What happened today? Part two.

Sunday, November 12, 1939

In London... British King George VI replies to the appeal for peace issued by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and King Leopold of Belgium. Meanwhile, Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, says in a radio broadcast that if the British get through the winter without any serious setback, the first campaign of the war will have been won.

In France... The first ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) concert is given for British and French troops in France, starring Maurice Chevalier and Gracie Fields.

Tuesday, November 12, 1940


From Berlin... The Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Molotov arrives in Berlin discussions with the German leadership.



In Batavia... Agreements are concluded (today and tomorrow) between the Japanese and the principal oil companies whereby the Japanese are to receive 1,800,000 tons of oil annually from the Dutch East Indies.

Friday, November 12, 1943


In the Mediterranean... The German 22nd Infantry Division (General Muller) invade the island of Leros in the Aegean Sea. There is British and Italian resistance.

On the Eastern Front... Soviet forces capture Korostyshev, west of Kiev, and enter the rail center of Zhitomir. This is the last German-held lateral rail line east of the Pripet Marshes.

Sunday, November 12, 1944


In Occupied Norway... The German battleship Tirpitz is attacked at anchor in Tromsofiord by 21 British Lancaster bombers carrying 12,000-pound bombs. The planes are from No. 9 and No. 617 Squadrons. There are several direct hits and near misses which, combined, cause the ship to capsize. A total of 902 German sailors are killed in the attack. Offshore, British Royal Navy cruisers and destroyers attack a German coastal convoy.

 

Monday, November 13, 1939 www.onwar.com


In Moscow... Finnish delegates, led by Paasikivi, leave for Helsinki after negotiations, over an exchange of territory and border revisions, break down. The Finns are especially unwilling to meet the Soviet demand for the cession of Hanko because it would give the USSR complete control over the Gulf of Finland and the most important part of the country. Meanwhile, in response to the breakdown of the talks, Stalin orders preparations for war against Finland.
In Britain... The HMS Blanche strikes a mine and is sunk off the Thames estuary. It is the first Royal Navy destroyer lost during the war.

In the Shetland Islands... German bombers drop bombs on British territory, for the first time, in a strike targeting naval vessels and flying boats. No significant damage is done. A rabbit is reported to have been killed.

In the Solomon Islands... Off the coast of Guadalcanal, a Japanese convoy of 11 transports carrying 11,000 men and equipment escorted by Admiral Tanaka's "Tokyo Express" approaches the island. American Admiral Callaghan, commanding a force of five cruisers and eight destroyers plots an interception course. . In an action lasting about half an hour, two Japanese cruisers are sunk and almost all other vessels suffer damage. The Americans lose two cruisers and four destroyers. The Japanese transport convoy turns back. Later in the day, the battleship Hiei, already badly damaged, is torpedoed by American aircraft and scuttled. After the battle, criticism concerning the effective use of the American radar is leveled. Problems are blamed on mismatched equipment and poor communication between the ships.

Monday, November 13, 1944


On the Western Front... Elements of US 3rd Army have crossed the Moselle River north of Thionville and constructed a bridge at Cattenom. South of Metz, other elements from US 12th Corps are attacking toward Morhange and Falquemont. To the south, German forces withdraw from St. Die under pressure from forces of the US 7th Army. Churchill visits French troops in the Vosges.

In the English Channel... German U-978 sinks 3 Liberty ships.

On the Eastern Front... German forces evacuate Skopje in southern Yugoslavia. The Bulgarian 1st Army advances in this area.

 

Tuesday, November 14, 1939 www.onwar.com


On the Western Front... The British and French military commands (after secret, inconclusive discussions with the Belgians) agree to an immediate advance to the "Meuse-Antwerp Line," south and east of Brussels, in Belgium if the Germans invade. This agreement is referred to as "Plan D" (the "Dyle Plan").

In London... General Sikorski, the head of the Polish government-in-exile based in France, arrives.

Thursday, November 14, 1940


Over Britain... There is an especially heavy and effective German attack on Coventry involving 449 planes. Factories and historic buildings are badly damaged.

