Home About us Products Services Contact us Bookmark
:: wikimiki.org ::
Operation Shingle

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

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

1944

1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar).

Events

World War II

January


- January 4 - The Battle of Monte Cassino begins.
- January 5 - Murder of Danish playwright Kaj Munk.
- January 14 - The Soviet troops start the offensive at Leningrad and Novgorod.
- January 17 - British forces, in Italy, cross the Garigliano River.
- January 17 - Meat Rationing ends in Australia.
- January 20 - The Royal Air Force drops 2,300 tons of bombs on Berlin. The U.S. Army 36th Infantry Division, in Italy, attempts to cross the Rapido River.
- January 22 - Allies begin Operation Shingle, the assault on Anzio, Italy. The U.S. Army 45th Infantry Division stand their ground at Anzio against violent assaults for 4 months.
- January 27 - The two year Siege of Leningrad is lifted.
- January 29 - The Battle of Cisterna takes place.
- January 30 - United States troops invade Majuro, Marshall Islands.
- January 31 - American forces land on Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.

February


- February 1 - United States troops land in the Marshall Islands.
- February 3 - United States troops capture the Marshall Islands.
- February 7 - In Anzio, Italian forces launch a counteroffensive.
- February 14 - Anti-Japanese revolt on Java.
- February 15 - Battle of Monte Cassino - the monastery atop Monte Cassino is destroyed by Allied bombing.
- February 17 - Battle of Eniwetok Atoll begins. The battle ended in an American victory on February 22.
- February 20 - "Big Week" begins with American bomber raids on German aircraft manufacturing centers.
- February 20 - The United States takes Eniwetok Island.
- February 29 - The Admiralty Islands are invaded in the American General Douglas MacArthur-led Operation Brewer.

March


- March - The Japanese launch an offensive in central and south China.
- March 1 - USS Tarawa and USS Kearsarge laid down.
- March 1 - Anti-fascist strike in northern Italy.
- March 2 - Train stalls inside a railway tunnel outside Salerno, Italy - 426 choke to death
- March 3 - The Order of Nakhimov and the Order of Ushakov were instituted in USSR
- March 10 - In Britain the Education Act lifts the ban on women teachers marrying.
- March 12 - The Creation of the politic Committee of national liberation in Greece.
- March 15 - Battle of Monte Cassino - Allied aircraft bomb German-held monastery and stage an assault.
- March 15 - The National Counsil of the French Resistance approves the Resistance programme.
- March 17 - The hitlerists assassinate at Rîbniţa almost 400 prisoners, Soviet citizens and anti-fascist Romanians.
- March 18 - German forces occupy Hungary.
- March 20 - RAF Flight Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade's bomber is hit over Germany and he has to bail out without a parachute from the height of over 4000 meters. Tree branches interrupt his fall and he lands safely on deep snow

May


- May 5 - Mohandas Gandhi released in India.
- May 9 - Soviet troops liberate Sevastopol.
- May 12 - Soviet troops finalize the liberation of Crimea.
- May 18 - Battle of Monte Cassino - Germans evacuate Monte Cassino and Allied forces take the stronghold after a struggle that claimed 20,000 lives.
- May 18 - Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.

June

Soviet Union].
- June 2 - The provisional French government is established.
- June 4 - A hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captures the German submarine U-505, marking the first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the 19th century.
- June 4 - American, English and French troops enter Rome.
- June 5 - Rome falls to the Allies. It is the first capital of an Axis nation to fall.
- June 5 - More than 1000 British bombers drop 5000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries on the Normandy coast in preparation for D-Day.
- June 6 - Battle of Normandy begins - Operation Overlord, code named D-Day, commences with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France. The allied soldiers quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland in the largest amphibious military operation in history.
- June 9 - Stalin launches an offensive against Finland with the intent of defeating Finland before pushing for Berlin.
- June 10 - 642 men, women and children are killed in the Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre in France.
- June 13 - Germany launches a V1 Flying Bomb attack on England.
- June 15 - Battle of Saipan: The United States invades Saipan.
- June 17 - The proclamation of the Republic of Iceland.
- June 22 - Operation Bagration: General attack by Soviet forces to clear the German forces from Belarus which resulted in the destruction of the German Army Group Centre, possibly the greatest defeat of the Wehrmacht during WWII.
- June 25 - The Battle of Tali-Ihantala between Finnish and Soviet troops begins. Largest battle ever to be fought in the Nordic countries.
- June 26 - American troops enter Cherbourg.

