Citizens of Leningrad construct a defense barricade near the Kirov Factory No. 100, 24 September 1941
Spy Stuff: Japanese spying in the United States is a fact, and on 24 September 1941 it shifts into a higher gear. The Japanese Foreign Ministry sends its consulate general in Hawaii, Nagai Kita, instructions in Telegram No. 83 to ramp up his spying efforts. The Consul is to divide Pearl Harbor into five different spy zones:
Henceforth, we would like to have you make reports concerning vessels along the following lines insofar as possible: 1. The waters (of Pearl Harbor) are to be divided roughly into five sub-areas. (We have no objections to your abbreviating as much as you like.) Area A. Waters between Ford Island and the Arsenal. Area B. Waters adjacent to the Island south and west of Ford Island. (This area is on the opposite side of the Island from Area A.) Area C. East Loch. Area D. Middle Loch. Area E. West Loch and the communicating water routes. 2. With regard to warships and aircraft carriers, we would like to have you report on those at anchor, (these are not so important) tied up at wharves, buoys and in locks. (Designate types and classes briefly. If possible we would like to have you make mention of the fact when there are two or more vessels alongside the same wharf.)
These new instructions are a reflection of the increased pace of planning in the Japanese Navy for an attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Japanese have been spying on US Navy activities both in Honolulu and in the Philippines for months. In fact, they have gone to the extent of putting a specially trained expert in military espionage on the staff of the Honolulu Consulate. In a 17 September 1941 cable from Santiago to D.C., the Japanese Embassy was instructed:
All of our offices in North America should give their immediate attention to the selection of spies.
So, while today's development marks a new phase in the degree of Japanese spying, it is not a completely new tactic. Rather, it is an extension of a growing attempt by the Japanese to develop intelligence that would be useful during a conflict with the United States.
Pearl Harbor drydocks on 24 September 1941. USS Utah (AG-16) is barely visible under the steel bridge in the background (National Archives).
There is spying going on by both sides. While the Japanese are spying on the US military in Hawaii, the Americans are reading the Japanese diplomatic code J-19 under which the spy reports are sent to Tokyo. The United States naval intelligence intercepts the instructions to Consul Kita, but the intercepted message must be sent to Washington to be decoded. This being spy stuff, the intercepted message can't just be sent by cable lest the Japanese intelligence services intercept the intercepted message in turn and realize their own codes are being read (the spy business gets very complicated sometimes). So, the transmission must be hand-carried and hand-delivered and generally treated with extreme care. There aren't any flights, so the courier goes by sea. Once the message gets to Washington, there aren't enough experts to decode it quickly. The whole process becomes a sort of "comic opera" version of spying.
Lt. Hans-Joachim Marseille of 3./JG 27 shoots down five RAF planes today in North Africa. They are his 19th through 24th kills, four Hawker Hurricanes and a Martin Maryland bomber.
The end result is that the transmission isn't actually decoded by the "Magic" cryptanalysis project until 9 October 1941. Two of the Magic experts then find the message to be concerning and submit separate assessments to that effect. However, their superiors in the War Plans and Intelligence Divisions in Washington don't read anything sinister into the heightened spying efforts. Instead, the Magic staff just use the intercept to make some essentially literary criticisms of a Japanese tendency to pay too much attention to details. Pearl Harbor is never even notified that the Japanese are spying or warned that this might mean something for the future.
Linda McCartney, born on 24 September 1941.
Future History: Linda Louise Eastman is born in New York City to a father of Jewish Russian descent and a mother of German Jewish descent. Linda studies at the University of Arizona, where she develops an interest in photography. She becomes a top photographer of rock stars in England. There, Linda meets Paul McCartney and they get married in 1969. Later, Paul and Linda form rock group Wings in the 1970s and Linda participates in recordings with Paul McCartney then and later. Linda McCartney passes away from breast cancer on 17 April 1998.
Two young girls with three dogs at a Sears Roebuck store at 1148 Broadway in Manhattan, New York. This photo was taken to promote National Dog Week.
Residents being deported from Latvia in cattle cars during the June Deportations, 14 June 1941.
Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: Operation Exporter continues on 14 June 1941, but the Commonwealth forces run into fierce Vichy French opposition. The Australian 21st Brigade continues attacking Sidon on the coast road but still fails to completely secure the city. The French forces use Renault R35 tanks to good effect, and other Australian troops have to be called up from the southeast to outflank the defenders. The defending French pull out during the night after a hard-fought defense.
The 25th Brigade of the Australian 7th Division consolidates its hold on Jezzine, a key stop on the road to Beirut. To the east, the French force in Ktriese tries to block the British advance.
The Vichy French Navy sends two destroyers out of Beirut at 16:20 to shell the advancing Australians, but New Zealand cruiser HMNZS Leander and British destroyers send them back to port. British destroyers HMS Jervis and HMS Griffin bombard Sidon.
Fierce air battles develop offshore, where the Axis forces attack the Royal Navy ships off Tyre. Curtiss Tomahawks of RAAF No. 3 Squadron shoot down three bombers.
Residents being deported from Latvia in cattle cars, 14 June 1941.
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe sends eight He 111s of KGr 100 to attack the aircraft factory at Filton. The Luftwaffe loses one plane and the attack causes little damage.
