Tuesday 31 December 1940

"A 7.2-inch howitzer in action during the attack on Bardia, 31 December 1940." © IWM (E 1513).

Overview: The year 1940 now comes to a close, and it has been military successful for Germany. This is the best year-end position it ever will hold. Germany has the strategic initiative, its people are well-fed (from captured lands and stolen goods), and its allies, satellites, and dominions are docile. The Wehrmacht is busy increasing its forces, creating new divisions and solidifying control over conquered nations. Hitler is able to plan new invasions and operations without hindrance.

However, not everything is quite as rosy for Germany as the military status quo would make it appear. Germany's military advantage already is dissipating. Great Britain remains unsubdued, and its backing by the United States has grown steadily throughout the year. In fact, just a couple of days ago, on 29 December, President Roosevelt basically announced during his "Arsenal of Democracy" speech that his goal - and that of the United States - was the defeat of Germany. That is not a good omen for Germany. While the full weight of the US is not being felt yet, already it is proving to be Great Britain's lifeline and the only thing still keeping it in the war (except, perhaps, for Hitler's timidity about invading it). Indications are that US public opinion is shifting dramatically in favor of Great Britain and against Germany.

The Luftwaffe remains ascendant, but the balance never has been so far in its favor as to say that it has aerial supremacy. At this stage, Germany essentially controls the daylight skies over Europe, but that is not stopping mounting RAF raids. The German shift to area bombing on 7 September 1940 has done nothing to improve its military position and has simply invited reprisal raids. It also may be a factor in changing US opinion about the war, as daily Blitz broadcasts by reporters such as Edward R. Murrow paint the Germans as predators and killers (and no such broadcasts are made showing RAF attacks on Germany and France). The German change in bombing tactics right when the RAF was in trouble was a tremendous tactical error and a public relations disaster.

The Kriegsmarine has had a number of surprising successes and no giant failures to date. However, The Royal Navy controls the surface despite the slipperiness of numerous German raiders around the world. Possession of the French and Norwegian coasts makes further German U-boat gains likely, but Germany's surface fleet remains hopelessly outclassed with no signs of parity within sight.

The German shift toward a peripheral strategy in the Mediterranean is proving to be a failure. It relies upon the Italians, and the Italians are weak. Italian troops are numerous, but they refuse to fight except when holding an overpowering advantage. Excepting the great success over the summer in British Somaliland, a victory accomplished with a relative handful of troops, every Italian military initiative during 1940 - the ludicrous tiny advance in southern France, the bizarre participation in the Luftwaffe's assault on England, the ghastly reversals in Albania and North Africa - has been a colossal embarrassment. Hitler already is having to alter his strategy to support Italy, by moving Luftwaffe units to the Mediterranean and planning Operation Marita, the invasion of Greece (and, ultimately, Yugoslavia as well). Looking over the entire span of the war, Italy's failures in 1940 are the first nail in Germany's coffin. Italy's failures also are raising doubts in France and Spain that are limiting German possibilities. Rather than helping Germany, Italy already is becoming a drag on the war effort and giving the Allies successes that should never have occurred.

One concludes that Germany's position is powerful but tenuous. Stalin continues to back Hitler, though he is trying to drive a hard bargain for military support. The US remains on the sidelines militarily but holds the world balance of power. In Europe, Germany controls the land, while Great Britain controls the seas. Neither side can defeat the other - unless something dramatic changes.

President Roosevelt as shown in Universal Newsreels, Release 941, December 31, 1940 (filmed on 29 December as part of his Arsenal of Democracy speech). Roosevelt holds the world balance of power.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The major Greek counter-offensive is over by 31 December 1940. However, the Greeks continue minor actions to improve their positions. Greek II Corps is attacking in the vicinity of the Klisura Pass, which is defended tenaciously by the Italian Julia Division. The Greeks are making small gains.

The RAF attacks the Italian supply port at Valona (Vlorë).

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command targets German transportation nodes such as bridges at Cologne, Rotterdam, Ijmuiden, and Emmerich. The Luftwaffe sends a few solo raiders across during the day, one of which strafes a passenger train in Kent. The Luftwaffe does not attack after dark.

December 1940 has seen the widest dispersion of Luftwaffe attacks and with the greatest intensity. During the month, the following cities were targeted with concentrated attacks, meaning over 50 tons of high explosives:

• London (3 attacks, 605 tons of high explosives, 4129 incendiaries)
• Liverpool/Birkenhead (2 attacks, 485 HE, 1701 incendiaries)
• Manchester (2 attacks, 467 HE, 1925 incendiaries)
• Sheffield (2 attacks, 435 HE, 1057 incendiaries)
• Birmingham (3 attacks, 409 HE, 1317 incendiaries)
• Bristol (2 attacks, 198 HE, 773 incendiaries)
• Southampton (1 attack, 147 HE, 586 incendiaries)
• Portsmouth (1 attack, 88 HE, 148 incendiaries).

Total civilian casualties during December 1940: 3793 deaths, 5244 serious injuries.

