This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

Halder's Diary 23 November 1941

November 24 Monday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: On her way to rescue "Atlantis" survivors, German submarine U-124 sank British cruiser HMS "Dunedin" 650 miles east of Natal, Brazil at 1521 hours, hitting her with two torpedoes. 236 were killed; 250 survived the sinking, but only 67 would survive the entire ordeal, succumbing to wounds, drowning, and shark attacks. HMS "Dunedin" had been part of a task unit sent to counter a German operation involving four U-boats, an armed merchant raider ("Atlantis") and a supply ship ("Python") against shipping near Cape Town. U-124, which was on her way to rendezvous with "Python", KKpt. Mohr sighted "Dunedin" NE of St. Pauls Rocks, 900 miles west of Freetown, just south of the Equator. He fired three torpedoes at extreme range, even though "Dunedin" was steaming away at 17 knots and was altering course. Two torpedoes hit, an extraordinary accomplishment, the first striking amidships and the second further aft. "Dunedin" capsized and sank in approximately 17 minutes. Before there was "Das Boot", there was "Grey Wolf, Grey Sea", a stirring account of the exploits of U-124 written by author E.B. Gasaway (Ballantine Books, 1972 ISBN:345-02533-4). Known by the distinctive 'Edelweiss' insignia on her conning tower , commanded first by Ritterkreuztraeger Kapitanleutnant Wilhelm Schulz, and succeeded by his IWO Kplt. Jochen Mohr (RK/eichl.); in her short life, (commissioned 11 JUN 1940) U-124 , a type IXB long range boat, sank 49 ships for a total of 232,887 GRT to become the third most successful submarine to have fought in the Second World War. The 'Edelweiss' insignia was an homage to the German Mountain Troops who helped to rescue the crew of the U-64, strafed and sunk by British aircraft in a Norwegian fjord during 'Operation Weseruebung' (the invasion of Norway) in April 1940. The crew of the new U-124 was mostly composed of the 'old salts' of U-64. When 'Kaleu' Mohr assumed command of the boat in mid-1941, a green bullfrog insignia was also added.

German 4th Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla attacked Allied convoy FS.654 off East Anglia, England, sinking British tanker "Virgilia" (23 killed, 17 survived) and Dutch ship "Groenlo" (10 killed).

The destroyer USS "DuPont" (DD 152) in the North Atlantic Ocean with U.S. Navy Task Unit 4.1.6, escorting Convoy HX-161, was damaged in collision with merchant ship "Thorshovdi" in the northern Atlantic Ocean.

EASTERN FRONT: The Wehrmacht drove a deep wedge into Russian lines near Klin, northwest of Moscow. Battles raged around Volokolamsk, Mojaisk, Narafominsk and Tula. Russian counter-attacks were successful in Leningrad area and in Donetz sector. Elements of German LVI.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of the Infantry Erich von Manstein) advance 10 miles east from Klin to capture the town of Rogachevo and threaten Moscow from the North. To the south of the Soviet capital, Guderian relaunches his attempt to encircle and bypass the city of Tula. XXIV.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of Panzer Troops Geyr von Schweppenburg) (3.Panzerdivision, 4.Panzerdivision and 17.Panzerdivision) charges northeast and captures the road junction at Venyov 30 miles east of Tula. German XLIII.Armeekorps (General of the Infantry G. Heinrici) on the southern flank of Army Group Center was involved in heavy fighting against the Russian defensive position south of Aleksin. At one point aerial reconnaissance showed a 15 km long Russian column approaching the German flank. The depleted Germans regiments formed a protective screen at the edge of the forest and managed to repel the counter-attack before renewing their own offensive. The German 87.Infanterie-Divisionen (Lieutenant General B. von Studnitz) was involved in fierce fighting. One company was down to 40 men from 70 two weeks earlier.

Further south, the Soviets begin a counteroffensive in the Rostov sector. German 1.Panzerarmee begins to withdraw from Rostov. Rostov is evacuated by the Germans in the face of again being cut off in the rear. Soviet 9th Army and 37th Army continue to threaten encirclement of German 1.Panzerarmee in Rostov. Field Marshall Rundstedt makes this move in the face of express orders from Hitler to stand fast.

NKVD reports that to date Luftwaffe has conducted 90 raids on Moscow with over 1500 major fires, 400 apartment buildings destroyed, and 1327 people killed on the ground.

The Theresienstadt camp was established in occupied Czechoslovakia to serve as a transit point for Jews en route to concentration camps to the east. Theresienstadt was a town that had housed a Czech military prison going back to the 19th century. It is used to camouflage the extermination of European Jews, by the Nazis who tout it as a "model Jewish settlement." When the Red Cross visits, dummy stores, cafes, schools and gardens are set up.

"Life Certificates" were issued to some Jews of Vilna. The rest were exterminated.

GERMANY: Berlin proposes comprehensive exchange of interned civilian nationals with UK.

MEDITERRANEAN: On Malta, an afternoon of panic. At 1345 hours The Kings Own Malta Regiment are carrying out manoeuvres as part of Command Exercise "Victoria" when an urgent message is received from Headquarters. Fifteen enemy warships have been reported 40 miles west of Gozo, on course for Malta. All officers and men are recalled from leave, and all the Island's defences are fully manned. Sixteen Other Ranks from 3rd Battalion are deployed at Ta Kandia and ten at St Edwards College, plus others at Pawla ordered to provide loaders as above. Two hours later Italian aircraft attack Malta. Ten minutes later nine Hurricanes sent to investigate the possible convoy return to base, having been unable to locate the warships. Despite the lack of a confirmed sighting, the Island's defenders remain at the ready well into the evening. A report is received from a RAF speed launch engaged on rescue operations that it has sighted ten small craft, identified "E" boats [German motor torpedo boat] about five miles north east of Delimara. The alert level is reduced and the beach defenses are finally stood down. The Island will remain in a state of readiness for another twelve hours.

German vessels "Maritza" and "Procida" were sunk by RN Force "K".

U-431 moves into the Mediterranean.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Crusader – 'Dash to the Wire': While British tanks reorganize and repair after the battle at Sidi Rezegh, Rommel gambles that the Allied excursion into Libya can be routed by further disrupting the rear echelons and supply lines (a tactic Rommel used so successfully in France last year). His aim is a repeat of Crüwell's ride around the British yesterday, although on a broader sweep - to swing his Panzers behind the British tanks from the South, scatter the Allied infantry, link up with the German garrisons at Bardia, Sollum and Halfaya Pass and then advance into Egypt. Rommel, believing that the British armor has mainly been destroyed in the fighting on the day previous and ignoring the actions of the New Zealand infantry, at 1030 hours, leads the 15.Panzerdivision and 21.Panzerdivision along the Trig el Abd to the Egyptian border. This move becomes known as the "Dash to the Wire" and it causes some concern in the rear echelons of British 8th Army. The Afrika Korps and Ariete division headed for Sidi Omar, causing chaos and scattering the mainly rear echelon support units in their path, splitting XXX Corps and almost cutting off XIII Corps. The offensive was uncoordinated and achieved little. The Germans take losses they cannot afford and their hold on the British armour becomes slack. New Zealand units captured Gambut. Italian garrison at Gialo Oasis, 150 miles south of Benghazi, overpowered by British motorized column. Rommel hoped to relieve the siege of Bardia and pose a large enough threat to the British rear echelon to complete the defeat of Operation Crusader. During the "Dash to the Wire" Rommel and his senior commanders lose touch, and the British rear echelons panic.

Captain Sergio Falletti, a company commander with the 27th Infantry Regiment ('Pavia' Division) is killed while calling down artillery and mortar fire on a strongpoint, during a British attack. The Italian captain is awarded posthumously the Gold Medal of Military Valour for his efforts in containing the British Tobruk garrison. The posthumous citation noted that "although mortally wounded by machine gun fire, he didn't hesitate in calling in artillery and 81mm mortar fire on his strong point, now occupied in part by the enemy."

Eight Wellingtons of RAF No.104 Squadron and six Wellingtons of RAF No.40 Squadron attacked Bengazi. One bomber failed to return. American S/Ldr Lance Wade of RAF No.33 Sqdn (and later 145 Sqdn) scores his fifth air to air victory to become an ace.

From Abyssinia it was reported that an Italian sortie from Gondar was defeated.

NORTH AMERICA: Commander William E.G. Taylor holds a meeting to address the inadequate staffing and operation of the airborne warning system in Hawaii.

The US Government revokes all export licenses for French North Africa while Lend-Lease is extended to Free French.

NORTHERN EUROPE: RN task force with attached Soviet destroyers unsuccessfully searches for German vessels along northern coast of Norway.

