WesWorld

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Tuesday, 20 June 1944

The Office of the Chancellor announced today that Minister of Foreign Affairs Heinrich Bruning will be retiring to private life effective 1 August of this year. Herr Bruning, who has held many public offices over a career spanning decades, had reached his decision due to advancing age. Once chancellor in his own right, Herr Bruning is best known for his bringing together separate strains of the political centre and right to form the Free Democratic Party which won its first electoral victory in 1939.


Autozeitung, Wednesday, 21 June 1944




Frankfurter Zeitung, Thursday, 22 June 1944

Professor Werner Heisenberg has been named director of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Physik research facility at Hechingen, where he will continue to work with Professor Walter Bothe on various aspects of high energy physics.

The Pomeranian Coast, Friday, 23 June 1944

The Wittelsbach and her sister Wettin slowly maneuvered into position a kilometre offshore the sleepy village of Gribow, west of Kolberg. The amphibious transports dropped anchor and began to flood down their well decks. The two vessels had recently completed their trials and initial crew training; today began their working up, preparing for the missions they might be called upon. The majority of the ships' crews were still green, only a cadre of petty officers and a handful of seamen having much experience; for nearly all of them, deliberately flooding a ship seemed un-natural, but for these vessels it was akin to rolling out the ships' guns.

The sound of pumps eased, as the level of water in the well deck of each ship met that of the sea outside; at the order "Open outer doors!" the great door that formed the stern of the ship was slowly lowered. In her well deck the Wittelsbach's landing craft rocked slightly - each carried a single Panzerkampfwagen IV medium tank, and soon the first of her eight Pionierlandungsboote backed out through the ship's stern and began to circle in a holding pattern. Already the ship's pair of smaller landing boats were ready to lead their larger sisters ashore. A similar dance was being performed aboard the Wettin. The crews moved slowly, deliberately - this was not a combat landing but a training exercise, and there was no need to rush.

Within an hour sixteen of the large landing boats had been launched, shepherded by the smaller boats. They now left their waiting circles and stretched out in line abreast for a run towards the shore, whose white sands glistened in the sun. Spray spurted over the bows of the heavily laden craft and the tank crews waiting inside their machines were pitched about, some with unfortunate results. After five minutes - which to some seemed an eternity - the first of the landing boats touched the beach; boat crews quickly dropped the bow ramps of their craft and the tanks lumbered their way ashore, all except one that struck a soft patch of sand and bogged down, its tracks flinging sand in all directions.

The exercise called for the landing craft to return to their mother ships to load additional tanks and supplies; overall, this was achieved. However, one boat in the first wave broached, having been caught by a wave shortly after having delivered its tank. Its crew would have to wait for the tide to kedge off.

Kriegsmarine Survey Ship Meteor, Jaluit, The Marshall Islands, Saturday, 24 June 1944

Letter from Christof Bachlechner, Research Assistant




Kronen Zeitung, Sunday, 25 June 1944

Kontinentale Öl-Aktiengesellschaft has taken a minority equity position in the Czech firm Spolecnost pro vyrobu mineralnich oleju S.r.o., which operates an oil refinery at Bratislava and holds a twelve percent share in the Czech market for petroleum products.


Militär-Wochenblatt, Monday, 26 June 1944

The Bodenseewerke AG has been awarded a contract to develop a new antisubmarine torpedo for use aboard ships and submarines of the Kriegsmarine. No further details are available at this time.

Oberösterreichische Rundschau, Tuesday, 27 June 1944

The Cabinet Office has announced that Thomas Dehler will succeed Heinrich Bruning as Minister of Foreign Affairs. A special election to fill Herr Dehler's seat in the Reichstag has been scheduled for 6 August.


Handelsblatt, Wednesday, 28 June 1944

Berliner Tageblatt, Thursday, 29 June 1944

The Defence Ministry has awarded development contracts to the Krupp concern for a new series of light antitank weapons, and to the Rheinmetall firm to explore new high-velocity antitank gun designs. Details were not released.


Der Soldatenfreund, Friday, 30 June 1944