Mickey Rooney on Tour in Germany, 1945

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Private First Class Mickey Rooney imitates some Hollywood actors for an appreciative audience of 44th Division Infantrymen. Rooney toured by jeep as a member of a three-man unit entertaining the troops. Kist, Germany, 13 April 1945. The photo clearly shows many interesting details like Rooney's personal sheath knife with a bone handle, and the weapons and equipment of the soldier-audience.

Physically short, but full of energy and vitality, Rooney was the #1 box office actor in the United States from 1939-41. He entered the Army for 21 months in 1944 to serve with a unit of artists providing field entertainment.

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].
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.