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Post by baz62 on Nov 22, 2019 13:26:01 GMT 12
Whilst I have seen the ship in person I did not go onboard. If I get a chance next year I'd like to have a look over her.. I got to wander around her in 2001. There's a large photograph on display pointing her out from the fleet of ships off Normandy in support of the landings. If you get the chance Dave do it she's a great lump of Naval history.
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Post by emron on Nov 23, 2019 17:20:41 GMT 12
23 November 1939
Atlantic Ocean: At 3pm whilst patrolling north of the Faroe Islands, armed merchant cruiser HMS Rawalpindi (17000 tons) investigated a possible enemy sighting, only to find that she had encountered two of the most powerful German warships, the battleships Scharnhorst and Gniesenau (38000 tons, nine 11in guns each) which had been conducting a sweep between Iceland and the Faroes. Rawalpindi was armed with eight elderly 6in guns and despite being hopelessly outgunned, Captain Edward Coverley Kennedy RN decided to fight, rather than surrender as demanded by the Germans. She managed to score one hit on Scharnhorst, which caused minor splinter damage and was able to signal the German ships' location back to base, but soon every gun was put out of action and the ship ablaze from end to end. The German warships sank Rawalpindi within 40 minutes. 238 men died including Captain Kennedy. Thirty-seven were rescued by the German ships, a further 11 were picked up the following day by HMS Chitral another AMC.
New Zealand: Major General Bernard Freyberg was appointed to command the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
23 November 1944
France: In U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, the French 2nd Armoured Division drove into Strasbourg and cleared the city, but the Germans retained a small bridgehead at the Kehl bridge. The Germans abandoned Phalsbourg, at the western end of the Saverne Gap. Following the capture of Metz yesterday, further east in the U.S. Third Army's XII Corps area, elements of the 137th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, pushed into Hilsprich, which was needed for the armoured attack, but were forced back to St Jean-Rohrbach. the 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division, reoccupied Albestroff but was unable to continue the attack: the 328th Infantry Regiment took over its sector and attacked toward line the Vittersbourg- Honskirch-Altwiller. A Combat Command B column of the 4th Armoured Division, driving east from Mittersheim, reached the west bank of the Saar River at Fenetrange.
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Post by emron on Nov 24, 2019 19:00:13 GMT 12
24 November 1944
Marianas Islands: Saipan; The USAAF launched a daylight raid on Tokyo today for the first time by B-29s of Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command. The Japanese homeland hadn’t been bombed since the Doolittle Raid. Mission 7 was a failure, of the 111 B-29s which took off on the 3,000-mile round trip from Saipan, 17 aborted due to engine failure and bad weather meant that only 24 managed to drop their bombs in approximately the right area. The bombs dropped from 30,000 feet were scattered by the high winds in the jet stream. The main target, the Nakashima Aircraft Company's Musashi engine factory was hardly touched. One B-29 was deliberately rammed by a Japanese fighter, shearing off the elevator and right horizontal stabiliser, becoming the first XXI Bomber Command B-29 lost to Japanese action. Another had to ditch when it ran out of fuel. The lead aircraft of the raid was B-29 “Dauntless Dotty" of the 869th Squadron, 497 Bomb Group, piloted by Colonel Robert K. Morgan who was the famed pilot of the "Memphis Belle" in Europe, the mission commander, General Emmett "Rosie" O'Donnell was also on board this aircraft.
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Post by emron on Nov 25, 2019 20:37:07 GMT 12
25 November 1944
United Kingdom: In the worst tragedy of all of the V weapon attacks a V2 rocket scored a direct hit on the Woolworth's store in New Cross, in south-east London, at lunchtime today (12:26), when it was crowded with Saturday shoppers. Reports from a number of witnesses tell the V2 was seen in its last moments of flight, a line drawn across the grey November sky. The store bulged outwards and then imploded and in the carnage 168 people were killed (24 were never identified) and 122 were seriously injured. As the rocket exploded there was blinding flash of light and an enormous roar followed by a dense cloud of smoke and powdered dust. Witnesses several hundred yards away felt the warm blast on their faces, some were physically pushed backward by its force. The Co-Op Store next door also collapsed killing more people inside. The bodies of passers-by were flung for great distances, and an army lorry was overturned and destroyed killing its occupants. A double decker bus spun round causing yet more deaths and injuries.
