Posted on 07/25/2011 5:24:38 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Gordon W. Prange, At Dawn We Slept
Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
U.S. Policy Stated – 2
President on Defense and Far East – 3
Japanese Ships Held Off the West Coast – 3
Text of Welles’s Statement on Japan – 4
Japanese Action in Burma is Seen – 4
Nazis See U.S. Warned by Indo-China Move – 4
Vichy Justifies Indo-China Move – 4-5
USO Campaign Here Brings $2,987,247 – 5
Stimson Accuses Wheeler of Actions Near Treason – 5-7
Philippines Mission Reported for Grady – 7
The International Situation – 7
Tokyo Warships Reach Indo-China – 8
Hopkins Still in London; Canada Has a Mystery – 8
Soviet Lines Firm – 8-9
Home of U.S. Envoy Moscow Raid Victim – 9
4 British Ships Sunk, Rome Says (by Camille M. Cianfarra) – 9-10
‘Japanese Troops’ in Peru, Quito Says – 10
Flying Fortresses in R.A.F. Raids Score Hits on Nazi Battleships (by Craig Thompson) – 11
Brig. Gen. Muir to Command 87th – 11
Wheeler Franked Anti-War Speeches – 12
96 R.A.F. Planes Down, Say Nazis – 12
Pan-American Unit Honors Liberator – 13
A New York Question-and-Answer Booth for Service Men (photo) – 13
Tokyo Attention Now on Thailand – 14
Heavy Loss Reported in Reich from R.A.F. – 14
Links Transocean to Hostile Drive – 15
East Indies Ready, Dutch Fliers Told – 16
Brisk Guerrilla War Held Raging in Latvia – 16
‘Pockets’ Retard Nazis (by Hanson W. Baldwin) – 17
Charge Persecution in Greek Territory – 17
Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 18-19
British Ready to Back U.S. to Hilt in Any Action Taken Against Japanese (by Robert P. Post) – 19
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/jul41/f25jul41.htm
Italians attack Malta harbor
Friday, July 25, 1941 www.onwar.com
In the Mediterranean... During the night, Italian “explosive boats” and “human torpedoes” attempt to attack shipping in Grand Harbor, Malta.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/25.htm
July 25th, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: London: The William Temple endorses the British-Soviet Pact. He says:
“It may seem strange to combine the alliance with Russia with the claim that we are contending for Christian civilization, but such misgivings are really misplaced, for the one, first, and essential aim of the whole widespread struggle is the overthrow of the tyranny of evil embodied in the rulers of Germany and all who are engaged in the cause must needs be our allies.”
FRANCE: Paris: The German-controlled radio here announced that the Vichy government had decided to deport all British subjects from its territory.
Members of the sizeable British expatriate community on the Cote d’Azur were told to leave a month ago. Many of them are elderly and cut off from their incomes by the speed of the French collapse last year.
Nov Vichy has decided to deport British subjects from France and “to regulate the position of Britons in France”. In part, the decision reflects increasing German pressure on the Vichy rulers. “After getting rid of the Free French parasites and the enemies of France as well as of the communists and the Jews,” Paris radio said, “it is now the turn of the British.”
The decision also reflects the bitter anti-British resentment of Admiral Darlan, the Vichy vice-premier, over what the radio called “the numberless British aggression” against Dakar, Syria and the French fleet.
VICHY FRANCE: The risk of war in the Far East escalated today with the surrender by the Petain regime of its military bases in Indochina to Japan. Britain and America have both denounced the French surrender.
By gaining access to airfields in western Indochina, Japan can now launch more frequent bombing raids against the Burma Road. Occupation of Indochina’s east coast ports constitutes a threat to the Philippines (800 miles) and Singapore (750 miles).
FINLAND: Seven Soviet MO boats, carrying 60 Border Guards under the command of Lt. P. Kurilov and Commissar A.I. Rumjantsev set out from the Soviet-held port of Hanko to seize the Finnish island of Bengtskär, which is held by less than 30 men. (Cris Wetton)
The advance of Finnish Karelian Army is stopped north of Lake Ladoga after Col. Lagus’ 5th Div. reaches Tuulos, about 20 miles east of pre-1939 border. After beating back Soviet counter-attacks the Finnish troops regroup into defence. More to north (in northern Karelia) the Finnish advance is slowed down by heavy Soviet resistance in well-prepared positions. (Mikko Härmeinen)
U.S.S.R.: The Spanish Volunteer Division of the Wehrmacht is designated the 250th (”Azul/Blue”) Infantry Division. It is called the “Blue Division” because the original uniform includes the dark blue shirts of the Spanish Fascists (the Falange). (Raymond Merriam)
MALTA: With the Grand Harbour unusually filled with merchant ships from the newly-arrived convoy - Operation Substance - high-speed Italian motor boats, their bow packed with high explosive, made a daredevil attack here tonight. Only one freighter had been damaged in this successful attempt to beat the Axis in “bomb alley” - although the cruiser HMS Manchester was damaged and the destroyer HMS Fearless sunk. Fifteen brave young Italians died when their MTLs (literally “tourist motor boats”) came under fire from harbour defences manned by the Royal Malta Artillery. The attack had been planned for months.
One group of “frogmen” would blow up a hindrance net suspended from a bridge to all the MTLs access to the harbour. The MTL pilots would race down the huge harbour and aim their exploding boats at ships before ejecting themselves over their sterns.
The plan almost worked, except that one of the Italians, Major Tesei, blew up the bridgre and himself, blocking access to the MTLs, which found themselves helpless, floodlit by harbour searchlights.
