Finnish tanks on parade at Petrozavodsk on the western shore of Lake Onega, 12 October 1941.
Eastern Front: On 12 October 1941, the Spanish Blue Division troops of the 250th Infantry Division in the German Army (Heer) numbering system deploy on the Volkhov River in the Army Group North sector. The Spanish troops establish their headquarters on the outskirts of Veliky Novgorod in a village called Grigorovo. The Blue Division is responsible for a 50 km section of the front which runs from north of Novgorod south along the banks of the Volkhov River and behind Lake Ilmen.
An RAF technical intelligence team inspects a downed Luftwaffe Dornier Do-217 near Rye, England. The pilot and crew got disoriented while flying and thought they were crashlanding in France after running out of fuel. The Dornier wound up at RAF Farnborough for testing.
While used by the Wehrmacht as garrison troops to hold a quiet part of the line, the Spanish Blue Division is marked by high morale in its all-volunteer ranks. Serving on the eastern front is considered a high honor, and virtually everyone graduating from the Spanish military academy volunteers. While in the Soviet Union, General Agustín Muñoz Grandes, the Blue Division's leader, has his men replace their symbolic Blue Division uniforms. These uniforms include the red berets of the Carlists, the khaki trousers of the Spanish Legion, and the blue shirts of the Falangists. While in German service, however, the men wear the ordinary field grey Heer uniform.
A Blue Division soldier in 1941 wearing the normal Wehrmacht field grey uniform with the distinctive Spanish patch on his sleeve.
The Blue Division division gets its nickname from its blue shirts, though those are only worn while on leave in Spain. As with other affiliated troops in the Wehrmacht, the Blue Division's uniform is individualized with a special shoulder patch marking the soldiers' nation of origin. In this case, the badge has the Spanish national colors with the word "Espana."
Vought Kingfisher OS2U-3 (shown at another time) runs into trouble on 12 October 1941 during a ferry flight from NAS New York to NAS San Diego. After hitting a tree in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, the seaplane crashes, killing Pilot Sgt. McMahon. A passenger is thrown clear and survives. There is still debris at the crash site.
The Blue Division men have good reason to be tired, as they have just completed a 900 km march from the nearest railhead at Suwałki, Poland. Throughout the war, the main means of transportation within the Wehrmacht remains the railway system, which is both a strength and a weakness of the German Army. The railways are easy to control and make quick moves across long distances possible and efficient. However, troop moves are restricted by the absence of railway workers in the occupied eastern territories, the insufficient numbers of Soviet locomotives and rail cars, and the vulnerability of the rail system to partisan attack and aerial bombing. The Soviet rails are of a different gauge than the German ones, and so German trains cannot just continue east until new rails are laid - a massive undertaking that requires time and men. The result is that the German infantry, like the Blue Division, is forced to walk long distances and cannot possibly keep pace with the panzers and panzer grenadiers leading the offensive.
As the headline on this 12 October 1941 edition of The Wisconsin State Journal indicates, it seemed obvious that the "climax" of the German attack on Moscow was just around the corner and the city would soon fall.
It is unclear why the Germans diverted the Blue Division from the attack on Moscow, Operation Typhoon, their original assignment, to a quiet sector further north. Throughout the war, there is a general feeling within the Wehrmacht that "foreign" troops cannot be entrusted with critical missions. However, it also may be the case in this particular situation that the Germans want to keep the glory of taking Moscow to themselves - it would not do at all if a Spanish Division played a key role in taking the Soviet capital.
In any event, the German Army (Heer) does not seem to need any help at this point. The OKH today sends Army Group Center commander Field Marshal Fedor von Bock curt instructions:
The Führer has reaffirmed his decision that the surrender of Moscow will not be accepted, even if it is offered by the enemy.
