This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

[parsifal]

16 JULY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIC U-701

Neutral
Elco 77' PT USS PT-35

Allied
Flower Class Corvette FNFL LOBELIA (K-05)

HDML 1065

Losses
None

UBOATS
Departures
Oxhoft: U-139

At Sea 16 July 1941
U-66, U-68, U-74, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-97, U-98, U-109, U-123, U-124, U-125, U-126, U-140, U-141, U-144, U-145, U-201, U-202, U-203, U-331, U-372, U-401, U-431, U-553, U-561, U-562, U-564, U-565, UA

30 Boats

OPERATIONS
North Sea
British steamer ELIZABETE was damaged by the LW halfway between 20C Buoy and T.2 Buoy, off the Tyne. The steamer returned to the Tyne.

Northern Waters
DD WELLS departed Scapa Flow for Loch Alsh where she arrived that evening

West Coast
MGB.90 (RN 40 grt) and MGB.92 (RN 40 grt)were destroyed by fire in PortlandHarbour.

OB.347 departed Liverpool, escort DDs BEAGLE and BOADICEA, corvettes HEATHER, ORCHIS, and PICOTEE, MSW SHARPSHOOTER, and ASW trawlers ARAB, AYRSHIRE, LADY MADELEINE, and NORWICHCITY. DDs ROXBOROUGH and SALISBURY joined on the 18th. These escorts were detached on the 22nd. On the 22nd, DD BURNHAM and corvettes AGASSIZ, CELANDINE, MAYFLOWER, and WESTASKIWIN joined. The convoy was dispersed on the 31st.

P/T/Midshipman (A) R.L. Waddy RNVR, was killed when his Swordfish of 767 Sqn crashed near Arbroath during exercises.

Med/Biscay
CLA CARLISLE, carrying a base party, MSWs HARROW, MOY, and LYDIARD from Haifa, and corvette SALVIA and motor launch ML.1032 from Famagusta arrived at Beirut.

Captain J.A.V. Morse was named Naval Officer in Charge of Syrian ports with his headquarters at Beirut. Corvette HYACINTH with LL sweeper FELLOWSHIP departed Alexandria for Famagusta.

DD JAGUAR departed Alexandria with a petrol tanker of convoy LE 25 for Beirut. DD KANDAHAR departed Alexandria for Port Said to join the remainder of convoy LE 25.KANDAHAR departed Port Said with the two ships of LE 25 on the 17th. CLA COVENTRY departed Alexandria at noon on the 17th to meet Beirut convoy LE 25 off Port Said. The convoy was covered by light cruiser AJAX and two destroyers. Convoy LE 25 arrived at Beirut on the 17th.COVENTRY relieved CLA CARLISLE which sailed for Alexandria, arriving on the 19th.

DD JERVIS departed Alexandria for Haifa to operate with British forces there.

On JERVIS's arrival at Haifa on the 17th, DDs JACKAL, NIZAM, and HASTY departed Haifa for Alexandria.

Italian troopships MARCO POLO, NEPTUNIA, and OCEANIA departed Taranto for Tripoli escort DDs GENIERE, GIOBERTI, LANCIERE, and ORIANI and TB t CENTAURO. Distant cover was provided by heavy cruisers TRIESTE and BOLZANO and destroyers ASCARI, CARABINIERE, and CORAZZIERE.

On the 18th, Sub UNBEATEN unsuccessfully attacked troopship OCEANIA. The convoy arrived at Tripoli on the 18th. UNBEATEN reported she had damaged a large tanker twenty three miles SSW of Messina.

Italian submarine NEREIDE claimed damage on Greek submarine TRITON in torpedo and artillery attacks in 37-25N, 25-52E.

Sub OLYMPUS and Dutch sub O.21 departed Gibraltar to patrol in the Tyrrhenian Sea to support Operation SUBSTANCE

Nth Atlantic
HX.139 departed Halifax, escorted by corvettes BITTERSWEET, FENNEL, and PICTOU, and AMC RANPURA.Corvettes BITTERSWEET and FENNEL were detached later that day. On the 17th, corvettes DAUPHIN and NAPANEE joined and were detached later the next day. On the 18th, escort ships SENNEN and TOTLAND joined, on the 19th, sloop FLEETWOOD, and on the 20th, corvette CHAMBLY. DDs KEPPEL, LINCOLN, SHIKARI, and VENOMOUS and MSW HEBE joined. AMC RANPURA and corvette CHAMBLY were detached on the 26th.Corvette PICTOU was detached on the 28th, the two escort ships on the 29th, and DDs KEPPEL, LINCOLN, and SHIKARI and sloop FLEETWOOD were detached on the 30th. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 31st with DD VENOMOUS.

USN CLs PHILADELPHIA and SAVANNAH and DDs MEREDITH and GWIN departed Bermuda on neutrality patrol. They arrived back on the 25th

Central Atlantic
DDs AVON VALE, ERIDGE, and FARNDALE departed Gibraltar to meet CL MANCHESTER, troopship PASTEUR, and DDs LIGHTNING and NESTOR, arriving from the UK.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 16 JULY TO DAWN 17 JULY 1941
Weather Very hot and humid.

0950-1004 hrs Air raid alert for 20 enemy aircraft which head towards the Island but split up while still 40-50 miles north. While the remainder turn back, ten raiders approach to 20 miles from Malta. Hurricanes are scrambled and the enemy aircraft retreat.

0416-0445 hrs Air raid alert for two enemy aircraft which cross over GrandHarbour and drop bombs on Fort St Angelo. Two Hurricanes are scrambled but are forced to land due to weather closing in. Searchlights illuminate the raiders but anti-aircraft guns cannot open fire while Hurricanes are approaching.

OPERATIONS REPORTS WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 1941

ROYAL NAVY P33 arrived on time at 1230, having suffered hull damage during counter attack of 116 depth charges, and being forced deep after obtaining two hits on northbound convoy. HM submarine Cachalot arrived from Alexandria with stores for Malta. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 4 Swordfish attacked Tripoli, hitting one tanker with torpedo and causing explosion on Spanish Quay.

AIR HQ Departures 1 Wellington. 69 Squadron Marylands reconnaissance Palermo, Messina, Catania, Augusta, Syracuse, Trapani, Catania and Reggio, and Tripoli. 148 Squadron 4 Wellingtons bombing attack on TripoliHarbour by moonlight, dropping 12250lbs of bombs, achieving many hits and causing a large explosion on Spanish Quay plus damage to a merchant ship alongside.

HAL FAR Two Fulmars on 'intruder operations' patrolled Catania and released four 20lb bombs which started a fire.

 

[Njaco]

July 14 Monday

ASIA: Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Oshima informed German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop that, in regards to the 10 Jul 1941 request for Japan to attack Vladivostok, Russia, Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka was in agreement with the proposal but the Japanese cabinet in general did not agree with such a suggestion.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: Observing the German forces reaching the River Luga thus expecting a rapid victory in northern Russia., Hitler ordered the arms industry to switch production from guns and tanks to aircraft and submarines. Hitler issues War Directive 32a which included, among other things, a call for a future reduction in the size of the army with those resources being redirected to the air force. http://der-fuehrer.org/reden/english/wardirectives/32a.html

Heeresgruppe Nord: 6.Panzerdivision achieved a bridgehead over the Narva River. German troops reach the river Luga and now threaten Leningrad directly, only 100 miles away. Oberst Erhard Raus's grenadiers, aided by an attached group of "Brandenburg" special-operation troops driving captured Soviet trucks and dressed in Russian Army uniforms, seized the twin bridges over the Luga River at Porechye - thus fording the last natural obstacle to Heeresgruppe Nord's ultimate goal of the capture of Leningrad. German 4.Panzergruppe captures Soltsy. Soviet Luga Operational Group began counterattacking German Heeresgruppe Nord. The Soviet 11th Army counterattacked against the LVI.Panzerkorps at Soltsy.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: German 3.Panzergruppe pushes toward Nevel while German 2.Panzergruppe attacks toward Smolensk. Meanwhile, near Orsha, Red Army artillery forces launch a salvo of katyusha rockets, for the first time, against the German held railhead causing substantial damage and panic. During a clash near Smolensk, just seven of the experimental launchers decimated a German infantry formation in the town of Rudnya. The barrage struck with such intensity, the Axis troops broke and fled from the city. The demonstration was enough to convince the Soviet high command that the rockets could be a game changer. Detachments of four mobile launchers were quickly raised and sent into battle. Originally designed as a cheap ad hoc alternative to conventional artillery, the truck-mounted 132-mm Katyusha launcher could fire as many as four-dozen warheads distances of more than six miles (9 km) in a single ten-second burst. While woefully inaccurate when compared to ordinary howitzers, concentrations of Katyushas could shower vast areas with a dense hail of high explosives and then speed to safety before enemy guns could even get a fix on them – a practice known as "shoot and scoot".

