Thursday 28 November 1940

Artist Ethel Gabain, a commissioned artist hired by the Ministry of Information to record Blitz scenes, in East London, 28 November 1940.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek offensive in Albania grinds forward on 28 November 1940, the men braving blizzards and rocky terrain to push the Italians back. There are few villages to mark their progress, but they are making good ground that is gradually bringing them closer to important Italian bases.

Greek II Corps is reinforced again, this time with the Cavalry Division. The Corps now has received two fresh divisions in two days. The Cavalry Division crosses the Legatitsa River and continues the advance toward Përmet (Premeti).

Greek III continues moving toward Pogradec, the most significant objective off its front.

Greek troops occupy the heights above Argyrokastro (Gjirokastër), a historic town in Epirus. However, the Italians still hold the town and are fighting hard to keep it.

Italian destroyers Pigafetta, Da Recco, Pessagno, and Riboty, accompanied by torpedo boats Prestinari and Bassini, bombard Greek positions on Corfu. The Italian high command has given up early plans to invade the island. The RAF raids the ports of Porta Santi Quaranta in southern Albania, Durazzo, Brindisi and Elbasan in central Albania.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends bombers against Mannheim, Dusseldorf, the synthetic oil installation at Politz, Stettin, Cuxhaven, Antwerp, Boulogne, and Le Havre.

The Luftwaffe sends over 40 fighter-bombers (Jabos) during the day, but they accomplish little. Daylight raids are increasingly pointless, particularly with the shortening hours of daylight, but the Luftwaffe continues with occasional Jabo sweeps. Losses are about even, with half a dozen planes lost by each side.

The Luftwaffe, recently having pounded several other moderate-sized English cities such as Coventry and Brighton with large-scale raids, turns its attention to Liverpool during the night. It sends 340 bombers which drop massive parachute land mines. The raid kills 164-166 and injures 96 more when a landmine scores a direct hit on a shelter at Edge Hill Training College on Durning Road. The scene is gruesome, as it is not the blast that kills everyone, but rather boiling water released from a boiler and gas from damaged pipes.

John Charles Dundas, who perished on 28 November 1940 after shooting down Luftwaffe ace Helmut Wick. Dundas had 12 victories.

Helmut Wick, one of the Luftwaffe's leading aces, has a good day that turns horribly wrong. He gets a victory in the morning, his 55th, and then during the afternoon scores his 56th confirmed kill. This finally catches fellow Luftwaffe ace Adolf Galland, who Wick has been chasing since the war began.

However, shortly after, Wick meets his own fate. It is believed to be at the hands of Flight Lieutenant Dundas (RAF No. 609 Squadron) near the Isle of Wight. Dundas probably never knows who he shot down, however, because minutes later he himself is killed in the same air battle.

Wick is last seen baling out over the Channel and likely landed while still alive in the water. The winter weather is unforgiving, the sea is cold, and the rescue can't happen enough. In fact, Wick's body is never found. As happens more than once in the continuing battle, the downed airman's Luftwaffe colleagues circle above the downed pilot as long as they can. One, Hptm. Rudi Pflanz stays so long that he has to crash land in France because he runs out of fuel. One of the crueler aspects of the Battle of Britain - and war in general, on both sides - is that so many men must watch their friends and colleagues die moments after they were alive, well and at the top of their game.

Wick is a propaganda hero, and in one of those freaky coincidences is on the cover of that day's German propaganda publication, Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung (BIZ). He is standing beside Hermann Goering, whose wayward decisions have sabotaged the Luftwaffe effort and helped keep the RAF strong.

The new Kommodore of JG 2, replacing Wick, is Hptm. Karl-Heinz Greisert.

Lt Harold Reginald Newgass earns the George Cross for disarming a land mine lodged in a fuel tank full of coal gas.

The cover of BIZ No. 48, 28 November 1940. That is Helmut Wick on the right (I believe).

Battle of the Atlantic: The weather is very rough in the mid-Atlantic. This makes the merchant marine service increasingly all-or-nothing around this time, because either you make it across or have a ship close at hand to rescue you if you get torpedoed - or you don't. And, if you don't, your odds of survival are not good. The action is erratic, with equipment not always acting the way it would in more normal weather and more unsuccessful attacks than usual.

U-104 (Kptlt. Harald Jürst) and its 49 crewmen, after having torpedoed two ships on the 27th (and sinking one), disappears into the sea, with nobody surviving. The most common theory is that the U-boat wandered into a defensive Royal Navy minefield (SN 44, laid on 8 November) northwest of Londonderry, County Derry, Northern Ireland. It is not known when it sinks, either, as it is not considered missing by the Kriegsmarine until well into December.

U-103 (Kplt. Viktor Schütze), on its second patrol out of Lorient, is operating in the Atlantic sea lanes about 930 km from Bishop Rock (200 miles southwest of Rockall). It downs two ships. First, it torpedoes 3578 ton Greek freighter Mount Athos. There are 19 deaths. Mount Athos is a straggler from Convoy OB 248 and sinks within four minutes. However, even in that short time, the wireless operator manages to get out a message with the ship's position. Nine survivors are picked up on the 30th by an escort from Convoy OB 251, HMS Vanquisher.

U-103 also torpedoes and sinks 4940-ton British freighter St. Elwyn. There are 16 survivors and 24 men perish. Survivors are picked up by British freighter Leeds City.

U-95 (Kptlt. Gerd Schreiber), on its first patrol out of Kiel, fires two torpedoes at 1298-ton Norwegian collier Ringhorn and misses with both. It is possible that the torpedoes are defective - there are problems with torpedoes in the cold during the war's early years. In any event, Schreiber, undoubtedly frustrated at wasting so much ordnance on a relatively small ship, surfaces and uses his deck gun. The Germans damage the freighter and the crew abandons ship, expecting it to sink. However, they later reboard it and bring it to port at Belfast.

