Saturday 29 March 1941

Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka with Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (center) and ambassador Heinrich Georg Stahmer (right) at a reception in the Japanese embassy in Berlin on 29 March 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: Things are growing increasingly tense between the Axis and Yugoslavia following the coup in Belgrade. When 2880 ton Yugoslavian freighter Dubac arrives as scheduled in Genoa, the Italians seize it.

In Albania, there is patrol and artillery activity. The RAF strafes Berat, Dukai, and Ducati.

Operation Lustre, the British reinforcement of Greece, continues. The New Zealand 5th Infantry Brigade is the latest unit to arrive by sea from Alexandria.

East African Campaign: The Italians have abandoned Diredawa (Dire Dawa), so the South African 1st Brigade fully occupies it today. As the third-largest city in Abyssinia, it is an important crossroads, airbase and railway junction. The Italian citizens of the city actually welcome and invite the British troops to come and restore order, because armed native troops who stayed behind reportedly have been treating their former overlords unkindly. Diredawa is on the railway line to Addis Ababa. Capturing it opens a clear path to the capital.

The Italians are implementing a scorched-earth policy of blowing up roads and bridges. This is the only thing slowing up the British advance.

The British 4th and 5th Indian Infantry Divisions breaking past Keren continue heading for Massawa on the coast. It is a key port on the Red Sea and defended by 10,000 men and 100 tanks. It also has a large Italian destroyer contingent. Commander Rear Admiral Mario Bonnetti, however, knows that the best hopes of a successful defense were far away from the port at Keren, not on its outskirts. Bonnetti forms a sketch defensive line at Ad Teclesan.

German and Italian ships begin breaking out of Massawa, a sure sign of a port's impending loss. Today, German freighter Bertrand Rickmers heads for the Indian Ocean. Past escape attempts from other ports have seen only a small fraction of ships make it past the British blockade.

Mother and child wearing their gas masks Southend, England, 29 March 1941. Photo: Associated Press.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command continues placing its priority on shipping. Operating off Brest, 25 bombers lay mines.

Visiting Australian Prime Minister Menzies tours the East End and the docks there. He notes:

Docks have suffered and seem strangely silent but several ships are berthed, and business, modified, goes on. Surrounding areas almost evacuated. Facades of terraces stand, but thousands of houses gutted or vacant.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-46 (Kptlt. Engelbert Endrass), on her 11th patrol out of Lorient, stalks Convoy OB 302. It torpedoes and sinks 1751-ton Swedish freighter Liguria southwest of Iceland. There are ten survivors and 19 deaths. The Liguria was a straggler from Convoy OG 56 but hooked on with Convoy OB 302 before being sunk.

U-48 (Kptlt. Herbert Schultze), on its 11th Patrol and operating about 120 miles (200 km) south of Iceland, stalks Convoy HX-115. At 06:19, it begins an attack. Schultze sinks:

• 5352-ton British freighter Germanic (five deaths)
• 2483-ton Belgian freighter Limbourg (two survivors)
• 5197-ton British freighter Hylton (everyone survives)

Some sources also attribute the loss of 4267-ton British freighter Eastlea to U-48 during this attack. However, the better view appears to be that U-106 sank it on 24 March.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks British 5550-ton tanker Oiltrader off Great Yarmouth. Everyone survives.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 190-ton British trawler Kimberley about 22 miles southeast of Flamborough Head. Everyone survives.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 165-ton British freighter Exeter about five miles (9 km) southwest of Ballycotton. Everyone perishes.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 2982-ton Norwegian freighter Veni southwest of the Faroe Islands. The Veni makes it to Grangemouth and is repaired.

At Rotherhithe, 81-ton British barge Emma is lost and 1262-ton freighter Grenaa is damaged to mines. Their captains ground both ships, but only the Grenaa is repaired and returned to service. Everyone on the barge survives, but seven men perish on the freighter while a dozen survive.

British 209-ton trawler Horace E.  Nutten sinks in the Moray Firth of unknown causes.

The German ocean-going supply service remains in effect, with tanker Nordmark giving supplies to U-105 and U-106. This enables the submarines to stay at sea longer and cover more ground, effectively increasing the size of the U-boat fleet.

Minelayer Abdiel lays minefield GY in the English Channel.

