Imperial Japanese boats patrolling off Hong Kong Island during the battle of Hong Kong on December 17, 1941.
U.S. Military: In a move that he knew was coming, CINCUS Admiral Husband E. Kimmel is relieved of command at Pearl Harbor by US Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on 17 December 1941. While a suitable permanent replacement is found, Admiral William S. Pye, currently the commander of Battle Force, Pacific Fleet, replaces him on an acting basis as CINCPACFLT. This impacts operations because Kimmel has been planning a quick relief expedition to Wake Island under Admiral Frank Fletcher's Task Force 11. However, Pye judges it to be too risky and ultimately cancels the operation. The new CINCUS is Admiral Ernest J. King, Commander in Chief, US Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT). King gets a new acronym, COMINCH, for Commander in Chief, United States Fleet. Also relieved of command is the U.S. military commander responsible for the defense of U.S. military installations in Hawaii, Lieutenant General Walter Short, who suffers the further indignity of reduction in rank to his permanent rank of major general. Both men are ordered to return to Washington, where their actions prior to the Pearl Harbor attack will be investigated by the Roberts Commission under the direction of US Supreme Court Associate Justice Owen J. Roberts.
Local Hawaiian boys at the wreckage of a Japanese bomber on December 17, 1941. The plane was shot down by a United States P-40 plane during the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor (AP Photo).
Battle of the Pacific: While they prepare their forces for an invasion of Hong Kong Island, the last remaining British Commonwealth holdout in the area, the Japanese issue a surrender ultimatum. The local commander, Lieutenant General Sano Tadayoshi, commander of the 38th Division, does this by sending a captured British civilian woman along with her two dogs across to the island carrying his message. This is their second surrender offer, the first having been offered on 13 December. The British know their position is hopeless, but Governor Sir Mark Young responds that he "declines absolutely to enter into negotiations for the surrender of Hong Kong." The Japanese continue their invasion preparations.
After its initial hysteria during the first ten days of the war, the US media finally is beginning to return from fantasy to reality in its war coverage. The 17 December 1941 Poughkeepsie (New York) Eagle-News does not report any sinkings of phantom Japanese battleships. It also correctly headlines the Japanese shelling of Maui. Of course, the shelling was only a few perfunctory shells fired by a Japanese submarine at Maui that did no damage, but at least this is close to what is actually happening in the Pacific Theater.
In Malaya, the Commonwealth forces briefly contest the Grik road but fall back under pressure. Indian III Corps begins a retreat to the Perak River line, where the British improvise the "Perak Flotilla" to prevent landings. Elsewhere, the Indian 12th Brigade Group proceeds to Kuala Kangsar. The British evacuate all Europeans from Penang, leaving behind extensive supplies, ships, and even a working radio station. It is a precipitous move that alienates the local population. Some consider this move the beginning of the end of British rule in the entire region.
Hawaiian civilians working with wreckage caused by the attack on Pearl Harbor, 17 December 1941 (AP Photo).
In the Philippines, the Japanese invasion force at Legaspi, southeast of Manila, advances toward the capital. While moving along Route 1 toward Naga, it runs into advance Filipino Army units around Ragay. This is the first real contact between opposing forces in the Philippines. The US Army Air Force, already having abandoned Clark Field, begins withdrawing its 14 remaining B-17 bombers from Manila and flies them to Australia. The last bomber is gone by 20 December. Meanwhile, off Corregidor Island near Manila, 1881-ton US freighter Corregidor, loaded with Filipino refugees and troops heading for the southern Philippines, hits a U.S. mine late on the 16th and sinks during the early morning hours of the 17th. The number of casualties is unknown but is believed to be somewhere around a thousand people.
The US Navy reinforces Midway Island by flying seventeen SB2U-3 Vindicators of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 231 direct from Hawaii. While Midway is part of the Hawaiian Island chain, it is 1035 miles (1665 km) away. The flight takes 9 hours and 45 minutes, a record for single-engine aircraft. A PBY-4 Catalina of Patrol Squadron 21 leads the Vindicators there. The same Vindicators had been aboard USS Lexington (CV-2) en route to Midway Island on 7 December 1941, but the carrier turned back due to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The US Fleet now considers it too dangerous to expose the precious aircraft carriers to unknown dangers, so they remain behind in Hawaii.
