Posted on 11/24/2014 4:15:24 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Dutch Hunger Strike Looms
Sometimes I wonder about my people. They are starving so the solution is to go on a hunger strike.
On the other hand, Patton is at the edge of the Saar, smaller than the Ruhr, but still an important industrial district. Bradley also needs Patton to take the Saar to protect his flank as 1st and 9th Armies attack the Ruhr, the taking of which would end Germany's ability to wage war in the long term.
Ike and Marshall held firm to go with Devers' invasion of the South of France when Churchill pulled out all the stops to try to persuade Roosevelt to keep those troops in Italy to pursue his dream of running forces up the Ljubljana Gap into Austria and Hungary.
So, I don't think it was entirely personalities, but it's pretty clear these guys rubbed each other the wrong way.
Thanks for illuminating these command decisions by Eisenhower. I remember him as President, but I’m too young to remember his previous career running the Allies’ European Theater. I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge.
Saipan Base once held “Impossible”
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Building_Bases/bases-28.html
An interesting relationship between Iwo Jima and the B-29’s at Saipan. In fact Nimitz made an order today the 24th to focus on Iwo Jima to protect the B-29’s.
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Ops-XIV/USN-XIV-1.html
The first B-29 from the United States landed on Saipan on 12 October, and by the end of November there were enough to launch the first strike against Japan.12 Before that happened the Japanese, realizing what they were in for, counterattacked the Saipan fields twice, and ineffectively; but after the first B-29 raid against the Japanese homeland, on 24 November, they hit back hard. Early on the 27th, as the Superforts were loading bombs for a second strike, two twin-engined Japanese bombers came in low, destroyed on B-29 and damaged eleven others. Around noon the same day 10 to 15 single-engined fighters evaded the radar screen, destroyed three more B-29s and severely damaged two. These raids, which continued intermittently until 2 January, succeeded in damaging six and destroying eleven B-29s.
Since the loss of a B-29 was serious, strenuous efforts were made to intercept or stop these raids. Vice Admiral John H. Hoover, Commander Forward Area, stationed two destroyers 100 miles northwest of Saipan as early warning pickets. They detected some raids, but not all. Since it was rightly suspected that the Japanese bombers staged through Iwo Jima, Admiral Nimitz gave that island top priority on 24 November. He ordered the curtailment of VII A.A.F. strikes on bypassed islands and shipping in order to concentrate a joint aerial bombing and naval bombardment on Iwo, 8 December.
(From page 10 NYT) - What heroism from a twenty-year-old girl. What a moving story of selfless sacrifice and honor.
Interesting clip about Patton’s press policy and his crediting that policy to helping in the fall of Metz.
I’ve been part of the same discussion regarding Devers’ options on another forum. On the one hand, I agree that crossing the upper Rhine near Strasburg was sort of a dead-end. On the other hand, if there’s nobody home over there, go get yourself a brideghead. If nothing else the Germans will freak out and waste resources trying to bottle it up or eliminate it.
Elsewhere in that chapter, Devers argues with Ike about having 3rd Army transferred to him, and leaving Bradley with 1st and 9th Armies. I’ve often seen the logic of this arrangement, as it’s pretty clear that Patch and Patton are not making coordinated efforts because of the chain of command. Also, the Ardennes naturally splits the front and there should be unified commands on both sides.
But it was pretty clear that in the sibling rivalry between Bradley and Devers, Bradley was the favorite son and would win out every time.
I personally think Ike was a better general than he was a President. Under his watch, taxes were over 90% in some cases.
It appears to me that Devers wanted to cross the Rhine with his group and not just aid Patton in his crossing the Rhine. Plus, I think Devers saw himself as in charge of more of the war fighting than Patton. All 3 of the Generals involved in the arguments should have had better soft interpersonal skills. In some situations it is good to be able to yell and jump up and down on your desk to get things done, but those times are for your lower ranks than you. I certainly set lower ranks straight when I was in the Army. I just don’t think the argument was do to jealousy of Ike.
LOL! A good way to put it.
Any idea what Patton thought about a transfer between Army Groups? I can see the logic.
Would Patton's logistics problems have been eased? I suppose that is academic now that the Scheldte is finally open.
Just a comment about Churchill wanting to cancel Anvil. As we all await what is coming in December, Ike would have been in a huge bind if 6th Army Group were not on the line in France.
