Friday 28 November 1941

At the funeral for Colonel Werner Mölders on 28 November 1941, Adolf Hitler leads a delegation at the Reich Aviation Ministry. In the main group are, right to left, Field Marshal Erhard Milch (carrying baton), Hitler's attending physician SS Sturmbannführer Dr. Karl Brandt, Adolf Hitler, Hitler's Adjutant SS Gruppenführer Julius Schaub, and Reich Minister and Chief of the Reich Chancellery SS Obergruppenführer Martin Bormann (Federal Archive Figure 183-H0422-0502-001).

Eastern Front: The events of 28 November 1941 are decidedly mixed for the Wehrmacht. With Adolf Hitler in Berlin attending the funeral of Luftwaffe ace Colonel Werner Mölders, the Wehrmacht leaders in the Army Group South sector make their move to evacuate Rostov-on-Don. While German III Panzer Corps, commanded by General der Kavallerie Eberhard von Mackensen, has not yet been forced out of the city, everyone realizes that may not last very long. Soviet South Front, led by General Yakov Cherevichenko, has brought in twenty-one divisions and obviously is planning something. The German corps has only two divisions in Rostov, 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (Sepp Dietrich) and the 13th Panzer Division, and Mackensen already has reported that they are worn out from endless fighting. The divisions are at only half to two-thirds of their normal strength. In addition, the German supply situation is catastrophic and the divisions are short of everything. Accordingly, during the day First Panzer Army commander General Ewald von Kleist orders Mackensen to evacuate the city. This is accomplished by nightfall.

Adolf Hitler arriving at the funeral of Colonel Werner Mölders on 28 November 1941. Hitler is in his Mercedes Cabriolet and is passing the military band (Federal Archive Figure 101I-597-B0526-17).

Hitler does not learn of the withdrawal from Rostov on the 28th, most likely because the Wehrmacht does not go out of its way to tell him. After the Mölders funeral, Hitler boards his command train "Amerika" and begins the journey back to his headquarters in East Prussia. While traveling through the night, Hitler does not receive any communications about the withdrawal and has no reason to think that one is being made. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group South, understands that Hitler may not approve the order but tells von Kleist's to order Mackensen to withdraw anyway. Since Hitler is unaware of the order to withdraw, he is not able to countermand it before it is executed. Everything is planned as much around Hitler's unavailability as it is the situation in Rostov. It is a perfectly timed operation... against both the Red Army and the Fuehrer.

"The crew of a Light Tank Mk VIB looking for any movement of the enemy near Tobruk, 28 November 1941." General Rommel's panzers are southeast of Tobruk skirmishing with British tanks. © IWM (E 6822).

The Soviets are counterattacking all around Moscow in order to disrupt German plans, and those battles are having the intended effect. West of Moscow, Soviet Western Front launches a powerful counterattack against the German 4th Army (Field Marshal Günther von Kluge). Von Kluge's forces are able to stop the Red Army, but this scrambles its own plans to launch an offensive against the Soviet capital beginning on 2 December. South of Moscow, at Tula, General Leo Freiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg’s XXIV Motorized Corps moves forward to attack Tula from the north and east while XLII Army Corps attacks from the west. However, von Schweppenburg's troops have to make a move parallel to the front along a narrow corridor to get into position for the attack and are subjected to fierce artillery fire from the city. The Soviets also are attacking the exposed German position north of Moscow at Tikhvin with the 52nd and 54th Armies by attacking the flanks of the long salient to the city in an attempt to cut off the garrison. Continuing Soviet counterattacks are not dislodging the German troops anywhere, but the endless pressure is definitely wearing them down.

Dutch submarine O-21, shown, sinks U-95 (Kptlt. Gerd Schreiber) on 28 November 1941 near Gibraltar. Captain Schreiber and 11 of his men survive the sinking, are rescued by O-21, and spend the rest of the war in POW camps (© IWM (A 7083)).

