Posted on 05/22/2010 5:30:09 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/may40/f22may40.htm
Germans strike north along Channel
Wednesday, May 22, 1940 www.onwar.com
On the Western Front... The German forces on the Channel coast turn their attacks to the north toward Boulogne and Calais. The Belgian forces retreat to the Lys.
In Paris... Churchill is discussing plans for an Allied offensive. Once more Weygand proposes an attempt to cut the German line to the Channel by attacks from the north and south. It is agreed that this should be attempted but in reality there is little with which to implement the plan.
In London... Parliament passes an Emergency Powers Act giving the government sweeping powers over the persons and property of British citizens.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/22.htm
May 22nd, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - road/rail communications at Givet and Hirson. 10 Sqn. 11 aircraft. All bombed. 51 Sqn. 8 aircraft, all bombed. 58 Sqn. 6 aircraft, all bombed.
Churchill again travels to Paris to push the planned attack.
Petrol prices are increased by one shilling and a halfpenny to one shilling and elevenpence-halfpenny a gallon.
Bletchley Park: The code breakers here at Hut Six have made a great breakthrough in their attempt to decode the enigma machine. Using their first British-built ‘Bombe’, an electromechanical device which can do hundreds of computations every minute, they have broken the Luftwaffe’s “Red” key. This means that all the Luftwaffe’s operational and administrative traffic can be read despite the added security devices built into Enigma in preparation for the assault on the west.
Westminster: Parliament took less than three hours today to rush into law the most drastic legislation known in British history. It gives the government almost unlimited power over the life, liberty and property of everyone in the land.
Under the Emergency Powers Act banks, the munitions industry, profits, wages and working conditions are all now subject to rigorous state control. There is also an unprecedented mobilisation of manpower.
In his first speech as Lord Privy Seal and Deputy Premier in the new government, Clement Attlee urged the nation to keep calm. “Everyone should continue at their jobs until ordered otherwise,” he said.
At the same time Ernest Bevin is being given dictatorial power, as Minister of Labour and National Service, to divert anyone to do anything needed in the struggle for national survival.
With the emergency powers settled, MPs then quickly passed a Treachery Act redefining the scope of traitorous acts punishable by death.
Destroyer HNLMS Tjerk Hiddes (ex-HMS Nonpareil) laid down.
Destroyer HMS Obedient laid down.
Corvette HMS Heather laid down.
Corvette HMS Mallow launched.
Minesweeping trawler HMS Almond launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
BELGIUM: Belgian forces retreat to the Lys River.
FRANCE: Two Gruppen of Hs 123 ground attack aircraft hold off an attack by 40 French tanks on their advanced base at Cambrai.
After sharp encounters at Desvres and Samer, Guderian’s 2nd Panzers reach Boulogne and the 1st Panzers reach Calais.
GERMANY: U-599, U-600, U-601, U-602, U-603, U-604, U-605, U-606, U-607, U-608, U-609, U-610 ordered. (Dave Shirlaw)
NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN: All three fleet carriers are proceeding to Scapa Flow in thick fog. HMS Ark Royal in company with the destroyers HMS Brazen, HMS Encounter, and HMS Volunteer in one force, while HMS Glorious and HMS Furious form the core of a second force. The later force arrived at 2134, 23 May, and commenced refuelling. (Mark Horan)
ASW trawler HMS Melbourne bombed and sunk off Narvik. (Dave Shirlaw)
AUSTRALIA: Destroyer HMAS Napier launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-101 encountered an enemy submarine in the North Atlantic, but neither boat attacked.
After 2300, the Dunster Grange was damaged by gunfire from U-37 and escaped. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 265 May 22, 1940
In Britain, the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act is passed, giving the government authority over persons and property for the duration of the war. In Paris, Churchill and Reynaud agree to a proposal by new French Commander-in-Chief General Weygand to attack the German salient caused by the Panzer thrust to the coast (essentially the same plan proposed by his predecessor, the disgraced Gamelin). However, it is too little, too late. The Germans are well established and Allied forces in Belgium are too busy fighting a retreat to attack.
Rommel holds near Arras, believing he faced 5 divisions in the British attack yesterday rather than 2 divisions plus 2 tank battalions. Guderian, however, pushes his Panzers North up the coast towards Calais and Boulogne.
Armed British merchant vessel Dunster Grange fights off a surface attack by U-37 using the deck gun, after U-37 misses with 4 torpedoes, off Land’s End. Dunster Grange will arrive safely in Liverpool on May 24. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/321.html
Has it ever been explained why the Germans halted their advance at Dunkirk?