Convoy SL 70 departs from Freetown bound for Liverpool.

29 March 1941 RAF Yatesbury (from left) Denis S Curtis, Fred Batchelor, Ivor H Jones, Joseph W Burton, Wynaham Lewis (RAF Yatesbury Association).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The final events of the Battle of Cape Matapan take place. The Royal Navy, having complete control of the seas in the battle area, complete the route by sinking the defenseless Italian cruisers Zara and Pola, making three Italian cruisers sent to the bottom (including Fiume). Also going under is an Italian destroyer, Carducci. Today marks the last time in the history of the Royal Navy (until now, at least) in which cutlasses are used in action. British sailors board the disabled cruiser Pola, scavenge some machine guns, take the remaining crew prisoner, and then sink it with torpedoes. Italian casualties are about 2300, the British lose one aircraft and three men in the entire encounter (the lost plane's crew, though another plane, a Glenn Martin Maryland reconnaissance plane, crashes today while reviewing the scene of battle, killing the pilot). Torpedoed Italian battleship Veneto, meanwhile, makes it back to Taranto.

On land, the Afrika Korps conducts a supply operation to Marada. The Luftwaffe flies in support and destroys a British train carrying gasoline. The most important news of the day, though, is that German 5955-ton freighter Ruhr makes it into Tripoli under tow following a torpedo hit by HMS Utmost. The Ruhr carries 585 men total of the 606 Flak Battalion, a truck unit, and a medical unit. It also has 160 vehicles, 448 tons of fuel for them, 120 tons of ammunition, 208 tons of rations and 104 tons of supplies for the Luftwaffe. The 1927 ton Heraclea, sunk on the 28th, carried a smaller load of 206 men, 100 vehicles, 144 tons of fuel, 45 tons of ammunition and 39 tons of rations. The Afrika Korps is keeping a very close eye on these convoys, and this is the first convoy that constitutes a serious loss to the troops on land.

The RAF raids Tripoli.

Convoy GA 8 (two ships) departs from Piraeus bound for Alexandria.

A German/Italian convoy departs from Naples bound for Tripoli. It includes four large German freighters. Upon hearing news of the Battle of Cape Matapan, the convoy puts into port at Palermo. Meanwhile, another convoy departs from Tripoli with four freighters.

Operation Picnic proceeds on Malta, with the Independent Company, Special Service Battalion arriving on Gozo, Malta's sister island.

Diredawa, Abyssinia around the time of its capture on 29 March 1941 (Associated Press).

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Captain Rogge is on board raider Atlantis cruising off the east coast of Africa when the lookouts spot Italian submarine Perla. It is among the vessels trying to escape from Massawa. Since the entire Italian position in East Africa is collapsing, the submarine's commander, Lt. Bruno Napp, has chosen to follow orders and try to round the Horn of Africa and sail back to Bordeaux. The Perla is a coastal submarine, not built for such a lengthy journey, and its crew is starving from lack of supplies. Rogge supplies the submarine but suggests that the submarine go somewhere closer to be interned. Napp states that he will follow orders and continue his journey, come what may. Napp, in fact, heroically makes it back to Bordeaux in May after 81 days at sea.

Battle of the Pacific: USS Antares (AKS-3) arrives at Palmyra Island, and USS Boggs (DMS-3) arrives at Johnston Island. They bring with them separate elements of the First Defense Battalion, including 5-inch artillery. The soldiers begin constructing fortifications.

Luftwaffe test pilot Hanna Reitsch visits her home town of Hirschberg, Germany, on her 29th birthday following her receipt of the Iron Cross 2nd Class at the hands of Adolf Hitler. On or about 29 March 1941.

Anglo/US Relations: Heavy cruiser USS Vincennes (CA-44), taking a break from neutrality patrol activities and landing support operations at Puerto Rico, arrives at Simonstown (Cape Town), South Africa. This is pursuant to continuing Operation Fish, the transfer of Allied gold to the United States. It is there to pick up a large shipment of gold bullion to pay for arms purchased by Great Britain. The dockyard workers quickly load the gold, and the Vincennes is scheduled to stay in port for only 24 hours before heading for New York.

