On this day in World War History, 81 years ago the biggest amphibious operation ever in history happened.
This was the famous Allied landing in Normandy - Operation Overlord. Opening up a second-front in Europe
Over 156000 Allied soldiers were involved, landing on 5 different beaches in Normandy supported by over 5000 ships. Together with 23400 Paratroopers and roughly 6000 glider troops as well.
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The Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-167 Sakurada/Sakura-Dan is a ''special attack'' (Kamikaze) variant developed from the 2-engined Ki-67 Hiryū (Allied reporting name ''Peggy'') medium bomber in the autumn of 1944!
Probably one of the, if not the only picture of the Ki-167 Sakurada!
The so called ''Special attack bomber'' is fitted with a *2900kg thermite shaped charge warhead behind the cockpit. Rather then ''bombing'' It's intended role was to crash into allied tank formations and ships thus the bomber is in fact, the bomb itself. The shape of the charge was fabricated in such a way that it shoots a extremely hot gas jet roughly ~1.5km (~1 mile) away! This is called the ''Munroe effect'' and is commonly used in anti tank weapons today.
The aircraft had similar performance to the Ki-67 ''Peggy'' bomber it was developed from, despite the extra 2.9 ton weight. This was because the charge was placed right on the center of balance of the aircraft and also due to the removal of the gunner crew positions on the aircraft. It had a max speed of 500-520 km/h (310-323 mph) and a range of 2500-2600 km (1550-1615 mi)
Credits to Vincent Bourguignon/The War'tist
The first sortie of the Ki-167 was on April 17 from Okinawa consisting of 2 bombers and one Sakurada, there are a few stories on what happened.
One story says that the pilot of the Sakurada (and also the commander of the airgroup) found a target and wanted to attack, but his comrades noticed his aircraft was on fire, and the plane suddenly abruptly dissapeared into the clouds never to be seen again.
The other story says that the aircrafts found no target and decided to return to the base, however the Sakurada exploded mid-air, probably due to damage to it's charge. It's not clear which story is the true one!
Supposedly the Sakurada destroyed 1 enemy ship, but it cannot be recorded if it was a Ki-167 that did this or another aircraft. Shortly afterwards, on 2 September 1945, Japan luckily surrendered putting an end to the project and not allowing it to show it's possible full potential.
A Ki-67 Hiryū of the 170th bombardement group on Kengun airfield, Japan 1945
*(According to multiple sources its a ''Thermite'' charge, but i'm not sure of it because thermite is a material meant to smelt through substances like steel and usually is not explosive. [Will edit when i found an answer])
Definitions:
Kamikaze: Term for Japanese aircraft usually loaded with explosives and intended to crash on enemy targets like ships, killing the pilot. In 1944 Japan started creating purpose-build kamikaze aircraft. Kamikaze pilots are called Tokkō-pilots or Tokkōtai (特攻隊)
Munroe effect: The increased penetration of an explosive into a surface (as of metal or concrete) caused by shaping a conical or hemispherical hollow in the charge leading it to fire a very dense and hot explosion/gas, it can be as simple as putting sandbags behind a explosive to direct the explosion and as complicated as a tandem warhead anti tank missile
Walrus landing on a British carrier after rescuing a pilot in the Indian Ocean
Developed in 1933 the Supermarine Walrus was a..
Amphibious Search-rescue, Anti submarine, Maritime patrol, Catapult-launched Scoutplane of the Royal Air Force and Navy!
She's capable of carrying a light bomb-load consisting of:
6x 100lb bombs or:
2x 250lb depthcharges or bombs.
Compared to other catapult-launched aircaft this is relatively heavy!
She also has 2 extremely fast firing Vickers ''K'' Machine guns capable of hitting up-to 1200 rounds per minute.
Mostly she was used from ships with a catapult to conduct reconnaissance and scout ahead of the fleet, however in 1943 most catapults were replaced by radar which is smaller and way more effective in the role.
Walrus being launched from a catapult on HMS Rodney, it was located on her turret!
Despite this, she was still in service on aircraft carriers to rescue downed pilots, due to her low landing and take-off speed she's carrier operable without even having a tail hook or flaps, her wings are also foldable!
She has a crew of 1 pilot and 2 gunners, altho there is a second position for a co-pilot. An interesting feature of this aircraft is that the control-stick is not fixed to the aircraft, meaning it can get removed and passed out between the two pilots in case it's necessary.
However, she also had a few flaws. Test-pilot Alex Henshaw reportedly said that it was "the noisiest, coldest and most uncomfortable" aircraft he had flown. She also only had a top speed of ~220 km/h
This month, 89 years and 12 days ago the first production aircraft of the Walrus took flight!
