The Second World War.

[Ennath]

September 6, 1939
Poland Reichenau’s 10th Army continues to lead the German advance, having already penetrated to the east of Lodz. Krakow falls to troops of List’s 14th Army. Tomasow Mazowiecki falls. The Polish government and supreme command leave Warsaw. They issue orders for their forces to retire to the line of the Rivers Narew, Vistula, and San. The Luftwaffe now dominates the skies and is playing havoc with Polish communications.
Diplomatic Relations South Africa declares war on Germany.
Britain Two Spitfires shoot down two Hurricanes by accident during an air raid warning, which turns out to be false. The incident is known as the “Battle of Barking Creek”.
France, Home Front A 72-hour work week is introduced in munitions plants.
War at Sea The Admiralty begins coastal convoys.
Switzerland The government announces that from now on only those with visas will be allowed entry. This is a setback for refugees from the Nazis.

September 6, 1940
Battle of the Atlantic During the night U-47 sinks three ships from Convoy SC-2 while surfaced. This tactic effectively counters British sonar. Another ship is sunk the next night.
Diplomatic Relations Finland agrees to the transit of German troops through the country to northern Norway in return for German weapons and equipment.

September 6, 1941
Japan, Policy Konoye gives in to military pressure and an Imperial Conference decides that, in view of the declining oil stocks, war preparations should be completed by mid-October and that if no agreement is reached by then that the decision for war should be taken. Konoye continues to make conciliatory proposals to the US but is judged insincere despite the advice of US Ambassador Grew that if no agreement is reached the moderate Konoye might be replaced by a military dictatorship.
The Holocaust By order of Heydrich, head of the German security services (SD, a division of the SS) and the security police, all Jews over the age of six are to wear a distinguishing yellow Star of David badge. This measure is only one token of the increasing barbarity with which the Jews are being treated. Experiments are being conducted at the Auschwitz concentration camp with various methods of mass extermination. The gas Zyklon-B is being tested.
Eastern Front Yelnya falls to the Soviets. The offensive in this sector halts two days later at the new German defense line. The battle is the first substantial German reverse in Russia.

September 6, 1942
Eastern Front Novorossisk falls to Army Group A after several days of fighting. Both sides reinforce the fight for Stalingrad.
North Africa The Battle of Alam Halfa comes to an end and the Axis forces are back in their original positions. They discover that large reinforcements for Montgomery are on the way and that, unless they also receive considerable help, 8th Army will win in the end. Rommel sets his forces to prepare elaborate fixed defenses of barbed wire, minefields, and booby traps. The 8th Army is busy regrouping, absorbing new equipment, and training for the coming assault.
New Guinea The Australians mop up remaining pockets of Japanese resistance at Milne Bay. They retreat on the Kokoda Trail, however.
Pacific The battleship South Dakota strikes a coral reef off Tonga and is seriously damaged.

September 6, 1943
Italy The 8th Army continues to advance slowly up the toe of Calabria, capturing Palmi and Delianuova. There is little German resistance but demolitions cause much delay.
Eastern Front It is another successful day for the Red Army. Makeyevka, just west of Stalino, Kroamtorsk, and Slavyansk are all taken, as is the important rail town of Konotop. The Germans continue withdrawing from the Don basin leaving “scorched earth” in front of the Russians and destroying the equipment of the coal mines.
Solomons The Japanese on Arundel begin to fight back strongly. The Americans are advancing against the Bomboe and Stima Peninsulas. The forces on Vella Lavella are now mostly New Zealanders.
New Guinea Two brigades of Australian 9th Division advancing west toward Lae meet strong Japanese resistance on the river crossings. The third brigade of the division is landed.

September 6-9, 1943
Arctic The Tirpitz and Scharnhorst make a sortie to bombard Spitzbergen, landing troops to destroy the few small installations there. The base is reestablished on October 15.

