Yesterday           Tomorrow

1931   (THURSDAY)

 

GERMANY: With the German government's inability to pay its reparations obligations, Germany's creditors accepted a "stand-still" agreement, which temporarily avoided a default.

 

UNITED STATES: RCA Victor began demonstrating a very early version of the long-playing (LP), 33-1/3 RPM phonograph record. It would be another 17 years before RCA rival Columbia would begin mass producck McKillop)

September 17th, 1939 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM.: The US freighter SS Black Condor is detained by the British.

BALTIC SEA: U-41 captured Finnish freighters Suomen Poika and Vega.

POLAND: Warsaw: St. John's Cathedral is bombed during mass; the dead are being buried in public parks as the cemetaries are full.

Just before dawn this morning the Red Army invaded Poland along the 800 mile length of the border. The Polish High Command has been taken by surprise and the Russians have brushed aside the border guards to advance virtually unopposed into Poland. The government is fleeing towards the Rumanian border. The Russians up until now have been complaining of Polish aircraft violating the Soviet frontier. Stalin claims that he sent in his army to "restore peace and order in Poland, which has been destroyed by the disintegration of the Polish state.... Russia and Germany will help the Poles establish new conditions for its political life."

Brest: Early today the citadel is captured by the Germans of the 76th Infantry Regiment under Colonel Gollnik, which had crossed over to the west bank of the Bug during the night. They captured it at the exact moment when the Polish garrison was about to attempt to break out westwards across the undamaged bridge over the Bug. (95)(Russ Folsom)

ESTONIA: The Polish submarine ORZEL escapes Tallinn, where it has been interned. The Soviet Union seizes this incident as an excuse that proves Estonia is not able to uphold its neutrality.

U.S.S.R.: Moscow: Russia promises to respect Finnish neutrality.

     Soviet Foreign Minister Viachislav M. Molotov tells the Polish ambassador that "since the Polish Republic is no longer in existence" the Soviets are taking measures to protect inhabitants of Beylorussia and the western Ukraine.

ITALY: The government promises Greece not to take the initiative in resorting to any military action against her.

CANADA: Patrol vessel HMCS Capella I (ex-halibut boat) commissioned.

U.S.A.: Charles A. Lindbergh, the first man to fly nonstop across the Atlantic, makes his first anti-intervention speech on U.S. radio, arguing that Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin is as much to be feared as German Chancellor Adolf Hitler.

Frank Sinatra records the song "All or Nothing at All" with Harry James and his Orchestra on Columbia Records; the record was released in July 1940. The song failed to become a hit for Sinatra until 1943 -- after Ol' Blue Eyes had left Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra in 1942 and went solo.

In New York City, Alice Marble and Bobby Riggs win the U.S. tennis titles at Forest Hills.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: To the south-west of Ireland, HMS Courageous (50), one of the Royal Navy's oldest carriers is sunk by U-29. The 22,500 ton ship had just turned into the wind to recover aircraft when she was struck on the port side by two torpedoes. Damage control was unable to control flooding and the order to abandon was given five minutes after the torpedo hit. Courageous sank ten minutes later with 518 casualties and 742 survivors. Carriers are withdrawn from anti-U boat patrols as the lesson is learnt that the best chance of sinking U-boats is to attract them to well-defended convoys when the escorts can hunt them down. (Alex Gordon)(108)

U-53 sank SS Kafiristan.

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17 September 1940

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September 17th, 1940 (TUESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:
Battle of Britain: Today, there are squally showers with thunder and bright intervals.

RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group. 78 Sqn. Whitley P4964 damaged by flak, Sgt R. Graham, rear gunner, wounded. Sgt A.S. Ennis and remainder of crew unhurt.

Bombing - Bismarck at Hamburg - invasion fleet at Zeebrugge and Ostend.

10 Sqn. Ten aircraft. Nine got off, one returned early, nine bombed. Severe opposition at Hamburg.
51 Sqn. Ten aircraft. One returned early, nine attacked Zeebrugge successfully.
78 Sqn. Eight aircraft. Seven bombed primary, one bombed alternative. One damaged by Flak, one man wounded.
An estimated 84 invasion barges are sunk.


RAF Fighter Command: During the day, there is reduced activity again with only one large fighter sweep during the afternoon. German invasion cancelled indefinitely. Seemingly on account of weather conditions, reconnaissance activity is on a reduced scale, but a big attack is launched in the East Kent area about 1530 hours. This is met by 23 RAF fighter squadrons some of which made successful interceptions and casualties are inflicted. In the East, reconnaissances by single aircraft are made off the Wash and East Anglian Coast, and one of these aircraft approached North-East London. In the South-East between 0730 and 1300 hours thirteen reconnaissances by single aircraft are made in East Kent, four of these up to 0930 hours flew towards Kenley, Biggin Hill and London. At about 1530 hours a series of formations totaling about 300 aircraft crossed the Coast at Lympne, Dover and Deal. The leading raid of 110 plus aircraft flew as far West as Maidstone, the remainder spread out over East Kent. The area of activity is bounded on the West by a line running North and South through Maidstone, and on the North by the Estuary which is not crossed.

 The Inner Artillery Zone is not penetrated. RAF No 11 Group detailed 23 fighter squadrons to meet the attack while No 12 Group had five fighter squadrons patrolling at 15,000 to 20,000 feet (4 572 to 6 096 meters) north of the Estuary. From 1700 hours reconnaissance activity continued in the Dungeness area. In the South and West, a few reconnaissances are made along the South Coast. One German aircraft flies across the Bristol Channel to North Wales and Liverpool area. Its return flight is made via Stoke and Oxford.

At night London and Merseyside are raided.

In a night raid on Clydeside the cruiser HMS Sussex is damaged.

Daylight lone raiders visited Caterham, Portsmouth and Speke. 

Night raiders use the 1000-kg blast bombs for the first time. Adapted from sea mines these cylindrical objects are about eight feet long and two feet in diameter. Each descends suspended from a 27-foot diameter silk parachute. Thin case and large charge combine to produce a colossal hollow bang, tremendous shock waves and extensive blast damage over a quarter mile radius.

