Well, let's say what happened exactly in WWII, day by day. I will try to post this every day. But any adds will be very appreciated.

I will start with August 15th, because I could not find anything interesting the 16th.

August 15th, 1940, Great Britain.

Three Lüftflotten, with 900 fighters and 1.300 bombers started the "Adlertag" (Eagle's day), which had the intention of destroying the RAF, by attacks on its air fields, communication centres and supplies.

August 15th, 1942, Malta.

Only four ships, of a convoy of 14 reach the brave island in the centre of the Mediterranean with some supplies, so the civil population could resist a bit more. All the ships were lost by Axis aeroplanes, ships and submarine attacks.

August 13th - August 24th 1943, Québec, Canada.

British prime minister Winston Churchill and USA president Franklin Roosvelt meet to discuss the situation of the war. It is agreed that the USA will have the main presence in the PTO, that aid will be provided to Chiang-Kai-Shek to fight the Japanesse and that more chindit operations will be launched. Lord Louis Mountbatten would be commander of Southeast Asia. It is decided there that Italy was going to be the first Axis country to be knocked out of the war and that an amphibious invasion of France sould be launched in summer 1944.

August 5th - August 22nd 1943, Salomon Isles.

The USA troops conquest Munda air field in New Georgia and the Japanesse start retreating, they have no reinforcements. They start evacuating to the neighbour island of Kolombangara on the 22nd.

August 15th 1943, Aleuthian Isles.

The USA launvh an amphibious attack to realise Kiska island but found that the Japaness garisson has been evacuated.

August 15th, 1944, USSR.

Moscow announces that the National Liberation Polish Comitee is the oficial representant of the Polish nation, that the exiled goverment in London is finished.

August 15th, France.

American VI Corps and II French corps, along with paratroopers launch operation "Anvil", the invasion of Southern France.

August 15th, Ukraine.

The 4th Ukranian Front launchs an attack to capture the strategic positions of the Carpathians. The attack is strong, but unseccessful.

[ 19 August 2002, 11:06 AM: Message edited by: General der Infanterie Friedrich H ]

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

August 16th, 1940
45 German aircraft shot down over England

http://www.kaput.com/daily/date/geo/08-16

By the way, great topic!

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"If your gonna buy the angel s**t, you might as well go for the zombie package as well."
-George Carlin

August 15 1945
Aircraft from Vice Admiral McCains' carrier squadron (not having heard of Japans surrender) attack Tokyo airfields. Japanese reaction is extremely violent.

August 16 1944
While bombing over Leipzig the US Airforce loses it's first B17 to a Messerschmidt 163 rocket propelled fighter.

August 17 1943
363 B17s attack the Messerschmidt factory at Regensburg and the ball bearing factory at Schweinfurt. 59 B17s are shot down.

August 17th-

In 1940, Hitler orders total blockade of Great-Britain.

In 1942, during World War II, U.S. Eighth Air Force bombers attacked Rouen, France.

In 1943, US 8th Air Force loses 60 B-17O at attack on Regensburg/Schweinfurt.

In 1943, the Allied conquest of Sicily was completed as U.S., then British, forces entered Messina.

(same website)

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"If your gonna buy the angel s**t, you might as well go for the zombie package as well."
-George Carlin

August 17th, 1940 - a 'quiet' day in the Battle of Britain after yesterday's massed attacks.
But, in a Sussex hospital, Pilot Officer William Meade Lindsley ('Billy') Fiske of 601 Squadron died from burns. This event attracted considerable publicity as Fiske was wealthy, a stockbroker, film producer, international sportsman, husband to the ex-Countess of Warwick - and an American.

On a larger scale, August 17th, 1943 saw one of the greatest and certainly one of the most famous Bomber Command operations of WWII - The Peenemunde Raid.
596 'heavies' set out on a perfectly clear, moonlit night and 40 failed to return. This is believed to be the first occasion on which the German nightfighters used Schrage Musik operationally.

