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1870   (MONDAY)

DENMARK: Today is the Birthday of King Christian X born at Charlottenlund Palace near Copenhagen. Christian X was King of Denmark 1912-1947 (and of Iceland 1912-1943), a period including two World Wars. In contrast to the monarchs of Norway and the Netherlands, who went into exile during the German occupation of their countries in World War II, Christian X remained in his capital throughout the Occupation of Denmark, being to the Danish people a visible symbol of the national cause. In spite of his advanced age and of the precarious situation, he took a daily ride on horseback through his city -- not accompanied by a groom, let alone by a guard. His queen is Alexandrine, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. (Glenn Stenberg)

1931   (SATURDAY)

UNITED STATES: The keel for the aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-4), the first ship of the U.S. Navy to be designed and constructed as a carrier, is laid at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia.

1935   (THURSDAY)

SWITZERLAND: The League of Nations Council appoints a committee to prepare a report on the Italo-Ethiopian affair.

1938   (MONDAY)

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Responding to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s message (see below), Czech President Eduard Benes states that his country will negotiate with Germany “although Czechoslovakia has already made greatest sacrifices which touch the country's vital interests, it does not break off negotiations, desirous of seeing the conflict solved by peaceful means by agreements. Czechoslovakia has also signed a treaty of arbitration with Germany, has already proposed to settle the present dispute under its terms and is ready to renew this offer." President Benes to President Roosevelt.

GERMANY: In a Sportspalast speech, Chancellor Adolf Hitler said he sought no further territorial acquisitions in Europe. "It is the last territorial claim which I have to make in Europe. . . . When this problem is solved, there will be no more territorial problems for Germany in Europe . . . from the moment Czechoslovakia solves its problems . . . peacefully, without oppression, I shall no longer be interested in the Czech state. . . . And this I guarantee, we don't want any Czechs at all."

     Chancellor Hitler refused to moderate terms, said he would enter Czechoslovakia the next day stating, “The Sudetenland . . . had always been German and . . . its inhabitants after the destruction of the Hapsburg monarchy, had unanimously declared their desire for annexation to the German Reich. Thus the right of self-determination, which had been proclaimed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson as the most important basis of national life, was simply denied to the Sudeten Germans. But that was not enough. In the treaties of 1919, certain obligations, with regard to the German people, which according to the text, were far-reaching, were imposed on the Czechoslovak State. These obligations also were disregarded from the first.â€�

HUNGARY: The government again demanded equal treatment with Sudetens for the Hungarian minority in Czechoslovakia stating, "The Hungarian Government would regard any differentiation in the practical application of the right of self-determination of nationalities and of the principle of equality of rights, if made to the disadvantage of the Hungarian nationality, as an unfriendly attitude."

UNITED KINGDOM: French Premier Edouard Daladier and Foreign Minister M. Bonnet returned to London to confer with the British regarding a policy against Germany. British and French representatives began negotiations with the Soviet government, which called for a strong stand in support of Czechoslovakia. The Romanian government also indicated its support for the Anglo-French position. In London, the French and British governments agreed to support the Czechoslovak government and resist the expanded German demands. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, however, appealed to German Chancellor Adolf Hitler for another conference. Since all of the powers accepted the transfer of Sudeten territory to Germany, Prime Minister Chamberlain hoped that the annexation could be accomplished through negotiations, and not through force of arms.

     Britain sent Sir Horace Wilson an advisor to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, is sent to Berlin to propose British mediation between Germany and Czechoslovakia.

     The British Foreign Office announced that France would be bound to aid the Czechs if Germany attacked and that Britain and Russia would certainly stand by France.

UNITED STATES: President Franklin D. Roosevelt urged German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and Czech President Eduard Benes to came to terms and appealed to Britain and France to avoid war over the Sudetenland. .

September 26th, 1939 (TUESDAY)

While returning to port, HMS Ark Royal in company with the submarine HMS Spearfish, battleship HMS Nelson and battleship HMS Rodney, is located by three Luftwaffe Dornier seaplanes Three Fleet Air Arm Skua aircraft from 803 Naval Air Squadron are launched by HMS Ark Royal to disperse them and achieve the first British air-to-air victory in the Second World War when one Dornier flying boat is shot down.

The air commander aboard Ark Royal, aware that the surviving Dorniers would report the location of the  British ships, ordered the aircraft to be secured and the anti-aircraft weapons  readied.[24] Four Ju 88 bombers[25] soon appeared: three were driven away by  anti-aircraft fire, but the fourth launched a 1,000-kilogram (2,200 lb) bomb at  the carrier. Ark Royal turned hard to starboard, heeling over and avoiding the  bomb, which landed in the ocean 30 metres (98 ft) off her starboard bow and sent  a spout of water over the ship. The German pilots did not see if the carrier had  been hit, and a reconnaissance flight later located the two battleships, but not  Ark Royal.

FRANCE: The Communist Party is dissolved and its leaders interned.

