The Second World War.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by knobby109

And that was only a relatively small bomb if the caption (250 Kg) is correct.

Small is relative; that's about 550lbs and one hell of a bang. British ordnance reached 22,000lbs with the Grand Slam or Earthquake Bomb, which only a specially modified Lancaster could carry.

[Nobody1]

Originally Posted by Ennath

Read somewhere that when unexploded ordnance is discovered in Germany, the federal government pays for its removal if it's of German origins, but if it’s Allied stuff, the bill falls to the state government.

Most bombs are discovered during construction projects. The costs for removal and disposal pays the respective federal country in Germany. Sometimes, the property developer has to bear these costs. But only if the building land has not been tested by the property developer on remnants from WWII. There are no costs for the enemy.

And now for something completely different.

While reading an article on one of my favorite websites (Cracked) i came across this interesting photo gallery. Have fun.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...mpaign/100140/

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/pages/ww2/

[Ennath]

August 30, 1939
Britain The Royal Navy disperses to war stations.
France Evacuation of children from Paris begins.
Poland The Poles begin calling up reserve units. International pressure for negotiations causes mobilization to halt, but it is restarted later in the day. The Polish mobilization is thrown into some confusion.

August 30, 1940
Battle of Britain The Germans again attack airfields in Kent and an aircraft factory at Luton. Kesselring has several small groups attack every 30 minutes. This saturation proves too much for interception of every raid, but it also means that the fighters are flying 4-5 missions in 12 hours. The important sector station at Biggin Hill is severely hit as is Luton Airport. The arrival of Bader’s Canadians proves timely for the defenders. The Germans lose 36 planes and the British 26. Hitler announces that he will make a decision on Operation Sealion – the invasion of Britain – about September 10. This will mean that any landings will begin on the 21st.
Diplomatic Relations Hungary and Bulgaria have recently been trying to pick a quarrel with Rumania so that, following the example of Russia, they can seize portions of Rumanian territory which they claim. The Germans do not wish their grain and oil supplies to be threatened by a Balkan war and therefore intervene to adjudicate the dispute. A conference is called at Vienna and by the Vienna Award, Hungary is given a large part of Transylvania. Rumania can only acquiesce.
Vichy signs an agreement with Japan to end supply shipments to China through Indochina.

August 30, 1941
Eastern Front In the Leningrad sector the Germans take Mga, cutting the last railroad link between Leningrad and the rest of the USSR. It is effectively the beginning of the siege.Finnish troops penetrate the old Mannerheim Line; they reach the 1939 border the next day. The Soviets launch an offensive against the German salient at Yelnya near Smolensk. A new Rumanian attack on Odessa fails; attacks continue through September 6.
North Sea The “Shetland Bus” begins operation, running men and supplies between the Shetland Islands and occupied Norway.
August 30, 1942
Guadalcanal Henderson Field receives 18 more fighters and 12 dive bombers. Japanese dive bombers sink the fast American transport Colhoun off the coast.
Eastern Front Soviet forces escape encirclement by 48th Panzer Corps south of Stalingrad. They pull back across the Chervlennaya River, leaving penal battalions as a rearguard.

August 30-31, 1942
North Africa Rommel’s forces begin a final attempt to clear the British out of Egypt. Already, however, British preparations have been more extensive than he realizes. Much has been done to reconstitute formations shattered earlier in the summer and the British intelligence is very effective, enabling Montgomery to improve on the already good dispositions established by Auchinleck. Rommel has received some reinforcements, particularly the German 164th Division and a parachute brigade. He is desperately short of supplies and decides to mount his attack on the strength of promises of future shipments. As well as helping the Royal Navy strike at the supply routes, the RAF is now dominant in the skies over the desert and will cause Rommel many casualties.
As usual the cutting edge of Rommel’s attack is the German tank formations and these are sent, shortly before midnight, to break through the British minefields between Alam Nayil and Qaret el Himeimat on the southern flank. Once this is done, the plan is for them to push east of Alam Halfa and then north to the coast. The British minefields are more elaborate and better defended than Rommel’s staff has anticipated and progress is slow. Indeed by 0800 on the 31st, Rommel wishes to call off the attack but is persuaded not to. Instead he orders an earlier turn north and a direct attack on Alam Halfa Ridge but this runs into prepared British positions and is beaten off. His flank is now being threatened by British 7th Armored Division. The Afrika Korps has been bombarded all day by British artillery and the RAF. This continues for the rest of the battle, giving the Germans no rest.

August 30, 1943
Eastern Front The Soviets take Yelnya, on the approach to Smolensk, and Taganrog in the south.
Diplomatic Relations The period given for Italian surrender is about to expire but no decision has been made in Rome. The Italian negotiators are summoned to Sicily.
General Keitel issues instructions for the occupation of Italy when the time comes. The primary concern will be to quickly disarm the Italian forces.

August 30, 1944
France, Politics General de Gaulle’s Provisional Government is installed in Paris and begins work.
Western Front British XXX Corps takes Beauvais in an accelerating advance. Rouen is liberated. US troops are approaching Verdun.
Southern France US and French forces are advancing on Lyons.
Italy 8th Army begins attacks on the Gothic Line. The Polish Corps is fighting at Pesaro.
Eastern Front The Russians take Ploesti. Most of the Rumanian oilfields are now in Russian hands, further increasing the shortages imposed on the Germans by the Allied bombing offensive.
Czechoslovakia Due to confusion among the rising’s leaders, the two most heavily armed divisions in Slovak Army are disarmed without a shot fired. “Free Slovak Radio” calls for a general rising.
Yugoslavia Discontented ministers in the Croatian government attempt a coup against Pavelic. It fails and they are executed. The Croatian army will join the Germans in their retreat northward into early 1945.
Aegean The Germans begin evacuating troops from the Greek islands.

