Monday 23 June 1941

Soviet troops head to the front, 23 June 1941 (© SPUTNIK/ ANATOLIY GARANIN).

Eastern Front: Slovakia declares war on the USSR on 23 June 1941, joining Germany and Italy. Hungary and Finland remain on the sidelines, though both are gearing up for war. Croatia offers to send troops to assist the Wehrmacht.

Operation Barbarossa continues, with action on all the major axes of advance.

In Army Group North (Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb), the German 4th Panzer Group faces an ineffective counterattack by Soviet 3rd and 12th Mechanized Corps in the Battle of Raseiniai. The Germans are barely slowed, but the Soviets continue attacking because they don't have another plan. By the end of the day, the German tanks have advanced about 50 miles.

A Soviet KV-1 heavy tank.

The Battle of Raseiniai is significant not because of its tactical effect, but because the Germans experience a severe shock at Soviet tank strength. Specifically, at one point a single Soviet KV-1 or KV-2 tank pierce the German lines and winds up at a column of German trucks of the  6th Panzer Division. When four 50-mm anti-tank guns prove ineffective in stopping it, the Germans move up a heavy 88-mm Flak gun to about 730 meters (800 yards), but the Soviet tank destroys it before it can fire (Flak guns have no protection and are very immobile). This standoff lasts until the 25th when another 88-mm gun and some German panzers finally destroy it. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that German military intelligence was sorely lacking about Soviet tank strength.

In Army Group Center, 2nd Panzer Group and 3rd Panzer Group break out past the Bug River. General Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group shrugs off Soviet 4th Army, bypasses Brest Fortress, and takes the main road toward Minsk. General Hermann Hoth's 3rd Panzer Group sidesteps Soviet 3rd Army and heads toward Vilnius, which its forward units reach late in the day.

In Army Group South, the terrain is advantageous to the defense, and this axis of advance gives the Wehrmacht the most problems. German 1st Panzer Group and 6th Army have broken through Soviet 5th Army, but late on the 23rd, the Soviets make their first serious counterattack in the Battle of Brody (considered the largest tank battle of the war up until the Battle of Kursk in July 1943). Soviet 22nd and 15th Mechanized Corps, containing new T-34 medium and KV heavy tanks, hit the flanks of the advancing 1st Panzer Group from north and south, respectively. This develops into a lengthy battle, but eventually, the German III Motorized Corps destroys the 22nd Mechanized Corps, while the 6th Army's 297th Infantry Division handles the Soviet 15th Motorized Corps.

Soviet bombers attack Constanta. Lieutenant Horia Agarici, flying a Hurricane from Mamaia Airfield, shoots down three bombers and disperses the formation. According to Romanian practice which counts twin-engined aircraft as a "double kill," this makes Agarici an "ace in a day" with six confirmed kills. Lt. Agarici quickly becomes a celebrity due to the happenstance that his brother-in-law composes a rhyming ditty which roughly goes, "Agarici is fighting the Bolshevici."

Luftwaffe fighter ace Max-Hellmuth Ostermann claims two Soviet bombers downed

Soviet prisoner of war with a loaf of bread (Lessmann, Federal Archives Bild 146-1991-039-03).

Australian troops of the 2/33 Battalion attempt to outflank the Vichy French in Merdjayoun by capturing Ibeles Saki. However, the Vichy French there continue to hold out.

During the night of the 22/23, French destroyer Guepard sorties briefly from Beirut Harbor and runs into Royal Navy light cruisers HMS Leander and Naiad, along with three Royal Navy destroyers. After a brief exchange of gunfire, both Guepard and Leander are lightly damaged and Guepard retires to Beirut.

The British establish a 5000-man 1st Greek Brigade in Palestine under the command of Colonel Ev. Antoniou. This formation, however, requires training and cannot be used right away.

New York Times, 23 June 1941.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids Cologne with 62 aircraft and Dusseldorf with 41 bombers. After dark, it raids Kiel with 26 bombers.

RAF Bomber Command sends 39 aircraft on anti-shipping missions and other planes on Circus missions to Chocqueres and Mardyck. Luftwaffe ace "Pips" Priller of I,/JG 26 shoots down a Spitfire. Both sides take losses, with the Luftwaffe losing 8-victory ace Carl-Hans Röders when he is killed during the melee and the RAF losing two bombers.

The RAF completes its first chain of GEE guidance stations, with three now set up. These will be used to guide RAF bombers to their targets.

