Sunday 12 January 1941

"Lieutenant Borys Karnicki, the CO of the Polish Navy submarine ORP Sokół (Falcon), on the bridge with his sailors. This hotograph probably was taken in Portsmouth, January 1941." © IWM (A 3417).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks continue to consolidate their capture of the Klisura Pass on 12 January 1941. They beat off weak Italian counterattacks and continue to subdue the trapped battalion of the Italian Lupi di Toscana Division. The Italian Julia Division remains in good shape and, along with the remnants of the Toscana Division, continues to bar the way to the key Italian supply port of Valona.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids the factories at Regensburg and other targets in Germany and Belgium, including various invasion ports. Other raids target Venice and drop leaflets on Padua.

The RAF continues its Operation Circus activities, which are heavily escorted bomber raids intended to draw Luftwaffe fighters up for destruction. Today it begins Operation Rhubarb, a subset of Circus. In Operation Rhubarb, fighters without accompanying bombers operate over occupied Europe and basically strafe any worthwhile targets. Just for clarity, there are several subsets of Operation Circus:

• Operation Rhubarb: fighter strafing runs at random
• Operation Roadstead: fighter attacks on coastal shipping
• Operation Ranger: large-scale fighter intrusions
• Operation Ramrod: Fighter intrusions with specific targets.

This is a mirror image of similar operations that the Luftwaffe performed in late 1940. At this time, however, the Luftwaffe appears to have largely given up on daylight missions and is focusing instead on night-time operations and missions in other theaters, i.e., the Mediterranean.

These RAF Circus Operations do not come without a cost. Today, for instance, Fw. Helmut Brügelmann of 8./JG 26 and Oblt. Kinzinger of I./JG 54 together shoot down RAF fighters over Boulogne and Texel, respectively.

The Luftwaffe is quiet during the day, then sends a desultory raid of 141 bombers against London and the nearby Thames Estuary region after dark.

"The Polish Navy submarine ORP Sokół (Falcon). Photograph probably was taken in Portsmouth, January 1941." © IWM (A 3416).

Battle of the Atlantic: British 212 ton trawler Strathrye hits a mine near Plymouth and sinks. Everybody survives. British 340-ton trawler Oyama sinks in the North Atlantic from unknown causes.

Norwegian 5498 ton freighter Tijuca hits a mine south of Cardiff in the Bristol Channel - one of several ships caught in this minefield recently - and is damaged. It makes it to the port of Barry, nine miles to the west of Cardiff.

Royal Navy minelayer HMS Teviotbank lays minefield BS 49 in the English Channel.

Some sources place today as the date of grounding of liner SS Manhattan nine miles north of Palm Beach, Florida, others a few days before this. It takes three weeks to refloat the liner. Both the captain and the first officer are disciplined with suspensions.

Convoy WS 5B (Winston Special) departs from Avonmouth. This is a major convoy of 21 troop transport ships heading to the Middle East and the Far East (including Singapore). They carry 40,000 fighting men. The escort includes battleship HMS Ramillies for the first five days. This convoy will be on the high seas until March.

Convoy SC 19 departs from Halifax, Convoy OB 273 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 382 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 386 departs from Methil, Convoy BS 12C departs from the Port of Sudan.

Royal Navy minesweeping trawler HMS Celia (T 134, Lt. Frederick G. Dawson) is commissioned.

"The Polish Navy submarine ORP Sokół (Falcon). Photograph probably was taken in Portsmouth, January 1941." © IWM (A 3415).

Battle of the Mediterranean: In response to the beating that the Royal Navy has been taking from the Luftwaffe's Fliegerkorps X based on Sicily, the RAF launches raids against one of its airfields at Catania, southern Sicily. Meanwhile, the dockyard workers at Grand Harbour in Malta work around the clock to make the shattered HMS Illustrious seaworthy - at least enough to depart for lengthy repairs elsewhere. Sitting in Grand Harbour, it is a tempting target for the Germans (though the Italians probably will not pose a problem for it).

British Middle East Command orders RAF No. 33 Squadron, equipped with Hurricanes based in Egypt, to begin transferring to Greece pursuant to recent decisions reached by the Chiefs of Staff. This transfer begins slowly and will take over a month to complete.

