Sunday 15 December 1940

"Flying Officer Mirosław "Ox" Ferić of No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron being decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross by Air Marshall Sholto Douglas, 15 December 1940. The first four Polish recipients of the DFC received their awards for their participation in the Battle of Britain during a presentation ceremony at RAF Leconfield. Mirosław Ferić was one of them." © IWM (CH 1838).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British 4th and 7th Armoured Brigades continue their whirlwind advance across the desert into Italian Libya on 15 December 1940 as Operation Compass morphs from a planned five-day tank raid into a stunningly effective strategic offensive. The Italians, for their part, want no part of the Tommies and scoot further back along the coast road every day. Today, the British take Sollum and easily defensible Halfaya Pass on the fly, bypassing isolated Italian garrisons in the desert to the south (the actual date when the British take these points varies from source to source, but there is no question they are up for grabs by now). Next up for the British are Sidi Omar and nearby Fort Capuzzo, which the Italians show no sign of wanting to defend either. The unlikelihood of the Italians making a stand at Fort Capuzzo is underlined by the fact that they basically abandoned it earlier in the year when they weren't even under much pressure there.

The Italians, meanwhile, bet all their chips on their stronghold of Bardia, commanded by General Annibale Bergonzoli (known as "Electric Whiskers" due to his once-flaming red beard). The Tenth Army retreat there and reinforce Tobruk, which, aside from being a well-defended fortress, also constitutes a key port which would be much handier for the British than the much smaller one at Sollum. The Italians also bring up three divisions from the interior of Libya and station them on a line between El Mekili and Derna. Since the Italians now have ample warning of an attack and the British are outrunning their supplies, this line has a reasonable chance of holding - but it well inside Libya and 168 km northwest of Tobruk along the most direct route. The British already have Bardia surrounded, trapping the 40,000 Italians inside.

Royal Navy monitor HMS Terror continues giving the Italians headaches. While the British surround the port on land, it stands brazenly off Bardia and bombards the Italians there for the entire afternoon.

Not all goes well for the Royal Navy, however. Free French submarine Narval hits a mine off Sfax/Kerkenah, Tunisia and is lost. As is usually the case with such incidents involving submarines, the exact date of this loss is an educated guess because nobody lives to tell the tale in such incidents (54 lost). The loss is only realized when the submarine fails to return to its port of Malta on the 16th.

"The first four Polish recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross of No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron wearing their awards after a presentation ceremony by Air Marshal Sholto Douglas at RAF Leconfield, 15 December 1940. Left to right: Squadron Leader Witold Urbanowicz, Flying Officer Zdzisław Henneberg, Pilot Officer Jan "Donald Duck" Zumbach and Pilot Officer Mirosław "Ox" Ferić." © IWM (CH 1839).

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids Berlin, Frankfurt, and Kiel with 72 aircraft. They also attack Naples. For Naples, it is the second night in a row. As if in a pointed statement to the Italians that "you can run, but you can't hide," the British damage another Italian cruiser in the port of Naples. The raids are notable because the British mistakenly bomb the Basel, Switzerland railway station in an epic navigational error.

The Luftwaffe, after a quiet day, revisits Sheffield, which it originally bombed on 12 December. This raid continues its recent practice of repeatedly bombing medium-sized British towns with full-scale attacks. While only a small group of 16 German Heinkel He 111 bombers arrives soon after darkness, they drop thousands of incendiaries that start massive fires. This creates a target visible to the main force, which arrives overhead a couple of hours later. The Luftwaffe pounds the eastern half of the city for three hours, but most of the bombs miss the city's important factories. The two aerial attacks together kill 750 people and destroy 3000 homes and small businesses. During the night, the Luftwaffe loses five aircraft.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe attacks Portsmouth, "sinking" destroyer HMS Cameron. The Cameron, in dry dock, is blasted onto its side and utterly destroyed in a rare case of a ship being lost for reasons other than actually sinking or grounding. One of the destroyers acquired from the US in the destroyers-for-bases deal, the destruction of the Cameron continues a pattern of hard luck for the newly acquired destroyers.

German E-boats are active along the Great Yarmouth coast, and the come across Convoy FS 360. Two of them, S 25 and S 58, sink 2301 ton British freighter NC Monberg. There are nine deaths.

Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Britomart collides with fellow minesweeper Seagull, sending the former to the repair yard at Aberdeen for almost a month.

Deep in the Atlantic, German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer transfers its prisoner to supply vessel Nordmark. The British continue fruitlessly to search for heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer around the Canary Islands.

Convoy EN 41 departs from Methil, Convoy SC 16 departs from Halifax, Convoy MW 58 departs from Port Said (Operation Hide), Convoy SL 59 departs from Freetown.

Destroyer HMS Ithuriel and submarine HMS P-32 are launched.

