SS Normandie on its side after capsizing in New York Harbor on 9 February 1942.
Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese in the early morning hours of 9 February 1942 win the Battle of Sarimbun Beach on Singapore Island, forcing the defending Australian soldiers of the 22nd Brigade to retreat. The three Australian battalions that had been defending this sector in northwest Singapore are overwhelmed as the Japanese continue pouring troops across the Strait and move back toward the center of the island. The Japanese advance out of their bridgehead and pursue the retreating Australians through several large estates. A fierce battle erupts around Tengah Airfield, with the defending Australian troops losing hundreds of men killed and hundreds more are wounded. After dark, the British send three British Fairmile B motor launches on a dangerous raid through the Straits of Johor to disrupt the Japanese communications to the troops at Sarim and succeed beyond all expectations, destroying some landing craft and returning intact to base.
SS Normandie after burning and capsizing in New York Harbor on 9 February 1942. Note the car traffic passing by, getting a good view.
Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival, the island commander, remains convinced throughout the night that the Japanese invasion in the northwest is just a feint. He waits until mid-morning to send reinforcements, and these consist of only two half-strength battalions of the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade. Major-General Gordon Bennett, in command of the Australian troops, attempts to consolidate his forces at the Kranji-Jurong Switch Line east of Tengah Airfield - effectively ceding the airfield to the Japanese. The Japanese under General Tomoyuki Yamashita press on despite heavy casualties themselves and the Australian defensive line holds for only a few hours. This stage of the invasion is called the Battle of Kranji. At 23:00, the Japanese land troops just to the west of the causeway, and the Australian defenders quickly retreat in an effort to defend the critical southern part of Singapore. As the day ends, the Japanese are in possession of the northwestern half of the island, including the island's high ground, and the Allies' situation is chaotic but not yet completely lost.
The Lowell, Massachusetts, Sun reports in its 9 February 1942 that the "Singapore Situation Is Well In Hand." To be fair, it is only relaying the reports being sent from Singapore by Australian commander General Gordon Bennett. Of course, the map just underneath the headline shows a Japanese invasion in progress, but that is just a pesky detail everything is well in hand.
With the Main Line of Resistance (MLR) on the Bataan Peninsula holding firm, the Allies' attacks on the Japanese pockets behind it continue to have success. In the western I Corps sector, the 1st Division, Philippine Army, eliminated the smaller of two pockets (the "Little Pocket") and joins the battle against the nearby "Big Pocket." The Japanese in the Big Pocket know they are in trouble, but their attempted breakouts fail. Far to the south, the 2d Battalion, 57th Infantry, Philippine Scouts, takes over the fight in the center of the line at the Anyasan-Silaiim pocket and makes some progress.
In the Netherlands East Indies, the Japanese land about 8000 troops near Makassar City and south of Makassar at Jeneponto on Celebes Island. They make good progress toward Makassar, taking a key bridge into the city.
The St. Louis, Missouri, Post-Dispatch notes the passing over the British Isles of "Poet Flyer" fighter pilot John Gillespie Magee, Jr. Magee, an Anglo-American volunteer with the Royal Canadian Air Force, perished on 11 December 1941 during an accidental mid-air collision.
The USAAF Fifth Air Force is redeploying its forces over long distances, and this is not easily accomplished. A flight of planes (three 5th Air Force A-24 Dauntlesses, nine P-40s, and an LB-30 Liberator guide) from Australia to a waypoint at Koepang Airdrome on Timor encounters bad weather at the airfield. Forced to land anyway due to fuel exhaustion, all nine P-40s crash. To compound the tragedy, Dutch anti-aircraft gunners at the airfield mistake the planes for Japanese attackers and shoot three A-24s down. They also damage two of the remaining three A-24s, which later are forced to return to Australia for repairs along with the LB-30. This leaves exactly one plane out of the large flight, an A-24, to continue on to the final destination on Java.
The 9 February 1942 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald-Journal correctly and quickly reports that the Japanese have invaded Singapore Island.
US Navy submarine USS Trout (Lt.Cdr. F.W. Fenno), on its second war patrol out of Pearl Harbor, is on a secret mission to evacuate 20 tons of gold bars and silver pesos, one officer, and mail from the Philippines when she spots a Japanese gunboat about 55 nautical miles from Keelung, Formosa. Commander Fenno firest a torpedo at the gunboat and sinks it, then returns to Pearl Harbor with the gold.