Battle of the Baltic: The Soviets scuttle a number of submarines at the Latvian port of Libau to avoid capture: M-71, M-80, Ronis, and Spidola. In the confused actions today, some of these might be sunk by German forces, but that is unclear.

U-144 (Friedrich von Hippel) torpedoes and sinks 206-ton Soviet submarine M.78 east of Ventspils and west of Windau, Latvia. All 15 men on board perish. This is the only victory in the career of U-144.

German motor torpedo boat S-60 engages in a surface gun battle with Soviet submarine S-3 off Libau. After the Soviet submarine submerges, S-60 sinks it with depth charges. Everybody on S-3 perishes.

German motor torpedo boats S-35 and S-60 torpedo and sink Soviet submarine S.3 off Steinort, Poland.

German motor torpedo boat sinks Soviet lightship Khiumadal in the Baltic.

German motor torpedo boat S-44 torpedoes and sinks Soviet freighter Alf off Tallin, Estonia.

Soviet cruiser Maksim Gorki hits a mine in the Baltic. This causes extensive damage, blowing off its bow all the way to the first turret. The cruiser makes it to Leningrad for repairs.

Soviet destroyer Gnevny its a mine north of Hiiumaa, Estonia. It apparently makes it back to port, but there are conflicting accounts that say it sinks today.

Map of the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-203 (Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg) begins shadowing Convoy HX-133 and calls for assistance from other U-boats. Eventually, ten U-boats engage the convoy. This begins a major convoy battle that develops over several days.

The crew of German supply ship Alstertor scuttles it after being intercepted by Royal Navy destroyers Faulknor, Foresight, Forester, Foxhound, and Fury of the 8th Destroyer Flotilla. Included among the survivors picked up by the destroyers are 78 British prisoners of war taken from British freighters Rabaul and Trafalgar.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 5265-ton British freighter Trelissick near Sheringham Buoy, Cromer. There are two deaths.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 1351-ton British freighter Tolworth a few miles off Cromer. The Tolworth makes it to the Tyne for repairs.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages Royal Navy transport HMT Nogi off Cromer. Two other transport ships, Contender and Solon, take Nogi in tow, but it eventually sinks.

British 717-ton freighter Hull Trader hits a mine and sinks near No. 57C Buoy off Cromer. There are 11 deaths.

British 324-ton freighter Camroux II hits a mine and is damaged off Flamborough Head. The Camroux II makes it to Immingham in tow.

Royal Navy destroyers HMS Eggesford, Melbreak and Tantaside are laid down.

U-519 is laid down.

"Forgive Me, Comrade." Cartoon published on 23 June 1941 in the London Daily Mail depicting Hitler's betrayal of his 1939 pact with Stalin (Copyright ©Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved).

Battle of the Mediterranean: During the early morning hours, the Luftwaffe raids Alexandria Harbor for just under two hours. They manage a near-miss of battleship HMS Warspite. This floods two bulges, and the ship needs repairs.

The Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica bomb Tobruk.

The RAF based on Malta attacks Syracuse Harbor. The British damage a hangar, some barracks, and some flying boats.

Battle of the Black Sea: The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Soviet destroyer Bystry in the port of Sevastopol. The Soviets later salvage the Bystry.

Soviet destroyer Dnepr hits a mine and sinks in Sevastopol Harbor.

Soviet military tug SP-12 hits a mine and sinks in Sevastopol Harbor.

A junior German officer over a fallen comrade on the second day of the invasion of Russia, June 23, 1941.

Propaganda: The German News Service announces:

Early Sunday morning 9 Russian Glenn Martin bombers flew into East Prussia and 7 of them were shot down by German fighter planes. In another attempted raid on military installations in the General Government of Poland close behind the front lines, all but 2 out of 35 Russian bombers were destroyed by German fighter planes.

The Soviet Stavka issues Communique No. 1:

Early in the morning of June 22, the troops of the German-Fascist Wehrmacht attacked our border forces along the entire line extending from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The enemy Luftwaffe bombed a number of our airfields and villages, but everywhere it encountered energetic resistance from our fighter planes and ground defenses, which inflicted heavy losses on the Hitlerite Fascists. Sixty-five German aircraft were shot down.

These dueling versions of reality serve to reinforce the preferred narratives of each combatant. The Germans are pushing the narrative that it has been attacked and is responding, while the Soviets are anxious to show that national morale is terrific and its troops are competently warding off the invaders. Neither narrative is accurate, with both attempting to create false impressions in order to stiffen troop and civilian resolve.

Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch and Hitler over the map at Fuhrer headquarters, Rastenburg, East Prussia, June/July 1941. How Hitler allowed himself to be photographed at the map table varies throughout the war - at this stage, he prefers to be seen dominating the map while his military figure stands off submissively to the side.

German/Soviet Relations: German Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop sends a cable to Tokyo requesting that they declare war on the Soviet Union via Manchuria (Manchukuo). The Japanese take this into consideration, but ultimately decide to wait until the Germans take Moscow, Stalingrad, and other key objectives in the western USSR. The Japanese military forms a committee to look into the desirability of either attacking north (into the USSR) or south (against the British and Dutch).

At some point during this week - details are very sketchy - Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin attempts to broker a peace deal with Hitler through a Bulgarian diplomat, Ivan Stamenov. Foreign Minister Molotov has Lavrentiy Beria arrange this by using one of Beria's subordinates, NKVD officer Pavel Sudoplatov, who has a "casual" lunch at a Moscow restaurant with the diplomat. Sudoplatov explains to Stamenov what to say to Hitler. Stalin is willing to offer huge concessions for peace, including giving the Reich all of Ukraine and all of the areas granted to him in the "secret protocol" to the 23 August 1939 Molotov/Ribbentrop Pact in the Baltic States. Stalin does, though demand to know why Hitler invaded the USSR.

Hitler turns Stalin down flat and will not even consider the offer. This is one of Hitler's biggest mistakes. These revelations were hidden for many years but came to light during the period after Stalin died from natural causes in the 1950s. There are few other details of this little-known incident, but there is no reason to doubt that it happened. This peace offer was classified as treason and was one of the charges used to condemn Beria to death. The others involved - including the Bulgarian Stamenov diplomat used as the go-between - submitted affidavits confirming the incident. Sudoplatov confessed to it under interrogation and also was convicted of treason, serving 15 full years in prison (yes, there are many questions about the validity of such "proof," but there was a lot of corroboration). Molotov was never tried for treason despite his deep role in the incident, but gradually fell out of favor, lost his positions one by one, and by 1962 was a "non-person" in the Soviet bureaucracy.

German/Italian Relations: Mussolini offers to send a corps (three divisions) of Italian troops to the eastern front. The Germans are glad for the help but expect more.

Soviet/Finnish Relations: The Soviets evacuate their embassy in Helsinki.

Soviet KV-2 tank at the Battle of Raseiniai.

Soviet Military: The Soviet Main Military Council, now reduced from eleven to seven members, is renamed the "Stavka" (General Headquarters) of the High Command. The change is made by eliminating six deputy defense commissars and adding General Voroshilov and Admiral Kuznetsov. Other members include Generals Timoshenko, Semen Budenny and Zhukov, Foreign Minister Molotov, and of course Stalin. There are numerous "advisors" to the Stavka: Beria, Shaposhnikov, Meretskov, Vatutin, Kulik, Zhigarev, Voronov, Mikoyan, Kaganovich, Voznesensky, Zhdanov, Malenkov, and Mekhlis. However, only the seven are permanent members.

While there are seven members of the Stavka, it is understood by everyone that Stalin has the last word on everything. This is long-established Soviet (and Russian) practice, with someone (such as Stalin) holding the de facto power while someone else holds the de jure power. Timoshenko technically is the chairman of the Stavka, but Stalin has the real power. As Zhukov says at one point, the difference between Stalin and the highest-ranking Soviet Marshal is the same as between a Marshal and a private. This lineup will remain intact and function effectively through crises, with some of the members there due to ability (such as Zhukov) and others there simply because they are Stalin's cronies (such as Budenny).

Already, recriminations are raining down from Stalin on military figures that he feels are failing in their defense of the country. Soviet Bomber Commander General Kopets commits suicide, the first of many. By some accounts, Stalin is in the midst of a personal crisis brought on by Operation Barbarossa.

Full conscription is introduced throughout the Soviet Union.

Junkers Ju 87B Stukas being escorted by Bf 109s during the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, June 1941.

US Military: Admiral Stark, US Navy Chief of Operations, orders the 1st Defense Battalion of the Fleet Marine Force to Wake Island.

German Government: Adolf Hitler, aboard his command train Amerika, reaches his forward headquarters at Rastenburg, the Wolf's Lair (Wolfschanze) at about 01:30. This is his first visit to the Wolf's Lair, which is still under construction (and will be throughout the war).

