Diary WW2

Diary for Saturday, August 24, 1940: Air War Heavy raids on airfields in southeastern England: Manston evacuated; North Weald and Hornchurch also hard hit. Residential areas of Portsmouth and Ramsgate […]

Diary for Friday, August 24, 1945: Home Fronts Britain: Attlee complains that abrupt ending of US Lease-Lend program has left Britain in a ‘very serious financial position’. Bevin says 700,000

Diary for Friday, August 23, 1940: Sea War Heinkel He 115 seaplanes torpedo two cargo ships and damage third in Moray Firth.

Diary for Thursday, August 23, 1945: Occupied countries Austria: British, American and French troops enter Vienna. Home Fronts Britain: Both Houses of Parliament ratify UN Charter.

Diary for Thursday, August 22, 1940: Sea War German super-heavy artillery bombards a convoy for 80 minutes (no hits). Fire switched to Dover town in evening; British 14-inch gun replies

Diary for Wednesday, August 22, 1945: Russo-Japanese War Manchuria: KWANTUNG ARMY SURRENDERS AT HARBIN. Russian airborne forces land at Port Arthur. ‘Emperor Kang Teh’ of Manchukuo ­- Japanese puppet ruler

Diary for Wednesday, August 21, 1940: Secret War Leon Trotsky, exiled Russian Revolutionary leader and founder of Red Army, assassinated by NKVD agent in Mexico City; aged 61.

Diary for Tuesday, August 21, 1945: Home Fronts USA: All outstanding Lease-Lend contracts cancelled.

Diary for Tuesday, August 20, 1940: Home Fronts Britain: Churchill praises RAF Fighter Command (the ‘Few’). Sea War Mediterranean: Italian Navy to carry out ‘total blockade’ of Gibraltar, Malta, Suez

Diary for Monday, August 20, 1945: Russo-Japanese War Manchuria: Russians capture Harbin and Mukden. Burma Mountbatten broadcasts surrender instructions to Japanese forces. Home Fronts Norway – TRIAL OF QUISLING FOR

Diary for Monday, August 19, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 41): Luftwaffe operations hampered by bad weather (cloud and rain), August 19-23. Light raids on airfields, shipping and

Diary for Sunday, August 19, 1945: Russo-Japanese War Manchuria: 2nd FEF captures Tsitsihar in Manchurian Plain; TBF tanks race towards the town from the West, despite pockets of fanatical Japanese

Diary for Sunday, August 18, 1940: Air War Heavy raids on RAF bases and other targets in south and southeast England. 19 Ju 87 Stukas lost; 8 of 50 escorting

Diary for Saturday, August 18, 1945: Air War Pacific: 2 new B-32 Dominator bombers (successor of B-29 Superfortress) are attacked by 10 fighters (incl. one-eyed Zero ‘ace’ Saburo Sakai) and

Diary for Saturday, August 17, 1940: Sea War Mediterranean: Battleships Warspite, Malaya and Ramillies bombard Bardia and Fort Capuzzo, Libya. Italian bombers (12 lost) attack bombardment force, August 18. Politics

Diary for August 17, 1945: Occupied countries Dutch East Indies: Sukarno proclaims ‘Provisional Indonesian Republic Government’ on Java. Home Fronts Japan: Prime Minister Higashikuni orders Army to obey Emperor’s call

Diary for Friday, August 16, 1940: Air War Ju 87 Stukas (7 lost) wreck Tangmere Airfield (Hants); seven other airfields bombed. Secret War Luftwaffe Command Staff estimate that RAF now

Diary for Thursday, August 16, 1945: Home Fronts Japan: Emperor issues Imperial Rescript (decree) at 4pm Tokyo time ordering all Japanese forces to cease-fire. Cabinet resigns; Prince Higashikuni forms ‘caretaker’

Diary for Thursday, August 15, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 37): GÖRING EMPLOYS THREE ‘AIR FLEETS’ (Luftflotten 2, 3 and 5) IN MASSED DAYLIGHT RAIDS on airfields from

Diary for Wednesday, August 15, 1945: Home Fronts Britain and USA: VJ-DAY (‘Victory over Japan’). National holiday in Britain. King opens new British Parliament. Japan: EMPEROR HIROHITO BROADCASTS to Japanese