August 30, 1945
Japan Units of US 11th Airborne Division fly in to Atsugi Airfield, while 4th Marine Regiment lands at Yokosuka, to begin the occupation of Japan.
Unlike the situation in Germany, this will be a strictly American affair. The Soviets had hoped for a share of territory but their participation in the war has been too brief to make a credible claim.
Hong Kong A British naval squadron reoccupies the colony.
Germany The Allied Control Council is formally constituted.

[Ennath]

August 31, 1932
Germany, Politics General Schleicher announces that unless Germany is given permission to rearm, she will be forced to act unilaterally for the “reorganization of its security forces.”

August 31-September 3, 1933
Germany, Home Front The first Nazi Party rally since coming to power takes place in Nuremberg.

August 31, 1935
United States, Politics The Neutrality Act is signed into law. This prevents financial assistance to any country involved in war and states that no protection can be offered to US citizens who enter a war zone. This grows from the widespread belief that US involvement in World War I was brought about by a desire to protect the profits of war contractors. Roosevelt, who has signed reluctantly, warns that the act’s “inflexible provisions might drag us into war instead of keeping us out.”

August 31, 1938
Britain, Politics Winston Churchill, out of power for years and just a back-bencher, suggests that if Britain, the USA, and Russia collectively asserted pressure on Germany, it might abandon its Sudeten claims. He finds no support in the government.

August 31, 1939
Germany, Politics Hitler decides to invade Poland on September 1. Mussolini proposes a European conference and the Polsh Ambassador in Berlin makes another futile offer to negotiate. Hitler signs the order at noon and German troops move up to the frontier. At 2000 hours, the German radio station at Gleiwitz, near the border, and the customs house at Hochlinde are “attacked”. The attackers are members of the SS in Polish uniforms and they leave behind some bodies (concentration camp inmates) in Polish uniforms to convince the world that Poland is the aggressor.
Mongolia Japanese 23rd Division has been largely destroyed. Mass air battles continue as ground operations wind down.

August 31, 1940
Battle of Britain The Germans maintain their concentrated attacks against British airfields. Biggin Hill is almost put out of action and Debden and Hornchurch are severely hit. The RAF loses 39 aircraft in the air and several more are hit on the ground. Luftwaffe losses are 41. Göring is now in measurable distance of achieving his objective of air superiority over southern England but is running out of time. Several airfields are more or less out of the fight. There are only two RAF sector stations in commission south of the Thames and three more airfields which might be used for this role. There is no reason why these might not be similarly damaged. This is the RAF’s most difficult period of the battle.
United States, Politics The United States embargoes all aviation fuel for use outside the Western Hemisphere. 60,000 National Guardsmen are called into federal service.

August 31, 1942
United States, Home Front The Secretary of Agriculture warns Roosevelt that it will probably be necessary to introduce meat rationing.
New Guinea The Australians go on the offensive at Milne Bay. The Japanese receive orders to go on the defensive.
Guadalcanal The Japanese land 1200 more troops on the island.
Eastern Front The Germans are within 16 miles of Stalingrad despite tenacious Soviet resistance. Further south, they strengthen their bridgehead at Mozdok, though resistance is stiffening. The Rumanian Cavalry Corps takes Anapa, preventing elements of Soviet 47th Army from escaping from the Taman Peninsula.

August 31, 1943
Eastern Front The Soviets take Rylsk and Glukhov after a 40-mile advance.
Diplomatic Relations In surrender negotiations, the Italians ask for guarantees against German reactions when the armistice is signed. The Allies insist that the armistice must be proclaimed at the same time as the Allies make their principal landings on the mainland.

August 31-September 1, 1943
Central Pacific Three US carriers (Independence, Essex, and Yorktown) attack Marcus Island. Losses on both sides are slight. The ships are from the newly formed Fast Carrier Task Force. At last the new American ships are beginning to come into action in large numbers.

August 31, 1944
Western Front British troops reach Amiens and cross the Somme. The Americans establish a bridgehead over the Meuse near Verdun. Attacks on Brest are temporarily suspended.
Italy 8th Army achieves a couple of penetrations in the Gothic Line. In the west, US troops follow a German withdrawal from some positions along the Arno.
Eastern Front The Soviets enter Bucharest. The Germans retreat.
Czechoslovakia With the fiasco of the previous day the Eastern Slovak Army is effectively out of the fight. The remaining forces, some 47,000 men, secure much of western Slovakia and attack eastward. Tiso’s loyalists still hold Bratislava.
New Guinea Operations on Noemfoor and the Vogelkop Peninsula are declared closed. US casualties have been 77 killed, 343 wounded, and 3 missing. The Japanese have lost 2100 dead and a surprising 400 captured.

August 31, 1945
Marcus Island The garrison surrenders to an American squadron.
Allied Diplomacy Truman write to Atlee, requesting that 100,000 Jews be admitted to Palestine. Meanwhile, he refuses to loosen US immigration quotas.

