Thursday 28 August 1941

German soldiers enter Tallinn, Estonia, on 28 August 1941 (colorized).

Iran Invasion: The British/Russian invasion of Iran continues on 28 August 1941 without much interference from the defending Iranian Army. In central Iran, the British reach Shahabad, while the Soviet troops in Gilan province force the defending Iranians to surrender after several days of hard fighting. The Soviets take Mashhad after taking heavy casualties.

Not everything is easy for the Allies. At Ahvaz, the entry to the Zagros Mountains, Iranian forces are dug in and the Indian troops facing them decide to wait for developments elsewhere before attacking. In the Soviet sector, Iranian diehards make a stands at Ramsar. However, the Iranian military is in a shambles, with only isolated units holding out while others simply allow themselves to be bypassed and taken prisoner.

The Red Air Force bombs Tehran and drops leaflets urging surrender. While there are few casualties and there is no likelihood of the capital falling any time soon, everyone knows that the Allies are on their way. The royal family, with the exception of Reza Shah and Crown Prince, leave for Isfahan. When the Shah learns that his generals have been discussing surrender, he throws their ringleader to prison.

Ali Furughi forms a new government after the resignation of the previous Prime Minister on 27 August. He immediately begins negotiations for a surrender and orders a cease-fire, stating that this is:

... in pursuance of the peace‑loving policy of His Majesty, [Iran] is issuing orders to all armed forces of the country to refrain from any resistance so that the causes for bloodshed and disturbance of security shall be removed and public peace and security assured.

The Iranian troops have barely been resisting anyway except in a few key areas, so this cease-fire order is easy to carry out. This order effectively ends hostilities in Iran.

Finnish submarine Vesikko (CV 707), 28 August 1941 (SA-Kuva).

Eastern Front: General Franz Halder, Chief of Staff of OKH, summarizes the army's appreciation of Soviet military strength. He notes that German units have identified 110 Soviet divisions, which equal 66 German divisions in real strength (Soviet divisions being smaller than those in the Wehrmacht), and an addition 40 divisions as a Soviet reserve. He writes that 19 of the 40 Soviet reserve divisions have had to be thrown into the line at Velikie Luki, leaving only 19 Soviet divisions as a reserve. The Germans are drastically underestimating Soviet reserve strength, as they will do throughout the war.

Halder is optimistic about the Wehrmacht's supply situation. He writes that the army expects to bring two panzer divisions and a motorized division up to full strength "Within six days," with another two-division panzer corps also being brought up to full strength within nine days. All of the panzer divisions have suffered serious losses since the beginning of Operation Barbarossa and are at between 20-60% of their original strength.

In the Far North sector, the Finnish forces which have crossed the Vuoksi River encircle the remnants of Soviet 43rd, 115th, and 123rd Rifle Divisions which had counterattacked the bridgehead. The Soviets are trapped in the villages of Sommee and Porlampi with little or no hope of rescue. However, the terrain is rough, full of swamps and forests, and the Soviets begin sneaking out through gaps in the Finnish line.

Elsewhere, Soviet troops facing encirclement also manage to escape destruction. At the narrows at Kayrala, a joint German and Finnish effort to encircle Soviet defenders fails when fierce Soviet defenders manage to keep open an escape route northeast of Nurmi Lake. The Soviet troops escape but they are not out of trouble completely, because they have had to leave their equipment and supplies behind. The Axis divisions are advancing throughout the region and remain in hot pursuit, but at least the fleeing Soviet troops survive to fight another day on the Verman Line.

Finnish troops continue pressuring the Soviet defenses at the port of Hanko in southwestern Finland. The Soviets there are in no danger of being defeated at this time, but they cannot look at the loss of Tallinn to the south in Estonia without realizing this makes their own position even more perilous.

"Freedom fighters" in Tallinn, Estonia celebrate the departure of the Soviet military and their "freedom," 28 August 1941.

In the Army Group North sector, the German XLII Corps occupies the Estonian capital of Tallinn (Reval) following the Soviet evacuation of 27 August. South of Lake Ilmen, General von Manstein's panzer corps and affiliated troops make "satisfactory progress," but elsewhere on the front there are "slow advances."

In the Army Group Center sector, Panzer Group 2 and Second Army continue heading south toward Kyiv despite heavy counterattacks. Group Stumme is heading toward Toropets.

Late in the morning, the commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal von Bock, calls up Halder and is "highly excited." Von Bock claims that his defenses at Yelnya and elsewhere are "near breaking point." He warns that it may be necessary for a retreat - which would be highly unusual for the Wehrmacht at this stage of the war. Halder says he will send some reinforcements early in September. Halder also notes a call from General Paulus, who has been inspecting Panzer Group 2. Paulus warns that Guderian is facing stiff resistance and recommends reinforcing General Guderian by taking some units away from the Second Army. Halder rejects this out of hand, reasoning that, since Guderian does not like to be supervised and came up with his plan of attack on his own, it is best to "let him worry how he gets through."

