Thursday 31 July 1941

A Finnish gunner inside the dorsal turret of a Bristol Blenheim bomber, July 31, 1941 (SA-Kuva).

Eastern Front: The Germans on 31 July 1941 capture and interrogate an unnamed Soviet General Staff officer who gives tantalizing hints that the Soviets may be in the process of abandoning Leningrad. He says that the Stavka is shifting troops from the Leningrad perimeter to south of Lake Ilmen to defend the approaches to Moscow. The Germans also notice heavy rail traffic between Moscow and Leningrad. General Halder hopefully notes in the OKH war diary a single word: "evacuation?"

Halder also notes something more troubling in the war diary. He writes that Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch, the head of the German Army (ObdH), is simply transcribing Hitler's most recent Fuhrer directive directly into operational orders. Halder writes plaintively:

Unfortunately I cannot induce ObdH to inject into this order the slightest overtone expressive of a will of his own. Its wording is dictated by an anxiety to avoid anything that could be suspected as opposition to his superior.

This continues a constant refrain in Halder's diary, that Hitler is tightening his grip on military operations and squeezing out all sense of direction aside from his own.

Finnish soldiers stand in lake Paanajärvi over the dead body of a Soviet soldier killed near Rukajärvi, Karelia, Finland (now Rugozero, Republic of Karelia, Russia). 31 July 1941 (SA-Kuva).

In the Far North sector, Finnish II Corps (Maj. Gen. Laatikainen) begins an offensive north of the Karelian Isthmus toward Lake Ladoga. One goal is to cut off the Soviet divisions that are northwest of the lake from their shortest withdrawal routes. The geographical target is the city of Viipuri (Vyborg), which Finland considers naturally its own possession and not Russian for historical reasons. The overall goal is the reconquest of the entire Karelian Isthmus. The defending Soviet 115th and 142nd Divisions have strong defensive positions and blunt the Finnish offensive.

In the Army Group North sector, German forces of the 16th Army secure the southwestern shore of Lake Ilmen. The Soviets counterattack from the direction of Toropets. General von Manstein's troops continue in the direction of Luga. The Soviets are putting up a strong defense at Kholm, which is preventing the Germans from transferring troops further south.

In the Army Group Center sector, there are only local Soviet counterattacks. The Soviets are building fortifications all along their positions and evidently they intend to make a stand where they are. The Soviets continue attacking the German "lightning rod" position at Yelnya from all directions. The Germans, meanwhile, continue reducing the Smolensk pocket while the trapped Soviet forces such as Group Kachalov attempt to break out.

In the Army Group South sector, the German Sixth Army continues to sidestep the large Soviet troop concentration at Kyiv to the south. Panzer Group 1 (General von Kleist) is operating west of Pervomaisk and attempting to envelop Soviet forces of the 12th Army. Soviet attacks against the 11th Army begin to increase in intensity during the day. Progress is slow for the Germans all across this sector.

Captain Eric S. Lock of the RAF in the cockpit of his Spitfire Mk.V with his dog, 31 July 1941.

European Air Operations: It is a quiet day on the air front in northwest Europe following several days of unsettled weather. The RAF sends four Blenheim bombers on a Roadstead sweep over St. Valery en Caux, and they return undamaged.

The Air Ministry reports that civilian air raid casualties during July 1941 were 900 killed and 908 injured.

Battle of the Baltic: U-140 (Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel) torpedoes and sinks 206-ton Soviet submarine M-94 (Lt Dyakov) at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland. Some sources place this on 21 or 22 July. There are three survivors. U-140 also attacks M-98 but misses.

Soviet minesweeper No. 46 sinks from unknown causes off Tallinn, Estonia.

The Luftwaffe (KG4) drops 38 mines at the mouth of the Triigi River, Saaremaa, Estonia.

HMCS Battleford, commissioned on 31 July 1941, off the East Coast of the United States, 5 October 1943.

Battle of the Atlantic: In Operation FB, the Royal Navy arrives at Advent Fjord, Spitsbergen. There are no Germans there, but about 700 Norwegians. Other ships arrive at Gronfjord, where there are 1800 Russians.

The Luftwaffe attacks 209-ton British freighter Onward about 20 miles east of Nolso, France.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Vansittart intercepts 792-ton Vichy French freighter Oued Grou several hundred miles south of Dakar. The British take the ship to Freetown.

The Germans at Arcachon, France requisition 329-ton Italian trawler Sardella.

German 3172-ton blockade runner Natal arrives at Gironde, France.

Soviet destroyer Sokrushitelny meets British minelayer HMS Adventure near the Gorodetski lighthouse at the entrance to the White Sea in northern Russia. Adventure has been detached from Operation EF, the raid on Petsamo and Kirkenes.

Convoy ON-3 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL-82 departs from Freetown bound for Liverpool. Ships intended for Convoy WS-10 (Winston Special) depart from Liverpool to join other ships arriving from other ports at sea.

Royal Navy corvettes HMS Monkshood (Lt. Commander James E. R. Wilford) and Pentstemon (Lt. Commander John Byron) are commissioned, escort carrier Pursuer is laid down.

Canadian corvette HMCS Battleford is commissioned in Montreal, Quebec (named after Battleford, Saskatchewan).

US destroyers USS Duncan, Lansdowne, and Pringle are laid down.

U-581 (Kapitänleutnant Werner Pfeifer) is commissioned, U-172 is launched, U-711 is laid down. The Kriegsmarine decommission U-B, which is the former Royal Navy submarine HMS Seal, at Kiel.

Allied shipping losses drop sharply in July 1941, from 389,316 tons in June to 109,276 tons in July. This undoubtedly is due to the diversion of German resources toward the Soviet Union. Allied losses are down sharply in every category, such as losses by U-boat down from 310,143 tons in June to 94,209 tons in July.

The silver lining for the Kriegsmarine is that they do not lose any U-boats during July after losing four in June. For its part, the Axis loses 12 ships of 47,055 tons in the Mediterranean. Admiral Doenitz has a fleet of 65 U-boats in operation during the month of July 1941.

Scots Dragoons of the "Royal Scotts Greys" Regiment fall in on horseback near Nablus, Palestine on July 31, 1941. The photo was taken after the regiment returned from fighting in Syria and Lebanon.

Battle of the Mediterranean: As part of Operation Style, a British Force S convoy run from Gibraltar to Malta, the Royal Navy Force H detaches destroyers HMS Cossack and Maori to bombard Italian positions at Alghero, Sardinia. They also fire star shells to guide in RAF planes from aircraft carrier Ark Royal. This attack is intended to distract the Italians away from the convoy ships heading to Malta.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Regent (Lt. Knox) surfaces and uses its deck guns to sink 160-ton Italian sailing ship Igea about seven miles northeast of Benghazi (or a similar distance from Carcura, Libya).

The Luftwaffe bombs Tobruk before dawn and are met with heavy anti-aircraft fire.

The Italians attack St Angelo, Malta with three BR-20 bombers. They cause some damage to military facilities there and injure three people. Three other BR-20 bombers attack the Grand Harbour area.

Braunschweig, Ruhfäutchenplatz. On the left is the New Town Hall, at the center of the picture is tram line 3, at the right is Dankwarderode Castle (Proietti, Ugo, Federal Archive, Bild 212-267).

