Sunday 10 August 1941

One of the most dangerous activities on the battlefield is to attack an armored vehicle (such as this BA-10 armored car). SS-Unterscharfuhrer Josef Wilhelm "Bubi" Burose attempts it here. He gets shot in the head for his pains. KIA on 10 August 1941.

Eastern Front: Weather is poor across much of the front on 10 August 1941, particularly in the north. It is high summer, and when it isn't stifling hot, it is raining in torrents. This makes the roads muddy and briefly impassable in places. In general, Soviet vehicles handle the mud better, as the peasant Panje carts that are built somewhat like boats can skim along the top of muddy quagmires while German trucks and heavy horse-drawn wagons bog down. Soviet tanks also do better in the mud, having broader tracks that give more of a grip. Overall, the Germans retain the advantage, but poor weather and attrition due to the conditions and battles whittles that advantage down noticeably.

In a more successful attack than Bubi Burose's tank attack, shown above, here Finnish soldiers capture a Soviet bunker. Note the Soviet soldier with his hands up to the left. 10 August 1941 (AP Photo).

In the Far North sector, Finnish Group J of III Corps continues advancing relatively quickly from Kestenga toward the Murmansk railway line at Loukhi. The Finns have their choice of an improved road or a spur line of the railway to advance through the forest and choose to focus on following the train tracks. The Finns are approaching the narrows between Yelovoye Lake and Lebedevo Lake and are about 25 miles southwest of Loukhi. Soviet resistance on the road and between the road and railway, however, is growing as the Soviets bring in reinforcements - which is a common theme in all advances in the sector.

In the Army Group North sector, the German offensive toward Novgorod at the northern tip of Lake Ilmen faces strong opposition. The Germans hope to create a continuous front, using the lake, between Novgorod and Staraya Russa at the southern tip of the lake - but the Soviets have good defensive positions. If the Germans succeed, they can wheel directly to the north and invest Leningrad. At the close of the day, General Halder notes in the OKH war diary that "The attack is making slow progress in bad weather and against very stiff enemy opposition." Another attack by Panzer Group 4 on the Luga River is doing a bit better.

SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Schutzpolizei Arthur Mülverstedt, Commander of the 4th SS Polizei Division, is killed in action by artillery fire - a growing Soviet priority, as Stalin believes wholeheartedly that artillery is the "Queen of Battle."

A German half-track driver, August 1941 (AP Photo).

In the Army Group South sector, the Romanian 4th Army continue to tighten their grip on Odessa. Romanian 7th Division of 3rd Corps takes Elsas and 1st Guard Division also moves up. Romanian 1st Armored Division of 5th Corps breaks through the outer Soviet line and closes on the second line of defense. The Romanians are making ground, but the Soviet defenders exhibit excellent morale and tenacity that does not bode well for quick capture of the port.

General Halder notes in the OKH war diary that "the situation on the northern wing ... (Sixth Army) had badly deteriorated." He notes with some surprise that "the enemy is attempting to cross the Dniepr." This should not be, as it is the Germans who are supposed to be advancing, not the Soviets. He notes many "enemy railroad movement from Poltava to Kyiv," usually a sign of a coming enemy offensive. Given the precarious situation, Field Marshal von Rundstedt prudently postpones an attack on Kyiv and orders Sixth Army to go over to the defensive - a first in the southern sector.

A Finnish soldier stands guard beside a lake. Kiestinki, White Karelia, August 10, 1941 (SA-Kuva).

After dark, the Soviets again attempt to bomb Berlin, as they did on 7 August. The first mission went smoothly, but this one... not so much. The Red Air Force, in order to restore its honor after the navy staged the first (moderately successful) raid, assembles a grandiose unit of twin-engine Yermolayev Yer-2 medium bombers and 14 four-engine Petlyakov Pe-8 (TB-7) long-range bombers at Pushkino Airfield in Leningrad. Problems begin right from the start when only three of the overloaded Yer-2 bombers can even get off the ground, while one of the Pe-8s suffers catastrophic engine failure upon liftoff and crashes, killing all 11 crewmen.

After that inauspicious beginning, things just get progressively for the Red Air Force crews. Soviet Flak gunners shoot down one of the planes, another turns back with engine trouble, and other misfortunes plague the flight. Ultimately, eleven Pe-8s and three Yer-2s struggle to Berlin, but, unlike the first raid, the Berlin air defenses are primed for revenge. Flak damage and more engine problems take their toll on the way home, and only 7 of the original 17 planes makes it back to Leningrad. Overall, it is a disaster, mangling Stalin's supply of big bombers and depressing morale among the crews tasked with flying future missions.

The Luftwaffe sends an air raid over Moscow, but it is a shadow of earlier efforts, more a nuisance raid than a grand London-style attack. Overall, the Luftwaffe claims 54 Soviet planes today. Over most areas of the front, the Luftwaffe can achieve air superiority at will - but it is a very long front, and the Luftwaffe can't be everywhere at the same time.

A Petlyakov Pe-8 (TB-7). Eleven of these long-range, four-engine bombers bomb Berlin on 10 August 1941. Pe-8 is the only 4-engine bomber used by the Red Air Force during World War II.

European Air Operations: It is a quiet day in the air in Northwest Europe. The RAF sends six Blenheim bombers on a Roadstead sweep over the French coast, losing two planes. The bombers claim hits on three ships at Gravelines.

Wreck of what is believed to be Soviet submarine S-6 off the coast of Sweden (@EPA).

Battle of the Baltic: Soviet submarine S-6 (Lt Cdr Kuligin) hits a mine and sinks southeast of the Swedish island of Oeland around this date. (The wreck of what is believed to be S-6 is found in 2012 by civilian divers).

Soviet minesweeper T-201 "Zaryad" his a mine off Suursaari while escorting a convoy from Tallinn to Kronstadt. The mine explodes, sinking T-201 and damaging 7484-ton troopship Vyacheslav Molotov, which has thousands of wounded men aboard.

Soviet submarine S-4 (Lt Cdr Abrosimov) attacks a large tanker off the Polish coast but misses.

According to some sources, Soviet submarine SC-307 (Lt. Cmdr. Petrov) sinks U-144 (Kptlt. Mittelstaedt) today. Other sources state this occurs on 9 August. The submarine sinks west of Hiiumaa, Estonia. All 28 men on board perish.

A Soviet convoy departs from Revel carrying an estimated 3500 Soviet troops. It proceeds to Suursaari and then Kronstadt, Kotlin Island.

Soviet submarine S-6.

Battle of the Atlantic: In the far north, German destroyers continue their aggressive patrols.  Z4 Richard Beitzen, Z10 Hans Lody, and Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt, operating off the Kola Peninsula, use their guns to sink Soviet guard ship Tuman DK-10.

U-451 (Kptlt. Eberhard Hoffmann), on its first patrol out of Kirkenes, torpedoes and sinks 441-ton Soviet patrol boat SKR-27 "Zhemchug" west of Kanin (between Cape Svyatoy Nos and Cape Kanin Nos). By some accounts, it is a 550-ton corvette. All 61 crewmen on board the Zhemchug perish.

