Thursday 24 July 1941

Russian POWs loaded onto trucks to be taken to their final destination. Zhytomyr Lager, Ukraine, 24 July 1941.

Eastern Front: Marshal Mannerheim on 24 July 1941 reaches his conclusion regarding the advance of Finnish VI Corps to the old Finnish-Soviet border on the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga: halt. Finnish troops there are refusing to cross the border, as nobody wants to provoke the Soviet Union. Instead of ordering the troops to continue heading southeast, Mannerheim orders them to form a line along the Tuulema River. The Germans are dismayed, as they want the advance to continue, but there is nothing that they can do.

On the other side of Lake Ladoga, Finnish VII Corps continues forcing its way forward against heavy Soviet resistance. It approaches the town of Sortavala on the road that runs along the fringes of Lake Ladoga. The Finns capture Vidlitsa and Rajakonru northeast of Lake Ladoga. Further north, Finnish 14th Infantry Division (Colonel Erkki Raappana) takes Omelia, wiping out Soviet 337th Rifle Regiment.

In the Army Group North sector, the Wehrmacht consolidates its position as it prepares for the final advance on Leningrad.

In the Army Group Center sector, Soviet troops attack the exposed Panzer Group 2 bridgehead at Yelnya. At Velikiye Luki, Soviet counterattacks cut German lines of communication and the Wehrmacht retreats in the area. The Germans are under heavy pressure in this sector and have to throw service troops into the line.

In the Army Group South sector, Romanian Third and Fourth Armies in conjunction with the German 11th Army complete the occupation of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and Hertsa. These are territories ceded by Romania to the Soviet Union in 1940. This completes Operation München. Romania intends to reincorporate the region into the Romanian State.

The Luftwaffe, after a night off, again attacks Moscow. Tonight, the number of bombers is reduced to 100. Red Army night fighter pilot Kapitan Konstantin Titenkov claims a bomber for his third success in three nights.

The wrecked Bf 109E7 "Yellow One" of Staffelführer 3./JG 2 Lt. Julius Meimberg at Saint-Renan near Brélès, France, 24 July 1941. Meimberg is lying on the ground with someone holding an umbrella to shield him from the sun. Meimberg is out on medical leave until the spring of 1942.

European Air Operations: The RAF sends more raids against the German warships parked along the French coast, and today they succeed in damaging two of them. During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 100 planes over Brest in Operation Sunrise. It is a complicated plan that works well, with Operation Sunrise I being the main raid and Operation Sunrise II a diversionary raid. An initial force of 3 Fortresses and 18 Hampdens accompanied by a Spitfire escort draw up the Luftwaffe defenses by bombing at 30,000 feet. Immediately after this, 79 Wellingtons fly over and make the real attack. Neither of the two heavy cruisers in port, Gneisenau (in drydock) and Prinz Eugen, take any hits. The British lose 10 Wellingtons and 2 Hampdens. Luftwaffe ace Julius Meimberg claims three bombers shot down, but he also is shot down and seriously injured.

RAF Bomber Command also sends a diversionary raid of 36 Blenheims against Cherbourg. The raid causes some damage to the docks but does not attract any defending fighters away from Brest as desired. So far so good for the Germans - but there is more to come.

A third raid targets La Pallice, where heavy cruiser Scharnhorst arrived on the 23rd. This is an additional 200 miles further south, so there are no escorting RAF fighters. The attack by 15 Halifaxes of RAF No. 35 and 76 Squadrons are pressed home with great courage against heavy Luftwaffe opposition and score five hits. Three bombs pass straight through the ship, and two other bombs explode and cause only light damage. However, the Germans are forced to concede that the move to La Pallice was a mistake, so, despite the ship taking on water, they send Scharnhorst back to Brest after dark. Scharnhorst is out of action until November, at a cost to the RAF of five Halifax bombers and damage to the rest.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 34 Wellingtons (one lost) and 30 Hampdens (one lost) against Kiel. As has been the case often recently, accuracy is poor, and the only deaths are five people in the nearby village of Wellsee, Germany, which is near Kiel. Another raid by 31 Whitleys and 16 Wellingtons against Emden results in the loss of two Wellingtons. The RAF also sends 4 Wellingtons over Rotterdam and six on minelaying missions in the Frisian Islands, both without loss.