     During the night of 17/18 September, Luftwaffe activity is again concentrated mainly on the London area and the South-eastern Counties, with a few raids penetrating to Wales. Night raiders use the 1000-kilogram (2,205 pound) blast bombs for the first time. Adapted from sea mines these cylindrical objects are about 8 feet (2,4 meters) long and 2 feet (61 centimeters) in diameter. Each descends suspended from a 27-foot (8,2 meter) diameter silk parachute. Thin case and large charge combine to produce a colossal hollow bang, tremendous shock waves and extensive blast damage over a quarter mile (402 meter) radius. At about 1930 hours, the first hostile raids are plotted out of Cherbourg, Seine Bay and Dieppe, France, areas, after which a steady stream of raids, mostly single aircraft, crossed the Coast between Selsey Bill and Dungeness. The majority flew towards the London area, but many of them turned South again without penetrating the anti-aircraft barrage. Between 2100 and 0030 hours, a number of raids flew to South Wales, some of which penetrated to the Liverpool area. Raids are also plotted over East Anglia and in the Digby, Middlesborough and Glasgow areas. During the raid on Clydeside at Glasgow, Scotland, the heavy cruiser HMS Sussex (96) is hit by bombs causing serious fires, gutting the after end of the ship which then settles on the bottom with a heavy list. She does not return to service until August 1942. Minelaying is suspected in the Thames Estuary and off Southwold and Foreness. After 0100 hours, activity is almost entirely confined to the London area, East Anglia and the South-eastern counties. Intensity slackened at 0230 hours but increased again at 0345 hours when further raids became active originating from the Dieppe, France, area. Some of the night raiders are plotted returning in the direction of Ostend and the Dutch Islands. RAF Fighter Command claimed 6-4-2 Luftwaffe aircraft and anti-aircraft batteries claimed 2-0-0. The RAF lost five aircraft of which four pilots are safe.

Losses: Luftwaffe, 8; RAF, 5.

London: Fireman Harry Errington (b. 1910) rescued two trapped colleagues after a direct hit on a building which was being used as a shelter by auxiliary firemen. (George Cross)

Corvettes HMS Bellwort, Armeria and Anchusa laid down.

Light cruiser HMS Charybdis launched.
Corvette HMS Heather launched.


MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Units of the Mediterranean Fleet including HMS Valiant sail with HMS Illustrious for a raid on Benghazi. Swordfish torpedo the destroyer 'Borea', and mines laid by them off the port sink another, the 'Aquilone'. On the return to Alexandria, heavy cruiser HMS Kent (54) and two destroyers are detached to bombard Bardia before returning to base. She is torpedoed and badly damaged by Italian torpedo bombers in the stern. She has to be towed back to base by the destroyers, which they do with great difficulty. Kent finally arrived back at Alexandria on 19 September. Kent is out of action for a year as she does not return to service until September 1941.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 2308 hours GMT, the 11,081 ton luxury liner SS City of Benares is struck by a torpedo on the port side fired by the German submarine U-48. The ship, sailing in Convoy OB-213 (Liverpool, England, to North America), is attacked a few hours after the RN escort vessels had withdrawn. After a short time the ship sinks about 468 nautical miles (866 kilometers) west-northwest of Galway, County Galway, Éire, in position 56.43N, 21.15W. The liner had departed Liverpool for Montreal and Quebec City, Canada, on 13 September carrying 199 passengers, 90 of which are children being transported to Canada as part of a government program. Only 57 passengers, including 13 children, are rescued, but 248 crew and 77 children are killed. Immediately after the sinking, the British government ceases the transportation of children to Canada and South Africa.

U-65 sank SS Tregenna in Convoy HX-71.
U-99 sank SS Crown Arun.


FRANCE: Paris: The Nazis set up a task force, based at the Musee du Jeu de Paume, to acquire art treasures for the Reich.

GERMANY: Berlin: Artur Axmann, the new German youth leader, decrees that all Hitler Youth aged between 14 and 18 in areas vulnerable to air raids must attend air-raid practice on Sunday mornings - thus keeping them out of Church.

Hitler puts off Operation Sealion, scheduled to be ordered today. The new came in an Enigma decoding of a message from the German General Staff to the officer responsible for loading the transport aircraft earmarked for invasion. The message orders him to dismantle his air-loading equipment; without that equipment there can be no invasion.

A plan for the attack on the Soviet Union is presented by General Paulus, Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff. This plan has 3 major axis, Leningrad, Moscow and Kiev.

FRENCH WEST AFRICA: In Dakar, the French Navy’s Toulon task force, reinforced by the Dakar naval squadron, departs for Libreville, Gabon; Douala, Cameroon; and Pointe Noire, Congo, with orders to reestablish Vichy authority in French Equatorial Africa.

U.S.A.: The first Lockheed YP-38 prototype (Lockheed Model 122-62-02, msn 122-2202, USAAC s/n 39-689) was flown by Marshall Headle on 17 Sep 40 at Burbank, California. This fighter aircraft is better known as the Lightning.

Destroyer USS Lansdale commissioned.

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Camrose laid down Sorel, Province of Quebec.
 

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17 September 1941

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September 17th, 1941 (WEDNESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: The British are being cajoled into eating more potatoes, one of the few staple food of which there is no shortage. The ministry of food has fixed their retail price at a penny a pound throughout the year.

Ministry advertisements featuring a cartoon character called "Potato Pete" suggest serving a pound per person per day. "Use potatoes in pastry," he recommends, even going so far as to recommend mashed potato sandwiches. The ministry also sings the praises of carrots and swedes in all guises.

Plans are now being made to apply "points" rationing to tinned foods, beginning in November. Each person will get 16 points to spend on what he or she chooses every four weeks.

GERMANY: U-356, U-595 and U-596 launched.
U-405 and U-656 commissioned.

U.S.S.R.: Some German successes mark the heavy fighting in the outskirts of Kiev, the capitol of Ukraine.

     The withdrawal from the Kiev pocket is finally approved by Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, but it is far too late. Colonel General Mikhail Kirponos, commander of the Southwestern Front, would share the fate of many of his soldiers when his column, attempting to withdraw is ambushed and he is cut down. In the end, only 15,000 would escape the encirclement. This is a grave blow to the Soviet Army.