Eastern Front: The Luftwaffe airlift to the encircled German garrison at Demyansk and Kholm is underway. The German troops in the larger pocket at Demyansk, II Corps, have reported that they require 300 tons of supplies every day to survive. This is a lot of supplies to ferry, considering that every Junkers Ju-52 could only carry about one ton of supplies. The transports are slow and very vulnerable to the Red Air Force fighter attack, so they have to fly in "convoys" of 20 to 40 planes with fighter cover. The airfields within the Demyansk pocket are under sustained bombing attacks, which makes landings difficult at best and sometimes impossible. In the latter situation, the cargo containers are dropped through the bomb bay doors with parachutes and sometimes drift into enemy territory. Early indications are that the airlift will never reach its goal of 300 tons of supplies, but may barely carry enough to keep the soldiers fighting until they can be relieved.
European Air Operations: There are no major operations today due to winter weather conditions.
SS Normandie after catching fire and capsizing on 9 February 1942 (US Navy).
Battle of the Atlantic: The 83,423-ton French ocean liner SS Normandie, which has been seized by US authorities and renamed USS Lafayette, suddenly catches fire while being converted to a troopship at her berth in upper Manhattan. After a long fight by local firefighters, Normandie capsizes in the shallow water next to the dock. After salvaging her, the US Navy decides that the ship is too costly to restore. SS Normandie, having sat idle throughout the war, is sold as scrap on 3 October 1946. The scrapping is completed by 31 December 1948. The Normandie, launched in 1932, is 1029-feet long and the first vessel laid in compliance with the 1929 SOLAS Convention (Safety of Life at Sea).
U-654 (Oblt. Ludwig Forster), on its second patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks Free French corvette Alysse in the western Atlantic. There are 34 deaths.
U-586 (Oblt. Dietrich von der Esch), on its first patrol out of Kiel, torpedoes and damages 9057-ton Norwegian tanker Anna Knudsen north of Scotland. The tanker makes it to port with the assistance of a tug.
British freighter SS Empire Fusilier, sunk by U-85 on 9 February 1942.
U-85 (Oblt. Eberhard Greger), on its third patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 5408-ton British freighter Empire Fusilier southeast of St. John's, Newfoundland. The freighter was part of Convoy ON-60 but has been dispersed. There are nine deaths and 38 survivors.
U-108 (KrvKpt. Klaus Scholtz), on its sixth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 1974-ton Norwegian freighter Tolosa off the North Carolina coast. All 22 crew perish.
SS Tolosa, sunk by U-108 on 9 February 1942 with no survivors.
At Brest, Occupied France, the ships that are scheduled to participate in the Channel Dash, Operation Cerberus, complete their sea trials after being inactive for a year. With everything now ready for the breakout through the English Channel, the date for departure is confirmed for the evening of 11 February 1942. The Germans know that there are many spies in town, so they practice a disinformation campaign by loading the ships with oil barrels marked "For use in the Tropics" and tropical helmets. This deception works exceedingly well, and while locals can easily surmise that the ships are departing, the local spies never alert the British Admiralty that the ships will be heading north.
Free French corvette Alysse, sunk by U-654 on 9 February 1942.
Battle of the Mediterranean: The two sides have settled down to garrison duty in Libya, but fighting continues off the coast. Luftwaffe planes attack convoy AT-27 near Mersa Matruh and damage Royal Navy escort destroyer HMS Farndale. The Farndale makes it back to Alexandria in tow.
War Crimes: At Makassar City, a company of native soldiers takes a Japanese unit by surprise at a bridge they have captured and inflict numerous casualties. In reprisal, the Japanese take the Dutch prisoners they have taken at the bridge, tie them together in groups of three, and throw them off the bridge to drown. This is the Makassar Massacre.
A12 infantry tank Mk II "Matilda" II comes ashore from a landing craft during combined operations training involving the 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade at Ras Sudr in Egypt, 9 February 1942.
Chinese/British Relations: Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, Madame Chiang, make a somewhat hazardous trip to India for a 13-day visit. This visit helps to mend some of the bad feelings between the two Allies that have arisen from their conflicting claims on U.S. lend-lease supplies in Burma.
