NAZIS STILL ADVANCING IN NORWAY; PLANES CUT ALLIED SUPPLY LINES (4/26/40)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, Cabrillo College Library | 4/26/40 | Harold Callender, Felix Belair Jr., Captain W.A. McHale, James B. Reston

[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
Norway, 1940 – Operations in Southern and Central Norway, April-May 1940
Evolution of Plan Yellow, October 1939-January 1940
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Roeros is Reached – 2-4
The International Situation – 4
War Zone Widened – 5-6
Goering Sends Regrets In Death of Capt. Losey – 6
Diary of American Ship Captain Tells of Trondheim’s Occupation – 7-10
Teleki Halts Row in Hungarian House – 10
Nazis Held Using Visas Of Poles to Enter France – 10
London Concedes 2 British Retreats – 11
Nazis’ Ship Losses Put at 30 in 13 Days – 12
Merchant Ships Sunk in War – 12
Details of Narvik Naval Battle Show British Acted With Speed - 13

[iowamark]

Quebec Women get Vote in Provincial elections.

The beginning of the end?

[The Bronze Titan]

Caught this on the front page...

"WILLKIE CAUTIONS ON NEW DEAL AIMS"

- Wendall L. WIllkie told members of the American Newspaper Publishers Association here last night that the Federal Government today "proclaims the failure of the people's enterprises and has accepted the principle that progress comes from the government itself"

[GeronL]

Quebec finally got the vote for women?

Boy how progressive they were. lol.

[GeronL]

Yup, it was all downhill from there.

[GeronL]

Say what??

Franklin Delano Obama?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/apr40/f26apr40.htm

Germans advancing in Norway

Friday, April 26, 1940 www.onwar.com

In Norway... The fighting north of Lillehammer continues; Allied forces retreat.

In Bern... An Anglo-Swiss trade agreement is achieved.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/26.htm

April 26th, 1940

NORWAY:

RAF Wellingtons bomb Stavanger aerodrome and fjord, while six Whitleys search Oslo Fjord attacking oil tanks and a refinery at Vallo and Grisebu. A ship of 5,000 tons is hit.

Allied units in northern Norway begin retreating.

Pellengahr again attacks 15 Brigade, enveloping both flanks of the new British position and driving hard at its centre with artillery and air support. Mortar shells set the woods on fire, eventually forcing the British to retreat three miles to a position at Kjorem.

(Mark Horan adds):

Throughout the day, HMS Furious, in company with the destroyers HMS Isis, HMS Ilex, HMS Imogen, HMS Delight, HMS Diana, and HMS Imperial, continued her journey home, flying single plane A/S patrols and searches well ahead of her course.

Off Trondheim Vice-Admiral Wells again had a big day planned for his carrier air groups, but the weather is not cooperating. After the prior days activity, the two carriers have the following aircraft (serviceable):

HMS Ark Royal:

800: 8 x Skua, 2 x Roc - the later reserved for fleet defence, the former for fighter patrols
801: 8 x Skua, 3 x Roc - the later for fleet defence, the former for fighter patrols

810: 9 x Sworfish - ASW and strike capability

820: 8 x Swordfish - ASW and strike capability

HMS Glorious:

802: 8 x Sea Gladiator - for fleet defence

803 7 (6) x Skua - fighter patrols

804: 9 x Sea Gladiator - for fleet defence

The mornings activity sees a three plane search by 810 Squadron looking for Royal Navy destroyers scheduled to join the Task Force. Admiral Well’s intention for the day was to maintain a standing patrol over the landing area until nightfall, but the weather did not clear sufficiently to send off fighter patrols off until 1000, when the carriers are in position 65.08 N, 5.28 E.

Lt.Cdr. H. P. Bramwell, RN led of the first patrol with two sections of 801Squadron (six Skuas). They engaged three He-111s of 5/KG 4 in the area of Åndalsnes and Gladiator Lake (Leskasjog), claiming one destroyed and one damaged.

