The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Cantigny - May, 28, 1918

How It Looked to the Brass

THE ATTACK

The 28th Infantry attacked CANTIGNY at 6:45am, May, 28, 1918, after violent artillery preparation of one hour.

The regiment advanced in three lines. The first line closed in to within forty to fifty yards of the barrage, which progressed at the rate of 100 meters in two minutes. The second line rapidly closed on the first line in order that all elements would be 200 yards from the old front line at H plus 10 minutes. This was done to lessen casualties should an enemy's barrage be put down. The third line conformed to the advance. The objective was reached as per schedule at 7:20am. Patrols were immediately pushed forward and automatic rifle posts were established in shell holes on the line of surveillance to cover the consolidation. The second line, which advanced, consolidated with a line of trenches and wired the line of resistance. The third line, on it's arrival, began the consolidation of three strong points, one about 200 meters east of the chateau in CANTIGNY, the second in the woods at the northeastern exit of CANTIGNY, and the third at the cemetery just north of CANTIGNY. "D" company of the 1st Engineers supervised the consolidation of these strong points and the lines of surveillance and resistance. Throughout, the attack progressed with slight resistance and with practically no reaction on the part of the enemy artillery. The section of French flame throwers proved invaluable in cleaning up the town of CANTIGNY and driving the enemy out of dugouts. During the cleaning up of CANTIGNY, our troops were engaged in minor fights, but for the most part, the objective was gained with rapidity and with considerable ease.

Not before noon did the enemy artillery and machine gun fire become heavy. From this time on and during the 72 hours following, the positions about CANTIGNY were heavily shelled both by large and by small caliber guns. Enemy machine gun fire was also heavy. At 7:30am, a small enemy infantry counter-attack was reported to have been delivered without success against the BOIS FONTAINE. At 5:10pm, the enemy launched from the western tip of the BOIS FRAMICOURT another counter-attack. This was broken up by our artillery. The attack was followed at 6:45pm, after a heavy preparation and barrage fire, by enemy infantry advancing in several waves from the southern and western edges of the BOIS FRAMICOURT. The first wave succeeded in getting through before our barrage was put down. It was driven back by infantry fire, and the following waves were smothered by artillery fire. During the night of May 28-29, the two companies of the 18th Infantry in reserve were ordered into the operation by the C.G., 2nd Brigade to support the 28th Infantry.

One battalion of the 18th Infantry in the vicinity of VILLERS-TOURNELLE, was ordered to take position in rear of the southwest corner of the BOIS DES GLANDS. The other battalion of the 18th Inf., in the vicinity of VILLERS-TOURNELLE was assembled and held in readiness.

MAY 29TH

Between 6:00am, and 7:00am, the enemy launched two small counter-attacks which were quickly broken up by artillery. At 5:45pm, the enemy launched its second heavy counter-attack. Left elements of the 28th Inf. drew back slightly, but the remainder of the line withstood the attack. Artillery and infantry fire broke up this assault.

MAY 30TH

At 5:30am, the enemy made his final counter-attack. It was preceded by a barrage of heavy preparation fire. The enemy attacked in two waves from the LALVAL wood. This attack was also broken up by rifle, machine gun and artillery fire.

In all, seven enemy counter-attacks were reported as launched against our troops. Three of these attacks appeared to have been made by at least a battalion of infantry. The first was the most determined and fell principally on the center battalion, and the right of the left battalion, and was preceded by a preparation fire of 150mm and 77mm shells. The enemy followed this barrage from 125 to 200 yards, thus enabling our troops to be in full readiness after the barrage had passed them.

After the morning of May 30th, the enemy activity lessened. This enabled a greater part of the 28th Infantry to be relieved by the 16th Infantry on the night of May 30-31st. The following night the remainder of the regiment was relieved and the command of the sector passed to the C.O. 16th Infantry.

Prepared by Major General E.F.McGlachlin, Jr.,
Commanding General, 1st Div., in the Army of Occupation:

How It Looked To A Doughboy

Into the village of Cantigny we go. There remained nothing but ruins. We passed on through to the other side of the village. Here we encountered barbed wire entanglements but it was our good fortune to get through these without any mishap. But once across I notice that the boys are falling down fast. A shell burst about ten yards in front of me and the dirt from the explosion knocked me flat on my back. I got up again but could not see further than one hundred feet.

I heard someone yell "lay down." I knelt on one knee and wondered what would come next...We laid down and started to shoot and it was our good fortune that the second wave reached the place at this time. About twenty Dutchmen came out of the holes, threw down their rifles and stood with their hands up. The doughboys didn't pay any attention to this but started in to butcher and shoot them. One of the doughboys on the run stabbed a Dutchman and his bayonet went clear through him...

The German artillery was in action all the time...I stopped at a strong point and asked the boy in the trench if there was room for me to get in. "Don't ask for room, but get in before you get your [!#%&] shot off," a doughboy said...

We stayed there all that night and the next day, being relieved at two o'clock the following morning, taking position in the first line of reserve trenches. We ate a cooked dinner at eleven o'clock, that being the first meal we've had in three days.

