Great pics, thanx Friedrich!

Anyway, after learning all this stuff on WW2 and especially the arguing between Monty,Patton, Bradley etc etc I must confess that I think Ike did one **** of a job holding the allied together. Without him the war might have continued for quite a long time with the mentioned generals not capable of co-operating without his orders (=advice)!

__________________

February 10

1940
- The Dutch government announces a decision to construct three new battlecruisers to be used in the Pacific.

1941
- Following German troops being allowed into Romania, the British government breaks off diplomatic relations.
- During the night, the British Royal Air Force bombers raids Hannover using 189 aircraft.
- The British Short Sterling four-engined bomber completes its first operational mission, bombing oil storage facilities in Rotterdam.

1942
- In Singapore, the allied retreat becomes confused, causing several units to fall back further than neccessary and putting the entire Jurong line in jeopardy.
- Great Britain offers 34 anti-submarine vessels with crew to the US Navy

1943
- Pressure increases on German-held Kharkov, as the Red Army closes in and captures Volchansk amd Chukuyev.
- After much deliberation, Adolf Hitler orders the creation of the 13th Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS "Handschar". The 13th Waffen-SS division is to be formed from Moslem Croats (Bosnians), and a recruitment campaign is immediately started, using the Moslem hatred of the Serbs. Thousands of young men flock to the ranks of the new SS division.
- In the United States, President Roosevelt announces an enforced 48 hour week in areas with labour shortages.

1944
- In the Pacific, Australian troops link up with the American forces on New Guinea.

1945
- Soviet submarine S-13 under captain Marinesko sinks the General von Steuben in the Baltic. Currently transporting wounded soldiers and refugees, some 3,500 people drown in the icy waters.
- In Manilla, the US 37th Infantry Division begins clearing the city in one of the most brutal fights during the war for American infantrymen. Much of city will be razed during the advance, and the civilian deathtoll very high in the house-to-house fighting.


February 11
1940
- The recent Soviet assault at Summa is more successful than previous attempts, during this attack the Soviet 7th Army manages to break through the first Finnish lines and gain ground, using mobile infantry shields and flamethrowers. The fighting rages on as the Finnish counterattack.

1943
- Lilya "The White Rose of Stalingrad" Litvyak, scores her fourth kill as she brings down a Junkers Ju-88 bomber and receives a shared credit for a Focke-Wulf Fw-190 fighter. She is currently flying a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter with the 296th IAP over Stalingrad.

1944
- During the Korsun-Shevchenkovski operation, the German II Panzer Corps regroups and attempts to break through to the beleagured forces in the Korsun pocket from east of Winograd. The advance is projected to take place in the line of Bushanka - Lissjanka, but after Soviet forces blow the bridge at Bushanka the advance is diverted across a ford at Frankowa.
- The first German U-boat fitted with a "schnorkel", allowing it to remain underwater for extended periods, is depth-charged and forced to the surface. Commanded by Hartwig Looks, U-264 is scuttled and the crew captured.

1945
- Soviet forces seize Budapest after heavy fighting.
- The Yalta conference ends.

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

February 12

1940
- Soviet peace terms are received by the Finnish ambassador in Stockholm. The Karelian ishtmus, the area north of Lake Ladoga, and island of Hanko should be ceded to the Soviet Union.
Soviet sources claim 32 fortified positions have been captured in the Mannerheim Line during the day.
- A directive is issued by the Central Comittee of the NKVD detailing the elimination of Polish prisoners of war in the camps of Kozielsk, Ostaszkow and Starobielsk.
- German U-boat U-33 is sunk by a British minesweeper in the Clyde estuary. Vital parts from the Enigma cipher machine are recovered by divers.
- In Egypt, the first Australian and New Zealand troops are arriving in Suez.

1941
- In North Africa, the new German commander Erwin Rommel arrives in Tripoli, Libya.

1942
- Near Kiev, Sonderkommando 4b have murdered 861 people since January 14, including 139 Jews and 649 political officers.
- Battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, and cruiser Prinz Eugen, perform the "Channel Dash" by speeding through the English Channel, from Brest towards a home port in Germany. Numerous fighter aircraft and smaller vessels provide cover, managing to repell all attackers. While approaching Germany, the Gneisenau strikes a mine however and is temporarily halted, one and a half hour later the Scharnhorst strikes a second mine. All ships reach a German harbour, something that proves an acute embarrassment to the British, although the Royal Navy will have an easier time controlling the location of the squadron now.
- In Pearl Harbor, the battleship USS Nevada is refloated following the Japanese attack, and brought in for reconstruction.
- In the Pacific, Japanese forces enter the capital of Borneo.

1943
- In the southern Soviet Union, the city of Krasnodar is recaptured by the Soviets. The offensive continues towards Novorossisk. The situation for the German forces in Rostov is looking grim, since the city's major rail link to the west is now severed.
- In North Africa, the British 8th Army advances into southern Tunisia.

1944
- The German relief effort of the Korsun pocket continues. The Panzer Regiment "Bake" tank group of approximately 80 "Tiger" and "Panther" tanks encounter a Soviet tank assembly area north of Frankowa. The "Tigers" of of 503rd Schwere Panzer Abteilung cover the operation while the "Panthers" of 11th Panzer Regiment outflank the position to the right. The engagement results in about 70 tanks and 40 anti-tank guns destroyed on the Soviet side. German losses are 4 "Tiger" and 4 "Panther" tanks. By nightfall, Panzer Regiment Bake assumes a hedgehog defensive position a kilometer south of Tschessnowka.
- Over the Atlantic, British Royal Navy F-4F Wildcat (known in Britain as the Martlett) fighters of No.881 and No.896 Squadrons, flying off HMS Pursuer, shoots down a German Fw-200 and He-177 aircraft.
- Christian Wirth promoted to SS-Sturmbahnführer as he is transferred from the closing camp at Belzec. Wirth has supervised the killing of over 1.5 million Jews in the camps of Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka. He has developed a system for killing large amounts of people using simple internal combustion engines, rejecting the Cyclon-B gas later adopted as arousing suspicion too easily. Wirth is now transferred to Trieste, where he will supervise the deportation of Jews until his death at partisan hands on 26 May, 1944.

1945
- In the Pacific, 21 USAAF B-29 bombers from the 313th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy), perform a mission to the heavily fortified island of Iwo Jima. The bombers drop 84 tons of bombs in an attempt to destroy gun emplacements on mount Suribachi.
- In the Philippines, the US 9th Corps closes the neck of the Bataan peninsula.

