OUR SOLDIERS WILL LAND IN FRANCE, MARSHALL TELLS WEST POINT CLASS (5/30/42)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 5/30/42 | Hugh O’Connor, Robert P. Post, Daniel T. Brigham, George Gallup

[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
Southwest Russia, 1942: German Summer Offensive, Operations, 7 May-23 July 1942
North Africa, 1940: Rommel’s Second Offensive, 21 January-7 July 1942

[Homer_J_Simpson]

OUR SOLDIERS WILL LAND IN FRANCE, MARSHALL TALLS WEST POINT CLASS

Nice going, George. Now the whole world knows the secret plan.

Cadets Cheer Him (by Hugh O’Connor, first-time contributor) – 2
Gen. Marshall’s West Point Address – 4
Desert War Rages (Post) – 5-6
Heydrich is Expected to Die; Nazis Slay 12 More Czechs (Brigham) – 6
New Russian Gains Made at Kharkov – 7
War News Summarized – 7
Peace Bid to Finns Urged by Leaders (Gallup) – 8
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 10-11

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1942/may42/f30may42.htm

British thousand plane raid on Cologne
Saturday, May 30, 1942 www.onwar.com

British bombing damage at Cologne [photo at link]

In Germany... The first 1000 bomber raid. British Bomber Command sends just under 1,000 planes to bomb the German city of Cologne. Causalities from the raid include only 40 British bombers while 45,000 Germans are rendered homeless. This is the first attempt at mass bombing by Bomber Command.

In North Africa... Rommel strategically withdraws his panzers into a tight defensive arc, his rear borders a mine field. These actions place the battle in the “Cauldron”. While hold his position, Rommel’s forces repel the main British attacks and secure the supply lines threatened by the British 150th Brigade.

At Hawaii... Four Japanese submarines arrive too late to intercept the American task forces destined for Midway.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/frame.htm

May 30th, 1942

UNITED KINGDOM: During conferences with RAF Air Chief Marshall Sir Charles F Portal, Lieutenant General Henry H “Hap” Arnold, Commanding General USAAF, presents “Programme of Arrival of US Army Air Forces in the United Kingdom” providing for 66 combat groups, exclusive of observation squadrons, by March 1943. (Jack McKillop)
Escort carrier HMS Activity launched.

Corvette HMS Balsam launched.
AA cruiser HMS Royalist launched.

Frigate HMS Test launched.

(Dave Shirlaw)

BELGIUM: F/O Leslie Thomas Manser (b.1922), of No. 50 Squadron flew his badly-shot-up Avro Manchester bomber as far as he could from Germany before telling his crew to bale out; he went down with his plane. (Victoria Cross)(22)

GERMANY:
U-743 laid down.

U-759 launched.

U-445 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

ARCTIC OCEAN: Three Russian destroyers joined up with convoy, PQ-16 today to help escort it through the last stage of what has been the most hazardous Arctic journey so far.

The convoy - with 35 ships - the biggest yet on this run, set sail on 21 May for Murmansk and Archangel. For the last three days it has been hammered by no fewer than 260 German aircraft.

The convoy was joined on 25 May by a force of four British cruisers, HMS Norfolk, HMS NIGERIA, HMS KENT and HMS LIVERPOOL, for the earliest part of its journey. The cruisers left early on 27 May, before the main attacks, led by Heinkel He-111 torpedo-bombers and Junkers JU87 dive-bombers, began. Only one ship has been sunk by U-boat, but six have succumbed to air attack.

At this time of year there is virtually 24-hour daylight in the Arctic, and there has been no respite from the devastating air attack for 72 hours. Nevertheless, 93,000 tons of new war material have been delivered to the USSR, including 320 tanks, 125 aircraft and 2,500 military vehicles.
NORTH AFRICA: Rommel pulls his panzers into a tight defensive position that becomes known as the “Cauldron”, a small area between Sidra and Aslagh, and continues to fight.

INDIAN OCEAN: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-10 launches a Yokosuka E14Y1, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane, Allied Code Name “Glen,” to fly a reconnaissance mission over Diego Suarez, Madagascar. (Jack McKillop)

The Harbor of Diego Suarez: Nightfall on with the sky clear, bright and a full moon. Some reports suggest that the midget submarine from I-16 was unsuccessful in getting into the harbour. This statement is not supported by eyewitness reports from crewmembers on both the British Loyalty and HMS Ramillies. Both reported seeing the conning towers of two small submarines in the harbour around the time of the attack. The midget submarine from I-20 was definitely in the harbour and at 2025 hours started a torpedo attack. It almost immediately scored a hit on HMS Ramillies, which blasted a 30ft by 30ft hole in her port bulge.