Sgt. Boleslaw Suchocki, 28th Infantry, 1st Division
Unpublished Manuscript

'The Regiment distinguished itself by conducting the first offensive operations by US troops in WW I at Cantigny, where, in a viciously fought three-day battle, the 28th Infantry captured the town of Cantigny and then withstood five determined German counterattacks. Here the ‘Lions of Cantigny’ were born and the prestige of the American fighting man was upheld before the world.'

-- GlobalSecurity.Org

Thanks, Doughty!

The State of the Union is Strong!
Support the Commander in Chief
Click Here to Send a Message to the opposition!

Good Morning Everybody.

Coffee and Donuts
Courtesy of Fiddlstix.

You Know The Drill
Click the Pics

Good Morning Sam

Good Morning Feather.

That's a record 3 openings in a row. I should just leave you the entrenching tool and have you dig the Foxhole each morning. :-)

28th Infantry Regiment Salute!

I found it. Thank you Sam.

Morning, CholeraJoe

Good Morning, SAM!

Trust you to find an account of the battle from a Polish American soldier. Great work!

LOL! How else can I get some Polish history into an American thread?

"If we have learned anything these last eight years, it's that peace through strength works."

- Ronald Reagan, Radio Address to the Nation on Foreign Policy, September 24, 1988

Happy Birthday, President Reagan

Ronald Reagan's "D-Day" Memorial Speech

June 6, 1984
Remarks to Veterans at U.S. Ranger Monument,
Pointe du Hoc, France

We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers on the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting only ninety could still bear arms.

Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.

These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.

Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your "lives fought for life...and left the vivid air signed with your honor."

I think I know what you may be thinking right now--thinking "we were just part of a bigger effort; everyone was brave that day." Well, everyone was. Do you remember the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders? Forty years ago today, British troops were pinned down near a bridge, waiting desperately for help. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bagpipes, and some thought they were dreaming. Well, they weren't. They looked up and saw Bill Millin with his bagpipes, leading the reinforcements and ignoring the smack of the bullets into the ground around him.

Lord Lovat was with him--Lord Lovat of Scotland, who calmly announced when he got to the bridge, "Sorry I'm a few minutes late," as if he'd been delayed by a traffic jam, when in truth he'd just come from the bloody fighting on Sword Beach, which he and his men had just taken.

There was the impossible valor of the Poles who threw themselves between the enemy and the rest of Europe as the invasion took hold, and the unsurpassed courage of the Canadians who had already seen the horrors of war on this coast. They knew what awaited them there, but they would not be deterred. And once they hit Juno Beach, they never looked back.

All of these men were part of a roll call of honor with names that spoke of a pride as bright as the colors they bore: the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Poland's 24th Lancers, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Screaming Eagles, the Yeomen of England's armored divisions, the forces of Free France, the Coast Guard's "Matchbox Fleet" and you, the American Rangers.

Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith, and belief; it was loyalty and love.

The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you. people of your countries were behind you.

The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They thought--or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.

Something else helped the men of D-Day: their rock hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer he told them: Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do. Also that night, General matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."

These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies.

When the war was over, there were lives to be rebuilt and governments to be returned to the people. There were nations to be reborn. Above all, there was a new peace to be assured. These were huge and daunting tasks. But the Allies summoned strength from the faith, belief, loyalty, and love of those who fell here. They rebuilt a new Europe together.

There was first a great reconciliation among those who had been enemies, all of whom had suffered so greatly. The United States did its part, creating the Marshall plan to help rebuild our allies and our former enemies. The marshall plan led to the Atlantic alliance--a great alliance that serves to this day as our shield for freedom, for prosperity, and for peace.

In spite of our great efforts and successes, not all that followed the end of the war was happy or planned. Some liberated countries were lost. The great sadness of this loss echoes down to our own time in the streets of Warsaw, Prague, and East Berlin. Soviet troops that came to the center of this continent did not leave when peace came. They're still there, uninvited, unwanted, unyielding, almost forty years after the war. Because of this, allied forces still stand on this continent. Today, as forty years ago, our armies are here for only one purpose--to protect and defend democracy. The only territories we hold are memorials like this one and graveyards where our heroes rest.

We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.

But we try always to be prepared for peace; prepared to deter aggression; prepared to negotiate the reduction of arms; and, yes, prepared to reach out again in the spirit of reconciliation. In truth, there is no reconciliation we would welcome more than a reconciliation with the Soviet Union, so, together, we can lessen the risks of war, now and forever.

it is fitting to remember here the great losses also suffered by the Russian people during World War II: twenty million perished, a terrible price that testifies to all the world the necessity of ending war. I tell you from my heart that we in the united States do not want war. We want to wipe from the face of the Earth the terrible weapons that man now has in his hands. And I tell you, we are ready to seize that beachhead. We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action.

We will pray forever that some day that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it.

We are bound today by what bound us forty years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We are bound by reality. The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.

Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."

Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their valor, and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.

