THE THREAD!!!

[btd64]

Well hi there folks. So 1 week ago today I fell down the stairs at home. I broke my tibia in 2 places and dislocated my ankle. I had surgery on my ankle which gave me a few screws and a plate. I'm now in a rehab hospital and hoping to get home in a couple of weeks . So I'm getting OT and PT which is designed for me to get strong. So that's the story....GP

[Zovs]

Well hi there folks. So 1 week ago today I fell down the stairs at home. I broke my tibia in 2 places and dislocated my ankle. I had surgery on my ankle which gave me a few screws and a plate. I'm now in a rehab hospital and hoping to get home in a couple of weeks . So I'm getting OT and PT which is designed for me to get strong. So that's the story....GP

Hope you mend and heal quickly GP!

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

Good morning!


Leo "Apollo11"

[RangerJoe]

Well hi there folks. So 1 week ago today I fell down the stairs at home. I broke my tibia in 2 places and dislocated my ankle. I had surgery on my ankle which gave me a few screws and a plate. I'm now in a rehab hospital and hoping to get home in a couple of weeks . So I'm getting OT and PT which is designed for me to get strong. So that's the story....GP

oh-no! kitten.gif (1.28 MiB) Viewed 554 times

Hope you mend and heal quickly GP!

just 800 mg Motrin.jpg (71.99 KiB) Viewed 554 times

He forgets that he is fragile.

mondays they suck for everyone.jpg (40.68 KiB) Viewed 554 times

GP, I hope that you have pretty nurses to help you in the bath . . .

[RangerJoe]

A couple of days late . . .

https://ww2db.com/event/today/12/14

14 Dec 1895

United Kingdom

Prince Albert, future King George VI, was born at York Cottage, Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [George VI | Sandringham, England | CPC] People would prank call a store to see if they had Prince Albert in a can. If the store had it, then "Let him out! He is suffocating!"

14 Dec 1924

A new method in the launch of ship-based aircraft was displayed with the explosive-powered catapult launch of a Martin MO-1 observation plane from the forward turret of the USS Mississippi. Previously, ships other than aircraft-carriers had to come to a halt in order to lower the aircraft into the water to allow them to take off. ww2dbase [Mississippi | AC]

14 Dec 1931

United Kingdom

Douglas Bader suffered an accident at the Reading Aero Club in Reading, England, United Kingdom. His legs, severely injured, were amputated by surgeon J. Leonard Joyce. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | Reading, England | CPC] Some people will do almost anything to have an advantage in a dog fight. The Germans took his legs away at times to prevent his escape attempts.
https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=693

14 Dec 1937

German National Ministry of the Interior provided legal means for the police to commit criminals to concentration camps directly. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | CPC]

China

Japanese 9th Division began to conduct mop up operations in secured areas of Nanjing, China, occupying, among other buildings, the National Central Hospital. Nearby, at Xianhe Gate and Yaohua Gate of the city wall north of Zijin Mountain, 38th Company of the Japanese 16th Division killed 7,200 Chinese people, military and civilian, during mop up operations; those who were able to flee claimed that some sections of the moat were filled with dead bodies. Near Xuanwu Gate, troops of the Japanese 16th Division executed 500 Chinese civilians. Second Lieutenant Nakamura of the 6th Cavalry Company of the Japanese 6th Division executed 300 prisoners of war. As reported by the International Committee later, Japanese troops entered civilian homes in Nanjing and raped or took away women. ww2dbase [Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing | Nanjing | CPC]

14 Dec 1939

Finnish fortress at Uto was attacked by two Soviet destroyers; one of the Soviet destroyers was lost. Meanwhile, League of Nations ejected Soviet Union because of aggression against Finland. ww2dbase [The Winter War | TH]
12 British Wellington bombers of No. 99 Squadron attacked a German convoy north of Wilhelmshaven, Germany during daylight. Within 30 minutes of the attack, six of them were lost to flak and German fighters, including two that collided in mid-air during the fight. ww2dbase [CPC]

14 Dec 1940

Atlantic Ocean

The 680-ton French-built Melpomène-class torpedo boat HMS Branlebas, a poorly designed former French Navy craft now operating with the Royal Navy with a mixed French and British crew, broke her back at the after end of the engine room due to a heavy head sea in the English Channel off Eddystone Rocks at 0900 hours. She had been escorting a convoy out of Darthmouth, England, United Kingdom but had fallen behind and lost contact with the convoy. Her stern section separated, turned over and sank immediately. Only three sailors survived, and they were picked up from a life raft four days later. One of the British survivors was telegraphist Wilfred Sealey. ww2dbase [English Channel | HM]

