Happy 244th Birthday United States, Born on the 4th of July

Born today, 244 years ago.

From the June 28, 2020, Parade Magazine.

These people were also born on the 4th of July:

Neil Simon (1927), Playwright

Stephen Foster  (1826)  Composer

Eva Marie Saint  (1924)  Actress

Gina Lollobrigida  (1927)  Actress

Geraldo Rivera  (1943)  TV Personality

Bill Withers  (1938)  Singer-Songwriter

Nathaniel Hawthorne  (1804)  Author

Malia Obama  (1998)  Daughter of former President Obama.

Happy Birthday All.  --CootHap

Last Casualties of World War I-- Part 2: France, British, Commonwealth, American and German

**  Augustin Trebuchon was the last Frenchman to die when he was shot on his way to tell  fellow soldiers that hot soup would be available  after the ceasefire.

**  The last British soldier to die was George Edwin Ellison of the 5th Royal Lancers who was killed at 9:30 a.m. while on a scouting mission.

**  The final Canadian and Commonwealth soldier to die was Private George Lawrence Price who was killed in his trench just two minutes before 11 a.m..

**  The last American was Henry Gunther, who is generally recognized as the very last soldier killed in the war.  He was killed 60 seconds before the Armistice went into effect.  He was killed by German troops, who knew about the Armistice, but Gunther was charging them.

**  The last reported German death was Leutnant Tomas who was killed after the Armistice.  he approached advancing American soldiers saying he and his men would be evacuating houses they occupied, but the Americans did not know about the Armistice.

--Cooter

German Submarine Blockade Runners-- Part 1: To America

From Wikipedia:  The U-Boat Campaign World War I.

AMERICAN WATERS

In 1916, Germany completed two submarine merchant vessels to be used as blockade runners.  The aim was to carry high value goods to and from neutral nations like the United States who would trade with Germany.  The first of these submarines, the Deutschland sailed in the summer of 1916 and made a favorable impression in the United States.

She made an equally successful voyage in the autumn of that year.

--Cooter

Second Battle of the Marne July 18 to August 6, 1918: Began 100 Years Ago

The previous post mentioned this battle as the Aisne-Marne Offensive.

This was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War I.  The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, supported by several hundred tanks, overwhelmed the Germans on their right flank, inflicting many casualties.

The German defeat marked the beginning of the relentless Allied advance that resulting in the Armistice with  Germany about 100 days later.

There were, on the Allied side, 44 French, 8 American, 4 British and 2 Italian divisions,408 heavy guns, 360 field batteries and 346 tanks,

German strength:  52 divisions, 609 heavy guns and 1,047 field batteries

CASUALTIES:

France:  95,165 dead or wounded
Britain:  16,552 dead or wounded
USA:  12,00 dead or wounded
Italy:  9,00 dead or wounded

GERMAN CASUALTIES:

139,000 dead or wounded, 29,367 captured, 793 guns lost

Some Jawdropping Numbers.  --DaCoot

Warning Signs On the Road to Pearl Harbor-- Part 1: World War I

From the December 7, 2016, USA Today.

1905:  Japan defeats Russia in the Russo-Japanese War and becomes a world power.

1910:  Japan annexes Korea and begins eyeing China and other Asian nations as sources of oil, coal, iron and other materials.

1914:  Japan joins Russia, Britain and France against Germany in World War I.  It expands its influence by taking German territories in the Pacific.

1917:

April 6:  U.S. enters World War I.

November 2:  U.S. signs pact with Japan to ease tense relations.

--Cooter