Definitions:
Depth-charge: Type of underwater bomb which could be dropped by ship or aircraft to attack submerged submarines
Catapult: Position on WWII-era ships from which amphibious aircraft could be launched using a catapult, after conducting the mission the aircraft would land next to the ship and be recovered by a crane
Tail hook: Most aircraft carriers have something called arresting wires spanned across the deck. A landing aircraft would deploy its hook and it would snag one of the wires slowing the aircraft down immediately!
I have decided upon not creating a TDIWW everyday. Reasoning for this is because of a lack of time (Especially the coming week) but also because i would be running out of unique things to write about very quickly
I'm currently writing a essay about the Battle of Iwo Jima that started on 19 february, hopefully that will be out soon!
My apologies for this, hopefully i've cleared things up a bit!
Have a picture of a octuple 40mm QF-2 'Pom Pom' anti-aircraft mount from HMS Illustrious! :3
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On this day in World war history the British town of Newmarket was bombed by a singular Do-17
In the afternoon of 18 February a German Dornier Do-17Z light bomber of squadron 1/K2 that was reporting weather conditions flew over the RAF base at Duxford.
The bomber encountered an army convoy heading into the town of Newmarket. The Do-17 armed with 10x 50kg bombs released it's arnament over the town attempting to engage the convoy
As a result of this 18 shops and businesses were completely destroyed. 20 Civilians died and over 200 got injured.
It's likely that seven more civilians died in the hospital from their injuries
Lest we forget
Definitions:
Light bomber: Aircraft meant to carry a light-bomb load with more speed and range. The Do-17 was one such aircraft but could also take a heavier bombload or take on different roles
RAF: Abbreviation for the British Royal Air Force.
Convoy: Group of vehicles/ships travelling together.
17 February, The heroic death of Prakash Singh Chib
On this day in World War history. Indian-British soldier, Prakash Singh Chib died during a heroic action for which he was post-humously awarded the Victoria cross!
On 16/17 February Jemadar (Lieutenant) Prakash Singh Chib was commanding a platoon who were defending and taking the main punch from Japanese attackers, that used artillery, machine guns and even flamethrowers!
Left: Indian soldiers in Burma Right: Prakash Singh Chib
While commanding his troops Singh Chib got shot twice by a machine gun in both his ankles. Thus he got relieved by his second-in-command.
However, after a short while his second-in-command also got wounded. And thus Síngh Chib crawled back to his men and directed friendly mortar fire and encouraged his troops. He also picked up ammunition and distributed it among them.
As one part of his section became complete casualties, he took control of a Bren-machine gun and defended the position one-handedly!
He got shot in both of his legs for a second time completely smashing them but still he kept firing his machine gun and moved himself from place-to-place using just his hands!
When wounded for a third time he couldn't move anymore and was forced to lay down due to a lack of blood, but even then he was directing the combat while facing the enemy.
Eventually he shouted the famous Dogra war cry "Jawala Mata Ki Jai! [Glory to Goddess Jawala!]'' Inspiring his men that subsequently charged into hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese troops and after a while they eventually managed to drive away the enemy!
However, 45 minutes later he got fatally wounded for the fourth and final time in his chest by a Japanese grenade. He died a few minutes later after telling his Company commander not to worry about him for he could easily look after himself.
He was posthumously awarded the Victoria cross by the king for his actions on that day
A statue of him was erected at the town of Nud, On this date 100000 Indian Rupees are donated by the local community to war widows!
Photo of the Statue of Singh Chib taken today. Credits: white_knight_corps_ia
Lest we forget
Definitions:
Victoria cross: The highest and most prestigious award/decoration of the United kingdom and Commonwealth nations. Equivalent to the American Medal of Honour.
Jemadar/Lieutenant: Officer rank in many nations. Jemadar is the British-Indian equivalent to a lieutenant.
Platoon: A group of 20-50 soldiers, led by a lieutenant.
Mortar: Type of indirect firing (In a curve) artillery which comes in many shapes and sizes. The one in Singh Chib's platoon were British 2-inch mortars
Bren LMG: British 7.7mm ''light'' machine gun (Early versions weighed up to 12kg fully loaded while only having a 30 round magazine..) used until 1992.
Dogra: Ethnic north Indian group numbering roughly 4.5 million people.
On this day in World War history 16 February, 1945 the German U-boat U-309 of the VIIC Type was sunk by the Canadian frigate HMCS Saint John.
She was commissioned on January 24, 1943 and had a crew of 47. She had 9 war-patrols on her name and sunk 1 merchant ship of 7219 (GRT)
She also rescued the crew of the U-boat U-981, which had struck a magnetic mine on 12 August 1944.