Pursuant to Executive Order, the United States impounds two German, 26 Italian and 35 Dutch ships anchored in US ports. The US Coast Guard mans the ships, and they will imprison 850 Italian and 63 German sailors. This is a result of both a growing agreement within the US government that more should be done to help Great Britain and also a specific incident on Italian freighter Villarperosa that suggests Axis crews are under instructions to scuttle their ships.

German/Japanese Relations: Talks between visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka and German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop continue in Berlin. Ribbentrop's overriding goal is to convince Japan to attack Great Britain from the rear, so to speak, in the Far East. Matsuoka has not been receptive to this idea, so Ribbentrop doggedly pledges to support Japan if the Soviet Union attacks while Japan is battling the British. Matsuoka points out that this is a fairly empty guarantee, as there is no indication that the USSR harbors hostile intentions toward Japan.

Italian/Croatian Relations: With Yugoslavia falling apart, Croatian strongman Ante Pavelić meets with Mussolini, who has been backing him financially for years. Pavelic has been living in Florence for some time without Mussolini ever meeting him, but Mussolini now invites him to Rome. Mussolini gives Pavelic the okay to form a new Croatian State Government. Pavelic grants Italy the right to Dalmatia along the coast while requesting the release of remaining interned Ustaše. Mussolini provides Pavelic with access to a Florence radio station, from which Pavelic will begin making broadcasts advocating Croatian independence on 1 April.

Proof that fuel economy worries did not begin in the 1970s: this ad for the Nash in the 29 March 1941 Edmonton, Alberta Journal proves otherwise. Incidentally, 500-600 miles per fill-up is pretty good even today.

Vichy French Government:  Marshal Philippe Pétain appoints Xavier Vallat Commissioner-General for Jewish Questions. Vallat is a World War I veteran who lost his left leg and right eye in the conflict. Vallat is a huge anti-Semite, but also is a huge patriot and thus opposes Germany as well. He also, unlike many on the right, is not a monarchist. It is easy to see why Pétain likes him, and Vallat was one of the marshal's biggest supporters during the final days of the Third Republic. However, the Germans do not particularly like Vallat - which again gives Pétain a chance to show his "independence" by picking him.

British Government: Prime Minister Winston Churchill has lunch with private secretary John Colville, after which he lectures Colville on the fates of those dare to invade Russia. Churchill is in a very good mood following the news of the victories at Keren and Cape Matapan and the coup in Yugoslavia.

China: The Japanese continue pulling back slowly after their failure at the Battle of Shanggkao. The Chinese 19th Army Group of the 9th War Area presses against the Japanese 11th Army in the vicinity of Yangkunghsu and Lungtuanhsu.

Collier's, 29 March 1941.

American Homefront: Collier's Magazine publishes Charles Lindbergh's political "A Letter to Americans." Lindbergh accuses Great Britain of being the "agitator" behind the war. He will use the word again in his speeches. He strikes a chord with those opposed to the draft when he writes that "we should not be conscripting our youth for a foreign war they do not wish to fight," which is a refrain that will become much more popular in the 1960s and thereafter than in the 1940s. He concludes that the US can only become "a strong and victorious nation" and "preserve our ideals":

... if you, and I, and people like us, take the reins in  hand once more, as our forefathers have done in times of crisis.

This also anticipates much later struggles over war and peace issues, but the appeal damages his image in many minds. Those in favor of intervention will use these words to suggest a supposed allegiance by Lindbergh to Germany.

The publication of Lindbergh's letter today coincides nicely with an America First rally held today at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

This week's new Number 1 pop song on the Billboard Singles Chart is "Amapola," by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly (Dorsey's version is titled "Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)." This version of Amapola is Decca Records catalog number 3629, and it has been on the charts for three weeks. "Amapola" is a 1920 rhumba song written by José María Lacalle García (later Joseph Lacalle) with Spanish lyrics. "Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy" stays at No. 1 for ten weeks.

Amapola is a standard of the genre recorded by many artists, including Bing Crosby. Deanna Durbin sang it in her 1939 film "First Love" and, much later, Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone used it as a refrain in "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984). It is often done as an instrumental. Amapola is one of the songs GIs would think about and refer to sarcastically as they marched through the poppy fields of Europe after D-Day.

