May 7-10, 1940
Politics, Britain
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who signed the 'Peace In Our Time' headlined treaty with Germany, is severely criticized over the Norwegian campaign during a House of Commons debate. Chamberlain resigns after a significant fall in government support in a vote of confidence and the opposition Labour Party's refusal to serve under him in a coalition.
Winston Churchill replaces him and forms a coalition government
(These events closely parallel what happened in Britain this summer, 2010, when the government regime under Tony Blair was replaced by the coalition under their new prime minister David Cameron.)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Norway struggles to defend itself
April 15-30, 1940
Western Front, Norway
After securing their initial objectives, the German army begin their conquest of Norway. Major General Carl Otto Ruge, Norway's new commander-in-chief, leads a stubborn defense around Lake Mjosa and the Glomma valley.
An Allied expeditionary force of over 10,000 British, French, and Polish troops push back. Its objective to recapture Trondheim to secure a base, but its units are ill-prepared for the campaign. There has been little liaison with the Norwegians and various units lack cohesion. Lack of training in artic warfare, key supplies, air cover, and anti-aircraft weaponry exacerbate the situation.
German aircraft launch counterattacks. British and French troops eventually evacuate on May 1-2.
Western Front, Norway
After securing their initial objectives, the German army begin their conquest of Norway. Major General Carl Otto Ruge, Norway's new commander-in-chief, leads a stubborn defense around Lake Mjosa and the Glomma valley.
An Allied expeditionary force of over 10,000 British, French, and Polish troops push back. Its objective to recapture Trondheim to secure a base, but its units are ill-prepared for the campaign. There has been little liaison with the Norwegians and various units lack cohesion. Lack of training in artic warfare, key supplies, air cover, and anti-aircraft weaponry exacerbate the situation.
German aircraft launch counterattacks. British and French troops eventually evacuate on May 1-2.
(I said I would catch up on the day-to-day events, and here it is three months later.)
April 10-14th, 1940
Northern Front, Norway
Anglo-French troops are landed at Narvik near Trondheim but are unable to do more than hold some of their landing areas.
Atlantic Sea War
U-49, commanded by Kapitanleutnant Johann Egbert von Gossler, is sunk by HMS Brazen and HMS Fearless. Secret documents, probably connected with the German "Enigma" cyphering machine, float to the surface and are then captured by the British.
Sea War, Norway
Five British destroyers launch a surprise attack on 10 German destroyers to the west of Narvik. Each side loses two, while eight German merchant vessels and an ammunition carrier are also sunk.
April 10-14th, 1940
Northern Front, Norway
Anglo-French troops are landed at Narvik near Trondheim but are unable to do more than hold some of their landing areas.
Atlantic Sea War
U-49, commanded by Kapitanleutnant Johann Egbert von Gossler, is sunk by HMS Brazen and HMS Fearless. Secret documents, probably connected with the German "Enigma" cyphering machine, float to the surface and are then captured by the British.
Sea War, Norway
Five British destroyers launch a surprise attack on 10 German destroyers to the west of Narvik. Each side loses two, while eight German merchant vessels and an ammunition carrier are also sunk.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Last South Dakota code talker laid to rest
The last of the American Indian code talkers of South Dakota who served during World War II has been laid to rest.
Clarence Wolf Guts of Wanblee was buried Tuesday in Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. The 86-year-old Wolf Guts died June 16 at the South Dakota Veterans Home in Hot Springs.
Wolf Guts was one of 11 Lakota, Nakota and Dakota code talkers from South Dakota. During the war, they transmitted messages from an Army general to his chief of staff in the field using their native language, which the Germans and the Japanese could not translate.
(by Associated Press)
Nurse from iconic 'kiss' pic dies, age 91.
A nurse who was photographed being kissed in Times Square to celebrate the end of the second world war in 1945 has died, aged 91.
The iconic VJ Day picture of Edith Shain by Alfred Eisenstaedt was published in Life magazine.
The identity of the nurse in the photograph was not known until the late 1970s when Shain wrote to Eisenstaedt to say that she was the woman in the picture. It was taken on 14 August 1945 when she had been working at Doctor's Hospital in New York.
The identity of the sailor who kissed her remains unresolved.
The photograph made its mark on Shain's life, as her subsequent celebrity led to invitations to war-related events such a wreath layings, parades and other memorial ceremonies.