"The first four Polish recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross of No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron wearing their awards after a presentation ceremony by Air Marshal Sholto Douglas at RAF Leconfield, 15 December 1940. Left to right - Squadron Leader Witold Urbanowicz, Pilot Officer Jan "Donald Duck" Zumbach, Pilot Officer Mirosław "Ox" Ferić and Flying Officer Zdzisław Henneberg." © IWM (CH 1840).

Battle of the Italian Ocean: German raider Atlantis, in the uninhabited Kerguelen Islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean, remains stuck on a rock which has torn a chunk from its outer hull (but, fortunately for the German crew, not the more important inner hull).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek 3rd Infantry Division, which took Porto Palermo on the 13th, resumes its advance north toward the key port of Himara. The Italians have regrouped, though, and now are fighting hard. The weather now is the Italians' ally. The Regia Aeronautica also is active against the advancing Greek troops.

German/Vichy French Relations: Hitler, with his deep fascination regarding obscure European social history, realizes that very few things stir the French soul like repatriating Napoleon to France. The transfer of the dead Emperor's exhumed body from his place of exile on remote St. Helena back to Paris on 15 December 1840 was one of the great celebrations in 19th Century French history. So, realizing that bringing up memories of Bonaparte's royal line might also remind the French who sent him to St. Helena in the first place, and realizing that it is 100 years to the day later, Hitler craftily arranges to bring back another dead Napoleon: Napoleon II, also known as the Duke of Reichstadt and "The Eaglet." While never holding real power and still an infant upon his father's capture, Napoleon II did technically hold the title Emperor of France for a week before his own abdication. Napoleon II has been interred in deep obscurity in Vienna, Austria since even before the return of his father's remains.

However, things don't quite go as Hitler intends. For one thing, the whole affair elicits barely a yawn from the French public, for whom Napoleon II is just a name drawn from aged history books. Napoleon II never ruled France and was barely a blip along the Napoleonic line - which itself is rapidly fading from importance, particularly since Napoleon III proved such a monumental disaster - given his defeat by the Germans at Sedan, the memory of which is a lot fresher than that of Napoleon II. In fact, one thing that Hitler probably didn't consider is that bringing up the Napoleonic dynasty at this sensitive moment in French history might remind the French that, just as the Germans in 1870 broke through a vastly overrated French Army at Sedan, so too did such an army succumb in an eerily similar way at the same place in 1940. However, Hitler is never known for being particularly empathetic about what other nations might think about his obviously manipulative decisions.

More importantly from the perspective of present relations, however, French Premier Marshal Petain doesn't even bother attending the ceremony in Paris, which is under German occupation. While Petain has his own issues to deal with at the moment, including the situation with the recently dismissed Pierre Laval, his blasé attitude merely reflects the complete indifference within France by just about everyone. This puts the final verdict to this obvious attempt at emotional manipulation. Hitler, informed that Petain won't attend, does not attend the ceremony either, and professes outrage that his grand gesture would be dismissed when he "meant so well." Hitler probably did mean this as a kind gesture, but it does nothing at all to soften relations between the countries. This leaves Hitler's brief June visit to Paris as the only time that he ever visited Paris, his most significant conquest.

Parisians make light of the whole affair - while the Germans aren't looking - and the joke is that they would have preferred coal to ashes during a hard winter. The French government as a whole also takes a dim view of the entire affair for decades, and it is not until 1969 that it sets aside a small chamber opposite the entrance of the Dome des Invalides for the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte's only legitimate child. The whole affair also rankles Mussolini, who remains extremely jealous of Hitler's overtures to the French.

The remains of Napoleon II brought back to Paris, Note the absence of crowds along the streets. 15 December 1940.

German/Japanese Relations: It is widely noted among historians that the Japanese learned vital lessons from the British aerial attack on Taranto which sank three battleships in November 1940. They learn these lessons because two German officers, Baron von Gronau (former German air attaché at the embassy in Tokyo) and Colonel Johann Jebsen (a member of Admiral Canaris’s intelligence staff (Abwehr)), today proceed down to Taranto and write up a report about the attack which they send to Tokyo.

British Military: General Harold Alexander is appointed to General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Southern Command (southwest England, a sensitive area of defense). His temporary rank of lieutenant-general, achieved as a result of his successful withdrawal of I Corps at Dunkirk, becomes permanent. Alexander achieved renown among the troops by being on the last destroyer leaving Dunkirk on 3 June 1940 - they appreciate little touches like that.

US Military: Headquarter, Eighth Naval District transfers from Charleston, South Carolina to New Orleans, Louisiana. It is under Acting Commandant Captain Thaddeus A. Thomson, Jr.

French Government: Relations between Germany and Vichy France, currently under great strain, are not helped when the German ambassador, Abetz, formally requests that Laval be released and reinstated. Petain indeed releases Pierre Laval from house confinement but does not restore him to his former positions. However, Laval accrues additional prestige due to being seen as the Germans' "man in France." Even though he now is out of office, he is by no means forgotten.