France

Philippe Pétain declined Adolf Hitler's invitation to attend the ceremony during which the remains of Napoleon II would be re-interned at the Les Invalides cemetery in Paris, France. In the same message, he also told Hitler that Pierre Laval had been dismissed from his leadership position in Vichy France, which angered Hitler. ww2dbase [Philippe Pétain | CPC]

United States

At University of California, Berkeley in the United States, the team led by Glenn Seaborg synthesized neptunium-238 by bombarding uranium-238 with deuterons, creating neptunium-238. Neptunium-238 would then decay to become plutonium-238. This would not be published until 1948. ww2dbase [Berkeley, California | CPC]

14 Dec 1941

British 4th Armored Brigade moved south toward Bir Halegh el Eleba, Libya in a plan to outflank Axis forces on the Gazala Line. On the same day, the Polish Independent Brigade was deployed under a New Zealand division in Libya. ww2dbase [Operation Crusader | CPC]
US Congress authorized the US Navy to keep enlisted men in service past their enlistment expiration. ww2dbase [CPC]
Franz Halder and Günther von Kluge gave permission for a limited withdrawal for troops of the Army Group Center (Armeegruppe Mitte) in the Moscow area to the west of the Oka river, without Hitler's approval. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | CPC]
USS Seawolf fired a torpedo at Japanese seaplane carrier Sanyo Maru off Aparri, Philippine Islands; the torpedo hit its target but failed to detonate. ww2dbase [Seawolf | CPC]
British submarine HMS Urge attacked Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto in the Strait of Messina between southern Italy and the island of Sicily; the heavy damage caused by this torpedo attack would put the battleship out of action for several months. ww2dbase [Vittorio Veneto | CPC]
Italian submarine Dagabur attacked British cruiser HMS Galatea while en route to Alexandria, Egypt at 1955 hours, causing no damage. Just before midnight, German submarine U-557 conducted a second attack on HMS Galatea, sinking her 35 miles west of Alexandria. 470 were killed in the sinking and 154 survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
The British authorities at Hong Kong refused the Japanese demand for surrender. ww2dbase [Battle of Hong Kong | CPC]
Thai Prime Minister Plaek Pibunsongkhram signed a secret agreement with Japan which formally allowed Japanese troops to operate in Thailand. ww2dbase [CPC]

Pacific Ocean

Six days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, two separate US submarine attacks were crippled by two different flaws in the Mark XIV torpedo. The USS Seawolf on the north shore of Luzon in the Philippines fired torpedoes that ran too deep and USS Sargo off the coast of Cam Ranh Bay, Indochina (Vietnam) experienced one torpedo that exploded prematurely. ww2dbase [Sargo | Seawolf | Mark XIV | Babuyan Channel, Luzon Strait | DS]

United States

The 2nd Marine Brigade was created by the US 2nd Marine Division at Camp Elliott, California, United States for the task of defending American Samoa. ww2dbase [California | AC]

14 Dec 1942

Pacific Ocean

Pharmacist's Mate Harry Roby performed an emergency appendectomy on a sailor aboard USS Grayback while at sea. ww2dbase [Grayback | CPC]
USS Wahoo sighted a hospital ship sailing toward the Shortland Islands and took no action. Later on the same day, she sank Japanese submarine I-15, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes. ww2dbase [Wahoo | CPC]

George Giffard was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta of Poland. ww2dbase [George Giffard | CPC]
https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=710

Australian New Guinea

A raid by bombers of the 5th USAAF dropped 433 tons of bombs on Arawe island, New Britain was followed by a landing of VII Amphibious Force (TF 76) under Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey. The force had set out from the Goodenough Islands the previous day with the Australian transport Westralia, the dock landing ship Carter Hall and the fast transports Sands and Humphreys. 1,600 men of the US 112th Cavalry Regimental Combat Team under Brigadier General Julian Cunningham. Operation Director was supported by the US destroyers Smith, Reid, Lamson, Mahan and Flusser with the escort destroyers Conyngham, Shaw, Mugford, Bagley and Drayton. The Australian cruisers Australia and Shorshire with destroyers Arunta and Warramunga provide the Covering Force (TF 74). This battle involved the first use of an Australian infantry landing ship, HMAS Westralia, in combat and the first time a dock landing ship (USS Carter Hall) was used to carry amtracs to cross the coral reefs. The fire support was provided with tank landing craft with rockets, this proved so successful that Barbey had more of the made. This battle also saw Barbey use his landing control officers; they provided a fully trained beach party for the first time. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Arawe, New Britain | HM]

