Wednesday 24 December 1941

President Roosevelt addresses the crowd at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony from the White House South Portico on December 24, 1941. Winston Churchill, who is visiting during the Arcadia Conference, is at the right. This is the first Christmas Tree lighting ceremony ever held inside the White House grounds (FDR Presidential Library).

Battle of the Pacific: On Hong Kong Island, the British situation is growing increasingly desperate by 24 December 1941. The Japanese have split the island in two at Wong Nai Chung Gap and control the entire island's water supplies, but the British and Canadian troops have greater worries, as reports of Japanese atrocities are growing. After dark, the Japanese approach St. Stephen's College, which is being used as a hospital on the front line, and massacre many injured men and doctors.

About 1,300 Japanese Americans pledge their allegiance to the United States at a newly dedicated Buddhist church in Seattle, Washington, 24 December 1941 (The Associated Press).

Massacres on Hong Kong Island are not isolated incidents, but the norm. For instance, during the closing days of the campaign the Japanese have:

• massacred around two dozen members of the 5th Anti-Aircraft Battery of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Corps (HKVDC) at Sai Wan Hill;
• killed many men at the Salesian Mission at Shau Kei Wan
• massacred eight Canadian soldiers after the battle of Jardine's Lookout;
• murdered three prisoners at Causeway Bay, including a female air raid warden with the local Air Raid Precautions (ARP);
• killed four soldiers at a house on Blue Pool Road known as the "Black Hole of Hong Kong," including two Canadian officers;
• massacred 30 civilians at Blue Pool Road;
• killed at least 47 British POWs at The Ridge;
• killed at least 14 prisoners at Overbays;
• killed 7 men at Eucliffe;
• killed an additional 36 men near The Ridge;
• possibly killed six soldiers of the Middlesex Regiment at Deepwater Bay Ride (it is unclear if they had surrendered);
• murdered eight or twelve British soldiers at the Maryknoll Mission;
• executed 26 prisoners at Brick Hill.

Other incidents are known to have happened because some men simply disappeared without a trace - meaning some perpetrators covered their tracks quite well.

Volunteers at a special station to coordinate Los Angeles air defenses in December 1941. Fears of a Japanese air attack on the city continue well into 1942.

The most horrible atrocity on Hong Kong Island happens at St. Stephens, where an unknown number of victims variously estimated at from 13-99 are executed and then cremated. In the most notorious incident there, the Japanese rape three British and four Chinese nurses before killing them. Canadian Captain Overton Stark Hickey of the RCASC is shot while trying to help the nurses. The rest of the victims are doctors and wounded POWs (or at least patients who should have been treated as POWs). Unfortunately, the full scope of the St. Stephens massacre is impossible to prove later because the Japanese efficiently dispose of the evidence. Atrocities or not, the Commonwealth troops cannot hold out much longer on Hong Kong Island without water.

Damage caused by a Japanese air raid on the Manila port area. This photo was taken on 24 December 1941.

In the Philippines, Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur invokes War Plan Orange 3 (WPO-3) as he continues evacuating Manila. The WPO-3 plan calls for delaying actions in central Luzon while Allied forces retreat into the Bataan Peninsula. The 26th Cavalry Regiment attempts this difficult mission against overwhelming Japanese numerical strength under the command of South Luzon Force. The Americans begin using barges to move supplies from Manila warehouses into the Bataan in the hopes that it can be turned into a redoubt for US and Filipino soldiers and refugees.

Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma, 14th Army commander, coming ashore at Lingayen Gulf, 24 December 1941.

At dawn at Mauban on Lamon Bay southeast of Manila, the Japanese land the 2nd Battalion of the 20th Infantry Regiment (Lt. Col. Nariyoshi Tsunehiro). Other landings occur a little further south at Siain and Atimonan. The Philippine 1st Infantry Division is dug in at the Mauban beach and slows the Japanese down there. The invasion succeeds in getting three bridgeheads, however, and by nightfall, the Japanese have made good progress of about five miles inland at Mauban and even further advances at Atimonan and Siain. These landings put the Japanese within striking distance of the eastern approaches to the Bataan Peninsula. Maneuvering his forces to protect the exposed entry points in Bataan, MacArthur stations troops at San Fernando, the steel bridges at Calumpit over the Pampanga River, and Plaridel north of Manila. Admiral Thomas C. Hart sends the 4th Marine Regiment from Olongapo to Corregidor to secure it as the last bastion should the defense of Bataan fail. In the air, three B-17s based on Del Monte Field, Mindanao, raid Japanese shipping at Davao and then fly south to Darwin.

"Members of the gun crew overhauling their pom-poms while in the harbor." The Isaac Sweers in Alexandria Harbor, 24 December 1941. © IWM (A 7265).

