Operation Citadel
It took four months before the Germans felt ready, by which time they had collected 200 of the new Panther tanks, 90 Elefant tank destroyers and every flyable Henschel Hs 129 ground attack aircraft, as well as a host of Tiger Is, late model Panzer IVs and even a number of captured T-34/76s. In total they assembled some 2,700 tanks and assault guns, 1,800 aircraft and 800,000 men. It formed the greatest concentration of German fighting power ever put together. Even so, Hitler expressed doubts about its adequacy.
Preliminary fighting started on 4 July 1943. In the afternoon Junkers Ju 87 Stukas bombed a two-mile-wide gap in the front lines on the north in a short period of 10 minutes, and then turned for home while the German artillery opened up to continue the pounding. Hoth's armored spearhead, the 3rd Panzer Korps, then advanced on the Soviet positions around Zavidovka. At the same time the Großdeutschland Panzergrenadier Division attacked Butovo in torrential rain, and the 11th Panzer Division took the high ground around Butovo. To the west of Butovo the going proved tougher for Großdeutschland and 3rd Panzer Division, who met stiff Soviet resistance and did not secure their objectives until midnight.
In the south the 2nd SS Panzer Korps launching preliminary attacks to secure observation posts, and again met with stiff resistance until assault troops equipped with flame-throwers cleared the bunkers and outposts. At 22:30 the Soviets hit back with an artillery bombardment which, aided by the torrential rain, slowed the German advance. By this time Zhukov had received briefings on the information about the start of the offensive gained from captured Germans: he decided to launch a pre-emptive artillery bombardment on the German positions.
The real battle opened on 5 July 1943. The Soviets, now aware even of the exact time of the planned German offensive, commenced a massive artillery bombardment of the German lines 10 minutes prior. There soon followed a massive attack by the Soviet Air Force on the Luftwaffe airbases in the area, in an attempt to turn the tables on the old German "trick" of wiping out local air support within the first hour of battle. The next few hours turned into probably the largest air battle ever fought. The Luftwaffe defended itself successfully and lost very little of its fighting power, but from now on the Soviets challenged it strongly.
The 9th Panzer Army in the north found itself almost unable to move. Within only minutes of starting forward they found themselves trapped in the huge defensive minefields, and needed engineering units to come up and clear them under artillery fire. Model's army had fewer tanks than Manstein had in the south. He also used a different tactic, using only some units at a time, thus saving the others for later use, whereas the Germans usually would attack with everything they had got in order to maximise the effect. They could do this because of their superior training of low-ranking officers and individual soldiers. For some reason Model did not use this tactic, though.
After a week the Wehrmacht had moved only 10km forward, and on the 12th the Soviets launched their northern arm against the 2nd Army at Orel. The 9th had to withdraw, their part in the offensive over. Their casualty rate versus the Red Army stood at about 5:3 in their favour. However, this fell short of the usual figures, and failed to keep up with the steady influx of new soldiers and materiel for the Red Army.
In the south things went somewhat better for the Germans. The armored spearhead of the Hoth's 4th Panzer Army forced its way forward, and by the 6th had reached some 30km past the lines at the small town Prokhorovka. Considering that they had attacked without the element of surprise against a dug-in and numerically superior enemy, this marked quite an achievement.
The Red Army were forced to deploy troops originally reserved for the counteroffensive. The German flank, however, stood unprotected as the Soviet 7th Guards Army stalled Kempf's divisions, aided by heavy rain, after the Germans had crossed the River Donets. The 5th Guards Tank Army held positions to the east of Prokhorovka and had started to prepare a counterattack of their own when II SS Panzer Korps arrived and an intense struggle ensued. The Soviets managed to halt the SS - but only just. Little now stood in the way of the 4th Panzer Army, and a German breakthrough looked like a very real possibility. The Soviets decided to deploy the rest of the 5th Guards.
