.......

Mortain: the Battle for Hill 314

This small french village became the focus of a German counterattack on the evening of August 6, 1944. Operation Lüttich, as it was called, was ordered by Hitler with the intention of splitting the American forces between Hodges' First Army and Patton's newly formed Third Army. The Germans needed control of the vital road network around Mortain to allow a drive to Avranches on the coast. the Germans would later state that their failure to complete the separation of the American forces was a "turning point" in the battle of the western front. This failure was caused by the determined resistance of Old Hickory at Mortain.

Hitler personally ordered this attack contrary to the advice of his generals. It was opposed to such a degree that the commander of the 116th Panzer Division refused to follow the order, delaying the attack. Nonetheless, at approximately 0100 hours 7 August the lead elements of the 2nd SS Panzer Division made contact with members of the 9th U.S. Infantry Division. In addition to the 2nd SS "Das Reich" division, the 1st SS Panzer "Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler", 116th Panzer, and 17th SS Panzergrenadier divisions also participated.

The disposition of Old Hickory's troops around Mortain was as follows. On the eastern side of the town stood a tall hill, elevation 314. Hill 314 had been recognized by the Americans as a vital defensive position early on and was held by the 2nd battalion, 120th Infantry. The 1st of the 120th was on the west of Mortain holding hill 285. Two platoons of the 120th's company F, a platoon of the 120th's antitank company, along with 3rd platoon of Company A, 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion had established what would prove to be a crucial roadblock at L'Abbaye Blanche where they could cover the road junctions north of Mortain. Meanwhile, the 117th Infantry was in place at St. Barthelmy, approximately two miles north of Mortain. The 119th Infantry was to the northwest near Le Mesnil-Adelée.

Above are depicted part of the Anti-tank Company, 3rd Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division (N.C., S.C., Tenn.) during fighting on the second day. They had set up a roadblock adjacent to Hill 317, where the 2nd Battalion, 120th Infantry was dug in directly north of Mortain. The crews, manning the 57mm anti-tank guns, and troops of the 2nd Battalion with anti-tank rockets, were responsible for destroying over 40 vehicles during the action and stopped the German onslaught in the area. On the 7th of August, the roadblock and Hill 317 were surrounded and bypassed by the main body of German forces. The group surrounded on Hill 317, commanded by Capt. Reynold Erichson -- about 700 men -- were protected by a ring of artillery fire from the 35th Infantry Division artillery and fighter-bomber sorties flown by the 2nd Tactical Air Force RAF. This kept the Germans from taking Hill 317 and stopped the momentum of the counterattack in the area on the first day.

The Germans made significant gains in the early hours of the attack, actually capturing the village of Mortain. However the Nazis failed to gain control of the crucial high ground around Mortain. Such was the disposition in the initial stages of the attack.

Although they held Mortain, they had not gained control of the roads they so desperately needed. The directed artillery fire from Hill 314 prevented this. The 120th held the hill and despite being completely cut off from resupply and relief these infantrymen withstood the repeated assaults of combined German artillery, armor and infantry assaults.

The most important function of the battalion's stand was the continuing ability to call accurate artillery fire from the massed guns of ten artillery battalions, 120 tubes in all. The drive around Hill 314 became an artillery duel relying on forward observers like Lt. Robert Weiss on the hill with the 120th. However, due to the inability to resupply the besieged troops, the F.O.'s were running out of battery power for their radios. Despite multiple attempts to fight through the German positions surrounding the hill no penetration could be made.

The situation became so desperate that artillery resupply (packing plasma, dressings, and medicine in artillery shells normally used to fire propaganda leaflets and firing them into the 120th's position) of medical supplies was attempted, with little success. Airdrops were also attempted. After struggling through amazing amounts of beauracracy at corps level, the divisional G-4 was able get some C-47 drops but most of the supplies ended up in German hands, and most importantly, no radio batteries made it through. Even the light artillery spotter Piper Cubs attempted to get through, but they were driven off by heavy German fire. Radio calls were limited to fire missions, and then only the briefest of information could be transmitted.

