Remembering History by day WW2

[Ron Goldstein]

On the 8^th of June 1946 I was home on leave from Italy under a scheme referred to as LIAP (Leave in addition to PYTHON).

PYTHON was the HM Forces scheme that brought one home from overseas after 4 years of service, LIAP was available after 3 years. As I had been abroad since April 1943 I therefore qualified.

My 28 day’s leave coincided with the official Victory celebrations and I got to see representatives of my unit driving past my vantage point in Whitehall
The page in my Album is a splendid aide-memoire.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/40/a4768040.shtml

[Peter Clare]

1941 : Allies invade Syria and Lebanon


On this day in 1941, British and Free French forces enter Syria and Lebanon in Operation Exporter.
In May, the pro-Axis Rashid Ali rose to power in Iraq and refused to allow British maneuvers within his country in accordance with the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930. Britain quickly restored the status quo ante by driving Ali and his followers out of Iraq. And to ensure that German military supplies shipped to Ali via Syria did not result in Axis control of that country and neighboring Lebanon, Britain decided to take preventive action. With Australian and Indian support, as well as that of Free French forces, Britain invaded both Syria and Lebanon, fighting Vichy French garrisons loyal to Germany. Resistance lasted five weeks before an armistice was finally signed on July 14, giving the Allies control of both Syria and Lebanon. Among those wounded in the fighting was the 26-year-old leader of Palestinian volunteer forces, Moshe Dayan, the future hero in the fight for an independent Jewish state. He lost an eye.

[Peter Clare]

ASHIGARA (June 8, 1945)
The 13,380-ton Nachi class Japanese cruiser sunk by the British submarine HMS Trenchant commanded by 'Baldy’ A. R. Hezlet. (It was estimated that around 1,200 Japanese troops were on board on their way from Batavia to reinforce the garrison at Singapore). At the last minute, the Ashigara had altered course and was hit by five torpedoes out of the eight fired by the Trenchant. In an effort to beach herself she headed towards Klipped Shoal near Sumatra but half an hour after being hit, the blazing Ashigara capsized and sank. A total of 853 survivors were rescued by the Japanese escort destroyer Kamikaze. Commander Hezlet was later awarded the DSO and the United States Legion of Merit.

[Peter Clare]

USS RICH (June 8, 1944)
US destroyer escort sunk during Operation Neptune off Utah Beach, Normandy, after striking a mine. The ship had left Plymouth on June 5 and while off the Normandy coast went to assist the destroyer USS Glennon which had struck a mine earlier. While attempting to give assistance to the Glennon, a mine exploded beneath her keel blowing off about fifty feet of her stern. Two minutes later another mine exploded under her forward section. The USS Rich sank at 9.40 just fifteen minutes after the mine exploded. Of her crew of 12 officers and 203 other ranks, 89 men lost their lives. There were 73 men wounded.

[Peter Clare]

8/9 June 1944

483 aircraft - 286 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes, 28 Mosquitos - attacked railways at Alençon, Fougères, Mayenne, Pontabault and Rennes to prevent German reinforcements from the south reaching Normandy. All of the raids appear to have been successful. 4 aircraft were lost, 2 Lancasters from the Pontabault raid and 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito from the Rennes raid.


The first 12,000lb Tallboy bombs developed by Barnes Wallis were used on this night by No 617 Squadron in a raid on a railway tunnel near Saumur, 125 miles south of the battle area. The raid was prepared in great haste because a German Panzer unit was expected to move by train through the tunnel. The target area was illuminated with flares by 4 Lancasters of No 83 Squadron and marked at low level by 3 Mosquitos. 25 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron then dropped their Tallboys with great accuracy. The huge bombs exploded under the ground to create miniature 'earthquakes'; one actually pierced the roof of the tunnel and brought down a huge quantity of rock and soil. The tunnel was blocked for a considerable period and the Panzer unit was badly delayed. No aircraft were lost from this raid.
17 Serrate and 19 Intruder patrols, 34 aircraft minelaying from the Scheldt to Lorient. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 585 sorties, 4 aircraft (0.7 per cent) lost.

