Today in WWII History
=Leap Year Day=
1944 - The Office of Defense Transportation, for the second year in a row, restricted attendance at the Kentucky Derby to residents of the Louisville area. This was an effort to prevent a railroad traffic burden during wartime.
1944 - “Operation Brewer” began with the invasion of the Admiralty Islands.
First [...]
Today in World War II History
1944 - Test pilot Reitsch pitches suicide squad to Hitler
Hannah Reitsch, the first female test pilot in the world, suggests the creation of the Nazi equivalent of a kamikaze squad of suicide bombers while visiting Adolf Hitler in Berchtesgaden. Hitler was less than enthusiastic about the idea.
Reitsch was born in [...]
World War II History for February 27, 2008
Today in WWII History
1933 - The Reichstag, Germany’s parliament building in Berlin, was set on fire. The Nazis accused Communist for the fire.
1942 - U.S. aircraft carrier Langley is sunk
On this day, the U.S. Navy’s first aircraft carrier, the Langley, is sunk by Japanese warplanes (with a [...]
World War II History for February 26
1935 - Hitler organizes Luftwaffe
On February 26, 1935, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler signs a secret decree authorizing the founding of the Reich Luftwaffe as a third German military service to join the Reich army and navy. In the same decree, Hitler appointed Hermann Goering, a German air hero from [...]