Thank you very much, and God bless you all.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on February 06:
1461 Dzore Drzic Croatian poet
1536 Toyotomi Hideyoshi 2nd of three unifier of Japan in 16th century
1564 Christopher Marlowe English poet/dramatist (Dr Faustus)
1608 Antonio Vieira Portuguese Jesuit preacher
1612 Antoine Arnauld [Grand Arnauld], French lawyer/theologist
1665 Anne Stuart Queen of England (1702-14)
1673 Maximilian Dietrich Freisslich composer
1695 Andre Cheron composer
1705 Johann Matthias Leffloth composer
1724 Paul-Louis Cyfflé Flemish sculptor (Terre de Lorraine)
1753 Evariste Désiré Desforges chevalier de Parny French poet
1756 Aaron Burr Newark NJ, (D-R), 3rd US Vice-President (1801-05), dueler
1778 Ugo Foscolo Italy, writer/poet (Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis)
1788 Károly Kisfaludy Hungary, romantic poet (Tartars in Hungary-1819)
1793 Pietro Rovelli composer
1797 Joseph Maria von Radowitz Prussian minister of Foreign affairs
1798 Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny French painter/etcher
1802 Charles Wheatstone English physicist/musician
1804 Ragnerus L van Andringa de Kempenaer Dutch officer/swindler
1807 Hans Matthison-Hansen composer
1818 William Maxwell Evarts (Union), died in 1901
1830 Marcellus Monroe Crocker Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1865)
1832 John Brown Gordon Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1904
1833 James Ewell Brown "JEB" Stuart Major General (Commander of Cavalry, Confederate Army)
1833 José M de Pereda y Sánchez the Porrúa Spanish writer (Sotileza)
1834 William Dorsey Pender Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1863
1838 Sir Henry Irving [John H Brodribb], England, knighted 1895/actor (Hamlet)
1848 Luigi Mancinelli composer
1860 Johan [Eliza J] de Meester Dutch journalist/writer (Geertje)
1864 John Henry Mackay Scottish/German author/poet (Anarchists)
1866 Karl T Sapper German geography/geologist (Vulkankunde)
1872 Theodor Lessing writer
1874 Milton Bennett Medary US, architect (Washington Chapel)
1876 Wilhelm Schmidtbonn[-Schmidt] German playwright (Der Sprechende Eros)
1878 Waclaw Gieburowski composer
1879 Carl Ramsauer
1881 Karl Weigl composer
1886 Louis Piérard Belgian journalist/writer (Great Germany)
1888 Ljudmil Stojanow Bulgarian poet (Metsh i Slowo, Cholera)
1889 Karel Wellens Flemish painter
1889 Siegfried Kracauer writer
1890 Anton Hermann Fokker aviation pioneer
1893 Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan President of UN General Assembly (1962-63)
1895 George Herman (Babe) Ruth Baltimore MD, baseball great (Yankees)
1897 Alberto [de Almeida] Cavalcanti Brazil, director (Nicholas Nickleby)
1899 Ramon Novarro [José RG Samaniegos], Durango Mexico, actor (Ben Hur)
1900 Roy Smeck guitarist/banjoist
1900 Rudolf Värnlund Swedish playwright (Heliga Familjen)
1901 Ben Lyon Atlanta GA, actor (I Cover the Waterfront, Night Nurse)
1902 Louis Nizer lawyer/author (defended blacklisted stars in the '50s, Catspaw)
1903 John Dunning cricketer (New Zealand medium-fast bowler of 30's)
1903 Pieter G Buckinx Flemish writer (Temptation of Poverty)
1904 Claudio Arrau Chile, composer/pianist (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
1905 Wladislaw Gomulka premier of Poland
1907 Sam Green industrialist/inventor
1908 General Edward Lansdale model for "Quiet American" & "Ugly American"
1908 Amintore Fanfani premier of Italy
1908 Thomas Dorrington Tomlinson national Park Warden
1909 Israel Citkowitz composer
1910 George H Poyser English soccer player/manager (Brentford)
1910 Irmgard Keun West German writer (Das kunstseidene Mädchen)
1911 A W "Dooley" Briscoe cricketer (batted in 2 Tests for South Africa 30's)
1911 Ronald Reagan Illinois, actor (Bedtime for Bonzo)/40th President (R) (1981-89)
1912 Eva Braun mistress of Adolf Hitler
1913 John Lund Rochester NY, actor (Wackiest Ship in the Army)
1913 Mary Nicol Leakey palaeontologist
1915 Derk Roemers Dutch politician (Social-Democrat)
1916 Bill Doggett rocker
1917 Arthur Gold Toronto, Canada, pianist
1917 Liberato Firmino Sifonia composer
1919 Lindsay Tuckett cricketer (son of Len, 9 Tests for South Africa 1947-49)
1919 Louis Heren journalist/writer (China's Three Thousand Years)
1920 James H Scheuer (Representative-D-NY, 1965-73, 75- )
1922 Patrick MacNee London England, actor (Jonathan Steed-Avengers)
1923 Maurice Le Roux composer
1924 Billy W William Ambrose right soccer star
1924 Billy Wright English soccer player
1924 Paolo Volponi Italian communist/author (Road to Rome)
1927 Smokey Burgess baseball catcher (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1929 Sixten Jernberg Sweden, skier (Olympics-gold-1956/60/64)
1929 Keith Waterhouse English writer (Billy Liar, Say Who Are You?)
1931 Mamie Van Doren Rowena SD, actress (Navy vs Night Monsters)
1931 Rip Torn Texas, actor (Coma, Summer Rental, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)
1931 Freddie Trueman cricketer ("Fiery Fred", 307 wickets for England)
1932 François Truffaut Paris France, director (Jules & Jim, Fahrenheit 451)
1933 Leslie Crowther English TV-comic/quizmaster
