This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

[parsifal]

Halder's Diary 13 November 1941
(note the developing crisis in the german logistics network) From this day Wagner is reporting no trucks in the divisional parks, everything is being thrown into the army level supply from the railheads. Some are of the opinion that it was from this date that Germany's final defeat can be traced).

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Njaco]

November 14 Friday
ASIA: IJN aircraft carrier "Kaga" exited the drydocks at Sasebo Naval Shipyard, Japan. IJN aircraft carrier "Shokaku" was relieved of her status as the flagship of Carrier Division 5. That responsibility was passed to IJN aircraft carrier "Zuikaku".

Japanese liner "Tatsuta Maru" arrives at Yokohama with hundreds of Japanese repatriates from Allied nations and Admiral Kondo, former naval attache in London. "Tatsuta Maru" then departed Yokohama, Japan.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The destroyers USS "Benson" (DD-421) and USS "Niblack" (DD-424), screening Convoy ON-34, depth charged a sound contacts. The destroyer USS "Edison" (DD-439), en route to the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Meeting Point in U.S. Navy Task Unit 4.1.1 to screen Convoy ON-35, attacked a sound contact southwest of Iceland.

EASTERN FRONT: Stalin ordered Zhukov to launch two spoiling attacks. Rokossovski was ordered to attack at Volokolamsk. Both Zhukov and Rokossovski protested – to no avail. Armies of Soviet Western Front conduct localized counterattacks at multiple points along the front of German Army Group Center. The Soviet 49th Army hits the German XII.Armeekorps and XIII.Armeekorps in the Tula area. Fighting is very heavy.

Elements of 11.Armee close on Sevastopol, cutting the city off from landward communications. On the other side of the peninsula, Kerch is occupied.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler meets grand mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Husseini in Berlin. They agree that German occupation of Palestine and other mandated territories would result in annihilation of their Jewish population of about 500,000.

MEDITERRANEAN: British carrier "Ark Royal", within 25 miles of Gibraltar, succumbs to damage done in the earlier U-boat attack and is abandoned to sink. The list of damaged British carrier HMS "Ark Royal" reached 45° before the carrier capsized and sank at 0619 hours. Witnesses reported the carrier rolling to 90°, where she remained for three minutes before inverting. "Ark Royal" broke in two, the aft sinking within a couple of minutes, followed by the bow. With HMS "Illustrious" and HMS "Formidable" both under repair in the USA, the Mediterranean Fleet is left without a carrier - a parlous situation since Hitler, desperate to supply Rommel, is preparing to order one Fliegerkorps of bombers from Russia to Sicily - a serious threat to Malta and the Royal Navy.

Operation Astrologer: The British launched unescorted freighters disguised as French, Italian, and Spanish ships with supplies for Malta. Operation Astrologer comprises 2 ships, SS "Empire Defender" and SS "Empire Pelican", traveling independently. "Empire Pelican" was found and sunk by Italian SM.79 torpedo bombers near the Galite Islands off Tunisia, killing 1. "Empire Defender" is believed to have met the same fate. The convoy attempt was the latest in a series of clandestine missions to run supply ships along the North African coast disguised as local tramp vessels. However, with German U boats also known to be operating in the Western Mediterranean, the operation of future such convoys from the British mainland is now in doubt.

Night attack by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) on Brindisi as well as Catania, in Sicily. One Wellington flew a shipping search off Taranto Bay and Straits of Otranto. Two Wellingtons of RAF No. 104 Squadron flew nuisance raid on Brindisi. Twelve Wellingtons of RAF No. 40 Squadron and seven Wellingtons of RAF No. 104 Squadron attacked Catania.

Axis Convoy departs Taranto for Tripoli with two vessels escorted by Italian destroyers "Pigafetta" and "Da Verazzano".

There were no air raid alarms or attacks on Malta today.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Flipper: After dark, submarines HMS "Torbay" and HMS "Talisman" delivered Layforce - 36 (of planned total of 59) British commandos of No. 11 (Scottish) Group under Colonels Robert Laycock and Geoffrey Keyes (son of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes) behind enemy lines in Libya. Their goal is to destroy Rommel's HQ and "get" the Desert Fox. A large part of the force is unable to land due to horrible weather, but the mission goes forward without them. The commandos get ashore 12 miles from the target at Beda Littoria. Layforce commandos begin moving inland.

Night attacks by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) on objectives at Benghazi, Berka; Bardia and Derna. Aerodromes at Barce and Murtuba also attacked by South African Air Force (SAAF).

NORTHERN EUROPE: Soviet destroyer "Gordy" struck a mine and sank en route to Hanko, Finland. Soviet submarine M-98 struck a mine and sank in the Gulf of Finland, killing all aboard. Soviet submarine L-2 struck three mines in a minefield off Keri, Estonia in the Baltic Sea between 0107 and 0617 hours, eventually sinking, killing 50 of 53 aboard. Moscow announced sinking of five Kriegsmarine transports two in the Barents Sea and three in the Baltic.

A Focke Wulf Fw 200C-4 from 3./KG 40 failed to return from its mission and was believed lost in the sea off Norway. All crew listed as missing in action.

PACIFIC OCEAN: 750 US Marines in China (Shanghai, Beiping, and Tianjin) were ordered to evacuate to the Philippine Islands. 183 had transportation difficulties and would be imprisoned by the Japanese when hostilities began. In Shanghai, the 4th Marines had been making plans in the event of hostilities breaking out. Colonel Samuel L. Howard, commanding officer since May 14, 1941, gained permission for withdrawal of the regiment. The liners "President Harrison" and "President Madison" were charted for this purpose. Thousands of cheering people waving Chinese and American flags lined the streets to see the regiment, which had played such an intimate part in community life for over 14 years, parade through the Settlement for the last time. At the dock, members of the Municipal Council, the foreign consuls and diplomatic representatives, the commanding officers of all military units, including the Japanese, and the heads of many civic organizations gathered to bid the Marines farewell. The 4th Marines were finished with Shanghai, their ships bound for the Philippines.

Hart was informed by Navy Department that deployment of the Asiatic Fleet was to be made by him as its commander.

Canadian C Force infantry brigade reaches Manila en route to Hong Kong from Vancouver.

UNITED KINGDOM: Premier U Maung Saw departs London after failed effort to win promise of independence for Burma.

WESTERN FRONT: Denmark joins the Anti-Comintern Pact.

RAF Fighter Command flew a Rhubarb operation.

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[parsifal]

14 NOVEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Bangor Class MSW HMS WHITEHAVEN (J-121)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Fairmile B ML-238
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
After being hit by U-81 the previous day, CV ARK ROYAL (RN 22900 grt) finally rolled over and sank. The aircraft carrier sank at 0613 on the 14th. Only one rating Able Seaman E. Mitchell was lost on the carrier.

The loss of this precious ship was both a psychological and actual loss to the RN who desperately needed the carrier in the struggle to control the Med and keep the vital links to besieged fortress Malta supplied and operational.

Convoy SC-53
U-561 managed to sink Steamer CRUSADER (Pan 2939 grt) in the nth Atlantic. All but one man of the 34 man crew perished in the attack. The ship was a convoy straggler transporting foodstuffs, cotton and iron and steel from Baltimore to Liverpool via Sydney CB. CRUSADER was supposed to sail with convoy SC63 when it departed on the 4th November, but failed to join in fog and was reported missing thereafter. On the 14 November, At 0337 hrs, U-561 spooted the steamer and fired a spread of three torpedoes at CRUSADER, which immediately stopped after two hits and then sank fast by the stern. No survivors or lifeboats were sighted by the U-boat. Edward Barreto from Rio de Janeiro was the only survivor of CRUSADER, held as prisoner of war at Milag Nord and released in 1945. It is not known when and how he was captured as the event is not recorded in the BDU war diary. It is my speculation that BDU, having long since issued orders to not rescue survivors, that U_561 on this occasion made an exception, contrary to standing orders.