On 12 July the Luftwaffe and artillery units bombed the Soviet positions as the SS divisions formed up. Traditionally the description of this battle goes like this: The German advance started and they were astonished to see masses of Soviet armor advancing towards them. What followed was the largest tank engagement ever, with over 1,500 tanks in close contact. The air forces of both countries flew overhead, but they were unable to see anything through the dust and smoke pouring out from destroyed tanks. On the ground, commanders were unable to keep track of developments and the battle rapidly degenerated into an immense number of confused and bitter small-unit actions, often at close quarters. The fighting raged on all day, and by evening the last shots were being fired as the two sides disengaged. German losses amounted to over 300 tanks with the Soviets losing a similar number.
The Germans destroyed most Soviet tanks at long range, and relatively few became involved in short-range exchanges of fire. German units actually incurred relatively light casualties, and for most of the day they fought in good order. The Soviets lost 322 tanks (more than half of them beyond repair), had more than 1000 dead and an additional 2500 missing or wounded. German losses reached less than 20% of that. The Germans had however planned to attack that day, and because of the Red Army advance they lost their impetus.
The overall battle (of Kursk) still hung in the balance. German forces on the southern wing, exhausted and heavily attrited, nevertheless faced equally weak defenses and had an excellent position, clear of the defensive works and with no forces between them and Kursk. The German generals had held relief forces ready for just this moment, maybe they could still win the battle.
Allied landing on Sicily
On 10 July, in the midst of Citadel, US, Canadian and British forces landed on Sicily during Operation Husky. Hitler called Günther von Kluge and von Manstein to his Wolfsschanze headquarters in East Prussia and declared his intention of calling off Operation Citadel. Von Manstein, furious, argued that one final effort could win Kursk. Hitler would have none of it, particularly as the Soviets had launched their counteroffensive in the north.
Some German units immediately departed for Italy, and only limited attacks continued in the south, to get rid of a Soviet force squeezed between two German armies.
Soviet counteroffensive
Although the Red Army remained unaware of the change in Hitler's plans, German attacks near Kursk obviously diminished. The Soviets put their pre-Citadel plans into action. On 15 July the attacks on Orel opened with the release of the entire Soviet Central Front. The Germans withdrew to the partly prepared Hagen line at the base of the salient. German forces transferred from the south to the north to help cover the retreat. Although the retreating German forces inflicted severe casualties upon the Red Army, this action marked the first time that the Soviets had advanced in the summer, drastically boosting Soviet morale.
To the south the Red Army needed more time to re-group after the severe beating they had taken during July, and could not open their counterattack until 3 August. Aided by diversionary attacks further south they took von Manstein's hard-won Belgorod. Fireworks in Moscow marked the capture of Belgorod and Orel, a celebration that henceforward became an institution with the recapture of each Soviet city. On 11 August the Red Army reached Kharkov, a city Hitler had sworn to defend at all costs. The German units now suffered greatly from fatigue, having fought daily for several weeks. They had reduced manpower and shortages of equipment. On 20 August all German forces in the area had to withdraw.
Battle ends
By 22 August utter exhaustion had affected both sides and fighting (officially) drew to a close. The Soviets had suffered much higher casualties than the Germans. The Germans however had for the first time lost substantial territories during summer and had failed to achieve their goals. A new front had opened in Italy, diverting their attention. Both sides had their losses, but only the Soviets had the manpower and the industrial production to recover fully, as well as the substantial aid from American lend-lease, including jeeps and trucks that were of significant help during the counter-offensive at Kursk. The Germans never regained the initiative after Kursk.
Moreover the loss convinced Hitler of the incompetence of his General Staff. When given the chance, his generals selected a poor plan, and he decided to make sure this would not happen again. The opposite applied to Stalin, however. After seeing his generals' intuition justified on the battlefield, he stepped back from the strategic planning and left that entirely to the military.
Predictable results ensued for both sides: the German army went from loss to loss as Hitler attempted to personally micromanage the day-to-day operations of what soon became a three-front war, while the Soviet army gained more freedom and became more and more fluid as the war continued.
