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John P. Lucas

John P. Lucas

John P. "Old Luke" Lucas (January 14, 1890 - December 24, 1949) was a General and the commander of the US VI Corps during World War II. On January 22, 1944, from the deck of the cruiser USS Biscayne, Lucas oversaw Operation Shingle. Lucas was a graduate of West Point and had served, during World War I, as a battalion commander. He was replaced by General Lucian Truscott as the commander at Anzio as a result of his unwillingness to fully engage the enemy. Instead of advancing inland to secure higher ground, Lucas waited for the German army to surround the beach-head. This was summarised by Winston Churchill's comment: :"we hurled a wildcat on the shores of Anzio - all we have is a stranded whale" Lucas Lucas Lucas Lucas Lucas

January 14

January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 351 days remaining (352 in leap years). It is celebrated as New Year's Day by those still following the Julian calendar.

Events


- 1301 - Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Arpad dynasty in Hungary.
- 1501 - Martin Luther, 17, enters the University of Erfurt.
- 1514 - Pope Leo X issues a papal bull against slavery.
- 1539 - Spain annexes Cuba.
- 1639 - The "Fundamental Orders", the first written constitution that created a government, was adopted in Connecticut.
- 1690 - The clarinet is invented in Nuremberg, Germany.
- 1724 - King Philip V of Spain abdicates the throne.
- 1784 - American Revolutionary War: The United States ratifies a peace treaty with England.
- 1814 - Treaty of Kiel: Frederick VI of Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden in return for Pomerania.
- 1858 - Napoleon III of France escapes an assassination attempt.
- 1900 - Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca premieres in Rome.
- 1907 - An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than 1,000.
- 1939 - Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.
- 1943 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to travel via airplane while in office (Miami, Florida to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill to discuss World War II).
- 1951 - The National Football League has its first Pro Bowl Game (Los Angeles, California).
- 1952 - The Today show premieres on NBC.
- 1954 - Marilyn Monroe weds Joe DiMaggio.
- The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator forming the American Motors Corporation.
- 1963 - George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama.
- 1969 - An explosion aboard the USS Enterprise near Hawaii kills 25 people.
- 1970 - Sato Eisaku is elected to his third term as Prime Minister of Japan.
- 1972 - Queen Margrethe II of Denmark accends the throne, the first Queen of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513.
  - Sanford & Son premieres on NBC.
- 1973 - Super Bowl VII: The Miami Dolphins defeat the Washington Redskins. The Dolphins become the first NFL team to go undefeated in a season.
- 1975 - Teenage heiress Lesley Whittle is kidnapped by the Black Panther.
- 1978 - Johnny Rotten quits the Sex Pistols after the final show of their American tour, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
- 1984 - Ray Mancini defeats Bobby Chacon by a knockout in three to retain his WBA boxing world Lightweight title in Reno.
- 1985 - Martina Navratilova wins her 100th tennis tournament.
- 1993 - David Letterman announces he is moving his television talk show from NBC to CBS.
- 1994 - President of the United States Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin sign the Kremlin accords which stop the preprogrammed aiming of nuclear missiles to targets and also provide for the dismantling of the nuclear arsenal in Ukraine.
- 1996 - Jorge Sampaio is elected president of Portugal.
- 1998 - Researchers in Dallas, Texas present findings about an enzyme that slows aging and cell death (apoptosis).
  - An Afghan cargo plane crashes into a mountain in southwest Pakistan killing more than 50 people.
- 2000 - A United Nations tribunal sentences five Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years for the 1993 killing of over 100 Muslims in a Bosnian village.
  - Sport Club Corinthians Paulista wins Vasco da Gama, on the final match for the FIFA Club World Championship.
  - The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a record high of 11,722.98.
  - David Letterman undergoes quintuple heart bypass surgery.
- 2004 - Goatse.cx is suspended by the Christmas Island Technology Corporation following a massive grassroots movement to close the site forever.
  - Amartya Sen steps down as Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.
  - The national flag of Georgia, the so-called "five cross flag", was restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years.
- 2005 - Landing of the Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan.

Births

1451 to 1899


- 1451 - Franchinus Gaffurius, Italian composer (d. 1522)
- 1477 - Hermann of Wied, German Catholic archbishop (d. 1552)
- 1551 - Alberico Gentili, Italian jurist (d. 1608)
- 1615 - John Biddle, English theologian (d. 1662)
- 1684 - Jean-Baptiste van Loo, French painter (d. 1745)
- 1702 - Nakamikado Emperor of Japan (d. 1737)
- 1705 - Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, French governor of the Mascarene Islands (d. 1786)
- 1741 - Benedict Arnold, American general and traitor (d. 1801)
- 1792 - Christian Julius De Meza, Danish general (d. 1865)
- 1798 - Johan Rudolf Thorbecke, Dutch politician (d. 1872)
- 1800 - Ludwig Alois Ferdinand Köchel, Austrian researcher on music (d. 1877)
- 1818 - Zacharias Topelius, Finnish-Swedish writer (d. 1898)
- 1836 - Henri Fantin-Latour, French painter (d. 1904)
- 1841 - Berthe Morisot, French painter (d. 1895)
- 1850 - Pierre Loti, French writer (d. 1923)
- 1861 - Mehmed VI, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1926)
- 1875 - Albert Schweitzer, Alsatian physician, missionary, and musician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1965)
- 1886 - Hugh Lofting, English author (d. 1947)
- 1889 - Ema Puksec, Croatian singer (b. 1834)
- 1892 - Hal Roach, American film producer (d. 1992)
- 1896 - John Dos Passos, American author (d. 1970)
- 1896 - Martin Niemöller, German theologian and pacifist (d. 1984)

