Posted on 11/28/2009 5:33:12 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, The Gathering Storm
Thats their story and theyre sticking to it.
Moscow Rebuffed 2-3
Finlands Note to Russia - 4
Incidents in European Conflict 4
The International Situation 5
Battle Off Iceland 5-6
British Praise Nazi Skill In Sinking the Rawalpindi 6
Survivors Dazed After Sea Battle 7
Statement on Sea Raider 7
Where the Deutschland Has Struck (Map) 8
Underwriters Raise Rates Near Britain - 8
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/nov39/f28nov39.htm
Soviets renounce pact with Finland
Tuesday, November 28, 1939 www.onwar.com
In Moscow... The Soviet government renounces the non-aggression pact with Finland, signed in 1932. Claims of Finnish troops firing on Soviet forces around Leningrad are made. Meanwhile, orders are issued to the Red Army to invade Finland on November 30th.
In Helsinki... A Finnish investigation reveals that Soviet artillery fired the 7 shells at Mainila on November 26th. The Soviet government is informed.
In Occupied Poland... Dr. Frank orders the setting up of Judenrat (Jewish council) in each ghetto, to carry out Nazi orders.
In the Friesian Islands... RAF fighters attack Luftwaffe mine laying seaplanes at Borkum.
In London... The British government declares all German exports to be contraband.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Frank
Hans Michael Frank (May 23, 1900 October 16, 1946)
In September 1939 Frank was assigned as Chief of Administration to Gerd von Rundstedt in the General Government (GG). From October 26, 1939, following the invasion of Poland, Frank was the Governor-General of the General Government for the occupied Polish territories (Generalgouverneur für die besetzten polnischen Gebiete), that is head of the General Government controlling those areas of Poland that had not been directly incorporated into Germany (roughly 90,000 km² out of the 187,000 km² Germany had gained). He was granted the SS rank of Obergruppenführer.
One of his first operations was the AB Action, aimed at destroying Polish culture. Frank oversaw the segregation of the Jews into ghettos and the use of Polish civilians as “forced and compulsory” labour. In 1942 he lost his positions of authority outside the GG after annoying Hitler with a series of speeches in Berlin, Vienna, Heidelberg, and Munich and also as part of a power struggle with Friedrich Wilhelm Krüger, the State Secretary for Security head of the SS and the police in the GG. Krüger himself was ultimately replaced with Wilhelm Koppe.
Frank later claimed that the extermination of Jews was entirely controlled by Heinrich Himmler and the SS and that he, Frank, was unaware of the extermination camps in the General Government until early in 1944. During his testimony at Nuremberg, Frank claimed he submitted resignation requests to Hitler on 14 occasions, but Hitler would not allow him to resign. Frank fled the General Government in January 1945, in advance of the Soviet Army.
Be careful, Finland. Remember, for the Soviets, the rules of Parley are more like guidelines.
submanrine sealion accepted to service. she never saw action and was sunk in december 1941 as she lay in the yard in the phillipines in the opening of the pacific war.
Captain Kennedy of Rawalpindi must have had very poor eyes, had not done well in math, or RN naval recognition silhouettes were poor. He identified KM Scharnhorst as Deutschland, despite the fact that Scharnhorst had two forward triple gun 11” turrets and Deutschland only one. Plus, it was known that Deutschland was operating alone and it was clear that Rawalpindi’s attacker had a companion. Closer observation would have revealed it to be a sister ship, likewise mounting two forward triple 11” turrets.
In all fairness to the Brits, I believe this was the first sortie of Germany’s only heavy battle squadron, as Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had only just finished working up. I don’t think the RN was expecting to see them out in the north Atlantic.
I doubt the part about German sailors jeering at the survivors of Rawalpindi; the Gneisenau took aboard several survivors. And the Kriegsmarine through the war was generally known for humane treatment of British crews. Even if there had been some jeering, it isn’t the same as machine-gunning.
It was their first and it was a quickie, lasting only from 21 through 27 November.
In Helsinki... A Finnish investigation reveals that Soviet artillery fired the 7 shells at Mainila on November 26th. The Soviet government is informed.
Molotov response: "You mean our guys shelled your guys and not the other way around? My bad. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Call off the invasion"
This was the attack on the “london”, but the admiralty reported no damages, and that the torpedo exploded in the cruisers wake.
NOTE OF M. MOLOTOV, COMMISSAR FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
HANDED ON NOVEMBER 28th, 1939, TO M. YRJÖ-KOSKINEN,
FINNISH MINISTER AT MOSCOW.
Monsieur le Ministre,
The Finnish Government’s reply to the note from the Government of the U.S.S.R., dated November 26th, 1939, is a document which reflects the deep-rooted hostility of the Finnish Government towards the U.S.S.R. and is the cause of extreme tension in the relations between the two countries.
1)The fact that the Finnish Government deny that Finnish troops opened artillery fire on Soviet troops and caused casualties can be explained only by a desire to mislead public opinion and make light of those casualties. Nothing but a lack of responsibility and disdain for public opinion can account for the attempt to explain away this reprehensible incident by alleging firing practice by the Soviet artillery on the actual frontier-line within sight of Finnish troops.
