text: The 11th Army Group was activated in November 1943 to act as the land forces HQ for the newly formed South East Asia Command. Its commander was General George Giffard, who had formerly been Commander-in-Chief West Africa Command and Commander of Eastern Army (part of India Command). In November 1944, 11th Army Group was redesignated "Allied Land Forces South East Asia", under command of Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese.


title: British Army during the Second World War

text: The 15th Army Group was activated in May 1943, after the surrender of all Axis forces in Tunisia. The commander was Field Marshal Harold Alexander and was responsible for mounting the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. It had control of two armies: Eighth Army under command of Montgomery and U.S. Seventh Army under command Lieutenant General George S. Patton. After Sicily, and in preparation for the allied invasion of Italy, the Seventh Army headquarters were replaced by those of the U.S. Fifth Army, under Mark Clark.


text: The 18th Army Group was activated in early 1943, when the Eighth Army advancing from the east and First Army from the west came close enough to require coordinated command during the Tunisia Campaign. It was commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.


text: The 21st Army Group initially controlled all ground forces in Operation Overlord. The 21st Army Group main components were the British 2nd Army and the First Canadian Army. Also included were Polish units and from Normandy onwards and small Dutch, Belgian, and Czech units. However the Lines of Communications units were predominantly British. Other Armies that came under command of 21st Army Group were the First Allied Airborne Army, the U.S. First Army for Overlord, and the U.S. Ninth Army; as a result of the disruption to the chain of command during the Battle of the Bulge and as reinforcement for the drive to the Rhine, Operations Veritable and Grenade. The U.S. Ninth Army again and the U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps were under command for the Rhine river crossings Operations Plunder and Varsity.


text: After the German surrender, 21st Army Group was converted into the headquarters for the British zone of occupation in Germany. It was renamed the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) on 25 August 1945, and eventually formed the nucleus of the British forces stationed in Germany throughout the Cold War.


text: On the outbreak of war the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), John Gort, was given command of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), and was succeeded as CIGS by Edmund Ironside.


text: The BEF that was sent to France after the declaration of war consisted, initially, of 160,000 men in two army corps each of two infantry divisions. I Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General John Dill, consisted of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions and the II Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke, of the 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions. The 5th Infantry Division arrived in France in December 1939, and was assigned to Lieutenant-General Brooke's II Corps. The first TA formations arrived in January 1940. These were the 48th (South Midland), 50th (Northumbrian) and the 51st (Highland) Infantry Divisions. Due to the new arrivals some exchanging of Regular and Territorial units was considered necessary and took place, in an attempt to strengthen the Territorial divisions. The 51st Division was sent to the Saar to assist the French Army garrison on the Maginot Line while the rest of the BEF deployed along the French—Belgian border.


text: In April, more reinforcements arrived of two further Territorial divisions. These were the 42nd (East Lancashire) and 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Divisions. A further three Territorial divisions, all 2nd Line and poorly trained and without their supporting artillery, engineer and signals units, arrived later in the same month. They were the 12th (Eastern), 23rd (Northumbrian) and 46th Infantry Divisions and had been sent to France on labour duties. In May, elements of the 1st Armoured Division also arrived.


text: The German Army invaded in the West on 10 May 1940, by that time BEF consisted of 10 divisions, a tank brigade and a detachment of 500 aircraft from the RAF. During the Battle of France the speed of the German advance pushed them back, and after a brief armoured counterattack by the 5th and 50th Divisions, plus 74 tanks from the 1st Army Tank Brigade at Arras on 21 May, most of the BEF withdrew to Dunkirk. The evacuation began on 26 May, and over 330,000 British and French troops were withdrawn by 4 June. A further 220,000 were evacuated from other French ports. The majority of the BEF was saved, but had to leave much of its equipment behind. The BEF sustained around 68,000 casualties. This included around 40,000 who were taken prisoner, including most of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division.


text: However, the British Army's first encounter with the Germans during the Second World War had been in the Norwegian Campaign, following the German invasion on 9 April 1940. The British had responded by sending troops, consisting mainly of Territorials of the 146th and 148th Infantry Brigades of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division (originally intended to be sent to France), along with regulars of the 15th Infantry Brigade (detached from the 5th Division in France) and the 24th Guards Brigade, to Åndalsnes, Namsos, and Narvik. After the German invasion of the Low Countries the following month, the British government's attention was diverted and the British force had to be evacuated on 8 June.


text: The occupation of Norway led to a possible German presence in Iceland, this along with the island's strategic importance, alarmed the British. On 10 May 1940, British troops carried out the invasion of Iceland "to insure the security of Iceland against a German invasion". The initial force of Royal Marines was replaced on 17 May, by the 147th Infantry Brigade, followed by most of the rest of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division.


text: After Italy declared war in June 1940, the British forces in Somaliland were put under the command of Arthur Reginald Chater, of the Somaliland Camel Corps. At the start of August, Chater had about 4,000 soldiers from the Somaliland Camel Corps, 2nd (Nyasaland) Battalion, King's African Rifles (KAR), 1st Battalion, Northern Rhodesia Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment, 1st Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment, 1st Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment and 2nd Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment).


text: The East African campaign started in August 1940, when the Italians attacked British Somaliland. The British were defeated after a brief campaign when faced with the Italian force of 23 colonial battalions in five brigades. The British Official History of events, records the total British casualties were 260 and Italian losses were estimated at 2,052.


text: In the North African Campaign, the Italian invasion of Egypt, started in September 1940. The Western Desert Force commanded by Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor had 36,000 men under command based within Egypt. The Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), Middle East Command was General Archibald Wavell. Units available were: one brigade of the 2nd New Zealand Division, two brigades of the 4th Indian Infantry Division, the understrength 7th Armoured Division, a weakened cavalry regiment, a machine gun battalion and 14 infantry battalions, all short of equipment and artillery. These troops had to defend both Egypt and the Suez Canal against an estimated 215,000 Italian troops in Libya, and an estimated 200,000 troops in Italian East Africa.


text: The British responded to the invasion of Egypt by launching Operation Compass in December, with the 4th Indian Infantry Division, 7th Armoured Division and from 14 December, troops of the 6th Australian Infantry Division, replaced the 4th Indian Division.


text: Operation Compass was a success and the Western Desert Force advanced across Libya capturing Cyrenaica, 115,000 Italian soldiers, hundreds of tanks and artillery pieces and more than 1,100 aircraft with very few casualties of their own. Following the operation the Western Desert Force, now renamed XIII Corps and reorganised under HQ Cyrenaica Command, adopted a defensive posture. Over the next few months O'Connor became commander of British Troops Egypt while Lieutenant-General Henry Maitland Wilson became military governor of Cyrenaica. Two experienced divisions were redeployed to Greece and the 7th Armoured Division was withdrawn to the Nile Delta for refitting. XIII Corps was left with the newly arrived 2nd Armoured Division and the 9th Australian Division; both formations were inexperienced, ill-equipped, and in the case of the 2nd Armoured, under strength. In Egypt the British 6th Infantry Division was being formed from various battalions, but had no artillery or support arms.


text: After Operation Compass the Italians despatched the Ariete and Trento Divisions to North Africa, and from February to early May, Operation Sonnenblume saw the German Afrika Korps arrive in Tripoli to reinforce the Italians. Commanded by "Generalleutnant" Erwin Rommel, the 5th Light and 15th Panzer Divisions went on the offensive. The offensive destroyed the 2nd Armoured Division and forced the British and Commonwealth forces into retreat. During the offensive, Lieutenant-General Philip Neame and Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor were captured, and the British command structure had to be reorganised. HQ Cyrenaica was dissolved on 14 April and its command functions taken over by the reactivated HQ Western Desert Force, under Lieutenant-General Noel Beresford-Peirse. The Australian 9th Division fell back to the port of Tobruk, and the remaining British and Commonwealth forces withdrew a further east to Sollum on the Libyan–Egyptian border.


text: In May, the 22nd Guards Brigade and elements of the British 7th Armoured Division launched Operation Brevity. It was conceived as a rapid blow in the Sollum area, and intended to create advantageous conditions from which to launch Operation Battleaxe, the main offensive that was planned for June. Its objectives were to recapture the Halfaya Pass, drive the enemy from the Sollum and Capuzzo areas, and deplete Rommel's forces. A secondary objective was to advance towards Tobruk, although only as far as supplies would allow, and without risking the force committed to the operation. However the operation was inconclusive and only succeeded in retaking the Halfaya Pass.


text: The followup to Brevity was Operation Battleaxe, involving the 7th Armoured Division, 22nd Guards Brigade and 4th Indian Infantry Division from XIII Corps commanded by Lieutenant-General Noel Beresford-Peirse. Battleaxe was also a failure, and with the British forces defeated, Churchill wanted a change in command, so Wavell exchanged places with General Claude Auchinleck, as Commander-in-Chief, India.


text: The desert force was now reorganized into XXX Corps and XIII Corps and renamed the Eighth Army under the command of Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham. Their next attack, Operation Crusader, was a success, and Rommel withdrew to the defensive line at Gazala, and then all the way back to El Agheila. Crusader was the first victory over the Germans by British-led forces in the war.


text: On 11 December, General Wavell ordered the 4th Indian Infantry Division to withdraw from Operation Compass to take part in an offensive against Italian forces in Italian East Africa alongside the 5th Indian Infantry Division. Both divisions faced vastly superior Italian forces (ten divisions in total) that threatened the Red Sea supply routes to Egypt as well as Egypt and the Suez Canal itself. The East African campaign culminated in March 1941 with a British victory in the Battle of Keren.


text: Having guaranteed to come to the aid of Greece in the event of war, Britain became involved in the Battle of Greece, and on 2 March Operation Lustre began which sent 62,000 troops to Greece. The Commonwealth force comprised the Australian and New Zealand Divisions withdrawn from the desert, and the British 1st Armoured Brigade. 'W' Force, as they became known after their commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, was too small and could not stop the Axis advance and was ordered to evacuate. The evacuation began on 24 April and by 30 April about 50,000 troops had been evacuated. The remaining 7–8,000 troops were captured by the Germans.


