Cinemax

# Cinemax

## Abstract

Cinemax, also known as Max, is an American pay television network owned by Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on August 1, 1980, as a "maxi-pay" service to complement the offerings of its parent network, Home Box Office (HBO), Cinemax initially focused on recent and classic films. Today, its programming primarily includes recent and classic theatrically released films, original action series, documentaries, and special behind-the-scenes features.

It operates eight 24-hour linear channels and offers a traditional subscription video-on-demand service called Cinemax On Demand. Cinemax previously provided a TV Everywhere streaming platform, Cinemax Go, which is no longer available. However, its linear channels are accessible through multichannel video programming distributors such as Apple TV, Amazon Video, and Roku.

## History

Home Box Office, Inc., owned by Time Inc. 's Time-Life Broadcasting unit, launched a movie-centered pay service called Take 2 on April 1, 1979, as a companion to HBO. However, Take 2 struggled with subscriber growth and was discontinued in February 1981. HBO then announced the launch of Cinemax, a "maxi-pay" channel designed to complement HBO and compete with other movie channels. Cinemax debuted on August 1, 1980, focusing on theatrical films with no commercials or edits for content.

Cinemax initially aired on 56 cable systems in the Eastern and Central time zones, with a West Coast feed launching on September 1, 1980. The channel transitioned to a 24-hour schedule on January 1, 1981. Cinemax offered uncut films and was marketed as a premium addition to HBO, often bundled with HBO for a discount.

In October 1983, Cinemax faced a trademark infringement lawsuit from Tulsa 23 Limited Partnership over its promotional slogan, "We Are Your Movie Star." The court ruled in favor of Tulsa 23, and Cinemax was ordered to discontinue the slogan.

As competition increased, Cinemax adjusted its programming strategy by including more adult-oriented films and launching the "Friday After Dark" late-night block in 1984. The channel also introduced original music programming and series, including Second City Television and The Max Headroom Show. In February 1988, the network premiere of Lethal Weapon became one of Cinemax's highest-rated broadcasts.

On March 4, 1989, Warner Communications announced its intent to merge with HBO's parent company, Time Inc., for $14.9 billion. Despite legal challenges from Paramount Communications, the merger was completed on January 10, 1990, creating Time Warner (later WarnerMedia, now Warner Bros. Discovery), which remains the parent company of Cinemax and HBO.

In August 1991, Cinemax, along with HBO, was among the first American pay TV services to introduce multiplexed channels. Starting in 1992, Cinemax reintroduced television series development with adult-oriented scripted series, such as Erotic Confessions, Hot Line, Passion Cove, Lingerie, and Co-Ed Confidential.

From 1992 to 1997, Cinemax featured daily movie showcases centered on specific genres, identified by pictograms. This practice ended in September 1997, with Cinemax adopting a simplified branding strategy that included "Max Hits at 8" and "Max Prime at 10."

On March 1, 1994, Cinemax, HBO, Showtime, and The Movie Channel introduced a content advisory system to inform viewers about program content. A revised system with content codes was implemented on June 10, 1994.

In 1998, Cinemax began offering "sneak preview" blocks for its multiplex channels, ActionMax and ThrillerMax. Classic films, once a staple of the Cinemax schedule, were increasingly featured on multiplex channels like 5StarMax. By the mid-2000s, the main channel's programming focused on films from the 1990s to the present.

In 2001, Cinemax began premiering select blockbuster and lesser-known films before their HBO debut. In February 2011, Cinemax shifted its focus to original programming, launching action-themed series to compete with other premium and streaming services, and to rebrand its image from being primarily known for softcore pornographic content.

Following AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner in 2018, Cinemax's focus shifted significantly. Adult programming on Cinemax and HBO's multiplexes, as well as on-demand services, nearly disappeared due to increased availability of such content online and competition from other providers.

Cinemax, maybe moreso than HBO, is responsible for being the first promoter of many major motion picture releases. A majority of hit blockbuster movies got their first behind-the-scenes featurettes on Cinemax, and would be promoted on this show, including, as the first version of this show from the mid-80s, Sudden Impact, A View to a Kill, Code of Silence, Invasion USA, The Delta Force, and as Beyond the Screen, Licence to Kill, New York Stories, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Godfather Part III, Delta Force 2, GoodFellas (which premiered on the network, not HBO, and was always on Cinemax, never HBO; ironically, The Sopranos modeled themselves after the movie, despite the movie being a Cinemax staple), The Hitman, Boyz n the Hood, Juice, Batman Returns,, Singles, Menace II Society, Fresh, Clerks, Batman Forever, New Jersey Drive, Friday, GoldenEye, The Cure, Feeling Minnesota, Ransom, Home Alone 3, and The Devil's Advocate among many others. Most of the movies mentioned in the previous sentences made their network premiere on Cinemax, not HBO. Examples in the modern day include The Virgin Suicides, the original Matrix, and the John Wick franchise.

In January 2020, WarnerMedia announced that with the upcoming launch of HBO Max, Cinemax would cease commissioning original programming but would continue as a movie-focused service through existing distributors. Cinemax's original programming, although available internationally, was not included in HBO Max. Len Amato, the executive overseeing Cinemax and HBO's film and miniseries division, left WarnerMedia on August 14, 2020, marking the end of Cinemax's original programming efforts.

On May 17, 2021, AT&T and Discovery, Inc. announced a Reverse Morris Trust agreement, wherein WarnerMedia would spin-off from AT&T and merge with Discovery for $43 billion. This merger, completed in spring 2022, resulted in the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery, led by David Zaslav. On May 23, 2023, the merged company's streaming service was rebranded as Max.

## Channels

On May 8, 1991, Home Box Office Inc. announced plans to launch multiplexed companion channels for HBO and Cinemax, offering additional programming options at no extra charge. The test launch on August 1, 1991, introduced Cinemax 2, HBO2, and HBO3 (now HBO Signature) to select TeleCable customers, providing distinct programming from their parent channels. John K. Billock, HBO’s EVP of marketing, cited subscriber dissatisfaction with program scheduling as a reason for the multiplex expansion. A November 1991 ACNielsen survey showed positive impacts from the multiplex channels, including reduced negative opinions on pricing and improved overall usage.

In February 1996, Home Box Office announced plans to expand to twelve channels, including two additional Cinemax channels and a fourth HBO channel, projected for a Spring 1997 launch. The Cinemax multiplex expanded on December 1, 1996, with the launch of Cinemax 3, and the introduction of Mountain Time Zone feeds.

The Cinemax multiplex was marketed as "MultiChannel Cinemax" in September 1994, rebranded to "MultiMax" in April 1998, and later applied to the expanded four-channel package. This included MoreMax (formerly Cinemax 2), ActionMax (formerly Cinemax 3), and the new ThrillerMax channel.

On May 17, 2001, four additional themed channels were launched: OuterMax, WMax (later MovieMax), @Max (later Max Latino), and 5StarMax. Max Latino was rebranded as Cinemáx on April 1, 2015, mirroring the flagship Cinemax schedule with Spanish-language dubs. MovieMax started as a family-oriented channel and now focuses on recent and classic movies.

### List of channels

Cinemax offers up to eight 24-hour multiplex channels, available in both standard and high definition, with regional feeds based on time zones. These channels include a subscription video-on-demand service, Cinemax on Demand. Maintenance periods, ranging from 30 minutes to two hours, occur monthly during early morning hours before the 6:00 a.m. ET/PT start of the broadcast day.

Cinemax transmits its channels on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules. The time zone-based feeds are usually packaged together, resulting in a maximum three-hour difference in local airtimes between geographic locations. The opposite-region feed serves as a timeshift channel, allowing viewers to watch programs up to three hours later or four hours earlier than their local airtime. While most providers offer only the East and West Coast feeds of the main Cinemax channel, timeshifted feeds for other multiplex channels are available on platforms like DirecTV, YouTube TV, and Hulu live TV.

### Other services

#### Cinemax HD

Cinemax HD broadcasts in 1080i resolution with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Cinemax provides high definition simulcast feeds for its main channel and all seven multiplex channels. Initially, from the 2008 rollout of HD simulcasts for the multiplex feeds, most pay television providers only offered the main Cinemax channel in HD, with HD availability for multiplex channels varying by market. As of 2020, most providers offer all eight Cinemax multiplex channels in HD, either on a dedicated HD channel tier or as hybrid SD/HD feeds. The flagship network switched to exclusive high definition programming on September 1, 2008.

#### Cinemax On Demand

Cinemax On Demand is the network’s companion subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, available at no extra charge to subscribers of the linear television service. Launched in 2002, it offers VOD content through select virtual MVPD services such as DirecTV Stream and Hulu, as well as on Cinemax’s dedicated OTT video channels via Apple TV Channels, Amazon Video Channels, and The Roku Channel.

#### Cinemax Go

Cinemax Go (formerly MAX Go) was a TV Everywhere streaming service for Cinemax subscribers, available as a desktop website and through apps for Apple and Google Play devices, as well as most digital media players and game consoles. Launched on September 13, 2010, it mirrored the content of Cinemax On Demand, excluding live simulcasts of the linear channels. New episodes of the network's original programming were available at the same time as their wireline release.

The service was available to subscribers of AT&T U-verse, Cox Communications, DirecTV, Dish Network, Suddenlink Communications, and Charter Communications. The MAX Go app was discontinued on April 30, 2020, and the desktop website, renamed Cinemax Go, continued until July 31, 2022. The service was phased out as Warner Bros. Discovery consolidated its streaming efforts under HBO Max, rebranded as Max on May 23, 2023.

