WWII U.S. Army Machine Gun Crew in Aachen, Germany 1944

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In October of 1944 the U.S. First Army moved against Aachen, the first German city to be attacked by ground forces in the war. Fighting was bitter and the German surrender on 21 October came only after the city was virtually destroyed.

In this photo, taken by a U.S. Army Signal Corps photographer on 15 October 1944, an American light machine gun crew from 2d Battalion, 26th Infantry fires against Wehrmacht targets in the streets of Aachen. The photo is very clear and crisp showing details of the soldiers, their Machine Gun, Cal. .30, M1919A4 on its tripod, .30 cal. ammunition, and spent cartridges strewn on the paving stones.

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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