The Daily Mail of 31 December 1940 features Herbert Mason's famous shot from Fleet Street of St. Paul's Cathedral. Not to take anything away from the paper or the shot, but the extreme damage to buildings in the foreground appears to be deliberately obscured. It is much more visible in other copies of this famous photograph. The British government was careful about what was shown in the press, though whether they were involved in this is unclear. Just an observation, in most versions of this picture it is cropped just to focus on St. Paul's, and that may have been the only intent here, too.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-38 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe), operating in the Northwest Approaches about 200 miles south of Iceland, finds a straggler from Convoy HX 97, 3760-ton Swedish freighter Valparaiso, and torpedoes and sinks it. There are no survivors, and one of the survivors of the Anglo Saxon is on board and also perishes; 35 men perish in all.

U-65 (Kapitänleutnant Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen), operating much further south than other U-boats, also finds an easy target, a tanker sailing a straight course east of the Cape Verde Islands. Stockhausen fires two torpedoes at 17:52, but both miss. Stockhausen does not give up but instead trails the tanker north for several hours. Finally, a third torpedo at 23:00 hits and damages 8532-ton British tanker British Zeal off the coast of Africa. The 50-man crew abandons ship, and then Stockhausen puts a second torpedo into the tanker. Stockhausen assumes the tanker is finished, but the next morning the crew in their lifeboats see the tanker still afloat, though very badly damaged. They reboard and find the engines intact, but abandon the ship again out of fear that the U-boat is still lurking. However, after another night in the lifeboats, the crew re-boards again the following morning and raises steam. Even with all of its damages - three tanks on the starboard side flooded and massive damage to the deck - the tanker proceeds on its way. It ultimately is towed to Freetown and undergoes temporary repairs. Ultimately, it sails to Baltimore for permanent repairs and then returns to service in February 1942.

The seas remain rough, leading to more collisions. German 764 ton freighter Porjus collides with another ship near Brunsbüttel, Schleswig-Holstein and sinks.

British 390 ton freighter St. Fergus also collides with 1574 ton Glasgow freighter Fidra east of Rattray Head, Aberdeenshire and sinks. In such situations, the bigger ship usually (but not always) wins.

Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS Berwick, badly damaged during the Christmas encounter with German cruiser Admiral Hipper, makes port at Gibraltar. After landing her wounded, the Berwick will proceed to Portsmouth for permanent repairs.

Convoy FN 372 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 376 departs from Methil.

Allied shipping losses for December 1940 to the listed causes (amounts vary by sources, so any figures are approximate):

• U-boats: 76 ships, 212,590 tons
• Luftwaffe: 14,890 tons
• Surface Raiders: 55,728 tons
• Mines: 54,331 tons

No U-boats lost in December. However, the Axis loses 11 ships of 55,138 tons in the Mediterranean.

• Total losses for 1940:
• Allies: 1,059 ships 4,055,706 tons
• Axis: 22 U-boats, 20 Italian submarines

The Germans end the year with 27 U-boats available for service in the Atlantic. Typically, at any particular time, 1/3 are on station, 1/3 are traveling to or from their station, and 1/3 are in port. The Italian submarines, while numerically much greater than the U-boats, are spread out throughout the Mediterranean and in the vicinity of the Azores and have a much lower success rate than the U-boats. The Royal Navy lost 9 submarines in the Mediterranean during the year, and they sank only 10 Italian merchant ships totaling 45,000 tons. However, they have proven quite useful at times in ferrying supplies to Malta.

Captain George Lindemann returns from his holiday and re-assumes command of the battleship Bismarck.

Big Christmas party on board HMS Hood, as recounted by future US Admiral Joseph Wellings. Everybody he encounters that night in the well-attended function, from the Admiral and Captain on down, will perish in May 1941, after he leaves the ship.

U-126 launched.

Soviet submarine M-34 joins the Black Sea Fleet, while Soviet submarine S-54 joins the Pacific Fleet.

This Consolidated PB2Y-2, bureau number 1633, is the first production Coronado four-engine flying boat. It is delivered to the US Navy on 31 December 1940. Here it is shown, sans-camouflage, in flight. This is probably somewhere in the vicinity of San Diego.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Australian 6th Division continues rehearsing its assault on Italian-held Bardia. Australian General Mackay has postponed the start of the assault by 24 hours, from the morning of the 2nd to the 3rd. This will give him more time to site artillery and bring up ammunition.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dainty captures 231-ton Italian schooner Tiberio and 244-ton schooner Maria Giovanni en route between Bardia and Tobruk. The Italians are trying to transfer people to Tobruk because it is considered less vulnerable. Dainty seizes them while it is escorting gunboats HMS Aphis and Ladybird to Bardia and Sollum in preparation for the Australian assault on Bardia.

Greek submarine Katsonis (Lt Cdr Spanides, RHN) makes a surface attack on 531-ton Italian tanker Quinto in the Bay of Valona. It sinks the Quinto with gunfire.

