World War II Daily: DDay to VEDay

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 21, 1945: In the northern sector of the Ardennes, US 1st Army continues attacking, pushing toward St Vith. Patrols find Rogery free of enemy troops. 75th Division clears the rest of Grand Bois and 7th Armored overcomes house-to-house opposition in Born.

Witlz falls to the Pattton’s 3rd Army as German forces begin making a general withdrawal to the Siegfried Line. 3rd Army once again gains momentum, capturing Crendal, Troine, Baraques de Troine, Lullange, Hoffelt, Hachiville, Derenbach, Hill 480, Boevange-les-Clervaux, Hill 520, Hamiville, Wincrange, Noertrange, Bruhl, Longsdorf, Landscheid, Lipperscheid, Bourscheid, Welscheid, and Kehmen.

US 7th Army remains heavily engaged in .....e sector, with some units once again withdrawing under pressure.

In Operation Blackcock, elements of British 2nd Army clears Hontem and Selsent, moves into Braunsrath without opposition, and finds Schierwaldenrath clear.

French 1st Army continues attackingthe German held Colmar pocket.

In the skies, US 8th Air Force attacks multiple targets with 753 bombers, US 15th Air Force attacks Vienna, and RAF Bomber Command sends 76 aircraft to attack Kassel overnight.

In East Prussia, the Soviet attacks penetrate up to 15 miles. The 2nd Belorussian Front (Rokossovsky) forces capture Tannenberg (scene of a significant German victory over Russian forces in 1914) - but only after the Germans destroy the monument memorializing the 1914 German victory over the Soviets. Soviet 3rd Byelorussian Front takes Gumbinnen. Soviet 1st Belorussian Front (Zhukov) crosses the Warthe and pushes toward Posen, reaching Konin (within 200 miles of Berlin) along the road from Warsaw. The 1st Ukrainian Front (Konev) has penetrated some 20 miles into Silesia and threatens the cities of Breslau and Oppeln. German IV SS Panzer Korps, 6th Army and 2nd Panzer Army continue attacking south of Budapest. Fighting continues to rage in Buda, with small Hungarian units counterattacking Soviet positions.

Pictured: Men of Company I, 3d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, US 1st Division riding on M4 Sherman tank at Schopen, Belgium, January 21, 1945

A Sherman tank M4A3 (76mm gun) with winter-camouflage and soldiers of the 75th Infantry Division move along a rural road in the Ardennes

A house to house search for snipers in Schoppen, Belgium, by men of the 1st Division, January 21, 1945

Sgt. William Showers of Benezett, Pennsylvania, cleans the snow from the breech of his 57mm anti-tank gun in the woods near Courtil, Belgium, January 21, 1945

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 22, 1945: US 1st Army continues attacking, pushing the Germans back towards St. Vith in the northern sector of the Ardennes while capturing Gouvy, Beho, Commanster, Hinderhausen, Sart-lez-St Vith, Ober Emmels, Nieder Emmels, and Hunningen. Patton’s US 3rd Army continues attacking in southern sector of the Ardennes, pushing across border into Luxembourg and capturing Steinbach, Limerle, Asselborn, Weiler, Donnange, Deiffelt, Stockem, and Rumlange, while securing Eschweiler, Knaphoscheid, and Kleinhoscheid. US 7th Army remains heavily engaged in .....e sector - 101st Airborne Division closes in on the Drulingen-Sarraltroff region, while VI Corps improves its defenses and regroups. Because of enemy concentrations, 103 Division withdraws from Offwiller and outposts of 79th Division pull back to the Moder River.

Operation Blackcock continues as the British 2nd Army captures Laffeld, Obspringen, and Waldenrath.

French 1st Army continues attacking in the Colmar pocket.

Overhead, US 8th Air Force attacks Sterkrade with 167 bombers and targets of opportunity with 30 bombers. Overnight, RAF Bomber Command sends 302 aircraft to attack Duisburg, 152 aircraft to attack Gelsenkirchen overnight, and48 aircraft to attack Hannover. Four squadrons of RAF Spitfire fighters, carrying bombs, knock out a German liquid oxygen rocket fuel factory at Alblasserdam in the Netherlands.

On the Eastern Front, as well as the attacks of 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian Fronts from the north-east, the German position in East Prussia is being threatened by the northwestern advance of 2nd Belorussian Front toward the Elbing and Danzig area. In the attacks from the northeast Insterburg falls while in the other advance, Allenstein and Deutsch Eylau are taken. Attacking around Bromberg, Gneizo is taken in the drive of the 1st Belorussian Front toward Poznan. The 1st Ukrainian Front reaches the Oder at Brieg and pushes units across. In Hungary, the remnants of the German 4th SS Panzer Corps (part of Army Group South), flee to the Vali River, only 15 miles from Budapest. German IV SS Panzer Korps and 6th Army continue attacking south of Budapest

Himmler is appointed to command newly forming German Army Group Vistula.

