HITLER TELLS US NOT TO INTERFERE; WILL TORPEDO AID SHIPS, HE SAYS (1/31/41)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 1/31/41 | C. Brooks Peters, Hugh Byas, Hanson W. Baldwin

[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, 1940: Graziani’s Advance and Wavell’s Offensive, 13 September 1940-7 February 1941 (Map 34a)
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]

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Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance

[Homer_J_Simpson]

On this date the Abbott and Costello film “Buck Privates” opened in the U.S. I didn’t see a review but I discovered that this is how a certain Andrews Sisters classic was introduced to America.

“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B”

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Holds Foe Beaten – 2-3
The International Situation – 3
Derna Captured by British after Fierce 3-Day Battle – 4-5
New Zealand Finds Finances in Order – 4
Japanese Bill Asks Death in Spy Cases – 5
Events on Two Fronts – 5
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 6

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/jan41/f31jan41.htm

Germans ready to invade USSR

Friday, January 31, 1941 www.onwar.com

In Berlin... After consultations with army and army group staffs the Army High Command has now prepared the first operational plans for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The deployment plan for the forces is also ready.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/31.htm

January 31st, 1941

GERMANY: After consultations with army and army group staffs the Army High Command has now prepared the first operational plans for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The deployment plan for the forces is also ready. (Jack McKillop)

U-751 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

POLAND: Confiscation of private property by the occupying Germans is made policy by a decree initiated today.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Minesweeper HMS Huntley transporting supplies for the Eighth Army suffers air attacks by German bombers and is sunk by torpedoes, bombs and gunfire. There are 18 casualties but 56 of the crew survive. (Alex Gordon)(108)

ERITREA: After three days of heavy fighting, the Italian Army withdraws to the Keren Plateau. At this point, Amadeo, the Duke of Aosta and Governor General of Italian East Africa, in command at Addis Ababa, has only 67 aircraft available for combat in all East Africa. Fuel and supplies are at an all time low, and infantry could only be moved on foot. (Jack McKillop)

U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Edison commissioned.

Submarine USS Finback commissioned.

Submarine USS Grayback launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 519 January 31, 1941

Sahara Desert, Southeastern Libya. Free French forces have advanced from Chad to attack the Italian garrison at Kufra in the Sahara Desert. British Long Range Desert Group (attached to Free French) sends “T patrol” (30 men in 11 trucks) forward to reconnoiter but they are spotted by Italian aircraft at Bishara, 80 miles Southwest of Kufra. T patrol hides in a small wadi at Gebel Sherif where they are ambushed by Italian “Saharan company” motorized infantry (3 trucks destroyed, 1 man killed, 3 taken prisoner, 4 walk back across the desert).

Eritrea, East Africa. 4th Indian Division flanks Agordat, held by 4 Italian infantry brigades & 2 companies of tanks. Some defenders try to retreat under cover of darkness but 1,000 are taken prisoner and 43 field guns captured.

In the Adriatic Sea off Fiume, Croatia, Italian torpedo boat Francesco Stocco breaks in 2 after hitting a mine laid 3 days ago by British submarine HMS Rorqual. The 2 halves remain afloat and are salvaged.

After dark, 350 miles Southwest of Ireland, Italian submarine Dandolo sinks British tanker Pizarro with torpedoes (23 crew killed, 6 rescued).

Overnight, in the Indian Ocean, German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis stops British SS Speybank (carrying manganese, monazite, ilesite, carpets, tea and shellac from Cochin, India, to New York) with shellfire. Undamaged, SS Speybank is taken as a prize ship and sailed to Bordeaux, France, where she will be converted into an auxiliary minelayer and renamed Schiff 53/Doggerbank.

[abb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Edison_%28DD-439%29

USS Edison (DD-439), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Thomas Alva Edison, an inventor and businessman who developed many important devices.

Edison was launched 23 November 1940 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey sponsored by Mrs. Thomas Alva Edison, widow of the inventor; and commissioned 31 January 1941.

Edison received six battle stars for World War II service.

[Jeremys Iron]

Not too different from what we’re seeing today.

[Larry381]

Also released on this date is Pride of the Bowery, a black and white film and the fourth installment in the East Side Kids series. It was directed by Joseph H. Lewis and produced by Sam Katzman. It was released by Monogram Pictures on January 31, 1941.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Edison commissioning must have taken place in NYC area. I believe there will be a brief article on it in tomorrow’s post.

[CougarGA7]

I was thinking it would be named after Thomas’ son Charles who was Secretary of the Navy in the first 6 months of 1940. He really got a lot of this ship building off and running.

[Larry381]

MV SPEYBANK

The Speybank went on to have a strange and interesting story.

[Larry381]

And yet another movie release this date is Mr. & Mrs. Smith starring: Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery, Gene Raymond, Jack Carson and Philip Merivale. The director was: Alfred Hitchcock

[surfer]

And we will see many similar things very soon...history is clear about the path the world is on...

[PAR35]

So Roosevelt is playing politics with the nation’s security. Blocking the Ford low bid for military trucks because they don’t bow to his socialist labor policies.

Hitler didn’t play favorites on this issue - he was willing to buy Ford trucks for his army.

Of course, his wartime treatment of Lindbergh shows how petty he could be - and how he was willing to risk the nation’s safety because of his childish temperament.