Tuesday 11 February 1941

German Panzers arriving in Tripoli, 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The front remains stable on 11 February 1941, which effectively is of benefit to the Italians. The wrangling about what to do in Greece continues in London. Prime Minister Winston Churchill feels that the British should insert "at least 4 Divisions, rising to 6 or 10 in the summer." He wishes to "make an offer of assistance to the Greeks" and proposes sending guns and a squadron of American Curtis Tomahawk P-40 fighters there. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and General Sir John Dill both set agree to visit Cairo and Athens to coordinate the expected troop movements.

The Greeks are looking at the Bulgarian border and considering their own defensive military options. The Italians, meanwhile, are determined to defend the key port of Valona (Vlorë and are planning another counteroffensive in the next few days. To date, Italian counteroffensives in Greece have been unmitigated disasters, making no progress and winding up costing the Italians territory. However, the contest for the Trebeshina Heights near the Klisura Pass has produced some minor defensive successes for the Italians, who are fighting much better now than earlier in the campaign.

East African Campaign: The battle at Keren, Eritrea continues. British Indian troops are faced with the tactical problem of forcing their way through the narrow Dongolaas Gorge in order to enter the Keren Plateau. The 3/1st Punjab Regiment takes the top of Sanchil, a low peak overlooking the gorge and have men on the sides of Brig's Peak next to it. However, the Indians are faced with murderous crossfire from both sides of the gorge, as the Italians occupy the heights all around them. While they might be able to hold their ground despite this, the approaches to the peaks are flat ground which exposes anyone crossing it to machine gunfire. Thus, no matter how much they bring with them, the Indians eventually run low on supplies. The Italians rain mortar and artillery fire on the Indian troops throughout the day. Finally, the Italian Savoia Grenadiers advances on the Indian troops and forces them off of both Brig's Peak and Sanchil.

By day's end, the Indian troops wind up back where they started at Cameron Ridge. This reversal, identical to the first attempt to take the peaks several days before, does not interfere with plans to attack the other (right) side of the gorge on the 12th.

In Italian Somaliland, South African and Gold Coast troops (East African 22nd Infantry Brigade) complete the capture of Afmadu at the north end of the Juba River. The South African Air Force heavily supports these attacks.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 79 bombers against Bremen and 29 against Hanover during the night. There are other RAF operations as well during the day, including a Coastal Command attack on the seaplane base at Thisted, Jutland. There also are some Circus offensive RAF operations over northern France.

The day is notable for the first RAF attack by four-engine bombers. Three Short Stirlings bomb the docks at Rotterdam.

The Luftwaffe mainly stays on the ground today, as has been the practice for much of 1941 so far. A few bombs are dropped in the east and southeast of England, while the Luftwaffe attacks shipping off the Scottish coast.

An American, James Alton Jepson of Decatur, Georgia, has been serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force as an observer. Sergeant Jepson enlisted on 15 April 1940 in Ottawa, then was shipped to England with his unit. He goes missing today on a mission and is never found.

USS Long Island (AVG-1), 11 November 1941. Identifiable on her flight deck are 7 Curtiss SOC-3A scout planes and 1 Brewster F2A fighter. This was the US Navy's first escort carrier, commissioned 2 June 1941. Planes flown off the Long Island were the first US planes on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal (US Navy photo.)

Battle of the Atlantic: British monitor HMS Erebus parks off Ostend between 01:00 and 01:40 and bombards the port along with escorting destroyers HMS Quorn and Eglinton. This is Operation PX.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Snapper (Lt. G.V. Prowse) fires at German minesweepers M.2, M.13 and M.25 southwest of Ouessant, Finistère, France in the Bay of Biscay. The attack fails, and the German ships attack and sink Snapper. At least, this is believed to have been her fate, as none of the 41 men aboard survived to tell the tale. Another theory is that she hit a mine.

Operating between Portugal and the Azores, German battlecruiser Admiral Hipper encounters 1236-ton British freighter Iceland. Iceland is from Convoy HX 53, which already has been savaged by U-boat and Luftwaffe attacks and dispersed. Hipper makes short work of Iceland with its guns. In the evening, Hipper spots Convoy SLS 64 (19 ships) out of Freetown and stalks it through the night.

The Luftwaffe attacks 227-ton British trawler Eamont off the coast of northern Scotland. All ten men aboard take to the boats and survive, but the abandoned ship is run ashore by the winds and current and wrecked.

The Luftwaffe also bombs and sinks 215-ton British trawler John Dunkin 13 miles northeast of Buckie, Aberdeenshire. There is one death.

In a related attack nearby, the Luftwaffe attacks 488-ton British freighter Cantick Head and damages it.

Minelayer HMS Plover lays minefield ZME 16 in the Irish Sea.

Convoy OB 285 departs from Liverpool.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Ultimatum is launched.

US destroyers USS Aaron Ward and Buchanan are laid down.

U-68 (Kapitänleutnant Karl-Friedrich Merten) is commissioned, U-80 is launched.

A burning Italian CR 42 biplane fighter. The original caption said that it was hit during aerial combat over Tobruk. El Adem, 11 February 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell requests permission from the Chief of the Imperial General Staff to continue Operation Compass into Tripolitania in western Libya. Whitehall denies this request, as Prime Minister Winston Churchill is more interested in sending troops to Greece.

The British decision to halt their offensive is made just in time - for the Wehrmacht. Today, the German convoy which departed from Naples with a stopover in Palermo arrives in Tripolitania as part of Operation Sunflower (Unternehmen Sonnenblume). The transports carry troops of the 5th Light Division, the vanguard of General Erwin Rommel's Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK). This is the first time that German troops have been on North African soil. These troops would still be quite vulnerable before they are reinforced - if the British were to attack. Royal Navy submarine HMS Unique spots the troop convoy and attacks one of the ships, German transport Ankara, but misses. Allied attacks on troop convoys from Naples will be a prime cause of the DAK's issues in North Africa.

General Rommel, en route to Tripoli, arrives in Rome. German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels has given him a camera and some color film, which Rommel intends to make use of.

The Italians never wanted the Germans involved in their "empire" of North Africa, but the situation has changed drastically over the past few months due to Italian reversals there and in Albania. Mussolini accepts the resignation of Libyan commander Rodolfo Graziani, who flies out of Tripoli today. He is replaced by the Italian 5th Army (Tripolitania) Commander General Italo Gariboldi.

Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies resumes his extended journey from Melbourne to London. He arrives today in Benghazi, where he meets with General Iven Mackay, commander of the Australian 6th Infantry Division. This division captured Bardia, Tobruk, and Benghazi, and Menzies somewhat cattily comments in his diary that the General's "tactics are highly praised, but [he] looks as gently ineffectual as ever." He dines with General O'Connor, commander of XIII Corps, of whom he notes:

He did this job [conquer Cyrenaica], but Wavell has received all the credit.... Wavell will probably get a peerage while this man gets a CB but that is the way of the world.

Menzies notes that life has changed little in Benghazi for the residents there, with "good Australians slapping down their money on the bar of a hotel conducted by a 'conquered' Italian."

The Royal Navy begins Operation Shelford, the clearing of Benghazi Harbor by minesweepers. A similar operation at Tobruk was a disaster, with several ships hitting mines after the port was declared free of mines. In fact, today 344-ton naval whaler HMSAS Southern Floe hits a mine off Tobruk and sinks, killing everybody on board (mostly South Africans) but one rating.

At Malta, there are some minor Luftwaffe attacks on St. Paul's Bay that cause minor damage to a seaplane base and petrol lighter. Antiaircraft fire downs a Junkers Ju 88.

Two Malta-based RAF reconnaissance pilots, Flying Officer Adrian Warburton of 431 Flight (now 69 Squadron) and his observer/navigator, Sergeant Frank Bastard, are decorated. Warburton receives the DFC, while Bastard receives the Distinguished Flying Medal. Bastard is the navigator who took over as pilot (without any training) and successfully landed the plane after the pilot (apparently Warburton) was rendered unconscious. As usual in the British military, the senior officer in such a situation invariably receives a plum award when a subordinate is decorated - as Menzies noted (see above), "that is the way of the world."

Free French forces under Leclerc take the Italian outpost Gadamis in southwestern Libya.

The body of an Italian soldier lies where he fell during battle, in a stone-walled fort in the West Libyan desert, on February 11, 1941.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Atlantis rendezvouses with supply vessel Tannenfels east of Madagascar. Atlantis has captured Norwegian tanker Ketty Brøvig and 5159-ton freighter Speybank with it. The tanker, in particular, is prized because it has a load of fuel which is quite useful for all of the German ships. The Speybank is no slouch either, being used by the Germans as a minelayer off Cape Town.

Battle of the Pacific: In the Dutch East Indies, the military authorities for some reason go on a high military alert. They suddenly close all ports to Japanese shipping, order Dutch vessels to safe waters, put the military on alert and take other actions. The Japanese are not planning anything, however.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Thracian and minelayer HMS Man Yeung lay mines outside Hong Kong Harbor.

A 1941 Lincoln Continental. The Lincoln Continental was the idea of Henry Ford's son Edsel, who wanted something sporty to use on vacation. It originally was built as a one-off for him but was such a fine car that it went into limited production. This particular Lincoln, immaculately restored, was No. 290 of 400, built on 11 February 1941. This was the original model year, with only two dozen manufactured in 1939. All Continentals built 1939-41 are a single model year.

US/Japanese Relations: New Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburō Nomura arrives in Washington. Nomura is a moderate who genuinely wants to broker some kind of deal to avoid conflict with US Secretary of State Cordell Hull. However, the hardliners in Tokyo want concessions (primarily economic), while the Americans are not interested, demanding major concessions of their own (entirely military and political ones). Major issues between the two powers are the US oil embargo of Japan, Japanese military action in China, and the Japanese occupation of Indochina.

Vichy French/German Relations: Rudolf Hilferding dies in a Gestapo dungeon in Paris. Hilferding is a prominent Jewish socialist from Austria who upon the accession of Hitler to power fled to Denmark, then Switzerland, then Paris. He would have been safe in Zurich, but he left there for Paris in 1939 (many expected Hitler to invade Switzerland in 1939). The Vichy French arrested him, and the Vichy government turned him over to the Gestapo on 9 February despite Hilferding securing an emergency visa to emigrate to the United States. The Gestapo tortured him at La Santé for two days, leading to his death. Hilferding's wife, Margarete, is sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp and perishes there in 1942.

Anglo/Italian Relations: Rumors are flying in Vichy France that Generalissimo Francisco Franco of Spain and Marshal Petain are trying to negotiate an Armistice between Great Britain and Italy. If this is the case, though, nothing seems to come of it.

"A sailor and his girlfriend are amongst the crowds listening to a speech by a member of the Socialist Party at Speakers' Corner, Hyde Park." While Winston Churchill attempts to suppress prominent socialists from speaking on the BBC, he is unconcerned about agitators in Hyde Park. February 1941. © IWM (D 2095).

British Government: Churchill sends General Ismay a note suggesting that "an Anti-Mussolini or Free-Italian" force be organized in Cyrenaica using Italian POWs. He views this as "world propaganda." It is unclear where he came up with this idea, but he might not be flattered to be told that this is an old Soviet and Imperial Japanese tactic.

Churchill also complains to Minister of Shipping Ronald Cross about an incident involving a ship that refused to sail around from Liverpool to London. Agreeing with the captain's reasoning, Churchill points out the immense value of the ship's cargo to the war effort (19,677 sub-machine guns and about 2.5 million cartridges). Churchill notes that "I always follow the movements of these important cargoes."

US Government: President Roosevelt meets with U.S. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, U.S. Secretary of the Navy William "Frank" Knox, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold R. Stark, and U.S. General of the Army George C. Marshall. Roosevelt suggests that the navy risk half a dozen cruisers and two aircraft carriers at Manila as bait to gt the Japanese to enter the war. Navy Chief of Operations replies:

I have previously opposed this and you have concurred as to its unwisdom. Particularly do I recall your remark in a previous conference when Mr. Hull suggested (more forces to Manila) and the question arose as to getting them out and your 100% reply, from my standpoint, was that you might not mind losing one or two cruisers, but that you did not want to take a chance on losing 5 or 6.

