Battle of the Pacific: During his seemingly endless train ride from Alice Springs to Melbourne, General Douglas MacArthur seizes a chance at Terowie railway station north of Adelaide, Australia, to make a speech on 20 March 1942.

Monday 4 August 1941

Adolf Hitler meets with Army Group Center commander Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, 4 August 1941.

Eastern Front: Adolf Hitler on 4 August 1941 makes one of his rare visits to an army group headquarters when he flies to visit Field Marshal Fedor von Bock at Borisov. Also in attendance are the senior Wehrmacht commanders of Army Group Center.

Hitler seems unsure of the future direction of the campaign, at least according to some in attendance. At these conferences with Hitler, the generals invariably choose one man to put forth their own point of view, and today that is Colonel-General Guderian. Guderian, who has led the advance toward Moscow with Panzer Group 2, later recalls that Hitler wants to take Leningrad first, but is undecided between Moscow and Ukraine:

He seemed to incline toward the latter target for a number of reasons: first, Army Group South seemed to be laying the groundwork for victory in that area; secondly, he believed that the raw materials and agricultural produce of the Ukraine were necessary to Germany for the further prosecution of the war; and finally, he thought it essential that the Crimea, ‘that Soviet aircraft carrier operating against the Rumanian oilfields’ be neutralized.

Based upon sheer conjecture buttressed by faulty staff work at army headquarters (OKH), Guderian opines that the Soviet Union is running out of manpower. Thus, Moscow should come next in order to force the Red Army to commit the last of its troops.

Adolf Hitler at headquarters of Army Group Center in Borisov, Belarus on August 4, 1941.

However, no firm decision is made. The impression gathered by those present is that General Hoth will take his Panzer Group 3 north to aid in the capture of Leningrad, while Guderian will take Panzer Group 2 south to help take Kyiv. These moves, however, await definite OKW orders. It is often Hitler's tendency to leave those present at his conferences unclear about what he really wants even when he has very definite ideas about what that is.

Guderian decides to make the decision about future strategy himself rather than wait for formal orders. On the flight back to his headquarters, Guderian prepares plans for a continuation of the offensive toward Moscow using all of his troops. In this, he feels confident because all around him - von Bock, OKH Chief of Staff Franz Halder, Panzer Group 3 commander Hermann Hoth, and commander in chief of the army Field Marshal Walter von Brauchitsch - agree that Moscow should be the next objective. Everyone is sure that Hitler will come around to their point of view.

A Finnish soldier aiming an M/26 machine gun, August 4, 1941 (SA-Kuva).

In the Far North sector, Group J of Finnish III Corps pursues the fleeing Soviets from the Sof'yanga that connects Top Lake with Pya Lake. The Soviets hope to make another stand at Kesten'ga in order to defend the vital Murmansk railway.

In the Army Group South sector, Kirovohrad falls to the Germans. Soviet 5th Army counterattacks the German 6th Army south of Kyiv but makes no progress. Soviet 9th and 18th armies are told to retreat behind the Bug River once they realize they cannot relieve the Uman pocket. Since this already is the situation, the 9th Army begins retreating toward Nikolayev and 18th toward Nikopol. The Germans (XIV Corps) already are across the Bug and heading south to cut off both armies.

German soldier Karl Fuchs sends a letter today to his father, who is serving elsewhere on the front. It reads in part:

The pitiful hordes on the other side are nothing but felons who are driven by alcohol and the threat of pistols pointed at their heads. There is no troop morale and they are at best cannon fodder.

and

Having encountered these Bolshevik hordes and having seen how they live has made a lasting impression on me. Everyone, even the last doubter, knows today that the battle against these subhumans, who’ve been whipped into a frenzy by the Jews, was not only necessary but came in the nick of time.

Supply problems are becoming an issue in the Wehrmacht. After the generals tell him of the supply situation at their meeting, Hitler agrees to allocate an entire month of war production to the Eastern Front. In terms of tanks, this means only 35 new machines and 400 tank engines (which must be replaced regularly). This does not keep up with wastage and ordinary wear and tear.

