Wednesday 23 April 1941

Greek battleship Kilkis, sunk by the Luftwaffe on 23 April 1941.

Operation Marita: With Adolf Hitler having placated Benito Mussolini by agreeing to modifications of various Greek surrender terms, Germany, Italy and Greece sign documents by which the Greek Epirus Army surrenders. The ceremony takes place at 14:45 on 23 April 1941 at Salonika (Thessaloniki), and Hitler wants the news announced then - but Mussolini has his Rome news service broadcast the news at 10:00:

The enemy armies of Epirus and Macedonia have laid down their arms.  The surrender was tendered by a Greek military delegation yesterday at 9:04 P.M. to the commander of the Italian Eleventh Army on the Epirus front.  The details of the surrender will now be worked out in complete agreement with our German allies.

Among other things, Hitler agrees to grant Italy dominion over the new "Independent State of Croatia" despite vociferous opposition from the locals there. However, Hitler retains German control over Serbia, and Foreign Minister Ribbentrop appoints Luftwaffe General Helmut Forster as the new military governor there.

Greek General Papagos, who now has virtually no troops left under his command, resigns.

The Germans have concentrated forces in the vicinity of Ioannina, placed there to prevent any escape by the Greek Epirus Army. With that no longer an issue, the Wehrmacht troops (led by the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, currently of brigade strength) head toward the Ionian coast. Their plan is to block any British evacuation attempts from the Peloponnese, with landings near Corinth by fallschirmjäger (paratroopers). The Bulgarian 2nd Army moves into Thrace.

The British are gearing up for Operation Demon, the evacuation of British troops from the Greek mainland. Some A-lighters arrive off the coast, and the Luftwaffe promptly bombs and damages lighter A.1 off the coast at Megara, causing the crew to scuttle it. Another lighter, A-6, is damaged off Raphtis.

The Luftwaffe continues its depredations against merchant shipping in Greek waters. It sinks the following Greek ships:

• 4665-ton Santa Clara Valley (British), in Nauplia Bay, 7 dead
• 722-ton Assimi at Krioneri
• 372-ton Elvira at Chalkis
• 2398-ton Katerina at Methana
• 1461-ton Kerkyra off Salamis
• 223-ton Kyma in Patras Harbor
• 1839-ton Macedonia north of Patras (some sources place this on the 22nd)
• 625-ton Nicolaos Nomicos north of Patras (later refloated and scrapped by the Germans)
• 4108-ton Nicolaou Georgios at Nauplia
• 385-ton Stathis at Megara
• 231-ton Hydra at Megara
• 273-ton Athina S. at Psathopirgos (later raised)
• 1028-ton Kriti at Antirion (later raised by the Italians) 

Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87 Stukas also bomb and sink two obsolete Greek battleships, Kilkis and Lemnos, at Salamis Naval Base. The Kilkis and Lemnos are both Mississippi-class dreadnoughts originally built for the US Navy in 1904-08 that are being used as barracks ships. The Greeks begin scuttling their warships, starting with torpedo boat Doris at Porto Rafti.

The RAF is taking a beating in Greece. A Luftwaffe attack on Argos destroys numerous Hurricane fighters on the ground (some sources say up to 13 planes).

Departing King George II, now in Crete, orders that his wine cellar be opened and the bottles given to Allied soldiers. Each enlisted man will receive one bottle, and each officer two.

The Luftwaffe attacks in Greek waters are echoing across the Atlantic.

Iraq War: Tensions remain high. Iraqi leader Rashid Ali again asks Germany to send aid, which can only come by air. However, there are immense logistical problems that must be overcome before the Luftwaffe can even attempt a mission to Iraq, not least of which is that the British control the major airfields.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 37 aircraft to attack coastal targets in France and points north during the day. It also raids the port of Brest during the night with 67 planes and sends 14 planes on minelaying operations.

The Luftwaffe continues the "Plymouth Blitz." Tonight, it sends 109 bombers to continue their attacks on the heart of the city.

Luftwaffe ace Hermann-Friedrich Joppien of JG 51, who recently scored his 40th victory against the RAF (and was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht), becomes the 11th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht honored with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). He travels to Adolf Hitler's command train Amerika in Austria to receive the medal at the hand of the Fuehrer.

This photo was taken from a Luftwaffe plane of the attack on Greek battleship Lemnos (with splash) and Kilkis (at the pier in the middle of photo).

Battle of the Atlantic: The War Cabinet, Battle of the Atlantic Committee reviews the Royal Navy's progress in fitting out merchant ships with catapult aircraft. These ships are known at first as Fighter Catapult Ships (FCS), and later as Catapult Aircraft Merchant Ships (CAM ships). They typically launch a converted Hawker Hurricane (Sea Hurricane) from a catapult at the bow. The Admiralty finds that one such ship will be completed by the end of the month, with another 8 during May, 11 in June and 6 in July. The first 10 such ships will be assigned to continuous patrolling within the "danger area" to the west of the British Isles.