In Italy, US 12th Air Force aircraft attack bridges, transportation targets, and supply dumps throughout the northern part of the country and US Fifth Army issues instructions for training program to be undertaken in preparation for spring offensive. The trial of General Roatta, General Jacomoni, General Pariani, and others begins in Rome.

Pictured: An M4A1 medium tank of the 743rd Tank Battalion (fitted with a M1 dozer blade) leads a column through Malmedy to help clear away snow in January 1945

Looking north into Bastogne, Belgium shortly after the liberation of the city during the Battle of the Bulge - January 22, 1945. Note the heavy vehicle traffic

90th ID ambulances pass by knocked out German tank on road to Bastogne, Belgium - January 22, 1945

American infantrymen of an armored division march on a snow-covered road southeast of Born, Belgium, on January 22, 1945

 

[92tide]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

those pictures are great, but they just look like miserable conditions.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

those pictures are great, but they just look like miserable conditions.

Yah, totally agree.

And let me tell you - it's tough finding pictures daily that fit the two limits I placed on myself:
1 - The pics should not show the dead. As much as possible I've avoided posting any pics that had a dead soldier or civilian in it as it seems disrespectful to me.
2- The pics should not glorify / honor the Axis armies. It's part of the history, I get that, and many / most of the foot soldiers were simply doing what ours were - answering the call of their country - but I refuse to honor those who served such evil.

Not to mention how it wears on the soul wading through images of war for hours at a time every week. So much sadness and destruction.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 23, 1945: It’s Tuesday - today marks 33 weeks (231 days) since the D-Day Invasion at Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Europe.

US 1st Army continues attacking in northern sector of the Ardennes, with 7th Armored Division capturing St Vith while others elements of 1st Army capture Maldingen, Braunlauf, Weisten, Crombach, and Neundorf. Patton’s US 3rd Army continues attacking in southern sector of the Ardennes, capturing Biwisch, Trois Vierges, Basbellain, Binsfeld, Mecher, Merkols, Wasserbillig, and Nennig, though a strong German tank-infantry counterattack against 94th Division regains Berg. The German forces are falling back over the River Our from throughout the Ardennes salient but are losing heavily to Allied air attacks. US 7th Army remains engaged in .....e sector, with some units withdrawing under pressure.

On January 23, 1945, near Tettingen, Germany, Master Sergeant Nicholas Oresko single-handedly and under enemy fire, took out a German bunker position that was armed with a machine gun. Seriously wounded by another enemy machine gun from another bunker, he attacked that bunker under fire and destroyed that enemy position. Nine months later on October 30, 1945, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. President Harry Truman formally presented Oresko the medal during a ceremony at the White House. Master Sergeant Oresko's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
“M/Sgt. Oresko was a platoon leader with Company C, in an attack against strong enemy positions. Deadly automatic fire from the flanks pinned down his unit. Realizing that a machinegun in a nearby bunker must be eliminated, he swiftly worked ahead alone, braving bullets which struck about him, until close enough to throw a grenade into the German position. He rushed the bunker and, with pointblank rifle fire, killed all the hostile occupants who survived the grenade blast. Another machinegun opened up on him, knocking him down and seriously wounding him in the hip. Refusing to withdraw from the battle, he placed himself at the head of his platoon to continue the assault. As withering machinegun and rifle fire swept the area, he struck out alone in advance of his men to a second bunker. With a grenade, he crippled the dug-in machinegun defending this position and then wiped out the troops manning it with his rifle, completing his second self-imposed, 1-man attack. Although weak from loss of blood, he refused to be evacuated until assured the mission was successfully accomplished. Through quick thinking, indomitable courage, and unswerving devotion to the attack in the face of bitter resistance and while wounded, M/Sgt. Oresko killed 12 Germans, prevented a delay in the assault, and made it possible for Company C to obtain its objective with minimum casualties.”

Operation Blackcock continues, as the British 2nd Army captures Aphove, Straeten, and Scheifendahl. At Brachterbeek, the Netherlands, three marines of the leading section of the Royal Marine Commando Troop to which Lance-Corporal Henry Eric Harden was attached fell, wounded. The Commando section had come under heavy machine-gun fire in the open field that morning, and the men were seriously wounded. One of the casualties was Lieutenant Corey. Under intense mortar and machine-gun fire Harden was wounded in his side as he carried one man back to the aid post, which had been set up in one of the houses along the Stationsweg in Brachterbeek. Against the orders of another Medical officer he then returned with a stretcher party for the other two wounded. Bringing in the second casualty the rescue party came under enemy fire which killed the wounded Commando. While finally bringing back the third man Lieutenant Corey, who had demanded he be recovered last, Harden was shot through the head and killed instantly. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his fearless action. On the bridge near the mill there is a plaque to commemorate Lance Corporal Harden.