The remains of Mitsubishi Zero fighter BII-120 that was shot down on Niihau north of Honolulu on 7 December 1941. This photo was taken on 17 December 1941. The plane was the plane involved in the famous "Niihau Incident" in which a Japanese fighter pilot briefly survived after crash-landing on the island (Pearl Harbor Memorial).
The Australian military sends "Gulf Force" from Darwin to Ambon Island, Netherlands East Indies. The force is transported in three Dutch freighters, escorted by an Australian light cruiser and corvette. On Borneo, the Dutch send B-10 bombers based at Miri on Tarakan (base Singkawang II) against Japanese shipping offshore but score no hits. Later, three Dornier Do 24K flying boats renew the attack, but they lose one plane. However, one of the flying boats hits Japanese destroyer HIJMS Shinonome with two bombs and has a third make a near miss. The explosions blow the Shinonome apart and it sinks within minutes, taking all 229 crew with it. This is the first Dutch success in the Pacific Theater.
Not all US newspapers are reflecting reality. The Washington, D.C. Evening Star on 17 December 1941 announces in its headline that "Americans Pound Jap[anese] On Sea And In Air," which is a part wishful thinking and part fantasy.
About 222 nautical miles southeast of Honolulu (108 miles southeast of Hawaii), HIJMS I-175 torpedoes and sinks 3,253-ton US freighter Manini. There are two deaths, with the survivors being picked up by US destroyers on 27 and 28 December.
A Luftwaffe reconnaissance Fieseler Storch lands in North Africa near Mechili on 17 December 1941.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Early in the day, an Italian reconnaissance aircraft spots a Royal Navy unit heading west near Sidi Barrani. The Italian Navy is at sea escorting a convoy to Tripoli and heads toward the British force. The Axis sends planes to attack, but they score no hits. Italian Admiral Angelo Iachino heads for the British ships, secure in his superior firepower. Rear-Admiral Philip Vian in HMS Naiad withdraws, but Iachino pursues them and opens fire at 32,000 meters (35,000 yards). Vian then lays smoke and heads for the Italian ships, causing Iachino to break off the action after 15 minutes and head back to protect the convoy. The action is inconclusive, with the Italians only scoring one near-miss on destroyer HMS Kipling that kills one rating. Seeing the Italians heading west, Vian turns around and heads back to Alexandria. While neither side achieves much during the brief battle, the Italian convoy gets through to give General Erwin Rommel badly needed supplies.
The 184-inch cyclotron under construction at the Berkeley Lab on 17 December 1941 (Donald Cooksey, The U.S. National Archives).
Applied Science: The United States Navy is busy working on airborne radar, still in its infancy but making huge strides. The Naval Research Laboratory takes a huge leap forward today by demonstrating the feasibility of the duplex antenna. It uses a single antenna for both transmission and reception of a radar pulse/echo. This greatly enhances the practicality of using airborne radar, which is extremely useful to the USN for locating U-boats while they are on the surface.
The National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony across the street from the White House on 17 December 1941 (White House Twitter).
Italian/Greek Campaign: The entire front is fairly stable as of 7 February 1941. The fierce winter weather prevents major engagements. The status quo favors the Italians, who are hanging on to their position in Albania by their fingertips. The Italians are planning another counterattack after the massive advances by the Greeks in the Trebeshina area, but it will take some time to prepare. This area is the key to the entire Albanian campaign, as it lies along the valley which leads to the vital Italian port of Valona (Vlorë). Most activity at this point consists of artillery exchanges and RAF attacks.
Already, the Italians have frustrated the most ambitious Greek plans, as they wished to capture Valona and wind up the Italian position in Albania by mid-February. The timing is important because Greek (and British) intelligence suggests that the Germans may be ready to invade Greece through Bulgaria as early as 15 February. This is not the case, but the Greeks don't know this.
East African Campaign: The British attack on Keren continues. The tactical problem is to take the Dongolaas Gorge which serves as a sort of portal to the town itself. Surrounded by mountains controlled by the Italians, the gorge is a tough nut - but the British are confident that the Italians will fold quickly as they have everywhere else.
