Friday 11 July 1941

A Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun that crashed within the Reich province of Bohemia and Moravia (Czechoslovakia) on 11 July 1941.

Eastern Front: On 11 July 1941, the Soviets mount counterattacks against the advancing panzer spearheads of the Wehrmacht. The attack fails, as have all the others, and it is easy to forget about these bloody battles. However, there is a cumulative effect on the Germans that may not be apparent now - but will tell in the end.

Despite the spectacular successes of the past few weeks, Hitler, who has too much free time on his hands at Rastenburg, is worried. Field Marshal Keitel telephones General Halder, operations boss at OKH, at noon and lists Hitler's concerns:

1. Some following units are closing up too slowly on the most advanced units;
2. The south flank of Army Group North and north flank of Army Group Center are not cooperating together properly, as Hitler thinks that von Bock's troops to the south are not sufficiently helping von Leeb's troops to the north;
3. General Hoepner's 4th Panzer Group is "losing contact" with following infantry because it is moving too quickly.

Halder does not take these concerns very seriously. However, they reflect concerns that Hitler will return to repeatedly and, in some cases (such as the lack of cooperation between Army Groups), will pose real problems down the road as German forces get more stretched.

In the Far North, the Finnish offensive in Karelia toward the Svir River that began on 10 July continues. The Finns are pounding against strong Soviet defenses on the eastern shore of the Jänisjärvi Lake north of Lake Ladoga. Aggressive offensive operations are not a Finnish strength, they are better suited to defensive operations, but they continue attacking in order to open the way south.

Further north in the Salla area, the Finnish 3rd Division of III Corps continues beating against Soviet positions on the Vyonitsa River. Elsewhere, the front is stable today, and the Germans ask the Finns to send reinforcements to get their offensives rolling again. The Finns agree to send Infantry Regiment 14.

In the Army Group North sector, the Soviets launch counterattacks against General Hoepner's 4th Panzer Group, but without much effect. The German Army Group is preparing for an advance to the southeast of Leningrad to isolate it. The Soviets are using Nevel as a "straggler collection point" that is setting up divisions to be sent back to the front.

In the Army Group Center, General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 is across the Dnepr and attacking along two axes. General Hoth's Panzer Group 3 is hit by Soviet counterattacks from the southeast and stopped. Hoth's advance units on the south are on the Orsha-Vitebsk highway.

German troops of Panzer Group 1 secure the road from Kyiv to Odesa, 11 July 1941.

In the Army Group South sector, German Panzer Group 1 is within ten miles of Kyiv. XIV Panzer Corps (General Gustav von Wietersheim and 48 Panzer Corps (General Eberhard von Mackensen) advance to the south of Kyiv and reach the Dnepr River at Kremenchuk. The Germans are at the inner ring of Kiev's defenses but choose not to attack frontally at this time. The Romanian forces on the right flank of the advance have been weakened by Soviet counterattacks and the Germans now feel that they are no longer capable of offensive operations. During the day, the Soviets launch counterattacks at Panzer Group 1 at Berdichev in the south and Zhytomyr in the north.

The Germans are keeping a close eye on the Soviet commanders. General Halder notes in his war diary that the commander of Soviet Northwest Front (opposing Army Group North) is Voroshilov, that of Western Front is Marshal Timoshenko, and of Southwest Front, Budenny (Budyonny). Overall, Halder is pleased with the day's fighting, noting that "The bulk of the enemy forces apparently is being taken back to the east."

Inverted and destroyed heavy tank KV-2, belonging to the Soviet 14th Tank Division of the 7th Mechanized Corps of the Red Army. The city of Vitebsk, July 11, 1941.

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: The Commonwealth troops continue converging on Beirut from all directions. The situation is hopeless, and the Vichy French navy has evacuated Beirut and headed to Tripoli.

Overhead, a Vichy French Dewoitine D.520 fighter shoots down a Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk - the only Tomahawk shot down during the entire campaign. Offshore, during the early morning hours, the Royal Navy sends a squadron from Haifa led by light cruisers HMS Ajax and Phoebe on a sweep along the coast looking for Vichy French shipping, but find none.

At his headquarters in Beirut, General Dentz is busy trying to arrange a ceasefire, followed by an armistice. He reaches an agreement for a ceasefire against the wishes of the Petain regime in France. The terms officially are to go into effect at one minute past midnight on 12 July, but in reality, the fighting is over around 21:00.

The Bf-109F of II/JG 51 Luftwaffe Gruppenkommandeur Josef Fözö, 11 July 1941.

European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 6 Stirling bombers of RAF No. 7 Squadron to attack the Le Trait shipyard and Hazebrouck. All of the planes return.

The RAF conducts Circus missions to Lille and Yainville, and a Rhubarb mission to Norrent-Fontes.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 36 Hampdens to attack Wilhelmshaven. The bombs damage a fishing boat and destroy a barrack hut, killing two people.

Josef “Joschko” Fözö, Gruppenkommandeur of II/JG 51 in Russia, claims his 24th victory today. However, later in the day, he crashes on take-off at Stava Bychow and is hospitalized. Fözö is out of action until 3 May 1942.

Josef “Joschko” Fözö, injured on 11 July 1941.

Battle of the Baltic: German minesweeper M-23 hits a mine and sinks in shallow water off Parnava, Estonia. It is later raised, repaired and returned to service.

Finnish submarine Iko-Tursu lays mines.