US/Soviet Relations: President Roosevelt's personal emissary Harry Hopkins meets with Joseph Stalin in Moscow to discuss the terms of the United State's lend-lease aid to the USSR.

US/Japanese Relations: Japan lavishly apologizes for the bombing of USS Tutuila during a bombing raid of Chungking on the 30th. They call it "an accident, pure and simple."

Effective today, US exports of aviation motor fuels and lubricants and No. 1 heavy melting iron and steel scrap to Japan are put on the restricted list pursuant to the Export Control Act signed on 2 July 1940.

German/Swedish Relations: Having successfully transferred the 163rd Infantry Division in its entirety from Narvik, Norway to Finland on the railway line that runs across Swedish territory, the Germans ask for Swedish permission to transfer another division. The Swedes, who have been conflicted about the earlier decision, refuse.

German/Spanish Relations: Troops of the Spanish Blue Division are formally designated the Wehrmacht's 250th Infantry Division. They assemble prior to their departure to the front and swear allegiance to Adolf Hitler. They are destined for the Army Group North sector.

German Relations: Romanian leader Ion Antonescu acquiesces to Hitler's recent request to have Romanian troops conquer and occupy Ukrainian territory between the Bug and Dniester Rivers.

"Lord Derby is seen talking with Mrs. T A Hussey." The opening of the new extension of the Flotilla Club, 31 July 1941. © IWM (A 4698).

Ecuadorian/Peruvian Relations: After several days of discussion during which military operations continued, the two sides agree to a ceasefire in their border war. As a last military movement in the war, Peruvian troops arrive at Puerto Bolivar by ship and continue to operate against Ecuadorian troops in the Amazonian jungle.

German Military: General Ludwig Crüwell becomes commander of Afrika Corps while Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel is promoted to command of the new Panzerarmee Afrika. Panzer Army Africa is more the size of a corps than an army because it has only one infantry and two panzer divisions. While there are large Italian forces in North Africa, they remain under nominal Italian command. Crüwell is ill and does not take up his position until 15 September.

A Lockheed Ventura of RAF No. 21 Squadron ca. 1941.

US Military: The Lockheed Ventura, a twin-engine medium bomber, makes its first flight. It is developed from the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar transport. The British Purchasing Commission ordered 188 Venturas in February 1940 while the plane was still in the early stages of development.

US heavy cruiser USS Astoria arrives at Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian Islands.

Soviet Military: Soviet 43rd Army (Lieutenant General Ivan Zakharkin) becomes operational as part of General Georgy Zhukov's new Reserve Front pursuant to a Stavka order dated 30 July 1941. Its mission is to defend the Desna River south of Yelnya on the line of Kholmets and Bogdanovo.

A translation of the 31 July 1941 letter from Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering to Reinhard Heydrich regarding the "Final Solution" (Truman Library).

Bulgarian Government: The Bulgarian government annexes its portion of the former Yugoslavia.

Holocaust: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering sends RSHA (Reichssicherheitshaupamt) Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich an order to make:

all the necessary preparations with regard to organizational, practical and financial aspects for an overall solution (Gesamtlosung) of the "Jewish question" in the German sphere of influence in Europe.

Heydrich already has verbally instructed the SS to exterminate entire groups of people, including Jews, and even put it in writing. However, some later assume that Heydrich specifically asks Goering for this after-the-fact authorization letter. In colloquial terms, it is a "cover your butt" letter for Heydrich's benefit.

As it works out, the letter is meaningless to Heydrich (who is assassinated in 1942) but provides a "smoking gun" against Goering at the Nuremberg Trials (who futilely claims that the letter is mistranslated and only refers to a "desired solution," not a "final solution"). While things may have progressed as they did without this order, it provides legal cover for Heydrich to do whatever he wants to do - and Heydrich wants to do a lot where the Jews are concerned.

At Kishinev, Bessarabia (Moldova), the SS has killed about 10,000 Jews by the end of the month. At Zhytomyr, an additional 2500 are dead.

Einsatzcommando 3 reports executing 235 Jewish men, 16 Jewish women, and 5 non-Jews in the "Jäger Report."

Norwegian Homefront: Reich Commissar Josef Terboven issues a regulation that authorizes him to declare a civilian state of emergency. He does not do so at this time, however.

American Homefront: The New York Yankees lead the American League by 12.0 games over the second-place Cleveland Indians, while the St. Louis Cardinals leads the National League by 2.0 games over the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The original and infamous "final solution" letter from Hermann Goering to Reinhard Heydrich, 31 July 1941

July 1941

July 1, 1941: US TV Broadcasting Starts
July 2, 1941: MAUD Report
July 3, 1941: Stalin Speaks
July 4, 1941: Pogroms in Eastern Europe
July 5, 1941: Germans on Schedule
July 6, 1941: Australians Attack Damour
July 7, 1941: US Marines in Iceland
July 8, 1941: Flying Fortresses In Action
July 9, 1941: British Take Damour
July 10, 1941: Sword and Scabbard Order
July 11, 1941: Cease-fire in Syria and Lebanon
July 12, 1941: Anglo/Russian Assistance Pact
July 13, 1941: Uprising in Montenegro
July 14, 1941: Katyusha Rocket Launchers in Action
July 15, 1941: Smolensk Falls
July 16, 1941: Stalin's Son Captured
July 17, 1941: Heydrich Orders Mass Executions
July 18, 1941: Twin Pimples Raid
July 19, 1941: V for Victory
July 20, 1941: The Man Who Wouldn't Shoot
July 21, 1941: Moscow in Flames
July 22, 1941: Soviet Generals Executed
July 23, 1941: Secret Plan JB 355
July 24, 1941: Operation Sunrise
July 25, 1941: US Naval Alert
July 26, 1941: Italian E-Boat Attack on Malta
July 27, 1941: MacArthur Returns
July 28, 1941: Auschwitz Exterminations
July 29, 1941: Rescue From Crete
July 30, 1941: Raid on Petsamo and Kirkenes
July 31, 1941: Final Solution Order

August 1941

August 1, 1941: More Executions on Crete
August 2, 1941: Uman Encirclement Closes
August 3, 1941: Bishop von Galen Denounces Euthanasia
August 4, 1941: Hitler at the Front
August 5, 1941: Soviets Surrender at Smolensk 
August 6, 1941: U-Boats in the Arctic
August 7, 1941: Soviets Bomb Berlin
August 8, 1941: Uman Pocket Captured
August 9, 1941: Atlantic Conference at Placentia Bay
August 10, 1941: Soviet Bombers Mauled Over Berlin
August 11, 1941: Rita Hayworth in Life
August 12, 1941: Atlantic Charter Announced
August 13, 1941: The Soybean Car
August 14, 1941: The Anders Army Formed
August 15, 1941: Himmler at Minsk
August 16, 1941: Stalin's Order No. 270
August 17, 1941: Germans in Novgorod
August 18, 1941: Lili Marleen
August 19, 1941: Convoy OG-71 Destruction
August 20, 1941: Siege of Leningrad Begins
August 21, 1941: Stalin Enraged
August 22, 1941: Germans Take Cherkassy
August 23, 1941: Go to Kiev
August 24, 1941: Finns Surround Viipuri
August 25, 1941: Iran Invaded
August 26, 1941: The Bridge Over the Desna
August 27, 1941: Soviets Evacuate Tallinn
August 28, 1941: Evacuating Soviets Savaged
August 29, 1941: Finns take Viipuri
August 30, 1941: Operation Acid
August 31, 1941: Mannerheim Says No

2020

Sunday 13 July 1941

Execution of Victor Feigin, a Soviet spy ("tankodesantniki") behind Finnish lines, by Finnish soldiers, Hangon Iohko, July 13, 1941 (Photographer: Zilliacus / Finnish Armed Forces). Some sources place this incident on 17 July 1941. This has been colorized. Everything that is known about "Feigin" relies upon the documentation that he carried that was created for him by Soviet intelligence services. It showed him to be an Estonian. Spies were subject to summary execution by all sides during World War II.

