3 SEPTEMBER 1939
In response to Hitler's invasion of Poland, Britain and France,
both allies of the overrun nation declare war on Germany. The
first casualty of that declaration was not German-but the British
ocean liner Athenia, which was sunk by a German U-30
submarine that had assumed the liner was armed and
belligerent. There were more than 1,100 passengers on board,
112 of whom lost their lives. Of those, 28 were Americans, but
President Roosevelt was unfazed by the tragedy, declaring that
no one was to "thoughtlessly or falsely talk of America sending
its armies to European fields." The United States would remain
neutral. As for Britain's response, it was initially no more than
the dropping of anti-Nazi propaganda leaflets-13 tons of them-over Germany. They would begin bombing German ships on September 4, suffering significant losses. They were also working under orders not to harm German civilians. The German military, of course, had no such restrictions. France would begin an offensive against Germany's western border two weeks later. Their effort was weakened by a narrow 90-mile window leading to the German front, enclosed by the borders of Luxembourg and Belgium-both neutral countries. The Germans mined the passage, stalling the French offensive.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
MADDEN, MICHAEL
Rank and organization: Private, Company K, 42d New York Infantry. Place and date: At Masons Island, Md., 3 September 1861. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Born: 28 September 1841, Ireland. Date of issue: 22 March 1898. Citation: Assisted a wounded comrade to the riverbank and, under heavy fire of the enemy, swam with him across a branch of the Potomac to the Union lines.
GILLENWATER, JAMES R.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company A, 36th Infantry, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: Near Porac, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 3 September 1899. Entered service at: Rye Cove, Va. Birth: Rye Cove Va. Date of issue: 1 S March 1902. Citation: While on a scout drove off a superior force of insurgents and with the assistance of 1 comrade brought from the field of action the bodies of 2 comrades, 1 killed and the other severely wounded.
LEAHY, CORNELIUS J.
Rank and organization: Private, Company A, 36th Infantry, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: Near Porac, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 3 September 1899. Entered service at: San Francisco, Calif. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 3 May 1902. Citation: Distinguished gallantry in action in driving off a superior force and with the assistance of 1 comrade brought from the field of action the bodies of 2 comrades, 1 killed and the other severely wounded, this while on a scout.
URBAN, MATT
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel (then Captain), 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, World War II. Place and date: Renouf, France, 14 June to 3 September 1944. Entered service at: Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 2 July 1941. Date and place of birth: 25 August 1919, Buffalo, New York. Lieutenant Colonel (then Captain) Matt Urban, l 12-22-2414, United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of bold, heroic actions, exemplified by singularly outstanding combat leadership, personal bravery, and tenacious devotion to duty, during the period 14 June to 3 September 1944 while assigned to the 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. On 14 June, Captain Urban's company, attacking at Renouf, France, encountered heavy enemy small arms and tank fire. The enemy tanks were unmercifully raking his unit's positions and inflicting heavy casualties. Captain Urban, realizing that his company was in imminent danger of being decimated, armed himself with a bazooka. He worked his way with an ammo carrier through hedgerows, under a continuing barrage of fire, to a point near the tanks. He brazenly exposed himself to the enemy fire and, firing the bazooka, destroyed both tanks. Responding to Captain Urban's action, his company moved forward and routed the enemy. Later that same day, still in the attack near Orglandes, Captain Urban was wounded in the leg by direct fire from a 37mm tank-gun. He refused evacuation and continued to lead his company until they moved into defensive positions for the night. At 0500 hours the next day, still in the attack near Orglandes, Captain Urban, though badly wounded, directed his company in another attack. One hour later he was again wounded. Suffering from two wounds, one serious, he was evacuated to England. In mid-July, while recovering from his wounds, he learned of his unit's severe losses in the hedgerows of Normandy. Realizing his unit's need for battle-tested leaders, he voluntarily left the hospital and hitchhiked his way back to his unit hear St. Lo, France. Arriving at the 2d Battalion Command Post at 1130 hours, 25 July, he found that his unit had jumped-off at 1100 hours in the first attack of Operation Cobra." Still limping from his leg wound, Captain Urban made his way forward to retake command of his company. He found his company held up by strong enemy opposition. Two supporting tanks had been destroyed and another, intact but with no tank commander or gunner, was not moving. He located a lieutenant in charge of the support tanks and directed a plan of attack to eliminate the enemy strong-point. The