Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 30, 1942: Rommel reaches El Alamein, Egypt. US begins draft registration for men 18-20.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 29, 1942: Premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony.

Book Beat - The Ride of Her Life by Lorna Seilstad

Lorna Seilstad won me over in Making Waves and A Great Catch with her combination of humor, hard-hitting questions, and a charming setting at a turn-of-the-century lakeside resort. The Ride of Her Life completes the Lake Manawa series in the same delightful manner.

While still grieving her late husband, Lilly Hart works at a diner to support her son alone, away from her poisonous former in-laws. But when her son latches on to handsome roller coaster designer Nick Perrin, her world is flung into disorder. Not only do her in-laws increase their schemes to remove little Levi from her custody, but Lilly finds herself hopelessly drawn to Nick. But how can she trust a man who will leave Lake Manawa, Levi - and her - at the end of the season?

Lilly's struggles to trust Nick reveal a deeper struggle to trust the Lord. Her sense of loss and her desperation to grasp control ring true. Nick is a compelling hero with plenty of hurt in his own past. And Levi is just right - a six-year-old whose love for creepy-crawlies makes him real - and provides plenty of humorous moments. I highly recommend this novel.

I'll miss Lake Manawa and this set of characters, but I'm looking forward to Lorna Seilstad's next series!

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 28, 1942: Germans begin summer offensive in Ukraine toward Stalingrad. Germans take Mersa Matruh, Egypt.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 27, 1942: All eight German saboteurs who landed in US by U-boat earlier in June are imprisoned.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 26, 1942: Germans and Italians attack British at Mersa Matruh, Egypt. First flight of Grumman Hellcat shipboard XF6F-1.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 25, 1942: RAF bombs Bremen, Germany with first successful use of Gee guidance radar. Gen. Sir Claude Auchinleck replaces Gen. Ritchie over British Eighth Army.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 24, 1942: Gen. Dwight Eisenhower assumes command of US European Theater of Operations (ETO), including North Africa. Gen. Erwin Rommel invades Egypt and is promoted to Field Marshal. Allied POWs begin work on 294-mile extension of Burma-Thailand Railway under brutal conditions.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 23, 1942: RAF captures first Fw 190 (German fighter plane), which landed by mistake in Wales. President Roosevelt signs bill deferring married men from draft “until reservoir of single men exhausted.”

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 22, 1942: Germans take Bardia, Libya. Japanese sub I-25 shells Fort Stevens, OR, no damage; first enemy attack on US continental military installation since War of 1812, only one of WWII.

Book Beat - Flame of Resistance by Tracy Groot

What would you do if you lived in a land where no one could trust anyone? Where a single misspoken word could lead to death?

Tracy Groot's Flame of Resistance explores life in Nazi-occupied France shortly before the Allied D-Day invasion of 1944. American pilot Tom Jaeger is shot down over France, and the "Flame"  Resistance cell convinces him to use his Aryan looks to pose as a German officer. Brigitte Durand plays the biblical role of Rahab the prostitute, running a brothel for Germans, but secretly supporting the Resistance. Tom and Brigitte team up to pass on Nazi secrets - at high cost.

The desciption of life in Nazi-occupied France is vivid and shocking, with civilians desperate for food and never knowing whom to trust. The author also gives a nuanced view of the German occupiers - from the evil to the conflicted to the quietly heroic.

Because of its realism and grit, including scenes of torture and the brothel setting, I would not recommend this book to younger or more sensitive readers.

Overall, Flame of Resistance is a moving story that raises challenging questions about redemption, perceptions, and the cost of doing the right thing in an evil world. I highly recommend it.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 21, 1942: Rommel takes Tobruk after long siege, 32,000 POWs.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 20, 1942: Rommel launches final assault on Tobruk. Japanese sub I-26 shells telegraph station on Vancouver Island, BC, no damage; first enemy shelling of Canada since the War of 1812.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 19, 1942: American Vice Adm. Robert Ghormley assumes command of South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force.

Make It Do - Scrap Drives in World War II

Perhaps nothing represents the community-minded patriotism of the US Home Front in World War II better than the scrap drive.

Seventy years ago, the United States was in the middle of its first major national scrap drive - for rubber.

Enemy conquests cut off supplies of crucial raw materials such as tin and rubber, and the need for products made from these materials skyrocketed due to the war. Since useful materials often ended up in the trash can or languished unused in homes and on farms, the War Production Board encouraged scrap drives throughout the war.

Rubber Drive

From June 15-30, 1942, the United States held a nationwide rubber drive. People brought in old or excess tires, raincoats, hot water bottles, boots, and floor mats. In exchange they received a penny a pound. Although 450,000 tons of scrap rubber was collected, used rubber was found to be of poor quality.

