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

Posted on December 25, 2016 by secondbysecond

Winston Churchill leaving HMS Ajax in Piraeus harbour, Greece, to attend a conference ashore, December 1944 [Public domain]

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 in the war on 25 December, Christmas Day 1944, Winston Churchill flew into Kalamaki airfield near Athens, after a brief refueling stop in Naples.

Churchill and his delegation spent the night on board the British cruiser HMS Ajax (of Battle of the River Plate fame), which was anchored in Piraeus harbor.

Archbishop Damaskinos, of the Greek Orthodox Church, came on board to discuss the threat of an armed Communist takeover in Greece—a threat which had prompted Churchill’s dramatic flight from England in the middle of winter.

The following day, the Communists (notably ELAS–the Greek People’s Liberation Army) were invited to a conference at the Greek Foreign Office in Athens. It was agreed that the King of Greece would be asked to appoint the Archbishop as Regent, with the understanding that Damaskinos would form a new government for the country.

Fighting between Greek Communists and non-Communists did not completely end until a truce was accepted on 11 January 1945. [See: The Second World War, Abridged One-Volume Edition by Winston S. Churchill (Cassell, London, 1959).]

 

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

Posted on December 20, 2016 by secondbysecond

Bastogne, Belgium: Troops of the 101st Airborne Division watch C-47s drop supplies to them [Public domain]

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 surrounded. The Siege of Bastogne had begun.

Low lying fog kept Allied aircraft grounded until 23 December. Meanwhile, the outnumbered Americans fought off assaults by Germany’s elite SS panzer divisions.

Shoulder patch of the US 101st Airborne Division [Public domain]

The siege lasted through Christmas and the town was not fully secured until the US 3rd Army’s counteroffensive on 14 January 1945.

The German army’s Ardennes offensive, known as the Battle of the Bulge, was meant to push through the Allied lines and reach Antwerp. Hitler’s intention was to prevent the Allies from using the port for landing supplies to support their armies that were poised to advance into Germany.

On 15 January 1945, it was clear that Hitler’s plan had failed and the Fuehrer left his headquarters on the Western Front and returned by train to Berlin.

 

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This week in the War, 11–17 December 1944: Deaths of painter Wassily Kandinsky and band leader Glen Miller

Posted on December 12, 2016 by secondbysecond

'Black & Violet' by Wassily Kandinsky, 1923 [Public domain]

‘Black & Violet’ by Wassily Kandinsky, 1923 [Public domain]

This week in the war saw the deaths of one of the world’s great artists, Wassily Kandinsky, and one of the world’s great performers, Glen Miller. They died within a two days of each other.

As a student, Moscow-born Kandinsky abandoned his study of law to go to Munich to become a painter.

He went back to Russia at the beginning of the First World War but returned to Germany in 1921 and subsequently became a professor at the Bauhaus school of art and architecture in Weimar. After the Nazis closed the Bauhaus in 1933, he moved to France. He was one of the pioneers of modern abstract art.

Kandinsky died on 13 December 1944 at Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Glen Miller in his uniform as a major in the US Army Air Corps [Public domain]

Glen Miller in his uniform as a major in the US Army Air Corps [Public domain]

American band leader, Glenn Miller, formed his first jazz group in the 1920s and became famous for his song Moonlight Serenade.

During the war, Miller enlisted in the US Army (later transferring to the US Army Air Forces) and organized numerous concerts for Allied troops. His song In the Mood became a popular wartime hit.

Miller died on 15 December 1944 when his plane went missing in bad weather over the English Channel.

 

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This week in the War, 4–10 December 1944: Phasing out the Blackout

Posted on December 9, 2016 by secondbysecond

Doreen Buckner draws the curtains in her family's London home to comply with the nightly 'Blackout' [Public domain]

Doreen Buckner draws the curtains in her family’s London home to comply with the nightly ‘Blackout’ [Public domain]

This week in the war throughout the British Isles from 9 December 1944 on, premises were no longer required to be blacked out when the air raid sirens sounded. The Luftwaffe was no longer perceived to be a threat, and light or its absence was irrelevant to the V-1s and V-2s that bombarded London.

The Blackout had begun on 1 September 1939, before Britain had even declared war. Despite the bombing, British morale stayed high, even during the eight months of the Blitz, September 1940–May 1941, which claimed the lives of over 40,000 civilians.

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This week in the War, 27 Nov—3 Dec 1944: Britain’s Home Guard stands down

Posted on December 2, 2016 by secondbysecond

Recruitment poster for Britain's Home Guard [Public domain]

Recruitment poster for Britain’s Home Guard [Public domain]

This week in the war, on 3 December 1944, Britain’s Home Guard stood down. The Home Guard (originally called the Local Defence Volunteers) had been formed when the British Isles were threatened by invasion.

In 1944, the tables were turned and it was Germany which was threatened with invasion. By October 1944, the Germans had already created the Volkssturm, which was Germany’s version of Britain’s Home Guard.

