Friday 20 June 1941

"Fortress Mark I, AN521 WP-K, of No. 90 Squadron RAF based at West Raynham, Norfolk, preparing for takeoff at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, during an inspection of newly-arrived American aircraft by the Chief of the Air Staff and the US Air Attache." 20 June 1941. © IWM (CH 2873).

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: As the day begins on 20 June 1941, the 5th Indian Brigade at Mezzeh is in dire straits. The Vichy French based in Damascus three miles to the east have surrounded them, and they are running out of supplies. They have managed to send three men through the French lines to get word to headquarters that they cannot hold out much longer. Operation Exporter may not be in trouble, but these trapped men are.

Brigadier Wilfrid Lewis Lloyd, now back in command of the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade after temporarily being in command of Genforce (now under the command of Major-General John Evetts), makes his best effort to relieve his encircled troops. He sends two companies from the 3/1st Punjab Regiment, two companies of French Marines and a battery of artillery to open a corridor to Mezzeh. The Vichy French, however, fight hard and slow the relief column, and the relief troops (the 2/3rd Battalion and 2/5th Field Regiment) get no help from the flanks.

The Indian troops, with no food or water and having run out of ammunition, surrender at 13:30, a hugely embarrassing blow for the British command. This goes a long way to restoring Gallic pride on the Vichy side and, somewhat perversely, leaves them more open to the idea of eventual surrender.

However, the hard fighting around Damascus continues. The Australian relief column continues fighting forward and retakes Mezzeh at 19:00. However, now it is an empty city and of little tactical significance beyond being one of many road junctions. The battle around Damascus now degenerates into a classic melee in which both sides jostle for control of the roads and hills (which hold forts) overlooking those roads, with neither side in control as the day ends.

The Vichy Government decides to ramp up peace feelers to Great Britain. It gives up trying to use the American Consul-General to broker a deal, and instead, Premier Petain covertly sends a representative directly to London. This is fairly easily done via Lisbon.

Luftwaffe General Hellmuth Felmy, the commander of Special Staff F (Sonderstab F), the Luftwaffe's mission to Iraq, is reassigned. The entire idea of the Axis intervening in Iraq has now drifted completely out of the realm of possibility, so Felmy becomes commander of Army Group Southern Greece (Befehlshaber Südgriechenland). In any event, in these commands, he never has to leave Athens and never has any real responsibility - the reassignment is simply an admission of the ridiculousness of continuing with the fiction of an Axis presence in Iraq.

European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 11 aircraft on anti-shipping missions. After dark, RAF Bomber Command bombs Kiel with 115 bombers during the night.

Soviet cruiser Komintern, based at the Black Sea base at Sevastopol.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-203 (Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg), on its first patrol out of Kiel and cruising off Iceland, spots US Navy battleship USS Texas (BB-35) just within the "Blockade Zone" established around Great Britain. Technically, at least according to the Germans, this justifies sinking the ship. However, Mützelburg is unable to maneuver into firing position, and the faster battleship gets away. This very nearly starts World War II for the United States six months early. Texas, incidentally, will figure in a similar incident in May 1945.

U-123 (Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle), on its fifth patrol out of Lorient and operating near the Azores, uses gunfire and torpedoes and sinks 4333-ton Portuguese freighter Ganda. There are five deaths and 61 survivors. As the ship sinks, Moehle notices that the ship flies a neutral flag. Upon his return to Lorient, Moehle reports the matter, and U-boat headquarters (BdU) tells him to alter the log to make the sinking appear legal.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 2249-ton Norwegian freighter Schieland, which is sailing with Convoy FS.520, southeast of Grimsby. There is one death (who dies later) and eight survivors.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Royal Navy 258-ton minesweeping trawler HMT Resmilo at Peterhead. Everyone survives (no casualties).

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 5578-ton British tanker Inverarder off the Isle of Wight. The master beaches the tanker at Motherbank Buoy, Solent. It later is refloated and repaired at Southampton.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 2841-ton freighter Cormount off Outer Dowsing Light Vessel. There is one death.

British 2844-ton freighter Ilse hits a mine and is damaged near Hartlepool. There is one death. The forepart is flown off, but the rear portion of the ship is towed to Middleborough and repaired.

Royal Navy minelayer Teviotbank lays minefield BS.64 in the North Sea.

Convoy OB-337 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HX-134 departs from Halifax, Convoy SC-35 departs from Sidney bound for the Clyde.

Royal Navy escort carrier HMS Audacity (Commander Douglas W. MacKendrick) and minelayer Manxman are commissioned, corvette Campion is launched, and destroyer Relentless is laid down.

U-351 (Oblt. Karl Hause) is commissioned, U-506 is launched.

A mortar officer and rangefinder operator of the Lovat Scouts, during an exercise in the Faroe Islands, 20 June 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Prime Minister Winston Churchill remains furious about the desultory affair of Operation Battleaxe, in which a British offensive with extremely precious tanks not only failed but resulted in a loss of ground. He resolves to replace Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell with the Commander-in-Chief India, General Claude Auchinleck. Having been in command of a backwater, Auchinleck has minimal combat experience during World War II (like many other World War II leaders he made his reputation in the Great War), but Churchill doesn't want to recall Wavell to England and make his command change painfully obvious to the public - which would result in uncomfortable questions about his own competence.

Italian submarine Ondina torpedoes and sinks 3805-ton Turkish liner Refah forty miles south of Mersin. There are 165-167 deaths.

Italian 4543-ton freighter Buccari explodes under mysterious circumstances at Taranto, Apulia, Italy.

Two Royal Navy submarined, HMS Tetrarch and Severn, make unsuccessful attacks on ships, the former off Lemnos, the latter off Palermo.

Overhead view of Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, in June 1941.

Spy Stuff: Soviet spies in Bulgaria radio the Kremlin that the Germans plan to invade on 21 or 22 June. The warning is filed.

Sleeper Soviet spy Richard Sorge, posing as a journalist in Tokyo, has sent many warnings to Moscow about Operation Barbarossa. Today, he tries again, drafting a final warning:

[German Ambassador to Japan] Ott told me that war between Germany and the USSR is inevitable…. Invest [the code name for Japanese journalist Hotsumi Ozaki] told me that the Japanese General Staff is already discussing what position to take in the event of war.

Sorge gives the message to his crony, Max Clausen, for transmission, but for pragmatic reasons, it is not sent until 21 June.

The Japanese protest at the opening of the luggage of Japanese Minister Yoshiaki Miura by Pan American Airways employees in Guatemala. Diplomat Sadao Iguchi goes to the office of the Chief of the Far Eastern Section in Washington and requests that the airline be told the proper handling of diplomats' baggage, i.e., not to search them. The reason the Japanese are so concerned with this issue at this time is that they have come into possession of detailed maps of the Panama Canal Zone from Italians living there and wish to transport them to Tokyo. There, the maps could be used for planning military attacks.

The last billet of the German 506 Infantry Regiment, 291st Infantry Division, before the Russian campaign, June 20, 1941.

US/German Relations: President Roosevelt gives a message to Congress regarding the Robin Moore affair. He describes the "ruthless sinking" of the US freighter in May as an "act of piracy." He notes that the submarine captain knew that it was a US ship and sank it anyway and this is the act of "an international outlaw." He describes the attack on "innocent men, women, and children" as "terrorism."

While long on rhetoric - and it is very strong rhetoric indeed - the statement is short on proposals for action. He notes somewhat lamely that "Full reparation for the losses and damages suffered by American nationals will be expected from the German Government," though he does not say how he expects to receive such reparations. Roosevelt concludes that the Reich seeks to make the United States "submit," but "We are not yielding and we do not propose to yield."

The President does not, of course, mention that Robin Moore was carrying war supplies to the British. However, to be fair to Roosevelt, the Robin Moore was sunk outside of the blockade zone set up by the Reich around Great Britain and the attack thus was illegal despite renewed warnings by the Germans in May about the dangers on the high seas. So, both sides have some facts with which to justify their positions, but all that matters, for the time being, is whether the United States is going to declare war over the affair - and it isn't.