A Finnish marksman with a Mosin-Nagant rifle, August 4, 1941 (SA-Kuva).

European Air Operations: It is another day of light activity in northwestern Europe. RAF Bomber Command sends a dozen Blenheim bombers on a sweep of the Frisian Islands. Only six make an attack, with the others being recalled. The bombers only see fishing boats, which they attack. No bombers are lost.

East African Campaign: After a long period of quiet, there is some action in East Africa. While the British and their local allies have evicted the Italians from the coast and most of their inland strongholds, Mussolini's Italian forces do still control a few strong points in the mountains. One of these is Gondar, in the northern part of Abyssinia. Today, the South African Air Force swings into action and begins a daily bombing campaign that lasts until 6 August.

Battle of the Baltic: German bombers of KG4 drop 16 LMB mines in the Irben Strait and 16 LMB imines in the mouth of the river Triigi.

Soviet minesweeper T-201 Zariad hits a mine and sinks at Ristna beacon.

Dutch fishing boat Sumatra hits a mine and sinks north of Kolberg, Germany.

August 4, 1941: Hornet CV-8 under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-126 (Kptlt. Ernst Bauer), on its first patrol out of Bremen, is operating east of the Azores when it spots 172-ton British schooner Robert Max. Bauer decides to use his deck gun, so he fires two warning shots over Robert Max's bow. After the ship is evacuated, Bauer sinks the ship. Afterward, he visits with the six-man British crew in their lifeboat, offering them directions to San Miguel and some cigarets. The crew reaches the Azores in three days.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Victorious sends three Fulmar planes to attack Tromsø, Norway. One of the planes is shot down and the crew is captured.

A Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw-200 bombs and sinks 4337-ton British freighter Tunisia in the mid-Atlantic south of Iceland and west of Ireland. Tunisia's valuable cargo of manganese ore is lost. There are five survivors and 38 deaths.

Royal Navy escort ship Banff (a former US coast guard cutter) collides with a lighter in the Thames Estuary and sustains some damage.  Banff returns to Tilbury for repairs.

Royal Navy patrol ship Cavina intercepts 5522-ton German blockade runner Frankfurt west of the Azores. Frankfurt's crew scuttles the ship rather than surrender it. Two lifeboats are launched by the Frankfurt, and the Cavina picks up one with 26 men. The other lifeboat refuses to be taken aboard and is never seen again.

Having delivered its good at Archangel, Royal Navy minelayer Adventure departs, escorted by two Soviet destroyers.

Royal Navy submarine Tigris arrives at Polyarny, Russia in order to conduct patrols from there off the coast of northern Finland and Norway.

The Royal Navy sinks floating crane AC-6 in Skerry Sound in Scotland as a blockship in order to block access to Scapa Flow.

Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Sidmouth (Commander Henry T. Rust) is commissioned.

Canadian minesweeper HMCS Malpeque (Lt. Leslie L. Foxall) is commissioned.

US Navy light cruiser USS Houston is laid down.

U-523 is laid down.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Luftwaffe strafes Royal Navy minesweeping whaler Sotra off Mersa Matruh. There is one death.

Royal Navy destroyers HMS Jaguar and Nizam make the nightly run to Tobruk.

An Axis supply convoy departs from Naples bound for Tripoli, while one also departs from Tripoli bound for Naples.

The Luftwaffe attacks Ismailia, Egypt.

At Malta, Governor Dobbie announces that olive oil is going to be rationed. This sorely disappoints the Maltese people, who use a lot of olive oil in cooking.

August 4, 1941: Hornet CV-8 under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding.

Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese recall 16,975-ton liner Asama Maru, which has been on a trans-Pacific voyage. The ship, which is about 980 miles east of Honolulu, has been caught by the imposition of US sanctions.

Japanese 16,975-ton liner Tatsuta Maru departs from San Francisco for Tokyo. The Americans have made an exception to their sanctions against Japan to refuel the Tatsuta Maru in order for it to return to Japan.

Japanese freighter Heian Maru departs Seattle and heads back to Japan.

Spy Stuff: The Japanese are keeping a close eye on US activities throughout the Pacific. Today, they learn that about 600 US soldiers have arrived in Manila aboard transport USS President Coolidge.

