World War II Daily: DDay to VEDay

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 3, 1945: It’s Tuesday - today marks 43 weeks (301 days) since the D-Day Invasion at Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Europe.

Allied troops capture Hengelo, the Netherlands as British 2nd Army mop up Rhine and attack toward Osnabruck. US 9th Army captures Muenster and Recklinghausen, pushes toward Bielefeld, and continues attacking the Ruhr pocket. US 1st Army also continues reducing the Ruhr pocket and pushes east, capturing Fulda and Kassel in germany. US 45th Infantry Division of US 7th Army captures Aschaffenburg, Germany. Patton’s US 3rd Army pushes toward Muhlhausen and Suhl. The French 1st Army are attacking toward Karlsruhe.

In Birken, Germany, Private First Class Walter C. Wetzel, serving in the 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, smothers the blasts of German-thrown grenades with his body, sacrificing himself to protect those around him. He is posthumously awarded the Medal Of Honor ten months later, on February 26, 1946, by President Harry S. Truman. Here is his citation:
“Pfc. Wetzel, an acting squad leader with the Antitank Company of the 13th Infantry, was guarding his platoon's command post in a house at Birken, Germany, during the early morning hours of 3 April 1945, when he detected strong enemy forces moving in to attack. He ran into the house, alerted the occupants and immediately began defending the post against heavy automatic weapons fire coming from the hostile troops. Under cover of darkness the Germans forced their way close to the building where they hurled grenades, 2 of which landed in the room where Pfc. Wetzel and the others had taken up firing positions. Shouting a warning to his fellow soldiers, Pfc. Wetzel threw himself on the grenades and, as they exploded, absorbed their entire blast, suffering wounds from which he died. The supreme gallantry of Pfc. Wetzel saved his comrades from death or serious injury and made it possible for them to continue the defense of the command post and break the power of a dangerous local counterthrust by the enemy. His unhesitating sacrifice of his life was in keeping with the U.S. Army's highest traditions of bravery and heroism.”
Wetzel was buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, the Netherlands.

German rocket troops are converted to regular troops and join the German 5th Army Corps.

Thousands of prisoners of Buchenwald concentration camp are forced to evacuate and march away ahead of Allied advance.

Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks U-boat base at Kiel with 717 bombers (two are lost), sinking 6 U-boats and 8 other German vessels. RAF Bomber Command sends 255 aircraft to attack Nordhausen during the day and 95 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight. US 9th Air Force aircraft fly armed recon, escort, patrols, leaflet missions, ground support, and tactical bombing missions, including 220 bombers that are sent to attack Holzminden and Hameln.

On the eastern front, Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front, 1st Belorussian Front, and 2nd Belorussian Front deploy along the Oder and the Niesse for new offensive to Berlin and the Elbe. Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front penetrates the German defensive lines between Wiener Neustadt and Neusiedler Lake, advancing toward Vienna, Austria. Major Carl Szokoll, a leader of the Austrian resistance, meets with Soviet authorities about cooperation in Vienna to prevent the city's destruction. Almost all of Hungary is now clear of Axis troops while in Czechoslovakia Bratislava is besieged. After several days of heavy artillery attacks, Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front opens final assault against Koenigsberg. The 7th Guards Army of Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front attacking German 8th Army around Bratislava

In Italy, troops of British Special Boat Service and Italian 28th Garribaldi Brigade captured islands in Lake Comacchio in northern Italy. US 12th Air Force bombers are mostly grounded by poor weather conditions, but some aircraft attack transportation lines, supply depots, methanol plants, and other targets in the Po valley and elsewhere in northern Italy.

Pictured: US soldiers rest in war-littered street of Fulda (Germany) April 3, 1945

Tankmen of the 761st Tank Battalion and infantrymen of the 3rd Battalion, 409th Regiment, 103rd Division, 7th U.S. Army, make pancakes together near Reisdorf, Germany, on April 3, 1945

A British soldier is dwarfed by a German railway locomotive resting at a precipitous angle in a heavily-bombed railyard in Munster, April 3, 1945

Retired MSgt Leo Bolick visiting PFC Wetzel's grave at Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in 1990. Leo was Wetzel's Platoon Sergeant and one of the men PFC Wetzel gave his life to save.

 

[Tidewater]

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

German rocket troops are converted to regular troops and join the German 5th Army Corps.

That may the the most intellectually over-qualified infantry in the world.

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

That may the the most intellectually over-qualified infantry in the world.

Haha. Of course, these weren't the designers, these were the launching teams

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 4, 1945: In northern Europe, British and Canadian of British 2nd Army cross the Dortmund-Ems canal at Lingen and Rheine, attack and capture Osnabruck, and push on to Minden. US 1st Army makes limited gains, repels counterattacks, and prepares for major assault against Ruhr pocket. The US 9th Army continues attacking the Ruhr pocket and pushes to Minden and Hamelin, and crosses the Weser River to commence a rapid advance to reach the Elbe River in Germany. US 7th Army attacks into Wurzburg and Heilbronn. French 1st Army captures Karlsruhe.

Troops from US 3rd Army accepts surrender of Kassel, encircles Muhlhausen, and captures Suhl while other units take Gotha and advance near Erfurt. At Merkers, elements of US 3rd Army capture a salt mine containing art treasures, the Nazi gold reserve, and other hidden valuables.Troops of US 89th Infantry Division (part of US 3rd Army) capture the Ohrdruf Concentration Camp (a satellite of Buchenwald Concentration Camp) discovering mass graves of 10,000 Jews and other prisoners.

Himmler orders immediate evacuation of concentration camps at Dachau and Flossenbuerg

US 8th Air Force attacks airfields with 352 bombers, U-boat base at Hamburg with 22 bombers, and Kiel with 505 bombers, sinking three U-boats. US 15th Air Force attacks rail traffic with 94 P-51 fighters. RAF Bomber Command sends 244 aircraft to attack Nordhausen during the day, 341 aircraft to attack Leuna overnight, 327 aircraft to attack Harburg overnight, 272 aircraft to attack Lutzkendorf overnight, 35 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight, and 31 aircraft to attack Magdeburg overnight.

In the east, German troops counterattack Soviet forces near Moravska-Ostrava and Nitra in Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile, 7th Guards Army of Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front troops enter Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. At Kosice in the Slovak Republic, the Soviet Union sets up a provisional Czechoslovakian government. On the fourth day of the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front artillery bombardment, Königsberg loses electric power. No German troops remain on Hungarian soil.

In Italy, British 8th Army continues attacking around Lake Comacchio while US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines, supply depots, methanol plants, and other targets in the Po valley and throughout northern Italy.

Pictured: Corporal Luther E. Boger of US 82nd Airborne Division reading a warning sign, Cologne, Germany, April 4, 1945; note Thompson submachine gun and Panther tank wreck

The salt mine of Merkers was cleared by April 4, 1945. All that was known from slave laborers was that the mine contained some German equipment and money. But after General Patton ordered the vault door blown, 7,000 bags of gold and silver were revealed, as well as many stolen works of art, in all the largest treasure hoard ever found. General Eisenhower was moved by the experience of his visit, noting that the trove had been obviously looted from private dwellings across Europe.

