Category Archives: 1940s

Allied paratroopers launch Operation Market Garden, landing behind German lines in Holland 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 17 1944)


Video: 'Operation Market Garden: The Allies' Disastrous Attempt To End The War Early'

(Sunday, September 17, 1944, 12:30 p.m. Central European Summer Time; during Operation Market Garden, part of the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine on the Western Front during the Second World War) — In a bold maneuver to outflank German defenses, thousands of Allied airborne troops landed behind enemy lines in the Netherlands today, following a massive bombing campaign by American and British heavy bombers. Continue reading Allied paratroopers launch Operation Market Garden, landing behind German lines in Holland 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 17 1944)

First German V-2 rocket strikes British soil, killing three in London during World War II 80 years ago hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 8 1944)


Video: 'The V2 rocket was pointless, and here's why 2"'

(Friday, September 8, 1944, 6:40:52 p.m. British Double Summer Time; during World War II) — A V-2 rocket, the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile, struck Chiswick in west London today, demolishing eleven houses and killing three people. Continue reading First German V-2 rocket strikes British soil, killing three in London during World War II 80 years ago hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 8 1944)

Anne Frank’s arrival at Auschwitz: A harrowing account of survival and separation 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 6 1944)


Video: 'The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank - English Subtitles' (Auschwitz arrival at 31:07)

(Wednesday, September 6, 1944, approximately 2:00 a.m. Central European Summer Time; part of The Holocaust during World War II) — Following a two-and-a-half day journey crammed into a packed cattle car with little water or fresh air and no facilities except for a bucket, Jewish diarist Anne Frank, 15, was among 1,019 Jews ordered to disembark from their cattle cars early this morning upon arrival at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau extermination camp in German-occupied Poland. Continue reading Anne Frank’s arrival at Auschwitz: A harrowing account of survival and separation 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 6 1944)

Jewish diarist Anne Frank, 15, deported on last transport from Westerbork to Auschwitz concentration camp 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 3 1944)


Video: 'The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank - English Subtitles' (Sept. 3, 1944, at 22:01)

(Sunday, September 3, 1944; part of The Holocaust during World War II) — Fifteen-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank, along with her family and other occupants of the Secret Annex, was deported today from the Westerbork transit camp in the Netherlands to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. Continue reading Jewish diarist Anne Frank, 15, deported on last transport from Westerbork to Auschwitz concentration camp 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 3 1944)

Paris liberated from Nazi tyranny as German commander surrenders to Allies during World War II 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 25 1944)


Video: 'LIBERATION OF PARIS (AMERICAN VERSION) (SOUND)'

(Friday, August 25, 1944, 3:30 p.m. Western European Mean Time; during the Liberation of Paris, part of Operation Overlord, World War II) — Despite repeated orders from Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler that the French capital “must not fall into the enemy’s hand except lying in complete debris,” General Dietrich von Choltitz, German military governor of Paris, surrendered the City of Light to Free French troops this afternoon at the Hôtel Meurice. Continue reading Paris liberated from Nazi tyranny as German commander surrenders to Allies during World War II 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 25 1944)

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., eldest Kennedy son, dies in explosives-laden top secret war mission over England during World War II 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 12 1944)


Video: 'Operation Aphrodite: Remote Controlled Bomber Mission Goes Horribly Wrong'

(Saturday, August 12, 1944, 6:20 p.m. British Double Summer Time (BDST); during World War II)Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., a 29-year-old U.S. Navy lieutenant and the eldest son of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, tragically lost his life tonight along with his co-pilot when their explosives-laden PB4Y-1 Liberator detonated prematurely over Blythburgh, England. Continue reading Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., eldest Kennedy son, dies in explosives-laden top secret war mission over England during World War II 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 12 1944)

‘Swinging on a Star’ by Bing Crosby peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 5 1944)

(Saturday, August 5, 1944) — “Swinging on a Star” by Bing Crosby (with The Williams Brothers Quartet, orchestra conducted by John Scott Trotter) peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard National List of Best Selling Retail Records chart for nine consecutive weeks (Aug. 5/12/19/26, Sept. 2/9/16/23/30, 1944). Continue reading ‘Swinging on a Star’ by Bing Crosby peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 5 1944)

