This Week in WWII – 3rd Week of June

1940
About 2,500 British troops perish when five Luftwaffe bombers attack the Lancastria, a Cunard luxury liner being used to transport troops. Hitler and Mussolini meet in Munich. Winston Churchill’s “Finest Hour” speech.
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This Week in WWII – 2nd Week of May

1944
Germany launches the first V-1 rocket on Britain. U.S. defeats the Japanese in an air battle known as the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
1945
The Red Army releases Commonwealth and US POWs at Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde.
1946
75 Nazis go to trial for the Malmedy Massacre, which occurred on 12-17-1944.
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This Week in WWII – 1st Week of May

1942
Japanese invasion repelled in Allied strategic victory. Surrender of all U.S. forces on Philippines.
1944
London Conference begins.
1945
VE Day (Victory in Europe Day). Germany surrenders, ending WW2 in Europe.
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Live To Tell The Tale

Among the survivors of the Tuskegee Airmen group who fought during World War II was Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson. The Tuskegee Airmen was a popular term for the group of African American pilots who formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Corps.

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Tango Mike Mike

It’s normal to aspire to become a hero. Heroes are individuals well regarded by society because of their distinguished characteristics. These are the men and women who have done something that has positively changed a negative situation and were often able to save one or more lives in the process.

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Leave No Man Behind

“I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy” has been part of the spirit as well as the culture of the United States military. Those words are included in the U.S. Army Ranger Creed where they swear to bring their comrades home whether they are injured, captured, or dead.

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1942 Battle of Midway Revisited

On the quiet morning of June 4, 1942, roars of aircraft engines echoed through the air. The zooming sound of their wings filled the sky as the American troops gear up for battle. At that time, fear was an unknown word. Bravery was their only focus.

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This Week in WWII – 1st Week of April

1939
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs the National Defense Act, which authorizes a $300 million budget and 6,000 airplanes for the Army Air Corps and increases AAC personnel to 3,203 officers and 45,000 enlisted personnel.
1940
Hallifax writes in his diary that Mussolini is “more bark than bite.”
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4th Verse Star Spangle Banner – The Meaning behind the Words

Being the national anthem of the United States, The Star-Spangled Banner exudes patriotism at its finest. Initially a poem titled “Defense of Fort McHenry,” The Star-Spangled Banner was penned by a 35-year old lawyer and amateur poet named Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British forces in the year 1812.

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This Week in WWII – 2nd Week of March

1933
Assassination attempt on Hitler. Karl Lutter tries to blow up Hitler, but betrayal thwarts the attempt. The first Nazi Concentration Camp opens in Oranienburg, outside of Berin.
1938
Nazi Germany takes Austria. Munich Conference. Nevile Chamberlain appeasement.
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