In the Malay Peninsula, Commander Australian Imperial Force Malaya, Major General Gordon Bennett (General Office Commanding Australian 8th Division), tries to organize a defense in depth. The Australian 27th Brigade Group, 8th Division occupies North Johore, while the Indian 11th Division (which controls all remaining Indian III Corps troops north of the Slim and Bernam Rivers) concentrates around Kampar and along the Slim River. The British are hampered by dwindling air support and the Japanese are becoming dominant in the air.

The United States Navy is still determining the extent of the damage at Pearl Harbor from the raid on 7 December 1941. Shown is damage to US Navy light cruiser USS Helena (CL-50) at left, with construction materials to fix it. This photo was attached to the 14th Naval District report, serial 01451 of 24 December 1941 (Naval History and Heritage Command).

Japanese submarine attacks against US shipping along the west coast of the United States continue. Japanese submarine I-19 (some sources say I-17) surfaces and shells 5695-ton US freighter Absaroka about 19 nautical miles (36 km) northwest of Catalina Island, while I-23 does the same to 2119-ton US freighter Dorothy Philips off Monterey Bay south of San Francisco. Meanwhile, at Midway Island, US Marines of Batteries A and C of 4th Defense Battalions land after a hazardous journey aboard seaplane tender USS Wright.

"Commander Houtsmuller, Captain of HNMS ISAAC SWEERS coming on board his ship." Alexandria, 24 December 1941. © IWM (A 7262).

In Borneo, the Dutch send Martin B-10 bombers against the Japanese forces that took Kuching late on 23 December. The Dutch withdraw their aircraft from Singkawang, Borneo, to Palembang, Sumatra, but they still hold Kuching Airfield because the Japanese forces close by haven't spotted it yet. The British "SARFOR" (Sarawak Force) garrison of Kuching, composed of just over 1000 men of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment and the 35th Fortress Company and about 1500 local tribesmen, begins a delaying action as it moves inland toward Dutch Borneo. The Japanese main objectives are the oilfields at Miri and Seria and the refinery at Lutong.

Luftwaffe reconnaissance of Malta, 24 December 1941 (Federal Archive Bild 168-116-012).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Germans secretly evacuate Benghazi on 24 December 1941. Later in the day, the 7th Armored Division of the XIII Corps, British Eighth Army attacks the city and is pleasantly surprised to find it deserted. Troops of the Royal Dragoons are given the honor of being the first into Benghazi. Off Alexandria, U-568 (Kptlt. Joachim Preuss) torpedoes and sinks 925-ton Royal Navy corvette HMS Salvia (K-97) about 104 nautical miles (193 km) northwest of Alexandria. All 106 men aboard the British ship, which has been returning to base with convoy TA-5, perish.

A Christmas Eve service somewhere in the Soviet Union, 24 December 1941 (Federal Archive Bild 169-0875).

Eastern Front: The lingering feud between the commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal Guenther von Kluge, and General Guderian, commander of 2nd Panzer Army, continues to simmer. Kluge complains to the OKH operations chief, General Franz Halder, about Guderian allowing the 296th Infantry Division to withdraw even further than first thought without orders (and thereby saving it). In addition, Kluge notes that Guderian has pulled 47th Panzer Corps back as well in defiance of Hitler's stand-fast orders. When Halder suggests that Guderian should be court-martialled, Kluge equivocates, rationalizing that the withdrawals had been done "under the compulsion of circumstance." Halder himself then sends a direct order to Guderian to stop the withdrawals, send a division to Belev, and report in detail his troop locations before Hitler's midnight conference.

"German Luftwaffe pilot Erbo Graf Von Kageneck, holder of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, standing in front of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E whilst being assisted by two ground crew personnel. Von Kageneck, responsible for the destruction of 69 allied aircraft, was later shot down by RAAF pilot, Flying Officer Clive R Caldwell, (who was attached to 250 Squadron, Royal Air Force) on the afternoon of 24 December 1941 near Derna in Libya. Kageneck later died in a Luftwaffe hospital in Naples. Australian War Memorial P00323.001.

While there is a lot of drama behind the scenes on the German side, things aren't much better at the front. Second Army, which is holding the line to Guderian's immediate right, has to withdraw along with Guderian's troops in order to not expose its own flank. The lack of reserves near the front compels these kinds of reflexive movements when one unit begins to retreat. There is blowing snow and low visibility, and nobody is really sure where any other units are. He announces that he will abandon Novosil and Livny, also in defiance of Hitler's orders. Before midnight, Guderian responds to a telephoned order from von Kluge to stop his retreat by requesting to be relieved and court-martialed. Kluge immediately gets on the phone to Halder and tells Halder, while apologizing for "ruining your Christmas spirit, which probably was not very rosy anyway." Halder then passes this information on to Hitler in East Prussia, who is just about to begin his midnight command conference.