2)The refusal of the Finnish Government to withdraw the troops who committed this hostile act of firing on Soviet troops, and the demand of that Government for the simultaneous withdrawal of the Finnish and Soviet troops, a demand which would appear to be based on the principle of equality, reveals clearly the hostile desire of the Finnish Government to expose Leningrad to danger.
There can, indeed, be no question of equality in the situation of the Finnish and Soviet troops.
The Soviet troops do not constitute a menace to Finland’s vital centres, as these troops are posted hundreds of kilometres away from such places, whereas the Finnish troops, stationed at a distance of 32 kilometres from Leningrad - a vital centre of the U.S.S.R., with a population of 3.5 million - menace that town directly.
It is needless to stress the fact that actually the Soviet troops cannot be withdrawn anywhere, since their withdrawal to a distance of 20-25 kilometres from the frontier would mean that they would have to be posted in the suburbs of Leningrad, which would be absurd from the point of view of the safety of that city.
The proposal of the Government of the U.S.S.R. that the Finnish troops should be withdrawn to beyond a distance of 20-25 kilometres from the frontier represents a minimum, since it is not designed to create equality of situation as between the Finnish and Soviet troops, but simply to attenuate the disproportion that now exists. If the Finnish Government refuse to accept this minimum proposal, it means that it is their intention that Leningrad should remain under a direct threat from their troops.
3)In concentrating a large number of regular troops in the immediate vicinity of Leningrad and subjecting that important vital centre of the U.S.S.R. to a direct threat, the Finnish Government have committed a hostile act against the U.S.S.R. which is incompatible with the Treaty of Non-Aggression concluded between the two States.
The refusal of the Finnish Government, after the criminal artillery fire directed at the Soviet troops, to withdraw their troops a distance of 20-25 kilometres shows that the Finnish Government desire to persist in their hostile attitude towards the U.S.S.R., that they have no intention of complying with the provisions of the Treaty of Non-Aggression and that they have decided to keep Leningrad under a perpetual menace.
The Government of the U.S.S.R. cannot, however, admit that one of the parties should be allowed to violate the Treaty of Non-Aggression, while the other party respects it. In consequence, the Government of the U.S.S.R. are obliged to state that they consider themselves, as from to-day, released from the obligations ensuing from the Treaty of Non-Aggression concluded between the U.S.S.R. and Finland, obligations which are being systematically violated by the Finnish Government.
Accept, M. le Ministre, the assurance of my high consideration.
People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V. Molotov.
War Diary of Seaplane Station Borkum, describing an Air Raid by 8 Bristol Blenheims:
The entry of the war diary for 28/11/1939: (machine translation)
“16.30 clock attack by eight Bristol Blenheim at the air base with MG. Approach at low level from NW to SE.
Immediately before the machine Horst at 30-50 meters and pulling the fire halls and standing in front of aircraft with machine guns.
Two airplanes, offices and barracks received about 100 hits. Two workers were injured.
Resistance through two separate 3.7 cm and the MG 15th Beim. On departure shot at the planes on the Ems, Rhineland steamer lying at anchor and Rolshoven.
THE PUMMANKI AFFAIR
In the night of 28-29 November 1939, just of hours before the outbreak of the armed conflict between USSR and Finland, a Soviet infiltration group attacked and kidnapped three Finnish border guards from the Pummanki Border Guard Post on the Kalastajasaarento Peninsula (today Rybachij in Russia) led by Junior Sergeant Veikko Salkio.
The Border guard post in Haminatuntiri, in Pummanki reported that in 28.11 1700 hours,steps were heard outside of the building of post and it asked thru telephone that had Pummanki post send any patrol there.Then phone went dead.
Guard post in Pummanki reported that immediatly to 1st. Lt.Autio in Liinahamari,which ordered at 1720 an 8 man patrol to be sent to the post. At 1730 leader of patrol reported that about 20 shots were heard from guard post and they stayed put.
At 1735 1st.Lt.Autio was ordered to board a patrol boat Turja with the necessary party of men and to go Pummanki to clarify situation.
At 2230 Autio arrived to guard post of Haminatunturi. He found post to be unmanned and field telephone detached 4 meters outside of post.
Rations and other equipment were scattered inside post, a window was broken and the door showed marks of hits with rifle butt. Border guards equipment and Ministry of Foresty binocular were missing.
C.20 meters outside post,towards the border,reserve Private Simonen’s coat and belt were found.
The guard post of Haminatunturi is 350-400 meters from border.When 3 Finnish reservist are missing from post,there are no other possibilities than SU troops have came to Finnish soil and they have made themselves guilty to transfer with force Finnish to SU.
This was from the Information Office of the Counsel of State.
Jahvetti in his book Suomi Neuvostoliiton Radiossa says that Moscow radio had made following bulletin:
Moscow 28.11.39 23.50.
Finnish unit have made an attack today.First we retreaded but after help we throw enemy back across the border.
3 enemy soldiers were captured and booty was 2 rifles.1 revolver,2 binoculars and flaregun.
Churchill recorded a postscript to this entry. See reply #2 on the 11/29 thread.
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