The day begins with the 3/14th Punjab Regiment advancing to take Brig's Peak, the middle of three peaks (left to right) that overlook the gorge. However, the Italians send the 65th Infantry Division "Granatieri di Savoia" (Granatieri di Savoia) in a counterattack. The Italians have the advantage of supporting fire from other peaks nearby, and the Indian troops must move supplies and reinforcements over the exposed ground. The Indian troops are pried off Brig's Peak and sent back to their starting point, Cameron Ridge. This now is a more secure position because of the addition of the 1st (Wellesley's)/6th Rajputana Rifles there. However, Cameron Ridge itself is exposed to downward fire from several nearby peaks and it is not an easy thing to stay there.
On the other (right) side of the Dongolaas Gorge, the British also attack. Late in the day, the 4th (Outram's)/6th Rajputana Rifles advance through Happy Valley (Scescilembi Valley) on the far right and take Acqua Col. Tactically, this is an attempt to outflank an Italian strongpoint at Dologorodoc Fort. The Acqua Col also is a key position because it serves as a link between two summits, Mount Selele and Mount Falestoh. The Indian troops retain control of the Acqua Col as the day ends, but the Italians are in a strong position to counterattack there, too, raining fire down on the Indian troops.
In Abyssinia, the British continue advancing along the Gondar Road. In British Somaliland, the British advance as well.
Oblt. Baron Hubertus von Holtey, right, commanding officer of the Ergänzungsgruppe of JG 26, with Oblt. Joachim Müncheberg at Cognac, France in February 1941. Müncheberg, commander of 7./JG 26, will soon be taking his men to Sicily to bolster Fliegerkorps X.
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe makes a few scattered raids along the northeast coast of Scotland and East Anglia, but generally is quiet. The RAF attacks a few Channel ports (27 bombers against Dunkirk, 37 against Boulogne).
Battle of the Atlantic: German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau continue heading south from the vicinity of Greenland toward the shipping lanes. The British have no idea where they are and apparently think they are further east. However, while vulnerable, the Allied convoys nearby have beefed-up escorts which could give the German ships a nasty surprise. In any event, some kind of action is imminent.
The Royal Navy moves its command headquarters for the Western Approaches from Plymouth, on the south coast, to Derby House in Liverpool in the north. This conforms with the fact that more convoys since the fall of France are coming through the Northwest Approaches rather than the Southwest Approaches, which are closer to the U-boat bases in France. Having the headquarter near the port of arrival simply makes sense.
The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks British 575-ton freighter Bay Fisher a few miles northeast of Bell Rock, Angus, Scotland. There are 8 deaths.
British 513-ton freighter Scottish Cooperation hits a mine and is damaged a couple of miles off Workington Pier in the Solway Firth off Workington, Cumberland. The crew manages to beach the ship. After temporary repairs, it makes it back to Workington.
Armed merchant cruiser (AMC) HMS Letitia grounds on Litchfield Shoal near Halifax due to the fierce winter winds. The AMC will require repairs in the US that will last until the end of the year.
German raider Kormoran, with captured vessel Duquesa and operating off the Cape Verde Islands, begins a three-day rendezvous with supply ship Nordmark. This is a somewhat unusual meeting, as Nordmark is the recipient of supplies as much as the giver of the same. The Kormoran, fresh from Germany, has brought U-boat spare parts that are needed at the U-boat base in Lorient. In addition, the Kormoran transfers 170 of the 174 prisoners it has taken so far (four Chinese prisoners remain on board as laundrymen). The British crew from the British Union leave their pet monkey behind in gratitude for honorable treatment during their captivity. Among other random items, a piano from Duquesa is transferred to the Kormoran. It is all a very comfortable meeting during the happy times for German operations in the Atlantic.
U-564 and U-652 are launched.
Soviet submarine K-55 is launched.
General Bergonzoli. His nickname was "Barba elettrica," which roughly translates as the electric beard or electric whiskers or shocking whiskers.
