Question of the Hour

[Rhibwolf]

This is tough. The best I can come up with is the aborted mission to Norway (Trondheim) which was supposed to be conducted by the Devil's Bde and others (A force of two battalions of the brigade (PPCLI and Edmonton Regiment) were selected for possible operations against Trondheim in Norway).  There are several movies about Devils Bde, but in colour or combined colour b&w. Im trying to narrow down, but the only b&w i can find thus far is the Heroes of Telemark, and i cant figure out who the extras were, or how many were used.  Am I close?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Commandos Strike at Dawn, 1942. Filmed in BC

 

[3rd Herd]

Commandos Strike at Dawn, 1942. Filmed in BC

Okay you have the movie title, date and Province. We are still missing the movie "extras" and the exact location in BC. What was the movie theme or it's basis ? I hate to flog a dead horse and my head is getting sore from banging it against the wall but I thought to some extent that if you answered, you(everyone me included) would remember to included the source for the answer. In a nutshell to some extent including sourcing is what has made this particular thread so interesting and to certain limits professional. Rant over. Back to our movie in progress.

 

[Rhibwolf]

Commandos Strike At Dawn (1942)
Saanich Inlet is a glacially overdeepened valley filled with salt water. It is, by definition, a fjord – which is why it became a location for this wartime propaganda piece starring Paul Muni, about a Norwegian fishing village that rises up against its Nazi occupiers. In this scene the Allies land on the beach at Bamberton. Apparently parts of the village constructed for the movie still stand near Hall’s boat yard at Goldstream.
http://unknownvictoria.blogspot.com/2006_03_12_unknownvictoria_archive.html

As for the theme, I stick to my last post - aborted raid on trondheim.

regiments playing extras? given it was BC in 1942-43, I would guess..... 
Sorry out of time, got to go make KD.

 

[3rd Herd]

Acceptable effort Rhibwolf, a definite 'A' for effort.


"During this period of anxiety Victoria became the scene of a movie, Commandos Strike at Dawn.

On July 21 a Hollywood army of actors,actresses, techicans, cameramen, script writers and others required to produce the million dollar movie arrivied here. The stars were Paul Munte(?), Morris Oberon,, with Lillian Gish and Robert Cote in supportting roles. John Farrow was the director.

The Canadian forces lent every support to the movie, even to permitting the former luxury steamer Prince Henry, then an auxiliary cruiser, to participate in the invasion scenes staged in Saanich inlet.

The Canadian Scottish and the Royal Rifles battalions, which had been under going commando training here, fitted into the picture, which was based in Norway and a Norwegian village costing 30,000 was constructed. The action scenes were very realistic and when the film was released it was an instant success."

Source:

Wills, Archie. "Victorians Wore Gas Masks When Japs Came Calling". Victoria, The Daily Colonist, 1959. pg 12.

 

[3rd Herd]

This is a back assward question of the hour. It is something I am poking into and it is getting a tad difficult. So with your kind assistance folks here we go:

What type and capabilities did the Red Banner Fleet have on the Pacific coast in regards to submarines in the 1930-1945 era?

 

[geo]

Russia
Russia commenced the war with 218 Submarines, added another 54, but lost a total of 109 Boats.  Like Japan, Russian Submarines had but limited success, and in the case of the Russian Submarines their kills were in no way commensurate with the loss of 109 Boats. They sank only 160 ships, many of them small, to total  402,437 tons, and their operation was restricted to the Baltic and Black Sea areas. 

http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/TheRoleoftheSubmarineinWo.html

 

[larry Strong]

Found this, no verifiable sources.

...Postwar records from various Western sources including the Germans show the Soviets sank 108 merchant ships with a tonnage of 254,525 tons. They also sank 28 minor warships none larger than a minesweeper. In fact, the largest warship ever sunk by a Russian submarine was the destroyer HMS Vittoria by the submarine Pantera on 8/31/19 while the Vittoria was at anchor off the Seiskär Islands in the Gulf of Finland.
For this total, the Soviets lost at least 108 (there are discrepancies in their records as to exact losses and causes) submarines in return. Also note, that included in the ships sunk are 20 Turkish merchant vessels operating in that nation's coastal waters.....

 

[geo]

Larry you missed this little bit of info.....

However, the largest loss of life accreditated to any one Submarine attack goes to a Soviet Submarine, their S13. It was on the 30th. of January 1945, that the German Wilhelm Gustloff, of 25,484 tons, was being used as a refugee transport evacuating German troops trying to escape from the Red advance. (between the 23rd. of January and the 8th. of May, 1945, liners carried over 2 million troops from the Baltic to West German ports.)

Wilhelm Gustloff had up to 9000/ 10,000 people jammed on board, this cargo included troops, wounded, nurses, and some civilians, her company at that time over four times her normal peacetime capacity. The Soviet Submarine sighted this ship, lined her up, and fired, three Torpedoes struck home, only 1,000 survived, leaving the approximate number who died some where close to 8,000 or 9,000. These awful figures equate with the loss in the sinking of Lusitana, multiplied some six or seven fold, this single action is noted for the greatest loss of life in Maritime History. 

 

[larry Strong]

I would have thought that the Gustloff would have been included in the total that was shown, not saying that the figures stated are any where near accurate...don't think anyone will ever be able to come up with an accurate number of ships sunk. Still trying to find the answer to the original question.

 

[redleafjumper]

Oh oh, we've already done the Gustloff...

 

[3rd Herd]

their operation was restricted to the Baltic and Black Sea areas. 

http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/TheRoleoftheSubmarineinWo.html

Wrong,
I have some documentation of lend lease operations going between west coast posts, Seattle for one and the eastern USSR ports. In fact one of the lend lease subs was sunk by a Japanese submarine just off the strait of Juan De Fuca. I am quoting Bert Webber in Silent Siege and a couple of US newspapers. But having only one Book source and vague newspaper references and the newspaper articles only because a USN liaison officer was killed is not good enough for my purposes yet. I am/was fishing to see what else someone could come up with. Additionally, I have another book on Soviet naval infantry operations and submarines were used for inserting parties in Korea after the Soviet belated declaration on war on Japan.

 

[Spr.Earl]

Oh oh, we've already done the Gustloff...

No  ;D
A few years back after the break up of the USSR there was a documentary made about Wilhelm Gustloff and finaly the west got to dive on the ship.
The finding's where that the Russians blew the hull beyond all recognition,when or why still is not known as those records are still secret.

 

[larry Strong]

I saw that show, IIRC they also did a computer simulation that crammed human bodies in every corner and the number was a lot more than what is currently accepted. I once had the opportunity to get my hands on a pair of Gustloff cap tallies but I passed on them.....

 

[3rd Herd]

Thorwald, Jürgen. Defeat in the East: Russia Conquers, January to May 1945, Bantam Books. was originally published as Flight in Winter by the same author has several excellent narrative accounts on this matter at hand. Also I have another book written out of the US historical section by a German admiral which again gives several excellent accounts, I will dig it out and post the title and author. I took a 4th year disaster planning course and some of our required readings covered this. Again I will dig them out and post authors.

Edit to add:
found one
Ruge, Friedrich. The Soviets As Naval Opponents, 1941-1945
   

 

[3rd Herd]

A little Canadian history:

Who were Sgt Riddell and Sgt Hersey looking for ? What other famous Canadian flyer was involved in this northern 'boy's tale' ?

 

[geo]

On 31 December 1931 the man hunt for the "Mad Trapper of Rat River" began. On 16 January 1932 Sgt R.F. (Frank) Riddell and Sgt H.F. Hersey of NWT&Y Station Aklavik joined the RCMP "posse". After 48 days the incident ended on 17 February 1932 when the fugitive, presumed to be Albert Johnson, was spotted by Hersey. Hersey was seriously wounded by the fugitive before he, in turn, was shot and killed. Hersey was evacuated 160 kilometres to hospital in Aklavik by bush plane flown by "Wop" May, a famous bush pilot and World War I flying ace. In this case the Signals had helped get the Mounties man for them.

http://www.c-and-e-museum.org/chap4_e2.htm

 

[3rd Herd]

Bang on Geo.

What was the main method of long distance communication up until 1945 by the RCAF ?

 

[geo]

Land lines?
lemme read....

 

[Michael OLeary]

Carrier Pigeons?