September 6, 1944
Western Front Canadian forces reach the Channel between Boulogne and Calais. US 1st Army crosses the Meuse at several points south of Namur. Ghent, Courtrai, and Armentieres all fall to 21st Army Group. In the south, French troops take Chalons-sur-Saone.
Eastern Front The Soviet advance through Rumania reaches the Yugoslav border on the Danube at Turnu-Severin. In the north Ostrolenka falls, only 25 miles from the East Prussian border. The Soviets establish bridgeheads over the Narew. In Warsaw, the AK has been pushed out of Powisle after three days of fighting.
Bulgaria With the approach of the Red Army, the Communists begin a series of strikes.
United States, Home Front The army is able to announce that it will demobilize 1 million men when the war with Germany is over.
Britain, Home Front The Minister for Home Security relaxes blackout and other civil defense duties. The War Office ends compulsory training and drills for the Home Guard.

September 6-8, 1944
Carolines Admiral Mitscher’s TF 38, with 16 carriers, attacks Palau.

September 6, 1945
New Britain Japanese forces at Rabaul surrender.

September 6, 1946
American Technology The first missile launch from a ship. A V-2 is launched from the flight deck of the USS Midway.

[Ennath]

September 7, 1937
China Paoshan, north of Shanghai, falls to the Japanese.

September 7, 1939
Western Front French patrols cross the frontier into Germany, near Saarbrücken. The French mobilization is too slow and their tactical system, geared to the defensive, is too inflexible to permit any grander operation. These gentle probings continue until September 17 when a larger advance is meant to begin, but this will be cancelled because the Polish collapse makes it pointless. This is effectively the start of the “Phony War” in which the main armies face each other without fighting, waiting in vain for some diplomatic development.
Poland The Polish naval base at Westerplatte surrenders after repeated German bombardments. The Polish command decides that it will be impossible to hold the line of the Narew although the order to do so has only been in force for one day. The forces in the Narew area are to retire to the Bug. German forces reach Pultusk, 30 miles from Warsaw.
Battle of the Atlantic The first British Atlantic convoys set out. The convoy system has already been reintroduced on the east coast. Although escorts can only be provided as far as 12.5 degrees West, they do provide effective protection against U-Boats. Many of the faster ships and some particularly slow ones do not sail in convoy either now or later in the war. During 1939, almost all U-Boat successes are against such independents.
Admiral Raeder orders that “in order not to provoke neutral countries, the United States in particular, it is forbidden to torpedo passenger steamers, even when sailing in convoy. Warfare against French merchant ships, attacks on French warships, and minelaying off French ports is prohibited.” The order is in response to the sinking of the Athenia. By early 1941, however, the rules are found to be too restrictive.
Germany, Home Front The death penalty is decreed for anyone “endangering the defensive power of the German people”.
Britain, Home Front The National Registration Act requires everyone to possess an ID card.

September 7, 1940
Battle of Britain The British authorities decide that they have information that a German landing is likely in the next few days and accordingly they issue an invasion warning. This warning is in the form of the code word “Cromwell” which means that invasion is imminent and its issue causes some wild measures to be taken. In fact this signal has been chosen because its true meaning corresponds most nearly to the needs of bringing about a higher state of readiness. No other code word has this effect. Roadblocks are manned and bridges blown, but the Germans never show up.
The Germans alter their tactics and send a major daytime raid against London. This gives the RAF a welcome respite from airfield attacks, which have been so damaging in the last few days. The attack on London follows from a suggestion of Hitler which coincides with Göring’s own theories. The German idea is that the RAF will be forced to commit its carefully hoarded reserves and that they can then be destroyed. Kesselring’s 2nd Air Fleet is to attack London by day with its 500 bombers and 600 fighters. Sperrle is to attack by night with about 300 bombers as all his fighters have been transferred to Kesselring. In addition, there are about 100 Bf110’s and over 200 Stukas. The British have about 350 fighters in their front-line squadrons with more in reserve. Park is modifying his tactics slightly to cope with the bigger German formations and now intends pairing his squadrons whenever possible.
In the afternoon the Germans send 300 bombers and 600 fighters to attack targets in the London dock area. The change in tactics comes as a surprise and the British do not intercept well. The bombing is quite effective. The Luftwaffe loses 41 aircraft and Fighter Command 28. During the night, Sperrle follows up the attack with 250 bombers using the still-blazing fires to guide them to their target. The damage is serious. There is still little the RAF can do at night to achieve interception although the first airborne radar sets are just coming into operation. Despite the damage done it is clear that the casualties and the disruption of civilian life are not as great as prewar fears suggested. There is no question of the Germans achieving a decisive result in these operations. The attacks will become known as “the Blitz” to the British public.
The change in tactics has several drawbacks. With a focus on London, the British have effective advance knowledge of the destination of German formations. The airfields are available for rest and repair. Finally, London is at the extreme edge of the range of the Bf109, which means that escorts can only spend about ten minutes over the target before having to head for home.