In the Army Group South sector, the Romanians 4th Army at Odessa resumes its offensive. They have been reinforced by a German assault battalion and ten heavy artillery battalions, and the Romanian 4th, 11th, and 1st Army Corps make progress toward Gnileakovo and Vakarzhany. Halder writes that "The enemy situation is obscure."

The Soviets publicize the blowing up of the massive Dnieper Hydroelectric Station and dam at Zaporizhia (Zaporozhe) to prevent its capture by the Germans. They blew it up about 20 August 1941, causing many local casualties.

Hermann-Friedrich “Jupp” Joppien, a Luftwaffe ace of I,/JG51  with 70 confirmed victories, including 42 accumulated over the Western Front, is shot down and killed in his Bf 109F-2 near Yelnya, 18 km southwest of Bryansk, by a MiG-3 fighter.

Jupp Joppien, KIA 28 August 1941.

European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Coastal Command sends 18 Blenheim bombers against shipping at Rotterdam. The planes report hitting two freighters along with damage to the docks but lose one plane on takeoff and two more during the raid itself.

The night's mission is Duisburg. RAF Bomber Command sends 118 bombers (60 Wellingtons, 30 Hampdens, 13 Stirlings, 9 Halifaxes, and 6 Manchesters) to bomb the railway marshaling yards. The RAF also sends an additional 6 Hampdens to suppress searchlights. There is good visibility, but damage to the city is only moderate, with no deaths or casualties. The RAF loses 6 bombers on the raid and an additional 2 on the searchlight suppression mission.

In addition, the RAF sends 23 bombers (Wellingtons and Whitleys) over Dunkirk and Ostend and an additional 2 training sorties, without loss.

A Blackburn Botha aircraft with a Polish crew crashes into the sea about 500 meters offshore from Rhosnegir after an aborted takeoff from RAF Valley. All three crewmen perish. Two 17-year-old boys who attempt to rescue the crew, John Wood and Derrick Baynham, receive the George Medal. Eleven local men, including the local Police Constable, lose their lives trying to rescue the crew when their boat overturns in rough seas.

Soviet light cruiser Kirov on fire in the Baltic, 28 August 1941.

Battle of the Baltic: The Soviet evacuation from Tallinn only has to cover 150 miles to reach safety at Kronstadt, but those are extremely treacherous miles to traverse. It is a rough day for the Soviets, and many of their 200 ships involved in the four evacuation convoys are lost.

The Luftwaffe attacks the Soviet convoys leaving Tallinn during the day. German planes damage Soviet light cruiser Kirov in the harbor. In the afternoon, Junkers Ju-88 bombers of II/KG77 and KGR806 continue the attacks and hit a handful of fleeing ships:

• 2250-ton icebreaker Krisyjanis Valdemars (sunk)
• 2414-ton freighter V-529/Skrunda (sunk)
• 2317-ton freighter VT-581/Lake Lucerne (sunk)
• 1423-ton freighter VT-563/Atis Kronvaldis (sunk)
• 2026-ton staff ship Vironia (damaged).

When staff ship Vironia tries to return to Tallinn (Reval), it hits a mine and also sinks.

Things only get worse after dark, when the main Soviet evacuation convoys also blunder into the German minefield off Juminda:

• Soviet destroyer Artyom (Artem) (sunk)
• Soviet destroyer Kalinin, Volodarsky (sunk)
• Soviet destroyer Yakov Sverdlov (sunk)
• Patrol ship Sneg
• Patrol ship Tsiklon
• Patrol ship Jupiter
• Rescue ship Saturn
• Minesweeper T-214
• Minesweeper T-216
• Minelayer TTS-56/Barometr
• Minelayer TTS-71/Krab
• Minelayer TTS-42/Izhorets-17
• Submarine SHCH-301
• Submarine S-5
• Submarine S-6
• Destroyer leader Moskva
• Gunboat Amgun
• Gunboat I-8
• Net layer Vyatka
• Net layer Onega
• Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) TKA-103
• Submarine Chaser MO-202
• 1446-ton freighter VT-511/Alev
• 2758-ton freighter VT-512/Tobol
• 1363-ton freighter VT-547/Jarvamaa
• 3251-ton freighter Everita
• 2329-ton freighter VT-518/Luga
• 237-ton freighter VT-512/Kumari
• 2191-ton freighter Balkhash
• 2917-ton freighter Jana
• 1839-ton freighter VT-584/Naissaar
• 206-ton freighter VT-537/Ergonautis
• 1522-ton freighter VT-530/Ella
• 1791-ton freighter Ausma
• 1700-ton tanker TN-12

Several Soviet ships hit mines off Juminda but make it back to Kronstadt:

• Destroyer leader Minsk
• Destroyer Gordy
• Destroyer Slavny
• Minesweeper T-205

This is not the extent of the Soviet Baltic Fleet's losses for the day, either. Additional ships hit mines off Seiskaari in a completely different minefield:

• Destroyer Skory
• Destroyer Volodarski

Overall, it is the worst day of the war for the Soviet Navy. The Germans also send ships of the 1st S-boat Flotilla based in Helsinki to attack the fleeing Soviet ships on the 29th.

