Tuesday 3 December 1940

Italian M.13/40 tank of the Centauro Division during the Italian/Greek war. The Greeks standing nearby probably contrived to get it in that position.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek advance continues on 3 December 1940, though the pace has slowed just a bit in a few areas due to stiffening Italian resistance. In the mountains, control of the passes means everything, and they are easy to defend - given the will to defend them by the local troops. The Italian troops often are lacking in that regard. The Greek 2nd Division is engaged in a heavy battle to capture the Suhë Pass, and the 8th Division is attacking near Kakavia Pass. Should the Greeks get through the passes, the defense would become much harder.

Along the coast, the Greeks advance 15 miles (25 km) and take Saranda (Italian Santiquaranta). Saranda is a reasonably important supply port and puts more pressure on the Italians to hold the other, absolutely vital ports further north. The loss of Saranda is a particularly jarring one to Mussolini because the port has acquired the honorific "Porto Edda" in honor of his eldest daughter.

Greek II Corps advances on Përmetin in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. A fierce battle erupts for control of that town (which changes hands regularly throughout the first half of the 20th Century between the Greeks, Turks, Albanians, and Italians). The Greeks are taking more casualties in these battles than they have in previous actions, but the Italians continue to give ground. The Greeks also are taking a lot of prisoners, hundreds at a time as the Italians are bereft of supplies and the means to escape in isolated mountain towns.

The battle of Argyrokastro continues, with the Greeks dominating the heights above the town. The Greeks also advance past Pogradets and capture some high ground there.

Mussolini is still in a panic about the Italian reversals in Albania. However, Fascist Party secretary Roberto Farinacci is a hardliner and helps to steady his nerve. A change in military leadership is looking increasingly necessary to Mussolini because the troops do not display the will to win.

The Italians, meanwhile, have caught on to the British presence at Suda Bay, Crete. The Regia Aeronautica launches a raid at 15:40 that hits light cruiser HMS Glasgow with two torpedoes. The torpedoes both hit on the starboard side and rip two huge holes, causing structural damage, flooding, and putting two propeller shafts and the X turret out of action. There are three deaths and three serious injuries. The Glasgow can return under its own power to Alexandria for repairs.

Convoy AS 6 departs from Piraeus for Port Said with several Greek freighters.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe bombs Birmingham again, sending over 50 bombers to attack it. They drop over 55 tons of high explosives and 448 incendiaries. Birmingham, loaded with factories was devastated by successive raids in early November, and this adds to the city's misery. London also receives some incendiaries, along with scattered other locations in the Home Counties.

Poor weather restricts flight operations by RAF Bomber Command. They make some small attacks on Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Essen, and Dunkirk.

Italian troops posing with their tank, Libya, December 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: German freighters Idarwald (5033 tons) and Rhein (6031 tons) attempt once more - for at least the third time in recent months - to evade the American Neutrality Patrol and sail from their port of Tampico, Mexico for Occupied France. US destroyer USS Broome spots Idarwald and shadows it, while USS Simpson shadows Rhein. Both US ships make sure that the Royal Navy knows what is happening. This is the beginning of a week-long incident that Adolf Hitler will single out in his 11 December 1941 declaration of war against the United States.

The attacks on Convoy HX 90 conclude during the early morning hours today, but we talk about that attack on the entry for 2 December. After today's final sinkings, including freighter W. Hendrik by Luftwaffe Fw 200 Condors, there are 30 of the convoy's original 41 ships remaining, which sail on to port. The sinking of the W. Hendrik is tragic because the captain mistakenly believes that the ship has been torpedoed due to near misses, making it easy prey for an actual torpedo. Some of the sources make light of this convoy battle, emphasizing that 30 ships did survive, but 25% of losses (to no loss for the enemy) are unsustainable in the long run no matter what repetitive task you are doing.

Two Royal Navy cruisers and four destroyers embark on a standard sweep of the southwest Norwegian coast in Operation DN. They do not spot anything.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Campbeltown (one of the US Navy destroyers received in the destroyers-for-bases deal) collides with 8132-ton British tanker Conus. The Campbeltown is badly damaged and will require almost four months for repair.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Castleton also is damaged in a collision during a patrol in the Western Approaches. She is taken to Portsmouth for repairs.

