GERMANY WARNS AMERICAN SHIPPING (10/3/39)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 10/3/39 | Louis Stark, G.H. Archambault

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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EDITORIAL

[GeronL]

Germany trying to set the rules for shipping is hilarious. Want to make it easy on them?

[GeronL]

Interesting layout

[tcrlaf]

About 15.40 hours on 3 Oct, 1939, the Diamantis (Master Panagos Pateras) was hit by one torpedo from U-35 and sank 40 miles west of the Scilly Islands. She had been stopped in bad weather by the U-boat at 13.15 hours and the crew was ordered to abandon ship. After the first two G7a torpedoes fired exploded prematurely, a G7e torpedo was fired and worked correctly. Because the lifeboats were not suited for use in the bad weather, Lott decided to take all crew members aboard and landed them the next day in Dingle Bay, Ireland.

[tcrlaf]

NAVAL EVENTS-Tuesday, 3 October

Anti-aircraft cruisers CALCUTTA departed Grimsby on patrol and arrived back on the 4th, while CAIRO departed and arrived back later the same day.

Convoy OA.14 of seven ships departed Southend escorted by destroyers KELLY, KINGSTON, MONTROSE from the 3rd to 6th.

Convoy OB.14 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers VANOC and WHIRLWIND until the 5th.

Convoy BC.8S departed Bristol Channel, escorted by destroyers EXMOUTH (S.O.) and EXPRESS. The convoy was also escorted by French large destroyers INDOMPTABLE, TRIOMPHANT and MILAN on the 4th and 5th, and arrived in the Loire on the 5th.

Convoy SA.10 of one cargo ship departed Southampton, escorted by destroyer ANTHONY, and reached Brest on the 4th.

Convoy FS.16 departed Methil, arriving at Southend on the 5th. There was no FN.16 convoy.

German destroyers HERMANN SCHOEMANN, FRIEDRICH IHN, ERICH STEINBRINCK and torpedo boats GREIF, FALKE and ALBATROS conducted anti-shipping patrols in the Kattegat and Skagerrak from the 3rd to 5th.

U.35 sank Greek steamer DIAMANTIS (4990grt) southwest of Ireland, 40 miles west of Skellig Rocks, and then landed the crew at Ballymore, Dingle Bay, Ireland.

Heavy cruisers SUSSEX and SHROPSHIRE, which departed Alexandria on the 2nd, left Suez on the 3rd for the Red Sea. They reached Aden on the 6th and departed the same day for duty in the Indian Ocean, arriving at Simonstown on the 13th.

Heavy cruiser CUMBERLAND and light cruiser DESPATCH departed Freetown for South America, with DESPATCH arriving at Bermuda on the 15th for docking.

Heavy cruiser BERWICK arrived at Halifax.

Destroyers GRENVILLE, GIPSY, GRENADE, GRIFFIN from Convoy Green 3 and DELIGHT and DECOY from other escort duties arrived at Malta. DELIGHT and DECOY departed the next day, while GRENADE and GRIFFIN left on the 5th to relieve destroyers DUCHESS and DEFENDER escorting convoy Blue 3. DUCHESS and DEFENDER reached Malta on the 5th.

Convoy SO.19 of armed merchant cruiser ALCANTARA (22,209grt) and steamers ATHLONE CASTLE (25,564grt), EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA (21,833grt) and FRANCONIA (20,175grt) arrived at Gibraltar. Destroyers INGLEFIELD and IVANHOE arrived separately that day after being separated in heavy weather. From there, the convoy proceeded as Convoy Red 2 escorted by destroyers GREYHOUND and GLOWWORM, later joined by sister ships GRENVILLE and GIPSY.

Norwegian steamer HOEGH TRANSPORTER (4914grt) was sunk on a British defensive minefield off St John Island at the entrance to Singapore with the loss of one member of crew. The wreck and cargo were salved.

[tcrlaf]

3Oct, 1939-
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) Command Council’s Political Bureau authorizes the War Councils of the Ukrainian and Belarusian fronts to approve the death sentences passed for the counter-revolutionary activities of the civilians and Polish Army soldiers.