PACIFIC OCEAN: US Army commanders across the Pacific are warned of the possible imminence of war. Admiral Harold R. Stark, the USN Chief of Naval Operations, sends the following message to Admiral Thomas C. Hart, Commander-in-Chief Asiatic Fleet in the Philippine Islands; Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet in the Territory of Hawaii; Rear Admiral Charles A. Blakely, commander of the Eleventh Naval District at San Diego, California; Vice Admiral John W. Greenslade, commander of the Twelfth Naval District at San Francisco, California; Vice Admiral Charles S. Freeman, commander of the Thirteeth Naval District at Seattle, Washington; and Rear Admiral Frank H. Sadler, commander of the Fifteenth Naval District in the Canal Zone: "Chances of favorable outcome of negotiations with Japan very doubtful. This situation coupled with statements of Japanese Government and movements their naval and military forces indicate in our opinion that a surprise aggressive movement in any direction including attack on Philippines or Guam is a possibility. Chief of Staff (of the U.S. Army, General George C. Marshall) has seen this dispatch concurs and requests action addresses to inform senior Army officers their areas. Utmost secrecy necessary in order not to complicate an already tense situation or precipitate Japanese action. Guam will be informed separately." Hart relayed the Navy Department message to MacArthur (NOVEMBER 24, 1941, MESSAGE TEXT (STARK TO HART): THE CHIEF OF STAFF IS IN AGREEMENT WITH THE ESTIMATE PRESENTED HEREWITH AND REQUESTS THAT YOU INFORM THE SENIOR ARMY OFFICER IN YOUR AREA COLON CHANCES OF FAVORABLE OUTCOME OF UNITED STATES DASH JAPANESE NEGOTIATIONS ARE VERY DOUBTFUL PERIOD THIS SITUATION TOGETHER WITH STATEMENTS OF JAPANESE GOVERNMENT AND MOVEMENT OF THEIR MILITARY AND NAVAL FORCE INTIMATE IN OUR OPINION THAT SURPRISE AGGRESSIVE MOVEMENT IN ANY DIRECTION INCLUDING ATTACK ON PHILIPPINES OR GUAM IS A POSSIBILITY STOP THIS INFORMATION MUST BE TREATED WITH UTMOST SECRECY IN ORDER NOT TO COMPLICATE A TENSE SITUATION OR PRECIPITATE ACTION END STARK). Despite the fact that so many in positions of command anticipated a Japanese attack, especially given the failure of diplomacy (Japan refused U.S. demands to withdraw from both the Axis pact and occupied territories in China and Indochina), no one expected Hawaii as the target.

The US Government revokes export licenses to French North Africa, Spain, and Tangier "to induce France to refuse open collaboration with Germany."

The U.S. grants lend-lease aid to Free France "for the purposes of implementing the authority conferred upon you as Lend-Lease Administrator by Executive Order No. 8926, dated 28 October 1941, and in order to enable you to arrange for lend-lease aid to the French Volunteer Forces (Free French) by way of retransfer from His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom or their allies, I hereby find that the defense of any French territory under the control of the French Volunteer Forces (Free French) is vital to the defense of the United States."

SOUTH AMERICA: The United States occupied Dutch Guyana [Surinam] in agreement with The Netherlands and Brazil to protect bauxite mines because, "The bauxite mines furnish upwards of 60% of the requirements of the U.S. aluminum industry, which is vital to the defense of the U.S., the western hemisphere and the nations actively resisting aggression".

UNITED KINGDOM: During the war, no German prisoner of war escaped from the U.K. Many believe that Luftwaffe Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant or Flying Officer) Franz Von Werra is the most notable escapee but von Werra made his escape in Canada, where he is sent as a POW. (There were 21 POW camps in Canada.) The most audacious attempt is made by Lieutenant Heinz Schnabel and Oberleutnant Harry Wappler today. The two Luftwaffe officers are prisoners in Camp No.15 near Penrith, Northumberland, England, (formally the Shap Wells Hotel). Forging papers that identifies them as two Dutch officers serving in the RAF, they make their way to RAF Carlisle, a flying training base, located 2 miles (3,2 kilometers) north of Carlisle, Cumberland. Without difficulty they enter the station and with the help of a ground mechanic start the engine of a Miles Magister, of which there are 50 parked around the airfield. Taking off, they headed southeast for the North Sea and the Netherlands, a distance of some 365 miles (587 kilometers) to the Dutch coast. Over the North Sea they realize they could not make the Netherlands because the maximum range of a Magister is 367 miles (591 kilometers) on full tanks. Rather reluctantly they decide to turn back and land in a field about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, on the coast. Back at Camp No. 15 again, the two daring escapees are sentenced to 28 days solitary confinement.

A Heinkel He 111H-5 from 8./KG 40 took off from Rennes aerodrome at 13.30 hours accompanied by two other aircraft to look for a convoy that had been reported in the Bristol Channel. While off Lands End a signal was received that a night fighter was in the area so the pilot made for Carnsmore Point, Ireland but en route the crew spotted a steamer that they decided to attack. While attacking the SS "Great Western" 27 miles west of Bishop's Rock at 1000 ft. it was hit in the port engine radiator by AA fire from the ship and the pilot made for home but the engine cut out. Having thrown everything detachable out of the aircraft the crew thinking they were over France decided to land but the pilot was no longer able to keep the aircraft in the air and he was forced to make a belly landing in a field, before crashing into a wall. They had landed at Gwavas Farm, Fithmey, near Helston, Cornwall, England. The difficulty in extracting the pilot and the arrival of "civilians with rifles" prevented the rest of the crew from setting fire to the aircraft. The entire crew were made POWs.

WESTERN FRONT: Stirlings of RAF Bomber Command made a successful attack on Kriegsmarine shipping off Dutch coast.

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24 NOVEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
Accentor Class MSW USS DEFIANCE AMc-73)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied
Bangor Class MSW HMCS RED DEER (J-255)


Isles Class ASW Trawler HMS EDAY (T-201)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Fairmile B RCN MLs-051, 056, 058, 072, 078,

Sister ship HMCS ML-114

HDML HMS 1088
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
Convoy FS.654
DKM S Boats S.50, S.51, S.52, S.109, and S.110 of S Boat Flotilla 4 attacked convoy FS.654 east of Orfordness.

S-109 sank tkr VIRGILIA (UK 5723 grt) three miles north east of Hearty Knoll Buoy.
23 crewmen, including seven gunners, were missing on the tanker, whilst 17 survivors were picked up by ML.150 and ML.152.


Steamer GROENLO (Ne 1984 grt) was sunk by S.52 one and a half miles 28° from 52E Buoy. One crewman was killed and nine crewmen were missing. Another source states that 11 were lost in the attack


British steamer BLAIRNEVIS was damaged by S.51 off Hearty Knoll, 52-20N, 1-59E.
The steamer was beached at Great Yarmouth Roads. She was refloated and towed to London on 16-17 December for repairs. The crew had abandoned ship and ML.150 rescued the crewmen.

DDs WESTMINSTER and SOUTHDOWN both reported sinking German S-boats, but this is not corroborated by German records.

UBOATS
Departures
Brest:U-558
Salamis: U-559

At Sea 24 November 1941
U-43, U-68, U-69, U-81, U-85, U-95, U-96 U-98, U-105, U-124, U-126, U-129, U-133, U-201, U-205, U-331, U-332, U-372, U-375, U-402, U-431, U-434, U-453, U-552, U-557, U-558, U-559, U-561, U-562, U-565, U-567, U-571, U-572, U-574, U-575, U-577, U-578, U-652, U-752, UA

40 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front
Arctic
CL KENYA, DDs BEDOUIN and INTREPID, and VMF DDs GREMYAHCHI and GROMKI departed Murmansk to sweep for German shipping between Nodkyn and Vardo in Operation AR. The ships shelled Vardo on the 25th, and were back Murmansk later on the 25th.

Submarine SEAWOLF unsuccessfully attacked a convoy of steamers ASUNCION, GRAZIELLA, and WENDINGEN in Syltefjord.

North Sea
British steamer ARDENZA was damaged by the LW ten miles SE of Orfordness. The steamer arrived at Great Yarmouth on the 25th.

Northern Patrol
CA CUMBERLAND departed Hvalfjord for Denmark Strait patrol.

Northern Waters
DD PUNJABI departed Scapa Flow for the Tyne to carry out refitting, arriving on the 25th. DD ICARUS departed Scapa Flow for Hvalfjord to join the Home Flt, arriving on the 27th.

West Coast
Convoy SC-53
The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 24th.

Channel
BB RESOLUTION, escorted by DDs BERKELEY and KUJAWIAK, departed Plymouth for Scapa Flow to work up. The ships arrived at Scapa Flow on the 27th.

Landing ship PRINCE LEOPOLD, escorted by MGB.316, MGB.312, MGB.314, and MGB.317, landed troops on the coast of Normandy in Operation SUNSTAR. The operation was a raid on Houlgate in Normandy, France over the night of 22/23 November 1941. British Commandos of No. 9 Commando took part in the raid their objective was the Batterie de Tournebride on the Butte de Houlgate. The commando group encountered difficulties and were unable to secure the battery or capture any personnel, but did manage to capture some important documents. After information was gained, the ships returned to Portsmouth.

Med/Biscay
BBs QUEEN ELIZABETH, VALIANT, and BARHAM and DDs JERVIS, GRIFFIN, and DECOY departed Alexandria to support operations by Force K. Five other DDs were still oiling when the Fleet departed.

The Fleet rendezvoused with DDs FARNDALE, AVONVALE, and ERIDGE in the searched Channel and these DDs escorted the Fleet until relieved that evening 2245 by DDs NAPIER, NIZAM, KIPLING, JACKAL, and HASTY which had completed fuelling.

Force K with CLs AURORA and PENELOPE and DDs LANCE and LIVELY departed Malta on the 23rd to intercept Italian convoys.

Cruisers AJAX, NEPTUNE, NAIAD, EURYALUS and DDs KANDAHAR, KINGSTON, KIMBERLEY, and HOTSPUR departed Alexandria to act as Force B, but did not make any contact. Force B swept the coast of Cyrenaica during the night of 25/26 November and arrived at Alexandria on the 26th.

RM SETTIMBRINI was sighted Force K at 0503 on the 25th.

Force K was able to make the Italians order all their convoys into the nearest ports.