American Homefront: "Pride of the Bowery," starring "The East Side Kids," is released.

Future History: Ursula Ledersteger is born in Vienna, Austria. She becomes the "German Jayne Mansfield" and appears in several films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder under the stage name Barbara Valentin. Among other things, Valentin is married to US actor John Ashton ("Beverly Hills Cop") during the peak years of that franchise's popularity, and also was close with Freddie Mercury. She perishes in 2002 and is buried at the Ostfriedhof in Munich.

PTT Telephone engineers go about their business in Amsterdam, 15 December 1940 (ANPFOTO/Anp).

December 1940

December 1, 1940: Wiking Division Forms
December 2, 1940: Convoy HX 90 Destruction
December 3, 1940: Greeks Advancing
December 4, 1940: Italian Command Shakeup
December 5, 1940: Thor Strikes Hard
December 6, 1940: Hitler's Cousin Gassed
December 7, 1940: Storms At Sea
December 8, 1940: Freighter Idarwald Seized
December 9, 1940: Operation Compass Begins
December 10, 1940: Operation Attila Planned
December 11, 1940: Rhein Wrecked
December 12, 1940: Operation Fritz
December 13, 1940: Operation Marita Planned
December 14, 1940: Plutonium Discovered
December 15, 1940: Napoleon II Returns
December 16, 1940: Operation Abigail Rachel
December 17, 1940: Garden Hoses and War
December 18, 1940: Barbarossa Directive
December 19, 1940: Risto Ryti Takes Over
December 20, 1940: Liverpool Blitz, Captain America
December 21, 1940: Moral Aggression
December 22, 1940: Manchester Blitz
December 23, 1940: Hitler at Cap Gris Nez
December 24, 1940: Hitler at Abbeville
December 25, 1940: Hipper's Great Escape
December 26, 1940: Scheer's Happy Rendezvous
December 27, 1940: Komet Shells Nauru
December 28, 1940: Sorge Spills
December 29, 1940: Arsenal of Democracy
December 30, 1940: London Devastated
December 31 1940: Roosevelt's Decent Proposal

2020

Monday 25 November 1940

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Patria listing heavily after the bombing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life Magazine, 25 November 1940.

November 1940

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

2020

Sunday 17 November 1940

A parade in Denmark in support of a fascist takeover of the country. This is a rally by the DNSAP (National Socialist Worker's Party of Denmark) at Rådhuspladsen on 17 November 1940. While the DNSAP is favored by Hitler, it does not play an actual role in the Danish government, which Hitler prefers to keep independent at this time. The DNSAP is always broadly unpopular with voters. A successor to the DNSAP exists in the 21st Century and occasionally fields candidates to run for local office (without success). Source: National Museum of Denmark.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek counter-offensive continues on 17 November 1940, with moderate success all along the front. Greek III Corps, operating in the direction of Korçë, is reinforced with the 13th Division. The larger force is now called "K" Group of Divisions (OMK), under the overall command of Lieutenant-General Georgios Kosmas. While this force is moving forward, it is not making what one would call spectacular progress against the Italian 9th Army, but instead is grinding through each ridge and valley in the snow and mud. The Greeks are almost entirely on foot, which limits their advances and exploitation of breakthroughs (of which there are many).

The other sectors of the front are reasonably stable, with the Greeks on the attack. The Greek Liuba Detachment advances along the coast in the Thesprotia sector, while the 8th Infantry Division advances toward the Kalamas River. The Greek 2nd Infantry Division advances in the Negrades sector. Near Koritsa, the Greek 9th, 10th, and 15 Infantry Divisions make progress.

News of the World, 17 November 1940.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe raids Southampton with a heavy force of 150 bombers, and London with 49 bombers. The Italian Corpo Aereo Italiano chips in with an attack on Harwich by half a dozen bombers.

During the day, the RAF attacks invasion ports. After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends a raid against an oil installation in the Ruhr river valley at Gelsenkirchen, and also sends planes against the U-boat pens at Lorient and various Luftwaffe airfields. The RAF also bombs Hamburg for the second consecutive night, an attack which receives wide play in the London media as retaliation for the "murder raids" on Coventry.

The Luftwaffe loses two competent pilots in action today, Oblt. Eberhard Henrici, Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 26 (seven victories) and Roloff von Aspern of JG 54 (18 victories).

Adolf Galland of JG 26 gains three victories today, his 53rd, 54th, and 55th.

German night fighter pilot Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld scores his first victory during the night of 16/17 November (at 02:05), a Vickers Wellington bomber from RAF No. 115 Squadron. This also is his first encounter with the RAF. Some guys just "have it." The prince commands an independent night fighter commando unit based at Schiphol airport.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-137 (Kptlt. Herbert Wohlfarth), on its third patrol out of Lorient, is perfectly positioned today in the sea lanes several hundred miles west of County Donegal, Ireland. Yesterday, it sank a "romper," that is, a freighter which had outrun its convoy, Convoy HG 46, and thus was unprotected. Today, all that Wohlfarth must do is sit right where he is, and the convoy will come to him. And, sure enough, it does.