Heeresgruppe Sud: Romanian Maj. Gen. Vasile Atanasiu's III Romanian Corps resumed the attack on the Prut and the Cornesti Heights, while on his left flank the German LIV. Armeekorps (General of the Kavalry E. Hansen) committed its German 50. Infanterie Divisionen (Lieutenant General K. Hollidt) and V Romanian Corps (General L, Gheorghe) to an attack from the northern flank. Despite heavy counter-attacks, the Romanian-German offensive ground forward.

Six Russian bombers are sent to attack the Rumanian oil refineries at Ploesti. Defending German fighters shoot down four of the bombers.

GERMANY: Hitler mentioned that Moscow would have to be bombed from the air if the center of Communist resistance was to be hit and the orderly evacuation of the Soviet Government prevented.

The Nazi government seized the property of all Christian Science churches in Germany.

In discussions with ambassador Oshima, Hitler invites Japan to invade Siberia and suggests collaborating to crush America.

RAF Bomber Command sends 97 aircraft to attack Bremen and 85 aircraft to attack Hannover overnight.

Oblt. Werner Baumbach of KG 30 is awarded the Eichenlaub.

MEDITERRANEAN: Axis Convoy departs Naples for Tripoli with five vessels escorted by Italian destroyers "Malocello", "Alpino", and "Fuciliere" and three torpedo boats.

Ju-88 bombers attack Suez from Crete damaging harbour installations and ships.

MIDDLE EAST: French High Commissioner for Syria and the Lebanon signed the Armistice of Saint Jean d'Acre at Acre, British Mandate of Palestine, surrendering his command to the British. In exchange, he received the British agreement for the French soldiers to retain their personal arms and full honors. The agreement contained no reference to the Free French. Vichy forces in Syria and Lebanon surrender leaving the two Arab states occupied by British and Free French forces. Most of the Vichy forces were allowed to leave as part of the armistice agreement. The cease-fire begins at 2100 hours. The casualties in the campaign have been about 2500 on the Allied side and 3500 among the Vichy French forces. In addition the Vichy authorities have had a number of prisoners flown out to Europe including a few after the armistice terms forbidding this have been agreed.

NORTH AFRICA: German Ju 88 bombers based in Crete, Greece attacked Suez, Egypt, damaging harbor facilities and ships in port. The British troopship "Georgic" was bombed in the Gulf of Suez with the loss of 26 lives and beached.

NORTH AMERICA: Captain Robert Henry English, Jr. was named the commanding officer of USS "Helena", relieving Captain Max Burke DeMott.

German General Wilhelm Keitel appeared on the cover of the American news publication Time Magazine.

NORTHERN FRONT: Soviet warships land 325th Rifle Regiment at Bay of Litsa to counterattack German Gebirgsarmee Norwegen.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command sends 29 aircraft on coastal sweeps. RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: Blenheims raid Le Havre at low-level. Considerable damage is done to dock installations, but there are few ships in harbour. Two aircraft are lost to fighters.

RAF Fighter Command Circus mission to Hazebrouck.

At 0947 hours, Lt. Josef 'Pips' Priller of 1./JG 26 claims his fortieth victory over the RAF. Lt. Priller describes his attack in his Combat Report,

"I wanted to attack two Spitfires that were high above us in the vapor trails. But my engine was acting up, and it was impossible to overtake them. The Spitfires turned about and came towards us. I pulled my aircraft's nose up and opened fire from about 100 metres, directly in front of them. I hit one in the cockpit and engine, and its pilot bailed out. I then had to dive away steeply, as I came under attack by the second Spitfire, which was firing at me from very close range."

Upon returning to base, Lt. Priller finds his aircrew ready with a garland of oak leaves for him, anticipating his awarding of the Eichenlaub. At this time, forty kills were required for the honor. South of Dunkirk, the Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 26, Hptm. Johannes Seifert also destroys a RAF Spitfire.

Japanese ambassador presents Vichy with demands for air and naval bases in southern Indochina.

General Agustin Munoz Grandes, commanding Blue Division, departs by air for Berlin for briefings.

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[Njaco]

July 15 Tuesday

ATLANTIC OCEAN: ShCh-401 attacked German auxiliary submarine chasers UJ 177 and UJ 178 off Kiberg, Norway with a torpedo; the torpedo missed.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: Obstlt. Werner Mölders, Kommodore of JG 51 becomes the first pilot to ever score 100 kills after shooting down two Russian aircraft to reach 101 kills overall and is awarded the Brillanten (Diamonds) to his Knight's Cross, the first person so honored. He is promoted to Oberst and immediately banned from further operational flying. Hptm. Walter Oesau, Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 3 destroys his forty-fourth enemy aircraft in Russia to bring his total to eighty kills.

Heeresgruppe Nord: Soviet 11th Army troops began a counter offensive against German 4.Panzergruppe in the Lake Ilmen area to gain time for the building of further fortifications around Leningrad. The attacking forces lose heavily in their efforts because the troops are very inexperienced. In the outskirts of Leningrad, hundreds of thousands of Soviet civilians, mostly women and teenagers, begin constructing over 300 miles of trenches and field fortifications.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: Heavy city fighting erupts in Smolensk as German infantry attempt to storm the city. Troops from 29. Infanterie-Division (mot.) (Major General W. von Boltenstern) reach the southwestern suburbs of the city. They attack at 0400 hours and control the city by night. Other German troops encircled Smolensk and 7.Panzer-Divisionen (Major General H. von Funck) captured Yartsevo. The 19.Panzer-Divisionen (Lieutenant General O. von Knoblesdorff) takes the town of Nevel.

Heeresgruppe Sud: Battle of Uman: The Battle of Uman was the German and allied encirclement of the 6th and 12th Soviet Armies—under the command of Lieutenant General I. N. Muzyrchenko and Major General P. G. Ponedelin, respectively—south of the city of Uman during the initial offensive operations of German Heeresgruppe Sud, commanded by Generalfeldmarshall Gerd von Rundstedt. General Ewald von Kleist's 1.Panzergruppe drove a wedge between the two Soviet sectors of the front south of Kiev and north of Vinnytsia, capturing Berdychiv. General Karl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel's 17. Armee advanced to the South of Uman and General Eugen Ritter von Schobert's 11. Armee advanced northward from the Romanian border. Stavka and the Southern Front's command staff mistakenly assumed that the Germans were striving to reach the crossing of the Dnieper between Kiev and Cherkasy for a further offensive toward Donbass, and underestimated the danger of encirclement for the 6th and 12th armies.

German 228th Regiment cleared four Stalin Line bunkers and crossed the Ljadowa River, a tributary of the Dniester River, in Ukraine. German forces capture Kazatin severing Kirpono's lateral communications.

Stavka Directive No. 01 reorganized the army by eliminating the rifle corps and creating smaller field armies consisting of five or six rifle divisions, two or three tank brigades, one or two light cavalry divisions and several reserve artillery regiments. The directive also abolished mechanized corps.

The Red Army uses the Katyusha Rocket launcher for the first time in combat in a counter-attack at Orsha. This turned out to be a remarkable effective weapon in delivering 320 132mm rockets on target in 25 seconds. The weapon became known as "Stalin's Organ". The modern day equivalent of this system is the US Army MLRS. The victims of this surprise were parts of Hoth's 12.Panzer-Divisionen. At first the effect on the troops was really terrifying. The German troops nicknamed the rocket mortar "Stalin's organ-pipes." The Russians called it "Katyusha"— Little Kate. Luckily, Yeremenko had only one unit. Thus the appearance of the howling Katyusha at Rudnya did not turn the tide of the battle, but it was another reminder of the technological capacity of the Soviets.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 38 aircraft to attack Duisburg overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: Inigo Campioni was appointed governor of the Italian Aegean Islands, also known as the Italian Dodecanese.

Italian vessel "Barbarigo" was sunk by RN submarine P33, Italian vessel "Nettuno" was sunk by RN submarine "Unbeaten" and Italian vessel "Vincenzo Padre" was sunk by RN submarine "Taku".

MIDDLE EAST: Honoring Charles de Gaulle's previous proclamation that the Allies had invaded the Vichy-held French Mandate of Syria and the Lebanon as liberators rather than conquerors, the British who had accepted the Vichy surrender on the previous day handed control of the territory to the locals. When they invaded a month ago General de Gaulle said in a broadcast: "I come to end the mandatory regime and to proclaim you free and independent." Thus Syria and Lebanon - to strong Vichy protests - join Eritrea in being offered self-determination.

NORTH AFRICA: Erwin Rommel was officially declared the commanding officer of Panzergruppe Afrika.

The Italian 'Pavia' and 'Brescia' Divisions derail 2nd New Zealand Division's attack on Ruweisat Ridge. Several hundred attackers are captured. While the attacking brigades had been able to cut large gaps through the defences held by the Italian infantry, they had not been able to subdue all the resistance. Not surprisingly, most of the smaller outposts and defended localities had fallen easily but some of the larger posts had been bypassed during the night. The outposts which remained contained substantial number of anti-tank guns, machine guns and infantry. When daylight came, these posts were able to cover the area south of the ridge by fire and shot up any trucks foolhardy enough to drive forward.

NORTH AMERICA: The United States established a Naval Air Station and a Naval Operating Base at Argentia Bay, Newfoundland. The two facilities established on this date were the U.S. Naval Air Station and the U.S. Naval Operating Base.