1900 to 1999


- 1904 - Emily Hahn, American writer (d. 1997)
- 1905 - Cecil Beaton, English photographer (d. 1980)
- 1906 - William Bendix, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1908 - Russ Columbo, American singer, bandleader, and composer (d. 1934)
- 1914 - Harold Russell, Canadian-born actor (d. 2002)
- 1915 - Mark Goodson, American game show producer (d. 1992)
- 1919 - Giulio Andreotti, Italian politician
- 1919 - Andy Rooney, American journalist
- 1924 - Guy Williams, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1925 - Yukio Mishima, Japanese writer (d. 1970)
- 1926 - Tom Tryon, American actor and novelist (d. 1991)
- 1932 - Don Garlits, American race car driver
- 1933 - Stan Brakhage, American filmmaker (d. 2003)
- 1934 - Richard Briers, English actor
- 1937 - Ken Higgs, English cricketer
- 1938 - Jack Jones, American singer and actor
- 1938 - Allen Toussaint, American singer
- 1940 - Julian Bond, American civil rights activist
- 1941 - Faye Dunaway, American actress
- 1941 - Milan Kučan, Slovenian statesman
- 1943 - Shannon Lucid, American astronaut
- 1944 - Marjoe Gortner, American evangelist and actor
- 1944 - Nina Totenberg, American journalist
- 1946 - Harold Shipman, British serial killer (d. 2004)
- 1947 - Bill Werbeniuk, Canadian snooker player (d. 2003)
- 1948 - T-Bone Burnett, American producer and musician
- 1948 - Carl Weathers, American actor
- 1949 - Lawrence Kasdan, American director and screenwriter
- 1952 - Sydney Biddle Barrows, American author
- 1956 - Ben Heppner, Canadian tenor
- 1957 - Suzanne Danielle, English actress
- 1959 - Geoff Tate, American musician (Queensr%C3%BFche)
- 1962 - Michael McCaul, American politician
- 1963 - Steven Soderbergh, American director
- 1964 - Shepard Smith, American news anchor
- 1965 - Marc Delissen, Dutch field hockey player
- 1967 - Kerri Green, American actress
- 1967 - Emily Watson, English actress
- 1967 - Zakk Wylde, American musician (Black Label Society)
- 1968 - LL Cool J, American rapper and actor
- 1969 - Jason Bateman, American actor
- 1969 - David Grohl, American drummer and composer
- 1971 - Lasse Kjus, Norwegian skier
- 1972 - Predrag Gosta, Yugoslav-born conductor, musicologist, and harpsichordist
- 1972 - Kyle Brady, National Football League tight end
- 1973 - Giancarlo Fisichella, Italian race car driver
- 1980 - Cory Gibbs, American soccer player
- 1980 - Byron Leftwich, American football player
- 1981 - Rosa López, Spanish singer
- 1988 - Mikalah Gordon, American singer

Deaths

1331 to 1899


- 1331 - Odoric, Italian explorer
- 1640 - Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry, English lawyer and judge (b. 1578)
- 1676 - Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (b. 1602)
- 1701 - Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Japanese warlord (b. 1628)
- 1742 - Edmond Halley, English scientist (b. 1656)
- 1753 - George Berkeley, Irish theologian (b. 1685)
- 1786 - Meshech Weare, Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1713)
- 1788 - François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasetilly, comte de Grasse, French admiral (b. 1722)
- 1825 - George Dance the Younger, English architect (b. 1741)
- 1876 - Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, French painter (b. 1780)
- 1898 - Lewis Carroll, English writer and mathematician (b. 1832)

1900 to 1999


- 1905 - Ernst Abbe, German physicist (b. 1840)
- 1942 - Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian writer (b. 1883)
- 1949 - Joaquín Turina, Spanish composer (b. 1882)
- 1957 - Humphrey Bogart, American actor (b. 1899)
- 1965 - Jeanette MacDonald, American actress and singer (b. 1903)
- 1966 - Bill Carr, American athlete (b. 1909)
- 1966 - Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (b. 1888)
- 1966 - Sergei Korolev, Russian rocket scientist (b. 1906)
- 1970 - William Feller, Croatian mathematician (b. 1906)
- 1972 - King Frederick IX of Denmark (b. 1899)
- 1977 - Anthony Eden, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1897)
- 1977 - Peter Finch, English-born actor (b. 1916)
- 1977 - Anaïs Nin, French author (b. 1903)
- 1978 - Harold Abrahams, British athlete (b. 1899)
- 1978 - Kurt Gödel, Austrian mathematician (b. 1906)
- 1978 - Blossom Rock, American actress
- 1980 - Robert Ardrey, American author (b. 1908)
- 1984 - Ray Kroc, American fast food entrepreneur (b. 1902)
- 1986 - Donna Reed, American actress (b. 1921)
- 1988 - Georgi Malenkov, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party (b. 1902)
- 1999 - Bryn Jones, British musician (b. 1961)

2000 onwards


- 2001 - Burkhard Heim, German physicist (b. 1925)
- 2004 - Uta Hagen, American actress (b. 1919)
- 2004 - Ron O'Neal, American actor (b. 1937)
- 2004 - Valfar, Norwegian musician (Windir)
- 2005 - Charlotte MacLeod, American writer (b. 1922)
- 2005 - Conroy Maddox, English painter (b. 1912)
- 2005 - Rudolph Moshammer, German fashion designer (b. 1940)
- 2005 - Jesús-Rafael Soto, Venezuelan kinetic artist (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances


- New Year's Day in Eastern Orthodoxy, see Julian Calendar.
- Makar Sankranti in India. The event is marked by flying kites. Also Pongal in South India.
- Day of St. Basil the Great in Eastern Orthodoxy, January 1 on the Julian Calendar.
- Festum Asinorum, medieval burlesque festival celebrating the Flight into Egypt. No longer observed.

