Thursday 10 July 1941

German infantrymen observing the enemy from their trenches shortly before attacking inside Soviet territory. July 10, 1941.

Eastern Front: Finnish Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Marshal of Finland and leader of its military, issues an Order of the Day on 10 July 1941 in which he echoes a similar declaration he made in 1918. In the 1918 order, Mannerheim vowed that he would not put his sword in its scabbard "until Lenin's last soldier and hooligan is deported from Finland and White Karelia" ("... ennen kuin viimeinen Leninin soturi ja huligaani on karkoitettu niin hyvin Suomesta kuin Vienan Karjalastakin").

Well, it is 23 years later, and Mannerheim still controls the Finnish military. A lot has changed in the world, but one thing is the same: it is time to gear up again to right some perceived wrongs. In today's Order, Mannerheim states:

... [I]n 1918 during the War of Liberation I stated to the Finnish and Viena Karelians, that I would not set my sword to the scabbard before Finland and East Karelia would be free." (Finnish: Vapaussodassa vuonna 1918 lausuin Suomen ja Vienan karjalaisille, etten tulisi panemaan miekkaani tuppeen ennen kuin Suomi ja Itä-Karjala olisivat vapaat). 

This Order is intended to spur the Finnish offensive in Karelia that opens today.

Marshal Mannerheim - one of the very few Axis leaders to come out of World War II with his reputation intact.

In the Far North sector, Finland, under Marshal Mannerheim, begins a major offensive to reconquer Ladoga Karelia. General Paavo Talvela sends his VI Corps against Soviet 7th Army. The Soviets have prepared extensive field fortifications, particularly near Sortavala, Värtsilä, and Korpiselkä, and the Finns advance but do not score any quick breakthroughs.

Farther north, the Soviet defenses at Kayraly (on the route to the Murmansk railroad) and the Litsa River (Murmansk) firm as the Soviets take advantage of the terrain and send reinforcements. Finnish 3rd Division of III Corps, now on the Vyonitsa (Vonitsa) River south of Salla, also part of Operation Arctic Fox, is doing better than the German troops. It begins destroying Soviet troops using tactics developed during the Winter War.

In the Army Group North sector, there is heavy fighting around Pskov, which the Germans have captured. German 4th Panzer Group (Hoepner) holds the city as it awaits the infantry.

General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 moves toward Smolensk (note the Wanderer W-14 Headquarters car), on or about 10 July 1941.

In the Army Group Center sector, General Guderian sends his Panzer Group 2, led by the 20th Panzer Division, across the Dneipr River to attack the Soviet 13th Army. The objective is Smolensk. The Red Army is caught off-guard and gives ground, but behind the scenes, the Stavka hastily tries to arrange a counterattack. German 7th Panzer Division (Major General H. von Funck), which is in Vitebsk, heads south to cut the Moscow/Smolensk road. General Walter Model's 3rd Panzer Division crosses the Dnepr at Starye Bykhov about 110 miles downriver of Smolensk, while General Hoth's 3rd Panzergroup moves east to the north of Smolensk in an attempt to bypass the city.

In the Army Group South sector, the German advance continues. German 13th Panzer Division reaches the Irpin River, only 10 miles from Kyiv.

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: Having pocketed Damour, the Australian 7th Division continues up the coast road toward Beirut. British artillery already is within artillery range of Beirut and have begun firing on it. In addition, the British 6th Infantry Division attacks the French defenses at Jebel Mazar on the Damascus/Beirut road. Vichy French commander General Henri Dentz is seeking an armistice with British forces closing in on Beirut from all sides.

The Vichy French Vichy French Air Force (Armée de l'Air de Vichy) is not yet defeated. A furious air battle develops in which five new French Dewoitine D.520 fighters attack an approaching bomber formation of RAF No. 45 Squadron. The French shoot down three Blenheim bombers, but the defending Australian P-40 Tomahawk fighters shoot down four (or more) French fighters.

Australian Private James Gordon earns the Victoria Cross for charging with his bayonet at a machine gun nest that was holding up his unit.