You can catch a special Christmas Eve 24 December 1941 train/steamer combo From Boston to Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard if you catch the 17:00 train.

December 1941

December 1, 1941: Hitler Fires von Rundstedt
December 2, 1941: Climb Mount Niitaka
December 3, 1941: Hints of Trouble in the Pacific
December 4, 1941: Soviets Plan Counteroffensive
December 5, 1941: Soviets Counterattack at Kalinin
December 6, 1941: Soviet Counterattack at Moscow Broadens
December 7, 1941: Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
December 8, 1941: US Enters World War II
December 9, 1941: German Retreat At Moscow
December 10, 1941: HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse Sunk
December 11, 1941: Hitler Declares War on US
December 12, 1941: Japanese in Burma
December 13, 1941: Battle of Cape Bon
December 14, 1941: Hitler Forbids Withdrawals
December 15, 1941: The Liepaja Massacre
December 16, 1941: Japan Invades Borneo
December 17, 1941: US Military Shakeup
December 18, 1941: Hitler Lays Down the Law
December 19, 1941: Brauchitsch Goes Home
December 20, 1941: Flying Tigers in Action
December 21, 1941: The Bogdanovka Massacre
December 22, 1941: Major Japanese Landings North of Manila
December 23, 1941: Wake Island Falls to Japan
December 24, 1941: Atrocities in Hong Kong
December 25, 1941: Japan Takes Hong Kong
December 26, 1941: Soviets Land in the Crimea
December 27, 1941: Commandos Raid Norway
December 28, 1941: Operation Anthropoid Begins
December 29, 1941: Soviet Landings at Feodosia
December 30, 1941: Race for Bataan
December 31, 1941: Nimitz in Charge

2020

Thursday 11 December 1941

Adolf Hitler and cronies during his speech at the Kroll Opera House on 11 December 1941.

German/US Relations: On 11 December 1941, Adolf Hitler instructs Reich Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop to deliver a formal declaration of war to United States Chargé d'Affaires in Berlin Leland B. Morris. The primary reason for this, as stated in the text of the declaration, is the order given by President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt on 11 September 1941 for US warships to "fire upon" Kriegsmarine war vessels "on sight." The United States Congress then votes to declare war on Germany within hours, passing the:

Joint Resolution Declaring That a State of War Exists Between The Government of Germany and the Government and the People of the United States and Making Provisions To Prosecute The Same.

Adolf Hitler gives a long speech to the Reichstag at the Kroll Opera House explaining this decision. President Roosevelt, however, merely sends down a written request to Congress asking for a declaration of war.


The Reich's declaration of war against the United States is considered Hitler's worst blunder of the war, topped only, perhaps, by his invasion of the Soviet Union. The reasons for Hitler's decision are debated, but his previous speeches indicate a deep resentment about the United States for flouting the international rules of warfare in support of Great Britain. Another possible motivation is to draw attention away from the Eastern Front, where the Wehrmacht is reeling due to the Red Army counteroffensive at Moscow. Hitler also is a creature of the Great War, and many of his strategies mirror those taken by the German Empire in that conflict. In this instance, Hitler adopts the thinking of the German high command in 1917 that unrestricted submarine warfare could finally isolate England and cause its eventual starvation and surrender. This would prevent United States intervention on the Continent and free the Reich's military to finally subdue the USSR. The strategy did not work in World War I, but perhaps Hitler thinks that the United States Navy is inadequate to fight a two-ocean war. In any event, the Reich is not bound by a treaty to support the Empire of Japan. While the Japanese Ambassador has sought such written assurance, the Reich has not provided them. In any event, Hitler never shows much deference to treaties regardless of how applicable they may be. This is Hitler's decision alone, made after four days of consideration, and stands as his only formal declaration of war.

President Roosevelt signs the declaration of war against Germany, 11 December 1941.

Axis Relations: In Italy, Benito Mussolini issues a statement declaring war on the United States. Germany, Italy, and Japan, the original signatories of the Tripartite Pact, sign a new agreement that bars any of them from making a separate peace with either the United States or Great Britain. Various other countries declare war on one side or the other in the coming days, but the main battle lines now are drawn.

The New York Times continues lacing real news with not-so-real news in its headlines. The United States has not even seen any of Japan's battleships or aircraft carriers yet, much less damaged them. While two Japanese destroyers are sunk off Wake Island today, that is merely a happy coincidence of which the Times reporters are completely unaware. As for stopping the Japanese on land, that also sort of is true on Wake Island, but not anywhere else - particularly on Guam, where the US garrison already has surrendered.