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/14 BBC: On This Day] ---- January 13 - January 15 - December 14 - February 14 — listing of all days ko:1월 14일 ms:14 Januari ja:1月14日 simple:January 14 th:14 มกราคม

December 24

December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). There are 7 days remaining.

Events


- 640 - John IV becomes Pope
- 1515 - Thomas Wolsey is named the English Lord Chancellor
- 1715 - Swedish troops occupy Norway
- 1777 - Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, was discovered by James Cook.
- 1814 - The Treaty of Ghent was signed which ended the War of 1812
- 1818 - "Silent Night" composed by Franz Xaver Gruber
- 1851 - Library of Congress burns.
- 1865 - Several US Civil War Confederate veterans form the Ku Klux Klan
- 1906 - The first radio program, consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech, is broadcast.
- 1914 - World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins
- 1924 - Albania becomes a republic
- 1941 - Hong Kong falls to the Japanese Imperial Army.
- 1941 - Wake Island is conquered by Japanese forces.
- 1943 - US General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the supreme Allied commander
- 1946 - France's Fourth Republic founded
- 1951 - Libya becomes independent from Italy. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya.
- 1953 - Tangiwai disaster: A railway bridge collapse at Tangiwai, New Zealand sends a fully loaded passenger train into the Whangaehu River, killing 153 people.
- 1953 - NBC's Dragnet becomes the first network-sponsored television program
- 1954 - Laos becomes independent
- 1966 - A Canadair CL44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129.
- 1968 - The crew of the USS Pueblo is released by North Korea after being held for 11 months on suspicion of spying.
- 1968 - The crew of Apollo 8 enter into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so.
- 1969 - Curt Flood writes to Bowie K. Kuhn, the Commissioner of Baseball, asking to be declared a free agent .
- 1974 - Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.
- 1979 - The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan to support the country's Marxist government.
- 1979 - The first European Ariane rocket is launched.
- 1985 - A black bull blocks the Cross Harbour Tunnel in Hong Kong for three hours.
- 1987 - Japanese legendary rock band BOØWY declares their breakup at the Shibuya Kokaido.
- 1997 - The Sid El-Antri massacre (or Sidi Lamri) in Algeria kills 50-100 people.
- 1997 - The Dominican Republic becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
- 2000 - The Texas 7 holds up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot during the robbery.
- 2003 - The Spanish police thwarts an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 PM inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.
- 2004 - The 2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm delivers an extremely unusual snowfall to the southern United States.

Births


- 1166 - King John of England (d. 1216)
- 1389 - John VI, Duke of Brittany (d. 1442)
- 1475 - Thomas Murner, German writer
- 1491 - Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish founder of the Jesuit order (d. 1556)
- 1508 - Pietro Carnesecchi, Italian humanist (d. 1567)
- 1609 - Philip Warwick, English writer and politician (d. 1683)
- 1698 - William Warburton, English Bishop of Gloucester (d. 1779)
- 1724 - Johann Conrad Ammann, Swiss physician and naturalist (d. 1811)
- 1745 - William Paterson, Signer of the U.S. Constitution, Governor of New Jersey (d. 1806)
- 1754 - George Crabbe, English poet and naturalist (d. 1832)
- 1798 - Adam Mickiewicz, Polish poet (d. 1855)
- 1809 - Kit Carson, American frontiersman (d. 1868)
- 1812 - Karl Eduard Zachariae, German jurist (d. 1894)
- 1818 - James Prescott Joule, British physicist (d. 1889)
- 1822 - Matthew Arnold, English poet (d. 1888)
- 1837 - Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria (d. 1898)
- 1845 - King George I of Greece (d. 1913)
- 1867 - Kantaro Suzuki, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)
- 1868 - Emanuel Lasker, German chess player (d. 1941)
- 1881 - Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
- 1886 - Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-born director (d. 1962)
- 1895 - E. Roland Harriman, American financier (d. 1978)
- 1898 - Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan footballer (d. 1967)
- 1898 - Baby Dodds, American jazz drummer (d. 1959)
- 1905 - Howard Hughes, American film producer and inventor (d. 1976)
- 1910 - Fritz Leiber, American writer (d. 1992)
- 1914 - Herbert Reinecker, German writer
- 1920 - Evgeniya Rudneva, Russian World War II heroine (d. 1944)
- 1922 - Ava Gardner, American actress (d. 1990)
- 1923 - George Patton IV, American general (d. 2004)
- 1924 - Mohd. Rafi, Indian actor and playback singer (d. 1980)
- 1929 - Mary Higgins Clark, American author
- 1931 - Mauricio Kagel, Argentine composer
- 1937 - Felix Miéli Venerando, Brazilian football player
- 1941 - John Levene, British actor
- 1943 - Tarja Halonen, President of Finland
- 1945 - Lemmy Kilmister, British musician
- 1945 - Nicholas Meyer, American author
- 1949 - Randy Neugebauer, American politician
- 1950 - Dana Gioia, American poet and chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
- 1955 - Clarence Gilyard, American actor
- 1957 - Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan
- 1966 - Diedrich Bader, American actor
- 1969 - Mark Millar, Scottish comic book writer
- 1971 - Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer
- 1973 - Eddie Pope, American soccer player
- 1974 - Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer
- 1974 - Ryan Seacrest, American television host
- 1976 - Jason Macy, New Zealand-born race car driver, writer, and photographer