YUGOSLAVIA: Belgrade: Following attacks on German soldiers in the city, indefinite martial law has been proclaimed by the Serbia puppet regime set up by the Nazis. The regime is planning a punitive expedition into the mountains to round up rebels.

At dawn today, a Royal Navy submarine landed a British agent, Colonel D T Hudson, on the Dalmatian coast for a rendezvous with Tito and the other resistance leader, Mihailovich. Hudson's orders are to find out which of the two is putting up the tougher fight against the Nazi occupation.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Convoy HG-73 sailed from Gibraltar.

CHINA: The Japanese 11th Corps, some 125,000 strong, launches attacks at Changsha in the Hunnan Providence, 350 miles (563 kilometers) east of Chungking.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Hart informs Navy Department that, when hostilities began, he would move his ships to southern Philippine waters. (Marc Small)

CANADA: The Federal government declares that strikes are illegal for the remainder of the war.

U.S.A.: The US Navy takes over responsibility for some of the Halifax-UK convoys and most of the Iceland traffic. Canadian naval forces are escorting as far as 22 degrees West where the British take over.

     During the Louisiana maneuvers, the U.S. Army dropped paratroopers for the first time in a tactical exercise. Thirteen Douglas DC–3s acquired for the purpose dropped a parachute company.

The Government allocates US$100,000,000 (US$1.176 billion in year 2000 dollars) to the Soviet Union for the purchase of war materials.

   In baseball, 20-year-old Stan Musial makes his major league debut for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Boston Braves in Sportsman's Park, St. Louis. Before 3,585 fans, "Stan the Man" goes 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

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17 September 1942

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September 17th, 1942 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Minesweeper HMS Inverell commissioned.
 Destroyer HMS Holcombe commissioned.

Trawler HMS Cailiff commissioned and loaned to RCN.

FRANCE: During the night of 17/18 September, four RAF Bomber Command Halifaxes dropped leaflet in France without loss.

GERMANY: U-305 and U-640 commissioned.

NORWAY: The premier, Vidkun Quisling, reintroduces the death penalty.

U.S.S.R.: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill meets with Soviet Premier Josef Stalin in Moscow as the German Army rams into Stalingrad.

Stalingrad: Lt. Andrei Khoyzyanov and a platoon of Soviet marines dressed in striped shirts and navy hats, reinforce the troops holding the huge grain elevator just south of the Tsaritsa Gorge. (Russell Folsom)

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: During the night of 16/17 September, US Army, Middle East Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Bengasi, Libya harbour; during the day, targets for B-24s are in GREECE: shipping in Pylos Bay and shipping and piers near Sphakia, and in Khalones and Pylos Island. P-40s make an offensive sweep with the RAF over the front lines.

Submarine HMS Talisman sailed from Gibraltar on 10 September, and last reported on 15 September. She is lost in the Mediterranean South of Sicily. There are no survivors or any Axis claims for her loss. It is likely that she was mined in the Sicilian Channel on or around 16/17. (Alex Gordon)(108)

MADAGASCAR: The Vichy Governor-General rejects the proposed armistice terms from the British.

Instead the Governor General of Madagascar announced that he was sending plenipotentiaries to the British commander asking for an armistice and the opening of negotiations.

NEW GUINEA: By 1100 hours local, Australian forces have withdraw to Imita Ridge on the Kokoda Track in Northeast New Guinea. Japanese ground forces, halted within sight of Port Moresby, are unable to attack without reinforcements and supplies, neither of which are available.

In Northeast New Guinea, USAAF 5th Air Force B-17s hit Lae, and hit a beached cargo vessel at Salamaua; P-39and P-400 Airacobras and P-40s strafe and bomb landing barges at Buna and Sanananda Point. 

BISMARK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, US 5th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, carrying out single-bomber attacks, bomb airfields at Rabaul.

AUSTRALIA: U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander South West Pacific Area, accuses Australian troops in New Guinea of a "lack of efficiency" (.Jack McKillop)

CANADA: Canadian warship attacks German U-Boat in the St. Lawrence before the submarine flees.

U.S.A.: Army Brigadier General Leslie Groves is put in command of the Manhattan Engineer Project. This project is the cover name for the atomic bomb project and, under his direction, the basic research is carried out, mainly at Columbia University in New York, New York, and the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Due to overstated concern for security and simple chauvinism, he is strongly opposed to sharing any information with the British.

Roosevelt begins a 15-day, 8,500 mile nationwide inspection of war industries.

Atomic weapons research is put under military control; Colonel Leslie Groves is appointed to manage the programme.

Minesweeper USS Notable laid down.
Destroyer USS Owen laid down.
Submarine USS Hoe launched.
Destroyer USS Ammen launched.

During WW II, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) produced numerous documents, most commonly known are the Intelligence Bulletins. The Military Intelligence Special Series continues with "German Military Training" (William L. Howard)

 

SOUTH ATLANTIC: As a result of the USAAF B-24 attack on German and Italian submarines rescuing survivors of the torpedoed British transport Lanconia, Admiral Karl Doenitz, Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, orders his U-boats not to pick up survivors of ships they sink. Meanwhile, the Vichy French ships light cruiser FR Gloire, colonial sloop Dumont D'Urville and minesweeper Annamite rescue 1,041 survivors of the sinking.

U-109 sank SS Peterton.
U-515 sank SS Mae.

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17 September 1943

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September 17th, 1943 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Frigate HMS Affleck commissioned.

FRANCE: Nineteen French Resistance fighters (FTPF - Communists) are executed by the Germans in Brest.

Plans are discovered of a plot by French Resistance to assassinate Pierre Laval. (Glenn Steinberg)

     During the night of 17/18 September, eight RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons laid mines off Brest.

GERMANY: During the night of 17/18 September, six RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bombed Berlin.

U-720 commissioned
U-999 and U-1000 launched.

U.S.S.R.: The Soviet Army captures Bryansk, Trubchevsk and Bezhitsa along the Desna River in their advance. Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov also falls.

