RUSSIANS ATTACK AT GOMEL; LENINGRAD IN TERRIBLE PERIL, SOVIET MARSHAL DECLARES (8/24/41)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 8/24/41 | Daniel T. Brigham, Cyrus L. Sulzberger, Hanson W. Baldwin, Edwin L. James, Frank S. Nugent

[Homer_J_Simpson]

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

THE NEWS OF THE WEEK IN REVIEW

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE

20

21

[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
German Invasion of Russia – Operations, 22 June-25 August 1941
The Mediterranean Basin
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Red Army Strikes – 2-3
Winter Held Key to Nazi Strategy – 3
At Soviet Black Sea Naval Base Captured by the Nazis (photos) – 4
Nazi Force Nears Big Dnieper Dam – 5
Soviet Troops Under Fire and Two Captured Russian Commanders (photos) – 6-7
Vast Oil Usage Seen by Nazis in Russia – 7
A Soviet Heroine (photo) – 7
Hitler Takes Over Castle of Wilhelm II at Posen – 7
R.A.F. Blasts Ships in Tripoli Harbor – 7
Japanese Envoy Seeks U.S. Amity – 8
The International Situation – 8
Soviets Left Out of New Lend Bill – 9
Churchill to Speak by Radio at 4 P.M. – 9
The War at Sea-I – 10
Invasion of Iran is Believed Near – 10
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 11

The News of the Week in Review
Twenty News Questions – 13
The Winter in Russia is Always Very Cold – 14
Deep Into Russia the Axis Armies Fight Their Way (map) – 15
Russia Holds Off Axis as Allies Marshal Aid – 16
The Middle Eastern Spotlight Turns on Iran (map with giant caption) – 17
Soviet Resistance Astonishes Reich – 18
Answers to Twenty News Questions – 18

The New York Times Magazine
Loco Boys Make Good * – 19-21

* From the beginning of time (Jan 1938) until March 1940 Frank S. Nugent was our main movie critic. Then Frankie moved to Hollywood to seek his screen-writing fortune. He returns today for a guest article with this piece on Abbot and Costello.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/aug41/f24aug41.htm

Soviets counterattack near Gomel

Sunday, August 24, 1941 www.onwar.com

On the Eastern Front... General Konev leads a new Soviet counterattack in the Gomel area. It makes little progress. In the north the Finnish attacks continue to press forward and Viipuri is surrounded.

In the Mediterranean... Force H carries out another offensive operation. Aircraft from Ark Royal attack the Italian airfield at Tempio in northern Sardinia. Mines are also laid off Leghorn. The battleship Nelson is in support. The Italian battleships Vittorio Veneto and Littorio also come out but they move against a suspected Malta operation and there is no contact. The Italian cruiser Bolzano is torpedoed by the British submarine Triumph.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/24.htm

August 24th, 1941

UNITED KINGDOM: Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes a radio broadcast in which he discusses his recent meeting with U.S. President Roosevelt in Newfoundland. Churchill pledges unhesitating aid to the U.S. in the event that peaceful discussions with Japan fail. (Jack McKillop)

In a speech to the House of Commons Churchill says: “Napoleon in his glory and genius spread his Empire far and wide. ... Napoleon’s armies had a theme. They carried with them the surges of the French Revolution - Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. ... There was a sweeping away of outworn, medieval systems and aristocratic privilege. There was the land for the people, a new code of law. Nevertheless, Napoleon’s empire vanished like a dream.” (Peter Kilduff)

The RCAF’s No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, equipped with Hurricane Mk. Is and based at Northolt, Middlesex, England, shoots down two RAF Blenheim bombers which were mistaken for Junkers JU-88s. (Jack McKillop)

Minesweeper HMS Fort York launched.

Submarine KNM Uredd (ex-HMS P-41) launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

FRANCE: VICHY FRANCE: Anti-terrorist laws, aimed at crushing the Resistance, are passed giving “terrorists” the death penalty.