Deaths


- 820 - Leo V, Byzantine Emperor (assassinated) (b. 775)
- 1257 - John I, Count of Hainaut (b. 1218)
- 1453 - John Dunstable, English composer
- 1524 - Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer
- 1660 - Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1631)
- 1707 - Noël Coypel, French painter (b. 1628)
- 1813 - Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan, (b.1740)
- 1863 - William Makepeace Thackeray, English writer (b. 1811)
- 1865 - Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, English painter and writer (b. 1793)
- 1873 - Johns Hopkins, Baltimore philanthropist and businessman (b. 1795)
- 1889 - Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (b. 1819)
- 1914 - John Muir, Scottish-born naturalist (b. 1838)
- 1935 - Alban Berg, Austrian composer (b. 1885)
- 1938 - Bruno Taut, German architect (b. 1880)
- 1941 - Siegfried Alkan, German composer (b. 1858)
- 1942 - François Darlan, vice-premier of Vichy France (b. 1881)
- 1957 - Norma Talmadge, American actress (b. 1893)
- 1972 - Gisela Richter, English art historian (b. 1882)
- 1975 - Bernard Herrmann, American film composer (b. 1911)
- 1980 - Karl Dönitz, President of Germany (b. 1891)
- 1982 - Louis Aragon, French writer (b. 1897)
- 1984 - Peter Lawford, English actor (b. 1923)
- 1986 - Gardner Fox, American writer (b. 1911)
- 1987 - Joop den Uyl, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1919)
- 1993 - Norman Vincent Peale, American writer (b. 1898)
- 1994 - John Boswell, American historian (b. 1947)
- 1997 - Toshirô Mifune, Japanese actor (b. 1920)
- 1999 - João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo, President of Brazil (b. 1918)
- 2002 - Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author (b. 1920)
- 2004 - Johnny Oates, baseball player and manager (b. 1946)

Holidays and observances


- December 24 is celebrated as the day before Christmas, thus called Christmas Eve.
- It is the day when food is set out for Santa Claus and his reindeer. Children around the world are urged to go to bed early so they are not awake when he comes.
- In Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Norway, most children are visited by Santa Claus this day. As well as in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

External links


- [http://groups.msn.com/965172qg02rbm4ek3a6e7udur5/_whatsnew.msnw Santa`s Lapland and Christmas Club]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/24 BBC: On This Day] ----

Fictional Events


- 2005: Pluto's Kiss, a computer virus, cripples the Internet and all computer networks. From the .hack franchise.
- 2011: The Awakening occurs. From Shadowrun RPG. ---- December 23 - December 25 - November 24 - January 24 -- listing of all days ko:12월 24일 ms:24 Disember ja:12月24日 simple:December 24 th:24 ธันวาคม

General

General is a high military rank, used by nearly every country in the world. General may be a rank on its own, or can be used as a generic term for "general officers". In most nations, the various grades of General are at the top of the rank structure; but some countries have even higher ranks such as Field Marshal or Marshal. General Officer, often referred to less formally and imprecisely as "General", refers to a military officer who holds any rank grade of General. The exact rank of a general may be determined by combining a prefix (e.g. Major General) or suffix (e.g. General of the Army) with the word general. A General, without prefix or suffix (and sometimes referred to informally as a "full general"), is usually the most senior general officer rank, above Lieutenant General. In some armies, however, the rank of Captain General, General of the Army, Army General or Colonel General occupied or occupies this position. These ranks may be considered to be equivalent to a full General or to a Field Marshal, depending on the army in question. While historically an army rank, General is also used in most air forces, although those based on the British Royal Air Force use Air Marshal instead, with Air Officer being the generic title. In most navies of the world, the equivalent rank is Admiral and the generic term is Flag Officer; however a noteworthy historical exception was the Cromwellian naval rank General at sea. The rank of General began appearing around the time of the organization of professional armies in the 17th century. At first, it was added as an adjective to existing names of ranks, yielding Colonel General, Captain General, Lieutenant General and Sergeant Major General. These titles were used to distinguish the ruler's most important officers and usually involved a certain amount of negotiation over precedence.

General ranks by seniority

The following are the commoner modern grades of General, listed by seniority. Not all countries use all these ranks, although the lowest four are common to many. The highest rank is only used in the US. Grades of general are also not necessarily equal in all countries (for instance, in some countries Major General is the lowest general officer rank and may well be closer to Brigadier General in countries that have them). In some European and Commonwealth nations, the equivalent to Brigadier General is Brigadier, which is not considered to be a general officer rank, although it is generally considered to be equivalent to the rank of Brigadier General. During World War I and World War II, the German Navy maintained a rank known as General Admiral, but this was a naval position unconnected to the regular land forces rank of General. The rank of General may also be found commonly in fiction sources especially war dramas or science fiction settings.