text: The Battle of Crete followed. The force consisted of the original 14,000 British garrison and another 25,000 Commonwealth troops evacuated from Greece. The units involved were the British 14th Infantry Brigade, 2nd New Zealand Division (less the 6th Brigade and division headquarters), and the 19th Australian Brigade Group. In total, about 15,000 British and Commonwealth infantrymen, reinforced by about 5,000 non-infantry personnel, and one composite Australian artillery battery were involved. After a brief campaign 15,000 men were evacuated by the Royal Navy, leaving some 12,000 Allied troops behind, most taken as prisoners of war.


text: The British in the Anglo-Iraqi War had to contend with the four infantry divisions of the Royal Iraqi Army (RIrA). The war lasted from 2–31 May, with the British forces grouped together in Iraqforce.


text: The Syria-Lebanon Campaign was the invasion of Vichy French controlled Syria and Lebanon in June–July 1941. The British and Commonwealth forces involved were the British 1st Cavalry Division, British 6th Infantry Division, 7th Australian Division, 1st Free French Division and the 10th Indian Infantry Division.


text: The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in August–September by British, Dominion and Soviet Union forces was to secure the Iranian oil fields and ensure supply lines in the Persian Corridor. The invasion from the South was known as Iraqforce, under the command of General Edward Quinan. Iraqforce was made up of the 8th and 10th Indian Infantry Divisions, Indian 2nd Armoured Brigade Group, British 4th Cavalry Brigade and the 21st Indian Infantry Brigade.


text: In the South-East Asian theatre, the Battle of Hong Kong began on 8 December 1941, a day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into the conflict. The British defenders were from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots and the 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, with supporting artillery and engineer units. The garrison also included British Indian Army battalions, two Canadian Army battalions and the locally raised Hong Kong Chinese Regiment and the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps. By the afternoon of 25 December 1941, it was clear that further resistance would be futile and after holding out for 17 days Hong Kong surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army.


text: On the Malay Peninsula the Japanese invasion of Malaya also started on 8 December 1941. Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malaya Command, had nearly 90,000 troops from Britain, India, and Australia. During the Malayan Campaign the Japanese advanced in 70 days and forced Singapore to surrender in the new year.


text: In the Far East, Malaya Command defended stubbornly but was gradually pushed back, until the battle of Singapore, which surrendered on 15 February 1942. About 100,000 British and Commonwealth troops became prisoners of war during the Battle of Malaya. Winston Churchill called the fall of Singapore the "worst disaster" and "largest capitulation" in British history. The Japanese conquest of Burma started in January. It was soon apparent that the British and Indian troops in the Burma Campaign were too few in number, wrongly equipped and inadequately trained for the terrain and conditions. The force of about 60,000 troops retreated , and reached Assam in India in May. In spite of their difficulties, the British mounted a small scale offensive into the coastal Arakan region of Burma, in December. The offensive under General Noel Irwin was intended to reoccupy the Mayu peninsula and Akyab Island. The 14th Indian Infantry Division had advanced to Donbaik, only a few miles from the end of the peninsula, when they were halted by a smaller Japanese force and the offensive was a total failure.


text: In North Africa the Axis forces attacked in May, defeating the Allies in the Battle of Gazala in June and capturing Tobruk and 35,000 prisoners. The Eighth Army retreated over the Egyptian border, where the German advance was stopped in the First Battle of El Alamein. Claude Auchinleck, who had assumed command of the Eighth Army following the defeat at Gazala, was sacked and replaced by General Sir Harold Alexander, who became C-in-C Middle East, at the same time Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery was given command of the Eighth Army. The Axis forces made a new attempt to break through to Cairo in August, in the Battle of Alam el Halfa but were stopped after the British fought a purely defensive battle. The much-reinforced Eighth Army launched a new offensive in October the Second Battle of El Alamein, decisively defeating the Axis forces. Eighth Army then advanced westward, capturing 10,000 German and 20,000 Italian prisoners, 450 tanks and 1,000 guns.


text: In France the Dieppe Raid was carried out in August, the main assault was by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, supported by British Commandos. The landing failed to capture any German strong points and resulted in heavy casualties. The raid was justified by arguing that lessons learned at Dieppe, were put to good use later in the war. The Chief of Combined Operations Louis Mountbatten later claimed, "I have no doubt that the Battle of Normandy was won on the beaches of Dieppe. For every man who died in Dieppe at least ten more must have been spared in Normandy in 1944."


text: Following their experiences at Dieppe, the British developed a whole range of specialist vehicles nicknamed Hobart's Funnies. These vehicles were used successfully by the 79th Armoured Division in the British and Canadian landings in Normandy in 1944.


text: On 8 November in French North Africa, Operation Torch was launched. The British part of the Eastern Task force, landed at Algiers. The task force, commanded by Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson, consisted of two brigades from the British 78th Infantry Division, the U.S. 34th Infantry Division and the 1st and 6th Commando Battalions. The Tunisian Campaign started with the Eastern Task Force, now redesignated First Army, and composed of the British 78th Infantry Division, 6th Armoured Division, British 1st Parachute Brigade, No. 6 Commando and elements of the U.S. 1st Armored Division. However, the advance was stopped by the reinforced Axis forces, and forced back having failed in the Run for Tunis.


text: In May to prevent Japanese naval forces capturing Vichy French controlled Madagascar, the Battle of Madagascar was launched.


text: The British 5th Infantry Division (minus the 15th Infantry Brigade), as well as the 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group, and commandos were landed at Courrier Bay and Ambararata Bay, west of the major port of Diego Suarez, on the northern tip of Madagascar. The Allies eventually captured the capital, Tananarive, without much opposition, and then the town of Ambalavao. The last major action was at Andramanalina on 18 October, and the Vichy French forces surrendered near Ihosy on 8 November.


text: January 1943, in North Africa German and Italian troops retreating westwards reached Tunisia. The Eighth Army stopped around Tripoli for reinforcements to catch up. In the West, the First Army had received three more British divisions, the 1st, 4th and 46th Infantry Divisions, joined the 6th Armoured and 78th Infantry Divisions. By late March a second Corps headquarters, IX Corps, under Lieutenant-General John Crocker, had arrived to join V Corps, under Lieutenant-General Charles Walter Allfrey, in controlling the expanded army. During the first half of January the First Army kept up the pressure on the Axis forces, with limited attacks and by reconnaissance in strength. The First Army came under attack at Faïd Pass on 14 January and the U.S. II Corps, under Major General Lloyd Fredendall, at Kasserine Pass on 19 January, with the 1st Guards Brigade of the British 6th Armoured Division, engaging the 21st Panzer Division. The Americans retreated in disarray until heavy Allied reinforcements blunted the Axis advance on 22 January.


text: General Sir Harold Alexander arrived in Tunisia in late February to take charge of the 18th Army Group, created to control both the First and Eighth Armies and the Allied forces already fighting in Tunisia. The Axis forces attacked again on 6 March, (Operation Capri), but were easily repulsed by the Eighth Army.


text: The First and the Eighth Armies attacked in March (Operation Pugilist) and April (Operation Vulcan). Hard fighting followed, and the Axis supply line was cut between Tunisia and Sicily. On 6 May, during Operation Vulcan, the British took Tunis, and American forces reached Bizerte. By 13 May the Axis forces in Tunisia had surrendered, leaving 230,000 prisoners behind.


text: The Italian Campaign followed the Axis surrender in North Africa, first the Allied invasion of Sicily in July, followed by the Allied invasion of Italy in September. The Eighth Army, along with the American Seventh Army, under Lieutenant General George S. Patton, landed in Sicily in what was the largest amphibious landings of the war, with 150,000 troops landed on the first day, and 500,000 by the end of the campaign. The Eighth Army landed almost unopposed on the South Eastern coast of Sicily, but became bogged down after a few days. The original plan had called for the Eighth Army to advance on Messina, but because they could not make any headway being stuck on the slopes of Mount Etna, the U.S. Seventh Army were released. They advanced West then along the North coast to reach Messina first. One consequence of the British failure to break out was the escape of most of the Axis forces and their equipment to mainland Italy.


text: On 3 September Montgomery's Eighth Army landed on the toe of Italy directly opposite Messina, and Italy surrendered on 8 September. The main landing of Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark's U.S. Fifth Army, with the British X Corps under Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery under command, took place at Salerno on 9 September. The landings were fiercely opposed by the Germans who had brought up six divisions during the delay between the capture of Sicily and the invasion of in Italy, and at one point consideration was given to an evacuation. A third landing, Operation Slapstick at Taranto on the heel of Italy, was carried out by the British 1st Airborne Division, landing not by air but by sea. One consequence of the Eighth Army's landing on the toe of Italy was that they were now away from the main landings at Salerno, and in no position to offer any assistance. It was not until 16 September that forward patrols from the Eighth Army made contact with the U.S. 36th Infantry Division. 16 September is also notable for the Salerno Mutiny by about 600 men of the 50th (Northumbrian) and 51st (Highland) Infantry Divisions. They had sailed from Tripoli, on the understanding that they were to join the rest of their units, which were then based in Sicily. Instead, once aboard ship, they were told that they were being taken to Salerno, to join the British 46th Infantry Division. Naples was reached on 1 October 1943 by the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, and the U.S. Fifth Army, which now consisted of five American and three British divisions, reached the line of the Volturno River on 6 October. This provided a natural defensive barrier, which secured Naples, the Campanian Plain and the vital airfields on it from a German counterattack. Meanwhile, on the Adriatic coast, the Eighth Army had advanced to a line from Campobasso to Larino and Termoli on the Biferno river, but by the end of the year were still short of the Italian capital of Rome.


text: The Dodecanese Campaign was an attempt by the British to liberate the Italian held Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea following the surrender of Italy, and use them as bases against the German controlled Balkans. The effort failed, with the whole of the Dodecanese falling to the Germans within two months, and the Allies suffering heavy losses in men and ships. (see Battle of Kos and Battle of Leros for further details).


text: In Burma, Brigadier Orde Wingate, and the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade, or the Chindits as they were better known, infiltrated the Japanese lines in February, marched deep into Burma in Operation Longcloth. The initial aim was to cut the main North–South railway in Burma. Some 3,000 men entered Burma in columns and caused some damage Japanese communications, and cut the railway. But by the end of April, the surviving Chindits had crossed back over the Chindwin river, having marched between 750 and 1000 miles. Of the 3,000 men that had begun the operation, 818 men had been killed, taken prisoner or died of disease, and of the 2,182 men who returned, about 600 were too debilitated from their wounds or disease to return to active service.


