Holy Saturday, April 8, 1944. The invasion of Romania, maybe. Luftwaffe trans Russia flights, maybe. Battle of the Tennis Court,

The Red Army commenced the First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive, the invasion of Romania.

Or maybe it did. This is asserted by historian David Glanz, but the Soviets themselves don't really acknowledge it, perhaps because the effort was botched, as will be seen.

It seems to me that Glanz is likely correct.

Ju 290 A-9

The Luftwaffe began cargo flights from Polish airfields to Manchuria, using Junkers Ju 290 A-9 aircraft.  Or at least maybe they did.  This is fairly consistently asserted, but the details are obscure and there are obvious problems with the assertion, as common as it is.  For one thing, even at very high altitude, it would be surprising that the Red Army would not have shot at least one of the planes down.  Sill, at least some experts on the Luftwaffe claim it occured.  Others are skeptical.

I'm pretty skeptical.

For one reason, Imperial Japan was at peace with the Soviet Union, and I don't imagine that it would have wanted to risk that in 1944 when it was already losing in the Pacific.  It was doing okay in China and in Southeast Asia, but it didn't have the manpower to add the USSR to its list of enemies, particularly over something of such doubtful utility.

Secondly, flying clean over the USSR and not getting shot down would be tough.  Even if we assume, and we probably can, that for much of the flight it would not have encountered any opposition, early on it certainly might, and then again nearer its destination.

Finally, the Germans kept records on everything they did, and such records seem to be lacking here.

The Red Army began a determined assault into Crimea through its land bridge with Ukraine.

The Battle of the Tennis Court happened within the Battle of Kohima.  It was a pitched, hand to hand, battle that went on for several days.  It has been referred to as one of the greatest battles in history, and a British/Indian Thermopylae

The German submarine U-2 hit the German trawler Helmi Söhle and sank off of Pilau.

The U-962 was sunk off of Cape Finisterre by the Royal Navy.

Last prior edition:

Good Friday, April 7, 1944. The Vrba-Wetzler Report.

1940s, 1944, Auschwitz, Battle of Kohima, Bougainville, Crimea, Eastern Front, Good Friday, Nazi Germany, Operation U-Go, The Holocaust, World War Two

Tuesday, November 22, 1921. Far Eastern Diplomacy*

President Harding's 1921 Thanksgiving turkey.

Flag of the Emirate of Afghanistan, which existed from 1919 until 1926, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Afghanistan.

The Emirate of Afghanistan and the United Kingdom modified the 1919 Treat of Rawalpindi such that Afghanistan could import munitions through India, the border was readjusted in Afghanistan's favor at the Kyber Pass, and Afghanistan assured that no Soviet consulates would be established in the country.

Elsewhere in Far Eastern diplomacy, Japan recognized Manchuria as part of China, which it had previously resisted.

Errata:

Most of this post ran on November 21 under that date, in error.

April 13, 1941. Non Aggression and Aggression

The Soviet Union and the Empire of Japan signed a five year non aggression pact.  It stated:

The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, guided by a desire to strengthen peaceful and friendly relations between the two countries, have decided to conclude a pact on neutrality, for which purpose they have appointed as their Representatives:

• The Presidum of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics -
  • Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars and People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics;
• His Majesty the Emperor of Japan -
  • Yosuke Matsuoka, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jusanmin, Cavalier of the Order of the Sacred Treasure of the First Class, and
  • Yoshitsugu Tatekawa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Lieutenant General, Jusanmin, Cavalier of the Order of the Rising Sun of the First Class and the Order of the Golden Kite of the Fourth Class,

who, after an exchange of their credentials, which were found in due and proper form, have agreed on the following:

• Article one: Both Contracting Parties undertake to maintain peaceful and friendly relations between them and mutually respect the territorial integrity and inviolability of the other Contracting Party.
• Article two: Should one of the Contracting Parties become the object of hostilities on the part of one or several third powers, the other Contracting Party will observe neutrality throughout the duration of the conflict.
• Article three: The present Pact comes into force from the day of its ratification by both Contracting Parties and remains valid for five years. In case neither of the Contracting Parties denounces the Pact one year before the expiration of the term, it will be considered automatically prolonged for the next five years.
• Article four: The present Pact is subject to ratification as soon as possible. The instruments of ratification shall be exchanged in Tokyo, also as soon as possible.

In confirmation whereof the above-named Representatives have signed the present Pact in two copies, drawn up in the Russian and Japanese languages, and affixed thereto their seals.

Done in Moscow on April 13, 1941, which corresponds to the 13th day of the fourth month of the 16th year of Showa.

V. Molotov; Yosuke Matsuoka; Yoshitsugu Tatekawa

The USSR violated it before its expiration, going to war with Japan in 1945.

