The cover story of the 5 March 1942 Tempo magazine is "Italian tanks in Marmarica." Marmarica is the border region between Libya and Egypt, and at this moment, the only Italian tanks in that area are captured one.
Battle of the Pacific: At dusk on 5 March 1942, the Japanese 2nd Infantry Division captures Batavia, Java. Batavia is the capital of the Netherlands East Indies. Dutch troops in the vicinity of Batavia surrender. Remaining Allied forces fall back to the south to defend Bandung in the central highlands. Also under threat, further south, is the key naval base at Tjilatjap, which Japanese naval forces bombard with airstrikes during the day. The damage to Tjilatjap is extensive and 17 ships are sunk.
The Napa (California) Register of 5 March 1942 predicts the fall of Java. Also worthy of the front page: a Conn Valley man is charged with failing to darken his car headlights in violation of blackout laws.
Japanese invasion forces under the command of Rear Admiral Marumo Kuninori of the Fourth Fleet depart from Rabaul, New Britain, to invade Salamaura-Lae, Papua. Serving as escorts are light cruiser Yubari, seaplane tender Kiyokawa Maru, and destroyers Oite, Asanagi, Yunagi, Mutsuki, Yayoi, and Mochizuki. This is Operation SR. The landings at Huon Gulf, New Guinea, are scheduled for 8 March.
The front on the Bataan Peninsula is quiet as the Japanese build up their forces for an offensive to eliminate the Allied presence there. Filipino saboteurs destroy Japanese transport Takao Maru, run aground off Vigan, Luzon, on 10 December 1941.
Japanese freighter Takao Maru, destroyed by saboteurs on 5 March 1942.
Eastern Front: The Soviets announce the recapture of Yukhnov, northwest of Kaluga. This town was voluntarily abandoned by the German Fourth Army with Hitler's consent as it was difficult to defend.
European Air Operations: Air operations today are minimal as the RAF recuperates from its all-out raid on the Billancourt Renault factory on 3/4 March.
US freighter Collamer, sunk on 5 March 1942.
Battle of the Atlantic: U-404 (Kptlt. Otto von Bülow), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 5112-ton US freighter Collamer off the coast of Nova Scotia. Collamer is a straggler from Convoy HX-178, having been separated by foul weather, and is trying to return to Halifax. The first torpedo kills seven men instantly, and a second torpedo sends the ship under within seconds. Fortunately, the radio operator has just enough time to get a distress call off to Halifax, 43 miles to the northwest. While 7 men perish, the other 31 are rescued quickly.
U-126 (Kptlt. Ernst Bauer), on its third patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks independent 3110-ton US freighter Mariana near Turks Island (north of Santo Domingo) in the Caribbean. The 36 men aboard all perish.
German 3143-ton ammunition transport Argus blows up at Hambukt, Norway, in a mysterious explosion.
Superman helps to sell war bonds on 5 March 1942.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Uproar (P-31) torpedoes and sinks 5081-ton Italian freighter Marin Sanudo about 18 miles south of Lampedusa Island. The Marin Sanudo is carrying a cargo of military equipment including aircraft engines, trucks, motorcycles, helmets and shoes, and also the wages for 44,000 Axis troops in North Africa. Axis planes raid Malta throughout the afternoon and evening, bombing airfields at Ta Qali, Luqa, Hal Far, and Safi. The Luqa airfield becomes unusable for several hours.
Partisans: Partisan forces of Chetnik leader Major General Draza-Dragoljub Mihajlovic score some successes against Italian occupation forces in Montenegro.
Allied Relations: Winston Churchill badly wants New Zealand troops to remain in the Middle East, but the government of New Zealand is concerned about Japanese advances and wants them back in New Zealand. Today, Churchill tries to solve this problem by asking President Roosevelt if he would send troops to New Zealand so that the New Zealanders can stay in North Africa.
Ukrainian occupation currency dated 5 March 1942.
