Thursday 23 January 1941

Jewish stores in Bucharest, Romania during the Iron Guard pogrom that ends on 23 January 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The battles around the Klisura Pass continue on 23 January 1941. Greek II Corps counterattacks against small Italian successes and recaptures the heights west of the pass.

East African Campaign: The British are not 42 miles within Eritrea. The British troops advancing from Kassala are pressuring the Italians in the vicinity to fall back. The RAF is active, bombing various points throughout the region. Continuing the long-established pattern displayed by the Italians, they quickly give ground under determined attacks.

At Keru Gorge, where they had established a fairly decent defensive position, the Italian 41st Colonial Brigade precipitously retreats during the night of 22/23 January under pressure from Indian 4th and 5th Divisions (primarily the Indian 10th Infantry Brigade). What they forget to do is tell their command, General Ugo Fongoli and his 800 headquarters troops nearby that they are leaving. The General and his troops become guests of His Majesty for the duration of the war. The Indian troops continue pressing forward toward Agordat, and the Italian retreat turns into a fleeing mass of panicked men.

"Posed portrait of three guardsmen from 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards, 23 January 1941." © IWM (H 6864).

European Air Operations: The slow pace of operations continues. The Luftwaffe only drops scattered bombs along the east coast of England, and neither side puts bombers in the air after dark.
Battle of the Atlantic: One of the little-known stories of World War II is the occasional breakout attempts of merchant ships from internment or capture. Ships from both sides have attempted it, with varying success. Today, five Norwegian ships (Elizabeth Bakke, John Bakke, Tai Shan, Taurus, and Ranja) engage in Operation Rubble. Under the command of British temporary attache to Stockholm Captain R.D. Binney, they journey mostly as a convoy (one ship is faster and travels independently) from Gothenburg, Sweden through the Skagerrak north of Denmark and head for a rendezvous with the Royal Navy. It is a rare escape attempt within the Baltic by ships operating against German interests, as the Germans have complete hegemony over the western Baltic at this time.

German heavy cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau continue their journey north along the Norwegian coast as part of Operation Berlin. A British agent spots them between Denmark and the island of Zealand and reports to England. The British are preparing to send their heaviest naval units north to confront them before they can break out into the North Atlantic.

The Luftwaffe (Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors of 1,/KG 40) bombs and sinks 3564-ton British freighter Lurigethan in the shipping lanes about 500 km west of Ireland and south of Iceland. There are 16 deaths and 35 survivors. Not far away from where the Lurigethan sinks, the Luftwaffe also bombs and sinks 4524-ton British freighter Langleegorse (entire crew lost) and 1859 ton British freighter Mostyn (two dead). The Lurigethan, incidentally, is abandoned by her surviving crew and left as a derelict and will be sunk on 26 January by U-105.

Royal Navy 255 ton minesweeping trawler HMT Coutier hits a mine and is damaged, but makes it to Milford Haven. Royal Navy 248 ton minesweeping trawler HMT Ronso also hits a mine but also makes port.

The Kriegsmarine sends four minelayers to lay mines off the south coast of England during the night in Operation SW-b.

Convoy FN 390 departs from Southend, Convoys FS 394 and FS 395 depart from Methil.

In the Royal Canadian Navy, minesweeper HMCS Reo II and corvettes HMCS Agassiz and Bittersweet are commissioned. Minesweeper HMCS Wasaga is launched.

U-204 and U-561 are launched.

Rosalind Russell in a promotional shot taken on 23 January 1941, perhaps for her upcoming starring role in "They Met in Bombay" with Clark Gable.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Emergency repairs are completed on HMS Illustrious, and, at 1846, it departs from Grand Harbour, Malta for Alexandria (and thence Norfolk, Virginia for permanent repairs). The departure is timed to minimize the chances of Axis reconnaissance observing the escape attempt, and other more subtle precautions also are taken, such as keeping escorting destroyers in the harbour as long as possible. This is a major operation (Operation MBD 2) covered by the Mediterranean Fleet, including battleships HMS Barham and Valiant. The Luftwaffe quickly notices the operation and prepares an attack on the carrier and its escorts before they get out of range.