text: The Allied invasion of Normandy took place on 6 June 1944: the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division landed at Gold Beach, and the British 3rd Infantry Division at Sword Beach; the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, with some British units, at Juno Beach. The British 6th Airborne Division was, during Operation Tonga, inserted prior to the landings to cover the left flank. During this they captured the Caen canal and Orne river bridges, and attacked the Merville Gun Battery. The British were involved in the Battle for Caen, but did not capture the city until 9 July, in the process suffering heavy losses on a scale alike to those sustained during the First World War. In mid-July Operation Goodwood was launched by Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor's VIII Corps, with the intention of forcing the Germans to commit their armoured reserves to the British on the eastern flank of the Normandy beachhead, while the Americans in Operation Cobra broke out from the Cotentin Peninsula on the western flank.


text: The 21st Army Group, under General Bernard Montgomery and comprising the Canadian First Army, under Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar, and British Second Army, under Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey, followed up the American break out, trapping the German 7th Army and 5th Panzer Army in the Battle of the Falaise Pocket, capturing some 50,000 German prisoners of war. The River Seine was reached on 19 August, bringing the Battle of Normandy to an end.


text: Just before that the Allied invasion of the South of France, had taken place on 15 August. The British contribution was comparatively small, coming from the 2nd Parachute Brigade, which was parachuted into Southern France (see 2nd Parachute Brigade in Southern France), as part of the 1st Allied Airborne Task Force, before being withdrawn to Italy.


text: After the almost entire destruction of the two German armies at Falaise, in the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine the British Guards Armoured Division liberated the Belgian city of Brussels on 3 September. The Belgian port of Antwerp was liberated by the British 11th Armoured Division the following day. Unfortunately Montgomery (despite warnings) left the estuary of the River Scheldt in German hands, making the port of Antwerp unusable.


text: On 17 September, Operation Market Garden began. British XXX Corps, under Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks, provided the ground forces and the British 1st Airborne Division was part of a major airborne assault to take place in the Netherlands. The plan was for three airborne divisions (the British 1st and American 82nd and 101st, all under British I Airborne Corps command, under Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning) of the First Allied Airborne Army to take the bridges at Eindhoven (U.S. 101st Airborne Division), Nijmegen (U.S. 82nd Airborne Division), and Arnhem (British 1st Airborne Division) and for XXX Corps to use them to cross the Rhine and on into Germany. XXX Corps was constantly delayed by German opposition while travelling up just one single road, managing to reach all but the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem who had been dropped from their bridge, and during the Battle of Arnhem were prevented from advancing into the town, The 1st Airborne Division was effectively destroyed, with three-quarters of the unit missing when it returned to England, including two of the three brigade commanders, eight of the nine battalion commanders and 26 of the 30 infantry company commanders. Just over 2,000 troops out of 10,000 returning to friendly territory.


text: The thin Nijmegen salient was however exposed to German attacks. In early October a large counter offensive to retake the 'island', as it became known, was repelled by an ad hoc force consisting of elements of 43rd Wessex, 50th Northumbrian divisions and 8th Armoured brigade. Soon after the Market Garden salient was expanded westwards and Eastwards respectively with Operations Pheasant and Aintree, which saw the liberation of most of North Brabant including the city of s-Hertogenbosch.


text: In an effort to use the port of Antwerp, the Canadian First Army including Lieutenant-General John Crocker's I Corps, began the Battle of the Scheldt and the Battle of Walcheren Causeway in October and November. After clearing the southern bank of the Scheldt, British and Canadian forces took the island of Walcheren after an amphibious assault.


text: The final battle in North West Europe during 1944, was the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans planned to attack through the Ardennes, splitting the American–British armies and capturing Antwerp. The Battle of the Bulge was ostensibly an American battle, but XXX Corps, under Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks, provided Britain's contribution, and Montgomery was the overall commander of the Northern sector.


text: During the Allied campaign in Italy, some of the hardest fighting of the entire war now took place. This was not helped by the withdrawal of forces for the Allied landings in Northern France. Operations carried out included: the long stalemate on the Winter Line (also known as the Gustav Line), and the hard-fought Battle of Monte Cassino. In January, the Anzio landings, codenamed Operation Shingle, were an attempt to bypass the Gustav Line by sea. (see Anzio order of battle for British forces involved). Landing almost unopposed, with the road to the Italian capital of Rome open, the U.S. VI Corps commander, Major General John P. Lucas, felt that he needed to consolidate the beachhead before breaking out. This gave the Germans time to concentrate their forces against him. Another stalemate ensued, with the combined Anglo-American force facing stiff resistance, suffering severe losses and almost being driven back into the sea. When the stalemate was finally broken in the spring of 1944, with the launching of Operation Diadem, they advanced towards Rome, instead of heading north east to block the line of the German retreat from Cassino, thus prolonging the campaign in Italy. Progress was rapid, however, and, in August, the Allies came up against the Gothic Line and, by December, had reached Ravenna.


text: The 1944 campaign in Burma started with Operation Thursday, a Chindit force now designated 3rd Indian Infantry Division, were tasked with disrupting the Japanese lines of supply to the northern front. Further South the Battle of the Admin Box started in February, in preparation for when the Japanese Operation U-Go offensive. Although total Allied casualties were higher than the Japanese, the Japanese were forced to abandon many of their wounded. This was the first time that British and Indian troops had held and defeated a major Japanese attack. This victory was repeated on a larger scale in the Battle of Imphal (March–July) and the Battle of Kohima (April–June), giving the Japanese their largest defeat on land during the war. From August to November, the Fourteenth Army, under Lieutenant-General William Slim, pushed the Japanese back to the Chindwin River.


text: In Germany the 21st Army Group offensive towards the Rhine began in February. The Second Army pinned down the Germans, while the Canadian First and the U.S. Ninth Army made pincer movements piercing the Siegfried Line. On 23 March, the Second Army crossed the Rhine, supported by a large airborne assault (Operation Varsity) the following day. The British advanced onto the North German Plain, heading towards the Baltic sea. The Elbe was crossed by VIII Corps, under Lieutenant-General Evelyn Barker, and the Elbe bridgehead expanded, Bremen fell on 26 April, Luebeck and Wismar on 2 May and Hamburg 3 May. On 4 May, all German forces in Denmark, Netherlands, and north west Germany surrendered to Montgomery.


text: In the Italian campaign, the poor winter weather and the massive losses in its ranks, sustained during the autumn fighting, halted any advance until the spring. The Spring 1945 offensive in Italy commenced after a heavy artillery bombardment on 9 April. By 18 April, the Eighth Army, now commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Richard McCreery, had broken through the Argenta Gap and captured Bologna on 21 April. The 8th Indian Infantry Division, reached the Po River on 23 April. The British V Corps, under Lieutenant-General Charles Keightley, traversed the Venetian Line and entered Padua in the early hours of 29 April, to find that partisans had locked up the German garrison of 5,000 men. The Axis forces, retreating on all fronts and having lost most of its fighting power, was left with little option but surrender. General Heinrich von Vietinghoff, signed the surrender on behalf of the German armies in Italy on 29 April formally bringing hostilities to an end on 2 May 1945.


text: In Burma the Battle of Meiktila and Mandalay started in January, despite logistical difficulties, the British were able to deploy large armoured forces in Central Burma. Most of the Japanese forces in Burma were destroyed during the battles, allowing the Allies to capture the capital, Rangoon on 2 May. The British Army fought its last pitched land battle of the war when the remaining Japanese attempted to break out eastwards in July, to join other troops retreating from the British. The breakout however ending in early August, resulted with a crushing defeat for the Japanese, with some formations being wiped out. The Japanese were still in control of Malaya but they surrendered on 14 August along with Hong Kong.


text: On 29 November 1945, the British Government stated that for the period of 3 September 1939 – 14 August 1945, the empire suffered a total of 1,246,025 casualties, with 755,257 of these casualties being from the United Kingdom. Of these, the British military suffered 244,723 killed, 53,039 reported missing, 277,090 wounded, and 180,405 men were taken as prisoners of war. This report included men from Newfoundland and Southern Rhodesia within the British figure, but did not break down the losses by service branch. In 1961, the House of Lords reported that the British Army (including men from Newfoundland and Southern Rhodesia) suffered a total of 569,501 casualties between 3 September 1939 and 14 August 1946, and as reported up to 28 February 1946. This figure included 144,079 killed, 33,771 missing, 239,575 wounded, and 152,076 captured.


title: Despero

text: Despero () is a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in "Justice League of America" #1 (October 1960) and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.


title: Despero

text: Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character is a pink-skinned humanoid extraterrestrial with three eyes and psychic superpowers. Despero has appeared in both comic books and other DC Comics-related products such as animated television series and feature films, trading cards, and video games. He is an enemy of the Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold, the Green Lantern Corps and the Justice League. Despero appeared in the live-action Arrowverse television series "The Flash" in the eighth season in the five part event Armageddon, portrayed by Tony Curran.


title: Despero

text: Despero first appeared in "Justice League of America" #1 (October 1960) and writer Mike Conroy noted: "It was the first of several run-ins the would-be universe conqueror would have with the superteam".


title: Despero

text: Despero became a semi-regular villain and returned in "Justice League of America" #26 (March 1964), #133–134 (August–September 1976), and #177–178 (April–May 1980). The character made cameo appearances in "Justice League of America" #247–250 (February–May 1986) and then featured as the main villain in issues #251–254, dated June–September 1986.


title: Despero

text: Despero returned in an extensive story arc in "Justice League America" #37–40 (April–July 1990) and "Justice League Europe" #30–34 (September 1991–January 1992). The character's body reappeared as the host for L-Ron in "Justice League Task Force" #0 (October 1994), #13–33 (June 1994–March 1996), and #37 (August 1996) and "Justice League International" (vol. 2) #67–68 (August–September 1994). Despero reappeared in spirit form in "Supergirl" (vol. 4) #17–18 (January–February 1998) and "Young Justice" #6 (March 1999).