Commonwealth of the Philippines: Carrier-based aircraft of USN Task Groups 38.3 and 38.4 bombed Japanese shipping off central Luzon. Planes from carrier USS Ticonderoga sank heavy cruiser Kumano while under repair at Santa Cruz on Luzon. F6F Hellcats, SB2C Helldivers and TBM Avengers from carriers USS Ticonderoga and Essex along with F6Fs and TBMs from small carrier USS Langley attacked a convoy about 15 nautical miles south-west of Santa Cruz and sank light cruiser Yasoshima and three landing ships. Planes from carrier USS Intrepid sank two fast transports and damaged a fast transport and an escort destroyer in Balanacan Harbour on Marinduque Island. Planes from USS Essex and Langley sank an army cargo ship and damaged a cargo ship in San Fernando harbour.
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Post by emron on Nov 27, 2019 19:46:04 GMT 12
27 November 1944
United Kingdom: A massive explosion was triggered at the RAF Fauld underground munitions storage depot, just south of the village of Fauld, to the east of Hanbury in Staffordshire at 11:15am. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and the largest to occur on UK soil. Between 3,500 and 4,000 tonnes of ordnance exploded — mostly comprising high explosive (HE)-filled bombs, but including a variety of other types of weapons as well as 500 million rounds of rifle ammunition. The explosion crater, 300 feet (91m) deep and 250 yards (230m) across, covered 12 acres. Approximately one third of the RAF dump exploded, an area of 65,000 square yards, but barriers of rock pillars between No.3 and No.4 sections held and prevented the other munition storage areas from exploding in a chain reaction. A nearby reservoir containing 450,000 cubic metres of water was obliterated in the incident, along with a number of buildings including a complete farm. Flooding caused by destruction of the reservoir added to the damage directly caused by the blast. At least 70 died in the explosion/flooding and more than 20 were seriously injured.
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Post by emron on Nov 29, 2019 18:45:25 GMT 12
28 November 1944
Belgium: The first Allied convoy reached Antwerp, led by the Canadian-built Fort Cataraqui. Despite German rocket (V weapons) attacks, the opening of the port will alter the supply problems that have plagued the Allies. Supplies can now be shipped to within 60 miles of the British troops fighting on the Maas. Minesweepers, which have been working for nearly a month to clear the Scheldt river, steamed ahead of the convoy clearing the last few mines. The escort was ready to fight off dive-bombers, but none appeared.
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Post by emron on Nov 29, 2019 19:38:24 GMT 12
29 November 1944
Japan: Submarine USS Archerfish (SS-311) torpedoed and sank the 68,059 ton Japanese aircraft carrier HIJMS Shinano about 190 nautical miles south of Nagoya, This was the carrier’s maiden voyage and there were 2515 sailors, 300 shipyard workers and 40 civilian employees aboard. She had sailed from Yokosuka Naval Arsenal yesterday with three destroyers en route to Kure Naval Base for fitting out. Crucially, the majority of her watertight doors had yet to be installed. At 3:15 Archerfish (Commander Joseph F. Enright) fired six torpedoes and four hit on the starboard side. The first hit towards the stern, flooding refrigerated storage compartments and one of the empty aviation gasoline storage tanks, killing many of the sleeping engineering personnel in the compartments above. The second hit the compartment where the starboard outboard propeller shaft entered the hull and flooded the outboard engine room. The third hit further forward, flooding the No. 3 boiler room and killing every man on watch. Structural failures caused the two adjacent boiler rooms to flood as well. The fourth flooded the starboard air compressor room, adjacent anti-aircraft gun magazines, and the No.2 damage-control station and ruptured the adjacent oil tank. Though severe, the damage to Shinano was at first judged to be manageable. Despite extensive damage control effort, her condition progressively worsened and at 10:57 Shinano capsized and sank stern-first 65 miles from the nearest land, taking 1,435 officers, men and civilians to their deaths. The dead included Captain Toshio Abe and both of his navigators, who chose to go down with the ship. Rescued were 55 officers and 993 petty officers and enlisted men, plus 32 civilians; a total of 1,080 survivors. Shinano became the largest warship ever sunk by a submarine; the ship had been at sea for a total of 17 hours. Postscript: US Naval Intelligence did not initially believe Enright's claim to have sunk a carrier. Shinano’s construction had not been detected and the American analysts believed that they had located all of Japan's surviving carriers. The Americans only learned about the existence of Shinano after the war; following this discovery Enright was credited with her sinking and awarded the Navy Cross.