[ 12. February 2003, 08:27 AM: Message edited by: Heartland ]

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

The Channel Dash Forecast

http://www.datasync.com/~bouchard/rich/channel_dash.htm

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had been cooped up in Brest on France's Atlantic coast since returning from their successful March 1941 raiding. They were subjected to almost continuous bombardment and reconnaissance by the Royal Air Force (which had prevented them from joining Bismarck and Prinz Eugen for that ill-fated voyage5). Prinz Eugen joined them in June 1941 after leaving Bismarck to its fate. In light of his surface fleet's poor showing, Hitler decided to concentrate the surface fleet to defend German-occupied Norway and to intercept the supply convoys to the Soviet Union. This would require bringing the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen from Brest on France's Atlantic coast to Germany via the English Channel6. At stake was 47 percent of Germany's capital ships (by displacement) and the German surface fleet's reputation. For Great Britain its prestige as the world's greatest naval power would be contested in the area it so proudly called - the English Channel.

While Channel Dash has been treated from various angles7 what lends to its attraction for military meteorologists and military planners in general is the intriguing manuscript of Dr. Walther Stöbe 8, Chief Meteorological Officer of Air Fleet 3, based in Paris, charged with making the critical go-no go forecast for the operation. A Luftwaffe meteorologist was making the critical forecast because air cover by the Luftwaffe was considered vital to the success of the operation codename Cerberus9. To maintain air superiority meant to be able to get sufficient aircraft into the air. While the Luftewaffe planned to have bombers, to attack British surface ships, it was the fighter cover to ward off British air power that was deemed crucial. The Luftwaffe requirements were that weather over southeast England prevent or hinder British air operations, such as a low overcast or fog, while ideal takeoff and landing weather prevail over German airfields in France and the Low Countries. However under no circumstances would it be acceptable to have the reverse and allow British aircraft to operate unhindered against the ships.

Stöbe received his tasking on 4 February 1942 and begin a series of forecasts beginning 5 February through 14 February.Because of the strict security requirements, he was unable to use the long-range forecasting expertise of the Central Weather Group10 at Luftwaffe Headquarters in Berlin. This did not greatly disturb him in that he found their routine monthly forecast too general for his exacting task.Because of the joint nature of the operation, he coordinated his forecasts with Dr. Süssenberger, Chief Meteorologist of Naval Group (West) describing the relationship as "..exemplary in very way, which, from the military viewpoint could not always be said of the Air Force and Navy. "

The Navy also realized the criticality of the weather forecasts and placed meteorologists aboard the Gneisenau and assigned three of Germany's strategic U-boat assets near Iceland as weather observing stations. Based on the U-boat observations of 9 February, Stöbe identified a developing disturbance which moved unhindered to Jutland. This indicated to Stöbe that small disturbances would continue to move through the area of operations bringing with them the changeable weather situations needed, but more importantly in a predictable sequence.

On 10 February Stöbe briefed the impending favorable weather conditions to Admiral Saalwachter, Commander, Naval Group (West); Vice-Admiral Ciliax, commander of the operation for the navy (and a former commanding officer of Scharnhorst); and Fieldmarshall Sperrle, Commander, Air Fleet 3 and his subordinate Colonel Adolph Galland who commanded the all-important fighters. Galland wryly observed: "Now the weather god had to be consulted, for he played an important if not decisive part."

Based upon Stöbe's forecast, Admiral Saalwachter gave the order for the operation to proceed.

The German ships made good time moving over 30 knots helped by the currents of over 2 knots which set to the northeast during their passage of the Channel16 and the good visibility which allowed them to safely navigate at those speeds. The tides played a crucial role because of the need to have sufficient depth for safe navigation and to provide sufficient clearance from mines, as the route was swept for mines to a depth of 12 meters.

The only casualties to the great ships were caused by mines (Scharnhorst, twice and Gneisenau, once) and the Germans lost two patrol boats, and they were able to continue to Wilhelmshaven. Ironically despite the thoroughness of the German preparations, no pilots or tugs were waiting to take the ships into their new homeports. As Gneisenau waited, strong tides pushed the ship onto submerged wreck. Only Prinz Eugen would reach port unscathed contributing to its reputation as a "Lucky Ship ".

Aftermath :The London Times would headline: "Vice-Admiral Ciliax had succeeded where the Duke of Medina-Sidonia failed. Nothing more mortifying to the pride of our seapower has happened since the seventeenth century."

But the head of the German Navy, Grand Admiral Raeder would recognize the removal of the ships from the Atlantic to the North Sea-Baltic not as a tactical victory, but a defeat.

The RAF would prevent Gneisenau from ever sortieing again. Finally in March 1945 she was towed to Gydnia, Poland and scuttled as block ship. Prinz Eugen would surrender to the Americans and end up as part of the Bikini atomic bomb tests. The ship would remain afloat after two tests and was finally towed to Kwajelain in the Marshall Islands and beached on San Carlos Island26.

Weather would have a role in the Scharnhorst's remaining operations including its demise. On 9 September 1943, Scharnhorst joined the Bismarck's sister-ship Tirpitz in an attack on the allied weather station on Spitzbergen Island. This operation would be Tirpitz's only engagement to fire its 15-inch guns offensively and would be Tirpitz's last operation.27

Later, the mistaken belief that Tirpitz and Scharnhorst were approaching the Russian-bound convoy PQ17 so unnerved the British admiralty (Sir Pound, again) that they ordered the convoy and its escorts to scatter.28 Ten ships of the convoy carrying over 100,000 tons of supples fell victim not to Scharnhorst or Tirpitz, but to U-boat and air attacks.

In retribution, Scharnhorst would fall victim to a British trap in which weather was a contributing factor. The British had expected Scharnhorst to sortie against a convoy and had deployed two squadrons of ships to lie in wait. However, upon leaving the shelter of the Norwegian bay, seas were too great for the escorting German destroyers, Admiral Bey (a "destroyerman"who had commanded the destroyers during the Channel Dash) sent a radio message to headquarters asking if the operation should be canceled. The reply would be negative. The German destroyers returned to port, and Scharnhorst proceeded alone to intercept the convoy, but the radio message was intercepted by the British who closed the trap, unhindered by a German destroyer screen, and sent the Scharnhorst to its final resting place in a torrent of torpedoes and shells on 26 December 1943 in the Battle of North Cape





Prinz Eugen



Scharnhorst and operation Cerberus




Photographed from the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. Next ship ahead is the battleship Gneisenau, with Scharnhorst in the distance.

