Remembering History by day WW2

[Peter Clare]

4/5 June 1944

259 aircraft - 125 Lancasters, 118 Halifaxes, 16 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups to bomb 4 gun positions; 3 of these were deception targets in the Pas de Calais but the fourth battery, at Maisy, was in Normandy between what would soon be known as Omaha and Utah Beaches, where American troops would land in less than 36 hours' time. Unfortunately, Maisy was covered by cloud and could only be marked by Oboe skymarkers, but it was then bombed by 52 Lancasters of No 5 Group. 2 of the 3 gun positions in the Pas de Calais were also affected by bad weather and could only be bombed through cloud but the position at Calais itself was clear and was accurately marked by the Mosquitos and well bombed by Halifaxes and Lancasters of No 6 Group. No aircraft lost on these operations.
20 Mosquitos to Cologne and 6 to Argentan, 4 RCM sorties, 6 Serrate patrols, 4 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters minelaying from the Scheldt to Dunkirk, 17 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 319 sorties with no aircraft losses.

[Peter Clare]

1944 : Allies invade France


On this day in 1944, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the go-ahead for the largest amphibious military operation in history: Operation Overlord, code named D-Day, the Allied invasion of northern France.
By daybreak, 18,000 British and American parachutists were already on the ground. At 6:30 a.m., American troops came ashore at Utah and Omaha beaches. At Omaha, the U.S. First Division battled high seas, mist, mines, burning vehicles—and German coastal batteries, including an elite infantry division, which spewed heavy fire. Many wounded Americans ultimately drowned in the high tide. British divisions, which landed at Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches, and Canadian troops also met with heavy German fire, but by the end of the day they were able to push inland.
Despite the German resistance, Allied casualties overall were relatively light. The United States and Britain each lost about 1,000 men, and Canada 355. Before the day was over, 155,000 Allied troops would be in Normandy. However, the United States managed to get only half of the 14,000 vehicles and a quarter of the 14,500 tons of supplies they intended on shore.
Three factors were decisive in the success of the Allied invasion. First, German counterattacks were firm but sparse, enabling the Allies to create a broad bridgehead, or advanced position, from which they were able to build up enormous troop strength. Second, Allied air cover, which destroyed bridges over the Seine, forced the Germans to suffer long detours, and naval gunfire proved decisive in protecting the invasion troops. And third, division and confusion within the German ranks as to where the invasion would start and how best to defend their position helped the Allies. (Hitler, convinced another invasion was coming the next day east of the Seine River, refused to allow reserves to be pulled from that area.)
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, commander of Britain's Twenty-first Army Group (but under the overall command of General Eisenhower, for whom Montgomery, and his ego, proved a perennial thorn in the side), often claimed later that the invasion had come off exactly as planned. That was a boast, as evidenced by the failure to take Caen on the first day, as scheduled. While the operation was a decided success, considering the number of troops put ashore and light casualties, improvisation by courageous and quick-witted commanders also played an enormous role.
The D-Day invasion has been the basis for several movies, from The Longest Day (1962), which boasted an all-star cast that included Richard Burton, Sean Connery, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, to Saving Private Ryan (1998), which includes some of the most grippingly realistic war scenes ever filmed, captured in the style of the famous Robert Capa still photos of the actual invasion.

[Peter Clare]