HMS Glorious contributed the next patrol at 1158, when Lt. W. P. Lucy, RN leads 803 Squadron’s Blue section to Aalesund. At 1308 they engaged three He-111s of I/KG 26, forcing one out of formation as they fled, but Skua 8Q:L2991 goes down on fire. Blinded by spraying petrol and with his cockpit full of smoke he force-landed in a Fjord near Aalesund. The pilot (Lieutenant Cecil Howard Filmer, RN, known as “Fairy”) survives his forced-landing, but observer Petty Officer Airman Kenneth George Baldwin, RN is killed by the enemy fire. At 1350, the remaining pair intercept three more He-111, this time from 9/LG 1, shooting down one, then return home with empty guns.

Ark Royal sends off the next patrol, three Skuas of 800 Squadron lead by Captain R. T. Partrige, RM. They attack one of two He-111 bombing HMS Flamingo, damaging it, but Skua 6C is hit by return fire, shattering the non-armoured windscreen, wounding the pilot, Petty Officer Airman J. Hadley, RN. All three are able to return to the ship safely.

Glorious next sends off 803 Squadrons Yellow section (three Skuas, S-Lt.(A) G. W. Brokensha, RN) which return to Aalesund. These are later joined by two consolidated sections from Ark Royal’s 800 and 801 Squadrons, led by Lt. G. E. D. Finch-Noyes, RN and Lt. W. C. A. Church, RN. Only Finch-Noyes Red section sees action, engaging an He-115 in a running battle, damaging it. The lot returns safely the the carriers after nightfall.

Glorious managed to get off only a few standing patrols by 802 Squadron during the day, although throughout the day sections were maintained in readiness ranged on deck. During the day the carriers managed to fly 21 offensive fighter patrols over the Allied troops and seven A/S sorties over the fleet.

GERMANY: Berlin: Improving news from Norway boosts Hitler. At 3.30 in the morning during an all-night session with his military advisers, he tells them he intends to start ‘Yellow’ between May 1 and 7. ‘Yellow’ is the code name for the attack on Holland and Belgium.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 239 April 26, 1940

RAF Gladiators at Stetnesmoen engage the Luftwaffe, shooting down another He111 but using up all their fuel and ammunition. The last Gladiators are burned. The pilots board ships at Åndalsnes; Squadron Leader Donaldson will be awarded the DSO. http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/gladiator_norway_kills.htm

Hitler is furious at the landing of British 15th Brigade. Åndalsnes is bombed all day on his personal orders, destroying the wooden pier and all the British equipment & ammunition. However, 15th Brigade is 172 km away at Kvam, holding back German 196th Division which loses 50 men, 5 light tanks & 3 armored cars. In the evening 15th Brigade withdraws 3 km to new defensive lines at Kjorem.

British War Cabinet, now aware of defeats at Steinkjer & Tretten Gorge, starts to consider evacuating Namsos & Åndalsnes. Likewise, General de Wiart declines an offer of additional troops at Namsos since “in case of evacuation, this would complicate matters”. This “evacuation” mentality will gain momentum, despite 15th Brigade’s successes.

At 1.17 AM, U-13 sinks British steamer SS Lily with 2 torpedoes (the first does not detonate). All 24 hands lost. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/314.html

[CougarGA7]

Very interesting account by McHale. Here's an article on the event from 2006, most of the sourcing of it has the appearance of being from McHale's account.

Daring Escape of the Gold Ship MORMACSEA

[BroJoeK]

"Nazis Held Using Visas Of Poles to Enter France – 10"

"...It has been asserted here that the Germans used those Polish passports having French visas to send Nazis to france, where they enroll in the army."

"The German Legation here keeps an exact record of all Polish refugees in rumania and refuses passports to all those who are neither farmers nor craftsmen.
The farmers are sent bakc to their land and the craftsmen to the Reich.

They send no refugees back to the annexed regions, as they want those freed of Poles."

Apparently the French army did not need Nazis enlisting to help demoralize French troops.

And again -- before Poland became "Jew-free," it was first to be made "Pole-free."