Part of Force K returning to Malta after destroying the Duisburg Convoy, 9 November 1941.
Battle of the Mediterranean: The vast majority of tales about convoy destruction during World War II arise from U-boat attacks on Allied convoys. However, on 9 November 1941, the tables are turned and the Royal Navy manages to utterly destroy an Italian convoy headed from Naples toward Libya. The British have been sinking Axis convoy ships in the Mediterranean with regularity, but the Duisburg Convoy (called the Beta Convoy by the Italians) is one of the most one-sided and destructive convoy battles by anyone during the war.
As often is the case during the war, the British take advantage of their "Ultra" intelligence service at Bletchley Park to identify their target. Ultra learns of an Axis convoy forming in Naples Harbor in early November 1941. The RAF sends ace Adrian Warburton on reconnaissance from Malta. Flying over Naples in his Martin Maryland, Warburton confirms the convoy. Given that the British government is unwilling to do anything that might disclose the existence of Ultra, Warburton is claimed to have "found" the convoy so that Ultra does not have to be mentioned. Based upon Warburton's sighting, Royal Navy Force K leaves Malta to set up a picket line. Force K, under the command of Captain W.G. Agnew, is composed of:
Light cruiser HMS Aurora (flagship)
Light cruiser HMS Penelope
Destroyer HMS Lance
Destroyer HMS Lively
Using its radar, Force K places itself in perfect position with the moon silhouetting the convoy and the convoy's Italian escorts on their far end of their zig-zagging.
A photo of SS Sagitta (then known as the Tremeadow) taken in the 1930s. Sagitta was one of the ships sunk in the Duisburg Convoy on 9 November 1941 (John H. Marsh Maritime Research Center in Capetown, South Africa).
The British guns commence firing at the convoy at about 5000 meters or less. The convoy is composed of:
SS Duisburg (7,889 tons, German freighter)
SS San Marco (3,113 tons, German freighter)
MV Maria (6,339 tons, Italian)
SS Sagitta (5,153 tons, Italian freighter)
MV Rina Corrado (5,180 tons, Italian freighter)
MV Conte di Misurata (5014 tons, Italian tanker)
MV Minatitian (7599 tons, Italian freighter)
Escorting the six destroyers:
Maestrale (Maestrale class)
Grecale (Maestrale class)
Lebeccio (Maestrale class)
Fulmine (Folgore class)
Euro (Turbine class)
Alfredo Oriani (Oriani class)
There also is a distant escort commanded by Vice Admiral Bruno Brivonesi composed of two Trento-class cruisers (Trento and Trieste) and four Soldati-class destroyers from the 13th Destroyer Flotilla (Granatiere, Fuciliere, Bersagliere, and Alpino).
Italian destroyer Libeccio sinking on 9 November 1941 after being torpedoed by Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder.
Agnew begins the bombardment with his flagship, hitting Grecale with three salvos and leaving it a burning wreck. The Royal Navy destroyers then join in, but, in the dark, they fire at Aurora by mistake. They quickly realize their error and shift their fire to destroyer Maestrale, which already has been hit by light cruiser Penelope. Penelope and destroyer Lance then hit destroyer Fulmine, sinking it.
German Stuka dive-bombers heading towards their target between the Dnipro and Crimea on November 6, 1941. (Image: AP Photo).
The carnage continues in the early morning hours of 9 November. By the time it is over, all of the ships in the convoy have been sunk along with destroyers Fulmine. Italian destroyers Grecale and Maestrale are damaged but make it back to port. At daybreak, Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder sinks destroyer Libeccio, which has been picking up survivors. The Italian distant escort, about nine miles away throughout the battle, never intervenes effectively, just lobbing a few shells at random from long range. The British ships suffer no major damage (some minor splinter damage) and no casualties while sinking about 39,800 tons of shipping.
Red Army prisoners of the Wehrmacht attempting to get drinks of water from a frozen stream, 9 November 1941.
