Saturday 26 July 1941

Blacked-out Moscow during the air raid of 26 July 1941 (Margaret Bourke-White).

Eastern Front: Soviet marines on four MO-class patrol boats land on the island of Bengtskär early on 26 July 1941. Their mission is to blow up the lighthouse situated on the skerry that provides a commanding view of the seas west of the Soviet-occupied port of Hanko in southern Finland. The small group of defending Finnish soldiers, armed with one small artillery piece, are on the skerry and hold out long enough for Finnish gunboats Uusimaa and Hämeenmaa to intervene. The shore battle quickly turns into a naval one. Uusimaa sinks Soviet patrol boat PK-238 (or MO-239 or MO-306), which decides the battle. A total of 29 Soviet sailors from the PK-238 are taken as prisoners, 13 after swimming to the island, and about 20 sailors perish. The Soviet landing party, stranded, surrenders. Rather than being taken captive, many Soviet marines commit suicide with hand grenades. Total Soviet losses are unclear, as the Finns report about 60 Soviets killed in total, but the Soviets claim only 31 dead, with 24 captured. The Finns lose 16 men on land and 4 at sea. The Battle of Bengtskär is a Finnish victory that is good for morale but means little in the long run.

The Germans are eager to assume that the Soviets already are defeated. General Halder notes in the OKH war diary, "The mass of the operationally effective Russian Army has been destroyed." That is not, of course, the truth, and, in fact, the Wehrmacht is stalled on many of its fronts in the USSR at the moment.

Finnish soldiers pose on a captured Soviet bunker, 26 July 1941.

In the Far North sector, the German 36 Corps prepares to renew its stalled offensive east of Salla, where the front has been stopped at the village of Kayraly for weeks. Among other reasons for getting the offensive restarted by General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst is the fact that the Finnish forces further south in the Karelian forests have been advancing while the Wehrmacht has not - which does not look good for the Germans. In Karelia, Finnish troops reach Lake Onega.

In the Army Group North sector, the Red Army activates the 34th Army south of Lake Ilmen. Heavy fighting continues in the area as the panzers in the spearhead wait for infantry to close up and form a secure front.

In the Army Group Center sector, the Wehrmacht continues to subdue the three Soviet armies trapped in the Mogilev pocket. Mogilev itself is taken today, but Soviet resistance outside the town continues. German Second Army slowly advances against desperate Soviet resistance. Among the scorched-earth activities of the Soviet troops is their destruction of the local brewery to withhold the taste of victory from the German soldiers.

A Soviet T-26 Anisimowa, July 1941.

Field Marshal Fedor von Bock removes General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 from its subordination to Field Marshal Günther von Kluge's 4th Army. This has been one of von Bock's less successful attempts to increase cooperation by putting one large formation under the control of another, nearby formation of roughly equal stature. Guderian's 18th Panzer Division is engaged in a fierce battle 25 miles east of Smolensk as it attempts to put more territory between the Soviets trapped to the rear and any Red Army units that could potentially rescue them. Morale is low, as reported by the division diary, which notes:

The men are indifferent and apathetic, are partly suffering from crying fits, and are not to be cheered by this or that phrase. Food is being taken only in disproportionately small quantities.

Quite an unexpected description of a "victorious army." Of course, the Soviets are no better off, but there is no question that the Wehrmacht spearheads are getting ground down from constant combat.

In the Army Group South sector, the Germans and Romanians capture Olgopol in the Vinnytsia district. The Romanians attach Olgopol to their province of Transnistria.

The Luftwaffe bombs Moscow again for the fourth time in a week. Bombs fall near the Kremlin. The Luftwaffe only sends 50 bombers over the city, half the number as on the previous attack. Kapitan Konstantin Titenkov shoots down a German bomber for the fourth time in four air raids, earning him the Order of Lenin and a Gold Star signifying that he is a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Another photo by Margaret Bourke-White in Moscow, 26 July 1941.

European Air Operations: There is bad weather and the RAF does not launch any major raids. Two RAF Flying Fortresses sent to Hamburg turn back after running into thunderstorms and icing, with one of the planes dropping its bomb load on Emden instead.

Hitler personally decorates fighter ace Werner Mölders with the Diamonds to his Knight's Cross.

Battle of the Baltic: Finnish (or German) shore-based artillery hits and sinks 1375-ton Soviet freighter Metallist at Soviet-occupied Hango in Southern Finland.

German torpedo boat T-3 reports sinking Soviet destroyer Tsiklon (or perhaps another destroyer) during a surface action. However, there is no verification.

Soviet torpedo boats attack the German 2nd R-Boat Flotilla in the Irben Strait. They sink German minesweeper R.169.

The German 3rd S-Boat Flotilla attacks Soviet shipping north of Riga, without result.

The Soviet Red Air Force attacks and sinks German minesweeper R-169 in the port of Vindova. There are 11 deaths and 12 crew wounded.

Soviet submarine K-3 lays mines off Bornholm.

Near Smolensk, Fw. Heinrich Klopper belly-landed his Bf 109 F-2 "Rote 1" (Red One) on 26 July 1941. Klopper is in IV./JG 51 (as indicated by the cross on the rear of the plane).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-141 (Oblt.z.S. Philip Schüler), on its third patrol out of Lorient, is operating about sixty miles north of Tory Island when it spots Convoy OS-1. At 03:28, U-141 torpedoes two ships:

• 5133-ton British freighter Atlantic City (damaged, crew abandons ship but later reboards, all 41 survive)
• 5106-ton British freighter Botwey (sunk, all 53 survive)

Atlantic City is taken in tow to Buncrana, Ireland. Schüler writes in his log that he also torpedoed another ship, but there is no evidence of that. Royal Navy escorts Walker, Vanoc, Volunteer, Sardonyx, Scimitar, and Norwegian Bath, along with corvettes Bluebell and Hydrangea, launch a 20-hour depth charge attack. U-141 escapes.

