Posted on 06/18/2011 10:04:15 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Plus a special guest map from Churchills The Grand Alliance -
Diagram to Illustrate Operation Battleaxe
All Borders Shut 2
The International Situation 3
Nazi Planes Found by Radiolocator 3
Capuzzo Reached 4
British and Nazis on Even Terms at Last in Desert Battle of Tanks 5
Reich and Russia Long Set to Fight 5
Nazi Propagandist Attempts Suicide 6
Italians Praised in Ship Sabotage 6-7
The British Torpedo Crew that Sent the Bismarck to the Bottom (photo) 8
German Shells Rain on a British Ship in North Sea (photo) 8
Italy Issues Writ Blocking U.S. Funds 9
The Texts of the Days Communiques on the War 10-11
Britain Bares Peril of Aircraft Carrier 11
No Easy Victory at Sea 11
Americanization Group Cant Hyphenate Name 11
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/jun41/f18jun41.htm
Germans and Turks sign friendship pact
Wednesday, June 18, 1941 www.onwar.com
In Ankara... A German-Turkish treaty of friendship for 10 years is concluded by the Turkish government and the German ambassador, Von Papen.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/18.htm
June 18th, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: Minesweeping trawler HMS Romeo commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: U-753 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.S.R.: Stalin leaves Moscow for his holiday.
Ukraine: A German defector to Russian territory says the attack will be made at 4am on 22 June.
TURKEY: Ankara: Germany and Turkey sign a ten-year treaty of friendship.
SYRIA: Beirut: Vichy asks the American Consul-General to enquire of the British and the Gaullists what their conditions would be for a cessation of hostilities.
Lt-Gen Lavarack (1st Aust Corps) takes command of operations in Syria (vice Gen Wilson). During the night, 5 Ind Bde (Brig Lloyd) undertakes 12-mile advance through Mezze to cut Damascus-Beirut road. This is only partly successful and 5 Ind Bde is soon beleaguered by strong French counter-attack forces with armour. Six Gladiators surprise a formation of Dewoitines over Kissoue and shoot down two, the last kills by a Gladiator in WWII. (Michael Alexander)
U.S.A.: In baseball, the New York Yankees play the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York City. The Yankee’s star center fielder Joe DiMaggio hits a single off White Sox pitcher Thornton Lee and extends his hitting streak to 31-games. (Jack McKillop)
Escort carrier USS Copahee laid down.
Submarine USS Peto laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: West of Cadiz, U-138 is sunk by depth charges from HMS Faulknor, HMS Fearless, HMS Forester, HMS Firesight and HMS Foxhound. All U-boat crew survive. (Alex Gordon)
At 0328, the unescorted Norfolk was torpedoed by U-552 about 150 miles NW of Malin Head and sunk by two coup de grâce at 0419 and 0438. One crewmember was lost. The master, 63 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up by HMS Skate and landed at Londonderry. (Dave Shirlaw)
That location wouldn't be somewhere in eastern Poland, by chance. Never mind, you don't have to answer that.g>
He spared only a small fraction of his forces for Africa. If he had focussed on clearing the allies from Africa, and closed the Straits, both of which he could easily have done, and was being urged to do by his Naval War staff, he could well have essentially won the war right then.
The British empire was at stake and in serious deep trouble. They were on the ropes despite valiant fighting, and Churchill himself admitted in early May that the loss of Egypt might mean the end of hopes for victory.
But Hitler was by now a full-blown megalomaniac and would listen to no one. His obsession with crushing the Russians over-rode everything else. As it turned out, his decision to go ahead with Barbarossa rather than making the Mediterranean another "mare nostrum," was very likely the difference between victory and oblivion.
That location wouldn't be somewhere in eastern Poland, by chance. Never mind, you don't have to answer that.
How did you know? And what are all these Germans doing here?
Well, I guess that judge told them.
From now on, I'm sure, we won't see any more of this hypenation of names.
Whew!
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2011/06/day-657-june-18-1941.html
Day 657 June 18, 1941
At 4.38 AM 150 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-552 sinks British SS Norfolk (1 killed, 64 crew and 6 gunners picked up by destroyer HMS Skate). British destroyers HMS Faulknor, HMS Fearless, HMS Forester, HMS Foresight and HMS Foxhound sink U-138 with depth charges, 100 miles West of Gibraltar (all 27 crew rescued and taken prisoner).
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