German 460-ton fishing trawler M-1102 HAW Müller sinks off Lindesnes, Vest-Agder, in southern Norway. By some accounts, this is due to a mine laid by the RAF. Other accounts claim it is due to RAF bombing. Some other Danish fishing boats also go missing around this time, perhaps for the same reason (whatever it is).

The RAF bombs and damages German patrol boat V.1506 near Ostend, Belgium.

German E-boat S-49 torpedoes and sinks British freighter Sir Russell off Dungeness in the English Channel. Some sources place this sinking on 11 August.

Damaged 1392-ton Norwegian freighter Dagny I, in tow of trawler Leicester City, sinks between the Faroes and Scotland. All of the crew are picked up by Leicester City.

U-79 (Kptlt. Wolfgang Kaufmann), on its second patrol out of Lorient, spots Allied Convoy HG-69 and reports it to BdU in Paris, which redirects U-boats to intercept it.

American Task Group TG.2.5, on a neutrality patrol, arrives in Bermuda. It is led by the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.

Convoy HX-144 departs from Halifax bound for Liverpool, Convoy SC-40 departs from Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia bound for Liverpool.

U-440 is launched.

U-440 (shown) is launched on 10 August 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Destroyers HMS Decoy and Havock depart Alexandria for the nightly supply run to Tobruk. They complete the mission and return without incident.

The Luftwaffe attacks Alexandria, Suez, Port Said, and Ismailia after dark.

At Malta, morale is a huge concern of the British administration. Mail service has been a priority because many soldiers have loved ones back in England who are being subjected to Luftwaffe bombing (though not so much recently). Accordingly, Governor Dobbie sends a message to the War Department in London requesting an official Post Office Section, staffed by experienced postal employees, stating: "Prompt delivery and despatch of the very limited and intermittent mail is considered absolutely essential for the maintenance of morale."

A Maryland on photo-reconnaissance crashes on approach at Malta due to engine failure, killing two of the crew and injuring a third.

SS Kriegsberichter Fritz Mielert, KIA August 10, 1941.

Battle of the Pacific: Soviet submarine M-63 hits a mine and sinks off Vladivostok. Everyone aboard perishes. Odds are good that this is a "friendly" mine.

Spy Stuff: FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover announces that his organization has uncovered German plots throughout Latin America - in Argentia, Chile, and Cuba. The FBI isn't really equipped for such international investigations, and there is some doubt in retrospect whether these "plots" are actually fabrications by British Intelligence to create an atmosphere of crisis in Washington and the Americas. However, MI6 does its work extremely artfully and knows how to pull off "Black Ops" without being caught.

Allied/Turkish Relations: The Britsh and Soviet Union submit identical statements to the Turkish foreign embassy. Both countries agree to go to the assistance of Turkey and "observe the territorial integrity of the Turkish republic." It is an odd statement that is sort of a mirror image of the Tripartite Pact - except Turkey does not sign anything. Hitler still holds out high hopes that he can draw Turkey into the Axis by dangling the chance for it to even old scores with old enemy Russia, but the Turks officially are maintaining a purely neutral stance (though the British strongly suspect that it was aiding the Vichy French during the recent campaign in the Levant).

President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill attend services aboard HMS Prince of Wales, 10 August 1941.

Anglo/US Relations: It is day two of the Atlantic Conference at Placentia Bay, Newfoundland (it officially opens today). Yesterday Prime Minister Churchill visited President Roosevelt's ship, so today Roosevelt returns the favor and boards Royal Navy battleship Prince of Wales. They attend a prayer service together. As Churchill later recalls:

This service was felt by us all to be a deeply moving expression of the unity of faith of our two peoples, and none who took part in it will forget the spectacle presented that sunlit morning on the crowded quarterdeck – the symbolism of the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes draped side by side on the pulpit; the American and British chaplains sharing in the reading of the prayers; the highest naval, military, and air officers of Britain and the United States grouped in one body behind the President and me; the close-packed ranks of British and American sailors, completely intermingled, sharing the same books and joining fervently together in the prayers and hymns familiar to both.

After a brief inspection topside, Roosevelt returns to his heavy cruiser USS Augusta (CA-31) aboard destroyer USS McDougal (DD-358). Churchill then visits the Augusta and has dinner with the President.

A detective examining a body apparently in New York City, 10 August 1941 (unknown photographer in the Daily News).

Japanese Military: The Imperial Japanese Navy requisitions Japanese liner Kiki Maru for use as a hospital ship.

Japanese 16,975-ton liner Asama Maru, which got caught between Hawaii and San Francisco when the United States imposed its oil embargo, arrives back in Yokohama, Japan with all of her 98 passengers and cargo.

China: Japanese air raids on Chungking continue on a daily basis. The Chinese air force defenders, stuck with poor Soviet equipment and facing the superior Japanese Mitsubishi A6M fighter and fast bombers, is losing ground. Chinese Captain Ou Yangdeng (no. 7261) of the Chinese 21st PS is killed while flying with the remnants of the 5th PG. There is relief on the horizon for the Chinese, as the American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers" are starting to embark for China, but they are heading for Burma and will need months to work up into combat readiness.

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra on August 10, 1941, in the Chicago, Illinois Hotel Sherman.

American Homefront:  Queen Elizabeth makes a radio address over the NBC broadcasting system directed primarily toward American women. She quickly emphasizes the stakes:

Women and children have been killed and even the sufferers in hospitals have not been spared. Yet hardship has only steeled our hearts and strengthened our resolution.

The Queen praises the "many roles" that women play in the war effort and concludes with a plea "for our children":

The things for which we will fight to the death are no less sacred, and to my mind, at any rate, your generosity is born of your conviction that we fight to save a cause that is yours no less than ours; of your high resolve, however great the cost and however long the struggle, liberty, and freedom, human dignity and kindness shall not perish from the earth, I look to the day when we shall go forward, hand in hand, to build a better, a kinder, a happier world for our children, May God bless you all.

As with many themes enunciated during World War II, this resonates through subsequent decades.

The August 10, 1941 edition of The Washington D.C. Times Herald carries "Text of Lindbergh's Speech Charging Government." Charles Lindbergh has been giving speeches around the country on behalf of the America First movement.