Allied Relations: The Pacific War Council, composed of representatives from the U.K., Australia, Netherlands East Indies, and New Zealand, is formed in London. This complements the American-British-Dutch-Australian military command (ABDACOM). The United States is not yet a member but will become one on 1 April 1942.
Time magazine of 9 February 1942, featuring Robert A. Lovett on the cover (Ernest Hamlin Baker). Lovett is an assistant secretary of war for air and oversees the massive expansion of the US Army Air Forces.
US Military: The 78th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) and its three subordinate units, the 82d, 83d and 84th Pursuit Squadrons (Interceptor), USAAF, are activated at Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana. This will become the 78th Fighter Group later in 1942 and eventually serve in the European Theater of Operations.
The 30th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 28th Composite Group, transfers its B-18 Bolo bombers from Elmendorf Field to Ft Greeley, Kodiak. These 1936 bombers are considered almost obsolete and soon are relegated to antisubmarine, transport duty, and training.
Medical Physics Building (Donner Lab) at Berkeley Lab, taken February 9, 1942. (US National Archives).
Finland: Lauri Kristian Relander, the 2nd President of Finland 1925-1931, passes away from heart failure at the age of 58.
Canada: In four by-elections, candidates opposed to conscription are defeated.
American Homefront: Congress imposes daylight saving time by pushing ahead standard time by one hour in each time zone. This is known as "War Time." The idea originated in New Zealand in the 19th Century, was used by both sides during World War I, and is based on a theory that more daylight in the morning aids efficiency and saves on energy costs. In addition, Congress also standardizes timekeeping throughout the United States by establishing five time zones. This law standardizing time remains in effect throughout World War II but is repealed shortly afterward. It is resuscitated in 1966 with the Uniform Time Act, which establishes daylight saving time from the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.
Newsweek magazine, 9 February 1942.
Future History: Carol Joan Klein is born in New York City, New York. Carol begins taking music lessons at the age of four, then forms a band at James Madison High School called the Co-Sines. At this time she changes her name to Carole King. Her first recording, "The Right Girl," is in 1958. At Queens College, Carol meets and marries Gerry Goffin, and together they form a songwriting partnership. Carole's friend Neil Sedaka writes a song about her called "Oh! Carol" which becomes a minor hit, and not long after that Carole King and Gerry Goffin write "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," which becomes a No. 1 hit for the Shirelles. After this, the duo writes a string of classic hits, including "One Fine Day" for the Chiffons, "Up on the Roof" by the Drifters, and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" for the Monkees. After getting divorced, Carole King goes on to a legendary solo composing and singing career with her No. 1 album "Tapestry" winning four Grammy awards and becoming one of the rock era's classic recordings. Carole King goes on to a long and successful musical career and remains active as of this writing in the 21st Century.
Life magazine, 9 February 1942, featuring the Versailles Chorus (from a feature on nightclubs) on the cover.
Bf 109 F-2 WNr. 8086 of Uffz Alfred Döllefeld "Gelbe 7", 9./JG 54, Notlandung 28.January 1942 at Gr. Machim due to engine damage (damage reported as 30%). Eastern Front, Winter 1941-1942.
Battle of the Mediterranean: After a couple of days when operations were stopped by a desert sandstorm, Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps on 28 January 1942 once again approaches Benghazi. Rommel's forces also have been hampered by fuel shortages, enabling vulnerable British troops at Msus to escape. The Germans make good time, brushing aside British outposts at Ghemines on the coast along the line of approach, at Soluq just to the east of Ghemines, and at Regina, east of Benghazi. Some British and Commonwealth troops remain in the port but know they are in danger. Many already have escaped to the southeast or have been taken out by ship or plane. The panzers approach Benghazi from three directions, with the bulk of the Axis forces coming east from Msusu towards Bir Gerrari. A large part of the 90th Light Division and XX Corps ride up the Via Balbia to envelop Benghazi from the south, and a fast mobile assault column heads past Benghazi to cut the coast road to Tobruk.
SS Ninuccia, a 4583-ton Italian freighter sunk on 28 January 1942. Royal Navy submarine HMS Thorn (Lt. Cdr. R. G. Norfolk), operating just east of Mulo Island Lighthouse, Croatia, hits Nunuccia with one of five torpedoes. The Thorn also uses its deck gun to sink the freighter.