During the raid on La Pallice, the German defenders accidentally down a returning Focke-Wulf FW-200 returning from an Atlantic reconnaissance flight.

RAF Pilot/Officer Joseph Francis Patrick John McKenna, KIA 24 July 1941 at Nantes, France. He is buried at the War Cemetery in Loire-Atlantique, about fifty kilometers from Nantes in France.

The RAF flies a Circus mission to Hazebrouck. RAF ace James Lacey files claims for two Luftwaffe Bf 109 fighters after observing them collide nearby during a dogfight.

Major Günther Freiherr von Maltzahn, Kommodore of JG 53 and a 42-victory ace, is awarded the Eichenlaub.

The weekly RAF operations report shows that for the week ending 23 July:

• Coastal Command flew 252 patrols and 364 sorties
• RAF Fighter Command flew 704 ship protection patrols.

The report notes that attacks on Axis shipping were "highly successful in spite of intense A.A. [anti-aircraft] fire from Flak ships."

Australian troops with captured Morane-Saulnier MS.406C1 fighters of Groupe de Chasse I/7, Aleppo-Nerab, Syria, 24 July 1941. (Australian War Memorial 008990).

Battle of the Atlantic: Operation EF, a large raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo, continues northward toward Seidis Fjord, Iceland, and remains undetected.

The RAF (No. 42 Squadron) sinks 370-ton Norwegian freighter Vestkyst I off Skadberg, Norway.

German destroyer Hermann Schoemann, operating off of Kharlov Islands, uses gunfire to sink 540-ton Soviet whaler Meridian.

U-652, operating off the Russian Kildin inlet in the far north, attacks Russian patrol boat SKR-23 "Musson" but misses.

German scouts spot Allied convoys OG-69 and SL-80 at sea and U-boat Command (BdU) direct U-boats toward them.

US Aircraft carrier USS Wasp loads 30 P-40s and three Stearman PT-13 Kaydet trainers at Norfolk for transport to Iceland.

Convoy OS-1 departs from Liverpool bound for Freetown, Convoy SL-82 departs from Freetown bound for Liverpool. Convoys SL-79 and HG-67 both arrive in Liverpool.

U-454 and U-580 are commissioned.

MV Sydney Star which was damaged on 24 July 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Substance, a Royal Navy supply convoy from Gibraltar to Malta, continues. Most of the ships of Convoy GM-1 reach Malta safely despite continued Italian air and motor torpedo boat attacks. Royal Navy destroyer HMS Nestor (Cmdr. A. S. Rosenthal, DSO, RAN) unloads 487 troops at Malta. Royal Navy submarines Perseus and Regent engage in fake radio traffic designed to create the impression to the Italians that the main Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria is at sea, when in fact it is in port.

Italian torpedo boat MAS-533 torpedoes and damages 11,219-ton freighter Sydney Star. Destroyer Nestor tows the Sydney Star to Malta, where the freighter is put in drydock for repairs.

Italian bombers based in Sardinia damage 9351-ton British tanker Hoegh Hood, part of Convoy MG-1 returning to Gibraltar from Malta. The Hoegh Hood, which is empty, is able to continue to Gibraltar.

An Italian CANT Z.506 reconnaissance seaplane, escorted by 42 Macchi C.200 fighters, spots the Operation Substance ships arriving in Malta. The RAF launches 22 Hawker Hurricanes to attack the Italian formation, and the British shoot down three of the Italian fighters without loss to themselves. Overall, the Italians lose about a dozen aircraft during their operations surrounding Operation Substance.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder torpedoes and damages 4964-ton Italian freighter Dandolo off the west coast of Sicily.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Upright, operating off Cape dell Armi, uses its deck gun to attack floating dock G022. The Italians immediately send ships out to launch depth charge attacks, but Upright gets away.

Italian submarine Squalo claims to damage a British tanker northeast of Tobruk, but there is no confirmation or identification of what ship it is.

Operation Guillotine, the reinforcement of Cyprus, continues. Royal Navy transport Gujarat, escorted by Australian sloop HMAS Parramatta, travels from Port Said to Famagusta without incident.

Italian soldier executing civilians in Sinj, Croatia, 24 July 1941.