The Duisburg Convoy is an utter disaster for the Axis. Count Ciano writes in his diary:
Since September 19 we had given up trying to get convoys through to Libya; every attempt had been paid for at a high price... Tonight we tried it again. A convoy of 7 ships left, accompanied by two ten-thousand-ton cruisers and ten destroyers....All - I mean all - of our ships were sunk.
The Italians relieve two commanders of their duties, but lack of aggressiveness and the other factors that contributed to the disaster are endemic in the Italian Navy. The real losers in the encounter are not the Italians anyway - they are the Germans in North Africa. General Rommel badly needs supplies to continue the siege of Tobruk and advance into Egypt. Without supplies, the Afrika Korps is doomed. The irony of the North African campaign is that the battles in the desert will be won at sea.
A Swedish football (soccer) match held on 9 November 1941 between GAIS and Råsunda has a record low for a paid attendance of 1589. The other matches in the league today also hit record lows due to the frigid weather and war news.
The SS crosses the Meuse near Mook on 13 May 1940.
Western Front: It is a good day for German Generals who lead from the front.
On the morning of 13 May 1940, General Erwin Rommel's 7th "Ghost" Panzer Division is the first Wehrmacht unit across the Meuse near Dinant. He personally finds a weir and lock gate across the river that his troops can use to establish a bridgehead, and sends over motorcycle troops. His troops spend the rest of the day slowly expanding the bridgehead against scattered French opposition. Taking the broadest view, Rommel's troops threaten to separate the BEF from France if they eventually reach the coast at Abbeville.
The other German formations further south are also across during the day. Generals Guderian and Reinhardt make crossings at Sedan and Monthermé, respectively. Guderian's crossing by XIX Corps includes portions of 1st Panzer Division, 2nd Panzer Division, 10th Panzer Division, and (SS) Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland. This part of Panzer Group Kleist's breakout threatens a penetration into good tank country in the French heartland and is a serious breach of the Allied line. Guderian's men take a more traditional approach than Rommel's, with their initial crossing in rubber boats. There are still some French holdouts in Sedan, but many are beginning to surrender as the Luftwaffe launches mass raids at them (1000 bombers, including Stukas, engage in hours of bombing). Guderian is the first General firmly on French territory, and he gains the nickname "Fast Heinz."
This is true Blitzkrieg stuff, with the Stukas blasting holes through the French lines for the German troops to capitalize on. All of the German bridgeheads quickly put up pontoon bridges by evening. Tanks are able to cross and help expand the slender German footholds. French General Huntzinger has brave words about the penetrations: "That will just mean we take more prisoners."
However, the nearby French troops are not nearly as sanguine. The French troops begin to panic - in fact, the situation is known as the "Panic of Bulson" due to French troops fleeing a portion of the line on Bulson ridge 10 km (6.2 miles) behind the river. Any French chance to pierce the German bridgehead or even contain it is lost within the opening hours due to this panic and slow reflexes by the Supreme Allied Headquarters.
Northeast of Namur, Belgium, the French 2nd and 3rd Light Mechanized Divisions fight the 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions of the German XVI Corps of the 6th Army. There is fierce fighting with many destroyed tanks throughout the day. The French tanks line up in a long line to cover the Gembloux gap, a strategy that fails. The Germans prevail through sheer numbers. While many German tanks are disabled, the Wehrmacht retains possession of the battlefield and many of them can be repaired; the French, however, incur staggering tank losses (roughly 105 tanks lost), with all complete write-offs. The French retreat to a defensive position at Gembloux.
The Germans take Liege.
German ground troops link with the paratroopers holding the bridges at Moerdijk, a rare success for the airborne troops. The 9th Panzer Division of 18th Army breaks into "Fortress Holland" and is approaching Rotterdam from the south. The 22nd Flieger Division holds key bridges in the city. The Germans are approaching the Nieuwe Maas River.