__________________

Panzer-Regiment "Bake"

Formed on the Eastern Front in late 43. Assigned to Pz.A.O.K.1 from late 43 to Jan 44. Assigned to III.Pz.K in Jan 44. Assigned to Pz.A.O.K.1 from Feb to Apr (?) 44. Organization: s.Pz.Abt.503 (Jan to Apr 44), & one Pz IV Bn.

sPzAbt.503

http://www.eliteforces.freewire.co.u...attalions.html

On one particular occasion in a five day battle in the Balabonowka Pocket they destroyed 267 Soviet tanks for the loss of one Tiger and four Panthers. For this action Dr Franz Bake who commanded the regiment was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knights Cross. He went on to command the 13th Panzer Division (Feldherrnhalle 2) in the last days of the war attaining the rank of colonel.
--------------

Franz Bake was born Schwarzenfels on the 28 th Feb 1898. He fought in the great war from 1915 as a lance corporal in the 7th infantry regt. He retired from army life in 1919 & studied to become a dentist. As part of the reserves Bake went on his first army manouvre on april 1st 1937 some 18 years since his retirement. By the outbreak of war he was a luitenat reserve of the Panzerabwehr abeitlung 65(anti-tank battalion) In November he was promoted to Oberleutnant & by January had become the company commander. During the battle for Farnce Dr. Bake was wounded twice but he remained with his unit. He was again promoted to the rank of major on May 1st 1941 & by August had become the leader of the Panzerstaffel ,11 Pz regt, 6th Pz Div. He fought in Russia during Barbarossa & by 1943 had earned the Knights cross which he recieved on July 1st. On July 14th he was ordered to lead the 11th Panzer regt although some felt he was too young. The unit performed well & he was awarded the oakleaves to the Knights cross on November 3rd 1943 & promoted to Oberstleutnant. In early 1944 he was given a special command consisting of tigers from Spz Abt 503 & a mixed battalion of Panthers, stugs & sturmartillery. Christened as Panzer Regt Bake the regt took part in the desperate retreating actions towards Germany. During the battle at Balabonowka Pocket his regt was credited with 267 destroyed soviet tanks with the loss of only 1 Tiger (mechanical) & 4 Panthers (2 Mechanical). His own tally grew whilst commanding his own Panther to 79 tanks & 102 AT guns & vehicles. On Feb 21st he joined a unique group of hoilders of the swords to the Knights Cross with oakleaves. He was promoted to the rank of Oberst (Colonel) on May 4th 1944 & became the commander of Panzer Brigade 106 Feldhernhalle. During Jan 1945 he became a career soldier & undertook Division Commaander training & in March became commander of the 13th Pz Div Feldhernhalle 2 which he commanded until his surrender on May 8th 1945. He remained a Pow until 1947 where he retired to Germany.

Awards
Iron Cross 2nd Class 01/11/1940
Iron Cross First Class 01/08/1941
Knight Cross 11/01/1943
Oakleaves to Knights Cross 01/08/1943
Swords to Oakleaves to Knights Cross 21/2/1944
4 X "50" Tank Combat Badge
Infantry Assault Badge Gold
Wound Badge GoldKills

97 tanks destroyed or disabled
146 misc Afv's
52 Anti Tank Guns


http://www.panzerv-panther.fsnet.co.uk/aces.html





http://www.feldgrau.com/bakepzreg.html

__________________

Excellent work, Kai! I did miss all that! And please, if you haven't, read my article on the channel dash in War in the Atlantic topic.

Doing well, Heartland! Keep going!

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Jawohl, herr General! Your wish is my command... [img]smile.gif[/img]

February 13

1940
- Finnish Foreign Minister Tanner travels to Stockholm for a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Hansson. Tanner asks for further Swedish assistance, amounting to a direct intervention, which receives a clear-cut negative answer.
- Soviet troops widen the breach in Finnish line, capturing the town of Summa and advancing on Viipuri.

1941
- In France, Marshal Petain confers with General Franco in Montpellier.

1942
- The recent Soviet offensives have carried the Red Army to Belorussian soil once more.
- In a meeting with Rumanian Prime Minister Antonescu, Adolf Hitler makes a request for more soldiers for the Eastern Front.
- The German high command formally cancels Operation Sea Lion. The invasion of Britain has been indefinitely postponed since the autumn of 1940.
- In the pacific, Japanese troops cut the water supply to beleagured Singapore.

1943
- The Red Army recaptures Novocherkassk, and have now seized the entire Rostov-Voronezh rail line supplying the German forces in the city of Rostov.
- British bombers from the Royal Air Force strike the German U-boat base at Lorient.
- In the Pacific, the first American squadron using the Chance-Vought Corsair, Marine fighter squadron VMF-124, flies its first combat mission with the new fighter. The action takes place over Guadalcanal.
- In the United States, the Marine Corps Women's Reserve is formed.

1944
- In the German relief effort for the Korsun pocket, Panzer Regiment "Bake" is stuck on the Medwin-Lissjanka road, waiting for 1st Panzer Division to clear Lissjanka and the road ahead, something 1st Panzer Division is unable to do. During the day, 503rd Schwere Panzer Abteilung defeats a probing Soviet attack by 15 T-34 tanks.

1945
- During the night, RAF Bomber Command launches a devastating raid, part of the "Thunderclap" offensive, on the German city of Dresden. The attack is followed up with further attacks by American and British aircraft on the following day. An important communication center, Dresden is currently packed with refugees from the oncoming Red Army, resulting in the death of some 40,000 to 60,000 people, the majority from the resulting firestorm.

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

'FEB 14 1943.
Lancaster 'O'.
Self / Crew & F/Lt Morrison
Operations - Milan
Squadron got six aiming points. A good trip.
8hrs 40mins '

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

February 14

1940
- With desperate situation developing from the breach in the Mannerheim Line at Summa, Finland calls up the class of 1897. These men are thus between 42 and 43 years old.
- Britain announces that artillery and ammunition is to be sent to Finland. At the same time, the law forbidding British nationals from enlisting as volunteers in other armies are revoked.
- Germany announces that neutral ships bound for Britain and France may come under attack from U-boats.
- The British Admiralty announces that all merchant vessels in the North Sea are to be armed.
- In the Pacific, Japan calls on Chiang Kai-shek to surrender.