British Military: Field Marshall Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, replaces Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound as Chairman of the British Chiefs of Staff Committee. Winston Churchill prefers this as he considers himself to be the ultimate naval authority and Pound, who also views everything through a naval lens, only offers redundancy at the top. Also, Churchill just gets on well with Brooke, though Brooke tends to look askance at some of the PM's personal quirks. Rightly or wrongly, Pound is a scapegoat for the recent successful German Channel Dash. He has a reputation for making decisive judgments that at times neutralize very shaky strategic wishes of Churchill (such as sending a fleet into the Baltic early in the war) but at other times turn out poorly (such as withdrawing escorts from Arctic convoys at the first signs of trouble, which leads to devastating merchant ship losses). Pound, who is known for dozing off at meetings due to insomnia relating to physical ailments, remains as First Sea Lord but accepts the appointment of a deputy first sea lord to "help him."
Tru-Life Detective Cases, March 1942, #5, published by Trysack. It includes tales of "Bizarre case of the woman who wanted two husbands" and "Blonde Enchantress."
Lieutenant-General Sir Harold Alexander arrives in Rangoon to become General Officer Commanding Burma Army. He replaces General Thomas Hutton, who becomes Alexander's chief of staff, and is under the command of General Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief India. Wavell orders Rangoon held, but there is little chance of that given the disparity of forces in Burma. Alexander, with a shaky grasp of the real situation on the ground, obligingly orders the devastated 17th Indian Division to attack east of Pegu and the 1st Burma Division, guarding another important road north of Pegu, to attack as well. Neither attack accomplishes anything and today the Japanese capture the strongpoint of Pegu, which is only 50 miles from Rangoon.
Pilots of US Navy Fighting Squadron 3 (VF-3) of USS Lexington on 5 March 1942. Four of these men perish in the Battle of the Coral Sea.
US Military: Having completed his journey from Australia, Major General Lewis H. Brereton takes command of the USAAF 10th Air Force. Establishing his headquarters at New Delhi, Brereton has at his disposal eight B-17s. His top priority is establishing a secure supply route to China over the Himalayas, a formidable obstacle to the USAAF transport aircraft.
Air units of the 30th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bomber Group (Heavy) complete their journey from Singosari, Java, to Melbourne, Australia. The planes include B-17s, B-24s, and LB-30s. The ground echelon of this unit remains trapped in Java and the Philippines. While these transfers save the units, they leave Java without any air defense whatsoever.
Headquarters, XII Interceptor Command, is activated at Drew Field, Tampa, Florida.
Japanese Military: Imperial General Headquarters issues Navy Directive No.62. This orders the Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet, to occupy strategic points in Dutch New Guinea. The first task is to perform reconnaissance to determine the best places to occupy first.
On 5 March 1942, Józef Henig, a Polish Jew, an accountant born on 26 August 1890 in Tarnów, is registered at #Auschwitz as number 26388. He shows obvious evidence of mistreatment. Henig perishes in the camp on 12 March 1942 (Auschwitz Memorial).
Soviet Homefront: Exiled Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia passes away in a Swiss clinic from complications related to tuberculosis. The Grand Duke was one of the few Romanovs to escape the wrath of the Bolshevik uprising because he was forced out of Russia before the revolution and thereafter lived abroad. The cause of the Grand Duke's exile was his involvement in the December 1916 assassination of Russian mystic Gregory Rasputin - his revolver was used to shoot him, and the Grand Duke was one of the men who threw Rasputin in the river. While in exile, there was some hope that the Grand Duke could return to Russia, overthrow the Bolsheviks, and become the next Czar, but that never happened. The Grand Duke did have tangential involvement in World War II, refusing a request by Hitler to lead a White Russian contingent in the Wehrmacht against the Bolsheviks (a task later taken up by Soviet General Andrey Vlasov).
The Desert Magazine, Vol. 5 No. 5 (March 1942).
British Homefront: Proving that no economy is too trivial in wartime, the government removes pencil sharpeners from government officials' offices in order to conserve pencils.
American Homefront: The Civil Air Patrol (CAP), formed on 1 December 1941 by Director of the Office of Civilian Defense Fiorello H. LaGuardia, begins flying regular antisubmarine patrols off the east coast of the United States. During the war, the CAP claims to have flown 24 million miles and sighted 173 enemy submarines.
