This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

[Njaco]

January 19 Sunday

MEDITERRANEAN: The "Illustrious" Blitz: Ju-87 Stukas again attack the HMS 'Illustrious' but manage only one hit. Six Hurricanes, one Fulmar, and one Gladiator joined the guns in defense - against an estimated eighty aircraft. Near-misses caused some damage to the boiler rooms, but again the defences took their toll, the fighters claiming eleven and the gunners eight - about a quarter of the attacking force. Bf 110s of III./ZG 26 claimed three Hurricanes from RAF No. 261 Squadron over Malta. Destroyers HMS "Imperial" and HMS "Decoy" were also damaged by the attack. One Stuka aircraft was shot down by a Fulmar aircraft, which was also shot down later in the battle.

British transport ships "Clan Cumming", "Clan MacDonald", and "Empire Song" departed Pireaus, Greece for Alexandria, Egypt at 0800 hours. At 1153 hours, 25 miles south of Pireaus, Italian submarine "Neghelli" attacked, damaging "Clan Cumming" with a torpedo. Escorting destroyer HMS "Greyhound" sank "Neghelli" with depth charges, killing the entire crew of 46. Escorting destroyer HMS "Janus" escorted "Clan Cumming" back to Pireaus while the rest of the convoy sailed on.

NORTH AFRICA: British Commander-in-Chief Middle East General Wavell opens a 3-pronged offensive to drive the Italians from East Africa. 4th Indian Infantry Division (fresh from the success of Operation Compass in Egypt) and 5th Indian Infantry Division captured the railway junction at Kassala, Sudan, on the border with Italian Eritrea. This allowed the column led by British General William Platt to march south from Sudan, through Eritrea into Ethiopia. General Cunningham will swing northeast from Kenya, through Italian Somaliland into Ethiopia. A planned amphibious assault will retake British Somaliland and all 3 forces aim to converge on the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Emperor Haile Selassie of Abyssinia crossed the border between Sudan and Italian Eritrea, traveling toward his home country behind advancing British and Commonwealth troops.

GERMANY: Benito Mussolini visited Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden in Germany, accepting German assistance in North Africa, but not Albania. Hitler noted that he would launch an invasion of Greece if British troops there began to threaten the oil refineries at Ploiesti, Romania.

UNITED KINGDOM: German Luftwaffe aircraft bombed RAF Feltwell in England . Luftwaffe attacked Southampton overnight with 62 aircraft.

ASIA: In northern sector, Vichy French forces withdraw across the Mekong River under pressure from Thai advance.

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[Njaco]

January 20 Monday
UNITED KINGDOM: Compulsory firewatching in the UK was introduced from today. All men and women from 16 to 60 must register for part-time Civil Defence service. For the time being, the only requirement will be 48 hours firewatching per month by men. Factories, offices, shops, cinemas, theatres, churches, blocks of flats and private houses in the danger areas are to arrange fire-watching rotas. Large buildings will provide their own watchers. Smaller premises will work together.

Around this date a new National Service Bill was introduced. Because of manpower shortages those called up can opt for, or be directed to, serve in Police War Reserve, AFS or Civil Defence First Aid Parties instead of the armed forces. Currently 90% of CD workers are volunteers. Compulsory Civil Defence service will also apply to those registered "conditionally" as conscientious objectors. As well as being directed to continue their old jobs, work on the land or in hospital or ambulance service, they can now be directed into CD but not Police War Reserve which sometimes carries arms. Since call-up began 31,000 out of 2,000,000 have registered as objectors.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German cruiser "Admiral Scheer" sank British ship "Stanpark" and captured Dutch ship "Barneveld" 1,000 miles off the coast of Angola.

German submarine U-94 sank British ship "Florian" 200 miles southeast of Iceland at 0042 hours, killing the entire crew of 41.

In the Atlantic Ocean, Italian submarine "Luigi" fired a spread of three torpedoes at a group of three Allied destroyers but none hit. Italian submarine "Marcello", en route to Bordeaux, France for repairs, encountered Belgian ship "Portugal" and sank her with the deck gun.

EASTERN EUROPE: The Iron Guard rebellion in Romania was put down by Marshal Antonescu.

In reprisal for partisan attacks, Germans executed 2,324 males in the Yugoslavian town of Kragujevac, including 144 boys who were herded out of school. Furious at the partisan activity, Hitler had decreed that for every German soldier wounded in attacks, 100 civilians would be executed.

ASIA: Japan expanded annual intelligence budget to $500,000 to gather more intelligence on the United States.

Japanese 11th Army, assembled along Huai River near Hsinyang, conducts probing attacks against Chinese 5th War Area.

GERMANY: German Kriegsmarine ordered the construction of 75 new submarines.

At Berchtesgaden, Hitler and Mussolini conclude discussions about German assistance in Libya.

MEDITERRANEAN: Italian bombers attack Athens and Piraeus harbor, losing one aircraft to RAF interceptors.

NORTH AFRICA: Lead elements of Indian 4th Infantry Division and 5th Infantry Division advance into Eritrea. RAF conducted raids against Massawa and other targets. Gideon Force with Emperor Haile Selassie and Orde Wingate cross into Ethiopia.

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[parsifal]

21 January 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Fairmile B ML 195

Losses

Steamer TEMPLE MEAD (UK 4427 grt) was sunk by the LW in the Western Approaches . 14 crew were lost. The TEMPLE MEAD was a straggler from SLS61 and was singled out for attention by a marauding Focke-Wulf 200. The ship had lost the convoy at night in heavy weather and at 1000 hrs on 21st Jan was steaming at 300 miles west of Ireland when the ship was attacked by a Condor. There were no direct hits, but the explosions of three near misses on the starboard side burst plating round the bilge and under water strakes. The ship began to settle quickly by the stern and sank in about 50 minutes. All hands mustered at boat stations. The Chief Engineer was missing, and one fireman was badly wounded. In a strong NE wind and heavy sea they prepared to abandon ship in their two lifeboats, with the Master in charge of the starboard boat and the Chief Officer in the other. When the port boat hit the water the for`ard fall was let go first, the boat shipped water and became waterlogged. Seven men died in this boat from the effects of shock and the icy water. The starboard, with nineteen men in it, was leaking badly, and three men died from exposure. "They were warmly clad" the master said afterwards "but just did not have the will to live". He praised the 11 Arab firemen who "behaved in a steady and obedient manner". Of a total crew of 41, 14 were lost. 18 survivors were rescued by the Swedish steamer MILOS* and put ashore in Oban; the remainder were taken to Greenock by the corvette CAMELIA. (The above taken from Poolman`s book on Focke-Wulf attacks.)

Tug ENGLISHMAN (UK 487 grt) was sunk by the LW forty miles west of Tory Island. The crew of seventeen and one gunner were all lost. ​

Steamer BRECHSEE (Ger 688 grt) was sunk on a mine off Malmo.

UBOATS
Departures
Lorient: U-103

At Sea 21 January 1941
U-38, U-48, U-93, U-94, U-96, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-123, U-124.
10 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
North Sea
FN.389 departed Southend, and arrived at Methil on 23 December.

Northern Waters
DD INTREPID and sub SEALION took part in a special exercise off Blyth. Following the exercise, DDs INTREPID and IMPULSIVE took on a minelaying role and sailed to Scapa Flow to arrive on the 24th. DD DOUGLAS departed Scapa for Aberdeen to escort steamer BEN MY CHREE to Lerwick. The DD was recalled that evening as the steamer was delayed by bad weather. DOUGLAS arrived at Scapa Flow next morning . The DD departed Scapa on the 23rd to meet the steamer. The steamer was delayed, again, but the DD was ordered to await her departure. After the Steamer did arrive, she was escorted to Lerwick. DOUGLAS was then recalled to Scapa Flow and arrived on the 26th. DD LEGION in a storm westward of Cava Island dragged anchors and fouled the Hoy Boom. With the aid of tugs, the DD was cleared and she was towed to an anchorage on the eastern side of the Flow for repairs.

West Coast UK
MSW TEDWORTH was extensively damaged in a gale in the Clyde.

​

Nth Atlantic

HX.104 departed Halifax, escorted by AMC RAJPUTANA and corvettes ARROWHEAD EYEBRIGHT, SPIKENARD. The AMC was detached on 21 February. On 3 February, DDs ARROW and CHURCHILL and corvettes AUBRETIA and HOLLYHOCK joined the escort. DD CHURCHILL and corvette AUBRETIA were detached on 6 February and the remainder of the escort on 8 February, and arrived at Liverpool on 8 February. Simultaneously , BHX.104 departed Bermuda on the 21st escorted by AMCr ALAUNIA. The convoy was routed direct to Liverpool. BB KING GEORGE V escorted the convoy from 31 January to 3 February. The AMC remained with the convoy until 4 February. On 5 February, DDs HAVELOCK, HESPERUS, LINCOLN, SHIKARI, SABRE, corvettes CLARKIA and GLADIOLUS, ASW trawlers NORTHERN WAVE and WELLARD joined. DD HAVELOCK and corvette CLARKIA were detached on 7 February. DDs HESPERUS, LINCOLN, SHIKARI were detached on 8 February. The remaining corvette and the two trawlers escorted the convoy into Liverpool arriving on 9 February. ASW trawler LEEDSUNITED escorted the Milford Haven local section.​

Med- Biscay

CL ORION joined CA YORK at Piraeus. CL AJAX and CLA BONAVENTURE covered convoy AN.13 through the Kaso Straits during the night of 21/22 January. CA YORK and ​

CL ORION called at Suda Bay on the 22nd to take on oil. On the morning of the 23rd, CA YORK and CLs ORION, AJAX, BONAVENTURE with DDs ILEX and HERO rendezvoused for operation MBD 2 (the evacuation of Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS).

DDs JERVIS, JANUS, JUNO, GREYHOUND departed Suda Bay for Malta during the evening of 21 January and arrived on the 22nd. BatSqn 1 at Alexandria remained in harbour until 22 January.

An allied attack on Tobruk centred around the Aus 6th Div was supported at sea by monitor TERROR, gunboats LADYBIRD and GNAT, and RAN DDs STUART, VAMPIRE, VOYAGER. During the night of 21/22 January, VAMPIRE sank schooner DIEGO (FI 63 grt) west of Tobruk. The DD took the crew of ten prisoner.​

Malta
Churchills radio address to the defenders of Malta:
" I send you on behalf of the War Cabinet heartfelt congratulations upon the magnificent and ever memorable defence which your heroic garrison and citizens, assisted by the Navy and above all by the Royal Air Force, are making against the Italian and German attacks. The eyes of all Britain and indeed of the whole British Empire are watching Malta in her struggle day by day, and we are sure that success, as well as glory, will reward your efforts."

AIR RAIDS DAWN 21 JANUARY TO DAWN 22 JANUARY 1941
Weather Overcast.
0800 hrs Nine Bren guns of C Company, 2nd Bn Royal West Kent Regiment take up position to the east of Luqa for defence against low-flying attack.
1410-1425 hrs Air raid alert for a report of a single enemy a/c approaching at great height. It flies over Grand Harbour, probably on recon. AA guns at Tarxien open fire; no claims.

