Saturday 25 January 1941

Australian troops at Tobruk, 25 January 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Italians have built up their strength in the region of the Klisura Pass - considered to be the gateway to the Italian supply port of Valona - and are ready on 25 January 1941 to make a major push to recapture the critical pass. The Italian Legnano Infantry Division is making some progress on the heights west of Klisura, and area which the two sides have been contesting vigorously ever since the pass was taken by Greek II Corps. The Italians pull back slightly around Tepelini. The RAF bombs Boulsar, near Elbasan.

However, the weather is horrendous in the mountains. Not only are the Italians suffering from frostbite, but there also is an outbreak of typhoid fever. The Greek forces, of course, face the same conditions. However, they have the advantage of help from the local Albanian inhabitants, who strongly support the Greeks whom they view as liberators and often have family ties that cross the border.

East African Campaign: The British troops continue advancing past the Keru Gorge toward Agordat, a key crossroad. The Italian troops are falling back on the city in disorder. Gazelle Force advances to Biscia.

The British open a new attack by Nigerian, Ghanaian, East African, and South African troops of 11th African Division under British General Harry Edward de Robillard Wetherall, as well as 12th African Division under British General Reade Godwin-Austen. They enter Italian Somaliland from Kenya. The Italians immediately withdraw behind the Juba River, 100 miles behind the border. This is the "Southern Front."

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids the U-boat pens at Lorient. The Luftwaffe only sends over a few attackers during the day and night.

Norwegian freighter Elisabeth Bakke, one of the ships that successfully escaped from Sweden to Scotland. © IWM (A 9976).

Battle of the Atlantic: Five Norwegian freighters complete their breakout from Gothenburg, arriving at Kirkwall, Scapa Flow under Royal Navy escort. The five ships are:

• 5460-ton Elizabeth Bakke
• 4718-ton John Bakke
• 6962-ton Tai Shan
• 4767-ton Taurus
• 6355-ton Ranja

The five freighters are under the command of British Captain R.D. Binney in Operation Rubble.

Force J, composed of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and light cruiser HMS Enterprise, is operating out of Dakar and searching for Admiral Scheer and other German commerce raiders. It doesn't find them, but it does intercept Vichy French 8917 ton freighter Sontay and escort it to Durban.

British 178 ton coaster Spey runs aground at Warkworth, Northumberland and is lost.

U-105 (Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe) does everybody a favor and torpedoes and sinks the burning derelict 3564-ton British freighter Lurigethan. The ship was abandoned by its crew west of Ireland after attacks by KG 40 Focke-Wulf Fw-200 Condors on 23 January.

British Admiral Sir John Tovey takes the Home Fleet out of Scapa Flow at 23:20 for the Faeroes Gap in order to intercept German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. The forces include battleships HMS Nelson and Rodney, the battlecruiser HMS Repulse and three light cruisers of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron.

Making efficient use of its assets, the Admiralty has battleship King George V in the Chesapeake Bay after having brought across Lord Halifax, join the escort for Convoy BHX 104.

German raider Pinguin sails with its captured Norwegian whaling vessels for the South Atlantic for a rendezvous in the South Atlantic with supply ship Nordmark.

Convoy FN 391 departs from Southend, Convoy AS 13 departs from Pireaus for Port Said, Convoy BS 13A departs from Suez, Convoy HX 105 departs from Halifax.

U-201 (Adalbert Schnee) commissioned, U-79 and U-501 launched, U-600 laid down.

US battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64, Iowa Class) is laid down at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. This is the last battleship ever laid down by the US Navy. Submarine USS Gudgeon is launched at Mare Island, California.

USS Gudgeon is launched today.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The tank battle outside Mechili continues between the Italian Italian Special Armoured Brigade (Brigata Corazzato Speciale, or Babini Group) and the British 7th Hussars. The Italians had the upper hand on 24 January, destroying half a dozen Light Tank Mk VIs and forcing the British to retreat. Today, the British bring up larger Cruiser tanks - they have 50 - along with 2-pounder anti-tank guns portée and some 25-pounder field guns. The British set up below a ridge, and when the Italian tanks appear at the top, the British blast them. The Italians lose nine M13/40s and only destroy one Cruiser. Having lost radio contact with their command (General Giuseppe Tellera), the Italians return to Mechili. The British essentially win the battle, but they remain blocked by the fortress of Mechili.

Another related battle takes place to the north, at Derna airfield. The Babini Group's supporting Italian infantry, the 60th "Sabratha" Division, takes heavy casualties against the 2/11th Australian Battalion and the 19th Australian Brigade. The Italians use their planes to good effect, and the flat ground makes the attacking Australians extremely vulnerable. The Italians hold their positions throughout the day despite the heavy casualties, but the British are bringing up more forces while the Italian force is being whittled away.

After dark, ten Fliegerkorps X Stukas, perhaps patrolling to find HMS Illustrious and its escorts (which all make port at Alexandria during the day), find other targets. They spot and attack British minelaying cruiser HMS Latona and several accompanying destroyers off Tobruk. Latona is damaged by a 500 kg bomb and sinks at 22:30 after the ship's magazine blows up. There are 27 deaths. In addition, destroyer HMS Hero is damaged by near-misses. Illustrious, meanwhile, is now safe from air attack and can proceed via the Suez Canal to the United States for permanent repairs.

At Malta, an Italian Cant Z501 flying boat lands off Comino and the crew surrenders. The British go out and arrest them, but are puzzled about why the flying boat landed there (the crew never intended to surrender). The crew explains that they were lost and running low on fuel, and they mistook British searchlights for a signal from their base at Augusta. The large flying, incidentally, sinks in the rough seas.

The RAF on Malta begins air operations against Italian convoys to North Africa, though at first only reconnaissance is performed.

Collier's January 25, 1941, Vol. 107, No. 4. Cover Art by Earl Oliver Hurst.

Anglo/US Relations: Lord Halifax, having arrived aboard the battleship HMS King George V at the Chesapeake Bay yesterday, today meets with US Secretary of State and presses the case for US aid to Great Britain. The administration is shepherding House Bill No. 1776, the Lend-Lease bill, through Congress to do just that.

US Government: Former Ambassador William C. Bullitt testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and gives his own view of the current strategic situation. Bullitt warns that "our own self-preservation" requires that the United States support Great Britain against Germany. His argument is that the Royal Navy protects the United States and that it might take too long to get the US fleet from Hawaii to defend the East Coast.

