200 PLANES DROP 1,100 BOMBS ON PARIS, KILL 45; SWIFT REPRISALS FORECAST IN ALLIED CAPITALS (6/4/40)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 6/4/40 | P.J. Philip, Robert P. Post, G.H. Archambault, Percival Knauth, Raymond Daniell

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[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” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
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]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
CAMPAIGN IN THE WEST, 1940, Situation 4 June, and Operations Since 21 May
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

[C19fan]

Ping

[Homer_J_Simpson]

MIRACLE AT DUNKIRK – Conclusion

Part I (5/24/40, reply #3)
Part II (5/26/40, reply #3)
Part III (5/30/40, reply #3)
Part IV (5/31/40, reply #3)
Part V (6/1/40, reply #4)

William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour

[Homer_J_Simpson]

17 Craft Downed – 2-3
R.A.F. Reply Seen – 4
All Americans Safe in Antwerp District – 4
New German Blow Awaited by Allies – 5
Berlin Sees Raids Opening New Drive – 6
Merchant Ships Sunk in War – 6
900 Ships Massed for B.E.F. ‘Rescue’ – 7
‘Old Contemptibles’ Laud ‘Indomitables’ of 1940 – 7
The International Situation – 8
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 9-10

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/jun40/f04jun40.htm

Dunkirk falls to Germans

Tuesday, June 4, 1940 www.onwar.com

On the Western Front... Early in the morning the Germans enter Dunkirk and capture all the remaining French soldiers. The official figure for those evacuated is 338,226 of which 112,000 are French. Almost all heavy equipment has been lost and many of the troops are without rifles and basic kit. Against the original expectation that a maximum of perhaps 50,000 men might be taken off it has been something of a triumph, but at some cost. The British and French navies have lost at least 80 merchant ships and warships as well as many small vessels. Nine destroyers have been sunk. From a force of 180 in September 1939 the Royal Navy now has only 74 destroyers not in dock for essential repairs. The Home Fleet has three capital ships and eight cruisers under repair also, although this is not because of Dunkirk. The credit for the unexpected success of the operation must lie in part with the British land and naval commanders but the Germans must also be included. Despite the brilliance of their campaign, many of the most senior commanders have not fully realized the potential of their armor and have handled it hesitantly, granting vital time for Gort and his subordinates to re-dispose their force. The RAF has also suffered heavily, with 80 pilots being killed in the operation. The German losses in the air have been a little heavier but German reserves are, of course, much larger.

In Britain... Churchill delivers perhaps the most famous of his wartime speeches. His message is, “We shall fight on the beaches... We shall never surrender.” Already he is talking of the time when “...The New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and liberation of the Old.” This message seems to suggest that France will be beaten, leaving Britain to fight alone. This is not perhaps the best way to encourage the French.

In Norway... The Allied evacuation gets under way. During the next four days the Harstad force is taken off. The total number evacuated is 24,500. The considerable base organization which has been built up has to be dismantled.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/04.htm

June 4th, 1940

UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - oil plants at Kamen-Buer and Gelsenkirchen. 58 Sqn. Seven aircraft to Kamen-Buer. All bombed. 77 Sqn. Four aircraft to Gelsenkirchen. Three bombed, one FTR. 102 Sqn. Six aircraft to Gelsenkirchen, all bombed.
The London Daily Telegraph reported:

‘Measures to oppose the expected air invasion of England, are virtually completed. These include digging trenches through park grounds, sports palaces and fields, and the erection of road barricades. Furthermore, armed patrols have been organised and all road signs and place designations removed.’

London: The Reuters News Agency reported:

‘Today the twice-weekly London-Bordeaux-Lisbon air-service was resumed. This line has restored air communications between England and the United States, because the “American Clipper” regularly flies into Lisbon.’

Westminster: Churchill today reviewed the war situation. In parliament he said: “We shall go on to the end ... we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender ...”

Rousing MP’s patriotic fervour, he continued: “Even if - which I do not for a moment believe - this land or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry out the struggle until in God’s good time the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.”