The German convoys were camouflaged in an attempt to protect them from Allied aircraft

The plight of the 2/120th on 314 remained grave. They held out against more German attacks and most of the men were certain they would be overrun. Many veterans of the battle stated that the Germans could have walked right through them several times. It even progressed to the point that an SS officer presented a surrender ultimatum to Lt. Kerley, commanding Co. E. Kerley declined the offer, and at 2015 hours on the 9th the Germans attempted to make the doughboys pay for their insolence. The SS attacked yet again, yelling "surrender!" as they ran over the American foxholes. The resulting fight was so bitter that Kerley was forced to call in artillery on his own position to finally repulse the attack.

This situation continued until the troops on Hill 314 were finally relieved the morning of August 12th by elements of the 35th Infantry Division. The story of the battle is ripe with tales of heroism, sacrifice and determination by regular soldiers. However the drama at the individual level may be overshadowed by the theater level significance of the division's stand in Mortain.

The fact that the 30th division held out against such a major attack is amazing in itself. Additionally it was important that the German forces were fixed at Mortain, allowing the air strikes, artillery barrages, and tank hunting infantry teams to exact a terrible toll on the strongest divisions the Germans had in the region. The German losses in this failed attack were remarkable.

Remarkable as well was the opportunity the attack gave the Allies. By leaving the 30th unrelieved at Mortain, General Bradley was able to fix the Germans on this bait and begin an encirclement of the entire German Army Group B. Via Ultra intercepts the Allied high command knew the Germans were not going to retreat from the battle with the 30th. Bradley then developed operation Totalize designed to circle from the south with Patton's troops to meet Montgomery's striking from the north to Falaise.

30th Infantry Division Memorial - Mortain, france

Although little recognized in popular history, the heroic stand of the 30th Infantry Division at Mortain made a tremendous contribution to the allied victory in france.

Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle for Mortain (Aug. 7-12, 1944) - Aug 7th, 2003

............

Battle for Mortain

The enemy was well acquainted with the possibilities that presented themselves. He had been over the ground before. Four of his best Panzer Divisions were massed to thwart the developing threat to his line of defense. And on 8 August 1944, he struck with all the power he could muster on the main road between Mortain and St. Barthelmy ridge in the misty dawn of early- morning. The German plan called for driving a wedge through the Allies at this point, separating the Americans from the British forces, and driving them back some twenty miles, through Avranches and to the sea. The Third U. S. Army cut off from its supply bases would also be placed in a precarious position.

Typhoons attacking German Armour Convoys

The savage attack succeeded in piercing the American lines. Ground had to be given up. Both sides suffered heavy casualties in the do or die encounter. Then the 30th Division with the aid of the 823rd T. D. Battalion stiffened and held. Enemy artillery took a terrific toll. One Division, with its supporting components, had absorbed the impact of the most determined German drive of the war. But they also suffered heavily. What a welcome sight it was to see the British typhoons come into action! With their rocket firing weapons they piled up the enemy armor and helped slacken the momentum of the hostile offensive. Two days later, ground support arrived -- RCT 12 of the 4th Armored Division, and a combat command from the 3rd Armored Division.

This battle will never be forgotten by the Battalion! It stayed right with the doughboys and did not yield a foot of ground. The enemy used his most elite troops in the effort: the 1st SS Pz Div. (Leibstandarte) "Adolph Hitler", the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich", the 2nd Panzer Division, and the 116th Pz Div. But they were fought to a standstill. The savage attack which had penetrated to within a few feet of the Battalion destroyers was fought off with machine guns, hand grenades, and rifle fire. 823rd Tank Destroyers blocked the two main roads leading to Avranches and allowed no hostile armor or infantry to get through.