title: Despero

text: Despero eventually reappeared whole in the graphic novel "JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice" (December 2002), and featured in the "Crisis of Conscience" storyline in "JLA" #115–119 (September– November 2005), "Superman/Batman" #33 (March 2007), and "Trinity" #4 (June 2008). Despero returned to a more human form in an alternate universe storyline in "Booster Gold" (vol. 2) #5 (February 2008) and #7–10 (April–August 2008).


title: Despero

text: The character returned in "Justice League of America" (vol. 2) #38 (December 2009) and featured in "R.E.B.E.L.S." Vol. 2 #12–13 (March–April 2010).


title: Despero

text: Despero first appears when in pursuit of two rebels from the planet Kalanor, which he rules as a tyrant (in Pre-"Crisis" it is an other-dimensional solar system). They are attempting to create a weapon to defeat him. The rebels make contact with the Justice League of America with JLA member Flash accepting Despero's challenge after he places the rest of the group in a hypnotic trance, but the Flash is defeated in a game similar to chess due to Despero cheating using his third eye's mental powers, and along with the rest of the JLA sent to different worlds. Despero found out about this by reading the mind of one of the rebels he had tracked down and teleported, though her father and Flash were protected by the dimensional traveller's 'blue glow'. The JLA are able to escape all the dangers on the worlds and return to Earth using a dimensional traveler one of Despero's henchmen possesses after the Flash defeats him. Despero has found the rebel and plans to use the energy-absorbing weapon they hoped to use to disable his weapons to conquer Earth, but Snapper Carr uses it to weaken the villain after pretending he has been hypnotized, though the 'blue glow' protected him. Despero is then imprisoned and Kalanor is freed.


title: Despero

text: The villain has his third eye surgically removed, making him lose his hypnotic powers. Eventually it grows back, he fakes his death in an explosion at a lab and in revenge ages half of the Justice League and banishes the remainder to three other worlds, where he has caused reptile, insect, and marine life to become intelligent, planning to conquer the worlds later. When Despero attempts to deceive Wonder Woman by disguising himself as an aged Superman, she overpowers the villain with her Lasso of Truth, realizing the energy should not have affected Superman, and forces him to undo his actions. Despero is thwarted again when the Justice League intervene in his intergalactic plans of conquest, save member the Martian Manhunter who is being forced to play in a life and death chess match.


title: Despero

text: Despero eventually returns with even greater abilities, and a new body (now physically enhanced by the "Flame of Py'tar", a remnant of the nuclear energy responsible for creating his race), and completely destroys the Justice League Satellite. After defeating the Justice League, Despero reshapes Gotham City to suit his purposes. Taunted by Batman, Despero is eventually distracted, allowing fellow member Vibe to extinguish the Flame of Py'tar. The villain's form is immediately dispelled and reality restores itself.


title: Despero

text: Despero eventually reforms, and targets the Justice League member Gypsy. After murdering Gypsy's parents, Despero is about to kill her when the Martian Manhunter intervenes. The villain quickly defeats the Manhunter, although fellow Justice League member Guy Gardner arrives and hurls Despero away. Despero attacks the League at their headquarters, and kills the comatose Steel (on life support for injuries sustained during a battle against the androids of Professor Ivo). When Despero is about to murder the Blue Beetle, the Martian Manhunter bestows upon him the gift of "Mayavanna": a sacred Martian rite that provides the subject with a reality in which they obtain their desires. Despero sees himself killing the entire League and destroying the world, and is immediately at peace. The villain then reverts into a fetus, and is eventually given to trader Manga Khan in exchange for his servant robot, L-Ron.


title: Despero

text: A re-aged Despero is angered by this defeat and escapes from Manga Khan, returning to Earth to battle the Justice League. Unknown to Despero, Khan hires the bounty hunter Lobo to recapture him. Despero engages the Justice League, Justice League Europe, and Lobo in Times Square, New York City, and keeps them all at bay. A desperate Green Lantern Kilowog and L-Ron use the slave collar Despero still wears to switch his mind with L-Ron's, with the diminutive robot's body being destroyed shortly afterwards. Now in Despero's body, L-Ron returns to Manga Khan.


title: Despero

text: L-Ron reappeared, still in Despero's body, and had a number of adventures with the "Justice League Task Force" and "Justice League International". Despero returns in spirit form, and temporarily repossesses his old form until stopped by the heroine Supergirl. The villain makes a second attempt to return to a corporeal state, possessing the Martian Manhunter. The team Young Justice, however, use the Manhunter's fear of fire against him to draw J'onn's psyche to the surface, expelling Despero from his body so that team ally the Secret and banish Despero's spirit form.


title: Despero

text: Despero's spirit eventually returns with the aid of JSA villain Johnny Sorrow, and takes over the body of President of the United States Lex Luthor. Together they release the Seven Deadly Sins which possess several members of the JLA and JSA, and neutralize the wizard Shazam. The remainder of the teams successfully drive the Sins from their comrades, and eventually defeat both Sorrow and Despero, who is driven from Luthor when exposed to Sorrow's lethal stare. The villain returns as the guiding force behind a new Secret Society of Super Villains, and allows them to remember they once learned the Justice League's identities. Although Despero takes mental control of several members of the League, he is eventually stopped by Green Lantern and imprisoned on the planet Oa.


title: Despero

text: Having allied himself with a race that destroys species unworthy of survival, Despero attempts to convince them to destroy Earth by using an alien substance known as the 'Blackrock' to influence Earth's alien superhumans—Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, Starfire, etc.—to turn against humanity by playing on their occasional feelings of isolation. His efforts are foiled when Batman exposes himself to the Blackrock while under attack by Superman, the sight of his friend's contamination helping Superman to recognise what is happening to him, allowing Superman to confront the aliens directly and convince them that Despero deceived them. Despero returned in his original human form when plucked from the timestream by Mister Mind, and is convinced to join a group called "The Time Stealers". The villains successfully create an alternate universe that differs significantly from the original. Booster Gold and several allies (Rip Hunter and the Justice League International) eventually undo the change and restore the original universe.


title: Despero

text: Despero briefly allied with villains Morgaine le Fey and Enigma and became god-like until stopped by the combined efforts of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Despero returns to attack the Justice League, but when teleported away by member Zatanna, is imprisoned on Oa once again.


title: Despero

text: At the request of human computer Vril Dox, Despero joins in the fight against the original Starro (a humanoid), that controls all other versions and is conquering the galaxy. Despero engages Starro in combat and, although easily destroyed, begins to regenerate into a superior form, which was always the villain's intent. Vril Dox uses Despero's still-living head as a weapon against Starro and its forces.


title: Despero

text: In September 2011, DC Comics cancelled all of its monthly books and rebooted its fictional continuity in an initiative called "The New 52". In this new timeline, Despero first appears when he arrives in the Watchtower wearing a Kryptonite ring where he subdues Atom and Firestorm. He attacks the rest of the Justice League until he ends up subdued by Martian Manhunter.


title: Despero

text: During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Despero appears as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains at the time when the Crime Syndicate arrived from their Earth. When Stargirl and Martian Manhunter arrive in Denver, they are ambushed by Despero.


title: Despero

text: Despero is an alien from the planet Kalanor, and in addition to a genius intellect possesses a third eye on his forehead capable of mind control, illusions, telekinesis, and telepathy. Despero is also empowered by the "Flame of Py'tar", a mystical source of power that grants him massive superhuman strength, durability, speed, reflexes and the ability to alter his biomass (from human-sized to massive, even reintegrating himself molecule by molecule). His power varies based on the psionic energy he wields; for example, through the complete flame of Py'tar he once had the ability to manipulate reality to a degree, creating monsters and demons out of an earthen city. Otherwise without it, he has still repeatedly been shown to be more powerful than Kryptonians, Amazons, Hourman and even Captain Marvel.


title: Donald Driver

text: Donald Jerome Driver (born February 2, 1975) is a former American football wide receiver. After playing college football for Alcorn State University, Driver was picked by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He spent his entire 14-season NFL career with the Packers and holds the franchise's all-time records for most career receptions and receiving yards. Driver was a member of the Packers team that won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Every year in Cleveland, Driver holds the Donald Driver Football Camp for local kids which is held at the Cleveland High School Football field. Upon retirement, he won season 14 of "Dancing with the Stars".


title: Donald Driver

text: Driver was born in Houston, Texas, on February 2, 1975. He was the middle child of five siblings. Driver's parents, Marvin Driver Jr. and Faye Gray, divorced when he was just a young boy. Donald had a tough childhood living out of a U-Haul truck for a period of time during his early teens, after a collection agency confiscated his family's possessions. Donald spent multiple nights in motel rooms that his mother had purchased with food stamps. Driver and his older brother Marvin III, began stealing cars and selling drugs during their teenage years in order make it from day to day. Driver was quoted by USA Today stating, "You try to do anything you can to provide for your family." At the age of 14 years, Donald would move in with his grandmother, Betty Lofton. This was the point of time where his life started to turn around.


title: Donald Driver

text: Driver shone as an athlete early in his years at Milby High School in Houston. He lettered four times each in track, football, basketball and baseball. He was a Texas All-State honorable mention in football, where he played at the wide receiver, defensive back, and kickoff return positions.


title: Donald Driver

text: Driver attended Alcorn State University in Mississippi, where he lettered in both football and track & field. He finished his college football career at Alcorn State with 88 receptions for 1993 yards (19.69 yards per catch). He was a five-time "Athlete of the Year" in his conference for his track and football prowess.


title: Donald Driver

text: Driver is a decorated track athlete. He is an Olympic-class high jumper, being able to jump . He qualified for the 1996 Olympic Field Trials in the high jump.


title: Donald Driver

text: He competed for the Alcorn State Braves track team, where he excelled in the high jump and earned all-conference honors his senior year. He leaped 2.30 meters in the high jump, 15.62 meters in the triple jump and 7.75 meters in the long jump.


title: Donald Driver

text: Driver was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 7th round of the 1999 NFL Draft with the 213th overall pick. He spent his entire career with the Packers.