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Post by emron on Nov 30, 2019 19:16:31 GMT 12
30 November 1939
Finland: The Winter War; The Red Army initiated hostilities against Finland around 8 am all along the front, from the Gulf of Finland to the Arctic Ocean. The main Soviet attacks were directed against the fortified Mannerheim Line on either side of Lake Ladoga and in the far north, against Petsamo, west of the naval base of Murmansk. Soviet warships were bombarding Finnish ports and Helsinki city centre suffered several severe bombing raids. Soviet aircraft bombed Viipuri, Helsinki and Turku killing 110 civilians. Finland defended with 9 divisions totalling 130,000 men to face the 450,000 men in 21 divisions of the Soviets.
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Post by emron on Dec 1, 2019 14:49:44 GMT 12
1 December 1944
USA: Van Nuys, California; TWA's Flight 18, Douglas DC-3-209, MSN 1968, NC17322 departed from San Francisco at 12:54am on the first leg of a transcontinental flight to New York. The first scheduled landing was Burbank. The flight was cleared to Burbank Airport for a standard instrument approach. At approximately 2:58am, during the approach in heavy fog, the plane descended to such a low altitude as to clip the tree tops, strike a power pole and then crash, 6.3 miles from it’s destination. In a normal approach the plane would have flown over this point at an altitude of about 1650 feet above the ground. Both pilots and 6 of the passengers were killed. The hostess and eleven of the 14 surviving passengers were seriously injured. PROBABLE CAUSE: "On the basis of the evidence available the Board finds that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot's deviation from the standard instrument approach procedure when he descended below the established safe minimum altitude. A contributing factor was the company's failure to enforce adherence to company procedures."
If they had been available at that time, modern forensic techniques may have uncovered a different cause but nonetheless there are disturbing parallels between this and the events of 35 years later.
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Post by emron on Dec 2, 2019 20:09:16 GMT 12
2 December 1939
South Africa: In South Africa’s first action of the war Junkers Ju-86Z of 15 Squadron SAAF spotted German liner SS Watussi south of Cape Point. Suspected of attempting to rendezvous with raider Admiral Graf Spee, two bombs were dropped as warning and Watussi was ordered to set course for the Naval Base at Simonstown. The crew instead en-route, set the ship on fire and took to the boats. Heavy cruiser HMS Sussex and battle cruiser HMS Renown were diverted to the scene. They picked up all 196 people from Watussi and Renown sank the wreck at dusk by gunfire, 50 miles south of Cape Agulhas.
Atlantic Ocean: German armoured ship Admiral Graf Spee meanwhile stopped 10,086 ton British freighter SS Doric Star in the South Atlantic. The warship then torpedoed, shelled and sank the merchantman 684 nautical miles east-south-east of St. Helena Island.
2 December 1944
Germany: In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 90th Infantry Division began extending southward in preparation for an attack across the Sarre River in the Dillingen area. The 9th Infantry Division was again supported by aircraft as it fought for a crossing of the Sarre River in the Saarlautern area; 2nd Battalion, 379th Infantry Regiment, drove into Saarlautern and began a house-to-house battle in the western part of the town.
Hungary: The Red Army continued a strong attack toward Budapest while the Second Ukrainian Front hammered at fortifications in the Miskolc area. The Third Ukrainian forces in south-western Hungary pressed north and north-west on a broad front between the Danube and Drava Rivers.
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Post by emron on Dec 3, 2019 20:53:55 GMT 12
3 December 1939
United Kingdom: The second prototype of the Short Model S.29 Stirling four-engined bomber, RAF serial number L7605, made its first flight. The first prototype flew on 14 May 1939 but crashed and was totally destroyed. This aircraft landed safely and development work proceeds.
The RAF today dropped the first British bomb on German soil - by accident. After an attack on German shipping one Wellington bomber of 115 Squadron suffered a "hang up" when one of it's bombs failed to drop. It later fell off on the island of Heligoland.
Atlantic Ocean: German armoured ship Admiral Graf Spee stopped British refrigerated freighter SS Tairoa (7,983 BRT); the warship then sank the merchantman about 598 nautical miles south-east of St. Helena Island. The same day British Commodore Commanding South Atlantic Station, Commodore Henry H. Harwood, ordered British heavy cruiser HMS Exeter, light cruiser HMS Ajax and New Zealand light cruiser HMS Achilles to concentrate off the River Plate estuary in Argentina on 12 December.