This is contained in Charles Beard's "President Roosevelt and the Coming of War 1941 (2003), p 424. I can't find any confirmation for this claim, which is a favorite of conspiracy theorists. That doesn't mean it isn't factual, though.

Another outcome of this meeting is that the US government decides to warn American nationals in vulnerable Asian targets such as Rangoon, Burma, and Singapore to leave while they still can.

Wendell Willkie appears before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee as the committee prepares to conclude its consideration of the Lend-Lease bill. He recommends passing the bill and quickly sending help to Great Britain because otherwise, the US would be at war with Germany within a month. Among his recommendations is that every American bomber in the US Army Air Corp should be sent at once to join the RAF, in addition to five or ten destroyers per month. Willkie does, however, suggest that specific time limits be attached to the President's exercise of lend-lease powers - this is a major concern of many, both within the government and outside it.

Willkie's opinion is given great weight because he just returned from a fact-finding mission in London for President Roosevelt - made at his own expense. Since Willkie was the 1940 Republican Presidential candidate, this suggests that who won that election really made little difference in the long-run course of events. After his testimony, Willkie continues his cozy relationship with his former opponent by meeting with him at the White House.

Look Magazine, 11 February 1941.

Dutch Government: The British severed diplomatic relations with Romania on the 10th, and the Dutch Government-in-exile (in London) follows suit today.

Dutch Homefront: Tensions between local German supporters and those defending Jewish interests have been sparking over the last week. Pitched battles break out today in Amsterdam's Waterlooplein. Pro-German Dutch militia "Weerbaarheidsafdeling" (defense section) is prominent in these attacks, targeting the old Jewish section of the city. Those fighting against the WA are effective, mortally wounding WA member Hendrik Koot (he dies of his wounds on 14 February).

American Homefront: There is a major gas leak in South Philadelphia which erupts into an explosion and fire. A row of eight houses is destroyed on Greenwich Street. The lots are cleared, and the lots remain empty for many years, used by neighborhoods to park their cars or grow vegetables. At least four people die, including a policeman, James J. Clarke, trying to rescue a mother and her two daughters.

Future History: William M. Landham is born in Canton, Georgia. As "Sonny" Landham, he begins an acting career in adult films. He later turns to mainstream films, appearing in such classics as "The Warriors" (he's the subway cop whose legs are broken by Michael Beck), "Predator" and "48 Hours." He also acts in such series as "The A-Team" and "The Fall Guy." Landham achieves his greatest degree of fame by appearing in an episode of "Miami Vice" as Toad, one of Reb Brown's Violator gang in the episode "Viking Bikers from Hell." Sonny later attempts to run for political office in Georgia and Kentucky, but to date has not been elected.

Destruction in South Philadelphia, 11 February 1941.

February 1941

February 1, 1941: US Military Reorganization
February 2, 1941: Wehrmacht Supermen
February 3, 1941: World Will Hold Its Breath
February 4, 1941: USO Forms
February 5, 1941: Hitler Thanks Irish Woman
February 6, 1941: Operation Sunflower
February 7, 1941: Fox Killed in the Open
February 8, 1941: Lend Lease Passes House
February 9, 1941: Give Us The Tools
February 10, 1941: Operation Colossus
February 11, 1941: Afrika Korps
February 12, 1941: Rommel in Africa
February 13, 1941: Operation Composition
February 14, 1941: Nomura in Washington
February 15, 1941: Churchill's Warning
February 16, 1941: Operation Adolphus
February 17, 1941: Invade Ireland?
February 18, 1941: Panzerwaffe Upgrade
February 19, 1941: Three Nights Blitz
February 20, 1941: Prien's Farewell
February 21, 1941: Swansea Blitz Ends
February 22, 1941: Amsterdam Pogrom
February 23, 1941: OB-288 Convoy Destruction
February 24, 1941: Okuda Spies
February 25, 1941: Mogadishu Taken
February 26, 1941: OB-290 Convoy Destruction
February 27, 1941: Operation Abstention
February 28, 1941: Ariets Warns Stalin

2020

Friday 7 February 1941

The crew of HMS Vanity on 7 February 1941. They are posed to celebrate shooting down a Dornier twin-engined bomber at sea. Commander HJ Buchanan, DSO, RAN stands to the right. © IWM (A 2921). HMS Vanity is featured in other British military photos as well, for some reason, it gets a lot of attention.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The entire front is fairly stable as of 7 February 1941. The fierce winter weather prevents major engagements. The status quo favors the Italians, who are hanging on to their position in Albania by their fingertips. The Italians are planning another counterattack after the massive advances by the Greeks in the Trebeshina area, but it will take some time to prepare. This area is the key to the entire Albanian campaign, as it lies along the valley which leads to the vital Italian port of Valona (Vlorë). Most activity at this point consists of artillery exchanges and RAF attacks.

Already, the Italians have frustrated the most ambitious Greek plans, as they wished to capture Valona and wind up the Italian position in Albania by mid-February. The timing is important because Greek (and British) intelligence suggests that the Germans may be ready to invade Greece through Bulgaria as early as 15 February. This is not the case, but the Greeks don't know this.

East African Campaign: The British attack on Keren continues. The tactical problem is to take the Dongolaas Gorge which serves as a sort of portal to the town itself. Surrounded by mountains controlled by the Italians, the gorge is a tough nut - but the British are confident that the Italians will fold quickly as they have everywhere else.

The day begins with the 3/14th Punjab Regiment advancing to take Brig's Peak, the middle of three peaks (left to right) that overlook the gorge. However, the Italians send the 65th Infantry Division "Granatieri di Savoia" (Granatieri di Savoia) in a counterattack. The Italians have the advantage of supporting fire from other peaks nearby, and the Indian troops must move supplies and reinforcements over the exposed ground. The Indian troops are pried off Brig's Peak and sent back to their starting point, Cameron Ridge. This now is a more secure position because of the addition of the 1st (Wellesley's)/6th Rajputana Rifles there. However, Cameron Ridge itself is exposed to downward fire from several nearby peaks and it is not an easy thing to stay there.