Cigarettes smoked in 1944 was grown in 1941. Who knew there was a tobacco reserve
http://columbiadailyherald.com/digest/herald-yesteryear/herald-yesteryear-nov-9-1944
CIGARETTE SHORTAGE MAY GO 3 YEARSWASHINGTON — Cigarette smokers, now feeling the impact of reduced crops over the past few years, may be up against a continued shortage for two, and possible three years, it was learned today.Cigarettes now on the market, according to the Department of Agriculture, were made for the most part from tobacco grown in 1941, and the improved crop for 1944 will not be available in the form of cigarette until 1947. Tobacco reserves have been cut to 48 per cent of the 1939 total as a result of heavy withdrawals from stocks to ease the present shortage.The average yearly production of tobacco from 1940 through 1943, the department said, was 752,400,000 pounds, compared with an average of 835,900,000 pounds in the years 1935 through 1939.The department discredited reports that more cigarette are being sent abroad as a cause of the shortage, which is becoming more and more acute. A spokesman reminded that soldiers always smoked, even as civilians, and that the United States has always been a big exporter of tobacco.Today in History: Nov. 10,...Today in History: Nov. 7, 2014 - See more at: http://columbiadailyherald.com/digest/herald-yesteryear/herald-yesteryear-nov-9-1944#sthash.sVUEGIht.dpuf
A little war time smoking history. Note the one in 1945 in Germany.
http://archive.tobacco.org/resources/history/Tobacco_History20-1.html
•1942: GERMANY: The Federation of German Women launch a campaign against tobacco and alcohol abuse; restaurants and cafes are forbidden to sell cigarettes to women customers.
•1942: ADVERTISING: Brown and Williamson claims that Kools would keep the head clear and/or give extra protection against colds.
•1942: BUSINESS: “Lucky Strike Green Has Gone to War.” Lucky Strike’s green/gold pack turns all-white, with a red bull’s eye. The war effort needed titanium, contained in Lucky’s green ink, and bronze, contained in the gold. ATC took this opportunity to change the color of the pack—hated by women because it clashed with their dresses—to white. Ad campaign coincides with US invasion of North Africa. Sales increase 38%.
•1942: MEDIA: Lucky Strike cigarettes becomes the sponsor of Jack Benny’s radio show, after Jell-o drops its sponsorship.
•1942-07: Reader’s Digest publishes “Cigarette Advertising Fact and Fiction,” claiming that cigarettes were essentially all the same, and were deadly.
•1942-12-14: THE PRESS The first complete,documented, and authoritative story on tobacco as a cause of diseases and a shortener of life appeared in the Dec 14 1942 issue of George Seldes’ IN Fact. —IN Fact, Nov. 14, 1949
•1943: ADVERTISING: Philip Morris places an ad in the National Medical Journal which reads: “’Don’t smoke’ is advice hard for patients to swallow. May we suggest instead ‘Smoking Philip Morris?’ Tests showed three out of every four cases of smokers’ cough cleared on changing to Philip Morris. Why not observe the results for yourself?”
•1943: BUSINESS: THAILAND: Cigarette production is made a state monopoly under the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly.
•1943-07: GERMANY: LEGISLATION: a law is passed forbidding tobacco use in public places by anyone under 18 years of age.
•1943-06-17: BUSINESS: NC: Strike at RJR’s Winston-Salem plant begins. The 6-day strike leads to better working conditions for blacks.
•1944-07-15: MEDIA: JAMA publishes as its main item “The Effects of Smoking Cigarets.” George Seldes claimed mainstream news coverage of the article was generally suppressed.
•1945: CONSUMPTION: AUSTRALIA: 75 per cent of adult male Australians smoke.
•1945: REGULATION: The three largest tobacco companies are convicted of anti-trust violations.
•1945: “We Shall Overcom” is first sung by tobacco workers. Silphia Horton said she learned the song from striking tobacco workers in Charleston, SC.
•1945: GERMANY: Cigarettes are the unofficial currency. Value: 50 cents each
I recall reading that someone bought a Volkswagen in postwar Germany for a carton of cigarettes.
And the cigarette camps were going on about now in 1944:
http://www.skylighters.org/special/cigcamps/cigintro.html
Thanks for sucking me into some more extensive reading!
I'm really enjoying the text.
I’d thought that with enough effort, the port of Marseilles was not as badly damaged as Brest or Cherbourg, and the main railways up the Rhone Valley could be repaired to handle the capacity for both 3rd and 7th Armies. But maybe not. As long as 3rd Army was administratively under Bradley’s 12th Army Group, the logistics were going flow from there.
For several reasons, I’m sure Patton liked being in 12th Army Group.
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