Battle of the Pacific: Four days have gone by at Pearl Harbor, and still the military in the Hawaiian Islands has no idea where the attackers of 7 December 1941 came from or where they went. The priority since the attack has been recovery and self-preservation, but no countermeasures. Today, the US Army Air Force finally attempts to find out, sending six Douglas B-18 Bolos to investigate the waters offshore. They find nothing: the Imperial Japanese Navy's main striking force, Kido Butai, is long gone.

Destruction at Wheeler Field in Hawaii, as photographed on 11 December 1941.

The war in the Pacific proceeds much as it has since the first Japanese attacks, with steady Japanese gains and only occasional flashes of success by the Allies. Hong Kong's defenses are under artillery fire and aerial attack, and the British defenses on Kowloon and the New Territories already are crumbling. The British begin to evacuate all forces to Hong Kong Island, with no assurance that it can be held, either. In the Philippines, the Japanese already are on Luzon and heading south on Route 5 toward Tuguegarao and Laoag. They also embark 2500 men of the 16th Division for landings in southern Luzon to take place early on the 12th. On the Malay Peninsula, the Indian 9th Division of Indian III Corps begins pulling out of Kelantan, retreating from the airfields at Gong Kedah and Machang which the Japanese are now happy to use. The Japanese harass the retreating Indian troops as they head south.

While driving to the Kroll Opera House to give his speech to the Reichstag, Adolf Hitler's Mercedes passes by the Foreign Ministry. Note that everyone except the soldiers on duty offer Hitler the "Hitler greeting" (Hitlergruß) (AP Photo).

At Wake Island, however, things are a bit brighter for the Americans, as the 1st Defense Battalion defeats attempted landings by the South Seas Force and even manages to sink destroyer Hayate (one survivor) using six 5-inch coastal defense guns. US Navy F4F-3 Wildcats, flown in less than a week ago, also bomb and sink destroyer Kisaragi (no survivors). The Japanese are forced to withdraw. US reporters, hungry for any positive news, make up a legend that the US commander on the island, naval aviator Commander Winfield S. Cunningham, USN, sends his superiors the cheeky message "Send us more [Japanese]" when asked what he needs. This charming invention makes headlines around the world, but it does sum up the feelings of many following the first United States success against the Empire of Japan. The Japanese, however, are not happy to lose two destroyers and hand the enemy a propaganda victory, so they immediately divert aircraft carriers Sōryū and Hiryū from Kido Butai (which is in the vicinity following its successful strike against Pearl Harbor) to help take Wake Island. The US Navy, meanwhile, is still unable to send any aid to the embattled US Marines and hundreds of civilian construction workers on the island.

Judy Garland and Lana Turner on the set of "Ziegfeld Girl," 11 December 1941 (Clarence Sinclair Bull, via The Judy Garland Experience).

The Reich's Declaration of War upon the United States:

MR. CHARGE D'AFFAIRES:

The Government of the United States having violated in the most flagrant manner and in ever increasing measure all rules of neutrality in favor of the adversaries of Germany and having continually been guilty of the most severe provocations toward Germany ever since the outbreak of the European war, provoked by the British declaration of war against Germany on September 3, 1939, has finally resorted to open military acts of aggression.

On September 11, 1941, the President of the United States publicly declared that he had ordered the American Navy and Air Force to shoot on sight at any German war vessel. In his speech of October 27, 1941, he once more expressly affirmed that this order was in force. Acting under this order, vessels of the American Navy, since early September 1941, have systematically attacked German naval forces. Thus, American destroyers, as for instance the Greer, the Kearney and the Reuben James, have opened fire on German submarines according to plan. The Secretary of the American Navy, Mr. Knox, himself confirmed that-American destroyers attacked German submarines.

Furthermore, the naval forces of the United States, under order of their Government and contrary to international law have treated and seized German merchant vessels on the high seas as enemy ships.

The German Government therefore establishes the following facts:

Although Germany on her part has strictly adhered to the rules of international law in her relations with the United States during every period of the present war, the Government of the United States from initial violations of neutrality has finally proceeded to open acts of war against Germany. The Government of the United States has thereby virtually created a state of war.

The German Government, consequently, discontinues diplomatic relations with the United States of America and declares that under these circumstances brought about by President Roosevelt Germany too, as from today, considers herself as being in a state of war with the United States of America.

Accept, Mr. Charge d'Affaires, the expression of my high consideration.

December 11, 1941.

RIBBENTROP

Hermann Goering, upper left, presides over the Reichstag as Adolf Hitler declares war upon the United States.

