I recently learned that on July 14,1945 Italy declared war on Japan. I read it in the "on this day in history" section of the Baton Rouge newspaper. And yes, I still have it delivered to my house. Anyway what was the point of that? To gain admission to the United Nations?
A-58, Diplomacy and politics aside there were Italian nationals fighting with the Japanese. My recollection is that there were detachments guarding their Shanghai enclave and the embassy in Peking. Some chose to be POWs. This was after the Italian armistice in 1943.
Having just got back from a battlefield tour of Normandy with my Squadron, I have learned just how big and exposed the beaches were (are). Pictures, books and movies are all great, but actually being on the beaches, in the battery's, seeing the bullet holes in houses, standing in the cemeteries... THATS when you really learn about the War.
I finally looked up what the single chevron on the sleeve of Himmler and other Nazi bigwigs meant. Ehrenwinkel der Alten Kämpfer – Wikipedia
I had never heard of Operation Market Garden before the recent 80th anniversary, although i am sure many forum members will know a lot more. I was curious about how it got its codename. Apparently Market was the airborne part of the operation and Garden was the people on the ground, and it was not a success. The Allies Hoped Operation Market Garden Would End WWII. Here's What Went Wrong | HISTORY
If you want a starting point for understanding the Allied state of mind in early Sept 1944 then there is no better place that Eisenhower's report to the Combined Chiefs of Staff dated 9 Sept 1944 that was considered by them at the Octagon Conference in Quebec between 12 & 16 Sept. There is an intelligence report at p81 dated 8 Sept. Unfortunately German resistance stiffened significantly (more than the "somewhat" he acknowledged) during the course of the following week, something that largely evaded the notice of the intelligence community, prior to the launch of Market Garden on 17th. Good news is that it is one of the first documents in the .pdf https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/History/WWII/Octagon3.pdf Lot of other good stuff in there as well about the progress of the war.
Yesterday I learned about the appalling atrocities committed by the Goums ( irregular Moroccan troops attached to the French Expeditionary Corps- FEC) , against Italian civilians, mainly women and children, in 1944. Barbarity almost beyond words. In the words of fellow Forum member vitellino hard to believe they were our Allies.
...and for some real 'feel' of what it would have been like for anyone 'storming up the beach', just go down to the waterline during a rising tide and look up the beach, and, if inclined, just check out the locations of gun emplacements etc. I've done just that at 7.30am on Gold Beach - the time of the initial wave: totally thought provoking.
Just got the American The Infantry Journal's Scouting and Patrolling manual. I wanted to learn what a GI learned if he had attended scout school in the US. My friend's uncle was a scout in the 81st Infantry Div (Wildcats) and it was one of the questions he never answered. Now I know. It covers movement day/night, use of the land to avoid detection, selection of trees, estimating enemy strength (Pinkerton's men could have used this in the American Civil War and they always overestimated Confederate strength to Army of the Potomac commander George McCellan), use of compass, night navigation, silent movement and some silent killng, etc.
I thought all the US prewar battleships received 5"/38 twin mounts when they were refitted but here is the Idaho in 1945 with refitted 5" singles.
I'll have to look at Breyer but the other two New Mexico class battleships did not recceive dual 5"/38 guns. Last French battleship had a stainless steel wine tank in her bow.
You will find photo histories of all the US battleships here. NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive
Malta The SS Ohio I know about the Malta struggles of course. But i did not know, specifically, about the supply convoy with The SS Ohio. I CAN imagine the relief those people felt when that ship and a few others arrived with Help and Hope. SS Ohio (1940) - Wikipedia
I just learnt that the animator Bob Godfrey was a Bootneck . His landing craft was hit on D-Day off GOLD Beach. He was one of three survivors. Bob Godfrey - Wikipedia 47 Royal Marine Commando
This lady was on the Breakfast news just now & I didn't recognise one of her medals. Anne Puckridge. Frozen overseas pensions: WW2 veteran urges Starmer to end 'brutal' policy It was India Service Medal. India Service Medal - Wikipedia
apparently these code names were allocated by the authorities. Interestingly M stands for Market Garden and also Mulberry Harbour, nothing to do with the shape of them. Later in the alphabet O stands for Overlord. N anybody?