1941
- Hitler sends a message to the Yugoslav leaders, demanding they join the Axis, cooperate economically and allow entry of German troops. At the same time, Yugoslav Prince Paul receivs a message from President Roosevelt urging Yugoslavia not to join the Axis.

1942
- The British Air Ministry issues a new directive authorizing unrestricted area bombing. This directive will drive the British bombing campaign for much of the war, perhaps reaching its climax during the firestorm at Dresden, almost to the day 3 years later.
- In the United States, the head of the Western Defence Command (Pacific Coast) Lieutenant General John DeWitt, states that "In the war in which we are now engaged, racial affinities are not severed by migration. The Japanese race is an enemy race, and while many second- and third-generation Japanese born on United States soil, possessed of United States citizenship, have become `Americanised,' the racial strains are undiluted. ... It therefore follows that along the vital Pacific Coast over 112,000 potential enemies of Japanese extraction are at large today."
- In the Pacific, some 360 Japanese paratroopers land on Sumatra, taking the Dutch defenders by surprise at the airfield of Palembang.

1943
- The Soviet advance reaches Rostov and captures the important city, trapping Army Group A on the Taman peninsula. German Army Group Don withdraw to the old river Mius line.
- The Red Army liberates Voroshilovgrad and Krasny Sulin.
- In Italy, the Royal Air Force bombs Milan using 100 aircraft.
- In Tunisia, 5th Panzer Army under von Arnim forces the US 2nd Corps under Fredenhall to retreat in a battle at Kasserine Pass.

1944
- Near Korsun, Panzer Regiment "Bake"are fighting on the Chishinzy-Dshurshenzy road in an attempt to ultimately capture Komarowka. The attack is abandoned after the Soviet forces launch a failed night attack from the Dshurshenzy area with armoured forces. Meanwhile, the SS Sturmbrigade Wallonie suffers some 200 casualties during the day alone, including the commander Lucien Lipert. Liperts replacement, Leon Degrelle, is immidiately promoted and assumes command.
- In a message to Heinrich Himmler, head of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring requests the use of as many concentration camp convict as possible in the air armaments inustry.

1945
- The German city of Breslau, declared as a fortress, is surrounded by Marshal Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front.
- Uruguay declares war on Germany.

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

Captured what? Lunar landscape is closer to the truth as a town. [img]smile.gif[/img]
http://www.winterwar.com/M-Line/M-Line3.htm#befafter

But seriously, it was a small village with perhaps a dozen housholds or so.


BTW, keep these 'what happened...' coming, I want more!

Cheers,
Sami

Summa - Lahde sector




Troops in Summa and event map 16th February
1940 above



http://www.mannerheim-line.com/summa/summamap.htm

This area is one of the most famous battlefields of the Winter War. In fact, this is where the Red Army broke through the Mannerheim line. The sector is some 1.5 kilometers wide, with Summajarvi lake and swampy Majajoki river valley in the west and Munasuo swamp (called the Valley of Death by the Red Army soldiers) and Saapaas (Longboot) grove (codenamed Hammer grove by the Red Army) in the east.

The western part of the sector is dominated by the long ridge stretching from south to the north, called "Sormi" ("Finger") by the Finns and "Yazyk" "Tongue" by the Red Army. This sector was considered as the most dangerous by the Finns; respectively, strong fortifications were constructed in the area, the most famous ones being the Miljoonalinnake or Miljoonakorsu and Poppiuslinnake. Miljonalinnake stands for "millioner fort" in Finnish.

Bunker Sj4 "Poppiuslinnake" (Bunker No. 006)

This famous frontal firing bunker was built in 1937. The bunker is located on the Hill 65.5, as Red Army officially called it, close to the road leading to Lahde and then to Kamara . It was named Poppiuslinnake (Fort of Poppius) after the first commander of the fortification, Junior Lieutenant Poppius. The bunker was the key to Finnish defenses in Summa - Lahde sector. The Red Army code-named Poppius "Bunker No. 006


This bunker was spotted by the Red Army troops rather early during the combat and was subject to extremely heavy artillery fire, including open-sight fire from 45 mm and 76 mm cannons on the embrasures. Several embrasures were jammed and blocked this way.


By the day of final assault, February 10, 1940, the bunker had already been heavily damaged. The costly assault by 245th Rifle Regiment under Colonel Rosly (later awarded with the Golden Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for the combat. The Regiment was awarded with the Order of Red Banner) in the early afternoon of February 11 succeeded and the Red flag was hoisted on the ruins of the bunker.

Fall of Poppius meant near breakthrough of Mannerheim line the only concrete fortifications behind Poppius were the test bunker and battalion HQ Sj6. Although Miljoonalinnake held out for one more day on the left flank, the Finnish troops were finally forced to retreat to the support line in some 1.5 km behind the main line of fortifications.

Sj5 was dubbed Million bunker because of its extremelly high cost for the Finnish defence budget. Together with the Poppiuslinnake it was the mainstay of Finnish defence in Summa - Lahde sector.

Assault of Sj5 Miljoonalinnake bunker
http://www.mannerheim-line.com/summa/assaultsj5.htm

-----------
http://www.mannerheim-line.com/list%20of%20sectors.htm

__________________

Wow . Those maps are great, ive never seen them before. Thanks Kai Petri for posting those maps and links, they're brill.

Jet [img]smile.gif[/img]

__________________
And when he gets to heaven
To Saint Peter he will tell
One more soldier reporting sir
I have served my time in hell

Well well, I have some catching up to do since I have been away...

February 15

1940
- The battle at Summa continues, with Soviet forces slowly widening the breakthrough by prying open the Finnish line. Field Marshal Mannerheim is forced to admit that the counter-attacks by II Corps near Summa are failing to dislodge the Soviet break-in. As a result, II Corps are ordered to start a retreat to secondary lines, and Soviet forces now stand some 11 kilometers from Viipuri.

1941
- The Royal Air Force bombs several "invasion ports" and targets in the Ruhr industrial area.
- Scattered German air raids strike targets in England and Scotland.

1942
- The Presidium of the USSR announces that all men aged 18-65, and women aged 18-45, are now eligible for draft into the armaments industry.
- In the Pacific, Singapore surrenders to Japanese as water, food and ammunition is running low. Some 60,000 British, Australian and Indian prisoners of war are taken, in addition to the 70,000 taken previously during the disastrous Malayan defense. Total Allied casualties run at 138,000 killed or captured, while the Japanese have seized 740 guns, 2,500 machinguns, 200 armoured cars and 10 aircraft. Japanese casualties run at 3,500 killed and 6,100 wounded.
- The Japanese paratroopers on Sumatra are reinforced from the sea, forcing the Dutch defenders to withdraw

1943
- The II SS Panzer Corps containing the premier Waffen-SS divisions, completely disregard Hitler's order to hold the city of Kharkov at any cost. The II SS Panzer Corps pulls back and avoids encirclement.
- In North Africa, German forces pierce the US lines in Tunisia and capture Gafsa.
- Submarine USS Gato sinks Japanese cargo ship Suruya Mara off New Georgia, Solomon Islands.