The casualties of the Battle of Kursk vary. The Soviet Union claimed that the Germans had over 500,000 killed, wounded and missing. That turned out to be Soviet propaganda. In reality, Germany suffered about 60,000 killed and missing with about 150,000 wounded. The official Soviet casualty figures did not emerge until after the split in 1991; it comprised of 80,000 deaths during the battle itself and another 150,000 in the months-long offensive that followed. Red Army wounded and missing were up to 500,000. The USSR also lost 50% of its tank strength during the entire Kursk operation.
Kursk Reconsidered:
Germany's Lost Victory
New evidence suggests that the Germans may have been closer to victory at Kursk than previously recognized.
Following their disastrous defeat at Stalingrad during the winter of 1942-43, the German armed forces launched a climactic offensive in the East known as Operation Citadel on July 4,1943. The climax of Operation Citadel, the Battle of Kursk, involved as many as 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and 2 million fighting men and is remembered as the greatest tank battle in history. The high-water mark of the battle was the massive armor engagement at Prochorovka (also spelled Prokhorovka), which began on July 12. But while historians have categorized Prochorovka as a victory of improved Soviet tactics over German firepower and heavy tanks, new evidence casts the struggle at the "gully of death" in a very different light.
The Germans' goal during Citadel was to pinch off a large salient in the Eastern Front that extended 70 miles toward the west. Field Marshal Günther von Kluge's Army Group Center would attack from the north flank of the bulge, with Colonel General Walther Model's Ninth Army leading the effort, General Hans Zorn's XLVI Panzer Corps on the right flank and Maj. Gen. Josef Harpe's XLI Panzer Corps on the left. General Joachim Lemelsen's XLVII Panzer Corps planned to drive toward Kursk and meet up with Field Marshal Erich von Manstein's Army Group South, Col. Gen. Hermann Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army and the Kempf Army, commanded by General Werner Kempf.
Opposing the German forces were the Soviet Central Front, led by General Konstantin K. Rokossovsky, and the Voronezh Front, led by General Nikolai F. Vatutin. The Central Front, with the right wing strengthened by Lt. Gen. Nikolai P. Pukhov's Thirteenth Army and Lt. Gen. I.V. Galinin's Seventeenth Army, was to defend the northern sector. To the south, the Voronezh Front faced the German Army Group South with three armies and two in reserve. The Sixth Guards Army, led by Lt. Gen. Mikhail N. Chistyakov, and the Seventh Guards Army, led by Lt. Gen. M. S. Shumilov, held the center and left wing. East of Kursk, Col. Gen. Ivan S. Konev's Steppe Military District (renamed Steppe Front on July 10, 1943) was to hold German breakthroughs, then mount the counteroffensive.
If their plan succeeded, the Germans would encircle and destroy more than five Soviet armies. Such a victory would have forced the Soviets to delay their operations and might have allowed the Wehrmacht desperately needed breathing room on the Eastern Front. Model's Ninth Army never came close to breaking the Soviet defenses in the north, however, and soon became deadlocked in a war of attrition that it could not win. On the southern flank, Kempf's III Panzer Corps, commanded by General Hermann Breith, also encountered tough Soviet resistance. By July 11, however, Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army was in position to capture the town of Prochorovka, secure a bridgehead over the Psel River and advance on Oboyan. The Psel was the last natural barrier between Manstein's panzers and Kursk. The Fourth Panzer Army's attack on the town was led by SS General Paul Hausser's II SS Panzer Corps, General Otto von Knobelsdorff's XLVIII Panzer Corps and General Ott's LII Army Corps. Hausser's corps was made up of three panzer divisions--the 1st Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (Adolf Hitler's bodyguard), 2nd SS Das Reich (The Empire) and 3rd SS Totenkopf (Death's Head). Although all three were technically Panzergrenadier divisions, each had more than 100 tanks when Citadel began. Knobelsdorff's corps was composed of the 167th and 332nd infantry divisions, the 3rd and 11th panzer divisions, Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland and Panther Brigade Decker, and Ott's corps contained the 25th and 57th infantry divisions.
