Thursday 27 November 1941

A British tank passes a burning German Panzer IV in North Africa in this nicely colorized shot. See the details of this shot below.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British relieve Tobruk on 27 November 1941 when the 6th New Zealand Brigade overcomes the Italian 9th Bersaglieri Regiment at Ed Duda and the 32nd Tank Brigade and accompanying units create a small corridor to the port. This action technically justifies the British Operation Crusader, but the British have suffered severe tank losses as German General Erwin Rommel sent his main panzer forces into the British rear. After three days of deliberation, British Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command General Claude Auchinleck makes the very hard decision to relieve Eighth Army commander Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham and replace him with Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie. This is a very rare case of a general being sacked at the very moment that he achieves his main objective. Thus, in some sense, Operation Crusader has become a Pyrrhic victory for the British, at least so far.

This is the original of the shot above. "A Crusader tank passes a burning German PzKpfw IV tank, 27 November 1941." (Davies, L.B. Lt., © IWM (E 6752)).

General Rommel, meanwhile, is fighting a completely different campaign to the southeast. He sends 15th Panzer Division to Bir el Chleta, where it runs into 22nd Armored Brigade. The sides are roughly equal in tanks at about 50 until 4th Armored Brigade rushes up from the northeast. In conjunction with the RAF Desert Air Force, the British tankers wreak havoc on the panzers. However, after darkness falls, the British forces inexplicably move to the south to regroup, leaving the surviving German forces free to threaten the narrow British corridor to Tobruk to the northeast. During the night, General Rommel confers with Afrika Corps commander General Crüwell and, while Rommel wants the panzers to cut the corridor, Crüwell convinces Rommel to instead attack the British tanks to the south. Once this is done, the men agree that 15th Panzer can be resupplied and have a better chance of once again isolating Tobruk.

"The Axis Offensive 1941 - 1942: A British Crusader tank passes a burning German Pzkw Mk IV tank during Operation Crusader." 27 November 1941. It is fairly obvious from comparing this picture to the ones above that the Crusader tank and crew have been carefully posed while the photographer takes multiple shots of this "action scene" from different angles. Is there anything wrong with that? Absolutely not, propaganda shots are taken by all armies and they create a good historical record. (Davies, L.B. Lt., © IWM (E 6751)).

Eastern Front: The German commanders in the Army Group South section of the front prepare for the final evacuation of Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia. General Ewald von Kleist's First Panzer Army will withdraw toward Taganrog and the Mius River, which is considered an easily defensible winter line. It will be an unforced withdrawal, and thus all units can be expected to reach the safety of the Mius River in good order. There, they can enter winter quarters and await the spring to retake Rostov and advance into the oil-rich Caucasus.

Jews were for the first time deported from Würzburg toward the East on 27 November 1941. These deportees will wind up Riga, Latvia in a few days to become residents of the Jungfernhof concentration camp (Yad Vashem Photo Archives 7900/58, Courtesy of the State Archives in Würzburg (Staatsarchiv Würzburg)).

The Wehrmacht at this point has only occupied Rostov for six days, but the local commanders knew virtually from the day that they took Rostov that it was indefensible. Soviet 37th Army is waiting to march into Rostov after the Germans leave. While Army Group South commander Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt does not have permission to withdraw, Adolf Hitler is in Berlin attending to other affairs. He is out of touch with developments at the front and thus is not available to countermand any orders. Hitler could return to the Wolfsschanze headquarters in East Prussia any day now, though, so if the withdrawal is to be completed without his interference, it will have to be done soon. Everyone knows that Hitler's standard response to any difficult military situation is to not retreat and that ordering a withdrawal without his permission will displease him, so there likely will be consequences. This is accepted by the commanders on the spot.

SS Lurline sets sail on 27 November 1941. It makes regular voyages from San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii and is at sea on 7 December 1941 between those two ports.