RAF Fighter Command begins a month-long practice of daily fighter sweeps over the English Channel and Northern France.
RAF 11 Group attacks St. Omer airfields with 12 fighter squadrons escorting 12 Blenheim IVs of 2 Group. One Blenheim IV from RAF No.110 Sqn is lost.
During these attacks, Luftwaffe Ofw. Robert Menge of 3./JG 26 is shot down and killed near Marquise, France by Squadron Leader James E. Rankin of No. 92 Squadron RAF. Menge has 18 kills to his credit. RAF Bomber Command also sends 30 aircraft on anti-shipping missions.
During the night, RAF Bomber Command raids Cologne with 29 bombers. The Royal Canadian Air Force conducts its first mission when three No. 405 Squadron Wellingtons attack the Schwerte railway marshaling yards.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert becomes AOCinC (commander) of RAF Coastal Command.
Residents being deported from Latvia in cattle cars, 14 June 1941.
Battle of the Atlantic: Having been torpedoed off Norway by an RAF Beaufighter, Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser Lutzow returns to Kiel under its own power. It will be out of commission for about a year.
U-751 (Kptlt. Gerhard Bigalk), on its first patrol out of Kiel, torpedoes, and sinks 5370-ton British freighter St. Lindsay. All 43 men on board perish, including a group of Navy officers traveling as passengers.
The Newfoundland Escort Force continues beefing up its support infrastructure with the arrival at St. John's of depot ship HMS Forth.
Convoy LC-1 departs from Londonderry for Halifax, Convoy OG-65 departs from Liverpool bound for Gibraltar, Convoy HG-65 departs from Gibraltar bound for Liverpool.
Canadian minesweeper HMCS Lachine is launched at Levis, Quebec.
Australian minesweeper HMAS Lithgow (Commander Alfred V. Knight) is commissioned.
United States destroyers USS Fitch and Forrest are launched and Doran and Earle are laid down.
U-333 is launched, U-303 and U-414 are laid down.
Residents being deported from Latvia in cattle cars, 14 June 1941.
Battle of the Mediterranean: British troops move forward to jump-off points for Operation Battleaxe. This is an offensive on the Libyan border designed to relieve Tobruk. British Middle East Commander General Bernard Wavell anticipates that German General Erwin Rommel has his tanks tied down around Tobruk and that his armor will cut through the defending German infantry easily.
Due to careless wireless signals on the British side, Rommel learns eight hours before the British offensive begins that it is coming. He immediately orders reinforcements to the border. The main German force that will bear the brunt of the British offensive is the 15th Panzer Division. The German 5th Light Division also is available on the Tobruk perimeter.
Royal Navy submarine HMS Clyde torpedoes and sinks 331-ton Italian freighter Giovanini Bottigliere south of Sardinia.
In Operation Tracer, Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal and Victorious successfully fly off 47 Hawker Hurricane fighters to Malta. The carriers and their accompanying escorts, Force H, then return to Gibraltar. All of the planes reach Malta.
Italian planes based on Rhodes bomb Suez Bay.
Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille is forced to crashland in Libya. He quickly returns to base, takes off in another fighter, but is shot down again. This fighter he also crashlands in Libya without injury and behind German lines. Battle of the Pacific: Swedish 6079-ton freighter Ningpo hits a mine in Singapore Harbor. The explosion disables the freighter, which must be towed to Hong Kong for repairs.
HMAS Hobart preparest to tow freighter HMS Glenearn in Suez Bay, 14 June 1941.
Spy Stuff: The Japanese Vice-Consul in Hawaii, a Japanese intelligence officer posing as a diplomat, reports to Tokyo that a light cruiser has entered Pearl Harbor for repairs. The Japanese are keeping a very close eye on US Navy fleet movements across the Pacific.
US/Axis Relations: The sinking of US freighter Robin Moore off the African coast by U-69 (Kptlt. Jost Metzler) on 21 May 1941 results in sanctions against the Axis powers. It now is accepted even by isolationist United States Senator Gerald Nye (R-ND) that the Germans sank the freighter. Nye states:
The evidence that the Robin Moor was sunk by a German submarine is too complete to permit my declaration of yesterday noon, to the effect that the boat might have been sunk by Britain, to stand."
President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 8785, entitled "Freezing the Assets of Certain European Countries." By this order, the United States immediately freezes assets of Andorra, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Danzig, Finland, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, France, Monaco, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia (which technically no longer exists), Greece, and Albania.
The order applies to the nations themselves and individuals of those nations. No reason is given in the text of the order, but it clearly is directed at the Axis powers (including the Soviet Union and its satellites). Notable from its absence on the list is Japan, which is subject to other sanctions.
In addition, the US State Department tells Germany and Italy to close all consulates in the United States except for their embassies. The United States demands damages and reparations from Germany, but the Reich ignores this demand. Germany quickly responds by telling the United States to close its consulates in the Reich, and Germany and Italy both begin considering freezing United States assets in Europe. German/Vichy French Relations: Given Vichy French unwillingness to ratify the Paris Protocols, they essentially become a nullity aside from the Luftwaffe use of airfields in the Levant - which at this point is a fairly useless concession given the fall of Iraq to the British.
