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. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Bill Thacker military@cbnews.att.com Send submissions for "50 Years Ago" to military-request@att.att.com "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