Northwest of Moscow, the German attack is going better than elsewhere. Early in the morning, the Seventh Panzer Division (General Baron von Funck), led by Hasso von Manteuffel's rifle regiment, captures and crosses the Jakhroma (Yakhroma) bridge across the Moscow/Volga canal. A sergeant in Manteuffel's unit later remarks:

I was participating in the assault across the Moscow-Volga canal near Jakhroma and withessed our "little one" (Manteuffel) switch off the Muscovites' power in the ower station of Jakhroma. He was the first in the attack and the last to retreat.

The sergeant's comment about the "retreat" is telling because the German forces do not remain in place for very long. While Manteuffel's men hold a bridgehead throughout the day, some panzers that cross the bridge to support them are driven back to the other side by 10:00. The Soviet defenders of the 1st Shock Army unleash a torrent of fire that includes air attacks and Katyusha rocket launchers. Now within about 20 miles of the Kremlin, this is the closest that the Wehrmacht gets.

Two Eagle Squadron pilots, Sgt John J "Jack" Mooney (left) and P/O Donald W "Mac" McLeod, at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey on 28 November 1941. They are in  RAF No 121 Squadron, the second Eagle Squadron, formed with volunteer pilots from the United States in May.

US/Japanese Relations: With no active proposals on the table from either side, negotiations have broken down between the United States and Japan. The Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo sends a coded message to Ambassador Nomura in Washington, who has suggested submitting another peace proposal:

Well, you two Ambassadors have exerted superhuman efforts but, in spite of this, the United States has gone ahead and presented this humiliating proposal. This was quite unexpected and extremely regrettable. The Imperial Government can by no means use it as a basis for negotiations. Therefore, with a report of the views of the Imperial Government on this American proposal which I will send you in two or three days, the negotiations will be de facto ruptured. This is inevitable. However, I do not wish you to give the impression that the negotiations are broken off. Merely say to them that you are awaiting instructions and that, although the opinions of your Government are not yet clear to you, to your own way of thinking the Imperial Government has always made just claims and has borne great sacrifices for the sake of peace in the Pacific. Say that we have always demonstrated a long-suffering and conciliatory attitude, but that, on the other hand, the United States has been unbending, making it impossible for Japan to establish negotiations. Since things have come to this pass, I contacted the man you told me to in your #1180 and he said that under the present circumstances what you suggest is entirely unsuitable. From now on do the best you can.

The United States military "Magic" decoding unit is reading the Japanese diplomatic codes almost in real-time, so both sides understand that the situation is extremely grave. The Japanese fleet is at sea and heading toward Hawaii, but the Americans do not know this.

Adolf Hitler meets with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem on 28 November 1941 (Hoffmann, Federal Archive Picture 146-1987-004-09A).

German/Arab Relations: Since he is staying in Berlin today to attend Oberst Mölders' funeral anyway, Hitler meets with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Hajj Amin al Husseini. The Grand Mufti was in Iraq when the British invaded earlier in the year and only reached Berlin after a very difficult and roundabout journey. He professes his loyalty to the German cause and offers to enlist Arab soldiers to fight beside the Wehrmacht. Hitler, in turn, promises that the Arabs can have Palestine once it is conquered by the Wehrmacht after breaking through the Caucasus and turning southwest into the Middle East. Both parties are united in their goal of eradicating any Jewish element in the region.

Group Captain [Elwyn] Roy King, DFC DSO of  No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps (AFC). Captain King died suddenly on 28 November 1941 (Australian War Memorial A03717).

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

Thursday 20 November 1941

The U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull with Ambassador Nomura and Special Envoy Kurusu on or about 20 November 1941.

