 Stoop (soft cap in foreground) and his SS goons admire their handiwork in the Warsaw Ghetto. |
Project 60: A Day-by-Day Diary of WWII
Remembering the First Fight Against Fascism |
 German and neutral country forensic experts examine a Polish officer's uniform found in the mass graves in the Katyn Woods. |
German radio announces to the world that they have found mass graves in the Katyn Woods near Smolensk. They stated, “…A ditch was found, 28 meters long and 16 meters wide, in which the bodies of 3,000 Polish officers were piled up in twelve layers. They were fully dressed in military uniforms, some were bound, and all had pistol shot wounds in the back of their heads…”. The reports, coming from Gobbles' Propaganda ministry were suspect, but the relationship between Russia and Poland had never been a happy one. US bombers launch a series of raids against Kiska Island in the Aleutians. The British destroyer Eskdale is
sunk by a German torpedo boat off the coast of Cornwall. The Soviet 14th Army defeats
a series of attacks by German forces southeast of Leningrad. Stalin’s son Jacob dies in a German
POW camp. Axis forces occupy the hills around
Bizerta and Tunis, extending from the Cape of Seratt to Enfidaville. This is the
last tenable line they have in Tunisia. Montgomery’s 8th Army is moving north
toward Djebel Garci and Takrouna. In reaction to the German accusations
of mass murders hidden in the Katyn Woods, the Soviet government issued the
following statement, “The Polish prisoners in question were interned in the
vicinity of Smolensk in special camps…It was impossible to evacuate them at
the time of the approach of the German troops and, as a result, they fell into
their hands. If, therefore, they have been found murdered, it means that they
have been murdered by the Germans…”. The British authorities, suspecting
that the Russians were lying, nonetheless issued the following statement on BBC,
“Moscow radio officially and categorically denied the news, propounded by the
Germans about the alleged shooting of Polish officers by the Soviet authorities.
These German lies …” and so, the British joined in the conspiracy. British intelligence services intercept
and decode a series of orders indicating that the main German effort for the
summer would be an attack against the Kursk salient. Churchill is informed mere
hours after the messages reach the German commanders in the field who were to
undertake the attack. The
Polish government in exile in London formally requested that the International
Red Cross investigate the German report that the bodies of thousands of Polish
officers had been found near Smolensk. In
a brave but futile attempt to reinforce the Tunisian bridgehead, Italian naval
forces sortie. In the attacks the British lose the destroyer Pakenham
while the Italians lose two destroyers. The Germans launch Operation Magic
Flute, an anti-partisan operation in the Minsk area. Soviet partisans had been
creating serious delays in the buildup of forces and supplies for Army Group
Center in preparation for the Kursk offensive. Eight Air Force suffers severe losses
in a daylight bombing raid on Bremen’s aircraft factories. Of the 115 B-17s
committed, 16 were destroyed. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, arguably the most capable of the Japanese leaders in the war, was killed when the plane he was in was shot down while touring Japanese bases in the Bougainville Islands, well behind friendly lines. The daring interception was made possible because the Admirals schedule was decoded by US Naval intelligence. In a daring attack, a flight of P-38 Lighting fighters from the USAAF 339th Fighter Squadron out of Guadalcanal, skimmed the wave tops for over 400 miles of open ocean, and successfully intercepted the transports and escorts just outside Kahili airfield. In
a final attempt to get needed supplies to the Axis forces in Tunisia, over 100
transports, fly off bases in Sicily. Fifty-one of the transports and 16 escorts
were destroyed when 70 Allied fighters pounced on the armada. The Allies lost 7
fighters.. Turkey
and German sign a trade agreement whereby Germany would supply industrial
products for Turkish agricultural products. The German 17th Army launches a series of attacks against the Russian’s isolated beachhead at Novorossivsk. In heavy fighting, the Soviets cling to their toehold. Possessing one machine gun, less than 20 rifles, a handful of pistols, grenades and Molotov cocktails, 1200 Jews, led by 23-year old Mordecai Anielewicz, rose up against the Germans in the Warsaw. In the attack, the Germans surrounded the ghetto and sent infiltration parties forward under the cover of darkness. At dawn, the SS troopers brashly marched down the vacant streets. They came under fire and attempted to retreat, but were pinned down. They called for reinforcements and tank support. After a 7-hour battle, the bloodied SS troopers withdrew leaving behind their dead, two destroyed tanks and scores of weapons. The remainder of the day saw artillery and aircraft attack the ghetto. German