Ambassador Nomura reports to Tokyo that anti-Japanese sentiment (as reflected in a published Gallup poll) is high and that the US newspapers are in full support of the US government position on Japan. In his cable to Tokyo, Nomura asks to be sent a "Foreign Office expert" who is familiar with "the Government's high policy" because he does not know what the government truly wants.

Tokyo sends out a circular that covers proper procedures for the destruction of obsolete codes and the proper care of current codes.

Newsweek, 4 August 1941, Cover story: "What is Japan's Real Goal in the Indies?"

US/Japanese Relations: Acting Secretary Sumner Welles meets with Japanese Minister Wakasugi in Washington. Welles says that the policy of the US is peace in the Pacific and that it opposes all use of force there by others. He says that the Japanese have adopted an "attitude of aggression" toward other countries to establish military overlordship throughout the region. Wakasugi responds that the Japanese were isolated for centuries and only awoke from this isolation after other foreign powers had established their own imperialist dominions in the region. Welles further states that regional approaches to international relations, such as decisions confined only to Europe or only to the Pacific, were insufficient and only a "universal approach" could work.

Welles also mentions that he had received "reports" that Japan intended to move further south into Thailand. This would cause further problems in US/Japanese relations. He also states that the "basic principle of the future" would be free trade, with equal accessibility to raw materials by all countries.

Life magazine, 4 August 1941, cover story "British Women."

US/Soviet Relations: The US State Department makes a formal commitment to Soviet Ambassador Konstantin Umansky to begin lend-lease shipments. Umansky calls the decision "an expression of confidence" in the survival of the Soviet Union - which is not a commonly held view at this time. The US also announces that the American-Soviet Trade Agreement of 6 August 1937 has been extended to 6 August 1942.

Soviet/Polish Relations: In a sign of goodwill to the Polish government-in-exile in London, the Soviets release General Władysław Anders from prison.

German/Italian Relations: The Germans and Italians agree on terms under which the Italian expeditionary forces will operate on the Eastern Front.

Time magazine, 4 August 1941, Cover Credit: Ernest Hamlin Baker.

US Military: The US 1st Marine Division begins amphibious maneuvers in conjunction with the US Army 1st Division (the "Big Red One") at New River, North Carolina. Aircraft escort ship Long Island (AVG-1) stands offshore and provides air operations during the maneuvers.

The Ryan Aeronautical Company NR-1 trainer plane takes its first flight. It is a low-wing monoplane with a metal fuselage, unlike most other trainers at this time. This is part of a huge expansion of the US Navy training of pilots during this period of time. The Ryan NR-1 will equip NAS Jacksonville.

Mark Clark is appointed Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3) at US Army General Headquarters and promoted to Brigadier General.

US Government: President Roosevelt continues his "fishing trip" off the northeast coast. While that is what the White House has told reporters it is, in fact, Roosevelt has other plans. Aboard presidential yacht USS Potomac (AG 25), Roosevelt sails today from Point Judith, Rhode Island to South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. There, Crown Prince Martha of Norway and her party board. There apparently is some fishing during the day, but that is not the point of the trip. Then, after Martha returns to shore, Roosevelt sails up to Menemsha Bight, Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts. There, as planned, await US heavy cruisers Augusta (CA-31) and Tuscaloosa (CA-37), along with five destroyers.

"Prime Minister Winston Churchill on board HMS PRINCE OF WALES during his journey to America to meet with President Roosevelt. The quadruple 14-inch guns of Y turret can be seen in the background." © IWM (H 12784).

British Government: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill boards battleship HMS Prince of Wales at Scapa Flow. It departs at 17:30 and proceeds across the Atlantic to Placentia Bay. With him is Harry Hopkins, returning from Moscow.

Soviet Union, Vitebsk - A military service, with German soldiers and local women standing in the church (Wundshammer, Benno, Federal Archive, Bild 146-2018-0001).

Holocaust: The Kovno Ghetto at Slobodka is sealed. It is encircled with barbed wire and German guardhouses. There are 29,760 people in the Ghetto.