Battle of the Mediterranean: The situation is fluid, but running against the Italians as the day begins. Shortly before dawn, the British 7th Support Group attacks the north end of the Italian convoys heading south from Benghazi on the Via Balbia. At the same time, the 2nd RTR moves south along the western side of the road while the 1st RTR moves east. The stage is set for compressions and destruction of the Italian forces unless they can break out quickly.
The Italians do try to break out. Supported by artillery, the Italian medium tanks overrun British positions of the blocking Combe Force, taking out numerous antitank guns. However, the following Italian infantry is more vulnerable, and the British rain fire on them to force them undercover. The Italian M13 medium tanks make it through the British positions, sweeping across the British officer's mess and the like. However, the British armor arrives, stopping the Italians at El Magrun, about 24 km (15 miles) south of Ghemines. Italian 10th Army is stopped, surrounded, and the surrenders begin at 11:00.
In all, the Italians lose 25,000 men taken prisoner, 93 guns, 107 tanks either captured intact or destroyed, and all of the senior Italian command staff (Lieutenant-General Annibale “Electric Whiskers” Bergonzoli of the XX Motorised corps and General Valentino Babini of the Italian Special Armoured Brigade (Brigata Corazzato Speciale) are captured, while 10th Army Commander General Giuseppe Tellera is killed in his M13 tank.
This concludes the battle of Beda Fomm and the utter destruction of the Italian 10th Army. Almost as an afterthought, the Australian 6th Infantry Division takes evacuated Benghazi. General O'Connor of XIII Corps immediately sends the 11th Hussars further to the west to take out isolated Italian garrisons at Agedabia and El Agheila. However, O'Connor does not have the authorization to proceed to Tripoli, so he can only send out patrols along the 40 or 50 miles down the coast road to Sirte.
O'Connor dispatches Middle East commander Archibald Wavell's former Brigade Major (now a brigadier serving as Wavell's personal liaison officer to XIII Corps) back to Cairo to get that permission. However, it is a long, difficult 570-mile trip by road (for some reason no planes are available) and an answer may take as long as a week. To announce the victory at Benghazi, O'Connor sends the famous signal:
Fox killed in the open.
It is another epic catastrophe for Italian arms, thought the Italians have at least tried to fight with some skill in this engagement for the first time during Operation Compass. Italian commander in North Africa Marshal Rodolfo Graziani submits his resignation, though whether or not this is strictly his idea is open to debate. It puts more pressure on Germany's Operation Sunflower, the insertion of German troops into Libya to backstop the remaining Italian garrison, which now is under the command of General Erwin Rommel, with Wehrmacht troops due on North African soil within a fortnight.
Meanwhile, Admiral Somerville continues steaming toward Genoa from Gibraltar as part of Operation Grog (formerly Result). The aim is to bombard Italian shore targets. He tries to arrange for RAF support from Malta as he passes Sardinia, but no planes are available.
On Malta, a mysterious force of eight Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bombers lands with 38 paratroopers. They are to participate in "Operation Colossus," which nobody on the island knows about.
US/Dutch Relations: Admiral Hart is negotiating with the Dutch authorities in the East Indies regarding future military cooperation. The Dutch have strong naval forces in the Pacific and would be extremely useful in the event of hostilities. The British also have naval forces at Singapore and Hong Kong, though at the moment they are fairly light. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Stark orders Hart to insist on overall US command of any joint Allied fleet in the region. The Dutch, however, feel they are best suited to command operations.
German/Vichy France Relations: Admiral Darlan has been negotiating with the Germans to take over as head of the Vichy Government (under the overlordship of Marshal Petain, who everybody understands is more a figurehead than a real leader). German Ambassador Otto Abetz indicates today that Darlan would be acceptable as a French leader, but Germany does not want to dispose of former leader Pierre Laval just yet. Laval, meanwhile, remains a powerful force in French government circles but technically a private citizen. British Military: The Ministry of Aircraft Production is extremely enthusiastic about the Bristol Beaufighter and has set up "shadow factories" to produce it in addition to the Bristol facilities at Filton (which have been a favorite Luftwaffe target). These shadow facilities include production lines operated by the Fairey Aviation Company. Today, the first Beaufighter IF fighter (T4623) made by Fairey makes its maiden flight at Stockport, Greater Manchester.
