Monday 16 March 1942

U-502 arrives back in port after a successful patrol during which it sank 33,800 tons of enemy shipping on 16 March 1942 (Moravia; Junkers, Federal Archive Figure 101II-MW-3810-20A).

Battle of the Pacific: Just before midnight on 16 March 1942, General Douglas MacArthur, his family, and his staff finally receive planes to take them from Del Monte, Mindanao, Philippines, to Australia on 16 March 1942. Three B-17 bombers of the US Army 5th Air Force arrive for this mission but one requires repairs before it can make the return trip (defective supercharger). Lead pilot Lieutenant Frank P. Bostrom readies for a quick turnaround by drinking a pot of coffee. He informs the general that he and his party must leave behind any luggage - including Mrs. MacArthur's prized mattress which she brought from Corregidor.

Japanese siege guns continue bombarding US Army forts on their fortified islands near Manila. The Japanese have emplaced additional artillery southwest of Temate and US counterbattery fire is ineffective. Already, several US guns have been knocked out at Forts Drum and Frank. The Japanese guns range up in size to 240 mm, and one shell hits a Fort Frank powder room but somehow fails to detonate the 60 filled powder cans inside. US Navy submarine USS Permit arrives at Corregidor Island to evacuate naval radio and communications intelligence soldiers.

The happy crew of U-502 as it arrives back at Lorient on 16 March 1942. Note the victory pennants signifying a successful patrol. (Moravia; Junkers, Federal Archive Figure 101II-MW-3810-24A).

Eastern Front: Operation Raubtier, the German mission to cut off Soviet troops that have advanced past the Volkhov River in an effort to take Lyuban, continues from both the north and south. Progress is slow but steady. The Soviet defenders on each end of the six-mile-wide breakthrough are slowly being compressed together. Even small German advances greatly improve their chances of final success.

The Germans need Operation Raubtier to end quickly so that they transfer the forces there to relieve the men trapped in the Demyansk pocket. In the pocket, General Walter von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt, commander of the II Army Corps, has been talking about staging a desperate breakout to the west. To reassure him, Army Group North commander Georg von Küchler makes an unusually risky flight for an army group commander. He flies into the Demyansk pocket. During the flights in and out, Küchler makes personal observations about the relative positions of the two forces. He sees that the Soviets are attacking from the north and south, which means that an attack from the west might well succeed. Still, the relief attack will have to cover a full 20 miles, no small feat in the snowy or, if the attack is postponed too long, boggy terrain.

"A captured German Mk IV tank is examined back at base in the Western Desert, 16 March 1942." © IWM (E 9309).

The Soviet attack at the Parpach Narrows in Crimea begun on 13 March 1942 is over. It has accomplished virtually nothing except the capture of the strongpoint at Korpech'. That small victory came at great cost in men, tanks, and planes. The Germans begin preparing a counterattack set to start on 20 March 1942. They bring in the fresh 22nd Panzer Division in order to recapture Korpech'. However, while the 22nd Pzr is powerful, it is equipped with obsolete Czech-built Panzer 38(t)s. The Soviets, meanwhile, are also building up their forces for a renewal of their attack, and the big question is who attacks first.

European Air Operations: It is a very quiet night on the Channel Front. There are standard anti-shipping sweeps during the day but no bombing missions.

The commander of U-502, Kptlt. Jürgen von Rosenstiel, on deck after his boat docks in Lorient on 16 March 1942 (Moravia; Junkers, Federal Archive Figure 101II-MW-3810-26A).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-332 (Kptlt. Johannes Liebe), on its third patrol out of La Pallice, torpedoes and sinks 11,628-ton US tanker Australia. The independent tanker is zigzagging near the Diamond Shoals Light Buoy of Cape Hatteras near other ships when U-332 spots its silhouette against the shore lights in the background. Liebe hits the tanker with a torpedo in the engine room, killing four men instantly. Freighter William J. Salman picks up the men in their three lifeboats in only 95 minutes. The ship submerges but does not completely sink (masts still visible) and has to be completely sunk later (20 March 1942) in order for the owner to receive compensation from the US War Shipping Administration (WSA).  There are four dead and 36 survivors.

U-68 (KrvKpt. Karl-Friedrich Merten), on its third patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 3386-ton British freighter Baron Newlands six miles south of Cape Palmas, Liberia. The ship is sunk after a difficult pursuit through a thunderstorm. There are 20 survivors and 18 deaths. The survivors apparently managed to swim to shore or clung to flotsam and jetsam as no lifeboats were launched.

Dutch tanker Oscilla, sunk near the Windward Islands on 16 March 1942.

Italian submarine Morosini torpedoes, shells, and sinks 6341-ton Dutch tanker Oscilla about 100 miles northeast of the Windward Islands.  There are four survivors and four deaths, including the captain, M.A.F. Kuypers.

Italian submarine Morosini also (apparently it is the Morosini, this is not confirmed) torpedoes and sinks 2802-ton British freighter Manaqui northeast of Barbuda. Morosini is known to be operating in this area. There are 41 dead. Another candidate for this sinking is U-504.

U-504 (KrvKpt. Hans-Georg Friedrich Poske), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 5966-ton British freighter Stangarth about 300 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The ship, which is carrying ammunition and other military goods, explodes and sinks immediately. All 46 men on the Stangarth perish. Another candidate for this sinking is the Morosini.

"Commissioning of USS Impulse, formerly the British corvette HMS Begonia. 16 March 1942, Albert Dock." USS Impulse served with the US Navy until being returned to the Royal Navy in 1945. © IWM (A 7789).

Danish 1458-ton freighter Agnete (under German control) is bombed and sunk by RAF aircraft about eight miles northeast of Terschelling, the Netherlands. Casualties are not recorded.