A CAM ship at Algiers, 1942-43. It carries a Hawker Sea Hurricane Mark I, W9182. The Sea Hurricanes were one-use-only planes, as they did not have pontoons and had to be ditched at sea after a sortie (Wikimedia Commons).

German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen is passing through the Fehmarn Belt en route to Kiel when it detonates a magnetic mine dropped by the RAF. This causes damage to the stern of the ship, including the fuel tank, fire control equipment, and propeller shaft couplings. Prinze Eugen is scheduled for a sortie into the Atlantic with battleship Bismarck, but this incident forces a delay in that operation while repairs to the cruiser are completed. The repairs will take until 11 May 1941.

German raider Thor arrives back at Hamburg, Germany after its 322-day raiding mission. During that mission, Thor sank 11 merchant ships and a British armed merchant cruiser. It also confounded the Royal Navy and kept it searching fruitlessly throughout the South Atlantic without success.

The Kriegsmarine overseas supply network remains intact. Today, German tanker Nordmark supplies Italian submarine Perla, which has been making an arduous journey from Eritrea to France. The Perla is not built for such lengthy cruises, and its sailors have been suffering from lack of supplies for some time.

Convoy OB 314 departs from Liverpool.

Luftwaffe bombs exploding around Greek battleship Kilkis on 23 April 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Following urgings by Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell appoints Australian General Thomas Blamey the Deputy Commander-in-chief, Middle East.

The war in the air over Tobruk is intense, and the Luftwaffe gradually is achieving complete air superiority. Today, German pilots shoot down a Blenheim bomber that is attacking Gazala airfield. The Luftwaffe attacks Tobruk twice, losing two fighters. The RAF force there is not being reinforced, and each loss causes a permanent diminution in its capabilities over the port. RAF losses today are unclear, with different sources placing them at somewhere between 1-7 planes.

Hans-Joachim Marseille scores his 8th kill, a British Hurricane II fighter, over Tobruk. Later in the day, his plane is disabled and he makes a forced landing in German-held territory.

The British 11 Hussars mount a tank raid against German transport in the Fort Capuzzo region. While not resulting in much, the raid reinforces jitters at the Afrika Korps headquarters regarding British attempts to relieve the Australians trapped in Tobruk. The Italian Brescia Division arrives in the operational zone around Tobruk to reinforce the besiegers.

At the OKH headquarters at Zossen, worries about the course of operations in Libya are mounting. Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel has shown a propensity to "dash about" contrary to any orders, and now is requesting additional troops and air cover. OKH Chief-of-Staff General Franz Halder decides to send one of his staff officers, General Friedrich Paulus, to Libya to "correct matters which had got out of hand." General von Manstein turns down the assignment, calling Rommel a "lunatic" and noting that Paulus has a personal friendship with Rommel. Paulus later recalls that he is offered command of the Afrika Korps at this time, but he turns it down because, as his wife counsels, it would be impossible for a general to earn a reputation in North Africa. Instead, he prefers to wait for a command in Operation Barbarossa.

The Luftwaffe also is in action off the Tripoli coast. It bombs corvette HMS Gloxinia, causing some damage from near misses.

Royal Navy destroyers HMS Jaguar, Janus, Jervis, and Juno have been on patrol off the Libyan coast since the 21st. Today, they chance upon 3311-ton Italian armed merchant cruiser Egeo about 150 km off Tripoli and sink it. Fortunately for the Axis, the Egeo is not carrying any troops or freight. The British destroyers fail to notice a large Axis convoy nearby bringing troops to the Afrika Korps, which passes by safely.

At Malta, the Luftwaffe raids continue. The RAF loses a Hurricane during a dogfight off Dellmara, with the pilot making a safe landing in the ocean. A rescue launch is not sent out immediately due to continued enemy air action, and by the time it reaches the vicinity, it cannot find Canadian Flying Officer Henri F Auger, who disappears.

Italian warships lay minefields off Cape Bon, Tunisia. British convoys between Gibraltar and Alexandria have to pass by this promontory.

The "official" Greek surrender on 23 April 1941 in Salonika. Generals Tsolakaglou, Jodl and Ferrero sign for their respective government.

War Crimes: The Luftwaffe attacks on hospital ships in the Aegean continue. Today, the Germans bomb and sink 875-ton Greek hospital ship Policos at Methana.

Spy Stuff: The "Lucy" spy ring centered in Prague sends Soviet leader Joseph Stalin more warnings about an imminent German attack. As with all the other previous warnings, Stalin discounts this as British propaganda.

Greek/Bulgarian Relations: The Greeks break diplomatic relations with Bulgaria due to the Bulgarian troop movement into Macedonia.

German/Bulgarian Relations: Germany agrees to transfer captured French tanks to the Bulgarian army.

British Military: In a memo to Secretary of State for War David Margeson, Prime Minister Winston Churchill notes that there are "persistent rumors" that the German panzers are being upgraded:

[T]he Germans are constructing tanks with very thick armour - figures of 4"-6" are mentioned. Such armour would be impervious to any existing anti-tank gun or indeed any mobile gun; the tracks and other vulnerable parts are very small targets.

