U.S. Troops arrive in Ireland - Fresh troops - new helmets - morale boost.
May 19, 1942 – All (Mostly) Quiet In The South Pacific – New Troops, New Helmets Arrive In Ireland – Battle Of Kerch Continues
May 19, 1942 – News Of The World – NBC – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
May 19, 1942 – According to communiqués, today in the Southwest Pacific was a day of almost complete inactivity. The day before witness another assault on Port Moresby by Japanese bombers, and it was a grim reminder that the air assaults by the Japanese were far from weakened. This latest raid on Moresby was the heaviest since a similar assault on Darwin in February. The relative quiet in this area of the Pacific caused concern among that allies that it meant a calm before a storm. It was wait-and-see. The positive news was one of the high morale on the parts of American troops and pilots in the South Pacific and the performance of the new medium bombers, the B-25 and B-26.
Meanwhile – the latest installment of U.S. troops arrived in Belfast this day, sporting the new design steel helmet, phasing out the old, World War 1 style “doughboy” helmet. More than that, it represented a morale boost and a sign to the Axis that at some point another front would be opened up and perhaps sooner than expected. Deputy Prime Minister Clement Atlee, speaking during the War Debate in the House Of Commons, said their strength was increasing and their position improving to the point that a changeover from a Defensive to Offensive position was a sure thing – no predictions when, but it was coming. And the latest arrival of American troops solidified that.
From the Eastern Front came news that Marshall Timoshenko’s forces had advanced within 30-40 miles along the Kharkov front. The latest reports reaching London indicated German armored forces had been badly handled and as a result suffered heavy losses. The Russians were still resisting on the Kerch Peninsula, but it was thought that any attempt to build up hopes was unwise.
And that’s a small slice of what happened, this May 19, 1942 as reported by NBC’s News Of The World.
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