The Italian Navy, led by battleships Vittorio Veneto and Andrea Doria, has been temporarily at sea to confront the British Operation Excess convoys to Malta. Today, thinking that the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious is still a threat, it timidly returns to port. In fact, the Illustrious is in port and incapable of air operations.

The Australian 6th Infantry Division and British 7th Armoured Division of XIII Corps continue isolating Tobruk from landward communications and prepare an attack, which should take about ten days to prepare. While Italian opposition has been light to non-existent, simply moving tanks across the desert has sent many Matildas to the repair shops. The attack itself, though, is perceived to be a straightforward affair, as the Tobruk defenses are extremely similar to those of Bardia.

Once again, Royal Navy assets are tied up hauling Italian prisoners back to Alexandria, this time from Bardia. Net layer HMS Protector takes 1058 with it today, but there are many more awaiting transfer.

A passenger train in Yosemite Valley, USA stopped by rocks on the track, 12 January 1941. They were quickly cleared and the train proceeded on its way (Photo: Guy Duncomb).

German Military: The SS begins recruiting in Norway for the Nordland Regiment of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking (Brigadeführer Felix Steiner). This is the first SS unit to
recruit outside the territory of the Reich. The Wiking Division is composed of three infantry regiments: Germania, Westland, and Nordland. The Norwegians are destined primarily for the Nordland Regiment, at least at first. Recruiting in Norway - a complex and somewhat controversial topic in itself - is relatively successful (how successful is the controversial part).

None of the units actually is Norwegian in totality, and all remain firmly under German control by German officers and NCOs. The Norwegians wish to fight as a group, but Steiner is leery about that and splits the Norwegians into small groups in every company.

Soldiers digging in front of the "Dig for Victory" sign at the Bank Underground Station in London, which received a direct hit during the previous night's Luftwaffe raid. Twelve people were killed. 12 January 1941.

Moldovia: The Soviets impose a constitution upon Moldovia SSR, as Romania's former eastern province now is styled.

Ethiopia: The British troops in Sudan stage successful raids along the border around Metemma, Ethiopia. The Duke of Aosta, in charge of Italian forces in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), deploys the Savoia Grenadiers - elite troops - to defend Keren (Cheren) in Italian Somaliland.

Indochina: The Thai ground troops continue advancing toward Pakse. The French have problems with their own Indochinese native troops, who are mutinying in Annam.

China: The Nationalist Chinese (Kuomintang) continue squeezing the encircled Chinese Communist New 4th Army troops at Maolin along the Yangtze River.

German Homefront: It is Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering's birthday, which is celebrated (by decree) throughout the Reich. Goering is considered somewhat of a specialist on Italian relations because he spent some time there in poverty with his wife Carin during the 1920s (when Benito Mussolini would not give him the time of day despite Goering's repeated pleas for meetings), so Mussolini sends him a birthday present via the Italian ambassador in Berlin, Dino Alfieri. It is a collection of three medieval paintings, including one associated with the 15th-century Sterzinger Altar by German sculptor and painter Hans Multscher (the others are by an unknown artist, "The Visitation" and "Flight into Egypt"). Goering vows to scour the Continent for the missing parts of the Sterzinger altar - which are scattered all across Europe - and gather associated artwork and reconstruct them at his villa Carinhall north of Berlin.

This actually is part of a deal between Mussolini and Goering in which Goering receives the artwork "as a present," while Goering sends Mussolini some Italian artwork located in Germany. The transfer is "purchased" by the Fascist ministry, although Italian law at the time prevented such transfers (such seemingly fine distinctions become quite important... later). The Fascists give the local commune where the paintings are located 9 million lire, about $400,000, in exchange for the artwork.

SS General Reinhard Heydrich and Reichsmarshal Hermann Göring on the Reichsmarschall 's birthday, January 12, 1941.

