Tuesday 12 November 1940

Hitler and Molotov at their meeting in Berlin.

Soviet/German Relations: Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov arrives on 12 November 1940 at the Berlin train station at midday. German Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop meets him there and they then sit down for a meeting. They then proceed to the Reich Chancellery, where Molotov meets Adolf Hitler.

At the first meeting, Ribbentrop sets forth the New World Order which he has outlined in his letter of 14 October (delivered several days later). He states that the Axis Powers will divide the world, with the Soviet Union to possess India and Southeast Asia to the Persian Gulf. Basically, Germany will possess Europe, while the Soviet Union will take the remainder of the Eurasian landmass with the exception of areas in the Far East (primarily China) claimed by Japan. Italy would have, well, Italy, as well as parts of Africa where it had historic interests (but Hitler undoubtedly had desires for at least the restoration of the old German colonies in Africa, that was a common desire in Germany after World War I).

At the meeting with Hitler, the two reach some surface agreement about German/Soviet relations as benefiting from peace between the two nations - though both secretly are dealing in bad faith: Germany and the Soviets both are in the process of drawing up invasion plans against the other. The gist of Hitler's remaining remarks is that the Soviet Union's future lies in the East, not in Europe. Molotov, for his part, is not impressed by Hitler. Personal impressions aside - Molotov has some smart remarks to make about that later - Molotov is not impressed by Hitler's attempt to focus the Soviet Union on Asia and the Indian sub-Continent. Instead, he zeroes in on issues in Europe, such as recent German agreements for troop movements in Finland which the USSR sees as threatening.

The essence of Molotov's argument is that it is much too early to worry about Asia, as there are many issues in Europe that need to be resolved first. He is adamant that the Soviet Union has an interest and security concerns in the region. Molotov also finds it of concern that the Soviet Union is being left with areas that have yet to be conquered, such as British India.

Molotov will be in Berlin for another two days, so the talks adjourn after this meeting, with more meetings scheduled on the morrow.

Molotov and Hitler on 12 November 1940.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks begin reorganizing their troops for a counteroffensive against the Italian invasion into two field armies, Ninth Army (Korçë sector) and Eleventh Army (Epirus sector). In the Epirus sector, I Army Corps under Lieutenant-General Panagiotis Demestichas takes over, with its troops including the Greek 8th Division. Along the coast, the independent Lioumabas Detachment takes over. The Greeks on the coast are still pushing the Italians back to the Kalamas River, attacking toward Igoumenitsa.

The Greeks are assembling overwhelming power against the Italians. Due to the absence of other threats and the assistance of the British, who are landing troops in Crete and near Athens, the Greeks can assemble their entire military to oppose the Italians. Greek commander-in-chief Alexander Papagos now has over 100 infantry battalions facing fewer than 50 Italian battalions.

The RAF bombs energy facilities in the Italian supply port of Durazzo in Albania.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command attacks oil installations in Cologne and Gelsenkirchen, an inland port at Duisburg-Ruhrort, and railway installations both near Cologne and in the Ruhr industrial region. In addition, it attacks the U-boat pens at Lorient, the ports of Flushing and Dunkirk, and airfields in northwest Europe.

The Luftwaffe sends numerous small attacks against England during the day. At night, a large raid against London hits a movie theater, two American ambulance centers, and working-class areas. Other attacks take place in the Liverpool area and the Midlands.

Der Adler ("The Eagle"), 12 November 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: British 661 ton coaster Argus hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary northeast of the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. There is one death, and 34 men are rescued.

British 91 ton trawler Lord Haldane sinks in or near the Bristol Channel, perhaps due to mines (many other ships have been lost to mines in the area).

Dutch naval tug Witte Zee runs aground at Oxwich Point, Glamorgan and is wrecked.

Five Royal Navy minelayers create minefield SN 43, another minelayer (HMS Adventure) puts down mines east of Inishtrahull.

Convoy FS 334 departs from Methil, Convoy BN 88 departs from Bombay (it has the troops from Convoy WS 3 in 11 transport ships, plus additional freighters carrying supplies), Convoy SL 55 departs from Freetown, Convoy BS 8A departs from Suez.

Royal Navy Anti-Submarine Warfare trawler HMS Rumba (T 122, Lt. Norman E. Hendy) is commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: In the Battle of the Strait of Otranto, an Allied naval squadron is in the Adriatic as a diversion from the Royal Naval attack on Taranto completed on 11 November. Around 01:00, Vice Admiral Henry Pridham-Whipple in the light cruiser HMS Orion leads Vice Admiral Henry Pridham-Whipple in the light cruiser HMS Orion between Bari and Durazzo. They stumble upon six Italian ships of unknown composition. The Royal Navy ships open fire at a distance of 11 km. They inflict damage as follows:

• Freighter Catalani - sunk
• Freighter Premuda - sunk
• Freighter Capo Vado - sunk
• Freighter Antonio Locatelli - sunk
• Torpedo boat Fabrizi - damaged (11 dead, 17 wounded)
• auxiliary cruiser Ramb III - undamaged.

