September 26, 2010

WARSAW WITHSTANDS GERMAN ONSLAUGHT


Rough Translation:   Immortal City of Warsaw, where the West meets the East in Central Europe the city was founded,
so you know the fundamentals.

September 26, 1939

A general assault began early this morning on all fronts surrounding the besieged city of Warsaw. The western part of the city is under attack by 5 German divisions (10th, 18th 19th, 31st, and 46th) while 4 divisions (11th, 32nd, 61st and 217th) are attacking the eastern part of the city.  German forces are supported by 70 batteries of field artillery, 80 batteries of heavy artillery, and 2 entire air fleets (1st and 4th).  Bombing of the city is continuous. The city center is in flames. The German 8th Army under Commander-in-Chief von Brauchitsch has joined the other troops in a joint massive assault. The attack however was repelled by the Poles forcing the Germans to retreated to their original positions.  Reports indicate that the Poles have re-captured Mokotow Airport and have rebuilt 6 of their airplanes which have all taken to the air.

German infantry with 150mm Howitzer attacking Warsaw
German tanks surround Warsaw


Stuka Bombers Swarm Warsaw
 

On the Western Front, the French continue launching artillery fire on the forward defences of the German Siegfried Line. Meanwhile in France the Communist Party has been dissolved by a Presidential decree. It now becomes illegal to propagandize themes of the Third International. French communists are leading an anti-war movement. Some have been interned by the French government.

In the British House of Commons, the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill announced that Britain is winning the U-boat war claiming that British fleets have destroyed a 10th of German submarines in the first 2 weeks of the war and that German losses are probably a quarter or a third by now.

The HMS Ark Royal narrowly escaped an attack today by German JU 88 Bombers. Yesterday the Royal helped rescue the submarine HMS Spearfish which had suffered damage by German warships off Horn Reefs, in the Kattegat (in the southwestern peninsula of Denmark). While returning to port today with Spearfish and HMS Nelson Rodney their location was discovered by 3 Luftwaffe Dornier airplanes.  The Ark Royal launched 3 Blackburn Skuas to disperse them shooting down one Dornier in what was the first British aerial kill of the war.  Realizing that the surviving Dorniers would report their location, the commander of the Royal ordered the aircraft be secured and the anti-aircraft artillery readied.  Four JU-88 bombers soon appeared but were driven away by the ships anti-aircraft fire. The fourth bomber launched a 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) bomb at the carrier.The Ark Royal turned hard to starboard heeling over and avoided the bomb which landed in the ocean 30 meters (98 ft) off her starboard bow and sent a spout of water over the ship.

The Germans claimed that the Ark Royal was hit and sank but the pilots could not confirm it. Not long afterward a German reconnaissance flight was made but only two ships were spotted - not the Ark Royal. To prove German propaganda wrong before it had a negative impact on the Allies, Winston Churchill personally assured President Roosevelt that the carrier was undamaged and invited the US naval attache to view the Ark in dock.

British Carrier HMS Ark Royal



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2 comments:

  1. Hello,
    Great pictures but I have a correction. Your photo with the caption "German soldier tries to organize defense (Warsaw 1939)" is not from Warsaw, 1939. The soldier clearly has a knights cross, which was not awarded to any front-line troops at that point. The only 2 were awarded for taking Forts near Modlin AFTER the fact.
    Best regards

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  2. Thank you. I appreciate your comments and commend you for your keen observation and knowledge!
    I didn't notice the knights cross until you mentioned it. I do apologize for my oversight and assure you that the photo will be replaced very shortly.(Incidentally, I have just verified that the photograph was taken during the Warsaw Uprising.)
    Best Regards!

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