December 1941

December 1, 1941: Hitler Fires von Rundstedt
December 2, 1941: Climb Mount Niitaka
December 3, 1941: Hints of Trouble in the Pacific
December 4, 1941: Soviets Plan Counteroffensive
December 5, 1941: Soviets Counterattack at Kalinin
December 6, 1941: Soviet Counterattack at Moscow Broadens
December 7, 1941: Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
December 8, 1941: US Enters World War II
December 9, 1941: German Retreat At Moscow
December 10, 1941: HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse Sunk
December 11, 1941: Hitler Declares War on the US
December 12, 1941: Japanese in Burma
December 13, 1941: Battle of Cape Bon
December 14, 1941: Hitler Forbids Withdrawals
December 15, 1941: The Liepaja Massacre
December 16, 1941: Japan Invades Borneo
December 17, 1941: US Military Shakeup
December 18, 1941: Hitler Lays Down the Law
December 19, 1941: Brauchitsch Goes Home
December 20, 1941: Flying Tigers in Action
December 21, 1941: The Bogdanovka Massacre
December 22, 1941: Major Japanese Landings North of Manila
December 23, 1941: Wake Island Falls to Japan
December 24, 1941: Atrocities in Hong Kong
December 25, 1941: Japan Takes Hong Kong
December 26, 1941: Soviets Land in the Crimea
December 27, 1941: Commandos Raid Norway
December 28, 1941: Operation Anthropoid Begins
December 29, 1941: Soviet Landings at Feodosia
December 30, 1941: Race for Bataan
December 31, 1941: Nimitz in Charge

2020

Monday 8 December 1941

President Roosevelt as he delivers his "Day of Infamy" speech, 8 December 1941.

US/Japanese Relations:  Following the surprise Japanese attack on the United States fleet base in the territory of Hawaii, on 8 December 1941 the United States and Japan both formally declare war on each other. The Japanese government has its statement printed on the front pages of all Japanese newspapers, while the United States Congress votes for war by  82-0 in the Senate and 388-1 in the House of Representatives (pacificist Jeannette Rankin, who also voted against entry into World War I, is the only no vote). The United Kingdom declares war on Japan nine hours after the US declaration, while Japan's declaration includes the British Empire.

President Roosevelt delivers his "Day of Infamy" speech, 8 December 1941.

The United States declaration of war follows a speech delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) to a joint session of the US Congress by about one hour. FDR's speech, commonly called the Infamy Speech or the Pearl Harbor Speech (see text below), runs for about seven minutes and becomes one of the most quoted and referenced speeches in world history primarily for its opening line, "a date which will live in infamy." Several other nations, including New Zealand, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, the Dutch government-in-exile and Nicaragua also declared war on Japan, primarily as a show of solidarity with the United States and Great Britain.

The NY Times on 8 December 1941 highlights "heavy fighting at sea" that is non-existent. In fact, there is virtually no fighting at sea anywhere in the Pacific.

Battle of the Pacific: Following Japanese landings at Khota Baru and elsewhere on the Malay Peninsula, Japanese forces of the 15th Army land at various points along the Kra Peninsula in the early morning hours of 8 December 1941. The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) 33rd Division under the command of Lieutenant-General Shōzō Sakurai and the IJA 55th Division under Lieutenant-General Hiroshi Takeuchi of the 15th Army move across the border from French Indochina into Thailand at Tambon Savay Donkeo,,  Athuek Thewadej District (Russei) of Battambang. This follows a two-hour ultimatum posed by the Japanese government on Thailand to which they receive no response. In addition, the IJA 143rd Infantry Regiment lands troops at Chumphon, but the Thai Army opposes this landing vigorously (unlike elsewhere) untold ordered to stand down in the afternoon. There also are landing at Nakhon Si Thammarat, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Samut Prakan, Singora, Pattani, and Surat Thani, along with the Japanese Air Force bombings of selected targets in Bangkok and Don Muang. There is a total ceasefire by the afternoon which stops all fighting. The two governments then work on an official Armistice, with Premier Plaek Phibun (Phibunsongkhram) claiming that the entire invasion had been pre-arranged in secret prior to the Japanese invasion between the two governments.

President Roosevelt signs the declaration of war on the Empire of Japan, 8 December 1941.

The Japanese objective on the Malay Peninsula obviously is the British fortified port of Singapore. Japanese bombers of the Mihoro Air Group based at Thu Dau Mot in southern French Indochina attack the city and nearby airfield before dawn, killing 61 people. Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse are in the harbor, but they are undamaged. The Japanese do not lose any planes in this attack, and the British (especially British area commander Lieutenant General Arthur Percival) are surprised that the Japanese bombers have sufficient range to even make it to Singapore.

Life magazine has the extraordinary good fortune of having planned to feature Douglas MacArthur on the cover of its 8 December 1941 edition.

