AMERICANS BOMB DEEP IN EUROPE; 2,000 PLANES DOWN 103 OF FOE; M’ARTHUR’S MEN TAKE HOLLANDIA (4/25/44)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 4/25/44 | Drew Middleton, Ralph Parker, Kluckhohn, Tillman Durdin

[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 and the occasional radio broadcast 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
Netherlands New Guinea; Hollandia, 1944 – Invasion of Hollandia, Operations of I Corps (Reckless Task Force)
Eastern Europe, 1941: Russian Leningrad and Ukraine Offensives – Operations, 2 December 1943-30 April 1944
Allied Advance to Volturno River, Reorganization, and Attack on Gustav Line (17 January-11 May 1944)
Anzio-Cassino Area, 1943: Attempts to Cross Rapido and Garigliano Rivers, 17-20 January 1944. Anzio Landing, 22 January 1944. German Counterattack at Anzio, 16-19 February 1944
New Guinea and Alamo Force Operations: Clearing the Huon Peninsula and Securing the Straits, 19 September 1943-26 April 1944
Cartwheel, the Seizure of the Gilberts and Marshalls, and Concurrent Air and Naval Operations, 30 June 1943-26 April 1944
The Western Pacific, New Guinea and the Philippine Islands: Allied Advances to the Marianas, Biak and Noemfoor, 22 April-24 July 1944, and Japanese Kon and “A” Go Operations 30 May-19 June 1944
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941: Original Allied Strategic Concept, May 1943; Situation in Pacific, 1 November 1943
China, 1941: Operation Ichigo, April-December 1944 and Situation 31 December

[Homer_J_Simpson]

The Nimitz Graybook

[Homer_J_Simpson]

V-Mail from Saidor, in New Guinea.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

3-Way Blows in Air (Middleton) – 2-3
Soviet Fliers Sink 7 Nazi Transports (Parker) – 3
Town is Captured (Kluckhohn) – 4-5
New Glider Wave Hits Far in Burma (Durdin) – 5-6
British Ban Travel Abroad to Plug Last Invasion Leak – 6
Air-Borne Troops will Establish Invasion ‘Front’ behind Beaches – 7
War News Summarized – 7
Latest Casualties of Army and Navy – 9-10
Tito Urges Miners to Spike Nazi Ores – 10
U.S. Awards for Valor – 10
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on Fighting in Various Zones – 11-13

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/apr44/25apr44.htm#

Air strikes on British shipping
Tuesday, April 25, 1944 www.onwar.com

In Britain... The Luftwaffe carries out the first of a series of nighttime raids on shipping at Portsmouth and Plymouth-Devonport.

In the English Channel... During the night (April 25-26), the British cruiser Black Prince and 3 Canadian destroyers engage German warships: T-29 is sunk (136 killed), T-24 and T-27 are damaged.

In London... The Chancellor of Exchequer promises tax relief for industry after the war is over.

In New Guinea... Allied forces continue to advance. There are reinforcements landed at Humboldt Bay.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/thismonth/25.htm

April 25th, 1944 (TUESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Knutsford, Cheshire: The controversial Lt-Gen George S. Patton has upset US congressmen by being reported today as telling a British audience that it was the destiny of Britain and the US to rule the world once they had won the war. One congressman described the speech as “barmy”. A version of the speech published in Britain suggests that Patton included the USSR in the “destiny” remarks.
Corvette HMS Farnham Castle launched.

Frigate HMS Loch Eck launched.

Destroyer HMS Whelp commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

GERMANY: U-2502 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)

BLACK SEA: U-18 was attacked in the Black Sea by German aircraft BV 138 and suffered slight damage. (Dave Shirlaw)

CHINA: Japan attacks Loyang, in Honan province.