Greek 2950-ton freighter Eugenia Cambanis, traveling in convoy SC 13 in the Atlantic off Newfoundland, sinks in a gale after its cargo shifts. Sources are unclear on what happens to the crew, either they all live or all perish - the story of the Battle of the Atlantic. The crew abandons the ship, certain it will capsize and sink... but it doesn't sink. The derelict, in fact, does not go to the bottom until finally shelled by Norwegian patrol boat Hilda Knudsen on 19 December.

Royal Navy 221-ton trawler HMT Manx Prince hits a mine and sinks off the mouth of the Humber in the North Sea, about 5 km from Spurn Point, Yorkshire. Everybody aboard survives, taken aboard minesweeping trawler HMS Cortina.

The German coastal guns at Cap Gris Nez (Hellfire Corner) score a rare long-range success - sort of - when they hit 1167 ton British freighter Skipjack at Dover. However the ship is only damaged, and at that distance, there is little chance of a successful follow-through. The Skipjack makes it to port for repairs.

Italian submarine Dessie fires torpedoes at light cruiser HMS Glasgow in the Atlantic and misses.

Convoy OB 251 departs from Liverpool, Convoys Sl 575 and SL 57 depart from Freetown.

Australian destroyer HMAS Napier (G 97, Captain Stephen H. T. Arliss) is commissioned.

Consolidated Model 28 - U.S. Navy PBY - flying boats in final assembly at the Consolidated Aircraft factory in San Diego in November 1940. Photo credit: Consolidated Aircraft.

Battle of the Mediterranean: British submarine HMS Regulus goes missing in the Aegean. It is presumed lost due to a mine. Nobody survives.

Operation Collar continues, with battleship HMS Malaya covering the return of Convoy ME 4 - the outward-bound voyage of the Malta convoy MW 4 - to Alexandria.

Operation Canned commences off Italian Somaliland. Light cruiser HMS Leander departs from Aden in a mission to bombard Italian positions at Banda Alulu.

At Malta, there are several air raids as ships arrive at 14:30 in Grand Harbour from the Operation Collar convoys. The Italians are active because they know that there are many British ships operating in the area due to Operation Collar. A raid by half a dozen CR 42 fighters, followed by ten bombers escorted by another ten fighters, around 13:30 is particularly fierce. The Italians lose an SM 79 bomber and a fighter. The British freighters, meanwhile, sustain no damage and unload quickly.

Henry Maitland Wilson, Italy, 30 April 1944 (Imperial war Museum TR 1762).

North Africa: British Middle East Commander Archibald Wavell is busy planning Operation Compass, the planned offensive against the Italians in Egypt. He orders the Commander of British Troops Egypt, Lieutenant General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, to prepare limited five-day operations. He writes to Wilson:

I do not entertain extravagant hopes of this operation but I do wish to make certain that if a big opportunity occurs we are prepared morally, mentally and administratively to use it to the fullest.

The general plan of attack will be to send British and Indian troops through the Sofafi–Nibeiwa gap, with armored formations attacking Nibeiwa from the west.

German/Yugoslavian Relations: Yugoslavian Foreign Minister Aleksandar Cincar-Markovic meets with Hitler in Berlin. Hitler pressures Yugoslavia to sign the Tripartite Pact, but the Serb-dominated officer corps violently opposes this. Regent Prince Paul of Yugoslavia knows that signing the agreement will only cause trouble and is extremely leery, so the Yugoslavs pass. Hitler proposes a bizarre swap, a Yugoslavian alliance in exchange for the Greek seaport of Salonika - which the Greeks still possess. At this point in time, Hitler is offering potential allies territory which he has no ability to give, and the offers themselves illustrate his intentions.

Soviet Military: Konstantin Rokossovsky, a former prisoner accused of treason (on fabricated evidence) but released from  Kresty Prison in Leningrad for unexplained reasons on 22 March 1940, assumes command of the newly formed 9th Mechanized Corps in the Kyiv Military District. It has the 19th and 20th Tank Divisions and the 131st Motorized Division. Soviet records can be obscure, but it appears Rokossovsky takes over from the start. Rokossovsky only survived the 1930s officer purges because he refused to sign a false statement, but was badly beaten for doing so. He never blamed Stalin for his mistreatment, but rather the NKVD (Soviet secret police).

Romania: Following the Iron Guard's brutal assaults on its political enemies on the 27th, Ion Antonescu's government declares a state of emergency.

China: The commander of the Japanese 11th Army in Hubei Province (Han River sector), Lieutenant General Waichiro Sonobe, orders a retreat under pressure from the continuing Chinese offensive. The Japanese engage in a scorched earth policy, burning down villages and inflicting heavy casualties on civilians and the advancing Chinese troops.

Holocaust: German Reserve Police Battalion 101 is assigned to guard the perimeter of the Lodz ghetto and shoot anyone who tries to leave.

German Homefront: The German film industry remains quite active throughout the war. Today, it releases its most notorious films, "The Eternal Jew" (Der ewige Jude), likely the most anti-Semitic film ever made. Directed by Fritz Hippler and with a screenplay by Eberhard Taubert, it interweaves documentary footage with acting. Many view this film as a response to a 1934 British film of the same name which portrayed Jews in a sympathetic light.

British Homefront: The government increasingly is trying to shape the lives of its citizens to better withstand what now looks to be a long-term siege of Great Britain. Two different authority figures give their views today, and their news is not good. However, it is judicious and necessary from a medical perspective.

Lord Horder, who chairs the British Medical Committee, has grown increasingly concerned about the risk of epidemics due to the devastation being wrought to dwellings and the other signs of aerial combat (such as dead bodies). He cautions the public that "We have more to fear from germs than Germans."

Lord Woolton, the Minister of Food who recently ended banana imports, has further bad news. he announces a cut in milk rations during the winter months. The government further advises that milk may be unsafe without first boiling it to reduce the risk of typhoid.

Opening Fashion Exhibit at the Parsons School of Design. New York City, 28 November 1940.

November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020

Tuesday 26 November 1940

Lord Woolton: Yes, we have no bananas. But eggs are fine.