There are rumblings about the US/German relationships on the other side of the Atlantic, too. At 21:00, Hitler's adjutant Colonel Rudolf Schmundt tells Hitler that Admiral Raeder has just told him that a U-boat captain claimed to have attempted to sink US battleship USS Texas about 10 miles within the blockade zone - but failed. Raeder has justified the attempted sinking, which almost certainly would have created an opportunity for President Roosevelt to declare war on the Reich. This disturbs Hitler, who wants nothing to do with the United States while he is focusing on the Soviet Union. He spends the night considering whether new rules are in order regarding attacks on US shipping.

"Calm Before the Storm." Soviet border guards on the western border, 20 June 1941.

German/Romanian Relations: The Germans reveal the secret of Operation Barbarossa to the Romanians. This is significant because security for the operation has been extremely tight and very few people outside the upper echelons of the Wehrmacht have been told. The Germans hope to have significant participation from Romanian troops during the invasion, not to mention the fact that the entire Wehrmacht runs on Romanian oil and thus their cooperation in any endeavor is necessary.

USS O-9 (SS-70), which foundered 20 June 1941. The wreck site was found in 1997 by Klein Sonar but the location remains a secret known only to the US Navy.

US Military: Major General Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold, who has led the US Army Air Corps since 29 September 1938, is appointed the leader of the newly created US Army Air Forces. Pursuant to Army Regulation 95-5, this is the successor to the US Army Air Corps.

Arnold becomes Chief of the Army Air Forces and acting "Deputy Chief of Staff for Air" with authority over both the Air Corps and Air Force Combat Command (successor to GHQAF). Arnold would prefer that the air force become a separate branch of the military equal to the Army and Navy, but Chief of Staff George C. Marshall (an old friend from before World War I) convinces Arnold to wait until after the brewing war for complete separation.

US Navy Task Group 2.6, led by the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7), departs from Hampton Roads, Virginia on a neutrality patrol.

Three US Navy submarines conduct deep submergence tests about 15 miles (24 km) off Portsmouth, New Hampshire. These tests go very badly when USS O-9 (SS-70) implodes and kills its 34 crewmen. There is nothing that can be done, it is a great tragedy that receives surprisingly little publicity and is not long remembered.

A sign in the General Government area of occupied Poland that says "Generalgouvernment of the Occupied Polish area - border 14 meters." This is at the Granitza River, and beyond in the area of Poland occupied by the Soviet Union. 20 June 1041 (Federal Archive Bild 169-0897)

German Military: Adolf Hitler tells OKW to distribute the "Proclamation To The Troops of the Eastern Front" that he was working on during the 19th. Of course, there is no "Eastern Front" yet, so the very title is a tip-off to the document's contents.

Issued in secret, the four-page document includes a lengthy recitation of the warped view of recent history that characterizes his speeches. The Proclamation also includes some specious claims (such as that there were no German troops on the border "until a very few weeks ago" when in fact he has been planning Operation Barbarossa for almost a full year). It is overkill for an "Order of the Day" and reads as an attempted justification for his attack, which he claims has been forced upon him by the Jewish-Bolshevik rulers of Moscow. In other words, it is simply more of the same rationalizations and prevarications that characterize all of his justifications for war.

The Proclamation ends:

At this moment, soldiers of the eastern front, an assembly of strength the like of which in size and scale the world has never seen is now complete.  In league with Finnish divisions, our comrades are standing with the Victor of Narvik [Dietl] on the shores of the Arctic in the north.  German soldiers under the command of the Conquerer of Norway [Falkenhorst], and the Finnish heroes of freedom under their own Marshal [Mannerheim] are protecting Finland.  On the eastern front stand you.  In Romania, on the banks of the Prut, and along the Danube right down to the beaches of the Black Sea are German and Romanian troops united under Antonescu, the head of state.  When this, the biggest front line in history, now begins its advance it does so not just to provide the means of ending for all time this great war, or to defend those countries currently concerned, but for the salvation of our entire European civilization and culture. 

German soldiers!  You are thus entering upon a harsh and demanding fight—because the fate of Europe, the future of the German Reich, the existence of our nation now rest on your hands alone. 

May the Lord God help us all in this struggle.

Hitler confirms with OKW operations chief General Alfred Jodl that Operation Barbarossa will begin on 22 June.

The troops themselves, meanwhile, are told that an attack on the Soviet Union is "hypothetical" and everything related to such an attack is an "exercise." This makes sense to the troops - why attack the Soviet Union when the Reich is still at war with England?

The Kriegsmarine, meanwhile, now is laying mines in the Baltic. U-boats there have orders to shoot at any Soviet ships (there are none). All Soviet ships in Reich ports are prevented from leaving under one pretext or another.

A member of the Finnish voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organization for women (Lotta Svärd) in Helsinki prepares to head to the front on 20 June 1941.

Finnish Military: The military calls up all reservists under the age of 45. The military begins evacuating communities along the border with the Soviet Union in preparation for Operation Barbarossa - which Finland will join independently at a later date as the "Continuation War."

Soviet Military: The Red Air Force has issued orders to camouflage airfields, but these measures require time to prepare and have not yet been begun. It also forms the 6th Fighter Corps in Moscow for the protection of the capital. An air raid drill over Moscow is planned for Sunday, 22 June.

German Government: During the day, Adolf Hitler tells his secretaries that he just finds something "wrong" about Russia - it reminds him of the ghost ship in "The Flying Dutchman." He explains:

Because we know absolutely nothing about Russia. It might be one big soap-bubble, but it might just as well turn out to be very different.

This will be a recurrent theme throughout World War II - how little the Reich knows about Russia.

Hitler is confident about Operation Barbarossa but also concerned. In his diary entry today, adjutant Hewel writes that Hitler:

told me that this morning [June 20] he again pored over every minute detail, but found no possibility for the enemy to get the better of Germany.  He thinks Britain will have to give in - and he hopes it will be before the year is over.

Hewel also writes that Hitler admits there "must always be a big element of risk." Among Hitler's worries are secret weapons, fanatical Soviet resistance, and the unknown.

Hitler needs to take pills to get to sleep. This is the beginning stage of his growing reliance on medicines for normal functioning.

"Racial theorist" Alfred Rosenberg delivers a speech in which he states that the sole use of the conquered peoples in Eastern Europe is to feed German troops and citizens. Their own survival is not a priority. This is a refrain that will recur from various German leaders throughout the war.

Norway: The Norwegian occupation authorities finally force actors and directors to end their theater strike that began on 21 May. The strike has been a major public relations failure for the Germans, receiving publicity in Swiss publications. The strike leaves very hard feelings in the occupation authorities, and the German Ministry of Culture takes full control of Norwegian Theaters. Many prominent theatrical figures are arrested at the Grini concentration camp for the remainder of the war. The strike ultimately has a devastating effect on the Norwegian theatrical scene, as the public decides to boycott shows to show solidarity and puts many theater workers out of work.

"Reflections of Spring" by Peter Mork Monsted.

Denmark: Artist Peder Mørk Mønsted (Peter Mork Monsted) passes away. He painted brilliantly vivid landscape paintings and was very popular in Germany. His art has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity.

Soviet Homefront: In a case of odd timing, Soviet anthropologists Mikhail M. Gerasimov, Lev V. Oshanin and V. Ia. Zezenkova open the tomb of the Ruler of the Golden Horde, Timur (also known as Tamerlane). His tomb in Samarkand reportedly is inscribed with the words:

When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble.

Inside the casket reportedly is another inscription:

Whomsoever opens my tomb shall unleash an invader more terrible than I.

The locals are sure that this violation of the tomb of Timur will lead to bad things - such as an invasion.

American Homefront: In a major win for US Unions, Ford Motor Company signs its first contract with the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

Charles Lindbergh gives an isolationist speech in Los Angeles.
US journalist publishes his classic memoir of pre-war Germany, "Berlin Diary."

New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio continues his club-record hitting streak. He goes 4-5 against the Detroit Tigers in New York. DiMaggio now has hit safely in 33 games. While DiMaggio is setting history with his streak, his batting average remains far below that of Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams, who is en route to the last .400 season in MLB history.