This is important not only for the prospects of getting the aircraft carrier back in service (eventually), but it also removes the major catalyst behind Luftwaffe Fliegerkorps X's recent onslaught of air raids against Malta. Thus, while the Illustrious Blitz may or may not continue, the Illustrious itself is no longer in harm's way within range of the Stukas. The departure of Illustrious, while good news for the British tactically, also leaves a strategic gap in the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet which will take time to fill.

Winston Churchill is unhappy about the recent Luftwaffe successes in the Mediterranean. As is his habit, he meddles in Royal Navy decisions, suggesting that the navy replace its obsolete Fairey Fulmars with monoplanes such as the American-made Brewsters and Martlets. The Fulmars, however, are quite effective when used properly.

General O'Connor of XIII Corps, fresh off another victory over the Italians at Tobruk (where all remaining resistance has ended), quickly sends his British and Australian units northwest and north, respectively, to continue Operation Compass. The next stop along the coast is Derna, a town of 10,000 people, while Mechili also is coming within view of the 7th Armoured Division. The Italians are sending Special Armoured Brigade (Brigata Corazzato Speciale) under the command of General Valentino Babini (also known as the "Babini Group") to block the coast road. Italian 10th Army commander General Giuseppe Tellera orders a counterattack against the advancing British Seventh Armoured Division for the 24th. The RAF bombs Derna.

The British rush to get Tobruk Harbor back in operation as a depository of British supplies. They begin Operation Parallax, which aims to sweep the harbor of mines and restore the port facilities. Minesweeping trawlers HMT Arthur Cavanagh and Milford Counties begin sweeping the harbor today, while boom vessel HMS Magnet arrives to restore order in the port.

In London, the Admiralty reports to the War Cabinet that recent RAF attacks on Fliegerkorps X bases at Catania, Sicily and elsewhere have been successful. However, the Luftwaffe is still in business and shortly will make its continued vitality known.

Battle of the Pacific: While the war, by and large, has not yet extended to the Pacific Ocean aside from scattered attacks by German raiders, the British in Hong Kong decide to make some preparations. They send minelayer HMS Man Yeung and destroyer HMS Thracian to seed some mines in the approaches to Hong Kong.

US/Yugoslavian Relations: "Wild Bill" Donovan continues his fact-finding mission in the European and Mediterranean region. Today, he stops off at Belgrade, no doubt drawn by the issues in Romania that are attracting worldwide attention.

US Military: Although a pre-World War I warship, the battleship USS Arizona is made the flagship of Battleship Division 1 by Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, replacing Rear Admiral Russell Wilson, who himself had relieved Rear Admiral Chester Nimitz.

Charles Lindbergh testifies before Congress, 23 January 1941.

US Government: Aviation legend Charles Lindbergh is invited to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lindbergh is a well-known Isolationist who is supported by, and supports, the America First Committee organized by a Yale student. Lindbergh knows many of the German leaders personally and has deep knowledge of the European aviation situation. Escorted into the chamber by police, he faces a largely hostile committee (most being Democrats behind President Roosevelt's support of Great Britain). He testifies that he is "in sympathy with the people on both sides" and prefers a negotiated peace. His theory appears to be that a complete victory over Germany would cause huge long-term problems in Europe, both economically and militarily.

It is easy from a vantage point many decades later to criticize Lindbergh's testimony. In hindsight, though, while Lindbergh's fears may have been exaggerated, they do find echoes in the Cold War. Even given that his position of isolationism is completely destroyed by subsequent events, it is hard to argue with his prediction on 23 January 1941 that total victory over Germany would mean "prostration in Europe," both militarily and economically. One must remember that the Holocaust at this point is not a matter of common knowledge and has not geared up yet into factory-like exterminations (some will never forgive Lindbergh for arguing for a policy that would have permitted the continuation of the Holocaust). The committee chairman, New York Democrat Sol Bloom, tells Lindbergh at the conclusion of his 4 1/2 hours of testimony that:

You have made one of the best witnesses that this committee could possibly ever hear. You answered all the questions only as a Colonel Lindbergh could answer them....

