STIMSON SEES DANGER OF INVASION IF BRITISH NAVY BE BEATEN OR TAKEN (1/17/41)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 1/17/41 | Turner Catledge, Raymond Daniell, Douglas Robertson

[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. Also visit our general discussion thread

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
North Africa, 1940: Graziani’s Advance and Wavell’s Offensive, 13 September 1940-7 February 1941 (Map 34a)
Marcks’ Plan, August 5, 1940
Operation Barbarossa (Dir. 21), December 18, 1940
The Mediterranean Basin (Map 33)
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance

[Homer_J_Simpson]

‘Crisis Exceeds ‘17’ – 2-3
More Favor Sending U.S. Ships to Britain – 3
The International Situation – 4
Nazis Claim 3 Hits – 4-5
Reich Bishop to See Pope; Bombing Issue Discounted – 5
Lake of Fire Seen in Wilhelmshaven – 5-6
Tobruk is Guarded by Wide Tank Trap – 6
French Ship Creeping Up Brazilian Coast; Covered by British Outside the 3-Mile Limit – 6
Auto Show Here This Year is Abandoned to Let Manufacturers Push Defense Task – 7
Air Corps to Form a Negro Squadron – 7
Bomber Long Overdue in West Coast Flight – 7
Nazis to Increase Raiding in Pacific – 7
U.S. Potential Foe, Rome Press Says – 8
Italians Report Germans Ready for Final Victory – 8
Reich Views Hull as ‘Master’s Voice’ – 8
Gen. Argentino Captured in Cave by a Sergeant – 8
Homeless Children: A Spanish Rehabilitation Problem (photo) – 9
Four U.S. Naval Observers in Mediterranean; Fifth Will Join British Soon as Air Attache – 9
Two British Ships Report Torpedoing – 9
Texts of Day’s War Communiques – 10-11
Citrus Growers Ask Help in Palestine – 11
Spain to Tell People of U.S. Gift of Food – 11
A U-Boat Hero (photo) – 11

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/jan41/f17jan41.htm

Vichy warships victorious at Koh-Chang

Friday, January 17, 1941 www.onwar.com

The Franco-Thai War... A Vichy French squadron defeats a Thai naval force in the battle of Koh-Chang in the South China Sea. Three Thai ships are sunk.

[abb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Southampton_%28C83%29
HMS Southampton

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/17.htm

January 17th, 1941

UNITED KINGDOM:
Swansea: The town is badly hit by incendiaries and HE.

Glasgow:

Winston Churchill ended his tour of the civil defence organisation here with a speech made in the presence of President Roosevelt’s personal envoy, Harry Hopkins. The Prime Minister told his American visitor: “We don’t require in 1941 large armies from overseas. What we do require are weapons, ships and aeroplanes. All that we can pay for we will pay for, but we require far more than we shall be able to pay for ...”

Minesweeping trawler HMS Horatio commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

Fair Isle: A Luftwaffe Heinkel He-111 crash lands at Vaasetter on Orkney, killing two of its crew. The plane had been on a weather reconnaissance mission when it was pursued and shot down by allied aircraft. Miraculously three crew members survive the crash, and are met by a small group of islanders, led by George ‘Fieldy’ Stout, who made a citizen’s arrest. The men await the arrival of a Royal naval detachment.

GERMANY: In a speech to miners Göring says “There is not task so great that it cannot be solved by a German.” Referring to air-raids he remarks, “Everywhere in the Reich, armament factories are undisturbed. Here and there an occasional bomb has temporarily caused interruptions, but not a single plant, not a single factory of importance, has been destroyed.”

GREECE: CIGS to Wavell:

The refusal of the Greeks of 102 Reg. RHA and company of light tanks for the Albanian front is noted.

...Assume you have explained to Metaxas the information on which our desire to supply forces to meet a German invasion is based ... may be the Greeks have information ... which causes them to view the German preparations in a different light.

CHINA: The Nationalist government disbands the Communist New Fourth Army as rebellious.