It caused severe flooding to a number of decks as well as power and communication failures within the vessel. In spite of HMS Ramillies’ severe damage there were no fatalities on board and injuries were limited to one broken arm and some bumps, bruising and concussion. The torpedo had passed very close to the stern of the tanker British Loyalty on its path to the Ramillies.

Having witnessed the attack on the Ramillies, the Master of the British Loyalty ordered her crew to get all the boats out and heave up the anchor. He then rang the Engine Room Telegraph signalling “standby”. It was now nearly an hour since the first attack and the Loyalty was just beginning to move aft, away from her original forward anchor point.

Signalman Harry Barnet was watching from the deck of HMS Ramillies and was horrified to see the track of a second torpedo, which appeared to be

heading directly towards his ship. As he looked out he could see British Loyalty, just underway, going astern and directly into the torpedo’s path. It was now 2120 hours and the tanker was hit in the after part of the engine room and caught the full blast of the weapon that had been intended for the Battleship. The crew on the midget from I-20 had fired their second torpedo.

The stern of British Loyalty began to sink rapidly and her Master, R. Wastell, gave the order to “Abandon Ship”. If this second torpedo had hit the already badly damaged Ramillies, this elderly battleship would have certainly sunk.

Nearly all the Ramillies’ crew were engaged in stemming the flow of water through the damaged hull and pumping out the flooded decks.

They also had the delicate task of removing bombs, shells and bullets from the flooded ammunition stores.

In the meantime the British Loyalty had sunk to the bottom of the harbour in around 67 feet of water with only part of her funnel visible above the surface. Her stern was now firmly embedded in the harbour mud.

After the attack, the two-man crew of the midget submarine from I-20 attempted to leave the harbour, but in their haste and due to defective steering, grounded the midget on a reef. They abandoned their craft, swam ashore and started to walk across the barren countryside of Northern Madagascar in an attempt to reach the agreed rendezvous point with their mother submarine I-20 near the thickly wooded hills of Cape Amber. They also knew I-20 would wait for two days at the pick up point before finally departing. (Denis Peck)

JAPAN: A Japanese task force consisting of two light aircraft carriers and two troop transports departs northern Honshu Island for the Aleutian Islands. (Jack McKillop)

TERRITORY OF HAWAII: U.S. Navy Task Force 17, consisting of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), departs Pearl Harbor to join Task Force 16 northeast of Midway Island. The Yorktown Air Group consists of Bombing Squadron Three (VB-3) with Douglas SBD Dauntlesses, VB-5 with SBDs, Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3) with Grumman F4F Wildcats, and Torpedo Squadron Three (VT-3) with Douglas TBD Devastators.

The USAAF’s 7th Air Force in the Territory of Hawaii dispatches six B-17 Flying Fortresses to Midway Island to reinforce the fifteen that are already there. (Jack McKillop)

CANADA:
Corvette HMCS Brantford arrived Halifax from builder Montreal, Province of Quebec.

Minesweeper HMCS Noranda arrived Halifax from builder Quebec City, Province of Quebec.

U.S.A.: Fred T. Korematsu, a welder from Oakland, California, is jailed in San Leandro for refusing to join family members who had reported to a nearby racetrack that is being used as a temporary detention centre. He will later take the United States’ government to court over internment of Americans of Japanese descent.

Submarine USS Runner launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: An unarmed U.S. merchant freighter is sunk by the submarine U-404. (Jack McKillop)

At 0651, the unescorted Baghdad was hit by a torpedo from U-155, the gun fell over and eight men were killed and several badly injured. Shortly after two lifeboats had been lowered, another torpedo hit in the middle of the ship and she sank within minutes east of Martinique. One of the injured men died later in a lifeboat.

At 1024, lookouts on the unarmed and unescorted Alcoa Shipper spotted the U-404 surfacing about 500 miles east of Cape Charles, Virginia. Despite using two different zigzag patterns, just then one torpedo struck the starboard side at the fireroom and caused the boiler to explode. The vessel immediately stopped and settled within five minutes, so fast that the two lifeboats being launched became fouled and went down with the ship. Three men were killed on the watch below and four others drowned. 25 out of a total crew of eight officers and 24 crewmen abandoned ship on three rafts that released themselves. The U-boat approached the survivors; the Germans questioned them and then gave several bottles of rum, cigarettes and a pair of dungarees for a man who had escaped with little clothing. 56 hours later five officers and 20 men were picked up by the Norwegian SS Margrethe Bakke and landed in New York on 3 June.