Steamer EMPIRE PELICAN (UK 6463 grt) en route to Malta, was sunk by the RA ten miles SW of Galita Island. One crewman was lost. Thirty five crewmen and nine gunners were made prisoners of war.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
At Sea 14 November 1941
U-38, U-43, U-68, U-69, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-93, U-96, U-98, U-101, U-105, U-106, U-109, U-123, U-124, U-126, U-129, U-133, U-201, U-205, U-331, U-332, U-372, U-373, U-375, U-402, U-433, U-434, U-453, U-552, U-561, U-565, U-567, U-571, U-572, U-573, U-574, U-575, U-577, U-652, U-752, UA

44 Boats

OPERATIONS
Eastern Front
Baltic
Project 7 (Gnevnyi) Class DD GORDY (VMF 1855 grt) was sunk on a mine off Naissaari in the Baltic.

Northern Patrol
MSW FITZROY departed the Faroes to boiler clean at Aberdeen.

CL EDINBURGH and CA SUFFOLK departed Hvalfjord for Denmark Strait patrol.

DD ESCAPADE departed Scapa Flow for Hvalfjord to join the force under the CinC Home Fleet. The destroyer embarked mail for the fleet before sailing. ESCAPADE arrived at Hvalfjord on the 16th.

Convoy PQ.3
ASW Trawler HAMLET was detached on the 14th and returned with steamer BRIARWOOD, which had been damaged by ice.

Med/Biscay
On the 14th, the RHN Submarine GLAUKOS sank a second unnamed caique (FI 250 grt (est)) north of Crete with gunfire (see 12 November entry).
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

ML cruiser ABDIEL and DDs HERO, HOTSPUR, and NIZAM departed Alexandria for Tobruk in the second series of Operation APPROACH. The ships returned to Alexandria on the 15th. General Sikorski returned to Alexandria on ABDIEL. DD ERIDGE departed Port Said and joined DDs NAPIER, KANDAHAR, and HASTY in ASW sweep after their return. After an unsuccessful search, the DDs returned to Alexandria on the 16th.

Submarines TORBAY and TALISMAN, which had departed Alexandria on the 10th, landed commandoes on the North African coast to strike at Rommel's Headquarters near Apollonia. The submarines returned to Alexandria on the 23rd. After this and another similar disaster by the specialist commando units in Nth Africa that ended badly, the commandoes were taken in hand by the NZ part timers, farmers mostly, known as the LRDG (Long Range Desert Groups) for further training and co-operation.

Nth Atlantic
Convoy ON-32
DD RESTIGOUCHE was detached on the 13th and the rest of the escort, less trawler MOA, on the 14th.

Convoy ON.35
On the 14th DD ROCKINGHAM, corvettes ALISMA, SHERBROOKE, and SUNFLOWER, and ASW trawlers BUTTERMERE, LADY ELSA, THIRLMERE and WELLARD were detached when relieved by USN DDs DALLAS, EBERLE, ELLIS, and ERICSSON

Central Atlantic
Ocean boarding vessel MARSDALE departed Gibraltar on Western Patrol.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
CLA CARLISLE, DD AVONVALE, and RAN sloops PARRAMATTA and YARRA passed through the Suez Canal and sailed for Alexandria. AVONVALE was recalled to escort landing ship GLENGYLE the following day. DD HEYTHROP passed through the Suez Canal on the 15th and on arrival at Port Said departed with DD AVONVALE escorting landing ship GLENGYLE to Alexandria. DD HEYTHROP arrived from Gibraltar, via the Cape. The CLA and the sloops arrived at Alexandria on the 15th. The landing ship and DDs AVONVALE and HEYTHROP arrived at Alexandria on the 16th.

DD HEYTHROP was assigned to DesFlot2 for duty in the Med Fleet.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 14 NOVEMBER TO DAWN 15 NOVEMBER 1941
No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS FRIDAY 14 NOVEMBER 1941

LUQA0756-1212 hrs One Blenheim 107 Squadron SF11 patrol. 0800-1311 hrs One Blenheim 18 Squadron on shipping search. 1350-1804 hrs One Blenheim 18 Squadron SF11 patrol. PM One Wellington shipping search Taranto Bay and Straits of Otranto. Two Wellingtons of 104 Squadron nuisance raid on Brindisi. Twelve Wellingtons of 40 Squadron and seven Wellingtons of 104 Squadron attacked Catania.

TA QALI Blenheim aircraft No L7887 force landed on the aerodrome. Pilot Sgt Bank and observer Sgt Lowcock uninjured. Sgt WO/AG William Eaton, 114 Squadron, Royal Air Force killed by enemy action.

 

[parsifal]

Halder's Diary 13 November 1941

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Njaco]

November 15 Saturday
ASIA: Prime Minister Tojo reviews the final military plan for going to war. General Homma, commanding 14th Army, finalizes plans for invasion of Philippines with air and naval commanders.

"As relations between Japan and the United States are most critical, make your 'ship in harbor report' irregular, but at a rate of twice a week. Although you already are no doubt aware, please take extra care to maintain secrecy" - Message from Togo in Tokyo to Riyoji in Washington, intercept was translated on December 3rd.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: British vessel "Corhampton" was heavily damaged by Luftwaffe aircraft and subsequently sinks.

U.S. Navy Task Unit 4.1.1, under command of Captain Marion Y. Cohen, assumed escort duty for Convoy ON-35 at the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Meeting Point. There would be no U-boat attacks on the convoy, but nearly continuous heavy weather between November 16 and November 25 resulted in 16 of the 26 ships straggling.

EASTERN FRONT: Germans begin phase 2 of attack on Moscow (Operation Typhoon) after a three-week lull. The plan is to involve tank forces which are to drive with converging attacks from the north and south of the capital. General Guderian's 2.Panzerarmee begins advancing from Tula, while the 3.Panzerarmee and 4.Panzergruppe will advance from the north toward the Moscow Canal. The infantry armies on the flanks are to make supporting attacks. Infantry with tanks from 1.Panzer-Division push Soviet 30th Army back from around the Volga Reservoir and Moscow Sea Reservoir, 75 miles North of Moscow. Stalin orders Zhukov to mount spoiling attacks along the entire defensive line, which will only serve to weaken the Soviet defenses but do little to disrupt the German preparations. The Soviets have built up reserves and brought forces from Siberia. They will allow the Germans to advance while building up forces on the outer flanks. Across the Eastern Front, the temperature fell to -20 degrees Celsius, freezing both men and machines. The German offensive was generally slowed to a yard-by-yard advance from this date on.

German Army Group North captures Volkhov while in the south German forces capture Maloarchangelsk south of Orel. Soviet warships bombard German positions around Sevastopol.

Erich Mußfeldt was transferred from Auschwitz Concentration Camp to Majdanek Concentration Camp as the chief of the crematorium.

Luftwaffe opens new series of raids against Moscow, continuing through 5 December. Listed as missing in action against the Russians is JG 51's Walter Schick, with ten victories against the Soviets.

German Luftwaffe III./KG 4 arrived at Pskov (German: Pleskau), Russia.

Moscow announced failure of a German landing attempt on Murmansk coast. 20 boats sunk by Russian fire and two companies of Wehrmacht troops destroyed.

GERMANY: Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld was named the commanding officer of 5./NJG 2.

RAF Bomber Command sends 49 aircraft to attack Emden and 47 aircraft to attack Kiel overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Astrologer: Italian SM.79 torpedo bombers sank British freighter "Empire Defender" of the Operation Astrologer convoy near the Galite Islands off the Tunisian coast, killing 4.

Still reeling from the successful Force "K" attack on their convoy, Italian commanders seem to be intensifying their efforts to subdue Malta. The Regia Aeronautica have concentrated almost entirely on night raids since September – and often approached only close enough to trigger the Island's air raid alarm. Now it seems Italian pilots are ready to attack during daylight hours. At 0612 hours three enemy bombers approached the Island from the East. Bombs were dropped in sea ten miles east of Delimara and anti-personnel bombs at Island Bay Searchlight Station. One enemy aircraft illuminated. No engagement by Hurricanes or Ack Ack. At 1045 hours, a Recce raid by 2 Macchis had the Ack Ack guns fired a barrage.