Italian submarine Barbarigo is operating hundreds of miles west of Casablanca when it torpedoes and sinks 8272-ton British tanker Horn Shell. There are 17 deaths, while the survivors are taken aboard Portuguese trawler Maria Leonor and then transferred to Royal Navy destroyer Avon Vale.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 213-ton British fishing trawler Strathlochy about 180 miles northwest of Rora Head, Orkneys.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Broke and Verity collide near Londonderry while escorting Convoy SL-80. Both destroyers sustain damage that keeps them out until mid-September, Broke at Hebburn on Tyne and Verity at Belfast.

In Lisbon, US transport USS West Point (AP-23, formerly liner SS America) embarks American and Chinese diplomats and their families who have been expelled from Germany and Italy. Some other US refugees also are taken on board, including 21 US passengers who were on Egyptian ship SS Zamzam when sunk by German raider Atlantis on 17 April 1941.

The Remnants of the Saint Elmo Bridge in Valletta destroyed in the attack of 26 July 1941 and never repaired (Корниенко Виктор).

A Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf FW-200 Condor spots Convoy OG-69 at sea west of France and directs U-boats to its path.

U-109 (Kptlt. Heinrich Bleichrodt), on its sixth patrol out of Lorient, sneaks into Cadiz Harbor during the night and refuels from an "interned" German tanker before resuming its patrol west of Gibraltar.

Operation EF, the planned strike on Kirkenes, continues. British Force F, having refueled at Seidisfjord, Iceland, leaves for northern Norway. Force A departs from Scapa Flow (Operation FB).

Royal Navy destroyers bombard Dieppe, France as part of continuing Operation Gideon.

Convoy ON-1 departs from Liverpool.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Rockrose and minesweeper Deloraine are launched.

Canadian corvette HMCS Weyburn is launched at Port Arthur, Ontario.

U-116 (Korvettenkapitän Werner von Schmidt) and U-134 (Kapitänleutnant Rudolf Schendel) are commissioned, U-251 and U-437 are launched.

The Italian plan of attack on Malta Harbor, 26 May 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian torpedo boat Generale Achille Papa rams and sinks Royal Navy submarine HMS Cachalot northwest of Benghazi.

An audacious Italian attempt to infiltrate Malta's Grand Harbour in order to sink British shipping fails. The plan depends upon removing anti-submarine netting from the Saint Elmo Bridge. The Italians set charges and do remove the netting - but the charge also causes the bridge holding the netting to collapse and block the entrance. The fiasco traps the Italians, who are fired upon by harbor guns at Elmo and Ricasoli, and those who survive soon surrender. There are 18 Italian prisoners/deaths. The incident provides fine entertainment for Maltese citizens watching from the nearby shore.

Italian torpedo boats MAS-451 and 452 are bombed and damaged, sunk or captured off Malta, apparently as part of the operation to infiltrate Grand Harbour.

Operation Guillotine, the British reinforcement of Cyprus, continues. Royal Navy sloop Flamingo escorts transport Salamaua from Port Said to Famagusta.

The Italians raise destroyer Leone Pancaldo. It was sunk by the RAF on 10 July 1940 in Augusta Harbor during an attack by Swordfish of No. 813 Squadron launched from HMS Eagle. The Italians return it to service.

Convoy MG-1, the part of Operation Substance in which empty freighters from Malta depart, arrives in Gibraltar.

The Luftwaffe bombs Alexandria during the night.

USS San Diego is launched, 26 July 1941.

Battle of the Pacific: Admiral Husband Kimmel, responding to the war alert issued from Washington, orders long-range air patrols to search for Imperial Japanese Navy ships.

US anti-aircraft cruiser USS San Diego is launched in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is the third ship in the Atlanta class of light cruisers. While launched on the East Coast, the ship serves in the Pacific Theater and participates in major battles such as the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

Terrorists: La Cagoule terrorists kill former French Minister René Marx Dormoy 51, by planting a bomb in his house. Dormoy, as Minister of Interior in November 1937, imprisoned 70 Cagoulards. The Cagoule terrorists work both sides of the war, some siding with the Petain Vichy Regime and others defecting to the Resistance or Charles de Gaulle's Free French. Dormoy opposed Petain and is under house arrest at the time of his death. The Dormoy killing doesn't appear related to partisan operations, since Dormoy is a critic of the Vichy government, but simply is an act of pure revenge.

Harold Talburt, Scripps Howard.

US/Japanese/Chinese Relations: Pursuant to President Roosevelt's Executive Order No. 8832 signed on 25 July, all Japanese and Chinese assets in the United States are frozen. The US Panama Canal is closed to Japanese shipping. Roosevelt takes this action due to the Japanese establishing a naval base at Cam Ranh Bay in French Indochina.

Anglo/Dutch/Japanese Relations: Britain and the Dutch East Indies freeze all Japanese assets. The British government issues a "notice of denunciation" of all commercial agreements with Japan. In conjunction with the similar US actions today, his causes Japan to lose about 75% of its overseas trade, most of its wheat imports, and 88% of its imported oil. Many other strategic items such as iron ore, bauxite, and manganese also are denied to Japan. Japan has three years of oil supplies stored, but that is at peacetime consumption levels - and a war would cut into stockpiles quickly.

Japan quickly freezes US, British, and Dutch assets in Japan.

Saturday Evening Post, 26 July 1941. "The Flirts" by Norman Rockwell.

Anglo/Thai/Japanese Relations: The Japanese learn that Britain has muscled in on their economic arrangements with Thailand whereby Thailand would meet the Japanese economic need for rubber. The British have agreed to supply Thailand with petroleum in exchange for large quantities of rubber, tin, and other strategic materials. It is a complicated situation because having British oil flowing into Thailand actually works to Japan's benefit due to the economic sanctions imposed on Japan. Tokyo cannot meet ally Thailand's oil needs itself, and some of that oil might find its way to Japan eventually. Tokyo finally decides to not interfere with the Anglo/Thai agreement because Thailand can still supply Japan with some rubber for the time being - and eventually, any Thai agreements with Great Britain won't be a problem.