The 28 August 1941 "Pravda," a propaganda work created by the Wehrmacht. It urges, "Workers of all countries unite you - to fight against Bolshevism!" The paper discusses the successes of the Wehrmacht and claims that 6 million Soviet troops have perished to date in the war. It also provides quite a good map of the front as of 28 August 1941, something the Wehrmacht would be well-equipped to know. Hitler's picture is captioned, "The Supreme leader of the German army, who is victorious in his crusade against the enemy of humanity - against Bolshevism."

Battle of the Atlantic: U-558 (Kptlt. Günther Krech), on its third patrol out of Brest, continues the attacks of Wolfpack Bosemüller on Convoy OS-4 south of Iceland and west of Ireland. Krech sinks 10,298-ton British tanker Otaio. There are 13 deaths, with nine of the deaths resulting after the crew takes to the boats, and 58 survivors. U-558 has been directed to its attack location by U-557.

A number of other U-boats in Wolfpack Markgraf set up a picket line southwest of Iceland.

German U-boat U-570, captured on the 27th, is taken to a secluded harbor in Iceland in great secrecy and beached at Þorlákshöfn, Iceland. The British intend to study it and eventually put it into service with the Royal Navy.

Royal Navy minesweeping trawler Lorinda sinks due to engine breakdown off Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 8149-ton British tanker Donovania a few miles off of St. Ann's Head. Donovania makes it back to Milford Haven for repairs. There is one death.

Newly commissioned US Navy escort carrier USS Long Island embarks on its first neutrality patrol from Bermuda. Task Force TF-3 departs from Trinidad led by light cruisers Memphis, Omaha, and Milwaukee.

The Royal Navy forms a strike group around battleship HMS Revenge to track down a reported German heavy cruiser in the North Atlantic. The Royal Navy ships are joined by American Task Force TG2.5, led by aircraft carrier Yorktown. They search but find nothing.

Royal Navy submarine Parthian departs from Portsmouth, England for Portsmouth, New Hampshire for repairs which last until 30 January 1942.

First Lord of the Admiralty A.V. Alexander completes his inspection tour of Scapa Flow and heads back to London.

Royal Navy minesweeper Beaumaris is commissioned and corvette Cowslip is launched.

US Navy destroyer USS Taylor (DD/DDE-468) is laid down at Bath Iron Works, Maine. Taylor becomes famous in 1945 as the first US warship to anchor in Japanese coastal waters.

U-352 (Kapitänleutnant Hellmut Rathke), U-585 (Kapitänleutnant Ernst-Bernward Lohse), and U-754 (Kapitänleutnant Hans Oestermann) are commissioned, U-209 and U-704 are launched.

The British 8th Hussars familiarize themselves with new American M3 Stuart tanks in the Western Desert, 28 August 1941 (© IWM (E 5086)).

Battle of the Mediterranean:  Operation Treacle, the replacement of Australian troops in Tobruk with Polish troops of the Carpathia Brigade, continues. Royal Navy minelaying cruiser Latona and destroyers Decoy, Jackal, and Napier carry Polish troops to the besieged port. This convoy is the penultimate voyage of Operation Treacle, which concludes on 30 August.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Rorqual (Lt. Napier) torpedoes and sinks 2747-ton Italian freighter Cilicia off Morea, Greece. Italian torpedo boat Antares rushes to the scene and rams Rorqual before it can fully submerge, damaging its periscope.

Royal Navy submarines Unbeaten and Utmost attack Italian vessels in the vicinity of Sicily, but both miss.

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet submarine L-5 (Lt.Cdr. Zhdanov) lays 14 mines off of Mangalia, Romania.

Men of the 8th Sherwood Foresters cross a river using a small kapok pontoon bridge, Dunadry in Northern Ireland, 28 August 1941.

Special Forces: Royal Navy submarine HMS Triumph (Cdr Woods) lands Commandos on the north coast of Sicily. They successfully blow up some water aqueducts and the main rail line from Palermo to Messina.

