Friday 22 August 1941

General Heinz Guderian at a forward headquarters of a panzer unit, August 1941 (Huschke, Federal Archive, Bild 183-L19885).

Eastern Front: On 22 August 1941, having received the Fuhrer Directive of 20 August 1941 which provides that Moscow is not a top priority, OKH Chief of Staff Franz Halder writes in his war diary that "It is decisive for the outcome of this campaign." The directive provides that

The principal objects that must be achieved yet before the onset of winter is not the capture of Moscow but rather, in the South, the occupation of the Crimea and the industrial and coal region of the Donets, together with isolation of the Russian oil regions in the Caucasus and, in the North, the encirclement of Leningrad and junction with the Finns.

Field Marshal von Bock, commander of Army Group Center, calls Halder in the afternoon and once again, as he has many times in the past, complains that he must remain on the offensive in order to "maintain his front." However, all across the 2000-mile Eastern Front, the German advance has slowed to a crawl.

Finnish and Waffen-SS troops heading to the front near Kiestinki on or about 22 August 1941 (sources vary on the date of this photo). Note the soldiers in SS camouflage on the right with Suomi KP-31.

In the Far North sector, the Finns continue advancing on the Karelian Isthmus as the Soviet defenders have trouble forming a defensive line. Having captured the town of Käkisalmi (Priozersk) on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga on 21 August, the Finns advance toward the village of Taipale, which had been the scene of a fierce battle in December 1939. Much farther to the north, Finnish Group J resumes its offensive toward Ukhta (Kalevala) on the shores of Ozero Sredneye Kuyto lake. The most important Finnish advance in a strategic sense - toward the Murmansk railway line at Loukhi - is bogged down as both sides have fed in reinforcements.

"Jewish women forced to sweep the streets of Riga after its fall to the Germans, 22 August 1941. Note they are already forced to wear Star of David patches on their clothes." © IWM (HU 8966).

In the Army Group North sector,  the Germans advance south of Lake Ilmen. General Erich von Manstein's LVI Corps reaches the Lovat River and pushes into the Valdai Hills.

In the Army Group Center sector, there are minor attacks on both sides as the German formations regroup after recent successes. Panzer Group 3 (General Hoth), back in action after refitting, advances toward Velikiye Luki.

In the Army Group South sector, German troops occupy Cherkasy after hard fighting. There also is hard fighting at Dnepropetrovsk. German Sixth Army continues to pursue the retreating Soviet Fifth Army around Kyiv. Panzer Group 1 continues advancing into and occupying the Dneipr bend. Soviet 9th Army and 18th Army withdraw behind the Dneipr River. In an unusual incident, large elements of Soviet 436th Infantry Regiment of 155th Rifle Division deserts to the Germans and is reformed eventually as the Don Cossack unit within the Wehrmacht.

"A Jewish woman forced to sweep the streets of Riga after its fall to the Germans, 22 August 1941. Note she is already forced to wear a Star of David patch on her clothes." © IWM (HU 8967).

European Air Operations: After several quiet days, the RAF gets back into action today. During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 18 Blenheim bombers on a routine coastal sweep from France to the Netherlands without incident. After dark, the RAF sends 56 Wellington bombers and 41 Hampdens to Mannheim. At a cost of 1 Hampden, the bombers start many fires in the city. One house is destroyed and five are badly damaged. There is one casualty, an air-raid officer hurt in a truck accident on his way to the scene of some damage. In addition to the Mannheim raid, 23 RAF bombers (11 Whitleys, 10 Wellingtons, and 2 Stirlings) raid Le Havre without loss.

Irish freighter Clonlara is torpedoed and sunk on 22 August 1941.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-564 (KrvKpt. Reinhard Suhren), on its second patrol out of Brest, is operating in the sea lanes west of Port, Portugal when it spots Convoy OG-71. Two ships are hit and sink:

• 484-ton British freighter Empire Oak (13 dead, 8 survivors)
• 1203-ton Irish freighter Clonlara (6 dead, 13 survivors)

In one of those tragedies that happened often along the convoy routes, six of the 13 lost on the Empire Oak were survivors from an earlier sinking from freighter Aguila that the ship had picked up at sea on the 19th. Eleven other survivors from another sunk freighter, Alva, however, survive and are taken aboard corvette HMS Campanula.

U-564 also notifies U-boat command (BdH) of the location of Convoy OG-71, which directs U-201 to the vicinity. In addition, eight Junkers Ju-88 bombers attack, led by (Hptm Heßling), who is killed as a result of the attack.

Royal Navy submarine Trident (Cdr Sladen) torpedoes and sinks 3030-ton German troopship Ostpreußen north of Tromsö in the Kvanangenfjord, Norway.

