On March 1, 1910, high up in the Cascade mountains, winter snows the week before had stalled trains along the Great Northern Railway between Spokane and Seattle. Stranded passengers had hopes that the track would be cleared that day, unaware of the disaster to come.
By September of 1944, the Western Allies had broken out of the Normandy beachehead, and suddenly and quickly moved across northern France . By September 7th, the 90th division was stretched across the northern sector on Patton’s Third Army’s left, advancing slowly northeast. As they did so the German defenders made a risky attack in an effort to spoil the allied advance, cutting through Allied lines in a surprise action at the small town of Mairy-Mannville.