RKO Radio Pictures releases Walt Disney Productions' "The Reluctant Dragon." An animated film, the film turns into a tour of the brand-new Walt Disney Studios building in Burbank, California. Radio comedian Robert Benchley walks the audience through the studio. After an introductory segment, the remainder of the film is in Technicolor, which in a world of black-and-white films is a draw in and of itself. The film does not, of course, mention the Disney animators' strike that still is in progress right outside the Burbank facility at the time of release. In fact, there is a ringer playing an animator in the studio, actor Alan Ladd.

The film roughly breaks even and does not alleviate the financial strain under which Disney Studios has been laboring since the failure of "Pinocchio." However, as with all Disney animated films, the characters live on in the Disney universe and make appearances in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988) and some other later productions.

Marx Brothers comedy "The Big Story" opens. Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, "The Big Store" features Margaret Dumont as the Marx Brothers' employer in a fight over control a department store. The film is billed as the act's farewell performance and generally is considered a lesser offering by the Marx Brothers. However, it does turn a profit and the Marx Brothers reunite in 1946 for "A Night In Casablanca."

2020

Saturday 14 June 1941

Residents being deported from Latvia in cattle cars during the June Deportations, 14 June 1941.

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: Operation Exporter continues on 14 June 1941, but the Commonwealth forces run into fierce Vichy French opposition. The Australian 21st Brigade continues attacking Sidon on the coast road but still fails to completely secure the city. The French forces use Renault R35 tanks to good effect, and other Australian troops have to be called up from the southeast to outflank the defenders. The defending French pull out during the night after a hard-fought defense.

The 25th Brigade of the Australian 7th Division consolidates its hold on Jezzine, a key stop on the road to Beirut. To the east, the French force in Ktriese tries to block the British advance.

The Vichy French Navy sends two destroyers out of Beirut at 16:20 to shell the advancing Australians, but New Zealand cruiser HMNZS Leander and British destroyers send them back to port. British destroyers HMS Jervis and HMS Griffin bombard Sidon.

Fierce air battles develop offshore, where the Axis forces attack the Royal Navy ships off Tyre. Curtiss Tomahawks of RAAF No. 3 Squadron shoot down three bombers.

Residents being deported from Latvia in cattle cars, 14 June 1941.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe sends eight He 111s of KGr 100 to attack the aircraft factory at Filton. The Luftwaffe loses one plane and the attack causes little damage.

RAF Fighter Command begins a month-long practice of daily fighter sweeps over the English Channel and Northern France.

RAF 11 Group attacks St. Omer airfields with 12 fighter squadrons escorting 12 Blenheim IVs of 2 Group. One Blenheim IV from RAF No.110 Sqn is lost.

During these attacks, Luftwaffe Ofw. Robert Menge of 3./JG 26 is shot down and killed near Marquise, France by Squadron Leader James E. Rankin of No. 92 Squadron RAF. Menge has 18 kills to his credit. RAF Bomber Command also sends 30 aircraft on anti-shipping missions.

During the night, RAF Bomber Command raids Cologne with 29 bombers. The Royal Canadian Air Force conducts its first mission when three No. 405 Squadron Wellingtons attack the Schwerte railway marshaling yards.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert becomes AOCinC (commander) of RAF Coastal Command.

Residents being deported from Latvia in cattle cars, 14 June 1941.

Battle of the Atlantic: Having been torpedoed off Norway by an RAF Beaufighter, Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser Lutzow returns to Kiel under its own power. It will be out of commission for about a year.

U-751 (Kptlt. Gerhard Bigalk), on its first patrol out of Kiel, torpedoes, and sinks 5370-ton British freighter St. Lindsay. All 43 men on board perish, including a group of Navy officers traveling as passengers.

The Newfoundland Escort Force continues beefing up its support infrastructure with the arrival at St. John's of depot ship HMS Forth.

Convoy LC-1 departs from Londonderry for Halifax, Convoy OG-65 departs from Liverpool bound for Gibraltar, Convoy HG-65 departs from Gibraltar bound for Liverpool.

Canadian minesweeper HMCS Lachine is launched at Levis, Quebec.

Australian minesweeper HMAS Lithgow (Commander Alfred V. Knight) is commissioned.

United States destroyers USS Fitch and Forrest are launched and Doran and Earle are laid down.

U-333 is launched, U-303 and U-414 are laid down.

Residents being deported from Latvia in cattle cars, 14 June 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: British troops move forward to jump-off points for Operation Battleaxe. This is an offensive on the Libyan border designed to relieve Tobruk. British Middle East Commander General Bernard Wavell anticipates that German General Erwin Rommel has his tanks tied down around Tobruk and that his armor will cut through the defending German infantry easily.

Due to careless wireless signals on the British side, Rommel learns eight hours before the British offensive begins that it is coming. He immediately orders reinforcements to the border. The main German force that will bear the brunt of the British offensive is the 15th Panzer Division. The German 5th Light Division also is available on the Tobruk perimeter.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Clyde torpedoes and sinks 331-ton Italian freighter Giovanini Bottigliere south of Sardinia.

In Operation Tracer, Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal and Victorious successfully fly off 47 Hawker Hurricane fighters to Malta. The carriers and their accompanying escorts, Force H, then return to Gibraltar. All of the planes reach Malta.

Italian planes based on Rhodes bomb Suez Bay.

Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille is forced to crashland in Libya. He quickly returns to base, takes off in another fighter, but is shot down again. This fighter he also crashlands in Libya without injury and behind German lines.

Battle of the Pacific: Swedish 6079-ton freighter Ningpo hits a mine in Singapore Harbor. The explosion disables the freighter, which must be towed to Hong Kong for repairs.

HMAS Hobart preparest to tow freighter HMS Glenearn in Suez Bay, 14 June 1941.

Spy Stuff: The Japanese Vice-Consul in Hawaii, a Japanese intelligence officer posing as a diplomat, reports to Tokyo that a light cruiser has entered Pearl Harbor for repairs. The Japanese are keeping a very close eye on US Navy fleet movements across the Pacific.

US/Axis Relations: The sinking of US freighter Robin Moore off the African coast by U-69 (Kptlt. Jost Metzler) on 21 May 1941 results in sanctions against the Axis powers. It now is accepted even by isolationist United States Senator Gerald Nye (R-ND) that the Germans sank the freighter. Nye states:

The evidence that the Robin Moor was sunk by a German submarine is too complete to permit my declaration of yesterday noon, to the effect that the boat might have been sunk by Britain, to stand."

President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 8785, entitled "Freezing the Assets of Certain European Countries." By this order, the United States immediately freezes assets of Andorra, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Danzig, Finland, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, France, Monaco, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia (which technically no longer exists), Greece, and Albania.

The order applies to the nations themselves and individuals of those nations. No reason is given in the text of the order, but it clearly is directed at the Axis powers (including the Soviet Union and its satellites). Notable from its absence on the list is Japan, which is subject to other sanctions.

In addition, the US State Department tells Germany and Italy to close all consulates in the United States except for their embassies. The United States demands damages and reparations from Germany, but the Reich ignores this demand. Germany quickly responds by telling the United States to close its consulates in the Reich, and Germany and Italy both begin considering freezing United States assets in Europe.

German/Vichy French Relations: Given Vichy French unwillingness to ratify the Paris Protocols, they essentially become a nullity aside from the Luftwaffe use of airfields in the Levant - which at this point is a fairly useless concession given the fall of Iraq to the British.

Troopship MV Georgic on fire after an air attack in Suez Bay, 14 June 1941.

Soviet/German Relations: Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov tells German Ambassador Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg  that "only a fool would attack Russia." Schulenburg secretly basically agrees but has an inkling of what is to come.
German Military: Hitler holds meetings throughout the day with his generals at the Reich Chancellery. All of the generals and Field Marshals are given separate entrances and staggered times to attend the meeting in order to preserve secrecy.

Hitler, who already has absolved in advance Wehrmacht troops of all crimes they may commit during Operation Barbarossa, expands upon previous orders such as the Commissar Order of 6 June 1941. He reiterates that Soviet prisoners of war do not have to be treated according to the Articles of the Hague Convention and Geneva Convention. He reasons that the USSR is not covered by the treaties because it has not signed them. This means that they do not have to be fed or housed properly and so forth. In addition, as previously ordered, he emphasizes that Soviet Commissars are "not to be considered POWs" and are to be shot upon capture. It is certain that these orders are illegal and contrary both to treaties and the rules of warfare.

