The first US troops in the European Theater of Operations disembark at Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 26 January 1942.
Battle of the Pacific: On the Malay Peninsula, the Commonwealth troops continue to retreat south toward Singapore on 26 January 1942. A Japanese convoy of two ships lands troops at Endau, Malaya. Endau is a small town in Mersing District, Johor, Malaysia, which lies on the northern tip of east Johor, on the border with Pahang. The defense of Endau is critical to the defense of Singapore because it would sever lines of communication with British forces farther north. For this reason, it is a major objective of the Japanese military. These new Japanese troops put immediate pressure on the Allied defenders.
British Ten-pound banknotes issued by the Bank of Ireland in Northern Ireland, dated 26 January 1942, U/11 079069, with the signature of H.J. Adams
Two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Lockheed Hudson reconnaissance aircraft on routine patrol see the convoy of Japanese troopships (they report seeing eleven) heading from Cam Ranh Bay, Indochina, toward Endau. During the afternoon, the RAF sends 12 Vickers Vildebeest and 9 Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers of No. 36 Squadron RAF and No. 100 Squadron RAF to attack the force. The RAF planes are all biplanes and no match for defending Japanese fighters, and in any event, the planes arrive long after the landings have begun. They bomb the ships with "good results" according to the war diary.
"Studio portrait of NX33552 Private (Pte) Colin John Spence, 2/18 Battalion of Longueville, NSW (originally of Dunedin, NZ). On 26 January 1942 near Mersing in Malaya, a Japanese officer slashed Pte Spence with a sword, before Pte Spence killed the officer. Cut from his hip to his shoulder, Pte Spence required 150 stitches. He was then evacuated from Singapore on the last ship and admitted to hospital in Australia. Pte Spence was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for the leadership he displayed." Australian War Memorial P04154.005.
The RAF planes strafe the beach and bomb two Japanese transport ships at the cost of five Vildebeests (the Japanese lose one Ki-27). At dusk, the RAF sends a second wave of nine Vildebeests and three Albacores of No. 3 Squadron, but they fare little better, losing five Vildebeests, two Albacores, and a defending Hurricane fighter. The RAF then sends in another wave of attacks, this time by six unescorted Hudsons of No. 62 Squadron out of Palembang, Sumatra. Six Japanese Ki-27s set upon them and shoot two of them down. The RAF then sends off the fourth raid from Palembang, this time of five Bristol Blenheims of No. 27 Squadron, but it is too late and they turn back. While the RAF attacks demonstrate how seriously the British view the invasion, they accomplish nothing of value and the Japanese troops secure their lodgement areas. The British have not given up, however, and send two destroyers (HMS Thanet and HMAS Vampire) from Singapore to try to disrupt the landings. However, the ships do not arrive until early on the 27th.
In the Philippines, the Allied troops are in disarray and trying to find a defensible line. Both the I Corps and II Corps complete their withdrawal to the final defense line in the Bataan Peninsula, but it gives the American and Philippine troops no relief. The Japanese follow close behind. The main Allied advantage is that the Peninsula narrows as they retreat south, and it now is possible to form a complete line from coast to coast. This extends from Orion in the east to Bagac on the west coast, just to the south of the Pilar-Bagac road. The entire Allied military organization is revised, and the Headquarters, US Army Forces, Far East (USAFFE) take advantage of the shortened line by taking the Philippine Division out of the line and putting it in reserve. The Japanese begin heading south on the West Road, with every step contested by the 91st Filipino Division. Further south, the Japanese keep their beachheads at Quinauan and Longoskawayan Points despite frantic Allied attacks that cause heavy casualties on both sides.
A US GI and a British Tommy shake hands as the first US troops arrive in Europe at Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 26 January 1942 (Life magazine).
At Balikpapan, Borneo, the Japanese complete the capture of the City of Balikpapan and the surrounding area. This is the most economically significant success of the entire Japanese offensive to date, as the Balikpapan refinery is projected to provide almost a third of all Japanese oil requirements.
In Burma, Allied defenses near Moulmein on the Salween River in the eastern part of the country are under great strain. The main fight in the air is much further west, over Rangoon. Today, American Volunteer Group (AVG or "Flying Tigers") fighters of the 1st and 2nd Fighter Squadrons put up a stout defense over the capital, shooting down three Japanese Army fighters.
"Ter Poorten of the Indies" is the cover story of the 26 January 1942 Time magazine. Hein ter Poorten is the Allied land forces commander in the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command on Java in January 1942.
The Allied Command (ABDA) is determined to defend the Netherlands East Indies, but they have to transfer troops from the Middle East to have any hope of that. The Australian government is understandably leery about the Japanese wave heading south toward them, so the British are transferring Australian troops from the North African front. Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack, General Officer Commanding I Australian Corps, arrives
US Army officers Major General Chaney and Major General Hartle, in command of the troops arriving at Belfast, Northern Ireland on 26 January 1942.