[Ennath]

September-October 1927
China Taking advantage of the confusion caused by the Communist risings, the northern warlords launch a counteroffensive into the Yangtze valley. The warlords are defeated in a great 5-day battle at Lungtan and the offensive is called off.

September 1930
Germany, Politics Many members of the left wing of the SA, unpaid and exhausted from campaigning, mutiny. Hitler recalls Röhm from Bolivia, where he has been training that country’s army, to reestablish control. The left wing is brought under firmer control and the SA members required to swear an oath of personal allegiance to Hitler.
Nazi intellectual Alfred Rosenberg publishes The Myth of the Twentieth Century, rejecting traditional religion and calling for the creation of a German Church, based on the forces of blood, race and soil. It becomes the second most influential Nazi text, after Mein Kampf.

September 1936
Spain Germany and Italy step up material aid to the Nationalists. Soviet Russia sends material to the Republicans. Germany’s support centers on the Condor Legion (aircraft, artillery, and tanks). Italy sends equipment and regular troops. Most such aid comes through Portugal. The Soviets send equipment, advisors, and a Communist-sponsored force of “International Brigades” from around the world. Both sides see the war as an opportunity to test new weapons and doctrines. Volunteers to both sides see it as the great clash of ideologies, a war against barbarism.
Diplomatic Relations A German propaganda campaign against Czechoslovakia begins. The Czechs are accused of mistreating the large ethnically German population of the Sudetenland and of basing Soviet planes for operations against Germany. The Czechs step up construction of frontier defenses.
France, Defense The rearmament program is renewed with a 14 billion franc appropriation, calling for 3200 new tanks. Results will be slow to emerge and production is initially hampered by several obstacles. After years of retrenchment and underinvestment, the French armaments industry is unable to meet the new demands, machine tools are old and outdated and the army’s insistence on the submission of numerous prototypes delays the deployment of new weapons systems. Results are finally starting to appear by early 1939, but much valuable time has been lost.

September 1937
China The Chinese Communists announce a “United Front” with the Kuomintang against Japan. The Red Army is to be reorganized under Nationalist supervision, but Mao insists on CCP independence within its own territory and autonomy of command. The United Front functions fairly smoothly for about a year, but by mid-1938, cracks in its structure are becoming apparent. From then on, both sides accuse the other of violations of the agreement and clashes between them increase.
The Japanese begin regular air raids against Amoy.
Palestine Two German agents are sent to Palestine to contact the Mufti’s organization. He probably begins working for them at this time.

September 1940
Battle of the Atlantic British problems in coastal waters increase when German S-Boats (motor torpedo boats) begin operations off the east coast. German submarines are increasingly introducing wolfpack tactics. The majority of U-Boat sinkings are still occurring off the Irish coast with 70% being achieved by surface attack by night. The U-Boats sink 59 ships out of a total loss of 100 ships of 448,600 tons.
Britain, Home Front Civilian casualties for the month are 6,954 dead and 10,615 injured.
Britain, Defenses The situation is much improved from June. Another 400 25-pounders have been issued, the number of anti-tank guns has gone from 176 to 500, and 1st Armored Division has gone from 80 old infantry tanks to 350 new cruiser tanks. There is no shortage of small arms.
France, Home Front Germany appoints special representatives, known in France as “weinführers” to confiscate French wines for shipment to Germany.
Europe, Air Operations The air defense of Germany is established based on the Kammhuber Line, three zones each with AA and searchlight units. Each zone also has two radars and radio beacons to control night fighters. The system is fairly successful until the summer of 1943. The first German experiments in radar jamming occur; they are not very successful.
Soviet Technology Rocket engineer Sergei Korolev is transferred from the Gulag to a scientific prison.

September 1941
Battle of the Atlantic Allied shipping losses increase this month to 84 ships of 285,900 tons. U-Boats account for 53 ships of 202,800 tons. There are important convoy battles around SC-42, which loses 20 ships and one escort. SL-97 and HG-73 suffer heavily also. Some U-Boats are sent to the Mediterranean late in the month.
Europe, Air Operations Among the targets for Bomber Command this month are Stettin, Hamburg, and Cologne. The north German ports and Brest are again hit because of their naval value but little damage is done to the ships which are the main targets. The familiar daylight sweeps by light forces over northern France continue.
British Intelligence The Political Warfare Executive (PWE) is formed to oversee propaganda and subversive warfare, ending months of wrangling between departments.
Italian Intelligence Italian agents steal the “Black Code” from the US Embassy in Rome. This theft is to be of great value because the US Military Attache in Cairo is accustomed to send detailed and accurate reports to Washington concerning 8th Army’s plans and dispositions. This source of intelligence lasts until June 1942.
Atomic Research The Russians receive a copy of the Maud Report from spy John Cairncross.
Yugoslavia Tito’s Partisans begin active offensive operations in southwest Serbia. Mihailovic gets word out to the west of his resistance movement.
Greece There are now three main resistance organizations in the field, the Venizelist-Republican EDES, the Communist ELAS, and the liberal anti-monarchist EKKA. There are several smaller groups also in existence. They will spend much time squabbling among themselves. The Communists in particular are active in attacks on other groups.
The Blitz Minor night raids continue. Casualties include 217 killed and 269 injured.
Britain, Home Front “Potato Pete”, a creation of the British Food Ministry, launches a campaign to urge citizens to eat plenty of (unrationed) potatoes.
United States, Preparations The US Army holds its largest wargames ever in Louisiana, involving 350,000 men. The American lack of preparedness for war is illustrated by the fact that many cavalrymen are riding rented horses.
Russian Manpower Most ethnic Germans in the Red Army are demobilized. Most ethnic Germans in the USSR will in 1942 be conscripted for labor duty. They are under NKVD control and many lives are lost. Although officially dismissed on the end of the war in 1945, many are retained as late as 1948.
China Chiang Kai-shek reaches an agreement to form a group of fighter aircraft piloted by American adventurers and mercenaries. Officially titled the American Volunteer Group, they will become famous as the Flying Tigers, from the distinctive nose art painted on their P-40’s. The commander is Claire Chennault.
Atomic Research Fermi and Szilard in the US start construction of a graphite pile for moderating nuclear fission.

