Kyiv being taken by the Wehrmacht circa 19 September 1941. These particular fires may be the result of Soviet demolitions. (Kraagranger [Kraayvanger], Federal Archive Bild 183-B12190).
Eastern Front: German Major General W. Stemmermann's 296th Infantry Division of General von Reichenau's 6th Army breaks through crumbling Soviet defenses and advances into Kyiv on 19 September 1941. Soviet Southwestern Front has 850,000 troops under the command of General Mikhail Kirponos, who is trapped in the pocket with his men. While the German cordon around Kyiv still is fairly porous and some Soviet troops are able to break out (against German opposition), the vast majority of Kirponos' men are trapped in a giant, hopeless, and diminishing cauldron.
Firefighters putting out blazes in Kyiv begun by retreating Soviet troops on or about 19 September 1941 (Funck, Federal Archive Bild 183-B12523).
There is little doubt that Kirponos is a scapegoat. Stalin has flown his good friend Marshal Budenny out of the Kyiv pocket, and Marshal Timoshenko is taking a "hands-off" attitude" and is just following Stalin's orders. The generals in Moscow are in no danger, at least not yet. Kirponos, in command on the spot, is seen as a bit of a cautious and pessimistic general by Stalin and his cronies even though he has shown outstanding tactical judgment from the start of Operation Barbarossa. General Zhukov is quoted by Nikita Khrushchev, a Commissar in Kyiv, as saying:
I am afraid your commander (Kirponos) here is pretty weak.
While Stalin easily could send a special plane in to rescue Kirponos, this is not done. Instead, Kirponos forms up his headquarters troops of about 1000 men and attempts a breakout. Kirponos is not part of "the club" and is left to fend for himself, just another victim of Stalin's callous indifference to his minions.
German troops crossing the Dneipr to take Kyiv circa 19 September 1941. In the background is the Lavra Lavra Monastery (Reindl, Federal Archive Bild 146-1997-040-05)
Taking a global perspective, Kyiv is the first (and ultimately only) of the principal objectives of the three Wehrmacht army groups to fall. Leningrad is isolated and basically surrounded, but the Germans already have terminated their attempt to capture Leningrad and instead have resorted to medieval siege tactics there.
"A guard post of the fascist German Wehrmacht on the citadel of the day before, which conquered 19.9.1941 city Kyiv and a view of the city with the burning Dniepr bridge." Kyiv, 19 September 1941 (Schmidt Federal Archive Figure 183-L20208)
The sole remaining major objective for the Germans in 1941 remains Moscow. The capital of the Soviet Union is still hundreds of miles behind the front, which is reassuring when the Stavka looks at a map. However, the fall of Kyiv releases massive German forces which now can be redirected (after the lengthy process of subduing the remaining Soviet forces near Kyiv) toward Stalin's place of residence. With the fall of Kyiv, the ultimate outcome of Operation Barbarossa now becomes a race between the Geman ability to grind forward toward Moscow and the weather, which already is showing the first signs of winter.
German troops riding into Kyiv, watched by civilians, 19 September 1941 (Reindl, Federal Archive Figure 183-L20213).
After crossing the Dneipr River, a German soldier searches a surrendering Soviet soldier in his foxhole on 2 September 1941. This area near the river is very marshy and it is relatively easy to dig holes there.(Federal Archive B 145 Bild-F016202-15A).
Eastern Front: The German advance is at a standstill on 2 September 1941 due to a variety of factors. In some places, Soviet counterattacks are forcing many leading German elements to guard their flanks, while in others the Wehrmacht is simply consolidating past advances. There are some German gains, but they are local. In fact, there is a very rare occurrence to this point in the war, with the Germans deciding that they have to withdraw in the central sector due to Soviet pressure. OKH Chief of Staff General Franz Halder bemoans the "absence of any purposeful concentration of strength" at several points along the front. It is a growing problem for the Germans, not so much because of poor generalship as the growing spaces that need to be defended. Perhaps the most notable aspect of this conference in light of later events is that the decision to withdraw apparently is made without resistance from Hitler, who does, however, ask several pointed questions about why this situation developed when he is informed. In his war diary, Halder treats Hitler's concerns as just an annoyance to be dealt with by others.
Finnish troops crossing Rajajoki River, 2 September 1941 (SA-Kuva).
In the Far North sector, Finnish troops reach the pre-1939 border on the Karelian Isthmus. Contrary to some past incidents, the Finnish troops cross the border without any hesitation. Marshal Mannerheim orders the troops to advance until they have reached the shortest possible defensive line across the isthmus, which is beyond the old border but still well short of Leningrad.
Crashed airplane to the east of the Dneipr River, 2 September 1941 (Federal Archive B 145 Fig. F016202-19A).