Anglo/Soviet Relations: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a message to Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin (received today) promising to send 200 P-40 Tomahawk woolens, 2-3 million ankle boots, and "during the present year large quantities of rubber, tin, wool and woolen clothes, jute, lead and shellac." He adds that, where Great Britain cannot supply Soviet requirements, "we are discussing matters with the U.S.A."

The New York Times, 26 July 1941.

Peruvian/Ecuadorian Relations: After strong diplomatic pressure exerted by their neighbors, the group of the United States, Ecuador, and Peru declare a truce in their border war.

US Military: President Roosevelt federalizes the Philippine Army. He recalls to active US Army service retired US general and Philippines Field Marshal Douglas MacArthur. Chief of Staff General Marshall texts to MacArthur:

YOU ARE HEREBY DESIGNATED AS COMMANDING GENERAL COMMA UNITED STATES ARMY FORCES IN THE FAR EAST STOP YOU ARE ALSO DESIGNED AS THE GENERAL OFFICER UNITED STATES ARMY REFERRED TO IN A MILITARY ORDER CALLING INTO THE SERVICE OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES THE ORGANIZED FORCES OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES DATED JULY 26 COMMA 1941 STOP ORDERS CALLING YOU TO ACTIVE DUTY ARE BEING ISSUED EFFECTIVE JULY 26 COMMA 1941 STOP REPORT ASSUMPTION OF COMMAND BY RADIO END.

The Philippine troops are made part of the US military "for the period of the existing emergency."

The US Army promotes MacArthur to Lieutenant General and commander of U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). As a condition of his return to service, MacArthur demands and receives a US $50 stipend per soldier serving in the Philippine National Army. This is not a unique arrangement, but MacArthur's aide Dwight D. Eisenhower refuses his similar stipend.

The US Army Philippine Department has 22,000 troops in total, including 12,000 Philippine Scouts. Major General Jonathan M. Wainwright commands the Philippine Division, which has the majority of the soldiers. However, the troop strength is deceptive, because the US Congress has been parsimonious in supplying weapons and supplies to the Philippines and other Pacific outposts.

British Military: Roderick Carr becomes commanding officer of RAF No. 4 Group.

An Italian E-boat (actually converted tourist boats) used in the 26 July 1941 attack on Valletta Harbour, Malta.

Italian Military: Commander Ernesto Forza assumes command of 10th MAS Flotilla at La Spezia, Italy. Thus, Forza in effect commands the special forces unit for the Italian Navy.

German Government: During the night, Hitler engages in random ruminations with his cronies as he is wont to do. Tonight, his subject is royalty:

Monarchy is doomed. The people needs a point upon which everybody's thoughts converge, an idol. A people that possesses a sovereign of the stature of Frederick the Great can think itself happy; but if he's just an average monarch, it's better to have a republic.

In a sense, Hitler here predicts the age of celebrity that sprouts later in the 20th Century.

Canadian Government: The Arvida strike in a key defense industry continues. Canadian Munitions and Supply Minister C. D. Howe offers his resignation out of frustration over his inability to use troops to end the strike. He ultimately agrees to stay on in exchange for being granted greater powers to deal with such strikes.

The Kelme memorial plaque.

Holocaust: It is the Sabbath for Jews, and that results in conflicts for many who are required by the German occupiers to work today. Just as one example, in Lithuania, Telsiai Yeshivah student Dov Ber Nahamkin is executed today when he refuses to work. There are, of course, others.

The local Judenrat announces that the Bialystok Ghetto is to be set up beginning today and extending through early August 1941. It is in the newly formed Bezirk Bialystok district within occupied Poland. It will house about 50,000 Jews. Jews have five days to get into the Ghetto, located in an area immediately north of Kosciuszko Square. The Germans compel the Jews to construct a 2.5 meter-high wooden fence around the ghetto, topped with barbed wire.

At Lvov, local Ukrainians seize thousands of Jews and beat to death a large number estimated at 2000+ between 25-27 July. The Ukrainians harbor a grudge based upon the 1926 murder of antisemitic leader Simon Petliura by Shalom Schwarzbard, a Jew.

Germans take over Stanisławów County in prewar Poland from the Hungarian army, who took it from the Soviets on 2 July. The Germans immediately compel the establishment of a Judenrat, to be headed by Israel Seibald.

A Lithuanian report dated 26 July 1941 counts the number of Jews living in Marcinkonys. This includes 50 under the age of 6. They will all be exterminated over the coming years.

At Kelme, Lithuania, 485 Jews are killed. This incident is commemorated with a memorial plaque. A total of 2000 Jews are killed in Kelme during July (according to the United States Holocaust Institute).

Night raid on Moscow, 26 July 1941 (Margaret Bourke-White).

In Vilna, the Germans begin kidnapping Jewish men for forced labor, ultimately killing many of them. The Jewish men so taken are lined up, and Poles who hold a grudge against one of them has merely to identify him as a Bolshevik to determine his fate. Once so identified, the Jewish man is put in a group of dozens of men which is taken to the marketplace, told to lie face-down in the street, and shot. Those who are not identified as Bolsheviks are put in wagons and sent to work.

There is an attitude of lawlessness in Vilna where treatment of Jews is concerned, with Germans and Lithuanians feeling free to break into Jewish homes and plunder them without legal retribution. According to today's report of the Einsatzgruppen:

The antagonism between the Poles and the Lithuanians continues in the Vilna area... However, the Germans' measures, especially those against the Jews, have met with general consent.

As this shows, one of the tricks the Germans use to enforce their policies in the occupied eastern territories is to exploit latent grudges by one group of people against another.

The Germans arrest the Vilna Judenrat and hold its members as hostages. They demand a large sum of money for their release, much of which must be turned over by the morning of the 27th.

Polish Homefront: Kazimierz Władysław Bartel, former Prime Minister of Poland, is killed on orders of Heinrich Himmler at dawn. The event is surrounded in mystery, but apparently, Bartel refuses a "request" to lead a puppet government for the Germans and is shot near Piaski Janowski in the same manner as those used in the murder of Polish professors from Lwów.