POLAND: The German Eighth Army, under General der Infanterie Johannes Blaskowitz, relieves the Tenth Army and joins the attack on Warsaw with an assault from the south. One hundred and thirty seven large fires flame in the city. (Jeff Chrisman)

U.S.A.: A purge of Communists holding government jobs is instituted.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The Luftwaffe mounts a strike on HMS Ark Royal, which is claimed to be sunk. They only score near misses. The  German claim to have sunk the 'Ark Royal' is not denied by the Admiralty.

The German armoured ships Admiral Graf Spee and Deutschland receive their orders to begin commerce raiding in the South and North Atlantic respectively.

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September 26th, 1940 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: The weather is mainly fair to cloudy. During the day, a major attack by formations totaling about 100 Luftwaffe aircraft is made on Southampton at 1630 hours. Heavy bombing results in serious casualties at the Supermarine Works, nearly 100 more dying in and around the works factory, where Spitfire production and Supermarine's heavy bomber prototype are devastated. At dusk, 25 German aircraft, originating from the Bay of Biscay, attack Crewe, Cheshire Reconnaissances by small formations and single aircraft are made along the South Coast and inland, increasing in intensity particularly between 1600 and 1700 hours. In the East, Activity is confined to the morning. German aircraft approach Skinningrove and Whitby where bombs are reported to have been dropped. Harwich and Orfordness are also visited. In the Southeast, reconnaissances in the Estuary and over East Kent are made during the morning and four aircraft operating singly, penetrated to London. Durin  g the afternoon, activity increased and coastal towns are bombed by single aircraft. Landfalls are made at Harwich and Hastings, the aircraft in the former case penetrating to London via Debden and Northolt and departing via Kenley and Biggin Hill. In the South and West between 1500 and 1700 hours, reconnaissances are made from Selsey Bill to Cornwall. At 1630 hours, about 40 Luftwaffe aircraft approached the Isle of Wight from Cherbourg, France, and these are followed by a second wave of bombers and fighters amounting to about 60 aircraft. At the same time, single aircraft approached Beachy Head possibly as a diversion. The objective is Southampton where the Supermarine Works are extensively damaged. Dive-bombing as well as high-level bombing is reported. At about 1800 hours, a reconnaissance by three aircraft is made over Southampton and Middle Wallop, while a further three aircraft came in at Christchurch. In the Midlands at 1950 hours, 23 Luftwaffe aircraft attacked Crew  e having flown from the Bay of Biscay up the Irish Sea and across Wales. After leaving Crewe, the raids split up and returned via Bristol and Poole Bay.

     During the night of 26/17 September, London and Merseyside are attacked. Luftwaffe activity is first widespread over the whole country South of a line Liverpool to Humber. Raids did not approach London until 2030 hours and then continued until 0300 hours. A lull until 0500 hours followed when 12 further raids visited London. Between 1930 to 2100 hours, 40 raids crossed the Coasts originating from the Dutch Coast, Le Havre and Cherbourg, France, and entering between Cromer-Humber, Beachy Head - Selsey and Selsey - Swanage, respectively. Many of the raids from the Dutch Coast flew due West to the Midlands. At 1950 hours, a convoy in the Firth of Forth reported that it is being attacked. Between 2100 to 0100 hours, activity is continuous and is concentrated on the London area although some raids visited Liverpool, the Midlands, Cambridge, Mildenhall, Newmarket and Duxford, and German aircraft from Cherbourg flew coastwise from Lyme Bay to Start Point. There is suspected min  elaying in the Thames Estuary and off North Foreland. Freom 0100 to 0600 hours, Luftwaffe raids originating from Dieppe, France, and proceeding to the London area, mostly entered between Beachy Head and Folkestone. One raid entering at the Wash, penetrated inland to Digby and flew back over King's Lynn. There is a lull from 0300 to 0500 hours and the Country is entirely clear for one hour, when about 12 raids - some of which are at first thought to be returning friendly bombers - came out of Dieppe and are plotted to London. These are all homing by 0450 hours and the Country is again clear by 0600 hours.

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September 26th, 1941 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: The Free French government in London under General de Gaulle signs an alliance with the Soviet Union.  

U.S.S.R.: A few days after the occupation of Kiev, downtown buildings were blown, killing hundreds of members of the Wehrmacht. Today, SS and Wehrmacht officers meet and decide that as a reprisal the majority of the Jews in Kiev shall be killed.

In trial testimony long afterwards, a former SS officer at the meeting described the division of labor between the SS and Wehrmacht by saying that "We had to do the dirty work. I will never forget how ... [Brigadier General Kurt] Eberhard said to us in Kiev, '_You_ have to do the shooting'."[8] However, Wette continues, "not only did the general have no objections to the plan for the massacre as such, but, given the ongoing arson attacks, he was actively promoting it, as an SS report to Berlin confirms: 'The Wehrmacht welcomes the measures and requests a radical approach'" (p. 115). (246)

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Admiral Angelo Iachino commands an Italian naval task force of 2 battleships, six cruisers and 14 destroyers to intercept the British convoy of Operation Halberd. The British convoy nine merchantmen, one aircraft carrier, three battleships, five cruisers and eighteen destroyers left Gibraltar on 24 September for Malta.

CHINA: Japanese forces encircle Changsha. 