The Royal Navy ships sink all four merchantmen in the convoy and suffer no damage to themselves. The Regia Marina suffers 36 dead and 42 wounded. Two Italian torpedo boats rescue 140 survivors after daylight; it is unclear how many perish.

The Royal Navy considers a second strike on Taranto by aircraft from HMS Illustrious during the night, but Admiral Cunningham cancels it due to poor weather at 17:00. The Italians, meanwhile, disperse their shipping them to the ports of Naples, Messina, and Palermo until defenses at Taranto can be improved. The remaining Italian naval forces remain formidable, including three intact battleships, but the Italians apparently do not even consider sending them out against the Royal Navy.

Separately, RAF bombers raid Bahir Dar in the Horn of Africa (Italian East Africa).

At Malta, reinforcements received in Convoy MB 8 of the 11th are put into position. The island now has six British battalions, two batteries of 25-pounder artillery, and a company of light I-tanks. The British War Cabinet considers these troops adequate for the time being and views Malta as a strategically important base from which to interdict possible Wehrmacht troop movements to North Africa. In part, the ongoing occupation of Crete is viewed as a bridge to Malta, which operates as a forward base against Axis troop movements across the Sicilian Narrows.

The Italians pull one of the two Royal Navy Swordfish bombers lost in the Taranto Raid out of the harbor.

Spy Stuff: Under interrogation, a downed Luftwaffe airman reveals that a "colossal raid" on Coventry or Birmingham by:

…every bomber in the Luftwaffe….will take place by moonlight between November 15 and 20.

Interesting, the official code name for the attack (unknown to the interlocutors) actually is Operation Mondscheinsonate (Moonlight Sonata).

The intelligence staff passes along the information, which it considers likely to be false. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, however, has the benefit of Top Secret Ultra decrypts. He knows the information to be true and also knows that the target will be Coventry. However, Churchill feels that he cannot say anything about this for fear of revealing the critically important Ultra operation.

Japanese/Dutch Relations: The Japanese and Dutch authorities - the Dutch remain a major power in the Far East - conclude an agreement regarding oil supplies to Japan. The agreement provides that the Japanese will receive 1.8 million tons of oil annually. This will partially make up for the Japanese shortfall due to the American oil embargo.

Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov at the Berlin train station, shaking Heinrich Himmler's hand. Ribbentrop is behind him.

German Military: Adolf Hitler issues Directive No. 18. It summarizes staff discussion of the previous two weeks which reflect the disaster of the Italian invasion of Greece and the need to seal off the Mediterranean. The Directive outlines Operation Felix, the conquest of the British base at Gibraltar. The plan is set out in four phases:

1. Isolation of Gibraltar by mobile troops;
2. Luftwaffe attacks from French bases;
3. Army attack on Gibraltar and, if necessary, Portugal;
4. Closure of the Straits of Gibraltar, and operations in the Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Madeira, and Azores.

In addition, this far-reaching directive states that German troops will only cross to North Africa after the Italians take Mersa Matruh, the Wehrmacht will invade Greece "if necessary," and that planning for Operation Barbarossa is to continue - "all preparations for the East for which verbal orders have already been given will be continued." The order also curiously states that Operation Sealion might be "possible, or necessary" in the Spring - making it clear that such an invasion is not, at present, necessary.

Fuhrer Directive 18 is notable for its lengthy treatment of operations with virtually no chance of occurring - Operation Felix and follow-up operations dependent upon it - and the short shrift it gives to truly monumental and looming issues - invasions of England and the Soviet Union. Fantastically, Hitler issues this order on the very day that Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov arrives in Berlin, revealing that Hitler expects nothing from those talks. In the event, the operations mentioned in Directive 18 that are never carried out make a whole lot more sense than the ones in it which do take place.

Separately, Adolf Hitler notices that his staff is making contingency plans to secure Molotov in an air raid shelter in case of an RAF attack (plans which come in quite handy). This sets him to thinking. He decides that he has no protection himself in the Reich Chancellery. He directs that plans be drawn up for a personal command bunker behind the Chancellery - which would become known as the Fuhrer Bunker.

US Military: U.S. Secretary of the Navy William “Frank” Knox asks his Special Naval Observer in London, Rear Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, to find out more details about the successful Royal Navy raid on Taranto. Everyone in the US military is extremely happy about the raid and the effectiveness of torpedo destruction of fleets at anchor in fortified harbors. The Japanese are also quite interested in the technical aspects of the raid and will let the Americans know how much on 7 December 1941. This goes into the special file marked "Be careful what you wish for."

Heavy cruiser USS Louisville departs from Buenos Aires, Argentina for Santos, Brazil on its "Show the Flag" mission.

Canadian Military: The Chief of the General Staff rejects for the second time a proposal from Colonel Tommy Burns that it form a parachute unit.