Eastern Front: It is three weeks into Operation Barbarossa on 13 July 1931, and, at this point, it has been an unqualified success for the Wehrmacht. If anything, Soviet resistance appears to be waning, and all of the hopes and dreams of the German high command appear to be coming true.

The two sides exchange air raids against important targets today. The Luftwaffe bombs Kyiv, while the Red Air Force attacks Ploesti, Romania. While Kyiv basically is just another large city, Ploesti is the home of Romanian oil fields. Romanian oil is absolutely critical to the health of the German economy and military, and protecting the oil fields is - in Hitler's own words as spoken to Marshal Mannerheim on 4 June 1942 - one of the top reasons Germany invaded the Soviet Union in the first place. The Red Air Force raid causes widespread damage.

Finnish bicycle battalion advancing towards Tolvajärvi at 04:37 on the morning of July 13, 1941.

In the Far North sector, General Dietl tries to get the stalled offensive rolling beyond the Litsa River toward Murmansk by having the troops attack out of their bridgehead. However, the Soviets are solidly dug in and the attack makes no progress.

In the Army Group Center sector, the roads are bad and the panzers have difficulty making much ground. The Soviets are making a strong stand in Estonia and greatly slowing the German advance toward Leningrad. German 4th Panzer Group captures some footholds on the far side of the Luga River.

In the Army Group Center sector, General Guderian's Second Panzer Group continues its advance across the Dneipr River. Guderian lead troops (29th Motorized Division) are within 18 km (11 miles) of Smolensk, and they are past Mogilev in the direction of Orsha. Due to their speed, the panzers have bypassed several Soviet divisions, and it is up to the following German infantry to capture them. General Franz Halder notes in his war diary that "Guderian's attack is developing surprisingly well." General Hoth's 3rd Panzer Group continues its advance to the northeast of Vitebsk but Nineteenth Army is barely advancing further north.

In the Army Group South sector, the Soviets are determined to make a stand at Kyiv, but elsewhere they continue to retreat. While Romanian Fourth Army is greatly weakened, it continues to advance because the Red Army is shortening its own lines. Seventeenth Army faces few counterattacks, but Soviet artillery is increasing in intensity along the Stalin Line. German Sixth Army and Army Group 1 is in a hard fight at Berdichev but by the end of the day, the Soviets pull back and lose contact with the advance German forces.

Panzers 35(t) of the 6th Panzer Division advancing towards Leningrad.

At 12:30, General Halder, in his role as chief of operations at OKH (army headquarters), briefs Adolf Hitler at the afternoon strategy conference at the Wolfschanze in Rastenburg (throughout the war, Hitler holds two military strategy conferences every day, roughly at noontime and midnight). Hitler approves Halder's plans, which include:

1. Restrain Army Group Center, meaning Panzer Groups 2 and 3, from continuing the advance on Moscow for the time being. and instead, focus on encircling enemy concentrations at Smolensk;
2. In the Army Group South sector, destroy enemy concentrations southwest of Kyiv around Korosten.

While Hitler goes along with Halder's overall plans, he chips in his own ideas. Hitler has had a lot of free time at Rastenburg to study the map, and this has led him to his own conclusions about strategy. While he does not take complete control over operations, he increasingly has detailed ideas about operations that above the mere tactical, but hardly of strategic import. For instance, today Hitler advises Halder:

1. It is his (Hitler's) opinion that it is more important to destroy Soviet troops than to advance further east;
2. Army Group North needs to prioritize advancing quickly to Lake Ladoga to cut off Leningrad;
3. Hoth's Panzer Group 3 should circle back to take the pressure off of troops on the southern section of Army Group North's front;
4. Terror raids on Moscow to "prevent the orderly evacuation of Government agencies" and counter Soviet propaganda that the Luftwaffe can't do it;
5. Troops are needed in the West for political reasons.

Hitler's ideas at times have some cleverness to them. However, they also are contradictory (he wants to slow down the advance, but apparently speed it up toward Leningrad) and involve using military force for political objectives. Hitler's ideas, at least for the time being, do not interfere with the professional conduct of operations, but it is clear that he wishes to use the military in ways that the generals do not feel is best.

Hitler, in fact, is making Halder miserable. After Halder returns to his own headquarters, thinking that everything has been settled, ObdH (Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch's headquarters) calls him with the news that Hitler has been ranting negatively about the conduct of operations. In particular, Hitler wants certain divisions to move to different locations. This is a new level of interference with military operations. Hitler sends a written order to ObdH just to make sure he is taken seriously (Hitler's military orders invariably are written by General Keitel based on whatever Hitler has been ranting about, who serves the role of Hitler's office boy).

Another, much larger question remains unsettled. The army Generals continue to prefer a quick ride to Moscow, which they feel is entirely feasible. General von Greiffenberg, for instance, calls Halder (or vice versa) and opines that a quick thrust now to Moscow would find little opposition. Field Marshal von Bock sends a teletype later in the day supporting von Greiffenberg's idea. Hitler, however, is dead set against it.

A German soldier's photo showing German soldiers standing around a Roma woman. Photographed on July 13, 1941. On the back of the photo, beside the date, is written: Langst with a female Gypsy."

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: With a ceasefire in place and both sides in basic agreement on the terms (the French make some fuss today, but they are in no position to argue about Britain's generous offer), the only formality remaining to wind up the war is signing an armistice. Today is spent drafting the document, which is planned to be signed at Acre tomorrow.

British 3597-ton tanker Pegasus hits a mine and sinks at Beirut Harbor. This is a friendly-fire incident, as it is a British mine.

European Air Operations: After dark, RAF Bomber Command decides to raid Bremen, as they have several times recently, with 47 Wellingtons. Bomber Command also sends 20 Wellingtons to Vegesack and 2 to Emden. Weather is poor, though, with thick cloud cover and icing conditions, so most of the planes turn back because they can't find their targets. In the final analysis, only 16 of the bombers claim to have attacked Bremen and one Vegesack, with Emden not hit at all - and just because a bomber claims to have hit a target doesn't mean it actually did. Two of the Wellingtons sent to Bremen fail to return.

Remnants of the Belfast Blitz: Avondale Street, East Belfast on July 13, 1941.

The same street, reconstructed, in 2015 (BelfastLive).

Battle of the Baltic: It is common for some to think that the Germans never had any difficulties controlling the Baltic. While for much of the war that is true, at various times the Soviets cause - or at least try to cause - the Kriegsmarine a lot of problems in this supposedly "secure area." Today is one of those times. A collection of Soviet destroyers, motor torpedo boats and bombers attack a German convoy off the coast of Latvia. The Soviet force sinks German landing ship Deutschland in the Gulf of Riga. However, the other German ships escape.