Battle of the Mediterranean: The attack by Afrika Korps is held up by a fierce sandstorm. Behind the scenes on the Allied side, there is a flurry of activity as the Allied leaders try to digest the latest successes by the Germans in North Africa. General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, sends a telegram to Winston Churchill in which he notes that the British line has been pushed back and that he is in the process of evacuating Benghazi. General Sir Thomas Blamey, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, the top Australian military official in the Middle East, sends Churchill a separate telegram indicating that Commonwealth forces have had to retreat in the vicinity of Antelat, Libya. Churchill is very put out by all of these developments and views the retreats as implying the "failure of Crusader and the ruin of Acrobat," which are the codenames for the recent operation that relieved Tobruk and a separate operation being considered against Tripoli. Everyone knows that the situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon because Australian and New Zealand troops need to return home to defend Australia.
The first US GIs arriving in Europe at Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 26 January 1942. Note that the troops wear the standard Word War I helmets.
Eastern Front: The Stavka decides to increase its pressure on General Hermann Hoth's 17th Army, holding a stretch of the front on the Mius River northwest of Rostov. Marshal Timoshenko orders Ninth Army to join the attack alongside 57th Army. As with all of the Soviet offensive, the Red Army men are pushing the Wehrmacht troops back but not capturing much aside from forests and fields. The Soviet plan is to get behind the main German line on the river and then pivot to the south. This, Timoshenko hopes, will leverage the Germans off the entire Mius River line by threatening to cut them off when they reach the coast between Mariupol and Melitopol. On the German side, General Ewald von Kleist sees the danger and begins moving in from the south the 14th Panzer Division, the 100th Light Division, and Panzer Detachment 60. This force is called the "von Mackensen Group" after its commander, General von Mackensen, commander of III Panzer Corps. It has to battle fierce snowstorms to get into position, but the weather also slows down the Red Army attacks and this situation becomes a mixed blessing for both sides. Von Kleist also orders the very weak XI Corps to march west via Dnepropetrovsk. The importance of these ad hoc commands is growing on the German side because of the huge losses many units have taken. Disparate units that are the remnants of once-imposing units have to be cobbled together to form larger groupings from whatever odds and ends are in the vicinity. This is the only way to blunt the incessant Soviet attacks.
US troops arriving at Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 26 January 1942.
Western Front: Under great secrecy, the first US soldiers arrive at Belfast, Northern Ireland to take up posts in the European Theater of Operations. They are members of the 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Division. About 4,000 men arrive in order to honor the "Germany First" principle agreed to at the Arcadia Conference in early January 1942.
British/New Zealand Relations: The Australians are not the only ones watching the Japanese approach with trepidity. On 26 January 1942, the Government of New Zealand sends British Prime Minister Winston Churchill a telegram requesting confirmation that New Zealand would have a voice at the Far East Council and influence over the affairs of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) troops. New Zealand also emphasizes that it requires direct communications on its own with the United States, which everyone realizes is the only Allied force in the Pacific capable of stopping the Japanese.
British Military: General Sir Archibald Wavell, Supreme Commander, South West Pacific, replies to a pointed inquiry from Winston Churchill about relations with China. Wavell denies that he has refused Chinese help and states that he has accepted the 49th and 93rd Chinese Divisions. Relations between China and the UK have been frayed since the Tulsa Incident in late December when local British authorities in Rangoon tried to divert US Lend-Lease supplies destined for China to British troops. Wavell does, however, note that it would be better to defend Burma with British troops rather than risk losing larger portions of China to the Japanese. Both men agree that British relations with China are extremely poor.
The 26 January 1942 Life magazine cover story is about the Women s Auxiliary Air Force ("WAAF").
A Luftwaffe officer checks his flare gun in North Africa on 16 September 1941 (Billhardt, Willi, Federal Archive Picture 101I-433-0859-09).
Eastern Front: The Wehrmacht scores a major success on 16 September 1941. German General Hans-Valentin Hube's 16th Panzer Division (General von Kleist's 1st Panzer Group) meets 3rd Panzer Division (General Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group) at Lokhvista, Ukraine, 125 miles (201 kilometers) east of Kiev. While the German line still needs to be strengthened, this meeting is the first major step in trapping four Soviet armies (5, 21, 26 and 37) and over 600,000 soldiers at Kiev.
Marshal Budyenny, in command of the Southwest Direction, already has asked for permission to retreat. Joseph Stalin has denied that request. General Timoshenko of the Stavka does authorize a withdrawal by Budyenny today. However, the order must be ratified by Stalin, and he does not do so for 48 more hours.
As most military historians would agree, major encirclements generally require the cooperation of both the attacker and the attacked. The Soviets are cooperating in this encirclement of Kiev.
Italian submarine Smeraldo is presumed lost due to a mine somewhere between Sicily and Tunisia around 16 September 1941.
The Germans make more symbolic progress toward another major objective. Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, commander of Army Group Center, gives the upcoming attack on Moscow the code name "Unternehmen Typhoon." This is in accordance with Adolf Hitler's recent Fuehrer Directive authorizing the attack.
On the Black Sea coast, Romanian troops make a little progress in their attack on Odessa. They capture the heights northwest of the Gross-Liebenthal district of Odessa, Ukraine. The Soviets quickly send troops by sea from Novorossisk in the Caucasus to reinforce the reeling defense of Odessa.