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: A Japanese diplomat in Davao, Mindanao, send the following message to Tokyo: “Upon my arrival to take up my post here, I heard the following report concerning Zamboanga: [a] Since last August American destroyer tenders, destroyers and submarines enter that port from the South Seas every Saturday. After they have lain at anchor for one or two days they leave again for the South. In summing up the statements of members of the crews of these boats, it appears that these warships ply the waters from Jolo [b] to Tawao [c] and Tarakan [d] on the island of Borneo.

U.S.A.: Washington: The U.S. Navy orders the protection of all ships engaged in commerce in U.S. defensive waters--by patrolling, covering, escorting, and by reporting or destroying the German and Italian naval forces encountered. 
 

The German Charge d'Affaires in Washington replies to the U.S. note of 19 September regarding reparations for the sinking of the US freighter SS Robin Moor. The Germans state that President Roosevelts address to Congress on 20 June and the State Department note on 19 September "are not such as to lead to an appropriate reply by my government."

The U.S. Army establishes the Military Police Corps.

Submarine USS Sunfish laid down.
Destroyers USS Hambleton and Rodman launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Corvette HMCS Brandon a Flower-class corvette, A/LCdr. John Coldecott Littler RCNR CO, departed St. John's to join the close escort for the 53-ship Sydney to Liverpool convoy SC-46. SC-46 arrived safely in Liverpool on 10 Oct 41. Convoy SC-46, one of the most heavily attacked convoys of WW II, attacked by 14 U-boats, which sank 15 ships, a total of 65,776 tons, U-boats that scored or shared in kills were: U-81; U-82, U-85, U-98, U-202, U-207, U-372, U-432 and U-652. U-82 Kpt/Lt Siegried Rollmann CO, sank 4 ships in this convoy.
U-124 sank SS Cervantes, SS Lapwing and SS Petrel in Convoy HG-73.
U-203 sank SS Avoceta, SS Cortes and SS Varangberg in Convoy HG-73.
U-66 sank SS IC White.

The completely ad hoc organization of the Newfoundland Escort Force led to the piecemeal generation and deployment of forces. Ships frequently sailed as singles or in small groups to join their convoys. This left dangerous windows where the escort force was depleted and disorganized. The lack of proper support facilities in St. John's was a problem that plagued the RCN throughout the war. The USN advance base at Argentia was soon supporting American, British and when space was available, Canadian escorts.

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September 26th, 1942 (SATURDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Scotland: 12 merchant ships reached the safety of Loch Ewe today after a week of battles with U-boats and German aircraft. They are the survivors of convoy QP-14 which left the Russian port of Archangel on 13 September. Three merchant ships were lost as were three escort vessels. Three ships were sunk in a matter of minutes on 22 September, after a U-boat penetrated the convoy's defensive screen at a time when it lacked air support.

Frigate HMS Barle launched.

NETHERLANDS: During the night of 26/27 September, 25 RAF Bomber Command aircraft laid mines in the Frisian Islands.

FRANCE: 75 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 36 P-38 Lightnings of the US Eighth Air Force are dispatched to attack Maupertus Airfield at Cherbourg and Porjeau Airfield at Morlaix; 16 execute diversionary missions but the remainder are recalled due to adverse weather.

GERMANY: During the night of 26/27 September, RAF Bomber Command sent 28 Halifaxes to bomb the U-boat yards at Flensburg. A recall is made but two aircraft went on to bomb the target area; one is lost. Two mining missions are also flown: six aircraft laid mines off Kattegat and two laid mines in Kiel Harbor; one aircraft is lost.  .

U-417 and U-711 commissioned
U-761 launched.

DENMARK: During the night of 26/27 September, two RAF Bomber Command aircraft lay mines in the Little Belt, a strait between the Danish island of Funen and the Jutland Peninsula.

FINLAND: Major Max von Hellens, intelligence officer of the Finnish 11th Division, is arrested on charges of aiding an enemy of Finland, the United States.

Early in the Continuation War in 1941 Finnish Supreme HQ Intelligence Section began paying close attention to Major von Hellens. He was well known for his pro-US sympathies (three of his close relatives were US citizens and worked in the US embassy in Helsinki) -- and von Hellens was also known to be anti-German. In the 1930's von Hellens had been Finns' unofficial liaison with the US intelligence base located in Riga, Latvia.

US military attaché Georges Huthsteiner and von Hellens met again in June 1942. von Hellens told that Colonel Lars Melander, chief of Supreme HQ Intelligence Section, had warned him that von Hellens had been seen too often with Huthsteiner. At the end of that June von Hellens was transfered to become chief of quartering at the Olonets Group HQ.
Despite the warnings, von Hellens and Huthsteiner met again in July 1942, and von Hellens handed over German Eastern Front OOB he had acquired from the 163rd Infantry Division's situation report. Finnish signals intelligence, which was reading US diplomatic codes (more on that later), soon alerted Finnish counter-intelligence to what had happened.

U.S.S.R.:   The German 6th Army launches its final attack at Stalingrad with 100,000 fresh troops. After bitter fighting, they take the main ferry landing making it difficult for the Soviets to move reinforcements across the Volga River. 