Albert Einstein's letter to Eleanor Roosevelt, 16 July 1941.

American Homefront: Albert Einstein, an American citizen since 1940, writes a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt asking her to intercede with her husband the President on behalf of European Jewry. Einstein wants the State Department to reverse policies that prevent refugee status from being granted to Europeans suffering from "Fascist cruelty." He wants to right this "grave injustice." Eleanor writes a note on the bottom promising to talk to Franklin about it.

The Australian Women's Weekly, 26 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

Friday 25 July 1941

HMS Avon Vale coming alongside cruiser Manchester at sea to transfer an injured man, 25 July 1941 (© IWM (A 4941).

Eastern Front: After the massive Wehrmacht gains of the first month of Operation Barbarossa, the front has quieted down on 25 July 1941. The Germans need time to consolidate their rear by eliminating bypassed pockets of Soviet troops, while the Soviet need to rebuild their shattered armies.

In the Far North sector, Finnish forces alone continue to move forward. Finnish 7th Division of VII Corps takes the village of Ruskeala, a key road junction north of Sortavala and Lake Ladoga. The Soviets at Sortavala (northernmost part of Lake Ladoga) have brought in the 168th Rifle Division and 198th Motorized Division and are preparing to launch a counterattack northeast toward the Jänisjoki River. The Finns, however, come into possession of a copy of the Soviet plans and adjust their forces accordingly.

Meanwhile, Finnish Fifth Division (Colonel Lagus) of VI Corps is digging in along the tiny Tuulemaa River (Reka Tuloksa) on the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga. Finnish Commander-in-Chief Marshal Mannerheim has decided against carrying the offensive farther into the traditionally Russian territory. Some Finnish troops are refusing to go further because a continued advance is certain to provoke the Soviets and Finland's war aims are simply to recover traditionally Finnish territory - which now has been accomplished in this region.

Finnish sergeant with Suomi M31 submachine gun. Häsälä, July 25, 1941.

The Finns recently occupied the island of Bengtskär, which is west of the Soviet-occupied port of Hanko in southern Finland. Today, the Soviets send the 60th Border Guards (Lt. P. Kurilov and Commissar A.I. Rumjantsev) on small boats to occupy it. The Finns have only about 30 men and one artillery piece on the small island, which provides a handy observation point at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland.

In the Army Group North sector, the German 18th Army (Colonel General Georg von Kuchler) attacks the Soviet 8th Army in the Pärnu Bay region of Estonia. The Soviets give ground.

In the Army Group Center sector, the Soviet attacks on the exposed Panzer Group 2 bridgehead at Yelnya continue.

In the Army Group South sector, Panzer Group 1 (General Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist) engages in a tank battle with forces under Soviet General Mikhail Kirponos. The battle continues throughout the day without any clear winner. Elsewhere, Soviet Southwestern Front is in full retreat toward Uman and the Dneipr River.

The Luftwaffe does some minelaying off of Saaremaa (Osel) Island near the Gulf of Riga. Other Heinkel He 111 bombers of I,/KG 55 raid Dorogobush, Smolensk Oblast, Russia, losing one plane

Staffelkapitän of 7./JG 5 Oblt. Theodor Weissenberger shoots down two Russian lend-lease Airacobras and three Pe-2 bombers. Thus, he becomes an "ace in a day" - though he already is an ace.

Valentine tanks of 6th Armoured Division passing through a village during exercises in Bedfordshire, 25 July 1941. The leading vehicle is named 'Sneezy' (© IWM (H 12016)).

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids Hannover (30 Hampdens, 25 Whitleys, 4 Hampdens, and 1 Hampden lost) and Hamburg (43 Wellingtons, 2 lost). The Hamburg raid causes four large fires in the city and shipyards, with one death and six injured. There is a diversionary raid by 7 Stirlings (2 lost) and 2 Halifaxes (one lost) on Berlin. Two Wellingtons bomb Emden. The losses during the night are heavy, with 10 of 109 bombers (9.2%) failing to return. Such a high loss ratio is unsustainable in the long run.

Luftwaffe ace Werner Mölders visits Wolf's Lair in East Prussia for a meeting with Adolf Hitler. The Luftwaffe has banned Mölders from flying due to his propaganda value to the war effort. After this, he will fly a desk in Berlin in the Air Ministry. During Mölders' visit, Hitler awards him the Diamonds that he earned on 15 July 1941.

The final reconnaissance photographs that will be used in the 18 August 1941 Butt Report (Butt is a member of the War Cabinet) are taken today. The Butt Report will show that RAF bombing accuracy is very poor, noting "[o]f those aircraft recorded as attacking their target, only one in three got within five miles" of the intended targets.

Battle of the Baltic: A naval battle develops in the Irben Strait when Russian torpedo boats attack the German 2nd R-Boat Flotilla. During the confusion, German minesweepers R.53 and R.63 strike mines which damage the ships, but they both make port.

SC123952 - Sergeant John Hill riding on Jumping Dan Ware, the finest jumping horse in the Infantry Stables. Ft. Benning, Georgia (July 25, 1941) Photo #161-SC-41-1323 by the 161st Sig. Photo. Co.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Royal Navy ships of Operation EF, an ambitious projected raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo, reaches Seidis Fjord in Iceland to refuel. Destroyer HMS Achates hits a mine off Iceland and is towed back to Scapa Flow by destroyer Anthony. There are 65 deaths in the explosion. Achates is under repair in the Tyne until 13 March 1942.

Italian submarine Barbarigo surfaces and uses its deck gun to sink 5141-ton British freighter Macon several hundred miles south of the Azores. There are 28 deaths and 21 survivors.

Royal Navy destroyers HMS Cattistock, Mendip, and Quorn depart from Portsmouth late in the day for Operation Gideon. This is a bombardment of Dieppe. The weather is foul, and the ships can only let loose a few rounds before being forced to return to port.

Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Newcastle intercepts 6101-ton German freighter Erlangen southeast of the River Platte. The German crew scuttles the ship rather than allow it to be captured.