General ranks by country

The following articles deal with the rank of General as it is employed in the militaries of various countries.
- Aluf (Israel)
- Général (France)
- General (Germany)
- General (Switzerland)
- General (United Kingdom)
- General (United States)
- Daejang (North Korea)
- Taejang (South Korea)

See also


- Generalissimo
- Shogun
- Comparative military ranks
- U.S. Army officer rank insignia
- British Army officer rank insignia
- Polish Armed Forces rank insignia

External links


- [http://www.generals.dk/ Generals of World War II]
- [http://schema-root.org/region/americas/north_america/usa/government/executive/departments/defense/personnel/generals/ Schema-root.org: US Generals] News feeds for US Generals in the news Category:Military ranks
- ja:将軍

US VI Corps

For the VI Corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, see VI Corps (ACW) ---- The VI Corps took part in some of the most high profile operations in World War II. Its first combat was during the Allied invasion of Italy when it landed at Salerno with the British X Corps under Fifth Army as part of Operation Avalanche. The stiffness of the German defences sorely tested VI Corps and it suffered heavy casualties before German attempts to throw the Allied force back into the sea were thwarted by a combination of naval gunfire, bombing and the approach of British Eighth Army from the south. The commander of the corps, Maj. Gen. Ernest J. Dawley, was replaced after Salerno, as he was judged to be worn out. VI Corps then joined in the pursuit of German forces up the Italian peninsula. However, the Germans turned and fought at the Winter Line, and the Corps became involved in heavy fighting to try to break through. The first attempts failed, however VI Corps was taken out of the line in an attempt to find a solution to the problem. In its second amphibious assault of the war, it went ashore at Anzio in Operation Shingle in January 1944. At first German resistance was negligible. However, General John P. Lucas, the general commanding the corps felt he needed to consolidate his beachhead before breaking out. This gave the Germans critical time to concentrate forces against him. Another bloody stalemate ensued, with the Corps almost being driven back into the sea for the second time in Italy, again being rescued by naval and air power. When the statemate was finally broken in the spring of 1944, the Corps had lost another commander; Lucas was sacked for his poor performance and replaced by Major General Lucian Truscott. When the Corps broke out, it was ordered to do what many considered a very questionable act. Instead of blocking the line of German retreat, it was sent pell-mell towards Rome. General Mark W. Clark, the commander of Fifth Army got the glory of capturing the Italian capital city, but was castigated by his peers and superiors for failing to trap and destroy the German forces. This, along with the poor performance at Anzio would cast a shadow over the reputation of the Corps. Following the capture of Rome, VI Corps again left the line, and again prepared for an amphibious assault, its third and last of the war. Operation Dragoon was aimed at capturing the south of France, and VI Corps provided the assault troops, coming under Seventh Army. The landing was not opposed with much fervour, and VI Corps swept up the Rhône valley to join forces with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's troops coming from Normandy. VI Corps spent the rest of the war as part of Seventh Army, operating on the southern end of the Allied front against the Germans in the west. It ended the war in southern Germany. 06

January 22

January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 343 days remaining (344 in leap years).

Events


- 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus.
- 1521 - Diet of Worms is opened by Emperor Charles V.
- 1771 - Spain cedes Port Egmont in the Falkland Islands to England.
- 1824 - Ashantis crush British forces in the Gold Coast.
- 1840 - British colonists reach New Zealand.
- 1863 - The January Uprising broke out in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. The aim of the national movement was to regain Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth from occupation of Russia.
- 1879 - Anglo-Zulu War: Zulu troops massacre British troops at the Battle of Isandlwana.
- 1889 - Columbia Phonograph is formed in Washington, DC.
- 1899 - Leaders of six Australian colonies meet in Melbourne to discuss confederation.
- 1901 - Edward VII becomes King after his mother, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, dies.
- 1905 - 'Bloody Sunday' in St. Petersburg, beginning of the 1905 revolution.
- 1917 - World War I: President Woodrow Wilson calls for "peace without victory" in Europe.
- 1924 - Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour Prime Minister.
- 1931 - Sir Isaac Isaacs sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia.
- 1941 - World War II: The United Kingdom captures Tobruk from Nazi forces.
- 1944 - World War II: Allies begin Operation Shingle (an assault on Anzio, Italy).
- 1947 - KTLA, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, begins operation in Hollywood, California.
- 1947 - Paul Ramadier becomes Prime Minister of France.
- 1952 - The first commercial jet plane, the BOAC's Comet, is put into service.
- 1953 - The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, opens on Broadway.
- 1957 - Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula.
- 1957 - The New York City "Mad Bomber," George P. Metesky, is arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and is charged with planting more than 30 bombs.
- 1962 - The Organization of American States (OAS) suspends Cuba's membership.
- 1963 - Elysée treaty between France and Germany.
- 1964 - Mumbai's lowest ever temperature recorded (7.4°C).
- 1967 - Simon & Garfunkel perform live at Philharmonic Hall in the Lincoln Center, New York City. The recording is not released until 16 July 2002.
- 1968 - Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, debuts on NBC.
- 1973 - The Supreme Court of the United States delivers its decision in Roe vs. Wade striking down state laws restricting abortion during the first six months of pregnancy.
- 1973 - A chartered Boeing 707 exploded in flames upon landing at Kano Airport, Nigeria killing 176.
- 1973 - George Foreman breaks Joe Frazier's professional career undefeated heavyweight world boxing champion status.
- 1980 - Andrei Sakharov is arrested in Moscow.
- 1983 - Björn Borg retires from tennis after winning five consecutive Wimbledon championships.
- 1984 - The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with the famous television commercial "1984".
- 1987 - Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer commits suicide on national television.
- 1990 - Robert Tappan Morris, Jr. is convicted of releasing the 1988 Internet worm.
- 1992 - Rebel forces occupy Zaire's national radio station in Kinshasa and broadcast a demand for the government's resignation.
- 1992 - STS-42: Dr. Roberta Bondar becomes the first Canadian woman in space.
- 1995 - Israeli-Palestinian conflict: In central Israel, two suicide bombers from the Gaza Strip blow themselves-up at a military transit point killing 19 Israelis.
- 1997 - Madeleine Albright becomes the first female secretary of state after confirmation by the United States Senate.
- 1998 - Suspected Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski pleads guilty and accepts a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
- 2001 - Four of the Texas 7 are caught at a convenience store in Woodland Park, Colorado and a fifth killed himself inside a motor home.
- 2002 - AOL Time Warner brings a federal suit against Microsoft alleging that the market for AOL's Netscape Navigator Internet browser was harmed when Microsoft started to give away a competing browser.
- 2002 - Kmart Corp becomes the largest retailer in American history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
- 2003 - The Netherlands vote for a new parliament after the previous had only been into power for 86 days.
- 2003 - Last successful contact with the spacecraft Pioneer 10, one of the most distant man-made objects.