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: The US Army Middle East Air Force dispatches B-24 Liberators of 3 squadrons on shipping strikes but they fail to locate targets.

MADAGASCAR: British Lieutenant General Sir William Platt, Commander in Chief East Africa Command, moves his headquarters from Majunga to Tananarive.

CHINA: 4 B-25 Mitchells of the US Tenth Air Force's China Air Task Force devastate the village of Luchiangpa in southwestern China.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, Colonel Lewis "Chesty" Fuller leads the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, and elements of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, as they reach the upper Matanikau River and push north along east bank, encountering enemy fire from the vicinity of Matanikau village.  Artillery and aircraft are employed against the enemy position. The 1st Raider Battalion passes through 5th Regiment sector to join in attack.  (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
In the air, 8 USAAF B-17s attack shipping in Tonolei harbor in the Shortland Islands. 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: The Japanese campaign to seize Port Moresby has been defeated, giving the Australian Army its second victory in New Guinea within a month. After weeks of retreat down the horrific Kokoda Track, the Australians have begun a counter-offensive which is rapidly pushing the Japanese back through the Owen Stanley Mountains.

The Japanese came within 26 miles of their objective. At night they could see the searchlights of Port Moresby criss-crossing the sky. That was as far as they got. MacArthur"> MacArthur feared that if the Japanese took New Guinea they could use this as a base to attack Australia. The continued retreat from Kokoda had alarmed him and he declared that he no longer had confidence in the Australians. He feared a military reverse. General Blamey, however, was not disturbed. After visiting New Guinea he informed the Australian advisory war council on 17 September of his confidence that the Japanese would not be able to take Port Moresby.

The same day MacArthur"> MacArthur telephoned the prime minister, John Curtin, to tell him of his concern. He considered that Blamey should be sent to New Guinea at once to "energize the situation". Curtin agreed. As it happened, on the day that Blamey arrived at Port Moresby the emaciated Japanese received their last rice rations and three days later were ordered to retreat.

On the Kokoda Track, the Australian 2/25 Battalion is holding the center with the 2/31st Battalion on the left and the 2/33rd Battalion on the right. The 2/14th and 2/16th Battalions are relieved by the 36th Battalion and leave for Port Moresby; when these two units had started out on the Track in August, they had approximately 550 men each; now the 2/14th is down to 101 men and the 2/16th has 143 men.

US Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs bomb and strafe forces north of Ioribaiwa and along the Efogi-Menari trail in support of the Australian counteroffensive in Papua; a B-17, along with RAAF aircraft, bomb Buna Airfield; and RAAF Beaufighters and a Hudson sink a Japanese weather observation ship off Woodlark Island. 

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-17s strike shipping and airfield at Rabaul on New Britain Island. 

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: In the Bering Sea a destroyer and a freighter are bombed north of Atka Island at 53-30N 174-20E by USAAF Eleventh Air Force bombers; 2 near misses are scored on the freighter.

U.S.A.: Baseball, youngsters are admitted free to the Polo Grounds in New York City in a doubleheader between the Boston Braves and the New York Giants if they bring scrap metal to aid the war effort. During the 8th inning of the second game, with the Giants leading 5-2, the kids get restless and invade the field and umpire Ziggy Sears forfeits the game to the Braves, 9-0. Braves' pitcher Warren Spahn is not charged with a loss even though the Braves were losing but he is given credit for a complete game.

Destroyer escort USS Edgar G Chase launched.
The auxiliary aircraft carrier (ACV) USS Bogue (ex AVG-9, ex Maritime Commission Hull 170) is commissioned at Tacoma, Washington. She is the 12th ACV in commission.  (Dave Shirlaw & Jack McKillop)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0736 hours GMT whilst escorting unscheduled convoy RB.1, which consisted of 8 river steamers going from New York to Londonderry for the invasion of Europe, destroyer HMS Veteran (D 72) is attacked by three German wolf packs totalling 17 U-boats. She is torpedoed by U-404, while rescuing survivors of SS New York and lost with all hands together with 78 rescued survivors of SS Boston and SS Yorktown. Despite an intensive sea search, nothing more is seen of her. She sinks about 596 nautical miles west of Galway, County Galway, Éire in position 54.34N, 25.44W. (Alex Gordon)(108)

U-619 sank SS Yorktown in Convoy RB-1.
U-91 sank SS New York in Convoy RB-1.
Convoy attacked by three packs totalling 17 U-boats.

U-175 sank SS Tambour
On board U-181, an ill crewmember underwent surgery with full anesthesia.

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September 26th, 1943 (SUNDAY)

FRANCE: The Free French forces capture the Ghisonaccia Airfield on Corsica.

The US Eighth Air Force's VIII Bomber Command flies Mission 103 against targets in France with the loss of 1 B-17. 

(1) 40 B-17s hit Champagne Airfield at Reims at 1751-1752 hours. 

(2) 55 B-17s dispatched to the Paris area abandon the mission after crossing the enemy coast. 

(3) 63 B-17s dispatched to Meulon Les Mureaux and Citroen in the Paris area are prevented from bombing by the weather. 

(4) 37 B-24 Liberators fly a diversion.

