Friday 15 August 1941

Heinrich Himmler looks at a young Soviet prisoner during an official visit to a prisoner-of-war camp in the vicinity of Minsk, Belarus on 15 August 1941. The Soviet POWs have been told to sit, and this one has refused. He could be shot for his disobedience (and perhaps was). This picture is sometimes misidentified as showing a different visit by Himmler to a concentration camp with the prisoner identified as a famous British office, but that does not seem to be the case. (US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD).

Eastern Front: A very common theme in German recollections of Operation Barbarossa is the unexpected weight of Soviet military resistance. This is the case on 15 August 1941 at the highest levels, as OKH Chief of Staff General Franz Halder notes in the war diary that "It appears" that the 16th Infantry Division has run into "a larger enemy group than expected" at Cherson (Kherson), Ukraine. He notes that the "advance" is "held up as a result." It is easy to read into such writings a sense of bewilderment as to where all these Soviet troops are coming from. They are stopping the panzers from Finland to the Black Sea every time it seems an opening has been found, and nobody has a good explanation of why - it was supposed to be easier than this.

In the Far North sector, the Finns and Germans are stopped cold in their attempts to seize Murmansk and the Murmansk railway, but the Soviet position in the Karelian Isthmus is falling apart. The Finns are tightening their grip on the northern half of the lake, which is important because the Soviets are using the lake to supply many of their units, and any loss of control also could imperil shipping of supplies to Leningrad (though that is not necessary - yet) near its southern tip. Towns in Karelia have outsized importance because there are so few of them, and they control the few roads through the dense forests. The Soviets continue to demonstrate their difficulties operating in the dense forests and marshy areas of Karelia that they displayed during the Winter War (and which, incidentally, German troops share).

Soviets surrendering while playing a merry tune. "The last of the surrendered Russian soldiers translate their joy through the accordion." - Sortavala, 15 August 1941.

The Soviets send in the fresh 265th Division over the lake, but Finnish 10th Division mauls it in battle near Lake Ladoga today, encircling the hapless Soviets. Nearby, Finnish I Corps (2nd, 7th, and 19th Divisions) takes Sortavala on the northern fringes of Lake Ladoga (7th Division under Colonel Svensson enters first). The defending Soviet 168th Rifle Division has nowhere to run except the forests, and its only hope of survival is a seaborne rescue. The Finns take 540 Soviet prisoners, but many escape into the woods. It is a double-whammy in one day that drastically undermines the Soviet grasp on the lake.

Original caption: "Private Heino Jauhiainen... who singlehandedly took 25 Russians prisoner during the Ontrosenvaara sweep." - 15 August 1941.

In the Army Group North sector, the Germans of I Corps supported by VIII Air Corps take Novgorod at the northern tip of Lake Ilmen after a vicious struggle. With difficulty, 16th Army is retaining its hold on Staraya Russa at the lake's southern tip. They now can use the lake to form a solid defensive barrier - although the Wehrmacht going on the defensive is not the plan. The Soviet breakthrough south of Staraya Russa is stopped. Hitler, concerned by the breakthrough, orders reinforcements sent in from all sides, which Halder in his diary notes is "that old mistake" of overreacting to a perceived threat and thereby allowing the 2-4 Soviet divisions to "tie up three to four German Divisions."

Field Marshal von Leeb of Army Group North asks for more troops. Hitler hears of this, calls von Leeb in for a conference, and orders the transfer to von Leeb of a panzer division and two motorized divisions from General Hoth's Panzer Group 3. Field Marshal von Bock of Army Group Center, Halder records in the war diary, is "furious" and warns that this means his army group will have to go over to the defensive.

In the Army Group Center sector, the German high command continues to debate whether or not to give up the "lightning rod" position at Yelnya. The German advance continues at Rogachev, but the going is slow elsewhere, though XII and XIII Corps appear in good shape to link up soon with XXXII Corps north of Gomel and trap some more Soviet soldiers.

In the Army Group South sector, the Romanians continue their pause in their attack on Odessa as they bring forward forces. The German 6th Division of 11th Army runs into strong resistance at Nikolayev, and Soviets in a pocket near Kanev on the Dneipr are refusing to surrender. The Soviets at Nikolayev, while fighting a ferocious rearguard action and fooling the Germans into thinking they are making a stand there, continue evacuating while covered by naval forces.

The Red Air Force sends 15 bombers to raid Berlin, but they cause little damage.

Soviet prisoners who are taken at Sortavala, including female soldiers, 15 August 1941 (SA-Kuva).

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command takes the day and night off after several maximum efforts in recent days, most famously the daylight raid on Cologne power station on 12 August. RAF Bombers - the ones that make it back - struggle in before dawn from their raids on Hannover, Brunswick, and Magdeburg.

The Luftwaffe raids northeastern England in small raids by individual bombers. One bomb land on a house killing all seven people inside, including five boys aged 6-14. Another bomb lands on a house nearby and kills a 64-year-old widow and apparently others in the house. Other houses also are destroyed. The night's events prove that even "pinprick" attacks can cause large numbers of casualties, especially considering that the British public has been lulled into a false sense of security since the end of large-scale Luftwaffe raids in May.

David Bensusan-Butt, a civil servant in the War Cabinet Secretariat and an assistant of Winston Churchill's friend Lord Cherwell, completes his report based on analysis of RAF bombing missions. The report is not circulated until 18 August, but the reports are obvious at a glance and can be summarized in a phrase: RAF bombing is wildly inaccurate and only rarely hits the actual target. The Butt Report's results are explosive (no pun intended) and will lead to major changes in RAF bombing strategy. Churchill takes a few days to think about the findings before releasing them to the War Cabinet and RAF.

