Posted on 01/29/2011 5:52:18 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
* This story cuts off before the end because Homer didnt copy the bottom third of the page. Homer regrets the curtailment
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/jan41/f29jan41.htm
Italian Somaliland invaded
Wednesday, January 29, 1941 www.onwar.com
In East Africa... Allied forces cross the border from Kenya into Italian Somaliland. General Cunningham is in command and his forces are 11th and 12th East African Divisions and 1st South African Division. The main attack will not begin until February 10th.
In Greece... Prime Minister Metaxas dies. His successor is Alexander Korizis. Korizis is less decisive than Metaxas and does not have as good a relationship with the Greek Commander in Chief, General Papagos. Although he is, if anything, more ready to accept British help this change does not contribute to the smooth running of discussions with the British.
In North Africa... The Italians pull out of Derna and begin a precipitate retreat toward the west along the coast road.
In Washington... Secret staff talks begin between British and American representatives. The talks will continue until March 27th. They produce conclusions code named ABC1 which state that Allied policy in the event of war with Germany and Japan should be to put the defeat of Germany first. The talks mark an important stage in the development of cooperation between the US and Britain. As well as their important decisions they accustom the staffs to working with each other.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/29.htm
January 29th, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: London: The government has started installing 600,000 bunks in public air-raid shelters, 22,000 of them in the Tube stations. Regular shelterers are now given a ticket for a specific bunk. Sanitary facilities are being provided and the larger shelters provide snacks. There are food trains which run from station to station each evening and early in the morning. Some shelters are run by marshals or voluntary committees, which expel undesirables (down-and-outs have their own shelter under the rail arches at Charing Cross).
One Tube shelter even has its own newspaper, ‘The Swiss Cottager’. Some have regular concerts and many hold card parties. There have been reports of plagues of lice and mosquitoes, but no epidemics. The number of people sheltering in Tube stations has fallen from a peak of 177,000 to 96,000.
CIGS to Wavell:
“Please tell me urgently when you hope to capture Benghazi. Information will be kept strictly secret but is required in connection with assistance it may be necessary to give to Turkey.”
The SS TEWKESBURY, a coaler with a capacity of 7,500 tons, arrives back in South Shields, County Durham after a voyage to the River Plate. The crew includes Captain Theo Pryse, Chief Officer: David Howlett, Second Officer: Peter de Neumann, Third Officer: J. Jeffrey, Chief Engineer:
Joseph Love, Second Engineer: Gerard Turner, Bosn: Jose Ramirez. Amongst the officers only Turner was new to the ship, and he had previously been studying for his Chief Engineers Certificate. Having loaded the coal TEWKESBURY made her way to Methil to join the next convoy (EN79)around the north coast of Scotland. (Bernard de Neumann) (see 26 February 1941 for more)
Minesweeper HMS Ilfracombe launched.
ASW trawler HMS Polka launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: U-152 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
FINLAND:
The Fenno-Soviet negotiations on the fate of Petsamo (Petchenga) nickel mines begin at Moscow.
Finland received the Petsamo area in the Treaty of Tartto (Dorpat) in 1920 from the Soviet Russia, thus gaining an outlet to Arctic Sea. In the next year rich nickel deposits were found there, and ultimately the rights to mine the nickel ore were leased to an Anglo-Canadian consortium. The mine started to operate in late 1930s, and it proved to be one of the richest sources of nickel in Europe.
In the Winter War the Soviets captured the Petsamo area, but for one reason or another Stalin decided to give it back to Finland after the war in March 1940. The reason for that is not known, but possibly Stalin’s foreknowledge of German plans to invade Norway played part. During the so-called interim peace between the Winter and Continuation wars (March 1940 to June 1941), Petsamo was of utmost importance to Finland as the only relatively safe outlet to the rest of the world. But the Soviets still greatly desired to have the nickel.
In January 1941 was experienced what the Finns called the Nickel Crisis. The Soviets began to demand a share of the nickel mined in Petsamo, using very threatening expressions. For a time it seemed the Soviets were going to use the Petsamo nickel as a pretext to invade Finland yet again. Negotiations were started, but soon Germans began advising Finns to stay firm. Finally a compromise was reached: over British and Canadian objections it was decided that the Germans and Soviets could share the output of the mine.
After the start of the Operation Barbarossa Germany naturally had the whole output of the mine. After the end of the Continuation War Petsamo was ceded to the Soviet Union, and the nickel mines there are now a major environmental hazard. (Mikko Härmeinen)
GREECE: Athens: General Joannis Metaxas, the Premier of Greece and hero of his country’s resistance to the Italian aggressors, has died at the age of 70. A soldier who was exiled for being too pro-German in the Great War, he was a fervent royalist and nationalist. He was the “father” of the modern Greek army. As chief of staff on three occasions, he reorganised the army, built a northern defensive line, and established a military academy.