There are Japanese landings and attacks elsewhere in the Pacific Theater as well:

• The 14th Army of the IJA lands at tiny Batan Island off of Luzon.
• Japanese aircraft based on Saipan bomb the United States base on Guam.
• 36 Japanese Mitsubishi G3M3 medium bombers flown from bases on the Marshall Islands attacked Wake Island, destroying 8 of 16 F4F-3 Wildcats that had just arrived at the island.
• The Japanese  21st, 23rd and the 38th Regiments under the command of Lieutenant General Takashi Sakai attack British, Canadian, Indian, as well as the local Hong Kong Chinese Regiment, and the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps in Hong Kong.
• Two Japanese destroyers shell Midway Island.

The Japanese also have designed on the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), which has oil fields that are one of their top objectives. However, the Dutch Navy under Admiral Karl Doorman must be neutralized before landings can be achieved, and it lies beyond the range of Japanese bombers.

German soldiers at Korjakowa, about 66 km southeast of Moscow, huddle against the chill, 8 December 1941 (Mährlen, Federal Archive Picture 146-1992-055-33).

Eastern Front: The Red Army offensive around Moscow that began on 5/6 December 1941 shows no signs of abating. Always concerned about prestige and world opinion, Adolf Hitler uses the global distraction created by the Japanese attacks in the Pacific Theater to end Operation Typhoon. He issues Fuehrer Directive No. 39, which blames this on "The severe winter weather which has come surprisingly early." The Wehrmacht forces all around Moscow begin an orderly retreat, with those in the northwest along the Klin-Kalinin railway line under the most pressure. The weather makes the retreat incredibly difficult because the extreme winter temperatures disable many vehicles, forcing the Germans to abandon huge quantities of equipment. One German corps in General Guderian's Second Panzer Army reports 1500 frostbite cases, with 350 requiring amputations. As one unit retreats, it uncovers the flanks of other units, which also must retreat, so the process causes a general retreat all along the line even if some positions have good defensive qualities.

Some German soldiers on the Eastern Front near Molwoitzi lay a field radio cable using a Panji sled, 8 December 1941 (Fenske, Federal Archive Picture 101I-002-3362-13).

Holocaust: The Rumbula Massacre near Riga, Latvia concludes. About 25,000 victims, predominantly Latvians from the Riga Ghetto and the rest Germans brought to the vicinity by train, are exterminated by Einsatzgruppe A with the support of Arajs Kommando and other Latvian auxiliaries. There are a few feeble attempts to delay or hinder the massacre by Wehrmacht functionaries which are disregarded. With the Ghetto now largely cleared, the German authorities in Germany step up their efforts of transporting future victims east by rail to fill it up again.

The headline of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on 8 December 1941 is full of war rhetoric but very short on details. Part of the US Pacific Fleet (the part that has not been sunk, that is) certainly is at sea, but there is no "counter-offensive" anywhere.

American Home Front: The America First Committee begins winding up its activities. It releases a statement from leading spokesman Charles Lindbergh:

We have been stepping closer to war for many months. Now it has come and we must meet it as united Americans regardless of our attitude toward the policy our government has followed. Whether or not that policy has been wise, our country has been attacked by force of arms and we must retaliate.

There are long lines at U.S. military recruitment centers across the country. Lindbergh himself will seek to be recommissioned in the USAAF. However, the Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, will decline the request on instructions from the White House. Lindbergh instead will work as a consultant to military equipment manufacturers and see unofficial action in the Pacific.

Glenn Miller and his Orchestra return to work as usual on Monday morning despite the war news. They record "Moonlight Cocktail" with vocals by Ray Eberle and The Modernaires, "Moonlight Cocktail" goes on to hit No. 1 on  February 28, 1942, and stays there for ten weeks - longer than any other Glenn Miller single. The song had been around since 1912 when Charles Luckeyeth Roberts composed it. James Kimball "Kim" Gannon added the lyrics.

A United States Marine Corps recruiting station on 8 December 1941.

DAY OF INFAMY SPEECH

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And, while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.

• Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
• Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
• Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
• Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has therefore undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense, that always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

Fire engine ladders are used to create a "V for Victory" symbol in front of the United States Capitol building, 8 December 1941.

