February 16, 1942: Operation Neuland Begins

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

Thursday 20 August 1940

The cover of "Der Adler" (The Eagle) magazine for 20 August 1940. The cover is somewhat ironic due to the fact that the Stukas are in the process of being withdrawn from most combat operations on the Channel front due to their vulnerability.

British Government: Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes one of his more famous and memorable speeches to Parliament on 20 August 1940, with the immortal line coming at the end of this paragraph:

The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

"The Few" remains the motto of the RAF to this day, so the speech had a lasting impact upon the service itself.

Of course, the Battle of Britain isn't quite over yet, so it is a bit early to be taking victory laps. However, the historical record in hindsight makes this a fitting occasion to make such a speech.

The debate after the speech makes interesting reading because there is some satisfaction expressed about the warlike tone constantly struck by Churchill, the apparent absence of any interest whatsoever in peace negotiations of any sort, and the "slanderous anti-Soviet propaganda" being (apparently) supported by the government. This is an interesting position in many ways, but particularly due to what we now know was about to happen to London.

Churchill also announces the agreement with the US to trade bases for destroyers. The bases will be in Newfoundland and the West Indies.


Battle of Britain: The weather - England's second-best ally in the battle following the assistance of the United States - once again turns foul and hinders operations. Great Britain merely has to run out the clock before the weather really closes in, while the Luftwaffe must get things done in a hurry if its aerial offensive is to have any meaning at all.

There is not much going on aside from reconnaissance until shortly before noon when Bf 110s from Epr.Gr 210 operates around Southwold, including attacking shipping and RAF Martlesham Heath. RAF No. 66 Squadron intervenes and chases them off.

At 13:45, Dornier Do 17s come across the North Sea and are met by RAF No. Squadron. 242, which loses a Hurricane.

Other Dornier Do 17 bombers attack RAF Eastchurch at 14:30. RAF No. 615 Squadron intervenes, joined by RAF No. 65 Squadron, which loses a Spitfire.

An hour or so later, the Luftwaffe launches another attack on RAF Manston. RAF No. 600 Squadron sends its Blenheims up in defense, one of which is damaged. The airfield is lightly damaged. A dogfight occurs between the escorting fighters and RAF No. 65 Squadron which forces a Spitfire to crash-land and ultimately be written off.

The 8 storage tanks at Llanreath near Pembroke Docks are still burning from the raid of the 19th, and the fire, in fact, is spreading to another two tanks, creating a massive inferno. This serves as a beacon visible for many miles, attracting more Luftwaffe attacks. RAF No. 236 Squadron sends up Blenheims, one of which is damaged.

There are a few lone-raider missions. One, on RAF Thornaby, results in the loss of a Junkers Ju uu to RAF No. 302 (Polish) Squadron. In addition, a Hurricane of RAF No. 257 Squadron downs a Dornier off Suffolk.

The day is notable because it marks the first time a Luftwaffe crew is interned in Ireland and only the second plane to crash there. It is a long-range Luftwaffe Focke Wulf FW 200C-1 Condor, coded "F8+KH" and assigned to I./KG 40. The anti-aircraft fire brought it down on Mount Brandon during a reconnaissance mission. The incident is unusual in Ireland and long-remembered - the Irish (in general) have no particular personal grudge against the Germans.

The Luftwaffe sinks 248-ton minesweeper trawler HMS Resparko at Falmouth. Everyone survives.

Three Luftwaffe bombers attack RMS St. Patrick off of South Wexford, damaging it. In other attacks on the west coast of Ireland, the Luftwaffe damages British freighter Macville at Blacksod Bay and British freighter Peebles 20 miles off Tuskar Rock.

The Luftwaffe stages a small raid on Scapa Flow in the North of Scotland shortly after midnight.

RAF Coastal Command spots a couple of Kriegsmarine destroyers in the North Sea and damage one.

Losses for the day are light, with Luftwaffe losses usually given as 10-15 planes and RAF losses at 3-5 planes.

Luftwaffe Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 51, Hptm. Horst Tietzen, who perished on 18 August, posthumously receives the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross). Theodor Osterkamp, the commanding officer of Jagdgeschwader 51, also receives the award and is there to receive it. Osterkamp is a fascinating figure because he also fought in World War I and received top awards then as well, including the highly coveted "Blue Max" (Pour le Mérite). The Luftwaffe is very protective of some of its top war heroes and orders Osterkamp to stop flying missions.

U-A, a submarine ordered by Turkey (as the Batiray) from Germaniawerft and requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine on the outbreak of war.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-A (Kapitänleutnant Hans Cohausz) torpedoes and sinks Panamanian (really Finnish) independent 4397-ton collier Tuira about 280 miles southwest of Rockall. There are two dead and 30 survivors.

U-46 (Oberleutnant zur See Engelbert Endrass) torpedoes 2089 ton  Greek wood freighter Leonida M. Valmas in the Western Approaches. Perhaps due to the light cargo, the freighter does not sink right away and is taken under tow, to Kames Bay, where the cargo salvaged and the ship declared a total loss.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Cachalot torpedoes and sinks U-51 (Kapitänleutnant Dietrich Knorr) in the Bay of Biscay 100 miles off of the base at St. Nazaire. All 43 crew perish. The U-boat route to the Atlantic from the French bases is a prime hunting ground for British forces.

British raider Widder sinks British freighter Anglo Saxon.

The British minelayers HMS Teviotbank, Plover, and Willem van der Zaan lay minefield BS 33 in the North Sea.

A floating dock (AFD.12) departs the Tyne for Lyness under escort by destroyers HMS Lowestoft and Egret.