With these "no surrender" orders in hand, von Bock orders an immediate advance on Moscow all along the line. However, like the Blue Division men, the German troops already have marched hundreds of kilometers, including a quick advance of 70 km just in the past five days - all while fighting. As usual, the panzers move quickly, with 1st Panzer Division taking Rzhev and Staritsa, while General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 takes Kaluga about 100 miles southwest of Moscow. The German infantry is still marching to catch up, however, and two Soviet rifle divisions break out from the Vyazma pocket through swamps where the panzers can't operate.
Three sailors at Father Duffy statue in Duffy Square (northern half of Times Square), Manhattan, NY, October 12, 1941. Incidentally, this monument to a World War I chaplain is still there. Note that Humphrey Bogart's "The Maltese Falcon" is playing at the Strand Theater across the street (Rodney McCay Morgan/NYC Parks Photo Archive).
Even the panzers are feeling the strain, however. Where once missions could be accomplished by just one panzer division, now they have to be combined. Today, for instance, SS Obergruppenfuhrer Paul Hausser’s SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) ‘Das Reich’ from XLVI. Armeekorps (mot.) is given a critical mission of pushing east along the Minsk-Moscow main road. However, it has been so weakened by months of constant combat that it must be joined by a Kampfgruppe from the 10th Panzer Division. The weather is terrible, the roads are muddy, and General Guderian notes in his diary that it snows throughout the day.
Judy Garland with producer Ted Sherdeman on 12 October 1941 while appearing on the CBS Radio "Silver Theater" adaptation of "Eternally Yours" (Kim Lundgreen via JudyGarlandNews.com).
Road signage at the crossroads of the western shore of Kotikoski. Alakurtti (Salla). September 26, 1941 (original color photograph, SA-Kuva).
Eastern Front: Having surrounded almost a million Soviet soldiers near Kyiv, Ukraine earlier in the month, the combined forces of Army Groups Center and South finish subduing the pocket on 26 September 1941. Out of the approximately 850,000 Soviet troops originally surrounded, only about 150,000 managed to escape to the east. The rest either go into captivity or stay on the battlefield forever.
Field Marshal Ritter Wilhelm von Leeb (2nd from left), Generaloberst Erich Hoepner (3rd from left) over the map table in the Army Group North sector, September 1941 (Hansen, Federal Archive Picture 101I-212-0214-08A).
The Germans, led by Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, are mystified at how easy it was to eliminate such a large force. They know that the Soviets have large forces nearby to the east and northeast, but those forces have made no attempt to try to break through and rescue their trapped comrades. General Franz Halder writes in his war diary that:
Mopping up of the pockets east of Kiev is drawing to a close. Guderian continues the concentration of his forces toward the north while pushing away the enemy on his eastern flank.
General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 is down to 20% of its original forces, so being able to defend against the Soviets to the east of the pocket so easily shows that the Soviets simply aren't interested in rescuing the men at Kyiv. This is contrary to all military logic, and the Germans almost automatically would launch a relief drive. This illustrates a fundamental difference between the two sides, as the Soviet attitude is that those who have lost a battle are unworthy of being rescued.
Civilians, car traffic, German soldiers on horses, and horse-drawn carriages in Kyiv shortly after its capture, September 1941 ( Mittelstaedt, Heinz, Federal Archive Bild 183-B13125).
The Wehrmacht is able to process the hordes of Soviet prisoners at its leisure, with about 650,000 Soviet men heading to very rough POW camps in cattle cars. The Germans do not feel bound by the humanitarian provisions of the Geneva Convention in their war against the Soviets, so very little care is taken to ensure the prisoners' survival. It is estimated that only about 6,000 of the Soviets ever return to their homeland - about the same as the number of Germans who return after surrendering at Stalingrad just over a year later.
A decorated panzer Hauptmann (Captain, Knight's Cross and Panzer Badge in Silver) in the turret of his panzer outside of Leningrad, September 1941 (Zoll, Federal Archive Bild 101I-210-0112-01A).