Aircraft carrier USS "Lexington" laid down.

Canada receives its first shipment of mustard gas and phosgene shells from Britain.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Soviet commandos attacked the island of Morgonland in Finland and captured the 5 men stationed at the observation station. The prisoners are taken to camps in Kazakstan; only one survives the War.

Finnish Army of Karelia captures Loymola northeast of Lake Ladoga.

PACIFIC OCEAN: All pilots of the US Army 3rd Pursuit Squadron and 20th Pursuit Squadron based in the Philippine Islands were certified to fly the P-35A fighters.

UNITED KINGDOM: The British Military Application of Uranium Detonation (MAUD) Committee issued its final report on atomic weapons.

The US Marine Corps activated the Marine Detachment at the American Embassy in London, England.

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[Njaco]

July 16 Wednesday

ASIA: The Japanese government falls as hard-liners insist on not dealing with Washington. Great Britain, the United States, and the Dutch East Indies freeze all Japanese assets and halt most trade.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: On the twenty-fifth day of the campaign, the first strategic objective of Operation Barbarossa had been reached: the first troops of Army Group Centre were in the area Yarzevo-Smolensk-Yelnya-Roslavl. They had covered 440 miles. It was another 220 miles to Moscow. Only at Mogilev, now far behind the German lines, did fierce fighting continue.

Heeresgruppe Nord: The spearhead of the 8.Panzerdivision (Major General Erich Brandeburger) found itself pinned against the Shelon River by a Soviet counterattack and nearly sliced off from the rest of the LVI.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of the Infantry Erich von Manstein). Seething and vengeful after horrific defeats, the Soviets hit the 8.Panzerdivision with elements of the 70th Infantry and 21st Tank Divisions, trapping 8.Panzerdivision against the Shelon River and hitting them from three sides. For two days, most of the 8.Panzerdivision fought for its life. They'd advanced out of range of their own artillery regiment and were utterly on their own. Manstein sent in the 3.Infanterie-Division (mot.) (Lieutenant General Curt Jahn) to rescue 8.Panzerdivision, but soon they were beaten up almost as bad. At one point Manstein had to air-drop supplies to his panzers.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: Smolensk falls to the Germans. Soviet forces are now pocketed around Vitebsk, Orsha, Smolensk, and Mogilev by German Heeresgruppe Mitte. Heeresgruppe Mitte had encircled or partly encircled vast Soviet forces west of Smolensk and, as occurred earlier at Minsk, would take approximately two weeks to get the advancing infantry around the several small cauldrons in the rear areas of Panzer Groups Guderian and Hoth and the great pocket on the boundary between them just north of Smolensk. The Germans were now 200 miles from Moscow. However, Soviet resistance was becoming more fierce and supplies of fuel and ammunition for the far flung panzer divisions becoming scarce. The Germans develop an important bridgehead over the Dniepr River near Mogilev.

Heeresgruppe Sud: Battle of Uman: Koziatynwas captured by elements of General Ewald von Kleist's 1.Panzergruppe. An attempt was then made by Marshal Semyon Budyonny to counter-attack from north of Uman in the direction of Berdychiv to prevent 1.Panzergruppe from cutting off his lines of communication. However this counterstroke failed to contact significant German armoured forces which passed only some 50 km (31 mi) to the east of the Soviet concentration in its continued offensive.

Romanian tanks entered Kishinev in the early morning hours of the 16th, taking a number of Soviet units there by surprise. By nightfall the Red Army was retreating from the city, heading toward the Dniester River bridge at Tighina on the border between Bessarabia and Ukraine.

Soviet battleship "Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya" and cruiser "Kirov" bombard German forces in Riga.

Soviet Army Lieutenant Jacob Jughashvili, son of Joseph Stalin, was taken prisoner by the Germans.

Hans Kolbow of JG 51 is killed in action, with twenty-seven enemy aircraft destroyed as his final score. Kurt Sauer of JG 53, is shot down and captured by the Russians, becoming a prisoner of war, having destroyed a total of nine enemy aircraft.

Anatoliy Mikheev accused Semyon Timoshenko as being a traitor. Joseph Stalin did not order Timoshenko's arrest, but he would relieve Timoshenk as the defense commissar (NKO) several days later and would assume the title himself.

The peculiar pre-war practice by the Red Army of "dual command" was reestablished. This scheme placed political commissars and field commanders on an equal command level, in effect each formation had two leaders - military and political. Red Army officers now not only had to deal with Germans to his front but the Commissar to his back.

GERMANY: Alfred Rosenberg's appointment as the Reich Minister for Occupied Eastern Territories was confirmed by Adolf Hitler during a conference at Adolf Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia, Germany. In that conference, which was led by Hitler and also attended by Hermann Göring, Wilhelm Keitel, Martin Bormann, and Hans Lammers, Hitler provided his vision of the future of Eastern Europe in which the Baltic States were to be incorporated into Germany, Crimea to be populated with ethnic Germans, Caucasus to be a German concession, and Leningrad given to Finland. He instructed that Ukraine and the Kola Peninsula in northern Russia were to be annexed into Greater Germany in the future, while East Karelia in northern Russia was to be given to Finland. In secret, he instructed other German leaders to prepare plans for a possible future annexation of Finland.

Germany reversed a prior decree by allowing those who were 50% Jewish and those who were married to women who were 50% Jewish to serve in the military.

RAF Bomber Command sends 107 aircraft to attack Hamburg overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: Axis Convoy departs Taranto for Tripoli with three vessels escorted by Italian destroyers "Geniere", "Lanciere", "Gioberti", and "Oriani" and a torpedo boat supported by two cruisers and three more destroyers.

Luftwaffe attacks Suez Canal with 24 bombers overnight and Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica aircraft attack Tobruk. Meanwhile RAF bombers attack Benghazi and attack Tripoli.

NORTH AFRICA: General Weygand appointed governor general of Algeria.

The Australian 2/23rd Battalion attempts to retake Tel el Eisa, but are forced to retreat after suffering heavy casualties. Later, recounting the 2/23rd Battalion attack, Australian historian Mark Johnston wrote that "On 16 July, they were ordered to retake it and the rest of Tel el Eisa Ridge. After initial success, they suffered nearly 50 percent casualties and had to withdraw." In his diary, Rommel wrote: "Next day, the 16th July, the British attacked again, but this time only locally. After intensive artillery preparation, the Australians attacked in the early hours of the morning with tank support and took several strong-points held by the Sabratha."

NORTH AMERICA: US Army General Leonard Gerow recommended General George Marshall to activate the Philippine Army and to provide it additional funding. He also recommended that Douglas MacArthur to be asked to return from the retired list as the commander in chief in the Philippine Islands. General Marshall informs General Arnold that reinforcements will be dispatched to the Philippines, including B-17 bombers.

American transport USS "West Point" embarked 137 Italian and 327 German citizens off Staten Island, New York and set sail for Lisbon, Portugal at 1455 hours.

British Major General A.E. Grasett meets with Canadian Chief of General Staff Major General Harry Crerar in Ottawa, Canada. Grasett convinces Crerar that Hong Kong could be adequately defended with an additional two battalions.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Soviet warships land an additional battalion at Bay of Litsa. Finnish Army of Karelia clears Soviet positions along east shore of Yanis Lake and captures Koirinoja on the northeast shore of Lake Ladoga. The Soviets will be able to get some of their troops away by boat.

Germany threatens to invade Göteburg, Sweden, if any ship leaves the harbor for Britain. German Intelligence in Sweden learned that ships with special steels were preparing to leave for Britain.

UNITED KINGDOM: General Wladyslaw Sikorski was presented with the Standard of the Polish Air Force at RAF Swinderby in England, United Kingdom. Smuggled out of Poland, via Stockholm in Sweden, the Standard would subsequently be held by each Polish Squadron in the United Kingdom during the war years.

WESTERN FRONT: Vichy France enacted a law to exclude Jewish lawyers.

RAF Bomber Command sends aircraft to attack Rotterdam docks during the day. 36 British Blenheim bombers attacked Rotterdam port, hitting 22 ships including former Dutch liner "Baloeran". The Blenheims passed over Rotterdam, where two warehouses and a factory were set alight, so low that one aircraft severed the cable of a derrick. Heavy anti-aircraft fire was encountered and four of our bombers were lost, two of these having scored direct hits before being shot down.

Charles de Gaulle protested the Armistice of Saint Jean D'Acre between the United Kingdom and Vichy France for it made no mention of the Free French.

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[Njaco]

July 17 Thursday

ASIA: Yasunori Yoshioka was named the chief of staff of Japanese 44th Army, also known as the Kwangtung Defense Army, based in Xinjing, northeastern China.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: Stalin calls for the British to open a Second Front to relieve pressure on the Soviet Union.

Heeresgruppe Nord: Soviet 11th Army and 27th Army counterattacking the forces of German Heeresgruppe Nord.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: Panzer forces from 2. Panzergruppe and 3. Panzergruppe meet east of the city of Smolensk, surrounding nearly 300,000 men from in several small pockets. However, the ring around the surrounded troops was so full of holes that the bulk of the troops were able to escape in reasonably good order. German 3. Panzergruppe begins attacking toward Velikiye Luki.