Prisoners were forced to exhume the decomposed bodies of their former comrades and cremate them on a makeshift grid of railroad rails set up near the pit. With the American armor only a few hours away, the SS guards had abandoned this project in a grisly state of half-completion, machine-gunned those prisoners too ill to walk in the courtyard of the concentration compound, and had fled.

 

[ValuJet]

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

When I saw the pic of the soldier reading the sign, I thought that must be in front of the Dom Cathedral. Cologne was completely destroyed by Allied bombing except for the church. Cologne today is a very modern city with a Gothic thousand year old church plopped down. Everything else was re-built.

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 5, 1945: On the western front, 18 US Divisions began to clear the Ruhr pocket in Germany. US 1st Army hammers the Ruhr pocket and continues pushing east around Warburg and Kassel while US 9th Army attacks across the Weser River at Hamelin and continues assaulting Ruhr pocket. Patton’s US 3rd Army captures Muhlhausen and Meiningen while US 7th Army captures Gemuenden, pushes toward Schweinfurt, and attacks into Heilbronn. British 2nd Army captures Lingen and Osnabruck, and Canadian 1st Army crosses Twenthe canal and captures Almelo. French 1st Army begins attacking toward Pforzheim.

Serving in the Medical Detachment of the 48th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division in Alemert, Germany, Corporal Thomas J. Kelly repeatedly exposes himself to hostile fire in order to drag wounded men to safety. For these actions, he is awarded the Medal of Honor seven months later, on November 1, 1945. Here is his citation:
“He was an aid man with the 1st Platoon of Company C during an attack on the town of Alemert, Germany. The platoon, committed in a flanking maneuver, had advanced down a small, open valley overlooked by wooded slopes hiding enemy machineguns and tanks, when the attack was stopped by murderous fire that inflicted heavy casualties in the American ranks. Ordered to withdraw, Cpl. Kelly reached safety with uninjured remnants of the unit, but, on realizing the extent of casualties suffered by the platoon, voluntarily retraced his steps and began evacuating his comrades under direct machinegun fire. He was forced to crawl, dragging the injured behind him for most of the 300 yards separating the exposed area from a place of comparative safety. Two other volunteers who attempted to negotiate the hazardous route with him were mortally wounded, but he kept on with his herculean task after dressing their wounds and carrying them to friendly hands. In all, he made 10 separate trips through the brutal fire, each time bringing out a man from the death trap. Seven more casualties who were able to crawl by themselves he guided and encouraged in escaping from the hail of fire. After he had completed his heroic, self-imposed task and was near collapse from fatigue, he refused to leave his platoon until the attack had been resumed and the objective taken. Cpl. Kelly's gallantry and intrepidity in the face of seemingly certain death saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers and was an example of bravery under fire.”
He died at age 65 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.

Above Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks two munitions dumps with 305 bombers, Bayreuth with 112 bombers, Plauen with 151 bombers, an airfield with 59 bombers, an electric plant with 13 bombers, Furth with 54 bombers, Nurnberg with 308 bombers, and targets of opportunity with 33 bombers. US 15th Air Force attacks rail traffic with P-51 fighters.

On the eastern front, Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front cuts the rail line from Linz to Vienna, occupied Austria. Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front and 3rd Ukrainian Front attack German 6th SS Panzer Army around Vienna. On the fifth day of the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front’s artillery bombardmen on Königsberg, Germany, a break in the weather allows Soviet aircraft to join in on the attack. By this time, German defenses can offer little opposition to enemy aircraft.

Moscow notifies Japanese ambassador the 1941 non-aggession pact with Tokyo will not be renewed.

On the west coast of Italy, American units from US 5th Army begin diversionary attacks to the north near Massa, south of La Spezia. British 56th Infantry Division (part of 8th Army) attacks German positions near Lake Comacchio in northern Italy. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines and other targets in the Po valley and throughout northern Italy, including support for ground operations around Massa Lombarda and US 15th Air Force attacks Alessandria, Brescia, Turin, and Udine.

Second Lieutenant Vernon Baker, serving in the 366th Infantry Regiment, part of the 92nd Infantry Division, participated in an attack on the German stronghold of Castle Aghinolfi. During the assault, Baker led his heavy weapons platoon through German army defenses to within sight of the castle, personally destroying a machine gun position, two observation posts, two bunkers, and a network of German telephone lines along the way. It was for these and other actions including leading a battalion advance under heavy fire that he was later awarded the Medal Of Honor. Here is his citation:
“For extraordinary heroism in action on 5 and 6 April 1945, near Viareggio, Italy. Then Second Lieutenant Baker demonstrated outstanding courage and leadership in destroying enemy installations, personnel, and equipment during his company's attack against a strongly entrenched enemy in mountainous terrain. When his company was stopped by the concentration of fire from several machine gun emplacements, he crawled to one position and destroyed it, killing three Germans. Continuing forward, he attacked an enemy observation post and killed two occupants. With the aid of one of his men, Lieutenant Baker attacked two more machine gun nests, killing or wounding the four enemy soldiers occupying these positions. He then covered the evacuation of the wounded personnel of his company by occupying an exposed position and drawing the enemy's fire. On the following night Lieutenant Baker voluntarily led a battalion advance through enemy mine fields and heavy fire toward the division objective. Second Lieutenant Baker's fighting spirit and daring leadership were an inspiration to his men and exemplify the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.”
Baker died at his St. Maries, Idaho, home on July 13, 2010 after a long battle with cancer. He had been near-death due to brain cancer in 2004 but had recovered. His funeral at Arlington National Cemetery on September 24, 2010, was attended by three other Medal of Honor recipients, and his family, for whom funds for them to travel to Arlington, Virginia were raised by their local community.

Private First Class Sadao Munemori, serving in Company A, 100th Infantry Battalion, 442d Combat Team, earned the Medal Of Honor in northern Italy by taking out two machine guns nests then sacrificing his life by jumping on a live grenade to protect two fellow soldiers. Here is his citation:
“He fought with great gallantry and intrepidity near Seravezza, Italy. When his unit was pinned down by grazing fire from the enemy's strong mountain defense and command of the squad devolved on him with the wounding of its regular leader, he made frontal, one-man attacks through direct fire and knocked out two machine guns with grenades. Withdrawing under murderous fire and showers of grenades from other enemy emplacements, he had nearly reached a shell crater occupied by two of his men when an unexploded grenade bounced on his helmet and rolled toward his helpless comrades. He arose into the withering fire, dived for the missile and smothered its blast with his body. By his swift, supremely heroic action Pfc. Munemori saved two of his men at the cost of his own life and did much to clear the path for his company's victorious advance.”