title: Donald Driver

text: Known as one of the most consistent wide receivers in the game, Driver was not particularly productive his first three seasons in Green Bay (1999–2001), as he was behind wide receivers Antonio Freeman and Corey Bradford on the depth chart. With the departure of Freeman and Bradford, Driver blossomed in a starting role.


title: Donald Driver

text: Driver was solid throughout his career, often posting 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Driver had the most catches in the NFL in the middle of the field in 2006. He set a career best for yards on November 12, 2006, when he caught six passes for 191 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. Driver finished the 2006 season in the top five of the league in reception yardage with 1,295 yards. He also recorded the most receptions in his career with 92 of them, earning a spot in the 2007 Pro Bowl.


title: Donald Driver

text: On December 16, 2007, during a 33–14 victory over the St. Louis Rams, veteran Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre broke Dan Marino's all-time record mark of 61,361 career passing yards. The new record came on a seven-yard completion to Driver. Driver was selected for the 2008 Pro Bowl.


title: Donald Driver

text: In the NFC Championship game on January 20, 2008, against the New York Giants, Driver had the longest play in the playoffs of the Packers' franchise history with a 90-yard touchdown catch from Favre.


title: Donald Driver

text: On October 18, 2009, Driver became the Green Bay Packers' all-time leading receiver in catches, with 596. He went on to catch six more balls for 107 yards in a 26–0 home victory over the Detroit Lions. On September 8, 2011, Driver caught four balls for 41 yards in the opening game against the New Orleans Saints and was only one yard short of becoming the Packers' all-time leader in receiving yards. Driver finally broke the Packers' all-time receiving yardage record on September 18, 2011, against the Carolina Panthers after he caught a 10-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers, surpassing James Lofton.


title: Donald Driver

text: On February 6, 2011, Driver was injured on his second reception of Super Bowl XLV. Out with an ankle sprain, Driver returned to the game in the end for the final plays as the Packers went on to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–25. Driver finished Super Bowl XLV with two receptions for 28 yards. Despite losing playing time to Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson, Driver was a veteran presence for a young Packers receiving corps led by four-time NFL MVP QB Aaron Rodgers in the twilight of his career.


title: Donald Driver

text: On January 31, 2013, Driver announced his retirement on ESPN2 Mike and Mike in the Morning after spending his entire career (14 seasons) with the Green Bay Packers. He missed only four games in his career, the last one being November 18, 2012.


title: Donald Driver

text: On February 6, 2013, the Green Bay Packers hosted a public retirement ceremony for Driver. This was the first public retirement ceremony ever held for a Packers player. It was held in the Lambeau Field Atrium with comments made by Mark Murphy, Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy, and Driver. It was sold out in 14 minutes and hundreds of fans were in attendance. The mayor of Green Bay presented Driver with a key to the city and announced that the receiver statue that previously resided in front of the former Packers Hall of Fame and is now in downtown Green Bay would be refurbished, with the receiver wearing a No. 80 Driver jersey. The street leading to the statue was also renamed "Donald Driver Way."


title: Donald Driver

text: Driver is married to Betina Driver. They have three children: Cristian, Christina, and Charity. Driver is a Christian.


title: Donald Driver

text: Since 2004, Driver has co-hosted the statewide Packer analysis television series "Inside the Huddle with Donald Driver" with WLUK-TV's sports director Drew Smith. Every Thursday Donald talks football with John Mercure on Wisconsin's Afternoon News with John Mercure on AM 620 WTMJ. He previously served as host to the annual Offense vs. Defense softball game featuring members of the Green Bay Packers.


title: Donald Driver

text: As a well-known athlete in the state of Wisconsin, Driver has been featured in marketing campaigns for companies such as McDonald's, AirTran Airways, Kwik Trip, Goodwill, Jani-King and Time Warner Cable.


title: Donald Driver

text: Throughout his career, Driver has been very active off the field, making over 300 charitable appearances since his rookie season in 1999. In the spring of 2001, Donald and his wife Betina created the "Donald Driver Foundation", which offers assistance to ill children with unmanageable hospital bills, provides housing for the homeless, and donates to a variety of local charities. In December 2003, the foundation put two previously homeless families in new, fully furnished homes.


title: Donald Driver

text: Donald has also donated much of his time and efforts to such institutions as Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and Goodwill Industries. In 2001, Driver was awarded the "Community Service Award" by the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce in recognition of his outstanding community involvement. In 2005, he was awarded the Ed Block Courage award by his Green Bay teammates. Most recently, Driver was named the 2013 AMVETS Humanitarian of the Year.


title: Donald Driver

text: Driver is also the author of three children's books, "Quickie Handles a Loss", "Quickie Makes the Team", and "Quickie Goes to the Big Game". The books are based on Driver's bedtime storytelling to his three children, and are sold statewide in Wisconsin through bookstores, participating Goodwill locations, the Packer Pro Shop and on his website. He has stated that "Quickie" is a nickname his mother gave him because, when she would chase him around the house, she could never catch him. In the Fall of 2013, Driver released his official memoir, "Driven", which included many personal stories about both his childhood and career with the Packers that he had never shared before and it made the New York Best Seller list. Two weeks after the book's release, it made the New York Times Bestsellers list. In the Summer of 2017, Driver released a health and fitness book, "The 3D Body Revolution: The Ultimate Workout + Nutrition Blueprint to Get Healthy and Lean", which featured 25 recipes and 36 exercises illustrated with clear step-by-step photos. Following its release, "The 3D Body Revolution" was featured as a #1 new release in Amazon's exercise injuries and rehabilitation category.


title: Donald Driver

text: On February 28, 2012, it was announced that Driver would join the cast of "Dancing with the Stars" for season 14, paired with professional dance partner Peta Murgatroyd. Driver's high energy and athleticism were repeatedly praised by the judges, though Driver was also notorious for not getting a perfect score, until their freestyle, from the judges. Driver and Murgatroyd made it all the way to the finale, and despite competitions from fellow finalists William Levy's high fanbase and Katherine Jenkins' consistently high scores, Driver and Murgatroyd were declared winners on the season finale on May 22, 2012.


title: Donald Driver

text: On June 15, 2013, Driver received a street in his name and a statue dedicated in his honor. The statue is located on the corner of Dousman Street and Donald Driver Way (formerly Pearl Street) in downtown Green Bay.


title: Donald Driver

text: In March 2014, Donald Driver created the Donald Driver Driven To Achieve Awards. Since then, the Driven to Achieve Awards have honored 18 outstanding recipients and have given away over $1 million.


title: Donald Driver

text: Driver currently splits his time between his home state of Texas and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, purchasing a $3 million Milwaukee loft in 2022 from fellow Wisconsin athlete Jabari Parker. He operates a nonprofit called the Donald Driver Foundation in both Wisconsin and Texas and serves as the current cultural ambassador for Milwaukee's Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, in addition to business ventures.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: Trespass is a 2011 American crime thriller film directed by Joel Schumacher, from a screenplay by Karl Gajdusek. It stars Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman as a married couple taken hostage by extortionists. It also stars Ben Mendelsohn, Cam Gigandet, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Dash Mihok, Emily Meade and Nico Tortorella.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2011. It was released in a limited release and through video on demand on October 14, 2011, by Millennium Entertainment. It is the last film to be directed by Joel Schumacher before his death on June 22, 2020.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: The film opens with fast-talking businessman and diamond dealer Kyle Miller (Nicolas Cage) speaking to a client over the phone as he returns to his lavish mansion home in Shreveport, Louisiana, his wife Sarah (Nicole Kidman) and his teenage daughter Avery (Liana Liberato). Despite the charming facade, it is immediately clear that the family is dysfunctional and emotionally distant: Avery disrespects her parents and, despite being forbidden to do so, sneaks out of the house to go to a party with her friend Kendra, at the home of a guy named Jake. Sarah appears bored with life as a housewife and yearns for more in her marriage while Kyle seems to harbor a hidden aversion towards his wife. Just as Kyle is about to leave for a business transaction, the house is suddenly invaded by a gang of robbers masquerading as police.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: The thieves - consisting of leader Elias (Ben Mendelsohn) his stripper girlfriend Petal (Jordana Spiro), his younger brother Jonah (Cam Gigandet) and a large intimidating man named Ty (Dash Mihok) - tell Kyle and Sarah that they have been spying on them for some time and are aware of the large amounts of cash and diamonds hidden in their home. They command Kyle to open a safe hidden in the wall but, despite the threat of a syringe containing lethal injection chemicals, he defiantly refuses, believing that he and Sarah will be killed if he simply gives in to their demands. Meanwhile, Sarah recognizes Jonah through his mask. Through a series of Jonah's flashbacks and a conversation with Elias, it is strongly implied that Sarah and Jonah had a previous affair when the latter was employed as a technician to install the house's security system. Unbeknownst to Elias, Sarah secretly steals the syringe from him during this conversation.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: Having left her party in disgust (after the host Jake clumsily attempted to seduce her), Avery returns home and, after a brief chase, is also captured and taken to her parents. Elias appeals to Kyle, claiming that he needs money to pay for a kidney transplantation for his dying mother and that, if Kyle refuses to comply, he will instead take one of Avery's kidneys. Sarah catches Elias off-guard and holds him hostage with the syringe. Forced into a Mexican standoff, the thieves compromise by letting Avery escape in exchange for Kyle opening the safe. He does so, revealing it to be completely empty. Kyle explains that he is actually bankrupt and has no money; his house and all of his possessions were bought on loaned credit. Enraged, Elias breaks Kyle's hand and instead demands material compensation by taking Sarah's prized diamond necklace. However, Kyle reveals that this is a completely worthless cubic zirconia replica. Ty recaptures Avery from outside and brings her back into the house. Kyle volunteers for his own kidney to be taken instead of his daughter's, but Elias reveals that it was a ploy and that he hated his mother, who is already dead. Ty grows impatient after receiving a phone call and commands Elias to hurry up; Kyle realizes that the burglars are themselves being coerced into committing the heist against their will.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: The thieves then separate the Miller family, with Kyle and Avery being tied up and guarded in the living room and Sarah being pursued by Jonah in the kitchen. Jonah states to Sarah that he still loves her and promises that she and Avery will be left unhurt. Meanwhile, Kyle uses a lighter to burn both his own and Avery's binds; they attempt an escape and set off the house's security system. Kyle ends up in a struggle with Ty and, despite Ty's superior strength and fighting skills, Kyle manages to inject a portion of the syringe chemicals into his arm, causing him to fall unconscious.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: Thinking that Ty is dead, Elias shoots Kyle in the leg and reveals his true motives; that he is a drug dealer working for an organized crime syndicate. Shortly after being given a job to sell $180,000 worth of drugs, Elias and Petal were carjacked at gunpoint and all of their shipments were promptly stolen. Faced with threats of retribution, Elias was then forced to commit a heist (under the supervision of henchman Ty) to pay off his debt. Jonah, who had previously seen the Miller residence, suggested it as a place to rob.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: Avery attempts to run out of the house again but is caught by Jonah. Under the threat of her parents being killed, she is forced to answer a call from the security company and successfully convinces them to call off the police. However, a security guard shows up nevertheless, prompting Jonah to kill him, when said guard recognizes Jonah as a former employee.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: Kyle reveals to Elias that the only thing of any worth on him is his life insurance. Desperate and out of options, Elias kicks Kyle down and prepares to kill him. At the last second, Avery remembers the money she saw at the earlier party and pleads with the thieves that she can help them steal it from the party if they spare her father's life. Elias reluctantly agrees to the proposition and sends Petal to supervise Avery as she drives to the party house and ensure that she keeps her word (during a conversation between Elias and Petal it is revealed their daughter was taken into foster care). Although Avery's initial idea is to seduce Jake and then steal his money, she is horrified when Petal begins to deliriously proclaim that she plans to massacre all of the party guests and then take the cash. Seeing a swerving road ahead, Avery accelerates the car, unbuckles Petal's seat belt, and intentionally crashes into a telephone pole, incapacitating Petal and allowing Avery to handcuff Petal to the steering wheel.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: Back at the Miller home, Sarah learns that Kyle had discovered a picture of her kissing Jonah from security footage and was suspicious for some time that she had been unfaithful. However, Sarah insists that she is innocent and only loves Kyle; the same flashback is now shown from her perspective, revealing that Jonah is in fact mentally ill (and off his medications) and that the supposed love affair between him and Sarah was all in his head. The "kiss" had occurred to Sarah's complete surprise and against her will. At this point, Ty reawakens from his stupor and attacks Sarah. Enraged, Jonah tackles Ty and the two fight. Just as Ty is about to strangle Jonah to death, Elias shoots him in the back for trying to kill his brother. However, in his dying breath, Ty reveals to Elias that he had been set up all along: the "robbers" stealing his drug shipment were actually fellow members of the same crime organization and the operation was done in order to blackmail him into stealing more money for them. More damningly, Ty also claims that Jonah had masterminded the entire plan so he could have an excuse to return to the Miller residence and profess his love to Sarah. Elias is shocked by the allegations but refuses to believe them (though doubt about his brother does seem to creep in).