Units of the 3rd Battalion of the Island's territorial unit, the Kings Own Malta Regiment, are on the move. A Coy transferred from Qrendi to Pawla and B Coy from Pawla to Qrendi. Armed with machine guns, their task is to defend the shoreline of Malta and Gozo, including manning beach posts. The 3rd Battalion covers the southern area of Malta 1st and 2ndBattalions the north.

NORTH AFRICA: A "Special Air Service Brigade" which was formed in the summer has lost 32 out of 55 men in an attempted para-drop in a sandstorm. The targets - Rommel's airfields - are untouched. The leader - Captain David Stirling, who proposed the idea of the SAS Brigade in July, was retrieved by another special force, the Long Range Desert Group. The LRDG, formed 14 months ago, comprises pre-war desert explorers practicing deep reconnaissance with special vehicles. Stirling wants a partnership with it after this debacle.

Operation Flipper: Colonel Keyes's commandos shelter during the day. Overnight, they hike 18 miles inland to a cave 1 mile from the target at Beda Littoria.

RAF aircraft attack Gambut, Tmimi, Gazala, and other targets while Luftwaffe aircraft attack RAF airfield at Jarabub oasis in southern Libya.

East African 25th Infantry Brigade advancing south from Wolchefit toward Dancaz east of Gondar.

NORTH AMERICA: Saburo Kurusu arrived in the United States.

US 22nd and 23rd Fighter Squadrons, both operating P-40 Warhawk fighters, were assigned to Losey Field in Puerto Rico.

Franklin Roosevelt had lunch with Princess Märtha of Sweden (Crown Princess of Norway) at the White House in Washington DC, United States, followed by a private showing of the film 'Dumbo'.

U.S. Army GHQ maneuvers began in North and South Carolina. Two U.S. Navy and two Marine Corps squadrons took part in the large-scale war games.

NORTHERN EUROPE: The majority of the encircled Soviet troops in the Kestenga sector managed to infiltrate to safety in small groups — claims that Finns destroyed two Soviet regiments appear to be over-optimistic.

German submarine U-752 attempted to attack Soviet minelayer ZM-93 "Jushar" southeast of Murmansk, Russia at 1700 hours, but escorting minesweeping trawler T-889 forced U-752 to dive. At 1849 hours, U-752 fired a torpedo at T-889, sinking her and killing all 43 aboard.

The U-583, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Ratsch, was sunk near Danzig, East Prussia after a collision with the U-153. All of the ship's complement of 45 died. During its career the U-583 sank or damaged no ships.

PACIFIC OCEAN: The converted passenger liner "Awatea" arrived in Hong Kong, carrying 2,000 Canadian troops (the Winnipeg Grenadiers and Royal Rifles of Canada under Brigadier J Lawson) to aid in the defence of the island. Royal Canadian Navy armed merchant cruiser "Prince Robert" escorted the troop ship "Awatea". The Canadians will boost the garrison in Hong Kong, but, as Churchill himself has pointed out, two semi-trained battalions are unlikely to deter Japan from war, but will merely increase the numbers of prisoners the Japanese can take. The Canadians seem only too aware of this. "Oh God, another Dunkirk," Signalman William Allister said when he heard where he was going. "No fella," another voice added, "at Dunkirk they had somewhere to go."

Marshall holds a press conference at which he stated that V Bomber Command constituted the "greatest concentration of heavy bomber strength anywhere in the world"; when queried over the inability of the B-17's in the Philippines to bomb Japan and to return to Clark AAF, Marshall stated that the USSR would allow the airplanes to refuel at Vladivostok.

Codebreakers read message ordering Japanese consul in Hawaii to report USN movements at Pearl Harbor.

HMAS "Canberra", (cruiser), was damaged in a collision with the transport "Katoomba", at Fremantle, WA. HMAS "Vampire", (destroyer), was damaged in a collision with the steamer "Perak", off Keppel Harbour, Singapore. "Vampire", which had just completed a long refit, returned to the dockyard for repairs.

SOUTH AMERICA: US Army dispatched troops to Dutch Guiana to protect bauxite mines. This was agreed upon by the Dutch government-in-exile.

UNITED KINGDOM: Free French Air Force pilots formed the Paris and Versailles squadrons. They operated out of Britain, flying Blenheim and Hurricane aircraft.

The de Havilland Mosquito B.Mk.IV light bomber entered service with RAF No. 105 Squadron at RAF Swanton Morley, Norfolk. It wasn't until May 31, 1942 that the Mosquito took part in its first operational raid - a raid on Cologne, France.

BBC radio in London announces Mihailovic is commander of Free Yugoslavian Army in the Fatherland.

North East Coast town raided during day. Slight Luftwaffe activity at night. In Yorkshire, a single Luftwaffe aircraft penetrated inland and dropped bombs on Redcar and Scarborough. At the first place slight damage was done to a Works. Gas mains supplying Redcar town were also damaged, and ten people lost their lives here. The only damage reported from Scarborough was to house property. There were no fatal casualties. Two Luftwaffe bombers shot down off East Coast.

WESTERN FRONT: The British Royal Air Force (RAF) carried out and offensive sweep over Occupied France by Hurricane bombers and Spitfires. RAF Fighter Command flew a Ramrod operation and a Rhubarb operation.

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[parsifal]

15 NOVEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type 1936 DD DKM Z-30

Type IXc DKM U-173
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Type XIV DKM U-459

Losses
Steamer CORHAMPTON (UK 2495 grt) was badly damaged by the LW 26 miles NE of Spurn Point. The steamer sank on the 16th in tow two miles 142° from 62D Buoy in the Humber area. The entire crew were rescued.

Drifter HARMONY (UK 24 grt) was sunk in a collision off Invergordon.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
Arrivals
St. Nazaire: U-573

At Sea 15 November 1941
U-38, U-43, U-68, U-69, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-93, U-96, U-98, U-101, U-105, U-106, U-109, U-123, U-124, U-126, U-129, U-133, U-201, U-205, U-331, U-332, U-372, U-373, U-375, U-402, U-433, U-434, U-453, U-552, U-561, U-565, U-567, U-571, U-572, U-574, U-575, U-577, U-652, U-752, UA

43 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front
Arctic
Submarine TRIDENT departed Polyarnoe and arrived at Blyth on the 30th. The submarine went on to the Tyne for repairs and docking.

U-752 sank ASW Trawler T-889 (VMF 581 grt) with the loss of her entire crew of 43. east of the entrance to the White Sea. At 1700 hrs, U-752 fired a spread of two torpedoes at the Soviet auxiliary minelayer ZM-93 six miles southeast of Cape Ostrye Ludki and observed a hit after 2 minutes 5 seconds underneath the bridge, Soviet records state that no hit was achieved and that the torpedo detonated prematurely. It is certain this ship was not sunk or damaged.. Following this attack, U-752 was forced to dive by sustained counterattacks by T-889 . However U-752 was able to evade and once again was able to fire at the ZM-93. T-889 was hit by a torpedo that had been fired at 1849 hrs aimed at her charge. The ship sank in a short time under a great column of smoke. The ML initially attacked the U-boat with depth-charges, returned to search for survivors and then proceeded after nobody was found.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Northern Patrol
Convoy PQ.3
Trawler MACBETH was detached on the 15th.

West Coast
Convoy ON.37
Convoy ON.37 departed Liverpool escorted by ASW trawlers HUGH WALPOLE and NORTHERN SPRAY.

Channel
DD FAULKNOR departed Portsmouth for the Clyde to carry out direction finding calibration before proceeding to Scapa Flow. The DD arrived in the Clyde on the 16th

Med/Biscay
CLAs NAIAD and EURYALUS were at sea from Alexandria for a practice bombardment.