Lithuania: Lithuanian partisans led by Juozas Ambrzevicius (Juozas Brazaitis) liberate Vilnius and Kaunas. Leonas Prapuolenis of the Lithuanian Activist Front broadcasts an announcement of Lithuanian independence over the radio, introducing the Provisional Government of Lithuania and its leaders. This begins a trend during World War II in which a prime military objective is to seize radio stations quickly in order to make declarations such as this. Ambrzevicius serves as the Provisional Government's first (acting) prime minister.

While most Soviets flee quickly, some decide to stay. These include some Soviet security personnel. When the rebels find them on 23 June, they lock the Soviets (who allegedly include some Jews) in a garage. Eventually, in a very controversial incident, the Soviets are killed - exactly by whom is the controversy. Some say the Soviets are killed by the Germans, others recently that recently liberated political prisoners kill them.

The Kaunas pogrom at the Lietukus Garage, June 1941. This shows the captives being sprayed with hoses prior to execution.

Latvia: German 18th Army crosses the border into Latvia.

Croatia: Serbs in eastern Herzegovina rebel against the controlling Italian authorities in the Independent State of Croatia. About 200 Ustaše state police encounter a group of rebels they estimate to number between 600 and 1,000 and take severe casualties. This apparently spontaneous uprising lasts well into July. This is sometimes termed the first operation by Tito's partisans, but it is unlikely that he is involved at this stage.

Soviet Homefront: The secret police (NKVD) arrest and imprison about 3000-4000 Ukrainians in Lviv as a security measure, kill some indiscriminately. The Soviet government rightly suspects the loyalties of Ukrainians - because of Soviet actions like this.

British Homefront: Railway workers get the Southern Railway Central Station in London back into operation after damage from a Luftwaffe raid on the night of 21/22 June.

American Homefront: Life Magazine publishes pictures of the sinking of Egyptian passenger liner Zamzam by commerce raider Atlantis on 17 April taken by photographer David E. Sherman in its 23 June 1941 issue. This article has a big influence on US public opinion about the war.

Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin.

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

Sunday 24 November 1940

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

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

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

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

Greek II Corps advances toward Frashër.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The German destroyers shell:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An Arthur Tress photograph.

November 1940

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

2020

Sunday 28 July 1940

Hitler greets Monsignor Tiso at Berchtesgaden, 28 July 1940.

Battle of Britain: The weather on 28 July 1940 remains overcast but good enough for most operations. Air Marshal Dowding shifts his Fighter Command Squadrons closer to the Channel to face the increased Luftwaffe pressure from Albert Kesselring's Luftflotte 2. The RAF has had a better loss ratio since the beginning of the air battle, but it is being worn down by the constant Luftwaffe attacks and the strain of having to defend the Channel convoys. The larger strategic question of who will establish control over the Channel and the potential invasion beaches remains open.

The Luftwaffe gets an early start that doesn't turn out well. At 05:00, the pilot of a Junkers Ju 88 of 3,/KG51 becomes disoriented and crash-lands at Bexhill, Sussex. At 05:25, Junkers Ju 88s cross the coast near Plymouth, losing one plane.

The Luftwaffe makes a more successful attack on Glasgow an hour later, bombing the Hillingdon district and causing casualties. An hour after that, at 07:30, another Junkers Ju 88 goes down while attacking shipping at Porthcawl. These piecemeal attacks are proving problematic for the attacking forces.

Around noontime, the real battle begins. Forty fighters of JG 26 and 51 assemble over Calais and cross over towards Dover, escorting 60 Heinkel He 111s. RAF Nos. 41, 74, 111 and 257 Squadrons rise to intercept. Hurricanes attacked the bombers, and Spitfires the fighters. The bombers immediately turn back to France as part of a pre-planned strategy, while the fighters mix it up. Losses are even, both sides losing five fighters.

Newcastle is bombed heavily during the day by 25 bombers, killing several female civilians.

The Luftwaffe steps up its attacks after dark, with intense minelaying in the Thames estuary. Small raids take place across southern England. Shortly before midnight, Heinkel He 111s of III,/KG55 bomb the Rolls Royce plant at Crewe in Cheshire, and also bomb Kent and Sussex. Later at night, the Sealand airfield, south Wales, railway tracks at Neath, and areas near Swansea are bombed.

The Luftwaffe continues shifting units toward England. III,/JG2 moves from Frankfurt-Rebstock to Evreux-West, and III,/JG77 leaves Berlin-Tempelhof for Wyk auf Föhr in the Frisian Islands.

The Royal Navy destroyers based at Dover are withdrawn to Portsmouth. This reduces convoy defense, antiaircraft defense at Dover, and also creates an opening for a possible invasion.