SOUTH CHINA SEA: The Vichy French and Thailand fight the Battle of Koh Chang: the Vichy French retaliate against Thai moves against Cambodia. The French squadron (Rear Admiral Jules Terraux) consisting of light cruiser Lamotte-Picquet, colonial sloops Admiral Charner and Dumont D’Urville and sloops Tahure and Marne, decisively defeats a Thai Navy force in a surface gunnery and torpedo action fought in the Gulf of Siam, sinking coast defence ship Dhonburi and torpedo boats Cholbury and Songkhla and damaging coast defence ship Sri Ayuthia and torpedo boat Trat in about two hours. (Jack McKillop)

NEWFOUNDLAND: The first American troops arrive at St. John’s, Newfoundland, aboard the USAT Edmund B. Alexander. She will serve as a barracks ship for the 1200 troops until permanent quarters are built ashore. (Jack McKillop)

U.S.A.: The first Consolidated Liberator destined for the RAF (AM 258) makes its maiden flight. It will be delivered by air across the Atlantic in March.

Bethlehem Steel, of Lehigh, Pennsylvania, changes its operations to all-out war production of steel plate for ships and tanks, structural steel for defence plants and forgings for guns, shells and aircraft engines.

Bethlehem’s 15 shipyards will build 1,121 ships, more than any other shipbuilder in World War II. At peak of production, Bethlehem employs almost 300,000 people, 180,000 of them in shipbuilding. (Drew Halevy)

Secretary of the Navy Knox testified for the lend-lease bill. (Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The unescorted SS Alameda Star (Master Harry Cecil Howard, Commodore of the Blue Star Line) evaded three attacks about 35 miles NE of Rockall, before the ship was hit at 0745 by U-96. After two coups de grâce were fired at 0805 and 0907, the U-boat fired 28 incendiary shells (about 15 hits) between 0932 and 0948. The Alameda Star finally sank in 58°40N/13°38W three minutes after another coup de grâce had been fired at 0955. The master, 136 crewmembers, 29 gunners and 194 passengers were lost. (Dave Shirlaw)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 505 January 17, 1941

At 1 AM, U-106 sinks British MV Zealandic with 3 torpedoes 200 miles South of Iceland. 65 crew, 2 gunners and 6 passengers abandon ship in 3 lifeboats but are never found.

200 miles West of Isle of Lewis, Scotland, U-96 attacks British liner SS Almeda Star with 4 torpedoes and the deck gun. Although 4 lifeboats are launched during the attack, no survivors are found by 7 destroyers which search the area. 137 crew, 29 gunners and 194 passengers are lost, including 142 FAA personnel of 749, 750 & 752 Squadrons en route to RNAS station at Piarco Airfield, Trinidad.

Italian submarine Marcello approaches a convoy West of Ireland but is attacked by an escort destroyer with 5 depth charges, damaging the forward trim tank and causing Marcello to abort the mission and return to base.

Luftwaffe Stukas bomb Malta again.

British corvette HMS Rhododendron is damaged on a mine in Liverpool Harbour (under repair for 3 months at Liverpool).

[abb]

[central_va]

Illustrious under stuka dive bomber attack.

[Tank-FL]

I just noticed that Stimson used the term “first World War” (page 2).

Have I been asleep or is this a new term that is showing up in the 1941 vocabulary?

[PAR35]

Gen. Argentino Captured in Cave by a Sergeant – 8

Question for the military types here. How can you tell that the British man is a Colonel if all he is wearing are 'slippers'. And wouldn't that constitute being 'out of uniform' in a combat area?

[Tank-FL]

I bet you could build a great comedy routine from this

But this is a family friendly discussion

[Homer_J_Simpson]

I just noticed that Stimson used the term “first World War” (page 2).

Have I been asleep or is this a new term that is showing up in the 1941 vocabulary?

That could be a first. Sort of implies this current fracas is the "second World War." I saw that term (second world war) used in a theoretical way back in early 1939 but not since the war actually started.

[CougarGA7]

Hanson Baldwin used the term “second World War” in an article he wrote on September 4th, 1939. As far as I know that was the first use of that term in these papers. I have to imagine as we have moved forward the terminology has been there already is becoming more and more common place.