Dutch submarine O.21 unsuccessfully attacked Italian steamer NINETTOG. in a convoy in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Steamer EMPIRE DEFENDER (UK 5649 grt), en route to Malta, was sunk by the RA eighteen miles south of Galita Island. Four crewmen were lost on the steamer. The rest of the crew were made prisoners of war.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Nth Atlantic
Convoy 0N-31
The American destroyers were detached on 15 November when the convoy was dispersed.

Convoy ON.35
USN DD UPSHUR joined the escort on the 15th

DDs ASHANTI, MATABELE, and PUNJABI departed Hvalfjord for an ASW search for a submarine attacked by a USN DD on the 14th.

Convoy HX.160
Convoy HX.160 departed Halifax, escorted by DDs ANNAPOLIS and HAMILTON.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
DDs ENCOUNTER and JUPITER departed Alexandria for the Far East, via Bombay. The DDs departed Aden on the 20th. They arrived at Colombo on the 26th. On the 30th, at Colombo, the DDs departed with BB PRINCE OF WALES and DDs ELECTRA and EXPRESS to proceed to Singapore.

BC REPULSE departed Trincomalee the same day for Singapore.

Malta
Still reeling from the successful Force "K" attack on their convoy, the RA intensified its efforts to subdue Malta. Previously having restricted their attacks to night raids since early September, the Italians began some mass attacks during daylight hours

AIR RAIDS DAWN 15 NOVEMBER TO DAWN 16 NOVEMBER 1941

0612-0643 hrs Air raid alarm. Three enemy bombers approach the Island from the East. Bombs are dropped in sea ten miles east of Delimara and anti-personnel bombs at Island Bay Searchlight Station. No engagement by Hurricanes or Ack Ack.

1045-1052 hrs Air raid alarm for two Macchi fighters which carry out reconnaissance. Ack Ack guns fire a barrage; no claims.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER

LUQAAM 18 Squadron One Blenheim of 18 Squadron on SF11 patrol. 107 Squadron Five Blenheims on shipping patrol in the Zante area. PM 107 Squadron One Blenheim took over SF11 patrol. 18Squadron Five Blenheims flew out to relieve their comrades over Zante.

 

[parsifal]

Halder's Diary 15 November 1941

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Njaco]

November 16 Sunday
ASIA: The Japanese carrier fleet exercised in the Kurile Islands. Obsolete Japanese battleship "Settsu" began to sail around the Inland Sea in Japan to generate fake radio communication messages at different ports.

Crown Prince Yi Un was attached to the training department of the Japanese Army.

The newly established 54th Sentai arrived from Kashiwa, Tokyo, to Hankou.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Allied convoy PQ-3 departed Hvalfjörður, Iceland in stormy weather.

RN battleship "Prince of Wales" arrives at Simonstown naval base, South Africa en route to Singapore.

U.S. Navy Task Unit 4.1.5, under command of Commander William K. Phillips, cleared Argentia, Newfoundland, to assume escort duty for Convoy HX-160 in the northern Atlantic Ocean between November17 and 28. Heavy seas would cause varying degrees of damage to the destroyers USS "Mayo" (DD -422), USS "Nicholson" (DD 424), USS "Babbitt" (DD 128), USS "Leary" (DD 158) and USS "Schenck" (DD 159). The convoy would not be attacked by U-boats.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet 30th Army and remnants of 16th Army began crumbling under attacks by German 3.Panzerarmee and 4.Panzergruppe and 9.Armee. Soviet 16th Army was mostly destroyed in an unsuccessful counterattack against German 3.Panzerarmee. As the Russian attacks faltered the Germans launched their own offensive. The German 16.Armee launches a new attack south of Leningrad in the Volokolamsk area. The attack would stall in less than 24 hours due to extremely heavy losses, very stiff resistance and poor weather. At the northern flank of the German line the 9.Armee (Strauss) committed three divisions to clear the area between the Ivankovo Reservoir (aka Moscow Sea) and the Volga Reservoir. Strauss didn't support the offensive so limited his contribution; he thought he should focus on consolidating the area he already held. 4.Panzergruppe (Hoepner) used fresh forces to attack the boundary between the Soviet 5th and 30th Armies. They outflanked many defenders and got onto the Volokolamsk-Moscow highway. One Russian tank brigade was reduced to two operable tanks. The Germans attacked the left flank of Soviet 16th Army held by Panfilov's 316th Division and a cadet regiment. German heavy artillery and planes bombarded the defenders. Then the panzers began to roll over the frozen ground. The 1075th Infantry Regiment, 316th Division, held the division's left flank at a small railway crossing called Dubosekovo. Their job was to stop the Germans reaching the Volokolamsk Highway. The regiment destroyed some tanks and suffered significant casualties themselves before withdrawing, without orders, towards evening. Amongst the defenders was an anti-tank platoon equipped with one machine gun, two anti-tank rifles, and some Molotov cocktails. This incident subsequently got talked up as 'The Testimony of the 28 Fallen Heroes'. In the PR version the 28 men of the anti-tank platoon, under Commissar Vasili Klochkov, had held off 50 German tanks; one man has fled and been shot by his comrades and the other 27 had died fighting. The truth was somewhat different. The regimental commander had heard nothing of these exploits until told by journalists, several of the men survived: one died in a Soviet hospital, two saw out the war as German prisoners of war, one joined a partisan group formed by soldiers but was subsequent arrested by the NKVD as a deserter, and one returned to the Ukraine and arrested as a collaborator after liberation. 70 miles West of Moscow, General Georg-Hans Reinhardt's 3.Panzerarmee establishes a crossing over the Lama River along the highway to Klin. Elements of the Soviet 49th and 50th Armies stop an attack by the German XXXXIII.Armeekorps directed at the Moscow-Tula highway.

German forces continue their almost unimpeded advance through the Crimea. Further South in the Crimean, German 11.Armee captured the town of Kerch on the Kerch peninsula linking to the Caucasus.. Soviet Deputy Navy Commissar Admiral Gordei Levchenko was arrested after being deemed responsible for this defeat.

A Catholic Mass was secretly held in a dark aisle between bunks on the second floor of Block 4 at Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

GERMANY: Joseph Goebbels publishes in the German magazine Das Reich that "The Jews wanted the war, and now they have it"—referring to the Nazi propaganda scheme to shift the blame for the world war onto European Jewry, thereby giving the Nazis a rationalization for the so-called Final Solution. In it he makes one of the clearest implications to date that the Jews are going to be eliminated.

MEDITERRANEAN: British corvette HMS "Marigold" damaged German submarine U-433 commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans Ey, with depth charges 50 miles east of Gibraltar at 2255 hours. After U-433 surfaced, "Marigold" continued to attack her with guns. U-433's crew scuttled the boat after suffering 6 killed; the 38 survivors were captured. During its career the U-433 damaged 1 ship for a total of 2,215 tons.

Two Albacores, 828 Squadron Fleet Air Arm (FAA) set out from Hal Far, Malta in a desperate search for the crew of a missing Wellington bomber. The aircraft was one of five Wellingtons which left Gibraltar yesterday for delivery to Malta. They were attacked within 100 miles of their destination and one was shot down. The returning FAA search aircraft brought good news. The crew's dinghy was located and they were picked up by rescue launch.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Flipper: Colonel Keyes's commandos shelter in a cave 1 mile from the target at Beda Littoria. Their attempt to kill Rommel must be timed to coincide with the launch of a combined infantry and armored attack from Egypt in 2 days (Operation Crusader).

Two Italian supply vessels arrive at Benghazi.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Air Force USAFFE is redesignated the FEAF.

Brereton dispatched by MacArthur on a three-week, 11,500-mile jaunt to Rabaul, Port Moresby, Townsville, and Melbourne, to comply with Marshall's directive of 30 SEP 41 regarding use of airfields in British Empire areas.

.