In the Army Group North sector, advances are minor. Halder criticizes Army Group Commander von Leeb, who he says (but not by name) "shies from taking risks and so pushes on only by inches." About 20 miles south of Leningrad, advance Wehrmacht troops try to push through determined Soviet opposition. Soviet gunboats on the Neva River support the defenders. At the key railway junction of Mga somewhat to the southwest, the Germans finally end Soviet counterattacks and consolidate their hold on the town. While not of much use to the Germans, Mga's loss ends any hope of the Soviets reestablishing the rail line from Moscow to Leningrad. There is a secondary rail line further north that is still in Soviet hands, but it is threatened, too.
In the Army Group Center sector, General Halder holds a difficult conference with Army Commander Field Marshal von Brauchitsch and Army Group Center commander Field Marshal von Bock. After reviewing the heavy casualties and lack of reserves in the Yelnya "lightning rod" position, they decide to evacuate the salient. In retrospect, some consider the first time that the Germans have been forced to make a significant retreat during World War II. The situation is made more critical by the need to transfer all available reserves to support General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 and accompanying the Second Army, which are facing heavy counterattacks south of the Desna. Guderian's tanks give up some ground on the east flank when they are supposed to be advancing south toward Chernihiv on the road to Kyiv.
In the Army Group South sector, the Germans are consolidating their bridgeheads across the Dneipr and make no further major progress. German Sixth Army begins attacking Soviet 37th Army as it continues plowing into the Kyiv defenses.
View across the Dneipr River, 2 September 1941 (Federal Archive B 145 Bild-F016202-04A).
European Air Operations: The RAF has a rough night. It flies 201 sorties and loses 12 bombers. This is a 6% loss rate. This kind of attrition means that any airman who flies the required 20 such missions statistically is unlikely to return to base at some point.
The RAF begins a daylight bombing campaign against targets in northern France. RAF Fighter Command sends six Blenheims on a sweep across the French coastline north to Ostend on Roadstead operations, losing one Blenheim bomber. They claim to set one ship on fire. RAF Bomber Command sends three Flying Fortresses to attack Bremen, Duisburg, and Hamburg, but only Bremen is attacked.
After dark, the RAF attacks Frankfurt with 126 bombers (71 Wellingtons, 44 Whitleys, and 11 Hampdens). Three Wellings and a Hampden fail to return. Damage is slight.
A secondary attack by 49 bombers (32 Hampdens, 7 Halifaxes, 6 Stirlings, and 4 Manchester bombers) bombs Berlin. The RAF loses five bombers (2 Halifaxes, 2 Hampdens, and a Manchester).
There are also 16 RAF bombers sent to lay mines off the Frisian Islands and the Danish coast. There are ten Wellingtons and Whitleys sent to bomb Ostend. The RAF loses two Hampdens and 1 Wellington.
In the Berlin raid, RAF No. 61 Wing Commander G.E. Valentine and Group Captain J.F. Barrett are killed. They are buried in the Berlin War Cemetery.
A Sturmgeschütz III advances after crossing the Dneipr, 2 September 1941 (Federal Archive B 145 Fig. F016202-23A).
Battle of the Baltic: Finnish Thornycroft boat Syöksy sinks Soviet transport Meero south of Koivisto in Koivisto Sound.
Finnish minelayers conduct operations designed to bottle up the Soviet warships at Kronstadt and Leningrad.
Battle of the Atlantic: Royal Navy Force M, composed of the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, heavy cruisers Devonshire and Suffolk, and six destroyers, departs from Sardam Bay on Operation EGV1. This is a planned attack on German convoys and installations at Tromso in northern Norway.
The 4989-ton German freighter Oslebshausen sinks near Obrestad, Norway (near Stavanger). This apparently is due to a mine, though some sources say it is due to an RAF torpedo attack.
Norwegian sources report that renovated 1866 fishing vessel Sydnes springs a leak and sinks under tow after taking on coal at Kristiansund.
German salvage tug Peter Wessels hits a mine and sinks in the Ems River.
Royal Navy landing craft HMS LCP(L) 59 and LCP(L) 71 sink on this date. No other details are readily available.
Free French destroyer La Cordeliere runs aground in Scotland and sustains some minor damage.
Convoy OS 5 departs from Liverpool bound for Freetown, Convoy HG 72 departs from Gibraltar bound for Liverpool, Convoy ST 2 departs from Freetown bound for Takoradi.
Royal Navy submarine HMS Umbra is commissioned.
Canadian corvette HMCS Fredericton (Quebec), patrol boat Ehkoli (British Columbia), and minesweeper Miramichi (North Vancouver) are launched.
USS submarine US Gurnard is laid down.
U-175 is launched.
After crossing the Dneipr, German soldiers aid an injured rider, 2 September 1941 (Federal Archive B 145 Image-F016202-24A).
Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarines HMS Ursula and Triumph arrive at Malta after completing patrols to the south.