According to notes taken by a Luftwaffe general, at one point Hitler says:

The main enemy is still Britain.  Britain will fight on as long as the fight has any purpose; this is typical of the British, as we have seen from their individual soldier’s conduct in Flanders, and it was demonstrated again by Dunkirk, by Greece, and by Crete.  But Britain’s fight only makes sense as long as they can hope that American aid will take effect and that they may find support on the continent.  This explains why they have high hopes that the Russians will intervene and tie down the Germans, wearing down our war economy while the balance of power is tilted by American aid.  At present this is very meager; it will not become effective until the summer of 1942, assuming they have enough shipping tonnage to bring it over here; and the shipping losses are increasing. 

The proof of [Britain’s] advances to Russia is the complete uniformity in their press treatment of Cripps’s journey.(1)  Russia’s attitude is perpetually obscure; she exploited every moment of political or military preoccupation elsewhere to raise immediate political demands.  We can see this happening in Russia’s intervention in the Polish campaign, and again against the Baltic states and Finland, and now in the Balkans (Bessarabia, and the treaty of friendship with Yugoslavia). 

Our attempt to “clarify the position” met with the following objections from Molotov.  First question, What does our guarantee to Romania mean and would we object to a Russian military mission?  The second question concerning the Dardanelles, and the third about Finland.  In other words continual efforts to push in somewhere.  Since these efforts coincided chronologically with various temporary weaknesses in the German position, we would have to expect them to use every chance they can in the future to act against Germany’s interests.  The Russian armed forces are strong enough to prevent us from demobilizing soldiers and feeding them into the arms and consumer-goods industries so long as this latent Russian threat persists.  Even if we made peace with Britain this would still be so.  We want this conflict to come early, however ;  indeed it is absolutely vital if we are not to forfeit the favorable conditions that prevail.  The bulk of the Russian forces are standing on the frontier, so we have a good chance of defeating them right there.

Hitler admits during his typical monologue that Soviet troops outnumber the Wehrmacht. He reasons that this problem is surmountable because of the higher quality of German troops.

There is an awkward moment when Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, attempting to be positive (he has expressed his doubts about Operation Barbarossa in private), stands up and yells that the victory over the Soviet Union will rival those of Hitler's previous victories. Hitler, however, does not take the bait. Instead, he darkly warns that Operation Barbarossa will be the "toughest" fight yet because Germany "shall be fighting an ideological enemy and an ideological enemy of fanatical persistence at that."

Word of the Commissar Order, which authorizes immediate execution of Soviet political troops, filters down to the ranks. For instance, Theodore Eicke, commander of the SS Death's Head (Totenkopf) Division, tells his men of the order. Some commanders later claim, however, not to have informed their men of the order.

The Germans instruct their vessels in Soviet ports to leave.

Martin Baltimore Mk. I or II. on June 14, 1941. (U.S. Air Force photo)

British Military: Prime Minister Winston Churchill criticizes General Bernard Freyberg's conduct of operations on Crete in a letter to General Ismay. In particular, he is upset that Freyberg did not launch a counterattack at Maleme airfield while that was still possible.

Holocaust: The June Deportations begin in Estonia. The Soviet Union rounds up "suspect" individuals in Estonia. They are mostly political figures, clergymen, military officers, refugees and immigrants, and others the Soviets feel that they cannot control. About 10,000 people are rounded up and sent to Siberia in cattle cars, and whenever one individual is sent, his entire family is forced to go with him.

American Homefront: Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard singles chart with "Maria Elena." It is a 1932 popular tune written originally in Spanish by Lorenzo Barcelata and released by Decca Records (3968). The flip side is "Green Eyes," which also will hit No. 1, making it a big double-sided hit recording.

This grave marker in Libya reads, “Here rests an unknown English lieutenant, fallen during air combat on June 14th, 1941" (photograph was taken by George Rodger, Colorized by Laiz Kuczynski).

June 1941

June 1, 1941: Farhud Pogrom
June 2, 1941: Massacres on Crete
June 3, 1941: Kandanos Massacre
June 4, 1941: Kaiser Wilhelm Passes Away
June 5, 1941: Death in Chungking
June 6, 1941: Hitler's Commissar Order
June 7, 1941: Commandos Strike at Pessac
June 8, 1941: British Invade Syria and Lebanon
June 9, 1941: Litani River Battle
June 10, 1941: British Take Assab
June 11, 1941: Hitler Thinking Beyond Russia
June 12, 1941: St. James Agreement
June 13, 1941: Lützow Damaged
June 14, 1941: Latvian June Deportations
June 15, 1941: Operation Battleaxe
June 16, 1941: The Old Lion
June 17, 1941: British Spanked in North Africa
June 18, 1941: Turkey Turns Its Back
June 19, 1941: Cheerios Introduced
June 20, 1941: Birth of US Army Air Force
June 21, 1941: Damascus Falls
June 22, 1941: Germany Invades Russia
June 23, 1941: A Soviet KV Tank Causes Havoc
June 24, 1941: Kaunas and Vilnius Fall
June 25, 1941: Finland Declares War
June 26, 1941: Bombing of Kassa
June 27, 1941: Encirclement At Minsk
June 28, 1941: Minsk Falls
June 29, 1941: Brest Fortress Falls
June 30, 1941: Mölders Becomes Top Ace

2020

Wednesday 11 June 1941

"Lebanon. 11 June 1941. Fort Merdjayoun in the town of Merdjayoun, which was occupied by French forces before being captured on 11 June 1941 by elements of the 7th Australian Division AIF. The town was then occupied by 2/33rd Battalion, a cavalry unit and a battery of artillery in a defensive role." (Australian War Memorial 128437).

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: The Australian 21st Brigade continues marching north from Tyre toward Sidon as part of Operation Exporter on 11 June 1941. Further inland, the Australian 25th Brigade takes Merdjayoun (Merjayun). The Australians, feeling confident, leave only a skeleton force to hold Merdjayoun and send the bulk of the 25th Brigade north to attack Jezzine.

Free French 1st Infantry Brigade and 2nd Infantry Brigade attack Kissoue south of Damascus. The Vichy French, however, are massing large forces to block the Commonwealth troops' advances.

A French Dewoitine D.520 shoots down a British Curtiss Tomahawk. It is the only Tomahawk that the RAF loses during the campaign.

Journalist Alan Moorehead talks to captured Vichy French soldiers and gets a surprise: their morale is excellent. He reports that the French say that they are resisting the British invasion fiercely because they are professional soldiers and the attack was unprovoked. Another factor is that Germany essentially is holding their relatives in metropolitan France hostage. There also is an element of simple Gallic pride, as the French soldiers feel that the British look down on them ("like the Italians") for losing France to Hitler.

In other words, the French are resisting not just for pragmatic reasons, but for pride. However, the silver lining is that, once the defending French soldiers prove their point about their ability to resist, they eventually will give in to the inevitable and surrender. There is some hard fighting left before that can happen, though.

A Curtiss Tomahawk of 3 Squadron at Lydda (Lot), 11 June 1941 (via Mike Mirkovic).

European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 25 aircraft to bomb Bremerhaven, but 19 turn back due to Reich air defenses. The British, like the Luftwaffe before them, are gradually coming to the realization that daylight bombing raids are extremely costly.

RAF Fighter Command sends fighters on Rhubarb and Roadstead operations. RAF 11 Group (12 planes of RAF No. 74 Squadron and 12 of No. 609 Squadron escort five Blenheim bombers of 16 Group) conducts a Roadstead operation that targets a tanker defended by flak-ships off Dunkirk. The pilots report scoring a hit on the tanker, but there is no verification from German records. Luftwaffe Oblt. Johannes Seifert of 3./JG 26 downs a Hurricane from RAF No 248 Squadron during daylight action.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command raids the industrial Ruhr River Valley, the Rhineland, Hamburg, and Bremen. The weather is good, and the British will continue attacking the Ruhr for the next 19 nights. They put 98 bombers over Dusseldorf and 80 over Duisburg. RAF Bomber Command also sends 24 aircraft to Boulogne and 20 bombers on minelaying missions.