On the Eastern Front, in addition to the continuing attacks in Poland and East Prussia, there is a new advance from around Miskolc by the 2nd Ukrainian Front (Malinovsky) with both Soviet and Rumanian troops involved. 2nd Byelorussian Front attacking around Mohrungen and Elbing, 1st Ukrainian Front reaches the Oder around Oppeln and Steinau, 2nd Ukrainian Front opens new offensive along Slovak-Hungarian border, and 3rd Ukrainian Front blunting German attacks around Lake Balaton and Budapest. Kriegsmarine units began the evacuation of German civilians from Ostpreußen (East Prussia) and Danzig (Operation Hannibal). Meanwhile, Soviet troops reached Elbing, Danzig-Westpreußen, Germany (now Elblag) on the Baltic coast.

Hitler orders that oilfields in Hungary and Austria must receive top priority for defense.

Pictured: American patrols in St. Vith, January 23, 1945

American GI searching German POWs

President Truman awards the Medal of Honor to Nicholas Oresko;

Lance-Corporal Henry Eric Harden, posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 24, 1945: The inexorable squeeze on Germany continues from both the west and east.

On the Western Front, there are Allied advances north and south of St. Vith; Patton’s US 3rd Army reaches the Clerf River, taking Hupperdange, Grindhausen, Heinerscheid, Lausdorn, Reuler, Urspelt, Merscheid, Pintsch, and Berg. while US 1st Army continues attacking in northern sector of the Ardennes, pushing beyond St Vith and capturing Wallerode, Medel, Amblève, and Mirfeld.

US 7th Army remains engaged in .....e sector. Germans penetrate 103rd Division positions, reaching Schillersdorf and Nieffern. The Germans also attack across the Moder river between Haguenau and Kaltenhouse but are driven back across river.

British 2nd Army continues the Operation Blackcock offensive, capturing Weerd, Aandenberg, Montfort, Heinsberg, Haaren, Schleiden, and Uetterath.

French 1st Army continues their attacks in the Colmar pocket, taking crossings over the River Ill in Alsace, on the northern flank of the pocket.

Meanwhile, on the Eastern Front, Red Army forces reach the estuary of the Vistula, southwest of Elbing. Soviet troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front are attacking near Breslau (about 4 miles to the southeast) and Oppeln, the capital of German Upper Silesia, on the Oder River, capturing Gleiwitz, Germany (now Gliwice, Poland). 2nd Byelorussian Front captures Mulhausen and attacks into Elbing, isolating German 4th Army, 3rd Panzer Army, and eight divisions of 2nd Army in East Prussia. New Soviet attacks are launched in Czechoslovakia and German forces began withdrawing from Slovakia.
Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front. German IV SS Panzer Korps attacks brought to a standstill twenty miles south of Budapest.

Pictured: A German medic carries his supplies in two US field glass cases hanging on his belt when captured by the 1st Army at Butgenbach, Belgium, January 24, 1945

St. Vith, Belgium, after the Germans pushed out by troops, January 24, 1945

Parachute infantry move on snow covered ground toward the front to keep up the pressure being applied to the Germans beyond St. Vith, Belgium, January 24, 1945

Situation map from January 24, 1945

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 25, 1945: Today marks the last day of the ‘Battle of the Bulge’, as the Allies absorbed the heavy blows from the surprise offensive and are once again pushing the Germans backwards. The cost of the battle is enormous: American forces lost 89,500 men (19,000 killed, 47,500 wounded, 23,000 captured or missing) and ~800 tanks, British forces lost 1,408 men (200 killed, 969 wounded, and 239 missing), while the invading Germans have lost 100,000 killed, missing, captured, or wounded, ~600 tanks and assault guns, along with hundreds of aircraft (mostly during Unternehmen Bodenplatte). The Battle of the Bulge will remain the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II.

On the Western front, US 1st Army continues attacking in northern sector of the Ardennes, capturing Wallerode, Medel, Ambleve, and Mirfeld, Patton’s US 3rd Army continues attacking in southern sector of the Ardennes, capturing Clerf, Hupperdange, Grindhausen, Heinerscheid, Lausdorn, Reuler, Wilwerwiltz, and Urspelt. US 9th Army captures Brachelen, Himmerich, and Randerath sector overnight. US 7th Army heavily engaged around Schillersdorf, Nieffern, Kindwiller, Muhlhausen, Schillersdorf, and Schweighausen - Germans forces penetrate 103d Division positions, reaching Schillersdorf and Nieffern, and attack across the Moder between Haguenau and Kaltenhouse but are driven back across river.

As Operation Blackcock continues, British 2nd Army captures Linne, Putbroek, Kirchhoven, patrols find Horst and Randerath clear.