September-December 1941
Yugoslavia The 1st Anti-Partisan Offensive is launched. The Germans employ two divisions and parts of four more, along with Serbian and Croatian puppet forces. The Partisans are largely driven from Serbia. The campaign also marks the first Chetnik operations on the Axis side against their Communist rivals.

[Ennath]

September 1942
Battle of the Atlantic The U-Boats continue in the same areas as the previous month. Attacks off Trinidad are important for the next two months, but these are the last easy pickings off the American coast. Convoys in this area are only started in October. The North Atlantic convoys are reorganized to run from New York to the UK rather than from Sydney and Halifax. This makes fitting the main convoys with the coastal convoys easier. The first Support Groups are formed to aid the convoys. These are groups of escort vessels, ideally including an escort carrier, which are to be available to help the escort of any particularly hard-pressed convoy. They are especially valuable for their high standard of training and teamwork. There are also increases in the number of Leigh Light aircraft in service with Coastal Command.
The total Allied shipping losses during the month are 114 ships of 567,300 tons of which submarines sink 98 ships of 485,400 tons.
Europe, Air Operations Allied air attacks continue. British targets include Bremen, Duisburg, and Wilhelmshaven. American targets are in France and the Low Countries. Bomber Command drops more than 6000 tons of bombs during the month. As yet, the USAAF can only make a small effort (200 tons).
Mediterranean British naval and air forces based on Malta and Egypt sink one third of the supply ships sent to the Axis forces in Africa. Rommel’s supply situation remains very weak and, to his fury, many of the supplies and vehicles which do land are sent to inactive Italian units in Libya. Only one third of Italy’s 1940 merchant fleet remains in operation; the rest has been sunk or captured.
Air attacks on Malta have declined dramatically and are no longer a deterrent to offensive operations by the island’s forces.
German Manpower The Free India Legion, recruited from prisoners of war, is incorporated into the German Army as 950th Regiment. It never amounts to much operationally as the Nazis do not trust them.
Albania The local partisans are organized as the National Liberation Movement, led by Communist Enver Hoxha. Heeding Tito’s example his propaganda focuses on nationalist rather than Communist goals.
Timor Japanese 48th Division takes over operations. The Australians are also reinforced. The Japanese are recruiting large numbers of Timorese who are used in expensive frontal assaults. Special anti-commando units are brought in to track the Australians.
India The riots gradually subside and are generally under control by the end of the month, but occasional sabotage continues.
Southeast Asia The Japanese proclaim the creation of an Indian National Army, formed from prisoners of war. There has been considerable pressure put on Indian prisoners to join the force; those that refuse are particularly harshly treated.
United States, Home Front Meat rationing is introduced.
The US Marines organize a force of Navajo “code-talkers”, speaking in their own language to confuse any Japanese eavesdroppers.
Atomic Research The Soviet Union begins a formal atomic bomb program under Kurchatov.

September 1943
Battle of the Atlantic Dönitz sends his forces back to the North Atlantic routes. New groups are sent out equipped with improved radar search receivers, better AA armament, and acoustic homing torpedoes, designed to zero in on the sounds from a ship’s propellers. They have orders to focus attacks on convoy escorts rather than merchantmen. In the new operations, 6 merchant ships and three escorts are sunk but so are three U-Boats. The U-Boat commanders give highly optimistic reports of the effectiveness of the new torpedoes because of their tendency to explode at the end of their run whether they have hit anything or not. The Allies also have an acoustic torpedo in service and soon develop a device known as a “foxer” which causes the German type to head into a ship’s wake. The first ahead-throwing Squid multi-barrel mortars are fitted in RN frigates; teething and training problems will prevent the first successes for nine months. Nine U-Boats are sunk during the month in all operations and the Allied losses are 29 ships of 156,400 tons.
Pacific US submarines sink 160,000 tons of Japanese shipping. This is by no means an unusual monthly total. The drain on Japanese shipping reserves is becoming ever more noticeable. The Japanese have yet to establish an effective convoy system. The new electric Mark XVIII torpedo is being supplied to US submarines.
Europe, Air Operations Bomber Command drops 14,000 tons of bombs on various targets including Berlin, Mannheim, and Hanover. American heavy bombers drop 5400 tons and targets include Paris, Nantes, and Stuttgart. US medium bombers drop another 2800 tons on airfields and marshalling yards in Occupied Europe. The disruptive effect of “window” is now being augmented by electronic countermeasures (ECM) against the German radar.
The Mediterranean forces make more than 15,000 sorties over Italy concentrating on airfields and communications targets.
German Air Operations British civilian casualties in air raids hits its lowest mark since May 1940; 5 killed, 11 injured.
East Indies With the tide of war turning against them, the Japanese seek popular support by naming Sukarno to head a Central Advisory Council in Java.
Japanese Planning Japanese Army schools finally shift their theoretical training focus from a war with the Soviet Union to one with the Western powers.
Australia, Home Front MacArthur writes to Prime Minister Curtin, complaining of strikes and poor work in the dockyards. The Australian labor unions play a difficult role during the war. During the last year and a half, almost 1 million days’ production have been lost to strikes.
Macau The Japanese demand the installation of “advisors” and establish a virtual protectorate.
Atomic Research John von Neumann arrives at Los Alamos to support those favoring an implosion-type ignition system with a mathematics division.