3 December 1944
Commonwealth of the Philippines: Battle of Ormoc Bay; During the night of 2/3 December there was a USN anti-shipping sweep designed to disrupt Japanese supplies destined for Ormoc Bay prior to the landing of the US Army’s 77th Division on December 6th south of Ormoc city. Destroyer USS Cooper, accompanied by destroyers USS Allen M. Sumner and USS Moale sank 3 Japanese transports that were docked and unloading at Ormoc City. The U.S. ships then engaged two Japanese destroyers, HIJMS Kuwa and Take. USS Cooper was struck by a torpedo possibly from Take, causing an explosion on her starboard side and breaking the ship in two about 9 nautical miles south of Ormoc. Before being hit, USS Cooper and the other two destroyers sank Kuwa and damaged her sister ship Take. Cooper sank within minutes taking the lives of 191 crewmen. "Black Cat" PBY-5A Catalinas picked up 168 survivors that night and the next day. One PBY carried 56 in addition to its eight-man crew. USS Allen M. Sumner was damaged by horizontal bomber, and USS Moale was damaged (possibly by Take) in Ormoc Bay. This phase of the Battle of Ormoc Bay has gone down in history as the only naval engagement during the war in which the enemy brought to bear every type of weapon: naval gunnery, naval torpedoes, air attack, submarine attack, shore gunnery, and mines.
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Post by emron on Dec 7, 2019 9:04:02 GMT 12
7 December 1941 (Sunday)
Hawaii: Honolulu; Pearl Harbour; The Naval Base was attacked by 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers in two waves. The attack commenced at 7:48 a.m. and left all eight U.S. Navy battleships damaged with four sunk; 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one mine-layer also either damaged or sunk; 188 U.S. aircraft destroyed; 2,403 Americans killed and 1,178 others wounded.
Postscript: The three U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers were elsewhere and avoided the attack: USS Enterprise with TF-8; heavy cruisers Northampton, Chester and Salt Lake City and nine destroyers was returning from a mission to Wake Island and at dawn was about 215 miles west of Oahu; USS Lexington with TF-12; heavy cruisers Chicago, Portland and Astoria and five destroyers, was at dawn about 500 miles south-east of it’s destination - Midway; USS Saratoga was in port NAS San Diego (North Island) preparing to embark her air group for return to Pearl Harbour, following overhaul at the Puget Sound Navy Yard. Vital base installations such as the power station, shipyard, maintenance and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building remained intact. These facilities would prove crucial in maintaining logistical support to the U.S. Navy's operations in the Pacific soon after. Immediately after the attack and once a systematic search for survivors was complete, Captain Homer N. Wallin was ordered to lead a formal salvage operation. Around Pearl Harbour, divers from the Navy (shore and tenders), the Pearl Harbour Naval Shipyard and civilian contractors (Pacific Bridge and others) began work on the ships that could be refloated. Within six months, five battleships and two cruisers were patched or refloated so they could be sent to shipyards in Pearl Harbour and on the mainland for extensive repair. Only Arizona and Utah were too heavily damaged for salvage, though much of their armament and equipment was removed and put to use aboard other vessels. Within three months of the attack, battleships Pennsylvania, Maryland and Tennessee, cruisers Helena, Raleigh and Honolulu, together with destroyer Helm were returned to service. Of the remainder, battleship West Virginia was the last to be re-commissioned in July 1944 and Oklahoma the only one never repaired.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 7, 2019 9:25:57 GMT 12
7 December 1970 - a Day of Infamy. (I was born, haha)
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Post by emron on Dec 7, 2019 10:36:37 GMT 12
Congratulations, I see you share your birthday with Madame Tussaud, Now you’ll have to include her museum on your itinerary.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 7, 2019 13:30:45 GMT 12
Been there once, bit of a tourist trap, I'd probably not bother again.
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Post by emron on Dec 11, 2019 20:19:07 GMT 12
11 December 1944
Germany: Bad Neuheim: At his Adlerhorst headquarters near Bad Nauheim about 16 miles north-northeast of Frankfurt, German western front commanders noted Chancellor Adolf Hitler's uncontrollable trembling and pale, puffy appearance as he ordered Operation Herbstnebel (Autumn Mist) a major offensive through the Ardennes towards Antwerp.
Pacific Ocean: In the Bohol Sea, Japanese planes attacked a resupply convoy of 13 USN medium landing ships (LSMs) and landing craft, infantry (LCIs), bound for Ormoc Bay, Leyte, Philippine Islands. Escorting destroyer USS Reid (DD-369) shot down seven aircraft but was sunk by two kamikazes off the southern coast of Leyte about 75 nautical miles south-southeast of Ormoc. 52 of her crew were lost. Her 150 survivors were picked up by landing craft in her convoy.