On the other (right) side of the Dongolaas Gorge, the British also attack. Late in the day, the 4th (Outram's)/6th Rajputana Rifles advance through Happy Valley (Scescilembi Valley) on the far right and take Acqua Col. Tactically, this is an attempt to outflank an Italian strongpoint at Dologorodoc Fort. The Acqua Col also is a key position because it serves as a link between two summits, Mount Selele and Mount Falestoh. The Indian troops retain control of the Acqua Col as the day ends, but the Italians are in a strong position to counterattack there, too, raining fire down on the Indian troops.

In Abyssinia, the British continue advancing along the Gondar Road. In British Somaliland, the British advance as well.

Oblt. Baron Hubertus von Holtey, right, commanding officer of the Ergänzungsgruppe of JG 26, with Oblt. Joachim Müncheberg at Cognac, France in February 1941. Müncheberg, commander of 7./JG 26, will soon be taking his men to Sicily to bolster Fliegerkorps X.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe makes a few scattered raids along the northeast coast of Scotland and East Anglia, but generally is quiet. The RAF attacks a few Channel ports (27 bombers against Dunkirk, 37 against Boulogne).

Battle of the Atlantic: German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau continue heading south from the vicinity of Greenland toward the shipping lanes. The British have no idea where they are and apparently think they are further east. However, while vulnerable, the Allied convoys nearby have beefed-up escorts which could give the German ships a nasty surprise. In any event, some kind of action is imminent.

The Royal Navy moves its command headquarters for the Western Approaches from Plymouth, on the south coast, to Derby House in Liverpool in the north. This conforms with the fact that more convoys since the fall of France are coming through the Northwest Approaches rather than the Southwest Approaches, which are closer to the U-boat bases in France. Having the headquarter near the port of arrival simply makes sense.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks British 575-ton freighter Bay Fisher a few miles northeast of Bell Rock, Angus, Scotland. There are 8 deaths.

British 513-ton freighter Scottish Cooperation hits a mine and is damaged a couple of miles off Workington Pier in the Solway Firth off Workington, Cumberland. The crew manages to beach the ship. After temporary repairs, it makes it back to Workington.

Armed merchant cruiser (AMC) HMS Letitia grounds on Litchfield Shoal near Halifax due to the fierce winter winds. The AMC will require repairs in the US that will last until the end of the year.

German raider Kormoran, with captured vessel Duquesa and operating off the Cape Verde Islands, begins a three-day rendezvous with supply ship Nordmark. This is a somewhat unusual meeting, as Nordmark is the recipient of supplies as much as the giver of the same. The Kormoran, fresh from Germany, has brought U-boat spare parts that are needed at the U-boat base in Lorient. In addition, the Kormoran transfers 170 of the 174 prisoners it has taken so far (four Chinese prisoners remain on board as laundrymen). The British crew from the British Union leave their pet monkey behind in gratitude for honorable treatment during their captivity. Among other random items, a piano from Duquesa is transferred to the Kormoran. It is all a very comfortable meeting during the happy times for German operations in the Atlantic.

U-564 and U-652 are launched.

Soviet submarine K-55 is launched.

General Bergonzoli. His nickname was "Barba elettrica," which roughly translates as the electric beard or electric whiskers or shocking whiskers.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The situation is fluid, but running against the Italians as the day begins. Shortly before dawn, the British 7th Support Group attacks the north end of the Italian convoys heading south from Benghazi on the Via Balbia. At the same time, the 2nd RTR moves south along the western side of the road while the 1st RTR moves east. The stage is set for compressions and destruction of the Italian forces unless they can break out quickly.

The Italians do try to break out. Supported by artillery, the Italian medium tanks overrun British positions of the blocking Combe Force, taking out numerous antitank guns. However, the following Italian infantry is more vulnerable, and the British rain fire on them to force them undercover. The Italian M13 medium tanks make it through the British positions, sweeping across the British officer's mess and the like. However, the British armor arrives, stopping the Italians at El Magrun, about 24 km (15 miles) south of Ghemines. Italian 10th Army is stopped, surrounded, and the surrenders begin at 11:00.

In all, the Italians lose 25,000 men taken prisoner, 93 guns, 107 tanks either captured intact or destroyed, and all of the senior Italian command staff (Lieutenant-General Annibale “Electric Whiskers” Bergonzoli of the XX Motorised corps and General Valentino Babini of the Italian Special Armoured Brigade (Brigata Corazzato Speciale) are captured, while 10th Army Commander General Giuseppe Tellera is killed in his M13 tank.

This concludes the battle of Beda Fomm and the utter destruction of the Italian 10th Army. Almost as an afterthought, the Australian 6th Infantry Division takes evacuated Benghazi. General O'Connor of XIII Corps immediately sends the 11th Hussars further to the west to take out isolated Italian garrisons at Agedabia and El Agheila. However, O'Connor does not have the authorization to proceed to Tripoli, so he can only send out patrols along the 40 or 50 miles down the coast road to Sirte.

O'Connor dispatches Middle East commander Archibald Wavell's former Brigade Major (now a brigadier serving as Wavell's personal liaison officer to XIII Corps) back to Cairo to get that permission. However, it is a long, difficult 570-mile trip by road (for some reason no planes are available) and an answer may take as long as a week. To announce the victory at Benghazi, O'Connor sends the famous signal:

Fox killed in the open.

It is another epic catastrophe for Italian arms, thought the Italians have at least tried to fight with some skill in this engagement for the first time during Operation Compass. Italian commander in North Africa Marshal Rodolfo Graziani submits his resignation, though whether or not this is strictly his idea is open to debate. It puts more pressure on Germany's Operation Sunflower, the insertion of German troops into Libya to backstop the remaining Italian garrison, which now is under the command of General Erwin Rommel, with Wehrmacht troops due on North African soil within a fortnight.

Meanwhile, Admiral Somerville continues steaming toward Genoa from Gibraltar as part of Operation Grog (formerly Result). The aim is to bombard Italian shore targets. He tries to arrange for RAF support from Malta as he passes Sardinia, but no planes are available.

On Malta, a mysterious force of eight Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bombers lands with 38 paratroopers. They are to participate in "Operation Colossus," which nobody on the island knows about.

US/Dutch Relations: Admiral Hart is negotiating with the Dutch authorities in the East Indies regarding future military cooperation. The Dutch have strong naval forces in the Pacific and would be extremely useful in the event of hostilities. The British also have naval forces at Singapore and Hong Kong, though at the moment they are fairly light. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Stark orders Hart to insist on overall US command of any joint Allied fleet in the region. The Dutch, however, feel they are best suited to command operations.