Churchill suggests using plastic explosives against such tanks. In fact, the Germans are not at this time building such tanks, though they are upgrading the main guns on their existing Panzer IIIs and IVs.

British Government: Princess Elizabeth - future Queen Elizabeth II - thanks Churchill "for the lovely roses you sent me on my birthday." If there is one thing that Churchill knows how to do better than anyone else, it is to schmooze with the royals.

Australian Government: Prime Minister Robert Menzies, still visiting in London, notes in his diary that he makes a broadcast today to Australia to "stop the rot." There is a loud minority in Australia who are dissatisfied with Australian involvement in the war, or at least with the state of the country's readiness for the conflict.

At the Fiesta San Antonio, the Magnolia Petroleum Company float features girls seated around the company’s Pegasus logo. April 23, 1941. (San Antonio Light Photograph Collection, MS 359: L-2738-P).

US Government: Senator Harry Truman takes his Committee investigating fraud and waste in military procurement to Camp Meade, Maryland. He derides the Army's "fantastically poor judgment" in selecting this particular site for a military base and also assails inefficient procurement practices such as leasing vehicles instead of purchasing them.

Holocaust: At Auschwitz, the Germans decide to punish the inmates for an escape attempt. They select 10 prisoners to starve to death in retaliation.

American Homefront: Charles Lindbergh gives an America First speech in New York City before 30,000 attendees. It is the first such rally in New York, which is the heart of President Roosevelt's political base. He argues that "War is not inevitable for this country" but notes that "it is now obvious that England is losing the war." Because of that, he warns that the British:

have one last desperate plan remaining. They hope that they may be able to persuade us to send another American Expeditionary Force to Europe and to share with England militarily as well as financially the fiasco of this war.

As with all of Lindbergh's speeches, this one receives a great deal of publicity and stirs debate throughout the country. The Gallup organization releases a poll today which gives survey results to the following question:

If it appears certain that Britain will be defeated unless we use part of our navy to protect ships going to Britain, would you favor or oppose such convoys?

The results show that 71% approve, 21% are opposed and 8 have no opinion. However, other recent surveys have shown similar majorities as opposed to direct US military involvement.

Students protest at City College and Hunter College (right) on 23 April 1941. They are protesting the suspension of faculty members who support the Peace Assembly Committee, a sister organization to the America First Committee (Published in the Daily Worker via City College).

April 1941

April 2, 1941:Rommel Takes Agedabia
April 3, 1941: Convoy SC-26 Destruction
April 4, 1941: Rommel Takes Benghazi
April 5, 1941: Rommel Rolling
April 6, 1941: Operation Marita
April 7, 1941: Rommel Takes Derna
April 8, 1941: Yugoslavia Crumbling
April 9, 1941: Thessaloniki Falls
April 10, 1941: USS Niblack Attacks
April 11, 1941: Good Friday Raid
April 12, 1941: Belgrade and Bardia Fall
April 13, 1941: Soviet-Japanese Pact
April 14, 1941: King Peter Leaves
April 15, 1941: Flying Tigers
April 16, 1941: Battle of Platamon
April 17, 1941: Yugoslavia Gone
April 18, 1941: Me 262 First Flight
April 19, 1941: London Smashed
April 20, 1941: Hitler's Best Birthday
April 21, 1941: Greek Army Surrenders
April 22, 1941: Pancevo Massacre
April 23, 1941: CAM Ships
April 24, 1941: Battle of Thermopylae
April 25, 1941: Operation Demon
April 26, 1941: Operation Hannibal
April 27, 1941: Athens Falls
April 28, 1941: Hitler Firm about Barbarossa
April 29, 1941: Mainland Greece Falls
April 30, 1941: Rommel Attacks

2020

Saturday 8 March 1941

Wednesday 8 January 1941

HMS Gloucester enters Grand Harbour, Malta on 8 January 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: Greek Commander-in-chief Papagos on 8 January 1941 launches a major attack on the Italian Julia division defending Klisura Pass. The Greek II Corps leads the attack, with the 1st Division on the left and the 15th and 11th Divisions on the right. The Greeks make good progress in very hard fighting, putting themselves in a position to finally capture the pass.

The Klisura Pass is considered necessary for the Greeks to press on and take the critical Italian port of Valona and free troops for the defense of eastern Greece against an anticipated German invasion from Bulgaria. The Italian commander in Albania, Cavallero, immediately begins transferring troops from other sectors with which he intended to launch his own offensive.

European Air Operations: The RAF air command on Malta launches a night raid against Naples. The Italians have dispersed their fleet to Naples and other points, but the RAF is tracking them down. Battleship Giulio Cesare is damaged slightly by three near misses and must be moved to La Spezia for repairs. It is not as significant a blow as it might be, because the Italians are not using their capital ships anyway - though they have plenty of fuel to do so if they wished.