Italian/Greek Campaign: Greek III Corps on 26 November 1940 continues advancing slowly toward Lake Ohrid. The Greeks are on foot, which makes their advance slow, but also steady, as they do not have to rely on vehicles that break down in the snowy conditions. The Greeks capture half a dozen aircraft abandoned by the Italian Regia Aeronautica. The Greek 2nd Infantry Division is approaching Sucha Pass.

The RAF presence in mainland Greece begins to make its presence noticed. It bombs Valona Harbor, a major Italian supply port in Albania. The raid is successful and causes extensive destruction.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command hits Cologne hard, focusing on armament factories. It also raids Antwerp, Berlin (railways), Boulogne, Calais, Flushing, Rotterdam, and Turin (an arsenal). Coastal Command contributes attacks on the U-boat pens at Lorient, Ghent oil installations, shipping in the North Sea, and various Luftwaffe airfields.

The Luftwaffe does little during the day aside from raid Bristol again as well as Plymouth. After dark, it continues targeting Bristol and also bombs London. The Luftwaffe loses four planes.

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering orders a halt to Kriegsmarine use of Luftwaffe torpedo bombers (all planes in Germany are under Luftwaffe control, no exceptions). He furthers orders a halt to the production of the F-5 air torpedo that they use. Goering, it is widely assumed, is simply protecting his own turf and, in the process, hurting the German war effort.

RAF ace James Lacey receives a Bar to his Distinguished Flying Medal.

James Lacey.

Battle of the Atlantic: French 1166 ton transport Medoc, which is operating under three flags and with a Polish captain (thus many mistakenly think this was a Polish vessel), is on patrol in the English Channel off Rame Head, Cornwall when it sinks in the late afternoon. A lone Luftwaffe plane strafes the plane, then on its second pass torpedoes and sinks it. All 41 crew (all but three British) on board perish. This has become a popular dive site known as the "Halfway wreck," but is rather deep (150 feet, 50 meters) for casual divers.

In one of those mysteries of the sea, 642-ton Nicaraguan freighter Grijalva departs from Playa Del Carmen for Veracruz but then vanishes with its crew. It is unknown if this loss is war-related.

Dutch 496-ton freighter Walenburg hits a mine and is damaged in the North Sea.

Convoy OB 250 departs from Liverpool, Convoys FN 343 and FN 344 depart from Southend, Convoys FS 345 and FS 346 depart from Methil.

Canadian corvette HMCS Snowberry (K 166) is commissioned at Quebec City. This is a popular ship for many people because Revell made a 1/72 scale model kit of it.

HMCS Snowberry.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British War Cabinet is busy planning Operation Compass, the attack in Egypt against the Italian forces. Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a telegram to Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell:

Re:- Operation Compass... am having a Staff study made of possibilities open to us, if all goes well, for moving troops and also reserve forward by sea in long hops along the coast, and setting up new supply bases to which pursuing armoured vehicles and units might resort.

Churchill's idea of seaborne landings behind enemy lines will become a common theme during World War II, particularly in the Pacific. However, in the Mediterranean theater, the concept produces decidedly mixed results and proves much better in theory than in practice.

Operation Collar is at its climax. As part of the elaborate fleet operations that always accompany convoys to Malta during this period, Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and accompanying ships raid Rhodes and the Italian seaplane base at Port Laki, Leros at 06:00. The RAF loses one Swordfish. The ships then sail to join Convoy ME 4.

In another diversionary attack, eight Swordfish from HMS Eagle raid Tripoli at 05:20. This is Operation Tripe.

Convoy MW 4 (four freighters and two battleships) reaches Malta at 08:13. The ships are unloaded quickly and depart from Malta as Convoy ME 4 at 16:13. Italian torpedo bombers attack the departing Royal Navy ships after dark, but they score no hits.

The Italian fleet, which has dispersed from Taranto to Naples and Messina, sorties to an area south of Sardinia. This includes two modern battleships, the Vittorio Veneto and the Giulio Cesare. Depending upon how quickly they get there, that would place them near Royal Navy Force H from Gibraltar.

New Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Formidable embarks RAF Nos. 826 and 829 Squadrons. The carrier's first mission will be a patrol to the South Atlantic.

In North Africa, training for Operation Compass, the attack on the Italians in Egypt, continues for a second day. The troops are not told what they are training for. The men, in fact, are training in how to attack replicas of Italian positions at Nibeiwa and Tummar. After this, the rank and file are told there is another set of exercises planned in December as deception in case word leaks out, but there will not be.

The Medoc, sunk today with great loss of life.

Battle of the Pacific: German raiders Komet and Orion, still acting in concert, sink New Zealand 16,712 ton New Zealand troopship Rangitane (Captain Lionel Upton RNR). There are 16 deaths (8 crew and 8 passengers), the rest (296 passengers and crew) of those aboard becoming POWs. The New Zealand Royal Navy receives a distress call from the vessel before shelling puts out its wireless. They send out light cruiser HMNZS Achilles and Monawai and aircraft to intercept the two German ships. The Rangitane carries  £2 million in silver bullion (1940 prices) in addition to other cargo. Two of the crew receive British Empire Medals for assisting with the evacuation. Most of the prisoners eventually are released on Emirau, New Guineau, but some wound up in German POW camps.

Anglo/US Relations: The sixth and final tranche of US Navy destroyers delivered to the Royal Navy as part of the September destroyer-for-bases deal is handed over. The following ships are decommissioned today at Halifax and renamed as follows:

• USS Bailey (DD 269), commissioned as HMS Reading
• USS Meade (DD 274), commissioned as HMS Ramsey 
• USS Shubrick (DD 268), commissioned as HMS Ripley  
• USS Swasey (DD 273), commissioned as HMS Rockingham )
• USS Fairfax (DD 93), commissioned as HMS Richmond 
• USS Claxton (DD 140) commissioned as HMS Salisbury
• USS Tillman (DD 135) commissioned as HMS Wells
• USS Ringgold (DD 89) commissioned as HMS Newark
• USS Robinson (DD 88) commissioned as HMS Newmarket
• USS Sigourney (DD 81) commissioned as HMS Newport.

