 The Mohne Dam after the "Dambuster Raid" |
Project 60: A Day-by-Day Diary of WWII
Remembering the First Fight Against Fascism |
 The "Memphis Belle" and her crew |
The Mohne Dam after the "Dambuster Raid" |
Project 60: A Day-by-Day Diary of WWII
Remembering the First Fight Against Fascism |
The "Memphis Belle" and her crew |
The US 7th Infantry Division
lands on Attu Island in the Aleutians. The landings were made in dense fog which
assisted in giving the Americans complete tactical surprise. Despite this, the
2500 Japanese defenders put up a very stiff resistance. AXIS FORCES SURRENDER IN NORTH
AFRICA - After three years of struggle, Allied forces liberate all of
North Africa from the Axis powers. A quarter of a million troops 130,000 Germans
and 120,000 Italians) surrendered in Tunisia, ending the campaign. General
Jurgen von Arnim and 25 other generals were included in the tally of prisoners.
General Gustav Fehn, the last commander of the vaunted 'Afrika Krops', sent
this final message to higher authorities "Ammunition exhausted. Equipment
destroyed. In accordance with orders received, the Afrika Korps has fought to
the last man". General Alexander, in a message to Churchill wrote, "It is my
duty to report that the Tunis campaign is over. All enemy resistance has ceased.
We are masters of the North African shores." British officials announce that for the
first time in the war, there are more German prisoners of war in the hand of the
Allies than British prisoners in the hands of the Axis. The British and American Chiefs of
Staff at the TRIDENT Conference approved operation Pontblank, the systematic
strategic bombing of Germany. That very night, British bombers struck the Skoda
munitions factory near Pilsen. The terror bombing did little real damage, but 9
bombers were lost in the raid. Operation Mincemeat, the deception
operation for the invasion of Sicily, bares fruit as the Germans reinforce their
forces in Greece against the upcoming invasion, which, of course, would never
come. The clearly marked hospital ship Centaur,
is torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine. 268 of those on board, many of
them with severe wounds from previous combat, were killed. The US 8th Air Force
launches a large 125 bomber raid against the submarine pens at Kiel. The attack
succeeded in destroying 3 U-boats. German forces in the Leningrad area
attempt to cut the land bridge to the city, but the operation falls apart
quickly. May 15, 1943 Hitler, worried over the potential for
an Allied invasion of Italy (and the subsequent fall of Mussolini's regime),
removes troops earmarked for the eastern front and Operation Citadel and sends
them to Italy. General Slim, one of the best in the
British Army, takes command of the 14th Army in Burma. THE DAMBUSTER RAID - After 6
weeks of intensive training, 617 Squadron, lead by Wing Commander Guy Gibson,
raids the power generating dams in the Ruhr.
Despite flying at extremely low level to avoid German night fighters,
five bombers were destroyed and one other turned back with flak damage before
reaching the target. One bomber turned back when a high wave tore the bomb from
the belly. The twelve remaining planes headed for their targets. Five Lancaster
hit and breached the Mohne Dam while three bombers struck and breached the Eder
damn. Two planes hit the Sorpe Dam and one the Schwelme Dam but neither was
breached. Three more bombers were downed on the return flight. The subsequent
flooding caused severe damage and disrupted transportation routes. Civilian
losses were estimated at 1,294 (859 people of Neheim-Husten were killed when the
entire town was wiped out). Power supplies were disrupted to the local industry,
and water was rationed in the area until the next winter, but little damage was
done to factories. Gibson would be awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry
during the mission. The Germans declare operations in the
Warsaw Ghetto at an end with the destruction of the Warsaw synagogue. May 17, 1943 A convoy of ships successfully
traversed the Mediterranean Sea without meeting any enemy submarines or air
attacks. This was the first convoy to do this since Italy joined the war in
1940. The Germans launch Operation Schwarz,
the fifth major attack on Tito's partisans. In all, 120,000 Axis forces are
sent against 20,000 of Tito's troops. The 17th Army continues
it's attacks in the Kuban. Soviet defenses hold firm. The 'Memphis Belle' returns from a
raid on Lorient, France, finishing her 25th bombing mission with an intact crew.
