Today in World War II History—Sept. 19, 1940 & 1945

Police and Army bomb disposal officers with a defused German 1000kg ‘Luftmine’ (parachute mine) in Glasgow, 18 March 1941 (Imperial War Museum: H 8281)
80 Years Ago—Sept. 19, 1940: In raid on London, the Luftwaffe first uses parachute mines with timed fuses.
Secret Polish Army (TAP) leader Witold Pilecki voluntarily has himself sent to Auschwitz so he can report on activities and organize resistance in the camp; he escapes in 1943.
75 Years Ago—Sept. 19, 1945: British and French troops suppress Vietnamese nationalist insurgents in Saigon.
Congress Party of India begins negotiations with British about independence.
Shirley Temple (age 17) marries Sgt. John Agar, US Fourth Air Force, in Los Angeles.