On January 25, 1945, PFC Jose F. Valdez was on patrol with 5 of his fellow soldiers at a small railway station near Rosenkranz, France, when unexpectedly they confronted an enemy counterattack. An enemy tank was headed towards the patrol and Valdez, upon his own initiative, opened fire against the tank with his automatic rifle, action which made the tank withdraw. After Valdez killed 3 enemy soldiers in a firefight, the Germans ordered a full attack and sent in two companies of infantrymen. Valdez offered to cover the members of his patrol when the platoon leader ordered a withdrawal. He fired upon the approaching enemy and his patrol members were able to reach American lines. Valdez was wounded and was able to drag himself back to American lines, however, he died three weeks later from his wounds. His Medal of Honor citation reads:
“He was on outpost duty with 5 others when the enemy counterattacked with overwhelming strength. From his position near some woods 500 yards beyond the American lines he observed a hostile tank about 75 yards away, and raked it with automatic rifle fire until it withdrew. Soon afterward he saw 3 Germans stealthily approaching through the woods. Scorning cover as the enemy soldiers opened up with heavy automatic weapons fire from a range of 30 yards, he engaged in a fire fight with the attackers until he had killed all 3. The enemy quickly launched an attack with 2 full companies of infantrymen, blasting the patrol with murderous concentrations of automatic and rifle fire and beginning an encircling movement which forced the patrol leader to order a withdrawal. Despite the terrible odds, Pfc. Valdez immediately volunteered to cover the maneuver, and as the patrol 1 by 1 plunged through a hail of bullets toward the American lines, he fired burst after burst into the swarming enemy. Three of his companions were wounded in their dash for safety and he was struck by a bullet that entered his stomach and, passing through his body, emerged from his back. Overcoming agonizing pain, he regained control of himself and resumed his firing position, delivering a protective screen of bullets until all others of the patrol were safe. By field telephone he called for artillery and mortar fire on the Germans and corrected the range until he had shells falling within 50 yards of his position. For 15 minutes he refused to be dislodged by more than 200 of the enemy; then, seeing that the barrage had broken the counter attack, he dragged himself back to his own lines. He died later as a result of his wounds. Through his valiant, intrepid stand and at the cost of his own life, PFC Valdez made it possible for his comrades to escape, and was directly responsible for repulsing an attack by vastly superior enemy forces.”

On the Eastern front, the German forces in East Prussia are effectively cut off and the German evacuation of military personal and civilians from East Prussia begins. The operation continues until the end of the war and is considered the greatest evacuation in history (amounting to 1.5 to 2 million people). About 40 large passenger ships and many other transports as well as practically all the remaining surface ships of the German Navy (including the cruisers, Emden and Admiral Hipper) are involved. There are considerable losses to the many mines laid in the Baltic by RAF Bomber Command and to the submarines of the Soviet Baltic Fleet. In the fighting to the south, Ostrow is taken by left flank units of the 1st Ukrainian Front; other elements capture crossings over the Oder River near Breslau and Steinau. 2nd Ukrainian Front opens assault on Buda, 2nd Byelorussian Front assaulting into Elbing, and 1st Byelorussian Front captures Oels, Ostrov, and Goeben and completes encirclement of Posen, Germany (now Poznan, Poland), which is declared a Fortress City and left to wither by Soviet forces. Meanwhile, in Hungary, the German 4th SS Panzer Corps, an element of Army Group South, is halted by forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

French secret agent Denise Bloch is executed at Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, Germany.

Pictured: 7th Armored Division make ready to move up after having given artillery support to the infantry in their battle for high ground near St. Vith, Belgium, January 25, 1945

The crew of a 105 mm gun uses a powder charge to start a fire of cardboard cartridge cases in the Ardennes Forest in January 25, 1945

Medal of Honor recipient Jose F. Valdez

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 26, 1945: n the northern sector of the Ardennes, US 1st Army continues its push, improving positions near St Vith and clearing Meyerode. As the Germans continue to pull back behind the ‘West Wall’ (aka the Siegfried Line) in the face of Patton’s US 3rd Army, the Allies take Espeler, Lieler, Weiswampach, Fischbach, Marnach, Hoscheiderdickt, Schlindermanderscheid, Lellingen, and Siebenaler. US 7th Army clears Schillersdorf and works to restore positions around Hochfelden.

Operation Blackcock, comes to successful conclusion. A small enemy bridgehead remains at Vlodrop, but no immediate effort is made to eliminate it.

French 1st Army attacking Colmar pocket; elements clear Illhaeusern-Jebsheim road while others prepares to attack toward Brisach. US 7th Infantry clears Houssen and Rosenkranz, while 15th takes Riedwihr and 254th gets elements into Jebsheim.

In the Colmar pocket as part of 3rd Division, despite being wounded, US Army 2nd Lieutenant Audie Murphy single-handedly repels tank and infantry attacks on his unit's position. The action earns Murphy America's highest award for bravery, the Medal of Honor. Beginning as a private and earning a battlefield commission, he finished the war as his country's most decorated soldier with 33 medals and was personally credited with killing 240 enemies. Here is Murphy’s Medal of Honor citation:
“Second Lieutenant Audie L. Murphy, 01692509, 15th Infantry, Army of the United States, on 26 January 1945, near Holtzwihr, France, commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. Lieutenant Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position in a woods while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him to his right one of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. It's crew withdrew to the woods. Lieutenant Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, Lieutenant Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer which was in danger of blowing up any instant and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to the German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. the enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminated Lieutenant Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he personally killed or wounded about 50. Lieutenant Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.”