Overall, it is a mediocre day for the Luftwaffe, which is estimated to have lost around a dozen planes. However, driving the destroyers away from Dover is a major strategic victory - if it is followed up. Otherwise, it is a pointless and ephemeral victory, like gaining "control" over airspace that nobody else needs anyway.
Major Werner Mölders, the new Kommodore of JG 51, gains his twenty-sixth victory by shooting down a Spitfire. However, he takes a bullet to the leg, however, and with great difficulty manages to get back to base in Wissant, France.

A legend later grew that British pilot Adolph "Sailor" Malan, a British war hero from South Africa, was the one who wounded Werner Mölders. Malan claimed credit for the incident, but another Luftwaffe pilot who observed the incident thought another British pilot, a Lt. Webster, did the deed. There is no binding proof of who did what, but the odds are that Mölders probably was tangling with RAF No. 41 Squadron, not Malan who headed No. 74 Squadron.

As a general matter, and this applies to both sides, there often is a tendency to assign credit for celebrity shoot-downs to a popular pilot in order to create a propaganda "hero." Just as often, the celebrity victim may have been shot down by some no-name anti-aircraft gunner, a stray bullet, or some completely unknowable cause (see the Red Baron during World War I, for instance). Myth-building is common on both sides. In any event, in this incident, Mölders brought his Bf 109 back to base, so there was no victory, and Mölders returned to action after a month of convalescence.

Spitfire Mk I EB-O is inspected at RAF Manston, after F/O Anthony DJ "Tony" Lovell of No 41 Squadron RAF crashed the aircraft on landing on 28 July 1940. In combat off Dover, the 20-year-old pilot was attacked by a Bf 109 reportedly flown by Maj Werner Mölders of JG51. Lovell nursed the fighter back to base despite being wounded in the thigh, after which he was admitted to Margate Hospital. Mölders himself also was wounded in the leg during the battle.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command continues its strategic campaign against industrial targets, including Cherbourg oil installations, numerous airfields all along the coast, and the like.

Battle of the Atlantic: German raider Thor encounters a British armed merchant cruiser, HMS Alcantara, off southern Brazil near Trindade island. A battle quickly breaks out. It is a fairly evenly matched encounter. Thor hits the British ship with three shells and severely damages the Alcantara, forcing it to make port in Rio de Janeiro with 9 casualties. Thor takes two shells and also needs repairs.

U-99 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Kretschmer) torpedoes and sinks large 13,212-ton British freighter Auckland Star about 80 miles west of Ireland. All 47 crew survive by sailing their lifeboats to shore.

The Luftwaffe finds and sinks British freighter Orlock Head in the North Sea.

Norwegian freighter Argo hits a mine and sinks. The mine was laid by French submarine Rubis.

Italian submarines leave the Mediterranean for the first time and begin operating off the Azores.

Convoy OA 191 departs from Methil, Convoy SL 41F departs from Freetown.

Acting South African Flight Lieutenant Adolph "Sailor" Malan.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Free French pilots operate with the RAF in Egypt and carry out reconnaissance over Diredawa, Abyssinia. The Italians carry out scattered bombing raids without much success.

Royal Navy cruisers HMS Neptune and Sydney intercept Italian tanker Ermioni near the Dodecanese Islands and sink it.

At Malta, Italian fighters jump a Short Sunderland flying boat that carries out reconnaissance over Sicily (it spots five flying boats at Augusta) and drops some bombs without causing any damage. The Italians quickly get fighters in the air which use the explosive ammunition previously identified from downed Regia Aeronautica planes, which may violate international law. The Sunderland sustains heavy damage and several of the crew are wounded, but it shoots down one or two of the attackers and returns to base under continued attack, barely making it.

There is only one air raid alert on Malta, shortly before noontime. Heavy anti-aircraft fire drives the bombers off before they drop their bombs, and the Italians lose one plane.

War Crimes: Pursuant to an Air Ministry directive of 14 July 1940, Hurricanes of RAF No. 111 Squadron find and down a Heinkel He 59 air rescue plane in the middle of the Channel off Boulogne. Later, the same Squadron shoots down another Heinkel He 59 nearby and strafes a third which is trying to rescue the crew of the first.