HMS Tonbridge bombed and sunk on 22 August 1941 by the Luftwaffe.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 683-ton Royal Navy net-layer Tonbridge just off near Scroby Elbow Buoy off Yarmouth. There are 35 deaths.

At Reykjavik, US destroyer USS Charles F. Hughes (DD-428) collides with 5445-ton British freighter Chumleigh and is damaged.

Soviet cargo/liner Pomorie hits a mine and sinks in the White Sea off of Kandalaksha. There are 20 survivors and 60 deaths (accounts vary).

Soviet Submarines D-3 and M-172 (Lt. Cdr. Israel Fisnovich) are on patrol off the coast near Petsamo Fjord. M-172 attempts an attack on German hospital ship Alexander von Humbolde - which would be a war crime under most interpretations of international law - but misses.

After having been damaged by its own torpedoes on 21 August, Free French submarine Rubis gets a message to the Admiralty about its situation. The Admiralty directs several warships to go to its aid off the Norwegian coast.

The government of Brazil seizes 23,861-ton Italian liner Conte Grande at Santos, Brazil. The ship eventually is converted into US troopship USS Monticello (AP-61).

After undergoing repairs in the United States, battleship HMS Rodney departs from Newport, Rhode Island on a working-up cruise.

Royal Navy minesweeper Agamemnon lays minefield SN-22B in the North Sea.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Snowflake and minesweeper Worthing are launched.

Canadian minesweeper HMCS Clayoquot (J-174, Lt. George A. V. Thomson) is commissioned and minesweeper Lockeport is launched.

Australian auxiliary minesweeper HMAS Birchgrove Park is commissioned, destroyer HMAS Derwent is launched.

German Merchant Ostpreussen torpedoed and sunk by HMS Trident on 22 August 1941 north of Tromsö in the Kvanangenfjord.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder attacks an Italian convoy between Palermo and Tripoli. Upholder sinks 3958-ton Italian transport Lussin near Cape St. Vito.

Operation Treacle, the replacement of Australian troops at Tobruk by Polish units of the Carpathian Brigade, continues. Destroyers Hasty, Jervis, and Kimberley and minelaying cruiser Abdiel carry troops successfully to Tobruk and return to Alexandria without incident.

The Luftwaffe bombs Tobruk and damages 1009-ton Greek freighter Lesbos.

Italian 5232-ton tanker Strombo, previously torpedoed in the Zea Channel on 10 July 1941 by Royal Navy submarine Torbay, is completely destroyed in an explosion in Skaramanga Bay.

Royal Navy minelaying cruiser Manxman departs from Gibraltar as part of Operation Mincemeat. Its objective is to lay mines in the Gulf of Genoa in the Livorno area.

Australian destroyer Stuart returns to Australia from Alexandria due to engine problems that require repair. It arrives in Fremantle, Australia on 16 September. Due to its departure, 10th Destroyer Flotilla (known as the "Scrap Iron Flotilla") of the Mediterranean Fleet disbands.

Royal Navy submarine P-33 is reported officially missing at Malta after failing to return from its patrol on 21 August.

RAF Maryland bombers patrol over Lampedusa and attack shore targets, destroying some vehicles.

Italian transport Lussin, sunk on 22 August 1941 by HMS Upholder.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Panamanian freighter Cascade catches fire and sinks in the Bay of Bengal off Sandeads, India.

Partisans: Repercussions from the assassination in Paris at the Barbes-Rochechouart railway station continue. Otto von Stülpnagel signs a decree stating that any further incidents will result in the reprisal killing of French hostages who have committed any crimes whatsoever.

A German soldier ties the hands of partisan Franc Sešek of Bukovica prior to being shot by the Germans on Mala Poljana mountain in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, 22 August 1941.

War Crimes: At least one Waffen SS unit is ordered to execute Soviet prisoners in reprisal for "inhuman atrocities" committed by Soviet troops. By one account (that in the published memoirs of Erich Stahl), 4000 Soviet POWs are executed within a few days. As with executions of Jews and others, the POWs are lined up in front of pits eight at a time and shot, with the POWs falling into the pit and quickly replaced by 8 more POWs.

US/Japanese Relations: Talks between the Japanese and Germans continue, shielded from both the public and allies. The Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs informs Ambassador Joseph Grew in Tokyo that the Germans have made inquiries about the nature of the talks. The Japanese tell Grew that they told the Germans that they were simply talking about "specific cases of difficulties experienced by Americans in Japan and China," which is not the case. Grew further notes in a separate wire that the bellicose statements by the United States press about the "encirclement" of Japan by the Allies are having a negative effect on talks.

US Military: The US Marine Detachment, 1st defense Battalion, arrives at Wake Island from Oahu, Hawaii.