Another benefit of the mission for the British is that it induces the Italians to move their battleship Vittorio Veneto to La Spezia as well, to get it out of harm's way - a rather incongruous way to handle what should be your mightest offensive weapon. The Italian naval command at this point appears obsessed with keeping a "fleet in being," a strategy that in a calculated fashion uses the threat of warships to draw enemy airpower away from on-shore targets. There are pros and cons to this strategy, which certainly appears to fit with the overall Italian mindset during the conflict, but essentially removes these warships from active operations where they might actually be of strategic use (such as off North Africa or Albania).

RAF Bomber Command also sends seven Wellington bombers to raid Wilhelmshaven. The target is German battleship Tirpitz, still under construction but almost finished. The RAF does not score any hits, though some near misses scuff up the paint a bit. This is another example of Axis warships drawing fire away from other, arguably more productive, targets. It is the one area in which the Axis navies constantly excel.

For its part, the Luftwaffe sends a few scattered raiders across during the day but stays on the ground after dark.

The prototype Vultee XP-54, nicknamed the "Swoose Goose."

Battle of the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe (Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors of I,/KG 40) bombs and sinks 6278-ton British freighter Clytoneus in the Western Approaches. Everybody survives. KG 40 has just been turned over to Admiral Doenitz's forces to assist with U-boat operations.

British 683 ton Trinity House tender Strathearn hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea. There are 15 deaths.

Royal Navy minelayers HMS Adventure and Teviotbank lay minefields ZME 12 and BS 48, respectively. These are in the St. Georges Channel and off the east coast.

Convoy OB 271 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 378 departs from Southend, Convoy FN 379 is postponed, Convoy HG 50 departs from Gibraltar.

Royal Navy destroyer HMAS Nizam (Lt. Commander Max J. Clark) commissioned.

U-559 launched.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Excess, the latest supply operation for Malta, continues with a complicated series of ship movements. Force A departs from Suda Bay, Crete and heads toward Malta. Force B warships arrive at Malta and disembark their troops, then quickly depart for escort duties of convoys still headed toward the island. Force D is reinforced by Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the destroyer HMAS Stuart. Force D then joins Force A southeast of Malta but then switches to escort Convoy ME 6. So far, Operation Excess is running as smoothly as previous convoys and virtually without incident.

The Australian 6th Division begins active patrols around the Tobruk perimeter, probing Italian defenses. They find a similar layout to the one at Bardia, two defensive lines with antitank ditches, barbed wire, and concrete pillboxes.

General Archibald Wavell, British Middle East Commander, replies diplomatically to Prime Minister Churchill's insinuations of the past couple of days that his army has become a haven for slackers:

I can assure you that I have always had question of rearward services constantly in mind and have been as anxious as anyone to cut down on non-fighting units. Except for anti-aircraft.... But the more I see of War, especially present-day War, the more I am impressed by the part that administration plays.

This dispute about the "Tooth-to-tail Ratio" will continue on both sides, though it really has not begun yet on the German side. As much as anything, such concerns are a sure sign of a military that is overstretched and unable to meet all of the threats that are popping up. Wavell, incidentally, is absolutely correct that modern wars are won not by valor in combat (alone), but by logistics and weaponry. This is a lesson that is and will be hammered home brutally to some participants during the course of the conflict.

At Malta, cruisers HMS Gloucester and Southampton dock just long enough to disembark their troops, then head back out to sea. These troops buttress the island's antiaircraft defenses.

The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) approaches the Italian administration center of Murzuk, in the southwest corner of Libya and hundreds of miles distant from other British forces. They are aided by local French and tribesmen. Their intent is to attack the Italian airfield and headquarters at Murzuk both to disrupt Italian administration and to incite violence throughout Libya.

Convoy AS 10 departs from Piraeus for Suda Bay.

Battle of the Pacific: Contract workers arrive on Wake Island onboard the USS William Ward Burrows. They are to construct a naval air station (NAS) there.

USS Wasp (CV-7), in Norfolk Naval Shipyard for refitting, 8 January 1941.

Anglo/Free French Relations: The British release Vice Admiral Muselier, imprisoned since New Year's day on espionage and treason charges. The British MI5 intelligence branch concludes that Muselier has been set up with fake documents planted by two security people (Commandant Howard and Adjutant Colin) hired on their own recommendation. The reasons for the smear are murky, apparently, Muselier offended Howard in some way and he had Colin draw up the phony documents which, among other things, suggested that Muselier compromised Operation Menace (the failed attack on Dakar). Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Anthony Eden tenders a note of abject apology.

This decision avoids a very sharp rupture in Anglo/French relations. Charles de Gaulle views the entire affair as a plot by MI5 to discredit him personally, and had been on the brink of turning his back on the British - to the extent possible, as he essentially is a British client ruler - had the charges not been dropped.