## Programming

Cinemax schedules movies for 20-24 hours daily on its main channel and 24 hours on its multiplex channels. Since June 2000, new theatrical and original movies have premiered every Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. First-run films typically debut 10 months to a year after their theatrical release and within six months of DVD or VOD release.

### Original programming

On August 12, 2011, Cinemax expanded into original programming with the U.S. premiere of the British action series Strike Back. The series, which had originally aired in the UK, was produced in partnership with HBO. Cinemax's second original series, Hunted, premiered on October 19, 2012, in collaboration with BBC One. This was followed by Banshee in 2013, and in 2014, Sandbox and The Knick.

In 2020, Cinemax announced it would stop commissioning original programming to focus on HBO Max. The martial arts drama Warrior was the last original series on Cinemax, with its third season moving to HBO Max in April 2021.

#### Former program blocks

- Drive-In Saturday Night – Running Saturday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time from 1984 to 1993 (competing against a similar block, "Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater" on The Movie Channel, during that period), the "Drive-In Saturday Night" block featured a broad mix of cult films and action movies.

- Cinemax Comic Relief – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1985 to 1988, showcasing a selection of four or five different comedy films each month.

- Cinemax Comedy Experiment – Running from February 16, 1985, to 1988, the "Cinemax Comedy Experiment" was a showcase of original comedy specials that were more free-form in style (some featuring elements of the sketch comedy and improv genre) than the conventional stand-up format (such as the first special under the banner, Howie Mandel: Live at Carnegie Mall).

- Rising Star – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1985 to 1986, showcasing feature films from up-and-coming actors.

- Cinemax Film Discovery – This film block ran in varied primetime timeslots from 1985 to 1990, showcasing feature films not previously seen on television or in wide theatrical release.

- Military Max – Running from 1985 to 1988, this showcase featured a mix of four or five different military-themed feature films (most commonly war films, although with occasional broadcasts of military-themed films of other genres).

- Cinemax Director's Chair – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1985 to 1993, showcasing a selection of notable films from an acclaimed director.

- Beyond the Screen - This in-between bumper shows behind the scene looks of an upcoming movie or a movie that will soon be aired on Cinemax.

- Cinemax Western Roundup – Running from 1985 to 1993, this weekend block featured a mix of film westerns.

- Cinemania – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1993, showcasing a selection of comedic films.

- Cinemax Classic Collection – Running from 1985 to 1993, this block showcased a selection of film classics from the 1930s to the 1960s.

- Cinemax From the Heart – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1993, showcasing a selection of romantic comedies and dramas.

- Vanguard Cinema – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1993, showcasing a selection of critically acclaimed films from the United States and abroad (the block was divided into three sub-blocks: "Cinemax Documentary", featuring first-run documentary films; "New Wave Films", featuring acclaimed recent movies; and "Cinemax Imports", originally a standalone block that began in 1985, which showcased film releases from other countries).

- Max Crime Time – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1997, showcasing a selection of crime dramas, detective films or film noirs.

- Starring... – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1997, showcasing a selection of hits as well as some early films from a particular film actor throughout the month.

- Summer of 1000 Movies – "The Summer of 1000 Movies" annual film festival ran from 1992 to 2005, and ran until the mid-2000s, in which the channel ran 1,000 films (many with a similar subject) over the course of each summer without repeats.

- Max Hits at 8 – Running from 1997 to 2001, this block showcased a popular feature film each night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

- Max Prime at 10/Max Time – Debuting in 1997 under the "Max Prime" banner, this block showcased a particular choice movie of various genres each night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or on weeknights only between 1998 and 2000, as a result of the creation of the "ActionMax on Cinemax" and "ThrillerMax on Cinemax" blocks).

#### Max After Dark

Cinemax's late-night block, Max After Dark, featured softcore pornographic films and original series with TV-MA or R ratings, primarily for strong sexual content and nudity. This block, which began on May 4, 1984, as "Cinemax Friday After Dark," expanded to seven nights a week by the late 1990s. Programs included Lingerie, Life on Top, Femme Fatales, and Topless Prophet. The block was known for its lenient scheduling around mainstream films and series and was often humorously referred to as "Skinemax."

The adult content was not limited to the main Cinemax channel but also aired on multiplex channels like MoreMax, ActionMax, ThrillerMax, and OuterMax. However, channels like MovieMax and 5StarMax avoided adult programming. The block's presence, alongside other HBO channels, was partly due to the FCC’s content regulations not applying to cable networks.

By 2013, Cinemax began reducing Max After Dark content to focus more on original programming, as internet porn's prevalence made the block's content seem relatively tame compared to HBO's original series.

## International distribution

Latin America

Cinemax launched on September 5, 1993, offering classic and recent movies, television series, and miniseries. Starting June 1, 2010, it became an ad-supported basic cable channel in the region. Original series aired on HBO's premium suite in Latin America.

Asia

Cinemax began broadcasting in 1996, featuring action, comedy, science fiction, and western movies. The channel was known as Max from 2009 to 2012.

Central Europe

Launched in February 2005, Cinemax focused on festival, indie, European, and classic films. Cinemax and Cinemax 2 are available in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, and expanded to certain Balkan countries in 2009. Initially a timeshift channel, Cinemax 2 started airing a distinct schedule from 2016.


1938 in Germany

# 1938 in Germany

## Abstract

Events in the year 1938 in Germany.

## Incumbents

### National level

Head of State and Chancellor

- Adolf Hitler (the Führer) (Nazi Party)

## Events

- 12 January — The German War Minister Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg marries Eva Gruhn in Berlin; Hermann Göring is best man at the wedding.

- 27 January — German War Minister Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg resigns, following the revelation that his new wife had previously posed for pornographic photos.

- 4 February — Adolf Hitler abolishes the War Ministry and creates the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (High Command of the Armed Forces), giving him direct control of the German military. In addition, Hitler sacks political and military leaders considered unsympathetic to his philosophy or policies. General Werner von Fritsch is forced to resign as Commander of Chief of the German Army following accusations of homosexuality, and replaced by General Walther von Brauchitsch. Foreign Minister Baron Konstantin von Neurath is sacked and replaced by Joachim von Ribbentrop.

- 12 February — Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg of Austria meets Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden and, under threat of invasion, is forced to yield to German demands for greater Nazi participation in the Austrian government.

- 3 March — Sir Nevile Henderson, British Ambassador to Germany, presents a proposal to Hitler for an international consortium to rule much of Africa (in which Germany would be assigned a leading role) in exchange for a German promise never to resort to war to change her frontiers; Hitler rejects the British offer.

- 12 March — Anschluss: German troops occupy Austria, which has a 200,000-strong Jewish population mostly in the capital city Vienna.

- 13 March — Annexation of Austria by Germany is declared.

- 10 April — German election and referendum, 1938

- 5 May — General Ludwig Beck, Chief of the German Army's General Staff, submits a memorandum to Hitler opposing Fall Grün (Case Green), the plan for a war with Czechoslovakia, under the grounds that Germany is ill-prepared for the world war likely to result from such an attack.

- 23 May — Temporarily frustrated by the Czechoslovak mobilization and international diplomatic unity in the face of German demands over the Sudetenland, Hitler orders the Foreign Office to assure the Czechoslovaks that he has no demands on their territory. The world at large mistakenly believes the crisis is averted.

- 28 May — In a conference at the Reichs Chancellery, Hitler declares his decision to destroy Czechoslovakia by military force, and orders the immediate mobilization of 96 Wehrmacht divisions.

- 1 July — The new town of Wolfsburg in Lower Saxony is set up to serve the Volkswagen car factory, where production of the Beetle people's car had begun the previous year.

- 10 August — At a secret summit with his leading generals, Hitler attacks General Beck's arguments against Fall Grün, winning the majority of his senior officers over to his point of view.

- 11 August — The Nuremberg synagogue is destroyed by Nazis.

- 18 August — Colonel General Ludwig Beck, convinced that Hitler 's decision to attack Czechoslovakia will lead to a general European war, resigns his position as Chief of the Army General Staff in protest.

- 5-12 September — The 10th Nazi Party Congress is held and named the "Rally of Greater Germany" (Reichsparteitag Großdeutschland) in reference to the Anschluss of Austria.

- 10 September — Hermann Göring, in a speech at Nuremberg, calls the Czechs a "miserable pygmy race" who are "harassing the human race." That same evening, Edvard Beneš, President of Czechoslovakia, makes a broadcast in which he appeals for calm.

- 15 September — Neville Chamberlain arrives in Berchtesgaden to begin negotiations with Hitler over the Sudetenland.

- 17 September — Neville Chamberlain returns temporarily to London to confer with his cabinet.

- 22 September — Neville Chamberlain arrives in the city of Godesberg for another round of talks with Hitler over the Sudetenland crisis. Hitler raises his demands to include occupation of all German Sudeten territories by October 1. That night after a telephone conference, Chamberlain reverses himself and advises the Czechoslovaks to mobilize.

- 24 September — At 1:30 AM, Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain conclude their talks on the Sudetenland. Chamberlain agrees to take Hitler's demands, codified in the Godesberg Memorandum, personally to the Czech Government. The Czech Government rejects the demands, as does Chamberlain's own cabinet. The French Government also initially rejects the terms and orders a partial mobilization of the French army.

- 26 September — In a vitriolic speech at Berlin's Sportpalast, Hitler defies the world and implies war with Czechoslovakia will begin at any time.

