Showing posts with label El Alamein Egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label El Alamein Egypt. Show all posts

Saturday, August 19, 2023

El Alamein, (Tanks of El Alamein)

This is a 1957 Italian movie that's almost completely unknown to English speaking audiences.

It's surprisingly good.

The film surrounds the raising of, and training of, an actual well known Italian paratrooper unit, going through the early training of the film and the personalities of the soldiers followed in the film.  Some are conscripts, some are men who have been recalled from earlier service, including the first character who is introduced who is a monastic friar, and some new recruits. Their airborne training is explored and well done.  After they are fully trained as paratroopers, they are deployed to North Africa, which the actual unit really was.  It fights to its destruction at the Battle of El Alamein.

In some ways, the movie is a typical 1950s war movie, but more effort was expended on the prolonged tank battle scenes than normal.  Clearly making use of the Italian army at the time, the tanks depicted are a mix of M4 Sherman's and M47s.  Large numbers of tanks are used, and period fighter aircraft (although I could not identify them) are as well.  The movie is very well done.

In terms of historical accuracy, here too I don't know enough about Italian, or Axis units in general, at El Alamein to know how accurately this is depicted, but it does involve a real unit that was in fact basically destroyed in the battle.  Other armies, including the German and the British Army, are nearly dealt within the abstract, a fact assisted in that the British, with some exceptions, are depicted principally as armored formations so actual encounters with identifiable human beings are fairly rare.  Equipment wise, the movie seems largely accurate on the Italian side, although the number of submachineguns used by the Italian paratroops is presumed to be heavily exaggerated.

This is an almost loving portrayal of the unit that is completely apolitical, which may be one of its faults.  These men, in real life, were fighting for Mussolini, but in the movie neither Mussolini or fascism are ever mentioned.  They're basically portrayed as men doomed to a tragic fate, which in a way they were, but in wars, there is always a larger picture.

Worth seeing, and something that we rarely actually see portrayed, that being a unit history, like that given in Platoon, of an Axis unit in World War Two.

Friday, November 11, 2022

Wednesday, November 11, 1942. Invasions and Defeats.

Italy invaded Monaco.  It's monarch, Louis II, had been a supporter of his friend Marshal Petain, whom he had been in the army with, but the population was pro Italian fascist.  Louis II retained his seat.

Louis II.

Hitler wrote a letter to Marshal Petain providing his reasons for invading Vichy.  It stated:

Since the day when the state called upon me to direct the destinies of my people I have ceaselessly striven to improve our relations with France, even at the price of heavy sacrifices by Germany. All my efforts have proved futile. This is not my fault.

The declarations of war which Great Britain and France handed to Germany on Sept. 3, 1939, affected me profoundly, and the German people with me. Neither Britain nor France had any plausible motive for these declarations.

Notwithstanding the precipitous and disastrous issues for some resulting from this campaign, I decided it was essential to reopen a clear field for the establishment of a better European solidarity.

In this spirit I inserted into the armistice no clause which was contradictory to the idea which was announced in the preamble.

The German Reich did not at the moment take advantage of the weakness of France in order to indulge in extortions and has contented itself by requiring only what a victor in such circumstances is compelled to ask for, notably, to secure a guaranty that the armistice is not circumvented and effective conclusion of the war is guaranteed.

Finally, the Reich required that under no circumstances should the armistice suffer any modifications which might lead to disadvantages in Germany's military position by actions of the former allies of France which would cause prolongation of the war.

At that time Germany did not impose any requirements in regard to the French navy.

She has not in any way infringed upon the sovereignty of France in her colonial empire.

In the hope of carrying the war to Europe Britain and America have since then commenced to occupy the western and northern African territories of France.

France, on her part, is not in a position to oppose these aggressions. Furthermore, Germany and Italy will not tolerate, in any event, termination of the armistice and the consequences this would bring in its train which would necessarily be to Germany's and Italy's disadvantage.

Thus, after receipt of certain information, Germany and Italy are left in no doubt whatsoever that the next step of Britain and America is directed toward Corsica and the south of France. In consequence of this the foundations of the armistice have ceased to exist, as France is no longer able to acquit herself vis-à-vis Germany and Italy.

The governments of Germany and Italy have agreed to take urgent measures designed to counteract as rapidly as possible continuation of the Anglo-American aggression.

These are the circumstances, and honor and regret at the same time compel me to inform you that in order to escape the danger which threatens us I have been obliged to confer with the Italian government and to give orders to my troops to traverse France by the most direct route in order to occupy the Mediterranean coast and to take part in its protection against the aggression which is imminent from the Anglo-American forces.

