US Military: Having had time to digest the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December, the United States is in the process of re-calibrating its commands on 31 December 1941. Having placed Admiral Ernest J. King as commander of the entire US Fleet on 30 December, President Roosevelt and Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox appoint Chester W. Nimitz as commander-in-chief, United States Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT). The appointment includes a promotion to full Admiral. Nimitz for many years has been filling a variety of staff positions in Washington, D.C. and thus is not the most obvious choice for the position.
Just to summarize the U.S. Navy command chain during December 1941: Nimitz had nothing to do with operational orders at Pearl Harbor until he took over the fleet on 31 December 1941. Admiral Husband E. Kimmel was in charge in Hawaii and, well, everywhere during the attack (CINCPACFLT and CINCUS). Nimitz actually took over as CINCPACFLT not from Kimmel but from Admiral William S. Pye (CINCLANT Admiral Ernest King became COMINCH on 30 December 1941). Pye was an interim replacement for Kimmel after Kimmel was sacked on 17 December 1941 so he could go back to Washington and explain what happened (among other obvious reasons). It's kind of confusing with all the acronyms, but, basically, the Atlantic Fleet commander King replaced Kimmel as overall Navy commander and Nimitz took over for Kimmel just in the Pacific.
Admiral Nimitz back at his desk shortly after assuming command of the US Navy Pacific Fleet, 31 December 1941 (Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph Collection, NH 62027).
However, Nimitz has broad-based experience despite his relatively youthful appearance that extends all the way back to the "Great White Fleet" days of Teddy Roosevelt. Nimitz also is a master strategist, at least concerning naval matters, though perhaps just a tad too willing to use the navy's awesome powers for objectives that may not be worth the cost (such as Iwo Jima, we'll get to that eventually). Perhaps more significantly, Nimitz began his career in the Asiatic Station and, at least relatively speaking, is considered an expert on the region. Nimitz replaces acting CINCPACFLT Vice Admiral William S. Pye, who has been tarnished by the highly publicized loss of Wake Island during his brief tenure. Thus, it is generally agreed that Nimitz is the right man at the right place at the right time to prosecute the sea war against Japan. Nimitz already is in Hawaii and takes his command on the deck of submarine USS Grayling because all of the battleships are out of action, with Admiral Kimmel by his side.
"Derna, Cyrenaica, Libya. 31 December 1941. A line of Axis bombs reserved for the Allied forces in Libya which will never fulfill their purpose is inspected by a member of Allied aircrew. Enormous quantities of ammunition and supplies have been captured by the advancing armies." Australian War Memorial MED0239.
In another major appointment, Major General George H. Brett becomes commander of all US Forces in Australia (USFIA). Brett, who recently became embroiled in the Tulsa Incident in Rangoon, has established good relations with both the Chinese and British and, thus, is a politically savvy choice. Brett recently cheated death when his aircraft in Burma was attacked by Japanese fighters and forced to make an emergency landing. Also in the aircraft was British Commander-in-Chief, India, Sir Archibald Wavell, and the incident undoubtedly was a bonding experience. He establishes his headquarters in Brisbane, Australia. General Brett quickly is appointed Deputy Supreme Commander of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) under Wavell. While he does not become as well-known as Nimitz and MacArthur, Brett could become a very significant figure if the Japanese invade Australia, which is not at all out of the question on 31 December 1941.
U-74 returns to port at Lorient, France, on 31 December 1941, cheered on by sailors on a passing ship (Chandler, Federal Archive Picture 101II-MW-4258-36A).
Overall United States command in the Pacific Theater remains fragmented, with Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur in control in the Philippines and now Nimitz in Hawaii. It remains unclear who has the overall direction of the United States military response to Japan, or how the response will be conducted. General MacArthur is an army man and has little regard for the navy, while Nimitz is an old-school navy man with little regard for the army. Is the counter-offensive against Japan to be conducted by having the navy seize small islands, or by having the army conduct major campaigns on the larger landmasses? Nobody knows. However, the scapegoats such as Admiral Kimmel and General Short have been cleared from the field (MacArthur only escaped that fate by his long political ties in the Far East) and capable replacements made, and that is a start.
Battleship Number 40, USS New Mexico, Norfolk Navy Yard, 31 December 1941, just before she deployed to the Pacific. The camouflaged ship alongside the near side of the next pier is USS George F. Elliott (AP-13). Another BB-40 class battleship is on the other side of that pier. Plainly visible on the New Mexico are Carley floats on the B gun turret.
Battle of the Pacific: Even as Admiral Nimitz takes commands, there are nine Japanese submarines just offshore the Hawaiian Islands. They even on occasion have launched scout planes to ascertain damage to Pearl Harbor. Before dawn, I-1 shells Hilo, Hawaii and other Japanese submarines shell Nawiliwili on Kauai and also Kahului. US Army coast artillery guns at Kahului return fire but score no hits. The Japanese cause little damage to these operations, but the intent is to "raise consciousness" of the Japanese power in the area and perhaps stimulate local Japanese and others who are "persuadable" to reflect upon their true allegiance.
Japanese bicycle-mounted troops on Luzon, December 1941 (US Army Center of Military History).
On the Malay Peninsula, the Commonwealth troops have succeeded in forming a defensive line centered around Kampar. The Japanese army has closed up on this line and attacks the 28th Brigade Group in the east near the Kuantan River. The British intent is to hold the line of the Kuantan River and to do this they destroy the ferry. Vivian Bowden, Australia's official representative in Singapore, today describes the Commonwealth air strength now concentrated at Singapore as "pathetic."
"Malayan Campaign, December 1941-January 1942. Brewster Buffalo fighters over the Malaya coasts. Courtesy of the Library of Congress." National Museum of the U.S. Navy.