At Leningrad, the news is a little better for the Soviets. The following day, Recently arrived General Georgy Zhukov manages to halt his troops' withdrawals at Uritsk despite continued fierce fighting in the city’s suburbs. Army Group North Commander Field Marshal von Leeb now has run out of time, as he is under orders to transfer his panzer troops south for the upcoming Operation Typhoon.
Generalleutnant Georg-Hans Reinhardt (in goggles) and Generalmajor Walter Krüger in 1941 (Tannenberg, Hugo, Federal Archive Bild 101I-209-0076-02).
Accordingly, General George-Hans Reinhardt, commander of XLI Corps, begins pulling the 1st Panzer and 36th Motorized out of the line. He makes plans to move his corps headquarters to move with the 6th Panzer to deploy for Operation Typhoon. Panzer Group 4 Headquarters also prepares to move southeast for the offensive. This brings to a close the Germans' attempt to take Leningrad by force. Now, the only option is to starve the city into submission. Leningrad has been saved, but its worst days lie ahead.
Battle of the Atlantic: U-98 (Kptlt. Robert Gysae), on its fourth patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 4392-ton British freighter MV Jedmoor, which is traveling with Convoy SC-42 in the Western Approaches. There are 32 deaths and five survivors. Among those lost in the Jedmoor is Merchant Navy Able Seaman Percy Wilfred Turner, age 55, the son of Captain William Thomas Turner, the captain of the Lusitania when it was sunk in 1915. Turner had died in 1933.
RN Smeraldo, sunk ca. 16 September 1941..
Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian submarine Smeraldo, which departed on a patrol on 15 September 1941, is not heard from after 16 September 1941. It is presumed that Smeraldo hit a mine and sank at some point between 16 and 26 September 1941, the latter date being its scheduled return to port.
Partisans: Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel orders that for every German soldier killed by partisans (who the Germans call "bandits"), 100 Russians are to be executed. This is one of a series of very controversial and illegal orders that Keitel issues in the summer of 1941.
A Stuka crew assembles its equipment in North Africa on 16 September 1941 (Billhardt, Willi, Federal Archive Picture 101I-433-0859-12).
Eastern Front: One of the continuing problems besetting the Germans during Operation Barbarossa had nothing to do with the Red Army. It was a perpetual lack of focus and direction. On 7 September 1941, Adolf Hitler tries to resolve the ambiguity once and for all with Führer Directive 35.
Directive No. 35 provides that the Soviet forces standing in front of Moscow "must be defeated and annihilated in the limited time which remains before the onset of winter weather." The Directive is extremely detailed in terms of unit movements, specifying not only the units to be used for specific purposes but the days on which they are to attack.
The Directive provides that an attack toward Moscow is to begin "at the earliest possible moment (end of September)." A general pincer movement past Smolensk "in the general direction of Vyazma" is to destroy the Soviets' "Army Group Timoshenko." Once that is done, Army Group Center can then "begin the advance on Moscow with its right flank on the Oka River and its left on the Upper Volga River."
Yellow Star of David must be worn by all Jews over the age of six within the Reich (7 September 1941 NY Times).
The important thing about Directive No. 35 is that it finally, though belatedly, officially recognizes Moscow as an important Wehrmacht objective. This is cheering to Field Marshal von Bock at Army Group Center and many other generals who feel that Moscow is the key to the entire campaign. They felt that Moscow was the obvious objective for the campaign and should have been the priority from the beginning. The remaining question is whether there is enough time before blizzards begin to reach the Soviet capital.
The main issue with Directive No. 35 which makes it somewhat problematic is that by its own terms an advance on Moscow depends upon first destroying the Soviet forces in front of that city. On 7 September 1941, the Red Army is actually advancing west through Yelnya and is hardly defeated. The Soviets will have something to say about when and how Moscow is attacked.
In any event, Directive No. 35 is well-reasoned and tactically sound despite its limitations. It is one of the few Hitler Directives which will be carried out almost exactly as stated under the codename "Operation Typhoon." However, the eventual outcome may not be as the Germans wish.
Lieutenant Colonel Hans von Ahlfen and other German officers conversing in Ukraine near Kremenchuk, 7 September 1941 (Federal Archive B 145 image-F016205-25).
A Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun that crashed within the Reich province of Bohemia and Moravia (Czechoslovakia) on 11 July 1941.
Eastern Front: On 11 July 1941, the Soviets mount counterattacks against the advancing panzer spearheads of the Wehrmacht. The attack fails, as have all the others, and it is easy to forget about these bloody battles. However, there is a cumulative effect on the Germans that may not be apparent now - but will tell in the end.
Despite the spectacular successes of the past few weeks, Hitler, who has too much free time on his hands at Rastenburg, is worried. Field Marshal Keitel telephones General Halder, operations boss at OKH, at noon and lists Hitler's concerns:
Some following units are closing up too slowly on the most advanced units;
The south flank of Army Group North and north flank of Army Group Center are not cooperating together properly, as Hitler thinks that von Bock's troops to the south are not sufficiently helping von Leeb's troops to the north;
General Hoepner's 4th Panzer Group is "losing contact" with following infantry because it is moving too quickly.
