Posted on 03/23/2011 5:15:36 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance
News of the Week in Review
Twenty News Questions (Answers posted Saturday, 3/26/11) – 7
‘Bridge of Ships’ to Britain a Vital Factor in War – 8-9
Where Nazi Legions are Poised (map) – 10
British Move to Block Hitler in the Balkans – 11
Serbs’ Defiance is Told in Song – 12
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/mar41/f23mar41.htm
Stukas strike Malta
Sunday, March 23, 1941 www.onwar.com
In the Mediterranean... German Stuka dive-bombers, with a fighter escort, conduct a raid on Malta. A total of 13 German planes are shot down while the British lose 2 fighters. British authorities decide to withdraw all bombers and flying boats from Malta as a result of the raid.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/23.htm
March 23rd, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: 82 Sqn. attack five ships off the Ems Estuary and claim a destroyer damaged.
MALTA: Luftwaffe Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers, with a fighter escort, conduct a raid on Malta. A total of 13 German planes are shot down while the British lose two fighters. British authorities decide to withdraw all bombers and flying boats from Malta as a result of the raid. (Jack McKillop
YUGOSLAVIA: Belgrade: Anti-Nazi demonstrations sweep Yugoslavia as Hitler presses the government to join the Axis.
The German Minister in Belgrade is summoned by the Prince Regent to be told that the Germans had now imposed a deadline after which the special terms for joining the Axis would be withdrawn. The Prince Regent maintained that Yugoslavia would fight to the last.
GREECE: Athens: The Athens news agency Athinaiko Praktoreio reports:
A Greek government spokesman says that the Italians have carried out three days of armoured attacks on the central front, but that lethal Greek artillery fire has forced them to retreat.
ALBANIA: after dark an Italian night attack on the Bubesi front twice manages to break into the Greek positions, but both times the Italians are driven out with grenades and bayonets in fierce Greek counterattacks. This will be the last significant episode of the failed Italian “spring offensive.” Never in the two weeks of fighting was the Greek line in serious danger of being broken. In future days Cavallero, the Italian Chief of the General Staff and principal author of the abortive attacks, will attempt to portray this dismal failure as having saved Italian honour. But despite the terrible losses endured by the long-suffering Italian soldiers, the whole sorry affair will only serve to heighten impressions of Italian military ineptitude, and to make obvious their inability to defeat the Greeks without German help. (Mike Yaklich)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Armed trawler HMS Visenda sinks German submarine U-551 about 93 miles southeast of the south coast of Iceland by depth charges. All 45 crewmen on the submarine are lost.
U.S.A.: The United Press Agency reports:
Lord Forbes, the national export union president, declared that Brazilian scientists have succeeded in finding a new use for their coffee surpluses. After extensive experimentation it is now possible to produce a substance called “cafelite” from coffee. Lord Forbes said that it is highly durable and possesses extraordinary physical properties. In fact the substance is of such high quality that it can be used to manufacture airplane parts, if not even in the construction of entire planes. (16)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 570 March 23, 1941
East Africa. British consolidate their hold on Berbera, Somaliland, landing South African 2nd Division by sea from Mombassa, Kenya. In Ethiopia, Nigerian Brigade of the 11th African Division advances another 36 miles along the road towards the capital Addis Ababa. They are held by Italian prepared defenses at Babile Pass where the road cuts through a steep defile in a line of hills. However, South African troops move through the hills and get behind the Italian positions, forcing a withdrawal.
At 4.27 AM 200 miles Southwest of Iceland, U-110 hits Norwegian SS Siremalm with a dud torpedo and misses with 2 more torpedoes. U-110 tries shelling but the water plug is not removed from the 105mm deck gun, which explodes wounding 3 men and causing U-110 to dive suddenly. SS Siremalm escapes. In the same area, U-551 is sunk 5 days into its first voyage by depth charges from British anti-submarine trawler HMT Visenda (all 45 hands lost). At 11.26 PM 600 miles West of Land’s End, England, U-97 sinks British tanker Chama (all 59 hands lost).
Greek submarine Triton attacks an Italian convoy 20 miles East of Brindisi, Italy, damaging steamer Carnia (towed to Brindisi and sinks).
North Africa. Rommel flies back to Libya. 5th Light Division has 135 tanks at Sirte, enough petrol to advance 400 miles and good air support from the Luftwaffe. Rommel orders an attack on the forward Allied position at El Agheila, the narrowest point on the coast between the sea and very large salt lakes. Despite the strategic importance of this position to the Allies, it is lightly held by the untested British 2nd Armoured Division (replacing the experienced 4th Armoured Division which has been sent to Greece) who are under orders to fall back if attacked and fight a delaying action if attacked.
“And they’re OFF!!”
Is this a reference to the "channel dash" you have mentioned in the past? If so, I hope I got some coverage to post in coming days. I wasn't looking for anything special for this period. Can you give me a little background? I don't know the story to this point, just that Scharnhorst and Gneisenau have been hunting in the Atlantic.
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau encountered several convoys escorted by lone battleships, but their orders from Berlin, coupled with the fact they only had 11-inch guns compared to the British battlewagons' 15-inchers, forced them to leave these convoys alone and go after more vulnerable targets.
I’m thinking PzLdr is thinking of Rommel and the Afrika Korps in North Africa.
The first part of this year has looked pretty good for the British. They are clearly about to oust the Italians from East Africa and have been making good advances across Libya. Basically, they have finally found a foe that they can defeat, the Italians. Unfortunately, they still have not shown that they can take on the Germans and they are about to face them again not only if Africa but in Greece as well.
I should have figured that out, seeing as I have a West Point campaign map ready to go for tomorrow.
Nope. I’m referring to the DAK, and their first “race” across Cyrenacia, the beginning of Rommelkrieg.
The Channel Dash won’t occur for almost a year. The SCHARNHORST, GNIESENAU and PRINZ EUGEN will “run” the Channel back to Germany in daylight, with damage to SCHARNHORST and GNIESENAU. Churchill will face a ‘no confidence’ vote as a result.
Both SCHARNHORST and GNIESENAU were designed for conversion to three turrets, with two 15” guns in each. The conversions never occured. If they had, the German ships would have played hob with the Brits, since NO British battleship [including the KG Vs could match their speed [or the speed of the BISMARCK and TIRPITZ for that matter.
Interestingly, considering yesterday’s post regarding Lutjens, he’ll be dead in slightly more than two months’ time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.