Posted on 03/13/2015 4:15:32 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
James Bradley, with Ron Powers, Flags of Our Fathers
Winston S. Churchill, Triumph and Tragedy
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/2/13.htm
March 13th, 1945 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: SS Taber Park (2,878 GRT), Canadian merchantman, was sunk in the North Sea off England’s NE coast in position 52.22N, 001.53E, by either a mine or a German midget submarine. Only four members of the crew of 32 men survived.
Submarine HMS Alliance laid down.
GERMANY: U-1407 commissioned.
NORWAY:
U-396 sailed from Norway on her final patrol.
U-905 sailed from Norway on her final patrol.
ITALY: RAF Wellington bombers of No. 40 Squadron raid Treviso. (22)
NETHERLANDS East Indies: No. 25 Squadron RAAF bombs Mapin on Sumbawa, staging through Truscott airbase. (Mike Mitchell)
U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Wiltsie laid down.
PERU: Peru declares war on Germany. (Mike Ballard)
Scanning the reports I thought it read:
Putin declares war on Germany. (Mike Ballard)
Marines Advance & Use Flame-Throwing Tank On Iwo Jima, 03/13/1945 - 03/14/1945
https://archive.org/details/NPC-8877
LOL...
Well, now that Peru has declared war we know the Reich is doomed...
Flag Officers Attend Flag Raising Ceremonies On Iwo Jima, 03/13/1945 - 03/14/1945
https://archive.org/details/NPC-8876
Thanks for the videos. I have been tweeting links to these threads to #IwoJima70. I gave them update alerts to your additions.
FDR was wrong on Poland, but what Churchill doesn’t get is that the Soviets, as the sole occupiers in Poland, have the driving hand, and support the Lublin group and no one else.
FDR should have been solidly behind Churchill, at least to give the Soviets pause, but I still think the Lublin (Communist) Poles would win because they were there, with Soviet armed might, and the London Poles weren’t.
Inside the Remagen bridgehead east of the Rhine
http://www.allworldwars.com/The%20Remagen%20Bridgehead%20March%201945.html
13 March 1945
Expansion of the bridgehead continued to be slow because of extremely difficult terrain and stubborn and aggressive enemy resistance, which included several infantry counterattacks supported by armor. In the south-central sector the enemy employed an estimated 15 tanks, and in the northern area approximately 2100 artillery rounds were received. The terrain in this area consisted of steep slopes, heavily forested areas, and a limited road net, which restricted gains to approximately two kilometers.
The 78th Infantry Division’s 311th Infantry Regiment made the day’s greatest gains-approximately two kilometers—after repulsing a counterattack of battalion strength. The 309th and 39th Infantry Regiments made some progress, and by dusk the 39th Infantry Regiment had secured observation of the town of KALENBORN (F7024). In the center of the III Corps zone, the 9th Infantry Division attacked along its entire front and made small advances. The 60th Infantry Regiment cleared HARGARTEN (F713206) and continued to advance toward ST KATHERINEN (F7221), but the 310th Infantry Regiment (-1st Battalion), with the 52d Armored Infantry Battalion attached, met heavy resistance from tanks, mortars, and artillery and was unable to take its objective.
The 99th Infantry Division moved out early in the morning, with the 393d Infantry Regiment attacking to the east. At 1300, the 2d Battalion, 395th Infantry Regiment, was released from III Corps reserve and reverted to division control. At 1715, III Corps was notified that the 393d Infantry Regiment was being held back because of the fear of overextending its lines. Ill Corps directed that the attack be pushed to secure the objective. The division was informed that an advance on the part of the 393d Infantry Regiment would assist the advance of the 60th Infantry Regiment (on its left) and that should the need arise, the remainder of the 395th Infantry Regiment would be released from corps reserve and returned to the division. This was done at 1800, although it was directed that one battalion be held in regimental reserve and not be committed except by authority of the corps commander.