Bulgaria: Pursuant to the original orders of the Wehrmacht of 11 December 1941, today was to have been when Field Marshal Wilhelm List was to have been ready to cross the Danube from Romania into Bulgaria. However, it is a cold winter, and rail traffic from Germany has been essentially stopped since 4 January, hurting logistical preparations. List only has about two armored and two infantry divisions in place. This is much too weak for an invasion, not necessarily because of Bulgarian strength, but because of the possibility that Turkey will intervene on Bulgaria's side (or perhaps to occupy Bulgaria itself) with its dozens of divisions. In addition, the Romanian airfields are in terrible shape and insufficient to support the required Luftwaffe forces. The new date for the invasion of Bulgaria is fixed at 24 February, but it is unclear if these difficulties will clear up by then, either. An invasion of Bulgaria will not be necessary, of course, if Bulgaria decides to join the Tripartite Pact, to which its leaders are currently giving hard thought and beginning to lean in favor of joining.

In what today might be considered a politically incorrect move, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recommends Bible reading on 25 January 1941. This is one of those Roosevelt views that historians have a tendency to downplay or ignore completely.

China: It is Chinese New Year's Day, and the Japanese decide to partake of the festivities in a particularly macabre way. The Japanese continue their scorched earth policy in China (the Three Alls Policy, the three "alls" being to "kill all, burn all, loot all"). They destroy Panjiayu, Hebei, China and kill 1230 Chinese. General Yasuji Okamura orders the massacre because he suspects that the villagers are harboring, aiding and abetting the Chinese Communist forces. This is part of a deliberate strategy to create a "dead zone" between the Japanese lines and Chinese forces. This becomes known as the Panjiayu Massacre or Panjiayu Tragedy.

Okamura, incidentally, is a fascinating/loathsome character for a number of reasons. He began the policy of "comfort women" for Japanese troops in China and, despite being convicted of war crimes, never is punished for those crimes on the personal order of Chiang Kai-shek.

Separately, the Japanese 11th Army opens an offensive against the Chinese 5th War Area in the region of Hsaiolintien, Mingkang, and Chengyang. This is known as the Battle of Southern Honan.

British Homefront: One of the odder pieces of trivia about World War II is that animals sometimes receive medals. Chum the Airedale, who saved the life of Mrs. Marjorie French of Purley when he dug her out of a bombed-out house and dragged her to safety, is awarded the Bravery Medal of Our Dumb Friend's League, aka the "Dog's VC." The word "Dumb" in this context, incidentally, is meant in its classical sense of "unable to speak," not "stupid." This is the first animal medal of the war, but not the last.

Chum the Airedale.

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 19 January 1941

German Flak in action along the French coast, 19 January 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign:  The front has stabilized for the time being on 19 January 1941, as much due to the weather as by Italian resistance to the continuing Greek offensive. The RAF bombs Berat, while the Luftwaffe performs reconnaissance over Athens and Piraeus - the main supply port being used by the British.

Hitler and Mussolini agree that the Wehrmacht will not assist the Italians in Albania - at least not directly, or right away. Hitler tells Mussolini that, while the ground war, for now, remains in his hands, he will invade Greece at the first sign of danger to the vital Romanian oil fields. The safety of the oil fields remains a priority for Hitler throughout the war and informs many of his major - and most disastrous - decisions.

East African Campaign: Today generally is considered the beginning of the East African campaign. British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell has been assembling large forces in Sudan. He plans attacks from three directions: an advance from Sudan; an offensive from Kenya; and amphibious landings to retake British Somaliland. They face 17,000 Italian troops along the border.

The British send the 4th and 5th Indian Divisions, along with elements of the Sudan Defence Force (all under Major General William Platt) across the border Sudan/Ethiopian border in force. The 4th Indian had participated in the opening stages of Operation Compass in Egypt during December. The ability by the British to mount offensives at the same time on two completely separate axes is an indication of growing British military might; but, more significantly, it is a sign of abject Italian military weakness (as proven by British military failures against the Germans in Greece a few months hence). It also is a complete vindication of Winston Churchill's edgy decision in August 1940 to start sending his Winston Special convoys carrying troops from England to the Middle East despite the looming threat of a German invasion.

The Italians under Lieutenant-General Luigi Frusci having abandoned the key rail junction of Kassala, Sudan, the British take possession without any fighting. This opens a path for a thrust toward Ethiopia. Another thrust is started in Kenya. The aim is the complete expulsion of Italian forces from Italian Somaliland, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and British Somaliland. The RAF is active, bombing Italian assets in the region.

The British have been studiously breaking Italian codes and thus have major advantages in the fighting. Italian commander and Viceroy of Italian East Africa the Duke of Aosta is competent, but his forces are completely out-matched and the British know his orders almost as quickly as his own troops do. The British also are using newly arrived Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie to stir up the natives against the Italians who had deposed him.

Following up on a story from the 17th and 18th, the Royal Navy finally gets a launch (the Lerwick lifeboat) to Fair Isle, Orkney to pick up three downed Luftwaffe airmen. They were shot down on the 17th whilst on a reconnaissance mission. The pilot, Karl Heinz Thurz, turns 21 today. The boat takes them back to the Scottish mainland for processing.

Battle of the Atlantic: Dutch 312 ton freighter Diana hits a mine and sinks in the Bristol Channel south of Cardiff. This area has seen numerous vessels sunk by mines recently. There are two survivors, the rest of the crew perishes.

The Luftwaffe hits 4909-ton British freighter Bonnington Court in the Thames Estuary near the Sunk Light Vessel. There are two deaths and the ship is sunk. Another ship, 2294 ton British freighter Zelo, also is damaged in this attack.

The Luftwaffe damages destroyer HMS Boreas during an attack on London. The Boreas already is under repair for an earlier incident.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Honeysuckle hits a mine off the Bar Light Vessel in the Thames Estuary and proceeds to Liverpool for repairs.
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Galatea returns to the fleet after being under repair at Chatham since 17 October 1940.

Convoy OG 50 departs from Liverpool, Convoys FN 387 and 388 depart from Southend, Convoy BS 13 departs Suez, Convoy SLS 63 departs from Freetown.

British battleship Prince of Wales (Captain John Leach), a member of the King George V class, is commissioned. This is done prematurely by normal standards, as numerous tests have not yet been done on her (compartment air tests, ventilation tests and thorough testing of her bilge, ballast and fuel-oil systems). The main guns also have many issues that need to be worked on but are not yet apparent. The Admiralty is rushing ships into service due to the looming presence of German battleships Tirpitz and Bismarck.

U-77 (Oberleutnant zur See Heinrich Schonder) is commissioned.

Italian submarine Neghelli, sunk today.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British and Australian troops surrounding Tobruk continue their preparations for the conquest of Tobruk. This operation originally was scheduled to begin on the 20th but was postponed for 24 hours due to sandstorms. The weather forces the Royal Navy to cancel Operation IS 1, the bombardment of Tobruk by Monitor HMS Terror, gunboat HMS Aphis, and several other ships. The weather damages Aphis, which has to be escorted to Port Said for repairs.

