PRESIDENT SIGNS, STARTS WAR AID; BRITISH SEA LOSSES RISE SHARPLY (3/12/41)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 3/12/41 | Turner Catledge, Robert P. Post, Hanson W. Baldwin

[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. Also visit our general discussion thread

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Here are the Twenty News Questions from the 3/9/41 Sunday News of the Week in Review. Answers follow.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Final Step Swift – 2-3
The International Situation – 4
Week’s Sinkings 29 – 4-5
Italian Troopship is Sunk by British – 5
Army Expects Rise is Flight Crashes – 5
Thai Border Deal Closed Formally – 6
Britain’s Burden at Sea – 7
Texts of Day’s War Communiques – 8

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/mar41/f12mar41.htm

President wants $7 Billion for Lend-Lease

Wednesday, March 12, 1941 www.onwar.com

In Washington... President Roosevelt presents an Appropriations Bill for Lend-Lease to Congress for $7,000,000,000.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/12.htm

March 12th, 1941

UNITED KINGDOM:
Prolonged air raids hit Merseyside, especially Birkenhead and Wallasey. They sink two ships in dock, damage others and kill 630 people.

RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: 82 bombers are sent to Bremen, including 28 Blenheims.

Meanwhile five aircraft of 139 Squadron patrolling in the North Sea attack two 500-ton ships.

London: Churchill writes to Roosevelt:

“Admiral Darlan’s declaration and threat make me wonder whether it would not be best for you to intervene as a friend of both sides and try to bring about a working agreement. ... We fear very much a prolongation of the war and its miseries which would result from breakdown of blockade of Germany.”

Churchill suggests allowing a ration of wheat to go through from America to Vichy and French Africa. The Germans need not know and perhaps a French warship or two may make its way from Toulon to Casablanca or Dakar.

London:

War Office suggest to Wavell that the RAF bomb the German lines of communication from Danube to Graeco-Bulgar frontier.

The original incident used in Compton Mackenzie’s Whisky Galore occurs in the Hebrides when a cargo ship (Politician) runs aground with her holds full of whisky. Islanders hide the quarter of a million bottles from Customs officers.

ASW trawler HMS Valse launched.
Destroyer HMS Exmoor launched.

Corvette HMS Vervain launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

GERMANY: U-167, U-605, U-606, U-661 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.S.R.: There is a Thai-Soviet exchange of notes establishing diplomatic relations.

TERRITORY OF HAWAII: The Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, sends the following message to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Harold R. Stark: “In view of [your letter of 15 February], the Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet, recommends that until a light efficient net, that can be laid temporarily and quickly is developed, no anti-torpedo nets [for protection against torpedo plane attacks] be supplied this area.” (Jack McKillop)

U.S.A.: The motion picture “Meet John Doe” premieres in Hollywood and New York City. Directed by Frank Capra, this social drama stars Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, Spring Byington, James Gleason and Gene Lockhart. (Jack McKillop)

The Naval Air School at Corpus Christi, Texas, opens. (Jack McKillop)

At 1805, U-37 opened fire with the deck gun and the 37mm AA gun from a great distance at steam trawler Petursey south of Iceland, but first missed her many times, giving the crew time to abandon ship. After some heavy hits they went closer, saw the Icelandic flag painted on the side of the vessel and immediately ceased fire, but the trawler soon sank. The U-boat had observed how the crew abandoned ship, but they were never seen again. (Dave Shirlaw)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 559 March 12, 1941

At 6.05 PM 300 miles South of Iceland, U-37 sinks tiny Icelandic trawler Pétursey with the deck gun and anti-aircraft gun. All 10 crew abandon ship in a lifeboat but they are never seen again.

Overnight, Luftwaffe aircraft bomb Liverpool and Merseyside docks, sinking 8 merchant ships and a floating crane. The town of Wallasey, in the Wirral on the other side of the River Mersey, is badly hit with 174 people killed. A baby girl will be rescued unhurt from the rubble in Wallesey on March 16, after almost 4 days (both her parents have been killed). Raids tonight and the following night kill 500 civilians in Liverpool area and another 500 are wounded.

[iowamark]

Hanson W. Baldwin(1903-1991) was military editor of the NY Times 1928-1968. He was a strong anti-Communist and advocate of American military preparedness. It goes without saying that nobody of his views would be allowed at the NY Times today.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE0DA1530F937A25752C1A967958260&pagewanted=all
“NYT 11/14/1991: Hanson Baldwin, Military Writer, Dies”

[CougarGA7]

A memo from today by Kimmel show's an unfortunate and drastic mistake made by Kimmel with the agreement of Admiral Bloch. In this memo a decision is made to forgo the pursuit of installing torpedo nets around the ships at port in Pearl Harbor. Admiral Kimmel had determined that until lighter and less cumbersome baffles were created that they were not so critical to be installed at Pearl.

United States Fleet

U. S. S. Pennsylvania, Flagship

CinC File No.
S81-5/0398
Confidential

At Sea, Hawaiian Area, Mar. 12, 1941.

From : Coraander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet.
To : The Chief of Naval Operations.

Subject : Anti-torpedo baffles for protection against torpedo plane attacks, Pearl Harbor.

Reference: (a) CNO Conf. Itr. file Op-30Cl-AJ (SC) N20-12 Serial 09330 of 15 Feb. 1941.

1. In view of the contents of reference (a), the Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet, recommends that until a light efficient net, that can be laid temporarily and quickly is developed, no A/T nets be supplied this area.

H. E. KIMMEL.