Army maneuvers in Hawaii in 1941 before the Pearl Harbor attack.
US Military: The US Naval Academy in Annapolis graduates the class of 1941 today rather than later in the spring due to the growing crisis.
General of the Army George C. Marshall sends a letter to Lt. General Walter C. Short, the new commander of the US Army's Hawaiian Department (he replaces General Herron today). The letter states "the fullest protection for the Fleet is the rather than a major consideration." He continues:
My impression of the Hawaiian problem has been that if no serious harm is done us during the first six hours of known hostilities, thereafter the existing defenses would discourage an enemy against the hazard of an attack. The risk of sabotage and the risk involved in a surprise raid by Air and by submarine constitute the real perils of the situation. Frankly, I do not see any landing threat in the Hawaiian Islands so long as we have air superiority.
This is a very prescient letter.
Secretary of the Navy Henry L. Stimson also forwards a copy of a 24 January 1941 letter from Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox to him to General Short. That letter also warns against the likelihood of hostilities beginning at Pearl Harbor. Stimson instructs both Short and Admiral Kimmel, CINCPAC, to secure the islands against surprise attacks and cooperate with each other and with local authorities.
In fact, (later investigations conclude that) neither Kimmel nor Short lift a finger to cooperate with each other or anyone else in any meaningful way to secure the islands against air attack. This will all become of intense scrutiny after the events of 7 December 1941. Short, for his part, later feels that he acted appropriately despite these clear warnings and instructions from his superiors because he did not receive effective warnings of Japanese attacks and throughout his tenure had insufficient resources to secure the islands anyway.
This is an endless topic, but might as well point out here that the US Senate eventually exonerated both Kimmel and Short by a 52-47 vote on 25 May 1999, stating that they had performed their duties "competently and professionally." Both men, of course, were long deceased by that point, and there seems to have been some lingering suspicions behind the vote that the real blame for Pearl Harbor lay not in Hawaii, but in Washington, D.C. British Government: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill has his staff arrange a stunt for the media. During dinner, he places a call to a random passenger on a train, which is recorded for broadcast. It is all carefully choreographed - the passenger is chosen and briefed at the prior station - but the stunt shows the deep interest that the government has in public relations. This also ties in with certain governmental reforms to be announced on the 8th, as in, "Oh, you see a problem? Well, I'll take of it tomorrow!" This kind of stunt may seem rather obvious now, but it was somewhat novel at the time.
While at Alexandria, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies visits units of the Mediterranean Fleet. He is photographed here with Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. I don't have a firm date on this photo, but since he visited with Cunningham for lunch today on HMS Warspite, it likely is 7 February 1941. The other man in the photo is unidentified but, judging from the gold braid, quite highly placed indeed. Perhaps the captain of HMS Barham, but that is a wild guess.
Australian Government: Prime Minister Robert Menzies continues his epic journey from Melbourne to London. Today he flies to Alexandria and makes note of the dusty conditions - which are causing the RAF and armored forces all sorts of problems. Menzies meets Admiral Cunningham, who he describes as "the No. 1 personality I have so far encountered on this journey." After this, he flies down to Cairo for another dinner with General Wavell. Menzies has mixed feelings about Wavell, noting that "with his left eye closed and his almost unbreakable silence he is an almost sinister figure." Churchill most likely would concur. It is a good night for dinner, though, as they can celebrate the fall of Benghazi to Australian troops. Very good timing.
Indochina: While the Thai/Vichy French border war is over thanks to the Armistice signed aboard a Japanese warship on 31 January, there is still the matter of the actual terms of that peace. The Japanese again act as moderators, as the two sides begin to hammer out an agreement in Tokyo that both can live with. Everybody seems to understand that the Japanese are the real power in the region, the British, Dutch and Americans have no say whatsoever. China: The savage Battle of Southern Henan reaches its climax. The Chinese 5th War Area take Sinyang and points further north. This is a key point on the Wuhan-Peking railway line and puts the Japanese garrison at Wuhan in peril. The Japanese army, meanwhile, moves from Tangho to Tungpo.
