This Date in History: March 22

While PFC Mac MacLean is in Stalag VI G, on March 22, 1945, from “Somewhere in Germany,” Bob Pettigrew writes a letter to Mac’s mom in Peoria. Technically, the men are not allowed to write to the families of soldiers, who become casualties, until after the War Department conducts official notifications. However the guys in your squad know a lot more about your family than Washington ever will, and countless soldiers make verbal agreements with their buddies to, “let Mom know what happened.”(Dying Hard: Company B, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division in World War II)

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On March 22, 1942, two Soviet Rata aircraft bombed a school in Michailowka, Russia, which was serving as the headquarters of the German 294th Infantry Division.  Generalmajor Otto Gabcke, the division commander, and his operations officer died in the attack.  On the same day, Generalmajor Kurt Himer, commander 46th Infantry Division, was killed in action by naval gunfire, when elements of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet bombarded his headquarters near Nowo Michailowka on the Kerch Peninsula in the Crimea.  (Quiet Flows the Rhine, German General Officer Casualties in World War II)