(article edited from "guardian.co.uk")
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
WWII-era bomb explodes in Germany
In know, I know. I'm neglecting what I set out to do in this blog, reviewing daily/weekly events as they happened this month in 1940. A LOT happened. Germany invaded Western Europe and drove all the way in to Paris. No excuses other than spring business, highlights of events in this month to come soon. For now I will continue with this news found today.
June 2nd, 2010
An Allied bomb left over from World War II has exploded in Germany, killing three military engineers who were trying to defuse it.
The blast occurred in the central city of Goettingen on Tuesday after construction workers building a sports stadium discovered it in a densely populated area.
Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene to defuse the 500 kilogramme device, which police said was likely to be British. But it exploded before they could neutralise the device.
Bombs left over from the second world war are regularly found in Germany. Between 400 and 500 people are employed nationwide in removing them, and experts expect unexploded ordnance to pose problems for decades to come.
"After the war, there was a building boom, and buildings often went up in areas where there were bombs," Volker Scherff, the head of the association of German Explosive Ordnance, said.
"Those bombs are still there and when construction work is done today, the ground must always be actively searched for ordnance."
Last month, 9,000 residents of the Berlin district of Zehlendorf were evacuated when a 500-kilogramme bomb was unearthed. That discovery followed the closure of Berlin's main airport in April after a British bomb left over from the war was found nearby.
Berlin authorities believe there could be up to 3,000 bombs still buried in the city.
(article edited from Aljazeera.net)
June 2nd, 2010
An Allied bomb left over from World War II has exploded in Germany, killing three military engineers who were trying to defuse it.
The blast occurred in the central city of Goettingen on Tuesday after construction workers building a sports stadium discovered it in a densely populated area.
Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene to defuse the 500 kilogramme device, which police said was likely to be British. But it exploded before they could neutralise the device.
Bombs left over from the second world war are regularly found in Germany. Between 400 and 500 people are employed nationwide in removing them, and experts expect unexploded ordnance to pose problems for decades to come.
"After the war, there was a building boom, and buildings often went up in areas where there were bombs," Volker Scherff, the head of the association of German Explosive Ordnance, said.
"Those bombs are still there and when construction work is done today, the ground must always be actively searched for ordnance."
Last month, 9,000 residents of the Berlin district of Zehlendorf were evacuated when a 500-kilogramme bomb was unearthed. That discovery followed the closure of Berlin's main airport in April after a British bomb left over from the war was found nearby.
Berlin authorities believe there could be up to 3,000 bombs still buried in the city.
(article edited from Aljazeera.net)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
U.S. Troops March In Red Square
May 9th 1945 & 2010
While I catch up on the events of early May, 1940 (Germany invades the West!), I thought a highlight to the Victory Day celebrations in Russia deserved some notice.
"Reporting from Moscow
U.S. troops marched through Red Square for the first time in a Victory Day parade on Sunday as Russia celebrated the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.
It was a scene cut from Russia's Cold War nightmares: 71 Americans in dark blue dress uniforms carried the U.S. flag over the cobblestones, past the mausoleum of Vladimir Lenin and the towers of the Kremlin wall to salute Russian leaders.
French, British and Polish soldiers also took part in the parade in a tribute to the role the Allies played in what Russia called the Great Patriotic War. Under clear skies, the reviewing stands were packed with Russian officials, foreign dignitaries and hundreds of aging war veterans.
"In 1945, not only a military but also a great moral victory was achieved, a common victory," President Dmitri Medvedev told the crowd. Soldiers of various countries marching Sunday in a single formation "is evidence of our common readiness to defend peace, not to allow the revision of the outcomes of war and new tragedies."
But in the weeks leading up to the parade, the inclusion of foreign soldiers sparked controversy in some corners of Russian politics.
Author Alexander Prokhanov, editor in chief of the nationalist Zavtra daily, called the appearance of U.S. servicemen in Red Square a national humiliation.
"The fact that American troops are trampling underfoot the cobblestones of Red Square is a huge shame and humiliation for Russia," Prokhanov said. "Thus they are celebrating their final victory not in World War II but in the Cold War."