The pocket of trapped Soviet soldiers is a scene of wild chaos. Artillery shells explode amidst groups of defenseless men and horses, food is running short, and there is no leadership following the death of General Mikhail Kirponos on 20 September in a German ambush in the woods. About 100,000 Red Army soldiers perish before the guns fall silent, and more thereafter on the trip west. It is the largest battle of annihilation since... it is the largest battle of annihilation in world history. In a sense, this may be the peak of German military fortunes during World War II, though there are many claimants to that title. The way is now clear for the Wehrmacht to reorient its attack east toward Moscow.
A propaganda exhibit in Paris during September 1941 entitled "The Jews of France."
The Soviets do get some revenge for their massive defeat at Kyiv. Before departing, they have boobytrapped major downtown administrative buildings in Kyiv. They wait until the Germans have fully occupied them and settled in and then, around 26 September 1941, set off the hidden explosions by wireless commands. The explosions kill hundreds of Wehrmacht soldiers and SS officers. The Germans are furious and decide to retaliate against the civilian population, with the main focus coming to rest on the Jews of Kyiv.
German soldiers on the southern section of the Eastern Front read a posted newspaper. These are provisional newspapers for the benefit of the troops because getting actual newspapers to the front is proving extremely difficult over poor roads and long distances (Sanden, Heinrich, Federal Archive Bild 183-B10710).
Further south, General Erich von Manstein continues pushing his 11th Army into the Crimea. Halder opens his report not with this historic news at Kyiv, but the situation there:
A breakthrough is developing at Perekop; the Panzer Group has started attack southeast; Seventeenth Division is slowly gaining ground.
While Manstein's progress is good news, it subtly illustrates a larger problem for the Germans. Every success, every feat of arms, only leads to more campaigns with an enemy who always has somewhere new to run. Manstein is gaining ground, but that only means a completely new area of operations in the Crimea - which has many areas that are easy to defend. The war in the East is endless, and the further east the Wehrmacht goes, the more new battles it faces.
Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair informs General George C. Marshall of the outcome of Third Army maneuvers in Louisiana, 26 September 1941 (The George C. Marshall Foundation).
German Military: The Spanish Blue Division, en route to Army Group Center, are at Vitebsk when they are suddenly rerouted to Army Group North. There, they will become part of the German 16th Army. American Homefront: Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller pitches a one-hitter as he leads the American League in victories, innings pitched, and strikeouts. It is Feller's last game until 24 August 1945 due to his enlistment in the U.S. Navy immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
RKO Radio Pictures releases "Lady Scarface." It stars Dennis O'Keefe and features Judith Anderson (later Dame Judith Anderson) as the title character.
The 26 September 1941 edition of The New York Times is full of news, including German attacks in the Soviet Union and an attempt to repeal the Neutrality Act.
U-570 is captured by a Royal Navy anti-submarine warfare trawler on 27 August 1941. This picture was shot by an Allied plane circling the U-boat.
Iran Invasion: The invasion of Iran by British and Soviet forces continues without too much hindrance from the defenders on 27 August 1941, but there are some isolated situations where the Iranian Army shows its mettle. British forces reach Ahvaz, where Iranian troops under General Mohammad Shahbakhti has prepared a fortified position on the far side of the Karun River. Ahvaz controls the entrance to the Zagros Mountains, through which the British hope to drive north toward Tehran. However, British probing attacks show that Ahvaz would require a costly battle, so the British Indian troops come to a halt and wait for the campaign to be decided elsewhere.
In central Iran, the 10th Indian Infantry Division is hindered more by the rough terrain than by the defenders. Defenders in the town of Gilan-e-Gharb put up a spirited resistance, but it is soon overcome. This opens the Pai Tak Pass, which leads toward Tehran. The retreating Iranians cut down some trees across the road and dynamite it in places, slowing the British down but not stopping them.