Villagers place flowers on the body of a GI who gave his life for their freedom

The action in and near Mortain and St. Barthelmy was so fast and furious that any attempts to describe it must leave the story only half told. Company "A's" roll consisted primarily of repulsing numerous counter attacks, knocking out tanks as well as general purpose vehicles and killing Germans. On 8 August 1944, at 0130 hours, hostile forces infiltrated friendly infantry lines, cut of Company "A's" third platoon outpost and attempted to enter Mortain from the Southwest. They were driven back, chiefly by fire from .50 caliber machine guns mounted on the TD halftracks. A second enemy penetration proved to be more successful. A large number of troops, presumably from the 116th Panzer Grenadiers, made their way through our lines occupied the town of Mortain. 1st Lt. Elmer L. Miller, the platoon leader could have withdrawn honorably, since no tanks were involved in the action; but knowing how thinly spread were the friendly troops, and that no reserves were available, he chose to fight it out until he was captured.

A Tiger tank in a defensive position

Concentrated small arms fire at close range made it impossible to use the three-inch guns, so the men of the Battalion were broken up into small isolated groups. Sixteen men of the third platoon fought north through the town for five days and eventually joined the first platoon. Nine others were cut off. They withdrew with the infantry and battled along side the doughs of the 2nd Battalion of the 120th Infantry Regiment for five days. One person, Nageeb A. David was so completely separated that he had to remain concealed in a ditch, for a similar period, without food or water, in order to escape detection by the enemy. He was rescued when the counter thrust was finally driven back.

The 1st and 2nd platoons of Company "A" underwent incessant mortar and artillery fire. They repulsed counterattack after counterattack for five long days and nights. Then the attack petered out and the German forces began their trek back to the Siegfried Line. In containing the enemy attack, the 2nd platoon knocked out two Mark IV tanks, two self-propelled guns, and 1 armored car, with three-inch fire. One Mark IV was put out of commission by a bazooka team. The platoon also killed about fifty of the enemy.

Town of Mortain - Aug 1944

The first platoon, with 1st Lt. Springfield leading, was maintaining a road block through the entire fracas; and although it was cut off at one time, it remained in position and accounted for a goodly share of the Panzers, including an estimated 200 Panzer Grenadiers killed. For five days and nights the for threw its strongest weight against the 30th Division line in a fierce attempt to break through, but it could never quite make it. Despite voluminous artillery fire, tanks and armored vehicles, the fighting spirit of the First platoon never wavered.

Company "B" was caught in the prong of the German offensive that was bent upon encircling St. Barthelmy, france. The 3rd platoon in the village was overrun, while the first platoon had a field day knocking out Panther tanks and destroying many of the invaders. At 2000 hours, 7 August 1944 the 3rd platoon moved into St. Barthelmy along with one gun of the second platoon. One section covered the approaches to the town from the Southeast; the other protected the Northwest approaches. At about 0300 hours hostile troop and tank movement could be heard. However, visibility was practically zero because of the fog that enveloped the area. At about 1615 hours, following a terrific artillery concentration for 1¼ hours, a coordinated tank and Panzer Grenadier attack was launched by the foe from the North, East and South. The friendly infantry lines were overwhelmed and had to withdraw West of the town. A few components managed to establish strong points within the village, however, and held their ground. The onrushing foe used every weapon at its command to the fullest extent. Behind extremely heavy small arms, rifle grenade, machine gun, mortar, and tank fire, they drove within sight of the Battalion's 3 inch gun positions. The guns themselves were being manned by abbreviated crews, all excess personnel being used as infantry.

Town of Mortain - Aug 1944

Despite the extreme valor of its men, the 3rd platoon was overrun by the higher superior force, and only a handful managed to escape. Lt. George I. Greene, group leader was last seen by one of the security men who got away, backing into a doorway firing a 30 caliber machine gun from the hip, as it might have been done in the movies .

With disintegration of the 3rd platoon, 1st Lt Leon L. Neel, in charge of the 1st platoon, spread out his gun positions in order to take up as much slack as possible. One gun, placed West of the town immediately accounted for a Panther tank. Pvt. Cecil O. Derr killed the tank commander with his carbine at 300 yards. A few rounds of HE got rid of the supporting grenadiers, and AP demolished the tank itself.