2. Panzergruppe's Colonel General Heinz Guderian was awarded the Eichenlaub (Oak Leaves) to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz).

Heeresgruppe Sud: German Armeegruppe Sud encircled 20 Soviet Army divisions near Uman, Ukraine. Further south, troops of the Rumanian 3.Armee reached the Dniester River, captured a row of bunkers on the far bank, and repulsed a series of Soviet counterattacks. XI. Armeekorps crossed the Dniester River. The Rumanian 4.Armee (Dumitrescu) captures Kishinev on the lower Dniester.

The Political Commissars were re-introduced into the Soviet Army and Soviet Navy organizational structures. The Red Army officially gave the responsibility for "preventing panic, and dealing with cowardice and treachery" to the political commissars. This gave these Communist party apparatchik the power to summarily execute anyone in their command. The Soviet 3rd NKO Directorate was merged back into the NKVD, becoming NKVD's Special Departments Director (UOO). Viktor Abakumov was named UOO's chief and Solomon Milshtein was named the deputy.

Field Marshal Keitel's son Hans-Georg Keitel died from wounds received in combat.

Reinhardt Heydrich ordered the four SS Einsatzgruppen under his command to exterminate Jewish and Roma communities in his sphere of influence.

General Giovanni Messe assumes command of Italian expeditionary force.

GERMANY: The commander VIII Fliegerkorps of General der Flieger Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, is awarded the Eichenlaub to become the twenty-sixth soldier honored with the award.

RAF Bomber Command sends 75 aircraft to attack Cologne overnight.

The first elements of the Spanish Volunteer Division arrived at the large training camp at Grafenwöhr in southern Germany. Spanish uniforms were exchanged for German; the only item of clothing retained being the Falangist dark blue shirt, from which the title "Blue Division" (officially the 250th Infantry Division) was derived.

Alfred Rosenberg officially took on the position of Reich Minister for Occupied Eastern Territories. Among his responsibilities were the Germanization of the occupied lands and the exploitation and extermination of Jews.

German Kriegsmarine placed an order for four submarines; this order would later yield U-487, U-488, U-489, and U-490. The keel of German submarine U-449 was laid down and U-579 was commissioned into service.

The Oflag IV-C prisoners of war camp at Colditz Castle in Germany hosted a visit from the Orthodox Bishop of Dresden, Germany.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Regia Marina introduced a new cipher, so the Royal Navy had no preventive information about the planned cruise of "Colleoni" and "Bande Nere".

Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica aircraft attacked airfields on Malta.

NORTH AFRICA: The Twin Pimples Raid: The Twin Pimples Raid was a British Commando raid on a feature in the Italian lines during the siege of Tobruk. The raid, carried out by men of the No. 8 (Guards) Commando and the Royal Australian Engineers, was a complete success. The plan called for three officers and 40 men of No. 8 Commando and a small number of Australian Engineers (to deal with ammunition dumps and gun emplacements) to cross the Italian forward positions to the road that they used to bring up supplies and then follow the road to the rear of the Twin Pimples and engage the position from behind. The Commandos left their own lines at 23:00 hours on 17 July and crossed the Italian forward positions and main lines undetected. Upon reaching the supply road they had to take cover and wait, as the attack was planned for 01:00 hours on 18 July.

The Italian 'Trento' Division supported by tanks from the 'Trieste' Division overrun part of the 9th AIF Division, capturing no less than 200 Australians. The incredulous Australians assume the attackers were crack Panzergrenadiers, even though German records later proved that Italians from the 3rd Battalion, 61st Trento Infantry Regiment delivered the blow. The Australian 2/32nd captured the Trig 22 and linked with the 2/43rd but the Germans resisted fiercely and counter-attacked with tanks. The 2/32nd suffered heavily: nearly half its number were either killed or wounded and nearly 200 became prisoners of war. The Australian companies had seized the enemy positions on the ridge, but, in the dark, the men of A Company overshot their objective, Point 22, by 1,500 yards. By the time they realized their mistake they were under such heavy fire that they could not withdraw. By 08.00 hours Italian tanks and infantry began to encircle their positions and eventually forced the entire company to surrender.

Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica aircraft attack Tobruk as RAF bombers attack Tripoli.

NORTH AMERICA:George Marshall approved Leopard Gerow's recommendation to re-activate Douglas MacArthur from the retired list and plans regarding the Philippine Army; Marshall forwarded Gerow's proposals to US Secretary of War Henry Stimson for further review and implementation.

US President Franklin Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull met with Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura in Washington DC, United States in an attempt to open negotiations between the two countries regarding peace in the Pacific region.

President Roosevelt enacted Proclamation 2497, which blacklisted 1,800 Latin American firms for aiding Germany or Italy.

UNITED KINGDOM: After sundown, German bombers attacked Hull, Yorkshire, England. 160 fires displaced 3,500 people and several factories were damaged. 111 were killed and 108 were seriously injured.

James Lacey shot down a German He 59 seaplane.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Fighter Command conducted sweeps over northern France. RAF Fighter Command Roadstead missions to Boulogne and RAF Fighter Command Rhubarb mission to Dunkirk.

General Franco makes speech condemning US refusal to sell urgently needed supplies of wheat to Spain and declaring that the Wehrmacht is fighting a 'crusade' in Russia. Franco warns United States not to enter the war.

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[Njaco]

July 18 Friday

ASIA: A new Japanese government is formed, which is nearly identical to the last hard-line government. Prince Fumimaro Konoe retained his office as he was named the 39th Prime Minister of Japan. Prince Konoye re-forms his Cabinet with Baron Hiranuma as deputy prime minister and Admiral Toyoda as foreign minister. He removes the pro-Axis foreign minister, Yosuke Matsuoka and replaces him with Vice Admiral Chyoda Teifiro. Already personally unpopular, Matsuoka is removed because he has been urging that the Neutrality Agreement with the Soviets should be abandoned and that Japan should join with Germany in the attack on the USSR. The other Japanese leaders do not wish to take such a decisive step, and have decided that without Matsuoka and his known liking for Hitler they have a better chance of reaching an agreement with the US over the pressing problem of oil resources.

Finland established diplomatic relationship with the Japanese-sponsored puppet state of Manchukuo.

Over 35,000 pro-Japanese soldiers attack the New Fourth Army's stronghold in Kiangsu. 27 Mitsubishi G4Ms attacked Chungking.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: From Finland to the Black sea, the German war machine was declared to be striking tremendous blows, with the most spectacular action for the moment unfolding at the gates of Kiev, the industrial capital of the rich Ukraine, but with the power drives in the direction of Moscow and Leningrad continuing. Stalin calls 9 million men to arms.

Heeresgruppe Nord: The counter-attack near Sotsy by the Russians against General of the Infantry Erich von Manstein's LVI. Armeekorps (mot.) ends. Although the Germans did escape from a small encirclement, their 8.Panzerdivision did take serious losses in the four-day battle.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: Heavy fighting as German 2. Panzergruppe and 3. Panzergruppe attempt to seal Soviet pocket around Smolensk. The armored pincers of the two German Panzer Groups came within 16 km (9.9 mi) of closing the gap. However, Timoshenko had built up a hastily assembled force, which stopped the German advance and was continuously reinforced. The open gap allowed a number of Soviet units to escape.

Heeresgruppe Sud: German 6.Armee attacking Soviet 37th Army protecting Kiev. German 17.Armee seizes bridgehead across the Bug near Vinnitsa. German 11.Armee pushes forward around Soroki.

GERMANY: The Orthodox Bishop of Dresden, Germany completed his two-day visit of the Oflag IV-C prisoners of war camp at Colditz Castle and departed.

German Heroes of Crete visit the Führer.

MEDITERRANEAN: German and Italian aircraft conducting series of small raids on the island of Cyprus.

NORTH AFRICA: The Twin Pimples Raid: At 01:00 hours men of the No. 8 (Guards) Commando and the Royal Australian Engineers moved closer to their objective just prior to the start of the diversionary attack by the 18th Cavalry. The diversion was a success, and Italian machine-gun fire and very lights were directed towards the Indian cavalrymen. The Commandos managed to get within 30 yards (27 m) on the Twin Pimples before being challenged. The challenge was answered by a frontal attack by the Commandos. So as not to confuse their own forces with the Italians in the darkness, the password Jock was used when a position had been taken. The fire fight lasted about four minutes and the Australian Engineers planted explosives on several mortars and an ammunition dump. The planners had estimated that the Commandos could spend no longer than 15 minutes on the Italian position before it was engaged by the Italian artillery. The raiders had only got about 100 yards (91 m) from the Twin Pimples when the Italian artillery started to come down onto their own position. The cost of the raid to the Commandos was five wounded, one of whom later died of his wounds. The only soldier to be killed on this raid was Corporal John "Jackie" Edward Trestrail Maynard of the Duke of Cornwall's light Infantry and No 8 (Guards) Commando. The No. 8 Commando, together with the rest of Layforce, was disbanded soon after. Two members of No. 8 Commando, David Stirling and Jock Lewes, would form the Special Air Service by the end of July 1941.

