[Homer_J_Simpson]

Coast Fight Rages – 2
Nazis Tighten Trap – 3-4
Berlin Exchange Slumps As Optimism Is Decried – 3
Britain Will Take All Excess Profit – 4
11,000 Times Speedier Way Found To Obtain Atomic Power Element – 5
Japan is Stressing Interest in Indies – 6
A Fight to the Death – 6
Kaiser’s Grandson Buried With Honors – 6
Chungking Raiding to be Daily Affair – 7
Nazi Motor Cycle Troops Harry Allied Rear; 20,000 Sent Out to Disrupt Communications * – 7
Moscow May Act, Yugoslavia Hears – 7
The International Situation – 8
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 9

*That used to happen every year, down the road in Hollister. Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin once played the head disruptors in a movie.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/may40/f30may40.htm

Dunkirk evacuation continues in lull

Thursday, May 30, 1940 www.onwar.com

On the Western Front... There is something of a lull in the land battle around Dunkirk because of confusion and disagreement in the German command. The panzer forces begin to withdraw from the front line to take up positions to the south for the next stage of the battle of France. The evacuation, of course, continues with 53,823 men being taken off. The small ships over the beaches do most of the lifting but transfer their loads to larger vessels for the trip to England. One destroyer is sunk during the day, the French Bourrasque, three others are hit and at least nine of the smaller ships are also sunk. This total does not include the smallest vessels whose losses are also considerable. General Brooke, who has commanded the British 2nd Corps with distinction, is one of the evacuees.

[BroJoeK]

"11,000 Times Speedier Way Found To Obtain Atomic Power Element – 5"

"Scientists in the United States, in both university and industrial laboratories, realizing the importance of the problem, have been working feverishly, in a dramatic and unique scientific race against their German rivals, to be first with a practical separation method, which, they had said, they would not reveal, if found, to any one except the United States Government."

From their mouths to Uncle Joe Stalin's ears.

"There is a certain irony in the circumstances, it was pointed out, that a British scientific journal is the medium of the publication of the news that will reveal to the world, including Germany, a process that may play a vital role in helping Germany break the blockade against her, by providing a tremendously powerful new fuel as a substitute for oil."

It's good to know the NY Times is not revealing any national security secrets here.

"A five-pound piece of ordinary uranium, containing only 25 per cent of the U-235, would be sufficient to supply the motive power for a submarine on a long journey without refueling..."

No way -- it would never work, too risky...

"Neutrons ordinarily travel with very high speeds, but to be effective in releasing the energy from U-235 they must be slowed down to a relatively low speed...all that is necessary to slow down a neutron is to make it pass through water..."

Wonder what might happen if those neutrons were not slowed down?
Might it cause a rather sudden large release of energy? Hmmmmm... shhhhhhhh (don't tell anyone).