Troopship MV Georgic on fire after an air attack in Suez Bay, 14 June 1941.
Soviet/German Relations: Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov tells German Ambassador Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg that "only a fool would attack Russia." Schulenburg secretly basically agrees but has an inkling of what is to come.
German Military: Hitler holds meetings throughout the day with his generals at the Reich Chancellery. All of the generals and Field Marshals are given separate entrances and staggered times to attend the meeting in order to preserve secrecy.
Hitler, who already has absolved in advance Wehrmacht troops of all crimes they may commit during Operation Barbarossa, expands upon previous orders such as the Commissar Order of 6 June 1941. He reiterates that Soviet prisoners of war do not have to be treated according to the Articles of the Hague Convention and Geneva Convention. He reasons that the USSR is not covered by the treaties because it has not signed them. This means that they do not have to be fed or housed properly and so forth. In addition, as previously ordered, he emphasizes that Soviet Commissars are "not to be considered POWs" and are to be shot upon capture. It is certain that these orders are illegal and contrary both to treaties and the rules of warfare.
According to notes taken by a Luftwaffe general, at one point Hitler says:
The main enemy is still Britain. Britain will fight on as long as the fight has any purpose; this is typical of the British, as we have seen from their individual soldier’s conduct in Flanders, and it was demonstrated again by Dunkirk, by Greece, and by Crete. But Britain’s fight only makes sense as long as they can hope that American aid will take effect and that they may find support on the continent. This explains why they have high hopes that the Russians will intervene and tie down the Germans, wearing down our war economy while the balance of power is tilted by American aid. At present this is very meager; it will not become effective until the summer of 1942, assuming they have enough shipping tonnage to bring it over here; and the shipping losses are increasing.
The proof of [Britain’s] advances to Russia is the complete uniformity in their press treatment of Cripps’s journey.(1) Russia’s attitude is perpetually obscure; she exploited every moment of political or military preoccupation elsewhere to raise immediate political demands. We can see this happening in Russia’s intervention in the Polish campaign, and again against the Baltic states and Finland, and now in the Balkans (Bessarabia, and the treaty of friendship with Yugoslavia).
Our attempt to “clarify the position” met with the following objections from Molotov. First question, What does our guarantee to Romania mean and would we object to a Russian military mission? The second question concerning the Dardanelles, and the third about Finland. In other words continual efforts to push in somewhere. Since these efforts coincided chronologically with various temporary weaknesses in the German position, we would have to expect them to use every chance they can in the future to act against Germany’s interests. The Russian armed forces are strong enough to prevent us from demobilizing soldiers and feeding them into the arms and consumer-goods industries so long as this latent Russian threat persists. Even if we made peace with Britain this would still be so. We want this conflict to come early, however ; indeed it is absolutely vital if we are not to forfeit the favorable conditions that prevail. The bulk of the Russian forces are standing on the frontier, so we have a good chance of defeating them right there.
Hitler admits during his typical monologue that Soviet troops outnumber the Wehrmacht. He reasons that this problem is surmountable because of the higher quality of German troops.
There is an awkward moment when Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, attempting to be positive (he has expressed his doubts about Operation Barbarossa in private), stands up and yells that the victory over the Soviet Union will rival those of Hitler's previous victories. Hitler, however, does not take the bait. Instead, he darkly warns that Operation Barbarossa will be the "toughest" fight yet because Germany "shall be fighting an ideological enemy and an ideological enemy of fanatical persistence at that."
Word of the Commissar Order, which authorizes immediate execution of Soviet political troops, filters down to the ranks. For instance, Theodore Eicke, commander of the SS Death's Head (Totenkopf) Division, tells his men of the order. Some commanders later claim, however, not to have informed their men of the order.
The Germans instruct their vessels in Soviet ports to leave.
Martin Baltimore Mk. I or II. on June 14, 1941. (U.S. Air Force photo)
British Military: Prime Minister Winston Churchill criticizes General Bernard Freyberg's conduct of operations on Crete in a letter to General Ismay. In particular, he is upset that Freyberg did not launch a counterattack at Maleme airfield while that was still possible.
Holocaust: The June Deportations begin in Estonia. The Soviet Union rounds up "suspect" individuals in Estonia. They are mostly political figures, clergymen, military officers, refugees and immigrants, and others the Soviets feel that they cannot control. About 10,000 people are rounded up and sent to Siberia in cattle cars, and whenever one individual is sent, his entire family is forced to go with him.
American Homefront: Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard singles chart with "Maria Elena." It is a 1932 popular tune written originally in Spanish by Lorenzo Barcelata and released by Decca Records (3968). The flip side is "Green Eyes," which also will hit No. 1, making it a big double-sided hit recording.
This grave marker in Libya reads, “Here rests an unknown English lieutenant, fallen during air combat on June 14th, 1941" (photograph was taken by George Rodger, Colorized by Laiz Kuczynski).
General Erwin Rommel with the 15th Panzer Division between Tobruk and Sidi Omar. Rommel sometimes used armored cars but preferred staff cars because they were more mobile and convenient. This would cost him later in the war (National Archives 1941).