- 28 September — As his self-imposed October 1 deadline for occupation of the Sudetenland approaches, Adolf Hitler invites Italian Duce Benito Mussolini, French Premier Edourd Deladier, and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to one last conference in Munich. The Czechs themselves are not invited.

- 29 September — Colonel Graham Christie, former British military attaché in Berlin, is informed by Carl Friedrich Goerdeler that the mobilization of the Royal Navy has badly damaged the popularity of the Nazi regime, as the German public realizes that Fall Grün is likely to cause a world war.

- 29 September — Munich Agreement: German, Italian, British and French leaders agree to German demands regarding annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak government is largely excluded from the negotiations and is not a signatory to the agreement.

- 30 September — Neville Chamberlain returns to Britain from meeting with Adolf Hitler and declares " Peace for our time ".

- 1 October — German troops march into the Sudetenland. The Polish government gives the Czech government an ultimatum stating that the Trans-Olza region must be handed over within twenty-four hours. The Czechs have little choice but to comply. Polish forces occupy Trans-Olza.

- 16 October — The German government expels 12,000 Polish Jews living in Germany; the Polish government accepts 4,000 and refuses admittance to the remaining 8,000, who are forced to live in the no-man's land on the German-Polish frontier.

- 24 October — At a "friendly luncheon" in Berchtesgaden, German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop tells Józef Lipski, the Polish ambassador to Germany, that the Free City of Danzig must return to Germany, that the Germans must be given extraterritorial rights in the Polish Corridor, and that Poland must sign the Anti-Comintern Pact.

- 28 October — Some 17,000 Polish Jews are arrested by Nazis and deported to Poland, which refuses them entry and leaves them stranded on the border of the two countries.

- 7 November — Ernst vom Rath, the Third Secretary at the German Embassy in Paris, is assassinated by Herschel Grynszpan.

- 9 November — Holocaust – Kristallnacht: In Germany, the "night of broken glass" begins as Nazi activists and sympathizers loot and burn Jewish businesses (the all night affair sees 7,500 Jewish businesses destroyed, 267 synagogues burned, 91 Jews killed, and at least 25,000 Jewish men arrested).

- 12 November — Hitler fines the Jewish community 1 billion marks for the death of Ernst vom Rath.

- 6 December — German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop visits Paris, where he is allegedly informed by French Foreign Minister Georges Bonnet that France now recognizes all of Eastern Europe as being in Germany's exclusive sphere of influence. Bonnet's alleged statement (Bonnet always denied making the remark) to Ribbentrop is a major factor in German policy in 1939.

- 17 December — Nuclear fission of heavy elements is discovered by German Otto Hahn and his assistant Fritz Strassmann.

### Undated

- The Walther P38 pistol is introduced in Germany.

## Births

- January 7 — Christfried Berger, German evangelical theologian (died 2003)

- February 3 - Tony Marshall, German singer

- February 16 - Hans-Dieter Bader, German opera singer (died 2022)

- February 19 - Josef Duchac, German politician

- February 22 — Karin Dor, German actress (died 2017)

- March 4 - F. W. Bernstein, German cartoonist and poet (died 2018)

- March 11 - Christian Wolff, German actor

- March 21 — Fritz Pleitgen, German journalist (died 2022)

- March 25 - Dietrich Stobbe, German politician (died 2011)

- March 30 - Klaus Schwab, German economist, founder of the World Economic Forum

- April 16 - Wolf Hilbertz, German futurist architect, inventor, and marine scientist (died 2007)

- May 13 — Eberhard Schoener, German composer, conductor, arranger and keyboard player

- May 20 — Rainer Basedow, German actor (died 2022 in Austria)

- May 21 — Helga Paris, German photographer (died 2024)

- June 5 — Karin Balzer, German athlete (died 2019)

- June 10 - Alexander von Stahl, German lawyer and politician

- July 5 - Vera Oelschlegel, German singer, actress, artistic director, drama director and teacher

- July 7 - Jan Assmann, German egyptologist

- July 10 - Hans Peter Hallwachs, German actor

- July 13 - Michael Verhoeven, German film director

- July 17 - Hartmut Bagger, German general

- July 23 - Götz George, German actor (died 2016)

- August 9 - Robert Zollitsch, German prelate of Roman Catholic Church

- August 17 - Hubert Markl, German biologist (died 2015)

- August 10 — Grit Boettcher, German actress and comedian

- August 24 - Elmar Altvater, German political scientist (died 2018)

- September 2 - Ursula Lillig, German actress (died 2004)

- September 23 — Romy Schneider, German actress (died 1982)

- October 31 - Henning Scherf, German politician

- November 23 — Herbert Achternbusch, German film director and writer (died 2022)

- December 3 - Werner Thissen, German bishop of Roman Catholic Church

- December 5 - Klaus Bockisch, German football player (died 2018)

- December 13 — Heino, German singer

- Manfred Schneckenburger, German art historian

## Deaths

- 28 January - Bernd Rosemeyer, racing driver. (born 1909)

- 17 February — Bill Drews, German lawyer (born 1870)

- 5 March - Adalbert Seitz, German entomologist(born 1860)

- 27 April - Edmund Husserl, German philosopher (born 1859)

- 4 May - Carl von Ossietzky, German journalist and pacifist (born 1889)

- 15 June — Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, and writer (born 1880)

- 16 June — Robert Wiene, German filmmaker (born 1873)

- 8 July - Gustav Pauli, German art historian and museum director (born 1866)

- 4 August - Heinrich Held, German politician (born 1868)

- 19 September - Paul Reichard, German explorer (born 1854)

- 24 October — Ernst Barlach, German expressionist sculptor, printmaker and writer (born 1870)

- 24 December - Carl Miele, German businessman (born 1869)

- 25 December - Theodor Fischer, German architect and teacher (born 1862)


1939 in Germany

# 1939 in Germany

## Abstract

Events in the year 1939 in Germany.

## Incumbents

### National level

Head of State and Chancellor

- Adolf Hitler (the Führer) (Nazi Party)

## Events

- 23 January – "Dutch War Scare": Admiral Wilhelm Canaris of the Abwehr leaks misinformation to the effect that Germany plans to invade the Netherlands in February, with the aim of using Dutch airfields to launch a strategic bombing offensive against Britain. The "Dutch War Scare" leads to a major change in British policies towards Europe.

- 27 January – Adolf Hitler orders Plan Z, a 5-year naval expansion programme intended to provide for a huge German fleet capable of crushing the Royal Navy by 1944. The Kriegsmarine is given the first priority on the allotment of German economic resources.

- 30 January – Hitler gives a speech before the Reichstag calling for an "export battle" to increase German foreign exchange holdings. The same speech also sees Hitler's "prophecy" where he warns that if "Jewish financers" start a war against Germany, the "result will be the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe".

- 6 February – In a response to Georges Bonnet 's speech of 26 January, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, referring to Bonnet's alleged statement of 6 December 1938 accepting Eastern Europe as being in Germany's exclusive sphere of influence, protests that all French security commitments in that region are "now off limits".

- 22 March – After an ultimatum of March 20, Nazi Germany takes Memelland from Lithuania.

- 25 March – German troops occupy the remaining parts of Bohemia and Moravia; Czechoslovakia ceases to exist. The Ruthenian region of Czechoslovakia declares independence as Carpatho-Ukraine.

- 3 April – Adolf Hitler orders the German military to start planning for Fall Weiss, the codename for the invasion of Poland.

- 28 April – In a speech before the Reichstag, Adolf Hitler renounces the Anglo-German Naval Agreement and the German–Polish declaration of non-aggression.

- May – Hitler agrees to a request from the father of a three-year-old boy born blind and with missing limbs for his son to be euthanised.

- 22 May – Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel.

- 6 July – The last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany are closed by the Nazis.

- 23 August – Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact: Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin agree to divide Europe between themselves (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, eastern Poland and the north-east province of Romania (Bessarabia, today Moldova) to the USSR; Lithuania and western Poland to Germany).

- 26 August – The Kriegsmarine orders all German-flagged merchant ships to head to German ports immediately in anticipation of the invasion of Poland.

- 1 September – At 04.45 Central European Time, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opens bombardment on the Westerplatte, a Polish military base outside Danzig, firing what are, according to many sources, the first shots of the war. At the same time, regular Wehrmacht troops begin crossing the border into Poland, which marks the beginning of World War II.

- 2 September – Following the invasion of Poland, Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) is annexed to Nazi Germany.

- 3 September – The United Kingdom, France, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany.

- 3 September – British liner SS Athenia becomes the first civilian casualty of the war when she is torpedoed and sunk by U-30 in the eastern Atlantic. Of the 1,418 aboard, 117 are killed (98 passengers and 19 crew members).

- 4 September – Nepal declares war on Germany.

- 6 September – South Africa declares war on Germany.

- 10 September – Canada declares war on Germany.

- 15 September – Diverse elements of the German Wehrmacht surround Warsaw and demand its surrender. The Poles refuse and the siege begins in earnest.

- 28 September – Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agree on a division of Poland after their invasion.

- 28 September – Warsaw surrenders to Germany; Modlin surrenders a day later; the last Polish large operational unit surrenders near Kock 8 days later.

- October – Action T4 programme begins, meaning that the state will now euthanise people deemed "unworthy" of life due to physical disabilities or mental illness, as keeping them alive would not be seen as good use of taxpayers money by the state or its supporters.

- 8 October – Germany annexes Western Poland.

- 14 October – The German submarine U-47 sinks the British battleship HMS Royal Oak.