Pictured: A Sherman tank of The Canadian Grenadier Guards, Almelo, Netherlands, April 5th 1945 - the sign they’re holding tranlslates as ‘Wehrmacht commandant's office’

The cavalry recon squadron of 9th Armored Division occupies the town square in Pegau, Germany on April 5, 1945

General Bradley and General Patton at Bastogne, April 5, 1945

Thomas J. Kelly, Corporal, United States Army, awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in World War II

Grave of Medal Of Honor recipient Vernon Baker at Arlington National Cemetery

Grave of Medal Of Honor recipient Sadao Munemori

 

[Tidewater]

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

The cavalry recon squadron of 9th Armored Division occupies the town square in Pegau, Germany on April 5, 1945

Wow. 24 clicks from Leipzig? Those dudes were moving fast.

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 6, 1945: On the western front, British 2nd Army forces attack toward Bremen. US 9th Army crosses the Weser River near Minden and continues to attack the Ruhr pocket along with US 1st Army. Elements of US 1st Army also push toward Northeim and Duderstadt. US 3rd Army captures Grossalmerode, Trubenhausen, Bad Sooden, Langensalza, and Eisenach while US 7th Army pushes toward Schweinfurt and attacks into Heilbronn. French 1st Army attacks around Pforzheim.

15,000 prisoners of Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany are evacuated by German authorities as US 3rd Army pushes ever closer.

Serving in Battery A, 861st Field Artillery Battalion, 63rd Infantry Division, First Lieutenant James E. Robinson, Jr. led his company in an attack against German lines near Untergriesheim, Germany. Although severely wounded, he refused medical attention and continued on until the objective had been taken. He died of his wounds later that day. He was posthumously awarded the Medal Of Honor on December 11, 1945 - here is his citation:
“He was a field artillery forward observer attached to Company A, 253d Infantry, near Untergriesheim, Germany, on 6 April 1945. Eight hours of desperate fighting over open terrain swept by German machinegun, mortar, and small-arms fire had decimated Company A, robbing it of its commanding officer and most of its key enlisted personnel when 1st Lt. Robinson rallied the 23 remaining uninjured riflemen and a few walking wounded, and, while carrying his heavy radio for communication with American batteries, led them through intense fire in a charge against the objective. Ten German infantrymen in foxholes threatened to stop the assault, but the gallant leader killed them all at point-blank range with rifle and pistol fire and then pressed on with his men to sweep the area of all resistance. Soon afterward he was ordered to seize the defended town of Kressbach. He went to each of the 19 exhausted survivors with cheering words, instilling in them courage and fortitude, before leading the little band forward once more. In the advance he was seriously wounded in the throat by a shell fragment, but, despite great pain and loss of blood, he refused medical attention and continued the attack, directing supporting artillery fire even though he was mortally wounded. Only after the town had been taken and he could no longer speak did he leave the command he had inspired in victory and walk nearly 2 miles to an aid station where he died from his wound. By his intrepid leadership 1st Lt. Robinson was directly responsible for Company A's accomplishing its mission against tremendous odds.”
Robinson, 26 at death, was buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas.

First Lieutenant Raymond O. Beaudoin, serving in Company F, 119th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division, was leading his platoon over open ground when all were pinned down by a devastating curtain of fire from enemy machineguns and automatic weapons. By rotating his men in firing position he enabled his platoon to dig in against the numerically superior force and inflict heavy casualties on it. However, enemy reinforcements made the platoon’s position precarious. In order to allow a runner to secure help, Lieutenant Beaudoin decided to make a one man charge on the most dangerous sniper nest some 90 yards (82 m) away. Despite a barrage of rifle and bazooka fire he reached the nest and wiped out three of its inhabitants, the fourth falling from covering fire from the American platoon. Continuing the attack, Lieutenant Beaudoin charged a dugout, but was killed by a blast of machinegun fire. The runner was able to secure help, however; and the platoon was saved. For the supreme sacrifice which he made in saving the lives of the men under him, Lieutenant Beaudoin was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. here is his citation:
“He was leading the 2d Platoon of Company F over flat, open terrain to Hamelin, Germany, when the enemy went into action with machineguns and automatic weapons, laying down a devastating curtain of fire which pinned his unit to the ground. By rotating men in firing positions he made it possible for his entire platoon to dig in, defying all the while the murderous enemy fire to encourage his men and to distribute ammunition. He then dug in himself at the most advanced position, where he kept up a steady fire, killing 6 hostile soldiers, and directing his men in inflicting heavy casualties on the numerically superior opposing force. Despite these defensive measures, however, the position of the platoon became more precarious, for the enemy had brought up strong reinforcements and was preparing a counterattack. Three men, sent back at intervals to obtain ammunition and reinforcements, were killed by sniper fire. To relieve his command from the desperate situation, 1st Lt. Beaudoin decided to make a l-man attack on the most damaging enemy sniper nest 90 yards to the right flank, and thereby divert attention from the runner who would attempt to pierce the enemy's barrier of bullets and secure help. Crawling over completely exposed ground, he relentlessly advanced, undeterred by 8 rounds of bazooka fire which threw mud and stones over him or by rifle fire which ripped his uniform. Ten yards from the enemy position he stood up and charged. At point-blank range he shot and killed 2 occupants of the nest; a third, who tried to bayonet him, he overpowered and killed with the butt of his carbine; and the fourth adversary was cut down by the platoon's rifle fire as he attempted to flee. He continued his attack by running toward a dugout, but there he was struck and killed by a burst from a machinegun. By his intrepidity, great fighting skill, and supreme devotion to his responsibility for the well-being of his platoon, 1st Lt. Beaudoin single-handedly accomplished a mission that enabled a messenger to secure help which saved the stricken unit and made possible the decisive defeat of the German forces.”
Beaudoin was buried in a family plot in Notre Dame Cemetery in South Hadley, MA

On the Island of Texel off the Dutch coast, the Georgian troops serving as volunteers with the German army mutinied. Some 246 German troops are killed in their sleep by the Georgians (most of whom had originally been captured on the Eastern Front) and battle breaks out which eventually results in 800 Germans, 500 Georgian and 117 Texel civilian fatalities. The fighting ends only when the Canadians arrived on May 20, 1945 - some two weeks after the end of the European war.

Above Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Leipzig with 321 bombers, Halle with 183 bombers, and targets of opportunity with 33 bombers.

In East Prussia, after six days of artillery and aerial bombardment, the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front begins its final attacks on Konigsberg - 137,000 Soviet troops rush into the city, supported by 530 tanks and 2,400 aircraft. To the south, forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front enter the suburbs of Vienna. Yugoslavian forces capture Sarajevo.

Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels announces that a German victory is to come during this month and only Adolf Hitler knows the moment. He obtained this information from astrology.