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: Through the chaos, Sarah and a wounded Kyle escape to the tool shed behind the house and are pursued by Elias and Jonah. After a brief fight, the thieves break through a partition in their tussling and to their surprise discover a large amount of money that's been hidden in the shed; Kyle reveals that he had sold Sarah's real diamond necklace and was saving the money as a nest egg for his family when he noticed his business/fortunes declining. As Elias and Jonah begin to collect the cash, Avery appears (having survived the car crash with minor injuries) and points a gun at them. Elias calls her bluff and claims she can shoot but he will still have time to shoot one of her parents, he then aims his gun at Sarah - but he is shot from behind and killed by Jonah for this. Jonah tries again to convince Sarah that she belongs with him but she rebuffs his offers, calling him insane. In an attempt to sacrifice himself, Kyle tells his wife and daughter to run while setting the money in the tool shed on fire. He also shoots Jonah's foot with a nail gun, trapping him in the shed. While Avery goes to call the police, Sarah tries to help Kyle but she is grabbed in a last-ditch effort by Jonah, who is convinced that it is destiny for her to die together with him in the fire. However, Kyle then shoots him in the neck, causing him to fall and become engulfed in the flames. Sarah then carries Kyle away to safety just as the shed collapses.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: In the backyard, Kyle tries to tell Sarah to let him die so that she and Avery can survive on his life insurance fund but she refuses, stating that she loves him regardless of whether he has money or not. Avery runs back to her parents announcing that help is finally on the way. The three family members embrace as the real police arrive and surround the house.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: Production was disrupted on August 3, 2010 when it was reported that Cage had abandoned the project as he had allegedly insisted on switching roles from Kidman's husband to the kidnapper. According to reports, the role was then offered to Liev Schreiber. However the following day Cage resumed his role as the husband. Due to the confusion over casting, the production start date was moved from August 16 to 30. Proof of filming showed up on "Entertainment Weekly"s online site. In the photo, Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage are being held at gunpoint. The film marks the second collaboration between Schumacher and cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak after working together on "Falling Down". This is also Bartkowiak's first project in cinematography since he filmed "Thirteen Days" and began his career as a film director.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: "Trespass" was panned by critics and has a rating of 11% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 76 reviews with an average score of 3.3 out of 10. The consensus states: "Another claustrophobic thriller that Joel Schumacher can churn out in his sleep, "Trespass" is nasty and aggressive, more unpleasant than entertaining." Criticism focused primarily on the film's script and plot, including its great resemblance to the Spanish film "Kidnapped". However, the film also received some positive reviews from mainstream critics, praising the performances of Kidman, Gigandet, and Mendelsohn.


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: Mary Pols of "Time" magazine named it one of the Top 10 Worst Movies of 2011. The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Nicolas Cage as Worst Actor (also for "Drive Angry" and "Season of the Witch"), but lost to Adam Sandler for "Jack and Jill" and "Just Go with It".


title: Trespass (2011 film)

text: "Trespass" was given a limited release for one week in ten theaters in North America and earned $24,094 and an additional $9,988,226 internationally on a production budget of $35 million.


title: Red Horse Beer

text: Red Horse is the first extra-strong beer brand in the Philippines. It is a high-alcohol lager of the San Miguel Brewery, with an alcohol content of 6.9% abv.


title: Red Horse Beer

text: It was once introduced in response to Asia Brewery. Red Horse comes is various sizes, including the flagship 500 (500ml, regular), the discontinued Colt (250ml), the smaller Stallion (330ml), in Litro (1000ml), and in cans (330ml).


title: Red Horse Beer

text: There are bottles prior to 2000 that have the first and the previous logo of Red Horse Beer shows the horse with a smile. Another distinct mark of these old, rare bottles has the separate heels on the horseshoe, the word "Red Horse" in a stenciled font, and in the back information all printed in red instead of yellow. The information on the back may vary in very old, rare bottles with the previous packaging. These bottles are nicknamed "The Laughing/Happy Horse".


title: Red Horse Beer

text: They exist, rarely on crates of the regular 500, Stallion and in some cases, in Litro. These "Laughing/Happy Horse" bottles exist because they recycle old bottles, with the previous packaging, which costs less than producing new bottles.


title: Red Horse Beer

text: Red Horse Muziklaban is an annual rock band competition in the Philippines since 1999. It features young unsigned bands who compete for the grand prize of Php 1,000,000 and a recording contract. It is sponsored by the San Miguel Brewery to promote its Red Horse Beer.


title: Pressure point

text: Pressure points derive from the supposed meridian points in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurveda and Siddha medicine, and martial arts. They refer to areas on the human body that may produce significant pain or other effects when manipulated in a specific manner.


title: Pressure point

text: The earliest known concept of pressure points can be seen in the South Indian Varma kalai based on Siddha. The concept of pressure points is also present in the old school Japanese martial arts; in a 1942 article in the "Shin Budo magazine", Takuma Hisa asserted the existence of a tradition attributing the first development of pressure-point attacks to Shinra Saburō Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (1045–1127).


title: Pressure point

text: Hancock and Higashi (1905) published a book which pointed out a number of vital points in Japanese martial arts.


title: Pressure point

text: Accounts of pressure-point fighting appeared in Chinese Wuxia fiction novels and became known by the name of Dim Mak, or "Death Touch", in western popular culture in the 1960s.


title: Pressure point

text: While it is undisputed that there are sensitive points on the human body where even comparatively weak pressure may induce significant pain or serious injury, the association of "kyūsho" with notions of death have been harshly criticized.


title: Quake 4

text: Quake 4 is a 2005 military science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the fourth title in the "Quake" series, after the multiplayer "Quake III Arena", and a sequel to "Quake II". Raven Software collaborated with id Software, who supervised the development of the game as well as provided the id Tech 4 engine upon which it was built. The game has an increased emphasis on single-player gameplay compared to previous installments; its multiplayer mode does not support playable bots.


title: Quake 4

text: "Quake 4" went gold in early October 2005 and was released on October 18 for Microsoft Windows, and later for Linux and OS X, Xbox 360. A special DVD Collectors Edition was released, including promotional material and the game "Quake II" with its expansions, "The Reckoning" and "Ground Zero". The Xbox 360 version of "Quake 4" is based on the Special Collectors Edition, and includes "Quake II". On August 4, 2011, the game was made available through Steam.


title: Quake 4

text: "Quake 4" has a stronger emphasis on single-player than its predecessor and features a campaign that continues the story of "Quake II". However, it lacks the bot matchmaking offered in "Quake III".


title: Quake 4

text: Multiplayer modes are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Tourney, Capture the Flag, Arena CTF and DeadZone. Players at QuakeCon reported the multiplayer gameplay to include elements similar to those in previous "Quake" games such as strafe-jumping or rocket jumping. Notable additions to play are the ability to send shots through the teleporters and the advancement of the game physics provided by the new technology including the ability to bounce grenades and napalm fire off of jump-pads.


title: Quake 4

text: Like the previous "Quake" games, the multiplayer has a client-server architecture. The network code has been altered from "Doom 3", allowing for larger numbers of players on each server; "Doom 3" has a four-player restriction, whereas "Quake 4" has a standard 16 player limit.


title: Quake 4

text: The player movement in "Quake 4" is similar to that in "Quake III Arena" and "Quake Live", but with the additions of ramp jumping and crouch slides. Crouch slides give players the ability to maintain speed by sliding around corners. Ramp jumps allow players to gain extra height from jumping as they reach the top of an inclined object, which while present in the original "Quake" and "Quake II" was not included in "Quake III Arena".