German/Vichy France Relations: Admiral Darlan has been negotiating with the Germans to take over as head of the Vichy Government (under the overlordship of Marshal Petain, who everybody understands is more a figurehead than a real leader). German Ambassador Otto Abetz indicates today that Darlan would be acceptable as a French leader, but Germany does not want to dispose of former leader Pierre Laval just yet. Laval, meanwhile, remains a powerful force in French government circles but technically a private citizen.

British Military: The Ministry of Aircraft Production is extremely enthusiastic about the Bristol Beaufighter and has set up "shadow factories" to produce it in addition to the Bristol facilities at Filton (which have been a favorite Luftwaffe target). These shadow facilities include production lines operated by the Fairey Aviation Company. Today, the first Beaufighter IF fighter (T4623)  made by Fairey makes its maiden flight at Stockport, Greater Manchester.

Army maneuvers in Hawaii in 1941 before the Pearl Harbor attack.

US Military: The US Naval Academy in Annapolis graduates the class of 1941 today rather than later in the spring due to the growing crisis.

General of the Army George C. Marshall sends a letter to Lt. General Walter C. Short, the new commander of the US Army's Hawaiian Department (he replaces General Herron today). The letter states "the fullest protection for the Fleet is the rather than a major consideration." He continues:

My impression of the Hawaiian problem has been that if no serious harm is done us during the first six hours of known hostilities, thereafter the existing defenses would discourage an enemy against the hazard of an attack. The risk of sabotage and the risk involved in a surprise raid by Air and by submarine constitute the real perils of the situation. Frankly, I do not see any landing threat in the Hawaiian Islands so long as we have air superiority.

This is a very prescient letter.

Secretary of the Navy Henry L. Stimson also forwards a copy of a 24 January 1941 letter from Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox to him to General Short. That letter also warns against the likelihood of hostilities beginning at Pearl Harbor. Stimson instructs both Short and Admiral Kimmel, CINCPAC, to secure the islands against surprise attacks and cooperate with each other and with local authorities.

In fact, (later investigations conclude that) neither Kimmel nor Short lift a finger to cooperate with each other or anyone else in any meaningful way to secure the islands against air attack. This will all become of intense scrutiny after the events of 7 December 1941. Short, for his part, later feels that he acted appropriately despite these clear warnings and instructions from his superiors because he did not receive effective warnings of Japanese attacks and throughout his tenure had insufficient resources to secure the islands anyway.

This is an endless topic, but might as well point out here that the US Senate eventually exonerated both Kimmel and Short by a 52-47 vote on 25 May 1999, stating that they had performed their duties "competently and professionally." Both men, of course, were long deceased by that point, and there seems to have been some lingering suspicions behind the vote that the real blame for Pearl Harbor lay not in Hawaii, but in Washington, D.C.

British Government: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill has his staff arrange a stunt for the media. During dinner, he places a call to a random passenger on a train, which is recorded for broadcast. It is all carefully choreographed - the passenger is chosen and briefed at the prior station - but the stunt shows the deep interest that the government has in public relations. This also ties in with certain governmental reforms to be announced on the 8th, as in, "Oh, you see a problem? Well, I'll take of it tomorrow!" This kind of stunt may seem rather obvious now, but it was somewhat novel at the time.

While at Alexandria, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies visits units of the Mediterranean Fleet. He is photographed here with Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. I don't have a firm date on this photo, but since he visited with Cunningham for lunch today on HMS Warspite, it likely is 7 February 1941. The other man in the photo is unidentified but, judging from the gold braid, quite highly placed indeed. Perhaps the captain of HMS Barham, but that is a wild guess.

Australian Government: Prime Minister Robert Menzies continues his epic journey from Melbourne to London. Today he flies to Alexandria and makes note of the dusty conditions - which are causing the RAF and armored forces all sorts of problems. Menzies meets Admiral Cunningham, who he describes as "the No. 1 personality I have so far encountered on this journey." After this, he flies down to Cairo for another dinner with General Wavell. Menzies has mixed feelings about Wavell, noting that "with his left eye closed and his almost unbreakable silence he is an almost sinister figure." Churchill most likely would concur. It is a good night for dinner, though, as they can celebrate the fall of Benghazi to Australian troops. Very good timing.

Indochina: While the Thai/Vichy French border war is over thanks to the Armistice signed aboard a Japanese warship on 31 January, there is still the matter of the actual terms of that peace. The Japanese again act as moderators, as the two sides begin to hammer out an agreement in Tokyo that both can live with. Everybody seems to understand that the Japanese are the real power in the region, the British, Dutch and Americans have no say whatsoever.

China: The savage Battle of Southern Henan reaches its climax. The Chinese 5th War Area take Sinyang and points further north. This is a key point on the Wuhan-Peking railway line and puts the Japanese garrison at Wuhan in peril. The Japanese army, meanwhile, moves from Tangho to Tungpo.

American Homefront: Fleischer Studios, for Paramount Studios, releases Popeye the Sailor in "Quiet! Pleeze," animated by Willard Bowsky and Lod Rossner with a story by Milford Davis.

Terrytoon Studios releases "Mississippi Swing," in which African Americans have some fun while picking cotton. Yes, while picking cotton. Caution, the cartoon is not by any stretch of the imagination political correct in the 21st century. This is part of unchangeable history and included here as such for educational purposes only.


