Today in World War II History—February 22, 1940 & 1945
Saturday, February 22, 2020 by Sarah Sundin
German destroyer Z-1 Leberecht Maass. (Division of Naval Inteligence of the US Navy)
80 Years Ago—February 22, 1940: In North Sea, Luftwaffe He 111 bombers accidentally damage German destroyer Leberecht Maass, which is then sunk by a mine (280/340 killed); German destroyer Max Schultz is sunk by a mine during rescue operations (all 308 killed).
75 Years Ago—Feb. 22, 1945: Operation Clarion is launched: 6000 aircraft of the RAF and US Eighth, Ninth, and Fifteenth Air Forces aim to destroy German communications and isolate the industrial Ruhr Valley.
US Fifth Army secures the Upper Reno Valley in Italy.