Japanese/US Relations: More than any other day's events until the actual attack on Pearl Harbor, those of 20 November 1941 is conclusive with respect to the likelihood of war in the Pacific Theater. With special envoy Saburo Kurusu now in Washington, D.C., Japanese Ambassador Nomura delivers the final Japanese peace proposal to Secretary of State Cordell Hull. This is "Proposal B," the U.S. already having rejected proposal A. Both proposals were formulated at the Imperial Conference held in Tokyo on 5 November. The Americans already know from the "Magic" intelligence operation that the peace proposal handed over today is the last one that the Japanese have any intention of making.

No 1 Squadron's CO, Squadron Leader James MacLachlan, in the cockpit of his Hurricane IIC at Tangmere, 20 November 1941. © IWM (CH 4014).

In Proposal A, Japan promised to withdraw from China and French Indochina (Vietnam), which is what the Americans want. However, this depended upon Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek signing a peace treaty that would permit the Imperial Japanese forces to remain in parts of China indefinitely. In addition, the Japanese would have agreed to free trade principles which are important to the Americans, and basically cast aside its obligations under the Tripartite Pact.

This is the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-1 on 20 November 1941 of Oblt Walter Schneider, an ace with Adolf Galland's JG 26 fighter unit based at Abbeville. Schneider will be shot down and killed just after getting victory No. 20 on 22 December 1941.

Proposal B, delivered today, is intended as a last resort but is no more acceptable to Hull and President Roosevelt. It provides that Japan will immediately withdraw all troops from French Indochina and also negotiate a final peace treaty with China - as long as the United States does not interfere. Japan and the United States then together would acquire the Netherlands Indies (Indonesia) and the two nations thereafter would become trading partners and, presumably, allies. It is a sweeping proposal that basically calls for a predatory alliance between the two powers, with the clear implication that Japan and the United States could do similar "deals" in the future.

Painting an unidentified corvette's stern at Liverpool on 20 November 1941. © IWM (A 6357).

In his memoirs published in 1948, which may or may not accurately reflect Hull's thinking in 1941, Hull is dismissive of the proposals. He writes that the Japanese offer

put conditions that would have assured Japan's domination of the Pacific, placing us in serious danger for decades to come.

Hull goes even further in his memoirs, at least rhetorically, claiming that this Japanese proposal called for "virtually a surrender" by the United States.

"The officers and crew of HMS MONTGOMERY aboard the ship." This was taken on 20 November 1941 at Gourock. The Montgomery formerly was US destroyer USS Wickes, it was given to the Royal Navy pursuant to Lend-Lease. © IWM (A 6344).

Since Hull knows this is the final Japanese proposal, he faces a stark choice of either trying to work with it somehow or knowing that war is going to break out. Both Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, and Brigadier General Leonard T. Gerow, a member of the War Plans Division who is representing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General George C. Marshall, both off advice. They counsel Hull to continue trying to find some modus vivendi with the Japanese despite the unacceptability of this plan. Gerow says:

Even a temporary peace in the Pacific would permit us to complete defensive preparations in the Philippines and at the same time ensure continuance of material assistance to the British -- both of which are highly important.

Despite indicating that the Japanese proposal is insufficient, Hull thus continues the negotiations even though the likelihood of some accommodation is very dim. Hull tasks Gerow, Stark, and their staffs to work up some more drafts of peace proposals over the next few days that might at least keep the negotiations going indefinitely. He promises Nomura that the U.S. will make a counterproposal.

General Kurt Briesen, commander of LII Army Corps, in Paris in front of the city commandant. He perishes on 20 November 1941 due to a Soviet aircraft attack (either bombing or strafing) near Isjum on the Seversky Donets River, southeast of Kharkiv. (Federal Archive Picture 146-2008-0358).