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This week in the War, 20–26 November 1944: Henry the Fifth—the Movie

Posted on November 24, 2016 by secondbysecond

Laurence Olivier, photo by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 [Public domain]

Laurence Olivier, photo by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 [Public domain]

Henry V --- from Cassell's History of England, 1902 [Public domain]

Henry V — from Cassell’s History of England, 1902 [Public domain]

This week in the war saw the release, on 22 November 1944, of the movie Henry V—based upon the play by William Shakespeare.

The movie won an Oscar (in 1946) for Laurence Olivier, who was the director and also played the star role.

Many say that Olivier’s Henry V was the first successful screen adaptation of a Shakespearian play. Either way, the movie was a big success.

British audiences made the connection between the current Allied invasion of France (D-Day) and Henry’s invasion of France, which would lead to eventual victory (at the Battle of Agincourt). [Perhaps few made the connection that England’s last war against France had been as recent as July 1940, when the Royal Navy had attacked and sunk French warships in harbour in Algeria.]

 

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This week in the War, 13–19 November 1944: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo—The Movie

Posted on November 17, 2016 by secondbysecond

Spencer Tracy (left) as Colonel James Doolittle in the movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo [Public domain]

Spencer Tracy (left) as Colonel James Doolittle in the movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo [Public domain]

Barely two months after the Pearl Harbour attack, the United States began planning a reprisal raid against Japan. The result was the attack against Tokyo and other targets in April 1942.

The so-called Doolittle Raid was led by Lt. Col. James Doolittle who commanded the attacking force of B-25 Mitchell medium bombers flying from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet.

This week in the war, 15 November 1944, saw the release of Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, the movie that described the story of the raid.

Ellen Lawson (Phyllis Thaxter), wife of flier Ted Lawson (Van Johnson) say goodbye before he ships out to take part in the Doolittle mission in the movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo [Public domain]

Ellen Lawson (Phyllis Thaxter), wife of flier Ted Lawson (Van Johnson) say goodbye before he ships out to take part in the Doolittle mission in the movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo [Public domain]

The movie was acclaimed for its authenticity (using actual footage taken from battle) and its attention to the human element.

The movie starred Spencer Tracy in the role of Doolittle. It also starred Van Johnson in the role of Ted Lawson, one of the B-25 pilots, and Phyllis Thaxter as his wife, Ellen.

Lawson was in one of the many planes that ran out of fuel before reaching the pre-arranged landing fields in China. The Chinese helped him to reach safety but not before his wounds required the amputation of a leg.

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In the news: Remembrance Day/Veterans Day—11 November

Posted on November 11, 2016 by secondbysecond

In Flanders Fields---John McCrae [Public domain, wikimedia commons]Friday 11 November 2016 — Remembrance Day

Once again, we gather to remember that eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when the guns fell silent and the Great War ended.

It is time to honour and remember the veterans of all wars and to hear the words of John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields recited beside cenotaphs and war memorials around the world.

Poppies in Manitoba [Photo: Edith-Mary Smith]

Poppies in Manitoba [Photo: Edith-Mary Smith]

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This week in the War, 6–12 November 1944: United States presidential election makes history

Posted on November 9, 2016 by secondbysecond

Poster advocating the election of FDR for an unprecedented fourth term in office, 1944 [Public domain]

Poster advocating the election of FDR for an unprecedented fourth term in office, 1944 [Public domain]

This week in the war, on 7 November 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt made history by becoming the first (and last) president of the United States to be elected to a fourth term in office.

Roosevelt defeated the Republican challenger, New York governor, Thomas E. Dewey.

During the election campaign, there was much mudslinging and some bizarre claims, including a Republican allegation that Roosevelt had dispatched a US Navy warship to bring home his Scottish Terrier, Fala.

Roosevelt won the election handily, in part due to public confidence inspired by American victories in Europe and the Pacific.

Roosevelt would not complete his term as president. He died on 12 April 1945 and was succeeded in office by his Vice-President, Harry S. Truman.

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This week in the War, 30 Oct–5 Nov 1944: RAF raid Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark

Posted on November 3, 2016 by secondbysecond

Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark, 1944 [Public domain]

Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark, 1944 [Public domain]

This week in the war, on 31 October 1944, the RAF launched a precision bombing raid against the Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark.

The Danes had appealed to Britain to bomb the headquarters to destroy files that were being used with great effectiveness to combat the Resistance inside Denmark.

The headquarters were located in a dormitory at the University of Aarhus and posed a difficult target since there was a hospital on either side.

Two dozen RAF Mosquito fighter bombers made the 900-mile there-and-back trip across the North Sea and attacked at rooftop height.

Most of the files were destroyed and Gestapo personnel suffered heavy casualties. Aarhus Gestapo chief, SS Sturmbannfuehrer Eugen Schwitzgebel, was killed in the attack.

Danish resistance fighter, Pastor Harald Sandbaek, after been repeatedly tortured by his captors, was buried in the rubble but then escaped in the confusion and eventually made his way to Sweden.

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