Posted on 09/27/2012 4:20:25 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945
The News of the Week in Review
Russia’s “Verdun” On the Volga Upsets the Axis Timetable (photo and map) – 9-10
Twenty News Questions – 11
Winter’s Shadow Falls Across the Russian Front (map) – 12
Time-Out Periods Mark Desert War (Sedgwick) – 13
Pontiac Ad (I guess there aren’t going to be any ’43 models to advertise – Homer) – 14
Answers to Twenty News Questions – 15
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1942/sep42/f27sep42.htm
Australians force Japanese retreat
Sunday, September 27, 1942 www.onwar.com
Australians mortar crew firing in New Guinea [photo at link]
In New Guinea... The Australian offensives forces the withdrawal of Japanese troops back down the Kokado Trail.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/frame.htm
September 27th, 1942
UNITED KINGDOM: HMCS Weyburn, a Flower-class corvette, LCdr. Thomas Maitland Wade Golby RCNR, CO, arrived with the 20-ship Sydney to Londonderry convoy SC-100. Four ships from the convoy were lost: three to U-boats and one to a collision.
SC-100 was escorted by the American A3 Escort Group. It consisted of the Secretary-class USCG cutters Campbell and Spencer and the Flower-class corvettes HMS Bittersweet, Mayflower, Nasturtium as well as HMCS Trillium and Rosthern.
The Canadian corvettes Lunenburg and Weyburn were assigned for passage to the UK and subsequent employment on Operation Torch, the North African landings. With nine escorts, the 20-ship convoy should have been adequately protected. However, the lack of group cohesion, inadequate equipment in the Canadian corvettes, and inexperience of the Canadian ships led to a poor effort by the A3 group. In particular, the lack of adequate tactical radios systems in the Canadian corvettes prevented the group commander from effectively directing the action from his well-equipped flagship. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.S.R.: Units of the German 6 Armee succeed in capturing most of the strategic Mamayev Kurgan Hill at Stalingrad, and penetrating the heavily defended Red October and Barricades housing estates. (Jack McKillop)
The survivors of the 92nd Naval Infantry Brigade cross to the island of Golodnyy. Here a composite battalion is formed out of the survivors. (Russell Folsom) (215 Chap. 3)
LIBYA: US Army, Middle East Air Force B-24s are dispatched to attack an 8,000-ton vessel at Bengasi. No bombs hit the target but several straddle a jetty in the harbor.
JAPAN: Tokyo: Japan’s new foreign minister, Masayuki Tani, says he will continue the policy of non-aggression towards Soviet Russia.
CHINA: 4 B-25 Mitchells of the US Tenth Air Force’s China Air Task Force over southwestern China blast Mengshih, claiming about 30 trucks and 400 troops destroyed; The B-25s also bomb Tengchung, leaving it aflame; 3 flights of P-40s strafe targets of opportunity along the Burma Road, claiming 15 trucks destroyed and 5 barracks groups damaged. (Jack McKillop)
NEW GUINEA: The Japanese begin their withdrawal back down the Kokoda Track from Ioribaiwa, as the Australians begin their attack.
US Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs continue to pound forces north of Ioribaiwa in the area between Kagi and Efogi and in the Myola and Menari areas; the Japanese abandon Ioribaiwa Ridge and are in full retreat under heavy pressure from Australian ground forces. (Jack McKillop)
MacArthur forces Blamey to relieve General Rowell. (William L. Howard)
SOLOMON ISLANDS: In the combined Raider - 1st - 7th Marines attack across the Matinakau River, at the One Log Bridge, on Guadalcanal, Major Kenneth Bailey is killed. Winner of the MOH at Bloody Ridge, he is the Executive Officer of the Raiders. Battles at both the One Log Bridge and the mouth of the River are fierce and the Marines make no headway. 3 companies of the 1-7 are ordered to land west of the river mouth by boat. These Marines are cut off through quick reaction by Col. Oka. Having no radio, they use their “T” shirts to spell out help. Col. Puller takes the destroyer Monssen and several landing craft to evacuate them. Using the firepower of the destroyer, the Japanese are pushed back and the Marines are evacuated under heavy fire.
Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro, the only U.S. Coast Guardsman to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II, is killed on Guadalcanal. The citation for his award reads in part, “For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as Petty Officer in Charge of a group of 24 Higgins boats, engaged in the evacuation of a battalion of marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces at Point Cruz Guadalcanal, on 27 September 1942. After making preliminary plans for the evacuation of nearly 500 beleaguered marines, Munro, under constant strafing by enemy machine guns on the island, and at great risk of his life, daringly led 5 of his small craft toward the shore. As he closed the beach, he signalled the others to land, and then in order to draw the enemy’s fire and protect the heavily loaded boats, he valiantly placed his craft with its 2 small guns as a shield between the beachhead and the Japanese. When the perilous task of evacuation was nearly completed, Munro was instantly killed by enemy fire, but his crew, 2 of whom were wounded, carried on until the last boat had loaded and cleared the beach.” (Jack McKillop)
After 2-weeks of bad weather, IJN aircraft renew air attacks. 18 G4M “Betty” bombers escorted by 27 A6M “Zeke” fighters are engated by 16 USMC and 18USNF4F Wildcats. The Americans shoot down 6 G4Ms and 2 “Zekes;” an SBD Dauntless is destroyed on the ground and 3 SBDs and 5 TBF Avengers are damaged.
Aviation Pilot First Class Lee P. Mankin, an F4F pilot assigned to the USN’s Fighting Squadron Five (VF-5), shoots down an A6M “Zeke” and becomes the only US enlisted ace in WWII. (Jack McKillop)
GILBERT ISLANDS: Japanese troops land on Kuria Island. (Jack McKillop)
AUSTRALIA: HMAS Warrnambool and HMAS Kalgoorlie are sent from Darwin to pick up HMAS Voyager’s crew, all of whom have survived with seven minor casualties from the Japanese air raids. One crewmen who has been reunited with this brother, a member of the 2/2nd AIF, has asked to remain with Sparrow force. (William L. Howard)(188, 189, 190, 191)
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIANS: Shore and harbor areas of Kiska Island are bombed by the US Eleventh Air Force: 8 B-24 Liberators and a B-17 Flying Fortress, escorted by a P-38 Lightning, 13 P-39Airacobras and 4 P-40s take off first, and are followed by 6 unescorted B-24s; weather turns back 13 of the fighters; an LB-30 Liberator flies photo-weather reconnaissance over Attu, Buldir, the Semichi, Agattu, and Amchitka Islands. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.A.: The Glenn Miller Orchestra played their last concert in Passaic, New Jersey before Alton Glenn Miller went into the U.S. Army. It was a sad event for the band members and they could not finish playing the band’s theme song, “Moonlight Serenade,” at the end of the concert. (Jack McKillop)
Destroyer USS William D Porter launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German raider Stier, 4 ships of 29,000 tons this cruise, attempts to attack the Liberty ship Stephen Hopkins. The Hopkins, armed with only 1 4 inch gun fights back. This unexpected resistance is successful, and the Stier sinks, but the Stephen Hopkins also sinks.
The SS Stephen Hopkins, a Liberty Ship armed with a World War I Four Inch Fifty shell gun on the stern and a 37 MM on the bow, was sailing from Capetown, South Africa to Paramaribo, Dutch Guinea, when she was attacked by the raider STIER and her escort the blockade runner TANNENFELS. The Master kept the stern of the Hopkins towards the raiders and eventually the Liberty Ship sank the STIER and badly damaged the TANNENFELS. The Hopkins also sank, a mass of twisted metal, and thirty-two of the 40 member merchant crew and nine of the fifteen Navy gunners were killed. The Liberty ship expended all its four inch ammunition and all the four inch gunners were killed and the last five rounds were fired by a Merchant Marine Engine Cadet before he was also killed. The only award ever made, that I can determine, was that the ship was declared a “Gallant Ship.” (Tom Bower and Jack McKillop)
- The German submarine U-165 is sunk in the Bay of Biscay west of Lorient, in position 47.50N, 03.22W, probably by air-laid mines. All 51 hands on the U-boat are lost. (Jack McKillop)
"About 75,000 Jews in France (mostly foreign) were deported; others were confined to concentration camps.
About 25,000 Belgian and 100,000 Dutch Jews were also deported, most to their deaths."
"An antisemitic and anti-Gaullist propaganda poster depicts French General Charles de Gaulle as the puppet of the Jews.
The poster's headline reads, "The True Face of Free France."
When combined with the portrait of the general standing in front of stereotypically portrayed Jews, these words clearly communicated the desired message.