In the northwest, the Soviets face stiffer opposition, but overcome it with the aid of Red Air Force bombers and utter ruthlessness (along with taking a lot of casualties of their own). The Iranians retreat on Ramsar and hope to make a stand there. In the northeast, the Soviets invading from Turkmenistan SSR have a real battle against Iran's 9th Infantry Division at Mashhad and Khorasan province. The Soviets have been stopped for three days at the frontier, but the Iranians have taken heavy casualties and their hold on Mashhad is becoming tenuous.
Australian sloop HMAS Yarra captures 4901-ton Italian freighter Hilda at Banda Addas. The Iranian crew sets Hilda on fire, but the British put them out. Royal Navy tug Sydney Thubron tows Hilda to Karachi, where it is converted into a Royal Navy repair ship.
In Tehran, everyone can see how things will turn out. The Prime Minister resigns and German nationals look for escape routes. Mohammad Ali Foroughi becomes the new Prime Minister, but everyone knows that it won't be for long.
Members of the ground crew paint victory bar number 44 on the rudder of Erich Schmidt`s "Yellow 11," Surash, Bf 109F, 27 August 1941.
Eastern Front: OKH Chief of Staff General Franz Halder's war diary for the 27th is full of notations that the Soviet positions are "weak" and "beaten." He notes that the Soviets in the Valdai Hills are trying to regroup their "beaten" forces, that that the Soviet position southeast of Bryansk is "still very weak," that the Soviet troops on the Dneipr between Kyiv and Zaporozhe are "weak forces," that the Soviets on the lower Dneipr are building up a defensive line "though only with weak forces." These are not the only times he points out how "weak" the Soviets are. What is missing from Halder's diary, however, are any indications that the Germans are strong enough to take advantage of all this Soviet weakness.
The Germans are beginning to formulate a plan for taking Kyiv. General von Sodenstern, Chief of Staff at Army Group South, cautions that Sixth Army must not become "locked" with the Soviet defenders, but instead should circle around the city to the east and cut off its supplies and escape route. This is extremely wise counsel that the same Sixth Army would have been well to heed exactly a year later at Stalingrad.
In the Far North sector, the Finns mount major attacks on the Soviet-held port of Hango in southwest Finland by both land and sea. The heavily fortified Soviets, though, are well-provisioned and the small beachhead is heavily armed. The Soviets resist the assaults.
The Finnish Light Brigade T, 12th Division, and 18th Division continue pursuing the Soviet 43rd, 115th, and 123rd Rifle Divisions near the Vuoksi River. Finnish troops are spreading out all across the Karelian Isthmus, cutting off Viipuri tightening their grip on the shore of Lake Ladoga. However, despite being experts at forest warfare, they are having difficulty drawing tight lines to hem in the retreating Soviets because the terrain offers too many chances to escape unseen.
Northeast of Nurmi Lake, a bloody battle develops between Finnish XXXVI Corps and fleeing Soviet troops. A German SS battalion fails to close a pincer at the narrows at Kayrala in the morning, allowing Soviets to escape on foot without any equipment. The Axis troops quickly regroup, and XXXVI Corps sends some Finnish troops to the Wehrmacht's 169th Division while attaching three SS battalions to the Finnish 6th Division. The Axis troops hurry toward the town of Allakurtti along a road and a railway line, but the Soviets get there ahead of them and prepare fortified positions. The Soviets fight for their lives and manage to hold their line sufficiently for most of their troops to escape.
Finnish soldiers examine a disabled Soviet tank, 27 August 1941 (SA-Kuva).
In the Army Group North sector, German troops of 18th Army advance on Tallinn (Reval), the capital of Estonia as the Soviet 10th Rifle Corps and affiliated troops and civilians begin a massive evacuation. Once Tallinn is taken, it will free up German soldiers for the all-important advance on Leningrad. So, no matter how the evacuation turns out, it is a strategic victory for the Wehrmacht.