title: Quake 4

text: The "Quake 4" single player mode continues the story of "Quake II" by pitting the player against cyborg alien race known as the Strogg. The game follows the story of a Marine Corporal named Matthew Kane who is joining the elite Rhino Squad. Following the success of the protagonist of "Quake II" in destroying the Strogg's leader, the Makron, Rhino Squad is tasked with spearheading the mission to secure the aliens' home planet Stroggos. In the course of the invasion, the squad ship is shot down and crashes in the middle of a battle zone, separating Kane from his companions. Kane rejoins his scattered team members and partakes in the assault against the Strogg.


title: Quake 4

text: After performing a number of tasks, such as destroying and capturing Strogg aircraft hangars and defense systems, Kane and his remaining squad members make it to the "USS Hannibal". There they are given their next mission: infiltrating one of the Strogg's central communication hubs, the Tetranode, with an electromagnetic pulse bomb in the hope that it will put the main Strogg Nexus in disarray. Kane is tasked with defending the mission convoy, which takes heavy casualties. After many setbacks, including the destruction of the EMP device by a Strogg ambush, Kane is left to complete the mission, assisted only by Private Johann Strauss (Peter Stormare) and Lance Corporal Nikolai "Sledge" Slidjonovitch (Dimitri Diatchenko). Strauss figures out a way to destroy the core by shutting down its coolant systems. As Kane reaches the entrance to the Tetranode, however, he is greeted by two rocket-equipped network guardians, as well as the newly constructed Makron, which easily defeats Kane and knocks him unconscious.


title: Quake 4

text: When Kane awakens, he finds himself strapped to a conveyor belt in the Strogg "Medical Facilities", a structure used for turning those captured and killed by the aliens either into protein food or additional Strogg units. In a long and gruesome first-person cutscene, Kane is taken through this "stroggification" process which violently replaces much of his anatomy with bio-mechanical parts. Before the final controlling neurochip implanted in his brain can be activated, though, Rhino Squad bursts into the facility and rescues Kane. After escaping through the Strogg medical facility and Waste Disposal plant, fighting off zombie-like half-stroggified humans along the way, Kane is forced to combat his former commander, Lieutenant Voss (Michael Gannon), who has been fully stroggified into a powerful mechanized monster but retains his own consciousness long enough to warn Kane. After defeating this threat, Kane and the remaining marines finally make it back to the "Hannibal".


title: Quake 4

text: The commanders realize that Kane's Strogg physiology has opened up new possibilities for defeating the Strogg, as he can be used to infiltrate locations and teleportation areas previously impenetrable and/or fatally harmful to human forces. The new plan is to directly target the Strogg Nexus Core, a huge centralized brain-like structure which controls the alien forces. The Marines are tasked with infiltrating the three data towers adjacent to the Nexus: Data Storage, Processing, and Networking. There, they will deactivate the Nexus' shield and power up the teleporter used to access the Nexus and send Kane in. Once inside, Kane will travel to the center of the Nexus to destroy the Core Brain and its guardian.


title: Quake 4

text: After infiltrating the facility and realigning the data nodes powering the teleporter, and destroying its fearsome "Guardian" creature, Kane reaches the Nexus core. There he meets the Makron in a final showdown and kills it. This accomplished, he destroys the Core and returns to the "Hannibal". Celebrating with Rhino Squad afterward, Kane receives word that he has new orders.


title: Quake 4

text: The Xbox 360 version of "Quake 4" was released at the launch of the Xbox 360 and is Xbox Live compatible. There have been major issues with frame rates for the console adaptation, earning it the award for Most Aggravating Frame Rate/Best Slideshow in the GameSpot.com "Best and Worst of 2005" list. In addition, the Xbox 360 port of "Quake 4" has very long load times and Xbox Live glitches that result in problematic multiplayer experiences, as documented by game review sites as well as on Activision's support pages for the Xbox 360 version. This version was initially priced the same as the PC Special Edition DVD and features the same content. Aspyr Media published and released "Quake 4" for OS X on April 5, 2006, initially only for PowerPC based Macs, but later as a universal binary compatible with both PowerPC- and x86-based Macs. id Software continued its tradition of supporting Linux, with Timothee Besset of id releasing a Linux version of the "Quake 4" binary executable. The binary can be downloaded for free from id's servers and it requires a licensed copy of "Quake 4" for Windows or OS X in order to run. The Linux installer was made available two days after the release of the game itself. The game's budget was $15 million.


title: Quake 4

text: Having worked on the theme music for "Doom 3", Clint Walsh and Chris Vrenna were hired to work on the theme music for "Quake 4". Vrenna produced while Walsh composed the theme music.


title: Quake 4

text: "Quake 4" was re-released for the Xbox 360 and PC on June 19, 2012, with publication handled by Bethesda. In Europe, the game was launched in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Benelux territories. It was released in the United Kingdom on June 22. Unlike the original Xbox 360 version, the Bethesda re-release does not include the port of "Quake II".


title: Quake 4

text: Like its predecessors, "Quake 4" can be modified. This led to "Quake 4" versions of popular mods from previous versions of "Quake", such as Rocket Arena, and "Quake 4 Fortress" (the "Quake 4" version of "Team Fortress Classic"). "Quake 4 Fortress" was abandoned before its creators considered it complete; instead they released an alpha version complete with source code. In the competitive gaming scene, there were two principal mods, Q4Max and X-Battle. The online "Quake 4" competitive community was split between the two mods. A number of the online leagues switched between X-Battle and Q4Max, such as ClanBase EuroCup and GGL. Despite this split in the online community, the offline professional LAN tournaments run by CPL, ESWC, WCG, QuakeCon, and WSVG all used Q4Max. Members of both the Q4Max and X-Battle teams joined forces with Adam 'SyncError' Pyle of id Software and developed another mod, Delta CTF, which brought "Quake II"-style Capture the Flag to "Quake 4". Another notable mod is SABot, which successfully implemented multiplayer bots in "Quake 4" less than a month after the SDK was released, despite this being a feature that some reviewers criticised "Quake 4" for not including.


title: Quake 4

text: Sometime in 2018, it was revealed that there were plans for Quake 4 expansion called "Awakening" but it was cancelled due to unknown reasons. Former Raven artist Vitaliy Naymushin released several 3D models that were to appear in the expansion.


title: Quake 4

text: "Quake 4"s PC version received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.


title: Quake 4

text: "Quake 4" received generally favorable reviews regarding the PC version of the game, with game database Metacritic giving the game an aggregate review score of 81/100. Websites and magazines such as "IGN" and UGO praised its single-player campaign, graphics and Hollywood voice-acting, but complained that its multiplayer was too much like "Quake III". "GameSpot" gave Quake 4 an 8.0 and it also said: "The single-player is great fun, but the uninspired multiplayer leaves a lot to be desired". "PC Magazine" gave "Quake 4" a good review for both singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay.


title: Quake 4

text: The original 2005 Xbox 360 version of the game fared slightly worse with critics when it was released but still received generally positive reviews, scoring 75/100 on Metacritic. The only exception for that is "1UP.com", where they gave the PC version a score of "B−" but the Xbox 360 version a score of "B+". "Electronic Gaming Monthly" gave a mixed rating to the Xbox 360 port. It panned the single-player campaign for not being creative enough to compete with other games such as "Half-Life 2" and noted that the game ran poorly on the 360. "IGN" scored "Quake 4" 8.1/10, saying "Quake 4 is one of those games that will appeal to console gamers who haven't owned a PC for years. The single-player campaign is varied and pretty interesting, getting better after you're Stroggified. The enemies go from dumb and running right at you to diverse and more interesting in the second half of the game, and there are a few cool boss fights worth your while. The gory graphics and excellent lighting are well done and they'll appeal to many gamers looking for a fast, shiny game to just let loose on". "GameSpot" gave it a worse rating than the PC version: 6.6. They also wrote: "There's a good game in "Quake 4", but it's buried under several layers of highly disappointing graphical performance issues". "X-Play" gave the Xbox 360 version a 3/5 and the PC version a 4/5.


title: Quake 4

text: "Quake 4" was a finalist for "PC Gamer US"s "Best Multiplayer Game 2005" award, which ultimately went to "Battlefield 2".


title: Quake 4

text: In 2016, former id Software employee and original Quake director John Romero expressed his disappointment over the direction of Quake 4.


title: Quake 4

text: In part due to the similarities to the "Quake III Arena" multiplayer, "Quake 4" was used in a number of professional electronic sports tournaments.


title: Maren Jensen

text: Maren Kawehilani Jensen (born September 23, 1956) is an American former model and actress, best known for portraying Lieutenant Athena in the 1978–79 television series "Battlestar Galactica". Jensen also made guest appearances in several US television series, such as "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island".


title: Maren Jensen

text: Maren Jensen was born in Arcadia, California. Her father was a physician, and her mother was a secretary with the Los Angeles Zoo. She is a middle child, with an older brother, Dana, and a younger sister, Kathleen. Jensen attended Herbert Hoover High School from 1971 to 1974, and after graduating received a scholarship to attend UCLA, where she majored in Theater Arts and Law.


title: Maren Jensen

text: While still in college, Jensen began a modeling career. She was featured on the covers of "Vogue" and "Mademoiselle". A mutual friend introduced her to the agent Barbara Gale, who helped arrange two network commercials and a role in "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" in 1977. In 1978, Jensen starred in "Battlestar Galactica" in the role of Athena. She was featured on the cover of "TV Guide" in April 1979. Her last known role was in Wes Craven's 1981 horror film "Deadly Blessing" alongside Sharon Stone. Her career was cut short by illness, after she contracted Epstein-Barr Syndrome.


title: Maren Jensen

text: Jensen was a longtime companion of singer-songwriter Don Henley. In 1982, Henley released his first solo album, "I Can't Stand Still," and dedicated it to her. She is credited for "Harmony Vocals" on the song "Johnny Can't Read," and is credited in the liner notes for having composed the piano intro and interlude on the song "A Month of Sundays" on Henley's 1984 album "Building the Perfect Beast." She appeared in the video for Henley's song "Not Enough Love In the World" in 1985. Henley and Jensen were engaged, but they separated in 1986. Jensen helped Henley establish The Walden Woods Project in the early 1990s, an organization dedicated to protecting the Walden Woods area in Concord, Massachusetts from development.