Italy

Canadian troops captured Casa Berardi, Italy in an attempt to outflank German defenses at "The Gully". Nearby, Indian troops captured roads between Ortona and Orsogna. ww2dbase [Advance to the Gustav Line | CPC]

14 Dec 1944

USS Blenny reported sinking a small Japanese craft with her deck gun in the morning; in the evening at about 2200 hours, she sank a destroyer escort with two torpedoes (three were fired). ww2dbase [Blenny | CPC]
USS Rock departed Fremantle, Australia for her fifth war patrol. ww2dbase [Rock | CPC]
The RaLa Experiment of the Manhattan Project yielded evidence that spherical implosion was possible for compression of the plutonium pit of an atomic bomb. ww2dbase [Operation Trinity and Manhattan Project | CPC]
Otto Skorzeny took command of German Armored Brigade 150. ww2dbase [Otto Skorzeny | CPC]
US Congress established the rank of Fleet Admiral in the active list of the US Navy and the rank of General of the Army in the active list of the US Army. ww2dbase [CPC]

India

By special permission of King George VI, Lieutenant General William Slim was knighted in a ceremony at Imphal, India by Field Marshal Archibald Wavell in the presence of Vice-Admiral Louis Mountbatten. ww2dbase [William Slim | Imphal, Manipur | AC]

Mediterranean Sea

HMS Aldenham became the last British destroyer to be sunk during the war, with the loss of 121 officers and men, after hitting a mine in the Adriatic Sea. ww2dbase [Adriatic Sea | AC]

Pacific Ocean

The US Navy Fast Carrier Task Force arrived 90 miles east of Luzon, Philippine Islands and began to launch aircraft to cover the landings on Mindoro. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | CPC]

Philippines

USS Ticonderoga launched Air Group 80 aircraft for 7 strikes against Japanese positions in northern Luzon, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Ticonderoga | DS]
Fearing they were about to be invaded, Japanese defenders in Palawan in the Philippine Islands murdered 145 American prisoners of war by shooting, bayoneting, clubbing and setting them on fire while still alive. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | Canopus | Puerto Princesa, Palawan | AC]

Russia

The Supreme Soviet Presidium of Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ordered all non-Russian-language district names in Krym (Crimea), Russia to be given Russian-language names. ww2dbase [Deportation of Crimean Tatars | Krym | CPC]

14 Dec 1945

SS personnel convicted of atrocities at Belsen and other concentration camps were executed by hanging. ww2dbase [Nuremberg Trials and Other Trials Against Germany | CPC]

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Canada

Frederick Aikman was released from RAF service. ww2dbase [Frederick Aikman | CPC] Flying fighters then flying . . .
https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=579

Germany

George Patton asked his wife Beatrice to prevent Walter Bedell Smith from visiting him at the hospital in Heidelberg, Germany. ww2dbase [George Patton | Heidelberg | CPC]

"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!" George Patton, 31 May 1944

United States

William Halsey was honored with a ticker tape parade in New York, New York, United States. ww2dbase [William Halsey | New York | CPC]

14 Dec 1970

United Kingdom

William Slim passed away in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [William Slim | London, England | CPC] He walked from Burma to India through the jungle.
https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=142

14 Dec 1999

Germany

Germany agreed to establish a fund in the amount of USD $5.2 billion for Nazi-era slave and forced laborers. ww2dbase [CPC]

[RangerJoe]

https://ww2db.com/event/today/12/15

https://ww2db.com/event/today/12/15

15 Dec 1924

In a letter to Stanley Baldwin, Winston Churchill noted that there was no need to worry about Japan in their lifetime. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | CPC] I wonder if he ever wrote that out in alphabet pasta so he could eat his words . . .

"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terrors. Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival." Winston Churchill

15 Dec 1937

In Spain, in order to pre-empt a Spanish Nationalist attack upon Catalonia, two Spanish Republican armies (led by Generals Hernández Sarabia and Leopoldo Menendez) launched an offensive to capture the city of Teruel, surrounding the city by nightfall. The city's garrison commander Colonel Rey d’Harcourt would hold out in the southern part of the city until early Jan 1938. ww2dbase [The Spanish Civil War | AC]

