Posted on 06/01/2011 5:41:51 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Thomas E. Griess, Series Editor, The Second World War: Europe and the Mediterranean
Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance
The News of the Week in Review
Twenty News Questions – 11
Singapore Ready to Meet Attack – 12-13
Answers to Twenty News Questions
Four of the Favorites in the National Open Golf Championship (photos) – 14
Map of the Course at Fort Worth, Texas, where the tournament will be played – 15
20 questions on current events from 1941 is not easy.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/jun41/f01jun41.htm
Germans complete capture of Crete
Sunday, June 1, 1941 www.onwar.com
In the Mediterranean... Near Crete, the cruiser Calcutta is sunk by German aircraft during the evacuation operations. Altogether 18,600 men are taken off but casualties and prisoners in the battle for the island amount to another 15,000 from the land forces and 2000 from the navy. About 600 more men will escape later. The largest groups of prisoners are the 5000 men who are captured when the Germans take Sfakia on this day and the garrison of Retimo who do not receive evacuation instructions. The British forces lose three cruisers and six destroyers. In addition two battleships, one carrier and numerous cruisers and destroyers have been damaged. The Germans admit casualties of 7000 from their force — a very high proportion of them deaths. Hitler decides that such large-scale airborne operations should not be repeated even though the result has been a brilliant success.
In Iraq... British forces enter Baghdad. Regent Emir Abdul Illah, the uncle of King Faisal, returns to the country.
In North Africa... Air Marshal Tedder takes command of the RAF forces in the Middle East. The majority of the German 15th Panzer Division has now joined Rommel’s force.
In the North Atlantic... The US Coastguard begins patrol operations off the southern Greenland coast. Only four ships are involved at this stage.
In Britain... It is announced that measures for clothes rationing are being prepared.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/01.htm
June 1st, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: London:
Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Tedder is appointed C-in-C air forces in the Middle East.
People were taken completely by surprise by today’s announcement that clothes are now rationed and that they must give up their margarine coupons to buy them until special ration cards have been printed. Each man, woman or child will be given 66 coupons to last until a year from today.
The number of coupons to be given up varies according to the garment and the consumer; for example a man’s raincoat or overcoat requires 16 coupons, a woman’s 14, and a child’s 11. Men need 13 coupons for a jacket, eight for trousers and five for a waistcoat, so a three-piece suit takes 26. A woman can get a woollen dress for 11 coupons, and one in any other material for a skirt or a skirt for seven, a blouse for five, stockings for two, and shoes or boots for five. Men’s shoes need seven, and a pair of socks three. Even a tie or two handkerchiefs need a coupon. So do two ounces of knitting wool.
Husbands can give up their coupons to their wives (and vice-versa), and both can give them up for their children. Second-hand clothes are unrationed. There was a run on second-hand shops today. None of the traders in Petticoat Lane market were taking coupons.
MALTA: Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Lloyd appointed Air Officer Commanding in succession to Air Commodore F. H. M. Maynard.
CRETE: The British Air Ministry announced:-
After twelve days of the bitterest fighting of the war so far, it has been decided to withdraw our forces from Crete. Although the enemy has suffered massive losses of men and material, we would not in the long term have been able to continue successful troop operations on the island without substantial support from the aerial and naval forces.
Approximately 15,000 British troops have already left Crete and arrived in Egypt. However, it must be mentioned that the battle on Crete has taken a heavy toll of our forces. It is believed in London that General Freyberg has left Crete altogether with our troops. An official report confirms that General Freyberg is still alive.
British Commonwealth losses amount to 1,742 dead and 1,737 wounded, while the German have lost 3,985 dead and missing and 2,131 wounded. The Germans have lost 220 planes to the RAF’s 46. The Royal Navy has taken a severe pounding - three cruisers and six destroyers sunk and 17 ships crippled, with the loss of 2,011 lives.