Malta has just concluded its first full week without any enemy night air raids since early in the war. The moon, however, is now full, and before dawn, there is a lengthy raid that lasts for four or five hours. Damage is minor. There are no raids during the day or after dark.
A mine explodes at Ta Qali, killing three or four RAF soldiers.
Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet cruisers Chervona Ukraina and Komintern support the ground troops at Odesa.
Partisans: Marshal Tito's forces combine with the nationalist Chetniks in attacks on the German garrison in Krupanj in Serbia.
Special Operations: In Spitzbergen, Royal Navy transport Empress of Canada embarks the inhabitants and Canadian troops. Before they depart, the Canadians destroy the town after already having destroyed the nearby coal facilities. The force, which includes cruisers and destroyers, plans to leave on 3 September. The Germans remain completely unaware of the operation.
Spy Stuff: Finally realizing that its codes are compromised, the Red Army discontinues the use of its "five number code." Many communications in the first few days of the invasion were uncoded voice transmissions or over ordinary telephone lines, and the Red Army continues to have difficulties keeping its transmissions secret. The Finns, in particular, have had great success in breaking the Soviet codes, but this destroys that advantage. Throughout World War II, code-breaking will play a major role in operations.
The Japanese consulate in Batavia, Netherlands East Indies, informs Tokyo that the local government has assumed an anti-Japanese and pro-Chinese posting, stating:
conditioned by our military invasion of French Indo-China, it was a fact that the government of these islands had drastically stepped up their anti-Japanese tendencies and very evidently assumed an attitude of aid to China.
Trade continues between the Netherlands East Indies, however.
US/Mexican Relations: The United States extends loans to Mexico to create a joint defense of the hemisphere. In addition, the two countries, and also Colombia and Ecuador, enter into currency stabilization agreements.
German soldiers search Soviet machine-gun foxholes after crossing the Dneipr on 2 September 1941 (Federal Archive B 145 Bild-F016202-18A).
Japanese Military: The Imperial Japanese Air Force establishes the Air Defense Bureau in order to centralize air defenses throughout Japan.
United States Military: There is no sense of urgency on the American side in the Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur, in charge of US forces in the Philippines, casually remarks to Admiral Hart that there is "plenty of time" to get ready for a Japanese attack.
British Military: Royal Navy sailor Albert Howarth is awarded the Albert Medal after saving the life of another man in the water after his own foot had been blown off.
Soviet Prisoners being taken prisoner after German troops cross the Dneipr, 2 September 1941 (Federal Archive B 145 Fig. F016202-14A).
Soviet Military: The Soviet 54th Army forms in the Leningrad sector.
US Government: Edward Stettinius replaces Roosevelt's crony Harry Hopkins as Lend-Lease administrator.
China: The collaborationist government of Manchuria ("Wei Manzhouguo") enacts its second five-year plan for economic growth.
Holocaust: German police operate in conjunction with local auxiliaries to massacre over 3700 Jews at Ponary (near Vilnius) in the Ponary massacre.
Finnish troops crossing Rajajoki River, 2 September 1941 (SA-Kuva).
Soviet Homefront: About 300 Soviet trains are en route to the Urals carrying the machine tools of 90 factories that were threatened by the German advance.
Leningrad is isolated. In addition to a population of 2.5 million inhabitants, about 100,000 refugees have poured into the city. There is not enough food in the city to feed everyone. The loss of the main rail line through Mga means food deliveries from the south are going to have to travel by other means, none of which are adequate. Leningrad officials impose food rationing.
Italian Homefront: Il Popolo d’Italia, the fascist newspaper, writes that the goal of the Hitler/Mussolini alliance is to form a united Europe through the "‘harmonious co-operation of all European peoples."
American Homefront: "The Great Gildersleeve" radio program debuts on NBC. It is a spinoff of "Fibber McGee and Molly." It quickly becomes very popular and lasts throughout the decade.
Future History: John Thompson is born in Washington, D.C. He becomes the legendary basketball coach of the Georgetown Hoyas. In 1984, Thompson becomes the first African-American head coach to win a major collegiate championship. He is the head coach who grooms Patrick Ewing, the center on the team, into becoming a dominant force in the NBA. As of this writing, John Thompson is a professional radio and television sports commentator.
Finnish troops crossing Rajajoki River, 2 September 1941 (SA-Kuva).
Wellington X9764/AA:V of RAF No. 75 Squadron, shot down by a night fighter over the Zuider Zee in the early hours of 13 August 1941. The pilot nurses the plane back to England and crash-lands it here, in Thetford forest. The plane is repaired and returned to service (IWM CH3366).
Eastern Front: OKH Chief of Staff Franz Halder on 13 August 1941 has a conference with Chief of Staff for Army Group South at Uman and the army generals under Field Marshal von Rundstedt's command. Afterward, Halder writes:
The consensus is that the projected missions can be carried out. At present we have no clear plans yet for solving the Kiev problem and for swiftly occupying the Crimea.