72 B-26B Marauders of the US Eighth Air Force's VIII Air Support Command are dispatched to Conches Airfield during Mission 72; they are recalled due to weather.

GERMANY: Roman Catholic bishops denounce the Nazi policy of euthanasia for the mentally and terminally ill, officially stopped in 1941.

During the night of 26/27 September, RAF Bomber Command Mosquitos bombed three targets: four aircraft hit a blast furnace at Duisburg , four bomb Hamborn , three bomb Cologne and three bomb Aachen. The Mosquitos attacking Aachen are carrying out the first trials of Mark II Oboe but the equipment fails and bombs are released visually or on dead reckoning. There are no losses.

U-771 launched.

U.S.S.R.: Soviet troops penetrate the suburbs of Kiev.

A decision is made to withdraw Spanish Blue Division from Eastern front (Glenn Stenberg)

ITALY: The British X Corps meets no resistance due to German withdrawals. The demolitions and booby traps prove to be plenty of resistance. Advance units from the US XIII Corps 8th Army enter Canosa on the Ofanto River.

The 15th Army Group is directed by General Dwight Eisenhower to secure air bases in Rome area. 
     The U.S. Fifth Army's British 10 Corps continues its efforts to break out into the Neapolitan plain; enemy positions are beginning to weaken under its blows. To reinforce the west flank, the U.S. 82d Airborne Division is transferred to Maiori by sea and, under 10 Corps control, takes command of the Rangers. VI Corps is handicapped by autumn rains as well as demolitions, but the 45th Infantry Division takes Teora and the junction of Highways 7 and 91. 
     In the British Eighth Army area, 13 Corps patrols reach Canosa. 

The 1,432 men of the US 100th battalion enter combat.

In the air, USAAF Twelfth Air Force fighters, and light and medium bombers patrol the battle zone, escort convoys, carry out bombing and strafing sweeps against motor transport in the Benevento-Melfi area and north of Foggia, bomb the Pomigliano landing ground, and hit the town of Sarno and military concentrations to the north. Bad weather prevents heavy bomber missions. 

GREECE: The Italian garrison on the island of Corfu surrenders to a German force that has recently landed there. 

German Ju-88 bombers sank destroyers HMS Intrepid (D 10) and HS Vasilissa Olga in Leros, Dodecanese.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: At 0800 hrs U-223 successfully managed to break through the Straits of Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean. Her run had started the evening before at 2200hrs.

SINGAPORE: OPERATION JAYWICK, six members of the SOA (Special Operations Australia) Unit operating from the former fishing vessel Krait in three canoes, attach limpet mines to seven Japanese ships in Singapore Harbour. The six men then retire safely.

NEW GUINEA: B-24s bomb But and Dagua Airfields; P-38s claim 9 enemy fighters shot down in the But-Dagua-Wewak areas; other B-24s hit Nubia and Potsdam Plantations.

The Japanese counterattacks around Finschhafen are beaten off handily by the Australian defenders. The Japanese try in vain to destroy the Australian beachhead in the Finschhafen area but the 20th Brigade repels their attacks. Two companies of the Australian 2/17th Battalion moving towards Sattelberg in the hills 6 miles (10 kilometres) northwest of Finschhafen, stop the advance of Japanese reinforcements heading for the town. 
     In the air, USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb But and Dagua Airfields; P-38s claim 9 enemy fighters shot down in the But-Dagua-Wewak areas; other B-24s hit Nubia and Potsdam Plantations. The attack on Wewak claims 64 Japanese aircraft destroyed and six ships sunk.
 

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Bougainville Island 21 US Thirteenth Air Force B-24s, covered by 14 P-38s, bomb a bivouac near Kahili Airfield; 30 P-40s and P-39Airacobra and 15 USMC F4U Corsairs support 50+ USN SBD Dauntlesses in a strike on the hangar area of the airfield at Kahili and gun positions at Kangu Hill and Jakohina.

PITCAIRN ISLAND: Submarine USS Crevalle made an unscheduled six hour stop on 26 September 1943 at Pitcairn Island of the Mutiny On The Bounty fame. The unexpected stop was for correction of some minor difficulties with the hydraulic system. According to the natives of the island this was the first submarine that the Pitcairn People had seen and they were very excited about observing Crevalle. The Chief of the Island a Mr. Christian, (a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian the leader of the famous British Navy mutiny) and his court were given a guided tour of the submersible. Gifts were exchanged between the Island inhabitants and the Crevalle crew.

U.S.A.: Glen Borens' diary: USS BUNKER HILL moored main dock, N.A.S. San Diego, Calif.

She had just finished her shake-down cruise and with Air Group 17, had qualified all Pilots.

They told me she was a tight fit in the Panama Canal.

We, ( VF-18 ) were told to board the carrier for transport to Pearl Harbor for further training.

We were 45 percent through our training program. Things got a little tight with an additional 36 fighters aboard. IIRC, a lot of Marines were also loaded FFT to Pearl.