Births


- 1263 - Ibn Taymiya, Islamic scholar (d. 1328)
- 1440 - Ivan III of Russia (d. 1505)
- 1553 - Mori Terumoto, Japanese warrior (d. 1625)
- 1561 - Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher (d. 1626)
- 1570 - Sir Robert Bruce Cotton, English politician (d. 1631)
- 1592 - Pierre Gassendi, French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist (d. 1655)
- 1654 - Richard Blackmore, English physician and writer (d. 1729)
- 1690 - Nicolas Lancret, French painter (d. 1743)
- 1729 - Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German author and philosopher (d. 1781)
- 1775 - Andre Marie Ampere, French physicist (d. 1836)
- 1788 - George Gordon, Lord Byron, English poet (d. 1824)
- 1820 - Joseph Wolf, German artist (d. 1899)
- 1849 - August Strindberg, Swedish writer (d. 1912)
- 1875 - D. W. Griffith, American film director (d. 1948)
- 1892 - Marcel Dassault, French industrialist (d. 1986)
- 1893 - Conrad Veidt, German actor (d. 1943)
- 1902 - Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler
- 1903 - Fritz Houtermans, Polish physicist (d. 1966)
- 1904 (N.S.) - George Balanchine, Russian choreographer (d. 1983)
- 1904 - Arkady Gaidar, Russian children's writer (d. 1941)
- 1906 - Robert E. Howard, American author (d. 1936)
- 1907 - Douglas Corrigan, American pilot (d. 1995)
- 1907 - Mary Dresselhuys, Dutch actress (d. 2004)
- 1908 - Lev Davidovich Landau, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
- 1909 - Ann Sothern, American actress (d. 2001)
- 1909 - U Thant, Burmese United Nations Secretary General (d. 1974)
- 1911 - Bruno Kreisky, Chancellor of Austria (d. 1990)
- 1913 - Carl F. H. Henry, American theologian and publisher (d. 2003)
- 1915 - Heinrich Albertz, German theologian and politician (d. 1993)
- 1916 - Henri Dutilleux, French composer
- 1924 - J. J. Johnson, American jazz trombonist and composer (d. 2001)
- 1927 - Lou Creekmur, American football player
- 1931 - Sam Cooke, American singer (d. 1964)
- 1932 - Piper Laurie, American actress
- 1934 - Bill Bixby, American actor (d. 1993)
- 1935 - Seymour Cassel, American actor
- 1936 - Alan J. Heeger, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1936 - Joseph Wambaugh, American author
- 1937 - Edén Pastora Gómez, Nicaraguan rebel leader
- 1939 - Jeff Smith, American chef (d. 2004)
- 1940 - Addie "Micki" Harris, singer (Shirelles) (d. 1982)
- 1940 - John Hurt, English actor
- 1940 - George Seifert, American football coach
- 1946 - Serge Savard, Canadian hockey player
- 1949 - Steve Perry, American musician
- 1953 - Jim Jarmusch, American director
- 1954 - Chris Lemmon, American actor
- 1954 - Peter Pilz, Austrian politician
- 1956 - John Wesley Shipp, American actor
- 1957 - Mike Bossy, Canadian hockey player
- 1959 - Linda Blair, American actress
- 1960 - Michael Hutchence, Australian musician (INXS) (d. 1997)
- 1965 - DJ Jazzy Jeff, American rapper and actor
- 1965 - Diane Lane, American actress
- 1965 - Andrew Roachford, English singer and songwriter
- 1967 - Olivia d'Abo, English actress
- 1968 - Frank Lebœuf, French footballer
- 1972 - Gabriel Macht, American actor
- 1975 - Balthazar Getty, American actor
- 1977 - Hidetoshi Nakata, Japanese footballer
- 1978 - Chone Figgins, baseball player
- 1980 - Christopher Masterson, American actor
- 1980 - Ben Moody, American guitarist (Evanescence)
- 1981 - Chantelle Anderson, American basketball player
- 1981 - Willa Ford, American singer
- 1981 - Beverley Mitchell, American actress
- 1983 - Shaun Cody, American football player
- 1985 - Mohamed Sissoko, Malian footballer