Scrap Metal Drives

In 1942 citizens scoured their homes, farms, and businesses for metal. Housewives donated pots and pans, farmers turned in farm equipment, and children even sacrificed their metal toys. Many people removed bumpers and fenders from their cars for the war effort. Communities melted down Civil War cannons and tore down wrought iron fences, sacrificing their history for their future.

These drives were often great community events, with performers, speeches, and opportunities to throw your scrap metal at a bust of Hitler. Competitions were held to see which town, county, and state produced the most scrap, and the winners boasted of their feats. These drives had mixed results. Used aluminum was found to be useless for aircraft, but used tin, steel, and copper were easily melted down and reused.
Tin Can Drives

The use of tin packaging was greatly reduced during the war, due to the use of alternative packaging materials and to rationing of canned goods. However, consumer use of tin continued throughout the war, and this irreplaceable resource needed to be recovered.

Most communities collected tin cans once a month. In some towns, people places boxes of cleaned and crushed tin cans by the curb for collection, and other towns had central collection sites. Youth groups, especially the Boy Scouts, were highly involved in these drives.

Paper Drives

The need for paper increased during the war. The military’s love for paperwork could be blamed, but the military also used lots of paper packaging for supplies. On the civilian side, paper packaging had replaced tin for many products.

A paper drive in mid-1942 brought in so much paper that mills were inundated and actually called for a stop. However, by 1944 an acute paper shortage existed.

The lumber industry was hard-hit by the manpower shortage caused by the draft. Lumberjacks went on strike, demanding a higher meat ration, which they did not receive. Many of these men left for higher-paying jobs in the defense industry.

Publishers found their paper allotment cut by 15 percent. Newspapers, magazines, and books were printed on fewer pages with thinner paper and narrow margins. Paperback books had been introduced in 1939 and also allowed for less paper. However, more scrap paper was needed.

The children of America stepped up. The Boy Scouts and local schools organized regular paper drives, often coordinated with the tin can drives. The War Production Board started the Paper Troopers program, designed to sound like “paratroopers,” to involve schoolchildren in the effort. Participants received arm patches and certificates for collecting certain amounts.

 

Results

Scrap drives were a vital part of the American war effort. While not all scrap materials proved useful, many did and provided a small but significant source of material. Most importantly, these drives galvanized the Home Front and made each individual, even children, feel like a crucial part of the war effort.

Today in World War II History

Medical Air Evacuation, Sicily, July 1943

70 Years Ago—June 18, 1942: Gen. Carl Spaatz officially takes command of US 8^th Air Force, opens headquarters in Bushy Park in London suburbs. Germans kill Czech men who assassinated Gen. Heydrich in church in Prague. US Navy commissions first black officer, medical student Barnard Robinson. US Army Air Forces authorized to develop medical air evacuation system.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 17, 1942: Germans take British fortress El Adem, last obstacle before Egyptian border. Four German saboteurs landed by U-202 at Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville, Florida. Yank Magazine for servicemen first published.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 16, 1942: Aleuts from St. Paul Island evacuated by US to Funter Bay, Alaska for internment.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 15, 1942: USS Copahee commissioned as first escort carrier, converted from merchant ship. US nationwide rubber scrap drive begins; will bring in 450,000 tons. US institutes V-Mail system to microfilm overseas mail and maximize shipping space.

Ten Steps to Salvation!!!...Or Not...

Ten steps to perfects abs! Five steps to a happy marriage! Twenty ways to earn more money!

Most people say they want things easy, but on the contrary, our human instinct longs for steps and rules. One look at a magazine cover proves it. It’s about control. If we have steps to follow, we can control the outcome. We can have a toned body, a peaceful home, and gobs of money.

A simple look at all the world’s religions from the beginning of time starkly shows this instinct in action. Man-made religions have lots of steps and rules. By their own actions, the adherents hope to earn eternal life, if only they work hard enough and do everything right.

Jesus offered something different and radical. He gave one command—“Follow me.” The simplicity of the Christian message proves it comes from God, not man. But the simplicity of the Christian message makes it hard for people to fathom. Jesus asks us to give up control, accept the fact that we can never earn eternal life by our own power, and follow the only source of Life.

That’s why the rich young ruler in Mark 10 turned away. He asked Jesus, “‘What must I do to inherit eternal life’” (Mark 10:17, italics mine). He’d followed the Ten Commandments but knew in his soul it wasn’t enough. He wanted an Eleventh Commandment, one more good thing to do to tip him over the edge. Instead, Jesus asked him to surrender, to give up the one thing he loved more than the Lord (his money), and to follow Him. And the man turned away.