The Royal Navy forms Submarine Flotilla 8 at Gibraltar. It will include HMS Olympus, Otus, and Pandora, which are all in the process of traveling there or already have made port.

Royal Navy gunboat HMS Ladybird parked off Bardia, 31 December 1940.

Anglo/French Relations: Prime Minister Winston Churchill gives Pierre Dupuy, the Canadian chargé d'affaires for the Canadian legations for France, Belgium and the Netherlands, a proposal for Marshal Petain. Canada has not broken relations with France, and Dupuy has been shuttling (secretly) between England and France, maintaining a back-door line of communications unknown to Hitler. Churchill claims this is his only means of communication with Petain, though Petain has his own emissary who visits London via Lisbon with some regularity.

Churchill proposes according to his memoir, "The Second World War," Vol. II, pp. 550-51), that Vichy France "profit by the favorable turn of events." To do that, France should re-join the war against the Axis. Great Britain was prepared to land six divisions of troops in Morocco if Petain agrees to switch sides. This is all well and good, but Churchill does not explain how he would stop the Germans from then occupying the rest of France itself.

Anglo/US Relations: Churchill cables President Roosevelt in reference to the latter's 29 December "Arsenal of Democracy" fireside chat:

I thank you for testifying before all the world that the future safety and greatness of the American Union are intimately concerned with the upholding and the effective arming of that indomitable spirit.... All my heartiest good wishes to you in the New Year of storm that is opening upon us.

Churchill also references the destroyers-for-bases deal of September 1940. The formerly US destroyers, the Royal Navy has found, are of limited value. The British crews despise them, and they require extensive refits before being useful. Of the 50 turned over to the British, only 9 are in service with the Royal Navy, the others undergoing various modifications and upgrades. Some are in such bad shape that the Admiralty doesn't want them in normal service, but instead is trying to figure out ways to use them for such purposes as running them into German-held Channel ports and blowing them up. Churchill pointedly annexes a list of problems with the destroyers to his telegram, "in case you want to work up any of the destroyers lying in your yards."

Of course, the real value of the destroyers-for-bases deal was not the destroyers themselves, which are almost incidental; it is getting US troops to take over defense of British bases in the Atlantic, freeing up British troops for other purposes, and cementing the relationship between the United States and Great Britain - or, more specifically, the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt. In that latter sense, the deal has been phenomenally successful.

Roosevelt also sends Churchill a telegram today on another topic: humanitarian relief to occupied Europe. In a message drafted by Sumner Welles, Roosevelt proposes "for humanitarian and also political reasons" giving "limited quantities of milk and vitamin concentrates for children." These will be shipped through the International Red Cross to Spain and Vichy France (not the parts occupied by Germany, which is the greater part of France). Spain long has been on Roosevelt's mind, but this message adds unoccupied France to the list. Churchill would have to approve such a measure due to the British blockade of anything useful going to Europe. Churchill so far has been resistant to such shipments, figuring that it gives aid to the enemy. Roosevelt hints that aiding Spain and Vichy France might make them more susceptible to deserting Hitler, something that Churchill - likely unknown to Roosevelt - is actively working on today.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) asks Attorney General Robert Jackson to investigate Memphis, Tennessee. Atlanta Daily World, 31 December 1940.

German/Italian Relations: Churchill's memoir also references a letter from Hitler to Mussolini of today's date. Hitler complains that, given the British advance in North Africa, Operation Felix, the proposed assault on Gibraltar, is now no longer feasible because Spanish leader Franco has gotten cold feet. "Spain, profoundly troubled by the situation, which Franco thinks has deteriorated, has refused to collaborate." Having Gibraltar, he whines, would have kept the French in northwest Africa from considering changing sides. Hitler, however, says that he "still had the hope, the slightest hope, that Franco will realize at the last minute the catastrophic consequences of his conduct." However, he admits to Mussolini that Operation Felix is indefinitely postponed, and the "German batteries which were to be sent to reinforce the Spanish islands and coast are not to be delivered."

German/Soviet Relations: Replying to a letter from Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler writes Stalin a personal letter dated 30 December 1940. Addressed "Dear Mr. Stalin," Hitler vows to "put an end to this rather drawn-out affair by seizing and occupying the heart of the British Empire - the British Isles." He claims that German troops are only in Poland for "reorganization and training" and to keep them away from British bombers and intelligence. He promises that "beginning in approximately March" these troops will be "moved to the Channel coast and the western coast of Norway." He also intends, he says, to use these troops to "force the British out of Greece" by moving them south through Romania and Bulgaria. You may read the letter here.

In his letter to Mussolini of today's date, Hitler writes that "our present relations with the USSR are very good." He lists a few reasons why, and concludes that there was "considerable hope that we can resolve in a very reasonable manner the remaining points at issue... and reach a solution which will avoid the worst...."

Finnish/Soviet Relations: The Helsinki government terminates the Finland-Soviet Peace and Friendship Society.

