Posted on 12/01/2009 5:15:29 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The cabinet resigned..it was a coalition government that included social democrats (basically, communists under new name) and was considered pacifist and unwilling to fund the army properly.
btt
Funny how the NYT thought the new cabinet was one that would pursue peace at any price. They didn’t know the Finns very well. The Finns were the toughest and best soldiers of WW2; they made the Soviets look pathetic, and they laughed at the Germans.
This war, the “Winter War,” will go a long way towards convincing Hitler to launch Barbarossa in 1941.
More on the Allied reaction later when I have some time.
CBS - Elmer Davis Reports on the Conflict between the Soviets and Finland
One thing I have to say for Elmer, his sarcasm is hilarious.
Finland records its first successes in the air war: Finnish fighters shoot down 13 Soviet aircraft, two over Helsinki.
Photo: SA-KUVA
How DARE you say the Soviets are bombing and killing people!!
According to Molotov’s Radio Address in Moscow yesterday, the Soviet Bombers are “Delivering Bread” at the request of the starving Finns, who are the victims of relentless capitalism!
They Finns called the Cluster bombs the Soviets dropped “Bread Baskets” because of this.
And as Elmer Davis said today, the Soviets are dropping leaflets. But unfortunately, some of those leaflets are exploding.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/dec39/f01dec39.htm
In the Winter War... Helsinki is bombed by Soviet aircraft. Casualties amount to 80 killed. Soviet attacks on the Karelian Isthmus continue.
In Occupied Finland... A Soviet sponsored Democratic Republic of Finland is established under Finnish Communist Otto Kuusinen at Terijoki on the Gulf of Finland. The Kuusinen government calls on all Finns to “overthrow the oppressor” (i.e., the government in Helsinki) and welcome the “liberators” (of the Red Army). A treaty is signed with the USSR giving the Soviets everything that has previously been demand, in exchange for the whole of Karelia.
In the Soviet Union... The TASS news agency claims that in Finland, “the people already rose in various parts of the country and proclaimed the formation of a democratic republic. Port of the soldiers of Finland’s army already have sided with the new government, backed by the people.”
In Helsinki... The legitimate Finnish government is reorganized. A coalition government is formed with Dr. Ryti as Prime Minister and Tanner as Foreign Minister.
Sorry it’s so late. Haven’t had a lot of spare time today.
My Focus on the Winter War is the Battle of the Raate Road, which is part of the Battle of Suomussalmi, north of Lake Ladoga. This is where the Finns gained the reputation as ferocious soldiers.
Over the course of the next month, the small Finnish garrison here, made up mostly of local gaurdsman, and never numbering more than around 3,700, will totally destroy two complete frontline Soviet Division (163rd Infantry, 44th Motorized, 40,000 troops) including a fully modernized Motorized division from the Ukraine.
Survivors of the 44th Motorized (Just over 1,000) who returned to the Soviet Union after the armistace, will be executed by the NKVD to hide the scale of the defeat.
Battle of the Raate Road Nov. 30 to Dec 1, 1939
Chuikov commanded the 45th Rifle Corps, made up of Zelentsov’s 16 3rd Rifle Division, Vinogradov’s 44th Motorized Rifle Division. 48,000 men, 335 guns, and 150 tanks and armoured cars.
Facing him in the initial stages were TWO platoons of Finnish Army Regulars, a Border Guards squad of around 12 men, and the local battalion of reservists (Ersatz Pioneer 15), numbering around 300 men, with ONE 37mm Anti-tank gun.
That was all the Finns had facing TWO fully reinforced and supported Soviet Divisions.
Chuikov led his attack with the 163rd, attacking on two axis:
1) Infantry Regiment 81 moved down the Juntusranta - Palovaara road. The first report of Soviet troops crossing the border came from Karttimo (NE of Toravaara) in the morning of 30 November.
In the afternoon, the platoon-sized border guard detachment RO II, led by 2nd Lieutenant M.Elo , withdrew to the west side of the Lake Kokkojärvi (next to Juntusranta) and in the following night further west to Ketterä (some 5 km east of Linna).
The reports by Elo were not believed by his superiors, and his pleads for reinforcements were answered by messages like; “...stop being so nervous and fight better!”.