To the east, the advance of the Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front captures Elbing and Marienber then reaches the Baltic north of Elbing, completely cutting off the German forces of Army Group North in East Prussia.1st Belorussian Front captures Bromberg, 8th Guards Army of Soviet 1st Belorussian Front continue assaulting besieged Posen, 1st Ukrainian Front captures Hindenburg, and 2nd Ukrainian Front attacking Buda. German 17th Army received permission to withdraw from Katowice, Poland. Soviet forces are now within 95 miles of Berlin. Meanwhile, thousands of German refugees are killed while waiting for ships to evacuate them from East Prussia when a nearby ammunition depot is detonated by a Soviet aerial attack.

Soviet troops enter Auschwitz, Poland, freeing the survivors of the network of concentration camps—and finally revealing to the world the depth of the horrors perpetrated there. Auschwitz was actually a group of camps, designated I, II, and III. There were also 40 smaller "satellite" camps. It was at Auschwitz II (in Birkenau) that the SS created a complex, monstrously orchestrated killing ground: 300 prison barracks; four "bathhouses" in which prisoners were gassed; corpse cellars; and cremating ovens. Thousands of prisoners were also used for medical experiments overseen and performed by the camp doctor, Josef Mengele, called the "Angel of Death." In anticipation of the impending Soviet arrival, the German Gestapo began a murder spree in the camps, shooting sick prisoners and blowing up crematoria in a desperate attempt to destroy the evidence of their crimes. When the Red Army finally breaks through, Soviet soldiers encounter 648 corpses and more than 7,000 starving camp survivors. There are also six storehouses filled with hundreds of thousands of women's dresses, men's suits, and shoes that the Germans did not have time to burn.

Pictured: Overturned German tank provides a bridge for 102nd Infantry Division troops crossing a small stream near Brachelen, Germany on January 26, 1945

Camouflaged men of the 406th Regiment give the town of Brachelen, Germany, a careful going over in their search for Nazi snipers, January 26, 1945

Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy

Young survivors at Auschwitz, liberated by the Red Army on January 26, 1945

 

[gman4tide]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

I've read where the US has followed the german lead in a lot of military equipment design. Look at the german's helmet...spittin image of the one worn by our troops today.

 

[dvldog]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Audie Murphy. There's an American story. "To hell and back" is one of my favorites. He wasn't half bad in B westerns either.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 27, 1945: On the western front, US 1st Army continues attacking in northern sector of the Ardennes, clearing the area around Bois de St Vith. US 9th Army adjusts boundary of southern flank with US 1st Army. US 3rd Army continues attacking in southern sector of the Ardennes. Troops from US 3rd Army cross the Our River and takes Oberhausen, Lascheid (Belgium), Munshausen, Weiler, Wahlhausen, Consthum, Holzthum, Bockholz, Neidhausen, Dorscheid, and Marburg. US 7th Army engaged around Schweighausen and Chateau Salins.

French 1st Army continues working to reduce the Colmar pocket, attacking around Jebsheim, Holtzwihr, and Wickerswihr.

On the eastern front, The Soviets troops continue to mash the Germans, pushing ever closer to Berlin, less than 100 miles away. Soviet 1st Baltic Front captures Memel, 3rd Belorussian Front completely encircles Koenigsberg. 2nd Belorussian Front attacking around Thorn as the German 4th Army attacks 48th Army of Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front in an effort to break out from encirclement. 1st Ukrainian Front attacks into Rybnik and surrounding Breslau. Despite of the needed coal and industry there, the Germans begin evacuating the Upper Silesia region as Soviet troops approach; this includes the city of Katowice, Poland.

In the wake of the German evacuation, Soviet forces capture Memel; the Soviets now occupy all of Lithuania.

Soviet forces fully liberate the Auschwitz Concentration camps; reconnaissance troops of the Soviet 100th Infantry Division discovered the prisoners' infirmary at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp at about 0900 hours. The remainder of the division arrived 30 minutes later. Soviet troops entered the main camp in the afternoon where they fought off the remaining German resistance at the cost of 231 lives. By this time, only 7,000 prisoners remained to be liberated in the entire Auschwitz system; the bulk of had been marched away previously.

With the Red Army just 12 miles away the Germans evacuate the 11,000 prisoners of war held at Stalag Luft III to commence a march in sub-zero temperatures to Spremburg, Germany.

Reports of the first major death camp discovered by the Red Army, Majdanek, had been discounted as probable Soviet exaggerations. Even a report by respected journalist Alexander Werth had not been believed – the scale of the Nazi crimes was “incredible”. It would take the shocking newsreel footage taken at the camps located in Germany before the true horror of what had happened in the Holocaust began to be understood in the wider world.