However, the German steamer convoy did not receive the order and was intercepted by Force K. On the 24th, both German steamers were sunk and torpedo boat CASSIOPEA was damaged by splinters.

MV MARITZA (Ger 2910 grt) whilst carrying urgently needed ammunition for DAK was shelled and torpedoed by CL HMS Penelope and DD HMS Lively and sank 100 miles W of Crete.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MV PROCIDA (FI 3100 grt) was also lost in this action.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Force K arrived back at Malta at 0730/25th.

Submarine TRIUMPH sank tug HERCULES (FI 632 grt) and damaged German steamer NORBURG off Heraklion.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Submarine OLYMPUS departed Gibraltar with aviation petrol and other stores for Malta.

RNeN submarine O.21 sank coastal steamer UNIONE (FI 216 grt) northeast of Troca.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Nth Atlantic
Convoy HX.161
On the 24th, DD DUPONT is damaged in a collision with Norwegian tanker THORSHOVDI.

Convoy SC.56
Corvettes DRUMHELLER, and SUMMERSIDE were detached on the 24th when the convoy was joined by DD RESTIGOUCHE and corvettes AGASSIZ, ALYSSE, AMHURST, BITTERSWEET, CHICOUTIMI, MORDEN, and ORILLIA.

Central Atlantic
Submarine CLYDE arrived at Gibraltar after escort duties with RFA oiler DINGLEDALE.

On the 25th, the oiler and corvettes JONQUIL and COREOPSIS arrived at Gibraltar.

Danae Class CL DUNEDIN (RN 4276 grt) ( Captain R. S. Lovatt, OBE) was sunk by U.124, north of Pernambuco. Only four officers and 63 men survived out of DUNEDIN's crew of 486 officers and men. U-124's commander Jochen Mohr, was on its way to rendezvous with the doomed PYTHON when near St Paul's Rocks, 900 miles west of Freetown, the DUNEDIN was spotted just south of the Equator, Mohr sighted DUNEDIN to his NE sailing a NW course. He therefore hauled out to the west to lie in wait for DUNEDIN. But DUNEDIN's lookout spotted U-124's periscope around 1250pm and the Captain changed course to set off in pursuit. But because of U-124's change of course west, DUNEDIN was now unwittingly pulling away from U-124. When Mohr surfaced again he saw DUNEDIN disappearing into the distance, at least 4,000 yards away. He nevertheless fired three torpedoes. Incredibly, from this distance, two were on target even though DUNEDIN was steaming 17 knots, and was under constant wheel.

The two torpedoes hit within seconds of each other, at around 1326 GMT, the first striking amidships, wrecking the main wireless office, the second further aft, probably near the officers' quarters. The first hit sent the ship lurching to starboard, the second caused even greater damage dismounting the after 6in gun, and blowing off the starboard screw. Immediately men began to abandon ship, jumping over the side to the Carley floats and any available debris. DUNEDIN turned on her beam ends and sank in about 17 minutes. According to U-124's war diary, Mohr moved in before Dunedin sank and fired a fourth torpedo, but missed.

Shortly after the sinking, U-124 surfaced and circled the survivors. The U-boat was on the surface for no more than ten minutes before diving but while the survivors waited to see what was intended, and as a spontaneous act of defiance, they sang "There will always be an England".

In the water, up to two hundred and fifty men from a ship's complement of nearly five hundred struggled to haul themselves on to Carley floats and anything that would float. Seven Carley floats got away

For the next seventy-eight hours, their numbers dwindled in the equatorial heat. Some men died of their injuries sustained when the torpedoes hit, some died of exhaustion, some went insane, others drowned, and some were bitten and killed by vicious fish. Sharks were an ever-present menace.

When, in the late afternoon of 27th November, the Nishmaha, a US merchant ship en route from Takoradi to Philadelphia, happened upon the six remaining Carley rafts, only seventy-two men were still alive. Five would subsequently die before the Nishmaha reached Trinidad, leaving just sixty-seven out of the original complement


Convoy SL.92
DDs BADSWORTH, CROOME, FORESIGHT, and FURY joined on the 24th to 25 November

Convoy OS.11
On the 24th, DD BRILLIANT, corvettes BERGAMOT, CROCUS, and NIGELLA, and anti-submarine whaler SOUTHERN PRIDE joined the convoy and arrived with the convoy at Freetown on the 28th.

Convoy WS.12Z
The convoy arrived at Freetown on the 24th. The convoy only remained at Freetown briefly. On the 24th, the convoy departed Freetown with SUSSEX, ADRASTUS, EMPIRE STAR, DUCHESS OF BEDFORD, EMPRESS OF ASIA, MATAROA, NARKUNDA, EMPRESS OF JAPAN, ARUNDEL CASTLE, MONARCH OF BERMUDA, AORANGI, CAPETOWN CASTLE, ORDUNA, DEUCALION, RIMUTAKA, and ABBEKERK.

Pacific/Australia
British troopship AWATEA departed Singapore with 420 crewmembers for troopship EMPRESS OF RUSSIA. The troopship was escorted by CL DRAGON until relieved sometime later by CL GLASGOW. GLASGOW escorted troopship AWATEA until 27 November and the troopship arrived at Colombo on the 28th.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 24 NOVEMBER TO DAWN 25 NOVEMBER 1941
No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS MONDAY 24 NOVEMBER 1941

LUQA One Blenheim 18 Squadron and one Blenheim 107 Squadron SF11 patrol. 18 Squadron Five Blenheims search for M/V (merchant vessel). No sightings made. 107 Squadron Six Blenheims attacked MT on roads east and west of Sirte. Eight Wellingtons 104 Squadron and six Wellingtons 40 Squadron attacked Bengazi. Sgt Parker failed to return.

Operation Crusader
On 24 Nov, German and Italian tanks sped for Sidi Omar, splitting the British XXX Corps.

Halder's Diary 24 November 1941

November 25 Tuesday
ASIA: Operation Z: In the late afternoon, onboard the IJN aircraft carrier "Akagi", more than 500 flying officers from all the carriers jammed into the ship's aviation-crew quarters which had been stripped of all bunks and tables. Nagumo outlined the attack. It was the first time most of them had heard the words Pearl Harbor. As the Admiral spoke, excitement mounted and when he ended, there was a deafening cheer. When the noise died down, Genda and Fuchida detailed the attack on the Pearl Harbor mock-up. Later a ceremonial banquet to the future victory with officers of the other warships, is held on the carrier.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The Canadian Saguenay Terminals bulk carrier "Proteus", an ex-USN collier (10,653 GRT), was lost in the Caribbean Sea. She was on route from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, with a load of bauxite. There were no survivors from the 58 crewmembers that were onboard. The cause of her loss has never been established although sabotage was originally suspected. Rear-Admiral George van Deurs, USN (retired), who served in this class of ship, suggested the colliers were poorly constructed to begin with and that the natural acidity of coal seriously weakened the ship's plating and frame. It is now generally accepted that both "Proteus" and her sister ship, "Nereus", were unseaworthy and broke up in heavy seas.

EASTERN FRONT: Situation was very serious in the Klin and Tula sectors of the Moscow front. Stavka is assembling reserve forces for a counteroffensive against Army Group Center, including 1st Shock Army, 10th Army, and 20th Army. 35 miles northwest of Moscow at Peshki, German 2.Panzerdivision (Generalleutnant Rudolf Veiel) (4.Panzergruppe) advancing along the railway line from Solnechnogorsk towards Moscow encounters Soviet 146th Tank Brigade sporting new British Matilda tanks (some of the earliest Allied lend-lease supplies to see combat in USSR). Standing on a hill, Oberst Eberhardt Rodt commanding 2.Schützen-Brigade saw through his binoculars three tanks approaching.

"What type of tanks are those?" he asked his orderly officer. "No idea, Herr Oberst," was the reply.

Click to expand...

The spearhead of I./Panzer-Regiment 3, appeared suddenly from behind undulating ground and opened up at the surprised enemy tanks with its 7.5-cm. guns. Two of the tanks were hit; the third withdrew. When Oberst Rodt inspected the wrecks he was much surprised—British Mark III tanks, which could be effectively opposed even with the German 3.7-cm. anti-tank gun. The infantry divisions of V.Armeekorps were driving along both sides of the great road, southward towards Moscow and south-eastward towards the Moskva-Volga Canal. The canal was the last natural obstacle to Moscow's being outflanked in the north. If it was overcome the northern attacking force - 4.Panzergruppe and 3.Panzerarmee - would have the worst behind them. The Potsdam 23.Infanterie-Divisionen (Major General H. Hellmich) headed for the canal via Iksha with 9.Infanterie-Regiment. The division's other infantry regiment, 67.Infanterie-Regiment, and the Reconnaissance Battalion 23 were likewise fighting their way to the canal north-east of Krasnaya Polyana. 30 miles west of Moscow, German 10.Panzerdivision (Lieutenant General F. Schaal) and SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) 'Reich' (SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Paul Hauser) unsuccessfully attacked Istra, which was being defended by Soviet 78th Rifle Division fresh from Siberia. The men of that division had a reputation for the fact that they neither took prisoners nor allowed themselves to be taken. In hand-to-hand fighting, with hand-grenades and spades, pillbox after pillbox had to be taken. Lieutenant-Colonel von der Chevallerie seized the bridge of Busharovo with the reinforced 86.Schützen-Regiment, 10.Panzerdivision. The operation was carried out under cover of a thick blizzard. German 10.Panzerdivision's 7.Panzer-Regiment had no more than twenty-eight tanks left, and the 69.Schützen-Regiment and 86.Schützen-Regiment had shrunk to four weak rifle battalions of 120 men each. Boehringer's artillery battalion was down to one single tractor and ten guns. Nevertheless the remnants of German 10.Panzerdivision fought with spirit. 11.Panzerdivision and 5.Panzerdivision succeeded in crossing the river and the reservoir and forming bridgeheads. Motorcycle Battalion 61 of 11.Panzerdivision, led by Major von Usedom, made a daring rush over the ice of the Istra. The Russians opened up at them with artillery. The air was filled with splinters of steel and ice. But the motor-cyclists fought their way across to the far bank and gained a precarious foothold on the frozen ground. The reservoir itself was crossed near Lopatovo, at its narrowest point. There were some anxious minutes as the men headed for the dam of the reservoir. It must have been wired for demolition. Lieutenant Breitschuh's sappers removed 1100 mines and two tons of high explosive from the reservoir dam. Finally, 100 miles South of Moscow, German XXIV.Armeekorps (mot.) launched a new attack. Part of Guderian's 2.Panzerarmee spreads out from Venyov. 17.Panzerdivision advanced north towards Kashira, while 4.Panzerdivision swings back West to encircle Tula and cut the rail line to Moscow. Units of Army Group Centre continued to nibble their way towards Moscow in spite of all difficulties.