A destroyed doctor's office in Bucharest, Romania, 23 January 1941.

Romania: Prime Minister Ion Antonescu calls in the troops, and the put down the Iron Guard rebellion that began on 21 January. His loyal army commanders assemble 100 tanks and other units from outlying areas and regain control of the Bucharest streets. General Ilie Şteflea's troops incur 30 deaths and 100 wounded while sending about 200-800 Legionnaires to their eternal rewards. Contrary to international press reports, the Wehrmacht troops in Romania for other purposes never lift a rifle to quell or support the rebellion, but at Antonescu's request, they afterward stage a mock victory parade that ends in front of the Prime Minister's building. That gives Antonescu an air of legitimacy and support, but also creates an appearance of German control of the situation which is absolutely false.

The politics of the situation now become extremely muddied. Antonescu is now cast in the role of a Romanian moderate, while the Iron Guard is shown to be perhaps the most extreme fascistic organization outside of Germany. Iron Guard leader Horia Sima, who disappeared during the rebellion, flees to Germany, while 9000 Legionnaires left behind are sentenced to prison. The facts of what happened in Romania never really filtered out to the western press during the war and this episode contributes to the western belief that Hitler has "taken over" Romania. In fact, Wehrmacht units remain guests of the Romanian government who try as much as possible to stay out of the internal politics of the country. However, they are present, and the world just assumes they committed crimes.

All that said, the true victims of the rebellion are the country's Jews. The Legionnaires burn down synagogues, destroy 1274 businesses of one form or another, and collect 200 trucks-worth of stolen items (along with vast sums of money, much of which likely gets buried in backyards and hidden in attics across the country). And even all that pales beside the torture, humiliation by the Iron Guard of at least 125 Bucharest Jews and undoubtedly others from other parts of the country as well. This, too, never really filters out to the international press, and the memory of all such depredations eventually gets dumped in a single bin marked "Hitler."

Indochina: The Japanese are getting tired of the rather pointless frontier war going on in French Indochina between Thailand and the Vichy French. While the two sides have expressed some interest in Japanese mediation, the war continues. The Japanese decide to hurry things along, so, in a classic example of gunboat diplomacy, they dispatch four cruisers from Kure for Saigon as an expression of their deep interest in a peaceful resolution. This is the "S" Operation.

Actress Rosalind Russell in another promotional shot taken on 23 January 1941.

January 1941

January 1, 1941: Muselier Arrested
January 2, 1941: Camp Categories
January 3, 1941: Liberty Ships
January 4, 1941: Aussies Take Bardia
January 5, 1941: Amy Johnson Perishes
January 6, 1941: Four Freedoms
January 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Plans
January 8, 1941: Billions For Defense
January 9, 1941: Lancasters
January 10, 1941: Malta Convoy Devastation
January 11, 1941: Murzuk Raid
January 12, 1941: Operation Rhubarb
January 13, 1941: Plymouth Blitzed
January 14, 1941: V for Victory
January 15, 1941: Haile Selassie Returns
January 16, 1941: Illustrious Blitz
January 17, 1941: Koh Chang Battle
January 18, 1941: Luftwaffe Pounds Malta
January 19, 1941: East African Campaign Begins
January 20, 1941: Roosevelt 3rd Term
January 21, 1941: Attack on Tobruk
January 22, 1941: Tobruk Falls
January 23, 1941: Pogrom in Bucharest
January 24, 1941: Tank Battle in Libya
January 25, 1941: Panjiayu Tragedy
January 26, 1941: Churchill Working Hard
January 27, 1941: Grew's Warning
January 28, 1941: Ho Chi Minh Returns
January 29, 1941: US Military Parley With Great Britain
January 30, 1941: Derna Taken
January 31, 1941: LRDG Battered

2020

Sunday 19 January 1941

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Italian submarine Neghelli, sunk today.

