Today in the Second World War

Welcome to today’s edition of the Hidden History Newsletter! April 19th marks the anniversary of several significant events from the war, including the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the first engagement between British and German troops in Norway, a major attack on Japanese positions on Okinawa, and more. Join us as we explore these events and gain insights into their historical significance.

"It was so savage. We were savages. [...] We had all become hardened. We were out there, human beings, the most highly developed form of life on earth, fighting each other like wild animals." - Eugene Sledge, USMC

The Brits Get Busy in Norway

The Norwegian Campaign began on April 9th, 1940, when German forces launched a surprise invasion of Norway. The invasion was part of Adolf Hitler's plan to secure German access to Swedish iron ore and to establish naval bases along the Norwegian coast. The Norwegian government and military were caught off guard by the invasion, and initial resistance was weak.

However, as the campaign progressed, Norwegian and Allied forces began to mount a stronger defense against the Germans. The first engagement between British and German troops occurred on April 19th, when the British 146th Brigade and Norwegian troops clashed with troops of the German 138th Gebirgsjäger Regiment at Verdal. The fighting was intense and casualties were high on both sides.

Later that same day, 45 German paratroopers surrendered to Norwegian forces at Dombås. This was a significant victory for the Norwegian resistance, as it demonstrated that the Germans were not invincible and that resistance was possible.

Norwegian General Ruge convinced British Brigadier Morgan to lead the British 148th Brigade in an effort to block the German advance from Oslo. The British troops were transported by sea to the town of Åndalsnes, where they began a difficult and dangerous march inland to link up with Norwegian forces. The march was complicated by harsh weather conditions and difficult terrain, but the troops persevered and eventually succeeded in blocking the German advance.

Overnight on April 19th, three battalions of French mountain troops arrived at Namsos, Norway, but they were not fully equipped for mountain warfare. They were missing their skis, mules, and anti-aircraft weapons, which made their task more difficult. However, their arrival still provided a significant boost to the Allied forces, as they provided additional manpower and expertise in mountain warfare.

The Norwegian Campaign continued for several weeks, with Allied forces fighting to push back the German invasion and gain control of the country. The campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, as the Germans were able to maintain control of Norway and establish naval bases along the Norwegian coast. However, the campaign was an important early test for the Allied forces and provided valuable experience for future operations in the war.

Commandos in Action

The amphibious raid on Bardia, Libya by 450 British commandos on April 19th, 1941, was part of a wider campaign in North Africa aimed at disrupting Axis supply lines and weakening their position in the region. The commandos were transported by Royal Navy destroyers and landed on the coast near Bardia under cover of darkness.

The raiders faced several challenges from the start, including rough seas and strong winds that caused some landing craft to drift off course. As a result, some of the commandos ended up landing on the wrong beach and were subsequently captured by Axis forces.

Despite these setbacks, the commandos pressed on with their mission. Their primary objective was to destroy an Italian supply dump and a coastal artillery battery that posed a threat to Allied naval operations in the area. They succeeded in their mission, destroying the targets and inflicting significant damage on the enemy.

However, the operation was not without its casualties. One commando was killed by friendly fire during the raid, and many others were wounded. The confusion caused by the rough seas and landing on the wrong beach also resulted in 67 commandos being captured by Axis forces. These prisoners were subsequently interrogated and some were used for propaganda purposes by the Axis powers.

Despite these setbacks, the raid was considered a success. The destruction of the supply dump and coastal artillery battery disrupted Axis supply lines and prevented them from using the area as a base for further operations. Most of the commandos were successfully evacuated after the raid, and the operation provided valuable experience for future amphibious operations in North Africa and elsewhere.

Poland Rises Up

April 19th is significant in relation to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which began on this date in 1943. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the first act of large-scale resistance by Jews against the Germans during World War II. The uprising occurred in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, which was established by the Germans after their invasion of Poland in 1939. The ghetto was a crowded, impoverished area where Jews were forced to live in terrible conditions, with limited access to food, water, and medical care.

In 1943, the Germans began deporting Jews from the ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp. In response, a group of Jewish fighters, led by the Jewish Combat Organization (ZOB) and the Jewish Military Union (ZZW), decided to take up arms and resist the deportations.

