Friday 14 November 1941

HMS Ark Royal sinks near Gibraltar on 14 November 1941 after being torpedoed by U-81 (Kptlt.  Friedrich Guggenberger) on 13 November (colorized).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, torpedoed by U-81 (Friedrich Guggenberger) on the 13th, rolls over and sinks on 14 November 1941. The location is pinpointed in 2002 as being 30 nautical miles east of Gibraltar. Guggenberger is in a position to sink the Ark Royal due to intelligence reports from the U-boat command in Paris. The Captain of the Ark Royal, Loben Maund, will be court-martialled in February 1942 for negligence. He will be found guilty on two counts of negligence: one of failing to ensure that properly constituted damage control parties had remained on board after the general evacuation, and one of failing to ensure the ship was in a sufficient state of readiness to deal with possible damage. Only one man out of the 1488 crewmen on board loses his life due to the lengthy time it takes the ship to sink.

Eastern Front: There are many oft-overlooked truths in a military campaign, and perhaps the most significant truth is the importance of supplies. As Napoleon famously said:

An army marches on its stomach. To be effective, an army relies on good and plentiful food.

There are many correlations between Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia and Hitler's 1941 invasion. The influence and effects of supply problems may be the biggest of them all. The difficulty in this subject is that logistical issues are not "sexy." They usually become sterile discussions of production and transportation that are important in the background to battles and campaigns but function well enough to never be noticed. It is much more gripping to talk about bombing raids or tank raids or surrenders, when, in fact, all of those moments of glory are determined in the final analysis by logistics. In late 1941, however, logistics take center stage in Russia.

A German truck stuck in the mud outside Moscow, November 1941 (Britting, Federal Archive Fig. 183-B15500).

Put bluntly, the German supply network in the Soviet Union is beginning to break down by 14 November 1941. At the Orsha Conference on 13 November, where future German strategy is discussed, these supply difficulties were discussed with chiefs of staff from the army groups and a number of individual armies. These problems are not being resolved and in fact, are getting worse as each day passes. Thus, the continuation of Operation Typhoon into the winter ordered at the Orsha Conference appears almost to be a desperate attempt to achieve victory before the supply chain degrades to a point where the armies are being literally and figuratively starved. Having better and more plentiful weapons is useless if those weapons receive no ammunition, and having more effective soldiers is of no benefit if they do not have enough to eat or proper clothing in which to stay warm during sub-zero temperatures.

"25-pdr field guns of 408th Battery, 146th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, at Littlehampton in Sussex, 14 November 1941." (© IWM (H 15593)).

Today, General Franz Halder, who administered the Orsha Conference, amplifies in his war diary on the supply issues discussed at the Orsha Conference. He writes that Quartermaster-General Eduard Wagner rather dire description of the supply situation was no exaggeration. Halder writes that Wagner discusses with him:

Organizational consequences of the truck situation (the Divs. now have only horse-drawn trains; truck columns pooled in Armies).

This suggests a growing triage situation of supply - divisions are being left to fend for themselves while the supplies that can be delivered are going straight from the railheads to the army headquarters. With frigid weather closing in, supplies such as gasoline and winter clothing and spare parts to replace those that freeze become critical.

"One of Singapore's 15-inch coast defense guns firing, 14 November 1941." © IWM (K 755).

The supply situation is not just affecting the Germans, but it is a false equivalence to say that the Red Army is facing the same issues as the Wehrmacht. The Soviets have a secure, intact supply network coming over railway systems that all converge on Moscow (one of the reasons that the Soviet capital always has been an important objective despite Hitler's long denials of that fact). The Germans, however, are trying to use railways that have been destroyed. The Soviet railway gauge is different than the German gauge, so trains from Berlin cannot just continue straight to the outskirts of Moscow. Instead, cargoes must be reloaded onto captured Soviet trains which can proceed only as far as the tracks have been repaired. Well, that is all well and good and can be accomplished with some slave labor, but the greater problem is that the Germans haven't captured enough Soviet trains and there aren't enough Soviet trainmen to run them. This requires transferring Germans from the German rail system to run the Soviet trains - and nobody wants to suddenly go run trains in a war zone in winter. The German army heads complain that the trains wind up being run by the "culls of the entire rail system." The bottom line is that the German Army is organized to run by trains, and train service is severely lacking in the conquered territories.

A German propaganda photo showing Junkers Ju-87 Stukas flying past and a Messerschmitt Br 108B "Taifun" (Typhoon) liaison aircraft on the ground to the left. Written on the back of the photo in German is the caption "Bombers return!" The Bf 108 later became known as the Nord 1000 Pingouin. The Bf 108 looks very much like the Bf 109 and often stands in for it in movies. However, only about 885 were built, compared to 33,984 Bf 109s (Berliner Verlag / Archive).

The  German supply issues in the East are causing insidious problems throughout the areas of the German occupation. It is not just the Wehrmacht soldiers who are suffering without sufficient winter clothing and other supplies. The Soviet POWs - literally millions of them - are getting almost nothing and they are serving as a sort of "canary in the coal mine" as to what awaits the Wehrmacht itself. Halder notes in his diary today after a stop at Molodeczno, Belarus on his way home from the Orsha Conference:

Typhus camp of Russian POWs (20,000) doomed to die. Several German doctors fatally ill. In other camps in the neighborhood no typhus, but every day many prisoners die from starvation. Ghastly picture, but relief appears impracticable at the momen.

