FORD PLANT CLOSED IN MOVE FOR MEDIATION; BELGRADE SEES WAR AT HAND AS ROME EFFORTS COLLAPSE (4/3/41)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 4/3/41 | Louis Stark, Ray Brock, H. Ford Wilkins, Otto D. Tolischus, C.L. Sulzberger

[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]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
North Africa – Rommel’s First Offensive, 24 March-15 June 1941
Marcks’ Plan, August 5, 1940
Operation Barbarossa (Dir. 21), December 18, 1940
The Mediterranean Basin (Map 33)
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

[Homer_J_Simpson]

With a little overlap, this is continued from March 20, reply #2.

William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Pickets Leaving – 2-3
Identified Himself as ‘Lord Haw Haw’ – 3
The International Situation – 4
Cabinet Convenes – 4-5
German Minority Leader Calls Nazi Reports Fakes – 5
Singapore’s Chief Confers in Manila – 6
Japan’s New Party Announces Reform – 6
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 7-8
Nazi Troops Mass at Border Points – 8

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/apr41/f03apr41.htm

Germans diplomats leave Belgrade

Thursday, April 3, 1941 www.onwar.com

In Belgrade... German diplomats leave the city.

From London... The British government severs diplomatic relations with Hungary.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/03.htm

April 3rd, 1941

UNITED KINGDOM: Bristol suffers a heavy night raid.
The British government severs diplomatic relations with Hungary. (Jack McKillop)

FRANCE: Paris: The Jewish affairs commissioner, Xavier Vallat, meets the German ambassador, Otto Abetz, to agree measures to speed Jewish “emigration.”

HUNGARY: Budapest: Prime Minister Count Teleki Pál, the Hungarian Prime Minister, who committed suicide yesterday is succeeded by the notoriously pro-German Foreign Minister, Laszlo Bardossy who retains his foreign affairs portfolio.

Pál left a letter addressed to Admiral Horthy, the regent, “You will understand that I am unable to carry on in the face of the spectre of war.”

YUGOSLAVIA: German diplomats leave Belgrade. (Jack McKillop)

EGYPT: After receiving a brisk cable from Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief Middle East Command, decides to replace Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame, General Officer Commanding Western Desert Force, with Lieutenant General Richard O’Connor.

LIBYA: The British 2nd Armoured Division is authorized to withdraw from Benghazi through El Regima. On learning that the British have evacuated Benghazi, Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel, commander of the Afrika Korps, orders his troops to advance on to the city during the night. (Jack McKillop)

IRAQ:A coup d’etat is led by the nationalist politician General Rashid Ali el Gailani and a group of officers calling themselves the “Golden Square;” the group is opposed to the British presence in the country. The Regent Emir Abdul Illah escapes to Transjordan (now Jordan) and by 3 April, a new government has been installed. The Soviet Union recognises the new government at once, it was the first to do so, and the Luftwaffe makes plans to set up an airlift to Iraq. A 1930 agreement between Iraq and Britain had granted the British two bases there: Shuaiba, south of Basra, and Habbaniya, an important RAF base and training camp in the Euphrates Valley about 48 miles (77 kilombers) west of Baghdad. It was from Habbaniya that the British had flown their March 1940 espionage flights over Baku and Batum in the Soviet Union. As a result of the coup, the British send troops from India and the Middle East to ensure access to the vital oil supplies. (John Nicholson, Andy Etherington and Jack McKillop)

RED SEA: The eight Italian destroyers and torpedoes boats remaining at Massawa, Eritrea, sortie from the port. The destroyers are sighted north of Massawa and are attacked by Swordfish Mk. I aircraft of Nos 813 and 824 Squadrons assigned to the aircraft HMS Eagle but operating from Port Sudan, Sudan, to cover local troop activities. The destroyers Daniel Manin and Nazario Sauro are sunk and the destroyers Pantera, Tigre and Cesare Battisti are scuttled near Massawa.