July


- July 3 - Soviet troops liberate Minsk.
- July 9 - British and Canadian forces capture Caen.
- July 10 - Soviet troops start the operations for freeing the Baltic countries.
- July 13 - Liberation of Vilnius.
- July 17 - The largest convoy of the war embarks from Halifax, Nova Scotia under Royal Canadian Navy protection.
- July 17 - SS E.A.Bryan, loaded with ammunition, explodes in the Port Chicago naval base - 320 dead
- July 18 - Hideki Tojo resigns as Prime Minister of Japan due to numerous setbacks in the war effort.
- July 20 - Adolf Hitler survives an assassination attempt. See Claus von Stauffenberg
- July 21 - Battle of Guam - American troops land on Guam starting the battle (ends on August 10).
- July 21 - The creation of the Polish Committee for national liberation.
- July 25 - Operation Spring - One of the bloodiest days for Canadians during the war: 18,444 casualties, including 5,021 killed.

August


- August 1 - Warsaw Uprising begins.
- August 2 - Turkey ends diplomatic and economic relations with Germany.
- August 7 - IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I).
- August 12 - Allies capture Florence, Italy.
- August 12 - World's first undersea oil pipeline laid, between England and France in Operation Pluto
- August 15 - Operation Dragoon lands Allies in southern France. U.S. Army 45th Infantry Division participates in its fourth assault landing at St. Maxime, spearheading the drive for the Belfort Gap.
- August 19 - (August 25) Victorious insurrection in Paris.
- August 23 - Ion Antonescu, prime minister of Romania, is arrested and a new government is established. Romania exits the war against Russia joining the Allies.
- August 24 - Allies enter Paris.
- August 25 - Hungary decides to continue the war together with Germany.
- August 29 - Slovak National Uprising begins

September


- September 1 - In Bulgaria, the Bagrianov government resigns.
- September 2 - Holocaust: Diarist Anne Frank and her family are placed on the last transport train from Westerbork to Auschwitz. They arrive three days later.
- September 3 - Allies liberate Brussels.
- September 4 - The British 11th Armored Division liberates the city of Antwerp in Belgium.
- September 4 - Finland breaks off relations with Germany.
- September 5 - The Soviets declare war on Bulgaria.
- September 7 - The Belgian government returns from exile in Britain.
- September 8 - London is hit by a V2 rocket for the first time.
- September 8 - The French town of Menton is liberated from Germany.
- September 9 - Insurrection in Sofia.
- September 11 - Northern and southern France invasion forces link up near Dijon.
- September 17 - Operation Market Garden begins.
- September 19 - Armistice between Finland and Soviet Union signed. (End of the Continuation War)
- September 24 - The U.S. Army 45th Infantry Division takes the strongly defended city of Epinal before crossing the Moselle River and entering the western foothills of the Vosges.
- September 26 - Operation Market Garden ends in an Allied withdrawal.

October


- October 2 - Warsaw Uprising ends.
- October 5 - Canadian Air Force pilots shoot down the first German jet fighter over France.
- October 9 - British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin begin a nine-day conference in Moscow to discuss the future of Europe.
- October 12 - The Allies land at Athens.
- October 13 - Riga, the capital of Latvia is liberated by the Red Army.
- October 14 - German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel committed suicide rather than face execution for allegedly conspiring against Adolf Hitler.
- October 18 - Volkssturm founded on Hitler's orders.
- October 20 - Belgrade is liberated by Yugoslav Partisans and the Red Army.
- October 20 - LNG explosion destroys a square mile (2.6 km²) of Cleveland, Ohio
- October 21 - Aachen is the first German city to fall.
- October 23 - Naval Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines begins (lasts until October 26).
- October 25 - Florence Foster Jenkins recital in the Carnegie Hall
- October 25 - Red Army liberates Kirkenes, the first town in Norway to be liberated from German occupation.
- October 31 - Mass murderer Marcel Petiot is apprehended in Paris metro station

