Germany: A new law de-naturalizes all German Jewish citizens.
1934 — , July 26
Germany: The SS becomes an independent organization of the Nazi Party. Its chief, Heinrich Himmler, will report directly to Adolf Hitler.
1935 — , July 26
USA: A group of demonstrators board the German ocean liner SS BREMEN in New York City, tear the Nazi party Swastika flag from the jackstaff and toss it into the Hudson River. When the German ambassador protests, US officials respond that the German national flag had not been harmed, only a political party symbol.
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Swastika flag related dates...
26 Jul 35: Anti-Nazi Demonstrators toss swastika flag into the Hudson
10 Sep 35: Germany's Imperial Tricolor flag officially replaced by Swastika
CBI - China: Day 20 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 20 of 33 of the 2nd Battle of Hebei.
Day 13 of 22 of the Battle of Tainjin-Beijing. A Japanese brigade attacks the Guanghua Gate of the Beiping city wall.
1938 — , July 26
Spain: Day 740 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 385 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 46 of 139 of the Battle of Wuhan. Japanese troops capture Jiujiang.
1939 — , July 26
CBI - China: Day 750 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 43 of 68 of the Battle of Tianjin.
CBI - Mongolia: Day 77 of 129 of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, a border dispute between the Soviet Union and Japan.
1940 — , July 26
Switzerland: Secretary-General of the League of Nations, Joseph Avenol, resigns.
Atlantic: The British sub HMS THAMES fires a torpedo at the German battleship GNEISENAU 50 miles southwest of Stavanger, Norway, but misses and sinks the torpedo boat LUCHS instead. The HMS THAMES is never heard from again. Either she was lost during this action or had hit a naval mine shortly after.
Atlantic: German sub U-34 attacks an Allied convoy 320 miles west of Ireland, sinking the British passenger ship ACCRA.
ETO - UK: Day 17 of 114 of the Battle of Britain. The Luftwaffe attempts more attacks but are turned away by a combination of bad weather and the RAF.
East Africa: Day 47 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,116 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 255 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
1941 — , July 26
USA: President Roosevelt signs executive orders to freeze all Japanese and Chinese assets, forbid the export of oil, iron and rubber to Japan and makes the Panama Canal off-limits to Japanese shipping. UK and the Netherlands will follow suit.
South America: Day 22 of 27 of the Ecuadorian-Peruvian War, a territorial dispute between Peru and Ecuador.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 28 of 142 of Operation SILVER FOX, a joint German-Finnish campaign to capture the Russian port of Murmansk in the Arctic.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 26 of 140 of Operation ARCTIC FOX, a joint German-Finnish campaign against Soviet Northern Front defenses at Salla, Finland.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 35 of 164 of the Battle of Hanko.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 17 of 18 of Finland's reconquest of Ladoga, Karelia. The Finns continue their offensive on Lake Ladoga northeast of Leningrad.
Russian Front: Day 35 of 167 of Germany's Operation BARBAROSSA, the invasion of the USSR.
Russian Front - Center: Day 21 of 31 of the 1st Battle of Smolensk, Russia. The Luftwaffe bombs Moscow. Three Soviet Armies are trapped and destroyed near Mogilev.
Russian Front - Center: Day 3 of 38 of the Battle of Gomel, Belarus.
Russian Front - South: Day 12 of 25 of the Battle of Uman, Ukraine.
Russian Front - South: German and Romanian troops keep pushing toward Vinnitsa and the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine.
MTO - Malta: Italian motorboats (E-boats) attempt to enter and attack the Valletta harbor. All boats are either sunk by the British or surrender.
MTO - Libya: Day 108 of 256 of the Siege of Tobruk.
East Africa: Day 412 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,481 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Philippines: US Army recalls Douglas MacArthur into active service as the commander of units in the Far East. The Philippine troops already under MacArthur's command are integrated into the US Army.
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Douglas MacArthur related dates...
28 Jul 32: Ordered by Hoover to clear DC of WWI veterans' Bonus Army
24 Aug 36: Granted title of Field Marshal in the Philippine Army
26 Jul 41: Recalled into active service as commander of units in Far East
22 Feb 42: Ordered by FDR to leave the Philippines
ETO - France: US 8th Air Force: Lt Colonel Albert P Clark is shot down while flying an RAF fighter on a sweep over France, thus becoming the first 8th Air Force fighter pilot to be shot down in the ETO. He is taken prisoner by the Germans and sent to Stalag Luft III, where he becomes known as "Big S" in planning the Great Escape.