Partisans: The partisan revolt in the Balkans continues. Italian troops, attempting to regain control, engage in repressive measures. This includes executing civilians in the Croatian town of Sinj.

POWs: A group of Dutch troops, 68 officers, arrives at Colditz Castle, an Oflag IV-C camp. They are the first Dutch prisoners.

German/Italian Relations: Mussolini offers to add another Italian army corps to the one already allocated to the eastern front.

US/German/Italian Relations: US troopship USS West Point (AP-23) arrives in Lisbon. It carries German and Italian consular personnel and their families who have been ordered to return to Europe by the United States government.

Two USAAF B-18 bombers in the Philippines, 24 July 1941.

US/Japanese Relations: President Roosevelt meets with Japanese Ambassador Nomura in the Oval Office. Roosevelt defends his policy in the Pacific, noting that he has permitted oil to be shipped to Japan. However, he notes that the Japanese occupation of French Indochina is a problem for relations. Nomura says that he personally disagrees with the aggressive Japanese policies in the Pacific and is a good friend of new Foreign Minister Toyoda. Both Roosevelt and Nomura agree that Germany's goal is world conquest and is pressuring Japan. Nomura promises to ask his government not to occupy French Indochina, and Roosevelt promises to guarantee that the Allies would leave it alone if Japan does as well. Nomura responds that it may be too late because Japan would lose face if it pulled out of Indochina now.

After the meeting, Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles issues a statement regarding the Japanese/Vichy French agreement regarding Japanese use of French Indochina. It notes in part:

By the course which it has followed and is following in regard to Indochina, the Japanese Government is giving clear indication that it is determined to pursue an objective of expansion by force or threat of force.

The statement does not, however, indicate that the United States will take any direct action as a result of the Japanese establishment of military bases in the territory.

Anglo/Free French Relations: Charles de Gaulle remains extremely upset about having Free French forces not included in the treaty ending the conflict in the Levant. At his demand, Free French forces revert to his command from British control at noon.

Japanese troops enter Saigon by bicycle, 24 July 1941. (Japanese army photo).

French Indochina: Japanese marines land at Cam Ranh Bay to secure port facilities, pursuant to the recent Japanese agreement with the Vichy French. Army troops are following along behind.

German Military: General der Panzertruppe Walther Kurt Josef Nehring is awarded the Knight's Cross. He is Generalmajor and commander of the 18th Panzer-Division.

US Military: The US Marine Corps establishes a detachment of the 1st Defense Battalion at Johnston Island southwest of Hawaii in the Pacific.

Fw 200 C-2 W.Nr. 0026 "F8+CH", 1./KG 40, Bordeaux, before 24 July 1941, the date when it was shot down with all its crew near Ireland.

German Government: During his evening talks with cronies, Adolf Hitler opines:

The German army is technically the most perfect in the world; and the German soldier, in a moment of crisis, is safer and sounder than any other soldier. I'm truly happy that it has been granted to me to see, in my lifetime, the German soldier rewarded by Providence. For an elite force, like our SS, it's great luck to have suffered comparatively heavy losses. In this way, it's assured of the necessary prestige to intervene, if need be, on the home front — which, of course, won't be necessary. But it's good to know that one disposes of a force that could show itself capable of doing so, on occasion.

Ordinary soldiers may not agree that their losses are worth it for the prestige granted their formations. There is no question, however, that the SS is loaded with fanatical troops who might, in fact, agree with Hitler.

One of two checkpoints at the Kishinev Ghetto circa 1941.

Holocaust: The Romanian governor of the Kishinev (Chișinău) district of Bessarabia (Moldova) and the local German commander of the Einsatzkommando order a Ghetto established for Jews who have survived previous executions. Some 11,000 people squeeze into the confined space.

A local SS commander reports to headquarters that 4435 Jews have been exterminated at Lachowicz.

German SS troops execute Jewish citizens of Grodz, Lithuania.

Canadian Homefront: About 700 workers in Arvida, Quebec begin an illegal strike against their employer, the Alcan aluminum company. Alcan is considered essential to the war effort, and thus the strike is illegal.