lieutenant and a sergeant were immediately killed by the heavy enemy fire when they tried to mount the tank. Captain Urban, though physically hampered by his leg wound and knowing quick action had to be taken, dashed through the scathing fire and mounted the tank. With enemy bullets ricocheting from the tank, Captain Urban ordered the tank forward and, completely exposed to the enemy fire, manned the machine gun and placed devastating fire on the enemy. His action, in the face of enemy fire, galvanized the battalion into action and they attacked and destroyed the enemy position. On 2 August, Captain Urban was wounded in the chest by shell fragments and, disregarding the recommendation of the Battalion Surgeon, again refused evacuation. On 6 August, Captain Urban became the commander of the 2d Battalion. On 15 August, he was again wounded but remained with his unit. On 3 September, the 2d Battalion was given the mission of establishing a crossing-point on the Meuse River near Heer, Belgium. The enemy planned to stop the advance of the allied Army by concentrating heavy forces at the Meuse. The 2d Battalion, attacking toward the crossing-point, encountered fierce enemy artillery, small arms and mortar fire which stopped the attack. Captain Urban quickly moved from his command post to the lead position of the battalion. Reorganizing the attacking elements, he personally led a charge toward the enemy's strong-point. As the charge moved across the open terrain, Captain Urban was seriously wounded in the neck. Although unable to talk above a whisper from the paralyzing neck wound, and in danger of losing his life, he refused to be evacuated until the enemy was routed and his battalion had secured the crossing-point on the Meuse River. Captain Urban's personal leadership, limitless bravery, and repeated extraordinary exposure to enemy fire served as an inspiration to his entire battalion. His valorous and intrepid actions reflect the utmost credit on him and uphold the noble traditions of the United States.
*KRZYZOWSKI, EDWARD C.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company B, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Tondul, Korea, from 31 August to 3 September 1951. Entered service at: Cicero, Ill. Born: 16 January 1914, Chicago, Ill. G.O. No.: 56, 12 June 1952. Citation: Capt. Krzyzowski, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy as commanding officer of Company B. Spearheading an assault against strongly defended Hill 700, his company came under vicious crossfire and grenade attack from enemy bunkers. Creeping up the fire-swept hill, he personally eliminated 1 bunker with his grenades and wiped out a second with carbine fire. Forced to retire to more tenable positions for the night, the company, led by Capt. Krzyzowski, resumed the attack the following day, gaining several hundred yards and inflicting numerous casualties. Overwhelmed by the numerically superior hostile force, he ordered his men to evacuate the wounded and move back. Providing protective fire for their safe withdrawal, he was wounded again by grenade fragments, but refused evacuation and continued to direct the defense. On 3 September, he led his valiant unit in another assault which overran several hostile positions, but again the company was pinned down by murderous fire. Courageously advancing alone to an open knoll to plot mortar concentrations against the hill, he was killed instantly by an enemy sniper's fire. Capt. Krzyzowski's consummate fortitude, heroic leadership, and gallant self-sacrifice, so clearly demonstrated throughout 3 days of bitter combat, reflect the highest credit and lasting glory on himself, the infantry, and the U.S. Army.
*OUELLETTE, JOSEPH R.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company H, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Yongsan, Korea, from 31 August to 3 September 1950. Entered service at: Lowell, Mass. Birth: Lowell, Mass. G.O. No.: 25, 25 April 1951. Citation: Pfc. Ouellette distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy in the Makioug-Chang River salient. When an enemy assault cut off and surrounded his unit he voluntarily made a reconnaissance of a nearby hill under intense enemy fire to locate friendly troop positions and obtain information of the enemy's strength and location. Finding that friendly troops were not on the hill, he worked his way back to his unit under heavy fire. Later, when an airdrop of water was made outside the perimeter, he again braved enemy fire in an attempt to retrieve water for his unit. Finding the dropped cans broken and devoid of water, he returned to his unit. His heroic attempt greatly increased his comrades' morale. When ammunition and grenades ran low, Pfc. Ouellette again slipped out of the perimeter to collect these from the enemy dead. After collecting grenades he was attacked by an enemy soldier. He killed this enemy in hand-to-hand combat, gathered up the ammunition, and returned to his unit. When the enemy attacked on 3 September, they assaulted his position with grenades. On 6 occasions Pfc. Ouellette leaped from his foxhole to escape exploding grenades. In doing so, he had to face enemy small-arms fire. He continued his resistance, despite a severe wound, until he lost his life. The extraordinary heroism and intrepidity displayed by Pfc. Ouellette reflect the highest credit on himself and are in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the military service.