This is a much better outcome politically than if Winston Churchill had followed his initial inclinations and had Muselier shot outright. However, de Gaulle forever after holds a grudge against the British intelligence service due to this incident. Muselier, for his part, returns to his duties in charge of Free French naval forces.

US/Vichy French Relations: Admiral William D. Leahy presents his credentials to the Petain government in Vichy. This comes one day after Roosevelt accepted former ambassador Bullitt's resignation.

Anglo/US Relations: Roosevelt observer "Wild Bill" Donovan arrives in Cairo for talks with British Middle East Commander General Wavell.

North Fort Lewis, Pierce County, Nebraska, home to the US 41st Infantry Division. President Roosevelt has inducted the 41st Division into federal service for a term of one year. January 8, 1941 (Courtesy Lewis Army Museum).

German Military: Adolf Hitler convenes a meeting of his senior military advisors at Berchtesgaden. He admits that Germany cannot invade England until it is "crippled" and the Luftwaffe "has complete air superiority." Neither of those things has happened or appears likely to happen any time soon (though the U-boat campaign is showing great promise in the former area). Hitler places his hopes on eliminating all opposition on the Continent, relying on the clear superiority of the Wehrmacht on land. Hitler plans to shore up the Italians both in Greece and North Africa, but he does not trust them and wants no communications to them which they can pass along to the British.

This meeting is the beginning of Hitler's acknowledgment that he has no real allies in Western Europe. He does not trust the Italians, and he knows now the Vichy French and Spanish will never help him conquer the British. Planning for Operation Attila, the occupation of Vichy France and seizure of the French fleet at Toulon continues.

Hitler evidently has been paying attention to events in Washington, too. President Roosevelt's veiled threats during his recent State of the Union speech obviously did not escape his attention. He tells his leaders that war with the United States may be approaching as well. Hitler and his cronies live under the delusion that the US cannot intervene on the Continent in any time frame that might affect the current wars in progress or others being contemplated. This is because of, among other reasons, the so-far successful U-boat campaign and the huge head start that Germany has in military preparations and achievements.

British Military: While Hitler is busy with his war conference at the Berghof, Winston Churchill is holding similar meetings at Whitehall. The Defence Committee is studying the Balkan situation. Anthony Eden, having a busy day, strongly advocates sending British troops to Greece immediately in order to induce Turkey to join the Allied side and form a "Balkan bloc." Churchill himself says that "there was no other course open to us but to make certain that we had spared no effort to help the Greeks who had shown themselves so worthy." Thus, the matter basically is decided, although it must be ascertained whether it is possible.

The Chiefs of Staff thus cable Commander-in-Chief of the RAF's Middle East Command Air Marshal Sir Arthur Murray Longmore and ask him if air units are available for immediate transfer to Greece. Longmore replies that he wants to keep his units supporting General Wavell's advance, but he does not have the final say. Discussions of the Defence Committee on this key strategic question continue into the 9th.

Japanese Military: Army Minister Tojo Hideki issues a military decree, "Instructions For the Battlefield," which essentially commands Japanese soldiers to fight to the death rather than be captured.

Soviet Military: The second round of war games begins. This time, General Zhukov commands the Soviet forces, and General Kulik commands the invading "Blue" forces.

US Military: The USAAC orders the first prototype of the Vultee XP-54.

Due to lingering disagreements about whether the US Pacific fleet should be based at Hawaii (among other things), President Roosevelt decides to replace Admiral James Richardson as Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet (CinCPac) and CinCUS (should the Pacific and Atlantic fleets ever merge). Admiral Husband E. Kimmel will replace him effective 1 February 1941. In addition, Admiral Ernest J. King, an advocate of a strong US naval presence in the Pacific, will become Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet (CinCLant). Richardson will hold no further active commands.

Baltimore News-Post, 8 January 1941.

US Government: Following President Roosevelt's militaristic State of the Union address, his administration releases a proposed budget of $17.5 billion for the Fiscal Year 1942 (beginning 1 July 1941). This budget includes a massive $10.8 billion war (defense) budget (it is still called the War Department, not the Department of Defense, at this point). With military expenditures exceeding 50% of all government spending, this is a record peacetime commitment, the highest in US history.

Canadian Government: Accepting the recommendation of its subcommittee, the Canadian war council excludes Japanese-Canadians from military service.

Indochina: The conflict between Thailand and the Vichy French continues to sizzle. The Royal Thai Air Force attacks the French at Siem Reap and Battambang.

German Homefront: It has taken the better part of a year, but the port facilities at Narvik, Norway have been repaired. It is the key port for the shipment of Swedish iron ore to German war factories. Today, the first freighter departs for Germany carrying ore.

British Homefront: Lord Baden-Powell, the inspiration for the Boy and Girl Scout movement, passes away at age 83. Baden-Powell is one of the very few prominent British people ever to have kind words for Hitler's "Mein Kampf," calling it "A wonderful book, with good ideas on education, health, propaganda, organization etc. - and ideals which Hitler does not practice himself." Having spent the last few decades of his life in Africa, he passes away in Kenya.