American Homefront: Mickey Owen of the Brooklyn Dodgers became the first catcher to successfully handle three foul pop-ups during the same inning.

New York Yankees Joe DiMaggio and Lefty Gomez, right, during at call at Treasury House in Washington, Aug. 4, 1941. They have offered to autograph books of defense savings stamps. (AP Photo).

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

Saturday 14 December 1940

Italians on the run in Egypt, 14 December 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British pursuit of the fleeing Italian soldiers forced out of their encampments outside Sidi Barrani continues on 14 December 1940. Operation Compass now has accomplished far more than was ever planned. The British 7th Support Group and the 4th and 7th Armoured Brigades sweep south through the desert, circling around Sollum and Halfaya Pass while disregarding Italian outposts further to the south. The 4th Armoured Brigade is across the Libyan border, about 20 miles west of Bardia. So far, the Italians are staying put in their Libyan encampments, which they have had for decades.

The Royal Navy is heavily engaged in transporting the numerous Italian prisoners taken at Sidi Barrani to Alexandria. Armed boarding ship HMS Fiona arrives in Alexandria with 1600 prisoners, HMS Farouk takes 200, and HMS Fawzia transports 1300. This barely makes a dent in the total number of POWs, so all three immediately turn around and return to Mersa Matruh for more.

Royal Navy destroyers HMS Hereward and Hyperion, conducting a sweep off the Libyan coast with destroyers Diamond and Mohawk, spot Italian submarine Naiade on the surface off Bardia. They shell the submarine, sinking it. There are 25 survivors who are taken as prisoners.

The air war takes another decided turn against the Italians. RAF No. 274 Squadron Hurricanes clearly outmatch the Italian biplane CR 42 fighters, while the lumbering Italian bombers also are easy prey. The Hurricanes shoot down six Savoia Marchetti SM. 79 Sparviero bombers and five CR 42s during the day.

The RAF bombs Naples, damaging Italian cruiser Pola. The Italians once again divide up their fleet there as a result, sending some to Maddalena and others to Cagliari. This is part of repeated comings-and-goings of Italian warships from various ports as they twist and turn to evade RAF attacks.

On Malta, Royal Navy Swordfish take off and bomb Tripoli. RAF No. 148 Squadron forms at Luqa Airfield with Wellington Mk IC bombers, the first bomber squadron actually based on the island.
Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek offensive continues grinding forward, though it is confronting both the Italians and the elements. The Greek 3rd Infantry Division consolidates its hold on Porto Palermo, which it captured on the 13th. The Italian defense is stiffening the closer the Greeks get to the key port of Himara. The RAF raids Valona. Greek III Corps, facing blizzards in the mountains, suspends operations.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command braves continued bad weather during the night to attack enemy shipping near Wilhelmshaven. However, no results are achieved in part due to poor visibility, and the Luftwaffe shoots down five Wellingtons. Coastal Command attacks Brest and Lorient.

The Luftwaffe is quiet today due to the weather. The Italian Corpo Aereo Italiano (CAI) sends 11 bombers against its usual target, Harwich.

German fighter pilot Franz von Werra is awarded the Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz) for exemplary bravery as Oberleutnant Adjutant of II./Jagdgeschwader 3. Von Werra is a major German propaganda hero who is famous for his pet lion cub.

Hauptmann Franz Xaver Baron von Werra sporting his Knight's Cross.

Battle of the Atlantic: Poor weather continues to wreak as much havoc on British shipping as the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. Two French torpedo boats in the service of the Royal Navy founder in poor weather - La Melpomene east of the Lizard, and Branlebas near the Eddystone Rocks south of Portsmouth. There are only three survivors of the Branlebas and at least five deaths.

U-96 (Kplt. Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock) continues its very successful first patrol. Today it puts two torpedoes into 10,926-ton British liner Western Prince and sinks it about 740 km west of the Orkneys. There are 14-15 deaths and about 144 survivors, including 50 survivors among the 61 passengers who are rescued by HMS Active.