In the Philippines, the rear echelon of US Army Forces Far East leaves Manila and heads south toward Bataan. Manila now is an open city in a very real sense. The North Luzon Force continues to withdraw toward a short line protecting the entrances to the Bataan Peninsula. The Japanese are racing toward Bataan in order to prevent the Allies from forming a redoubt there. The Japanese reach Baliuag, where the Filipino Army 71st Division briefly delays them before falling back over the Calumpit bridge. US Naval forces continue destroying facilities and vessels as they prepare to depart, including blowing up the aircraft repair shop at Cavite Naval Base and a damaged PBY Catalina there. Other facilities are destroyed at Sangley Point in Manila Bay. The 17th, 20th, and 24th Pursuit Squadrons largely abandon their base at Lubao and head south to Bataan.
Stevedoring barge YS-88 loaded with civilian contractors of Contractors, Pacific Naval Air Bases (CPNAB) from Midway, as seen from Tangier (AV-8) arriving at Pearl Harbor, 31 December 1941. The tug is Young Brothers' Mikioi. These men were extremely lucky not to share the same fate as their counterparts on Wake Island who were captured on Wake Island and many of whom did not survive the war. National Archives photo 80-G-26635.
The Netherlands East Indies appear to be the next major Japanese target, so the Allies begin beefing up defenses there. The air echelon of the Far East Air Force's 30th Bombardment Squadron transfers from Batchelor Field near Darwin, Australia, to Singoasari, Java. These B-17 Flying Fortresses will provide support for the Dutch naval forces in the region.
In Borneo, Lieutenant Colonel Genzo Watanabe of the 2nd Yokosuka Naval Landing Force takes his troops northward to occupy Brunei, Labuan Island, and Jesselton (now called Kota Kinabalu). Allied troops are now on the run throughout Borneo and have fallen back into the jungles of the interior.
"Western Desert, North Africa. c. 31 December 1941. One of the deadly Bristol Beaufighter aircraft, serial no. T3316, operating on the battlefront. Since the British Army offensive commenced three days ago, these heavily armed fighters have destroyed nearly thirty enemy aircraft." Australian War Memorial MED0022.
Battle of the Mediterranean: There is still a large force of Germans trapped at Bardia. Panzer Group Africa commander Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel attempted to relieve Bardia during the Operation Crusader battles but failed. Today, the South African 2nd Division and 1st Army Tank Brigade of British 30 Corps of Eighth Army attacks Bardia. They are assisted by bombardments from Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Ajax (22), the Australian destroyers HMAS Napier (G 97), Nestor (G 02), and Nizam (G38), and the British destroyers HMS Arrow (H 42), Gurkha (G 63), and Kingston (F64). The Commonwealth troops make good progress on the main road from Tobruk. Rommel's tanks have withdrawn far to the west, so the trapped Germans have very little hope of being rescued. However, morale is high in the Afrika Korps, so they continue to hold out, perhaps using the Allies' successful hold of Tobruk as a model.
Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Abingdon, shown, is sweeping mines just off of Malta during the day when it is attacked by two successive waves of Luftwaffe Bf-109 fighters. The ship shoots one of the fighters down. Seven sailors are wounded, three seriously. From now on, Abingdon will only be allowed to operate at night.
Eastern Front: Army Group Center commander Field Marshal Guenther von Kluge gets some surprising news on 31 December 1941. Third Panzer Group commander General Georg-Hans Reinhardt tells Kluge that he does not believe it necessary to retreat. Reinhardt's reasons are slightly troubling because he notes that all of his heavy equipment is frozen solid and would have to be abandoned. However, he is the first local commander to agree with Hitler's reasoning (which Reinhardt apparently does not know). Kluge calls Hitler shortly before midnight with requests for other withdrawals, though. After Hitler consults with his military aides, he calls Kluge back and once again forbids any withdrawals, especially by VI Corps which already has retreated from Staritsa without permission. Kluge immediately sends General Adolf Strauss at Ninth Army, who has ordered the withdrawal from Staritsa, a message:
The Fuehrer has categorically forbidden any retrograde movements to the Koenigsburg Position. Only local evasive movements under direct enemy pressure will be allowed. All reserves are to be sent to the front, and [the troops] are ordered to hold every locality and support point.
Thus, the die is cast: either the German troops will defend where they stand, or they will not, but they won't be welcomed at any point further west.
U-74 (Kapitänleutnant Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat) returns to port at Lorient, France on 31 December 1941 (Kramer, Federal Archive Bild 101II-MW-4258-33A).
In the Crimea, the German 46th Infantry Division has halted its breakneck retreat from the Kerch Peninsula and reoriented itself back toward the Red Army units advancing toward them from Feodosiya. During the afternoon, Lieutenant General Kurt Himer's troops attack northeast of Vladislavovka. They make no impact, in large part because they lost 80% of their vehicles during their retreat. Himer heads west to set up a new headquarters and loses touch with his division, leaving his troops on their own. The fighting continues sporadically but inconclusively. After dark, the division's regimental commanders decide, in the absence of any orders, to retreat again and set up a new front west of Vladislavovka facing east. This ends the German attempts to eradicate the Soviet bridgeheads and begins a long stalemate on the Crimea, with the Germans in firm possession of the western half and the Red Army in complete control of the Kerch Peninsula. Himer and Lieutenant General Hans Graf von Sponeck, commander of 42nd Army Corps, are recalled to Germany to explain their actions.
Partisans: The Allies know that there is a partisan uprising in Yugoslavia, but the information is scarce. Asked about this in a press conference, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill comments:
They are fighting with the greatest vigor and on quite a large scale, and we don't hear very much of what is going on there. It is all very terrible. Guerilla warfare and the most frightful atrocities by the Germans and Italians, and every kind of torture, but the people keep the flag flying.