U-137 torpedoes and sinks 1044-ton British freighter Saint Germain, which is carrying pit props from Leixoes to Port Talbot. The attack is at 20:14, and the ship takes a day to sink. Everybody on board is saved and taken aboard escort HMS Mallow.

U-137 also torpedoes 1316-ton Swedish freighter Veronica, which is en route from Aguiles to Barrow, a bit later at 20:40. The Veronica is carrying a cargo of 1800 tons of ore and thus sinks quickly. There are only three survivors, while 17 perish. The survivors are fortunate to be picked up by a British fishing boat.

Royal Navy minelayer Teviotbank and destroyer HMS Icarus lay minefield BS 47.

Convoy WS.4B (Winston Special) departs from Liverpool. It is a major military convoy with numerous passenger liners converted to military purposes:

• Andes (25,689 tons)
• Duchess of Atholl (20,119 tons)
• Viceroy of India (19,267 tons)
• Otranto (20, 026 tons)
• Orcades (23, 456 tons)
• Strathallan (23,772 tons) 
• Strathaird (22,284 tons)
• Empress of Canada (21, 517 tons)
• Reina Del Pacifico ( 17,702 tons)
• Strathnaver (22,283 tons).

The Winston Special convoys are composed of infantry and weapons such as tanks and artillery, bound for the Middle East. While the cargo convoys across the Atlantic, of course, are of prime importance, these Winston Special convoys require extensive preparation and absorb much of the Royal Navy's resources.

Convoy OB 244 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 336 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 33 departs from Methil, Convoy HX 89 departs from Halifax. Convoy BHX 89 departs from Bermuda, but for some reason quickly returns there (perhaps due to weather).

One of the destinations of Winston Special (WS) convoys is Egypt, which is where this photo is taken on 17 November 1940. The British are unloading a cruiser tank sent from England. (AP Photo).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Argus releases a dozen Hurricanes and two Fleet Air Arm Blackburn Skuas to fly to Malta pursuant to Operation White. This is a repeat of successful Operation Hurry in August (though some planes were lost then, too). Unlike that earlier operation, though, this one goes disastrously wrong. The Argus releases the planes too early - as it turns out - and 8 of the 12 Hurricanes are lost.

The planes are sent off in two waves, each led by a Skua, and only four Hurricanes from the first wave and none from the second reach Malta. The Skua leading the first wave arrives safely at Malta, while the second gets lost (apparently after the Hurricanes all ditch) and crash-lands on Sicily.

A Short Sunderland flying boat sees two of the Hurricanes in the first wave ditch and lands to pick up a survivor. The Hurricane pilot, Sergeant R A Spyer (a very lucky man), reports that he simply ran out of fuel. There are many reasons why a plane can run out of fuel short of its destination - heavier headwinds than expected, for instance - but such things must be accounted for properly when lives are at stake. Launches must be timed with some margin of error. There is no reason to release convoy planes early due to potential enemy threats (and none seem to have been present, except in the minds of excuse-making historians). You can always reverse course and try again another time or show a little courage and simply sail forward for another six hours. In other words - it simply was a fatal mistake to send the Hurricanes off when it was done.

Overall, one must chalk up this disaster to poor RAF/RN staff work. This is one of those great tragedies that nobody remembers and only affects a relatively small group of people but is made all the more poignant from being so easily preventable. Somebody made a boneheaded error, sent these pilots off to die, and no trace of the missing planes or pilots is ever found. Nobody, apparently, ever is called to account for this disaster, either. The pilots simply vanish and soon the entire incident is swept under the rug. Imagine the ruckus if this happened in peacetime.

When you read accounts about how wonderful and perfect the Royal Navy was during the Second World War, remember this incident, too.

Separately, the RAF bombs Mogadishu in Italian Somaliland. The Italian Regia Aeronautica attacks Alexandria.

Hurricanes being ferried to Malta, 1941.

Spy Stuff: Around this date, MI5, the British Intelligence Service, figure out an ingenious way to use captured spy currency to fund its own operations. German spies often carry large sums of money whilst... spying. When captured, that is an awful lot of money to just go to waste (it sometimes must be used as evidence at trial, so cannot just be spent outright). It wasn't like in the 21st Century when global bankers just magically create money via keystrokes whenever they need for whatever purpose suits them - in those days, actual banknotes meant something.