[Ennath]

September 1944
Europe, Air Operations The Allied air offensive continues to be very destructive. Altogether 112,400 tons of bombs are dropped by the heavy bombers. Bomber Command targets include Frankfurt, Bremerhaven, and Karlsruhe. The Channel ports are also strongly hit. 8th and 15th Air Forces strike at Mainz, Hamm, and Ludwigshafen among others. In the oil offensive they hit Sterkrade, Merseburg, Bratislava, and Lutzkendorf among others.
German production of aviation fuel is now less than 10,000 tons per month, compared with the May figure of 156,000 tons.
French Manpower The French army begins a policy of “blanchissement” (whitening), replacing colonial troops with Europeans. The colonials from North Africa have built up an excellent combat record but they are almost as feared by civilians as by the Germans. The new troops lack combat experience; this will have to be gained in blood.
Channel Islands With the isolation of the islands, supplies dwindle and living conditions deteriorate through the winter.
German Defense SS General Adolf Prutzmann is named Inspector-General of Special Resistance to create an underground organization in Allied-occupied Germany. He is independent of the SS, so Kaltenbrunner does everything he can to block the notoriously ambitious Prutzmann. The “Werewolf” units ordered are more imagined than real and resistance is minor.
Far East, Air Operations B-29’s from China bomb Manchuria on several occasions, targets include Anshan and Penhsiku. There are also attacks on several Japanese–held islands in the Pacific.
Atomic Research Work on the atomic program at Los Alamos has now proceeded so far that a special bomber unit is established to begin training to drop a bomb when one can be made. Some of the scientists working on the project are beginning to have doubts about the morality of continuing the work when the war seems well on the way to being won and when intelligence information suggests that none of the Axis powers is likely to produce a bomb. There are also some suggestions that the knowledge being gained should not remain secret after the war but should be shared throughout the scientific world, particularly with the Soviet Union. Despite these doubts, the work continues.
The Netherlands The national railways, urged on by the exile government, appeal for a railway strike to further the Allied efforts. The Germans retaliate by placing an embargo on all food transports to the western Netherlands. The embargo is partially lifted in November, but an unusually harsh winter freezes the canals and food stocks rapidly run out. The winter months become known as the Hongerwinter (Hunger Winter), causing at least 10,000 Dutch civilian deaths.
Yugoslavia Mihailovic proclaims a general mobilization to clear Serbia of German troops but is attacked on three sides by Soviet and partisan forces and driven into Bosnia with heavy losses.
Poland Oskar Schindler’s factory is closed. He has used it to employ hundreds of Jews who would otherwise have been exterminated. He now makes his famous list of those to be evacuated with him to Czechoslovakia.
Baltic Sea Finland’s exit from the war results in the mine barriers across the Gulf of Finland being dismantled, giving easy access to the Baltic for Soviet submarines. The Soviets finally have an experienced cadre of submarine CO’s; until now losses have been far out of proportion to the results they have achieved. Only the German submarine service has a higher loss rate.
Albania With the Germans in retreat from the country, they are attacked by non-Communist resistance forces which are strong in the north. It might have been possible to raise all northern Albania, but by this time all Allied support is going to the Communists in the south.
The Pacific Another 130,000 tons of Japanese shipping are lost to submarines. Shipping losses are so high that convoys travel by day and hide in anchorages by night. The first Japanese escorts are being fitted with (relatively inefficient) radar.

September 1945
Far East, Air Operations Flights continue, dropping 4500 tons of supplies to POW’s.
American Manpower Due to popular pressure, the US is rushing to demobilize. From 2 million troops in Europe at the end of the war, the number will be down to 707,000 by the end of the year, many of them recent draftees.
Germany General de-Nazification begins. In the Soviet zone, every estate over 100 hectares is confiscated and broken up; the owners are often killed. The attempted land reform will be a disaster; the new farmers are mostly inexperienced and short of equipment (most of it has been shipped to Russia). Agricultural production in the zone plummets.
Soviet Intelligence Konstantin Volkhov, Deputy Head of the NKVD in Turkey, informs the British that he wishes to defect. MI6 sends “Kim” Philby to bring him in. Unfortunately, Philby is a Soviet double agent and realizes that Volkhov could implicate him. The unfortunate Volkhov is kidnapped and spirited back to Russia.
Philby is part of the “Cambridge Ring”, five agents who infiltrated the most sensitive areas of the British government, taking advantage of the “Old Boy Network” which assumed that anyone from a good family and good school could not possibly be a spy.
Japan The Japanese organize the Recreation and Amusement Association, some 55,000 women, some apparently coerced, to shield Japanese women from the sexual appetites of the American occupiers. RAA brothels are declared off limits to US personnel in March 1946.