The Kriegsmarine lays mines in the Baltic.

July 13, 1941: HMS Nelson as seen in convoy WS9C as it forms in the North Atlantic. The picture is taken from HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 4813-ton British freighter Scorton about two miles west of Buoy 57C off Smith's Knoll, Norfolk. The ship is taken in tow to Immingham.

British/Canadian 1780-ton freighter Collingdoc hits a mine and sinks just off Southend Pier in the Thames Estuary. There are two deaths. The ship sinks in very shallow water, and it is refloated in barely a week and towed to Gravesend. However, ultimately the ship is not returned to service and is converted to a hulk for use at Rosyth as a blockship on 28 March 1942.

Convoy WS 9C (Winston Special) forms at sea as ships arrive at a predetermined point from Avonmouth, the Clyde, and Liverpool. Most of the convoy is ultimately destined for Malta in Operation Substance.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Taku torpedoes and sinks 2703-ton Italian freighter Caldea about ten nautical miles (19 km) northwest of Benghazi. Italian torpedo boat Montanari attacks Taku, but the submarine gets away.

After dark, the Luftwaffe conducts more minelaying operations at the Suez Canal with 20 bombers.

At Malta, the weather is poor, with low visibility, so there are only a few enemy bombing attacks. However, invasion fears remain high. The government issues an order requiring all troops to be on "constant standby" in case of an enemy attack. This means that upon the sounding of the General Arm, soldiers must return to their duty stations whether they be on leave, at a rest camp, or anywhere else.

"Williams Hold Hitting Lead in American Loop - But Boston Star Finally Slips Below .400 Average," 13 July 1941.

POWs: Polish-Jewish violinist and music educator Henri Czaplinski  (aka Genrikh Maksimovich Chaplinsky) escapes from an NKVD prison in Lviv, Ukraine during a Luftwaffe raid. He heads to the German lines and offers his services as a translator.

Spy Stuff: Japanese agent Mr. Negishi in Manila asks Tokyo for 40,000 yen. He wishes to use the money to fund three candidates (who have requested the money) during their campaigns for office in the Philippine assembly. Tokyo takes the request under advisement.

Soviet/German Relations: There are always awkward details to be attended to upon the outbreak of war, and one of them is handling the embassy/consulate staff of your opponent trapped in your own capital. How this is handled during Operation Barbarossa is a demonstration of classy behavior by both sides. Today, the Soviet staff of the Soviet Embassy in Berlin makes it to neutral Turkey via Svilengrad, Bulgaria. Once the diplomats are across the border, the Soviets allow the Germans from the German Embassy in Moscow to depart as well. Thus, both sides' embassy staffs make it out of enemy territory safely despite the very hard feelings felt on both sides.

German/Spanish Relations: Spanish volunteers to the Blue Division start leaving Madrid, Spain, heading for Grafenwöhr, Bavaria. Their destiny is to fight alongside the Wehrmacht in the Soviet Union.

Anglo/US Relations: President Roosevelt's crony Harry Hopkins departs by air for London.

Man sleeping in front of Dunhill Funeral Home after a night drinking, 711 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, New York, 13 July 1941 (Weegee).

US Military: The D.C. Armory, a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Washington, D.C., opens. It is intended to be the headquarters, armory, and training facility for the District of Columbia National Guard.

Montenegro: There is a partisan uprising against Italian garrison troops known as the "13 July Uprising." This follows closely upon the 12 July proclamation of a restored Kingdom of Montenegro headed by an Italian regent and led by Montenegrin separatist Sekula Drljević and his supporters, known as "Greens" (zelenaši). This is part of the fallout of the recent divvying up of Yugoslavia between Italy, Germany, and their allied partners. 

It also is a result of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Communists around the world rally to the Allied cause as a result of this. The Communist Party of Yugoslavia follows this trend, led by a senior Montenegrin member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, Milovan Đilas, who initiates the revolt. Note that previous to Operation Barbarossa, Đilas and his compatriots evinced no such inclination to revolt. While the communists begin the rebellion, many ordinary folks and nationalists/monarchists join it. Serb nationalists also get involved. The uprising will last for the rest of the year, and

This type of incident causes a fair amount of eye-rolling in the Wehrmacht. The bitter observation that "the Italians aren't even equal to the bandits" becomes popular.

On the afternoon of July 13, 1941 Sergeant-airman of the Royal Air Force, William Bernard Oakes, 21, died at the controls of an RAF Wellington bomber when it crashed into the sea off Fão, near Esposende, in the northern part of Portugal. The circumstances of the crash are unknown, variously ascribed to cloudy and rainy weather and an engine fire. He is buried with the five others in the plane in the cemetery of St. James, in Oporto.

British Homefront: George Orwell writes "English Writing in Total War." In it, he bemoans the current state of English literature, noting, "Novels are still being published, but they are terribly bad ones." However, he also notes "The general level of intelligence in England is now higher than it has ever been."

American Homefront: The New York Yankees play a doubleheader at Comiskey Park, Chicago. Joe DiMaggio goes 3-4 in the opening game and also gets a single in the second game. This extends DiMaggio's major-league record hitting streak to 53 consecutive games.

Actor William Holden marries actress Brenda Marshall, whose actual name is Ardis Ankerson. This is the start of a long marriage that lasts until 1971, a very long time by Hollywood standards. Holden shot to fame in "Golden Boy" (1939) and owes his stardom to his co-star in that film, Barbara Stanwyck, who helped Holden with the role. Stanwyck in 1941 is Holden's "close friend and mentor," but she already is married to another one of her "pupils," Robert Taylor.

Future History: Robert Wallace Forster, Jr. is born in Rochester, New York. Forster goes on to become a well-known Hollywood actor, first appearing in "Reflections in a Golden Eye" (1967). He is perhaps best known for playing Max Cherry in "Jackie Brown" (1997), for which Forster was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Forster remains active in the film business.

Excavation of Union Square parking garage (Powell, Post, Stockton, and Geary), San Francisco, California, 13 July 1941 (Pat Hathaway).

July 1941

July 1, 1941: US TV Broadcasting Starts
July 2, 1941: MAUD Report
July 3, 1941: Stalin Speaks
July 4, 1941: Pogroms in Eastern Europe
July 5, 1941: Germans on Schedule
July 6, 1941: Australians Attack Damour
July 7, 1941: US Marines in Iceland
July 8, 1941: Flying Fortresses In Action
July 9, 1941: British Take Damour
July 10, 1941: Sword and Scabbard Order
July 11, 1941: Cease-fire in Syria and Lebanon
July 12, 1941: Anglo/Russian Assistance Pact
July 13, 1941: Uprising in Montenegro
July 14, 1941: Katyusha Rocket Launchers in Action
July 15, 1941: Smolensk Falls
July 16, 1941: Stalin's Son Captured
July 17, 1941: Heydrich Orders Mass Executions
July 18, 1941: Twin Pimples Raid
July 19, 1941: V for Victory
July 20, 1941: The Man Who Wouldn't Shoot
July 21, 1941: Moscow in Flames
July 22, 1941: Soviet Generals Executed
July 23, 1941: Secret Plan JB 355
July 24, 1941: Operation Sunrise
July 25, 1941: US Naval Alert
July 26, 1941: Italian E-Boat Attack on Malta
July 27, 1941: MacArthur Returns
July 28, 1941: Auschwitz Exterminations
July 29, 1941: Rescue From Crete
July 30, 1941: Raid on Petsamo and Kirkenes
July 31, 1941: Final Solution Order

2020

Monday 10 February 1941

Romanian IAR-80 fighters.