Bryansk: The Red Army liberated this great industrial centre today, sweeping aside six German infantry divisions before entering the city. They found it devastated. Walter Model's men of 9 Armee have blown up virtually every factory before pulling out. The recapture of Bryansk, is, nevertheless, a major strategic victory, for it was the last German stronghold in Russia from which Moscow could be threatened. With six railway lines spreading from it, the city became the junction for the German occupation, feeding men and guns to the battlefields. Now the Russians will use the same tracks to push towards Smolensk, Gomel and Kiev. The Germans are now falling back towards the Dnieper, the next obvious defence line to counter the Russian advance.

ITALY: On the ground in Italy, US Fifth Army forces advancing on Altavila are pinned down however, the enemy retires to the north, completing a withdrawal from the battleline during the night. The British Eighth Army begins a general advance north toward Potenza and Auletta. US Ninth Air Force B-24s attack a marshalling yard, road junction, and rail junction at Pescara on the east coast while RAF heavy bombers again hit Potenza.

German forces start to withdraw from the west coast, attacking Altavilla and Battipaglia to cover their tracks.

US Twelfth Air Force B-17s and B-26 Marauders bomb airfields at Ciampino and Pratica di Mare; B-25 Mitchells attack small craft and barges off the mouth of the Tiber River;

P-38 Lightnings fly 27 dive-bombing missions against roads, junctions, railways, bridges, and targets of opportunity in the battle area and towns of Vallo della Lucania, Acerno, Nocera, Avellino, Gragnano Serre, Lioni, Fisciano, Monteforte Irpino, Cava de' Tirreni and Auletta;

XII Air Support Command, Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force, and other elements of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force escort naval vessels, and bomb rail and road junctions, motor transport, a marshalling yard, town areas, and various targets of opportunity in the Pompeii, Torre Annunziata, Salerno, Campagna, Sarno, Solofra, Montella, and Acerno areas.

The US 5th Army begins to push out of the beachhead at Salerno.

     During the night of 17/18 September, 64 RAF heavy bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb Cerveteri Airfield.

YUGOSLAVIA: Brigadier Fitzroy Maclean, as Churchill's personal representative, heads a British liaison team sent to Tito. It is to follow up earlier reports that Tito is doing more against the Germans then Mihajlovic. 

NORWAY: Miniature submarine X-8 is scuttled in the Norwegian Sea after it had been found necessary to jettison both her explosive side cargoes. There are no casualties. The X-craft are being towed from Shetland to Northern Norway to undertake attacks on Scharnhorst , Lützow and Tirpitz. (Alex Gordon)(108)  

GILBERT ISLANDS: Today and again on the 19th landbased B-24 Liberators strike Tarawa Atoll and Abemama Island and obtain photo coverage of Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll. A B-24 is lost to interceptors.

NEW GUINEA: US Fifth Air Force B-25s carry out a coastal sweep against barges and villages from Reiss Point to Langemak Bay.

U.S.A.: Washington: Roosevelt says that Fortress Europe can be broken as "Hitler forgot to put a roof over this fortress."

The USAAF First Air Force at Mitchel Field, Hempstead, Long Island, New York, and the Fourth Air Force at 180 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California, are reassigned from the Army's Eastern and Western Defense Commands repectively to HQ USAAF.

Frigate USS Gallup launched.

Destroyer escort USS Lovering commissioned.

CANADA: Tug HMCS Beaverton launched Montreal, Province of Quebec.

 

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17 September 1944

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September 17th, 1944 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: The blackout is replaced by the "dim-out", permitting a modified form of street lighting.

EUROPE

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS: The last UK-USSR-Italy-UK shuttle mission (Operations FRANTIC) is completed as 72 US Eighth Air Force B-17s and 59 P-51s fly without bombs from Italy to the UK; 2 B-17s and a P-51 abort and a P-51 crash lands southwest of Paris; 70 B-17s 57 P-51s land safely in the UK. The Eighth Air Force flies Mission 637 supporting Operation 

MARKET-GARDEN: 875 B-17s are dispatched bomb 117 flak batteries and installations and an airfield, all in the Netherlands; 815 B-17s attack the primaries and 6 hit Eisenach; 2 B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 141 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost.

503 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s escort aircraft of the First Allied Airborne Army making a parachute and glider drop of 20,000 troops into the Netherlands to secure the axis of advance toward the Zuider Zee for the British Second Army, as part of Operation MARKET-GARDEN, 17-30 September; troops dropped are the I Airborne Corps, consisting of the British 1 Airborne Division (with Polish Parachute Brigade) and US 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions; the fighters also bomb and strafe flak positions and other ground targets, encountering intense flak and about 30  fighters; they claim 7-0-0 aircraft in the air, 1-0-0 on the ground and the destruction of 107 flak positions; 6 P-47s and 7 P-51s are lost.

AIRBORNE OPERATIONS: Between 17-26 September, the US IX Troop Carrier Command, assigned to the First Allied Airborne Army, supports Operation MARKET-GARDEN as follows:

Aircraft dispatched: 3,996 of which 3,634 are successful

Gliders dispatched: 1,899 of which 1,635 are successful (320 of these gliders are Airspeed Horsas)

Losses: 98 aircraft and 137 gliders

Troops dropped or landed: 30,481

Vehicles dropped or landed: 1,001

Artillery weapons dropped or landed: 463

Tons of equipment, including fuel, dropped or landed: 3,559

     In support of Operation Market Garden during the day, RAF Bomber Command sent : 112 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos to attack three targets: 34 aircraft bombed coastal installations at Westkapelle, 32 hit gun emplacements at Biggerkerke and 30 attacked gun emplacements at Flushing. During the night of 17/18 September, 241 aircraft made two diversionary sweeps, one to the Dutch coast and one into the Netherlands, in order to draw up German fighters from Southern Holland. This intention is not achieved. No aircraft lost.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS: The US Ninth Air Force flies no combat bomber  missions; weather permits 1 leaflet mission. XIX Tactical Air Command supports US VIII Corps in the Brest, France area and in Germany, flies armed reconnaissance over the Trier and Saarbrucken areas and IX Tactical Air Command flies armed reconnaissance in the Dusseldorf, Duren, Cologne, and Linz/Rhine areas, supports the US 2d and 5th Armored Divisions and 4th Infantry Division in the Netherlands, and participates in Operation MARKET-GARDEN.