SS forces attempt to storm the Warsaw ghetto. Their initial attempt suffered
heavy losses, but they did gain some toeholds in the area. Montgomery’s 8th Army begins a series of attacks on Axis defenses around Enfidavill. The Allies fail to budge the enemy and take heavy losses in t he process. The US II Corps is far more successful, taking the mountainous stronghold north of Medjez el Bab, allowing tanks to move into the Tine River valley. The
Japanese authorities announce the death of Admiral Yamamoto and appoint Admiral
Koga to succeeds him as Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet. Fighting
intensifies as Soviet forces in the Kuban peninsula press the German 17th
Army back in the Novorossivsk area. German
SS forces are able to establish a secure position in the Warsaw Ghetto against
continuing stubborn opposition. They achieve this by using flamethrowers to
methodically burn down whole blocks of the area, thus clearing the Jewish
fighters from their strongholds. After the days fight, the German commander,
Stroop, gave the inhabitants a day to turn themselves over to his authority. German
forces launch a spoiling attack around Medjex el Bab. It is quickly defeated. After
sinking a Japanese minesweeper off the Alelutian islands, Captain Fred M. Smith
dispatched the following report: “SAW STEAMER, STRAFED SAME, SANK SAME, SOME
SIGHTED, SIGNED SMITH.” Allied attacks against enemy positions in Tunisia begin again. The US 2nd Corps, now commanded by General Bradley, push toward Mateur. Meanwhile, the British 5th Corp hits Longstop" and "Peter's Corner", while the British 9th Corps attacks between Boubellat and Bou Arada. In order to save supplies, Montgomery is ordered to stop his feeble efforts along the coast. Further attempts to resupply the Axis forces from the air meet with disaster as another 30 transport craft are shot down in the attempt Orders
were given to raze the Warsaw Ghetto. Fighting became desperate as the Jewish
fighters took to the vast network of sewers, cellars. and underground shelters. SS forces begin to reduce Jewish
strongholds in the Warsaw ghetto. Deploying heavy artillery and flamethrowers,
the defenders are burned or blown out of their defenses. But the Jews continue
the fight reoccupying the rubble and taking to the sewers in tenacious fighting.
US Army Air Force bombers hit an airfield near Bari, Italy. After
a lull in the fighting at Warsaw, the German SS troops cut off water and
electricity to the ghetto and continue their clearing operations burning the
city to the ground. US Naval forces under Admiral McMorris
bombard the Japanese held harbors on Attu Island. The Soviet government breaks off
diplomatic relations with the London based Polish government in exile because of
the allegations concerning the Katyn massacre. The British 5th Corps, with
heavy armor support, succeeds in capturing "Longstop" hill after heavy
fighting. In a transfer between a German and a Japanese submarine in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar, Indian National Army leader, Subhas Chandra Bose takes his first step toward creating the army he hoped to use to ’liberate’ India from British rule. Within a year, he would recruit 25,000 of his countryman from Japanese POW camps. 1941 Archive: 1942 Archive: 1943 Archive: Special Editions: Editor's Corner Archive: Hitler's Angel "The story of Prescott Bush and his association with the Nazis begins just before the end of World War I..." The Past Through Tomorrow "It is quite frightening to realize just how similar our nation’s actions have been and appear to be heading when compared this way..." Afghanistan and Vietnam: When the “war against terrorism” began, many knowledgeable people warned that our operations in Afghanistan would turn into another Vietnam. Want to Win - Think Before You Lash Out - "If we are serious about taking the war to the enemy, it is time to look ..." The First Fight Against Fascism - We must remember the Spanish Civil War also. Arguing Victory - "... Each nation who fought against fascist tyranny in WWII brought with it part of whole needed to defeat that evil..." War, Glory, Honor and Remembrance - "War is a brutal and savage insult on human society..." The First
Casualty... in time of war, those in power are even more inclined to
hide the truth, since that truth is often manifest in the most gruesome and
terrible acts. Those wishing to contribute items. stories or comments should contact D.A. Friedrichs |