November-December


- November 6 - Two Lehi assassins kill Lord Moyne in Cairo
- November 12 - East Turkestan Republic declared
- November 12 - The Royal Air Force carries out one of the most successful precision bombing attacks of the war, sinking the German battleship Tirpitz off the coast of Norway.
- November 19 - US President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces the 6th War Loan Drive, aimed at selling US$14 billion in war bonds to help pay for the war effort.
- November 24 - Bombing of Tokyo - The first bombing raid against the Japanese capital of Tokyo from the east and by land was made by 88 American aircraft.
- November 25 - A German V-2 rocket hits a Woolworth's store in Deptford, killing 160 shoppers.
- November 26 - Gas chambers at Auschwitz and Stutthof are destroyed.
- November 29 - Albania is liberated from German occupation.
- December 16 - Germany begins the Ardennes offensive, later to become known as Battle of the Bulge.
- December 16 - General George C. Marshall becomes the first Five-Star General
- December 17 - German troops carry out the Malmédy massacre.
- December 24 - The Bulge reaches its deepest point at Celles.
- December 26 - American troops repulse German forces at Bastogne.
- December 31 - Hungary declares war on Germany

Other events

January-July


- January 5 - The Daily Mail becomes the first transoceanic newspaper.
- February 26 - - Shooting begins of the Nazi propaganda film, "The Fuehrer Gives a Village to the Jews" in Theresienstadt.
- March 1 - USS Tarawa laid down
- March 4 - In Ossining, New York, Louis Buchalter, the leader of 1930s crime syndicate Murder, Inc., is executed at Sing Sing.
- March 24 - In the Polish village of Markowa, German police kill Józef and Wiktoria Ulm, their six children and eight Jewish people they were hiding.
- April 25 - The United Negro College Fund is incorporated.
- May 30 - Princess Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet Grimaldi of Monaco, heir to the throne resigns from her rights in favor of her son Prince Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi, later reigning Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
- June 17 - Iceland declares full independence from Denmark.
- July 1 - Start of the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.
- July 6 - A fire broke out during a performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus in Hartford, Connecticut, resulting in the deaths of 168 people, most of them children. See Hartford Circus Fire
- July 17 - Port Chicago disaster: Near the San Francisco Bay, two ships laden with ammunition for the war explode in Port Chicago, California killing 232.
- July 22 - End of Bretton Woods conference and signing of Agreements.

August-November


- August 4 - Holocaust: A tip from a Dutch informer leads the Gestapo to a sealed-off area in an Amsterdam warehouse where they find Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family.
- August 5 - Holocaust: Polish insurgents liberate a German labor camp in Warsaw, freeing 348 Jewish prisoners.
- August 7 - IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I).
- August 9 - The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey the Bear for the first time.
- September 2 - Holocaust: Diarist Anne Frank and her family are placed on the last transport train from Westerbork to Auschwitz. They arrive three days later.
- October 2 - Holocaust: Nazi troops end the Warsaw Uprising.
- October 8 - The radio show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet debuts.
- October 10 - Holocaust: 800 Gypsy children are systematically murdered at Auschwitz death camp
- November 7 - U.S. presidential election, 1944: Franklin D. Roosevelt wins reelection over Republican challenger Thomas E. Dewey to become the only U.S. president to be elected to a fourth term.
- November 22 - William Lyon Mackenzie King introduces conscription in Canada (see Conscription Crisis of 1944).

December


- December 3 - Civil war breaks out in a newly-liberated Greece, between Communists and royalists.
- December 1 - Edward Stettinius Jr. becomes becomes the last United States Secretary of State of the Roosevelt administration, by filling the seat left by the Cordell Hull.
- December 26 - The play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams was first publicly performed.
- December 30 - King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving his throne vacant.

Unknown dates


- In Sweden, the law of 1864 that criminalizes homosexuality is abolished.
- Swedish author of children's books Astrid Lindgren publishes her first book Pippi Longstocking.
- In Sweden, Erik Wallenberg and Ruben Rausing invent a way to package milk in paper and start the company Tetra Pak.
- Barbados General election - Grantley Adams, black lawyer, first majority party leader in the House of Assembly, as leader of Barbados Labour Party
- Hans Asperger publishes his paper on Asperger's Syndrome
- The Mad Gasser of Mattoon carries out a series of mysterious attacks in Mattoon, Illinois.
- National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence established.