Spotlight...
Lt Colonel Albert P Clark
Upon arrival at Stalag Luft III, Lt Col Clark noticed the camp layout had many flaws which could lead to a disease epidemic. He filed a complaint with the Kommandant explaining the problems with grading, drainage, sanitation, water, sewage, etc. He told the Kommandant that these needed to be fixed or else he could very well end up with another Andersonville. The Kommandant agreed and the improvements were made under Clark's supervision. The Kommandant was impressed and had Clark review all plans before building the other compounds. While life wasn't the greatest at Stalag Luft III, it was a safe camp recording very few illnesses.
Being the American Senior Ranking Officer, Clark was in charge of commanding the American POWs. Known as Big S he helped the British Big X plan the Great Escape. He too would have escaped but before the big day, Clark was moved into a different compound.
After the war, Clark served as a US Air Force officer in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Okinawa and finally served as superintendent of the Air Force Academy before retiring in July of 1974 at the grade of Lieutenant General after 38 years of service. He died in 2010 in Colorado Springs, CO.
First Out, Last Out Col Charles Arnett (left) and Gen Albert Clark, Colorado Springs, 2007
Charles Arnett (whose sons are the driving force behind this ScanningWWII.com website) was a POW at Stalag Luft III, arriving a few months after the "Great Escape." In January of 1945, as the Russian Front approached the camp, the POWs were marched out and moved west and then south to avoid "liberation" by the Red Army. They ended up at Stalag VIIA outside Moosburg. The camp, built to hold 10,000, swelled to a population of over 80,000 POWs (110,00 by some accounts).
On April 30, 1945, the camp was liberated from the west by American forces, but a logistical nightmare then presented itself: How to get the men out in an orderly fashion. So, a lottery was held. Arnett was on the first plane out of Moosburg to Camp Lucky Strike in France for de-lousing and fattening up before being put on a ship and taken into New York harbor. According to him, it was "the only contest I ever won."
Lt Col Clark, by virtue of his rank, could have easily put himself on that first plane out with Arnett, but chose to remain behind until all the other POWs from Stalag Luft III and IV were evacuated several months later, an act indicative of his character.
Note:
Charles W Arnett
Charles Arnett
Stalag Luft III has a special place in the hearts of Paul and David Arnett, the two guys behind this ScanningWWII website. Their father, Charles Arnett, served in the 492nd BG as the pilot of a B-24 Liberator. He was shot down on his third mission and spent a year as a POW at the famous camp where the "Great Escape" took place. It is because of our love for him that we developed a passion for WWII.
Dates related to Charles Arnett...
26 Jul 42: US Lt Col Clark shot down flying an RAF fighter over France
19 May 44: 1st of 3 deadly missions for the Hard Luck 492nd Bomb Group
Related dates...
26 Jul 42: 1st 8th AF fighter pilot shot down, taken POW, becomes "Big S"
24 Mar 44: The Great Escape: 76 POWs escape Stalag Luft III, 50 shot
Russian Front - North: Day 322 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 83 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket.
Russian Front - South: Day 29 of 150 of Germany's CASE BLUE, the failed offensive to take the Caucasus oil fields.
Russian Front - South: Day 4 of 20 of Germany's Operation EDELWEISS. German Army Group South heads toward the Caucasus to take the oilfields.
MTO - Egypt: Day 26 of 27 of the 1st Battle of El Alamein. The British 8th Army captures 7,000 Axis prisoners, shutting the door on this battle.
MTO - Libya: US B-17s and B-24s night bomb at Tobruk.
East Africa: Day 83 of 186 of the Battle of Madagascar.
CBI - China: Day 1,846 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 73 of 124 of Japan's Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign, launched to punish anyone suspected of aiding the Doolittle raiders in China. Roughly 250,000 Chinese will be killed.
PTO - Alaska: Day 50 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
PTO - Malaya: Day 158 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 6 of 119 of the Battle of the Kokoda Track. 5th Air Force provides air support. The Australians fail to hold the Japanese back and begin evacuating Kokoda.
1943 — , July 26
ETO: US 8th Air Force: B-17s bomb rubber factories in Hannover and the U-boat yards at Hamburg, Germany. Meanwhile, B-26s attack an airfield in France.
Russian Front: A number of Waffen SS divisions are ordered to be transferred from Russia to Italy, but the situation in Russia being what it is, only the 1st SS Panzer Division will actually redeployed.