Jewish diarist Anne Frank, 15, and occupants of Amsterdam’s ‘secret annex’ arrested by Gestapo during Holocaust 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 4 1944)


Video: 'Anne Frank's capture and her diary with Miep Gies' (Aug. 4, 1944, at 2:44)

(Friday, August 4, 1944, approximately 10:30 a.m. Central European Summer Time; during The Holocaust, part of World War II) — On her 761st day in hiding in the Achterhuis (translated as “Secret Annex” in English editions of her diary), 15-year-old diarist Anne Frank, her parents, older sister, the Van Pel family, and dentist Fritz Pfeffer were unexpectedly discovered and arrested this morning. Continue reading Jewish diarist Anne Frank, 15, and occupants of Amsterdam’s ‘secret annex’ arrested by Gestapo during Holocaust 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 4 1944)

Anne Frank, 15, writes what would become her final diary entry 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 1 1944)

(Tuesday, August 1, 1944; part of The Holocaust during World War II) — On Anne Frank‘s 758th day in hiding in a secret apartment behind her father’s business in German-occupied Amsterdam, the 15-year-old Jewish girl wrote her last entry in her diary today, writing about her “little bundle of contradictions.” Continue reading Anne Frank, 15, writes what would become her final diary entry 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 1 1944)

Polish resistance launches Warsaw Uprising to liberate capital from Nazi occupation 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 1 1944)


Video: 'Warsaw Rising: The Forgotten Soldiers of World War II'

(Tuesday, August 1, 1944, first shots fired at German patrol at 1:35 p.m. Central European Summer Time on Krasinski Street in Zoliborz; during the Warsaw Uprising, part of Operation Tempest on the Eastern Front of World War II) — In a bold and desperate bid to liberate Warsaw from Nazi occupation, the Polish underground resistance, led by the Home Army, launched the Warsaw Uprising today, coinciding with the retreat of German forces ahead of the Soviet advance.

The timing of the uprising aligned with the Soviet Lublin–Brest Offensive, part of a broader strategy known as Operation Tempest.

After days of hesitation, the Polish headquarters scheduled “W-hour,” the moment the uprising would begin, for 5:00 p.m. today. This decision, made at 5:00 p.m. on July 31, proved to be a strategic miscalculation as the under-equipped resistance forces were prepared and trained for a series of coordinated surprise dawn attacks.


Video: 'Week 258 - The Warsaw Uprising Begins! - WW2 - August 5, 1944' (Warsaw Uprising at 3:44)

Many units had already mobilized and were waiting at assembly points throughout the city. However, the mobilization of thousands of young men and women was hard to conceal. Fighting began in advance of “W-hour,” notably in Zoliborz, and around Napoleon Square and Dabrowski Square.

The primary objectives for the Polish resistance are to expel the German occupiers from Warsaw and to support the Allies in their quest to defeat Germany.

Video: 'The World At War Episode 19 HD - Pincers (August 1944 – March 1945)' (Warsaw Uprising at 19:38)

Additionally, the Polish Underground State aims to assert Polish sovereignty over the capital before the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation can take control.

The uprising was driven by a confluence of factors: the imminent threat of German round-ups of able-bodied Poles, encouragement from Radio Moscow’s Polish Service, and a deep-seated desire among Poles for justice and revenge after five brutal years of occupation.


Video: 'Warsaw Uprising, 1944 | A Study of Urban Combat'

However, as the Red Army approached the eastern suburbs of Warsaw, they unexpectedly halted their advance. This pause allowed German forces to regroup and mount a fierce counterattack against the Polish resistance.

The lack of Soviet support — no reinforcements or air cover — has sparked controversy and speculation about Soviet intentions. Declassified documents suggest that Joseph Stalin’s decision to halt his forces was a calculated move to weaken the Polish Home Army and facilitate Soviet political dominance in Eastern Europe.

The battle was expected to be intense and prolonged, with the Polish resistance receiving minimal outside support. Initial reports indicate that casualties were already mounting, with thousands of resistance fighters and civilians caught in the crossfire.

The outcome of the Warsaw Uprising would have significant implications for the future of Poland and the broader geopolitical landscape in post-war Europe.