The partisan movement in Yugoslavia, of course, is exactly what Churchill says it is. However, it is a lot more complex than that. Royalist forces and communist forces have an uneasy alliance that could fracture at any moment. However, there is no question that the partisans are causing the Italian and German occupiers endless troubles.
"A big gun on Corregidor replies to the invaders." ca. 31 December 1941.
US/British Relations: Churchill returns to Washington after a brief trip to Ottawa and the Arcadia Conference continues. The conference participants create a joint American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command to control Allied operations in the southwest Pacific. British General Wavell will command ABDA, seconded by US General Brett. ABDA's main force at the moment is a powerful Dutch naval squadron commanded by Admiral Karel Doorman in the Netherlands East Indies.
American Homefront: The U.S. government has banned the use of chrome in private automobile production, so today is its last use by the major car manufacturers for quite some time. Tire purchases already have been restricted. Overall, private automobile production virtually disappears in the coming weeks and months as plants are converted to war production. Car production is replaced by vast quantities of military vehicles such as jeeps and staff cars, some of which can be used eventually by private citizens and also lead to civilian models.
English actress Sarah Miles is born on 31 December 1941. Miles gets her first role on television in 1961. Her last film role is credited in 2016 and Miles is retired from the film industry as of 2019.
A Finnish soldier advances past a burning Soviet tank, apparently a BT-7. 5 August 1941 (SA-Kuva).
Eastern Front: While the Wehrmacht retains the initiative throughout the Soviet Union as of 5 August 1941, casualties are mounting. Virtually every active division has thousands of casualties, some topping 4,000 men (out of a strength of 17,000). The OKH requires 24 trains a day just to maintain daily supplies to the troops, but only 18 make the trip on average. Of course, Soviet losses are high as well. Aside from the many divisions captured in the large encirclements, Soviet divisions still in the field have been whittled down in some cases to fewer than 2000 men. The Soviets, however, have large reserves, while the Germans keep a much higher proportion of their total strength at the front.
In the Far North sector, Finnish troops continue advancing east toward Kestenga and the Murmansk railroad. At Petsamo, Finnish authorities take control of the very valuable Petsamo Nickel Company, a major source of nickel that the Germans badly need.
In the Army Group North sector, German 18th Army (Colonel General Georg von Kuchler) approaches the Narva River and is besieging Tallinn. The Army Group has a line running from Kingisepp running south just east of Staraya Russa and Kholm and then linking up with Army Group Center's 9th Army at Velikiye Luki.
Soviet troops captured during 1941.
In the Army Group Center sector, Soviet 16th and 20th armies in the "Smolensk pocket" (which isn't actually in Smolensk) surrender. About 310,000 Soviets go into captivity along with their 3200 tanks and 3100 guns. Marshal Timoshenko assembles a sketchy new defensive line about 20 miles east of Smolensk.
The German infantry released by the end of Soviet resistance at Smolensk immediately moves forward to replace the 10th Panzer Division and Das Reich Motorized Division at Yelnya. The two German armored divisions are exhausted after having defended this "lightning rod" salient. The Soviets know that Yelnya is a key location because it controls a crossing over the Desna River and an east-west rail station.
General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 continues to battle Soviet 28th Army near Roslavl, which the Germans capture. The Soviets have about 35,000 troops trapped there with little hope of escape.
In the Army Group South sector, Romanian 4th Army (Lieutenant-general Nicolae Ciupercă) and German 11th Army approach the port of Odesa on the Black Sea. Today generally is accepted as the first day of the defense of Odessa. Romanian leader Ion Antonescu has been promised control over the entire region between the Dniester and the Bug rivers, but he has to occupy it first. The Soviets in Odessa have orders to make a last stand there - which means there will be no evacuation by sea. At Kyiv, the Soviet 5th Army counterattacks the German 6th Army with little effect.
On 5 August 1941, Sergeant Toivo Manninen leads an attack on the "hill of death" west of Kiesting on the southern shore of Lake Saarijärvi He takes command of his platoon after the leader is killed. Despite suffering an injury from a landmine that seriously damages his foot, Manninen struggles forward on one foot to lead his men to capture the objective. For his pains today, Manninen earns the Knight of the Mannerheim Cross No.100, awarded September 17, 1942, by Lieutenant-General Hjalmar Siilasvuo .
European Air Operations: During the day, the RAF sends 20 Blenheim bombers on Rhubarb sweeps across Cherbourg, the River Scheldt, and the Frisian Islands. A Circus Operation over St. Omer is recalled. No planes are lost today.
After dark, RAF Bomber Command makes a major effort against multiple targets. Results are good, and bomber losses are acceptable to maintain a sustainable bombing offensive.
The RAF sends 65 Wellingtons and 33 Hampden bombers against Mannheim and nearby Ludwigshafen, losing two Wellingtons and one Hampden. The raid is a big success, destroying five businesses and damaging three more (including a celluloid factory hit when a bomber crashes into it). The celluloid factory production is reduced by 75% for 8 days. In addition, 10 houses are destroyed with 572 damaged. In total, 27 people perish and 55 are injured.
The second target of the night is at Karlsruhe. The RAF sends 97 bombers (50 Hampdens, 28 Wellingtons, 11 Halifaxes, and 8 Stirlings) against railway targets. At a cost of one Halifax, one Wellington, and one Hampden, the RAF causes moderate damage in the western Weststadt, Muhlberg, and Rhine Harbor areas. There are 34 people killed.
The third target of the night is at Frankfurt. The RAF sends 68 aircraft (46 Whitleys and 22 Wellingtons), losing 2 Whitleys and one Wellington. While the bomber pilots claim to have hit the target, some bombs fall on Mainz 20 miles away.