January 1941

January 1, 1941: Muselier Arrested
January 2, 1941: Camp Categories
January 3, 1941: Liberty Ships
January 4, 1941: Aussies Take Bardia
January 5, 1941: Amy Johnson Perishes
January 6, 1941: Four Freedoms
January 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Plans
January 8, 1941: Billions For Defense
January 9, 1941: Lancasters
January 10, 1941: Malta Convoy Devastation
January 11, 1941: Murzuk Raid
January 12, 1941: Operation Rhubarb
January 13, 1941: Plymouth Blitzed
January 14, 1941: V for Victory
January 15, 1941: Haile Selassie Returns
January 16, 1941: Illustrious Blitz
January 17, 1941: Koh Chang Battle
January 18, 1941: Luftwaffe Pounds Malta
January 19, 1941: East African Campaign Begins
January 20, 1941: Roosevelt 3rd Term
January 21, 1941: Attack on Tobruk
January 22, 1941: Tobruk Falls
January 23, 1941: Pogrom in Bucharest
January 24, 1941: Tank Battle in Libya
January 25, 1941: Panjiayu Tragedy
January 26, 1941: Churchill Working Hard
January 27, 1941: Grew's Warning
January 28, 1941: Ho Chi Minh Returns
January 29, 1941: US Military Parley With Great Britain
January 30, 1941: Derna Taken
January 31, 1941: LRDG Battered

2020

Sunday 1 December 1940

Two members of the Home Guard in Surrey, 1 December 1940. One has a "Tommy Gun," the other a Bren light machine gun. Dorking, Surrey (Imperial War Museum).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks on 1 December 1940 continue reinforcing their troops on the Albanian front. Today, III Corps receives 17th Division, while the 13th Division is pulled out of the line for a rest.

Greek II Corps begins attacking beyond Pogradec, but Italian resistance is stiffening.

Greek I Corps opens a new attack against the Italian 11th Army in the important southern sector.

A major battle is developing around Argyrokastro. The Greeks approached the city fairly easily, but the Italians have decided to make a stand there. Much of the battle takes place as artillery duels.

Pogradec has become somewhat of a symbol for the Italians. Its partial loss on the last day of November has caused a crisis in the Italian hierarchy, and Mussolini is making it plain to everyone that if the troops don't start fighting, heads will roll - and they may roll anyway.

The RAF continues its support operations in Albania. It attacks Italian communications in southern Albania.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe bombs Southampton for the second time in a row, this time with 120 bombers. This continues the recent German strategy of causing heavy damage to one moderate-sized town after another. Previous victims have included Coventry and Birmingham.

RAF Bomber Command raids Wilhelmshaven with 10 bombers, while RAF Coastal Command makes a daylight raid on the U-boat pens at Lorient. There are other RAF attacks on Kristian and Esbjerg, Denmark.

Werner Mölders claims his 55th victory, while Adolf Galland is promoted to the rank of Oberst. The third of the Luftwaffe's top aces, Helmut Wick, recently perished in combat.

Two members of the Home Guard manning a Vickers machine gun in Surrey, 1 December 1940. (Imperial War Museum).

Battle of the Atlantic: There are several convoys during this period that suffer quite heavily. Convoy HX 90 takes some of the worst losses, and they begin today while the convoy is about almost 1000 km south of Iceland. Ultimately, the convoy loses 11 ships over three days. When the attacks begin, Convoy HX 90 still does not have any escorts from the Western Approaches due to rough weather, though they begin arriving late today.  U-101 spots Convoy HX 90 today and its captain, Kptlt. Ernst Mengersen is ordered to shadow it after reporting its position.

U-101 torpedoes and sinks 8826-ton British tanker Appalachee. There are seven deaths and 32 survivors.

U-101 also torpedoes 4958-ton British freighter Loch Ranza. The freighter makes it to shore (apparently while in tow), is beached at Rothesay Bay, and is later repaired.

U-101 is not done with its attacks for the night, but the remainder occurs in the early hours of the 2nd. We'll get to them on that day's entry.

U-37 (Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen), on its ninth patrol out of Lorient, spots a straggler from Convoy OG 46. It is 1578 ton British freighter Palmella. The U-boat torpedoes and sinks it. There is one death, and 28 crew survived, rescued by a Spanish trawler. This is Clausen's first patrol on U-37, placing Kptlt. Victor Oehrn, and this gets him off to a good start. For U-37 itself, this is its 45th victim.