I shall raise a glass to 'Honest John' Searby and his men.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

August 18th, 1940 - so much happened this day that a book could be written about it...and in fact, Alfred Price has done just that ( 'Battle of Britain : The Hardest Day' ).

The sky over southern England was full of aerial combat; perhaps most noted for the famous low-level attack on Kenley airfield by the Do17s of KG76 and the 'massacre of the Stukas' with StG77 alone losing or writing-off eighteen Ju87s.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

August 18th-

I suppose quoting the above website will suffice;

In 1940, the United States and Canada established a World War II plan of joint defense against possible enemy attacks.

In 1943, The Royal Air Force Bomber Command completes the first major strike against the German missile development facility at PeenemŸnde.

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"If your gonna buy the angel s**t, you might as well go for the zombie package as well."
-George Carlin

August 19th-

In 1942, The first American pilot to shoot down a German fighter plane is S. F. Junkin.

In 1942, about 6,000 Canadian and British soldiers launched a disastrous raid against the Germans at the port city of Dieppe, France, suffering about 50 percent casualties.

In 1942, first American offensive in Pacific in WW2, Guadalcanal, Solomon Is.

In 1944, Last Japanese troops driven out of India.

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"If your gonna buy the angel s**t, you might as well go for the zombie package as well."
-George Carlin

August 19th 1942 -

TODAY IS THE 60th ANNIVERSARY OF DIEPPE !

August 19th 1944 -

the 'official' start of the final phase of the Battle of the Falaise Gap.

On this day, the Poles reached the 'Maczuga' at Mont Ormel and the Canadians took Saint-Lambert-sur-Dives, with Major Curry about to win his VC.
For the next four days, this tiny area around Saint Lambert, Moissy Ford, Chambois and Trun would become a 'hell on earth' and the focal point of the Western Front.

[ 19 August 2002, 02:07 AM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ]

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

August 19 1940
The British withdraw their troops from Somaliland

August 19 1941
The encirclement of Leningrad is almost completed by Army Group North

August 19 1942
General Paulus orders the 6th Army to take Stalingrad

August 19 1944
Field Marshal von Kluge, Commander of Army Group B commits suicide, after being implicated in the July 20 plot to kill Hitler.

Patton's forces reach the Seine River, either side of Paris.

August 19 1945
Japanese forces in Manila and Java finally surrender.

Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets - George S. Patton

"A piece of paper makes you an officer, a radio makes you a commander" - General Omar Bradley

August 17th 1940, Germany

It is declared a total blockade on the British Isles. Any ship, allied or neutral in British territorial waters will be sunk without warning.

August 18th 1941, Ukraine

The Soviet forces in the Ukraine start retreating through the river Dnieper, strategically important, to form a defensive line more at North (Bryansk Front), leaving the 35th Army in Kiev.
Hitler plans to attack and destroy the Soviet forces before they retreat through the Dnieper.

August 19th, 1942,Dieppe, France

5.000 Canadians, 1.000 British and 50 Americans attack the French port of Dieppe. It is a "mass recoinassence" to adquire experience for future amphibious operations. There are 4.000 casualties.

19th August - 24th August 1942, Soviet Union

Army Group B attacks decisevely the industrial city of Stalingrad in the river Volga. 6th German Army under general Friedrich Paulus and 4th Armoured Army under colonel general Hermann Hoth start meeting fierce Soviet resistance 45 kilometres from the city.

17th August - 18th August 1943, Germany

597 British bombers attack the investigation centre of Peenemünde, where the new weapons, V1 and V2 are being developed, tested and produced. 732 people are killed and the damages are light, but the production of V2s is delayed. 40 bombers are lost.
230 American heavy bombers from 8th American Air Force attack several factories in Regensburg and Schweinfurt. A third of the aeroplanes are shot down.

August 19th 1943, Papua, New Guinea.

Allied forces finally take the Japanesse position on Tambu mount. The Japanesse are now trapped between Salamaua and the river Francisco.

August 8th - August 17th, Sicily, Italy.

