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Today in WWII

Discussion in 'War44 General Forums' started by SamIam, Nov 30, 2007.

  1. SamIam

    SamIam New Member

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    November 30, 1939
    USSR attacks Finland


    On this day in 1939, the Red Army crosses the Soviet-Finnish border with 465,000 men and 1,000 aircraft. Helsinki was bombed, and 61 Finns were killed in an air raid that steeled the Finns for resistance, not capitulation.
    The overwhelming forces arrayed against Finland convinced most Western nations, as well as the Soviets themselves, that the invasion of Finland would be a cakewalk. The Soviet soldiers even wore summer uniforms, despite the onset of the Scandinavian winter; it was simply assumed that no outdoor activity, such as fighting, would be taking place. But the Helsinki raid had produced many casualties-and many photographs, including those of mothers holding dead babies, and preteen girls crippled by the bombing. Those photos were hung up everywhere to spur on Finn resistance. Although that resistance consisted of only small numbers of trained soldiers-on skis and bicycles!--fighting it out in the forests, and partisans throwing Molotov cocktails into the turrets of Soviet tanks, the refusal to submit made headlines around the world.
    President Roosevelt quickly extended $10 million in credit to Finland, while also noting that the Finns were the only people to pay back their World War I war debt to the United States in full. But by the time the Soviets had a chance to regroup, and send in massive reinforcements, the Finnish resistance was spent. By March 1940, negotiations with the Soviets began, and Finland soon lost the Karelian Isthmus, the land bridge that gave access to Leningrad, which the Soviets wanted to control.

    TAKANAMI (November 30, 1942)
    Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer which helped sink the USS Minneapolis was sunk by enemy gunfire about five miles south of Savo Island. Her captain, Cdr. Ogura Hasami and 211 members of his crew perished. There were 33 survivors who eventually reached Guadalcanal in a lifeboat
     
  2. SamIam

    SamIam New Member

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    Maybe we can sticky this and keep it going? I can keep posting to it each day if anyone is interested.
     
  3. LeighA

    LeighA New Member

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    I for one am very interested and I hope you do keep it going. It's fantastic kind of like on this day in history but more tailored to interests here.
     
  4. azalaeeight

    azalaeeight New Member

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    This was a particularly useful and informative post. I think it would be great if someone were able to post this type of thing regularly. :) For all that's written about the war there's still so many details/events etc. that even students of history aren't aware of.
     

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