Saturday 8 February 1941

A Westland Whirlwind (this is the first prototype, L6844) gets its first confirmed kill today.

Italian/Greek Campaign: Fighting continues around Tepelenë on 8 February 1941, but the Italian defenses there are holding firm. Things are quiet elsewhere on the battlefield, but much is going on behind it. The new Greek government takes a different approach than the Metaxas government and asks the British if they can talk some more about the size of British forces to be inserted on the Greek mainland. British Prime Minister Churchill is delighted at this sudden chance to achieve his dream and put British troops into action in the Balkans.

There is activity on the other side as well. The Bulgarian government signs an agreement granting permission to the Wehrmacht to set up its 12th Army on its territory for an attack into Greece. Undercover German troops have been scouting the frontier for some time for good locations. The weather is too rough for any operations at the moment, but the Wehrmacht has a large troop presence in Romania which can quickly slide into position in Bulgaria. The situation with Yugoslavia remains up in the air, as nobody knows if the Yugoslavs will decide to join the Tripartite Pact or continue their somewhat hostile attitude.
East African Campaign: At Keren, the 4th (Outram's)/6th Rajputana Rifles Indian troops begin the day holding an advanced position to the right of the Dongolaas Gorge which provides a narrow entryway through the mountains. However, this position is subject to fire from surrounding heights in three directions. This is dangerous both for the troops themselves and, more importantly in terms of sustainability, for those bringing up supplies from the rear. At 04:30, having run out of ammunition, the Indian troops evacuate the Acqua Col and retire to the less exposed positions in Happy Valley (Scescilembi Valley) where they began their attack This will be the last significant activity for a couple of days, as the Italians have now forced back attack on both sides of the Gorge and appear determined to hold it. The Indian troops regroup and take the time to plan a new strategy.

European Air Operations: Activities are light today. RAF Bomber Command sends 15 bombers to raid Mannheim during the night. The Luftwaffe, meanwhile, conducts only scattered missions against British shipping during the day, and light activity over York and the West Coast after dark.

RAF No. 263 Squadron, operating out of RAF Exeter, is at this time the only squadron using the Westland Whirlwind Mk 1 twin-engine fighter. Today, it gets its first confirmed kill, an Arado AR 196 floatplane, but in the process, the Whirlwind also crashes.

Bristol Blenheim Mark Is of RAF No. 62 Squadron at Tengah Airfield, Singapore, before flying north to their new base at Alor Star, in northern Malaya. Photo taken ca. 8 February 1941 (IWM  Photo No. K 135/Collection No.: 4700-10).

Battle of the Atlantic: At 08:30, German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sight a convoy on the horizon south of Greenland. It is Convoy HX-106. The lookouts inform Admiral Lütjens that battleship HMS Ramillies is among the escorts, and Lütjens, onboard the Gneisenau, follows orders not to fight capital ships and orders a retreat. However, in a rare bit of both initiative and disobedience by a Kriegsmarine commander, KzS Hoffmann of the Scharnhorst decides to make a run at the Ramillies to try to lure it away from the convoy so that the Gneisenau can attack it. He closes to within 23,000 meters - the extreme range of a battleship - before Lütjens restores order and orders Hoffmann away.

The two ships slip off to the northwest and are not pursued by the Ramillies, which continues escorting the convoy to the east. Lütjens believes that the convoy has spotted Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, which would bring the entire Royal Navy after them. However, the British in fact only spotted the Scharnhorst, which the British lookout misidentifies as the Admiral Hipper (they do look almost identical). The problems of British military intelligence cascade here, as they have no idea of the whereabouts of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and, for all they know, the two ships are still in port. Since only one ship was seen, the Admiralty also assumes it was the Admiral Hipper, known to be a single raider on the loose, and the Admiralty reacts in a measured fashion.