September 7, 1941
Eastern Front The Germans shell and bomb Leningrad. Delayed-action mines are also dropped and cause many deaths. But the greatest problem for the defenders is how to feed three million people. The Finns reach the Svir, 100 miles northeast of Leningrad. Also in East Karelia, the Finns take Nurmoila and repulse a counterattack.
Europe, Air Operations The heaviest raid yet on Berlin marks the first anniversary of the London Blitz.
North Africa A US merchant ship is sunk by German aircraft in the Gulf of Suez.

September 7, 1942
New Guinea Japanese resistance at Milne Bay comes to an end. It is the first real check the Japanese have suffered in jungle fighting, a field in which they have so far been unchallenged.
Allied Diplomacy The United States and Cuba conclude an agreement on military and naval cooperation.

September 7-8, 1942
Guadalcanal A force of Marine Raiders, about 600 strong, lands to attack the Japanese base at Taivu. They do considerable damage and disrupt Japanese preparations for an attack on the main American position.

September 7, 1943
Italy 8th Army takes Bova Marina.
Corsica Partisans begin a general revolt against the Axis garrison.
Eastern Front The Soviets take Baturin, east of Konotop, and Zvenkov, in the Kharkov sector. The Germans begin to evacuate Stalino. Army Group A from the Caucasus, or rather what is left of it, is incorporated into Army Group South. The Smolensk offensive has outrun its supply and is halted to replenish.

September 7, 1944
Western Front British and American units cross the Albert Canal east of Antwerp. Other American units have nearly reached Liege. Although the advance seems to be going smoothly, despite supply problems, the Germans have been building new armies behind the lines. The Allies are not yet aware of these.
Eastern Front Hungarian 2nd Army moves to secure the Carpathian passes, but is checked by Rumanian troops.
Italy During the night the Germans withdraw from their positions on the hills north of Florence.
China On the Salween, the Chinese complete the mopping up of the Sung Shan area.

September 7, 1946
American Technology The US Navy announces plans to develop nuclear-powered submarines. The first, USS Nautilus, enters service in 1957.

September 7, 1949
Germany The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) is established from the US, British, and French zones. Its capital is Bonn. The United States, Britain, and France guarantee the defense of the new state. Military government ends on the 21st. The Minister of Economic Affairs, Ludwig Erhard, soon begins the policies that will lead to the Wirtschaftswunder (Economic Miracle) of the 1950’s; most other western European states will experience comparable growth during this decade.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by Ennath

Battle of the Atlantic The liner SS Athenia is torpedoed off the northwest coast of Ireland by U-30 as it is believed to be an auxiliary cruiser. There are 112 dead, including 28 Americans. Britain believes that this is the start of unrestricted submarine warfare but in fact after this the German naval authorities impose even stricter controls. The controls are gradually removed after about the middle of October.

The Athenia incident was the first real taste of hostilities in Britain. One of the survivors was James Goodson, an American who went on to be one of the leading fighter pilots in the Eighth Air Force. In his memoir Tumult in the Clouds (an excellent book which I really recommend) he gives a haunting and poignant description of the events around the sinking. Most pitiful of all was when the Norwegian tanker Knute Nelson dropped her survivors off at Galway, the nearest neutral port, and Goodson was part of the last group off the ship. At the bottom of the gangway he was greeted by a ten year old boy and an eight year old girl, who were from the party rescued by the American City of Flint, asking with dignity and composure whether Goodson and his companions had seen their mother and father. He had not; and there were no other survivors left. The children accepted this bleak news quietly and went away.