In addition, in diversionary raids, RAF Bomber Command sends 13 Wellingtons to Aachen, 8 Wellingtons to Boulogne, and 5 Hampdens on mine-laying off the eastern coast of Denmark. The RAF loses two Wellingtons over Aachen, all of the other raiders return safely.
For the night, RAF Bomber Command flies 289 sorties and loses 11 aircraft. The loss rate of 3.8% is under the 5% threshold usually considered sustainable.
A Lockheed Hudson V9055 crashes at Kaldaðarnes, Iceland when sheep run across the runway during takeoff, collapsing the left landing gear. The ensuing fire causes the depth charges in the Hudson to explode. The crew survives, but a bystander has his left arm cut off by a piece of a propeller blade that flies across the runway.
New Zealand Sergeant J.A. Ward is awarded the Victoria Cross. Ward earned it on the night of 7 July 1941 while serving as a co-pilot in an RAF No. 75 Squadron Vickers Wellington.
SS Swiftpool, sunk by U-372 on 5 August 1941 while in Convoy SL-81.
Battle of the Atlantic: The Germans have known about the location of North Atlantic Convoy SL-81 long enough from reconnaissance to set up a picket line of U-boats in front of it. Today, they attack.
U-372 (Kptlt. Heinz-Joachim Neumann), on its first patrol out of Kiel, torpedoes is in position west of Ireland to attack Convoy SL-81shortly after midnight. At 01:50, Neumann attacks and sinks two British freighters:
3136-ton Belgravian (2-3 deaths, 47 survivors)
5205-ton Swiftpool (42 deaths, 7 survivors)
Neumann claims to hit another ship, but that is unconfirmed.
U-75 (Kptlt. Helmuth Ringelmann), on its third patrol out of St. Nazaire, then takes his turn to attack Convoy SL-81 at 05:20. Ringelmann fires a spread that sinks two British freighters:
4512-ton Cape Rodney (all 35 survive)
5415-ton Harlingen (2-3 deaths, 39 survivors)
Cape Rodney is taken in tow by tug HMS Zwarte Zee, but sinks on 9 August west of Ushant.
U-74 (Kptlt. Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat), on its third patrol out of Lorient, also attacks Convoy SL-81 at 05:40. Captain Kentrat torpedoes and sinks British 4922-ton British freighter Kumasian. There is one death and 59 people (including 9 passengers) survive and are picked up by escort corvette HMS La Malouine. Kentrat reports hitting and damaging three other ships, but that is not confirmed.
So, in the span of a few hours, Convoy SL-81 effectively loses five ships totaling about 23,000 tons. U-204 also claims to make a hit on a large ship, but there is no confirmation.
In the far North, German Dornier reconnaissance aircraft shadow Force A off the coast of Norway. Following the disastrous raids on Kirkenes and Petsamo and the desultory results at Spitzbergen, the Admiralty decides that further actions in the region are a bad idea and recalls the force.
Convoy SL-83 departs from Freetown, Sierra Leone bound for Liverpool, Convoy HX-143 departs from Halifax bound for Liverpool.
Royal Navy destroyers HMS Partridge and Lauderdale are launched, and escort carrier Campania is laid down.
Canadian corvette HMCS Amherst and minesweeper Ungava (Lt. Frank K. Ellis) are commissioned.
Greek destroyer Miaoulis (formerly HMS Modbury) is laid down.
Adolf Hitler during his visit to the Eastern Front, Aug. 5,1941 (Associated Press).
Battle of the Mediterranean: The siege of Tobruk drags on, with nightly bombing and Australian soldiers getting sick from bad food and water. The Germans bomb every night, but the days are generally quiet... and hot. And full of flies.
Operation Guillotine, the British reinforcement of Cyprus, continues. Australian light cruiser Hobart and three destroyers leave Port Said bound for Famagusta. In separate sailings, Australian sloop Parramatta also departs from Port Said escorting freighter Gujarat to Famagusta, while destroyer Kipling proceeds from Port Said to Famagusta as well. Greek destroyer Kondouriotis departs from Alexandria bound for Famagusta carrying torpedoes for the Fleet Air Arm Squadron No. 815.
Destroyers HMS Decoy and Hero make the nightly supply run to Tobruk without incident.
An Axis convoy departs from Naples bound for Tripoli with five freighters.
Axis bombers attack Malta from about 21:38 to about an hour after midnight. The Italians lose at least two Italian BR-20 bombers and possibly a third.
Battle of the Pacific: Troop convoy WS 9AX arrives at Singapore after a long journey from the UK with reinforcements
Special Operations: Secret Intelligence Service (SIS aka MI6) agent Bradley Davis parachutes into France to join the Alliance Réseau (network) partisan organization as a radio operator. He later turns into a double agent working on behalf of the Germans.
Partisans: General Alessandro Pirzio Biroli, under orders from Mussolini to suppress the ongoing uprising in Montenegro "at whatever cost," issues an order to the local population to surrender all firearms. Biroli makes plans to launch an Italian counter-offensive, the first by Axis troops against partisans in Yugoslavia or apparently anywhere else. He has six divisions with a total of 70,000 troops.
The U.S. heavy cruiser USS Northampton (CA-26) entering the river at Brisbane, Australia, on 5 August 1941. Note her false bow wave Camouflage Measure 5 on Camouflage Measure 1. She carries one of the early CXAM radars on her mainmast (Naval History and Heritage Command NH 94596).