British Military: The British 1st Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade is converted into the 27th Armoured Brigade. It is under the command of Brigadier C.W. Norman.

British Government: The issue of Jewish settlement in Palestine has risen to become a major issue due to the terrorist bombing of the transport Patria in Haifa Harbor on the 25th. British Secretary of State for the Colonies Lord Lloyd bemoans those who illegally transport refugees to Palestine, calling them "foul people who had to be stamped out." This comment is widely viewed as being anti-Semitic and outrageous, and perhaps it is. However, Lord Lloyd appears to be concerned about the fact that many of the people being transported illegally are perishing somewhere along the way, and thus this is a very dirty business where unscrupulous people are profiting at the expense of people they are leading to their deaths.

Governor-General Ryckmans.

Belgian Congo: Governor-General Pierre Marie Joseph Ryckmans, against the feelings of some in the colony but with the approval of the Belgian government-in-exile in London, declares war on Italy. He states that his purpose is "to continue the closest collaboration with Britain and her allies."

The Belgian Congo is not of much value militarily or strategically. However, the move helps the rump Belgian government in London to establish its credentials and burnish its claim to be the legitimate post-war government. The Belgian Congo also provides some logistical help to the coming British East Africa campaign. However, this is significant for a much more subtle reason which cannot yet be appreciated except by some very specially placed scientists: the Belgian Congo is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, including extremely high-quality ores of an as-yet obscure metal called uranium.

China: The Japanese advance in central Hupei along the Han River continues. The Japanese 11th Army advances and captures Hsienchu. There is heavy fighting around Liuhouchi, Lichiatang, Peinchai, Wangchiaho, Yunanmen, Chinchi Shan, and Chingmingpu.

Lord Rothermere and Adolf Hitler.

British Homefront: Lord Rothermere (Harold Sidney Harmsworth), a media baron (The Daily Mail, etc.) whose newspapers engaged in a cynical jingoistic campaign advocating war before World War I, passes away at age 72 in Bermuda (many English plutocrats ride out the war in the Bahamas and Bermuda). Rothermere is widely regarded as a champion of Neville Chamberlain's campaign of appeasement and at times has displayed some sympathies to Hitler's fascist regime (they were friends in the 1930s). To be fair, however, Rothermere also raised the alarm in the mid-1930s London press about Germany's rapid rearmament.

Lord Rothermere, the Rupert Murdoch of his day. Actually, he was much more powerful in England ca. 1940 than Rupert Murdoch is today.

Turning to another event today, it is a simple fact of life that Britons like their bananas. There is nothing wrong with that, so do I. Bananas are great! Their love for bananas, in fact, was just as true during the early part of World War II as always.

Unfortunately, though, by late 1940 several banana boats have been torpedoed, and shipping space is needed for other goods. In addition, fast banana boats (they need to be fast because bananas spoil so rapidly) fare poorly in slow convoys and occasionally become "rompers," or ships that outrun their convoys and become vulnerable. In short, banana boats are becoming more trouble than they are worth.

Food Minister Lord Woolton, a very popular fellow, thus takes the controversial and unpopular decision to discontinue the wartime importation of bananas in favor of oranges. Oranges are more convenient because they take up less space (particularly as concentrated orange juice) and do not spoil as quickly (and can be refrigerated, though freezing is a little trickier). As part of this decision to ban bananas, a subtle campaign - what we might now call a whisper campaign - is launched in England to disparage bananas as unhealthy and unnecessary. This is both to create a "sour grapes" attitude among consumers and to prevent the Germans from thinking they have achieved a moral victory by depriving English consumers of something that they love. Bananas virtually disappear from Great Britain for exactly five years, until the holiday season in 1945; and the banana trade does not recover to pre-war levels for a full decade. Many English children grow up not even knowing what bananas are or how to eat them.

However, since the war, the UK banana market has recovered, and in the 21st Century it is the second-largest in Europe behind only... wait for it... Germany.

American Homefront: There is a major snowstorm in the Northeast, with up to 8 inches of snow in Boston and over 2 inches in New York City.

Adolf Hitler's personal pilot, SS-Oberführer Hans Baur. Picture published 26 November 1940 in a German newspaper. He appears to be standing in front of a Junker Ju 52, which Hitler stopped using at the beginning of the war (in favor of a faster Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor), so they may be using an old file photo.

November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020

Monday 25 November 1940

Prototype Martin B-26-MA Marauder 40-1361 taking off on its maiden flight, 25 November 1940 (US Air Force).

Overview: There is a tendency among students of the war to see Hitler and the Germans as holding the stronger hand during negotiations with the Soviet Union in 1940. The Soviet Union is portrayed as weak and trying to make a deal, whereas the Germans are in a position of strength and ability to dictate the terms of the relationship. To be fair, the Germans felt the same way at the time. The evidence for Soviet diplomatic inferiority is scant but generally relies on Stalin's accommodating attitude toward Germany during the weeks preceding Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. However, Stalin had personal reasons to fear an invasion that had little to do with overall Soviet power.

The Soviets, however, at no point saw their diplomatic position as inferior. In fact, the Stavka (Soviet General Staff) never felt a sense of military inferiority toward Germany in the months before the invasion. During planning for their own operations against Germany - which is ongoing on 25 November 1940 - the Stavka focuses not on defensive strategies, but on offensive plans that would respond to an act of aggression. Thus, the question posed in their operational studies was not how to defend areas of the Soviet Union, but instead where the strongest German forces would be located so that the effect of an immediate Soviet counterstrike would be as devastating as possible when the German advances were reversed. Once you defeat the enemy at his strongest point, the rest of the battle becomes easy - at least, if you can do that.

There is no question there was some self-deception on both sides during this period. The German leaders felt that the Soviet system and government were inherently weak and unpopular - both untrue to one extent or another - while the Soviet leaders were a bit too complacent in their own military strength. Of the two sides, history shows that the Soviets were closer to reality than the Germans. The gulf between their versions of how things stood was enormous. This made a true, lasting deal utterly impossible.