Major General Adna R. Chaffee Jr., sometimes called the "Father of the Armored Force, passes away in Boston, Massachusetts of cancer at the age of 56. The M24 Chaffee light tank will be named in his honor, and also Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

Italian tanker Strombo, sunk on 22 August 1941.

Soviet Military: The military high command, Stavka, forms Soviet Karelia Front, commanded by General Frolov, and Leningrad Front, commanded by Vasily Popov (whose Northern Front is disbanded). At Leningrad, Popov controls 8th, 23rd, and 48th Armies.

Joseph Stalin decrees that Red Army soldiers should receive 100 grams of vodka each per day.

Romanian Military: King Michael promotes Romanian leader Ion Antonescu to the rank of Field Marshal.

Vichy French Military: The third convoy of French troops being repatriated to France departs from Haifa. It carries 4952 troops.

Japanese Military: The Imperial Japanese Navy begins converting 10,383-ton oiler Kuroshio Maru into a warship at Tama Zosen shipyard.

US Military: Thomas Richard Pardue of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion begins the "A" Company Diary. It lasts until 10 November 1945. "Start: 22 August 41. Cpt. Billingalea first Commander of Company “A”, Deavours as 1st Sgt. and company completed by other volunteers."

Farmers at Tregear Farm, Nanstallon, Cornwall on 22 August 1941.

Danish Homefront: The German occupation authorities pass the "Communist Law," which bans the Communist Party of Denmark and all other communist organizations.

American Homefront: In Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees have a 15-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the American League, while in the National League the Brooklyn Dodgers maintain a one-and-a-half game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Future History: Duane Charles Parcells is born in Englewood, New Jersey. He plays football in college at Colgate University and the University of Wichita (later Wichita State University) and is drafted by the Detroit Lions. However, he does not make the team and goes into coaching instead. As Bill Parcells, he goes on to a top coaching career at the college level and then, beginning in 1979, with the National Football League. Parcells becomes the head coach of the New York Giants, the New England Patriots, the New York Jets, the Dallas Cowboy. Among his other accomplishments, Bill Parcells is the first NFL head coach to guide four different teams to the playoffs. Bill Parcells remains involved with the NFL, and at the time of this writing, he is a courtesy consultant with the Cleveland Browns.

The wedding of Leading Seaman Nils Henry Wiig, RNN, a Norwegian sailor to Miss Ivy May, 22 August 1941 (© IWM (A 5216)).

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

2020

Wednesday 13 August 1941

Wellington X9764/AA:V of RAF No. 75 Squadron, shot down by a night fighter over the Zuider Zee in the early hours of 13 August 1941. The pilot nurses the plane back to England and crash-lands it here, in Thetford forest. The plane is repaired and returned to service (IWM CH3366).

Eastern Front: OKH Chief of Staff Franz Halder on 13 August 1941 has a conference with Chief of Staff for Army Group South at Uman and the army generals under Field Marshal von Rundstedt's command. Afterward, Halder writes:

The consensus is that the projected missions can be carried out. At present we have no clear plans yet for solving the Kiev problem and for swiftly occupying the Crimea.

Considering that the capture of Kyiv and the Crimea, in fact, are the two primary missions of the Army Group, not having a plan for achieving these objectives is not overly reassuring for the Army Group's prospects.

Halder also sets down his impression of Hitler's most recent Fuhrer Directive, "Supplement to Directive 34." Halder writes:

Attack on Moscow by Army Group Center is approved, but approval is made conditional on so many factors... that the freedom of action which we need for the execution of the plan is severely restricted.

Note that Halder says the army does not have the full freedom of action "which we need." Not want, need. Already, doubt is creeping into the high command as to whether Moscow will or even can be captured.

Dnieper crossing near Strešyn on 13 August 1941.

In the Far North sector, The Finns continue making slow progress around Lake Ladoga. However, the advance toward the Murmansk railway at Loukhi has slowed to a crawl as the Soviets bring in reinforcements by rail - a luxury the Finns do not have.

In the Army Group North sector, there are fierce battles at Luga, where Panzer Group 4 is attempting to blast out of a bridgehead, and Staraya Russa, where the Germans are pulling back. In effect, for the moment the German offensive has run tight and the Soviets are giving as good as they get.

In the Army Group Center sector, the Soviets continue beating against the exposed German Yelnya bridgehead. General Guderian refuses a request for a pullback there. At Krichev, XXIV Corps (General of Panzer Troops Geyr von Schweppenburg) subdues a pocket of Soviet troops and takes 16,000 prisoners, 76 guns, and 15 tanks.

