RUSSIA REJECTS LEAGUE DEMANDS, PRESSES DRIVE IN CENTAL FINLAND (12/13/39)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 12/13/39 | P.J. Philip, Guido Enderis, G.H. Archambault, Walter Duranty

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime”.)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, The Gathering Storm

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Soviet Reply Curt – 2-3
The International Situation – 3
Incidents in European Conflict – 4
British Send Home 200 Basque Children – 4
Reich Impedes Shipments To Finns, British Declare – 4
Planes Save Liner – 5-6
Finns Mass To Bar Slicing of Nation – 7-9
Nazis Renew Drive at Forbach Sector – 10-11
Finns’ Vital Flaw Seen in Man Power – 11-12
Pope, on Doctor’s Advice, Cancels Audiences; Grieving and Penance Over War a Strain – 12

[abb]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/dec39/f13dec39.htm

Battle of the River Plate
Wednesday, December 13, 1939 www.onwar.com

In the South Atlantic... The Battle of the River Plate takes place. British Commodore Harwood has brought his squadron to the River Plate estuary hoping that the German pocket battleship Graf Spee will come hunting there. Harwood has the heavy cruiser, Exeter, and the light cruisers, Ajax and Achilles. When the Graf Spee does appear at approximately 0616, there is a fierce two-hour battle. Exeter is very badly damaged, Ajax is also heavily hit and Achilles less so. Graf Spee has received some damage as well and Langsdorff decides to break off the action. He heads for Montevideo, where under international law the warship is permitted temporary neutral sanctuary, to make quick repairs and have his wounded treated. Ajax and Achilles take station off the port.

In the North Sea... The British submarine, Salmon, torpedoes the German cruisers, Leipzig and Nurnberg. Leipzig will only return to service in 1941 but solely as a training ship. Nurnberg will be out of action until May 1940.

In London... The British House of Commons meets in secret session for the first time since 1918. According to a tense statement issued seven and a half hour of debate, the Members of Parliament discussed “the organization of supplies fro the prosecution of the war.”

In the Winter War... The Finns continue a series of attacks on the Soviet 8th Army.

[mainepatsfan]

Finns’ Vital Flaw Seen in Man Power

Brilliant analysis. /s

[abb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Harwood

Harwood commanded the squadron consisting of the heavy cruisers HMS Cumberland and HMS Exeter, and the light cruisers HMS Achilles and HMS Ajax, which flew his flag in the action against the Admiral Graf Spee at the River Plate.

Unable to divide his force, Harwood suspected that the raiding Admiral Graf Spee would try to strike next at the merchant shipping off the River Plate estuary between Uruguay and Argentina. With HMS Cumberland being absent for repairs at the Falklands, the three other cruisers were gathered off the estuary on 12 December and conducted manoeuvres. In the ensuing battle, HMS Exeter was severely damaged and forced to retire, while all other ships received moderate damage. HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles then shadowed the Graf Spee which entered the neutral Uruguayan capital Montevideo. After a tense period, the captain of the Graf Spee, Hans Langsdorff, scuttled his ship rather than face the overwhelmingly superior British force which he believed had been assembled. For this action, known as the Battle of the River Plate, Harwood was promoted to Rear-Admiral and knighted.

From December 1940 to April 1942, Rear-Admiral Harwood served as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty and Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Foreign) (HMS President). In April 1942, Harwood was promoted to Vice-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Station, flying his flag on HMS Nile. This station was renamed Levant in 1943, during which year he engaged in flank support and seaborne supply of the British Eighth Army.

In April 1945, Sir Henry Harwood became Flag Officer Commanding the Orkneys and Shetlands (HMS Prosperine) until he retired from the service on 15 August 1945 with the rank of Admiral, having been declared medically unfit for further duty.

Sir Henry Harwood died in Goring-on-Thames in 1950

[abb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._S._Bell

Captain Frederick Secker Bell CB (17 August 1897 – 23 November 1973) of the Royal Navy was the commander of HMS Exeter during the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939[1].

He was educated at Matfield Grange, Kent and the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth. He served afloat in the battleship HMS Canada at the Battle of Jutland and as executive officer of HMS Repulse from 1935-38 and was promoted captain on 31 December 1938[2].