Considering that the capture of Kyiv and the Crimea, in fact, are the two primary missions of the Army Group, not having a plan for achieving these objectives is not overly reassuring for the Army Group's prospects.
Halder also sets down his impression of Hitler's most recent Fuhrer Directive, "Supplement to Directive 34." Halder writes:
Attack on Moscow by Army Group Center is approved, but approval is made conditional on so many factors... that the freedom of action which we need for the execution of the plan is severely restricted.
Note that Halder says the army does not have the full freedom of action "which we need." Not want, need. Already, doubt is creeping into the high command as to whether Moscow will or even can be captured.
Dnieper crossing near Strešyn on 13 August 1941.
In the Far North sector, The Finns continue making slow progress around Lake Ladoga. However, the advance toward the Murmansk railway at Loukhi has slowed to a crawl as the Soviets bring in reinforcements by rail - a luxury the Finns do not have.
In the Army Group North sector, there are fierce battles at Luga, where Panzer Group 4 is attempting to blast out of a bridgehead, and Staraya Russa, where the Germans are pulling back. In effect, for the moment the German offensive has run tight and the Soviets are giving as good as they get.
In the Army Group Center sector, the Soviets continue beating against the exposed German Yelnya bridgehead. General Guderian refuses a request for a pullback there. At Krichev, XXIV Corps (General of Panzer Troops Geyr von Schweppenburg) subdues a pocket of Soviet troops and takes 16,000 prisoners, 76 guns, and 15 tanks.
In the Army Group South sector, leader Ion Antonescu orders the Romanian 4th Army to stop its offensive at Odessa. He orders the generals to build up a position along the Khadzhibey Estuary to the northwest of the city before proceeding further. The halt doesn't really affect the battle because the Soviet troops in Odesa are under orders to stay put anyway - and anyone who disobeys a Red Army order to hold their position usually winds up wishing they had regardless of what would have happened to them in the position.
German 11th Army captures Cherson (Kherson), a key crossing over the Dneipr. While still over a hundred miles from the Crimea, Cherson controls the main line of communications to it. Soviet destroyers and gunboats are used in the defense.
European Air Operations: Activity is light today on the Channel front following the maximum effort of RAF Bomber Command during the night of 12/13 August. The British took unacceptable casualties overnight for a sustained bombing offensive regardless of the damaged caused to Cologne and the other targets. However, the RAF is gearing up for another major effort on the 14th and has plenty of bombers at its disposal.
The Luftwaffe Attacks the northeast British coast at Sunderland, Alnmouth and Horden Colliery. The raids kill four people at Sunderland and two dead at Horden Colliery Yard, with others injured.
Battle of the Baltic: Soviet minesweeper Tralshik hits a mine and sinks in the Gulf of Finland.
Estonian submarines Kalev and Lembit lay mines off Cape Ushava.
The German 2nd S-Boat Flotilla lays minefield Mona I, composed of 18 TMB mines in the south entrance to Moon Sound.
The German 5th M-Boat Flotilla lays minefields Pinnass V and Pinnass VI with 28 mines at Cape Domesnas.
Soviet torpedo boat U-2 Proletariy Ukrainy is lost of unknown causes today.
Battle of the Atlantic: German E-boats sink Soviet minesweeper No. 41 in the Gulf of Finland north of Tallinn, Estonia. Another Soviet minesweeper, No. 89, also is lost today.
Faroes 158-ton fishing ship Sjoborg hits a mine and sinks east of the southern Faroes. This is the second ship sunk in this restricted area recently, and the mines are "friendly" mines.
Soviet submarine K-2 attacks some German ships off Tanafjord, Norway, but misses.
Free French submarine Rubis claims to attack and sink a ship off Norway, but there is no confirmation.
Convoy OG-71 departs from Liverpool bound for Lisbon, Convoy OS-3 departs from Liverpool bound for Freetown.
Royal Navy minesweeping trawler HMS Rysa (Lt. John H. CooperThat ) is commissioned.
Canada orders minesweepers HMCS Llewellyn and Lloyd George.
Battle of the Mediterranean: The British continue replacing worn-out Australian troops with Polish soldiers at Tobruk. This is done at night throughout the week with the usual fast nightly supply runs.
Royal Navy 1267-ton schooner Kephallinia makes a supply run from Alexandria to Tobruk, but sinks for unexplained reasons not far from Alexandria. HMS Hero is nearby and picks up survivors.
According to some sources, landing craft tank HMS LCT-14 hits a mine and sinks today. According to other sources, it sinks on the 12th. Whichever day it is, LCT 15 sinks near Tobruk.
Operation Guillotine, the British reinforcement of Cyprus, continues as Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Neptune, minelaying cruiser Abdiel, and destroyer Jackal take troops to the island.