Around this date, an 11-year-old named Warren Buffet of Omaha, Nebraska resolves to make his first stock purchase. However, he finds that he will have to place the trade through his father's broker. This will not stop him.
Dr. Seuss cartoon of 5 March 1942 (Mandeville Special Collections Library, UC San Diego).
Greek troops at Doliana, Arcadia, Greece, March 1941.
Italian/Greek Campaign: Mussolini is in Tirana on 9 March 1941 to personally oversee the launch of a major offensive to recapture ground in the center of the line. The Italians begin the attack, the "Primavera Offensive," with a two-hour artillery barrage by 300 guns. The attack is in the mountains, so the artillery size is small due to transport difficulties. While 100,000 shells are dropped on a 6 km front, the effect of the shelling on the Greek defenses is minimal. The Italian Regia Aeronautica chips in with attacks by Junkers Ju 87 Stukas.
The offensive by a dozen Italian divisions is designed on the left of the advance to break through the pass over Mt. Trebeshina north of the Vojussa. The Cagliari Division is to lead this assault, but its commander, General Gianni, is not well. This contributes to the attack losing impetus. On the right wing of the attack, the Pinerolo Division aims for the Qafa Lusit Pass. The most important area is in the center, where the Puglie Division heads toward Monastery Hill. This promontory is close to the front, but is heavily defended.
There is no subtlety to the attack; it is what the Germans might call a "cleaving stroke" in which 50,000 Italian troops will try to overcome the determined Greek defenders by sheer weight of numbers. The Greek First Army is dug in and knows the area well. The Italians make small gains of less than a mile during the day.
East African Campaign: South African troops continue advancing along the road to Mogadishu.
Fireboats at the West India docks, London. Some sources date this as 9 March 1941, others as some time in 1940.
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe is quiet during the day, with its usual scattered raids by lone raiders in southern England. After dark, the German bombers once again attack London and Portsmouth. The docks burn throughout the day from the attacks that began late on the 8th.
As part of Prime Minister Winston Churchill's "Battle of the Atlantic," RAF Bomber Command switches bombing target priorities in favor of U-boat bases and construction yards. Throughout the war, tension will arise over what parts of the German war effort are targeted - each service has its own preferences, such as tank factories, aircraft factories, and U-boat pens.
Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, visiting London, records his view of last night's big air raid on London:
Last night London has its first real blitz since I arrived, and I missed it [Menzies was at Churchill's Chequers home]. Bombs & incendiaries all round my hotel & the West End generally - Cafe de Paris, where a bomb cam right through into the ballroom. Curzon St. incendiaries on roof of No. 10 [Downing Street] & so on. There is no pretence of a military objective.
Menzies also has dinner today with Sir Alan Brooke, in charge of the United Kingdom Home Forces. Brooke explains in detail the predicates for areas where conditions favor a German invasion of England:
Adequate Luftwaffe fighter cover for bombers
Restricted waters to minimize Royal Navy defense
According to Brooke, these conditions mean an invasion must occur somewhere between Plymouth and The Wash, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire.
Battle of the Atlantic: Admiral Lütjens continues taking his two ships in Operation Berlin, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, west into the Atlantic. As it retreats from the shipping lanes, Scharnhorst comes across 6352-ton independent Greek collier Marathon. Scharnhorst takes the entire crew prisoner.
The Luftwaffe bombs local Convoys EN 83 and WN 95. British 4976-ton freighter Esmond suffers damage off Buchan Ness. There are seven casualties.
The Luftwaffe also bombs and damages a 1040-ton British freighter, Sylvia Beale, off of Dungeness.
Anti-submarine trawler 730-ton HMS Gulfoss hits a mine and sinks in the English Channel. There are 10 deaths and the skipper, A. Hill, is wounded.
Royal Navy minesweeping trawler 295-ton HMS Hatsuse hits a mine off Penlee Point. The captain beaches the ship at Cawsand Bay. The ship later is salvaged and repaired at Plymouth.
The Royal Navy's 1st Minelaying Squadron departs to lay minefield SN.68 B.
Signal Magazine, March 1941.
