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October 16th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

The horrible news from the North Sea has quieted even the German press. The sight of thousands of sailors in the cold waters of October brought many a tear of rage to the brave men of the Royal Navy. The British people glorying in the wonderful news of the destruction of a Luftwaffe airbase in France were devastated by the naval news. The horrors of this war are many.

Very interesting AAR!

October 16th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

We turn first to the Far East where China will have to deal with the cutting of the road where French and American aid travels. The American aid has been valuable and includes tanks which fill out the Chinese tank brigades. The American aid in the form of three units of P-40 can be seen in Hanoi harbor. Elsewhere the Japanese assault at the Wuhan mines failed.

@John B.

We're glad it interests you. It has been a barnburner of a game.

October 16th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

The Germans have finally given the South special attention. This while the Heer is approaching the vicinity of Moscow too. Is there an air desperation in the German lunge?

October 16th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

Italy has had a fine month. Her aircraft attacked the Royal Navy in European waters, and her amphibious assault was successful.

October 16th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

The United States is now actively allied to Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. We will endeavor to provide the same balanced analysis as we have done since the column began. If war comes to the United States we will seek truth, the correct basis for examination, and the best way to see our way to victory. The column will be subject to censorship to prevent any accidental revelation of data to the enemy.

Good luck to our galant allies. When we have finished our preparations we will be found in the lists as the stalwart champion of Democracy.

November 13th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

Otto Skorzeny took early command of Sonderlehrgang z.b.V. “Oranienburg” and increased this special operations force to about brigade size. An operation was planned against the British "NAVY" headquarters in Bristol but the British placed a division there as a garrison. The German commandos had to sail farther up the coast and found another port to raid. The raiders carried massive amounts of limpet mines and sunk Royal Navy warships there. The Germans escaped safely.

November 13th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

We now turn to the Germans' East Front with the Soviet Union. Our German enemy has declared war on the United States. The USA drew a "line in the sand" at the important resources around Kursk, and when the Germans did not honor this line they, in effect, declared war. While this is an unusual way to initiate war, and condemned by the Germans, the effect is the same. Germany has a new force to contend with.

We at the Tribune were privy to the West Point war-game and study of a possible Russo-German war. In this study the Germans made a rapid advance in western Russia, but slowed down as winter approached. The wide front and long supply lines took their toll and the game was declared a Soviet victory. The real war we have been watching looks a lot like the study-game. The game was set a couple of years later than the current events, but the path seems to be playing out very much as West Point postulated.

Here is the northern portion of Germany's East Front.

November 13th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

We now turn to the south. Here, once quiet fronts have heated up, and our Soviet Ally is keeping mum on what resources are in reserve here. The southern campaign is perhaps as important as the northern one.

Here is a map.

November 13th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

Now to China where Japan, like her ally Germany, is running out of steam. The Chinese line is extensive, unbroken, and formidable. Japanese troops bloody themselves in vain.

Here is the map.

Walter Cronknut, Chief Reporter CBS Radio News (Delayed Broadcast)
Edited Transcript

With the Hanoi railroad cut the French are unable to send help to the Chinese. Alternate methods are being examined.

The British Admiralty admitted today that the German raid on Liverpool was a Naval Disaster. Five new Carriers with all their planes were sunk, along with an unreleased number of Battleships, Cruisers and Destroyers. The British admitted that they had no ground troops guarding the city when the Germans landed. In response troops could be seen moving into all the cities on the coastlines of Britain. Aid to the Soviets continue unabated according to unnamed sources. It was reported that Churchill was so mad that he fired the Naval and Army Ministers...and other heads are expected to join them. An unidentified spokesman said that Churchill was heard to say that he cannot make all the decisions and must relie on others to think and act on things. Those that fail the British people will be replaced.

December 11th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

Bone chilling cold, and immense distances challenge the invader of Russia. It has been so for centuries. While the Germans never announced Moscow as their goal it was assumed to be one by everyone. This city remains firmly in Soviet hands. The front which stretches from Finland to the Crimea is desperately hard to man. In the west the Luftwaffe and Italian air force sank 21 Allied (RN, French and Soviet) subs but the cost in fuel is unsustainable. This is war on a scale that boggles the mind, and even more to come as America girds up for battle.

Here is the East Front.

December 11th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

In China tough resistance to Japanese aggression continues. China cannot help but hope that American belligerence will lead to intervention there.

Dec brought the worst losses yet for the Red Army. Still plenty of reserves but with less time to train their quality is going down. Note the quality of experience in some Axis units is lower than normal so hopefully they also are scraping the barrel to throw in to the Russian meat grinder. With the news from China not good we cannot draw much from Siberian troops if Japan turns on us...

December 11th, 1939

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

There is news from the USSR that the quality of German troops is declining. There are denials from the higher offices but confirmation from many officers of the Heer. One commented to Swiss reporter that the once iron discipline imposed on the OKH by the Heimatkriegsgebiet has weakened. At the beginning of the conflict there were five stages, roughly a month long each that new recruits went through. If the level of training is quantified as 5-10-15-20-25 then troops were not introduced to combat until they were close to level 25. In 1939 this discipline eroded and the last training regime was removed allowing deployment at level 20. In late 1939, with increasing losses, replacement troops were sent to rear areas to Armee commands at as low as level 15. The Armees were under orders to continue training these troops but under combat conditions this mandate was sometimes violated. The Heimatkriegsgebiet is committed to working with OKH to institute an even more comprehensive rotation system including moving troops from quiet areas to more active ones.

January 8th, 1940

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

A happy new year to all readers. On the Russian front the weather, and valiant Soviet defenders, have slowed the Germans to a crawl. The city of Voronezh has been captured, but otherwise all is quiet on the line.

In the west quiet times also. Our British allies are bombing German positions on the continent.

The East Front.

January 8th, 1940

Baldwin Hanson, Military analyst, New York Tribune

Japan continues her war with China. The United States Navy is carefully scouting out the far reaches of the Pacific. The Royal Navy is also showing a strong presence in these waters.

Walter Cronknut, Chief Reporter CBS Radio News Delayed Broadcast
Edit Transcript

French colonies continue to fight the good fight but no real news on ongoing operations if any?.

British Night Bombers raided a supply center in Germany. Damage was undisclosed. But supposedly hundreds of planes were involved. No actions were disclosed near the North Sea Patrol Line but that may be just a temporary lull. American built ASW PBY's search planes were seen near northern England. A daytime air raid on Brest in far western France took place also with hundreds of planes in mixed results. Lots of German Bf-109E's were destroyed but the RAF lost lots of Spitfire I's. German supply appears to be low so expect more raids on supply centers...of course the Germans are expected to put up extra defenses to protect these centers. British sources say that lots of engineers and their equipment were detected in recon photos taken at the same time as the night raid probably pre-placed there to repair any damage done to the supply center. Sources say that advanced technology have been deployed but exactly what these advances were was kept secret.

small local counter attacks in Russia destroyed the German 3rd and one other infantry division - small loss compared to the many Russian formations destroyed up until now...