[sci.military] 50 Years Ago: Thursday, 2 February, 1940

military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (02/02/90)

From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker)
Thursday, 2 February, 1940

Under the direction of General Timoshenko, Soviet forces launch a new 
offensive against the Summa sector of the Mannerheim Line.  Unlike earlier 
efforts, this is a carefully coordinated assault, beginning with a 
tremendous artillery barrage and supported by over 130 aircraft.  A new 
weapon is employed, armored sleds carrying infantry, pulled into the 
assault behind tanks.  These meet with little success and are soon 
knicknamed "Molotov Coffins".  Flamethrowers and smokescreens are also 
used in the assault.  Finnish defenses hold fast, however, repelling the
attacks.

The British Admiralty assumes control of merchant shipbuilding and
repair facilities.

The US Army Air Force's newest fighter, the Bell P-39 Airacobra, undergoes
preliminary trials at Bolling Field.  The plane scores a number of firsts,
according to Army representatives: first single-engine pursuit plane to 
carry a cannon (37mm), first mid-engined fighter, and first production
fighter with a retractable, tricycle landing gear.  The Air Corps also
announces its top speed as "over 400 miles per hour", its ceiling as
"above 36,000 feet", and its range "over 1000 miles".

Japan embarks on a 5-year rearmament plan, with the intent of modernizing
her armed forces.

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Bill Thacker			            military@cbnews.att.com
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"The belligerents should stop fighting and join their forces to help the
Finns. They should fight in one line to rid the world and civilization of
bolshevism." - Kaiser Wilhelm II