military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (07/19/90)
From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) Friday, 19 July, 1940 Hitler broadcasts a "final appeal to reason," urging Britain to negotiate a peace settlement. Two Italian cruisers are intercepted off Crete by the RAN cruiser Sydney and 5 destroyers. One Italian ship, the Bartolomeo Colleoni, is sunk, and the Sydney is damaged. General Lord Ironside is promoted to Field Marshal, and General Brooke succeeds him as Commander in Chief of British Home Forces. He immediately starts planning against a German invasion. President Roosevelt signs into law the Two-Ocean Navy Bill, authorizing 1.3 millions tons of ship construction and 15,000 naval aircraft. The fleet goal is 35 battleships, 20 carriers, and 88 cruisers. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Bill Thacker military@att.att.com Send submissions for "50 Years Ago" to military-request@att.att.com "I do, however, realize that this struggle, if it continues, can end only in the complete annihilation of one of the two adversaries. Churchill may believe it will be Germany, I know it will be Britain." - Adolf Hitler