HITLER ESCAPES BOMB EXPLOSION BY 15 MINUTES (11/9/39)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 11/9/39 | Raymond Daniell, Sir Philip Gibbs

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[tcrlaf]

November 9, 1939

MGM Releases “Ninotchka”, starring Greta Garbo. It will be nominated for 4 Academy Awards.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Greta Garbo

Best Picture

Best Writing, Original Story
Melchior Lengyel

Best Writing, Screenplay
Charles Brackett
Walter Reisch
Billy Wilder

The movie makes fun of the Soviet Union, which sets the American Left in to a frenzy.

BEST LINE:

Buljanow (Felix Bressart) asks Ninotchka (Greta Garbo):

“What is the mood in Moscow?”

She replies, “Excellent. The last mass executions were a great success. There are again fewer but better Russians.”

[tcrlaf]

FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER MOLOTOV PAASIKIVI AND TANNER TO 9 NOVEMBER 1939 LETTER.

Acquainted me today (9 November) to leave, the Finnish government to a written statement, saying that the Soviet Government’s statement of November 3 is in the wrong.

In fact, the Soviet Government proposed this November 3 as follows:
1. The Soviet Government, having regard to the Finnish Government’s announcement that it can not accept another state or to the marine garrison military base investment “territory of Finland,” Finnish Government has proposed, glimpse of the port areas located in the land sales to the Soviet Union.

Such a solution would make groundless the arguments which assume that this is a piece of land is the Finnish territory, because, once it is sold to the Soviet Union, it should be already in the Soviet zone.
2). A result of the above, I believe that the Paasikivi and Tanner, the current memorandum dated 9 November for the following objection “Finland can not grant to a foreign power to military bases on its territory and within its own borders” is inappropriate and represents the Soviet Government’s attitude caricature.

It is clear that if the area of Hanko to the east or in the islands are sold or exchanged for an equivalent area in the Soviet Union, they may no longer be the territory of Finland and the Finnish borders.

Given the above, I return to you a memorandum dated 9 November.
V. Molotov. V. Molotov.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

MGM Releases “Ninotchka”, starring Greta Garbo. It will be nominated for 4 Academy Awards.

Nugent's going to the premier tonight at the Radio City Music Hall. Then he will run over to the Capitol for "Dancing Co-Ed." Finally he will try to catch rising star John Wayne in "Allegheny Uprising" at the Palace. He will stay up late and write reviews for tomorrow.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

He will stay up late and write reviews for tomorrow.

My mistake. Frank will be devoting himself solely to "Ninotchka." His associates B.R.C. and B.C. will be handling the other two.

[Cheburashka]

i wonder if any of the military staffs had gamed out what would happen if germany attacked thru the ardenne with massed armor.

---

In 1939-40 the prevailing Allied attitude was that tanks were to supplement and aid infantry on the advance. And to be used in small units, one tank company per infantry regiment, for example. The idea that an advance would take place at a speed faster than a man walking, like was standard in WWI, did not occur to the Allies. Yes there were people like Liddle-Hart, who had different ideas, but they were ignored.

A walking-paced advance through the Ardennes could easily be stopped by moving troops around by rail, again like what happened in WWI. So even when the Allies wargamed an attack though the Ardennes they saw nothing they could not easily handle.

Panzer divisions and mobility would be the key to German surprise and successes which will occur 6-8 months from 11/09/39. Stay tuned for these developments.

[tcrlaf]

9 November, 1939: Lodz was included in the Reich according to the wish of the Lodz Germans. The city was subject to the authority of Artur Greiser, the president of the Warta Land, who was an advocate of fast Germanization of the area under his command. A bloody terror against Poles and Jews immediatly began.

[tcrlaf]

Young King Leopold the Third of Belgium squarely predicted this in a speech from October, 1936:

“There has been such a vast change in methods of warfare as a result of technical progress, particularly in aviation and mechanisation, that the initial operations of armed conflict can now be of such force, speed, and magnitude as to be particularly alarming to small countries like Belgium.”

He was roundly laughed at..

