Today in World War II History—September 30, 1939 & 1944

Gen. Wladyslaw Sikorski, 1942 (Library of Congress)
80 Years Ago—September 30, 1939: French troops withdraw from German Saar region.
Gen. Władysław Sikorski becomes prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile in Paris.
New song in Top Ten: “Moonlight Serenade.”

Soldier poses next to one of the German coastal guns captured by the Canadians at Cap Gris Nez, France, 1 October 1944 (Imperial War Museum B 10467)
75 Years Ago—Sept. 30, 1944: Allies capture last German cross-Channel guns; residents of heavily bombarded Dover, England celebrate.
Canadians take Calais, France.
In the Pacific, US declares Peleliu secure, but resistance remains.

US Marines on Peleliu, September 1944 (US Marine Corps photo)