BELGIUM: The British I Corps starts to clear the Schelde Estuary in order to open the port of Antwerp.

NETHERLANDS: As the British Second Army nears the border, the government orders a general strike.

General Montgomery launches Operation Market-Garden today with parachute and glider drops aimed at capturing bridges over the Dutch rivers near the German border. This will be followed up with the advance of the British XXX Corps. The front will then be at Arnhem, Holland. It will be a long salient, but due to the ground in Holland, defensible.
He plans to seize a series of 5 bridges with the use of 3 airborne divisions. This will enable him to bypass the fortified Siegfried Line and drive Allied forces into Germany by the lightly-defended back door. Montgomery says that the war will be over by Christmas.

British XXX Corps has the mission of moving up the road between the two cities within 48 hours. The German situation is estimated to be favourable to the Allies but it is extremely strong. Elements of the II SS Panzer Corps, the First Airborne Army and Fifteenth Army and other units are committed to the battle.

American paratroopers have been assigned to seize a series of bridges across the Maas and the Waal while the British paras have been dropped at Arnhem, the farthest target, to seize the two Lower Rhine bridges. The 1st Parachute Reconnaissance Squadron came down at 1.15pm without opposition, eight miles west of Arnhem. It was three-quarters of an hour in advance of the main force, the 1st Parachute and 1st Air Landing Brigade of the 1st Airborne Division. Dutch civilians welcomed the men, but their greetings delayed the paras' deployment.

In addition the 1st Air Landing Regiment, Royal Artillery, with its pack 75 mm howitzers, elements of the division tactical headquarters and division troops are landed. The landings are unopposed. 1st Air Landing Brigade secures the landing and drop zones for the arrival of the remainder of the division. Soon after 1500 hours local, 2 Parachute Regiment and 3 Parachute Regiment move out to secure the bridge at Arnhem, 8 miles (13 kilometers) away. 1 Parachute Regiment is in reserve. Resistance is unexpectedly strong but by 2100 hours local, 2 Parachute Regiment along with Company, 3 Parachute Regiment, the 1st Forward Observation Unit Royal Artillery, and elements of Engineer and Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) units. “A” Company attacks to seize the southern end of the bridge but is driven back.

By the time the paras attacked the railway bridge it was being blown up, while another group, attacking from the northern approaches of the road bridge, found a strong German force in position at the southern end. There was worse to come. Not only had the British landed within two miles of the HQ of Field Marshal Model but the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions had recently arrived north of Arnhem for regrouping.

To the south the U.S. 82d Airborne Division has the mission of securing the bridges between Grave and Nijmegan a distance of 10 miles (16 kilometers). It must also secure high ground to the southwest of Nij

 megan from which the Germans could control much of the road over which the British XXX Corps is to move. The 82d lands the 504th, 505th and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments, the 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, elements of the division headquarters, its anti-tank battalion and Engineers. With the exception of the bridge over the Waal River and two small bridges over the Maas-Waal Canal which are blown by the Germans, all objectives are secured. Due to a misunderstanding of his orders from the division commander, the commander of the 508th does not move on the bridge at Nijmegan until nightfall at which time he commits a battalion. The attack by the battalion is repulsed. Nevertheless in its area the 82nd has secured a road between Grave and the southern part of Nijmegman. The division which is to make the initial linkup with XXX Corps units, the U.S. 101st Airborne, has the mission of securing bridges over rivers and canals between Eindhoven and Veghl. All objectives north of Zon are secured. At Zon the bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal is blown by the German as units of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment are within 50 yards (46 meters). Four men swim to the opposite bank while others obtain small boats and row across. Engineers of the 326th Airborne Engineers Battalion construct a foot bridge over the canal and by 2400 hours local, the regiment is across. It then stops for the night. The British Guards Armoured Division attacks north out of its bridgehead over the Meuse-Escart Canal. It is aided by a heavy Artillery preparation and rocket-firing RAF Typhoons. Initial resistance is stiff but is overcome and lead elements of the division reach Valkenswaard at 1930 hours local and halt 7 miles (11 kilometers) short of Eindhoven. The British Guards Armoured and the U.S. 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment are to meet in Eindhoven on this day but are now approximately 13 miles (21 kilometers) apart. This will have serious consequences for the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem. Further south in the area of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division during the night of the 17/18 September, the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment beats off attacks a several points.

The British CO, Major-General Robert Urquhart, narrowly escaped capture by hiding in a house. He ventured to the front when he lost contact with the landings. He has ended up trapped there, and still out of touch with his staff.
Jay Stone (a veteran of Market Garden) adds: On 17 September 1944 units of the British 1st Airborne Corps parachute and land by glider in the Netherlands. The mission of the corps, which consists of the US 101st Airborne Division, the US 82nd Airborne Division and the British 1st Airborne Division, is to seize bridges over waterways between Eindhoven and Arnhem so that British XXX Corps can move 60 miles between those two cities within 48 hours and out flank the Siegfried Line in Germany.

The mission of the the 101st is to seize bridges over rivers and canals between Eindhoven and Veghel The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment lands vicinity of Zon (Son). Forward Observers of the 321st Glider Field Artillery jump with the three battalions of the 506th. Their mission is to fire Artillery units of XXX Corps in support of the 506th. The most immediate and vital objective of the 506th is the seizure of the bridge over the Wilhelmia Canal in Zon. Immediately upon landing and without assembling, members of the 1st Battalion move south toward the bridge. 

Colonel Robert Sink, regimental commander, accompanied by riflemen of the 1st Battalion and engineers of the 326 Engineer Battalion, is in the lead group. The bridge is blown as they are 100 yards away. Engineers of the Third Platoon of Company C, 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion (the battalion's parachute company) throw a foot bridge across the canal on the wreckage of the vehicular bridge.