Italian/Greek Campaign: While the action at the front remains quiet on 10 February 1941, the Allied capitals are buzzing with discussions about how to meet the expected German invasion of Greece via Bulgaria. According to today's Defence Committee minutes in London, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill remains determined to help the Greeks. He is less impressed with the Turks, who, according to the Defence Committee minutes, he feels is "shirking her responsibilities." However, a neutral Turkey on the right of the line would be useful, and a spirited defense in Greece might induce the Turks "and possibly the Yugoslavs" to fight the Germans as well. The meeting reaches a somewhat uncertain conclusion, with it being "generally expressed that it was essential for us to come to the assistance of the Greeks if they would have us."

East African Campaign: After a one-day pause, the British Indian troops at Keren resume their attacks. Today, they focus on the left side of the Dongolaas Gorge and don't attack the right side at all. The 3/1st Punjab Regiment attacks Brig's Peak and Sanchil Peak next to it. As on their previous attack, the Indian troops are vulnerable to artillery and small-arms fire both at the mountain and on the approaches from the Cameron Ridge. The fighting is fluid and seesaws throughout the day, with both sides claiming the peak at different times. The day ends with the Indian troops managing to maintain two platoons situated partway up the heights. The two battalions involved, the 3/1st Punjab and the 4/11 Sikhs, lose 123 and 100+ casualties, respectively.

In Italian Somaliland, British General Cunningham (brother of Admiral Cunningham) opens Operation Canvas. This is an assault across the Juba River. The RAF raids Afmadu in Italian Somaliland. In Eritrea, the Indian 7th Infantry Brigade captures Mersa Tadai (on the Red Sea Coast).

At Kismayo, Somalia, the Axis authorities can see the writing on the wall regarding the approaching British troops. Eight ships make a break for it after dark, trying to escape to more secure ports. The Royal Navy, however, is patrolling offshore with improvised Force T. Heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins captures:

• 3809-ton Italian freighter Adria
• 5490-ton Italian freighter Savoia
• 5644-ton Italian freighter Erminia Mazzella
• 5594-ton Italian freighter Manon
• 7515-ton Italian freighter Leonardo da Vinci

German 7201-ton freighter Uckermark is approached by the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle of Force T and its crew scuttle it.

2315-ton Italian freighter Duca Degli Abruzzi and 2699 ton Italian freighter Somalia are the only two of the eight ships that make good their escapes. They make it to Diego Suarez.

HMAS Sydney at Circular Quay, Sydney Harbor, 10 February 1941 (Sydney Morning Herald).

European Air Operations: After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends about 200 planes of RAF No. 7 Squadron over Hanover. Hanover is the location of a major manufacturer of U-boats. This includes the first operations for Short Stirling bombers. Another flight of bombers attacks oil installations at Rotterdam.

There is a Circus Raid on Dunkirk and a Roadstead operation on shipping off Calais. Both are by six Blenheim bombers escorted by heavy fighter escorts.

There are reports of a Luftwaffe air raid on Iceland. The only slight activity takes place over England, with a few bombs dropped on East Anglia.

Werner Mölders claims his 56th victory.

Battle of the Atlantic: The weather remains rough. Ice in the North sea damages U-147, sending it back to Cuxhaven for repairs, while Royal Navy 109-ton drifter Boy Alan is involved in a collision and sinks in the Thames Estuary. The frigid weather makes surviving sinkings extremely unlikely unless conditions are just right, and two ships sink today with no survivors.

U-37 (Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen) follows up its two sinkings east of the Azores on the 9th with another one today. Today, it torpedoes and sinks 1473 ton British freighter Brandenburg in Convoy HG 53. All 23 crew onboard perish, along with 30 survivors of the Courland which the Brandenburg had picked up on the 9th after U-37 sank it as well. Convoy escort sloop Deptford launches an attack on U-37, but the submarine gets away.

U-52 (Kptlt. Otto Salman) torpedoes and sinks 3364-ton British freighter Canford Chine about 306 km southwest of Rockall in the Northwest Approaches. There are no survivors from the 35-man crew.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 6869-ton British freighter Benmacdhui in the North Sea off Hembsy Beach. The ship manages to make it to Tees on her own.

German raider Kormoran concludes its three-day meeting with supply ship Nordmark in the mid-Atlantic off the Cape Verde Islands. Captain Detmers takes his ship south. On this journey, Detmers receives a signal from Berlin notifying him that the Kormoran has been awarded two First Class Iron Crosses and 50 Second Class Iron Crosses, to be awarded to whomsoever he chooses.

Convoy BS 15 departs from Suez, Convoy SL 65 and SLS 65 depart from Freetown.--

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Blackmore is laid down.

US submarine USS Growler is laid down.

Highway Post Office bus #1, Strasburg, Virginia, 10 February 1941. This is a new "mail on wheels" Highway Post Office bus route of the US Post Office (Postal Museum).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The mysterious British troops that landed on Malta on the 9th in six converted Whitley bombers, a complete mystery to the British forces there, fly off again as mysteriously as they arrived at 18:30. This is Operation Colossus, an operation by 38 paratroopers of No. 2 Commando, No. 11 Special Air Service Battalion who are designated as X Force. They head north, where they drop near the town of Calitri in southern Italy. The objective is an aqueduct crossing the Tragino River in Campania near Monte Vulture. This carries the water supply for the Italian naval base at Taranto at the southern tip of Italy.

The British troops of Operation Colossus arrive over the Italian drop zone at 21:42. The paratroopers from the first five planes land quite near or in the drop zone. However, the sixth plane for some reason misses the drop zone completely and ultimately drops its six paratroopers in a valley two miles from the aqueduct about two hours later. Ordinarily, this might not have been a problem, given planned redundancy; however, this final plane just happens to be carrying Royal Engineer sappers and their demolition equipment. The commander of the force, Major T.A.G. Pritchard, forms a hedgehog around the bridge, but at first determines that he has insufficient explosions to demolish the aqueduct (which is found to be constructed, not of brick, but of reinforced concrete). However, he picks a particularly vulnerable spot around the western pier and manages to blow up both the aqueduct and another nearby bridge over the Ginestra River.

At this point, the Commandos split up into three groups and head for pickup on the coast. A local farmer spots the Pritchard group, and local carabinieri (police) soon arrives and arrests them. Another commando group tries to bluff their way out by claiming to be Germans, but the carabinieri round them up, too. All of the groups wind up as POWs, and the Italian translator with them is given to the Blackshirts, tortured, and executed. To add to the mission's later reputation as a fiasco, the submarine sent to pick the commandos up, HMS Triumph, must rescue the crew of a crashed Whitley (conducting a diversionary raid at Foggia airport) and would have been unavailable for the pick-up anyway because of security concerns that its location had been identified.