2) The Soviet JR 759, along with the Division’s Recon battallion, crossed the border at 0830 hrs on 30 November, and proceeded to advance along the Raate Road.
A short fire fight between the small guard detachment (12 men) and the Soviet troops bought enough time for the majority of the local inhabitants to get away, and as the guard detachment withdrew it was soon strengthened by a platoon from the rear.
Later in the afternoon, the 3./Er.P 15 had to withdraw from it’s positions as the Soviet forces sent a unit to outflank the defenders. The guard detachments along the border (running down south to Lake Kuivajärvi) were given orders to delay the Soviet forces in order to buy time for the evacuation of the civilians.
The main elements of Er.P 15 started it’s advance to the border following prewar orders. The 2nd Company/Er.P 15 deployed along the small Purasjoki river (south of Puras locality and some 10 km west from the border).
Er.P 15 received an order from the HQ of P-SR, to beat the opposing Soviet forces in an attack on Dec 1st. As the preparations were delayed, the attack was launched later that afternoon. During that morning, the defending company repulsed a probing attack after a two hour fight. Short fire fights between patrols from both sides were fought even as far as Puras.
The attack was eventually canceled due to darkness and bad weather before contact with the enemy. Right after midnight, on Dec 2nd, the battalion received a new defensive order while the P-SR HQ begun immediate actions to gather more troops in the area.
During the Dec 2nd, all attacks of a battalion sized force was repulsed on the Purasjoki line. As the threat of a flanking attack via Puras forced the transport of 3./Er.P 15 into the area, the Er.P 15 reserve was now only a under strengthened company.
War Diary and War Standing Orders of Commander in Chief, Submarines, Admiral Donitz
Dec 1, 1939
The second order to U 35 has remained unanswered. As every radio message is made at various times on long and short wave, it is out of the question that the boat did not receive it. Either her radio is out of order or something has happened to her.
Missed this important Summary from Admiral Donitz War Diary dated the 29th Of November:
The weather continues very stormy. Apparently the U-boats have not been able to fire.
As it must now be taken that C-in-C Fleet’s return (the Battlegroup Task Force that sank the Rawalpindi) cannot remain unknown to the enemy for much longer, there is no point in the boats remaining in the Shetland-Norway Straits for another day, especially as there are believed to be many destroyers in the vicinity.
- U 47 and 48 will continue on their passage to the North Atlantic.
- U 31 and 35 have been ordered to occupy the operations areas on the east coast of England. Their radius of action is too small to make it worthwhile for them to go into the Atlantic after the operations of the last few days. They are to report their stocks of fuel when leaving.
- A radio message received from U 29. She does not consider that the minelaying operation off Milford can be carried out in the present circumstances. (She had orders not to carry out the operation if undue risks were involved). The boat was allocated an operations area in the Bristol Channel.
- U 49 entered port. She only managed to fire one torpedo during the short time she was in the Atlantic, at an escorted steamer which probably sunk. The boat suffered considerable damage from D/C’s. There are no further details.
- The propaganda organization has exaggerated U 47’s hit on a cruiser to a sinking. From the service man’s point of view these inaccuracies and exaggerations are undesirable.
- Radio message from U 38: No shipping sighted off Lola Bay. No successes. This boat was sent there on the orders of Naval War Staff, in the belief that there was considerable traffic in the area. Later information received by Naval War Staff indicated that these hopes were unjustified. Now the boat herself has confirmed this. In the circumstances it is pointless to keep the boat there any longer. She has been ordered to return.
- U 31’s fuel report received, but not U 35’s. The boat was again ordered to report.
- U 53 entered port. This is the boat which shadowed the convoy west of Portugal and Biscay from the 17th to the 19th and the operations orders of which were to penetrate into the Mediterranean. She sank nothing on this patrol.
The C.O.’s report shows that she had many chances to attack but did not make use of them. The boat did not show enough fighting spirit. I have therefore decided to relieve the C.O.
On 30.11 B.d.U. reported to C-in-C Navy in Berlin on the results of the mining war and further intentions:
The mining war has 2 aims:
1) To attack military bases (in continuation of the attack on Scapa Flow) with the object of driving the enemy out of ports near the North Sea.
Acting on these lines, B.d.U. carried out minelays in the beginning of November in Loch Ewe, off the entrance to Invergordon, and at the entrance to Rosyth in the Firth of Forth.