The Luftwaffe drops leaflets over East Anglia, as it did during the summer of 1940, and sends planes across Great Britain. These tout German successes in the Atlantic and they warn, with some credibility, that further resistance to the Reich will mean starvation throughout the British Isles.

East African Campaign: The Indian 15th Punjab Regiment of the Indian 3rd Battalion completes the capture of Assab, which essentially just means checking the town for any Italian stragglers. The entire Red Sea now is clear of Axis influence, and soon American freighters will be able to cross it to deliver supplies to British forces in Egypt.

(Kraupa; Tuskany; Duskamp, Federal Archive Bild 101II-MW-3509-30). 

"France, Saint-Nazaire.- Admiral Karl Doenitz on the quay in front of incoming U-boat U-93, the crew standing on the U-boat deck in anticipation of the award of the Knight's Cross to Lieutenant Claus Korth, U-93's commander.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-79 (Kptlt. Wolfgang Kaufmann), on its first patrol out of Kiel, is operating west of Iceland when it torpedoes and sinks 1524 ton Norwegian freighter Havtor. There are six deaths and 14 survivors.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 2056-ton British freighter Moorwood near 19C Buoy north of Whitby. Everyone survives.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 3178-ton British freighter Baron Carnegie just east of St. Davids in St. George's Channel. There are 25 deaths (16 are listed as "missing" but never are found). British 1358-ton freighter Seine takes Baron Carnegie in tow, but Baron Carnegie sinks north of Fishguard.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 2842-ton British freighter Westburn a few miles north of Skinningrove off Hartlepool. Taken in tow, the Westburn arrives in Hartlepool later in the day.

Royal Navy submarine H.32 grounds in the Clyde. After it frees itself, H.32 goes to Ardrossan for repairs.

The Kriegsmarine makes a rare fleet maneuver (the Royal Navy, by comparison, keeps its ships constantly in motion). This is Operation Sommerreise (Summer Journey). The Germans send heavy cruiser Lutzow (damaged during the invasion of Norway), light cruisers Emden and Leipzig, and destroyers Eckhold, Galster, Lody, Z.23, and Z.24 to Norway. The plan is for Lutzow to break out into the Atlantic and be joined there by sister ship Admiral Scheer.

The British, of course, keep very close tabs on German warships. They learn today from Ultra decrypts about Operation Sommerreise and begin preparing a response. The Admiralty brings the Home Fleet to one hour's notice.

Convoy OB-334 departs from Liverpool.

U-130 (K.Kapt. Ernst Kals) is commissioned at Kiel.

"The crew of an Australian Vickers Light Tank Mk VI works on their vehicle during the advance into Syria, 11 June 1941."(© IWM (E 3149E)).

Battle of the Mediterranean: British troops under General O'Moore Creagh prepare for the upcoming Operation Battleaxe, scheduled to begin on 15 June. On the other side, newly appointed commander of the 15th Panzer Division General Walter Neumann-Silkow is more worried about his supply situation than the enemy, as his panzers are running low on petrol.

Royal Navy submarine Taku (Lt. Commander Edward C.F. Nicolay) torpedoes and sinks 1600-ton German freighter Tilly L.M. Russ in Benghazi Harbor.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Torbay rams and sinks a caique about 15  miles south of Mitylene (Lesbos). The caique is being used as a troop transport, there is an unknown number of casualties.

The RAF attacks Benghazi and sinks Italian naval trawlers Mario Bianco and Cirene.

At Malta, the Luftwaffe drops bombs between Ta Qali and Mosta, as well as eight east of Valletta. A much larger attack of an estimated 22 Axis aircraft is spotted 30 miles north of the island but turns back when the RAF scrambles fighters.

Convoy BA-3 departs from Karachi bound for Aden.

Battle of the Pacific: Captured whaler Adjutant with prize crew departs German raider Komet for minelaying operations in New Zealand waters.
Anglo/US Relations: President Roosevelt agrees to occupy Iceland with US troops. While there is no danger of combat in Iceland, this will free up 25,000 British troops who have been unopposed, though not invited, by the Icelandic government. Iceland is critically important to the Allies for protection of their cross-Atlantic convoys, as both ship and air patrols emanating from there cover a large area that U-boats are using with great success.

Vickers Light Tank Mk VI with Australian crew during the advance into Syria, 11 June 1941.

Japanese/Dutch Relations: While the Germans have conquered The Netherlands, the Dutch East Indies remain a powerful force in the Pacific. Not only do the Dutch there possess a strong navy, but they also control raw materials that the Japanese need. Today, however, the Japanese accept defeat in their attempts to lock up more oil and other supplies. This is another skirmish in a trade battle that has broken out across the globe, with the Axis and Allies vying to "lock-up" sources of supply of strategic commodities such as oil and tungsten.

Japanese/Soviet Relations: The Japanese and Soviets, who recently reached an agreement regarding the border in Manchuria, expand their economic relations.

Anglo/Soviet Relations: Sir Stafford Cripps, ambassador to Moscow, returns to London for consultations. Cripps is England's point man for the Soviet Union because he is a committed Socialist with decidedly Marxist leanings and works well with the Russians. Cripps' departure in the face of all the warnings he has been receiving about a prospective attack by Germany leaves Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin very suspicious about what Winston Churchill is planning.

German/US Relations: Brazilian steamer Ozorio rescues the last eleven survivors from the US freighter SS Robin Moor (Captain E. W. Meyers). The Robin Moor was sunk in the South Atlantic on 21 May by U-69 (Kapitänleutnant Jost Metzler) while carrying contraband aircraft parts bound for the British in the Middle East. The sinking has become a major diplomatic incident, but not sufficiently for the United States to declare war.

Bomb damage in Belfast at Ravenscroft Avenue, East Belfast looking toward the Hollywood Arches (11 June 1941).

Nagano, however, remains opposed to war with the United States if it can possibly be avoided. He takes a very dim view of Admiral Yamamoto's plans to attack Pearl Harbor. However, almost everyone else in the top tier of the Japanese military prefers to strike the United States while it remains relatively weak in the Pacific.

US Military: Battleship USS Arizona departs from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for Long Beach, California.

Soviet Military: Soviet General Georgi Zhukov continues quietly building up forces in the European portion of the Soviet Union. He orders the transfer of some Red Army units from Transbaikal to the Kyiv region. However, Zhukov remains bound by Premier Joseph Stalin's wishes to do nothing to provoke the Germans.

Two related German paratroopers (Fallschirmjäger) who have survived Operation Mercury meet in Canea, Crete, 11 June 1941 (Federal Archive Bild 183-H25246).

German Military: Adolf Hitler issues Fuhrer Directive No. 32, "Preparations For The Period After Barbarossa." The directive turns out to have no effect on anything aside from planning but does offer insight into Hitler's mindset on the eve of Operation Barbarossa.

As he is wont to do, Adolf Hitler begins making plans for operations far in the future that depend on operations closer in time to turn out as planned. So, today he tasks the OKW Operations Staff led by General Alfred Jodl with working up plans for the period after the Soviet Union is conquered.

Hitler notes pointedly that, "The main efforts of the armaments industry can be diverted to the Navy and Airforce." The Reich armaments sector takes this to heart, and begin to view the production of shells and other munitions as a low priority. This will have baleful consequences for the Wehrmacht late in 1941 and in 1942 as Soviet resistance proves fiercer than expected.

Hitler demonstrates in Directive No. 32 that he views Operation Barbarossa more as a temporary pause in other operations already on the docket than a major, long-term undertaking. So, he anticipates implementing Operation Felix, the planned seizure of Gibraltar. His thinking is revealed when he orders the capture of Tobruk in "about November," when the Afrika Korps can be "brought to the highest possible efficiency in personnel and equipment." This, presumably, would only be possible after the Wehrmacht can redirect forces from the conquered Soviet Union.