US Navy Task Group TG.2.7 returns to Bermuda after a patrol, while battleship USS New Mexico departs from Hampton Roads on a patrol.

Canadian corvette HMCS Dundas is launched in Victoria, British Columbia.

Barbed wire, erected against the threat of invasion on a beach somewhere in England, July 25, 1941, forms a frame for this seaside scene as British swimming enthusiasts take advantage of the warm summer weather to indulge in their favorite sport. (AP Photo).

Battle of the Mediterranean:  Italian reconnaissance has discovered that Convoy GM1 - part of British Operation Substance - has arrived in Malta's Grand Harbour. It is not difficult to see, because Grand Harbour now is packed with shipping busily unloading. While previous attacks on the British ships have had some results, Operation Substance is an undeniable British success.

The Italians, however, still feel that they can wrest a victory for themselves out of the jaws of defeat. So, today after dark a special force departs from Augusta, Sicily to begin a daring operation by sloop Diana and motorboats MAS 451 and 452. The force brings with it one large motorboat as a leader for 9 explosive motorboats.

The British signal station on Gozo spots the little fleet approaching, and the military believes that it may be the long-expected invasion of Gozo. However, the Italian ships never get within range of coastal batteries and disappear into the night.

The Italian sailors are determined to cruise right into Grand Harbour and blow the British convoy ships up. The plan is for frogmen to blow up a net suspended from a bridge. On the morning of the 26th, the frogmen led by Major Tesei, in fact, do blow up the net - but they also blow up the bridge holding up the net, blocking the harbor and trapping the motorboats. The British pick the motorboats off at their leisure, and 18 adventurous young Italian sailors are captured or perish.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Tetrarch torpedoes and sinks Italian Regia Marina patrol boat B-247 (formerly trawler Maria Immacolata) off Gaidero Island.

Two Fulmars of RAF No. 807 Squadron are shot down southwest of Sardinia, with only one crew rescued and the other crew perishing. A Swordfish of 815 Squadron crashes due to mechanical issues 45 miles west of Cape Komakiti, Cyprus, with its crew perishing.

Nihoa Class Yard Ferryboat Nihoa (YFB-17) being "launched" at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 25 July 1941. Ships in the background include USS MCCALL (DD-400) (L), USS HOLLAND (AS-1), and USS REED BIRD (AMc-30).

Battle of the Pacific: Soviet 1035-ton freighter Kazak Poyarkov sinks between Vladivostok and the Perouse Strait. While the cause is officially unknown, several Soviet ships have been lost there recently due to friendly minefields.

German raider Komet parts ways from supply ship Anneliese Essberger and heads toward the Galapagos Islands

Nihoa Class Yard Ferryboat Nihoa (YFB-17) is launched at Pearl Harbor.

Partisans: Benito Mussolini appoints General Alessandro Pirzio Biroli, former governor of Asmara, with complete civil and military powers in Montenegro in order to suppress the uprising there. Birzoli believes that extreme force must be used to suppress the 13 July Uprising, which is still growing.

Land Excavating Trenching, otherwise known as White Rabbit No. 6, Cultivator No. 6 or Nellie. This machine was an underground tank developed in 1939-1940 and designed to travel across the no-man's land in a trench of its own making. This photo in Clumber Park shows Nellie above ground front three-quarters view. This was a pet project of Winston Churchill that was based more on the needs of World War I than World War II. It never saw action. 25 July 1941.

German/Spanish Relations: The Wehrmacht officially designates the Spanish Volunteer Division that is to serve on the Eastern Front as the 250th Infantry Division. It is known colloquially as the "Blue Division" (Azul) because the only difference between its uniforms and German uniforms is the dark blue Falangist shirt that its troops wear. The Blue Division is composed largely of recent graduates of the Spanish military academies and has extremely high morale. The Germans intend to put it into the line in the Army Group North sector.

US/Japanese Relations: Upon learning of the decision by the US to impose sanctions on Japan, the Japanese decide that these will be only the first step in a determined US campaign against them. The Embassy at Manila, which is the center of Japanese spying operations throughout the Pacific, warns that the US next will impose a total export embargo on all war-related materials, including oil, from the United States to Japan.

President Roosevelt, in fact, signs the Executive Order 8832 freezing Japanese assets in the United States today, rather than on the 26th as the administration indicated elsewhere. It provides in part for:

freezing Japanese assets in the United States in the same manner in which assets of various European countries were frozen on June 14, 1941. This measure, in effect, brings all financial and import and export trade transactions in which Japanese interests are involved under the control of the government, and imposes criminal penalties for violation of the order.

The order provides that it is intended to "prevent the use of the financial facilities of the United States and trade" in any way that is "harmful to national defense and American interests."

Two US battleships in the distance in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The one on the right appears to be USS Arizona. The photo was taken on 25 July 1941.

US/Chinese Relations: The Executive Order concerning the freezing of Japanese assets also provides for "freezing control" over Chinese assets in the United States. This is done "At the specific request of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek" and "with a view to strengthening the foreign trade and exchange position of the Chinese Government."

German/Soviet Relations: According to some sources, the Soviets attempt peace negotiations with the Reich using Bulgaria as an intermediary. Very little is known about this incident if it happens at all.

German Military: Admiral Raeder confers with Hitler and informs him that the Kriegsmarine will send a flotilla of S-boats to the Mediterranean as soon as the Baltic is cleared of Soviet shipping. Hitler is pleased because General Rommel has been agitating for more naval support. The S-boats can transit south using the Rhine-Rhone Canal, but the size of the locks on the canal means that only the smaller S-boats (under 35 meters) can be used. Raeder hopes that this preemptive offer will prevent Hitler from later asking for the transfer of U-boats to the Mediterranean, which would be a very risky proposition because they would have to transit the Strait of Gibraltar that is heavily guarded by the Royal Navy.

Close-up of the USS Arizona, 25 July 1941.

