WW II Women: WAVES Walk to .50cal Target Range

In this photo taken 11 April 1944, Sp (G) 3/c Florence Johnson and Sp (G) 3/c Rosamund Small, the first WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) to qualify as Instructor on electrically operated turrets for the .50-caliber machine gun, walk to the target range draped in .50 cal cartridge belts. The location is the Naval Air Gunners School, Hollywood, Florida.

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Today in WW II: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo. More ?

9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
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