Shoulder patch of the British Combined Operations in WWII (albatross for the RAF, submachine gun for the Army, anchor for the Navy)
80 Years Ago—Dec. 26, 1940: Movie premiere of Philadelphia Story, starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart.
75 Years Ago—Dec. 26, 1945: British Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes, Chief of Combined Operations 1940-41 (commando raids coordinated between British Army, Royal Navy, and RAF, dies in Tingewick, Buckinghamshire.
Adm. Chen Shaokuan is relieved of command of the Chinese Navy for refusing Kai-shek’s order to attack communist forces.
Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, US Secretary of State James Byrnes, and British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Anthony Eden at Potsdam, Germany, Aug 1945 (German Federal Archive, Bild 183-14059-0016)
80 Years Ago—Dec. 23, 1940: First Parisian civilian is executed by the Nazis—23 year-old engineer Jacques Bonsergent, accused of punching a German soldier in a brawl.
Churchill appoints Anthony Eden as British Foreign Secretary.
Lt. Gen. George Patton, France, 7 Jul 1944 (US Army Signal Corps photo)
80 Years Ago—Dec. 21, 1940: Author F. Scott Fitzgerald dies in Hollywood, age 44.
75 Years Ago—Dec. 21, 1945: US Gen. George S. Patton dies of infection in Heidelberg, Germany after a car accident on December 9.
USMC Sgt. Lena Basilone, widow of Medal of Honor recipient USMC Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, christens Gearing-class destroyer USS Basilone in Orange, TX.
President Kyösti Kallio of Finland (resigned) and Field Marshal C.G.E. Mannerheim at Helsinki railway station, Finland, 19 Dec 1940; Pres. Risto Ryti, Lt Gen Heindrichs, and Col Paasonen in background, moments before Kallio’s death (public domain via Museovirasto via Wikipedia)
80 Years Ago—Dec. 19, 1940: Kyösti Kallio, President of Finland, dies at his own resignation ceremony; replaced by Risto Ryti.
Ten thousand civilians evacuated from Malta arrive in Britain.
Eleanor Roosevelt speaking at the UN, July 1947 (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum ID #65732)
75 Years Ago—Dec. 19, 1945: Eleanor Roosevelt is appointed a delegate to the UN General Assembly.
Movie premiere of They Were Expendable, starring John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, and Donna Reed, about PT boats in the fall of the Philippines.