It is "Moving Day" for American radio broadcasters. Pursuant to the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement, between the US, Canada, and Mexico, 80% of North America's radio frequencies are reassigned to new channels. This takes effect at 03:00 and promotes the standardization of radio broadcasts throughout the Western Hemisphere. Among other things, the agreement establishes clear-channel frequencies that provide more protection from electromagnetic interference at night. The practical effect is that listeners must scramble around the dial to find their favorite stations and shows by the likes of Bob "Pepsodent" Hope and Jack Benny. This agreement remains in effect until 1981.

In New York City, it is the final ride for urban cowboys. Until now, cowboys on horseback have led rail cars up and down 10th Avenue carrying freight to the Meatpacking District. Today is the final ride for this group of urban warriors, as the freight line is now elevated. The need for urban cowboys was created by a 1850s city ordinance permitting freight trains to ride down city streets on condition that they observed a 6 mile per hour speed limit and that "a proper person... precede the train on horseback to give necessary warning in a suitable manner on their approach." Construction of the High Line by Robert Moses' West Side Improvement Project in 1934 obviated the need for trains on the streets, though they lasted for another seven years - until today. Incidentally, the High Line itself lasted for a few more decades, into the 1980s, and now large portions of it are preserved as a park.

The Wisconsin Badgers defeat the Washington State Cougars 39-34 in the NCAA Division 1 Championship game.

George Hayde, age 21, aboard Cyclone escorts the final street-level freight train down 10th Avenue in New York City on 29 March 1941.

March 1941

March 1, 1941: Rettungsboje
March 2, 1941: Oath of Kufra
March 3, 1941: Germans in Bulgaria
March 4, 1941: Lofoten Islands Raid
March 5, 1941: Cooperation With Japan
March 6, 1941: Battle of Atlantic
March 7, 1941: Prien Goes Under
March 8, 1941: Cafe de Paris
March 9, 1941: Italian Spring Offensive
March 10, 1941: Humanitarian Aid
March 11, 1941: Lend Lease Becomes Law
March 12, 1941: A New Magna Carta
March 13, 1941: Clydeside Wrecked
March 14, 1941: Leeds Blitz
March 15, 1941: Cruisers Strike!
March 16, 1941: Kretschmer Attacks
March 17, 1941: Happy Time Ends
March 18, 1941: Woolton Pie
March 19, 1941: London Hit Hard
March 20, 1941: Romeo and Juliet
March 21, 1941: Plymouth Blitz
March 22, 1941: Grand Coulee Dam
March 23, 1941: Malta Under Siege
March 24, 1941: Afrika Korps Strikes!
March 25, 1941: Yugoslavia Joins The Party
March 26, 1941: Barchini Esplosivi
March 27, 1941: Belgrade Coup
March 28, 1941: Cape Matapan Battle
March 29, 1941: Lindbergh Rants
March 30, 1941: Commissar Order
March 31, 1941: Cookie Bombs

2020

Sunday 23 March 1941

Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto at Naples, 23 March 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Italian Primavera Offensive has been a giant dud as of 23 March 1941. It has accomplished only local gains at the expense of massive casualties. However, the silver lining for the Italians is that at least they have stopped the Greek progress toward the key port of Valona. Given that the Germans are preparing to invade Greece within the next few weeks, that is sufficient to preserve an Italian presence in the country.

The Italians, despite their failures, continue to believe they can make progress. After dark, the Italians attack around Bubesi in the north and have some success. In fact, they manage to break into the Greek lines. However, the Greeks quickly counterattack and restore their front. It is just another continuation of the long-standing pattern, with a lot of Italian soldiers dead and nothing to show for it.

The RAF raids Berat in south-central Albania.

The Italians continue to reinforce their army in Albania. Four Italian transports/freighters depart from Bari bound for Durazzo in Albania. Greek submarine Triton (Lt.Cdr. D. Zepos, HN) is lying in wait. It torpedoes and damages 5154-ton Italian transport Carnia about 30 nautical miles east of Cape Galo, Brindisi. The Carnia is towed to Brindisi, but ultimately the ship is written off and scrapped. The Triton also attacks 1216-ton freighter Anna Capano but misses.