In the Army Group Center sector, Panzer Group 3 recaptures Velikie Luki after Soviet counterattacks. Group Stumme at Velikie Luki prepares for a drive on Toropets. General Stumme reports to headquarters that his troops have captured 34,000 Soviet soldiers and 300 guns of 22nd Army. German 250th Infantry Division, the Spanish Blue Division, begins marching on foot from the Polish border to Smolensk. General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 expands its bridgehead south of the Desna River at Novgorod-Seversk, but the going is slow both for the Panzer Group and Second Army which is also moving toward Kyiv.
In the Army Group South sector, the Germans complete their movement of an assault battalion and ten heavy artillery battalions to assist the Romanians in a resumption of the attack on Odessa. The Soviets have little chance of prevailing but have been ordered to fight to the end. Hitler and Mussolini tour areas behind the front lines and meet with army leaders. In what may be a related incident, the leader of Panzer Group 2, General Paul von Kleist, is mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht, one of the Reich's highest honors.
Soviet bombers hit Koenigsberg during the night.
Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Stępina during their inspection tour, 27 August 1941.
European Air Operations: During the day, the RAF sends 13 Blenheim bombers on Circus operations to Lille and St. Omer. However, the missions are recalled.
After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 91 bombers (35 Hampdens, 41 Wellingtons, and 15 Whitleys) against favorite target Mannheim. The bombers must overcome ground haze and cause only moderate damage, damaging 13 buildings and injuring 13 people at a hotel. The RAF loses 7 Wellingtons and a Whitley when the planes return to England, apparently due to bad weather.
In addition, the RAF sends 2 Wellingtons to bomb Boulogne, 2 Wellingtons to bomb Dunkirk, and 17 Hampdens on minelaying operations in the Frisians. There are no losses.
Pilot Officer William R. Dunn, an American pilot flying a Spitfire Mk II with RAF No. 71 "Eagle" Squadron, downs two Bf 109 Fs. Dunn, who also got the squadron's first confirmed victory on 21 July 1941, thereby becomes the first American ace of World War II. Dunn is wounded in the right leg in the action and, after recovery, becomes an instructor.
German troops manhandling an artillery piece. The arrow points to a German soldier using a captured SVT 38/40 rifle (screen capture from Die Deutsche Wochenschau, 27 August 1941).
Battle of the Baltic: There is a short, sharp action off Cape Domesnas, Latvia. Four Soviet TKA boats attack a German motorboat convoy. No boats are sunk, but two of the German boats (Adele and Diete Korner) are damaged and beached
The Soviet Baltic Fleet evacuates Tallinn, Estonia in a maximum effort of over 200 vessels. The ships head toward Kronstadt, Kotlin Island near Leningrad. There are four separate convoys and a Soviet main covering force commanded by Vice Admiral V.F. Tributs. Prior to leaving, the Soviets scuttle a number of vessels, including:
sailing ship Juno
sailing ship Kodu
sailing ship Leidus
sailing ship Minnalaid
sailing ship Delphin
sailing ship Kihelkonna
185-ton freighter Salmi
403-ton freighter Saturn.
minelayer Amur (blocking ship)
696-ton freighter Gamma (blocking ship)
80-ton tugboat Virre (blocking ship)
160-ton freighter Alar (blocking ship)
freighter Diana (blocking ship)
The Soviet evacuation proceeds without incident today (it runs into difficulties on the 28th). Shortly after the last ship leaves, the Germans occupy the port. It is an audacious gamble made in the teeth of German aerial and naval supremacy of the mine-infested Baltic even though the route only covers 150 miles.
An RAF Catalina takes a picture of U-570 surrendering to a British Royal Navy ship, 27 August 1941.
Battle of the Atlantic: U-570 (Kptlt. Hans-Joachim Rahmlow), on its first patrol out of Trondheim, surfaces directly below a patroling RAF Hudson of RAF No. 269 Squadron due south of Reykjavik. The plane quickly drops depth charges on U-570 south of Iceland, forcing it to the surface and to surrender. There are 44 survivors. The Royal Navy captures the submarine and tows it to Thorlakshafn, Iceland. The Royal Navy ultimately recommissions it in the Royal Navy as HMS Graph and uses it operationally.