In the face of local Soviet counterattacks, German Army Group North assumes a defensive posture.

On the Black Sea three Soviet tankers and an icebreaker, escorted as far as the Bosphorus by a flotilla leader and two destroyers, depart Batum for the Far East.

On this date The Jager Report (issued on 1 Dec 1941) noted that 9 adult male, 46 adult female, and 8 children, all Jews, were killed in Vilnius, Lithuania for a total of 63 people. Additionally, 1 Polish national was also executed for possession of arms.

German occupation authorities order that Bandera's Ukrainian National Movement must be eliminated.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler met with Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, agreeing on the need for the elimination of the "Jewish element".

In Berlin, Finland signs the Anti-Comintern Pact. Germany invited Finland to adhere to the pact in early November, but there was considerable reluctance in Finland to do so. It was thought that Finnish adherence would worsen the relations with the Western Allies. On the other hand, Finland is very dependent on German deliveries of food supplies, and had just requested 175 000 tons of grain. In the end, the Finnish government decided that joining the pact is the lesser of two evils, because adequate level of food supplies has to be secured for the duration of winter.

Unsuccessful test of Me-262 jet fighter prototype. BMW 003 series turbojet engines had finally arrived in November 1941 and these were installed in the Me 262 prototype but the Jumo piston engine was retained fortunately as it turned out since both turbojets failed just after take-off and the pilot managed to keep the aircraft airborne only long enough to complete a circuit and land. BMW was having problems with its engine, which on bench tests was only giving 573-lb (260-kg) thrust. The compressor blade failures which had caused the engines to seize necessitated a complete redesign, but the Me 262 could not wait and, since Junkers had overcome most of their problems, the Jumo 004A was chosen as the powerplant. As this engine was heavier and larger than the BMW engine the Me 262 airframe had to be modified. The third prototype flew with two 1,852-lb (840-kg) thrust Jumo 004As in 1942.

MEDITERRANEAN: Another Axis convoy has been spotted steaming towards Benghazi. With Force "K" already engaged in the pursuit of one convoy, Force "B", consisting of five cruisers and four destroyers, is dispatched to tackle the second. Admiral Cunningham takes to the sea in the flagship "Queen Elizabeth", accompanied by British battleship HMS "Barham" and "Valiant" as well as eight destroyers. The fleet takes up a strategic position, standing by to support the attacking Forces. The British battleship HMS "Barham" is torpedoed and blows up after a magazine ignited in an attack by U-311. Baron von Tiesenhausen in U-331 dived beneath the destroyer screen and fired a salvo of torpedoes at HMS "Barham" from a range of a few hundred yards. There were three direct hits, producing an explosion so violent that the U-boat was forced to the surface. After four minutes HMS "Barham" rolled over to port and her after magazines exploded and the "Barham", the flagship of the Fleet's second-in-command, Vice-Admiral Pridham-Wippell, sank. The captain and 858 crew perished. Amazingly, 450 survived.

Italian minesweeper "Zirona" damaged by RAF aircraft at Benghazi and beached. German vessel "Tinos" was sunk by RAF aircraft at Benghazi. Italian vessel "Attilio Deffenu" was sunk by RN submarine "Thrasher".

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Crusader: Rommel's "dash to the wire" on the Egypt/Libya border sows much confusion in the British camp. Rear echelon troops turn and run for Egypt and even British 8th Army commander General Cunningham considers abandoning the attack. 15. Panzerdivision set off north-east for Sidi Azeiz and found the area empty but they were constantly attacked by the Desert Air Force. South of the border the 5.Panzer Regiment of the 21.Panzerdivision attacked the 7th Indian Brigade at Sidi Omar and were repulsed by the 1st Field Regt RA, firing over open sights at a range of 500 metres (547 yd). A second attack left the 5.Panzer Regiment with few operational tanks. The rest of 21.Panzerdivision had headed north-east, south of the border, to Halfaya. German General Johann von Ravenstein with 21.Panzerdivision misses 2 huge Allied supply dumps that would have deprived Allies of critical fuel and supplies. Meanwhile, British 7th Armored Division has regrouped and repaired many of their damaged tanks. Instead of panicking at the chaos behind them, they attack the depleted German forces and take control of Sidi Rezegh. Australian troops from Tobruk linked up with advancing New Zealand forces at Ed Duda. By evening, 15.Panzerdivision were west of Sidi Azeiz (where 5th New Zealand Brigade was headquartered) and down to 53 tanks, practically the entire remaining tank strength of the Afrika Korps. The Axis column had only a tenuous link to its supply dumps on the coast between Bardia and Tobruk and supply convoys had to find a way past the 4th and 6th New Zealand Brigade Groups. Overnight, Rommel and Crüwell cross the frontier into Egypt then cannot find their way back through the wire and are forced to hide out until morning as British trucks rumble by.

Captain James Jackson was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for organizing defenses at Tobruk, Libya, where he was killed by a mortar splinter.

The first Italian Macchi C.202 Folgore fighters reached Libya. These Folgores (the most successful Italian fighter to see extensive wartime service) belonging to the 1° Stormo Caccia Terrestre, rapidly established, over the Western Desert, an ascendancy over the opposing RAF Hawker Hurricane and Curtis P-40 fighters.

Following attacks yesterday on Benghazi and the approaches to Sirte, ten more British aircraft from Luqa fly south to continue the offensive against the Afrika Korps in Libya. Five Blenheims attack motor transport on the road west of Misrata and five more strike another road convoy between Homs and Misrata, in an effort to cut supply lines to Rommel's troops. Harbour at Benghazi was again bombed by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) during night. Raids were also made on aerodromes at Benina and Berka.

In East Africa the British forces take Tadda Ridge, 7 miles from the Italian stronghold of Gondar.

Cairo communique announced the entry of Indian troops into Augila, 100 miles of Jedabya.

NORTH AMERICA: Henry Stimson noted in his diary that, during a cabinet meeting, Franklin Roosevelt thought Japan was likely to attack the United States in as soon as one week, and it would provide Roosevelt the reason to take the United States into the war. Roosevelt had informed his Cabinet. "We must all prepare for trouble, possibly soon," he telegraphed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Mr. William C. Bullitt, former United States Ambassador to France, was given the post as President Roosevelt's personal envoy in the Near East.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Soviet patrol vessel CKP-25 rammed German submarine U-578 in the Arctic Sea, causing light damage.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Adm. Harold R. Stark, U.S. chief of naval operations, tells Adm. Husband E. Kimmel, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, that both President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull think a Japanese surprise attack is a distinct possibility.

"We are likely to be attacked next Monday, for the Japs are notorious for attacking without warning."

Click to expand...

At the time he received the "warning" from Stark, Kimmel was negotiating with Army Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short, commander of all U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, about sending U.S. warships out from Pearl Harbor in order to reinforce Wake and Midway Islands, which, along with the Philippines, were possible Japanese targets. But the Army had no antiaircraft artillery to spare.

American submarines "Triton" and "Tambor" arrived at Wake Island on "simulated" war patrols.

Japanese troop transports en route to Malaya were detected off Taiwan.

The US Navy begins to establish compulsory convoying for merchant ships in the Pacific.

A shipment of 24 crated P-40E's arrived in Manila.

IJN submarine I-26 scouts Kiska Island of the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific Area.

UNITED KINGDOM: Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, the British RAF Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, informed Oliver Lyttelton, Winston Churchill's Minister of State for the Middle East, that General Alan Cunningham was not confident in winning the battle in Libya. The following day Cunningham was relieved as Eighth Army commander. Neil Ritchie would take his place on the following day.

Widespread but small scale Luftwaffe activity over West of England at night. One Luftwaffe bomber was destroyed.

WESTERN FRONT: German Jews in Netherlands were declared stateless.

RAF Fighter Command flew Rhubarb operations. RAF Bomber Command sends 18 aircraft to attack Brest and 17 aircraft to attack Cherbourg overnight.

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That Barham sequence is one of the most memorable videos of the war.