Battle of the Mediterranean: General Rommel in command of Afrika Korps considers going over to the offensive. He sends a message to the OKW which offers three objectives:
Recovery of ground to the British Operation Compass;
An advance into Northern Egypt;
Taking the Suez Canal.
Rommel's supply and troop convoys have been getting through from Naples, so he is rapidly building up his military strength.
The Royal Navy has been hard at work sweeping the Suez Canal of mines dropped by the Luftwaffe. While the entire canal is not yet clear, enough of it is for the Royal Navy to finally give aircraft carrier HMS Formidable the go-ahead to begin its transit to the Mediterranean. Formidable makes the entire passage and departs Port Said for Alexandria with an escort of two destroyers (HMS Juno and Griffin).
The Germans are famous for their Wolf Pack attacks, but a little-known fact from the war is that the British occasionally try the tactic, too. Today, four Royal Navy submarines (HMS Unique, Upholder, Upright and Utmost) position themselves astride the convoy route between Palermo and Tripoli about 50 km from Tripolitania in the Gulf of Hammamet. HMS Utmost spots a convoy and attacks, torpedoing and sinking 5683-ton Italian freighter Capo Vita. Another freighter, 6476-ton Caffaro, has mechanical issues and must return to Trapani.
Another Italian convoy of four freighters (Ankara, Kybfels, Marburg, and Reichenfels) makes port in Tripoli without incident.
A British troop convoy departs from Alexandria bound for Piraeus. The British soldiers are carried on Royal Navy cruisers HMS Bonaventure, Gloucester, and York.
Convoy GA-2 departs from Piraeus bound for Alexandria.
Vichy French submarine depot ship Jules Verne, escorted by destroyers Albatros and Tempete, passes through the Straits of Gibraltar without British interference.
In Malta, the first Luftwaffe attack is at 06:27. Four Bf 110s escort a lone bomber across the coast at wavetop level, evading the island's radar. They come in so low that one of the Bf 110s hits a ridge and crashes. The remaining planes strafe Ta Qali airfield, destroying a Hawker Hurricane and damaging two others. About two hours later, a single Junkers Ju 88 bomber drops bombs on the Grand Harbour area. Late in the afternoon, at 18:08, another lone Ju 88 drops four bombs near St. Clements Bastion. The first attack continues the Luftwaffe's gradual destruction of the defending RAF fighter forces which is becoming a real problem.
Spy Stuff: At around this time, the Japanese begin coordinating their spying efforts within the United States. Spying is to be done both by official Japanese government officials, such as embassy personnel and by ethnic Japanese with or without American citizenship. A meeting is held at the Japanese Embassy in which it is decided to request $500,000 to purse these spying activities. The Nichibei Kogyo Kaisha propaganda/espionage organization in Los Angeles is reorganized as the Nichibei Kinema Company, Inc., and it is suspected by the US government as acting as a front for other suspect organizations and firms. A spy ring in San Diego, a major naval port, also is organized around this time.
Superman Sunday No. 71, 9 March 1941.
Dutch/Bulgarian Relations: The Dutch government breaks diplomatic relations with Bulgaria.
US Military: A flotilla led by heavy cruiser USS Chicago (CA-29) under the command of Rear Admiral John H. Newton, Commander Cruisers Scouting Force) arrives in Samoa. This is their original destination, but that may change. For now, the ships will anchor as the military authorities contemplate their next move.
China: The Western Hupei Operation continues. The Japanese 11th Army's 13th Infantry Division captures Kaolingpo. The Chinese defenders continue withdrawing toward Chunking.
Holocaust: The German Occupation authorities begin deporting the Jews of Oswiecim to Chrzanow in southern Poland. Oswiecim is the home to the Auschwitz concentration camp, and also is the location of synthetic oil and other plants which are to make use of slave labor.
French Homefront: The Vichy government continues restricting the freedom of Jewish citizens. It now requires government authorization before Jews can sell or rent their companies. The Germans have noticed that many Jews who wish to flee the Continent are apt to "rent" their companies to Gentiles for the duration of the conflict while they escape to England or the United States.