The German fast mobile assault column makes the most dramatic move on the 28th, reaching Er Regina, east of Benina, in the morning and then moving to block as many land escape routes as possible. However, it is a large desert and the Axis forces are insufficient to throw a tight cordon around Benghazi. The British have had ample time to study their escape routes and elude the Germans and Italians. After dark, the last Allied contingent (Indian 7th Brigade) in Benghazi sneaks out to the south and the Axis troops immediately occupy the port city. However, 1,000 Allied troops remain to be taken prisoner along with 300 vehicles and vast quantities of supplies that the Germans put to good use. The fall of Benghazi comes only a day after Winston Churchill finally gave his lengthy victory speech in the House of Commons for Operation Crusader, whose gains are now in jeopardy of being completely erased. This is the fourth time Benghazi has changed hands during World War II.
"One of the Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go [Type 2 Ka-M] light tanks halted by the Australians' deadly anti-tank gunfire." 28 January 1942. Australian War Memorial 011299.
Battle of the Pacific: Australian troops covering the retreat into Singapore Island receive "Warning Orders" that they will be retreating back toward the island over the next few days. Three battalions, with the 2/20 (strength today of 36 Officers and 781 men) in the center, are to move early on 29 January south to the "Outer Bridge Head Force" line just outside Johore Bahru. This will cover the withdrawal of all remaining forces on the mainland to Singapore Island. The Japanese, however, have not gotten the memo and continue to attack all along the line. They reach Benut on the west coast and continue southward, attempting to cut off the Indian 11th Division. Using an opening along a railway line, the Japanese do manage to cut off the retreat route of the 22nd Brigade of the Indian 9th Division.
A Spitfire (shown) flown by RAF ace Robert Stanford Tuck that was shot down by anti-aircraft fire near Boulogne over northern France on 28 January 1942. Tuck was participating in a "Rhubarb raid" designed to draw up Luftwaffe fighters into combat. Tuck finishes his World War II flying career with 29 enemy aircraft destroyed, two shared destroyed, six probably destroyed, six damaged, and one shared damaged. Tuck is sent to Stalag Luft III at Żagań (Sagan), where he participates in the planning for the "Great Escape." Tuck passes away on 5 May 1987.
In Singapore, the British commanders study the defense of Singapore Island itself, apparently for the first time. Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command, orders his subordinates to turn the island's 15-inch guns north. Only one is able to be used on land targets, however, and the ammunition is found to be decades old. There is little air support against the increasingly aggressive Japanese bomber runs, with only 21 Hawker Hurricane fighters out of the 51 that arrived on a freighter on 13 January still operational. There are no reserves in Singapore, so the beach defenses will have to be manned by troops that manage to cross the long causeway from Johore. The battle on the mainland thus takes on the character of a race for the bridge, a race that many Commonwealth troops lose.
Dutch 1053-ton freighter MV Boelongan, sunk on 28 January 1942. Japanese aircraft bomb and sink it near Padang (Sumatra).
In the Philippines, the Allies settle into their new Main Line of Resistance (MLR) across the Bataan Peninsula but cannot fully seal it in time. The Japanese attack in the evening and cross the Tiawir River before being stopped. On the west coast, the Japanese shift their attack units east, away from US Army troops, to positions opposite the Filipino Army 1st Division sector. After dark, the Japanese here get through this part of the MLR and fan out to the east and west. However, the Allied troops close the breach and trap the Japanese. They are forced into two fortified defensive positions called the Big Pocket, about a mile behind the MLR, and the Little Pocket, only about 400 yards south of the MLR.
Original caption: "One of our Filipino boys, injured in the fighting on Bataan, January 28, 1942, being brought back to a first aid station by his comrades. Longoskawayan Point, West Coast."
The Japanese forces south of the MLR at Longoskawayan Point and Quinauan Point continue to hold out. Filipino Scouts of the 2d Battalion, 57th Infantry Regiment attack the former position and take about two-thirds of the Japanese territory. The 3d Battalion of the 45th Infantry Regiment attacks the Japanese at Quinauan Point but make little progress because the defenders are aided by dense jungles. Another Japanese bridgehead, at Anyasan Bay, easily fends off an attack by a motley collection of USAAF ground echelon troops recently converted to infantry and the untrained Philippine Constabulary unit.
The Japanese land troops on Rossel Island, the easternmost point in the Louisade Archipelago. While the island itself is of little value, its geographical position about 490 miles southeast of Port Moresby, New Guinea, and 420 miles southwest of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands makes it ideal for Japanese plans. While the island is undeveloped, the Japanese quickly begin building an airfield to establish dominion over the ocean in this critical spot.