Gabon: The Free French under Generals de Gaulle and Koenig complete the capture of Libreville and Port Gentil, which is 70 miles south of Libreville. Vichy French Governor Georges Pierre Masson surrenders without a fight, then commits suicide.

American Homefront: The US Supreme Court decides Hansberry v. Lee, 311 U.S. 32 (1940). This case limits res judicata ("a thing decided") to the parties to a case. Of course, the previous case can serve as a precedent, but not as a bar to further litigation. The case involves a racially restrictive covenant in a Chicago neighborhood; the defendants argued - unsuccessfully - that a different plaintiff cannot also challenge the covenant because an earlier court already found it valid.

The US is digging out of the Armistice Day Blizzard.


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

2020

Monday 11 November 1940

The Italians waited too long to beach battleship Conte di Cavour in Taranto harbor.

Battle of the Mediterranean: In Operation Judgment, the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet, under Admiral Andrew Cunningham, on 11 November 1940 launches 21 Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers (20 make it to the target) from aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious (R 87). They attack the main southern Italian (Regia Marina) naval base at Taranto. The attack is technically risky because the aerial torpedoes could accidentally hit the shallow (12 meters) bottom when 23 m is considered the minimum necessary - but they don't.

Three battleships at anchor are bombed and torpedoed by RAF No. 815 Squadron beginning at 22:58:

• Conte di Cavour (sunk in very shallow water, 27 killed, 100+ wounded)
• Caio Duilio (beached)
• Littorio (three torpedo strikes, 32 dead, beached))

The British lose two planes. Littorio, the newest ship, is repaired in five months, Caio Duilio in six/seven months, Conte di Cavour is never fully repaired. The Italians also lose two aircraft on the ground and sustain damage to cruiser Trento, destroyer Libeccio (unexploded bombs hit them) and destroyer Pessagno.

The attack alters the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean. However, the change is subtle, and the remaining Italian fleet remains formidable. Two of the battleships sunk are old and likely would have remained in harbor anyway. The newer Littorio, meanwhile, is back in action fairly quickly. The underlying problem with the Regia Marina is not the number of capital ships that it has, but its unwillingness or inability to use them as aggressively as the Royal Navy does.

The attack originally was the idea of Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, the commander of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1938. When Pound handed off to Cunningham in mid-1939, he also bequeathed upon his successor the training and preparation for this attack.

Operation Judgment is just part of the overall Operation MB 8 currently being carried out in the Mediterranean. It involves the supply of Malta, the transfer of ships from Gibraltar to the Mediterranean Fleet, attacks on Italian bases throughout the Mediterranean, and other measures designed to improve the British position in the region. This attack on Taranto, though, is the climax of the larger operation.

The influence of the Taranto attack reverberates around the world. The Imperial Japanese Navy studies the attack closely and uses lessons from it during planning for the later attack on Pearl Harbor. The real effect of the Battle of Taranto, though, is the basic lesson that naval aviation based upon squadrons centered on aircraft carriers can have devastating power. It is a major step beyond the battleships that have dominated naval planning for the past 50 years. The US Navy also benefits from this object lesson in the long run.

A Fiat CR 42 Falco biplane fighter after crash-landing near Lowestoft, Suffolk on 11 November 1940. The plane was forced down by a propeller malfunction. Courtesy Australian War Memorial ID 005696.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks continue pushing the Italians back to the Kalamas River along the coast. Elsewhere, the Italians have taken up defensive positions except at Elea in the Negrades sector, where they make some small tactical gains. In the central Pindos sector, the Greek 1st Infantry Division continues attacking.

The Greeks, meanwhile, are bringing up reinforcements for a counter-offensive without too much hindrance from the Regia Aeronautica. The RAF sends night raids against Italian supply ports at Valona and Durazzo in Albania.

A crashed Fiat CR 42 on the beach at Orfordness, Suffolk. It was with the 95 Squadriglia 18 Gruppo, 56 Stormo. Pilot Sergente Pietro Salvadori becomes his Majesty's guest for the remainder of the war.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe sends fighter-bombers (Jabos) against London in two large waves during the day. Some of the Jabos get through, but the RAF forces most of them to drop their bombs early over random areas. Junkers Ju 87 Stukas also attack shipping off Kent, but have little success; seaplane attacks during the day, though, have great success (described below).

The Italian bomber fleet (Corpo Aereo Italiano, or CAI) based in Belgium sends a dozen Fiat BR 20M bombers and 42 Fiat CR 42 fighters across the Channel toward Harwich at 13:30. Three RAF Hawker Hurricane squadrons (Nos. 17, 46 and 257) shoot down three of the bombers and three fighters, and damaging two other bombers, at no cost of their own and deflect the attack. The Luftwaffe raids London with only about two dozen planes during the night due to poor weather.

Winston Churchill, never a big fan of Italian war prowess, finds the CAI's incompetence amusing, saying later:

[The Italian planes] might have found better employment defending the fleet at Taranto.

