Today in World War II History—April 1, 1940 & 1945
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 by Sarah Sundin
Poster for the 1940 US Census
80 Years Ago—April 1, 1940: US 1940 Census taken: population 131,669,000, a 7.2% increase since 1930.
British Ministry of Food announces Dig for Victory campaign to encourage growing food at home.
Men of the US Tenth Army landing on Okinawa, Japan, 1 Apr 1945 (US National Archives: 39573-FMC)
75 Years Ago—Apr. 1, 1945: US Tenth Army and Marines invade Okinawa; 60,000 troops land by nightfall.
US First and Ninth Armies meet at Lippstadt, Germany, encircling the industrial Ruhr Valley and 500,000 German soldiers in Army Group B.
