Operation Varsity was a joint American–British airborne operation that took place in March 1945, towards the end of World War II. It was planned to aid the British 21st Army Group, under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, in securing a foothold across the River Rhine in western Germany by landing two airborne divisions on the eastern bank of the Rhine near the towns of Hamminkeln and Wesel. The operation involved two airborne divisions from US XVIII Airborne Corps: the British 6th Airborne Division and the US 17th Airborne Division. Despite some errors by the airborne forces, the operation was an overall success, with both divisions landing and capturing a number of bridges across the Rhine and securing several towns which could have been used by the enemy to delay the advance of the British ground forces. The two divisions incurred more than 2,000 casualties, but captured approximately 3,000 German soldiers in the process. The operation was the last large–scale Allied airborne operation of World War II, and was the largest in history.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Varsity> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1603: King James VI of Scotland acceded to the throne of England and Ireland, becoming James I of England and unifying the crowns of the three kingdoms for the first time. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_I_of_England> 1882: German physician Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium that causes tuberculosis. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tuberculosis> 1934: The United States Government passed the Tydings-McDuffie Act, establishing the Commonwealth of the Philippines, a ten-year transitional government in preparation for full Philippine independence and sovereignty. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_the_Philippines> 1976: Dirty War: President Isabel Perón of Argentina was kidnapped and deposed in a bloodless coup d'état. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Mart%C3%ADnez_de_Per%C3%B3n> 1989: The tanker Exxon Valdez spilled more than 10 million U.S. gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing one of the most devastating man-made environmental disasters at sea. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill> 1999: Kosovo War: NATO launched air strikes against Yugoslavia, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_NATO_bombing_of_the_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: rogation (n): A deeply serious and somber prayer or entreaty <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rogation> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: I do not want art for a few, any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few. --William Morris <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Morris> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