British Homefront: Labour Secretary Ernest Bevin gives a speech directed at women civilians. He appeals for:
100,000 women to volunteer to work at munitions factories
50,000 former skilled shipbuilding workers (men) who have retired to return to their old jobs
businessmen and others in non-essential jobs to take on unskilled positions in shipyards.
I have to tell the women that I cannot offer them a delightful life. They will have to suffer some inconvenience. But I want them to come forward in the spirit of determination to help us through.
To assist women in taking on these tasks, the government expands day nurseries and prepares a register of "minders."
Capitol Homes, public housing project, Atlanta, Georgia, March 9, 1941. Atlanta Journal-Constitution Photographs.
American Homefront: Ernesto Arturo Miranda is born in Mesa, Arizona. He quickly becomes a petty criminal, and by the 1960s is a hardened criminal who has been in and out of jail. On 13 March 1963, Miranda is arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and rape by the Phoenix Police Department. After participating in a police lineup, Miranda gives a confession for the crimes. However, the confession is obtained without informing Miranda of his constitutional rights against self-incrimination and to have an attorney present. The victim also identifies Miranda as her attacker. Miranda then writes down a confession.
A public defender, Alvin Moore, defends Miranda. The confession is used as evidence, to which Moore objects. The court overrules Moore and allows the confession as evidence. The jury convicts Miranda of rape and kidnapping, and the court sentences him to 20-30 years. Moore then hands to the case off to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which submits a petition for certiorari (appeal) to the United States Supreme Court.
In Miranda v. Arizona, the US Supreme Court holds that:
The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he has the right to remain silent, and that anything he says will be used against him in court; he must be clearly informed that he has the right to consult with a lawyer and to have the lawyer with him during interrogation, and that, if he is indigent, a lawyer will be appointed to represent him.
This warning to persons in custody becomes known as the "Miranda Warning." Generally, the Miranda Warning is:
You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney and to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you at no cost. During any questioning, you may decide at any time to exercise these rights, not answer any questions or make any statements. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?
The Supreme Court sets aside Miranda's conviction due to its tainting by an unconstitutionally derived confession. However, the state of Arizona retries Miranda without using the confession, but he is convicted on other evidence. He once again is sentenced to 20-30 years in prison. Paroled after only a few years, Miranda makes a living selling autographed Miranda warning cards, and on 31 January 1976 perishes in a knife fight in a bar.
Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe match in Turkey, 9 March 1941. The two teams have a fierce rivalry, representing parts of Istanbul on different sides of the strait that divides the city. Fenerbahçe wins, 2-0. It is the 87th meeting between the two teams (the rivalry currently approaches 400 games, and the most recent game in November 2016 also was won by Fenerbahçe 2-0).
Wally’s barber shop on St Martin Street remains open during the London blitz. 21 November 1940.
Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek K Group of Divisions in the Korçë plateau sector capture the summit of Morava on 21 November 1940. It continues attacking in the direction of Darza Pass. This forces the defending Italian IX Army to withdraw during the night, opening up the Devoll valley. This makes the city of Korçë itself vulnerable, and that is the next Greek objective in the area.
Greek II Corps captures Ersekë.
Greek I Corps is reinforced with the 3rd Division. It is moving forward along the Gjirokastër–Tepelenë–Valona axis. Its objective is Valona, a major Italian supply port. Once the Greek K Group captures the city of Korçë, the main weight of the Greek offensive will shift to this line of attack.
Western Front: German 6th Army stages a simulated invasion of Ireland.
The Daily Mirror, 21 November 1940. "Huns" is a dated World War I term even in 1940, used here to express obvious disgust. The picture at the upper right symbolizes the destruction of Coventry a week earlier.
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe stages only minor operations during the day. However, in what appears to have been an oddly lucky hit, a bomber hits Bletchley Park. This is the home to the Ultra Operation, otherwise known as the British Government Code and Cypher School at Buckinghamshire. While there are no casualties, the diplomatic section, telephone exchanges, typists' rooms, and other areas are damaged. The damage could have been much greater, as three of the bombs are duds. The somewhat inexplicable incident - nobody is supposed to know about Bletchley Park - is likely due to a Luftwaffe bomber returning from Coventry and dropping unreleased bombs at random, as bombers are not supposed to land with any bombs.