The Illustrious Blitz continues. The Luftwaffe's Fliegerkorps X once again attacks Malta's Grand Harbour. It is a fierce attack conducted by 80 aircraft in two separate raids. The Luftwaffe scores two misses on Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and causes it some further damage below the waterline. This damage includes damage to the port turbine and flooding of a boiler room. The shock of the concussions throws the Illustrious up against the wharf, likely damaging it, too. Afterward, the carrier settles down at the stern. Extensive damage is done to the port itself, with the Germans using 1000 kg high explosive bombs, twice the heaviest used previously. A couple of destroyers, HMS Imperial and Decoy, also sustain inconsequential damage.

Fliegerkorps X is under direct orders from Hitler to sink Illustrious, and its presence at Malta has incurred the full fury of the recently arrived Stukas and Junkers Ju 88s based at Catania, Sicily. Senglea suffers more damage, with the church of Our Lady of Victory completely wrecked, and a priory of the Dominican Fathers at Vittoriosa also is destroyed. The Luftwaffe has done more damage in furtherance of the Axis cause to Malta in its first week in the Mediterranean than the Italians have done since entering the war.

The RAF has hits hands full on Malta. A Fairey Fulmar of No. 806 Squadron - part of Illustrious' complement, now based on Malta - shoots down a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka during the attack, but then is itself shot down (two crew rescued). Governor Dobbie says in his daily report:

We can take it and enemy morale is visibly affected.

The British take comfort in the losses they are extracting on the attacking German aircraft. The loss in morale that Governor Dobbie references shown in less aggressive Stuka attacks. It would make sense that, as the air battle over Malta progresses, the most aggressive pilots would tend to get killed first. However, it appears that British claims of downed Luftwaffe aircraft greatly exceed actual losses - which invariably is the case and nothing special regarding Malta. The RAF has lost just five aircraft so far, while the British claim to have downed over 50 Luftwaffe planes either in aerial combat or by ground fire - an extremely inflated figure similar to wild claims made during the Battle of Britain.

Hurricane pilot Flight Lieutenant Jay MacLachan becomes an ace today, downing his fifth enemy aircraft.

Italian submarine Neghelli spots Convoy AS 12, a Piraeus to Alexandria convoy. It attacks Greek destroyer Psara (D 96) in the Aegean off Crete. The destroyer survives the attack, apparently, the torpedo misses. The Neghelli then torpedoes 7264-ton British freighter Clan Cumming near San Giorgio Island. The freighter makes it back to Piraeus. Destroyer HMS Greyhound (Commander W.R. Marshall-A'Deane) then sinks the Neghelli (46 deaths).

"Parachute troops on parade in front of a Whitley bomber pressed into service in the airborne role, RAF Ringway, Manchester, January 1941." © IWM (H 6527).

German/Italian Relations: Hitler continues his current round of diplomatic meetings (he likes to schedule meetings with all of his allies/vassals in succession). Mussolini arrives for two days of meetings at Berchtesgaden - a location into which some read some significance because previous meetings have been at intermediate locations such as Florence (and others will be in the future, too, depending on how the war is going). Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano - always a useful source because of his comprehensive diary - records that Mussolini is "frowning and nervous" on the ride up over the Alps (a scenic ride through Innsbruck). Hitler is friendly, an attitude he retains throughout their relationship. He does not have many peers who are his allies or friends, so Hitler appears to take particular pains to preserve the relationship with Mussolini - the only one that he does have.

They discuss Hitler's initial plans to send forces to the Mediterranean - outlined in Hitler's most recent Fuhrer Directive, though Mussolini presumably doesn't know about that, or at least technically shouldn't unless Hitler personally gives him a copy or tells him about it verbally. Mussolini is planning his own offensive to retake the Klisura Pass, to take place in about a week's time.

This conference continues the gradual shift in the relationship between the two men. In the 1920s, Mussolini was dismissive of the Germans and rarely even bothered to meet with Hitler's emissaries, such as Hermann Goering (who waited months for meetings). Germany's early military victories in Poland, France, and Scandinavia completely leveled that playing field, and now the Italian reversals in North Africa and particularly Albania have turned Italy into little more than a German satellite. Italy remains independent and Mussolini capable of independent action, but largely because Hitler still views Italy as his most significant ally which is better to have at his side than helping the British.

No. 98 at Brookhaven, Mississippi, pulling Train No. 1, January 19, 1941. Photo by C.W. Witbeck/Collection of Louis R. Saillard (Wilmington and Western Railroad).

German/US Relations: Secretary of State Cordell Hull quickly responds to German Chargé d'Affaires Hans Thomsen's complaint yesterday about the "flag incident" at the German consulate in San Francisco. In diplomatic terms, this is like traveling at the speed of light. Hull promises a complete investigation (which will conclude and whose results will be communicated to the Germans on 25 May 1941).

Romania: The Iron Guard (Legionnaire) has been conducting a series of "lectures" throughout Romania to its adherents that conclude today. These have inflamed tensions. It would not take much to set off a major revolt against the Antonescu government. The Iron Guard has been agitated since the reburial of its founder in November, and they view Antonescu as part of the forces that are oppressing them. Horia Sima remains effectively in charge of members of the Iron Guard rather than the government; they populate large proportions of the Security Police and the Bucharest police and follow his orders even though he is not in the government's chain of command. The Iron Guard also has a firm hold of the media and widespread support in the countryside.

Indonesia: Despite the recent French naval victory at Koh Chang, the Thai forces retain the initiative on land. The French retreat behind the Mekong River in the north.

China: The Nationalist Chinese, following an order from Chiang Kai-shek, disband the Communist New 4th Army near Maolin in the Yangtse Valley.

The Mississippi delegation for the inauguration of President Franklin Wallace and Vice President Henry Wallace in Washington, D.C., 19 January 1941 (Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History).

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

Saturday 18 January 1941

Battleship USS Arizona (BB 39) in the Puget Sound Navy Yard on January 18, 1941. This is the last such photo of the ship known to exist. (US Navy Institute).

Italian/Greek Campaign: On 18 January 1941, following the Greek capture of the key Klisura Pass, the lines have stabilized. Despite having the pass, which is considered the gateway to the key Italian port of Valona, the Greeks are unable at this time to push further down toward the Italian port. The Italians are building up troops for an attempt to retake the pass.

European Air Operations: A major snowstorm begins over England and the Continent that essentially shuts down operations on both sides for three days. The Luftwaffe squeezes in a few minor raids during the day, dropping some bombs on the outskirts of London and shooting up a train in East Anglia. Neither side is in the air after dark. The coastal guns at Hellfire Corner (Dover/Calais) are in action during the day.

