This Day in WWII 11-29-1939 - 1945

[Donster]

1939: After being attacked by Spitfires of Nos. 602 and 603 Sqns over Lothian in Scotland, an He 111 bomber becomes the first German aircraft to be shot down over the UK.

1939: Soviet planes bomb an airfield at Helsinki, Finland.

1939: The USSR forces Soviet citizenship on all residents of Polish territory under their control.

1940: British and New Zealand troops under General Freyberg occupy the whole of the Greek island of Crete in the Mediterranean.

1940: German High Command issues draft plan for invasion of Russia.

1941: A No. 502 Sqn Whitley makes the first successful attack by a Coastal Command aircraft on a German U-boat. Flying alone, and using ASV radar, the aircraft sinks U-206 in the Bay of Biscay.

1941: Depleted by continuous savage fighting, blizzards and sub-zero temperatures, Army Group Centre's offensive begins to grind to a halt as German units find it increasingly difficult to make ground. The Russians launch a counter-attack at Rostov-on-Don, forcing the German to evacuate the city and withdraw west towards the river Mius.

1942: Coffee rationing begins in the United States; in fact, almost none is available. Word of the upcoming measure has leaked out and prompted a run on grocery stores.

1942: Prime Minister Churchill warns the Italian government that RAF bombing of Italian cities will continue until Italy abandons the war.

1942: British paratroops drop south of Tunis.

1943: The Australians chase the retreating Japanese towards Wareo in New Guinea.

1944: Russian troops cross Danube into southwest Hungary, making large gains.

1945: Films of concentration camp atrocities are shown at the Nuremberg trials.

[Red]

1943: The Australians chase the retreating Japanese towards Wareo in New Guinea.

[Canuck]