I,/JG 77 is redesignated IV,/JG 51 at Marquise.
Battle of the Atlantic: German cruisers Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, Köln, and Leipzig leave port for a breakout into the Atlantic shipping lanes.
German 375 ton coaster Birgitte Raabe collies with another ship about 33 km south of Utklippan, Sweden in the Baltic. The damage is too great, and the crew scuttles the ship.
British 6426 ton freighter Dakotian hits a mine and sinks off Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. Everybody aboard survives.
U-103 (Kplt. Viktor Schütze) is on its second patrol out of Lorient. At 07:40, it spots Convoy OB 244 in the shipping lanes northwest of County Donegal, Ireland and fires three torpedoes. U-103 torpedoes and sinks 4768-ton British freighter Daydawn. There are 37 survivors and 2 deaths. The survivors are picked up by HMS Rhododendron.
U-103 also torpedoes and sinks 6085 ton Greek freighter Victoria in Convoy OB 244. Everybody survives, rescued by escort destroyer HMS Castleton.
U-103 attacks another freighter who tries to ram it, but the torpedo glances off the ship and does not explode. U-103 then has to break off the attack due to escort activity.
Corvette HMS Rhododendron responds to the U-103 attacks with a depth charge attack and claims to have sunk the U-boat. However, in fact, the submarine is undamaged - and apparently isn't even the U-103, but another U-boat stalking the convoy, U-104.
German 125 ton Kriegsmarine whaler Wespe NB17 sinks today of unknown causes.
Royal Navy 96 ton drifter Xmas Rose hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary. There are four deaths.
Greek 4695 ton freighter Peleus hits a mine and is damaged at Milford Haven.
Convoy FN 339 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 341 departs from Methil, Convoy HX 90 departs from Halifax, Convoy BHX 90 departs from Bermuda, Convoy SL 56 departs from Freetown.
U-110 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp) is commissioned.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy anti-submarine trawler HMS Lydiard attacks a submarine near Port Said but is damaged by its own depth charges and returns to port.
The RAF bombs Benghazi.
At Malta, there are two air raid alerts in quick succession early in the morning. In the darkness, a single Italian bomber flies across Malta and bombs the vicinity of the RAF airfield at Ta Qali. The night is cloudy, and the plane gets away.
Noel Coward with troops at the Grovely Camp in Brisbane. Taken from The Telegraph, 21 November 1940
Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Pinguin, having recovered its seaplane in the morning after its enemy action on the 20th, is still using the captured freighter Storstad as its lookout. The Storstad spots a freighter, and Pinguin approaches it in the dark. The freighter is armed with two 6-inch guns, and Pinguin opens fire. Eight shots slam into the freighter, destroying the radio room and setting the bridge on fire. The steering gets jammed, sending the ship in circles, causing the crew to abandon ship. It turns out to be Australian refrigerated freighter Port Brisbane, traveling from Adelaide to Durban. Pinguin takes 61 prisoners (including one woman passenger), then sinks the freighter using scuttling charges and a torpedo. A lifeboat carrying 27 people escapes in the darkness. The Pinguin can't find it quickly in the dark, so it gives up and heads off to the southwest, followed by the Storstad.
Australian cruiser HMS Canberra is in pursuit of Pinguin. It knows the general location from radio messages received from another victim. The Canberra later picks up the passengers in the Port Brisbane's missing lifeboat.
Australian 5826 ton passenger liner Orungal runs aground at Barwon Heads, Victoria. The ship is salvageable, but ultimately catches on fire on 13 December and is written off.
Convoy US 7, carrying the Australian 26th Infantry Brigade, departs from Australia bound for Egypt.
Spy Stuff: The US House of Representatives' "Investigation of Un-American Propaganda Activities in the United States," better known as the Dies Committee after its chairman, Rep. Martin Dies, Jr., releases a 500-page White Paper. The White Paper examines German activities in the United States. It reveals that Manfred Zapp, head of the German Trans-ocean News Service, had been working to poison US/Japanese relations. The purpose was to divert US attention from the war in Europe in order to help the Germans. Another finding of the White Paper is that Germany has been engaging in a "Damned clever scheme" involving commercial relations in both North and South America.