2) To attack enemy merchant shipping. The following fields were laid for this purpose:
2 in the Bristol Channel
1 off the Shambles (Portland)
1 off South Goodwin
2 off Orfordness
2 off Lowestoff
1 off Newark Lightship
1 off Inner Dowsing
1 off Flamborough Head
1 off Middlesborough (Hartlepool).
3) The following points are of importance with regard to the mining war:
a) It is a good thing to lay mines at many suitable places, so that shipping is disorganized everywhere.
b) Places which are particularly suitable, because of narrow entrances, should be entirely closed for as long as possible by several minefields.
c) Mines should therefore be laid starting at the innermost point and working outwards, so that possible later operations are not prejudiced, even if this means that the first mines are laid in less promising positions.
d) Mines must be laid at depths at which their effect is likely to be fatal. Wartime experience has shown that, despite peacetime expectations, TMB’s do not have this effect at depths greater than 25 meters. The Inspectorate of Mining and Barrage was therefore requested at the beginning of November to construct a S/M-laid ground mine with a much heavier charge. They have worked very energetically at this and at present 2 new mines, type TMC, with a 1000 Kg charge, have already been manufactured for experimental purposes.
4) The next steps in the mining war are therefore planned as follows:
A) Military Positions:
a) Closing the Firth of Forth, first with 2 TMB-minefields north and south of the one laid by U 21 and afterwards by 3 TMC fields east of this, but not further east than the longitude of May Island.
b) Fouling of the Clyde with TMC.
After the Scapa incident the Clyde became the main anchorage for the heavy ships. Only TMC’s can be used in the Clyde.
c) Completing the minefield off Invergordon with 2 TMB minefields, followed by 2 TMC fields outside these.
d) Fouling of Plymouth with TMC’s.
e) Fouling of the Needles Channel (Portsmouth) with TMC’s.
B) Minelaying against merchant shipping:
a) Closing the Bristol Channel by adding to the 2 minefields already laid. The minefields to be laid now by U 26 and U 29 off Milford Haven and Swansen also come within this framework.
b) Laying TMB’s off Liverpool.
c) Laying TMC’s on the south coast, off Falmouth, St. Alban’s Head, St. Catherine’s Point, Royal Sovereign and Dungeness.
d) Laying TMB’s on the east coast at the north entrance to Yarmouth Roads off Cockle Lightship (now being laid by U 59), off Newcastle (now being laid by U 61), and off Dundee.
5) As there are so few boats and torpedo warfare still has to be waged, this plan will take some time to carry out. Some of the operations can only be carried out at new moon and they are so difficult that special commanding officers have to be selected, all of which means time.
C-in-C Navy agreed to the proposals and also instructed me to go into the question of laying mines off Halifax and Blyth. I requested to defer the Halifax operation until the weather improves, as in bad weather the boat’s radius of action does not permit their remaining off Halifax for long. Blyth will be mined by one of the small boats.
(signed): Donitz
Rear Admiral and B.d.U.
Naval Events, December 1 1939:
Finnish-Soviet War:
Russian submarine L.1 laid mines off Nyhamn.
Hunt For The Graf Spee:
Allied ships in the South Atlantic were:
(1) heavy cruiser EXETER and light cruiser AJAX, refitting a damaged propeller on this date, at Port Stanley in the Falklands,
(2) heavy cruiser CUMBERLAND at Rio de la Plata while New Zealand light cruiser ACHILLES was patrolling near Rio de Janiero looking for German merchant ships off Trinidada Island and on the 2nd, looking into Cabadello and on the 3rd, visiting Pernambuco,
(3) light cruiser NEPTUNE, destroyers HARDY, HASTY, HERO, HOSTILE and submarine CLYDE covering the Freetown to Natal shipping route, and
(4) French heavy cruisers DUPLEIX (Flagship Duplat), FOCH with large destroyers MILAN and CASSARD operating north of Dakar.
German Submarine Actions:
-U.21 sank Norwegian steamer ARCTURUS (1277grt) off the east coast of Scotland in the North Sea. Nine crew were lost and seven survivors picked up by Danish merchant ship IVAR, guided to the position by a RAF plane.
Eight more survivors were rescued by Norwegian steamer EVA.