East African Campaign: Major-General Lewis Heath, in command of 5th Indian Infantry Division, prepares his troops for the next British attack on Keren. Specifically, Dongolaas Gorge is the keyhole that must be entered in order to take the strategic city, but it is heavily defended by Italian troops placed behind the entrance. While the British have made some progress on the flanks, most importantly taking Fort Dologorodoc to the right of the gorge, the gorge itself is as well-defended as ever. After dark, Heath sends reconnaissance patrols to the areas of East Gate Spur and Hillocks "A" and "B," which are major objectives of the coming attack.

The Italians have blocked the gorge itself with boulders and other debris which the British must clear simply to enter it. Given this situation, Heath has decided to attack the Italian defenders of the gorge with a flank attack, which he hopes will give the sappers time to clear the boulders blocking the gorge. This will enable a thrust "up the gut" of the gorge which the Italians cannot stop. The attack is planned for the 24th.

The South African 2nd Division arrives by ship at Berbera, British Somaliland.

An RAF reconnaissance photo showing the damage to Berlin from the attack of 23 March 1941. Damage is light and scattered... now. If the damage seems hard to see, you're not alone: the RAF personnel who study these films use special lenses to spot the damage.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 48 aircraft against Berlin, 31 against Kiel (18 tons of high explosives dropped) and 26 against Hanover (large fires and three large green explosions are seen by the bombers returning from Berlin). Coastal Command attacks Quiberon in Brittany just south of Lorient and destroys some barracks. The Berlin attack targets the inland port in the vicinity of Putlitzstrasse Station. The bombers drop 10,000+ incendiaries which start several fires. The RAF crews report a heavy antiaircraft fire and thick haze over the target. The British lose one medium bomber.

The Luftwaffe apparently takes a rest after their major raids on London, Plymouth, and other cities recently. It launches only scattered lone-raider attacks both during the day and after dark.

Visiting Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies visits recently bombed Plymouth, which he was barred from re-entering on the 22nd due to the catastrophic night attacks. He tours Admiral Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, which Menzies notes has been hit by a bomb. He also witnesses a delayed-fuse bomb being dug up "and try to look as if I feel safe." He then travels to Winston Churchill's estate at Chequers for dinner.

British freighter Tabarka, sunk on 23 March 1941 as a blockship at Scapa Flow.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-110 (Kptlt. Fritz-Julius Lemp), on its first patrol out of Kiel, has a very bad day. It attacks 2468-ton Norwegian freighter Siremalm with three torpedoes - a lot for a relatively small ship. Two of the torpedoes miss, and the third hits but proves to be a dud (a common occurrence in northern waters at this stage of the war). Frustrated and unwilling to use any more torpedoes, Captain Lemp surfaces and has his men use the 105 mm deck gun. However, the crew is green, and this is their first time using the gun in action. They forget to remove the gun's tampion (plug) from the barrel, which causes it to explode with the first round. Three men are wounded. Lemp then has his crew use the 37 and 20 mm antiaircraft guns against the ship, but these are like flea bites on an elephant. The Siremalm escapes and U-110 has to head to its new port of Lorient due to the gun incident.

U-551 (Kptlt. Karl Schrott), on its first patrol, is attacked by anti-submarine warfare trawler HMT Visenda about 93 miles south of Iceland. The depth charge attack succeeds, sinking the U-boat, and all 45 men on board perish.

U-97 (Kptlt. Udo Heilmann), on its second patrol operating out of Lorient, is between Cape Farewell, Greenland and southern Ireland (600 miles west of Land's End) when it spots 8077-ton British tanker Chama. Some accounts place this incident on the 24th because it happens right around midnight, and technically the ship may sink on the 24th - but the attack is launched at 23:26 on the 23rd. This is one of those grey areas where different dates are equally valid. All 59 men on board perish.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Richmond runs aground off Benbane Head at Holyhead, Ireland. After it refloats, it requires repairs at Holyhead and then Southampton that last until 28 May.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 197-ton British trawler Elmira between the Scottish mainland and the Faroe Islands. There are ten deaths and one survivor. To the southwest, the Luftwaffe also damages 221-ton British trawler Samurai.

The Royal Navy scuttles 2624-ton British freighter Tabarka (requisitioned French ship Pollux) in Kirk Sound, Scapa Flow. It later will be temporarily refloated and moved elsewhere.