*WATKINS, TRAVIS E.
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company H, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division Place and date: Near Yongsan, Korea, 31 August through 3 September 1950. Entered service at: Texas. Birth: Waldo, Ark. G.O. No.: 9, 16 February 1951. Citation: M/Sgt. Watkins distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. When an overwhelming enemy force broke through and isolated 30 men of his unit, he took command, established a perimeter defense and directed action which repelled continuous, fanatical enemy assaults. With his group completely surrounded and cut off, he moved from foxhole to foxhole exposing himself to enemy fire, giving instructions and offering encouragement to his men. Later when the need for ammunition and grenades became critical he shot 2 enemy soldiers 50 yards outside the perimeter and went out alone for their ammunition and weapons. As he picked up their weapons he was attacked by 3 others and wounded. Returning their fire he killed all 3 and gathering up the weapons of the 5 enemy dead returned to his amazed comrades. During a later assault, 6 enemy soldiers gained a defiladed spot and began to throw grenades into the perimeter making it untenable. Realizing the desperate situation and disregarding his wound he rose from his foxhole to engage them with rifle fire. Although immediately hit by a burst from an enemy machine gun he continued to fire until he had killed the grenade throwers. With this threat eliminated he collapsed and despite being paralyzed from the waist down, encouraged his men to hold on. He refused all food, saving it for his comrades, and when it became apparent that help would not arrive in time to hold the position ordered his men to escape to friendly lines. Refusing evacuation as his hopeless condition would burden his comrades, he remained in his position and cheerfully wished them luck. Through his aggressive leadership and intrepid actions, this small force destroyed nearly 500 of the enemy before abandoning their position. M/Sgt. Watkins' sustained personal bravery and noble self-sacrifice reflect the highest glory upon himself and is in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.
3 SEPTEMBER 1950
A U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) of 35 men
arrives in Saigon to screen French requests for American
military aid, assist in the training of South Vietnamese troops,
and advise on strategy. President Harry Truman had approved
National Security Council (NSC) Memorandum 64 in March 1950,
proclaiming that French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, and
Laos) was a key area that could not be allowed to fall to the
communists and that the United States would provide support
against communist aggression in the area. However, NSC 64 did
not identify who would receive the aid, the French or the South
Vietnamese. The French did not want the aid to go directly to
the South Vietnamese and opposed the presence of any American advisory group. Nevertheless, the U.S. government argued that such a team would be necessary to coordinate requisitioning, procurement, and dissemination of supplies and equipment. Accordingly, an advisory group was dispatched to Saigon. In the long run, however, the French high command ignored the MAAG in formulating strategy, denied them any role in training the Vietnamese, and refused to keep them informed of current operations and future plans. By 1952, the United States would bear roughly one-third of the cost of the war the French were fighting, but find itself with very little influence over French military policy in Southeast Asia or the way the war was waged. Ultimately, the French would be defeated at the battle of Dien Bien Phu and withdraw from Vietnam, passing the torch to the United States. In 1964, MAAG Vietnam would be disbanded and its advisory mission and functions integrated into the U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV), which had been established in February 1962.
TODAY IN MILITARY HISTORY
3 September
◆36 BCE Naval Battle of Naulochus: Agrippa defeats Sextus Pompey.
◆1459 Battle of Bloreheath: The Earl of Salisbury defeats the Lancastrians.
◆1609 Henry Hudson discovered the island of Manhattan.
◆1632 Battle of Nuremburg: Sweden's Gustavus Adolphus and the Empire's Wallentsein fight to a draw.
◆1650 Battle of Dunbar: Cromwell defeats the Scots Royalists.
◆1651 Battle of Worcester: Cromwell defeats Prince Charles (II) & the Royalists; final battle of the English Civil Wars.
◆1700 Battle of the Narva: Swedes defeat Peter the Great.