German 2642-ton freighter Utlandshorn hits a mine and sinks in the waters off northern Norway (Grense Jakobselv). The ship apparently is supplying the German garrison at Pechenga. Casualties are not recorded.

German harbor defense vessel (patrol boat) HS-97 hits a mine and sinks near Dunkirk. No details on this one.

British 430-ton freighter Miriam Thomas collides with Admiralty Hospital Ship Vasna and sinks about 15 miles south of Chicken Rocks near Holyhead, UK. All eight men aboard perish.

Dutch 4539-ton freighter Alcyone hits a mine and sinks 18 miles off Green Point, Capetown, South Africa. The mine was laid by the Speybank, a captured ship being used by the Germans. There are 46 deaths.

British 4270-ton freighter Cressdene hits a mine and is severely damaged near Swansea, UK. It sinks while under tow on the 17th. Details are scarce on this ship.

"The gun turret of a Matilda tank that had been captured [by Axis forces] and concreted into position to be used as part of the defenses of Halfaya Pass, 16 March 1942. A Valentine tank passes by in the background." © IWM (E 9320).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Royal Navy and RAF combine in an attack on the Italian E-boat base in Rhodes. This is Operation MF.8. Light cruisers HMS Dido and Euryalus and six destroyers bombard the island during the night of 15/16 March 1942.

Italian submarine Galatea uses its deck gun to sink a small sailing vessel off the Palestinian coast.

The situation on Malta is critical in certain vital areas that the Axis air forces have targeted. Ta Qali Airfield, in particular, is in trouble due to incessant bombing attacks. In addition, the field has to be modified for the use of new Spitfire squadrons. The island government sends out a request for volunteers to help with this work.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Ultimatum (P 32) arrives in Malta with 14 Italian survivors of its 14 March 1942 sinking of Italian submarine Ammiraglio Millo in the Ionian Sea off Punta (Cape) Stilo, Calabria, Italy. Commander Harrison of the Ultimatum makes a quick turnaround and departs for a new patrol on 17 March.

Dr. Seuss cartoon from 16 March 1942. Image from Dr. Seuss Went to War (Mandeville Special Collections Library, UC San Diego).

Partisans:  Joseph Goebbels notes in his diary that:

The activity of the partisans has increased notably in recent weeks. They are conducting a well-organized guerilla war.

The Germans at the front are busy preparing "Operation Munich," an anti-partisan sweep set to begin on 19 March 1942. This is planned as a large-scale operation to include a special air detachment established Bobruisk on 14 March 1942. Another such mission in the same general area set to begin later in March 1942 is Operation Bamberg.

Anglo/US Relations: President Roosevelt cables Prime Minister Winston Churchill with an offer to send a large US Navy force ("two battleships, two cruisers, an aircraft carrier, and a squadron of destroyers") to homeland British bases such as Scapa Flow. He notes that recent tanker sinkings are "very disturbing." He promises that by 1 July 1942 "our mounting production of small escort vessels and planes will come fully into play."

Time magazine, 16 March 1942. The cover story, "The Viceroy of India." Cover credit: Ernest Hamlin Baker.

Anglo/Indian Relations: British Lord Privy Seal Sir Stafford Cripps departs from London to enter negotiations with Indian leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru who demand independence. He also will talk with Moslem League President Mohammed Ali Hinnah who wants a separate Pakistan. Cripps is an avowed socialist who is sent on missions like this regularly.

Anglo/Soviet Relations: The Soviet Ambassador to Great Britain repeats Joseph Stalin's repeated request that the western Allies open a second front in Europe.

Life magazine, 16 March 1942. Note that the soldier on the cover is wearing a World War I helmet.

US Military: Lt. General W.J. Slim departs India for Magwe, Burma, in order to establish the 1st Burma Corps. This is to include the 1st Burma Division, the 17th Indian Division, and the 7th Armored Brigade. All of these units have been battered during the retreat across Burma. This will become known as "Burcorps" after it is officially established on 19 March 1942.

The 39th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), 35th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), transfers from Ballarat to Mount Gambier with its P-39 fighters. The 64th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrives at Sydney, Australia from the US with its B-17s. The 68th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), 58th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), arrives at Amberly Field, Australia from the US with its P-39s.

US Government: The Maritime Commission places orders for another 234 Liberty ships. These are generic freighters built according to a standard plan that prioritizes cheap parts and ease of construction. For instance, they use a 140-ton vertical triple expansion compound steam engine of obsolete design rather than modern steam engines because the latter type is more difficult to build and requires special tooling. Everybody, including President Roosevelt, makes fun of the Liberty ships and their ugly appearance, but they get the job done.

"The weather map from the morning of March 16th [1942] showed low pressure over central Oklahoma, with an associated warm front lifting northward across central Illinois. Temperatures were unseasonably warm across the area, rising into the mid to upper 70s by afternoon." National Weather Service.

Holocaust: The Germans deport about 1600 Jews from Lublin, Poland, to Belzec concentration camp. Belzec is an extermination camp that opened on 13 March 1942 and already an estimated 6000 people have been murdered there.

American Homefront: Powerful tornadoes hit the Central and Southern United States. States affected include Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Many of these areas do not usually get tornadoes, so they come as real shocks. The outbreak goes on for almost three full days, with 149 fatalities and 1312 injuries. On the Fujita scale, some of the tornadoes score the maximum rating of tornado damage, with costly property damage.

The Lacon F5 Tornado of 16 March 1942.