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

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

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

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

We can take it and enemy morale is visibly affected.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 1941

January 1, 1941: Muselier Arrested
January 2, 1941: Camp Categories
January 3, 1941: Liberty Ships
January 4, 1941: Aussies Take Bardia
January 5, 1941: Amy Johnson Perishes
January 6, 1941: Four Freedoms
January 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Plans
January 8, 1941: Billions For Defense
January 9, 1941: Lancasters
January 10, 1941: Malta Convoy Devastation
January 11, 1941: Murzuk Raid
January 12, 1941: Operation Rhubarb
January 13, 1941: Plymouth Blitzed
January 14, 1941: V for Victory
January 15, 1941: Haile Selassie Returns
January 16, 1941: Illustrious Blitz
January 17, 1941: Koh Chang Battle
January 18, 1941: Luftwaffe Pounds Malta
January 19, 1941: East African Campaign Begins
January 20, 1941: Roosevelt 3rd Term
January 21, 1941: Attack on Tobruk
January 22, 1941: Tobruk Falls
January 23, 1941: Pogrom in Bucharest
January 24, 1941: Tank Battle in Libya
January 25, 1941: Panjiayu Tragedy
January 26, 1941: Churchill Working Hard
January 27, 1941: Grew's Warning
January 28, 1941: Ho Chi Minh Returns
January 29, 1941: US Military Parley With Great Britain
January 30, 1941: Derna Taken
January 31, 1941: LRDG Battered

2020

Thursday 16 January 1941

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

U-77 is commissioned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The key part is soaking the shirt in cold water.

January 1941

January 1, 1941: Muselier Arrested
January 2, 1941: Camp Categories
January 3, 1941: Liberty Ships
January 4, 1941: Aussies Take Bardia
January 5, 1941: Amy Johnson Perishes
January 6, 1941: Four Freedoms
January 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Plans
January 8, 1941: Billions For Defense
January 9, 1941: Lancasters
January 10, 1941: Malta Convoy Devastation
January 11, 1941: Murzuk Raid
January 12, 1941: Operation Rhubarb
January 13, 1941: Plymouth Blitzed
January 14, 1941: V for Victory
January 15, 1941: Haile Selassie Returns
January 16, 1941: Illustrious Blitz
January 17, 1941: Koh Chang Battle
January 18, 1941: Luftwaffe Pounds Malta
January 19, 1941: East African Campaign Begins
January 20, 1941: Roosevelt 3rd Term
January 21, 1941: Attack on Tobruk
January 22, 1941: Tobruk Falls
January 23, 1941: Pogrom in Bucharest
January 24, 1941: Tank Battle in Libya
January 25, 1941: Panjiayu Tragedy
January 26, 1941: Churchill Working Hard
January 27, 1941: Grew's Warning
January 28, 1941: Ho Chi Minh Returns
January 29, 1941: US Military Parley With Great Britain
January 30, 1941: Derna Taken
January 31, 1941: LRDG Battered

2020

Sunday 12 January 1941

"Lieutenant Borys Karnicki, the CO of the Polish Navy submarine ORP Sokół (Falcon), on the bridge with his sailors. This hotograph probably was taken in Portsmouth, January 1941." © IWM (A 3417).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks continue to consolidate their capture of the Klisura Pass on 12 January 1941. They beat off weak Italian counterattacks and continue to subdue the trapped battalion of the Italian Lupi di Toscana Division. The Italian Julia Division remains in good shape and, along with the remnants of the Toscana Division, continues to bar the way to the key Italian supply port of Valona.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids the factories at Regensburg and other targets in Germany and Belgium, including various invasion ports. Other raids target Venice and drop leaflets on Padua.

The RAF continues its Operation Circus activities, which are heavily escorted bomber raids intended to draw Luftwaffe fighters up for destruction. Today it begins Operation Rhubarb, a subset of Circus. In Operation Rhubarb, fighters without accompanying bombers operate over occupied Europe and basically strafe any worthwhile targets. Just for clarity, there are several subsets of Operation Circus:

• Operation Rhubarb: fighter strafing runs at random
• Operation Roadstead: fighter attacks on coastal shipping
• Operation Ranger: large-scale fighter intrusions
• Operation Ramrod: Fighter intrusions with specific targets.

