Posted on 02/03/2014 4:14:34 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
3 February. Seven Japanese killed by artillery fire dropped in their midst while digging in the vicinity of Mot. Fifty Japanese dispersed by artillery concentration.
Major General H.W. Blakeley, USA, Ret., The 32d Infantry Division in World War II
Winston S. Churchill, Closing the Ring
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/feb44/f03feb44.htm
Germans attacking Anzio
Thursday, February 3, 1944 www.onwar.com
German reinforcements moving to Anzio [photo at link]
In Italy... At the Anzio beachhead, German forces commanded by General Mackensen begin limited attacks against the British 1st Division salient around Campoleone. To the south, the New Zealand Corps (General Freyberg) joins the US 5th Army order of battle. It is being deployed near Cassino.
In the Marshall Islands... US Task Group 58.4 (Admiral Ginder) raids Eniwetok with its carrier aircraft. In the Kwajalein Atoll, American forces land on Burton Island.
In Moscow... The encirclement of German forces in the Korsun pocket is announced and celebrated.
From Berlin... Hitler orders the troops in the Korsun pocket are not to retreat.
On the Eastern Front... Army Group South (Manstein) assembles an armored force to relieve the Korsun pocket.
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/thismonth/03.htm
February 3rd, 1944 (THURSDAY)
GERMANY:
U-681, U-870 commissioned
U-1051 launched.
ITALY: Anzio: Hitler has ordered that the Anzio beach-head “must be crushed in the blood of British soldiers”. As dusk fell last night those soldiers were suffering a massive artillery barrage as the German Fourteenth Army prepared a full-scale counter-attack on the British salient.
Every German gun was trained on the “thumb” created by the British 1st Division on 30 January in an abortive attempt to reach Campoleone. “Anzio Annie”, a 14-inch railway gun, was used to devastating effect. However, the Germans’ latest secret weapon - “Goliath”, a radio-controlled miniature tank packed with explosive - failed under small-arms fire.
By mid-morning the “thumb” was nearly severed. Over 1,400 men had been lost. The Germans suffered similar losses, but show no sign of letting up. Today the British VI Corps issued verbal orders to beach-head forces to prepare defensive positions.
U.S.S.R.: Moscow: Victory salvoes are crashing out in Moscow as the Russians celebrate victories all along the front. In a special order of the day Stalin has announced the trapping of ten German divisions in the Dniepr Bend in the biggest encirclement since Stalingrad. Meanwhile, in the north, General Govorov’s troops have crossed the Estonian border in their great Leningrad offensive.
INDIAN OCEAN: At 2345, the unescorted Chinese Liberty Ship Chung Cheng was torpedoed by U-188. Due to her cargo of ore she sank so quickly that no lifeboat could be launched. On board were eleven American officers, four Chinese officers, 29 Chinese crewmen and 27 American armed guards. Twenty men, mostly Chinese crewmen were lost. The survivors were picked up after 12 hours by a British freighter and taken to a hospital in Aden.
JAPAN: United States warships shelled Paramushiru Island in the first attack on Japanese home territory.
MARSHALL ISLANDS: Glen Boren notes in his diary:
3 February 1944
The task Force pulled back during the night and we met a tanker for refueling which was completed at about 1400 hrs. As soon as we were up to launch speed, we put up the CAP and ASP. After this was done, we received 4 SB2Cs and 3 TBFs from a CVE. Later when it was time, we put up a relief CAP and proceded to land the ones that had been up. Everything went well until it was time to land Ens. George W. Reeves. He couldn’t get his flaps down. After several waveoffs, he picked out a DD and flew past it and made a water landing forward of it. It might not have been quite the show it was if he had retracted his main gear, but perhaps he couldn’t. That F6F did put on a show. The DD stopped and picked him up and everyone was happy. Scuddlebutt is that we are heading for Majuro.
CANADA:
Corvette HMCS Matapedia completed forecastle extension refit Liverpool, Nova Scotia.
Destroyer HMCS Huron departed Kola Inlet with Convoy RA-56 for Loch Ewe.
NEWFOUNDLAND: Tug HMCS Radville assigned to St John’s.
U.S.A.:
Escort carrier USS Savo Island commissioned.
Minesweeper USS Triumph commissioned.
Destroyer escort USS Roy O Hale commissioned.
Frigate USS Hutchinson commissioned.
Submarine USS Entemedor laid down.
2 billion pounds = 1 million tons.
Today (2013) the US (#4) produces approx. 2 million tons of aluminum per year, out of the world's total 44 million tons.
China (#1), Russia (#2) & Canada (#3) combined produce 25 million tons.
Bauxite is aluminum's raw material, and curiously, the US produces almost none of our own bauxite -- doubtless the "why?" is economics not lack of natural resources.
The world's major bauxite producers today are Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, China, Jamaica & Russia.
Total bauxite production is 213 million tons per year.
In Europe, the only major bauxite producing areas are Greece and the old Yugoslavia.
Sort of explains Hitler's interest in that area...
Point is: in 1944 two or three million tons of aluminum were considered adequate to overwhelm axis powers with our military might.
Today the world produces 44 million tons per year, of which the US two million tons is a mere drop in the bucket.
It's a different world now...
"Never. We will not have any question of any failure.
If there is any question we will not start..."
Montgomery failed to mention that this rule will be excepted whenever the mission involves certain bridges to a market-garden in the Netherlands...
“Wilkie for Higher Taxes”
RINOs never change. Tax collectors for the welfare state or whatever is going on.
My brother-in-law has been employed in the aluminum industry many years, working at Alcan in Terre Haute IN and for the past 20 years at Alcoa in Port Lavaca Texas. The Port Lavaca plant gets processes bauxite into alumina, mostly obtained from West Africa. The plant has had a number of labor disputes over the past few years, so I wonder if Alcoa can’t wait...to open a new processing plant just south of the Rio Grande.
Charles Corlett commands US 7th Division on Kwajalein. He will be a handful of American generals who do “double duty” in both the Pacific and European Theaters. In April, he will be shipped to Europe where he will command XIX Corps in the breakout from Normandy and finally into Germany.
The other two commanders who will serve as division commanders in the Pacific and higher command in Europe are Alexander Patch (Americal Division/7th Army) and “Lightning Joe” Collins (25th Infantry/VII Corps).
I spent a few years on Roi-Namur. Nice islands. Real nice.
Time for things to start to go awry.
Looks like the front page has recognized the advances being made in the Pacific after concentrating on Russia for so long.
I see what you did there.
I was wondering if anyone would get that....
Looks like Luckman managed to stay in the states and didn’t even miss games while in the Merchant Marines.
In 1943, as soon as the season had ended, Luckman volunteered as an ensign with the U. S. Merchant Marine. He was stationed stateside and while he could not practice with the team, he did receive permission to play for the Bears on game days during the following seasons. He returned again to the Bears, as a full-time occupation, in 1946 and led them to a fifth NFL championship.
Nice duty.
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