American Homefront: The New York Times publishes a quote from Senator Harry Truman of Missouri regarding the German invasion of the Soviet Union: "If we see that Germany is winning we ought to help Russia, and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany, and in that way let them kill as many as possible."

Motor launch for hospital ship MS Oranje, Cockatoo Island, 24 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

2020

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 1 March 1941

A captured Rettungsboje (life buoy) in British a port (Guerra-Abierta).

Italian/Greek Campaign: On 1 March 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's new plan is to convince the Yugoslav government to join the Allies. He instructs Foreign Minister Anthony Eden to meet with them to see if they will attack the Italians in Albania. Otherwise, the front is quiet today as both sides gear up for renewed offensives.

East African Campaign: Briggsforce, a loose assembly of troops under the command of Brigadier Briggs of the 4th Indian Division's 7th Indian Infantry Brigade, takes Mescelit Pass from the Italian 107th Colonial Battalion. This is a key road about 24 km north of Keren, where the British have been blocked by the Italians for weeks. Briggsforce now has the opportunity to attack the Italian defenders from the rear, or to advance on Massawa on the coast. However, the actual effect of this success is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Briggsforce does not have artillery.

With Mogadishu in the bag in Eritrea, the British continue mopping up the remaining Italian resistance. The 11th African Division pursues the Italians north along the Juba River towards the Ogaden Plateau and Abyssinia. The Italians are evacuating all of Italian Somaliland, according to General Cunningham.

Mogadishu is proving a very mixed blessing for the British. The port is in terrible shape, and no ships will be able to enter any time soon. The city is a sanitary disaster, full of unburied corpses and shallow graves.

HMS Formidable, still awaiting clearance to transit the Suez Canal after recent Luftwaffe mining, is stuck in Port Sudan. Its aircraft, which have transferred for the time being to land bases, attack Massawa. The attack achieves little.

Repeating a familiar pattern, the naval forces in Massawa see the approaching British land forces and realize that time is limited. Accordingly, some begin to escape. Today, Italian submarines Gauleo Ferraras, Perla, and Archimede leave to return to Europe. While they can evade the Royal Navy, the submarines are not large, ocean-going submarines, and thus cannot carry enough supplies for long journeys. Italian freighter Himalaya also attempts to escape.

There are few friendly ports left between Massawa and Europe. Thus, the crews will be faced with deep privation during this journey. What makes these journeys possible is the well-maintained chain of German tankers and supply ships in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans which also have been aiding the German raiders.

A beached Rettungsboje.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 100+ bombers against Cologne.

The Luftwaffe mounts some minor raids along the east coast. He.111H-5 (1H+BK/wnr. 3774 ) of 2./KG26 ditches in the Moray Firth and paddles ashore. Oblt. Hatto Kuhn(FF), Uffz Friedrich Großhardt (BO), Gefr. Manfred Hänel (BF) and Uffz Ferdinand Mänling (BS) are captured and interrogated at Banff. This becomes a fairly well-known incident due to various accounts told by the Luftwaffe men over the decades.

A Junkers Ju 52/3m of IV,/JG z b V 1 lands at Skopje, Yugoslavia due to a navigational error. The government interns the plane and crew.

Hans-Joachim Marseille of JG 27 is promoted to the rank of Oberfähnrich, effective this date. This promotion is long overdue, occurring after all the other pilots from his original Geschwader, LG 2, have reached this rank or higher. Marseille is seen as undisciplined and a playboy, a pilot who refuses to follow orders and constantly endangers his wingman by freelancing.

Dietrich Peltz, a promising bomber pilot, is promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) in KG 77.

Erich "Bubi" Hartmann progresses to the Luftkriegsschule 2 (Air War School 2) in Berlin-Gatow. He still has not flown solo.

The Luftwaffe is getting tired of losing pilots in the English Channel after they wind up in the water. They very stealthily and pragmatically have created and placed Rettungsboje (Rescue Buoys) about ten miles off the coast of France, or very roughly halfway to England. These are known casually as Generalluftzeugmeister or Udet-Bojen after the Luftwaffe's head of equipment, Generaloberst Ernst Udet. Basically, these are anchored submarines with small entryways that extend above the surface. Downed airmen who can make their way to these devices have a way to survive until they are spotted. Each 10-meter-long object - mounted on floats - contains four bunk beds and a cupboard with provisions. It is an ingenious solution to a very real problem. When occupied, the Luftwaffe men are to hoist the Red Cross flag and await rescue. Apparently, there also is a wireless station aboard.