"Handley Page Halifax Mark I Series 1, L9530 MP-L, of No 76 Squadron RAF undergoing maintenance at Middleton St George, County Durham. L9530 was shot down while attacking Magdeburg on 15 August 1941." © IWM (CH 3393).

Battle of the Baltic: The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Soviet reefer Kretinga in the Gulf of Finland. All 24 crew perish.

Soviet 441-ton minesweeper T-202/Buy hits a mine and sinks off Cape Yuminda, Suursaari (Hogland Island), Finland. The mine was laid by German S-boats.

German 542-ton freighter Memelland hits a mine and sinks south of Helsinki.

"Ships of the convoy as seen from HMS PRINCE OF WALES." This is taken during the voyage home of Winston Churchill aboard Prince of Wales on 15 August 1941 when the battleship joins a convoy heading for England. © IWM (A 4955).

Battle of the Atlantic: Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Despatch stops 3667-ton German freighter Nordeney northeast of the Amazon Estuary. Like many crews of blockade runners, the German crewmen scuttle the ship and become prisoners.

US Navy aircraft carrier USS Yorktown leads a neutrality patrol out of Bermuda. US battleship Arkansas (BB-33) ends its own neutrality patrol when it returns to Hampton Roads.

Convoy Dervish, a supply mission bound for Archangel, Soviet Union, stops briefly at Scapa Flow before heading toward its next port of call in Reykjavik, Iceland.

German raider Orion, back in the Atlantic following a lengthy sojourn in the Indian Ocean, arrives in Spanish territorial waters and disguises itself as Spanish freighter Contramestre Casado.

Convoy ON-7 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL-84 departs Freetown bound for Liverpool. Convoy WS-8C (Exercise Leapfrog) is canceled and the ships return to the Clyde.

U-165, U-334, and U-377 are launched, U-233 is laid down.

"The Prime Minister with Hermann Jonasson, Prime Minister of Iceland." This is during a brief stop-over by Churchill in Reykjavik on 15 and 16 August 1941 following the Atlantic Conference. © IWM (A 4992).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The RAF bombs and sinks 400-ton Italian freighter Adua in the Gulf of Sirte.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Thrasher attacks German freighter Ankara in Mandri Channel, Greece, but misses.

Royal Navy battleship arrives at Suez and proceeds toward Alexandria now that its battle-damage from the Crete campaign has been repaired in Durban. It sails in company with four destroyers, anti-aircraft ship Coventry, and troopship Glengyle.

Operation Guillotine, the British reinforcement of Cyprus, continues with Australian light cruiser HMAS Hobart arriving in Famagusta with three other ships and unloading troops there.

Royal Navy destroyers Kandahar and Kimberley make the nightly supply run to Tobruk and return safely to Alexandria before dawn breaks on the 15th. Destroyers Hasty and Jaguar make the run after dark.

At Malta, Royal Navy submarine Osiris arrives safely carrying supplies. RAF No. 105 Squadron sends 5 Blenheims (two lost) to attack Benghazi. Early on the 16th, they claim to destroy one tanker, damage another and leave two other ships damaged.

Heinrich Himmler with local ladies near Minsk, 15 August 1941 With Himmler are SS-Hauptsturmführer Werner Grothmann (Chief adjutant of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler) and at right their translator (because Himmler and Grothmann do not speak Russian). (Walter Frentz).

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet submarine Shch-211 (Lt. Cdr. Devyatko) torpedoes and sinks 5706-ton Romanian freighter Peles near Cape Ermine, Romania.

Soviet submarine L-5 lays a minefield off Sulina, Romania.

Soviet gunboats Krasnaya Armeniya and Krasnaya Gruziya give fire support to Soviet ground troops at Grigorevka and Spridovka, Odessa, Ukraine.

The Soviets scuttle submarine S-39, under construction at Nikolayev, Ukraine, to prevent its capture.

Battle of the Pacific: Soviet 2607-ton freighter Tungus sinks from an unexplained cause between Vladivostok and the La Perouse Strait. Several Soviet ships have sunk in the Vladivostok region recently from "friendly" mines.

Spy Stuff: German spy Josef Jakobs, who parachuted into Britain on the night of 31 January/1 February 1941, is executed by firing squad at the Tower of London. This is the last execution in the Tower of London - to date. Jakobs is given this "honor" - and Germans do consider it more dignified to be shot than hanged - because, unlike most spies, he is a member of the Wehrmacht.

In Tokyo, Richard Sorge sends a message to Moscow stating that the Japanese have decided not to attack the Soviet Union. Sorge's messages are taken much more seriously now following his successful warning of Operation Barbarossa.

Surrendered Soviet troops playing the accordion and singing as they march into captivity in Sortavala, 15 August 1941 (SA-Kuva).

Anglo/US/Soviet Relations: President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill send a joint message to Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. The message reads in part that it is time to discuss "long term policy" at a special conference:

In order that all of us may be in a position to arrive at speedy decisions as to the apportionment of our joint resources, we suggest that we prepare for a meeting to be held at Moscow, to which we would send high representatives who could discuss these matters directly with you.

The President and PM also note that they will continue to send supplies (as in the current Operation Dervish) pending Stalin's response. As with virtually all messages sent by the western allies to Stalin, he does not respond directly, but only through intermediaries.

US Military: The US Navy commissions Palmyra Island Naval Air Station. Although widely separated from the other islands in the chain, Palmyra Atoll is part of the Hawaiian Island chain. It has been under naval jurisdiction since 1934, codified by Executive Order 8616. US control of part of the atoll is legally disputed by private parties throughout the war (and ultimately overturned by the US Supreme Court), but that does not affect NAS Palmyra Island. The government has plans to dredge a ship channel, lay roads and causeways, and even build new islands.

Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson gives a radio address in which he goes through various aspects of the international situation, such as the bases obtained as leases from Great Britain recently. He remarks in all seriousness that an invasion of the United States by Axis troops "would be no playboy affair."

Japanese Military: Japanese 8360-ton seaplane tender Sanyo Maru completes its conversion and is attached to the Sasebo Naval District. It embarks six Type 0 Mitsubishi F1M2 “Pete” scout float biplanes and two Type O Aichi E13A1 "Jake" three-seat reconnaissance floatplanes, with two Type 95 Nakajima E8N2 "Dave" two-seat reconnaissance float biplanes in reserve.

The Imperial Japanese Navy fits AMC Hokoku Maru with searchlights and equipment for handling floatplanes. She will carry one Type 94 Kawanishi E7K2 “Alf” floatplane and one spare plane.

The IJN requisitions 5181-ton freighter Hide Maru for use as an ammunition ship, 10,383-ton tanker Kuroshio Maru, and 5350-ton freighter Bangkok Maru as a specialty cruiser.

The IJN commissions 6795-ton salvage vessel Yamabiko Maru.

"Singapore, Malaya. 15 August 1941. Troops after they have disembarked at Singapore Harbour. Marching centre front is possibly NX51557 Private Aubrey Thomas Stiff, Headquarters, 8th Division." (Australian War Memorial 009249_28).

Australian Military: Australian 27th Infantry Brigade arrives in Singapore.

US Government: Having returned to the United States from Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, President Roosevelt spends a quiet day fishing from presidential yacht USS Potomac (AG-25) in Pulpit Harbor, Penobscot Bay, Maine. Fishing, of course, was the cover story used during his absence from public view during the Atlantic Conference.

British Government: On his way back to England from the Atlantic Conference aboard battleship HMS Prince of Wales, Prime Minister Churchill stops for a day at Iceland.

German Government: Over dinner, Hitler relaxes with friends and goes into one of his monologues about whatever topic has crossed his mind during the day. Today, because there has been a high-profile murder in Berlin, the topic is the penal system. This does give some insight into the Reich's justice system:

The greatest vice of our penal system is the exaggerated importance attached to a first sentence. Corporal punishment would often be much better than a term of imprisonment. In prison and in penitentiary establishments, the delinquent is at too good a school. The old lags he meets there teach him, first that he was stupid to be caught, and secondly to do better next time. All that his stay in prison amounts to in the end is only an uninterrupted course of instruction in the art of doing wrong. In such a case, I see no sense in a long trial, with all its formalities, to study the question of responsibility or irresponsibility. In my view, whether responsible or not, the author of that crime should disappear. 

It turns out that Hitler is not a big fan of due process.

CEREMONY AT CAMP MURPHY, RIZAL, 15 August 1941, marking the induction of the Philippine Army Air Corps. Behind Lt. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, from left to right, are Lt. Col. Richard K. Sutherland, Col. Harold H. George, Lt. Col. William F. Marquat, and Maj. LeGrande A. Diller.

Philippines: General Douglas MacArthur, recently recalled to US Army service, chairs a meeting of senior commanders and holds a ceremony at Camp Murphy. The overall gist of his message is that the US is going to fight for the islands. He also announces that the Philippine Air Corps has been inducted into federal service.

Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski gives a speech in Minsk on the occasion of a visit by Heinrich Himmler, 15 August 1941.

Holocaust: Following the successful institution of the practice in the former Yugoslavia, Reich Commissioner for Eastern Territories Heinrich Lohse in Minsk decrees that Jews must wear the Yellow Star of David. This actually includes two yellow badges, one on the chest and one on the back. He also orders that Jews are not to own radios or automobiles. Jews also are prohibited from using public accommodations such as trains, parks, and theaters.

Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler visits Minsk and witnesses the execution of Jews at a nearby concentration camp. In company with SS General Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski and adjutant Karl Wolf Himmler also inspects an insane asylum. Bach-Zalewski claims to have told Himmler that using firing squads for euthanasia damages the shooters psychologically. Himmler orders them to try using dynamite on the inmates instead, which later is done with poor results. After exhausting these choices, they try gas.

In the town of Roskiskis on the Lithuanian-Latvian border, locals riot and institute a pogrom against Jews that ultimately claims an estimated 3200 lives.

At Kovno, Lithuania, surviving Jews who have survived earlier purges are forced into the suburban Ghetto in Viliampole.

The German authorities at Riga, Latvia establish a Jewish ghetto.

Einsatzcommando 3 executes 425 Jewish men, 19 Jewish women, and 17 non-Jews in Vilnius.

"Groundcrew of a Polish Air Force bomber squadron, very likely of No. 300 Squadron, scribbling their best wishes to the enemy on a bomb at RAF Hemswell, 15 August 1941. The inscription in Polish reads: 'Warszawiacy Berlinowi - From Varsovians to Berlin'." © IWM (HU 111733).

American Homefront: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer releases "Life Begins for Andy Hardy." Directed by George B. Seitz, this is the 11th installment of the "Andy Hardy" series starring Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone. It is memorable as the last installment of the Andy Hardy series to feature Judy Garland as Miss Betsy Booth. As with all of the Andy Hardy films, it turns a tidy profit. Counting domestic and overseas revenues, "Life Begins for Andy Hardy" nets MGM $1.324 million.

In Major League Baseball, there is a rare forfeit at Griffith Stadium in Washington. There is a rain delay in the 7th inning and the umpire orders the infield covered. This is standard practice, but ... it doesn't happen because the ground crew can't be located. The umpire then adjudges the field unplayable and calls it in favor of the home team Senators because they are leading 6-3. However, after an appeal by the Red Sox, the American League forfeits the game to the Red Sox 1-0 because the home team is responsible for the care of the playing field.