Survivors of U-981 crowding the deck of U-309. You can see her anti-aircraft configuration of 2x2 C/30 2cm cannons and a 3.7cm Flak 42 gun which was quite heavy!
On 16 February 1945 she was shadowing a convoy before being detected by sonar from the Frigate HMCS Saint John! The Saint John had 1 previous U-boat kill (U-247) on September 1, 1944
HMCS Saint John
On the first depth-charge attack she produced slight oil after being damaged. On the second and third attack the Saint John used Hedgehog Anti Submarine mortars which produced even more oil. She was then finished off by depth-charges
She was lost with all hands on deck, a few things like a signal book, charts and a body were recovered from the surface.
Suspected wreck of U-309 found by divers, 63 meters deep. Coordinates are approximately 58.09N, 02.23W.
Lest we forget
Definitions:
U-boat: Term for German Submarine used during the First or Second world war
Frigate: Type of small warship which is usually used for convoy escort and carries a relatively light arnament. Very effective against submarines
HMCS: ''His or Her Majesty's Canadian Ship'' A ship prefix used by the Canadian navy
War Patrol: Combat deployement of a Submarine
Merchant ship: Ships that carry supplies or passengers. During WWII they were the primary targets of submarines
Gross tonnage (GRT): The size or carrying capacity of a ship
Magnetic mine: Type of mine usually dropped by Aircraft or Submarine that is activated by a ships magnetic field.
Shadowing: Tracking/following of a ship or fleet. Usually done by Submarines or aircraft
Depth-charge: Type of Underwater bomb dropped above the suspected position of a submarine. Has a kill-ratio of 60.5 attacks to 1 kill
Hedgehog: A more effective type of Anti submarine weapon invented in 1942 that consists of up-to 24 mortar bombs that are fired from the front of a vessel and rains down onto a Submarines suspected position. Has a kill-ratio of 5.7 attacks to 1 kill!
This day in World war history, on the 15th of February, 1942 the biggest surrender ever in British history happened!
85000 British, Indian and commonwealth troops were assigned to defend the island of Singapore commanded by Lieutenant-general Arthur Ernest Perciva.
On the 8th of February 36000 Japanese troops under command of (War criminal) General Tomoyuki Yomoshita landed on Sarambin beach, considered the weakest part of the island. And established a beachhead.
Due to communication and leadership failures the British failed to form reserves and lacked defensive positions near the landing zone, thus allowing the Japanese troops to land without much resistance, and fought their way inland over the course of 7 days.
Japanese troops landing on Sarambin beach
Alexandria Hospital massacre
On the 14th of February the infamous massacre of Alexandria Hospital happened.
A British lieutenant attempted to surrender the hospital with a white flag but was killed by bayonet. Japanese troops entered the hospital and slaughtered up to 50 soldiers, some whom were still under surgery. Doctors and nurses were also murdered.
On the next day 200 male surgeons and patients were assembled, bound and forced to march 400 meters to an industrial terrain. Those who fell were bayoneted.
The people who survived were divided into groups of 50-70, forced into 3 small rooms that lacked ventilation, had no sitting space and recieved no water. Some died during the night.
The following morning they were told they would be allowed to leave in groups of 2 to recieve water. However after hearing the screams of their comrades it became clear to the British soldiers whom were still in the rooms that they were being executed..
A Japanese stray artillery shell hit one of the buildings, thus allowing some of the prisoners to escape, there were a few other men who survived by playing dead.
This hospital was protected under the Red cross.
The fall of Singapore
The Japanese kept advancing and the Allies lacked supplies, thus being forced to retreat further inland together with civilians. At one point more then a million civilians were crammed in 1% space of the island. The Japanese bombed their water reservoirs thus deteriorating the situation
Throughout the night of 14/15 February the Japanese pressed against the Allied defence perimeter. Altho it was largely held by the troops, they still heavily suffered from a lack of ammunition, food and ofcourse water. Since the British anti-aircraft guns were running out of shells the Japanese could keep bombing their positions.
At 9:30 Percival held an emergency conference. He presented 2 options to his staff, either counter-attack to regain the reservoirs and military food depots captured by the Japanese or surrender.
After a fierce discussion everyone agreed that no counter-attack was possible (However, post-war analysis shows that it might would have succeeded, considering the Japanese were still in a minority and were also suffering from a lack of supplies) Unaware of the Japanese treatment to POW's they opted for surrender.
Arthur Percival (right) led by Kazushi Sugita (middle, Yomoshita's English translator ) to surrender
Hostilities ceased at 20:30 and the flag of the Rising sun was raised over the Cathay building (The tallest building of Singapore back then)
85000 British, Indian and Commonwealth troops were captured. The biggest surrender ever in British history. Many died of neglect, abuse or torture.