Halder does not take these concerns very seriously. However, they reflect concerns that Hitler will return to repeatedly and, in some cases (such as the lack of cooperation between Army Groups), will pose real problems down the road as German forces get more stretched.
In the Far North, the Finnish offensive in Karelia toward the Svir River that began on 10 July continues. The Finns are pounding against strong Soviet defenses on the eastern shore of the Jänisjärvi Lake north of Lake Ladoga. Aggressive offensive operations are not a Finnish strength, they are better suited to defensive operations, but they continue attacking in order to open the way south.
Further north in the Salla area, the Finnish 3rd Division of III Corps continues beating against Soviet positions on the Vyonitsa River. Elsewhere, the front is stable today, and the Germans ask the Finns to send reinforcements to get their offensives rolling again. The Finns agree to send Infantry Regiment 14.
In the Army Group North sector, the Soviets launch counterattacks against General Hoepner's 4th Panzer Group, but without much effect. The German Army Group is preparing for an advance to the southeast of Leningrad to isolate it. The Soviets are using Nevel as a "straggler collection point" that is setting up divisions to be sent back to the front.
In the Army Group Center, General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 is across the Dnepr and attacking along two axes. General Hoth's Panzer Group 3 is hit by Soviet counterattacks from the southeast and stopped. Hoth's advance units on the south are on the Orsha-Vitebsk highway.
German troops of Panzer Group 1 secure the road from Kyiv to Odesa, 11 July 1941.
In the Army Group South sector, German Panzer Group 1 is within ten miles of Kyiv. XIV Panzer Corps (General Gustav von Wietersheim and 48 Panzer Corps (General Eberhard von Mackensen) advance to the south of Kyiv and reach the Dnepr River at Kremenchuk. The Germans are at the inner ring of Kiev's defenses but choose not to attack frontally at this time. The Romanian forces on the right flank of the advance have been weakened by Soviet counterattacks and the Germans now feel that they are no longer capable of offensive operations. During the day, the Soviets launch counterattacks at Panzer Group 1 at Berdichev in the south and Zhytomyr in the north.
The Germans are keeping a close eye on the Soviet commanders. General Halder notes in his war diary that the commander of Soviet Northwest Front (opposing Army Group North) is Voroshilov, that of Western Front is Marshal Timoshenko, and of Southwest Front, Budenny (Budyonny). Overall, Halder is pleased with the day's fighting, noting that "The bulk of the enemy forces apparently is being taken back to the east."
Inverted and destroyed heavy tank KV-2, belonging to the Soviet 14th Tank Division of the 7th Mechanized Corps of the Red Army. The city of Vitebsk, July 11, 1941.
Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: The Commonwealth troops continue converging on Beirut from all directions. The situation is hopeless, and the Vichy French navy has evacuated Beirut and headed to Tripoli.
Overhead, a Vichy French Dewoitine D.520 fighter shoots down a Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk - the only Tomahawk shot down during the entire campaign. Offshore, during the early morning hours, the Royal Navy sends a squadron from Haifa led by light cruisers HMS Ajax and Phoebe on a sweep along the coast looking for Vichy French shipping, but find none.
At his headquarters in Beirut, General Dentz is busy trying to arrange a ceasefire, followed by an armistice. He reaches an agreement for a ceasefire against the wishes of the Petain regime in France. The terms officially are to go into effect at one minute past midnight on 12 July, but in reality, the fighting is over around 21:00.
The Bf-109F of II/JG 51 Luftwaffe Gruppenkommandeur Josef Fözö, 11 July 1941.
European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 6 Stirling bombers of RAF No. 7 Squadron to attack the Le Trait shipyard and Hazebrouck. All of the planes return.
The RAF conducts Circus missions to Lille and Yainville, and a Rhubarb mission to Norrent-Fontes.
After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 36 Hampdens to attack Wilhelmshaven. The bombs damage a fishing boat and destroy a barrack hut, killing two people.
Josef “Joschko” Fözö, Gruppenkommandeur of II/JG 51 in Russia, claims his 24th victory today. However, later in the day, he crashes on take-off at Stava Bychow and is hospitalized. Fözö is out of action until 3 May 1942.
Josef “Joschko” Fözö, injured on 11 July 1941.
Battle of the Baltic: German minesweeper M-23 hits a mine and sinks in shallow water off Parnava, Estonia. It is later raised, repaired and returned to service.
Finnish submarine Iko-Tursu lays mines.
Battle of the Atlantic: British 215-ton fishing trawler FV Suzette runs aground in thick fog and is wrecked on Girdle Reef, Peterhead.
The RAF bombs and sinks German 2575-ton transport SS Delos/Donau of the Hamburg America Line off Tobruk.
British 246-ton freighter River Trent hits a mine and is damaged north of Sheringham. It is taken under tow to Great Yarmouth.
Convoy OB-345 departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Convoy HX-138 departs from Halifax bound for Liverpool.
Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Felixstowe is commissioned.
Canadian corvette HMCS Algoma (Lt. John Harding) is commissioned.
German S-Boat DKM S-49 is commissioned.