Partisans: As retribution for the 27 August 1941 assassination attempt on Pierre Laval, and pursuant to orders issued by the occupation authorities following the assassination of a German naval cadet in Paris a week ago, the Vichy government guillotines three Resistance members.

German authorities in Yugoslavia warn that the partisan uprising has become worse with time. The Italian troops have been ineffective in regaining control of large sections of Serbia.

The Arizona Daily Star, 28 August 1941. Its lead is the attempted assassination of Pierre Laval in France on the previous day.

US/Japanese Relations: In the morning, Secretary of State Cordell Hull brings Japanese Ambassador Nomura in to see President Roosevelt. Nomura gives the President a proposal from Prime Minister Prince Konoye for resolving issues in the Pacific. Among Konoye's requests is a summit meeting with Roosevelt in Hawaii. Roosevelt responds that Juneau, Alaska would be better for him, to which Nomura immediately agrees, with the request that the meeting should take place as soon as possible. Roosevelt thanks Nomura for the note and indicates that he would like to spend three or four days with Konoye in Juneau.

In an extraordinary meeting in Washington, D.C., Japanese Military Attaché Major General Isoda Saburo tells Colonel R.S. Bratton, Chief of the Far East Section, Intelligence Branch that the Japanese made a mistake allying themselves with Germany. Saburo also tells Bratton that the Japanese already have begun using their war reserve of petroleum. Saburo also confesses that the Imperial Japanese Army is increasingly warlike and being restrained only with great difficulty. Given US sanctions and lack of respect, it is becoming a matter of national honor to go to war. This is part of a coordinated Japanese "peace offensive" that is timed to coincide with the visit by Ambassador Nomura with President Roosevelt.

German/Italian Relations: On the night of 27/28 August 1941, Hitler parks his command train "Amerika" in the Strzyżów tunnel of Anlage Süd, while Mussolini parks his train nearby at Stępina. This is the only time that Hitler uses Anlage Sud, while Mussolini uses Anlage Mitte, which are purpose-built headquarters for command trains built by Organization Todt precisely for this purpose. The complexes are never used again except for war production and storage.

Later, Mussolini and Hitler are touring the Russian Front, and there is an awkward moment while the two are flying from Uman to Lviv. Mussolini unexpectedly goes forward into the cockpit and asks the pilot if he can fly the plane himself. Everybody remains silent, including Hitler, so Mussolini pilots the plane for over an hour. Many of the passengers, including Heinrich Himmler and Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop, wonder how much experience Mussolini has flying planes (apparently very little) and become very uncomfortable. However, this is not one of those times when "manly men" raise a fuss and make themselves look "weak" while questioning a key ally's abilities. Fortunately for the Fuehrer, Mussolini causes no issues and Hitler's regular pilot Hans Baur retakes control and lands the plane.

Men of the SAS. The man on the right is Captain "Jake" Easonsmith, KIA on Leros, Greece in 1943 (CREDIT: THE FAMILY OF THE LATE LT-COL ‘JAKE’ EASONSMITH, DSO, MC).

British Military: The Special Air Services (SAS), a highly secretive successor to the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), is formed today. These are the famous "Desert Rats."

Japanese Military: Imperial Japanese Navy freighter Santos Maru, 7266-tons, assists Japanese submarine I-5 off of a reef at Staring Bay, Kendari, the Celebes. Santos Maru then repairs the submarine.

IJN submarine chaser CH-26 is launched.

The IJN requisitions 6776-ton freighter Yamashimo Maru and 1192-ton oiler Kyoei Maru No. 2.

Soviet Military: The Stavka abolishes Marshal Voroshilov's Northwestern Theater headquarters, as he is consumed with the defense of Leningrad.

US Military: Admiral Hart, Commander in Chief of the U. S. Asiatic Fleet, writes a letter to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Stark. He suggests the withdrawal of US Naval Forces from China because "the weakness of their military position is so obvious." He adds that "it should be made clear, beyond any possible misapprehension in any quarter, that every military consideration calls for their withdrawal." He suggests that if a military presence in China is considered necessary, it should only be a token force, as "in the event of war with Japan they would be quickly contained or destroyed, probably without being able to inflict even a comparable loss on the enemy."

Lewis "Chesty" Puller takes command of 1st Battalion, 7th Marines after returning from China.

In Newfoundland, Naval Air Station Argentia is commissioned NAS Argentia. It is used for base convoy protection, coastal patrols, and anti-submarine aircraft.

US Government: President Roosevelt uses an Executive Order, No. 8875, to create the  Supply Priorities and Allocation Board (SPAB). Its purpose is to coordinate the distribution of materials and commodities related to US national defense and to assist the Office of Production Management (OPM) in carrying out their overlapping duties.

Arthur Fadden circa 1941.