In the Army Group South sector, leader Ion Antonescu orders the Romanian 4th Army to stop its offensive at Odessa. He orders the generals to build up a position along the Khadzhibey Estuary to the northwest of the city before proceeding further. The halt doesn't really affect the battle because the Soviet troops in Odesa are under orders to stay put anyway - and anyone who disobeys a Red Army order to hold their position usually winds up wishing they had regardless of what would have happened to them in the position.

German 11th Army captures Cherson (Kherson), a key crossing over the Dneipr. While still over a hundred miles from the Crimea, Cherson controls the main line of communications to it. Soviet destroyers and gunboats are used in the defense.

European Air Operations: Activity is light today on the Channel front following the maximum effort of RAF Bomber Command during the night of 12/13 August. The British took unacceptable casualties overnight for a sustained bombing offensive regardless of the damaged caused to Cologne and the other targets. However, the RAF is gearing up for another major effort on the 14th and has plenty of bombers at its disposal.

The Luftwaffe Attacks the northeast British coast at Sunderland, Alnmouth and Horden Colliery. The raids kill four people at Sunderland and two dead at Horden Colliery Yard, with others injured.

"Australian troops occupy a frontline position at Tobruk, 13 August 1941. Between April and December 1941 the Tobruk garrison, comprising Australian, Polish, Indian and British troops, was besieged by Rommel's forces. It fell to the Germans after the battle of Gazala on 21 June 1942 but was recaptured five months later." © IWM (E 4792).

Battle of the Baltic: Soviet minesweeper Tralshik hits a mine and sinks in the Gulf of Finland.

Estonian submarines Kalev and Lembit lay mines off Cape Ushava.

The German 2nd S-Boat Flotilla lays minefield Mona I, composed of 18 TMB mines in the south entrance to Moon Sound.

The German 5th M-Boat Flotilla lays minefields Pinnass V and Pinnass VI with 28 mines at Cape Domesnas.

Soviet torpedo boat U-2 Proletariy Ukrainy is lost of unknown causes today.

Battle of the Atlantic: German E-boats sink Soviet minesweeper No. 41 in the Gulf of Finland north of Tallinn, Estonia. Another Soviet minesweeper, No. 89, also is lost today.

Faroes 158-ton fishing ship Sjoborg hits a mine and sinks east of the southern Faroes. This is the second ship sunk in this restricted area recently, and the mines are "friendly" mines.

Soviet submarine K-2 attacks some German ships off Tanafjord, Norway, but misses.

Free French submarine Rubis claims to attack and sink a ship off Norway, but there is no confirmation.

Convoy OG-71 departs from Liverpool bound for Lisbon, Convoy OS-3 departs from Liverpool bound for Freetown.

Royal Navy minesweeping trawler HMS Rysa (Lt. John H. CooperThat ) is commissioned.

Canada orders minesweepers HMCS Llewellyn and Lloyd George.

"Australian troops man front-line trenches in the Tobruk perimeter, 13 August 1941." © IWM (E 4791).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British continue replacing worn-out Australian troops with Polish soldiers at Tobruk. This is done at night throughout the week with the usual fast nightly supply runs.

Royal Navy 1267-ton schooner Kephallinia makes a supply run from Alexandria to Tobruk, but sinks for unexplained reasons not far from Alexandria. HMS Hero is nearby and picks up survivors.

According to some sources, landing craft tank HMS LCT-14 hits a mine and sinks today. According to other sources, it sinks on the 12th. Whichever day it is, LCT 15 sinks near Tobruk.

Operation Guillotine, the British reinforcement of Cyprus, continues as Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Neptune, minelaying cruiser Abdiel, and destroyer Jackal take troops to the island.

An Italian departs from Naples bound for Tripoli. The convoy is composed of five freighters escorted by five destroyers and a torpedo boat.

The Luftwaffe attacks Alexandria during the night.

At Malta, a Maryland sent to drop propaganda leaflets on Tunisia is shot down.

Muir Glacier, Alaska's Glacier Bay on 13 August 1941 (National Snow and Ice Data Center, W. O. Field, B. F. Molnia).

Battle of the Black Sea: The 1st Marine Rifle Regiment makes an attack at Grigorevka, Ukraine. Soviet destroyers Shaumyan and Nezamozhink and gunboat Krasny Adzharistan support the attack. Coastal defense batteries No. 412 and 726 also support the attack.

Soviet destroyers Shaumyan, Nezamozhnik, Frunze, and Dzerzhinski support the defense of Odesa by firing at Romanian positions today and throughout the week. Soviet river gunboat Akhiti sinks today from unknown causes.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Soviet freighter Polina Osipenko in the Black Sea.

POWs: Captains A.L.C. Dufour and J.G. Imit of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army and E.H. Larive and F. Steinmetz of the Royal Netherlands Navy escape from Colditz POW camp through a manhole. The first two are recaptured and returned to Colditz, the second two make it to Switzerland.