Following up on a story from 17 January, the locals on Fair Isle, Orkney continue to hold a group of three Luftwaffe airmen who crashed in their reconnaissance Heinkel He 111. The seemingly simple task of retrieving them turns into a nightmare as the first launch sent to take them into custody runs aground on the southern tip of the island, and then a second launch is sent and also runs aground. The islanders help to refloat the craft, and then the Germans are finally taken away.

Feldwebel Mickel of 1./JG 1 downs a Blenheim over the North Sea for his first victory.

Baltimore News-Post, 18 January 1941.

Battle of the Atlantic: German raider Kormoran is operating seven hundred hundred miles (1100 km) west of Western Sahara when the lookouts spot smoke on the horizon just before sunset. The ship is the 6987-ton British tanker British Union. Kormoran Captain Detmers guesses (correctly) that the ship is an Allied vessel and opens fire, hitting with the third salvo. As the Kormoran approaches in the darkness, the crew of the tanker opens fire but misses. The crew of the Kormoran returns fire and does not miss, starting raging fires. The British crew then abandons ship, and Detmers sinks it with gunfire and three torpedoes (one fails to explode). There are 28 survivors (and a pet monkey) in two lifeboats taken aboard the Kormoran. The British Union was able to get off a distress call during the capture, drawing the British armed merchant cruiser (AMC) HMS Arawa to the scene around midnight. While it does not find the Kormoran, which quickly left the scene, the Arawa does pick up the crew of a third lifeboat missed by the Kormoran. This incident is puzzling to the Admiralty because they are unaware of the presence of the Kormoran and Admiral Scheer is later proven to be far from the scene. There also are reports from the men rescued in the third lifeboat that the Kormoran had fired on the other two lifeboats, a claim later proven to be false.

German cruiser Admiral Scheer, in fact, is operating in the South Atlantic. Today, it captures 8038-ton Norwegian tanker Sandefjord, which is carrying 11,000 tons of crude oil. The Sandefjord is sent with a prize crew to France, where it is renamed Monsun. Some sources place this on the 17th, so I have included this event there as well.

The Luftwaffe attacks Portsmouth and has some near misses on destroyer HMS Castleton, damaging it further while it is undergoing repairs for an earlier incident. Another Luftwaffe attack on Swansea damages 3489-ton Greek freighter Chelatros.

German 4664-ton freighter Godfried Bueren hits a mine and sinks in the Kattegat.

Royal Navy AMC Asturias intercepts 8199-ton Vichy French freighter Mendoza sixty miles east of Montevideo. The two ships proceed to Freetown.

Convoy OB 275 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FS 391 departs from Methil, Convoy BS 12D departs from Port Sudan bound for Aden.

Royal Navy corvettes HMS Mimosa and Pentstemon are launched, the destroyer HMS Eskdale is laid down.

U-177 (Oberleutnant zur See Heinrich Schonder) commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Australian/British attack on Tobruk, originally planned for 20 January, is postponed 24 hours due to sandstorms. British ships HMS Terror and Aphid bombard Tobruk during the night, and the RAF also raids the port.

The Luftwaffe, after a day off, returns to the skies over Malta today. Fliegerkorps X attacks the Malta airfields during a 90-minute sustained attack on Hal Far and Luqa fields. The raid is a success, destroying hangers, barracks and cratering runways. All but one runway at the two airstrips, at Hal Far, are put out of service during the attack.

Aside from half a dozen parked planes lost at the airfields, the British lose two Fairey Fulmars (one man dead) of RAF No. 806 Squadron. The Luftwaffe loses at least five Stukas and Junkers Ju 88s. The Germans lose five men, including two pilots.

The government of Malta is faced with a humanitarian crisis in the bombed areas downtown. Governor Dobbie visits Senglea and Vittoriosa, sees the devastation, and orders an immediate evacuation of the entire Three Cities. He also calls in the troops to help with continuing rescue efforts. These efforts are bearing fruit, as a dozen people - the Costa and Mizzi families - are found alive in a family air raid shelter two days after the start of the Illustrious Blitz. There are others perhaps also waiting to be discovered, so the workers dig around the clock.

Italian 1384 ton freighter Lelio hits a mine and sinks at La Spezia.

While it is summertime Down Under, that does not mean the skies always are sunny. A flash storm drenches Brisbane with 79 mm of rain in the first 30 minutes. Here, patrons at Albion Park shelter from the rain just after the third race. In the true spirit of "the show must go on," the races proceed and the betting windows remain open. A man perishes when lightning hits him whilst playing golf at Victoria Park (State Library of Queensland).

German/US Relations: German Charge d'Affaires Hans Thomsen gives his "most emphatic protest" to an incident in San Francisco. Someone has taken down a German Swastika flag flying over the German Consulate in that city, which was then torn apart by a raging mob. The Germans protest that this is a violation of international law, as they have national sovereignty over their facilities. Consul General Fritz Wiedemann was flying the flag in honor of the country's unification in 1871. Secretary of State Cordell Hull swiftly promises a full investigation (that will take over four months, until 25 May 1941).

Anglo/US Relations: The British Minister of Economic Warfare, Hugh Dalton, alleges that some US producers are skirting the economic blockade of Europe by selling items needed by the Germans to Russia, which then passes them along to the Germans. There also are other potential routes for such transactions (which often involve cotton shipments), such as contraband shipments from the United States to Portugal, thence to Switzerland, and finally to Italy. A route for cotton which does not involve the US is from Turkey north through various neutrals such as Russia.

The Germans do indeed experience a shortage of cotton, which they are attempting to overcome by the use of artificial fibers (with limited success because the ersatz replacements do not insulate as well as natural cotton). Cotton - or the lack thereof by the Germans - will play quite a pivotal role in the war at the end of the year.

The Ministry of Economic Warfare is concerned because it perceives that the Russians are buying much more cotton than they previously had needed. The problem with this concern is that the US is the biggest supplier of cotton in the world, and the US perceives cotton as one of its biggest cash crops. This makes the Roosevelt administration at best lukewarm to these British concerns, because Roosevelt's Democrats rely on the support of the cotton-growing regions in the south (a political dynamic which disappeared only decades after the war). Part of incoming Ambassador Lord Halifax's agenda when he arrives in Washington will be to confront Roosevelt on this trade. This remains a lingering issue until military and political events later in the year conclusively end it.

Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel learns that he is to become commander of the US Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) at Pearl Harbor, 18 January 1941 (Photo: Bettmann).

