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Today in World War II History—December 19, 1939 & 1944

Thursday, December 19, 2024 by Sarah Sundin
Paratroopers of the US 101st Airborne near Bastogne, December 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)

Paratroopers of the US 101st Airborne near Bastogne, December 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)

85 Years Ago—Dec. 19, 1939: Inside US territorial waters off Florida, British light cruiser Orion fires at German freighter Arauca, violating Pan-American Neutrality Zone; Arauca puts in to port at Port Everglades, FL.

80 Years Ago—Dec. 19, 1944: In the Battle of the Bulge, US 101st Airborne Division arrives in Bastogne, Belgium, to protect the crucial crossroads.

Germans capture two regiments (7,000 men) of US 106th Infantry Division on Schnee Eifel, including writer Kurt Vonnegut, the largest US mass surrender of the war except at Bataan.

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One response to “Today in World War II History—December 19, 1939 & 1944”

  1. Irene Ivy says:
    December 19, 2024 at 9:37 am

    Thank you so much for sharing! I am still learning so much about WWII. I didn’t know any Americans surrendered during the war!

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