Only one of the antiquated Italian motor torpedo boats at Massawa, MAS-213, was still seaworthy in April 1941. It sorties against the British fleet offshore and managed to close within 300 yards (274 meters) and put a torpedo into the light cruiser HMS Capetown, which was damaged so badly it had to be towed back to Port Sudan. After the attack MAS-213 is scuttled. (Mike Yakich and Jack McKillop)

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-boats sink four ships on the 29th meridian, one day before their escort reaches them.

PACIFIC: The USN’s heavy cruisers USS Chicago (CA-29) and USSPortland (CA-33) and destroyers USS Clark (DD-361), USS Conyngham (DD-371), USS Reid DD-369), USS Cassin (DD-372) and USS Downes (DD-375) depart Suva, Fiji Islands, for Pearl Harbor. (Jack McKillop)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 581 April 3, 1941

Libya. Churchill’s suggests that General O’Connor, who masterminded the successful Allied advance in January, is offered command in Libya. O’Connor refuses but nonetheless returns from convalescing in Cairo to advise General Neame. Rommel divides his force, sending 5th Light Division across the desert South of the Green Mountain while a mixed German/Italian unit heads along the coast road to Benghazi. Rommel flies around the battlefield in his Fieseler Storch light aircraft, giving orders and solving problems. When 5th Light Division tanks run low on petrol, he risks halting them for 24 hours and sends back trucks to bring more fuel. British withdraw, following Neame’s orders, but the retreat is disoriented and confused in the open desert. A supply dump at Msus with large quantities of much-needed fuel is blown up on the erroneous rumour of approaching German tanks. This will badly hamper the mobility of British armour in the coming days.

In the Red Sea, 5 Italian destroyers head North from Massawa, Eritrea, to attack British facilities at Port Sudan, Sudan. Destroyer Battisti breaks down en route and is scuttled by the remaining 4 warships, which are spotted by British reconnaissance aircraft. Swordfish bombers from carrier HMS Eagle immediately attack, sinking destroyers Daniele Manin and Nazario Sauro. Pantera and Tigre cross the Red Sea and are scuttled near the Arabian coast.

150 miles south of Iceland, U-76 sinks Finnish SS Daphne carrying coal from Wales to Norway (all 2 hands lost). 100 miles Southwest of St Nazaire, France, British submarine HMS Tigris sinks German tanker Thorn.

Operation Winch. 12 Hurricane fighters (brought from Britain aboard aircraft carrier HMS Argus) and 3 Skua dive bombers fly 400 miles to Malta from carrier HMS Ark Royal (escorted by cruiser HMS Renown and HMS Sheffield plus 5 destroyers).

17 miles West of Crete, German bombers sink British munitions ship MV Northern Prince (entire crew is rescued), depriving Allied troops in Greece of vital ammunition.

Overnight, RAF again unsuccessfully bombs German cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Brest, France. Due to the raids, German naval staff and officers from Scharnhorst and Gneisenau have been moved to the Continental Hotel but many are killed during dinner when bombs strike the hotel. Luftwaffe bombs Bristol.

[Peter W. Kessler]

Many recordings of Lord Haw Haw here:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=lord%20haw%20haw%20AND%20mediatype%3Aaudio

[Lancey Howard]

Whew, this is another great edition.

It is fascinating to watch (from a 70-year rearview mirror) how the communist movement (”labor unions”) held America’s defense and national security hostage to their greed, even as the nation stood at the brink of war.

Not much has changed.

[Lancey Howard]

That’s great work right there.
(I see you use the same quadrille graph paper I use.)

[BroJoeK]

"IRAQ:A coup d’etat is led by the nationalist politician General Rashid Ali el Gailani and a group of officers calling themselves the “Golden Square;” the group is opposed to the British presence in the country."

Do I remember correctly that a leader of this pro-Nazi coup was also a father-figure for young Saddam Hussein?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

I see you use the same quadrille graph paper I use.

It works well for getting the excerpt squared up for scanning. It also provides a template for drawing a border around the text. If I don't do that my scanner sometimes chops off the top part of the top line. Very annoying. (/shop talk)

[CougarGA7]

You’re probably thinking of Amin Al Husseini. He’s a leader in this coup. One of his compatriots is Kharaillah Tulfah who is not only part of the pro-Nazi coup, but is also Saddam’s uncle.