Posted on 11/16/2009 4:35:01 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Have you made sure that the intake of air to Admiralty basement is secure? Are there alternative intakes in case of the present one being damaged by a bomb? What would happen in the case of fire in the courtyard?
There seem to be heaps of rubbish, timber, and other inflammable material lying about, not only in the courtyard, but in some of the rooms underneath them. All unnecessary inflammable material should be removed forthwith.
Winston S. Churchill, The Gathering Storm
*Because I can’t resist a German Shepherd story.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/nov39/f16nov39.htm
Nazis declare martial law in Prague
Thursday, November 16, 1939 www.onwar.com
In Occupied Czechoslovakia... An uprising in Prague is quelled. German authorities declare martial law in Prague. There are reports of many arrests, shootings and deportations.
In Bucharest... An offer of mediation made by Romanian King Carol is rejected by both sides.
In Britain... The cost of living is reported to have risen 2.5 percent in October.
In Finland... The armed forces are mobilized as the talks over Soviet demands for an exchange of territory break down in acrimony. The Soviets are seeking to protect naval bases at Leningrad and Murmansk from possible attack by demanding cession of strategic Finnish territory and the lease of Finnish ports in exchange for land in the desolate swamps and forests of Karelia. The Finns refuse.
interesting bit on the dog. the belgians killing dogs because people are on rations. different times thats for sure.
as for the Finns, look out below.
Interesting how focused they are on the pocket battleships. And their analysis of their comparable firepower and speed to HOOD, etc. is odd. Both SCHARNHORST and GNIESENAU could run with the Brits, and each had nine 11” guns to the DEUTSCHLAND class’ six.
Would have been much more interesting if the Germans had upgunned the battlecruisers to 15” guns as they’d planned.
Seamen Puzzled by WPA Program
Although the local offices of the Work Projects Administration received authorization yesterday for the absorption of 3,200 unemployed seamen in the Port of New York there was no indication as to how the seamen would be selected or how they would be employed.
The quotes from the C.I.O. union guy are priceless!
"Achieve the two essentials of feminine happiness - glamour and fashion-rightness."
Does your wife's figure present the Scissors Silhouette? If not, you know where to start your Christmas shopping.
I wish there were an easier way to cut and paste.
I thought the following was interesting:
“Today incidentally is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the newspaper Popolo d’Italia by Signor Mussolini, who wrote an editorial that day headed “Audacity.” Today it is the leading Fascist newspaper, which all good Fascists are expected to read. Signor Mussolini still frequently writes editorials for it, but always anonymously.”
Yes but it was just urged that we all kill our dogs because a dog has a bigger carbon footprint than a Suburban.
“Czech Students Dispersed 5 Times by Nazis; Troops With Rifles Forced to Charge Crowds”
50 Years from now (1989), a memorial to remember the “Students Revolt” against the Nazi’s will explode in to the “Velvet Revolution”, when the unexpectedly huge crowd of 10,000 is dispersed by police using harsh measures.
The comparisons between the Nazi’s then, and the Soviets in 1989, along with this rememberence would be the trigger that frees the Czechs from Soviet domination.
By November 20 the number of peaceful protesters assembled in Prague had swollen from 200,000 the previous day to an estimated half-million. A two-hour general strike, involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia, was held on November 27.
By Nov. 28, the government will fall, and Václav Havel will be named the President of Czechoslovakia on December 29, 1989.
Naval Events Wednesday, 15 November, 1939
Convoy HN.2 of eight British and one Finnish steamer departed Bergen and was joined by destroyers ICARUS, IMOGEN and IMPULSIVE. The convoy was covered by battleships NELSON and RODNEY and accompanying forces which departed Rosyth on the 12th. ICARUS was relieved by destroyer IMPERIAL and then proceeded to Rosyth for boiler cleaning.
Destroyers ASHANTI and PUNJABI getting underway to join the battleships collided at Rosyth on the 15th, but the damage was not serious, and they and sister ship SOMALI, which departed Rosyth with them, joined the battleships at sea as planned. Destroyer MASHONA departed Loch Ewe on the 16th and joined the Home Fleet.
TARTAR, completing the escort of steamer MARYLYN to Stromness, joined them at the same location as sister ship MASHONA.