Thus, the compounding British errors work to Scharnhorst and Gneisenau's advantage and they retire unmolested into the misty morning. The Royal Navy does dispatch a good part of the Home Fleet to the vicinity, but those ships are far away and the German ships have the entire ocean in which to hide.

British 5760-ton freighter Henri Jaspar hits a mine and is damaged off Sully Island. The crew quickly beaches the ship on the island, and, after temporary repairs, it is taken to Cardiff. There is one death.

British 5791-ton freighter Ramon De Larrinaga springs a leak off Delaware, United States. The crew swiftly beaches the ship near Lewes. The weather sinks the ship within a couple of days, but it is later refloated, repaired, and renamed Empire Mersey.

Minesweeper HMS Hebe is in a collision and has to return to Rosyth for minor repairs which last about two weeks.

German raider Kormoran continues its meeting with supply ship Nordmark off the Cape Verde Islands.

Convoy OB 283 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SC 22 departs from Halifax.

U-83 (Kptlt. Hans-Werner Kraus) is commissioned at Lübeck, U-602 is laid down.

USS Salt Lake City (CA 25), a Pensacola class heavy cruiser, February 1941 ( | Phil DeFer | Flickr).

Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel, in charge of Operation Sunflower, prepares to begin shipping his forces across the Sicilian Strait to Tripoli. The first three transport ships for the journey are loaded in Naples and set sail. While not yet called the Afrika Corps, this can be said to be the first movement of that force to North Africa. At this point, the Germans cannot make use of Tunisia because they do not have permission from the Vichy French authorities there. Preparations are made to send the rest of the troops of the 5th Light Division across to Tripolitania within a few days. The Italian 5th Army has four divisions at Tripolitania, and a few thousand men have escaped from the disaster of the 10th Army. Events have shown that it does not matter how many Italian troops there are, they cannot fight effectively and should be easy prey for O'Connors hardened warriors.

If O'Connor had been able to send XIII Corps ahead quickly against no resistance, it is conceivable that he could occupy the entire Libyan coast before the Wehrmacht even arrives. However, without Wavell's approval, O'Connor is unable to do that. Whether O'Connor will ever get that approval is an open question, given Prime Minister Churchill's obsession with sending troops from North Africa to Greece to support the Greeks against an anticipated German invasion via Bulgaria.

The Italian fleet, led by battleships Veneto, Cesare, and Doria, puts to sea from La Spezia. They conduct a more-or-less routine patrol west of the Bonifacio Strait.

General Cunningham, operating north of Sardinia on Operation Grog (formerly Result), makes a feint toward Sardinia, then continues on toward Genoa. The ships, led by battleship Malaya and aircraft carrier Ark Royal, should be in a position to attack the city and nearby installations at dawn on the 9th.

Dutch 3359 ton tanker Adinda hits two mines at Tobruk Harbor, which has been hurriedly - apparently too hurriedly - cleared since its capture. There are 17 deaths. Another ship, 3220-ton former Italian freighter Rodi, also suffers damage from a mine in Tobruk Harbor.

At Malta, the Luftwaffe attacks Hal Far and Luqa airfields during the day, damaging both bases. The raids last into the night and also hit some civilian targets, including St. Vincent de Paule hospital and The Leper Hospital. There is one civilian death.

US/Anglo Relations: In an event of decisive importance to the conduct of World War II, the US House of Representatives passes the Lend-Lease Bill, 265-165. In the end, the win is lopsided, contrary to the expectations of a close vote. The news rockets around the world, showing that Great Britain's financial issues now are at an end for the duration of the conflict.

Harry Hopkins, President Roosevelt's latest envoy, takes his leave of Great Britain.

A banner advertising a Benefit for Greek war victims in Hollywood, to be held on 8 February 1941. The stars receiving the most attention are Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, both big supporters of the war effort.

British Government: Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes a couple of appointments. Lord Moyne, Churchill's long-time friend and confidante, is made Secretary of State for the Colonies. The Duke of Norfolk becomes the Joint Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture. Churchill has a decided tendency to put his old cronies in positions where the occupants may have to rubber-stamp his own decisions.