The operation is a technical success and a strategic failure. The aqueduct is repaired quickly, and the Italian base is unaffected because it has other short-term water supplies. The best result of Operation Colossus for the British is that the military learns that more planning is necessary for the troops after they are on the ground, not just on how to get them to the target.

Having stopped at Palermo, Sicily, the convoy carrying the very first elements of what will become the Afrikakorps (DAK) departs for the final leg to Tripoli. This is by far the most hazardous portion of the convoy route, both due to the presence of the Royal Navy but also because of mines and RAF aerial surveillance. The transports carrying the 5th Light Division troops should dock in Tripolitania on the 11th.

Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, whose troops have been a key component in the victories achieved over the Italians in the recent Operation Compass, has lunch with British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell. He records the following conclusions in his private diary:

(a) Tripoli probably not worthwhile
(b) Aggregation principle for AIF good, but must not be too rigid - e.g., guarding Canal or tackling Dodecanese. Difficult to find a front which will occupy entire Corps.
(c) Victory at Keren and Massawa would end East African campaign
(d) Thinks we should consider forming a Second Corps Headquarters.

The mention of Tripoli is significant, because, if Wavell knew that the Germans were on the verge of landing there, he might not think it was "not worthwhile."

In Libya, General O'Connor's XIII Corps continues clearing the region from Benghazi to El Agheila. O'Connor is seeking permission to proceed further west and south to Tripolitania and has sent a liaison officer to Cairo to get permission from Wavell.

Royal Navy Force H, which successfully bombarded Genoa on the 9th, arrives back at Gibraltar.

The RAF raids Colato, Rhodes.

Today marks Malta's 300th air raid of the war. It is a minor raid by one bomber at 18:40, with the aircraft dropping bombs at Hal Far airfield and Kalafrana.

Jackson Daily News, 10 February 1941.

Anglo/Romanian Relations: British Ambassador Sir Reginald has a meeting with Conducător Ion Antonescu. He asks Antonescu why so many German troops are necessary for training purposes, the purported reason for their presence. Receiving unsatisfactory replies regarding the growing German military presence in the country at the half-hour meeting, the ambassador decides to return to England. This is seen as the moment when Great Britain severs diplomatic relations with Romania - a country which at one point during the 1930s was a close British ally. However, officially the breaking of relations happens tomorrow.

Anglo/US Relations: President Roosevelt's personal envoy to London Harry Hopkins boards a plane to fly back to Washington.

Japanese/Thai Relations: The Japanese are "mediating" continuing negotiations between the Thais and the Vichy French to conclude their border war in Indochina. They send four cruisers ( IJN Suzuya, IJN Mikuma, IJN Mogami, and IJN Kumano) to Bangkok to "show the flag." This is Operation S, a not-very-subtle show of support for the Thais and an effort to pressure the French into a weak negotiating posture.

US Military: The 104th Automatic Weapons Battalion is activated at Birmingham, Alabama. Iowa National Guard unit 133rd Infantry Regiment is inducted into the US Army as the 34th Infantry Division.

Romanian Military: Deliveries of the first 20 home-grown IAR 80 fighters begin today to operational units of the 8th Fighter Group. The aircraft uses a licensed Gnome-Rhône 14K II Mistral Major engine (870 hp (650 kW) IAR K14-III C32 engine, switched to the 960 hp (716 kW) K14-IV C32 engine for the 21st through 50th versions).

Coincidentally, a Bf 109 arrives at Brasov today for purposes of testing a DB 601 1175hp engine on the IAR 80. Romanian pilots have complained that the engine in the plane is underpowered, and it also is in short supply. However, ultimately the DB 601 engine (removed from the Messerschmitt and transplanted into the IAR 80) is found to cause vibrations in flight and is not used.

US Government: While the US House of Representatives has passed the Lend-Lease bill, the Senate is still considering it. Merwin K. Hart, a founder of the New York State Economic Council, testifies. He states that the Lend-Lease bill likely would lead the country into war and create an authoritarian regime in the United States.
China: The Japanese 11th Army completes its return to its base at Hsinyang, watched by the Chinese 5th War Area. This ends the Battle of Southern Honen.

Dutch Homefront: In occupied Amsterdam, tensions are brewing. There are street clashes between SA street thugs and Jewish supporters. Daily resistance paper "Nieuwsbrief van Pieter’t Hoen," changes its name to "Het Parool."

Life Magazine, 10 February 1941.

February 1941

February 1, 1941: US Military Reorganization
February 2, 1941: Wehrmacht Supermen
February 3, 1941: World Will Hold Its Breath
February 4, 1941: USO Forms
February 5, 1941: Hitler Thanks Irish Woman
February 6, 1941: Operation Sunflower
February 7, 1941: Fox Killed in the Open
February 8, 1941: Lend Lease Passes House
February 9, 1941: Give Us The Tools
February 10, 1941: Operation Colossus
February 11, 1941: Afrika Korps
February 12, 1941: Rommel in Africa
February 13, 1941: Operation Composition
February 14, 1941: Nomura in Washington
February 15, 1941: Churchill's Warning
February 16, 1941: Operation Adolphus
February 17, 1941: Invade Ireland?
February 18, 1941: Panzerwaffe Upgrade
February 19, 1941: Three Nights Blitz
February 20, 1941: Prien's Farewell
February 21, 1941: Swansea Blitz Ends
February 22, 1941: Amsterdam Pogrom
February 23, 1941: OB-288 Convoy Destruction
February 24, 1941: Okuda Spies
February 25, 1941: Mogadishu Taken
February 26, 1941: OB-290 Convoy Destruction
February 27, 1941: Operation Abstention
February 28, 1941: Ariets Warns Stalin

2020

Friday 14 January 1941

Thai coastal defense ship Thonburi, sunk (later refloated) at the Battle of Koh Chang, 17 January 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks continue consolidating their hold on the key strategic pass on 17 January 1941. They are not yet able to advance beyond the pass toward the key port of Savona, however, as the Italians are making its defense a top priority. While the Greeks have made significant gains all along the front, they have not broken through to the coast anywhere except by pushing forward on the coast itself.

The British plan a raid (Operation Blunt) by men of No. 50 (Middle East) Commando (based on Crete) on the Italian base at the island of Kásos, southeastern  Aegean. However, the operation is postponed for obscure reasons, and ultimately never takes place. The proposed operation is not a sham or decoy, as several important Royal Navy ships are held in readiness for the operation.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe attacks Swansea, raining 32,000 incendiaries on it. The St. Thomas neighborhood is badly damaged. There are 97 casualties and 55 deaths.

The RAF raids shipping off the Dutch coast, with some small-scale attacks made on Brest, Cherbourg, and some French airfields.

On a cold, winter's day, a German Heinkel He 111 reconnaissance plane from Oldenburg near Bremen crashes near Vaasetter, Fair Isle, Shetland. The Heinkel, piloted by Leutnant Karl Heinz Thurz (who survives) is shot down by two Hurricane Mk 1 pilots, Pilot Officer Eddie Berry (RNZAF) and Flight Officer R Watson (RCAF) from RAF No. 3 Squadron based at Sumburgh in the Shetland Isles. Three crew members survive (two perish) and are placed under citizen's arrest by some of the locals. Everyone calmly awaits the arrival of the Royal Navy to take care of them.