The Luftwaffe is active against shipping. It damaged 222-ton British trawler Slebech, 275-ton trawler William Downes, and 4745-ton British freighter Quebec City, all in the Western Approaches.

British 292-ton freighter Robrix hits a mine and is damaged about 3 km off Spurn Light House, East Riding of Yorkshire,

German raider Kormoran departs from its homeport of Gotenhafen (Gdynia) for a mission in the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Pacific. The has 320 mines for use near Australia.

German destroyers Greif, Kondor, Falke, and Seeadler lay minefield Marieanne off Dover (Hellfire Corner).

Convoy FN 349 departs from Southend, Convoy FN 349 and FN 351 depart from Methil, Convoy HX 93 departs from Halifax.

U-76 (Oberleutnant zur See Friedrich von Hippel) is commissioned.

Royal Navy minesweeping trawler Ophelia is commissioned.

US Navy light cruiser USS Montpelier is laid down.

Ups and Downs Magazine, December 1940. These magazines were published quarterly in order to provide information about schoolboys who had been sent from England to live in Canada. They were published by Dr. Barnardo Homes in Toronto, Ontario, usually quarterly between 1895 and 1949. The original immigrants to Canada generally became indentured servants - the 1940s issues, though, dealt with youngsters sent to avoid the war. All the kids grew up with foster Canadian families, and many stayed in Canada permanently. By this time, the British government had halted overseas placements due to U-boat dangers.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British are gearing up for Operation Compass, the planned assault on the advanced Italian forces in Egypt. The Chief of the General Staff (CIGS) John Dill instructs the Commander in Chief Mediterranean (General Archibald Wavell) to set aside landing craft for possible hooks around the advanced Italian positions. Wavell and his fellow officers on the scene don't  much care for the idea, but the strategy is favored by Winston Churchill - himself, of course, a former First Sea Lord who always appreciates naval involvement.

Wavell, meanwhile, meets with Lieutenant General William Platt, General Officer Commanding Sudan Defence Force, and Lieutenant General Alan Cunningham, (brother of the naval C-in-C) General Officer Commanding 51st Division, from Kenya. Entirely apart from Operation Compass, they decide to allocate an infantry division - and maybe more forces to recapture Kassala in East Africa (as if to emphasize the point, the RAF attacks Kassala today). Everything depends upon the outcome of Operation Compass - if the offensive there succeeds, then the British can "roll-up" the remaining Italian positions to the south. Thus, Operation Compass is of great import to the entire course of the war south of the Mediterranean.

A report of the British First Sea Lord Sir Dudley Pound to the War Cabinet states that the Royal Navy is gaining control of the Mediterranean. The recent engagement at Cape Spartivento, Admiral of the Fleet Pound concludes, was merely a "chance encounter" in which an Italian claim that the "British units... had run away" was "unfounded." Malta is now "reasonably secure" given the success of Operation Collar in delivering reinforcements to the island. Admiral James Somerville, meanwhile, is currently facing an official Court of Inquiry at Gibraltar due to the "chance encounter."

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Havock collides with battleship HMS Valiant in Alexandria Harbour. It requires two months of repairs at Malta.

The Italians have four destroyers and a submarine operating in the Red Sea looking for convoys.

Anglo/US Relations: The UK announces that it has placed orders for 60 merchantmen in US shipyards.

German/Bulgarian Relations: Hitler meets with the Bulgarian ambassador. He needs Bulgaria as a launching pad for the invasion of Greece.

US Government: President Roosevelt and crony Harry Hopkins arrive in Miami and embark on the heavy cruiser HMS Tuscaloosa. They are going to inspect some of the bases acquired from the British in the September destroyers-for-bases agreement. The Greenslade Board already has inspected them, but Roosevelt wants to see them for himself. At some point during this trip, Roosevelt and Hopkins come up with the "Lend-Lease" idea.

Luftwaffe Major General Wolff von Stutterheim.

