[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
Advance on Moscow – Operations, 26 August-5 December 1941
North Africa, Auchinleck’s Offensive, 18 November-31 December 1941
The Mediterranean Basin
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – Major Allied Forces and Positions, December 1941 The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – Major Japanese War Objectives and Planned Opening Attacks

[beebuster2000]

Update on IJN and Nagumo task Force:

9 IJN submarines are on station evenly spaced from the Mexico border to Seattle, and three submarines are in the Hawaiian Islands scouting. there is some evidence that one or more of these were spotted, but the sightings were dismissed or not confirmed. This was one of the great debates inside IJN on the strategy: to send or not to send the subs. the pro view was that the intel was needed on ship movements, the con view was that if they were spotted it would alert the Americans. Ultimately they were sent, but no confirmed sightings, until the actual day of the attack were made, and even then were not taken seriously.

Nagumo is approx 600 miles from Hawaii and steaming east in heavy seas, about to make a turn to the southeast that will bring him to 200 miles from Oahu. He will do one more refueling from his remaining tanker, leave it behind, and then increase speed to 24 knots. Leading the way are a light cruiser followed in a fan by four destroyers. They have been given orders to sink any ship they see, merchant or otherwise. Following the destroyers three miles astern are three fast Battleships. Four miles to starboard and port of the battleships are the heavy cruisers Chikuma and Tone that are to play a key role in Midway a few months later. Three miles behind this formidable group in two parallel columns come the six carriers, with Akagi in the lead. Bringing up the rear are two destroyers.

[ml/nj]

I never really thought about it when I used to go looking at old NYT microfilms myself, but I guess all the streaking on the images in recent days has something to do with the December 8 edition.

ML/NJ

[beebuster2000]

watched Tora Tora Tora last night. Pretty good movie. They make Short out to be a real jerk, and Kimmel kind of a bumbler. Reading “At Dawn We Slept” thats maybe pretty close. It seems Kimmels main failing is a total lack of imagination that the Japanese could actually mount an attack, ditto for Short.

On another topic my wife is getting more than a little concerned about my obsession with December 7, starting to get concerned looks while i post.

[CougarGA7]

• JAPANESE PIN BLAME ON U. S. - [JAPANESE] ARMY PAPER CHARGES VIOLATIONS BY F.D.R. - Hawaiian newspaper headline

• "PM/3rd one British warship arrived Honolulu and departed early morning fourth X approximately 100 tons one stack one four inch gun fwd and aft X Fueled? Immediately after arrival enlisted rating(s) received mail from British consulate" - R.C.A. coded traffic from Honolulu to Tokyo

• A Conference in the Presence of the Emperor agrees to begin hostilities with the United States on December 7th.

• Washington informs Kimmel that they have instructed Guam to destroy all their codes and documentation.

• Temperatures along the Eastern Front fall to -31 degrees Fahrenheit.