US/Australian Relations: The goodwill tour of US heavy cruisers USS Northampton (CA-26) and Salt Lake City (CA-25) continues, as they arrive today at Rabaul, New Britain.

"Construction of the open sheds area of Camp Polk, Louisiana on 13 August 1941" (The Digital Collections of the National WWII Museum).

German Military: There is some disagreement regarding the date of the first powered flight of the Messerschmitt Me 163 VI Komet. Some accounts state that it takes place today at Karlshagen, Peenemunde and reaches a speed of 497 mph (800 km/h) at the hands of Heini Dittmar. Other dates vary wildly, from about a week earlier to some time in 1942. Today seems to be the most generally accepted date.

Australian Military: The Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) is raised.

Canadian Military: The Canadian government authorizes the Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC).

US Government: Due to the growing war emergency, President Roosevelt signs an executive order suspending the 8-hour workday for certain skilled trades such as mechanics and laborers who are working for the War Department. These men are building infrastructure for the military such as airfields and barracks which has a high priority.

A soldier of the 9th Australian Division giving a drink of water to a donkey foal in Tobruk during the final months of the city's siege, Libya, 13 August 1941.

China: The Japanese bomb Chungking for the seventh day in a row, a total of 40 separate air raids. The city's air defenses have been worn down from ceaseless combat, and the Japanese now have total control of the skies over the Nationalist capital.

Holocaust: Ostland Reichkommissar Hinrich Lohse orders Jews to turn in all property to have it registered and confiscated, including money and other valuables such as rings and watches.

At Raseiniai, Einsatzcommando 3 executes 294 Jewish women and three Jewish children.

French Homefront: Apparently in response to Premier Petain's somewhat authoritarian speech on the evening of the 12th, communist protesters riot in Paris. The French and German authorities make many arrests.

Henry Ford (right, in straw hat) with his soybean car, circa 13 August 1941.

American Homefront: Henry Ford's prototype soybean car, supposedly designed in part by George Washington Carver, is introduced to the public at a community festival in Dearborn, Michigan. The car has a tubular steel frame to which are attached 14 plastic panels that are extremely thin. Ford claims that they are made at least in large part from biodegradable materials such as soybeans and hemp. The project is a personal project of Henry Ford, who hopes to integrate agriculture and industry.

Much mystery surrounds this soybean car (which does not survive because Ford had it destroyed almost immediately after showing it), and at least some scientists today think that the whole "soybean" angle was a scam and, in fact, the car was made of simple plastic - itself revolutionary for the time. In fact, some license plates are made of soybean products during the war, and the drivers learn that farm animals find them quite tasty.

Warner Bros. releases "International Squadron," directed by Lewis Seiler and Lothar Mendes and starring Ronald Reagan and Olympia Bradna. As is often the case during this period, Reagan plays the friend of someone (James Stephenson) who inspires the Reagan character into action. Reagan's character ultimately winds up in the RAF's Eagle Squadron and ultimately becomes a big hero. The film is notable for including actual aerial combat footage shot by Warners' Teddington studios technicians during the Battle of Britain and shipped over the United States. However, the close-up shots of "RAF" aircraft show a motley group of contemporary civilian aircraft dressed up as fighters.

It is Ladies Day at Dodgers Stadium in Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Running against convention for sports events, General Manager Larry MacPhail stages a fashion show for the ladies.

Muir Inlet, Alaska on 13 August 1941 (United States Geological Survey (USGS)).

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

2020

Wednesday 6 August 1941

Hitler and Antonescu at the afternoon Fuehrer conference at Army Group South headquarters, 6 August 1941. Note that Antonescu is sporting his new Knight's Cross.

Eastern Front: The German high command as of 6 August 1941 has been compiling statistics on losses on the Eastern Front, and today divulges some of its findings. According to reports from the front, the Wehrmacht has taken 266,352 casualties on the Eastern Front since the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. This is compared to 895,000 prisoners taken and an unknown number of Soviet casualties. While it is generally accepted that the Red Army takes higher casualties than the Wehrmacht throughout the war, the number of German casualties dwarfs those in earlier campaigns and is making a noticeable impact on the strength of front-line units.

Adolf Hitler, who is visiting the front, has his noon Fuhrer Conference at the headquarters of Army Group South. At the instigation of General Franz Halder, OKH Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group South, advocates orienting the entire Eastern Front attack toward capturing Moscow. Halder (who does not attend the meeting) writes in his war diary:

The Fuehrer again showed himself absolutely deaf to these arguments. He still harps on his old themes: 1) Leningrad... and 2) Eastern Ukraine... 3) Moscow comes last.

