Posted on 12/25/2013 5:44:51 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, Closing the Ring
#1 – “Paper Doll” - Mills Brothers
#2 – “Pistol Packin’ Mama” - Bing Crosby, with the Andrews Sisters
#3 – “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” - Bing Crosby
#4 - “People Will Say We’re in Love” - Bing Crosby, with Trudy Erwin
#5 - “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’” – Bing Crosby, with Trudy Erwin
#6 – “Shoo Shoo Baby” - Ella Mae Morse, with orchestra
#7 - “My Heart Tells Me” - Glen Gray, with Eugenie Baird
#8 - “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old” - Jimmy Dorsey, with Kitty Kallen
#9 - “Pistol Packin’ Mama” - Al Dexter
#10 - “Sunday Monday or Always” - Bing Crosby, with the Ken Darby Singers
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1943/dec1943/f25dec43.htm
Red Army attacks for Christmas
Saturday, December 25, 1943 www.onwar.com
On the Eastern Front... Soviet forces south of Nevel continue attacking and the Vitebsk-Polotsk rail line is cut.
In the Bismarck Archipelago... US Task Group 50.2 (Admiral Sherman) raids Kavieng with 86 aircraft. There are 2 carriers and 6 destroyers employed in the operation but they succeed in sinking only 1 Japanese transport ship.
In the Arctic... The German battle cruiser Scharnhorst under the command of Admiral Bey sets sail from northern Norway to attack convoy JW-55B which has been discovered by German air and submarine patrols. Bey is unaware that the British battleship Duke of York is in distant support of the convoy.
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/thismonth/25.htm
December 25th, 1943 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Many families are without their Christmas bird today, but resourceful housewives will have concocted some kind of traditional pudding with dried fruit saved from their rations. Turkeys and geese have been allocated on a quota system: one suburban butcher with 800 customers received only 15 birds. Another estimated that one family in ten would enjoy a traditional fowl.
GERMANY: Berlin: The main weight of the RAF’s Christmas raid on Berlin last night fell on the city’s south-eastern suburbs, as well as on a ball-bearing factory at Erkner, 15 miles away. The bombs killed 178 Berliners, compared with 104 aircrew killed and 16 taken prisoner. RAF PoWs were made to clear rubble after what was the month’s second big raid. Nine days ago 438 Berliners and 279 slave workers (186 women, 65 men and 28 youths from eastern Europe) died during an attack on rail networks; so did 294 German airmen.
U.S.S.R.: The Soviet offensive, which started yesterday, advances and cuts the Vitebsk-Polotsk rail line.
Moscow: The Red Army yesterday launched an offensive in the Ukraine along the Kiev-Zhitomir highway, aiming to prise open German ranks now defending Galicia and Romania. In the Vitebsk sector Gorodok has been captured and German defensive positions are on the brink of collapse. The year thus ends, as it began, with Russia in the ascendant: a year which started with Stalingrad, ended the Russians’ long retreat and humiliating the seemingly invincible Germans.
Since then the Russians have defeated the Germans at Kursk in the greatest tank battle yet fought, recaptured Kharkov for the second time, liberated Kiev, cut off the German Seventeenth Army in the Crimea, crossed the Dnieper and broken Hitler’s “Eastern Wall”.
This has, however, been not only a year of victories, but also a year in which the awesome reserves of the Soviet Union have been mobilised. Millions of men have been put under arms and those arms are of excellent quality.
The improved versions of the T-34and the heavy Stalin tanks with their 122mm guns have proved a match for the Germans, who scrambled desperately to get their Tigers and Panthers onto the battlefield to cope with the T34s pouring from Russian production lines.
It is the same story in the air, with the Russians producing excellent aircraft in great numbers - no fewer than 2,900 a month during 1943, of which 2,500 were combat planes. Added to them were 16,000 heavy or medium tanks, 3,500 light tanks, 4,000 mobile guns and 130,000 guns of all calibre during the year. As well as the Russians’ own strength there was also the help sent from the west: mechanized divisions go into battle in American lorries; Soviet pilots fly Airacobras and Kittyhawks; generals scan intelligence decrypts.
All this strength is now being welded together into a formidable fighting machine. Stalin plans to clear the Ukraine, destroying the Wehrmacht in a series of “cauldrons” before marching on Poland, Romania and Germany itself. The Germans are still fighting skilfully, but Russia now has the power.
NORWAY: At 1900 German Rear-Admiral Bey sails with Scharnhorst and five destroyers, Z-29, Z-30, Z-33, Z-34, and Z-38 of the 4th Flotilla (Captain Johannesson), towards convoy JW-55B. Spotted by German air and U-Boat searches, Admiral Bey is unaware of the British force which is conducting distant escort, including Duke of York.
In the interest of maintaining radio silence, Scharnhorst had not been using her radar, and although the need to do so had passed, no instruction was issued to make it operational, thus her blindness was self inflicted. By contrast the 3 British cruisers had been tracking by radar (which Scharnhorst would not have been able to detect) for some 50 minutes before HMS Belfast fired the first starshell, thus announcing the presence of enemy forces. (Alex Gordon and John Nicholas and Navy News)
INDIA: Japanese bombers raid Chittagong.