Interestingly, Hitler barely mentions Operation Sea Lion, the proposed invasion of England, in Directive No. 32, and only in passing. He notes that preparations for the invasion would "serve the double purpose of tying down English forces at home and of bringing about a final English collapse through a landing in England." He is more interested, however, in a resumption of the "Siege of England," which can be undertaken "with the utmost intensity" only after the Soviet Union is beaten.

British soldiers looking across the river at Baghdad, 11 June 1941.

British Military: Major-General Neil Ritchie is sent to the Middle East Command to join the staff of the British Eighth Army in Cairo. His replacement in charge of the British 51st Highland Division is Major General Douglas Neil Wimberley. Wimberley institutes strenuous training routines for future operations - the division is seen as having gotten a bit slack after almost two years of home defense in anticipation of a German invasion that never came.

American Homefront: The President of Fordham University, Rev. Robert I. Gannon, gives a commencement address at the school entitled "What Will Replace It." The "it" is civilization, and Gannon says in part:

we believe that democracy will rise again, but not until the authority of God is recognized again in public and in private life. Apparently, then, it has fallen our lot to see the end of a civilization.

He notes that whatever the ways of the world, religion will always be there for people. The theme of the address mirrors a growing pessimism in some quarters about the state of the world in 1941.

"Health Lecturer" Russell James is arrested in Minneapolis for practicing healing without a license. He sells a health food product made out of powdered bananas and whey (which does sound pretty healthy). The Hennepin County District Court deliberates for three hours, then finds him not guilty.

Exterior view of the N. 11 Mikoyan Bread-Baking Plant, Moscow, June 1941 (Meyer, Hannes).

June 1941

June 1, 1941: Farhud Pogrom
June 2, 1941: Massacres on Crete
June 3, 1941: Kandanos Massacre
June 4, 1941: Kaiser Wilhelm Passes Away
June 5, 1941: Death in Chungking
June 6, 1941: Hitler's Commissar Order
June 7, 1941: Commandos Strike at Pessac
June 8, 1941: British Invade Syria and Lebanon
June 9, 1941: Litani River Battle
June 10, 1941: British Take Assab
June 11, 1941: Hitler Thinking Beyond Russia
June 12, 1941: St. James Agreement
June 13, 1941: Lützow Damaged
June 14, 1941: Latvian June Deportations
June 15, 1941: Operation Battleaxe
June 16, 1941: The Old Lion
June 17, 1941: British Spanked in North Africa
June 18, 1941: Turkey Turns Its Back
June 19, 1941: Cheerios Introduced
June 20, 1941: Birth of US Army Air Force
June 21, 1941: Damascus Falls
June 22, 1941: Germany Invades Russia
June 23, 1941: A Soviet KV Tank Causes Havoc
June 24, 1941: Kaunas and Vilnius Fall
June 25, 1941: Finland Declares War
June 26, 1941: Bombing of Kassa
June 27, 1941: Encirclement At Minsk
June 28, 1941: Minsk Falls
June 29, 1941: Brest Fortress Falls
June 30, 1941: Mölders Becomes Top Ace

2020

Wednesday 21 May 1941

Battleship Bismarck in the Norwegian fjord of Grimstadfjord, 21 May 1941 (photo taken from Prinz Eugen).

Anglo/Iraq War: In order to prevent more German reinforcements from getting through to Iraq by using Vichy French airfields, British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell on 21 May 1941 orders General Maitland Wilson to prepare plans for an invasion of Syria. Wilson, who was in command on mainland Greece, selects the 7th Australian Division (less one brigade) of 18,000 men, the 5th Indian Brigade (2000 men), and 9,000 British soldiers to invade along with about 5000 Free French soldiers under the command of General Catroux.

These 34,000 British troops will fact 35,000 French troops under the command of General Dentz. The main French force is the 6th French Foreign Legion Regiment, which has 3000 soldiers of mixed nationalities including Germans, French, Russians, Spanish and Irish.

The Vichy air force numbers 100 planes and the RAF about 70. While the RAF has many capable Hawker Hurricanes and Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks, the French Dewoitine S520 surprises many with its capabilities. At sea, there is no contest, as the French only have a few destroyers while the Royal Navy can call upon the entire Mediterranean Fleet with aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers and numerous other classes of ships.

The British have ray of hope when a defecting Vichy French soldier, Colonel Collet, reports that morale in Syria is poor. He claims that the Vichy troops, already ordered to defensive positions along the southern Syrian border, will not resist an invasion.

Fighting continues in Fallujah, where the Iraqis make a stand against the advancing British troops of Kingcol.

Battleship Bismarck as seen from cruiser Prinz Eugen in the Norwegian fjord of Grimstadfjord, 21 May 1941.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids Grimstadfjord, which reconnaissance planes report is the location of battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen. However, by the time the bombers get there, the German ships have sailed.

RAF Fighter Command conducts a Circus operation against the Gosnay Power Station. Bomber Command also sends 45 bombers on various anti-shipping operations.

East African Campaign: The East African 22nd Infantry Brigade captures Colito in Galla-Sidamo.

Battleship Bismarck on her way up the Norwegian coast after her crew has removed her Baltic camouflage but left her false bow wave.

Battle of the Atlantic: After sinking US freighter Robin Moore (discussed below), U-69 (Kptlt. Jost Metzler) spots another ship, 4601-ton British freighter Tewkesbury (Master Captain Pryse), about 1000 km (620 miles) south of the Cape Verde Islands. It takes Metzler four hours to maneuver into firing position, but finally pumps a torpedo into the Tewkesbury. After permitting the crew to take to lifeboats, Metzler uses its deck gun to shell the ship. However, it still does not sink, Metzler fires a second torpedo into it, causing the Tewkesbury to break in half and sink within 7 minutes. Tewkesbury gets off a wireless signal of its position, and Metzler knows this, so he informs Admiral Doenitz in Berlin by wireless that he has sunk the Robin Moore. Everyone on the ship is rescued, but the Tewkesbury's chief engineer receives injuries that lead to his death some months later.

U-93 (Kptlt. Claus Korth), part of Wolfpack West south of Greenland, launches an attack on Convoy HX-126, which already has lost seven ships on the 20th. At 05:29, Korth torpedoes and badly damages 6235-ton Dutch tanker Elusa. The Elusa is carrying gasoline and catches fire, and the crew abandons ship. The ship remains afloat until the 22nd, but is a flaming wreck, so the ship is left to its fate (it ultimately sinks). There are 49 survivors, taken aboard quickly by a convoy escort destroyer.

U-98 (Kptlt. Robert Gysae), also part of Wolfpack West southeast of Cape Farewell, sank the Rothermere on the 20th, and today it sinks 7402-ton British freighter Marconi. There are 22 deaths and 56 survivors who are picked up by US Coast Guard Cutter General Greene. This sinking by U-98 is unconfirmed, but the Marconi definitely sinks on the 21st.

Royal Navy 16.5-ton armed yacht HMY Hanyards is lost due to unknown reasons, perhaps a mine.

Battleship Bismarck enters Grimstadfjord near Bergen, 21 May 1941 (picture taken from cruiser Prinz Eugen).

German Battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen, participating in Unternehmen Rheinübung, are spotted by RAF reconnaissance aircraft and then arrive near Bergen at 12:00. There, they take on supplies and paint over their Baltic camouflage with standard "outboard grey." They are anchored in a fjord south of Bergen when more RAF reconnaissance spots them during the evening. The two ships and their destroyer escorts slip anchor shortly after, at 19:00, and head northwest along the coast.

The Admiralty details two capital ships, battlecruiser HMS Hood and unfinished battleship Prince of Wales, to sail from Scapa Flow, Scotland to reinforce the standing patrol in the Denmark Strait on two hour's notice. Prince of Wales still has engineers working on its faulty guns. The many reconnaissance photos and missions by the British are the start of their "German battleship obsession" that the Germans will put to good use in the coming years with their handling of the Tirpitz.

Convoy OB 325 departs from Liverpool.

Canadian minesweeper HMCS Drummondville is launched in Montreal.

U-129 (Kapitänleutnant Nicolai Clausen) and U-402 (Kapitänleutnant Freiherr S. von Forstner) are commissioned, U-156 and U-208 are launched, and U-170 is laid down.