Hitler makes clear his priorities at the conference when he praises the advance of Panzer Group 1 on Kryvyi Rih, which has "high-grade iron-ore deposits and the large blast furnaces." The difference between Hitler and the generals comes down Hitler's planning for a long war which will require economic exploitation, while the generals seek a quick knockout of the Soviet Union. Neither solution necessarily is right or wrong, but the Wehrmacht is built more for short, sharp campaigns than a lengthy war of economic production and attrition.

In the Far North sector, the Finnish 7th Division of the VII Corps continues its advance from Sortavala to the shore of Lake Ladoga at Lahdenpohja. Further north, Group J of Finnish III Corps advances rapidly toward Kestenga despite bitter Soviet opposition. The Soviets are trying to rush reinforcements to both areas, but they are remote and there are few available troops nearby. The Stavka calls down 600 headquarters troops of the 14th Army along with a replacement battalion from Murmansk, which does not appear in jeopardy at the moment.

Army of Norway has been calling for help in getting its stalled offensive toward Murmansk rolling again, so OKW sends some reinforcements. The German 6th Destroyer Flotilla and the 12th Antisubmarine Flotilla escort transports carrying the 6th Mountain Division from Stettin, Germany to Kirkenes, Norway.

Hitler and General Halder, 1940.

In the Army Group North sector, the German 16th Army takes Staraya Russa (south of Lake Ilmen) and Kholm after a bitter struggle. General Halder at OKH headquarters writes about this, "signs of enemy demoralization (tanks desert to us!)." These stories about enemy desertions crop up throughout the war and never lead to much.

In the Army Group Center sector, the Wehrmacht is juggling units to give some front-line formations a chance to rebuild themselves behind the front. At the lightning-rod position at Yelnya, infantry moves forward to take over positions held by a battered panzer and SS formation. Halder writes in the war diary:

Enemy elements thought to be trapped at Roslavl have escaped. The Russians have an uncanny ability for moving on roads impassable for our troops and build concealed river crossings.

He adds, "Elsewhere, minor attacks."

In the Army Group South sector, the Romanian 4th Army and German 11th Army continue putting pressure on the Soviet defenders of Odesa. Hitler has promised overlordship of the region to Romania if Ion Antonescu can secure it, while the Soviet defenders of the city have been told to defend it to the end. Meanwhile, at Uman, the Germans continue tightening their envelopment of the 100,000 Soviet soldiers trapped there, though the Soviets continue to resist. German 6th Army is almost at the Dniepr River south of Kyiv, while the Soviets score some local successes near Kyiv.

That Soviet morale remains high is demonstrated during an unusual incident over Moscow. The Luftwaffe continues to send raids over the Soviet capital, but they have become small nuisance raids. Red Army pilot Viktor Talalikhin, after running out of ammunition, rams a Heinkel He-111 bomber with his Polikarpov I-16 fighter. Both planes crash, but Talalikhin parachutes safely to the ground.

Pilots of 5,/JG54 in Russia on 6 August 1941. Shown are Hubert Mutherich, Hans Philipp, Hauptmann Dietrich Hrabak and Lieutenant Josef Puhs. They are standing in front of Hrabak's Bf-109F, which shows 24 victories. Hrabak winds up with 109 victories on the Eastern Front and an additional 16 on the Western Front.

European Air Operations: During the day, the RAF sends 25 Blenheim bombers on sweeps along the French coast and north of there. The planes all return to base after attacking a few ships.

After a maximum effort on the night of August 5th, the RAF returns to the same three cities - Frankfurt, Mannheim, and Karlsruhe - with smaller follow-up raids after dark. All of the raids target railway yards.

The RAF sends 34 Whitleys and 19 Wellingtons against Frankfurt. The RAF loses 2 Whitleys and 2 Wellingtons.

The RAF sends 38 Welling against Mannheim. All of the planes return.

The RAF attacks Karlsruhe with 38 Hampdens. One aircraft fails to return.

RAF Bomber Command also sends 38 bombers (21 Hampdens, 11 Wellingtons, and 6 Whitleys) against the Calais docks. The bombers have difficulty finding the docks and only 14 are able to drop their bombs over the target. One Hampden fails to return.

One Wellington also is lost on one of two separate Operational Training Units (OTU) sorties over France.

Luftwaffe Leutnant Hans Thurner, commander of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing, receives the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Hubert Mütherich, squadron commander of the 5th Squadron of Jagdgeschwader 54, also receives the Ritterkreuz.

Hans Thurner, Kommandeur I./Kampfgeschwader 6, Ritterkreuz 06.08.1941, KIA 11.06/1944.

East African Campaign: The South African Air Force completes three consecutive days of bombing Italian positions at their last stronghold of Gondar.

