CHURCHILL SEES VICTORY WITH U. S. AID; AXIS GAINS IN EGYPT (4/28/41)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 4/28/41 | Robert P. Post, C. Brooks Peters, Hanson W. Baldwin

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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EDITORIALS

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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
The Balkans, 1941: Invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece, April 1941
North Africa – Rommel’s First Offensive, 24 March-15 June 1941
Marcks’ Plan, August 5, 1940
Operation Barbarossa (Dir. 21), December 18, 1940
The Mediterranean Basin
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Gordon W. Prange, At Dawn We Slept

[Homer_J_Simpson]

William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Premier Confident * – 2
Mussolini Felicitates Army Chief in Albania – 2
Aid for Britain Urged by Veterans’ Groups – 2
Trespassing Ship Seized by Russians in Sea Clash – 2
The International Situation – 3
Greek Ports Fall – 3-4
Advance in Desert – 4-5
Japan and Russia Pledge Closer Ties – 5
Germans Say Navy Fights Off Greece – 5
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 6-7
Balance Sheet in Greece – 7

Editorials – 8-9
Hitler in Athens
Bennett Field for the Navy
The Pace of Production
Pressure on Japan
Hicks Street Widening
Today’s Decision
August Heckscher
Industrial India

* No doubt about it. The subject of this story is the speech CougarGA7 posted on yesterday’s thread. Churchill erred when he dated it on May third in The Grand Alliance.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Here is the excerpt I had planned for May 3.

Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/apr41/f28apr41.htm

German victory in the Balkans

Monday, April 28, 1941 www.onwar.com

In the Balkans... In Greece, at Nauplia a burning merchant ship blocks the pier and 1700 men have to be left behind. At Kalamata (an Allied evacuation center) a German force bursts into the town but is eventually defeated by the 7000 troops awaiting evacuation. The naval force off the port sees the fighting and withdraws before the Germans are subdued. About 5000 troops are evacuated on the night of April 28-29th, the last night of the evacuation. It has taken Germany less than a month to overrun Greece and Yugoslavia.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 606 April 28, 1941

Greece. During the day, German bombing sinks Greek torpedo boat Kyzikos and 2 steamers. Overnight, 4170 Allied troops are evacuated from the Peloponnese peninsula. 2 German companies (5th Panzer Division) drive into the port of Kalamata and capture the quay as the evacuation begins. Royal Navy warships sail back to sea, having embarked only 322 men. Most Allied troops are too exhausted to resist but there are several independent small group actions. Sergeant Jack Hinton of 2nd New Zealand Division wins the Victoria Cross for leading an attack to retake the quay, clearing out 3 machine-gun nests and a mortar with grenades and capturing a 6 inch gun. He is shot in the stomach and taken prisoner (he will receive his medal from King George at Buckingham Palace on May 11 1945, after his release). Allied forces recapture the quay (41 Germans killed, 60 wounded, 100 taken prisoner) but it is too late, the warships are gone.

General von Paulus (German Deputy Chief of Staff), who arrived yesterday, orders Rommel to delay his planned attack on Tobruk, reflecting concerns that Rommel is being too reckless. From 6 AM, Luftwaffe bombs Tobruk harbour and defensive positions, to cover the continued buildup of German and Italian troops and armour around the perimeter.

150 miles South of Iceland, U-123 sights convoy HX121 and calls in 5 other submarines. At 4.15 PM, U-552 sinks a tanker, then at 7.25 PM U-96 sinks 2 tankers and a freighter (most crewmen rescued by British rescue ship Zaafaran). U-552 and U-96 are both depth charged by the convoy escorts. U-65 is sunk by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Douglas (all 50 hands lost).

In the Arabian Sea 1200 miles East of Mogadishu, Somaliland, German armed merchant cruiser Pinguin shells British SS Clan Buchanan (carrying military equipment from USA) from 5 km. Radio signals reporting the attack are sent before the crew of 110 are taken prisoner and is Clan Buchanan scuttled. Royal Navy ships respond to the signals and set out to hunt for Pinguin.

RAF Short Stirlings of No.7 Squadron bomb Emden in a daylight raid.

British minesweeping trawler HMT Caroline sinks on a mine off Milford Haven, Wales (the Dutch crew are all lost).

Overnight, Malta is heavily bombed. Destroyer HMS Encounter is badly damaged in drydock by a bomb penetrating her deck and minesweeper HMS Fermoy is destroyed.

[Lancey Howard]

That’s a lot of great work right there, Homer.
BUMP

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Thank you, Lancey. Now, when Cougar posts our weekly smut mag and our fleshpot tour guide PAR35 checks in, we will be in business.

[CougarGA7]

That is one ugly broach.

[Larry381]

In 1942, members of the British Parliament characterised the campaign in Greece as a "political and sentimental decision". Eden rejected the criticism and argued that the UK's decision was unanimous, and asserted that the Battle of Greece delayed the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union.

This is an argument that some historians such as Keegan have also used in order to prove that Greek resistance may have been a turning point in World War II. According to the film-maker and friend of Adolf Hitler Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler said that "if the Italians hadn't attacked Greece and needed our help, the war would have taken a different course. We could have anticipated the Russian cold by weeks and conquered Leningrad and Moscow. There would have been no Stalingrad".

Despite his reservations, Brooke seems also to have conceded that the start of the offensive against the Soviet Union was in fact delayed because of the Balkan Campaign. John N. Bradley and Thomas B. Buell conclude that "although no single segment of the Balkan campaign forced the Germans to delay Barbarossa, obviously the entire campaign did prompt them to wait."

On the other hand, Richter calls Eden's arguments a "falsification of history". Basil Liddell Hart and de Guingand asserted that, even if Operation Marita delayed the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, this was not enough to vindicate the decision of the British government, because this was not its initial strategic goal. In 1952, the Historical Branch of the UK Cabinet Office concluded that the Balkan Campaign had no influence on the launching of Operation Barbarossa. According to Robert Kirchubel, "the main causes for deferring Barbarossa's start from 15 May 15-22 June were incomplete logistical arrangements, and an unusually wet winter that kept rivers at full flood until late spring."

However, the Balkan campaign involved a lot of mileage for German motor transport and tanks. Kleist's 1st Panzer Group, the cutting edge of Army Group South, would begin Barbarossa with nearly a third of its tanks at workshops in Germany.

[iowamark]

Vera Gilmer would soon be Chesterfield's Girl of the Month:

[PAR35]

Yes, lots of nekkid women pages 72 and 73. And a vulgar picture of the twirler later.