Deaths


- 1536 - Bernhard Knipperdolling, German religious leader
- 1599 - Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian composer (b. 1547)
- 1666 - Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor of India (b. 1592)
- 1750 - Franz Xaver Josef von Unertl, Bavarian politician (b. 1675)
- 1763 - John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English statesman (b. 1690)
- 1767 - Johann Gottlob Lehmann, German minterologist and geologist (b. 1719)
- 1779 - Jeremiah Dixon, English surveyor and astronomer (b. 1733)
- 1779 - Claudius Smith, American Revolutionary War loyalist (b. 1736)
- 1840 - Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German anthropologist (b. 1752)
- 1892 - Joseph Philo Bradley, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1813)
- 1901 - Queen Victoria I of the United Kingdom (b. 1819)
- 1921 - Captain George Streeter, American riverboat captain and circus owner (b. 1837)
- 1922 - Fredrik Bajer, Danish politician and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1837)
- 1922 - Pope Benedict XV (b. 1854)
- 1945 - Else Lasker-Schuler, German-born poet (b. 1869)
- 1950 - Alan Hale, Sr., American actor (b. 1892)
- 1959 - Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (b. 1929)
- 1968 - Duke Kahanamoku, American swimmer (b. 1890)
- 1973 - Lyndon B. Johnson, President of the United States (b. 1908)
- 1975 - Andrew George Burry, Swiss-born manufacturer and businessman (b. 1873)
- 1978 - Oliver Leese, British World War II general (b. 1894)
- 1978 - Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer (b. 1894)
- 1987 - R. Budd Dwyer, American politician (b. 1939)
- 1988 - Parker Fennelly, American comedian and actor (b. 1891)
- 1993 - Abe Kobo, Japanese writer (b. 1924)
- 1994 - Telly Savalas, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2000 - Craig Claiborne, American writer and editor (b. 1920)
- 2001 - Tommie Agee, baseball player (b. 1942)
- 2003 - Bill Mauldin, American World War II cartoonist (b. 1921)
- 2004 - Billy May, American composer and musician (b. 1916)
- 2004 - Ann Miller, American actress and dancer (b. 1923)
- 2005 - César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (b. 1943)
- 2005 - Carlo Orelli, last surviving Italian veteran of World War I (b. 1894)
- 2005 - Consuelo Velázquez, Mexican songwriter (b. 1924)
- 2005 - Rose Mary Woods, American Watergate scandal figure (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances


- Catholicism - Feast day of St. Vincent.
- New Zealand - Wellington Anniversary

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/22 BBC: On This Day] ---- January 21 - January 23 - December 22 - February 22 — listing of all days ko:1월 22일 ms:22 Januari ja:1月22日 simple:January 22 th:22 มกราคม

Cruiser

Cruiser may refer to one of the following:
- A Navy Cruiser
- A type of motorcycle, see motorcycle.
- A cruiser bicycle.
- A Police cruiser.

Operation Shingle

Operation Shingle (January 22, 1944), during the Italian Campaign of World War II, was an Allied amphibious landing against Axis forces in the area of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. The operation was commanded by Major General John P. Lucas and was intended to outflank German forces of the Winter Line and enable an attack on Rome. The resulting combat is commonly called the Battle of Anzio.

Introduction

At the end of 1943, following the Allied invasion of Italy Allied forces were bogged down at the Winter Line, a defensive line across Italy south of the psychologically important objective of Rome. The terrain of central Italy had proved ideally suited to defence, and Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring had proved more than able in exploiting it. A number of Allied proposals were made to break the stalemate, but Winston Churchill's idea for "Operation Shingle" was accepted by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. A major attack in the South by U.S. Fifth Army and the British Eighth Army would draw Germany's depleted forces away from the areas around Rome, and from the hills between Rome and the coast. This would make possible a surprise landing by the U.S. VI Corps under the command of Maj. Gen. Lucas in the Anzio/Nettuno area, and a rapid advance into the Alban Hills to cut German communications and "threaten the rear of the German XIV Corps".

The Plan

Planners argued that if Kesselring (in charge of German forces in Italy) pulled troops out of the Gustav Line to defend against the Allied assault, then Allied forces would be able to break through the line; the planners felt that if Kesselring did not pull troops out of the Gustav Line, then Operation Shingle would threaten to capture Rome and cut off the German units defending the Gustav Line. Should Germany have adequate reinforcements available to defend both Rome and the Gustav Line, the Allies felt that the operation would be a success in engaging forces which could otherwise be committed on another front. The operation was disbanded on December 18, 1943, however, it was later reselected and executed. Lucas did not have full confidence in his superiors or the operational plan. A few days prior to the attack, he wrote in his diary, "Unless we can get what we want, the operation becomes such a desperate undertaking that it should not, in my opinion, be attempted." and "[The operation] had a strong odor of Gallipoli and apparently the same amateur was still on the coach's bench." The 'amateur' can only have referred to Winston Churchill, architect of the disastrous Gallipoli landings of World War I, and personal advocate of Shingle.

Availability of Naval forces

One of the problems with the plan was the availability of landing ships. The American commanders in particular were determined that nothing should delay the Normandy invasion and the supporting landings in southern France (Operation Dragoon). Operation Shingle would require the use of landing ships necessary for these operations. Initially Shingle was to release these assets by January 15. However, this being deemed problematic, President Roosevelt granted permission for the craft to remain until February 5. Only enough Tank Landing Ships (LSTs) to land a single division were initially available to Shingle. Later, at Churchill's personal insistence, enough were made available to land two divisions. Allied intelligence thought that five or six German divisions were in the area.