The Japanese, however, are not prepared to wait for Hull's empty gestures. Foreign Minister Togo Shigenori sends a revealing message to the Japanese Ambassador to Turkey today:

Insofar as Japanese-American negotiations are concerned, in proceeding upon these negotiations for the adjustment of diplomatic relations on a just basis, conferences have been in progress since the 7th. However, there is a great disparity between their opinions and our own. In the light of the trend of past negotiations, there is considerable doubt as to whether a settlement of the negotiations will be reached. Insofar as we are concerned we have lent our maximum efforts in order to bring about a settlement of the negotiations. However, the situation not permitting any further conciliation by us, an optimistic view of the future is not permitted. In the event that negotiations are broken off, we expect that the situation in which Japan will find herself will be extremely critical. The above is for your information alone.

Given the rejection of Proposal B by Hull, the Japanese government begins battening down for a likely conflict. All communications are cut with Iturup in the Kuril Islands because of the presence there of the Imperial Japanese Navy carrier fleet which is assembling in Tankan Bay for the attack on Pearl Harbor. The government also makes a number of administrative changes that reflect the need to shift the government to a war posture. These include upgrading Ryojun Military Port (Port Arthur) and the naval base at Mako in the Pescadores Islands to the status of Guard Districts.

Police booking photo of Iris Eileen Mary Webber dated 20 November 1941. Webber, a petty thief and "grog seller" earns the title "The most violent woman in Sydney" by carrying a "knuckleduster" to mug people. She physically attacked men who competed with her, including some notorious toughs of the day. The men often dropped the charges and claimed that a man had attacked them. This photo was probably taken after she was arrested for selling beer out of her home in Woolloomooloo. Or, it could have been for assaulting a man named Jackie Holder with a tomahawk. Webber passed away in 1953 (State Archives & Records New South Wales).

Eastern Front: German 1st Panzer Army under General Ewald von Kleist seizes a bridge across the frozen Don River, the last natural barrier before the Caucasus. The panzers of 1st Panzer Division Leisbstandarte SS "Adolf Hitler" under the command of Josef "Sepp" Dietrich are fighting in Rostov-on-Don. Things look promising for further advances in the oil fields to Hitler back at the Fuehrer Headquarters. However, the German spearhead, led by III Panzer Corps in Rostov and XIV Panzer Corps guarding its north flank, is elongated and vulnerable. The Red Army prepares forces to the south, east, and north of Rostov for a counterblow.

A wedding announcement in the 20 November 1941 Madison, Wisconsin State Journal. The article notes that the married couple "will leave on a short wedding trip," which during 1941 likely meant Niagara Falls.

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

Wednesday 5 November 1941

Bomb damage from an Allied raid of 5 November 1941 in Harlingen, the Netherlands (Collection of Griet De Jong).

US/Japanese Relations: The Japanese government has made its preparations for war by 5 November 1941. The plans have been drawn up, the difficulties such as developing torpedoes to accommodate the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor have been overcome, and the Emperor has signed off on the overall plan.

Fita Benkhoff in the 5 November 1941 Filmwoche magazine. Fita was a German actress who appeared in over 100 films from the 1930s until her death on 26 October 1941. It is alleged that Benkhoff was an example of a lesbian who carefully hid that status during the Third Reich.

Now that they are fully prepared, though, there is a moment of hesitation by the Japanese. Everyone realizes the enormity of what is about to transpire. The government holds an Imperial Conference in the morning. Emperor Hirohito is not warlike, so the government gives peace one last chance. The Foreign Office sends Saburo Kurusu, a well-traveled professional diplomat whose only moment of celebrity was signing the Tripartite Pact on Japan's behalf in Berlin on 27 September 1940, to Washington as a "special envoy."

New Zealand troops entering Libya from Egypt through the defensive wire, November 1941 (New Zealand History).

Kurusu will not have much time - the trip to the United States capital will take ten days, and the Japanese task forces will have to depart roughly a week later to get in position on time. The main issue of contention between the two powers is Japan's invasion of China. However, maybe he can accomplish something that Ambassador Kichisaburō Nomura cannot.

On the front page of the News-Palladium of Benton Harbor, MI of 5 November 1941, the war takes second place to a local trial. Note that it already has news of Special Envoy Kurusu "Racing to U.S. Capital."

