Today in World War II History—October 14, 1939 & 1944
Monday, October 14, 2024 by Sarah Sundin
The bell of battleship HMS Royal Oak, St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney (Photo: Sarah Sundin, 7 May 2024)
85 Years Ago—Oct. 14, 1939: In a daring raid, German U-boat U-47 sneaks into Britain’s naval base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands and sinks battleship HMS Royal Oak; 833 killed.
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Commander of the German forces in North Africa, with his aides during the desert campaign, 1942 (German Federal Archive: Bild 101I-785-0287-08)
80 Years Ago—Oct. 14, 1944: German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, a suspect in the July 20 Hitler assassination plot, commits suicide to protect his family.
Greek Resistance and British troops secure Athens, Greece.
Ann Baumgartner becomes the first Wasp to fly an experimental jet aircraft.