More fun,

Glen

[Having been raised within 10 miles of Fort Riley,Ks., I dodn't want to go into the Army so I joined the Navy in Oct. '42. After a short 'boot camp' at Great Lakes, I was sent to Aircraft maint.school at Millington Tenn., After 3 or 4 months of that was 2 weeks of school on airborne radar operation and then to Pensacola for Aerial Free gunnery training. Finishing that, I was put on a train for Alameda,Ca..

VF 18 formed at Alameda in July 1943 where I joined, We trained there for a short time and worked our way to North Island at San Diego, by way of outlying fields. We had left the rest of Air Group 18 behind. The USS Bunker Hill with Air Group 17 complete, finished her shakedown and headed through the Canal, arriving at San Diego on 26 Sept. '43 as I remember.]

Destroyer escort USS Paul G Baker laid down.
Destroyer escort USS Cannon commissioned.
Minesweeper USS Improve launched.
Submarine USS Guitarro launched.
Destroyer escorts USS Bright and England launched.

BRAZIL: US forces start using Natal port.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-161 sank SS Cisne Branco and SS Itapagé.
U-410 sank SS Christian Michelsen in Convoy UGS-17.

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September 26th, 1944 (TUESDAY)

FRANCE:  In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, Major General Walton Walker orders a limited attack on Fort Driant to begin on 27 September, regardless of weather. The U.S.  XIX Tactical Air Command begins daily attacks on the Metz forts. The 3d Battalion, 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division, makes a limited attack to clear road between Gravelotte and St Hubert's Farm in preparation for a large-scale attack. In the XII Corps area, the 4th Armored Division slightly reduces its mail line of resistance on the right flank of the corps in order to improve defensive positions, and the enemy quickly moves into Juvelize and Coincourt without opposition. Both divisions makes a vain effort to close up to the Seille River line in a limited attack against well-dug-in enemy: elements of the 318th Infantry attempt unsuccessfully to take Mt St Jean while the 317th Infantry force makes a futile effort to push into Moivron. The 35th Infantry Division completes the relief of the 6th Armored Division in the Foret de Gremecey area, the6th Armored Division becoming corps reserve, although Combat Command B is still linking the 80th and 35th Infantry Divisions in the Leyr corridor. The enemy begins a series of attacks to regain Foret de Gremecey in the evening, driving in the 35th Infantry Division's outposts. 

  In the air, 165 USAAF Eighth Air Force B-24s fly a TRUCKIN' mission carrying fuel to France. The USAAF Ninth Air Force tactical fighters support the US First Army in the Bonn area and cuts rail lines west of the Rhine River and hits fortifications near Metz. 

     During the day, RAF Bomber Command sent 722 aircraft, 388 Lancasters, 289 Halifaxes and 45 Mosquitos, to carry out two separate raids in the Calais area. The first targets are four tactical targets at Cap Gris Nez which is hit by 516 aircraft; the second targets are three tactical targets near Callais; they are attacked by 183 aircraft. Accurate and concentrated bombing is observed at all targets.

NETHERLANDS:  In the British Second Army's I Airborne Corps area, daylight halts withdrawal of the 1st Airborne Division; about 300 remain on north bank of the Neder Rijn; some of these later escape southward. Those who attempted to seize and secure the "Bridge Too Far," members of the British 1st Airborne Division, withdrew from their last positions, vicinity of Oosterbeek, west of Arnhem, to the south bank of the Lower Rhine. The British had taken 10,095 men north of the river; 2,490 came back. In the next month the 506th Parachute Infantry would bring back a few more of their airborne comrades. (Jay Stone)
     Although MARKET-GARDEN has not accomplished the major objectives of gaining a bridgehead beyond the Neder Rijn, outflanking the West Wall, securing positions from which to attack the Ruhr, or bringing about the collapse of the enemy in this area, it has gained valuable ground and improved the Allied positions. Both U.S. Infantry Divisions are still badly needed. The 101st Airborne Division front is stabilized as engineers remove mines and reopen the St Oedenrode-Veghel road. 

The British XXX Corps captures Turnhout, Belgium and Oss, Holland as part of its consolidation.

     In the air during the day, 74 RAF Bomber Command Halifaxes fly petrol (gasoline) carrying flights from the U.K. to Melsbroek Airfield in Brussels.

     In the air, 320 USAAF Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-38s (Ninth Air Force), P-47s and P-51s support the First Allied Airborne Army in the Netherlands; they claim 32-1-8 aircraft in the air; 1 P-38 is lost. 
 

GERMANY:  In the U.S. First Army's VII Corps area, to ease pressure on the weak battalion of the 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, in the Huertgen Forest, the 60th Infantry commander moves two Battalions, an attached battalion of 39th Infantry and his reserve Battalion, southward from the contested ridge to cut Lammersdorf-Huertgen highway at its junction with the road leading northwest to Zweifall. 
    
 In the air, the USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 648: 1,159 bombers and 432 fighters are dispatched to hit rail targets and armored vehicle factories in western Germany; 9 bombers and 2 fighters are lost: (1) 383 B-17s, escorted by 134 P-51s, bomb the marshalling yard and steel industry at Osnabruck; other targets hit are Rheine Airfield and Hesepe Airfields: 2 B-17s are lost; (2) 274 B-24s, escorted by 138 P-51s, bomb the marshalling yard at Hamm and 1 hits Liesborn; 3 B-24s and a P-51 are lost; (3) 381 B-17s, escorted by 133 P-51s, bomb the armored vehicle factories at Bremen and 13 bomb Bremerhaven; 4 B-17s and a P-51 are lost.   