This incident made quite an impression and has been extensively researched for some reason, such as here and here. Pieces of the plane can still be seen on the island, scattered all about. Thurz returned for a visit in the 1980s and passed away in 2006.

While air action has died down considerably, there still are the occasional interceptions. Hauptmann (Captain) Herbert Ihlefeld of Stab I./LG 2 shoots down a Spitfire at 16:00 for his 26th claim.

French Light cruiser La Motte-Picquet (1939). Its 155 mm guns are hidden by the typical awnings used in peacetime, especially in the tropics.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-96 (Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock), on its second patrol out of Lorient, is chasing another freighter (unknown, and a very lucky escape) when it happens upon an "independent," 14,936-ton British liner Almeda Star (Commodore Harry Cecil Howard of the Blue Star Line), in the shipping lanes south of Iceland (about 35 miles northeast of Rockall). Liners don't like to participate in convoys because they figure that speed will protect them more than crossing as part of a group. This time, the reasoning proves faulty, as U-96 puts a torpedo into the liner at 07:45. While the liner stops, it does not sink, so Lehmann-Willenbrock puts another torpedo into it - but it remains afloat. Finally, after putting two more torpedoes into the stricken liner and hitting it with 15 of 28 incendiary shells, the Almeda Star sinks at 13:59.

With no other ships around - one of those hidden values of being in a convoy is having rescue ships nearby - the 359 people on board (including 177 Royal Navy personnel traveling as passengers) have little chance. Lehmann-Willenbrock sees four lifeboats, but the seas are rough and the weather is brutal. They all perish and no trace of them is ever found.

The Almeda Star sinking results in one of the largest losses of life with no survivors - perhaps the largest - on the North Atlantic run. Rescue efforts are hampered by the nearest ships having fuel issues, which delays anyone arriving on the scene. Hours count when the weather is below freezing and you are in an open boat. The Royal Navy sends ships to try to track down the U-boat, but they have no luck.

Italian submarine Marcello continues a recent streak of Italian aggressiveness in the Atlantic, spotting a convoy near the Outer Hebrides and moving in for the attack. However, the escorts spot the submarine and attack, damaging the submarine with five depth charges. This forces the Marcello to return to base.

German cruiser Admiral Scheer (Captain Krancke) remains on the loose in the South Atlantic, defying Royal Navy attempts to track it down. On or about this date (some sources say the 18th), it captures 8038-ton Norwegian oil tanker Sandefjord (Torger S. Torgersen). The Sandefjord carries 11,000 tons of crude oil and eventually is sent to the Gironde inlet, France, which it reaches safely.

The Luftwaffe is active against shipping during the day. It damages 2671-ton Norwegian freighter Thoroy at Avonmouth and both 9555-ton Panamanian tanker Norvik and 3204-ton Norwegian freighter Novasli at Swansea.

In a sinking redolent with history, the Royal Navy sinks tender Ingénieur Reibell. She had been sunk intentionally as a blockship at Cherbourg during the German invasion of France, but subsequently raised. The Germans turned her into an armed coastal vessel. Not much is known about this incident, including her location. Oh, the historical connection? Her original name was the SS Traffic, and she was built by the White Star Line to ferry passengers to large luxury liners. She took some of the third class passengers to board RMS Titanic in 1912. This is one of several direct connections to the Titanic during World War II, including Titanic officer Charles Lightoller's famous participation in the Dunkirk evacuation.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Rhododendron hits a mine in Liverpool Harbour and is damaged. It will spend three months there being repaired.

British 8966-ton tanker Athelduke hits a mine in Bristol Channel - one of the numerous vessels to hit mines there in recent weeks - and the crew manages to beach the ship at Whitmore Bay.

Some sources place the sinking of 10,578-ton British freighter/passenger ship Zealandic by U-106 today, but others put it on the 16th, where we discuss it more completely.

Convoy FN 386 departs from Southend. Convoy FS 390 departs from Methil, Convoy HG 51 departs from Gibraltar, Convoy BN 13 departs from Aden.

Prime Minister Churchill and wife boarding battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth at Rosyth, Harry Hopkins already aboard, 17 January 1941. Clementine always knew how to dress, as did Winston, for that matter. © IWM (A 2733)

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Australians and British continue preparing for the next stage of Operation Compass, the capture of Tobruk. A bad sandstorm sets back preparations. General O'Connor, commander of XIII Corps, minding the store with General Wavell in Greece, is anxious to begin the attack before the Italians land reinforcements at Tripoli. He also fears that the Chiefs of Staff will divert some of his forces to Greece, crimping his attack plans. In Operation IS 1, monitor HMS Terror and gunboat HMS Aphis set out from Alexandria to prepare to bombard Tobruk in preparation for the attack. They will be joined there by assorted other naval forces.

British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell concludes his meetings in Athens and briefly visits with local commanders on Crete before continuing on to Cairo. Wavell lands there with a strong sense of relief, later commenting on the Greek refusal of British ground forces:

If that offer had been accepted, I should have had to stop my advance at Tobruk; I could not have gone on any further.

The attack is affected by Wavell's temporary absence. General O'Connor has been taking instructions from Wavell, which orders at times have not precisely mirrored those received by Wavell himself from Churchill and Whitehall. With Wavell absent, O'Connor has been communicating directly with Wavell's superiors, and thus there is a subtle change in tone. The Headquarters, British Troops in Egypt, instructs him that there is no plan to advance on Benghazi after taking Tobruk and none should be instituted. With Wavell's return, however, the advance on Benghazi is back "on" - at least as far as Wavell and O'Connor are concerned. O'Connor complains about "serving two masters," but history shows that Wavell is the better judge of the tactical possibilities, not London.

The Luftwaffe sends planes against the Suez Canal for the first time, apparently from Sicily. They do not reach the target.

It is a quiet day on Malta (only some reconnaissance planes spotted) as both sides size up the results of the Illustrious Blitz of 16 January. Rescue efforts continue on the island, but the Director of the Public Works Department admits that he simply has too few men for the job, saying:

The number of men available was insufficient to cope with the occasion.... When the men worked long and strenuously during daytime... they could not reasonably be expected to protect their neighbors into the night.

This cessation of activities is particularly regrettable because many people remain buried alive in the rubble throughout the night and into the next day. It sometimes takes hours by gangs to rescue a single person or a small group of people. In one such case, Reverend Canon John Theuma, a professor at the University of Malta, is said to be buried at his home on Victory Street. After digging for hours, however, the rescuers find him and his family dead. Theuma is emblematic of another tragic issue occurrence here and in England: he and his family had moved back to his home in the city, thinking that the ineffective Italian air raids were nothing to fear.

"The Prime Minister addressing ships' company and dockyard workers onboard HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH." Rosyth, 17 January 1941. © IWM (A 2737).

Anglo/US Relations: Senator James F. Byrnes of South Carolina gives a national radio address regarding the US posture towards the European war. While a fairly lengthy speech, the thesis is full contained in the opening paragraph:

There is nothing altruistic about the determination of the United States to aid those nations now defending themselves against the forces of aggression. We are moved by reasons more impelling. We know that our own Democracy is menaced by the forces that now seek to destroy those Democracies across the Atlantic. One conquest only whets the dictators' desire for more power. If Great Britain falls, the United States will stand practically alone on the brink of the precipice.