[tcrlaf]

3 Oct, 1939- Despite the surrender of Polish Forces Near Luck, many units continue to fight, including 20,000+ Polish Soldiers under General Kleeburg, moving toward the town of Kock, as "Group Polesie". 3 October The stiff Polish resistance near Kock forced General Otto to use all his forces for an assault. He was going to split Polish forces in two and destroy them. He decided that the 33rd Motorised Infantry Regiment supported by part of the divisional artillery would attack Annopol, Pieńki and Talczyn. This force was tasked with destroying the Polish 50th Infantry Division. The 93rd Motorised Infantry Regiment was ordered to capture Serokomla then Hordzież and to destroy a defensive formation of the 'Zaza' cavalry division. The 66th Motorised Infantry Regiment entered the field of battle in the afternoon. General Kleeberg thought that the main German advance would be toward the 'Zaza' cavalry division at Serokomla Hordzież. He decided that part of the cavalry would fend off the German attack. The rest would join a counter-attack alongside the 50th Infantry Division on the right wing and rear of the 13th German Motorized Infantry Division. The 60th Infantry Division and the 'Podlachia' cavalry brigade would close off potential German attack routes. If this counter-attack was successful, the German division would be forced to withdraw behind the river Wieprz. Between 0750 and 0930, attacks by two regiments of the 50th Infantry Division (the 180th and the 178th, less its 2nd battalion), attacked. They were supported by a howitzer battery. The attack was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Gorzkowski . Initially successful, the Polish units were halted and then forced onto the defensive. The cavalry attack by the Uhlans was also stopped and forced to withdraw west of Wola Gułowska. At 10:30, German artillery begun to fire on Polish cavalry positions. The Wehrmacht's 93rd Motorized Infantry Regiment began an attack on the 'Wilk' battalion positions, inflicting heavy losses. The 33rd Infantry Regiment began a gradual attack on the Polish 50th Infantry Division. After heavy fighting, the German advance was stopped. Otto decided to support the 33rd Motorised Infantry Regiment with the 2nd Battalion of the 66th Motorised Infantry Regiment. German formations captured Wola Gułowska, but in the evening they were forced to withdraw from the eastern part of the area.

[abb]

You will see much about the “County” and “Kent” class cruisers all during the war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_class_cruiser
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Kent_class_cruisers

[tcrlaf]

Notes of House of Commons Sitting of 3 October 1939 Series 5 Vol. 351
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/sittings/1939/oct/03

[tcrlaf]

In s surprise attack, Soviet Volunteer Air Forces in China hit the Main Japanese Air Base at Hankow with 12 DB-3 Bombers, led by Capt. G.A. apt. Kulishenko.

The Japanese lost 64 planes destroyed, 130 men were killed and 300 wounded.

Future Japanese Ace Saburu Sukai jumps in his “Claude” fighter, manages to avoid destroyed aircraft, Soviet strafing, and bomb holes, and chases the Soviets for 150 miles, finally shooting down 1 bomber while using up all of his ammunition, for his first confirmed kill.

[tcrlaf]

Japanese A5M Claude: Ilyushin DB-3 Long Range Bomber:

[tcrlaf]

Another note about the Soviet attack on Kankow Airbase:

“Japanese sources confirm the loss of fifty machines. Killed were seven senior officers of Captain 1st Rank and higher and twelve more were wounded. Amongst the latter was Rear Admiral Tsukahara, commander of the 1st Rengo Kokutai.

A period of mourning was declared and the airfield commandant was shot.”

A high price for failure...

[BroJoeK]

BOTH SIDES ARE EVADING
REAL NEUTRALITY ISSUE

Tactical Points in Congress Debate
Overlook Defense Objective in
Repeal of Arms Embargo

BULWARK IN EQUIPPING ALLIES

By Arthur Krock
Washington, Sept 30 -- "A certain lack of candor and consistency on both sides will enter the debate over the new wartime policy (Pittman) bill which begins next week in the Senate. The main issue -- shall the arms, ammunition and airplane embargo against belligerents be repealed? -- will be plain enough. But the real reasons for and effects of the Administration's chief proposal will be the elements on which the camouflages of oratory will be hung..."

you gotta love that phrase: "camouflages of oratory." Today we might say "spin," though I think that word loses something in the translation.

But "spin" is how my head feels, trying to comprehend this debate. Both sides claim to be increasing neutrality, and keeping America out of war. But one side wants to help out the western allies, while the other wants to not help them -- sort of... ?

As Krock points out:
The isolationists "have also shrunk from the logical development of their position into a demand that an embargo should also be applied to the 90 percent of war-making supplies now available to the Allies and unavailable to Germany, under the terms of the act they would retain. For cargoes of this type are as objectionable and menacing to Germany as arms.

"But here candor will lose another battle, and prudent electoral politics will gain another victory so far as most of the isolationists are concerned."

So, it appears that 90% of the war material the Allies need is already available, and the other 10% could be purchased through such simple ruses as shipping critical components to, say, Canada for final assembly.

What then, is the "Big Debate"? Is it all just a show, a masquerade -- in Krock's wonderful phrase, "a camouflage of oratory," but to deceive whom? The Nazis? Surely they were not so easily deceived. So it must be just to deceive ourselves -- into believing that we weren't really doing what we didn't want to do, but knew that somehow we must...

Ah, the wonderful world of politics! ;-)