Operation Marita: With mainland Greece occupied by the Germans on 1 May 1941, the focus shifts to Crete. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a lengthy cable to Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, in which he congratulates the Royal Navy for the way it "succored the Army and brought off four-fifths of the entire force" from the mainland. He also notes:
It is now necessary to fight hard for Crete, which seems soon to be attacked heavily, and for Malta as a base for flotilla actions against the enemy's communications with Libya.
Churchill sends a much briefer cable to his Middle East Commander, General Archibald Wavell, merely appending his cable to Cunningham and noting "Feel sure you are waiting to strike a blow." An old sea dog, Churchill naturally favors the Royal Navy over the army, but it also is clear from his communications that he hates to lavish praise on Wavell (and his subordinates) for what are likely personal reasons.
Italian airborne troops continue occupying the Greek islands of Cephalonia, Ithaca, and Zante.
Iraqi War: The Iraqis have demanded that the British at Habbaniya Airfield west of Baghdad surrender. The British do not reply. The ultimatum will expire in the early morning hours of 2 May. The British prepare to sortie out of their airfield fortress against the Iraqis, who have set up 28 artillery pieces on a plateau overlooking the airfield to the south. There are small Iraqi attacks near the airfield at Rutba. Air Vice-Marshal Harry Smart is instructed personally by Churchill to defend his position: "If you have to strike, strike hard. Use all necessary force."
The May Day parade in Kuibyshev on May 1, 1941 (Vladimir Samartsev).
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe begins a major campaign against Liverpool, which is the main port through which Great Britain communicates with the outside world. This will continue for the next seven nights and wound or kill 3000 people. The Germans also accomplish their true goal of strangling tonnage going into the port, at least temporarily.
The Luftwaffe sinks British freighter Europa and ammunition transporter Malakand during the raid on Liverpool.
Churchill's secretary, John Colville, notes in his diary after a tour of the area that "Plymouth has been cruelly laid waste in the last fortnight." The Luftwaffe has attacked Plymouth for five nights running, but at least the attacks had lessened in severity as they continued. Now, it is Liverpool's turn. The War Cabinet minutes note that it is "disturbing" that "the Press had drawn attention to an unofficial nightly exodus from Plymouth into surrounding districts." The same pattern is likely to occur in Liverpool.
The Luftwaffe combines the day and night fighter commands into a unified command structure, but FLAK units remain independently controlled by local air headquarters (Luftgaukommandos). Colonel Josef Kammhuber is in charge of coordinating FLAK, searchlight and radar units and is a genius at creating an organization (though a bit shakier on overall military strategy). Kammhuber is in the process of coordinating Reich air defenses into a unified structure later known as the Kammhuber Line. This works fairly well under the circumstances that prevail during the early part of the war.
RAF Bomber Command conducts a sweep off the Dutch coast with 22 planes, but there are no incidents.
Ofw. Erich Rudorffer of I./JG 2, with nineteen aerial victories, is awarded the Ritterkreuz.
U-34 (right), a training boat, 1 May 1941. If you look very closely, you will see that it's operational emblem is a picture of an elephant stepping on Winston Churchill, probably in reference to Churchill's time as First Lord of the Admiralty.
East African Campaign: While there have been some small attacks recently in western Abyssinia on heavily defended Italian positions, the rainy season begins and halts the most further operations until mid-June. The Duke of Aosta, a favorite of the King of Italy, is trapped in Amba Alaga, Abyssinia with 7000 troops, but has maximized his possibilities with prudent withdrawals into defensible positions. The East African 22nd Infantry Brigade, advances south from Addis Ababa, capturing Mount Fike in Galla-Sidamo.
On 1 May 1941, the Germans confiscate bicycles at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. This is done both to help their own troops (many of whom use bicycles rather than walk) and to deprive the Dutch people of this means of mobility (ANP Historisch Archief Community).
Battle of the Atlantic: The 5583-ton British freighter Nerissa, attacked by U-552 (K.Kapt. Erich Topp) yesterday just before midnight, sinks. It takes 83 crew and 124 passengers with it. There are 23 crew and 51 passengers rescued. See also events of 1 May 1941.
U-103 (Viktor Schütze), on its fourth patrol, is off the coast of West Africa when it torpedoes and sinks 1494 ton British freighter Samsø. This is the start of a string of success in the area for U-103. The Samsø sinks slowly, taking 50 minutes, and only one crewman perishes. The rest of the crew makes it to Los Island, French Guinea, on 3 May.
The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 329-ton minesweeping trawler Jean Frederic off Start Point. There is one death. Another ship, 200-ton balloon barrage vessel Saturnus, is declared a total loss due to damage sustained. Both vessels have Dutch crews.
British 2950-ton freighter Sea Fisher hits a mine and is beached with the assistance of two tugs. The ship is given temporary repairs and eventually makes it to Middlesborough on 5 May.
Royal Navy patrol boat 534-ton Loch Oskaig captures 3317-ton French freighter Cap Cantin near the entrance to the Mediterranean and takes it to Gibraltar.
Royal Navy patrol boat Cavina captures 6466-ton Italian tanker Sangro, a blockade runner, in the same general vicinity as the Loch Oskaig's capture.
Royal Navy patrol boat HMS Corinthian captures 350-ton French three-masted schooner Martin Pecheur. The ship is sent to Gibraltar with a prize crew.