1933 Walter E Fauntroy (Representative-D-DC, 1971- )
1936 Otis Williams rocker (Charms)
1936 Wies Andersen [Aloïs de Bois], Belgian actor/producer (Maigret)
1937 Baldev Singh Chahal campaigner
1938 Ellsworth Milburn composer
1939 Mike Farrell St Paul MN, actor (BJ Honeycutt-MASH, Battered)
1940 Tom Brokaw Yankton SD, news anchor (NBC Nightly News 1982- )
1940 Jimmy Tarbuck English comic/golfer
1941 Gigi Perreau Los Angeles CA, actress (Journey to Center of Time)
1941 Stephen Albert composer
1942 John London bassist (Michael Nesmith band)
1943 Fabian Forte Philadelphia PA, singer (Turn Me Loose, Tiger)
1943 Gayle Hunnicutt Ft Worth TX, actress (Legend of Hell House, Dallas)
1944 Michael Tucker Baltimore MD, actor (Stuart Markowitz-LA Law)
1945 Bob Marley Jamaican reggae vocalist (Bob Marley & Wailers-Roots Rock Reggae)
1947 Charles Hickcox US, 200 meter/400 meter medley swimmer (Olympics-3 gold-1968)
1949 Frank Rich US politician
1949 Manuel Orantes tennis champion (US Open-1975)
1949 Richie Zisk baseball player
1950 Natalie Cole Los Angeles CA, singer (Unforgettable, Pink Cadillac, Miss You Like Crazy)
1950 Mike Batt composer/arranger
1950 Punky Meadows Washington DC, rock guitarist (Angel)
1950 Rich Glover NFLer
1951 Maria Christina Belgian princess/daughter of Leopold III
1952 John Sanderford Orlando FL, actor (Recoil, Ryan's Hope)
1952 Richard Charsworth Australian women field hockey head coach (Olympics-96)
1953 Susie Hutchison Flintridge CA, equestrian show jumper (Olympics-96)
1954 Scott Kempner "Top Ten" rocker (Del Lords)
1955 Eric Money NBAer
1956 Jon Walmsley Lancashire England, actor (Jason-Waltons)
1956 Linda Grovenor Baltimore MD, actress (Die Laughing, Wheels of Fire)
1957 Jerry Marotta rocker (Orleans-Love Takes Time)
1957 Kathy Najimy actress (Sister Act, Veronica's Closet)
1957 Robert Townsend Chicago IL, comedian/actor (Hollywood Shuffle, Ratboy)
1958 Barry Miller Los Angeles CA, actor (Fame, Peggy Sue Got Married)
1958 Bill Dawley baseball player
1958 Cecily Adams Queens NY, entertainment caster (American Heart)
1958 Kelly Leadbetter Phoenix AZ, LPGA golfer (1986 Hennessy French Open)
1958 Mark Hamilton Louisville KY, sprint kayak Olympics-96)
1958 Simon Baker Australian speed walker, (Olympics-84, 88, 96)
1960 Megan Gallagher Reading PA, actress (Slap Maxwell, Millennium)
1961 Yuri Ivanovich Onufriyenko Russian major/cosmonaut (Mir, Soyuz TM-23)
1962 Axl Rose [William Bailey] Lafayette IN, rocker (Guns & Roses)
1963 David Capel cricketer (England all-rounder in 15 Tests 1987-90)
1963 Mike Hough Montréal, NHL left wing (Florida Panthers)
1964 Matt Hayes Australian soling yachtsman (Olympics-96)
1964 Skip Ewing Redlands CA, country vocalist (Coast of Colorado)
1965 Jan Sverák Zatec Czechoslovakia, director (Kolya, Jizda, Ropaci)
1966 Rick Astley rock vocalist (Never Gonna Give You Up)
1966 Alex Antonitsch Austria, tennis star
1966 Tom Tupa NFL punter/quarterback (Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots)
1967 Bennie Dekker Dutch soccer player (NEC/AZ/De Graafschap)
1967 Mike Evans WLAF defensive tackle (Amsterdam Admirals)
1967 Randy Hilliard NFL defensive back (Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32)
1968 Imtiaz Abbasi UAE cricket wicket-keeper (World Cup 1996)
1968 Malika Mahfoud Copenhagen Denmark, golfer (Gippsland Ladies Amateur)
1968 Richard Newbill WLAF linebacker (London Monarchs)
1969 April Lerman Chicago IL, actress (Lila-Charles in Charge)
1969 Anna Acker-Macosko Marshfield WI, LPGA golfer (1995 Gold Coast Tour)
1969 Bob Wickman Green Bay WI, pitcher (Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees)
1969 Greg Patrick WLAF safety (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1969 James Jones NFL defensive tackle (Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens)
1969 Kurt Abbott US baseball player (Florida Marlins)
1969 Rajindra Dhanraj Trinidad cricket leg-spinner (West Indies 1994-95)
1970 Jeff Rouse US, 50 meter/100 meter backstroke swimmer (Olympics-gold/silver-92, 96)
1970 Mark Hutton Adelaide Australia, pitcher (New York Yankees)
1971 Brad Hogg cricketer (WA chinaman all-rounder, Australia vs India 1996)
1971 Carlos Rogers NBA forward/center (Toronto Raptors)
1971 Lance Bade Vancouver British Columbia, US double trap (Olympics-bronze-1996)
1971 Mana Endo Hiroshima Japan, tennis star (1996 3rd round Australian Open)
1971 Peter Tchernyshev St Petersburg Russia, dance skater (& Naomi Lang)
1972 David Binn NFL safety (San Diego Chargers)
1972 Mark Labbrook Australian 200 meter/400 meter runner (Olympics-96)
1972 Shawn Respert NBA guard (Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors)
1973 Arie Obdam Dutch soccer player (FC Volendam)
1973 Fred Miller tackle (St Louis Rams)
1973 Lulama Masikazana cricket wicket-keeper (Kwazulu for E Province)
1974 Nathan Davis defensive tackle (Atlanta Falcons)
1974 Olaf Lindenbergh soccer player (Ajax, De Graafschap)
1975 Chad Allen Dallas TX, baseball outfielder (Olympics-bronze-96)
1975 Leo Insam hockey defenseman (Team Italy 1998)
1976 Elina Zisi Miss Greece-Universe (1997)
1976 Kim Zmeskal Houston TX, US gymnast (Olympics-92)
1984 Brandon Hammond actor (Gregory Hines Show)

