History of the Second World War (130 page)

Read History of the Second World War Online

Authors: Basil Henry Liddell Hart

Tags: #History, #Military, #General, #Other

China, invaded by Japan, 199, 206; cutting of Burma Road to, 203, 210, 236; Japan’s main goal, 204, 206-7, 210; treaty guaranteeing integrity of, 205; Japanese forces in, 206, 507; cut off from Allies, 343; U.S. bombers land in, after Tokyo raid, 344-5; supplies flown to, 364, 631, 634; plan of, for reconquest of Burma, 364; U.S. insistence on reopening supply route to, 369, 510; considered as route for attacking Japan, 499; planned U.S. air bases in, for attack on Japan, 509-10, 630, 634; attempts to reopen road to, 513, 515; within reach of U.S. bombers, 617; raids on Japanese bases and shipping in S., 629; regaining routes to, 631; Japanese hold Chiang Kai-Shek’s army in, 633-4; American bombers based on, 690

China Sea, Halsey’s carrier raid into, 629

Chindits, the (‘Special Force’), first operation of, 366-8, 515; diversionary attack of (1944), 515, 517; enlarged and changed in function, 516-17; sent to help Stilwell’s Chinese, 518, 635; disbanded, 633

Chindwin River, 515; Japanese forces on, 236, 518; Chindits’ operations across, 366, 368; Slim’s army reaches, 519; bridgehead over, 633, 635

Chinese Nationalists, U.S. support for, 509-510

Chir River, 263-4

Chiunzi Pass, 460-1

Chitose,
the, 627

Chiyoda,
the, 627

Chott el Jerid, 400

‘Chotts’, the, 416

Chouigui pass, 337, 339

Christison, General Sir Philip, 515-16, 634, 637

Chuchow airfield, 345

Chuikov, General V., 259

Chungking, 235

Churchill, Winston S., opposed to appeasement policy, 9; on Britain’s entry into war, 15; supports Polish Guarantee, 15, 17; on French Army, 17; on German Army, 19; on armoured warfare, 20; on Allied front in France, 41; underestimates Russian strength, 45; on occupation of Norway, 52, 59; presses for laying minefields off Norway, 52-3; presses for expedition to Norway and Sweden, 53-4, 57, 62; broadcasts to neutrals on duty of joining Allies, 55; at Supreme War Council in Paris, 55, 58; becomes Prime Minister, 65; adjurations to army, 77; appeals to King Leopold to hold on, 77; proposes Franco-British Union, 85; refuses compromise peace, 87, 141; sends armoured reinforcements to Egypt, 112, 174-8; and military aid to Greece, 115, 118; halts advance through N. Africa, 117-18; urges action in E. Africa, 124-5; and British troops in Crete, 135-6; orders bombing of Germany, 141-2, 594; inspiring speeches of, 142; on Yugo-Slav coup, 151-2; outcome of Greek campaign a reflection on judgement of, 152; apprehensive of German attack in Africa, 171-2; presses for holding of Tobruk, 172-3; aims of, in ‘Operation Battleaxe’, 178; seeks to send more tanks through Mediterranean, 178n.; reinforces Egypt at expense of Far East, 182-3, 232-3; cuts off Japan’s economic resources, 182, 188, 225; changes commanders in N. Africa, 184, 290; agrees to reinforcement of Hong Kong, 220; sends ‘deterrent’ naval force to Far East, 225; on Japanese efficiency in air, 227; orders holding of Singapore, 229; changes commander in Burma, 235; urges early action in Desert, 269, 290, 297; anxious for Tobruk, 276; in Egypt, 290, 314; anxious at slow progress of Alamein offensive, 303-4; ‘North-west Africa Project’ of, 310-316; in Washington (1942), 311; in Moscow, 314; and appointment of Darlan, 331-2; Wingate introduced to, 366n.; approves move on Sumatra, 368; negotiates exchange of destroyers for bases, 375; suggests landings in Norway, 384; at Casablanca Conference, 397, 438-9, 451; on prisoners taken in Tunisia, 431; urges speed in invasion of Sicily, 439; on stagnation in Italy, 474-5; supports strengthening Italian campaign, 526, 533; supports Anzio landing, 527-9; argues with Roosevelt on ‘Anvil’, 533, 538; supports Alexander’s N. Italian plan, 537-8; critical of Air Staff’s optimism, 595-6; fears French civilian losses, 606-7; and atomic bomb, 691-2, 697; suggests modification of ‘unconditional surrender’ for Japan, 692, 694; defeat of Government of, 694; on ‘unnecessary war’, 701; mentioned, 535