Destroyers ISIS and KANDAHAR were assigned to escort the three steamers of the west coast section of HN.2 when it arrived off the Shetlands. KANDAHAR had departed on the 15th to join the Home Fleet at sea, but was recalled for this escort duty. Destroyer WALLACE was assigned to escort the Tyne section of HN.2 but because of fog, had to anchor off the Tyne for an hour.
A submarine contact on the 17th did not hamper the convoy’s progress and HN.2 arrived safely on the 18th with IMOGEN, IMPERIAL and IMPULSIVE. The battle force arrived at Loch Ewe on the 17th, departed on the 19th and arrived in the Clyde on the 21st.
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On Northern Patrol, three cruisers were between the Orkneys and the Faroes, two cruisers and one AMC between the Faroes and Iceland, and one cruiser and three AMCs in the Denmark Strait.
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The deep minefield in the Clyde was begun and completed on the 18th in Operation CP.
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Destroyer FURY completed her repairs in the Clyde, but was retained in the Clyde to escort base ship MASHOBRA.
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Destroyer INGLEFIELD completed her repairs at Liverpool and departed for Scapa Flow.
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Sloop PELICAN and submarine TRIAD departed Rosyth to exercise outside May Island with RAF personnel. Both ships arrived back at Rosyth later that day.
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Polish destroyer GROM rendezvoused off North Goodwin Light with destroyers EXPRESS and ESK, which had sailed from Harwich.
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Destroyers BROKE and ECLIPSE were submarine hunting
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Convoy FN.37 departed Southend for Methil, escorted by sloops GRIMSBY, FLAMINGO, WESTON. Anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA, destroyers JUNO and JUPITER departed Grimsby in support.
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Convoy FS.37 departed Methil escorted by escort ships VIVIEN, VALOROUS and sloop BITTERN. Minesweeper TEDWORTH sailed with the convoy for the passage south. VALOROUS developed condenser problems, was replaced by destroyer JAGUAR, and began repairs in the Tyne, which were completed on the 16th.
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Convoy BC.15 of ten steamers, including BARON CARNEGIE, BLACKHEATH, DEVON COAST and NIGERIAN (Commodore) departed Bristol Channel, escorted by destroyers VIVACIOUS, VESPER and VANESSA, and safely arrived in the Loire on the 17th.
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U.20 was attacked nine miles 90° from Tongue Light Vessel by British aircraft which called up destroyers KEITH and GRIFFIN. Destroyer GREYHOUND later joined in the search, but U.20 escaped serious damage and was able to lay mines off Newarp Light Vessel on the 22nd.
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French destroyer SIROCCO attacked a contact after a submarine was reported by an aircraft. Destroyers VELOX and VIDETTE, after leaving convoy HG.7, also searched the area.
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Australian light cruiser HOBART departed Colombo and arrived at Bombay on the 18th.
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Heavy cruiser SUSSEX arrived at Durban.
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German pocket battleship ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE sank steamer AFRICA SHELL (706grt) 10½ miles SW by S of Cape Zavora Light in Mozambique Channel in 24-40-42S, 35-12E. Submarine OLYMPUS on patrol in the Indian Ocean set off in pursuit, but failed to make contact.
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Admiral Wells of Force K transferred his flag to battlecruiser RENOWN, and aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL departed Freetown for England to refit and receive new aircraft. When news of the sinking of AFRICA SHELL reached the Admiralty on the 17th, ARK ROYAL was ordered back to Freetown.
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Light cruiser LIVERPOOL departed Colombo on the 15th and arrived at Singapore on the 19th for patrol duties on the China Station. She proceeded to Saigon and arrived at Hong Kong on 10 December.
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Canadian destroyers OTTAWA and RESTIGOUCHE departed Esquimalt, Canada, for Halifax on the east coast after being relieved in the Pacific by British light cruiser CARADOC. They refuelled on the 25th off the Isla del Coco off the Costa Rican coast from Australian light cruiser PERTH, which had entered the Pacific through the Panama Canal, refuelled again at Kingston and reached Halifax on 7 December.