A VP-82 PBO-1 Hudson flown by AMM1c Donald L. Mason attacks U-85 (shown) on 28 January 1942. The U-boat is operating near Argentia, Newfoundland. Mason signals to base that he has sunk the U-boat, but, in fact, he misses and the U-boat escapes to be sunk on 14 April 1942.
Eastern Front: The unexpected success by a small German force to relieve the trapped garrison at Sukhinichi leads Adolf Hitler to begin dreaming of bigger successes. He asks the Second Panzer Army to convert the relief operation, which barely reached the town, to continue to the northeast toward a Fourth Army garrison at Yukhnov. This, at least theoretically, would trap a large Red Army force to the west. The plan bears remarkable similarities to Hitler's desire to have Army Group North continue its advance past Tikhvin in November 1941. Second Panzer Army commander General Rudolf Schmidt has to explain to the Fuehrer that further advances are impossible until reinforcements arrive.
The Soviet Stavka (military command) creates the Crimean Front under Lieutenant General Dmitry Timofeyevich Kozlov. It includes the 44th, 47th, and 51st Armies. The Separate Coastal Army and Black Sea Fleet also come under Kozlov's control. General Kozlov is inexperienced and has been hastily promoted from a regimental command, and his staff also is inexperienced. The Stavka sends Lev Mekhlis to Kozlov's headquarters to help plan strategy, and the two agree to launch an offensive in mid-February to reconquer the entire Crimea. The Soviets in general and Kozlov, in particular, remain under the impression that the Red Army has military superiority in the Crimea when the opposite is true. In addition, the Kerch Peninsula has poor roads and the Luftwaffe has complete aerial superiority, making road movements in daylight extremely hazardous for the Soviets.
Luftwaffe ace Franz Eckerle has a big day on 28 January 1942, shooting down three Soviet planes, an I-18 and two I-180s. Top Luftwaffe aces often had signed cards, much like American baseball players had cards. KIA 14 February 1942.
German Military: Adolf Hitler personally awards his top Luftwaffe ace, General Adolf Galland, with his 2nd Diamonds to the Knight's Cross as Oberst and Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter." Galland currently is servicing as the commander of all German fighter forces (General der Jagdflieger) in place of the deceased Werner Mölders. The Luftwaffe maintains aerial superiority in both East and West, so Galland is concentrating on offensive operations involving fighter-bomber attacks in England.
A Soviet KV-2 captured by the Germans and put into use on the Kalininsky front. 28 January 1942. The Germans would sometimes use captured tanks as "Beutepanzers" ("booty tanks"). (Armes Militaria Magazine " Bataille pour Moscow").
US Military: Admiral Halsey orders his flagship, aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, to refuel after dark. This is the first time such a large ship attempts this. Beginning at 20:00, oiler USS Platte hooks up and accomplishes the novel feat without any difficulty. The refueling is done by 01:00 on 29 January 1942.
The USAAF activates Headquarters, US 8th Air Force, at Savannah AAB, Savannah, Georgia. Brigadier General Asa N. Duncan is in command. Various subordinate commands, such as the 96th Bombardment Group (Heavy) (currently the 96th Test Wing), also are constituted on 28 January 1942. At this time it is unclear where the new command will operate, but it is tentatively allocated to projected Operation Gymnast, the invasion of North Africa. Operation Gymnast was agreed to at the Arcadia Conference in early January 1942, but there currently is no schedule for its launch.
Firemen battle blazes in Chungking (Chongqing), China resulting from the devastating Japanese air raid of the previous night. 7 June 1941.
Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: Operation Exporter, the invasion of the Vichy French possessions of Syria and Lebanon from Palestine, unofficially begins when Australian troops infiltrate behind French positions beginning around 21:30. They are led by Jewish locals, including a young man named Moshe Dayan. The infiltrations are from the Hanita Kibbutz, and the sappers cut wires and clear mines.
In anticipation of the invasion, planned to begin in earnest on 8 June, Royal Navy units depart from Port Said (Force C of troopship Glengyle escorted by anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Coventry and destroyers Hotspur, Ilex and ISIS) and Alexandria (Force B of light cruisers Ajax and Phoebe, with destroyers Janus, Jackal, Kandahar and Kimberley). The Glengyle carries men of No. 11 Commando to seize a bridge at the mouth of the Litani River in Lebanon.