Battle of the Atlantic: British 215-ton fishing trawler FV Suzette runs aground in thick fog and is wrecked on Girdle Reef, Peterhead.

The RAF bombs and sinks German 2575-ton transport SS Delos/Donau of the Hamburg America Line off Tobruk.

British 246-ton freighter River Trent hits a mine and is damaged north of Sheringham. It is taken under tow to Great Yarmouth.

Convoy OB-345 departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Convoy HX-138 departs from Halifax bound for Liverpool.

Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Felixstowe is commissioned.

Canadian corvette HMCS Algoma (Lt. John Harding) is commissioned.

German S-Boat DKM S-49 is commissioned.

HMS Defender sinking in the Mediterranean, 11 July 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Right before dawn, the Luftwaffe (Junkers Ju 88 aircraft of Lehrgeschwader 1, piloted by Gerhard Stamp) catches one of the nightly Royal Navy supply missions to Tobruk as it is withdrawing to Alexandria. At 05:20, the German planes damage destroyer HMS Defender about 60 miles east of Tobruk. Fellow destroyer Vendetta tows Defender for a while, but eventually, Defender settles too low in the water and has to be scuttled. It sinks about seven miles north of Sidi Barrani. There are no deaths and five wounded.

After dark, the Luftwaffe raids Port Said and Ismailia with 52 bombers.

In Malta, the Italians conduct a fierce fighter attack that begins at 13:21. The Macchi 200 fighters strafe Luqa Airfield and destroy a Wellington bomber, damage four Wellingtons, and damage two Marylands. Hawker Hurricanes of RAF No. 185 Squadron intercept the Italian planes and while chasing them north, shooting down three Italian fighters and damaging four others.

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet gunboats BKA-111 and BKA-134 advance into the Danube Estuary. Romanian coastal artillery opens fire and sinks them. Soviet gunboats No. 103 and No. 501 also are lost today, perhaps in this same action.

Under the supervision of German troops, women are inducted into the Labor Service in Riga, 11 July 1941 (Stupid, Federal Archives, Bild 146-1994-090-06A).

US Military: William J. "Wild Bill" Donovan becomes "Co-ordinator of Defense Information." Donovan is in the early stages of forming the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which is the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Both of those are based upon Donovan's observations in Great Britain early in 1941 of the British intelligence service, MI6. The Presidential statement on the appointment states in part:

In his capacity as Coordinator, Mr. Donovan will collect and assemble information and data bearing on national security from the various departments and agencies of the Government and will analyze and collate such materials for the use of the President and such other officials as the President may designate.

President Roosevelt adds to his appropriations request of 10 July for $4.7 billion with an additional request for $3.3 billion for the US Navy. These are all unheard-of sums, particularly stacked one upon the other, but Congress is firmly behind the war effort (with some notable isolationist exceptions).

CA-34 USS Astoria at Mare Island Navy Yard on July 11, 1941.

German Military: Adolf Hitler issues Fuhrer Directive No. 32, "Preparations for the Time After Barbarossa." Reflecting utter confidence in the outcome of the war in the East, the directive begins:

After destruction of the Soviet Armed Forces, Germany and Italy will be military masters of the European Continent, with the temporary exception of the Iberian Peninsula. No serious threat to Europe by land will then remain.

The lengthy directive instructs the Commanders-in-Chief of the different services to "begin the planning and organization" of a list of things to be done once the Soviet Union is defeated. The most salient point in the directive and the only one that comes close to having any impact is Hitler's order that:

The main efforts of the armaments industry can be diverted to the Navy and Air Force.

The directive contemplates a renewed prosecution of the "peripheral strategy" against Great Britain in the Mediterranean. Hitler only gives passing reference to England, noting only that tighter ties with France will further isolate London and that:

In addition to these contemplated operations against the British position in the Mediterranean, the 'Siege of England' must be resumed with the utmost intensity by the Navy and Air Force after the conclusion of the campaign in the East.

Preparations for an invasion of England will continue in the hopes of tying down English forces at home (and thus not in the vital Mediterranean battleground) and "and of bringing about a final English collapse through a landing in England."

The directive also offhandedly contemplates "a German operation from Bulgaria through Turkey" to advance toward the Suez Canal, and "Exploitation of the Arab Freedom Movement." Hitler also has plans for Iran, Afghanistan, and India, which he previously offered to Stalin in exchange for joining his war.

Finnish Military: Julius Johannes Björklund is appointed the first Field Bishop (kenttäpiispa) for the Finnish Army. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Church of Finland.

British Military: General Archibald Wavell takes up his new command in India.

17-year-old Jeanne Cline won the Women's Western Golf Association junior championship at St. Charles (IL) Country Club on July 11, 1941.

German Government: Hitler talks late into the night with his cronies, expounding as usual on his philosophical theories. He notes that "Russian atheists know how to die." However, Hitler has no use for atheism, concluding, "We don't want to educate anyone in atheism."

US Government: Robert Jackson is sworn in as a new Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Holocaust: The Germans, who took Vitebsk on 10 July, begin creating the Vitebsk Ghetto. The Germans will incarcerate 16,000 Jews in the ghetto, which will be notorious for its poor conditions.

It is the first day of executions at Ponary, Lithuania. A resident, Kazimierz Sakowicz, writes in his diary that he hears shots from a nearby forest where Jews have been taken, and that "the shots last an hour or two." He puts the number of Jews at 200.

Autographed promotional shot from Three Stooges comedy "I'll Never Heil Again," released on 11 July 1941.