China

Troops of the 23rd Company of the Japanese 6th Division executed over 1,000 captured Chinese military and civilians and over 400 police personnel (all captured in the city legislature building area where a temporary refugee camp was located) outside of Hanzhong Gate of Nanjing, China; their 2,000 bodies were burned. At Yijiangmen at about 1400 hours, Japanese troops rounded up 300 residents of the Jiang estate, killing them by machine gun fire and buring. On the Yangtze River, gunboats Futami and Seta of the Japanese Navy 3rd Fleet fired on Chinese refugees attempting to cross the river; nearby, Japanese naval personnel began executing many of the 9,000 captives they held. As reported by the International Committee later, "a number Japanese soldiers entered the University of Nanking buildings at Tao Yuen and raped 30 women on the spot, some by six men." ww2dbase [Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing | Nanjing | CPC]

15 Dec 1939

Red Army assaulted Taipale, Finland. Meanwhile, the Finnish government decided to bring fallen Finnish soldiers of the Winter War to their home towns for burial. ww2dbase [The Winter War | TH]
5,000 Japanese troops launched a counter-attack against recent Chinese offensives in northern China. ww2dbase [Winter Offensive | CPC]
Erich Raeder suggested that the pocket battleship Lützow and the blueprints for the Bismarck-class battleships could be made available for sale to the Soviet Union if the Soviet Union was willing to pay a good price. ww2dbase [Erich Raeder | CPC]

15 Dec 1940

Italian troops were driven out of Egypt by the British Operation Compass offensive. At Bardia, Libya, British monitor HMS Terror bombarded the port from 1220 to 1717 hours. ww2dbase [Operation Compass | CPC]
British submarine HMS Thunderbolt sank Italian submarine Tarantini 2 miles off of the Gironde Estuary, France in the Bay of Biscay, killing the entire crew of 58. ww2dbase [Thunderbolt | CPC]
Free French submarine Narval hit a mine and sank in the Mediterranean Sea 40 miles northeast of Sfax, Tunisia, killing the entire crew of 54. ww2dbase [CPC]
German motor torpedo boat S.58 sank Danish ship N. C. Monberg off Yarmouth, England, United Kingdom, killing 9. ww2dbase [CPC]

France

Pierre Laval was freed from imprisonment. ww2dbase [Pierre Laval | CPC]
Capitano Tarantini was sunk by a torpedo from HMS Thunderbolt in the Bay of Biscay 10 kilometers west of Grayan-et-l'Hôpital, France. Executive officer Lieutenant Attilio Frattura and four others survived the sinking; commanding officer Captain Alfredo Iaschi was lost.45.41, -1.38 ww2dbase [Capitano Tarantini | Grayan-et-l'Hôpital, Aquitaine | CPC]

New Zealand

Captain J. P. Williams and diver John Edwards "Johnno" Johnstone, aboard the 260-ton coastal steamship Claymore, began to search for the wreck of SS Niagara, which sank in Jun 1940 along with its secret cargo of gold. ww2dbase [HM]

United Kingdom

16 German He 111 bombers dropped 11,520 B1 E1 incendiaries on the city of Sheffield in central England, United Kingdom between 1900 and 1950 hours, starting large fires as a beacon for the main force of 50 He 111 bombers and 11 Do 17 bombers. The German raid ended at 2215 hours, damaging steelworks. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Sheffield, England | CPC]

15 Dec 1941

Erwin Rommel ordered the Cyrenaica region of Libya abandoned, using his remaining tanks to guard Point 204 on the Gazala Line as rearguard for the troops that would begin to fall back. To the southwest, British 4th Armoured Brigade arrived at Bir Halegh el Eleba at 1500 hours where they planned to outflank the Axis forces. ww2dbase [Operation Crusader | CPC]
US Submarine sank first Japanese merchantman. ww2dbase [TH]
To the north of Moscow, Russia, Soviet tanks cut the road west of Klin; to prevent encirclement, the German 3rd Panzer Army abandoned Klin at 2130 hours and fled to the southwest, abandoning most of its heavy equipment. On the same day, Soviet state offices moved back to Moscow. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | CPC]
US Navy seaplane tender Tangier, oiler Neches, and four destroyers sailed from Pearl Harbor for Wake Island. ww2dbase [CPC]
Archibald Wavell received a cable from Winston Churchill, which warned him of a likely Japanese invasion of Burma. ww2dbase [Archibald Wavell | CPC]
A group of 300 Japanese troops crossed the Lye Mun Channel onto Hong Kong island at 0300 hours, but the Allied defenders on the beach drove off this amphibious attack. Starting on this date, the Japanese artillery and aerial bombardment on the northern coast of Hong Kong island began. ww2dbase [Battle of Hong Kong | CPC]
The US B-17 bombers at the Del Monte airfield on Mindanao, Philippine Islands were ordered to fly to Australia on the following day. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | CPC]
Australian destroyer HMAS Nestor sank German submarine U-127 with depth charges 200 miles west of Gibraltar, killing all 51 aboard. ww2dbase [CPC]
Dutch submarine HNMS O 16 struck a mine and sank 22 miles northeast of Tioman Island, British Malaya at 0230 hours, killing 41. ww2dbase [CPC]