Goodson on the other hand conceived a burning hatred for Germany and the Germans which he only lost when he was taken prisoner in 1944, was (to his own surprise) decently treated and had an opportunity to see the war from their side during a ferocious daylight raid on Berlin. Volunteers were needed to rescue screaming people trapped in collapsed buildings; Goodson refused to give his parole, so his two Luftwaffe guards, an officer and an OR, could not volunteer. The officer listened to the screaming and said "Herr Major; I beg you. Please." Goodson listened to the screaming, thought about it again, and said; "I give my word not to try to escape until this rescue is over." He and his two guards joined the German rescue party and he gained intimate knowledge of what his work as part of the Eighth Air Force meant on the receiving end.

Because he was smaller, lighter and more nimble than the 50+ men in the civilian rescue party and the two reservist Luftwaffe troops, Goodson was the one who crawled through to the last cellar where there was a baby crying. He found the 18 year old mother trapped under a beam, and with her dying breath she forced him to promise to protect and care for her baby. It was her dying last wish and she had no one else there to ask. The German Red Cross took the baby from him and (he was the enemy of course) refused to tell him where they were taking her; he spent years, every time he visited Germany on business after the war, trying without success to trace that baby, because it always troubled him that he had not kept his promise to the dying woman, even though it wasn't his fault.

You see, the big shots call the tune, but the little people are the ones who have to pay the piper.

[Ennath]

September 8, 1925
Morocco The Franco-Spanish counteroffensive in Morocco gets under way and gains quick success. By the end of May 1926, the revolt is all but over.

September 8, 1926
GermanyGermany joins the League of Nations. This step illustrates the progress being made by the Weimar Republic during this comparatively untroubled period. Although the radical parties of the left and right have a considerable following, they are not a major force in German affairs.

September 8, 1935
United States, Politics Louisiana senator Huey Long is assassinated in Baton Rouge. An example of the sort of demagogue who has benefited from the Depression, he ruled Louisiana as virtual dictator. His popularity was such that he was being considered by many as a rival to Roosevelt for the 1936 elections.

September 8, 1939
Poland Advance units of Reichenau’s army reach the southeastern suburbs of Warsaw late in the day. The commander of the Warsaw garrison, General Czuma, issues a defiant Order of the Day: “We shall fight to the last ditch!” Other portions of 10th Army are heavily engaged around Radom. List’s army reaches the San north and south of Przemysl. In the north, Guderian’s Panzer Corps is attacking along the line of the Bug east of Warsaw. Behind the main front, isolated Lodz falls to the Germans. German forces in Pomerania begin their attack toward Gdynia, gradually pushing the Poles back toward the coast.
United States, Home Front Roosevelt declares a state of “limited national emergency”. The armed forces are authorized to increase enlisted manpower and recall reservists.

September 8, 1940
Battle of Britain There is relatively little activity, but the day is important because of a decision by Dowding that Fighter Command units in southeast England should have the right to select the best pilots to keep their experienced squadrons up to strength despite the effects this will have on other parts of the Command and on planning for the future.
Diplomatic Relations Rumania suffers another loss. The Treaty of Craiova cedes south Dobruja to Bulgaria.

September 8, 1941
Eastern Front Between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega the continuing Finnish attacks cross the Svir and take Lodenoye Polye, cutting the rail line south from Murmansk. At this time of year it is still possible to use Archangelsk as the entrepot for British and American supplies to the Soviet Union, but during the winter the Soviets will be unable to fulfill their promise to attend to the icebreaking in the frozen White Sea. It will therefore be necessary to build a new rail line to Murmansk.
The Germans open a new attack toward Murmansk itself. The attackers grind forward at heavy cost.
The Germans begin operations to occupy the Estonian islands. Vormsi is captured with ease.
An OKH decree states that Red Army prisoners have “forfeited all rights.”