Alfred Ernest Brown, Chairman of the National Liberal Party and Secretary of State for Scotland, becomes the Minister of Health. Brown is the more interesting choice. Previously he had served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health and many other positions in the government, but his leadership of the National Liberal Party becomes a disaster for that party during the 1940s. He is notorious for his loud voice and pretty much is a familiar face in governmental circles.

Vichy French Government: Relations between Premier Philippe Pétain and his former lieutenant Pierre Laval continue to thaw. Pétain offers Laval a seat in the cabinet again, but Laval holds out for something better.

Australian Government: Prime Minister Robert Menzies continues his epic journey from Melbourne to London. He currently has broken his journey in North Africa for a while, and today is that takes place at recently captured Tobruk. He notes that it is so cold that the "R.A.F. men are wearing sheepskin overalls."

Canada: Malcolm MacDonald becomes the new British High Commissioner, replacing Sir Gerald Campbell. Campbell switches to become the British Consul General to the United States, a position he had held from 1931-38. Campbell is a sort of raconteur who gets on well with the Americans, and nothing is as important to the British war effort as the "special relationship" with the United States.

China: At the continuing Battle of Southern Honen, the Japanese 11th Army continues its scorched-earth policy and retreats toward Hsinyang.

Future History: Nicholas King Nolte is born in Omaha, Nebraska. After finding that he does not like school, Nolte begins a career acting in various California regional theaters. He turns this into a modeling career in the late 1960s. He gets a big acting break when, in 1976, he is cast as a leading role in a television miniseries based on Irwin Shaw's "Rich Man, Poor Man." As one of the first big miniseries, "Rich Man, Poor Man" gets a lot of attention, and this leads to a new career as a Hollywood leading man. Some of his more successful films are "The Deep" (1977), "North Dallas Forty" (1979), "48 Hours" (1982) and "Prince of Tides" (1992). Nick Nolte remains a top Hollywood star, recently starring on Epix as President Richard Graves in "Graves."

8 February 1941: Shirley Temple with Frank Morgan, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll, Sam Goldwyn, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard & Myrna Loy on America Calling radio broadcast for Greek War Relief.

February 1941

February 1, 1941: US Military Reorganization
February 2, 1941: Wehrmacht Supermen
February 3, 1941: World Will Hold Its Breath
February 4, 1941: USO Forms
February 5, 1941: Hitler Thanks Irish Woman
February 6, 1941: Operation Sunflower
February 7, 1941: Fox Killed in the Open
February 8, 1941: Lend Lease Passes House
February 9, 1941: Give Us The Tools
February 10, 1941: Operation Colossus
February 11, 1941: Afrika Korps
February 12, 1941: Rommel in Africa
February 13, 1941: Operation Composition
February 14, 1941: Nomura in Washington
February 15, 1941: Churchill's Warning
February 16, 1941: Operation Adolphus
February 17, 1941: Invade Ireland?
February 18, 1941: Panzerwaffe Upgrade
February 19, 1941: Three Nights Blitz
February 20, 1941: Prien's Farewell
February 21, 1941: Swansea Blitz Ends
February 22, 1941: Amsterdam Pogrom
February 23, 1941: OB-288 Convoy Destruction
February 24, 1941: Okuda Spies
February 25, 1941: Mogadishu Taken
February 26, 1941: OB-290 Convoy Destruction
February 27, 1941: Operation Abstention
February 28, 1941: Ariets Warns Stalin

2020

Saturday 7 December 1940

Boeing 314 Clipper NC 18606 lands at Waitemata Harbour, Auckland, December 7, 1940. © Whites Aviation / Alexander Turnbull Library Image WA-00412-G via P. Sheehan Collection - 1950-095.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Italians on 7 December 1940 continue retreating on the southern and middle sectors of the line. Most of the action takes place in the air, where the RAF bombers based near Athens raid Italian shipping and the ports of Durazzo and Salona.