Bismarck as seen from Prinz Eugen, 21 May 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: As the day opens, the invasion of Crete - Operation Mercury - is not going well for the Germans. They have not secured a single airfield, and without an airfield, the Luftwaffe has no way to effectively reinforce the paratroopers (Fallschirmjäger) who have been dropped at widely separated points on the island. Thus, the pattern is following that of previous paratrooper landings in Norway and Belgium - an initial lodgement that cannot be supported and thus faces annihilation unless a supply route can be opened.

In the King George Hotel in Athens, the commanding general of the XI. Fliegerkorps, Major General Kurt Student, has a difficult strategic decision to make. On it, the fate of his fledgling Fallschirmjäger creation rests, along with the fate of Wehrmacht interests in the Mediterranean. If he fails, the heretofore unstoppable success of German troops will be ended in truly humiliating fashion, and his entire command virtually wiped out.

With few and fragmentary reports coming from the island, General Student has little to go on. However, he knows that he has to act fast because the airborne troops already are running out of ammunition. However, a reconnaissance flight over Maleme airfield reports no antiaircraft fire, and during a desperate supply flight of Junkers Ju 52s, one carrying boxes of needed ammunition manages to put down under fire on the nearby beach and come to a stop just short of some rocks. General Student makes his decision: send reinforcements of the 5th Mountain Division to land at Maleme and forget about the other landing sites on the island.

Fallschirmjäger arriving at Maleme airport, 21 May 1941.

On the British side, the New Zealand 22nd Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Andrew has pulled back from a vital hill, Hill 107, overlooking Maleme airfield. The men feel they can retake the hill, which virtually controls the airfield, but Brigadier James Hargest does not issue the order to attack because he is confused as to where the main German effort will be. The New Zealanders watch helplessly as Junkers Ju 52 transport planes carrying reinforcements and supplies begin landing on Maleme airfield at about 16:00. The field is still being shelled by Allied artillery fire, but enough men of the 100th Regiment of the Mountain Division put down to secure that section of the airstrip.

The German planes continue landing throughout the evening and night, with new arrivals crashing into planes already there, creating a mass of wrecked and intermingled planes. Gradually and painfully, the Fallschirmjäger consolidate their hold on the airfield. At 16:00, Luftwaffe Colonel Bernhard Hermann Ramcke, accompanied by 500 reinforcements, drops in by parachute east of the airfield to take command.

As the day ends, the Germans have a tenuous hold on Maleme airfield. British commander General Bernard Freyberg finally realizes that the Germans' attack spearhead - schwerpunkt - is Maleme. He orders a counterattack by the New Zealand 20th Battalion, but it needs to hand off its own position to attack, so the 2/7th Battalion - which has no transport - is ordered to march 18 miles (29 km) north. The counterattack must wait for them arrive at 23:30, and then the 20th Battalion prepares to counterattack as soon as it can get into position on the 22nd.

Fallschirmjäger on Crete, 21 May 1941.

The Germans also attempt a sea landing near Maleme. They send about 20 caïques, escorted by Italian torpedo boat Lupo, toward Crete after dark. Royal Navy Force D, under the command of Rear-Admiral Irvine Glennie, spots the convoy and forces it to turn back. Under heavy fire from cruisers HMS Aja, Dido, and Orion, the Germans lose over half their ships, and 297 Germans and two Italians perish in the catastrophe. Ajax damages its bow in ramming a caique, and Orion takes some friendly fire from Dido (two dead, nine wounded).

Only heroic action by the captain of the Lupo, who stops to pick up swimming Germans in the night, saves hundreds of men. Lupo is badly damaged but makes it back to port with survivors. Another Italian torpedo boat, Lira, also picks up survivors. One caique from the supply convoy reaches Maleme at Cape Spatha, not nearly enough to be decisive, while a cutter struggles into the harbor at Akrotiri and takes heavy fire from a British patrol and provides no help at all.

Another German convey departs Piraeus, escorted by Italian torpedo boat Sagittario. It also ultimately turns back. In the confusion of ships around Piraeus, a Luftwaffe bomber damages Italian destroyer Sela.

In the morning, the Luftwaffe locates cruiser HMS Ajax and destroyer Juno withdrawing to the southwest of Crete. The German planes sink the Juno, leaving 97 survivors, 28 dead and 21 wounded. Ajax is only slightly damaged by a near miss and remains on patrol with no casualties.

A large force of Royal Navy destroyers departs Malta at twilight for operations north of Crete. These are HMS Jackal, Kashmire, Kelly, and Kelvin.

The NY Times announces the invasion of Crete, 21 May 1941.

Elsewhere on Crete, the Germans are in trouble. the 10th Infantry Brigade uses its light tanks to launch a successful assault on Cemetery Hill near Canea (Chania), but the Germans manage to break out to the village of Galatas. The Germans at Galatas are not far from the developing German bridgehead at nearby Maleme, so their efforts contribute to the dispersal of British forces and confusion with the British command.

Italian 248 ton freighter Gladiator hits a mine and sinks off Sebenico.

Italian naval trawler Pellegrino Matteucci hits a mine and sinks northwest of Lefkos.

Italian destroyer Carlo Mirabello hits a mine and sinks in the Ionian Sea off Cephalonia. German freighters Kybfels and Marburg also sink from mines in the same area. The loss of the Marburg is particularly damaging, as it carries 60 tanks and 683 men of Panzer Division 2.

In London, Winston Churchill professes to be optimistic about Crete. The War Cabinet Defence Committee minutes show that he:

saw no reason why we should not retain our hold on the Island provided that General Wavell was able to land reinforcements on the southern side and that the Navy could prevent anything in the way of a German seaborne landing.

In this, Churchill appears to be subtly planting the idea of Middle East Commander Wavell as a future scapegoat. There are no plans to land anyone on the rough southern coast of Crete, and there is plenty of British manpower - but also lots of muddle and poorly equipped soldiers.

In a cable to Wavell, Churchill is a bit more honest about the true state of affairs on Crete. He notes that General Freyberg "declares he is hard-pressed." He adds somewhat gratuitously, "Presume you are already reinforcing him to the utmost to master enemy airborne attack," when in fact there is no way for Wavell to "reinforce" Freyberg. If the airfields on Crete and surrounding seas cannot be held, sending more troops to buttress the large numbers already there would be merely sacrificial.

Over the Libyan Front, planes from the 3rd Staffel of I./JG 27 shoots down five RAF Blenheims.

Royal Navy aircraft carriers, during Operation Splice, launch 48 Hawker Hurricanes and four Fulmars (as guide planes) to Malta. All but two Hurricanes reach the island, and the carriers and accompanying ships return to Gibraltar. Seventeen of the Hurricanes refuel and fly on immediately to Cairo. In addition to these planes, Some Bristol Blenheim Mk IV bombers of RAF No. 82 Squadron also fly into Malta directly from Cornwall, England (one lost at sea).

While the planes are arriving on Malta from Operation Splice, a major Luftwaffe attack occurs. They raid Luqa airfield, destroying two Wellingtons and damaging one Blenheim, one Hurricane, and one Beaufighter.

Royal Navy cruiser minelayer HMS Abdiel lays mines off the west coast of Greece.

Reconnaissance photo of battleship Bismarck, taken by an RAF plane as she approaches Norway on 21 May 1941.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Komet makes rendezvous with a whaler previously captured by raider Pinguin, now renamed Adjutant. The two ships head east toward the Pacific.

US/German Relations: U-69 (Kptlt. Jost Metzler), on its third patrol and operating about 750 miles west of Freetown, Sierra Leone, spots 4999 ton US freighter Robin Moore traveling independently. The Robin Moore flies the flag of a neutral country, and normal U-boat practice is to leave US vessels alone. However, Robin Moore is carrying cargo from New York City to Mozambique via South Africa which includes items that can be interpreted as military cargo, including shotgun shells and .22 caliber rifles. The bulk of its crew is 450 autos and trucks - which also can be characterized as war equipment under some interpretations.