Not long afterwards the three inch gun became a victim of a German 88, and part of the crew was injured by rifle grenades. Lt Neel lost no time in bringing up a replacement which he set up in a field with a 57mm AT gun, and he coordinated their respective fields of fire. However, the 57mm gun departed just as additional tanks arrived, and part of the sector was left uncovered. Visibility was so poor during the early hours that firing had to be aimed at opposing gun flashes. Later investigation proved the system to have been highly effective. As the fog began clearing, a Panther tank was seen bearing down the main road. It was quickly put out of action with AP, and all its crew killed with HE as they attempted to flee the vehicle. Two more tanks were observed on the highway, but they stopped just short of the 3 inch gun range. One of them circled through the fields and assumed a position from which it could dominate the immediate area.

The tank destroyer weapon was in a hastily occupied position. Its crew could observe the marauding tanks, but was unable to fire upon them. For 45 minutes, the tank on the road conducted a vigilant search for the three inch piece. It knocked out two friendly vehicles that was traveling down the main highway, during the interval, but failed to find the concealed gun. Finally it maneuvered into range. The crew fired one round realizing only too well that by doing so would reveal their own position to the second hostile tank. The shot found its mark and another enemy tank was destroyed. The remaining marauder went into action at once. It succeeded in knocking out the three- incher and the crew was forcibly ejected by the impact.

Town of Mortain - Aug 1944

The personnel sought refuge behind a hedgerow, and moved to the rear where they joined other men from knocked-out guns in manning outposts, serving on bazooka teams, and making reconnaissance into enemy territory. Without specific orders they succeeded in recovering a half-track and a gun that had been abandoned in "no man's land". The balance of the company continued to man its weapons, guarding against any further penetration. The town of St. Barthelmy was taken but the foe was unable to make any appreciable gain to the West of the village for Company "B's" stout anti-tank defense.

The powerful enemy thrust had failed far short of its objective. Innumerable were the acts of gallantry performed during those hectic days. With utter disregard for personal safety, and in the face of a superior and fanatic foe, the members of the Battalion fought on. Opportunities for honorable withdrawal presented themselves time after time, but the men refused to quit the struggle for possession of this vitally important area.

In this memorable encounter the Battalion set a new Army record for tanks destroyed in one day's action, and also for the number of enemy vehicles knocked out. When the Germans withdrew, the battlefield was practically devoid of vegetation. Hardly a house or building remained standing. But German equipment, including tanks, half-tracks, motorcycles, anti-tank guns, self-propelled guns, trucks, bicycles, and enemy dead, cluttered the ground.

Additional Sources:

www.ngb.army.mil
home.nc.rr.com/oldhickory
www.823rdtdbn.org
home.earthlink.net/~crcorbin
www.normandiememoire.com
www.army.mil
www.normandie44lamemoire.com
www.dvrbs.com
www.mikerian.com
www.panzer-prints.com
www.skalman.nu

'The Battle of Mortain, sandwiched neatly between Operation Cobra and the Falaise Gap, took place precisely at the most turbulent juncture of the Normandy campaign.

Mortain was the first large-scale German counteroffensive against the American Army on the European continent. In effect, a miniature "Battle of the Bulge" occurred in and around that picturesque Norman town in August 1944. It is no exaggeration to liken Mortain to the Ardennes Offensive, as the scale and objectives of each are roughly comparable. Both operations featured massed panzer units designed to rapidly smash through thinly held American lines to seize critical objectives. While Mortain involved elements of six German panzer and panzergrenadier divisions racing to seize two bridges twenty miles from their line of departure, the attacking force in the Ardennes included the equivalent of thirteen panzer and panzergrenadier divisions heading for Antwerp, approximately 100 miles from their starting point. In both battles, the Germans hoped that success would regain the strategic initiative for them while dealing a serious military setback to the Allies.

One of the reasons why Mortain has been overlooked is that even key participants have often devoted only a few pages to this battle. Eisenhower, and Bradley, both intimate that the German counteroffensive could not have succeeded. German accounts echo these sentiments by claiming that Hitler's attempts to mandate every detail of the counterattack deprived the panzer divisions of a reasonable chance of success. This line of reasoning tends to minimize Mortain's importance by labeling it as an incidental or insignificant battle within the overall Normandy campaign.

