World War II Chronicle: May 4, 1941
The United Kingdom has invaded the Kingdom of Iraq. The nationalist former prime minister seized control of Iraq’s pro-British government in a coup on April 4 and has been coordinating with the Axis… The cutting-edge dive bomber on page three is the Vultee Vengeance. The Vengeance first flew on March 30 and is destined to serve the Royal Air Force…
George Fielding Eliot breaks down why the German blitzkrieg was so effective on page five. Nazi Germany had everything staged and ready, hitting unprepared enemies where it was most disadvantageous to the defender and advantageous to the attacker. Mechanization has completely changed warfare, and the speed at which the Wehrmacht rolled through enemy territory made any kind of defense or counter-attack exponentially more difficult than it ever has been in the history of warfare. “Static defense is doomed,” writes Major Eliot. “The striking power of modern weapons used according to undisturbed plan is certain to be victorious. The best defense is a well-planned offensive of one’s own, delivered at an unexpected moment…”
Dale Carnegie, author of the world-famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People, is conducting a weekly “School of Human Relations” at the Shoreham Hotel. Call Republic-3181 or District-3557 to find out more…
The new “bantam” car — technically the “U.S. Army truck, 1/4‑ton, 4×4, command reconnaissance vehicle” — is discussed on page seven. The Army has spent the past several months testing American Bantam Car Company’s “jeep,” determining what this incredibly versatile machine can do. The article says that soldiers feel that a bunch of jeeps towing field guns could potentially wipe out a column of tanks. I don’t know about that.
The jeep is a game-changer on many levels. For one, it’s cheap — about $600 per unit ($11,000 in 2021 dollars)11,743.3% inflation according to USinflationcalculator.com. It’s light and has four-wheel drive, so it can go most anywhere and get there pretty quick. But destroying a column of tanks? The jeep can tow the M3 37mm field gun, which is the same gun carried by the Army’s new M3 Stuart light tank. Problem is, tanks are getting bigger and stronger. Armor-piercing rounds can knock out soft targets and lightly armored tanks. High-explosive rounds don’t pack much of a punch either, having about the same effect as a 40-mm round from an M203 grenade launcher today.
A company of jeeps towing M3s would not kill a German panzer column. But they could quickly materialize and hit the blitzkrieg where it is most vulnerable: their supply lines. Tanks can’t run without fuel and soldiers can’t fight without beans and bullets…
Military aviation pioneer Col. Roy C. Kirtland passed away suddenly from a heart attack at Moffett Field, Calif. He enlisted in the Army in 1898 and was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry in 1901. Ten years later he was in charge of the U.S. Aviation School at College Park, Md. One of the soldiers he recommended to become a pilot was Henry H. “Hap” Arnold.
Kirtland retired three years ago and had just been recalled to active duty with West Coast Army Air Forces Training Center. In 1948 Hap Arnold will rename Albuquerque Army Air Base (which is currently under construction) Kirtland Air Force Base in his honor…
Sports section begins on page 30… This week in the war summarized on page 38… Walt Disney is pictured on page 38, which mentions The Reluctant Dragon, a new animated movie about to be released. It is essentially a tour of the newly built Disney Studios in Burback, Calif. In just a few months, Disney will open up his compound to an Army anti-aircraft artillery unit, which will protect Los Angeles from aerial invasion. 80 years ago Walt’s company was making family movies and helping protect the country. Imagine what he would think if he were alive today and saw what Disney has become.
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 4 May 1941. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1941-05-04/ed-1/