The Canadian Markland Shipping coastal freighter Liverpool Packet (1,188 GRT), Captain N.E. Smith, Master, was torpedoed and sunk west of Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia, in position 43.20N, 066.20W, by U-432, OLtzS. Heinz-Otto Schultze, Knight’s Cross, CO. Two men were lost from her crew of twenty-three men. Liverpool Packet was proceeding alone from New York City for Newfoundland with a cargo of ‘US Government supplies’ when she was torpedoed. The ship broke in two and sank quickly. The crew was questioned about their cargo and destination by the bridge staff of U-432, which derisively sang ‘There’ll Always Be An England’ as they departed. The survivors rowed to Cape Sable Island, where they were rescued. (Dave Shirlaw)

[iowamark]

Reporter Hugh O’Connor was the uncle of actor Carroll O’Connor.

[fella]

I’d like to know more about The Madaline Webb murder case.

[sayuncledave]

Awesome post, as always. I’ve been meaning to mention this: one of the posters at archive.org has collected and posted news broadcasts, primarily from MBS and CBS, organized by year. So one can listen to, say, 1941 or 1942, as a year’s worth of news, to go along with these great posts. Here’s a link to the group from 1942: http://archive.org/details/1942RadioNews

At the moment, I have 1940 and 1941 on my mp3 player. He’s gotten through 1947, from 1938, so far. Just thought I’d mention it, anyway. And say thanks, again, for these cool posts.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Thanks, S.U.D. I think this is where CougarGA7 gets the broadcasts he posts. I believe I shall now preview the June 1 selection.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Ask and ye shall receive...

http://www.pulpinternational.com/pulp/entry/Vintage-cover-of-True-Detective-from-August-1942.html

[PzLdr]

If they think PQ 16 is “the most hazardous Arctic journey so far”, they ain’t seen nothing yet. And they won’t have long to wait.

[C19fan]

Did Stalin employ Baghdad Bob? I wonder when Stalin will reveal the truth that the Red Army just got annihilated at Kharkov. Great news for the Allies that Hitler has assumed command.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Did Stalin employ Baghdad Bob?

He doesn't need Bob as long as he has Moscow Ralph spouting the Party line.

I notice a strong disconnect between the Soviet and German communiques. Somebody isn't telling the troof.

[Western Phil]

“OUR SOLDIERS WILL LAND IN FRANCE, MARSHALL TALLS WEST POINT CLASS

Nice going, George. Now the whole world knows the secret plan.”

I think it was Albert Speer who was concerned that the Allies would bomb the Rhine bridges and invade Germany from the more or less undefended north while the German Army was defending the French coast. It probably would have taken Gen. MacArthur to think of and implement this (as demonstrated by later actions in Korea.) Conventional thought seemed to favor direct frontal assault. As things turned out, the Germans got another two years to build the French Coast defenses.

[fella]

Thanx. Sounds like a movie.

[CougarGA7]

It is, but I didn’t have this particular page. All I had was the WWII News links. So I didn’t have anything for today’s date. The next broadcast I had listed were two very interesting posts for June 4th.

[CougarGA7]

• Harris stages the largest air attack on Germany yet when he enlists the help of the Coastal Command to embark on a 1046 bomber raid on the city of Cologne inflicting major damage.

• Yamamoto and Kondo forces run into extensive fog in the Central Pacific. The weather turns so bad that Yamamoto orders his force to cut speed to 14 knots and discontinue zigzagging.

• The Japanese Transport Group is spotted by an American submarine.

• I-123 reaches French Frigate Shoals only to find two American ships at anchor there. Operation "K", the planned reconnaissance of Pearl Harbor for ship dispositions is postponed 24 hours in hopes that these ships will depart and the Shoals can still be used as a refueling point for the Japanese flying boats. After 24 hours Operation "K" will be cancelled entirely.

• The Yorktown, after going through a miraculous 72 hours of repairs at Pearl Harbor sorties with two heavy cruisers and six destroyers as Task Force 17. Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher commands the task force and is racing to catch up with the Hornet and Enterprise.

[BroJoeK]

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May 30, 1942:

• "Britain's first 1,000-bomber raid on Germany (the target is Cologne) encourages Jews to hope that the war might soon be over."

"In 1941 local Lithuanians and Germans carried out murderous campaigns against the Jews of Kovno.
In contrast, 1942 was relatively quiet in Kovno.
Although the Jews were deprived of adequate food supplies and were subjected to life in a ghetto, the Jewish Council operated a medical clinic, a soup kitchen, and a school.
The council even managed to stage concerts and other cultural events."

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