title: Maren Jensen

text: Jensen was also reported to be married to John Kugelberg but they were also reported to be separated. They have kept everything about their relationship very private and out of the public eye, including their marriage and separation date. Neither has shared any photos together. She has been reported as living in the New York metro area and has been returning to the Los Angeles metro area from time to time because of business, family, and friends.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, Whiteman produced recordings that were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz". His most popular recordings include "Whispering", "Valencia", "Three O'Clock in the Morning", "In a Little Spanish Town", and "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers". Whiteman led a usually large ensemble and explored many styles of music, such as blending symphonic music and jazz, as in his debut of "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Whiteman recorded many jazz and pop standards during his career, including "Wang Wang Blues", "Mississippi Mud", "Rhapsody in Blue", "Wonderful One", "Hot Lips (He's Got Hot Lips When He Plays Jazz)", "Mississippi Suite", "Grand Canyon Suite", and "Trav'lin' Light". He co-wrote the 1925 jazz classic "Flamin' Mamie". His popularity faded in the swing music era of the mid-1930s, and by the 1940s he was semi-retired from music. He experienced a revival and had a comeback in the 1950s with his own network television series, "Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue", which ran for three seasons on ABC. He also hosted the 1954 ABC talent contest show "On the Boardwalk with Paul Whiteman".


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Whiteman's place in the history of early jazz is somewhat controversial. Detractors suggest that his ornately orchestrated music was jazz in name only, lacking the genre's improvisational and emotional depth, and co-opted the innovations of black musicians. Defenders note that Whiteman's fondness for jazz was genuine. He worked with black musicians as much as was feasible during an era of racial segregation. His bands included many of the era's most esteemed white musicians, and his groups handled jazz admirably as part of a larger repertoire.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Critic Scott Yanow declares that Whiteman's orchestra "did play very good jazz...His superior dance band used some of the most technically skilled musicians of the era in a versatile show that included everything from pop tunes and waltzes to semi-classical works and jazz. [...] Many of his recordings (particularly those with Beiderbecke) have been reissued numerous times and are more rewarding than his detractors would lead one to believe."


title: Paul Whiteman

text: In his autobiography, Duke Ellington declared, "Paul Whiteman was known as the King of Jazz, and no one as yet has come near carrying that title with more certainty and dignity."


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Whiteman was born in Denver, Colorado. He came from a musical family: his father, Wilburforce James Whiteman was the supervisor of music for the Denver Public Schools, a position he held for fifty years, and his mother Elfrida (née Dallison) was a former opera singer. His father insisted that Paul learn an instrument, preferably the violin, but the young man chose the viola. According to Chris Popa, Whiteman was Protestant and of Scottish, Irish, English, and Dutch ancestry.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Whiteman's skill at the viola resulted in a place in the Denver Symphony Orchestra by 1907, joining the San Francisco Symphony in 1914. In 1918, Whiteman conducted a 12-piece U.S. Navy band, the Mare Island Naval Training Camp Symphony Orchestra (NTCSO). After World War I, he formed the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: That year he led a popular dance band in the city. In 1920, he moved with his band to New York City where they began recording for the Victor Talking Machine Company. The popularity of these records led to national fame. In his first five recordings sessions for Victor, August 9 – October 28, 1920, he used the name "Paul Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra", presumably because he had been playing at the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City. From November 3, 1920, he started using "Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra."


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Whiteman became the most popular band director of that decade. In a time when most dance bands consisted of six to ten men, Whiteman directed a more imposing group that numbered as many as 35 musicians. By 1922, Whiteman already controlled some 28 ensembles on the East Coast and was earning over $1,000,000 a year.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: In 1926, Paul Whiteman was on tour in Vienna, Austria when he met and was interviewed by a young ambitious newspaper reporter named Billy Wilder who was also a fan of Whiteman's band. Whiteman liked young Wilder enough, that he took him with the band to Berlin where Wilder was able to make more connections in the entertainment field, leading him to become a screenwriter and director, eventually ending up in Hollywood.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: In 1927, the Whiteman orchestra backed Hoagy Carmichael singing and playing on a recording of "Washboard Blues". Whiteman signed with Columbia Records in May 1928, leaving the label in September 1930 when he refused a pay cut. He returned to RCA Victor between September 1931 and March 1937.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: In the 1920s the media referred to Whiteman as "The King of Jazz". Whiteman emphasized the way he approached the well-established style of jazz music, while also organizing its composition and style in his own fashion.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: While most jazz musicians and fans consider improvisation to be essential to the musical style, Whiteman thought the genre could be improved by orchestrating the best of it, with formal written arrangements. Eddie Condon criticized him for trying to "make a lady" out of jazz. Whiteman's recordings were popular critically and commercially, and his style of jazz was often the first jazz of any form that many Americans heard during the era. Whiteman wrote more than 3000 arrangements.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: For more than 30 years Whiteman, referred to as "Pops", sought and encouraged promising musicians, vocalists, composers, arrangers, and entertainers. In 1924 he commissioned George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", which was premiered by his orchestra with the composer at the piano. Another familiar piece in Whiteman's repertoire was "Grand Canyon Suite" by Ferde Grofé.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Whiteman hired many of the best jazz musicians for his band, including Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Steve Brown, Mike Pingitore, Gussie Mueller, Wilbur Hall (billed by Whiteman as "Willie Hall"), Jack Teagarden, and Bunny Berigan. He encouraged upcoming African American musical talents and planned to hire black musicians, but his management persuaded him that doing so would destroy his career due to racial tension and America's segregation of that time.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: He provided music for six Broadway shows and produced more than 600 phonograph recordings. His recording of José Padilla's "Valencia" topped the charts for 11 weeks, beginning March 30, 1926, becoming the No. 1 record of 1926.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Red McKenzie, leader of the Mound City Blue Blowers, and cabaret singer Ramona Davies (billed as "Ramona and her Grand Piano") joined the Whiteman group in 1932. The King's Jesters were with Paul Whiteman in 1931. In 1933, Whiteman had a No. 2 hit on the "Billboard" charts with Ann Ronell's "Willow Weep for Me".


title: Paul Whiteman

text: In 1942, Whiteman began recording for Capitol Records, co-founded by songwriters Buddy DeSylva and Johnny Mercer and music store owner Glenn Wallichs. Whiteman and His Orchestra's recordings of "I Found a New Baby" and "The General Jumped at Dawn" was the label's first single release. Another notable Capitol record he made is the 1942 "Trav'lin Light" featuring Billie Holiday (billed as "Lady Day", due to her being under contract with another label).


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Whiteman appeared as himself in the 1945 movie "Rhapsody in Blue" on the life and career of George Gershwin, and also appeared in "The Fabulous Dorseys" in 1947, a bio-pic starring Jimmy Dorsey and Tommy Dorsey. Whiteman also appeared as the baby in "Nertz" (1929), the bandleader in "Thanks a Million" (1935), as himself in "Strike Up the Band" (1940), in the Paramount Pictures short "The Lambertville Story" (1949), and the revue musical "King of Jazz" (1930).


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Although giving priority to stage appearances during his peak years in the 1920s, Whiteman participated in some early prestigious radio programs. On January 4, 1928, Whiteman and his troupe starred in a nationwide NBC radio broadcast sponsored by Dodge Brothers Automobile Co. and known as "The Victory Hour" (The program introduced the new Dodge "Victory Six" automobile). It was the most widespread hookup ever attempted at that time. Will Rogers acted as MC and joined the program from the West Coast, with Al Jolson coming in from New Orleans. Variety was not impressed, saying: "As with practically all of the important and high-priced commercial broadcasting programs under N.B.C. auspices in the past, the Dodge Brothers' Victory Hour at a reputed cost of $67,000 was disappointing and not commensurate in impression with the financial outlay." However, the magazine noted. "...The reaction to Paul Whiteman's grand radio plug for "Among My Souvenirs"…was a flock of orders by wire from dealers the day following the Dodge Brothers Victory Hour broadcast."


title: Paul Whiteman

text: Dodge Brothers must have been satisfied with the results of the broadcast because on March 29, 1928, Whiteman took part in a second Dodge Brothers radio show over the NBC network, which was entitled "Film Star Radio Hour". Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, John Barrymore, and several other Hollywood stars were featured. United Artists Pictures arranged for additional loudspeakers to be installed in their theatres so that audiences could hear the stars they had only seen in silent pictures previously. The New York Herald Tribune commented: "...Of Mr. Paul Whiteman's share in the pretentious program, only the best can be said. Mr. Whiteman's orchestra is seldom heard on the radio, and its infrequent broadcasts are the subject of major jubilations, despite the presence of tenors and vocal harmonists in most of the Whiteman renditions."


title: Paul Whiteman

text: In 1929, Whiteman agreed to take part in a weekly radio show for Old Gold Cigarettes for which he was paid $5,000 per broadcast. "Old Gold Presents Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra" was an hour-long show on Tuesday nights over CBS from station WABC in New York. "The Whiteman Hour" had its first broadcast on February 5, 1929, and continued until May 6, 1930. On May 7, 1930, he was paid $325,000 for 65 radio episodes.


title: Paul Whiteman

text: In the 1940s and 1950s, after he had disbanded his orchestra, Whiteman worked as a music director for the ABC Radio Network. He also hosted "Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club" from Philadelphia on ABC-TV from 1949 to 1954. The show was seen for an hour the first two years, then as a half-hour segment on Saturday evenings. In 1952 a young Dick Clark read the commercials for sponsor Tootsie Roll. Whiteman's "TV-Teen Club", along with Grady and Hurst's "950 Club", proved to be an inspiration for WFIL-TV's afternoon dance show called "American Bandstand".


title: Paul Whiteman

text: He also continued to appear as guest conductor for many concerts. His manner on stage was disarming; he signed off each program with something casual like, "Well, that just about slaps the cap on the old milk bottle for tonight." In the early 1960s, Whiteman played in Las Vegas before retiring.