HMS Defender sinking in the Mediterranean, 11 July 1941.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Right before dawn, the Luftwaffe (Junkers Ju 88 aircraft of Lehrgeschwader 1, piloted by Gerhard Stamp) catches one of the nightly Royal Navy supply missions to Tobruk as it is withdrawing to Alexandria. At 05:20, the German planes damage destroyer HMS Defender about 60 miles east of Tobruk. Fellow destroyer Vendetta tows Defender for a while, but eventually, Defender settles too low in the water and has to be scuttled. It sinks about seven miles north of Sidi Barrani. There are no deaths and five wounded.
After dark, the Luftwaffe raids Port Said and Ismailia with 52 bombers.
In Malta, the Italians conduct a fierce fighter attack that begins at 13:21. The Macchi 200 fighters strafe Luqa Airfield and destroy a Wellington bomber, damage four Wellingtons, and damage two Marylands. Hawker Hurricanes of RAF No. 185 Squadron intercept the Italian planes and while chasing them north, shooting down three Italian fighters and damaging four others.
Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet gunboats BKA-111 and BKA-134 advance into the Danube Estuary. Romanian coastal artillery opens fire and sinks them. Soviet gunboats No. 103 and No. 501 also are lost today, perhaps in this same action.
Under the supervision of German troops, women are inducted into the Labor Service in Riga, 11 July 1941 (Stupid, Federal Archives, Bild 146-1994-090-06A).
US Military: William J. "Wild Bill" Donovan becomes "Co-ordinator of Defense Information." Donovan is in the early stages of forming the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which is the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Both of those are based upon Donovan's observations in Great Britain early in 1941 of the British intelligence service, MI6. The Presidential statement on the appointment states in part:
In his capacity as Coordinator, Mr. Donovan will collect and assemble information and data bearing on national security from the various departments and agencies of the Government and will analyze and collate such materials for the use of the President and such other officials as the President may designate.
President Roosevelt adds to his appropriations request of 10 July for $4.7 billion with an additional request for $3.3 billion for the US Navy. These are all unheard-of sums, particularly stacked one upon the other, but Congress is firmly behind the war effort (with some notable isolationist exceptions).
CA-34 USS Astoria at Mare Island Navy Yard on July 11, 1941.
German Military: Adolf Hitler issues Fuhrer Directive No. 32, "Preparations for the Time After Barbarossa." Reflecting utter confidence in the outcome of the war in the East, the directive begins:
After destruction of the Soviet Armed Forces, Germany and Italy will be military masters of the European Continent, with the temporary exception of the Iberian Peninsula. No serious threat to Europe by land will then remain.
The lengthy directive instructs the Commanders-in-Chief of the different services to "begin the planning and organization" of a list of things to be done once the Soviet Union is defeated. The most salient point in the directive and the only one that comes close to having any impact is Hitler's order that:
The main efforts of the armaments industry can be diverted to the Navy and Air Force.
The directive contemplates a renewed prosecution of the "peripheral strategy" against Great Britain in the Mediterranean. Hitler only gives passing reference to England, noting only that tighter ties with France will further isolate London and that:
In addition to these contemplated operations against the British position in the Mediterranean, the 'Siege of England' must be resumed with the utmost intensity by the Navy and Air Force after the conclusion of the campaign in the East.
Preparations for an invasion of England will continue in the hopes of tying down English forces at home (and thus not in the vital Mediterranean battleground) and "and of bringing about a final English collapse through a landing in England."
The directive also offhandedly contemplates "a German operation from Bulgaria through Turkey" to advance toward the Suez Canal, and "Exploitation of the Arab Freedom Movement." Hitler also has plans for Iran, Afghanistan, and India, which he previously offered to Stalin in exchange for joining his war.
Finnish Military: Julius Johannes Björklund is appointed the first Field Bishop (kenttäpiispa) for the Finnish Army. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Church of Finland.
British Military: General Archibald Wavell takes up his new command in India.
17-year-old Jeanne Cline won the Women's Western Golf Association junior championship at St. Charles (IL) Country Club on July 11, 1941.
German Government: Hitler talks late into the night with his cronies, expounding as usual on his philosophical theories. He notes that "Russian atheists know how to die." However, Hitler has no use for atheism, concluding, "We don't want to educate anyone in atheism."
US Government: Robert Jackson is sworn in as a new Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Holocaust: The Germans, who took Vitebsk on 10 July, begin creating the Vitebsk Ghetto. The Germans will incarcerate 16,000 Jews in the ghetto, which will be notorious for its poor conditions.
It is the first day of executions at Ponary, Lithuania. A resident, Kazimierz Sakowicz, writes in his diary that he hears shots from a nearby forest where Jews have been taken, and that "the shots last an hour or two." He puts the number of Jews at 200.
Autographed promotional shot from Three Stooges comedy "I'll Never Heil Again," released on 11 July 1941.
American Homefront: Paramount Pictures releases "Forced Landing." Starring Richard Arlen, Eva Gabor, J. Carrol Naish, Nils Asther and Evelyn Brent, "Forced Landing" follows the travails of a pilot in fictional, tropical "Mosaque" who must thwart plans by a treacherous foreigner to steal US military secrets. This is Eva Gabor's film debut.