General Blamey requests relief of Australian units holding besieged Tobruk.

The Jagdfliegerführer (Jäfu) 2, Generalmajor Theo Osterkamp, is appointed Fliegerführer Afrika and placed in command of the air region in Africa.

NORTH AMERICA: Works Progress Administration Assistant Commissioner Corrington Gill reported to the House of Representatives of the US Congress that 5,000,000 Americans would remain unemployed in the latter half of 1941.

SOUTH PACIFIC: Vice Admiral Sir Guy Royle, KCB, CMG, was appointed Australian First Naval Member and Chief of Naval Staff.

UNITED KINGDOM: One hundred and eight Luftwaffe aircraft attacked targets in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, East Anglia and Buckinghamshire. They dropped 173.9 tonnes of HE and 6,194 IBs, these attacks lasted until 0331 hours. Direct hits were made on Rank's flour mill, East Hull gas undertaking, Messrs Reckitt's factory, Franklin Street shelter, Holderness Road, the General Post Office, Crowle Street police station and the YPI George Street, - altogether more than 200 industrial buildings were hit. Approximately 7,000 houses received damage of a more serious nature than broken windows, 1,500 made uninhabitable.

British ASV radar equipment was deployed to one PBY Catalina and two PBM Mariner aircraft.

RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: 'Channel Stop': Three Blenheim bombers of No. 21 Squadron of No. 2 Group RAF damaged a German tanker in the English Channel off Gravelines, France. No damage done, but one Blenheim lost to Flak.

The Soviet Union signed a friendship treaty with the Czechoslovakian government-in-exile in London, England. Britain formally recognizes the Benes government as the legal provisional government of Czechoslovakia. A friendship and mutual assistance agreement between the Czechs and the Soviets is signed in London. Free Czechoslovakian army to be formed in the Soviet Union.

Stalin wrote to Churchill again saying,

"It seems to me that the military position of the Soviet Union, as well as that of Great Britain, would be considerably improved if there could be established a front against Hitler in the West- Northern France, and in the North- the Arctic."

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Fighter Command Roadstead mission to Dunkirk.

In a speech, Franco declares the Allies have lost the war.

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[Njaco]

July 19 Saturday

ASIA: In line with the Imperial Conference decision of July 2nd, the Japanese present an ultimatum to the representatives of the Vichy French government demanding bases southern Indochina.

Owen Lattimore arrived in Chongqing as a political advisor to Jiang Jieshi.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 1042 hours, the "Holmside", dispersed from Convoy OG-67, was torpedoed and sunk by U-66 NE of the Cape Verde Islands. 18 crewmembers and three gunners were lost. The master, 13 crewmembers and two gunners were picked up by the Portuguese merchantman "Sete Cidades" and landed at Lisbon on 1 August.

The United States Atlantic Fleet forms TF-1 for the protection of the American forces on Iceland and support for convoys bound there. The carrier "Wasp" flies a cargo of P-40 fighters to the island. A naval buildup begins. The US Navy has instructions to provide escorts for ships of any nationality sailing to and from Iceland. Atlantic Fleet Operation Order No. 6 instructs that American naval forces are to guarantee the safety of any convoys in the North Atlantic whenever the strategic situation demanded.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: Hitler signs Directive No. 33 Continuation of the War in the East. http://der-fuehrer.org/reden/english/wardirectives/33.html In a major change of operational plans, Hitler orders the German 4.Armee (von Kluge) and 2.Panzergruppe (Guderian) of Heeresgruppe Mitte (von Bock) to suspend their attacks toward Moscow and join 6.Armee (von Reichenau) and 1.Panzergruppe (von Kleist) of Heeresgruppe Sud (von Rundstedt) with the objective of destroying the Soviet Fifth, Sixth and Twelfth Armies west of the Dnepr-Dnestr line. The idea behind this directive is to begin exploiting the great agricultural and mineral riches of the Ukraine for the German war effort just as soon as the Soviet forces in that region are defeated. Both Kluge and Guderian object, but are curtly overruled by Hitler. Hitler directs that Russian armies must be wiped out before they can retreat.

Joseph Stalin declared himself the Soviet Defense Commissar (NKO). Viktor Abakumov officially assumed the role as the head of UOO of the Soviet NKVD.

Heeresgruppe Nord: Heavy fighting between German and Soviet forces took place near Lake Peipus near Leningrad, Russia. The Germans are continuing their thrust towards Leningrad in the face of increasing Russian resistance. The German infantry has still not been able to break through in support of its advance tank units. A Soviet communiqué claims that Red Army troops surrounded and destroyed enemy mechanized units between Pskov and Porkov, 180 miles south-west of Leningrad. Leningrad is now under attack from three directions: the Finns are approaching from the north and north-east, on both sides of Lake Ladoga, while the Germans are attacking through Estonia and the Luftwaffe are mounting heavy raids on the city and the rail link with Moscow. After the 12. Infanterie-Divisionen (Major General Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach) had arrived northwest of Nevel, the ring around the enemy forces (approximately two divisions) fleeing from the XXIII.Armeekorps (General of the Infantry Albrecht Schubert) and from the southern wing of the 16.Armee (Colonel General Ernst Busch) had closed.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: Adolf Hitler ordered the German 2.Panzergruppe to move south toward Kiev, Ukraine as soon as the group completed the conquest of Smolensk, Russia. Colonel General Heinz Guderian, commanding officer of the 2.Panzergruppe, protested and cited Moscow, Russia as the logical primary target, but Hitler would overrule him. OKH orders that most of 3.Panzergruppe will move north to assist attack toward Leningrad. The 19.Panzer-Divisionen (Lieutenant General O. von Knoblesdorff) takes the town of Velikie Luki, but a strong counter-attack forces them to abandon that position. While the Soviets suffered heavy losses in trying to retake the city, the High Command of the 4. Armee (General Feld Marshal Gunther Hans von Kluge), in outrage over the supposedly unauthorized actions of the 19.Panzer-Divisionen beyond the zone of Heeresgruppe Mitte, ordered the division to withdraw. With a heavy heart the brave troops retreated overnight to Nevel, taking with them the wounded and the prisoners. Uncoordinated attacks began against the 20.Panzer-Divisionen on both sides of Ustye on the Vop.

Heeresgruppe Sud: Eremenko resumes command of Soviet Western Front.

Lt. Walter Nowotny of III./JG 54 begins his war career by shooting down three Polikarpov I-153 biplanes. But with his own aircraft damaged, he ditches in the Gulf of Riga and climbs into a one-man life raft. Believing that the coast is about 40 miles away, and with no food or water, he begins paddling south.

Up to this date the Luftwaffe has lost 1,284 aircraft, almost the total strength of the Air Force when the invasion of Russia began.

In small groups, 5,000 Jews have been shot dead and thrown into pits at Ponar, outside Vilna.

Soviet destroyer "Stremitelny" and Soviet patrol vessel "Shtil" were sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft.

GERMANY: Oberst Werner Mölders of JG 51 is appointed to the newly created position of General der Jägdflieger, the General of The Fighter Arm and transferred to the Air Ministry in Berlin. He is replaced as Kommodore of JG 51 by Oblt. Friedrich Beckh.

Adolf Hitler ordered that American shipping were not to be attacked by German forces in order to keep the United States from fully entering the war.

RAF Bomber Command sends 49 aircraft to attack Hannover overnight. RAF Bomber Command sends 35 aircraft on minelaying operations at the mouth of the Elbe and Weser.

German-Swiss trade agreement concluded.

MEDITERRANEAN: Italo Gariboldi stepped down as the Governor-General of Italian Libya, succeeded by Ettore Bastico.

Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica attack Malta.

MIDDLE EAST: Of two German Abwehr agents attempting to reach Indian border area, one is killed and the other captured by Afghan police.

NORTH AFRICA: Luftwaffe bombers attack Alexandria overnight as RAF bombers attack Tripoli and Benghazi.

NORTH AMERICA: Tuskegee Army Air Field officially opened.

Marshall informs Grunert that his supplies are now being calculated on a war reserve sufficient for 50,000 men for six months less the supplies necessary for 30,000 Philippine Army troops for the same time (allocations for the Philippine Army were much lower than for the US soldiers).

NORTHERN EUROPE: General Olof Thörnell, commander of Swedish forces, suggests Sweden should contribute to the defeat of the Soviet Union.

SOUTH AMERICA: State of siege declared in Bolivia due to pro-Nazi activities and fears of a possible coup, which eventually turn out to be the result of a British forgery. German Minister Herr Wendler declared persona non grata.

SOUTH PACIFIC: Fijian ship "Viti" departed Suva, Fiji for Gilbert and Ellice Islands with New Zealand military servicemen aboard. She was to drop off small reconnaissance parties on many of the atolls and small islands to act as lookouts, or "coastwatchers", to watch for German surface raiders. Each atoll will have a civilian radio operator and, where there were no other Europeans, two unarmed soldiers. Radio operator John Jones, a volunteer from the Post and Telegraphic Department's training school in Courtenay Place, recalls that;

"it sounded like a nice job, something different and we were all young guys. And in our innocence we went away and when we got to Suva we knew we would be on a tropical island."