Capturing the individual soldier's experiences is necessary to understand the events that occurred at Mortain and during the Second World War as a whole. To overlook this viewpoint is to ignore that warfare is an intensely personal affair. A visit to one of the many German and American cemeteries in France will remind the reader of this fact. They contain thousands of soldiers who are forever eighteen. It is my hope that these young men who fought at Mortain and whose extraordinary efforts have not been fully appreciated in the scope of World War 2 historiography, will receive the recognition they deserve.'

Charles R. Corbin Jr
A-391st. Armored FA, CCB in T.F.Lovelady

'The chief credit in smashing the enemy’s spear-head must go to the rocket-firing Typhoon planes of the Second Tactical Air Force. The result of this strafing was that the enemy attack was effectively brought to a halt, and a threat was turned into a great victory.'

General Eisenhower,
reflecting on the role of airpower at the Battle of Mortain, where the German Army attempted to split the invasion front at Normandy, supreme allied commander’s dispatch, 1945.

John Kerry told the world we were war criminals who raped, tortured and murdered in Vietnam. Now, thirty-three years later, we will tell America the truth.

Join us at the rally we call:

What: A peaceful remembrance of those with whom we served in Vietnam - those who lived and those who died.
We will tell the story of their virtues and how that contrasts with the lies told by John Kerry.

When: Sunday, Sept. 12, 2004 @ 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT

Where: The West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, DC

All Vietnam veterans and their families and supporters are asked to attend. Other veterans are invited as honored guests. This will be a peaceful event--no shouting or contact with others with different opinions. We fought for their rights then, and we respect their rights now. This is NOT a Republican or a pro-Bush rally. Democrats, Republicans and independents alike are warmly invited.

Our gathering is to remember those with whom we served, thereby giving the lie to John Kerry's smear against a generation of fine young men. B.G. "Jug" Burkett, author of "Stolen Valor," will be one of our speakers. Jug has debunked countless impostors who falsely claimed to be Vietnam veterans or who falsely claimed awards for heroism. Jug recommends that we refrain from dragging fatigues out of mothballs. Dress like America, like you do every day.

Dress code: business casual, nice slacks, and shirt and shoes. No uniform remnants, please. Unit hats OK.

Selected members will wear badges identifying them as authorized to speak to the media about our event. Others who speak to the media will speak only for themselves.

The program will be controlled in an attempt to stay on-message. Speakers are encouraged not to engage in speculative criticism of John Kerry but (1) to stick to known and undisputed facts about John Kerry’s lies while (2) reminding America of the true honor and courage of our brothers in battle in Vietnam.

Send this announcement to 10 or more of your brothers! Bring them by car, bus, train or plane! Make this event one of pride in America, an event you would be proud to have your mother or your children attend.

Contact: kerrylied.com

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization.

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

Thanks to quietolong for providing this link.

UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004

The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

August 6, 2004

Afraid Of The Dentist?

Read: 1 Samuel 12:6-25

Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord. —1 Samuel 12:20

Bible In One Year: Psalms 70-71; Romans 8:22-39

Why are so many people afraid of going to the dentist? It may be the result of a bad experience. One woman said of her childhood dentist, "I started getting upset and crying and he said, 'If you don't shut up, I'm going to slap you.'" She now drives 70 miles to The Dental Fears Clinic in Kansas City.

People who are afraid to go to God have a similar problem. Some may have been mistreated by spiritual leaders. Others may have learned unhealthy fear of God as children. Still others, overwhelmed by their sin, see only God's righteous demand for justice and miss the loving provision of His Son's sacrifice for sin.

The people in today's Bible reading (1 Samuel 12) were afraid because Samuel exposed their sin. But he also told them that God longed to forgive them.

We need to replace irrational fears with healthy ones. God's Word repeatedly assures us that the pain of going to Him is far less than the pain of avoiding Him. It also assures us that because of Jesus we can "come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy" (Hebrews 4:16).