RAF Bomber Command attacks Lorient and various Luftwaffe airfields along the coast. The weather over the Continent is judged to be too poor for night attacks.

Top Luftwaffe ace Walter Oesau becomes Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 3, he is replaced at III,/JG 51 by Hptm. Richard Leppla.

Illustrating how personal the air war can get, leading ace Kommodore Major Werner Mölders of JG 51 gets distraught when a friend, Oblt. Georg Claus with 18 victories, is shot down over the Thames Estuary. He personally goes back and searches for the downed pilot with his wingman, Lt. Eberle, but can't find him.

RAF night fighter No. 650 Squadron shoots down a Junkers Ju 88A bomber by using A.I.IV radar. It is the first kill by the new Beaufighters.

Fiat BR.20M MM.22267 of 242a Squadriglia on the airfield. This plane was shot down on 11 November 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: In Operation Medium, the British battleship HMS Revenge and half a dozen destroyers bombard Cherbourg from 03:33 to 03:51.

It is a big day for aerial attacks on shipping. Aside from the RAF success at Taranto, the Luftwaffe also uses its seaplanes to sink a number of ships. While largely forgotten to the general public, the Heinkel He 115 seaplane was a fearsome Luftwaffe weapon during the war's early years.

The Luftwaffe (Heinkel He 115 seaplanes of KGr 706) attacks convoy EN 23 in the North Sea 7.4 km south of Aberdeen. The convoy is defenseless except for the serendipitous fact that it is passing Convoy WN 34, which has as an escort anti-aircraft ship HMS Alynbank.

The seaplanes torpedo and sink 4327-ton British freighter Trebartha. (The ship's bell is recovered in 1999 and occasionally changes hands). Four crew perish.

The same Luftwaffe attack sinks 3997-ton British freighter Creemuir about 15 miles southeast of Aberdeen. There are 27 deaths. The Creemuir was the lead ship of the port column of the 31-merchant-ship convoy. The torpedo hits amidships and the ship sinks within three minutes. The ship is discovered and dived the wreck in 2009; the divers retrieved the ship's bell and gave it to surviving crew member, Radio Officer Noel Blacklock.

Another ship, British 1141-ton freighter Harlaw in Convoy WN 34, also is damaged in this attack.

Elsewhere, the Luftwaffe (possibly Heinkel He 115 seaplanes of 3,/KGr 906) torpedoes and sinks 3371-ton Norwegian freighter Ravnanger off Redcar, Yorkshire in Tees Bay. There are 26 survivors and one death.

British 2474-ton freighter Corsea is damaged in Barrow Deep off Middlesborough by Heinkel He 115 seaplanes of KGr 506. The Luftwaffe loses two Junkers Ju 88s and a Bf 109 during these attacks.

British freighter Colonel Crompton also is damaged in the same attack off Southend.

British 2345-ton freighter Corduff also is damaged in the same attack off Southend. (This ship was sunk in March 1941; it is a bit unclear what happened to it during this convoy on 11 November 1940, the damage, if any, must have been light).

There are other Luftwaffe attacks which damage 932-ton British freighter Pitwines east of Yarmouth.

British 314-ton trawler Iwate also is damaged by the Luftwaffe five miles southwest of Old Head of Kinsale.

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors also get into the aerial action. A Condor of 1,/KG 40 bombs and sinks 1925-ton British freighter Balmore about 560 km west of Ireland. One of the great strengths of the Condors is their extensive range out over the convoy routes when operating from France. All 27 crew on the Balmore perish.

Royal Navy 417-ton trawler HMT Stella Orion hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary off Herne Bay, Kent. Everyone survives.

British 118-ton coaster Skarv hits a mine and sinks in the Bristol Channel. Five men perish.

British 406-ton coaster Porthcarrack runs aground and is lost near Porthcawl, Glamorgan, off the mouth of Ogmore River, Ogmore-by-Sea. There are four deaths and four survivors. Attempts are made to refloat the vessel, but it is too badly damaged to remain afloat.

Greek 5186-ton freighter Dionyssios Stathatos loses its rudder in the Atlantic west of the Outer Hebrides and is abandoned. Some sources place this loss on 12 December 1940.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Vega hits a mine off Sunk Head Buoy while escorting Convoy FS 332. It is taken in tow by tug St. Mellons and brought to Harwich for repairs. The ship is badly damaged and takes two full years to return to service.

British 50-ton coaster Grit detonates a mine and is damaged just off Margate Buoy.

British freighter Ardmore sails out of the Port of Cork and then disappears. Some flotsam and jetsam are found, but nobody knows what happened to the ship until much later. Many accounts state that it was sunk by the Luftwaffe. In 1998, the wreck is found in 83 feet of water two miles south of Saltee Islands. It finally is learned that the ship struck a (likely magnetic) mine. As a coincidence, the wreck is near another ship named the Ardmore that sank 23 years earlier, almost to the day, during World War 1. All 24 men on board perish.