Well. . . .it did.

The Soviet Union's late entry into the war was inevitable if cynical.  The treaty had served its purpose by then allowing the USSR a free hand against Nazi Germany for four years and allowing Japan a free hand against the Western Allies for the same period of time.

On the same day, the USSR and the Japanese Empire reached an accord on Mongolia and Manchuria which stated:

In conformity with the spirit of the Pact on neutrality concluded on April 13, 1941, between the U.S.S.R. and Japan, the Government of the U.S.S.R. and the Government of Japan, in the interest of insuring peaceful and friendly relations between the two countries, solemnly declare that the U.S.S.R. pledges to respect the territorial integrity and inviolability of Manchoukuo and Japan pledges to respect the territorial integrity and inviolability of the Mongolian People's Republic.

Moscow, April 13, 1941

On behalf of the Government of the U.S.S.R.

V. MOLOTOV

On behalf of the Government of Japan

YOSUKE MATSUOKA YOSHITSUGU TATEKAWA

Pope Pius XII held Easter Mass inside a chapel in the Vatican rather in St. Peter's Square due to the war.

Today in World War II History—April 13, 1941

The Germans were advancing rapidly everywhere in Greece.  And the Germans took Belgrade.

June 7, 1920. Prohibition Upheld, Probicity for Evil Commences, Koreans Prevail at Fengwudong (봉오동 전투)

On this day quixotic legal efforts to litigate against Prohibition came to an end when the Supreme Court upheld its validity.

Quite frankly, these efforts were doomed from the onset and fit into the category of pointless legal endeavors. A person has to wonder why they were even attempted given that they never had any chance of success. The 18th Amendment was clearly valid and, therefore, the Volstead Act clearly was as well.

The GOP Convention and its candidates were also engaged in some drama over who would be the nominee for the 1920 fall election.

One group that was happy about the Supreme Court's decision on Prohibition was the Kl Klux Klan, which was an ardent supporter of it as part of its nativist concepts that looked down on everyone other than white protestants.  On this day that organization started a publicity campaign organized by the Southern Publicity Association, an advertising agency founded by its leader, Edward Clarke, together with Mary Elizabeth Tyler. The two had previously organized the Daughters of America, a nativist group. The Southern Publicity Association would go on to have the Anti Saloon League as one of its clients, showing the strange alignment between nativist racism, anti-Catholicism, anti-Semitism and prohibition in some quarters.

The campaign was a success and is credited with boosting the organizations fortunes at a time at which its trajectory appeared to be sending it into ultimate obscurity.  The KKK unfortunately benefited from the work done by the pair, whose changes to its structure resulted in a system which is still apparently used at least in part today.  Clarke and Tyler also benefited from their work personally.

The pair took in 80% of the KKK members initiation fees, making it a lucrative occupation for themselves. They invested the money in businesses that made Klan paraphernalia and in working together, they started working together on an illicit relationship that caused Clarke’s wife to sue for divorce for desertion. This was causing problems as early as 1919 when they were rousted out of bed by Atlanta police, charged with disorderly conduct, and fined for possessing whiskey in violation of the Volstead Act. Given the support of the KKK for both prohibition and the “purity” of white women, the hypocrisy is notable, but the news did not become widely known at that time. It would break in 1921 and bring about Clarke’s downfall in the KKK in 1923. That year Clarke fled the country do avoid charges of violating the Mann Act but he ultimately plead guilty to those charges. He was still alive in the 1940s and died in obscurity after that. Tyler, who had been married multiple times starting at age 14 or 15, would marry one more time and would die in 1924.

Clarke and Tyler are interesting examples of hypocrisy at the leadership level of organizations of the type they lead and remind contemporaries of the leadership of the Nazi Party which was similarly weird and in which individual leaders might not measure up to the “purity” and virility platforms which they based their propaganda on. Clarke and Tyler were clearly brilliant organizers and campaigners and were hugely successful in their efforts even while violating the “purity” tenants they were espousing, just as the circle of strange people surrounding Hitler saved the Nazi Party from fading into Weimar German obscurity based on similar concepts which they themselves were not the best examples of.

The mess of the Great War induced collapse of the Austro Hungarian Empire was evident again as the Treaty of Brno was signed naturalizing people of Austria and Czechoslovakia based upon the language that they spoke.  

On the same day, Battle of Fengwudong (Korean: 봉오동 전투; Hanja: 鳳梧洞戰鬪) was fought between Korean militias seeking independence of the Hermit Kingdom and the Japanese Army in Manchuria. While Korean independence would be a long time coming, and would be brought about due to World War Two, and imperfectly, the battle was a Korean victory.