BRITISH FLEET RAIDS THE ADRIATIC, BOMBARDS VALONA UNCHALLENGED (12/21/40)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 12/21/40 | Robert P. Post, Camille M. Cianfarra, A.C. Sedgwick, Larry Allen

[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. Also visit our general discussion thread

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
North Africa, 1940: Graziani’s Advance and Wavell’s Offensive, 13 September 1940-7 February 1941 (Map 34a)
Marcks’ Plan, August 5, 1940
Operation Barbarossa (Dir. 21), December 18, 1940
The Mediterranean Basin (Map 33)
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Battleships Used – 2
The International Situation – 3
Libyan Port Afire – 3-4
‘Success’ at Bardia Reported by Rome – 4
10 Albanian Towns Taken by Greeks – 5
British Surprise Fascisti at Valona – 6
President Commends his Envoy to Petain – 6
Madrid Chief Sees Grave Food Shortage – 6
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 7-8

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/dec40/f21dec40.htm

Survivors put ashore

Saturday, December 21, 1940 www.onwar.com

In the Pacfic... German raiders Komet and Orion land 496 survivors (including 70 women and 7 children) from 10 British and Allied merchant ships (sunk since August) on Emirau Island, near New Guinea. The Royal Australian Navy subsequently rescues the survivors.

Over Italy... British RAF planes conduct a night raid on the Porto Marghera docks and oil installations, near Venice.

In the United States... The renowned writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, dies in Hollywood at age 44.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/21.htm

December 21st, 1940

UNITED KINGDOM: Westminster: During today’s meeting with the Ministry of Supply Churchill discusses the state of Britain’s stockpile of mustard gas and the number of gas shells filled and available for use. he stock as of December 9th was 1,485 tons of mustard gas, with an extra 650 tons being made available soon.

Destroyer HMS Hursley laid down
ASW trawler HMS Cotillion launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

SWITZERLAND: Geneva: The Swiss government cuts off diplomatic relations with the USSR.

GERMANY: Berlin: Germany says the US’s pro-British stance is one of “insult, challenge and moral aggression.”

U-173, U-255 laid down
U-651 launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

NORWAY: The chief justice resigns rather than administer the Nazi system of justice.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Aircraft from the HMS Illustrious sink two Italian ships off Tunisia.

EGYPT: Cairo: The British Reuters News Agency reports:
The fight for Bardia is continuing. The British are steadily drawing the ring tighter. The Italian defences, which have withdrawn behind the chain of forts that surround the harbour area, are putting up tough resistance; but military experts believe that the resistance must collapse if the British commander orders a decisive raid.

SENEGAL, FRENCH WEST AFRICA: Robert Murphy meets Weygand in Dakar.

AUSTRALIA: Minesweeper HMAS Lithgow launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

CANADA: Corvettes HMCS Oakville and Weyburn laid down Port Arthur, Ontario. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.A.: War and Navy Departments (possibly through the Joint Army-Navy Board) adopt “Europe-first” policy and forward it to the White House for approval. First version of “Rainbow” plan adopted. (Marc Small)

“Frenesi” by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra reaches Number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. This song, which debuted on the charts on 3 August 1940, was charted for 23 weeks, was Number 1 for 13 weeks and was ranked Number 2 for the year 1940. (Jack McKillop)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-65 sank SS Charles Pratt. (Dave Shirlaw)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 478 December 21, 1940

German raiders Komet & Orion and support ship Kulmerland release 514 prisoners captured from various ships, mainly women, children and the injured. They are handed over with some provisions to 2 English families on Emirau Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea. They will be picked up on December 29 by British SS Nellore and landed at Townsville, North Queensland, Australia, and provide Allied Intelligence with information on the raiders, including refuelling points, disguises and their use of Japanese facilities. 150 male prisoners are kept onboard Orion.

250 miles West of Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-65 hits Panamian tanker Charles Pratt with 2 torpedoes at 4 PM, exploding the cargo of 96,069 barrels of fuel oil (2 killed, 40 survivors abandon ship in 2 lifeboats and are rescued 4-5 days later by British MV Gascony & SS Langleegorse and landed at Freetown).

At noon, convoy MG1 leaves Malta bound for Gibraltar (empty merchant ships Clan Fraser, Clan Forbes & Ulster Prince with battleship HMS Malaya and 8 destroyers).

Overnight, Luftwaffe bombs Liverpool again. RAF bombers flying from Britain attack docks and oil tanks at Porto Marghera, near Venice. Venice itself is not damaged.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

“Frenesi” by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra reaches Number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. This song, which debuted on the charts on 3 August 1940, was charted for 23 weeks, was Number 1 for 13 weeks and was ranked Number 2 for the year 1940.

"Frenesi"

[Elwood P. Doud]

RIP Scott Fitzgerald, 70 years ago today.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

RIP Scott Fitzgerald, 70 years ago today.

I rarely post obituaries but this one caught my eye. Look for it on Thursday.

[BroJoeK]

"BRITISH UNITS SEEK ACTION

"Palestine General Hopes for 'the Real Thing' Soon

"JERUSALEM, Dec 20 -- The hope that the British troops in Palestine would all be out shortly 'on the real thing'..."

This brings to mind the question of: how many British units in Palestine were Jewish?
Seems to me I've read that at least some were.

And that raises the question of how many did eventually fight against Rommel's Africa Corps, and assuming then that some were captured, how were they treated?

I ask this because, almost uniquely amongst German generals, Rommel has a great reputation for being, well, anti-anti-Semitic.
He is said to have refused to participate in the usual Nazi insanities.

Yes, I know, projecting the "future" is a bit verboten, but I'm still curious... ;-)

[PAR35]

I think it’s still too early for the Jewish regiments. The original plan was for equal recruiting of Arabs and Jews, but the ratio turned out to be about 2/3 Jewish and 1/3 Arabs. (And recall, at this point, many of the Arabs were Christian). Most of the Jewish troops were kept in rear areas in North Africa. (This was the Palestine Regiment- )

Per Wikipedia, there were 15 Jewish battalions that fought in Greece. (Per the Holocaust museum, some 1700 Jewish troops were captured in Greece.) The Jewish Brigade wasn’t formed until 1944, with 5000 troops. It briefly fought with the 8th army in Italy.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005275