 

[parsifal]

16 NOVEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Fairmile B ML 309, MMS I Class coastal MSW MMS 75 (J-575)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U-98 sank the Steamer JEDMOOR (UK 4392 grt) in the Western Approaches whilst transporting iron ore from Sydney CB to Glasgow. The ship was part of SC-42 and had embarked a crew of 36, of which 31 would lose their lives in the attack. At 1359 hrs, U-85 fired three single bow torpedoes and one stern torpedo at the convoy SC-42. All torpedoes missed, their tracks were observed by the JEDMOOR. Between 2311 and 2316 hrs that night, U-98 fired four single torpedoes at the convoy NW of St. Kilda and heard two detonations. The Uboat skipper reported one ship sunk and another damaged. In fact, only the JEDMOORwas hit and sunk.. Three crew members were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant KNOLL and two other crew members by the British steam merchant CAMPUS.

Trawler FERNBANK (UK 211 grt) was sunk by the LW 12 miles NW of the Faeroes. Five crewmen were lost on the trawler.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
Arrivals
Brest: U-558
St. Nazaire: U-553

Departures
Lorient: U-124
Brest: U-371, U-564
Kirkenes: U-451

At Sea 16 November 1941
U-38, U-43, U-68, U-69, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-93, U-96 U-98, U-105, U-106, U-109, U-123, U-124, U-126, U-129, U-133, U-201, U-205, U-331, U-332, U-372, U-373, U-375, U-402, U-431, U-434, U-453, U-552, U-561, U-562, U-565, U-567, U-571, U-572, U-574, U-575, U-577, U-652, U-752, UA

43 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front
Arctic
MSWs GOSSAMER, HUSSAR, and SPEEDY arrived at Murmansk from Archangel.

North Sea
Examination vessel MINNA was damaged by the LW near Leith. The vessel arrived at Leith on the 17th.

Northern Patrol
DD ANTELOPE departed Hvalfjord for Scapa Flow, where she arrived on the 18th.

Northern Waters
MSWs HAZARD and HEBE departed Greenock for Scapa Flow, where they arrived on the following day.

Western Approaches
Convoy ON-33
Corvette POLYANTHUS joined on the 16th and was detached the next day

Convoy ON.36
DD CHELSEA was detached on the 16th when DD BROADWAY joined. BROADWAY was detached later that day. CHELSEA was damaged in a collision with an unknown merchant ship and she too was forced to detach from the convoy. The DD lost six feet of her stern, but was able to reach Liverpool under her own power. The damage was repaired at Liverpool and completed by 14 December.

Convoy ON.37
The convoy was joined on the 16th by destroyers BEVERLEY and SARDONYX.

SW Approaches
Convoy OS.11
Sloop STORK was detached on the on the 16th.

Med/Biscay
Operation CHIEFTAN
A Convoy of steamers BLAIRATHOLL, BARON NEWLANDS, SHUNA, CISNEROS, and OTTINGE, and oiler BROWN RANGER departed Gibraltar escorted by DD WILD SWAN, sloop DEPTFORD, and corvettes CONVOLVULUS, RHODODENDRON, and MARIGOLD. The convoy, Operation CHIEFTAN, was a diversion for Operation CRUSADER in the eastern Mediterranean. A U-boat contact was made by DD WILD SWAN on the 16th. The DD was joined by corvette SAMPHIRE. Corvette MARIGOLD sank the Type VIIc U.433 (DKM 769 grt) south of Malaga with a combination of DCs and gunfire. 6 German sailors were killed and 38 taken prisoner in this action.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

The convoy proceeded towards Malta, but after nightfall on the 18th, the steamers returned to Gibraltar.

Destroyers KIPLING, JACKAL, and DECOY departed Alexandria on the 3rd serial of the APPROACH operation. The DDs returned to Alexandria on the 17th. DD FARNDALE arrived at Suez to join the Med Flt and passed through the Suez Canal.

British MTB.68 and MTB.215 patrolled off Bardia to intercept a reported submarine.

Dutch submarine O.21 unsuccessfully attacked Italian steamer in convoy in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

An Italian convoy of steamers CITTA DI GENOVA and CITTI DI NAPOLI, escorted by RM DDs PIGAFETTA and DA VERAZZANO, which had departed Taranto on the 14th, arrived at Benghazi.

Nth Atlantic
Convoy ON-32
The convoy arrived at Halifax on the 16th.

Convoy SC.55
Convoy SC.55 departed Sydney, CB, escorted by corvettes BATTLEFORD, DRUMHELLER, and SUMMERSIDE and MSW NIPIGON

Central Atlantic
BB NELSON, escorted by DDs ZULU, SIKH, and GURKHA departed Gibraltar to return to the UK. Also in the gp were CLA HERMOINE, CVE ARGUS, and DDs LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, LEGION, and Ne ISAAC SWEERS. A probable German supply ship was reported by a submarine in 44-00N, 2-00W at 0001 on the 17th. BB NELSON and CLA HERMOINE proceeded to intercept, but no contact was made. The gp was divided on the 17th and arrived back at Gibraltar, less HERMOINE, on the 19th. HERMOINE arrived on the 21st.

Convoy ST.8
The convoy arrived at Takoradi on the 16th.

Pacific/Australia
ML TEVIOT BANK arrived at Singapore.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 16 NOVEMBER TO DAWN 17 NOVEMBER 1941
No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER 1941

LUQA One Blenheim from 107 Squadron set out in the morning on SF11 patrol.

 

[parsifal]

Halder's Diary 16 November 1941

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Njaco]

November 17 Monday
ASIA: Japanese Navy Admiral Yamamoto revealed the Pearl Harbor attack plan to the naval leadership. On the flight deck of IJN aircraft carrier "Akagi", flagship of the IJN Pearl Harbor Striking Force in Saeki Bay, about 100 officers assembled: Nagumo and his staff, all commanders, their staffs and the flight officers. As Yamamoto spoke, it became evident that he had not come to deliver a pep talk.

"Although we hope to achieve surprise, everyone should be prepared for terrific American resistance in the operation." He told his listeners. "Japan has faced many worthy opponents in her glorious history – Mongols, Chinese, Russians – but in this operation we will meet the strongest and most resourceful opponent of all….I wish you Godspeed and pray for your success."

The crews receive a strict order not to go ashore. All present then adjourned to the wardroom for a farewell party. After sunset, IJN aircraft carrier "Akagi" departs Saeki Bay for the Kuriles.

Foreign Minister Togo said relations between Japan and the US could be salvaged so long as the Americans understand "Japan's national requirements and her position in East Asia … There is naturally a limit to our conciliatory attitude." US Ambassador Grew warns that the embassy in Japan is not in a position to warn of an impending Japanese attack and that the government should,

"… take into account the probability of the Japanese exploiting every possible tactical advantage, such as surprise and initiative."

The Pearl Harbor Carrier Striking Force (Kido Butai) gathered at the mouth of the Inland Sea. It was a formidable armada: six carriers, two fast battleships with 14-inch guns, "Hiei" and "Kirishima", two heavy cruisers "Tone" and "Chikuma", a light cruiser, eight destroyers and a train of three oilers and a supply ship. The six carriers held 360 planes: 81 fighters, 135 dive bombers, 104 high-level (horizontal) bombers and 40 torpedo bombers, which had only 30 torpedoes fitted with the new fins. Late in the evening, one by one at irregular intervals, the ships of the Striking Force weighed anchor and headed on separate course for a rendezvous some thousand miles north of Tokyo. IJN aircraft carrier "Kaga" was the last ship still in the Inland Sea and embarked 100 aerial torpedoes. Those Type 91 Model 2 torpedoes have just been modified by Mitsubishi at Nagasaki to enable them to be used in Pearl Harbor anchorage's shallow waters. Once the ship got underway the captain gathered the entire crew on deck to announce their mission.

Nationalist Chinese leader Ciang Kai-shek urges the western democracies to take action against Japanese aggression.

Admiral Decoux's pro-Vichy administration in French Indochina arrests Free French supporters.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The destroyers USS "Benson" (DD 421) and USS "Edison" (DD 439), screening Convoy ON-34, depth charged submarine contacts in the northern Atlantic Ocean.