Benny Goodman records "Elmer's Tune" in Chicago for Columbia (36359), four days after Glenn Miller records his version for Bluebird Records. Goodman uses his new "girl singer," known as Peggy Lee (real name Norma Deloris Egstrom). It is Lee's first recording with the Benny Goodman Orchestra and apparently her first recording ever. While Miller's version goes to number one on the Billboard chart in December, Goodman's and Lee's version does not chart - but it begins a very long and productive career for Miss Peggy Lee.

Future History: Donald Eugene Ulrich is born in Olympia, Washington. As Don Rich, he becomes a top country musician in the early 1960s and helps to develop the Bakersfield sound. Rich backs singer Buck Owens as a member of The Buckaroos until his untimely death in a motorcycle accident in 1974 at the age of 1932.

Miss Peggy Lee ca. August 1941.

August 1941
August 1, 1941: More Executions on Crete
August 2, 1941: Uman Encirclement Closes
August 3, 1941: Bishop von Galen Denounces Euthanasia
August 4, 1941: Hitler at the Front
August 5, 1941: Soviets Surrender at Smolensk 
August 6, 1941: U-Boats in the Arctic
August 7, 1941: Soviets Bomb Berlin
August 8, 1941: Uman Pocket Captured
August 9, 1941: Atlantic Conference at Placentia Bay
August 10, 1941: Soviet Bombers Mauled Over Berlin
August 11, 1941: Rita Hayworth in Life
August 12, 1941: Atlantic Charter Announced
August 13, 1941: The Soybean Car
August 14, 1941: The Anders Army Formed
August 15, 1941: Himmler at Minsk
August 16, 1941: Stalin's Order No. 270
August 17, 1941: Germans in Novgorod
August 18, 1941: Lili Marleen
August 19, 1941: Convoy OG-71 Destruction
August 20, 1941: Siege of Leningrad Begins
August 21, 1941: Stalin Enraged
August 22, 1941: Germans Take Cherkassy
August 23, 1941: Go to Kiev
August 24, 1941: Finns Surround Viipuri
August 25, 1941: Iran Invaded
August 26, 1941: The Bridge Over the Desna
August 27, 1941: Soviets Evacuate Tallinn
August 28, 1941: Evacuating Soviets Savaged
August 29, 1941: Finns take Viipuri
August 30, 1941: Operation Acid
August 31, 1941: Mannerheim Says No

2020

Thursday 3 July 1941

Remarks of Joseph Stalin, 3 July 1941.

Eastern Front: On 3 July 1941, after disappearing from public view for ten days, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin gives a radio speech. It is a remarkable event in the history of the Soviet Union. It is one of the most dramatic and influential speeches of the 20th Century because it produces results that change the history of the world. As British newsman Alexander Werth writes, for the first time Stalin speaks to the country as if his listeners are his friends. Listeners can hear the clink of Stalin's glass as he takes occasional sips and marvel at his very thick Georgian accent. It is as if Stalin is sitting at the table with you, explaining the tragedy that has befallen the country and asking personally for your help.

The gist of the speech is that the entire Soviet Union must engage in total war. On a tactical level, Stalin advocates that his "brothers" and "sisters" adopt "Guerilla tactics." He admonishes "We must not leave … a single kilogram of grain or a single liter of petrol to the enemy." He summarizes the strategic situation quite honestly, one of the few times the Soviet government gives a clear picture of the situation throughout the war:

Hitler's troops have succeeded in capturing Lithuania, a considerable part of Latvia, the western part of White Russia, a part of the western Ukraine. The Fascist air force is extending the range of the operations of its bombers and is bombing Murmansk, Orsha, Mogilev, Smolensk, Kiev, Odessa, Sevastopol.

However, the speech touches on themes that go far beyond the tactical or even strategic.

Thus the issue is one of life or death for the Soviet state, for the peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; the issue is whether the peoples of the Soviet Union shall remain free or fall into slavery. The Soviet people must realize this and abandon all heedlessness; they must mobilize themselves and reorganize all their work on new, war-time lines, when there can be no mercy to the enemy.

Stalin concludes with a populist call to "the people" - unheard of in the Soviet state to date:

The State Committee of Defense has entered in its functions and calls upon all our people to rally around the party of Lenin-Stalin and around the Soviet government so as self-denyingly to support the Red Army and Navy, demolish the enemy and secure victory. All our forces for support of our heroic Red Army and our glorious Red Navy. All the forces of the people—for the demolition of the enemy! Forward, to our victory!

The results of Joseph Stalin's speech will become clear as we continue our review of the days of World War II.

German soldiers recovering a fallen StuG III assault gun in the Pruth River, 3 July 1941 (Federal Archives, Bild  B 145 Fig. F016207-0008).

In the Far North sector, General Dietl's Army of Norway 3rd Mountain Division establishes a bridgehead across the Litsa River on the way to Murmansk in Operation Silver Fox. The Soviets quickly send reinforcements to the area and stop any further German penetration. Further south, the Operation Arctic Fox advance toward Salla bogs down, largely due to the inexperience of the German SS-Infantry Kampfgruppe Nord division. The Germans call for reinforcements from southern Finland and ask the Finns to mount a flank attack on the Soviet defenders to free up their front, but this will take several days to organize.

In the Army Group North sector, Field Marshall von Leeb's troops continue attacking the Stalin Line with 4th Panzer Group. The Soviet defenders manage to hold their positions through great sacrifices.

On the Army Group Center Front, the panzers of General Walter Model's 3rd Panzer Division of Panzer Group 2 reach the Dneipr River at Rogachev southeast of Minsk despite determined Soviet counterattacks. There is some confusion on the German side, with local commanders determined to move forward while Hitler's 29 June "stop" order technically remains in place. Field Marshal von Bock supports Generals Guderian and Hoth against Army Commander von Brauchitsch, and the panzers continue eastward past Minsk.