There is an element of paranoia and overkill in this committee and its reports, as subversive German activities in the US actually are quite minimal. However, stoking such fears works in favor of increased assistance to Great Britain in its war against Germany, a covert policy of the Roosevelt administration (as exemplified by today's transfer of the final tranche of destroyers to Great Britain pursuant to the destroyers-for-bases deal). The Dies Committee remains in existence until 1944, never really accomplishing much of use beyond propaganda value of its own, when it morphs into another, broader investigative committee.
German/Romanian Relations: Adolf Hitler continues his succession of diplomatic meetings, meeting Romanian leader Ion Antonescu at the Reich Chancellory. Hitler apparently gives Antonescu a preview of Operation Barbarossa, still in its early planning stages.
Anglo/US Relations: The sixth and final tranche of US destroyers arrives at Halifax for transfer to the Royal Navy pursuant to the September destroyers-for-bases deal. The ships are:
USS Bailey
USS Meade
USS Shubrick
USS Swasey
USS Claxton
USS Fairfax
USS Robinson
USS Ringgold
USS Sigourney
USS Tillman.
The destroyer handover is made by the Commander Destroyer Squadron 33, Captain Schuyler F. Heim.
Photos published on 21 November 1940 showing Hungary joining the Axis. Looking on are the Foreign Ministers of Spain (Serrano Suner) and Italy (Count Ciano).
US/Vichy French Relations: Pursuant to acting US Secretary of State Sumner Welles' instructions, US Chargé d'Affaires ad interim H. Freeman Matthews meets again with Vichy French leader Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain. Matthews again asks Petain if he would be willing to part with his two battleships, and perhaps other warships. The US is concerned that the warships will fall into German hands. Petain responds:
Then why not leave those vessels at Dakar and Casablanca where they now are? I shall keep them there and if there should be any change in this plan I will give you previous notice.
This closes attempts by the Americans and the British (who are following along intently behind the scenes) to take possession of the ships.
British Military: British No. 2 Commando Battalion becomes the 11th Special Air Services Battalion. It now undergoes training as paratroopers.
British Government: It is the opening day of the new session of Parliament, and the King gives an address. He confirms that the Crown and its allies are committed to fighting against the aggressor nations until freedom is safe. Prime Minister Winston Churchill also gives remarks, revealing that the Greeks have pushed the Italians back across the Albanian border (though not everywhere yet). He also expresses confidence in the security of Egypt and the Suez Canal.
US Government: US Secretary for the Interior Harold Ickes gives a speech in New York which he excoriates national hero Charles Lindbergh, calling him:
one of America's leading fifth columnists, apparently representing small but dangerous groups of American-born Fascists.
Lindbergh is a leading figure in the America First Committee, a peace group organized at Yale University. The America First position is that the US should stay out of foreign wars. The official US position also remains one of neutrality, making Lindbergh's stance in accordance with the government's own policies. However, Ickes reflects widespread sentiment in Democratic Party circles in favor of intervention, and they brand those advocating peace as traitors and foreign agents. Ickes' speech appears to be related to the release of the Dies White Paper.
Australia: The government raises taxes to pay for a vastly expanded war budget, which will consume 20% of spending.
"Superman," a fairly recent cartoon creation of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, graces the 21 November 1940 New York City Thanksgiving Day Parade. Superman is big this year in more ways than one, having gotten his own daily radio serial (which eventually will lead to the famous 1950s television series).
American Homefront: Today officially is Thanksgiving in the United States, one of the most important holidays of the year. At least, it is for most of the country. Following on an idea he had had a year earlier to move Thanksgiving up a week in order to extend the Christmas shopping season, Roosevelt again (by proclamation dated 9 November 1940) has ordained that the third Thursday of November, rather than the traditional fourth, be the date on which the holiday is celebrated.
This creates a bifurcated national celebration which predictably splits along political lines. Many people resent the government (even the saintly Roosevelt) meddling with the holiday schedule. Today, 32 states and the District of Columbia celebrate Thanksgiving, while 16 other states wait another week to celebrate, until the "Republican" Thanksgiving date. Today's celebration is given the derisive name "Franksgiving."