- 6 November – Sonderaktion Krakau: Germans take action against scientists from the University of Kraków and other Kraków universities at the beginning of World War II.

- 9 November – Venlo Incident: Two British agents of SIS are captured by the Germans.

- 13 December – Battle of the River Plate: The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee is trapped by cruisers HMS Ajax, HMNZS Achilles, and HMS Exeter after a running battle off the coast of Uruguay. Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by its crew off Montevideo harbour on December 17.

- 29 December – Police issue a warrant for the arrest of the tycoon Fritz Thyssen who once funded but now opposes the Nazis. He is believed to be in Portugal

## Births

- 15 January – Hartmut Geerken, German musician, composer, writer, journalist, playwright and filmmaker

- 8 February – Karl-Heinz von Hassel, German actor (died 2016)

- 13 February – Beate Klarsfeld, German-born Nazi hunter

- 21 February – Gert Neuhaus, German artist

- 21 February – Ulrich Briefs, German politician (died 2005)

- 31 March – Volker Schlöndorff, German film director

- 31 March – Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, German footballer

- 22 April – Theo Waigel, German politician

- 24 April – Ernst Zündel, German publisher and pamphleteer (died 2017)

- 28 April – Burkhard Driest, German film director and writer

- 14 May – Rupert Neudeck, German journalist (died 2016)

- 18 May – Peter Grünberg, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

- 23 May – Reinhard Hauff, German film director

- 24 May – Ferdinand Schladen, shot putter

- 25 May – Klaus Naumann, German general

- 26 May – Manfred Kanther, German politician

- 20 June – Elisabeth Bauriedel, German politician

- 1 July – Volker Kempe, German scientist, manager and entrepreneur

- 13 August – Erika Berger, German television presenter and author (died 2016)

- 4 September – Erwin Teufel, German politician

- 7 September – Christine Bergmann, German politician

- 8 September – Carsten Keller, German field hockey player

- 17 September – Günther Fielmann, German entrepreneur

- 24 September – Dieter Schwarz, German entrepreneur

- 25 September – Harald Ringstorff, German politician

- 17 October – Reiner Goldberg, German opera singer (died 2023)

- 8 November – Erich Kellerhals, German businessman (died 2017)

- 9 November – Björn Engholm, German politician

- 6 December – Klaus Balkenhol, German equestrian

## Deaths

- 4 March – Oswald Freisler, German lawyer (suicide) (born 1895)

- 3 May – Wilhelm Groener, German soldier and chief of German General staff (born 1867)

- 22 May – Ernst Toller, German playwright (born 1893)

- 11 August – Jean Bugatti, German automobile designer (born 1909)

- 31 August – Wilhelm Bölsche, German journalist and science writer (born 1861)

- 16 September Ludwig R. Conradi, German evangelist, missionary (born 1856) Otto Wels, German politician (born 1873)

- Ludwig R. Conradi, German evangelist, missionary (born 1856)

- Otto Wels, German politician (born 1873)

- 17 September – Otto Röhm, German entrepreneur (born 1876)

- 24 September – Carl Laemmle, German film producer (born 1867)

- 29 November – Philipp Scheidemann, Chancellor of Germany (born 1865)

- 31 December – Georg Wertheim, German entrepreneur (born 1857)

- Full date unknown – Otto Berg, chemist (born 1873)


# 2024–25 CAF Champions League qualifying rounds

## Abstract

The 2024–25 CAF Champions League qualifying rounds began on 16 August and will end on 22 September 2024. 59 teams are competing in the qualifying rounds to decide the 16 places in the group stage of the 2024–25 CAF Champions League.

All times are local.

## Draw

The draw for the qualifying rounds was held on 11 July 2024, 12:00 GMT (15:00 local time, UTC+3), at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

The entry round of the 59 teams entered into the draw was determined by their performances in the CAF competitions for the previous five seasons (CAF 5-year ranking points shown in parentheses).

## Format

In the qualifying rounds, each tie is played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score is tied after the second leg, the away goals rule is applied, and if still tied, extra time is not played, and a penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 13 & 14).

## Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.

## Bracket

The bracket of the draw was announced by the CAF on 11 July 2024. The 16 winners of the second round will advance to the group stage.

## Second round

The second round, also called the second preliminary round, will include 32 teams: the 5 teams that received byes to this round, and the 27 winners of the first round.


Operation Undergo

# Operation Undergo

## Abstract

Operation Undergo was an attack by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on the German garrison and fortifications of the French port of Calais, during September 1944. A subsidiary operation was executed to capture German long-range, heavy artillery at Cap Gris Nez, which threatened the sea approaches to Boulogne. The operation was part of the Clearing the Channel Coast undertaken by the First Canadian Army, following the success of Operation Overlord and the break-out from Normandy. The assault on Calais used the tactics of Operation Wellhit at Boulogne, sealing the town, bombardments from land, sea and air, followed by infantry assaults supported by armour, including flame-throwing tanks and creeping barrages.

The city had been declared a fortress (Festung) but when pressed, its second-rate garrison needed little persuasion to surrender. This reluctance to fight to the end was repeated at Cap Gris Nez. The 7th and 8th Canadian Infantry Brigades started the main attack from south-west of Calais and cleared the outer defences on the southern and western sides of the port. The 8th Canadian Brigade was then transferred to the eastern side and the inner defensive lines were attacked from both sides. The Germans called for a truce which, after some misunderstanding, led to an unconditional surrender of the garrison. The 9th Brigade took the heavy batteries on Cap Gris Nez at the same time.

## Background

### Allied break-out

In northern France, all German armed forces (Wehrmacht) retreated after the disaster at Falaise and the Allied break-out. There were no reserve defences to fall back on, as Adolf Hitler had forbidden their construction. The rapid Allied advances into eastern France and through Belgium stretched Allied supply lines and the capture of ports for supply was the task given to the First Canadian Army by General Bernard Montgomery, who judged that he needed the Channel ports of Le Havre, Dieppe, Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk to supply the 21st Army Group, if an attempt was to be made to advance into Germany without opening Antwerp first. Most of the ports had been fortified and were to be held by their garrisons for as long as possible.

After his surrender, the fortress commander, Oberstleutnant Ludwig Schroeder, called the garrison, consisting of 7,500 sailors, airmen and soldiers, of whom only 2,500 were fit for use as infantry, "mere rubbish". Many of the garrison troops were Volksdeutsche ("ethnic Germans" born in Cmsczx. Z,foreign countries) and Hiwis (foreign volunteers); morale was low and the troops were susceptible to Allied propaganda. A report of the post battle interrogations of prisoners concluded that,

Army personnel were old, ill, and lacked both the will to fight and to resist interrogation; naval personnel were old and were not adjusted to land warfare; only the air force A.A. gunners showed any sign of good morale and were also the only youthful element of the whole garrison.

Schroeder was judged by his interrogators as a "mediocre and accidental" leader, who became commander by coincidence.

### Terrain

The French coast goes northwards from Boulogne and turns sharply at Cap Gris Nez to a line roughly south to north-east, which continues beyond the Belgian border. There are no large natural harbours but important docks have been formed in the low-lying land at Calais. The landscape around Cap Gris Nez and Cap Blanc Nez nearby, is a continuation of the rolling rural Boulonnais hills, Calais is on the coastal edge of a low flat plain drained by the River Aa and man-made watercourses. The city had been fortified for centuries; the defences were used by the British and French in the siege of Calais in June 1940 and were added to the German Atlantic Wall coastal defence system built after 1940. In 1944 the Germans had 42 heavy guns in the vicinity of Calais, including five batteries of cross-channel guns, Batterie Lindemann (four 406 mm guns at Sangatte), Batterie Wissant (150 mm guns near Wissant), Batterie Todt (four 380 mm guns), Grosser Kurfurst (four 280 mm guns) and Gris Nez (three 170 mm guns). The Germans had broken the drainage systems, flooding the hinterland and added large barbed wire entanglements, minefields and blockhouses.

## Prelude

The Allies judged it essential to silence the German heavy coastal batteries around Calais which could threaten Boulogne-bound shipping and bombard Dover and inland targets. Spry devised a plan similar to Operation Wellhit, the capture of Boulogne, earlier in September. A bombardment from land, sea and air was to "soften up" the defenders, even if it failed to destroy the defences. Infantry assaults would follow, preceded by local bombardments to keep the defenders under cover until too late to be effective and accompanied by Churchill Crocodile and Wasp flame-throwing vehicles to act as final "persuaders". Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers would be used to deliver infantry as close to their objectives as possible.

The assaults were planned to approach Calais from the west and south-west, avoiding the worst inundations and the main urban areas. The attack of the 8th Canadian Brigade from the west was against the positions at Escalles, near Cape Blanc Nez and Noires Mottes. The 7th Canadian Brigade was to assault the garrisons of Belle Vue, Coquelles and Calais. The eastern side of the city was screened by The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa to prevent a break-out; the 9th Canadian Brigade would take over from the 7th Reconnaissance Regiment at Cape Gris Nez and prepare to capture the batteries there.

Montgomery had been directed to bring Antwerp into operation and ordered General Harry Crerar, commander of the First Canadian Army, quickly to capture the Channel Ports. Crerar recognised the considerable effort being used to capture the ports and the time needed to bring them back into use. Having obtained the Royal Navy's views he decided that he was prepared to accept the "masking" (isolating the enemy garrison with a reduced force) of Calais and redeployment of the troops and equipment to Antwerp, a more significant port but this was not passed on to Spry, who continued with the assault on Calais.