Some of the 290,000 Soviet troops taken prisoner at Bialystok. 3 July 1941 (Hermann, Federal Archives, Bild 101I-006-2212-30).

Behind the front, General Hoth's 3rd Panzer Group helps infantry troops to subdue the large Soviet Bialystok pocket west of Minsk. Ultimately, 290,000 Soviet troops and 2500 tanks surrender.

Soviet Colonel Yakov Grigorevich Kreizer, commander of the elite 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division, attacks the bridgehead established by General Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group at Borisov (near Lipki). The attack is spotted before it arrives by Luftwaffe reconnaissance. The attack is sharp and vicious but fails. Guderian's 18th Panzer Division in the bridgehead is aided in planning its defense by intercepts of Soviet communications made "in the clear" - not in code - and also by Luftwaffe reconnaissance. The Soviets have a success of sorts, getting the remnants of 4th and 13th Armies across the Dneipr, but all of the Soviet armies are battered an no longer worthy of the name. Marshal Timoshenko orders the 21st Army forward to hold the river line, which the Germans are unable to cross before nightfall.

In the Army Group South sector, the main action is in Soviet Moldavia, where Romanian 3rd and 4th Armies and German 11th Army continue their offensive. The Soviets attempt some counterattacks, but they barely slow the Germans.

Soviet Naval Air unit 402 IAL, based at Idritsa in Russia and commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel P. Stefanovsky, goes into action with its new MiG-3 fighters for the second straight day with outstanding results. It destroys six more Luftwaffe planes, as it did on the 2nd. The unit has as its adjutant an aerobatic champion, Major K. A. Gruzdev, who devises special strategies for the unit's pilots such as picking an altitude where the new MiG-3 fighters enjoy a performance advantage over the Bf 109s. Gruzdev quickly develops into one of the top aces in the Red Air Force.

Wilhelm Pruller writes in his diary, published after the war as "Diary of a German Soldier," about the general German tactics used at this stage of the war. The panzers use the road network to push east, "Without securing the land lying to the right and left of the road." This means that uncounted numbers of Soviet troops are left behind the Wehrmacht spearheads hidden in gullies and forests. Pruller's unit is in Kamionka. Early in the morning, Pruller's unit encounters and wipes out a force of Russian cavalry hiding in a ravine by using artillery. Later, a Soviet tank (apparently a KV) drives alone into town from the north carrying a large party of Soviet soldiers armed with pistols. The tankers are just trying to make it back to Soviet lines, but they have to get through the German-held town. The tank makes it through Kamionka and across a bridge almost to safety before German artillery finally destroys it. The Germans find that some of the soldiers on the tank were women - they all were burned alive.

British troops under fire near Damascus, 3 July 1941.

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: The main action in Syria switches today from Palmyra, which fell to the British on 2 July, to northeastern Syria. General William "Bill" Slim of Iraq Command controls 10th Indian Infantry Division plus the 2/8th Gurkha Rifles from 20th Indian Infantry Brigade. Based in Haditha, its goal is to advance westward toward Aleppo, and Slim's forces so far have not met much opposition.

The 2/10th Gurkha Rifles attacks Deir ez-Zor from the south-west at 09:00. They take the garrison by surprise and seize important bridges intact. Other Gurkha Rifles then advance from the southeast and clear the town against heavy Vichy French air attacks. By 15:30, Deir ez-Zor is in British hands, with the British capturing booty of five aircraft, nine guns, and 50 trucks. However, the defending Syrian troops hurriedly take off their uniforms and blend into the civilian population, evading capture. Only about 100 prisoners are taken.

Vichy France sends more aerial reinforcements for Syria from Tunis. They take the northern route via Brindisi, Italy, and Athens. Today, 21 Dewoitine D.520 fighters of No. 3 Squadron, 2nd Fighter Grup (GD II/3) land at Rhodes, their last stop before entering the battle zone.

Jewish forced laborers unloading German ammunition at Isbica railway station (15 km north of Zamosc, Poland), 3 July 1941 (Paris, Hans Joachim, Federal Archives, Bild 146-1994-027-33).

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe makes a rare daylight raid on Great Britain, attacking Land's End in southwestern England. The attack fails, however, when the bombs fail to explode. Many British observers conclude that the Luftwaffe has so many defective bombs because slave laborers in German factories are secretly sabotaging their ordnance.

During the day, RAF Fighter Command conducts two Circus missions to Hazebrouck. The RAF loses two Spitfires in the first mission and four in the second to JG 2 and JG 26, most near St. Omer.

During the night, RAF Bomber Command attacks Essen (90 bombers) and Bremen (68). Bombing accuracy is terrible, and the entire area around Essen is hit (including Bochum, Dortmund, Duisburg, Hagen, and Wuppertal).

During the RAF night raids, at 01:00, Luftwaffe night fighter pilot Oblt. Reinhold Knacke of 2./NJG 1 destroys a British Whitley bomber and a Hampden bomber.

Luftwaffe Major Wilhelm Balthasar, Kommodore of JG 2, is shot down and killed. He had 47 victories. His replacement is Oblt. Walter Oesau.

Following a recent air battle in which he shot down five Soviet bombers, Werner Mölders, now serving on the Eastern Front as Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51, is awarded the Swords to his Knight's Cross from the hand of Adolf Hitler.

East African Campaign: The Italian garrison at Debra Tabor surrenders. In addition, Free Belgian troops under the command of Major-General Auguste Gilliaert surround General Pietro Gazzera's army of about 7000 men at Saio in the south Ethiopian Highlands. The Belgians also attack Dembidollo in Galla-Sidamo.

