Posted on 04/01/2009 6:04:17 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
The news of Chamberlain’s Guarantee of Poland threw the German dictator into one of his characteristic rages. He happened to be with Admiral Canaris, chief of the Abwehr, and according to the latter he stormed about the room, pounding his fists on the marble table top, his face contorted with fury, and shouting against the British, "I'll cook them a stew they'll choke on!"
The next day, April 1, he spoke at Wilhelmshaven at the launching of the battleship Tirpitz and was in such a belligerent mood that apparently he did not quite trust himself, for at the last moment he ordered that the direct radio broadcast of his speech be canceled; he directed that it be re-broadcast later from recordings, which could be edited. Even the re-broadcast version was spotted with warnings to Britain and Poland.
If they [the Western Allies] expect the Germany of today to sit patiently by until the very last day while they create satellite States and set them against Germany, then they are mistaking the Germany of today for the Germany of before the war.
He who declares himself ready to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for these powers must realize he burns his fingers. . . .
When they say in other countries that they will arm and will keep arming still more, I can tell those statesmen only this: "Me you will never tire out!" I am determined to continue on this road.
Hitler, as his cancellation of the direct broadcast showed, was cautious enough not to provoke foreign opinion too much. It was reported in Berlin that day that he would denounce the Anglo-German naval treaty as his first reply to Chamberlain, But in his speech he merely declared that if Great Britain no longer wished to adhere to it, Germany "would accept this very calmly." As so often before, Hitler ended on an old familiar note of peace: "Germany has no intention of attacking other people . . . Out of this conviction I decided three weeks ago to name the coming party rally the 'Party Convention of Peace' "—a slogan, which as the summer of 1939 developed, became more and more ironic.
William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Updates at #2.
China ping. Hong Kong’s only 1,000 miles away.
I beleive the Red Chinese are now militarily fortifying the Spratleys.
The Spratlys continue to be a bone of contention, as they are claimed by Vietnam, China, the Philippines, and Taiwan.
Perhaps William D. Leahy will as well.
Right you are. I was unaware about Adm. Leahy's assignments after his tour as CNO.
In January 1937, Admiral Leahy became Chief of Naval Operations, serving for more than two years during a period marked by increasing tensions in the Far East and Europe and by a gradual expansion of the Navy. During this time he frequently had additional duty as Acting Secretary of the Navy. Following retirement in August 1939, Leahy was appointed Governor of Puerto Rico. In late 1940, he became the United States Ambassador to France, serving in that very demanding position until April 1942.
Upon his return home, Admiral Leahy was recalled to Navy service as Aide to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and as Senior Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As such, he played a critical role in the strategy, diplomacy and execution of the Second World War. In recognition of these accomplishments, he received promotion to the rank of Fleet Admiral in December 1944. After Roosevelt's death in April 1945, Leahy continued in his posts, assisting President Harry S. Truman in bringing about final victory against Germany and Japan and then helping to guide the Nation in the early post-war years. Though he retired in 1949, Fleet Admiral Leahy technically remained on active duty until his death on 20 July 1959.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-l/wd-leahy.htm
Nice lineup on AMC-TV today for the unemployed. Now-”Twelve O’Clock High”, followed by “Tora Tora Tora,” “Patton,” and “Midway.”
Looks like a pretty strategic location to me.
And yet the U.S. forces working their way to Japan via New Guinea and the Philippines were able to bypass it. Perhaps the Spratlys central location did not yield the strategic benefits one would expect.
Those darn Spratlys are still contested. Taiwan has a flag and a very lonely outpost on them currently. Terrible duty I would think. I’ve flown over them...not much to see. Reefs and rock-piles.
On Battle Force, from Wikipedia:
"In 1930, the name of the fleet was changed to "Battle Force", but the structure remained the same. In 1931, the force was based in Pearl Harbor and consisted of a majority of the United States' surface fleet: all of the newer battleships, all of the carriers, a light cruiser squadron and "three or four" destroyer squadrons were all a part of the Battle Force. In 1939, the Battle Force had five carriers, 12 battleships, 14 light cruisers, and 68 destroyers.[1]"
[HQ at Pearl Harbor. Most of the ships on the West Coast]
In June 1939 Admiral Richardson became the Commander of Battle Force, reorganized to the US Pacific Fleet in February 1940. Richardson was then canned by FDR in February 1941 after strongly objecting to the fleet's forward deployment at Pearl Harbor.
Now FDR needed someone to replace Richardson, someone, shall we say, more malleable?
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