Artillery preparation for the Allied Operation Grapeshot - an attack by US 5th Army, British 8th Army and Brazilian Expeditionary Force into the Lombardy Plain - begins in northern Italy. British 8th Army attacks across the Reno River
while US 5th Army attacks around Massa, Monte Cerreta, and Monte Belvedere. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines and other targets in the Po valley and throughout northern Italy, including support for ground operations around Massa Lombarda. US 15th Air Force also attacks Verona and Brescia with 387 bombers and bridges near German border with 14 fighters.

Pictured: Young German POWs captured by Guard's Armoured Division, April 6, 1945

GIs of the 62nd Armored Infantry, 14th Armored Division, make their way through the ruins of Gemünden on April 6,1945

US soldiers break into the gates of the German POW camp Oflag XIII-B in Hammelburg on April 6, 1945

Grave of Medal Of Honor recipient James Robinson

Grave of Medal Of Honor recipient Raymond Beaudoin

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 7, 1945: On the western front, French paratroopers drop in front of Canadian 2nd Army overnight to help the advance. British 2nd Army is pushing across the Weser River at Minden and Stolzenau and driving toward Bremen. US 1st Army captures Göttingen and US 9th Army captures Eisenach and Hameln as both armies remain heavily engaged around the Ruhr pocket. US 3rd Army attacks and captures Friedrichroda, Tanbach, Oberhof, Themar, and Shleusingen while US 7th Army captures Neustad, attacks toward Schweinfurt, and bypasses strongly defended Heilbronn.British 2nd Army pushing across the Weser River at Minden and Stolzenau and driving toward Bremen. French 1st Army continues attacking around Pforzheim.

Private First Class Willy F. James, Jr. was an infantry scout assigned to Company G, 413th Infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry Division in April 1945. On April 7, 1945, he was lead scout during a maneuver to secure a bridgehead near Lippoldsberg, Germany. As his regiment crossed the Weser River, he was pinned down for more than an hour by enemy machine gun fire. When he was able to return to his platoon with his scouting observations, he helped to develop a new assault plan, designating targets in the new attack. When his platoon leader was mortally wounded, James went to his aid and was himself killed by machine gun fire. For his actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal Of Honor - here is his citation:
“For extraordinary heroism on April 7, 1945, near Lippoldsberg, Germany. As lead scout during a maneuver, Pvt. James was the first to draw enemy fire. He was pinned down for over an hour, during which time he observed enemy positions In detail. Returning to his platoon, he assisted in working out a new plan of maneuver. He then led a squad in the assault, accurately designating targets as he advanced, until he was killed by enemy machine gun fire while going to the aid of his fatally wounded platoon leader.”
PFC James was buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in the Dutch town of Margraten.

Mike Colalillo, serving as a private first class in Company C, 398th Infantry Regiment, 100th Infantry Division near Untergriesheim, Germany, when he encouraged his comrades to follow him into enemy fire, manned an exposed machine gun, and helped a wounded soldier back to friendly lines. For his actions during the battle, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on January 9, 1946. Here is his citation:
“Private First Class Mike Colalillo, 2d Squad, 2d Platoon, Co. C, 1st Battalion, 398th Infantry, 100th Infantry Division was pinned down with other members of his company during an attack against strong enemy positions on 7 April 1945 in the vicinity of Untergriesheim, Germany. Heavy artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire made any move hazardous when he stood up, shouted to his company to follow, and ran forward in the wake of a supporting tank, firing his machine pistol. Inspired by his example, his comrades advanced in the face of savage enemy fire. When his weapon was struck by shrapnel and rendered useless, he climbed to the deck of a friendly tank, manned an exposed machine gun on the turret of the vehicle, and, while bullets rattled around him, fired at an enemy emplacement with such devastating accuracy that he killed or wounded at least 10 hostile soldiers and destroyed their machine gun. Maintaining his extremely dangerous post as the tank forged ahead, he blasted three more positions, destroyed another machine gun emplacement and silenced all resistance in this area, killing at least three and wounding an undetermined number of riflemen as they fled. His machine gun eventually jammed; so he secured a submachine gun from the tank crew to continue his attack on foot. When our armored forces exhausted their ammunition and the order to withdraw was given, he remained behind to help a seriously wounded comrade over several hundred yards of open terrain rocked by an intense enemy artillery and mortar barrage. By his intrepidity and inspiring courage Private First Class Colalillo gave tremendous impetus to his company's attack, killed or wounded 25 of the enemy in bitter fighting, and assisted a wounded soldier in reaching the American lines at great risk to his own life.”
Colalillo dies in 2011 at age 86 and was buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Duluth, Minnesota, not far from his place of birth.

Over Germany, RAF Mosquito bombers raid Berlin from bases on the continent for the first time. US 15th Air Force attacks rail yards while US 8th Air Force attacks multiple targets with 1261 bombers, of which 17 lost. RAF Bomber Command sends 186 aircraft to attack Molbis overnight. The Nazi’s launch Operation Werwolf - in a last ditch operation by the so-called Sonderkommando Elbe, the pilots of 183 Fw 190 and Bf 109K aircraft (flying to the strains of martial music played over the radio) are ordered to deliberately ram American B-17 bombers in kamikaze-like fashion. How many actually did so remains a mystery but 137 of the German aircraft were lost with 70 pilots killed. Only eight US heavy bombers were brought down.

To the east, German forces at Königsberg attempt a counterattack against the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front attackers - although it inflicts heavy casualties on the Soviets, it ultimately fails. Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front and 3rd Ukrainian Front continue assaulting Vienna. General Schörner's German Armeegruppe Mitte attacked the Soviet 2nd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts in Czechoslovakia. German Armeegruppe E completed its evacuation of Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

In Italy, British 8th Army continues attacking across the Reno River andUS 5th Army captures Monte Belvedere. US 12th and US 15th air forces mostly grounded due to bad weather.

Yukio Okutsu, serving as a technical sergeant in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on Mount Belvedere in Italy, single-handedly destroyed three enemy machine gun emplacements. He was awarded the Medal Of Honor for his actions. Here is his citation:
“Technical Sergeant Yukio Okutsu distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 7 April 1945, on Mount Belvedere, Italy. While his platoon was halted by the crossfire of three machine guns, Technical Sergeant Okutsu boldly crawled to within 30 yards of the nearest enemy emplacement through heavy fire. He destroyed the position with two accurately placed hand grenades, killing three machine gunners. Crawling and dashing from cover to cover, he threw another grenade, silencing a second machine gun, wounding two enemy soldiers, and forcing two others to surrender. Seeing a third machine gun, which obstructed his platoon's advance, he moved forward through heavy small arms fire and was stunned momentarily by rifle fire, which glanced off his helmet. Recovering, he bravely charged several enemy riflemen with his submachine gun, forcing them to withdraw from their positions. Then, rushing the machine gun nest, he captured the weapon and its entire crew of four. By these single-handed actions he enabled his platoon to resume its assault on a vital objective. The courageous performance of Technical Sergeant Okutsu against formidable odds was an inspiration to all. Technical Sergeant Okutsu's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.”
Okutsu died at age 81 and was buried in East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No. 2, Hilo, Hawaii.