Ongoing events


- Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- Second World War (1939-1945)

Births

For more 1944 births see :Category:1944 births

January


- January 2 - Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Cambodian politician
- January 6 - Bonnie Franklin, American actress
- January 6 - Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- January 9 - Jimmy Page, English guitarist (Led Zeppelin)
- January 12 - Joe Frazier, American boxer
- January 17 - Françoise Hardy, French singer
- January 18 - Paul Keating, twenty-fourth Prime Minister of Australia
- January 23 - Rutger Hauer, Dutch actor
- January 24 - Neil Diamond, American singer
- January 26 - Angela Davis, American feminist and activist
- January 27 - Mairead Corrigan, Irish activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- January 27 - Nick Mason, English drummer (Pink Floyd)

February


- February 3 - Dave Davies, British musician (The Kinks)
- February 5 - Al Kooper, American musician (Blood, Sweat, and Tears)
- February 5 - Michael Mann, American film, director, writer, producer
- February 9 - Alice Walker, American writer
- February 10 - Vernor Vinge, American writer
- February 11 - Michael G. Oxley, American politician
- February 13 - Stockard Channing, American actress
- February 13 - Jerry Springer, English-born television host
- February 14 - Carl Bernstein, American journalist
- February 14 - Alan Parker, English-born film director, actor, and writer
- February 16 - Richard Ford, American writer
- February 17 - Karl Jenkins, Welsh composer
- February 20 - Willem van Hanegem, Dutch football player and coach
- February 22 - Jonathan Demme, American film director, producer, and writer
- February 22 - Tom Okker, Dutch tennis player
- February 23 - Johnny Winter, American musician
- February 24 - Nicky Hopkins, British musician (d. 1994)
- February 28 - Sepp Maier, German footballer

March


- March 1 - John Breaux, U.S. Senator from Louisiana
- March 1 - Roger Daltrey, English musician (The Who)
- March 2 - Uschi Glas, German actress
- March 6 - Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand soprano
- March 11 - Don MacLean, British comedian
- March 15 - Sly Stone, American singer
- March 17 - John Sebastian, American singer and songwriter (The Lovin' Spoonful)
- March 19 - Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize
- March 19 - Sirhan Sirhan, Palestinian assassin of Robert F. Kennedy
- March 24 - R. Lee Ermey, U.S. Marine and actor
- March 26 - Diana Ross, American singer
- March 28 - Rick Barry, American basketball player
- March 29 - Denny McLain, baseball player

April


- April 3 - Tony Orlando, American musician
- April 4 - Craig T. Nelson, American actor
- April 6 - Felicity Palmer, English soprano
- April 7 - Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor of Germany
- April 8 - Odd Nerdrum, Norwegian painter
- April 11 - John Milius, American film director, producer, and screenwriter
- April 19 - James Heckman, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- April 22 - Steve Fossett, American millionaire adventurer
- April 28 - Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe, Belgian politician
- April 29 - Richard Kline, American actor and television director
- April 30 - Jill Clayburgh, American actress

May


- May 1 - Suresh Kalmadi, Indian politician
- May 5 - John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor
- May 8 - Gary Glitter, English singer
- May 9 - Richie Furay, American musician (Poco and Buffalo Springfield)
- May 10 - Jim Abrahams, American film director
- May 13 - Armistead Maupin, American author
- May 12 - Sara Kestelman, British actor
- May 14 - George Lucas, American film director and producer
- May 20 - Joe Cocker, British singer
- May 20 - Boudewijn de Groot, Dutch singer
- May 20 - Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman
- May 21 - Mary Robinson, President of Ireland
- May 25 - Frank Oz, English puppeteer and film director
- May 28 - Rudy Giuliani, Mayor of New York City
- May 28 - Gladys Knight, American singer
- May 30 - Meredith MacRae, American actress (d. 2000)

June-October


- June 3 - Edith McGuire, American sprinter
- June 5 - Tommie Smith, American athlete
- June 6 - Phillip Allen Sharp, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- June 8 - Mark Belanger, baseball player (d. 1998)
- June 24 - Jeff Beck, British musician
- June 29 - Gary Busey, American actor
- June 30 - Raymond Moody, parapsychologist
- July 13 - Ernő Rubik, Hungarian inventor
- July 17 - Mark Burgess, New Zealand cricket captains
- July 21 - Tony Scott, English film director
- July 21 - Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator from Minnesota (d. 2002)
- July 27 - Tony Capstick, English comedian, actor, and musician (d. 2003)
- July 31 - Geraldine Chaplin, American actress
- July 31 - Robert Carhart Merton, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- August 2 - Jim Capaldi, British drummer, singer, and songwriter (Traffic) (d. 2005)
- August 4 - Richard Belzer, American actor and comedian
- August 8 - Brooke Bundy, American actress
- August 9 - Sam Elliott, American actor
- August 11 - Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor
- August 21 - Peter Weir, Australian film director
- August 23 - Saira Banu, Indian actress
- August 26- Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
- September 1 - Leonard Slatkin, American conductor
- September 2 - Al Matthews, American actor (d. 2002)
- September 7 - Earl Manigault, American basketball player (d. 1998)
- September 7 - Bora Milutinovic, Serbian football coach
- September 12 - Leonard Peltier, U.S. Presidential candidate
- September 12 - Barry White, American singer (d. 2003)
- September 21 - Hamilton Jordan, Carter's 1ST Chief of Staff
- September 22 - Frazer Hines, British actor
- September 25 - Michael Douglas, American actor
- September 26 - Anne Robinson, British television host
- October 9 - John Entwistle, English bassist (The Who) (d. 2002)
- October 9 - Nona Hendryx, singer (LaBelle)
- October 9 - Peter Tosh, Jamaican singer and musician (d. 1987)
- October 15 - David Trimble, Irish politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- October 28 - Dennis Franz, American actor
- October 28 - Ian Marter, British actor (d. 1986)