OPERATIONS REPORTS TUESDAY 21 JANUARY 1941
AIR HQ 1242-1530 hrs A PRU Spitfire surveys the Sicilian aerodromes and ports at 23000 feet: at Comiso 5 JU 88s, 9 Macchi 200s; at Palermo 12 JU 87s, 30 Macchi 200s or CR 42s, 1 JU 52, 3 JU 86; at Trapani 2 SM 79s, one large unidentified aircraft, 57 fighters; at Catania 48 JU87s of which 14 damaged or destroyed, 4 JU 88s, 3 SM 79s, 6 BR 20s, 11 Macchi 200s of which 2 damaged, 1 SM 82. However, interpretation being treated with reserve.

 

[Njaco]

January 21 Tuesday
WESTERN FRONT: Uffz. Gerhard Blum of 1./NJG 2 gets his first victory when he destroys a RAF Blenheim bomber in the early morning.

UNITED KINGDOM: Home Secretary Herbert Morrison used Defence Regulation 2D to ban the Communist newspaper Daily Worker, on the grounds that it was attempting to hinder the British war effort.

Churchill broadcast to Malta:

"The eyes of all Britain, and indeed of the whole Empire, are watching Malta in her struggle...."

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Compass. Assault on Tobruk, Libya, opens at 0540 hours with an artillery barrage. Australian 6th Division sappers blast through the perimeter wire with Bangalore torpedoes and fill in antitank ditches, allowing 18 Matilda tanks and some captured Italian M11 and M13 medium tanks to move through. As at Bardia, Allied infantry and tanks pick off Italian machinegun posts, artillery batteries and dug-in tanks from within the defensive perimeter. They reach within 2 miles of the town of Tobruk and shell Italian cruiser San Giorgio from cliffs overlooking the harbour. 3 squadrons of RAF Blenheims bomb the defenses continually. 8,000 Italians were captured in overrun defensive positions, including General Petassi Manella. After nightfall, the headquarters of the Australian 19th Brigade offered Manella a ceasefire, but it was rejected, as the Italian general had orders from Benito Mussolini to fight until the last man. Overnight, Italian bombers attacked the British forward base; some bombs fell on the buildings holding prisoners of war, killing 50-300 Italians.

The last recorded charge by cavalry against a British battery occurred in Eritrea, Italian East Africa when a battery of the 144th (Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry) Field Regiment Royal Artillery was surprised by about sixty mounted Eritreans, led by an Italian officer, who came on at the gallop firing from the saddle and lobbing grenades as they charged. The Battery replied with shell and small arms fire, and the cavalry retired leaving about forty of their number killed or wounded on the field. Elsewhere, Indian 5th Infantry Division advanced 50 miles into Eritrea, capturing Aicota unopposed. Finally, Indian 10th Infantry Brigade and 2nd Battalion of the British Highland Light Infantry marched for Keru. Brigadier William Slim, commanding Indian 10th Infantry Brigade, is wounded in action, goes on medical leave, and subsequently employed on the staff of GHQ at Delhi.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German bombers sank British rescue tug HMS "Englishman" 50 miles off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland; the entire crew of 18 were killed. British vessel "Temple Mead" is sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft.

EASTERN EUROPE: The Legionnaires' rebellion and Bucharest pogrom began in Bucharest, Romania when members of the Iron Guard revolted. Ultra-fascist Iron Guard attempted to overthrow the Rumanian military dictator, General Antonescu, and conducted a simultaneous pogrom against the Jews (approx. 1,000 killed). Many are butchered in a Bucharest animal slaughterhouse. Rising was finally crushed January 24 and ringleader (Sima) fled to Germany. German forces in Rumania were ordered to support Antonescu against Iron Guard if needed.

Bulgaria passed anti-Semitic legislation modeled after Germany's Nuremberg Laws.

NORTH AMERICA: The United States lifted the trade embargo on the Soviet Union that had been imposed during the Winter War.

Foreign Minister Matsuoka warns US not to meddle in Asia.

MEDITERRANEAN: Italian forces successfully attack Greek II Corps in mountains west of Klisura in central sector of the front.

ASIA: At a secret session of the Diet, Prime Minister Konoe declares: Germany will win.

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[parsifal]

22 January 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type IXC U-67

3 ships sunk, total tonnage 72,138 GRT, 5 ships damaged, total tonnage 29,726 GRT
Sunk on 16 July 1943 in the Sargasso Sea SW of the Azores, by DCs from an Avenger a/c (VC-13 USN) of the CVE USS CORE. 48 dead and 3 survivors.

Losses
MSW trawler LUDA LADY (RN 234 grt), was sunk on a mine in the Humber. The entire crew was rescued.

​

Naval tug ST CYRUS (RN 810 grt) was sunk on a mine off the Humber. Most of the crew were lost in the tug.

Steamer KAPETAN STRATIS (Gk 3574 grt) was sunk by FW 200 a/c of the LW in the western approaches. The entire crew was lost

UBOATS
Arrivals
Lorient: U-38, U-96 , U-124

Departures
Lorient: U-52

At Sea 22 January 1941
U-48, U-52, U-93, U-94, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-123

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic
DKM BCs SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU departed Kiel to raid in the Nth and Central Atlantic in Operation BERLIN. Adm Tovey departed Scapa Flow at 2320 on the 25th to intercept the German ships, with BBs NELSON and RODNEY, BC REPULSE, CLs ARETHUSA, GALATEA, AURORA , MAURITIUS, CLAs NAIAD, PHOEBE, CLs EDINBURGH and BIRMINGHAM, DDs BEDOUIN, MATABELE, TARTAR, PUNJABI, ESCAPADE, ECHO, ELECTRA, BEAGLE, BRILLIANT, KEPPEL, ORP PIORUN. Though the RN forces sent to block the german breakout were powerful, they significantly lacked any carrier support.

Scharnhorst and Gneisnenau in the Kattegat. Photo from the Seekrieg Site

On the 27th, BB RODNEY, CLs EDINBURGH, BIRMINGHAM, MAURITIUS, DDs BEAGLE, BRILLIANT, KEPPEL, PIORUN were directed to return to Scapa Flow. Barring developments at sea, the ships would remain at Scapa Flow until 30 January when they would sail to relieve units still on patrol. BB RODNEY, cruisers EDINBURGH, BIRMINGHAM, MAURITIUS, DDs BRILLIANT and BEAGLE arrived back at Scapa Flow on the 28th. DDs KEPPEL and PIORUN arrived at Scapa Flow on the 29th. On the 30th, cruisers NAIAD and PHOEBE arrived at Scapa Flow at 1105 and cruisers GALATEA and ARETHUSA arrived at Scapa Flow from patrol at 1125. BB NELSON, BC REPULSE, DDs BEDOUIN, MATABELE, TARTAR, ESCAPADE, ELECTRA, ECHO, PUNJABI arrived at Scapa Flow at 1700/30th after having covered convoy HX.103 on the 29th. CL AURORA arrived back at Scapa Flow on the 30th.

DKM TB T.1 was damaged when she ran aground off Kristiansand. Temporary repairs were done at Horten. She departed on 10 February for Gotenhafen, where the repairs were completed in July.

North Sea
FS.392 departed Methil, and arrived at Southend on the 24th.

Northern Waters
CLs ARETHUSA and NIGERIA arrived at Scapa Flow after patrol.

West Coast UK
OB.277 departed Liverpool, escort DDs VANQUISHER, VISCOUNT, WHITEHALL, WINCHELSEA and corvettes GENTIAN and VERBENA. The corvettes were detached on the 26th and the DDs on the 27th at which time the convoy was dispersed.

British steamer JAMAICA PLANTER was damaged by a mine 2500 yards 196° from Neil's Point, Barry Island (west of Cardiff). The steamer was beached in Old Harbour, Barry. refloated and beached at Whitmore Bay, 13 February

Nth Atlantic
Convoy SC.20 departed Halifax, escorted by AMC RANPURA and PV OTTER. The PV was detached the next day and the AMC on 4 February. Also on the 4 February, DD HARVESTER, corvettes ARBUTUS, CAMELLIA, ERICA, ASW yacht PHILANTE joined the escort. The escort was detached on 8 February and the convoy arrived at Liverpool on the same day.

Med- Biscay
The Italians scuttled Coast Defence ship SAN GIORGIO (RM 11122 grt) to prevent it from falling into British hands.
(Photo Source AWM)

Liner LIGURIA (FI 15,354 grt), immobilised since bombing damage on 5 July, was sunk by British bombing at Tobruk. The liner was later salved.
(AWM Photo)

Tobruk was captured by the Australian and British forces. The operation was supported offshore by monitor TERROR, gunboats LADYBIRD and GNAT, RAN DDs STUART, VAMPIRE and VOYAGER. Monitor TERROR and gunboat GNAT returned to Alexandria late on the 21st. The gunboat began on its return boiler cleaning. DD VOYAGER with defects and a damaged ASW dome was ordered to return to Alexandria for repairs. DD DEFENDER departed Alexandria on the 23rd to relieve VOYAGER

An Italian convoy of passengers ships ESPERIA, CONTE ROSSO, MARCO POLO and steamer VICTORIA departed Naples for Tripoli on the 22nd, escorted by DDs FRECCIA and SAETTA to Trapani, then VIVALDI, TARIGO, MALOCELLO, DA NOLI of DesDiv 14 . Sub UNIQUE fired torpedoes at the convoy off Kerkenah. Steamer ESPERIA was missed in the attack. The convoy did not know it had been attacked and arrived safely at Tripoli on the 24th.​

Malta
From: Chief of General Staff, War Office
To: Governor & C in C
We have had many reports of the presence of German troops in Sicily, including parachutists. But the volume of these reports is greater than their reliability which we cannot check and we have received no identification of German formations. As you know air reconnaissance on 14 January showed no unusual quantity of shipping in Sicilian ports but the possibility of an operation starting from the Italian mainland cannot be excluded, though reports of German troops in Italy are unconfirmed. At present therefore we have no grounds for believing attack on Malta immediate though possibility exists. Would be glad to know how you feel as regards garrison to meet attack.
Following most secret report probably comes from MA Ankara dated 20 Jan addressed C in C Middle East: Reports circulating in Rome state that there are 30,000 (repeat 30,000) German troops in Sicily. These include parachutists and two armoured or motorised divisions with a maximum of 1000 (repeat 1000) tanks and 350 aircraft. These forces are reported to be destined for landing operations in Malta or in the rear of the British Army in Libya. We have nothing to confirm or refute this information.

From: Governor & C in C
To: Chief of General Staff, War Office
I cannot help thinking that reports are being circulated as bluff. Having consulted the naval authorities here who are satisfied that a suggested landing behind our lines in Libya is out of the question for a force of the nature indicated. As for its being intended for an attack on Malta, I would point out that armoured or motorised divisions are not suited for such an operation…

Although I would naturally like the full garrison ie three more bns, yet I am confident that in the existing situation the present garrison should suffice to do the trick. It is big enough to ensure that any attempt contemplated must be a really big one and so may be a deterrent. What would help us more than anything is the immediate and substantial increase in the number of fighter aircraft with the necessary maintenance personnel – also some additional reconnaissance aircraft of which we are very short at the moment. We want to avoid surprise and also to resist the heavy air attack which will undoubtedly precede and accompany any other attack. We would also really like some more gunner personnel of which we are very short of establishment.

