ALLIES FIGHT ON AS FLANDERS TRAP TIGHTENS; GERMANS THINK 500,000 OF FOE ESCAPED BY SHIPS (5/29/40)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 5/29/40 | G.H. Archambault, James MacDonald, George Axelsson, Raymond Daniell, Turner Catledge

[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.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour

[C19fan]

ping

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Allies Take to Air – 2-3
Belgians in Paris Mourn At King Albert’s Statue – 2
Polish ‘Black Book’ Being Issued Here – 2
Goering Decrees Captive Reprisal – 3
Six German Cities Attacked by R.A.F. – 4
Navy Sends Three More Warships to Lisbon To Protect Interests of Americans There – 4
Merchant Ships Sunk in War – 4
Nazi Thrusts Gain – 5-6
Youth Urged to Be Ready To Fight for Democracy – 6
Navy Yard Hiring 60 New Men a Day – 6
Mrs. Morrow Endorses Plea for Allied Planes – 6
Churchill Warns of ‘Heavy Tidings’ – 7
War Sentiment Seen Rising in U.S. – 8
Text of the Churchill Statement * – 8
First Sunshine in Week Brightens City 5 Hours – 8
Income Tax Rise in Defense Plans – 9
Entry Into Narvik Claimed by Allies – 9
House Speeds Aim of 2-Ocean Fleet (by Harold B. Hinton) – 10
The International Situation – 11
The Allies Lose a Battle (by Hanson W. Baldwin) – 12
The Day’s War Communiques – 13
Dog Aids in Rescue of Cave-In Victim – 14-15

* A recording of the Prime Minister giving his brief statement is available on yesterday’s thread. See reply #23.

Today’s final story might interest the German Shepherd Dog ping list.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Today’s final story might interest the German Shepherd Dog ping list.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/may40/f29may40.htm

French troops join evacuation

Wednesday, May 29, 1940 www.onwar.com

On the Western Front... The German forces continue to press all round the contracting Dunkirk perimeter. By the end of the day most of the remaining British troops and a large proportion of the French are inside the final canal positions. The evacuation from Dunkirk and over the beaches goes on. The Luftwaffe increases the strength of its attacks despite the efforts of the RAF to give protection. A further 47,310 men are evacuated but 3 destroyers are sunk and 7 others damaged. At least 15 other vessels are sunk. The French are now beginning to allow their troops to be evacuated and have sent some ships to assist. Owing to the destroyer losses and the demand for them in other operations the Admiralty decides that the more modern types must be withdrawn.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/29.htm

May 29th, 1940

UNITED KINGDOM:

Destroyer HMS Bicester laid down.
Destroyer HMS Fernie commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

WESTERN FRONT: The Wehrmacht High Command announced:-
‘On May 28, enemy air losses totalled 24 aircraft, 16 of which were shot down in aerial combat, 8 by Flak. Three German aircraft are missing. [German air ace] Captain Molders has won his 20th air victory.’

The German take Ostend and Ypres in Belgium and Lille in France.

FRANCE: Operation Dynamo: 47,310 men are evacuated today. The French allow evacuation of their troops.

Three RN destroyers are sunk off the beaches - HMS Grafton torpedoed by U-62, HMS Grenade by bombs, and VandW class HMS Wakeful by a torpedo from German Schnellboot S30. HMS WAKEFUL was carrying 600 troops who were below decks and of whom only 1 survived. Casualties numbered about 650 crew and soldiers, and only 25 plus an embarked soldier survived the sinking.

Destroyer HMS GRENADE whilst alongside the east mole at Dunkirk is damaged and disabled by aircraft attacks. The destroyer is abandoned and her burning hull towed clear of the main channel. After burning for some hours, she then blows up.

Destroyer Grafton is torpedoed by U-62 in the English Channel 13 miles north of Nieuport. Alongside at the time was Trawler HMS Comfort. HMS Ivanhoe later sinks Grafton the same day after the crew and troops had been taken off.

Trawler HMS Comfort is attacked by own side forces and then rammed in the English Channel 13 miles north of Nieuport. After suffering some flooding and damage whilst alongside Grafton, Comfort pulls away and is mistaken for a German S boat by HMS Lydd and is fired upon with 4 inch and Lewis guns. Lydd then rams the trawler and cuts her in half. Some of the crew of Comfort attempt to jump on to Lydd, but are mistaken for Germans and repelled with gunfire.

Minesweeper HMS Waverley, a paddlesteamer, is bombed in the English Channel near Kwint Bank Buoy by German aircraft. Four of the 600 embarked troops are killed outright and another 150 drown as Waverley sinks.(Alex Gordon)(108)

Minesweeping trawlers HMS Calvi and Polly Johnson bombed and sunk off Dunkirk. (Dave Shirlaw)

47,310 men are taken off.

The arrival of French warships improves the take off rate.

The Allied rearguard leaves the Cassel, Poperinghe, Yser line.

Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke, General Office Commanding II Corps is ordered to leave France for the United Kingdom. (W. Jay Stone)

Somme: French 4th Armoured Div., resumes its attack and reaches its second objective leaving the Germans holding only Mount Caubert, the last stronghold covering the bridges over the Somme.

The war diary of the German Blumm Division reads: “Our anti-tank guns had little effect on the French armour. Our anti-tank defences were crushed and our infantry had to retreat. A profound fear of tanks infected our ranks.”

