December 2, 1943: The Attack On Bari

December 2, 1943: German Junkers Ju 88 bombers attack the port of Bari, in Apulia, roughly the "Achillies tendon" in "the boot of Italy." It was a key supply center for Allied forces fighting their way up the Italian Peninsula.

Over 20 Allied ships were sunk in the overcrowded harbor, including the U.S. Liberty Ship SS John Harvey, which was carrying mustard gas. Mustard gas, one of the deadliest weapons of World War I, had been banned thereafter, and was not supposed to be used in World War II. It was also reported to have been stacked on the quayside awaiting transport.

The presence of the gas was highly classified, and the U.S. had not informed the British military authorities in the city of its existence. This increased the number of fatalities, since British physicians -- who had no idea that they were dealing with the effects of mustard gas -- prescribed treatment proper for those suffering from exposure and immersion, which proved fatal in many cases.

Because rescuers were unaware they were dealing with gas casualties, many additional casualties were caused among the rescuers, through contact with the contaminated skin and clothing of those more directly exposed to the gas.

In order to try to cover-up the in-theater possession of chemical weapons by the Allies, the deaths were attributed to "burns due to enemy action." Reports were purged or classified but, since there were too many witnesses to keep the secret, in February 1944, the U.S. Chiefs of Staff issued a statement admitting to the accident, and emphasizing that the U.S. had no intention of using chemical weapons except in the case of retaliation.

U.S. records of the attack were declassified in 1959, and the British government admitted the poison gas release and harm caused to the surviving victims. Details of the attack were given in a 1967 article in the U.S. Navy journal Proceedings, and in a 1976 book by Glenn B. Infield, Disaster at Bari.

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December 2, 1943 was a Thursday. Wayne Allard, a former U.S. Senator from Colorado, was born on this day.

Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. There were 2 games in the NHL. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 6-2 at the Montreal Forum. And the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings, 6-5 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins were not scheduled.