Peleliu, Palau Islands, Western Pacific Ocean • November 27, 1944 On this date in 1944, after 74 grueling days Peleliu was declared secure, although isolated pockets of Japanese resistance took many more days to exterminate. The battle for the island, ironically codenamed Operation Stalemate II, turned out to be the costliest amphibious operation in U.S. history:…
Toulon Harbor, French Mediterranean • November 27, 1942 Between November 10 and 12, 1942, Germany and Italy engaged in a joint operation (German, Unternehmen Anton, or Case Anton) to occupy Marshal Philippe Pétain’s Vichy France, the French Riviera, and the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. These 3 areas comprised the so-called “Free Zone,” which was an…
Toulon Harbor, French Mediterranean · November 27, 1942 Between November 10 and 12, 1942, Germany and Italy engaged in a joint operation (German, Unternehmen Anton, or Case Anton) to occupy Marshal Philippe Pétain’s Vichy France, the French Riviera, and the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. These three areas comprised the so-called “Free Zone,” which was…