None of the coastwatchers ever saw a German.

UNITED KINGDOM: Just after midnight a message from Churchill was read over the air by a mysterious "Col. V. Britton" (actually BBC news editor Douglas Ritchie) calling upon the people of Nazi-occupied Europe to mobilize under the V for Victory campaign. The first four notes of Ludwig von Beethoven's Fifth Symphony match the Morse code for the letter "V": dot dot dot dash. Listeners are instructed to tap the code, and to paint the "V" in occupied territories.

British citizen George Armstrong was executed at Wandsworth prison for spying.

Submarine HMS "Umpire" collided with a trawler off Kent, England, during her sea trials, sinking in 60 feet of water; 22 men were lost.

Winston Churchill decided to share military intelligence gained by deciphering the German Enigma-encoded messages with the Soviets, but the Soviets would not be told how the intelligence was gained. Instead, they were told that the intelligence was gained through spies in Berlin.

WESTERN FRONT: Captured (by German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis on 10 Nov 1940) Norwegian tanker "Ole Jacob" arrived at Bordeaux, France, carrying aviation fuel and the captured crew of tankers "Ole Jacob" and "Teddy".

RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: 'Channel Stop': 11 British Blenheim bombers from RAF No. 105 Sqn. attacked an 8-ship German convoy escorted by 6 anti-aircraft ships off the Hague, Netherlands, sinking four of the transports and damaging another. Two Blenheims were lost.

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[Njaco]

July 20 Sunday

ASIA: Japanese luxury ocean liner "Hikawa Maru" arrived at Osaka, completing her 73rd round trip across the Pacific.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-126 spotted transport "Canadian Star" in the Atlantic Ocean at 0100 hours and proceeded to attack at 0242 hours with both torpedoes fired missing. U-126 and "Canadian Star" engaged in a duel with surface guns, and U-126 was forced to abandon the attack.

German submarine U-95 attacked transport "Palma" in the Atlantic Ocean at 0505 hours with both torpedoes fired missing. At 0528, U-95 opened fire with her deck gun, hitting "Palma" three times (though the German lookouts only spotted and recorded one hit), but "Palma" would be able to escape.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: Lt. Nowotny, still adrift on the Baltic, writes a farewell message, and watches as two Soviet destroyers pass close by and come under fire from German shore batteries.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: Stavka commits Soviet 24th Army, 28th Army, 29th Army, and 30th Army against German Heeresgruppe Mitte, especially around the Smolensk area. This put a heavy strain on the overextended Panzer forces, which had to cover a large area around the perimeter. However, poor coordination and logistics on the part of the Soviets allowed the Germans to successfully defend against these offensive efforts, while continuing to close the encirclement. 10.Panzerdivision (Lieutenant General F. Schaal) occupied Yelnya. When Guderian ordered Lieutenant-General Schaal's 10.Panzerdivision and General Hausser's SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) "Das Reich" to capture the Russian town of Yelnya, it sounded simple enough. It was anything but simple for Guderian's Panzer divisions. The shocking roads, the heat, and the dust were more dangerous enemies than the Red Army. The tanks were enveloped in thick clouds of dust. The dust and grit wore out the engines. The filters were continually clogged up with dirt. Oil-consumption became too heavy for supplies to cope with. Engines got overheated and pistons seized up. In this manner the 10.Panzerdivision lost the bulk of its heavy Mark IV tanks on the way to Yelnya. General Schaal, commanding the 10.Panzerdivision, has described the operation;

"Between Gorodishche and Gorki the division's vanguard had driven through a patch of thick forest. The bulk of the division got past the same spot during the night. But the artillery group which followed was suddenly smothered with mortar-fire from both sides and attacked by infantry at close quarters. Fortunately a motor-cycle battalion of the SS Division 'Das Reich' was bivouacking nearby. They came to the assistance of the gunners and hacked them free."

The wide anti-tank ditch which Russian civilians had built around the town in ceaseless round-the-clock work was overcome by the infantry of 69.Schützenregiment in spite of murderous gunfire. The division suffered heavy losses, but worked its way forward yard by yard. By evening the infantry had pushed through Yelnya and dug in on the far side. Lieutenant-General Rokossovskiy, commanding hurriedly collected reserves, drove his regiments against the German positions. But the line of 10.Panzerdivision held. On 20th July the SS Division "Das Reich" took up position on the high ground to the left of them. The troops needed a breather.

Stalin informs Timoshenko of his order to mount a major counter-attack to try to break the Soviet units trapped in Smolensk out and to recapture the city. Zhukov orders the Western Front reinforced by four armies of the Stavka's Front of Reserve Armies. These forces are ordered to conduct a counteroffensive to rescue the 16th, 19th and 20th armies around Smolensk. In a desperate breakthrough attempt, a large Soviet infantry force hurled itself through a weak spot in the front of the 14. Infanterie-Divisionen (mot.) ( Lieutenant General F. Fuerst) and reached the Nevel-Gorodok road, where it was routed by the 19. Panzer-Divisionen.

Heeresgruppe Sud: German 1.Panzergruppe pushes toward Uman.

The Soviet Union resumed diplomatic relations with the countries occupied by Germany.

Soviet Northern Fleet destroyer "Stremitel'ny" bombed and sunk by Stukas in Kolafjord.

Stalin orders all units to "purge unreliable elements". Part of this order was to detain any officers and men who escaped German encirclements so that they could be interrogated by the NKVD (early version of the KGB) to weed out "German spies". So after defying death at the hands of the Germans, these lucky few would be turned over to the not so tender mercies of their own countrymen.

Heinrich Himmler tasks the SS police leader in the Lublin district, Odilo Globocnik to prepare the Lublin region to be Germanized by expelling all the Jews and Poles from the area.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 113 aircraft to attack Cologne overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: Italian torpedo boat "Circe" sank British submarine HMS "Union" with depth charges southwest of the Italian island of Pantellaria between Sicily and Tunisia.

RAF bombers attack Naples.

NORTHERN EUROPE: German Lt. Fred Luther and the 2nd Rannikkoiskukompania (Coastal Shock Company) are landed as reinforcements on the strategically important Finnish island of Bengtskär, whose 52m lighthouse provides a commanding view of the entry to the Gulf of Finland and thus the approach to Leningrad.

Heavy attacks and counterattacks involving German Gebirgsarmee Norwegen along the Litsa River.

UNITED KINGDOM: Churchill wrote back to Stalin explaining that opening a new front in the west was presently out of the question.

"To attempt a landing in force would be to encounter a bloody repulse, and petty raids would only lead to fiascos doing far more harm than good to both of us", Churchill wrote. "You must remember that we have been fighting alone for more than a year, and that, though our resources are growing, and will grow fast from now on, we are at the utmost strain both at home and in the Middle East by land and air, and also that the Battle of the Atlantic, on which our life depends, and the movement of all our convoys in the teeth of the U-boat and Fokke-Wulf blockade, strains our naval resources, great though they may be, to the utmost limit."

Churchill did agree to conduct air and sea operations in the north to attack enemy shipping.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: 'Channel Stop': 6 British Blenheim bombers of 18 and 139 Sqns. damaged a 7,000-ton tanker off Le Touquet, France with three high explosive bombs and several incendiary bombs, forcing the ship to beach near Berck-sur-Mer to prevent sinking. Two British aircraft and one German Bf 109 fighter were shot down.

RAF Fighter Command makes a sweep over northern France and conducted Roadstead missions. RAF Bomber Command sends 12 aircraft on coastal sweeps.

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[parsifal]

How are you old friend. big catch up day for me tomorrow (which is Saturday here in oz0. ive been rather unwell for about two weeks now, still not quite right but will do my best to catch up

Halders Diary 16 July 1941

 

[Njaco]

No worries. As you can see, I've been a bit lax myself. We still have the best chronology on the internet!

 

[Njaco]

July 21 Monday

ASIA: The Vichy government, completely unable to do anything about it, gives the Japanese permission to occupy military bases in French Indochina. The Japanese now have air bases capable of staging bombers in range of Singapore.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: "Orion" rounded Cape Horn and entered the Atlantic Ocean.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: On the Baltic Sea, Lt. Nowotny comes close to shore, paddles in and collapses on the beach. He is found by two Latvian auxiliaries and taken to hospital.

Heeresgruppe Nord: Hitler visited the headquarters of Heeresgruppe Nord on the Eastern Front.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: Heavy fighting around Smolensk pocket as German 2. Panzergruppe begins reducing the Mogilev pocket. 4. Panzer-Divisionen (Major General W. von Langermann) cuts off 10 to 12 thousand Soviet troops in a forest near Cherikov. But after taking around 2,000 prisoners decided to let the rest escape to the Soviet lines rather than try and contain their attempted breakout with their own depleted forces.