German Military: The Kriegsmarine is upset at Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering's abrupt decision to remove all naval control from torpedo bombers, and - a rarity for this stage of the war - complains.  Konteradmiral (rear admiral) Kurt Fricke, Chief of Naval Operations, requests the return of Naval bomber squadrons, and further requests that they come equipped with the Heinkel He 111H-5 version adapted to carry two torpedoes (one Italian Whitehead Fiume 850 kg (1,870 lb) torpedo and a German F5 50 kg (110 lb) light torpedo). Fricke has little chance of winning any kind of dispute with Goering about aircraft, given that the Reichsmarschall considers all airplane activity within the Reich as his personal turf (along with many other things). However, he has good grounds for pursuing the matter, because the planes under naval control have done sterling work against British shipping.

Generalmajor Wolff von Stutterheim, former commander of KG 77, passes in a Berlin hospital. Von Stutterheim is a Pour le Mérite holder from the First World War (and Ritterkreuz recipient) who lost 11 relatives in that earlier conflict. He has been in a Berlin hospital suffering from wounds incurred during the very early stages of the Battle of Britain in June 1940. Stutterheim is buried in a place of honor next to Ernst Udet and Werner Mölders in the Invalidenfriedhof Berlin.

US Military: Heavy cruiser USS Louisville departs from Rio Grande du Sol, Brazil as part of its "Show the Flag" mission in Latin America. Its next stop is Rio de Janeiro.

American Homefront: "The Son of Monte Cristo" starring Louis Hayward and Joan Bennett has its premiere at the Capitol Theatre in New York City.

Eastern Airlines DC-3 followed by a row of DC-2s at Atlanta's Municipal Airport terminal, 1940 (Georgia State University Digital Collections).

December 1940

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

2020

Monday 2 December 1940

The President of North American Aviation, Inc., Dutch Kindelberger, visits an empty 75-acre alfalfa small airport and adjacent empty field beside the Missouri River, in the Fairfax industrial district of St. Louis. He approves the site, and this plant was constructed there within 13 months. It wound up producing 6,608 B-25 bombers.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek commander-in-chief, Alexandros Papagos, and Crown Prince Paul visit the front on the right-wing of the line on 2 December 1940. The commanders at the front, Lieutenant-General Ioannis Pitsikas of the Western Macedonian Army Section (TSDM) and Lieutenant-General Georgios Tsolakoglou (III Army Corps) urge an immediate attack into the Klisura Pass to take advantage of Italian disarray. However, Papagos decides to wait for I and II Corps to advance further and create a more even front. This forces III Corps, which has advanced the furthest, to cease its attacks for the time being, while the units on the left catch up. The other Greek troops are advancing slowly; Greek I Corps is in Sucha Pass, while Greek II Corps in the central sector begins attacking again.

There is a report that 5,000 Italian troops have surrendered in northern Albania. The RAF bombs Salona.

On the Italian side, Mussolini is losing his nerve and thinking about seeking an armistice - he only began the invasion a month ago! -via German mediation. His rationale for continuing is that the Greeks have little war industry, and their supplies only come from the British. He is very upset with his military leaders, however, and considering sacking them.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe switches from Southampton to Bristol as its main target, sending 120 bombers against it. For the past month, the Germans have concentrated on a succession of moderate-sized cities to hammer two or more times in a row - Coventry, Birmingham, Southampton included. London still receives attention, but the Luftwaffe high command apparently has decided that there is more impact by destroying a single smaller city than gradually demolishing London.

RAF Coastal Command attacks Axis shipping off Norway, while RAF Bomber Command bombs the U-boat pens at Lorient.

U-37 in drydock in Lorient, France, 1940 (Mannewitz, Federal Archive).

Battle of the Atlantic: Busy day in the Atlantic.

Convoy HX 90 is attracting the attention of every U-boat in the vicinity. Spotted by U-101 about 926 km south of Iceland on 1 December, the convoy is in the "gap" between full escort from Canada and from Great Britain (poor weather has delayed the UK escort). U-101 continues to shadow the convoy, but just after midnight today U-47 joins, followed by others.