American Homefront: Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" is nearing completion. Newspaper critics have received an advance rough-cut screening (minus the score), and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (uninvited) watches and later writes that the film is a "vicious and irresponsible attack on a great man" - the great man being William Randolph Hearst. Hearst hears about this and remonstrates with his own gossip columnist, Louella Parsons, about why she hasn't told him that the film was calculated to attack him.

Parsons, on or about this date, then angrily demands a private screening of the film herself (apparently she did not crash the critics' screening like Hedda). She threatens a lawsuit (on Hearst's behalf" and hints darkly about other means of professional retaliation. Nobody messes with William Randolph Hearst, not only because of his money, power, and influence as the boss of a national chain of newspapers but also because of the dead guy once found on his private yacht. RKO Pictures studio head George J. Schaefer accedes to Parsons' demands and schedules a private screening for her (and Hearst's lawyers) on 10 January.

Future History: Graham Arthur Chapman is born in Stoneygate, Leicester. Chapman develops an interest in writing and teams up with John Cleese, another struggling comedian, whilst still in school. They write for various television comedy series, then team up with other young comedians (Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam) in the 1960s to form a sketch comedy group, Flying Circus. Together, they develop various classic comedy sketches, which lead to a television series of their own and a series of comedy films. Everyone within the group basically agrees that Chapman is the best actor in the troupe (at least at that time, though John Cleese also becomes a renowned comedy actor outside the group). Perhaps Chapman's high point with the group is playing the lead role in classic "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Chapman continues with Monty Python and branches out into his own successful career but passes away in 1989 from cancer at age 48.

Not everyone is enthusiastic about President Roosevelt's massive military preparations. "Thin Ice," published January 8, 1941, by S. J. Ray.

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

Saturday 28 December 1940

An experimental craft in the Detroit River near Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan. The creation of T.F. Thompson of Des Moines and Arthur W. Reed of Windsor, Ontario, it does not meet expectations. During a test run shortly after this picture was taken, the "torpedo boat" is taken out on the Detroit River, turns over, and goes dead. Detroit will make major contributions to the war effort; this is not one of them (AP).

Italian/Greek Campaign: Greek I Corps, operating in the coastal sector, captures Nivitsa on 28 December 1940. About 580 Italians surrender. The Italian Regia Aeronautica raids Preveza, which is an important Greek naval base.

Greek commander-in-chief, Alexandros Papagos decides to call a halt to the Greek offensive. The Greek advance has been sputtering for some time, given the twin difficulties of winter weather and firmer Italian resistance, and the Italians have been reinforcing their troops in Albania. This order will take effect on 6 January 1941, but in essence, the offensive ends on today's date. Local offensive operations continue, but they are of no strategic significance. The Greeks have saved their country (for the time being) and advanced into Albania, but they have captured virtually no points of true strategic significance during their advance through the mountains and along the coast. The Greek offensive becomes known as the Epic of 1940.

Italian leader Mussolini, of course, does not know about the Greek decision to suspend operations. He requests Wehrmacht assistance in Albania, perhaps some mountain troops. Hitler is undecided about how he wants to handle this - he has plenty of spare troops, but alerting the Greeks and others to German interest in the region is the last thing that he wants to do as he sets deployments for Operation Marita.

Mussolini, meanwhile, is mulling further command changes.

Air gunner Leopold Gordon Alexander of RAF No. 49 Squadron, photo was taken 28 December 1940, KIA 2 February 1943.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command attacks Antwerp, Rotterdam, Lorient and other points along the coast with 59 aircraft. The Luftwaffe focuses on England's south coast, hitting Southampton both during the day and after dark.

The issue of bomber accuracy has been brewing with the RAF for some time. Today, the RAF completes a detailed examination of aerial photo-reconnaissance of 24 December 1940 attacks on two oil installations at Gelsenkirchen. That oil target has been targeted several times. Gelsenkirchen has two oil plants. The attacks to date have involved the following attacks:

• Plant No. 1 - 162 attacking aircraft - 159 tons of bombs.
• Plant No. 2 - 134 attacking aircraft - 103 tons of bombs.

The RAF uses as its yardstick that 100 tons of bombs should eliminate an oil plant. Both of the Gelsenkirchen plants have received that much attention, and Plant No. 1 has received over 50% more than that amount. Post-raid reports suggest that there should be 1,000 craters in the vicinity of the oil plants. However, the photos show that neither plant has sustained any major damage, and there are only about a handful of craters in the vicinity.

This provides evidence that targeting specific targets is ineffective. This conclusion is buttressed by the recent experience at Mannheim, where Bomber Command targeted the city center - but completed major targets there such as the railway station. In fact, many of the bombs did not even hit Mannheim, with some bombers releasing their bombs on nearby cities or to no purpose. These results begin to call into question Bomber Command's "Oil Plan," in which German oil infrastructure receives bomber priority. However, for now, the British continue assigning priority to refineries and the like.