Opposing Hausser at Prochorovka was the newly arrived and reinforced Fifth Guards Tank Army, commanded by Lt. Gen. Pavel A. Rotmistrov. The Fifth Guards was the Soviet strategic armored reserve in the south, the last significant uncommitted armored formation in the sector, with more than 650 tanks. The Soviet operational armored reserve, General Mikhail E. Katukov's First Tank Army, was already in action against Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army south of the Psel. Katukov's army had been unable to prevent the Germans from reaching the river, however. His VI Tank Corps, originally equipped with more than 200 tanks, had only 50 left by July 10 and 11, and the other two corps of Katukov's army also had sustained serious losses. On July 10, the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf, commanded by SS Maj. Gen. Hermann Priess, had established a bridgehead over the Psel, west of Prochorovka. By July 11, the division's panzer group had crossed the river on pontoon bridges and reached the bridgehead. What was left of Katukov's armor regrouped to oppose the XLVIII Panzer Corps below Oboyan or counterattack the Psel bridgehead. Reinforced with the XXXIII Rifle Corps and X Tank Corps, Katukov launched continuous attacks on the Totenkopf units on the north bank of the river.
During the evening of July 11, Hausser readied his divisions for an assault on Prochorovka. Totenkopf anchored the left flank of the corps, while Leibstandarte, commanded by SS Maj. Gen. Theodore Wisch, was in the center, assembled west of the town between a rail line and the Psel. Das Reich, commanded by SS Lt. Gen. Walter Krüger, moved into its attack zone on the corps' right flank, which was several kilometers south of Tetrevino and southwest of Prochorovka.
While Hausser's SS divisions prepared for battle, there was feverish activity in the Soviet camp as well. On July 11, the Fifth Guards Tank Army arrived in the Prochorovka area, having begun its march on July 7 from assembly areas nearly 200 miles to the east. The army consisted of the XVIII and XXIX Tank Corps and the V Guards Mechanized Corps. Rotmistrov's 650 tanks were reinforced by the II Tank Corps and II Guards Tank Corps, increasing its strength to about 850 tanks, 500 of which were T-34s. The Fifth Guards' primary mission was to lead the main post-Kursk counteroffensive, known as Operation Rumyantsev, and its secondary mission was as defensive insurance in the south. The commitment of Rotmistrov's army at such an early date is stark evidence of Soviet concern about the situation on the Psel. The Fifth Guards' arrival at the Psel set the stage for the Battle of Prochorovka.
Prochorovka is one of the best-known of the many battles on the Eastern Front during World War II. It has been covered in articles, books and televised historical documentaries, but these accounts vary in accuracy; some are merely incomplete, while others border on fiction. In the generally accepted version of the battle, the three SS divisions attacked Prochorovka shoulder to shoulder, jammed into the terrain between the Psel and the railroad. A total of 500 to 700 German tanks, including dozens of Panzerkampfwagen Mark V Panther medium tanks with 75mm guns and Panzerkampfwagen Mark VI Tiger heavy tanks with deadly 88mm cannons, lumbered forward while hundreds of nimble Soviet T-34 medium tanks raced into the midst of the SS armor and threw the Germans into confusion. The Soviets closed with the panzers, negating the Tigers' 88mm guns, outmaneuvered the German armor and knocked out hundreds of German tanks. The Soviet tank force's audacious tactics resulted in a disastrous defeat for the Germans, and the disorganized SS divisions withdrew, leaving 400 destroyed tanks behind, including between 70 and 100 Tigers and many Panthers. Those losses smashed the SS divisions' fighting power, and as a result Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army had no chance to achieve even a partial victory in the south.
While it makes a dramatic story, nearly all of this battle scenario is essentially myth. Careful study of the daily tank strength reports and combat records of II SS Panzer Corps--available on microfilm at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.--provides information that forces a historical reappraisal of the battle. These records show, first of all, that Hausser's corps began with far fewer tanks than previously believed and, more important, that they suffered only moderate losses on July 12, 1943. As those reports were intended to allow the corps commander to assess the combat strength of his divisions, they can be considered reasonably accurate. Considering that information, it seems that the Germans may have been near a limited success on the southern flank of the salient.