Making the day even more interesting is that HX 90 is not the only convoy attacked. Convoy OB 251 is nearby (relatively speaking). Some U-boats attack it instead, and there are some transfers between the two convoys of escorts from OB 251 to HX 90. U-99 attacks ships in both convoys. Due to all the different attacks, the night is a confused jumble, but one thing is certain: it is a bad night for the British. U-37 makes an independent attack on Convoy OG 46, sinking two ships.

There also is an Italian submarine Argo (pennant number AO) in the vicinity, but it misses the party. Basically, today is a U-boat bonanza in the mid-Atlantic. Everything is coordinated by U-Boat Command (BdU), in the person of Rear Admiral Karl Dönitz in Paris.

Just to summarize, below are the submarines attacking today and early on the 3rd.

U-Boats which make up the HX 90 wolfpack:

• U-101 (Kptlt. Ernst Mengersen)
• U-47 (Kptlt. Gunther Prien)
• U-95 (Kptlt. Gerd Schreiber)
• U-52 (Kptlt. Otto Salman)
• U-94 (Kptlt. Herbert Kuppisch)

U-boat attacking OB 251:

• U-99 (Kptlt. Otto Kretschmer)
• U-43 (Kptlt. Wolfgang Lüth)

U-boat attacking Convoy OG 46:

• U-37 (Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen)

Prien in U-47 is in his element, with a relatively clean slate to work with - few escorts and the convoy not dispersed. He quickly launches his standard surface attack from within the convoy shortly after his arrival. He sinks one ship and damages two others. However, an escort reacts and forces U-99 to discontinue its attack. U-95 then shows up and attacks one of the ships that Prien had damaged, but it does not sink.

U-99, on its way to attack HX 90, encounters an Armed Merchant Cruiser, HMS Forfar, which is guarding OB 251 and pumps five torpedoes into it, sinking it. U-43 also attacks OB 251 and sinks two ships, surviving a ramming attempt.

The ships sunk and damaged:

• Ville D'Arlon (Belgian, 7555 tons, sunk by U-47)
• Kavak (UK, 2782 tons, U-101)
• Lady Glanely (UK, 5497 tons, U-101)
• Conch (UK, 8376 tons, damaged by U-47)
• Dunsley  (UK, damaged by U-47)
• Conch (damaged by U-95)
• HMS Forfar (UK, 16,402 tons, sunk by U-99)
• Tasso (UK, 1,586 tons, sunk by U-52)
• Goodleigh (UK, 5448 tons, sunk by U-52)
• Stirlingshire (UK, 6022 tons, sunk by U-94)
• Wilhelmina (UK, 6725 tons, sunk by U-94)
• Victoria City (UK, 4739 tons, sunk by U-140)
• Conch (finally sunk by U-99)
• Pacific President (UK, 7113 tons, sunk by U-43)
• Victor Ross (UK, 12,247 tons, sunk by U-43)

Samnanger (Norwegian, sunk by U-99)

• W. Hendrik (UK, 4360 tons, sunk by Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 200 aircraft)
• Gwalia (Swedish, 1258 tons, sunk by U-37)
• Jeanne M. (UK, 2465 tons, sunk by U-37)

Deaths (some ships had no casualties):

• HMS Forfar: 172 dead, including Captain Norman Cyril Hardy
• Goodleigh: one crewman dead, 37 survivors
• Kavak: 25 crewmen dead, 16 survivors
• Lady Glanely: 33 dead, no survivors
• Ville d'Arlon: 56 dead, no survivors
• Tasso: 5 dead, 27 survivors
• Wilhelmina: 5 dead, 34 survivors
• Victoria City: 43 dead, no survivors
• Pacific President: 51 dead, no survivors 
• Victor Ross: 44 dead, no survivors
• Samnanger: 30 dead, no survivors
• Galia: 16 dead, 6 survivors
• Jeanne M: 7 dead, 19 survivors

The damage may be greater because German and Allied records of this encounter differ in terms of ships damaged. In all, HX 90 loses eleven ships of 73,495 tons (including the freighter Appalachee sunk by U-101 on the 1st), while OB 251 loses four (including the AMC). The HX 90 escorts spend four hours depth-charging the attackers, but the U-boats escape unscathed.

Elsewhere, 483-ton British coaster Jolly Girls hits a mine and sinks off Newcastle upon Tyne. Everybody survives.