Ciano, Count, diary of, 83

Cisterna, 531

Civil disobedience campaign in India, 363

Civitavecchia, 474, 534

Clark, General Mark, secret visit to Algiers of, 318-19; meetings of, with Darlan, 328-32; commands Fifth Army in Italy, 453; on landing at Salerno, 456, 459n.; refuses preliminary bombardment, 460; prepares to evacuate at Salerno, 463; reinforced, 463-4; pulls back troops for rest, 470; renews offensive, 472, 527; and Anzio landing, 529; drives direct for Rome, 535-6; offensive of, towards Bologna, 541; succeeds Alexander, 541; 1945 offensive of, 671

Clerf, River, 650

Clervaux, 650

Cluj, 586

‘Coastwatchers’, 359

Coblenz, 566, 643, 677-8

‘Cobra, Operation’, 552

Cochran, Colonel Philip C. (‘Cochran’s Circus’), 516

Collins, Major-General J. Lawton, 656, 658

Cologne, ‘1,000-bomber’ raid on, 598; Allied advance on, 643, 646

Colombo, Japanese air attack on, 237

Comacchio, Lake, 672-3

Combe, Lieut.-Colonel J. F. B., 112, 116-17

‘Combeforce’, 116-17

Commonwealth training schemes, 600

Communism, Central Europe opened to, 701, 713; Hitler’s hatred of, 709

Como, Lake, 674

Compiegne, 84, 86

Conca river-line, 540

Copenhagen, German capture of, 61

Coral Sea, Battle of, 345, 346-9

Cori, 535

Cork and Orrery, Admiral Lord, 63

Corregidor, 223, 343, 630

Corsica, 437, 470

Cossack,
H.M.S., 55-6

Cotentin peninsula, as site for ‘Second Front’, 310; plan to take, 546

Courageous,
H.M.S., 370

Courland, 588

Courten, Admiral Count R. De, 453

Coventry, air-attack on, 108

Cowan, Major-General D. T., 636

Cox’s Bazar, 365

Cracow, 29, 666

Creagh, Major-General Sir Michael O’Moore, 112, 113n., 116

Creil, 84

Crete, evacuation of British and Allied troops to, 135; conquered by airborne troops, 135-8; Hitler fails to follow up victory on, 13-9

Crimea, German occupation of, 167-8, 248-249; Parachute Division in and near, 255; Kleist holds, 477, 493; cut off by Russians, 494; liberation of, 575-6

Cripps, Sir Stafford, 144

Crocker, Lieut.-General J. T., in Tunisia, 422, 427

Cruewell, General Ludwig, in ‘Operation Crusader’, 186-90, 192; loses H.Q., 188-189

‘Crusader, Operation’, 182-98; tank strength of opposing armies in, 183; plan for, 184-5, 187; German tank losses at, 189, 197; Rommel’s thrust to rear of Eighth Army in, 189-93; Axis withdrawal after, 195-8

‘Culverin, Operation’, 368-9

Cunningham, Admiral Sir Andrew, 317; in charge of naval side of Sicily landings, 440; on Sicily landings, 442-3, 446; carries troops to Taranto, 466

Cunningham, Lieut.-General Sir Alan, in E. African campaign, 124-5; in command of Eighth Army, 184; at Sidi Rezegh, 188, 190; replaced by Ritchie, 191, 193

Curteis, Admiral Sir A. T. B., 379

Cyprus, 137, 139

Cyrenaica, Italian Army in, 112; British advance through, 115-18, 136, 171; failure to exploit success in, 117-18, 131; British driven from, by Rommel, 119-20, 136, 171-2; see-saw battle for, 171; Rommel’s advance from, 266; his retreat through, 307-8