The number of SS tanks actually involved in the battle has been variously reported as high as 700 by some authorities, while others have estimated between 300 to 600. Even before the Battle of Kursk began, however, the II SS Panzer Corps never had 500 tanks, much less 700. On July 4, the day before Operation Citadel was launched, Hausser's three divisions possessed a total of 327 tanks between them, plus a number of command tanks. By July 11, the II SS Panzer Corps had a total of 211 operational tanks--Totenkopf had 94 tanks, Leibstandarte had only 56 and Das Reich possessed just 61. Damaged tanks or tanks undergoing repairs are not listed. Only 15 Tiger tanks were still in action at Prochorovka, and there were no SS Panthers available. The battalions that were equipped with Panthers were still training in Germany in July 1943.
On July 13, the day after the Battle of Prochorovka, Fourth Panzer Army reports declared that the II SS Panzer Corps had 163 operational tanks, a net loss of only 48 tanks. Actual losses were somewhat heavier, the discrepancy due to the gain of repaired tanks returned to action. Closer study of the losses of each type of tank reveals that the corps lost about 70 tanks on July 12. In contrast, Soviet tank losses, long assumed to be moderate, were actually catastrophic. In 1984, a history of the Fifth Guards Tank Army written by Rotmistrov himself revealed that on July 13 the army lost 400 tanks to repairable damage. He gave no figure for tanks that were destroyed or not available for salvage. Evidence suggests that there were hundreds of additional Soviet tanks lost. Several German accounts mention that Hausser had to use chalk to mark and count the huge jumble of 93 knocked-out Soviet tanks in the Leibstandarte sector alone. Other Soviet sources say the tank strength of the army on July 13 was 150 to 200, a loss of about 650 tanks. Those losses brought a caustic rebuke from Josef Stalin. Subsequently, the depleted Fifth Guards Tank Army did not resume offensive action, and Rotmistrov ordered his remaining tanks to dig in among the infantry positions west of the town.
Another misconception about the battle is the image of all three SS divisions attacking shoulder to shoulder through the narrow lane between the Psel and the rail line west of Prochorovka. Only Leibstandarte was aligned directly west of the town, and it was the only division to attack the town itself. The II SS Panzer Corps zone of battle, contrary to the impression given in many accounts, was approximately nine miles wide, with Totenkopf on the left flank, Leibstandarte in the center and Das Reich on the right flank. Totenkopf's armor was committed primarily to the Psel bridgehead and in defensive action against Soviet attacks on the Psel bridges. In fact, only Leibstandarte actually advanced into the corridor west of Prochorovka, and then only after it had thrown back initial Soviet attacks.
Additional Sources: nacismus.mysteria.cz
www.brooksart.com
www.ginklai.net
www.aeronautics.ru
www.lastsquare.com
www.jodyharmon.com
www.battlefield.ru
www.leisuregalleries.com
www.dasreich.ca
www.geocities.com
dspace.dial.pipex.com
klub.chip.pl
www.dragonmodelsltd.com
www.wp39.netlook.pl
ablecd.wz.cz
wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl
www.battlefront.co.nz
fisherts.home.mindspring.com
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on March 29:
1561 Santorio Sanctorius Trieste Italy, physician/burned at stake/heretic
1602 John Lightfoot English theologist/literary (Horae Hebraicae)
1790 John Tyler Charles County VA, (D/W) 10th President (1841-1845)
1813 John Letcher Governor (Confederacy), died in 1884
1816 James Gallant Spears Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1869
1819 Edwin Drake drilled 1st productive US oil well
1819 Isaac Mayer Wise rabbi, founded American Hebrew Congregations
1821 Joshua Thomas Owen Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1887
1829 Ritta & Christina Siamese twins, in Sardinia
1829 Robert Emmet Rodes Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1864
1867 Cy [Denton True] Young Gilmore OH, winningest pitcher (511 wins, 1890-1911)
1875 Lou Henry Hoover 1st lady-Herbert Hoover (1929-33)
1875 Paul Rubens composer
1883 Donald Dexter Van Slyke US chemist (Micromanometric analysis)
1888 James E Casey founder (United Parcel Service)