1944
- Near Korsun, Panzer Regiment "Bake" is withdrawn back to the Medwin-Lissjanka road where it was stationed two days earlier.
- During the night, British Bomber Command main force strikes Berlin in Germany, flying 875 heavy bomber sorties. Losses are 43 bombers, giving a loss rate of 4.9%. The raid is deemed successful. A smaller raid strikes Frankfurt with 24 sorties, no bombers are lost, while the raid effectiveness is deemed as unknown.
- In Italy, USAAF bombers attempts to knock out German observation posts by bombing the old monestary at Monte Cassino.

1945
- The brutal house-to-house fighting in Manilla continues for the US 37th Infantry Division.

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

February 16

1940
- A Soviet ski-brigade dispatched to break through to one of the enircled Rifle Divisions, is itself surrounded and destroyed by Finnish forces. It is clear that the Soviets have learnt the danger of only moving along the roads however, and are starting utilize more mobile and unpredictable units and tactics.
- Finnish sources insist that the Mannerheim Line is holding. However, over the last few days the increased momentum of the Red Army is becoming ever more apparent.
- A Swedish newspaper prints the story of Finnish Foreign Minister Tanners request for intervention, and the negative answer received.
- The King of Sweden also makes an announcement reinforcing the Swedish neutrality.
- Germany replies to the British announcement of arming all merchant vessels, by announcing that all such ships will now be considered warships.
- In what has become known as the "Altmark Incident" British destroyer HMS Cossack boards the Norwegian supply vessel Altmark, accompanied by loud Norwegian protests about breached neutrality. However, the British liberate 299 prisoners of war from the vessel, having been transferred there from the Graf Spee.

1941
- British naval forces begin laying a 50 by 80 mile minebelt guarding the northern approaches to fortress Singapore.

1942
- The appointed regent of Hungary, Admiral Horthy, resigns.
- German U-boats torpedo seven tankers off Curacoa and Aruba. Three of the tankers sink in the operation, codenamed "Neuland".
- German battleship Tirpitz arrives in Norway.
In the Pacific, British Royal Air Force aircraft abandon Sumatra and head for new bases on Java.
- Australian Prime Minister Curtin names the Singapore debacle as "Australia's Dunkirk".
- Following shakedown training, submarine USS Gato departs New London for Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal and San Francisco.

1943
- Kharkov, another large and important city is recaptured by Soviet forces. Hitler promises this fourth largest Soviet city will be retaken in short order. The scene of fierce fighting during the initial invasion, the city will see further battles in this war.
- In Germany, riots take place in Munich, while demonstration take place in five other German and Austrian cities following a speach by Gauleiter Geisler.
- In North Africa, the British 8th Army captures the town of Medenine on the approaches to the Mareth Line.

1944
- The battles to relieve the trapped German forces in the Korsun pocket continue unabated. Panzer Regiment "Bake" is relieved in place by the 16th Panzer Division, and instead shifted forward into an attack towards Hill 239.0. The "Tigers" encounter and destroy 9 T-34 before the regiment is forced to pull back to the Dshurshenzy road, destroying 4 more T-34 as they do so.
- In Italy, German forces make a major attack on the Anzio beachhead. The relatively fresh and newly landed British 56th Division and US 45th Division bear the brunt of the attack by five German divisions. The Luftwaffe puts in a good performance, supporting the ground assault and attacking shipping enroute for the Allied forces. Luftwaffe aircraft manage to destroy the ammunition ship Elihu Yale off the coast. In the inland struggle, the New Zealand Corps continues the difficult attack in the Cassino sector.
- Over the Atlantic, British Royal Navy F-4F Wildcat (known in Britain as the Martlett) fighters of No.811 Squadron, flying off HMS Biter, brings down a German Ju-290 aircraft.

1945
- German forces, part of the fictively named Army Group Vistula, launches a counter-attack on the Soviet 5th Shock and 47th Armies. Attacking from the area of Stargard-Pyritz, the German units include among others the Latvian 15th SS Division, as well as the 11th Waffen-SS Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland". The operation is codenamed "Sonnenwende", and is the last German offensive of the war. It aims to cut off the advancing Soviet forces under Zhukov jutting into the German lines.
- US paratroopers land on Corregidor.
- Preliminary bombardment in support of the Iwo Jima landings begin.

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

February 17

1940
- Finnish troops have taken up positions in the secondary lines behind the Mannerheim Line, following the Soviet breach of the main defence. Soviet troops now stand some 6 kilometers from Viipuri.
- The German Army wraps up a series of wargames and map exercises on the upcoming campaign in the west. The exercises seem to indicate some problems with the plan of putting the main effort through Belgium and the Netherlands, which easily becomes subject of a decisive counter-attack. The Army leadership becomes more and more convinced that an effort throught the Ardennes forest is neccessary. The exercises will be followed with a Führer Conference on the following days.
- Following the "Altmark incident", a string of diplomatic accusations erupt. Germany accuses Britain of piracy. Norway accuses Britian of breaking the Norwegian neutrality. Britain blames Norway, noting that they should have acted on the presence of British captives on the vessel.

1941
- Turkey and Bulgaria sign a pact of friendship and non-aggression, dashing British hopes of Turkey joining the struggle against the Axis.
- Japan offers to mediate in the European war, while blaming Britian and the United States for prolonging the war.

1942
- Adolf Hitler appoints Martin Bormann as the second in line, after Hermann Göring, to succeed him. The appointment of Bormann comes after the defection of the previous second in line, Rudolf Hess.
- German submarine U-156 starts shelling the oil refineriy on Aruba in the Caribbean. However, the crew has forgotten to remove the water plug in the gun, causing an explosion that kills one sailor and wounds several others. The explosion renders the gun useless for several days, until the shattered front is sawed off.
- In the Pacific, the Empire of Japan proclaims Singapore renamed as Shonan, "Light of the South".

