Posted on 08/07/2013 5:29:04 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, Closing the Ring
#1 – “You’ll Never Know” - Dick Haymes, with the Song Spinners
#2 - “It Can’t Be Wrong” - Dick Haymes, with Song Spinners
#3 - “In the Blue of the Evening” - Tommy Dorsey, with Frank Sinatra
#4 - “All or Nothing At All” – Harry James, with Frank Sinatra
#5 – “Comin’ In on a Wing and a Prayer” - Song Spinners
#6 – “You’ll Never Know” - Frank Sinatra, with the Bobby Tucker Singers
#7 - “It’s Always You” - Tommy Dorsey, with Frank Sinatra
#8 - “I Heard You Cried Last Night” - Harry James, with Helen Forrest
#9 - “Johnny Zero” - Song Spinners
#10 – “Paper Doll” - Mills Brothers
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1943/aug1943/f07aug43.htm
British attacking in Sicily
Saturday, August 7, 1943 www.onwar.com
British troops under fire on Sicily [photo at link]
In Sicily... The British take Adrana and advance on Bronte.
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/thismonth/07.htm
August 7th, 1943 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Minesweeper HMS Stawell commissioned. Frigate HMS Bullen launched.
GERMANY: U-827, U-881 laid down.
U-394 commissioned.
U-904, U-923 launched.
ITALY: Beginning yesterday, Italians and Germans meet at Verona, Italy. This meeting will last through tomorrow. Present are the two foreign ministers and the Army Chiefs of Staff. The Italians are intent on persuading the Germans that they are not negotiating with the Allies.
On the ground in Sicily, U.S. forces improve their positions on the north coast in the San Fratello region against heavy resistance. During the night of 7/8 August, a small amphibious force lands on the coast 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Sant’ Agata di Militello, greatly aiding progress along the coast. Other forces begin a drive on Randazzo.
In the air, 150 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack Randazzo; and 140+ P-40s attack shipping at Messina and in the Straits, and shipping and shore-supply stores along the northeastern coast. Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force medium and light bombers pound Randazzo, the enemy’s key withdrawal point; Maletto is also bombed; P-40s and A-36 Apaches strafe and bomb small craft between Sicily and mainland Italy, motor transport near Randazzo, a warehouse north of Messina, dumps on the toe of Italy, and vehicles and communications targets in the Sant’ Agata di Militello, Bronte, Cesaro, Tortorici, Castiglione di Sicilia and Riposto areas.
Northwest African Strategic Air Force B-25s in 2 forces hit the landing ground at Crotone while B-26 Marauders bomb the railroad bridge at Marina di Cantanzaro and highway bridge over the Angitola River.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Submarine HMS Parthian is lost after leaving Malta for Beirut. She is believed to have been mined in the Adriatic. There are no survivors. (Alex Gordon)(108)
Submarine HMS Saracen was forced to the surface off Bastia on the NE of Corsica by depth charges from Italian corvettes Minerva and Euterpe. Her crew abandoned ship and scuttled the boat.
CHINA: Civil war looms, after clashes between Communists and Kuomintang troops at Anch’u and Chuhsien, in Shantung province.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: New Georgia: Six US warships (DDs) sank three Japanese destroyers early today, 48 hours after capturing key airfields at Munda. Only the Shigure escaped from what is being called the Battle of Vella Gulf. The Japanese were surprised trying to run supplies to Kolombangara Island, 15 miles from Munda, where the remnants of the 5,000 strong garrison have been evacuated; 1,500 of them were burnt in their bunkers. Strategically, Munda brings Allied bombers 200 miles closer to the main Japanese naval base at Rabaul, in New Britain.
16 B-24s and 40+ B-25 Mitchells of the USAAF Thirteenth Air Force, plus nearly 30 US Marine Corps aircraft, pound the harbour and shore areas of Bairoko on New Georgia Island. USAAF P-40 pilots shoot down 3 A6M “Zekes” in the afternoon.