So, the Bank of England and MI5 set up an arrangement whereby the intelligence service gives the bank the confiscated notes in exchange for new British banknotes that can be spent. The Bank of England then keeps the confiscated money somewhere in its vaults until such time as it is no longer conceivably needed for trial. In this fashion, MI5 funds some of its own operations. The British officer in charge of bringing the confiscated banknotes (and it was real currency, not forged, else the bank would not accept it - again, different days) to the bank is Lt. Col. W. E. Hinchley-Cooke, who requires joint approval for the deposits from another member of MI5, Squadron Leader Henry Arnold. Nowadays, there would be all sorts of issues about "oversight" and this and that with this sort of self-funding modus operandi, but again, things were different back in the day.

Do you want to see one of the guys who really win wars? You are looking at one, Lt. Col. W.E. Hinchley-Cooke of MI5.

British Military: RAF Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding is removed from his position. This has been brewing for months and is the end result of an internal power struggle within the RAF. Dowding has supported Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, who has opposed the "Big Wing" tactic where time and effort is taken to assemble massive fighter formations rather than send squadrons into action piecemeal. Both tactics have advantages and drawbacks, but the Big Wing strategy is becoming much more practical with the recovery of the RAF from its summertime losses. Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Sholto Douglas takes Dowding's job, who is relegated to a staff position in the Ministry of Aircraft Production with responsibility for ordering American planes.

Basically, Dowding is being retired, though he will still have a desk and phone. Douglas, meanwhile, has been in a position to decide this political battle to his own advantage due to silent political backing within the Air Ministry. AVM Trafford Leigh-Mallory also has his eyes on Keith Park's job, which is more prestigious than his own. Without Dowding to run interference, that becomes much more likely. The power combination of Douglas/Leigh-Mallory has prevailed over that of Dowding/Park.

Hugh Dowding will remain a revered figure and be granted various honors which are richly deserved. Many take this change in leadership as an indication that the RAF will "lean toward France," as advocated by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard and others. In reality, though, that process is gradual and has more to do with shifting Luftwaffe priorities than it does a conscious decision by the RAF.

Staff changes often happen in bunches to cloak what is really going on, and this is no exception. The RAF forms a new RAF Command for Army Cooperation. Its first chief is Air Marshal Arthur Barratt.
Free France: Charles de Gaulle, having appealed to the Vichy captives at Libreville to join his cause but had little success, returns to London. He remains under a cloud due to the disaster at Dakar.

China: The long-running Battle of South Kwangsi concludes. The Japanese 22nd Army engages in a scorched earth strategy and destroys Chinhsien before withdrawing to Hainan Island.

American Homefront: The Detroit News announces in a banner headline that "Detroit Expedition Ready To Blaze Auto-Trail To Cape Horn." A group led by a Detroit News employee heads out just before midnight in a stock 1941 Plymouth to drive south to the tip of South America. Experts who are familiar with the route caution that, for long stretches, no road exists, and that lines on the map may mean only that a highway is planned, not actually constructed. This is an obvious publicity stunt to sell papers and promote the city's car industry - back when Detroit still had industry.

The Shavano, a regular train (#315) from Salida to Gunnison, Colorado. German prisoners of war soon would be held in this general area. Near Mears Junction, Colorado, 17 November 1940. (Otto Perry).

November 1940

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

2020

Thursday 17 October 1940

U.S. Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, left, with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill outside 10 Downing Street in London on Oct. 17, 1940. (AP).

Battle of Britain: Both sides draw some conclusions from the course of the battle so far on 17 October 1940. They are vastly different conclusions, and both are completely unwarranted - for vastly different reasons.

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering attempts to put a bit of a period on the disastrous Battle of Britain by praising his pilots:

In the past few days and nights you have caused the British world enemy disastrous losses by your uninterrupted disastrous blows. Your indefatigable, courageous attacks on the heart of the British Empire, the City of London, with its eight and a half million inhabitants, have reduced British plutocracy to fear and terror. The losses which you have inflicted on the much-vaunted Royal Air Force in determined fighter engagements is irreplaceable.

It is true that recent attacks on London have been especially severe. However, throughout the battle, there has been a decided tendency for the Luftwaffe to think that it has been doing than it has. The RAF's losses are hardly "irreplaceable," and its losses are quickly replaced by newer and better aircraft and more pilots coming from Canada and elsewhere. The Royal Air Force has survived, and the Luftwaffe's night attacks are doing little to curb its growth.

On the British side, the continued conflict about tactics once again breaks out into the open. Air Vice-Marshal Leigh Mallory of No. 12 Group, along with his second Douglas Bader, pushes his favored tactic of the "Big Wing" again. This is the assembly of large fighter formations composed of multiple squadrons before attacking intruders. AVM Keith Park at the more stretched No.11 Group, however, resists this tactic as it wastes valuable time and allows many intruders to complete their missions and escape. He would rather continue the strategy of sending squadrons into battle as soon as they assemble rather than go through the added complication of stacking squadrons. Air Marshal Dowding basically backs Park, while Leigh Mallory has the support of the Air Ministry - partly due to war hero Bader's political connections with it and Churchill.