An Italian departs from Naples bound for Tripoli. The convoy is composed of five freighters escorted by five destroyers and a torpedo boat.
The Luftwaffe attacks Alexandria during the night.
At Malta, a Maryland sent to drop propaganda leaflets on Tunisia is shot down.
Muir Glacier, Alaska's Glacier Bay on 13 August 1941 (National Snow and Ice Data Center, W. O. Field, B. F. Molnia).
Battle of the Black Sea: The 1st Marine Rifle Regiment makes an attack at Grigorevka, Ukraine. Soviet destroyers Shaumyan and Nezamozhink and gunboat Krasny Adzharistan support the attack. Coastal defense batteries No. 412 and 726 also support the attack.
Soviet destroyers Shaumyan, Nezamozhnik, Frunze, and Dzerzhinski support the defense of Odesa by firing at Romanian positions today and throughout the week. Soviet river gunboat Akhiti sinks today from unknown causes.
The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Soviet freighter Polina Osipenko in the Black Sea.
POWs: Captains A.L.C. Dufour and J.G. Imit of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army and E.H. Larive and F. Steinmetz of the Royal Netherlands Navy escape from Colditz POW camp through a manhole. The first two are recaptured and returned to Colditz, the second two make it to Switzerland.
US/Australian Relations: The goodwill tour of US heavy cruisers USS Northampton (CA-26) and Salt Lake City (CA-25) continues, as they arrive today at Rabaul, New Britain.
German Military: There is some disagreement regarding the date of the first powered flight of the Messerschmitt Me 163 VI Komet. Some accounts state that it takes place today at Karlshagen, Peenemunde and reaches a speed of 497 mph (800 km/h) at the hands of Heini Dittmar. Other dates vary wildly, from about a week earlier to some time in 1942. Today seems to be the most generally accepted date.
Australian Military: The Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) is raised.
Canadian Military: The Canadian government authorizes the Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC).
US Government: Due to the growing war emergency, President Roosevelt signs an executive order suspending the 8-hour workday for certain skilled trades such as mechanics and laborers who are working for the War Department. These men are building infrastructure for the military such as airfields and barracks which has a high priority.
A soldier of the 9th Australian Division giving a drink of water to a donkey foal in Tobruk during the final months of the city's siege, Libya, 13 August 1941.
China: The Japanese bomb Chungking for the seventh day in a row, a total of 40 separate air raids. The city's air defenses have been worn down from ceaseless combat, and the Japanese now have total control of the skies over the Nationalist capital.
Holocaust: Ostland Reichkommissar Hinrich Lohse orders Jews to turn in all property to have it registered and confiscated, including money and other valuables such as rings and watches.
At Raseiniai, Einsatzcommando 3 executes 294 Jewish women and three Jewish children.
French Homefront: Apparently in response to Premier Petain's somewhat authoritarian speech on the evening of the 12th, communist protesters riot in Paris. The French and German authorities make many arrests.
Henry Ford (right, in straw hat) with his soybean car, circa 13 August 1941.
American Homefront: Henry Ford's prototype soybean car, supposedly designed in part by George Washington Carver, is introduced to the public at a community festival in Dearborn, Michigan. The car has a tubular steel frame to which are attached 14 plastic panels that are extremely thin. Ford claims that they are made at least in large part from biodegradable materials such as soybeans and hemp. The project is a personal project of Henry Ford, who hopes to integrate agriculture and industry.
Much mystery surrounds this soybean car (which does not survive because Ford had it destroyed almost immediately after showing it), and at least some scientists today think that the whole "soybean" angle was a scam and, in fact, the car was made of simple plastic - itself revolutionary for the time. In fact, some license plates are made of soybean products during the war, and the drivers learn that farm animals find them quite tasty.
Warner Bros. releases "International Squadron," directed by Lewis Seiler and Lothar Mendes and starring Ronald Reagan and Olympia Bradna. As is often the case during this period, Reagan plays the friend of someone (James Stephenson) who inspires the Reagan character into action. Reagan's character ultimately winds up in the RAF's Eagle Squadron and ultimately becomes a big hero. The film is notable for including actual aerial combat footage shot by Warners' Teddington studios technicians during the Battle of Britain and shipped over the United States. However, the close-up shots of "RAF" aircraft show a motley group of contemporary civilian aircraft dressed up as fighters.
It is Ladies Day at Dodgers Stadium in Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Running against convention for sports events, General Manager Larry MacPhail stages a fashion show for the ladies.
Muir Inlet, Alaska on 13 August 1941 (United States Geological Survey (USGS)).