American Homefront: Paramount Pictures releases "Forced Landing." Starring Richard Arlen, Eva Gabor, J. Carrol Naish, Nils Asther and Evelyn Brent, "Forced Landing" follows the travails of a pilot in fictional, tropical "Mosaque" who must thwart plans by a treacherous foreigner to steal US military secrets. This is Eva Gabor's film debut.

Columbia Pictures releases "I'll Never Heil Again," starring the Three Stooges. A short, "I'll Never Heil Again" follows the trio as they attempt to take over Europe along with their "Axel" partners. The film is notable because it is the first sequel to another film in the Three Stooges canon, and also because the Stooges break the fourth wall and directly address the audience.

A flier from the continuing strike at Disney Studios, 11 July 1941.

July 1941

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

2020

Thursday 29 May 1941

"Flight Lieutenant J H "Ginger" Lacey of No. 501 Squadron RAF, in the cockpit of his Supermarine Spitfire Mk I at Colerne, Wiltshire, 29 May 1941." At this time, he has 23 victories gained in 1940 (Imperial War Museum CH2793).

Anglo/Iraq War: The end is at hand on 29 May 1941 in Iraq for the Rashid Ali pro-Axis government as British troops near the capital from the south and west. The German military mission, which effectively means Special Force Junck (Sonderkommando Junck) led by Luftwaffe Oberst Werner Junck, flies out after dark in its last two serviceable Heinkel He 111s. There are still Italian Fiat Cr-42 fighters operating over Baghdad, but their effectiveness is minimal. When the RAF attacks the Italians' airfield at Kirkuk, the Italians (2nd Lt. Valentini) damage an RAF Audax and wound the pilot, forcing it to land. An RAF Gladiator (Wing Commander W.T.F. ‘Freddie’ Wightman of No. 94 Squadron) shoots the Fiat down. It is a rare World War II battle where biplane fighters take each other on, with both sides losing planes.

Rashid Ali, the Grand Mufti, and Ali's cabinet flee to Persia. The British under Major-General Clark are still five miles from Baghdad, but rioting and panic have begun there as Iraqi control collapses. The disparity of forces between the two sides is immense - some 20,000 Iraqi troops face about 1450 British troops - but the British are used to facing such odds against native forces and prevailing against them.

The British air-lift the 2/4th Gurkha Battalion of Indian 20th Brigade from Basra to Habbaniya, which now is well behind the lines.

The real action now is in Syria, which is in British sights because it has been providing the Luftwaffe with transit hubs for flights to Iraq at Palmyra and Aleppo. Germans on 29 May 1941 send forces from the Italian Dodecanese Islands to the port of Latakia in northern Syria. These troops, in armored cars, head down to Beirut.

Wrecked Junkers Ju 52 transport planes on the beach at Maleme airfield, Crete, May/June 1941 (Federal Archive Bild 101I-166-0512-39).

European Air Operations: It is a quiet day on the Channel front, with the Luftwaffe sending its units to Poland for Operation Barbarossa and the RAF only performing normal patrol operations.

East African Campaign: According to the evening War Cabinet minutes, Churchill feels that French Somaliland is ripe for invasion. He suggests that "the Foreign Office should be prepared to take action in French Somaliland at the psychological moment of our entry into Syria."

Daily Sketch, Number 1941, 29 May 1941.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-38 (Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe), on its ninth patrol out of Lorient and operating hundreds of miles off of Freetown, Sierra Leone, torpedoes and sinks 6251-ton British freighter Tabaristan. There are 39 survivors.

U-557 (KrvKpt. Ottokar Arnold Paulssen), on its first patrol out of Kiel, is part of patrol line West, formed in support of the Bismarck operation. At 20:43, Paulssen puts a torpedo into 7290-ton British freighter Empire Storm south of Cape Farewell. The Empire Storm goes down, and three crew are killed. The 40 survivors are picked up by freighter Marita and taken to St. John's.

West of Gibraltar (northwest of Rabat), an inconclusive action develops between Royal Navy destroyers and Italian submarine Venero. Destroyer HMS Forester reports attacking the Venero on the surface, and Venero reports torpedoing a destroyer. Neither side suffers any damage.

Putting a final period on the failure of Operation Rheinübung, German cruiser Prinz Eugen - the always overlooked part of the operation - develops engine trouble and heads for France. Her destination is Brest, and she will make it there unhindered on 1 June. She has not sunk a single ship. In a cable today to President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill notes how "most important" it is to find the Prinz Eugen quickly. He also notes in passing that the Bismarck was "a terrific ship and a masterpiece of naval construction."

The Royal Navy decides to make a sweep of the Atlantic for supply ships sent out by the Kriegsmarine to support battleship Bismarck (now sunk) and the Prinz Eugen. A powerful force led by the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle departs from Freetown to seek out such German ships in the South Atlantic.

U.S. Navy Patrol Squadron Fifty Two (VP-52), based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Argentia, Newfoundland with PBY-5 Catalinas, expands its reach. It sends planes to survey the remote east coast of Greenland, suspected of being used by the Germans at abandoned Danish weather stations.  Royal Navy auxiliary oiler Teakwood arrives at St. John's to support the Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF), which has a lot of ships but virtually no support services. The NEF already is up and running, however, escorting its first convoy bound for Liverpool.