AIR RAIDS DAWN 22 JANUARY TO DAWN 23 JANUARY 1941
Weather Fine.
2109-2215 hrs Air raid alert for 4 enemy a/c heading for the Island. One Wellington approaches from the SW, gives the correct recognition signal for friendly a/c, then heads towards Hal Far showing navigation lights. An unidentified aircraft approaches from the NW. The Wellington turns off its navigation lights and circles before retreating due sth as the enemy approaches. An enemy aircraft crosses the coast and drops two bombs on land at Zabbar, in the Luqa area and in the sea at St Thomas' Bay before retreating. After the all-clear the Wellington lands safely at Luqa.

OPERATIONS REPORTS WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 1941
ROYAL NAVY JERVIS, JUNO JANUS and GREYHOUND arrived as escort for ILLUSTRIOUS.

AIR HQ
0540-1030 hrs Swordfish on anti-ship patrol between Malta and the Tunisian coast.
1103-1250 hrs Spitfire on photorecon of Tripoli Harbour and Castel Benito; photographs show at Castel Benito 14 SM 79s, 1 S 62 and 4 BR20s and at Tripoli merchant ships, destroyers and flying boas.
LUQA 148 Sqn bombing attack on Catania and Comiso.

 

[Njaco]

January 22 Wednesday

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Compass. Italian resistance at Tobruk collapses. Italian cruiser "San Giorgio" was scuttled by her own crew at Tobruk, Libya at 0415 hours. In the afternoon, Brigadier General Vincenzo della Mura surrendered the Italian 61 Infantry Division "Sirte". Meanwhile, Allied troops continued the attacks throughout the day, with monitor HMS "Terror" and gunboats HMS "Gnat" and HMS "Ladybird" continuing to offer support with their guns. British aircraft sank Italian liner "Liguria". Before the end of the day, Admiral Massimilian Vietina surrendered to the Australian troops. Tobruk's sheltered harbour is intact as are wells and pumps to produce 40,000 gallons of fresh (if brackish) water per day. With Tobruk captured by the British, this causes Hitler to revise his plans from a modest blocking force to a larger force with offensive capability. The British government now orders Wavells XIII Corps to capture Benghazi.

4th Indian Division attacked Italian positions at Keru, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, leading to General Fongoli surrendering his 1,200 men.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Fighter Command begins Rhubarb operations. At 1258 hours, Fw. Mickel of 1./JG 1 gets his second victory when he shoots down a British Beaufort bomber north west of Terschelling. Fw. Mickel's comrade at 1st Staffel, Uffz. Krause, claims his first victory when he destroys a RAF Blenheim bomber at 1512 hours west of Den Helder.

GERMANY: German battlecruisers "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" departed from Kiel, Germany for Operation Berlin. The commander-in-chief of the operation was Admiral Günther Lütjens, who subsequently commanded the famous cruise of "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen". They were spotted en route through the Great Belt and the British Admiralty was informed.

Bulgarian Army Chief of Staff discusses military planning for the Balkans with his German counterparts.

RAF Bomber Command sends 20 aircraft to attack Dusseldorf overnight.

NORTH AMERICA: Wendell Willkie departed the United States aboard a transatlantic flight for a "fact finding" mission in Britain.

USN cruiser "Louisville" arrives in New York City with large shipment of British gold for deposit in US banks.

EASTERN EUROPE: Antonescu orders Rumanian army to crush Iron Guard rebellion.

MEDITERRANEAN: Greek II Corps captures Kiafe Louzit and Spi Kamarate and takes 500 Italian prisoners in central sector of the front.

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[parsifal]

23 January 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMCS AGASSIZ (K129)

Flower Class Corvette HMCS BITTERSWEET (K 182)

Losses
Steamer LURIGETHAN (UK 3564 grt) was sunk by the LW in the Western Approaches.
15 crew and one gunner were lost on the steamer.

Steamer LANGLEGORSE (UK 4524 grt) was sunk bythe LW from convoy SL.61 in the Western Approaches
The entire crew was lost.

​

Steamer MOSTYN (UK 1859 grt) was sunk by the LW in the Western Approaches. Two crew were lost. A tug was sent to assist on the 25th, but she was unable to locate the steamer.

UBOATS
Departures
Lorient, France: U-101

At Sea 23 January 1941
U-48, U-52, U-93, U-94, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-123.
9 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic
Steamer ELIZABETH BAKKE (Ex-Nor 5450 grt,), Steamer JOHN BAKKE (Ex-Nor 4718 grt), Steamer TAI SHAN (Ex-Nor 6962 grt), TAURUS (Ex-Nor 4767 grt), RANJA (Ex-Nor 6355 grt), all trapped in German territories, under the direction of British Captain R. D. Binney escaped from Gotenburg to English waters in Operation RUBBLE. Binney, the temporary attache to Stockholm, was on steamer TAI SHAN. One rating from DD HUNTER (lost at Narvik) returned to England aboard the steamer. The steamers narrowly missed DKM BCs SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU in the Kattegat. CLA NAIADand CL AURORA departed Scapa Flow on the 23rd to meet the ships. CL s EDINBURGH and BIRMINGHAM and DDs ESCAPADE, ECHO, ELECTRA departed Scapa Flow for the same purposae on the 24th. The ELIZABETH BAKKE was the fastest of the five and proceeded independently. CLA NAIAD and CL AURORA met steamers TAURUS and TAI SHAN. They turned these steamers over the CS 18 group and returned to meet JOHN BAKKE and RANJA. These two steamers were under air attack when the cruisers found them. Steamer RANJA was strafed by a German aircraft and her First Officer was wounded. Steamer TAURUS arrived at Kirkwall on the 25th escorted by DD ELECTRA. Steamer TAI SHAN arrived at Kirkwall at 0536. JOHN BAKKE arrived at Kirkwall at 0700 with CL AURORA. ELIZABETH BAKKE arrived at Kirkwall, unescorted at 0903. DD ECHO had been sent to escort the steamer into harbour, but did not contact her. Tanker RANJA arrived at Kirkwall at 0815 with CLA NAIAD. The escorting warships all proceeded to Scapa Flow arriving during the morning of 25 January, the DDs arriving independently.

​

North Sea
FN.390 departed Southend, and arrived at Methil on the 25th. FS.394 departed Methil, escorted by DDs COTSWOLD and WESTMINSTER, and arrived at Southend on the 25th. FS.395 departed Methil, escorted by DDs VANITY, VERSATILE, WALLACE and sloop FLEETWOOD, and arrived at Southend on the 26th.

DD ATHERSTONE arrived at Scapa Flow to work up after repairs. DD ECLIPSE departed Scapa Flow for boiler cleaning at Rosyth, where she arrived on the 24th

West Coast UK
MSW trawler COUTIER was damaged by mining and brought into Milford Haven.

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MSW trawler RONSO was badly damaged on a mine 2.9 miles 49° from South Foreland. Despite heavy damage, the trawler was repaired and restored to service.

Channel

During the night of 23/24 January, DKM MLs ROLAND, COBRA, KAISER, SKAGERRAK, escorted by DD RICHARD BEITZEN and TBs ILTIS and SEEADLER laid mines off the British south coast in Operation SW b.
​

Med- Biscay

Damaged CV ILLUSTRIOUS, having completed emergency repairs to enable her to make a run out of Malta, escorted by DDs JERVIS, JUNO, JANUS, GREYHOUND departed Malta. CA YORK, CLs ORION, AJAX, CLA BONAVENTURE and DDs ILEX and HERO under Pridham-Wipple from Suda Bay joined the carrier at sea. Working up to a speed of just under 20 knots, the voyage was largely uneventful, but caused considerable amount of tension and drama as she made good her escape. This movement was covered by BBs BARHAM and VALIANT, RAN CL PERTH, DDs HEREWARD, NUBIAN, MOHAWK, HASTY, DIAMOND,GRIFFIN. On the 24th, the Pridham Wipple force was finally attacked by the LW . DD HERO, which had become detached due to a breakdown of her steering gear, was singled out. CL AJAX was damaged by the near miss in the Mediterranean. The damage was very slight and did not cause the cruiser any time out of service. No damage was done to any of the ships. Pridham-Wipple was not located and ILLUSTRIOUS finally joined the main force. The forces involved in MBD.2 arrived at Alexandria on the 25th.

Monitor TERROR departed Alexandria at 1800 for Sollum to rejoin the Inshore Squadron and later act as AA guard ship at Tobruk. Operation PARALLAX, the clearing of Tobruk Harbour and establishing the port as a base, began. MSW trawlers ARTHUR CAVANAGH and MILFORD COUNTESS and boom working vessel MAGNET were specifically deployed for PARALLAX.​

Australia/Pac/Far East

The old pre-1918 DD THRACIAN and ML MAN YEUNG laid mines in the approaches to Hong Kong.​

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 23 JANUARY TO DAWN 24 JANUARY 1941
Weather Fine.
No air raids.
ROYAL NAVY ILLUSTRIOUS repairs completed sufficiently to make her seaworthy, thanks to a lack of air raids since 19 January. She sailed to the eastward escorted by JERVIS, JUNO, JANUS and GREYHOUND.

 

[Njaco]

January 23 Thursday

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Five Norwegian ships transport 25,000 tons of special steel products from Sweden to Britain, in a move called Operation Rubble. All five ships - vessels "Elizabeth Bakke", "John Bakke", "Tai Shan", "Taurus", and "Ranja" - make it through German-controlled water, to Royal Navy escort to Kirkwall, Scotland.

In a repeat of 16 January, aircraft of KG 40 sight an Allied convoy but before U-boats or additional aircraft can arrive, the reconnaissance plane becomes low on fuel and must head back to its airfield, leaving the convoy intact. Meanwhile German Fw 200 aircraft bombed British ship "Lurigethan" 200 miles west of Ireland; 16 were killed in fires while 35 were taken off. The Newcastle-registered SS "Langleegorse' (4,542 t), was attacked and sunk by Focke-Wulf Condor aircraft some 200 miles off the Irish coast while en route from Durban to London. All hands were lost including the Master, South Shields born Richard Edmondson, aged 26. British vessel "Mostyn" is sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft.

German pocket battleships "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" were spotted in the Great Belt between mainland Denmark and the island of Zealand by a British agent who alerted the Admiralty in London, England.

MEDITERRANEAN: The HMS 'Illustrious' with makeshift repairs, sets sail from Malta to Alexandria with destroyers HMS "Jervis", HMS "Juno", HMS "Janus", and HMS "Greyhound" in escort, ending the Luftwaffe's Blitz on the aircraft carrier. During the attacks the British are never able to send more than three Fulmars, six Hurricanes and a single Gloster Gladiator against the forty to eighty German warplanes sent against the HMS 'Illustrious'.