Pictured: US Army 30th Infantry Division jeep in Belgium, 27 Jan 1945 (note Browning M1919 machine gun, radio antenna, anti-decapitation bar, and unusual spare tire location)

Two 99th Infantry Division GI’s work to change a tire and repair their jeep in the snow near Eloenborn, Belgium on January 27, 1945

Liberation by Soviet soldiers of some of the surviving prisoners of Auschwitz. Above the gate of the camp is the famous sign-slogan “Arbeit macht frei” – “Work makes you free”. The concentration camp was fully liberated on January 27, 1945 by the 1st Ukrainian Front

Female inmates in their barracks at Auschwitz following the Red Army’s liberation of the camp

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

One of my motivations for doing these daily updates is so that people won't forget - the horrors of World War II may seem like lifetimes ago, but many people who survived those terrible days still live today. If we refuse to remember and learn from the past, we're doomed, as the same evils will rise up again...

http://news.yahoo.com/survivors-return-auschwitz-70-years-leaders-sound-alarm-055724217.html

 

[Go Bama]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

One of my motivations for doing these daily updates is so that people won't forget - the horrors of World War II may seem like lifetimes ago, but many people who survived those terrible days still live today. If we refuse to remember and learn from the past, we're doomed, as the same evils will rise up again...

http://news.yahoo.com/survivors-return-auschwitz-70-years-leaders-sound-alarm-055724217.html

I was in McDonald's two weeks ago with my family and an old man just came up to me and started talking to me about his family. I asked how old are you and he said 95. I asked if he was a veteran and he said he served in Europe as an ambulance driver for General Patton. He was at the Battle of the Bulge and he told me General Patton was very fond of his ambulance drivers. Another man, 97, was in my office last week that served in the Pacific. I was telling my best friend, a Navy vet, about the old man and he allowed his wife's uncle, Freeman Lowery, was one of Patton's drivers. There aren't many of these guys left, but some are still here.

Many thanks for showing the respect to remember what this generation did for our nation and the world.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Amazing BBC drone video of Auschwitz:

 

[Tidewater]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Pictured: US Army 30th Infantry Division jeep in Belgium, 27 Jan 1945 (note Browning M1919 machine gun, radio antenna, anti-decapitation bar, and unusual spare tire location)

Don't you just know this guy is having a great time?
The Army means "Fun, Travel and Adventure."

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Don't you just know this guy is having a great time?
The Army means "Fun, Travel and Adventure."

HAha, yah - any job that requires an 'anti-decapitation bar' is a winner!

 

[mittman]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

I just want to thank you again for doing this. I just spent some time reviewing the early November posts where my grandfather would have been involved in Metz. He used to tell a story about driving a captured general (Heinrich Kittel) I will spend some time Saturday reviewing this great thread.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 28, 1945: On the western front, US 1st Army forces begin drive, attacking toward West Wall and Euskirchen. Elements of 1st Army takes Valender, Heppenbach, Hepscheid, Richelbusch, and Herresbach. Patton’s US 3rd Army clears the west bank of the Our River and pushes east, capturing Weweler, Stoubach, and Putscheid. British forces report progress on the Roer River as Hitler’s forces have now lost every inch of ground gained during what would turn out to be the catastrophic failure of the Ardennes Offensive.

Further south, the French 1st Army continues attacking the Colmar pocket, with the new mission of driving east to the Rhine River.

Over Germany, the US 8th Air Force conducts raids on the Ruhr industrial area and the Rhine with 1000 bombers. Oil plants and bridges are the nominal targets. US 8th Air Force also attacks Cologne with 342 bombers, Kaiserstuhl with 115 bombers, the Gneisenau oil facility with 58 bombers, Hohenbudberg with 169 bombers, and Duisburg with 90 bombers. RAF Bomber Command sends 153 aircraft to attack Cologne during the day, 602 aircraft to attack Stuttgart overnight, and 67 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight.

On the eastern front, the Germans yield Memel to First Baltic Front, and the Soviet conquest of Lithuania is complete. The Red Army has now closed the ring around Koenigsberg and begins to compress enemy pocket in central part of East Prussia with capture of Bischofsburg and Sensburg. Pushing toward Germany on broad front, Soviet troops take the Polish border cities of Sepolno, Czarnkow, and Leszno and, across Silesian border, Guhrau and repulses counterattacks by XXIV Panzer Korps and Grossdeutschland Panzer Korps. To the south, First Ukrainian Front completes capture of major industrial cities along border of Upper Silesia and Poland, taking Beuthen in Silesia and Katowice in Poland. In the Carpathians, Fourth Ukrainian Front drives to Poprad (Czechoslovakia). The advance of the 1st Belorussian Front reaches German Pomerania. 2nd Ukrainian Front clears Margit Island in the Danube.