September 8-14, 1941
Mediterranean A further 69 Hurricanes are flown to Malta by Force H.

September 8, 1942
New Guinea Australian forces on the Kokoda Trail are pushed back from positions near Efogi.
France, Politics General de St. Vincent, the Military Governor of Lyons, is dismissed by the Vichy authorities for refusing to help arrest Jews in his area.

September 8, 1943
Italy 8th Army takes Locri and Pizzo.
Diplomatic Relations The Italian surrender is announced, first by Eisenhower and then by Badoglio. The main body of the Italian fleet sails from La Spezia and Genoa with three battleships, six cruisers, and nine destroyers to surrender at Malta.
Eastern Front The Soviets move in to occupy Stalino and also take Yasinovataya nearby and Krasnoarmysk. The Donets basin is entirely clreared.
Solomons Both sides reinforce their troops on Arundel as the fighting continues.
New Guinea The Americans advancing on Lae from the east win an engagement at Saingaua but are held up for the moment on the line of the Busu River. The Japanese begin to withdraw from Salamaua as the Australians push forward in that sector. Lae is shelled by four US destroyers.

September 8, 1944
V-Weapons The first V-2 rocket lands in the Chiswick area of London. This new weapon is far more formidable than the V-1. The V-1 can be intercepted and shot down; one can also hear it coming and take some precautions. The V-2 is supersonic – the first one hears it is when it hits. It cannot be intercepted and its accuracy is excellent. While the V-1 is a flying bomb, essentially a pilotless plane, the V-2 is a true missile; its advent marks the dawn of the guided missile age. Fortunately, it carries only a small warhead.
The main target of the V-2 attacks is England, particularly London, but from October Antwerp also becomes a major target in order to prevent the Allies making use of the port. Hitler’s objective, the breaking of British morale, is not achieved. Instead they only increase British resolve to finish Hitler.
For all its technical sophistication, a day’s V2 bombardment barely equals the effect of a single Allied bomber over Germany.
Western Front US VII Corps takes Liege. Canadian troops capture Nieupoort and Ostend. In the south, US troops take Besancon. The Belgian government returns to Brussels.
Italy After two days of rain, 8th Army renews its attacks on the Gemmano and Coriano ridges without success.
Eastern Front The Soviets begin an offensive in the Dukla Pass on the Slovak-Polish border in an attempt to reach the Slovak rebels. This hurriedly-planned operation causes heavy losses on both sides and bogs down for nearly two months.
Diplomatic Relations Under Soviet pressure, Bulgaria declares war on Germany.
Yugoslavia The Germans move to disarm Bulgarian troops in the country. Although 5000 in Bitolj lay down their arms after only brief resistance, the garrisons at Prilep and Skoplje fight stubbornly. It takes several days for the Germans to secure Skoplje, but they have to beat off several Bulgarian attacks to the south.
China On the Salween front the reinforced Japanese open an offensive north of Lung-ling. The US air bases at Kweilin and Liuchow are threatened.

September 8, 1945
Korea US troops arrive to accept the Japanese surrender in the southern part of the country.

September 8, 1951
Diplomatic Relations 49 nations sign the Japanese peace treaty in San Francisco, restoring Japanese sovereignty. The treaty is to become effective in April. Japan embarks on three decades of explosive economic growth.

[tygrkhat40]

Re scoundrel's post on James Goodson: This is why they were the greatest generation.

[Ennath]

September 9, 1936
Diplomatic Relations The first meeting of the Non-Intervention Committee convenes. Britain and France, joined cynically by Italy and Germany, establish naval patrols to prevent foreign involvement in the Spanish Civil War.

September 9, 1938
France The Army calls up reserves in case of war.