Commander Vittorio Moccagatta was made the head of the Special Weapons Section of 1a Flottiglia MAS at La Spezia, Italy.

Greek II Corps attacks and recaptures heights west of Klisura in central sector of the front.

WESTERN FRONT: Ofw. Hans Stechmann of 9./JG 3 shoots down a British Hurricane fighter at 1340 hours for his eighth victory.

NORTH AMERICA: USS "Arizona" became the flagship of Battleship Division 1's Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd.

Charles Lindbergh came before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee to oppose the Roosevelt Administration's Lend-Lease bill. Lindbergh testified that he would prefer to see "neither side win" in the war and hoped to see a "negotiated peace," and also expressed his belief that American entry into the war on Britain's side would still not be enough to defeat Germany without some kind of internal collapse.

NORTH AFRICA: Allied troops had captured Tobruk, Libya, but fighting would continue at outposts outside the city for another day. The British 4th Armoured Brigade reaches Mechili, but cannot attack as its garrison is stronger than first thought and so has to bring the rest of the 7th Armoured Division up. In the harbor, British minesweeping trawlers HMT "Arthur Cavanagh" and HMT "Milford Countess" began clearing sunken Italian ships.

SOUTH PACIFIC: Destroyer USS "Edsall" attacked a submarine contact in the Vernon Islands 30 miles northwest of Darwin, Australia. "Edsall" suffered damage from one of her own depth charges in this attack.

EASTERN EUROPE: The Legionnaires' rebellion was put down in Romania. Iron Guard begins surrendering to Rumanian army as Antonescu continues to assert his authority and purge the Iron Guard.

ASIA: Four IJN cruisers depart Kure for Indochina to help pressure Thailand and Indochina to settle disputes.

.

 

[parsifal]

24 January 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Bathurst Class Corvette (or MSW) HMAS LISMORE (J 145)

Lismore in 1942
From December 1941 LISMORE operated with the British Eastern Fleet. On 17 June 1943, when the British troopship YOMA was sunk off the coast of Libya, LISMORE (which by then was in the Med) and her sister ship HMAS GAWLER were among the ships that rescued 1,477 survivors. In December 1944, LISMORE was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet. The corvette earned four battle honours for her wartime service: "Indian Ocean 1941–44", "Sicily 1943", "Pacific 1945", and "Okinawa 1945". LISMORE was paid off from RAN service on 3 July 1946, transferring immediately into the Royal Netherlands Navy, where she was renamed HNLMS BATJAN and reclassified as a frigate. She was not finally removed from service until 1958.

HDML HMS HDML 1038

Fairmile B Ml 181

Losses
MV VESPASIAN (Nor 1570 grt), Sunk by U-123 (Karl-Heinz Moehle) Crew: 18 (18 dead - no survivors) Cargo:Empty Route:Tyne - Oban - Mackenzie, British Guiana Convoy: OB-276 (Straggler) Sunk in the Western Approaches ; at 2148 hrs , U-123 fired one torpedo at an unescorted steamer and observed the ship to sink by the bow after being hit aft about 290 miles WSW of Rockall. The target was most likely the VESPASIAN which was reported missing after straggling from convoy OB-276 due to bad weather in approximately 55°N/15°W on 23 January.

Steamer CORHEATH (UK 1096 grt) was sunk on a mine one mile 270° from Botany Buoy in Thames Estuary. Three crew were lost.

UBOATS
Departures
Wilhelmshaven: U-107

At Sea 24 January 1941
U-48, U-52, U-93, U-94, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-123.
10 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Eastern Baltic

Western Baltic

North Sea
British steamer TASMANIA was damaged on a mine 11½ miles 90° from Rattray Head. She was unable to enter Aberdeen due to bad weather and returned to Methil, arriving at Methil on the 25th. She left Leith in tow for the Tees on 3 February.

Northern Waters
CLA PHOEBE arrived at Scapa Flow after escort duty with convoy WS.5B.

​

OB.278 departed Liverpool, escort DDs SALADIN, SARDONYX, SKATE, corvettes ANEMONE, KINGCUP, MALLOW, ASW trawlers NORTHERN PRIDE and ST ELSTAN. The escort was detached on the 27th when the convoy dispersed.

​

DD INGLEFIELD departed the Nore for Scapa Flow after repair at 1700, and arrived on the 26th.

Nth Atlantic
BB KGV which had departed Scapa Flow on the 15th, was met in Chesapeake Bay by USS DD LANSDALE. The new British ambassador to the United States was safely delivered.

Sth Atlantic
DKM AO NORDMARK replenished DKM CS ADMIRAL SCHEER at sea. The AO also contacted captured Norwegian tanker SANDEFJORD on the 24th.

Med- Biscay
Submarine TRIUMPH, which was unable to leave her dock at Malta due to bombing on the 21st, was successfully cleared from the dock on the 24th. The submarine was able to proceed on patrol at 1830.

​

Submarine UPHOLDER departed Malta to patrol off Tripoli.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
DKM Disguised Raider ATLANTIS sank steamer MANDASOR (UK 5144 grt) 300 miles east of the Seychilles . Two British crew were lost, one died and sixteen were taken prisoner. Two native crew were lost and 60 taken prisoner. RAN CA CANBERRA and CL SYDNEY along with NZ manned CL LEANDER and RN CL COLOMBO were brought to the area to search, but no contact was made. LEANDER departed Colombo on the 24th and searched the area. SYDNEY remained in the area for three days. After searching, cruiser LEANDER refuelled at Addu Island on the 27th and arrived back at Colombo on the 30th.

MANDASOR left Colombo for the UK on the 13th January with a cargo of pig iron and tea, She had a crew of 88 many of which were Indians. The ships captain decided to head for the African coast in order to avoid a known German raider operating in the Indian Ocean, a longer route, but safer. On Jan 23 a crewman on MANDASOR noticed a ship heading east about 10 miles distant to port, he informed the captain who ordered the ship hard to starboard, turning away from an unknown vessel was standard practice, the unidentified ship did the same thing, turned away from MANDASOR. This action convinced the skipper of the cargo vessel that the ship was another friendly following the same orders he had, what he did not know is that the unidentified ship was Schiff 16.

ATLANTIS' skipper Bernhard Rogge however was not following Admiralty orders and Schiff 16 was not a friendly merchant ship, it was a Hilfskreuzer better known as ATLANTIS. His plan was to wait until dark to attack the ship, being close to the Seychelles he feared any signal sent by the MANDASOR would be picked up by the British and could jeopardize his ship. However after night fell he lost his target and had to wait until daylight to re-acquire it.

At dawn on Jan. 24, 1941 Rogge launched one of his seaplanes to search for the ship, at about 8 a.m. the pilot found it. His first job was to tear down the radio antenna, which he did with an airborne grapnel , then he dropped several bombs setting the ship ablaze. In the engine room two Indian crewmen Ali Ahmed and Jalal Ahmed, both later awarded the B.E.M., continued to keep the ship's engines running at top speed to evade the raider and Hill (the steamers captain) kept running. Since the aerial was down no signal of distress could be sent, two more of the crew, Abdulla and Ghalam Hossein, went aloft and rigged a new aerial which allowed the distress call to be sent, they were also later awarded the B.E.M. While the British later regarded the action of rigging the new aerial as heroic, at the time the Germans did not.

The aircraft came around for another pass in an attempt to silence the radio and fired a number of shots at the ship to no avail, but soon ATLANTIS was within range and began to shell the ship with her 6.1" guns hitting her several times and causing fires all over the ship. The bridge had been hit as well other shells landed amidships and Hill knew he could no longer run. He stopped his ship and ordered her abandoned, some survivors stated that Atlantis continued to fire even while the crew were taking to the boats, the shelling caused the deaths of six crewmen.

Atlantis picked up the survivors but lost her seaplane. The aircraft landed, but had been damaged by machine gun fire during the attack, this caused one of the floats to collapse and the plane capsized and sank, the crew however survived. Hill and his crew were landed at Bordeaux and remained POW's until the end of the war. Hill was awarded the O.B.E. for his actions in trying to outrun the ATLANTIS, and Quartermaster William Steele was awarded the B.E.M. for refusing to be removed from the water, which was infested with sharks, until another man who was badly wounded was picked up. MANDASOR slipped beneath the waves, another victim in a long war.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 24 JANUARY TO DAWN 25 JANUARY 1941
Weather Fair.
1045-1110 hrs Air raid alert for six enemy aircraft approaching from the north in two formations. Six Hurricanes, two Fulmars and one Gladiator are scrambled; no interception. At ten miles off Grand Harbour the raiders retreat without crossing the coast.
Enemy casualties Obergefreiter Eugen Lehmann, crewman; Unteroffizier Karl-Heinz Pollzien, crewman; Gefreiter Heinrich Steffen, crewman; Unteroffizier Gustav Ullrich, pilot; 4/LG 1 all of JU 88 bomber.

OPERATIONS REPORTS FRIDAY 24 JANUARY 1941
AIR HQ 0510-1320 hrs Sunderland despatched to cover track of ILLUSTRIOUS proceeding to Alexandria. Did not sight ILLUSATRIOUS which is presumed to have made greater speed than anticipated but visibility poor with surface haze. 1 Cant Z506 seen on return journey but not engaged. 0550-1545 hrs Sunderland patrolled western Ionian Sea for enemy shipping. 0920-1317 hrs Maryland photo recon Gela, Sciacca, Castel Vetrano and Syracuse. Castel Vetrano 3 SM 79s, 8 dark twin-engined aircraft. Gela 4 unidentified single-engined aircraft. Other sites not seen. 0105-1348 hrs Swordfish patrolled eastern Tunisian coast for enemy shipping.
LUQA 69 Squadron (431 Flight): 1 Maryland photo reconnaissance Gela, Sciacca, Castel-Vetrano, Syracuse aerodromes. Photos unsuccessful due to freezing temperatures.

 

[Njaco]

January 24 Friday

NORTH AFRICA: All Italian outposts surrounding Tobruk, Libya were captured by the Allies. Meanwhile, en route to Derna, Libya, British 7th Armored Division encountered units of the newly organized Italian Special Armoured Brigade and defeated them near Mechili, destroying 9 Italian tanks at the cost of 7 British tanks.

INDIAN OCEAN: German He 114 seaplane from armed merchant cruiser "Atlantis" attacked British ship "Mandasor" 300 miles east of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. "Atlantis" soon arrived, stopping "Mandasor" with gunfire, killing 6. A launch from "Atlantis" drove away sharks with machine gun fire as the Germans rescued 82 survivors. "Mandasor" was eventually sunk with a torpedo. As the He 114 aircraft attempted to land in the water for recovery, the rough seas caused her to capsize and become lost. Four Allied cruisers later arrived on the scene in response, but "Atlantis" had already departed.

NORTH AMERICA: Lord Halifax arrived at Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, United States aboard battleship HMS "King George V". He had arrived to take up his new post as the British ambassador to the United States.

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox sent Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson a letter warning of the possibility of a surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-123 sank Norwegian ship "Vespasian" with a torpedo 200 miles west of Ireland at 2148 hours, killing the entire crew of 18.