Columbia Pictures releases "I'll Never Heil Again," starring the Three Stooges. A short, "I'll Never Heil Again" follows the trio as they attempt to take over Europe along with their "Axel" partners. The film is notable because it is the first sequel to another film in the Three Stooges canon, and also because the Stooges break the fourth wall and directly address the audience.
A flier from the continuing strike at Disney Studios, 11 July 1941.
Life Magazine, "Defense Issue," featuring General George S. Patton, Jr. on the cover. July 7, 1941.
Eastern Front: Stalin continues tinkering with his command apparatus on 7 July 1941. While he can be brutal with even his closest associates, he also tends to favor the same small group of cronies during times of crisis. He appoints Kliment Voroshilov commander of the Northwestern Direction (equivalent to a German Army Group, it controls several fronts). He also takes Semyon Timoshenko's titles of Stavka Chairman and Defense Commissar and sends him to command the Central and Western Fronts. Semyon Budyonny (Budenny), an old cavalryman whose only discernible talent is making Stalin laugh when they are getting drunk, is sent to command the Southern Front. Notable from his absence in these appointments is Georgy Zhukov, who remains Stalin's top troubleshooter. The Soviet Union now has military commands that directly mirror the three German army groups.
In the Far North sector, Operation Arctic Fox - the attack toward the Murmansk railway - is going well for the Germans again. With the assistance of a flank attack by Finnish 6th Division, the German regular 169th Division and the SS-Infantry Kampfgruppe Nord, supplemented by some members of 163rd Infantry Division brought up from southern Finland, hammer back the Soviet 14th Army. The Soviets are making a stand in Salla, but the momentum again is with the Axis troops.
Operation Platinum Fox, further north, is going worse for the Germans. The 3rd Mountain Division has established a small bridgehead on the Litsa River, but the Army of Norway commander General Dietl is unable to expand it. Dietl requests more troops to resume the advance, but OKW refuses.
Soviet POWs being processed, July 7, 1941 (AP Photo).
In the Army Group North sector, the German 4th Panzer Group (Hoepner) captures Pskov. The Germans continue beating off a Soviet counterattack at a bridgehead at Ostrov.
In the Army Group Center sector, the German 20th Panzer Division crosses the Western Dvina River (Daugava River). This poses a threat to the rear of the Soviet Polotsk Fortified Region. In addition, the 20th Motorized Division crosses the Ulla River.
The panzer divisions are still carrying the advance, but they are wearing down. The 10th Panzer Division reports that it is at 80% of its establishment, but the 3rd and 18th Panzer Divisions are down to 35%. Other units report readiness levels in between those levels.
In Army Group South, the German 13th Panzer Division takes Berdychiv in the Zhytomyr Oblast. The SS quickly follows the troops and establishes a Jewish ghetto for the 20-40,000 Jews there. While Field Marshal Rundstedt's troops are quickly approaching Kyiv, the Soviets are massing troops there to deny Hitler a quick prestige victory.
Newsweek, 7 July 1941.
Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: Having established two bridgeheads across the Damour River, the Australian 7th Division begins to exploit them. Before dawn, one Australian bridgehead (the 2/3rd Battalion and the 2/5th Battalion, along with two companies of the 2/14th Battalion) moves north toward El Boum. The other bridgehead (the remainder of the 2/14th) mounts a flank attack on Damour from the east. The attack from the first bridgehead continues forward toward the critical coast road north of Damour, whose capture would compel the surrender of Vichy French forces in the town.
Everyone on both sides understands that the fall of Damour would decide the war because nothing else stands between the Australians and Beirut. General Henri Dentz, the Vichy French commander, keeping a very close eye on the battle to see if he can continue his unexpectedly vigorous defense of the Levant.
Offshore, Royal Navy motor torpedo boat MTB 68 embarks on a daring raid into Beirut Harbor. It drops depth charges next to two merchant ships.
Wing-walker Sergeant James Allen Ward of No. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron. He is standing in the cockpit of his Vickers Wellington Mark IC, L7818 ‘AA-V’, at Feltwell, Norfolk.
European Air Operations: The RAF sends 20 planes on coastal sweeps during the day. This includes a mid-day attack on a German coastal convoy between Ijmuiden and Den Haag. They report scoring hits on two ships, but there is no confirmation. The RAF loses five planes. The RAF also sends Circus missions to Hazebrouck, Choques, and Albert.
After dark, RAF Bomber Command attacks Cologne with 114 Wellington bombers. It also sends 72 aircraft to attack Osnabruck, 40 aircraft to attack Monchengladbach and 49 aircraft to attack Münster.
After dark, the Luftwaffe attacks Southampton.
Royal New Zealand Air Force Sgt. James Allen Ward wins the Victoria Cross. Ward becomes the first New Zealander to win the decoration, and he really earns it. He is on a bombing run to Muenster in a Wellington of RAF No. 75 Squadron when a Bf-110 (shot down by the rear gunner) hits an engine and it catches fire. This threatens the plane, and the crew cannot put it out using fire extinguishers. Tethered with a rope, co-pilot Ward crawls out on the wing in mid-flight and somehow puts out the fire by stomping on it. Getting command of his own aircraft due to his heroism, Allen is KIA on his second mission. As he later recalls:
The wind kept lifting me off the wing. Once it slapped me back on to the fuselage again, but I managed to hang on. The slipstream from the engine made things worse. It was like being in a terrific gale, only much worse than any gale I’ve ever known in my life.
