Firsts in WW2 - What is Your Contribution?

Discussion in 'General' started by spidge, Mar 30, 2009.

  1. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    3 September 1939

    Pilot Officer John Noel Isaac of No.600 Squadron becomes the first Briton to die in the Second World War when his Bristol Blenheim crashes into Heading Street in Hendon at 1250hrs, 1 hour 50 minutes after the British declaration of war.
     
  2. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    5 May 1941 the first F Section Agent Deployed - Georges Begue dropped blind from a 1419 Flight Whitley Bomber piloted by S/Ldr Knowles to a DZ 26km SE of Valencay, North of Chateauroux between Reboursin and Mouenet sur Vatan.
     
  3. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    4 September 1939


    The first Royal Air Force attack on an enemy aircraft occurs when a Lockheed Hudson of No.224 Squadron fires on a Dornier Do18 over North Sea.
     
  4. Peccavi

    Peccavi Senior Member

    First fully mechanised machine gun battalion in the British Army - 2nd Battalion Cheshire Regiment.

    First TA MMG Battalion to fire on the enemy - 4th Battalion Cheshire Regiment
     
  5. Amisuk

    Amisuk Member

    I believe the 4th Battalion Lincolnshire regiment was the 1st and only regiment to wear an unofficial badge during the war (The Lincoln Imp).

    My Great Uncle said this was down to Major Stokes, and he even intervened when a senior officer during a pre- D-Day inspection commented that the badge should not be worn.
     

    Attached Files:

  6. jainso31

    jainso31 jainso31

    First and only VC to a pilot in Fighter Command in WW2
    No 931 Fl/Lt EJB Nicholson RAF 249 Sqdn
    L.Gazette 15/11/40

    jainso31
     
  7. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    A memorial unveiled in september 2009, dedicated to Roy L. Booher of the 30th U.S. Infantry Division. He was the first American soldier of the groundforces to be killed in Holland, to the south-east of Maastricht.


    [​IMG]

    Courtesy of Oorlogsmusea.nl
     
  8. Peccavi

    Peccavi Senior Member

    First British soldiers to cross the Rhine 46 Commando (Royal Marines) 23 March 1945 Wessel - in fact I believe it was the very first time any British Army crossed the Rhine (Marlborough didn't - and at Minden the British landed north of the Rhine).
     
  9. Rob Dickers

    Rob Dickers 10th MEDIUM REGT RA

    :)
    First Proximity Shell fired in battle.
    By the British HAA Regts in a ground role, battle of the Ardennes Dec 44.

    First British or Canadian Artillery Regt to fire into Germany.
    All of them, cause every Diary, History, or Book you read they all claim to be the first :D

    Rob
     
  10. Cobber

    Cobber Senior Member

    First shot fired in WW2?
    Same gun as in WW1.
    A Coastal gun sited at Pt Nepean at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay at Melbourne. Both shots fired at a german freighter trying to leave port soon after the Declaration(s) of War.John.


    Close, but not right the ship who got a round over her bow during Sept 1939. The ship was SS Woniora was a Australian coastal freighter who when asked to pull up for inspection gave her identity but continued sailing into Port Phillip Bay. So the gun crew were ordered to fire.
    My uncle Mal was a WO1 at Fort Nepean when this action happened.

    Unfortunately their are many Aussies who think both actions at Fort Nepean the WW1 and WW2 firing of the Guns were against German ships.
    It was however only the WW1 episode which involved the enemy.
    Also different dates are given for the time of the firing of the gun. I have read that it happened late on 3rd Sept (Australian Time) and also that it happened in the early hours of 4th Sept (Aussie time).
     
  11. spider

    spider Very Senior Member

    War Diary Summary - HMAS Torrens
    "German Mines - S.A. Coast. A number of mines came ashore during the quarter and were apparently from the minefield laid at the Western end of the Investigator Strait. 12th. July, 1941. Mine reported off shore near Beachport. This mine was subsequently landed by R.M.S. Party and self detonated on the beach after landing, causing the death of two members of the R.M.S Party. - Able Seaman Todd and Danswan."

    It is believed that these two Naval ratings were the first men killed on Australian soil as a result of enemy action.
     
  12. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    Close, but not right the ship who got a round over her bow during Sept 1939. The ship was SS Woniora was a Australian coastal freighter who when asked to pull up for inspection gave her identity but continued sailing into Port Phillip Bay. So the gun crew were ordered to fire.
    My uncle Mal was a WO1 at Fort Nepean when this action happened.

    Unfortunately their are many Aussies who think both actions at Fort Nepean the WW1 and WW2 firing of the Guns were against German ships.
    It was however only the WW1 episode which involved the enemy.
    Also different dates are given for the time of the firing of the gun. I have read that it happened late on 3rd Sept (Australian Time) and also that it happened in the early hours of 4th Sept (Aussie time).

    All here Cobber.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/general/6270-who-fired-first-shot.html#post49222

    I also had some photos on here of the Moncrief Carriages which I will try to find.

    Cheers

    Geoff
     
  13. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

  14. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    2nd June 1941.

    Long Island (ACV-1), first escort carrier of the U.S. Navy, was commissioned .

    Long Island was converted into a flush-deck carrier in 67 working days from the cargo ship Mormacmail.
     
  15. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    31st October 1941.

    Reuben James (DD-245), sunk by U-boat with a heavy loss of life --the first loss of an American warship in World War II.
     
  16. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    1st March 1942

    Lockheed PBO Hudson on an antisubmarine sweep, bombs and sinks German submarine U-656 south of Newfoundland, the first U-boat sunk by U.S. Navy forces during World War II.
     
  17. Combover

    Combover Guest

    The Dieppe Raid saw many 'firsts':

    First use of American ground troops in NW Europe in WW2 and also the first KIA of such.

    First operational use of the No.4 rifle and the Churchill Tank.
     

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