RUMANIA INCREASES ARMY, BANS EXPORT OF WAR ESSENTIALS (2/23/40)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 2/23/40 | P.J. Philip, Raymond Daniell

[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.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
Evolution of Plan Yellow, October 1939-January 1940
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

[Homer_J_Simpson]

(Continued from Reply #4 on the February 20 thread)

Laura Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit: An American Legend

(To be continued.)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Rumania Increases Army, Bans Export of War Essentials – 2
Russians Testing Defenses in South – 4-5
The International Situation – 5
Chautemps Lauds Welles on Mission – 5
Huge Soviet Drive Renewed to Crush Finns on Isthmus – 7-8
British Shoot Down Two Heinkel Bombers; Newly Armed Trawlers Repel Nazi Raiders – 9
British Navy ‘Sees’ Over the Horizon – 10
Two London Bombs, Laid to I.R.A., Injure 28; Waltham Abbey Powder Plant Has Blast – 10
Loan Amortization Promised in Japan – 10
Finnish Ship Lost; Sighted Submarine – 11
Britain Honors Men of Graf Spee Fight – 11
The German ‘Goosestep’ at New High in Rome – 12

[Perdogg]

The Romanian line was breached at Stalingrad causing the Eastern front for the Germans to collapse.

[GeronL]

That book...

ahem

Yet another word that didn’t mean what it means now...

heh

[PAR35]

Yet another word that didn’t mean what it means now

But I think it did.

[GeronL]

Well, it must have had dual meanings or something.

[PzLdr]

The Italians called the “goosestep” the “Passo Romano”. Mussolini was taken with it on one of his trips to Germany [1938?]. But fair is fair. The Nazi salute was taken by Hitler from the Fascist salute.

[PzLdr]

The Romanian move won’t look super dumb later this year [1940] or early next, when Stalin makes territorial demands.

That will also cause Hitler to send troops to Romania, to protect Ploesti [his major oil source], tie Romania closer to the Reich, and put the seal on Hitler’s decision [if he needed one] to settle up with Stalin.

[dfwgator]

LOL, I had to look three times, wipe my eyes and think “Did that say what I thought it said?”

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Mussolini was taken with it on one of his trips to Germany [1938?].

Close. Here is a link to only the second 70-year-old article I posted, Jan. 28, 1938.

1/28/38

ROME, Jan. 27. – One unexpected effect of the visit by Premier Benito Mussolini to Germany last September was seen today when, much to everybody’s surprise, the goosestep was performed for the first time in the annals of Italian military history by 2,000 Black Shirts reviewed by Mussolini.

[GeronL]

yup. It would have never reached a mass audience or advertised in the paper like that if it meant the same as it does now would it? It would have been wrapped in a brown paper cover and sold in about 3 backroom locations in NYC.

lol.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

"The salt winds sweep in on Dildo Cay, and the hot sun burns down, and the slow tension of Caribbean life creeps through the pages of the book, and gives it startling, authentic life . . . and eerie power."

9v?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/feb40/f23feb40.htm

British celebrate naval victory

Friday, February 23, 1940 www.onwar.com

In Britain... In a victory parade celebrating the destruction of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee in the battle of the River Plate, 700 officers and men of the cruisers HMS Ajax and HMS Exeter march through cheering crowds to Guildhall in London.

Over Occupied Czechoslovakia... During the night (February 23-24), RAF bombers conduct a leaflet reconnaissance raid on Prague.

From Helsinki... Finland repeats its request to Sweden and Norway to grant transit rights for foreign troops.

In the Faeroe Islands... The destroyer HMS Gurkha sinks a U-boat.

[henkster]

The book says there is passion there. But only for the lonely.

[henkster]

I’m very much enjoying the articles on Romania. As I’ve said before, the diplomacy revolving around Romania and her resources during this time is fascinating. She really had very little control over her fate, and was more or less driven into Hitler’s arms by circumstances.

The destruction of the Romanian armies flanking Stalingrad has its seeds back in this time. Romania has plenty of natural resources, but little industrial capacity to turn them into weapons of war. Nor do the Romanians have the know-how to turn them out. As a result, they and the Hungarians were equipped with “hand-me-down” obsolete German equipment or captured French equipment. This was the German “Lend-lease” and it was far less effective than the American version. Instead of building up some native Romanian industry to turn out advanced 75mm high-velocity anti-tank guns, and having them equip the Romanian infantry divisions with them, the Germans gave them their old 37mm anti-tank guns. Indeed, until Speer took over the German armaments production in late 1942, the Germans had problems equipping their own forces.

While the Germans treated the Romanian army with scorn, they didn’t give them the means to fight effectively, either. There is a big difference between the 37mm and 75mm PAK when you are trying to stop a bunch of T-34s rolling up on your position. Had the Romanians been properly equipped to fight in 1942, they would probably have given a good account of themselves and who knows how the Soviet Operation Uranus would have played out.

For those who know what to look for in today’s article of the New York Times, you get some tantalizing hints of what is to come.

[GeronL]

lol.

[GeronL]

lol.

This book was responsible for it, somehow someway. heh.

[CougarGA7]

Day 86 of the Winter War, February 23, 1940

In Ladoga Karelia the enemy attacks in Pitkäranta across the entire breadth of the front, but without success.
Photo: SA-KUVA

Finnish Government receives precise statement of Soviet peace terms

• The commander of the Army of the Isthmus orders his group commanders to prepare for withdrawal to the backline defensive positions.

• A Finnish force in Viipurinlahti bay retakes Lasisaari island, but the general situation forces it to withdraw from the island in the evening and during the night.

• The enemy mounts a forceful attack on Petäjäsaari island in Lake Ladoga and takes control of the southern tip of the island for 24 hours.

• In the far north, army intelligence reports that the enemy has 23 fighter aircraft and 49 bombers in Petsamo.

• In Ladoga Karelia the enemy attacks in Pitkäranta across the entire breadth of the front, but without success.

• During the afternoon Foreign Minister Tanner receives a communication from Stockholm containing a precise statement of the Soviet Union's terms for peace.

• The terms are a shock, and the shock is further compounded by Sweden's refusal to allow Allied troops to pass through Sweden en route to Finland.

• The Soviet Union responds to Sweden's protest over the bombing of Pajala in northern Sweden.

• The TASS news agency describes the reports of the bombings by Soviet aircraft as "mendacious and malicious allegations".

• In Moscow, the Red Army celebrates its 22nd anniversary with exceptionally little pomp and without the traditional parade through Red Square.

• Izvestija, the chief organ of the Soviet Government, praises the achievements of the Soviet forces in the Finnish war by saying that despite the "treachery" of the Finns the Red Army will in the end prevail.