U-262, a Type VIIC U-boat of German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 29 May 1941 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack as 'werk' 27, launched on 10 March 1942 and commissioned on 15 April under the command of Kapitänleutnant Günther Schiebusch

The U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) activates the Air Corps Ferrying Command. This is designed to supply US pilots to ferry planes built in the United States to England and anywhere else the British need them. At this stage, the pilots fly the planes to Canadian airports, where RAF pilots take them over. This is a far cry from the early days of the war when the USAAC refused to fly planes into Canada and instead flew them to airports in Maine and then pulled them across to Canada using tractors and barges.

The US Navy sends Task Group Three (TG3), led by the aircraft carrier USS Ranger and heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa, departs from Bermuda for a neutrality patrol in the Atlantic. They will cover over 4000 miles (6400 km). The US today extends its boundaries for Neutrality Patrols to include both the North and South Atlantic.

Royal Navy ocean boarding vessel Malvernian captures 407-ton German weather ship August Wriedt in the mid-Atlantic northwest of the Azores. The Malvernian puts a prize crew aboard and sends it to St. John's. The August Wriedt will be renamed Maria and used by the Royal Navy.

Convoy OB 328 departs from Liverpool.

Dutch destroyer HNLMS Isaac Sweers (Commander Jacques Houtsmuller) is commissioned.

Royal Navy destroyers HMS Grove and Southwold and minesweeper Whitehaven are launched.

Canadian minesweeper HMCS Swift Current is launched in Montreal.

US destroyer USS Swanson (Lt. Commander Marvin P. Kingsley) is commissioned, and destroyers Carmick, MacKenzie and McLanahan are laid down.

U-132 (Oberleutnant zur See Ernst Vogelsang), U-452 (Kapitänleutnant Jürgen March) and U-572 (Kapitänleutnant Heinz Hirsacker) are commissioned, U-262 and U-618 are laid down.

U-132, a Type VIIC U-boat laid down on 10 August 1940 by Vegesacker Werft, Bremen-Vegesack as 'werk' 11, launched on 10 April 1941 and commissioned on 29 May 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British evacuation from Crete moves into high gear today. During the early morning hours, 4000 men of the British 14th Infantry Brigade are taken off from Heraklion. After dark, another 1500 men are taken off. The German 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment takes possession of Heraklion as the British leave.

Force D evacuates 6029 men from Sfakia, including the Greek Commander in Chief. Light cruiser HMS Phoebe takes some minor damage from a bomb, but otherwise, the large force escapes unscathed.

The Germans, of course, notice what is going on. The Luftwaffe shifts its focus from the north coast ports that the Germans need for supplies to the south shore ports such as Sfagia where the Royal Navy is frantically loading as man men as possible. It becomes a situation of "every man for himself" both on Crete and in the waters to the south.

Junkers Ju 87 Stukas catch two light cruisers, HMS Orion and Dido, on their way back to Alexandria during the afternoon and damage them. While the ships remain maneuverable, Orion suffers 105 crew and 260 troops killed, with 280 troops wounded. Dido has 27 crew and 100 troops killed by fire or water pumped in to prevent the magazine from exploding. Destroyer Decoy also is damaged during this action. The flotilla makes it to Alexandria around 20:00.

HMS Dido is bombed on 29 May 1941 (Australian War Memorial).

The Stukas also hit sink destroyer Hereward about five miles south of Crete. With daylight approaching the rest of the Royal Navy force abandons Hereward and its crew to its fate. The Hereward's captain tries to make it to shore to beach his ship, but Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87 Stukas finish the job and the ship sinks before he can make it. Italian motorboats pick up some survivors. There are 165 survivors and 76 deaths.

Also during the early morning hours, Italian bombers from 41° Gruppo damage I-class destroyer HMS Imperial. While the ship makes it partway to Alexandria, the steering goes out. The crew tries to make repairs, but ultimately they are forced to scuttle the Imperial (with the assistance of HMS Hotspur) 55 nautical miles (102 km; 63 mi) east of Kassos.
There are British Commonwealth troops trapped all over Crete who have no hope of making it to an embarkation point on the south coast. Colonel Campbell, for instance, is trapped at Heraklion because he has too many men for the meager evacuation convoys to take off. A large contingent also remains at Rethymno (Retimo), where the original drop of German Fallschirmjäger has not made a dent in the British defenses. However, the Fallschirmjäger unit from Maleme rapidly approaches from the west.

The Walt Disney Studios strike officially begins on 29 May 1941. Cartoonish picket lines always have the best signs!

The Italians who have landed at Sitia with their 13 tanks move westwards to link up with the Germans heading east from Maleme, Canea, and Suda. They are harassed as much by local proto-partisans as by the fleeing British.

In Cairo, Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell is planning another offensive on the Libyan frontier. British intelligence reports tell him that the Germans have placed about two-thirds of their tank force on the Tobruk perimeter, leaving the frontier sparsely defended. Assuming that the "Tiger Cub" tanks will arrive from Alexandria quickly, Wavell sets 7 June as the start date for Operation Battleaxe.

Churchill is increasingly annoyed about General Wavell. Private Secretary John Colville notes in his diary:

PM [Churchill]  much upset by telegram from Wavell, who shows some sign of defeatism. "He sounds a tired and disheartened man," said the PM.

Churchill long has felt that Wavell lacks an aggressive spirit and does not use his troops efficiently. Wavell's quick plea to give up Crete after Churchill had sent a message only hours earlier on the 27th clearly still rankles. It is worth mentioning here that Wavell has kept the British position intact in the Middle East and has consolidated it by largely eliminating the longstanding Italian presence from East Africa with minimal troop investment.