Pictured: Soviet slave laborers are rescued from a cellar after it had been locked and set on fire by a German policeman following the liberation of the city by the British VIII Corps, Second Army. Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. April 7, 1945

Infantry of British 3rd Division clearing out snipers in the town of Lingen, April 7, 1945

An M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo of US 4th Armored Division passes a wrecked German SdKfz 7/2 Armoured Halftrack carrying an anti-aircraft gun (possibly the 3.7cm Flak 43).

Grave of Willy F. James Jr at Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial

Grave of Mike Colalillo at Forest Hill Cemetery in Duluth, Minnesota

Medal of Honor recipient Yukio Okutsu in 2000

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 8, 1945: On the western front, a British SAS brigade is dropped into eastern Netherlands as an advance force for Canadian units moving north. meanwhile, British 2nd Army captures Hildesheim in central Germany and continues pushing toward Bremen. Canadian 1st Army captures Zutphen and attacks toward Oldenburg and Deventer. US 9th Army attacks toward Hannover and further reduces the Ruhr pocket while US 1st Army continues attacking and reducing the Ruhr pocket while also pushing toward Northeim and Duderstadt. US 3rd Army advances toward Erfurt and Arnstadt. US 7th Army attacking around Schweinfurt and French 1st Army captures Pforzheim.

Serving as a Staff Sergeant in Company F, 253rd Infantry Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division near Stein-am-Kocher, Germany, John R. Crews single-handedly destroyed two German emplacements. His actions earn him the Medal Of Honor, here is his citation:
“He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 8 April 1945 near Lobenbacherhof, Germany. As his company was advancing toward the village under heavy fire, an enemy machinegun and automatic rifle with rifle support opened upon it from a hill on the right flank. Seeing that his platoon leader had been wounded by their fire, S/Sgt. Crews, acting on his own initiative, rushed the strongpoint with 2 men of his platoon. Despite the fact that 1 of these men was killed and the other was badly wounded, he continued his advance up the hill in the face of terrific enemy fire. Storming the well-dug-in position single-handedly, he killed 2 of the crew of the machinegun at pointblank range with his M 1 rifle and wrested the gun from the hands of the German whom he had already wounded. He then with his rifle charged the strongly emplaced automatic rifle. Although badly wounded in the thigh by crossfire from the remaining enemy, he kept on and silenced the entire position with his accurate and deadly rifle fire. His actions so unnerved the remaining enemy soldiers that 7 of them surrendered and the others fled. His heroism caused the enemy to concentrate on him and permitted the company to move forward into the village.”
Crews died at age 76 and was buried in Resthaven Gardens Cemetery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks multiple targets with 1,103 bombers (9 lost) supported by 763 fighters (1 lost). US 15th Air Force attacks transportation targets. RAF Bomber Command sends 440 aircraft to attack Hamburg overnight, sinking nine U-boats. RAF Bomber Command sends 242 aircraft to attack Lutzkendorf overnight, 22 aircraft to attack Travemunde overnight, 71 aircraft to attack Dessau overnight, and 28 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight.

To the east, Defensive forts number 5 and 8 at Königsberg surrender to Soviet forces as the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front begins to break through the defenses. German forces attempt another counterattack, but it fails at the face of Soviet air superiority as Soviet aircraft dropp 1,500 tons of bombs on Königsberg. In Austria, the Soviet forces push on west of Vienna despite German counter-attacks. There is heavy fighting in the Austrian capital. Soviet troops gain control of the main railway station in Vienna, Ostmark, Germany and surround the city. Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front continues its advance into northern Czechoslovakia.

In the Baltic Sea, German vessels Franken, Hans Albrecht Wedel, and sub chaser UJ-301 are all sunk by Soviet aircraft during evacuation operations.

n Italy, British troops attack the area between the southern tip of Lake Comacchio and the Fossa di Navigazione, known as 'The Wedge'. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines and other targets in the Po valley and throughout northern Italy, including Brenner Pass area while US 15th Air Force attacks a dam, rail yards, and rail lines around Brenner Pass with more than 500 bombers.

In northern Italy, British Army SAS Major Anders Lassen and 19 men were tasked with creating a diversion at Lake Comacchio. The Dane, who joined the British forces after the fall of Denmark and had already won the Military Medal three times in commando operations, destroyed three enemy strong-points before being fatally wounded. As his men withdrew, he refused aid, knowing that he would only slow them down and endanger their escape. His body was later found and buried by partisans. The fighting Dane was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross, the only non-British Commonwealth soldier to win the medal during the war.

Pictured: Men of the 16th Infantry Regiment, US 1st Infantry Division crossing the Weser River to attack Fürstenberg, Germany, April 8, 1945

Allied POWS cheer as an American tank breaks through the barbed wire surrounding the POW camp in Hammelburg, Germany on April 8, 1945

Medal Of Honor recipient John Crews

B-17G Flying Fortress 'Wee-Willie' of 322nd Bomber Squadron of USAAF 91st Bomber Group losing a wing from flak fire over Stendal, Germany, April 8, 1945; 8 were killed, pilot and 1 crewman survived

SAS VC recipient Anders Lassen

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 9, 1945: On the western front, British 2nd Army advances around Fuerstenau and HoyaIn the attacks against the Ruhr pocket, US 9th Army units penetrate into Essen and reach the famous Krupp factories, while other elements of US 9th Army attack toward Hannover. US 1st Army attacks in the Ruhr pocket and advances to Northeim. US 3rd Army advancing toward Erfurt and Arnstadt. US 7th Army is attacking around Schweinfurt and French 1st Army attacks Ettlingen.

Moringen Concentration Camp is liberated by Allied troops. Germans begin evacuating Mauthausen concentration camp as the Allies approach.

Just days before the US army will liberate Flossenburg prison where he is being held, Dietrich Bonhoeffer is hanged. He was just 39 when he died.

In the Allied-dominated skies, , the US 8th Air Force attacks ten airfields and other targets with 1,215 bombers (7 lost) supported by 812 fighters (5 lost). US 15th Air Force fighters attack transportation targets near the Italian border. RAF Bomber Command sends 57 aircraft to attack Hamburg during the day, 599 aircraft to attack Kiel overnight (sinking 11 German warships and U-boats), 24 aircraft to attack Hamburg overnight, 22 aircraft to attack Stade overnight, 44 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight, and 37 aircraft to attack Plauen overnight.

To the east, General Otto Lasch surrenders the city of Koenigsberg to the forces of the Soviet 3rd Byelorussian Front. The surrender causes a massive panic among the civilians of the city. As the roads are crowded with refugees, Soviet forces attack, killing many civilians. Fighting ceases by midnight as Soviet forces eliminate all remaining German resistance, taking 90,000 German troops into captivity. Roughly 90% of the city lay in ruin by this time.

German Armeegruppe E is now completely cut off, but continued to fight against Yugoslavian partisans. Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front and 3rd Ukrainian Front continue assaulting Vienna.