Deaths which occurred on February 06:
743 Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik 10th Moslem caliph, dies at about 52
0891 Photius Byzantine theologist/patriarch of Constantinople/saint, dies
1140 Thurstan archbishop of York, dies
1497 John Ockeghem Flemish singer/composer, dies at 79
1612 Christopher Clavius calendar reformer, dies (birth date unknown)
1617 Prosper Alpinus Italian physician/botanist, dies at 63
1685 Charles II King of England/Scotland/Ireland (1660-85), dies at 54
1695 Ahmed II 21st sultan of Turkey (1691-95), dies
1699 Jozef Ferdinand of Bavaria heir of Spanish king Carlos II, dies
1725 Johann Philipp Krieger composer, dies at 75
1783 Lancelot "Capability" Brown English architect (Kew), dies at about 67
1785 Iman Willem Falck Dutch governor of Ceylon (1765-83), dies at 48
1793 Carlo Goldoni Italian author (L'avaro), dies at 85
1798 Niels Schiorring composer, dies at 54
1804 Joseph Priestley England/US theologist/philosopher/chemist, dies at 70
1807 John Reid composer, dies at 85
1859 Johannes Josephus Viotta composer, dies at 45
1865 John Pegram US Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at 33
1881 Pieter Mijer Governor-General of Netherlands Indies (1866-72), dies at 68
1896 Abraham Czn van Stolk Dutch art collector, dies at 82
1897 Ebenezer C Brewer British writer (Dictionary of Phrase & Fable), dies
1899 Georg Leo earl von Caprivi German chancellor, dies at 67
1914 J Albert Neuhuys Dutch painter (Hague School), dies at 69
1916 Anne C A I van Diest Belgian physician/feminist, dies at 73
1917 Edouard A Drumont French anti-semite journalist, dies at 72
1918 Gustav Klimt Austrian painter/cartoonist, dies at 55
1919 Friedrich W Mengelberg German sculptor/painter, dies at 81
1923 Edward E Barnard US astronomer (5th moon Jupiter), dies at 65
1927 Daniël F Scheurleer Dutch musicologist/banker, dies at 71
1930 Eva Strittmatter writer, dies at 17
1938 Marianne V von Werefkin Russian/German/Swiss house painter, dies at 77
1941 Maximilien Luce French painter, dies at 82
1942 Wobbe de Vries Dutch linguist, dies at 78
1943 HA Seyffardt Dutch Lieutenant-General/NSB "minister", dies at 71
1945 Jan Bos Dutch resistance fighter, executed
1945 Paul Bos Dutch resistance fighter, executed
1947 Albert J Bakker Dutch actor (Teun the night watch), dies at 82
1947 Luigi Russolo composer, dies at 61
1948 Robert Brasillach French author/Nazi collaborator, dies at 38
1952 George VI King of Britain (1936-52), dies at 56 (succeeded by daughter, Elizabeth II)
1958 7 soccer players of Manchester United die in an air crash at Munich
1960 Jesse Belvin rocker, dies at 26 in a car crash
1961 Archibald T Davison composer, dies at 77
1963 Mohammed ibn al-Chattabi Abd el-Krim Morocco opposition leader, dies
1963 Werner Erich Josten German composer (Jungle), dies at 77
1964 Sophocles Venizelos premier of Greece (1944, 50-51), dies at 69
1964 W L Cornford England cricket wicket-keeper (4 Tests vs New Zealand 1930), dies
1965 Jack Wagner actor (Jive Junction), dies at 68
1966 Johan Algot Haquinius composer, dies at 79
1967 Martine Carol French actress (Nana), dies of heart attack at 46
1968 C Montague Shaw actor (Buck Rogers, Planet Outlaws), dies at 85
1970 Roscoe Karns actor (Captain Shafer-Hennesey), dies at 78
1972 Julian H Steward US anthropologist (South American), dies at 70
1973 Ira S Bowen US physicist/astronomer (Mt Wilson/Palomar), dies at 74
1976 Vince Guaraldi jazz pianist (Charlie Brown TV specials), dies at 43
1979 Alain Teister Dutch sculptor/writer, dies at 47
1979 Arthur van Schendel Dutch art historian, dies at 68
1982 Ben Nicholson England, painter/sculptor (Circle), dies at 87
1985 Charles Briggs actor (13 Frightened Girls, Captain Newman), dies at 53
1985 Dandy Nichols actress (Confessions of a Window Cleaner), dies at 78
1986 William Collier actor (Up the River, She's My Weakness), dies
1988 Lee Goodman actor (Imitation of Life), dies of TB at 64
1988 Marghanita Laski English author (Victorian chaise-lounge), dies
1989 Andre Cayatte dies
1989 Barbara Tuchman historian (Guns of August-Pulitzer), dies at 77
1990 Jane Novak silent screen actress (Ghost Town), dies of stroke at 94
1990 John Merivale actor (Caltiki), dies
1991 Danny Thomas comedian/actor (Jazz Singer), dies of a heart attack at 76
1991 Marten Levendig Dutch TV correspondent to Moscow, dies
1992 Frank Wilson actor (Beware, Sunday Sinners, Club), dies at 37
1992 Wade Preston actor (Man Called Sledge), dies at 62
1993 Frances Hunt actress (You're a Sweetheart), dies of stroke at 77
1994 Ignace Strasfogel Polish/US pianist/conductor/composer, dies at 84
1994 Jack Kirby cartoonist (X-Men, Spiderman, Hulk), dies at 76
1994 Joseph Cotten actor (Citizen Kane), dies at 88
1994 Norman Del Mar conductor/writer (Conducting Brahms), dies at 74
1995 Arthur S Taylor Jr US drummer/author (Notes on notes), dies at 65
1995 James Ingram Merrill US poet (Braving the elements), dies at 68
1996 Guy Madison actor (Wild Bill Hickok), dies at 74
1996 Ronald Fletcher broadcaster, dies at 85
1996 Rosemary Tsay drama critic/SOE operator, dies at 76
1998 [Johann Hoelzel] Falco singer (Rock Me Amadeus), dies at 40
1998 Carl Wilson rock vocalist (Beach Boy), dies of lung cancer at 51
1998 Nazim al-Kudsi Syrian PM (1949, 1950-51)/President (1961-63), dies

