Tag Archives: Wavell

This week in the War, 5–11 January 1942: The fall of Kuala Lumpur

Posted on January 9, 2014 by secondbysecond

Japanese forces were on the move throughout South-East Asia. In the Philippines, they were advancing towards the Bataan peninsula. In Malaya, Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita’s troops crossed the River Slim on 7 January 1942 and were advancing, with armoured support, towards … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 16–22 June 1941: Barbarossa!

Posted on June 19, 2013 by secondbysecond

On 22 June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa. Over three and a half million troops with 3,600 tanks and 2,700 planes invaded the Soviet Union on a front that extended from the Baltic coast to the shores of the Black … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 31 March–6 April 1941: Hitler invades Yugoslavia and Greece

Posted on April 5, 2013 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 6 April 1941, German forces invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. Goering’s Luftwaffe launched heavy attacks against Belgrade, despite the Yugoslavian capital having been declared an open city. Further Luftwaffe raids wrecked the Greek port of … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 24–30 March 1941: The Fall of Keren—The Unknown Victory

Posted on March 28, 2013 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, 27 March 1941, the city of Keren in Eritrea, Italian East Africa, fell to a combined force of British Army, Indian Army and Free French forces, under the command of British general William Platt. Following … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 9–15 December 1940: “I purred like six cats.”

Posted on December 12, 2012 by secondbysecond

“I purred like six cats,” Churchill writes in his autobiographical The Second World War. He was describing his reaction to General Wavell’s plans for a North African offensive. Archibald Wavell was C-in-C for the Middle East and then some—from Iraq … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 2–8 December 1940: Greeks advance into Albania

Posted on December 4, 2012 by secondbysecond

The Greece-Bulgaria front was quiet. This allowed Greek C-in-C, Alexandros Papagos, to transfer the bulk of his forces to oppose the Italian invasion coming from Albania. Despite the Greek’s lack of armour and inability to oppose the Italians in the … Continue reading →

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