Caroline Islands: USN Task Force 38 sailed from Ulithi Atoll to participate in the invasions of Mindoro and Luzon Islands, Philippine Islands. TF-38 consisted of ninety ships, including 13 carriers, eight battleships, three heavy cruisers, seven light cruisers, three anti-aircraft cruisers, and 56 destroyers.
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Post by emron on Dec 13, 2019 20:08:28 GMT 12
13 December 1939 North Sea: British submarine HMS/M Salmon (Lt. Cdr Bickford)(N 65) sighted a German task-force comprised of the light cruisers Nurnberg, Leipzig and Koln and the destroyers Hermann Kunne, Friedrich Ihn, Erich Steinbrinck, Richard Beitzen and Bruno Heinemann. The cruisers were a covering force for the destroyers which had laid mines off Newcastle, England. From a great distance, the crew of Salmon managed to torpedo the Nurnberg and Leipzig. Nurnberg was hit in the bow and Leipzig was hit amidships. The damage to Leipzig was so severe that the ship was only used for training after she was repaired. The accompanying destroyers hunted the submarine for five hours but she escaped. The Battle of the River Plate: The first naval battle in the Second World War and the first one of the Battle of the Atlantic in South American waters. The German panzerschiff Admiral Graf Spee was found and engaged by one of the hunting groups (Force G) sent by the British Admiralty to search for her, comprising the York-class heavy cruiser HMS Exeter and Leander-class light cruisers, HMS Ajax and Achilles (the last from the New Zealand Division), off the estuary of the River Plate, close to the coast of Uruguay. In the ensuing battle, Exeter was severely damaged and forced to retire; Ajax and Achilles suffered moderate damage. The damage to Admiral Graf Spee, although not extensive, was critical; her fuel system was crippled. Ajax and Achilles shadowed the German ship until she entered the port of Montevideo, the capital city of neutral Uruguay, to effect urgent repairs and release 61 captive British merchant seamen. During the battle casualties aboard Graf Spee were 36 dead, 60 wounded; on the 3 cruisers; 72 dead, 28 wounded. 13 December 1944 In the late afternoon west of Mindoro, Philippine Islands, a special attack (Kamikaze) aircraft struck light cruiser USS Nashville amidships, killing 131 and wounding 192. Two hours later, another special attack aircraft struck, hitting destroyer USS Haraden. In France the U.S. Third Army III Corps accepted the surrender of last of the Metz forts - Jeanne d'Arc. In the XII Corps area, the 35th Infantry Division strengthened its hold across the Blies River. In the U.S. Ninth Army's XIX Corps area, Germany, the 30th Infantry Division, in limited attacks, cleared most of region between Inde and Roer Rivers. Italy: In the U.S. Fifth Army's British XIII Corps area, the 61st Brigade of the 6th Armoured Division attacked and got additional elements into Tossignano. The 36th Brigade of the 78th Division began an attack for Parocchia di Mt. Maggiore. In the British Eighth Army's Canadian I Corps area, the 1st Division maintained a bridgehead across the Naviglio Canal against severe German counterattacks. Japan: The USAAF Twentieth Air Force's XXI Bomber Command flew Mission 12: 90 B-29 Superfortresses from the Mariana Islands were dispatched to attack the Mitsubishi aircraft engine plant at Nagoya. 71 hit the primary target causing considerable damage as bombing accuracy was improved; nine others hit alternate targets.