25 NOVEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type IXc DKM U-510


Allied
Isles Class ASW Trawler HMZS SCARBA (T-175)


Isles Class ASW Trawler HMS SHIANT (T-170)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Flower Class Corvette HMS LOOSESTRIFE (K-105)


MMS I Class Coastal MSW MMS 46
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U-331 sank the Queen Elizabeth Class BB HMS BARHAM (RN 310000 grt) in the Eastern Med as she maneuvered with the Fleet. At 1629 hrs the BARHAM was hit on the port side by three torpedoes from U-331 north of Sidi Barrani. As the ship rolled over to port, her after magazines exploded and she quickly sank. The battleship was sailing with Force A of the Med Flt having sailed from Alexandria to cover sorties by Malta and Alexandria-based cruiser forces against Italian convoys heading for Libya.


Drifter FISHER GIRL (UK 85 grt) was sunk by the LW at Falmouth Harbour.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Armed patrol trawler JACQUES MORGAND (RN 155 grt) was sunk by the LW at Falmouth.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
Departures
Kiel: U-451

At Sea 25 November 1941
U-43, U-68, U-69, U-81, U-85, U-95, U-96 U-98, U-105, U-124, U-126, U-129, U-133, U-201, U-205, U-331, U-332, U-372, U-375, U-402, U-431, U-434, U-451, U-453, U-552, U-557, U-558, U-559, U-561, U-562, U-565, U-567, U-571, U-572, U-574, U-575, U-577, U-578, U-652, U-752, UA

40 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front
Arctic
German submarineU-578was attacked with ramming and heavily damaged by Soviet patrol ship SKR-25 Briz. The damage is quite heavy, with an hole and leak into the ballast tanks and needed repairs. German sources claimed no damage however. However, U-578 was back in port by the 27th, after only 9 days at sea and spent a longer than normal period in port, suggesting she was damaged and did require considerable repair

The attack on U-578 – Soviet contemporary painting

On the same day there was the first combined British-Soviet naval action: the British cruiser KENYA and the British DDs BEDUOUIN and INTREPID and VMF DDs GREMYASHCHYI and GROMKYI, carried out a raid on enemy coasts, resulting in the bombing of Vardo. No damage on shipping reported.

Convoy PQ.4
Heavy cruiser BERWICK and destroyers OFFA and ONSLOW escorted the convoy from 25 to 27 November. The convoy was to have been met on the 20th, but the warships were unable to locate the convoy.

Baltic
VMF DD LENINGRAD was mined off Hango. She was saved and repaired.

North Sea
DKM PV Vp.412 (trawler BREMERHAVEN ) was sunk near St Pol by an RN MTB. The vessel was later salved and returned to service as Vp.805.

Northern Patrol
CL SHEFFIELD departed Scapa Flow for Seidisfjord for escort duty with convoy PQ.5. In heavy weather on the 26th, the cruiser was forced to heave to. The cruiser was able to arrive on the 27th.

MSW FITZROY departed Scapa Flow for the Faroes to resume minesweeping duties.

West Coast
Convoy ON.40
Convoy ON.40 departed Liverpool, escorted by ASW trawlers COVENTRY CITY and LADY MADELEINE

Western Approaches
Convoy HX.160
USN DDs escorting the convoy were relieved on the 25th by DDs SARDONYX, SCIMITAR, and WATCHMAN and corvettes DAHLIA and MONKSHOOD

SW Approaches
Convoy OG.77
Convoy OG.77 departed Liverpool escorted by sloops BLACK SWAN and FOWEY and corvettes CAMPION, HELIOTROPE, LA MALOUINE, and MALLOW.

Med/Biscay
After the loss of the BARHAM, BBs QUEEN ELIZABETH and VALIANT and DDs NAPIER, GRIFFIN, HASTY, DECOY, HOTSPUR, and KIPLING arrived at Alexandria on the 26th. DDs JERVIS, NIZAM, and JACKAL arrived at Alexandria some hours later.

After the loss of BB BARHAM, submarine OTUS was withdrawn from operational duties for use as an anti-submarine warfare training ship.

DD THRASHER sank AMC ATTILO DEFFENU (RM 3510 grt) near Brindisi from a convoy of steamers CATERINA MADRE and RESURRECTIO.


Submarine THUNDERBOLT sank steamer LVII (Ger 250 grt(est)) with gunfire off Cape Malea.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Nth Atlantic
Convoy ON.36
The remaining escorts were detached on the 25th when the convoy was dispersed.

Convoy ON.38
Corvette GALT joned on the 24th and was detached on the 25th.

Central Atlantic
British troopships ROYAL ULSTERMAN and ROYAL MONARCH arrived at Gibraltar, escorted by DDs WISHART and VIDETTE.

DDs WISHART and VIDETTE with troopships ROYAL SCOTSMAN, ROYAL ULSTERMAN, and ULSTER MONARCH arrived at Gibraltar after departing Freetown on the 17th. The troopships were originally escorted by DD VELOX and corvette CLOVER. The corvette was later relieved by DD VIMY.

DDs LAFOREY, LEGION, LIGHTNING, GURKHA, and ISAAC SWEERS departed Gibraltar and DDs WISHART and BRADFORD departed at 1630 to carry out an ASW sweep. On the 27th, DD LEGION attacked a submarine contact.

Convoy SL.92
DD FORESTER joined the escort on the 25th for that day only.

Convoy OS.11
DD CLARE and escort vessels HARTLAND and WALNEY were detached on the 25th,

Convoy WS.12Z
Oiler DINGLEDALE having refueled DDs FORESIGHT, FORESTER, and FURY on the 19th at sea, arrived back at Gibraltar on the 25th, escorted by corvettes JONQUIL and COREOPSIS.

Convoy SC.55
DD ST FRANCIS was detached on the 25th.


Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 25 NOVEMBER TO DAWN 26 NOVEMBER 1941
1647 hrs Air raid alarm. No engagement.

OPERATIONS REPORTS TUESDAY 25 NOVEMBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Force "K" arrived, having sunk two tankers (CAT). Force "K" sailed again at 1800.

AIR HQ Six Beaufighters heading in from Gibraltar. One is missing.

LUQA One Wellington S/D Flight shipping search (bad weather). One Blenheim 18 Squadron and one Blenheim 107 Squadron SF10 patrol. One Blenheim SF11 patrol. Five Blenheims 18 Squadron attacked MT on road west of Misurata. Five Blenheims 107 Squadron attacked MT on road between Homs and Misurata. One Wellington S/D flight shipping search (very bad weather).

Operation Crusader
Rommel ordered further advances on 25 Nov toward Sidi Azeiz, but the column was discovered and attacked by Allied aircraft. At Sidi Omar, the German 5th Panzer Regiment attacked positions manned by troops of the Indian 7th Brigade, which fought off the repeated assaults with the help of their 25-pounder artillery; at the end of the day, the German 5th Panzer Regiment found itself exhausted.

Halder's Diary 25 November 1941

November 26 Wednesday
ASIA: Operation Z: Japanese carrier fleet departs Tankan Bay, Iturup Island in the South Kuril Islands, for the 3300 mile voyage to attack Pearl Harbour, Hawaii (6 aircraft carriers "Akagi", "Kaga", "Soryu", "Hiryu", "Shokaku" and "Zuikaku", 2 battlecruisers "Hiei" and "Kirishima", 3 cruisers, 9 destroyers and 3 submarines plus 8 tankers and supply ships). IJN aircraft carrier "Akagi", flagship of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's First Air Fleet, departed Hitokappu Bay in the Kurile Islands leading the Carrier Striking Force ("Kido Butai") in the "Hawaii Operation", the surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. With Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's First Air Fleet, "Shokaku" departed Hitokappu Bay in the Kurile Islands for the Hawaii Operation. Sendai-class light cruiser "Naka" became the flagship of Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura of Japanese 4th Destroyer Squadron. She departed the Terashima Strait near Sasebo, Japan.

US intelligence detected Japanese troop movements in Indochina.

EASTERN FRONT: It was a cold hazy day with a temperature of -4 Degrees Fahrenheit as the combat group of 10.Panzerdivision attacked the town of Istra 48 km northwest of Moscow from the north. It was a costly engagement. In the forest fighting which ensued the attackers suffered heavily from the shrapnel of Soviet multiple mortars, but they succeeded in pushing the Soviets—Manchurian units from Khabarovsk—out of the woods and, with a last supreme effort, reaching the northern edge of Istra. The 10.Panzerdivision finally captured Istra but then had to fight off Russian counter-attacks supported by artillery. Meanwhile the battalions of the "Reich" SS Infantry Division had come up. Just outside Istra, in a loop of the river, was the foreboding fortress of that town, guarding its western approaches. The SS Motorcycle Battalion Klingenberg first of all had to burst through a fortified line in the forest immediately west of Istra on the Volokolamsk-Moscow road, held by units of the famous 78th Siberian Rifle Division. The "Reich" SS Division succeeded in capturing the citadel by a surprise assault. The "Deutschland" and "Der Fuehrer" SS Infantry Regiments, supported by the "Reich" SS Artillery Regiment, had broken in from the south and infiltrated into its gloomy, barricaded streets. Hitler's and Stalin's guards, as usual, fought another frightful encounter and gave each other no quarter. The Siberians were eventually forced to withdraw. Istra, the keypoint of Moscow's last line of defense, thus was taken.

South of Moscow, Guderian's attempt to encircle Tula fails. 17.Panzerdivision is held up outside Kashira only 65 miles from Moscow, while XLIII.Armeekorps (General of the Infantry G. Heinrici) is held up after capturing Aleksin 30 miles Northwest of Tula. Soviet troops re-opened the Tula-Moscow rail line.

GERMANY: Anti-Comintern Pact of Nov. 25, 1936, is renewed for five years by Germany, Japan, Italy, Hungary, Spain, Manchukuo, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Rumania, Slovakia, and Nanking regime in China.