The main invasion will not start until the early hours of 8 June. It is divided into three columns or prongs - west, center, and east. The three prongs are isolated and not mutually supporting.
The main prize is the coast road. It is the most direct route into Syria and can be easily protected by the Royal Navy and RAF. British commandos from ‘C’ Battalion British Special Service Brigade are assigned to land at key points just behind the border in order to disrupt the French response, but seas are heavy and look like they may interfere with that. The Australian 21st Brigade advances to capture a key bridge over the Litani River.
Further inland in the center, the Australian 25th Brigade is to take the French picket line along the border and then proceed inland. Poor French morale is expected to prevent a major response.
In the eastern sector, the Indian 5th Brigade has the objective of advancing to seize Deraa and reach Kuneitra.
None of these objectives are considered especially difficult to achieve by commanding General Henry Maitland Wilson. This is one of the least-known major operations of World War II, perhaps because it is an unprovoked act of aggression by Allied forces against a neutral power which tends to undermine their moral authority - though, let's be clear, the Allies have loads of surplus moral authority relative to the Axis.
European Air Operations: RAF Fighter Command conducts a sweep over France, and RAF Bomber Command sends 22 planes to lay mines. After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 33 planes to attack Prinz Eugen, recently arrived at Brest. It is in dry-dock for engine repairs and an easy target, but the bombers score no hits.
Vera Bushfield, the wife of Governor Harlan Bushfield of South Dakota, christens the ship at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Camden, New Jersey (South Dakota State Historical Society Archives).
Battle of the Atlantic: The British remain extremely jittery about a possible German invasion despite all the military intelligence they have been receiving about Hitler's plans in the East. In fact, a cross-Channel invasion would make great sense from a military standpoint - but Hitler apparently is not operating at this time from a standpoint of pure military logic. The weather is perfect, the entire summer lies ahead, London, Liverpool, and other cities lie largely in ruins, the U-boats are operating at peak efficiency - execution of Operation Sea Lion at this time would have ideal prospects. But, the Germans have no interest in England and are barely even pretending at this point to retain an interest in a Channel crossing.
U-38 (Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe), on its 9th patrol out of Lorient and operating off of the west coast of Africa, torpedoes and sinks 7628-ton British freighter Kingston Hill southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. There are 14 deaths. Some sources place this sinking on 8 June.
The Royal Navy shares the lingering concern about an invasion, and at 20:00 it receives erroneous reports of major German naval units at sea. The Home Fleet goes on one-hour notice, which is peak readiness one step short of actually going to sea, and remains on this alert through the night.
British 281-ton examination vessel No. 10 hits a mine and sinks at Milford Haven.
Newly commissioned destroyer HMCS Saguenay arrives at St. John's to join the new Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF).
Canadian corvettes HMCS Ville de Quebec (Quebec City) and HMCS Charlottetown (Kingston) are laid down, minesweeper Melville is launched at Levis, Quebec.
Battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57) is launched at Camden, New Jersey by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. It is the lead ship of its class, with three more to follow, and is designed to fit within the limitations of the Washington Naval Treaty.
U-85, U-207 and U-332 are commissioned.
Soviet submarine Shchuka Class Serie X Bis Sub SHCH-405 is commissioned.
USS South Dakota is launched, 7 June 1941.
Battle of the Mediterranean: During the night, the Luftwaffe makes a major raid on the Royal Navy port of Alexandria, and also Suez. Flying from the Italian-held Rhodes, 31 Junkers Ju 88 bombers cause 230 deaths. Following the raid, the British authorities commence an evacuation from Alexandria that will include about 40,000 people. This aerial attack likely is a by-product of the massive shift of the Luftwaffe from west to east in contemplation of Operation Barbarossa. The Germans are accumulating about 2770 planes in Eastern Europe, and an occasional raid on British bases in the Mediterranean is good operational practice.
Italian bombers attack Tobruk.
The RAF, for its part, bombs Benghazi and Derna. RAF No. 830 Squadron, serving with the Fleet Air Arm on Malta, sends 7 Fulmar Swordfish against Tripoli Harbor to drop magnetic mines ("cucumbers").