Many Russians have long resented what they see as the West's tendency to minimize Russia's role in the allied victory over Nazi Germany. By most counts, more than 20 million Russian soldiers and civilians were killed during the conflict, the greatest toll suffered by any single nation.
Despite the mutterings, the visiting U.S. soldiers were feted by the government. Last week, they were presented with medals during a ceremony at the Military University of the Russian Defense Ministry.
"It is a great honor for me to take part in the parade and represent America," said Pfc. Michael Hagen, 20, from Atlanta, whose grandfather fought in the Pacific with the U.S. Navy.
"He would have been very, very proud of me," Hagen said. "Taking part in this parade symbolizes a lot for me as it is a show of great respect for my grandfather and other veterans."
Relations between Russia and the United States have been steadily warming after reaching a low under the George W. Bush administration. The two countries have toned down criticism of each another and have been working together to cut their respective nuclear stockpiles.
In his speech Sunday, Medvedev strove to create an atmosphere of cooperation.
"Only together can we counteract modern threats," he said. "Only based on the principles of good-neighborliness can we resolve issues of global security so that ideals of justice and of the good can triumph in the whole world."
Thousands of Russians jammed the streets around Red Square to catch a glimpse of the troops as they marched toward the Kremlin.
"Americans in Red Square is so cool," said Anna Gurevich, 22, a Moscow student. "It's just too bad they didn't come here to see the people [on the street]. It would be great to see them and not just on television."
(article from LA Times)
While I catch up on the events of early May, 1940 (Germany invades the West!), I thought a highlight to the Victory Day celebrations in Russia deserved some notice.
"Reporting from Moscow
U.S. troops marched through Red Square for the first time in a Victory Day parade on Sunday as Russia celebrated the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.
It was a scene cut from Russia's Cold War nightmares: 71 Americans in dark blue dress uniforms carried the U.S. flag over the cobblestones, past the mausoleum of Vladimir Lenin and the towers of the Kremlin wall to salute Russian leaders.
French, British and Polish soldiers also took part in the parade in a tribute to the role the Allies played in what Russia called the Great Patriotic War. Under clear skies, the reviewing stands were packed with Russian officials, foreign dignitaries and hundreds of aging war veterans.
"In 1945, not only a military but also a great moral victory was achieved, a common victory," President Dmitri Medvedev told the crowd. Soldiers of various countries marching Sunday in a single formation "is evidence of our common readiness to defend peace, not to allow the revision of the outcomes of war and new tragedies."
But in the weeks leading up to the parade, the inclusion of foreign soldiers sparked controversy in some corners of Russian politics.
Author Alexander Prokhanov, editor in chief of the nationalist Zavtra daily, called the appearance of U.S. servicemen in Red Square a national humiliation.
"The fact that American troops are trampling underfoot the cobblestones of Red Square is a huge shame and humiliation for Russia," Prokhanov said. "Thus they are celebrating their final victory not in World War II but in the Cold War."
Many Russians have long resented what they see as the West's tendency to minimize Russia's role in the allied victory over Nazi Germany. By most counts, more than 20 million Russian soldiers and civilians were killed during the conflict, the greatest toll suffered by any single nation.
Despite the mutterings, the visiting U.S. soldiers were feted by the government. Last week, they were presented with medals during a ceremony at the Military University of the Russian Defense Ministry.
"It is a great honor for me to take part in the parade and represent America," said Pfc. Michael Hagen, 20, from Atlanta, whose grandfather fought in the Pacific with the U.S. Navy.
"He would have been very, very proud of me," Hagen said. "Taking part in this parade symbolizes a lot for me as it is a show of great respect for my grandfather and other veterans."
Relations between Russia and the United States have been steadily warming after reaching a low under the George W. Bush administration. The two countries have toned down criticism of each another and have been working together to cut their respective nuclear stockpiles.
In his speech Sunday, Medvedev strove to create an atmosphere of cooperation.
"Only together can we counteract modern threats," he said. "Only based on the principles of good-neighborliness can we resolve issues of global security so that ideals of justice and of the good can triumph in the whole world."
Thousands of Russians jammed the streets around Red Square to catch a glimpse of the troops as they marched toward the Kremlin.
"Americans in Red Square is so cool," said Anna Gurevich, 22, a Moscow student. "It's just too bad they didn't come here to see the people [on the street]. It would be great to see them and not just on television."
(article from LA Times)
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