Hence, when Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov adopts a stance of diplomatic equality with the Germans, it comes as quite a shock to the Germans, because Hitler and much of the Wehrmacht resented these "subhumans" pretending to be equals. In fact, Molotov's proposals really are fairly mild, address real concerns, and represent an honest attempt at accommodation. In other words, the Molotov proposal of November 1940 is not an intemperate and overreaching grasp at German rights and influence, as the Germans felt, but instead an honest diplomatic attempt to reach a modus vivendi.

The Germans should have taken Molotov's proposals much more seriously than they did. They are quite reasonable, do not really impact core German interests, and are infinitely more acceptable than betting the life of the German nation on an uncertain campaign in Russia. In hindsight, this is a decisive moment of World War II.

If you believe that Operation Barbarossa is Germany's greatest mistake of the war, then reaching some kind of agreement now with the USSR would avoid that entire invasion and create a new paradigm. This may be the single moment that seals the fate of the Axis. With some negotiation, the rougher edges could be smoothed over and the Soviets would sign the Tripartite Pact, presenting a united front to the Allies. However, the German grasp of reality about the true balance of global power - for now, the entire globe is revolving around the European conflict - is very shaky at this time due to their cheap run of successes on the Continent.

The prototype B-26 Marauder, 25 November 1940 (US Air Force).

Soviet/German Relations: Soviet Minister Molotov summons German Ambassador Count von Schulenburg to the Kremlin and presents him with the official Soviet reply to German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop's October proposal of a "New World Order." The Molotov reply states that the USSR would be willing to sign the Tripartite Pact, but only under certain conditions:

1. The area of the south of Batum and Baku - the Persian Gulf - is recognized as within the Soviet sphere of influence;
2. The Soviets require a naval base in the Dardanelles;
3. Turkey must either join the Tripartite Pact willingly or be subject to "the necessary military and diplomatic steps" to remove it as a hindrance;
4. Germany must withdraw all troops from Finland;
5. Japan must renounce its rights to energy resources in Northern Sakhalin;
6. Bulgaria must be recognized as lying within the Soviet sphere of influence, with a separate Soviet/Bulgarian pact to be negotiated.

The Germans quickly discount the entire Soviet counterproposal. It flies in the face of current German activities. In particular, German troops are standing by to pour into Bulgaria in order to invade Greece (and Bulgaria already would have joined the Tripartite Pact except for Bulgarian hesitancy, see below). Revealing this to the Soviets might, in light of Molotov's demands, provoke an open breach. The Germans consider any Soviet infringement on the Baltic - which is an obvious implication of German troop withdrawals from Finland - as quite out of the question (this point, in fact, seems to be the Germans' main objection to the Molotov proposals).

The Germans never reply to this Molotov letter, despite repeated Soviet requests for such. This represents the final attempt at an agreement between the two powers before Operation Barbarossa.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek offensive continues. Greek I Corps continues moving into Albania along the Drinos River, and Greek II Corps continues in the direction of Frashër. The Italians are forming a new defensive line east of Berat on the Tomorr Mountain range. Greek 1st Infantry Division takes Mali Piscalit and Gostivisti.

European Air Operations: Weather is poor, so flying operations are reduced. RAF Bomber Command sends out 36 bombers to bomb Kiel and Wilhelmshaven. Other attacks are made against Willemsoord, Hamburg, and the former Dutch seaplane base at De Mok, Texel. Five British bombers attack the Tirpitz, with no success.

The Luftwaffe engages in light day raids due to the weather against targets in southern England, losing four aircraft. It only launches a few isolated attacks after dark.

The official handover from Air Marshal Dowding to Air Officer Commanding, RAF Fighter Command Sholto Douglas takes place.

"Soldiers of the East Surrey Regiment pose with fixed bayonets at Chatham in Kent, 25 November 1940." © IWM (H 5694). (Photo by Mr. Putnam of the War Office).

Battle of the Atlantic: Royal Navy 225-ton trawler HMT Kennymore (T/Skipper J. W. Greene RNR) hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary. There are four deaths and Greene is wounded.

While rescuing people from the Kennymore, 224-ton British naval trawler HMT Conquistador (T/Skipper J. Paterson (act) RNR) collides with a passenger vessel and sinks in the Thames Estuary. The Conquistador is carrying survivors of HMT Kennymore.

Royal Navy Fairmile A motor launch HMS ML 111 (Lt A. V. C. Hoadley RNR) hits a mine and sinks off the mouth of the Humber. There are two deaths, and Lt. Hoadley is wounded.

British 698-ton hopper barge Tees Hopper No. 3 hits a mine and sinks off Stockton on Tees, County Durham. Everybody survives.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Talisman reports torpedoing a German tanker off of Lorient in the Bay of Biscay. It is unclear what ship this is or what happened to it. The Talisman reports that a trawler was taking off the crew.

HMS Talisman also captures a French fishing vessel, the 40-ton Le Clipper, in the same general area. The British later use this as a spy ship.

Convoy HX 91 departs from Halifax, a Greek convoy (seven freighters) departs from Suda Bay for Piraeus.

Canadian corvettes HMCS Cobalt and Orillia are commissioned, along with antiaircraft ship HMS Springbank (converted freighter).

The Germans are stepping up their U-boat construction. They lay down U-92 and U-177 today.

"A lance corporal of the East Surrey Regiment poses with a 'Tommy gun,' Chatham in Kent, 25 November 1940." That is a Thompson m1928 submachine gun (drum magazine).  © IWM (H 5680). (Photo by Mr. Putnam of the War Office).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Collar, a supply run to Malta with associated subsidiary operations, continues. Force H (Admiral Somerville) from Gibraltar is led by battlecruiser HMS Renown and the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. Force F is led by two cruisers, HMS Southampton and Manchester and is heading for Alexandria. The Mediterranean Fleet also is at sea for Operation Collar, led by battleships HMS Warspite and Valiant and aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. The overall plan is for Force H to escort Convoy ME 4 to the area of Sardinia/Sicily, at which point the Mediterranean Fleet will escort them to Malta. The handoff is scheduled for 27 November.