EASTERN FRONT: The 1.Panzerarmee continues its advances near Rostov. Soviet 9th Army and 37th Army counterattacked the 1.Panzerarmee. The German 106.Infanterie-Divisionen (General der Infanterie Ernst Dehner) along with the rest of V.Armeekorps (General of the Infantry R. Ruoff) attacked towards Moscow. This was some 24hrs earlier than it's neighboring Korps, XLVI.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of the Panzer Troops H. von Vietinghoff). However, the Soviet 9th and 37th Armies under General Timoshenko, begin a counterattack on the flank of the German drive. The Germans continued to push the 316th Division back. Stalin partially relented to pleas from Zhukov for reinforcements and the 78th Siberian Rifle Division (General Beloborodov) joined 16th Army in the line. The Siberians stabilized the line for three days before 16th Army was forced back again. Soviet attacks by massed T-34s strike the 112.Infanterie-division (General der Infanterie Friedrich Mieth). The Germans break in panic, losing most of a regiment, the first time this has occurred in World War II. At Musino near Volokolamsk, 70 miles West of Moscow, Soviet 44th Cavalry Division (recently arrived from Central Asia) charges German 106.Infanterie-Divisionen (3.Panzerarmee) in broad daylight. 105mm howitzers supporting the German infantry decimate the Russian horsemen (claiming 2000 killed).

Further north, air reconnaissance indicates Lake Ladoga is frozen over. At 0800 hours, teams set out to confirm and mark routes from Kokorevo (on the Western shore near Leningrad) via various tiny islands to the small port of Kobona on the 'mainland' side of Lake Ladoga, 18 miles away. Due back at 1700 hours, they finally return at 0400 hours next morning to report the ice on the lake is 10cm thick (half the thickness needed to support a laden 1 ton truck).

German Luftwaffe III./KG 55 received orders to relocate from Kirovograd, Ukraine to Saint-André-de-l'Eure, France for rest and refitting after spending only seven weeks at Kirovograd.

GERMANY: Following twelve months of illness, depression and strain at the Luftwaffe's increasing losses on the Eastern Front, Generalluftzeugmeister Generaloberst Ernst Udet, German Director General of Air Armament, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head while on the phone with his girlfriend. Evidence indicated that his unhappy relationship with Göring, Erhard Milch, and the Nazi Party in general was the cause of his mental breakdown. The book The Luftwaffe War Diaries states something similar, that Udet wrote "Reichsmarshal, why have you deserted me?" in red on the headboard of his bed. Udet, Germany's second highest fighter ace of the First World War (behind the Red Baron) with 62 kills, had already lost favour with Hitler after the air force's performance in the Battle of Britain. The official version was that he had died whilst testing a "new weapon" and Jagdgeschwader 3 was named in his honour. Udet was accorded a state funeral at which he was eulogized by Hermann Göring, who described him as his "best friend". Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch is promoted to Generalluftzeugmeister in his place.

The Reichskommissariat Ostland was established under Alfred Rosenberg to administer territories taken from the Soviet Union. Hitler appoints Rosenberg, the Nazi ideologist to head the new Reich Ministry for Occupied Eastern Territories. This ministry is new and has jurisdiction over the Baltic states and White Russia. The mission is to exploit them for German economic benefit while ridding them of "undesirable elements" such as Jews and Communists. Rosenberg is the Nazi Party "expert" for racial matters. He will issue orders which involve the extermination of local populations, seizing of all goods and assets from the occupied areas.

MEDITERRANEAN: Night attack on Naples by the British Royal Air Force (RAF). From Malta Six Blenheims RAF No. 107 Squadron attacked an Axis convoy with good results. Three Blenheims of RAF No. 18 Squadron made a shipping search SF11 patrol. One Blenheim of RAF No. 18 Squadron flew a special search for merchant vessel(s). Three Wellingtons from RAF No. 104 squadron made a nuisance raid on Brindisi. Four Wellingtons from RAF No. 104 Squadron flew a nuisance raid on Naples.

Lt General Dobbie replies to a query from the War Office checking the number of tanks currently on the Island of Malta. He confirms the present holding as six. Four of them are Matildas Mk II, British infantry tanks and the other two are MKIVB Light Tanks. The Matildas were named by their operators after the naval escort destroyers which accompanied them to Malta: Faulknor, Gallant, Greyhound and Griffin.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Flipper: British Lieut-Colonel Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes' commandos again shelter during the day. At midnight, they attack Afrika Korps quartermasters HQ at Beda Littoria, which they have mistaken for Rommel's HQ. As they approached the villa, a sentry who tackled the colonel had to be shot. All surprise was lost. Opening one door they found 12 Germans preparing for a fight. Keyes opened it again to throw in a grenade. He was shot dead. They kill 4 Germans but Keyes is killed and another commando is wounded and captured. Most of the survivors were taken prisoner. Another group of commandos on a diversionary raid a few miles away are nearly all killed or captured. Only 3 commandos are able to reboard British submarines to return to Alexandria. Colonel Robert Laycock and Sergeant Terry walk for 34 days through the desert, returning to British lines on Christmas Day. Keyes would be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross even though the raid was doomed from the start - Rommel was not even at Sidi-Rafa. The daring raid destroys the facility, but Rommel was not present (he was in Athens at the time).

Early on during their 3rd patrol, German submarine U-331 landed eight commandos on the Egyptian coast to mine the railway line near Daba, 60 miles west of Alexandria. Their mission was to blow up a railway near the coast, but they did not succeed. They would soon be captured before they completed their mission.

NORTH AMERICA: US Congress amended the Neutrality Act of 1939, thus allowing American merchant ships to be armed and allowing them to enter war zones. Navy's Bureau of Navigation directs Navy personnel with Armed Guard training to be assigned for further training before going to Armed Guard Centers for assignment to merchant ships.

Japanese special envoy Kurusu Saburo arrived in Washington DC and met with US Secretary of State Cordell Hull. Ambassador Kurusu told President Roosevelt Germany had not requested Japan to fight.

The German blockade runner "Odenwald", captured by the light cruiser USS "Omaha" (CL 4) and destroyer USS "Somers" (DD 381) on November 6, was escorted into San Juan, Puerto Rico, by the USS "Somers" and turned over to U.S. authorities.

The U.S. Navy's Bureau of Navigation directed Navy personnel with Armed Guard training to be assigned to Little Creek, Virginia or San Diego, California for further instruction. They would then be transferred to Armed Guard Centers at New York, New York and Treasure Island (San Francisco), California for assignment to merchant ships.

NORTHERN EUROPE: In northern Finland, Maj. Gen. Hjalmar Siilasvuo, CO of the III Corps, orders his corps to halt all offensive operations. Siilasvuo's corps is subordinated to the German 20th Mountain Army, and had been involved in successful offensive operations, advancing towards Louhi. However, political considerations came to play. Despite Siilasvuo's formal subordination to Germans, he always verifies his orders with Mannerheim. Lately the Western Allies had put lot of pressure on Finland not to cut the Murmansk railway. Capturing Louhi would achieve just that. On 6 Nov Mannerheim confidentially told Siilasvuo that it is better Louhi is not captured. Siilasvuo naturally could not let the Germans know the true reasons for calling the advance to halt, thus the decision is justified by stiffening Soviet resistance.

Operation Silver Fox: Operation Silver Fox ended in a Soviet defensive victory. Operation Silver Fox (German: Silberfuchs) was a joint German–Finnish military operation offensive during World War II. Its main goal was to cut off and ultimately capture the key Soviet port at Murmansk through attacks from Finnish and Norwegian territory. The initial attack went badly, as the German troops were untrained for Arctic warfare and especially the SS division, merely a former police force, could not deal with the organized Soviet defense. US diplomats warned Finland that a disruption of US deliveries to the Soviet Union would have serious implications. Therefore, Finland was no longer interested in spearheading such an offensive. With the Finnish refusal to be involved in further offensive operations, Arctic Fox came to an end in November and both sides dug in at their current positions. Overall the operation failed in terms of its strategic intentions, as neither Murmansk nor the Murmansk railway at Kandalaksha were captured. The closest the German-Finnish force came to disrupting the Murmansk railway was east of Kestenga, where they were about 30 km (19 mi) away from it, while Dietl's force in the north did not even come close to approaching Murmansk. The German forces, especially the SS-troops, were unsuited, ill-trained, and unprepared for Arctic warfare and therefore made little progress while suffering heavy casualties. On the other hand, Finnish units, especially the 6th Division of the III Finnish Corps, made good progress and inflicted heavy casualties on the Soviet forces.