In the Balkans... All the Greek forces have gone over to the offensive against the Italian invaders. Reinforcements have been brought from the troops facing Bulgaria. British aid to Greece begins to arrive. Over the course of the next two days, four cruisers ferry 3400 troops and airfield staff from Alexandria to Piraeus. By November 20th another 4000 have arrived.

Friday, November 14, 1941


In the Mediterranean... British carrier Ark Royal, within 25 miles of Gibraltar, succumbs to damage done in the earlier U-boat attack and is abandoned to sink.

Saturday, November 14, 1942


In the Solomon Islands... Off the coast of Guadalcanal, Admiral Tanaka turns south with his destroyers and transports and comes under heavy air attack from both Henderson Field and planes from the USS Enterprise. Seven of the transports and two warships are lost. He continues his advance throughout the night and manages to sail his remaining transports to Tassafaronga. However, more of the Japanese troops are killed by air attack while disembarking. Meanwhile, the second battle of Guadalcanal gets underway shortly before midnight. A seven minute burst of fire from the USS Washington sinks the Kirishima. Control of the seas around Guadalcanal is passing to the Americans.

Tuesday, November 14, 1944

On the Western Front... The British 12th Corps (part of British 2nd Army) launches attacks to eliminate German positions west of the Maas River around Nederweert, near Venlo. On the right flank of the Allied line, the French 1st Army launches attacks on Belfort.

From London... The Norwegian government in exile announces that Norwegian troops are operating alongside the Soviet forces in the far north.

 

Saturday, November 15, 1941 www.onwar.com


On the Eastern Front... The German attack on Moscow is renewed. The plan stated is to involve tank forces which are to drive with converging attacks from the north and south of the capital. General Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group begins advancing from Tula, while the 3rd and 4th Panzer Group will advance from the north toward the Moscow Canal. The infantry armies on the flanks are to make supporting attacks.

Sunday, November 15, 1942


In Tunisia... German build up continues to mount and there are now 10,000 troops taking up positions. They have over 100 combat planes and a advantage in the airstrips.

Monday, November 15, 1943


In Italy... British General Alexander calls off the US 5th Army assault on the German-held Reinhard Line.

Wednesday, November 15, 1944


On the Eastern Front... In Hungary, Soviet forces capture Jasbereny, 30 miles east of Budapest.

On the Western Front... Forces of the US 3rd Army advance around Metz. To the south of the city, the Metz-Sarrebourg rail line is cut. To the right, the US 7th Army advances along the line north of St. Die. On the right flank of the Allied armies, the French 1st Army continues its offensive toward Belfort.

 

Novermber 15, 1891

Birthday of Erwin Rommel.

 

Friday, November 17, 1939 www.onwar.com


In London... At the third meeting of the Supreme Allied Council it endorses " Plan D," proposed by French General Gamelin (see May 10th, 1940). In case of a German attack through Belgium it is decided to defend a line from the Meuse River to Antwerp.

In Occupied Czechoslovakia... SS forces occupy all universities (during the night of November 16-17) and 9 student leaders are executed; some 1200 are sent to concentration camps. This event becomes the basis for marking November 17th as "International Students Day."

Monday, November 17, 1941


In Berlin... Hitler appoints Rosenberg, the Nazi ideologist to head the new Reich Ministry for Occupied Eastern Territories. His mandate is to remove "undesirable elements" and to exploit the areas for German economic benefit. He will issue orders which involve the extermination of local populations, seizing of all goods and assets from the occupied areas.

Tuesday, November 17, 1942

In the Mediterranean... A supply convoy, code named Stonehenge, sails from Gibraltar to the island of Malta (arriving on November 20th) without major incident.


Friday, November 17, 1944


On the Western Front... Around Aachen, both US 1st and 9th Armies advance. To the right, German forces facing US 3rd and 7th Armies conduct withdrawals after which the American forces advance. On the right flank of the Allied line, the French 1st Army reaches Montbeliard in its drive to Belfort.

In the China Sea... The USS Spadefish sinks the Japanese fleet carrier Junyo.