New Year's Eve on Broadway, 31 December 1940. While this is only a small group of people, Times Square is jam-packed for the celebration.  Photo: Daily News/UCLA Digital Collection.

German Military: Hitler sends out a New Year's Order of the Day to the Wehrmacht (as recorded by the monitoring services of the BBC). In it, he writes:

According to the will of the warmongering democrats, and of their capitalist and Jewish allies this war must be continued. The representatives of the crumbling world hope that in 1941 it may be perhaps possible to do that which was impossible in the past. We are ready. We find ourselves at the beginning of 1941, armed as never before. I know that each one of you will do his duty. God, great and powerful, does not abandon the man who is threatened by a world of enemies, and who is determined to defend himself with a firm and stout heart. Soldiers of the National Socialist Armed Forces of Greater Germany, the year 1941 will bring us, on the Western Front, the completion of the greatest victory of our history.

As usual, Hitler casts the war as a defensive struggle, even as he plans to invade not one, but a handful of new countries.

American Homefront: Investor sentiment about the US economy remains in the doldrums: the Dow Jones Industrial Average concludes the year at 131.13, completing a 12.72% loss for 1940. The Great Depression remains in force, despite some upswings at various points during the 1930s.

Bette Davis marries businessman Arthur Farnsworth in Rimrock, Arizona.

Future History: Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria, is born in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1967, she marries Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria, heir presumptive to both the former Bavarian Royal House and the Jacobite Succession. They have five daughters. Max, incidentally, is the great-grandson of King Ludwig III of Bavaria, the last King of Bavaria and cousin of famous King Ludwig II, the builder of famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Max and Elisabeth live at Schloss Tegernsee and Schloss Wildenwart, not too far from Füssen, the town near Neuschwanstein Castle.

A holiday costume party in Riga, Latvia, 31 December 1940. Many of those pictured perished in the Holocaust.

December 1940

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

Wednesday 26 December 1940

The Blitz Christmas, 25 December 1940.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek soldiers pressing against the Italians spend a fairly miserable Christmas on 25 December 1940 in the mountains. About 100 taxis are requisitioned in Salonika (Thessalonica) to bring the troops bottles of liquor and other holiday treats. One of the taxi drivers happens to speak Italian, and the Greeks have him cross the lines with a flag of truce to offer a Christmas break. The Italians accept, and there is no fighting in this location today. However, elsewhere the Greeks do press their attacks in places like the valley of River Devoll, with little success.

The Italians raid Corfu for the 23rd time, killing 15 people. They originally intended to invade the island, but times have changed. It is incidents like this, an unnecessary air attack on Christmas day, that make the Greeks absolutely furious at the Italians, even above and beyond the invasion itself.

European Air Operations: Operations by both sides are extremely quiet. There are scattered Luftwaffe reconnaissance missions, but no organized attacks. The RAF only makes reconnaissance and patrol flights.

An RAF Martlet I (formerly French) with No. 84 Squadron shoots down a Junkers Ju 88A on a reconnaissance flight over Scapa Flow. It force-lands at Sandwick. Martlets are slightly modified Grumman Model G-36As aka F4F Wildcats, so this is the first confirmed downing of a German aircraft by an American plane during World War II.

The German Junkers JU88 shot down by a Martlet in Sandwick on 25 December 1940 while on a reconnaissance mission. (Orkney Library and Archive).

Battle of the Atlantic: Admiral Hipper. having spotted a huge and heavily escorted "Winston Special" convoy (WS 5A) late on the 24th about 1300 km west of Cape Finisterre, attacks at 08:08. Going into action with guns blazing against what it thinks is an ordinary convoy, it damages 13,994-ton British transport Empire Trooper (which makes it to Porta Delgada) and 5874-ton British freighter Arabistan (only lightly damaged), causing the convoy to scatter.  However, Admiral Hipper's crew get a rude surprise when heavy cruiser HMS Berwick appears - whose own crew must have been stunned to see a heavy cruiser appear out of nowhere, main guns afire, attacking a convoy escorted by three cruisers, two aircraft carriers and numerous destroyers and corvettes. Admiral Hipper beats a hasty retreat, but as it goes it scores several hits on the Berwick (four killed, one injured), disabling several of its main guns. This is the kind of audacious attack out of the blue in the most unexpected of circumstances that give sailors nightmares.

Amazingly, Admiral Hipper then manages to slip away virtually unscathed toward Brest, its original destination. It is one of the greatest escapes by a surface ship of the war. Fortunately for the Hipper, visibility is poor and the Skuas launched by HMS Furious can't locate it. One of the Royal Navy ships of Force H sent from Gibraltar to intercept Hipper, HMS Renown, sustains hull damage in the rough winter seas and thus also can't find it. Hipper gets a bonus when 150 miles to the east it stumbles upon independent 6804-ton British sailing freighter Jumna on the way to Brest and sinks it (taking Rear Admiral HB Maltby Rtd) in passing. Hipper, knowing it is being chased, does not stop to pick up the 111 men in the water. They all drown.

