Today in World War II History—Aug. 2, 1940 & 1945
Sunday, August 2, 2020 by Sarah Sundin
Hospital ship Tranquility arriving at Guam with survivors from sunken heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, 8 Aug 1945 (US National Archives: 80-G-K-5986)
80 Years Ago—Aug. 2, 1940: British Royal Navy Swordfish aircraft bomb Italian naval base at Cagliari, Sardinia.
Vichy French military court sentences Gen. Charles de Gaulle to death in absentia for organizing Free French in Britain.
In Germany, Jews are banned from owning telephones and are only allowed to shop from 4-5 pm.
75 Years Ago—Aug. 2, 1945: Japanese suffocate 387 Allied POWs in a mine on Sado off Honshu, Japan.
First survivors of USS Indianapolis (sunk July 30) are found in the ocean; 316 will ultimately be found.