European Air Operations: Apparently due to rough weather, the Luftwaffe bombers stay on the ground today, giving England its first full day without any air raids since 7 August 1940. When the weather is sketchy, both sides make different evaluations of whether to mount missions. However, Luftwaffe fighter-bombers and torpedo bombers are operational during the day. After dark, RAF Bomber Command decides to go and sends bombers against Düsseldorf.

RAF No. 263 Squadron is equipped with the new Westland Whirlwind twin-engine fighter. It has a good range and will be used on convoy duties.

In a carefully scripted series of photos released to the propaganda outlets, the German police on 7 December 1940 stage a raid. The man in front has been apprehended and forced, under interrogation, to reveal the hiding place of his comrades in a Lublin cellar (Ang, Federal Archive).

Battle of the Atlantic: The weather remains rough. Many ships stay in port, while those that venture out are at increased risk of sustaining damage or grounding.

British 1827 ton freighter Lormont, operating as a guard ship and fitted with deck guns, collides with Royal Navy 213 ton minesweeping trawler Cortina near the mouth of the Humber, likely in part due to the weather. Both ships sink

Dutch 2489 ton freighter Stolwijk, part of Convoy SC 13, runs aground in County Donegal, Ireland and is lost. There are 10 deaths and 18 survivors. This loss is directly attributable to the weather, as the storms damage her rudder. She breaks up on the rocks off Tory Island. The Irish lifeboat crew earns medals from the Netherlands and the British for their heroic rescue of the crew.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Sabre attempts to rescue the crew of the Stolwijk during the storm and sustains heavy damage to her superstructure. She must put into Derry for repairs.

Canadian 1747 ton freighter Watkins F. Nisbet runs aground and is lost in the Bristol Channel. The date on this is unclear, it may have run aground on the 6th and then been written off today. The stern section is salvaged.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Sabre is damaged by the weather while returning from escort duties and puts in at Belfast for repairs.

Destroyer HMS Broadway is damaged in a collision at Scapa Flow, likely in part due to the weather, and sails to the Humber for repairs.

U-99 (Kplt. Otto Kretschmer), on its 7th patrol out of Lorient, sights Convoy OB 252 southwest of Ireland and torpedoes and sinks 5237-ton Dutch collier Farmsum. There are 12 deaths in the sinking, 4 crewmen perish of exposure in the lifeboats, and 15 survive. The weather is bitter, and the survivors all have severe frostbite when picked up by HMS Ambuscade.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Sunfish torpedoes and damages 1715-ton Norwegian tanker Dixie in the North Sea.

The Luftwaffe attacks the Humber area and damages 827-ton British freighter Yewarch.

Royal Navy 219-ton minesweeping trawler Capricornus hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary near the Nore Light Vessel.

German raider Admiral Hipper departs from Kiel to enter the North Atlantic as Operation Nordseetour.

German battleship Bismarck enters the Kiel Canal.

U-66 refuels and restocks at sea from German supply ship Nordmark, enabling it to prolong its voyage.

Four Royal Navy minelayers operate east of Iceland, laying minefield SN 10A.

Convoy FN 353 departs from Southend, Convoy FN 354 remains in port, Convoys SLS 58 and SL 58 departs from Freetown.

German troops roust Jewish men living in a cellar in Lublin on 7 December 1940 (Ang, Federal Archives).

Battle of the Mediterranean: General O'Connor's 50,000 men involved in the Operation Compass raid complete their march from Mersa Matruh to the front lines. The plan is to attack the Italians from the rear. Included in the force are 275 tanks, held further back. The Italian reconnaissance planes do not spot the advancing British forces, which are supplied by depots deposited in the front lines well in advance. The British troops, who think they are on an exercise, finally are told that they are going to be involved in a major offensive. The Western Desert Force includes the 7th Armoured Division, 4th Indian Division, and the 16th Infantry Brigade. Selby force (Brigadier A.R. Selby) prepares dummy tanks to confuse Italian reconnaissance.

