WW II U.S. Army 442nd Regimental Combat Team 105mm Howitzer, France 1944

This photo was taken by a U.S. Army Signal Corps photographer near Bruyeres, France 18 October 1944. It shows a 105mm Howitzer crew from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team lobbing shells at German positions in support of an infantry attack. The Signal Corps photo ID number is on the lower right.

The 442nd was notable for being composed of Japanese-American volunteers who were sent to the ETO so their Japanese ancestry would not be a conflict, as Army strategists thought it might be if they had to fight Japanese in the Pacific. This was an improvement over attitudes early in the war when Nisei who volunteered were classified as "enemy alien" and were rejected.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team participated in major battles in Italy and France. Its soldiers earned many decorations for individual courage as well as unit performance.

Today in WW II: 8 Feb 1940 Germans establish the first large Jewish ghetto in Poland in the city of Lodz. More ↓

8 Feb 1941 US House of Representatives passes the Lend-Lease Act [265 to 165].
8 Feb 1942 Battle of Sarimbun Beach begins, the first stage of the Japanese assault on Singapore.
8 Feb 1942 Japanese Offensive in Burma begins [8 Feb-2 May].
8 Feb 1945 Battle of the Reichswald: British and Canadian forces under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery begin Operation Veritable [8 Feb-11 Mar].
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