-U.31 sank Finnish merchant ship MERCATOR (4260grt). One crewman was lost and 18 survivors rescued by two minesweeping trawlers from Aberdeen. A further 13 survivors arrived at Boddam in the ship’s boat.
- French steamer FLORIDE (7030grt) was mined and sunk 1600 yards from Dunkirk Light House off Dunkirk, with the loss of two crew. She was beached at Malo les Bains where the hull broke in two and the ship became a total loss.
Other:
-Destroyer KELVIN was damaged in a collision with steamer ST HELIER (1952grt) at Portsmouth. Her repairs were completed there on the 11th.
- The search for the German warships responsible for RAWALPINDI’s loss was discontinued at 0820/1st. Battleship RODNEY, battlecruiser HOOD, destroyers PUNJABI, GURKHA, KANDAHAR and NUBIAN arrived in the Clyde, while battleship NELSON and destroyers FAULKNOR, FURY, FIREDRAKE and FORESTER were north of the Faroes to cover AMCs returning to Northern Patrol.
Heavy cruiser DEVONSHIRE and light cruiser NEWCASTLE were patrolling 62°N between Norway and the Shetlands. Light cruisers SOUTHAMPTON, EDINBURGH and AURORA with destroyers ZULU, AFRIDI and ISIS were returning to Rosyth, with SOUTHAMPTON refuelling at Scapa Flow en route and the ship arriving at Rosyth on the 2nd. Destroyer FORTUNE arrived from Scapa Flow in the Clyde for repairs.
The C and D-class light cruisers were returning to port. CARDIFF departed Scapa Flow on the 1st and arrived at Loch Ewe on the 2nd, along with DIOMEDE, DRAGON, DELHI and COLOMBO early on the 2nd. DUNEDIN and CERES reached the Clyde on the 2nd, COLOMBO and CALYPSO arrived in the Tyne for refit, and CALYPSO refitted prior to transfer to the Mediterranean, completing on the 21st.
I’m going to start highlighting the Naval Events posts, as they are getting too long, with too many operations, convoys, etc.
December 1, 1939 Fri. —
U.S. Submarine Division 14 arrives on the Asiatic Station (Cavite), the first modern reinforcements received by the Asiatic Fleet in many years.
Submarines comprising the division are Pickerel (SS-177) (flag), Porpoise (SS-172), Perch (SS-176), Pike (SS-173), Tarpon (SS-175) and Permit (SS-178).
Soviet Naval Actions 1 December 1939:
1/12/1939
Baltic Sea
A group of Light Forces under Capt. Ptokhov, with the cruiser Kirov and the destroyers Stremitelny and Smetlivy are bombarding the Finnish island of Russaro, who returned fire.
1.– 2.12.1939 1st - 2/12/1939
Northern
Attacks by the Northern Fleet (Kadm Drozd) on the port cities in the Finnish Petsamo fjord.
Parts of its 104.Rifle Div. of the 14th Army, backed up by the destroyer Charles Libknekht and the guard ship Groza, disembarked in Titovka to occupy in order Petsamo and Liinahamaari.
Coverage group against attacks from the sea provided by the destroyer Grozny, Valeryan Kuybyshev, and the NKVD guard ship PSC-302 as well as some auxiliary minesweepers.
SubmarinesS-402 S-404 Patrol the Varanger Peninsula.
The Soviet Naval Landing Force (Capt. Ramishvili) with 5 trucks, 3 barges, 8 tractors and 28 boats, supported by 6 destroyers, 3 patrol ships, 13 minesweepers, 12 speed boats, and 25 patrol boats, land at Decamber 1st at the Finnish Islands of Someri and Narvi.
At the same time heavy coastal artillery and the gunboats Sestroretsk, Kronshtadt, and Krasnaya Gorka support the 70th Division off the coast of Ino and Pumalo.
The Finnish Air Force, which consists of just 17 bombers and 31 fighters on December 1st, hits back at the Soviet Air Attacks today.
Using innovative tactics based on the German’s “Finger-Four” strategy (4 Plane Lead-Wingman flights), that emphasized shooting accuracy, and always on the attack, no matter the odds or enemy numbers, rather than lead in the air, they will take a great toll on the poorly trained Soviet Aircrews.
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