Today, the British spot two of these hospital floats and tow them into Newhaven Harbour. These Rettungsboje later will feature in two films, "We Dive At Dawn" (1943) and "One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing" (1942).

Without getting moralistic about it, these craft technically are hospital ships. The British violate international rules of war by "capturing them" - though, by this point, the Germans are well aware that the British are pushing the envelope when it comes to disrespecting the Red Cross flag (due to many 1940 RAF shootdowns of German search and rescue planes). However, there are many of these at sea, and it appears the British are able to find only a few. It is unclear how useful they are in practice, but it likely gives many Luftwaffe pilots some comfort knowing that they are there. Incidentally, they also could be used by downed RAF pilots, too, and even the crews of sunk ships.

An illustration of a Rettungsboje.

Battle of the Atlantic: German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer re-enters the South Atlantic from the Indian Ocean.

U-552 (K.Kapt. Erich Topp), on its first patrol out of Helgoland, gets off to a fast start. Operating just north of Scotland, U-552 sinks 12,062-ton British tanker Cadillac. The tanker is carrying highly flammable Aviation spirit fuel, which ignites due to the explosion. There are 37 deaths, including the master and three passengers. Only five crew survive, one of whom dies the next day from burns. The sinking is horrific because 26 men manage to take to the boats, but the burning oil sets the sea afire and creates an inferno, burning some and causing others to leap from the boats and drown. The blaze is so fantastic that Captain Topp calls his crew on deck to witness it, which is highly unusual.

Royal Navy 349 ton minesweeping trawler HMT St. Donats collides with destroyer HMS Cotswold in the Humber. The St. Donats sinks, while the destroyer proceeds to Chatham for repairs that last the rest of the month.

The Luftwaffe attacks Convoy WN 91 off Fraserburgh (north of Aberdeen) from about 19:35 to 20:14. The planes damage 5057-ton British freighter Forthbank. There are four deaths. The freighter makes it to Invergordon. The planes also damage 6098-ton freighter Pennington Court, but only slightly.

The Luftwaffe also attacks Convoy EN 79 off Aberdeen (WN and EN convoys are the same, just running in the opposite directions). The planes damage 8949-tanker Atheltempar. Atheltempar is consumed with flames, but with great courage is taken in tow by HMS Speedwell (Commander Youngs) and taken to Methil Roads. The fire takes 4 1/2 hours to put out. The Atheltempar's crew, taken aboard the Speedwell, refuses to help fight the fire and simply goes to bed. The rescue becomes a major event, as Admiral Ramsay onshore sends out a flight of Hurricanes to ward off additional Luftwaffe bombers. Eventually, a large tug arrives and brings it to an anchorage off Methil.

The Luftwaffe bombs and disables 7981-ton Dutch tanker Rotula in St. George's Channel off Wexford. There are 16 deaths. The derelict becomes a hazard to navigation and eventually is sunk by a passing British trawler.

The Luftwaffe also hits 5691-ton British freighter Empire Simba near the burning Rotula. The damage forces the Empire Simba's crew to abandon ship, but it eventually is towed to Liverpool.

Norwegian 2112-ton freighter Huldra, working for the Germans, hits a mine and sinks at Hustadvika, Norway.

Destroyer HMS Firedrake runs aground east of Gibraltar on the Spanish coast. It eventually is freed and returns to Gibraltar for repair.

Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS Cornwall, operating in the far South Atlantic west of Cape Town, encounters 4972 ton French freighter Ville De Jamunga. The Cornwall escorts the French ship to Cape Town.

Escort Carrier USS Charger (CVE-30) is launched. This carrier, under construction at Newport News, Virginia, is tentatively scheduled to be transferred to the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease - once Lend-Lease becomes law, that is. This transfer will be rescinded, though. At the moment, it still carries the name Rio de la Plata, which the Royal Navy prefers, but that name will change to USS Charger.

