Author | Lightnews

Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · May 2

I was recently diagnosed with a severely blocked inoperable cerebral artery. I have to step back from this passion project temporarily. I’m in the US with no insurance so any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. My CashApp is $hbfunding. Venmo: $Dohn-Thornton

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · May 1

May 1, 1944: 200 Greek communists were executed by Nazi occupation authorities in the Athens suburb of Kaisariani as reprisal for the killing of a German general by Greek Resistance fighters. Typical Nazi reprisal tactics. 100 to 1, or in this case, 200 to one. Killing generals counts for double

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · May 1

May 1, 1943: The International Medical Commission completed its investigation on the Katyn Massacre, concluding that the Soviet Union was responsible for the atrocity. To this day, the Russians have never admitted their guilt and never will. Truth never sees the light of day over there.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · May 1

May 1, 1942: In Berlin, the German High Command recorded that units on the Eastern Front were currently 308,000 men understrength. This is what happens when you lose your one chance to win, ie., take Moscow in 1941. The elephant in the room keeps getting bigger and bigger

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · May 1

May 1, 1940: The RAF’s BEST fighter pilot, Robert Stanford Tuck, show down his first victim over Dunkerque – an ME-109. Note: I didn’t say he had the most victories. I said best, as in, best pure dog-fighting pilot. I’ll fight anyone who says differently.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · May 1

May 1, 1940: Swiss intelligence learned of a potential attack on France to be launched soon and informed the French military attaché, who promptly reported this to Paris. Paris promptly did nothing - escalation management of 1940, I suppose

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 30

April 30, 1945: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide in Berlin. He shot himself and she took cyanide. Their bodies were burned near the Chancellery bunker. Thus, ended the era of one of the most evil men and regimes in human history.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 30

April 30, 1945: The frigate, HMS Goodall, became the last ship to be sunk in the war against Germany when she was torpedoed by submarine U-286 in the Barents Sea with heavy loss of life returning from escorting a Russian convoy. Even this late in war, the Arctic convoys continued.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 30

April 30, 1945: Soviets and US First Army linked up near Ellenburg, Germany. My Russian wife's grandfather fought as an infantryman for 4 years and met the US Army in Germany, maybe even here. Small world, huh?

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 30

April 30, 1943: Operation Mincemeat was launched. The body of Glyndwr Michael was put into the sea from British submarine HMS Seraph off Huelva, Spain. "Major William Martin" carried false documents intended to mislead the Germans that the Balkans would be invaded next, not Sicily.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 30

April 30, 1941: New Zealand General Bernard Freyberg was appointed commander of Allied forces on Crete, commanding a garrison of poorly armed 29,000 British, Australian, and New Zealand troops and 9,000 Greek troops.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 29

Go Canada! Both then and now

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 29

April. 29, 1945: German Colonel General Heinrich von Vietinghoff surrendered Axis forces in northern Italy. Somewhere, General Mark Clark was gnashing his teeth as, since D-Day in France, the Italian front had become a backwater theater.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 29

April 29, 1945: The British 2nd Army captured Lauenburg, just south of Hamburg, in Germany, thus trapping all German forces in Denmark and securing the Baltic Ports. It also prevented the Soviets from occupying Denmark. Can you imagine the Warsaw Pact in Denmark? It could've happened.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 29

April 29, 1945: Eva Braun changed her legal name to Eva Hitler after marrying Adolf Hitler. The ink on her marriage license and name change would hardly be dry before her legal status would be changed to "corpse."

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 29

April 29, 1944: Eisenhower his superior in DC, General Marshall, that he was pondering the notion of firing George Patton because "he simply does not keep his mouth shut," Patton would dodge this bullet.

Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 29

April 29, 1943: An Allied convoy of 42 ships strong with 7 escorts, was attacked by over 40 German U-boats. Over the days, the convoy lost 13 ships totaling 63,000 tons, the escorts had inflicted the loss of 7 U-boats. The turning point of the Battle Of Atlantic was just around the corner.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 29

April 29, 1942: The problem of what to do about Malta was also discussed plans for an invasion that would be codenamed Operation Herkules took shape. Spoiler Alert: Hitler never pulled the trigger, like he did with Operation Sea Lion in 1940. He needed to be bold yet he shrank from it.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 29

April 29, 1941: Allied resistance on mainland Greece ended at 0530 hours when 8,000 British, New Zealand, Australian, Greek, and Yugoslavian troops surrendered at Kalamata, Greece. Thus endeth another Churchill Balkan fiasco.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 28

Kind of like Tiger Woods tried to keep his infidelities secret, albeit without the federal government’s help

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 28

April 28, 1944: German E-boats attacked an American landing exercise at Slapton, England, sinking two LSTs and damaging other craft, killing 198 sailors and 551 soldiers. This and the friendly fire incident a few days earlier produced higher casualties than the actual invasion.

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 28

April 28, 1943: American submarine USS Gudgeon spotted the 17,526-ton Japanese troop carrier Kamakura Maru and sank it. Unbelievably, the Japanese didn't realize their ship was lost for another week. Over 2,000 Japanese soldiers died, most from exposure and sharks. Crazy

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Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 28

April 28, 1942: A 15-mile strip of the Atlantic coast around New York began conducting nightly blackouts to counter German U-boat activity in the region. Look at the date. The German subs had been operating off the East Coast since late December 1941. Unforgivable.

Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 28

April 28, 1941: Winston Churchill, without reference to the Chiefs of Staff, issued a directive stating that there is no need at the present time to make provisions for the defense of Malaya and Singapore. Somewhere in Tokyo, Tojo smiled evilly while licking his chops.

Today In World War II @todayinworldwar2.bsky.social · Apr 28

April 28, 1941: German ambassador to the Soviet Union Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg tried to convince Hitler that the Soviet Union was generally friendly toward Germany, and the two nations could achieve greater friendship by working closer together. How do you say in German, "fat chance?"

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