American forces advancing for the coast are helped by landings in San Stefano. British, Canadian and Moroccan from the free France troops have to finish the fierce german resistance Southwest of the Etna. On the 11th, the Germans start retreating. 100.000 Axis troops are withdrawn from Sicily to Italy through the Messina strait. On the 17th, the Americans reach Messina. The casualties are 10.000 for the Germans and 132.000 for the Italians. For the Allies they are 22.000.

August 19th 1944, Falaise, France.

Alled units had closed completely the Falaise pocket, after that the 1st Canadian Army had launched operation "Totalize" to surround the remaining German troops. Some 30.000 Germans scape through the Sene river, but another 50.000 are captured. 10.000 are killed. The pocket had been severely bombed by the Allies and is absolutely full of rubbish, destroyed vehicles and tanks and dead men and horses. Canadians, Poles and British from the North unite with American 1st Army which advances from Argentan.

Field marshal Günther von Kluge, supreme commander of the Western German forces, after declaring: "The Western German Army does no longer exist" gets into his car and tells his chofer to drive North. When they are passing the old Verdun battle fields, where Günther was awarded the Iron Cross in 1916, he orders his chofer to stopp, because he had to go to the loo... The field marshal walks some paces into the green battle field, while his chofer read the paper. Just a shot was heard.

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Wednesday, august 19th, 1942 : Auchinleck announces the capture of 10,000 Axis troops in last two months of fighting in North Africa.

[ 19 August 2002, 06:04 PM: Message edited by: Carl Von Mannerheim ]

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Great Stuff, keep it coming--and specially for me--keep the Eastern Front news coming in.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Do somethings yourself, you lazy and nice field marshal!

(I won't ask why I was shot...)

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

August 20 1940

Churchill makes his most famous speech "Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few". Never a truer word was said.

Italy anounces the total blockade of British African possessions.

August 20 1942

The first American aircraft fly into Henderson Field on Guadalcanal

August 20 1944

US Third Army forms a bridgehead across the Seine at Mantes-Gassingcourt

French troops liberate Toulon

The Russians cross into Roumania and drive down towards the Danube

August 21

A very quiet day as far as spectacular events go.

August 21 1940

Trotsky is assassinated in Mexico City by an agent of the NKVD

Mussolini postpones the planned invasion of Greece

August 21 1942

US Marines repulse the first major Japanese ground attck on Guadalcanal

August 21 1945

The Japanese forces in Manchuria surrender

Tell it to my Aide de Camp

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Are you interested in air war over the Reich during 1944 August ? I've got a ton......

wait till I get home.

E

Were anxiously awaiting your full return my friend.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

August 23 1942

On the Eastern Front, Russian troops flee from the last recorded cavalry charge in history, when at Izbushensky, 600 men from the Italian Savoy Cavalry, charge 2000 Russians, armed only with their sabres and grenades. The Russian troops are armed with Mortars and Machine guns.

Meanwhile, at Stalingrad, 600 Luftwaffe bombers strike, killing an estimated 40,000 people and destroying three quarters of the city.

August 23 1943

Russian troops led by Malinosvky, and Konev, capture Kharkov

August 23 1944

Coup d'etat in Bucharest. The dictator, Marshal Antonescu, is arrested.

Roumania accepts the Russian terms of surrender.

Meanwhile Russian troops encircle several German divisions near Kischinev in Moldavia.

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"If a man does his best, what else is there?"
- Patton

"I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me"
- The Duke of Wellington, Aug 1810, speaking of his generals.

23rd August, 1943 - a Bomber Command 'maximum effort' on Berlin. 727 aircraft took off, led by Master Bomber Wing Commander 'Johnny' Fauquier, RCAF.
The Pathfinders' marking was poor, resulting in scattered bombing. By chance, the Wilhelmstrasse was heavily bombed, with no building remaining undamaged.
17 Lancasters and 16 Stirlings failed to return - an 8 percent loss ;Bomber Command's heaviest in a single night thus far in the war.

[ 23 August 2002, 05:26 AM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ]

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson