With President Franklin Roosevelt’s increasing support of Churchill and England, Hitler was forced to come up with a strategy to blunt American involvement on the side of Britain. In September 1940, Germany announced the Tripartite Pact treaty had been signed. In a nutshell, the treaty and military alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan required all the participants to act against an aggressor of a treaty member.
Signing ceremony for the Axis Powers Tripartite Pact. Seated from left to right: Japan Ambassador Saburō Kurusu, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Galeazzo Ciano, and Adolf Hitler. Joachim von Ribbontrop is speaking at the podium. Photo by Heinrich Hoffmann (27 September 1940). U.S. National Archives. PD-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.
FDR knew this was a game changer and while it didn’t mention the United States, the president fully recognized it was directed at America eventually coming into direct conflict with the Axis powers. This situation required FDR and his senior administration and military staffs to reassess the global situation and devise an initial strategy for an event of war with one or all the treaty members.
This assessment (and recommendation) was written in late October 1940 and presented to the president on 12 November. The twenty-six page document became known as “The Plan Dog” memorandum.
Japanese embassy in Berlin exhibiting the flags of the Tripartite Pact members. Photo by anonymous (c. September 1940). Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-L09218/CC-BY-SA 3.0. PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0 Germany. Wikimedia Commons.
It seems many of the blog topics I’ve written about over all these years seem to “connect the dots” and lead to Ian Fleming, author of the James Blond series [refer to blogs, Cynthia: World War II Mata Hari (click here), James Bond’s Lover(click here), Explosive Rats(click here), Agent Jack, “M” and the Fifth Column(click here), The Double Cross System (click here)]. Today’s topic is yet another story that has Mr. Fleming’s fingerprints all over it.
Did You Know?
Did you know it’s likely every war has its stories of elite snipers? You would if you had read several of my blogs, Lady Death (click here to read) and/or Valkoinen kuolema (click here to read). Well, the recent conflict in the Ukraine is no different. One of Ukraine’s premier military groups is their sniper division. Although snipers alone will never win a war, they can certainly help affect the outcome. That is why Ukraine’s snipers concentrate on taking out Russia’s officers. Once a Russian officer is killed, the unit he or she commanded is left without any leadership and the soldiers become disorganized and demoralized. (In the U.S. Army, noncommissioned officers would take up leadership positions in these situations.)
One of Ukraine’s sniper teams is named “Devils and Angels.” Their orders are to kill senior Russian officers and other high-profile targets. Teams of two operate in areas of extreme danger, often cut off completely from their units. One member will be a spotter, calculating distance, air humidity and temperature, and wind speed while the other handles the rifle. At night, they take turns sleeping. Ukraine claims one of their snipers took out their target at a distance of about 12,470 feet, or one third longer than the Golden Gate Bridge. It surpassed the current record by some 850 feet (I haven’t verified sniper records). Reportedly, the shot was recorded and reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
Once his spotter had made the critical measurements and whispered, “You can,” Vyacheslav Kovalskiy pulled the trigger and waited nine seconds for the bullet to descend 330 feet to strike a Russian officer. Gun and sniper experts believe that after a distance of about 4,300 feet, a kill from a sniper’s gun is more luck than anything else.
Vyacheslav Kovalskiy with the rifle he used to shoot at a Russian soldier more than two miles away. Photo by Joseph Sywenkyi (date unknown). Wall Street Journal: “Ukrainian Sniper Breaks Cover to Claim World-Record Hit of More Than 2 Miles.” 4 December 2023. https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukrainian-sniper-breaks-cover-to-claim-world-record-hit-of-more-than-2-miles-2b1c820e
What did Napoléon say when asked if he wanted good generals? He said, “No, I want lucky generals.”
Let’s Meet Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming (1908−1964) was born into a wealthy and politically prominent family. Educated at Eaton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Fleming began writing at an early age and was the editor of Eaton’s magazine, The Wyvern. Following the educational phase of his life, Fleming embarked on a series of jobs including editing and reporting for the Reuters News Agency, banking positions, and financial investments (the latter two he failed at). He also became involved in multiple affairs with one resulting in a marriage proposal that was abruptly ended after Fleming’s mother threatened to cut her son out of the family will. (Fleming may have been an unsuccessful banker and stockbroker but he was certainly pragmatic.) In early 1939, Fleming accepted a job offer that would provide a basis for his future books.
The Admiralty
Rear Admiral John Godfrey (1888−1970) was the director of British Naval Intelligence Division (NID) prior to the start of World War II. Godfrey approached Fleming and persuaded him to join the intelligence unit as his personal assistant. Less than a month before the war began, Fleming reported for duty at the Admiralty Building (a.k.a. the Ripley Building) and was given the codename “17F.” Read More No. 30 Commando
“Informative and entertaining, Stew Ross’ newest work evokes a difficult and frightening time in the history of the City of Light. The detailed descriptions of sites such as the Vél’ d’hiv’ or Gestapo headquarters reminds us of the choices people made during those years.”
Cynthia Bisson, PhD, Professor of History, Belmont University, French Resistant Expert
Paris Occupation History and Guide Book
This book presents three detailed walking tours and numerous metro station oriented short walks that identified significant occupation locations. Each location on the walk is fully explained. In addition, the author uses many sidebars to provide additional supporting information. The appendix provides a wealth of additional information and pictures that the novice and well read Occupation scholar will find helpful. Whether your first exposure to the Occupation or one of many books you have read, this book is a must read prior to visiting Paris. The format and size of the book make it easy to carry in your carry-on luggage. The book is the first of a three volume set. I can’t wait to see the information to be presented in Volumes 2 & 3.
Patrick from Albuquerque.