The Luftwaffe (Heinkel HE 115 seaplanes of KGr 406) sinks 276-ton British trawler Kilgerran Castle in the Northwest Approaches.

The Kriegsmarine lays mines off of Dover.

Convoy FN 348 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 253 departs from Liverpool.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Tynedale (L 90, Lt. Commander Hugo E. F. Tweedie) and minesweeping trawler HMS Ophelia (T 05, Captain S. Bennett) are commissioned.

U-99 in drydock.

Battle of the Mediterranean: RAF bombers attack Naples, Catania, and Augusta. In North Africa, they attack the airfield at Benina and Italian communications and various targets in Italian Somaliland.

A Board of Inquiry begins at Gibraltar over Admiral James Somerville's decision to disengage his cruisers at the Battle of Cape Spartivento. The incident involved a damaged cruiser and other forces facing Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto. It was a minor Italian victory. The court is led by Admiral of the Fleet William Boyle, Earl of Cork and Orrery.

Anglo/Spanish Relations: The British sign a financial agreement with Spain that essentially is a care package. Franco is engaged in a delicate dance between the Allies and Axis in which he is attempting to stay out of the conflict but receive anything that he can from both sides. Around this time, Hitler drafts a letter to Franco requesting the right of transit for German troops to attack Gibraltar, but Franco replies that he wants to wait until Great Britain "was on the point of collapse."

A Tom Brigance design, as shown in Harper's Bazaar, photographed by Hungarian émigré Martin Munkácsi.

British Military: Great War RAF legend Air Marshal Sir High Trenchard declines Prime Minister Winston Churchill's offer of a staff position and continues to serve in an unofficial capacity.

Japanese Military: Several promotions and command changes. Crown Prince Yi Un becomes a lieutenant general in the Japanese Army, while Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma becomes commander of the Taiwan Army. Colonel Seiichi Miyamoto becomes the commanding officer of the Japanese Unit 516 chemical weapons research unit based in Qiqihar, Nenjiang Province, China, replacing Colonel Oyanazu Masao.

US Military: Henry "Hap" Arnold becomes a permanent Brigadier General. Arnold, the head of the Air Board, is not a Roosevelt favorite because, in Roosevelt's own words, Arnold does not "play ball." However, Arnold is a huge impetus behind the elevation in the status of the US Army Air Corps and Roosevelt needs him.

US Government: President Roosevelt and crony Harry Hopkins depart from Washington by train to Miami, where they will conduct a tour of the Caribbean on the cruiser USS Tuscaloosa.

Life Magazine (cover "Free Balloonist"), 2 December 1940.

December 1940

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

2020

Sunday 1 December 1940

Two members of the Home Guard in Surrey, 1 December 1940. One has a "Tommy Gun," the other a Bren light machine gun. Dorking, Surrey (Imperial War Museum).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks on 1 December 1940 continue reinforcing their troops on the Albanian front. Today, III Corps receives 17th Division, while the 13th Division is pulled out of the line for a rest.

Greek II Corps begins attacking beyond Pogradec, but Italian resistance is stiffening.

Greek I Corps opens a new attack against the Italian 11th Army in the important southern sector.

A major battle is developing around Argyrokastro. The Greeks approached the city fairly easily, but the Italians have decided to make a stand there. Much of the battle takes place as artillery duels.

Pogradec has become somewhat of a symbol for the Italians. Its partial loss on the last day of November has caused a crisis in the Italian hierarchy, and Mussolini is making it plain to everyone that if the troops don't start fighting, heads will roll - and they may roll anyway.

The RAF continues its support operations in Albania. It attacks Italian communications in southern Albania.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe bombs Southampton for the second time in a row, this time with 120 bombers. This continues the recent German strategy of causing heavy damage to one moderate-sized town after another. Previous victims have included Coventry and Birmingham.

RAF Bomber Command raids Wilhelmshaven with 10 bombers, while RAF Coastal Command makes a daylight raid on the U-boat pens at Lorient. There are other RAF attacks on Kristian and Esbjerg, Denmark.