While making clear who he supports, later in the address Byrnes bows to public sentiment that, by some measures, opposes a quick declaration of war:

The blood of heroic Americans need not be shed. Humming machines in American factories can and will enable Britain to hold the enemy and give us time to arm.

This speech nicely encapsulates the fine line that the administration is walking, actively opposing Hitler but not actually entering the fighting.

Coincidentally (perhaps), in Glasgow, Churchill makes a speech in the presence of Roosevelt crony Harry Hopkins present which essentially makes the same point. He says, "We don't require in 1941 large armies from overseas." However, Churchill adds that Great Britain needs "far more" US weapons, airplanes, and tanks. He concludes:

Whatever the suffering, we shall not fail mankind at this turning point of its fortunes! 

He further adds a tacit plea for passage of the US Lend-Lease bill, noting, "All that we can pay for we will pay for, but we will require far more than we shall be able to pay for."

"The Prime Minister being welcomed by the Captain of the battleship HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, Captain C B Barry, DSO." Rosyth, 17 January 1941. © IWM (A 2734).

Soviet/German Relations: Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov calls German Ambassador E.W. Graf von Schulenburg in to remind him that the Soviet Union considers Bulgaria within its security zone. Molotov also is curious why he hasn't had a reply to his 25 November 1940 offer to join the Tripartite Pact, and Schulenburg prevaricates, saying that Japan and Italy are the holdups.

Spy Stuff: There is an enduring rumor that at some point during World War II, the Germans built a dummy Luftwaffe base in Normandy with planes made of wood as a decoy. Displaying a somewhat sardonic sense of humor, the RAF then obligingly bombed it the next night - with wooden bombs. Since one account places that incident as happening today, might as well handle it here: while there are some German and journalistic "witnesses" to such an event (on various dates, and including a diary entry by William Shirer), there is absolutely no evidence on the Allied side that this ever happened. It may have happened, as anything is possible; there simply is no confirmation because it likely is a complete myth.

German Government: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering gives a speech in which he downplays the effect of RAF bombing raids. He notes that "Throughout the Reich, armament factories are undisturbed." Characteristically, though, he does not mention anything about homes, other businesses, or civilian bomb casualties. What matters is armaments production!

US Military: The prototype Consolidated LB-30A bomber, a variant of the XB-24, makes its maiden flight. Only six are made. The aircraft has been in design since 1938 as an improvement on the B-17 Flying Fortress. This is a pre-production prototype bomber destined for the RAF, though originally ordered by the French. The British find the design lacking (no self-sealing fuel tanks, among other things) and never use them in combat. Later, the main variant of this craft becomes the B-24.

The US 38th Division is formed using National Guard divisions from Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

Rear Admiral Thomas Withers takes over as Commander Submarines Scouting Force, based at Pearl Harbor, from Rear Admiral Wilhelm L. Friedell.

Prime Minister visiting the ill-fated HMS Hood at Rosyth with Harry Hopkins, 17 January 1941. © IWM (A 2728).

Indochina: The Far East takes the spotlight today. A small French naval squadron, alternately called Groupe Occasionnel and Task Force 7, approaches the Thai fleet's anchorage off Koh Chang island at 05:30. Composed of light cruiser La Motte-Picquet, the modern avisos (patrol boat) Dumont d'Urville and Amiral Charner, and the older avisos Tahure and Marne, the force splits into three groups. Aerial reconnaissance reports the presence of Thai torpedo boats. This flight, however, removes the element of surprise - not that that will matter.

The French cruiser quickly sinks three Thai torpedo boats (Chonburi, Trad, and Songkhla) and destroys a shore observation post. The Thais bring up a coastal defense ship, HTMS Thonburi, and the French cruiser destroys it as well (it later sinks, and then is refloated) using both guns and torpedoes. The Thais then send aircraft to attack, getting a hit on the French cruiser, but the bomb is a dud and causes no damage. After damaging two other coastal defense ships, Sri Ayuthia (beached in the River Chantaboum) and Donburi, the French then withdraw, sustaining virtually no damage and having destroyed the entire Thai fleet. The French only lose 11 men.

It is a complete and total French victory (though the Thais later claim more damage caused to the French cruiser than the French or any other sources reveal). The Thais seem to recall this battle with some pride. The Japanese, seeing their tacit and informal ally Thailand in difficulty, quickly step in to arrange a settlement before the French return and start bombarding Bangkok. The French, having great difficulty on land, accept this offer of mediation, and ultimately the Thais acquire all of the lands they originally sought but the French manage to keep the rest (for now). However, there is no doubt left in anyone's mind after the battle of Koh Chang that the French can still take care of themselves in Indochina.

China: Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang) leader Chiang Kai-shek orders his troops to continue eliminating the Communist New Fourth Army, which he declares "disbanded."

British Homefront: Sir Fitzroy Maclean, a Scottish member of the diplomatic service who resigned and enlisted as a private in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders., is commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. Maclean is considered a likely model used by Ian Fleming for the character of James Bond. He also is a close associate of Ralph Bagnold, the leader of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG).

American Homefront: Fritzie Zivic successfully defends his world welterweight boxing title against Henry Armstrong before a crowd of 23,190 at Madison Square Garden. The crowd remains an all-time record for the venue.

"Caught in the Act," directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring Henry Armetta and Iris Meredith, is released. There is absolutely nothing special about this film, but I include it just to show that not all films back in the day were classics whose name or stars we all remember (and which then get listed on pages like this, making it seem like every film released back then was another "Citizen Kane"). And... I simply like truly obscure films with the atmosphere. "Caught in the Act" is a typical mistaken-identity gangster comedy film full of Italian stereotypes, a blond gangster moll, everyone chasing some dumb rube at the center of it all who somehow foils everyone - you get the picture.

"The Prime Minister, Mrs. Churchill, and Mr. Hopkins being welcomed by dockyard workers on board the battleship HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH." Rosyth, 17 January 1941. © IWM (A 2736).

January 1941

January 1, 1941: Muselier Arrested
January 2, 1941: Camp Categories
January 3, 1941: Liberty Ships
January 4, 1941: Aussies Take Bardia
January 5, 1941: Amy Johnson Perishes
January 6, 1941: Four Freedoms
January 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Plans
January 8, 1941: Billions For Defense
January 9, 1941: Lancasters
January 10, 1941: Malta Convoy Devastation
January 11, 1941: Murzuk Raid
January 12, 1941: Operation Rhubarb
January 13, 1941: Plymouth Blitzed
January 14, 1941: V for Victory
January 15, 1941: Haile Selassie Returns
January 16, 1941: Illustrious Blitz
January 17, 1941: Koh Chang Battle
January 18, 1941: Luftwaffe Pounds Malta
January 19, 1941: East African Campaign Begins
January 20, 1941: Roosevelt 3rd Term
January 21, 1941: Attack on Tobruk
January 22, 1941: Tobruk Falls
January 23, 1941: Pogrom in Bucharest
January 24, 1941: Tank Battle in Libya
January 25, 1941: Panjiayu Tragedy
January 26, 1941: Churchill Working Hard
January 27, 1941: Grew's Warning
January 28, 1941: Ho Chi Minh Returns
January 29, 1941: US Military Parley With Great Britain
January 30, 1941: Derna Taken
January 31, 1941: LRDG Battered

2020