American Homefront: Fleischer Studios, for Paramount Studios, releases Popeye the Sailor in "Quiet! Pleeze," animated by Willard Bowsky and Lod Rossner with a story by Milford Davis.
Terrytoon Studios releases "Mississippi Swing," in which African Americans have some fun while picking cotton. Yes, while picking cotton. Caution, the cartoon is not by any stretch of the imagination political correct in the 21st century. This is part of unchangeable history and included here as such for educational purposes only.
This is the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor that crashed in Ireland on 5 February 1941.
East African Campaign: Today, 5 February 1941, generally is considered the start of the Battle of Keren.This is one of the hardest-fought battles during the war south of the North African desert and salvages some of the Italian military honor lost in Libya and Albania.
The 11th Indian Brigade of the 4th Indian Division now has had time to reconnoiter the area around Keren, Eritrea. Its commander decides not to wait for the main force to arrive from Agordat and instead attack straightaway. Attacking from the left of the Dongolaas Gorge (the gateway to Keren), the 2nd Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders quickly take a key ridge (feature 1616, Cameron Ridge) near Mt. Sanchil (overlooking the Gorge) and appear nicely positioned to occupy the higher peaks (Sanchil and Brig's Peak) which dominate the Gorge the next day. Once in possession of those, the British would be able to sweep the Gorge with gunfire and completely break the Italian defenses.
However, the Italians still occupy the high ground nearby, particularly to the right of the pass. These positions remain well-defended and stocked with ample supplies. The most advanced British troops, meanwhile, are forced to bring their supplies over an exposed hill of up to 1500 meters to their positions on the ridge, under the watchful gaze of the Italians on the peaks nearby. More British troops are approaching on the road from Agordat, so resumption of attacks appears likely on the 6th, but this first British attack accomplishes less than it seems due to the Italians' still-dominant possession of the high ground.
The British, anticipating total victory in Libya, name Henry Maitland Wilson as the Military Governor and General Officer Commanding Cyrenaica.
European Air Operations: The RAF sends a Circus raid of 12 Blenheim bombers with a heavy fighter escort to attack St. Omer. The Luftwaffe is ready and waiting and shoots down nine of them. It is a stunning setback for the RAF and its new offensive philosophy. The Luftwaffe, meanwhile, continues its random attacks on various parts of eastern England, with a small raid against London after dark.
In an extremely odd incident, a Luftwaffe KG 40 Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor crashes into a mountain near Dunbeacon, West Cork, apparently after getting lost. Local nurse Mary Nugent is on the scene quickly and finds the plane in flames. Five of the crew are dead, but one of the plane's crew, radio operator Max Hohaus, is alive, though trapped in the plane. Mary and her brother drag Hohaus out of the plane, saving his life despite his massive burns and a broken leg. The Red Cross takes care of him and eventually repatriates Hohaus to Germany.
Well, all that is not all that unique, as planes crashed in Ireland many times during the war. The odd part is that the Germans are very grateful to Mary for saving the crewman's life. The Luftwaffe later arranges to present her with a medal for bravery personally signed by Adolf Hitler. Thus, Mary Nugent becomes the only Irish native decorated during the war by the Wehrmacht.
Volunteer American unit Eagle Squadron becomes operational. It is to aid the RAF against the German in Great Britain.
Mary Nugent, the Irish lady who received a special commendation signed personally by Adolf Hitler.
Battle of the Atlantic: German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau continue into the Atlantic. They are heading further west than the British expect them to, with a scheduled rendezvous with a tanker south of Cape Farewell, Greenland. After topping off their fuel tanks there, the two German ships will be excellently positioned to wreak devastation on the Allied convoys passing just to the south.
Royal Navy submarine HMS Sealion torpedoes and sinks 1151-ton Norwegian freighter Ryfylke just north of Kvitenaes Point near Stadlandet, Norway. Fellow freighter Christian Bugge picks up all 45 men from the Ryfylke.
The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Royal Navy 641-ton anti-submarine trawler HMT Tourmaline near North Foreland, Kent.