Werner Mölders claims his 55th victory, while Adolf Galland is promoted to the rank of Oberst. The third of the Luftwaffe's top aces, Helmut Wick, recently perished in combat.

Two members of the Home Guard manning a Vickers machine gun in Surrey, 1 December 1940. (Imperial War Museum).

Battle of the Atlantic: There are several convoys during this period that suffer quite heavily. Convoy HX 90 takes some of the worst losses, and they begin today while the convoy is about almost 1000 km south of Iceland. Ultimately, the convoy loses 11 ships over three days. When the attacks begin, Convoy HX 90 still does not have any escorts from the Western Approaches due to rough weather, though they begin arriving late today.  U-101 spots Convoy HX 90 today and its captain, Kptlt. Ernst Mengersen is ordered to shadow it after reporting its position.

U-101 torpedoes and sinks 8826-ton British tanker Appalachee. There are seven deaths and 32 survivors.

U-101 also torpedoes 4958-ton British freighter Loch Ranza. The freighter makes it to shore (apparently while in tow), is beached at Rothesay Bay, and is later repaired.

U-101 is not done with its attacks for the night, but the remainder occurs in the early hours of the 2nd. We'll get to them on that day's entry.

U-37 (Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen), on its ninth patrol out of Lorient, spots a straggler from Convoy OG 46. It is 1578 ton British freighter Palmella. The U-boat torpedoes and sinks it. There is one death, and 28 crew survived, rescued by a Spanish trawler. This is Clausen's first patrol on U-37, placing Kptlt. Victor Oehrn, and this gets him off to a good start. For U-37 itself, this is its 45th victim.

Italian submarine Argo shadows Convoy HG 47 about 500 km west of Ireland. Rather than attack a freighter, it chooses to torpedo Canadian destroyer HMCS Saguenay. The Saguenay makes port under its own power Barrow in Furness for repairs. There are 21 deaths. The Saguenay is the first Canadian warship U-boat victim of the war.

German raider Admiral Scheer, still on its mission in the Atlantic, sinks 6242-ton British freighter Tribesman, which is on a voyage from Liverpool to Calcutta. The ship sinks in the mid-Atlantic mid-way between Mauritania and the Caribbean. There are eight deaths, and the 14 survivors become POWs on Admiral Scheer. The Royal Navy has numerous ships out searching for Admiral Scheer, including the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, but they are all either slightly east or south of it.

During its attacks on Southampton, the Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 235-ton British paddle steamer Her Majesty. The 250-ton Dutch freighter Friso and 1936 ton Yugoslavian freighter Cetvrti also are damaged in the bombing. The ship is unmanned at the time.

The RAF bombs and sinks German freighter Santos in the North Sea off Ostend, Belgium. The ship sinks in shallow water and can be re-floated and repaired.

British 6990 ton British tanker British Officer hits a mine and sinks at the mouth of the Tyne. There are five deaths. Demonstrating the resiliency of tankers, despite the fact that the ship breaks and two, the forepart remains afloat and is successfully towed to port.

Norwegian 18,673-ton troopship Oslofjord hits a mine and towed to shore, where it is beached south of South Tyne Pier. There is one death and 179 survivors. The ship's back is broken and is a total loss, but remains on the beach - voluntarily manned by some crew for a week, who retrieve 9000 bags of mail - until broken up in a storm on 21/22 January 1941. It is one of the largest ships lost.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Castleton collides with a freighter while escorting Convoy HX 90 in the Atlantic in the shipping lanes west of Ireland and requires repairs.

Royal Navy sloop HMS Hastings collides with freighter Limslade in the English Channel and requires repairs.

Royal Navy cruiser HMS Calvin Castle, operating in the South Atlantic, stops and searches Brazilian passenger ship Itape. The British arrest and remove 22 Germans.

Admiral Hipper is on its way to another raiding mission from its port of Kiel. This is Operation Nordseetour.

Admiral Sir John Tovey is promoted to commander-in-chief of the British Home Fleet. He replaces Admiral Forbes.

Lord Mountbatten reassumes command of HMS Kelly at Hebburn (it is almost finished with repairs) after his more recent command, HMS Javelin, was damaged in a night action off Plymouth.

U-171 laid down.

