Interesting little story from the book that I cannot recall hearing before.
Churchill wanted to take the offensive but it was too early to go take
France. mid 1942. He pushed the military folks to do something. They
came up with the idea of a commando raid on a big drydock in France a
few miles up the Loire R. (don't quote me on the names as the spelling
might be off!). It was built for the Normandie cruise ship which had
burned in New York a month or more earlier, but it was the only known
drydock big enough to fit the Turpitz (sp again) which was a sister to
the Bismark. Churchill thought that if they could knock out this
drydock, then Hitler would be less willing to send the big boat out
after the convoys in the Atlantic because there would be no place to run
to for repairs if it became necessary. So they loaded an old US destoyer
obtained in the early lend/lease program with tons of dynamite in the
bows and sailed it up the river in the dark and rammed the doors on the
drydock. They then scuttled the ship and made their escape. The dynamite
was supposed to blow soon after they left but the fuse did not work. The
Germans showed up and spent the day examining the boat and taking photos
to send home etc. There were several hundred of them on board when the
fuse kicked in and blew them all to you know where.
Churchill was right and Hitler did not send the big boat out. Turpitz
basically sat in a fjord in Norway waiting for a British attack that
never came until it was sunk by Lancaster bombers in 1944.
Basically from memory as I do not have the book here. So, if you search
and find my details are not accurate, remember that I did my best.
Randy
On 06/06/2013 12:55 PM, Dieselhead wrote:
We can learn a lot about leadership by studying Churchill, Patton and
TR (up through his first term) (after that, it seems he went over the
cliff, so to speak)
You don't need much more that that listed, because once you get into
learning about Patton, you will want to read about many others, as he
did. I love the part in the movie where he sez to Rommel (who is way
to far away to hear), " ...I read your book!
I am about half way through the 3rd and final volume of a biography
of Winston Churchill written by William Manchester - The Last Lion.
He wrote the 2 earlier volumes many years ago and I read them then. I
waited and watched for the final one and have about given up.
Thankfully, Manchester realized that he needed help and enlisted the
assistance of another writer whose name escapes me at the moment -
Paul something I believe.
Manchester subsequently died and the new fellow finished the book and
it bears both of their names.
This 3rd volume begins when Churchill becomes Prime Minister at the
outset of WW2.
I am halfway through the book and we are only up to 1942. The
Americans have been beaten up by the Japanese but have not done much
in the war as yet.
Roosevelt is trying to gear up industry to produce the tanks, planes
etc that are needed to do battle and to develop the manpower too.
Hitler is already stalled in Russia and Stalin is demanding that he
get to keep a bunch of new territory after the war.
Churchill and Roosevelt are none too happy about that but need Stalin
to keep Hitler occupied while they try to build up enough military
might to go after him.
Japan has taken over the Pacific and things look pretty bad out
there. Rommel is taking North Africa etc.
Churchill is being criticized by his political enemies at home due to
the failure of the military to hang on to the far eastern parts of
the empire, Singapore etc.
A bit slow going at this point but should get better.
Randy
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