This is a mirror image of similar operations that the Luftwaffe performed in late 1940. At this time, however, the Luftwaffe appears to have largely given up on daylight missions and is focusing instead on night-time operations and missions in other theaters, i.e., the Mediterranean.

These RAF Circus Operations do not come without a cost. Today, for instance, Fw. Helmut Brügelmann of 8./JG 26 and Oblt. Kinzinger of I./JG 54 together shoot down RAF fighters over Boulogne and Texel, respectively.

The Luftwaffe is quiet during the day, then sends a desultory raid of 141 bombers against London and the nearby Thames Estuary region after dark.

"The Polish Navy submarine ORP Sokół (Falcon). Photograph probably was taken in Portsmouth, January 1941." © IWM (A 3416).

Battle of the Atlantic: British 212 ton trawler Strathrye hits a mine near Plymouth and sinks. Everybody survives. British 340-ton trawler Oyama sinks in the North Atlantic from unknown causes.

Norwegian 5498 ton freighter Tijuca hits a mine south of Cardiff in the Bristol Channel - one of several ships caught in this minefield recently - and is damaged. It makes it to the port of Barry, nine miles to the west of Cardiff.

Royal Navy minelayer HMS Teviotbank lays minefield BS 49 in the English Channel.

Some sources place today as the date of grounding of liner SS Manhattan nine miles north of Palm Beach, Florida, others a few days before this. It takes three weeks to refloat the liner. Both the captain and the first officer are disciplined with suspensions.

Convoy WS 5B (Winston Special) departs from Avonmouth. This is a major convoy of 21 troop transport ships heading to the Middle East and the Far East (including Singapore). They carry 40,000 fighting men. The escort includes battleship HMS Ramillies for the first five days. This convoy will be on the high seas until March.

Convoy SC 19 departs from Halifax, Convoy OB 273 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 382 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 386 departs from Methil, Convoy BS 12C departs from the Port of Sudan.

Royal Navy minesweeping trawler HMS Celia (T 134, Lt. Frederick G. Dawson) is commissioned.

"The Polish Navy submarine ORP Sokół (Falcon). Photograph probably was taken in Portsmouth, January 1941." © IWM (A 3415).

Battle of the Mediterranean: In response to the beating that the Royal Navy has been taking from the Luftwaffe's Fliegerkorps X based on Sicily, the RAF launches raids against one of its airfields at Catania, southern Sicily. Meanwhile, the dockyard workers at Grand Harbour in Malta work around the clock to make the shattered HMS Illustrious seaworthy - at least enough to depart for lengthy repairs elsewhere. Sitting in Grand Harbour, it is a tempting target for the Germans (though the Italians probably will not pose a problem for it).

British Middle East Command orders RAF No. 33 Squadron, equipped with Hurricanes based in Egypt, to begin transferring to Greece pursuant to recent decisions reached by the Chiefs of Staff. This transfer begins slowly and will take over a month to complete.

The Italian Navy, led by battleships Vittorio Veneto and Andrea Doria, has been temporarily at sea to confront the British Operation Excess convoys to Malta. Today, thinking that the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious is still a threat, it timidly returns to port. In fact, the Illustrious is in port and incapable of air operations.

The Australian 6th Infantry Division and British 7th Armoured Division of XIII Corps continue isolating Tobruk from landward communications and prepare an attack, which should take about ten days to prepare. While Italian opposition has been light to non-existent, simply moving tanks across the desert has sent many Matildas to the repair shops. The attack itself, though, is perceived to be a straightforward affair, as the Tobruk defenses are extremely similar to those of Bardia.

Once again, Royal Navy assets are tied up hauling Italian prisoners back to Alexandria, this time from Bardia. Net layer HMS Protector takes 1058 with it today, but there are many more awaiting transfer.

A passenger train in Yosemite Valley, USA stopped by rocks on the track, 12 January 1941. They were quickly cleared and the train proceeded on its way (Photo: Guy Duncomb).