The Japanese prepare two proposals for the Americans, to be handed to the United States Secretay of State Cordell Hull as soon as possible in sequence. In Proposal A, Japan promises to withdraw from China and French Indochina (Vietnam), which is what the Americans want. However, this depends upon Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek signing a peace treaty that would permit the Imperial Japanese forces to remain in parts of China indefinitely. In addition, the Japanese would agree to free trade principles which are important to the Americans, and basically cast aside its obligations under the Tripartite Pact. The Japanese are willing to abandon China... sort of.

"View of Devonport Dockyard from HMS IMPREGNABLE." 5 November 1941 © IWM (A 6233).

Proposal B is intended as a last resort should the Americans reject Proposal A. It provides that Japan would immediately withdraw all troops from French Indochina and also negotiate a final peace treaty with China - as long as the United States did not interfere. Japan and the United States then together would acquire the Netherlands Indies (Indonesia) and the two nations thereafter would become trading partners and, presumably, allies.

"Die Wehrmacht," the official OKW publication, shows train cars full of Soviet POWs on the cover of its 5 November 1941 issue. As can be seen, the cars are open to the elements as winter sets in.

As Kurusu journeys to Washington, however, Japanese war preparations are to continue in secret. Today, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Yamamoto distributes copies of Top-Secret Order No. 1 to all commanders of the Japanese Combined Fleet. This order that is drafted by both the Imperial Army and Navy sets forth the invasion plans that will cover the entire Pacific basin. It provides in part:

[A]nticipating that war with the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands will begin in the early part of December, for self-preservation and self-defense, the Empire has decided to complete the various preparations for war.

The order provides that the fleet is to get into attack positions. Submarines are to depart on 20 November and the Carrier Striking Force is to depart the next day for Hawaii.

The U.S. Navy light cruiser USS Honolulu (CL-48) operating off Hawaii on 5 November 1941, with her aircraft recovery mat draped over her stern. The ship is painted in dark Measure 1 camouflage, but her boats are still in peacetime light grey (National Archives, Navy History and Heritage Command).

While the Japanese carry their preparations out with extreme secrecy, the Americans are much more closely attuned to Japanese intentions than the Japanese know. They have been reading Japanese diplomatic ciphers for months in the "Magic" program but have done little with the information so received. United States Secretary of State Hull knows that something important is in the offing due to Japanese instructions to Ambassador Nomura that a resolution must be reached by 25 November. Hull drops a few broad hints to allies, and Congress decides to stay in session indefinitely rather than take its customary holiday breaks. The Magic team in Hawaii, led by Joseph Rochefort, begins detecting changes in Japanese naval communications, though they are not certain what to make of it. Rochefort also notes the recall of Japanese merchant ships. Two Japanese marine staff officers also leave Pearl Harbor. Various Americans, such as Ambassador Joseph Grew in Tokyo, are getting uneasy as they notice things start to change, but little out of the ordinary is done to prepare for war.

Operetta composer Paul Lincke with his daughter Gina Torsen, dressed as Mrs. Luna in his operetta "Frau Luna," as she gives him birthday wishes on 5 November 1941. Note the new Volkswagen behind the pair, which is a birthday gift that has been pulled on stage (Hoffmann, Federal Archive Fig. 183-B05557).

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

Tuesday 21 October 1941

Russian civilians carry their belongings from their burning homes, allegedly set on fire by retreating Soviet troops as part of a scorched-earth policy, in a Leningrad suburb on October 21, 1941. The German propaganda service had a standing policy of releasing these types of photos to American journalists in Lisbon (AP Photo).

Eastern Front: The weather in northern and central Russia has been deteriorating for two weeks as of 21 October 1941, with intermittent snow and rain as the temperature hovers around freezing. The snow has not been sticking, but as it melts, it has been exacerbating a problem with German transportation that was only a nuisance during the summer.