Australian New Guinea

Australian Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Erwin spotted the Japanese invasion fleet, 19 barges and 1 transport, gathering at Kapingamarangi northeast of Rabaul, Bismarck Islands. Hudson medium bombers were dispatched to attack, but they caused no damage. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 1, Bismarck Islands | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

China

Kanemasa Akiyama was made the Chief of Research Section of the Chemical Warfare Section of the Japanese Kwantung Army in China. ww2dbase [Kanemasa Akiyama | CPC]
https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=1028

Malaya

Japanese troops overran the Allied defenses at Gurun, Kedah in Malaya, opening up the road toward Penang. On the same day, the British abandoned RAF Butterworth in Penang, flying all of of the remaining aircraft to Singapore. ww2dbase [Invasion of Malaya and Singapore | Gurun, Kedah | CPC]
The British government accepted the Malayan Communist Party's offer to resist Japanese rule. At the same time, the British freed all left-wing political prisoners with ties to the party. ww2dbase [Invasion of Malaya and Singapore | CPC]

United Kingdom

Lord Sempill was discovered making telephone calls to the Japanese Embassy two days after the British police found secret documents in his possession that he should have returned to the Admiralty three weeks earlier. Despite the evidence of espionage and treason no arrest nor prosecution were made and he was allowed to quietly retire from public life. ww2dbase [AC]

United States

Henry Arnold was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. ww2dbase [Henry Arnold | CPC]

15 Dec 1943

Australian New Guinea

The Markham Valley Road connecting Nadzab and Lae in Australian Territory of New Guinea completed its maintenance and upgrade, thus allowing Nadzab Airfield to fully utilize its potential. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Nadzab Airfield | Nadzab | CPC]

Dutch East Indies

Patrol Boat No. 102 departed Surabaya, Dutch East Indies to transport Tango Maru (former Dutch ship Toendjoek) toward Laut Island off the southern coast of Borneo. ww2dbase [Stewart | Surabaya, Java | CPC]

Australian New Guinea

The Markham Valley Road connecting Nadzab and Lae in Australian Territory of New Guinea completed its maintenance and upgrade, thus allowing Nadzab Airfield to fully utilize its potential. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Nadzab Airfield | Nadzab | CPC]

Caroline Islands

Repair ship Akashi began repairing destroyer Amagiri at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | Truk | CPC]

Dutch East Indies

Patrol Boat No. 102 departed Surabaya, Dutch East Indies to transport Tango Maru (former Dutch ship Toendjoek) toward Laut Island off the southern coast of Borneo. ww2dbase [Stewart | Surabaya, Java | CPC]

15 Dec 1944

The US 7th Army crossed into Germany from Alsace, France. ww2dbase [AC]
US troops landed on Mindoro, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | TH]

Atlantic Ocean

Noted American dance band leader Glenn Miller departed England, United Kingdom aboard a Noorduyn C-64A Norseman aircraft piloted by Flight Officer John R. S. "Nipper" Morgan for Villacoublay, France. The aircraft disappeared somewhere over the English Channel. ww2dbase [C-64 Norseman | Glenn Miller | English Channel | AC]

15 Dec 1945

The United States ended the rationing of tires. ww2dbase [CPC]
Japanese women were allowed to vote. ww2dbase [CPC]

15 Dec 1983

United States

Grace Hopper was promoted to the rank of commodore at the White House in Washington, DC, United States. The ceremony was oversaw by US President Ronald Reagan. ww2dbase [White House | Grace Hopper | Washington | CPC]

[RangerJoe]

On this day . . .

https://ww2db.com/event/today/12/16

16 Dec 1917

An armistice between Russia and the Central Powers commenced. ww2dbase [AC]

Poland

The 4TP light tank design was completed by Edward Habich of the Polish firm Panstwowe Zaklady Inzynieryjne (PZInz). ww2dbase [4TP | CPC]