1943
- Hitler is worried by the operations in the Soviet Union. He flies to convene with Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, commander of the southern part of the front.
- German troops evacuate Demyansk.
- Fighter pilot Lilya "The White Rose of Stalingrad" Litvyak is awarded the Order of the Red Banner for her achievments.
- In Germany, a decision is made by German panzer developers to propose the introduction of armoured "skirts" on tanks, to Adolf Hitler. The skirts would be composed of 5mm plates on the side of the tank, and 10mm plates on the turret, weighing around 600kg.
- In the Atlantic, off Newfoundland, British destroyer HMS Fame sinks U-boat U-69 using depth-charges.
- In North Africa, the German forces under von Arnim are approaching Sbeitla, Tunisia, having brushed aside the US 1st Armored Division which has suffered heavy casualties. The attack is not driven home by the Germans however, with General von Arnim feeling the attack has achieved its purpose.

1944
- The last attacks in the relief effort of the Korsun pocket take place, with Panzer Regiment "Bake" launching a limited attack near hill 239.0 and nort-west of Potschapinzy. The eight "Tiger" and six "Panther" tanks involved destroy two T-34 tanks and 2 anti-tank guns before assuming covering positions by Hill 239.0.
- In Italy, German infantry continues the attack on the Anzio beachhead. They come close to achieving a breakthrough in the sector of the US 45th Division, but the attack is held.
- In the Pacific, US naval forces attack the Japanese base at Truk using 9 carriers and 6 battleships. The Japanese forces stationed at Truk lose 1 cruiser, 2 destroyers and a total of 140,000 tons of merchant shipping to the attack. Allied losses are less than 30 aircraft and some damage to the carrier Intrepid by an aerial torpedo.

1945
- On the night between February 16/17, the German Schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 503 is loaded onto trains and transported to the Danzig area.
During the "Sonnenwende" offensive, the "Nordland" Waffen-SS division manages to reach the high point of the attack, as it achieves complete tactical surprise and advances around two kilomteres.
- In the Pacific, troops under General Douglas MacArthur land in Manila harbour on Corregidor.
- With excellent visibility, the preliminary bombardment of Iwo Jima is picking up pace. Carrier aircraft and surface ships are hammering the island with heavy attacks.

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

February 18

1940
- Soviet forces reach the Gulf of Finland, cutting off the Finnish forces at Kovisto.
- During a Führer conference, Adolf Hitler definitely rules that an effort through the Ardennes Forest is neccessary during the western campaign slated for the summer.

1941
- South African forces capture the town of Mega in Abyssinia, taking some 1,000 Italian prisoners.
- The Australian 8th Division arrives in Singapore, further strenghtening the garrison of the fortress.

1942
- General Rommel attempts to persuade Adolf Hitler to send reinforcements to North Africa, outlining the potential importance of the theatre. The campaign in Russia is swallowing up vast amounts of men and materiel however, and only the 15th Parachute Brigade can be spared.
- In the Pacific, Allied forces are performing mass evacuation from Rangoon, following the Japanese successes on the river Billin.

1943
- The Soviet 3rd Guards Tank Army are advancing towards the river Dniepr. After a long advance following the Stalingrad offensives, the Army is down to 110 tanks. The commander, General Rybalko requests a halt for refit, but is refused by the Soviet High Command. Most of the Soviet forces are worn down and in need of rest, repair and refit.
- In North Africa, US forces withdraw from Sbeitla. German forces immideately move in and claim the city. The Germans continue their advance towards Kasserine pass.
- In a speech, Joseph Göbbels urges all Germans to wage total war.
- In Germany, the leaders of the Munich student revolt are sentenced to death.
- In the southwest Pacific, the US 6th Army is declared operational.

1944
- Panzer Regiment "Bake" leaves the positions acquired the previous day and starts a series of retreats, withdrawals and defensive engagements that will continue over the next week, until the regiment is disbanded on February 25.
- In Italy, German forces assaulting the allied beachhead commits the 26th Panzer and 29th Panzergrenadier Division to the attack. Allied artillery pounds the attackers relentlessly, causing casualties and taking the edge off the attack. The German commanders realize the goal of throwing the allied forces into the sea cannot be achieved.

1945
- The US 3rd Army resumes full offensive activity, following the reduced state from February 13.
- Low clouds and rain hampers the aerial preparations for the invasion of Iwo Jima. Bombardment from surface ships continues despite the difficulty of observing targets and results.

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

And finally...

February 19

1940
- Diplomatic activity following the "Altmark incident" continues between Norway, Germany and Britain. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler orders the planning for "Operation Weserübung", the invasion of Norway and Denmark, accelerated.

1941
- The Luftwaffe performs a concentrated night mission on Swansea, Great Britain, following weeks of scattered raids.
- Japanese sources denounce the arrival of Australian troops in Singapore. They also claim that war with the United States will not happen unless initiated by the United States.

1942
- Japanese carrier-based aircraft bomb Port Darwin, Australia.
- President Roosevelt signs an executive order allowing citizens of Japanese origin to be interned.

1943
- Soviet forces advance and recapture the city of Oboyan, south of Kursk. The railway extending south from Kursk towards Kharkov is cleared of German resistance.
- US surface ships shell suspected Japanese position on Attu island.

1944
- In Italy, the front at Anzio stabilizes as both sides resume normal activity following the failed German attempt at pushing the Allies into the sea.
- During the night, British Bomber Command main force strikes Leipzig in Germany, flying 815 heavy bomber sorties. Losses are 78 bombers, giving a loss rate of 9.6%. The raid is deemed successful.

1945
- Operation "Sonnenwende" grinds to halt after four days. The German forces have found the going slow, making no more than a small dent in the overstretched Soviet lines due to fierce resistance. Despite being an abmysal failure, the German offensive prompts the Stavka to, probably needlessly, postpone their Berlin offensive while the flanks are secured.
- In the Pacific, US forces make first landing on the island of Iwo Jima, facing heavy resistance. The initial landing is composed of the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions.


Phew!

[ 19. February 2003, 08:38 AM: Message edited by: Heartland ]

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

Iwo Jima, yes! The famous picture!

__________________

Iwo Jima 1945

"Marines of the 5th Division inch their way up a slope on Red Beach No. 1 toward Surbachi Yama as the smoke of the battle drifts about them."

http://www.archives.gov/research_roo...es/ww2_153.jpg

"Across the litter on Iwo Jima's black sands, Marines of the 4th Division shell Jap positions cleverly concealed back from the beaches. Here, a gun pumps a stream of shells into Jap positions inland on the tiny volcanic island."

http://www.archives.gov/research_roo...es/ww2_154.jpg



http://40thbombgroup.org/iwo.html



Mount Suribachi / Iwo Jima / Assaulted / 1945

__________________

'FEB. 20, 1943
Lancaster 'X'
Self, crew & F/Lt Lodge
Testing new bomb sight.
My own !
Very successful
Av. error 150 @ 10,000
3.00 hrs.'