November-December


- November 1 - Rafik Bahaa Edine Hariri, Lebanese Prime Minister 1992 - 1998 (d. 2005).
- November 9 - Melvin Maskin, American teacher
- November 10 - Silvestre Reyes, American politician
- November 12 - Booker T. Jones, American musician, singer, and songwriter (Booker T. and the M.G.'s)
- November 12 - Al Michaels, American sportscaster
- November 17 - Danny DeVito, American actor
- November 17 - Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect
- November 17 - Lorne Michaels, American film producer
- November 17 - Tom Seaver, baseball player
- November 21 - Dick Durbin, American politician
- November 25 - Ben Stein, American law professor, actor, and author
- December 7 - Daniel Chorzempa, American organist
- December 17 - Jack L. Chalker, American novelist (d. 2005)
- December 21 - Michael Tilson Thomas, American conductor
- December 22 - Steve Carlton, baseball player
- December 23 - Wesley Clark, U.S. general and NATO Supreme Allied Commander
- December 25 - Jairzinho, Brazilian football player
- December 28 - Kary Mullis, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate

Deaths

For more 1944 deaths see :Category:1944 deaths

January-May


- January 1 - Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862)
- January 11 - Edgard Potier, Belgian spy (b. 1903)
- January 20 - James McKeen Cattell, American psychologist (b. 1860)
- January 31 - Jean Giraudoux, French writer (b. 1882)
- January 31 - William Allen White, American journalist (b. 1868)
- February 1 - Piet Mondriaan, Dutch painter (b. 1872)
- February 4 - Yvette Guilbert, French singer and actress (b. 1867)
- February 11 - Carl Meinhof, German linguist (b. 1857)
- February 21 - Ferenc Szisz, Hungarian-born race car driver (b. 1873)
- February 23 - Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (b. 1863)
- March 5 - Max Jacob, French poet (b. 1876)
- March 22 - Pierre Brossolette, journalist and French Resistance fighter (b. 1903)
- March



Allies

When spelt with a capital A, Allies usually denotes the countries that fought together against the Central Powers in World War I and against the Axis Powers in World War II. :For more information, see the related articles: Allies of World War I and Allies of World War II.

Other uses

In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. In general English usage, those who share a common goal and whose work toward that goal is complementary may be viewed as allies for various purposes even when no explicit agreement has been worked out between them. Similarly, when the term is used in the context of war or armed struggle, a formal military alliance is not required for being perceived as an ally — co-belligerence, to fight alongside someone, is enough. According to this general usage, allies become allies not when concluding an alliance treaty but when struck by war. In the context of diversity politics, an ally has been defined as "a person of one social identity group who stands up in support of members of another group; typically a member of dominant group standing beside member(s) of a group being discriminated against or treated unjustly; e.g., a male arguing for equal pay for women." (This definition is adapted from one developed by the [http://www.asu.edu/provost/intergroup Arizona State University Intergroup Relations Center]). Yet another meaning of allies is found in the books of Carlos Castaneda, describing a race of non-human but human-appearing beings which inhabit the earth, and only infrequently interfere with human endeavors. Similar beings exist in various other fictional (and possible non-fiction) works including the book The Holy by author Daniel Quinn, in which one character refers to these beings as "you-whos". These beings may also be related or identical to descriptions of demons or nephilim. The term is generally used in the generic sense of "all who opposed the enemy". In addition, it is usually used in a strict dichotomy of them vs. us, reflecting wartime propaganda, with no account taken of nuances of countries that were occupied as neutrals, changed sides or participated in concurrent wars. In previous major European wars, e.g., those against the declarers of war Louis XIV of France, Louis XV of France, and Napoleon, the term coalition was used because these were not considered total wars, and the sovereign nations could enter and leave belligerency with diplomatic agreements with the enemy. Category:Diplomacy ko:연합국 ja:連合国

Anzio, Italy

:For the US naval vessel Anzio, an aircraft carrier, see USS Anzio (CVE-57). ---- Anzio (2003 pop. 36,400) is a city and resort on the coast of the Latium region of Italy, about 33 miles south of Rome. Well known for its beautiful seaside harbor setting, it is a fishing port popular with tourists and a departure point for a ferry and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene. The city bears great historical significance as the site of a crucial Allied landing during World War II.