Several potential reasons:
[1] The counterattack against Rommel at Arras had a psychological effect on the German High Command far in excess of its on the ground accomplishments [a la Doolittle Raid]. There was almost a sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop because YELLOW had gone so smoothly.
[2] The German Infantry was having trouble closing up on the Panzers and Motorized formations, especially on the south flank. 95% of the German Army was unmotorized [including infantry and artillery-leg and horsedrawn, respectively]. This caused concern among the more senior, older and more conservative commanders, like Rundstedt, and several of the Army commanders.
[3] The theory that Hitler was reluctant to “drop the hammer” on his [from his view] Aryans-the Brits, and wanted to limit their caualties to facilitate a negotiated peace.
[4] Some of the Panzer, Mech., and motorized formations may have needed a little down time for maintenace and resupply.
Left off one other reason. Goering boasted to Hitler that the Luftwaffe could finish off the beach head by itself, and asked for the chance to do so. Since the Luftwaffe, up to that point in time, had been superlative, Hitler agreed to the request.
What I have heard is Goring convinced Hitler the Luftwaffe could do the job; this will not be the last time Hitler believed fatso’s boastings with horrible consequences for the Nazi.
Another idea is Hitler thought the English were quasi-Aryans so he wanted to let up and negotatiate a peace.
Interesting at this point experts think the French are in better shape than the British. What is the talk of a “Fifth Column” being a decisive factor? Will the President of Mexico come to DC and criticize FDR for putting the Immigration Bureau under the Dept of Justice from Labor, hee hee.
Nice to see that the lovely 120 mile round trip on the Hudson River Dayliners still cost only a buck and a half.
I read somewhere that churches in Britain were filled with people praying for their troops just before the Wehrmacht halted. I don't know if it's true.
About a year ago I posted a quote from David Murphy's 2005 book, "What Stalin Knew."
It was a report submitted to Stalin by his intelligence chief, Ivan I. Proskurov. The report was titled:
The report quoted Dr. Peter Kleist, head of the Eastern Department of Ribbentrop's office, to senior officers of the German embassy in in Warsaw during Kleist's visit there on May 2, 1939. Remember, this was months before the war started.
May 2 was also the date Stalin replaced his Jewish foreign minister, Litvinov with Molotov -- preliminary to negotiating the Nonaggression Pact with Germany.
Just to review the May 1939 report, quoting Kleist:
"Germany at the present moment is in the first phase of its military consolidation in the east, which, without regard to ideological considerations, must be achieved by whatever means."After the merciless cleansing of the east will come the western phase that must end in the defeat of France and England either by military or by political means.
"Only after this can one count on the feasibility of the destruction of the Soviet Union. At the present time we are still in the phase of military consolidation in the East. It is Poland's turn next..."
Now already in May 1940, Proskurov is picking up signs of Hitler's intention toward Russia. His first general report on it will go to Stalin on June 4, then a very specific report two days later.
Of course, I'm not trying to "predict" those reports today, merely saying what Proskurov was already hearing at the end of May 1940... ;-)
"After the merciless cleansing of the east will come the western phase that must end in the defeat of France and England either by military or by political means."
Let me preview an excerpt from Shirer I plan to post on Wednesday. This part comes from an interview Blumentritt gave to Liddell Hart after the war:
[Hitler, during a May 24 1940 meeting with Rundstedt] said that all he wanted from Britain was that she should acknowledge Germany's position on the continent. The return of Germany's colonies would be desirable but not essential . . . He concluded by saying that his aim was to make peace with Britain on a basis that she would regard as compatible with her honor to accept.
That sounds as though Hitler really preferred to use political means, rather than military, where Britain was concerned.
Well, that didn’t go so well.
Red League of the Godless
So the ACLU was born?
Murphy’s book is a very good assessment of the intelligence available to Stalin by a CIA professional. While Proskurov has been picking up bits and pieces here and there that Germany intends to settle accounts with the USSR sooner or later, there is little current reason for any alarm. While the fight goes well for Germany against France, they still haven’t put France out of the war and there is still Britain.
Nothing to worry about here...
I’m a bit under the weather so excuse my tardiness.
I found the report on Giraud’s the most intriguing. I made mention the other day when he was mentioned in another article that he had been captured during the First World War that it would not be the last time he fell into German hands. This is the next chapter of that tale. But it’s not over yet as Giraud still has a roll to play in this overall drama which will vex Ike when he assumed that he would be in command of all forces in North Africa. I’m really looking forward to what news slips out on his escape from Königtstein.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.