Posted on 02/08/2014 5:23:03 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
8 February. Task force headquarters moved to new location on the west bank of the Nankina River.
Major General H.W. Blakeley, USA, Ret., The 32d Infantry Division in World War II
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/feb44/f08feb44.htm
Germans counterattacking Anzio
Tuesday, February 8, 1944 www.onwar.com
Allied column at Anzio under fire from the Germans [photo at link]
In Italy... At the Anzio beachhead, the British 1st Division continues to battle German forces advancing toward Aprilia and “The Factory”.
On the Eastern Front... Soviet forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front capture Nikopol. The German defenders of 6th Army (part of Army Group South) have successfully withdrawn. Nikopol is an important center for the production of manganese.
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/thismonth/08.htm
February 8th, 1944 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Frigate HMS Largo Bay laid down.
Destroyer HMS Camperdown launched.
Frigates HMS Lochy and Hotham commissioned.
Corvette HMCS Arnprior (ex-HMS Rising Castle) launched Belfast, Northern Ireland.
HMCS QuAppelle, a River-class destroyer (ex-HMS Foxhound), Cdr. D.C. Wallace DSC RCNR, was commissioned into the RCN in the UK. Although QuAppelles career in the RCN was somewhat unremarkable, she was very active while she served with the RN. At the outbreak of the war, she was a member of the 8th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet. On 14 Sep 39, she shared in the destruction of the long-range Type IX submarine U-39, KptLt. Gerhard Glates, CO, off the Hebrides. Foxhound and her sisters Faulkenor and Firedrake were screening the fleet carrier Ark Royal, while engaged in ASW operations. U-39 fired two torpedoes at the carrier, which detonated prematurely only 80 meters short of their target. The explosion alerted the escorts to the submarines presence and they eventually located and attacked her, forcing the submarine to the surface where the entire crew safely abandoned the boat before it sank. This was the first U-boat kill of the war. In Apr 40, Foxhound took part in the Second Battle of Narvik. In Nov 40, she was transferred to the famous Force H, based at Gibraltar, and saw extensive service in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. On 18 Jun 41, she shared with four of her F-class sisters in the destruction of the short-range Type II submarine U-138, OLtzS Franz Gramitzky, CO, west of Cadiz. Foxhound was also part of the escort for one of the dangerous Malta Convoys during this period. From Jan 42 to May 43, she served with the Eastern Fleet. On completion of this duty, she was transferred to the West Africa Command, based out of Freetown, Sierra Leone. She returned to the UK in Sep 43 for a much needed refit and was transferred to the RCN immediately afterwards.
GERMANY: U-1016, U-1275 launched.
U.S.S.R.: The Third Ukrainian Front captures Nikopol, a vital centre of manganese production.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Submarine HMS Sportsman torpedoed and sank the German POW Transport Petrella north of Souda Bay (Crete). 2,670 out of 3,173 Italian POWs where killed. German Guards did not open the POW rooms and fired at them while they tried to break out.
ALGERIA: Algiers: Two key agreements between the British government and the French committee of National Liberation were signed at a villa on the outskirts of Algiers today. One provides for mutual assistance in the war effort, free of cost on both sides. The other establishes a common rate of exchange of 200 Francs to the pound in all parts of the French empire. This will make it possible for something like normal trading to be resumed between the French territories.
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Mimico commissioned.
U.S.A.: Jackson, Mississippi: The Royal Netherlands Military Flying School discontinues training at the Jackson Army Air Base.
Submarines USS Pickerel, Grenadier, Grampus, Amberjack laid down.
Destroyer USS Henley laid down.
Destroyer USS Laffey commissioned.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-762 sunk in the North Atlantic, in position 49.02N, 16.58W, by depth charges from sloops HMS Woodpecker and Wild Goose. 51 dead (all hands lost). Left Brest 28 Dec 1943.
At 0145, SS Margit, a straggler from Convoy UR-108 since 7 February due to bad weather, was hit in the stern by one of two torpedoes fired by U-985 SE of Iceland. The ship first sank on even keel, but then settled by the stern and finally capsized. The master, 23 crewmembers and six gunners were lost.
"In January 1944 SS functionary Adolf Eichmann distributed this secret telegram to all heads of the Sicherheitspolizei and Sicherheitsdienst in Brussels, Belgium.
In it he ordered all Argentinean Jews residing in Belgium to the Bergen-Belsen, Germany, concentration camp.
During the war, many Jews were protected by the Argentinean documents they carried.
After the war, many Nazis and some Jewish survivors ended up in Argentina."
I'm sure the relations between them were strained. Interesting to see that the government of Spain, also a fascist state, and home to the Inquisition, is rescuing Jews from the Holocaust.
How on earth did that come about? First, why are Greek Jews under Spanish protection? Then,once transported to Bergen-Belsen, how did they get pulled out? I can understand them having some kind of protection in their home country or in Spain, but once transported I would figure Jews were beyond outside help.
On Feb. 8, 1944, “Tokyo Reply Lays ‘Outrages’ to US.”
And in Feb. 8, 2014, news, Japanese official denies war crimes:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3120699/posts
That’s their story and they are sticking to it.
By the Franco era, the Spanish Inquisition was long gone. As to why the Spanish government was interested in the welfare of Greek Jews, I would guess money was involved.
I read something recently about the Ladino (Spanish-origin) Jewish communities of Greece, but I don’t remember whether it was a book, a magazine article, or something on FR.
In that photo of those captured Goering Division soldiers, a couple of them look downright happy to be prisoners of war. I’m sure they realized being captured by Americans saved their wretched lives from that bat crazy Hitler war.
Historians debate the actual role of Franco and his ministers and their motivation.
Because Franco himself is a highly controversial person, many authors have allowed their assessment oif Franco himself affect their assessment of Spain'spolicie toward Jewish refugees.
Thus available assessments need to be treated with caution.
The consenus of historians suggest that Spain helped save 20,000-35,000 Jews by letting refugees pass through the country.
Anotherv5,000 Jews were saved by Spanish diplomats."
Today's report seems related to those Spanish diplomats.
Mussolini was also reluctant to turn Jews over to the Nazis, although I don’t think he was actively helping them leave Axis territory to Allied or neutral states. Unfortunately for the Italian Jews, eventually the Germans occupied much of Italy.
Franco's ancestors were Marranos, Spanish Jews who converted to Christianity to avoid expulsion. I'm not sure to what exten this was publicized in Spain or even if Hitler knew about it. Nor do we know if it was a factor in his policies toward the Jews.
I would also observe that by this time in the war it was clear Hitler had no resources to punish Spain.
That did become obvious. Surely if Hitler could have done something to Franco, he would have, because Franco was a real pain in the tuchus.
My boss, "Director of Hispanic Ministry," Dona Edra the Spanish Battleaxe, lived in Spain from 1960 to 2000. She thinks Gen. Franco was great.
I’m sure Hitler was nonplussed when after all the aid he gave Franco, Franco said no thanks to joining the war or even giving transit rights to attack Gibraltar.
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