Incidents like this tend not to be mentioned in the history books touting the glorious, heroic RAF defense of England. However, pilots on both sides know exactly what is going on and vengeance is usually meted out at some point, if not immediately. The British rationale is that any German rescue plane near the British coastline is engaging in aerial reconnaissance and thus a fair target, but planes obviously trying to rescue downed pilots also are shot down indiscriminately. Hitler issues a statement calling the RAF pilots downing rescue planes "cold-blooded murders," which is not far from the truth even though the pilots are acting "under orders." There are many such murderers during wartime, it is a part of this war and any war.

Hotel Diner, 41 Federal Street, July 28, 1949, Worcester Massachusetts. Photograph by George Cocaine.

German/Vichy France Relations: At 05:00, the Germans in occupied France close rail lines to Vichy France without warning. The choke point is Moulins. The reason given is invasion fears - by the British.

German/Slovak Relations: At Berchtesgaden, Hitler meets with President (Monsignor) Jozef Tiso, Prime Minister Vojtech Tuka and Hlinka Guard leader Alexander Mach of the Slovak Republic in his continuing series of discussions with Germany's eastern neighbors. This is a pattern that continues throughout the war: Hitler will meet with his most important ally - Italy or Finland or whoever it is - and then hold subsequent meetings with other, lesser powers. It is an easy way to see who is at the top of his pecking order - and who is at the bottom.

Hitler broadly hints to the Slovak leaders that they have little choice if they wish to remain free. "Slovakia should adhere loyally and unequivocally to the German cause in her domestic politics," he says. The Slovaks agree to set up a German-style state that represses Jewish people.

Soviet/Afghanistan Relations: The two nations sign a commercial trade agreement.

US/Brazilian Relations: To promote inter-American relations, the US grants Brazil a $20 million loan that likely will never be repaid. Foreign Affairs Minister Osvaldo Aranha, a former Ambassador to the US, notes that "We should erect a statue to Hitler - he made the USA finally notice us." Aranha typically represents Brazil at pan-American conferences such as the recent Havana Conference and is a strong proponent of pan-Americanism.

German Government: Discussions take place within the German army about the plans for Operation Sea Lion, which is considered unrealistic as proposed by the Kriegsmarine.

Denmark: Art Nouveau artist Gerda Wegener passes away.

China: Japanese bombers make 100 sorties against Chungking, Chiang Kai-shek's capital, losing one bomber.

Throngs fill Jones Beach on July 28,1940. At that time this section was called East Beach, but that tower later became the Robert Moses Water Tower and this section of the beach itself the Robert Moses State Park. (Credit: New York State Parks, Recreation).

July 1940

July 1, 1940: Vichy France
July 2, 1940: Arandora Star
July 3, 1940: Operation Catapult at Mers El Kébir
July 4, 1940: Romania In Crisis
July 5, 1940: The Five Freedoms
July 6, 1940: Hitler's High Point
July 7 1940: Dakar And Ringo
July 8, 1940: Tea Rationing in England
July 9, 1940: Battle of Calabria
July 10, 1940: Battle of Britain Begins
July 11, 1940: "Nous, Philippe Petain"
July 12, 1940: Enter Laval
July 13, 1940: German Surface Raiders Attack!
July 14, 1940: Bastille/Mourning Day
July 15, 1940: Tallest Man Dies
July 16, 1940: Plans for Sea Lion
July 17, 1940: Burma Road Closed
July 18, 1940: FDR Runs Again
July 19, 1940: Last Appeal To Reason
July 20, 1940: First Night Fighter Victory
July 21, 1940: Soviets Absorb Baltic States
July 22, 1940: First RAF Night Fighter Victory
July 23, 1940: Invasion False Alarm
July 24, 1940: The Meknés Incident
July 25, 1940: Black Thursday for RAF
July 26, 1940: Capture The Duke?
July 27, 1940: What's Up, Doc?
July 28, 1940: Destroyers Pulled From Dover
July 29, 1940: Barbarossa On The Burner
July 30, 1940: Hitler Delays Sealion
July 31, 1940: Bloody Wednesday of Olkusz

2020

Tuesday 21 November 1939

A German magnetic mine laid in the Thames Estuary near Shoeburyness around 21 November 1939.

Battle of the Atlantic: Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain on 21 November 1939 goes before the House of Commons and announces that he has decided to retaliate for recent illegal sinkings of Allied and neutral vessels, most recently by magnetic mines. He declares a blockade on German exports. This means that any exports of German origin will be seized regardless of a vessel's flag country. All goods in Great Britain that had been destined for Germany are seized.

Elsewhere, it is a very busy day at sea indeed.