## Battle

### Wissant

The 7th Canadian Brigade had sealed off Calais in early September and the Regina Rifles captured the coastal town of Wissant, isolating the Cap Gris Nez batteries from Calais and took Batterie Wissant with its four 150 mm guns. This success prompted Spry to attack Cap Gris Nez with two battalions but the attempt failed and the area was left for later.

### Calais

The 7th and 8th Canadian Infantry Brigades opened their attack on Calais and its western coastal defences at 10:15 a.m., on 25 September after a day's delay, following preparatory air and artillery bombardments. The Régiment de la Chaudière were to advance through Escalles, taking Cap Blanc Nez and link up near Sangatte with the North Shore Regiment. The North Shores had the difficult task of taking the fortified Noires Mottes, high ground near Sangatte and the site of Batterie Lindemann. To shield Canadian activity around Cap Blanc Nez and Calais from observation and interference from the batteries at Cap Gris Nez, a large smoke screen was established along a 3 km (1.9 mi) line inland from Wissant, for five days. The capture of Cap Blanc Nez proved to be unexpectedly easy. As soon as the Chaudieres' assault reached the first defences, the garrison offered to surrender. This was completed just two hours later, most defenders reportedly being dead drunk.

The North Shores' attack on Noires Mottes was supported by flail tanks from the 79th Armoured Division and gunfire from the 10th Armoured Regiment on the approach through minefields and by Crocodiles to reduce fortifications. Early attempts by small groups of Germans to surrender were discouraged when they were shot down by their own side. The advance was held up by the defenders and bomb craters that obstructed the Crocodiles before nightfall. Negotiations were opened with the help of German prisoners and the Noires Mottes garrison surrendered at first light on the following morning, 26 September. A formidable defensive position and nearly 300 prisoners had been captured cheaply; the Sangatte battery was also surrendered. Examination of the forts showed that they had been extensively booby-trapped.

The early success of the 8th Canadian Brigade had captured ground that overlooked the attack front of the 7th Canadian Brigade, which greatly helped the attacks on the Belle Vue Ridge and Coquelles. The 1st Canadian Scottish, the Regina Rifles and The Royal Montreal Regiment were to attack through the Belle Vue fortifications to the seafront just east of Sangatte. At first, following closely the creeping artillery barrage, the Canadians overran the first defences. Much had been missed by the bombardment and the Reginas suffered many casualties until the reserves, the Canadian Scots and flame-throwing Crocodiles overcame the defenders. The 8th Canadian Brigade reached Sangatte on the morning of 26 September, with its objectives complete, it was transferred to the eastern side, relieved the Camerons and applied pressure from another direction.

The next stages would be the 7th Canadian Brigade advance through Coquelles and flooded ground to Fort Nieulay and a frontal attack on Calais by the Regina Rifles, following a railway by boat across more flooded ground to the south-west of the city's factory area. These advances were difficult, the defenders held their ground and had to be overrun step-by-step. The Canadian Scots were ordered to make a night attack along the coast to Fort Lapin. On 27 September, the Canadians withdrew temporarily during an attack by heavy bombers on German strongpoints. Fort Lapin fell only after further air attacks and support from tanks and flame-throwing tanks. The Winnipegs, again assisted by flame-throwing tanks, captured Fort Nieulay and the Reginas reached their immediate target, the factory district.

Further advances were made by the 7th Canadian Brigade on 28 September but two companies of the Canadian Scots, having crossed the canal protecting Calais' western side, were pinned down and cut off until the truce. Plans were in hand for further crossings into the city when Schroeder requested that Calais be declared an open city. This was rejected as a delaying tactic but a truce was agreed on 29 September to allow the safe evacuation of 20,000 civilians. Plans were laid for an attack on Calais supported by more air attacks as soon as the truce expired at noon on 30 September.

The Canadians attacked immediately after the truce expired, despite German attempts to surrender; Crerar said that "the Hun, if they wished to quit, could march out with their hands up, without arms, and flying white flags in the normal manner". Schroeder had ordered the garrison to cease resistance and the 7th Canadian Brigade, entering from the west, met no opposition, German troops surrendering everywhere. It required a Canadian officer, Lt Colonel P. C. Klaehn (C.O. of the Cameron Highlanders), at some personal risk, to enter Calais during an artillery bombardment to accept the formal surrender. Schroeder left Calais at 7:00 p.m. and went into captivity.

### Cap Gris Nez

The first attempt by elements of the 7th Canadian Brigade to take Cap Gris Nez from 16 to 17 September failed; the brigade was redeployed for its role at Calais and it was replaced by the 7th Reconnaissance Regiment until a stronger force was available. The 9th Canadian Brigade, with armoured support from the 1st Hussars (6th Armoured Regiment) and flail tanks, Churchill Crocodiles and Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) from the 79th Armoured Division, was deployed to Cap Gris Nez to take the three remaining heavy batteries. On the right, The Highland Light Infantry of Canada (HLI) would attack the two northern batteries, Grosser Kürfurst at Floringzelle and Gris Nez about 1.25 km (1 mi) south-east of Cap Gris Nez. On the left, The North Nova Scotia Highlanders (NNS) faced Batterie Todt at Haringzelles, 2 km (1.2 mi) south of Batterie Grosser Kürfurst. On the landward side, the guns were protected by minefields, barbed wire, blockhouses and anti-tank positions.

The infantry were preceded by attacks by 532 aircraft from RAF Bomber Command on 26 September and by 302 bombers on 28 September. Although these probably weakened the defences as well as the defenders' will to fight, cratering of the ground impeded the use of armour, causing tanks to bog down. Accurate shooting by Winnie and Pooh, British heavy guns at Dover, disabled Batterie Grosser Kürfurst. The battery had fired inland and caused some casualties among the British artillery assembled inland of Wissant, despite the smokescreen.

On 29 September, artillery opened fire at 6:35 a.m. and the infantry attack began after ten minutes behind a creeping barrage that kept the defenders under cover. The Germans readily surrendered once the attackers were among them. The HLI had captured Batterie Grosser Kurfurst by 10:30 a.m., fewer than three hours from H-Hour and Gris Nez was taken during the afternoon. The NNS encountered even less resistance, reaching the gun houses without opposition. The concrete walls were impervious even to AVRE petard mortars but their noise and concussion, along with hand grenades thrown into embrasures, induced the German gunners to surrender by mid-morning. The NNS continued on to capture the local German headquarters at Cran-aux-Oeufs. Despite the impressive German fortifications, the defenders refused to fight on and the operation was concluded at relatively low cost in casualties.

## Aftermath

The damage to the port was severe and the facilities were not available until November, after Antwerp had been opened. Even then, traffic was limited to personnel. The reduction of the German heavy coastal batteries allowed use of Boulogne; mine-sweeping had commenced within hours of the success of the 9th Canadian Brigade. The capture of the German guns on Cap Gris Nez ended four years of artillery exchanges. Five military personnel and 16 civilians were killed by shelling in Dover from 23 to 26 September, when the town was hit by the last artillery barrage. The mayor of Dover was sent a German flag from the batteries to mark the event.

The Canadians were criticised for their performance at Calais and the other Channel ports; their progress was compared unfavourably with that of other Allied units. Montgomery commented that the Canadian Army had been "badly handled and very slow". Montgomery had a low opinion of Crerar and there has been speculation that Crerar's departure on sick leave was a euphemism for his removal from command. His replacement, the energetic Guy Simonds, was much preferred by Montgomery and he commanded the forces that cleared the approaches to Antwerp.

The commander of 84 Group, RAF, Air Vice Marshal Leslie Brown, displeased Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham by his close co-operation with the Canadian Army. Coningham wished to see the air force act independently, not in close co-operation with the army and looked for "someone less subservient to the army". Once Antwerp had been opened, he replaced Brown with Air-Vice Marshal Edmund Hudleston.

## Orders of battle

Allied

- Canadian 3rd Infantry Division (All data from Monahan, Appendix C (1947) unless specified.) 7th Reconnaissance Regiment (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars) The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (machine gun) 7th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery 12th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery 13th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery 14th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery 3rd Anti-tank Regiment 4th Light Anti-aircraft Regiment 16th Field Company 3rd Canadian Divisional Signals, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals No. 3 Defense and Employment Platoon (Lorne Scots) "C" Flight, 660 (Air Observation Post) Squadron, RAF

- 7th Reconnaissance Regiment (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars)

- The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (machine gun)

- 7th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

- 12th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

- 13th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

- 14th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

- 3rd Anti-tank Regiment

- 4th Light Anti-aircraft Regiment

- 16th Field Company

- 3rd Canadian Divisional Signals, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals

- No. 3 Defense and Employment Platoon (Lorne Scots)

- "C" Flight, 660 (Air Observation Post) Squadron, RAF

- 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade The Royal Winnipeg Rifles The Regina Rifle Regiment, less 1 company 1 company, Royal Montreal Regiment 1st Battalion The Canadian Scottish Regiment 7 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

- The Royal Winnipeg Rifles

- The Regina Rifle Regiment, less 1 company

- 1 company, Royal Montreal Regiment

- 1st Battalion The Canadian Scottish Regiment

- 7 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

- 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Le Régiment de la Chaudière North Shore Regiment 8 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

- The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada

- Le Régiment de la Chaudière

- North Shore Regiment

- 8 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

- 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade The Highland Light Infantry of Canada The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders The North Nova Scotia Highlanders 9 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

