1940 German forces advancing South from the Somme capture Rouen on the Seine. The British 51st Highland Division and part of the French 10th Army withdraw towards St-Valery-en-Caux, hoping to be evacuated to England. The French government evacuates from Paris to Tours. Norway officially surrenders to Germany. 1941 Fire Service Council established in Britain, with 1,400 …
1940 The British aircraft carrier Glorious is sunk by the German heavy battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, Southwest of Narvik. The evacuation of British and French troops (24,000 men) from Narvik and Harstad is completed. A Norwegian delegation negotiates with the Germans for a peace treaty. Off Norway, German battlecruisers Gneisenau & Scharnhorst sink British carrier HMS Glorious and British destroyers Ardent and Acasta (1537 …
Jumping on the night of D-Day, the 82nd Airborne had to capture the town of Sainte-Mère-Église. Holding the town, however, would have meant little without also holding the roads to and from it. One such route had a bottleneck: the La Fière Bridge a small stone bridge at La Fière manor, 700 yards to the west …
After landing on the beaches on D-Day, the Allied troops had to make their way further inland, capturing key locations to allow forces from the various beaches to link up. The road, known as causeway #2, leading inland from Utah beach passed through the villages of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Verville and Saint-Côme-du-Mont, leading into the town of …
Dead Man’s Corner – Saint Côme-du-Mont – June 7, 1944 Read More »
1940 Allied troops fall back on Bresles front, 60 miles north of Paris. French bomb Berlin. King Haakon of Norway, his family and government, evacuate from Norway to Britain as Germans advance. 1941 The first of five heavy night raids by the RAF begins on Brest as Prinz Eugen shelters there. First US Lend-Lease planes …
“Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you….I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle.” – Order of the Day, 6 June, 1944 …
June 6 – D Day – General Dwight D. Eisenhower Quote Read More »
The Brécourt Manor Assault began early on the morning of June 6, 1944, after the chaotic nighttime drops, Lt. Winters and some men of Easy Company, 506th PIR, arrived at the Command Post of the 3rd Bn 506th PIR in the hamlet of Le Grand Chemin. The command post at the hamlet was aware of …
The Brécourt Manor Assault: Classic Small Unit Assault Read More »
Before dawn, the Allied Expeditionary Force of British, American, Canadian, Polish, and Free French troops begins Operation Overlord, the long-awaited invasion of France.
Words At War “Borrowed Night“ Released January 9, 1945. Words At War, the series that brings you radio versions of the leading war book another adaptation of an important war book, “The Borrowed Night”. A well-done story about the methods the Nazis use to discover malingerers. Take a look at these other WWII Posts: WWII …
1940 Home Defense commander Ironside announces the creation of the lronsides, small groups of highly mobile, armed men for defense against parachutists. The Germans begin ‘Operation Red’, the Battle of France with 119 divisions, including 10 Panzer division’s. Army Group B, with 50 divisions, opens the offensive against the French left wing which is anchored …