The Allied spring offensive begins with US 15th Air Force sending 825 heavy (B-24 and B-17) bombers and 1,000 other aircraft dropping bombs behind the Senio River in northern Italy. Between 3:20 PM and 7:10 PM, 1,500 artillery pieces bombard German positions five times (in 30 minute periods). At dusk, New Zealand, Indian, and Polish troops attack. US 5th Army attack toward Massa while US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines and other targets in the Po valley and throughout northern Italy and support British 8th Army operations across the Senio.

A Liberty ship loaded with aircraft bombs blows up in Bari harbor (liberated Italy) killing 360 and injuring 1,730.

Pictured: Canadian Infantry of the Regiment de Maisonneuve, moving through Holten to Rijssen, Netherlands, April 9, 1945

Jubilant Russian prisoners of war lifting up an American soldier after the US 9th Army liberated them from their camp at Eselheide, Germany; April 9, 1945

The Germans begin evacuating Mauthausen concentration camp as Nordhausen and Dora-Mittelbau (Dora-Nordhausen)—where thousands of slave laborers have already died in the underground V-2 plants—is liberated by the Americans.

German soldiers in Koenigsberg surrender after the Soviet army stormed it on April 9, 1945

Capitulation of the German army at Koenigsberg, April 9, 1945

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 10, 1945: On the western front, forces of Canadian 1st Army pressure German positions in Holland, capturing Deventer, and begin operations to cross the Ijssel River. British 2nd Army is advancing toward Bremen, captures Wildenhausen, and attacks around Soltau and Celle. Hanover falls to the US 13th Corps (part of US 9th Army) as 9th Army continue attacking there Ruhr pocket. US 1st Army continues advancing toward Nordhausen and reducing the Ruhr pocket. US 3rd Army advances toward Erfurt and Arnstadt while US 7th Army advances toward Nuremberg, capturing Schweinfurt with strong air support against heavy resistance. French 1st Army attacks around Neuenburg and Baden-Baden and French Army Detachment of the Alps opens attacks against Authion massif.

In the skies above Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks eight airfields and other targets with 1,224 bombers (19 lost) supported by 868 fighters (8 lost) - the fighters claim 335 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed on the ground and 20 in the air. US 15th Air Force attacks transportation targets near the Italian border with 152 fighters. RAF Bomber Command sends 230 aircraft to attack Leipzig during the day, 315 aircraft to attack Plauen overnight, 95 aircraft to attack Leipzig overnight, 77 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight, and 21 aircraft to attack Chemnitz overnight.

To the east, German 6.SS-Panzerarmee defends against strong Soviet attacks against Wiener Neustadt and Baden in occupied Austria. Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues in the central districts of Vienna with Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front and 3rd Ukrainian Front attacking.

In Italy, New Zealand troops reach Santerno River in northern Italy. After sundown, British V Corps launch Operation Impact Plain toward Argenta, Italy - 850 heavy bombers and 700 medium bombers are used to support the Allied attacks. British 8th Army continues pushing to the Santerno River. US 5th Army enters Massa following the German withdrawal. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines and other targets in the Po valley and throughout northern Italy and support British 8th Army operations, and US 15th Air Force supports British 8th Army operations along the Santerno River with 648 B-24 and B-17 bombers.

Hitler sends his servants ahead of him to Berchtesgaden, Germany to prepare for his arrival scheduled for April 20th.

Prime Minister Churchill announces that, to date, Britain has suffered 1,126,802 total casualties. Of the 306,984 killed, 34,161 were from the merchant navy and 59,793 were civilian.

Pictured: M4A3 tanks (75) Sherman The 9th Armored Division at the U.S. Westhausen, Germany. April 10, 1945.

US paratroopers of the 507st Parachute Regiment, 17th Division take a break in the streets of a suburb of Essen, Germany, April 10, 1945

Soviet troops in US-built M3A1 scout car fighting in Vienna, Austria, Apr 1945

George Frederick Kaye. Two New Zealand Infantrymen receive a glass of wine from one of the inhabitants of the village of Barbiano, Italy, April 10, 1945

B-24L 'Stevonovitch II' of the of the 464th Bomber Group hit by German anti-aircraft fire over Lugo, Italy, April 10, 1945; only 1 out of the crew of 10 survived

 

[Tidewater]

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

B-24L 'Stevonovitch II' of the of the 464th Bomber Group hit by German anti-aircraft fire over Lugo, Italy, April 10, 1945; only 1 out of the crew of 10 survived

I'd guess right waist gunner.

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 11, 1945: On the western front, Canadian 1st Army is advancing toward Apeldoorn, Groningen, and Oldenburg while British 2nd Army forces attack around Westen, Rethem, and Celle. US 9th Army pushes beyond Hannover, capturing Bochum, Essen, and Goslar, and continues reducing Ruhr pocket. US 1st Army pushes through Nordhausen and also continues reducing Ruhr pocket. US 7th Army captures Schweinfurt and French 1st Army attacks Baden-Baden, Calmbach, Rastatt, Gaggenau, and Gernsbach.

US 3rd Army pushes forward, bypassing Erfurt and Weimar. A detachment of troops of the US 9th Armored Infantry Battalion (from the 6th Armored Division, US 3rd Army) under the command of Captain Frederic Keffer, arrive at Buchenwald at 3:15 PM, (now the permanent time of the clock at the entrance gate). The soldiers are given a hero's welcome, with the emaciated survivors finding the strength to toss some liberators into the air in celebration. Later in the day, elements of the US 83rd Infantry Division overrun Langenstein, one of a number of smaller camps comprising the Buchenwald complex. There, the division liberates over 21,000 prisoners - they order the mayor of Langenstein to send food and water to the camp, and hurry medical supplies forward from the 20th Field Hospital.

SS guards murder hundreds of prisoners from Mauthausen concentration camp as they are being evacuated as Allied forces approach.

American troops capture an intact V-weapon plant in Nordhausen, Germany; top American leadership soon sends in engineers to remove as much equipment as possible ahead of the arrival of Soviet troops.

Above Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks airfields, marshalling yards, and other targets with 1,270 bombers (1 lost). US 15th Air Force attacks transportation targets near the Italian border with 69 fighters. RAF Bomber Command sends 129 aircraft to attack Nuremberg during the day, 114 aircraft to attack Bayreuth during the day, and 107 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight.

To the east, the Soviet 4th Guards Army attacks the canals over the Danube River in Vienna, Ostmark, Germany. Nearby, Soviet 20th Guards Rifle Corps and 1st Mechanized Corps attack the Reichsbrücke Bridge but fail to take it. After observing the fighting on the front lines in the district of Florisdorf, Otto Skorzeny concluded that Vienna was to fall within a day to Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front and 3rd Ukrainian Front forces. The 26th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front pushes toward Neunkirchen and the 27th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front pushes toward Graz.