The British Western Desert Force is preparing in great secrecy an offensive in Egypt. Under Operation Compass, British Troops Egypt (Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson) is planned as a five-day raid, with extensions based on the progress of the attack. Today, the British forces involved undergoing training exercises.

The RAF bombs Assab and performs reconnaissance missions over Sicily, Bari, and Taranto.

In Malta, the government bans the operation of motorcycles without a special permit. There are three air raid alerts, and the first two accomplish nothing, as the planes turn back quickly. During the third raid, the Italians lose a CR 42 fighter and the British lose a Hurricane, with both pilots perishing.

Battle of the Pacific: German raiders Komet and Orion (with tanker/supply ship Kulmerland) are operating about 400 miles (650 km) east of New Zealand (about 40 km southwest of Chatham Island) when they spot a ship at 07:20. The Germans stop it and identify it as 546-ton New Zealand coastal freighter/passenger ship Holmwood. The Germans take off the 29/30 people on board (including four women and four children) and 1370 sheep, two dogs and a horse and distribute them among the three ships (they kill the horse). The Germans then sink the ship.

Applied Technology: In the continuing technology battle of the war at sea, the British take a step forward when they fit minesweepers with devices that successfully explode three acoustic mines. The solution? Specially modified jackhammers that generate enough noise to blow the mines up at a safe distance.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge, 25 November 1940 (photographer unknown). The bridge sags on the left because of the lack of weight where the central span should be. Eventually, the entire roadway will be salvaged for scrap, though the central piers will be re-used for the next attempt.

German/Bulgarian Relations: Hitler and Ribbentrop have been trying to get Bulgaria to sign the Tripartite Pact. If they had their way, the Bulgarians would be present in Berlin right now with the representatives of Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia to add their signature. However, Bulgarian minister in Berlin Parvan Draganov scotches these plans, at least for the time being. Bulgaria fears reprisals from both the Soviet Union and Turkey. Draganov also explains that Bulgaria has a natural affinity for the peoples of Russia and its associated republics which might make an agreement now politically unpopular at home. However, Draganov is clear on one point: Bulgaria may be ready to sign at a later date.

Things are very confused about the Soviet/German/Bulgaria issue at this time. Both sides may be making somewhat overstated promises to the Bulgarians in exchange for short-term concessions. For instance, today the Soviet Secretary-General of Soviet Foreign Ministry, Arkadi A. Sobolev, arrives in Sofia to confer with Bulgarian Prime Minister Bogdan Filov. Sobolev requests permission for Soviet troop transfers across the country - for what purpose is unclear - in exchange for the Soviets dropping their objections to Bulgaria joining the Tripartite Pact. Sobolev broadly hints that with just a little cooperation from Bulgaria, both Bulgaria and the USSR might join the Tripartite Pact. These discussions appear tightly coordinated with Foreign Minister Molotov's letter to Ribbentrop.

Anglo/Italian Relations: The London press is full of speculation about the course of the war against Italy. The current rumor is that Mussolini would be willing to conclude a peace deal with the Allies. There is nothing concrete to prove this - yet. However, Mussolini indeed is having serious anxiety attacks about his failed offensive in Greece and the stalled offensive in North Africa.

Prototype DH.98 Mosquito marked W4050 taking off on its first flight at Hatfield, 25 November 1940. While you can't tell from the picture, the bomber is painted yellow overall. Interesting that they already have the service markings on this prototype's maiden flight, but then, neither side's pilot's would recognize the plane as belonging to their side. (Royal Air Force)

British Military: Geoffrey de Havilland and John E. Walker, Chief Engine Installation designer, take the new serial number E0234, msn 98001, prototype of the De Havilland D.H. 98 Mosquito bomber on its maiden flight at Hatfield, England. The flight goes smoothly, and the plane reaches 220 mph (350/km). The only issues spotted are a problem with the undercarriage doors and a tendency of the plane's left wing to drag slightly. Both problems are fixed eventually, though the undercarriage problem takes some time.

US Military: Glenn L. Martin Company test pilot William K. "Ken" Ebel at Martin Airport in Middle River, Maryland takes the new serial number 40-1361, msn 1226 B-26 MA Marauder on its first flight. It goes smoothly, and deliveries to the US Army Air Corps at Wright-Patterson field in Ohio are scheduled to begin in February 1941.

The US Army calls up two more National Guard units to active duty, Alabama's 31st and Texas' 36th.

Heavy cruiser USS Louisville departs Santos, Brazil for Rio Grande du Sol, Brazil as part of its continuing "Show the Flag" operation in Latin America.

The Patria listing heavily after the bombing.

Palestine: At Haifa, the 11,885 ton SS Patria is loaded with about 1800 Jewish refugees from Occupied Europe. The British authorities have denied entry to the refugees due to their lack of entry permits. The ship is to be sent to Mauritius. Zionist paramilitary group Irgun aka Irgun Zvai Leumi, a subsidiary of Haganah, decide to bomb the ship in order to disable it and prevent its departure (but not necessarily kill anyone, though that seems unavoidable). Miscalculating the force required (the ship is old and fragile), the Zionists plant a bomb that blows a huge hold in the side, causing the Patria to sink within 16 minutes. There are 267 dead and 172 injured (these are disputed British government estimates, and 50 dead are British crewmen).

In 1957, Munya Mardor claims responsibility for planting the bomb, clearing up the mystery of the explosion. The British allow the survivors to remain in Palestine, so Haganah/Irgun accomplish their objective. Needless to say - but I'll say it anyway, despite how controversial this entire subject is - this is a humanitarian disaster that needlessly kills hundreds of innocent people, but which some feel worthwhile for the greater good of the right of Jewish settlement in the Palestinian territories.