September 1946
Britain The Polish Resettlement Corps is organized to facilitate the transfer of Polish troops not returning to Communist-ruled Poland to civilian life in the UK. Over 100,000 Poles remain in the West.

September 1947
Eastern Europe In response to the Marshall Plan, Stalin establishes the Cominform as an economic organization for Eastern Europe. The Soviet-occupied nations and the French and Italian Communist Parties join the organization.

September 1948
Germany A Parliamentary Council meets in Bonn to draw up a constitution for a new independent Germany in the Western zones. It is completed in April 1949 and the first elections are held in August 1949. Konrad Adenauer becomes Chancellor.
Indonesia The Republic faces a Communist revolt. It is suppressed by November.

September –November 1950
Indochina The Viet Minh launch a major offensive along the Chinese border. Cao Bang, Dong Khe and Langson fall and French relief columns are destroyed. General de Lattre de Tassigny is sent to retrieve the situation.

[Ennath]

September 1, 1928
Balkans President Ahmed Bey Zogu becomes King Zog I of Albania and attempts to bring the country into the modern age, ruling with an iron hand. Italian influence in the state is strong.

September 1-November 9, 1937
China Battle of Taiyuan. The Japanese drive on Hsinkow but fail in repeated attempts to take the city. They redirect their assault through Chinsheng and the Chinese are forced to abandon Taiyuan. The Japanese victory secures them control of the North China Plain and costs China its most modern arsenal.

September 1, 1939
Poland At 0445 hours, the Germans invade Poland without a declaration of war. The Germans put 53 divisions, including all the armored and motorized units, into the attack. Army Group North is under General Fedor von Bock and Army Group South under Gerd von Rundstedt. Of the divisions left in the West, only 10 are considered fit for action. The Poles have 23 divisions prepared, with 7 more assembling, one weak armored division, and much cavalry. (Although it has become a common myth, it is not true that Polish cavalry charge German tanks.) The Germans have some 1600 aircraft to face 500 mostly obsolete Polish planes and the Germans will maintain control of the air from the start of the campaign. The bulk of the Polish forces are deployed in the northwest of the country in the Poznan area and the Polish Corridor. Although there are few natural barriers in the western part of the country, the Poles hope to hold the Germans to only gradual gains, giving the western allies a chance to come to the rescue. By stationing their forces so far forward, the Poles risk a serious defeat. Many units will be surrounded or overrun before their reinforcements from the reserve mobilization can arrive.
The operation is colored by the German contempt for Slavs. Special SS groups following the advance have lists of Poles known to have fought against Germany in Silesia in 1919 to 1921.
All along the front, the superior training, equipment, and strength of the Germans brings them quick advantages in the first battles. German tank forces make deep penetrations. Küchler’s 3rd Army attacks the Modlin Army around Mlawa, beginning a major battle. Several cities are bombed and much of the Polish air force is caught on the ground at its airfields and destroyed. The Schleswig-Holstein opens a bombardment of the Westerplatte. Meanwhile, the small Polish Navy sails for Britain. Three of the four destroyers have already escaped.
Diplomatic Relations Poland appeals for British and French aid under the terms of the guarantees. Britain and France immediately demand a German withdrawal from Poland. The British army is mobilized. Italy announces that she will not take any military initiative. Norway, Finland, and Switzerland proclaim neutrality.
Britain, Home Front Because of the fear of air attacks, the evacuation of young children from London and other supposedly vulnerable areas is begun. Blackouts begin.
France, Home Front The government declares a “state of siege” (martial law) and orders a general mobilization.
Russia, Home Front The draft age is lowered from 21 to 19. Partial mobilization is ordered.
United States, Politics Roosevelt calls for a ban on indiscriminate bombing of civilians and undefended towns.
American Command George Marshall becomes Army Chief of Staff.
China The occupied regions in Inner Mongolia are named the Mengchiang United Autonomous Government as a new Japanese puppet state.

September 1, 1940
East Africa In Kenya, the Italians capture the small town of Buna in the northeast of the country.
Baltic States At German request, the Soviets expel the Japanese consul in Kaunas, Sugihara, for having issued transit visas for some 3400 Jews.

September1-6, 1940
Battle of Britain The German attacks on the British airfields continue, but with less strength than the previous two days. Effort is wasted also on less vital aircraft factories. On September 4, they attack a bomber factory at Weybridge and on the 6th a more important plant at Brooklands. By the end of this period, RAF fighters are flying more sorties per day than the combined totals of German bombers and fighters. Fighter Command loses 120 planes and the Luftwaffe 148. If British losses on the ground are added, or some allowance is made for German planes crashing on the way home it seems that the Germans are getting slightly the better of the fighting. However, it is clear that Park is keeping his force in existence through the troubles and is not yet beaten. There are also night attacks on Bristol, Liverpool and London.

September 1, 1941
Eastern Front The Germans are now within artillery range of Leningrad itself. To the east, the advance is nearing the south shore of Lake Ladoga. A great part of the left bank of the Neva is taken, though without crossing the river. Other attacks go in around Pulkovo, 15 miles from the city.
Battle of the Atlantic The US Atlantic Fleet forms a Denmark Strait patrol. At first two heavy cruisers and four destroyers are allocated to this duty, but this force is increased later. The US Navy is now allowed to escort convoys in the Atlantic comprising ships of any nation provided at least one American merchant ship is also present.
Japan, Politics The Japanese Army Press declares that Japan needs to break out of western encirclement.

