Posted on 03/12/2015 4:29:23 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/2/12.htm
March 12th, 1945 (MONDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: The Mk 35 variant of the de Havilland Mosquito light bomber makes its maiden flight. With Merlin 113-144 engines, it has a top speed of 422 mph, and carries 2,000-lb of bombs for 2,050 miles. (22)
Frigate HMCS Montreal departed Londonderry escort for Convoy ON-290.
ENGLISH CHANNEL: U-683 (type VIIC) is listed as missing in the North Atlantic after 20 Feb, 1945 south-west of Ireland or in the English Channel. 49 dead (all hands lost). Probably sunk today near Land’s End, in position 49.52N, 05.52W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Loch Ruthwen and the sloop Wild Goose (Alex Gordon)
GERMANY: Hohenlychen: Himmler signs an agreement promising to surrender the death camps to the Allies intact, with the prisoners still alive, and to order a halt to camp executions, contrary to Hitler’s express orders.
In a record raid, 1,108 RAF bombers drop 4,851 tons of bombs on Dortmund.
Bergen-Belsen: Disease is sweeping through the camp, killing the starved and weakened inmates with an efficiency that the Nazis might envy. Anne-Frank, a 15-year-old German Jewish girl, died of typhus today. She spent two years hiding with her family in Amsterdam before being betrayed to the Gestapo and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau last August. Later she was moved on to Belsen. She hid her diary, to which she confided her deepest thoughts, in Amsterdam; it is a document of human dignity and hope in the face of relentless persecution.
Zhukov enters Kustrin, the entire Russian front has now reached the Oder-Neisse line as far south as Görlitz, excepting a small pocket near Stettin.
Kustrin fell after a week of savage fighting which culminated in the street-by-street destruction of the citadel by dive-bombers, artillery and assault teams armed with mortars and flame-throwers. Kustrin was a vital roadblock in the German plan of defence for Berlin. Now Marshal Zhukov has a clear road and Berlin is only 40 miles away.
NORWAY: U-1063 sailed from Kristiansand on her first and final patrol.
BURMA: Byotha falls to the 20th Indian Division.
JAPAN: 274 US aircraft tonight bomb Osaka and wipe-out 8.1 square miles of the city.
U.S.A.:
A Japanese incendiary balloon is shot down near Coal Harbour, on Vancouver Island. Launched from Japan and carried across the Pacific by winter winds, the enemy expects them to land in Canada’s forests and begin huge fires. Unfortunately for the Japanese, most of the intended target areas are covered in snow and mist - hardly conducive to massive conflagrations.
Destroyer USS Glennon laid down.
Destroyer escort USS Henry W Tucker commissioned.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-260 (type VIIC) is scuttled at 2230hrs south of Ireland, in position 51.15N, 09.05W, after being mined at 80 meters depth. Whole crew interned in Ireland 48 survivors (No casualties).
U-296 (type VIIC/41) is listed as missing in the approaches to the Northern Channel on 12 March, 1945 in the approximate position 55.30N, 07W. There is a possibility that she was lost on or about 12 March to the minefields T1 or T21 which were laid in the path to her operational area. 42 dead (all hands lost).
(Alex Gordon)
The news continues to be very good.
The extremely high costs continue to mount, but the news is very good nonetheless.
Not much love today for the news of the war. Fewest comments I’ve seen in a while.
But it seems like today’s news is in something of a rut; there isn’t anything really exciting going on. The Americans are closing up to the Rhine where they didn’t already cross it.
The Soviets are finishing the drive on Danzig and reorganizing for the drive on Berlin.
Fighting on Iwo Jima and the Philippines is progressing as before.
Firebombing Japanese cities now seems to be SOP for LeMay.
It’s almost like the world is catching it’s breath before the final cataclysm.
If we don’t make it to 11 comments I cry myself to sleep.
Oh Homer, please don’t cry.
There now, you have your 11. :)
What a whiner. Now, if you were a Cub fan I could understand it.
Hey...we Cub fans accept our lot in life with dignity. Who can we blame but ourselves for the likes of LaTroy Hawkins, Barry Foote and Larry Biitner?
I hope you’re now transitioning, FINALLY, to an era where you no longer must “accept [y]our lot in life” in any way. Start kicking butt!
Afternoon, guys. I’ve been cleaning, when I wasn’t driving children all over the place.
Thanks for the update. After I catch my breath, I’ll continue with this amazing saga.
"I live in a crazy time."
Another victim of the lovely Volksgerichthof. At least he didn’t have to go in front of Judge Freisler.
Too bad I didn’t notice Freisler’s passing back in February. As an attorney and part-time judge, I cannot think of a more loathsome individual.
Himmler is trying to save his skin by bargaining, but it's way too little, way too late.
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