An Italian convoy of three freighters escorted by destroyers Frescia, Strale, Marco Polo and Victoria depart from Naples bound for Tripoli. There also is distant support of two cruisers and three destroyers. While the Italian Navy has the resources to make an impact across the Mediterranean, it prefers to use its ships in these low-risk operations and retain its "fleet in being."
The ships of Operation Rocket - the ferry mission of Hawker Hurricanes to Malta - arrive back at Gibraltar without incident.
Operation Battleaxe, originally scheduled to begin today, has been pushed back to 15 June. The reason: delays in bringing tanks forward from Alexandria to General O'Moore Creagh's troops. The attack is to be a larger-scale version of Operation Brevity on 15 May.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a message to Malta Governor Dobbie in reply to a pessimistic cable sent by the latter on the 5th:
I am entirely in agreement with your general outlook. It does not seem that an attack on Malta is likely within the next two or three weeks. Meanwhile other events of importance will be decided, enabling or compelling a new view to be taken. You may be sure we regard Malta as one of the master-keys of the British Empire. We are sure you are the man to hold it and we will do everything in human power to give you the means.
The War Office also responds today to General Dobbie's request for more troops. It requests "further details" for defensive armaments. Dobbie responds immediately, listing a need for Bofors guns and anti-tank artillery.
There is an air raid on Malta during the early morning hours by Italian BR-20 bombers. The Italians bomb the Luqa, Manoel Island, Marsa, and Wardia areas, and in the process lose a bomber and perhaps two more at sea.
Students participating in a live national radio broadcast at the 1941 National High School Drama Conference of the National Thespian Dramatic Honor Society for High Schools. June 7, 1941. (Courtesy of the Educational Theatre Association).
Special Operations: Having arrived by parachute in France on the night of 11/12 May, the Commando team members of Operation Josephine B have spent most of the past month in Paris. There, they made contact with a Commando who had gone to ground there, Joël Letac, a member of the Commando team from failed Operation Savanna. Joining the team, Letac and the others have traveled to the site of their original objective: the transformer station at Pessac.
After dark, Sergeant J. Forman climbs the perimeter wall that had stymied their first attempt to blow up the station in May. He manages to get across without hitting any of the high voltage cables, then opens a door for his comrades. The team sets up plastic explosives within half an hour on each of the eight main transformers. Then, the team gets back on their bicycles and leaves. The mission turns from a failure into a success: six of the eight transformers blow up, and work on the Bordeaux submarine base is delayed by weeks. Electrified trains in the region have to be replaced with coal-burning locomotives. It will take an entire year to repair all the damage.
Damage at the Pessac Power station, 7 June 1941.
The team is well-funded - they have a quarter of a million francs for their mission, which converts to about a year's wages of £1,400 - and set out for Spain and thence Lisbon. They are in no hurry.
The Germans in the commune of Pessac take reprisals. They shoot twelve German guards, fine the commune one million francs, imprison 250 people, and impose a strict curfew (21:30 to 05:00).
For the British, it is a massive success and enhances the prestige of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) after some failures.
The US Asiatic Fleet in Manila Harbor, the 1930s. The Japanese began keeping close tabs on this fleet in early 1941.
Spy Stuff: Japanese Consul in the Philippine Islands Katsumi Nibro cables Tokyo that the US Navy has eight destroyers, fourteen submarines and two target towing ships in Manila Harbor.
Jockey Eddie Arcaro aboard Whirlaway at the Belmont Stakes, 7 June 1941. Whirlaway becomes the fifth horse to win the Triple Crown. According to a report in the Pittsburgh Press, Arcaro took an early lead and then turned back and yelled, "Go to Hell! We're off to the races!"
Japanese/Italian Relations: Japan recognizes the Independent State of Croatia, now led nominally by the Duke of Savoy. In actual fact, the Duke takes virtually no part in governance and leaves it to local leaders. German/Bulgarian Relations: Hitler meets with King Boris of Bulgaria in Berlin.
German Military: In preparation for Operation Barbarossa, long columns of Wehrmacht troops are heading east in Poland. This is very noticeable to locals because the military vehicles clog the roads and all civilian vehicles are prohibited for hours at a time. Full vehicles are traveling east, empty ones back to the west. Of course, civilians see the military traffic on the roads, and it is fairly obvious to them what is in store. A local, Polish physician Zygmunt Klukowski, writes in his diary that it "is the same as during a war."
USS South Dakota at its Christening, 7 June 1941.
