BADOGLIO QUITS ITALIAN HIGH COMMAND; BRITISH CRUISER HIT, ROUTS NAZI RAIDER (12/7/40)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 12/7/40 | Herbert L. Matthews, Raymond Daniell, A.C. Sedgwick, Hanson W. Baldwin

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Fascist Gets Post – 2
Norwegian Troops Land to Aid Greeks, is Report – 2
The International Situation – 3
Use of Our Ships to Carry Goods Abroad Favored by Many, Gallup Survey Finds – 3
Fight in Atlantic – 4-5
Kennedy is Attacked by British Writer – 5
Col. Donovan Flies over Atlantic on Secret Mission Tied to France * – 5-6
Greek Relief Funds Called Urgent Need – 6
Vienot Convicted by French Court – 6
Flying Fortress Takes off as Mercy Ship to Carry Ailing Senora Davila to Chile – 6
German Woman is Jailed for Feeding Frenchmen – 6
Porto Edda Taken as Greeks Push On – 7
Nazi Leaders Wed as Press Cheers – 8
Reich Anti-Nazis Plead to Italians – 8
123 were Arrested in Paris, Vichy Says – 8
Letters from Britain Say Bombings Fail to Spread Terror – 9-11
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 12-13
Italy’s Difficulties – 13

* Departs Incognito . . .

If you don’t count that page one, above the fold headline in the New York Times.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/dec40/f07dec40.htm

Bomber Command strikes Dusseldorf

Saturday, December 7, 1940 www.onwar.com

Over Germany... British RAF bombers raid Dusseldorf during the night (December 7-8).

Over Britain... There are no air raids record — day or night — for the first 24 hour period since August 7th.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/07.htm

December 7th, 1940

UNITED KINGDOM:
RAF Fighter Command: No. 263 becomes the first Squadron to be operational with the Westland Whirlwind single-seat twin-engined fighter. They are used at first on convoy patrol.

GERMANY:
The RAF tonight bombs the industrial city of Dusseldorf.

NORTH AFRICA:
RAF Wellingtons based in Malta bombed Castel Benito in Libya and destroyed 29 Italian aeroplanes.
During the night a British and Commonwealth force of 30,000 men and 275 tanks under Maj. Gen Richard O’Connor sets forth on a 70-mile march around the Italian minefield’s flank and take the enemy from the rear.

PACIFIC OCEAN: German Auxiliary Cruiser Komet sinks the merchantman Vinni.
U.S.A.:
The American Federation of Labor reports that there are 8,130,000 registered unemployed in the United States.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 464 December 7, 1940

Operation Compass. General O’Connor’s Western Desert Force (30,000 troops, artillery, trucks and 275 tanks including 48 Matilda slow but heavily armoured “infantry” tanks) hides out all day and night in No-Man’s Land. Windshields are removed from all vehicles to prevent sunglare. O’Connor’s luck holds and they are not spotted by Italian reconnaissance aircraft. They recuperate and prepare for the advance to the Italian forts using supplies hidden in advance (Forward Supply Depots hold enough fuel, food, water and ammunition for the planned 5 day raid). AfricaMap1.jpg

At 10.39 PM, U-99 sinks Dutch SS Farmsum 500 miles West of Ireland (16 killed). 19 crew abandon ship in lifeboats. 4 more die of exposure and 15 are eventually rescued with severe frostbite by destroyer HMS Ambuscade.

2 British minesweeping trawlers sink. HMT Capricornus hits a mine near the Nore Light Vessel in the Thames Estuary. HMT Cortina sinks after a collision in the Humber Estuary.

As German armed merchant cruisers and Orion prepare to raid Allied phosphate mining island of Nauru in the South Pacific, Komet stops Norwegian MV Vinni with shellfire and scuttles her after all 32 crew are taken prisoner. Germans_attacks_on_Nauru-en.svg

[agere_contra]

Thanks Homer, as usual this is brilliant stuff.

Joseph Kennedy gets a spanking on page 5. Good to see.

Connor’s brilliantly executed flanking maneuver in the Desert war is the story for the week.

[GeronL]

Jospeh P Kennedy sucked up to dictators??

I guess he was a regular modern leftist then

[GeronL]

This will get extremely interesting in exactly one year.

Your following will surely double.

[magslinger]

I guess he was a regular modern leftist then

Not really. Modern leftists hate America. The Irish rumrunner hated England and sucked up to their enemies.

[Lancey Howard]

Wow! That’s “Wild” Bill Donovan, founder of the OSS (now the CIA)?
Every now and then, like last year when one edition you posted included a picture of Ambassador Kennedy’s son, something just really grabs you by the historical throat.

As always, thanks for the pings.

FRegards,
LH

[SomeCallMeTim]

Excuse me... but, where are all the stories about FDR ignoring “troubling warning signs” in the Pacific? /sarc

[Slings and Arrows]

> BRITISH CRUISER HIT

Laz!!!

[Tank-FL]

I will just keep it short: "Jospeh P Kennedy sucked "

[CougarGA7]

This is not the first mission that “Wild Bill” Donovan did for FDR. Aside from the 5th Column mission mentioned in the article, in December of 1935 Donovan was privately sent to visit Benito Mussolini in the ignorant hope of swaying him away from Hitler. He was given a tour of the Italian’s front in Abyssinia with his guide being none other than Marshal Pietro Badoglio who has also made the paper today.

Another man accompanying him on this flight is William Stephenson who currently is heading up the BSC (British Security Coordination) and is the same man who’s career is recounted (though with great exaggeration) in the book “The Man Called Intrepid”. I’m not sure though if this is the Mr. O’Connell mentioned in the article

[PAR35]

I can imagine the conversation:

Goebbles - Frau Scholtz-Klink is getting married to her new man. Und zehn kind! I need some details for the propaganda. How did her second husband, Herr Rudolph Klink, die.

Himmler - It was terrible. A car accident.

Goebbles - I hadn’t heard of it. When did it happen.

Himmler, looking at his watch - In about 15 minutes.

The good Frau appears to have lead a full life - surviving this third husband, and dying in 1999, a Nazi to the end.

(Indeed, the story is a bit puzzling - Klink appears to have been the second, not the first, husband. )

[Enchante]

The article by Herbert Matthews on the resignation of Marshal Badoglio was ‘impressive’ for its utter servility to fascism. Some of the turns of phrase are straight out of press releases for the Mussolini regime, boasting of ‘revolutionary’ fascism and denouncing any independence of the military officer corps from fascist politics.

Just another instance of the NY Times sucking up to dictators from Stalin to Hitler to Mussolini, right on to the present day.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

The article by Herbert Matthews on the resignation of Marshal Badoglio was ‘impressive’ for its utter servility to fascism.

Matthews was kicked out of Italy on October 8 (#6) but mysteriously began filing stories from Rome again on November 24. Maybe you have identified the reason for his second chance. Matthews was normally more of a red than a fascist though.

[BroJoeK]

PAR35: "Goebbles - Frau Scholtz-Klink is getting married to her new man."

Reached for comment in Buffalo, NY, was Frau Klink's brother-in-law, Colonel Otto Klink, who along with his side-kick, Sgt. Schulz responded:

"I know nothiiiiiiiing!"

;-)

[BroJoeK]

SomeCallMeTim: "Excuse me... but, where are all the stories about FDR ignoring “troubling warning signs” in the Pacific? /sarc"

He didn't ignore them, he was helping orchestrate them.

And at just the right moment (for him) FDR will pull the rug out from under the Japanese, encouraging them to forget all about Sun Tzu and make a very foolish strategic mistake.