These movements were to allow Canadian destroyers FRASER and OTTAWA to join the America and West Indies Station, and Canadian destroyer SAGUENAY which had been operating in the Caribbean since late September to return to Canada. However, heavy demands for convoy escorts caused OTTAWA to be retained at Halifax and FRASER did not arrive in the Caribbean at Kingston until 31 March 1940.
Canadian destroyer ASSINIBOINE arrived at Halifax on the 17th from Plymouth, and departed Halifax on 5 December for Jamaica, arriving at Kingston on the 8th to relieve SAGUENAY.
SAGUENAY arrived back at Halifax in mid-December and resumed convoy duties from that port.
ASSINIBOINE remained in the Caribbean until 31 March 1940 when she arrived back at Halifax after being relieved by FRASER.
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German trawler ELSE (141grt) was lost near Skargaard.
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Lithuanian steamers PANEVEZYS (1607grt) and NIDA (945grt) were sunk on mines near Tallinn.
Yet another bad day for the accident-prone Bristol Blenhiem squadrons, as three are lost, all to accidents.
1) A Blenhiem of RAF 57 squadron is forced to crash land by mechanical issues on the Gent-Kortrijk road near Waregem, Belgium. The crew of three (Sgt Gilmore, Sgt Turnidge, AC1 T.J.Jervis are interned by Belgium authorities.
2)A Blenhiem of RAF 600 Squadron crashes on takeoff at Hornchurch. Engine failed on night take-off, wing hit ground & DBR.
3)A Bristol Blenheim of RAF 108 Sqn flew in to the ground on initial climb out, during night flight training near Luggershall, Oxfordshire. Pilot Officer Kenneth Charles Harvey Jacobs, aged 19 killed.
16November, 1939-
War Diary and War Standing Orders of Commander in Chief, Submarines-Admiral Donitz
U 47 sailed for her operations area in accordance with Operations Order No. 11.
Group Headquarters West:
The next boats to be ready for operations will be:
U 31 and U 35 on 18 November
U 48 on 20 November
U 36 on 25 November
I intend to send U 31 and 35 to the sea area south of Ireland and to allow them considerable freedom of action there. They must be able to approach the coast or move further out to sea according to weather conditions and patrol.
Cooperation will only be possible to a limited extent and will probably be confined to an exchange of individual reports rather than shadowing for any length of time. At first U 28 and 29 will be in the same area.
U 48 is a boat with wide radius of action. She is therefore to operate west of Spain and Portugal, where U 47 will also be, and possibly U 49.
This area has 2 great advantages:
1) The weather is better here in the winter than it is further north.
2) There is less patrol, especially air patrol. If there is any air activity at all it must be very slight. The traffic situation is very favorable.
U 53 has apparently lost the convoy which she reported on the 15th for good. Her last report said that she had been driven off by a/c with bombs. It was a small convoy of 7 ships. As the boat is now west of Gibraltar and her operations area is east of Gibraltar, she has presumably started on her return passage.
November 16, 1939: In Lodz, order given that all Jews must wear a Star of David.
(NAAF Holocaust Archive)
The British steamship Arlington Court, Capt. Hurst, was torpedoed by the German submarine U 43 in the Atlantic 320 miles S.W. of Start Point off the Irish coast when on a voyage in convoy SL-7A from Argentina to Hull.
The vessel was struck by two torpedoes, the first of which wrecked the wireless. The second was not discharged until after the crew had taken to the boats. The vessel sank in 30 minutes.
Of the 34 men who had formed the crew 22 were picked up by the Dutch steamship Alengib and landed at an Irish port. The chief engineer, Mr. H. Pearson, died from exposure during the time that the boats were adrift, and three others were lost from various causes.
Another boat was piloted by an 18 year-old apprentice, Malcolm Morrison, for six days until close to land where he was picked up by a Norwegian vessel. Morrison worked out his course with a small compass and steered the boat himself, though suffering severely from frostbite.
There were five men in the boat beside Morrison and all survived.
German submarine production kicks in to high gear, with 4 subs being laid down today alone:
- Coastal submarine U 137 laid down (16.11.1939)
- Coastal submarine U 138 laid down (16.11.1939)
- Coastal submarine U 140 laid down (16.11.1939)
- Ocean-going submarine U 105 laid down (16.11.1939)
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