From 18 February until 4 March an average of 40000-50000 civilians were killed during the ''Sook Ching'' massacre of which General Yomoshita is held responsible.
The Japanese held Singapore until the end of the war.
British troops surrendering to Japanese soldiers in Singapore
Lest we forget
Definitions:
Commonwealth Association of 56 countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule of which most gained indepence after World War II. Many Commonwealth nations fought alongside the British during the World wars!
Lieutenant General: High military rank in many countries, usually below a general and commands roughly 70000 soldiers.
Landing: Military operation on which an invasion force ''Lands'' on a island, usually brought by landing craft
Beachhead: Temporary defense line around a beach created by landing troops to allow other forces to arrive safely
White flag: International sign of dropping arms and surrendering. During WWII Some Japanese soldiers raised the white flag pretending to surrender to let Allied soldiers come close and blew themselves up or, launch a surprise attack.
Red cross: Non-profit world-wide organization founded in 1863 to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering. Protected under the Geneva convention.
Bayonet: Knife-like blade that can be attached to a weapon allowing it to be used in hand to hand combat. The Japanese were extremely fond of bayonets and trained with them extensively. (the best of any nation) Even attaching them to a 9kg machine gun!
POW: Prisoner-of-war, soldiers who surrendered to the enemy. The Japanese had the worst treatments of POWS because they believed surrender was honourless.
Flag of the Rising sun: A Japanese military flag which is under alot of controversy due to it's use in World War II, under which many war crimes were commited. Still in service by the Japanese ground and maritime self-defence force.
Sources:
National library board of Singapore
National archives of Singapore
Wikipedia
This post is not meant to target or generalize any group or minority. It is a historical fact that Imperial Japan committed many war crimes during World War II, but it’s important to remember that not every Japanese soldier was involved in these actions. I will be discussing these events in future posts, but I want to emphasize that modern Japanese people are, like most people, diverse, kind, and very respectful!
On this day, 14 February, 1939 The biggest German battleship (Although she had a slightly heavier sister ship, Tirpitz) ever was launched. This was the famous Bismarck!
With a displacement of over 50000 tons fully loaded and an arnament of 8x 380mm cannons in 4 turrets she was a formidable opponent.
On 24 may 1941 she sunk the Pride of the royal navy the HMS Hood. During this engagement she also heavily damaged the HMS Prince of Wales
After this battle she escaped, thus starting the infamous Hunt for the Bismarck!
On the 27th of May she was found and engaged, the Aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal send out the notably slow Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers, one of the only Bi-plane aircraft of World war 2!
Upon encountering the Bismarck the Swordfish bombers flew extremely close to the water surface to avoid anti aircraft fire. It was recorded that the Bismarck even fired her main guns in the water hoping the splash could knock the aircraft down!
She got hit by 2 torpedoes, eliminating her ability to manouvre and jamming her rudder, thus forcing her in a constant turn.
Not even one aircraft got shot down. Together with the fact that this happened at night and the weather was bad it was an incredible feat!
Slowly British battleships started to close in and fired at the Bismarck. Orders to prepare scuttle charges and abandon ship were given.
During this, she got torpedoed by the Nelson-class battleship HMS Rodney. If this is true, this is the only torpedo hit ever by a battleship to another battleship!
The Scuttle charges detonated at 10:20
The Bismarck disappeared beneath the surface at 10:40
Of the 2200 men, only 114 survived
Lest we forget.
Definitions:
Battleship: One of the biggest class of ships focused on firepower from cannons and armour.
Sister ship: Ship from the same class, the Bismarck' sister ship was the Tirpitz. Who got sunk by 3x giant 5 ton bombs in 1944
Displacement: The weight of water that a ship pushes while floating, this is roughly the weight of the ship
Aircraft Carrier: Ship meant to carry and operate aircraft. Nowadays aircraft carriers are considered the back-bone of a navy and are the biggest naval ships in the world!
Torpedo: Type of powerful self-propelled underwater bomb used to penetrate a ships hull under the surface. Could be carried by very small boats and submarines and are capable of sinking even the biggest ships!
Bi-plane: Type of aircraft with 2 wings stacked onto another. Usually very slow but very manouverable
Torpedo bomber: Aircraft meant to carry torpedoes. Could usually also carry bombs the Fairey Swordfish is an example of one
Rudder: Control surface of a ship or aircraft used to change the yaw direction.
Scuttle charges: Explosives carried used to purposely sink your own ship to prevent it from falling in enemy hands. Usually used after the ship is considered lost and the order to abandon ship is given
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