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.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/22.htm
February 22nd, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Fighter Command: North Sea trawlers are attacked by Luftwaffe aircraft. Little damage is done to the trawlers, the bombers are driven off by the trawlers’[1] machine guns, and two are shot down by fighters.
RAF Bomber Command: Leaflets and Reconnaissance of Vienna. 102 Sqn. Two aircraft from Villeneuve. No opposition over Austria, some en-route.
The first English Electric built Handley-Page Hampden (P2062) flies from Salmesbury airfield in Lancashire.
Corvette HMS Erica laid down.
Destroyer HMS Cattistock launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
NORTH SEA: German destroyers are attacked in error by their own aircraft and run into a minefield laid by RN destroyers. Leberecht Maass and Max Schultz are lost northwest of the German Friesian Islands. U-54 is presumed lost in the same field.
Six type 34 destroyers DD Friedrich Eckholdt (Z-16) flying the flag of Fregattenkapitan Berger, commander of Zestroyer Flotilla 1, DD Richard Beitzen (Z-4), DD Theodor Riedel (Z-6), Leberecht Maass (Z-1), Max Schultz (Z-3), and Erich Koellner (Z-13)sailed from Schilling Roads with the intent of raiding the British North Sea fishing fleet. While transiting a German minefield, the force sighted, and was sighted by a German two-motor bomber.
About a half-hour later the aircraft (an He-111 from 4/KG26) returned and dropped two 100 KG bombs, one of which struck Maass amidships, apparently knocking out her boilers. Eckholdt went to give her assistance. Then, while standing by, the ships came under attack again, with two more bombs being dropped. Either one hit or the ship simultaneously drifted on a mine, but regardless, Maass exploded, broke in half, and sank. There were 60 survivors rescued from the cold water. Some minutes later, the furthest destroyer away from the scene of the Maass’ demise, Schultz exploded and sank. There was a submarine alarm, an aerial alarm, and she was in the minefield. There were no survivors, and no one apparently saw exactly what happened to her. However, at a subsequent inquiry, it was determined that the Luftwaffe aircraft had claimed hits on both destroyers. The was no British submarine in the area, but it had been mined by the British destroyers two weeks before. However, regardless of what actually sank them, the Luftwaffe got the credit. Not a good day for inter-service co-operation! (Mark Horan)
FRANCE: General Gamelin submitted the report that Premier Daladier had commissioned him to make one month before. In his view (he said), “an operation against the Russian oil industry in the Caucasus would make it possible to strike a heavy, if not decisive blow against the military and economic organisation of the Soviet Union.” In a few months the Soviet Union might even get into such difficulties “that it would risk total collapse.” Gamelin pointed out that of the three vulnerable Soviet oil-producing localities, Batum and especially Baku - “by far the most important petroleum centre in the Caucasus” - would be the recommended target of an attack.
FINLAND: The Finns evacuate Koivisto. The SFK takes over responsibility for defending northern Finland, and the Finnish units of Detachment Willamo are subordinated to General Linder. (Mikko Härmeinen)(203)
GIBRALTAR: U.S. freighter SS Sahale, detained by British authorities at Gibraltar the previous day, is released.
TIBET: Lhasa: Buddhists all over the world touched their foreheads to the floor at 4pm today as they bowed in the direction of the almost inaccessible Potala Palace above Lhasa. In monasteries and temples across the Buddhist world they were celebrating the enthronement of the new Dalai Lama - the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists.
The new representative of this holy line is a five year old peasant boy called Lhamo Dhondup, born in the village of Taktser north-east of Lhasa.
Lhamo, who was selected from three boys in his region, is the 14th in the line of Dalai Lhamas which began in the 14th century.
[1] These would be trawlers commandeered by the Navy, flying the White Ensign and operating with RN crews performing anti-submarine patrols, or escort duties; fair game for the Luftwaffe, rather than the victimisation of innocent merchant seamen bringing home the catch. (Alex Gordon)
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
At 0107, the drifting Loch Maddy was hit by a coup de grâce from U-23 and broke in two 20 miles 70° from Copinsay, Orkneys. The bow section sank, but the stern section was taken in tow by rescue tug HMS St. Mellons and beached in the Inganess Bay, Orkneys. The cargo was salved and the vessel declared a total loss.
At 0020, steam tanker British Endeavour in Convoy OGF-19 was torpedoed and sunk by U-50 about 100 miles west of Vigo. Five crewmembers were lost. The master and 32 crewmembers were picked up by the British SS Bodnant and landed at Funchal, Maderia on 26 February. (Dave Shirlaw)