U-33 (Kapitänleutnant Hans-Wilhelm von Dresky) continues its attacks on fishing trawlers. Today, it sinks 287-ton British trawler Sulby and 276-ton William Humphreys. Five perish in the first, while seven survive. All thirteen crew perish in the latter. Dresky gives the Sulby a warning shot to allow the crew to leave. Nobody knows what happened with the Humphreys since nobody lived to give a statement. The seas in the North Atlantic are rough and lifeboats are easily swamped.

U-41 (Kapitänleutnant Gustav-Adolf Mugler) also sinks a French fishing trawler, the Les Barges II. Everyone survives because Mugler stops and disembarks his victims before sinking them with gunfire. Mugler also stops a total of 17 trawlers during the day but lets them go because they are Spanish.

British destroyer HMS Gipsy strikes a mine and sinks (30 perish) near Harwich. HMS Belfast, a brand new cruiser strikes a mine but makes it back to harbor. Belfast is severely damaged and 21 injured despite the hole made being small because there is extensive internal damage. British vessel Geraldus also strikes a mine and sinks.

Japanese liner Terukuni Maru strikes a mine off the Thames estuary and sinks. French minesweeping trawler Ste. Claire somewhat ironically strikes a mine and sinks off Folkestone. All eleven crew members perish.

Kriegsmarine patrol vessel V-701 strikes a mine and sinks.

The German crew of German freighter Teneriffe scuttles the ship to avoid capture by Royal Navy cruiser Transylvania.

German naval forces seize and detain a Finnish freighter, the Asta, off the Åland Islands. So far, the Kriegsmarine has seized 17 Finnish vessels.

German freighter Rheingold has been seized by the Royal Navy and brought to a Scottish port.

The Admiral Graf Spee rounds the Cape of Good Hope and returns to the Atlantic after its unproductive sortie into the Indian Ocean. There is a fleet of Allied ships looking for it there.

German pocket battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst (code-named "Salmon and Gluckstein" by the British after a venerable tobacconist), having just completed their sea trials, leave Germany and head north. They are headed for the Iceland-Faroes passage. They are accompanied by the light cruisers SMS Köln and SMS Leipzig.

French battleship Strasbourg departs Dakar for Brest.

US freighters Express and Scanmail are released by the British.

U-55 is commissioned.

US Government: The US authorities require US merchant ships to obtain certificates of non-enemy origin for their cargoes before departure. This is known as the "Navicert" system and was first implemented in 1915, but discontinued after the First World War.

Dornier Do 17s, the "flying pencils."

European Air Operations: RAF fighters shoot down a Dornier DO 17 reconnaissance plane off Deal. Other Luftwaffe planes are spotted over Sunderland (a Heinkel He 111) and over the Orkneys.

Slovakia: German grants Slovakia, a German satellite under Monsignor Tiso, 225 square miles of former Polish territory (which had been part of Czechoslovakia in the not-too-distant past).

Lithuania: Antanas Merkys becomes Prime Minister.

China: The Japanese 5th Infantry Division and Taiwan Brigade continue advancing from the coast toward their objective, Nanning, and reach the Yung River.

HMS Belfast.

November 1939

November 1, 1939: The Jet Flies Again
November 2, 1939: The Soviets Devour Poland
November 3, 1939: Amending the Neutrality Act
November 4, 1939: Roosevelt Signs Neutrality Laws
November 5, 1939: The Spirit of Zossen
November 6, 1939: First Dogfight
November 7, 1939: More Lies About SS Athenia
November 8, 1939: Hitler Almost Killed
November 9, 1939: The Venlo Incident
November 10, 1939: Dutch Panic
November 11, 1939: Poignant Armistice Day
November 12, 1939: Peace Efforts Made and Rejected
November 13, 1939: First Bombing of Great Britain
November 14, 1939: The Dyle Plan
November 15, 1939: Elser Confesses to the Bürgerbräukeller Bombing
November 16, 1939: Martial Law in Prague
November 17, 1939: International Students Day
November 18, 1939: Magnetic Mines
November 19, 1939: Walls Around the Warsaw Ghetto
November 20, 1939: First RN Submarine Victory
November 21, 1939: Salmon & Gluckstein on the Prowl
November 22, 1939: British Recover A Magnetic Mine
November 23, 1939: HMS Rawalpindi Sunk
November 24, 1939: Japanese Enter Nanning
November 25, 1939: The Olympics are a War Casualty
November 26, 1939: Soviets Stage an "Incident" at Mainila
November 27, 1939: German Marriage Becomes Perilous
November 28, 1939: Judenrats in Poland
November 29, 1939: The Soviets Prepare to Invade Finland
November 30, 1939: Winter War Begins

2019

Sunday 26 October 1939

Slovakian Prime Minister Jozef Tiso.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Soviet government on 26 October 1939 protests Great Britain's right to stop and detain Soviet merchant ships bound for Germany. Great Britain and the Soviet Union, of course, are not at war. The Soviets also challenge the expansive definitions of "contraband" the British are applying. In fact, several nations are casting a leery eye at the British over this heavy-handed practice, but few are in a position to protest.