There are pros and cons to each approach, but Park has been the point man who essentially saved England in its darkest days. His leadership worked, as did Dowding's. Leigh-Mallory has been a carper who at times appeared to disregard Park - to the detriment of operations. Bader, for his part, is a propaganda hero (somewhat overblown, but his personal story, of course, is inspirational) with a Member of Parliament in his unit. This has become a classic power struggle that has more to do with becoming a master of the domain rather than tactics. There are going to be winners and losers in short order.

With this background, after some delay, a long-anticipated meeting is held today under the rubric of Major Day Tactics in the Fighter Force. This becomes a classic bureaucratic set-up, with the guys on the front-lines - Dowding and Park - completely outmatched by the REMFs (or, as Hitler would put it, the swivel-chair Generals). Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Sholto Douglas chairs the meeting, and Leigh-Mallory brings junior officer Bader - a clear sign that this is a political affair, as otherwise, Bader has no reason to be there. It really doesn't matter whose ideas are better - Leigh-Mallory and Bader are "in good" with the powers that be, and that is it.

As a direct result of this meeting - handled quite discreetly, with no blame attached and decorations granted and so on and so forth - both Dowding and Park get the ax. Dowding "decides to retire," and Park is given a temporary post in the training sector. The Air Ministry's description of the battle issued later does not even bother to mention either man. Leigh-Mallory takes over the more prestigious No. 11 Group from Park (made cushier because Park has done all the heavy lifting), and Bader is promoted to Wing Commander at Tangmere. Douglas, meanwhile, takes the job he quietly had coveted all along - Dowding's spot in charge of Fighter Command.

As George Carlin would say, there's a big club, and you ain't in it.

Sir Hugh Dowding and Douglas Bader in 1945.

Over England, the weather turns better again, allowing large-scale raids, though visibility remains poor. The days are getting shorter, and the Luftwaffe no longer has its heart in the battle - which even a fool could see that it has lost, as evidenced by Goering's spurious valedictory quoted above.

The day's first raid occurs at 08:30, with fighter-bomber (Jabo) raids toward London. This group also includes some Dornier Do 17s and numbers altogether about 100 planes. The Germans bomb Margate, Broadstairs, and Stanmore without too much interference due to the cloudiness.

After lunch, another Jabo raid at 13:00-15:00 targets East London, Kenley and Biggin Hill. The RAF sends up 14 Squadrons, and massive dogfights break out all across southern England. Central London takes some damage, as does RAF Kenley.

At 17:00, another Jabo raid targets various objectives in Kent and Sussex. Three Fighter Command squadrons handle this attack.

After dark, the Luftwaffe targets the usual suspects of London, Liverpool, Birmingham, the Midlands, and East Anglia. There also is some mining in the Thames Estuary and off the Suffolk coast. The night's biggest casualty is the automatic signaling equipment at Waterloo Station, which is replaced until repair by human signallers.

Overall, it is a fairly bad day for the Luftwaffe. It loses about 15 planes, while the RAF only loses a few. As usual, when the Luftwaffe launches major raids as today, it loses disproportionately, whereas when it keeps the raids small and varied as in recent days, the losses are about equal.

Two Home Guard officers, Sub-Lt Jack Maynard Cholmondeley Easton, RNVR, and AB Bennett Southwall, RN, attempt to disarm a mine in a house. The mine slips and goes off, killing Southwall and badly injuring Easton. They both receive the George Cross. Another man, 2nd Lt Alexander Fraser Campbell of the 9 Bomb Disposal Coy Royal Engineers, also perishes while working on a bomb and receives the award. While all involved undoubtedly earned their awards many times over - what more can you give than your life? - this continues a trend where the George Cross - originally conceived as a way to reward civilians - typically is awarded instead to men working (and often dying) in their official capacities.

Luftwaffe ace Hans-Karl Mayer, Gruppenkommandeur I./JG 53, never returns from a test flight today. His body washes up on a beach 10 days later. He was possibly a victim of RAF ace F/L D. McMullen of No. 222 Squadron. Mayer had 39 victories, just under the leaders.

Luftwaffe ace Hans-Karl Mayer.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command has no operations due to the foul weather. Coastal Command makes a daylight attack on Brest.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-boats have infested the major sea lanes, and today all the hard work to change bases from Germany to forward bases in Norway and France pays off.

Several convoys get hit in running battles that last several days. In addition, four German destroyers (Hans Lody, Karl Galster, Friedrich Ihn, and Erich Steinbrinck) with six torpedo boats are sighted off Brest, forcing the Admiralty to re-route Convoys OG 44, SL 50 and HG 45 to the west. The Admiralty despatches Two light cruisers (HMS Newcastle and Emerald) and destroyers from Plymouth to confront the German ships, and the British cruisers chase the German ships from 16:00 to 18:00 before the faster Kriegsmarine ships slip away as the light fades.