August 1941
August 1, 1941: More Executions on Crete
August 2, 1941: Uman Encirclement Closes
August 3, 1941: Bishop von Galen Denounces Euthanasia
August 4, 1941: Hitler at the Front
August 5, 1941: Soviets Surrender at Smolensk 
August 6, 1941: U-Boats in the Arctic
August 7, 1941: Soviets Bomb Berlin
August 8, 1941: Uman Pocket Captured
August 9, 1941: Atlantic Conference at Placentia Bay
August 10, 1941: Soviet Bombers Mauled Over Berlin
August 11, 1941: Rita Hayworth in Life
August 12, 1941: Atlantic Charter Announced
August 13, 1941: The Soybean Car
August 14, 1941: The Anders Army Formed
August 15, 1941: Himmler at Minsk
August 16, 1941: Stalin's Order No. 270
August 17, 1941: Germans in Novgorod
August 18, 1941: Lili Marleen
August 19, 1941: Convoy OG-71 Destruction
August 20, 1941: Siege of Leningrad Begins
August 21, 1941: Stalin Enraged
August 22, 1941: Germans Take Cherkassy
August 23, 1941: Go to Kiev
August 24, 1941: Finns Surround Viipuri
August 25, 1941: Iran Invaded
August 26, 1941: The Bridge Over the Desna
August 27, 1941: Soviets Evacuate Tallinn
August 28, 1941: Evacuating Soviets Savaged
August 29, 1941: Finns take Viipuri
August 30, 1941: Operation Acid
August 31, 1941: Mannerheim Says No

2020

Sunday 27 July 1941

"Home Guard troops 'fighting' Valentine tanks of 6th Armoured Division during large-scale manoeuvres at Yelden in Bedfordshire, 27 July 1941." © IWM (H 12081).

Eastern Front: Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, commander of Army Group Center, holds a conference on 27 July 1941 at his headquarters at Novy Borisov. Commander-in-Chief Walther von Brauchitsch, the head of the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH), the Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht, attends. The gist of the meeting is simple: follow the Fuhrer's orders. While the assembled generals sit silently, one of Brauchitsch's aides reads a memorandum. It states that the generals are to follow Hitler Directive 33, which specifies that there is to be a pause in the offensive while bypassed Soviet units are subdued, the line is straightened, and repair and maintenance take place.

It is an odd event, made necessary in the eyes of OKW and Hitler due to the strong opposition by many generals and Field Marshals to this strategy. The main targets are Generals Guderian and Hoth, whose Panzer Groups 2 and 3, respectively, have outpaced their colleagues. Both generals disagree, with Guderian writing in his journal that Hitler:

preferred a plan by which small enemy forces were to be encircled and destroyed piecemeal and the enemy thus bled to death. All the officers who took part in the conference were of the opinion that this was incorrect.

The importance of the meeting is not so much what is said, but the fact that Hitler and von Brauchitsch feel it is necessary at all. That it is held at the Army Group Center headquarters also is significant, given that von Bock, Hoth, and Guderian are intent on taking Moscow, which they feel is easily within their grasp.

When the meeting is over, Guderian hurriedly puts together a plan with Hoth and von Bock to honor Directive 33 in form, but not in substance. From here on, generals on the eastern front will often operate through "back channels" and conduct their operations with increasingly looser "interpretations" of OKW (and Hitler) orders.

There is something to be said for both the OKW position and that of von Bock, Hoth, and Guderian. On the one hand, the panzers have been fighting steadily for over a month and simply driving for that long puts a heavy strain on the equipment, let alone engaging in endless combat. On the other hand, however, the Red Army is reeling and it is imperative for the Wehrmacht to destroy the Soviet capacity to resist quickly during good campaigning weather.

In this July 1941 propaganda shot, Red Army soldiers are on a TIZ AM-600 motorcycle with a mounted DP-27 machine gun.

In the Far North sector, the German 36 Corps (General Hans Feige), under pressure from the Army of Norway (AOK Norwegen) headquarters (General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst), attacks the Soviet defenses east of Salla. The attack, the first in weeks, gains no ground at a heavy cost in lives. Feige regroups for another try in a couple of days.

In the Army Group North sector, the Germans approach the Estonian capital Tallinn and capture it late in the day. There is heavy fighting near Velikiye Luki.

In the Army Group Center sector, German forces, after many days of trying, finally link up to the east of Smolensk. This happens when XXXIX Korps (General R. Schmidt) of Panzer Group 3 meets XLVII Korps (General J. Lemelsen) of Panzer Group 2. There is little question that at this stage of the war the panzers of Generals Hoth and Guderian have formed a powerful combination that is clearing the way east.

In the Mogilev area, Soviet resistance ends due to a lack of supplies. About 35,000 Soviet troops go into captivity. A small number of trapped soldiers manage to escape to the east.

This closes a massive pocket that traps large portions of Soviet 16th, 19th, and 20th Armies. The Soviets immediately begin planning a breakout, to be led by the 20th Army. The German line is weak because the infantry is still struggling to catch up with the panzers on the eastern side of the pocket.

In the Army Group South sector, Soviet 26th Army counterattacks Panzer Group 1. The panzers are greatly in need of repair and maintenance, as noted in the war diary of LVII Korps (General Kuntzen):

It must be understood that without a rapid and plentiful supply of track rollers, track links and bolts for the Mark IV and track bolts for the Kpfw 38(t) the number of available panzers will sink further so that the combat strength of the panzer regiments will be greatly weakened. Still especially urgent is the delivery of fully operational motors, gearboxes, oil and specialized panzer grease.

The Bf 109E7 "White 12" of Luftwaffe ace Lt. Joachim Müncheberg in Libya, 7,/JG 27, July 1941.

European Air Operations: Weather is poor over northwest Europe today. This causes problems for the RAF, but not for the Germans.

RAF Bomber Command sends six Blenheim bombers on a raid to the Yainville power station. However, the heavy clouds cause the bombers to turn back without completing their mission. A Circus raid over Le Trait accomplishes little.

Later, the RAF attempts a raid by 14 Wellingtons and Whitleys to Dunkirk. However, these bombers also have to turn back due to the weather. Minor operations by 36 Hampdens laying mines off of Lorient and St. Nazaire, however, are successful. The British lose one bomber.

After dark, the Luftwaffe makes its largest raid on London in 10 weeks, putting 50 aircraft over the capital. The Germans lose four planes.

Battle of the Baltic: The German 3rd Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla (S-54, S-55, S-57, and S-58) attacks Soviet shipping in the Gulf of Riga. S-54 and S-55 sink 1690-ton Soviet destroyer Smelyi, while S-57 and S-58 attack other ships without success at Oesel. The motor torpedo boats also sink Latvian coaster Lashplesis off Saaremaa, Estonia.

The Red Air Force bombs and sinks 338-ton German trawler Elbing III near Libau.

HMS Whitehall armed with experimental depth charge throwers in the bows. These are tested on 27 July 1941 (Beadell, SJ (Lt), © IWM (A 4671)).

Battle of the Atlantic: Luftwaffe reconnaissance spotted Convoy OG-69 off Cape Finisterre, Spain on the 26th. U-boat command (BdU) assembled a picket line in its path. Today, the first attacks occur in the early morning hours. There is some disagreement about which U-boats sunk what freighters, which is not unusual for convoy battles involving wolfpacks.

U-79 (Kptlt. Wolfgang Kaufmann), on its second patrol out of Lorient, fires four torpedoes at 02:54 and sinks the 2475-ton British freighter Hawkinge. There are 15 deaths. U-79 also claims to sink two other freighters today, but those are usually attributed to other U-boats.

U-203 (Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg), on its second patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedos and sinks 2475-ton British freighter Hawkinge. There are 14 deaths.