Heeresgruppe Sud: Soviet 6th Army and 12th Army are nearly surrounded by German Heeresgruppe Sud as Kleist's panzers approach Tarashche and Uman. Soviet troops evacuated from the positions along the Dniestr River in western Ukraine. German forces captured Vinnytsia. XLVIII. Armeekorps (mot.) (General of the Panzer Troops Kempff) reached Monastyrishche.

The Luftwaffe bombed Moscow for the first time. 195 German Luftwaffe bombers, comprising Ju 88s from KG 3 and KG 54, He 111s from KG 53 and KG 55, along with two pathfinder Gruppen from KG 28, Kampfgruppe 100 and III./KG 26, took off from an airfield near Smolensk, Russia to attack the Soviet capital of Moscow in multiple waves during the night; the resulting air alarms were the first to be sounded in the city. The commander of the Moscow air defense, Maj. Gen. M.S. Gromadin, set off the first grand alert in the Soviet capital. The bombers drop over 100 tons on the city but failed to cause significant damage. Bombers from II./KG 55 targeted the Kremlin but the incendiary bombs fail to destroy the building. The attack is a fiasco as Moscow had one of the most extensive anti-aircraft defense systems of any city in the world at that time. Moscow had strong anti-aircraft defenses, the city was protected by 170 fighters, and the citizens were able to take shelter in the newly completed underground railway stations, but German air crews reported the presence of very few Soviet fighters after sunset. The Soviet high command, STAVKA, allegedly knew about the German preparations for the assault 2 days before it took place, and this explains why German air crews reported that defensive fire over Moscow was even more powerful than over London. The raid also showed a severe weakness in the German arsenal - they had no long range, heavy, four engine strategic bomber. They were completely unable to stage the kind of mass destruction the British and, later the Americans could with their massive bombers. On the next day the Soviets would report the downing of 22 German bombers, but German records only showed 6 bombers failing to return.

The OKW war diary describes Hitler's feeling on the capture of Moscow: "In this regard it could then happen that 2. Panzergruppe turns to the south so that for the thrust on Moscow only infantry armies of Heeresgruppe Mitte remain. This eventuality does not worry the Führer because Moscow is for him only a geographical term."

Outside Minsk, Byelorussia, German SS troops ordered 30 Byelorussians to bury 45 Jews alive in a pit. Upon meeting refusal, the SS men executed the entire group of 75 by machine gun fire.

The Majdanek Concentration Camp near Lublin, Poland became operational.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 71 aircraft to attack Frankfurt and 44 aircraft to attack Mannheim overnight.

Ukrainian nationalist leader Stefan Bandera imprisoned.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Substance: A major operation, code named Substance, is launched by the British Gibraltar forces to bring supplies to Malta. The Allied convoy - Convoy GM 1 escorted by RN Force H - departed Gibraltar to supply Malta. There are seven transports in the convoy and they are covered by Force H which has been reinforced for the operation. In addition to "Renown", "Ark Royal", a cruiser and eight destroyers, the Home Fleet has sent "Nelson", three cruisers and nine destroyers. HMAS "Nestor", (destroyer), embarked troops and sailed from Gibraltar as an escort of Force H, bound for Malta.

Axis Convoy departs Naples for Tripoli with four vessels escorted by Italian destroyers "Folgore", "Euro", "Saetta", and "Fulmine". Italian vessel "Brarena" sunk by RAF aircraft.

NORTH AFRICA: Free French leader Charles de Gaulle met with British Minister of State in Cairo Oliver Lyttleton in Cairo, Egypt, complaining of the shortcomings in the arrangement in the Middle East where Free French troops were placed under British command. Angry over the treatment of the Free French by the Syrian armistice he hands Lyttleton a memorandum:

"Free France, that is to say France, is no longer willing to entrust to the British military command the duty of exercising command over the French troops in the Middle East. General de Gaulle and the French Empire Defence Council are resuming full and entire disposal of all the French forces of the Levant as from 24 July 1941, at midday."

Lyttleton makes several concessions to de Gaulle. General Dentz and several Vichy French officers should be segregated, if necessary, in Palestine; that the British government should not intervene in political and administrative affairs in Syria; and that it would 'protect the historical interests of the French in Syria.' de Gaulle proposes a new application of the armistice convention. He also suggests that the British should limit themselves to 'the military operations against the common enemy.' Lyttleton agrees on behalf of the British.

NORTH AMERICA: Franklin Roosevelt asked the United States Congress to modify the Selective Service Act, increasing the period of service from one year of active service to also include 30 months in reserve. He asked Congress to declare a full or limited national emergency as a means of retaining more members of reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Finnish Amy of Karelia captures Salmi on the northeast shore of Lake Ladoga.

German vessel "Wandsbek" sunk by RAF aircraft at Narvik.

SOUTH PACIFIC: The Naval Auxiliary Patrol was established as a formation of the RAN. A volunteer patrol had operated from Australian ports from the outbreak of WWII. In the first 10 days of the NAP's existence, 450 men were enlisted. The vessels used by the patrol, peacetime pleasure cruisers, became known as 'nappies'.

UNITED KINGDOM: Hugh Dalton informed Winston Churchill that his Special Operations Executive was now ready to support covert operations in German-occupied Europe.

Churchill tank enters mass-production.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Fighter Command Roadstead missions to Le Touquet and Gravelines, a Circus mission to Lille and several sweeps over northern France. RAF Bomber Command sent 13 aircraft on coastal sweeps.

Shortly after 0800 hours, Oblt. Johannes Seifert of 3./JG 26 shoots down a Spitfire southwest of Ypres. Fifteen minutes later he destroys a Stirling bomber of RAF No 15 Squadron over the Channel.

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[Njaco]

July 22 Tuesday

ASIA: Japanese Foreign Minister Teijiro Toyoda, who had replaced Yosuke Matsuoka only four days prior, reaffirmed Japan's alliance with Germany and Italy, meanwhile, he attempted to stabilize the deteriorating relations with the United States.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Vichy French vessel "Ville de Rouen" captured by British cruiser "Dunedin".

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: For the first time in a month, the exhausted Germans temporarily halt offensive operations having driven over 400 miles into Russia in many areas during the last month. They stand at the gates of Kiev and are fighting along the last defense line before Leningrad. To date, the Germans have captured over 720,000 square miles of territory. The Soviets, badly mauled in the attack, still field a massive army and despite losing a great deal of territory and cities, has been successful in moving (literally picking up factories, putting them on rail cars) most of its industrial might into the Urals, outside the reach of German bombers and ground troops.

Heeresgruppe Nord: German spearheads halt for rest and recuperation near Lake Ilmen, south of Leningrad.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: In the Heeresgruppe Mitte sector, German forces continue reducing Mogilev pocket and Smolensk pocket. The 19.Panzer-Divisionen arrived at Velizh and the 14. Infanterie-Divisionen (mot.) was relieved by the XXIII Corps and was sent through Bayevo so that all parts of 3. Panzergruppe (Colonel General H. Hoth) were finally reunited for joint action between Smolensk and Bely.

18. Panzer Divisionen (Major General W. Nehring) is reinforced with 30 new Panzer Mark IIIs and IVs which only bring the division up to 20 percent of its full operational strength.

For the second consecutive night, German bombers attacked Moscow, Russia. Of the 115 bombers dispatched, two failed to returned, one of which was a pathfinder aircraft while the other served in the traditional bomber role.

In captivity at the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, Russia, General Dimitry Pavlov explained that out of the 600 artillery fortifications on the western border, only 169 of them actually had guns inside, and other similar facts explained why he could not counterattack the German forces as Joseph Stalin had ordered. Regardless, he was found guilty and was executed before the end of the day. His rank was stripped and his properties were confiscated by the state.

The Soviet NKGB was merged into the NKVD.

Reinhard Heydrich, serving as a Luftwaffe major flying Bf109 fighters, was shot down in no-man's land and evades, but he is no longer allowed to fly combat missions.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 63 aircraft to attack Frankfurt and 29 aircraft to attack Mannheim overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Substance: Part of the Operation Substance convoy is located by Italian planes but the Italian fleet stays in port, expecting only a repeat of the previous carrier operations to fly planes to Malta. The Italian sub Alagi heard the convoy of Operation Substance but could not attack while the Italian submarine "Diaspro" fired four torpedoes on HMS "Ark Royal" and HMAS "Nestor" escorting the convoy in the Mediterranean Sea. All torpedoes missed. 8 SM79s torpedo bombers and 15 bombers (SM79 and Cant Z1007) took off from Sardinia, Italy to attack the same convoy, but they would fail to locate any of the ships.

Axis supply convoy departs Naples for Tripoli with five vessels escorted by six destroyers and one MTB. German vessel "Preussen" is sunk by RAF aircraft.

Adolf Hitler sent an armored train equipped with anti-aircraft weapons to Benito Mussolini as a birthday present.

Italian Count Galeazzo Ciano noted in his diary that Benito Mussolini had staged a mock air raid over Rome, Italy on this date, with anti-aircraft positions firing. The purpose of this production was to give the citizens the impression that a serious war was going on.

NORTH AFRICA: Luftwaffe bombers attack Suez Canal overnight.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Finnish Army of Karelia captures Manssila northeast of Lake Ladoga.