Battle of the Baltic: Soviet destroyers Statny and Surovy park offshore in Moon Sound and shell German coastal battery Hainasch.

U-652, a Type VIIC U-boat.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-652 (Oblt.z.S. Georg-Werner Fraatz), on its first patrol out of Bökfjord, is operating about 7 miles off Cape Teriberka (50 km east of Murmansk) on the Kola Peninsula when it spots a Soviet ship. At 19:00, U-652 launches one torpedo and sinks 558-ton Soviet anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship PS-70/Kapitan Voronin (this ship is sometimes identified as Dispatch Vessel PS-70). There are 12 survivors and 45 perish. This is the first U-boat success in the Arctic Sea and the first for U-652. After this, U-652 makes port in Kirkenes on the 7th, then heads south to Trondheim.

Also in the Arctic, armed Soviet motorboat Polyarnik claims to attack U-451 and damage it. While U-451 indeed is in the Arctic on a patrol, there is no confirmation of this incident or of being damaged.

Seas are rough in the North Sea and Channel, and several ships of Convoy FS-559 run aground and are lost. Royal Navy 627-ton anti-submarine trawler HMS Agate of Convoy FS-559 runs aground and is lost off Cromer, Norfolk in poor weather. Everyone on board perishes. British freighters Aberhill, Afon Towy, Deerwood, and Oxshott, and colliers Betty Hindley, Gallois (all crew saved) and Taara also run aground and are wrecked at Haisborough Sands.

Norwegian ferry Florvåg sinks off Gravdal, Hordaland.

The German B-Dienst intelligence service locates the position of Convoy HG-68 in the Atlantic and sets up a reception party. Spanish agents also report the likely sailing date of Convoy HG-69 from Cadiz, Spain, and a wolfpack assembles offshore.

Convoys ON-4 and ON-5 depart from Liverpool, Convoy HG-34F departs from Gibraltar bound for Liverpool and New York (the convoy splits on the way north).

U-404 (Kapitänleutnant Otto von Bülow) is commissioned, U-589 and U-590 are launched, and U-187 is laid down.

Oberleutnant Hubert Mütherich, Staffelkapitän, 5. Staffel, II. Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 54 "Grünherz." KIA 09.09.1941. He is standing in front of his Bf 109F2 5.JG54 (B1+). Mütherich winds up with 43 victories.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Dutch submarine O-24 (Lt.Cdr.  Otto de Booy) is operating six miles (10 km) off Fregene (near Rome) when it torpedoes and sinks 613-ton Italian freighter Bombardiere.

An Axis convoy of five large freighters and a tanker from Naples bound for Tripoli comes under attack by 7 Swordfish of RAF No. 830 Squadron based on Malta. While they have a heavy escort of four destroyers and a torpedo boat, that doesn't protect the ships. During the run across the Strait of Sicily, the RAF bombs and sinks 6813-ton freighter Nita about 20 miles southwest of Lampedusa. The RAF pilots also claim to leave another freighter badly damaged and another torpedoed but in an uncertain state, but there is no confirmation that any ship other than the Nita is hit.

Royal Navy destroyers Decoy and Havock perform the nightly supply run to Tobruk. Later on, destroyers Jaguar and Nizam also make a run to Tobruk.

Italian submarines Atropo, Corridoni, and Zoea are used to transport supplies and fuel to Axis forces at the advanced position of Bardia, Libya today and through the 20th.

Australian destroyer HMAS Nestor spots a surfaced submarine off Gibraltar. Neither side scores any hits, but a torpedo fired by the U-boat narrowly passes alongside Nestor.

The Luftwaffe attacks Suez and Alexandria during the night.

Spy Stuff: The British execute Werner Heinrich Walti and Karle Theo Drucke at Wandsworth Prison. They were part of German Operation Hummer Nord I to infiltrate agents into Britain and had flown into Gollachy, between Buckie and Port Gordon, on the night of 29/30 September 1940. They had been caught very quickly without achieving any results.

Generalleutnant Erwin Rauch, Kommandeur der Division 6, August 1941.

Propaganda: The German OKW issues a communique that summarizes operations to date. It announces that the Wehrmacht has inflicted "annihilating blows unique in history." These include taking 895,000 prisoners and destroying or capturing 10,388 guns, 13,146 tanks, and 9,082 aircraft. These figures may be overstated, but, even if taken at face value, they have not seriously impaired the Soviet Union's ability and willingness to resist.

German/Romanian Relations: Romanian dictator (his title is "Conducator") Ion Antonescu attends the noon briefing at Army Group South headquarters along with Adolf Hitler. The latter confers upon Antonescu the Knight's Cross for his troops' performance to date.