PACIFIC OCEAN: The cruiser HMAS "Sydney", (CAPT J. Burnett, RAN), handed over the escort of the troop ship "Zealandia", to HMS "Durban" in Sunda Strait.

UNITED KINGDOM: The United States delivered escort carrier "Archer" to the United Kingdom, the first of 38 escort carriers that would be delivered during the war under Lend-Lease.

The ration of canned meat, canned fish, and canned beans began in the United Kingdom; this was announced 15 days earlier by the British Minister of Food.

Luftwaffe bombs fell at night in East Anglia and in southwest England.

WESTERN FRONT: Mathilde Carre, working with Franco-Polish espionage organization based in Paris, arrested by the Abwehr and subsequently becomes a double agent working for Germany.

The British Royal Air Force (RAF) carried out attacks on targets in North France by Fighter Command. RAF Fighter Command flew a Rhubarb operation.

.

 

[parsifal]

17 NOVEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
CVE HMS ARCHER (D-78)

Flower Class Corvette HMCS MIDLAND (K-220)

Bangor Class MSW HMS STORNOWAY (J-31)

HMS STORNOWAY (J-31) seen here on the right entering Harwich.

Fairmile B ML-053, ML-450, ML-451
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

HDML-1078
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Mk 2 Class LCT 129
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
Steamer BOVEY TRACEY (UK 1212 grt) was sunk by the LW in the Nth Sea. The entire crew were rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Vichy French submarine LE HEROS sank steamer THODE FAGELUND (Nor 5757 grt) thirty five miles east of East London. The entire crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Chittagong and Madras to Table Bay and the UK with a cargo of scrap iron, jute and tea (she had departed Chittagong for Madras on Oct. 24th, then left Madras on Oct. 28 for Cape Town). All 35 survived crew survived. The Vichy regime later stated that the attack was in retaliation for the British operation against a Vichy convoy on the 2nd.

UBOATS
Departures
Brest: U-562

At Sea 17 November 1941
U-38, U-43, U-68, U-69, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-93, U-96 U-98, U-105, U-106, U-109, U-123, U-124, U-126, U-129, U-133, U-201, U-205, U-331, U-332, U-372, U-373, U-375, U-402, U-431, U-434, U-453, U-552, U-561, U-562, U-565, U-567, U-571, U-572, U-574, U-575, U-577, U-652, U-752, UA

43 Boats

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Steamer SCHWANECK (Ger 2194 grt) was lost on a mine near Stettin.

North Sea
MSW ROSS departed the Humber for Aberdeen and the Faroes.

Northern Patrol
CA KENT departed the Faroes-Iceland patrol for Hvalfjord. CL SHEFFIELD took over patrol of this area and her own area. The CA arrived at Hvalfjord on the 18th.

CL EDINBURGH departed Denmark Strait patrol for Hvalfjord. The CL arrived at Hvalfjord on the 18th. CA BERWICK with DDs ONSLOW and OFFA departed Hvalfjord for Seidisfjord where they arrived on the 18th.

After refuelling, the warships departed Seidisfjord on the 19th to rendezvous with convoy PQ.4 and escort it to Archangel.

Convoy PQ.4
Convoy PQ.4 departed Reykjavik with steamers Soviet ALMA ATA, DAY Y BRYN, EULIMA, Soviet RODINA, Soviet BUDENNI, EMPIRE METEOR, Soviet MOSSOVET, and Soviet SUKHONA. Initially, the convoy was escorted by ASW trawlers BUTE and STELLA CAPELLA from 17 to 27 November.

Northern Waters
Convoy OP-2
On the 17th, DDs ECLIPSE and ICARUS were detached from the escort to proceed to Kirkwall, arriving on the 17th and Scapa Flow later that day.

Western Approaches
Convoy ON-33
Corvette COLLINGWOOD was detached on the 17th,

Convoy HX 158
The escorts that had joined on the 13th less KIRKELLA, were detached on the 17th.

Med/Biscay
CLs AJAX, NEPTUNE, and RAN HOBART and DDs KANDAHAR, HASTY, and HOTSPUR departed Alexandria to bombard the Sollum area during the night of 17/18 November. The bombardment was cancelled due to poor weather. The ships joined the Battle Fleet departing Alexandria on the 18th at noon on the 18th.

Captain H. St. L. Nicolson, Captain DesFlot 2, which had been ashore since damage to DD ILEX, took command of DD GRIFFIN as Leader again of DesFlot 2.

Submarines UPRIGHT and URGE unsuccessfully attacked a convoy in the Ionian Sea.

Steamers PLUTO (Ne 1156 grt) and RHEA (Ne 1388 grt) were seized by Vichy forces at Algiers.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

U.331 landed two German officers and seven enlisted men of a Commando group near Daba, sixty miles west of Alexandria, to mine the railway. All nine German Commandos were captured later the same day before any sabotage was done.

Nth Atlantic
Convoy HX.160
DDs ANNAPOLIS and HAMILTON. were detached on the 17th when relieved by USN DDs BABBITT, LEARY, MAYO, NICHOLSON, and SCHENCK. In heavy seas, the USN DDs all sustain storm damage

Central Atlantic
ASW trawlers STELLA CARINA and LADY HOGARTH departed Gibraltar to meet arriving Norwegian tanker PRESIDENT DE VOGUE. The trawlers were reassigned to join the escort of outward tanker THORSHAVET on the 23rd. As a result, corvette VETCH departed Gibraltar to meet tanker PRESIDENT DE VOGUE and arrived back with her on the 25th.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 17 NOVEMBER TO DAWN 18 NOVEMBER 1941

1205-1211 hrs Air raid alarm. Two Macchi fighters approach the Island from north on reconnaissance.

OPERATIONS REPORTS MONDAY 17 NOVEMBER

LUQA 107 Squadron Six Blenheims attacked convoy; good results. 18 Squadron Three Blenheims shipping search SF11 patrol. One Blenheim special search for merchant vessel(s). 104 Squadron Three Wellingtons nuisance raid Brindisi. Four Wellingtons nuisance raid Naples.

 

[parsifal]

Halder's Diary 17 November 1941

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Njaco]

November 18 Tuesday
ASIA: Japanese luxury ocean liner "Hikawa Maru" arrived at Yokohama, completing her 74th and last round trip across the Pacific.

IJN Pearl Harbor Striking Force departs Saeki Bay for Hittokappu (Tankan) Bay. Five large Japanese carrier submarines, HIJMS I-16, I-18, I-20, I-22 and I-24, each with a midget sub lashed to the deck, departed from Kure Naval Base, Japan for Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. A further nine Japanese vessels sail for Hawaii from Kwajalein. Meanwhile, Joseph Rochefort's US Navy cryptanalytic team reported no Japanese carrier movement.

Japan requested Germany to not conclude a separate peace with any common enemies of the two countries, but did not share its plans to attack the United States. The Japanese Diet secretly approves a "resolution of hostility" against the United States.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Corvettes HMCS "Dunvegan" and "Sorel" departed St John's to escort the 46-ship Sydney to Liverpool convoy SC-55 as far as Iceland. Convoy arrived safely in Liverpool on 05 Dec intact.