US/Vichy French Relations: US Ambassador Leahy sends a long telegram to Washington which contains a memorandum from Vice-Premier Admiral Darlan. Darlan's memo attempts to explain such matters as its acquiescence to Imperial Japan's virtual occupation of French Indochina. Darlan explains that France had no choice because the Japanese would have seized the country anyway. He also calls the recent conflict in Syria and Lebanon the result of "deliberate aggression" which France had the "obligation" to resist. Darlan concludes by asking for US "comprehension" of its "problems so grave that it is difficult for third parties to appreciate their extent."
Anglo/Vichy French Relations: The British imprison Vichy French General Dentz, former commander of French forces in the Levant. They refuse to release him until all Allied troops captured in the Levant and then spirited away to metropolitan France are returned and released.
US/Australian Relations: US heavy cruisers USS Northampton and Salt Lake City arrive at Brisbane, Australia on the first stop of a goodwill tour.
This photo with the lady in the car is from August 5th, 1941. You are facing north with Buick parts and service #84 in the background (Buick City News).
Vichy French/Japanese Relations: Japanese Ambassador Kato tries to see Admiral Darlan regarding French recognition of the puppet Ching-wei government in China but is rebuffed because Darlan is "away." Kato is shunted off to Acting Vice Minister Ernest Lagarde, who advises the Japanese to be patient for another two or three months.
Anglo/US/Japanese Relations: Japanese merchants make purchases of gasoline from the stores of three foreign oil companies on Tainan. This is in technical violation of the US oil embargo on Japan. The Japanese take the chance that this will anger the Americans and permit the purchases under strict supervision. Oil supplies already are running tight in some areas of the Japanese sphere of influence.
At Tsingtao, China, Japanese authorities clamp down on American and British companies. The Japanese impose various sanctions, and in effect place receivers in control of the businesses who have the final say on all decisions. No ownership interest may be transferred without Japanese approval, and the Japanese decide on the distribution of profits.
The Japanese learn that the US, British, and Chinese are planning to build a military road through Darjeeling, Tibet, and Seita in order to supply the Nationalist government in Chungking, with engineering material already being assembled and prepared in the United States.
A German death card for a soldier killed during the fighting of 5 August 1941.
US Military: The Vultee SNV Valiant makes its first flight. Deliveries soon begin to Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, Texas. The plane quickly takes on the nickname "Vultee Vibrator" because it tends to vibrate in situations including high airspeed and approaching stalling speed.
Japanese Military: The Imperial Japanese Army considers attacking northward and seizing the trans-Siberian railroad in order to stop US lend-lease shipments. The issue apparently arises from a suggestion by the Japanese Ambassador in Rome, who thinks it best to help eliminate the Soviet Union before it can combine with the Americans in a general war. However, the Japanese high command decides that it would be wiser to not provoke the Soviets and Americans and let the matter drop without approval.
No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School trainees from Sydney, Australia, MacDonald, Manitoba July 6 - August 5, 1941.
Australian Military: Lieutenant General Sir Iven Giffard Mackay, commander of the Australian 6th Division, is appointed to the command of Australian Home Forces. Mackay must fly back to Australia in order to take up the position, which will take until 1 September.
US Government: Presidential yacht USS Potomac (AG-35) pulls alongside heavy cruiser Augusta (CA-31) at Menemsha Bight, Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts at 05:30. President Roosevelt and his advisers on board the cruiser, which embarks at 06:17 to cross north through the Cape Cod Canal. Press dispatches pretend that Roosevelt remains on board the Potomac (an elaborate ruse is implemented with a Roosevelt double remaining on the yacht) while the Augusta and accompanying cruiser Tuscaloosa (CA-37) continues north toward Canada.
Vice-Premier adds control over France's North Africa colonies in Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco to his resume. General Weygand is his deputy. The Germans are not fond of Weygand, who is opposed to German use of Vichy French ports and bases in North Africa.
Westmount, Quebec train station, 5 August 1941 (Old Time Trains, Bud Laws Collection).
Lithuania: The Provisional Government of Lithuania, a temporary government formed by members of the Lithuanian Activist Front (LAF) in Kaunas and Vilnius and seeking the goal of an independent Lithuania, is disbanded by the Germans. The Germans have no interest in independent states within their area of control, and the provisional government also is opposed to the Holocaust.
Holocaust: The Germans begin liquidations of Jews in Pinsk, which they occupied on 4 July. About 8000 Jewish men, including 20 members of the Judenrat, are ordered to repair a railroad track. However, they are marched to pits outside of town and executed. Over the next few days, the death total climbs to about 10-11,000.
French Homefront: Vichy limits wine consumption to two liters per person per week.
John F. Kennedy ca. 1939.
American Homefront: In Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day" column, she describes how "we" traveled through upstate New York over the weekend. She never mentions who is with her, leaving the clear implication that it is her husband. However, President Roosevelt at this time is at sea sailing up the east coast to Canada on a top-secret mission.
John F. Kennedy receives a physical examination by a Navy Medical Board in Boston. John's father, Joe, has sent a letter to Director of Naval Intelligence Captain Alan Kirk pressuring him to accept John. Kirk complies and the board clears Kennedy after barely examining him at all. JFK is now cleared to become a US Naval officer.
New York Times, 5 August 1941. "Full U.S. Aid Pledged Russia."
Anglo/Iraq War: In the evening of 27 May 1941, the British Habforce troops that have occupied Fallujah under Major-General George Clark begin advancing on Baghdad. The British are in multiple columns in a concentric attack, with Indian 20th Brigade coming from the south on the Euphrates, Indian 21st Brigade advancing along the Tigris River from Basra while Habforce troops marching from Fallujah. The defending troops of Rashid Ali destroy bridges and dams, slowing the advance. However, while Clark's force is far smaller than the defending Iraqis, militarily it is far superior.
