129- German Army Surrounded: You Did Nazi That Coming! - WW2 - February 13, 1942

Hello?

Oh, hey Manuel, what's up?

You what?

You wanna be neutral…

You wanna be independent and neutral… how come?

Because then the armies will leave your people alone…

Dude, what war you think you're involved in?

Yeah yeah, talk to you later.

February 13, 1942 So let's say that you're the Germans, and

you have some ships on the French Atlantic Coast, but they're not so safe there so you

want them in home waters.

What do you do?

Maybe you just roll the dice and sail them right up the English Channel.

I'm Indy Neidell; this is World War Two.

Last week saw Soviet attacks still unable to break the Germans at Rzhev or Vyazema.

In North Africa, German commander Erwin Rommel stopped his attacks when told he'll get no

supplies any time soon.

The US navy launched the Marshalls-Gilberts Raids against the Japanese, and the Japanese

advanced in Burma, and they took Amboina, but were unable to make headway in the Philippines.

Now trying to undermine local resistance there, Japanese PM Hideki Tojo promises the Philippines

that they will be recognized as independent as part of Japan's Greater Southeast Asia

co-prosperity sphere.

Philippine President Manuel Quezon, holed up in the Malinta Tunnel and sick with tuberculosis,

cables out that America's failure to send out reinforcements or relief "doomed the Philippines

to almost total extinction…".

On the 8th, he asks American President Franklin Roosevelt to grant immediate independence

so the Philippines can be neutral, and then all foreign forces of any stripe would withdraw.

Philippine forces Commander Douglas MacArthur cables Washington the 9th, "You must determine

whether or not the mission of delay would be better furthered by temporizing of Quezon

or by my continued battle effort."

Roosevelt writes back, "emphatically deny the possibility of this government's agreeing

to the political aspect of President Quezon's proposal…"

Army Chief of Staff George Marshall tells MacArthur that there will be no talk of surrender

as long as any resistance is possible.

Quezon will be evacuated to Australia to run a government in exile; the Japanese siege

of Bataan will continue.

The Japanese also now have Singapore Island under siege.

For all that they have aerial and naval supremacy here, though, the Japanese have done a pretty

poor job of preventing reinforcements from arriving or people from evacuating.