1889 Warner Baxter Columbus OH, actor (In Old Arizona, Cisco Kid)
1892 József Mindszenty [Joseph Prehm], Hungarian cardinal
1905 Annunzio Mantovani Venice Italy, orchestra leader (Mantovani)
1908 Dennis O'Keefe Fort Madison IA, actor/director (T-Men, Fighting Seabees)
1911 Philip Ahn Los Angeles CA, actor (Master Kan-Kung Fu)
1916 Eugene J McCarthy Watkins MN, (Senator-Democrat-MN, Presidential candidate 1968)
1917 Man O'War racehorse (winner of 20 out of 21 races & $249,465)
1918 Pearl Bailey Newport News VA, singer (Hello Dolly)
1918 Sam Walton billionaire CEO (Wal-Mart)
1927 John McLaughlin TV commentator (McLaughlin Group)
1937 Billy Carter Plains GA, brother of President Carter
1939 Nancy Kwan Hong Kong, actress (Flower Drum Song, Night Creature)
1941 Terence Hill Venice Italy, actor (Super Fuzz, They Call Me Trinity)
1943 Eric Idle South Shields Durham England, comedian/actor (Monty Python)
1943 John Major British Prime Minister (C, 1990-97)
1943 Vangelis [Evangelos Papathanassiou] Valos Greece, composer/keyboardist (Chariots of Fire)
1944 Denny McLain Detroit Tiger pitcher (1968 American League MVP/Cy Young/31 wins)
1945 Walt "Clyde" Frazier NBA guard (New York Knicks)
1947 Aleksandr Stepenovich Viktorenko cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-3, 8, 14, 20)
1954 Karen Anne Quinlan Scranton PA, famous comatose patient (right to die case)
1955 Earl Campbell NFL running back (Houston, New Orleans, 1977 Heisman)
1956 Kurt Thomas US, gymnast (Olympics), actor? (Gymkata)
1959 Marina Sirtis London, actress (Deanna Troi-Star Trek: The Next Generation)
1964 Elle Macpherson Sydney Australia, model (Sports Illustrated 1986, 87, 88)/actress(?) (Sirens)
2334 Beverly Crusher Copernicus Luna, doctor-Star Trek Next Generation
Deaths which occurred on March 29:
1058 Stephen IX [Frederik van Lotharingen], 1st Belgian Pope (1057-58), dies
1546 Cardinal Beaton English archbishop of St Andrews, murdered
1745 Robert Walpole 1st British premier (1722-42), dies at 68
1788 Charles Wesley hymn writer, dies
1792 King Gustav III King of Sweden (1771-92), dies of wounds
1848 John Jacob Astor chartered American Fur Company, dies at 84
1912 Robert F Scott British pole explorer (Antarctica), dies
1959 Barthelemy Boganda Central African Republic's 1st President, dies
1966 Harry Daugherty trombonist (Spike Jones & City Slickers), dies at 50
1980 [Annunzio Paolo] Mantovani orchestra leader, dies at 74
1981 Eric Williams Prime Minister (Trinidad & Tobago), dies at 79
1983 Richard O'Brien actor (Rocky Horror Show), dies of cancer at 65
1990 Germaine Montenesdro 2nd victim of NYC's Zodiac killer, shot dead
1991 Lee Atwater political strategist (R), dies of brain tumor at 40
2001 John Lewis, pianist and musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet, died in Manhattan at age 80
2003 Italian Dr. Carlo Urbani (46), a WHO expert on communicable diseases, died of SARS in Thailand
GWOT Casualties
Iraq
29-Mar-2003 6 | US: 6 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Staff Sergeant James Wilford Cawley Not reported Hostile - vehicle accident
US Private 1st Class Michael Russell Creighton-Weldon Najaf Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber
US Corporal Michael Edward Curtin Najaf Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber
US Private 1st Class Diego Fernando Rincon Najaf Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber
US Sergeant Eugene Williams Najaf Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber
US Lance Corporal William Wayne White South-central part Non-hostile - vehicle accident
29-Mar-2004 2 | US: 2 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Private 1st Class Sean M. Schneider Al Habbaniyah (near) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Specialist Jeremiah J. Holmes Ramadi Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Afghanistan
03/29/03 Frazier, Jacob L. Staff Sergeant 24 Air National Guard 169th Air Spt., 182nd Airlift Wing, Illinois ANG Hostile fire - ambush Geresk, Afghanistan St. Charles Illinois
03/29/03 Morales, Orlando Sergeant 33 Army A Co., 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group Hostile fire - ambush Geresk, Afghanistan Manati Puerto Rico
http://icasualties.org/oif/ Data research by Pat Kneisler
Designed and maintained by Michael White
On this day...