U-126 (Kptlt. Ernst Bauer), on its first patrol out of Bremen, torpedoes and sinks two ships:

5102-ton British freighter Erato
1304-ton Norwegian freighter Inga I

There are nine deaths on Erato (27 survivors, including the master) and three on Inga I (16 survivors, including the master). U-126 also claims to sink two other ships today, but those are usually allocated to U-79 and U-203.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 198-ton British fishing trawler Ben Strome about fifteen miles southeast of Fuglo Island in the Faroes. Everybody on board, ten men, perishes.

The RAF drops an aerial mine on 1582-ton Danish freighter Knud Vellemoes north of Heligoland, sinking it.

SS Hawkinge, sunk by U-79 on 27 July 1941.

Royal Navy torpedo boats attack German destroyer Friedrich Ihn during a routine voyage north to Calais but do not cause any damage.

Norwegian 4785-ton freighter Lidvard escapes from internment at Dakar into the Atlantic. A chase ensues as Vichy French light cruisers Georges Leygues and Gloire, aircraft, and submarine Acteon attempt to stop Lidvard. However, the Norwegian ship is spotted by Royal Navy destroyer Highlander, which takes it to Freetown.

Royal Navy corvettes HMS Gardenia and Amaranthus intercept 130-ton Vichy French auxiliary patrol ship Edith Germaine off the African coast. However, reflecting the complicated politics involved, the Royal Navy ships allow the Vichy French ship to proceed.

Operation FB, the attack on Kirkenes (in conjunction with Operation EF), proceeds as Force A departs from Scapa Flow bound for Seidisfjord, Norway.

U-371 (Kptlt. Heinrich Driver) spots Convoy OS-1 west of Portugal and shadows it.

Convoy ON-2 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HX-141 departs from Halifax bound for Liverpool.

"A view of 5 throwers in line. Depth charges can be seen ready, loaded into the muzzle of the thrower. Ratings can be seen preparing the depth charges." The sailors on HMS Whitehall call the experimental Fairlie mortars, which are tested on 27 July 1941, the "Five Wide Virgins." © IWM (A 4664).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Substance, a successful Royal Navy supply run to Malta, ends when Force H arrives back at Gibraltar.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Tetrarch uses its deck gun to sink Italian caique Nicita about five miles south of the Greek island of Kos.

Operation Guillotine, the reinforcement by the Royal Navy of Cyprus, continues as 6676-ton transport Salamalia departs Port Said for Famagusta.

The Luftwaffe attacks the Suez Canal during the night.

An Axis convoy departs from Naples bound for Tripoli. It has a heavy escort which includes the Italian 8th Cruiser Division. A return convoy from Tripoli also puts to sea.

Battle of the Baltic: Soviet passenger ship Lenin hits a mine and sinks within 10 minutes between Sevastopol and Yalta. There are about 643 survivors and 1000+ deaths, including a large fraction of 1200 Soviet soldiers of the Red Army reserves. The best estimates place the total casualties at 2500-4600 people, but there is no passenger list. Apparently, the mine was in a "friendly" minefield in an area that the Lenin should have avoided. Navy pilot Lieutenant I.I. Svistun survives the sinking, but not for long - Svistun is blamed for the blunder. He will be shot for his error on 24 August.

"A bow view of HMS WHITEHALL, showing the depth charge throwers." 27 July 1941 (Beadell, SJ (Lt), © IWM (A 4672))

Special Operations: After dark, British Commandos of No. 12 Command (Second Lieutenant Philip Pinckney) undertake Operation Chess. This is a reconnaissance and training raid on Ambleteuse, Pas-de-Calais, France. The Commandos cross the English Channel in two motor launches and land at a random spot about two miles from the Slack River near Ambleteuse. The men remain ashore for a couple of hours, accomplish little aside from stand on French soil, and they are picked up by a landing craft. The British are encouraged at being able to complete the operation undetected and plan more such missions.

War Crimes: OKW Chief Wilhelm Keitel orders destroyed all copies of the OKW order of 13 May 1941 which provided, among other things, that Wehrmacht soldiers could commit crimes on the eastern front with impunity. The order, issued under Keitel's signature, also provided that civilians suspected of partisan activities could be shot. However, the order itself is not rescinded. In fact, Keitel basically supplemented the 13 +May order on 23 July 1941, when he issued an order stating that legal punishments are inadequate for quelling civil disturbances and the Wehrmacht is free to use whatever means it so chooses to subdue the Soviet population. Copies of the German orders survive in Soviet files and are used against Keitel at the Nuremberg trials.

Partisans: There is an uprising by several hundred Serb men in Srb, Croatia. It is motivated by the killings of local Serbs by Ustasa units led by Vjekoslav Maks Luburic. This is a very controversial incident, and the controversy centers around exactly what the uprising was about and who it was directed against. The official state description is that it was an uprising by local Serbs against the occupying German forces, while some others claim that it was a nationalist uprising by ethnic Serbs directed against Croat civilians.

Lieutenant-General Henry Alexander Seyffardt, commander of the Volunteer Legion Netherlands, hands a member of the Legion their flag before departing for the German-Soviet front (The Hague, 27 July 1941).

Propaganda: Rome Radio touts the failed motor-launch attack on Malta's Grand Harbour on the 26th as a resounding success. However, it does slightly hedge its bets:

It is not possible to say what damage was inflicted on the British Navy but knowing how our seamen delivered the attack one must rest assured that at least eight more British units have been rendered unseaworthy. With this exploit which may be compared with the greatest naval battles was concluded a three-day epic, opened on 23 July by the action of one of our submarines and so successfully carried out by our aviation and MAs.

Of course, the Italian attackers didn't disable any Royal Navy ships at all and only managed to destroy an old stone bridge.

US/Japanese Relations: The Japanese lodge a diplomatic protest with the United States over the delivery of war supplies to the Soviet port of Vladivostok. This technically violates neutrality laws, but the US at this point isn't too worried about those.

German/Spanish Relations: The Spanish add to their volunteer Blue Division on the eastern front by sending a small volunteer air group. The Escuadra Azul joins III,/JG 27 to become 15,/JG 27 of General Kesselring's Luftlotte 2. Captain Angel Salas Larrazabal leads the unit, which is equipped with Bf 109E fighters.

German motorized AT troops near Cholm, 27 July 1941.

German/Romanian Relations: Hitler is pleased with the Romanian army's performance to date. Now that Romanian troops have "recovered" their "lost" territories, however, they may act like the Finns have recently in Karelia and decide to curtail further offensive operations. To avoid this, Hitler sends a letter to his fellow dictator that specifically asks Ion Antonescu to clear the entire area between the Dniester and Bug Rivers and add it to the Romanian province of Transnistria. Antonescu, eager to add to Romanian territory, agrees.

Ecuadorian/Peruvian War: While a cease-fire is being negotiated, it has not yet taken effect. The Peruvian military has a paratrooper unit which it uses today to seize the port city of Puerto Bolivar. This is the first time in the Americas (and one of the very few times ever) that airborne troops are used to successfully seize a strategic objective from enemy control.

Soviet Military: The NKVD executes the son and nephews, four teens in total, of Lavrentiy Beria's old nemesis Nestor Lakoba in Moscow. In addition, the State Defense Committee condemns to death nine more Soviet officers whose crime is failing to stop the Germans.

