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No real news of the Russo-German campaign. Extravagant claims by both sides, all through the week, about the number of enemy tanks, etc., destroyed. All one can really believe in is captures of towns, etc., and the German claims so far are not large. They have taken Lemberg and appear to have occupied Lithuania, and claim also to have by-passed Minsk, though the Russians claim that their advance has been stopped. At any rate there has been no break-through. Everyone already over-optimistic. “The Germans have bitten off more than they can chew. If Hitler doesn’t break through in the next week he is finished”, etc., etc. Few people reflect that the Germans are good soldiers and would not have undertaken this campaign without weighing the chances beforehand. More sober estimates put it thus: “If by October there is still a Russian army in being and fighting against Hitler, he is done for, probably this winter.” Uncertain what to make of the Russian government’s action in confiscating all private wirelesses. It is capable of several explanations.
Soviet submarine S-3, although under repair and unable to dive, attempts to escape from the Latvian port of Libau but is sunk by German motor torpedo boats S-60 and S-35 using 20mm cannon, hand grenades and depth charges. 2 other Soviet submarines (M-71 and M-80) and destroyer Lenin are also scuttled at Libau.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 662 days of posting a daily record of WWII from 70 years ago. Unfortunately, the time commitment is just too great for me to keep up with all the events in so many theatres as the war picks up pace.
Operation Barbarossa. German Panzers penetrate 40-50 miles into Soviet territory while Luftwaffe destroys another 1200 Soviet aircraft, mainly on the ground.
Churchill’s speech in my opinion very good. It will not please the Left, but they forget that he has to speak to the whole world, e.g. to middle-western Americans, airmen and naval officers, disgruntled shop-keepers and farmers, and also the Russians themselves, as well as to the leftwing political parties. His hostile references to Communism were entirely right and simply emphasised the fact that this offer of help was sincere. One can imagine the squeal that will be raised over these by correspondents in the New Statesman, etc. What sort of impression do they think it would make if Stalin stood up and announced “I have always been a convinced supporter of capitalism”?
Operation Barbarossa. At 4.15 AM, Germany invades USSR, breaking their non-aggression agreement, in the largest military operation ever. 3.5 million German and Romanian troops (with 3,350 tanks, 600,000 motor vehicles and 750,000 horses) cross the border along an 1800 mile front from East Prussia on the Baltic Sea, Poland in the middle and Romania on the Black Sea. Soviet border troops have some warning of the attack but they are overwhelmed. Soviet response is weak due to poor communications and dispositions which hold the main Soviet forces back from the border. Using classic blitzkrieg tactics, Luftwaffe bombs supply dumps, railways and airfields. 2000 Soviet aircraft are destroyed neatly lined up on the ground for the loss of 35 Luftwaffe aircraft. Stalin is paralysed by the attack and, at 11 PM, Foreign Minister Molotov addresses the Soviet people.
Free French troops (Gentforce) capture Damascus, the capital of Syria, although there is still fighting in the surrounding villages and the country does not surrender. 5th Indian Infantry Brigade is annihilated in the village of Mezze, 3 miles West of Damascus; at 1.20 PM, 50 hours after being surrounded, they run out of ammunition and surrender. Vichy French then retreat West along the road to Beirut allowing Australian troops to capture Mezze. Read the rest of this entry »
Damascus, Syria. 2 companies of Indian 3/1st Punjab Regiment and 2 companies of French Marines attempt but fail to relieve 5th Indian Infantry Brigade trapped in Mezze, 3 miles West of Damascus on the Vichy-held road from Quneitra. Overnight, Free French troops, British anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns and an Australian machine-gun battalion capture Qadim on the Deera-Damascus road.
Syria. Indian and Free French troops launch a two-prong attack on Damascus, along the 2 roads from the South. Free French are held up at Qadim, 4 miles South on the road from Deera. 5th Indian Infantry Brigade marches across country to the village of Mezze at 5.30 AM (3 miles West of Damascus on the road from Quneitra, behind the Vichy French lines) but they lack support and become surrounded. Read the rest of this entry »
Post-tweeting 1940
If you want just a little bit more, check out our new Storify piece remixing some key events of May 1940 http://t.co/alkpygoj7 months ago
I'm confident @ukwarcabinet will return. This after all is not even (quite) the end of the beginning. Thanks for reading.7 months ago
I've certainly developed a new appreciation for their work during the war and hopefully you have too.7 months ago
Before I go I'd like to take a second to pay tribute to all the ordinary people doing extraordinary things captured in these records.7 months ago
...and that's it from me. I'm starting a new research role here at the Archives. Wish me luck. It's been a fascinating few years.7 months ago
Chiefs of Staff: Considerable reinforcements have reached Australian forces in New Guinea. Japanese withdrawn 10 miles http://t.co/sG3eEdGX7 months ago
Chiefs of Staff: Road blocks "and now rain" holding up UK advance in Madagascar but civilians friendly and co-operating http://t.co/vytOZfVV7 months ago
Chiefs of Staff: Germans well established in Stalingrad city centre and may hold substantial part of southern suburbs http://t.co/ZS0Au7y57 months ago
Bomber Command: Karlsruhe and Bremen attacked with good results. More than half of Dusseldorf "effectively devastated" http://t.co/zpruoCro7 months ago
India Secretary supports dismissal of the Prime Minister of Sind after he publicly criticised "British Imperialism" http://t.co/IEf8sQc37 months ago
UK to admit only Jewish refugee children with parent "already in this country" from Unoccupied France. Over 60s refused http://t.co/ixfrn46O7 months ago
Cabinet approves celebration on 15th November of 2nd anniversary of Defence of Great Britain from "blitz" of 1940-41 http://t.co/ttl1WTW97 months ago
PM: Situation in a fortnight's time will "make it very much easier to reach a decision as to the proper line of action" http://t.co/idWX9al97 months ago
General Wilson asks permission to establish advanced bases in North Persia to meet a possible German advance http://t.co/XVIEkjtZ7 months ago
Cabinet rejects offer from General Chiang Kai-shek that 8,000 Chinese troops could be flown into India http://t.co/6dCHu9tb7 months ago
General Brooke: We have made successful attacks on Benghazi and Tobruk. UK forces have entered Tananarive in Madagascar http://t.co/HX1RfuZq7 months ago
Air Chief: Bad weather has restricted bomber operations but Gestapo HQ at Oslo has been bombed by 4 Mosquitoes http://t.co/6HJ3NpdQ7 months ago
UK continues to plan for evacuation of Soviet fleet from Black Sea. "Not an appropriate moment" to raise this with USSR http://t.co/VWcq0mcS7 months ago
Lord Cherwell: Agent has obtained German army casualty figures: 1m in first 6 months of 1942, 3.5m since start of war http://t.co/DdxuKxrd7 months ago
Eden: German morale "has risen only slightly this summer and remains spiritless" but morale of armed forces "high" http://t.co/FVBgg4Y57 months ago