16 Dec 1937

China

Japanese 9th Division killed about 6,500 Chinese people, both military in civilian, in Nanjing, China during two days of mop up operations. 20th Company of the Japanese 16th Division massacred more than 7,000 Chinese east of Zijin Mountain. Chinese troops launched a failed counterattack at Qilin Gate of the city wall; 200 Chinese troops who were captured during the failed counterattack were executed by bayoneting by men of the 38th Company of the Japanese 16th Division. On the shore of the Yangtze River, the Japanese 13th Division began to execute large numbers of the 20,000 Chinese captives it held. As reported by the International Committee later, "seven girls (ages ranged from 16 to 21) were taken away from the Military College"; only five of them were able to return on 18 Dec; some of them reported being raped six or seven times daily by Japanese soldiers. ww2dbase [Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing | Nanjing | CPC]

16 Dec 1939

China

In China, troops of the Chinese 81st Division captured the city of Kaifeng in Henan Province, while troops of the Chinese 5th Division began to advance toward Kunlun Pass, Guangxi Province in southern China. ww2dbase [Winter Offensive | CPC]

16 Dec 1940

134 RAF bombers attacked Mannheim, Germany in retaliation for German raids on British cities; 34 civilians were killed, 81 were injured, and 1,266 homes destroyed by 100 tons of high explosive bombs and 14,000 incendiary bombs. This was the first Allied area bombing raid of the war against a populated target, as opposed to targets of military or industrial value. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | TH]
British 4th Armoured Brigade captured Sidi Omar, Egypt, taking 900 Italian troops prisoner. ww2dbase [Operation Compass | CPC]
German submarine U-37 attacked wooden Spanish ship San Carlos off Cape Juby, Morocco at 1950 hours, stopping her with one torpedo and 21 shells from the deck gun, killing 1. German sailors scuttled the ship after the 28 survivors took to 2 lifeboats. ww2dbase [CPC]
British submarine HMS Truant sank Italian tanker Bonzo in the Ionian Sea 2 miles off the coast of Calabria, Italy. ww2dbase [CPC]

United States

US Marine Corps Reserve aviation units were disbanded, and their men were assigned to active duty in the regular US Marine Corps. On the same day, US Marine Corps established the 7th Defense Battalion at San Diego, California, United States. The infantry-artillery battalion was to be assigned to Tutuila, American Samoa. ww2dbase [San Diego, California | CPC]

16 Dec 1941

Captain Gihachi Takayanagi, Chief Equipping Officer of Battleship No. 1, was commissioned as Yamato's first commanding officer. ww2dbase [Yamato | CPC] Think if it came in at that date during the game, how many shipyard points could be used elsewhere.
https://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=1
Japanese troops landed on British Borneo at 0500 hours and captured the oil fields at Miri and Seria and the oil refinery at Lutong. British and Dutch authorities began to issue orders to destroy other oil related facilities to avoid further capture. ww2dbase [Dutch East Indies Campaign, Borneo | TH]
As Axis troops in North Africa began to fall back towards El Agheila in Libya in earnest, British 4th Armoured Brigade failed to outflank the retreat in the Bir Halegh el Eleba region. To supply the Axis forces operating in Libya, the Italian Navy dispatched a convoy of four freighters from Taranto, Italy, escorted by a powerful fleet of four battleships, five cruisers, twenty destroyers, and one torpedo boat. ww2dbase [Operation Crusader | TH]
US Navy expanded its pilot training program from 800 students per month to 2,500 per month. ww2dbase [CPC]
Hiryu, Soryu, Tone, Chikuma, and two destroyers broke from the Pearl Harbor attack force to reinforce the Wake Island attack force. Meanwhile, Japanese naval land-based aircraft bombed Wake Island. ww2dbase [Battle of Wake Island | CPC]
USS Enterprise task force returned to Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii after failing to find the Japanese Pearl Harbor attack force. ww2dbase [Enterprise | Salt Lake City | Northampton | CPC]
During a cabinet meeting, Hans Frank, Gauleiter of Poland, asked his peers to shed any feeling of pity for the victims of the genocide. ww2dbase [Hans Frank | CPC]
US submarine Swordfish was credited with the first confirmed sinking of a Japanese ship in the Pacific War. ww2dbase [Swordfish | CPC]
Vice Admiral William Pye replaced Admiral Husband Kimmel as the acting Commander-in-Chief of the USN Pacific Fleet; he would soon be relieved by the newly-appointed permanent Pacific Fleet chief Rear Admiral Chester Nimitz, who was already en route to Hawaii. ww2dbase [Husband Kimmel | CPC]
Japanese continued to bombard the northern shore of Hong Kong island by artillery and aircraft. ww2dbase [Battle of Hong Kong | CPC]
Soviet forces captured Kalinin, Russia. The lowest temperature recorded in this region of Russia on this date was -42 degrees Fahrenheit (-41 degrees Celsius). ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | CPC]
Italian torpedo boat Orione mis-identified German submarine U-557 as a British submarine and rammed her 18 miles west of Crete, Greece at 2144 hours. U-557 sank, killing all 43 aboard. Orione sailed to Suda Bay, Crete to receive repairs for damage sustained during the ramming. ww2dbase [CPC] GOOD JOB!
Five German U-Boats departed from Biscay ports along the French coast for Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat) off the American coast. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | AC]