Operation Niwi Would prove he was correct....

[rdl6989]

I wonder how the history of the world would be different if the assassins had succeeded.

[tcrlaf]

The ceremony for the Jpanese withdrawal in China, which marks the conclusion of the Second Sino-Japanese War, took place in a simple 20-minute ceremony in the auditorium of the Central Military Academy in Nanking on 9 November 1939 at 09:00am.

Lieut. Gen. Okamura Yasutsugu and Gen. Ho Ying-chin, representing their respective governments, signed the Act of Withdrawal.

According to a report submitted by the Japanese Headquarters, there were in China over 785,000 Japanese troops and over half a million Japanese civilians. Pursuant to provisions embodied by Admiral Yamamoto, the Chinese occupied zone was divided into sixteen areas and the commanders in their respective areas were empowered to receive Japanese arms and facilitate Japanese troops repatriation.

Manchuria, the area excluded from China in the Peace and Reconciliation Treaty, had been occupied by over 630,000 Soviet troops since early August 1939, when the Soviet Union commenced Operation Autumn Storm following her invasion of Japanese controlled areas. This territory would never be turned over as it was ultimately occupied by the Manzhouguan communists following the Soviet withdrawal.

[tcrlaf]

Scratch the above....
It’s from 1945

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Whew. You had Homer blinking in confusion.

[tcrlaf]

November 9, 1939 -

American Ernest Lawrence received 1939 Nobel prize in physics;

The prize in chemistry awarded jointly to Adolph Butenandt of Germany and Leopold Ruzicka of Switzerland;

Deferred 1938 prize in chemistry went to Richard Kuhn of Germany. (source: The Britannica Archive)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

American Ernest Lawrence received 1939 Nobel prize in physics.

Any relation to Lawrence Livermore?

[beebuster2000]

interesting!!

and dont forget gliders and paratroopers.

[BroJoeK]

A Time Bomb Set

The following comes from: Assassination Attempts on Hitler’s Life

"Johann Georg Elser, born January 4, 1903, had served an apprenticeship as cabinetmaker (Schreiner) and from 1929 to 1932 worked in Switzerland at this trade then returned to Germany to assist in his father's lumberyard.

"He bitterly resented the Nazi stranglehold on labour unions and the growing restrictions on religious freedom. He then decided to kill Hitler by placing a time bomb in one of the columns behind the podium where Hitler was to give a speech in the Burgerbrau Beer Cellar in Munich.

"The bomb was set to detonate at preciesly 9.20pm on Wednesday, November 8, 1939.

"At 8.10 Hitler enters the beer hall but at 9.12pm he suddenly ends his speech and departs. Eight minutes later the bomb explodes killing eight people and wounding sixty-five including Eva Braun's father. Seven of those killed were Nazi Party members.

"Elser, who, since 1933, refused to give the Nazi salute, is later arrested as he tried to cross the border into Switzerland at Konstanz. He was held for questioning due to the 'strange content' of his belongings. He was transported to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, and later confined in the concentration camp at Dachau.

"On the 9th Of April, 1945, two weeks before the war ended in Europe, Johann Elser was executed by the SS.

"In the city of Bremen a street was named in his honour, Georg-Elser Weg.

"In Berlin a memorial has been erected and a plaque to his memory is sited in his hometown, Koenigsbronn."

All told, it is claimed there were 42 attempts to assassinate Hitler, some more serious than others. This one has to rank as one of the most serious.

[CougarGA7]

Any relation to Lawrence Livermore?

Kind of. Lawrence Livermore is named after him. Lawrence after Ernest, and Livermore is the town its located in.

[henkster]

Just now saw it late tonight. I’ll work on it tomorrow night.

[henkster]

Here is my rough translation, prepared without benefit of a German/English dictionary. I make no claims of the accuracy of the translation, and in fact I would not be surprised if the translation contained many inaccuracies. One reason, in addition to my rusty ability with German, is that this is a technical document. It is what we in America would call an Arson Cause & Origin Report. It contains a lot of technical lingo that pertains to an arson investigation, and because it also makes findings of structural damage to the building, contains a number of technical engineering or design terms. I am far from conversant with those terms as they were used in 1939 Germany.