As part of the preparation for Operation Compass, RAF Wellington bombers based on Malta raid the Castel Benito airfield in Libya. They destroy 29 Italian planes.

The Royal Navy also is involved in Operation Compass. Monitor HMS Terror, gunboat HMS Ladybird, and minesweeper HMS Bagshot form Force A from Alexandria and head for positions off the Italian bases in Egypt. They bombard Sidi Barrani.

German police escorting Lublin Jewish men away to an unknown fate, 7 December 1940 (Ang, Federal Archive).

Battle of the Pacific: British 10,923-ton freighter Hertford runs into a mine and is damaged in the Spencer Gulf off Kangaroo Island in the vicinity of Adelaide. These are mines laid in November by German raider Pinguin.

German raiders Komet and Orion are operating off Nauru west of the Gilbert Islands. The weather is poor, preventing their plan to bombard the phosphate operations on the island. However, during the evening, Komet, disguised as Japanese freighter Manyo Maru, encounters and sinks 5264-ton Norwegian freighter Vinni about 10 km south of the island. The disguise, incidentally, works perfectly, and although the Komet is spotted from the shore, it is believed to be a harmless Japanese freighter. Everybody on board the Vinni is taken aboard the Komet.

German/Italian Relations: Following his interview with German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop on 6 December, Italian Ambassador Dino Alfieri meets with Adolf Hitler. Alfieri is there to plead for German assistance with the campaign in Albania, and perhaps diplomatic overtures by Germany to end the conflict. Hitler agrees to authorize fifty transport planes for use by the Italians in moving troops across the Ionian Sea. He also urges Mussolini to implement harsh measures, including courts-martial and executions to get his men to fight.

Italian Military: Mussolini continues his purge of the top leadership of the Italian military, dismissing General Cesare de Vecchi, Governor of Dodecanese Islands, and replacing him with General Ettore Bastico.

The USS Paducah, a training ship of the Duluth, Minnesota Naval Militia. It arrives in Brooklyn, New York on 7 December 1940 as its new homeport. She often sails to the Chesapeake Bay to train Naval Armed Guard Gunners until 1945.

German/Spanish Relations: Admiral Canaris, head of the German military intelligence service Abwehr, meets with Franco in Madrid. Canaris conveys Hitler's desire that Franco declare war on Great Britain in January and allow passage of Wehrmacht troops from France. Franco demurs, giving his standard reply that Spain is not prepared for war. He has an extensive laundry list of items that he would require in advance, particularly grain, before entering the war.

British Military: The prototype Fairey Barracuda has its first flight. It is intended to replace the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes. The test flight goes well, but the plane as currently equipped is underpowered and suffers from a poor rate of climb.

The 100th Beaufighter is completed at  Filton, South Gloucestershire, England.

Canadian Homefront: The Ottawa Rough Riders defeat the Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers, 12-5, in the second of the two-game series for the 28th Grey Cup of Canadian football.

American Homefront: The American Federation of Labor (AFL) estimates that there are 8.13 million unemployed workers in the United States.

Future History: Gerald Michael Cheevers is born in St. Catharines, Ontario. At the age of 16, Cheeves joins the St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey Association, then in 1965 is drafted by the Boston Bruins. He goes on to become their starting goaltender, winning two Stanley Cup championships and set a record of 32 undefeated consecutive games in 1972 that still stands. Gerry Cheevers retires in 1980, later becomes the Bruins' coach, then becomes a broadcaster.

Santa Claus and an artillery piece in Columbus, Georgia, outside of Fort Benning. December 1940. Marion Post Wolcott/LC-USF34-056550 via Library of Congress.

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