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Juno sustains damage when a depth charge explodes prior to launch. One man is killed and 15 others are wounded.
Portugues schooner Santa Quitéra founders off the Grand Banks. All 40 men are rescued.
Royal Navy destroyers HMS Adrias and Haydon are laid down.
USN submarine USS Grenadier is commissioned, and light fleet carrier USS Independence is laid down, along with destroyers Bancroft, Beatty, Endicott, Kendrick, Laub, McCook and Tillman.
U-163 and U-164 are launched, and U-568 is commissioned. At this stage of the war, increases to the U-boat fleet are far outpacing losses.
Maurine Zollman, a John Powers model (photo by John Rawlings).
Battle of the Mediterranean: The German/Italian offensive against Tobruk continues, and makes some progress. The Germans reorient the axis of attack by the panzers from the southeast to the east but run into a minefield and antitank fire. Paulus, nominally in charge, already is ready to give up, but Major General Rommel tries to enlarge his small bridgehead with an attack to the southeast toward Bir el Medauar. The British respond by sending their own tanks to block them, and a major battle takes place. The British lose five tanks, but blunt the German attack, and the Australian infantry counterattacks. This attack also is repulsed, leaving the Germans within the Tobruk perimeter but unable to expand it as the day ends.
The following Italian infantry, meanwhile, which was supposed to follow the panzer in, is still dealing with isolated Australian outposts that have been overrun but still refuse to surrender. Overall, the battle is trending toward the British, but they have lost ground when they have very little to spare. Operations are hampered during the morning by fog. This combat operation, incidentally, is sometimes called the Battle of Ras el Medauar.
The Luftwaffe, of course, fiercely supports the German attack. Hans-Joachim Marseille, escorting German Stuka dive bombers to Tobruk, shoots down his 10th and 11th kills, two British Hurricane fighters.
General Wavell, from his headquarters in Cairo, is quick to put out a press release about the defense of Tobruk which is refreshingly candid for a military communique. He notes:
An extremely violent battle ignited Wednesday night around Tobruk. After a vigorous bombardment lasting several hours, German and Italian infantry attacked the Tobruk fortifications, deploying heavy tanks and flamethrowing tanks simultaneously. Early this morning another attack ensued by large numbers of German Stuka dive bombers which dropped heavy calibre bombs on the defence installations. Until 10:00 A.M. the British garrison succeeded in preventing any breach in the Tobruk defences. After that, a strong panzer force successfully penetrated the outer perimeter along a 2-mile front. British and Australian troops are at this moment engaged in hand-to-hand fighting in the defensive installations outside the city.
The presence of flamethrower tanks at this early stage of the war is a bit unusual, as the Wehrmacht and British did not become enamored with them until later. They apparently are Italian L3 tanks of the Ariete Division, small tanks that tow their flamethrower fuel in a separate armored trailer.
The RAF attacks shipping in the Benghazi harbor and sinks 1533-ton Italian freighter Serdica.
HMS Upholder torpedoes and sinks German freighter Arcturus just south of the Kerkennah Islands, Tunisia. This is part of a convoy returning from North Africa to Italy.
HMS Upholder also torpedoes and sinks German freighter Leverkusen in the same vicinity as the Arcturus south of the Kerkennah Islands.
Two Royal Navy submarines go missing in the Mediterranean during this general period of time - HMS Undaunted (operating near Tripoli) and Usk (the Strait of Sicily). Causes of their loss are unknown. Submarine Truant has sustained damage from minelaying and is sent from Malta to Gibraltar.
German 1819-ton freighter Larissa hits a mine and sinks in the Gulf of Volos.
Winston Churchill orders another operation to run an aircraft carrier into the Mediterranean from Gibraltar and fly off some Hawker Hurricanes to Malta. Such operations have had mixed success to date, with losses of several planes that apparently ran out of fuel. This projected operation is tentatively slated for late May at the earliest.
At Malta, the Luftwaffe attacks continue, and the attacks include bombings and minelaying. The Germans sink 1373-ton freighter Polinice, but the ship is later raised for salvage. There is one civilian death. HMS Jersey hits a mine in Valetta Harbor and later sinks during a raid.
The Italian Navy sends a large force, including three light cruisers, to lay mines north of Tripoli.
The 1 May 1941 cover of "The Shadow" magazine.
Anglo/US Relations: Adding to the four US coast guard cutters transferred to the Royal Navy yesterday pursuant to Lend Lease, the US Navy transfers to the British USCGC Chelan (CGC-45), renamed HMS Lulworth.
German Military: Generalleutnant August Krakau takes command of the German 7th Mountain Division, replacing Robert Martinek. Kapitän zur See Friedrich Hüffmeier took command of cruiser Köln.
US Military: Rainbow 5, the plan for US military responses to an attack, is completed by the Joint Army-Navy Board. It calls for a defensive strategy that entails the surrender of the Philippines. Admiral Hart in the Philippines, acting on optimistic advice from the Navy Department, tells his staff that they will have at least two days of warning prior to the outbreak of hostilities. Commander H D Linder, RNethN arrives in Manila to serve as Hart's liaison with the powerful Dutch naval forces in the East Indies (Indonesia).
Admiral Ernest J. King takes command of the Atlantic Fleet.