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Post by emron on Dec 15, 2019 17:04:31 GMT 12
15 December 1939 Germany: The German armoured ship Deutschland returned to Wilhelmshaven from Gotenhafen and was renamed Lutzow. Finland: The Finnish counterattack against the Soviet Eighth Army came to an end. It had been a resounding success; the Soviet 163rd and 75th divisions had been completely wiped out, and a large amount of military hardware had been captured by the Finns. However, the Soviets mounted heavy enemy attacks at Taipale. Uruguay: After looking over the evidence gathered on the 14th, and after serious consideration of all the suggestions from the Americans, French, Germans, and British, a Presidential decree was declared in Uruguay stating that the Graf Spee would be allowed 72 hours to make any and all repairs. The time limit would end at 8:00pm on the 17th of December, 1939. Also 320 crew members in full uniform, including the ship's captain, were allowed to land and bury the Graf Spee's dead. 15 December 1944 United Kingdom: Major Alton Glenn Miller, s/n 0505273, Director of the USAAF band, went missing while enroute from England to Paris to arrange a Christmas show for the troops in France, when the Noorduyn UC-64A Norseman aircraft he was aboard disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel. France: In the U.S. Seventh Army's VI Corps area, Combat Command A of the 14th Armoured Division, seized Riedseltz; Combat Command B took Salmbach and Schlerthal. One 79th Infantry Division column cleared Lauterbourg and another reached the Lauter River at the village of Schiebenhardt.The French First Army began an offensive against the Germans west of the Rhine River in the Colmar area. The II Corps, making the main effort, penetrated to Orbey. Germany: In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 90th Infantry Division opened an assault for the rest of Dillingen and the Prims River bridge on the Dillingen-Saarlautern road. Italy: In the British Eighth Army area, the Polish II Corps pushed forward on the left flank of the army across the Sintria River toward the Senio River. In the British V Corps area, the Germans struggled to prevent the encirclement of Faenza, exerting strong pressure on New Zealand forces in the Colic area and bringing the Indian 10th Division to a halt short of Pergola. Commonwealth of the Philippines: The Western Visayan Task Force invaded Mindoro Island at 0735 hours local after a preparatory bombardment. The 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, landed between Caminawit Point and San Augustin; the reinforced 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, less Company C, on the beach fronting San Agustin; Company C, 503rd, across the river mouth from San Augustin. Although there was no ground opposition, kamikazes were active: two tank landing ships damaged off the southern tip of Mindoro, were scuttled by destroyer USS Hall. Elsewhere off Mindoro, Japanese kamikazes damaged the escort aircraft carrier USS Marcus Island (CVE-77); destroyers USS Paul Hamilton and Howorth; and motor torpedo boat PT-223.
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Post by nuuumannn on Dec 15, 2019 17:25:06 GMT 12
This is the Uruguayan Customs building at the port of Montevideo. Within this building, the Admiral Graf Spee's captain, Hans Langsdorff and the German ambassador to Uruguay attempted to persuade the Uruguayans into allowing their ship to remain while their dead were buried and repairs made. River Plate 18 The customs building can be seen in the background of this photo of the Graf Spee in Montevideo harbour. River Plate 17
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Post by emron on Dec 16, 2019 20:34:34 GMT 12
16 December 1944
Western Front Europe: Operation Herbstnebel (Autumn Mist), the German Ardennes Counter-offensive, later known as the Battle of the Bulge, commenced today. The Germans have gathered, in secret, 24 divisions - 10 of them armoured. Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army and Manteuffel's 5th Panzer Army have attacked between Monschau and Trier. The German forces intended to retake Antwerp and split the British and American armies. Hitler hoped this would force a political split between the Allies. The defending Allied units are 6 divisions of the V and VIII Corps. Bad weather interfered with Allied air operations. The Germans achieved a total surprise attack due to a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with their own offensive plans, and poor aerial reconnaissance due to the weather.
Belgium: Antwerp: A V2 rocket hit the Rex Cinema in the Avenue De Keyserlei at 3.20 pm today, killing 567 people. They were part of a capacity audience of 1,200 watching the popular film The Plainsman. The death toll included 296 allied servicemen, 291 were injured and 11 buildings were destroyed. 194 of the injured were U.S., British, & Canadian soldiers. This was the single highest death total from one rocket attack during the war in Europe. The Germans had switched the main weight of the V2 attacks from London to Antwerp because of the Ardennes offensive. Today's rocket came from Enschede in the Netherlands, just 130 miles away.
Italy: In the British Eighth Army area, the Polish II Corps continued to clear the region east of the Senio River on the left flank of the army. In the V Corps area, the Indian 43rd Brigade, operating with the New Zealand 2nd Division cleared Faenza, The New Zealand 2nd Division reached the Senio River and the Indian 10th Division took Pergola.
Commonwealth of the Philippines: On Luzon, the USN Third Fleet continued air attacks and in the evening started eastward to refuel. In three days of continuous patrol, TF-38 aircraft have destroyed an estimated 208 Japanese aircraft on the ground and 72 in the air; U.S. losses were 27 to the Japanese and 38 in operational accidents. On Mindoro during this and the next few days, action was limited to patrolling in the beachhead area and organizing defences about the airfield perimeter. The Japanese continued air attacks on shipping but the USN Seventh Fleet detachments sailed for Leyte.
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