He took command of HMS Exeter in August 1939. Exeter’s six eight-inch guns were mainly responsible for seriously damaging the Admiral Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939. In this battle, Exeter also incurred severe damage from seven hits by eleven-inch shells and suffered 61 killed and 23 wounded. One salvo from the Graf Spee did a great deal of damage to the wheelhouse and killed all but three of the officers in it. Bell survived with minor injuries and he ordered that the remaining turrets should continue firing on the enemy[3]. As damage control parties battled fires and flooding, Bell used a compass from one of the lifeboats, and commanded the ship by means of commands passed along a chain of men to the lower steering compartment where a team of men struggled with a wheel that was directly connected to the rudder[4]. After all Exeter’s guns had been put out of action but still seaworthy, Bell planned to collide with the enemy, saying “I’m going to ram the ————. It will be the end of us but it will sink him too”[5]. However the Admiral Graf Spee turned to confront the other two cruisers and Bell was ordered to withdraw for repairs at the Falkland Islands.

The Captain, 8 officers and 79 members of the crew were given the Freedom of the City of Exeter on 29 February 1940, and were welcomed by a crowd of 50,000 cheering residents. The crew marched through the streets with fixed bayonets, carrying HMS Exeter’s shell-torn White Ensign through the streets[6].

Bell also commanded HMS Anson in 1945 and retired from the Navy owing to ill health on 8 January 1948.

In the 1956 film The Battle of the River Plate, Bell was played by John Gregson. During the film Bell’s nickname of ‘Hookie’, because of his distinctive nose, is used[7].

[abb]

Damage to HMS Exeter received during the Battle of the River Plate

[abb]

Damage to HMS Exeter received during the Battle of the River Plate

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Finns’ Vital Flaw Seen in Man Power

Brilliant analysis. /s

Aside from the headline Duranty's article seems like a pretty good analysis of the situation. Maybe being outside the U.S.S.R. improved his objectivity. Or maybe it was the Hitler-Stalin pact.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Churchill suggests in the excerpt above that Langsdorff could have prevailed by hanging back out of range of the cruisers' guns and using Spee's superior range to better advantage. That is, by being less aggressive.

[abb]

True that, but once the Exeter was crippled, Langsdorff broke off the action instead of sinking her.

[mainepatsfan]

Aside from the headline Duranty's article seems like a pretty good analysis of the situation. Maybe being outside the U.S.S.R. improved his objectivity. Or maybe it was the Hitler-Stalin pact.

Probably a little from column A and B.

[CougarGA7]

Day 14 of the Winter War, December 13, 1939

Northern Finland: Major-General K.M. Wallenius takes command of the Lapland Group.
Photo: SA-KUVA

First five soldiers buried in Helsinki

• Central Isthmus: Soviet troops continue their attacks with the support of artillery and tanks in the Summa-Muolaanjärvi sector. The last Finnish forward combat posts in the Perkjärvi sector are pulled back. The attacks are repulsed in all sectors of the front.

• Ilomantsi: Detachment A's attack fails.

• Northern Finland: Major-General K.M. Wallenius takes command of the Lapland Group.

• Helsinki: Hietaniemi cemetery receives it first five fallen heroes.

• Helsinki: a private umbrella organization, the Finnish Centre for Nordic Aid, is set up to organize the evacuation of Finnish children to Sweden. The first shipment of children arrives by sea in Stockholm.

• Abroad: the Soviet Ambassador in Rome returns to Moscow, apparently in protest over a demonstration in support of Finland.

• Washington: the US Government refuses to grant Finland a credit to purchase military materials and equipment.

[CougarGA7]

I had a radio report from Lord Haw Haw on the damaging of the Exeter, but I cant get it to play. Sorry about that.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

That’s OK. Maybe if we just ignore the SOB he will go away.

[CougarGA7]

Wow, that is pretty beat up.

[humblegunner]

Even in 1939 they were able to spell “central” correctly.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Even in 1939 they were able to spell “central” correctly.

Oh, jeez. I check those headlines at least three times for typos, and still miss some. Maybe the AdMods can help. They have in the past.