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This Week in World War II: 75 Years Ago

Haile Selassie addresses his governing body at the outset of World War II.

Haile Selassie addresses his governing body at the outset of World War II.

By: Phil Kohn. Dedicated to the memory of his father, GM3 Walter Kohn, U.S. Navy Armed Guard, USNR, and all men and women who have answered the country’s call in time of need. Phil can be contacted at ww2remembered@yahoo.com.

On March 14, 1941, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie — traveling with “The Gideon Force” (about 2,000 British, Sudanese and Ethiopian troops led by British Maj. Orde Wingate) — establishes his headquarters at Bure, in the central part of the country some 255 miles northwest of the capital, Addis Ababa. The main Italian force in the area is 67 miles southeast, at Debre Marqos. In Asia, the Japanese 11th Army attacks the headquarters of the Chinese 19th Army, beginning the almost-month-long Battle of Shanggao in Jiangxi Province, China. At the end of the contest, both sides retain the ground they originally held, but the Chinese capture large amounts of military equipment and supplies. Casualties number around 20,000 on each side.

In the North Atlantic on March 15 the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sink 16 ships of an Allied convoy that has been dispersed. The British battleship HMS Rodney appears on scene, but not before the two German ships slip away. The Royal Navy mounts an extensive search for them, but is unsuccessful. In a Washington, D.C., speech, President Roosevelt promises that the U.S. will provide to Great Britain and the Allies “aid until victory,” and that there will be an “end to compromise with tyranny.” In East Africa, British attacks toward Keren, Eritrea, continue. In Berlin, United Press correspondent Richard C. Hottelet, an American, is arrested by the Gestapo (German secret police) on “suspicion of espionage.” He will be held until July 1941, when he is released as part of a prisoner exchange.

In the Balkans, on March 16, the Italians call off their Albanian offensive. In seven days they have incurred 12,000 casualties and have gained absolutely no ground. In the Horn of Africa, a small British force crosses the Gulf of Aden from Aden, landing at and capturing the port of Berbera, Somaliland. The takeover is quick and the British force immediately begins moving inland. British gains are also being made in the battle for Keren, Eritrea. In the North Atlantic, two German subs — U-99 and U-100 — are sunk during a convoy battle. These losses plus the loss of U-47 ten days earlier deals a severe blow to the morale of German submarine crews. What the Germans don’t know is that U-100 was defeated with the help of new Allied radar equipment.

On March 17, the British push northward from Mogadishu reaches Jijiga, Ethiopia, only 37 miles from the Somali border. Once there, the troops find that the Italians have evacuated the town. In London, Minister of Labour Ernest Bevin calls for women to take vital jobs, freeing men to serve in the military.

In the North Atlantic, the British battleship HMS Malaya, escorting a convoy, is seriously damaged on March 19 by a torpedo from German submarine U-106. Malaya immediately proceeds to New York for repairs, the first major British warship to receive such help in the U.S. In Belgrade, the Germans deliver an ultimatum: the Yugoslavs have five days to decide on whether or not they will join the Axis.

The next day, March 20, in a meeting of the Royal Council, it becomes clear that Prince Paul is ready to agree to Hitler’s demand and join the Tripartite (Axis) Pact and to permit free passage of German troops through Yugoslavia. Four council ministers resign in protest. In Washington, D.C., Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles warns the Soviet ambassador that the U.S. has information confirming Germany’s intention to attack the Soviet Union.

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