In the Crimea, General Erich von Manstein decides to postpone his offensive against Sevastopol until 17 December. He is concerned about supply difficulties - four out of five railway locomotives have broken down due to frost and road transport has been reduced by 50% - and the Soviet unit holding the port shows no signs of cracking. Hitler still wants the entire Crimea, including Sevastopol, taken as soon as possible, but Manstein feels he isn't ready. However, on the other side, General Petrov, the Red Army commander at Sevastopol, figures that holding out at Sevastopol will help divert German forces from Moscow. So, for the time being, both sides just try to maintain the status quo. Advantage Soviets.

Ordinary Seaman Harold Clyde Dunn aboard HMAS Parramatta. KIA 27 November 1941 (Australian War Memorial).

US Military: Negotiations with the Japanese have broken down completely, so President Roosevelt meets with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General George Marshall and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold Stark. The consensus is that the Japanese will attack somewhere, but it is unknown where and Japanee intentions "cannot be forecast." Marshall and Stark submit a memo to the President today which states in part:

The most essential thing, from the United States point of view, is to gain time... [Military action should be avoided] so long as consistent with the national policy... [Military action should be contemplated] only if Japan attacks or directly threatens the United States, British, or Dutch territory.

The War Council meets later in the day and, at the urging of Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, drafts and sends a war warning for Hawaii, Panama, San Francisco, and the Philippines. The warning cautions local commanders to let the Japanese make the "first overt act" but to "undertake such reconnaissance and other measures" as necessary. The operative plan in case of an attack is Rainbow 5, which assumes that the United States will be allied with Britain and France and contemplates offensive operations by American forces in Europe, Africa, or both. The major assumption of Rainbow 5 is that the United States will follow a "Europe first" policy while temporarily going on the defensive in the Pacific.

Ceremonial handshake between the Eighth Army relief force commander and the commander of the garrison at Tobruk on 27 November 1941. Original caption: "Relief of Tobruk. Join up of 8th Army and Tobruk garrison, 27 November 1941. Lieutenant-Colonel S F Hartnell is on the left. British official photograph. Notes on the back of file print include 'Prob 19 NZ Bn [?] at Ed Duda. NZ Officer - Lt/Col S F Hartnell. Tobruk - Link-up - 2 Libyan Campaign. 19 NZ Bn - Ed Duda. 32 Army Tank Bde - Ed Duda.'"

November 1941
November 1, 1941: Finns Attack Toward Murmansk Railway
November 2, 1941: Manstein Isolates Sevastopol
November 3, 1941: Japan Prepares to Attack
November 4, 1941: German Advances in the South
November 5, 1941: Last Peace Effort By Japan
November 6, 1941: Stalin Casts Blame in an Unexpected Direction
November 7, 1941: Stalin's Big Parade
November 8, 1941: Germans Take Tikhvin
November 9, 1941: Duisburg Convoy Destruction
November 10, 1941: Manstein Attacks Sevastopol
November 11, 1941: Finland's Double Game Erupts
November 12, 1941: T-34 Tanks Take Charge
November 13, 1941: German Orsha Conference
November 14, 1941: German Supply Network Breaking Down
November 15, 1941: Operation Typhoon Resumes
November 16, 1941: Manstein Captures Kerch
November 17, 1941: Finland Halts Operations
November 18, 1941: British Operation Crusader
November 19, 1941: Sydney vs. Kormoran Duel
November 20, 1941: The US Rejects Final Japanese Demand
November 21, 1941: Germans Take Rostov
November 22, 1941: Kleist in Trouble at Rostov
November 23, 1941: Germans Take Klin, Huge Battle in North Africa
November 24, 1941: Rommel Counterattacks
November 25, 1941: HMS Barham Sunk
November 26, 1941: Japanese Fleet Sails
November 27, 1941: British Relieve Tobruk
November 28, 1941: Rostov Evacuated, German Closest Approach to Moscow
November 29, 1941: Hitler Furious About Retreat
November 30, 1941: Japan Sets the Date for its Attack

2020

Tuesday 18 November 1941

British Matilda tanks on a sortie outside the Tobruk perimeter on 18 November 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: After several months of relative quiet on the North African front, the war erupts again into a hail of gunfire on 18 November 1944 when the British launch Operation Crusader. This is an attempt by the British Eighth Army, led by General Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham, to relieve the besieged garrison of Tobruk and, most optimistically, push the Afrika Korps led by General Erwin Rommel back across Cyrenaica.

