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Traffic control on the Red Ball Express
Traffic control on the Red Ball Express

American logistics in the Northern France campaign played a key role in the breakout of the Allies from the lodgment in Normandy that began on 25 July 1944 and the subsequent pursuit of the defeated German forces. The advance was much faster than expected; the rapid increase in the length of the line of communications threw up unanticipated logistical challenges. The logistical plan lacked flexibility, the rehabilitation of railways and construction of pipelines could not keep up with the pace of the advance, and resupply by air had limited capacity. Critical shortages developed, particularly of petrol, oil and lubricants. Motor transport was used as a stopgap, with the Red Ball Express (pictured) organized to deliver supplies from Normandy, but there was a shortage of suitable vehicles and trained drivers, and racial segregation complicated personnel assignment. Logistical problems and increased German resistance eventually stalled the American advance. (Full article...)

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Lee Jae-myung in 2024
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June 6: National Day of Sweden, Eid al-Adha (Islam)

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Bill Walton
Bill Walton

Since 1970, 397 basketball players have played at least one game for the Portland Trail Blazers throughout their 55 seasons as a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise. Ten players have had their number retired by the team following their playing careers. Seven players have been enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and Carmelo Anthony is expected to become the eighth Hall of Famer when he is enshrined in September 2025. Four Blazer rookies have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, including Damian Lillard. On December 19, 2022, Lillard became the team's all-time scoring leader. Bill Walton (pictured) is the franchise's most decorated player; he was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 1977 NBA Finals, and the regular-season MVP the following year. (Full list...)

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Bearded vulture

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is a very large bird of prey in the monotypic genus Gypaetus. It is vernacularly known as the Homa, a bird in Iranian mythology. The bearded vulture is the only known vertebrate whose diet consists of 70 to 90 per cent bone. It lives and breeds on crags in high mountains in Iran, southern Europe, East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Tibet, and the Caucasus. The bearded vulture population is thought to be in decline; since 2014, it has been classified as near threatened on the IUCN Red List. Bearded vultures are 94 to 125 centimetres (37 to 49 inches) long, with a wingspan of 2.31 to 2.83 metres (7.6 to 9.3 feet). This bearded vulture was photographed carrying a piece of carrion in the Alps in Switzerland, where the species was reintroduced in the late 20th century after having become locally extinct in the early 20th century.

Photograph credit: Giles Laurent

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