US Military: The War and Navy Departments send a message to CINCPAC and other Pacific commands concerning relations with Japan. In relevant part, the message states:

You are advised that at 1400 July 26 United States will impose economic sanctions against Japan... It is expected these sanctions will embargo all trade between Japan the United States subject to modification for certain material... Japanese assets and fund (sic) in the United States will be frozen... Do not anticipate immediate hostile reaction by Japan through the use of military means but you are furnished this information in order that you may take appropriate precautionary measures...

The message also notes that the Panama Canal will be closed to Japanese shipping, something that the Japanese already anticipate. The order freezing Japanese assets, in fact, is signed today, the 25th, and not the 26th as indicated in the war message. The White House issues a press release at Poughkeepsie, NY (near the President's home at Hyde Park) announcing that the sanctions will be imposed (via Executive Order No. 8832).

Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson recommends to President Roosevelt that the military forces of the Philippines be incorporated into the US military. Given heightened tensions, Stimson says, "All practical steps should be taken to increase the defensive strength of the Philippine Islands."

The Bureau of Ordnance issues the first Navy "E" industry certificates (for excellence).

Joseph Stilwell takes command of III Corps at the Presidio at Monterey, California.

Japanese Military: The Japanese Imperial Navy reforms the Fifth Fleet, which was disbanded in 1939. Its new commander is Vice Admiral Hosogaya Boshiro. Its area of responsibility is the North Pacific.

Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington. View from the south on 25 July 1941 (Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 84927, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.).

German Government: The occupied Baltic States become Der Reichskommissar für das Ostland. The first administrator is Hinrich Lohse, previously Gauleiter of Schleswig-Holstein. The region is subdivided into the "National Director" (Reichskomissar) in Estonia, a "General Director" in Latvia and a "General Adviser" in Lithuania. Overall command of the administration of the East officially rests with Alfred Rosenberg, but in practice, the SS, the Wehrmacht, the labor service, and even the Post Office control almost everything that matters.

Yard Net Tender Boxwood (YN-3) underway near Houghton, Washington, 25 July 1941, the day of her commissioning. Note the tiny diesel smokestack just aft of the bridge (US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo No. 19-N-24682 a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archive).

Einsatzcommando 3 executes 103 Jews in Marjampole (Jäger Report).

Kirov Avenue, Baku, with the Drama Theatre on the right. This fine Russian city is the headquarters of the Soviet military defense of the oil center (Evening Post, 25 July 1941).

French Homefront: The Germans announce over the radio that the Vichy government will deport all expatriate British citizens from France. There is a large group of British, pensioners and the like, especially in the south along the Cote d'Azur. Admiral Darlan is a well-known anglophobe, particularly since the British attacks on Dakar and Levant, which Paris radio characterizes as "the numberless British aggression." Paris radio further announces that the Vichy government will "regulate the position of Britons in France" because, "After getting rid of the Free French parasites and the enemies of France as well as of the communists and the Jews, it is now the turn of the British."

British Homefront: British documentary "Target for Tonight," a low-key account of the crew of a Wellington bomber going on a mission over Germany. Directed by Harry Watt, "Target for Tonight" is shot by the Royal Air Force Film Unit at RAF Mildenhall. All names and facts about RAF operations that could be of use to the Germans are altered. The film wins the Academy Award for "Best Documentary" in 1942.

American Homefront: Red Sox pitcher Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove wins his 300th victory during a 10-5 victory against the Cleveland Indians. Previously a star with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics in the nineteen‐twenties and thirties, Grove compiled a phenomenal .682 winning percentage, registering an incredible 31 victories against only 4 losses in 1931. It took Grove numerous attempts to get this victory, and it is his last, as he is waived out of the league on 9 December 1941. Many consider Grove the greatest left-handed pitcher in American League history. Grove is voted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1947 for his 300-141 record and passes away in 1975.

Future History: Emmett Till is born near Chicago. His murder (lynching) in August 1955 in Money, Mississippi will become extremely controversial and a symbol of the Civil Rights movement. Two men,  Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam are tried for the murder but found not guilty. They both later admit to murdering Till but cannot be prosecuted due to the Double Jeopardy Clause. In part due to publicity about the Till case, Congress passes the first Civil Rights Act since Reconstruction in 1957.

Manuel "Manny" Charlton is born in La Línea, Andalusia, Spain. He goes on to become a founding member of the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth and their lead guitarist from 1968 to 1990. He also produces some early versions of Guns N' Roses songs such as "Paradise City" and "November Rain" recorded on 4 June 1986.

Nathaniel Thurmond is born in Akron, Ohio. He goes on to become a professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors for 14 years. Thurmond has his No. 42 jersey retired by the Warriors after his retirement in 1977 and enters the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Nate Thurmond passes away on 16 July 2016.

Lefty Grove on 25 July 1941 after winning his 300th - and last - game.

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

Sunday 20 July 1941

In a very unusual incident, Wehrmacht soldier Josef Schulz (or Schultz, shown with an arrow at left) refuses an order to execute 16 suspected partisans at the Serbian village of Smederevska-Palanca on 20 July 1941 (some sources say 19 July). Schultz drops his rifle and says, "Ich schieße nicht! Diese Männer sind unschuldig! (I will not shoot! These people are innocent!). Schultz' commanding officer shoots him on the spot and buries him with the partisans.

Eastern Front: In the Far North sector on 20 July 1941, Finnish VI Corp (General Talvela) continues pressing southward along the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga and east of there. His forces are approaching Salmi, about a quarter of the way down the length of the lake. Soviet 452nd Motorized Infantry Regiment arrives at Salmi and sets up a defensive perimeter. Just beyond Salmi is the 1939 border, and the Germans would like the Finns to cross it - but that is up to Finnish commander Marshal Mannerheim.

There is heavy and confused fighting along the Litsa River outside Murmansk. However, the lines do not change, and both sides are slowly beginning to accept a stalemate.

At Polarnoye (Polyamy) in Kolafjord, at the entrance to the inlet to Murmansk, Junkers Ju 87 Stukas of the Luftwaffe bomb and sinks Soviet destroyer Stremitel'ny (Stremitenlnyi).