U-557 (KrvKpt. Ottokar Arnold Paulssen), on its third patrol operating out of Lorient, has a big day. It torpedoes and sinks several ships of Convoy OS-4 west of Ireland and south of Iceland:
4414-ton Norwegian freighter Segundo (seven deaths, 27 survivors)
6303-ton British freighter Saugor (59 deaths, 23 survivors)
4736-ton British freighter Tremoda (32-35 deaths, 18-21 survivors )
4954-ton British freighter Embassage (39 deaths, 3 survivors).
U-202 (Kptlt. Hans-Heinz Linder), on its second patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks 230-ton British freighter Ladylove. Ladylove is part of Convoy OS-4 south of Iceland. All 14 men on board perish.
There is a tragedy on HMS Lulworth when Canadian seaman Lt. C.A. Keeler jumps off the ship to rescue a female survivor from 439-ton Norwegian freighter Ingria of Convoy OS-4. Both are lost at sea and their bodies are never found. Keeler receives the Albert Medal posthumously.
The German 6th Destroyer Division, based at Kirkenes, Norway, already is suffering from combat and the elements. After only six weeks in Northern Norway, destroyers Richard Beitzen and Hermann Schoemann must return to German for repairs. This leaves only two destroyers to patrol the northern convoy routes - right when activity is starting to ramp up with British supply missions to Murmansk and Archangel.
US Battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) departs from Hampton Roads, Virginia on a neutrality patrol. American Task Group TG-2.5, led by aircraft carrier Yorktown, arrives at Bermuda to conclude a neutrality patrol. Royal Navy battleship Rodney departs from Bermuda and joins American Task Force TG2.6 to search for a reported Kriegsmarine cruiser in the North Atlantic (reported by Canadian AMC Prince David).
Convoy ON-10 departs from Liverpool.
Royal Navy destroys Rotherham and corvettes Eglantine and Soroy are commissioned, destroyer Aldenham and submarine Traveler are launched.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Treacle, the replacement of Australian soldiers at Tobruk with Polish soldiers of the Carpathian Brigade, continues. Royal Navy minelaying cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers Hotspur, Kingston, and Kipling are escorted to Tobruk after dark from Alexandria. Unlike previous Treacle missions, however, the Italian Regia Aeronautica makes a successful attack on the convoy. An Italian S.79 of 279 Squadron hits escorting light cruiser Phoebe with an aerial torpedo about 100 miles northeast of Tobruk. The attack kills eight sailors. Phoebe makes it back to Tobruk under its own power, and the rest of the ships make it to Tobruk and back without suffering further attacks. Phoebe later proceeds to New York Navy Yard for repairs that last until 15 April 1942.
While en route from Naples to Tripoli, an Italian convoy is attacked. Royal Navy submarine Urge (Lt Cdr Tomkinson) torpedoes 497-ton Italian freighter Aquitania, but Aquitania is able to return to Trapani, Sicily at reduced speed. Italian torpedo boat Clio counterattacks Urge and damages the British submarine. Two other Royal Navy submarines, Unbeaten and Utmost, also attack ships in the area but miss.
Royal Navy submarine Triumph (Cdr Woods) captures and then sinks an Italian fishing boat off the Furano River, Sicily.
Operation Guillotine, the British reinforcement of Cyprus, continues today with the departure from Port Said of Australian sloop HMAS Parramatta and transport Salamaua. The ships proceed to Famagusta, arriving on the 29th, and then return to Alexandria to conclude the operation.
The Luftwaffe attacks Tobruk, and a Junkers Ju-87 Stuka sinks 245-ton whaler Skudd III. There are three deaths immediately, another man dies later of wounds, and two sailors are missing. An additional six men are wounded.
Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille shoots down a Hurricane fighter near Gambut, Libya.
There is an invasion alert on Gozo beach at Malta due to reports of Italian torpedo boats in the area. However, there is no invasion.
USS North Carolina firing her forward 16" guns during trials, 26-27 Aug 1941.
Partisans: Pierre Laval attends a review of the Legion des Volontaires Français contre le Bolshevisme (LVF), a collaborationist militia unit on its way to the Eastern Front. Laval is shot by 21-year-old Paul Collette, a disaffected former member of the nationalist Croix-de-Feu and then French Social Party (PSF). The bullet just misses Laval's heart and, for a bullet shot, causes minimal injury. Marcel Déat, another collaborationist, also is shot and injured.
The incident hardens the Vichy government's resolve to eliminate dissent within its zone. It arrests political opponents and simply calls them "communists" to justify the arrests regardless of their true political affiliations.
Laval, shortly after being shot, prevents the Germans from immediately shooting Collette. He tells the German officer who has apprehended the shooter, "Don't do that. You do not know how the French will react like I do." Laval is not particularly popular in France despite being a long-time politician and former head of the government, so he has no illusions that the public will support his ordering instant executions by the occupying army. However, Collette is not let go - he will go on trial, be sentenced to death, have his sentence commuted by Petain, and then be sent to a succession of French prisons and ultimately Mauthausen concentration camp.
Collette, despite his own arduous path for the duration of the war and murky motives, becomes something of a symbol for the French Resistance. He survives the war, publishes a book, "I Shot Laval," in 1946, and dies in 1995.
U-570 is captured by the Royal Navy, 27 August 1941.
Spy Stuff: U-570, captured by the Royal Navy today, has its cipher gear intact. The scientists at Bletchley Park know all about German cipher equipment already, though extra and current copies are always welcome. Contrary to myth, this capture does prove of war-winning benefit to the codebreakers at Bletchley Park. The German crew has plenty of time (actually, all day long, as the British take that long to get ships in the area) to destroy its current codes and anything else of value before being taken as prisoners. Thus, the capture is worth less than it might seem from a codebreaking standpoint, though of course it is a daring feat and does deprive the Kriegsmarine of a submarine. Many Kriegsmarine codes remain unbreakable throughout the war because German sailors are the best-trained and most disciplined ciphers in the Wehrmacht. Lapses in coding are the main source of codebreaking - not having copies of the equipment used - and the Kriegsmarine makes relatively few errors that give codebreakers an opening.
In Washington, D.C., Dusko Popov meets with FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover. Popov is a putative spy for the Germans who is a double agent for the Allies. Popov has in his possession a list of questions given to him to ask about which prominently features Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - the main base of the US Pacific Fleet. Hoover, however, sees no significance in these questions.
Special Operations: Operation Gauntlet continues in Spitzbergen without any interference from the Germans. The Norwegians are sending the Germans in mainland Norway false weather reports of fog which keep away Luftwaffe reconnaissance flights by Wettererkundungsstaffel (Wekusta 5). The Canadians settle in and continue destroying mining equipment and coal dumps in the midnight sun. The Germans don't know anything is amiss, so they continue sending colliers to pick up loads of coal - which the Canadians gladly seize.
Applied Science: Winston Churchill approves the MAUD Committee's suggestion that an atomic bomb should be developed:
Although personally, I am quite content with the existing explosives, I feel we must not stand in the path of improvement, and I therefore think that action should be taken in the sense proposed by Lord Cherwell.
The Americans already are working toward an atomic bomb, and also have reached the same conclusions as Churchill based on their reading of the same MAUD Report.
US/Japanese Relations: Ambassador Nomura hand-delivers a note from Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoye to Secretary of State Cordell Hull. It states in part that he wants:
to discuss from a broad standpoint all important problems between Japan and America covering the entire Pacific area, and to explore the possibility of saving the situation.
