Today in World War II History—Sept. 9, 1940 & 1945
North American NA-73X, the prototype for the P-51 Mustang, 1940 (US government photo via North American Aviation)
80 Years Ago—Sept. 9, 1940: RAF bombs Berlin in first of 57 nights of bombing.
Imperial War Museum in London closes due to bomb damage.
Hermann Göring, head of the Luftwaffe, orders the destruction of London and abandons attacks on RAF airfields.
The first NA-73X Mustang (prototype for the P-51) comes off the assembly line at North American Aviation in Inglewood, CA, 127 days after the initial sketch.
Yasuji Okamura surrendering to He Yingqin, Nanjing, China, 9 September 1945 (public domain via WW2 Database)
75 Years Ago—Sept. 9, 1945: One million Japanese forces in China surrender at Nanjing at 9:00, the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month.
Canada reintroduces meat rationing to allow exports to Europe.