A dentist fills the holes in your teeth, but God wants to fill the holes in your heart—with Himself. Don't let your unhealthy fear stop Him. —Mart De Haan

The love of God is my pillow,
Soft and healing and wide;
I rest my soul in its comfort,
And in its calm I abide. —Long

Only God can fill the emptiness of an aching heart.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on August 06:
1697 Charles VII Holy Roman emperor (1742-45)
1809 Alfred Lord Tennyson poet laureate of England
1819 Samuel Powhatan Carter, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
1861 Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt 2nd wife of Theodore Roosevelt
1881 Sir Alexander Fleming cashed in on penicillin (Nobel 1954)
1883 Scott Nearing US sociologist/pacifist/author (The Good Life)
1911 Lucille Ball Jamestown NY, comedienne/actress (I Love Lucy, Mame)
1917 Robert Mitchum Bridgeport Ct, actor (Winds of War, North & South)
1922 Sir Freddie Laker entrepreneur (Laker airlines)
1925 Barbara Bates Denver Colo, actress (Kathy-It's a Great Life)
1927 Andy Warhol pop artist (or 08081930)
1927 William David Ford (Rep-D-Mich)
1934 John Storey Bonington UK, mountain climber (Annapurna I in 1970)
1938 Peter Bonerz Portsmouth NH, actor (Jerry-Bob Newhart Show, 9 to 5)
1945 Ken Norton heavyweight boxer (or 0809)
1950 Winston E Scott Miami Fla, USN Commander/astronaut
1952 Carl C Perkins (Rep-D-Ky)
1952 Wojiech Fortuna Poland, ski jumper (Olympic-gold-1972)
1956 Stephanie Kramer LA Calif, actress (Claudia-We Got it Made, Hunter)
1963 Kimberley Conrad Hefner Moulton Al, playmate of year (Jan, 1988)
1964 Moosie Drier Chic Ill, actor (Laugh-in)
1965 David Robinson NBA center (San Antonio Spurs)

Deaths which occurred on August 06:
0258 Sixtus II, bishop of Rome (257-58), beheaded
1221 St. Dominic, Italian religious order founder (Dominicans)
1623 Anne Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, dies
1914 Ellen Wilson Pres Wilson's wife, dies at 54
1964 Sir Cedric Hardwicke actor (Capt Hook-Peter Pan), dies at 71
1978 Pope Paul VI dies of heart attack at summer residence at 80
1986 William J Schroeder (world's longest-survivor with permanent artificial heart, dies after 620 days with Jarvik VII man-made pump)
1987 Ira C Eaker, commandant USAF in Europe (WW II), dies at 91
1991 Harry Reasoner newscaster (60 Minutes), dies at 68
1991 Shapour Bakhtiar, premier Iran (1979), dies in Paris
1993 Milton "Milt" Thompson, US NASA-test pilot/chief-engineer, dies at 67
1994 Domenico Modugno, Italian singer (Volare), dies at 66
2001 General Duong Van "Big" Minh

Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1964 CUTRER FRED C. JR. OSYKA MS.
[AC CRASH EXPLODE]
1964 KASTER LEONARD L. HOLYOKE MA.
[AC CRASH EXPLODE]
1967 KEMMERER DONALD R. QUAKERTOWN PA.
1967 PAGE ALBERT L. DERRY NH.
1972 PENN MICHAEL G. JR. FORT WORTH TX
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0258 St Sixtus II ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0523 St Hormisdas ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0768 [Constantine] ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1181 Supernova observed by Chinese & Japanese astronomers
1497 John Cabot returns to England after his first successful journey to the Labrador coast.
1774 Founder of the Shaker Movement, Mother Ann Lee, arrives in NY

1787 Constitutional Convention in Phila begans debate

1806 Holy Roman Empire ends; it was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire
1815 US flotilla ends piracy by Algiers, Tunis & Tripoli
1825 Bolivia gains independence from Peru (National Day)
1854 Congress passes Confiscation Act
1862 CSA ironclad "Arkansas" is badly damaged in Union attack
1863 The CSS Alabama captures the USS Sea Bride near the Cape of Good Hope.
1864 Rebels evacuate Ft Powell, Mobile Bayd
1888 Martha Turner is murdered by an unknown assailant, believed to be Jack the Ripper, in London, England
1890 1st use of electric chair in US, John Hart, in NY for murder
1890 Cy Young pitches & wins 1st game