 

1941 - Joseph Grew Predicts Pearl Harbor Attack

On this day, Joseph C. Grew cabled the U.S. State Department that he had heard that Japan had "planned, in the event of trouble with the United States, to attempt a surprise mass attack at Pearl Harbor." His warning was ignored by the Office of Naval Intelligence. Grew had been a U.S. diplomat since the early 1900s and was appointed ambassador to Japan by President Hoover in 1932. His diplomatic relations with Japan were cordial until the late 1930s, when Japanese expansionism became openly aggressive toward Asian neighbors like China. The U.S. increased economic pressures on Japan until, in late1939, Grew predicted that the situation would soon come to a head. He told Roosevelt in October 1939 that "if we start sanctions against Japan we must see them through to the end, and the end may conceivably be war." And right he was. After the Pearl Harbor attack he had predicted occurred on December 7, 1941, Grew was interned in Japan. When he was finally returned to the U.S. in the summer of 1942, he immediately began writing and lecturing against the popular belief that America, after defeating Germany, would instantly crush the Japanese. He explained that despite their admiration for American technology and resources, the Japanese felt superior to Americans as human beings and were wholly convinced they would win the war.

 

Here's a good link which contains other links within it. Col Ortiz was the man i was primarily thinking of, along with Sterling Hayden. Ortiz was dang near ZORRO in a MARINE uniform!!Two navy Crosses and five Criox de Guerre

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/dickg/MarinesAndTheOSS.html

 

Saturday, November 18, 1939 www.onwar.com


In Britain... German planes parachute magnetic mines into British coastal waters for the first time. Four merchant ships are sunk by magnetic mines off the eastern coast. Meanwhile, IRA activists detonate 4 small bombs in London business premises in Piccadilly.

Monday, November 18, 1940


In the North Atlantic... In an Atlantic operation a U-boat approaching a convoy is detected by a Sutherland flying boat fitted with an Air to Surface Vessel (ASV1) radar set. This is the first time such a location has been achieved by airborne radar in operational conditions.

Tuesday, November 18, 1941


In North Africa... The British offensive, Operation Crusader begins with a sortie by British 30th Corps over the Egyptian border into Libya. The British forces have been reorganized into the 8th Army under General Cunningham. They advance unmolested to Gabr Saleh.

On the Eastern Front... The Soviet counterattack using the Siberian reservists, near Venev causes heavy losses to one of General Guderian's infantry divisions.

From Japan... 11 Japanese submarines are launched to take up station keeping off Hawaii and scouting mission. A further nine Japanese vessels sail for Hawaii from Kwajalein.

Thursday, November 18, 1943

Over Germany... RAF Bomber Command begins its "Battle of Berlin" campaign. This is the third well publicized series of bombing raids launched by the forces of Air Marshal Harris.

Saturday, November 18, 1944


On the Western Front... Around Aachen, the British 30th Corps (part of British 2nd Army) coordinates assaults with the US 9th and 1st Armies. Julich and Duren are penetrated. Meanwhile, US 3rd Army advances approach the German border. Bouzonville on the Nied River is captured. Metz is entered from north and south.

 

Sunday, November 19, 1939 www.onwar.com


In Occupied Poland... The first barricades are erected around the Jewish quarter in Warsaw.

In London... First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, proposes mining the Rhine, between Strasbourg and the Lauter River, using mine-laying aircraft.

Wednesday, November 19, 1940


In the Pacific... 170 miles off the coast of western Australia, the Australian light cruiser Sydney discovers the German raider ship Kormoran. The Sydney approached to hail and was fired upon with both deck guns and torpedoes. The Kormoran has been responsible for sinking 11 ships during its tour. The Sydney returns fire and after a brief battle both ships sink. News of the battle comes from survivors from the Kormoran, no one survives from the Sydney.

Thursday, November 19, 1942


On the Eastern Front... Operation Uranus. After weeks of planning and preparation, General Zhukov's offensive begins. The Soviets have assembled more than half a million men, 900 new T34 tanks, masses of artillery and over 1,000 planes. The northern arm of the pincer strikes first.

