today in world war 2 history 18 1940- adolt hitler issues his plan for invading the soviet union, code-named operation Barbarossa. his directive no. 21 retains a three-pronged offensive but the weight of the invasion plan has now shifted northward to Leningrad and the Baltic area, where army groups north and center are to annihilate the enemy forces, before attacking and occupying Moscow 1941- the royal navys force k, operating from malta, runs into a minefield off Tripoli. the crusier Neptune and destroyer Kandahar are both sunk, while the remaining two cruisers are damaged. an Italian human torpedo attack upon the british Mediterranean fleet in Alexandria, Egypt, sinks the battleships queen Elizabeth and valiant. however, both vessels sink upright in shallow waters and are eventually repaired. nevertheless, these losses severely reduce british naval power in the Mediterranean. the human torpedo, a midget submarine driven by two operators, is designed to enter defended harbors and clamp its warhead onto a ships hull. the british soon develop their own version called chariot 1941- adolt hitler appoints himself as commander-in-chief of the army following field marshal walter von brauchitschs resignation on the 7th. brauchitsch resigned following a heart attack brought on by the strain of soviet counterattacks. he was already under pressure to resign. his authority had been increasingly undermined by hitler dominating strategic planning. hitler successfully keeps the eastern front armies in defensive position during the winter. he develops an increasing skepticism toward the competence of his army commaders. parallel to this is the expansion of the waffen ss, seen by hitler as being politically-reliable troops 1941- an amendment to the selective service acy requires all men aged 18-64 to register, and for men aged 20-44 to be liable for conscription. 1942- field marshal erich von mansteins attempt to relieve he german sixth army with an attack by army group don advances to within 35 miles of Stalingrad in the face of heavy resistance. despite mansteins pleas for general friedrich von paulus sixth army to launch a break-out., adolt hitler orders him not to retreat, but fuel shortages limit any possible action anyway. the year ends with soviet offensives pushing the german relief force westward. in Stalingrad, german troops are suffering severe hardships, chiefly due to the weather and supply shortages 1943- us advances on bougainville ensure that air bases can now be opened and missions launched 1944- Hitler launches Operation Watch on the Rhine, his attempt to break through the US VIII Corps on the Ardennes front, reach the Meuse River, and capture Antwerp, thereby splitting the Allies in two. The German units- 200,000 men- form Army Group B under the overall command of Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. This force comprises the Sixth SS Panzer Army. Us forces total 80,000 men. Surprise is total and there is dense cloud and fog, which negates Allied air superiority, but the Germans fail to take the towns of St. Vith and Bastogne immediately, which narrows their attack front. On the 17th, troops of SS Lieutenant Colonel Joachim Peipers battlegroup murder 71 American prisoners of war at malmedy in Belgium, leaving their bodies in a field. By the 22nd, the Americans, having lost 8000 of 22,000 men at St. vith, pull back from the town, but the men of the 28th infantry, 10th, and 101st Airborne Divisions continue to hold out stubbornly in Bastogne against one infantry and two panzer divisions. On the same day the germans mount their last attempt to reach the Meuse. as part of their sabotage operations, the germans are using English-speaking commandos dressed in US uniforms to spread confusion, especially at road junctions and on bridges. However, measures have been taken to defeat these infiltrators, many of whom are later shot as spies
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 12:44:34 +0000
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