On this day...
0337 St Julius I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1189 Riots of Lynn in Norfolk spread to Norwich England
1508 Maximilian I crowned Holy Roman Emperor
1577 King Henri de Bourbon of Navarra becomes leader of Huguenots
1626 Huguenot rebels & the French sign Peace of La Rochelle
1651 Cardinal Mazarin flees Paris
1693 Royal charter granted College of William & Mary, Williamsburg VA
1716 England & Netherlands renew alliance
1778 France recognizes US, signs treaty of aid in Paris; 1st US treaty
1778 England declares war on France
1788 Massachusetts becomes 6th state to ratify constitution
1815 NJ issues 1st US railroad charter (John Stevens)
1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds freeport harbor Singapore
1820 86 free black colonists sail from New York NY to Sierra Leone, Africa
1820 US population announced at 9,638,453 (1,771,656 blacks (18.4%))
1832 1st appearance of cholera at Edinburgh, Scotland
1832 US ship destroys Sumatran village in retaliation for piracy
1836 HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin reach Diemen's Land (Tasmania)
1840 Waitangi Day; treaty signed between Britain & Maoris of New Zealand
1851 Robert Schumann's 3rd Symphony "Rhenisch" premieres in Düsseldorf
1854 Composer R Schumann is saved from suicide attempt into the Rhine
1861 English Admiral Robert Ritzroy issues 1st storm warnings for ships
1861 1st meeting of Provisional Congress of Confederate States of America
1862 Victory for General Ulysses S Grant in Tennessee, capturing Fort Henry, and ten days later Fort Donelson; Grant earns the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant
1862 Naval Engagement at Tennessee River-USS Conestago vs CSS Appleton Belle
1864 Skirmish at Barnett's Ford Virginia
1865 2nd day of battle at Dabney's Mills (Hatcher's Run)
1867 Peabody Fund forms to promote Black education in South
1869 Harper's Weekly publishes 1st picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers
1891 1st great train robbery by Dalton Gang (Southern Pacific #17)
1899 Spanish-American War ends, peace treaty ratified by Senate
1900 Battle at Vaalkrans, South-Africa (Boers vs British army)
1902 Young Women's Hebrew Association organized in New York NY
1904 Russian-Japanese war began
1911 1st old-age home opened in Prescott AZ
1911 Great fire destroys downtown Constantinople/Istanbul Turkey
1918 Britain grants women (30 & over) the vote
1919 1st day of 5-day Seattle general strike
1920 Saarland administrated by League of Nations
1921 "The Kid", starring Charlie Chaplin & Jackie Coogan, released
1922 Cardinal Achille Ratti elected Pope Pius XI
1922 US, UK, France, Italy & Japan sign Washington naval arms limitation
1926 NFL rules college students ineligible until college classes graduates
1926 St Louis Browns acquire catcher Wally Schang from New York Yankees
1929 Rudy Vallee recorded "Deep Night"
1932 1st Olympics dog sled race, Lake Placid New York (demonstration sport)
1932 Fascist coup in the Memel territory
1933 -90ºF (-68ºC), Oymyakon, USSR (Asian record)
1933 Highest recorded sea wave (not tsunami), 34 meters (112 feet), in Pacific hurricane near Manila
1933 20th Amendment goes into effect; Presidential term begins in Jan not March
1933 President von Hindenburg & von Papen end Prussian parliament
1934 Reds purchase 43-year-old Dazzy Vance from the Cards for $7,500
1935 Board game "Monopoly" goes on sale for the 1st time
1935 1st election to allow women to vote in Turkey
1936 4th Winter Olympics games open in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1936 Pravda criticizes Shostakovich's ballet "Clear Brook"
1937 K Elizabeth Ohi becomes 1st Japanese-US female lawyer
1939 Spanish government flees to France
1941 Auke Adema win 6th official Dutch 11 Cities Skating Race (9:19)
1941 Battle of Beda Fomm Italian 10th army destroyed
1941 British troops conquer Bengazi, Libya
1943 1st Spitfire in action above Darwin, Australia, Mu Ki-46 shot down
1943 Singer Frank Sinatra debuts on radio's "Your Hit Parade"
1945 8th Air Force bombs Magdeburg/Chemnitz
1945 Russian Red Army crosses the river Oder
1946 "Lute Song" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 142 performances
1947 Compton & Arthur Morris both complete dual tons in same Test Cricket
1948 1st radio-controlled airplane flown
1948 Bradman retires hurt, 57 in his last Test Cricket innings in Australia
1948 KNXT (now KCBS) TV channel 2 in Los Angeles CA (CBS) 1st broadcast
1951 "Broker Special" train crashes in Woodbridge NJ, killing 84
1951 Radio commentator Paul Harvey arrested for trying to sneak into the Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago IL
1951 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site Argonne Atomic Lab (Illinois), to demonstrate lax in security
1952 England replaces King George VI stamp series with Queen Elizabeth II
1953 Ian Craig makes Test Cricket debut at 17 years 239 days, youngest Aussie