Earlier in his sombre report the Prime Minister described the Dunkirk evacuation as “a miracle of deliverance” even though the there had been “a colossal military disaster”. Now, he said, Britain faced an imminent threat of invasion. But Napoleon had failed and so, too, would Hitler.

FRANCE: Dunkirk: The evacuation of the BEF and some of the French troops trapped with them comes to an end when the last ship, the destroyer HMS Shikari, leaves at 3.40 am. In the last four days and nights, 64,000 , 26,000 , 27,000 and 26,000 men are saved, giving a total of 340,000. 40,000 are left behind the form the rearguard. 222 naval vessels and some 800 civilian craft joined in the operations; six destroyers and 243 other ships have been sunk. RAF Fighter Command lost 106 aircraft during the seven days of the evacuation, the Luftwaffe 150 aircraft. Among the last to come ashore at Dover were seven French telephone operators, a party of railway engineers and a girl aged five, rescued from a Belgian farm. The RN must now take steps to protect Britain from invasion. An invasion fleet is to be attacked as it builds up and before it can reach British shores. Four destroyer flotillas with cruiser support move to the south, and escort and other vessels patrol offshore. The loss of these escorts from Atlantic convoy duties contributes to the sinking of many merchant ships, and eventually they return to duties.

MAP

GERMANY: Daily Keynote from the Reich Press Chief [Otto Dietrich].

‘The German bomb assault on Paris must be depicted as a military operation that does not violate international law, and the description of its effects must be disseminated as widely as possible via the translating and interpreting service, especially in broadcasts to England and France.

Kiel: At 0800 Admiral Wilhelm Marschall, flying his flag on schlachtschiff Gneisenau (Kapitan zur See Harald Netzbandt), leading schlachtschiff Scharnhorst (Kapitan zur See Caesar Hoffmann) and schwere kreuzer Admial Hipper (Kapitan zur See Hellmuth Heye) and escorted by the only four operational destroyers in the fleet [Hans Lody (Huberts Baron v. Wangenheim), Karl Galster (Theodor Baron v. Bechtolsheim), Erich Steinbrinck (Rolf Johannesson), and Hermann Schoemann (Theodor Detmers, later captain of the raider Kormoran)] as well as two torpedo boats [Falke and Jaguar], had departed Kiel for Operation “Juno” a foray into the waters off Northern Norway. (Mark Horan)

NORWAY: The evacuation of Allied forces from Harstad begins. 24,500 men will be evacuated over 4 days.
(Mark Horan adds the Fleet Air Arm supplement)
Tasked with covering the fleet during the evacuation in the now perpetual daylight of the Arctic, the aircraft on HMS Ark Royal commenced around the clock operations. The prior patrols, a weather flight (single Swordfish), and Air defence Area patrol (single Swordfish), and a fighter patrol (one Skua) had all left at 2337 on 3 June. At 0030, with the ship in position 70.22N, 16.00E, the weather plane reported that the weather was “most unfavourable” with thick cloud layer at 1,000 feet None the less, the determination was made that fighter patrols “must” attempt to reach and cover the embarkation.

The day saw 38 sorties in miserable weather. Although no enemy forces were encountered throughout, the effort was considerable.

0035 Fighter patrol of two 800 Squadron Skuas (Lt. G. E. D. Finch-Noyes, RN)

0245 Weather and A.D.A. patrols form 810 Squadron

0345 Fighter patrol of three 800 Squadron Skuas (Lt. G. R. Callingham, RN)

0550 Weather and A.D.A. patrols by 820 Squadron, Fighter patrol by three 803 Squadron Skuas (Lt. C. H. Filmer, RN)

0645 Fighter patrol of three 800 Squadron Skuas (Lt. K. V. V. Spurway, RN)

0750 Fighter patrol of three 803 Squadron Skuas (Lt. C. W. Peever, RN)

0850 Weather and A.D.A. patrols by 820 Squadron

1005 Fighter patrol of two 803 Squadron Skuas (Lt. D. C. E. F. Gibson, RN) [later VA Sir, KCB, DSO, DSC]

1115 Armed recce flight by two 800 Squadron Skuas (Lt. R. T. Partridge, RM) each armed with a 250 pound SAP bomb to recon the road between Sorfold and Drag. Low clouds kept any useful observation from being performed, but one of the aircraft bombed a jetty on the way home

1145 Weather and A.D.A. patrols by 810 Squadron, Fighter patrol of three 800 Squadron Skuas (Lt. G. E. D. Finch-Noyes, RN). This patrol reports the transports leaving at 1430.