March 1942

March 1, 1942: Second Battle of Java Sea
March 2, 1942: Huge Allied Shipping Losses at Java
March 3, 1942: Japan Raids Western Australia
March 4, 1942: Second Raid On Hawaii
March 5, 1942: Japan Takes Batavia
March 6, 1942: Churchill Assaults Free Speech
March 7, 1942: British Defeat in Burma
March 8, 1942: Rangoon Falls to Japan
March 9, 1942: Japanese Conquest of Dutch East Indies
March 10, 1942:US Navy attacks Japanese Landings at Lae
March 11, 1942: Warren Buffett's First Stock Trade
March 12, 1942: Japan Takes Java
March 13, 1942: Soviets Attack In Crimea Again 
March 14, 1942: The US Leans Toward Europe
March 15, 1942: Operation Raubtier Begins
March 16, 1942: General MacArthur Gets His Ride
March 17, 1942: MacArthur Arrives in Australia
March 18, 1942: Japan Attacks In Burma
March 19, 1942: Soviets Encircled on the Volkhov
March 20, 1942: "I Shall Return," Says MacArthur
March 21, 1942: Germans Attack Toward Demyansk
March 22, 1942: Second Battle of Sirte
March 23, 1942: Hitler's Insecurity Builds
March 24, 1942: Bataan Bombarded
March 25, 1942: Chinese Under Pressure in Burma
March 26, 1942: Win Or Die, Vows MacArthur
March 27, 1942: The Battle of Suusari
March 28, 1942: The St. Nazaire Commando Raid
March 29, 1942: The Free Republic of Nias
March 30, 1942: Japanese-Americans Off Bainbridge Island
March 31, 1942: Japanese Seize Christmas Island

2020

Saturday 14 March 1942

Generalfeldmarschall Keitel, Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler, and Generalfeldmarschall Milch waiting for Adolf Hitler in front of the Berlin armory at the 14 March 1942 Heroes Day ceremony. Note that Keitel is holding his Marshal's baton. (Federal Archive Figure 183-J00683).

Battle of the Pacific: The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff has been split between focusing on Japan or Germany as it builds up its forces. On 14 March 1942, it finally decides to lean toward Europe and maintain a more defensive posture in the Pacific Theater of Operations. This decision is strongly opposed by Admiral Ernest J. King, who prefers to focus on the PTO, but he is overruled. Throughout the war, though, King remains a lone voice calling for greater efforts against the Japanese.

During the late morning, coast watchers on the southern shores of New Guinea in the village of Kerema, just west of Port Moresby, spot a large force of Japanese planes heading west. They alert the RAAF by radio. They turn out to be eight Mitsubishi G4M1 heavy bombers escorted by twelve A6M2 Zeros of the 4th Kokutai The Japanese bombers took off from both Rabaul and Lae airfields, are heading toward Australia.

The Heroes Day ceremony in Berlin, 14 March 1942. On the platform are Adolf Hitler, Grand Admiral Raeder, Generalfeldmarschall Keitel, Generalfeldmarschall Milch, Reichsführer SS Himmler, Colonel General Fromm, Reichsführer General d. Inf. Reinhardt and Reich War Victim Leader Oberlindober. The ceremony involves laying a wreath on the cenotaph dedicated to heroes. Among other things, this photo is interesting for showing how utterly concerned the Germans are about air attack at this stage of the war (Federal Archive Figure 183-J00682).

The Japanese bombers raid Horn Island, which is ten miles (16 km) north of Queensland, Australia. They destroy a Hudson bomber and a fuel dump and cause some other damage to infrastructure. The RAAF is able to get fighters in the air due to the warning and shoot down two Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters (according to the Japanese) or four Zeros and a bomber (according to the Australians). While little noticed by the public, Horn Island is in a critical location in the Torres Strait between Queensland and New Guinea and thus perfectly suited for air operations between Australia and New Guinea. The Allies realize this and are building the island up into the main tactical base for Allied air operations in the Torres Strait. This is the first of nine Japanese air raids against Horn Island.

The first US Army troops land in Australia. General MacArthur, their commander, remains stuck at Del Monte Field on Mindanao in the Philippines awaiting air transport to Darwin.

German troops during the March 1942 fighting in Crimea (Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe 2-840).

Eastern Front: It is the second day of the Soviet offensive in the Parpach Narrows, and already it is floundering. The fighting is bitter, but the Germans skillfully protect their strongpoint at Koi-Asan using antitank guns, StuG III tank destroyers, and an increased Luftwaffe presence. The Soviets are launching attack after attack (at least ten in all) with three rifle divisions, but the ground is soggy due to the beginning of the Spring Thaw (Rasputitsa). This slows down the advancing tanks and supporting infantry enough for the Germans to stop them.

The Germans remain determined to begin Operation Raubtier ("Beast of Prey"), the mission to encircle a Soviet salient across the Volkhov River. It already has been delayed for one day due to poor weather. As the new day dawns, however, the temperature has fallen precipitously (-31° F (-35° C). General Küchler, commander of Army Group North, reluctantly postpones the operation for another day. This leaves the infantry, in exposed forward positions ready for the attack, to suffer through another day and night of subzero weather.

"Adelaide, SA. 14 March 1942. Troops of the 7th Australian Division, disembarking from His Majesty's Transport (HMT) Orcades on their return from the Middle East." Australian War Memorial 030126/06.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command, having conducted major operations against Cologne and scattered other targets during the night of 13/14 March, have a quiet night on the 14th. It sends six Boston bombers on an anti-shipping sweep off Le Havre. This begins a lengthy period in which Bomber Command conducts only small-scale missions as it builds up its strength and waits for good summer weather.

A soldier in a French workshop working on a telescope (Gourmet, Federal Archives Figure 101II-MW-3708-11).

Battle of the Atlantic: After dark, German E-boats attack a British convoy in the North Sea. They sink Royal Navy destroyer HMS Vortigern at a cost of five of their own boats.

"North African coast area. 14 March 1942. Five members of the aircrew having a cup of tea in the wardroom of a Sunderland flying boat while on coastal patrol off the North African coast. A Sunderland aircraft carries a normal crew of eight." Australian War Memorial MED0354.