A plaque commemorating the SS Ardmore which relatives of the deceased placed upon the Penrose Quayside of the Michael Collins Bridge, near where the Ardmore departed on 11 November 1940. These daily summaries are full of numbers of people killed and wounded, it is good to recall that we are talking about real people with families and friends whose loss deeply hurt many people.

British liner Empress of Japan, attacked by the Luftwaffe on the 10th, makes port with light damage. German radio claims to have sunk her.

British corvette HMS Rhododendron spots U-103 and attacks it with depth charges 200 miles northwest of Ireland, but the U-boat escapes undamaged.

Convoy OB 242 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 332 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 333 departs from Methil, Convoy HX 85, recalled due to the Admiral Scheer attack, departs from Sydney, Canada.

American minesweeper USS Raven (AM 55) is commissioned.

Battle of the Indian Ocean/Pacific: German raider Atlantis encounters 7528-ton British freighter Automedon about 400 km west of Sumatra around 07:00. The crew of the Automedon has no idea that the Atlantis, disguised as another ship, is a German raider until they are only 5000 meters apart and the crew of the Atlantis runs up its German pennant. The Germans quickly block the Automedon's transmissions so it can radio for help. Because the Automedon does not surrender, the Atlantis opens fire and hits the bridge, killing the captain and many others. There are 6-8 deaths and 12 other casualties, who are taken as prisoners. In all, there are 75 crew, a gunner, and 21 passengers taken prisoner.

The Automedon is carrying 15 bags of Top Secret mail for the British Far East Command, decoding tables, Naval Intelligence reports - all sorts of valuable information. The most valuable information is an envelope addressed to the Commander-in-Chief of the British Far East Command which details the British War Cabinet's detailed evaluation of British assets in the Far East. The captain of the Automedon almost certainly would have thrown this overboard if he hadn't been killed by the Atlantis' first shot. The Atlantis takes off all the useful information and supplies and then scuttles the Automedon at 15:07.

Captain Rogge of the Atlantis gives the captured intelligence to the prize crew which he puts on the captured Ole Jacob. He then sends that ship off to Kobe, Japan. The ship makes it there and delivers the intelligence to the German embassy on 4 December 1940. The ambassador, in turn, gives it to a courier to take to Berlin via the Trans-Siberian Railway. A copy is given to the Japanese.

While all this may seem a bit esoteric and perhaps irrelevant, in fact, the incident is seen by many as playing a huge factor in the Japanese decision to attack the British (and Americans) on 7 December 1941. The material taken shows how weak the British position is in the Far East and how easy it would be to conquer the region.

Wars are full of coincidences, and today two widely separate incidents occur which dramatically influence the events of 7 December 1941: this capture of the Automedon and its secret documents, and the Royal Navy attack on Taranto. In fact, if this decision does influence the Japanese decision to attack it is of far greater importance than the Taranto attack. Demonstrating how important this is, the Japanese bestow upon Captain Rogge an ornate katana (sword) on 27 April 1943, one of only three ever given to a member of the Wehrmacht (the others are given to Hermann Goering and Erwin Rommel).

The SS Sinaloa, which ran aground on a reef in Sac Bay off the Garden Peninsula, Michigan, US on Nov. 11, 1940.

Soviet/German Relations: Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov boards a train to take him to Berlin for his high-stakes meeting with Hitler and Ribbentrop.

Czech/Polish Relations: General Sikorski and Edouard Benes of Czechoslovakia sign an agreement in London calling for post-war union between the two nations. Neither man will be involved in his country's post-war government and the agreement is a nullity.

Italian Military: The Italian Regia Aeronautica forms the first Focke-Wulf 87 Stuka dive-bomber squadron.

US Military: Willys-Overland’s chief engineer Delmar Roos delivers the Quad prototype jeep to the US military at Camp Holabird. The Willys Jeep is a minor modification of the original American Bantam Jeep prototype delivered to Camp Holabird on 21 September 1940. While Willys is credited by almost everyone with designing the Jeep, in fact, it is an American Bantam design subcontracted out to freelance designer Karl Probst. Willys is involved only because the Army, which likes the Bantam design, does not think that Bantam is a big enough company to handle the military's needs. Accordingly, the Army has asked Willy and Ford Motor Company essentially to replicate Bantam's Jeep. Willys, for its part, only gets the fame as the "designer of the Jeep" because, with this delivery, it beats Ford's delivery of its own replica by ten days.

The origin of the name "Jeep," incidentally, is not known with precision. The most likely source is the comic strip Popeye, with its character Eugene the Jeep. Some Army men are heard calling the vehicle Jeep, and the name sticks.

Spain: The Spanish Ministry of the Navy submits a report to Franco indicating that the Germans must capture the Suez Canal before an operation against Gibraltar would be feasible.

A plaque in the Champs Elysees commemorating the 11 November 1940 protest. This lies near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

French Homefront: There is an anti-German demonstration in Paris by students on Armistice Day. Many participants are arrested and sent to prison. This is an extremely dangerous thing to do, as a similar protest a year earlier in Prague - on International Student's Day - induced vicious repression by the SS.