ASIA: Thai aircraft bombed the airfield at Angkor near Siem Reap, Cambodia, French Indochina. The resulting dogfights would be the final air battle of the Franco-Thai War.

EASTERN EUROPE: German representatives in Rumania smuggle some Iron Guard leaders out of the country to prevent arrest and execution.

MEDITERRANEAN: Italian forces counterattack Greek II Corps on heights west of Klisura in central sector of the front.

.

 

[parsifal]

25 January 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIc U 201

U-123 und U-201 at Lorient, 8 June 1941
22 ships sunk, total tonnage 102,697 GRT
2 auxiliary warships sunk, total tonnage 5,700 GRT
2 ships damaged, total tonnage 13,386 GRT
Sunk on 17 February 1943 in the North Atlantic east of Newfoundland, in position 50.50N, 40.50W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Viscount. 49 dead (all hands lost)..

Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMS SUNFLOWER (K 41)

An image of the SUNFLOWER early in her service

UBOATS
At Sea 25 January 1941
U-48, U-52, U-93, U-94, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-123.
10 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
FN.391 departed Southend, escort DD WOLFHOUND and sloop LONDONDERRY. Patrol sloop WIDGEON joined on the 26th, and the convoy arrived at Methil on the 27th.

Northern Patrol
AMCs WOLFE and CIRCASSIA departed the Clyde for Northern Patrol.

Northern Waters
CLA CURACOA departed Scapa Flow to escort WN.73 until after dark. The ship arrived back at Scapa Flow late that evening. FNFL DD OURAGAN departed Scapa Flow for Greenock following work up. The DD arrived on the 26th.

Nth Atlantic
BB KGV departed Chesapeake Bay to escort convoy BHX.104, which included 24 tankers, to England. On the 29th, the convoy was met by escort ships and the BB proceeded independantly to Scapa Flow.

HX.105 departed Halifax, escorted by AMC ASCANIA. On the 27th, submarine PORPOISE was with the convoy for that day only. The AMC was detached on 6 February. DDs MONTGOMERY, WILD SWAN, WITCH, corvettes CAMPANULA, PERIWINKLE, PIMPERNEL joined the convoy 6 February. The escort was detached on 9 February, and the convoy arrived at Liverpool on the same day .

Central Atlantic
CVL HERMES and CL ENTERPRISE, operating as Force J, intercepted steamer SONTAY (Vichy 8917 grt) and took her to Durban. She was placed in the Service of the Ministry of transport for the the duration and was handed back to the French govt after 1945

Med- Biscay
German steamers DUISBERG and INGO departed Palermo escorted by AMC LAGO TANA for Tripoli. From Trapani, AMC CARALIS relieved LAGO TANA.

ILLUSTRIOUS and her supporting forces arrived at Alexandria. RAN CL PERTH departed Alexandria the same day for Suda Bay to arrive during the morning of 26 January. Netlayer PROTECTOR, escorted by DDs DAINTY and JAGUAR, departed Alexandria with the first half of the anti torpedo boom for Suda Bay. On arrival at Suda Bay, the DDrs were detached to Kithera patrol.

Convoy AS.13 departed Pireaus for Port Said, escort CLAr COVENTRY and DDs WRYNECK and RAN VENDETTA. MSW FAREHAM joined the convoy from Suda Bay, and arrived on the 27th at Port Said with DD WRYNECK.

CLA COVENTRY, RAN DD VENDETTA, MSW FAREHAM arrived at Alexandria on the 27th.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
BS.13A departed Suez, escort sloop GRIMSBY. The sloop was relieved by DD KANDAHAR and RAN sloop YARRA. The convoy was dispersed on 1 February.

Malta

 

[Njaco]

January 25 Saturday

MEDITERRANEAN: After sundown, British minelaying cruiser HMS "Latona" and destroyers HMS "Hero", HMS "Hotspur", and HMS "Encounter" departed Alexandria, Egypt for Tobruk, Libya. They were discovered and attacked by 10 German Stuka dive bombers and 2 Italian S.79 medium bombers 35 miles away from their destination. HMS "Latona" was hit by a 500kg bomb and sank at 2230 when the fire detonated the magazine; 27 were killed. HMS "Hero" was damaged by three near misses.

HMS "Illustrious" arrived at Alexandria, Egypt.

In the Balkans, many cases of frostbite are reported on both sides (Greeks and Italians) in wild mountain battle areas of South Albania. Italian soldiers are also suffering with typhoid. Italian Legnano Infantry Division, counterattacking Greek II Corps on heights west of Klisura, threatens to cut off Greek forces in area to the north.

NORTH AFRICA: Nigerian, Ghanaian, East African, and South African troops of 11th African Division under British General Harry Edward de Robillard Wetherall and 12th African Division under British General Reade Godwin-Austen crossed into the Italian Somaliland from Kenya. Italian troops withdrew 100 miles behind the Juba River in response. Gazelle Force of Indian 4th Infantry Division advances to Biscia.

Indian 29th Infantry Brigade unsuccessfully attacked Italian position at El Gogni.

ASIA: Panjiayu tragedy: Adhering to orders given by General Yasuji Okamura in which all Chinese villages suspected of harboring Chinese communist guerrilla fighters were to be wiped out, 1,230 residents of Panjiayu, Hebei, China were massacred by troops of the Japanese Army.

Battle of Southern Honan: Japanese 11th Army, with columns operating from Hsaiolintien, Mingkang, and Chengyang, opens offensive against Chinese 5th War Area.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: British Admiral Sir John Tovey departed Scapa Flow, Scotland with a fleet to intercept German pocket battleships "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" believed to be in the Iceland-Faroes passage.

NORTH AMERICA: William C. Bullitt told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that invasion of the Western Hemisphere by the Axis powers would be almost certain if the British Navy was eliminated and the Panama Canal blockaded before the United States was prepared. Bullitt said that "for our own self-preservation" the United States should ensure that Britain was not defeated.

Keel of USS "Wisconsin", last American battleship, laid at Philadelphia.

.

 

[parsifal]

26 January 1941
Losses
MV LURIGETHAN (UK 3564 grt) Sunk by U-105 (Georg Schewe) : Crew: 51 (16 dead and 35 survivors); Cargo: Cotton Seed and General Cargo Route: Port Sudan – Durban – Freetown – Hull ; Convoy: SLS-61 (straggler); Lost in the SW Approaches; At 1115 hrs the unescorted LURIGETHAN, a straggler from convoy SLS-61 due to bad weather, was bombed and set on fire by a Fw200 of I./KG 40, about 280 miles west of Galway Bay, Ireland. 15 crew members and one gunner were lost. The survivors abandoned ship in the lifeboats, but a boarding party later returned aboard in an attempt to save her. They managed to extinguish the fire amidships, but the fire in the cargo of cotton in #4 hold was out of control, the engine room was wrecked and the ship was slowly settling by the bow. The wireless operator rigged a temporary aerial and sent emergency messages that were heard by MILOS, another straggler from the same convoy, which picked up 14 men from two lifeboats about four hours after the attack and landed them at Oban on 27 January. Corvette ARABIS (K 73) was detached from convoy HG-50 to assist LURIGETHAN and eventually found the remaining survivors and the drifting and still burning wreck, picking up the men and staying in the vicinity to wait for a tug to arrive. During the night of 25/26 January, U-105 was attracted by the glow of the fire and while investigating the scene spotted the escort nearby, which was unsuccessfully attacked with a spread of two torpedoes at 0207 hrs. The U-boat then left the area after firing one torpedo that hit and sank the LURIGETHAN at 0320 hrs.

Steamer MERIONES (UK 7557 grt) was sunk by the LW in the Nth Sea. In the early hours of 22 January 1941 the ship became stranded on top of a previously wrecked cargo ship, the SS MONTE NEVOSO ] on Haisbro Sands. On 24 January a request was made to the Coxswain of the Cromer Lifeboat to go to Great Yarmouth to meet with the Chief Salvage officer to discuses the possibility of savaging the marooned vessel. The coxswain knew Haisbro Sands very well and he knew every moment lost went against the chances of getting the vessel off the sands. With this in mind the coxswain accompanied the Salvage Officer out to the ship on the salvage tug RICHARD LEE BARBER to assess the situation. The two men were also joined by the marine superintendent, of the China Mutual Steam Navigation Company, the owners of the ship. There was a moderate ENE wind blowing with a moderate sea. The sky was overcast and misty and it was very cold.[The RICHARD LEE BARBER had salvage pumps aboard as it was reported that the ships number six hold was full of water.​

As the RICHARD LEE BARBER was approaching Haisbro sands the MERIONES came under attack from passing LW a/c . The attacks were eventually driven away by AA fire of close-by ships. This had been the latest of several attacks made on the ship by the LW . At 1415 hrs one attack resulted in the injury of one of the steamers gunners. At 1600 another attack saw bombs dropped which had fallen very close to the MERIONES. In total the German aircraft dropped 23 bombs in three attacks made on the ship. With worsening weather and increased flooding the ship. was a constructive total loss.

​

Steamer BEEMSTERDIJK (NL 6869 grt) was badly damaged on a mine 12 miles off Smalls bearing 290. 39 of a 42 man crew were lost. The steamer anchored at 0930 on the 27th but she sank.. Her loss was probably due to a British mine.

This ahipa was the vessel on which the initial disguise of DKM Raider ORION was based

UBOATS
At Sea 26 January 1941
U-48, U-52, U-93, U-94, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-123.
10 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic
On 26/27 January, German MLs TANNENBURG, BRUMMER, KONIGIN LUISE, HANSESTADT DANZIG escort DKM TBss T.12 and FALKE and MSWs M.15 and M.22 from Stavanger laid mines in defensive minefield POMMERN off Norway. On 27/28 January, the same MLs, escorted by TBs T.12 and T.5 laid minefield ODER.

North Sea
Sub CACHALOT laid 50 mines in minefield FD.28 off Bud. FN.392 departed Southend, escort DDs COTSWOLD and WESTMINSTER and patrol sloop PUFFIN. The sloop was detached on the 27th, and arrived at Methil on the 28th. FS.396 departed Methil, escort DDs VIVIEN and WOOLSTON. Patrol sloop WIDGEON joined on the 27th, The convoy arrived at Southend on the 28th.

Swedish steamer BELGIA in FN.92 was damaged by the LW near Sunk Light Vessel. The steamer drifted ashore at Frinton on the 27th on fire. 6 crew were killed however 20 survivors were rescued by DD COTSWOLD. The steamer arrived at Harwich on 14 February in tow of two tugs. The ship was repaired and renamed EMPIRE BELL.