Italian submarine Argo shadows Convoy HG 47 about 500 km west of Ireland. Rather than attack a freighter, it chooses to torpedo Canadian destroyer HMCS Saguenay. The Saguenay makes port under its own power Barrow in Furness for repairs. There are 21 deaths. The Saguenay is the first Canadian warship U-boat victim of the war.

German raider Admiral Scheer, still on its mission in the Atlantic, sinks 6242-ton British freighter Tribesman, which is on a voyage from Liverpool to Calcutta. The ship sinks in the mid-Atlantic mid-way between Mauritania and the Caribbean. There are eight deaths, and the 14 survivors become POWs on Admiral Scheer. The Royal Navy has numerous ships out searching for Admiral Scheer, including the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, but they are all either slightly east or south of it.

During its attacks on Southampton, the Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 235-ton British paddle steamer Her Majesty. The 250-ton Dutch freighter Friso and 1936 ton Yugoslavian freighter Cetvrti also are damaged in the bombing. The ship is unmanned at the time.

The RAF bombs and sinks German freighter Santos in the North Sea off Ostend, Belgium. The ship sinks in shallow water and can be re-floated and repaired.

British 6990 ton British tanker British Officer hits a mine and sinks at the mouth of the Tyne. There are five deaths. Demonstrating the resiliency of tankers, despite the fact that the ship breaks and two, the forepart remains afloat and is successfully towed to port.

Norwegian 18,673-ton troopship Oslofjord hits a mine and towed to shore, where it is beached south of South Tyne Pier. There is one death and 179 survivors. The ship's back is broken and is a total loss, but remains on the beach - voluntarily manned by some crew for a week, who retrieve 9000 bags of mail - until broken up in a storm on 21/22 January 1941. It is one of the largest ships lost.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Castleton collides with a freighter while escorting Convoy HX 90 in the Atlantic in the shipping lanes west of Ireland and requires repairs.

Royal Navy sloop HMS Hastings collides with freighter Limslade in the English Channel and requires repairs.

Royal Navy cruiser HMS Calvin Castle, operating in the South Atlantic, stops and searches Brazilian passenger ship Itape. The British arrest and remove 22 Germans.

Admiral Hipper is on its way to another raiding mission from its port of Kiel. This is Operation Nordseetour.

Admiral Sir John Tovey is promoted to commander-in-chief of the British Home Fleet. He replaces Admiral Forbes.

Lord Mountbatten reassumes command of HMS Kelly at Hebburn (it is almost finished with repairs) after his more recent command, HMS Javelin, was damaged in a night action off Plymouth.

U-171 laid down.

Battle of the Mediterranean: At Malta, the dockyard workers and all staff of the Inspecting Ordnance Office hurriedly unload and stockpile ammunition brought to the island during Operation Collar. The freighters, Clan Forbes and Clan Fraser constitute a hazard so long as they are full of ammunition and exposed at the docks in Grand Harbour.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Pinguin dispatches captured freighter Storstad to Europe, filled with a prize crew and many prisoners.

British/Irish Relations: Two issues are coming to a head for the British: they are running out of money to buy goods from the Americas, and they are ranked by the Irish refusal to be more helpful in the war effort. Prime Minister sends a memorandum to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Kingsley Wood:

The straits to which we are being reduced by Irish action [at denial of the Southern Irish ports] compel a reconsideration of the subsidies [to Ireland]. Surely we ought to use this money to build more ships or buy more from the US.... let me know how these subsidies can be terminated, and what retaliatory measures the Irish may take.

Churchill obviously believes in playing tough. In his view, the Irish are being disloyal and freeloading off of the British defense against Hitler. However, the Irish have a very long history of the British use of their resources during recurrent conflicts and really are trying to practice absolute neutrality this time - without any new British "use" of their land.

Martin PBM-1 Mariner assembly line, December 1940.

Anglo/US Relations: Joseph P. Kennedy announces his resignation as Ambassador to the Court of St. James. He has annoyed both the British and President Roosevelt with intemperate comments in the Boston Globe and his general attitude regarding war prospects.