The behavior of a French general has namely forced me to take this line of conduct. This one, during his captivity, simulated illness, and on account of this some facilities were granted to him of which he took advantage in order to escape, contrary to the assurance I received regarding his pledge on his word of honor given to you, Marshal.

He decided not only to fight from now on against Germany in the services of the Anglo-Saxon nations, the authors of the aggression, but also against his own country.

Besides that, I have to inform you on this occasion, Marshal, that the action of the German troops is not directed against you, the Chief of State and venerable commander of the brave French soldiers during the last war, nor against the French government, nor against any Frenchmen who are desirous of peace and who above all fear that their country would become again a theater of war

On this understanding I would like at the same time to give you the assurance that the entry of allied (German and Italian) troops into France is not directed against the French forces and that I keep hope of defending, shoulder to shoulder with them, Europe as well as the African possessions belonging to France against the coalition of the Anglo-Saxon powers.

Lastly, the entrance of allied (Axis) troops, is not directed against the French administration, which, I hope, will continue in its functions as in the past.

The only aim of our action is to prevent the situation now developing in North Africa from being reproduced on the coast of France.

In reference to the precautions to be taken in this sense, I feel responsible not only toward my people but also, in a larger sense, toward the whole of Europe, as the entry of this continent into a new state of war would bring the destruction of all European nations, and especially of European culture.

Besides that, allow me to give you the assurance, Marshal, that, as soon as the situation in the Mediterranean is improved to the point that it is no longer imperiling the interests of the Reich in maritime France, I have decided to withdraw immediately my troops inside the former line of demarcation.

Lastly, I would also like to give you the assurance, Marshal, that you and your government will be free to move without any limitations in the whole of France.

Actually, I have pronounced myself against the transfer of the French government to Versailles only because I feared that enemy propaganda would have pretended that you, Marshal, and your government had been deprived of your freedom and that, in consequence, you were no more in the position of fulfilling your task in these conditions.

Considering that, owing to the circumstances above stressed, the Reich and Italy have been forced, in order to safeguard the interests envisaged in the armistice conditions, to face the threat of the Anglo-Saxon nations, and, in consequence, to abolish the Reich frontier in France, the reason for keeping the seat of government in Vichy does not exist any more.

I have therefore taken the liberty of profiting by this moment to communicate with you on the abolition of the clause which has been in force since the armistice.

I can understand, Marshal, how bitter is the fate of your country. Allow me, however, to call your attention to the fate of my own people, compelled to wage for several years a war which had been forced upon them without any fault on their part and who now had to take the above cited decision under influence of the strongest necessities.

I express the hope that, not only from this reason, there will be no fresh bloodshed between France and Germany, but that, on the contrary, rapprochement of European peoples will be brought about by this step against the extra-continental disturbers of the peace.

Germany consequently has decided to defend, if possible shoulder to shoulder with French soldiers, the borders of your country.

The Second Battle of El Alamein ended in an Allied victory.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Monday, November 2, 1942. Stars and Stripes reborn.

Stars and Stripes, which had its birth as an Army newspaper during World War One, was reborn.

US made 105mm Self Propelled gun in British service, November 2, 1942.

Phase Four of the Second Battle of El Alamein, Operation Supercharge, commenced.  Rommel, back in command of the Afrika Korps, cabeled Hitler, stating:

The army's strength was so exhausted after its ten days of battle that it was not now capable of offering any effective opposition to the enemy's next break-through attempt ... With our great shortage of vehicles an orderly withdrawal of the non-motorised forces appeared impossible ... In these circumstances we had to reckon, at the least, with the gradual destruction of the army.

Hitler replied:

It is with trusting confidence in your leadership and the courage of the German-Italian troops under your command that the German people and I are following the heroic struggle in Egypt. In the situation which you find yourself there can be no other thought but to stand fast, yield not a yard of ground and throw every gun and every man into the battle. Considerable air force reinforcements are being sent to C.-in-C South. The Duce and the Comando Supremo are also making the utmost efforts to send you the means to continue the fight. Your enemy, despite his superiority, must also be at the end of his strength. It would not be the first time in history that a strong will has triumphed over the bigger battalions. As to your troops, you can show them no other road than that to victory or death. Adolf Hitler.

The Australians captured Kokoda.

The BBC began French language broadcasts to Quebec.

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Tuesday, October 27, 1942. The execution of Helmuth Hübener.

Helmuth Günther Guddat Hübener, age 17, was executed by Germany for his role in a youthful German resistance group.