During the morning, prior to the release of the 395th Infantry Regiment from corps reserve, both the 395th Infantry Regiment and Combat Command B, 9th Armored Division, were directed to prepare counterattack plans for employment in any portion of the corps zone. Routes and assembly areas were to be reconnoitered, and Combat Command B was further ordered to be prepared for attachment to any infantry division through which it might pass.
In an effort to further protect the bridge against enemy waterborne attack, V corps, commanded by Major General Clarence R. Huebner, was informed at 1700 that it was vital to use the utmost vigilance along the river to prevent enemy swimmers, mines, boats, or midget submarines from moving downstream. Ill Corps dispatched technical experts to the zone of the 7th Armored Division, where construction of a cable across the river was under way to assist in converting that cable into torpedo boom. One platoon (four CDLs) from Company C, 738th Tank Battalion, was attached to the 7th Armored Division, and the division was instructed to maintain observation and protection on the river and boom 24 hours per day.
The two military bridges remained in operation throughout the day, but the railroad bridge was closed in order to make permanent repairs necessitated by the damage caused by the initial attempt to blow the bridge, and subsequent damage caused by enemy artillery fire and heavy traffic. The ferry sites, DUKWs and LCVPs remained in operation, but three heavy pontoon battalions were relieved of attachment to III Corps over the objection of the corps engineer, who requested that the corps be permitted to retain at least one.
At 2300, the 9th Infantry Division requested “artificial moonlight” for its operations on the night of 14-15 March, and III Corps arranged to have four lights released to the control of the 9th Infantry Division on the following morning.
The enemy again made a desperate bid to knock out the bridges. Ninety planes made 47 raids between 130600 and 140600 March. Twenty-six planes were destroyed and nine damaged. Enemy artillery activity continued light, but III Corps Artillery, assisted by V and VII Corps Artillery, fired heavy counter-battery programs.
The 400th Armored Field Artillery Battalion and the 667th Field Artillery Battalion were relieved of attachment to the 9th Armored Division and were attached to the 9th and 99th Infantry Divisions respectively. The 9th Armored Division was directed to reinforce the fires of the 99th Infantry Division. The 7th Armored Division was directed to reinforce the fires of the 78th Infantry Division.
The day was cool and clear with good visibility. Six missions were flown in close support of corps, and P-38s flew continuous cover over the bridge sites.
LOL!
Interesting reports on Page 9 about the Japanese advance in “Northern Indo-china” (Vietnam) I guess there’s nothing those troops can do about the inexorable American advance toward the home islands, so they might as well fight the French where they are.
Maybe we should have let the Japanese keep it.
Posted a comment last night to occamrzr06 regards the tredway and pontoon bridges at Remagen.
Repost the link here for everyones info
The 291st Engineers had a nice little role in the battle of the Bulge. They had the rather quaint habit of blowing bridges in Kampggruppe Peipers face:-)
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
A couple of days ago there was mention of the word “felicitate” in the New York Times. I just found out that you can search for any word going back to the founding of the NY Times and did a search on it. I sorted it newest to oldest and reviewed back to 1940.
Between November 1939 and 2010 there were 100 uses of the word “felicitate” in the New York Times. The last use was in 2010 in an article about former NYC police Commissioner, Bernie Kerik who went to prison for criminal conspiracy, tax fraud, and lying under oath. It was quoting from a 1873 NYTs article. Before this the last time it was used was in 1977 where it was used in a headline about a losing candidate not calling the winner to concede. Felicitate was used 4 times in the 1970s, eight times in the 1960s, 25 times in the 1950s and 41 times in the 1940s.
My reference to the Pope appears to have been incorrect. The reference in that time period was this,
“Vichy Chiefs Felicitate Hitler Gazette de Lausanne reports that Chief of State Henri-Philippe Ptain and Premier Pierre Laval of Vichy “have sent telegrams to Hitler congratulating him in escaping the attempt on his life.” the London July 25, 1944”.
The reference that started the conversation on March 11, that I could not find apparently was right in a headline, “EISENHOWER GETS CHURCHILL PRAISE; Prime Minister Hails General for Victories—Forrestal, Rayburn Felicitate Him”.
It certainly a word that has fallen out of favor.
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