In this way, the Royal Navy, which has been searching frantically throughout the North and South Atlantic for Admiral Hipper for weeks, finally gets its wish and locates the German cruiser. Admiral Hipper becomes the first big Kriegsmarine ship to reach the French Biscay ports. It is a very embarrassing day for the Royal Navy despite the paucity of losses and not one that the histories of the war spend a lot of time on.

Much further to the south, heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer rendezvouses somewhere in the South Atlantic with raider Thor, supply ship Nordmark, and "floating delicatessen" refrigerated ship Duquesa. It is fair to surmise that the sailors on the three German ships enjoy a hearty Christmas meal from the Duquesa's large stock of fresh meat and eggs.

Convoys FS 370 and FS 371 depart from Methil, Convoy BS 11A departs from Suez.

New York City, looking downtown from the Empire State Building, 1940 (Andre Kertesz).

Battle of the Mediterranean: General Wavell issues a limp Order of the Day wishing everyone a Merry Christmas (as does Governor Dobbie on Malta and other commanders), but the forward troops are poorly provisioned and communications into Libya are stretched. There aren't enough trucks to bring the men turkeys, but every man at least is given a tin of bully beef and a double rum ration. British morale is at a high due to recent victories, making such inconveniences seem trivial.

The perimeter at Bardia is quiet, as the Italians and British celebrate Christmas separately. As on other fronts, there is a tacit cease-fire for the day that is not ended until after dark. There aren't any meetings as during World War I, but nobody wants to get in a firefight and die on Christmas.

In Malta, Governor Dobbie visits the troops throughout the island. Officers serve Christmas Dinner to other ranks, a first for the British Army. Thus begins a tradition that survives today.

Spy Stuff: There are many rumors arguments about exactly when, and whether, Stalin received a copy of Fuhrer Directive No. 21 of 18 December 1940 regarding Operation Barbarossa. This is the Directive that spells out Hitler's intention to invade the Soviet Union at some point on or after 15 May 1941. By some accounts, today the Soviet Attaché in Berlin sends a copy to Stalin.

German Government: Hitler continues his meandering tour of troops and fortifications along the French coast. His train takes him to Beauvais, where he meets with French Admiral Jean-Francois Darlan. Hitler then visits KG 26 ("Löwengeschwader"), which at this time is one of the only formations using the SC 2500 bomb, a special 2400 kg bomb filled with a 40/60 Amatol mixture of RDZ, TNT, and aluminum. Having visited JG 26 on the 24th, Hitler apparently does not want to be seen as slighting the bomber pilots, who at this point are the ones taking the war to the British. Hitler then visits Cretz and then Metz. After that, once again he spends the night on his train, this time parked in a tunnel near Metz.

Hitler's meeting with Darlan reveals his underlying frustration with Petain and the other European rulers who refuse to ally themselves with him. Coming close to one of his angry rants that only his insiders are privy to, Hitler warns Darlan that if France doesn't cooperate militarily, it would be "one of the most regrettable decisions in her history." For his part, Darlan is able to offer everything but military cooperation. Darlan is one of those equivocal figures throughout the conflict who both sides want to use. However, he only manages to anger just about everybody, a strange case of playing the middle against both sides (to reverse the common expression).

The 6th Avenue El in 1940. Not only is the El long gone, but 6th Avenue later had its name officially changed to Avenue of the Americas (but everybody still calls it 6th Avenue anyway).

Ireland: Irish Premier Eamon de Valera requests US aid from President Roosevelt. Ireland may not be at war, but it suffers from the German blockade and certainly gets no sympathy from the British.

Antarctic: Ernest Earl Lockhart and his comrades enjoy a quick toast on their travels across the continent as part of the overall expeditions of Admiral Byrd. They (and their dogs) make the Little America III base after a long journey, the final sprint having covered 34 miles in less than 16 hours across the ice, including stops. Incidentally, this is the expedition using the notorious giant red Snow Cruiser, which on this date is sitting in an ice cave specially carved out for it near the base.

Antarctic explorer Ernest Earl Lockhart.

British Homefront: King George VI makes a Christmas broadcast after he and the Queen visit children in shelters, declaring that "The future will be hard, but our feet are planted on the path of victory...." There is no absolutely question that this is the worst Christmas of the war for the British.

American Homefront: "Pal Joey," the new Rodgers and Hart musical, opens at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway.

President Roosevelt and wife Eleanor attend Christmas mass at First Congregational Church. Subsequently, they host a Christmas party.

Agnes Ayres, a silent film star who appeared with Rudolph Valentino in "The Sheik," dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 42. She had become despondent after her retirement (and losing her life savings the same year in the 1929 stock market crash) and had been committed to a sanatorium. However, she is at home when she passes. Agnes Ayres is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6504 Hollywood Boulevard.


December 1940

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

2020

Sunday 4 August 1940

A Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 bearing the markings of the Gruppenkommandeur of I/JG 26 (I Gruppe Jagdgeschwader 26), France, August 1940. This would have been either Hptm Kurt Fischer if the picture was taken before the 22nd, or Hptm Rolf Pingel if taken after.