A StuG III Ausf B assault gun of Sturmgeschuetz-Abteilung 192 (note the skull on the logo). Army Group Center, July 1941.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends a mission to raid the docks at Cherbourg and Le Havre. In a rare case of disobedience of orders, the two groups of 12 bombers fly lower than the RAF guidelines require, and one of the bombers intentionally drops their bombs into a civilian railroad tunnel. Why they do this is unclear, but the RAF brings charges and the offending pilot is subjected to court-martial. There is one plane lost.

The RAF also sends three of the new Short Stirling bombers in a Circus operation attack Chocques power station. There is one loss.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 98 Wellingtons and 32 Hampdens to bomb Cologne. The weather is poor, and this leads to inaccurate aiming, with only 62 bombers even hitting Cologne or its suburbs. There are two planes lost and only very light damage done to the target.

After dark, the Luftwaffe bombs Hull.

Luftwaffe ace Oblt. Rolf Pingel, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 26 (22 victories), is forced to crash-land his Bf 109F-2 near Dover. The plane is little-damaged and gives the RAF a copy of the newest version of Messerschmidt's fighter. The RAF repairs the plane and restores it to flying condition, using it in mock dogfights.

RAF Wing Commander Douglas Bader shoots down two Bf 109s, one over Bethune, Pas-de-Calais and another near Calais. Ace James Lacey also shoots down a Bf 109.

Battle of the Baltic: German minesweepers M-23 and M-205 hit mines in the Irben strait. The former is beached and the latter sinks in shallow water, so they are later raised, repaired and returned to service.

Soviet freighter Rasma hits a mine and is damaged and abandoned. Two German torpedo boats, S-26 and S-28, later come across the abandoned ship and sink it.

German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ-113 Nordmark sinks from unknown causes.

"Florin, California. This 23-year-old Nisei soldier volunteered for army service July 10, 1941, and is stationed at Camp Leonard Wood, Missouri. He obtained a furlough to assist his mother and family to prepare for evacuation. He is the youngest of six children, two of whom are volunteers in the Army of the United States." (National Archives and Records Administration 537848).

Battle of the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 196-ton British fishing trawler Isabella Fowlie about seven miles northeast of Longstone Lighthouse. There are three deaths.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 1174-ton Norwegian freighter Svint about seven miles northwest of Kellan Head, Trevose, North Cornwall. There is one death.

British 196-ton motorboat Celano (tender to minesweeper HMS Tedworth) hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary. The entire crew, six men, perishes.

The German crew of 7209-ton German blockade runner Hermes scuttles the ship when it is intercepted by Royal Navy AMC Canton about 300 hundred miles northwest of St. Paul.

The Kriegsmarine transfers its 6th Destroyer Flotilla (destroyers Friedrich Eckholdt, Hans Lody, Hermann Schoemann, Karl Galster, and Richard Beitzen) to Kirkenes, Norway. This is the first of many transfers to the far north of Norway by the Germans of surface ships. This accomplishes the dual goal of removing the ships from attack by the RAF and positioning them to attack Allied convoys to Murmansk.

A Short Sunderland flying boat, returning from a patrol, hits an uncharted reef while taxiing to its mooring and develops a leak. The skipper quickly beaches the plane to prevent it from sinking. The plane is later repaired in Reykjavik. Everyone survives.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Umpire (Lt. Mervyn R. G. Wingfield) is commissioned.

U-503 and U-578 are commissioned.

A Czech-built Panzer 38(t), June/July 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Torbay torpedoes and damages 5232-ton Italian tanker Strombo south of the Greek island of Kea. Two escorting Italian torpedo boats, Calatafimi and Climene, counterattack and damage the Torbay. However, the British submarine escapes. The Strombo is written off.

A five-vessel Axis convoy with an escort of three destroyers and three torpedo boats leaves Naples bound for Tripoli.

At Malta, the Italian Regia Aeronautica drops bombs on various points. They approach the island from the south and cross over to the north, enabling a quick escape back to Sicily to the north.

Fort Collins Municipal Railway #20 Trolley, Fort Collins, Colorado, July 10, 1941.

Battle of the Pacific: Soviet submarine M-49 sinks in a friendly minefield off Vladivostok.

Spy Stuff: George Johnson Armstrong is executed by hanging at HM Prison Wandsworth by Thomas Pierrepoint. Armstrong is the first British citizen to be executed under the Treachery Act 1940. He was charged and convicted on 8 May 1941 of communicating with the German Consul in Boston, Massachusetts, to offer Germany assistance in the war against Great Britain.