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

February 20

1940
- The Soviet Union claims to have captured the fortress at Kovisto, cut off on January 18. Weary and bloodied Finnish troops defeat a concentrated Soviet attack aimed at forcing a crossing over the river Taipale.
- Further posturing following the "Altmark incident". Neville Chamberlain hints that unless Norway can stop German activity in their waters, Great Britain may be forced to patrol them.
- In continued preparations for "Operation Weserübung", General von Falkenhorst is appointed commander of the German troops in Norway.
- Turkey sends a warning to the Axis - any invasion in the Balkans will prompt them to join the Allies.

1941
- In North Africa, German and British troops bump into each other for the first time, near El Agheila. Minor engagements, mostly with recon detachments result in very minor losses.
- The exiled Norwegian and Dutch governments break off diplomatic relations with Rumania and Bulgaria.

1942
- German losses to frostbite during the Russian campaign has reached some 112,000 cases, with over 14,000 resulting in amputations. The total losses durin the campaign so far runs at almost 200,000 killed and 700,000 wounded. In addition, another 44,000 are missing in action.
- The Demyansk airlift begins. The Soviet winter offensive has created numerous pockets of troops on both sides, with the German 16th Army cut off in the Demyansk area. The initial force used to supply the troops are 40 Junkers Ju-52 transports, but the number is soon increased.
- A group of four submarines from the Italian navy begins operating in the Caribbean.
- Lieutenant Edward O'Hare downs five out of nine Japanese bombers attacking the carrier USS Lexington. Flying an F4F-3 Wildcat fighter, O'Hare accomplishes the kills in around ten minutes.
- President Roosevelt formally announces the decision to relocate Japanese-Americans on the Pacific coast to inland internment camps.

1943
- The Soviet attacks continue to drive a deep salient into the German lines in the Kharkov area. The Red Army recaptures Pavlovgrad and enters Krasnograd.
- In North Africa, British and American troops initially manage to halt the German advance in Tunisia. After fierce battles in the Kasserine Pass, the Germans break through and the US forces pull back.
- Colonel-General Heinz Guderian nominated Inspector-General of Panzer Forces.
- Driving tests at Kummersdorf, Germany, with armoured skirts for tanks. Firing tests are also performed, in which the skirts defeat Soviet 14.5mm anti-tank rifles at 100 meters.
- On this the 25th anniversary of the Red Army, Britain presents the city of Stalingrad with a Sword of Honor.
- The 343rd Bombardment Squadron, flying B-24 Liberator bombers, attack Naples. One bomber, named "Blonde Bomber II", receives damage to two engines and attempts to divert to Malta rather than going back to Tobruk. Lack of fuel and poor navigation results in the B-24 landing on Sicily however. The aircraft is painted in Italian colours until the Germans pressure the Italians into flying it to Germany for evaluation in June.

1944
- During the night, British Bomber Command main force strikes Stuttgart in Germany, flying 586 heavy bomber sorties. Losses are 9 bombers, giving a loss rate of 1.5%. The raid is deemed successful.
- The USAAF begins a series of attacks on vital German aircraft industry targets that is to be known under the name "Big Week". Both the 8th and 15th Air Forces are included in the strikes.
- Norwegian resistance fighters sink a ferry carrying heavy water to German laboratories.

1945
- Since the landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, the US forces in France and Germany have reported the loss of 2,855 Sherman tanks armed with either 75mm or 76mm guns, as well as 124 Shermans with the 105mm gun. Further loss figures for armoured vehicles include 439 M-10, 120 M-18, 72 M-36 and 1,069 light tanks.
- Eisenhower confirms that Montgomery is to attack and receive the bulk of supplies, even if this means 6th and 12th Army Groups will be tied up eliminating pockets of resistance.
- The Canadian 1st Army opens a vehicle bridge across the river Maas.


PS. A bonus brownie will be sent to the first person to point out the mistake I made in my February 16 post... [img]smile.gif[/img]

__________________
"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

HMS Cossack - The Altmark Incident

On 6th August 1939 the German supply ship Altmark slipped through the English Channel and moved down to the South Atlantic. For the next 3 months she supplied the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee with oil and provisions thus allowing it to continue its forays against merchant shipping. The Altmark also became a prison ship, taking aboard survivors from ships attacked by the Graf Spee. On 13th December 1939 the Graf Spee was found and attacked by the cruisers HMS Eexter, HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles but entered the neutral port of Montivideo to avoid destruction. Altmark remained in the South Atlantic, hove to for some while with engine trouble, and then having completed repairs started the journey back to Hamburg. Keeping clear of all shipping, and with more than a little luck, she eventually crept round Iceland and reached Norwegian waters on 12th February 1940.

At midnight on 13th February 1940 six of His Majesty's Ships, the cruiser HMS Arethusa, and the destroyers HMS Cossack, HMS Sikh, HMS Nubian, HMS Ivanhoe, and HMS Intrepid, sailed from Rosyth to search the waters off the Norwegian coast. The Altmark was hugging the Norwegian coast, staying in neutral waters. Despite being "inspected", but not searched, by Norwegian patrol vessels she continued slowly on her way. Just north of Bergen she was stopped again by the Norwegian destroyer Garm but the Captain of Altmarkrefused to allow a search and was told to leave the area.

The British ships were scattered over a wide area, Captain Vian and HMS Cossack were far to the south investigating the large number of ships in the Leads and among the offshore islands. At 1250 on 16th February 1940 a wireless message was received giving the position of a ship thought to be the Altmark which had been spotted by an aircraft of Coastal Command. With HMS Cossack too far south, Captain Vian ordered HM Ships Intrepid and Ivanhoe to intercept at full speed, covered by the cruiser HMS Arethusa. At 1445 Arethusa reached Altmark and holding a parallel course, with the two destroyers also approaching, the Altmark was ordered to steer west (into international waters). HMS Intrepid ordered Altmark to heave to and fired a shot across her bows but with Norwegian patrol ships hampering the British ships, Altmark slipped into Jøssingfjord.