U-96 at 21:02 spots 5118-ton British freighter Empire Razorbill, a straggler from Convoy OB 257, and for some reason conducts a surface attack, perhaps because it is running low on torpedoes. The U-boat scores three hits on the freighter, but the weather is horrendous and the Empire Razorbill escapes into the night.

U-100 (Kptlt. Joachim Schepke) is operating southwest of Rockall when it torpedoes and sinks 3670-ton British freighter Kyleglen. There are no survivors of the 36-man crew in the rough seas.

U-100 then torpedoes and sinks 3380-ton British freighter Euphorbia. There are no survivors from the 36-man crew of this victim, either.

During the night, Royal Navy submarine HMS Thunderbolt - the former HMS Thetis which was raised from the mud of Liverpool Bay, sights Italian submarine Capitano Raffaele Tarantini outside of its base near Bordeaux and sinks it.

Heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer resupplies from SS Nordmark in the South Atlantic. The Germans are beginning to assemble a force in the region - aside from Admiral Scheer, cruiser Admiral Hipper and U-65 are not far off. The British do not know any of these German ships' whereabouts, but they know something is going on. The Admiralty sends Force H from Gibraltar, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and battlecruiser HMS Renown, to patrol around the Azores. German ships occasionally have been spotted in the vicinity, and the British believe is on Hitler's invasion list.

Battleship HMS Ramillies and aircraft carriers HMS Furious and Argus, no longer really needed in the Mediterranean for the time being, arrive in the Clyde during the afternoon. The Ramillies needs a refitting, which it will receive in Plymouth. Destroyer HMS Bradford sustains damage to its propellers along the way and must be taken in tow.

German freighter Rio Grande completes a very risky journey from Brazil to Occupied France. It carries 300 prisoners taken by German raider Thor in the South Atlantic and recently transferred for passage to POW camps.

Convoy OB 259 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 359 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 361 departs from Methil, Convoy HX 96 departs from Halifax.

U-71 (Kapitänleutnant Walter Flachsenberg) is commissioned.

U-151 and U-152 are launched, and U-254 is laid down.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Blencathra is commissioned.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Burdock and destroyer HMS Lamerton are launched.

Canadian minesweeper HMCS Quinte and corvette HMS Timmins are laid down in Esquimalt, British Columbia.

US Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet is launched.

Percy Arnold Turton, aged 21, perished on 14 December 1940 on the Branlebas. He is listed on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Always good to remember that these are people we are talking about ... not numbers.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: The Atlantis, having split up from its companion raiders Pinguin and Orion after all three refueled from the captured tanker Storstad, arrives at the remote Kerguelen Island. A heavily armed landing party finds the only town on the island, Port Couvreux, uninhabited.

The crew suffers a scare when the ship grounds in one of the poorly charted bays. It hits a rock that pierces its outer hull. The ship remains stuck on the rock for three days but eventually pulls free. The Pinguin, meanwhile, headed for the whaling fleet south of Bouvet Island, the Komet headed back toward Nauru, and the Storstad set sail back to Europe with numerous prisoners.

The crew of the Atlantis sets to work performing maintenance on the ship, stocking up with water, and taking a break from constant patrols. At some point during this break, crewman Bernhard Herrmann falls while painting the funnel and perishes. His grave on the island is grandly referred to as the southernmost German military cemetery. It is the ship's first casualty during its phenomenally successful cruise. The ship will stay on the island, where it is summertime, into the new year.

Battle of the Pacific: British 1896-ton coaster Cardross collides with British freighter Fiona off Sydney and sinks.

Glenn Seaborg on a 1961 cover of Time Magazine.

Applied Science: Glenn Seaborg and his team discover plutonium in Room 307 of Gilman Hall at the University of California, Berkeley. The team quickly begins developing a process to create plutonium-239 by bombarding uranium with deuterons. This discovery will be used by the Manhattan Project as it works toward the atomic bomb.

Terrorism: At Curragh Camp outside Dublin, Irish Republican Army (IRA) detainees revolt against their guards (Garda) and troops called in to quell the violence. They set fire to the camp (which they call "Tin Town" (Baile an Stáin) and clash with British soldiers. There are four casualties. The unrest continues through the night into the next day.