China: The Japanese 11th Army attacks the Chinese in Hubei Province. This is known variously as the Han River Operation and the Central Hupei Operation. The Japanese send five separate columns to attack the Chinese 5th War Area.

German Homefront: Hitler issues a decree entitled "Basic Law of Social Housing Construction." Robert Ley's Labour Front is directed to build 6 million dwellings, at 300,000 per year. Simple math shows that this program would take two decades to complete. The decree gets into minutiae such as how big the homes must be (62 square meters), what rooms they must include (kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom, a hallway, and a balcony), and - tellingly - that they must have air raid shelters large enough for all occupants. The German bureaucracy has a well-defined habit of cutting corners to present large statistical achievements which reap glory on those in charge - as Hermann Goering likes to say, "The Fuhrer does not ask me how large my bombers are, only how many I have" - thus the need for the detail.

American Homefront: Andy Panda cartoon "Knock Knock" is released. It features an annoying woodpecker who disturbs the two pandas. The woodpecker's name is the not-very-original Woody Woodpecker. He is drawn by Alex Lovy and voiced by Mel Blanc, who gives Woody his distinctive laugh. The film is produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures.

While Lantz did not actually draw Woody Woodpecker for this short, he created the character along with legendary storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway - the artist who earlier came up with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck at Warner Bros. Lantz has been looking for a replacement for tired star Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, and Woody is perfect. The character is an instant hit, and Woody Woodpecker will star in films during the war and cartoons on television beginning in 1957.

Life Magazine, 25 November 1940.

November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020

Sunday 24 November 1940

London Zoo, 24 November 1940 (Imperial War Museum via Time out London).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek advance continues on 24 November 1940. It is a steady but slow advance through rough territory, made slower by the fact that the Greek troops are on foot. While the Greeks are on the offensive everywhere, the main axis of attack is shifting toward the port of Salona, which appears vulnerable.

Greek I Corps, advancing toward Salona, begins moving north into Albania along the Drinos River.

The Greek Liuba Detachment captures Smerto and Paravryso in the coastal sector.

Greek II Corps advances toward Frashër.

Greek III Corps, which is part of the Western Macedonia Army Section (TSDM) (Lieutenant-General Pitsikas), continues occupying the Korçë plateau. The Greek 10th Division captures Moscopole (Moschopolis).

The Italian Julia Division sustains attacks by Greek 8th Infantry Division in Kakavia Pass.

The RAF launches a heavy daylight raid against the key Italian supply port of Durazzo.

Italian leader Benito Mussolini is becoming increasingly worried about the situation in Greece. There is little that he can do, however, as his troops simply are not fighting well. He has ordered the Italian Army to re-mobilize troops that were mustered out of the service only a month before.

The roof of the old George's brewery building near Bristol Bridge on the morning after the bombing of Bristol on 24 November 1940. The Managing Director of the brewery, Mr. Hadley, looks at a hole in the roof where a bomb fell through without exploding.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe is very active from 18:00 to midnight. The main raid is against Bristol and is composed of 130 bombers. Bristol is a favorite Luftwaffe target and easy to find from Cherbourg. The damage to the historic city center (Castle Park) is extensive, with four churches (St Peter’s, St Nicholas, St Mary-le-Port and Temple) and an estimated 10,000 homes damaged or destroyed. The wooden medieval buildings are particularly susceptible to incendiaries. The attackers lose three planes. From the 156 tons of high explosives and 12,500 incendiary bombs dropped, there are an estimated 200 deaths and 689 seriously wounded, with 1400 made homeless.

The Lord Mayor of Bristol comments that "The City of Churches had in one night become the city of ruins."

Another Luftwaffe target is Bath. The raids today are a preview of a series of Luftwaffe raids against historic English cities derisively nicknamed the "Baedeker Raids" after a famous guidebook series.

RAF Bomber Command also is in action. It (2 Group, 101 Squadron) attacks oil installations at Wanne Eickel, losing a plane which crash-lands back at base. In another attack, 42 bombers attack Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven and the Altona gas plant. RAF Coastal Command chips in with raids against Kristiansand, Norway, and Hoek van Holland. Another raid sees 8 bombers attack Boulogne.

The first Canadian graduates of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) arrive in Great Britain.

Hauptmann Joachim Helbig, Staffelkapitän of 4./LG 1, receives the Ritterkreuz. The flow of awards in the Luftwaffe has slowed along with the air offensive.

Slovakian PM Tuka at the signing ceremony of the Tripartite Pact.

Battle of the Atlantic: Today is notable for demonstrating the variety of ways that the Germans can sink British ships. While there are no U-boat successes, the Germans sink or damage ships with mines, Luftwaffe attacks, destroyers shelling ships, and a cruiser on a raiding mission. It is the multiple ways that the Germans have of blockading Great Britain that causes British Prime Minister Winston Churchill so much concern during this period of the war.

Convoy SC 11, which lost seven ships totaling 24,601 tons to Joachim Schepke's U-100 on the 23rd, loses another today. British freighter Alma Dawson hits a mine and sinks off the coast of Northern Ireland. Everybody aboard survives, rescued by fellow freighter Spurt.

Just after midnight, Kriegsmarine destroyers (Z10 Hans Lody, Z20 Karl Galster and Z4 Richard Beitzen) engage in a sweep of the Lizard (about 12 km south of Wolf Rock, Penzance, and Plymouth). They find a group of fishing trawlers and a couple of other ships, attack them, and escape before the Royal Navy can intercept them. German destroyers tend to be over-gunned, which makes them especially fearsome against defenseless fishing boats.

The German destroyers shell:

• Dutch 2088-ton tanker Appolonia (sunk, 15 men perish)
• Belgian 70-ton fishing vessel Marguerite Simmone (sunk, everyone survives)
• British 44-ton trawler Lent Lilly (damaged)
• Norwegian 629-ton Norwegian freighter Stadion II (damaged)
• Norwegian 4695-ton freighter Fernwood (slightly damaged). 