     During the night of 26/27 September, RAF Bomber Command attacks four targets. The first is Karlsruhe; 222 of the 226 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos sent hit the target with the loss of two Lancasters. Bomber Command claimed a concentrated attack, with a large area of the city devastated. In the second raid, 50 Mosquitos are sent to Frankfurt; 46 bombed the city and three attack an oil storage facility. The third target is the Meerbeck synthetic oil refinery at Homberg which is bombed by six Mosquitos.

U-3021 laid down.
U-2508 commissioned.
 

POLAND: Auschwitz-Birkenau: Dr. Josef Mengele presides over a "selection" of a thousand children, fixing a board to a post and sending all who fail to reach it straight to the gas chambers.

The Germans recapture the Mokotow district of Warsaw. 
 

ESTONIA: Soviet forces occupy Estonia.

YUGOSLAVIA: Eighty four aircraft of RAF No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group bomb the railroad viaduct at Borovnica without loss.

ITALY: During a meeting at General Sir Henry Wilson's headquarters at Caserta, an agreement between the exiled Greek government and various guerrilla leaders is reached. The arrangements call for the orderly reoccupation of Greece with British Lieutenant General R.M. Scobie controlling all guerrilla forces operating within the country. Security battalions, i.e., political police formed to eliminate ELAS bands (the Communist Hellenic People’s Army), are outlawed. 

This staves off a threat of a Greek civil war.

With German withdrawal from Greece seemingly imminent, the danger of a clash between the extreme left-wing ELAS party and the neo-fascist EDES appeared inevitable. ELAS is well-armed and disciplined, and the possibility that Greece might fall under the Soviet mantle after the war is causing Churchill grave concern. The conference was called by General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, supreme Allied commander Mediterranean. The ELAS commander General Safaris and General Zervas of EDES have agreed to serve under the exiled premier, George Papandreou, on his return.

It is a fragile truce, however. Both antagonists have laid claim to large areas of Greece, and they have had three years in which to prepare for civil war.

Rimini: Like Caesar's legions before it, the British Eighth Army crossed the Rubicon river today - this time in the opposite direction. The Allies are fighting hard on the flanks of the bridgehead opened on the Gothic Line, threatening to break out on the northern plains in full force along the eastern flank of the Apennines. General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, the Allied Mediterranean C-in-C, has sent congratulations to the Allied armies, "I hope that the crossing of the Rubicon will lead, as with a famous commander in the past, to a decisive victory and the destruction of Kesselring's army," he wrote.

In the British Eighth Army's 5 Corps area, the Indian 4th Division establishes a bridgehead across the Uso River in the vicinity of Cornacchiara but meets firm resistance from the heights beyond when trying to expand the bridgehead. The 46th Division crosses additional elements over the Uso and secures Canonica. The 56th Division advances along Highway 9 from San Arcangelo to positions about halfway to Savignano. In the Canadian I Corps area, the Canadian 5th Armored Division enlarges their bridgehead across the Uso. A brigade of the New Zealand 2d Division reaches the Uso in the coastal sector. The Greek 3d Mountain Brigade Group is attached to the New Zealand 2d Division and takes up positions on right flank. 

Stresa: US advisers parachute down to set up an intelligence network for the Italian partisans.

In the U.S. Fifth Army's IV Corps area, Task Force 92 begins their advance along the Serchio valley north of Pescia. Continuing along Highway 6620 on the right flank, elements of the South African 6th Armoured Division reach the slopes of Mt. Gatta. The division halts the advance of the 24th Guards Brigade up Highway 66 northwest of Pistoia but continues up Highway 64 with the 12th Motorized Brigade. In the II Corps area, the 34th Infantry Division meets strong opposition in the Bruscoli-Gambellate Creek area. The 91st Infantry Division, with the capture of Mt. Freddi, is ready to attack Mt. Oggioli. The 85th Infantry Division again attacks unsuccessfully toward Torre Poggioli, employing the 1st Battalions of the 338th and 339th Regiments; the 2d Battalion of the 338th tries in vain to take Sambuco; the 3d Battalion, 339th, seizes Montarello. The 88th Infantry Division takes Mt. Pratolungo on the left, pushes toward Castel del Rio in the center, and on the right takes Mt. del Puntale. The 1st Armored Division, less Combat Command B, is gradually being committed to protect the exposed right flank of the corps. In the British 13 Corps area, the 1st Division continues a futile frontal assault on Mt. Gamberaldi and at night begins moving elements toward Mt. Toncone in an effort to outflank the enemy. The Indian 8th Division suspends their attack on Mt. di Castelnuovo. On the right flank of the corps, the 6th Armored Division's 61st Brigade drives along Route 67 to Bucconi without opposition. 
 