As leader of the Free French government-in-exile in London, de Gaulle's opposition to the Nazis was well established.
The Nazi propaganda machine sought to discredit its opponents by linking them with 'international Jewry.' "
"Shmuel Kaplinski was a member of Vilna, Lithuania's United Partisan Organization, a wide-ranging alliance comprised of members from numerous youth groups.
On September 23, 1942, Kaplinski helped 80 to 100 FPO members escape from the ghetto via the Vilna sewer system.
Once outside of the ghetto, the group rendezvoused with the Kailis partisans, who operated in the nearby Rudninkai Forest."
"This false identity card was issued to David Donoff in September 1942.
The Donoff family engaged in forgery operations for the Jewish Resistance in France.
All seven siblings of the Donoff family were members of a Resistance organization known as Éclaireurs israélites de France.
Of the seven siblings, the two brothers were killed for participating in Resistance operations; the five sisters survived the war."
"Hampered by the British White Paper of 1939, which severely restricted Jewish immigration to Palestine, members of the Yishuv, the organized Jewish community in Palestine, agonized as they learned of the deportations and deaths.
Here, Yishuv members gather before the tomb of the prophet Zechariah on the Mount of Olives to mourn those who had died at the hands of the Nazis.
The group recalled the prophet's words spoken in earlier times of persecution: 'Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people and I will be their God.' (Zec 8:7-8, RSV)."
"This obviously staged photograph shows Jews beating Jews in the Kolbuszowa (Poland) Ghetto.
The Nazis used such propaganda photos to establish that Jews were animals who often turned on each other, just like the rats to which the Nazis often compared them.
The implication was clear: If the Jews did not care about themselves, why should the German people care about them?"
Interesting to see the Pontiac dealer service ad. I can imagine that the wartime lack of new cars, tires, and eventual gasoline rationing must have ruined car dealerships.
Blaming the British White Paper of 1939 for preventing Jews escaping the Holocaust is less than accurate. The restrictive immigration policy went into effect within a few months of Germany invading Poland... a little late to be thinking about going to Palestine.
Prior to the White Paper of 1939, my understanding is that all a Jew had to do to get a visa to Palestine was purchase land. I don't recall there being a minimum purchase size either. Why didn't more European Jews see the writing on the wall prior to 1939 and at least buy a plot of land in Palestine as an insurance policy?
Furthermore, other nations had unfilled visas. The Dominican Republic in particular had 100K visa's available for European Jews, almost none of which were filled. That the Dominican Republic had so many unfilled visa's should bear witness to the state of denial that European Jews were in.
I think at the beginning of the war only a very few people thought that a civilized European country could embark on something as evil and barbarous as the Holocaust.
True but the possibility of a descent into savagery was not without precedent. By 1939, Western Europeans had a generation to absorb stories of the horrors being carried out across Russia by the communists.
Denial certainly played a part in the predicament of European Jews. However, an interesting question for a historian might be why Jews who did attempt to flee Europe such as the passengers aboard the SS St. Louis did not attempt to go to a nation such as the Dominican Republic which had open visas available?
I have never read a history of the St. Louis that explains why they didn’t go to the Dominican.
We followed that pretty closely a few years back. Quite the saga.
You probably need to brush up on your history a bit. Eichmann was allowing Jews to buy their way toward Palestine from Vienna as late as the fall of 1940. And Jews in the pipeline were still trying to run the gauntlet into 1942.
After the war started, the Soviets probably killed the most Jews trying to reach Palestine, the Germans were second, and the militant Jews were third in the number killed. But British hands certainly were not clean.
Why?
So you get it right, next time.
Please be more specific. Are you sure you didn't mean to address your post to a different poster?
No, I checked back up the thread. I quoted you, and responded pointing out your error. I don’t know that repeating myself is going to be productive. But as I pointed out, the invasion of Poland wasn’t a cut off for trying to get to Palestine, if you could get past the Russians, British, and their puppets.
The Germans just wanted the Reich Judenrein - if they’d leave their money and assets and get on the boat, that worked for them.
What error? Where did I ever say the invasion of Poland was a cutoff for emmigration from Europe to Palestine? The context of my post was that the British White Paper of 1939 was not as significant a barrier to emmigration from Europe as many make it out to be. How you could have interpreted that as a statement about Nazi Zionism I don't know.
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