Posted on 07/01/2011 4:36:01 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance
Soviet Line Dented – 2-3
The International Situation – 3
Berlin Lists Gains – 4
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on Fighting in Europe and Africa – 6-7
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/jul41/f01jul41.htm
Germans take Riga and cross the Berezina
Tuesday, July 1, 1941 www.onwar.com
On the Eastern Front... In the Baltics, units of the German Army Group North take Riga in Latvia while to the south other German troops are already well beyond the Dvina River, making for Ostrov. Farther south, to the east of Minsk the Berezina River has been crossed and the advance continues.
From London... General Auchinleck is appointed to command the British forces in the Middle East. General Wavell takes Auchinleck’s old post as Commander in Chief in India. Churchill blames Wavell for the failure of the Battleaxe offensive. The British government also recognizes that the Commander in Chief, Middle East, has had substantial political responsibilities in addition to his military duties and to avoid the distraction this has caused in the past Oliver Lyttleton is appointed minister of state, resident in the Middle East.
In Syria... Troops from General Slim’s 10th Indian Division move into northern Syria from Iraq.
In the North Atlantic... Aircraft from the United States Navy start antisubmarine patrols from bases in Newfoundland.
btt
Once the Germans occupied an area they quickly erected directional signs that led to the many occupation and administrative organizations in a particular area of operations, such as this group with an accompanying military policeman.
A rare view of a 2.8cm schwere PanzerbOchse 41 (s.PzB41) heavy anti-armor rifle. This weapon employed the Gerlach tapered-bore principal. The specially-constructed 2.8cm projectile was "squeezed" down to 2cm when it emerged trom the muzzle resulting in a high velocity. The tapered-bore gun tube was expensive to produce, as was the ammunition, which required an armor-penetrating core ot scare tungsten carbide. The production of such weapons (including the heavier 4.2cm and 7.5cm guns) and their ammunition was discontinued in 1942, though they remained in use until existing stocks were expended. This s.PzB41 is being fired from its two-wheel mount with the split trails still locked together. The wheels could be dismounted and the weapon fired in a low-profile ground position with the trails spread. The crewmen wear wide straps that were used to help man-handle the weapon into position.
On a congested road containing vehicles of the 10.Panzer-Division; note unit insignia and Panzer Rhomboid tactical insignia on vehicle in the center of the photo, Guderian's Horch light staff car is escorted by three solo motorcyclists (Solokrad). Note that the motorcycles have the white letter "G" painted on the brown leather saddlebags. The motorcyclists are wearing the field grey rubberised waterproof motorcyclist's protective suit and are armed with 7.92mm Kar98k carbines. Note the combination sidecar motorcycle (Beiwagenkrad) to the right mounting an MG34 machine-gun.
Colonel-General Guderian's Horch light staff car steers well clear of a vehicle that has been blown onto its roof, probably by artillery fire. His registration plate, WH-656652, can be seen displayed on the rear of the vehicle, Registration plates carried a two-letter prefix indicating the branch within the Wehrmacht (Defense Forces) to which a vehicle was assigned, in the case of the Heer (Army), it was WH, denoting "Wehrmacht Heer",
German Infantry marching along a typical White Russian road in early July
Soviet troops during the early days of the war marching west to a POW camp from which very few would return. (July 1941)
Russian mass grave apparently dug with dignity by some passing German unit.
Wehrmacht medic examines wounded Soviets who were in a dressing station overrun by the Germans.Villagers look on with interest. (July 1941) While there were instances of German medical staff caring for wounded Soviets the opposite was almost never true. Soviets usually shot any wounded German that fell into their hands, at least during the first two years of the war.
German troops share supplies found on a destroyed Russian truck in July 1941 in the Ukraine.
German admires PPSh-41 submachinegun that has been found in a broken down Russian supply truck along with other interesting things.
German soldier strolls among Soviet dead in a meadow outside of Uman -July 1941
Homer (or anyone else) how many roughly Germans would have been killed from Junee 22, 1941 to October, before the debacle at Moscow? I’m finding the numbers hard to find.
The "anyone else" option is your best bet. If you don't get a satisfactory response here I recommend you ask again early in the A.M. on a fresh thread, before the wise guys have all come and gone.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/01.htm
July 1st, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: Westminster: At Downing Street the visiting Canadian leader, Mackenzie King, presents Churchill with the Canadian “Torch of Victory”.
Prestwick, Scotland: A Consolidated B-24 flies from Washington via Montreal and Newfoundland, thus completing the types first transatlantic delivery. The RAF took 26 B-24s in exchange for a similar number of LB-30s. The first six were YB-24s (designated LB-30As) and they went into the North Atlantic Return Ferry Service.
Today’s flight used a modified B-24A of the USAAF’s Air Corps Ferrying Command on this, the North Atlantic Transport Service for the aerial transport of passengers and cargo. The flight originated at Bolling Field, Washington D.C. (Jack McKillop)
Minesweeping trawler HMS Liscomb laid down.
Submarine HMS Sportsman laid down.
Tug HMS Canute commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: The Wehrmacht High Command announced:
In the course of June 30 the Luftwaffe once again inflicted annihilating blows on the Soviet-Russian bomber and fighter formations. On June 30 the enemy lost 280 aircraft in all, 216 of them in aerial combats. German fighter wings led by [air ace] Lt. Col. Molders and by Major Trautloff particularly distinguished themselves during the fighting by shooting down 110 and 65 planes respectively. At Dunaburg [= Daugavpils in Latvia] the Trautloff Fighter Wing succeeded in destroying all 40 planbes of a Soviet attack group. The Molders Fighter Wing gave equally impressive proof of the superiority of the German Luftwaffe in the region east of Minsk and Bobruisk, where large numbers fo enemy formations soght to disrupt the movements of the advancing German troops. Of the approximately 100 attacking fighters and bombers, the Molders Fighter Wing destroyed 80. In the battle Lt. Col. Molders won his 82nd aerial victory, Captain Joppien his 52nd.