In Tunisia... French forces at Medjez el Bab hold off the German attacks and are reinforced by British and American troops. The German are now led by General Nehring. French General Barre as planned turns his forces over to the Allies. Meanwhile in Libya, The British 8th Army enters Benghazi.

Sunday, November 19, 1944

On the Western Front... Allied forces advance all along the line. British 12th and 7th Corps (parts of British 2nd Army) gain ground near Venlo. Forces of US 9th Army defeat a counterattack by German forces and occupy Geilenkirchen, north of Aachen. US 3rd Army completes the encirclement of Metz.

In Washington... It is estimated that the cost of the war is now about $250 million per day.

 

Monday, November 20, 1939

In Britain... Luftwaffe planes start parachuting mines into the Thames estuary. Meanwhile, the minesweeper HMS Mastiff is blown up while attempting to recover a German magnetic mine in a fishing net.

Thursday, November 20, 1941 www.onwar.com


In North Africa... The British 4th Armoured Brigade engages with German 15th Panzer Division and sustains heavy losses. The British 7th Armoured Brigade is still advancing around Sidi Rezegh and the 22nd Armoured Brigade is moving to join up with the 4th Armoured Brigade. British General Cunningham orders the Tobruk garrison to begin breakout attacks. Rommel orders his panzer divisions toward Sidi Rezegh.

Friday, November 20, 1942

On the Eastern Front... Near Stalingrad, the southern arm of the Soviet offensive comprised of the 51st, 64th and 57th Armies strike the Romanian 4th Army and elements of the German 4th Panzer Army. The other part of the Panzer 4th Army is engaged inside the city of Stalingrad. There is greater resistance against the Soviet onslaught in this area, mainly from counterattacks staged by the 29th Panzergrenadier Division.

Saturday, November 20, 1943


In the Gilbert Islands... American forces begin amphibious assaults

On the Eastern Front... Soviet forces cross the Dniepr near Cherkassy in a new offensive.

Saturday, November 18, 1944


On the Western Front... Around Aachen, the British 30th Corps (part of British 2nd Army) coordinates assaults with the US 9th and 1st Armies. Julich and Duren are penetrated. Meanwhile, US 3rd Army advances approach the German border. Bouzonville on the Nied River is captured. Metz is entered from north and south.

 

NUREMBERG TRIALS BEGIN:

Twenty-four high-ranking Nazis go on trial in Nuremberg, Germany, for atrocities committed during World War II.

The Nuremberg Trials were conducted by an international tribunal made up of representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain. It was the first trial of its kind in history, and the defendants faced charges ranging from crimes against peace, to crimes of war, to crimes against humanity. Lord Justice Geoffrey Lawrence, the British member, presided over the proceedings, which lasted 10 months and consisted of 216 court sessions.

On October 1, 1946, 12 architects of Nazi policy were sentenced to death. Seven others were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 years to life, and three were acquitted. Of the original 24 defendants, one, Robert Ley, committed suicide while in prison, and another, Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, was deemed mentally and physically incompetent to stand trial. Among those condemned to death by hanging were Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi minister of foreign affairs; Hermann Goering, leader of the Gestapo and the Luftwaffe; Alfred Jodl, head of the German armed forces staff; and Wilhelm Frick, minister of the interior.

On October 16, 10 of the architects of Nazi policy were hanged. Goering, who at sentencing was called the "leading war aggressor and creator of the oppressive program against the Jews," committed suicide by poison on the eve of his scheduled execution. Nazi Party leader Martin Bormann was condemned to death in absentia (but is now believed to have died in May 1945). Trials of lesser German and Axis war criminals continued in Germany into the 1950s and resulted in the conviction of 5,025 other defendants and the execution of 806.