Battle of the Mediterranean: U-133 (Kptlt. Eberhard Mohr), on its third patrol but first under new captain Mohr, strikes a mine and sinks two hours south of Salamis. The Salamis wandered off course into a German defensive minefield. All 45 men on board perish. During its career, U-133 sank one ship of 1,920 tons. There is a myth about U-133 that it was on a secret mission to sail up the Colorado River and destroy the Hoover Dam, but that is all it is - a myth.

HMS Ultimatum (P 34, Lt. P.R.H. Harrison, DSC, RN) torpedoes Italian submarine Ammiraglio Millo in the Ionian Sea off Punta (Cape) Stilo, Calabria, Italy. Two out of four torpedoes hit. Commander Harrison takes aboard 14 survivors (57 dead) and then proceeds to Malta.

The German state radio pays the anti-aircraft efforts on Malta a rare compliment, saying:

Malta’s Anti-Aircraft artillery must be counted among Tommy’s very best, and plays the greatest part in the defense of the Island.

The Luftwaffe continues its attacks on Malta's airfields with raids on Hal Far. The Luftwaffe suffers an unfortunate accident when two Bf 109s collide over the island, killing Heinrich Blum, III/JG3. The other pilot, Leutnant Walter Seiz, manages to return to base (14 victories, POW 23 August 1944).

Partisans: Soviet partisans are becoming a problem for the Germans. They begin to plan operations using military forces to root them out. Today, in anticipation of the first such operation ("Operation Munich") set to begin on 19 March 1942, the Germans set up a special anti-partisan air detachment at Bobruisk.

Stalin's secret bunker in Kuibyshev. The portrait is of Alexander Suvorov (ShinePhantom).

German/Italian Relations: The two Axis partners sign a new trade agreement.

Anglo/Soviet Relations: The new British Minister to the USSR, Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, arrives in Kuibyshev (Kuybyshev, or Samara). This is the Soviets' alternative capital should Moscow fall and has become a center of the Soviet bureaucracy. Among other things, the Soviets are busy at this time building a secret bunker for Stalin located 37 meters below the CPSU oblast Committee building (later the Samara State University of Culture). Stalin and the military high command (Stavka), however, remain in Moscow and there is no evidence that Stalin ever visits his potential command post in Kuibyshev.

Japanese Military: Now that resistance on Java is over, Japanese Imperial General Headquarters issues orders for "Operation X" (the invasion and occupation of Christmas Island). Rear Admiral Shōji Nishimura is assigned to command the Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet's Occupation Force. The British only have 32 men on Christmas Island. A group of Punjabi troops there recently mutinied and killed five British soldiers, including the British commander, Captain L.W.T. Williams. The invasion is planned for 31 March 1942.

"Adelaide, Australia. 14 March 1942. Troops of the 7th Australian Division, waiting to entrain at Adelaide after having disembarked from His Majesty's Transport (HMT) Orcades on their return from the Middle East." Australian War Memorial 030127/01.

US Military: US Army Air Force units of the 51st Pursuit Group, 10th Air Force, arrive in Karachi, India, from the United States. The 9th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), flying B-17s, also arrives from Australia.  These B-17s fly their first mission on 2 April 1942.

Units of the USAAF 5th Air Force transfer from Melbourne to Laverton, Australia. These include the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), 43d BG (Heavy), later redesignated as the 403rd Bomber Squadron. There are other transfers of units to and from Melbourne as General Brett rebalances his forces, and the air echelon of 88th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), 7th BG (Heavy), ceases operating from Townsville, Australia with B-17's and begins moving to Karachi, India.

The New Yorker, 14 March 1942.

British Military: The British realize that Ceylon is a likely target of the Japanese and are beefing up their presence there. Today, they appoint General Sir Henry Pownall to lead the Ceylon Command.

The head of the British Military Mission to Chungking, Major-General Dennys, perishes in a plane accident near Kunming. Relations between Chiang Kai-Shek are not strained at the moment due to the lingering aftereffects of the Tulsa Incident.

US Government: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a proposal to all 48 state governors (Hawaii and Alaska are still territories) that speed limits throughout the nation be reduced to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) to conserve tired due to the short supplies of rubber.

The War Production Board orders gasoline deliveries be cut 20 percent in 17 eastern states and the District of Columbia. This is due to the great loss of tankers in the past two months, particularly along the Eastern seaboard. Gasoline is already rationed.

"Adelaide, SA. 14 March 1942. Troops, hands extended, of the 7th Australian Division, receive a welcome from the people of the suburbs of Adelaide as they pass through a station on their way to Adelaide from the docks after having disembarked from His Majesty's Transport (HMT) Orcades on their return from the Middle East." Australian War Memorial 030127/02.

Australian Government: Prime Minister John Curtin makes a speech to the public:

We are, then, committed, heart and soul, to total warfare. How far, you may ask me, have we progressed along that road? I may answer you this way. Out of every ten men in Australia four are wholly engaged in war as members of the fighting forces or making the munition and equipment to fight with. The other six, besides feeding and clothing the whole ten and their families, have to produce the food and wool and metals which Britain needs for her very existence.

Curtin is trying to bring as many Australian troops home from other theaters as possible to defend the homeland.

Norwegian Homefront: Seven Bishops of the Norwegian Lutheran Church resign their offices rather than co-operate with the Quisling government. They are Bishop Andreas Fleischer (Bergen), Bishop Wollert Krohn-Hansen (Tromso), Bishop Gabriel Skagestad (Stavanger), Bishop Hille (Hamar), Bishop Johan Storen (Nidaros, Trondheim), Bishop Berggrav (Oslo - Primate of the Norwegian Church), and Bishop Maroni (Agder Diocese).