In the Philippines, the Japanese spy at the Japanese embassy in Manila, Mr. Negishi, reports to Tokyo on the cargo being unloaded from an American tender (20+ light tanks, ten gun platforms and coastal guns). Negishi also reports the arrival of US Navy transport USS President Taft carrying 800-1000 soldiers.

Anglo/Soviet Relations: Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin receives a message from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Churchill agrees to a proposal that Stalin has made through British Ambassador Stafford Cripps for a firm alliance. The two bedrock conditions of this alliance are that mutual aid is to be given "without any precision as to quantity or quality," and that neither country would conclude a separate peace.

Soviet/Mongolian Relations: The Soviets try, convict, and execute the 7th Prime Minister of Mongolia, Anandyn Amar. The Soviets have deemed Amar too popular and nationalistic and thus a threat to their rule in Mongolia. He is accused of various types of treason. Amar is shot and buried at the firing ground "Kommunarka" (Russian: Расстре́льный полиго́н «Коммуна́рка») near Moscow.

German/Japanese Relations: German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop asks the Japanese, as he has before, to attack the Soviet port of Vladivostok. The Japanese once again refuse to attack.

Blohm and Voss BV-222 "Wiking" flying boat.

German Military: The Luftwaffe's Blohm and Voss BV-222 "Wiking" flying boat makes its first operational transport flight, from its factory near Hamburg north to Kirkenes, Norway. The BV-222 is the largest flying boat to go on operations during the war. Incidentally, Revell has a popular model kit for this plane.

Italian Military: The Italians send 61,000 men in the Italian Expeditionary Corps (Corpo Spedizione Italiano in Russia or CSIR) to Russia. The CSIR includes a legion from the Independent State of Croatia (which is an Italian vassal state).

Soviet Military: Marshal of the Soviet Union Boris Shaposhnikov, Chief of the General Staff and Deputy People's Commissar for Defense, is added to the Stavka. He has been a prime factor in the Red Army's rapid buildup between 1939 and 1941.

Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin removes Marshal Semyon Timoshenko from his position as Red Army commander-in-chief. Stalin has demoted him to command of the Western Front.

Lev Mekhlis becomes deputy commissar of the Soviet Peoples Commissar of Defense.

Chrysler Tank Arsenal in Detroit, Michigan, 10 July 1941 (Hedrich-Blessing).

US Military: The US Navy publicizes the fact that it has mined the entrance to the Port of San Francisco.

The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Brigadier General Ross E. Rowell, USMC) is activated at San Diego, California. It controls Marine Air Group Two based at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii.

US Government: President Roosevelt sends a request to Congress for an additional defense appropriation of $4.77 million.

Holocaust: Locals and/or Germans at Jedwabne, Poland herd 300-400 local Jews into a barn and burn it down. This is a controversial incident because many believe the Germans committed the atrocity. However, there is an alternate view (Michael Gross, "Neighbors," 2000) which claims that the local Polish citizens are to blame. In 2001, a new monument is erected in accordance with Gross's view.

American Homefront: Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe aka Jelly Roll Morton passes away in Los Angeles, California at the age of 50. He is famous for claiming to "invent" jazz, though it is more accurate to say that he contributed to jazz development and wrote many enduring jazz standards such as "King Porter Stomp," "Wolverine Blues," "Black Bottom Stomp," and "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say."

Canadian National Railways No. 1432 at Armstrong, July 10,1941 (Trainweb.org, Bud Laws Collection).