The French auxiliary cruiser Ville d’Oran loads the Bank of France gold reserves (200 tons of gold) for transport to Casablanca, French Morocco. (Jack McKillop)

NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN: HMS Glorious was detected by a snooper, resulting in one section of 802 Squadron, led by Lieutenant G. D. D. Lyver, RN, being sent off and ultimately downing one He-111. Thereafter, Glorious was ordered to return to Scapa. She arrived off the harbour at 1600 on the 29th, but was unable to enter due to fog. (Mark Horan)

U.S.A.: The XF4U-1 prototype Vought F4U Corsair makes it maiden flight.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 06.15 hours on 29 May, 1940, U-37 tried to stop the unescorted Marie Jose by a shot across her bow about 40 miles northwest of Vigo, but the ship turned away and sent radio messages. The U-boat opened fire, hitting several times and soon the crew abandoned ship. The burning ship was hit by a coup de grâce at 06.57 hours and sank within 15 minutes.

Motor tanker Telena sunk by U-37 at 42.25N, 09.08W. (Dave Shirlaw)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 272 May 29, 1940

Dunkirk. 33,558 British troops are evacuated from Dunkirk harbour and 13,752 from the beaches. As the weather clears, Luftwaffe planes strafe and bomb the ships and waiting soldiers. Despite Göring’s promise, it is clear that the Luftwaffe cannot prevent the evacuation in the face of RAF patrols and anti-aircraft fire from the Royal Navy ships.

At 12.40 AM, British destroyer HMS Wakeful is torpedoed by German torpedoboat S-30 13 miles North of Nieuport and sinks immediately (97 crew and 640 soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk killed, 25 crew and 1 soldier rescued by minesweepers HMS Gossamer& HMS Lydd, destroyer HMS Grafton and armed trawler HMS Comfort). HMS Grafton is torpedoed by U-62 (4 crew killed). Remaining crew and those just rescued from Wakeful are taken off by destroyer HMS Ivanhoe which then sinks Grafton with gunfire. HMS Comfort is mistaken for another torpedoboat and rammed by HMS Lydd (4 killed, 2 survivors). http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/328.html

Destroyer HMS Grenade is hit by three bombs (one going down her funnel) at East mole, Dunkirk (18 killed). Alongside Grenade, destroyer HMS Jaguar is badly damaged by a bomb (13 killed, 19 wounded). Minesweeper HMS Waverley (carrying around 600 troops just rescued from the beaches) is also bombed and sinks rapidly (about 350 lives lost).

U-37 sinks French steamer Marie José and British oil tanker Telena (18 dead, 18 survivors picked by up Spanish fishing boats) off Cape Finisterre, Spain. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/330.html

[PAR35]

Daily totals of men evacuated from Dunkirk.

Date	From the beaches	From Dunkirk Harbour	Total	Running Total
Monday 27 May		7,699	7,699	7,699
Tuesday 28 May	5,930	11,874	17,804	25,473
Wednesday 29 May	13,752	33,558	47,310	72,783

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/operation_dynamo.html#5

[beebuster2000]

bump

[PAR35]

Comments on the two diplomats

- Wonder if they thought anyone would buy the story that the Romanian courier was a suicide.

- Wonder why the American consul ran for Switzerland, rather than England.

[CougarGA7]

This will seem like a strange question, but anyone here live near the University of Minnesota?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

216 on the class roster and only one self-identified as a Minnesotan. Or Minnesotalino, or whatever you guys call yourselves.

I think Free Republic University has a satellite facility in Duluth, but that is a close as we get.

[BroJoeK]

"Polish ‘Black Book’ Being Issued Here – 2"

"Black Book" to report on German atrocities in Poland so-far which, compared with unimaginable horrors yet to come, are just getting started.

"War Sentiment Seen Rising in U.S. – 8"

Still well over 90% of Americans want to support the Allies, but not declare war or send our guys to fight Nazis. Only half are willing to let allies purchase our stuff on credit.

The New York Times pretty much every day prints stories about "isolationists" demanding the US remain neutral. I've not yet seen even one article saying that Americans must join the war against Hitler.

[CougarGA7]

I sent them an e-mail. They are the only place I can find that carry the periodical, “The Monthly Future” and I want to read that installment of the Black Book mentioned for the June issue as well as find out how many other installments there are. I could always just buy the book by Jacob Apensziak published in 1943, but I’d rather read the first cut material.

[BroJoeK]

"Income Tax Rise in Defense Plans – 9"

The tax increases are made to sound innocuous by describing them as, for example, "a 10% increase in income taxes." So we can't really say how high taxes were getting before the war drove the highest marginal rates to 90+%.

But we can relate to the national debt numbers, which are reported as being increased to $48 billion.

$48 billion in 1940 compared to GDP would be around $6.8 trillion today.

That's just over half of our current national debt -- which means that, profligate as Franklin Roosevelt's generation of Democrats were, they were real skinflints compared to our own.

And of course, their national debt was going for national defense.
What is ours going for?
Anyone?

And what was the Republican response?
Republican Senator Vandenberg will run for President in a few months as an isolationist candidate.
But "today" he is all for higher taxes and increased national debt.

"Senator Vandenberg rose immediately to pledge the cooperation of the minority members of the Finance Committee."

[GeronL]

So Goering is already committing warcrimes. wow.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Thank you!

Last pages' worth of images.

This dog, people, is the spit&image of the REAL Rin-Tin-Tin.

GERMAN SHEPHERD PING LIST

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(Please Freep-mail me if you’d like to be on or off the list.)

[GreenLanternCorps]

Attacking enemy ships and soldiers is not a war crime.

[GeronL]

Did you miss that article? He said to kill 50 prisoners for every parachutist that is shot.