[Ennath]

September 1, 1942
Eastern Front There is fierce fighting in the Stalingrad area where German units have now reached the suburbs in some sectors. The Russian 62nd Army in the city is in danger of being cut off.
Troops of 11th Army cross from Kerch and land on the Taman Peninsula. There are both German and Rumanian units involved. Army Group A takes Anapa.
North Africa German attacks today are much weaker. 15th Panzer Division gives British 8th Armored Brigade an expensive lesson in the use of anti-tank guns but otherwise makes no progress and takes heavy losses at the hands of 22nd Armored Brigade.
New Guinea The Australians make slow progress at Milne Bay. The Japanese occupy Mubo, south of Salamaua.
Japan, Politics Foreign Minister Togo resigns and his office is taken over for the moment by Prime Minister Tojo.

September 1, 1943
Central Pacific US forces land on Baker Island and within a week have prepared an airstrip to support the coming operations against the Gilbert Islands. Another carrier air raid on Marcus Island causes severe damage to Japanese installations.
Solomons The US force on Vella Lavella is making good progress and reaches Orete Cove.
New Guinea The Allies step up air attacks on the Lae area in preparation for the coming offensive.
Eastern Front The Soviets capture Dorogobuzh between Smolensk and Vyazma. They also make progress in the south around Taganrog.

September 1, 1944
Western Front Dieppe is liberated, fittingly by Canadian units. Inland British forces take Arras in their advance north of the Somme. The attacks of US 1st Army go in near St. Quentin and Cambrai. On the right 3rd Army takes Verdun and Commercy. Eisenhower officially establishes his HQ in France and takes over direction of Allied land forces. Montgomery retains only 21st Army Group.
During the past few days there has been an acrimonious strategic debate among the Allied generals as to how to exploit the German collapse in the west. Eisenhower believes in a “broad Front” advance with all the Allied armies having an approximately equal share of the supplies and other support. This is safe as no part of the force will ever get far enough ahead to be in any danger of isolation. The alternative is for the majority of resources, especially logistical, to be placed behind one portion of the Allied force and for this group to push forward at speed and, it is hoped, quickly cross the Rhine and win the war. The most forceful version of this argument is put forward by General Montgomery. He proposes a thrust by about 20 divisions from his and Bradley’s armies across Belgium to encircle the Ruhr. Of course he wishes to command this himself but he is prepared to work under Bradley. Patton also wishes a single thrust of his own through Lorraine to the Rhine and beyond, but his problem is that there are no really vital targets which can be taken by his army to bring an end to the war. Eisenhower recognizes the risks inherent in Montgomery’s plan and the political difficulties which would arise if a large part of the US forces was compelled to halt to allow the narrow front attack. He argues too that there are simply too few trucks to carry the supplies needed for such a scheme. In fact there are probably just enough. The debate over strategy is to continue in various forms for the next several months. It is clear that many of the Allied supply problems which are making a choice necessary stem from the lack of a major port near the advance. None of the French Channel ports are really large enough to fill the gap and in any case they are still in German hands. Antwerp is the obvious choice and will eventually be the focus of much Allied effort. In practice it may have proved impossible to bring Patton’s army to a complete halt because his supply officers are already in the habit of commandeering any supply columns which fill their needs whether they have priority or not. They are also less able to put captured railroad equipment into service than the other armies because of the troops’ habit of wildly shooting up any such captures.
Southern France The advance continues. Narbonne and St. Agereve fall to French troops.
Italy 8th Army continues its attacks on the Gothic Line. The attacks of Canadian I Corps around Tomba di Pessaro are particularly successful.
Eastern Front The Soviet advance reaches the Bulgarian frontier at Giurgiu on the Danube. Calarasi is also taken.
British Command Montgomery is promoted to Field Marshal. Ostensibly a promotion, this is also a salve to Monty’s pride at having been superseded by Eisenhower in command of the land battle.
Bulgaria, Politics Constantine Muraviev forms a new government. He asks for support from the British and Americans in securing a peace that does not involve Soviet occupation. He does not get it.
Greenland The icebreaker Northland captures a German trawler with weather personnel after it becomes trapped in the ice.

September 1-7, 1944
Yugoslavia The partisans and Allied air forces join in a major attack on Axis communications lines. Rail traffic is disrupted for two to three weeks and remaining Luftwaffe strength in the country is virtually demolished.

September 1, 1945
Kuriles Soviet troops complete the occupation of the islands.
Greece The Greek people vote to restore the monarchy.
World Affairs A US government report warns that Europe is facing a severe coal shortage for the coming winter.

September 1, 1946
Greece A referendum reestablishes the monarchy.

September 1, 1951
Diplomatic Relations The United States, Australia and New Zealand create the ANZUS pact.

[Ennath]

September 2, 1938
Czecholsovakia There has been unrest and violence for the last few months and on this day, President Benes, under British and French pressure to reach a negotiated solution, issues a plan agreeing to April’s Carlsbad Decrees. This is no longer enough for the Nazis.