--------------------------------------------------

1943 - Bloody Tarawa Begins

On this day, one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps began. The 2nd Division landed on Tarawa, an atoll (a ring-shaped coral reef enclosing a lagoon) in the Gilbert Islands, on amphibious tractors with little armor. Their 3.5-mile surge up the beachfront was met with heavy fire from Japanese shore guns. So much smoke and coral dust was raised by this preinvasion bombardment that fire was halted for half an hour to allow the smoke to clear. When the smoke did finally clear, it unveiled hundreds of U.S. Marines struggling to wade ashore through blood-stained turf. The landing craft had come in at extremely low tide, forcing soldiers to clamor a full half-mile to shore. Some of them got caught in barbed wire strung through the shallow water and were gunned down. The leader of the Second Division, Colonel David Shoup, stood in waist-deep water, his leg badly wounded, directing the assault. Shoup was one of four Marines to receive a Medal of Honor for his bravery at Tarawa. Sadly, the other three Marines received their medals posthumously. At 6:15 the next morning, Major General Julian C. Smith sent in the rest of the Marine division, which faced the same merciless fire as the day before. But slowly, with the help of tanks, howitzers, flame throwers, TNT charges, and grenades, they fought their way inland. By the end of the second day, Shoup radioed to headquarters: "We are winning." The American press covered "Bloody Tarawa" more thoroughly than any previous campaign. The 1,000 American soldiers killed in just seventy hours, as well as the pictures of bodies floating in red surf, shocked the nation. Still, despite heated debate about the execution of Tarawa, it was an undisputed victory. Almost the entire Japanese garrison, a total of 4,690 men, had been killed.

 

Wow, that's all I can really say. This is an amazing day in the history of the Second World War. These two events are huge events that have taken place on the same day. Wow, that's amazing!

 

Tuesday, November 21, 1939 www.onwar.com


In Britain... The brand-new British cruiser, Belfast, is seriously damaged by a German magnetic mine in the Firth of Forth. The destroyer Gypsy is sunk by a magnetic mine. The Japanese passenger liner Terukuni Maru is struck by a German mine as well, in the Thames estuary

In Bratislava... In a treaty signed with Germany, Slovakia is given 225 square miles of former Polish territory (which Poland had progressively annexed from Czechoslovakia in 1920, 1924 and 1938).

Thursday, November 21, 1940


In the United States... The Dies report on German and Communist espionage and subversive activities is published. As in the similar investigations which have been made in Britain, the strength of these disruptive elements is wildly overestimated and accompanied with call for preventive measures.

Friday, November 21, 1941

In North Africa... Rommel orders an attack on the British 7th Armoured Brigade at Sidi Rezegh by both German panzer divisions. By days end, 20 tanks remain to the British brigade. A breakout attempt at Tobruk is halted when expected help from the 7th Armoured Brigade does not arrive. The British respond by moving the 4th and 22nd Armoured Brigades toward Sidi Rezegh.

In East Africa... The Allied and local forces renew their attack on Kulkaber and after heavy fighting the Italians surrender. The Italian presence in Abyssinia is now confined to the area immediately around Gondar.

Saturday, November 21, 1942


On the Eastern Front... The Soviets have broken through on a 50 miles long front with 34 divisions. Tanks units from General Rokossovsky's Don Front are advancing rapidly toward Kalach. The German response is somewhat disorganized as 6th Army's headquarters has been forced to move due to the Soviet advances.

 

1945 - Nuremberg Trial

On this the second day of the Nuremberg war crimes trial, the tribunal listened to the beginning of a ten-month barrage of evidence and testimony against twenty-two Nazi war criminals. The Nuremberg trial was conducted by a joint United States-British-French-Soviet military tribunal, with each nation supplying two judges.

The four charges drawn up for the trial were:

Count 1: Conspiracy to commit the crimes cited in the next three counts.

Count 2: Crimes against peace (planning, preparing, starting, or waging aggressive war).

Count 3: War Crimes, including violations of laws or customs of war.

Count 4: Crimes Against Humanity (murder, extermination, enslavement, persecution on political or racial grounds, involuntary deportation, and inhumane acts against civilian populations).