◆1709 The 1st major group of Swiss and German colonists reached the Carolinas.
◆1752 The Gregorian Adjustment to the calendar was put into effect in Great Britain and the American colonies followed. At this point in time 11 days needed to be accounted for and Sept. 2 was selected to be followed by Sept. 14. People rioted thinking the government stole 11 days of their lives.
◆1777 The American flag is flown in battle for the first time, during a Revolutionary War skirmish at Cooch's Bridge, Maryland. Patriot General William Maxwell ordered the stars and strips banner raised as a detachment of his infantry and cavalry met an advance guard of British and Hessian troops.★
◆1782 As a token of gratitude for French aid during American Revolution, the U.S. gives America (first ship-of-the-line built by U.S.) to France to replace a French ship lost in Boston.
◆1783 The Treaty of Paris between the United States and Great Britain officially ended the Revolutionary War. The Treaty of 1783, which formally ended the American Revolution, is also known as the Definitive Treaty of Peace, the Peace of Paris and the Treaty of Versailles. Under the treaty, Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States. The treaty bears the signatures of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay.
◆1783 Mackinac Island, Michigan, passed into US hands following the Paris Peace Treaty,
◆1826 USS Vincennes left NY to become 1st warship to circumnavigate globe.
◆1855 General William Harney and 700 soldiers take revenge for the Grattan Massacre with a brutal attack on a Sioux village in Nebraska that left 100 men, women, and children dead.★
◆1861 Confederate General Leonidas Polk commits a major political blunder by marching his troops into Columbus, Kentucky—negating Kentucky's avowed neutrality and causing the Unionist legislature to invite the U.S. government to drive the invaders away.
◆1864 Battle of Berryville, VA.
◆1864 President Lincoln ordered a 100-gun salute at the Washington Navy Yard at noon on Monday, the 5th of September, and upon receipt of the order, at each arsenal and navy yard in the United States ''for the recent brilliant achievements of the fleet and land forces of the United States in the harbor of Mobile and in the reduction of Fort Powell, Fort Gaines, and Fort Morgan. The President also proclaimed that on the following Sunday thanksgiving should be given for Rear Admiral Farragut's victory at Mobile and for the capture of Atlanta by General Sherman. These events, said Lincoln, "call for devout acknowledgment to the Supreme Being in whose hands are the destinies of nations."1865 - Army commander in SC ordered Freedmen's Bureau to stop seizing land.
◆1885 First classes at U.S. Naval War College begin.
◆1908 Orville Wright began two weeks of flight trials that impressed onlookers with his complete control of his new Type A Military Flyer. In addition to setting an altitude record of 310 feet and an endurance record of more than one hour, he had carried aloft the first military observer, Lieutenant Frank Lahm.
◆1914 The British Army enlists 33,304 men, the largest number of volunteers accepted for service in a single day ever.
◆1917 German troops capture Riga, Latvia.
◆1917 Imperial German Air Service conducts its first night bombing of London.
◆1918 The United States recognized the nation of Czechoslovakia.
◆1918 Five soldiers were hanged for alleged participation in the Houston riot of 1917.
◆1925 The dirigible "Shenandoah" crashed near Caldwell Ohio, 13 die. The 682-foot Shenandoah, a dirigible built by the U.S. Navy in 1923, broke apart in mid-air, killing 14 persons aboard.
◆1926 Marines served at Shanghai, China, and aboard ship during the Yangtze Service Campaign, 3 September 1926 - 21 October 1927.
◆1939 In response to Hitler's invasion of Poland, Britain and France, both allies of the overrun nation declare war on Germany.★
◆1939 The British passenger liner, SS Athenia, is torpedoed off the northwest coast of Ireland en route to Canada by U-30 because it is mistakenly identified as an auxiliary cruiser. There are 112 dead including 28 American citizens, of some 1400 passengers including some 316 Americans. The German government is unaware of the action of the U-boat until later in the month. Britain believes that this is the start of unrestricted submarine warfare. At this time, 39 of the German fleet of 58 U-boats are at sea. Doenitz, the submarine chief, had hoped for a fleet of 300 before contemplating war with Britain.
◆1941 The Japanese are informed that a meeting between Prince Konoye and President Roosevelt cannot take place.