Saumur Railway Tunnel

[Peter Clare]

1944 : The Red Army invades Karelian Isthmus in Finland


On this day in 1944, Russia penetrates into East Karelia, in Finland, as it fights to gain back control of territory that had already been ceded to it.
According to the terms of the Treaty of Moscow of 1940, Finland was forced to surrender parts of its southeastern territory, including the Karelian Isthmus, to the Soviet Union, which was eager to create a buffer zone for Leningrad. To protect itself against further Russian encroachment, Finland allowed Germany to traverse its country in its push eastward into Russia, despite the fact that it did not have a formal alliance with the Axis power. Emboldened by the damage Germany was inflicting on Russia, Finland pursued the "War of Continuation" and won back large parts of the territory it had ceded to Moscow in the 1940 treaty.
But as Germany suffered setback after setback, and the Allies continued bombing runs in the Balkans, using Russia as part of its "shuttle" strategy, Finland began to panic and made overtures to Stalin about signing an armistice. By June 9, the Red Army was once again in the East Karelia, and Stalin was in no mood to negotiate, demanding at least a symbolic "surrender" of Finland entirely. Finland turned back to its "friend," Germany, which promised continued support. A change in Finnish government resulted in a change in perspective, and Finland finally signed an armistice that gave Stalin what he wanted: all the old territory from the 1940 treaty and a guarantee that German troops would evacuate Finnish soil. Finland agreed but the German army refused to leave. Terrible battles were waged between the two behemoths; finally, with the defeat of the Axis, Russia got what it wanted, not only in Finnish territory, but also in war reparations to the tune of $300 million. Finland !
would become known for its passivity in the face of the Soviet threat in the postwar era.

[Peter Clare]

1940 - The heavy cruiser USS Vincennes and destroyers USS Truxtun & Simpson arrive at Casablanca, French Morocco from the US The Bank of France's gold reserves, 200 tons of gold brought to Casablanca by a French auxiliary cruiser, will be loaded in the US cruiser and taken to New York City for deposit in US banks

[Peter Clare]

1940 : Italy declares war on France and Great Britain


On this day in 1940, after withholding formal allegiance to either side in the battle between Germany and the Allies, Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy, declares war on France and Great Britain.
What caused Il Duce's change of heart? Perhaps the German occupation of Paris did it. "First they were too cowardly to take part. Now they are in a hurry so that they can share in the spoils," reflected Hitler. (However, Mussolini claimed that he wanted in before complete French capitulation only because fascism "did not believe in hitting a man when he is down.")
Italy's lack of raw materials had made Mussolini wary of waging all-out war previously. Britain and France were also wooing him with promises of territorial concessions in Africa in exchange for neutrality. But the thought of its Axis partner single-handedly conquering the Continent was too much for his ego to bear. While Germany had urged Italy's participation in September 1939, at this late date such intervention would probably prove more of a hindrance than a help. For example, despite Italy's declaration of war on the 10th, it wasn't until the 20th that Italian troops were mobilized in France, in the southwest-and easily held at bay by French forces.
The reaction by the Allies to the declaration of war was swift: In London, all Italians who had lived in Britain less than 20 years and who were between the ages of 16 and 70 were immediately interned. In America, President Roosevelt broadcast on radio the promise of support for Britain and France with "the material resources of this nation."

[Peter Clare]

1940 - Allied operations in Norway end. This has cost the British and French 1 carrier; 2 cruisers; and 9 destroyers plus other smaller craft. There were 6100 KIA. The cost for the Germans was 3 cruisers, 10 destroyers, and several U-boats. There were 5600 KIA. There was also many Norwegian casualties

[Peter Clare]

See post #517

1940 - USS Vincennes, escorted by two destroyers, gets underway from Casablanca, French Morocco, for New York City carrying 200 tons of gold, the Bank of France's gold reserves