September 2, 1939
Poland German troops are already over the River Warta, 50 miles from their start point, in many places after rapid but expensive victories in the frontier battles. Krakow is now near the front line. In the north, German 4th Army makes contact with 3rd Army from East Prussia. A tank versus tank action occurs at Jordanow in the south, delaying the German advance. Just to the north the stubborn Polish defense of Mikolow is broken. The Luftwaffe is spreading chaos in the Polish rear, attacking communications and headquarters units. The Polish regular troops have been stationed too far forward so the German advance is soon in their rear areas, preventing the movement of reserves and completely dislocating any communications left unscathed by the Luftwaffe’s repeated attacks in support of the ground troops.
Diplomatic Relations Throughout the day there are frantic talks in London and Paris attempting to decide how to oppose Germany. Mussolini declares Italian neutrality and calls for a peace conference. (Indeed, Mussolini, who relished his role as peacemaker at Munich, is miffed at Hitler’s attack without even consulting Italy.) Britain, however, announces that it will only attend if Germany first withdraws all its forces from Poland.
The British Parliament is openly opposed to the passive line that Chamberlain’s government is taking and in the evening the Cabinet presents an ultimatum to Germany. A French ultimatum soon follows.
Ireland proclaims neutrality.
Britain, Politics British Communist leader Harry Pollitt calls for a strong line against German aggression. For this independent stand he is rebuked by Moscow and demoted.
Western Front British aircraft are deployed to France.
Switzerland The government orders a general mobilization.

September 2-11, 1939
Germany, Home Front The Party Rally of Peace is held at Nuremberg without any apparent sense of irony.

September 2, 1940
Diplomatic Relations Following the agreement made in July and later detailed negotiations, a deal is now ratified between Britain and the USA by which Britain gets 50 old destroyers, veterans of World War I, but desperately needed for escort work, in return for 99 year leases to the United States on bases in Newfoundland, the West Indies and Bermuda. The first of the ships is taken over by a British crew on the 9th and reaches the UK on the 28th. Considerable modification will be necessary to make the ships ready for service. This is an important step in Roosevelt’s efforts to develop a more active foreign policy and accustom the American public to actively supporting the Allies.
Mediterranean Admiral Cunningham’s fleet is reinforced. He now has three battleships and two carriers. The composition of the Gibraltar-based Force H varies greatly from time to time because of the uncertainty regarding the behavior of the French fleet. The Italians now have five battleships in commission, including two modern ships.
Pacific French Polynesia declares for the Free French.

September 2, 1941
Japan, Home Front An Air Defense Bureau is formed to advise on air raid precautions throughout the country.

September 2, 1942
Eastern Front Troops from 11th and 17th Armies advance near Novorossisk. 1st Panzer Army is approaching Grozny, but its progress is slow.
North Africa Rommel gives orders to withdraw back to his start line. Montgomery, probably quite correctly, refuses to follow up with his own armor.
English Channel A commando raid on a lighthouse in the Channel Islands seizes secret codebooks.
Ireland The IRA begins its “Northern Campaign” in Ulster. There some 60 terrorist incidents by the end of the year, but countermeasures disrupt the IRA organization and headquarters loses touch with its cells.

September 2-3, 1942
New Guinea Another 1000 Japanese land at Buna.

September 2, 1943
Eastern Front The Soviets announce a number of important gains in the Donets sector. Lisichansk, Kommunarsk and other important centers are taken. There are also several significant advances in the Bryansk sector with Glushkovo and Sumy being captured.
Italy Two British battleships bombard Italian defenses around Reggio.

September 2, 1944
Western Front Supply shortages are beginning to cause difficulty for Bradley’s armies. British troops enter Belgium. Douai, St. Valery, and Lens are among the towns liberated today. Brest still holds out.
Southern France The American advance has almost reached to Lyons. French units are brought up so as to be the first to enter the city.
Italy The Canadians make a partial breakthrough and advance to the Conca River west of Cattolica. The Poles have nearly completed the capture of Pesaro. The eastern end of the Gothic Line has been overrun despite the arrival of some German reserves.
Finland Finland breaks relations with Germany and demands that all German troops be withdrawn.
Germany General Witzleben, condemned to death for participation in the Bomb Plot, is executed by hanging on a butcher’s hook.
Eastern Front The last defenders of Warsaw’s Old Town pull out through the sewers.
Czechoslovakia The Germans move some 40,000 SS troops to suppress the Slovak Rising.
New Guinea Operations in the Sarmi-Wadke beachhead are officially declared closed. There are no published casualty figures, but losses on both sides must have been heavy.

September 2, 1945
World Affairs The Japanese surrender is signed aboard the battleship Missouri (chosen because it is named for President Truman’s home state). MacArthur accepts the surrender on behalf of the Allied powers. World War II is over.
Between 55 and 60 million people have perished in the most destructive conflict in history. The old empires are on their way to an end as the old colonial powers are near bankrupt and two new Superpowers dominate affairs. The United States, wealthy and technologically advanced, leads the democratic and capitalist (and social-democratic) West. The Soviet Union leads the Communist world. The Cold War is already underway.
Some six million Jews have been murdered in Europe, giving an extra impetus to the Zionist effort to create a homeland. The British remain hostile to this notion and Jews attempting to enter Palestine are placed in detention camps on Cyprus.
The war has brought great social change. Many colonial populations have fought for freedom and now expect it at home. The same is true of American blacks, who still face massive discrimination.
Indochina Ho Chi Minh proclaims the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi. In the following weeks, hundreds of nationalists are executed as traitors and counterrevolutionaries.