To the north the 82nd lands between Grave and Nijmegen. Its mission is to seize the bridge over the Maas River at Grave and the huge multispan bridge over the Waal at Nijmegen. This bridge with its approaches is one hall mile long. The seizure of this proves costly to the 82nd. The British 1st Airborne Division is to land six miles from its objective, the steel and concrete bridge at Arnhem. Because of concerns about conflicts with the traffic of the airlift of the 82nd to the south and because the leaders of the RAF believes that there are anti units to the north of Arnhem, these leaders of the 'few,' the vaunted, refuse to drop their comrades of the 1st closer than six miles from the objective. While there are many reasons for the failure of Market-Garden, this proves to be the lynch-pin of the failure which includes the loss of 75% of the 1st Airborne Division.

Here's Jay's personnel memoir of that day:

HOLLAND

As the C-47 in which we were riding on the September 17th gained altitude I turned around, looked out the small window and saw many other C- 47's, along with ours, gathering into formation. There were approximately 25 C-47's carrying the 3rd Battalion. Our pilot climbed for altitude through the clouds which were ever present over England. This time they were not thick but wispy. As we gained altitude we joined aircraft of other units and together we made a formation which stretched to the horizon.

First Lieutenant Francis Canham and I were flying in with the commander of the 3rd Battalion. He was our jump master and number one man in the stick. Number two was the battalion operations officer (S3), Canham was number three and I was number four man. The battalion commander spent a lot of time standing near the open door while the S3 spent his time standing on the opposite side of the cabin. I don’t know what Canham was doing but I spent a lot of time praying. A chaplain had given me a small paperback book which contained some prayers which had given me comfort in times past and so I read some of this book. The S3 must have seen the concern in my face and when I looked up at him one time he smiled at me and winked. Two days later during the attack on Eindhoven he was lying on a sidewalk in a pool of blood with a small hole in his head.

Our route to Holland was over Belgium which was in allied hands. South of Holland we turned north for the final run to the drop zone at Zon. As we flew over Holland the Germans began firing anti aircraft shells and heavy machine gun rounds at us. When I heard that for the first time I asked the soldier next to me what it was. He calmly replied that they were firing at us with machine guns. I had heard them on the ground but never in the air.

Fifteen minutes before an aircraft is scheduled to arrive over the drop zone, the crew chief notifies the jump master of that fact and the pilot turns on the red light just inside the open door. The jump master orders the men to stand up, hook up, check equipment, and then sound off for equipment check. When the pilot turns the light to green the jump master goes out closely followed by the rest of the stick. The crew chief gave the word to the battalion commander and the pilot turned on the red light. The battalion commander ordered us to stand up and go through the drill. We were one tense group of soldiers. I had been in combat but this was my first combat jump. However, some of these soldiers had not been in combat and would make their entrance via parachute. The battalion commander stood in the door looking for his check points so that he would know where he was when we jumped. The rest of us kept on waiting. Eighteen minutes later the crew chief came back and told the battalion commander that the navigator had made a mistake and that we were then 15 minutes out. When we heard that there were many unpleasant words for the navigator. Now we had to go through that awful wait again.

This time the navigator got it right and fifteen minutes later the green light went on and we went out the door. Paratroopers are always anxious to get out an aircraft but this time we were more anxious than usual. We could see puffs of black smoke made by anti aircraft shells as they sought out our planes and exploded. Nobody wanted to be in an airplane when it was struck by an anti aircraft shell and so we were on each others backs as we went out. I later found out that we had jumped at an altitude of 450 feet. I believed it because no sooner did my parachute canopy open than I landed on the ground.

As soon as I landed I collapsed the canopy of my chute, looked around and saw Canham. I looked for our equipment bundle, found it immediately and attempted to untie to rope which held the opening closed. It was a tight knot and I was unable to open it so I took my knife from its sheath on my leg and cut the rope, opened the bundle and took out our radio and batteries. By then Galant and Brasswell had joined Canham and me. The roar of the C47s overhead was load. A few had been shot down by German anti-aircraft fire. Shell fragments from spent anti-aircraft rounds fell close to us. The odd C47 that was shot down might fall near us. Both could be dangerous and so the drop zone was becoming an unhealthy place. We had completed the assembly of our FO team, secured our equipment and so we headed for the assembly area of the 3rd Battalion in a portion of near by woods marked with blue smoke.

There was a touch of euphoria in our group. None of us had the experience of mass jump during our training but we knew that we had just taken part in a successful one. Everything was working like clockwork. It couldn’t have been better. The adrenalin was pumping so much that it was only after we had been in the assembly area for several minutes that I noticed that I had sliced off a bit of my left thumb cutting the rope on our radio equipment pack. Canham found the battalion commander and we joined his command group. I placed our radio on my back and the batteries on my chest, hooked up the antenna and turned the power on. The mission of our FO team was to adjust the fires of British XXX Corps Artillery in support of the 3rd Battalion. Other FOs from the 321st were with the other two battalions. I attempted to check into its net but was unsuccessful. We thought that perhaps we were out of range of the British and so turned the radio off to conserve batteries. When we were closer to them we would try again.

The 3rd Battalion was the reserve battalion for the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The regiment’s mission was to seize the bridge over the Wilhelmena Canal in Zon. Colonel Robert Sink, the regimental commander had given the 1st Battalion the mission of securing the regimental objective. As soon as 15 - 25 men came into the battalion’s assembly area they were sent south through the woods. Just before they arrived at the canal they were to swing left and move on the bridge and capture it before the Germans blew it. Major James L. LaPrade, the commander, had the battalion on the way in 45 minutes. General Maxwell Taylor, the division commander, accompanied the battalion. Meanwhile the 2nd Battalion had completed its assembly and on Colonel Sink’s order moved south on the Zon road toward the bridge. We in the 3rd Battalion followed. On the road to Zon we again tried to raise the British but were unsuccessful.

The 1st Battalion should have been at the bridge before the 2nd Battalion but it was delayed by fire from a group 88mm guns. The guns were silenced and the advance continued. Because of this delay the 2nd Battalion arrived to within 50 yards of the bridge just as did the 1st Battalion came within 150 yards from the flank. At that moment Germans blew the bridge. Just about everything but the center pillar was gone. A moment after the bridge blew LaPrade, Lieutenant Millford F. Weller and Sergeant Donald B. Dunning came running up, took a look, dove into the water and swam to the other side.