Halder also stops at Kovno and gets a similar story there:

Colonel Just, Area Commander. Confirms earlier story of self-seeking policy of the civil administration and intrigues against the Army. Plight of POWs. Typhus in POW camps.

The desperate German drive on Moscow, where there would be plenty of ways to get through the winter, is beginning to take on the aspect of a fight for survival as much as one of conquest.

Christian theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (pictured) speaks at an American Friends of German Freedom dinner on 14 November 1941. Eleanor Roosevelt also speaks. The general idea presented at the dinner is that despite the course being pursued by Hitler, Germany should not be destroyed after the war.

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

Friday 12 September 1941

It is not exactly a secret to anyone that another former Corporal once tried to invade Russia. On 12 September 1941, the British papers publish an irreverent little visual that mimics a famous illustration (or pictograph) of Napoleon's drive into Russia. This time, however, it notes that Hitler "falls behind in the stretch" as he approaches Moscow - which Napoleon actually captured. There's actually more than a little truth in this cartoon.

Eastern Front: For the first time in the war on 12 September 1941, the Germans must prioritize their operations in a way that affects the overall strategy. To date, priorities have been set but with the belief that everything can be accomplished given enough time. However, regarding Leningrad, decisions are made today that will have a lasting impact.

The day starts off well in Army Group North. The Luftwaffe has spent the last couple of days softening up the Leningrad defenses, and a morning attack by 1 Panzer Division (Lieutenant General Friedrich Kirchner) makes good progress. The panzers advance through Krasnoe Selo and are only stopped at the southwestern suburb of Pulkovo. Prospects for an advance into the built-up areas of Leningrad look good. With no chance of effective resupply by the Soviets, the city should fall without too much trouble.

Soviet troops surrender to the Germans, 12 September 1941.

However, as he has begun to do more frequently, Adolf Hitler intervenes. He abruptly halts the attack and orders the panzers and other armored vehicles and VIII Air Corps south toward Moscow. This is in accordance with his recent Fuehrer Directive calling for an offensive against Moscow, but it still comes as a shock to the Army Group. Hitler announces:

Leningrad will be starved into submission.

And, just like that, the attack on Leningrad is over.

Field Marshal von Leeb is furious. He telephones OKH Chief of Staff General Franz Halder and insists "vehemently" that he be allowed to capture Leningrad. Halder lamely notes in his daily war diary:

Of course, we shall always give him the means to bring his operation to a successful close, but the build-up for the new operation in Center must have priority.

There actually is no "of course" about it. Everyone knows that once sent away, armored troops are a long time coming back, especially from an operation on Moscow that is sure to draw rabid Soviet defensive fighting.

Colonel-General Eugene Ritter von Schobert and his pilot (to the left) before their last flight on 12 September 1941. Schobert, commander of the 11th Army, and his pilot perished when this Fieseler Storch observation plane crashed in a Soviet minefield.

As to whether Leningrad actually will starve, that is not at all far-fetched. Today, the Soviets cut the daily bread ration in Leningrad to 500 grams for manual workers and 300 grams for office workers and children under 12. That is not nearly enough to live on, but it may be more than the authorities actually can provide.

In the Army Group Center sector, General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 continues its breakout from the Desna River and drives further south to Kyiv. The Soviets evacuate Chernihiv, just north of Kyiv, in the face of Guderian's onslaught.

In the Army Group South sector, General von Kleist also continues his drive east of Kyiv from Kremenchuk in the south. The Romanians also renew their attack on Odessa, where they have been stalled for several weeks.

There is one glimmer of hope for the Soviets. Unexpectedly, light snow comes down across much of the front. The panzer crews, frustrated by the mud created as the snow melts, break off their attacks.

Schobert and his pilot prepare to fly off to their fate, 12 September 1941.

September 1, 1941: Two Years In
September 2, 1941: Germans Pushed Back at Yelnya
September 3, 1941: FDR Refuses to Meet with Japanese
September 4, 1941: Hitler Furious at Guderian
September 5, 1941: Germans Evacuate Yelnya
September 6, 1941: Japan Prepares for War
September 7, 1941: Hitler Orders Drive on Moscow
September 8, 1941: Leningrad Cut Off
September 9, 1941: Germans Attack Leningrad
September 10, 1941: Guderian Busts Loose
September 11, 1941: Convoy SC-42 Destruction
September 12, 1941: Starve Leningrad!
September 13, 1941: Zhukov at Leningrad
September 14, 1941: Germany's Growing Casualties
September 15, 1941: Sorge Warns Stalin Again
September 16, 1941: Soviets Encircled at Kiev
September 17, 1941: Iran Conquest Completed
September 18, 1941: Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in Action
September 19, 1941: Germans Take Kiev
September 20, 1941: Death at Kiev
September 21, 1941: Raging Soviet Paranoia
September 22, 1941: Defense of Nickel Mines
September 23, 1941: Air Attacks on Leningrad
September 24, 1941: Japanese Spying Intensifies
September 25, 1941: Manstein at the Crimea
September 26, 1941: Kiev Pocket Eliminated
September 27, 1941: Massacre at Eišiškės
September 28, 1941: Ted Williams Hits .400
September 29, 1941: Babi Yar Massacre
September 30, 1941: Operation Typhoon Begins

2020