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Pierce Soviet Line – 2-4
Red Navy Accepts Nazi Story of Spee – 3
The International Situation – 4
Russians Attack Just To Get Warm – 5
Russians Drown as Finns Blast Lake Ice; Defending Night Raiders Speed on Skates* – 5
Italian Press Says Soviet Forces Imperil Afghanistan, India, Iran – 6
‘Angel’ Guarding Finns Seen in Sky by Soldiers – 6
Roosevelt Gets Assurance of 11,825 in Philadelphia – 7
Mexican Chamber Passes School Bill – 10
American Girl, Back From China, Tells of the Nation’s Dire Suffering – 11
Moscicki’s Freedom Stirs Nazis’ Protest – 11
Incidents in European Conflict – 12
Bronte Film Wins Award of Critics – 13-15
Paulette Goddard Faces Contempt – 15
WPA Forum to Hold a Concert on Jan. 7 – 15-16
Court Dismisses Suit Over United Artists – 16
Finds Little to Laud in ‘Gone With Wind’ – 16
News of the Stage – 17

* 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.

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.

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.

German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis

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.

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.

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!!!!!

"Italian Press Says Soviet Forces Imperil Afghanistan, India, Iran – 6"

The Russians might want to think twice before rushing troops into Afghanistan. It could prove as costly as, oh, say the invasion of Finland.

"Roosevelt Gets Assurance of 11,825 in Philadelphia – 7"

This is such an odd story, it's hard to know what to make of it. On the one hand, these Philadelphia Navy Yard employees promised "to report any instance of subversive attitude or action that comes to our notice."

On the other hand, they refuse to promise "to avoid strikes and to seek to settle any complaint with the proper means of adjustment."

Hmmmmmm....