Today in World War II History—February 23, 1940 & 1945

British poster, WWII (Imperial War Museum)

80 Years Ago—February 23, 1940: Britain announces wool shortage due to enthusiastic knitters knitting for the troops.

Woody Guthrie writes “This Land Is Your Land.”

Raising the US flag atop Mount Suribachi, by Joe Rosenthal, Iwo Jima, 23 Feb 1945. (US National Archives: 80-G-413988)

75 Years Ago—Feb. 23, 1945: US Marines capture Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima and raise flag; immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.

Troops of US 11^th Airborne liberate 2147 POWs at Los Baños, Luzon.

In Arctic convoy RA-64, US freighter Henry Bacon shoots down 3 Luftwaffe Ju 88 bombers, a Liberty ship record, but is sunk in turn—the last Allied ship lost to German aircraft in the war.