Battle of the Atlantic: German heavy cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau begin Operation Berlin, an attempted breakout into the Atlantic together. However, severe storms damage Gneisenau, forcing the two ships back to port within a few days. Scharnhorst goes to Gotenhafen (Gdynia), while Gneisenau gets repaired at Kiel. This operation is under the command of Admiral Günther Lütjens.

The Luftwaffe stages an effective raid on Southampton. Two Royal Navy destroyers under construction at the Thornycroft naval yard, Norseman and Opportune, are hit and seriously damaged. The Norseman in particular basically is wrecked, but since it is not sunk, the workmen simply begin rebuilding it again (though this sets back its completion date to 29 May 1942). In addition, 271-ton tug Canute is hit and damaged.

Destroyer HMS Valorous and 202-ton minesweeping trawler HMT Libyan collide in Sheerness Harbour in the Thames Estuary. The Valorous receives minor damage and heads to Chatham for repairs, which will take a couple of weeks.

British 964 ton freighter Lochee hits a mine in the Mersey near the Bar Light Vessel. It makes it back to port.

Royal Navy boarding ship HMS Camto seizes 913-ton French trawler Senateur Duhamel in the Atlantic and takes it to Gibraltar.

Convoy OB 266 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 370 departs from Southend,

U-148 (Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Jürgen Radke) commissioned, U-402 launched.

Royal Navy armed merchant cruiser (AMC) HMC Prince David is commissioned, corvette HMS Celandine launched. In Canada, corvette HMCS Galt is launched at Collingwood, Ontario.

USS Grouper, the only US ship ever named after the grouper fish, is laid down. Light cruiser CL-78, under construction by New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, is named USS Dayton today. However, when the decision is made to convert it to a light aircraft carrier, its name changes to USS Monterey (CV-26).

RAF Hawker Hurricane fighters break formation to attack Italian aircraft over Libya, 28 December 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Australian 6th Division is moving into position opposite Bardia and its 40,000 Italian troops. It has not seen action yet, and today exchanges shots with the Italians for the first time. Monitor HMS Terror bombards Bardia, unmolested by the Italian air force, which is getting mauled by the RAF. Hawker Hurricanes today shoot down three Italian bombers and a CR 42 fighter. The CR 42 biplanes clearly are outclassed by modern aircraft, particular when opposed by experienced RAF pilots who know how to counteract the biplanes' greater maneuverability.

General Wavell, Commander of British forces in the Middle East, meets in Cairo with General Richard O'Connor, Commander of the Western Desert Force, and Major General Iven Mackay, commander of the 6th Australian Division (16th, 17th, and 19th Australian Infantry Brigades). Mackay's troops are designated to lead the assaults on Bardia and Tobruk, with the advance in Libya to have priority over everything else. Thus, Mackay forms his own time and plan of attack.

Mackay sets the offensive start date as 05:30 on 2 January 1941. Studying aerial photographs, he sees that the Italians have two main defensive lines fortified with concrete bunkers, anti-tank ditches, and barbed wire. Overcoming this will require extensive artillery support to blow holes through the defenses. Mackay's plan:

1. Seize a "bridgehead" through the first line of defenses by isolating the area with artillery preparation and staging demonstration attacks elsewhere on the 17-mile line;
2. Immediately follow with combat engineers to fill in the anti-tank ditch, cut the wire and clear the area of mine.
3. Funnel I-tanks through the gap and overcome the heaviest Italian defenses in the southern part of the line.

The Australians build a full-scale replica of the Italian defensive line for practice. This helps to time the start of the operation so that daylight breaks just as the breakthrough is achieved (in theory).

Battle of the Pacific: Having stocked up at Kobe, Japan, German supply ship Emland leaves port to meet up with German raiders in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, having shelled Nauru on the 28th, German raider Komet heads east, then south, to elude Royal Navy pursuers.

Richard Sorge (AKG-Images/Ullstein Bild).

Spy Stuff: Richard Sorge, a long-time Soviet "sleeper" operative who pretends to be a strong Third Reich supporter, works as a correspondent in Tokyo for the Frankfurter Zeitung. A hearty, hail-fellow-well-met party-thrower type, Sorge disingenuously pumps his contacts at the German embassy for secrets while they are enjoying his cocktails and the ladies who frequent his get-togethers. Today, 28 December 1940, Sorge sends his first warning to Moscow that the Germans are planning to attack the USSR.

While a committed Communist with excellent contacts within the German diplomatic corps, the Soviets don't really think too much of Sorge and his "scoops." In fact, they probably would have executed Sorge during one of the 1930s purges if he hadn't been in Japan - as they did some of his colleagues. The men in the Kremlin discount much of the information that Sorge sends when it does not jibe with their preconceptions. Stalin reputedly comments that Sorge is that "bastard who set up factories and brothels in Japan." True, Sorge adopts the air of a half-drunk ladies man... as he listens intently to the attachés and Japanese "in the know" boasting about what was going on "back in Berlin." Even if Stalin's comment is valid... Sorge knows what he's talking about. He also becomes an inspiration for a debonair fictional spy named James Bond, though the real thing is infinitely more fascinating. There are memorials and statues to this guy all over the place.