0502 Bourgundy King Gundobar delegates royal power
1461 Battle near Towton Field, 33,000 die (War of the Roses)
1638 1st permanent white settlement in Delaware (Swedish Lutherans)
1673 English King Charles II accepts Test Act: Roman Catholic excluded of public functions
1795 Beethoven (24) debuts as pianist in Vienna
1798 Republic of Switzerland forms
1814 Battle at Horseshoe Bend AL: Andrew Jackson beats Creek-Indians
1827 20,000 attend Ludwig von Beethovens burial in Vienna
1847 12,000 US troops capture Vera Cruz, Mexico
1848 Niagara Falls stops flowing for 30 hours due to an ice jam
1849 Britain formally annexs Punjab after defeat of Sikhs in India
1852 Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 & women to work more than 10 hours a day
1864 Union General Steeles troops reach Arkadelphia AR
1865 Appomattox campaign, Virginia, 7582 killed
1865 Battle of Quaker Road, Virginia
1867 British North America Act (Canadian constitution) is passed
1867 Congress approves Lincoln Memorial
1871 Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria in London
1882 Knights of Columbus chartered for Catholic men
1886 Chemist John Pemberton begins to advertise for Coca-Cola (with cocaine)
1897 Japan adopts Gold Standard
1912 Captain Robert Scott, blizzard-bound in a tent 18 km from the South Pole, makes last entry in his diary "the end cannot be far"
1927 Henry O D Segrave races his Sunbeam to a record 203.79 mph at Daytona; 1st auto to exceed 200 mph (322 kph)
1928 Yeshiva College (now University) chartered (New York NY)
1932 Jack Benny debuts on radio
1936 10,000 watch the 200" mirror blank passing through Indianapolis
1936 Nazi propaganda claims 99% of Germans voted for Nazi candidates
1941 WPAT radio in New Jersey begins broadcasting (country music format)
1943 Meat, butter & cheese rationed in US during WWII (784 gram/week, 2 kilogram for GI's)
1949 Turkey recognizes Israel
1951 "King & I" opens at St James Theater NYC for 1246 performances
1951 Julius & Ethel Rosenberg convicted of espionage
1959 "Some Like it Hot" with Marilyn Monroe & Jack Lemmon premieres
1961 23rd Amendment is ratified, allows Washington DC residents to vote for President
1961 After a 4½ year trial Nelson Mandela is acquitted on treason charge
1962 Jack Paar's final appearance on the "Tonight Show"
1963 Final episode of soap opera "Young Doctor Malone"
1964 1st true Pirate Radio station, Radio Caroline (England)