Minelayer HMS Teviotbank lays minefield BS 52 off the English east coast.

Convoy OB 301 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL 69 departs from Freetown.

SS Perthshire, set on fire at Malta today immediately after arriving with Convoy MW 6.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Four freighters of Convoy MW 6 arrive at Malta's Grand Harbour as part of Royal Navy Operation MC-9. They make port in the mid-morning and quickly unload.

The Germans notice the convoy's arrival (apparently) and within an hour the Luftwaffe arrives overhead with another major raid. A large formation of 15 Junkers Ju 88 Stukas attacks, prompting a large RAF response. As usual in these attacks, the Luftwaffe suffers heavily - the RAF and antiaircraft crews claim 13 planes - but the defensive forces on Malta are slight. The British observe that the Luftwaffe Stuka pilots do not attack as aggressively as they have in the past, releasing their bombs before completing a standard dive. There is another raid in the afternoon around 16:00 which damages freighters City of Lincoln and Perthshire, which is set on fire. There apparently is only one death, a sergeant manning an antiaircraft Bofors gun.

After losing 5 planes on the 22nd, the RAF loses another two today. It is becoming clear that the Germans can eliminate the British air defense if they are willing to continue sustaining such large losses. Based on today's raid and the preceding ones, along with invasion fears, the British reach a decision to withdraw all bombers and flying boats from the island. This will vastly reduce reconnaissance capabilities and the ability to bomb Naples and other Italian targets, but the large planes are proving extremely vulnerable to the Luftwaffe attacks, with several recently destroyed and damaged.

The British now are moving troops to Gozo - the island northwest of the main Malta island - due to invasion fears. This is Operation Picnic, and it is disguised from the Italian spies on the island as simply normal troop exercises.

Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel, having received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross at the hand of Adolf Hitler, returns to North Africa. While under orders not to do anything major until he receives his full complement of troops, Rommel orders a small attack on the most advanced British positions west of El Agheila. His Afrika Korps troops in the vicinity of Marada run into British artillery, so they call in the Luftwaffe. Three Bf 110s (known as a Kette) shoot up an English armored car patrol, without much effect, while others attack Solluch.

The recently arrived Brescia Division takes up defensive positions west of El Agheila. Rommel's convoys have been getting through, and the Afrika Corps is stocked with fuel and ready to rumble. The British, meanwhile, have been replacing experienced troops with well-armed but green troops which can charitably be described as garrison units. For instance, the battle-tested 4th Armoured Division has been pulled from the front and sent to Greece. In its place is the 2nd Armoured Division, which is new to the front line and manning a key stretch of the line near El Agheila.

Norma Jeane Baker (Marilyn Monroe) acting "fresh" outside her home at 11348 Nebraska Avenue in West Los Angeles. This is some time in March 1941. Norma Jeane is imitating Claudette Colbert's famous scene in "It Happened One Night" (1934). The film Colbert film also happens to be a favorite of both Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin (according to William L. Shirer in "Berlin Diary").

Battle of the Indian Ocean: New Zealand light cruiser Leander is operating between Madagascar and Mauritius when it spots 5267-ton Vichy French freighter Charles L.D. The Leander takes the freighter to Mauritius to be interned.

German 8516-ton freighter Oder and Italian 6366-ton freighter India make a run for it from Massawa, Eritrea. The British are patrolling the seas nearby, and escaping will not be easy.

US/Australian Relations: Rear Admiral Newton takes his cruiser squadron (USS Chicago and Portland, along with five destroyers) out of Sydney Harbour after a highly successful visit. He heads to Brisbane for another three-day visit. There have been astonishing street demonstrations in Sydney, with residents acting as if the American ships are their own ships returning from some great, winning battle. Acting Prime Minister Arthur Fadden cables President Roosevelt:

It is my privilege and pleasure to inform you personally that the visit of the squadron has been in every way an outstanding success and has, I am sure, done even more than we here had hoped to strengthen ties of friendship between australia and the United States of America.

The government and population remain highly apprehensive about Japanese aggression to the south, which no doubt contributes to all the warm feelings.