Karachi: Chuck Baisden spends Christmas Day as a guest of the Indian government. He had landed in Accra, West Africa, a yellow fever zone. Upon landing at Karachi the Indian health inspectors found his yellow fever shot record not up to date so he is put into a quarantine hospital until December 30. He has plenty of company due to a torpedoed ship whose survivors are without health records. (Chuck Baisden)
CHINA: Hunan Province: The see-saw and bloody battle for northern Hunan province has swung in favour of the Chinese Nationalists, with Kuomintang troops today recapturing Kung-an. It was one of the first towns lost two months ago when 100,000 Japanese troops invaded the area in an attempt to stop Chinese troops moving from central China to southern Yunnan to support the new tripartite Allied plan to retake Burma.
The battle in Hunan, has escalated the air war in China. At Changte, the epicentre of the campaign, the USAAF’s effectiveness in dropping supplies and providing air-borne artillery was met 14 days ago by a Japanese attack on Allied airfields with the loss of 40 US and Chinese planes.
NEW GUINEA: Trobrian Group: (Full Article)
Lt. Hal Braun’s 30-man platoon of the Arizona National Guard manned a remote outpost so it could warn if the Japanese invaded Kiriwina Island, which had valuable airstrips.
“The Bushmasters’ fourth Christmas away from loved ones was approaching,” Braun said. “We knew combat was coming shortly and this Christmas might be the last for many Bushmasters. My sergeants and I planned to make it a good Christmas.”
About 50 gallons of alcohol was cooked in a still. Australian friends “borrowed” a few of their generals’ geese, and they brought cases of 4X beer.
“We cut four very large palm fronds and wired them in a shape looking a bit like a Christmas tree,” Braun said. “A dried large starfish topped our efforts, and colorful seashells decorated the palm branches. Small, sand-filled ration cans with rope wicks soaked in gasoline were our candles.”
Crayfish from an underground cave pool were trapped and cooked Cajun-style in local hot peppers and canned ketchup.
“Fire pits with rocks and seaweed were readied for the large fish we caught,” Braun said. “Spits were prepared for the geese. A few band members struggled out with instruments, and we were ready for our fourth Christmas away.”
Oddly, the native neighbors weren’t around.
The Bushmasters were a diverse group. Thirty percent were of Mexican heritage, and there were soldiers from 22 Native American tribes.
“There was a melting pot of American boys from every background,” Braun said. “Silent Night was sung in English, then Spanish, Polish, and Private Meier of Milwaukee let us hear it in its original German. As he finished it was totally silent on the outpost and every man was at home with his loved ones.”
Then the men heard nose flutes and small drums and natives singing Silent Night in their own language. Gift-bearing natives approached.
“Luckily for us, they loved Spam, which they called BullaMaCow, and gifts were exchanged,” Braun said.
A Navajo silversmith made Braun an aluminum bracelet from a piece of a Japanese Zero. (David Madrid of Peoria)
New Britain: Japanese forces attack the Arawe beach-head.
US naval Task Group 50.2, two carriers and six destroyers, raids Kavieng with 86 aircraft. They sink one Japanese transport. Glen Boren is there.
ABOARD THE USS BUNKER HILL.
Busy day for the Bunker Hill. Reveille at 0345, we were 190 miles out from Kavieng when we launched the attack. We sent everything that would fly. I offered to fly the “hanger queen” but was turned down. The skipper said he didn’t think my piper cub training was enough.
About 0900, Wooly shot down a jap “Mavis” (4 engine seaplane) with one burst. Later Ambrosio shot down a “Betty”. Several japanese aircraft were around us all afternoon. As we were landing our last flight, Pearse shot down another “Betty”. At sunset, we were surrounded by about 30 “Bettys” as announced by radar control. Our ships fired at several of them but none went down in flames. Several flares were dropped but none close. They gave up at 2030 and went home. We headed back to Espirito Santo. VF 18 score now at 46. ( our losses that day was one TBF and two men.) I understand that two destroyers, one medium and one large transport along with several barges were sunk. Boggies around us all afternoon.
U.S.A.: Ella Mae Morse’s record of “Shoo-Shoo Baby” from the movie “Three Cheers For The Boys” released. This is the first of her records to make the charts and it stays there for 15 weeks and rises to Number 4.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: ASW trawler HMS Kingston Beryl mined north off Skerryvore, Ireland.
http://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/scharnhorst/history/scharnostfront.html
On 19. December 1943 Admiral Dönitz reported to Hitler that the next convoy sailing through the Barents Sea was going to be attacked by Scharnhorst escorted by the 4th Destroyer Flotilla.
Convoy JW 55B left Loch Ewe on 20. December 1943.
Meanwhile Admiral Fraser (C-in-C Home Fleet) decided to increase the escort to the convoy and by using the Norwegian resident agent informations to prepare a trap for the German battleship in case the Scharnhorst was going to leave the safety of the Langfjord (Altafjord).