- The Highland Light Infantry of Canada

- The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders

- The North Nova Scotia Highlanders

- 9 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

Artillery

- 9th Army Group Royal Artillery 9th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery 10th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery 11th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery 107th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery 51st Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery

- 9th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery

- 10th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery

- 11th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery

- 107th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery

- 51st Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery

- 2nd Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery 3rd Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery 4th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery 15th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery 1st Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery "C" Flight, 661 (Air Observation Post) Squadron, RAF

- 3rd Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

- 4th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

- 15th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery

- 1st Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery

- "C" Flight, 661 (Air Observation Post) Squadron, RAF

Tanks and specialist vehicles

- 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade (part of) 6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) 10th Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse)

- 6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars)

- 10th Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse)

- 79th Armoured Division (part of) 141st Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (Churchill Crocodile (flamethrowing tanks) 6th Assault Regiment Royal Engineers (AVRE) 1st Lothians and Border Horse (flail tanks) "C" Squadron, 22nd Dragoons (flail tanks) 25th Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgins) (part of) 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron

- 141st Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (Churchill Crocodile (flamethrowing tanks)

- 6th Assault Regiment Royal Engineers (AVRE)

- 1st Lothians and Border Horse (flail tanks)

- "C" Squadron, 22nd Dragoons (flail tanks)

- 25th Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgins) (part of)

- 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron

- 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (part of) 12th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery 13th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery 14th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery

- 12th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery

- 13th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery

- 14th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery

German garrison

- Luftwaffe anti-aircraft troops

- Kriegsmarine coastal battery detachments 242nd Naval Coastal Artillery Battalion (Cap Gris Nez) Infantry (various)

- 242nd Naval Coastal Artillery Battalion (Cap Gris Nez)

- Infantry (various)


LED-backlit LCD

# LED-backlit LCD

## Abstract

An LED-backlit LCD is a liquid-crystal display that uses LEDs for backlighting instead of traditional cold cathode fluorescent (CCFL) backlighting. LED-backlit displays use the same TFT LCD (thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display) technologies as CCFL-backlit LCDs, but offer a variety of advantages over them.

Televisions that use a combination of an LED backlight with an LCD panel are sometimes advertised as LED TV s, although they are not truly LED displays.

Backlit LCDs cannot achieve true blacks for pixels, unlike OLED and microLED displays. This is because even in the "off" state, black pixels still allow some light from the backlight through. Some LED-backlit LCDs use local dimming zones to increase contrast between bright and dim areas of the display, but this can result in a "blooming" or "halo" effect on dark pixels in or adjacent to an illuminated zone.

## Comparison with CCFL-backlit LCDs

### Advantages

When compared with earlier CCFL backlights, using LEDs for backlighting offers:

- Wider color gamut (with RGB-LED or QDEF) and dimming range

- Greater contrast ratio

- Very slim (some screens are less than 0.5 inches (13 mm) thin in edge-lit panels)

- Significantly lighter and cooler, as much as half the total chassis and system weight of a comparable CCFL

- Typically 20–30% lower power consumption and longer lifespan

- Greater reliability

## LED arrangements

LED backlights replace CCFL (fluorescent) lamps with a few to several hundred white, RGB or blue LEDs. An LCD with LED-Backlight may be edge- or direct-lit:

- edge-lit (ELED): LEDs form a line around the rim of the screen. May additionally support: frame dimming: adjusts the brightness of the entire backlight based on the content displayed, as if local dimming was supported but only with a single zone local dimming: multiple vertical or horizontal zones are individually controlled

- frame dimming: adjusts the brightness of the entire backlight based on the content displayed, as if local dimming was supported but only with a single zone

- local dimming: multiple vertical or horizontal zones are individually controlled

- direct-lit (DLED) or full-array: LEDs form an array directly behind the screen at equally spaced intervals. May additionally support: frame dimming: adjusts the brightness of the entire backlight based on the content displayed, as if local dimming was supported but only with a single zone local dimming: multiple direct-lit LED clusters (rectangles) are individually controlled. Commonly referred to as Full Array Local Dimming (FALD).

- frame dimming: adjusts the brightness of the entire backlight based on the content displayed, as if local dimming was supported but only with a single zone

- local dimming: multiple direct-lit LED clusters (rectangles) are individually controlled. Commonly referred to as Full Array Local Dimming (FALD).

Additionally a special diffusion panel (light guide plate, LGP) is often used to spread the light evenly behind the screen.

The local dimming method of backlighting allows to dynamically control the level of light intensity of specific areas of darkness on the screen, resulting in much higher dynamic-contrast ratios, though at the cost of less detail in small, bright objects on a dark background, such as star fields or shadow details.

A 2016 study by the University of California (Berkeley) suggests that the subjectively perceived visual enhancement with common contrast source material levels off at about 60 LCD local dimming zones.

## Technology

LED-backlit LCDs are not self-illuminating (unlike pure-LED systems). There are several methods of backlighting an LCD panel using LEDs, including the use of either white or RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) LED arrays behind the panel and edge-LED lighting (which uses white LEDs around the inside frame of the TV and a light-diffusion panel to spread the light evenly behind the LCD panel). Variations in LED backlighting offer different benefits. The first commercial full-array LED-backlit LCD TV was the Sony Qualia 005 (introduced in 2004), which used RGB LED arrays to produce a color gamut about twice that of a conventional CCFL LCD television. This was possible because red, green and blue LEDs have sharp spectral peaks which (combined with the LCD panel filters) result in significantly less bleed-through to adjacent color channels. Unwanted bleed-through channels do not "whiten" the desired color as much, resulting in a larger gamut. RGB LED technology continues to be used on Sony BRAVIA LCD models. LED backlighting using white LEDs produces a broader spectrum source feeding the individual LCD panel filters (similar to CCFL sources), resulting in a more limited display gamut than RGB LEDs at lower cost.

Television sets described as "LED TVs" are LCD-based, with the LEDs dynamically controlled using the video information (dynamic backlight control or dynamic "local dimming" LED backlight, also marketed as HDR, high dynamic range television, invented by Philips researchers Douglas Stanton, Martinus Stroomer and Adrianus de Vaan

The evolution of energy standards and the increasing public expectations regarding power consumption made it necessary for backlight systems to manage their power. As for other consumer electronics products (e.g., fridges or light bulbs), energy consumption categories are enforced for television sets. Standards for power ratings for TV sets have been introduced, e.g., in the US, EU, Australia, and China. A 2008 study showed that among European countries power consumption is one of the most important criteria for consumers when they choose a television, as important as the screen size.

Using PWM (pulse-width modulation), a technology where the intensity of the LEDs are kept constant but the brightness adjustment is achieved by varying a time interval of flashing these constant light intensity light sources, the backlight is dimmed to the brightest color that appears on the screen while simultaneously boosting the LCD contrast to the maximum achievable levels, drastically increasing the perceived contrast ratio, increasing the dynamic range, improving the viewing angle dependency of the LCD and drastically reducing power consumption.

The combination of LED dynamic backlight control in combination with reflective polarizers and prismatic films (invented by Philips researchers Adrianus de Vaan and Paulus Schaareman make these "LED" (LCD) televisions far more efficient than the previous CRT-based sets, leading to a worldwide energy saving of 600 TWh in 2017, equal to 10% of the electricity consumption of all households worldwide, or twice the energy production of all solar cells in the world.

The prismatic and reflective polarization films are generally achieved using so called DBEF films manufactured and supplied by 3M. These reflective polarization films using uniaxial oriented polymerized liquid crystals (birefringent polymers or birefringent glue) were invented in 1989 by Philips researchers Dirk Broer, Adrianus de Vaan and Joerg Brambring.

A first dynamic "local dimming" LED backlight was public demonstrated by BrightSide Technologies in 2003, and later commercially introduced for professional markets (such as video post-production). Edge LED lighting was first introduced by Sony in September 2008 on the 40-inch (1,000 mm) BRAVIA KLV-40ZX1M (known as the ZX1 in Europe). Edge-LED lighting for LCDs allows thinner housing; the Sony BRAVIA KLV-40ZX1M is 1 cm thick, and others are also extremely thin.

LED-backlit LCDs have longer life and better energy efficiency than plasma and CCFL LCD TVs. Unlike CCFL backlights, LEDs do not use mercury in their manufacture, which is an environmental pollutant. However, other elements (such as gallium and arsenic) are used in the manufacture of the LED emitters; there is debate over whether they are a better long-term solution to the problem of screen disposal.

Because LEDs can be switched on and off more quickly than CCFLs and can offer a higher light output, it is theoretically possible to offer very high contrast ratios. They can produce deep blacks (LEDs off) and high brightness (LEDs on). However, measurements made from pure-black and pure-white outputs are complicated by edge-LED lighting not allowing these outputs to be reproduced simultaneously on screen.

Full-array mini-LED backlights, consisting of several thousand WLEDs, were being researched for TVs and mobile devices in 2017.

The white LEDs in LED backlights may use special silicate phosphors, which are brighter but degrade faster. The size of the LEDs is one of the factors that determines the size of the bezel of LED-backlit LCDs.