Winston Churchill sends General Ismay a memo telling him to hold off for now on seizing the Vichy French ships being detained at Alexandria. "We must wait at present to see how things go in Syria."

At Tobruk, the Luftwaffe (Junkers Ju 87 aircraft of II Staffeln, Sturzkampfgeschwader 2) sinks 913-ton anti-submarine trawler HMT Sindonis. In Malta, the government sets up a mobile machine-gun company to guard against Fallschirmjäger dropping on the island as they did on Crete. The company is formed from 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment.

Battleship USS Washington off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, United States, 29 May 1941 (United States National Archives). She is departing for her shakedown cruise after her recent commissioning.

POWs: Winston Churchill sends a memo to David Margesson, Secretary of State for War, suggesting that "Italian white prisoners" be brought to Great Britain to work in British factories. Churchill makes a backhanded slap at the Irish in his memo, saying that it would involve "complications," but concludes:

However, it might be better to use these docile Italian prisoners of war instead of bringing in disaffected Irish, over whom we have nothing like the same control.

Churchill proposes bringing "say, 25,000 of these Italians" and using them as farmers. Churchill's proposal is at the very least arguably contrary to accepted rules of war, as prisoners of war are not supposed to be used as slave labor in war industries.

At Colditz Castle, the Oflag IV-C "Officer's Camp," a dozen British and Polish prisoners attempt a breakout. They crawl through a sewer pipe from the canteen to an outer courtyard, where they have to descend a 40-foot wall. To pull of the escape, they have bribed a seemingly sympathetic guard. However, the guard double-crosses them and reports the escape plan, and other guards are waiting. The prisoners, including later author Pat Reid, are sent to solitary confinement (the "Cooler").

Staff Sergeant William Light, Service Company, 12th Infantry (motor maintenance sergeant) modeling the World War II Summer Khaki Uniform. Standing at attention wearing garrison cap and the khaki summer service uniform. Arlington Cantonment, Arlington, VA, 29 May 1941.

Propaganda: During the evening War Cabinet meeting, President Roosevelt's recent speech beginning a state of emergency is discussed. The meeting minutes state:

Referring to the comment on the disappointing reception accorded in the British Press to President Roosevelt's speech, the Prime Minister directed that the Ministry of Information should arrange for a more enthusiastic line to be taken.

Of course, it goes without saying that the entire German press is controlled and a mouthpiece for the German government to a much, much greater extent than any other government uses its media (outside of Moscow). However, this is evidence that the British press also is not completely independent during the war. Great pains are made throughout the conflict to shape public opinion through manipulation of the British press.

Anglo/US Relations: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a cable to President Roosevelt in which Churchill praises Roosevelt for his recent fireside chat declaring an unlimited state of emergency. He hints at upcoming events:

[US Ambassador John Gilbert] Winant will tell you what I managed to send out there secretly, and the hopes I have of some good news coming to hand before long.

Churchill apparently is referring to the 200+ tanks sent to Alexandria in the Tiger convoy, and the "good news" the upcoming operation planned on the Libyan border, Operation Battleaxe.

A USAAF A-20A Havoc ('70') painted with the early-war USAAF stars flies over Oahu Island, in the Hawaii Islands, on 29 May 1941. Handwritten caption on reverse: '38365.' Printed caption on reverse: '38365 AC - Douglas A-20-A in flight over Oahu, T.H., 29 May 1941. U.S. Air Force Photo.' Also on reverse: U.S. Air Force Photo 1361st Photographic Squadron AAVS (National Archives).

US Military: In Washington, the Joint Board (the oldest inter-service agency, established in 1903 to facilitate Army-Navy planning) draws up contingency plans to be put into effect should the Wehrmacht invade Spain and Portugal. The plan envisions an occupation force of 14,000 Marines and 14,000 Army troops being sent to the Azores. They would be under the command of Major General Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith, Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division.

British Government: Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden gives a talk at The Mansion House. He argues that the German "vast and sinister fabric" of "tyranny" cannot last because the "despotism is utterly ruthless" and "no system that is built upon hate can survive." In a remark that is part prescient and part massive understatement, he states:

In speaking of the reconstruction of Europe I do not overlook the fact that its settlement may affect and may be affected by developments elsewhere, such as, for example, in the Far East.

He disavows any British interest in "economic exploitation either of Germany or of the rest of Europe" after the war.

King George VI, wearing the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet, visits HMS King Alfred, a training establishment at Hove.

Croatia: The Duke of Spoleto (newly crowned King Tomislav II of Croatia) pays Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano a visit. According to Ciano's diary, "the tone of his conversation was distinctly anti-German."

British Homefront: The London Daily Mail writes a scathing editorial bemoaning the state of the war:

When are we really going to get down to the job of winning the war? When are we going to run machines, factories, and shipyards to full capacity; when are we going to see an end of masterly retreats ...?

Most of the British media, however, is focused on the victory of battleship Bismarck to the exclusion of continuing problems elsewhere. This is a low point in the war for the British despite flashy victories in the Atlantic.

Strikers holding very artistic and witty signs outside of the Walt Disney Studios building in Burbank, California on or about 29 May 1941.