Hübener is unusual not only for his age, but for his religion.  He was a Mormon, a religion that was not common in Germany.  Moreover, the German LDS themselves had not come to a position on the repression of the Jews.  By and large it seems the majority of them were not supportive of the Nazi's repression of the Jews, but Hübener had the bad luck of his local branch having a handful who were, and he was even apparently expelled from the religion by a local figure prior to his execution.  In contrast, all the members of his small anti-Nazi group were also Mormons, and also youths.

The Battle of Santa Cruz Islands concluded with the Japanese winning a tactical victory while the US won the strategic victory, the latter being the more important of the two.  Japanese losses were high, and the result was that the Japanese lost the ability to obtain victory in the Pacific before superior US production would come to bear.

The Australians took Goodenough Island off of New Guinea.

The island would be developed into an air base.

The defense of Outpost Snipe came to a successful British conclusion.

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Friday, October 23, 1942. The High Water Mark for Nazi Germany

The Second Battle of El Alamein began.

Montgomery watching his armor in action.

The British offensive was really the first under Bernard Law Montgomery, and pitted slightly larger Allied forces against the Afrika Korps.  Of note, the British had considerably more armor than the Germans.  It would result in an Allied victory, of which Churchill stated; It may almost be said, "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat".

On that theme, arguably today was the high water mark for the Axis, or perhaps yesterday.  The Germans and their European Allies had advanced as far as they were going to in the Soviet Union, having taken the Stalingrad tractor factory several days prior.  They had expelled the British from Europe and defeated all of their enemies there, although guerilla campaigns were going on against them.  In North Africa, they had advanced up to El Alamein, but they had not taken it.

The Germans knew they were in trouble at this point.  While it was not obvious to casual observers, their offensive in the Soviet Union had stalled without defeating the USSR and without even bringing to an end the fighting before the onset of winter.  Their advances in the country had been massive, but insufficient, and they knew it.  Additionally, massive Axis efforts on the land, air and sea had failed to drive the British out of North Afrika and, on this day, the British would recommence advancing.

Starting on this day, the Germans would be losing ground every day.

The Battle for Henderson Field commenced as well, with a large-scale Japanese assault designed to take the airfield.

In the Pacific War, the Japanese were already in the position of not really advancing any longer, although the war in New Guinea made that unclear.  Resources were still thin in a theater that was limited to Australian and American forces, with the Japanese war being much more recent than the European one.  Having said that, the Japanese run in the Pacific was over.

Elanor Roosevelt arrived in the UK and met with the King and Queen.

The latter event emphasizes, again without the public really realizing it, that the Western Allies already knew that they would win the war at this point, and the Soviets may have realized it by this point as well.  Lots of the war was yet to be fought, but the final results were dimly in view.

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Monday, August 31, 1942. The arrest of the Schulze-Boyen's.

Today in World War II History—August 31, 1942: Australians launch offensive against the Japanese at Milne Bay, New Guinea. Canada requires unemployed men and women to take war work.

An interesting entry on Sarah Sundin's blog.

I wonder how many unemployed Canadian men there really were by this point in 1942?

The aptly named Libertas Schulze-Boyen, a German aristocrat, and her husband Harro, a Luftwaffe officer, were arrested by the authorities.

The couple had in fact gone from being Nazis or radical right winters, Harro even had a swastika carved into his leg, to being the focal point of the Red Orchestra, a resistance group that was centered on providing information to the Soviet Union.

Libertas was a French protestant by birth, but fit into that oddly European class of aristocratic families that were nearly stateless.  She attended school in Switzerland and moved to Germany in 1933 where she joined the Nazi Party and was, at first, an ardent Nazi. She married Harro in 1936, after having lived with him a year, something very unusual at the time.  Herman Goering gave her away at the wedding, showing how close they were to senior Nazi figures.

Harro, in contrast, had opposed the Nazis since 1933, being therefore a really early resistance figure.  He had been part of the "Radical Nazi" organization Black Front, which was a Nazi splinter group formed by Otto Strasser which kept the original socialistic Nazi economic policy which the party abandoned under Adolph Hitler.  He was also from an aristocratic family, and one that had ties to publishing. Both Harro and Liberas were writers.  He became a pilot in 1933, and in spite of being an anti-Nazi joined the Luftwaffe.

In spite of their common opposition to the Nazis, their marriage was not a united one. Harro was a self-confessed libertine, and she had caught him in bed with an actress, which nearly led to their divorce.  Only the fact that they were both involved in their resistance movement kept this from occurring.

They were both executed in December. She was 29 and he was 33.