Russian Front - North: Day 687 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 448 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket.
Russian Front - Center: Day 22 of 50 of the Battle of Kursk, Russia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 15 of 38 of the Battle of Orel, Russia.
Russian Front - South: Day 4 of 23 of the Battle of Belgorod, Russia.
Russian Front - South: Day 14 of 48 of the USSR's Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive. Soviets enter Poland, capturing Lviv.
MTO - Italy: Marshal Badoglio is appointed as head of Italy by the Italian King. He immediately excludes all Fascists from his new cabinet and dissolves the Fascist Party. Hitler orders an operation to rescue Mussolini from his arrest.
MTO - Italy: Day 18 of 40 of the Battle of Sicily. RAF and US Air Forces provide air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,211 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
US 14th Air Force bombs the Hankow Airfield.
PTO - Alaska: Day 415 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands. US 11th Air Force attacks Kiska Island and Little Kiska Island.
PTO - Marshall Islands: US 7th Air Force bombs targets on Wake Island.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 96 of 148 of the 2nd Battle of Lae-Salamaua. US 5th and 13th Air Forces provide air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Fighter Ace Richard Bong shoots down four Japanese fighters and is awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
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Dick Bong related dates...
09 Jan 42: Receives wings, commissioned 2nd Lieutenant
12 Jun 42: Reprimanded, grounded for reckless flying
10 Sep 42: Assigned to 9th Fighter Squadron, Australia
27 Dec 42: Shoots down his first two Japanese planes
07 Jan 43: Shoots down his 3rd and 4th Japanese planes
08 Jan 43: Gets 5th Japanese plane, becoming an Ace
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 37 of 67 of the Battle of New Georgia. US 5th and 13th Air Forces provide air support. The US launches what will become their final offensive against Japanese positions.
1944 — , July 26
ETO - UK: Day 44 of 86 of the V-1 "Buzz Bomb" offensive on Britain.
ETO - France: Day 2 of 29 of the Breakout Battle of Normandy. Day 2 of 7 of Operation COBRA. US troops break through the hole created by yesterday's saturation bombing.
ETO - France: Day 51 of 62 of the Battle of Caen. Canadian troops continue attacking south of Caen.
ETO - Germany: A Messerschmitt ME-262 becomes the first jet fighter aircraft to score an operational victory when it damages a Mosquito reconnaissance aircraft of the RAF, which later crash lands at its base.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 1 of 19 of the Battle of Ilomantsi, North Karelia.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 36 of 50 of the Battle of Karelia. Soviet troops continue their offensive against the Finns in eastern Karelia between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in northern Russia.
Russian Front - North: Day 176 of 191 of the Battle of the Narva Isthmus, Estonia. Day 2 of 19 of the Battle of Tannenberg Line, Estonia. The Germans are successfully defending the Sinimaed Hills west of Narva.
Russian Front - Center: Day 22 of 27 of the Battle of Siauliai, Lithuania. The Soviets have reached the Estonian border.
Russian Front - Center: Day 22 of 23 of the Battle of Belostock, Poland.
Russian Front - Center: Day 14 of 15 of the Battle of Lvov, Poland. The Germans at Lvov are trapped.
Russian Front - Center: Day 14 of 15 of the Battle of Stanislav, Poland.
Russian Front - Center: Day 9 of 16 of the Battle of Lublin, Poland.
MTO: US 15th Air Force bombs targets in Austria and Hungary.
CBI - Burma: Day 144 of 166 of the UK's Operation THURSDAY. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - Burma: Day 139 of 147 of the Battle of Myitkyina. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - Burma: Day 117 of 302 of the Chinese Salween Offensive. US 14th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,577 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 101 of 259 of Japan's Operation ICHI-GO.
Day 35 of 48 of the Battle of Hengyang. US 14th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Dutch New Guinea: Day 25 of 61 of the Battle of Noemfoor. Although the island has been declared secured, bitter fighting from Japanese continues.
PTO - Hawaii: President Roosevelt arrives in Hawaii for a conference on Pacific strategy with General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz. FDR authorizes MacArthur's plan to liberate the Philippines instead of bypassing them and invading Formosa (Taiwan), which is what the Navy and Nimitz want him to do.
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Douglas MacArthur related dates...