### Quantum dot enhancement film (QDEF)

Quantum dots are photoluminescent; they are useful in displays because they emit light in specific, narrow normal distributions of wavelengths. To generate white light best suited as an LCD backlight, parts of the light of a blue-emitting LED are transformed by quantum dots into small-bandwidth green and red light such that the combined white light allows a nearly ideal color gamut to be generated by the RGB color filters of the LCD panel. The quantum dots may be in a separate layer as a quantum dot enhancement film, or replace pigment-based green and red resists normally used in LCD color filters. In addition, efficiency is improved, as intermediate colors are no longer present and do not have to be filtered out by the color filters of the LCD screen. This can result in a display that more accurately renders colors in the visible spectrum. Companies developing quantum dot solutions for displays include Nanosys, 3M as a licensee of Nanosys, QD Vision of Lexington, Massachusetts, US and Avantama of Switzerland. This type of backlighting was demonstrated by various TV manufacturers at the Consumer Electronics Show 2015. Samsung introduced their first 'QLED' quantum dot displays at CES 2017 and later formed the 'QLED Alliance' with Hisense and TCL to market the technology.

### Mini LED

Mini LED displays are LED-backlit LCDs with mini-LED–based backlighting supporting over a thousand full array local dimming (FALD) zones, providing deeper blacks and a higher contrast ratio. An example of a product that uses Mini LED backlighting is Apple's 2021 year 12.9 inch iPad Pro.

### Backlight-dimming flicker

LED backlights are often dimmed by applying pulse-width modulation to the supply current, switching the backlight off and on more quickly than the eye can perceive. If the dimming-pulse frequency is too low or the user is sensitive to flicker, this may cause discomfort and eyestrain similar to the flicker of CRT displays at lower refresh rates. This can be tested by simply waving a hand in front of the screen; if it appears to have sharply-defined edges as it moves, the backlight is pulsing at a fairly low frequency. If the hand appears blurry, the display either has a continuously-illuminated backlight or is operating at a frequency too high to perceive. Flicker can be reduced (or eliminated) by setting the display to full brightness, although this can degrade image quality and increases power consumption.


Cinemax

# Cinemax

## Abstract

Cinemax, also known as Max, is an American pay television network owned by Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on August 1, 1980, as a "maxi-pay" service to complement the offerings of its parent network, Home Box Office (HBO), Cinemax initially focused on recent and classic films. Today, its programming primarily includes recent and classic theatrically released films, original action series, documentaries, and special behind-the-scenes features.

It operates eight 24-hour linear channels and offers a traditional subscription video-on-demand service called Cinemax On Demand. Cinemax previously provided a TV Everywhere streaming platform, Cinemax Go, which is no longer available. However, its linear channels are accessible through multichannel video programming distributors such as Apple TV, Amazon Video, and Roku.

## History

Home Box Office, Inc., owned by Time Inc. 's Time-Life Broadcasting unit, launched a movie-centered pay service called Take 2 on April 1, 1979, as a companion to HBO. However, Take 2 struggled with subscriber growth and was discontinued in February 1981. HBO then announced the launch of Cinemax, a "maxi-pay" channel designed to complement HBO and compete with other movie channels. Cinemax debuted on August 1, 1980, focusing on theatrical films with no commercials or edits for content.

Cinemax initially aired on 56 cable systems in the Eastern and Central time zones, with a West Coast feed launching on September 1, 1980. The channel transitioned to a 24-hour schedule on January 1, 1981. Cinemax offered uncut films and was marketed as a premium addition to HBO, often bundled with HBO for a discount.

In October 1983, Cinemax faced a trademark infringement lawsuit from Tulsa 23 Limited Partnership over its promotional slogan, "We Are Your Movie Star." The court ruled in favor of Tulsa 23, and Cinemax was ordered to discontinue the slogan.

As competition increased, Cinemax adjusted its programming strategy by including more adult-oriented films and launching the "Friday After Dark" late-night block in 1984. The channel also introduced original music programming and series, including Second City Television and The Max Headroom Show. In February 1988, the network premiere of Lethal Weapon became one of Cinemax's highest-rated broadcasts.

On March 4, 1989, Warner Communications announced its intent to merge with HBO's parent company, Time Inc., for $14.9 billion. Despite legal challenges from Paramount Communications, the merger was completed on January 10, 1990, creating Time Warner (later WarnerMedia, now Warner Bros. Discovery), which remains the parent company of Cinemax and HBO.

In August 1991, Cinemax, along with HBO, was among the first American pay TV services to introduce multiplexed channels. Starting in 1992, Cinemax reintroduced television series development with adult-oriented scripted series, such as Erotic Confessions, Hot Line, Passion Cove, Lingerie, and Co-Ed Confidential.

From 1992 to 1997, Cinemax featured daily movie showcases centered on specific genres, identified by pictograms. This practice ended in September 1997, with Cinemax adopting a simplified branding strategy that included "Max Hits at 8" and "Max Prime at 10."

On March 1, 1994, Cinemax, HBO, Showtime, and The Movie Channel introduced a content advisory system to inform viewers about program content. A revised system with content codes was implemented on June 10, 1994.

In 1998, Cinemax began offering "sneak preview" blocks for its multiplex channels, ActionMax and ThrillerMax. Classic films, once a staple of the Cinemax schedule, were increasingly featured on multiplex channels like 5StarMax. By the mid-2000s, the main channel's programming focused on films from the 1990s to the present.

In 2001, Cinemax began premiering select blockbuster and lesser-known films before their HBO debut. In February 2011, Cinemax shifted its focus to original programming, launching action-themed series to compete with other premium and streaming services, and to rebrand its image from being primarily known for softcore pornographic content.

Following AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner in 2018, Cinemax's focus shifted significantly. Adult programming on Cinemax and HBO's multiplexes, as well as on-demand services, nearly disappeared due to increased availability of such content online and competition from other providers.

In January 2020, WarnerMedia announced that with the upcoming launch of HBO Max, Cinemax would cease commissioning original programming but would continue as a movie-focused service through existing distributors. Cinemax's original programming, although available internationally, was not included in HBO Max. Len Amato, the executive overseeing Cinemax and HBO's film and miniseries division, left WarnerMedia on August 14, 2020, marking the end of Cinemax's original programming efforts.

On May 17, 2021, AT&T and Discovery, Inc. announced a Reverse Morris Trust agreement, wherein WarnerMedia would spin-off from AT&T and merge with Discovery for $43 billion. This merger, completed in spring 2022, resulted in the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery, led by David Zaslav. On May 23, 2023, the merged company's streaming service was rebranded as Max.

## Channels

On May 8, 1991, Home Box Office Inc. announced plans to launch multiplexed companion channels for HBO and Cinemax, offering additional programming options at no extra charge. The test launch on August 1, 1991, introduced Cinemax 2, HBO2, and HBO3 (now HBO Signature) to select TeleCable customers, providing distinct programming from their parent channels. John K. Billock, HBO’s EVP of marketing, cited subscriber dissatisfaction with program scheduling as a reason for the multiplex expansion. A November 1991 ACNielsen survey showed positive impacts from the multiplex channels, including reduced negative opinions on pricing and improved overall usage.

In February 1996, Home Box Office announced plans to expand to twelve channels, including two additional Cinemax channels and a fourth HBO channel, projected for a Spring 1997 launch. The Cinemax multiplex expanded on December 1, 1996, with the launch of Cinemax 3, and the introduction of Mountain Time Zone feeds.

The Cinemax multiplex was marketed as "MultiChannel Cinemax" in September 1994, rebranded to "MultiMax" in April 1998, and later applied to the expanded four-channel package. This included MoreMax (formerly Cinemax 2), ActionMax (formerly Cinemax 3), and the new ThrillerMax channel.

On May 17, 2001, four additional themed channels were launched: OuterMax, WMax (later MovieMax), @Max (later Max Latino), and 5StarMax. Max Latino was rebranded as Cinemáx on April 1, 2015, mirroring the flagship Cinemax schedule with Spanish-language dubs. MovieMax started as a family-oriented channel and now focuses on recent and classic movies.

### List of channels

Cinemax offers up to eight 24-hour multiplex channels, available in both standard and high definition, with regional feeds based on time zones. These channels include a subscription video-on-demand service, Cinemax on Demand. Maintenance periods, ranging from 30 minutes to two hours, occur monthly during early morning hours before the 6:00 a.m. ET/PT start of the broadcast day.

Cinemax transmits its channels on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules. The time zone-based feeds are usually packaged together, resulting in a maximum three-hour difference in local airtimes between geographic locations. The opposite-region feed serves as a timeshift channel, allowing viewers to watch programs up to three hours later or four hours earlier than their local airtime. While most providers offer only the East and West Coast feeds of the main Cinemax channel, timeshifted feeds for other multiplex channels are available on platforms like DirecTV, YouTube TV, and Hulu live TV.

### Other services

#### Cinemax HD

Cinemax HD broadcasts in 1080i resolution with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Cinemax provides high definition simulcast feeds for its main channel and all seven multiplex channels. Initially, from the 2008 rollout of HD simulcasts for the multiplex feeds, most pay television providers only offered the main Cinemax channel in HD, with HD availability for multiplex channels varying by market. As of 2020, most providers offer all eight Cinemax multiplex channels in HD, either on a dedicated HD channel tier or as hybrid SD/HD feeds. The flagship network switched to exclusive high definition programming on September 1, 2008.

#### Cinemax On Demand

Cinemax On Demand is the network’s companion subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, available at no extra charge to subscribers of the linear television service. Launched in 2002, it offers VOD content through select virtual MVPD services such as DirecTV Stream and Hulu, as well as on Cinemax’s dedicated OTT video channels via Apple TV Channels, Amazon Video Channels, and The Roku Channel.

#### Cinemax Go

Cinemax Go (formerly MAX Go) was a TV Everywhere streaming service for Cinemax subscribers, available as a desktop website and through apps for Apple and Google Play devices, as well as most digital media players and game consoles. Launched on September 13, 2010, it mirrored the content of Cinemax On Demand, excluding live simulcasts of the linear channels. New episodes of the network's original programming were available at the same time as their wireline release.