A funeral in Zăicani, Rîșcani, Moldova, 3 July 1941. Note German soldier on horseback watching as others carry the coffin behind a priest (Federal Archives, Bild B 145 Fig. F016207-0029).

Battle of the Baltic: Finnish submarine Vetehinen uses its deck gun to attack 4100-ton Soviet ship Vyborg north of Stenskaar. The Viborg gets away for the time being (sunk on 3 July by submarine Vesikko).

Soviet Navy transport Imanta hits a mine off Suursai. The master manages to beach the ship before it sinks, but it is a total write-off.

German naval trawler KOL-72 hits a mine and sinks at Kołobrzeg, Poland.

Soviet motor torpedo boat No. 12 is lost somewhere in the Baltic of unknown causes.

The Soviets scuttle freighter Everiga at Pyarnu rather than allow it to be captured by the advancing Germans.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-69 (Kptlt. Jost Metzler), on its third patrol out of Lorient and operating southwest of the Canary Islands, sinks 2918-ton British freighter Robert L. Holt at 06:50. The Robert L. Hold happens to be the ship of Commodore Vice-Admiral N.A. Wodehouse of recently dispersed Convoy OB-337. It is an unusual encounter because the U-boat is out of torpedoes, so Metzler decides to surface and use his deck gun. This proves to be a risky decision when the armed freighter fires back, which Metzler probably wasn't expecting. Ultimately, U-69 fires 102 high explosives and 34 incendiary rounds from the deck gun, along with 220 rounds from the 20mm anti-aircraft gun and 400 rounds from its MG 34 machine gun. There are 49 deaths. This is the final success of U-69 on this eventful patrol, which has seen it almost bring the United States into the war six months earlier than would be the case with its sinking of US freighter Robin Moor.

British 86-ton drifter Receptive hits a mine and sinks in The Swale near Uplees. There is one death.

Royal Navy 82-ton auxiliary ship Rosme hits a mine and sinks off Foulness Island.

Convoy SL-80 departs from Freetown bound for Liverpool.

Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Rothesay (Commander Alaster A. Martin) is commissioned.

U-577 (Kapitänleutnant Herbert Schauenburg) is commissioned, U-265 and U-521 are laid down.

Jews being forced to carry ammunition by German troops near Zamość, Izbica, 3 July 1941 (Paris, Hans Joachim, Federal Archives, Bild 146-1991-014-08).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder torpedoes and sinks 5870-ton Italian freighter Laura Cosulich east of Calabria.

Spanish 308-ton freighter Felipe Crespi hits a mine and sinks off Genoa, Italy.

Off the Libyan coast east of Tobruk, Italian submarine Malachite spots light cruiser HMS Phoebe making a sweep in the company of light cruiser HMAS Perth and three destroyers. Malachite fires a torpedo, but misses.

British submarine HMS Osiris makes it to Malta with 70 tons of bulk petrol.

Danish/US Relations: Expanding the recent "Consulate War" between the US, Germany, and Italy, Denmark leaps into the fray by demanding that the US evacuate its consular staff by 15 July. In general, these expulsions are a bad thing for the Allies, as the US consulates behind the Reich lines can provide valuable intelligence to Great Britain.

"Kennedy family friend, Stanley Rogers "Stan" Resor (with a towel draped around his head, and one foot on a pair of water skis), stands on a dock at Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, during the Fourth of July holiday; Gaspard d'Andelot "Don" Belin sits in the stern of a docked boat at left." This photo was taken circa 3 July 1941. Resor goes on to serve in Europe, wins the Silver Star and Bronze Star, and serves as Secretary of the United States Army from 1965 to 1971. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Libary and Museum).

Soviet Military: All men aged 16-60 and women aged 18-50 are mobilized, with very few exceptions.

British Military: The Handley-Page Halifax Mk II makes its maiden flight. It features improved Merlin 22  engines, a more streamlined nose, a four-gun Defiant-type dorsal turret, and some minor structural improvements.

Bell P-39C Aircobra fighter planes arrive at RAF Colerne, the first of 675 ordered by the British Purchasing Commission. They will serve with RAF No. 601 Squadron. RAF pilots, however, take an immediate dislike to the planes once they find that the rate of climb and performance at altitude is lacking.

Romanian Government: Romanian leader Ion Antonescu reveals his thinking during an address at the Ministry of Internal Affairs:

We find ourselves at the broadest and most favorable moment for a complete ethnic unshackling, for a national revival and for the cleansing of our people of all those elements alien to its spirit.

Holocaust: In Tallinn, Estonia, the Soviet NKVD shoots prominent politician Friedrich Akel. The Soviets imprisoned Akel in October 1940 but apparently preferred to shoot him rather than evacuate him with the rest of the retreating Soviet population. His wife Adele Karoline Tenz already has been deported.

July 3, 1941, The Sporting News- Detroit All-Star Game Issue- All-Stars & Briggs Stadium Cover. The game is scheduled for 8 July 1941.

American Homefront: Eleanor Roosevelt publishes a column with the United Feature Syndicate, Inc. entitled "My Day, July 3, 1941." In her column, she simply describes her thoughts during the day and philosophizes about "modern life." Among her thoughts today are the plight of "underprivileged youngsters," including "above all, our young Negro people," whom she feels are not getting enough recreation. She encourages people to send soldiers "packages of small luxuries, and even of necessities."
Future History: Gloria Rachel Bloom is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gloria grows up and becomes a lawyer, becoming interested in women's issues. Using her married name of Gloria Allred, she goes on to become a prominent attorney in California who is still active at the time of this writing.

 Wylie Walker Vale is born in Houston, Texas. He becomes a top endocrinologist who discovers the stress hormone.


