The German assault on Poland began at 4:45 am on September 1, 1939. The Polish air force, dispersed prior to the invasion, instead of rising en masse to challenge the Luftwaffe, saw its numbers quickly whittled down in a misguided hope to preserve its striking power. The Polish army fought mostly alone, while German planes pounded the Polish capital. Within just two weeks, German artillery and airpower had killed over 60,000 of Warsaw's citizens.
The wisdom of the two-week German campaign in Crete remains heavily debated to this day. On the one hand, there is no doubt the loss of Crete weakened Britain's position in the Eastern Mediterranean at a crucial point in the war. On the other hand, some have argued the Germans lost an opportunity to seal off the Central Mediterranean via attacking Malta, astride Axis supply lines to North Africa.
On March 24, 1945 USAAF (United States Army Air Force) Staff Sgt. Marvin Steinford's B-17 Bomber was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Hungary. As the plane fell to the earth Steinford bailed out - never to be seen again. Until now. After 66 years his remains have been found and he will finally be coming home to be put to rest near his home town of Keystone Iowa.