Convoy HX 112 departs from Halifax, Convoy BHX 112 departs from Bermuda, Convoy SL 67 departs from Freetown.
Royal Navy corvette HMS Anchusa (Lt. Philipp Everett-Price) is commissioned, anti-submarine warfare trawler HMS Minuet is launched, the destroyer HMS Catterick is laid down.

US destroyer USS Meredith (Lt. Commander William K. Mendenhall, Jr.) and submarine USS Grayling (Lt. Eliot Olsen) are both commissioned.

U-766 is laid down, U-161 and U-162 are launched.

Bogdan Filov signs the Tripartite Pact on behalf of Bulgaria, 1 March 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Colonel Leclerc and his Free French forces accept the submission of the Italians at El Tag fortress at Kufra Oasis. The Italians are allowed to retreat to Italian lines, while the French keep all of their supplies and equipment. Surrendering are 11 officers, 18 NCOs, and 273 Libyan soldiers according to Italian sources, while the survivors of 70 members of the Saharan Company outside the fort also could have been used to break the blockade. The Free French victors have about 350 soldiers, but, most importantly, they have the only effective artillery in the engagement. Total casualties are three deaths on the Italian side and four dead on the French side. The Free French get a windfall of equipment never used by the Italians, including eight SPA AS.37 trucks, half a dozen lorries, four 20 mm cannon and 53 machine guns.

Royal Navy minesweeping drifter HMT Ploughboy detonates three mines in quick succession at Malta. The skipper has to beach the drifter. There is one death and nine wounded. This is a serious loss for the British because the Ploughboy is the only minesweeper of its type available.

Another major convoy departs from Naples for Tripoli with reinforcements and supplies for the Afrika Korps. It has four freighters and a heavy escort.

Axis Relations: Tsar Boris III approves of Bulgarian participation in the Tripartite Pact which forms the foundation of the Axis. So, Prime Minister Bogdan Filov signs the Pact in Vienna on behalf of Bulgaria.

German/Bulgarian Relations: German troops openly began entering Bulgaria on 28 February after months of covert operations in the country. Today, with Bulgaria officially joining the Axis, the Wehrmacht troops openly ride through Sofia. Among the many wild promises made to the Bulgarians is that they will receive an outlet to the Aegean - which would have to cut off northern Greece.

Anglo/US Relations: New US Ambassador John G. Winant meets the Duke of Kent and the King of England on his way to London.

US/Soviet Relations: Under-Secretary of State Sumner Welles passes along information in his possession about a coming attack on the Soviet Union. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin is receiving several of these warnings from various sources and discounts them all.

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering and manufacturer Professor Willi Messerschmidt (pointing) in a newspaper picture on 1 March 1941. Goering it touring southern German.

German Military: The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka remains the workhorse of the Luftwaffe for precision ground attacks. While they are proving increasingly vulnerable to fighter attacks, there is no better alternative available or in the offing. Thus, development continues. Today, five prototypes (Ju 87 V21-25) converted from B-1 to D-1/D-4 make their first flights. The Ju 87 D switches the placement of the oil cooler and two coolant radiators and, more strikingly, has a more aerodynamically sculpted cockpit which gives the pilot better visibility. The pilots also receive increased armor protection, while a better machine gun (dual-barrel 7.92 mm MG 71Z) is placed in the rear of the cockpit. The engine now delivers 1401 hp, and maximum bomb-carrying ability increases from 500 kg to 1800 kg.

These incremental changes do not improve the survivability of the aircraft very much against the RAF. However, the increased power eventually will make the Stuka (in a still later version, the G) more effective at what will become its primary task: tank destruction.

US Military: Support Force, Atlantic Fleet is established. This will protect convoys in the North Atlantic. The first commander is Rear Admiral Arthur L. Bristol. It is composed of Destroyer Squadron 7 (Captain J L Kauffman), Destroyer Squadron 30 (Captain M Y Cohen), and Destroyer Squadron 31 (Captain W D.Baker). Each squadron has two divisions, each containing three or four destroyers. While many of the destroyers eventually gain some renown, the two that stand out are USS Reuben James in Division 62 and USS Greer in Division 61.

The US 133rd Infantry Regiment arrives at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana for training.

Soviet Military: General Zhukov, appointed Chief of the General Staff on 1 February, takes over this position. He replaces the temporarily disgraced (in Stalin's eyes, anyway) Meretskov.