The Luftwaffe also bombs and sinks 3734-ton Greek freighter Ioannis M. Embiricos in the North Sea. Everybody survives.
British 7939-ton freighter Politician hits the rocks off Roshinish Point on the Island of Eriskay in the Hebrides. The ship is wrecked on the rocks, though it is later refloated to help salvage it. This is a fairly famous wreck for the region because the ship, in addition to RAF and army stores and some general merchandise, is carrying 22,000 cases of Scotch Whisky. Evidently, the locals have quite a time with the whiskey, and this incident becomes the subject of the 1947 book "Whisky Galore" by Compton Mackenzie. Some whiskey bottles from the wreck have been kept through the years as keepsakes.
Another British ship also runs aground. This is the 7457-ton Empire Breeze, which comes to grief at the Bondicar Rocks near Amble, Northumberland. However, the seas are kind to the Empire Breeze, and the ship is refloated and repaired.
The Royal Navy sinks 5046-ton British ship Minnie de Larinaga at Dover as a blockship.
Convoy OG 52 departs from Liverpool.
US submarine USS Finback is laid down.
U-563 is launched.
Italian troops during the battles around Benghazi, on or about 5 February 1941.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Combe Force, under the command of Lieutenant General John Combe of the 11th Hussars Regiment, resumes its advance from Msus during the day. As part of his force, Combe has a squadron of the King's Dragoon Guards and the RAF Armoured Car Squadron. Just after noon, the Combe Force trucks reach the Via Balbia main road south of Benghazi. There are no Italians there, so the British fear that they were too late; however, in fact, they arrive just in the nick of time. The British setup roadblocks at Sidi Saleh, some 48 km southwest of Antelat. The tanks of the 7th Armored Division are lagging behind, so the initial block is minimal. Combe Force has crossed 150 miles of desert in just 30 hours.
About half an hour later, the Italian 10th Army shows up, driving from Benghazi toward Tripoli without seemingly a care in the world. Their advance vehicles hit mines laid by Combe Force, stopping the entire convoy. After a few scattered attacks by the 10th Bersaglieri, the British 4th Armoured Brigade arrives with its 29 cruiser tanks and the Italians give up for the day. Rather than mount a major attack to break through, the Italians encamp for the night and prepare to attack in the morning. The day ends with the relatively small (but well-armed) Combe Force of about 2000 men, reinforced with the tanks of the 4th Armoured Brigade, blocking the road against about 5,000 Italian troops, who are equipped with 107 tanks and 93 guns. The Italians spread out on both sides of the road looking for an escape route, but there is nowhere to go.
The Australians, meanwhile, are advancing on the Italians from the rear, effectively surrounding the Italian troops with the Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) on one side and the sea on the other. They take Barce, sealing off the north, while the terrain to the south is rough and not suitable for a breakout - which in any event is in the direction of approaching British reinforcements. This collectively becomes known as the Battle of Beda Fomm.
Mines remain a problem at Tobruk Harbor despite frantic British attempts to sweep it. A motor schooner hits a mine and sinks, killing the Assistant King's Harbour Master for Tobruk, Lt. Commander Cochrane.
The Luftwaffe's mining of the Suez Canal scores another victim today, with 5060-ton British freighter Ranee sinking. There are nine deaths. Part of the wreck is salvaged for Royal Navy use.
The Italians, abandoning Benghazi, scuttle 2532 ton freighter Snia Amba in the Harbour. It sinks in shallow water and later is refloated.
The Italians send a major convoy of four large troop transport ships from Naples bound for Tripoli.
Applied Science: General Walter Dornberger, an artillery officer who has been working closely with Wernher von Braun, is told to focus on research and development of rockets, not production. This is a sign of extreme confidence by Hitler that the Reich is not in any jeopardy. Neither the V-1 flying bomb nor the V-2 ballistic missile is ready for production yet anyway.
RAF Draft No. 6 in Sydney embarks on 5 February 1941 (Australian War Memorial).
German/Italian Relations: Hitler writes a letter to Mussolini. In it, he praises the work of Italian officers in North Africa and offers to send a division to North Africa on the condition that the Italians hold their positions there.