FS.395 escort DD WALLACE and trawlers LORD ST VINCENT and REIDS, British steamer GWYNWOOD was damaged by the LW abreast No. B3 Buoy, Barrow Deep.The steamer arrived at Gravesend on the 28th leaking from near misses. She was repaired and returned to service. British steamer GRANGETOFT was damaged by the LW off B4 Buoy, Barrow Deep. British steamer CATFORD was damaged by a mine off Oaze Bank. The steamer beached. She was refloated and arrived at Gravesend on the 27th in tow. She was repaired and returned to service. British steamer SANDHILL was damaged by a mine in 53-43N, 3-15W. ​

Northern Waters
DD MAORI arrived at Scapa Flow following refitting in the Tyne. MAORI departed Scapa Flow with DDs DOUGLAS, COTTESMORE, MEYNELL that afternoon to meet BB PRINCE OF WALES off Liverpool and escort her to Rosyth. The DDs were later recalled and the ships arrived back at Scapa Flow late that evening DD INGLEFIELD arrived at Scapa Flow from refitting in the Nore. CLA CURACOA departed Scapa Flow to escort convoy WN.74 until dark. The ship later returned to Scapa Flow.

SW Approaches
DDs JERSEY and JUPITER arrived at Gibraltar from England. OG.51 departed Liverpool, escort sloop LEITH and corvettes BLUEBELL, CANDYTUFT, TULIP. The corvettes were detached on the 28th and the convoy was joined by DD WESTCOTT, which remained with the convoy until 29 January. On the 29th, DD VOLUNTEER joined the convoy and remained until 30 January. Corvette KINGCUP joined the convoy on the 31st and left that evening, The convoy arrived at Gibraltar on 8 February, escorted by sloop LEITH.

Central Atlantic

SLG 1 departed Freetown with troopships KENYA and Polish SOBIESKI escorted by CL DUNEDIN and DDs VELOX and VIDETTE. On 2 February, corvettes GERANIUM and JONQUIL joined, and arrived at Gibraltar on 5 February with the entire escort force.​

Med- Biscay

Submarine UPHOLDER unsuccessfully attacked a steamer off Kerkenah.​

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 26 JANUARY TO DAWN 27 JANUARY 1941
Weather Fine; partially cloudy.
1528-1535 hrs Air raid alert for one JU 88 bomber which crosses the Island at 10000 feet on recon. AA guns opened fire, and 2 Hurricanes were scrambled and attacked the JU 88, chasing it back to the coast of Sicily. The aircraft is last seen with smoke coming from its port engine.
Enemy casualties Leutnant Helmut Fund, pilot of reconnaissance JU 88 (confirmed post war). his a/c was al;so lost.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SUNDAY 26 JANUARY 1941
AIR HQ 0540-1330 hrs Sunderland on anti-convoy patrol eastern Tunisian coast with striking force standing by.0708 hrs sighted one tug and seven barges 72 miles south west of Lampedusa. The striking force was not despatched owing to existing instructions governing action of a/c against shipping at sea. A Cant Z501 seen near the barges dropped bombs in the sea and left when the Sunderland turned towards it.
LUQA 1330 hrs 69 Squadron (431 Flight): 1 Maryland recon Sicilian aerodromes hampered by bad weather.

 

[Njaco]

January 26 Sunday

MEDITERRANEAN: Major Wolfgang Schnellmann's Stab./JG 27 and II./JG 27 under Hptm. Wolfgang Lippert move to airbases near Bucharest in preparation for movement to North Africa.

After heavy fighting and a near breakthrough, Italian Legnano Infantry Division counterattack against Greek II Corps on the heights west of Klisura is repulsed.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Compass. 80 miles West of Tobruk, Italians troops and tanks pull out of Mechili, evading British 4th Armored Brigade (7th Armored Division) which has engaged them since January 24. With Italians in full flight west along the coastal road pursued by the advancing Australians, the failure at Mechili convinces British General O'Connor that a more decisive flanking move is required. O'Connor will order 7th Armored Division commander General O'Moore Creagh;

"...you are going to cut the coast road South of Benghazi, and you are going now!"

Gazelle Force of Indian 4th Infantry Division began advancing toward Agordat. Italian 43rd Colonial Brigade while withdrawing from Um Hagar, were pursued by a detachment of Sudan Defense Force, Free French, and Indian troops.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-105 attacked British ship "Lurigethan" and the escorting corvette HMS "Arabis" 200 miles west of Ireland. "Lurigethan" was already damaged by German aircraft three days earlier. Two torpedoes were fired at HMS "Arabis", both of which missed. At 0212 hours, "Lurigethan" was hit and sank, killing 16. HMS "Arabis" picked up 35 survivors.

INDIAN OCEAN: HMS "Hermes" detected a French blockade runner in the Indian Ocean south of South Africa, but lost the ship in the pursuit.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 17 aircraft to attack Hannover overnight.

NORTHERN EUROPE: The Kriegsmarine conducted minelaying operations off Norway while the RN submarine "Cachalot" also conducted minelaying operations off Norway.

ASIA: Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka insists Japan must be allowed to create New Order in Asia.

Japanese 11th Army captures Piyang, Kaoyi, Hsingtien, and Chuehshan without meeting resistance.

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[parsifal]

27 January 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMS AZALEA (K 25)
(Photo Source: Imperial War Museum)

Losses
MSW trawler DAROGAH (RN 221 grt) was sunk on a mine eight cables 230° from No. 3 Sea Reach Buoy in the Thames Estuary.

Steamer RINGWALL (UK 407 grt) was sunk on a mine in the Irish Sea, sth of the Isle of Man.
[photo Source: WRECK TOUR: 84 The Ringwall ]

A sketch of the wreck of the RINGWALL as shown at the above dive website.

Trawler CAERPHILLY CASTLE (UK 275 grt) was sunk by the LW off the west coast of Britain. 3 crew were lost.

Barge HEDON (UK 73 grt) was lost to an unspecified cause.

UBOATS
At Sea 27 January 1941
U-48, U-52, U-93, U-94, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-123.
10 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
North Sea
FN.393 departed Southend, escort DDs QUORN, VANITY, VERSATILE, and arrived at Methil on the 29th. FS.397 departed Methil, escort DDs VALOROUS andVIMIERA, and arrived at Southend on the 30th.

Northern Waters
CLA CURACOA departed Scapa Flow for Liverpool to provide AA support for the BB PRINCE OF WALES (PoW) to Rosyth. The BB was still undergoing pre-acceptance trials at this time.

SW Approaches
CL KENYA and DDs KELLY and KASHMIR departed Plymouth to sweep for the DKM CA ADMIRAL HIPPER, returning to the French Ports after raiding operations. The CL arrived at Greenock on the 31st.

HG.52 departed Gibraltar. On 20 February, DD WINCHELSEA joined the convoy and escorted it to to Liverpool, arriving on 15 February. Other escorts are known to have covered this convoy, but no details are contained in the Admiralty records.

Central Atlantic
DDs FORESIGHT, JERSEY, ENCOUNTER departed Gibraltar to patrol west of Cape Spartel at the western entrance to the Med, in the Atlantic however. DD FOXHOUND departed Gibraltar escorting steamer NORTHERN PRINCE until dark. The destroyer then joined the Cape Spartel patrol.

Med- Biscay
CL AJAX departed Alexandria for Suda Bay to join RAN CL PERTH .already deployed. AJAX carried a quantity of supplies to establish the Fleet Air Arm aerodrome at Maleme. RAN DD VOYAGER departed Alexandria to relieve DD DEFENDER on patrol in the Inshore Patrol. Tobruk Harbour was opened to Allied sea traffic, though its handling capacity remained constricted. Troopship ULSTER PRINCE arrived and embarked prisoners at Tobruk. She departed the morning of 28 January for Alexandria. British ships CINGALESE PRINCE, ROSAURA, CHAKLA arrived at Tobruk and unloaded personnel and stores. The disembarkation was hampered by a severe sandstorm however.

Swordfish from 830 Sqn from Malta sank steamer INGO (Ger 3950 grt) whilst in convoy off Cape Bon. RM TB ORIONE arrived on the scene and picked up survivors.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 27 JANUARY TO DAWN 28 JANUARY 1941
Weather Windy.
2025-2115 hrs Air raid alert for two enemy a/c reported approaching Malta. It appeared to retreat then returned at low altitude before turning away over Grand Harbour and dropping three bombs in the sea three miles off. It is thought that the raiders are unable to distinguish the Island, as no searchlights are exposed – the only lights being flare paths lit for returning Wellington bombers. The Royal Artillery report a man signaling with a red lamp.
0614-0630 hrs Air raid alert for a single enemy a/c reported nine miles south of Delimara, approaching the Island. It appears to retreat, then minutes later without warning a JU 88 bomber returns to attack Luqa aerodrome from 6000 feet. Two bombs hits a barrack block, killing four RAF sergeants and wounding eight, plus one Leading Aircraftsman. The aerodrome's AA guns open fire and claim a hit on the raider.
OPERATIONS REPORTS MONDAY 27 JANUARY 1941
AIR HQ F/Lt G Burgess DFC posted from HQ Mediterranean to 69 Squadron for flying duties. 0500-1527 hrs Sunderland on anti-convoy patrol eastern Tunisian coast with striking force standing by. 0700 hrs reported small merchant vessel. 1025 hrs reported two merchant vessels with one escort vessel. 7 Swordfish and 2 Fulmars detailed to attack, sinking one 5000 ton merchant vessel. A second 8000 ton merchant vessel was hit but the escort ship escaped damage. All aircraft returned safely.
LUQA 148 Squadron: 9 Wellingtons bombing raids on Naples, Catania and Comiso.

 

[Njaco]

January 27 Monday

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Compass. The harbour at Tobruk, Libya, is cleared of wrecks and opened to British ships. British troopship "Ulster Prince" (which would soon depart with Italian prisoners of war) and transports "Cingalese Prince", "Rosaura", and "Chakla" (the three brought in supplies and men) became the first Allied ships to arrive in the harbor of recently captured Tobruk, Libya. A report circulated claiming that the converted troopship RMS "Empress of Australia" had been torpedoed and was sinking 200 miles off Dakar. Tobruk will become an important supply point for the continued Allied advance across Libya.

100 miles to the northwest, Australian 6th Division captured Fort Rudero overlooking the small town of Derna, capturing 290 Italian prisoners and 5 field guns, but the Italian garrison at Wadi Derna nearby continued to pose a serious threat. Wavell decides to halt further offensive action until reinforcements and supply can be brought up.

Elements of Indian 4th Infantry Division unsuccessfully attacked the Italian 4th Colonial Division around Agordat.

MEDITERRANEAN: British No. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm Swordfish torpedo bombers from Malta sank German ship "Ingo" 100 miles north of Tripoli, Libya. Survivors were picked up by Italian torpedo boat "Orione".

Following the Greek capture of the strategic Këlcyrë/Klisura Pass on 10 January, four Italian divisions and one Blackshirt division of the Italian "Chameria" Army Corps under Gen. Carlo Rossi attempted to recover the Trebeshinë mountain range by launching counter-attacks against the Greek II Army Corps (1st, 15th and 11th Infantry Divisions). The Greek III/4 Battalion under Major Ioannis Baldoumis captured Height 1923 and set up defensive positions in deep snow, while the I/5 Battalion under the command of Major Antonios Goulas captured Height 1620. Due to heavy snow and blizzards the Greeks were soon forced to abandon Trebeshina, which was subsequently occupied by two Italian Blackshirt battalions.