Battle of the Mediterranean: At Malta, the dockyard workers and all staff of the Inspecting Ordnance Office hurriedly unload and stockpile ammunition brought to the island during Operation Collar. The freighters, Clan Forbes and Clan Fraser constitute a hazard so long as they are full of ammunition and exposed at the docks in Grand Harbour.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Pinguin dispatches captured freighter Storstad to Europe, filled with a prize crew and many prisoners.

British/Irish Relations: Two issues are coming to a head for the British: they are running out of money to buy goods from the Americas, and they are ranked by the Irish refusal to be more helpful in the war effort. Prime Minister sends a memorandum to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Kingsley Wood:

The straits to which we are being reduced by Irish action [at denial of the Southern Irish ports] compel a reconsideration of the subsidies [to Ireland]. Surely we ought to use this money to build more ships or buy more from the US.... let me know how these subsidies can be terminated, and what retaliatory measures the Irish may take.

Churchill obviously believes in playing tough. In his view, the Irish are being disloyal and freeloading off of the British defense against Hitler. However, the Irish have a very long history of the British use of their resources during recurrent conflicts and really are trying to practice absolute neutrality this time - without any new British "use" of their land.

Martin PBM-1 Mariner assembly line, December 1940.

Anglo/US Relations: Joseph P. Kennedy announces his resignation as Ambassador to the Court of St. James. He has annoyed both the British and President Roosevelt with intemperate comments in the Boston Globe and his general attitude regarding war prospects.

German Military: The SS forms its 5th SS Panzer Division. Hitler renames it to "Wiking" on 21 December 1940. Its first commander is SS-Gruppenführer Felix Steiner. The division is formed from the Germania regiment and two regiments of volunteers.

British Military: The Army Co-operation command begins operations under commander Air Marshal Sir Arthur Barrett.

RAF Station Maryborough is established.

Farm Credit Bulletin, 1 December 1940. This issue talks about scientific soil improvement and mechanized harvesting, at this time new concepts.

US Military: Major General Thomas Holcomb begins a second term as Commandant of the US Marine Corps.

Mexico: Manuel Ávila Camacho is sworn in as the 45th President of Mexico. The event is attended by US Vice President Henry Wallace in a pointed gesture of support, as many in Mexico remain upset about what they see as a fraudulent election over the summer.

Romanian Homefront: The fascist Iron Guard remains stirred up by the reburial of their founder Codreanu and numerous other reasons. There is rioting in the vicinity of the Ploesti oil fields. Ion Antonescu is not specifically the target, but the Iron Guard clashes with government forces. The Iron Guard gradually is pulling Antonescu to a more warlike position, as his government increasingly needs a steady partner like Germany in the face of these types of internal disturbances - and Germany wants a war partner.

Separately, the Antonescu government establishes diplomatic relations with the Japanese puppet government of Manchukuo. It is one of the very few that do.

Swiss Homefront: The government imposes rationing of soap, detergent, shoes, and textiles.

Italian Homefront: The government imposes rationing of flour, macaroni, rice, and spaghetti.

American Homefront: The Gallup poll shows that US public opinion gradually is turning in favor of entry into the European war. The ratio now stands at 59-41 in favor of US entry.

George Cukor's "The Philadelphia Story," starring James Stewart, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, and Ruth Hussey opens. Stewart, Hepburn, and Hepburn all get nominated for their performances.

Future History: Richard Pryor is born in Peoria, Illinois. Pryor serves in the US Army but spends much of his time in prison due to an attack on a fellow soldier over what he (and some friends) see as a racial slight. After mustering out, he moves to New York City and begins performing in comedy clubs. This leads to appearances throughout the 1950s on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and other top venues. He begins making comedy albums, signs with Stax Records in 1973 and wins the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Comedic Recording. Around this time, Pryor begins appearing on television shows and gets his own show, The Richard Pryor Show, in 1977, but it is not a success. He also appears in feature films such as "Uptown Saturday Night," "Silver Streak" and "The Toy." Pryor remains a top star until his passing in 2005.

Down Beat magazine - December 1, 1940. Volume 7, No. 23.

November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

December 1940

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

2020