Hitler orders Volkssturm units (primarily comprised of boys ages 13-18 and older men) deployed at the front. The last 4 months of the war will be an exercise in futility for the Volkssturm as the Nazi leadership's insistence to continue the fight to the bitter end will eventually contribute an additional 1.23 million German deaths - half of them military personnel and the other half from the Volkssturm.

Pictured: US 82nd Airborne Division marching, near Herresbach, Belgium, January 28, 1945; note heavily loaded ammunition sled

M4 Sherman tank and troops of Company G, 740th Tank Battalion, 504th Regiment, US 82nd Airborne Division operating in snowy conditions, near Herresbach, Belgium, January 28, 1945

17th Airborne Division fought in the Bulge for 26 consecutive days in awful climatic conditions. This photo from January 28, 1945 illustrates the poor conditions of the men during this month.

Situation map from January 28, 1945

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 29, 1945: On the western front US 1st Army reports the capture of the town of Bullingen, east of St. VIth., along with Wereth, Holzheim,, Medendorf, and high ground near Eimerscheid. Forces of Patton’s US 3rd Army cross the Oure River at two points, 8 miles south of St. VIth and capture Schlierbach, Setz, Elcherath, Welchenhausen, Stupbach, and Kalborn. French 1st Army continues attacking the Colmar pocket; elements cross the Canal de Colmar, reaching Bischwihr and other elements advancing north to the edge of Muntzenheim.

First Sergeant Leonard A. Funk, Jr., one of the most decorated soldiers and paratroopers of World War II, was serving in in Company C, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division at Holzheim Belgium. He encountered a group of more than 80 German soldiers, most of whom had previously been captured by American forces but, with the help of a German patrol, had managed to overwhelm their guards. Despite being greatly outnumbered, Funk opened fire and called for the captured American guards to seize the Germans' weapons. He and the guards successfully killed or re-captured all of the German soldiers. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor (Funk was also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, and three Purple Hearts during World War II). This is his Medal of Honor citation:
“He distinguished himself by gallant, intrepid actions against the enemy. After advancing 15 miles in a driving snowstorm, the American force prepared to attack through waist-deep drifts. The company executive officer became a casualty, and 1st Sgt. Funk immediately assumed his duties, forming headquarters soldiers into a combat unit for an assault in the face of direct artillery shelling and harassing fire from the right flank. Under his skillful and courageous leadership, this miscellaneous group and the 3d Platoon attacked 15 houses, cleared them, and took 30 prisoners without suffering a casualty. The fierce drive of Company C quickly overran Holzheim, netting some 80 prisoners, who were placed under a 4-man guard, all that could be spared, while the rest of the understrength unit went about mopping up isolated points of resistance. An enemy patrol, by means of a ruse, succeeded in capturing the guards and freeing the prisoners, and had begun preparations to attack Company C from the rear when 1st Sgt. Funk walked around the building and into their midst. He was ordered to surrender by a German officer who pushed a machine pistol into his stomach. Although overwhelmingly outnumbered and facing almost certain death, 1st Sgt. Funk, pretending to comply with the order, began slowly to unsling his submachine gun from his shoulder and then, with lightning motion, brought the muzzle into line and riddled the German officer. He turned upon the other Germans, firing and shouting to the other Americans to seize the enemy's weapons. In the ensuing fight 21 Germans were killed, many wounded, and the remainder captured. 1st Sgt. Funk's bold action and heroic disregard for his own safety were directly responsible for the recapture of a vastly superior enemy force, which, if allowed to remain free, could have taken the widespread units of Company C by surprise and endangered the entire attack plan.”

Over Germany. RAF sends British bombers to strike Berlin three separate times during the night after sending 148 aircraft to attack Krefeld during the day. US 8th Air Force attacks rail targets with 1001 bombers and Kassel with 93 bombers. U-763 is heavily damaged by Soviet aircraft at Koenigsberg and scuttled.

Despite being surrounded by superior forces, the Germans continue their stubborn defense of Koenigsberg and Elbing in East Prussia as the 3rd Belorussian Front continues attacking. The First White Russian Front invades Pomerania, taking the German towns of Schoenlanke and Woldenberg. 1st Belorussian Front encircle the city of Poznan, and the large German garrison, in Pomerania. Dresden, some 95 miles south-east of Berlin, is captured. In the Carpathian sector, Fourth Ukrainian Front gains Nowy Targ, on S border of Poland. Nazi Kriegsmarine cruiser Prinz Eugen, two destroyers, and five torpedo boats provide naval gunfire support as XXVIII Korps of German 4th Army attacks from Cranz bridgehead toward Koenigsberg. The German 4th Army's attacks are brought to a standstill by Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front. 1st Ukrainian Front is clearing Upper Silesia and German and Hungarian forces are counterattacking around Budapest.

