Category Archives: World War II

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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This week in the War, 25–31 December 1944: Christmas Day in Athens

Posted on December 25, 2016 by secondbysecond

Winston Churchill was enjoying a family Christmas Eve—which included the gift of a Christmas tree from President Roosevelt—when, after reading the last of the day’s telegrams, the Prime Minister realized that the situation in Greece required his urgent attention. This week … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 18–24 December 1944: The Siege of Bastogne

Posted on December 20, 2016 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 18 December 1944, the US 101st Airborne Division was ordered to Bastogne in Belgium to defend that town’s important crossroads against the recently launched German offensive in the Ardennes. By 20 December, the town was completely … Continue reading →

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