The Army High Command (OKH) wants to reinforce the impression that the German presence in Romania is only, as billed, for training purposes, so the division-sized DHM technically controls Field Marshal List and Twelfth Army. Liaison staffs are competent at what they do, but they are not equipped to control the operations of an army, so this places a strain on German deployments.

This information comes from Oberkommondo des Heeres (OKH), “Instructions on Command Relationships in Romania,” December 28, 1940, BA-MA RL 2 II/271. I point this out because there are two competing commands in the Balkans, OKH and OKW (the overall Germany military high command). While the OKW technically is superior and controls not only the army but the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine, the army is the overwhelmingly dominant military force in Eastern Europe. OKH begins its practice of basically doing what it wants and resenting "interference" by OKW. This bifurcation of authority - basically, both commands exert equal authority within the theater - is a brewing problem that eventually will have to be addressed. For now, however, there are no major disagreements between the two command staff.

Levant: Vichy France remains an important world power outside the confines of European France. Today, it sends General Henri Dentz to Beirut to take command of French forces there. These forces have an uneasy relationship with the British next door in Palestine.

Raymond Massey in "Santa Fe Trail," released 28 December 1940.

Dutch East Indies: Holland, too, remains a world power overseas. Japanese negotiators arrive today to increase purchases of raw materials such as oil.

Italian Homefront: The government announces the death penalty for hoarding. Italy is suffering from the loss of trade.

American Homefront: All aliens within the United States are required to register with the government. About 5 million people register as required.

Warner Bros. releases "Santa Fe Trail," a rousing pre-Civil War actioner directed by Michael Curtiz about the insurrection led by abolitionist John Brown. This is one of two wartime films in which Ronald Reagan and Errol Flynn appear together (the other is "Desperate Journey" (1942)). Also appearing is Alan Hale, (the father of Skipper from Gilligan's Island). Raymond Massey absolutely walks away with "Santa Fe Trail," playing a messianic, demented John Brown who feels a personal calling to free the slaves. Why it is named "Sante Fe Trail," incidentally, is one of those enduring mysteries, though the trail does kind of feature in the early parts of the film. This film marked a major step up in Ronald Reagan's career after he blew out the stops in "Knute Rockne, All-American" as George Gip.

This is part of a brief round of films portraying (later) Confederate soldiers in a positive light. In that sense, it follows in the tracks of "Gone With The Wind" (1939), but this suffers by being filmed in black and white (though with the novel Vitasound process). This film could not get made today with the same political orientation, at least by a major studio. It is in the public domain.

Michael Curtiz, incidentally, was born Mihaly Kertesz in Hungary fought in World War I for the Austro-Hungarian Army and emigrated to the US in 1926. You might remember his film from a couple of years after this, "Casablanca," and maybe "King Creole" (1958) starring some guy named Elvis Presley. Supposedly, one of the most focused, single-minded directors ever, even after all his success, at the end of his life he was living in a small apartment in Sherman Oaks (and still making top films). Truly one of the greats in Hollywood history, not a doubt about it, even though he is little-remembered. "Santa Fe Trail" is one of his best films, too. "A great day for the Hungarians" - bonus points for you, if you know what film that, is from.

Ronald Reagan and Errol Flynn in "Santa Fe Trail," released 28 December 1940.

December 1940

December 1, 1940: Wiking Division Forms
December 2, 1940: Convoy HX 90 Destruction
December 3, 1940: Greeks Advancing
December 4, 1940: Italian Command Shakeup
December 5, 1940: Thor Strikes Hard
December 6, 1940: Hitler's Cousin Gassed
December 7, 1940: Storms At Sea
December 8, 1940: Freighter Idarwald Seized
December 9, 1940: Operation Compass Begins
December 10, 1940: Operation Attila Planned
December 11, 1940: Rhein Wrecked
December 12, 1940: Operation Fritz
December 13, 1940: Operation Marita Planned
December 14, 1940: Plutonium Discovered
December 15, 1940: Napoleon II Returns
December 16, 1940: Operation Abigail Rachel
December 17, 1940: Garden Hoses and War
December 18, 1940: Barbarossa Directive
December 19, 1940: Risto Ryti Takes Over
December 20, 1940: Liverpool Blitz, Captain America
December 21, 1940: Moral Aggression
December 22, 1940: Manchester Blitz
December 23, 1940: Hitler at Cap Gris Nez
December 24, 1940: Hitler at Abbeville
December 25, 1940: Hipper's Great Escape
December 26, 1940: Scheer's Happy Rendezvous
December 27, 1940: Komet Shells Nauru
December 28, 1940: Sorge Spills
December 29, 1940: Arsenal of Democracy
December 30, 1940: London Devastated
December 31 1940: Roosevelt's Decent Proposal

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