The Battle Of Normandy
5/6 June 1944

1,012 aircraft - 551 Lancasters, 412 Halifaxes, 49 Mosquitos - to bomb coastal batteries at Fontenay, Houlgate, La Pernelle, Longues, Maisy, Merville, Mont Fleury, Pointe du Hoc, Ouisterham and St Martin de Varreville. 946 aircraft carried out their bombing tasks. 3 aircraft were lost - 2 Halifaxes of No 4 Group on the Mont Fleury raid and 1 Lancaster of No 6 Group on the Longues raid. Only two of the targets - La Pernelle and Ouisterham - were free of cloud; all other bombing was entirely based on Oboe marking. At least 5,000 tons of bombs were dropped, the greatest tonnage in one night so far in the war.
110 aircraft of Nos 1 and 100 Groups carried out extensive bomber-support operations: 24 'Airborne Cigar' (ABC)-equipped Lancasters of No 101 Squadron patrolled all likely night-fighter approaches, so that their German-speaking operators could jam the German controllers' instructions; No 100 Group flew 34 RCM sorties and 27 Serrate and 25 Intruder Mosquito patrols. 2 Intruders and 1 ABC Lancaster were lost.
58 aircraft of Nos 3 and 5 Groups carried out a variety of operations to conceal the true location of the invasion for as long as possible. 16 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron and 6 G-H fitted Stirlings of No 218 Squadron dropped a dense screen of Window, which advanced slowly across the Channel, to simulate a large convoy of ships approaching the French coast between Boulogne and Le Havre, north of the real invasion coast. These flights required exact navigation; both squadrons had been practising for this operation for more than a month. The second diversion was carried out by 36 Halifaxes and Stirlings of Nos 90, 138, 149 and 161 Squadrons. These aircraft dropped dummy parachutists and explosive devices to simulate airborne landings over areas not being invaded. 2 Stirlings of No 149 Squadron were lost while carrying out this duty.
31 Mosquitos bombed Osnabrück without loss.
Total Bomber Command effort for the night: 1,211 sorties, 8 aircraft (0.7 per cent) lost. The number of sorties flown was a new record. British, American and Canadian divisions landed on five Normandy beaches early the next morning.

D-Day Landings

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[Owen]

Meanwhile back in Italy the 2nd Wiltshires were resting and refitting in the Castel Porziano area. They weren't allowed to visit Rome as it was out of bounds to British troops.
They deserved a rest as they'd been fighting for eleven months since the Invasion of Sicily. In that time their casualties were 27 Officers and 590 Other Ranks. Winning one Victoria Cross in the process.

[Flapshot]

I am reminding all my colleagues at work of todays date - not one of them seem to care. Sad that.

I will raise my glass in memory of all those who took part in this great campaign.

[Flapshot]

Originally Posted by Owen D

Meanwhile back in Italy the 2nd Wiltshires were resting and refitting in the Castel Porziano area. They weren't allowed to visit Rome as it was out of bounds to British troops.
They deserved a rest as they'd been fighting for eleven months since the Invasion of Sicily. In that time their casualties were 27 Officers and 590 Other Ranks. Winning one Victoria Cross in the process.

Silly new to the forum question here Owen D - But are you a veteran of Italy, and were you aware at the time that the invasion in Normandy had started?

[Owen]

Originally Posted by Flapshot

Silly new to the forum question here Owen D - But are you a veteran of Italy, and were you aware at the time that the invasion in Normandy had started?

No mate, I ain't,, I'm only 39. My profile http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/members/owen-d.html
Just like to remember the lads of the Wiltshires and make sure they're not forgotten.
1st Bn in India after fighting in Burma.
2nd Bn in Italy.
4th & 5th Bns in England ready to go to Normandy with 43rd Wessex Div.

[Flapshot]

Originally Posted by Owen D

No mate, I ain't,, I'm only 39. My profile http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/members/owen-d.html
Just like to remember the lads of the Wiltshires and make sure they're not forgotten.

I am sorry, I really should have done my own research.

Well, today at least we know that members on this forum will be remembering all those who served from 1939-1945.

[spidge]

On two sides of the world, the Devonshires and Dorsets were fighting simultaneous battles on the beaches of Normandy (2nd Devons & 1st Dorsets brought back from Italy for this big day) and pushing the Japanese back through the inhospitable terrain of Kohima and Imphal in the Far East.

World War 2

[Peter Clare]

1942 : Japanese land troops on the islands of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutians


On this day in 1942, Japanese soldiers occupy the American islands of Attu and Kiska, in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, as the Axis power continues to expand its defensive perimeter.
Having been defeated at the battle of Midway--stopped by the United States from even landing on the Midway Islands--the Japanese nevertheless proved successful in their invasion of the Aleutians, which had been American territory since purchased from Russia in 1867. Killing 25 American troops upon landing in Attu, the Japanese proceeded to relocate and intern the inhabitants, as well as those at Kiska. America would finally invade and recapture the Aleutians one year later-killing most of the 2,300 Japanese troops defending it--in three weeks of fighting.