At the Afsluitdijk in the far north, German troops advance after 62 Luftwaffe planes bomb Fort Kornwerderzand, losing four of their number. The assault fails completely, with heavy German casualties.
At Grebbeberg, the Germans shift their axis of attack to the north of the main hill. The Dutch are hampered by the withdrawal of support aircraft to fight the German penetrations across the Meuse to the south. Attacking first, the Dutch make some gains, but the Germans begin their own preparatory bombardment for an attack, and this, combined with rampant confusion and much friendly fire, destroys the Dutch attack. The Germans seize upon the confusion, mount attacks all along the line, and in the end, the entire Dutch line falls. In the process, Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) Hilmar Wäckerle and his battalion of the SS brigade, who had impetuously advanced through the Dutch lines on the 12th and then been surrounded in a factory, are relieved.
The Allies, ensconced on the Dyle Line, have taken some prisoners. Some 900 German POWs are transported to Britain aboard Dutch ship Phrontis.
The BEF receives reinforcements, as the British 2nd Battalion of Irish Guards Regiment arrives at Hook of Holland.
Rommel's troops cross the Meuse. That building in the background is still there. You can recognize that it is near Dinant by the steep bluffs.
European Air Operations: New French fighters appear over the front. Dewoitine D-520 fighters, which match any other fighters in the world, engage Bf 109s over the Meuse front and have a great debut, destroying four Luftwaffe planes without loss to themselves.
RAF bomber command switches to tactical missions, attacking bridges and roads around the German breakouts near Maastricht and Eindhoven.
Battle of the Atlantic: German raider Widder continues its journey along the Norwegian coast. British submarine HMS Clyde spots Widder but is unable to damage it.
Dutch submarines HNLMS O-23 (P-23) ( Lt. Commander Gerard Koudijs) and HNLMS O-24 (P-24) (Lt. Commander Gerardus B. M. van Erkel) are commissioned.
Norway: It is twilight throughout the night in Narvik. The Allies advance on Narvik from Harstad. Norwegian 6th Infantry Brigade leads the assault on Narvik. The Wehrmacht troops in Narvik are heavily outnumbered, one regiment facing several divisions, but are well-led and have advantages of terrain. British cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Effingham bombard Bjerkvik early in the morning. At 01:00, the French land the Foreign Legion and light tanks at Bjerkvik and Øyjord (13th Demi-Brigade Legion Etranger). This position can be used for landings across the Rombaksfjord, and also offers the chance to cut the main Narvik rail line to Sweden. The French take 36 casualties, and the local citizens also suffer. British No. 2 Independent Company arrives in Bodo.
British Government: While introducing his new war cabinet in a radio broadcast, Winston Churchill fires off one of his best lines: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." The aim is:
Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be, for without victory, there is no survival.
His new Minister of Labour and National Service is Ernest Bevin, appropriately a Labour politician in Churchill's coalition government.
War Crimes: The Battle of Grebbeberg is fiercely fought, and there have been potential war crimes on both sides. Obersturmbannführer Wäckerle, in a desperate situation (he could not foresee the fall of the Dutch defenses so quickly), uses Dutch prisoners as human shields to break out. He also orders his men to don Dutch uniforms - though they forget to put on Dutch boots, which gives them away. The real Dutch units recognize the deception and fire on the escaping SS men, whose breakout fails. Wäckerle himself is badly wounded and evacuated once his troops are rescued.
Holland: Several members of the royal family, including Queen Wilhelmina (aboard HMS Hereward), and part of the Dutch government (HMS Windsor) arrive in London.
Canada: Robert Manion, whose leadership of the Conservative Party has been disastrous and who even was defeated in his own seat, formally resigns as leader of the party.
British Homefront: The British government interns all Germans and Austrians in England as possible saboteurs.
China: US gunboat USS Tutuila (PR 4), stranded on a reef in the Yangtze River near Chungking, escapes from its predicament.
Leo S. Amery makes a memorable comment in the House of Commons.