July 1941

July 1, 1941: US TV Broadcasting Starts
July 2, 1941: MAUD Report
July 3, 1941: Stalin Speaks
July 4, 1941: Pogroms in Eastern Europe
July 5, 1941: Germans on Schedule
July 6, 1941: Australians Attack Damour
July 7, 1941: US Marines in Iceland
July 8, 1941: Flying Fortresses In Action
July 9, 1941: British Take Damour
July 10, 1941: Sword and Scabbard Order
July 11, 1941: Cease-fire in Syria and Lebanon
July 12, 1941: Anglo/Russian Assistance Pact
July 13, 1941: Uprising in Montenegro
July 14, 1941: Katyusha Rocket Launchers in Action
July 15, 1941: Smolensk Falls
July 16, 1941: Stalin's Son Captured
July 17, 1941: Heydrich Orders Mass Executions
July 18, 1941: Twin Pimples Raid
July 19, 1941: V for Victory
July 20, 1941: The Man Who Wouldn't Shoot
July 21, 1941: Moscow in Flames
July 22, 1941: Soviet Generals Executed
July 23, 1941: Secret Plan JB 355
July 24, 1941: Operation Sunrise
July 25, 1941: US Naval Alert
July 26, 1941: Italian E-Boat Attack on Malta
July 27, 1941: MacArthur Returns
July 28, 1941: Auschwitz Exterminations
July 29, 1941: Rescue From Crete
July 30, 1941: Raid on Petsamo and Kirkenes
July 31, 1941: Final Solution Order

2020

Wednesday 1 January 1940

Churchill as St. George the Dragon Slayer, By E.H. Shepard, 'Punch', January 1, 1941. It is refreshing to see Churchill caricatured as something other than a bulldog.

Italian/Greek Campaign: Fighting continues on 1 January 1941 in the Klisura Pass between Greek II Corps and the Italian Julia Division. The Italians are hurriedly throwing up fortifications across central Albania.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 95 bombers against the port of Bremen, which has an important Focke-Wulf aircraft factory. Another 46 bombers attack other various other targets. Some sources say that 141 bombers attack Bremen, but that appears to have been all the planes used on various missions, which included attacks on Flushing, Ostend, and Brest.

The Luftwaffe, meanwhile, resumes night bombing after taking the previous two nights off. However, they go off course and bomb Dublin and four other Irish counties (Counties Meath, Carlow, Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford and Dublin). Three people perish in Darlow, and there are injuries there and in the other counties.

As of the first of the year, the two Luftflotten facing England, 2 and 3, have a total of 1214 aircraft. This is down from 1291 in September when the area bombing campaign against England began. However, front-line strength only tells part of the story: many of those bombers are in the shop awaiting repair or overhaul (such as engine replacement). Whereas in September about 20% of the planes were in the shops, as of early January the number is almost 50%. The cause is not so much RAF defenses as the almost daily use of the equipment in difficult weather.

Generalmajor Theo Osterkamp becomes Jagdfliegerführer 2 (commander of the fighter aircraft in Luftflotte 2).

The Luftwaffe continues transferring units to the Mediterranean. III,/ZG 26 begins the journey today, flying to the Treviso coast. The ultimate destination is Tripoli.

Lt. Rudolf Stradner of 1,/NJG 2 shoots down his first victim, a Wellington I of RAF No. 301 Squadron near Digby at 22:25.

Battle of the Atlantic: Five Royal Navy destroyers intercept a French convoy of four ships off Gibraltar which are headed to France from Casablanca. After a brief fight in which destroyer HMS Jaguar fires upon 9986-ton freighter Chantilly (2 dead, four wounded), the Vichy ships are taken to Gibraltar.

A force of light Royal Navy light cruisers and destroyers conducts Operation DZ, a minelaying operation off Jaederens Point and Obrestad.

British 1016 ton freighter Attendant hits a mine off Sheerness in the Thames Estuary. The crew beaches it, and then it is refloated and towed to Gravesend for repairs.

Dutch coaster Catharina collides with Norwegian freighter Madrono in the English Channel south of the Lizard in Cornwall. The Catharina sinks, but everybody survives.

Convoy OB 268 departs from Liverpool, convoy FN 373 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 377 departs from Methil, Convoy SL 61 and SLS 61 depart from Freetown, Convoy HX 100 departs from Halifax, Convoy BHX 100 departs from Bermuda.

Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Mauritius is commissioned.

U-216 is laid down.

The Chrysler Corporation Tank Arsenal in Warren, Michigan, seen here under construction in January 1941. This was an early Defense Plant Corporation (DPC) plant, in which the government funded the construction of factories which then were leased to private companies for nominal fees (Government-owned contractor-operated plants, GOCO). (Automotive Council for War Production Collection, National Automotive History Collection, Detroit Public Library)

Battle of the Mediterranean: General O'Connor's Western Desert Force gets the official designation XIII Corps. It is scheduled to attack Bardia on 3 January with troops of the 6th Australian Division. In preparation for that attack, the RAF drops 20,000 pounds of ordnance on Bardia during the night. Wellingtons based on Malta chip in with a raid on Tripoli.

