Posted on 08/30/2012 5:06:37 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Richard Tregaskis, Guadalcanal Diary
The News of the Week in Review
Twenty News Questions – 16
Russia’s Plight Serious under German Pressure (Baldwin) – 17
Axis Armies Strike Toward the Volga and Caucasus Barriers (map) – 18
Chungking Sees Japan Losing the Initiative (by Harrison Forman) – 19
Answers to Twenty News Questions – 20
The New York Times Book Review
HOW WAR CAME. An American White Paper; From the Fall of France to Pearl Harbor, by Forrest Davis and Ernest K. Lindley. Reviewed by Henry Steele Commager, first-time contributor – 21-23
The Best Selling Books, Here and Elsewhere (spreadsheet) – 24
The New York Times Magazine
Mr. Miniver (by Jan Struther, first-time contributor) – 25-28
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1942/aug42/f30aug42.htm
Minefields slow Axis attack
Sunday, August 30, 1942 www.onwar.com
Mine exploding in the desert [photo at link]
In North Africa... Rommel runs into resistance. A final attack designed to clear the British from Egypt begins. However, British General Montgomery’s preparations make a difference. The formations have been reconstituted, the intelligence concerning the Germans’ position is better. Rommel begins the attack with his armored units, sending them through British minefields between Alam Nayil and Qaret el Himeimat. The defenses are better than expected and progress is slow. Although Rommel has been reinforced with the German 164th Division and some paratroop brigades, he is still short of supplies and has committed this attack on the promise of supplies to come.
In the Solomon Islands... At Guadalcanal, the American forces receive 18 more fighters and 12 dive bombers.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/frame.htm
August 30th, 1942
FRANCE: Paris: The Reich plenipotentiary for the allocation of Labour, Fritz Sauckel, decrees that all men and women in German occupied lands are liable for forced labour.
LUXEMBOURG: Luxembourg is incorporated into the German Reich as the district of Gau Mosselleland. Gustav Simon, the German appointed civil administrator of Luxembourg, orders the call up of Luxembourgers in the classes of 1920-1924 resulting in a General Strike in Wiltz and Ettelbruck. The strike quickly spreads across the Duchy and Simon declares Martial Law. Industrial workers return to work under threat of execution, 25 leaders are executed, and high school students participating in the strike are deported to Germany for a year. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: British PoW officers at OFLAG VIB pull off OPERATION OLYMPIA today, otherwise known as the “Warburg Wire Job”. 53 PoWs set up noisy diversions around the camp while 41 others rush the wires with homebuilt ladders and escape. Thirty PoWs make it over the wire, and of those 17 get away from the immediate area. In all three make it home. Most of those recaptured are RAF are so are sent to the Luftwaffe PoW system. (Marc James Small)
U-547 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.S.R.: Over 800 German troops are killed and 13 tanks destroyed by the 154th (naval) Brigade under the command of Colonel A. I. Malchevskiy, on the Stalingrad front. (Russell Folsom) (215 Chap. 3)
Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla: Submarine “Sch-208” - mined and sunk, close to Zmeinii Is. (Sergey Anisimov)(69)
NORTH AFRICA: The German Afrika Korps begins its attack against Alexandria. Meanwhile in Libya, US Army Middle East Air Force B-24s bomb docks and jetties in Tobruk harbor. (Jack McKillop)
BURMA: Myitkyina, northernmost Japanese supply depot and airfield in Burma, from which fighters could hit Dinjan, India (terminus of the Assam-Burma Ferry), is bombed for the first time by 8 China-based B-25 Mitchells of the China Air Task Force. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: The Australian 21st Brigade arrives at Eora Creek, Kokoda Track. (Jack McKillop)
Australian reinforcements dig in on Brigade Hill near Efogi village. (William L. Howard)
USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses of the Allied Air Forces attack shipping in Saint George’s Channel between New Ireland and New Britain Islands.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: At 1400 hours local, 18 “Zeke” fighters (Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters) of the HIJMS Shokaku and HIJMS Zuikaku air groups, temporarily land based at Rabaul on New Britain Island, attack Allied targets. The “Zekes” outmaneuver 8 Marine Fighting Squadron Two Hundred Twenty Three (VMF-223) F4F Wildcats and attack the high speed transport USS Colhoun (APD-2, ex DD-85) wrecking the ship’s boats and the after davits and starting a diesel fire from the boat wreckage. The “Zekes” are then intercepted by USAAF P-400 Airacobras of the 67th Fighter Squadron, later joined by the VMF-223 Wildcats; the Americans shoot down 5 “Zekes” while losing 4 P-400s. Three F4Fs are written off when they land on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal leaving a total of 5 Wildcats to defend the island. After this action, the USAAF’s P-400s are limited to medium-level interceptions and ground-attack missions. The evaluation of the P-400 by the Commander, Air South Pacific was, “No good at altitude and disheartening to the brave men who fly them.” The 67th Fighter Squadron’s historian put it this way: “We can’t manoeuvre and dogfight with the Zero — what good are we? Our enlisted men are risking their lives every day trying to get the planes patched up — for what? We’re just eating up food — and there’s not enough to go around anyway, and using up valuable gasoline — and the gas supply is getting lower every day. Hell, we can’t fight. When the Japs come we’re told to ‘go on reconnaissance.’ What good are we?” The Japanese will give them the nickname of “Long Nosed Planes”.