Above all he imbued the Greeks with his own fighting spirit, and when he contemptuously rejected Mussolini’s ultimatum the country united behind him. His monument will be Greece’s string of victories over the Italians.
LIBYA: The Australian 2/11th Battalion enters Derna and finds that the Italians had evacuated the town. (Jack McKillop)
ITALIAN SOMALILAND: British forces cross the border from Kenya into Italian Somaliland. General Sir Alan Cunningham, Commander in Chief East Africa Command, is in command and his forces are 11th and 12th East African Divisions and 1st South African Division. The main attack will not begin until 10 February. (Jack McKillop)
AUSTRALIA: Minesweeper HMAS Wollongong laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
FRENCH INDOCHINA: Japanese brokered armistice talks begin between the French and Thais. (Michael Alexander)
CHINA: Nationalist soldiers and Kuomintang guerrillas recover Zhenyang from the Japanese.
SINGAPORE: On his way to Britain, the Australian Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, is appalled at the neglect of the island’s defences, which he considers an easy target for Japan.
U.S.A.: Washington: Secret U.S.-British-Canadian staff conversations begin in Washington to determine joint strategy in case of U.S. involvement in the war; the talks will continue until 27 March. They produce conclusions code named ABC1 which state that Allied policy in the event of war with Germany and Japan should be to put the defeat of Germany first. The talks mark an important stage in the development of cooperation between the US and Britain. As well as their important decisions they accustom the staffs to working with each other. (Jack McKillop)
One decision was that US and Allied representatives would meet in Singapore on April 21, 1941, to discuss development of common defence policies and procedures. (Marc Small)
Destroyer USS Bailey laid down.
Submarine USS Marlin launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
SS West Wales torpedoed and sunk at 56N, 15.23W - Grid AM 4137 by U-94 while in Convoy SC-19.
Tanker SS WB Walker torpedoed and sunk by U-93 in Convoy SC-19 at 56N, 15.23W - Grid AM 4125.
At 0348, the SS King Robert in Convoy SC-19 was torpedoed and sunk by U-93 south of Rockall. The master and 21 crewmembers were picked up by destroyer HMS Anthony and and landed at Gourock. 20 crewmembers were picked up by armed trawler HMS Lady Madeline and also landed at Gourock. U-93 later sank SS Aikaterini in the same action.
In Convoy SC-19, SS Sesotris was torpedoed and sunk by U-106 at 56N, 15.23W - Grid AM 4131. (Dave Shirlaw)
Wow! Those are tough!
Can you imagine those questions being asked in today’s dumbed down USA?
Occasionally, I run across an idiot who says the United States did NOT “save” Europe.... today’s edition sure exposes that as incorrect.
Britain came begging... and still, our Congress drug it’s feet. I guess, we REALLY didn’t want to go to war.
>>Occasionally, I run across an idiot who says the United States did NOT save Europe.... todays edition sure exposes that as incorrect.<<
I have run into that, especially on YouTube. Those euroweenies would be speaking German or Japanese now if not for us. That is, except the Jewish ones who would not exist at all.
You are right, this is great proof that England ran out of resources and begged us to subsidize THEIR war effort.
Doh! :)
I score you with a 64%. That is 9 correct, plus 70% on #4, 50% on #6 and #18, and 67% on #7, #8 and #14. Or 12.71/20.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 517 January 29, 1941
Operation Compass. Derna, Libya. There is heavy fighting along Wadi Derna as elements of British 7th Armoured Division (brought North from Mechili) outflank Italian artillery overlooking the town. Italian commander at Derna General “Electric Whiskers” Bergonzoli, who recently escaped on foot from Bardia, withdraws his troops and artillery overnight.
Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas, who declined British offers of assistance, dies of throat cancer. His replacement Alexandros Koryzis will quickly accept British help against Italy.
200 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-93 U-94 U-101and U-106 attack convoy SC-19 from Nova Scotia to Britain. Between 3.48 and 4.05 AM, U-93 sinks British SS King Robert, British tanker W.B. Walker and Greek SS Aikaterini (which tries to ram U-93). At 6.29 AM, U-94 sinks British SS West Wales. At 7.15 AM, U-106 sinks Egyptian SS Sesostris. Destroyers HMS Anthony & HMS Antelope and antisubmarine trawler HMS Lady Madeleine rescue most of the crewmen. U-101 is chased off with gunfire and 3 depth charges from the destroyers.
600 miles West of Freetown, Sierra Leone, German armed merchant cruiser Kormoran sinks British SS Afric Star carrying 5,790 tons of meat from Argentina to Britain (72 crew and 3 passengers taken prisoner, including 2 sunbathing British women) and liner Eurylochus carrying 16 crated British bombers without engines from Liverpool to Takoradi, to be flown to Egypt (11 crew killed, 43 taken prisoner, 28 survivors picked up by next day Spanish SS Monte Teide).
Not as good this time. I’ll get it this week.
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