September 9, 1939
Poland The German 4th Panzer Division mounts an attack in the southeastern suburbs of Warsaw but is beaten off. The German command believes that almost all of the Polish forces have retired east of the Vistula, but in fact unfought units from the Poznan Army and part of the Pomorze Group have joined together around Kutno. About 10 Polish divisions are assembled in this area under General Kutrzeba. They now begin a counterattack over the Bzura River against German 8th Army, battering a German division. The battles which follow will be the hardest fought of the campaign. For the first two or three days, the Poles gain some success. In the north, the Germans begin attacks on the Hel Peninsula.
Western Front French troops advance into the Warndt Forest across the German border and occupy 3 square miles of German territory. The action is widely viewed as having more propaganda than military purpose, since the region, referred to by the French as “occupied Germany”, is deserted, heavily mined, and booby-trapped.

September 9, 1940
Battle of Britain The Germans send about 200 bombers, well escorted, to bomb London. They are intercepted by strong RAF forces and many are compelled to drop their bombs before reaching their targets. The air battle is very fierce. The British lose 19 planes and the Germans 28.
Britain, Home Front The fist cross-Channel duel of heavy guns occurs at the Dover Strait.
United States, Politics A new $5.5 billion appropriations bill becomes law. Contracts are placed for 210 new vessels for the navy, including seven battleships and 12 carriers.
West Africa Six French warships leave Toulon bound for Dakar. They are reported to the British forces too late and reach Dakar despite the efforts of the squadrons now en route to Dakar to attack.
India The French Settlements in India declare for the Free French.

September 9, 1941
Eastern Front The Spanish volunteer “Blue Division” arrives in the Leningrad sector. This gesture to Hitler also helps Franco to get many of the pro-intervention hotheads out of Spain.
Iran Final terms are agreed by the Iranian government. The British and Soviets are to occupy certain key points but are to keep out of Teheran.

September 9, 1942
Eastern Front Hitler sacks General List from command of Army Group A and assumes personal control. Soviet resistance on the Taman Peninsula ends.
Europe, Air Operations In a raid on Düsseldorf, the RAF makes use of the two-ton “block-buster” bomb for the first time.
Guadalcanal Japanese 17th Army commander General Hyakutake, lands at Tassafaronga with elements of 2nd Division.
United States, Home Front A Japanese submarine-launched seaplane drops incendiaries near Brookings, Oregon, in an attempt to start forest fires. There is no significant damage.

September 9, 1943
Italy The Allies land at Salerno and Taranto. British 1st Airborne Division lands by sea at Taranto and seizes the port without opposition but the main landings at Salerno are more difficult. The landing forces are from General Clark’s 5th Army. On the left flank groups of US Rangers and British Commandos land at Maiori and Vietri, with orders to advance north and capture passes through the hills toward Naples. Both landings are successful. British X Corps lands on beaches immediately south of Salerno. There are some mistakes made and German resistance is stronger here but the troops manage to get ashore fairly well. The southern assault force is from US VI Corps and lands around Paestum. American losses on the approach are fairly heavy because they adhere more strictly than the British to Clark’s order that there be no supporting bombardment. Once they land, however, the resistance is less intense.
In the south, 8th Army continues to advance fairly slowly due to demolitions and poor roads.
The Germans move to disarm the Italian army and occupy the country. There is some fighting in Rome but the Italian plans have not been well prepared and the government and Royal family have to leave for the south, allowing the Germans to take over. Some fighting also occurs at Parma, but on the whole, Italian units do not resist. In many cases, the Italian soldiers are shipped off to German prison camps. The Germans bitterly resent Italy’s “treachery” and the prisoners are harshly treated; some 50,000 die in captivity.
Corsica Italian troops at Bastia drive off the Germans. Several German small craft are sunk.
Mediterranean German aircraft attack the Italian fleet en route to Malta and the battleship Roma is sunk by a glider bomb. Several other ships are damaged.
France The German army replaces the Italian garrison in Monaco.
Eastern Front Advancing west from Konotop, the Soviets take Bakhmach after a brisk fight. German 17th Army begins to pull out of its forward positions in the Kuban.
Yugoslavia and Greece The Germans take over responsibility for Croatia, Greece, and the Yugoslav coast and islands. This is often accompanied by violence toward the Italian garrisons.
Italian troops are also disarmed by partisan forces, providing them with much needed heavy weapons. Partisan forces also massacre a large number of Italian civilians – the so-called Foibe massacres – estimates of the number of victims range from 2000 to 15,000.
New Guinea The Australians manage to force some small units across the Busu. Japanese counterattacks are repulsed.
Diplomatic Relations Iran declares war on Germany.