1914 Austria-Hungary declares war against Russia
1914 Serbia declares war against Germany

1919 1st air flight over a major body of water in Australia (Harry Butler)
1926 Warner Bros premiers Vitaphone sound-on-disc movie system (NY), Don Juan with John Barrymore shown
1934 US troops leave Haiti, which had been occupied since 1915
1944 Deportation of 70,000 jews from Lodz Poland to Auschwitz begins
1945 Hiroshima Peace Day-atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima by "Enola Gay"
1946 US officially submits to jurisdiction of World Court
1948 Bob Mathias, US, wins decathlon at London Olympics
1951 Typhoon floods kill 4,800 in Manchuria
1961 Gherman S Titov, 2nd Russian in space aboard Vostok 2 (17 orbits), 1st case of motion sickness in space reported
1962 Jamaica gains independence from Britain
1965 Federal Voting Rights Act guarantees black voting rights
1967 Minn Twin Dean Chance perfect games Boston Red Sox, 2-0 in 5 innings
1974 Explosion & fire destory Great Northern RR yard in Wenatchee, Wash
1980 University adm declares 5 Pac-10 schools ineligible for conference titles & post-season play due to transcript &curriculum abuses
1981 NASA launches Fltsatcom-5, it failed
1984 203.05 million shares traded in NY Stock Exchange
1986 Phil Katz releases PKARC version 1.0, for the IBM
1988 Oakland A's Jose Canseco becomes 11th to hit 30 HRs & steal 30 bases
1989 Boston Red Sox retire Carl Yastrezemski's #8
1989 Pilot Union tells pilots okay to cross Eastern picket lines
1990 UN Security Council votes 13-0 (2 abstentions Cuba & Yemen) to place economic sanctions against Iraq
2002 Doctors in Los Angeles, in a two-hour operation, separated two one-year-old Guatemala twin girls joined at the heads.

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
Wiggle Your Toes Day
National Gossip Day
Australia : Bank Holiday
Bolivia : Independence Day (1825)
Hiroshima, Japan : Peace Festival at Peace Memorial Park (1945)
Iceland : Bank Holiday
Jamaica : Independence Day (1962)
Malawi, Ireland : August Holiday
UAE : Accession of H.H. Sheik Zayed Ben Sultan Al-Nahayan
US : National Smile Week (day 5)
National Golf Month

Religious Observances
RC, Ang : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Religious History
1651 Birth of Francois Fanelon, French priest and scholar. His 1697 writing, "Christian Perfection," provided a reasoned defense of mystical spirituality, though it afterward brought him into disfavor with the pope.
1727 French Ursuline nuns first arrived at New Orleans, where they set up the first Catholic charitable institution in America. It comprised an orphanage, a girl's school and a hospital.
1774 English religious leader Ann Lee (1736-1784) and a small band of followers first arrived in America. Her sect called itself the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming, but to the rest of the world her followers came to be known as the "Shakers."
1801 The Great Religious Revival of the American West began at a Presbyterian camp meeting in Cane Ridge, Kentucky.
1821 Birth of Edward H. Plumptre, Anglican theologian. He served on the Old Testament committee for the 1881 English Revised Version of the Bible. Today, he is better remembered as author of the hymn, "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart."

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"If you can keep your head about you while all others are losing theirs..maybe you don't know the facts."

Media Reports of the Apocalypse...
Victoria Secret Catalog:
OUR FINAL SALE

Letters To God From The Dog...
Dear God,
The new terrier I live with just peed on the Oriental rug and I have a feeling my family might blame me 'cuz they think I'm jealous of this stupid dog. Since they have no sense of smell, how can I convince them I'm innocent? Does PetSmart sell lie detectors?

You Might Be An Engineer If...
When you look in a mirror, you see a engineering major

Dumb Laws...
Minnesota:
A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head.

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