Chinese Military: General Hiroshi Nemoto becomes the commanding officer of the 24th Division.

New Zealand Military: New Zealand's first fighter squadron, No. 485 Squadron RNZAF, forms.

Japanese Military: Lieutenant General Hiroshi Takahashi becomes chief of staff of the Japanese Chosen Army, currently based in Korea. Lieutenant General Takaji Wachi becomes chief of staff of Japan's Taiwan Army. Wachi previously served in Taiwan until his present position on the staff of the Central China Expeditionary Army. Wachi also heads its Research Division, considering techniques for land warfare in Southeast Asia.

US Government: The US Senate votes unanimously to establish a select committee to study US war production. Of course, the US isn't even at war at the moment, but war production is ramping up to help the British and equip various US bases in the Pacific. This commission is headed by Missouri Senator Harry S. Truman and becomes known as the Truman Commission.

Chinese Government: Nationalist (Kuomintang) leader Chiang Kai-shek gives an address to the People's Political Council.

Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, left, carrying out an inspection of Auschwitz. Here, Himmler is surrounded by SS men during his second visit to Auschwitz – in July 1942 – at the site of the IG Farben industrial plant. Next to Himmler (left in the first row), you can see senior IG Farber engineer Maximilian Faust (in a hat) and Rudolf Hoess - the commandant of Auschwitz.

Holocaust: Reichsfuehrer SS and Chief of German Police Heinrich Himmler inspects the concentration camp at Oswiecim, aka Auschwitz. There is a major synthetic fuel plant being constructed nearby, as well as other factories that use the camp's slave labor. During his visit, Himmler orders the expansion of the camp to 30,000 and another camp built at Birkenau to hold 100,000 more. Birkenau's original purpose is to hold an expected influx of Soviet prisoners of war after the start of Operation Barbarossa. Auschwitz, Himmler orders camp commandant Rudolf Hoess to commit 10,000 prisoners to build an I.G. Farben synthetic rubber factory at Dwory, a kilometer or two away.

Greek Homefront: There is a strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake centered at Larissa, north of Athens. A reported, 10,000 are left homeless.

Dutch Homefront: The Germans have quelled the General Strike called in February which involved up to 300,000 participants. Today, they impose a fine of 15 million guilders on the city of Amsterdam for local participation in the strike.

American Homefront: Theodore N. Kaufman publishes "Germany Must Perish!" This is the first in a series of written items in the United States - most notoriously the Morgenthau Plan later in the war - that the German Propaganda Ministry seizes upon with glee.

"Captain America" makes his official debut in an American comic book (although in actuality the issue dated today actually was released in December 1940 - in time for Christmas).

The Admiralty IX Floating Dry Dock, Singapore, March 1941 (Image #6159, Courtesy Australian War Memorial).

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

March 1941

March 1, 1941: Rettungsboje
March 2, 1941: Oath of Kufra
March 3, 1941: Germans in Bulgaria
March 4, 1941: Lofoten Islands Raid
March 5, 1941: Cooperation With Japan
March 6, 1941: Battle of Atlantic
March 7, 1941: Prien Goes Under
March 8, 1941: Cafe de Paris
March 9, 1941: Italian Spring Offensive
March 10, 1941: Humanitarian Aid
March 11, 1941: Lend Lease Become Law
March 12, 1941: A New Magna Carta
March 13, 1941: Clydeside Wrecked
March 14, 1941: Leeds Blitz
March 15, 1941: Cruisers Strike!
March 16, 1941: Kretschmer Attacks
March 17, 1941: Happy Time Ends
March 18, 1941: Woolton Pie
March 19, 1941: London Hit Hard
March 20, 1941: Romeo and Juliet
March 21, 1941: Plymouth Blitz
March 22, 1941: Grand Coulee Dam
March 23, 1941: Malta Under Siege
March 24, 1941: Afrika Korps Strikes!
March 25, 1941: Yugoslavia Joins The Party
March 26, 1941: Barchini Esplosivi
March 27, 1941: Belgrade Coup
March 28, 1941: Cape Matapan Battle
March 29, 1941: Lindbergh Rants
March 30, 1941: Commissar Order
March 31, 1941: Cookie Bombs

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