Future History: Rita Tushingham is born in Liverpool, England. She becomes an actress after working as an assistant stage manager at the Liverpool Playhouse. Her film debut is in "A Taste of Honey" (1961), in which she participates with Paul Danquah in what is reputed to be the first interracial kiss in film history. Other prominent film roles include supporting roles in "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), "Being Julia" (2004), and "The Leather Boys" (1964). Rita has won a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award. Rita Tushingham remains a working actress as of this writing in 2020.

Early ''Li'l Abner'' Comic Strip From 14 March 1942 Featuring J. Sweetlips Garks aka Jeb S. Scragg -- Drawn & Signed by Al Capp.

March 1942

March 1, 1942: Second Battle of Java Sea
March 2, 1942: Huge Allied Shipping Losses at Java
March 3, 1942: Japan Raids Western Australia
March 4, 1942: Second Raid On Hawaii
March 5, 1942: Japan Takes Batavia
March 6, 1942: Churchill Assaults Free Speech
March 7, 1942: British Defeat in Burma
March 8, 1942: Rangoon Falls to Japan
March 9, 1942: Japanese Conquest of Dutch East Indies
March 10, 1942:US Navy attacks Japanese Landings at Lae
March 11, 1942: Warren Buffett's First Stock Trade
March 12, 1942: Japan Takes Java
March 13, 1942: Soviets Attack In Crimea Again 
March 14, 1942: The US Leans Toward Europe
March 15, 1942: Operation Raubtier Begins
March 16, 1942: General MacArthur Gets His Ride
March 17, 1942: MacArthur Arrives in Australia
March 18, 1942: Japan Attacks In Burma
March 19, 1942: Soviets Encircled on the Volkhov
March 20, 1942: "I Shall Return," Says MacArthur
March 21, 1942: Germans Attack Toward Demyansk
March 22, 1942: Second Battle of Sirte
March 23, 1942: Hitler's Insecurity Builds
March 24, 1942: Bataan Bombarded
March 25, 1942: Chinese Under Pressure in Burma
March 26, 1942: Win Or Die, Vows MacArthur
March 27, 1942: The Battle of Suusari
March 28, 1942: The St. Nazaire Commando Raid
March 29, 1942: The Free Republic of Nias
March 30, 1942: Japanese-Americans Off Bainbridge Island
March 31, 1942: Japanese Seize Christmas Island

2020

Tuesday 25 November 1941

German Panzer IV tanks and armored personnel carriers attacking a Soviet-held village in the vicinity of Istra on the Moscow-Riga railway on 25 November 1941 (Tannenberg, Hugo, Federal Archive Figure 183-B17220).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British Operation Crusader, an offensive whose goal is to liberate Tobruk, has been going badly since its start on 21 November. British 7th Armored Division of Eighth Army has been pummeled by General Erwin Rommel's panzers and fierce artillery fire by well-sited Italian gunners. On 24 November Rommel decided to launch a counteroffensive, and today, 25 November 1941, he sets in motion more forces whose aim is to relieve a trapped German garrison at Bardia and threaten British lines of communication back into Egypt. This is known as General Rommel's "dash to the wire" because it sends Afrika Korp panzers behind the British outposts to the area of the Egyptian/ Libyan border where a wire barricade stretches inland from the coast.

Battleship HMS Barham ((Capt G.C. Cooke, RN)), covered with sailors, explodes in the Mediterranean north off Sidi Barrani, Egypt after being hit by three torpedoes from U-331 (Kptlt. Hans-Diedrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen) on 25 November 1941. Total casualties number 56 officers and 806 men.

With part of Afrika Korps and the Italian Ariete Division already heading toward Sidi Omar, the 15th Panzer Division today heads northeast toward Sidi Aziz. To their shock, the German tankers find no enemy to be seen and their only opponents the omnipresent RAF Desert Air Force. The 5th Panzer Division of the 21st Panzer Division hits the 7th Indian Brigade at Sidi Omar, but are fought off with great difficulty by the 1st Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery. The German tanks try again, but the Royal Artillery picks the panzers off over open sights at 500 meters and destroys or damages almost all of them. It is a brilliant defensive victory by the British caused by their valor and the overconfidence of the panzer commanders. The rest of the 21st Panzer Division heads unmolested to the border at Halfaya, the key to the vital coastal road.

HMS Barham listing to port shortly after being hit by three torpedoes. Barham becomes the only Royal Navy battleship to be sunk by a submarine during World War 11. This photo was taken from HMS Valiant.

The Germans reach the area west of Sidi Aziz by sunset, but they have taken heavy tank losses during the day. They have only 53 panzers remaining with no possibility of reinforcement. The 5th New Zealand Brigade is located further up the coast between the panzers and their closest supply dumps, posing a logistical problem. The Germans camp here for the night and prepare to bypass the New Zealanders on the 26th in order to liberate Bardia and resupply.

HMS Barham.

One of the paradoxes of the war in North Africa is that it is actually won at sea. The Royal Navy has done a very efficient job of disrupting supplies sent from Naples to Tripoli. Today, however, the Germans take their revenge when  U-331 (Kptlt. Hans-Diedrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen) somehow evades the Royal Navy destroyer screen and pumps three torpedoes into battleship HMS Barham. The Barham sinks quickly and takes the better part of 1000 men with her.

"Members of the Mine Recovery and Disposal Squad towing away a naval mine from the beach at Tayport with the aid of a Bren gun carrier being operated by troops of the 1st Polish Corps, 25 November 1941." © IWM (A 6427).