American Homefront: A strike ("The Great Disney Strike") by the AFL Animators Union gets underway at the Walt Disney Studios building in Burbank, California. The Screen Cartoonists Guild has been working on this since the fall of 1940. Walt Disney himself instigated the timing of the strike by firing one of his workers who was organizing the union. There are a lot of hard feelings generated by this strike on both sides. Disney workers also protest in front of theaters showing Disney Studios films such as "Pinocchio." Incidentally, there are many female strikers because the Disney ink and paint department - which colors animated films up until the 1980s - is staffed almost exclusively by women.

Future History: Robert David Simon is born in The Bronx, New York. As Bob Simon, he becomes a well-known correspondent for CBS News and a fixture on news programs "60 Minutes" and "60 Minutes II." He becomes as 60 Minutes' senior foreign correspondent. He perishes on 11 February 2015 in an auto accident in New York City.

Robert F. Logan, Jr. is born in Brooklyn, New York. While attending the University of Arizona at Tucson, Logan is spotted by a Warner Bros. talent agent. He goes on to a long television and film career, including starring in "77 Sunset Strip" from 1958-1963 and "Daniel Boone" in 1965-66.

A Dr. Seuss cartoon from 29 May 1941. Hamilton Fish is a well-known isolationist congressman from New York (image from "Dr. Seuss Went to War" by Richard H. Minear).

May 1941

May 1, 1941: British Hold Tobruk
May 2, 1941: Anglo-Iraq War
May 3, 1941: Liverpool Hammered
May 4, 1941: Hitler Victory Speech
May 5, 1941: Patriots Day
May 6, 1941: Stalin In Command
May 7, 1941: May Blitz
May 8, 1941: Pinguin Sunk
May 9, 1941: U-110 Captured
May 10, 1941: Hess Flies Into History
May 11, 1941: The Hess Peace Plan
May 12, 1941: Tiger Arrives Safely
May 13, 1941: Keitel's Illegal Order
May 14, 1941: Holocaust in Paris
May 15, 1941: Operation Brevity
May 16, 1941: Blitz Ends
May 17, 1941: Habbaniya Relieved
May 18, 1941: Croatia Partitioned
May 19, 1941: Bismarck at Sea
May 20, 1941: Invasion of Crete
May 21, 1941: Robin Moore Sinking
May 22, 1941: Royal Navy Destruction Off Crete
May 23, 1941: Crete Must Be Won
May 24, 1941: Bismarck Sinks Hood
May 25, 1941: Lütjens' Brilliant Maneuver
May 26, 1941: Bismarck Stopped
May 27, 1941: Bismarck Sunk
May 28, 1941: Crete Lost
May 29, 1941: Royal Navy Mauled Off Crete
May 30, 1941: Sorge Warns, Stalin Ignores
May 31, 1941: British Take Baghdad

2020

Wednesday 28 May 1941

The 9th Cavalry passes in review at its new home at Camp Funston, Ft. Riley, Kansas, 28 May 1941.

Anglo/Iraq War: Things begin heating up in Syria on 28 May 1941, which is on the list of British targets because it is considered the gateway to the ongoing battle in Iraq. The RAF raids Aleppo, a key transit hub for the Axis support of operations in Iraq. During this raid, an RAF Blenheim reconnaissance is shot down by Vichy French pilot Lt. Vuillemin of 7 Squadron, 1st Fighter Group (GCI/7) in a Morane 406. This is the first aerial victory of a Vichy French pilot over the RAF.

The Vichy French also send 28 new Dewoitine D.520s of the 6th Squadron, 3rd Fighter Group (GCIII/6) from Algeria via Athens, which unit arrives on 28 May 1941 at Rayak (two planes failing to make it).

The British continue their concentric attack on Baghdad. The main thrusts are from the south (Indian troops from Basra) and west (Habforce advancing from Fallujah). Today, the 20th Indian Brigade captures Ur after a march of 110 miles.

In Baghdad, rioting and looking take hold as the British approach. Dr. Fritz Grobba, head of the German diplomatic mission, cables Berlin with the warning that the British are approaching with "one hundred tanks." While this is a vast exaggeration, it conveys the key message that the city is about to fall. The Luftwaffe mission, Special Force Junck (Sonderkommando Junck) led by Luftwaffe Oberst Werner Junck, has only two Heinkel He 111s left and only four bombs for them. A force of eleven Italian Fiat CR-42 fighters has arrived but is having little effect.

A London housewife gets her washing up to dry, Monday, May 28, 1941 in London. (AP Photo).

European Air Operations: RAF Fighter Command conducts an anti-shipping sweep off the French coast. RAF Bomber Command sends 14 planes to attack Kiel. This is one of the countless RAF raids throughout the war that targets the remaining German battleship, Tirpitz. The planes make no hits.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill instructs General Ismay to begin setting up "Air Squadrons and also at least a Brigade Group" composed of Yugoslav expatriates. A similar agreement is reached with Norwegian refugees.

Churchill also sends a telegram to William Averell Harriman ("My dear Harriman"), one of President Franklin's "special envoys," thanking him for a recent note promising delivery of six Douglas DC-2 transport planes and fourteen Lockheed transports.

A censored war photo was taken by a press agency photographer on 28 May 1941. © IWM (HU 131478).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-107 (Kptlt. Günther Hessler) continues its lengthy second patrol off of Freetown, Sierra Leone. AT 14:52, it torpedoes and sinks 3748 ton Greek freighter Papalemos. The Papalemos is an independent, and the hit on the stern in the port side destroys the superstructure and a lifeboat. Captain Hessler has his men accelerate the sinking with some target practice with the anti-aircraft gun, then sails over to the two lifeboats. In a rare act of kindness, he gives the survivors some food, cigarettes and other provisions after asking them a few questions.