A British Matilda tank being prepared for operations at Tobruk on 18 November 1941.

Operation Crusader is launched by the British 30 Corps under Lieutenant-General Willoughby Norrie and XIII Corps under Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-Austen. Their forces will be augmented if they can free the Tobruk garrison, composed of 32nd Army Tank Brigade, and the Australian 9th Division which (in late 1941), was in the process of being replaced by the British 70th Infantry Division and the Polish Carpathian Brigade (commanded by Major-General Stanisław Kopański). British Major General Ronald Scobie commands at Tobruk, which has been supplied by nightly runs of fast destroyers and minelayers based at Alexandria.

"Matilda tanks on the move outside the perimeter of Tobruk, 18 November 1941." © IWM (E 6600).

Opposing the British is Panzergroup Afrika. Its main force is Afrika Korps under the command of Lieutenant General Ludwig Cruwell. Cruwell has at his disposal the 15th Panzer Division, 21st Panzer Division (total of 260 tanks ), the Division z.b.V Afrika which had been formed in Africa as a composite formation, and was renamed the 90th Light Africa Division in late November, and the Italian 55th Infantry Division Savona. While General Rommel is under the command of the Italian High Command and is subject to the orders of General Ettore Bastico, Rommel exercises a completely free hand in operations and treats Cruwell almost as his chief of staff. Everybody understands that this is a German show and that the Italian soldiers are of limited value, though they are necessary and useful when handled properly (i.e., given static tasks and "corsetted" by always keeping German units nearby).

"The crew of a 25-pounder gun in Tobruk, 18 November 1941. They are members of the Royal Horse Artillery." © IWM (E 6572).

The main limitation of Rommel's forces has been resupply issues. Panzer Group Africa depends almost entirely on convoys from Naples (via Palermo) to Benghazi and Tripoli. Supply also depends upon transport from the ports to the front, which very often is lacking. About 75% of convoys get through, though there are some instances when none of the ships arrive at all, such as the 9 November Duisburg Convoy. The main problem is the fuel for the panzers because as much as half of the gasoline that arrives in North Africa is used up by transporting the remainder to the front. Convoys that might be sent are often delayed or eliminated entirely by the sinkings in the Sicilian Strait. The land convoys to the front also are vulnerable to RAF attacks both from Malta and Egypt. The Luftwaffe is much weaker in North Africa late in 1941 than it was in the spring due to the demands of the Eastern Front, which has sucked up resources that otherwise could have supported Afrika Korps. Hitler appoints Air Field  Marshal Albert Kesselring as Luftwaffe Commander in Chief South as his effort to improve the convoy situation. Kesselring immediately transfers his Luftlotte 2 headquarters (but not its forces) from Russia to Rome.

"An RAF Lysander aircraft from Army Co-operation Command flies low over Valentine tanks during an exercise, 18 November 1941. The tanks are marked with crosses to indicate 'enemy' vehicles." © IWM (H 15604).

The British are in much better shape than the Germans in North Africa. General Cunningham has built up an armada of 770 tanks (including many of the new Crusader Cruiser tanks, after which the operation was named, and many new American M3 Stuart light tanks supplied by Lend Lease via Suez). The British forces include South African, New Zealand, Indian, Australian, and Polish troops in discrete units. The RAF has over 700 combat aircraft under the command of Air HQ Western Desert. The Royal Navy is a constant factor because much of the action takes place along coastal roads and in ports that are easily shelled during night-time sorties from Alexandria. While the Italian Navy on paper is superior to the ships of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Station, it is well known to prefer to stay in port as a "fleet in being" both through timidity induced by early war losses and fuel issues. While the Kriegsmarine does have a presence in the Mediterranean, it is a minimal one which is disguised by some flashy successes such as the sinking of Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal on 13-14 November 1941.