Roman era

Called Antium in ancient times, it was the capital of the Volsci people until it was conquered by the Romans in the year 468 BC. The legends as to its foundation, and the accounts of its early relations with Rome, are untrustworthy; but Livy's account of wars between Antium and Rome, early in the 4th century BC, may perhaps be accepted. Antium is named with Ardea, Laurentum and Circeii, as under Roman protection, in the treaty with Carthage in 348 BC. The patrician Coriolanus was exiled to Antium (where Shakespeare sets several scenes in his tragedy), and at Antium found himself at the head of the Volscian forces (341). After the last unsuccessful revolt, it was razed and colonized in 338 BC]; the beaks (rostra) of the six captured Antiane ships decorated the orators' tribune in the Roman forum that became known because of their presence as the tribuna rostrata. During the Social War, Antium took the side of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, and so was sacked by the troops of Gaius Marius, in 87 BC. Afterwards, at the end of the Roman republic, Antium became a preferred maritime resort of the wealthy patrician Romans, just within reach of a day's travel, just far enough to be insulated from the riots and tumults of Rome. When Cicero returned from exile, it was at Antium that he reassembled the battered remains of his libraries, where the scrolls would be secure. Leading Romans built magnificent seaside villas. The Julian and Claudian emperors frequently visited it: Mecenus had a villa at Antium; both Emperor Caligula and Nero were born in Antium; the latter founded a colony of veterans and built a new harbour, the projecting moles of which are still extant. Remains of Roman villas are conspicuous all along the shore, both to the east and to the north-west of the town. Many works of art have been found: the Fanciulla d'Anzio, the Borghese Gladiator (Louvre Museum) and the Apollo Belvedere in the Vatican were all discovered in the ruins of villas at Antium. Of the villas, the most famous was the Villa of Nero at Antium which cannot be certainly identified, but is generally placed at the so-called Arco Muto, where remains of a theatre (discovered in 1712 and covered up again) also exist. It extended along the coast of the Capo d'Anzio some 800 meters of seafront. Nero razed the former villa on the site, where Augustus had received a delegation from Rome to acclaim him Pater patriae ("Father of his Country") to rebuild on its foundations a villa on a more imperial scale, which was used by each Emperor in turn, up to the Severans. Of the famous temple of Fortune (Horace, Od. i. 35) no remains are known. In the middle ages Antium was deserted in favour of Nettuno: at the end of the 17th century Innocent XII. and Clement XI. restored the harbour, not on the old site but to the east of it, with the opening to the east, a mistake which leads to its being frequently silted up; it has a depth of about 15 feet. The sea is encroaching slightly at Anzio, but some miles farther north-west the old Roman coast-line now lies slightly inland (see Tiber). The Volscian city stood on higher ground and somewhat away from the shore, though it extended down to it. It was defended by a deep ditch, which can still be traced, and by walls, a portion of which, on the eastern side, constructed of rectangular blocks of tufa, was brought to light in 1897. The modern place is a summer resort and has several villas, among them the Villa Borghese.

World War II

Anzio is also notable as the site of an Allied forces landing (Operation Shingle) and ensuing four-month battle during World War II. The Commonwealth Anzio War Cemetery and Beach Head War Cemetery are located here. Finally, the battle of Anzio is depicted in the film of Pink Floyd's The Wall and the newly-remastered version of The Final Cut, in the song When the Tigers Broke Free; the father of Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters died there in the battle.

References


- A. Nibby, Dintorni di Roma, i. 181; Notizie degli scavi, passim.
-

External links


- [http://www.comune.anzio.roma.it/ Anzio city homepage (in Italian)]
- [http://spazioinwind.libero.it/popoli_antichi/altro/Antium.html Nero's Villa] (in Italiano; illustrated reconstruction of the villa) Category:Roman sites of the Lazio Category:Towns in the Lazio ja:アンツィオ



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 se