German Military: The SS forms its 5th SS Panzer Division. Hitler renames it to "Wiking" on 21 December 1940. Its first commander is SS-Gruppenführer Felix Steiner. The division is formed from the Germania regiment and two regiments of volunteers.

British Military: The Army Co-operation command begins operations under commander Air Marshal Sir Arthur Barrett.

RAF Station Maryborough is established.

Farm Credit Bulletin, 1 December 1940. This issue talks about scientific soil improvement and mechanized harvesting, at this time new concepts.

US Military: Major General Thomas Holcomb begins a second term as Commandant of the US Marine Corps.

Mexico: Manuel Ávila Camacho is sworn in as the 45th President of Mexico. The event is attended by US Vice President Henry Wallace in a pointed gesture of support, as many in Mexico remain upset about what they see as a fraudulent election over the summer.

Romanian Homefront: The fascist Iron Guard remains stirred up by the reburial of their founder Codreanu and numerous other reasons. There is rioting in the vicinity of the Ploesti oil fields. Ion Antonescu is not specifically the target, but the Iron Guard clashes with government forces. The Iron Guard gradually is pulling Antonescu to a more warlike position, as his government increasingly needs a steady partner like Germany in the face of these types of internal disturbances - and Germany wants a war partner.

Separately, the Antonescu government establishes diplomatic relations with the Japanese puppet government of Manchukuo. It is one of the very few that do.

Swiss Homefront: The government imposes rationing of soap, detergent, shoes, and textiles.

Italian Homefront: The government imposes rationing of flour, macaroni, rice, and spaghetti.

American Homefront: The Gallup poll shows that US public opinion gradually is turning in favor of entry into the European war. The ratio now stands at 59-41 in favor of US entry.

George Cukor's "The Philadelphia Story," starring James Stewart, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, and Ruth Hussey opens. Stewart, Hepburn, and Hepburn all get nominated for their performances.

Future History: Richard Pryor is born in Peoria, Illinois. Pryor serves in the US Army but spends much of his time in prison due to an attack on a fellow soldier over what he (and some friends) see as a racial slight. After mustering out, he moves to New York City and begins performing in comedy clubs. This leads to appearances throughout the 1950s on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and other top venues. He begins making comedy albums, signs with Stax Records in 1973 and wins the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Comedic Recording. Around this time, Pryor begins appearing on television shows and gets his own show, The Richard Pryor Show, in 1977, but it is not a success. He also appears in feature films such as "Uptown Saturday Night," "Silver Streak" and "The Toy." Pryor remains a top star until his passing in 2005.

Down Beat magazine - December 1, 1940. Volume 7, No. 23.

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

December 1940

December 1, 1940: Wiking Division Forms
December 2, 1940: Convoy HX 90 Destruction
December 3, 1940: Greeks Advancing
December 4, 1940: Italian Command Shakeup
December 5, 1940: Thor Strikes Hard
December 6, 1940: Hitler's Cousin Gassed
December 7, 1940: Storms At Sea
December 8, 1940: Freighter Idarwald Seized
December 9, 1940: Operation Compass Begins
December 10, 1940: Operation Attila Planned
December 11, 1940: Rhein Wrecked
December 12, 1940: Operation Fritz
December 13, 1940: Operation Marita Planned
December 14, 1940: Plutonium Discovered
December 15, 1940: Napoleon II Returns
December 16, 1940: Operation Abigail Rachel
December 17, 1940: Garden Hoses and War
December 18, 1940: Barbarossa Directive
December 19, 1940: Risto Ryti Takes Over
December 20, 1940: Liverpool Blitz, Captain America
December 21, 1940: Moral Aggression
December 22, 1940: Manchester Blitz
December 23, 1940: Hitler at Cap Gris Nez
December 24, 1940: Hitler at Abbeville
December 25, 1940: Hipper's Great Escape
December 26, 1940: Scheer's Happy Rendezvous
December 27, 1940: Komet Shells Nauru
December 28, 1940: Sorge Spills
December 29, 1940: Arsenal of Democracy
December 30, 1940: London Devastated
December 31 1940: Roosevelt's Decent Proposal

2020