Malaya

European civilians began to evacuate from Penang, Malaya while Allied troops destroyed guns, ammunition dumps, and other military facilities to prevent Japanese capture; the radio station and the ships in the harbor, however, were overlooked and would later be pressed into Japanese service. ww2dbase [Invasion of Malaya and Singapore | Penang | CPC]

Malta

Five German motor torpedo boats from Sicily, Italy entered Malta's Valletta harbour during the night and drop seventy mines there. ww2dbase [Malta Campaign | Valletta | AC]

Philippines

US B-17 bombers at Del Monte airfield on Mindanao in the Philippine Islands departed for Australia. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | CPC]

Turkey

The refugee ship Struma arrived in Istanbul, Turkey with 769 Romanian Jews aboard; without permission to enter Palestine, they would remain on the ship for the following two months. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Istanbul | CPC] But at least they were safe.

16 Dec 1942

Soviet troops launched an offensive towards Rostov-on-Don, Russia hoping to cut off German troops in the Caucasus, defeating Italian units on the Don River. ww2dbase [Caucasus Campaign | TH]
Overnight and into the next morning, men of US 1st Infantry Division raided Maknassy, Tunisia, taking 21 German prisoners. ww2dbase [Advance into Tunisia | CPC]

16 Dec 1943

USS Flying Fish sank a Japanese cargo ship off Luzon, Philippine Islands, hitting her with 3 of 3 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Flying Fish | CPC]

Atlantic Ocean

The 46 prisoners from U-172 (survivors) sunk three days before were transferred from escort ships to escort carrier USS Bogue including the submarine’s commanding officer, Oberleutnant zur See Hermann Hoffmann, among the youngest submarine commanders in the German Navy at 22. ww2dbase [Conclusion of the Battle of the Atlantic | Bogue | DS]

British Western Pacific Territories

US naval leadership in the Solomon Islands decided to embark on a fighter sweep campaign against Rabaul, New Britain with US Navy, US Marine Corps, and Royal New Zealand Air Force fighters. The first mission would be launched on the following day. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | CPC]

China

Joseph Stilwell met with Chiang Kaishek in Chongqing, China. Chiang told Stilwell that he would only allow a major Chinese offensive into Burma if the Allies could achieve a three-to-one numerical superiority against the Japanese. He also turned over full command of the two Chinese divisions training in Ramgarh, India to Stilwell, who immediately prepared them for operations in northern Burma. ww2dbase [Chiang Kaishek | Joseph Stilwell | Chongqing | CPC]

Germany

498 RAF aircraft (483 Lancaster and 15 Mosquito) attacked Berlin, Germany; 25 Lancaster bombers were lost in combat and 29 more were lost while landing in bad weather. Berlin rail system was disrupted heavily, while the National Theater and the national archives buildings were destroyed. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Berlin | CPC]
The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against port facilities at Bremen, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | RAF Thurleigh | Bremen | DS]

Italy

German troops counterattacked positions held by New Zealand troops outside of Orsogna, Italy before dawn; the Germans failed to gain ground, but the attack also exhausted New Zealand strength in the region. To the west, US troops captured San Pietro, Italy. ww2dbase [Advance to the Gustav Line | CPC]
Benito Mussolini gave Commander Ferrucio Ferrini the authorization to form a new naval infantry corps. ww2dbase [Benito Mussolini | CPC]

16 Dec 1944

Royal Indian Artillery Sergeant Umrao Singh won the Victoria Cross for defending his advanced gun battery against a determined Japanese attack in Burma. The fighting was frequently hand-to-hand and when Sergeant Singh was found wounded and exhausted, ten enemy bodies surrounded his gun. ww2dbase [AC]
The US Navy Fast Carrier Task Force retired from Philippine waters after three consecutive days of air operations. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | CPC]
USS Finback attacked a Japanese convoy in the Western Pacific, firing a total of 20 torpedoes but making only 2 hits, sinking a transport. ww2dbase [Finback | CPC]
Dwight Eisenhower learned that he was about to be promoted to the rank of 5-star general. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | CPC]
A German officer carrying several copies of Operation Greif (the codename for Otto Skorzeny's infiltration of "fake Americans" to cause confusion ahead of the Ardennes Offensive) was taken prisoner and the treacherous plan was revealed. ww2dbase [Battle of the Bulge | AC]

