Today in World War II History—January 24, 1940 & 1945

Insignia of the US OSS (Office of Strategic Services) in WWII
80 Years Ago—January 24, 1940: In war with Japan, Chinese take Dongyangyuan Pass, Shanxi Province, China.
Movie premiere of The Grapes of Wrath, starring Henry Fonda.
75 Years Ago—Jan. 24, 1945: German troops begin evacuating from Slovakia as Soviets advance.
At Mauthausen concentration camp, Nazis execute 9 US OSS agents, 4 British SOE agents, and Associated Press reporter Joseph Morton, all arrested with Slovakian partisans on a mission to evacuate downed airmen; Morton will be the only Allied war correspondent executed by the Axis in WWII.