German Military: The SS begins recruiting in Norway for the Nordland Regiment of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking (Brigadeführer Felix Steiner). This is the first SS unit to
recruit outside the territory of the Reich. The Wiking Division is composed of three infantry regiments: Germania, Westland, and Nordland. The Norwegians are destined primarily for the Nordland Regiment, at least at first. Recruiting in Norway - a complex and somewhat controversial topic in itself - is relatively successful (how successful is the controversial part).

None of the units actually is Norwegian in totality, and all remain firmly under German control by German officers and NCOs. The Norwegians wish to fight as a group, but Steiner is leery about that and splits the Norwegians into small groups in every company.

Soldiers digging in front of the "Dig for Victory" sign at the Bank Underground Station in London, which received a direct hit during the previous night's Luftwaffe raid. Twelve people were killed. 12 January 1941.

Moldovia: The Soviets impose a constitution upon Moldovia SSR, as Romania's former eastern province now is styled.

Ethiopia: The British troops in Sudan stage successful raids along the border around Metemma, Ethiopia. The Duke of Aosta, in charge of Italian forces in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), deploys the Savoia Grenadiers - elite troops - to defend Keren (Cheren) in Italian Somaliland.

Indochina: The Thai ground troops continue advancing toward Pakse. The French have problems with their own Indochinese native troops, who are mutinying in Annam.

China: The Nationalist Chinese (Kuomintang) continue squeezing the encircled Chinese Communist New 4th Army troops at Maolin along the Yangtze River.

German Homefront: It is Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering's birthday, which is celebrated (by decree) throughout the Reich. Goering is considered somewhat of a specialist on Italian relations because he spent some time there in poverty with his wife Carin during the 1920s (when Benito Mussolini would not give him the time of day despite Goering's repeated pleas for meetings), so Mussolini sends him a birthday present via the Italian ambassador in Berlin, Dino Alfieri. It is a collection of three medieval paintings, including one associated with the 15th-century Sterzinger Altar by German sculptor and painter Hans Multscher (the others are by an unknown artist, "The Visitation" and "Flight into Egypt"). Goering vows to scour the Continent for the missing parts of the Sterzinger altar - which are scattered all across Europe - and gather associated artwork and reconstruct them at his villa Carinhall north of Berlin.

This actually is part of a deal between Mussolini and Goering in which Goering receives the artwork "as a present," while Goering sends Mussolini some Italian artwork located in Germany. The transfer is "purchased" by the Fascist ministry, although Italian law at the time prevented such transfers (such seemingly fine distinctions become quite important... later). The Fascists give the local commune where the paintings are located 9 million lire, about $400,000, in exchange for the artwork.

SS General Reinhard Heydrich and Reichsmarshal Hermann Göring on the Reichsmarschall 's birthday, January 12, 1941.

January 1941

January 1, 1941: Muselier Arrested
January 2, 1941: Camp Categories
January 3, 1941: Liberty Ships
January 4, 1941: Aussies Take Bardia
January 5, 1941: Amy Johnson Perishes
January 6, 1941: Four Freedoms
January 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Plans
January 8, 1941: Billions For Defense
January 9, 1941: Lancasters
January 10, 1941: Malta Convoy Devastation
January 11, 1941: Murzuk Raid
January 12, 1941: Operation Rhubarb
January 13, 1941: Plymouth Blitzed
January 14, 1941: V for Victory
January 15, 1941: Haile Selassie Returns
January 16, 1941: Illustrious Blitz
January 17, 1941: Koh Chang Battle
January 18, 1941: Luftwaffe Pounds Malta
January 19, 1941: East African Campaign Begins
January 20, 1941: Roosevelt 3rd Term
January 21, 1941: Attack on Tobruk
January 22, 1941: Tobruk Falls
January 23, 1941: Pogrom in Bucharest
January 24, 1941: Tank Battle in Libya
January 25, 1941: Panjiayu Tragedy
January 26, 1941: Churchill Working Hard
January 27, 1941: Grew's Warning
January 28, 1941: Ho Chi Minh Returns
January 29, 1941: US Military Parley With Great Britain
January 30, 1941: Derna Taken
January 31, 1941: LRDG Battered

2020