CANADA: HMC ML 110 commissioned.
Frigate HMCS Grou launched Montreal, Province of Quebec. Minesweeper HMCS New Liskeard laid down.
U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Dortch commissioned.
Escort carrier USS Liscombe Bay commissioned.
Destroyer escort USS Stanton commissioned. Destroyer escort USS Tatum launched. Destroyer USS Wadleigh launched.
Submarine USS Hawkbill laid down.
Frigate USS Uniontown launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Two German U-boats are sunk by US aircraft:
- U-117 is sunk west of the Azores, in position 39.42N, 38.21W while supplying U-66, by depth charges and a Fido homing torpedo from five USN TBF Avengers of Composite Squadron One (VC-1) in the escort aircraft carrier USS Card (CVE-11). All hands, 62 men, on the U-boat are lost.
- U-615 was attacked southeast of Curacao Island, Netherlands Antilles, on 6 August by a PBM-3S Mariner of Patrol Squadron Two Hundred Five (VP-205), based at NAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The submarine was on the surface and returned fire shooting down the aircraft with the loss of all hands. A PBM-3C of VP-204, based at NS San Juan, Puerto Rico, then attacks causing moderate damage and forcing the submarine to dive. For the rest of the day and during the night, VP-204 flies continuous patrols over the area forcing the submarine to remain submerged. In the morning, U-615 surfaces and a VP-204 aircraft attacks but is shot down with the loss of all hands.
A second PBM attacks and causes moderate damage to both the sub and the aircraft but the PBM remains in the area until a USN PV-1 Ventura of Bombing Squadron One Hundred Thirty (VB-130), based at Edinburgh Field, Trinidad, arrives and both aircraft conduct a coordinated bombing and strafing attack sinking the sub in position 12.38N, 64.15W. 43 of the 47 crewman survive and are picked up by a US destroyer the next morning.
This was possibly the longest ongoing combat between a U-boat and aircraft. U-615’s battle enabled many other U-boats in the Caribbean to surface and escape to the east. The aircraft were from the following squadrons; VP-204 (P-6 and P-8), VP-205 (P-2, P-11 and P-4) and VB-130 (Ventura B-5). (Alex Gordon)
U-566 shoots down two PV-1 Ventura aircraft from VB-128.
U-84 sunk in the North Atlantic, in position 27.55N, 68.03W, by a Mk 24 homing torpedo from a USN VB-105 Liberator. 46 dead (all hands lost).
U-181 sank SS Umvuma.
U-371 sank SS Contractor in Convoy GTX-5.
U-757 sank SS Fernhill in Convoy OS-52.
"Despite insurmountable odds, Jews nevertheless revolted in ghettos (most notably Warsaw and Bialystok), concentration camps, and death camps.
Jews set the Treblinka camp on fire (August 2, 1943), killed 11 SS guards at Sobibór (October 14, 1943), and blew up one of the crematoria at Auschwitz (October 7, 1944)."
"Abraham Kolski (left) is seen here with Erich Lachman and a man named Brenner.
The three men participated in the Treblinka uprising of August 2, 1943, and successfully found refuge in the nearby forest.
A short time later, all three were taken in by a gentile family, which hid them until Poland was liberated."
Not a wide range of acts.
Yeah, how did the Mills Brothers sneak in there/
Later this month I will post a small item about Sinatra buying out his contract with Tommy Dorsey that requires Frank to give Tommy 1/3 of his earnings for the next 10 years, I believe it is. They settled for 50K.
A few days ago mention was made of General Ent, who led the raid on Ploesti. Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs was named for him and for a time housed NORAD. After the base was decommissioned it was acquired as a U.S. Olympic Training Center, which still operates there. The name lives on in the Ent Federal Credit Union.
I fear that many people will see the name and wonder why a credit union is named after the giant tree-people from Lord of the Rings.
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