Author Archives: secondbysecond

This week in the War, 5–11 March 1945: The bridge at Remagen

Posted on March 6, 2017 by secondbysecond

On 7 March 1945, units of the 9th Armoured Division of General Courtney Hodges’ US First Army arrived at the German town of Remagen on the west bank of the Rhine. To their surprise, the Ludendorff railway bridge, which connected Remagen … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 26 Feb–4 March 1945: Without goodness or grace

Posted on March 3, 2017 by secondbysecond

This week in the war saw the execution in Plötzensee Prison of the German Social Democrat politician Ernst von Harnack. In 1933, von Harnack had voiced his opposition to the new Hitler-led government, describing it as ‘without goodness or grace.’ [Quoted … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 19–25 February 1945: Iwo Jima

Posted on February 24, 2017 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 19 February 1945, US Marines landed in force on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima, only seven hundred or so miles from Tokyo. The landing was supported by the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, commanded … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 12–18 February 1945: The destruction of Dresden

Posted on February 17, 2017 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, between 13 February and 15 February 1945, bombs from RAF Bomber Command and the USAAF rained down on the ancient city of Dresden in eastern Germany—–a result, in part, of an agreement between the ‘Big Three’ … Continue reading →

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This week in the war, 5–11 February 1945: Operation Veritable

Posted on February 5, 2017 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, 8 February 1945, saw the launch of Operation Veritable. The Canadians headed south from Nijmegen, aiming to dislodge the Germans from the west bank of the Rhine. The Red Army had already crossed the Oder … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 29 Jan–4 Feb 1945: The Yalta conference

Posted on January 29, 2017 by secondbysecond

This week in the war saw the start of the Yalta conference between the big three, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin. (De Gaulle was not invited.) The conference took place at Yalta in the Crimea between 4 and 11 February 1945. … Continue reading →

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This week in the War,22–28 January 1945: Soviet troops enter Auschwitz

Posted on January 23, 2017 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 27 January 1945, Soviet troops arrived at Auschwitz. Belsen would eventually be liberated by British troops and Dachau by the Americans, and both of those camps would become well known to the public in Britain … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 15–21 January 1945: Renault factories are nationalized

Posted on January 18, 2017 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 16 January 1945, the newly formed French government under Charles de Gaulle nationalized the factories belonging to the French car manufacturer, Louis Renault. The nationalization was in retaliation to Renault’s perceived collaboration with the German … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 8–14 January 1945: Captain Hunt and the Filipino resistance

Posted on January 11, 2017 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on the morning of 9 January 1945, American troops landed in force on Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. They were soon contacted by a runner sent by Captain Ray C. Hunt of the US … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 1–7 January 1945: Operation Bodenplatte

Posted on January 6, 2017 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, 1 January 1945, saw Germany’s jet powered Arado Ar 234 Blitz bombers (manufactured by the Arado aircraft company) launch their first night attack. The raid, which was against targets around Brussels, was part of Operation Bodenplatte, the … Continue reading →

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