The Soviets prepare a counterattack at Smolensk with Soviet 24th Army, 28th Army, 29th Army, and 30th Army. The Germans beat off the blows, but it is a sign of things to come. General Zhukov orders four reserve armies forward for the Smolensk operation. The objective is to rescue three trapped Soviet armies - 16th, 19th, and 20th - in the Smolensk suburbs. These armies attempt a breakout at the Nevel-Gorodok road but are stopped by the 19th Panzer Division.

In the Army Group South sector, Soviet Marshal Budenny (Budonny) commands a large group of forces at Southwestern and Southern Fronts. In total, Budenny has about 1.5 million soldiers at his disposal - one of the largest commands of all time, behind only national leaders such as Hitler or British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Budenny is one of the most maligned generals of World War II, and his most distinguishing credentials are his stunning handlebar mustache and the fact that he is one of Stalin's favorite comrades at drunken orgies. It is easy to see how Budenny could handle the brewing cauldron of trouble better, which would have ramifications across the entire Eastern Front.

Budenny, however, is hamstrung by Stavka orders to defend Kyiv and Vinnytsia (Vinnitsa)/Uman without retreating. Stalin essentially has given Budenny unheard-of hordes of men as a sort of test - to see whether that is sufficient to stop the Wehrmacht. With all sorts of opportunities to retreat and form a solid defensive line behind the Dneipr, Budenny instead keeps his troops in an exposed position west of the river. German 17th Army (General Karl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel) continues advancing to the south of Uman while the German 11th Field Army (General Karl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel) advances to the north. German Panzer Group 1 also heads toward Uman. It is an obvious trap, but Budenny and the Stavka do nothing to avoid it.

A German Bf 109E from Jagdgeschwader 27 strafing Australian front lines in North Africa, 1941 (Australian War Memorial 010852).

European Air Operations: The RAF's continuing "Channel Stop" operation today sees 12 Blenheim bombers of Nos. 18 and 139 Squadrons attack shipping between Berck and Le Touquet. The RAF loses two aircraft, but the planes hit a tanker, whose master is forced to beach it at Berck-sur-Mer. The RAF planes also down a defending Bf-109 fighter. Another raid by three Stirlings on Hazebrouck is aborted due to the weather.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 113 bombers (46 Wellingtons, 39 Hampdens, 25 Whitleys, 3 Stirlings) to attack the marshaling yards at Cologne. The bombers complete the run, but poor, cloudy weather leads to inaccurate bombing and little damage. Three people are killed on the ground. There is a secondary attack on Rotterdam by 15 Wellingtons and 9 Whitleys that starts some fires in the dockyard. All planes return from both missions.

Lieutenant Walter Nowotny remains adrift in the Baltic after being shot down on the 19th. He prepares for death, writing a goodbye note and observing German shore batteries firing at Soviet destroyers.

Werner Mölders is promoted to the rank of Oberst and banned from further combat flying. As a propaganda hero, Mölders is considered too valuable now to risk in the air war. He is transferred to the Reich Air Ministry in Berlin, where he effectively is placed in reserve pending reassignment.

Battle of the Baltic: The Finns reinforce their small force on the Finnish island of Bengtskär, which houses a 52-meter lighthouse that is a good observation post at the entry of the Gulf of Finland. The 2nd Rannikkoiskukompania (Coastal Shock Company), led by Lt. Fred Luther, can use the island to spot Soviet ships operating near the Soviet-held port of Hanko, Finland.

"Members of the South African Division of the Royal Naval Volunteers Reserve on board HMS NELSON posing for the camera between two of the enormous 16-inch guns of A turret," July 1941 (© IWM (A 4608)).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-126 (Kptlt. Ernst Bauer), on its first patrol out of Kiel, is operating about 1200 km (750 miles) west of Land's end when it spots 8293-ton British freighter Canadian Star. Bauer attacks with torpedoes but misses. He then orders the U-boat to the surfaces and uses the deck guns, scoring a few hits during a 10-minute attack. The Canadian Star, however, also has deck guns and returns fire, which drives U-126 off. Bauer manages to damage the freighter, but it gets away (ultimately to Curacao) and he barely avoids getting sunk himself. So, U-126 must wait further for its first sinking. Some sources say that U-126 fired torpedoes that missed, but that it was U-203 (Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg) lurking nearby that surfaced and used its deck guns against Canadian Star.

U-95 (Kptlt. Gerd Schreiber), on its fifth patrol out of Lorient, is operating southwest of Bantry Bay, Ireland when it spots 5419-ton British freighter Palma. Schreiber fires torpedoes and misses. He then decides to use his deck gun. The U-boat scores some hits, but the freighter gets away.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 4419-ton British freighter Umvuma (named after a small mining town in Zimbabwe) off the Humber. The damage shuts down the engines, but the crew improvises and still manages to get the damaged freighter to Humber.

Norwegian 3916-ton freighter Brynje hits a mine and sinks in Skagerrak off Kalundborg, Denmark. The entire crew survives. The ship is later salvaged for scrap in July 1944.

Convoy OG-69 departs from Liverpool bound for Gibraltar, Convoy WS 9C (Winston Special) arrives at Gibraltar. It includes ships destined to sail directly from Gibraltar to Malta as part of Operation Substance.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Lively is commissioned.

HMS Lively, shown here on 20 November 1941 in Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta, is commissioned on 20 July 1941 (© IWM (GM 165)).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Union (Lt R.M. Galloway), on its fourth patrol out of Malta, spots a small Axis convoy departing from Tripoli. It represents a tempting target, as two tugs (German Max Berendt and Italian Ciclope) are towing disabled German freighter Menes. Union attacks 25 miles southwest of the fortified Italian island of Pantelleria, but misses. Italian torpedo boat Circe responds by dropping depth charges that sink the Union. There are 31 deaths, everybody on board the submarine.