Lieutenant Colonel William P. T. Hill takes command of the newly built Marine Barracks of New River, North Carolina.
Japanese Military: Aircraft carrier Kaga is put in drydock in Sasebo for refit, while freighter Kasuga Maru begins conversion to an escort carrier at the same port.
The May Day parade in Moscow, 1 May 1941.
Soviet Military: Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin gives a routine May Day speech which reflects growing rumblings beneath the placid peacetime surface. Stalin's remarks probably are not directed at his current ally Germany, but, in retrospect, they seem to fit what he has in store for them:
The Red Army is ready, in the interests of the socialist state, to ward off every blow struck by the imperialists. The international situation is full of unexpected events. In such a situation the Red Army must step up its defensive readiness.
The German military attache in Moscow notes that the Red Army has begun calling up recruits in the lowest age cohort six months earlier than usual. The Soviets also orders that foreign diplomats may no longer travel freely, but must be escorted.
British Military: General Percival leaves Great Britain to take up his new command in Singapore by air. It is a risky passage via Gibraltar, Malta, Egypt, and India.
US War Bonds go on sale today.
British Government: There is a major shakeup within the ministries. Lord Brabazon becomes the new Minister of Aircraft Production, and a new Ministry of War Transport is established that combines the old ministries of shipping and transport. Industrialist Frederick Leathers, who gets a peerage for his effort, will preside over the new Transport ministry. Lord Beaverbrook becomes Minister of State.
Visiting Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies confides in his diary that he is "desperately afraid of the future in Great Britain." Menzies is scheduled to return home on 3 May, but notes that Lord Beaverbrook "thinks [it] absurd that I should go back to Australia!" There is definite sentiment among those opposed to Churchill's conduct of the war that Menzies would be a good replacement for Churchill as Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Holocaust: Gross-Rosen concentration camp (German: Konzentrationslager Groß-Rosen), set to become one of the largest camps, becomes an independent camp. It is in Groß-Rosen, Lower Silesia, Germany (later Rogoznica, Poland). Gross-Rosen had been begun in the summer of 1940 as a satellite camp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
SS Karsik (formerly the German Soneck), 1 May 1941, a well-traveled 2191 ton ship of World War II (Australian War Memorial, ID Number: 303479)
Partisans: Joseph Broz "Tito" issues a call for armed resistance to the Germans and Italian occupiers. He is an avowed communist. This is partly in response to mass killings being undertaken at this time by the Pavelic Ustashi government.
US Homefront: Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" is released in the US, with its world premiere at the Palace Theater in New York. It will be nominated for nine Academy Awards and win for Best Original Screenplay (Welles and Herman Mankiewicz). The making of "Citizen Kane" is an oft-retold saga all of its own, with William Randolph Hearst repeatedly trying to quash its release to no avail. "Citizen Kane" is widely regarded as one of the best films ever made, and can fairly be said to the high point of Welles' long and inventive career. Audience reception upon its release, however, is muted.
The Esposito Brothers, who stand accused of murder near the Empire State Building, are convicted of two counts of murder after one minute of deliberation. A photographer happened to be nearby and captured stunning images of the incident. The brothers' attempt to plead insanity as their defense fails. However, the case greatly expands the use of the insanity defense.
General Mills introduces its new cereal Cheerioats. The name eventually will become Cheerios, and the cereal remains a steady seller for many decades.
US Defense Savings Bonds and Stamps, better known as war bonds, go on sale.
Greek battleship Kilkis, sunk by the Luftwaffe on 23 April 1941.
Operation Marita: With Adolf Hitler having placated Benito Mussolini by agreeing to modifications of various Greek surrender terms, Germany, Italy and Greece sign documents by which the Greek Epirus Army surrenders. The ceremony takes place at 14:45 on 23 April 1941 at Salonika (Thessaloniki), and Hitler wants the news announced then - but Mussolini has his Rome news service broadcast the news at 10:00:
The enemy armies of Epirus and Macedonia have laid down their arms. The surrender was tendered by a Greek military delegation yesterday at 9:04 P.M. to the commander of the Italian Eleventh Army on the Epirus front. The details of the surrender will now be worked out in complete agreement with our German allies.
Among other things, Hitler agrees to grant Italy dominion over the new "Independent State of Croatia" despite vociferous opposition from the locals there. However, Hitler retains German control over Serbia, and Foreign Minister Ribbentrop appoints Luftwaffe General Helmut Forster as the new military governor there.
Greek General Papagos, who now has virtually no troops left under his command, resigns.
The Germans have concentrated forces in the vicinity of Ioannina, placed there to prevent any escape by the Greek Epirus Army. With that no longer an issue, the Wehrmacht troops (led by the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, currently of brigade strength) head toward the Ionian coast. Their plan is to block any British evacuation attempts from the Peloponnese, with landings near Corinth by fallschirmjäger (paratroopers). The Bulgarian 2nd Army moves into Thrace.
The British are gearing up for Operation Demon, the evacuation of British troops from the Greek mainland. Some A-lighters arrive off the coast, and the Luftwaffe promptly bombs and damages lighter A.1 off the coast at Megara, causing the crew to scuttle it. Another lighter, A-6, is damaged off Raphtis.