Convoy SC 7 is entering the Western Approaches from Canada and only has as escorts three ships: destroyer HMS Scarborough, sloop HMS Fowey and corvette HMS Bluebell. This is one of those early-war situations where the number of U-boats watching actually is greater than the number of escorts. There is air cover by Coastal Command, but it can only do so much. This is only the beginning of the torture of Convoy SC 7.

U-38 (Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe), on her seventh patrol out of Lorient, is shadowing Convoy SC 7 about 150 km northeast of Rockall when it spots 3554 ton Greek freighter Aenos. The freighter is a straggler from the convoy. U-38 fires a torpedo at 09:57 but misses. The U-boat then surfaces and uses its 105 mm deck gun on the ship, sinking it at 10:52. There are 25 survivors and 4 crew perish. Canadian freighter Eaglescliffe Hall rescues the crew and takes them to Scotland.

U-38 is not the only U-boat stalking Convoy SC 7; in fact, half a dozen submarines have their eyes on the large convoy. U-48 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Bleichrodt) sets up and fires three torpedoes into the convoy. All three hit.

U-48 (Kptl. Heinrich Bleichrodt) torpedoes and badly damages 9512-ton British tanker Languedoc in Convoy SC 7. After all 41 crew survive and are taken off on other ships, the tanker is deemed irrecoverable. Royal Navy corvette HMS Bluebell scuttles it.

U-48 also torpedoes and sinks 3843-ton British freighter Scoresby (Master Lawrence Zebedee Weatherill) in Convoy SC 7. The entire crew survives when also picked up by HMS Bluebell.

U-48 torpedoes and damages 4678-ton British freighter Haspenden. The ship makes it to port.

After the U-48 attacks, the U-boat is chased by the Scarborough. This forces the U-boat to go deep, putting it out of action as far as Convoy SC 7 is concerned. However, this incident also takes the Scarborough, one of only three escorts, out of the picture as well. From this point, the Convoy SC 7 only has two escorts - and more than double that number of U-boats are watching and waiting for opportunities to attack.

U-93 (Kptlt. Claus Korth), on her first patrol out of Kristiansand, Norway, is tracking Convoy OB 228 south of Iceland. At 03:39, he torpedoes and badly damages 2715 ton British tanker Uskbridge (Master Wilfred Breckon Smith). Tankers are very difficult to sink. After waiting for it to sink, Korth finally puts another torpedo into it at 13:36, splitting it in two. There are 27 survivors and six crew perish.

After being spotted by the British escorts of Convoy OB 228, U-93 is attacked twice with ships and once by a flying boat. After surviving these attacks, Korth gets down to business again. He torpedoes and sinks 1168 ton Norwegian freighter Dokka. There are seven survivors and ten crew perish. He questions the survivors, then proceeds on his way after being spotted by the convoy escorts again.

Popeye animation "My Pop, My Pop" released today.

E-boat attacks off the East Anglia coast are so common that the area has become known as "E-boat Alley." Today, a major E-boat attack cements that nickname.

E-boat S-27 attacks Convoy FN 11. It torpedoes and badly damages British collier Gasfire about 11 km northeast of Smith's Knoll at Great Yarmouth. There are 11 deaths. Having lost her stern, the collier is towed to Spurn Head at the mouth of the Humber and beached, where it will be repaired after being towed to the River Wear.

E-boat S-18 (Christiansen) torpedoes and badly damages 1595 ton coaster Hauxley in Convoy FN 11. HMS Worcester takes her in tow, but she sinks on the 18th. There is one death.

E-boat S-24 torpedoes and sinks 3754-ton French ship P.L.M. 14 in Convoy FN 11.

British freighter Brian claims to have sunk one of the E-boats that attacked Convoy FN 11, but there is no record of that in the German archives. In addition, British long-range coastal guns at Dover shell the E-boats, but the distance is too great and the boats too fast for any hope except a very lucky hit.

British 1361 ton freighter Frankrig hits a mine and sinks off Orford Ness, Suffolk. All 19 crew survive, taken on board HMS Holderness.

Royal Navy trawler HMT Kingston Cairngorm hits a mine south of the Isle of Portland, Dorset. Taken in tow, it sinks on the 18th.

Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Dundalk hits a mine off Harwich, Essex and suffers extensive damage. Fellow minesweeper HMS Sutton takes it in tow, but the Dundalk sinks. There are four deaths.

The Faroe Islands 65-ton fishing trawler Cheerful hits a mine and explodes off the Faroe Islands.

British 15 ton fishing boat Albatross hits a mine and blows up off Grimsby, Lincolnshire. All five onboard perish, including skipper J.A. Ward. The crew is listed on Tower Hill Memorial in London.

Sailing ship Janna A (unknown flag) hits a mine and sinks in the Oosterschelde, Zeeland. It lies just offshore and becomes a fairly popular diving wreck, with lots of lobsters.