GERMANY: Hitler has ordered the termination of the “T4” action, under which 70,273 mentally-ill people have been liquidated since September 1939.
Although the murders were supposed to be carried out in strict secrecy, rumours about the specially-designed “euthanasia” centres have been spreading. On 31 July the bishop of Münster denouned the killings in a sermon. Hitler now appears to have bowed to public pressure.

FINLAND: The troops of Col. Winell’s 8th ID cross the Bay of Viipuri unopposed. They are able to consolidate their positions on the eastern shore before the Soviets react. (Mikko Härmeinen)

U.S.S.R.: General Ivan S. Konev initiates a new counterattack in the area of Gomel but it is not successful.

Soviet destroyer Engels (ex-Desna) sunk in minefield while operating with the Baltic Fleet. (Dave Shirlaw)

CANADA: HMCS Kenogami, a Flower-class corvette, arrived at St. John’s to join Newfoundland Command. Newfoundland Command and the Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF) were established on 23 May 41. That same day, the Canadian corvettes Agassiz, Alberni, Chambly, Cobalt, Collingwood, Orillia and Wetaskiwin departed Halifax for St. Johns. There were virtually no naval facilities in existence in St. Johns and, initially, operational support was provided from alongside by ships of the Royal Navy. The British auxiliary oiler Teakwood arrived on 29 May and the auxiliary stores ship City of Dieppe arrived on 03 Jun. A second auxiliary oiler Clam arrived on 09 Jun and on 14 Jun the submarine depot ship Forth arrived. She was replaced in Sep by the destroyer depot ship Greenwich, which, despite her smaller size and greater age, was more suited to the needs of the NEF. A Great Lakes passenger steamer, known as HMCS Avalon II, was added to serve as an afloat barracks. Cmdre L.W. Murray arrived to assume command on 15 Jun. For a number of months his entire staff consisted of his deputy, Cdr. R.E. Bidwell (who did not arrive until Jul 41), and his flag secretary. The first escort of a convoy by the NEF was quickly undertaken on 02 Jun when Chambly, Orillia, and Collingwood put to sea to join with the 57-ship Halifax to Liverpool convoy HX-129. This convoy, which left Halifax on 27 May, was the first to have continuous close escort all the way across the Atlantic. It arrived safely in Liverpool on 12 Jun 41. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.A.: A rag tag group of five musicians, dubbed the Dodger SymPhony by radio announcer Red Barber, make their debut at a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game in Ebbets Field, Brooklyn. This band, none of which could read music, perform their zany antics at all evening and weekend games. (Jack McKillop)

[hummingbird]

Fascinating post!

[Homer_J_Simpson]

You might want to check back later since I think we will be hearing Mr. Churchill’s radio broadcast mentioned on pg. 9.

[PzLdr]

A large number of those involved in ‘T 4’ will soon deploy to Poland to lend their expertise to the Holocaust, SS Hauptsturmfuehrer Christian Wirth coming to mind.

[BroJoeK]

August 24

"British Prime Minister Winston Churchill broadcasts to the British public that “scores of thousands” of executions of civilians are being perpetrated by German troops in the Soviet Union.
In order not to reveal that British Intelligence has cracked the German radio code, Churchill makes no specific mention of the plight of Jews in the Soviet Union or elsewhere in Occupied Europe.

"Eighty-six-year-old Dr. Jacob Wigodsky, longtime leader of the Jews of Vilna, Lithuania, is arrested and imprisoned.
He will be executed a week later at Ponary, Lithuania.

"Cloth circles with "J" for Jew at the center identify these women walking on a Lithuanian street.
This symbol marked Jews for vilification and abuse as they struggled to buy the basics of life for their families.
Life soon took a more ominous turn as Einsatzkommando forces (mobile killing units) began to exterminate Lithuania's Jews.
Nearly 180,000 of Lithuania's 220,000 Jews were killed by the end of 1941."