Australian Government: Robert Menzies resigns as Prime Minister of Australia and is replaced by Arthur Fadden. Menzies spent four months in England from January to May 1941, and that took a toll on his political support in the Australian Parliament. His party's partner in his coalition government, the Country Party, elects Fadden as its leader, and this effectively makes Fadden the 13th Australian PM upon Menzies' resignation. However, Fadden is not popular, and his government does not last past October 1941.

Ukaz 21-160, the decree ordering the deportation of Volga Germans to Siberia, ordered by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on 28 August 1941 (this is the German version, it also was published in Russian).

Soviet Government: Joseph Stalin arbitrarily abolishes the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic with a "Decree of Banishment" effective 7 September 1941. Stalin also orders that all Volga Germans be exiled to Siberia and Kazakhstan and interned in labor camps lest they become spies for Hitler.

Holocaust: The SS completes its execution of roughly 25,000 Hungarian Jews at Kamenets Podolski. The victims are made to march to bomb craters outside of town, undress, and then stand at the edge of the pits so that they will fall in when machine-gunned. Not everyone is killed by the bullets, but they succumb when other bodies fall on them and then when the pit eventually is filled in.

The incident is extremely cold-blooded and comes about only because Hungary has refused to take back the Jews, who previously had been expelled from or fled Hungary for the "safety" of the USSR. This led SS General Franz Jaeckeln to liquidate them as a matter of convenience.

At Kedainiai, Lithuania, SS troops conduct another mass execution using the usual method of marching the victims to pits outside of town and gunning them down so they fall into the pits. This is the entire population of the town. A Jewish butcher feigns death and then leaps up and bites an SS soldier in the throat, leading to the soldier's death. He is immediately shot dead.

There is a mass execution at Czyzewo-Szlachecki, Poland, of an uncertain number.

The main Metz train station, 28 August 1941 (Proietti, Ugo, Federal Archive, Bild 212-334).

German Homefront: Adolf Hitler, who recently terminated the T-4 euthanasia program due in large part to opposition by leading German Catholic clerics, makes another gesture toward the Church. He rescinds a decree issued by Bavarian Gauleiter Adolf Wagner in April 1941 that made it illegal to allow Catholic prayers and Crucifixes in Bavarian schools. This is in large part due to mass demonstrations by Bavarian mothers, encouraged by sermons delivered by Archbishop of Munich-Freising, Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber.

Nobody is punished for the demonstrations because Hitler knows that the Church is the only institution in the Reich that can challenge his own popularity. However, in private, Hitler mutters darkly to his cronies that he will get even with the Church and its leaders when the time is right.

Erich Fromm's "Escape from Freedom" (Die Furcht vor der Freiheit) is published in Germany. It becomes Fromm's best-known work. A philosophical work, "Escape from Freedom" examines medieval society to show that people may say that they want "freedom," but their acts and the institutions they create suggest exactly the opposite.

American Homefront: Reacting to a ban on a birth control exhibit at the New York State Fair held in Syracuse by acting Governor Poletti, Margaret Sanger writes an angry letter:

We have been informed that Mr. Poletti’s stand was taken as a result of protests by representatives of the Roman Catholic Church.   If this be so, we protest as undemocratic and inimical to public welfare the fact that pressure of a minority religious group can effectively bar the majority of the citizens of New York State from information they desire on a subject considered of sufficient importance as a health measure to be included in the state public health programs of North and South Carolina and of Alabama, and in 209 health department programs in 39 states.

Poletti does not change his mind, and the exhibit is not held.

Future History: John Stanley Marshall is born in Isleworth, Middlesex, England. John Marshall becomes a founding member of the jazz-rock band Nucleus and a major figure as a drummer who works with many jazz and rock bands and musicians.

August 1941

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

2020

Saturday 19 July 1941

Exercise Brock, 19 July 1941. This is an exercise carried out with snowflake and Type 26E flares to demonstrate the effects of illuminants at sea. © IWM (A 4633).

Eastern Front: Adolf Hitler, who by and large allowed his generals to run matter during the victorious campaigns in western Europe, is taking an increasing interest in daily troop operations on 19 July 1941. This process is still just beginning, but already commanders such as OKH operations boss General Franz Halder are growing weary of orders that they consider to be amateurish. However, at this stage, many of Hitler's orders contribute to successful operations.

In the Far North sector, Finnish Group F (part of 3rd Division) completes a successful 64 km (40 miles) advance over rugged terrain by wiping out several Soviet units on the Vyonitsa River. It now can continue advancing toward its objective of Ukhta (aka Kalevala, on Yeldanka Lake aka Ozero Verkhnyaya Yeldanka). General Dietl's Army of Norway (AOK Norwegen) now decides to shift troops (units of SS Nord Division) south from the stalled offensive near Salla and have them support the Finnish advance. The Soviets also decide to send reinforcements to the area.

