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On This Day May 19, 1943 – World War II: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set Monday, May 1, 1944 as the date for the Normandy landings ("D-Day"). It would later be delayed over a month due to bad weather.
Photo Caption: American combat engineers eat a meal atop boxes of ammunition stockpiled for the impending D-Day invasion, May 1944.
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The Greatest Generations Foundation
On This Day May 17, 1943 – World War II: the Dambuster Raids by No. 617 Squadron RAF on German dams.
Did You Know: Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as the "Dambusters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis.
The Möhne and Edersee Dams were breached, causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley and of villages in the Eder valley, while the Sorpe dam sustained only minor damage. Two hydroelectric powerplants were destroyed and several more were damaged. Factories and mines were also either damaged or destroyed.
An estimated 1,600 people drowned. The damage was mitigated by rapid repairs by the Germans, with production returning to normal in September.
Remember Those Who Served
The Greatest Generations Foundation
On This Day May 15, 1942 – World War II: in the United States, a bill creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law.
Did You Know: General Douglas MacArthur called the WACs "my best soldiers", adding that they worked harder, complained less, and were better disciplined than men.
Many generals wanted more of them and proposed to draft women but it was realized that this "would provoke considerable public outcry and Congressional opposition" and the War Department declined to take such a drastic step.Those 150,000 women who did serve released the equivalent of 7 divisions of men for combat. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower said that "their contributions in efficiency, skill, spirit, and determination are immeasurable"
Remember Those Who Served
The Greatest Generations Foundation