◆1943 Italy surrendered.
◆1944 US 12th Army Group advances. Forces of US 1st Army take Mon while lead elements of US 3rd Army cross the Moselle River.
◆1944 Forces of US 7th Army continue advancing. The French 1st Infantry Division enters Lyons.
◆1944 First combat employment of a missile guided by radio and television takes place when Navy drone Liberator, controlled by Ensign James M. Simpson in a PV, flew to attack German submarine pens on Helgoland Island.
◆1944 An American force, commanded by Admiral Smith, including 3 heavy cruisers and 3 destroyers, bombards the island. The light carrier USS Monterey provides air cover for the operation.
◆1945 General Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Japanese commander of the Philippines, surrendered to Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright at Baguio.
◆1945 Japanese surrender Wake Island in ceremony on board USS Levy (DE-162).
◆1950 A U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) of 35 men arrives in Saigon to screen French requests for American military aid, assist in the training of South Vietnamese troops, and advise on strategy.★
◆1954 The US Espionage & Sabotage Act of 1954 signed.
◆1976 The unmanned U.S. spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the planet's surface.
◆1989 The United States began shipping a $65 million package of military aircraft and weapons to help Colombia's war against drug lords.
◆1995 Testing Serb will, the United Nations reopened a route to Sarajevo and threatened more air attacks if the rebel stranglehold of the Bosnian capital didn’t end.
◆1996 The United States launched 27 cruise missiles at "selected air defense targets" in Iraq as punishment for Iraq's invasion of Kurdish safe havens.3 SEPTEMBER 1855
General William Harney and 700 soldiers take revenge for the
Grattan Massacre with a brutal attack on a Sioux village in
Nebraska that left 100 men, women, and children dead. The
path to Harney's bloody revenge began a year before near Fort
Laramie, Wyoming, when a brash young lieutenant named John
Grattan and 30 of his men were killed while attempting to arrest
a Teton Sioux brave accused of shooting a white man's cow.
Despite the many eyewitness reports that Lieutenant Grattan
had foolishly threatened the Sioux and practically forced them
to attack, the incident quickly gained infamy around the nation
as the "Grattan Massacre." Americans demanded swift
vengeance, and the army turned to the celebrated Indian
fighter, General William Harney, to lead a punitive attack
against the Sioux.
Harney decided an appropriate target for retribution was a
village of 250 Sioux led by Chief Little Thunder encamped near
Ash Hollow, Nebraska. Refusing to accept Little Thunder's offer
of immediate surrender, Harney ordered a full-scale attack that
completely destroyed the village and killed more than 100 Sioux.
After later learning more about what had really happened at the
Grattan Massacre, Harney softened his attitude toward the
Sioux and eventually convened a successful peace council that
temporarily calmed tensions. But for the rest of his life the general was plagued with the nickname of "Squaw Killer Harney," while the unfortunate pattern of revenge and punishment his attack began would only grow more vicious on both sides of the conflict. One Sioux boy who witnessed the brutal massacre would never forget or forgive and would take his own revenge 21 years later at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. His name was Crazy Horse. [pictured: General William Selby Harney]
3 SEPTEMBER 1777
The original Stars and Stripes. The American
flag is flown in battle for the first time, during
a Revolutionary War skirmish at Cooch's
Bridge, Maryland. Patriot General William
Maxwell ordered the stars and strips banner
raised as a detachment of his infantry and
cavalry met an advance guard of British and
Hessian troops. The rebels were defeated and
forced to retreat to General George
Washington's main force near Brandywine
Creek in Pennsylvania. Three months before, on June 14, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution stating that "the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white" and that "the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." The national flag, which became known as the "Stars and Stripes," was based on the "Grand Union" flag, a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white stripes. With the entrance of new states into the United States after independence, new stripes and stars were added to represent new additions to the Union. In 1818, however, Congress enacted a law stipulating that the 13 original stripes be restored and that only stars be added to represent new states. On June 14, 1877, the first Flag Day observance was held on the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes. As instructed by Congress, the U.S. flag was flown from all public buildings across the country. In the years after the first Flag Day, several states continued to observe the anniversary, and in 1949 Congress officially designated June 14 as Flag Day, a national day of observance. [pictured: The first U.S. flag was called the Grand Union flag]