The German military mission also is under intense pressure in Iraq. The Luftwaffe force has been vastly reduced in size, while the eleven Italian Fiat Cr-42 fighters that have just arrived can do little. All continue to fight, but prepare to leave the country should Baghdad fall.
As the British near Baghdad, rioting and looting begin to break out.
In London, Prime Minister Winston Churchill tells the House that "In Iraq, our position has been largely re-established, and the prospects have greatly improved."
European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 14 aircraft on anti-shipping sweeps during the day. It attacks Cologne during the night with 84 aircraft and also lays mines off Boulogne, Brest and St. Nazaire.
The Luftwaffe performs an armed reconnaissance across the Channel. The Germans lose a Heinkel He 111 from 4./KG 55 west of St. Ives, Cornwall to Pilot/Officer F. Oliver of RAF No 66 Squadron.
German battleship Bismarck under fire from battleships HMS Rodney and King George V (photo from the collection of P.O. George H. J. Monk, R.N., courtesy of Reg Monk).
Battle of the Atlantic: As the day begins, the German battleship Bismarck has been crippled by a torpedo hit in the stern that has jammed its left rudder. This prevents it from proceeding to the southeast and safety under the protection of the Luftwaffe. The Royal Navy closes in, and within hours the Bismarck is surrounded and everyone awaits daylight for the end.
Everyone on the Bismarck knows the situation is hopeless. Around midnight, Admiral Günther Lütjens, in command aboard the Bismarck, makes his last radio transmission to headquarters: "Ship unmaneuverable. We shall fight to the last shell. Long live the Führer."
The Royal Navy's 4th Destroyer Flotilla, under the command of Captain Philip Vian, arrives on the scene after being diverted from escorting troop convoy WS8B from Glasgow to the Indian Ocean. His destroyers make runs at the battleship, launching torpedoes. It is unclear (and unlikely) if the destroyers make any hits, but they keep the Germans busy.
U-556 (Kptlt. Herbert Wohlfarth), which has completed its patrol with Wolfpack West in the North Atlantic and returning to base in France, receives orders to retrieve the logbooks from Bismarck. Wohlfarth heads to the position, and on his way spots aircraft carrier Ark Royal and the battlecruiser Renown. However, U-556 is out of torpedoes and can do nothing.
Bismarck under fire from the Royal Navy, 27 May 1941 (photo from the collection of P.O. George H. J. Monk, R.N., courtesy of Reg Monk).
At 08:47, the Royal Navy begins firing. British battleships HMS Rodney and King George V achieve quick hits, silencing the Bismarck's guns. After closing in, at around 10:00 each British battleship achieves two penetrations of Bismarck's armor, two on the starboard side by King George V and two on the port side by Rodney. The British battleships, low on the fuel, then leave the scene and leave the ending to smaller ships.
Heavy cruiser Dorsetshire then closes and sends three torpedoes into the blazing German ship. Around the same time, the surviving Bismarck crew sets off scuttling charges. It is unclear if the torpedoes would have sunk the Bismarck, or if it required the Bismarck crew scuttling the now-defenseless ship - but the Bismarck capsizes and sinks at 10:40.
Survivors of the Bismarck being pulled aboard HMS Dorsetshire.
The sea is full of the Bismarck's crew, but there is great fear in the British ships about U-boats. Dorsetshire and destroyer Maori spend an hour picking up survivors, and 110 men are saved. The British ships then quickly depart the scene, leaving many sailors to drown. Later, U-74 (Kptlt. Eitel-Fredrich Kentrat) and Kriegsmarine weather ship Sachsenwald arrive, with U-74 picking up three men and the weather ship two. One man later dies, so 114 men survive the sinking. About 2200 Bismarck crew perish during the battle, including Admiral Lütjens and Bismarck Captain Lindemann (both of whom likely died early on when the bridge was hit, but some survivors reported seeing Lindemann standing at attention on the stern as it sank).
Operation Rheinübung involved two ships: Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. The latter ship is forgotten by virtually everyone, Prinz Eugen - almost out of fuel - has made a rendezvous with tanker Spichern far to the south. Today, it develops some engine trouble, reducing its speed to 28 knots. Ultimately, this will force Prinz Eugen to abandon its mission and seek haven in France.
At Berchtesgaden, Hitler crony Walther Hewel notes in his diary, "Bismarck sunk … Fuehrer melancholy beyond words."
U-107 (Kptlt. Günther Hessler), operating off Freetown, is on its second patrol. It uses two torpedoes to sink 5108-ton British freighter Colonial, which has been dispersed from Convoy OB 318. 100 men, including Convoy Commodore Rear Admiral W.B. Mackenzie RN, are picked up by target ship (formerly battleship) HMS Centurion and landed at Freetown.
The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 239 Royal Navy ton minesweeping trawler Evesham off Yarmouth. Everyone survives.
The Luftwaffe damages anti-aircraft ship HMS Alynbank off Cape Cornwall. There are 65 deaths.
The Luftwaffe bombs and damages ocean boarding vessel HMS Registan in Bristol Channel. The master beaches it at Falmouth, Cornwall, and the Registan is later refloated and repaired. There are 70 deaths. Those lost include Dudley Joel, 37, a British businessman and a Member of Parliament. Some sources place this as happening on the 28th.
Swordfish 5S of 818 Squadron, FAA returns to HMS Ark Royal after observing the sinking of Bismarck.
The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 695-ton Norwegian freighter Røyksund in the outer reaches of Bristol Channel. There are ten survivors of Royksund rescued by destroyer HMS Cleveland, while six men perish (one crewman dies later).
Norwegian 1655-ton freighter Thyra, part of Convoy OB 325, collides with escort destroyer HMS Leamington and sinks. There are four deaths, and 20 survivors are taken aboard the Leamington, which is largely unscathed.