The service was available to subscribers of AT&T U-verse, Cox Communications, DirecTV, Dish Network, Suddenlink Communications, and Charter Communications. The MAX Go app was discontinued on April 30, 2020, and the desktop website, renamed Cinemax Go, continued until July 31, 2022. The service was phased out as Warner Bros. Discovery consolidated its streaming efforts under HBO Max, rebranded as Max on May 23, 2023.

## Programming

Cinemax schedules movies for 20-24 hours daily on its main channel and 24 hours on its multiplex channels. Since June 2000, new theatrical and original movies have premiered every Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. First-run films typically debut 10 months to a year after their theatrical release and within six months of DVD or VOD release.

### Original programming

On August 12, 2011, Cinemax expanded into original programming with the U.S. premiere of the British action series Strike Back. The series, which had originally aired in the UK, was produced in partnership with HBO. Cinemax's second original series, Hunted, premiered on October 19, 2012, in collaboration with BBC One. This was followed by Banshee in 2013, and in 2014, Sandbox and The Knick.

In 2020, Cinemax announced it would stop commissioning original programming to focus on HBO Max. The martial arts drama Warrior was the last original series on Cinemax, with its third season moving to HBO Max in April 2021.

#### Former program blocks

- Drive-In Saturday Night – Running Saturday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time from 1984 to 1993 (competing against a similar block, "Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater" on The Movie Channel, during that period), the "Drive-In Saturday Night" block featured a broad mix of cult films and action movies.

- Cinemax Comic Relief – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1985 to 1988, showcasing a selection of four or five different comedy films each month.

- Cinemax Comedy Experiment – Running from February 16, 1985, to 1988, the "Cinemax Comedy Experiment" was a showcase of original comedy specials that were more free-form in style (some featuring elements of the sketch comedy and improv genre) than the conventional stand-up format (such as the first special under the banner, Howie Mandel: Live at Carnegie Mall).

- Rising Star – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1985 to 1986, showcasing feature films from up-and-coming actors.

- Cinemax Film Discovery – This film block ran in varied primetime timeslots from 1985 to 1990, showcasing feature films not previously seen on television or in wide theatrical release.

- Military Max – Running from 1985 to 1988, this showcase featured a mix of four or five different military-themed feature films (most commonly war films, although with occasional broadcasts of military-themed films of other genres).

- Cinemax Director's Chair – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1985 to 1993, showcasing a selection of notable films from an acclaimed director.

- Beyond the Screen - This in-between bumper shows behind the scene looks of an upcoming movie or a movie that will soon be aired on Cinemax.

- Cinemax Western Roundup – Running from 1985 to 1993, this weekend block featured a mix of film westerns.

- Cinemania – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1993, showcasing a selection of comedic films.

- Cinemax Classic Collection – Running from 1985 to 1993, this block showcased a selection of film classics from the 1930s to the 1960s.

- Cinemax From the Heart – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1993, showcasing a selection of romantic comedies and dramas.

- Vanguard Cinema – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1993, showcasing a selection of critically acclaimed films from the United States and abroad (the block was divided into three sub-blocks: "Cinemax Documentary", featuring first-run documentary films; "New Wave Films", featuring acclaimed recent movies; and "Cinemax Imports", originally a standalone block that began in 1985, which showcased film releases from other countries).

- Max Crime Time – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1997, showcasing a selection of crime dramas, detective films or film noirs.

- Starring... – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1997, showcasing a selection of hits as well as some early films from a particular film actor throughout the month.

- Summer of 1000 Movies – "The Summer of 1000 Movies" annual film festival ran from 1992 to 2005, and ran until the mid-2000s, in which the channel ran 1,000 films (many with a similar subject) over the course of each summer without repeats.

- Max Hits at 8 – Running from 1997 to 2001, this block showcased a popular feature film each night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

- Max Prime at 10/Max Time – Debuting in 1997 under the "Max Prime" banner, this block showcased a particular choice movie of various genres each night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or on weeknights only between 1998 and 2000, as a result of the creation of the "ActionMax on Cinemax" and "ThrillerMax on Cinemax" blocks).

#### Max After Dark

Cinemax's late-night block, Max After Dark, featured softcore pornographic films and original series with TV-MA or R ratings, primarily for strong sexual content and nudity. This block, which began on May 4, 1984, as "Cinemax Friday After Dark," expanded to seven nights a week by the late 1990s. Programs included Lingerie, Life on Top, Femme Fatales, and Topless Prophet. The block was known for its lenient scheduling around mainstream films and series and was often humorously referred to as "Skinemax."

The adult content was not limited to the main Cinemax channel but also aired on multiplex channels like MoreMax, ActionMax, ThrillerMax, and OuterMax. However, channels like MovieMax and 5StarMax avoided adult programming. The block's presence, alongside other HBO channels, was partly due to the FCC’s content regulations not applying to cable networks.

By 2013, Cinemax began reducing Max After Dark content to focus more on original programming, as internet porn's prevalence made the block's content seem relatively tame compared to HBO's original series.

## International distribution

Latin America

Cinemax launched on September 5, 1993, offering classic and recent movies, television series, and miniseries. Starting June 1, 2010, it became an ad-supported basic cable channel in the region. Original series aired on HBO's premium suite in Latin America.

Asia

Cinemax began broadcasting in 1996, featuring action, comedy, science fiction, and western movies. The channel was known as Max from 2009 to 2012.

Central Europe

Launched in February 2005, Cinemax focused on festival, indie, European, and classic films. Cinemax and Cinemax 2 are available in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, and expanded to certain Balkan countries in 2009. Initially a timeshift channel, Cinemax 2 started airing a distinct schedule from 2016.


Sir Richard Ellys, 3rd Baronet

# Sir Richard Ellys, 3rd Baronet

## Abstract

Sir Richard Ellys (1688?–1742), of Nocton, Lincolnshire and Bolton Street, Piccadilly, Westminster, was an English Whig politician who sat in the English House of Commons and British House of Commons between 1701 and 1734. He was a bibliophile and theological writer.

## Early life

Ellys was the eldest son of Sir William Ellys, 2nd Baronet of Wyham and grandson of Sir Thomas Ellys, 1st Baronet (created 1660). His mother was Isabella, daughter of Richard Hampden, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and granddaughter of John Hampden. Ellys, who was born about 1688, was educated abroad, probably in Holland.

## Career

Ellys was elected Member of Parliament for Grantham at the second general election of 1701 and was returned unopposed in 1702. He stood aside at the 1705 general election, making way for the Marquess of Granby. He was elected as Whig MP for Boston, Lincolnshire at a by-election on 7 December 1719 and was elected again in the general elections of 1722 and 1727. Also in 1727 he succeeded his father, who died on 6 October, in the baronetcy and his estate of Nocton, Lincolnshire.

## Later life

Ellys held strong religious opinions. He had been an Arminian, but was a decided Calvinist in 1730, and when living in London (Bolton Street, Piccadilly) he was a member of Edmund Calamy 's congregation; and after Calamy's death of Thomas Bradbury 's. He maintained his family's traditional hospitality. His father had kept open house at Nocton for all comers, and every day twelve dishes were prepared whether or not any guests came; Ellys allowed £800 per year to maintain the custom.

Ellys died on 21 February 1742 and the baronetcy became extinct.

## Scholar

Throughout his life he corresponded with continental scholars, by whom he was much esteemed, as evidenced by Gronovius 's dedication to Ellys of his edition of Ælian 's Varia Historia, and the Wetsteins' edition of Johann Caspar Suicer 's Thesaurus Ecclesiasticus, to which he had contributed the use of a manuscript. He was especially intimate with Michel Maittaire, who, in his Senilis, addressed several pieces of Latin verse to him.

His learning took the direction of biblical criticism and bore fruit in his Fortuita Sacra; quibus subjicitur Commentarius de Cymbalis (Rotterdam, 1727). The first part is a critical commentary in Latin on doubtful passages in the Greek Testament, and the second a treatise on cymbals, also in Latin. He befriended Thomas Boston, whose treatise on Hebrew accents, Tractatus Stigmato-logicus, was dedicated to him.

After leaving politics Ellys devoted himself to antiquarian research and amassed at Nocton a fine library. On 24 June 1742 an account of this library and some curiosities lately added to it formed the day's transactions of the Gentlemen's Society at Spalding, of which Ellys had been elected a member on 12 March 1729. Ellys's library was moved from Nocton to Blickling Hall in Norfolk.

## Family

Ellys was twice married: first to Elizabeth, daughter and coheiress of Sir Edwin Hussey, bart.; and, secondly, to Sarah, daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Gould, who outlived him, and, remarrying 19 December 1745 with Sir Francis Dashwood, died Lady Despencer on 19 January 1769. By neither wife, however, did he have issue, and the disposition of his property excited interest. Sir Charles Hanbury Williams, in his satire Peter and my Lord Quidam, says that the chief competitors for his inheritance were 'Horace,' i.e. Horatio Walpole who wrote a Latin ode in Ellys's honour and gave him his portrait, and Hampden, i.e. Richard Hampden, who had married Ellys's sister. On the death of Ellys it was found that his estates were entailed on his second wife, and after her death or marriage on the families of Hobart and Trevor, in to whose possession they ultimately passed. His cousin, William Strode of Barnington, Somerset, was heir-at-law and contested the will in the Court of Chancery; but without effect.