February 1941

February 1, 1941: US Military Reorganization
February 2, 1941: Wehrmacht Supermen
February 3, 1941: World Will Hold Its Breath
February 4, 1941: USO Forms
February 5, 1941: Hitler Thanks Irish Woman
February 6, 1941: Operation Sunflower
February 7, 1941: Fox Killed in the Open
February 8, 1941: Lend Lease Passes House
February 9, 1941: Give Us The Tools
February 10, 1941: Operation Colossus
February 11, 1941: Afrika Korps
February 12, 1941: Rommel in Africa
February 13, 1941: Operation Composition
February 14, 1941: Nomura in Washington
February 15, 1941: Churchill's Warning
February 16, 1941: Operation Adolphus
February 17, 1941: Invade Ireland?
February 18, 1941: Panzerwaffe Upgrade
February 19, 1941: Three Nights Blitz
February 20, 1941: Prien's Farewell
February 21, 1941: Swansea Blitz Ends
February 22, 1941: Amsterdam Pogrom
February 23, 1941: OB-288 Convoy Destruction
February 24, 1941: Okuda Spies
February 25, 1941: Mogadishu Taken
February 26, 1941: OB-290 Convoy Destruction
February 27, 1941: Operation Abstention
February 28, 1941: Ariets Warns Stalin

2020

Sunday 26 January 1941

The crew of HMS Wallace with pieces of a Junkers Ju 88 bomber they shot down on 26 January 1941 (© IWM (A 2808)).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Italians launch on 26 January 1941 their largest attempt yet to recover the strategic Klisura Pass in the center of the front. Greek II Corps, which now includes the 5th Division, struggles to retain control of the pass after effective attacks by the Italian Legnano Division. After picking up some ground, however, the Italian advances lose momentum and the troops fall back.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a long message to his Commander-in-Chief Middle East, General Archibald Wavell, in which he elucidates his growing worries about Greece. He writes that the Germans are:

already establishing themselves upon the Bulgarian aerodromes and making every preparation for action against Greece.

Churchill is juggling the competing priorities of Libya and Albania, but it really is a false choice: he has a winning campaign in progress in the former, and basically no chance of affecting the outcome in the latter. He even has admitted recently, to Harry Hopkins, that victory in Greece is impossible against the Germans.

He further writes that:

sustaining of the Greek battle, thus keeping in the field their quite large army [becomes] an objective of prime importance.... [T]he massive importance of taking Valona and keeping the Greek front in being must weigh hourly with us.

The bottom line, according to Churchill, is that Wavell must "conform [his] plans to larger interests at stake" because "the destruction of Greece would eclipse victories ... in Libya and might affect decisively [the] Turkish attitude." In fact, contrary to Churchill's belief, Greece will remain little more than a sideshow to the decisive battles of World War II.

With this message, Churchill makes clear that his overriding objective at this stage is political, not military, and that winning a battle is not the same as winning the war. It is highly reminiscent of later reasoning by Adolf Hitler, who routinely places political objectives before military reality during the campaign in the Soviet Union.

Building N-26 of the 1907 Jamestown Exposition, Fifth Naval District Headquarters communications center at Hampton Roads, catches fire, January 26, 1941. (National Archives and Records Administration NSNorfolk-1941_33 (RG 71-CA, Box 314, Folder B)). The building was a total loss.

East African Campaign: The British continue advancing into Eritrea toward Agordat, taking Biscia.

In Churchill's message to General Wavell, he echoes earlier complaints about what he views as redundant troops in Wavell's command:

Certainly, there is no need to send another South African Division to swell the 70,000 troops of various kinds who are now officially out of action in Kenya.... How can you expect me to face the tremendous strain upon our shipping, affecting as it does our food and import of munitions, in order to carry more divisions this country to the Middle East, when you seem opposed to taking a South African Division which would only have less than half the distance to come.

Evidently, Churchill is having a cranky day. However, the strained tone of his message underlies the strain that the British military is experiencing - despite its absolutely stunning successes in Libya - in the Mediterranean basin.

View looking southeast following a fire. Firefighters managed to prevent the flames from spreading to Buildings N-21 and N-23, January 26, 1941. National Archives and Records Administration NSNorfolk-1941_43 (RG 71-CA, Box 323, Folder A).

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command attacks Hanover with 17 bombers during the night. The Luftwaffe continues with only sporadic raids both during the day and at night.

Destroyer HMS Wallace (Lieut Cdr E G Heywood-Lonsdale) shoots down a Junkers Ju 88 and a Bf 110 off the East Coast, receiving a great deal of publicity for it.

Commander Heywood-Lonsdale congratulates his gun crew aboard HMS Wallace, 26 January 1941. © IWM (A 2807).

Battle of the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe bombs and destroys 7557-ton British freighter Meriones that has run aground on Haisborough Sands, Norfolk (it apparently ran aground and is an easy target). Everybody survives.

Swedish 2023-ton freighter Belgia, running in Convoy FN 92 in the Thames Estuary, is attacked and heavily by the Luftwaffe. There are six deaths and 20 survivors. The wreck eventually drifts ashore at Frinton and is taken to Harwich and repaired. As a salvage, it is renamed Empire Bell.

The Luftwaffe attacks Convoy FS 395 and damages 1177-ton British freighter Gwynwood at the Barrow Deep with near misses. Leaking badly, the ship reaches Gravesend for repairs.

British 586-ton freighter Sandhill hits a mine and is damaged off Blackpool. The ship makes it to port.

British freighter 1568-ton Catford hits a mine off Oaze Bank and is damaged so badly that the crew beaches it. After temporary repairs, the ship is taken to Gravesend for repairs.

Dutch 6869-ton freighter Beemsterdijk hits a mine and eventually sinks off The Smalls Lighthouse (west of Grassholm). There are three survivors and 39 deaths. The crew tries to save the ship and anchors it, but eventually sinks and takes the crew with it. There is speculation this was a British mine, though why one would be there is unclear.

U-105 (Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe) finishes off the sinking of the burning wreck that is 3564-ton British freighter Lurigethan today. The U-boat also fires two torpedoes at escorting corvette HMS Arabis, but misses. There are 16 deaths, the Arabis picks up the 35 survivors.

Convoy OG 51 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 392 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 396 departs from Methil, Convoy SLG 1 departs from Freetown.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Cachalot (Commander John D. Luce) lays fifty mines in Minefield FD 28 off Bud (near Molde), Norway. The Kriegsmarine also lays mine off Norway, with four minelayers seeding defensive minefield Pommern near Stavanger.

A map on the 26 January 1941 New York Times shows the situation in Libya, with fighting constricted to a fairly narrow plateau near the coast.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian North African commander Marshal Rodolfo Graziani is told by his intelligence people that a massive British tank force is approaching Mechili. This report is greatly exaggerated, but Graziani decides not to take any chances with his main armored force. He orders a withdrawal despite the fact that the Italian Babini Group is holding off the British. The Italians thus voluntarily give up their most favorable defensive position in Libya on the Jebel Akhdar upland area. This action is described in two different ways: 1) the Italians escape the British 4th Armored Brigade of the 7th Armored Division, or 2) the British "let the Italians escape." In reality, the Italians are not in many difficulties at any point and simply leave before they eventually are forced out.