British Somaliland: The Italian troops continue advancing into British Somaliland on 4 August 1940. Berbera is the main port and capital, which is 125 miles away from the Italian start point in Ethiopia. However, that is as the crow flies, as there are rugged mountains in betwixt. A much easier route, and more dangerous for the British, is the main road to Hargeisa through Karim Pass. To the northwest, a third Italian column presses forward using the border with French Somaliland as flank cover.

Battle of Britain: The weather is clear and with high cloud cover, interspersed with bouts of sunshine. The Luftwaffe, preparing for the Adler Tag operation, is noticeably quiet during the day, performing reconnaissance along the south coast of England.

Some action occurs around 11:00 when a Dornier Do 17 escorted by 10 Bf 109s attacks a convoy off Manston. The RAF takes the obvious bait (though Fighter Command can't know what kinds of planes they are) and intervenes, downing a Bf 109.

At 13:25, the day's major Luftwaffe operation begins when approximately 120 aircraft form up over Calais and attack a convoy off Dover. The Germans lose numerous planes in this attack, including at least half a dozen Bf 110s, a Bf 109, a Dornier Do 17 bomber, and a Dornier Do 215 seaplane. The Bf 110s are proving to be a liability on the Channel front.

During the night, the Luftwaffe sends raids against several targets, including the military base at Cambridgeshire. These raids continued to drop copies of Hitler's 19 July 1940 speech called "The Last Appeal to Reason" all across England. The Luftwaffe loses one Heinkel He 111 on these missions from unknown causes.

A flight of Swordfish of RAF No. 812 Squadron attack oil tanks and barges at Rotterdam, losing one plane. Bomber Commands sends raids against oil installations at Sterkrade in the Ruhr and the airfield at Krefeld.

The RAF doesn't lose any fighters in combat, but they do lose one in a practice exercise when a Spitfire of No. 616 Squadron spins in during a practice dogfight near Kirton. The pilot, 20-year-old J.P. Walsh, perishes.

Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld, top night fighter pilot distinguished by being of royal blood, joins the first night fighter (Nachtjagdgeschwader 1) wing operating out of Gütersloh, Germany.

A Ju 87 B Stuka of the 4/StG 77 at Bouchy airfield near Evrecy, France. August 1940. It is being loaded with 500 lb bombs, most likely for shipping attacks.

Battle of the Atlantic: The U-boats, particularly U-52, have a good day. U-52 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Salman) stalks HX 60, a Halifax/Methil convoy about 300 miles west of Ireland, and during the middle of the night, it pounces.

U-52 torpedoes and sinks 4586-ton British freighter Gogovale at 03:35. There are 36 survivors and 3 crew perish.

At the same time, U-52 fires and hits 5272-ton British freighter King Alfred. There are 31 survivors, and 8 crew perish.

Later in the morning, Captain Salman presses his luck in daylight and U-52 strikes again. At 09:22, it torpedoes and sinks 7244-ton British freighter Geraldine Mary, which aside from newsprint and pulp also is carrying some passengers. There are 48 survivors, and 3 people perish.

Now that it is daylight, the escorts have some idea from where the attack was launched. U-52 undergoes a vicious depth charge attack by the convoy's destroyer escort. It barely survives, but is badly damaged and limps back to port for major repairs.

U-58 (Oberleutnant zur See Heinrich Schonder) spots a straggler from Convoy SL 40 about 21 miles west of Tory Island. It puts two torpedoes into 4350-ton freighter Pindos at 21: 20. There are 29 survivors and 3 crew perish. The lifeboats make landfall at Downings, County Donegal with the assistance of a local fishing boat.

In the central Atlantic east of Florida, Kriegsmarine raider Widder (Captain Helmuth Ruckteschell) stops and sinks 6114-ton Norwegian tanker Beaulieu after darkness falls. There are 4 crew deaths and 28 survivors. The incident almost sinks the Widder as well because one of its torpedoes becomes a circular runner and almost hits it. The crew is left to fend for itself in the middle of the Atlantic in its lifeboats, which is skirting international law; customarily, German raiders take the crew prisoner. Doing so, however, is not a war crime, as determined by a later tribunal.

Royal Navy trawlers HMS Drummer, Marsona and Oswaldian all hit mines and sink during the day off the English coast. There are 25 deaths total from the sinkings.

The Luftwaffe damages British freighter White Crest off the north coast of the Scottish mainland.

British heavy cruiser HMS Berwick (CA 65) departs Liverpool in thick fog after just undergoing repairs. At 00:34, it collides with another (unknown) ship and sustains more damage, sending it back to the Glasgow repair yard.

The British also have a submarine success. HMS Sealion sinks the Torun, a captured Norwegian freighter, southwest of Stavanger.

A German patrol boat, the 428 ton UJ.175 Perseus, hits a mine north of Ameland, Netherlands, and sinks.