Eastern Front: On 3 July 1941, after disappearing from public view for ten days, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin gives a radio speech. It is a remarkable event in the history of the Soviet Union. It is one of the most dramatic and influential speeches of the 20th Century because it produces results that change the history of the world. As British newsman Alexander Werth writes, for the first time Stalin speaks to the country as if his listeners are his friends. Listeners can hear the clink of Stalin's glass as he takes occasional sips and marvel at his very thick Georgian accent. It is as if Stalin is sitting at the table with you, explaining the tragedy that has befallen the country and asking personally for your help.
The gist of the speech is that the entire Soviet Union must engage in total war. On a tactical level, Stalin advocates that his "brothers" and "sisters" adopt "Guerilla tactics." He admonishes "We must not leave … a single kilogram of grain or a single liter of petrol to the enemy." He summarizes the strategic situation quite honestly, one of the few times the Soviet government gives a clear picture of the situation throughout the war:
Hitler's troops have succeeded in capturing Lithuania, a considerable part of Latvia, the western part of White Russia, a part of the western Ukraine. The Fascist air force is extending the range of the operations of its bombers and is bombing Murmansk, Orsha, Mogilev, Smolensk, Kiev, Odessa, Sevastopol.
However, the speech touches on themes that go far beyond the tactical or even strategic.
Thus the issue is one of life or death for the Soviet state, for the peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; the issue is whether the peoples of the Soviet Union shall remain free or fall into slavery. The Soviet people must realize this and abandon all heedlessness; they must mobilize themselves and reorganize all their work on new, war-time lines, when there can be no mercy to the enemy.
Stalin concludes with a populist call to "the people" - unheard of in the Soviet state to date:
The State Committee of Defense has entered in its functions and calls upon all our people to rally around the party of Lenin-Stalin and around the Soviet government so as self-denyingly to support the Red Army and Navy, demolish the enemy and secure victory. All our forces for support of our heroic Red Army and our glorious Red Navy. All the forces of the people—for the demolition of the enemy! Forward, to our victory!
The results of Joseph Stalin's speech will become clear as we continue our review of the days of World War II.
German soldiers recovering a fallen StuG III assault gun in the Pruth River, 3 July 1941 (Federal Archives, Bild B 145 Fig. F016207-0008).
In the Far North sector, General Dietl's Army of Norway 3rd Mountain Division establishes a bridgehead across the Litsa River on the way to Murmansk in Operation Silver Fox. The Soviets quickly send reinforcements to the area and stop any further German penetration. Further south, the Operation Arctic Fox advance toward Salla bogs down, largely due to the inexperience of the German SS-Infantry Kampfgruppe Nord division. The Germans call for reinforcements from southern Finland and ask the Finns to mount a flank attack on the Soviet defenders to free up their front, but this will take several days to organize.
In the Army Group North sector, Field Marshall von Leeb's troops continue attacking the Stalin Line with 4th Panzer Group. The Soviet defenders manage to hold their positions through great sacrifices.
On the Army Group Center Front, the panzers of General Walter Model's 3rd Panzer Division of Panzer Group 2 reach the Dneipr River at Rogachev southeast of Minsk despite determined Soviet counterattacks. There is some confusion on the German side, with local commanders determined to move forward while Hitler's 29 June "stop" order technically remains in place. Field Marshal von Bock supports Generals Guderian and Hoth against Army Commander von Brauchitsch, and the panzers continue eastward past Minsk.
Some of the 290,000 Soviet troops taken prisoner at Bialystok. 3 July 1941 (Hermann, Federal Archives, Bild 101I-006-2212-30).
Behind the front, General Hoth's 3rd Panzer Group helps infantry troops to subdue the large Soviet Bialystok pocket west of Minsk. Ultimately, 290,000 Soviet troops and 2500 tanks surrender.
Soviet Colonel Yakov Grigorevich Kreizer, commander of the elite 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division, attacks the bridgehead established by General Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group at Borisov (near Lipki). The attack is spotted before it arrives by Luftwaffe reconnaissance. The attack is sharp and vicious but fails. Guderian's 18th Panzer Division in the bridgehead is aided in planning its defense by intercepts of Soviet communications made "in the clear" - not in code - and also by Luftwaffe reconnaissance. The Soviets have a success of sorts, getting the remnants of 4th and 13th Armies across the Dneipr, but all of the Soviet armies are battered an no longer worthy of the name. Marshal Timoshenko orders the 21st Army forward to hold the river line, which the Germans are unable to cross before nightfall.
In the Army Group South sector, the main action is in Soviet Moldavia, where Romanian 3rd and 4th Armies and German 11th Army continue their offensive. The Soviets attempt some counterattacks, but they barely slow the Germans.
Soviet Naval Air unit 402 IAL, based at Idritsa in Russia and commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel P. Stefanovsky, goes into action with its new MiG-3 fighters for the second straight day with outstanding results. It destroys six more Luftwaffe planes, as it did on the 2nd. The unit has as its adjutant an aerobatic champion, Major K. A. Gruzdev, who devises special strategies for the unit's pilots such as picking an altitude where the new MiG-3 fighters enjoy a performance advantage over the Bf 109s. Gruzdev quickly develops into one of the top aces in the Red Air Force.