Graziani makes the decision, however, to order General Giuseppe Tellera, the local commander, to continue defending Derna. The Babini Group is ordered to continue blocking the way west from the area. Tellera asks for more tanks (he has about 50 tanks and the false intelligence reports suggest that the British have 150 tanks approaching Mechili alone when they have only about 50 Cruiser tanks and 95 light tanks along the entire line), but this request is denied. With this decision, Graziani has made it impossible to hold Derna because the British troops can simply sweep around the city now that the Italian tanks are withdrawing.

Thus, the Australians continue outflanking the main Italian positions. The 2/4th Australian Battalion cuts the Derna-Mechili road and crosses Wadi Derna after dark. The Italians counterattack fiercely during the night with the 10th Bersaglieri of the Babini Group at Wadi Derna. They manage to blunt the Australian advance to encircle Derna from the south. The Italians finally are fighting, losing 40 Bersaglieri dead and 56 captured, but it is too late to save Derna. The withdrawal from Mechili uncovers the deep flank of the Derna position. Derna, a town of about 10,000 people, is in serious jeopardy now, particularly since their main infantry force, the 60th Infantry Division "Sabratha," has been decimated in fierce fighting. However, the Italians continue to defend it.

The British plan is to get around Derna and cut the coast road from Derna to Benghazi. This will isolate the garrison and make its surrender inevitable. General O'Connor of XIII Corps gives the memorable order to General O'Moore Creagh of the 7th Armored Division:

You are going to cut the coast road South of Benghazi, and you are going now!

The Luftwaffe begins moving units south to help the Italians out in North Africa. Stab,/JG 27 and II,/JG 27 (Hptm. Wolfgang Lippert) begins moving to Bucharest, Romania as a stepping stone to the Middle East.

Max Schmelling, former Heavyweight boxing champion, makes an appearance on the 26 January 1941 New York Times. As a propaganda hero, Schmelling will take part in the Crete jump in May 1941, quickly leave for medical reasons, and then sit out the rest of the war.

Anglo/US Relations: Wendell Willkie arrives in Great Britain as the latest of President Roosevelt's personal emissaries. He carries a personal, handwritten letter from President Roosevelt which has received a great deal of media attention. The letter contains a poem by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Anglo/Abyssinian Relations: Churchill sends a message to South African leader General Jan Smuts in which he writes that:

it has become apparent that Haile Selassie stands out as the only possible candidate for the throne of a new Abyssinia. The Emperor is, in all probability, the only enlightened Abyssinian Prince.

Churchill notes that Selassie already has crossed the border and is leading an uprising against the Italian occupiers.

British Government: Churchill, on a very busy day, writes a memorandum showing that he is incensed by what he views to have been an insensitive radio broadcast by a "junior Minister" (Minister of Shipping Sir Ronald Cross) to the United States. He bans all Ministerial broadcasts other than by members of the War Cabinet without his personal approval. This also is an early sign that Cross's position is in jeopardy.

Headlines for 26 January 1941 in The New York Times.

Australian Government: Prime Minister Menzies continues his long journey to visit London, reaching Darwin by air today.

China: The Japanese 11th Army continues moving forward in the Battle of Southern Honan, capturing several towns.

Future History: Theodore Scott Glenn is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He overcomes childhood illnesses to graduate from The College of William and Mary, serves three years in the US Marines, and works as a reporter in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A frustrated screenwriter, he takes acting classes to learn dialogue and studies acting at the Actors Studio. Dropping his first name, Scott Glenn begins working in soap operas, then graduates to film work in 1970. He gets small roles in films like the "The Keep" (1983), "Silverado" (1985) and the film for which he is best known, "The Right Stuff" (1983). Scott Glenn continues to act, recently in Netflix's "Daredevil" series.

The Tiburon, California trestle, 26 January 1941 (Marin Magazine).

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

Monday 5 January 1941

Italians surrendering at Bardia, 5 January 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The fighting at the Klisura Pass continues on 5 January 1941, without much change. Elsewhere, the lines have pretty much settled in for the winter.

The real action regarding the Italian/Greek war no longer is taking place in Greece, Albania or Italy. The British receive intelligence today suggesting that the Germans will be in a position to invade not only Greece but also Yugoslavia and Bulgaria no later than 15 January. This would greatly expand the British defense issues in the Mediterranean Basin. In fact, Hitler is nowhere near being in a position to launch such an operation so soon, and Yugoslavia and Bulgaria are not on the agenda at all yet - but he indeed is working on Greece.

General Papagos also is aware of the growing threat of German participation. He plans to make a final lunge for the key Italian port of Valona before they can intervene, and this decision will guide much of the coming action. The theory is that if he takes Valona, Papagos then can shift troops to meet a German invasion from Bulgaria. To do that, however, he has to act fast in Albania.

European Air Operations: The RAF bombs Palermo and Crotone. On the Channel Front, operations are very light due to the weather. The Luftwaffe makes small attacks on London and nearby areas, and British Coastal Command raids the port of Brest, but essentially it is a "free day" for both sides.

Battle of the Atlantic: Italian submarine Cappellini gets in a gun battle with, and sinks, 5029-ton British freighter Shakespeare off of Morocco. There are 20 deaths. The Cappellini tows the boats of the 22 survivors to within sight of land at Cabo Verde. This is quite generous of the Italians and captain Salvatore Todaro, considering that one of their own men was killed in the gun duel.

The seas in the Atlantic are rough, and survival in the frigid water has a very low probability. Dutch 6718 ton freighter Soemba capsizes and sinks in the heavy swells. There are 34 deaths and 24 survivors, picked up by fellow convoy member Rydboholm.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 4427 British freighter Temple Moat in the Northwest Approaches. There is one death, but the ship eventually makes port at Gareloch. The Luftwaffe also damages 5483-ton Dutch freighter Alioth near the Cork Light Vessel, and it also makes port, at Ipswich.

German auxiliary patrol ships (vorpostenboot) VP 303 and VP 306 "Fritz Hinke" hit mines and sink off Ijmuiden.