In the Army Group North sector, the panzers of Panzer Group 4 continue blasting through Soviet lines towards Leningrad. The Luftwaffe attacks rail lines in an attempt to isolate Leningrad from Moscow.

In the Army Group Center sector, Hitler orders General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 south. Hitler wants to ensure the brewing victory at Kiev, where hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops appear vulnerable to being surrounded, and open the way forward to Field Marshal Rundstedt's army group. General Guderian, reflecting a broad consensus within the upper levels of the Wehrmacht, protests that it makes more sense to continue east towards Moscow. OKW confirms Hitler's order and Guderian grudgingly heads south. Hitler also orders General Hoth's Panzer Group 3 to head north to help with the attack on Leningrad (it captures Velikiye Luki during the day). This leaves Field Marshal von Bock's Army Group Center without its spearhead. Hitler never has considered Moscow to be a priority target and this decision conclusively proves that.

In the Army Group South sector, Soviet General Eremenko takes over at Soviet Western Front.

Luftwaffe Lieutenant Walter Nowotny of III./JG 54 shoots down his first enemy planes, three Polikarpov I-153 biplanes. His own aircraft is damaged and he bails out over the Gulf of Riga.

Luftwaffe losses are mounting. Total planes lost now stand at 1284.

"FLIGHT LIEUTENANT E S LOCK, DSO, DFC, AND BAR: 41 SQUADRON, RAF," 19 July 1941 (Orde, Cuthbert Julian, © IWM (Art.IWM ART LD 2363).

European Air Operations: In continuing Operation Channel Stop, RAF Bomber Command sends 21 Blenheims of RAF No. 105 Squadron attack shipping off the Dutch coast. The Germans, however, have parked six Flak ships to guard the shipping, and while the bombers damage four ships, two of the planes fail to return.

In another RAF Circus raid, three Stirling bombers attack the Lille power station. One of the bombers fails to return.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 49 bombers (20 Whitleys, 17 Wellingtons, 12 Hampdens) to attack the main railway station in Hannover. The RAF loses a Wellington and a Whitley. Another 35 Hampdens go on a minelaying operation at the mouth of the Elbe and Weser Rivers.

Oberst Werner Mölders of JG 51, the top ace in the war and of all-time at this point, is appointed to the newly created position of General der Jägdflieger (General of Fighters). Oblt. Friedrich Beckh replaces him in charge of JG 51.

HMS Malvernian (F 102), a tough ship that finally sinks, after being bombed on 1 July, on 19 July 1941.

Battle of the Baltic: Soviet destroyers Serdity and Steregushchi attempt to intercept a German convoy off Daugavgrīva (German: Dünamünde; Polish: Dynemunt; Russian: Усть-Двинск or Ust`-Dvinsk). They fail to make contact, but the Luftwaffe spots them and attacks. The German planes badly damage Serdity, which its crew scuttles on the 22nd.

Soviet submarine L-3 torpedoes and sinks Finnish vessel Cisil.

U-553 returns to St. Nazaire from a successful patrol on 19 July 1941. Note the damaged periscope and victory pennants.

Battle of the Atlantic: During the night, Royal Navy 266-ton anti-submarine trawler Peter Hendriks accidentally rams Royal Navy submarine HMS Umpire, sinking it. There are 16 survivors and 22 deaths, with two of the survivors managing to get out of the flooded submarine after it sinks via the conning tower.

U-66 (Kptlt. Richard Zapp), on its second patrol, torpedoes and sinks 3433-ton British freighter Holmside northeast of the Cape Verde Islands. Holmside is a straggler from Convoy OG-67, making it an independent. There are 21 deaths and 16 survivors, picked up by Portuguese freighter Sete Citades. This is U-66's last sinking on this patrol.

The RAF (No. 42 Squadron) torpedoes and sinks German escort vessel NK-08 Kanonier off Sirevåg, Norway. There are 13 deaths and 16 survivors.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Beverly, escorting Convoy HG-68, intercepts Vichy French freighter Isac west of Gibraltar. The Isac is taken to Gibraltar for detention.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Tuna makes an attack on German ships off the Gironde in the Bay of Biscay but misses despite claiming hits.

After a lengthy journey, Norwegian tanker Ole Jacob, which was captured by German raider Atlantis on 10 November 1940, arrives at Bordeaux, France. The tanker brings aviation fuel and the crews captured on the Ole Jacob and the Teddy.

Attacked and badly damaged by the Luftwaffe on 1 July 1941 off the coast of Spain, Royal Navy armed boarding vessel HMS Malvernian is finally sunk by the Royal Navy as a hazard to navigation. Its crew, however, is still at sea - one lifeboat with 32 aboard only makes it to Corunna on 21 July, and another with 25 aboard to Vigo on 22 July. 107 other survivors have been taken POW.

