Posted on 12/28/2009 5:24:46 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, The Gathering Storm
* But the Finns had foreseen the manoeuvre. Their machine guns had a clear field of fire across the lakes and their artillery blasted huge holes in the ice, to drown whole groups of Russians.
Just when you think it couldn’t possibly get any worse . . .
In exactly five years Americans will be fighting on another frozen battlefield (see “Band of Brothers,” Chapter 11 or Disk #3). But at least they won’t have to worry about the ground opening up and dropping them into ice water when they are hit with artillery. They will be on nice, solid ground.
My history is a little off, but didn’t Great Britain declare war on the Finns.......?
It is a little tough to follow just whose side the Finns were on during WW2.......
A bracing post for this cold winter morning...
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1939&_f=md055461
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt
DECEMBER 28, 1939
WASHINGTON, Wednesday —Franklin, Jr., and Ethel had a party for their young friends here last night, and I was interested to meet the children of some of our friends whom I had not seen in a long time. I find all these young people so interesting and so much better informed than I was at the same age.
After dinner, we were shown “Gone With The Wind.” It is an extraordinary movie beautifully acted. Though I could not believe beforehand that one would sit for three hours and forty-five minutes, and be interested, I discovered that it was entirely possible. There is an intermission in the middle and I had to tear myself away for a time to do some very necessary work, but I saw most of it and my mother-in-law sat through the whole performance, which began at 10:00 o’clock and did not end until 2:00 am!
I went to bed fully intending to ride this morning, but in the early hours of the morning I woke to the realization that something was pattering in my face. On looking out of the window, I discovered that it was snowing. I closed the window and went to sleep again and slept a half hour later than I would otherwise have done. Some of the young people had expected to hunt today but the weather discouraged them, so I had quite an audience when I finished undoing my Christmas packages. I am always surprised at the great kindness of one’s friends at this time. It seems to me that they must put careful thought in sending things to the President and me to give us the greatest pleasure.
A group of people were called together today at luncheon under the leadership of Mr. Charles Taussig, Chairman of the advisory committee of the National Youth Administration, to discuss certain problems of youth. Later two gentleman who are organizing an Atlantic Coast States Institute of Human Relations, sponsored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews, in Washington on January 16th and 17th, came to talk to me about their plans. In the meantime, a children’s party had begun and was in full swing with the boys and girls enjoying a movie program, slightly more elaborate than the one we had yesterday for the young group. Later they will have supper and I hope I shall have a chance to see their parents at tea for a few minutes and get a glimpse of the children also.
Our family is gradually growing smaller. Anna and John left today for a few days in New York City. Mrs. J. R. Roosevelt leaves us tomorrow morning, and so, little by little, the house will become quiet again, though as long as we keep the children we will feel the spirit of young life in the house, which I think always creates a happy atmosphere.
I have been very much amused the last few days to hear that I have been offered one or two positions which I would consider full-time jobs. I am beginning to wonder whether I have earned for myself the reputation of being willing to accept work which I cannot possibly do, and letting other people do it for me. This is something which I am particularly opposed to doing and I would grieve if I have given the impression that it was a standard to which I am at present willing to subscribe.
E.R.
I just love reading this history. Thanks!
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/dec39/f28dec39.htm
Nazis to depopulate Polish town
Thursday, December 28, 1939 www.onwar.com
In Germany... Nazi authorities announce that the entire population of the Polish town of Kalisz (about 70,000 inhabitants) is to be deported to make room for ethnic Germans arriving from the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania).
In the Winter War... The Soviet 163rd Division (an element of the Soviet 9th Army), which has been holding a tenuous position around Suomussalmi, is largely broken up by persistent Finnish attacks. Help was expected to arrive from the 44th Division but this unit has been unable to move forward. The Finnish tactic in all these operations is to isolate the individual Soviet columns as they move along the forest tracks by moving around them in small units. Each column can then be harassed and wiped out in turn. The Soviets are not able to counter these tactics because their troops are not as well trained or equipped for cross-country skiing. Meanwhile, the Soviet High Command orders preparations for a coordinated, step-by-step assault on the Mannerheim Line.
In Switzerland... The exiled industrialist and former Nazi fundraiser, Fritz Thyssen, protests to Hitler: “I have not sacrificed my millions for Bolshevism but against it.”
In the North Sea... The British battleship, Barham, is hit by a torpedo from U-30 while cruising off northwest Scotland. Repairs will take three months to complete.
In Britain... Meat rationing has begun.
In China... There are repeated Japanese bombing raids on Lanchow, a vital Chinese military supply base in the northwest.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/28.htm
December 28th, 1939
UNITED KINGDOM: HMS Barham (battleship) is damaged off the Hebrides in 58°47N/08°05W (Grid AM 3540) by U-30 (Lt Cdr Lemp). The damage is minor.
U-30 encountered “HMS Barham” whilst en route to Liverpool to lay mines. U-30 fired four torpedoes at Barham, and scored one hit. The Admiralty acknowledged that Barham was slightly damaged by a torpedo whilst 50 miles off the Butt of Lewis. (Hebrides) (Alex Gordon)
At 0400, ASW trawler HMS Barbara Robertson was shelled and sunk by U-30 about 35 miles North-West of Butt of Lewis.
At 0932, SS Hanne struck a mine laid on 20 December by U-22, broke in two and sank one mile east of Blyth.
Steam trawler Resercho sunk six miles off Flamborough Head by U-15.