Norway: The Norway campaign has not gone well for the Allies. Prime Minister Chamberlain goes before the House of Commons to defend his policies and sparks the "Norway Debate." Naturally, the opposition parties are full of scorn. His own conservative party, however, also is full of critics. Former Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes reads out a litany of complaints about the government's handling of the Norwegian campaign. He makes a towering presence in his uniform and medals.
Leo S. Amery, a low-profile backbencher, cries out a quote from Oliver Cromwell:
“Somehow or other we must get into the Government men who can match our enemies in fighting spirit, in daring, in resolution and in thirst for victory.... I will quote certain other words. I do it with great reluctance, because I am speaking of those who are old friends and associates of mine, but they are words which, I think, are applicable to the present situation. This is what Cromwell said to the Long Parliament when he thought it was no longer fit to conduct the affairs of the nation: 'You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!'”
The final vote is scheduled for the morrow. Norway Army Operations: The Norwegian 6th Division tries to block the German 2nd Mountain Division relief column rushing to help General Dietl's regiment at Narvik. Essentially, the Allies have Narvik surrounded, and all they have to do to take the town is to block that one relief attempt.
Norway Air Operations: The Luftwaffe hits British cruiser HMS Aurora at 16:41, putting turrets A and B out of action and killing 7 Marines.
Norway Naval Operations: More Allied troops land in northern Norway for the Narvik operation. This time, some 5,000 Polish troops, the Polish Podhale Brigade (Chasseurs du Nord), arrive in Harstad. Battle of the Atlantic: A Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber of RAF Coastal Command drops a 2,000lb bomb at a German cruiser spotted in the East Frisian islands. It misses but marks a first as the largest bomb dropped by the RAF (the Luftwaffe previously dropped a bomb that was twice as large on the Hegra Fortress in Norway).
A gun accident on WWI-era British cruiser HMS Curlew kills five sailors.
Convoy HG 29 departs from Gibraltar.
Western Front: Allied aerial reconnaissance is beginning to detect signs of the Wehrmacht build-up, but reports are haphazard. A French pilot returning from a leaflet raid on Düsseldorf happens to see a 60-mile-long German motorized column heading toward the Ardennes.
General Charles Huntziger, commanding French 2nd Army in the Sedan sector, states: "I do not expect that the Germans will ever consider attacking in the region of Sedan."
Hitler moves the start date to 9 May 1940 due to the weather. General Jodl notes that "Hitler is greatly agitated."
Soviet Military: Stalin implements a major shake-up of the military high command. Semyon Timoshenko, fresh off what is considered a brilliant and successful re-direction of the Winter War, replaces Kliment Voroshilov as the Soviet Union's Minister of Defence. Voroshilov is being demoted to Deputy People's Commissar of Defense due to the failures in Finland. Chief of General Staff Boris Shaposhnikov is promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Holland: Responding to fragmentary reports of German troop movements and various clandestine sources such as the Vatican, the government cancels all leaves, mobilizes the reserve and begins strengthening/occupying its frontier and coastal defenses.
The Dutch have various sources of information about Fall Gelb that the Allies do not. However, they are under no obligation to disclose this information, and they don't. As Dutch civil servant Snouck Hurgronje says, "They're not our Allies."
US Navy: President Roosevelt cuts short a vacation due to what he describes as a "case of nerves." He is concerned about the situation vis-à-vis Japan. The US fleet is scheduled to return from Hawaii to the west coast of the United States on 9 May, but he believes this would encourage Japanese intransigence. He instructs Rear Admiral James O. Richardson to issue a press release stating that the US fleet would remain in Hawaii indefinitely and that it had been done at his request.
China: At the Battle of Tsaoyang-Ichang, the Japanese 11th Army captures Suiyangtien, Wuchiatien, and Tangho and attacks Shuangkou.
Soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army 6th Infantry Regiment crossing the Bái hé River during the Battle of Zaoyang-Yichang.