HMS Edinburgh intercepts German blockade runner Lech about 400 nautical miles (740 km) north of the Azores, at the Bay of Biscay. The Lech's crew scuttles it. Some sources place this as happening on 22 May.

The Luftwaffe is active over the Atlantic searching for Royal Navy ships returning from the interception battleship Bismarck. Many of the Royal Navy ships are low on fuel and traveling slowly and without zig-zagging or other precautions. The German planes attack Canadian destroyer HMCS St Clair (formerly USS Williams (DD-108)) and HMS Mashona about 100 miles west of Galway Bay, Ireland. The handful of German planes (Junkers Ju 88 aircraft of I Staffeln, Kampfgeschwader 77) sink the Mashona, and St Clair picks up the survivors.

German flak ship (vorpostenboot) V 1610 "Innsbruck" sinks today of uncertain causes, probably RAF bombing.

British freighter City of Rangoon spots and rescues three survivors of Greek freighter Marionga, sunk by U-103 on 24 May, off Freetown. The U-boats have sunk so many ships in the area recently that there are lifeboats and rafts in many places.

Convoy OB 327 departs from Liverpool

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Lightning is commissioned, and destroyer Panther, corvette Cowslip, and minesweeping trawler Professor are launched.

Canadian minesweepers HMCS Kelowna launched at Prince Rupert and Guysborough laid down in North Vancouver.

Polish destroyer ORP Krakowiak (formerly HMS Silverton) is commissioned (Tadeusz Gorazdowski).

Free French corvette Roselys (formerly HMS Sundew) is launched.

U-579 and U-580 are launched, U-183 is laid down.

"6-inch howitzers towed by AEC Matador artillery tractors of 79th (The Scottish Horse) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery, pass over a bridge near Huntly in Banffshire, 28 May 1941." (Lockeyear W T (Lt), War Office official photographer, Imperial War Museum).

Battle of the Mediterranean: With the British decision to evacuate Crete having been made at the highest levels on the 27th, Commonwealth troops fight rearguard actions as they head south for pickup at Sfakia (Sphakia, south of Canea/Chandia) and other points. Two companies of the Māori Battalion under Captain Rangi Royal in the New Zealand 5th Brigade make a temporary stand at Stylos, beating up the 1st Battalion of the 141st Gebirgsjäger (Mountain) Regiment and 85th Gebirgsjäger Regiment in order to allow the main force to gain ground. Sgt Alfred Clive Hulme (1911-82) of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force wins the Victoria Cross for actions here and elsewhere on Crete throughout the past week. Many other anonymous soldiers also fight valiantly.

However, not all of the Commonwealth troops get away clean. The 800 men of Layforce (so named for commander Colonel Robert Laycock), which landed at Suda Bay on the 26th and 27th, are caught there along with some other units (20th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery). At the end of the day, Laycock's men stage a night retreat to Beritiana, but it is too late - most are killed or captured. In all, only 179 of the 800 Commandos of Layforce make it to Egypt. Laycock himself, along with brigade major Evelyn Waugh (the famous author), escape in one of the unit's three tanks.

The Luftwaffe is active over the ports and airfields on the north coast such as Heraklion, Suda, and Rethymno which the Germans need to bring in more reinforcements. This gives the retreating British time to get to the southern embarkation points - but they have to hurry. The German planes sink 667 ton Greek freighter Georgos at Heraklion (Candia) Harbour and 298 ton Greek freighter Aghia Kyriaki at Cape Kephola.

Fallschirmjager heading back to Major Edgar Stentzler’s temporary field headquarters, near Platanias, Kreta, 28 May 1941 (Federal Archive Bild 1011-166-0508-15).

The Italian relief convoy which set out on the afternoon of 27 May from Rhodes arrives at Sitia at 17:20. They are surprised to encounter no Royal Navy ships at all, which they don't realize are all to the south of the island supporting the evacuation. The Italians bring 13 L3/35 tanks and 3000 men of the 50th Infantry Division. This is the first Axis armor on Crete. The Italians ignore the retreating British and hook up with the German troops at Ierapetra.

The Royal Navy sends Force B, led by light cruisers Ajax, Dido, and Orion, from Alexandria to take men off from Heraklion. They arrive at 23:30 and evacuates 3486 men from Heraklion after dodging Luftwaffe bombs, with Ajax hit and forced to return to base. On the way home, the Luftwaffe bombs and sinks destroyer Hereward, with 71 men killed or missing and 85 taken prisoner.

Royal Navy Force C heads for Sfakia. Consisting of destroyers Kandahar, Kelvin, Napier and Nizam, it takes off 608 men without loss.

President Roosevelt's declaration of a National Emergency during a radio broadcast takes precedence over the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in the Arizona Daily Star, 28 May 1941.

Evacuations from Sfakia generally wait for the 29th. There are 32,000 Commonwealth troops on Crete, which is a manageable number to evacuate, but they are spread out throughout the island and some either can't make it to the south coast or have to fight their way through to get there. Men try to get off every which way they can - motor launch HMML 1030 (Lt W. M. O. Cooksey RNVR)  sinks while trying to escape from Suda Bay.

