Diary WW2

Diary for Thursday, August 2, 1945: Politics Attlee, Truman and Stalin agree at Potsdam to place sharp curbs on German industrial power; USSR to annex East Prussia and Poland to […]

Diary for Thursday, August 1, 1940: Sea War Hitler sets provisional date for Operation Sea lion to September 15. Italian destroyer Vivaldi rams British submarine Oswald and captures the crew.

Diary for Wednesday, August 1, 1945: Air War Pacific: B-29 Superfortress bombers drop record total of 6,632 t. bombs on cities of Hachioji, Nagaoka, Mito and Thyama (latter target obliterated).

Diary for Wednesday, July 31, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain: In attacks on convoys during July, 18 small steamers and 4 destroyers are sunk. Aircraft losses in July: German,

Diary for Tuesday, July 31, 1945: Sea War Cruiser Takao sunk by British frogmen with limpet mines at Singapore. Merchant shipping losses in July 1945: 0 Allied ships with 0

Diary for Tuesday, July 30, 1940: Air War German bombers attack shipping between Thames Estuary and Harwich.

Diary for Monday, July 30, 1945: New Guinea Japanese 18th Army makes last stand at village of Numbogua; General Adachi orders his troops ‘to die in honourable defeat’. Sea War

Diary for Monday, July 29, 1940: Air War Ju 87 Stukas with heavy Me 109E escort raid Dover. Destroyer Delight bombed and sunk off Portland. Losses: German, 11; British, 3.

Diary for Sunday, July 29, 1945: Sea War Pacific: Cruiser Indianapolis, sailing unescorted after delivering atomic bomb components to Tinian island, is sunk by Japanese submarine I-58. Ship not missed

Diary for Saturday, July 28, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 19): air battle over Straits of Dover. ‘Sailor’ Malan wounds Mölders – German fighter ‘ace’ – who crash-lands

Diary for Saturday, July 28, 1945: Burma Japanese 28th Army attempts to escape across river Sittang; suffers catastro­phic losses – over 13,000 killed or drowned. Politics New British Prime Minister

Diary for Saturday, July 27, 1940: Air War 50 Ju 87 Stukas attack Convoy ‘Bacon’ in English Channel. Destroyer Codrington sunk at Dover and destroyer Wren off Aldeburgh (Suffolk). Sea

Diary for Friday, July 27, 1945: Air War Pacific: B-29 Superfortress drop 660,000 leaflets by night over 11 Japanese cities, warning inhabitants to flee before selected targets are destroyed. By

Diary for Friday, July 26, 1940: Air War RAF daylight raid on Dortmund power station. Politics M Avenol resigns as Secretary-General of League of Nations.

Diary for Thursday, July 26, 1945: Politics POTSDAM DECLARA­TION: Allied leaders demand immediate and unconditional surrender of Japan; threaten ‘prompt and utter destruction’ of Japanese homeland. Home Fronts Britain: CHURCHILL

Diary for Thursday, July 25, 1940: Neutrals Switzerland: General Guisan, the C-in-C, addresses all Army officers on the Ruetli Meadow – the birthplace of Swiss independence in 1307 – and

Diary for Thursday, July 25, 1945: Sea War Pacific: Cruisers Pasadena, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre and Astoria bombard airbases in South Honshu.

Diary for Wednesday, July 24, 1940: Sea War Repatriation steamer Meknes carrying 1,277 French sailors to Marseilles, sunk by German E-boat S-27 off Portland (383 dead). Neutrals Romania: Rumanian Government

Diary for Tuesday, July 24, 1945: Sea War Pacific: Immobilized Japanese battle fleet virtually annihilated at Kure in 2 massive operations by US and British carrier planes (July 24 and

Diary for Tuesday, July 23, 1940: Home Fronts Britain: Local Defense Volunteers renamed Home Guard. 1,300,000 men have volunteered since May 14; recruiting officially terminated. Third War Budget: income tax