American Homeland: The Armistice Day Blizzard strikes.

Freighter William B. Davock, 4468 tons, is caught in the blizzard on Lake Michigan and sinks. All 32-33 crewmen aboard perish. A 2014/15 investigation by the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association finds that the cause of the wreck was a broken rudder that jammed against the propeller, stripping it and rendering the ship helpless in the face of the wind and sea.

Several other vessels also are damaged or run aground, for a total of about 59 deaths. Two ships go down very near each other. Canadian 2227 ton freighter Novadoc runs aground near Pentwater, Michigan and is lost, with all crew saved 36 hours later when a tugboat, the Three Brothers II, goes out and rigs a breeches buoy to the freighter. Canadian 4285 ton lumber freighter Anna C. Minch breaks in two during the storm about one and a half miles south of Pentwood. All 24 crew perish.

The Armistice Day Blizzard leaves classic cars stranded everywhere.

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

2020

Tuesday 5 November 1940

HMS Jervis Bay, sunk on 5 November 1940.

Overview: On 5 November 1940, it is one year from the meeting between army commander Walther von Brauchitsch and Hitler, in which many revisionist historians believe that the General was thinking of killing Hitler due to his dangerous plans. However, now the entire situation has changed. Hitler is now a near God-like figure due to the German successes in Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and France. There are few who can or want to challenge Hitler about anything - and that spells future trouble for the Reich because he has big and dangerous plans.

Italian/Greek Campaign: On the coastal sector, the Italian Littoral Group establishes a secure bridgehead across the Kalamas (Thyamis) River. They advance on Igoumenitsa. The Italians continue trying to re-take the Grabala Heights without success. The Italians are using light tanks, with little effect.

In the Pindus sector, the Italian disaster continues. The Italians are surrounded and surrendering. Relief forces are unable to reach them. General Georgios Stanotas launches cavalry attacks on them in the Vovousa Valley. The Italian position is hopeless.

In the Koritsa sector, the Greek 9th Infantry Division and 15th Infantry Division attack across the Albanian border.

The Regia Aeronautica bombs the Greek border town of Monastir, and the ports being used by the British - Piraeus and Patra. The RAF bombs Brindisi, Naples, and Bari.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command attacks various ports, including Hamburg, Boulogne, Dunkirk, Antwerp, Flushing, Bremerhaven, Bremen, and Emden.

The Luftwaffe bombs London, East Kent and Ramsgate. Night attacks resume, with London, East Anglia, Scotland, South Wales, and the Midlands hit. The Corpo Aereo Italiano attacks Harwich again with 8 bombers.

Losses for both sides are roughly a handful.

Admiral Scheer, which sinks five ships on 5 November 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: The British Home Fleet for some time has been aware (either through spies or Ultra intercepts or both) that German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer (KzS Theodor Krancke) was going on a raiding mission in the Atlantic. The British have made various fleet moves as a result. However, the Kriegsmarine cruiser has broken out despite attempts to block it. Today, the Admiralty finally locates Admiral Scheer - though it wishes it hadn't.

Having broken through the Denmark Strait on 31 October, Admiral Scheer has intercepted radio messages indicating the nearby presence of Convoy HX 84. Her Arado Ar 196 seaplanes have located it about 1400 km southwest of Iceland. Convoy HX 84 only has one escort, armed merchant cruiser (AMC) HMS Jervis Bay.

On the way to attack the convoy, Admiral Scheer gets an unexpected bonus. It finds independent British 5389-ton banana boat Mopan. The entire crew is taken as POWs and Krancke then sinks the abandoned ship.

Upon intercepting Convoy HX 84 around noontime, Jervis Bay radios the Admiralty and then instructs the convoy to scatter - a planned maneuver upon the presence of an imminent threat. Then, the AMC heads straight for the heavy cruiser despite the virtual certainty of its own destruction.

Admiral Scheer's gunfire is accurate. Its first shots destroy the AMC's wireless and steering control, and the next salvo hits the bridge and wounds/kills Captain Edward Fegen (posthumous VC). Jervis Bay sinks fairly quickly(65 survivors, 136 dead, accounts vary) after 22 minutes. It causes little damage to Admiral Scheer with its 6-inch guns (Admiral Scheer's radar goes out), which then hunts down the scattered freighters. It picks off five ships, which is quite reasonable considering that the freighters are all racing at top speed in different directions.

Captain Fegen's citation reads in relevant part:

any ships it was his duty to protect. On the 5th of November, 1940, in heavy seas, Captain Fegen, in His Majesty's Armed Merchant Cruiser Jervis Bay, was escorting thirty-eight Merchantmen. Sighting a powerful German warship he at once drew clear of the Convoy, made straight for the Enemy, and brought his ship between the Raider and her prey, so that they might scatter and escape. Crippled, in flames, unable to reply, for nearly an hour the Jervis Bay held the German's fire. So she went down: but of the Merchantmen all but four or five were saved.