German light armored observation car (Sd.Kfz. 253) caught by rising waters, October 1941 (Utrecht, Fred Erich, Federal Archive Bild 101I-268-0157-17A).

The dirt roads were manageable during the summer and fall, even if uncomfortably dusty, but all of the water both from precipitation on the roads and runoff from surrounding areas into low-lying routes now is becoming a real problem. This is the "Rasputitsa," the muddy season that occurs every spring and fall during the change of seasons. The weather always is a very important factor in the campaign on the Eastern Front, helping both sides at times but favoring the Soviets when it counts the most.

Gertrud Scholtz-Klink at the opening of an exhibit about the work of German women in Luxembourg on 21 October 1941. Frau Scholtz-Klink was head of all Third Reich women's organizations such as the BDM. She was an unrepentant supporter of Hitler until her death on 24 March 1999. Ever wonder where Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes got his name from? Nobody is sure, but this was the most highly placed official in the Third Reich with that name.

The Soviets are used to the Rasputitsa, of course, but it is a new and unexpected phenomenon for German soldiers who have never before had the slightest interest in Russia. The deep mud slows the German supply trucks to a halt. The truck drivers attempt to go around the puddles and streams flowing across the roads, but they just extend the ruts further out until areas 50 meters across in places become impassable quagmires. Even horses get stuck, and men marching through the muddy stretches sometimes lose their boots. It is not as if the weather only affects the Wehrmacht, but the Russians have two advantages: their equipment is adapted to the conditions, and they are only attempting to hold their ground for the moment. On days like this, little happens, which may be confusing when other days show major German gains, but the impact of the weather cannot be denied during World War II.

"Emergency rescue kits supplied by the Merchant Navy Comforts Service arriving onboard HMS DEPTFORD." 21 October 1941. The Wehrmacht troops on the Eastern Front certainly wouldn't mind having this warm clothing delivered to them right about now, but German officials are of the opinion that supplying it would be bad for morale © IWM (A 6188).

Of course, the weather does not stop everything, especially in the south where the Rasputitsa is not as dramatic and hits a little later. General von Manstein's 11th Army continues advancing deep into the Perekop Isthmus in the entrance to the Crimea, and units of Sixth Army approach within seven miles of the key industrial city of Kharkiv. The Soviets in Kharkiv are busy also, finishing the loading of the Kramatorsk heavy-machine factory equipment onto railcars for a hurried move to the Urals. The factory workers are not as valuable as the equipment, so they must walk the first 20 miles to another train station. However, as good Communists, they are only too happy to do what comrade Stalin wants.

"A Fairey Seafox being catapulted from HMS CANTON in the Atlantic." 21 October 1941 © IWM (A 6653).

Stalin, meanwhile, has been watching the Wehrmacht approaching Moscow from three different directions - northwest, west, and southwest - with growing alarm. In moments of crisis, Stalin always turns to a trusted handful of men who may not be infallible, but at least remain completely loyal through thick and thin. Today, he elevates General Georgy Zhukov, his most competent officer, from command of the West Front to command of all military forces in the Moscow defensive area. It is not so much that Zhukov is the world's most brilliant strategist or tactician that makes him effective as it is that he has Stalin's complete confidence. This gives Zhukov more discretion to "assume" what Stalin wants than any other officer - though, of course, this has its limits as well. As Zhukov later puts it, there is as much distance between him and Stalin as there is between a field marshal and the lowliest private. A somewhat similar to the situation that later develops in the Wehrmacht between Hitler and Field Marshals von Manstein and Model, but Zhukov's relationship with Stalin is unique.

A Wehrmacht soldier testifying to a military tribunal in France regarding an attack on a German soldier by three Frenchmen, 18 October 1941 (Trautvetter, Federal Archive Picture 146-2007-0126).

