Japanese ships burning at Rabaul, Feb 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)
75 Years Ago—Feb. 19, 1944: The major Japanese air & naval base at Rabaul is officially neutralized by Allied forces as the last Japanese planes are moved to Truk.
Mosquito aircraft of RNZAF bombing prison (center left) at Amiens, France, 18 February 1944 (United Kingdom government photo)
75 Years Ago—Feb. 18, 1944: RAF launches Operation Jericho as Mosquitos & Typhoons bomb the German prison in Amiens holding members of the French resistance; of 1000 prisoners, 102 are killed and 258 escape.
Peak of German counterattack at Anzio, as they come within six miles of the sea by noon, but are turned back by artillery and infantry by the end of the day.
Hitler dissolves the Abwehr, German military intelligence, after evidence of infiltration by Allied agents and resistance members; functions taken over by Reich Main Security Office (RSHA).
US Marines landing on Eniwetok, 17 February 1944 (US Marine Corps Photo)
US Navy SBD Dauntless bombers over Truk Atoll, 16-18 February 1944 (US National Archives)
75 Years Ago—Feb. 17, 1944: US Army & Marines land on Eniwetok Atoll in Marshall Islands.
Soviets close Korsun pocket and take 18,000 German POWs; 28,000 Germans break out of the pocket, but thousands drown crossing a swollen river.
US Navy carriers strike Japanese base at Truk in the Pacific, sinking 37 ships, shooting down 121 Japanese fighter planes (the highest one-day total in the Pacific war to date), and destroying 150 Japanese planes on the ground.
Ruins of Abbey of Monte Cassino, 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)
75 Years Ago—Feb. 16, 1944: New Zealanders launch assault on Monte Cassino after previous day’s bombing, but fail to take it.
Germans launch “Fischfang” offensive at Anzio; the first use of German Panther tanks in the west fails in the mud.
Movie premiere of Passage to Marseille, starring Humphrey Bogart & Claude Rains.
Bombing of the Abbey of Monte Cassino, 15 Feb 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)
75 Years Ago—Feb. 15, 1944: Allied bombing destroys Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy, 400 refugees killed. German troops occupy abbey ruins that night.
In the South Pacific, New Zealanders occupy Green Islands, only 100 miles from crucial Japanese base at Rabaul.
WASP C-47 flight crew: Pilot Joanna Trebtoske (Jenks), left, and Copilot Marjorie Logan (Rolle) at Romulus Army Air Field, MI (US Air Force photo)
75 Years Ago—Feb. 14, 1944: WASP (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots) “Santiago Blue” uniform is authorized.
Thank you so much to all of you who helped me celebrate the release of The Sky Above Us and who spread the word about The Sky Above Us Release Day Giveaway. We had 2044 entries! I’m thrilled to see so much interest!
And now to announce the winners . . .
I’ll send you each an email in order so you can choose your prize package and I can mail your package. If a winner who does not respond within a week, a new winner will be chosen.
Thank you again, dear readers, for all your support!
US Eighth Air Force B-17s bombing Berlin, 1944 (USAF photo)
75 Years Ago—Feb. 13, 1944: Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff issue Combined Bomber Offensive directive of targets for Allied bombers: 1) aircraft production and ball bearings, 2) “Crossbow” (V-weapon) targets, 3) Berlin and industrial targets when weather is bad.
US troops firing a bazooka near Cassino, Italy (US Army Center of Military History)
75 Years Ago—Feb. 12, 1944: Allies repel German counterattack at Anzio in Italy, but ground has been lost.
First Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy ends in Allied failure.
In the Indian Ocean, Japanese submarine I-27 sinks British transport Khedive Ismail—1297 killed, including 77 nurses & Wrens, the 3rd worst Allied shipping disaster and the worst loss of female service personnel of the war. Destroyer HMS Petard then sinks I-27, making Petard the only ship to sink a German, an Italian, and a Japanese submarine in WWII.
All Hattie Walker wants is a chance to prove herself as a real artist. Longing to paint the luscious landscapes of the Rocky Mountains – and for recognition – she takes a stagecoach to Denver. However, her stagecoach is attacked by gunmen, and Hattie is rescued by friendly Arapaho – but she doesn’t realize they’re friendly.
Lt. Jack Hennessy has made a name for himself in the US Cavalry based in Fort Reno, and he’s put his all into earning the trust of the Native American tribes. When he’s sent to retrieve a rescued woman – who is most definitely not behaving herself – he’s stunned to find himself face-to-face with Hattie, the girl he pined over back at home.
No longer bumbling and scrawny, Jack sees the chance to finally prove himself worthy of the beautiful Hattie, but things go awry. Jack and Hattie strike a bargain to save face, but if he lets her go to fulfill her dreams, he’ll have to abandon his life’s work, his reputation, and the woman he has always loved.
Featuring a charmingly bookish and clueless hero and a clueless-in-her-own way heroine, The Lieutenant’s Bargain is full of Regina Jennings‘s trademark humor. Even better is the character transformation as Jack gains the last bit of confidence he needs and Hattie opens her heart to see beauty and worth where she never had before. I adored this novel and highly recommend it.