Italian Foreign Minister Ciano arrives in Albania to command a Regia Aeronautica bomber unit as Italian aircraft bomb Argyrokastro, causing over 500 casualties.

Italian manufacturing firm Caproni delivered midget submarines CB-1 and CB-2 to the Italian Navy at La Spezia, Italy.

British submarine "Upholder" began operations against Italian convoy routes. The captain Wanklyn would receive the Victoria Cross for her operations in the Mediterranean during WW2.

UNITED KINGDOM: British minesweeping trawler HMT "Darogah" hit a mine and sank in the Thames Estuary in southern England.

During a Luftwaffe attack on Walker Naval Yard, Newcastle, two HEs fell from an enemy aircraft which dived to 250', and narrowly missed an almost completed aircraft carrier ('HMS Victorious' which survived the war). A number of workmen were injured on the jetty, and injuries were also sustained from flying glass in the anglesmiths' shop. Thirty-one injured were treated by the yard's first aid party. Two of them were then sent to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (one died the following day), two were sent to Wharrier Street First Aid Post and twelve to Walker Hospital.

NORTH AMERICA: American Ambassador Joseph Grew warns US State Department of Japanese plan to attack Pearl Harbor. US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold Stark ordered the 3rd Defense Battalion of the US Marine Corps to Midway, 1st Defense Battalion to Johnston and Palmyra, and 6th Defense Battalion to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

WESTERN FRONT: Constitutional Act No. 7 was passed in Vichy France, requiring state secretaries, high dignitaries and high officials to swear allegiance to the Chief of State. Article 3 stated that if any of them should prove "unfaithful to his obligations", the Chief of State was empowered to impose penalties that included loss of political rights and detention in a fortress.

EASTERN EUROPE: In Rumania, Antonescu establishes a military government.

ASIA: Foreign Minister Matsuoka makes bellicose anti-American speech in Japanese Diet.

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[parsifal]

28 January 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Motor Launch ML 186 (ML 186)

U Class Sub ORP SOKOL (N 97)

Losses
RM submarine TORELLI sank steamer URLA (UK 5198 grt), which was straggling from convoy HX.102, in the Western Approaches. All the crew were rescued.

​

Steamer PANDION (UK 1944 grt) was hit and heavily damaged by Kondors of I/KG40 in the Western Approaches. The steamer anchored off Loch Swilly. She was grounded and later abandoned. The steamer broke in two due to heavy weather.

​

Steamer MENDIP GRELROSA (UK 4574 grt) was sunk after being bombed 400 miles west of Malin Head on a voyage from New York and Halifax NS to the Tyne whilst transporting a cargo of wheat .
(Photo source National Museum Of Wales)

Steamer KATE (Gk 5197 grt) was sunk on a mine in Greek waters near N. Akres, Griva.

UBOATS
At Sea 28 January 1941
U-48, U-52, U-93, U-94, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-123.
10 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
North Sea
FN.394 departed Southend, escort DD WALLACE and sloop FLEETWOOD. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 30th.

Northern Patrol
CLA NAIAD on blockade duty sighted DKM BCs SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU at 0649 briefly to the east of Iceland. However, the two capital ships shook off the British cruiser using their superior speed and the poor weather, Nevertheless, BC REPULSE and DDs BEDOUIN, TARTAR, MATABELE, PUNJABI were ordered at 0738 to join NAIADas the RN attempted to intercept. At 1601, both of TARTAR's steering units were out of action.

Northern Waters
British tkr WAR PINDARI, which had come from the Clyde, departed Scapa Flow at 1000 escort DDs RAN NAPIER and SOMALI. The tkr proceeded to the Skaalefjord, Faroes, arriving on the 29th, to refuel destroyers operating at sea.

West Coast UK
BB PoW departed Liverpool for Rosyth.
CL NIGERIA and DDs INGLEFIELD, MAORI, RAN NIZAM departed Scapa Flow on the 29th to meet BB PoW, escorted by DD HIGHLANDER and CLA CURACOA off Cape Wrath. The ships arrived at Rosyth on the 30th. CL NIGERIA and DDs INGLEFIELD, MAORI, NIZAM back arrived at Scapa Flow in the early hrs of the 31st.

OB.279 departed Liverpool, escort DDs ARROW, MISTRAL, OURAGAN, corvettes AUBRETIA and HOLLYHOCK, ASW trawler KINGSOL. DD CHURCHILL joined on the 29th. The DDs were detached on 1 February and the remainder of the escort on 2 February when the convoy dispersed.

British steamer TAFELBERG was badly damaged on a mine. She was beached at Porthkerry (in the Bristol Channel), refloated and taken to Whitmore Bay, then reconstructed as a tanker and renamed EMPIRE HERITAGE.

Western Approaches
Corvette BLUEBELL was in a collision with DD WESTCOTT in the Western Approaches. Tug SALVONIA stood by the damaged corvette, which proceeded to Londonderry accompanied by the WESTCOTT. BLUEBELL departed Londonderry on the 30th for Liverpool, but had to shelter from weather at Belfast on 4 and 5 February. The corvette arrived at Liverpool on 5 February. Repairs were completed at Cammell & Laird on 4 March. The damage to the WESTCOTT was slight and was repaired at Liverpool on the 29th.

British steamer BARON RENFREW ) was damaged by the LW off the Scottish West Coast. The steamer had engine room damage. Corvette CANDYTUFT stood by the damaged steamer. Sloop LEITH was also in the escort of the convoy which the damaged vessel was attached . The steamer was taken in tow for Loch Lathaich and anchored about 7 February. Steamer BARON RENFREW was taken to the Clyde under tow arriving on 25 February. She was later taken to Glasgow and repaired.

Med- Biscay
Sub RORQUAL laid 29 mines two miles off Sansego Island and twenty one mines off Ancona in a second barrage.
On the 31st, RM TB FRANCESCO STOCCO was mined off Fiume on the first barrage. The boat broke into two parts and was towed into Fiume on the 27th and 10 February. She was repaired. On 27 February, steamer ISCHIA (FI 5101 grt) was mined and sunk off Monfredonia on the second barrage.

Submarine UPHOLDER damaged steamer DUISBERG off Cape Bon. RM TB ORIONE already loaded with INGO's survivors stood by DUISBERG until a tug arrived. The steamer was towed into Tripoli. She was repaired eventually.

​

RHN submarine PAPANICOLIS unsuccessfully attacked a large tanker off Brindisi. CLs AJAX and RAN PERTH were operating in the Aegean.

Convoy AN.14 departed Port Said for Piraeus, escorted by corvette GLOXINIA. Bad weather prevented the Alexandria section from sailing. British fast steamer LEVERNBANK and tanker DESMOULEA departed Alexandria on the 29th, escorted by CLA CALCUTTA and corvette PEONY, to overtake the convoy. British fast steamer ETHIOPIA, carrying RAF personnel for Crete and Greece, departed Port Said during the morning of 29 January, escort DD HASTY to also overtake the convoy and pass through Kaso Straits during the night of 30/31 January. The Port Said section was delayed by weather and the Alexandria section and steamer ETHIOPIA continued independently. DDs DAINTY and JAGUAR swept the Kaso Strait prior to the convoy's passage. At daylight on the 31st, CLA CALCUTTA and DD JAGUAR joined convoy AN.14. DD DAINTY remained with the two Alexandria ships. Cruisers AJAX and PERTH provided cover for all these movements.

Submarine TRUANT departed Alexandria to patrol off Benghazi. Netlayer PROTECTOR was ordered to sail from Suda Bay to collect prisoners at Tobruk and take them to Alexandria. The vessel sailed from Suda Bay during the morning of 29 January to arrive at Tobruk on the 30th. She was escorted by DD JAGUAR to latitude 35N. The netlayer arrived at Tobruk on the 30th.

​

BC RENOWN, CV ARK ROYAL, DDs FORESIGHT, ENCOUNTER, FIREDRAKE, JERSEY, joined later by DDs FOXHOUND and JUPITER, departed Gibraltar to exercise. That evening, DD FIREDRAKE attacked a submarine contact. On 29 December, RENOWN entered Gibraltar, followed later in the afternoon by ARK ROYAL.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 28 JANUARY TO DAWN 29 JANUARY 1941
Weather Overcast.
No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS TUESDAY 28 JANUARY 1941
AIR HQ Two Swordfish on anti-submarine patrol.
LUQA 0847-1108 hrs 69 Squadron (431 Flight): 1 Maryland recon Tripoli, Mellaha and Castel Benito. As the Maryland returned two enemy fighters from Mellaha attempted to intercept; no damage.

 

[parsifal]

29 January 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type IID U-152
U-152 began her service life with the 24th U-boat Flotilla. She was then assigned to the 22nd flotilla and subsequently to the 31st flotilla. She spent the war as a training vessel.
She was scuttled in May 1945.
Allied
Fairmile B
Motor Launch ML 194 (ML 194)

Losses
Convoy SC-19
The convoy battle was the first major convoy attack by a wolfpack for some time. The attacks began when
U-101. was sighted at 0416 hrs, and attacked west of Ireland, firstly by gunfire from a DD (believed to be the ANTHONY) which forced U-101 to dive as she was attempting to attack convoy SC 19. She was also subsequently depth charged causing no damage, but keeping the Boat submerged as the Convoy continued on .

MV SESOSTRIS (EG 2962 grt) Sunk by U-106 (Jürgen Oesten) : Crew Unknown (No survivors); Cargo: Unknown Route: Hampton Roads - Halifax - Liverpool - Dublin Convoy: SC19 (Straggler) Lost in the Western Approaches; At 0715 hrs the SESOSTRIS was hit near the bridge by a stern torpedo from U-106 and sank by the bow within ten minutes. The U-boat had spotted two stragglers from convoy SC-19 and a DD at 0550 hrs and missed the SESOSTRIS with a first torpedo at 0607 hrs. After that, the ship successfully prevented several attack runs by hard turning and firing flares. No survivors were rescued.

MV AIKATERINA ( Gk 4928 grt) Sunk by U-93 (Claus Korth) : Crew: 31 (1 dead and 30 survivors) Cargo: Grain Route:Halifax - Dublin Convoy: SC-19 Lost in the Western Approaches; At 0405 hrs the AIKATERINA in convoy SC-19 was hit on the port side aft by one G7e torpedo from U-93 and sank 111 miles SSW of Rockall. The ship had tried to ram the U-boat before she was torpedoed. One crew member was picked up by HMS ARAB but died shortly after being rescued. 30 survivors were picked up by DD ANTHONY and landed at Greenock on 31 January.

MV KING ROBERT (UK 5886 grt) Sunk by U-93 (Claus Korth) : Crew: 42 (0 dead and 42 survivors) Cargo: grain Route: St. John, New Brunswick - Sydney - Cardiff Convoy SC19 : Lost in the Western Approaches; At 0348 hrs the KING ROBERT in convoy SC-19 was torpedoed and sunk by U-93 south of Rockall. The master and 21 crew members were picked up by DD ANTHONY and landed at Gourock. 20 crew members were picked up byHMS LADY MADELEINE (FY 283) and also landed at Gourock.