This is not one of Roosevelt's better ideas. A study of shopping patterns shows no appreciable increase in sales due to the earlier date. However, parades are mounted today in the largest states, as they were on the third Thursday of November in 1939.
Future History: Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack is born in New Orleans. In his mid-teens, he meets Professor Longhair, a local artist. Professor Longhair takes a liking to Rebennack and teaches him the music business. At age 16, Rebennack is hired by Johnny Vincent at Ace Records as a producer. Rebennack becomes a fixture in local clubs, playing guitar and then the piano. Along the way, Rebennack changes his professional name to Dr. John, provides backing to top acts like Sonny & Cher, and reaches pop stardom in the 1970s. Dr. John is famous for hits like "Right Place Wrong Time" and has won six Grammy awards. He also has scored numerous popular films, such as Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz." Dr.John remains active in the music business with his band Dr. John and the Nite Trippers.
Pre-Christmas parade (traditionally the closing part of Thanksgiving Day parades) in downtown Los Angeles. It features a Buck Rogers-style rocketship float with Santa Claus in Los Angeles, California. Photo published in the Los Angeles Daily News (the photo, somewhat ironically, is in front of the Examiner building), 21 November 1940.
Below are some swing from Occupied Europe on 21 November 1940, courtesy of Fud Candrix and his orchestra.
Evolution of Soviet tanks left to right: A-8, A-20, T-34 model 1940, T34 model 1941.
Winter War: British volunteers leave to join the Finnish forces on 27 February 1940. Many of the volunteers from other countries such as England, while good-hearted and motivated, are young, naive and unsuitable for combat in the harsh conditions of the Finnish forests. The other Scandinavian nations stand firm in their resolve to remain neutral. Stockholm does take in 300 Finnish children refugees.
The V-line switch position slips further during the day, so at 19:00 toward evening commander of the Finnish Army of the Isthmus, Lieutenant-General Erik Heinrichs authorizes a further withdrawal to the T-Line. This is the final prepared line on the Karelian Isthmus but certainly is no better than the Mannerheim Line. An efficient retreat ensues.
Look magazine, 27 February 1940.
Winter War Army Operations: The Soviets attack the islands in the Bight of Viipuri. This is part of a broader pincer move against Viipuri, the true prize on the Isthmus of Karelia.
They also launch attacks at Taipale. In the Far North, the seesaw battle near Petsamo turns the Soviets' way after a day-long struggle. Winter War Peace Talks: Finnish Foreign Minister Väinö Tanner is back in Stockholm to continue his negotiations with Madame Kollontai, the Soviet ambassador to Sweden.
European Air Operations: The RAF shoots down two Heinkel He 111 bombers, one over the Firth of Forth and one over the Northumberland Coast.
The RAF sends reconnaissance flights over the Heligoland and German north sea coasts and down along the western German frontier. Bombers drop propaganda leaflets over Berlin.
Battle of the Atlantic: First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill once again claims huge losses for the German U-boat fleet. In actuality, relatively few U-boats have been sunk so far and the U-boat fleet is growing, but there is no way for the public to know this.
British authorities at Gibraltar detain the US freighter Sundance.
Convoy OA 99 departs from Southend, Convoy SL 22 departs from Freetown, and Convoy OG 20F forms at Gibraltar.
Soviet Military: At a meeting of the Defense Committee, the decision is taken - after much design work - to produce new tanks for the Red Army: A-30 (wheel-track, 30 mm armor, 76.2 mm gun) and A-32 (purely caterpillar construction). Experience in Finland has shown the value of tracked tanks. Stalin and Voroshilov attend.
Science: Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered Carbon-14 at the University of California, Berkeley.
French Homefront: Joan Miró's Seated Woman II (Femme assise II) is finalized.
Joan Miro's "Seated Woman 2."
American Homefront: Howard Hesseman is born in Lebanon, Oregon. He becomes famous as an actor in the 1970s for television shows "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "Head of the Class."
Everything is still sunny in the States according to Life Magazine.