Anglo/Japanese/Chinese Relations: The British close the Burma Road again. During the rainy season in mid-1940 the British also closed it, but at that time kept the reasons murky. This time, the British explicitly do so in hopes of improving relations with Japan. The Burma Road is Nationalist China's lifeline, with valuable supplies entering from India and Burma. With the Chinese ports closed to them due to Japanese occupation, the Nationalist Chinese have no other trade routes.

Vichy French Government: Marshal Pétain meets with former minister Pierre Laval to discuss his concerns about Laval. Laval remains a private citizen after the meeting, but this proves to be a key step toward Pétain inviting Laval back into the government.

Sudan: The British are making exploratory attacks into Abyssinia, and the Italians evacuate Kassala.

China: The Chinese infighting between the Communists and the Nationalists (Kuomintang) continues, both on the battlefield and in press releases. Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek basically has outlawed the communist army, while the communists retaliate today by stating that the recently Nationalist attack on the Communist New Fourth Army by the Kuomintang was "planned by pro-Japanese conspirators and anti-Communist diehards." Since it is obvious by now that Kai-Shek was the one who ordered the operation, this is a direct shot at him by the Communists.

American Homefront: Warner Bros. releases "Honeymoon for Three," starring Ann Sheridan and George Brent.

Future History: David Eli Ruffin is born in Whynot, Mississippi. David loves to sing and moves to Detroit at the age of 16 to pursue his career. He releases his first singles in 1958 with Vega Records, and around this time meets Berry Gordy, Jr. Ruffin helps Gordy's father build the future headquarters for Junior's Tamla Records aka Motown Records. After a while, Gordy meets a group called The Temptations and, in January 1964, becomes a member. Smokey Robinson, the group's producer, writes a song for Ruffin, "My Girl," which becomes a huge hit and the Temptations' signature song. This makes Ruffin the group's lead singer and frontman. Ruffin, however, has personal issues within the group, including drug addiction, and is fired on 27 June 1968. This results in legal actions, and Ruffin embarks on a successful solo recording career. David Ruffin passes away on 1 June 1991 from an accidental drug overdose (though his family feels it was part of a successful robbery).

Saturday Evening Post, 18 January 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

Thursday 16 January 1941

The statue of Our Lady standing amidst the devastation at Senglea after the "Illustrious Blitz" Luftwaffe air raids on Malta, January 1941 (Times of Malta.com).

Italian/Greek Campaign: By now, on 16 January 1941, the Italian Lupi di Toscana division has been wrecked in the Klisura Pass. It has "ceased to exist as an organized force." Out of the initial force of many thousands of combat troops, it now is down to 160 officers and men, with over 4,000 casualties and thousands of men captured. While this is an epic disaster, there is a silver lining for the Italians: the lost division has bought time for other Italian units to form a new defensive line in front of the strategic Klisura Pass. In fact, the Italians are organizing a counterattack, but that will take about 10 days to set in motion. This is a decisive moment in the war on the Albanian front because the Italians cannot afford to lose the key port of Valona, through which all of their supplies in the sector flow.

The British and Greeks wind up their consultations in Athens. Prime Minister Metaxas declines the offer of British ground assistance since he considers it too little to affect the outcome but sufficient to provoke the Germans into invading. It should be mentioned, however, that the RAF will continue to operate from Greek soil.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe continues its focus on southwest England, switching its attention from Plymouth to perennial target Bristol. The focus of this attack is the port of Avonmouth. The raid by 126 bombers lasts for hours and destroys numerous homes and businesses. There also are scattered bombs drooped elsewhere in southern England.

RAF Bomber Command sends 81 bombers to raid the north German and French ports such as Wilhelmshaven, Emden, Ostend, Boulogne, and Calais.

Cover of WAAF recruitment booklet (Archives New Zealand, AIR 118 Box 114/78r).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-106 (Kptlt. Jürgen Oesten), on its first patrol out of Kiel (and ultimately headed for Lorient), torpedoes and sinks 10,578-ton British transport Zealandic in the mid-Atlantic south of Iceland. Everybody on board perishes. Some sources place this sinking on the 17th.

U-96 (Kptlt. Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 14,118-ton British transport Oropesa in the early morning hours northwest of Ireland. The first torpedo hits in the stern and stops the ship, and about 45 minutes later U-96 sends another torpedo its way, but it misses (one wonders how you miss a sinking ship, but torpedoes at this stage of the war often are defective). The ship sinks at 06:16 after another two torpedoes. There are 106 deaths, including six passengers, while 143 people (including 33 passengers) are picked up by rescue tugs. It says something for the seamanship and professionalism of the crew that such a high percentage of passengers survived, while about half of the crew perishes - unsung heroes of the war. It isn't always that way during sinkings...

Italian submarine Torelli sinks 3111-ton Greek freighter Nicolaos Filinis in the mid-Atlantic. There are three deaths. I also have this listed as sinking on the 15th because the sources are unclear on the exact date, but it only sank once!

Royal Navy 213-ton minesweeping trawler HMS Desiree hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary. Everybody survives.
The Luftwaffe also is active quite near where U-96 gets a kill northwest of Ireland (the Luftwaffe planes are coordinating now with the U-boat fleet). Led by Obst. Verlöhr, Gruppenkommandeur of I./KG 40, the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors sight a practically defenseless convoy west of Ireland. The damage to the British ships could have been much worse, but KG 40 only has about 8 planes serviceable, and many of them are not available.

The Condors bomb 4581-ton Greek freighter Meandros. Everyone survives, and the freighter is taken in tow. However, the seas are rough, but the tow line breaks during the night and cannot be found after dawn. A Royal Navy ship later finds and sinks the derelict.

The Luftwaffe attack in that area also claims 6256-ton Dutch tanker Onoba. Everyone survives.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 360-ton British freighter Gladonia near the Sunk Lightvessel in the Thames. Lightvessels, incidentally, are a venerable feature of British waterways, placed in position with lights as navigational aids.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 4966-ton British freighter Llanwern off Avonmouth.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 1345-ton British freighter Skjold north of Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel. The ship later returns to service.

British 509-ton freighter Romsey hits a mine and is damaged at the entrance to Milford Haven (off St. Annes Head). The crew beaches the ship for later repair at Dale Road.

Convoy US008/1 departs from Colombo for Suez. This is a major troop convoy which includes numerous troop transports.

Convoy FN 385 departs from Southend, Convoy OG 50 departs from Liverpool.

U-77 is commissioned.

Leading Aircraftman Raymond Edward Thorold-Smith receives his wings from RCAF Wing Commander Arthur Dwight Ross, an officer in charge of No. 3 Service Flying Training School in Calgary. Thorold-Smith begins combat operations in July 1941, becomes an ace, and wins the DFC for actions over France. 16 January 1941. (RCAF).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Luftwaffe Fliegerkorps X, which recently devastated the Royal Navy during Operation Excess, sets its sights on Malta. This is considered the first German bombing of Malta, though there were scattered attacks by Stukas during 1940 which technically could be considered under the command of the Italians.

Escorted by Italian fighters, 70 Stukas stage a big raid on Grand Harbor (Parlatorio Wharf) and Valetta Harbour. The Stukas come in relentless waves for almost two hours in the afternoon. Among the destructions are damage to cruiser HMAS Perth and further damage to the previously hit aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious (one more death). Both ships are more damaged by underwater near-misses than by actual hits, with the Perth, in particular, suffering from concussions that bend its propeller shafts. Other ships also sustain damage, including destroyer HMS Decoy and 11,063-ton transport Essex (15 crew dead along with 7 nearby Maltese dockyard workers).

Many of the bombs aimed at Illustrious fall instead within the surrounding ‘Three Cities’ of Senglea, Vittoriosa, and Cospicua. These are Malta's oldest urban communities, and many historic buildings are obliterated. About 200 houses are destroyed and 500 damaged, with thousands left homeless. Due to the primary target being aircraft carrier Illustrious, which is badly damaged and being repaired in the harbor, this sequence of raids becomes known as the "Illustrious Blitz."

The attack inflicts more casualties than it otherwise might because the half-hearted Italian attacks have induced many civilians to return to their homes in the area. There are 15 bodies that cannot be identified and dozens of civilian deaths. Valletta also is badly damaged, including heavy damaged in Old Mint Street. The defending Hurricane fighters and anti-aircraft guns do what they can and shoot down 5-11 Stukas (accounts vary).

In North Africa, the British Australian troops earmarked for the assault on Tobruk continue their preparations. The RAF bombs Tobruk and Derna. Other RAF planes attack Maritsa (Maritza), Rhodes, a town named for its local Italian commander named Maritza. The RAF based in Malta raids the Catania airfields, home of Fliegerkorps X, after dark due to their recent success against both the Royal Navy and Malta.

Japanese/Dutch Relations: While the Germans have conquered Holland, the Dutch remain a formidable military and colonial power in the Far East. The Japanese reopen negotiations with them in the Dutch East Indies, requesting more raw material deliveries and other concessions.

There seems to be some confusion about when the WAAF began. The WAAF was formed in Great Britain on 28 June 1939, absorbing units formed even earlier. They served with conspicuous gallantry as plotters, telephonists and in numerous other roles throughout the Battle of Britain, with some women continuing to work as buildings were bombed and in flames and so forth. The WAAF units formed on 16 January 1941 were those solely in New Zealand.

New Zealand Military: The New Zealand branch of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) is founded. The plans for this force are to use the women "in some clerical trades and jobs of a domestic nature, peculiar to the feminine temperament and unpopular with men." The minimum age for enlistment is 18, and the average age is 27. Just over half of women who apply are accepted. This marks the beginning of a permanent integration of women into the New Zealand airforce (RNZAF).

US Military: The War Department forms the 99th Pursuit Squadron. This is the famous "Tuskegee Airmen" unit, based at Tuskegee, Alabama and manned by African-Americans.

A US Army Air Corps Douglas B-18a Bolo, with seven crewmen, disappears after takeoff from McChord Field, Pierce County, Washington en route to Muroc Field in Southern California. The wreckage is found by local woodsmen on 3 February 1941 on Deschutes Peak, elevation 4322, the highest point in the vicinity. No survivors are found. It appears the pilots simply got unlucky and flew into the only obstruction at their altitude in the area after heavy winds forced them to attempt to return to McChord. The plane was climbing at 45 degrees to clear the ridge but didn't make it by 50 feet. Officially, it is a case of pilot error.

US Government: The administration requests an appropriation of $350 million for merchant ship construction. The Liberty ship design is still being worked up.

President Roosevelt has a meeting with Admiral Stark, George Marshall, Henry Stimson, and Cordell Hull to discuss a report prepared by Captain Richmond Kelly Turner (director of war plans in Naval Operations) and Colonel Joseph T. McNarney (of the Army War Plans Division). Known as the "Turner-McNarney Report," this document is titled "Study of the Immediate Problems Concerning Involvement in the War" and is dated 12 December 1940. The Turner-McNarney Report is extremely prescient in predicting how and why the Japanese might begin a war in the Pacific. The report predicts a major Japanese offensive that will aim to "capture the entire area," and that "The issues in the Orient will largely be decided in Europe." Roosevelt authorizes exploratory talks with the British regarding the major themes of the report, but he is not yet ready to contemplate sending ground troops to Europe. General Marshall writes of the meeting that Roosevelt feels:

the Army should not be committed to any aggressive action until it was fully prepared to undertake it; that our military course must be very conservative until our strength had developed.

This incident is often overlooked by those who claim that Roosevelt is thirsting to enter the war. What it shows is a President who is quite comfortable letting others fight a war he feels is necessary while the US takes as long as is given to arm to the teeth.

Ethiopia: British attacks from the Sudan and Kenya on Italian-held Ethiopia, timed to coincide with the return of Emperor Haile Selassie (or vice versa), make good progress. The South African 2nd Infantry Brigade attacks the Italian garrison at El Yibo. This is the first step of the British East-African counter-offensive.

India: Subhas Chandra Bose, a key Indian nationalist, adopts a disguise and flees Calcutta.

Battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) under construction at the Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts, 16 January 1941. This shows the stern and rear turret.

Indochina: The French (Admiral Decoux) send light cruiser Lamotte Picquet, escorted by sloops Amiral Charner, Dumont D'Urville, Tahure, and Marne, as Task Force 7 from their base in Saigon. Their mission is to confront the Thai forces aiming to take possession of portions of the Mekong Delta which they claim the French stole from them in the late 19th Century. The Thai land army is much larger than the French forces, but the French naval forces are superior to anything that the Thais have. The Thai air force has over 140 aircraft, including Mitsubishi Ki-30s.

The French ships are heading for Koh Chang, southeast of Bangkok, one of the largest Thai islands in the Gulf of Thailand. They have the assistance of reconnaissance flying boat Loire 130, which locates the Thai ships. The objective is to wipe out the defending Thai fleet and bombard the country's coastal cities to force the Thai government to come to terms.

On land, the outnumbered French forces counterattack at the villages of Yang Dang Khum and Phum Preav in Cambodia in the Sisophon sector. The French Foreign Legion provides valuable covering fire which keeps the Thai tanks at bay. The French do not retain their gains but instead, fall back to more defensible positions. This may be considered a tactical victory but a strategic defeat, as the Thais continue their advance. The main problem for the French is that they don't have any military intelligence on the Thais and thus must be overly cautious.

British Homefront: Defeated Republican Presidential candidate Wendell Wilkie arrives in England, his ship passing that of the new British ambassador to the US Lord Halifax.

Future History: Actress Claire Gordon is born in Cambridge, England. Claire Gordon goes on to become an acclaimed film actress and model. She enters history in a 1966 West End production of The Three Musketeers, produced by her husband-to-be William Donaldson. The reason? She becomes the first British actress to appear completely naked on stage in the bath scene. Heck, it's an important first in the theatre and otherwise, she might be forgotten. Claire Gordon passes away on 13 April 2015.

Helpful advice for women in the Grande Prairie Herald-Tribune, 16 January 1941.

The key part is soaking the shirt in cold water.

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

Friday 10 January 1941

An Italian Savoia SM79 torpedo bomber in action.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Italians pull out of Klisura Pass on 10 January 1941, handing it to the Greeks. Well, not all of the Italians; some of them are encircled and will become Greek POWs. The Toscana Division, which marched 24-hours straight to run into the battle without preparation or rest, is devastated. The Julia Division which has been holding the pass, however, retreats in reasonably good order. The Cretan 5th Division of II Corps leads the Greek victory.

The capture of the pass has been a Greek priority due to the access it provides to the key Italian port of Valona. Expectations soar that the Greeks can now storm down and take the port. British Middle East Commander in Chief Archibald Wavell sends Greek Commander in Chief a congratulatory telegram. The Italians do not retreat very far, however, and the Greeks experience great difficulty in exploiting this success.

European Air Operations: The "Circus" operations begin. The British launch a large daylight raid over the Pas de Calais. The tables now have turned: rather than the Luftwaffe trying to entice the RAF fighters into battle, now the RAF tries to entice the Bf 109s into the air. About 72 RAF fighters and a tiny force of six Blenheim bombers target an ammunition dump south of Calais. After dark, Bomber Command hits Brest, where Kriegsmarine cruiser Admiral Hipper continues to linger.

After dark, the Luftwaffe sends 150 bombers against Portsmouth. They drop 50,000 incendiaries, and despite increased British efforts to extinguish them quickly, over two dozen large fires destroy large swathes of the working-class sections of the city and six churches. The historic Guildhall is hit and the fires melt its copper cupola. Aside from the bomb damage, there are 171 deaths and 430 injured.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe (Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor of KG 40) attacks Convoy SL 62 in the Atlantic 240 km west of County Galway. They sink 3677-ton Norwegian iron ore freighter Austvard. There are 23 deaths and only 5 survivors.

Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Maron intercepts Vichy French 3178 ton freighter Cantal. The Maron sends the captured ship to Gibraltar.

British 9683 ton freighter Middlesex hits a mine just off Flat Holm Island (south of Cardiff in the Bristol Channel) and sinks. Everybody survives.

Royal Navy cruiser HMS Adventure lays minefield ZME 14 in St. George's Channel.

In Operation Monsoon, Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Furious flies off 39 Hurricanes and 9 Fulmars to Takoradi, Ghana.
German tanker Nordmark and supply ship Eurofeld rendezvous in the Atlantic.

Convoy OB 272 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 380 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 385 departs from Methil, Convoy SL 62 and SLS 62 departs from Freetown, Convoy BS 12B departs from Suez.

U-560 is launched.

HMS Gallant in Malta Harbor after having its bows blown off.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Royal Navy's luck with its Malta convoys finally runs out despite the fact that Convoy MW 5 1/2 makes it to Grand Harbour without any damage (and turns around and leaves in under four hours) and Convoy ME 6 departs from there without incident.

While the Italian air force remains largely ineffective, the German Luftwaffe now is around to generate some real results. The ships of British Operation Excess reach the Sicilian Strait, and that provides a target that is just too tempting to ignore. Crack Luftwaffe unit Fliegerkorps X, now based on Sicily and with pilots specially trained for service on unfinished aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, sends 30 Junkers Ju 87 Stukas against the warships passing from west to east just south of Malta. They illustrate what the Italians could have been accomplishing all along. The order from Oberstleutnant Karl Christ, Kommodore of the Stukagruppen:

The Illustrious has got to be sunk.

The Stukas are successful in finding and bombing the brand-new Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. It is part of Force A, and the Stukas hit it half a dozen times; they also badly damage cruiser HMS Southampton, but the Illustrious is the prize.

The Axis operation is clever, with two Savoia SM79 torpedo bombers sent first to draw off the defending fighters and disrupt the formation. After that, the Stukas come on in successive waves that last into the late afternoon. The Illustrious has 200 casualties (83-125 deaths, accounts vary) and, with her steering wrecked, barely makes it to nearby Malta with blazing fires and a pronounced list caused in part by all the water used to fight the fires. Captain Boyd on the Illustrious even has to hoist the ominous flag signal, "I am not under control." However, the engines are carefully controlled to keep the carrier on course, and it is able to make 17 knots. The RAF also loses five Swordfish and five Fulmars in the attack. The fires on the Illustrious take another four hours to put out after the carrier makes port around 22:15.

The Royal Navy's problems do not end there. Destroyer HMS Gallant hits a mine about 120 miles west of Malta, which blows off her entire bows all the way back to the bridge. There are 58 deaths, 25 other casualties, and 85 crew survive. After being towed back to Grand Harbor stern-first, the Gallant is written off and her remaining guns and equipment used in other ships.

Battleships HMS Warspite and Valiant also receive minor damage, with on dead and two wounded on the latter. An Italian submarine, the Settimo, attacks the warships, but without success.

The Italians also sortie, but with less success than the Germans. Italian torpedo boats attack the Operation Excess ships in the Sicilian Narrows off Cape Bon. The Italians only lose one of their own, torpedo boat Vega. In fighting off the Italian attack, however, Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Bonaventure uses up 75% of its ammunition and sustains one death and four other casualties (one of whom later also perishes). Italian torpedo boat Circe barely gets away with splinter damage.

On land, the RAF bombs Italian airfields at Benina, Benghazi, and Berea. The Fleet Air Arm raids Palermo on Sicily.

In an odd postscript to the day, Lieutenant Commander Frederick P. Hartman, U.S. Naval Observer on board the Illustrious, later is commended for gallantry in action. This may make him the first US soldier to receive a distinction for combat service in the line of duty during World War II. Quite a footnote to history.

Bomb damage on HMS Illustrious' aft flight deck, 10 January 1941.

Battle of the Pacific: German raider Orion begins a refit at Maug Island.

Soviet/German Relations: The two nations, still operating under the Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact of August 1939, agree to population exchanges in the Baltic States. They also agree to a new economic pact, in which the Soviets supply raw materials in exchange for German machine tools. As part of the agreement, the Soviets "buy" a slice of Lithuania for 1.5 million reichsmarks, or roughly US $7.5 million.

The Soviets are quite happy with the agreement, announcing:

This new economic agreement marks a great step forward.

With perfect hindsight, we can agree that it does "mark a great step forward," but not quite in the manner the Soviets intend.

Soviet Military: The second round of war games continues. General Zhukov is doing quite well in command of the "Red" or Soviet forces, which heartens the Stavka.

Final attacks on HMS Illustrious, 10 January 1941.

British Military: After days of deliberation, the Chiefs of Staff and the Defence Committee have made their decision regarding priorities in the Mediterranean sector. They cable Wavell that:

[A]ssistance to Greece must now take priority over all operations in the Middle East once Tobruk is taken, because help for the Greeks must, in the first instance at least, come almost entirely from you.

General Wavell and his RAF chief, Air Marshal Arthur Longmore, are aghast. Wavell is not convinced of the need to switch focus immediately to Greece. He reasons that this would interrupt a successful campaign in favor of one of much more doubtful profit. He claims that the German troop movements are just another:

...move in a war of nerves designed with object of helping Italy by upsetting Greek nerves, inducing us to disperse our forces in Middle East and to stop our advance in Libya. Nothing (repeat nothing) we can do from here is likely to be in time to stop German advance if really intended...

thinks Greece is lost - although he is now reinforcing the Greeks - and weakening his African Army - he believes Hitler will permit Mussolini to go only so far downhill - and is now preparing for the attack which must bring its inevitable result.

US Military: First flight of the Vought SB2U-3 Vindicator, which is an extended-range version of the dive bomber with floats.

Damage to HMS Illustrious, 10 January 1941 (IWM has the wrong date on this). © IWM (A 20638)

US Government: Representative John McCormack of Massachusetts introduces the Lend-Lease Bill (HR 1776) in Congress. It proposes that the United States provide arms to Great Britain without immediate payment - a reversal of the "cash and carry" policy. This essentially grants Great Britain unlimited credit to spend the nation's money as it sees fit.

Just prior to the bill's introduction, President Roosevelt holds a press conference at 10:55 a.m. which he disarmingly begins by claiming "Don't think I have any news this morning." During it, he addresses some of the most consequential decisions of the 20th Century. First, he announces that he has signed a "proclamation" restricting the export of six key strategic materials: copper, brass, bronze, zinc, nickel, and potash. This appears aimed as much against Germany as Japan, the usual target of such sanctions.

The reporters, however, are much more interested in the lend-lease bill. Roosevelt downplays the whole thing and instead goes off on a weird tangent, talking about unrestrained population growth in Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean. When pulled back to the lend-lease bill, though, he emphasizes "speed is a great essential" in getting the "British aid bill" passed and that "it is proper to call attention to those very simple statements of fact." Basically, he wants to ram this extremely consequential bill through quickly so that "quick action can be taken." It is an astonishingly brief explanation of far-reaching legislation that will affect the entire world's destiny and brings to mind similar attitudes toward extremely significant legislation of the 21st Century.

Indochina: The Thais attack in their quest to wrest control of portions of the Mekong Delta from the French. Thailand considers these "lost provinces" that it thinks the French stole late in the 19th Century. The Thai infantry is supported by tanks and advances toward Battambang.

China: The Nationalist (Kuomintang) forces continue to attack the encircled portions of the Communist Chinese New 4th Army near Maoling on the Yangtze.

Antarctica: Auxiliary icebreaker Bear (AG 29) arrives in West Base. Its mission is to evacuate Admiral Byrd's exploratory force. It will take a couple of weeks to complete the evacuation. The mission is successful, but they leave behind the famous snow cruiser in its ice cage.

Dutch Homefront: Reich Commissar for Occupied Netherlands Artur Seyss-Inquart decrees that Jews register with the authorities. The specifics are:

Registration of all persons of part or full Jewish blood. Sec. 2 defines as a Jew any person one of whose grandparents was a full blooded Jew. Any grandparent who belonged or belongs to the Jewish religious community is considered as such. Failure to register entails an imprisonment not exceeding 5 years and the confiscation of property.

Of course, those who register may wind up in more difficulty than just losing their property and being imprisoned. Many people must make very hard choices.

American Homefront: Louella Parsons (gossip reporter of the Hearst newspaper chain) and two of William Randolph Hearst's lawyers receive a private screening of Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane." It is still in rough-cut form, without music, but Parsons sees enough to know it is big trouble. She is outraged (perhaps as much by being scooped by Hedda Hopper a week earlier, humiliating her to her boss, as by the film itself). Parsons stalks out of the film before it is even finished, a rather rare occurrence for a film that widely is considered (subsequently) perhaps the greatest motion picture ever produced.

Parsons wastes no time. She quickly calls RKO Pictures studio head George J. Schaefer and threatens a lawsuit if he releases the film. She then rings up Radio City Music Hall and threatens them not to screen it. She also calls her boss, Hearst, who immediately imposes a ban by all of the papers in his chain from promoting any RKO films at all - not just "Citizen Kane." This begins with Ginger Rogers' "Kitty Foyle," in theaters for less than two weeks and considered one of the top films of 1940. With no television, there are few outlets besides newspapers (and radio) to promote films.

Schaefer is a big believer in Welles and the film, so he does not back down in response to the threats. Welles also has a contract giving him final cut (the first such deal in Hollywood history), so Schaefer has little leverage over what is in the film. Parsons, furious at making no progress with the studio boss, then begins calling other studio heads and prominent people in the industry to get RKO blacklisted. She also threatens Welles with exposure of his illicit affair with actress Dolores del Rio. Welles responds by issuing a statement that the film is not about Hearst at all - but anyone who knows the true meaning of the first word spoken in the film, "Rosebud," knows that to be just a smokescreen (which includes Hearst and presumably Parsons). Hearst is furious about the entire situation and has his lawyers prepare to file a temporary restraining order against the picture's release.

Separately, the Gallup Organization publishes the results of polls regarding the war - the one in Europe, that is, and not Hollywood. The results show a population still divided on military interventions.

In response to the question, "Which of these two things do you think it is more important for the United States to try to do — to keep out of the war ourselves, or to help England win, even at the risk of getting into the war?":

• Help England: 60%
• Stay Out: 40%

In response to the question, "If you were asked to vote on the question of the United States entering the war against Germany and Italy, how would you vote — to go into the war, or to stay out of the war?":

Stay Out: 88%
Go In: 12%

These results present a much more mixed picture than some of the other Gallup polls taken during the past year. All of them show a country that has not yet been convinced to declare war. These results must hearten the America First Committee and other isolationists.

A Stuka (yellow in the upper right) has just dropped a bomb which makes a near-miss on HMS Illustrious, 10 January 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