US/Japanese Relations: Negotiations continue in deep secrecy between the two countries as Ambassador Nomura submits a new proposal from Tokyo to Secretary Hull. After the Americans turn down some offers of concessions in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, the Japanese propose a meeting between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Konoye. The Americans do not immediately reject this, but President Roosevelt secretly is otherwise engaged at the moment in Canada.

Echoing similar statements today across the Atlantic by British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, Secretary Cordell Hill also says that any Japanese intrusion into Thailand would create a crisis in US/Japanese relations.

Anglo/Iranian/Thai Relations: In the House of Commons, British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden announces that he has made a diplomatic protest with the Iranian government concerning German "tourists" in the country. He also openly warns Japan from invading or otherwise taking over Thailand, which he says would be "of immediate concern" to the British government. In fact, the Japanese have recently made a secret deal with the Thai government to fund continued trade relations between the two countries in order to evade the Anglo/US/Dutch banking sanctions. Thus, Japan at this time benefits from Thailand remaining a sovereign nation with access to international markets.

HMAS Perth's ship's company in Fremantle, 6 August 1941.

Polish Military: Polish General Władysław Anders, recently released from the Lubyanka prison in Moscow, is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army being re-formed from Soviet POWs in the USSR. This is pursuant to the Sikorski-Maisky agreement signed in London on 30 July 1941.

Soviet Military: The Red Army hands out the first two "Hero of the Soviet Union" awards to detachment commanders Pavlovskiy and Bumazhkov.

British Military: The first Bell P-39 Aircobra arrives in the United Kingdom. While destined for RAF No. 601 Squadron, trials of this new plane are begun by the Air Fighting Development Unit at Duxford. The British quickly find the plane inadequate for combat.

USS Alamac being unloaded at Reykjavik, 6 August 1941.

US Military: President Roosevelt signs an executive order transferring the US Coast Guard's Honolulu District from the Treasury Department to the US Navy.

USN Task Force 16 (Rear Admiral William R. Monroe), led by the aircraft carrier USS Wasp and the battleship USS Mississippi, arrives at Reykjavik, Iceland. The flotilla brings 30 P-40Cs and three Stearman PT-13 Kaydets of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron to be based ashore for local defense. It also brings Catalina flying boats for patrol duties with VP-73 and VP-74. Transport American Legion, stores ship Mizar, and freighter Alamac bring troops and supplies.

Heavy cruisers USS Northampton (CA-26) and Salt Lake City (CA-25) continue their goodwill visit at Brisbane, Australia.

Forest land is cleared in North Carolina that will become Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

Japanese Military: The Imperial Navy requisitions 8360-ton freighter Sanyo Maru. The IJN begins converting it to a seaplane carrier/tender. Among its modifications are the addition of a catapult, two 150-mm/45 cal single-mount guns, and two Type 93 13-mm single-mount machine guns. The IJN also requisitions 6795-ton salvage ship Yamabiko Maru.

Following up on recent decisions taken to not attack the Soviet Union, Tokyo instructs the Kwantung Army to avoid any border incidents with the Red Army.

Home of Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä. The Soviets had built bunkers and underground tunnel on the property. Rautjärvi, August 6, 1941 (SA-Kuva).

British Government: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Hull.

Holocaust: The Croatian Ustaše under Ivan Jovanović (known as "Blacky") perpetrate the Prebilovci massacre. The Croatian paramilitary group takes around women and children from the village of Prebilovci, Herzegovina and throws them into the Golubinka pit, near Šurmanci, to their deaths. This is just the beginning of killings at Prebilovici, as 820 of 1000 inhabitants ultimately are killed during the summer. The killings also extend into nearby communities with additional thousands killed. Those killing the villagers are their fellow villagers, with the victims tending to be Serbs.

Belgian Homefront: The Legion Vlaandern (Flanders Legion) is established. It is a collaborationist unit.

American Homefront: Pitcher Al Benton of the Detroit Tigers becomes the only player to have two sacrifice bunts in the same inning, against the Cleveland Indians - something that has not been equaled as of 2018. Benton serves in the US Navy in 1943 and 1944, then resumes his career with the Tigers.

Future History: Lyle Arnold Berman is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He becomes a top executive at companies such as the Rainforest Cafe but is better known as a world-class poker player. Berman has won 3 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets in 1989, 1992, and 1994, and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

Spectators watch from the bridge over spillway as Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam) overflows for the first time, August 6, 1941, and pours 15,000 cubic feet per minute from record-level of Lake Mead into Colorado River behind the dam. Spillway leads into tunnel 50 feet in diameter and then 2200 feet to river level below where water bursts out in a great jet. At the Dam, Lake Mead had reached a level of 590 feet and contained more than 10,000,000,000,000 gallons of water. (AP Photo).

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

2020