In a sign of things to come, the Japanese embassy staff has difficulty completing the translation of Prince Konoye's message in time for Nomura's meeting with the Secretary of State - even though they have the message a full day in advance. Thus, Nomura must deliver the message only partly in writing and partly orally. Hull denies Nomura's request to see President Roosevelt immediately but says he will try to set up a meeting in the morning.
The Director of the American Bureau for Japanese Foreign Affairs, Mr. Terasaki, delivers a statement intended for US Ambassador Joseph Grew. It demands that the US tankers bound for Vladivostok be recalled or, if that is impossible, be rerouted to avoid passing through the Straits of Saya and Tsugaru. The Japanese note says that Imperial Japan resents supplies being sent through Japanese waters to the USSR, which may later use those supplies against Japan.
A Finnish soldier receives his cigarette ration, 27 August 1941 (SA-Kuva).
Japanese military: The Imperial Japanese Navy requisitions 6667-ton freighter Onoe Maru.
British Government: Giving in to its usually latent socialistic impulses, the British Government nationalizes the railways for the duration of the conflict. The owners are given £43,000,000 per year as compensation.
China: At Macau, the Japanese issue an ultimatum to the Portuguese administrators of the city: either the city takes a pro-Japanese stance, or the Japanese will block all food imports.
Hungarian Jews being led to their executions at Kaments-Podolski, 27 or 28 August 1941.
Holocaust: SS units under the command of the Higher SS and Police Leader for the southern region, SS General Friedrich Jeckeln, murder 23,600 Hungarian Jews at Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukrainian SSR. This figure is taken from Jeckeln's own report, and some estimates place the number closer to 25,000. As usual in such incidents, the victims are marched to pits outside of town and shot so that they fall into them (in this case, bomb craters). This incident is the largest mass execution to date and a precursor of much larger ones to come in September 1941 and thereafter.
Soviet Homefront: An Aeroflot Tupolev ANT-6-G2 (TB-3) (CCCP-L1996) crashes into a hill near Kyzyl-Arviat, Turkmenistan. It is carrying cargo on the Tashkent-Ashgabat route, apparently in support of the Soviet invasion of Iran. The pilot apparently cannot find the airport and tries to land in the countryside, but the plane is destroyed and all six crew are killed.
American Homefront: Charlie Root gets his 200th win, the first to do so in Chicago Cubs history, in a 6-4 win over the Boston Braves. Root gave up the famous "called homerun" to Babe Ruth in the 1932 World Series. Root will retire at the end of the season with 201 career victories.
Paramount's "Aloma of the South Seas" premieres. It stars Dorothy Lamour as Aloma and is directed by Alfred Santell. The film, in Technicolor, is later nominated for two Academy Awards for cinematography and visual effects.
Future History: Cesària Évora is born in Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde. She becomes a popular singer and earns the nickname "The Barefoot Diva" due to her penchant for singing without shoes. She passes away on 17 December 2011 in her hometown.
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.
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.
During his nightly conversations with cronies late into the night, Hitler predicts:
England and America will one day have a war with one another, which will be waged with the greatest hatred imaginable. One of the two countries will have to disappear.
Hitler also thinks that Romania should give up its industry and become a granary for the Reich. He believes that Romania has become "contaminated by Bolshevism" and needs to be cleansed by eliminating the proletariat by going back to nature.
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).
Holocaust: Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler issues orders that greatly expand the scope of persecutions, though that may not be their original intent. Himmler directs the creation of auxiliary police formations (Schutzmannschaften) which are to be composed of "Ukrainians, the inhabitants of the Baltic States and Belorussians." These formations are destined to become the backbone of police manpower in the Baltic states. The original purpose of the Schutzmannschaften is debatable, with some later concluding that they are intended solely to provide security personnel for the process of feeding the Wehrmacht off local crops. Indeed, the order is issued in response to an OKW request for more security personnel. There is no question, however, that the Schutmannschaften units eventually participate in genocide against Jews.
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.