The pilot manages to get the plane back to England and crash-land on a runway.
Luftwaffe ace Joseph "Pips" Priller files claims for two Spitfires. They are his 32nd and 33rd victories.
Battle of the Baltic: German three-masted schooner Luise Bermann hits a mine and sinks off Kolberg.
German 193-ton fishing vessel Neuenfelde hits a mine and sinks near Kolberg.
Soviet minesweeper Petrozavodsk sinks off Kronstadt, perhaps due to a mine.
Battle of the Atlantic: Royal Navy submarine HMS Sealion sinks 39-ton French fishing trawler Gustav Jeanne and 120-ton French fishing trawler Gustav Eugene off Ushant (Ouessant, Finistère) in the Bay of Biscay.
The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 9918-ton Norwegian tanker Ferncourt off St. Davids, Wales. There are two deaths. The Ferncourt makes it to Milford Haven and docks at Swansea.
Royal Navy 115-ton hired drifter Lord St. Vincent hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary near the North East Gunfleet Buoy. There are two deaths resulting from the sinking.
Illustrating the dangers of pilots operating off of CAM ships, a Fulmar of RAF No. 804 Squadron crashes in Kerran Hill, near Southend, Kintyre after being launched to investigate an aircraft sighting. There are two deaths.
Convoy OB-344 departs from Liverpool.
Royal Navy corvette HMS Campion (Lt. Commander Arthur Johnson) is commissioned.
U-337 is laid down.
Hamburg’s Jungfernstieg at midday on Monday, July 7, 1941. On the right is the entrance to the Jungfernstieg stop on the "Hochbahn" (Proietti, Ugo, Federal Archives, Bild 212-228).
Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian light cruisers, accompanied by a numerous destroyer screen, lay mines in the Sicilian Channel.
The Italians send a stream of nuisance raids to Malta. One bomber overflies the island and then returns from the south to drop its bombs - whether by plan or simply getting lost is unknown, but it gets away.
General Archibald Wavell, former British Middle East Commander, departs from Cairo. He is flying to Habbaniya, Iraq and then to India to take up his new role as Commander-in-Chief, India. Claude Auchinleck now has Wavell's old job, the two have switched positions.
The RAF sends a fighter sweep over Bardia.
Žikica Jovanović Španac as a student at the Valjevo Gymnasium. He is considered a national hero in Serbia.
Partisans: An uprising breaks out in the Bela Crkva, Serbia. Known as the Uprising in Serbia, it begins when communist Žikica Jovanović Španac shows up with over a dozen associates and makes a speech during the traditional Ivanjdan midsummer village fair. Španac then shoots and kills two local gendarmes for emphasis and escapes into the nearby hills.
An uprising has been planned by monarchist Yugoslav Army Colonel Dragoljub Mihailović, but this incident is independent of his forces. Mihailović and his followers only reluctantly join the revolt later in the summer. The communists chose western Serbia as the beginning point because of its mountainous terrain and dense forests. Serbia also, unlike Croatia, has a history of supporting England. Word spreads quickly throughout the region of the uprising.
Another uprising in Yugoslavia, this one in eastern Herzegovina, is suppressed. This uprising began on 23 June 1941and has simmered ever since. Today, the uprising finally is suppressed and the Independent State of Croatia (Croatian: Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH) regains control of all key points.
Propaganda: The Germans begin a campaign against communists in France and Belgium.
The US Marines entering Reykjavik Harbor, 7 July 1941. This is from the quarterdeck of battleship USS New York (BB-34) looking astern. Visible are the Alabama (BB-33), USS Brooklyn (CL-40) and Nashville (CL-43). Directly to the right is 3-inch gun, and to the left is a quick-release life ring (US National Archive).
US/Icelandic Relations: U.S. Marines (1st Marine Brigade, Provisional) of new Task Force 19 under Brig. General J. Marston land at Reykjavik in six transport ships under heavy escort. They are there to replace British troops who are needed elsewhere. The marines, with no help from local labor, immediately begin unloading the transports and setting up their camps.
President Roosevelt sends a message to Congress announcing the occupation. While it may seem obvious after the fact that the US would want to occupy Iceland during World War II, the US is at peace and it is a big deal to just get up and send troops to a foreign country. Roosevelt notes:
The United States cannot permit the occupation by Germany of strategic outposts in the Atlantic to be used as air or naval bases for eventual attack against the Western Hemisphere. We have no desire to see any change in the present sovereignty of those regions. Assurance that such outposts in our defense frontier remain in friendly hands is the very foundation of our national security and of the national security of every one of the independent nations of the new world.
The Icelandic government under Prime Minister Herman Jonasson has given grudging support and basically accepts occupation by a foreign power as inevitable under the circumstances. The US explicitly recognized Icelandic sovereignty and promises to evacuate once the war is over.