Perhaps coincidentally echoing the Soviet protest on the same day, US Consul at Gibraltar William E. Chapman informally questions the British officials there about their detainment practices regarding US-flagged ships. Some of the ships are being detained for lengthy periods and having their cargo removed before release. In addition, US mail is not being delivered to the Continent.

Murmansk authorities (no doubt in communication with Moscow) are mulling over what to do with the City of Flint. The German prize crew remains in detention. The Soviet issues with the British over detentions of neutral vessels may be affecting this vaguely similar issue, too.

The U-16, lost yesterday, washes up on Goodwin Sands with 50 crew dead inside.

US freighter Black Eagle is detained by the British.

Convoy OB 25 departs from Liverpool. Convoy OG 4 forms.

Western Front: Nothing much going on between occasional meetings between patrols and lackluster artillery exchanges.

Population Transfers: Berlin confirms that Hitler wishes to "return" ethnic Germans to the Reich, a program that has been in place for some time.

Australian Propaganda: An Australian radio station begins beaming anti-German content.

Poland: Hans Frank becomes the Governor-General of occupied Poland, with his headquarters in Krakow.

Rhodesia: The Southern Rhodesia Air Force (SRAF) offers to contribute three air squadrons to British defense.

Iran: Ahmad Matin-Daftari becomes Prime Minister.

Finland: The Finnish government seeks Swedish support in their diplomatic battle against the Soviets.

Slovakia: Jozef Tiso, until now Prime Minister, becomes President of Slovakia. Tiso, a priest, is also a fervent German sympathizer. He appoints Vojtech Tuka, a fellow right-wing radical who formed the Hlinka Guard paramilitary force in Slovakia, to replace him as Prime Minister. Slovakia may now be considered a German satellite.

China: Claire Chennault returns to San Francisco to tour aircraft factories as he continues reorganizing the Chinese air force.

Japanese combined arms operations against Lanchow, with some 100 planes attacking.

Holocaust: Jewish males between 14 and 60 years of age are forced to perform manual labor in Poland.

American Homefront: President Roosevelt is quoted in the New York Herald Tribune Forum, October 26, 1939:

“The United States of America, as I have said before, is neutral and does not intend to get involved in war.”

Goodwin Sands at low tide. At normal times, it is several meters below sea level.

October 1939

October 1, 1939: Occupation of Warsaw
October 2, 1939: Hel Peninsula Falls
October 3, 1939: The Diamantis Incident
October 4, 1939: Otto Kretschmer Gets Rolling
October 5, 1939: Polish Resistance Ends
October 6, 1939: Hitler Peace Effort
October 7, 1939: The British Have Arrived
October 8, 1939: First RAF Kill from UK
October 9, 1939: "City of Flint" Incident
October 10, 1939: Lithuania Under Pressure
October 11, 1939: The Atomic Age Begins
October 12, 1939: England Rejects Hitler's Peace Offer
October 13, 1939: Charles Lindbergh Speaks Out
October 14 1939: Royal Oak Sunk
October 15, 1939: Cuban Rockets
October 16, 1939: First Aircraft Shot Down Over UK
October 17, 1939: Marshall Mannerheim Returns
October 18, 1939: Prien Receives His Award
October 19, 1939: Preliminary Plan for Fall Gelb
October 20, 1939: Hitler Grapples with the Jews
October 21, 1939: Hurricanes to the Rescue!
October 22, 1939: Goebbels Lies Through His Teeth
October 23, 1939: Norway the Center of Attention
October 24, 1939: German "Justice" Gets Rolling
October 25, 1939: Handley Page Halifax Bomber First Flies
October 26, 1939: Jozef Tiso Takes Slovakia
October 27, 1939: King Leopold Stands Firm
October 28, 1939 - First Luftwaffe Raid on Great Britain
October 29, 1939: Tinkering with Fall Gelb
October 30, 1939: Defective Torpedoes
October 31, 1939: Molotov Issues an Ultimatum

2019