German tanks made it through the minefields at Alam el Halfa and turned north to attack what he supposed to be the Allied rear, only to be met with anti tank guns and tanks staged there by Montgomery.  Montgomery, moreover, did not deploy his tanks in the old cavalry melee style that the British had done previously, although German and British tank losses, 22 and 21 respectively, were about equal.  The Afrika Korps lost one of its senior commanders, Georg von Bismarck, due to a mine.

The British small scale raid Operation Anglo attacked Rhodes.

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Sunday, August 30, 1942. Montgomery anticipates Rommel.

Aided by Ultra, Montgomery plans a heavy reception for an Afrika Korps attack he knows to be coming.  In the Battle of Alam el Halfa Rommel, on this day, finds his forces caught in dense minefields and bombed by a combined air effort by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.  The battle would continue until September 5.


The Red Army also found itself oppressed from the air, in this case in their effort to relieve Leningrad, which started to grind to a halt.

Japanese assaults at the Isurava Rest House on Papua caused the Australians to withdraw from the location to Eora.

The Japanese landed 1,000 troops overnight at Guadalcanal, as well as sinking the US fast transport ship USS Colhoun.

Friday, August 5, 2022

Wednesday, August 5, 1942. Vichy Guilt.

Today in World War II History—August 5, 1942: 80 Years Ago: Churchill appoints Lt. Gen. William Gott to replace Gen. Claude Auchinleck over British Eighth Army in North Africa.
So reports Sarah Sundin.

Churchill visited El Alamein. He'd flown into Cairo the day prior.

More ominously, she also notes:
Antisemitism in France had a long history.  Tragically, during the war, it began to come out in events such as this. Vichy was still an independent state, and it was cooperating accordingly in one of hte most horrific crimes in history.

In France, the Japanese, yes Japanese, submarine I-30 arrived in Lorient with a load of mica and shellac, and blueprints for the highly successful Type 91 aerial torpedo.  The crew was met and greeted by Admirals Raeder and Donitz.  Ultimately, the crew visited Berlin and its commander, Commander Endo, met Hitler.

It would carry radar equipment for Japan on the way back, but it didn't make it, being sunk by a British mine on its return trip.

France, according to Sundin, also began to ration wine at the rate of two liters per person per week.  There are about five glasses of wine in a liter, according to the Internet, so that probably was a pretty significant restriction in a country in which wine still provided a significant number of daily calories.

Beyond that, however, as late as the 1950s French wine consumption was so large that the French government, concerned with the health impacts of excessive drinking, began a campaign to encourage the French to limit their consumption to one liter per day.

Yup, one liter per day.

Wine consumption has dropped way off in France. As late as the 1980s, more than half of all French adults drank at least one glass of wine daily.  That figure is now 17%, and 38% of the French don't drink.  This huge cultural shift is attributed to a wide variety of factors.

Dutch Queen Wihelmina visited the White House and addressed Congress.

Anthony Eden announced that the British would not feel bound by the 1938 Munich Agreement post-war, which seems rather obvious.

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Monday, July 27, 1942. North African Stalemate

The First Battle of El Alamein ended with a tactical stalemate but a strategic British victory in that they arrested the Afrika Korps advance.



Sunday, July 10, 2022

Friday, July 10, 1942. The Akutan Zero.

In the Aleutians, a PBY pilot spotted a nearly intact Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero on Akutan Island.  The aircraft would be recovered and rebuilt, with lessons learned from that instrumental in learning how to take on the advanced Japanese fighter.


The discovery was due to the crew of the PBY having becoming lost and having to reorient themselves before flying back to their base at Dutch Harbor.  The route took them over the downed aircraft.

The island had been evacuated, with its mostly native population having been removed the month prior. They would not return until 1944, although many chose to go back to the island.

The discovery was a major loss to the Japanese.

The A-26 Invader flew for the first time.

The first flight.

The twin-engined attack aircraft would remain in service until the late 1960s.

British forces launched an offensive on Italian forces outside of El Alamein, gaining ground.  By "British" we mean Commonwealth, as in this case the advancing troops were South African and Australian.  The battle at El Alamein was from a British prospective an international affair.

Two more ships of the harried convoy PQ 17 are sunk, this time by U boats.

Bombardier, the Canadian manufacture of snow machines (and jet aircraft), was founded.  The company, named for its founder, came about due to a tragedy when Jospeh-Armand Bombardier's two-year-old son was not able to reach the hospital due to snow blocked roads, and died of appendicitis.  This inspired Bombardier, who had made snow machines as a hobby before, to start making heavy snow machines commercially.