In conjunction with this move, the United States extends its security zone east to cover Iceland. From this point forward, the United States assumes responsibility for protecting all convoys containing US ships until they are past Iceland.
The Hamburg Gänsemarkt, 7 July 1941 (Proietti, Ugo, Federal Archives, Bild 212-227).
Anglo/Soviet Relations: Former Soviet People's Commissar for the Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union Maxim Litvinov (who was replaced on 3 May 1939 because he was Jewish and Stalin didn't want to offend Hitler) makes a radio broadcast to England from Moscow. Speaking in English, Litvinov urges cooperation between Great Britain and the USSR. This is exactly what Winston Churchill wishes as well. Stalin, however, doesn't just want vague expressions of solidarity - he wants concrete agreements that will tie the Allies together.
US/Chinese Relations: Clare Chennault completes a supply mission to the United States and returns to China from San Francisco. While most passages across the Pacific are by ocean liner, Chennault has no time for that and instead uses the Clipper service.
German Military: Jürgen Stroop joins the German 3rd SS Division Totenkopf in the infantry regiment.
Fifth Panzer Division, still in the Balkans from Operation Marita, is told to prepare to move to the Eastern Front. While many historians like to claim that the German Balkans campaign delayed Operation Barbarossa, the reality is that the units there actually served as the Wehrmacht's main (and practically only) reserve early in the war. In general, having reserve units is considered a good thing in military circles, but this is one of the few times during the war against the USSR that Germany actually has a substantial reserve it can draw upon. The USSR, on the other hand, almost always has a large reserve.
North American Aviation’s prototype fighter, NA-73X, NX19998, at Mines Field, Los Angeles, California. (North American Aviation).
US Military: The US Marines organize the First Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW) at Quantico, Virginia. It is formed from Headquarters Squadron and Marine Air Group 1 (MAG-1).
The US Army Air Force (USAAF) orders 150 North American Aviation NA-73 fighters. These use Allison V-1710-39 liquid-cooled engines and have four .303 (7.7 mm) machine guns. This aircraft was designed at the request of Great Britain. The USAAF calls them Apaches, but this name later is replaced by Mustang. The planes are given the official designation P-51.
The US occupies Trinidad and British Guiana, relieving British forces there for other missions.
TIME Magazine Cover: Yosuke Matsuoka -- July 7, 1941 (Ernest Hamlin Baker).
Japanese Military: General Seishiro Itagaki becomes commanding officer of the Japanese Chosen Army in occupied Korea, relieving Kotaro Nakamura.
Vichy French Military: The French create the Legion of French Volunteers against Bolshevism ("Legion des Volontaires Francais contre le Bolchevisme").
British Government: The War Cabinet continues debating how to defend the Far East. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden prefers an aggressive stance, which would include renouncing the trade treaty with Japan and beefing up the British military presence in Malaya and Dutch Timor and Ambon. However, Winston Churchill prefers to remain low-key in the Pacific Theater for the time being.
Greek Government: Greek King George arrives in South Africa with his family aboard a Royal Navy warship.
Soldiers from the 51st separate motorcycle battalion of the 22nd Tank Corps of the 38th Army of the Southwestern Front of the Red Army. This is during July 1941 before the Battle of Uman.
Philippines: Rectifying a massive error from earlier in the summer, the US Army Air Force delivers enough Prestone antifreeze to make the P-40B fighters already delivered flyable.
China: Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Nationalist government of China, decides to mark the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War (which some people believe is the real start of World War II). He sends a lengthy message to friendly nations in which he summarizes the world situation and his own country's predicament. Among other things, Chiang notices the connection between the wars brewing on opposite sides of the world, writing:
the war in the Far East is no longer to be viewed as merely a conflict between two nations, for the European and Asiatic Wars have now become closely interrelated. Scarcely a single country remains unaffected because this predatory group of powers excludes no country from the scope of its design to dominate the world by force.
Chiang makes a far-sighted prediction:
It is my privilege to declare that the Chinese people in condemning the Japanese are not only with unity of purpose of putting an end to Japanese aggression but also are thinking of contributing to a new world order of the future, to the civilization and prosperity of mankind.
It is a heady time: leaders on both sides of the conflict are dreaming of their own New World Orders that they will establish after the war. However, only one vision can come true, and imposing yours requires winning the war at hand.
Holocaust: The Germans require Jews in Lithuania to wear Yellow Stars of David badges. Killings of Jews continues in Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania.
American Homefront: There is a major anti-war protest in New York City. Protestors carry large signs saying "Arm Britain and Prolong the War," "Stay out of Europe's War"; "Hitler has not attacked us, why attack Hitler?" "Stay out of South America, of Europe, of War"; "Lend-Lease Lose-Lives"; "Hitler has not attacked us, why attack Hitler?"; "Why Not Peace with Hitler?"; "Europe for Europeans. America for Americans"; "The Only Fight Worth Fighting is the Fight for Peace"; "Fight the Draft, Conscription in Tyranny"; "No Loans to England. No Arms to Anyone"; "American Union for Organization Against War"; "The Army and Navy are Hotbeds for Fascism"; "Protest Any Extension for Army Service" and similar slogans.