The Éamon de Valera has imprisoned these IRA members for the duration of "The Emergency," as the war is called. Some 2000 men pass through the camp during the war. The camp's mere existence, incidentally, is proof positive that the Irish government is in some small ways acting to support the British, though not nearly enough to satisfy Winston Churchill.

Vichy French Government: Vichy French Premier Marshal Petain, having ordered Pierre Laval arrested on the previous evening after having deviously obtained and accepted his resignation, announces that Laval is now no longer a part of the government. Pierre Étienne Flandin is his replacement as Foreign Minister. Laval is kept under house arrest only briefly, then allowed freedom of movement. This will remain the status quo until 1942.

It is unclear what motivated Petain to dismiss Laval. Some speculate that it was due to Laval's marked lack of deference to Petain. However, a clue may be found in two other things that Petain does today:

• Petain declines Hitler's invitation to attend a ceremony on the 15th marking the return to France of the remains of Napoleon II;
• Petain sends a message to Roosevelt reassuring him that the French fleet will not fall into German hands.

Laval is the prime architect behind French collaboration with Germany, though that is not yet blatantly obvious. Removing Laval appears to be Petain's way of making a statement about where his own sympathies truly lie. Declining the invitation from Hitler and cabling Roosevelt simply reinforces the impression that Petain feels that his country was getting a little too cozy with Hitler's Germany. Laval finds support from the German ambassador, though he is not restored to his previous powerful position as Petain's Vice-Premier.

British Military: General Richard McCreery becomes commander of British 8th Armored Division.

US Military: The US Army Air Corp increases its order for Boeing XB-29 bomber prototypes from two to three planes. Consolidated, meanwhile continues to work on its own quite similar heavy bomber, the Model 33, so that the US is not reliant on just the Boeing project. The XB-29 has numerous issues, including finicky Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engines, but overall it is a groundbreaking airframe. It eventually becomes the B-29.

Yugoslavia: Former Prime Minister Anton Korošec passes away in Belgrade. Korošec was a fierce anti-Semite who introduced two laws limiting the rights of Jews, specifically barring them from the wholesale food industry and limiting the percentage of Jewish students in higher education, just a couple of months before his death. The laws only passed because Korošec warned that failure to do so would provoke Hitler.

American Homefront: Winston Churchill arranges a private screening of Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator," which opened in Britain on the 11th. British reaction to the film is decidedly mixed, as the climax of the film - a rambling speech by Chaplin's character posing as the dictator about understanding people and so forth - comes off as a bit late in the game considering the devastation of the Blitz.

German battleship Bismarck on the Elbe, December 1940.

December 1940

December 1, 1940: Wiking Division Forms
December 2, 1940: Convoy HX 90 Destruction
December 3, 1940: Greeks Advancing
December 4, 1940: Italian Command Shakeup
December 5, 1940: Thor Strikes Hard
December 6, 1940: Hitler's Cousin Gassed
December 7, 1940: Storms At Sea
December 8, 1940: Freighter Idarwald Seized
December 9, 1940: Operation Compass Begins
December 10, 1940: Operation Attila Planned
December 11, 1940: Rhein Wrecked
December 12, 1940: Operation Fritz
December 13, 1940: Operation Marita Planned
December 14, 1940: Plutonium Discovered
December 15, 1940: Napoleon II Returns
December 16, 1940: Operation Abigail Rachel
December 17, 1940: Garden Hoses and War
December 18, 1940: Barbarossa Directive
December 19, 1940: Risto Ryti Takes Over
December 20, 1940: Liverpool Blitz, Captain America
December 21, 1940: Moral Aggression
December 22, 1940: Manchester Blitz
December 23, 1940: Hitler at Cap Gris Nez
December 24, 1940: Hitler at Abbeville
December 25, 1940: Hipper's Great Escape
December 26, 1940: Scheer's Happy Rendezvous
December 27, 1940: Komet Shells Nauru
December 28, 1940: Sorge Spills
December 29, 1940: Arsenal of Democracy
December 30, 1940: London Devastated
December 31 1940: Roosevelt's Decent Proposal

2020