Author Archives: secondbysecond

This week in the War, 1–7 November 1943: Kiev is liberated by the Soviets

Posted on November 1, 2015 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, the Soviet’s 3rd Guards Tank Army entered Kiev—the Soviet Union’s third largest city. One day later, on 6 November 1943, the city fell to the Soviet Army. By that time the Germans had withdrawn after destroying … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 25–31 October 1943: Austrian-born actor & director Max Reinhardt dies in New York City

Posted on October 26, 2015 by secondbysecond

Austrian-born actor and director Max Reinhardt died this week in the war, on 30 October 1943. During his early years as a stage director in Austria-Hungary and later in Berlin he was considered one of the most original and innovative … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 18–24 October 1943: The Moscow Conference

Posted on October 23, 2015 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, the Moscow conference of foreign ministers began on 18 October 1943. British Foreign minister, Anthony Eden, and US Secretary of state, Cordell Hull, met with their Soviet counterpart, Vyacheslav Molotov. By the time the conference had … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 11-17 October 1943: Italy changes sides

Posted on October 16, 2015 by secondbysecond

This week in the war in Italy, on the night of 12/13 October 1943, troops from the US 5th Army crossed over the Volturno river. Further advance was made difficult by torrential rain and fierce opposition from German units north of the … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 4–10 October 1943: Two islands

Posted on October 5, 2015 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, massacres of prisoners occurred on two widely separated islands. The first incident took place on the Greek island of Kos in the eastern Mediterranean, close to the coast of Turkey. Italian forces had occupied the island … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 27 Sept–3 Oct 1943: Naples

Posted on September 28, 2015 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 27 September 1943, the people of Naples rose up against the German occupiers who had been plundering the city and deporting thousands of citizens for forced labour in Germany. The uprising began in the … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 20–26 September 1943: The Salo republic

Posted on September 24, 2015 by secondbysecond

On 23 September 1943, Benito Mussolini proclaimed the Italian Social Republic(ISR), the so-called Salò Republic, which was headquartered in the town of Salò in the extreme north of Italy. The new republic was a puppet regime and Mussolini had himself become little … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 13–19 September 1943: Bridgehead firmly established at Salerno

Posted on September 16, 2015 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, heavy fighting continued around Salerno, the more northerly prong of the Allied force that had invaded the Italian mainland. Using large numbers of tanks and powerful artillery, the Germans launched a series of counter-attacks aimed … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 6–12 September 1943: Italy surrenders, Mussolini is rescued

Posted on September 8, 2015 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 8 September 1943, with the Allied fleet already in view off the Italian coast near Salerno, Italy surrendered. (The agreement to do so had already been signed five days earlier.) General Eisenhower made the … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 30 Aug–5 Sept 1943: The Invasion of Italy

Posted on September 3, 2015 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on the morning of 3 September 1943, General Bernard Montgomery’s Eighth Army invaded the mainland of southern Italy. It was the beginning of what would become a two-pronged assault on the Italian mainland, with Lieutenant-General Mark … Continue reading →

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