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Showing posts from December, 2014

New Years Eve, December 31st 1944

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December 1944. England was experiencing the worst winter in fifty-four years. Across the Channel, deep in the Ardennes, the Battle of the Bulge raged on. The American GI's now had the added problem of dealing with German soldiers posing as 'fake' GI's. Three Germans had already been captured and executed by a firing squad while fifteen more awaited the same fate. The Eighth Air Force flew a mission on the 31st December and again on the 1st January, New Years Day, dropping leaflets in France, Germany and Belgium. Meanwhile, the American bombers of the Ninth Air Force were grounded by bad weather. American GI's in the Ardennes Image courtesy of Wikimedia commons New Years Eve 1944 saw more than 900 B-17's launched against targets across Germany. 3rd Bomb Division crews returned to the oil production centres of Hamburg on a bombing mission but they suffered heavy losses. Having experienced particularly heavy flak, the bombers dropped their bombs and t

Remembering Major Alton Glenn Miller

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The mystery surrounding the disappearance of one of the most famous Big Band Leaders, Major Alton Glenn Miller, continues to confound people still today. Major Miller disappeared whilst on a flight from England to Paris in December 1944. There have been numerous conspiracy theories surrounding his disappearance, some of which seem quite bizarre. It has been said that he was killed whilst trying to overthrow Hitler and another theory mentions a Paris brothel! However, there has been much research into his disappearance and in 2017, Colorado University Historian, Dennis Spragg is due to release a book that may finally shine the light on this mystery. Almost seventy two years ago, the world was still reeling from the tragic and mysterious loss of Major Alton Glenn Miller. Born in March 1904 in Clarinda, Iowa, Glenn had a typical childhood, went to college, played football and became hooked on music. He once milked cows to raise enough money to buy a trombone. His father inspired and en