Meanwhile, our FO team moved south on the Zon road with the 3rd Battalion. It was typical of any approach march. Some forward movement interspersed with many stops. During this Canham told me to take the radio to the Division Artillery (DivArty) communications section and see if its members could get our radio going. The DivArty headquarters was in a wood about one-half a mile west of the road. They were unable to fix my radio and thought that it had been damaged in the drop. They were probably right as we had not had any special packing for such a sensitive radio as the SCR 610 was. I asked for a replacement and they looked at me as though I were playing with 51 cards.

I hustled back to the road and found my guys as they were continuing the march with the 3rd Battalion. The 3rd Platoon, Company C, 326 Airborne Engineer Battalion (the battalion’s parachute company) had jumped with the 506th. It quickly through a wooden foot bridge across the canal. The bridge was not as stable as it could have been and only a few men at a time could cross on it. This caused slow movement throughout the column of the 506th.

At about 9:00 P.M. darkness came and it found us tired. We had gone to bed late on the 16th and had been up early on the 17th. Since the jump we had been on the move carrying that heavy radio and extra batteries in addition to our normal equipment. As we moved through Zon I could hear on the radioa of the residents the BBC broadcasting news of the success of the airborne operation. After having the bridge blow up on us and our slow movement south I couldn’t understand was so successful. Certainly the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem was not meeting with success, either. There really wasn’t much success that first day. Perhaps the BBC meant that the drop had been successful. For the 506th the rest of the operation had not been.as successful it it might have been. After all, our mission was to seize the bridge over the Wilhelmenia Canal andthe Germans had blown it.

Because of the slow movement and my fatigue whenever we stopped in Zon I moved to the side of the road, leaned against a window of a house and rested the bottom of the radio on the window ledge. This took the weight off my shoulders but didn’t relieve my fatigue and several times I woke up from a quick sleep while walking down the road. We finally crossed the bridge and moved off to the right into a drainage ditch where we fell asleep immediately. This was a violation of that sacred rule, "Dig in for the night." Canham was a careful leader and I can’t understand why he did not insist that we dig in.

See also: The Battle of Arnhem Archive.

FRANCE: In southern France, the US Seventh Army's French II Corps makes contact with the US Third Army's French 2d Armored Division near Bains-les-Bains, southeast of Epinal.

In northern France, the Canadian 3rd Division, with strong air and artillery support, begins a six-day battle for Boulogne, making slow progress against strong fortifications. The U.S. VIII Corps continues the battle for Brest.

     The USAAF Ninth Air Force XIX Tactical Air Command supports the U.S. VIII Corps in the Brest area.

     One hundred two USAAF Eighth Air Force bombers deliver supplies from England to Chartres but bad weather hampers all but eight of 54 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators flying supplies from Italy to southern France.

     During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 762 aircraft, 370 Lancasters, 351 Halifaxes and 41 Mosquitos, to attack German positions around Boulogne; 688 aircraft dropped more than 3,000 tons of bombs in preparation for an attack by Allied troops. The German garrison surrendered soon afterwards. A Halifax and a Lancaster lost. In a second mission, 27 Lancasters and five Mosquitos attacked a V1 rocket depot at Eikenhorst without loss.

GERMANY: Rastenburg: Told of the Allied airborne landing at Arnhem today, Hitler collapsed with a suspected mild heart attack and took to his bed. Even on his best days, the Fuhrer suffers from headaches, stomach cramps and dizziness, and wavers between fits of rage and deep depression.

He exists on an assortment of drugs prescribed by his physician, Theodor Morell: Vitamins A and D and glucose to stimulate his appetite; anti-gas pills and digestive aids; Vitamultin-Ca to alleviate depression; caffeine and pervitin tablets to stimulate the brain; injections of heart and liver extracts; cocaine for headaches; sedatives for sleeping.

He harangues his generals about the new armies he will raise, the secret weapons that will appear, and the quarrels that will break out among the Allies; these factors will enable Germany to gain a victory that will endure for a hundred years, he says.

But anxiety over the looming defeat, the unhealthy existence in the underground bunker and Morell's drugs have made Hitler a physical and mental wreck. On the rare occasions when he leaves the bunker he sways and stumbles. Greyfaced, trembling, blinking his bloodshot eyes, he retreats into the Wolfsschanze.

The U.S. 30th Infantry Division crosses the German border east of Simpelveld.

     The USAAF Ninth Air Force's XIX Tactical Air Command flies armed reconnaissance over the Trier and Saarbrucken areas and IX Tactical Air Command flies armed reconnaissance in the Dusseldorf, Duren, Cologne, and Linz/Rhine areas.

     During the night of 17/18 September, RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bombed two targets: 42 hit Bremen and six bombed Dortmund.

U-2514 launched.
A U-1302 crewmember took his own life with a pistol in the port of Gotenhafen.

HUNGARY: B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force in Italy attack five targets in the Budapest area in an attempt to hit Germany's principal remaining oil supply and to aid the Soviets and other friendly forces on the southern front: 209 aircraft bomb the Rakos marshalling yard, 72 bomb the Ferencvaros marshalling yard, and 40 attack the Kobanya marshalling; two oil refineries are hit with 55 aircraft bombing the Shell refinery and 48 hitting the Magyar refinery. Eight other aircraft bomb the Baja railroad bridge as a target of opportunity.

NORWAY: U-855 is listed as lost. (Type IXC/40) Missing since 11 September, 1944 in the area west of Bergen, Norway. 56 dead (all crew lost). The boat was returning from a weather reporting patrol when she possibly hit a mine on or about the 17 September in the Iceland-Faroes mine barrage. (Alex Gordon)

Miniature submarine X-8 is scuttled in the Norwegian Sea after it has been found necessary to jettison both her explosive side cargoes which have flooded. There are no casualties. X-8, and five other miniature submarines are being towed to Northern Norway to undertake attacks on the German battleships Scharnhorst and Tirpitz and the heavy cruiser Lützow. One of the group had been lost with its passage crew the previous day. (Alex Gordon)

MEDITERRANEAN

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS: The US Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 440+ B-17s and B-24s, with fighter escort, to attack 2 oil refineries and 4 marshalling yards in the Budapest, Hungary area in an attempt to hit Germany's principal remaining oil supply and to aid the Soviet and other friendly forces on the southern Russian front by pounding the focal rail traffic point in that area; some of the escorting fighters strafe targets of opportunity in the general target area. Bad weather hampers all but 8 of 54 B-24s flying supplies to southern France. 25 bombers return from Cairo, Egypt to Italy with Allied airmen formerly imprisoned in Bulgaria; 2 B-17s, escorted by 41 P-51s, evacuate wounded airmen from Czechoslovakia to Italy.

YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers in Italy bomb two marshalling yards: eight aircraft hit the Vincovici marshalling yard and five bomb the Osijek marshalling yard. One other bomber attacks a railroad bridge. .

ITALY: In the mountains south of the Po Valley, US Fifth Army forces break through the Gothic Line at Il Giogo Pass, take Monte Altuzzo and Pratone, finish clearing Monte Veruca, and gain the crest of Monte Monticelli.

During the night of 17/18 September, the Germans begin a withdrawal from the Gothic Line.

US Twelfth Air Force  B-25s hit troop concentrations in the British Eighth Army battle area in the vicinity of Rimini; B-25s pound railbridges in the western Po Valley, while fighter-bombers operating in the Po Valley attack rails, roads, rolling stock, road bridges, motor transport and other targets.

     Twenty two USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers return from Cairo, Egypt, to Italy with Allied airmen formerly imprisoned in Bulgaria while two B-17 Flying Fortresses, escorted by 41 P-51 Mustangs, evacuate wounded airmen from Czechoslovakia to Italy.

     During the night of 17/18 September, 92 RAF heavy bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the Brescia West marshalling yard.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA

BURMA: Tuitum falls to the Indian 5th Division.

8 US Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts bomb Katha, 8 hit Momauk and Wanling, and 8 others attack Bhamo; 6 B-25s hit Mangshih while 3 others bomb Indaw; 16 B-24s haul fuel to Liuchow, China; C-47 Skytrains fly 200+ sorties delivering personnel and supplies to various points in the CBI. 

CHINA: 29 US Fourteenth Air Force B-24s bomb Changsha; 27 B-25s hit Hwangshapu, Kiyang, and Nanyo; 130+ P-51 Mustangs and P-40s on armed reconnaissance attack town areas, strongpoints, shipping, railway targets, gun positions, trucks, and other targets of opportunity from NE of Ichang southward through Hunan Province and beyond; areas hit include Changsha, Kiyang, Lingling, Chuanhsien, Siangtan, Hengshan, Kweiyang, and Lingkuantien, plus scattered targets of opportunity elsewhere.

EAST INDIES: Royal Navy carriers Indomitable and Illustrious launched an air strike on Japanese facilities in Sumatra.

U.S. Army action on Morotai Island in the Netherlands East Indies subsides to patrolling in order to locate small Japanese parties.

B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s hit Langoan Airfield on Celebes Island. B-25s and P-39s, fighting bad weather, attack a variety of targets, including airfields and villages in Amboina-Ceram Islands area.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: USAAF Far East Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb Buayan Aerodrome on Mindanao.

NEW GUINEA: In Dutch New Guinea, P-47s and P-40s pound the airfield on Samate Island.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: The US 8th Infantry Division and the 321st and 322d Infantry Regiments of the US Army's 81st Infantry Division land on Angaur in the Palaus Islands. Resistance is strong from the 1600 man Japanese garrison, but the army capture the north-eastern third of the island. Most of the south end of Peleliu Island is held by the Marines. Attacks on the Japanese positions on Mount Umurbrogol begin, marking the tough fighting ahead, but US forces are finding the resistance lighter than on Peleliu, six miles to the north. There, 24,300 marines have been pinned down by 10,500 Japanese operating from a high ridge. Ironically, the Palaus are no longer essential to US war plans. The islands, 800 miles southwest of Guam, were intended as a staging area for an attack on Mindanao. However, two days ago General MacArthur told Washington that he now intends to attack the Philippines directly.

During the afternoon, USN carrier-based F6F Hellcats attack US Army ground troops killing 7 and wounding 46. All close-air support missions are temporarily halted on Angaur. 

VOLCANO ISLANDS: A US Seventh Air Force B-24 on a snooper mission from Saipan Island bombs Iwo Jima Island; armed reconnaissance over Marcus Island is unsuccessful due to bad weather. Gilbert Islands-based B-25s pound Nauru Island.

NAURU ISLAND: USAAF Seventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb the island. Nauru Island is a 21 square kilometer (8 square mile) island in the South Pacific Ocean, located about halfway between the Gilbert and Solomon Islands. The island is rich in phosphate deposits and was occupied by the Japanese on 25 August 1942.

JAPAN: In the Kurile Islands, 2 US Eleventh Air Force B-24s abort a mission to Suribachi due to weather and 4 B-25s fly an unsuccessful shipping sweep. Four PV-1 Venturas of the USN's Bombing Squadron One Hundred Thirty Six (VB-136) based on Attu attack Parmushiru and Shimushu Islands. The aricraft flown by the squadron commander is damaged and forced to land in the USSR where the crew is interned. As a result of this mishap, further Empire Express missions are canceled and VB-136 missions are restricted to sector searches or special photo missions where the speed of the PV-1 is required.

CANADA: Frigate HMCS Poundmaker commissioned.

U.S.A.:  While British airborne troops are landing at Arnhem, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill travels by train to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's home at Hyde Park, New York. From Hyde Park he returns to New York City where he boards the RMS Queen Mary for the voyage home to England. Upon his return he immediately prepares to leave for Moscow.

     The USN's second large cruiser, the USS Guam (CB-2), is commissioned at Camden, New Jersey.

Destroyers USS Compton, Frank Knox and Gainard launched.
Minesweeper USS Embattle launched.

Provisional HQ, Fleet Marine Force is designated HQ, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. (Gordon Rottman)

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17 September 1945

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September 17th, 1945 (MONDAY)

GERMANY: 44 camp guards and the commandant of Belsen are put on trial.

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