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Posts Tagged ‘Medal’

World War II History for July 20

20 Jul

Audio Clip: 1944-07-21 RRG Adolf Hitler – On July 20th Assassination Attempt

Today in WWII History

World War II History for July 20

1942 - The first detachment of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, (WACS) began basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.

1942 - An Act of Congress (Public Law 671 – 77th Congress, Chapter 508, 2d Session) established the Legion of Merit Medal.

1944 - Operation Valkyrie – An attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Adolf Hitler failed. The bomb exploded at Hitler’s Rastenburg headquarters. Hitler was only wounded.

Thirty six year-old Stauffenberg’s final attempt occured on July 20, 1944. Four days earlier, the attempt was decided upon during a meeting at his residence at No. 8 Tristanstrasse, Wansee. Himmler or no Himmler, the attempt must go ahead, come what may. At 12.00pm Stauffenberg and General Fromm report to Field Marshal Keitel’s office for a briefing before entering the conference room. At 12.37pm, Stauffenberg pushes his briefcase containing the bomb, under the map table, then leaves the room on the pretext of making a telephone call. The officer who took his place noticed the briefcase and with his foot pushed it further under the table. At 12.42pm, the bomb explodes. By this time Stauffenberg is on his way back to Berlin. At 6.28pm a radio broadcast from Wolf’s Lair reports that Hitler is alive but only slightly wounded. Later that night, at 12.30am, Stauffenberg and his co-conspirators, Haeften, Olbricht and Mertz, are arrested and executed by firing squad in the inner courtyard of the Bendlerstrasse Headquarters.

THE BOMB PLOT AT HITLER’S HQ. The personnel as at 12.30pm on July 20, 1944. (See the following list.)

Adolf Hitler
General Heusinger
Luftwaffe General Korten (Died of wounds)
Colonel Brandt (Died of wounds)
Luftwaffe General Bodenschatz (Severely wounded)
General Schnunt (Died of wounds)
Lt.Colonel Borgman (Severely wounded)
Rear Admiral Von Puttkamer
Stenographer Berger (Killed on the spot)
Naval Captain Assmann
General Scherff
General Buhle 1
Rear Admiral Voss
SS Group Leader Fegelein
Colonel Von Bellow
SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Gunsche
Stenographer Hagen
Lt.Colonel Von John (Adjutant to Keitel)
Major Buchs (Adjutant to Jodl)
Lt.Colonel Weizenegger
Min.Counsellor Von Sonnleithner
General Warlimont (Concussion)
General Jodl (Lightly wounded)
Field Marshal Keitel

Starring Tom Cruise, VALKYRIE, is the true story of the assassination plot against Adolf Hitler that took place on July 20, 1944 and which was led by, among others, German staff officer Klaus Von Stauffenberg (whom Cruise portrays). Now available on DVD – see the events for yourself!

[1] Assassination Attempts on Hitler’s Life — 1 http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-49252.html

 
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Posted in Country - USA, Europe Theater, Facts, Media, North America, Podcast, Today

 

World War II History for August 15

15 Aug

Today in WW II History

World War II History for August 15

1940 - Air battles and daylight raids over Britain began.

1943 - Because of his special talent to use food scraps in both unusual and appetizing recipes, the U.S. War Department awarded Sgt. Edward Dzuba the Legion of Merit.

1944 - The Allied forces of World War II landed in southern France.

1945 - The Allies proclaimed V-J Day a day after Japan agreed to surrender unconditionally. Emperor Hirohito of Japan announces the news of his country’s unconditional surrender in World War II over a radio broadcast to the Japanese people.

Although Tokyo had already communicated to the Allies its acceptance of the surrender terms of the Potsdam Conference several days earlier, and a Japanese news service announcement had been made to that effect, the Japanese people were still waiting to hear an authoritative voice speak the unspeakable: that Japan had been defeated.

On the afternoon of August 14, a Japanese radio broadcaster told the public that Emperor Hirohito would soon make an Imperial Proclamation announcing the defeat. The following day at noon, Hirohito went on the radio himself, blaming Japan’s surrender on the enemies’ use of “a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which is incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives.” The emperor was not only a political leader in Japan; he was also revered as a near-god, and many Japanese did not fully accept the news of defeat until they heard him speak those unthinkable words.

That voice was the emperor’s. In Japan’s Shinto religious tradition, the emperor was also divine; his voice was the voice of a god. And on August 15, that voice-heard over the radio airwaves for the very first time–confessed that Japan’s enemy “has begun to employ a most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is indeed incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives.” This was the reason given for Japan’s surrender. Hirohito’s oral memoirs, published and translated after the war, evidence the emperor’s fear at the time that “the Japanese race will be destroyed if the war continues.”