This is another in a series of Royal Navy encounters in which a ship sacrifices itself for the greater good. The Jervis Bay is reasonably well-remembered, ships like HMS Rawalpindi which did basically the same thing, less so. There are memorials to the crew of the Jervis Bay in several countries, including London, England, Hamilton, Bermuda, and Saint John, New Brunswick.

Ships sunk in Convoy HX 84 by Admiral Scheer:

• British 1042 ton freighter Beaverford (all 77 perish)
• British 4955 ton freighter Fresno City (1 dead, 36 survivors)
• British 5225 ton freighter Kenbane Head (24 survivors, 23 dead)
• British 7861 ton freighter Maidan (all 91 perish)
• British 4202 ton freighter Trewellard (16 perish, 25 survive) 

However, the ships sunk are only part of the story. The Beaverford (Captain Hugh Pettigrew) uses its 3-inch bow gun against the cruiser, then tries to outrun Admiral Scheer. It manages to elude it in the darkness for four and a half hours, drawing fire whilst running in and out of smoke screens, before being sunk by a torpedo. This helps other ships to escape to a much greater extent than the Jervis Bay and its quick end did - but the Jervis Bay is the ship everyone remembers.

A picture of some of the crew of the ship - taken after their return to Glasgow. At the center is Chief Engineer Charles Pollard, to his right is Mess Room Steward John Jamieson.

In addition, Admiral Scheer shells 8073-ton British tanker San Demetrio. Tankers are notoriously difficult to sink due to their compartmentalized construction, and Admiral Scheer departs with the ship ablaze and the crew abandoning ship. However, after a day at sea, one of the lifeboats drifts back near the San Demetrio and the men - after a great deal of hesitation, as blazing tankers are not the safest place to be - re-board the ship. The crewmen take the badly damaged tanker in hand, put out the fires, and manage to re-start the engines (the Chief Engineer is in the lifeboat). They eventually reach the River Clyde on the ship's own power. The crew, incidentally, gets rich due to being able to claim salvage rights. Second Officer Arthur G. Hawkins receives the OBE, Chief Engineer Charles Pollard and Deck Apprentice John Lewis Jones receive the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea.

The San Demetrio ultimately is repaired and returns to service. The episode concerning the San Demetrio becomes perhaps the most well-known part of the entire encounter because it is adapted into the 1943 film "San Demetrio London" starring Walter Fitzgerald, Mervyn Johns, Ralph Michael, and Robert Beatty.

During the entire day-long incident, Admiral Scheer sinks seven ships. This is often reduced to five in most accounts by the magic of ignoring the sinking of the Mopan and the Jervis Bay. Captain Krancke, satisfied with his day's haul and running low on ammunition, heads Admiral Scheer off to a scheduled rendezvous with a supply ship.

The Royal Navy sends massive forces (including battlecruisers HMS Hood and Repulse) to look for Admiral Scheer. For those who disparage the effect of surface raiders as a waste of money and resources versus U-boats, forcing the Royal Navy to allocate a large fraction of its resources to searching for raiders like Admiral Scheer is a major benefit that is usually overlooked.

Elsewhere, the British also lose several ships, though in not quite as dramatic a fashion.

U-99 (Kplt. Otto Kretschmer), which has just finished sinking two AMCs and a freighter, comes across Convoy HX 83. Kretschmer torpedoes and sinks 6993-ton British freighter Scottish Maiden. There are 16 deaths and 27 survivors - who are also rescued by HMS Beagle, which had helped to rescue the survivors of Kretschmer's earlier victims.

U-123 (Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle), on her second patrol, is shadowing Convoy HX 83 also. While it does not make an attack, it is attacked by HMS Beagle. The U-boat is damaged and returns to Lorient.

British 1117 ton cargo ship Haig Rose is en route from Barry, Glamorgan to Plymouth, Devon when it disappears without a trace. It is likely that it hits a mine and sinks quickly.

British diesel freighter Lady Drusie hits a mine and sinks off Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.

German collier Palime hits a mine near Stavanger, Norway. The ship makes it back to port but is declared a total loss.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Sturgeon fires on Norwegian freighter Uly off Lister but misses.

Royal Navy submarine L.27 is attacked by depth charges in the Bay of Biscay. It is lightly damaged and returns to Portsmouth.

Convoy FS 328 departs from Methil, Convoy HX 86 departs from Halifax (but is immediately recalled due to the presence of Admiral Scheer), Convoy BHX 66 departs from Bermuda (but also is recalled).

Convoy HX 85, already at sea from Halifax, is recalled.

The Germans put captured French submarine La Favorite back into service as UF-2.

Italian CR 42 fighters.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Free French are occupying Gabon. Today, they take Lambaréné. Next on the agenda is Gabon's capital, Libreville, which will require reinforcements from the French Foreign Legion in Cameroon.