Wilhelm Pruller writes in his diary, published after the war as "Diary of a German Soldier," about the general German tactics used at this stage of the war. The panzers use the road network to push east, "Without securing the land lying to the right and left of the road." This means that uncounted numbers of Soviet troops are left behind the Wehrmacht spearheads hidden in gullies and forests. Pruller's unit is in Kamionka. Early in the morning, Pruller's unit encounters and wipes out a force of Russian cavalry hiding in a ravine by using artillery. Later, a Soviet tank (apparently a KV) drives alone into town from the north carrying a large party of Soviet soldiers armed with pistols. The tankers are just trying to make it back to Soviet lines, but they have to get through the German-held town. The tank makes it through Kamionka and across a bridge almost to safety before German artillery finally destroys it. The Germans find that some of the soldiers on the tank were women - they all were burned alive.
British troops under fire near Damascus, 3 July 1941.
Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: The main action in Syria switches today from Palmyra, which fell to the British on 2 July, to northeastern Syria. General William "Bill" Slim of Iraq Command controls 10th Indian Infantry Division plus the 2/8th Gurkha Rifles from 20th Indian Infantry Brigade. Based in Haditha, its goal is to advance westward toward Aleppo, and Slim's forces so far have not met much opposition.
The 2/10th Gurkha Rifles attacks Deir ez-Zor from the south-west at 09:00. They take the garrison by surprise and seize important bridges intact. Other Gurkha Rifles then advance from the southeast and clear the town against heavy Vichy French air attacks. By 15:30, Deir ez-Zor is in British hands, with the British capturing booty of five aircraft, nine guns, and 50 trucks. However, the defending Syrian troops hurriedly take off their uniforms and blend into the civilian population, evading capture. Only about 100 prisoners are taken.
Vichy France sends more aerial reinforcements for Syria from Tunis. They take the northern route via Brindisi, Italy, and Athens. Today, 21 Dewoitine D.520 fighters of No. 3 Squadron, 2nd Fighter Grup (GD II/3) land at Rhodes, their last stop before entering the battle zone.
Jewish forced laborers unloading German ammunition at Isbica railway station (15 km north of Zamosc, Poland), 3 July 1941 (Paris, Hans Joachim, Federal Archives, Bild 146-1994-027-33).
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe makes a rare daylight raid on Great Britain, attacking Land's End in southwestern England. The attack fails, however, when the bombs fail to explode. Many British observers conclude that the Luftwaffe has so many defective bombs because slave laborers in German factories are secretly sabotaging their ordnance.
During the day, RAF Fighter Command conducts two Circus missions to Hazebrouck. The RAF loses two Spitfires in the first mission and four in the second to JG 2 and JG 26, most near St. Omer.
During the night, RAF Bomber Command attacks Essen (90 bombers) and Bremen (68). Bombing accuracy is terrible, and the entire area around Essen is hit (including Bochum, Dortmund, Duisburg, Hagen, and Wuppertal).
During the RAF night raids, at 01:00, Luftwaffe night fighter pilot Oblt. Reinhold Knacke of 2./NJG 1 destroys a British Whitley bomber and a Hampden bomber.
Luftwaffe Major Wilhelm Balthasar, Kommodore of JG 2, is shot down and killed. He had 47 victories. His replacement is Oblt. Walter Oesau.
Following a recent air battle in which he shot down five Soviet bombers, Werner Mölders, now serving on the Eastern Front as Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51, is awarded the Swords to his Knight's Cross from the hand of Adolf Hitler.
East African Campaign: The Italian garrison at Debra Tabor surrenders. In addition, Free Belgian troops under the command of Major-General Auguste Gilliaert surround General Pietro Gazzera's army of about 7000 men at Saio in the south Ethiopian Highlands. The Belgians also attack Dembidollo in Galla-Sidamo.
A funeral in Zăicani, Rîșcani, Moldova, 3 July 1941. Note German soldier on horseback watching as others carry the coffin behind a priest (Federal Archives, Bild B 145 Fig. F016207-0029).
Battle of the Baltic: Finnish submarine Vetehinen uses its deck gun to attack 4100-ton Soviet ship Vyborg north of Stenskaar. The Viborg gets away for the time being (sunk on 3 July by submarine Vesikko).
Soviet Navy transport Imanta hits a mine off Suursai. The master manages to beach the ship before it sinks, but it is a total write-off.
German naval trawler KOL-72 hits a mine and sinks at Kołobrzeg, Poland.
Soviet motor torpedo boat No. 12 is lost somewhere in the Baltic of unknown causes.
The Soviets scuttle freighter Everiga at Pyarnu rather than allow it to be captured by the advancing Germans.