Allied Force Composition

Allied forces in this attack consisted of 5 cruisers, 24 destroyers, 238 landing craft, 62+ other ships, 40,000 soldiers, and 5,000+ vehicles. The attack consisted of three groups:

British Force

This force attacked the coast 10 km north of Anzio.
- 1st Division
- 46th Royal Tank Regiment
- 2 Special Service Brigade (partial)
  - No.9 Commando
  - No.43 Commando (RM)

Northwestern US Force

This force attacked the port of Anzio. There had been plans to use the 504th Parachute Infantry Battalion in an airborne attack north of Anzio, however these plans were scrapped.
- 1st Ranger Battalion
- 3rd Ranger Battalion
- 4th Ranger Battalion
- 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion (PIB)
- 83rd Chemical Battalion
- 93rd Evacuation Hospital

Southwestern US Force

This force attacked the coast 6 km east of Anzio.
- 3rd Infantry Division

The Southern Attack

The Fifth Army's attack on the Gustav Line began on 16 January 1944 at Monte Cassino. Although the operation failed to capture its target, it did succeed in part in its primary objective. General Heinrich von Vietinghoff, commanding the Gustav Line, called for reinforcements, and Kesselring transferred the 29th and 90th Panzergrenadier Divisions from Rome. For more details of this actions see Gustav Line.

Initial Landings

The landings began on January 22 1944. Although resistance had been expected, as seen at Salerno during 1943, the initial landings were essentially unopposed, with the exception of Luftwaffe strafing runs. By midnight, 36,000 soldiers and 3,200 vehicles had landed on the beaches. 13 Allied troops were killed, and 97 wounded; about 200 Germans had been taken as POWs. The 1st Division penetrated 3 km inland, the Rangers captured Anzio's port, the 509th PIB captured Nettuno, and the 3rd Division penetrated 5 km inland.

After the landings

It is clear that Lucas's superiors expected some kind of offensive action from him, possibly even an assault on Rome. The point of the invasion was to either divert German strength from the Winter Line, or take advantage of German weakness in the rear areas. However what Lucas actually did was to pour more men and material into his tiny bridgehead, and to strengthen the defences. Winston Churchill was uncontestably displeased with this action. "I had hoped we were hurling a wildcat into the shore, but all we got was a stranded whale." he said. Lucas decision remains a controversial one. John Keegan considers that "Had Lucas risked rushing at Rome the first day, his spearheads would probably have arrived, though they would have soon been crushed. Nevertheless he might have 'staked out claims well inland'". We have already seen that Lucas did not have confidence in the strategic planning of the operation. Also his order from Clark told him to "land, secure the beachhead and advance". With two divisions landed, and facing two or three times that many Germans, it would not have been unreasonable for Lucas to consider the beachhead insecure. Again according to Keegan, Lucas's actions "achieved the worst of both worlds, exposing his forces to risk without imposing any on the enemy". Lucas was relieved of his command on 23 February, to be replaced by General Lucian Truscott.

Kesselring's Response

Kesselring was informed of the landings at 03:00, on the 22nd. At 05:00 he ordered the 4th Fallschirmjäger and replacement units of the Hermann Göring Division to defend the roads leading from Anzio to the Alban Hills. In addition he requested that OKW send reinforcements from France, Yugoslavia, and Germany. Later that morning he would order Generaloberst Eberhard von Mackensen (14th Armee) and Gen. von Vietinghoff (10th Armee - Gustav Line) to send him additional reinforcements. The German units in the immediate vicinity had in fact been dispatched to reinforce the Gustav Line only a few days earlier. All available reserves from the southern front or on their way to it were rushed toward Anzio; these included the 3rd Panzer Grenadier and 71st Infantry Divisions, and the bulk of the Hermann Goering Panzer Division. Kesselring initially considered that a successful defense could not be made if the Allies launched a major attack on the 23rd or 24th. However by the end of the 22nd the lack of aggressive action convinced him that a defense could be made. Fourteenth Army, commanded by Gen. von Mackensen, assumed control of the defense on 25 January. Elements of eight German divisions were employed in the defense line around the beachhead, and five more divisions were on their way to the Anzio area. Kesselring ordered an attack on the beachhead for 28 January, though it was postponed to 1 February. Lucas initiated a 2-pronged attack on 30 January. While one force cut Highway 7 at Cisterna before moving east into the Alban Hills, a second was to advance northeast up the Albano Road.

Battles of Operation Shingle


- Battle of Cisterna

See also


- Barbara Line
- Bernhardt Line
- Operation Chettyford
- Gustav Line
- When The Tigers Broke Free (a song referring to the incident)

External links


- [http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/gedefarea/index.html U.S. report on German Defense Area on the Anzio Front]
- [http://www.militaryimages.net/ MilitaryImages.Net Images and Discussion Anzio] Shingle The author William Woodruff, who fought in the battle, published "The Battle for Anzio" in the Joint Force Quarterly (JFQ), Summer 1995.
- http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/jfq_pubs/1308.pdf

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy, also known as West Point, or simply USMA, is a U.S. service academy and former Army fort. Established in 1802, it is the oldest military academy in the United States. Its graduates are known as "The Long Gray Line" because of the color of cadet uniforms. The Academy is located at West Point, New York, on a scenic overlook of the Hudson River, about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. Occupying over 16,000 acres (65 km²), it is one of the largest school campuses in the world. Its unique combination of facilities include a ski slope, a small nuclear reactor, and an artillery range, in addition to the academic buildings and sports facilities found on a typical university campus. The post itself was first occupied in 1778, and it is thus the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States.

Overview

1778 The mission of the Academy is "to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army." Graduates are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree and commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army. They must serve a minimum of five years on active duty followed by three years in the reserves.

Rank

Unlike virtually all other bachelor-degree granting institutions in the U.S. (but like the other military academies), the Academy does not refer to its students as freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors; they are instead officially called "fourth class," "third class," "second class," and "first class." Colloquially, freshmen are "plebes"; sophomores, "yearlings" or "yuks"; juniors, "cows"; seniors, "firsties." Most cadets consider plebe year to be the most difficult because of the transition from civilian to cadet. However, the