Convoy MT 130 departs from Methil, Convoy FS 242 departs from the Tyne, Convoy OB 193 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HX 63 departs from Halifax.

RAF Squadron No. 80, which is the only RAF fighter formation flying biplanes during the Battle of Britain, gains its first victory today in the plane. Flight Officer Peter Wykeham-Barnes uses this aircraft to shoot down a Ba.65 and a Cr.32 before being shot down himself.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Force H completes Operation Hurry by returning safely to Gibraltar. A large portion of Force H, though, including HMS Hood, Valiant, Ark Royal and Resolution, split off and head north to re-join the Home Fleet.

The RAF bombs the Italian airfield at Bir el Gobi in Libya, engaging in dogfights with the Regia Aeronautica in the process. The Italians, for their part, raid their favorite targets Sidi Barrani and Mersa Matruh.

Malta has a quiet day again, with an air raid alert at 15:15 which appears intended by the Italians to bait a response by the new defending Hurricane fighters. Nothing comes of it, however. Governor Dobbie, meanwhile, creates a new organization called the Malta Volunteer Defence Force designed to combat enemy parachutists. Everyone is issued a helmet and armband; guns are optional and provided by the civilian.

General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief of British forces in Egypt, departs Alexandria for London by airplane for consultations. The flight is extremely hazardous, crossing close to or over enemy territory and most definitely within the range of enemy fighters practically the entire way. The plane is attacked twice by the Luftwaffe but not brought down. The first stop is Malta on the morrow.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra departs Simonstown for Freemantle, where it will undergo an overhaul of one of its propeller shafts.

Anglo/Japanese Relations: With the British having arrested some Japanese businessmen in London yesterday, the Japanese suddenly release three of the remaining British citizens it had arrested on espionage charges a week ago.

A BF 110B with the "Fliegender Haifisch" (Flying Shark) paint scheme which later became quite popular throughout the Wehrmacht (it also was used on tanks, for instance). The Messerschmidt is flying above the English Channel sometime during August 1940. (AP Photo).

British Government: Following consultations with his War Cabinet, Prime Minister Winston Churchill agrees to mount an operation against the French fleet at Dakar. This is Operation Menace, to take place later in the month. This will be the first operation with participation by Free French forces.

German Homefront: In an odd policy change that runs against major strains in the German character, the government decides that beer has been degrading the German will to fight. An ersatz, non-alcoholic replacement is sought.

British Homefront: It is the 26th anniversary of the declaration of war against the Kaiser's Germany that began World War I. The day is noted on the BBC but otherwise given little attention.

General Pershing.

Charles Lindbergh.

American Homefront: Legendary US General John "Black Jack" Pershing delivers a nationwide radio broadcast. He urges aid to Great Britain, saying "Only the British are left to defend democracy and liberty in Europe." Basically, he defends the Roosevelt administration's policy of engagement.

Charles Lindbergh, on the other hand, is equally legendary. He also gives a speech in the evening at a rally in Chicago with a somewhat different prescription: isolationism. His speech is not broadcast, though everyone knows his views, and accounts will appear in the morning papers as a rebuttal to Pershing. Lindbergh wants America to look after its own affairs and stay out of the European war, saying "if our own military forces are strong, no foreign nation can invade us and if we do not interfere with their affairs none will desire to."

Public opinion is split on this issue. The Roosevelt administration wants to help Great Britain, but public opinion as evidenced by Gallup polls is heavily against anything that might lead to war. This public debate becomes intertwined with Congressional debate over the draft, and there is strong grassroots opposition - especially among women - to conscription. Thus, Lindbergh's stand is popular and Pershing's less so. However, both have fervent supporters and strong bases of support.

Isolationism-vs.-interventionism also is becoming a major factor in the Presidential race. Republican nominee Wendell Willkie favors somewhat modified isolationism, while the President and now  Democratic nominee Franklin Roosevelt is well-known as an interventionist. To the extent that the election becomes a referendum on the issue, Roosevelt may be in trouble, but he is extremely popular for other reasons.

A colorized shot of Leutnant Franz Xaver Baron von Werra with his BF109 E4 - II.JG 3 at Wierre au Bois, France. This is some time in August 1940. Von Werra is playing with his pet lion cub Simba, who finds the plane's 20 mm cannon interesting. Von Werra later becomes famous as the only German POW to escape from Canadian custody and return to action in Germany.