Eastern Front: General Guderian's men continue to put pressure on the Red Army units defending Tula, but it is an increasingly hopeless battle. Today, the 17th Panzer Division (Brig. Gen. Rudolf Eduard Licht) approaches Kashira, about 50 km north of Venev, which looks impressive on the map as it is a great deal closer to Moscow than Tula. However, Lictht's advance causes as many problems as it solves, because it is extremely difficult to supply his panzers. Meanwhile, the bulk of Guderian's forces are making no progress at all on the direct road to Moscow through Tula. The Germans only control the territory within reach of their guns, with large stretches in between their isolated forces virtually undefended. This gives the Red Army units the ability to cross between the different Wehrmacht positions. The 239th Siberian Rifle Division, for instance, escapes from the 29th Motorized Division near Epifan, southeast of Tula, simply by driving around the German units. Lacking strong infantry support, the German effort south of Moscow is turning into the equivalent of tank raids rather than a full-fledged offensive.

"An early Christmas present for a member of the crew, the dog's name is 'Mosquito'." This photo was taken aboard a Royal Navy torpedo boat at Naval Base Granton. © IWM (A 6380).

North of Moscow, the German 18th Army continues to hold the strategically important city of Tikhvin despite brutal winter weather and increasing Red Army attacks. The commander of the 18th Army, Colonel General Georg von Küchler, accepts the inevitable after his men have made no progress since taking the city and orders them to cease all offensive operations. This leaves the most advanced German troops isolated at the tip of a dead schwerpunkt (spearhead) with long supply lines that are open to Soviet assault from both the north and south.

HMS Barham exploding in a fireball, 25 November 1941.

US/Japanese Relations: For several days, United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull has been preparing a modus vivendi agreement to restart stalled peace talks with the Japanese. This is a counter-proposal to the Japanese Proposal B submitted on 21 November which was completely unacceptable to the Americans. The modus vivendi would prohibit "any advance by force" in the Pacific - an obvious restriction on Japanese ambitions - and require a Japanese withdrawal from southern French Indochina. In exchange, the United States would resume limited trade with the Japanese to the extent of $600,000 worth of cotton, oil "for civilian needs" and medical supplies. The agreement by its terms would only last for three months and would be a stop-gap measure to reach a longer-lasting agreement.

Der Adler, 25 November 1941 (Heft 24, 25. November 1941.: Deutsches Reichsluftfahrtministerium).

The US War Council debates this very mild counterproposal on the 25th and decides that it would make sense to submit this modus vivendi to the Japanese. The obvious alternative is war, and the Army and Navy want more time to prepare for that. However, the decision to submit this counterproposal to the Japanese - who it is expected would take it - does not lie with the US War Council. Only one man can make that decision. Hull, who personally thinks the modus vivendi is pointless, schedules a meeting with President Roosevelt for the 26th.

The proposed B-36 bomber would feature dramatically greater bombload, range, and service ceiling in addition to its unprecedented size. Two prototypes are ordered from Consolidated on 25 November 1941.

US Military: The US Army Air Force contracts with Consolidated Aircraft (later Consolidated Vultee and then Convair) to produce two prototypes of a new experimental bomber. Consolidated is an experienced military plane manufacturer, having built the successful B-24 Liberator heavy bomber and the PBY Catalina. The overall wing area of the new plane is to encompass just under 5000 square feet and hold six engines placed at the back of the wings to push its 163-foot fuselage. This is a massive design that dwarfs current bombers, and the plane is designed to be able to fly from the continental United States, bomb targets in Europe, and then return without landing or refueling. The fixed fee payable to Consolidated is approximately $800,000 for each prototype and the first plane is scheduled to be ready by mid-1944. This plane ultimately is developed and becomes the B-36 Peacemaker.


"MS of HMS Barham listing heavily to port, towards the camera - her secondary 6-inch guns already underwater. MLS off the port bow as she begins to roll over. The capsizing ship suddenly blows up in a huge explosion, only her bows remaining visible, steeply canted at the edge of the smoke pall. Debris from the explosion rains into the sea. Various shots emphasize the extent of the smoke pall remaining after the ship has disappeared. The film then cuts to an MS off the starboard quarter of Barham steaming in quarter line with HMS Queen Elizabeth - Queen Elizabeth fires after 4.5-inch AA. Final shot reverts to the sinking - Barham is shown listing, Queen Elizabeth in the background." © IWM.

HMS Barham right before it explodes and sinks. This apparently is a capture taken from a film made of the sinking. If one looks closely, men clinging for their lives are seen on the upraised hull and the decks.

Captain C. E. Morgan, commanding nearby HMS Valiant, gave an account of the sinking of HMS Barham:

"Our battleships were proceeding westwards line ahead, with the Valiant immediately astern the Barham and with a destroyer screen thrown out ahead of the battlefleet. At 4.23 p.m., carrying out a normal zigzag, we turned to port together, thus bringing the ships into echelon formation.

Suddenly, at 4.25, I heard a loud explosion, followed by two further explosions a couple of seconds later. Fountains of water and two enormous columns of smoke shot skywards. The smoke formed an enormous mushroom, gradually enveloping the whole of the Barham, except the after part, which was subsequently also blotted out as the ship slid into a vast pall of smoke.

As the explosions occurred the officer on watch gave the command “ Hard to port,” to keep clear of the Barham.

Fifteen seconds later I saw a submarine break the surface, possibly forced there by the explosion. Passing from left to right, the submarine was apparently making to cross the Valiant’s bows between us and the Barham. He was only about seven degrees off my starboard bow and 150 yards away, though he must have fired his torpedoes from about 700 yards.

As the periscope and then the conning tower appeared I ordered “ Full speed ahead, hard starboard.” But, with the helm already hard to port, I was unable to turn quickly enough to ram him before he crash-dived only 40 yards away on our starboard side. The submarine was visible for about 45 seconds, and, simultaneously with our ramming efforts, we opened fire with our starboard pom-poms. He was so close, however, that we were unable to depress the guns sufficiently and the shells passed over the conning-tower.

I then gave the order “Amidships” again to avoid turning into the Barham, which was still underway with her engines running but listing heavily to port. As we came upon her beam she heeled further about 20 or 30 degrees, and through the smoke, I could see all her quarter-deck and forecastle. Men were jumping into the water and running up on the forecastle.