General Douglas MacArthur.

US Military: General MacArthur, promoted officially to Lieutenant General as he returns to active duty in the US Army today, establishes his headquarters at No. 1 Calle Victoria in Manila. MacArthur makes his quarters in the building's penthouse. He controls the newly created United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). USAFFE has roughly 20,000 troops in the Philippines, many of whom are Philippine auxiliaries. MacArthur is uniquely positioned to supervise operations in the Philippines because he has been a Philippine Field Marshal for several years despite having retired from the US Army in the late 1930s.

General Lemelsen receives the Knight's Cross at the hand of Adolf Hitler on or about 27 July 1941 (Heinrich Hoffmann).

German Military: The German commander in chief of the Order Police in occupied Kraków issues an order that brings into existence the local municipal police force (UP) in the occupied Ukrainian SSR. In the newly formed Reichskommissariat Ukraine the auxiliary police forces are named Schutzmannschaft. The units are used primarily to keep order and carry out constabulary duties, but also participate in various war crimes relating to the Holocaust.

General der Panzertruppe Joachim Hermann August Lemelsen receives the Knights Cross today for his performance in command of the 47 Panzerkorps at Smolensk.

Luftwaffe ace (27 victories) Hans Kolbow, KIA 17 July 1941 south of Stara Bychow by Soviet flak, is posthumously awarded the Ritterkreuz.

Japanese Government: Japan Finance Minister Masatsune Ogura announces that the proper plan for Japan is to "forge ahead towards the establishment of the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity sphere." The Imperial General Headquarters is reaching the same conclusion and making plans to strike to the south, not north toward the Soviet Union in order to help its ally Germany.

A Peruvian Navy Almirante Grau class cruiser in Ecuadorian waters during the Peruvian/Ecuadorian conflict, July 1941.

British Government: The government nationalizes the railroads for the duration.

German Government: During his evening rambles with cronies, Hitler gives his vision of a successful campaign in the USSR:

We must take care to prevent a military power from ever again establishing itself on this side of the Urals, for our neighbors to the West would always be allied with our neighbors to the East. That's how the French once made common cause with the Turks, and now the English are behaving in the same fashion with the Soviets. When I say, on this side of the Urals, I mean a line running two or three hundred kilometers east of the Urals.

Heretofore, there has been virtually no discussion within the German government as to what a successful conclusion to Operation Barbarossa would look like. At least now Hitler indicates that the limit of the Wehrmacht's advance would be slightly beyond the Ural mountain range. Presumably, a decapitated Soviet state would remain on the far side of the Urals, with the Wehrmacht watching it sort of like Roman soldiers manning the Danube.

Iceland: Advance units of the US 45th Infantry Division arrive at Reykjavik. US transport American Legion sets sail for Iceland from Norfolk, Virginia carrying part of the USAAF 33rd Pursuit Squadron. Its planes travel aboard the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7). US Task Force TF.16, led by battleship Mississippi, escorts the Wasp to the north.

Jews at Kovno, Lithuania being assembled before being led to the Seventh Fort to be executed by the Lithuanian militia, 27 July 1941 (Yad Vashem Photo Archives 76BO2).

Holocaust: At Vilna, A German shakedown effort of the Jewish community gets deadly when the Germans execute two Judenrat members due to the inability of the Jewish community to meet a ransom demand.

Germans in Belgrade take 1200 Jews from Belgrade to the Tasmajdan concentration camp, where about 120 are shot.

Clothing taken from Jews in Ponas, Ukraine is sold.

Dutch Homefront: The Freiwillingen Legion Niederlander (Dutch Volunteer Legion), an auxiliary force for the SS, is established under the command of Lieutenant-General Henry Alexander Seyffardt.

American Homefront: David Ross Brower becomes the first to climb the Lost Brother peak in the Sierra Nevada, one of 33 peaks in the mountain range that he is the first to ascend. This apparently is Brower's last "first" in the range. He later recounts his experiences in "A Climber's Guide to the High Sierra" (Sierra Club, 1954). Brower will serve as a lieutenant in the US 10th Mountain Division and earn a Bronze Star in action in Italy.

Future History: Andrew McMaster is born in Carlton, Glasgow, Scotland. He becomes a very successful songwriter during the 1970s, writing or co-writing hits for the UK charts such as "Airport," "Forget About You," and "Dancing the Night Away." Andy McMaster continues to release material as of 2018.

The German forces arriving in Mogilev tell the Jewish women that they have to 'register' with the authorities. On or about 28 July 1941 (Kessler, Rudolf, Federal Archive).

July 1941

July 1, 1941: US TV Broadcasting Starts
July 2, 1941: MAUD Report
July 3, 1941: Stalin Speaks
July 4, 1941: Pogroms in Eastern Europe
July 5, 1941: Germans on Schedule
July 6, 1941: Australians Attack Damour
July 7, 1941: US Marines in Iceland
July 8, 1941: Flying Fortresses In Action
July 9, 1941: British Take Damour
July 10, 1941: Sword and Scabbard Order
July 11, 1941: Cease-fire in Syria and Lebanon
July 12, 1941: Anglo/Russian Assistance Pact
July 13, 1941: Uprising in Montenegro
July 14, 1941: Katyusha Rocket Launchers in Action
July 15, 1941: Smolensk Falls
July 16, 1941: Stalin's Son Captured
July 17, 1941: Heydrich Orders Mass Executions
July 18, 1941: Twin Pimples Raid
July 19, 1941: V for Victory
July 20, 1941: The Man Who Wouldn't Shoot
July 21, 1941: Moscow in Flames
July 22, 1941: Soviet Generals Executed
July 23, 1941: Secret Plan JB 355
July 24, 1941: Operation Sunrise
July 25, 1941: US Naval Alert
July 26, 1941: Italian E-Boat Attack on Malta
July 27, 1941: MacArthur Returns
July 28, 1941: Auschwitz Exterminations
July 29, 1941: Rescue From Crete
July 30, 1941: Raid on Petsamo and Kirkenes
July 31, 1941: Final Solution Order

2020

Friday 27 June 1941

Finnish soldiers replace the barrel of a Pz. II. Suomussalmi, Kuivajärvi, Finland - 27 June 1941 (Source: SA-kuva).

Eastern Front: Purportedly in response to the controversial (because the actual source of it is unclear) air attack on Kassa on the 26th - but almost certainly stemming from deeper impulses - Hungary declares war upon the Soviet Union. While not exactly a major military power, Hungary does have a capable army and a geopolitically important location in the heart of Europe. Hungary's main beef, however, is not with the Soviets, but with its neighbor to the south - Romania. For the time being, those differences will be set aside in the hope that everyone will acquire vast new holdings in the East.

The Finnish sector remains quiet. The Finns are preparing plans for an invasion of the Karelian Isthmus but are not yet ready to attack, while the Soviets are hard-pressed against the Germans and are pulling troops away from the northern sector.