US destroyer USS Baldwin and minesweeper Swallow are laid down.

U-153 (Korvettenkapitän Wilfried Reichmann) and U-375 (Kapitänleutnant Jürgen Könenkamp) are commissioned.

"An American M3 Stuart tank being hoisted from a ship onto the quayside at Alexandria, 19 July 1941." © IWM (E 4310).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Substance, a supply convoy to Malta, effectively begins when Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder departs Malta. The ships of Convoy WS 9C (Winston Special), which left the British Isles on 13 July, are still at sea approaching Gibraltar. The Royal Navy begins feigning an operation in the eastern Mediterranean by engaging in heavy radio traffic in that area. The Royal Navy intends to deploy eight submarines off Italian naval bases to attack any Italian ships that leave port to intercept the convoy, one of which is Upholder. The Substance operation is bringing everything from ammunition and vehicles to mail and food, and its success is critical to Malta's ability to hold out.

During the night, the Luftwaffe raids Alexandria and Malta while the RAF raids Tripoli and Benghazi.

Minelaying cruiser Abdiel and destroyer Abdiel make the increasingly hazardous nightly run to Tobruk from Alexandria without incident.

Battle of the Pacific: A group of 37 New Zealand coastwatchers departs from Fiji aboard ship Viti for assignments in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Their job is to watch for German raiders which have been seen in the area.

Natalia Bessmertnova, born on 19 July 1941 in Moscow.

Spy Stuff: A supposed German plot to overthrow the Bolivian government is exposed and suppressed. On 18 July 1941, Douglas Jenkins, the U.S. minister in La Paz, gave Bolivian Ostria Gutierrez a photocopy of a letter from the Bolivian military attache in Berlin, Major Elias Belmonte, to the German Minister in La Paz, Ernst Wendler. The letter states in part:

the time is approaching to carry out our coup to liberate my poor country from a weak government of completely capitalist inclinations.

The letter is damning, proposing that a pro-German coup take place in mid-July. Today, after taking a day to review the letter, the government of General Penaranda declares a state of siege and decides to expel Wendler from the country. Within a week, the army dismisses Belmonte for "treason." The Bolivian government also uses the letter as a pretext to jail the leaders of, and to otherwise suppress the opposition Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR) party.

There is some scholarly debate about the Belmonte/Wendler letter. There is a very good likelihood that the letter was a complete fabrication by British military intelligence at Station M, a clever instance of Black Ops using the clueless U.S. government as the middleman. This is similar to the supposed letters from Mahatma Gandhi to Adolf Hitler that some historians propose are clever British forgeries (though there is no proof of that). There is no other evidence, aside from the letter, that the Germans had any intentions to launch a coup in Bolivia.

In London, Winston Churchill decides to share his Bletchley Park Ultra decrypts with the Soviets - something that he doesn't even do with the Americans. However, the source of the information will be described as Berlin spies rather than intelligence intercepts.

In Afghanistan, two German Abwehr agents are identified as attempting to enter India. Afghan police arrest one and kill the other.

Partisans: The uprising in Montenegro that began on 13 July continues. The partisans remain on the offensive and are planning to take over several more Montenegran towns.

Winston Churchill flashes the "V for Victory" sign.

Propaganda: A "Colonel Britton" broadcasts at midnight to the peoples of Occupied Europe. This broadcast begins the "V for Victory" propaganda campaign that is one of the most successful propaganda efforts ever:

Events are taking place that are of great significance in this war. The importance of these events will probably not be realized for a long time, and, in fact, the events themselves are not likely to be noticed. But it's in connection with them that I asked you a week ago to start a "V" campaign - V's in sight and sound - which would work up to a climax tomorrow, July 20. Now I want to tell you what should be your contribution to making July 20 one of the milestones in the war. 

July 20 is the date of Europe's mobilization against the Germans. Tomorrow the V Army - Europe's invisible army of many millions - will come into being. You're listening to me now in your home. Thousands and thousands of others are listening too. 

The mobilization will begin at midnight 24 hours from now, and it will continue throughout the day. You are eligible to join the V Army, and I ask you to join.

He concludes that "In a few minutes there will be millions of new ‘Vs’ on walls and doors and pavements all over Europe."

Colonel Britton is the pseudonym of Douglas Ritchie, a 36-year-old Assistant News Editor at the BBC. The BBC has foreshadowed this campaign by prefacing its programs with the Morse Code for "V" (...- - -) for some time. To give proper credit, the instigator for the "V" campaign was a Belgian refugee named Victor de Laveleye, who made short-wave broadcasts from London to his native Belgium in early 1941 asking Belgians to chalk the letter V (for victoire) in public places as a sign of confidence in eventual Allied victory. Ritchie's broadcasts expand the idea to all of Occupied Europe.