In Italy, New Zealand and Polish troops cross Santerno River in northern Italy. Other elements of the British 8th Army push to the Santerno River, capturing Menate and Longastrino. US 5th Army occupies Carrara following German withdrawal. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines and other targets in the Po valley and throughout northern Italy and support ground operations while US 15th Air Force attacks transportation targets throughout northern Italy and around the Brenner Pass with 544 bombers.

Pictured: 100th Division troops attack in the devastated Heilbronn

Nazi sympathizers being rounded up in Deventer, the Netherlands, April 11, 1945

Medics of US 3rd Army conferring at Buchenwald Concentration Camp near Weimar, Germany on April 11, 1945

This heap of ashes and bones is the debris from one day's killing of German prisoners by 88 troopers in the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar in Germany

AIR14-3647 Bombs and target indicators Nuremburg, April 11, 1945

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 12, 1945: On the western front, Allied troops capture Westerbork, Brummen, and Deventer in the Netherlands, discovering the Westerbork Concentration Camp at Hooghalen (liberated by the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division). Canadian 1st Army attacks Arnhem while the advance continues toward Apeldoorn, Groningen, and Oldenburg and British 2nd Army captures Rethem and pushes into Celle. Patton’s US 3rd Army captures Erfurt and Weimar and drives toward Jena against diminishing resistance. Meanwhile, US 9th Army captures Braunschweig after the spearhead reaches the Elbe River at Wittenberge and establishes small bridgehead at Randau while continuing to reduce Ruhr pocket. US 1st Army works to encircle the German 11th Army in the Harz Mountains while continuing to reduce Ruhr pocket.

In southwestern Germany, US 7th Army mops up around Schweinfurt and finally captures Heilbronn as French troops captures Baden-Baden and Rastatt. French Army Detachment of the Alps concludes unsuccessful attacks against Mont Cenis Pass.

Joe R. Hastings, serving as a private first class in Company C, 386th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division in Drabenderhöhe, Germany, repeatedly exposes himself to hostile fire in order to attack the enemy. He is killed in action four days later. For his actions at Drabenderhöhe, he is posthumously awarded the Medal Of Honor on November 8, 1945. Here is his citation:
“He fought gallantly during an attack against strong enemy forces defending Drabenderhöhe, Germany, from the dug-in positions on commanding ground. As squad leader of a light machinegun section supporting the advance of the 1st and 3d Platoons, he braved direct rifle, machinegun, 20mm., and mortar fire, some of which repeatedly missed him only by inches, and rushed forward over 350 yards of open, rolling fields to reach a position from which he could fire on the enemy troops. From this vantage point he killed the crews of a 20mm. gun and a machinegun, drove several enemy riflemen from their positions, and so successfully shielded the 1st Platoon, that it had time to reorganize and remove its wounded to safety. Observing that the 3d Platoon to his right was being met by very heavy 40mm and machine gun fire, he ran 150 yards with his gun to the leading elements of that unit, where he killed the crew of the 40mm. gun. As spearhead of the 3d Platoon's attack, he advanced, firing his gun held at hip height, disregarding the bullets that whipped past him, until the assault had carried 175 yards to the objective. In this charge he and the riflemen he led killed or wounded many of the fanatical enemy and put 2 machineguns out of action. Pfc. Hastings, by his intrepidity, outstanding leadership, and unrelenting determination to wipe out the formidable German opposition, cleared the path for his company's advance into Drabenderhöhe. He was killed 4 days later while again supporting the 3d Platoon.”
Hastings, aged 20 at his death, was buried in Magnolia Cemetery, Magnolia, Ohio.

Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton and Eddy tour German salt mine warehouse full of currency, gold, and art treasures.

Above Germany, US 15th Air Force attacks transportation targets near the Italian border with 124 fighters and also attacks transportation targets with bombers. RAF Bomber Command sends 97 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight and 10 aircraft to attack Munich overnight. US 9th Air Force aircraft fly armed recon, escort, sweeps, ground support, and tactical bombing missions including 167 bomber sorties in poor weather conditions, claiming more than 70 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed on the ground.

To the east, Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front attacks the remnants of German 4th Army in Samland. German forces evacuate Zenica, Yugoslavia. Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front and 3rd Ukrainian Front continue assaulting Vienna. South of Vienna, 26th Army, 27th Army, and 57th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front pushing west.

In Italy, British 8th Army continues assaulting across the Santerno River as Germans withdraw beyond Massa Lombarda. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines and other targets in the Po valley and throughout northern Italy and support ground operations around Argenta and US 15th Air Force attacks transportation targets.

Hitler issues orders that all German cities must be defended until the bitter end.

Heinrich Himmler orders that commanders who failed to hold key positions in the defense of Germany will be executed.

Oberstleutnant Gerhard Prawitt, the commandant of the Oflag IV-C prisoner of war camp at Colditz Castle in Germany, receives an unsigned letter from the office of Heinrich Himmler stating that all important prisoners at Colditz are to be prepared for transfer the following morning where they will be held as hostages for negotiations with the western Allies.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies from a stroke at age 63 after four momentous terms in office, leaving Vice President Harry S. Truman in charge of a country still fighting the Second World War - and in possession of a weapon of unprecedented and terrifying power. In his bunker, Hitler rejoices at the news of Roosevelt's death and Goebbels announces: “This is the turning point!” Goebbels urges that Speer must be dispatched by long-range aircraft to meet with Truman.

Pictured: British POWs welcome the arrival of liberating American troops at Oflag 79 in Brunswick, April 12, 1945

Soldiers of the 26th Infantry playing cards behind an M-36 Tank Destroyer. They're waiting for road block removal en route to Eisfeld, Germany on April 12, 1945

Survivors of Ohrdruf Concentration Camp demonstrating a method of torture they were subjected, Thuringia, Germany, April 12, 1945; Alois Liethe (mustached) was interpretor to Eisenhower

US Generals Eisenhower and Bradley examining a suitcase of German loot stored in the Merkers salt mine, Germany, April 12, 1945

Franklin Roosevelt - photo taken the day before his death

Harry Truman being sworn in as the President of the United States, White House, Washington DC, United States, April 12, 1945

 

[Tidewater]

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

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies from a stroke at age 63 ...

I was unaware that he was that young.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

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

I was unaware that he was that young.

Being paraplegic takes a big toll on the body...

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

Being paraplegic takes a big toll on the body...

So does being a chain-smoker...

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 13, 1945: On the western front, 4th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment of the British 49th Division (attached to the Canadian Army) liberates Arnhem in the Netherlands, scene of the Market-Garden battle of the previous year. Attacking the town in flanking movement from the east across the River Ijssel rather than the Rhine, the fighting is no less bitter, but the Lincolns achieve their objective and take 234 prisoners at a cost of five men killed and 49 wounded. Elsewhere in the Netherlands, Allied troops capture Assen, Diepenveen, and Olst. British 2nd Army attacks Cloppenburg, Goldenstedt, Soltau, and Uelzen. US 9th Army closes up to the Elbe River, probes into Magdeburg and finishes clearing the east part of the Ruhr pocket. US 1st Army encircles German 11th Army in the Harz Mountains, pushes east against diminishing resistance, and continues reducing the Ruhr pocket. US 3rd Army bypasses Jena, attacks Zeitz, and pushes east. To the south, US 7th Army attacks Bamberg, mops up around Heilbronn, and advances east against diminishing resistance while the French 1st Army attacks around Buehl and Freudenstadt.