Tkr W. B. WALKER (UK 10468 grt) Sunk by U-93 (Claus Korth) : Crew: 47 (4 dead and 43 survivors); Cargo: Aviation and motor spirit Route: Aruba - Halifax - Avonmouth Convoy: Lost in the Western Approaches; At 0355 hrs the W. B. WALKER in convoy SC-19 was hit amidships by one G7a torpedo from U-93 about 150 miles SW of Rockall. Four crew members were lost. The tanker was taken in tow by DD ANTHONY and Armed Yacht ARAB , but she broke in two on 1 February. The forepart was scuttled by gunfire from an escort on 6 February, while the afterpart sank on 13 February. The master and 42 crew members were picked up by the ANTHONY and DD ANTELOPE , transferred to HMS ARAB and landed at Gourock.

MV WEST WALES (UK 4353 grt) Sunk by U-94 (Herbert Kuppisch) : Crew: 37 (16 dead and 21 survivors) Cargo: Steel Route: New York - Halifax - Newport Convoy: SC-19 (straggler) Lost in the Western Approaches
At 0618 hrs the WEST WALES , a straggler from convoy SC-19, was hit amidships by one G7e torpedo from U-94 SSW of Rockall. At 0629 hrs, she was hit by a second G7e torpedo and settled by the stern. Immediately afterwards, the U-boat was forced to dive by gunfire from a DD and several times unsuccessfully attacked with DCs. The master, 14 crew members and one gunner were lost. 17 crew members were picked up by DD ANTELOPE and four crew members by DD ANTHONY and landed at Gourock.

UBOATS
At Sea 29 January 1941
U-48, U-52, U-93, U-94, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-123.
10 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
North Sea
FN.395 departed Southend, escort DDs SOUTHDOWN, VIVIEN, WOOLSTON, and arrived at Methil on the 31st. FS.399 departed Methil, escort DDs WESTMINSTER and WOLFHOUND. DD PYTCHLEY joined on the 30th. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 31st.

Northern Waters
DDs INTREPID and IMPULSIVE arrived at Scapa Flow from the Humber. DD LEGION departed Scapa Flow for Greenock to refit radar equipment. The DD arrived on the 30th. DD ECLIPSE arrived at Scapa Flow from Rosyth after boiler cleaning. DD COTTESMORE departed Scapa Flow for Aberdeen to escort steamer BEN MY CHREE. The steamer arrived at Scapa Flow on the 30th alone, after the DD had become separated during the night. On the 31st, the steamer departed Scapa Flow, escort again being DD COTTESMORE, bound for Aberdeen. The DD arrived back at Scapa Flow on 1 February.

West Coast UK
British steamer WESTMORELAND was damaged on a mine 3 miles 270° from Bar Light Vessel (on the Mersyside coast) . The steamer abandoned by the crew. The steamer was assisted by DD WILD SWAN, barrage balloon vessel VIGILANT, rescue tugs ALFRED, COBURG, SLONE, WAPPING, ALEXANDER. The ship was later reboarded and salvaged . The steamer arrived at Liverpool on the 31st in tow. She was repaired and returned to service.

SW Approaches
CL NEPTUNE departed Gibraltar for Scapa Flow arriving on 5 February

Central Atlantic
CA CUMBERLAND departed Buenas Aires to patrol off Sth America. DKM disguised raider KORMORAN sank steamer EURYLOCHUS (UK 5723 grt) carrying crated aircraft 400 miles west of Sierre Leone. 15 crew were lost and 38 were taken prisoner. 28 survivors were picked up by Spanish steamer MONTE TEIDE.

Steamer AFRIC STAR (UK 11,900 grt) was sunk by the KORMORAN 400 miles west of Sierre Leone . All crew were made pows.
(image source: Africstar / Afric Star 1 (Blue Star webpage)

"Afric Star at Sea" ~ Painting by Wallace Trickett ~ 2007​

CA NORFOLK was sent to protect SL convoy routes. CA DEVONSHIRE was sent to the EURYLOCHUS sinking area.

Med- Biscay
Submarine UPRIGHT departed Malta to patrol the Tunisian coast route from Sicily to Tripoli. MSW STOKE, minesweeping off Tobruk, lost her sweeping gear. MSW HUNTLEY relieved the STOKE off Tobruk. British steamers DEVONSHIRE and DILWARA, formerly of convoy US.008/1, departed Port Said escort DD WRYNECK. On arrival at Haifa, the DD returned to Alexandria

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 29 JANUARY TO DAWN 30 JANUARY 1941
Weather Fine and cool.
0855-0942 hrs; 1042-1150 hrs; 1447-1452 hrs; 1643-1647 hrs; 1802-1835 hrs Air raid alerts for approaching enemy a/c which patrol round the east and sth of the Island. Hurricane fighters are scrambled but there is no engagement and raiders do not approach the coast. They are presumed to be either recon by new LW sqns or possibly minelaying.

ROYAL NAVY Sub URSALA arrived to join First Submarine Flotilla.

AIR HQ 0725-1300 hrs Sunderland convoy patrol eastern Tunisian coast. 0941 hrs Sighted one cruiser and three medium merchant ships with Cant Z501 escorting. Air alerts in Malta delayed despatch of the striking force until too late to proceed.

LUQA 0833-1013 hrs 69 Squadron (431 Flight): 1 Maryland recon Tripoli and Castel Benito. Tripoli 1 DD, 3 MVs, 4 Cant and to east of harbour 5 MVs; one is seen to strike a mine. Castel Benito 29 dispersed aircraft. Whole aerodrome not photographed but recce shows 8 SM 79s, 9 JU 88s, four unidentified fighters. Two fighters up failed to intercept Maryland. Signs of building fortifications round Tripoli 18 miles radius. Trapani aerodrome six large light camouflaged aircraft and two unidentified fighters. 1 Maryland reconnaissance Trapani and Palermo.

 

[Njaco]

January 28 Tuesday

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Again repeating the actions of 16 January and 23 January, the Focke-Wulf 200 'Condors' of KG 40 sight an Allied convoy but before U-boats or additional aircraft can arrive, the lead plane again becomes low on fuel and must return to base, leaving the convoy mostly intact. The Battle of the Atlantic was being lost because even the main job of providing effective reconnaissance for the U-boat arm was ineffective as long as there were not enough aircraft to perform the duty. Despite this, 'SS Grelrosa' (4,574t) a cargo ship with a cargo of wheat, was sunk by Focke-Wulf 'Condor' aircraft about 400 miles W of Northern Ireland. Five of her crew were lost.

British cruiser HMS "Naiad" spotted German warships "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" in the Iceland-Faroes passage at 0649 hours. Fearing this might lead to the arrival of a stronger British fleet, "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" turned to the north, attempting to enter the Atlantic Ocean via the Denmark Strait instead.

Italian submarine "Luigi Torelli" sank British submarine "Urla" 250 miles west of Ireland; the entire crew of 42 survived.

British corvette HMS "Bluebell" and destroyer HMS "Westcott" collided off Ireland; the former would be under repair until 4 Mar.

British submarine HMS "Upholder" damaged German ship "Duisberg" off Cape Bon, Tunisia. "Duisberg" was towed to Tripoli, Libya for repairs.

NORTH AFRICA: Italian artillery at Wadi Derna, Libya continued to pin down Australian 6th Division. French General Charles DeGaulle's Free French forces sack a south Libya oasis. Wavell arrived in Nairobi to discuss plans for an offensive.

British naval authorities made a terse announcement maintaining that the "Empress of Australia" was "safe in port".

ASIA: B-10 medium bombers of the Thai 50th Bomber Squadron, escorted by 13 Hawk 75N fighters of the Thai 60th Fighter Squadron, bombed Sisophon, Cambodia, French Indochina. Vichy France then ceases hostilities with Siam. The effective date of the cease fire to be signed on 31 Jan 1941 would backdate to this date.

Japanese 11th Army attacks Chinese 5th War Area around Hsianghokuan.

GERMANY: After being raised and refitted, captured Dutch submarine O-12 commissioned into Kriegsmarine as UD-2.

.

 

[Njaco]

January 29 Wednesday

GERMANY: During the night 25 British Wellington bombers attacked battleship "Tirpitz" to little effect.

Franz Schlegelberger became the German Minister of Justice upon the death of Franz Gürtner.

Hungarian minister of defense meets with Hitler.

MEDITERRANEAN: Greek Prime Minister General Ioannis Metaxas dies unexpectedly of throat cancer. M. A. Korizis took over as the new Premier of Greece upon his predecessor's death. The new Greek prime minister invites British forces in for protection against Germany and Italy.

The Battle of Trebeshina began a series of engagements fought between the Greek and Italian armies in south-eastern Albania. II Corps, reinforced with the Cretan 5th Division from III Corps, repulsed an Italian attack and then attacked towards the Trebeshina massif. Italian forces counterattacked the Greek II Corps on heights west of Klisura in central sector of the front.

NORTH AFRICA: British forces based in Kenya led by General Sir Alan Cunningham began attacking the Italian colonial garrison. Meanwhile. the South African troops came ashore in Italian Somaliland. This combined with British advances through Eritrea made the Italian armies in the Horn of Africa increasingly in danger of being surrounded.

Operation Compass. Derna, Libya. There is heavy fighting along Wadi Derna as elements of British 7th Armoured Division (brought north from Mechili) outflank Italian artillery overlooking the town. Italian commander at Derna General "Electric Whiskers" Bergonzoli, who recently escaped on foot from Bardia, withdraws his troops and artillery overnight.

Luftwaffe He 111 bombers drop mines in the Suez Canal during the night.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German armed merchant cruiser "Kormoran" sank British ships "Africa Star" (75 captured) and "Eurylochus" (11 men killed, 43 men captured, 16 crated engine-less bombers captured) 600 miles west of Freetown, British West Africa.

German submarines attacked Allied convoy SC-19 en route from Nova Scotia, Canada to Britain at about 200 miles northwest of Ireland. Between 0348 and 0405 hours, U-93 sank British ship "King Robert", British tanker "W. B. Walker", and Greek ship "Aikaterini". At 0629 hours, U-94 sank British ship "West Wales". At 0715 hours, U-106 sank Egyptian ship "Sesostris". U-101 also attempted to attack, but she was chased off by British destroyers.

'SS Pandion' (1,944t) cargo ship, Tyne to Portugal was damaged by Focke-Wulf Condor aircraft, W of Malin Head. On the 30th January she ran aground in Lough Swilly and broke in two.

EASTERN EUROPE: The prototype Tupolev ANT-58 (which would later be developed into the successful Tu-2 medium bomber) made its maiden flight.

NORTH AMERICA: The U.S.–British Staff Conference (ABC–1) began in Washington, D.C., in which U.S. and British military staff members worked to co-ordinate a general plan in the event of U.S. entry into the war.

UNITED KINGDOM: Luftwaffe attacks London overnight with 36 aircraft.

ASIA: Japanese 4th Cavalry Brigade, on raiding expedition, captures Huai-yang.

.