British 7628-ton freighter Michael E has been converted into the first Royal Navy Catapult Aircraft Merchant (CAM) ship. It sails late in the day from Glasgow for Halifax, Nova Scotia with Convoy OB 327 on its first mission carrying a Hawker Hurricanes modified for sea duty.
Minelayer Teviotbank lays minefield BS.62 in the English Channel.
Convoy OB 327 departs from Liverpool. Convoy HX 129, delayed by the Bismarck battle, departs from Halifax and BHX departs from Bermuda. Convoy HX 129, incidentally, becomes the first convoy to have continuous escort protection across the Atlantic due to the new escort headquarters at St. John's.
Battle of the Mediterranean: General Erwin Rommel unleashes Kampfgruppe von Herff on the Libyan frontier in Operation Skorpion. The battle plan involves a feint to the west of Fort Capuzzo by Group Bach acting as a decoy, intended to fool the British into thinking that they are about to be outflanked. This, the thinking goes, will induce the British out of their defensive positions and expose them to attack. The British, however, barely react, so Oberst Maximilian von Herff orders Group Cramer (which has the bulk of the panzers) to move northwards directly on the objective: Halfaya Pass. At dawn, Group Knabe attacks the head of the pass and Group Bach attacks the foot. The British only have nine tanks in Halfaya Pass, and they are out-matched by the massive German attack.
After an hour or two of the unequal battle, British commander Lieutenant-General William "Strafer" Gott authorizes a withdrawal. Lieutenant-Colonel J. Moubray, in command of the 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards and the other units garrisoning the pass (including the 4th Royal Tank Regiment (4th RTR, Major C. G. Miles), field, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, and the 7th Support Group of the 7th Armoured Division), blasts his way out of his encirclement with some troops captured by Group Bach.
While not a major battle, Operation Skorpion deprives the British of their last gain from their Operation Brevity of May 15-16. It also provides an unusual incident where the roles of the two sides are reversed, the Germans being able to intercept some British wireless messages while the British get no help from Ultra. The British Army loses 173 men (40 prisoners), four 25-pounder field guns, eight 2-pounder anti-tank guns, and five Infantry tanks. The Germans capture nine 25-pounder field guns, seven Matilda (A12) tanks, and two other tanks. Most importantly, the battle eliminates any British hope of a quick relief of Tobruk.
The Afrika Korps wastes no time in reinforcing its defenses both at Tobruk and along the Gazala Line. Rommel orders a defensive line built just over the border in Egypt, based on Halfaya Pass, in an arc through Qalala and Hafid Ridge 6 miles (9.7 km) south-west of Fort Capuzzo to Sidi Aziz.
At 00:50, Churchill sends Wavell a brief cable, "Hope you are preparing your desert stroke and that Tobruk will not be idle." The British in Egypt now brings forward the tanks from the Tiger Convoy (Churchill's "Tiger Cubs") for another offensive planned in mid-June (Operation Battleaxe). At the evening War Cabinet meeting, Admiral Sir Dudley Pound emphasizes the "vital importance from the naval point of view of the recapture of Cyrenaica."
A map of the Battle of 42nd Street, Suda, Crete, 27 May 1941.
On Crete, the situation is getting desperate for the British. In the morning, the New Zealand 28th (Māori) Battalion, the Australian 2/7th Battalion, and the Australian 2/8th Battalion fix bayonets and charge the German 141st Mountain Regiment which is blocking the road from Suda (Souda) to Chania (Canea). In this "Battle of 42nd Street," the Commonwealth troops succeed. This re-opens a line of retreat for the Commonwealth troops still fighting in and around Chania, which the Germans now completely take.
At 02:00, Prime Minister Winston Churchill cables Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell: "Victory in Crete essential at this turning point in the war. Keep hurling in all aid you can." At 08:42, Wavell responds. He has a much closer view of the actual situation on Crete and knows that events at sea or in Iraq mean nothing for his defense of the island. Wavell cables back, "Fear we must recognize that Crete is no longer tenable…."
Wavell's cable arrives while the War Cabinet is in session. As the meeting's minutes state:
The Prime Minister said that all chances of winning the battle in Crete now appeared to have gone and we should have to face the prospect of the loss of most of our forces there.
Churchill casually adds that he will reveal nothing of this to the House of Commons in his morning statement. In fact, he simply states that the army's "magnificent resistance hangs in the balance."
Fallschirmjäger march into Canea (Chandia/Hania) after a long battle, 27 May 1941 (Australian War Memorial 106492).
The decision to withdraw from Crete is made formal when Churchill sends a memo to General Ismay which states:
In view of General Wavell's latest message, he should be ordered to evacuate Crete forthwith, saving as many men as possible without regard to material, and taking whatever measures, whether by reinforcement or otherwise, are best.
So, London now accepts the inevitable. British island commander General Bernard Freyberg quickly orders Allied troops to begin withdrawing to the south shore for evacuation. The British troops at Suda and Beritania, including 800 Commandos just landed on the 26th, begin heading down the road to Vitsilokoumos, north of Sfakia. The Germans occupy the critical naval base at Suda Bay as the British depart.
Responding to an OKW request made on the 26th, the Italians send a convoy from Rhodes to reinforce the Germans on Crete. It contains a brigade from the 50th Infantry Division Regina, supported by 13 L3/35 light tanks. As many have noted, Operation Mercury has been an odd battle because the Germans have had no tanks, and the British Army has had no air support. This Italian convoy, comprising a motley collection of four fishing vessels, two steamships, one riverboat, two reefer ships, three tugs, and three tankers, aims to bring ashore some Axis armored support. Their planned landing date is the afternoon of 28 May. The convoy is escorted by destroyer Crispi and two torpedo boats (Lince and Lira).
