Posted on 01/29/2012 6:08:22 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Liner Hit by U-Boat – 2-3
The War Summarized – 3
Malaya Line Sags – 4-5
U.S. Fliers Fell 7 in Burma Air Fight – 5-6
Germans’ Libyan Drive Checked as R.A.F. Exacts Increasing Toll (Levy) – 6-7
U.S. Units in Hawaii Improvise Defense (Hailey) – 7-8
Pearl Harbor’s Lessons (Baldwin) – 11
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on Fighting in Various Zones – 12-13
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1942/jan42/f29jan42.htm
German Afrika Korps capture Benghazi
Thursday, January 29, 1942 www.onwar.com
Afrika Korps half-track moving through desertIn North Africa... Rommel’s forces retake Benghazi and continue to advance.
In Iran... a treaty of alliance is signed with Britain and the USSR, opening the supply route for Allied forces through Iran.
From Washington... General Harmon becomes Chief of Staff, USAAF, succeeding General Spaatz, who is moved to Air Force Combat Command.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/29.htm
January 29th, 1942
UNITED KINGDOM: London: By 464 votes to one the House of Commons today promised “support to the utmost in the vigorous prosecution of the war.” This vote of confidence in the government came at the end of a debate lasting 19 hours. It was spread over three days because MPs disperse from Westminster before it gets dark.
The only opposition registered was by three Independent Labour Party members - two as tellers and James Maxton as the lone voter. Over 100 MPs were absent - most on military duties. Mr Churchill announced that he will establish a ministry of production. He was grinning broadly as he left the House after the huge vote.
London: The BBC broadcasts the first edition of Desert Island Discs, presented by Roy Plomley.
Submarine HMS Unbroken commissioned.
Destroyer HS Themistocles (ex-HMS Bramham) launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: Hitler orders that all methods should be used to bring forced labourers from occupied territories to work for Germany.
U-614, U-613 launched.
U-607 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.S.R.: On the central front, the Soviet Army continues to deepen its salient southwest of Kaluga and the Soviets report the capture of Sukhinichi. (Jack McKillop)
Soviet submarine V-2 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
LIBYA: Rommels Axis forces enter Benghazi and capture 1,300 trucks. The Axis main force remains in the Msus area, but elements pursue the Indian 4th Division of the British Eighth Army as it falls back slowly toward the Derna Line.
British commanders in the North African war are facing a new threat - a growing myth among the British troops that “good old Rommel” is invincible.
In a directive issued to senior officers, General Auchinleck has praised his opponent as “very energetic and able”. But he continues: “There is a real danger that Rommel is becoming a kind of magician or bogeyman to our troops ... I wish you to dispel by all possible means the idea that Rommel represents something more than an ordinary German general.”
IRAN: Tehran: Britain and the USSR, whose forces occupied strategic areas of Iran in a joint operation last August, today signed a treaty of alliance with the young Shah. Under the terms of the treaty British and Russian troops may remain in Iran until six months after the end of the war.
The Allies undertake to respect Iran’s territorial intergrity, sovereignty and political independence, and to defend the country from all aggression.
In return, the Shah, who succeeded to the “Peacock Throne” after his pro-Nazi father was deposed, promises “not to adopt in his relations with foreign countries an attitude which is inconsistent with the alliance.”