August 1940

August 1, 1940: Two RN Subs Lost
August 2, 1940: Operation Hurry
August 3, 1940: Italians Attack British Somaliland
August 4, 1940: Dueling Legends in the US
August 5, 1940: First Plan for Barbarossa
August 6, 1940: Wipe Out The RAF
August 7, 1940: Burning Oil Plants
August 8, 1940: True Start of Battle of Britain
August 9, 1940: Aufbau Ost
August 10, 1940: Romania Clamps Down On Jews
August 11, 1940: Huge Aerial Losses
August 12, 1940: Attacks on Radar
August 13, 1940: Adler Tag
August 14, 1940: Sir Henry's Mission
August 15, 1940: Luftwaffe's Black Thursday
August 16, 1940: Wolfpack Time
August 17, 1940: Blockade of Britain
August 18, 1940: The Hardest Day
August 19, 1940: Enter The Zero
August 20, 1940: So Much Owed By So Many
August 21, 1940: Anglo Saxon Incident
August 22, 1940: Hellfire Corner
August 23, 1940: Seaplanes Attack
August 24, 1940: Slippery Slope
August 25, 1940: RAF Bombs Berlin
August 26, 1940: Troops Moved for Barbarossa
August 27, 1940: Air Base in Iceland
August 28, 1940: Call Me Meyer
August 29, 1940: Schepke's Big Day
August 30, 1940: RAF's Bad Day
August 31, 1940: Texel Disaster

2020

Wednesday 6 March 1940

Finnish pilot Eino Luukkanen in front of his Fokker DXXI.

Winter War: The Finns waste no time on 6 March 1940 and compose a peace delegation to send to Moscow. It is led by Prime Minister Risto Ryti, and the delegation (including also J.K.J.K. Paasikivi, Rudolf Walden & Väinö Voionmaa) leaves for Moscow via Stockholm in the evening.

There is still no cease-fire. Molotov somewhat characteristically says, "Why stop the juggernaut now it is rolling?" Foreign Minister Väinö Tanner hedges his bets by asking Great Britain and France for an extension of the deadline for requesting military assistance. They give Finland until March 12, 1940, to make a formal request.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviets slightly expand their bridgehead on the western shore of the Gulf of Viipuri. Finnish pilot Eino Luukkanen observes as he strafes 800 shells into them:

A column of men & horse is crossing the ice - a long black snake.

Battle of the Atlantic: The British seize the cargo of Italian ships carrying German coal.

The German crew of the 3,425-ton freighter Uruguay scuttles the ship rather than be captured by British heavy cruiser HMS Berwick (Captain Irving M. Palmer) off Iceland.

The Cunard White Star Liner Queen Elizabeth successfully completes the first leg of its transatlantic crossing, reaching Nova Scotia, and will continue on to New York.

The French launch battleship Jean Bart.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe attacks a lightship off the Norfolk coast and also a tanker, the Shelbrit II, off the northeast coast of Scotland.

Franco/Italian Relations: The French and Italians conclude an expanded trade agreement.

German/Romanian Relations: The two nations conclude a trade agreement in which Germany provides the Romanians with captured Polish weapons in exchange for (more) oil.

Dutch Military: A Dutch armored tug, BV3, enters Den Helder Naval Base just when Dutch submarine O11 is leaving the area. The two collide, and the submarine sinks. Three men perish. A film cameraman is aboard the submarine, and his footage appears in newsreel footage around the world.

Palestine: British members of Parliament protest the Land Transfers Regulations which have sparked protests, but the House defeats a motion of censure that they bring.

International Red Cross: The IRC is one of the very few reasonably impartial observers of the conflict. They report that fewer than 300 Germans, 300 French & 150 British prisoners of war have been taken in the 6 months of the war.

British Homefront: Farmers are encouraged to kill house sparrows because they eat seeling crops.

American Homefront: Robin, Batman's boy wonder, makes his first appearance in Detective Comics #38 (the cover date is April).

Willis Stargell is born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma. As Willie Stargell, he becomes famous in the 1970s as the cleanup hitter for the World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

HMS Berwick, August 1942.

March 1940

March 1, 1940: Soviet Breakthroughs Past Viipuri
March 2, 1940: Soviets Swarm West in Finland
March 3, 1940: Soviets Across Gulf of Viipuri
March 4, 1940: USSR Apologizes to Sweden
March 5, 1940: Katyn Forest Massacre Approved
March 6, 1940: Finns Head to Moscow
March 7, 1940: The Coal Ships Affair
March 8, 1940: Peace Talks Begin in Moscow
March 9, 1940: Soviets Harden Peace Terms
March 10, 1940: Germany Draws Closer to Italy
March 11, 1940: Winter War Peace Terms Finalized
March 12, 1940: War is Over (If You Want It)
March 13, 1940: Winter War Ends
March 14, 1940: Evacuating Karelia
March 15, 1940: The Bletchley Bombe
March 16, 1940: First British Civilian Killed
March 17, 1940: Enter Dr. Todt
March 18, 1940: Mussolini To Join the War
March 19, 1940: Daladier Resigns
March 20, 1940: Soviets Occupy Hango Naval Base
March 21, 1940: Paul Reynaud Leads France
March 22, 1940: Night Fighters Arise!
March 24, 1940: French Consider Alternatives
March 25, 1940: Reynaud Proposes Action
March 26, 1940: C-46 First Flight
March 27, 1940: Himmler Authorizes Auschwitz Construction
March 28, 1940: Allies Ponder Invading Norway
March 29, 1940: Soviets Prefer Neutrality
March 30, 1940: Allied Uncertainty
March 31, 1940: The Tiger Cage

2019