Soviet Military: The NKVD arrest General Boris Lvovich Vannikov for "failing to carry out his duties." Vannikov is the People's Commissar for Armament. It is unclear what he is really accused of, and it may, in fact, be nothing more than having unintentionally crossed Premier Joseph Stalin in some way (Stalin has a habit of arresting and torturing underlings, then at some point reinstating them). Vannikov will be released on 25 July 1941 and reinstated fully to essentially the same position in February 1942.
Despite increasing evidence of German troop buildups along the border, Stalin prohibits any "provocative" defensive precautions. Everything is to remain as is, with the Soviet Union continuing to fulfill its trade agreements with Germany and sending supply trains west across the border.
Former President Herbert Hoover, giving the Commencement address to the graduating class at Haverford College, 7 June 1941.
US Military: President Roosevelt reviews the two plans for the defense of the Pacific, ABC-1 and Rainbow 5, that have been worked up during the spring. The plans envisage cooperation with the British Commonwealth and the Dutch forces in the East Indies, with a heavy emphasis on defensive activities in the Pacific Theater while the main effort is against the Reich and Italy in Europe. Roosevelt neither approves nor disapproves of the plans, but familiarizes himself with them and suggests they be returned to him should war actually break out.
The US Maritime Commission is implementing the new ship-seizure law signed by President Roosevelt on 5 June. The inventory includes 39 Danish, 28 Italian and 2 German ships, along with random ships from Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, and other nations. The fast (Blue-Riband holder) 83,423-ton French liner Normandie remains docked at its berth in midtown New York and also is subject to seizure, but there are no plans at this time to use it.
US Government: President Roosevelt departs the White House at 11:30 for Annapolis and embarks on a weekend cruise on the USS Potomac. He is accompanied by Crown Princess Martha of Norway, Princess Ragnhild, Harry L. Hopkins, Robert Hopkins, Diana Hopkins, Capt. John R. Beardall.
Joe DiMaggio at the plate in Sportsman Park, St Louis, MO, June 7, 1941. Also visible is Hall of Fame catcher Rick Ferrell and umpire Bill Grieve, with Yankee Charlie Keller on deck to the left.
Iraq: The reinstated Monarchist Iraqi government under Regent Abdul Ilah (Abdullah) sets up a Committee of Enquiry to investigate the Farhud riots of 1-2 June.
Holocaust: There is an outbreak of typhoid at Zamość Prison in southeastern Poland. Unfortunately, the local doctors are inmates in the prison, too.
Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King places a wreath during an event in Kingston, Ontario, on June 7, 1941. This is to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald (Queens University Archives).
American Homefront: Former President Herbert Hoover gives the Commencement address at Haverford College. The CBS radio network broadcasts it. Hoover notes:
We have been told with monotonous repetition by the collectivists and left-wingers that our frontiers are gone. They say our industrial plant is built. They claim there is no safety valve for human energies. They assure us that we have come to an age of humdrum problems of underconsumption, overproduction, and the division of the existing pot. They say that new opportunity for youth has shrunken. That is not so. There was never in history a more glorious frontier for youth than today. Adventure and opportunity beckon in every avenue of science. They beckon from the great profession of men trained to research. They beckon from its thousands of applications. From it spring tens of thousands of new services and industries. In them human courage, character, and ability have an outlet that never came even with the two-gun frontiers.
Meanwhile, 24,000 people pack Chicago Stadium to hear speeches against the America First movement. Abraham Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg calls Charles Lindbergh President Roosevelt's new "Copperhead," a Civil War term for Democrats in the North who choose to oppose the war and advocate a negotiated settlement with the South.
Whirlaway wins the Belmont Stakes by three lengths and completes the U.S. Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. It is the fifth horse to accomplish that rare feat.
Golfer Craig Wood wins the U.S. Open.
Joe DiMaggio hits in his 22nd straight game in Sportsman Park, St. Louis, Missouri. He gets three singles in an 11-7 win over the Browns.
"My Sister and I" by Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra reach No. 1 on the new Billboard singles chart.
The UAW strike at the North American plant in Los Angeles that began on 5 June continues. President Roosevelt is considering exercising emergency powers by taking over the plant unless the strike ends.
The New Yorker - Saturday, June 7, 1941 - Issue # 851 - Vol. 17 - N° 17 - Cover by Ilonka Karasz.