The dangerous nightly Tobruk Express run is made by Australian destroyer HMAS Stuart and minelaying cruiser HMS Latona. The ships operate on an extremely tight schedule which is intended to get them well away from the port by daylight to avoid Luftwaffe attack. However, the ships arrive late and things go disastrously wrong during the unloading process, so the Australians in the port can only unload about 50 tons of Latona's much-larger cargo before it must button up and depart. Both ships arrive back at Alexandria safely.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Utmost is operating near the island of Ustica north of Palermo, Sicily and attacks a freighter, but misses.

Royal Navy submarine HSM Tetrarch is operating in the Aegean when it unsuccessfully attacks an unidentified freighter.

In Operation Guillotine, New Zealand light cruiser Leander, destroyer Kingston, and destroyer Jervis (Jervis goes directly to Cyprus) depart Haifa on the 20th for Port Said. There, they embark on troops for transport to Famagusta, Cyprus. The ships all make it safely to Cyprus during the night.

As part of Operation Substance, a supply mission to Malta, Royal Navy submarines HMS Upright and Unique depart from Malta. They take up stations off the Italian coast in order to waylay any Italian ships departing to attack the Operation Substance convoy.

Nine RAF Wellington bombers based at Malta attack railway yards at Naples, causing extensive damage.

Partisans: In the continuing uprising of 13 July in Montenegro, insurgents capture Bijelo Polje. Reflecting the growing power of the rebels, the 180 soldiers and officers in the town are taken prisoner or killed. Italian troops not only are not counterattacking, but they are also retreating to fortified strongholds at Pljevlja, Nikšić, Cetinje, and Podgorica.

"The Home Guard: During an exercise involving the local Home Guard, ARP personnel and the Police in Northen Command, 'enemy' forces succeeded in taking a town after a bitter struggle but were later overpowered. The photograph shows the Home Guard firing at the 'enemy' in the street behind the cover of a post-box. 20 July 1941." © IWM (H 11852).

Propaganda: Many people across Europe take up the "Colonel Britton" BBC radio demand broadcast at midnight on the 19th for people to scribble "V for Victory" as a sign of resentment against German rule. There are reports of incidents in Holland, Belgium, France, and even some areas of the Reich itself (the provinces of Bohemia and Morava, formerly Czechoslovakia).

Anglo/Soviet Relations: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gives Soviet ambassador Maisky his reply (not received until 21 July) to Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin's written request for a second front in northwest Europe:

To attempt a landing in force would be to encounter a bloody repulse, and petty raids would only lead to fiascos doing far more harm than good to both of us. You must remember that we have been fighting alone for more than a year, and that, though our resources are growing, and will grow fast from now on, we are at the utmost strain both at home and in the Middle East by land and air, and also that the Battle of the Atlantic, on which our life depends, and the movement of all our convoys in the teeth of the U-boat and Fokke-Wulf blockade, strains our naval resources, great though they may be, to the utmost limit.

Churchill only promises to continue RAF and Royal Navy attacks for the time being.

Nurse Bernice Simmet selects a pair of rubber gloves for use during an appendectomy. Fort Benning, Georgia, 20 July 1941.

Soviet Military: Stalin takes over as People's Commissar of Defense from Marshal Semyon Timoshenko, who is demoted to command of the Western Front. Stalin is careful throughout the war to buttress his unchallenged control of the Soviet government with top military posts and ranks normally not taken by civilian leaders.

Stalin makes Lavrentiy Beria the new commander of the NKVD, which is formed out of the Commissariats of Home Affairs and National Security. This forces Vsevolod Merkulov to step down as the People's Commissar of State Security (NKGB, which now becomes the GUGB) of the Soviet Union and become Deputy People's Commissar of the NKVD.

Stalin marks his "appointment" by issuing an order to "purge all unreliable elements" in the military. In practice, this means having state security (now the NKVD) detain and interrogate any soldiers who escape German encirclement. These interrogations are not gentle, and the soldiers remain under suspicion of being spies henceforth.

Josef Schulz (or Schultz).

German Military: A Wehrmacht soldier of the 714th infantry division, identified as Josef Schulz (or Schultz), refuses to participate in executing 16 suspected "partisans" in Serbia. The executions take place anyway within the barracks of Smederevska Palanka, southeast of Belgrade. Schultz's commanding officer immediately orders Schulz into the line with the partisans, shoots Schulz dead, and buries him with the partisans. The incident is completely forgotten until the early 1960s when two German weeklies publish some photographs of the incident that lead a West German Bundestag member, Wilderich Freiherr Ostman von der Leye, to identify the person on the photographs as Josef Schulz. There is serious disagreement as to whether the person in question was Schultz, but that the incident happened with some Wehrmacht soldier is accepted.

British Government: Brendan Bracken becomes the new Minister of Information (MOI). Bracken is a close crony of Winston Churchill, having previously been his Parliamentary Private Secretary, and his appointment is a clear indication that Churchill intends to exercise an ever-tighter rein over BBC propaganda efforts. The idea of a "free press" is fast becoming but a memory in Great Britain due to rigid censorship and carefully managed official announcements intended to service the war effort and not any airy "right to know" by the public.

Heinrich Himmler at Lipowa Camp, a Lublin sports field converted into a transit camp for Jewish forced laborers selected from Polish Army POWs, 20 July 1941. Note the presence of Himmler's top aides, Wolff and Peiper, and Hans Kammler.

Holocaust: Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler orders Odilo Globocnik, the local SS- und Polizeiführer at Lublin, to prepare to cleanse the district of Jews and Poles. The goal is to make it purely Germanic.

American Homefront: Republican 1936 Presidential nominee Alf Landon gives a speech broadcast over the CBS radio network. He accuses President Roosevelt of giving only "mere campaign oratory" during his re-election campaign in 1940. He notes:

Lack of confidence in the word of its chief executive is a real disintegrating force in any nation and any army.

Landon does, however, offer support for continuing the draft, which is due to expire soon without congressional action. He does so grudgingly, however, concluding that "The President has the country out on the limb now, and we have got to strengthen the tree at the base."

Children at play, Dalwood Homes, Balgowlah, New South Wales, 20 July 1941 (Sam Hood, State Library of New South Wales).

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