February 11
1940: Germany and the Soviet Union sign a trade agreement that provides for the delivery of vital war materials (grains, oil, strategic minerals) by the Soviets.
1945: In the East, the Red Army has encircled the fortress city of Küstrin on the Oder.
source:
http://www.feldgrau.com/february.html
1951: Chinese offensive, Korea - Chinese launch their fourth phase offensive in Korea.
source:
http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/thismonth/index.asp
1862 - SecNav directs formation of organization to evaluate new inventions and technical development which eventually led to National Academy of Science.
1971 - U.S. and USSR sign a treaty prohibiting the deployment of nuclear weapons on the ocean floor.
source:
http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/datesfeb.htm 1939 -
Lockheed P-38 flies from California to New York in 7 hours 2 minutes.
1943 -
World War II: General
Dwight Eisenhower is selected to command the
allied armies in
Europe.
1973 -
Vietnam War: First release of
American prisoners of war from
Vietnam takes place.
source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_11
1942: The German battleships
Gneisenau and
Scharnhorst, as well as the heavy cruiser
Prinz Eugen, escape from the French port of Brest and make a mad dash up the English Channel to safety in German waters. The
Gneisenau and
Scharnhorst had been anchored at Brest since March 1941. The
Prinz Eugen had been tied to the French port since the
Bismarck sortie in May 1941, when it and the battleship
Bismarck made their own mad dash through the Atlantic and the Denmark Strait to elude Royal Navy gunfire. All three were subject to periodic bombing raids--and damage--by the British, as the Brits attempted to ensure that the German warships never left the French coast. But despite the careful watch of British subs and aircraft, German Vice Admiral Otto Ciliax launched Operation Cerberus to lead the ships out of the French port. The Germans, who had controlled and occupied France since June 1940, drew British fire deliberately, and the
Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, and
Prinz Eugen used the resulting skirmish as a defensive smoke screen. Six German destroyers and 21 torpedo boats accompanied the ships for protection as they moved north late on the night of February 11.
source:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?