Battle of the Atlantic: U-69 (Kptlt. Jost Metzler), on its third patrol out of Lorient and operating southwest of the Canary Islands, sinks 2918-ton British freighter Robert L. Holt at 06:50. The Robert L. Hold happens to be the ship of Commodore Vice-Admiral N.A. Wodehouse of recently dispersed Convoy OB-337. It is an unusual encounter because the U-boat is out of torpedoes, so Metzler decides to surface and use his deck gun. This proves to be a risky decision when the armed freighter fires back, which Metzler probably wasn't expecting. Ultimately, U-69 fires 102 high explosives and 34 incendiary rounds from the deck gun, along with 220 rounds from the 20mm anti-aircraft gun and 400 rounds from its MG 34 machine gun. There are 49 deaths. This is the final success of U-69 on this eventful patrol, which has seen it almost bring the United States into the war six months earlier than would be the case with its sinking of US freighter Robin Moor.
British 86-ton drifter Receptive hits a mine and sinks in The Swale near Uplees. There is one death.
Royal Navy 82-ton auxiliary ship Rosme hits a mine and sinks off Foulness Island.
Convoy SL-80 departs from Freetown bound for Liverpool.
Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Rothesay (Commander Alaster A. Martin) is commissioned.
U-577 (Kapitänleutnant Herbert Schauenburg) is commissioned, U-265 and U-521 are laid down.
Jews being forced to carry ammunition by German troops near Zamość, Izbica, 3 July 1941 (Paris, Hans Joachim, Federal Archives, Bild 146-1991-014-08).
Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder torpedoes and sinks 5870-ton Italian freighter Laura Cosulich east of Calabria.
Spanish 308-ton freighter Felipe Crespi hits a mine and sinks off Genoa, Italy.
Off the Libyan coast east of Tobruk, Italian submarine Malachite spots light cruiser HMS Phoebe making a sweep in the company of light cruiser HMAS Perth and three destroyers. Malachite fires a torpedo, but misses.
British submarine HMS Osiris makes it to Malta with 70 tons of bulk petrol.
Danish/US Relations: Expanding the recent "Consulate War" between the US, Germany, and Italy, Denmark leaps into the fray by demanding that the US evacuate its consular staff by 15 July. In general, these expulsions are a bad thing for the Allies, as the US consulates behind the Reich lines can provide valuable intelligence to Great Britain.
"Kennedy family friend, Stanley Rogers "Stan" Resor (with a towel draped around his head, and one foot on a pair of water skis), stands on a dock at Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, during the Fourth of July holiday; Gaspard d'Andelot "Don" Belin sits in the stern of a docked boat at left." This photo was taken circa 3 July 1941. Resor goes on to serve in Europe, wins the Silver Star and Bronze Star, and serves as Secretary of the United States Army from 1965 to 1971. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Libary and Museum).
Soviet Military: All men aged 16-60 and women aged 18-50 are mobilized, with very few exceptions.
British Military: The Handley-Page Halifax Mk II makes its maiden flight. It features improved Merlin 22 engines, a more streamlined nose, a four-gun Defiant-type dorsal turret, and some minor structural improvements.
Bell P-39C Aircobra fighter planes arrive at RAF Colerne, the first of 675 ordered by the British Purchasing Commission. They will serve with RAF No. 601 Squadron. RAF pilots, however, take an immediate dislike to the planes once they find that the rate of climb and performance at altitude is lacking.
Romanian Government: Romanian leader Ion Antonescu reveals his thinking during an address at the Ministry of Internal Affairs:
We find ourselves at the broadest and most favorable moment for a complete ethnic unshackling, for a national revival and for the cleansing of our people of all those elements alien to its spirit.
Holocaust: In Tallinn, Estonia, the Soviet NKVD shoots prominent politician Friedrich Akel. The Soviets imprisoned Akel in October 1940 but apparently preferred to shoot him rather than evacuate him with the rest of the retreating Soviet population. His wife Adele Karoline Tenz already has been deported.
July 3, 1941, The Sporting News- Detroit All-Star Game Issue- All-Stars & Briggs Stadium Cover. The game is scheduled for 8 July 1941.
American Homefront: Eleanor Roosevelt publishes a column with the United Feature Syndicate, Inc. entitled "My Day, July 3, 1941." In her column, she simply describes her thoughts during the day and philosophizes about "modern life." Among her thoughts today are the plight of "underprivileged youngsters," including "above all, our young Negro people," whom she feels are not getting enough recreation. She encourages people to send soldiers "packages of small luxuries, and even of necessities."
Future History: Gloria Rachel Bloom is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gloria grows up and becomes a lawyer, becoming interested in women's issues. Using her married name of Gloria Allred, she goes on to become a prominent attorney in California who is still active at the time of this writing.
Wylie Walker Vale is born in Houston, Texas. He becomes a top endocrinologist who discovers the stress hormone.