"Estonian police march Jewish men to internment or, more probably, to their deaths.
Because of the high rate of antisemitism in the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), the Germans could find large numbers of native people willing to assist with the extermination of the Jews.
Most of the Estonian Jews (5,000 as of 1933) escaped into the Soviet Union because Estonia was the last Baltic country to be conquered by Germany."

[BroJoeK]

Headline: "The Winter in Russia is Always Very Cold – 14"

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh... don't tell the Germans, it's a big secret.
It'll be a great surprise to them, if everyone just keeps their mouths shut.

So "quite" is the word...

;-)

[BroJoeK]

Homer: "You might want to check back later since I think we will be hearing Mr. Churchill’s radio broadcast mentioned on pg. 9."

Since I was late posting yesterday, the following bears repeating:

British Code Breakers

"Despite Nazi attempts to keep secret the Einsatzgruppen extermination of Jews, news of mass murders did filter back into Germany and Allied countries.
Reports of the unimaginable Nazi atrocities were met with disbelief and skepticism, and were assumed to pertain to military actions involving Russian defense forces.

"The British government had detailed knowledge of the killings.
On August 24, 1941, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in a radio address, made public the scope of Einsatzgruppen activities in Eastern Europe.
He disclosed that "whole districts" were being exterminated, and that "scores of thousands of executions in cold blood" were being perpetrated by "German police-troops upon the Russian patriots who defend their native soil.

"Churchill didn't mention that Jews were being exterminated.
He could not reveal this since it would have warned the Germans that British intelligence forces had cracked their secret radio codes."

[jjm2111]

It’s amazing to read the newspaper analysis and compare it with the analysis from a few weeks ago. I think there definitely was some surprise about the Russians holding their own.

[dfwgator]

Leningrad in Terrible Peril

They have no idea.

[Larry381]

It’s amazing to read the newspaper analysis and compare it with the analysis from a few weeks ago. I think there definitely was some surprise about the Russians holding their own.

One thing I have noticed with a couple of Times writers is a tendency to believe Soviet military press releases, which on the whole are, for the most part- incredibly fabricated (i.e.German casualties, for example.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

One thing I have noticed with a couple of Times writers is a tendency to believe Soviet military press releases

From putting these posts together I have found that the primary correspondents on the eastern front are Cyrus L. Sulzberger, filing stories from Moscow, Daniel T. Brigham, from Berne, Switzerland, and C. Brooks Peters, from Berlin. Sulzberger (related to the Times owners, I believe) would have to make do with official Soviet press releases. Good luck with that. Peters is in the same position on the German side. I often wonder what sources Brigham has out there in Switzerland. I imagine Berne is a sort of information clearinghouse for war news. He probably gets more unofficial reports, rumors, and the like there than the reporters in the belligerents’ capitals do. I would know more about this, I’m sure, if I had more time to read the articles.

[CougarGA7]

My schedule will be a bit chaotic for the next few weeks, but better late than never.

First I have this broadcast by Winston Churchill on the meeting between him and FDR

BBC Winston Churchill - Meeting With President Roosevelt

Next I have my usual notes with the second quote by Churchill being of particular interest I think.

• "This is the seventh or eighth time in this campaign that the army group has succeeded in encircling the enemy. But I'm not really happy about it, because the objective to which I have devoted all my thought, the destruction of the enemy armies, has been dropped. [P]erhaps we will overrun the Russians in from of my northern wing and thus get things going to the point that at least pressure on my eastern front is relieved...If, after all the successes, the campaign in the east now trickles away in dismal defensive fighting for my army group, it is not my fault" - Field Marshall Bock

• "Whole districts are being exterminated. Scores of thousands - literally scores of thousands - of executions in cold blood are being perpetrated by the German police-troops...We are in the presence of a crime without a name." - Winston Churchill

[CougarGA7]

Looks like I should have pinged you to post number 18.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

but better late than never.

Not that late, really. The paper yesterday said the speech was scheduled for 4:00 pm EDT. Your post was 4:32, which I am sure is due to Churchill getting stuck in traffic, or dawdling over his tea or something.