At a meeting in Berlin, Ciano offers Hitler another Italian army corps for service on the Russian Front.

RAF Bomber Command sends 100 aircraft to attack Emden overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: U-95 moves into the Mediterranean.

MIDDLE EAST: Free French General Georges Catroux was placed in control of Syria and Lebanon. Shortly after taking up this post, Catroux announced that France would place Syria and Lebanon on a course for full independence. Allied countries would recognize this independence, although in practice Lebanon was still governed under French authority.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Crusader: The German panzer divisions engage in attacks on British positions around Fort Capuzzo and Sid Azeiz. British forces are regrouping in the Sidi Rezegh area and the New Zealand infantry is moving toward Tobruk. Rommel recognizes the gathering of British Armour at Sidi Rezegh and the continued movement of the New Zealand Division toward Tobruk and begins to move his tank forces back in that direction. German and Italian forces fought the New Zealand 5th Brigade en route to Fort Capuzzo, Libya. Meanwhile, Erwin Rommel's staff recalled the troops at Sidi Rezegh, Libya, allowing British 7th Armoured Division to capture the town. Initially furious, Rommel realizes his staff made the right decision in his absence. Lieutenant Colonel H. C. J. Yeo took the British 44th Royal Tank Regiment on a spectacular night attack which broke through the besiegers' lines and effected a link up with the Tobruk garrison. Many had suggested that the attack was impossible, but Colonel Yeo and his men had proven them wrong, and reinforced the matter with a similar operation against Barcia on 1 Jan 1942.

General Cunningham is relieved of command of the British 8th Army. Lieutenant General Neil Ritchie DSO, MC (1897-1983) was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British Eighth Army in North Africa, with the British Commander in Chief Auchlinleck overseeing tactical control.

NORTH AMERICA: US Secretary of State Cordell Hull submitted the final proposal to Japanese diplomats for readjustment of US-Japanese relations, demanding the Japanese to withdraw all troops from China and Indochina, and with full expectation that the Japanese were not going to entertain this demand in any way.

American aircraft ferry USS "Kitty Hawk" was commissioned into service.

NORTHERN EUROPE: The British government presents Finland an ultimatum. Finland has to cease all offensive military operations by 3 December or His Majesty's Government shall declare war.

PACIFIC OCEAN: At Pearl Harbor, Joseph Rochefort sent a report for his superiors that his cryptanalytic team had detected Japanese fleet movements and that the Japanese warships were seemingly staging for actions in the South Pacific. Brereton returns to Clark AAF from his tour of Australian sites.

Japanese military leaders confer on Formosa to complete plans for the invasion of the Philippines.

The US 34th Pursuit squadron moves from Nichols to Del Carmen.

The tug "Sonoma" (AT 12) sailed from Wake Island with Pan American Airways barges PAB No. 2 and PAB No. 4 in tow, bound for Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii.

UNITED KINGDOM: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a message to US President Franklin Roosevelt, reminding him of American responsibility for Chinese interests, and to stiffen his resolve in talks with Japan.

WESTERN FRONT: In Paris, an attack is made with a revolver on a German sentry post.

RAF Bomber Command sends 18 aircraft to attack Ostend overnight.

German raider "Komet" reaches Cherbourg en route to Hamburg.

.

26 NOVEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type IXc DKM U-174
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMCS HALIFAX (K-237)


Bangor Class MSW HMCS MIRAMICHI (J-169)


Flower Class Corvette HMCS WEYBURN (K-173)


Losses

UBOATS
Arrivals
Brest: U-561
La Pallice : U-571
St Nazaire: U-133, U-552, U-567, U-577

Departures
Lorient: U-67

At Sea 26 November 1941
U-43, U-67, U-68, U-69, U-81, U-85, U-95, U-96 U-98, U-105, U-124, U-126, U-129, U-201, U-205, U-331, U-332, U-372, U-375, U-402, U-431, U-434, U-451, U-453, U-557, U-558, U-559, U-562, U-565, U-572, U-574, U-575, U-578, U-652, U-752, UA

36 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front
Baltic
Steamer EGERAN (Ger 1143 grt) was sunk on a mine off Memel.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

West Coast
AMC CAPE SABLE departed Oban for Scapa Flow, arriving on the 27th to work up.

Convoy SC.54
Corvette BRANDON was detached on the 25th. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 26th.

Western Approaches
Submarine P.36 made an unsuccessful attack on a submarine in 47-16N, 3-20W.

Convoy HX.160
Corvette MONTBRETIA joined on the 26th. ASW trawlers HUGH WALPOLE, NORTHERN PRIDE, and NORTHERN SPRAY escorted the convoy in Home Waters.

Convoy ON.40
The convoy was joined on the 26th by sloop COMMANDANT DETROYAT, corvettes HEATHER and NARCISSUS, and ASW trawler ARAB.

SW Approaches
Convoy OG.77
On the 26th, DD HARVESTER escorted the convoy through the day. She was then detached and proceeded to Gibraltar, arriving on 2 December.

Med/Biscay
British transport ships carrying tanks departed Port Said for Alexandria escorted by sloop FLAMINGO, corvettes SALIVA, HYACINTH, and ERICA, and RHN DDs KONDOURIOTIS and ASPIS from Alexandria. CLA CARLISLE departed Alexandria and joined the convoy off Port Said. The convoy arrived at Alexandria on the 27th

Nth Atlantic
Convoy ON.38
The existing convoy escorts were detached on the 26th when the convoy was joined by DD BURNHAM and corvettes ALGOMA, CHAMBLY, DAUPHIN, MATAPEDIA, and NAPANEE. The convoy was dispersed on the 30th and the escorts were detached.

Central Atlantic
Convoy OS.11
Sloops ABERDEEN, ENCHANTRESS, and IBIS were detached from the escort on the 26th,

Pacific/Australia
IJN carrier forces for the Pearl Harbour attack departed Tankan Bay. Despite numerous indicators that an attack was imminent, US and Allied forces remained largely ignorant of the impending attack. .

The force was composed of CVs AKAGI and KAGA of CarDiv 1, , SORYU and HIRYU of CarDiv 2, and SHOKAKU and ZUIKAKU of CarDiv 5, with escorts comprising CL ABUKUMA (leader DesDiv 1)with DDs TANIKAZE, URAKAZE, ISOKAZE, HAMAKAZE DesDiv 17; DDs KASUMI, ARARE, KAGERO, SHIRANUHI of DesDiv 18, and AKIGUMO of Desdiv 10.BCs HIEI and KIRISHIMA of BatDiv 1 provided heavy cover , and CAs TONE and CHIKUMA of CruSqn 8 in support and also providing sepalane recon.

Submarines I.19, I.21, and I.23 were deployed to support the force.

The supply train consisted of eight tankers and supply ships.

DDs SAZANAMI and USHIO of DesDiv 7 were detailed to shell Midway Island.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 25 NOVEMBER TO DAWN 27 NOVEMBER 1941
1530 hrs Air raid alarm. No engagement.

OPERATIONS REPORTS WEDNESDAY 26 NOVEMBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Force "K" arrived at 1730, having failed to intercept enemy merchant vessels.

LUQA 107 Squadron One Blenheim SF11 patrol; one Blenheim SF10 patrol. 18 Squadron Four Blenheims attacked one merchant vessel and one destroyer. Two returned due to bad weather.

Operation Crusader
On 26 Nov, German and Italian forces converged toward Fort Capuzzo; by dusk, they met defenses manned by the New Zealand 5th Brigade.

Halder's Diary 26 November 1941

27 NOVEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIc DKM U-598
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied
MMS I Class Coastal MSW MMS 60

White 73' type MTB RN MTB 201
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U-559 sank Grimsby Class Sloop HMAS PARRAMATTA (RAN 1060 grt) off Sollum in the Med. On 25 Nov 1941, after having successfully completed yet another supply run to Tobruk, and having returned just returned to Alexandria, HMAS PARRAMATTA in company with HMS AVON VALE departed t Alexandria escorting the ammunition ship HANNE again to Tobruk. About midnight on 26 November the ships were about 25 miles north of Bardia, in a pitch dark and raining night. The HANNE was confused about her route into Tobruk and the sloop came alongside to hail the route by megaphone. While they steamed at about three knots, U-559 fired at 0012 hrs a spread of three torpedoes from a distance of 2000 metres at the merchant and the escort, but missed. At 0046 hours, another torpedo was fired from a distance of 1500 metres at the escort, which broke in two after the hit and immediately sank.

The HMAS PARRAMATTA was hit amidships by the torpedo, which caused an explosion in the magazine. The ship was torn apart, rapidly rolled to starboard and sank. About 30 survivors, including two officers clung to a raft that floated between debris. Two seamen saw a shadow in the distance and decided to take a chance and swim towards it. After three quarters of a mile and near exhaustion they were picked up at 0305 hours by the AVON VALE, which already had rescued 19 survivors from wreckage. She then searched a wide area for the raft and other survivors, but the search was fruitless. However, three other survivors landed at the Libyan coast and were rescued by British troops. 138 men lost their lives, including all officers.

Steamer HANNE safely arrived at Tobruk.


UBOATS
Arrivals
Kirkenes: U-578
Lorient: U-85

Departures
Kiel: U-131, U-584

At Sea 27 November 1941
U-43, U-67, U-68, U-69, U-81, U-95, U-96 U-98, U-105, U-124, U-126, U-129, U-131, U-201, U-205, U-331, U-332, U-372, U-375, U-402, U-431, U-434, U-451, U-453, U-557, U-558, U-559, U-562, U-565, U-572, U-574, U-575, U-584, U-652, U-752, UA

36 Boats

OPERATIONS

East Front
The first doubts begin to appear in the German command as their final offensive for 1941 in the East grinds to a halt.

