Posted on 01/29/2010 5:14:08 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/jan40/f29jan40.htm
Soviets willing to talk with Finns
Monday, January 29, 1940 www.onwar.com
In Stockholm... A Soviet diplomatic note to the government of Sweden suggests that the Soviets are prepared to negotiate with the legitimate Finnish government and, implicitly, to abandon support for the puppet communist regime. The note states: “The Soviet Union has no objection in principle to a possible agreement with the Ryti government.”
The Winter War... The battle of Kuhmo begins. Finns encircle the Soviet 54th Division at Kuhmo, in the “waist” of the front. Heavy Soviet air raids target Finnish ports.
In the North Sea... German aircraft attack British merchant ships (2 sunk) and 2 lightships, between Shetlands and Kent. The lightship E. Dudgeon is bombed and 7 of the 8-man crew die.
In France... Premier Daladier delivers a stirring broadcast speech: “Germany hopes to encompass our downfall by exploiting weakness at home...”
From Angers... The Polish government-in-exile in France claims that the Nazis have killed 18,000 prominent Poles during their occupation of Poland.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 151 January 29, 1940
At 5 AM, Colonel Siilasvuo’s 9th division attacks Soviet 54th division, which has been moving slowly towards the road junction at Kuhmo. 54th division is stopped dead in its tracks, to be cut into mottis.
German planes attack vessels off the British coast. Unarmed lightship East Dudgeon is strafed and bombed. 8 crew take to the lifeboat which capsizes near shore drowning 7. Several other British and neutral ships are destroyed.
At 3.30 PM, Norwegian SS Eika carrying salt from Spain is sunk by a torpedo from U-51 (14 lives lost). Harald Støle (age 16) and Alfred Johansen are rescued by U-51. Støle turns 17 on the voyage to Wilhelmshaven, arriving 8 February. Both men will be home in Norway soon after.
http://www.warsailors.com/singleships/eika.html
USSR suggests negotiations to the Finns via a diplomatic note to Sweden. “Soviet Union has no objection in principle to a possible agreement with the Ryti (Finnish) government.” Simultaneously, Red Army is preparing a massive assault on Finnish defenses.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/29.htm
January 29th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
RAF Fighter Command: Three enemy aircraft attacked the Shetlands. No damage was caused, 12 bombs fell into the sea.
Between 15 and 20 enemy aircraft attacked shipping off the East Coast from Shetlands to Kent. 4 merchantmen were sunk or damaged, the enemy aircraft were driven off. 1 Luftwaffe aircraft is claimed destroyed.
The German Intelligence at this time believed that as Great Britain was buried under a heavy fall of snow, with roads and railways blocked, that the aerodromes were out of action. But all ranks were working to maintain the aerodrome surfaces in serviceable condition, and the German air crews who attacked were unpleasantly surprised by the weight of air defence that they had to face.
The British Admiralty orders that no American ships should, under any circumstances, be diverted into the war zone delineated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the provisions of the Neutrality Act. (Jack McKillop)
Destroyer HMS Berkeley launched.
Submarine HMS Talisman launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE: Paris: The Polish government in exile says that the Nazis have killed 18,000 prominent Poles.
Premier Edouard Daladier delivers a stirring broadcast speech: “Germany hopes to encompass our downfall by exploiting weakness at home...” (Jack McKillop)
SWEDEN: Diplomatic exchanges via Sweden shows the USSR is prepared to negotiate with the recognized Finnish Government and abandon the puppet communist government.
GIBRALTAR: U.S. freighter SS Exochorda is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 1530, SS Eika was hit by one torpedo from U-51, broke in two and sank. Only two men survived Harald Støle (age 16) and stoker Alfred Johansen. Both were later picked up by the U-boat and were taken to Germany. Harald Støle was together with his brother Arne on board, who died in the sinking. On 4 February, Harald had his 17th Birthday and on this occasion U-51 CO Knorr gave him a drink and some chocolate. The two survivors were sent home to Norway one week after arriving in Germany. U-51 had to abort patrol due to technical difficulties. (Dave Shirlaw)
“Mass Shootings in Poland Laid to Nazis by Cardinal”
A chilling read.
A chilling read.
Horrifying. Imagine the effect of stories like this on Polish-Americans. Especially those with family still in the old country. I wonder if politicians who had been hewing to the strict isolationist position began to "nuance" their reasoning because of these revelations. Maybe it depends on the ethnic make-up of their constituencies.
Six Blenheim bombers from 10 Squadron bomb enemy transports at the mouth of the River Taipaleenjoki.
Photo: SA-KUVA
Soviet Union willing in principle to discuss peace
I wonder if any effort to nuance happened at all. One of the most disturbing accounts I’ve read was that prior to the German occupation of Yugoslavia, the Yugoslavian government tried to get the allies to take several thousand Jews they had in the country. The allies refused to even attempt to ship these people to Palestine. FDR was of the opinion that though he knew of the atrocities being committed in German occupied Europe, the only way to help them was to win the war. No other methods were attempted or promoted by the administration as far as I can find.
At this point the Germans are only getting warmed up. At this point there are no death camps and the mass shootings are pretty much confined to the special SS units in Poland. The Wehrmacht is still being treated with kid gloves by Himmler for fear of their reaction so the killing of women and children are being kept at a minimum and the police battalions have yet to enter the fray.
I am really interested in the scope of knowledge that trickled to the press and public as things escalate in the Holocaust. This article also hits me a bit because this would be about the time that a 5 year old girl was separated from her father for no other reason than the fact that they were Poles. He died in a concentration camp, and I only had the pleasure of meeting the girl last year as an older, but nicest woman I think I have ever met.
Once again, let us note it is the Church which takes the lead in exposing and condemning Nazi attrocities in Poland. By this point, at least a dozen clergy were already murdered, and thousands more will die before war's end.
And this NY Times report is not page 5, it's page 1, top of the fold. So who can claim they "didn't know"? Who can say, "the Church was silent" or the "New York Times didn't report it"?
Of couse, Poles then were "only" dying in their thousands, not yet hundreds of thousands & millions. And the focus of Nazi attrocities was not yet just the Jews.
But who besides the Church and some Jewish groups in January 1940 were sounding the alarm and trying to help?
This will be continued and expanded in tomorrow's edition. They devote several pages to reprinting the Cardinal Hlond's report to the Vatican.
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