1966 Muhammad Ali beats George Chuvalo in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
1969 Communist New People's Army found in Philippines
1971 1st Lt. William L Calley Jr found guilty in My Lai (Vietnam) massacre
1971 Chile President Allende nationalizes banks/copper mines
1971 Conrad Van Emde Boas becomes West Europe's 1st sexology professor
1971 Development of a serum hepatitis vaccine for children announced
1971 Jury in Los Angeles recommendes the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders.
1973 Last US troops leave Vietnam, 9 years after Tonkin Gulf Resolution
1974 Mariner 10's, 1st fly-by of Mercury, returns photos
1976 8 Ohio National Guardsmen indicted for shooting 4 Kent State students
1981 Tiina Lehtola ski jumps female record 110 meter
1985 Wayne Gretzky breaks own NHL season record with 126th assist
1986 Beatle records officially go on sale in Russia
1987 Wrestlemania III-93,173 watch Hulk Hogan beat Andre the Giant
1987 Yitzhak Shamir re-elected chairman of right wing Herut Party
1988 US Congress discontinues aid to Nicaraguan contras
1989 1st Soviet hockey players are permitted to play for the NHL
1989 1st US private commercial rocket takes suborbital test flight (New Mexico)
1989 I M Pei's pyramidal entrance to the Louvre opens in Paris France
1989 Michael Milken, junk bond king, indicted in New York for racketeering
1990 Houston's Akeen Olajuwan scores the 3rd NBA quadruple double 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists & 11 blocks vs Milwaukee
1990 NYC's Zodiac killer shoots 2nd victim, Germaine Montenesdro
1994 Coach Jimmy Johnson quits Dallas Cowboys
1996 Cleveland Browns choose new name, Baltimore Ravens
1998 Body of Mohiyedine Sharif, a master bomb-maker for Hamas, was found at the scene of an exploded car in Ramallah. His body had bullet holes. Israel denied involvement in the killing.
2000 President Clinton told a news conference he was appalled when he first learned his campaign had taken illegal foreign donations in 1996 _ contributions he called both wrong and unneeded. (Translation: DAMN! We got caught.)
2000 A federal judge ruled that President Clinton "committed a criminal violation of the Privacy Act" by releasing personal letters to undermine the credibility of Kathleen Willey, one of his accusers.
2001 James Kopp, the fugitive wanted in the 1998 slaying of Dr. Barnett Slepian, a Buffalo, N.Y., abortion provider, was captured in France
2003 11th day of Operation Iraqi Freedom a suicide bomber driving a taxi killed four American soldiers at a checkpoint near Najaf, Iraq. US jets destroyed a building in Basra where paramilitary fighters were meeting and 200 were reported killed.
2003 Two US special forces soldiers were killed and another wounded in an ambush in southern Afghanistan. Fighting there killed four Taliban with 6 captured.
2004 Ireland outlaws smoking in workplaces, imposing the strictest anti-tobacco measure ever adopted by any country on earth
Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
Central African Republic : Death of President Boganda Day (1959)
Delaware : Delaware Swedish Colonial Day (1638)
Madagascar : Commemoration Day/Memorial Day (1947)
Taiwan : Youth Day/Martyr's Day
Vietnam : Veterans' Day (1973)
US : Know Your Stockbroker Day
US : Smoke and Mirrors Day
Herb Month in Missouri
Religious Observances
Lutheran : Commemoration of Hans Hauge, renewer of the Church
Anglican : Commemoration of John Keble, priest
Religious History
1523 German reformer Martin Luther wrote in a letter: 'There has never been a great revelation of God's Word unless God has first prepared the way by the rise and the flourishing of languages and learning, as though these were forerunners, a sort of John the Baptist.'
1638 The first Swedish colonists in America established a Lutheran settlement at Fort Christiana in the Colony of Delaware.
1832 The Kentucky Baptist Convention was organized in Frankfort with delegates representing nine congregations within the state.
1847 Birth of Winfield Scott Weeden, American sacred chorister and hymnwriter. During his life he led music and singing schools for the YMCA and Christian Endeavor. Of his several musical compositions, Weeden is best remembered today for the hymn, "I Surrender All."
1882 The Knights of Columbus, founded by Father Michael J. McGivney, was chartered by the General Assembly of Connecticut. Established as a lay fraternal society, the K of C encourages benevolence, patriotism and racial tolerance among its members.
Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.
Thought for the day :
"We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls."