Convoy FN 258 departs from Southend, Convoy MT 146 departs from Methil, Convoy FS 258 departs from the Tyne,, Convoy OB 201 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HG 67 departs from Halifax.

German destroyer Z28 is launched, U-141 is commissioned, and hospital ship Alexander von Humboldt is commissioned. British minesweeping trawler HMS Almond (T 14, Chief Skipper Robert Buchan) is commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The RAF bombs Diredawa and Dessie in Abyssinia and Kassala in eastern Sudan.

Taking a cue from Hitler's decision a few days ago to institute a "total blockade" of Great Britain, Italy institutes its own "total blockade" of Gibraltar, Malta, and Egypt. While it is a fanciful idea in many ways, Malta already is blockaded, and Egypt potentially could face a blockade due to the recent Italian conquest of British Somaliland. The timing of this announcement, though, reinforces the image of the Italian tail wagging on the German dog.

Vice Admiral James Somerville arrives in Gibraltar with his flotilla headed by aircraft carrier Ark Royal and battlecruiser HMS Renown. They have been in Great Britain for home defense. This reconstitutes Force H. Italian bombers attack Gibraltar to no effect.

At Malta, half a dozen more Blenheim bombers land at Luqa, while three others continue their journey to Egypt. The Italians naturally take an interest in all this bomber activity and decide to pay a visit as well. There are air raids on Luqa airfield which destroy several buildings and destroy one of the bombers and damage a couple of others. There also are some attacks on the Hal Far airfield which damage an RAF No. 830 Squadron Swordfish torpedo bomber.

Admiral James Somerville (1882–1949) on the right.

Battle of the Pacific: German disguised merchant raider Orion is operating in the Cook Straight of the Tasman Sea. It finds and sinks 9,691 ton New Zealand cargo steamer SS Turakina about 500 km off the Taranaki coast. It is the first battle of any kind ever fought in the Tasman Sea: the Turakina has a 4.7-inch deck gun versus Orion's six 5.9 inch guns. The battle lasts almost three hours, but the end result is pretty much unavoidable due to the disparity in force. There are 35/38 deaths (sources vary) and 20-21 survivors who are taken as prisoners. The Orion is making plans to work in concert with fellow raider Komet and supply ship Kulmerland.

The Komet, meanwhile, now is being led eastward in the Arctic ocean by Soviet icebreakers. When - or if - it will make it to the Pacific Ocean is unclear.

The New Zealanders and Australians send ships out to hunt down German raiders, but it is a big ocean. The Orion remains in the area of the sinking for five hours to save the survivors from an otherwise almost certain death despite the likelihood of the British ships' arrival.

German Government: Generalmajor Walter Warlimont, deputy chief in the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), and his staff present a revised plan for Operation Felix, the proposed invasion of Gibraltar. The plan concludes with the obvious, that everything depends upon Spanish participation, and that is far from certain. Franco wants to have it both ways, appearing to be against the whole thing while actually supporting it - but absent a declaration of war on Great Britain. Clearly, Franco does not want to enter another general war so soon after winning the Spanish Civil War.

Walter Warlimont.

Soviet Government: Settling once and for all a longstanding feud with former ally Leon Trotsky, Soviet Premier Stalin has an agent, undercover NKVD agent Ramón Mercader, kill him with a mountaineering ice pick at Trotsky's home in Mexico. Stalin has launched other attacks by hit squads on Trotsky that failed, but this time a single attacker does the trick.

China: The Japanese continue their bombing campaign against Chungking. The cumulative effect of the raids is devastating to the Nationalist capital. The new Zero fighters continue escorting the "Nell" bombers, which they began doing only yesterday.

Chinese communists operating in Hebei and Shanxi Provinces launch the "Hundred Regiments Offensive." The attack is focused along the railway line that separates them from the Japanese. The provinces are a major source of supply for the Japanese.

Ramón Mercader, at the time of his assassination of Leon Trotsky and many years later. Convicted of murder, he was released from prison on 6 May 1960, quickly moved to the Soviet Union, and passed away in 1978. A committed communist, Mercader is buried under the name “Ramon Ivanovich Lopez” in Moscow’s Kuntsevo Cemetery.

August 1940

August 1, 1940: Two RN Subs Lost
August 2, 1940: Operation Hurry
August 3, 1940: Italians Attack British Somaliland
August 4, 1940: Dueling Legends in the US
August 5, 1940: First Plan for Barbarossa
August 6, 1940: Wipe Out The RAF
August 7, 1940: Burning Oil Plants
August 8, 1940: True Start of Battle of Britain
August 9, 1940: Aufbau Ost
August 10, 1940: Romania Clamps Down On Jews
August 11, 1940: Huge Aerial Losses
August 12, 1940: Attacks on Radar
August 13, 1940: Adler Tag
August 14, 1940: Sir Henry's Mission
August 15, 1940: Luftwaffe's Black Thursday
August 16, 1940: Wolfpack Time
August 17, 1940: Blockade of Britain
August 18, 1940: The Hardest Day
August 19, 1940: Enter The Zero
August 20, 1940: So Much Owed By So Many
August 21, 1940: Anglo Saxon Incident
August 22, 1940: Hellfire Corner
August 23, 1940: Seaplanes Attack
August 24, 1940: Slippery Slope
August 25, 1940: RAF Bombs Berlin
August 26, 1940: Troops Moved for Barbarossa
August 27, 1940: Air Base in Iceland
August 28, 1940: Call Me Meyer
August 29, 1940: Schepke's Big Day
August 30, 1940: RAF's Bad Day
August 31, 1940: Texel Disaster

2020