RED ARMY SWEEPS ON 93 MILES FROM BERLIN; U.S. THIRD ARMY SMASHES BACK INTO GERMANY (1/30/45)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 1/30/45 | Daniel T. Brigham, W.H. Lawrence, Clifton Daniel, George E. Jones, Sidney Shalett, Hanson W. Baldwin

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[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 and the occasional radio broadcast 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
Luzon, P.I., 1941: Invasion of Luzon and the Advance to Manila, 9 January-4 February 1945
The Ardennes Area, 1944: Operations, 17 January-7 February 1945
Eastern France and the Low Countries, 1944: Territorial Changes along the Front, 16 December 1944-7 February 1945 and Allied Plan for Rhineland Campaign
Southeastern France 1944: German Offensive, 1-30 January 1945 and Allied Reduction of Colmar Pocket, 20 January-9 February 1945
Poland, 1945: Russian Offensive to the Oder – Operations 12 January-30 March 1945
China, 1941: Operation Ichigo, 1945 and Final Operations in the War
China-Burma, 1941: Third Burma Campaign – Slim’s Offensive, June 1944-March 1945

[Homer_J_Simpson]

The Nimitz Graybook

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Major General H.W. Blakeley, USA, Ret., 32d Infantry Division in World War II

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Hitler’s last broadcast (0:34) Read the text of the entire speech in tomorrow’s news thread.

Adolf Hitler

[Homer_J_Simpson]

12-Mile Gain in East – 2-3
Germans Warned of Fall of Berlin (Brigham, Lawrence) – 3-4
War News Summarized – 4
3d Enters Reich at 2 Points as Bombs Rip Enemy Rails (Daniel) – 5-6
Nazi Rails, Berlin under Big Bombing – 6
Officer is Linked to French Racket – 6
Savage Luzon Fight Won by Americans (Jones) – 7
B-29’s Batter Iwo to Ease Tokyo Run – 8
American Car Makers See French as Biggest Rivals Right after War – 8
Stilwell Doubts Japan’s Collapse (Shalett) – 9
Our Manpower-II (Baldwin) – 10
Transit Workers Get High Priority – 10
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the Fighting in Various War Zones – 11-13
Nurses Face Loss of Civil Priorities – 13
War Decorations – 13

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/0/30.htm

January 30th, 1945 (TUESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Submarines HMS Sea Devil and Astute launched.

GERMANY: Berlin: Hitler gives Goebbels the decorative title of Defender of Berlin, and makes a radio broadcast asking the German people to die in order to preserve Nazism... “However grave the crisis may be at the moment, through our unalterable will, our readiness for sacrifice, and our own abilities, we will overcome the crisis. We will endure. It is not Central Asia that will win, but Europe, led by this nation, which for 1500 years has defended and will continue to defend Europe against the East — our Greater German Reich, the German nation.” (Gene Hanson)

Berlin: Speer writes a memo to Hitler, informing him that the state of German industry is so bad that food and electricity must now be given priority over arms production.

BALTIC SEA Sea: Wilhelm Gustloff, an ex-Kraft Durch Freude ship (Strength Through Joy) in the service of the German Kriegsmarine, is sunk in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet sub with the loss of over 5,000 lives - the largest single naval loss of life in history.
At 2108 Gotehhafen time (2:08pm CST) the Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk by the Soviet sub S13. When the Gustloff sunk, new research has now shown that there were a total of 10,582 people on board, 9,343 of whom were killed. The remaining 1,239 were rescued.

HUNGARY: Leading Soviet tanks reach the northern edge of Vérmezõ (Lit. field of blood) at the western foot of Castle Hill in Budapest. They begin firing on the makeshift landing strip set up by the Germans for troop gliders.

Often flown by very young and poorly trained Hitler Youth pilots, many still managed to land, guided with pocket torches held by local children aged between 13 and 16 drawn from the Budapest Section of the Nazi-run “German Youth” organisation. Often the only chance for survival on this incredibly dangerous landing site was to set down on the southern end and exit the glider as quickly as possible before it was destroyed by Soviet guns.

By January 30 the Soviets and pro-Soviet Hungarian forces had managed to capture the first building on Castle Hill, a school at Attila utca 135.

In Mészáros utca near Déli railway station László Deseõ, 15 years old at the time of the siege, kept an hourly diary of the destruction that raged around him:

January 30. At two in the morning horses were brought into the flat.

Everything shook in our cellar. My parents are horrified to the extent that they have lost all interest...It is said that after a few days the ceiling will be soaked through with manure. Then there will be something in the cellar for us to get our noses around.

MALTA: Churchill and Roosevelt meet to prepare before the summit with Stalin in Yalta.

U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Ernest G Small laid down.

[GeronL]

93 miles from Berlin.

wow. Germany should surrender any day now.

[iowamark]

MALTA: Churchill and Roosevelt meet to prepare before the summit with Stalin in Yalta.

Stalin: "I said Yalta, not Malta!"

[Stosh]

“At 2108 Gotehhafen time (2:08pm CST) the Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk by the Soviet sub S13. When the Gustloff sunk, new research has now shown that there were a total of 10,582 people on board, 9,343 of whom were killed.”

Originally, the “Gustloff” was supposed to have been christened as the “Adolf Hitler” - I expect it’s sinking, with that incredible loss of life (mostly civilians evacuating Gdynia) wasn’t exactly the most reassuring omen for Der Fuhrer.

[AlaskaErik]

Interesting to see Vinegar Joe Stilwell’s assessment on how long Japan would hold out. He missed the mark on that one.

[EternalVigilance]

His assessment might have been more accurate without the A-bombs.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Things look dire for the Reich. Everyone is moving from Berlin to Munich. Hard to believe there’s another 3 months to this war.

[Steven Scharf]

Did rivers in France/Germany freeze over? Seems that it would have been cold enough. Would have mde crossing them easier.

[Steven Scharf]

I find it interesting that for the last couple of weeks, the New York Times has headlined the advances of the Russians. Every headline starts with the Russian drive and then mentions either the Western Front of Pacific news.

[dfwgator]

“American Car Makers See French as Biggest Rivals Right After the War”

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Every headline starts with the Russian drive and then mentions either the Western Front of Pacific news.

That has been the case almost every day, with 2 or 3 exceptions, since Jan. 14. It will continue for 5 more days before we get a little variety in the lead.

[AU72]

Every headline starts with the Russian drive

Eisenhower is straightening the line on the whole front and is not going to exploit any German weakness after taking mass casualties in the Ardennes.

[Lurking Libertarian]

I find it interesting that for the last couple of weeks, the New York Times has headlined the advances of the Russians. Every headline starts with the Russian drive and then mentions either the Western Front of Pacific news.

The Russians are the ones making the dramatic gains at this point.

[colorado tanker]

The one thing I would disagree with Stilwell about (assuming no atomic bombs) is that if we took the Home Islands, they would fight on from the Chinese mainland. I'm sure there would be holdouts, but the Emperor and high command would say its over.

It's not the same as Churchill's position in 1940. If the Germans had invaded and overrun Britain he was resolved to move the government and as much of the army as he could get out to Canada. But, he had the prospect of eventually building a coalition with the U.S. and using the Dominions to build up the strength to go back. The Japanese couldn't have done that. Their navy is destroyed and cannot be rebuilt in China, so if they did not surrender they would not see Japan again.