Greek civilians participate in the attacks on the advancing Wehrmacht. There are snipers, groups of civilians actively participating in the defense of key points, and supply services given to the defending Commonwealth troops. The defense is fiercest around Heraklion. The Germans view such civilian participation as illegal and treacherous, beginning a cycle of hatred between the local inhabitants and the occupying forces.

While the disastrous situation on Crete is being wound up, the British turn to other sectors. Winston Churchill sends Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell with "observations" about the Middle East which Wavell is much more able to judge himself. Churchill opines that "Everything must now be centered upon destroying the German forces in the Western Desert" considering that "you and Freyberg pronounced situation [on Crete] hopeless." He urges Wavell to fight until he has "beaten the life out of General Rommel's army." He hopes that in this way "the loss of Crete will be more than repaired."

Woman reading to children outside, The University of Iowa, May 28, 1941, by The University of Iowa Libraries, via Flickr (photo by Kent, Frederick W. (Frederick Wallace), 1894-1984).

As usual, Churchill cannot resist some covert digs at Wavell. He notes that "We were all very much puzzled" at some of Wavell's appointments of commanders. It is akin to a baseball team owner questioning a manager's lineup. Churchill notes that, while one such appointment to command troops in the western desert, Noel Beresford-Peirse, "is a good Divisional Commander, it is difficult to believe that he can compare with Wilson [sent to Palestine] in military stature, reputation or experience." One can only imagine Wavell's reaction to such second-guessing from afar.

Wavell indeed is planning his next operation on the Libyan frontier. He signals London that this operation, codename "Battleaxe," will include all available armored strength. This includes the "Tiger cub" brought in by the Tiger convoy of which Winston Churchill is so fond. The 7th Armoured Division will lead the advance. Wavell includes in his message some criticism of British armor - he considers the army's armored cars too lightly armored and inadequate to provide protection against either Luftwaffe strafing or Wehrmacht armored cars.

The RAF attacks Italian shipping off Tripoli, damaging Italian freighters Sebastiano Venier and Marco Foscarini. The master of the Foscarini beaches it near Tripoli.

In Malta, soldiers begin wearing their summer uniforms. The government decides to clamp down on a long-standing issue of soldiers selling their uniform equipment such as boots and shirts to civilians by stamping clothing with the soldiers' serial numbers.

Original capture on the back of this photograph: “The motley tribal army listens to Haile Selassie message after the defeat of 30,000 Italians.” 28 May 1941.

Anglo/US Relations: Hamilton Fish, a New York congressman who chairs the naval affairs committee (and who is not a favorite of President Roosevelt), reviews some data about US cooperation with the British. He reveals that the Royal Navy has filed 132 requests with the US government for permission to have damaged warships repaired at US naval yards. This, of course, violates the rules of war for neutrals, but the US is neutral in name only at this point.

Today, the light cruiser HMS Liverpool adds to the list of Royal Navy ships repaired in the US as it departs from Manila bound for repairs in San Francisco due to damage sustained in October 1940.

South Africa: Prime Minister Jan Smuts officially vests as the first South African Field Marshal in the British Army.

Maximilian Kolbe.

Holocaust: Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar and a future saint of the Catholic church, arrives at the German Auschwitz camp from Warsaw.

British Homefront: Minister of Food Lord Woolton introduces egg, fish, and milk rationing. He also announces that successful prosecutions under Food Control Orders now totaled 17,319, a sign that the black market is thriving.

American Homefront: Animation workers vote to go on strike at the Walt Disney studios after Walt Disney fires Union leader Art Babbitt. They are members of the AFL Screen Cartoonists Guild.

Original caption: "Bringing mention of 'Mickey Mouse' and 'Pluto' into the picket line, members of the A.F. of L. Screen Cartoonists Build are shown picketing the Walt Disney Studios on 28 May 1941 after a strike call. Some of the placards they carry show pictures of Disney characters and such slogans as 'Are We Mice or Men?'" This incident is known as The Great Walt Disney Cartoonists Strike of 1941. The photo is dated 28 May 1941, though many accounts state the strike officially begins on 29 May.

May 1941

May 1, 1941: British Hold Tobruk
May 2, 1941: Anglo-Iraq War
May 3, 1941: Liverpool Hammered
May 4, 1941: Hitler Victory Speech
May 5, 1941: Patriots Day
May 6, 1941: Stalin In Command
May 7, 1941: May Blitz
May 8, 1941: Pinguin Sunk
May 9, 1941: U-110 Captured
May 10, 1941: Hess Flies Into History
May 11, 1941: The Hess Peace Plan
May 12, 1941: Tiger Arrives Safely
May 13, 1941: Keitel's Illegal Order
May 14, 1941: Holocaust in Paris
May 15, 1941: Operation Brevity
May 16, 1941: Blitz Ends
May 17, 1941: Habbaniya Relieved
May 18, 1941: Croatia Partitioned
May 19, 1941: Bismarck at Sea
May 20, 1941: Invasion of Crete
May 21, 1941: Robin Moore Sinking
May 22, 1941: Royal Navy Destruction Off Crete
May 23, 1941: Crete Must Be Won
May 24, 1941: Bismarck Sinks Hood
May 25, 1941: Lütjens' Brilliant Maneuver
May 26, 1941: Bismarck Stopped
May 27, 1941: Bismarck Sunk
May 28, 1941: Crete Lost
May 29, 1941: Royal Navy Mauled Off Crete
May 30, 1941: Sorge Warns, Stalin Ignores
May 31, 1941: British Take Baghdad

2020