Overnight the Germans had firmly secured Istra. By 27 Nov they had also taken Solnechnogorsk and were headed for the Russian outpost at Kryukovo.

But the main German attack was further east and aimed at Krasnaya Polyana, Lobnya, and the Moscow-VolgaCanal. The 7th Panzer Division reached Yakhroma – 58 km north of Moscow – and captured the crossing over the Moscow-VolgaCanal. The Soviet 71st Marine Brigade was flung against the German bridgehead but despite enormous losses the underequipped sailors failed to retake the crossing.

Arctic
Convoy PQ.4
On the 27th, MSWs GOSSAMER, SEAGULL, and SPEEDY met the convoy relieving CA KENT, DDs ONSLOW and OFFA, and ASW trawlers BUTE and STELLA CAPELLA, which proceeded to Murmansk'

Convoy QP.3
Convoy QP.3 departed Archangel with steamers Soviet ANDRE MARTI, EMPIRE BAFFIN, HARTLEBURY, ORIENT CITY, Soviet REVOLUTSIONER, Soviet ARCOS, HARPALION, Soviet KUZBASS, QUEEN CITY, and TEMPLE ARCH.

MSW HUSSAR escorted the convoy from 27 November to 9 December and MSW GOSSAMER escorted the convoy from 27 November to 10 December. These MSWs took Russian ships to Kirkwall on dispersal of the convoy. Steamers ARCOS and KUZBASS returned to Archangel with defects.

North Sea
DD INGLEFIELD departed the Humber Scapa Flow following her refit. The DD arrived at Scapa Flow on the 28th.

Northern Patrol
CA SUFFOLK departed Hvalfjord for the west Denmark Strait patrol. CL EDINBURGH departed Hvalfjord for the north Faroes-Iceland patrol area. CA KENT changed to the south Faroes-Iceland area patrol area.

Convoy PQ.5
Convoy PQ.5 departed Hvalfjord with steamers BRIARWOOD, EMPIRE STEVENSON, Soviet PETROVSKI, TREHATA, CHUMLEIGH, Soviet KOMILES, and ST CLEARS, escorted by MSWs SHARPSHOOTER, HAZARD, and HEBE.

Northern Waters
DD BEAUFORT departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde to boiler clean prior to transfer to the Mediterranean. The DD arrived in the Clyde on the 28th.

DD BRIGHTON departed Scapa Flow on completion of docking and repairs. The DD was to rendezvous with convoy DS.17 in position 16½ miles 192° from Skerryvore on the 28th.

DD MONTROSE departed Scapa Flow to rejoin the Nore Command following her work up. The DD was to provide additional escort for convoy FS.659 en route. At 2200, MONTROSE was ordered to investigate an RDF contact to the east of the Orkneys. This was found to be British fishing trawler PORT ARTHUR.

West Coast
Convoy ON.41
Convoy ON.41 departed Liverpool, escorted by corvettes CALENDULA, CELANDINE, GENTIAN, HONEYWUCKLE, PERIWINKLE, and ROSE.

Western Approaches
Convoy ON.39
DDs DOUGLAS, LEAMINGTON, SHERWOOD, SKATE, and VETERAN were detached on the 27th

Convoy ON.40
DDs BEAGLE and BOADICEA joined on the 27th.

Channel
DKM Disguised raider KOMET departed Cherbourg early on the 27th, escorted by TBs T.7, T.4, and T.11 and minesweepers M.10 and M.153. The cruiser spent the day in Le Havre and departed that night with the three TBs, five MSWs, and six R boats. Early on the 28th, the Dover Command was involved in attacking the merchant cruiser off Boulogne and Dunkirk as it returned to Germany.

MTB.218, MTB.219, MTB.221, and MTB.56 had departed Dover and proceeded to number 8 buoy. MTB.45, MTB.44, MTB.47, and MTB.48 had departed Dover and proceeded to S.buoy. MGB.14 and MGB.41 had departed Ramsgate and proceeded to V buoy.

En route MTB.221, MTB.56, and MTB.48 developed engine troubles and returned to harbour.

Cruiser KOMET was undamaged, but MTB.219 damaged one of the escorts which was last seen with three R boats standing by.

TB T.4 was damaged by fire from T.12, and a dud fired by one of the MSWs. One of the MTBs caused personnel casualties on the torpedo boat with machine gun fire, wounding four, including the commanding officer. T.7 was also hit by machine gun fire, causing three dead and three wounded.

The German ship arrived in Hamburg on the 30th after a cruise in which she sank 6 1/2 ships (seven sinkings were shared) for 42,959grt).

Med/Biscay
CLs AJAX and NEPTUNE with DDs KINGSTON and KIMBERLEY as Force B departed Alexandria on the 27th for duty at Malta, where they arrived on the 29th.

CLAs NAIAD and EURYALUS and DDs HOTSPUR and GRIFFIN as Force C departed Alexandria in company for cover for the first part of the voyage. They were to sweep off Cyrenaica then return to Alexandria on the 28th.

Submarine PROTEUS sighted a submarine sixty miles NW of Alexandria late on the 27th. However, the reported was delayed and not received until the 28th. DDs GRIFFIN and HERO were sent to hunt in the area, despite the lateness of the report.

Later DDs HASTY and NIZAM, returning from a supply run to Tobruk, joined the hunt.

Submarine UPHOLDER unsuccessfully attacked a northbound tanker off eastern Tunisia.

Submarine TRUSTY unsuccessfully attacked an unescorted tanker off Argostoli.

Submarine UTMOST arrived at Malta after patrol off Del Armi.

ORP submarine SOKOL arrived at Malta after patrol off Navarino

Nth Atlantic
Convoy ON.35
The convoy dispersed on the 27th and the USN escorting DDs were detached.

Convoy HX.162
Convoy HX.162 departed Halifax, escorted by DDs ANNAPOLIS and HAMILTON and corvette COBALT.

Central Atlantic
Convoy SL.93

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 27 NOVEMBER TO DAWN 28 NOVEMBER 1941

0049-0129 hrs Air raid alert. Two enemy aircraft came in from north and crossed the coast between GrandHarbour and Madalena. Ack Ack barraged on three occasions claiming one enemy aircraft destroyed.

1106-1125 hrs Air raid alert. Recce raid by two enemy fighter aircraft. Heavy Ack Ack barraged at 24,000 feet.

OPERATIONS REPORTS THURSDAY 27 NOVEMBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Utmost returned from patrol off Del Armi, having sunk Trieste. Sokol returned from patrol of Navarino having got two hits on a convoy after they left harbour. Five Albacores attacked Castel Benito aerodrome.

HAL FAR Night 27/28th Nov Five Albacores 828 Squadron despatched to attack Castel Benito aerodrome. Two small fires were started – one on the eastern side and one on the western side of the aerodrome. Weather 8/10 to 10/10 cloud over target. All aircraft returned safely.

LUQA 18 Squadron Four Blenheims attacked walled enclosure 11000 yards east south east of Mellaha aerodrome. Two Blenheims on SF11 patrol. One Blenheim search for merchant vessels. 107 Squadron Five Blenheims despatched to attack merchant vessels in ArgostoliHarbour. Did not find target. One Wellington S/D Flight on special shipping search. Twelve Wellingtons 40 Squadron and nine Wellingtons 104 Squadron attacked Royal Arsenal at Naples.

Operation Crusader
In the morning of 27 Nov, Rommel withdrew the weakened German 21st Panzer Division from the fighting at the Egyptian-Libyan border, redeployment it at Tobruk to help counter the Tobruk garrison's attempts to break out; en route west, the 21st Panzer Division was harassed by troops of the New Zealand 22nd Battalion, delaying their arrival at Tobruk for a day. The German 15th Panzer Division, however, remained on the offensive. At Sidi Azeiz, the German 15th Panzer Division engaged in combat in the morning against outnumbered New Zealand troops, and captured the position with 700 prisoners captured; Rommel personally oversaw this attack from the front. At this point, the Axis forces were within four miles of the British Eighth Army's main supply base, but this fact was not known to Rommel until later. At noon, the German 15th Panzer Division reached Bir el Chleta, but was halted by the British 22nd Armoured Brigade and Allied aircraft.

By the early afternoon of 27 Nov, it was clear to Allied leaders that the Axis offensive was beginning to lose steam. During that night, however, Rommel knew his tanks could still press on.

Halder's Diary 27 November 1941

November 27 Thursday

ASIA: Operation Z: Destroyer "Yuzuki" arrived at Haha Jima, Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo rejected the American counter-proposal for peace.

US Navy-chartered passenger liner "President Madison" departed from Shanghai, China for the Philippine Islands with the 2nd Battalion of the US 4th Marine Regiment.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Allied convoy QP-3 departed Arkhangelsk, Russia and convoy PQ-5 departed Hvalfjörður, Iceland.

USN destroyer USS "Babbitt" (DD-128), with Task Unit 4.1.5, escorting convoy HX-160 (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to U.K.), depth charges a sound contact.