In the Army Group North sector, Adolf Hitler has directed the leading panzer elements of Field Marshal von Leeb's forces to consolidate their positions while the infantry catches up. This includes reinforcing the small bridgehead across the Dvina River secured by German commandos at Daugavpils. German 18th Army advancing along the coast takes the port of Liepaja.

Germans using a captured French Cavalry Tank, a Somua S35 Nr282 from Panzerzug Nr 28, and a T-26B from the German 45 Infantry Division during the battle at the Brest fortress. 25-27 June 1941. The tanks are being prepared to attack the fortress.

In the Army Group Center sector, General Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group completes an encirclement by hooking up with General Hoth's 3rd Panzer Group. The German advance forms two pockets: one around Bialystok, and the other west of Minsk. Inside the pockets are large elements of the Soviet 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, and 13th Armies. German 9th and 4th Armies will invest the pocket while the panzers are released to advance further east. Eventually, the Germans claim to have captured 324,000 Soviet troops, 3,300 tanks, and 1800 artillery pieces.

In the Army Group South sector, the German 17th Army continues advancing toward Lviv. Advance elements of the German 11th Panzer Division reach Ostrog, which is 30 km behind Soviet lines. However, the main story is the frantic Soviet effort to stop or blunt the German advance.

A Soviet counterattack against the advancing 1st Panzer Group from both north and south continues at the Battle of Brody. The Soviet 9th, 19th, and 8th Mechanized Corps are involved, but the Soviet attacks are uncoordinated and self-supporting. Some of the Soviet attacks miss the fast-moving panzers and instead hit the following German 6th Army's 297th Infantry Division.

German column passes a Soviet heavy tank KV-2 which has been destroyed by its own crew, 27 June 1941. This is at the commencement of the 41st Panzer Division move from Kovel (Federal Archive).

The major attack of the day occurs by the tanks of Soviet Lieutenant-General Nikolai Popel, commander of the 8th Tank Corps. A People's Commissar and thus subject to execution if caught by the Germans, Popel has about 300 tanks, including 100 T-34 and KV tanks which are the only types the Soviets have which are giving the Germans trouble. Popel hits the rear of the 11th Panzer Division, cutting its line of communications and taking the crossroads town of Dubno. General Franz Halder writes in his diary:

In the Army Group South sector, heavy fighting continues on the right flank of Panzer Group 1. The Russian 8th Tank Corps has effected a deep penetration of our front and is now in the rear of the 11th Panzer Division. This penetration has seriously disrupted our rear areas between Brody and Dubno. The enemy is threatening Dubno from the southwest ... the enemy also has several separate tank groups acting in the rear of Panzer Group 1, which are managing to cover considerable distances.

Popel decides to dig in at Dubno and await reinforcements. Other Soviet forces hear of Popel's success and plan their own attacks on the 28th.

However, the Soviet leadership is doubtful that Popel's attack will lead to good things. General Kirponos orders a halt to the counteroffensive, fearing that advancing into the Wehrmacht's flanks will simply make it easier for the panzers to encircle them. In fact, Kirponos is so fearful that, rather than try to exploit Popel's success, he orders a general retreat.

German troops of the 45th Infantry Division using a captured Soviet T-26B during the battle around the Brest Fortress, 25 or 27 June 1941. Using "found" weapons is a common practice - in fact, behind the T-26 you can see a Somua S-35 French Cavalry Tank from Panzerzug Nr. 28.

When Chief of Staff Georgy Zhukov hears of this, he immediately countermands Kirponos' orders. Even though Kirponos' orders to retreat stand for only two hours, they cause confusion throughout the widely scattered Soviet forces. Some Soviet commanders, such as the commander of the 9th Mechanized Corps General Rokossovsky, agree with Kirponos and decide to simply ignore Zhukov's new orders to attack - a very brave decision in the Soviet Union. All of this leads to recriminations that are typical of this period within the Soviet military.

The Luftwaffe continues to have dominance over Soviet skies. However, it is taking losses. One of those today is 34-victory ace Heinz "Pietzsch" Bretnütz, shot down over Lithuania in the opening operations of Operation Barbarossa. Lithuanian farmers hide him from Soviet soldiers for several days, but just after the Wehrmacht arrives, he dies today from a leg injury. Bretnütz was the leader of II./JG 53. While the Luftwaffe has a broad spectrum of pilots who are among the best in the world, it does not have a tremendous amount of depth - so losses of top pilots like Bretnütz matter.

Heinz "Pietzsch" Bretnütz (24 January 1914 – 27 June 1941).

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: While major operations are in a lull after the capture of Damascus, the Australians continue consolidating their position. The 2/3 Battalion makes a major effort to capture Jebel Mazar in the Merdjayoun sector. While this mainly consists of simply organizing a party to climb the massif, the Vichy French cannot fail to see this. They immediately send units of the I/17th Senegalese, V/1st Moroccan, and other foreign troops in an unsuccessful counterattack.

Elsewhere, the Vichy French continue to resist fiercely. At Palmyra, site of a major French airbase, the French continue to hold out against the British Habforce lingering in the area.

Royal Navy light cruisers HMS Hotspur, Jervis, Kingston, and Naiad bombard Damour, Lebanon (south of Beirut) at dawn to aid the arduous Australian advance up the coast.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command attacks Bremen (108 bombers) and Vegesack (28) during the night.

During the day, RAF Fighter Command sends 23 planes on a Circus mission over Lille. The RAF also conducts two sweeps over the French coast.

German  45th Infantry Division using a captured T-26B during the fight at the Brest-Litowsk fortress, 25 or 27 June 1941. Near the T-26 is a Somua S-35 from Panzerzug Nr. 28.

East African Campaign: The East African 22nd Infantry Brigade captures Dembi in Galla-Sidamo, Abyssinia. The RAF attacks Italian fortifications at Debra Tabor.

Battle of the Baltic: German motor torpedo boats S.59 and S.60 torpedo and sink Soviet submarine S.10 in the Irben Strait.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Soviet G-5 motor torpedo boats N. 27 and No. 47 off Estonia.

German motor torpedo boats S-43 and S-107 hits a mine and blows up north of Hiiumaa.

Soviet submarine L-3 lays mines off of Memel. Finnish ships also lay mines.

The Soviets scuttle freighter Mariampol at Riga as they prepare to retreat.

The Wehrmacht captures many ships of the Latvian State Shipping Co. at the Port of Liepaja, including:

• MV AUSEKLIS (SU 1700 grt)
• MV VELTA (SU 3100 grt)
• MV VENTA (SU 2830 grt) 
• MV KAIA (SU 244 grt) 
• MV OGRE (SU 416 grt) 
• MV RAUNA (SU 3100 grt) 
• MV SPIDOLA (SU 4650 grt) 

Undoubtedly there also are many smaller ships captured in this and other ports.

Soldiers on both sides are dying in massive numbers on the Eastern Front. Gunner Heinz Sagawe, killed June 27, 1941

Battle of the Atlantic: It is a haphazard day at sea, with heavy losses by both sides. In particular, it is a bad day for Axis submarines, with two sunk and others suffering furious depth-charge attacks.