Pictured: Troopers with the 1st Battalion, 505th PIR, take a few minutes to read The Stars and Stripes newspaper in the woods outside Weneck, Belgium, shortly after the town was taken, January 29, 1945

Civilians return to the rubble-filled streets of Houffalize, Belgium

President Truman awards Leonard A. Funk, Jr. the Medal of Honor

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

January 30, 1945: It’s Tuesday - today marks 34 weeks (238 days) since the D-Day Invasion at Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Europe.

On the western front, US 1st Army attacks around Rohren, Alzen, Wirtzfeld, Krinkelt, Rocherath, Honsfeld, Hunningen, Muerringen, Elmerscheid, and Lanzerath, while US 9th Army is attacking around Kesternich, Huppenbroich, and Eicherscheid.

During intense house-to-house fighting in Kesternich, Staff Sergeant Jonah Edward Kelley led a squad in repeated assaults on German-held buildings. Although he received two wounds, one of which disabled his left hand, he did not withdraw to seek medical attention but continued to lead his men. The next morning, he single-handedly sought out and killed a German gunner who was preventing his squad's advance before being killed while assaulting a second German position. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor eight months later, on September 10, 1945. Kelley's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
“In charge of the leading squad of Company E, he heroically spearheaded the attack in furious house-to-house fighting. Early on 30 January, he led his men through intense mortar and small arms fire in repeated assaults on barricaded houses. Although twice wounded, once when struck in the back, the second time when a mortar shell fragment passed through his left hand and rendered it practically useless, he refused to withdraw and continued to lead his squad after hasty dressings had been applied. His serious wounds forced him to fire his rifle with 1 hand, resting it on rubble or over his left forearm. To blast his way forward with hand grenades, he set aside his rifle to pull the pins with his teeth while grasping the missiles with his good hand. Despite these handicaps, he created tremendous havoc in the enemy ranks. He rushed l house, killing 3 of the enemy and clearing the way for his squad to advance. On approaching the next house, he was fired upon from an upstairs window. He killed the sniper with a single shot and similarly accounted for another enemy soldier who ran from the cellar of the house. As darkness came, he assigned his men to defensive positions, never leaving them to seek medical attention. At dawn the next day, the squad resumed the attack, advancing to a point where heavy automatic and small arms fire stalled them. Despite his wounds, S/Sgt. Kelley moved out alone, located an enemy gunner dug in under a haystack and killed him with rifle fire. He returned to his men and found that a German machinegun, from a well-protected position in a neighboring house, still held up the advance. Ordering the squad to remain in comparatively safe positions, he valiantly dashed into the open and attacked the position single-handedly through a hail of bullets. He was hit several times and fell to his knees when within 25 yards of his objective; but he summoned his waning strength and emptied his rifle into the machinegun nest, silencing the weapon before he died. The superb courage, aggressiveness, and utter disregard for his own safety displayed by S/Sgt. Kelley inspired the men he led and enabled them to penetrate the last line of defense held by the enemy in the village of Kesternich.”

Patton’s US 3rd Army attacks around Andler, Schonberg, Rodgen, Heuem, Lommersweiler, Hemmeres, Steffeshausen, Auel, and Steinkopf. Further south, Allied forces capture Gambsheim, a German bridgehead over the Rhine, north of Strasbourg and French 1st Army continues attacking around Bischwihr, Wihr-en-Plaine, Muntzenheim, Fortschwihr, Urschenheim, Jebsheim, and Illhaeusern.

On the eastern front, the Soviets tighten ring around Koenigsberg and take Marienwerder in East Prussia. Red Army troops cross from Poland into Germany at a number of points NW of Bromberg and W of Posen and take Stolzenburg, now just 70 miles from Berlin. Kriegsmarine cruiser Prinz Eugen, two destroyers, and five torpedo boats provide naval gunfire support as XXVIII Korps of German 4th Army attacks from the Cranz bridgehead toward Koenigsberg. The Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front continues battering the German 4th Army, while 1st Belorussian Front is besieging Posen and attacking around Stolzenberg, Calau, Schweibus, and Zorndorf. Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front captures Steinau while the 2nd Ukrainian Front remains engaged around Budapest.

In the worst disaster at sea in history, German passenger liner Wilhelm Gustloff is attacked and sunk by Soviet submarine S-13 off Gotenhafen, East Prussia, Germany (now Gdynia, Poland), killing ~8,000 of the 9,000 passengers onboard.

In Berlin, Albert Speer notes to Adolf Hitler that, having lost the Silesia region to Soviet forces, Germany has now lost an important source of coal and steel and the war is now lost. Despite this, Hitler broadcasts to the nation for the last time. He comments, "German workers, work! German soldiers, fight! German women, be as fanatical as ever! No nation can do more."

Pictured: Deep snow banks on a narrow road halt military traffic in the woods of Wallerode (Sankt-Vith). 87th Inf. Div. January 30, 1945

Medal of Honor recipient Jonah Edward Kelley

German Volkssturm troops with Panzerfäuste at Königsberg, Germany, January 1945

German passenger liner Wilhelm Gustloff, sunk on January 30, 1945, killing ~8,000