However limited his real authority may be, Zhukov's relationship of confidence with Stalin gives him more call on the Soviet Union's abundant resources and more latitude to take chances with strategy than any other general. The problem for Stalin, though, is that there are multiple military problems to solve - at Leningrad, on the Volkhov River north of Moscow, in the Crimea, at Kharkiv, and at Rostov-on-Don - and there is only one Zhukov. Stalin keeping Zhukov at Moscow when there are so many other critical places in peril is perhaps the ultimate vindication of the many German generals who urged Hitler to focus on the Soviet capital throughout 1941.

German soldiers have Roma children shine their boots before shooting them together with about 2300 other hostages in Kragujevac, Serbia on 21 October 1941 (this was the figure reported to his superiors by General der Pioniere (Lieutenant General) Walter Kuntze). These were reprisals for an attack by Serbian partisans on 15-16 October at Kraljevo (10 km south of Belgrade) in which 10 German soldiers were killed and 14 wounded. The commander of the 717th Infantry Division, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Paul Hoffman, personally supervised the killings. As happened now and then, including a more famous incident on Crete, one German soldier was shot for refusing to participate in the killings.

US/Japanese Relations: With General Tojo now the Japanese Prime Minister, everyone with a basic understanding of Japanese politics realizes that the war party is in control in Tokyo. However, everyone also knows that the Emperor continues to desire peace. Accordingly, the Foreign Office sends out a very mixed message to Ambassador Kichisaburō Nomura in Washington that contains an obvious hint of menace:

The new cabinet differs in no way from the former one in its sincere desire to adjust Japanese-United States relations on a fair basis. Our country has said practically all she can say in the way of expressing of opinions and setting forth our stands. We feel that we have now reached a point where no further positive action can be taken by us except to urge the United States to reconsider her views. We urge, therefore, that, choosing an opportune moment, either you or Wakasugi let it be known to the United States by indirection that our country is not in a position to spend much more time discussing this matter. Please continue the talks, emphasizing our desire for a formal United States counter-proposal to our proposal of 25 September.

Nomura is also a member of the "peace faction' has been doing everything that he can to defuse a conflict. This has included numerous official and off-the-record meetings with top American officials such as U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull. While he may not convey the obvious threat implied in these instructions, the Americans are reading the Japanese diplomatic codes and certainly are in a position to get the message whether Nomura tells them or not.

EH.510/23, Luftpost (British propaganda leaflet), Nr. 23, 21. Oktober 1941 (Luftpost, No. 23, 21 October 1941) (Image/s source: www.psywar.org).

American Homefront: Two of the most iconic characters in comic book history debut on 21 October 1941. Wonder Woman appears in "All-Star Comics" issue #8 (cover date December 1941/January 1942), scripted by William Moulton Marston, a psychologist already famous for inventing the polygraph (lie detector). The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot) from the Batman comic book series appears in "Detective Comics" issue #58 (cover date December) and is created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Both the Penguin and Wonder Woman eventually make their way into television series, motion pictures, and other media such as video games.

EH.510/23, Luftpost, Nr. 23, 21. Oktober 1941 (Luftpost, No. 23, 21 October 1941) (Image/s source: www.psywar.org).

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

Monday 29 September 1941

Babi Yar ravine in northwest Kyiv, Ukraine. It is the site of a massacre of over 33,000 people on 29 September 1941.

US/Japanese Relations: The Japanese have been trying to arrange a summit meeting between their Prime Minister Prince Konoye and President Roosevelt for at least a month. However, President Roosevelt repeatedly has refused such a meeting, considering it pointless. On 29 September 1941, the Japanese give their first hint that there may be consequences for this refusal.

German SS troops interacting with Kiev civilians at Babi Yar prior to their execution, circa 29 September 1941.