The Persian Corridor is to become the principal route for movement of supplies to the USSR. The alliance started off shakily: the Soviets bought up most of Iran’s grain harvest, which caused a bread shortage and riots in the streets. Allied troops put the rebellion down, and the United States shipped in grain to compensate for the losses. The Soviet Union then attempted to agitate for the overthrow of the shah by supporting the Tudeh (Farsi for “masses”) party, which the Soviets believed would be more generous in oil concessions. Tudeh forces did manage temporarily to take over northern Iran in December 1944. (Jack McKillop)
JAPAN: Imperial General Headquarters orders the Navy to secure Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea and then Tulagi, Solomon Islands. The Army and Navy are ordered to combine their efforts and seize Port Moresby, New Guinea. (Jack McKillop)
MALAYA: The withdrawal towards Singapore Island continues. West Force is ordered to accelerate its withdrawal by one day. Major Angus Rose of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders tries to set up a strongpoint on a golf course; the club secretary says, “Nothing can be done until we’ve called a meeting of the committee.” Additional elements of the British 18th Division arrive at Singapore; two of the ships that transported the troops are the USN transports, USS Wakefield (AP-21, ex-SS Manhattan) and USS West Point (AP-23, ex-SS America); also, a squad of obsolete light tanks arrives from India, the only tanks to reach Malaya. (Jack McKillop)
Four USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, striking out of Palembang, Sumatra, attack Kuantan Airfield scoring numerous hits on runways and hangars. (Jack McKillop)
NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: The Japanese land at Badoeng Island and Mampawan on Celebes Island. (Jack McKillop)
An estimated five Japanese warships and seventeen transports, with five unidentified vessels, are reported to be approaching Ambon Island by RAAF airmen. On Dutch orders Australian engineers destroy naval oil reserves, bomb dumps, hangers and other equipment at Laha, and attempt to make the airfield unusable. Ships are sighted before dusk off the coast of Laitimor Peninsula.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: On Bataan, the II Corps withstands further efforts of the Japanese to breach the main line of resistance. In the I Corps area, troops of 1st and 11th Divisions, Philippine Army (PA), operate against the Little and Big Pockets, respectively, in an effort to determine their strength and disposition, and evoke sharp opposition. Scouts of 1st Battalion, 45th Infantry, Philippine Scouts (PS), prepare to assist the 11th Division in an attack on Big Pocket. In the South Sector, after a half-hour artillery preparation augmented by fire of the minesweeper USS Quail (AM-15), the 2d Battalion of the 57th Infantry, PS, attacks and clears Longoskawayan Point; enemy remnants are being mopped up. The 3d Battalion of 45th Infantry, PS, continues to make slow and costly progress at Canaan Point. In the Anniston-Psyllium sector, scouts of 2d Battalion, 45th Infantry, PS, prepare for an attack and are reinforced by 1st Battalion of the Philippine Constabulary and 1st Battalion of the 12th Infantry, PA, both of these having been relieved at Canaan Point. Company A of the 57th Infantry, PS, is to guard West Road. (Jack McKillop)
BORNEO: The Japanese occupy Pontianak, on the west coast of Dutch Borneo site of a Dutch Naval Air Station. (Jack McKillop)
BURMA: Pilots of the 1st and 2d Fighter Squadrons, American Volunteer Group (AVG, aka, “The Flying Tigers”), shoot down 12 Nakajima Ki-27, Army Type 97 Fighters (later given the Allied Code Name “Nate”) near Rangoon during the afternoon. (Jack McKillop)
David “Tex” Hill, Robert Sandell and Frank Lawlor of the AVG become an aces in this action. (Skip Guidry)
FIJI: The USAAF 70th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) arrives at Suva on Viti Levu Island from the U.S. with 25 crated P-39s Airacobras. (Jack McKillop)
TERRITORY OF HAWAII: At Hickam Field, the USAAF Hawaiian Air Force inactivates the 18th Bombardment Wing and activates the VII Bomber Command; the new command will control all bomber units.
AUSTRALIA: The government establishes the Manpower Directorate to ensure the organization of all citizens, “in the best possible way to meet” all defence requirements and the essential needs of a community who overriding purpose, “for the duration,” of the war. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.A.: The Combined Chiefs of Staff establish the ANZAC Area, covering ocean expanses between Australia, New Zealand, and the French territory of New Caledonia in the New Hebrides Islands. This area is to be under U.S. naval command. (Jack McKillop)
Five-inch (12.7 cm) projectiles containing radio-proximity fuzes are test fired at the Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren, Virginia, and 52 percent of the fuzes functioned satisfactorily by proximity to water at the end of a 5-mile (8 kilometer) trajectory. This performance, obtained with samples selected to simulate a production lot, confirmed that the radio proximity fuze would greatly increase the effectiveness of anti-aircraft batteries and led to immediate small scale production of the fuze. (Jack McKillop)
ECUADOR: The government breaks diplomatic relations with Germany, Italy and Japan. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: During bad weather in the North Atlantic, a lookout on U-591 broke his arm.
Minesweeping trawler HMS Sotra exploded and sank after torpedoing by U-431 at 32.07N, 25.30E - Grid CO 6795. (Dave Shirlaw)
ICELAND: US Coast Guard gunboat USCGC Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34) is torpedoed by German submarine U-132 at 1312 hours local 20 miles (32 kilometres) west of Reykjavik, Iceland, while escorting convoy HX-170. One torpedo, of a four-torpedo spread, smashed into the ship’s starboard side, directly abeam of the stack. It hit the fireroom bulkhead and flooded the two largest compartments of the ship, blew up two boilers, exploded directly under the main electrical switchboard, demolished the starboard turbines and flooded the auxiliary engine room, and wrecked the auxiliary radio generator and emergency diesel generator as well. The blast also destroyed three of the ships seven boats. The interior of the ship was plunged into darkness—no heat, steam, nor electricity remained. As the ship settled by the stern, it is abandoned. Later, a tug attempts to take her to port but high seas prevent this.