During the night of 25/26 September, USAAF Twelfth Air Force A-20 Havocs bomb targets of opportunity in the Po Valley; throughout the day B-25s and B-26s pound rail and road bridges in the eastern and northwestern parts of the Po Valley while fighter-bombers and fighters of the XII Fighter Command attack road nets, rails, motor transport, and supply points at many locations in the valley.

CHINA: The Japanese capture Tanchuk and the airfield located there. 
     USAAF Tenth Air Force P-47 flights hit fuel storage at Chefang and repair shops at Wanting; 9 B-25s attack troop concentrations and stores in Hinlong; and 19 B-24s haul fuel to Liuchow, Yangtong, and Yungning. Twelve Fourteenth Air Force B-25s bomb Lungfukwan and Mangshih while several P-40s hit targets of opportunity in same areas; about 50 P-40s and P-51s continue armed reconnaissance over the vast inland areas of southern China, attacking troops, buildings, and other targets of opportunity.   
     In the air, 83 USAAF Twentieth Air Force B-29s, staging from Chengtu, bomb Anshan most of them striking the Showa Steel Works with poor results; 15 others bomb Dairen, Sinsiang, and various targets of opportunity; during the night of 26/27 September, Japanese aircraft bomb the Chengtu area, damaging 5 B-29s; this attack along with the one on 8 September set the pattern for Japanese raids which usually follow B-29 missions and continue until 19 December but are of light nature and annoying rather than seriously damaging. 

BURMA: Two USAAF Tenth Air Force P-47 Thunderbolt flights hit targets in the Bhamo-Myothit area, including Sinkin, Momauk, and Nanhlaing; 3 other flights hit targets in the Pinwe-Mawlu area, including the town of Nyaungbintha; 20+ P-47s in 2 flights hit Tingka.

THAILAND:   Six USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25s and 4 P-38s attack and slightly damage the Dara bridge and destroy road machinery nearby. 
 

JAPAN: A USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 flies weather reconnaissance; later 4 B-24s radar-bomb Suribachi Airfield on Paramushiru Island in the Kurile Islands.

U-532 reached the Japanese Navy base at Kobe, where the boat was to be stationed for the next ten weeks.

PALAU ISLANDS: On Peleliu, the 321st Infantry and the 5th Marines each cut across the west arm of Peleliu, capturing Hill 120 forming two pockets of Japanese. The 2d Battalion, 321st, completes clearing the 321st Infantry trail, cutting off the enemy to south in the Umurbrogol Mountains. The 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, pushes across the peninsula to the north, isolating enemy on Amiangal Mountain, at the north tip. Other elements of 5th Marines drive north along the west coast almost to the tip of the island. 
     On Angaur, the 322d Infantry gains a foothold in the northern part of the Lake Salome bowl and clears positions along the southeastern rim. 

     USAAF Seventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells from the Gilbert Islands bomb Nauru 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 is occupied by the Japanese on 25 August 1942.

CAROLINE ISLANDS:  USAAF Seventh Air Force B-25s from the Gilbert Islands bomb Nauru Island. 

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the North Pacific, two USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24s from Saipan on armed reconnaissance bomb Marcus Island. 
    USN vessels sink three Japanese ships: (1) destroyer escort USS McCoy Reynolds (DE-440) sinks submarine HIJMS I-175 northeast of the Palau Islands; (2) submarine USS Pargo (SS-264) sinks a minelayer off Borneo; and (3) submarine USS Thresher (SS-200) sinks a merchant cargo ship Koetsu Maru in the Yellow Sea. 

VOLCANO ISLANDS:  During the night of 26/27 September, another USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24 snooper bombs Iwo Jima. 

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: USAAF Far East Air Forces B-25s bomb Maumere Bay, Flores Island, Lesser Sunda Islands. B-25s and B-24s bomb Liang Airfield on Ambon Island and Kendari Airfield on Celebes Island. 

NEW GUINEA:  USAAF Far East Air Forces P-40s attack Kokas. 

WAKE ISLAND:  During the night of 26/27 September, USAAF Seventh Air Force B-24s from the Marshall Islands hit Wake Island. 

Japanese submarine HIJMS I-175 is sunk north of the Palau Islands at position 9.14N 136.40E byUSNdestroyer escort USS McCoy Reynolds (DE-440).

CANADA: Frigate HMCS Sea Cliff commissioned.

U.S.A.: Minesweeper USS Scooter launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German submarine U-871 is sunk northwest of the Azores, in position 43.18N, 36.28W, by depth charges from an RAF Fortress of No 220 Squadron based at Lagens in the Azores. All hands, 69 men, on the U-boat are lost.

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September 26th, 1945 (WEDNESDAY)

FRENCH INDOCHINA: French forces including newly-arrived Gaullist and released Vichy-colonial troops, storm the Viet Minh headquarters in Saigon. An American soldier, Lt. Col. A. Peter Dewey, an advisor with the OSS Deer Team fighting with the French is killed when he is mistaken for a French officer. The first US casualty in the country.

CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Caraquet paid off and returned to RN at Sheerness.

U.S.A.: The great Hungarian composer Bela Bartok dies.

The White Sands Missile test range in New Mexico sees its first launch when a Tiny Tim Booster is fired.

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