Japanese Ambassador to the United States Kichisaburō Nomura is an extremely skilled diplomat who secretly does not desire war. He has engaged in quiet diplomacy with Secretary of State Cordell Hull which has included lunches downtown in addition to official meetings. Today, however, he has to deliver a message from Tokyo that decidedly escalates the rhetoric. It reads in part:

. . . if nothing came of the proposal for a meeting between the chiefs of our two Governments it might be difficult for Prince Konoye to retain his position and that Prince Konoye then would be likely to be succeeded by a less moderate leader.

While the message is phrased as diplomatically as possible, the message is clear: deal, or there will be trouble. Everyone knows - including Washington, which is kept well-informed by its ambassador in Tokyo Joseph Grew - that the Japanese military is eager for war and dominates the Cabinet.

The Babi Yar massacre in progress circa 29 September 1941 (Ernst Klee Archive via United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

Spy Stuff: The air war is not going particularly well for the Chinese. Their outdated fighters are no match for the new Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, and their pilots are not trained to the high standards of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (Kōkūtai). On 29 September 1941, those problems are compounded when the commander of the 2nd BS, Zhang Tiqing, defects during a raid at Changsha. While leading his command of SBs of the Chinese 1st and 2nd BGs, Tiqing leaves his fellow pilots and willingly lands at the Japanese-held aerodrome at Hankou. In addition to presenting a complete SB to the Japanese for study, Zhang Tiqing's desertion causes the others in his flight to get lost. Eight SBs must make forced landings in fields. This leads to losses of pilots and planes. The Chinese have to replenish the unit from men and equipment from the 6th BG.

Joe Louis defeats Lou Nova at the Polo Grounds on 29 September 1941 to retain his heavyweight championship. This is the 19th successful defense of his title by Joe Louis (Joe Costa).

China: At Changsha, China, the fighting turns in favor of the defending Chinese. The Chinese 9th War Area goes over to the offensive against the Japanese 11th Army, reinforced by relief troops. The Chinese may not have many modern weapons to equal the Japanese planes and guns, but they have one thing in abundance: men. The Japanese are forced to retreat.

Babi Yar Ravine.

Holocaust: It is day two of the Babi Yar Massacre. On 28 September 1941, the Germans posted the following message on billboards throughout the recently captured city of Kyiv:

All Jews living in the city of Kiev and its vicinity are to report by 8 o'clock on the morning of Monday, September 29th, 1941, at the corner of Melnikovsky and Dokhturov Streets (near the cemetery). They are to take with them documents, money, valuables, as well as warm clothes, underwear, etc. 

Any Jew not carrying out this instruction and who is found elsewhere will be shot. Any civilian entering flats evacuated by Jews and stealing property will be shot.

The common conclusion of those reading this notice was that the Germans would follow their typical practice and deport the Jews. This would not be the case.

The 29 September 1941 Pittsburgh Press is full of stories of condemnation of German atrocities in Occupied Europe and efforts to fight them. There are false claims of "victories" by both sides in Europe. For instance, the Italians claim major naval victories and the Soviets claim to be advancing through a "graveyard of tanks" left behind by retreating German forces southwest of Bryansk.

Instead, on 29 September 1941, the Germans and their local auxiliaries force tens of thousands of Jews who are collected to march to a nondescript area in the northwestern section of Kyiv. The Jews are forced to go through a narrow corridor lined with barbed wire and German soldiers to the Babi Yar Ravine. The Jews are taken in small groups to the edge of the ravine, lined up, and shot so that they fall into the ravine. The killings continue for 48 hours. It is estimated that 33, 771 people are killed. However, this is just the opening stage of the pogrom, as ultimately over 100,000 people, primarily Jewish but also including others who are out of favor with the German authorities, are executed in the same way. These executions are later adjudged to be crimes against humanity and are a key step in the progression of the Holocaust.

The crew and their family members of the USS Philadelphia (CL-41) gather at the Hotel Astor in New York City to celebrate a change in command. Captain Vance D. Chapline was being relieved by Captain C.J.Moore (CL-41 Tribute Home).

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