The Royal Navy sends five destroyers of its own (HMS Jackal, Javelin, Jersey, Jupiter, and Kashmir) that are on patrol off Prawle Point to intercept the German destroyers, but they scramble back to Brest undamaged. This is one of a series of harassing raids by the Kriegsmarine in this area. Night actions like this are always full of confusion, even regarding the outcome of shipping attacks, so accounts vary slightly as to which ships were damaged or sunk.

German cruiser Admiral Scheer (Captain Krancke) remains on the loose in the Atlantic, though it hasn't done much after its initial breakout. While cruising off the Azores shortly before noon, it comes upon 7448-ton British freighter Port Hobart, which is sailing for the Panama Canal. Admiral Scheer opens fire from about 3.5 km and shells the Port Hobart, which stops. The entire crew, including one woman, disembarks and becomes POWs before Krancke sinks the ship.

British 2206-ton collier Alice Marie hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary. All aboard survive.

Royal Navy 627-ton anti-submarine trawler HMT Amethyst (T/Lt Hon. W. K. Rous RNVR, later the 5th Earl of Stradbroke) also hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary. There are seven deaths (accounts vary on casualties).

British 6100-ton freighter Behar hits a mine and is damaged off Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. While everybody survives, the ship is found to be not worth repairing and is written off.

In an action that appears to be related to the loss of the Behar, 630-ton British salvage ship Preserver (apt name) hits a mine and sinks off Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. There are four deaths. Writing off the Behar may be partly due to the danger of retrieving it.

Royal Navy 101-ton armed yacht HMY Gael hits a mine and sinks in the Humber Estuary off Spurn Point, Yorkshire.

British 367-ton coaster Ryal hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea. There are one survivor and eight deaths. The mines had been laid by German torpedo boats on 29/30 October.

British 310-ton coaster Thomas M hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea off Gorleston-on-Sea, Suffolk. There are seven deaths (some accounts place this action on the 23rd, where we have it also).

British 3985-ton freighter Alma Dawson hits a British minefield in the North Sea and sinks. Everybody survives.

British 590-ton freighter Camroux IV hits a mine and is damaged a couple of kilometers from East Oaze Light Vessel.

Convoy OB 249 departs from Liverpool, Convoys FN 341 and FN 342 depart from Southend, Convoy FS 344 departs from Methil.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Formidable (Captain Arthur W. La Touche Bisset) is commissioned. She proceeds to the Clyde for trials.

Revenge-class battleship HMS Resolution and Illustrious-class aircraft carrier HMS Formidable.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Collar, another supply mission to Malta with subsidiary operations throughout the Mediterranean, proceeds. Convoy ME 4 from Great Britain passes through the Strait of Gibraltar. It includes three merchant ships escorted by three cruisers, and along with supplies they bring 1370 primarily RAF servicemen. Force H from Gibraltar is at sea to support them and provide diversions. The Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria is split into Forces C and D. Led by battleships HMS Ramillies and Malaya, they also are at sea, moving west from Suda Bay, Crete, where they have been in port to refuel.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Eagle sends a raid against Tripoli Harbor, Libya after dark. The raids continue past dawn.

The British claim that, in the continuing battle around the Abyssinian/Sudanese border near Gallabat, the Italians have withdrawn from border town Metemma, Abyssinia.

There is another air raid alert on Malta as the air war heats up again. Shortly after 15:00, a half dozen Italian CR 42 fighters carry out a low-level strafing attack on Luqa airfield. They destroy a Wellington bomber and damaged two others. One of the attackers is damaged by antiaircraft fire.

The Times of Malta inadvertently arouses the ire of local authorities by publishing a story that describes the civilian population as fearlessly watching each day's air battle overhead. The government notes that about 70% of the civilian population is not bothering to seek shelter. It sends letters to both the local Inspector of Police and the Times urging them to encourage more people to seek shelter.

The Shavano, a train from Salida to Gunnison, above Poncha Junction, Colorado on the morning of 24 November 1940. Otto Perry photo from DPL OP-8483.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: The Kriegsmarine orders German raider Pinguin to take refuge in the Antarctic, where it is summertime. The Australian Navy has a cruiser out looking for it, though it is unclear if the Germans know this.

Slovakian/German/Italian/Japanese/Hungarian/Romanian Relations: The Slovak Republic (Slovakia) adds its name to the Tripartite Pact (original members signed on 27 September 1940), making six members in all now. Slovakia, of course, is the breakaway province of Czechoslovakia, which subsequently was absorbed by Germany to become the provinces of Bohemia and Moravia. President Josef Tiso and Prime Minister Vojtech Tuka have an army of three infantry divisions that participated in the conquest of Poland and which may come in handy in Operation Barbarossa. Having Slovakia in his pocket also provides a unanimous front against near-term enemies Greece and (possibly) Yugoslavia.

Washington Redskins at New York Giants (November 24, 1940).

Soviet/German Relations: Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov prepares a response to the Germans regarding their standing proposal that the Soviet Union join the Tripartite Pact and help create a New World Order.

Canadian/Vichy French Relations: Canadian Ambassador to Vichy France Pierre Dupuy holds his first official meeting with the French government. He meets with Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain, President of the Council, who reassures him:

I am obliged officially to maintain the balance between both sides, but you know where my sympathies lie.

Petain comments that he is engaging in only "passive" collaboration. To him, this appears to encompass all assistance to Germany short of an actual declaration of war against Great Britain.

British Military: Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, commander of RAF No. 5 Group, becomes Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. Harris is more familiarly known as "Bomber Harris."

British Government: Lord Craigavon (James Craig) passes away. He is succeeded as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland by J.M. Andrews. Carnavon was known for fierce measures against suspected terrorists, including new laws that included the lash for those found carrying guns or bombs.

British Homefront: The British Treasury cancels the closure of banks on Boxing Day (26 December).

Future History: Photographer Arthur Tress is born in Brooklyn, New York. He becomes famous for surrealistic and otherworldly photographs.

An Arthur Tress photograph.

November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020