1515 Weather and A.D.A. patrols by 810 Squadron reports weather is was not unacceptable and flying was suspended inshore.

2200 Flight operations resumed; A/S patrol by one Swordfish of 820 Squadron for five merchant vessels and two trawlers leaving Harstad.

2350 Weather and A.D.A. and relief A/S patrols by 810 Squadron, Fighter patrol by three Skuas of 803 Squadron (Lt.Cdr. J. Casson, RN)

CANADA: HMCS Shawinigan is laid down in Lauzon, Province of Quebec. (Dave Shirlaw)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 278 June 4, 1940

Operation Dynamo, evacuation of Dunkirk, ends. Overnight, British Royal Navy embarks 26,175French troops mostly from Dunkirk harbour. In total, 338,226 men have been evacuated including 112,000 French troops. At 10:20 AM, Germans raise the swastika over Dunkirk, capturing 30,000 - 40,000 French troops. British material losses include 2000 field guns, 60,000 vehicles & 676,000 tons of ammunition, fuel and supplies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:21May-6June_Battle_of_Belgium.PNG

Evacuation of Narvik begins. Overnight, British destroyers and Norwegian fishing boats start shuttling Allied troops to 6 fast liners (troop transports) hidden in various small fjords and inlets on the main Ototfjord.

Operation Juno. British supply lines to Narvik are vulnerable to naval as well as air attack. Admiral Wilhelm Marschall leads German battleships Scharnhorst & Gneisenau, cruiser Admiral Hipper and destroyers Karl Galster, Hans Lody, Erich Steinbrinck & Hermann Schoemann from Kiel to attack Allied warships and supply vessels off Norway.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gives one of his finest speeches in the House of Commons, reviewing the conduct of the war in France and Belgium “the German eruption swept like a sharp scythe around the right and rear of the Armies of the North….. cut off all communications between us and the main French Armies”,
the evacuation of Dunkirk “We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations”
and the prospect of invasion of the Britain “We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender” (text and MP3 at http://www.fiftiesweb.com/usa/winston-churchill-fight-beaches.htm, stream all Churchill speeches http://www.archive.org/details/Winston_Churchill)

[henkster]

I take issue with Shirer’s statement that the French Armee L’Air was small and obsolete. The French air force had high quality fighters, particularly the De510, although they had only just started full-scale production and it was to late to influence the battle. The more numerous MS406 was not as good as the Me109. However, the real problem wasn’t the number or type of French aircraft, it was a reluctance by the French air command to actually commit its units to battle.

[henkster]

The German air reconnaissance has a daunting task in trying to locate those French reserves. That's because there are none to be found. The cream of the French mobile forces have been destroyed in Flanders. Other than DeGualle’s now worn-out armored division, the French have no real mobile forces to speak of.

The units manning the Somme-Aisne line have been scrounged up from the interior, the colonies or the Maginot Line. They are mostly static infantry units, and now that French 1st, 7th, 9th and much of 2nd Army have been removed from the French Order of Battle, there just aren't enough of them.

The French pretty much are stuck with a forward hard crust of a defense, but if the Germans should achieve a breakthrough anywhere, it will all come apart.

[PzLdr]

So was th report yesterday that SCHARNHORST was in Trondheim wrong? Seems so.

[GeronL]

France was done. Churchill knew it already. Churchill already knew that the US had to enter the war to fight Germany at some point.

Churchill seems to have been able to see the future, right?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

However, the real problem wasn’t the number or type of French aircraft, it was a reluctance by the French air command to actually commit its units to battle.

Yet the French were begging the British to send their last reserves into the fray. Thanks to Dowding that didn't happen.

[CougarGA7]

Better get this posted. Sorry for the delay, it is an interesting report on Dunkirk by JB Priestly

BBC - JB Priestly on Dunkirk