164 - Stalingrad, Stalingrad, Stalingrad, No Retreat! - WW2 - October 16, 1942

Wait, wait, wait, he's calling off the attacks?

Okay, most of the attacks?

But he's never done that before - he's always like "attack attack attack".

What changed?

Uh huh.

Uh huh.

Uh huh.

Uh huh!

Wow!

Thank you!

Yeah!

Okay, talk to you later.

Yeah!

October 16, 1942

Remain at your command post!

It's not just an order, it's a symbol for your whole nation of your tenacity, your refusal

to give in, to lose.

But when the crisis comes, is it just words after all?

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

Last week the River Volga itself was on fire in Stalingrad as the Germans mounted mighty

attacks on the Soviet defenders, but by the week the big action had quieted down as the

attackers await reinforcements.

On Guadalcanal, reinforcements were being brought in by both sides, as the island assumes

greater and greater importance.

That continues this week.

"The American and Japanese reinforcement operations…

were piling in for a collision in the dark

waters of Ironbottom Sound.

Every night the "Rat Express", as it was called by the Imperial Army, was ferrying in 150

troops on each destroyer while float planes from Admiral Mikawa's covering heavy cruisers,

dubbed "Washing Machine Charlies" by the Marines- dropped fragmentation bombs.

Warnings by the coast watchers sent the dive bombers of the Cactus Air Force out to try

to derail these Tokyo Expresses as they raced each afternoon up The Slot."

They aren't actually doing so for a few days early this week so Mikawa can gather force

for a big run the night of the 11th.

He will have Aritomo Goto's three cruiser force for bombardment support and 11th Air

Fleet Command assures him the Allies' Henderson Field on Guadalcanal will be bombed out of

commission.

Well, the afternoon of the 11th, some 90 Japanese planes do arrive to bomb Guadalcanal, but