A Kriegsmarine supply ship was sunk off The Hague by RAF Beauforts. A Kriegsmarine convoy off coast of Normandy was attacked by Fighter Command, along with shipping at Boulogne and aircraft at Berck.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet Kalinin Front begins counterattacking German 9.Armee on the northern flank of Army Group Center. In the Moscow region, Guderian's forces have been fighting around Kashira for three days. Further advancement without re-enforcements is not possible. Soviet 1st Guards Cavalry Corps was counterattacking German 2.Panzerarmee near Kashira. Major-General Belov drives back the 17.Panzerdivision relieving pressure on Tula. In their advance toward Moscow under extremely difficult wintry conditions, units of 9.Armee reach the Volga Canal 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of the Soviet capital. Some armed patrols have penetrated the western suburbs of the city and got a good look at the Kremlin. The sound of the guns from the battle raging in front of Moscow can be heard clearly in the capital. The Germans are only 25 miles away. They have broadened the wedge that they have driven into the Russian forces northwest of the city and are claiming to have captured the town of Klin. They are however, still being held at Tula, south of Moscow. They had also taken Solnechnogorsk and were headed for the Russian outpost at Kryukovo. But the main German attack was further east and aimed at Krasnaya Polyana, Lobnya, and the Moscow-Volga Canal. German SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) 'Reich' completed the captured of Istra west of Moscow from Siberian 78th Rifle Division. 37 miles North of Moscow, the 7.Panzerdivision of LVI.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of the Infantry Erich von Manstein)-3.Panzerarmee, reached Yakhroma – 58 km north of Moscow – and captured the crossing over the Moscow-Volga Canal. The 71st Marine Brigade was flung against the German bridgehead but despite enormous losses the underequipped sailors failed to retake the crossing. The Germans are now are facing newly-formed Soviet 1st Shock Army.

In the Caucasus, Soviet 37th Army recaptures Rostov-on-Don from General von Kleist's 1.Panzerarmee (which has held the city for only 6 days). German 1.Panzerarmee begins withdrawing toward Taganrog. Hitler orders that there be no retreat in the Rostov sector but Army Group South commander Field Marshal von Rundstedt refuses to cancel his orders to retreat back to the Mius River at Taganrog. 1.Panzerarmee begins retreating toward Taganrog as the Soviets reoccupy Rostov-on-Don.

Russian partisan fighter Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya was captured by the Germans.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command conducted night attacks on Düsseldorf, docks at Ostend and Luftwaffe aerodromes. RAF Bomber Command sends 86 aircraft to attack Düsseldorf overnight.

Hitler meets with foreign ministers of Finland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Denmark and Croatia.

MEDITERRANEAN: German submarine U-559 sank Australian sloop HMAS "Parramatta" and ammunition ship "Hanne" 40 miles northeast of Tobruk, Libya at 0046 hours, killing a total of 168.

Twelve Wellingtons of RAF No.40 Squadron and nine Wellingtons from RAF No.104 Squadron attacked the Royal Arsenal at Naples. Five Royal Navy Albacores attacked Castel Benito aerodrome. Five Albacores from FAA No.828 Squadron were also dispatched to attack Castel Benito aerodrome.

RN cruisers "Ajax" and "Neptune" and destroyers "Kimberley" and "Kingston" transfer from Alexandria to Malta to reinforce Force "K".

MIDDLE EAST: In Beirut, The Free French General Georges Catroux proclaims Lebanon's independence.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Crusader: New Zealand 2nd Division supported by 90 tanks breaks through the German cordon and links up with the garrison from Tobruk (which has 70 tanks). The 4th and 6th New Zealand Brigades join with forces from the Tobruk garrison at El Duda. Rommel withdrew the weakened German 21.Panzerdivision from the fighting at the Egyptian-Libyan border and redeployed it at Tobruk to help counter the Tobruk garrison's attempts to break out. The German 15.Panzerdivision, however, remained on the offensive. At Sidi Azeiz, the 15.Panzerdivision engaged in combat in the morning against outnumbered New Zealand troops, and captured the position with 700 prisoners captured. Rommel personally oversaw this attack from the front. Tanks of German 15.Panzerdivision and 21.Panzerdivision moved in to counterattack, but Australian and British troops halted it during the day. 21.Panzerdivision runs into New Zealand 22nd Battalion infantry while 15.Panzerdivision encounters British 7th Armored Division (which has three times the number of tanks) at Bir el Chleta 30 miles west of Tobruk. At noon, the German 15.Panzerdivision reached Bir el Chleta, but was halted by the British 22nd Armoured Brigade and Allied aircraft.4th Armored Brigade pummels the extended German column from the side but at dusk the British tanks withdraw south to lie up for the night in a defensive huddle. 15.Panzerdivision uses the respite to continue their move to Tobruk in the dark. During that night, however, Rommel knew his tanks could still press on.

The German Division z.b.V. Afrika is renamed 90.leichte Afrika Division (Major General Max Sümmermann). The famous trio of the 15.Panzerdivision, 21.Panzerdivision and 90.leichte Afrika Division, which are associated with the name Afrika Korps, is thus complete.

The first British SAS operation, planned to see troops parachute deep behind enemy lines and destroy German and Italian aircraft at two airfields in Libya, took place. Strong winds and driving rain caused chaotic conditions, with several soldiers becoming injured as they attempted to parachute and one plane shot down, killing 15 troops and the crew. German pilot Otto Schulz took off, shot down a British Bristol twin-engine aircraft, and landed safely near Gazala, Libya all within three minutes. Several British SAS personnel were killed aboard the Bristol aircraft.

Staff Sergeant Delmer E. Park, US Army Signal Corps ASN 6281980 142nd Armored Signal Company Killed in Action Sidi-Omar, Egypt. Possibly the first American to die with Allied ground forces.

In East Africa, the Allies attack the Italian position at Gondar. After whittling away at the Italian defences for six days the 12 East African Division under the redoubtable Major-General C C Fowkes, began its attack on a broad front supported by the South African Air Force. It moves quickly despite the rugged terrain. At 7,000 feet above sea level - in bitter cold - the King's African Rifles were advancing through clouds. By midday the battle had been decided, but there was almost a massacre when Ethiopian Patriots got into Gondar before the East Africans. Fowkes had to send in armored cars to rescue the Italian prisoners. Italian General Nasi, decides to ask for surrender terms. The Italian garrison surrendered as the British 12th (African) Division captured two mountain passes overlooking the town. The last Italian forces in Ethiopia have surrendered. After holding out for nine months, aided by the mountains and the rains, General Nasi's battle-hardened troops were overwhelmed. The British have taken 11,500 Italian and 12,000 native troops prisoner.

NORTH AMERICA:

"I have washed my hands of it and [the situation] is now in the hands of you and Knox, the Army and Navy." - Cordell Hull.

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Dr. Vannevar Bush, head of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, forwarded the third National Academy of Sciences report that agreed with the British Committee MAUD report that an atomic bomb was feasible to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The MAUD Committee report, "'Use of Uranium for a Bomb", concluded that an atomic bomb was feasible. The report described the bomb in technical detail, providing specific proposals for developing a bomb and including cost estimates. The report concluded that building an atomic bomb would require a large skilled labor force that was also needed for other parts of the war effort. The report also suggested that the Germans could also be working on such a bomb, and so it recommended that the work should be continued with high priority in cooperation with the Americans.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Listed as missing in action is JG 77's Roman Painczyk, who had eight victories in the air over against the Allies.

U-578 was rammed and damaged by Soviet patrol vessel SKR-25.

PACIFIC OCEAN: US Secretary of War Stimson, acting for President Franklin Roosevelt, sends a general war warning to all US commands. US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold Stark warned commanders of Pacific and Asiatic Fleets that attacks on Malaya, Philippine Islands, and Dutch East Indies were now a possibility. US Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall warned US Army Hawaii and Philippine Departments that attacks on Malaya, Philippine Islands, and Dutch East Indies were now a possibility. American Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Lieutenant General Walter Short were sent warning messages advising that negotiations with Japan had reached a stalemate and that Japan might take hostile action at any moment. The Philippines, the Kra Peninsula and Borneo were listed as among the potential sites of a Japanese attack, but Hawaii was not.

General Short, Admiral Kimmel, Admiral Halsey, and staff officers confer about dispatching fighter aircraft to reinforce Wake Island and Midway Island. Admiral Husband Kimmel met with Joseph Rochefort at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii in the late afternoon to discuss possible moves Japan might take should Japan and United States continued to head toward a military conflict. Rochefort believed that the main Japanese thrust would be toward the South Pacific, and the Hawaiian Islands did not seem to be in direct danger for now.

American radio intelligence analysts stationed in the Philippine Islands reported their suspicion that, contrary to the findings of their counterparts in the Hawaiian Islands, the Japanese warships detected to have been recently moved into the Marshall Islands were likely to take actions eastward rather than southward. Also, they concluded that main Japanese carrier force was still at Sasebo, Japan rather than in the Marshall Islands.

Unidentified aircraft spotted at high altitude over central Luzon by Iba radar. All FEAF units placed on alert.

Hart authorizes reconnaissance flights over Japanese troop convoys.

UNITED KINGDOM: During a raid on the Blackheath Park District of Dublin, Ireland in search of IRA terrorists, the police arrested Abwehr agent Hermann Görtz who had parachuted into Ireland in May 1940. He had been living in hiding after losing his codebooks and currency escaping the police in an earlier raid. Görtz would spend the remainder of the war in Athlone prison but would then take poison, in 1947, when informed that he was to be deported to the British occupation zone in Germany.

Few Luftwaffe raiders over East Anglia and South Coast by night.

WESTERN FRONT: In Copenhagen, two days of riots follow the government's signing of the anti-Comintern pact in Berlin.

RAF Fighter Command flew Ramrod operations.

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