ICELAND: The air echelon of the USAAF’s 33d Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), consisting of 30 P-40s and 3 primary training aircraft (Stearman PT-13 Kaydets), was loaded aboard the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7) at Naval Operating Base Norfolk, Virginia, yesterday, for transport to Reykjavik, Iceland. (Jack McKillop)
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Dundas launched Victoria, British Columbia. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: Reports come over the radio that “five bombing planes made for England have crashed at different places in Ohio. All these accidents have taken place within 24 hours.”
War and Naval Departments send a message to the Pacific commanders advising them that Roosevelt was going to close the Panama Canal to Japanese shipping and would freeze all Japanese assets in the US, and those of banks situated in Japanese occupied China. These commanders were advised to “guard against possible eventualities”.
INCOMPLETE TEXT OF JULY 25, 1941, MESSAGE (CNO on his own behalf and for COS to overseas naval commanders and to be forwarded to Army commanders):
YOU ARE ADVISED THAT AT 1400 GCT JULY 26 UNITED STATES WILL IMPOSE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST JAPAN STOP IT IS EXPECTED THESE SANCTIONS WILL EMBARGO ALL TRADE BETWEEN JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION THROUGH A LICENSING SYSTEM FOR CERTAIN MATERIAL STOP IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT EXPORT LICENSES WILL BE GRANTED FOR CERTAIN GRADES OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTIONS COMMA COTTON AND POSSIBLY SOME OTHER MATERIALS AND THAT IMPORT LICENSES MAY BE GRANTED FOR RAW SILK STOP JAPANESE ASSETS AND FUND (sic) IN THE UNITED STATES WILL BE FROZEN EXCEPT THAT THEY MAY BE MOVED IF LICENSES ARE GRANTED FOR SUCH MOVEMENT STOP (missing section) CNO AND COS DO NOT ANTICIPATE IMMEDIATE HOSTILE REACTION BY JAPAN THROUGH THE USE OF MILITARY MEANS BUT YOU ARE FURNISHED THIS INFORMATION IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY TAKE APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AGAINST POSSIBLE EVENTUALITIES STOP (rest of message missing)
Stimson advises Roosevelt that it is necessary to substantially bolster Philippine defenses.
Bureau of Ordnance issues first Navy “E” certificates (for excellence) for industry. (Dave Shirlaw)
Baseball, 41-year old Boston Red Sox pitcher Lefty Grove joins Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, and Eddie Plank to achieve 300 career wins. The lefthander gave up 12 hits beating the Cleveland Indians, 10-6. In 17 years in major league ball, he accumulated a 300-141 record. (Jack McKillop)
The motion picture “Blossoms In the Dust” is released in the U.S. The film, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, stars Greer Garson, Walter Pidegeon and Marsha Hunt. This tear-jerker, set in Texas, has Garson opening an orphanage and fighting to get equal rights for illegitimate kids. The film is nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actress (Garson); it wins one technical award. (Jack McKillop)
SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN: The British cruiser HMS Newcastle intercepts the German ship ‘Erlangen’, which scuttles herself.
I'm currently reading 'The Seeds & Fruits of Infamy' by Percy Greaves, one of the Republican councils present during the PH hearings. This contemporary mt'l is a helpful perspective.
Interesting that you found an article that mentions H. Norman Schwarzkopf Sr, father of the more well known H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr from the Persian Gulf War. Looks like he only got the Fifty-seventh Infantry Brigade for a week.
JAPANESE SHIPS HELD OFF THE WEST COST
About 50 wary of Entering U.S. Ports - Tanker gets Clearance
................................The tanker Daini Ogura Maru, the only Japanese ship in the harbor here when Japan moved on Indo-China, got clearance tonight with here full cargo of about 4,500,000 gallons of oil. The State Department, in a second order during the day, reversed a notice informing the customs office here, the Shell Oil company and the Balfour Guthrie Company, the ship’s agents, that the tanker could not sail until the oil was unloaded.
What happened here? Shell Oil company did some negotiation? What does it take to reverse a notice?
Oh, don’t forget the liner a few hours out of port with 150 Americans on it that is refusing to answer radio calls.
Maybe we needed the $2,500,000 of silk for war materials?
What would the wise people at FR do who always have an answer?
USA CAMPAIGN HERE BRINGS $2,987,247
Chairman Reports Several Units Have Exceeded Quotas.
The New Your City USO Campaign has raised $2,987,347.67 so far of its ascribed total of $3,500,000..........................
At the risk of igniting a flame war -
Is this book already in your Pearl Harbor arsenels? I mean libraries?
I'll bet there were plenty of people in industry and government who didn't want to see that load get away. And Shell Oil certainly stood to lose a bunch of revenue if that sale was cancelled. There must have been frantic efforts going on to get the deals done before the the door slammed shut for good. I don't know what the wise freepers have to say about this but I wouldn't bet against some kind of shady horse-trading among the concerned players. Private sector and otherwise.
I have not read this particular one, but it looks interesting.
“One of the largest cargoes of silk ever to cross the Pacific . . .”
http://www.suite101.com/content/silk-and-nylon-stockings-a50683
Shell was a Dutch company, so wouldn’t it in essence have been under control of the Nazis?
How many parachutes would it take to supply the number of air crews visualized at this point? Tens of thousands, I should think. And how much material goes into a parachute? No wonder the ladies had to learn to adapt to nylon.
I’m pretty sure that Shell’s overseas operations were controlled in some fashion by the Dutch Government-in-exile.
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