July 1941

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

2020

Wednesday 12 March 1941

"Infantry and Bren gun carriers of the 5th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment pass through a village during 3rd Division exercises near Christchurch in Dorset, 12 March 1941." © IWM (H 7971).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Italian Primavera Offensive continues on 12 March 1941. However, the Italian 11th Army gains no new ground. The Greek defenses hold firm, while the Italians incur heavy casualties while attacking the Greek 1st Division in the center of the line. Mussolini demands that the offensive be continued.

The Italian Regia Aeronautica flies numerous sorties and loses many planes. The RAF, meanwhile, bombs Valona airfield and Sazan (Saseno) Island off Valona (Vlorë).

East African Campaign: Lieutenant-General William Platt continues preparing his troops for another assault on Keren. He is planning a set-piece attack for the middle of the month. The Italians also are reinforcing the area, particularly on Dologorodoc east of the Dongolaas Gorge which serves as a choke point. Fort Dologorodoc dominates Happy Valley and is the critical feature of the entire defensive position. Further south, British troops are about 600 miles north of Mogadishu.

The Focke Wulf factory at Bremen sustains major damage on 12 March 1941. This picture taken by RAF reconnaissance on 15 March 1941 shows a hole in the roof of a large factory building ("10") and numerous bomb craters. One other thing this photograph reveals is that it takes a lot of bombing in 1941 to actually put large factory installations out of business completely.

European Air Operations: The weather over northwestern Europe improves dramatically today, and RAF Bomber Command takes advantage. It sends large raids against Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg. A total of 244 RAF bombers fly over the Reich, including Stirling and Manchester bombers. Even some of the new Handley Page Halifax four-engined heavy bombers participate despite only having seen their first combat ever a couple of nights ago over Le Havre. This is the first major raid on Berlin during 1941, and there will be nine more.

The Berlin attack by 72 bombers includes ten 1,900 lb. bombs and seven 1,000 lb. bombs. Bombing accuracy is good for the time period, perhaps due to the clear weather. At Bremen, 86 bombers of No. 2 Group attack a Focke Wulf airframe factory. One of the 1,000 lb. bombs destroys a factory building. Damage is spread throughout the factory district. The third city hit is Hamburg and it also suffers heavily from 88 RAF bombers. The Blohm & Voss shipbuilding/seaplane area suffers the most damage, with bombs also dropping in the surrounding areas.

The Hamburg and Bremen attacks appear to have been targeted to implement British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's "Battle of the Atlantic" priority scheme. The Focke Wulf factory in Bremen manufactures Fw 200 Condors which have been operating with devastating effects against British shipping in the Northwest Approaches and St. George's Channel. Blohm & Voss, meanwhile, is a major shipbuilder that has branched out into manufacturing flying boats and seaplanes.

About another dozen RAF bombers attack airfields in northwest Europe such as Schiphol airfield at Amsterdam, and also invasion ports such as Boulogne.

The Luftwaffe (KG 55) uses the clear night to attack the Liverpool area. The dock areas of Birkenhead and Wallasey in Wirral in the Merseyside area (174 dead) suffer heavy damage. The effect on shipping is particularly devastating with 8 small ships sunk and a floating crane destroyed. The Germans lose two bombers to night fighters. These continuing raids on Liverpool are killing hundreds of civilians and wounding hundreds more.

Battle of the Atlantic: German heavy cruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst complete their refueling from tankers Uckermark and Ermland and resume patrolling the sea lanes near the Cape Verde Islands. Admiral Lütjens now is under orders to continue his attacks until the 18th, and then proceed to Brest, France to conclude Operation Berlin.

U-37 (Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen), on its eleventh and final patrol, is operating south of Iceland. It uses its deck gun to sink 91-ton Icelandic trawler Pétursey. There are no survivors. This is U-37's final victim, and in a way, it is fitting: the ship is attacked by mistake, and once Clausen sees the Icelandic flag on its side, he ceases fire. However, it is too late, and the mistaken victim sinks. The absence of survivors is a puzzle because Clausen gives them plenty of time to abandon ship, which they do - but the waters in the North Atlantic are cold and treacherous.

The Luftwaffe bombs 7005-ton British freighter Empire Frost at the mouth of the Bristol Channel off Milford Haven. There are six deaths, and the freighter is taken in tow.

The Luftwaffe bombs 6625-ton British freighter Essex Lance in the Strait of Dover. Badly damaged, the Essex Lance is towed to Cromer and beached nearby. The ship later is repaired and refloated.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 1189 ton Swedish freighter Stella at Manchester, which is loading steel billets bound for Newport. Sunk at its berth, the badly damaged Stella later is refloated and renamed River Swift.

At Liverpool, numerous ships are damaged or sunk during the night attack:

• 5646-Swedish freighter Buenos Aires (sunk, later raised and used as a stationary supply ship)
• 1542-British floating crane Mammoth (sunk, later raised)
• 122-ton British coaster Excelsior (sunk)
• 5218-ton British freighter Catrine (damaged)
• 12,427-ton British transport Imperial Star (damaged)
• 7403-ton British freighter Elax (damaged)
• 8092-ton British tanker El Mirlo (damaged)
• 8120-ton British tanker Delphinula (damaged).

German motor torpedo boat S-28 attacks Convoy SF 32 off Orfordness, Suffolk. It sinks 5257-ton British freighter Trevethoe. There is one death.

British 324-ton freighter Camroux I hits a mine a few miles off Blyth. It is towed to that port.

Convoy OB 297 departs from Liverpool.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Exmoor, corvette Vervain and anti-submarine warfare trawler Valse are launched.

U-167, U-605, U-606 and U-661 are laid down.