Convoy JW 55 B was going to be escorted by Force 2 (battleship H.M.S. Duke of York, light cruiser H.M.S. Jamaica and 4 destroyers, Norwegian KNM (Kongelige Norske Marinen) Stord, British H.M.S. Scorpion, H.M.S. Saumarez and H.M.S. Savage), the homecoming convoy RA 55A was escorted by Force 1 (heavy cruiser H.M.S. Norfolk, light cruisers H.M.S. Belfast and Sheffield), both convoys were also escorted by several other destroyers and armed ships.
Admiral Fraser briefed the Force 2 ships commander of the Scharnhorst attack strategy on 23. December on Iceland anchorage at Akureyri and sailed on 23. December, with Force 2 ships.
During the 24. December, the ships exercised the attack formation established using H.M.S. Jamaica as Scharnhorst/dummy target.
During 25. December 1943 Admiral Fraser decided to detach a group of 4 destroyers from RA 55A to support the convoy escort and the RA 55A convoy escort leader decided (because of the fuel situation) to detach the 36th Division (H.M.S. Musketeer, Matchless, Opportune and Virago ).
During same day the German reconnaissance (U-boat U-601 and a Dornier Do 18 aircraft) intercepted the convoy and issued a report to German Navy high command (SKL).
At 14:15, on Christmas day 1943 Admiral Dönitz issued the order to Rear-Admiral Erich Bey on board Tirpitz to execute operation “OSTFRONT-17.00/25/12”, which meant the attack to the convoys using Scharnhorst and the 4th Destroyers Flotilla.
Rear-Admiral Bey moved the sailing time from 17:00 to 19:00 due to the need to transfer his staff from Tirpitz to Scharnhorst (using R 121) and at 19:00 with Z 29, 34 and 38 escorted by minesweepers R 56, 58 and 121 sailed from Langfjord (Altafjord) through Stjernsundet moving to “Lucie point” were the German group met the destroyers Z 30 and Z 33, then the formation sailed north.
Norwegian agents (Torsten Raaby group) immediately informed via radio transmission UK Intelligence agency that Scharnhorst had left the fjord and was at sea.
At midnight on 25. December 1943 convoys were converging from east (RA 55A) escorted by Force 1 and 36th Div. and from west (JW 55B) escorted by Force 2 to the Bear Island area, while German group was approaching the same area from south.
Merry Christmas, Homer, and thanks again for your daily tireless efforts in posting this history lesson.
“There was a melting pot of American boys from every background,” Braun said. “Silent Night was sung in English, then Spanish, Polish, and Private Meier of Milwaukee let us hear it in its original German. As he finished it was totally silent on the outpost and every man was at home with his loved ones.”
That is the America I want to see again................................ Yeah, with a real leader, like Ike! I’d trade that era with any other we have had in the past 75 years.
Giving us justices like Earl Warren?
The group president, Albert C. McArthur had a son on Bataan who died in Japanese captivity on Sept 10, 1942.
I did a little searching and found a short biography on T/Sgt Albert C. McArthur Jr. here: http://www.proviso.k12.il.us/bataan%20web/McArthur_A.htm
On July 13, 1942, the Chicago Herald-American ran an account by 1st Lt. Emmet F. Gibson of the 192 Tank Batallion, wounded and evacuated from the Philippines before the surrender. Lt. Gibson indicates T/Sgt McArthur was a radio operator with the 192'nd.
So we set Sergt. Albert C. McArthur, 310 S. Villa Park, a radio “ham” in civilian life, to work on the radio direction finder, trying to locate intruding Philippine-based Jap radios, went on fighting a war. McArthur is the son of Albert C. McArthur Sr., clerk of York Township and the chairman of the board of directors of the American Bataan Clan, organization of relatives of the boys who fought in the Philippines.http://192nd.com/1942/07/filipinos-blast-jap-chutists-july-13-1942
Here's more about the American Bataan Clan as described on the website of a descendent group, The Maywood Bataan Day Organization: http://mbdo.org/about-mbdo/about/
hang on, I gotta make a quick trip to Longchamps
USS Grayling Memorial, Sloane's Lake Park, Denver.
52 US Submarines were lost in WWII. Each state was asked to build a memorial to one, New York and California to two.
Interesting; do you have a list of submarine by state?
http://militaryhonors.sid-hill.us/mem/statebo.htm
Bear in mind, the vets organization did not issue specifications, so the quality and extent of the memorials varies greatly and I'm actually not sure they have all been built. For example, Iowa only did theirs in 2008. I've heard of memorials as small as a park bench to a very elaborate memorial in Mississippi, near the shipyards.
I’ve read a lot of books about Ike this year. I’m totally impressed with his leadership and personal qualities. He was truly a masterful leader of people in all levels of the organization.
It’s depressing to think back to 1960 when I was a kid and the media was lionizing Kennedy (who couldn’t even run a motorboat properly) and talking about Ike as an old tired guy who wasn’t capable of being POTUS.
Hmm. Interesting. I’ve never been to one of these memorials. I’ll have to start looking for them.
Thanks for the list. Looks like you got the USS Grayling, we got USS Grayback, which had a very successful career.
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