This was a first for a plane in the 8th Air Force. During the
Belle's 10 months of combat, her crew shot down eight enemy fighters, probably
destroyed five others, and damaged at least a dozen more, dropped more than 60
tons of bombs over Germany, France and Belgium, flew 148 hours, 50 minutes, and
covered more than 20,000 combat miles. Although there were no major injuries in
the crew, the plane had five engines shot out and on one mission, her tail was
nearly shot away. A new Japanese offensive began along
the Yangtze River. The goal of the offensive was nothing less than the Chinese
capital of Chunking 250 miles distant. Churchill addressed a joint session of the US congress saying that, "The enemy is still proud and powerful. He is hard to get at. He still possesses enormous armies, vast resources and invaluable strategic territories. But, there is one grave danger, the undue prolongation of the war No one can tell what new complications and perils might arise in four or five more years of war. And it is in the dragging-out of the war at enormous expense, until the democracies are tired or bored or split, that the main hopes of Germany and Japan must now reside." The US 10th Fleet is formed to contend with the German submarine threat in the Atlantic. Admiral Rene Godfroy, after having his
crews back pay made good by the British, formally announces that his French
naval units, interned at Alexandria, would join the Allied cause. Heavy fighting continues between the
Germans and Russians in the Kuban, and American and Japanese forces on Attu. Heavy fighting continues between the Germans and Russians in the Kuban, and American and Japanese forces on Attu. As part of the ongoing series of
nightly terror bombing raids against cities in the Ruhr, British bombers dropped
2000 tons of explosives on Dortmund. 826 planes were involved in the raid which
came off as planned. In all 2000 buildings were destroyed, gutting the Hoesch
steelworks. Six hundred people were killed and 1275 injured. Heavy fighting continues between the Germans and Russians in the Kuban, and American and Japanese forces on Attu. THE BATTLE FOR THE ATLANTIC ENDS
- In the first three weeks of May, 31 German U-boats were sunk. Because
of these mounting losses, Admiral Donitz orders all U-boat patrols in the
north Atlantic to break off operations against the convoys, ending the battle of
the Atlantic. The improved anti-submarine tactics, better weapons and the
breaking of the German Navy Enigma code, along with the bravery and perseverance
of the Allied sailors and seamen, lead to this great Allied victory. Dr. Josef Mengele takes up his new
position at Auschwitz concentration camp. His sickening and grotesque "medical
research" would lead to the death of several thousand Jews. RAF Bomber Command reached the dubious
milestone of dropping 100,000 tons of bombs on Germany. Heavy fighting continues between the Germans and Russians in the Kuban and American and Japanese forces on Attu. The TRIDENT Conference between
Churchill and Roosevelt ends in Washington. The decision to invade northern
France was concluded with May 1, 1944 being selected as D-Day. Decisions were
also made regarding knocking Italy out of the war early, increasing aid to China
and beginning offensive operations in the Pacific. Churchill's plan to invade
the Balkans was rejected. Heavy fighting continues between the Germans and Russians in the Kuban and American and Japanese forces on Attu. Roosevelt and Churchill agree to
collaborate on the development of the atomic bomb after a year of working
separately. Albert Speer, Germany's armaments minister agrees to fund a new program to develop pilotless planes. The project would lead to the development of the V1 'buzz bomb' and the V2 ballistic missile. American forces on Attu clear the
Japanese from 'Fish Hook Ridge' and begin work on an airfield at Alexai
Point. The German 17th Army
suspends offensive operations after making no progress. The Soviets begin their
own operations in the Kuban, and also meet stiff resistance. For the first time in the war, a small parties of British troops are para-dropped into Yugoslavia to coordinate sabotage and guerrilla activities with Tito's partisans. The partisans have been in heavy fighting now for ten days and prepare to breakout how that the British have arrived. Chinese troops defending Ichang stop
the Japanese advance along the Yangtze River. Japanese forces on Attu, concluding the
end was near for their defense, launched a final desperate attack that was
quickly and easily destroyed. The survivors chose suicide over capture. The US 15th Air Force attacked the Italian oil refineries at Livorno with 100 B-17 bombers. US forces secured Attu Island in the
Aleutians. US losses were 512. Only 28 wounded Japanese remain of the 2,350 man
Japanese garrison. Twenty children are killed when a bomb hit a church in Torquay, England. May 31, 1943 In heavy fighting in the Ichang area,
Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist Chinese forces counterattack the stalled
Japanese and succeed in surrounding three divisions. The US 15th Air Force hit the Italian airfields at Foggia, destroying large numbers of aircraft. 1941 Archive: 1942 Archive: 1943 Archive: Special Editions: Editor's Corner Archive: Hitler's Angle "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 |