"The Command Post for the Royal Horse Artillery in Tobruk. The Troop Commander can be seen using binoculars to see where shots land and the gun position officer is using a loudspeaker to give the firing order, 18 November 1941." © IWM (E 6577).

The British Eighth Army attacks before dawn from its base at Mersa Matruh and crosses the border near Fort Maddalena. From there, about 50 miles (80 km) south of Sidi Omar, 7th Armored Division's 7th Armored Brigade heads northwest toward Tobruk with 22nd Armored Brigade screening its left (western) flank. This attack is made through "no man's land" and there is virtually no fighting on 18 November. However, due to rain late on the 17th, the RAF Desert Air Force was unable to launch raids on Luftwaffe fields and Wehrmacht troop concentrations, so General Rommel begins the battle with his forces basically intact. He immediately orders 21st Panzer Division to move south from Gambut. The panzers are supported by powerful 88 mm gun batteries which can be used as both ground artillery and anti-aircraft fire. The initial flashpoint will be Sidi Rezegh airfield, which both sides need to support ground operations around Tobruk.

Stukas flying ahead of ground troops in Russia. A standard Wehrmacht tactic is to use dive bombers to open a hole in the enemy line for ground troops to quickly fill and thereby undermine the defenses. This photo was in the 18 November 1941 Der Adler but undoubtedly was taken months earlier (other photos are from September 1941).

Japanese Military: The first Imperial Japanese Navy ships begin leaving Japan (some from Kwajalein, which is under Japanese administration pursuant to a League of Nations Mandate) directly for Pearl Harbor. These include five large Japanese carrier submarines, HIJMS I-16, I-18, I-20, I-22, and I-24, which sail from Kure Naval Base. Each of these carries a midget sub lashed to its deck. Another nine ships leave Kwajalein. The main IJN carrier force of Kido Butai, the invasion operation, sails from Saeki Bay for Hittokappu (Tankan) Bay, awaiting the final order to sail east. The Japanese continue to negotiate in Washington for a peaceful settlement and do not tell even their German allies of their military plans. Security is very tight, and not even the American Magic decryption operation led by Joseph Roquefort has an inkling that the invasion fleet has sailed.

"HMCS Athabaskan leaving the slips after the launch by Lady Tweedsmuir." 18 November 1941, Newcastle. © IWM (A 9611).

November 1941
November 1, 1941: Finns Attack Toward Murmansk Railway
November 2, 1941: Manstein Isolates Sevastopol
November 3, 1941: Japan Prepares to Attack
November 4, 1941: German Advances in the South
November 5, 1941: Last Peace Effort By Japan
November 6, 1941: Stalin Casts Blame in an Unexpected Direction
November 7, 1941: Stalin's Big Parade
November 8, 1941: Germans Take Tikhvin
November 9, 1941: Duisburg Convoy Destruction
November 10, 1941: Manstein Attacks Sevastopol
November 11, 1941: Finland's Double Game Erupts
November 12, 1941: T-34 Tanks Take Charge
November 13, 1941: German Orsha Conference
November 14, 1941: German Supply Network Breaking Down
November 15, 1941: Operation Typhoon Resumes
November 16, 1941: Manstein Captures Kerch
November 17, 1941: Finland Halts Operations
November 18, 1941: British Operation Crusader
November 19, 1941: Sydney vs. Kormoran Duel
November 20, 1941: The US Rejects Final Japanese Demand
November 21, 1941: Germans Take Rostov
November 22, 1941: Kleist in Trouble at Rostov
November 23, 1941: Germans Take Klin, Huge Battle in North Africa
November 24, 1941: Rommel Counterattacks
November 25, 1941: HMS Barham Sunk
November 26, 1941: Japanese Fleet Sails
November 27, 1941: British Relieve Tobruk
November 28, 1941: Rostov Evacuated, German Closest Approach to Moscow
November 29, 1941: Hitler Furious About Retreat
November 30, 1941: Japan Sets the Date for its Attack

2020