German Luftwaffe formations have intervened in the ground battle with telling effect. They bombed retreating enemy columns east of Lvov where these were marching two or three abreast along the same road; inflicted extremely heavy losses on Soviet troops encircled between Bialystok and Minsk; and attacked the enemy in relay waves where he was falling back through Riga (Latvia). Multitudes of armoured cars and hundreds of trucks were destroyed during these operations, enemy batteries were silenced and transport trains smashed to pieces.
The Opium Law classifies the amphetamine, Perivitin, as a restricted substance, even though ten million tablets are on order for the Heer. (Andreas Ulrich, Der Spiegel. May 6, 2005)(Henry Sirotin)
U-185, U-447, U-448, U-468, U-520, U-621 and U-622 laid down
U-159 launched.
U-131 is commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.S.R.: Army Group North captures Riga and other German forces to the south have crossed the Dvina. West of Minsk the Berezina has been crossed.
Soviet submarine M-81 of the Baltic Fleet is mined and sunk near Laine Bank off Vormsi Island. (Mike Yared)(146 and 147)
LATVIA: German troops occupy the capital, Riga.
MALTA: Operation Substance: Convoy from Gibraltar comprising six merchantmen with Naval escort delivers 65,000 tons of supplies to island.
SYRIA: Leading elements of 10 Ind Div (Maj-Gen W. Slim) enter eastern Syria from Iraq. 2/25 Bn commence operations to clear enemy from flanks of 21 Aust Bde at Beit ed Dine in the Damour valley. Four Hurricanes of 127 Sqn RAF catch two De520’s over Deir ez Zor and damage one. The Arab Legion destroys a French “light company” (raiding party) at Sukhna, capturing 80 prisoners and six armoured cars. (Michael Alexander)
EGYPT: Cairo: General Sir Claude Auchinleck officially takes over as C-in-C Middle East from General Wavell, who has been appointed C-in-C India. Oliver Lyttelton is appointed Minister of State, and is resident in the Middle East. This removes some of the political responsibilities from CiC India. Churchill has tired of Wavell and with the failure of the latest North African offensive has been able to make changes.
CHINA: Germany and Italy officially recognise the Japanese puppet government of Wang Chingwei.
Chungking: The Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang government has broken off diplomatic relations with Germany and Italy in retaliation for the decision by the Axis powers to recognise its new rival, the Reformed Kuomintang, the puppet regime set up the Japanese in Nanking under General Chingwei.
The Kuomintang leader, General Chiang Kai-shek, has reluctantly ordered the recall of the Kuomintang’s ambassador in Berlin and its charge d’Affaires in Rome.
The Axis decision to support the Nanking regime is the result of diplomatic pressure from Tokyo, overriding the views of German officials in China who oppose recognition for Nanking. They argue that, following the outbreak of war with the Soviet Union, Germany and China - the latter at war with the Communists in the north - should unite against Communism.
NEWFOUNDLAND: US naval aircraft begin anti-submarine patrols from bases here.
CANADA: U69 repairs and overhauls her engines at the uninhabited Salvage Islands. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: All men aged 21 or over have to register for the draft today, and US Navy planes start patrolling the Atlantic for U-boats.
The New York Times military analyst, Hanson W. Baldwin says:
The United States army, after a year of expansion and preparation, is months away from adequate combat efficiency. In the opinion of most high ranking officers, not a single division is ready for war, although all of our organised divisions are already superior in training to the divisions we sent to France in 1917 ... Many officers, military iconoclasts though they may be, have out it bluntly and probably correctly: We are still training for a 1917 war.
Icelandic-United States exchange of letter respecting defence of Iceland.
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) begins television broadcasting. The first show is a broadcast of the Brooklyn Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies baseball game followed by the 1936 motion picture “Death from a Distance” with Lola Lane. (Jack McKillop)
In baseball, the New York Yankees play a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox in Yankee Stadium, New York City before 52,832 fans, including New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Joe DiMaggio hits two singles against Red Sox pitchers Mickey Harris and Mike Ryba in the first game which extends his hitting streak to 43-games. In the rain shortened second game, DiMaggio hits the ball in the infield off Red Sox pitcher Jack Wilson and third baseman Jim Tabor makes a poor throw to first allowing DiMaggio to get on. The official scorer, Dan Daniel of the New York World Telegram, scores it as a hit instead of an error thus extending DiMaggio hitting steak to 44 games which ties the major league consecutive game hitting streak set by right fielder Willie Keeler of the Baltimore Orioles in 1897. (Jack McKillop)
The first landing, takeoff and catapult launching form an escort aircraft carrier were made aboard USS Long Island (AVG-1), by Lieutenant Commander William D. Anderson, commanding officer of Scouting Squadron Two Hundred One (VS-201).(Jack McKillop)
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) begins television broadcasting. The first show is a broadcast of the Brooklyn Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies baseball game followed by the 1936 motion picture “Death from a Distance” with Lola Lane. (Jack McKillop)
Submarine USS Blackfish laid down.
Minesweeper USS Starling laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: SS Toronto City sunk by U-108 at 47.03N, 30W. (Dave Shirlaw)
Thanks Larry.
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