A group of prominent prisoners of war are transferred out of the Oflag IV-C camp at Colditz Castle in Germany for the camp at Laufen (in southern Germany) on the orders of Heinrich Himmler.

Meanwhile, German SS and Luftwaffe troops, fleeing the Allied advance with 1,016 political and military prisoners, determine that the prisoners are too weak to continue marching. The prisoners are locked inside a barn near Gardelegen, Germany, which is then set afire, killing all of them. Most of the prisoners are burned alive; some are shot trying to escape. The crime is discovered two days later by F Company, 2nd Battalion, 405th Regiment, US 102nd Infantry Division, when the US Army occupies the area.

Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Neumunster with 212 bombers (2 lost) escorted by 372 fighters (8 lost) - the attack claims 284 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed on the ground. In over night raids, RAF Bomber Command sends 482 aircraft to attack Kiel, 28 aircraft to attack Boizenburg, 87 aircraft to attack Hamburg, 20 aircraft to attack Stralsund, and 12 aircraft to attack Reisa0.

In the east, the Soviet Danube Flotilla lands men of the 80th Guards Rifle Division and 7th Guards Airborne Division on both sides of the Reichsbrücke Bridge in Vienna, Ostmark, Germany, securing it. Later on the same day, Soviet troops secure the Essling district of Vienna while the Danube Flotilla delivers more men near Klosterneuburg 15 kilometers up the river. By the end of the day, German resistance in Vienna, broken up in several pockets, ceases. South of Vienna, 26th Army, 27th Army, and 57th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front push west. The Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front continues attacking remnants of German 4th Army in Samland

In Italy, British 78th Infantry Division secures a bridgehead at Bastia in northern Italy, across the Santerno River and elements being moving toward Bastia. The US 5th Army offensive is postponed again. US 12th Air Force bombers are again grounded by poor weather conditions while fighters attack transportation lines and other targets in the Po valley and around La Spezia.

Pictured: Troops of the Canadian Royal Hamilton Light Infantry aboard Kangaroo armored personnel carriers converted from Ram tanks, near Groningen, the Netherlands, April 13, 1945

Pfc Mickey Rooney entertained fellow soldiers in the US 44th Division, Kist, Germany, April 13, 1945

Under the direction of an American soldier, German civilians from Gardelegen carry wooden crosses to the site where they were ordered to bury the bodies of concentration camp prisoners killed by the SS in a barn just outside the town.

B-17 Flying Fortress bombers of USAAF 398th Bombardment Group on bombing run to Neumünster, Germany, April 13, 1945

 

[crimsonaudio]

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

April 14, 1945: In northern Europe, Canadian forces assume military control in the Netherlands, mopping up German forces still holed up in Atlantikwall fortifications. Arnhem and Zwolle are captured by the Canadians. British Second Army reaches Bremen, Germany. US 9th Army and US 1st Army continue reducing the Ruhr pocket, with US 1st Army attacking encircled German 11th Army in the Harz Mountains, and pushing toward Dessau. Patton’s US 3rd Army captures the german cities of Bayreuth and Gera. To the south, US 7th Army attacks toward Nuremberg and French 1st Army clears the Black Forest.

French troops begin their final assault on Bordeaux, France. Lorraine begins a week-long bombardment of German positions in the Gironde estuary in western France between La Rochelle and Bordeaux.

As Allied troops advance, Heinrich Himmler orderes all prisoners at Dachau Concentration Camp in southern Germany be exterminated, saying none "shall be allowed to fall into the hands of the enemy alive."

General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in North West Europe, announces that Berlin, Germany is no longer a military objective. SHAEF also reports it is attempting to cope with more than a million displaced persons.

Above Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 512 aircraft to attack Potsdam, 28 aircraft to attack Cuxhaven, and 62 aircraft to attack Berlin (all overnight).

Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front continues attacking remnants of German 4th Army in Samland, with most defenders pushed back to Pillau.

The Soviet Union's top propagandist, Ilya Ehrenburg, is formally reprimanded, in an unprecedented editorial in the Soviet military newspaper Red Star, by his chief, Alexandrov, for broadcasting and distributing leaflets that encourage Red Army soldiers to commit atrocities against German civilians.

British advances in northern Italy were held up at Bastia and the Fossa Marina canal, frustrated by the German 15th Panzergrenadier Regiment. After a heavy aerial and artillery bombardment, US 5th Corps begins to attack on the western end of the German line. There are attacks on either side of the roads to Bologna from Florence and Pistoia. Vergato is captured. German 29th Panzergrenadier Division arrives in the Reno River area as reinforcement; earlier in the day, Hitler had rejected a request to withdraw German forces north of the Po River.

Private First Class John D. Magrath, became the first Medal of Honor recipient of the 10th Mountain Division (85th Infantry) for his actions. Here is his citation:
“He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty when his company was pinned down by heavy artillery, mortar, and small arms fire, near Castel d'Aiano, Italy. Volunteering to act as a scout, armed with only a rifle, he charged headlong into withering fire, killing 2 Germans and wounding 3 in order to capture a machinegun. Carrying this enemy weapon across an open field through heavy fire, he neutralized 2 more machinegun nests; he then circled behind 4 other Germans, killing them with a burst as they were firing on his company. Spotting another dangerous enemy position to this right, he knelt with the machinegun in his arms and exchanged fire with the Germans until he had killed 2 and wounded 3. The enemy now poured increased mortar and artillery fire on the company's newly won position. Pfc. Magrath fearlessly volunteered again to brave the shelling in order to collect a report of casualties. Heroically carrying out this task, he made the supreme sacrifice--a climax to the valor and courage that are in keeping with highest traditions of the military service.”
Aged 20 at death, he was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Norwalk, Connecticut.

The Swedish Red Cross transports 423 Danish Jew from the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp (in occupied Czechoslovakia) back to their home country via hired trucks.

Pictured: Men of US 101st Infantry Regiment running past a burning fuel trailer in square of Kronach, Bayreuth, Germany, April 14, 1945

German SS guards, exhausted from their forced labor clearing the bodies of the dead, are allowed a brief rest by British soldiers but are forced to take it by lying face down in one of the empty mass graves.

Aerial view of the Bergkristall complex of the Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp, Austria, April 14, 1945

Strike photo from the combined 8th Air Force raid on the gun positions at Royan, France April 14 1945 showing the aftermath of a friendly fire incident.

Medal Of Honor recipient John Magrath