The Orson Wells directed tragedy, The Magnificent Ambersons, was released.



Saturday, July 2, 2022

Thursday, July 2, 1942. Churchill's government survives an attempted Motion of Censure.

Members of the British Army's Special Air Service in North Africa with American Jeeps.

A Motion of Censure of Churchill's government was brought in the House of Commons, and then overwhelmingly failed.

The motion was brought due to recent reversals in North Africa, although the recent setbacks in the newly started war with Japan played a part as well.  Churchill specifically noted that he expected fortunes to reverse as British forces started receiving American arms.

Churchill had stated in response to the motion:

The will of the whole House should be made manifest upon important occasions. It is important that not only those who speak, but those who watch and listen and judge, should also count as a factor in world affairs. After all, we are still fighting for our lives, and for causes dearer than life itself. We have no right to assume that victory is certain; it will be certain only if we do not fail in our duty. Sober and constructive criticism, or criticism in Secret Session, has its high virtue; but the duty of the House of Commons is to sustain the Government or to change the Government. If it cannot change it, it should sustain it. There is no working middle course in wartime

Interestingly enough, things were already turning around, or at least not getting any worse. The Afrika Korps failed to take El Alamein for the second day in a row, with Briitsh forces mounting a counterattack that took 2,000 prisoners and 30 field guns.

The Tirpitz and Hipper, with escorts, left Trondheim to attack Allied convoy PQ17.  Seventeen He115s attacked the convoy unsuccessfully.

PQ17 was being shadowed by submarines and flying boats.

Friday, July 1, 2022

Wednesday, July 1, 1942. Stopping the Afrika Korps.

Rommel's forces make the first assaults on El Alamein.  They go badly.

Rommel with officers. By Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-785-0287-08 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=631949

Axis forces take Sevastopol.  The battle had resulted in 18,000 Red Army KIA and 95,000 lost as prisoners.  5,000 were evacuated as sick and wounded. The Germans lost 5,786 men and the Romanians 1,874.  The German wounded amounted to 21,626 and the Romanian 6,571.

Axis forces also approach Voronezh in the Soviet Union, where the Red Army is preparing to meet them and counter-attack

The U.S. submarine USS Sturgeon sinks the Japanese Montevideo Maru, a passenger ship.  It was carrying Australian POWs and civilian internees, all who died in the sinking.

The USS Luckenbach, which was carrying 1/6th of the world's tungsten supply, hit two mines in a U.S. minefield off of the Florida Keys.  The tungsten would later be recovered.

Pierre Laval, Prime Minister of France, allowed German forces to enter Vichy controlled France to search for hidden radio transmitters.

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Tuesday, June 30, 1942. Spreading Nazi Oppression.

The Third Reich closed all remaining Jewish schools inside of Germany.

This odd fact, that the schools were still open to some degree, points out the oddity that German Jews, while subject to all of the repression that Jews in German occupied territories were, were still safer than those in the occupied territories.  Indeed, the mortality rate during the Third Reich, while still ghastly and large, was significantly lower than it was for the occupied territories.  This has been explained by there being at least a remnant of laws applying to Jews in Germany, whereas those elsewhere were completely subject to Nazi lawlessness.

The U158, having destroyed 12 ships during a successful patrol, was sunk by a U.S. Navy PBM Mariner off of Bermuda, demonstrating how submarines were vulnerable to aircraft.

German forces moved forward again in Case Blue.  At Sevastopol, Stalin ordered senior figures evacuated by submarine.

The Afrika Korps arrived in front of El Alamein.

British troops at El Alamein.

Wedding fashions, by which we mean female wedding fashions, was the topic of the Life magazine that came out on this day.

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Monday, June 29, 1942. More German advances.

Meresa Matruh, an Egyptian port city well into Egypt, fell to the Afrika Korps. Rommel's forces were now advancing at a rapid pace into Egypt.  

The city today remains a significant Egyptian port.  It's history stretches back into antiquity.

The city in 1942, Allied armor column.

They also reached Sidi Abd el Rahman, which was only 20 miles from El Alamein, even further East.  The city today is a tourist destination, although large numbers of landmines still exist in the area.

Mussolini flew, as the pilot, from Italy to Libya, carrying his white horse in anticipation of a complete conquest of North Africa in near days, and a triumphal parade in Cairo.

The Germans were also advancing rapidly in the southern Soviet Union. Dust columns from German forces could be seen from a distance of 40 miles.

The Germans crossed Severnaya Bay at Sevastopol by boat.

Admiral King proposed an invasion of the Eastern Solomon Islands to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.