BURMA: Air Commando Combat Mission N0. 50 3:05 Flight Time Hailakandi, Assam to Hopin, Burma. Bombed Japanese supply dumps.

note: Our crew was now flying with different pilots. Remember Captain Ziegler, a damn fine pilot and good officer. He retired from the AF as a full Colonel. Died several years ago. Also had Major Radovich, (we called him 1,000 pounder Rad) we could only carry three of these as compared to 6- 500 lb. GPs. Rad claimed we got more bang from the big ones. Really wasn’t much around the area that the smaller bombs could not handle, but he was a Major and one does not argue with Majors. Also flew with Captain Sinskie and Captain Merchant. Good pilots. (Chuck Baisden)

Carter Harmon performs the first helicopter evacuation in a combat zone in the highlands of Northern Burma. Picture.

NEW GUINEA: Fresh waves of Allied troops land at Humboldt Bay.

CANADA:
Corvette HMCS Kamloops completed forecastle extension refit Charlottetown.

ASW towing vessel HMCS Lakewood assigned to Esquimalt.

Tug HMCS Glenholme laid down Vancouver, British Columbia. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.A.: The motion picture “Follow the Boys” is released in the U.S. Directed by A. Edward Sutherland, this picture was Universal Studio’s all-star WWII musical comedy and featured Marlene Dietrich, George Raft, Orson Welles, Dinah Shore, W.C. Fields, Jeanette MacDonald, the Andrew Sisters, Sophie Tucker, Nigel Bruce, etc. The paper thin plot has Raft organizing USO shows. (Jack McKillop)

Light cruiser USS Amsterdam launched.
Minesweeper USS Concise commissioned.

Destroyer escort USS Oswald launched.

(Dave Shirlaw)

ICELAND: U-289 landed espionage agents Sverrir Matthiasson and Magnus Guðbjörnsson. (Dave Shirlaw)

[iowamark]

The Chancellor of Exchequer promises tax relief for industry after the war is over.

LOL! That's a good one.

[henkster]

I am very surprised at the report that we are planning paratroop drops behind the invasion beaches. While this tactic is probably assumed by the Germans, the article contains way too much detail in my opinion.

[freefdny]

The amount of information regarding the planned invasion that the Times has recently been publishing is pretty amazing. The British with a variety of travel restrictions around that time also seem to be telling the Germans “here we come”.

[colorado tanker]

The only thing that comes to mind is we may want to encourage the Germans to disburse their troops to defend against airborne invasion as a possible way to thin the lines on the beaches.

[colorado tanker]

Especially considering that Labour intends to try to convert the UK into a socialist paradise after the War.

[fso301]

I am very surprised at the report that we are planning paratroop drops behind the invasion beaches.

I wonder what the German panzer officers reaction was upon learning that our paratroopers were coming with 37 mm anti-tank guns?

[colorado tanker]

I googled the Nazi agents dropped in Iceland but didn’t find anything. I did learn, however, that the U-Boat that dropped them will be sunk in about a month in the Barents.

[BroJoeK]

Homer: "V-Mail from Saidor, in New Guinea."

Please, tell me again, what was his division?
I did not realize how closely it's path paralleled my Dad's 33rd ID.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

32nd Infantry - the Red Arrow Division.

[BroJoeK]

It seems that the 32nd had been in the thick of the fight for some time now (April 1944), while the 33rd is still lollygagging in Hawaii.
Indeed, on arrival at Finschhafen, most of the 33rd will get assigned some inglorious, but safe, duty while the real heavy lifting goes on elsewhere:

So I guess, the odds against a soldier of the 32nd were stacked considerably higher than one of the 33rd.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

It seems that the 32nd had been in the thick of the fight for some time now (April 1944), while the 33rd is still lollygagging in Hawaii.

That depends. The entire division took part in the grueling Buna campaign back in 1942-43, but that was before my father arrived in Australia in April 43. Since then the 32nd has been involved in 2 New Guinea campaigns, but my father's battalion (2nd of the 128th Regimental Combat Team) has been left out of them. The pattern seems to be to let the other RCTs make the landing, clean out the Japanese, set up camp, hang hammocks, that sort of thing. That will change.