1953 US controls on wages & some consumer goods were lifted
1956 Chicago's Daily Defender, begins publishing
1956 French premier Guy Mollet pelted with tomatoes in Algiers
1956 University of Alabama refuses admission to Autherine Lucy (because he's black)
1958 7 members on Manchester United football team die in an air crash
1958 Ted Williams signs with Red Sox for $135,000, making him highest paid
1959 Fidel Castro is interviewed by Edward R Murrow
1959 US 1st successful Titan intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
1961 "Jail, No Bail" Jail-in movement starts in Rock Hill SC
1961 KOAP TV channel 10 in Portland OR (PBS) begins broadcasting
1962 Schoolman Athletic Field in the Bronx named
1964 "Rugantino" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 28 performances
1964 France & Great-Britain sign accord over building channel tunnel
1964 WCIU TV channel 26 in Chicago IL (IND) begins broadcasting
1965 "Kelly" opens & closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC
1965 Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" hits #1
1967 Cultural Revolution in Albania
1967 Heavyweight Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) TKOs Ernie Terrell in 15 in Houston for heavyweight boxing title
1968 10th Winter Olympics games opens in Grenoble, France
1968 Former President Dwight Eisenhower shot a hole-in-one
1968 Dutch 2nd Chamber condemns US bombing of North Vietnam
1968 KESD TV channel 8 in Brookings SD (PBS) begins broadcasting
1969 Jerry Herman's "Dear World" premieres at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 132 performances
1970 Graeme Pollock completes 274 vs Australia at Durban
1970 NBA expands to 18 teams with Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston & Portland
1971 1st time a golf ball is hit on the Moon (by Alan Shepard)
1973 Bernice Fekete skips her curling rink to 2nd straight 8-ender, Edmonton
1973 "Shelter" opens at John Golden Theater NYC for 31 performances
1973 6th ABA All-Star Game West 123 beats East 111 at Utah
1974 3rd time Rangers shut-out Islanders 6-0
1974 Dutch speed limit set at 100 km due to oil crisis
1974 US House of Representatives begins determining grounds for impeachment of Nixon
1975 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1976 George Harrison releases "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)"
1977 4th time Rangers shut-out Islanders 4-0
1977 Alain Prieur jumps his motorcycle 65 meter over 16 buses, near Paris
1977 Harley Race beats Terry Funk in Toronto, to become NWA wrestling champion
1978 Muriel, wife of late Hubert Humphrey (Senator-D-MN) takes his office
1978 Snowstorm hits New England (54" (137cm))
1979 Supreme court of Lahore affirms death sentence against premier Bhutto
1981 "Brady Brides" debuts on NBC TV
1981 Beatles McCartney, Starr & Harrison record a tribute to John Lennon
1981 Suleiman Nyambui runs world record 5k indoor (13:20.4)
1982 "Centerfold" by J Geils Band hit #1 on pop chart
1983 13th NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 20-19
1983 Nancy Lopez win LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic
1984 Moslem militiamen take over West Beirut from Lebanese army
1986 New Jersey Devil Peter McNab becomes the 42nd NHLer to score 350 goals
1987 No-smoking rules take effect in federal buildings
1987 US female Figure Skating championship won by Jill Trenary
1988 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1989 Lech Walesa begins negotiating with the Polish government
1990 Brett Hull becomes 1st son of NHL 50 goal scorer (Bobby) to score 50
1990 Ground breaking begins on Baltimore Orioles' new $102 million stadium
1990 Steve Briers of Wales recited the entire lyrics of Queen's album "A Night At The Opera" in 9 minutes & 58.44 seconds backwards!
1991 Mousey Davis becomes the 1st coach of the New York-New Jersey Knights
1992 "Late Night's 10th Anniversary Show At Radio City Music Hall" on NBC
1993 44th NHL All-Star Game Wales beat Campbell 16-6 at Montréal
1993 Riddick Bowe TKOs Michael Dokes in 1 for heavyweight boxing title
1994 "Government Inspector" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 37 performances
1994 Dawn Coe-Jones win LPGA Healthsouth Palm Beach Golf Classic
1994 José Maria Figueres elected President of Costa Rica
1994 Leonid Voloshin triple jumps world record 17.77 meters
1994 Martti Ahtisaari elected President of Finland
1994 NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 17-3
1995 Beachboy Brian Wilson wed Melinda Ledbetter
1995 Darryl Strawberry suspended from baseball for 60 days
1995 Greg Blewett scores his 2nd century in his 2nd Test Cricket
1996 Heidi Fleiss scheduled to begin her 7 year jail sentence
1997 Diane Blood, 32, in England, won right to use her dead husbands sperm
1998 Mary Kay LeTourneau, 36, former teacher, who violated probation by seeing 14 year old father of her baby, sentenced to 7½ years
1998 Twin trade Chuck Knoblauch to New York Yankees for $3 million & 4 minor leaguers