Royal Navy cruiser HMS Ajax and HMAS Sydney continue ferrying troops and supplies from Alexandria to Suda Bay, Crete.

The RAF bombs Italian bases in Libya and Abyssinia.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Rorqual lays mines off Tripoli.

HMS Eagle is put out of action temporarily due to damage discovered that resulted from Italian near-misses on 12 October.

Convoy MB 8, which has numerous subsidiary operations such as Operation Judgment (attack on Taranto), continues proceeding from Alexandria to Malta.

At Malta, there are two air raid alerts, one at night and one during daylight. However, they both are false alarms because the Italian aircraft, as they often do for unknown reasons, turn back while still offshore. During the evenings, one bomber does get through and drops a bomb on Grand Harbour. It is the first air attack in several days. An Italian CR 42 strafes flying boats lying off Kalafrana after following a Wellington bomber back from a raid on Italy.

Onlookers in Times Square, New York watch the election returns on the ticker.

German Military: Subsequent to the OKW (military high command) meeting with Hitler on 4 November, General Halder has Colonel Adolf Heusinger, the chief of the operations unit at OKH (the army high command), draft up a plan for the invasion of Greece. This will become Operation Marita. Having OKH draft the plan, and not OKW (which also has good operational planners) is the start of a bifurcation of German planning between OKW and OKW which will last throughout the war and cause many issues, especially in terms of force allocation.

At this point, the plan is to invade just Greece and not Yugoslavia (though Hitler already has expressed the idea of invading the latter as well). The attack would be launched from Bulgaria - another somewhat iffy German ally - because of its border with Greece. Heusinger has all sorts of idle forces to choose from - four army groups, in fact - but the invasion will only require a small fraction of them. He chooses XXXXth army corps, which will be joined by another as-yet-unspecified corps under the command of Colonel-General (Generaloberst) Ewald von Kleist. He is to command Panzergruppe Kleist, which would be somewhere in size between a corps and an army.

The allocation of such a small force to invade an entire county, which is being supported by the British, and not even under a full field marshal (of whom the Wehrmacht has many doing essentially nothing) is indicative of the high levels of confidence in the Wehrmacht at this time. However, von Kleist has one of the sharpest minds in the Wehrmacht and now has a chance to show it. Colonel Kurt Zeitzler is Panzergruppe Kleist's chief of staff. While their ranks may be small, the talent assembled for this operation is huge.

French Homefront: Hermann Goering, an art lover, orders the German command in Paris to loot the Louvre for distribution to museums and individuals in the Reich. The French already have removed many treasures, but hardly all. Naturally, Goering's Carinhall will get a big slice of any confiscated art.

A 1940 Roosevelt campaign button.

American Homefront: The Presidential election goes the way everybody knew it would - there was no uncertainty about this one at any point once President Roosevelt sought reelection. Roosevelt wins 39 (out of 48) states:

Roosevelt 27,241,939 votes
Willkie (Republican) 22,237,226

It is fair to say that this is quite possibly the least competitive Presidential election of the century, and possibly of all time - though not in terms of states won, because Willkie does better than later candidates such as George McGovern and Walter Mondale (both of whom, incidentally, are alive for this election though ineligible to vote. However, there has been no suspense about the outcome of this election whatsoever. Few want to "change horses in midstream" with Hitler on the march and Roosevelt taking care of such matters more or less the way the country wants.

As a footnote to this campaign, District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey of New York had gone into the Republican National Convention with more delegates than Willkie and may have put up a better fight against Roosevelt. He won most of the primaries but lost the nomination on the fifth ballot. Since the main rap against him in 1940 is his relative youth (38), Willkie's crushing defeat leaves Dewey as the presumptive front-runner for the 1944 nomination.

Another thing about the election is of interest for students of politics. Roosevelt's strength is concentrated in the Deep South and Far West, while Willkie has his strongest support in the Northeast and Great Lakes region. Viewing only the map of relative voter strength and applying the standards of 50 years later, after the parties essentially had flipped many of their philosophies, it would be easy to assume that Roosevelt was the Republican and Dewey the Democrat.

1940 election results by relative strength in each county. Red is Republican, blue is Democratic. In the 21st Century, a Presidential election might look somewhat similar if you switched the colors.

Future History: Elke Baronesse von Schletz is born in Berlin to Baron Peter von Schletz, a Lutheran minister, and his wife Renata. In 1942, Elke evacuates to Niederndorf, a village near Erlangen, a small university town in Franconia, where she grows up. Elke takes a holiday in Italy in the mid-1950s, where she must make quite an impression on the beach and in the clubs because director Vittorio De Sica spots her and decides to cast her in some films. In 1958, when she appears in her first film, Elke adopts the stage name, Sommer. As Elke Sommer, she becomes a global film, stage and television star, winning a Golden Globe for "The Prize" (1963). In private, Elke still goes by her title of Frau Baronin (Baroness) von Sommer and as of 2018 still appears in various entertainment projects occasionally.

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

2020