EASTERN FRONT: A Soviet counterattack using the Siberian reservists, near Venev causes heavy losses to one of General Guderian's infantry divisions. Soviet 52nd Army counterattacks at Malaya Vyshera. Guderian commits additional 2.Panzerarmee forces to recover ground lost yesterday when his 112.Infanterie-division panicked and broke. The new attacks captured Epifan and Dedilovo south of Moscow. The XXXXVII Motorized Corps captures Epifan' and the XXIV Motorized Corps' 4.Panzer-Divisionen takes Dedilovo. 70 miles West of Moscow, General Erich Hoepner's 4.Panzerarmee attacks with 3 Panzer divisions (over 400 tanks) and 3 infantry divisions from Volokolamsk into the junction between Soviet 30th and 16th Armies. Soviet 30th Army fell back northward to Klin, while Soviet 16th Army was pushed south to Istra, opening a yawning gap between the two. 120 miles south of Moscow, German 3.Panzerarmee was held up at Tula, with its latest attempt to surround the Soviet garrison there foiled by the newly-arrived Soviet 413th Rifle Division (one of the fresh units moved from Siberia for the defense of Moscow). In an act of tremendous heroism, 11 Red Army engineers hold up 20 German tanks near Strokovo.

The teams dispatched on the previous day out of Leningrad, Russia to Lake Ladoga returned to the besieged city at 0400 hours, reporting that the ice on the lake was about 10 centimeters thick, which made light travel possible, but not for heavy equipment such as 1-ton trucks.

Partisan and Cetnik representatives meet without agreement on coordination of resistance operations.

GERMANY: Alfred Rosenberg, Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, tells German journalists at a confidential briefing that the "Final Solution" has begun; a "biological extermination of all Jews in Europe." No Jew could remain on the continent to the Ural Mountains; they will either be forced beyond the Urals or exterminated. The press is not to write about the extermination in detail, but the reporters could use stock phrases such as the "definite solution" or the "total solution of the Jewish question."

MEDITERRANEAN: Hitler has appointed Air Field Marshal Albert Kesselring as Luftwaffe Commander in Chief South. His mission: to strengthen Axis air forces in the Mediterranean and ensure the protection of convoys supplying the war effort in North Africa. Kesselring transfers to Italy to take command of the situation, bringing his efficient Luftflotte 2 air force.

To divert attention from Operation Crusader in Egypt, a convoy headed out from Gibraltar, on the pretext of delivering supplies to Malta. The Malta's Force "K" sailed from Grand Harbour in broad daylight, to create a diversion by heading westwards as though to rendezvous with the incoming vessels.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Crusader: Before his own plans to attack the besieged port city of Tobruk can be implemented, German General Erwin Rommel, and Panzer Gruppe Africa are caught surprised when the British under Lt. General Cunningham launch their own attack to relieve the city, code-named "Operation Crusader". Rommel had 414 tanks, 320 aircraft and 9 Divisions, 4 of which were besieging Tobruk. The Afrika Korps has 180 Mk III and IV tanks with 220 Italian and other German models. Auchinleck's strength had grown to about 700 tanks, 1,000 aircraft and 8 divisions. The US M3 Stuart light tank has its first trials in action with the British 8th Army, at the start of Operation Crusader. The goal of the offensive is to relieve the garrison at Tobruk and drive the Africa Korps into western Libya. Infantry of New Zealand 2nd and Indian 4th Divisions attack German border positions at Bardia, Sollum and Halfaya Pass in order to tie these garrisons down. To the South, the British 7th Armored Division advances 30 miles behind the enemy lines meeting scattered and light resistance from the Germans. Surprise was achieved, and the attack met no serious resistance on the first day. Rommel had dismissed Italian warnings of a possible British attack and destroyed Italian reconnaissance photographs revealing a massive increase in British vehicles and men. Rommel said the Italian warnings were "excessive Latin nervousness." Luckily for Rommel, General Ettore Bastico, governor of Libya and commander of all troops on the North African Theatre, convinced Rommel not to deploy his armoured units around Tobruk. General Gastone Gambara, commander of the Maneuverable Corps and Lieutenant General Fedele de Giorgis, commander of the 55th Division Savona, placed the Ariete, Trieste and Savona Divisions on alert. The Germans would later call this offensive Winterschlacht. After sundown, British cruisers HMS "Naiad" and HMS "Euryalus" and destroyers HMS "Kipling" and HMS "Jackal" bombarded German positions at Halfaya Pass. This British attack disrupts Rommel's plan to attack Tobruk on the 21st. RAF aircraft attack Tmimi, Gambut, and other airfields as well as attacking Axis AFVs and trucks.

NORTH AMERICA: Japanese Ambassador to the U.S., Admiral Nomura Kichisaburo sends the following message to Tokyo:

"On the evening of the 17th, both of us (Nomura and special envoy Kurusu) went to call on a certain cabinet member and this is what he told us: "The President is very desirous of an understanding between Japan and the United States. In his latest speech he showed that he entertained no ill will towards Japan. I would call that to your attention. Now the great majority of the cabinet members, with two exceptions, in principle approve of a Japanese American understanding. If Japan would now do something real, such as evacuating French Indo-China, showing her peaceful intentions, the way would be open for us to furnish you with oil and it would probably lead to the re-establishment of normal trade relations. The Secretary of State cannot bring public opinion in line so long as you do not take some real and definite steps to reassure the Americans." Nomura and special envoy Kurusu meet with Secretary of State Cordell Hull at 1030 hours and then sent the following in a message to Tokyo: "In our conversations of today, as a practical means of alleviating the ever worsening front with which we are faced and to quiet the fearful situation, as well as, to bring about a return to the situation existing before the application of the freezing legislation, we suggested the evacuation of Japanese troops stationed in the southern part of French Indochina. During this meeting, Hull brought up the question of the Tripartite Pact between Germany, Italy and Japan, and Kurusu said ". . . he could not say that Japan would abrogate the Tripartite Pact . . . he desires to emphasize that Japan would not be a cat's-paw for Germany, that Japan's purpose in entering into the Tripartite alliance was to use it for Japan's own purposes, that Japan entered the Tripartite Pact because Japan felt isolated."

Doctor L. A. DuBridge of the Radiation Laboratory reported that the initial design of a 3-centimeter aircraft intercept radar was completed.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Norwegian vessel "Vesco" sunk by RN submarine "Sealion".

PACIFIC OCEAN: In the Philippines MacArthur tasks FEAF to review the "installation and operation of the Air Force as projected."

Agreement signed extending New Zealand's area of defensive responsibilities to include Fiji and Tonga.

General Bennett departs for Egypt to visit Australian headquarters there.

UNITED KINGDOM: The retirement of Sir John Dill as Chief of the General Staff was announced. General Dill was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal and sent to Washington to lead the British military mission there. General Brooke replaces General Dill as Chief of the Imperial General Staff. General Paget is appointed C-in-C Home Forces, in Brooke's place. These appointments will become effective in December. Brooke comes from an Ulster Loyalist family in County Fermanagh. There is a well-established tradition of having a loyal Irishman as Britain's top soldier. The list includes Sir Henry Wilson, assassinated by the IRA in 1922, as well as Brooke's predecessor, Sir John Dill. General Brooke has a passion for innovation in military mobility, mechanization and gunnery. He commanded II Corps of the BEF in the Dunkirk withdrawal. On his return he took over from Lord Ironside as Chief of the Home Defence Forces, becoming responsible for leading resistance to invasion. Now aged 58, he is described by Dill as "a young man" who should have chance to get on.

East Coast town bombed at night by two Luftwaffe raiders.

Winston Churchill delivered a Message On the Eve of the Libyan Offensive :

"I have it in command from the King to express to all ranks of the Army and the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Western Desert, and to the Mediterranean Fleet, his Majesty's confidence that they will do their duty with exemplary devotion in the supremely important battle which lies before them. For the first time British and Empire troops will meet the Africa Korps with an ample equipment in modern weapons. The battle itself will affect the whole course of the war. Now is the time to strike the hardest blow yet struck for final victory, home and freedom. The Desert Army may add one page to history which will rank with Blenheim and with Waterloo. The eyes of all nations are upon you. All our hearts are with you. May God uphold the right."

WESTERN FRONT: The British Royal Air Force (RAF) carried out offensive sweep over North France. RAF Fighter Command flew a Rodeo operation. Luftwaffe fighter ace Adolf Galland scores his 96th victory but is forbidden from flying further combat missions.

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[Old Wizard]