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

Harnischfeger P&H 855B Crane-Shovel

Successor to the World War II Crawler Cranes, the Harnischfeger P&H Model 855B was made in a number of configurations as a shovel, dragline or other uses. The unit pictured is a Model 855BG-3, manufactured January 1961 with the Cat engine, as stamped on its dataplate. It was equipped with a dragline bucket. The technical manuals for this crane seem to refer to slightly different model and stock numbers:

TM 5-3810-201-12 CRANE-SHOVEL UNIT, CRAWLER MTD; 40-TON; 2 CU YD; DIESEL DRIVEN (W/HARNISCHFE ENGINE MODEL 687C-18-ES) (W/CATERPILLAR ENGINE MODEL D333TA) (HARNISCHFEGER MODEL 855BG-2) NON-WINTERIZED, NSN 3810-00-542-3 WINTERIZED, NSN 3810-00-542-3049 (HARNISCHFEGER MODEL 855BG-3) NON-WINTERIZED, (NSN 3810-00-786-5200) (REPRINTED W/BASIC INCL C2-3)

Photos: Government Liquidation.com

Harnischfeger P&H 855B Crane-Shovel.

Harnischfeger P&H 855B Crane-Shovel, right side view.

Harnischfeger P&H 855B Crane-Shovel, left side view.

Harnischfeger P&H 855B Crane-Shovel dataplate.

Harnischfeger P&H 855B Crane-Shovel nameplate.