December 1941

December 1, 1941: Hitler Fires von Rundstedt
December 2, 1941: Climb Mount Niitaka
December 3, 1941: Hints of Trouble in the Pacific
December 4, 1941: Soviets Plan Counteroffensive
December 5, 1941: Soviets Counterattack at Kalinin
December 6, 1941: Soviet Counterattack at Moscow Broadens
December 7, 1941: Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
December 8, 1941: US Enters World War II
December 9, 1941: German Retreat At Moscow
December 10, 1941: HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse Sunk
December 11, 1941: Hitler Declares War on US
December 12, 1941: Japanese in Burma
December 13, 1941: Battle of Cape Bon
December 14, 1941: Hitler Forbids Withdrawals
December 15, 1941: The Liepaja Massacre
December 16, 1941: Japan Invades Borneo
December 17, 1941: US Military Shakeup
December 18, 1941: Hitler Lays Down the Law
December 19, 1941: Brauchitsch Goes Home
December 20, 1941: Flying Tigers in Action
December 21, 1941: The Bogdanovka Massacre
December 22, 1941: Major Japanese Landings North of Manila
December 23, 1941: Wake Island Falls to Japan
December 24, 1941: Atrocities in Hong Kong
December 25, 1941: Japan Takes Hong Kong
December 26, 1941: Soviets Land in the Crimea
December 27, 1941: Commandos Raid Norway
December 28, 1941: Operation Anthropoid Begins
December 29, 1941: Soviet Landings at Feodosia
December 30, 1941: Race for Bataan
December 31, 1941: Nimitz in Charge

2020

Monday 27 October 1941

A Scharfschütze (sniper) team in action, October 1941. It is unclear if the propaganda photographer realized that they were using a captured Soviet Mosin-Nagant PU rifle. Both sides had outstanding snipers, and this was a virtual war-within-a-war. Some snipers preferred to work alone because that enabled them to get closer to the enemy in concealment, but a two-man team was standard.

Eastern Front: While much of the Eastern Front is bogged down by the annual fall Rasputitsa, or muddy season, on 27 October 1941 it has not yet reached its full level in the southernmost sectors. General Erich von Manstein's 11th Army busts into the Crimea after a long struggle against fierce Red Army resistance in the Perekop Isthmus. The Soviet 51st Army retreats in the fog and mud toward the bastion of Sevastopol in the southwest, and to the Kerch Peninsula in the east. Pretty much everyone expects a fairly quick German victory and occupation.

Bellows Field (Bellows  Air Force Station) in Waimanalo, Hawaii on 27 October 1941. The Imperial Japanese Navy attacks Bellows Field in addition to Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, though the Bellows Field attack receives little attention.

The Crimea is one of the foundations of von Manstein's reputation - it is the reason he becomes a field marshal. However, in the grand scheme of World War II, the Crimea is a sideshow. It is useful to capture the Soviet naval base at Sevastopol, but the Soviet Black Sea fleet is never much of a hindrance to German operations. Hitler, however, is fixated on the Crimea - as he tells Finnish Marshal Mannerheim in June 1942, worries about Soviet bombers operating from the Crimea against the Romanian oil fields were one of the reasons he invaded the USSR in the first place. So, while objectively it might make more sense to simply seal off the Crimea and instead focus on the drive into the Caucasus, where success would effectively surround the Crimea anyway, its capture and retention lead to a major campaign. This ultimately is profitless and strategically pointless but occupies some of the best Wehrmacht minds and troops throughout the war.

USS Solace (AH-5) at anchor in Hawaiian waters after her arrival there on 27 October 1941. The hospital ship is present at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and saves many lives.

Elsewhere, the Germans make some small gains. Just to the north of the Crimea, the Soviet 12th Army of Soviet Southwest Front continues withdrawing gradually and exposes more cities for the Germans to capture. German Sixth Army, for instance, takes Kramatorsk in the Donetsk Oblast north of Stalino when the city surrenders without a fight. Italian troops are involved in the Wehrmacht's occupation of the industrial Donets Basin, and the OKW issues a communique about their efforts:

In the Donets Basin, an attempt to retard our advance was prevented by Italian troops. The enemy was thrown back with heavy and bloody losses and left several hundred prisoners in the hands of our allies

The Soviet defenders in the southern sector are outmatched at this stage. However, their retreat is orderly and efficient, preventing outright breakthroughs and forcing the Germans to advance at a measured pace.

"Photo #: 80-G-6678 Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless scout bombers, of Scouting Squadron Six (VS-6) Composite photograph of 9 planes in flight, with USS Enterprise (CV-6) and a plane guard destroyer below. The original photo is dated 27 October 1941. Note differences in ocean surface wave patterns between the upper and lower images skillfully blended to combine the two photographs. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives." (Navy History and Heritage Command).

Further north, the German attack on Moscow, Operation Typhoon, is mostly shut down pending an improvement in the weather but does make some gains in some places. On the extreme southern axis of the advance, General Guderian's 2nd Panzer Army continues up the road from Mtsensk toward Moscow, with the main forces of Kampfgruppe Eberbach at Plavsk south of Tula. On the northwest axis of the advance, the 4th Panzer Army makes progress at Volokolamsk, where it has been stalled for two weeks. At Mozhaysk, the 4th Army stops dead and is allowed by Army Group Center commander Field Marshal Fedor von Bock to dig trenches - when it is supposed to be attacking. The Wehrmacht is on the outskirts of Moscow and in a good position to attack the city, but past battles have worn it down so much that it cannot make significant progress until conditions improve.