The uprising began on April 19th, when the Germans entered the ghetto to begin deporting the remaining Jews. The Jewish fighters, armed with a small number of weapons smuggled into the ghetto, attacked the Germans and managed to hold them off for several weeks. The Germans responded by bringing in more troops and heavy artillery, and by setting fire to many of the buildings in the ghetto.

In response, Jewish resistance fighters, who had been organizing and preparing for an uprising, launched an armed revolt against the Germans. The fighters were poorly equipped and outnumbered, but they were determined to resist and fight for their freedom.

The uprising began with the blowing of the shofar, a Jewish horn used in religious ceremonies, and the raising of the Jewish flag over the ghetto. The resistance fighters used a network of bunkers and tunnels to stage surprise attacks on German troops, and the fighting was fierce and brutal. The Waffen-SS used tanks and other heavy weapons to counter the uprising at the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland, killing and deporting at least 50,000 during the following 27 days.

Despite their bravery and determination, the resistance fighters were ultimately unable to hold out against the overwhelming firepower and numbers of the German forces, and the uprising was eventually crushed after 27 days of fighting on May 16th. The Germans razed the Warsaw Ghetto to the ground and sent most of the surviving Jews to concentration camps, where many of them were killed. A total of 13,000 Jews were killed, about half of them burnt alive or suffocated. German casualties were probably fewer than 150, with Stroop reporting 110 casualties [16 killed + 1 dead/93 wounded].

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising remains an important symbol of Jewish resistance and courage in the face of oppression and persecution, and is remembered as a key event of resistance in the history of the Holocaust.

Okinawa Heats Up

On April 19th, 1945, during the battle of Okinawa, there were several significant actions and engagements between the Allied forces and Japanese defenders. One of the most notable events was the capture of Kakazu Ridge by American forces.

Kakazu Ridge was a heavily fortified position that was held by the Japanese army. The American 383rd Infantry Regiment, part of the 96th Infantry Division, was tasked with taking the ridge. The Americans launched a fierce assault on the position, which was met with heavy resistance from the Japanese defenders.

Hodge launched a new offensive on 19 April with a barrage of 324 guns, the largest ever in the Pacific Ocean Theater. Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers joined the bombardment, which was followed by 650 Navy and Marine planes attacking the Japanese positions with napalm, rockets, bombs, and machine guns. The Japanese defenses were sited on reverse slopes, where the defenders waited out the artillery barrage and aerial attack in relative safety, emerging from the caves to rain mortar rounds and grenades upon the Americans advancing up the forward slope.

A tank assault to achieve breakthrough by outflanking Kakazu Ridge failed to link up with its infantry support attempting to cross the ridge and therefore failed with the loss of 22 tanks. Although flame tanks cleared many cave defenses, there was no breakthrough, and the XXIV Corps suffered 720 casualties. The losses might have been greater except for the fact that the Japanese had practically all of their infantry reserves tied up farther south, held there by another feint off the Minatoga beaches by the 2nd Marine Division that coincided with the attack.

However, the battle of Okinawa was far from over, and the fighting continued for several more weeks before the island was finally secured. The battle was marked by intense fighting, heavy casualties on both sides, and widespread destruction of the island's infrastructure and civilian population.

Photo of the Day

Doolittle raider Robert Hite in Japanese captivity, Japan, Apr 1942.

Thank you for joining us for today's edition of the Hidden History newsletter for April 19th. We hope you found our exploration of the significant events from the war informative and engaging.

As we reflect on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, we are reminded of the immense bravery and courage demonstrated by those who resisted the Nazis during the Holocaust. The uprising was a symbol of the human spirit's determination to fight against oppression and injustice, and it inspired other acts of resistance across Europe.

In North Africa, the amphibious raid by the British commandos in Bardia, Libya, was a critical moment in the Allied campaign to push back the Axis forces. The destruction of the Italian supply dump and coastal artillery battery was a significant setback for the Axis forces and helped pave the way for the eventual Allied victory in the North African theater.

Lastly, the major attack launched against Japanese positions on Okinawa, Japan, marked the beginning of the final and bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. The battle would last for almost three months, resulting in over 240,000 casualties and setting the stage for the eventual Allied victory in the Pacific theater.

Join us again tomorrow as we delve into more historic moments from the Second World War. Thank you for reading, and we hope you continue to find our daily newsletters informative and insightful.

If you ever have any recommendations feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]

Have a great week :)

Recommended Books: