Saturday 12 July 1941

German Fallschirmjäger II./Fallsch.Sturm- regiment parade in Goslar, Crete, July 12, 1941.

Eastern Front: The Luftwaffe raids Moscow on 12 July 1941 for the first time after several false alarms.

In the Far North sector, the Finns continue to make progress while the Germans farther north are stuck. Finnish Army of Karelia captures Kokkari and Tolvayarvi northeast of Lake Ladoga.

In the Army Group North sector, XLI Panzer Corps reaches the Plyussa River. The terrain is more of a hindrance to the German advance than the Soviet resistance. General Halder notes in his war diary that General Erich Hoepner's 4th Panzer Group is "growing increasingly tired and weak," which accounts for the panzers making "no substantial advance in the direction of Leningrad." However, the Soviets are withdrawing, giving the German tankers some time to rest.

In the Army Group Center sector, the Soviets are counterattacking against General Hoth's 3rd Panzer Group at Vitebsk. The Soviets have a large troop concentration at Nevel composed of stragglers collected from all across the front, and they are using this motley assortment to attack southward. German Ninth Army is rapidly closing on Hoth's panzers and providing some support. Hoth's tanks and General Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group forces are attacking north and south of Orsha, respectively.

In the Army Group South sector, the Soviets are in full retreat to the Dniestr River to the south of Kyiv. The Soviets attempt a counterattack at Korosten, but Sixth Army shrugs it off. Panzer Group 1 is involved in a more serious battle around Berdichev. General Halder notes in his war diary that General Paulus has submitted some aerial photographs of Kyiv from which "one does not get the impression of unusually extensive preparations for a large-scale withdrawal" - which is a classic understatement for the likelihood that the Soviets intend to make a major stand in defense of Kyiv. Meanwhile, Romanian troops make an advance to Balti.

"A 15-cwt truck passes a sentry as it leaves Fort Weygand at Palmyra, Syria, 12 July 1941" (© IWM (E 4079)).

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: A ceasefire is in place, effective today at 12:01 a.m. and both sides respect it. The two sides continue to negotiate over a final armistice, and since there is no real disagreement over how things will resolve - the British will take over the Levant and the Vichy French there shall be treated well so as not to offend Paris - things are proceeding quickly.

During the fighting, the Vichy French in the Levant lost:

• 1092 killed (according to Vichy commander General Henri Dentz)
• 1790 wounded
• 466 missing
• 3004 taken prisoner
• 5688 defecting to the Free French
• 179 aircraft (most destroyed on the ground)
• 1 submarine

British and Commonwealth losses:

• 1552 Australian casualties (416 killed, 1136 wounded)
• 1300 (approximate) Free French casualties
• 1800 British and Indian casualties
• 1200 British captured
• 3150 sick (350 malaria cases)
• 27 aircraft (RAF and RAAF)

Both sides have taken prisoners, and how that will be resolved is virtually the only delay in putting the entire affair behind everyone. The basic terms of the armistice are initialed informally in Acre in the street and appropriate documents are drafted. French Lieutenant-General Joseph-Antoine-Sylvain-Raoul de Verdillac attends the French-British negotiations. The process to draft the Armistice of Saint-Jean d'Acre begins at 2200 hours near Acre, British Mandate of Palestine.

Unbeknownst to the British, the Vichy French transport some British and Commonwealth prisoners out of the country by plane today. When they learn of this, the British are angered and demand their return. This will lead to the only complications to the ending of the conflict.

Vichy French submarines Caiman and Morse depart Beirut for Tunisia.

Martin B-26 Marauder in flight near Wright Field, Ohio, July 12, 1941.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 38 Blenheims on a sweep of the Dutch coast. Some hits are made on ships, and the RAF loses one Blenheim.

The RAF also sends three Stirling bombers to destroy the Arques "ship-lift" near St. Omer. The raid is a failure, the bombers completely miss the target and instead hit the town. All aircraft return without incident.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 33 Hampden and 2 Wellington bombers against Bremen. The RAF loses two Hampdens.

Wing Commander Douglas Bader shoots down a Bf 109 and damages three others over Pas-de-Calais, France.

Wittmann (left) with StuG III Ausf.A, somewhere in Russia, July 12, 1941.

Battle of the Atlantic: Royal Navy corvette HMS Arbutus collides with 4637-ton British freighter Blackheath in the Northeast Approaches. Arbutus is damaged and proceeds to Liverpool for repairs that last until 19 August.

Having recently transferred to the far north of Norway, German destroyers patrol off the Kola Peninsula (off Cape Teribirski, Kharlov). They run into a Soviet convoy and sink:

• Patrol vessel Passat
• Auxiliary patrol ship RT 67 (trawler Molotov)

Another Soviet patrol vessel escapes.

A Lockheed Hudson bomber S/N T9452 of RAF No. 269 Squadron crashes while escorting a convoy in the Denmark Strait off Iceland. The plane and its four-man crew are never found.

Convoy OG-68 departs from Liverpool bound for Gibraltar, Convoy SC-37 departs from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, bound for the Clyde.

Royal Navy minesweepers HMS Taitam and Waglan are laid down.

U-160 launched, U-415 laid down.

Canadian Car & Foundry G-23 Goblin, RCAF (Serial No. 339), gear up belly landing, 12 July 1941.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3616063).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Luftwaffe bombs Port Said and scores hits on at least two ships:

• 5483-ton Dutch freighter Alphard (damaged, four deaths)
• 1977-ton Greek freighter Patria (sunk, raised after the war)

The RAF raids Tripoli, Libya and sinks German freighter Sparta. It is later raised and repaired and returned to service as Sperrbrecher.

During the night, the Luftwaffe sends 20 planes to mine the Suez Canal.

Royal Navy Otus departs from Gibraltar bound for Malta, carrying supplies.

At Malta, there are no air raids. However, a Wellington bomber taking off from Luqa Airfield bound for Cairo crashes, killing all eight on board.

Finnish soldiers crossing the 1940-agreed border (Moscow Peace Treaty) at Tohmajärvi on 12 July 1941, two days after the invasion of Karelia started.

Battle of the Black Sea: The Luftwaffe raids Sevastopol harbor and scores hits on at least two ships:

• Soviet destroyer Bditelny (badly damaged)
• Soviet destroyer Kharkiv (slightly damaged)

Spy Stuff: Juan Pujol García, a Spanish citizen pretending to be a spy for the Reich, departs Lisbon bound for London. Eager to work for the British, Garcia has created an identity as a fanatically pro-German Spanish government official who could travel to London on official business and enlisted as an agent of the Abwehr (Reich military intelligence).

German/Ukrainian Relations: The Gestapo arrests members of the nationalist, anti-Soviet Provisional Ukrainian Government. While these would be useful allies against the Soviet Union, Hitler does not want any impingement on absolute German rule.

Stalin and Molotov watch Sir Stafford Cripps sign a treaty at the Kremlin, 12 July 1941.

Anglo/Soviet Relations: In Moscow, British Ambassador Sir Stafford Cripps (a socialist appointed for that reason) and Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov sign an Anglo/Soviet Mutual-Assistance Agreement at the Kremlin. It has two key points:

1. "The two Governments mutually undertake to render each other assistance and support of all kinds in the present war against Hitlerite Germany.
2. "They further undertake that during this war they will neither negotiate nor conclude an armistice or treaty of peace except by mutual agreement."

Stalin, standing behind the men, looks on with a big smile, exactly as he did on 23 August 1939 when German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop signed a somewhat similar agreement with Molotov at the very same desk. In fact, Molotov was in Berlin only eight months ago to try and arrange another deal with the Reich. Everyone then adjourns to an anteroom to enjoy some chocolate and fine Georgian champagne.

The first point has been clarified already by the British as "mutual help without any precision as to quantity or quality - a key point for Stalin, who wants a lot of aid. The second point - the one about not making a separate piece - is critical to the British. Prime Minister Winston Churchill has a long memory, and that includes the pact made with Lenin in 1918 that very nearly enabled the Germans to take Paris. In this case, there are indications at certain points during the war that Stalin may entertain similar ideas, pact or no pact.

Hilo International Airport, Hawaii (General Lyman Field). This shows the airport after a six-year program to expand the airport that has cost almost $300,000 under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) (“Hawaii and Aviation: An Archive of Historic Photos and Facts,” State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Airports Division).

US Military: The US Navy commissions NAS Quonset Point in Rhode Island. This will be used to train RAF Fleet Air Arm pilots using the Vought F4U Corsair.

The Office of the Coordinator of Research and Development goes into operation. Its mandate is to unify the U.S. Navy's research activities, and to evaluate the best ways of advising tactical officers of air, ground, and sea forces of the "latest applications of science to the problems of modern warfare."

Italian Military: General Gariboldi, who has been in disfavor for some time, officially is replaced as Commander-in-chief of Axis forces in North Africa and Governor of Libya. His replacement is General Ettore Bastico. Officially, this makes Bastico Rommel's superior in the chain of command to Afrika Korps commander General Erwin Rommel. This, however, is not the reality of the situation.

Bastico is difficult, autocratic, and violent, but Rommel pays him no mind. Privately, Rommel calls Bastico "Bombastico," but, in fact, Rommel kind of likes him and later describes Bastico as a "fundamentally decent man with a sober military understanding and considerable moral stamina." Whenever Bastico tries to interfere in his plans, Rommel simply rings up Commando Supremo in Rome and gets his way, and whenever Commando Supremo disagrees, he calls OKW in Berlin and has them exert their influence. The bottom line is that Rommel simply does what he wants without regard to Bastico's wishes.

Montenegro: In line with Italy's agreement with the Reich, Montenegro's national assembly restores the monarchy - giving at least nominal control to Italy.

Venice, California Japanese Community Association Picnic dated July 12, 1941.

Holocaust: The Pavelic government in Croatia begins sending Jews to a camp in Zagreb.

SS Officer Felix Landau, a member of an Einsatzkommando unit, records the following in his diary on 12 July 1941:

At 6:00 in the morning I was suddenly awoken from a deep sleep. Report for an execution. Fine, so I’ll just play  an executioner and then gravedigger, why not. Isn’t it strange, you love battle and then have to shoot defenseless people. Twenty-three had to be shot, amongst them the two above-mentioned women. They are unbelievable. They even refused to accept a glass of water from us. 

I was detailed as a marksman and had to shoot any runaways. We drove one kilometer along the road out of town and then turned right into a wood. There were only six of us at that point and we had to find a suitable spot to shoot and bury them. After a few minutes, we found a place. The death candidates assembled with shovels to dig their own graves. Two of them were weeping.

Landau was later imprisoned for his wartime activities from 1959 to 1971. He died in 1983.

Saturday Evening Post, 12 July 1941.

American Homefront: New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio goes 2-5 against the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri. This extends DiMaggio's major-league-record hitting streak to 51 games.

Postmaster General Frank C. Walker gives a speech over the NBC radio network in which he urges the country to support President Roosevelt and his policies until Hitler is deposed:

There can be no peace; there can be no security by treaty or pact, so long as Hitler and his doctrines rule Germany. Within Germany and throughout the world, implemented by force, he has attacked with corruption, the liberty of every individual and the sanctity of Almighty God. Hitler can have no friends; he can have no allies. A handshake with Hitler is a prologue to suicide.

Of course, if the administration truly thought this, it would go to war - but Roosevelt isn't ready yet. However, with speeches like this, his administration certainly is baiting Hitler to do just that.

Future History: Benjamin Stewart Parsons is born in Wilkes County, North Carolina. As Benny Parsons, he goes on to become a top US NASCAR driver and radio commentator. After passing away on 16 January 2007, Parsons enters the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.

Wild West Weekly, 12 July 1941.

July 1941

July 1, 1941: US TV Broadcasting Starts
July 2, 1941: MAUD Report
July 3, 1941: Stalin Speaks
July 4, 1941: Pogroms in Eastern Europe
July 5, 1941: Germans on Schedule
July 6, 1941: Australians Attack Damour
July 7, 1941: US Marines in Iceland
July 8, 1941: Flying Fortresses In Action
July 9, 1941: British Take Damour
July 10, 1941: Sword and Scabbard Order
July 11, 1941: Cease-fire in Syria and Lebanon
July 12, 1941: Anglo/Russian Assistance Pact
July 13, 1941: Uprising in Montenegro
July 14, 1941: Katyusha Rocket Launchers in Action
July 15, 1941: Smolensk Falls
July 16, 1941: Stalin's Son Captured
July 17, 1941: Heydrich Orders Mass Executions
July 18, 1941: Twin Pimples Raid
July 19, 1941: V for Victory
July 20, 1941: The Man Who Wouldn't Shoot
July 21, 1941: Moscow in Flames
July 22, 1941: Soviet Generals Executed
July 23, 1941: Secret Plan JB 355
July 24, 1941: Operation Sunrise
July 25, 1941: US Naval Alert
July 26, 1941: Italian E-Boat Attack on Malta
July 27, 1941: MacArthur Returns
July 28, 1941: Auschwitz Exterminations
July 29, 1941: Rescue From Crete
July 30, 1941: Raid on Petsamo and Kirkenes
July 31, 1941: Final Solution Order

2020

Monday 28 April 1941

Short Sunderland flying boats in Kalamata Harbor to evacuate British troops in Operation Demon, Kalamata, Greece, April 28, 1941.

Operation Marita: Having pocketed Athens without a fight, on 28 April 1941 the Wehrmacht continues to occupy the remaining portions of mainland Greece after collapsing British opposition. The 5th Panzer Division continues its drive across the Peloponnese, pursuing Allied troops that are evacuating as quickly as they can in Operation Demon.

Today, three Royal Navy ships - sloop HMAS Auckland, HMS Hyacinth, and HMS Salvia, take off 750 RAF personnel from Kithera, while another force of ships takes off 4320 men of the New Zealand 6th Infantry Brigade from Monemvasia. An attempt to pick up troops from Kalamata runs into trouble when the port is found to be in German hands, but four destroyers do manage to take aboard 450 Yugoslavians.

The Commonwealth troops literally are fighting for their lives on the docks as the Germans bear down on them. Sergeant Jack Hinton of New Zealand 2nd Division leads a small force to retake the dock at Kalamata. For this, Hinton, who is shot and taken prisoner, will win the Victoria Cross.

Wasting no time, the Germans appoint Günther Altenburg as the Reich Plenipotentiary for Greece.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill telephones Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell from Chequers. He warns of an imminent "heavy airborne attack by German troops and bombers" against Crete. He notes that such an attack "ought to be a fine opportunity for killing the parachute troops." The War Cabinet minutes state that Churchill "felt no regret over the decision to send troops to Greece."

The Greek government convenes at Canea, Crete. Prime Minister of Greece Emmanouil Tsouderos requests reinforcements of the island from the British, who already have sent many troops to the island and are sending the troops evacuated from the mainland there.

The Luftwaffe continues its attacks on Greek shipping, sinking the following ships:

• Torpedo boat Kyzikos at Salamis
•  462-ton freighter Aikaterini at Spetsopoulou
• 797-ton freighter Eleni Canavarioti in the Aegean
• Greek trawler Aixos at Syros.

The Luftwaffe also bombs Royal Navy Landing Craft, Tank HMS LCT-5 off Monemvasia. The crew manages to beach the ship, where it is abandoned.

The Luftwaffe shoots down a Seagull amphibian plane flying off of HMAS Perth near Anti Kyrethia, Greece. The crew survives by swimming to an island and eventually is picked up by HMS Havock.

At Suda Bay, the Royal Navy ceases attempts to repair the heavy cruiser HMS York. The York had been severely damaged by the Luftwaffe in March 1941. This leads to the complete loss of York.

Italian forces begin occupying the Ionian and Aegean Islands. Troops land at Corfu.

A map on the front page of The Michigan Daily showing the geographical possibilities in the Mediterranean following the German conquest of Greece. As the caption points out, the next Hitler conquest is likely to be Crete.

European Air Operations: The British begin their "Channel Stop" campaign. This is an effort to interdict enemy shipping in the English Channel and deprive its use to the Wehrmacht. The Germans have flak ships along the French Channel coast to protect their shipping, so this requires a battle. Today, RAF No. 101 Squadron sends Blenheims against trawlers near Calais, losing a plane to the vicious flak.

RAF Bomber Command, No. 7 Squadron, attacks Emden, Germany during the day and Brest, France after dark. Fighter Command conducts a Roadstead Operation and Rhubarb Operation over France.

The Luftwaffe raids Plymouth with 124 planes and sinks Royal Navy depot ship HMS Moncousu.

Visiting Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies visits with Air Marshal Lord Trenchard, a hero of World War I. Trenchard, Menzies writes in his diary, is "Against bombing in France, because the bombs that miss kill Frenchmen, whereas the ones that miss in Germany kill Germans."

Iraq War: The Royal Navy dispatches aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and light cruiser Enterprise (not the famous U.S. Navy aircraft carrier) to the Persian Gulf to cover upcoming British landings at Basra. Convoy BP 1 is at sea carrying troops to land there to reinforce British positions in Iraq.

East African Campaign: Free French troops move into pro-Vichy French Somaliland.

Time Magazine, 28 April 1941, showing Sir Percy Noble, Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches, based in Liverpool (Cover Credit: ERNEST HAMLIN BAKER).

Battle of the Atlantic: A major battle develops around Convoy HX 121 on the North Atlantic convoy route. Called in by U-123 (Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle), which spots the convoy, U-65 (Kptlt. Joachim Hoppe), U-95 (Kptlt. Gerd Schreiber), U-96 (Kptlt. Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock) and U-552 (K.Kapt. Erich Topp) participate in these attacks.

U-552 starts things off at 04:15 when it torpedoes 8190-ton British tanker Capulet. The tanker is abandoned and eventually sunk by Royal Navy gunfire. There are 9 deaths on the tanker.
A few hours later, at 07:25, U-96 attacks Convoy HX 121 at 19:25 by firing three torpedoes, hitting and sinking three ships:

• 8516-ton British motor tanker Oilfield (47 dead, 8 survivors)
• 9892-ton Norwegian tanker Caledonia (12 dead, 25 survivors)
• 8897-ton British freighter Port Hardy (one dead).

U-96 is damaged during the aftermath of the attack but resumes its patrol. U-65, however, is sunk by Royal Navy destroyer HMS Douglas in a depth charge attack, and all 50 men on board perish.

The Luftwaffe damages 2157-ton British freighter Marie Dawn off Sheringham Buoy and 2824-ton British freighter Empire Strait off Great Yarmouth.

Royal Navy transport/trawler HMT Johanna Caroline hits a mine in the Bristol Channel off Milford Haven and sinks with all hands.

Royal Navy submarine HMS H.31 collides with destroyer Venomous at Londonderry. Both ships require repairs.

Convoy OB 316 departs from Liverpool.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Calpe, mooring vessel Moorfire, boom defense vessel Baronia and submarine P-36 are launched.

Canadian corvette HMCS Port Arthur is laid down in Port Arthur, Ontario.

US aircraft carrier USS Essex is laid down.

Construction site of the Todd-Bath yard in South Portland where many Liberty ships would be built, 28 April 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Following the devastating outcome of the battle on the Greek mainland, the British are feeling very insecure about their position in Egypt. Prime Minister Winston Churchill asks to see all "plans which had been prepared in certain eventualities for the evacuation of Egypt."

Major-General Friedrich Paulus a Deputy Chief of the General Staff, remains in Tripoli reviewing Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps operations. Italian General Gariboldi, Rommel's nominal superior in the chain of command, arrives in Tripoli to join the deliberations. Paulus has halted Rommel's planned attack on Tripoli scheduled for the 30th for the time being.

On the ground, both sides conduct patrol activity which the D.A.K. War Diary remarks is "lively." At dawn, the Luftwaffe attacks on Tobruk continue, with the Junkers Ju 87 Stukas concentrating on anti-aircraft defenses and fighters conducting strafing missions. Gruppe Herff continues to edge forward southeast of Sollum, with the British forces having retreated on the coastal plain.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Royal Navy lighter A-15 while on a rescue mission to help another ship, sinking Greek contraband chaser A-3, at Monemvasia. All aboard perish.

The Luftwaffe mounts a large raid on Malta. The German bombs hit destroyer HMS Encounter in drydock, damaging it, along with anti-submarine trawler Coral and minesweeping drifter Trusty Star. The bombs sink minesweeper HMS Fermoy.

The Royal Navy tries a new tactic to supply Malta. Instead of sending convoys, it despatches unescorted freighters that seek safety from stealth rather than defensive escorts. Freighter Parracombe carries 21 cased Hurricane fighters to the island along with other supplies. The Parracombe flies a Spanish flag first, then the French flag. This is Operation Temple. Another convoy, MD 3, departs from Malta to Gibraltar.

Force H returns to Gibraltar after successful Operation Dunlop, a mission to deliver RAF Hurricanes to Malta.

Obfw. Joachim Marseille shoots down an RAF Blenheim bomber near Tobruk for his 8th victory overall and 2nd in North Africa.

In this picture from the 28 April 1941 issue of Life Magazine, steamship SS Cadiliac is caught in the ice while attempting to pass the Mather. This is the "Allouez Express," ships transiting the ice-choked Lake Superior.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Pinguin sinks 7266-ton British transport Clan Buchanan in the Arabian Sea east of Sri Lanka. The Pinguin takes on board the entire crew of the Clan Buchanan. Radio signals from the Clan Buchanan alert nearby Royal Navy forces, which set out in search of the raider.

Spy Stuff: Concluding what is widely viewed (at least in hindsight) as a fact-finding mission for the US military, Ernest Hemingway departs from China. His wife, Martha Gellhorn, continues on to Burma.

War Crimes: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a memo to Chief of Staff General Ismay in which he notes that "I see a statement that the Italians shot all the Free French prisoners they took at Tobruk." Churchill writes "you should consider the following proposal":

Hand over 1,000 Italian officers to the Free French in Central Africa as working capital, and announce that for every Free Frenchman shot by the Italians, two (or three (?)) Italian officers would be executed. The question is whether an announcement of this kind might not be advantageous.... On the whole, I think we should give the Italians to de Gaulle and let him say what he likes about it. This is a matter upon which I have reached no final conclusion.

Italians shooting war prisoners out of hand is a war crime (if true); the British turning over Italian prisoners to be shot by the Free French would be a similar war crime (if it were to happen). Churchill does note that the prime consideration weighing against this plan is the fact that "the Huns have 50,000 of our men in their hands" against whom reprisals could be taken.

Remains of a Blenheim bomber (Mk IV F) of RAF No. 203 Squadron shot down near Crete by friendly fire on 28 April 1941. The plane went down less than 2 km off the coast near Rethymno, Crete. The crew survived (ww2wrecks.com).

Anglo/US Relations: In a rare communication with his ambassador to the United States, Lord Halifax, Prime Minister Churchill orders that Halifax and his staff "not discourage the President from posing his questions directly to me." Churchill is eager to cultivate his "personal relations" with Roosevelt, which he notes are "of importance."

In line with an overall British strategy to de-emphasize the Pacific Theater, British Rear Admiral Victor H. Danckwerts respond to a request for advice from Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner, the U.S. Navy’s Director of the War Plans Division. Turner had asked whether it would be efficient to transfer US Navy ships from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Danckwerts responds that "the consequential reduction in the strength of the United States Pacific Fleet would not unduly encourage Japan."

German Military: The army high command (OKH) issues a directive that regular army units are to provide assistance to special Schutzstaffel SS units during Operation Barbarossa. The army is to provide logistical support such as food and ammunition to SS units, which are subject to army orders but have unique missions for which they must operate independently. Just how far this cooperation extends remains a subject of debate, as German army veterans often minimize the extent of regular army participation in some of the Einsatzgruppen (special task forces) activities that involve crimes against humanity. The Waffen (fighting) SS units technically are subject to regular operational orders, but this relationship deteriorates with time and they tend to operate either completely independently or subject to their own whims (for instance, SS units tend to attack when they are good and ready, not at the time ordered). This murky relationship between the SS and the regular army chain of command remains a source of tension throughout World War II.

US Military: Admiral Hart in the Philippines establishes Task Force 5 (TF 5). This task force has responsibility for the Singapore area.

Charles Sweeney, the future pilot of the crew that drops the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, joins the US Army Air Corps.

Australian Military: The Royal Australian Navy employs a dozen Women's Emergency Signalling Corps women as telegraphists at Harman wireless station in Canberra. This apparently is the first employment of women in the Australian Navy.

German Government: Having spent the duration of Operation Marita in Austria "overseeing" operations from his command train "Amerika" (something that was completely unnecessary but part of his image-building and also a nostalgic return to his own homeland), Adolf Hitler returns to Berlin in triumph. Hitler meets with his ambassador to the Soviet Union, Count Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg, at 17:15. Count Schulenburg - with Foreign Minister Ribbentrop's approval - submits a memorandum arguing against Operation Barbarossa. Schulenburg later recalls that Hitler was upset that Russia had supported the anti-German "putsch" in Yugoslavia and had begun mobilizing its army. Hitler brushes aside Schulenburg's observation that Stalin is desperate to avoid war and eager to supply grain and other raw materials to Germany; Hitler abruptly ends the interview after half an hour to have tea.

Among other things, this incident with Count Schulenburg illustrates that many of Hitler's top lieutenants, including Ribbentrop and Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, are opposed to Operation Barbarossa. As happens repeatedly throughout the Hitler regime, top figures in the Reich use surrogates to express their own views that are contrary to Hitler's. These surrogates tend to be intimidated by Hitler to one extent or another and press their case weakly.

Newsweek, 28 April 1941, cover showing an invasion patrol on Dover Cliffs.

British Government: In a War Cabinet Directive, Prime Minister Churchill forecasts that "Japan is unlikely to enter the war unless the Germans make a successful invasion of Great Britain." Accordingly, he directs (through the War Cabinet) that "There is no need at the present time to make any further disposition for the defense of Malaya and Singapore."

In a memo to General Ismay, Churchill writes that it "seems probable" that the next German moves will be:

1. to attack Crete
2. to attack Malta
3. to advance through Spain toward Morocco to take Gibraltar.

He asks for plans to counter this expected German thrust toward Morocco.

Menzies, in his diary, questions Churchill's accuracy regarding Commonwealth casualties in Greece and observes that "W. [Churchill] is a great man, but he is more addicted to wishful thinking every day." He openly disputes Churchill in the War Cabinet, arguing that information being supplied to Australia and the United States is bad "propaganda." As usual, though, Menzies receives little support from Churchill's appointees.

Norwegian Homefront: The German authorities conduct a massive book-burning as part of a crackdown on "degenerate" literature.

Ann-Margret, born on 28 April 1941.

American Homefront: Charles Lindbergh, associated in the public mind as much for his America First speeches as for his famous aerial exploits, resigns his commission as a Colonel in the US Army Air Corps Reserve. Among others, President Roosevelt has questioned Lindbergh's loyalties given his strident efforts to keep the United States out of the European war, particularly a well-publicized speech that Lindbergh gave on 23 April 1941. In his resignation letter to President Roosevelt, Lindbergh takes exception to these "implications." Lindbergh still retains a vast reservoir of positive sentiment in the public, though. Many people, including some highly placed politicians, agree with Lindbergh that the United States should avoid ongoing conflicts.

During the evening, Lindbergh gives a speech at an America First rally in Chicago. The crowd boos any mention of Winston Churchill and cheers when he recites facts about England's "devastated cities."

Resolving a long-standing mineworkers strike, the White House announces that the Southern Coal Operators Wage Conference, a consortium of mine owners, "accept [the Roosevelt Administration's] proposal without equivocation." Roosevelt had proposed on 21 April that the mines be reopened pending continued negotiations over wages. This effectively ends the strike, though negotiations at some mines continue.

The United States Supreme Court issues two significant rulings today:

• In a suit brought by the only African American in Congress, Representative Arthur W. Mitchell (D-Ill.), the court rules that minorities must be furnished comparable accommodations to those of whites for interstate travel. Mitchell brought the suit after he was forced from a Pullman coach to a "Jim Crow" day coach while traveling in Arkansas in 1937;
• The Court upholds the Wagner Act, which prohibits anti-union discrimination in the hiring and firing of workers.

A Gallup poll is released that reinforces Lindbergh's isolationist position. The question is, "If you were asked to vote today 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?" The response of 81% of respondents is to stay out, with only a slight 7% decrease from a similar question asked in January. However, as always, the public is split on the issue. Another question posed is, "If it appeared certain that there was no other way to defeat Germany and Italy except for the United States to go to war against them, would you be in favor of the United States going to war?" The answer to this is 68% favoring entering the conflict and 24% saying no, with 8% having no opinion. To some extent, these polls reflect the embryonic state of the polling industry as much as public opinion, with the questions asked to some extent influencing the responses.

Future History: Ann-Margret Olsson is born in Valsjöbyn, Jämtland County, Sweden. She moves with her mother to the United States in November 1946, where they live just outside Chicago. During high school, Olsson joins a group known as the "Suttletones." She begins performing at Chicago nightclubs, and she eventually makes her way to Las Vegas and then Los Angeles. Back in Las Vegas, she drops her last name from her act and becomes known as Ann-Margret. George Burns discovers her, and by the early 1960s, Ann-Margret is recording albums. She appears on television programs such as The Jack Benny Program in 1961, and all this leads to a successful screen test at 20th Century Fox, where she lands a standard seven-year contract. This begins a hugely successful film career with roles in such films as "Pocketful of Miracles," "State Fair," and "Bye Bye Birdie." A long association with Elvis Presley began during this time. Ann-Margret continues to act occasionally, and on 29 August 2010 won an Emmy for an appearance on "SVU."

Congressman Arthur Mitchell (D-Illinois), who won a case in the US Supreme Court on 28 April 1941 which held that African Americans are entitled to equal accommodations on interstate railroad trains.

April 1941

April 1, 1941: Rommel Takes Brega
April 2, 1941:Rommel Takes Agedabia
April 3, 1941: Convoy SC-26 Destruction
April 4, 1941: Rommel Takes Benghazi
April 5, 1941: Rommel Rolling
April 6, 1941: Operation Marita
April 7, 1941: Rommel Takes Derna
April 8, 1941: Yugoslavia Crumbling
April 9, 1941: Thessaloniki Falls
April 10, 1941: USS Niblack Attacks
April 11, 1941: Good Friday Raid
April 12, 1941: Belgrade and Bardia Fall
April 13, 1941: Soviet-Japanese Pact
April 14, 1941: King Peter Leaves
April 15, 1941: Flying Tigers
April 16, 1941: Battle of Platamon
April 17, 1941: Yugoslavia Gone
April 18, 1941: Me 262 First Flight
April 19, 1941: London Smashed
April 20, 1941: Hitler's Best Birthday
April 21, 1941: Greek Army Surrenders
April 22, 1941: Pancevo Massacre
April 23, 1941: CAM Ships
April 24, 1941: Battle of Thermopylae
April 25, 1941: Operation Demon
April 26, 1941: Operation Hannibal
April 27, 1941: Athens Falls
April 28, 1941: Hitler Firm about Barbarossa
April 29, 1941: Mainland Greece Falls
April 30, 1941: Rommel Attacks

2020

Wednesday 2 April 1941

Collier Fermain, sunk today by the Luftwaffe in the English Channel.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The British Operation Lustre has brought over large British Army troop concentrations by 2 April 1941, and more are arriving daily. Major General Sir Bernard Freyberg positions his New Zealand Division on the Aliakmon Line, which follows the river Aliakmon from the Aegean coast around Katerini westwards on the river's south bank. This is as far forward as the British feel may be defensible, but the Greeks prefer a line along the border with Bulgaria.

East African Campaign: The Italians at Massawa know that, with The Indian 5th Infantry Division moving quickly from Asmara toward Massawa, time is short. They send five destroyers (Battisti, Manin, Pantera, Sauro, and Tigre) on a one-way mission to attack Port Sudan and then scuttle themselves. The Royal Navy and RAF both have strong forces in the area, so the Italian destroyers face a daunting task in carrying out their mission.

Around this date, British Major General Lewis Heath, commander of the Indian 5th Infantry Division, gets on the telephone and calls Massawa. Italian commander Rear Admiral Mario Bonetti gets on the line and refuses an ultimatum to surrender. Heath also demands that Bonetti not block the harbor with sunken ships, else the British would not protect Italians from natives after the Italian troops are disarmed (which has become a problem recently for the Italians remaining behind in cities to be occupied by the British). Bonetti also refuses this obvious attempt at extortion.

The RAF bombs and sinks two Italian freighters near Dalac Island off Abyssinia: 7669 ton Giuseppe Mazzini and 7099 ton Urania. The British later will salvage these for their use.

A Gordon bomber over Iraq operating out of RAF Habbaniya, April 1941.

European Air Operations: The RAF continues attacking Axis shipping off the Dutch coast. In addition, the RAF flies Circus and Rhubarb missions over occupied France. The British are aware that the Luftwaffe is sending units east and wants to take advantage of their absence and perhaps force the Germans to bring some back.

RAF Bomber Command conducts one of its most famous missions. It is a propaganda flight over Holland during which it drops 75,000 bags of Dutch East Indies Tea. Each bag contains about 20 grams (10 oz) of high-quality tea. The bags have tags bearing the Dutch flag and the words, “The Netherlands will rise again. Greetings from the Free Netherlands East Indies. Chins Up.” The Dutch East Indies Teaplanters donated the tea for this purpose. The Dutch News Agency reports the event:

“Never have the Dutch people so gratefully received a gift from the Dutch East Indies, Especially as it is almost impossible to get an ounce of tea in the Dutch shops.”

While undoubtedly a propaganda coup, the tea-raid presents a couple of odd contradictions. One, the British love tea, but Lord Woolton has had to ration it due to its short supply - making a showy expenditure of so much fine tea a slap in the face of British tea drinkers. Second, the British have been adamantly opposed to any US humanitarian aid to Occupied Europe - and then they drop perfectly usable tea on it.

U-46 (Kptlt. Engelbert Endrass) torpedoes and sinks 7000-ton British tanker British Reliance southeast of Greenland. Everybody survives.

Operating in roughly the same region as U-46, U-48 (Kptlt. Herbert Schultze) torpedoes and sinks 9957-ton British refrigerated cargo ship Beaverdale. There are 21 deaths.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Tigris (Lt. Cdr. H.F. Bone) attacks and sinks 5486-ton German armed tanker Thorn about 75 miles (110 km) southwest of St. Nazaire in the Bay of Biscay. The attack is distinguished by the huge amount of effort that Bone puts into the attack: no less than seven torpedoes and gunfire. Tankers are always difficult to sink because of their construction, but that is an inordinate amount of munitions for one medium-sized ship.

The Luftwaffe attacks shipping off St. Abb's Head in Berwickshire, Scotland. The planes sink two Royal Navy minesweeping trawlers, 180 ton HMT Cramond Island and 259 ton HMT Fortuna. All 15 men on board the Fortuna perish, while two men perish and three are wounded on Cramond Island.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 759-ton British collier Fermain in the English Channel off Boulogne. Everyone survives.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 873-ton British tanker Wild Rose about 12 miles (20 km) southeast of Tuskar Light House, County Wexford, Ireland. Towed to Rosslare Harbour and beached, the tanker is later refloated and taken to Dublin for repairs.

British 1908-ton freighter Melrose Abbey hits a mine and sinks north of Aberdeen in the River Ythan. It is later refloated and taken to Aberdeen for repairs.

British coaster Coombe Dingle runs aground at Carnalea, County Down and is written off.

Greek freighter Nestos runs aground in Liverpool Bay and is written off.

German battleship Bismarck is still receiving items for its planned sortie into the Atlantic. Today, it is supplied with two of the four Arado Ar 196 floatplanes that are to be housed in a hangar behind its main superstructure.

Royal Navy minelayer HMS Plover lays minefield ZME 27 in the Irish Sea. It is to lay multiple minefields in the ZME series over the next three weeks.

Convoy OB 305 departs from Liverpool.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Uproar (P 31, Lt. John Kershaw) is commissioned.

WQXR News Commentator Lisa Sergio, April 2, 1941. WQXR broadcasts in FM, which is still somewhat exotic, and Lisa Sergio is a pioneer female radio news commentator (NYWT&S Collection, Library of Congress).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Afrika Korps maintains its momentum. When the Germans spot the British heading east around noontime, Lieutenant General Rommel at 13:00 orders the 5th Light Division panzers take Agedabia (Ajdabiya). Rommel also sends one column apiece toward Derna and Tobruk. Tellingly, Rommel only issues these orders verbally, knowing that they are contrary to standing orders not to attack.

After putting up a defense in the morning, the British 2nd Armoured Division withdraw under orders to Antelat about 35 miles (56 km) to the northeast. This leaves Benghazi open to attack.

Despite the stunning Afrika Korps advance, perhaps the most interesting thing that happens during the day is Italian Commander General Gariboldi's reaction to it. Gariboldi previously has forbidden further advances until more Wehrmacht and Italian troops arrive. Late in the day, Rommel receives a message from the Commando Supremo:

From messages I have received I take it that your advance continues. This is contrary to what I have ordered. I politely request that you wait for me before you continue the advance.

This rather perfectly encapsulates the state of Italian generalship during World War II.

At sea, Operation Winch begins. This is a resupply of Malta, including a flight of a dozen Hurricanes to be flown off HMS Ark Royal. The Ark Royal is accompanied by battlecruiser Renown and light cruiser Sheffield.

The Luftwaffe attacks Convoy AS 23 in the Aegean off Gavdo Island. The German planes sink 4914-ton Greek freighter Coulouras Xenos and badly damage 5324-ton British freighter Homefield. The Royal Navy escorts later sink the Homefield. Greek 2747 ton freighter also is damaged by near misses, but makes it to port in Crete. The German planes also damage 6054-ton British freighter Devis of Convoy ANF 24 in the same area.

Two Yugoslavian freighters hit mines and sink off Croatian city Šibenik: 1293-ton freighter Karadjordje and 1726-ton freighter Prestolonaslednik Petar (Star). Everybody on both ships survives.

A convoy of five freighters departs from Naples bound for Tripoli.

A 1941 Chrysler Royal 4-Door Sedan. This one survives in Indonesia.

Indian/German Relations: Subhash Chandra Bose, having fled British custody in India, finally reaches Berlin after a circuitous route.

Japanese/Italian/Papal Relations: Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka visits with Mussolini that the US was trying to initiate a conflict. Matsuoka then visits with Pope Pius XII, and Matsuoka reports to Tokyo:

The Pope took an utterly detached attitude, free of any favoritism regarding the European war, and approached the question from the point of view of a general peace throughout the world.

Propaganda: Lord Haw-Haw, the German radio propagandist who speaks in curiously cultured tones, identifies himself on-air as William Joyce.

The Shop Motor Repair building at Fort Ord, California, completed 2 April 1941 (Fort Ord Buildings, Completion Report Pictures.

US Military: Cruiser USS Astoria departs Hawaii for Long Beach, California. It is to be upgraded with quadruple-mount 1.1 in (28 mm)/75 cal anti-aircraft guns and preparations for air-search radar.

German Military: Some sources place the first flight of the Heinkel He 280 jet fighter under its own power today. However, other sources place it on 30 March, where we have put it.

Hungarian Government: Prime Minister Pal Count Teleki de Szek learns that Chief of the General Staff General Werth secretly has agreed to allow Wehrmacht troops into Hungary. Teleki denounces Werth as a traitor and then commits suicide because of his abhorrence of working with Hitler. The new Prime Minister is Foreign Minister Laszlo Bardossy, known to be extremely sympathetic to Germany.

Yugoslavia: The German government basically closes its embassy in Belgrade, reducing it to a skeleton staff and destroying all documents. Its counselor, Gerhard Feine, reports that the Yugoslavs are having second thoughts about opposing Germany and even about the coup itself. Feine is told to warn members of friendly embassies to seek safety elsewhere.

The Yugoslavian military attaché reports to Prime Minister Simovic that the Germans are to invade on the 6th. Simovic continues to refuse to contemplate military coordination with Great Britain.

Iraq: Rashid Ali consolidates power in Baghdad after his successful coup. British ambassador Sir. Kinahan Cornwallis arrives in a situation vastly changed from when he set out from London.

China: The Japanese 11th Army continues its gradual withdrawal to its bases after the Battle of Shanggkao. The Chinese continue to pressure the Japanese and recover Hsishan, Wanshoukung, and Shihchachieh.

Hattie McDaniel (Mrs. Donald Crawford) caught by photographers at the exhibit of the Press Photographers Exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in New York City. 2 April 1941 (© Bettmann/CORBIS).

American Homefront: Harlan County, Kentucky has been the scene of violent Union confrontations throughout the past decade. Today, it explodes into violence once again. On 1 April, miners went on strike due to the expiration of a Union contract. Union pickets (United Mine Workers Association) enter the Crummies Creek Company Store at 10:00 today and attempt to purchase a Coca-Cola using cash. The store's manager refuses, citing company policy that only company script is accepted there. There are few other places in mining towns to buy supplies, which is a key element of company control. The Union men refuse to leave without their soft drink, and an altercation ensues (with the particulars disputed by both sides). The store has a machine gun hidden under a butcher's apron, mounted on a meat block, and an employee runs to it and opens fire.

There are four dead and four seriously wounded Union workers, along with a wounded African American bystander and a lightly wounded company worker. The Union charges that the company men opened fire "from the bushes." The Company, meanwhile states that the shooting occurred only after the Union men roughed up the store manager and tried to force him to sign Union "check-off" slips. He also alleges that the striking Union men had .45 pistols and "started trouble." There also are reports of various other assaults on journalists and company men.

Future History: Barret Eugene Hansen is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Barry, as he becomes known, hangs out with rock band Spirit after earning his master's degree in the '60s, then catches on as an A&R man for Specialty Records. This leads to a radio show for Specialty, which leads to a job with Warner Bros. Records. Barry also writes extensively on the rock scene and does liner notes and other rock-associated tasks. His real love is radio, however, and he develops an on-air persona known as Dr. Demento who plays novelty records. The Dr. Demento Show becomes wildly popular playing offbeat tunes by artists such as Judy Tenuta, Emo Philips. Barnes & Barnes and "Weird Al" Yankovic. Dr. Demento remains on the radio and was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in November 2009 and the Comedy Hall of Fame in June 2005.

Canadian Railways train 3665, oil-fired with a wood pilot and stack exhaust deflector. Salmon Arm, April 2, 1941 (Bud Laws Collection).

April 1941


April 2, 1941:Rommel Takes Agedabia
April 3, 1941: Convoy SC-26 Destruction
April 4, 1941: Rommel Takes Benghazi
April 5, 1941: Rommel Rolling
April 6, 1941: Operation Marita
April 7, 1941: Rommel Takes Derna
April 8, 1941: Yugoslavia Crumbling
April 9, 1941: Thessaloniki Falls
April 10, 1941: USS Niblack Attacks
April 11, 1941: Good Friday Raid
April 12, 1941: Belgrade and Bardia Fall
April 13, 1941: Soviet-Japanese Pact
April 14, 1941: King Peter Leaves
April 15, 1941: Flying Tigers
April 16, 1941: Battle of Platamon
April 17, 1941: Yugoslavia Gone
April 18, 1941: Me 262 First Flight
April 19, 1941: London Smashed
April 20, 1941: Hitler's Best Birthday
April 21, 1941: Greek Army Surrenders
April 22, 1941: Pancevo Massacre
April 23, 1941: CAM Ships
April 24, 1941: Battle of Thermopylae
April 25, 1941: Operation Demon
April 26, 1941: Operation Hannibal
April 27, 1941: Athens Falls
April 28, 1941: Hitler Firm about Barbarossa
April 29, 1941: Mainland Greece Falls
April 30, 1941: Rommel Attacks

2020

Friday 21 March 1941

Plymouth, 21 March 1941. Original caption: "Long-distance view taken when St Andrew's Church (in the background) caught fire. The fire can be seen lighting up the church." Naturally, this is night-time and there is a total blackout, so everything would be black but for the fires. Plymouth Libraries, Local Studies Library.

Italian/Greek Campaign: Operation Lustre, the British reinforcement of Greece on the Bulgarian border, continues at full speed. The 1st Armoured Brigade is setting up outposts that are designed simply to delay, not stop, the expected Wehrmacht onslaught.

Mussolini essentially gives up on the stuttering Primavera Offensive. Even as his troops continue to attack, Mussolini leaves Tirana and flies back to Rome. The Italians continue battering against the Greek troops, supported by preceding artillery barrages, without success.

A picture of four crews from RAF No. 300 Squadron, based at RAF Swinderby, 21 March 1941. These crews were known as the first to bomb Berlin. No. 300 Polish Squadron Photo Gallery.

East African Campaign: Having taken Jijiga, Nigerian troops of the 11th African Division moves west into the Marda Pass. At around noontime, they attack, but the Italians hold firm. The Italians withdraw after sundown, handing the easily defensible location to the British.

At Keren, Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell makes a rare appearance to observe the proceedings. He sees the 3 Royal Garhwal Rifles move into Happy Valley. The move is purely defensive and diversionary, with the troops put there simply to protect other units and create the impression in the watching Italians that they are about to attack the Acqua Gap.

"Bluejackets filling in a crater made by a large bomb." Plymouth, 21 March 1941. © IWM (A 3550).

European Air Operations: The pattern of the Luftwaffe bombing the same targets on successive nights has become common knowledge. Visiting Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies arrives in Plymouth, which was heavily bombed on the 20th, and writes in his diary:

At dinner we are warned that the Hun arrives two nights running. Sure enough, just as the port arrives we are hurried into the cellars.... A frightful bombing breaks out.

He notes that the "all clear" sounds after midnight. Menzies then vividly records a trip downtown to view the damage:

A frightful scene. Street after street afire; furniture litters the footpaths; poor old people shocked & dazed are led along to shelter. The Guild Hall is a beacon of fire. Buildings blaze and throw out sparks like a bush fire. There are few fire appliances and firemen.... Every now and then a delayed action bomb explodes (two were so close as to make me duck) or a building collapses.... I am all for peace when it comes, but it will be a tragedy for humanity if it comes before those beasts have had their own cities ravaged.

At Clydeside in Scotland, the inhabitants are digging themselves out from the raids of a week ago - literally. Two men buried in a tenement basement finally are rescued.

RAF Bomber Command, meanwhile, sends 66 bombers against the U-boat pens at Lorient. The RAF also attacks German shipping off the Heligoland Bight and in the Heligoland Bight.

"Bluejackets filling in a crater made by a large bomb. Plymouth, 21 March 1941." © IWM (A 3551).

Battle of the Atlantic: Admiral Lütjens brings his Operation Berlin cruisers toward Brest in a heavy fog. It clears at 16:30, permitting three Heinkel He-115s to depart to provide air cover. At 19:00, torpedo boats Iltis and Jaguar meet Gneisenau and Scharnhorst to escort them in. While this may all seem mundane, it gives a preview of what Lutjens would reasonably expect to happen while aboard the Bismarck in May. A Fairey Fulmar from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, which has left Gibraltar to search for Lutjens' ship, spots them but experiences a radio malfunction and cannot report in time for any interception to be made today.

The Ark Royal loses an aircraft of RAF No. 818 Squadron when it crashes on takeoff, with the crew killed. It is even worse than that: the plane is carrying a depth charge which explodes under the Ark Royal, damaging it.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a former First Lord of the Admiralty, continues to meddle in the Royal Navy's priorities. He memos the First Sea Lord that "No effort to destroy the Focke-Wulfs [Fw 200 Condors] should be spared." He even suggests placing a radar station on Rockall, an uninhabited rocky outcropping in the Northwest Approaches.

During the Luftwaffe raid on Plymouth, the Germans hit 303-ton minesweeping trawler HMT Asama. The captain beaches the Asama, but it is a total loss.

The Luftwaffe attacks shipping in the Bristol Channel. It sinks:

• 1260-ton British freighter London II in the Bristol Channel. The crew quickly abandons the blazing ship. There are four deaths
• 617-ton British freighter Millisle. There are ten deaths.

U-105 (Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe) is operating off the Cape Verde Islands. It has been stalking Convoy SL-68 and already has sunk two of its ships, the Medjerda and the Mandalika. Today, it adds three more victims from the convoy.

U-105 torpedoes and sinks:

• 5920-ton British freighter Benwyvis (34 deaths)
• 5802-ton British freighter Clan Ogilvy (61 deaths)
• 4038-ton British freighter Jhelum (8 deaths, the rest make it to Senegal and are interned).

Like a wolf feeding on a herd, U-105 makes its first attack at 00:46, sinking the Benwyvis and Clan Ogilvy. After shadowing the convoy throughout the day, U-105 returns at 22:00 to sink the Jhelum.

British 2365-ton freighter Halo hits a mine off Beckton Pier in the Thames. The ship sinks but is later refloated and used for storage. There are four deaths.

Armed merchant cruiser HMS Derbyshire departs from the Clyde carrying troops bound for Reykjavik, Iceland.

Convoy HX 116 departs from Halifax.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Dahlia (Lt. Commander Magnus S. Work) and minesweeping trawler HMS Fluellen (Lt. Denys P. Richardson) are commissioned.

U-562 is commissioned, U-205, U-569, and U-570 are launched, and U-258 is laid down.

"The Norwegian sailors who helped in the clearing up of "blitzed" Plymouth, receiving well-deserved refreshment." 21 March 1941. © IWM (A 3545).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The 15-week Australian/British siege - well, not much of a siege, more like simply watching them - of the Italian fort at Jarabub (Giarabub), Southern Libya finally comes to a successful conclusion. The Italians decide to abandon the position rather than risk damage to religious artifacts of importance to the Muslim Senussi sect. The Australian 2/9th Battalion troops move in and also leave the religious items intact. Led by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a strong faction of the Arab world has pro-Axis sympathies, and everyone treats these types of situations with extreme sensitivity.

The Italian Brescia Division relieves the German 5th Light Division at its forward positions during the night.

The Allied convoys from Alexandria to Greece have been passing largely unmolested for weeks. Today, Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88 bombers of III,/KG 30 operating southeast of Crete (off Gavdo Island) spot Convoy AS-21 returning to Alexandria. They sink 3798 ton Greek transport Embiricos Nicolaos and damage 8070-ton Norwegian tanker Solheim, killing two men on the former and one on the latter. The tanker stays afloat until early on 24 March. Another convoy departs today from Piraeus, Convoy ASF-21.

Panzer Mk IIs and Mk IIIs pass beneath the marble arch at Sirte, Libya, 21 March 1941. These remain the main Wehrmacht battle tanks at this stage of the conflict. (German Federal Archive: Bild 101I-782-0009-01A)

The Luftwaffe also attacks Convoy AN-21 near Crete. The two Junkers Ju 88s bomb and damage Danish tanker Marie Maersk. After the crew abandons ship, Lieutenant C.G. Hill, RANR of HMAS Warehen boards the blazing ship with some men regain control of the tanker. They manage to sail it to Suda Bay. Lt. Hill is awarded the OBE for this.

Italian torpedo boats attack the British port at Suda Bay, Crete. One puts a torpedo into the side of cruiser HMS York which causes the ship, at a dock, to settle into the mud. This begins a chain reaction of events which ultimately results in the ship's destruction.

At Malta, a single Junkers Ju 88 bomber escorted by seven Italian Macchi fighters and two German Bf 109s attack shipping off Dellmara Point. The bomber brackets destroyer HMS Defender, damaging it and wounding six sailors. HMS Defender makes it back to port but is full of holes above the waterline.

General Italo Gariboldi officially replaces Rodolfo Graziani as Governor-General of Libya and Commander in Chief of Italian forces in North Africa. Gariboldi has been the de facto commander there since Graziani flew back to Italy in disgrace on 8 February.

An Afrika Korps half-track towing a 3.7 cm Pak antitank gun. Tripolitania, 21 March 1941 (Moosmuller, Federal Archive).

Japanese/German Relations: Japanese freighter Tatsuta Maru, which arrived in San Francisco yesterday, departs again for Japan. It carries Werner Thiel, a long-time resident of the United States who is heading back to Germany to attend a school for saboteurs (see Operation Pastorius).

German/Hungarian Relations: Hungarian Foreign Minister László Bárdossy meets with Hitler and Joachim von Ribbentrop in Munich.

US Military: Navy Secretary Frank Knox writes to President Roosevelt - who is fishing off the Florida coast - with recommendations for aiding the British. These are both based upon requests previously made by Winston Churchill:

• Seize interned German/Italian ships and use them in convoys to England;
• Begin convoy operations using US Navy ships.

Knox is working on Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson to agree to the use of US Navy ships in convoys.

Separately, Captain George Murray takes command of USS Enterprise (CV-6).

"Bluejackets filling in a crater made by a large bomb." Bluejackets are enlisted sailors. Plymouth, 21 March 1941. © IWM (A 3549).

Yugoslavian Government: The uproar within the government over regent Prince Paul's decision to sign the Tripartite Pact continues. Four ministers either resign or threaten to resign.

China: A lull in the Battle of Shanggao continues today, with the Japanese 11th Army capturing Shangchichia. Both sides are bringing up reinforcements. The Japanese also are stocking up with poison gas.

British Homefront: Churchill remonstrates with Minister of Food Lord Woolton - but this time it is not about the appeal of the recently introduced Woolton Pies. Instead, Churchill is concerned about the name Woolton has given to new government-sponsored eateries: "Communal Feeding Centres." Calling this name "suggestive of Communism and the workhouse," Churchill proposes that they be named "British Restaurants" instead. This is because "Restaurants" connotes a "good meal," and since they will be serving Woolton Pies, "they may as well have the name if they cannot get anything else."

American Homefront: The Liberty Badge Campaign begins around this date to raise funds to help Greece.

The NYC bus strike is settled after an 11-day walkout.

Warner Bros. releases "The Sea Wolf," starring Edward G. Robinson, John Garfield, and Ida Lupino. Directed by Michael Curtiz, "The Sea Wolf" follows a cruel German sea captain and is adapted from a Jack London novel.

Joe Louis knocks out Abe Simon in the thirteenth round in Philadelphia. Louis remains the world heavyweight champion.

"A sailor eats his dinner on the edge of a huge crater which he has been helping to fill up." Plymouth, 21 March 1941. © IWM (A 3547).

March 1941

March 1, 1941: Rettungsboje
March 2, 1941: Oath of Kufra
March 3, 1941: Germans in Bulgaria
March 4, 1941: Lofoten Islands Raid
March 5, 1941: Cooperation With Japan
March 6, 1941: Battle of Atlantic
March 7, 1941: Prien Goes Under
March 8, 1941: Cafe de Paris
March 9, 1941: Italian Spring Offensive
March 10, 1941: Humanitarian Aid
March 11, 1941: Lend Lease Becomes Law
March 12, 1941: A New Magna Carta
March 13, 1941: Clydeside Wrecked
March 14, 1941: Leeds Blitz
March 15, 1941: Cruisers Strike!
March 16, 1941: Kretschmer Attacks
March 17, 1941: Happy Time Ends
March 18, 1941: Woolton Pie
March 19, 1941: London Hit Hard
March 20, 1941: Romeo and Juliet
March 21, 1941: Plymouth Blitz
March 22, 1941: Grand Coulee Dam
March 23, 1941: Malta Under Siege
March 24, 1941: Afrika Korps Strikes!
March 25, 1941: Yugoslavia Joins The Party
March 26, 1941: Barchini Esplosivi
March 27, 1941: Belgrade Coup
March 28, 1941: Cape Matapan Battle
March 29, 1941: Lindbergh Rants
March 30, 1941: Commissar Order
March 31, 1941: Cookie Bombs

2020