The Barham was rolling on a perfectly even keel with neither bows nor stern sticking into the air. For one minute she seemed to hang in this position; then, at 4.28, she suddenly rolled violently, her mainmast striking the’ surface of the sea sharply a few seconds later.

I saw water pouring into her funnels. There followed a big explosion amidships, from which belched black and brown smoke intermingled with flames. Pieces of wreckage, Hung high into the air, were scattered far and wide, the largest piece being about the size of my writing-desk.

I immediately ordered “ Take cover ” as the wreckage started flying, and that was the last we saw of the Barham, which had run almost’ a mile since the moment she was hit. When the smoke cleared the only signs left were a mass of floating wreckage.
…

The 35,000-ton ship disappeared with unbelievable suddenness; it was only 4 minutes 35 seconds exactly from the moment the torpedoes struck until she had completely disappeared."


November 1941

November 1, 1941: Finns Attack Toward Murmansk Railway
November 2, 1941: Manstein Isolates Sevastopol
November 3, 1941: Japan Prepares to Attack
November 4, 1941: German Advances in the South
November 5, 1941: Last Peace Effort By Japan
November 6, 1941: Stalin Casts Blame in an Unexpected Direction
November 7, 1941: Stalin's Big Parade
November 8, 1941: Germans Take Tikhvin
November 9, 1941: Duisburg Convoy Destruction
November 10, 1941: Manstein Attacks Sevastopol
November 11, 1941: Finland's Double Game Erupts
November 12, 1941: T-34 Tanks Take Charge
November 13, 1941: German Orsha Conference
November 14, 1941: German Supply Network Breaking Down
November 15, 1941: Operation Typhoon Resumes
November 16, 1941: Manstein Captures Kerch
November 17, 1941: Finland Halts Operations
November 18, 1941: British Operation Crusader
November 19, 1941: Sydney vs. Kormoran Duel
November 20, 1941: The US Rejects Final Japanese Demand
November 21, 1941: Germans Take Rostov
November 22, 1941: Kleist in Trouble at Rostov
November 23, 1941: Germans Take Klin, Huge Battle in North Africa
November 24, 1941: Rommel Counterattacks
November 25, 1941: HMS Barham Sunk
November 26, 1941: Japanese Fleet Sails
November 27, 1941: British Relieve Tobruk
November 28, 1941: Rostov Evacuated, German Closest Approach to Moscow
November 29, 1941: Hitler Furious About Retreat
November 30, 1941: Japan Sets the Date for its Attack

2020

Sunday 19 October 1941

Soviet armored cars preparing for a move to the front, 19 October 1941 (AP Photo).

Eastern Front: The events of 19 October 1941 starkly underscore both the power and hopelessness of the German Operation Typhoon drive on Moscow. The power is illustrated by gains on the high road to Moscow which are undeniable and menacing. The hopelessness is a bit more subtle and certainly not at all apparent in October 1941, but obvious given the omniscience of hindsight. The hard work of the summer mixes inextricably with the failures of the spring to produce prospects of winning that superficially appear promising but already are lost.

A Finnish troop train passes through a scene where an earlier train, visible on both sides, was destroyed. 19 October 1941 (AP Photo).

The Soviet defensive line centered on the small town of Mozhaysk shows signs of crumbling on 19 October 1941. Paul Hausser’s SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) "Das Reich" and the attached "Hauenschild Brigade" of 10th Panzer Division of 4th Panzerarmee’s 40th Panzerkorps (General der Panzertruppen Georg Stumme) batter their way forward into Mozhasysk, showing that a determined Wehrmacht effort can send even the best Soviet troops reeling. At Volokolamsk, about 50 miles due north of Mozhaysk on the road from Riga, Soviet 316th Rifle Division arrives just in time from Moscow to stop another German attack. The Germans may not be moving fast any longer, but they are still moving forward toward the ultimate prize of Operation Barbarossa.

U-204 (Kptlt. Walter Kell), on its third patrol out of Brest, sinks 9158-ton British tanker Inverlee about 440 km southwest of Cape Spartel, Morocco. There are 21 deaths and 22 survivors. U-204, in turn, is sunk on 19 October 1941 by a depth charge attack by Royal Navy escorts HMS Mallow and Rochester. All 46 sailors on U-204 perish.

In Moscow, things look dire. The Germans are pushing back the best remaining troops in the Red Army on all of the highways from the west and the final Soviet holdouts in the Vyazma pocket give up. Lavrentiy Beria, Stalin's chief of the secret police, can see the danger and urges the Soviet GKO to evacuate to the East. As he poetically puts it, the apparatchiks must leave "or they will strangle us like chickens." Stalin orders everyone in the Politburo except his closest cronies (Beria and Georgy Malenkov) to leave, but he vows to stay come what may. There is a theory that Stalin could not retain his own position if he leaves Moscow, and he certainly would be vulnerable to whoever meant to harm him during a desperate journey into the hinterland. In any event, he decides to stay to personally supervise the construction of three defensive lines around the capital. That decision is final.

Survivors of SS Lehigh, sunk by U-126 (Kptlt. Ernst Bauer, 3rd patrol) about 82 miles off Freetown, Sierra Leone on 19 October 1941.

Things are no better at the extreme southern end of the front. General von Manstein's 11th Army slices through the Soviet defenses on the Perekop Isthmus in the Crimea and now are in a good position to break out to Sevastopol. General von Kleist's 1st Panzer Army batters its way into Stalino (Donetsk), a key industrial center on the Kalmius River and a good jumping-off point for an invasion of the oil-rich Caucasus. The Germans are on the verge of occupying the center of Soviet life, with little to stand between them and the Volga.