German/Hungarian Relations: Hitler meets with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs László Bárdossy de Bárdos. Bardossy believes that Germany will win the war and works well with Hitler. In general, within the Hungarian government, there is less a sense of kinship with the Germans and more a sense of fatalism that there is no sustainable path other than falling into the German orbit. However, Bardossy is viewed within the Hungarian government as more in line with Hitler than most others and a true fascist.

Yugoslavia: News of regent Prince Paul's decision to sign the Tripartite Pact has seeped out to the population, and demonstrations erupt. Hitler, meanwhile, has imposed a deadline on Yugoslavia to sign the pact on the agreed terms, which include no demands placed upon the Yugoslavian Army to assist the Wehrmacht. If the Yugoslavs do not sign the Pact by the deadline, then these special dispensations (similar to those granted to Bulgaria) will be withdrawn. In essence, Hitler simply wants the Yugoslavian government to permit the right of transit of the Wehrmacht to attack Greece. Of course, once Greece is subdued, Yugoslavia will be surrounded by German-occupied countries so any hope of retaining an independent foreign policy after that would be forlorn.

The Band of the 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade marches down Georgia Street past the Vancouver Hotel. 23 March 1941 (Vancouver Gunners).

Brazil: Brazil has large coffee surpluses as a result of the closing of the European markets to imports. Typically, Europe purchases 805 million pounds per year, but due to the war, it is purchasing essentially nothing. The US is the only remaining large customer. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the 1941 coffee crop is predicted to be the best in years. Coffee prices have collapsed.

Today, the government announces that new uses have been found for the 198,000,000-pound coffee bean surplus remaining from 1940 and an additional 1,436,160,000 pounds purchased by the government. Specifically, it states that plastics created by US scientist Herbert Spencer Polin on the 71st floor of the Chrysler Building called "cafelite" can be created from coffee beans. It is heat-resistant and noise-proof, has good insulating properties, and also is resistant to termites and other pests. The discovery gives hope to Brazilians that the warehouses full of aging coffee beans will prove useful and profitable.

Holocaust: Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler sends a memorandum to Adolf Hitler entitled, "Some thoughts about the treatment of foreign peoples in the Eastern Territories." This topic has been under study by the German government recently as the plans for Operation Barbarossa are finalized. The memo states:

I hope to see the very concept of Jewry completely obliterated.

Hitler tells Himmler to keep this top secret.

Polish automobile designer Tadeusz Tański, who among other things designed the first Polish armored car and the first Polish serially-built car, perishes in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

China: The Battle of Shanggao continues, with both sides regrouping after the latest Japanese attack. The Japanese are preparing for another surge to begin on the 24th, and today put in minor attacks around Shangkao.

British Homefront: Britain holds a National Day of Prayer at the request of the King.

The New Yorker - 23 March 1946 - Issue # 1101 - Vol. 22 - N° 6 - Cover by Helen E. Hokinson.

March 1941

March 1, 1941: Rettungsboje
March 2, 1941: Oath of Kufra
March 3, 1941: Germans in Bulgaria
March 4, 1941: Lofoten Islands Raid
March 5, 1941: Cooperation With Japan
March 6, 1941: Battle of Atlantic
March 7, 1941: Prien Goes Under
March 8, 1941: Cafe de Paris
March 9, 1941: Italian Spring Offensive
March 10, 1941: Humanitarian Aid
March 11, 1941: Lend Lease Becomes Law
March 12, 1941: A New Magna Carta
March 13, 1941: Clydeside Wrecked
March 14, 1941: Leeds Blitz
March 15, 1941: Cruisers Strike!
March 16, 1941: Kretschmer Attacks
March 17, 1941: Happy Time Ends
March 18, 1941: Woolton Pie
March 19, 1941: London Hit Hard
March 20, 1941: Romeo and Juliet
March 21, 1941: Plymouth Blitz
March 22, 1941: Grand Coulee Dam
March 23, 1941: Malta Under Siege
March 24, 1941: Afrika Korps Strikes!
March 25, 1941: Yugoslavia Joins The Party
March 26, 1941: Barchini Esplosivi
March 27, 1941: Belgrade Coup
March 28, 1941: Cape Matapan Battle
March 29, 1941: Lindbergh Rants
March 30, 1941: Commissar Order
March 31, 1941: Cookie Bombs

2020