As the last troops are carried from Crete, cruisers HMS Calcutta and HMS Coventry sail from Alexandria to provide AA cover. HMS Calcutta is struck by two bombs from a Ju. 88 and sinks within a few minutes 100 miles northwest of Alexandria at 31 55N, 28 05E. There are 255 survivors. (Alex Gordon)(108)
Some 15,000 troops are saved but at a cost to the RN of 2,000 men killed. Total warship casualties are
Battleships - 2 badly damaged;
Carriers - 1 badly damaged;
Cruisers - 3 sunk and 5 badly damaged;
Destroyers - 6 sunk and 5 badly damaged.
NORTH AFRICA: The balance of the 15th Panzer Division is now present in North Africa.
IRAQ: British forces enter Baghdad and the king is returned to power when Emir Abdul Illah for King Faisal returns.
U.S.A.: The First Issue of US Technical and Tactical Trends is published. (Bill Howard)
Japanese companies still hold approved licenses to purchase 7.1 million barrels of ordinary petroleum (gasoline) and 21.9 million barrels of crude oil. (Edward S. Miller)
Dallas Morning News headline: Darlan Accuses British of Piracy, Indicates Full Confidence in Axis. (Bernard de Neumann)
New York Times headline: “Darlan Threatens to Resist British — Assailing Bombings, He Says French Will Force Respect — Sfax is Raided Again” While it only includes excerpts of the Darlan’s nearly 2,500 word statement, the article does note Darlan’s anger at British actions against French interests including vessels seized while at sea, supposedly enumerating ships seized that totaled 792,00 tons and worth 120 billion francs. (Daniel Ross)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The US Coast Guard begins patrolling off Greenland with 4 cutters. The U.S. Coast Guard establishes the South Greenland Patrol consisting of the Coast Guard cutters USCGC Modoc (CGC-39) and USCGC Comanche (CGC-57); yard tug USCGC Raritan (CGC-72); along with the U.S. Navy’s unclassified auxiliary vessel USS Bowdoin (IX-50), a schooner. The ships will patrol from Cape Brewster to Cape Farewell to Upernivik. (Jack McKillop)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 640 June 1, 1941
Evacuation of Crete. British cruiser HMS Phoebe, minelayer HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Jackal, Kimberley & Hotspur return safely to Alexandria, Egypt, carrying 3710 troop evacuated from Sphakia. Anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Calcutta and HMS Coventry are sent out from Alexandria to cover their return but HMS Calcutta is bombed and sunk at 9.45 AM (118 killed, 255 survivors picked up by HMS Coventry). 16,511 Allied troops have arrived at Alexandria from Crete, but about 5000 remain on the island. Australian Lieutenant Colonel Theo Walker, whose battalion has been left behind, formally surrenders to the Germans. Allied losses in the battle of Crete are 1736 killed, 1742 wounded, 11835 POWs. German casualties number 4,041 killed, 2,640 wounded, 17 POWs.
Iraq. Having waited several days at RAF Habbaniya, the Regent of Iraq, Amir Abdul Illah, returns to Baghdad to restore the monarchy and a pro-British government.
At 00.52 AM Southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, U-105 sinks SS Scottish Monarch (1 dead, 44 survivors). At 2.09 PM 140 miles off Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-107 sinks British MV Alfred Jones (14 dead, 62 survivors picked up by corvette HMS Marguerite).
These are tragic days for Iraqi Jews:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farhud
http://www.eretzyisroel.org/~jkatz/farhud.html
http://www.bankingonbaghdad.com/archive/hnn20041018Farhud/7773.html
Remember that these are questions from the news. If you haven't read the Times from front to back during the last week you are handicapped. I wonder if folks in 1941 were any better at general knowledge of their time than we are of ours.
Glad to see Singapore is ready for any attack...
From pg. 12:
Now Japan has these courses open to her:
(1) A move against Singapore on the land approach down the Malay Peninsula through the heart of the rich rubber plantations and tin mines . . .
Can't be done. The jungle is impassable for a modern army.
"It takes three years to build a ship; it takes three centuries to build a tradition."
(Churchill, Winston; The Second World War Volume III, "The Grand Alliance", Chapter XVI Crete: The Battle. p.265)
Crete is pretty much wrapped up today. In the end the Germans will have suffered 6,000 casualties, with 2,000 dead compared to the British who had 2,000 men killed and an additional 12,000 taken prisoner.
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