HMS Cossack arrived at dusk and, after a conference with the Norwegians, who insisted that the Altmark had been searched and nothing found amiss, reported by wireless to the Admiralty and awaited their reply. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. Winston Churchill, ordered that Captain Vian was to offer the Norwegians assistance to escort the Altmark back to Bergen to be searched again. If that offer was refused, the Altmark was to be boarded

At 2200 Captain Vian took HMS Cossack into the fjord and then gave the Norwegians the gist of Mr. Churchill's message. They replied that they were unable to co-operate as their ships were too small to force their way through the ice! At 2312, HMS Cossack approached the Altmark and, despite evasive action and an attempt to ram, a boarding party of 3 officers and 30 ratings took her. Four Germans were killed and five wounded in the brisk action. HMS Cossack sailed out of Jøssingfjord at 2355 with 299 merchant seamen who had been released and they were landed at Leith after a fast passage home.

http://www.thefriendsofhmscavalier.o...ps/cav81cc.htm



HMS Cossack returning to Leith in 1940 with rescued British crews from German ship Altmark

__________________

Big Week was the name given later to the coordinated six-day air offensive (ARGUMENT) launched in February 1944 by RAF Bomber Command and the US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF) as part of the Combined Bomber Offensive.

USSTAF had been formed under General Spaatz on 1 January 1944. It comprised the Eighth and Ninth US Army Air Forces, based in the UK, and the Fifteenth USAAF which was based in Italy. The previous year Eighth USAAF had suffered heavy losses during raids on Schweinfurt and elsewhere. Consequently, US daylight raids deep into Germany had been suspended until long-range fighters to escort the bombers had been delivered, and good weather made the raids viable.



When both these conditions were met, starting on 20 February 1944, more than 3,800 USSTAF bombers and 2,351 from RAF Bomber Command dropped between them nearly 20,000 tons of bombs on German fighter factories and associated industries, the British at night, the Americans during the day. American losses amounted to 254 aircraft, including 28 fighters, while RAF Bomber Command lost 157. These were heavy losses- Eighth USAAF had a rate of attrition for February which amounted to almost 20%-but Big Week put German fighter production back two months. Its purpose had also been to begin the attrition of German fighter pilots to undermine the Luftwaffe's continuing will to resist. In this Big Week was successful as a precursor to the escorted raids that followed it (see Graphs 1 and 2). From that time the daylight bombing campaign was only partially countered and during the Normandy landings in June 1944 (OVERLORD) only a handful of German aircraft were immediately available to oppose them

http://www.valourandhorror.com/BC/Backg/Big_week.htm

http://www.p47advocates.com/messages/827.html

http://www.acepilots.com/usaaf_blakeslee.html

__________________

SS-Division Totenkopf : During this period, a small but not insignificant unit, the Freikorps Danemark, was attached to the 3rd SS Division. Also during this time, the Fall and Winter of 1941, the Soviets launched a number of operations against the German lines in the Northern sector of the Front. As a result, the Division was encircled for several months in the Demyansk Pocket. The Division suffered so heavily in the Demyansk Pocket that it was renamed as Kampgruppe Eicke because of the losses it sustained. In April of 1942, the Division broke out of the Pocket and managed to reach the area of the Lovat River. A portion of the Division stayed near Demyansk on defensive operations, until the whole Division was pulled out of action for refitting in late October, 1942 and sent to France.

---------

The need for the first airlift operation arose in 1942, when major elements of Eighteenth Army were trapped in the Demyansk pocket and Hitler ordered that they be supplied by air. The First Air Force was given this mission and assigned three groups of Junkers transport planes as well as some cargo gliders to carry it out. The chief supply officer of the air force formed a special air transport staff which, in co-operation with the responsible army agencies, carried out the supply operations in accordance with requests received from the encircled units.

An adequate airstrip was available within the pocket. The surrounding terrain could be used as a parachute drop zone. The enemy territory to be crossed was narrow and fighter cover was available throughout the flight and during the take-off from the airstrip. There were but few days on which the air lift was interrupted by snow storms, the formation of ice, or fog on the ground. Under such favorable circumstances it was not too difficult to maintain the fighting strength of the encircled forces.

On return flights the carrying capacity of the aircraft was taxed to the utmost since they were loaded with sick and wounded, official and soldiers' mail, and sometimes even with scarce materiel in need of repair. Although few planes were lost through enemy action, the rate of attrition from wear and tear was very high, requiring constant replacement of the transport planes. Because of increased demands by other sectors of the front and the low rate of production, it was even necessary to employ training planes in order to fill the gaps that developed.

In addition to regular airlift operations, aerial delivery containers were dropped by bombers to various isolated units which were in immediate need of supply. In round-the-clock flights
the bombers dropped their containers at the lowest possible altitudes despite strongly increased antiaircraft fire. These missions were very costly and put the personnel to a severe test. During February 1942, I Air Corps flew 1,725 bomber sorties in direct support of ground operations and 800 supply missions for the Army; by March the supply missions required 1,104 bomber flights. These figures clearly indicate that great numbers of bombers were diverted from their original purpose and employed in an improvised supply operation.

The Demyansk pocket was eventually relieved and in the opinion of top-level Army experts the air supply operations had been of decisive importance in enabling the encircled forces to hold out.

http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwi...mprov/ch07.htm

__________________

As Kai mentioned the start of some of the most viscious air battles over the Reich, Big Week where German twin engine fighters scored many victories, the 20th alone 6 B-17's and 2 B-24's but yet got their own pants kicked when Bf 110G-2's over 18 of them from 24 sent up to assault B-17's came under attack by P-47's of the 8th A.F. 56th fighter group. III./ZG 26 could not fully form up and they lost 10 shot down and 3 additional at 60 % loss. As to giving a big blow to German industry the US A.F did not, this was only during the heavy battles of the upcoming summer/fall. Incidently the web-sources are wrong about pitilly Luftwaffe forces acting as defence of the Normandy front as more than 14 gruppen, the heaviest bulk of the day fighter units were ordered to defend the French countryside and interior with their lives. The losses were unreal as III./JG 3 for one had only about 7 pilots of its three staffeln make it through the heavy three months of fighting. Fw 190A-8 equipped III./JG 54 also suffered but scored the most against Allied a/c with 100 kills.

20 February 1945 RAF attacks over Dortmund and the Ruhr Gebeit caused losses of 26 RAF bombers from NJG's 1, 2 and 4 with Hauptmann "Nasen" Müller of NJG 11 in his Bf 109G scoring two.

E

__________________
E ~