Royal Navy sloop HMS Lowestoft is damaged by a mine in the Thames Estuary. It will go to Chatham for repairs.

Royal Navy cruiser HMS Adventure lays mines in St. Georges Channel.

Convoy OB 270 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 376 departs from Southend.

General Wavell (right), Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, confers with Major-General R. N. O'Connor, Officer Commanding operations in the Western Desert, outside Bardia, January 5, 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Having cut the Bardia fortress in two, the Australians now go about reducing the two Italian pockets on either side. The 19th Australian Infantry Brigade advances to the south with six Matilda tanks and, along with the 17th Australian Brigade pressing from the other side, eliminates resistance there. The northern pocket then surrenders. Altogether, the British take 25,000-45,000 prisoners, 130 light and medium tanks, 400 guns, and hundreds of other vehicles. The valuable booty includes water pumps capable of producing 400 tons of freshwater per day. The Italians suffer 1703 killed and 3740 wounded, the Australian 6th Division takes 130 deaths and 326 wounded.

Next on the agenda is Tobruk, also to be attacked by the Australians later in the month. Middle East Commander Archibald Wavell already is looking past Tobruk. He tells his Chief of Staff in a note that Benghazi now is the ultimate objective of Operation Compass. However, his superiors in London now are beginning to worry about German intervention in Greece, so how much commitment Wavell will receive from them remains an open question.

The Italians, of course, are not happy about another military catastrophe. Radio Rome claims that the garrison was overwhelmed by 250,000 men and 1000 aircraft, when in fact only a single Australian Division, the 6th Division, was involved. General Rodolfo Graziani, however, has a better grasp of what actually is happening. He decides that Cyrenaica is indefensible and decides to fall back through Beda Fomm. General O'Connor of XIII Corps, learning of this quickly, orders the 7th Armoured Division to turn inland, cross the desert instead of taking the longer coast road, and try to block the Italian retreat at Beda Fomm.

Royal Navy forces including two cruisers (HMS Gloucester and Southampton) depart from Alexandria for Suda Bay, Crete. There, they will embark on troops for transport to Malta. This is the beginning of Operation Excess.

Italian 273 ton coastal freighter Vulcano hits a mine and sinks near Tobruk.

In Malta, two men receive the George Cross for defusing unexploded bombs: Captain R L Jephson Jones and Lieutenant W M Eastman, RAOC.

US/Vichy French Relations: Admiral Leahy and his wife arrive in Vichy at midnight, having brooked no delay in getting there from Lisbon.

Anglo/US Relations: Heavy cruiser USS Louisville makes port at Simonstown, South Africa as part of Operation Fish, the transport of British gold to New York. It begins loading $148 million gold immediately for departure on the 6th. These essentially are Great Britain's last reserves and will be used to pay for war material.

Belgian/German Relations: Rexist leader Léon Degrelle makes a speech in Liege in which he professes devotion to the Germans and Adolf Hitler. Degrelle's Rexist party never has been particularly popular in Belgium, and many even in his own party are not comfortable with this association.

Soviet Military: War games continue in the Soviet Union. Georgy Zhukov, commanding the "German" forces, is beating Colonel-General D.G. Pavlov, commanding the Red Army. This stage will end tomorrow.

China: The Nationalist Chinese (Kuomintang) attack the Communist New Fourth Army as it retreats at Maolin, Anhui Province, China. A force approximately a division in size is surrounded.

Amy Johnson, shown here under her married name, became famous in her Gypsy Moth. Among many other things, she was the first pilot to fly from London to Moscow in one day. Her most famous flight was from Croydon Airport to Darwin, Australia.

British Homefront: Amy Johnson, a famous early aviatrix now working for the government Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) ferrying planes, perishes following a plane accident. Flying an Airspeed Oxford from Prestwick via Blackpool (Squire's Gate Airfield) to RAF Kidlington near Oxford, Johnson's plane runs into foul weather and she drifts off course. After the plane runs out of fuel, Johnson bails out and is seen alive in the water. However, despite heroic efforts - the commander of the only vessel on the scene, Lt. Commander Walter E. Fletcher of barrage balloon vessel trawler HMS Haslemere, dives into the frigid water to save her but perishes later as a result - Johnson either freezes to death, drowns, or (as one theory has it) is sucked into the blades of the rescue ship's propellers after her parachute gets caught. The water is very rough and Johnson's body is never found. There is an inscription for Johnson on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede due to her ATA service.

There is some controversy over this incident. One theory is that there was a passenger in the plane who also perished - but, if so, that person never has been identified, and why that would be the case creates some mystery. Another theory is that British anti-aircraft fire brought her down after she strayed off course, mistaking her plane for a Luftwaffe intruder. Both theories have some tantalizing evidence that appears credible.  This is another case where the government records that remain sealed under the 100-year rule may offer some insight.

American Homefront: Broadway musical "No For An Answer" (Marc Blitzstein) premieres at the Mecca Temple in New York City.

Japanese Homefront: Hayao Miyazaki is born in Akebono-cho in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Hayao becomes interested in animation as a profession in high school but decides early on not to mimic others. He gets a job at Toei Animation in April 1963, and by 1968 is the studio's chief animator. That year's "Hols: Prince of the Sun" gets Hayao recognition, and he follows it up with Kimio Yabuki's "Puss in Boots" the following year. After leaving Toei in August 1971, Hayao joins studio A Pro, then other firms, working on various television series. At Telecom Animation Film he directs his first anime feature film, "The Castle of Cagliostro" (1979), which is very well received. He begins to develop the themes of flight and cats, which he often combines in films like "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989). Miyazaki goes on to direct some of the classics of anime, including "Princess Mononoke" (1997), "Spirited Away" (2001) and "The Wind Rises" (2013). His company, Studio Ghibli, becomes known as the "Asian Disney." While Hayao Miyazaki announced his retirement on 6 September 2013, he continues to work on various projects.

Chuck McKinley is born in St. Louis, Missouri. He goes on to become a top tennis player, winning the 1963 Men's Singles Championship at Wimbledon and winning the US Men's Doubles Championships with partner Dennis Ralston three times in the early 1960s.

Skaters at the Keizersgracht, Amsterdam on January 5, 1941 (Gigapica).

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