The majority of defendants claimed that they were ignorant pawns of Adolf Hitler or were simply following orders. Among the evidence used against them were the shrunken head of a concentration camp victim used as a paperweight, and pieces of tattooed human skin "fashioned into lampshades and other household articles." The sentencing was handed down by October 1, 1946. Members of the General Staff and High Command were generally acquitted, despite clear and convincing proof of criminal acts. As groups, the SA (Brown Shirts) and Hitler's cabinet were also acquitted, but the secret police groups—the SS, SD, and Gestapo—were declared criminal groups. Some more notable verdicts were as follows:

* Herman Goering, Commander of the Luftwaffe. Guilty on all four counts. Sentenced to be hanged, but killed himself a few hours before the execution by drinking poison.

* Alfred Jodl, Chief of Operations Staff of the High Command of the Armed Forces. Guilty on four counts. Sentenced to be hanged, he requested a soldier's death by firing squad but was refused. He was hanged.

* Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi Party racial philosopher and appointed Minister of the Eastern Occupied Territories. Aided Goering and Hitler in plundering Jewish art collections and libraries. Guilty on all four counts. Hanged.

 

Thursday, November 23, 1939 www.onwar.com


In the North Atlantic... Between Iceland and the Faroes, the British armed merchant cruiser, Rawalpindi, armed with only four 6-inch guns, meets the German battle cruiser, Scharnhorst, and is blown out of the water, killing 265 crew. Scharnhorst has been sailing in the company of Gneisenau and because of this meeting they turn back from their raiding mission. They evade searches by many British ships during the next few days and return to base safely. Their escape is aided by the German ability to read many of the British naval codes.

In Britain... In the early morning hours, two Royal Engineers officers, mine experts, succeed in defusing a German magnetic mine stranded in the Shoeburyness mud flat and manage to recover it for study. It can therefore be examined to devise countermeasures.

In Berlin... In a speech before his senior generals, summoned to the Reich Chancellery, Hitler says that he has led the German people to great heights, while they have only shown a lack of faith. "I am irreplaceable," a frustrated Hitler states. "I shall attack France and England at the earliest moment. My decision is unchangeable."

In Cracow... Dr. Frank, governor of the Government General in Nazi occupied Poland, orders all Jews over the age of ten to wear armbands marked with the Star of David

In Germany... Food rationing for pets is announced

Saturday, November 23, 1940

In New York... The new British Ambassador to the United States, Lord Lothian, talks in New York of the possibility of Britain running out of ready money and securities to pay for arms and says that Britain will need financial help in 1941. In fact by April 1941 British reserves of gold and dollars will be as low as $12,000,000 -- a mere pittance when set against arms expenditure.

Sunday, November 23, 1941


In North Africa... Fierce battles continue in the area southeast of Sidi Rezegh. In the afternoon, both German and Italian forces from the Ariete Division stage a direct charge against the British armor which has been reinforced with two South African Brigades. German and Italian losses are high and their numerical superiority is lost. They now have less than 100 tanks. German infantry losses are also high. The Germans name this day Totensonntag (Sunday of the Dead). The British losses are also high and General Auchinleck, the British Commander in Chief, takes a great interest in the tactical planning. Rommel is engaged in fighting farther north around Gambut where the New Zealand infantry capture the German Afrika Korps headquarters and much of the German communication equipment.

On the Eastern Front... In the Moscow area, German gains are gradual, but progress is made on a 50 mile front northwest of the city. Klin is captured by three of Hoth's panzer divisions. In some places, the German forces are less than 35 miles from the city.

Monday, November 23, 1942


On the Eastern Front... The Soviet offensive in the south continues. The bridge over the Don River at Kalach is captured by Soviet forces from the north. After crossing the bridge, the advance units link with the tanks forces of 51st Army and the Soviet encirclement of the German forces, in front of Stalingrad, 6th Army and most of 4th Panzer Army, begins. At this time, the Soviet's believe that the German forces are about 85,000.

In North Africa... After heavy fighting near Agedabia, the Axis troops fall back to El Aghelia. General Montgomery halts his forces advance for reorganization. They have chased Rommel's troops almost 600 miles in 14 days.

Tuesday, November 23, 1943 om


In the Gilbert Islands... On Tarawa Atoll, the battle ends by noon. The US marines have suffered 1000 killed and 2000 wounded. The Japanese garrison of 4800 troops has been annihilated. A total of 17 wound Japanese troops and 129 Korean laborers are the only survivors

In Germany... The prototype of the Me262 jet airplane is demonstrated to Hitler. He orders it to be made capable of carrying bombs.