Jesus then said, "'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God'" (Mark 10:25). Why? Could it be because the rich man has obtained everything he's ever wanted by his own power? Because an achievement-oriented person finds it extraordinarily difficult to give up control? Because he or she will always be searching for more steps, more good things to do? Because simplicity is more difficult to accept than complexity?

Here is the paradox Jesus offered...

In ceasing to strive, we gain what we could never earn. In one step, we receive as a gift from God what we could never achieve in a thousand steps. In surrender is victory.

“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” Ephesians 2:8-9.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 14, 1942: British Air Marshal Arthur Harris knighted. First firing of bazooka, at Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 13, 1942: Rommel defeats British at Knightsbridge in Libya; heavy British casualties on “Black Saturday.” US forms Office of Strategic Services (OSS), precursor of CIA. US forms Office of War Information to oversee radio, movies, press, and to disseminate propaganda. Four German saboteurs landed by U-boat at Amagansett, Long Island.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 12, 1942: Anne Frank receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday. US B-24s flying from Egypt attack Ploesti in first US strategic mission of war. US 100^th Infantry Battalion activated, composed of Japanese-Americans from Hawaii.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 11, 1942: Rommel breaks out of “The Cauldron” near Gazala, Libya. French evacuate Bir Hacheim in Libya, Germans occupy fort.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 10, 1942: Germans destroy Czechoslovakian town of Lidice in retaliation for SS Gen. Heydrich’s death, kill all 173 men, deport children and women to concentration camps. British tea planter uses elephants to rescue 68 Burmese refugees fleeing Japanese across the Daphna River, India.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 9, 1942: All official Allied resistance in the Philippines neutralized. US and Britain agree to pool food and production resources.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 8, 1942: US European Theater of Operations (ETO) formed under Gen. James Chaney. Invasion alert for San Francisco cancelled. Bing Crosby records “Silent Night.”

Today in World War II History



USS Yorktown sinking at Midway

70 Years Ago—June 7, 1942: Japanese occupy Attu in the Aleutians. In the Battle of Midway, carrier USS Yorktown sunk, but US victorious in major turning point of Pacific War; from now on, the Japanese will be on the defensive.

Never Forget

 

Today we commemorate the 68th anniversary of the D-Day landings. On June 6, 1944, the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy to liberate Europe from Nazi power.


In August 2007, I was privileged to stand on Omaha Beach on a misty, overcast morning not unlike the men faced that historic day. As I stood on that long stretch of sand and gazed at those high bluffs which once bristled with machine guns, I was moved deeply. We've all seen the movies and watched the footage - men dashing with rifles in hand, stumbling in the waves, beckoning their buddies onward, sheltering against debris - falling to the sand. But being there and feeling that sand beneath my feet gave me another level of understanding.

Today the Normandy beaches bristle with people on holiday - those who come to remember, and those who come to play. Children laugh and chase the waves and build sand castles. Tourists stand in silence, wipe tears, take pictures. This is as it should be.

Sixty-eight years ago, 155,000 American, British Commonwealth, and Free French troops landed in the biggest amphibious operation in history, along with free people from many other occupied nations. Take a moment today and remember those who risked their lives, who gave their lives so we can live in freedom. 

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 6, 1942: Japanese occupy Kiska in the Aleutians. Maj. Gen. Clarence Tinker, CO of US 7^th Air Force, killed in plane crash on Midway, the first Native American to reach rank of major general, the first US general killed in WWII.

Today in World War II History



Japanese carrier Hiryu burning

70 Years Ago—June 5, 1942: In the Battle of Midway, Japanese carrier Hiryu sunk. British Eighth Army attacks Rommel’s forces in “The Cauldron” at Gazala, Libya, but is driven back.

Today in World War II History



Midway Atoll

70 Years Ago—June 4, 1942: In the Battle of Midway, Japanese planes attack Midway; Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu sunk. SS Gen. Reinhard Heydrich dies in Prague. Movie premiere of Mrs. Miniver, starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon (Academy Award winner—best picture, best actress).

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 3, 1942: US 7^th Air Force B-17s ineffectively bomb Japanese carriers headed for the Battle of Midway. Japanese carrier planes bomb Fort Mears and Dutch Harbor, Unalaska Island, Alaska.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 2, 1942: BBC reports news from Polish underground of mass extermination of Jews. Red Sox star Ted Williams enlists in the US Navy as an aviator.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—June 1, 1942: RAF launches 1000-bomber raid on Essen, Germany. Nazis open Treblinka concentration camp in Poland. US Navy lets blacks enlist in services other than mess—but not as officers, and only in segregated groups.