British 936 ton freighter Ethylene hits a mine just northeast of East Oaze Light Buoy but makes it back to port.

British 1570 ton freighter George Balfour hits a mine just off Aldeburgh Light Vessel. The ship makes it back to port.

Convoy OB 230 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 311 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 312 departs from Methil.

Vice-Admiral J. C. Tovey replaces Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles M. Forbes as Commander-In-Chief of the Home Fleet.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy control of the Straits of Gibraltar continues to be somewhat shaky, at least as far as the French Navy is concerned. Previously, some French cruisers had reinforced Dakar by passing through the Strait, causing the British commander there to be sacked. Today, French torpedo boat La Batailleuse escorts submarines Pegase, Monge, Espoir and Vengeur westbound to Casablanca. Why the British are allowing these transits is a mystery because they have enough ships to at least attempt interceptions. It may simply be that the French vessels simply sneak through without being spotted - which also raises questions about British operations on Gibraltar.

The South African Air Force bombs Italian transports at Neghelli, Abyssinia.

Orde Wingate arrives in Cairo.

The Chief of Imperial General Staff in London informs Governor Dobbie on Malta that it will be sending some tanks and artillery to Malta. In addition, a battalion will be shifted from Egypt to Malta. This is completely inadequate to repel a serious invasion but does mitigate the military's weakness on Malta. The General Staff somewhat puckishly suggests that building dummy tanks might convince the Italians to stay away from the island.

Marion Michael: born 17 October 17, 1940, Königsberg Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia); star of “Liane, Jungle Goddess” (1956), “Jungle Girl and the Slaver” (1957) and “Davon träumen alle Mädchen” (1961). Michael passed away on 13 October 2007 at Brandenburg Germany.

German/Soviet Relations: German Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop's lengthy letter to Soviet Premier Josef Stalin is finally fully translated (after several days) and delivered to Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. Among the ideas in the far-reaching letter is the institution of a New World Order led by Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union. Ribbentrop is furious at the delay in delivering the letter and feels it should have been hand-delivered to Stalin himself, but the embassy staff knows what it is doing and handles things properly.

Molotov is somewhat nonplussed by the letter - he virtually directs Soviet Foreign policy, with of course the required approval of Stalin, and the letter does not address concerns he has about recent German activities in Finland - but decides to accept Ribbentrop's invitation for a visit in November. Molotov begins preparing a response to be signed by Stalin.

Holland: Consistent with other changes in occupied Europe, Holland now institutes a requirement that Jews carry special documents with them.

Japan: There is a general amnesty which releases Buddhist priest Inoue Shirō (Inoue Nissho ) of the infamous League of Blood incident of 1932 (assassinations of several liberal political figures). Inoue is an ultra-nationalist hero to some, and it is possible to interpret this gesture as an increasing nationalism and imperialism within the Japanese government.

China: Following through on its recent vow, Great Britain reopens the Burma Road from Burma to China after it has been closed for three months.

British Homefront: The London bus system has taken a beating during the Blitz. Today, the London Transport requests provincial bus systems to send replacement buses to keep the London transport system running.

American Homefront: "My Pop, My Pop" is released by Paramount. Popeye's Pappy produces problems.

British actress Madeleine Carroll being escorted into a Red Cross benefit at the Orpheum Theater, Royal Mounties clear a path. Vancouver. 17 October 1940.

October 1940

October 2, 1940: Hitler's Polish Plans
October 3, 1940: British Cabinet Shakeup
October 4, 1940: Brenner Pass Meeting
October 5, 1940: Mussolini Alters Strategy
October 6, 1940: Iron Guard Marches
October 7, 1940: McCollum Memo
October 8, 1940: Germans in Romania
October 9, 1940: John Lennon Arrives
October 10, 1940: Führer-Sofortprogramm
October 11, 1940: E-Boats Attack!
October 12, 1940: Sealion Cancelled
October 13, 1940: New World Order
October 14, 1940: Balham Tragedy
October 15, 1940: Mussolini Targets Greece
October 16, 1940: Japanese Seek Oil
October 17, 1940: RAF Shakeup
October 18, 1940: Convoy SC-7 Catastrophe
October 19, 1940: Convoy HX-79 Catastrophe
October 20, 1940: Convoy OB-229 Disaster
October 21, 1940: This Evil Man Hitler
October 22, 1940: Aktion Wagner-Burckel
October 23, 1940: Hitler at Hendaye
October 24, 1940: Hitler and Petain
October 25, 1940: Petain Woos Churchill
October 26, 1940: Empress of Britain Attack
October 27, 1940: Greece Rejects Italian Demands
October 28, 1940: Oxi Day
October 29, 1940: US Draft Begins
October 30, 1940: RAF Area Bombing Authorized
October 31, 1940: End of Battle of Britain

2020