28 Jul 32: Ordered by Hoover to clear DC of WWI veterans' Bonus Army
24 Aug 36: Granted title of Field Marshal in the Philippine Army
26 Jul 41: Recalled into active service as commander of units in Far East
22 Feb 42: Ordered by FDR to leave the Philippines
PTO - Mariana Islands: Day 3 of 9 of the Battle of Tinian. US 7th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Mariana Islands: Day 6 of 21 of the 2nd Battle of Guam. US 7th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 61 of 83 of the Battle of Biak. There are still 3,000 Japanese soldiers on the island who won't give up.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 225 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 96 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 43 of 80 of the Battle of Lone Tree Hill.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 17 of 47 of the Battle of Driniumor River, a failed Japanese offense on US troops near Aitape.
PTO - Philippines: The US sub USS ROBALO hits a mine and sinks while on patrol off the western coast of Palawan.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 269 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
1945 — , July 26
UK: Clement Attlee becomes the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, replacing Winston Churchill.
Spotlight...
Clement Attlee meeting King George VI after the Labour Party's 1945 election victory
It is hard to believe that Winston Churchill's Conservative Party could lose the election of 1945. He had been the strong leader Britain needed since 1940 and had worked tirelessly to defeat the Axis, from courting American involvement to making the sacrifices necessary to emerge victorious. Though the war against Japan was to rage for another two months, the Britons were at their breaking point. Churchill, feeling that losing the election was inconceivable, agreed that it must be held, only to be defeated.
Although we've tried our best to remain apolitical throughout this entire website, to summarize the situation at this juncture requires us to throw in a little commentary. If our observations offend your political leanings, please forgive us, but here it goes...
The opposition Labour Party tapped into the frustrations of the British and offered them "free stuff" that couldn't possibly be delivered. From food to housing, to medicine and insurance, they promised a long list of things that were right in step with the very socialized ideologies against which they had been fighting for six years. So strong was the lure of relief from their hardships that the election went their way.
But very little improved in the next five years. To the contrary, things got much worse. So much so that the Conservative Party won the 1950 election and brought Winston Churchill back as Prime Minister. But so much damage had been done that even the mighty Churchill was unable to turn things around. It would take more than another ten years for Britain to recover economically, due in no small part to the "British Invasion" of Rock & Roll to America.
This is, of course, an over-simplification of post-war events. A lot more was going on in the world (ie; Cold War, India, Palestine, Korea, Berlin) that compounded the situation and dragged out Britain's woes.
Winston Churchill related dates...
01 Nov 36: "It's only fair. We had to have them in the last war."
21 Sep 38: Warns of futility of appeasing Adolf Hitler
03 Jun 39: Predicts war with Germany will come this year
20 Jan 40: Famous "feed the crocodile" line to neutral nations
10 May 40: Asked by King to replace Chamberlain as PM
13 May 40: Famous "Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat" speech
04 Jun 40: Gives his stern "never surrender" speech
14 Jul 40: "We may show mercy, We shall ask none" speech
20 Aug 40: "Never ... was so much owed by so many..."
23 Dec 40: "Because of one man" broadcast to Italians
20 Jul 41: Inaugurates the "V for Victory" campaign
CBI: The USS BUGRA sinks 5 small enemy vessels in the Gulf of Siam and South China Sea.
CBI: US 14th Air Force attacks targets in China and French Indochina.
CBI - China: Day 2,942 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Alaska: US 11th Air Force B-24s successfully hit the Kataoka Naval Base on Shimushu Island with incendiaries.
PTO - Borneo: Day 47 of 67 of the Battle of North Borneo. US 5th and 13th Air Forces provide air support.
PTO - Japan: US 20th Air Force B-29s fire bomb the Japanese urban areas of Matsuyama, Tokuyama and Omuta.
PTO - Mariana Islands: The USS INDIANAPOLIS delivers the components of the atomic bomb "Little Boy" to Tinian Island.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 577 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 461 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Philippines: Day 279 of 299 of the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, aka the Liberation of the Philippines or the Philippines Campaign.
PTO - Philippines: Day 224 of 244 of the Battle of Luzon. The battle is said to over but hold-outs will continue fighting until the end of the war.
PTO - Philippines: Day 139 of 159 of the Battle of Mindanao Island. The battle is said to over but hold-outs will continue fighting until the end of the war.
PTO - Philippines: Day 131 of 135 of the Battle of the Visayas region. The battle is said to over but hold-outs will continue fighting for several weeks.
Day-By-Day listings for July 26 were last modified on Friday, March 9, 2018
Spotlight...