4983-ton United States freighter SS Lehigh sinks on 19 October 1941 (photo taken by radio operator Sam Hakam, published in Life Magazine 8 December 1941).

The "tank panic" that infest Moscow, however, is overdone. In fact, the Germans may be succeeding against the Red Army, but they are losing against a more implacable enemy. While the weather is turning against them and is the most obvious issue, that is not the real challenge the Wehrmacht faces. The challenge to be overcome is much more subtle, much less appreciated by virtually everyone, and infinitely more difficult to overcome than tanks or planes or a few snowflakes.

Army Group North commander Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb with 18th Army commander General von Kuechler at an advanced artillery observation post near Leningrad, October 1941 (Schröter, Federal Archive Picture 183-2007-0316-504).

The problem facing the panzers can best be explained by first looking at a few easily measurable statistics. After months of battering forward, Hausser's leading tanks are still 113 km. Further north, the panzers at Volokolamsk are 124 km from Moscow. Further north still, the Germans at Kalinin (Tver) are 180 km from the city. And to the southwest, near Tula, General Guderian's panzers are 180 km from the city. In the Army Group South sector, General Hoth's troops at Stalino are 200 km from their next objective at Rostov-on-Don. General von Manstein's men are 140 km from their target, Sevastopol.

A Hungarian patrol questions a 16-year-old Soviet spy who was caught observing troop movements from a small grove. He confessed to sending radio messages to Soviet troops about the location of Hungarian troops. October 1941 (Feitl, Federal Archive Bild 183-B17640).

Overall, the Germans remain about 150 km from seizing objectives that represent minimal objectives for a successful 1941 campaign. Getting this far is s a phenomenal achievement that should not be downplayed. However, in comparison with distances for entire campaigns in western Europe - for instance, Brussels is only 320 km from Paris - for the Germans to have to battle forward across another lengthy distance against fierce resistance after all the losses already suffered is daunting. Moreover, success in Russia has come at a great cost. The leading panzers have been on the road for four straight months, several times longer than in any previous campaign. They are worn down, they need maintenance and replacement guns, and the men are as worn as the equipment. The elite Wehrmacht divisions have been shredded, with strengths a fraction of what they had in June. The Wehrmacht's strength is broad but it is not deep, composed of a sharp blade composed of veterans of previous campaigns but with few reserves. As these formations bleed out, their effectiveness dulls and morale plummets.

An SdKfz 10 towing vehicle with a 3.7 cm Pak gun in the Soviet Union, October 1941 (Böhmer, Federal Archive Bild 101I-268-0176-14).

So, the main problem is not just the weather, which is a handy catch-all explanation that simplifies a much larger problem. The Wehrmacht is being destroyed by sheer distance. There is just too much territory to cover, too many cities to occupy, too many supply roads to guard. In addition, the gains already achieved are less than they appear on a map. During the summer, the panzers bypassed large Soviet formations that retreated into the forests and marshes. Those Soviet troops are still there, some almost completely intact with tanks and planes and artillery, and need to be subdued. The German equipment is efficient on western European roads and meadows, but the panzer tracks prove too narrow to handle endless muddy terrain The supply trucks break down on the hundreds of kilometers they must travel from the railheads, and overworked horses have trouble meeting supply requirements. The autumn chill is compounding the problem of distance, as the trucks burn more fuel on the long muddy roads and have to carry so much fuel with them that they can carry very few supplies.

A German light armored observation vehicle (Sd.F 253) pauses before a camouflaged Soviet bunker, October 1941 (Utrecht, Fred Erich, Federal Archive, Bild 101I-268-0158-05).

To summarize, the indifferent vastness of the Soviet Union is swallowing the Wehrmacht. No matter how many victories the Germans win, there are always more battles to be won down the road, and the supplies for those battles and the men to fight them are dwindling further with every mile. Adding to the problem of distance is that the Soviets always have just enough troops in place to cause problems. Pushing constantly forward in rapidly deteriorating conditions is placing an impossible strain on the entire structure of the Heer. The Germans are in a battle with themselves, challenging their own capabilities, and they are losing.

In the Soviet Union, German troops on horseback tow their supplies, October 1941 (Mittelstaedt, Heinz, Federal Archive Bild 183-B15417).

October 1941

October 1, 1941: Germans and Finns Advance in USSR
October 2, 1941: Operation Typhoon Broadens
October 3, 1941: Air Battles Near Moscow
October 4, 1941: Stalin Contemplates Defeat
October 5, 1941: Hoth Goes South
October 6, 1941: First Snowfall After Dark
October 7, 1941: Stalin Gets Religion
October 8, 1941: FDR Promises Stalin Aid 
October 9, 1941: FDR Orders Atomic Bomb Research
October 10, 1941: Reichenau's Severity Order
October 11, 1941: Tank Panic in Moscow
October 12, 1941: Spanish Blue Division at the Front
October 13, 1941: Attack on Moscow
October 14, 1941: Germans Take Kalinin
October 15, 1941: Soviets Evacuate Odessa
October 16, 1941: Romanians Occupy Odessa
October 17, 1941: U-568 Torpedoes USS Kearny
October 18, 1941: Tojo Takes Tokyo
October 19, 1941: Germans Take Mozhaysk
October 20, 1941: Germans Attack Toward Tikhvin
October 21, 1941: Rasputitsa Hits Russia
October 22, 1941: Germans Into Moscow's Second Defensive Line
October 23, 1941: The Odessa Massacre
October 24, 1941: Guderian's Desperate Drive North
October 25, 1941: FDR Warns Hitler About Massacres
October 26, 1941: Guderian Drives Toward Tula
October 27, 1941: Manstein Busts Loose
October 28, 1941: Soviet Executions
October 29, 1941: Guderian Reaches Tula
October 30, 1941: Guderian Stopped at Tula
October 31, 1941: USS Reuben James Sunk

2020