U-556 (Kptlt. Herbert Wohlfarth), on its second patrol out of Lorient and operating midway between southern Greenland and Iceland, attacks Convoy HX-133 but attracts the attention of convoy escorts. U-556 is sunk by depth charges from the British Flower-class corvettes HMS Nasturtium, Celandine, and Gladiolus. Five of the crew are killed and 41 (including Wohlfarth) survive. U-556 has sunk six ships totaling 29,552 tons and damaged another of 4,986 tons.

U-564 (KrvKpt. Reinhard Suhren), on its first patrol out of Kiel and operating in the mid-Atlantic, also attacks Convoy HX-133. He is a little luckier. The U-boat sinks two ships and damages a third:

8812-ton Dutch tanker Maasdam8651-ton British tanker Malaya II
9467-ton Norwegian tanker MV Kongsgaard

Some sources state that the Kongsgaard was damaged on the 24th, but most agree it was during this attack. In any event, it initially is abandoned by its crew, but they later reboard and Kongsgaard ultimately makes it to Belfast Lough. Incidentally, given that both U-556 and U-564 attack the convoy and only U-564 makes it back, there is always the possibility, however remote, that one of these hits was made by U-556 and not U-564.

Colonel-General Adolf Strauss (with Knight's Cross, right) discussing the situation with a captain over the map, 27 June 1941 (Lessmann, Federal Archive, Bild 146-1985-037-34A).

U-79 (Kptlt. Wolfgang Kaufmann), on its first patrol out of Kiel and also operating in the mid-Atlantic southwest of Iceland, also attacks Convoy HX-133. It torpedoes and damages 10,356-ton Dutch tanker Tibia. The Tibia makes it to the Tyne for repairs.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Wishart spots Italian submarine Glauco west of Gibraltar and moves in to attack. After the submarine is damaged, the Glauco's crew scuttles it and goes into captivity. All 51 aboard the submarine survive.

U-69 (Kptlt. Jost Metzler), just ending its third patrol out of Lorient and operating off the west African coast, sights Convoy SL-78. It torpedoes and sinks two ships about 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) southeast of the Azores:

7603-ton British transport Empire Ability (two deaths, 107 survive)
5423-ton British freighter River Lugar (38 dead, 6 survivors rescued by convoy escorts Burdock and Armeria).

U-69 still has not returned to port since the sinking of US freighter Robin Moor, which caused an international incident. However, having just used its last two torpedoes and low on fuel, U-69 now breaks off the attack and heads back to port at St. Nazaire. However, it notifies U-boat headquarters in Paris of the convoy's location, and Admiral Doenitz vectors in U-66 and U-123 for further attacks.

U-123 (Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle), on its fifth patrol out of Lorient, then also attacks Convoy SL-78. It sinks two ships:

5646-ton British ship P.L.M. 22 (32 dead, 12 survive)
1996-ton Dutch freighter Oberon (6 dead)

U-123 then takes the full fury of the Royal Navy escorts' fury at having lost so many ships in one day. In an epic 11-hour depth-charge attack, Moehle has to dive to an unheard-of 654 feet (199 m) to escape destruction.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Clyde departs from Gibraltar on Operation Vigorous. This is a patrol near the Canary Islands looking for a German supply ship that has been reported in the area.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 324-ton Royal Navy minesweeping trawler HMT Force off Great Yarmouth.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 6790-ton Dutch freighter Montferland off Great Yarmouth. Everyone survives.

German 8068-ton blockade runner Regensburg (Kpt. Harder) arrives in Bordeaux, France. It successfully has made passage halfway around the world from Dairen (aka Dalian, Port Arthur), China. These blockade runners are vital to the German economy because they bring materials such as rubber that are becoming scarce.

Royal Navy submarine Submarine L-26 grounds on the west coast of Mull, Scotland. She is refloated on the 28th, taken to Ardrossan and then Plymouth for repairs, and is out of service until February 1942.

Danish freighter Knud Villemoes hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) northeast of Steingrun Prik, Heligoland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Convoy WS-9B (Winston Special) departs from Avonmouth (the convoy doesn't formally start until the 30th) ultimately bound for Suez, Convoy OB-340 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL-79 departs from Freetown bound for Liverpool.

"A 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun in the Western Desert, 27 June 1941." © IWM (E 3870).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Triumph intercepts and sinks 650-ton Italian submarine Salpa off Marsa Matruh.

Italian submarine Jantina attacks Australian sloop HMAS Parramatta off Marsa Matruh. The torpedo misses, and Parramatta launches an unsuccessful depth charge attack against the submarine along with destroyer HMS Stuart. However, the Jantina escapes.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, pursuant to Operation Railway, delivers 21 Hawker Hurricane fighters to Malta (one other is lost). Furious then sails back to Gibraltar.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Osiris makes an unsuccessful attack on a freighter in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

An Axis convoy of four ships with escorts departs from Taranto bound for Tripoli. It has a heavy escort (some at a distance) including two cruisers and seven destroyers.

Over Malta, the RAF continues to have success against the Regia Aeronautica. A formation of Hawker Hurricanes intercepts a large formation of Italian Macchi fighters - considered to be among Italy's best. The British shoot down six of the Italian planes and damage several others. This is Italy's version of RAF Circus operations over France, as the large formation of Macchi's only escort one SM-79 bomber that is there only to entice the Hurricanes into battle.

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet submarine SC-206 spots a ship and attacks it. Unfortunately for the crew of the SC-206, it is a fellow Soviet ship, Flotilla Leader Kharkov, which is returning from operations off Romania. The Soviet ships escorting the Kharkiv quickly attack and sink SC-206.

Battle of the Pacific: German raider Komet makes a rendezvous with captured whaler Adjutant, which has just completed laying mines off of New Zealand. With its usefulness at an end, Adjutant is scuttled and Komet sails off on its next mission.

British war casualties notice published on 27 June 1941 in the Times and the Clitheroe Advertiser.

War Crimes: This is always a controversial section, and not everyone will agree that something is a war crime - that's what trials are for, and most suspected war crimes during World War II were not adjudicated at any time. Many such incidents during the war occur simply due to ignorance or misunderstandings by the parties involved and not due to malevolence. This appears to be one of them. However, I place suspect incidents here for you to judge for yourself.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 288-ton Latvian ferry Vieniba, apparently being used as a hospital ship, near Libava (Libau). The ship sinks close enough to land for eight crewmen to swim to shore, and five other people are rescued later. However, an unknown number of people estimated at around 800 perish in the sinking, including many Latvians. The ship reputedly is carrying a large number of wounded soldiers.

There is a major caveat to the "loss" figures, as some claim that many Estonian crewmen survive the sinking. However, according to these rumors, they decide not to reveal their survival because they do not wish to get killed in the war. So, the figure of 800 dead may be somewhat lower - but not necessarily.

The reason this is a controversial sinking is (with the proviso that these are unreliable sources) the Wehrmacht knows that the Vieniba is a hospital ship and agree not to attack it. However, this information does not get to the Luftwaffe, which sinks it anyway.

Partisans: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia appoints Joseph Broz "Tito" as Commander-in-Chief of the Yugoslavian Peoples Army. This is one of two competing partisan forces that are in the embryonic phase in Yugoslavia - and they have a very difficult relationship.