The Luftwaffe continues its depredations against merchant shipping in Greek waters. It sinks the following Greek ships:
4665-ton Santa Clara Valley (British), in Nauplia Bay, 7 dead
722-ton Assimi at Krioneri
372-ton Elvira at Chalkis
2398-ton Katerina at Methana
1461-ton Kerkyra off Salamis
223-ton Kyma in Patras Harbor
1839-ton Macedonia north of Patras (some sources place this on the 22nd)
625-ton Nicolaos Nomicos north of Patras (later refloated and scrapped by the Germans)
4108-ton Nicolaou Georgios at Nauplia
385-ton Stathis at Megara
231-ton Hydra at Megara
273-ton Athina S. at Psathopirgos (later raised)
1028-ton Kriti at Antirion (later raised by the Italians)
Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87 Stukas also bomb and sink two obsolete Greek battleships, Kilkis and Lemnos, at Salamis Naval Base. The Kilkis and Lemnos are both Mississippi-class dreadnoughts originally built for the US Navy in 1904-08 that are being used as barracks ships. The Greeks begin scuttling their warships, starting with torpedo boat Doris at Porto Rafti.
The RAF is taking a beating in Greece. A Luftwaffe attack on Argos destroys numerous Hurricane fighters on the ground (some sources say up to 13 planes).
Departing King George II, now in Crete, orders that his wine cellar be opened and the bottles given to Allied soldiers. Each enlisted man will receive one bottle, and each officer two.
The Luftwaffe attacks in Greek waters are echoing across the Atlantic.
Iraq War: Tensions remain high. Iraqi leader Rashid Ali again asks Germany to send aid, which can only come by air. However, there are immense logistical problems that must be overcome before the Luftwaffe can even attempt a mission to Iraq, not least of which is that the British control the major airfields.
European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 37 aircraft to attack coastal targets in France and points north during the day. It also raids the port of Brest during the night with 67 planes and sends 14 planes on minelaying operations.
The Luftwaffe continues the "Plymouth Blitz." Tonight, it sends 109 bombers to continue their attacks on the heart of the city.
Luftwaffe ace Hermann-Friedrich Joppien of JG 51, who recently scored his 40th victory against the RAF (and was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht), becomes the 11th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht honored with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). He travels to Adolf Hitler's command train Amerika in Austria to receive the medal at the hand of the Fuehrer.
This photo was taken from a Luftwaffe plane of the attack on Greek battleship Lemnos (with splash) and Kilkis (at the pier in the middle of photo).
Battle of the Atlantic: The War Cabinet, Battle of the Atlantic Committee reviews the Royal Navy's progress in fitting out merchant ships with catapult aircraft. These ships are known at first as Fighter Catapult Ships (FCS), and later as Catapult Aircraft Merchant Ships (CAM ships). They typically launch a converted Hawker Hurricane (Sea Hurricane) from a catapult at the bow. The Admiralty finds that one such ship will be completed by the end of the month, with another 8 during May, 11 in June and 6 in July. The first 10 such ships will be assigned to continuous patrolling within the "danger area" to the west of the British Isles.
A CAM ship at Algiers, 1942-43. It carries a Hawker Sea Hurricane Mark I, W9182. The Sea Hurricanes were one-use-only planes, as they did not have pontoons and had to be ditched at sea after a sortie (Wikimedia Commons).
German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen is passing through the Fehmarn Belt en route to Kiel when it detonates a magnetic mine dropped by the RAF. This causes damage to the stern of the ship, including the fuel tank, fire control equipment, and propeller shaft couplings. Prinze Eugen is scheduled for a sortie into the Atlantic with battleship Bismarck, but this incident forces a delay in that operation while repairs to the cruiser are completed. The repairs will take until 11 May 1941.
German raider Thor arrives back at Hamburg, Germany after its 322-day raiding mission. During that mission, Thor sank 11 merchant ships and a British armed merchant cruiser. It also confounded the Royal Navy and kept it searching fruitlessly throughout the South Atlantic without success.
The Kriegsmarine overseas supply network remains intact. Today, German tanker Nordmark supplies Italian submarine Perla, which has been making an arduous journey from Eritrea to France. The Perla is not built for such lengthy cruises, and its sailors have been suffering from lack of supplies for some time.
Convoy OB 314 departs from Liverpool.
Luftwaffe bombs exploding around Greek battleship Kilkis on 23 April 1941.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Following urgings by Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell appoints Australian General Thomas Blamey the Deputy Commander-in-chief, Middle East.
The war in the air over Tobruk is intense, and the Luftwaffe gradually is achieving complete air superiority. Today, German pilots shoot down a Blenheim bomber that is attacking Gazala airfield. The Luftwaffe attacks Tobruk twice, losing two fighters. The RAF force there is not being reinforced, and each loss causes a permanent diminution in its capabilities over the port. RAF losses today are unclear, with different sources placing them at somewhere between 1-7 planes.
Hans-Joachim Marseille scores his 8th kill, a British Hurricane II fighter, over Tobruk. Later in the day, his plane is disabled and he makes a forced landing in German-held territory.
The British 11 Hussars mount a tank raid against German transport in the Fort Capuzzo region. While not resulting in much, the raid reinforces jitters at the Afrika Korps headquarters regarding British attempts to relieve the Australians trapped in Tobruk. The Italian Brescia Division arrives in the operational zone around Tobruk to reinforce the besiegers.