At 1517 hours, 18 “Betty” bombers (, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers) make an unopposed attack on USS Calhoun scoring a succession of hits on the starboard side which brought down the foremast, blew two 20 mm guns and one 4-inch (101.6 mm) gun off the ship, and damage the engineering spaces. Two more direct hits kill all the men in the after deck house. Tank lighters from Guadalcanal rescued the crew, and Calhoun sinks at 09.24 S, 160.01 E with the loss of 51 men and 18 wounded.
Despite the loss of the converted 4 stacker, the day is a success. The victory of the morning is another morale boost to the flyers of the Cactus AF and a late afternoon arrival of Col. Wallace and the balance of MAG 23 boosts the 5 remaining original compliment by 31 aircraft.
Shortly after 1500 hours, shortly before the “Betty” bomber attack, the first sizable aerial reinforcements arrive at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the form of 19 F4F-4 Wildcats of VMF-224 and 12 SBD-3 Dauntlesses of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron Two Hundred Thirty One (VMSB-231).
At days end, the Cactus Air Force on Guadalcanal consisted of 86 pilots and 64 aircraft (including 3 USAAF P-400s and 10 USN SBDs). (Jack McKillop)
The carrier USS SARATOGA is damaged by a Japanese submarine.
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: 4,500 US troops occupy Kuluk Bay, Adak Island, amidst a terrific storm and start building a runway; this airfield places US combat aircraft within 250 miles (402 km) of the Japanese occupied Kiska Island. 5 US 11th Air Force B-24 Liberators photograph Kiska Island but do not bomb due to overcast, and then fly patrol and photo reconnaissance over Amchitka and Tanaga Islands. P-38 Lightnings fly patrol between Great Sitkin and Little Tanaga Islands. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.A.: In baseball, New York Giants’ manager and right fielder Mel Ott collects his 2,500th hit during a 5-5 tie in the second game of a doubleheader with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Chicago. Ott retires from playing after the 1947 season with 2,876 hits but continues managing the Giants through the 1948 season. (Jack McKillop)
Destroyers USS Cony and Converse launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-162 sinks SS Star of Oregon.
U-564 sinks SS Vardaas.
U-66 sinks SS Sir Huon and SS West Lashaway. U-596 loses a man overboard [Fähnrich zur See Wolfgang Aldag]. (Dave Shirlaw)
I’ve long wanted to visit the sites of these big battles in Russia.
Radio selection for 8/30/42:
http://ia701200.us.archive.org/0/items/1942RadioNews/1942-08-30-CBS-Our-Secret-Weapon-—The-Truth.mp3
Here is an excerpt from "The Rising Tide: A Novel of World WII," by Jeff Shaara. I guess this marks the beginning of the second battle of El Alamein. Which reminds me that so far the words "El Alamein" and "Guadalcanal" have not appeared in NYT headlines. I will not be posting "The Rising Tide" excerpts for the next few days since they include imaginary dialogue involving Rommel. That goes too far off the historical rails.
"The fervent desire for freedom held by many Bedzin youth worried the Nazis, particularly because these young men and women had consciously broken with Jewish tradition, and their actions were likely to be daring and unpredictable.
The young Bedzin residents seen here may very well have been among the 5000 Jews deported to Auschwitz from Bedzin in August 1942."
"German police execute four men in German-occupied Drogobych, Ukraine.
In July 1941 Jews of Drogobych were driven by antisemitic locals to a cemetery and slaughtered.
In August 1942 more than 500 Jews were murdered by German and Ukrainian police during the selection of Jews to be deported."
"Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin, the leaders of Great Britain and the Soviet Union, respectively, appear to be on the best of terms during their August meeting in Moscow.
In reality, the two were suspicious and wary of one another.
Engaged in an epic struggle with the Nazis in which millions of his countrymen were dying, Stalin pressed Churchill at this meeting to initiate a second front in France."
"Officers from Germany's Secret Field Police, a branch of the Abwehr (Military Intelligence Service), pose for a photo in Gniezno, Poland.
Headed by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the Abwehr was charged with gathering intelligence about the enemy.
While some officers faithfully performed their counterintelligence duties, others found a home within the Abwehr for resistance activities, thanks to Canaris's growing opposition to Hitler."
"Jewish children were sometimes hidden in Roman Catholic monasteries and convents.
(Often church officials would not take them unless they did convert.)
Pictured are Jewish children of the Soeurs de Sainte Marie convent school in the Belgian village of Wesembeek-Oppem.
Included is Sara Lamhaut, who survived the war under the name Jeannine van Meerhaegen.
Both of Sara's parents died at Auschwitz in 1943."
"Father Bruno, a Belgian priest, saved several Jewish children from the Nazis.
Among them were (left to right) Henri Zwierszewski, George Michaelson, Willy Michaelson, Henri Fuks, and Willy Sandorminski.
Father Bruno risked his life to rescue these children.
After the war Yad Vashem recognized him as 'Righteous Among the Nations.' "
Rommel tried the same tactic at Alam Halfa that had worked a few months earlier outside Tobruk. There, his tenacity and the tenacity of his troops prevailed and broke the British.
He’s facing a new general who matches him in that same tenacity. A general who plays close to the vest, has superior firepower, and knows how to use it.
From this point on, Rommel knows it’s only a matter of time.
Rommel’s supply problem wasn’t just neglect by Berlin and Rome. The Brits had broken the German code and knew when convoys were scheduled. They regularly sent Rommel’s supplies to the bottom of the Med. They would send out a “search” plane that would just happen across the convoy and then run the Royal Navy in to pound it.
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