Belgium

A German V2 rocket fell on the Rex Cinema in Antwerp, Belgium which was packed for the matinee performance. The blast killed 567 people, 296 of them Allied servicemen, and injured 291, half of them soldiers. It took six days to dig out all the bodies, many of which were still sitting upright in their seats. It was the highest death toll from a V-weapon attack during the entire war and resulted in the cinemas and theatres of Antwerp being closed "for the duration" and gatherings of more than 50 people in any one place being banned. ww2dbase [Antwerp | AC]

Germany

German troops launched Operation Wacht am Rhein, crossing the German border toward Belgium, opening the Battle of the Bulge. ww2dbase [Battle of the Bulge | TH, CPC] I am sure that it started sooner than that!

fat mans club of NY City NY USA 1930.jpg (546.69 KiB) Viewed 520 times

United States

George Marshall was promoted to the rank of general of the army. ww2dbase [George Marshall | CPC]

16 Dec 1945

Fumimaro Konoe passed away. ww2dbase [Fumimaro Konoe | CPC]
https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=178

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

Good day!


Leo "Apollo11"

[Orm]

Hey.

[btd64]

Well hi there folks. So 1 week ago today I fell down the stairs at home. I broke my tibia in 2 places and dislocated my ankle. I had surgery on my ankle which gave me a few screws and a plate. I'm now in a rehab hospital and hoping to get home in a couple of weeks . So I'm getting OT and PT which is designed for me to get strong. So that's the story....GP

Hope you mend and heal quickly GP!

Thanks Zovs. I woke up Almost pain free until I moved around. PT and OT are moving forward....GP

[btd64]

Thanks for the Kitten RJ ....GP

[BBfanboy]

Ranger Joe: ...aboard the 260-ton coastal steamship Claymore

If Claymore got mined, the irony would be dripping!

[Zovs]

Well hi there folks. So 1 week ago today I fell down the stairs at home. I broke my tibia in 2 places and dislocated my ankle. I had surgery on my ankle which gave me a few screws and a plate. I'm now in a rehab hospital and hoping to get home in a couple of weeks . So I'm getting OT and PT which is designed for me to get strong. So that's the story....GP

Hope you mend and heal quickly GP!

Thanks Zovs. I woke up Almost pain free until I moved around. PT and OT are moving forward....GP

I hear you on pain free. I had surgery last Friday to remove 3 cyst from my head and the wounds on my head are almost healed.

Oh, good morning Folks. I guess its afternoon here, but morning someplace.

[RangerJoe]

Ranger Joe: ...aboard the 260-ton coastal steamship Claymore

If Claymore got mined, the irony would be dripping!

220px-Two-handed_Highland_sword.JPG (3.64 KiB) Viewed 461 times

Why would that be ironic?

[RangerJoe]

Hope you mend and heal quickly GP!

Thanks Zovs. I woke up Almost pain free until I moved around. PT and OT are moving forward....GP

I hear you on pain free. I had surgery last Friday to remove 3 cyst from my head and the wounds on my head are almost healed.

Oh, good morning Folks. I guess its afternoon here, but morning someplace.

baby needs beer & wine.png (220.44 KiB) Viewed 459 times

Considering that the sun is over the yardarm here, I will consume a beer or two for the both of you!

Hong Kong draft beer dispensers right at your table..png (844.01 KiB) Viewed 459 times

A quick question, should there be a new thread for "On this day in WWII" as well as one for "On this day in WWI"? I have been including things on the WWII information that occurred before and after the normal dates for the war if they pertain to WWII.

[Orm]

A quick question, should there be a new thread for "On this day in WWII" as well as one for "On this day in WWI"? I have been including things on the WWII information that occurred before and after the normal dates for the war if they pertain to WWII.

Yes, please.

[RangerJoe]

Thanks for the Kitten RJ ....GP

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You are most welcome!

only take cash.jpg (104.5 KiB) Viewed 440 times

Think of this when you are having your Physical Torture sessions!

[btd64]

The PT guys and gals are nice here. It's still pretty rough but I'm dealing with it....GP

[btd64]

Next page is coming up....GP

[btd64]

INP....GP