Royal Navy battleship HMS Barham is covering the withdrawal of minelayer Abdiel from Suda Bay, where it landed Commandos on the 26th when the Luftwaffe bombs it. The bomb destroys Y turret and kills seven crewmen while wounding six. Barham makes for Alexandria, then Durban, for repairs, which take until 30 July.
The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 305-ton armed trawler HMT Thorbryn off Tobruk.
The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 307-ton Naval whaler Syvern en route to Crete.
The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 1187 ton Greek freighters Antonios and 5452 ton Julia at Suda Bay, Crete. Everyone survives.
The RAF bombs and damages Italian freighter Marco Foscarini off Tripoli. The master beaches her, and the Foscarini is refloated and scrapped after the war.
More troops are embarked on three destroyers (Hotspur, Imperial, and Kimberley) at Alexandria for transport to Crete when the decision to evacuate to the island is received. The troops are not sent.
Royal Navy submarine HMS Unbeaten suffers damage from grounding at Malta and requires repairs until 4 June.
The RAF force based on Malta loses two Blenheims of RAF No. 82 Squadron while attacking a large Italian supply convoy that reaches Tripoli safely. At Malta, the Luftwaffe drops mines in Grand Harbour.
Commander-in-Chief of the German Army Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch at the Corinthian Canal, Greece 27 May 1941.
Special Operations: Italian submarine Scirè launches three midget submarines manned by frogmen to penetrate the Royal Navy base at Gibraltar. The mission fails for technical reasons and no Royal Navy ships suffer damage.
POWs: In the House of Commons, Winston Churchill rejects a request that prisoner Rudolf Hess be tried as a spy or illegal alien. German/Vichy French Relations: Vichy Vice Premier Admiral François Darlan and German ambassador to France, Otto Abetz sign the Paris Protocols. These Protocols grant the Germans military facilities in Syria, Tunisia, and French West Africa, while the French get a reduction in occupation costs (from 20 to 15 million Reichsmarks a day) and the release of 6800 more French POWs. These are not formally ratified, but provide a framework for French collaboration.
US/Japanese Relations: US Ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew sends a cable to Washington:
A member of the Embassy was told by my ------- colleague that from many quarters, including a Japanese one, he had heard that a surprise mass attack on Pearl Harbor was planned by the Japanese military forces, in case of "trouble" between Japan and the United States; that the attack would involve the use of all the Japanese military facilities. My colleague said that he was prompted to pass this on because it had come to him from many sources, although the plan seemed fantastic.
Grew's unnamed friend, of course, is absolutely correct - the Japanese have been planning for an attack on US, British and Dutch interests in the Pacific for some time. The US already has a defensive plan prepared for such possibilities, so the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence) files the warning without acting on it.
Anglo/US Relations: Winston Churchill cables Roosevelt thanking him for the decision to release half a dozen small aircraft carriers to the Royal Navy. "All this will be most helpful."
Anglo/Irish Relations: At the morning War Cabinet meeting - usually held in the evening, but assembled due to the naval battle occurring at the time involving the Bismarck - Churchill gives his thoughts about conscription in Northern Ireland. Irish leader Eamon De Valera has warned against conscription as having a negative effect on public opinion. Churchill opines that a statement should be issued that states in part:
His Majesty's Government had now come to the conclusion that, although there could be no dispute about our rights, or about the merits, it would be more trouble than it was worth to apply conscription to Northern Ireland.
The War Cabinet, of course, agrees with this very grudging concession, as it does with virtually everything that Churchill proposes throughout the war. This is exactly what he tells the House.
British Military: Winston Churchill sends a memo to General Ismay which urges expansion of the British paratrooper force "on the German model" based on its success on Crete. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Churchill is paying the Fallschirmjäger a huge compliment. This is somewhat ironic considering the opposite conclusions about Operation Mercury that the German leadership are drawing at this time.
The War Cabinet's "Tank Parliament" meets, and it agrees that tank production must be greatly expanded.
The War Office issues a secret memo barring Fascists and Communists from serving in the Home Guard. All such members currently serving are to be cashiered forthwith.
The front page of the Syracuse Herald-Journal, 27 May 1941.
US Military: The garrison at San Francisco, California test-fires the 12-inch coastal artillery in the evening, a spectacle seen throughout the city.
Albania: The Albanian who recently attempted to assassinate the king of Italy and the prime minister of Albania, Vasil Laçi, 19, is executed.
China: The Japanese North China Front Army defeats the Chinese 1st War Area in the Battle of South Shanxi. This is one of the worst land defeats for the Chinese forces of the entire war and is largely due to refusal of the Communist 8th Route Army to rescue trapped Nationalist (Kuomintang) forces. The Nationalists are wiped out despite having an almost 2:1 advance in troop strength.
British Homefront: Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes a radio broadcast to the nation. He states that Britain is heading into a "long, stern, scowling valley of war, to victory."
American Homefront: In a long, rambling radio address broadcast (fireside chat) from the White House, President Roosevelt proclaims a state of unlimited national emergency. He re-uses his famous phrase from 1933, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Roosevelt lists the things the United States has done to support the British war effort, announces new policies which include a decision to:
actively resist wherever necessary, and with all our resources, every attempt by Hitler to extend his ... domination to the Western Hemisphere.
He then casts the confrontation as:
divided between human slavery and human freedom—between pagan brutality and the Christian ideal. We choose human freedom—which is the Christian ideal.
There is no mention in the speech of actually declaring war, or how the US actions he lists would relate to the proper role of neutrals. It is as close to a declaration of war, and the obvious significance of the speech is that the United States is going to do everything possible to fight German without actually firing weapons.
USS St. Augustine off the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts, 27 May 1941 (Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives).