Czecho-Slovakia, Hitler puts screw on, 6, 9; Poland helps to destroy, 9, 15; Western failure to support, 10-11, 14-15; German occupation of, 10, 27; German gains from seizure of, 22-4, 701, 704

Czestochowa, 666

Daba, 295, 303, 305

Dace,
U.S. Submarine, 623

Dakar, 319, 323, 332

Daladier, Edouard, 54, 56-7

Danube, River, delta of, 573; Russians reach and cross, 585-7

Danzig, 10, 12; Gulf of, 667

Dardanelles, Russia seeks bases on, 145

Darlan, Admiral J. F., 319-20, 323; and ‘Torch’ landings, 327; orders ceasefire, 328-9, 332; and French fleet at Toulon, 330, 332-3; orders French resistance to Germans in Tunisia, 330; reactions to appointment of, 331-2; murdered, 332

Darter
, U.S. Submarine, 623

Daryal Pass, 254

Davao, Philippines, 617

Dawley, Major-General E. J., 460, 469

Dedeagach, 133

Deir el Shein Box, 281, 283

Delatyn, 574

Dempsey, General Miles, 457, 467; in ‘Overlord’, 552; hopes for breakthrough, 556

Demyansk salient, 245, 483

Denmark, German occupation of, 51, 56, 58, 61; enemy air bases in, 91, 100

Denmark Strait,
Bismarck
and
Prinz Eugen
in, 377

Derna, 115, 197, 277

Derna-Mechili line, 268

‘Desert Rats’, 112

Desna, River, 164-5

Deutschland,
the, 371

‘Diadem, Operation’, 532-6; troop losses in, 536, 538; Alexander’s plan for exploiting, 536

Diego Suarez, 238

Dieppe, 548

Dietl, General, in Norway, 63

Dietrich, General Sepp, 553; and Ardennes offensive, 645-6, 650, 652, 658

Dill, Field-Marshal Sir John, C.I.G.S., opposes sending cruiser tanks to Egypt, 175; and defence of Far East, 182, 219n., 231-2; in Washington, presses for ‘Gymnast’, 311

Dimapur, 519

Dina, River, 29

Dinant, 72, 646, 651, 657-8

Djebel Abiod, 336, 411

Djebel Bou Aoukaz, 428

Djebel el Guessa, 340

Djedeida, 338-9; airfield, 338

Djefna, 337

Djibouti, 124

Djidjelli, 334

Dnepropetrovsk, 481, 493

Dnieper, River, German advance to, 149; Rumania promised land up to, 150; Guderian wants tank drive to, 160; intention to destroy Russian Army before reaching, 161; failure of grand encirclement west of, 163-4; Germans cross, 164; Russian drive into bend of, 481, 569-70; Germany seeks frontier along, 488; Russian thrust to, and crossings of, 491-3; bastion-towns of Upper, 493; German collapse S. of bend of, 494; Russian bridges over, 493-5; Germans escape across, 494; Germans hold front on, 496-7, 572; Germans driven from Upper, 579

Dniester, River, 572, 574-5, 584

Dobbie, General Sir William, 230

Don, River, 247; Germans reach, 168, 251; holding line of, 248; German advance beyond, 252; defensive flank along, 255-6, 258-9; Russian thrust down, 261, 264, 478, 480; frozen, 263; Russian offensive W. from, 480

Don-Donetz corridor, German drive down, 247, 251, 255; Germans swept out of, 264, 480; railways in, 482

Donbaik, 634

Donetz basin, German occupation of, 167-8: Russian thrust into, 261; Hitler intends holding, 484

Donetz, River, Germans cross, 249; Russians push S. to, 264, 478, 480; Russians advance across, 480-1, 491-2; German drive back to, 482, 484.
See also
Don-Donetz corridor

Donitz, Grand Admiral K., U-boat ‘wolf-pack’ tactics of, 376-7; average sinkings required by, 383; U-boats of, sent to Norway, 384; worried about new location device, 385; U-boat strategy of, 385; Naval Commander-in-Chief, 388; on U-boat difficulties, 388-91; concentrates U-boats against Allied invasion of France, 391