Viktor Talalikhin, Hero of the Soviet Union, was most famous for ramming a Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bomber with his I-16 at night in August 1941, causing both planes to crash. On 27 October 1941, Talalikhin is attacked in his Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 near the village of Kamenka by a swarm of Bf-109 fighters. Talalikhin shoots down two of the fighters before being shot down in turn. Talalikhin is a permanent name on the muster list of the 1st Squadron of the 177th Fighter Aviation Regiment, with monuments to him in Moscow and Podolsk. KIA 27 October 1941 (colorized).

The Soviets defending Tikhvin, north of Moscow, are now under the command of General Fedyuninsky, and he makes an immediate impact. He orders three Red Army divisions to attack advance elements of General Harpe's 12th Panzer Division at the village of Sitomlia about 40 km northeast of Budogsh' (Budogoshch). While Harpe's small unit is wildly outgunned, its commander decides to fight and goes into a defensive crouch while calling for reinforcements. The Red Army units attack piecemeal, like the bad guys in a karate flick who attack the hero only one at a time. Harpe is able to shift his men around just enough to hold the attackers off until help arrives. General Rudolf Schmidt, commander of 39th Army Corps and the man in charge of this portion of the advance, quickly sends the 8th Panzer and 18th Motorized Divisions to rescue the trapped men, which is accomplished by nightfall. The 12th Panzer reconnaissance team winds up doing its job - identifying the enemy units - but not quite in the way it had planned.

The original caption reads (and these may offend readers, but this is what it says): "To make room for construction in the Poznan suburb of Wallischei, a number of houses must be demolished. For this work, columns of Polish Jews are used, who get to know manual labor for the first time in their lives." (Schwahn, Ernst, Federal Archive Picture 183-2006-0320-500).

US/German Relations: President Roosevelt, who on the 25th issued a strong statement condemning Wehrmacht atrocities on the Eastern Front, on 27 October 1941 continues his rhetorical onslaught. During a Navy Day speech (Roosevelt is a former Secretary of the Navy), Roosevelt says in part about recent U-boat attacks at sea:

I say that we do not propose to take this lying down. Our determination not to take it lying down has been expressed in the orders to the American Navy to shoot on sight. Those orders stand... [W]hen we have helped to end the curse of Hitlerism we shall help to establish a new peace which will give to decent people everywhere a better chance to live and prosper in security and in freedom and in faith. Each day that passes we are producing and providing more and more arms for the men who are fighting on actual battle-fronts. That is our primary task.

In reference to the recent U-boat torpedoing of destroyer USS Kearny, FDR adds, "Hitler’s torpedo was directed at every American….was to frighten the American people off the high seas - to force us to make a trembling retreat." This, he claims, has "aroused" the "American spirit" because "America has been attacked." However, despite this "attack," Roosevelt is not yet ready to declare war on the Reich.

Life Magazine of 27 October 1941, "Air-Raid Spotter."

October 1941

October 1, 1941: Germans and Finns Advance in USSR
October 2, 1941: Operation Typhoon Broadens
October 3, 1941: Air Battles Near Moscow
October 4, 1941: Stalin Contemplates Defeat
October 5, 1941: Hoth Goes South
October 6, 1941: First Snowfall After Dark
October 7, 1941: Stalin Gets Religion
October 8, 1941: FDR Promises Stalin Aid 
October 9, 1941: FDR Orders Atomic Bomb Research
October 10, 1941: Reichenau's Severity Order
October 11, 1941: Tank Panic in Moscow
October 12, 1941: Spanish Blue Division at the Front
October 13, 1941: Attack on Moscow
October 14, 1941: Germans Take Kalinin
October 15, 1941: Soviets Evacuate Odessa
October 16, 1941: Romanians Occupy Odessa
October 17, 1941: U-568 Torpedoes USS Kearny
October 18, 1941: Tojo Takes Tokyo
October 19, 1941: Germans Take Mozhaysk
October 20, 1941: Germans Attack Toward Tikhvin
October 21, 1941: Rasputitsa Hits Russia
October 22, 1941: Germans Into Moscow's Second Defensive Line
October 23, 1941: The Odessa Massacre
October 24, 1941: Guderian's Desperate Drive North
October 25, 1941: FDR Warns Hitler About Massacres
October 26, 1941: Guderian Drives Toward Tula
October 27, 1941: Manstein Busts Loose
October 28, 1941: Soviet Executions
October 29, 1941: Guderian Reaches Tula
October 30, 1941: Guderian Stopped at Tula
October 31, 1941: USS Reuben James Sunk

2020