Metzler stops the Robin Moore and orders the passengers and crew to disembark, so they take to lifeboats. Someone on the U-boat tells the mate of the Robin Moore that Metzler simply decided to "let us have it." U-69 then sinks the Robin Moore using a torpedo and the deck gun. Metzler then gives the survivors some tins of black bread and butter, states that the ship was sunk for carrying war contraband and leaves the scene and the 37 survivors are left adrift, but all eventually are saved by two different freighters. Their survival somewhat mitigates the impact on public opinion.

According to a later investigation, it will be determined that Duquesne Spy Ring member Leo Waalen had sent a radio signal to Germany with the ship's expected sailing date. Thus, the interception of the Robin Moore by U-69 may not have been accidental, though Adolf Hitler is on record as opposing any action that could bring the United States into the war. It must be noted that the Royal Navy routinely stops and confiscates neutral ships found to be in the service of the Reich, so this is not in violation of international law. However, this will become a major international incident once news of the sinking reaches Washington, D.C.

Separately, but perhaps related in a larger sense, the German occupation authorities tell US diplomats to leave the country. They are given until 10 June to return to the United States.

"The BISMARCK in Grimstadfjord" Evening of 21 May 1941. © IWM (CS 159)

Anglo/US Relations: Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a cable to President Roosevelt in which he states that "We are at a climacteric of the war, when enormous crystallizations are in suspense but imminent." He says somewhat optimistically that "Battle for Crete has opened well," but concludes in grim fashion:

Whatever happens, you may be sure that we shall fight on, and I am sure we can at least save ourselves. But what is the good of that?

The somewhat brief (for Churchill) message is one of the most downbeat that Churchill sends throughout the war.

President Roosevelt allocates six small aircraft carriers to the Royal Navy pursuant to Lend Lease. However, these are not ready yet and will be delivered over the course of the year. The ships will become British Aircraft Escort Vessels or BAVGs.

Soviet Government: At a Central Committee War Section meeting in the Kremlin, Joseph Stalin dismisses spy reports from Richard Sorge that a German attack is imminent. Air force General Proskurov, head of Soviet military intelligence, tells Stalin he is wrong and that the Germans are about to attack. Proskurov is immediately arrested and replaced by General Filipp I. Golikov. Proskurov will be shot in October 1941.

Wolfgang Graf von Blücher (31 January 1917 – 21 May 1941), one of three brothers killed within hours during the Battle of Crete,

British Government: Churchill makes a statement to the House of Commons on events in Crete. He clarifies his statement of the 20th that 1500 Germans landed on Crete, now noting that 3000 German Fallschirmjäger had descended on Crete, and adds, "Fighting continues, and the situation was reported to be in hand a 9 p.m." In response to a question asking for confirmation of his odd statement of the 20th that the German paratroopers were wearing New Zealand battle-dress, Churchill replies:

Yes, and another report said that those who landed at Retimo were wearing English battle-dress. I see that the Germans have denied this.

History shows that the German paratroopers were wearing proper German uniforms.

At most, Wehrmacht Fallschirmjäger uniforms bear only a slight resemblance to Allied uniforms. Any claim that the Germans are violating the rules of war is false, and it is unclear why Churchill makes a contrary claim at this time. Any soldier wearing an opponent's uniform is considered a spy by well-established international law and is subject to immediate execution. Churchill speaks darkly of allowing "discretion to those on the spot."

German Government: Adolf Hitler spends a day alone at his old apartment in Munich.

US freighter Robin Moore, taken shortly before its sinking on 21 May 1941.

South Africa: Prime Minister Jan Smuts celebrates his 71st birthday, and King George cables him that he has been promoted to Field Marshal. The telegram states:

Your promotion to the highest military rank will be warmly welcomed, not only for your great and devoted services, but as a leader of a people whose fighting men have been playing a most brilliant part in the victorious campaign in East Africa.

South African troops and aircraft have been playing a key role in the conquest of East Africa.

Philippines: US Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson receives a call from a Manila telephone official, Joseph Stevenot, that Philippines defenses need to be improved. He proposes that General Douglas MacArthur be recalled to duty. MacArthur is a field marshal in the Philippine Army since 24 August 1936, but has retired from the US Army, but remains an informal advisor to Philippines President Manuel Quezon. He is considered the top US expert on Asian affairs. Stimson decides to pass the suggestion along to Chief of Staff George Marshall, but notes in his diary that Marshall already has decided to restore General MacArthur to the command of the Philippines Department should there be an emergency. Whether or not MacArthur had something to do with Stevenot's phone call is unclear.

US Major General George Grunert, commander of the Philippine Department, independently requests that a conference be held with a view of improving Philippine defenses. He proposes that this be accomplished with $52 million derived from sugar excise taxes and currency devaluations.

China: Chinese Polikarpov I-153 fighters shoot down one Japanese Mitsubishi bomber and damage another over Lanzhou, Gansu Province. The bombers are based in Taiwan. This is the first victory by the Chinese Polikarpov fighters over Japanese planes.

Holocaust: The Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp opens near Strasbourg, France. It is the only German-run camp on (future) French territory.

French Homefront: Military tribunals continue for those suspected of disloyalty. Today, a court sentences 56 enlisted men to death or hard labor for supporting the Free French movement of Charles De Gaulle - who also has a death sentence. Along with imprisoning or killing them, the Vichy government seizes the property of all known Free French troops and supporters.

Norwegian Homefront: Norwegian actors and theater production workers go on strike. This is due to occupation authorities withdrawing working permits for six actors who refuse to perform on the official occupation radio station.

'German mountain troops board aircraft', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/german-mountain-troops-aircraft, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 15-Jul-2013.

American Homefront: The Bureau of Indian Affairs arrests Pia Machita (O'odham: Pi ’Am Maccuḍḍam, meaning "He Has no Metate"). Machita is a leader in the Native American community in Pima County, Arizona. He has been using his influence to tell his people to refuse to report for the draft, and some violent incidents have resulted. Machita is arrested at his town of Stoa Pitk and will be sentenced to jail time. This ends the Machita Incident.

Future History: Giuseppe Giacomo Gambino is born in Palermo, Sicily. He grows up to become a member of the Mafia and head of the San Lorenzo mandamento. Gambino is part of a reputed "death squad" of the Corleonesi. Several high profile deaths are tied to Gambino, including anti-mafia magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, as well as the politician Salvo Lima in 1992, and businessman Libero Grassi, who opposed extortion by the Mafia. After arrest, Gambino commits suicide in San Vittore prison in Milan on 30 November 1996.

Robert Joseph Cox is born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He becomes a talented baseball player and spends two years playing third base for the New York Yankees in 1968-69. After that, Bobby Cox becomes a noted Major League Baseball manager, compiling a record of 2504-2001, a .556 winning percentage, between 1978-2010 for the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays.


May 1941

May 1, 1941: British Hold Tobruk
May 2, 1941: Anglo-Iraq War
May 3, 1941: Liverpool Hammered
May 4, 1941: Hitler Victory Speech
May 5, 1941: Patriots Day
May 6, 1941: Stalin In Command
May 7, 1941: May Blitz
May 8, 1941: Pinguin Sunk
May 9, 1941: U-110 Captured
May 10, 1941: Hess Flies Into History
May 11, 1941: The Hess Peace Plan
May 12, 1941: Tiger Arrives Safely
May 13, 1941: Keitel's Illegal Order
May 14, 1941: Holocaust in Paris
May 15, 1941: Operation Brevity
May 16, 1941: Blitz Ends
May 17, 1941: Habbaniya Relieved
May 18, 1941: Croatia Partitioned
May 19, 1941: Bismarck at Sea
May 20, 1941: Invasion of Crete
May 21, 1941: Robin Moore Sinking
May 22, 1941: Royal Navy Destruction Off Crete
May 23, 1941: Crete Must Be Won
May 24, 1941: Bismarck Sinks Hood
May 25, 1941: Lütjens' Brilliant Maneuver
May 26, 1941: Bismarck Stopped
May 27, 1941: Bismarck Sunk
May 28, 1941: Crete Lost
May 29, 1941: Royal Navy Mauled Off Crete
May 30, 1941: Sorge Warns, Stalin Ignores
May 31, 1941: British Take Baghdad

2020