Here’s what’s going on in the world this week in 1943
- The German 117th Jäger Division carried out the destruction of Kalavryta in Greece, rounding up to 460 adult men in the town and executing them with machine gun fire, then burning the town.
- A wave of 1,462 American airplanes flew an early afternoon carpet bombing raid over the German cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Kiel. In a departure from previous missions, all bombers in a unit would release their high explosive bombs and incendiaries, simultaneously, on the population centres.
- The French Committee of National Liberation, government in exile for France, issued a decree granting full French citizenship to those Arabs in Algeria who were classified as “Moslem elites”, the criterion being the ability to fluently read and write the French language, and dropped previous requirement that a prospective citizen “renounce the Koranic law”, and added that the attainment of the same rights as “non-Moslem French” people would be granted to Arab Algerians “without abandonment of their personal Koranic status”. The order was expected to enfranchise at between 20,000 and 30,000 Algerian Muslims.
- The first war crimes trial of World War II began at Kharkov in the Soviet Union, when three German officers and a Russian collaborator were tried for “crimes and atrocities [that are] … links in a long chain of crimes which have been, and are still being, committed by the German invaders on the direct instructions of the German Government and of the Supreme Command of the German Army.” The four men (Abwehr Captain Wilhelm Langheld, SS Lieutenant Hans Ritz, Corporal Reinhard Retzlaff of the Secret Field Police, and Mikhail Bulanov of Kharkov) would be found guilty on December 17 and hanged the next day, in public, in front of thousands of spectators at Kharkov’s main square.
- The sister of Erich Maria Remarque, the German-born author of All Quiet on the Western Front, was beheaded after being convicted in the German “People’s Court” (Volksgerichtshof) of “undermining the war effort” by failing to denounce her famous brother, who had become successful in the United States. Judge Roland Freisler told Elfriede Remark Scholz, “Your brother is beyond our reach, but you will not escape us.”
- On the fortieth anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ historic first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, President Roosevelt announced that the Wrights’ airplane would be returned to the United States from storage in England, and donated to the Smithsonian Institution. The Wrights had allowed the aircraft to go overseas after the Smithsonian had refused to recognize the Wrights as the makers of the first flight, crediting Samuel Langley instead.
And here’s what was keeping Peggy busy in the ATS:
Sunday 12th November July 1943
Took Ted & Rob for a walk. After tea went to flicks, saw ‘Convoy’ – very good. Terribly cold – came straight home & to bed early.
Monday 13th November 1943
Up about 09.30! Very nice too. Went to flicks saw ‘The Great Waltz’ – not very good – except music. Met a friend of Mur’s Yank – named Leslie. Very nice! Home about 2300
Tuesday 14th November 1943
Went down the Link – then to dance. Danced a lot with Yoda (!) till Les came. Came home with him – didn’t get in till 00.10! Les awfully nice. Very tall.
Wednesday 15th December 1943
Went up town. Still very cold. Met Les at 1830. Went to the flicks. Saw Humphrey Bogart in “Action in N. Atlantic”. Les is so nice – I shall miss him a hell of a lot.
Thursday 16th December August 1943
Stayed in bed till 1100. Didn’t go out as Les couldn’t get out. Pressed my frock.
Friday 17th December 1943
Found out trains. Packed. Met Les at 1830. Went to flicks and saw Bing in ‘Sing you Sinners’ for the 3rd time! I didn’t mind – was with Les. Wore my civvies – pouring with rain when we came out. Very downhearted leaving my Les! Hope he writes to me!
Saturday 18th December 1943
Train two hours late! Terribly cold & very very browned off.
The diaries of Peggy Ward 