Five Royal Canadian Air Force Cessna Cranes overfly a sixth on the opening day of No. 12 Service Flying Training School on July 19, 1941, at Brandon, Manitoba. PHOTO: DND Archives, PL-5747.

German/Swiss  Relations: The two countries sign a new trade agreement. Trade relations with neutral countries such as Switzerland and Turkey are a key way that the Reich attempts to circumvent the Allied blockade.

German/Swedish Relations: In Sweden, which has pursued a policy of neutrality through two World Wars, has a significant faction that believes the country should help Germany defeat the Soviet Union. General Olof Thörnell, commander of Swedish forces, proposes that Sweden contribute some troops to the effort like Spain and its Blue Division. This proposal is not acted upon.

Japanese/US Relations: The Japanese have been considering what to do about American Presbyterian missionaries in Korea. Up to this date, the Japanese have demanded that the missionaries leave Korea, who are accused of distributing dangerous literature. Having now concluded from discussions with the church representatives that they are not going to leave Korea, Ambassador Nomura recommends that a conference be held with the missionaries and otherwise dropped as a gesture of goodwill.

Japanese/Vichy French Relations: The Japanese demand more access to bases in southern Indochina.

US/Chinese Relations: Owen Lattimore arrives in Chungking as a military advisor.

Sportsmen in Amsterdam give the NSB greeting in competitions organized by the WA.

Soviet Military: Semyon Timoshenko officially relinquishes his position as People's Commissar of Defense and becomes Stalin's Deputy in the hierarchy.

US Military: USS Wasp (CV 7) flies a cargo of P-40 fighters to Iceland.

Task Force 1 is formed within the Atlantic Fleet for protection of US forces in Iceland and convoys heading there.

The first 13 pilots join the segregated Civilian Pilot Training Program at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. These are the initial Tuskegee Airmen.

British Government: Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes some appointments: Brendan Bracken, Minister of Information; R. A. Butler, President of Board of Education; Lord Hankey, Paymaster-General; Duncan Sandys, Financial Secretary to War Office.

Clay Hotel, Washington Ave., Miami Beach. July 1941. ORIGINAL CAPTION: "Washington Boulevard, a shopping district in Miami Beach, Florida." (Library of Congress).

Holocaust: The Germans complete mass executions at Ponar, outside Vilnius. In total, about 5000 people have been shot, hundreds daily for the past couple of weeks.

Einsatzcommando 3 of Einsatzgruppe A execute 27 people at Kaunas Seventh Fort: 17 Jewish men, 2 Jewish women, and 7 non-Jews.

American Homefront: United States Senator from North Dakota Gerald P. Nye gives a speech over the NBC Red Network in which he expresses his isolationist sentiments. Nye says that there is no reason to "go hunting" for a war. He begins his speech:

It may seem ages ago that America was quite unanimous, and vociferous, in its cry of "Never Again," meaning there would be no toleration of effort to move our country into another European.  But it was really only two years ago when memories of our last experience in Europe were still sufficiently clear to let us see what folly it would be to let ourselves be taken again into the wringer across the Atlantic.

He warns against allowing the military and President Roosevelt to "ignore the restrictions written by Congress as to where our boys shall and shall not be sent, without a declaration of war by Congress."

"Arizona Bound" is released. Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and starring Buck Jones and Tim McCoy, it follows the adventures of a retired Federal Marshal who takes a job driving a stagecoach full of gold and is accused of stealing it after it is robbed.

Future History: Florencia Bisenta de Casillas-Martinez Cardona is born in El Paso, Texas. In the early 1960s, she adopts the stage name "Vicki Carr." As Carr, she signs with Liberty Records in 1962 and has a minor hit single with "He's A Rebel." She goes on to a very successful run during the 1960s that includes ten singles and 13 albums on the pop charts. In the 1980s onward, Carr focuses more on recording Latin music. Carr continues to record as of 2018.

Natalia Bessmertnova is born in Moscow. In 1963, Bessmertnova joins the Bolshoi Ballet. She becomes the Soviet prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet for three decades and a People's Artist of the USSR. She later becomes famous across the world in 1995 for leading a strike of the Ballet that leads to the cancellation of scheduled performances following the firing of Yury Grigorovich. Natalia passes away in 2008.

Presentation of a trophy at a sports competition of the WA in Amsterdam, perhaps the Olympiaplein. The recipient is a member of the boxing/football team of Amsterdam. WA Heerban leader Feenstra and acting WA commander Van 't Hof make the presentation. 19 July 1941.

July 1941

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

2020