February 9th, 1944 (WEDNESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: The King and Queen eat a 1/- (one shilling) lunch with Yorkshire miners and declare "It is a long time since we had a better meal."
Westminster: The bishop of Chichester, Dr. George Bell, speaking in the House of Lords today, questioned the morality of the RAF's policy of area bombing. He said that he was not forgetting Warsaw or Coventry; his concern was whether the government understood what area bombing was destroying now.
It was not only the vast material damage, much of it irreparable, but also the implications for the future relationships of the people of Europe, as well as morality. Speaking of Berlin, he added: "Men and women have been overwhelmed in a tornado of smoke and flames. It is said that 74,000 persons have been killed. The policy of obliteration openly acknowledged. That is not a justifiable act of war."
He referred to Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris's threat to bomb Berlin until "the heart of Nazi Germany ceases to beat", and argued that "to justify methods inhumane in themselves by arguments of expediency smacks of the Nazi philosophy that might is right."
The bishop's qualms are doubtless shared by many but will carry little weight in the context of total war. In reply to Dr. Bell, Viscount Cranborne, the secretary of state for the Dominions, denied that the RAF indulged in terror raids. He said Britain would continue bombing "with more crushing effect until the final victory is secure."
London: The unease expressed by the Bishop of Chichester about the RAF's policy of area bombing has raised questions about the effectiveness of the campaign as well as its morality. Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris's view that strategic bombing will bring about the downfall of Germany without the need for a costly invasion of Europe is well known. But is it correct?
Area bombing, such as the great firestorm of Hamburg last July, which killed 42,000 people, is known to have affected worker morale and industrial output seriously in the days immediately following the raids. But the Germans are resilient people; they soon recover; and in the case of Hamburg only 50 working days were lost.
In fact, because of the efforts of Albert Speer, the armaments minister, production of weapons in Germany is steadily rising. Tank production had increased from 760 a month at the beginning of 1943 to 1,229 in December, while the production of aircraft rose from 15,288 in 1942 to 25,094 in 1943.
Perhaps the main achievement of Bomber Command's valiant effort has been the massive diversion of resources to the air defence of the Reich, which has deprived the Wehrmacht in Russia and Italy of vital air support.
Frigate HMS Wye commissioned.
FRANCE: 12 Lancasters of 617 "Dambuster" Squadron, led by Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, last night devastated the important Gnome and Rhone aero-engine factory at Limoges with 12,000lb bombs, the heaviest of the war so far.
GERMANY:
FINLAND: Finnish government decides to send Juho Kusti Paasikivi, the former Finnish ambassador at Moscow, to Stockholm to find out what are the Soviet terms for peace.
U.S.S.R.: Generals Malinkovsky and Konev start to wipe out the German Eighth Army at Kirovograd.
INDIAN OCEAN: SS Viva (Master Oscar Andersen) was hit by a torpedo and sunk. Her crew was picked up next day by SS Marwarri and landed in Aden.
BURMA: The 1/7th Gurkha's position on "Bare Patch" is completely wired; Japanese grenade dischargers during the day have no effect, and the Gurkhas are replying with 2-inch mortars. (Daily Telegraph, 21.10.2003, p.27)
PACIFIC OCEAN: While on her 3rd war patrol USS Bonefish torpedoes and damages the Japanese tanker Tonan Maru No.2 (19262 BRT) off French Indochina in position 11.30N, 109.10E.
TERRITORY OF HAWAII: Submarine USS Gar: USS Gar (LCdr. G.W. Lautrup, Jr) ended her tenth war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
CANADA: Tug HMCS Glenwood 155 tons, 80'x19'8"x7'6", wood, one Enterprise diesel, 6 cylinders (12"x15") 400 hp, 10kts ordered from J.H. LeBlanc Shipbuilding Co Weymouth NS. Cancelled during construction, 59% complete, completed 1946, sold 1947 to Saint John Tugboat Co. Saint John , New Brunswick, renamed Ocean Weka #179312. Broken up 1969 and removed from register.
Tug HMCS Glencove laid down Russel Bros Owen Sound, Ontario.
U.S.A.: Destroyer escort USS Weeden commissioned.
USS PCS-1378 commissioned.
Net tender USS Oneota laid down.
LCdr. A.C. Burrows was relieved as Commanding Officer by LCdr. J.B. Grady of submarine USS Whale.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The very successful anti-submarine group led by Captain F J Walker in HMS Starling fought a notable action in defence of convoy SL.147, sinking U-238 and U-734. Over 150 depth charges were used in a long and relentless battle, one of the depth charges successfully exploding a German torpedo just a few yards before it would have hit Starling. Exhausted by his relentless patrols of the North Atlantic, Captain Walker, awarded the Distinguished Service Order no less than four times, suddenly died aboard ship in July 1944.
U-238 Kl.VIIC is sunk in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, in position 49.45N, 16.07W, by depth charges from the British sloops HMS Kite, Magpie and Starling. 50 dead (all hands lost). (Alex Gordon)
U-193 was damaged by aircraft in the Bay of Biscay.
At 1300, the Kelmscott in convoy HX-278 was torpedoed by U-845 off St. Johns. The ship developed a heavy list but was towed to St John's and after temporary repairs left for Baltimore on 17 August.