September 9-11, 1943
Aegean A strong German force compels the surrender of the Italian garrison on Rhodes. The British are planning their own descent on the Dodecanese and the loss of Rhodes is a blow to their plans.

September 9, 1944
Western Front Canadian troops take Bruges, while in the south the French take Beaune, Le Creusot, and Autun. US troops cross the Dutch border near Maastricht. The Allies estimate that they have captured about 300 V-1 launching sites in northern France.
Italy 8th Army steps up its attacks on the ridges.
Eastern Front The Germans are concentrating forces in Hungary for a counterattack.
France, Politics Georges Bidault is appointed Foreign Minister.
Bulgaria, Politics A coup occurs in Sofia and a new government is formed by the Fatherland Front, which opposed the Germans. Although originally composed of all shades of political opinion, the Communists, aided by the presence of the Red Army, will soon dominate the government. Although the takeover is bloodless, purges will follow.

September 9-11, 1944
The Philippines US carrier aircraft attack airfields on Mindanao.

[palo5]

Originally Posted by squigg58

Speaking of big guns ...

Not on-topic for WW2 and I was unsure about posting this, but since you mention big guns on aircraft, I have read on Wiki that the Americans have used 105 mm guns, on C-130s iirc

I have even read that they have used 120 mm guns on the same aircraft, but can't remember where I saw this

That is seriously big, but I don't understand why they are needed - you know, if they have all those bombs and gatling guns...

[scoundrel]

A little supplementary: SS Athenia was torpedoed by U30, a first generation Kriegmarine U Boat built in 1935-6. The U Boat commander was Kapitanleutnant Fritz Julius Lemp. Germany only instituted unrestricted submarine warfare in October 1939 and Lemp had orders not to sink passenger liners, but he mistook the identity of Athenia and attacked her in the belief that she was an armed merchant cruiser, a warship and a legal target. The 28 US citizens killed were a political problem for the Germans, who dealt with it by denying any of their submarines was responsible. When U30 returned to port a month later, Doenitz (on Raeder's orders) was waiting to see Lemp, and ordered him to disclose the incident to no one; Lemp's logbook was forged to conceal the entries on the Athenia. These facts only came to light in 1946 at Nuremberg when Doenitz testified. Interestingly, Doenitz was convicted of waging unrestricted submarine warfare, the Athenia being an example, but no sentence was imposed. Admiral Nimitz supported Doenitz and opposed his being charged on that specific point, having himself waged unrestricted submarine warfare on Japan. Nimitz had no time for double standards and in fact it would have been a real stain had Doenitz been punished for waging war the same way the Allies did; Nimitz was quite right to make the point.

As for Fritz Lemp, he ended up skipper of U110 and it was his submarine which was boarded by HMS Bulldog and his Enigma machine which was captured. Lemp did not forget to set scuttling charges when he abandoned the boat, but the charges didn't go off. It is thought that Lemp drowned himself on purpose when he realised that the British would take the Enigma machine. There is an alternative story that he swam back and tried to re-board in order to re-set the explosive charges, and that the British shot him to prevent that; but the commander of Bulldog's boardng party denied that any shot was fired.

[sydney1]

One story that has been etched into my mind and one that definitely should not ever be forgotten is how SAS officer 'discovered' Bergen-Belsen. I won't make anymore comments. Just read:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...e-of-Hell.html

Also this is interview with Mady Gerrard who was rescued by Officer Randall and his men. They eventually met after sixty years.


http://herefordshire.greatbritishlif...designer-6837/

[palo5]

Originally Posted by sydney1

... Bergen-Belsen...

I visited there once. The area seemed small, compared with other places

People said that birds don't sing there, but it's not true - they do