.; A 25pdr of 83/85 Battery, British 11th Field Regiment in a waterlogged position near Scorticate, Italy, October 3, 1944.
In the battle for Holland, RAF heavy bombers breach the sea wall guarding the Dutch island of Walcheren, near Westkapelle, sending flood waters over most of the island in a successful effort to weaken German defenses and installations. American armor also drives the Germans out of Overloon, southeast of Nijmegen. Further south, the German towns of Ubach and Palenberg are captured, along with Rimburg castle - during the push thirty-nine pillboxes are knocked out.
North of Aachen, elements of US 1st Army (part of US 12th Army Group) break through the German forces holding the Siegfried Line, scoring a second major breach in the German west wall. A four mile drive (which threatens Aachen with encirclement), put the Allied forces almost to the main highway running north of the fortress city of the Siegfried Line. Bach (nine miles north of Aachen and three below Geilenkirchenlt), defended by troops ordered to hold or be shot, is two miles inside Germany. The US Third army begins what will be a 10-day attack on Fort Driant, a main fortress guarding Metz.
A 60-hour truce begins in Dunkirk, France between Allied and German troops to allow the evacuation of civilians.
Over northwestern Europe, RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force supports ground operations and flies sweeps. US 9th Air Force conducts operations in support of US 3rd Army around Metz and attacks rail targets in western Germany.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Nurnberg with 454 bombers, Wesseling with 87 bombers, Gaggenau and Lachen with 250 bombers, Giebelstadt airfield with 49 bombers, and targets of opportunity with 155 bombers. RAF Bomber Command sends 43 aircraft to attack Kassel and 21 aircraft to attack Aschaffenburg, Pforzheim, Munster, and Kamen overnight.
On the eastern front, German forces withdraw from Dago (Hiiumaa) Island in the Baltic Sea. Soviet 57th Army defeats elements of German Army Group F in the Negotin sector south of Turnu Severin. Soviet 46th Army captures Pancevo near Belgrade and Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front links up with Tito's partisans and pushes towards Belgrade.
In Poland, Bor-Komorowski (commander of the Polish Home Army) signs the surrender agreement in Warsaw in the early morning hours, with promise that civilians will be safely evacuated from the ruined city and soldiers will be treated as legal combatants. On Bor-Komorowski's orders, General Okulicki escapes Warsaw to assume command of Polish Home Army forces outside the city.
In Italy, US 5th Army attacking around Monte Vigese, Campiano, Monte dell Galletto, Quinzano, Sassoleone, Monte Battaglia, and Monte Ceco. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack targets along the front line and in the Po valley.
Pictured: Aerial photograph of bombs exploding on the Walcheren dyke, Walcheren Island, the Netherlands during a RAF Bomber Command raid, October 3, 1944; US Army troops cracked the Siegfried Line, a line of defensive forts and tank defenses built by Germany during World War I, north of Aachen, Germany on October 3, 1944.; The men of US 3rd Army deal with the mud of France, October 1944.; A 25pdr of 83/85 Battery, British 11th Field Regiment in a waterlogged position near Scorticate, Italy, October 3, 1944.
Seven people killed as Second World War B-17 bomber crashes shortly after takeoff
Sad. We lost another B-17 and seven people died as well.
I had a friend that paid several hundred dollars to go for a ride in a B-17 with his sons. I'd like to have that experience, but those planes are pretty old.
Sad. We lost another B-17 and seven people died as well.
I had a friend that paid several hundred dollars to go for a ride in a B-17 with his sons. I'd like to have that experience, but those planes are pretty old.
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