Royal Navy trawler HMS Bandelero collides with HMAS Waterhen in the Gulf of Sollum and sinks. Some sources place this on 30 December 1940.

The Southern Rhodesia Air Force (SRAF) bombs Italian positions at Keru, east of Kassala.

The Indian 7th Infantry Brigade arrives at Port Sudan from Egypt.

Spy Stuff: British Scotland Yard police break into the home of Free French Vice-Admiral Émile Muselier and arrest him on charges of high treason. Muselier is de Gaulle's commander of Free French naval forces. The police have in their possession four incriminating documents, including a letter in which the Admiral acknowledges receipt of 2,000 pounds sterling in exchange for information about the (failed) British attack on Dakar (Operation Menace) in September. Another document shows that Muselier was plotting to transfer the French submarine Surcouf to the Vichy French government.

Muselier, according to the information in the possession of the British, communicated through the Brazilian Embassy. Churchill is furious and wants to line the Admiral up against a wall and declare war on Brazil for good measure. However, cooler heads prevail and an investigation is launched. General de Gaulle stands beside Admiral Muselier and works to clear him.

As it turns out, the letters supposedly incriminating Muselier have been forged. The culprit is the former head of security of the Free French headquarters in London who recently has been fired due to internal intrigue there. Right-wingers (known as "Cagoulards") and supporters of the leftist Popular Front have been fighting for priority and the usual favoritism. This security man, known as "Howard" but apparently a Captain Collins, has used a forger named "Colin" to craft the documents in order to discredit Muselier. Howard and Colin both confess, and Admiral Muselier is released within about a week.

The whole affair further roils the Free French cause because Muselier suspects that de Gaulle set him up, while de Gaulle suspects the British intelligence service, MI5, of setting him up. Meanwhile, Muselier may not be a traitor, but he is a serious piece of work who seems determined to embarrass everyone who comes in contact with him at some point or another.

In actuality, neither MI5 nor de Gaulle was involved in this, Muselier was simply being used as a pawn in a continuing battle between people within the Free French movement but at opposite ends of the political spectrum. The so-called Cagoulards, who may somewhat simplistically be thought of as Monarchists, generally have the upper hand with de Gaulle, and this is an attempt to disrupt that influence. This internal battle against the communists - and them firing back - has been waging throughout the war and takes many twists and turns.

The entire affair is a tremendous embarrassment for everyone. The British Foreign Secretary is forced to write a contrite letter of apology:

Dear Admiral Muselier,

I have been charged to convey to you an expression of the deep regret of His Majesty's Government that you should have been detained by the British authorities on suspicions which have now been proved to be unsubstantiated.

His Majesty's Government have satisfied themselves that the documents, which at first appeared to cast suspicions on you, are spurious. As soon as this conclusion was reached, instructions were given for your immediate release.

His Majesty's Government look forward to continuing their collaboration with yourself and with the Free French Naval Forces under your command, which are rendering such signal services to the Allied cause.

I would beg at the same time to convey the regrets of His Majesty's
Government to Lieutenant Villers.

With renewed and deep regrets, believe me,

Yours sincerely,

Anthony Eden

New Zealand Home Guard, 1 January 1941 (Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19410326-30-2).

Belgian/German Relations: Léon Degrelle, a journalist who founded the fringe Rexist party in 1935, declares his support for Germany. This is not a surprise, and Degrelle will make several speeches in the coming days and months declaring his support for Hitlerism.

US/Japanese Relations: US Ambassador to Japan Joseph Clark Grew confides to his diary that:

Japan . . . is on the warpath . . . If . . . Americans . . . could read . . . articles by leading Japanese . . . they . . . would realize the utter hopelessness of a policy of appeasement.

Grew sees growing militarism in Japan and is actively looking for ways to communicate that to the US government.

Soviet Military: Georgy Zhukov prepares to command "Western" or "Blue" forces in a war games exercise that simulates a German invasion. His opponent is Colonel General D. G. Pavlov, the commander of the "Eastern" or "Red" forces. The exercises are to begin on 2 January 1940.