Italian medium M13/40 tanks on parade in Tripoli on 12 March 1941. Picture from Wikipedia’s Bundesarchiv project (Sturm, Federal Archive: Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B16002).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The entire 5th Light Division now is active in Tripolitania. General Rommel returns from Berlin, where he was engaged in planning the first offensive of the Afrika Korps. A parade, apparently in Rommel's honor, is staged at 17:00 in front of the Castle in Tripoli by the German 5th Panzer Regiment and the tank battalion of the Ariete Division. The German panzers head out toward Sirte directly after the parade.

In Malta, the Luftwaffe is switching to night raids, just as it has on the Channel front in northwest Europe. Many of the night-time raids are nuisance raids, lone planes designed simply to strain the nerves of the island's residents. However, the residents of Sliema have had their homes destroyed in the previous night's raid, and the defending RAF fighters have been greatly reduced in number by recent attacks on Luqa and Hal Far airfields.

Convoy AG 5 departs Alexandria bound for Piraeus, Convoy US 9/2 departs from Bombay.

An Italian troop convoy departs from Naples bound for Tripoli. It has three troop transport ships and a heavy escort.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Pinguin rendezvouses with fellow raider Komet 120 miles east of the Kerguelen Islands. They proceed to the islands and anchor at Port Couvreux. Accompanying Pinguin is captured whaler Pol IX, which is converted to an auxiliary minelayer and renamed Adjutant.

Marika Rökk on the cover of Filmwoche Magazine, 12 March 1941.

Anglo/US Relations: At a press conference regarding the new Lend-Lease Act, Prime Minister Churchill goes into rhetorical overdrive. He calls the law "A new Magna Carta... an inspiring act of faith." Considering that many in the US simply want the British soldiers to fight Hitler and die rather than US boys, it's a little murky how much "faith" has to do with it. But, quibbles aside, it indeed is a war-winning law that directly addresses Churchill's perpetual paranoia about supplies getting through. There is no question that this is a decisive moment in the war and that Churchill appropriately celebrates it.

Churchill telegrams President Roosevelt (via Lord Halifax, who actually delivers it on the 13th). It concerns their simmering disagreement over humanitarian aid to areas occupied by the Germans and their various satellites and enablers:

Admiral Darlan’s declaration and threat make me wonder whether it would not be best for you to intervene as a friend of both sides and try to bring about a working agreement. We do not wish to push things to extremes, and we naturally should be most reluctant in a thing like this to act against your judgment after you have weighed all the pros and cons.

Darlan has recently stated that he views it as his responsibility to feed 40 million people, and he will use force to do so if necessary. The only thing standing between US humanitarian aid and Vichy French possessions in North Africa is the comprehensive British blockade. In this telegram, Churchill states that "Dealing with Darlan is dealing with Germany," which is quite inaccurate.

Churchill suggests that perhaps slipping a ship or two through would appease everyone and perhaps aid the British war effort in the bargain:

Would you therefore consider coming forward on the basis of how shocked you were at the idea of fighting breaking out between France and Great Britain, which would only help the common foe. Then you might be able to procure Vichy assent to a scheme allowing a ration of wheat to go through, month by month to unoccupied France and something for French Africa as long as other things were satisfactory. These other things might form the subject of a secret arrangement of which the Germans will not know, by which German infiltration into Morocco and French African ports would be limited to the bare armistice terms, and by which an increasing number of French warships would gradually be moving from Toulon to Casablanca or Dakar.

It is difficult to see how the Germans "would not know" of food shipments to Vichy French areas. Churchill also bemoans the possibility "any large number of ships which are needed for our life and war effort were used up in food carrying."

In Liverpool, damage to the Overhead Railway line at Sandon dock resulting from the Luftwaffe raid of 12/13 March 1941.

Thai/Soviet Relations: Thailand and the Soviet Union establish diplomatic relations.

US Military: CINCPAC (Admiral Husband E. Kimmel) sends a message to Admiral Stark, Chief of Naval Operations in which he appears to take security at Pearl Harbor lightly:

[T]he Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet, recommends that until a light efficient net, that can be laid temporarily and quickly is developed, no A/T [aerial torpedo] nets be supplied this area.

The Japanese at this time are working on their attack plans against Pearl Harbor which would be compromised by such nets. This will be an exhibit for the Hart Inquiry in 1942.

The Corpus Christi Naval Air School opens. It is a pet project of Representative Lyndon B. Johnson, President Roosevelt's primary Texas supporter during the 1940 election, and Roosevelt directly intervenes with the War Department by asking it to listen to Johnson. One could consider Naval Air Station a "political payoff" to Johnson for his support. Industrialist Henry Kaiser, another big Roosevelt supporter, helps to build the base. That's just how things get done. NAS Corpus Christi's first commander is Captain Alva Berhard. The school ramps up quite quickly and soon is training hundreds of students.

China: With the Japanese Western Hupei Operations terminated, the Chinese River Defense Force pursues the withdrawing enemy. The Japanese leave behind a scene of burnt-out villages and many dead civilians.

British Homefront: There are many who continue to keep an eye on how all this will affect business in the post-world. Australian Prime Minister Menzies, who is visiting London, dines with famous economist John Maynard Keynes. Menzies writes in his diary:

Keynes advocates a partnership in disposal of primary products, e.g. wool, and on the importance of blending war effort with an eye on post war world - e.g., aeroplanes & motor cars in Australia.

The way that Australia currently is "blending the war effort and the post-war world" is by sending its men to defend Greece from the Wehrmacht.

American Homefront: "Meet John Doe" premieres in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City. Directed by Frank Capra and starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, "Meet John Doe" is a prestige production from Warner Bros. continuing Hollywood's cynical take on politics and the media (such as in Jimmy Stewart's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"). It also is an early "populist political phenomenon" film which arguably reaches its peak with Warren Beatty's 1998 "Bulworth."

A shop in Orange NSW, Australia. E A Young, owner. 12 March 1941.

And now for some relaxing swing from occupied Europe.