German/Danish Relations: Under intense pressure, the Danes give the Germans six new torpedo boats. Technically, the Danes have not been conquered by the Germans and retain their own form of government. In practice, though, Denmark essentially is a German possession, albeit one that retains its king and government. It is less than a satellite and more than a Protectorate.
US/Anglo Relations: President Roosevelt's special envoy, Republican Wendell Willkie, winds up his visit to Great Britain. He makes a statement for distribution to Germany:
I am proud of my German blood, but I hate aggression and tyranny, and I now tell the German people that my convictions are fully shared by the overwhelming majority of Americans of German descent. They, too, believe in freedom and human rights. We German-Americans reject and hate aggression and the lust for power of the present German government.
US Military: General Walter C. Short is in Hawaii to command the US Army's Hawaiian Department. Short basically is in control of all aspects of Hawaii's defense except naval units (army, air force, antiaircraft forces).
Aerial photo of the crash site of the B-18A Bolo bomber that crashed in the mountains on January 16th after taking off from McChord Field. Investigators said the cause of the crash was pilot error. Two woodsmen notified the Lewis County Sheriff that they had found the wreck on February 3rd. This photo was taken near Deschutes Peak, Snoqualmie National Forest, February 5, 1941 (Seattle Post Intelligencer).
Australian Government: Prime Minister Robert Menzies resumes his lengthy journey from Melbourne to London. He flies from Gaza to Lydda (Lod). Reflecting on recent Italian reversals in Libya, he makes a fairly common military assessment for the period in his diary, namely that "One German is worth 15 Italians."
British Government: Prime Minister Winston Churchill continues his efforts to shape the news flow. He sends a letter to Cecil King, director of the Daily Mirror, urging him not to "try to discredit and hamper the Government in a period of extreme danger and difficulty." Instead, he urges King to have his paper focus on British "war aims."
The War Cabinet approves Royal Navy interceptions of Italian convoys proceeding down the Tunisian coast. These ships are traveling in French territorial waters. Heretofore, the area has been off-limits (unlike the areas near Gibraltar).
Occupied Europe: The Germans begin standardizing the currency on the Continent. They eliminate the Luxembourgish and Belgian francs and replace them with the Euro, er, Reichsmark.
China: Japanese 11th Army torches Nanyan and occupies Tangho. Australian Homefront: The author of "Waltzing Matilda," Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, passes away in Sydney, New South Wales.
Separately, the Australian Women’s Australian Auxiliary Air Force (WAAAF) established.
British Homefront: The Ministry of Defence and the RAF sponsors the Air Training Corps (ATC), a successor to the Air Defence Cadet Corps (ADCC). The ATC is a British youth organization, composed primarily by volunteers, intended to give cadets some experience with aviation. King George VI agrees to be the air Commodore-in-Chief, issuing a Royal Warrant for it. The ATC is an instant success
Future History: Stephen J. Cannell is born in Los Angeles, California. Stephen begins selling scripts to Universal in 1968, which hires him to write scripts for series like "Ironside" and "Columbo," and soon lands a full-time job as Jack Webb's story editor on "Adam-12." After that, Stephen J. Cannell goes on to create or co-create (writing pilots for lucrative compensation) about three dozen series, including World War II-themed "Black Sheep Squadron" (which focuses on the adventures of Pacific ace Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. His last huge success is "The Commish," which airs from 1991-1996, and after that takes only some occasional acting gigs and writes novels (including the Shane Scully series). Stephen J. Cannell passes away on 30 September 2010 from melanoma and is interred at Forest Lawn.
David Lynn Selby is born in Morgantown, West Virginia. He becomes famous for playing Quentin Collins in "Dark Shadows" (1969-71). He later stars as Richard Channing in "Falcon Crest" and stars in other series. David Selby remains active in the business as of this writing.
The War Department Air Corps, Materiel Division performs flight tests at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio on the P-39 (Bell YP-39) and submits its results of the findings today, 5 February 1941. The report finds that top speed is 368 mph, it can reach 20,000 feet in 7.3 minutes, and that "the P-39 should not be spun intentionally under any circumstances." The overall tenor of the report is that the Allison V-1710-35 engine has serious issues.