Destroyer HMS Eglington launched.
Escort carrier HMS Biter laid down.
(Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE: The first Indian troops arrive to join the British Expeditionary Force, in France.
GERMANY: The exiled industrialist and erstwhile Nazi fund-raiser Fritz Thyssen, from Switzerland, protests to Hitler: “I have not sacrificed my millions for Bolshevism but against it.”
Raider ‘Atlantis’, sails from Bremen to Kiel after completing “final adjustments” to her disguise and loading naval stores and ammunition.
U-72, U-76 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
BALTIC SEA: Soviet submarine SC-311 sank Finnish steamer Wilpa by gunfire. (Dave Shirlaw)
TURKEY: More details are coming in of the havoc caused by yesterdays earthquake in eastern and northern Anatolia, the western province of Turkey. It is feared that up to 20,000 may have died, with many thousands more now homeless in the bitter winter weather. There were seven violent shock between 2am and 5am yesterday. The regions of Tokat and the Black Sea tobacco-growing centres of Samsun and Ordu are amongst the worst affected. An emergency relief operation is under way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_auxiliary_cruiser_Atlantis
The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis (HSK 2), known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 16 and to the Royal Navy as Raider-C, was a converted German Hilfskreuzer (auxiliary cruiser, or merchant or commerce raider) of the Kriegsmarine, which, during World War II, travelled more than 161,000 km in 602 days, and sank or captured 22 ships totaling 144,384 tons. Atlantis was sunk on November 21, 1941. She was commanded by Kapitän zur See Bernhard Rogge, who received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Such commerce raiders do not usually engage other warships, but rather seek to sink enemy shipping, similar to the work done by submarines. As such the measure of a commerce raiders success is both the tonnage destroyed and the time spent at large. In the former, Atlantis was second only to Pinguin and in the latter had the longest raiding voyage of any of the German commerce raiders in either world war.
Their own, of course. They learned in The Winter War that if you need a helping hand, the best place to look for it is at the end of your own arm. They also knew who their real enemy was and were co belligerents with the Nazis against the Soviet Union. GB declared war against them for that reason but surprisingly that commie FDR did not.
Central Isthmus: enemy tanks penetrate Finnish positions at the northern end of Lake Hatjalahti. The tanks have no infantry support and two are destroyed and two captured.
Photo: SA-KUVA
London dailies praise Finnish resolve
The Finns were in a pretty percarious situation throughout the war. Right now the Allies are sympathetic to the Finns since they are being attacked by the larger Soviets. The Soviets are not direct enemies but are certainly not allies either. This is a point where the entire makeup of the war could have shifted immeasurably. Imagine if the British and French at this point had decided the the Soviets had full thrown in their lot with their current German allies. The Finland issue may have brought them to declare war on the Soviets as well.
By mid 1940 the Germans began supplying the Finns with weapons though it was covert at first. The reason for this was they knew that the Finns would readily jump in on a war against the Soviets that had Germany as a major participant. Romania was in the same boat at this point. Both countries wanted the land lost to the Soviets in 1939 and 1940 back and were willing to align with the Nazis to get it. In fact, when there was a coup attempt on Romanian leader Antonescu by the Iron Guard in January of 1941 Hitler stood with Antonescu to maintain the Romanian alliance and only tried to keep too many of the Iron Guard members from being shot by the Romanians.
Needless to say when Finland assisted Germany in the invasion of the Soviets it was only natural that the British would declare war on them.
One would think that having the same thing done to them by Napoleon at Austerlitz, the Russians might have figured that crossing an ice covered lake when there was artillery around was a bad idea.
BARHAM will be sunk by another U-boat later, in, I beieve, the Med., leaving one of the most recognized pieces of war film from WW II.
At least two of the raiders, KORMORANT, and either PINGUIN or THOR sank British warships [cruisers, I think].
The French were pushing the Brits to send troops through Norway and Sweden to join the Finns in fighting the Soviets, and were also planning to bomb the Baku oil fields from Syria. The Scandanavian operation almost came off, in large part because the Brits wanted in interdict iron ore shipments from Sweden to Germany via Norway. They wound up sending troops to Norway, along with the Royal Navy. The Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe and Heere got there first [they left a day earlier].
Be that as it may, the Allies came within a whisker of engaging both Germany and the Soviet Union in simultaneous wars. Shows the chaptic nature of their lanning, and the lack of reality they were operating under - four months before Weserbung and five before Case Yellow.
You are correct.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_between_HMAS_Sydney_and_German_auxiliary_cruiser_Kormoran
Battle between HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran
The French were interested in any action that kept the fighting away from France. That is a strong reason why the were advocates for sending units into Norway to secure the port at Narvik which was the demarcation point for Swedish ore to Germany during the winter months. It was pretty much the same reason that the French wanted the bombing of the Baku oil fields. Rightfully so I would guess since as we will see, Gamelin and the French army was not prepared to fight a post World War I war.
Like you said though, the Germans beat the British to Norway by the thinnest margin. In retrospect it may have been just as well for the Germans to ignore Norway altogether. The Winter War was over by then, and the side effect of the conquest was the near annihilation of the German surface fleet. (I don’t have the source in front of me at the moment but if memory serves they were left with 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and 4 destroyers as their surface fleet that was unscathed...I bet abb would know).
No reaction from the surprise dosing of “My Day?” Kinda stunned you, didn’t it?
A little bit of Elanor goes a long way, no?
ROFLMAO!!!!!
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