Holland: During the month, the occupation authorities clamp down on people's ability to listen to anything related to the Allies, such as BBC and Radio Orange from the Dutch government-in-exile. These Allied broadcasts already are forbidden, but now even broadcasts based in the Netherlands are heavily restricted. Broadcasting of English and American songs is forbidden, and radio stations are ordered to play approved German shows such as "Wunschkonzert" (a call-in song request show) and "Gruss aus der Heimat" ("Greetings from the Fatherland").

Canada: CBC (for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) is formed.

The Coca-Cola float at the 52nd Tournament of Roses Parade held on 1 January 1941. It shows pandas climbing a giant iceberg, apparently to get at a coke.

British Homefront: The government announces the "suppression" of the communist Daily Worker and a related journal "The Week" pursuant to Regulation 2D of the Defence (General) Regulations. The government claims this is due to "systematic publication of matter calculated to foment opposition to the prosecution of the war to a successful issue." The means of suppression is that:

The effect of the Orders (the announcement continues) is that if any person prints, publishes, or distributes, or is in any way concerned in printing, publishing, or distributing either of these papers, he will be committing an offence.

The rest of the media is supportive of this measure, as even the most sympathetic outlets consider the Daily Worker "dishonest" in its supposed support of the working man.

The Forces radio service airs "The Brains Trust" for the first time. Created by BBC producers Howard Thomas and Douglas Cleverdon, it at first is called "Any Questions?" The program proves popular right from the beginning despite - or perhaps because of - its high-brow aspect. The Brains Trust, apparently named after a Roosevelt Administration term, remains on the air for decades, and last appeared in the early 2000s.

American Homefront: A major snowstorm begins in the Midwest. It will lead to immense snowfall in Minnesota, Iowa, and nearby states.

The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) engages in a sort of strike. It removes all of its music from the airwaves over a licensing dispute. This will last for most of 1941.

The Stanford Indians defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 21-13 in the 27th Rose Bowl, while the Boston College Eagles beat the Tennessee Volunteers 19-13 in the 1941 Sugar Bowl and the Mississippi State Maroons defeat the Georgetown Hoyas 14-7 in the Orange Bowl. Many consider this to be the Boston College Eagles' best team in its history.

In Chicago's Chicago Stadium, Detroit Red Wings player Jimmy Orlando punches out a fan, knocking him out. Orlando then escapes into the night before a wild melee results, with berserk fans storming the ice seeking revenge.

Incidentally, a lot of sources claim that Jimmy Stewart was sworn in as a member of the US Air Corps on this date. I'm unable to find any confirmation of this whatsoever. Stewart was initially drafted in October 1940 but failed the physical for weight reasons. He did get in during March 1941 after strenuous effort. How 1 January 1941 became his supposed date of entry is a bit of a mystery, but I put it here because perhaps I overlooked something.

The war news fights for attention with the football games, The Baltimore News-Post, 1 January 1941.

December 1941

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

January 1941

January 1, 1941: Muselier Arrested
January 2, 1941: Camp Categories
January 3, 1941: Liberty Ships
January 4, 1941: Aussies Take Bardia
January 5, 1941: Amy Johnson Perishes
January 6, 1941: Four Freedoms
January 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Plans
January 8, 1941: Billions For Defense
January 9, 1941: Lancasters
January 10, 1941: Malta Convoy Devastation
January 11, 1941: Murzuk Raid
January 12, 1941: Operation Rhubarb
January 13, 1941: Plymouth Blitzed
January 14, 1941: V for Victory
January 15, 1941: Haile Selassie Returns
January 16, 1941: Illustrious Blitz
January 17, 1941: Koh Chang Battle
January 18, 1941: Luftwaffe Pounds Malta
January 19, 1941: East African Campaign Begins
January 20, 1941: Roosevelt 3rd Term
January 21, 1941: Attack on Tobruk
January 22, 1941: Tobruk Falls
January 23, 1941: Pogrom in Bucharest
January 24, 1941: Tank Battle in Libya
January 25, 1941: Panjiayu Tragedy
January 26, 1941: Churchill Working Hard
January 27, 1941: Grew's Warning
January 28, 1941: Ho Chi Minh Returns
January 29, 1941: US Military Parley With Great Britain
January 30, 1941: Derna Taken
January 31, 1941: LRDG Battered

2020