At 1645, the ship was abandoned; the survivors were picked up by Icelandic fishing trawlers and were taken to Reykjavik. The British tugs Restive and Frisky and the USCGC Redwing tried two times to salvage Alexander Hamilton with no success in the heavy seas. Destroyers USS Ericsson and Livermore and the seaplane tender USS Belknap screened the salvage operation. At 1315 on 30 January, Frisky took the ship in tow, but at 2028 hours she suddenly capsized. Ericsson then fired three rounds into the hull and left. As the cutter was reported still afloat in the evening, the destroyer returned to the scene, but found only an oil slick. One day earlier the store ship USS Yukon suffered an engine failure and was floating helpless in the sea. The cutter arrived and took the ship in tow, while destroyer USS Gwin escorted the little convoy toward Reykjavik. Alexander Hamilton cast the towline and proceeded slowly ahead.
"Only one person, 19-year-old David Stoliar, survived the sinking of the Struma.
Like other men living in Bucharest, Romania, Stoliar had been compelled to perform forced labor.
Fearing for his son's well-being, his father bribed the authorities and bought him a ticket for the Struma in the hope that he would reach safety in Palestine.
Hit by a torpedo, the ship sank before rescuers could reach it.
Stoliar was rescued by Turks from a lighthouse, and after his recovery was granted an immigration visa by the British."
As of January 29, the Struma is still in port in Istanbul, Turkey, its engine not working and its passengers' fates under negotiation.
On February 23 Struma will be towed into the Bosphorous, where it will be sunk by the Soviet submarine SC-213 on February 24.
Hanson W. Baldwin’s column in today’s post goes to the heart of the matter you two have been batting back and forth. Baldwin certainly didn’t have the knowledge about code breaking activity going on behind the scenes like we do today, but seems to have absorbed the information set forth in the Roberts report and reached some sound conclusions about the big picture of responsibility. Though he does appear shy of assigning any blame to the Commander-in-Chief. Come to think of it I haven’t seen any hint in the pages of the Times that FDR might be culpable, even indirectly.
Interesting mention about manpower shortages in the reich. Failed strategies always have serious consequences.
The article about the African tribesman not being able to comprehend Vichy is great. The more I learn about it the less I too am able to comprehend what went on with that collaborating government.
They were the on-scene commanders and they failed - and as this article details, they accepted that judgement.
Quod Erat Demonstrandum.
As far as it goes, Baldwin's article expresses my opinions almost perfectly.
I would draw your attention to the following from Baldwin:
"But neither Washington nor the nation can escape some share of the blame...The War and Navy Departments showed, according to the Roberts report, looseness of thinking.
The tenor of the messages to Hawaii seemed in general to be: Be careful; look out, but don't hit the enemy first."
In fact, the "tenor" was even "looser" than that.
Commanders in Hawaii were also instructed not to alarm the civilians, and to prepare for possible sabotage by Japanese nationals in Hawaii.
In short, they were grossly misdirected.
Now, the key fact to understand is that these instructions came directly from President Franklin Roosevelt.
No one else can share responsibility for that.
Horsehocky. Whatever part FDR or his circle played in things, the military commanders on scene had the direct responsibilty for all aspects of preparation and defense, period. They knew it and ackowledged it and if you have any integrity, so should you.
The culpability of FDR and the military chiefs in Washington is a separate subject.
It is the only subject we've been discussing.
Deal with it.
Well, aren't you the cranky old historian? That may well be what you've thought we were discussing but we were discussing the deserved disposition of Admiral Kimmel and General Short...Possibly you slept through the last several posts?
Recommend that you write the book if you feel you have enough to run FDR up the flagpole - but I wouldn't waste much time on a chapter entitled "Kimmel and Short were right", because they weren't and they knew it.
Discourtesy is a sure sign that you're losing the argument.
As is your dishonesty in mischaracterizing my views and changing the subject.
Regardless of their command responsibility -- which I have never denied -- the fact remains that, unlike MacArthur in the Philippines, Kimmel and Short were not adequately warned, and indeed the warnings they received misdirected them.
How and why that happened is the matter of historical debate -- not Kimmel's & Shorts' command responsibilities.
Because of it, as early as January 1942, analysts like Hanson Baldwin were writing:
Many suspect it was far worse than "loose thinking".
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.