As sadness and shame engulfed Japan, joy spread around the Western world. In the United States, news of Hirohito’s announcement reached airwaves on August 14 (due to the time difference), and that day was declared Victory in Japan–or V-J–Day. That afternoon, President Harry S. Truman addressed a crowd that had gathered outside the White House, saying “This is the day we have been waiting for since Pearl Harbor. This is the day when Fascism finally dies, as we always knew it would.” That day, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped one of the most famous photos ever published, a shot of a sailor in full uniform kissing a nurse in the middle of New York City’s Times Square. The photo, published by Life magazine, became a symbol of the general atmosphere of jubilation in the United States following the end of World War II.

A sticking point in the Japanese surrender terms had been Hirohito’s status as emperor. Tokyo wanted the emperor’s status protected; the Allies wanted no preconditions. There was a compromise. The emperor retained his title; Gen. Douglas MacArthur believed his at least ceremonial presence would be a stabilizing influence in postwar Japan. But Hirohito was forced to disclaim his divine status. Japan lost more than a war-it lost a god.

Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day) celebrates the surrender of Japan, the last Axis power to yield during WWII, and the subsequent end of the war. Though Japan’s surrender was announced on Aug 15, the terms were not signed until Sept 2. One of the most famous images depicting the joy of V-J Day was shot in Times Square, NY, when Alfred Eisenstaedt, photographing for Life magazine, captured the moment a sailor embraced a nurse and kissed her.

View the video history article at History.com Hirohito announces unconditional surrender

 
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Posted in Country - Japan, Europe Theater, Media, Pacific Theater, Today

 

Mr Lucky receives medals for WWII

19 Mar

‘Mr. Lucky’ receives medals for WW II bravery
Courtney Bryce – Edmond, OK
Special to The Sun – Published: March 19, 2008 12:35 pm

EDMOND — Lloyd Carter spent five days in the ocean during World War II after a Japanese submarine torpedoed his ship, the USS Indianapolis. After more than 60 years, Carter finally received his medals for his bravery at a ceremony last week at Tinker Air Force Base.

“When the war got over, you just got out and went home,” said Max Carter, Lloyd’s nephew and an Edmond resident.

He said he was talking to his friend, Rick Johnson, an Edward Jones financial adviser, about the fact that Lloyd never received his medals and that he should have them.

“It was something (Lloyd) was entitled to,” Max Carter said.

They approached Mayor Dan O’Neil, who made a call to the U.S. Navy. O’Neil said he wanted to be a part of helping Lloyd receive his medals because his own father fought in World War II aboard the USS Saratoga.

“It’s important to the family to recognize the contribution,” O’Neil said. “The best tribute is from the family.”

Max Carter said his grandson, Adam Kishman, who currently is in the Navy, also took it upon himself to make sure Lloyd was honored for his accomplishments.

“(Lloyd) is one of three family members left,” Max Carter said. “He’s pretty important to the family in what he did.”

Rear Adm. Doug McClain flew in especially for the ceremony. O’Neil said this was a great honor because McClain has made more carrier landings than anyone in Naval history. McClain presented Lloyd with six to eight medals and a plaque.

Before Lloyd was assigned to the USS Indianapolis, he was assigned to the USS California in 1941. One morning, the crew was setting up for church while they were stationed in Pearl Harbor. They were attacked by Japanese troops and quickly jumped into the water. The water was very oily and by the time Lloyd made it to shore he was covered with oil and mud. American troops mistook him for a Japanese soldier and immediately imprisoned him with the enemy troops. Lloyd said no one believed him that he was an American and escaped on his own.

Lloyd said he received a medal for his time in Pearl Harbor. He also received one for his time aboard the USS Indianapolis.

“They gave me a purple heart because of the injuries I received in the sinking of the ship,” Lloyd Carter said.

He said when the USS Indianapolis sunk he was up on watch. It was about midnight.

“I was waiting for the watch to relieve me,” Lloyd said. “They were late relieving me.”

The World War II veteran said he had not been feeling well and had planned to visit the sick bay. However, a torpedo hit the ship before he left his post.

“I looked around and there wasn’t anybody but me. I crawled on my hands and knees and went over. It’s hard to abandon the ship. It’s your safety,” Lloyd said.

Later it was discovered that none of the men in the sick bay made it out alive.

Lloyd said he and his shipmates experienced many things while they waited in the water for rescue.

“There was aircraft that would fly over but they couldn’t see us. We had saltwater ulcers that caused big scabs all over our bodies. The scars are about gone now. A lot of those boys went crazy. They had all kinds of hallucinations,” he said.

By luck, a pilot had flown 100 miles off course and noticed an oil slick. He discovered the stranded sailors when he dipped lower to get a better look.

“If they hadn’t found us in one more day, in my opinion, we’d be gone,” Lloyd said. “I didn’t serve on any other ship.”

Lloyd’s hardships didn’t end after World War II. In 1987, he suffered from a heart attack and in 2003 he was hit by a car while taking a walk.

To this day, his friends and family refer to him as Mr. Lucky.

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Posted in Country - USA, News, Sea

 
 
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