At the OKH headquarters at Zossen, worries about the course of operations in Libya are mounting. Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel has shown a propensity to "dash about" contrary to any orders, and now is requesting additional troops and air cover. OKH Chief-of-Staff General Franz Halder decides to send one of his staff officers, General Friedrich Paulus, to Libya to "correct matters which had got out of hand." General von Manstein turns down the assignment, calling Rommel a "lunatic" and noting that Paulus has a personal friendship with Rommel. Paulus later recalls that he is offered command of the Afrika Korps at this time, but he turns it down because, as his wife counsels, it would be impossible for a general to earn a reputation in North Africa. Instead, he prefers to wait for a command in Operation Barbarossa.
The Luftwaffe also is in action off the Tripoli coast. It bombs corvette HMS Gloxinia, causing some damage from near misses.
Royal Navy destroyers HMS Jaguar, Janus, Jervis, and Juno have been on patrol off the Libyan coast since the 21st. Today, they chance upon 3311-ton Italian armed merchant cruiser Egeo about 150 km off Tripoli and sink it. Fortunately for the Axis, the Egeo is not carrying any troops or freight. The British destroyers fail to notice a large Axis convoy nearby bringing troops to the Afrika Korps, which passes by safely.
At Malta, the Luftwaffe raids continue. The RAF loses a Hurricane during a dogfight off Dellmara, with the pilot making a safe landing in the ocean. A rescue launch is not sent out immediately due to continued enemy air action, and by the time it reaches the vicinity, it cannot find Canadian Flying Officer Henri F Auger, who disappears.
Italian warships lay minefields off Cape Bon, Tunisia. British convoys between Gibraltar and Alexandria have to pass by this promontory.
The "official" Greek surrender on 23 April 1941 in Salonika. Generals Tsolakaglou, Jodl and Ferrero sign for their respective government.
War Crimes: The Luftwaffe attacks on hospital ships in the Aegean continue. Today, the Germans bomb and sink 875-ton Greek hospital ship Policos at Methana.
Spy Stuff: The "Lucy" spy ring centered in Prague sends Soviet leader Joseph Stalin more warnings about an imminent German attack. As with all the other previous warnings, Stalin discounts this as British propaganda.
Greek/Bulgarian Relations: The Greeks break diplomatic relations with Bulgaria due to the Bulgarian troop movement into Macedonia. German/Bulgarian Relations: Germany agrees to transfer captured French tanks to the Bulgarian army.
British Military: In a memo to Secretary of State for War David Margeson, Prime Minister Winston Churchill notes that there are "persistent rumors" that the German panzers are being upgraded:
[T]he Germans are constructing tanks with very thick armour - figures of 4"-6" are mentioned. Such armour would be impervious to any existing anti-tank gun or indeed any mobile gun; the tracks and other vulnerable parts are very small targets.
Churchill suggests using plastic explosives against such tanks. In fact, the Germans are not at this time building such tanks, though they are upgrading the main guns on their existing Panzer IIIs and IVs.
British Government: Princess Elizabeth - future Queen Elizabeth II - thanks Churchill "for the lovely roses you sent me on my birthday." If there is one thing that Churchill knows how to do better than anyone else, it is to schmooze with the royals.
Australian Government: Prime Minister Robert Menzies, still visiting in London, notes in his diary that he makes a broadcast today to Australia to "stop the rot." There is a loud minority in Australia who are dissatisfied with Australian involvement in the war, or at least with the state of the country's readiness for the conflict.
At the Fiesta San Antonio, the Magnolia Petroleum Company float features girls seated around the company’s Pegasus logo. April 23, 1941. (San Antonio Light Photograph Collection, MS 359: L-2738-P).
US Government: Senator Harry Truman takes his Committee investigating fraud and waste in military procurement to Camp Meade, Maryland. He derides the Army's "fantastically poor judgment" in selecting this particular site for a military base and also assails inefficient procurement practices such as leasing vehicles instead of purchasing them.
Holocaust: At Auschwitz, the Germans decide to punish the inmates for an escape attempt. They select 10 prisoners to starve to death in retaliation.
American Homefront: Charles Lindbergh gives an America First speech in New York City before 30,000 attendees. It is the first such rally in New York, which is the heart of President Roosevelt's political base. He argues that "War is not inevitable for this country" but notes that "it is now obvious that England is losing the war." Because of that, he warns that the British:
have one last desperate plan remaining. They hope that they may be able to persuade us to send another American Expeditionary Force to Europe and to share with England militarily as well as financially the fiasco of this war.
As with all of Lindbergh's speeches, this one receives a great deal of publicity and stirs debate throughout the country. The Gallup organization releases a poll today which gives survey results to the following question:
If it appears certain that Britain will be defeated unless we use part of our navy to protect ships going to Britain, would you favor or oppose such convoys?
The results show that 71% approve, 21% are opposed and 8 have no opinion. However, other recent surveys have shown similar majorities as opposed to direct US military involvement.
Students protest at City College and Hunter College (right) on 23 April 1941. They are protesting the suspension of faculty members who support the Peace Assembly Committee, a sister organization to the America First Committee (Published in the Daily Worker via City College).