In the Mediterranean... German forces land on the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea and disarm 2500 troops left on the island.

Thursday, November 23, 1944

In Moscow... The government announces that, with the assistance of Finnish forces in accord with the terms of the recent armistice, Finnish Lapland has been cleared of German troops.( well not quite though...)

From London... The British Eastern Fleet is disbanded. Older ships and the escort carriers a formed into the British East Indies Fleet, while the modern ships are detached for service as the British Pacific Fleet.

 

Friday, November 24, 1939

In Germany... The government takes in trust the property and financial interests of Fritz Thyssen -- the iron and steel magnate and a key supporter of Hitler in earlier years -- who fled to Switzerland in September 1939.

Monday, November 24, 1941 www.onwar.com


In North Africa... General Rommel believing that the British armor has mainly been destroyed in the fighting on the day previous and ignoring the actions of the New Zealand infantry, decides to consolidate his forces and advance along the Trigh el Abd to the Egyptian border. This move becomes known as the "dash to the wire" and it causes some concern in the rear echelons of British 8th Army.

Tuesday, November 24, 1942

On the Eastern Front... Manstein arrives at Army Group A Headquarters. The forces allocated to him to create Army Group Don are either severely under strength or trapped near Stalingrad. The only significant force available to him is a division which is needed need to hold the position at Elista, which maintains the link with Army Group A in the Caucasus.

Friday, November 24, 1944


On the Western Front... The US 3rd Army captures crossings over the Saar River, about 25 miles north of Saarbrucken. To the south, the French 2nd Division (an element of US 7th Army) takes Strasbourg.

Over Japan... The first B-29 Superfortress raid on Tokyo is conducted by 111 planes (2 lost), led by the "Dauntless Dotty" with the nominal target of the Musashi aircraft engine plant. The bombers fly from northeast India via forward bases at Chengtu in China.

 

Saturday, November 25, 1939

In Britain... After attempts to save New Forest ponies in the blackout by painting them like zebras, they are removed to safe pastures.

Monday, November 25, 1940 www.onwar.com


In the Mediterranean... The SS Patria is blown up and sunk at the port of Haifa, in Palestine, by members of the Zionist terrorist organization Irgun Zvai Leumi to prevent the use of the ship to deport Palestinian Jews.

Over Britain... The prototype of the De Havilland Mosquito makes its maiden flight from Hatfield, despite limited German air activity over southeast England.

Wednesday, November 25, 1942 www.onwar.com


In Occupied Greece... Greece resistance workers from two rival Greek organizations led by British SOE agents blow up a viaduct on the Athen-Salonika railway at Gorgopotamos. Many of the supplies sent to Rommel in the past used this route.

Thursday, November 25, 1943

In the Bismarck Archipelago... During the night, 5 Japanese destroyers, carrying troops to Buka in the Solomon Islands, are surprised by 5 American destroyers led by Captain Burke off Cape St George. Three Japanese ships are sunk.

In Egypt... The Cairo Conference ends. Roosevelt, Churchill and Chaing Kai-shek meet. No major decisions are reached. No attempt is made to prepare a joint Anglo-American approach for the coming Teheran meeting with Stalin.

Saturday, November 25, 1944 om


In the Philippines... On Leyte, the advance of American forces is contained by Japanese defenses. Some US paratroopers advance across difficult terrain west of Burauen. At sea, Task Group 38.2 and TG38.3 conduct further raids on Luzon and surrounding waters. The air strikes, involving planes from 7 carriers, sink the cruisers Kumano and Yasoshima. Kamikaze attacks damage 4 of the carriers.

On the Western Front... Forces of US 1st Army, to the southeast of Aachen, advance beyond Hurtgen.

 

Addition to November 24, 1941: The Nazis establish the KZ Traiskirchen. They used it as kind of "exhibition camp" for propaganda. Treatment of prisoners in there was rather mild and correct (in comparison to the other KZs).