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Massachusetts : Ratification Day (1788)
New Zealand : Waitangi Day-New Zealand Day (1840)
Switzerland : Homstrom-celebrates end of winter - - - - - ( Sunday )
World : Boy Scouts Day (1910) - - - - - ( Sunday )
China : Chinese New Year-The Year of the Dragon (2000/4698)

Religious Observances
Christian : Commemoration of St Vedastus
Christian : Feast of St Vaast (St Gaston)
old Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Titus, bishop of Crete, confessor
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Dorothea, virgin/martyr
Anglican, Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Amandus [Apostle of Belgium] & Vedastus
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Philip of Jesus, 1st Christian martyr in Japan
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Paul Miki & his companions, martyrs

Religious History
679 Death of Amandus, the founder of Belgian monasticism. During his 95 years, he established eight abbeys, five in the Southern Netherlands.
1839 Scottish clergyman Robert Murray McCheyne wrote in a letter: 'Even in the wildest storms the sky is not all dark; and so in the darkest dealings of God with His children, there are always some bright tokens for good.'
1924 Station KFSG (Kall Four Square Gospel) went on the air. One of the earliest radio stations licensed, it broadcast the services of Angelus Temple, the flagship congregation of the International Foursquare Gospel Church, founded by Aimee Semple Mc Pherson in 1923.
1931 Pioneer American linguist and missionary Frank Laubach wrote in a letter: 'There is a deep peace that grows out of illness and loneliness and a sense of failure. God cannot get close when everything is delightful. He seems to need these darker hours, these empty-hearted hours, to mean the most to people.'
1952 American missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: 'Christianity, disruptive in nature, has nonetheless integrating powers for the individual in the culture, though both he and it may expect revolution.'

Thought for the day :
" Ours is a world where people don`t know what they want and are willing to go through hell to get it. "

Thanks, Cote for posting Alan Seeger's work and providing some backround on him.

It warms my heart to see the eternal gratitude the French show to the US, Britain and Canada for helping liberate their sorry a$$es twice in one century < /sarcasm>

1911 Ronald Reagan Illinois, actor (Bedtime for Bonzo)/40th President (R) (1981-89)

Good tributes at the USO Canteen and the Poetry Branch.