“Incident: Explosive destruction of Nov. 8, 1939 at the Burgerbraukeller (Beer Hall) in Munich

An investigation of the explosion in the Munich Beer Hall occurring about 24 hours ago was conducted by 1st Lt. Wittman of the Arson Investigation Division of the Munich Police under the direction of the Criminal Police of Munich, with the assistance of the Chief Coroner Dr. Bohme. The investigation in the location and placement of the explosive device resulted in the following significant findings:

The main vertical support beam behind the speaker’s rostrum was in large part destroyed. The 3 lateral structural steel support beams connected to the main vertical support beam were twisted in directions away from each other. The steel supports were destroyed from this point to the floor, from which the main connections (or junctions) were severed. Because of this the main vertical support beam and the other lateral beams, having had their connections severed, collapsed at an angle of about 60 degrees. Because of that the entire podium that had been supported by these vertical and lateral beams, and the backdrop for the podium, lost its structural integrity. The backdrop between the supporting columns over this half of the area was compromised and became unattached. The lower part of a vertical support beam nearby was somewhat (destroyed? damaged?) and thereby further weakened the speaker’s rostrum.
The floor of the gallery behind the podium was penetrated by the vertical support beam.
Based upon these findings, the bomb must have been placed here on the vertical support beam near the floor.”

There is more to the report; there is only the part of the first sentence of the next paragraph of the findings, which appears to deal with findings on the nature of the explosive device, such as the explosive material used. However, not enough of that report is in this post to get any further info.

What surprises me about this report is that these findings were made so quickly. This would not normally happen today. However, it could also be in the nature of a preliminary report prepared by an engineer and bomb squad expert, one conversant with structural demolition.

Hope this helps.

[henkster]

Here is my rough translation, prepared without benefit of a German/English dictionary. I make no claims of the accuracy of the translation, and in fact I would not be surprised if the translation contained many inaccuracies. One reason, in addition to my rusty ability with German, is that this is a technical document. It is what we in America would call an Arson Cause & Origin Report. It contains a lot of technical lingo that pertains to an arson investigation, and because it also makes findings of structural damage to the building, contains a number of technical engineering or design terms. I am far from conversant with those terms as they were used in 1939 Germany.

“Incident: Explosive destruction of Nov. 8, 1939 at the Burgerbraukeller (Beer Hall) in Munich

An investigation of the explosion in the Munich Beer Hall occurring about 24 hours ago was conducted by 1st Lt. Wittman of the Arson Investigation Division of the Munich Police under the direction of the Criminal Police of Munich, with the assistance of the Chief Coroner Dr. Bohme. The investigation in the location and placement of the explosive device resulted in the following significant findings:

The main vertical support beam behind the speaker’s rostrum was in large part destroyed. The 3 lateral structural steel support beams connected to the main vertical support beam were twisted in directions away from each other. The steel supports were destroyed from this point to the floor, from which the main connections (or junctions) were severed. Because of this the main vertical support beam and the other lateral beams, having had their connections severed, collapsed at an angle of about 60 degrees. Because of that the entire podium that had been supported by these vertical and lateral beams, and the backdrop for the podium, lost its structural integrity. The backdrop between the supporting columns over this half of the area was compromised and became unattached. The lower part of a vertical support beam nearby was somewhat (destroyed? damaged?) and thereby further weakened the speaker’s rostrum.
The floor of the gallery behind the podium was penetrated by the vertical support beam.
Based upon these findings, the bomb must have been placed here on the vertical support beam near the floor.”

There is more to the report; there is only the part of the first sentence of the next paragraph of the findings, which appears to deal with findings on the nature of the explosive device, such as the explosive material used. However, not enough of that report is in this post to get any further info.

What surprises me about this report is that these findings were made so quickly. This would not normally happen today. However, it could also be in the nature of a preliminary report prepared by an engineer and bomb squad expert, one conversant with structural demolition.

Hope this helps.