June 1944 Happenings from Gibbon's Secrets by RG Phelps

Reg's Scrapbook - World War II Time Line - 1944

June 1st, America deployed tanks against the Japanese on Bisk.

June& 4th, Allied forces recapture Rome, the 88th American Division march into Rome.

June 6th, Allied forces launch the D-Day invasion of Normandy In France. Preparations for the invasion of Europe by the Allies involved enormous movements of men and equipment, and considerable secrecy, in order to conceal tine exact timing and destination from the Germans. The men did not know until the last possible moment and when they were going. 5,000 ships & Landing crafts carried 5 Allied divisions to the French coast. In the first 48 hours, 107,000 men had landed.

June 10th, the German Waffen-SS liquidate 642 villagers in the French village Oradour-sur-Glane. The SS 2nd Panzer Division Das Reich, murdered the inhabitants during the afternoon of 10, June 1944.

June 13th, Germany launches its first V-1 rocket attack on England. The first salvo of 10, V-1 flying bombs is launched at the UK from the Pas-de-Calais, but hits the village of Swanscombe, 20 miles from its London target, another lands in the Sussex town of Cuckfield, and the third reaches the London suburb of Bethnal Green, killing 6 people. The German spotter plane sent to report on the raid is shot down.

June 14th, General de Gaulle returns to France.

June 15th, Americans land on Saipan (Mariana)

June 19th, Sea-Air "Battle of the Philippine Sea" - This battle was between the Japanese Fleet with 9 aircraft carriers and the American Navy-Air Force "Task Force 58", with 15 aircraft carriers. The Japanese lost 3 aircraft carriers and 400 planes by the American submarines and planes.


Chapter 37 - (1944) Memories of Memorial Day & D-Day

On May 18, 1944, leading up to Memorial Day, President Franklin Roosevelt bought the first "Buddy Poppy" from six-year old Phyllis Fay Firebaugh, the daughter of a deceased war veteran. The Buddy Poppy now is a symbol of not only the veterans of World War II, but the current members of our armed forces; either presently serving their country or have given their lives in the defense of it. Memorial Day, May 30, therefore takes on a greater meaning. President Roosevelt used his 1944 Memorial Day press conference not only to honor the servicemen and women, but to plant the seen for the development of a new organization designed to increase the possibilities for peace. This organization is to e called the "United Nations".

The news about D-Day really didn't come out in the papers here in America until nearly a week after the fact, but when the news broke everyone on the home-front devoured the particulars. The announcement that over 100,000 men had landed on the beaches of Normandy in the first 48 hours was equivalent to over 100 times Gibbon's total population. It's hard to imagine, but over 5,000 ships were involved in the initial landing, and tons of equipment and men were carried on shore via landing crafts. The early June news about D-Day still didn't take anything away from the June successes for the Navy. The battle of the Philippine Sea caused the Japanese to lose 3 aircraft carriers and 400 planes.



















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