Battleship Iowa under construction New York Navy Yard, New York, United States 27 June 1941.

Spy Stuff: The Japanese decide that getting charts of the Panama Canal zone out of the Zone is too dangerous because all departing passengers and luggage are being searched. However, they still want the charts, which they plan to use in a future attack on the Panama Canal. The Japanese continue exerting diplomatic efforts through various sources (such as the Japanese minister in Mexico) to prevent airline authorities (specifically Pan American Airways) from searching diplomatic luggage.

Propaganda: In public, the Soviet government pretends that all is well. Today, it announces:

Our troops are fighting fiercely against large Fascist armoured units in the Minsk area. The battle is still going on. Violent armored conflicts have been waged all day near Lutsk [in western Ukraine; in Polish, it means "Luck"]. Our operations have proceeded favorably.

In fact, operations are not proceeding favorably at all. These "happy statements" mirror those of previously besieged regimes, particularly the Poles (and Baghdad Bob decades later, but that's another story).

This isn't fooling anyone. According to British correspondent Alexander Werth in "Russia at War 1941 to 1945" (London 1964), savvy Soviet citizens know how to read between the lines and "decode" official statements. When a communique says that there is successful fighting "in the direction or" or "in the area" of such-and-such place, it simply means the fighting has reached that city and it is about to fall. Thus, the official statements are a handy way of keeping track of how far the German invasion has penetrated. They also provide clues as to how much time is left before the readers themselves will have to seek refuge or welcome the invaders.

"A Bren gunner of the Norwegian Brigade takes aim during training at Dumfries, Scotland, 27 June 1941." © IWM (H 11120).

Anglo/Soviet Relations: A British military mission led by Ambassador Sir Stafford Cripps arrives in Moscow. Privately, the members fear they will have to be evacuated soon - when the Germans arrive.

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

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

Japanese/Dutch Relations: The Japanese conclude negotiations with the government in the Dutch East Indies. They have not gotten what they wanted, which is complete control of all exports.

Soviet Military: The government mobilizes members of the Komsomol - the Soviet equivalent of the Hitler Youth - as "political soldiers."

Douglas XB-19.

US Military: The Douglas XB-19 experimental long-range bomber (XBLR-2) makes its first flight over Santa Monica, California. It is the largest bomber in the world. The four-engined bomber has a length of 132.25 feet (40,34 meters), a wingspan of 212 feet (64.62 meters), an empty weight of 86,000 pounds (39,009 kilograms), a normal range of 5,200 miles (8,369 km) and a maximum range of 7,710 miles (12 408 kilometers). It is contemplated that the X-19 will have a normal complement of 16 crew.

This first flight goes well, though the four 2,000 hp Wright R-3350 air-cooled radials engines show a tendency to overheat. The real problem is that this flight is over three years since the construction contract was awarded. During that time, the B-17 has gone from the drawing board to airfields in England. Already, the expensive XB-19 bomber is considered past its prime and virtually obsolete, but the US Army Air Force considers it a useful test-bed for future bombers. Douglas is not particularly happy about the contract - it has sunk $4 million of its own money into the bomber's development above and beyond the $1.4 million that it has received from the USAAF.

Kaunas, Lithuania, Jewish men dragging a German tank under the supervision of German soldiers and local militiamen, 27 June 1941 (Source: Yad Vashem Photo Archive).

German Government: Adolf Hitler remains planted at his new headquarters in Rastenburg, East Prussia. This enables him to pose as "leading from the front" in headlines around the world, though he could have as much control over operations by sitting at his desk in the Chancellery in Berlin.

While this situation meets Hitler's needs, his staff privately is grumbling about the environment. General Alfred Jodl's staff diarist writes in a private letter:

We are being plagued by the most awful mosquitoes.  It would be hard to pick on a more senseless site than this—deciduous forest with marshy pools, sandy ground, and stagnant lakes, ideal for these loathsome creatures.

Having little to do seems to focus Hitler on the minutiae of operations, something that previously he largely left to the generals. He begins coming to the conclusion - as he had at Dunkirk in May 1940 - that the panzers are rushing ahead too fast and need to be restrained, especially in the Army Group North sector.

The massacre of 68 Jews in the Lietukis garage of Kaunas (Lithuania) on either 25 or 27 of June 1941.

Holycaust: The Einsatzgruppen (special execution squads) are enthusiastically following closely behind the front lines and quickly going to work. Mass liquidations of Jews in Bialystok begin. There also is a notorious massacre at a Kaunas (Kovno) garage which some place on this date, and others on the 25th (and may, in fact, take place on both dates).

Without taking anything away from the culpability of the Einsatzgruppen, many of these pogroms are public and entirely in the open, with locals eagerly participating. In fact, often local citizens take up crowbars or other blunt instruments and beat their victims in front of laughing crowds.

American Homefront: New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio gets a home run and another hit in three at-bats against the Philadelphia Athletics. This extends his hitting streak to 39 games.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer releases "They Met in Bombay," starring Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell. Gable and Russell play jewel thieves whose plans fall apart when Gable's character inadvertently becomes a war hero.

Future History: Krzysztof Kieślowski is born in Warsaw, Poland. He grows up to become a top European director perhaps best known for "Dekalog" (1989), "The Double Life of Veronique" (1991), and the "Three Colors trilogy" (1993–1994).

Demonstration on the occasion of a visit by Government Commissioner Seyss-Inquart and Anton Mussert, leader of the N.S.B. Asked if the invasion of the Soviet Union five days earlier was to have led to German rule over the European continent: "Yes, even over the whole world," according to Seyss-Inquart.

June 1941

June 1, 1941: Farhud Pogrom
June 2, 1941: Massacres on Crete
June 3, 1941: Kandanos Massacre
June 4, 1941: Kaiser Wilhelm Passes Away
June 5, 1941: Death in Chungking
June 6, 1941: Hitler's Commissar Order
June 7, 1941: Commandos Strike at Pessac
June 8, 1941: British Invade Syria and Lebanon
June 9, 1941: Litani River Battle
June 10, 1941: British Take Assab
June 11, 1941: Hitler Thinking Beyond Russia
June 12, 1941: St. James Agreement
June 13, 1941: Lützow Damaged
June 14, 1941: Latvian June Deportations
June 15, 1941: Operation Battleaxe
June 16, 1941: The Old Lion
June 17, 1941: British Spanked in North Africa
June 18, 1941: Turkey Turns Its Back
June 19, 1941: Cheerios Introduced
June 20, 1941: Birth of US Army Air Force
June 21, 1941: Damascus Falls
June 22, 1941: Germany Invades Russia
June 23, 1941: A Soviet KV Tank Causes Havoc
June 24, 1941: Kaunas and Vilnius Fall
June 25, 1941: Finland Declares War
June 26, 1941: Bombing of Kassa
June 27, 1941: Encirclement At Minsk
June 28, 1941: Minsk Falls
June 29, 1941: Brest Fortress Falls
June 30, 1941: Mölders Becomes Top Ace

2020