While the Finnish attack in Karelia is in progress (often against heavy Soviet resistance), Colonel Ruben Lagus, commanding officer of Finnish 5th Division, was nominated the first recipient of a new decoration, the Mannerheim Cross (2nd class).

SOUTH AMERICA: US authorities temporarily stopped shipping through the Panama Canal as "maintenance work" was needed. Interestingly enough, several Japanese ships were forced to divert around South America because of the action. The last Japanese ship departed the Panama Canal Zone.

WESTERN FRONT: Vichy France enacted a law that required Jews to register their businesses, which in effect excluded all Jews from commerce and industry.

RAF Fighter Command conducted a sweep over northern France and a Circus mission to Le Trait.

Kriegsmarine battleship "Scharnhorst" moves from Brest to La Pallice.

.

 

[Njaco]

July 23 Wednesday

ASIA: The US declares its intent to break talks with Japan over the occupation of Indochina, declaring that talks would be fruitless since the "Japanese government intended to pursue the policy of force and of conquest."

Admiral Decoux makes local arrangements to grant Japan air and naval bases in southern Indochina.

Imperial General Headquarters published Army Department Order No. 517 directing the commanders of the China Expeditionary Army, Kwantung Army and the 1st Hikoshidan (located in Japan with units on Formosa) to assist one another by transferring small air units to the areas where they were most needed at a particular time either in Manchuria or China. Until the war's end, this order was used many times as authority to move small air units from place to place according the urgency of the situation.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: A Hudson aircraft, while on convoy escort duty, shot down a German aircraft 107 miles west-southwest of Achill Head, Achill Island, Ireland; the German crew was later rescued and interrogated.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: Another 115 German bombers return over Moscow to bomb the city. Very little damage is done. Following the heavy air attacks, the Communist Party and STAVKA start to evacuate the families of government members and high-ranking military men from Moscow. General S. M. Shtemenko, the Soviet chief of operations, reports that bombs were frequently dropped near his offices at night, and that consequently the Red Army general staff headquarters was always shifted to the Byelorosskaya subway station in the evening so that the Soviet officers could get on with their work in peace. Later the general staff are moved to the Kirovskaya subway station, which had been specially remodeled for the purpose.

Heeresgruppe Nord: As the German 4.Panzergruppe begins attacking the Luga line, Soviet General Pyadyshev is relieved of command of Luga Operational Group and executed.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: The Stavka forms a new Central Front under Colonel-General F.I. Kuznetsov consisting of Lieutenant-General M.G. Efremov's 21st and Lieutenant-General V.F. Gerasimov's 13th Armies. This front is ordered to protect Gomel' and the Sozh river sector. Around Smolensk, the forces of the Soviet 20th Army (Lieutenant General P.A. Kurochkin) counterattack forces of German 2.Panzergruppe even though the army flanks are unsecured. The Soviet fortress of Brest-Litovsk finally surrendered.

Heeresgruppe Sud: Soviet forces counterattacked at Monastyrishche.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 51 aircraft to attack Mannheim and 33 aircraft to attack Frankfurt overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: HMS "Edinburgh" arrived at Malta.

Operation Substance: One British destroyer is sunk and one cruiser and three destroyers are hit in Italian air attacks on the Operation Substance forces. Airplanes from Sardinia attacked the convoy starting from 0942 hours. They were part of the 283 and 280 Sqd AS (SM79 torpedo bombers), 32 Stormo BT (SM79 level bombers) and 51 Gruppo BT (Cant Z1007). Destroyer, HMS "Fearless" is hit aft by an air dropped torpedo from a SM79 of the 280 Sqd and completely disabled. As nothing can be done to save her, the crew were taken off and she is scuttled by HMS "Forester", south of Sardinia. There are 27 casualties. RN cruiser "Manchester" suffered an aerial torpedo hit on the port quarter. In the afternoon SM79 bombers damaged with a near-miss the DD "Firedrake". The "Firedrake", in the process of towing a two speed destroyer sweep (TSDS) was narrowly missed by a 500 kilo bomb which exploded on the starboard side, close alongside No.1 boiler room, causing severe structural damage. The side plating which was blown inwards from upper deck to bilge keel over most of the length of No.1 boiler room, and over the fore end of No.2 boiler room; both boiler rooms were flooded and Nos.1 and 2 boilers actually shifted position as a result of the blast. After inspecting the damage, "Firedrake" was forced to return to Gibraltar. On her way back to Gibraltar the "Firedrake", was passed by Force H making their way back to Gibraltar after delivering the convoy to Malta. Admiral Somerville C-in-C Force (H) had sent a message to all the ships of the Force to cheer the "Firedrake" as they passed her, and every ship with all their crews on deck cheered "Firedrake" as they sailed by. When she arrived back in Gibraltar there was a band waiting for her, the band played Rule Britannia as she entered the dock.

NORTH AFRICA: The Syrian armistice is again changed to allow the Free French to contact Vichy troops. The captured war material was French property and the Syrian and Lebanese troops would be placed under Free French command.

NORTH AMERICA: In Washington DC, Senator Wendell Willkie (the defeated Republican candidate at the 1940 Presidential election) urged America to give unlimited aid to Britain.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Finnish Army of Karelia reaches 1939 border east of Lake Ladoga. The defending forces on the Finnish island of Bengtskär are reinforced by a 20 mm Madsen cannon with a crew of three.

UNITED KINGDOM: A British No. 44 Squadron Hampden bomber, returning from to Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, from a minelaying sortie, crashed into the staff residence of Lincoln Girls High School on Lindum Hill in the nearby city of Lincoln. The crew of four were all killed immediately as was the senior French mistress who died trying to escape from the burning building. Four other members of staff were injured and exploding ammunition peppered the surrounding area, seriously hampering the work of the fire and rescue teams.

WESTERN FRONT: At 0915 hours British RAF Coastal Command Reconnaissance detects that the Kriegsmarine battleship "Scharnhorst" has left her consorts "Gneisenau" and "Prinz Eugen" in Brest, and has slipped south to the small port of La Pallice. An attempt has been made to conceal her absence by the substitution of a large tanker, covered with camouflage netting. Fearing that she might be about to attempt an Atlantic raid, six Bomber Command Stirlings brave the German defenses in an unsuccessful evening attack; one failed to return. RAF Bomber Command sends another 30 aircraft to attack La Pallice overnight.

RAF Fighter Command flew a Circus mission to Mazingarbe and a Circus mission to Bois d'Esperlecques. RAF Bomber Command sends 17 aircraft on coastal sweep.

Two weeks after his younger brother begins his victory score, Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland gains his first victory, a Spitfire. Douglas Bader added a German Bf 109 aircraft to his score.

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[Crimea_River]

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[Njaco]

July 24 Thursday

ASIA: Japanese forces occupy Tonkin.

The Japanese government demands of Vichy France permission to occupy airbases in southern Indochina, and use the naval base at Camranh Bay. Vichy France reluctantly signs a Treaty for the Defence of Indochina. Japanese forces enter Saigon and occupy key positions throughout Indo-China.

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen Barbarossa: Another 100 German bombers attack Moscow but again do very little damage.

Heeresgruppe Mitte: Soviet forces continue attacking German 2.Panzergruppe at Yelnya while Soviet forces recapture Velikiye Luki.

"The gunners, working like fury, finally beat off the first Russian tank attacks, but these were then renewed in greater strength and then our motorcycle battalion came under heavy pressure. We were smothered in a drum fire such as we had never before experienced....Because of the severe losses which it had sustained [the] motor-cycle battalion had to be taken out of the line and was replaced by an East Prussian engineer battalion. With the help of that formation we stemmed the Russian advance, albeit only temporarily, for soon ammunition for the guns began to run out and we were only allowed to fire against certain, specified targets."

- Heid Ruehl, a soldier in the Das Reich Division describing the effort to hold the Yel'nya salient.

Heeresgruppe Sud: On the Eastern Front, Operation München ended in Axis victory.

Major Günther Freiherr von Maltzahn, Kommodore of JG 53, is awarded the Eichenlaub for not only his forty-two victories but also as an appreciation of his leadership.

An Einsatzgruppe [action squad] commander reports back to Berlin that 4,435 Jews have been liquidated in the town of Lachowicze.

GERMANY: 68 Dutch officers arrived at the Oflag IV-C camp at Colditz Castle in Germany. They were the first Dutch prisoners at this POW camp.

RAF Bomber Command sends 64 aircraft to attack Kiel and 47 aircraft to attack Emden overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: Mussolini offers Germany another army corps for service on the Russian Front.

Operation Substance: British convoy GM 1 arrives at Malta but British vessel "Sydney Star" is damaged by Italian motor torpedo boats MAS 532 and MAS 533. Following Operation Substance a group of empty merchantmen leave Malta for Gibraltar - Convoy MG 1. Empty ships from previous trips join Force H for the return to Gibraltar. RN Force H eventually returns back to Gibraltar with convoy MG 1. South of Sardinia they are attacked by SM79s torpedo bombers (280 Sqd), the tanker "Hoegh Hood" is sunk.

C-in-C, Mediterranean, Admiral A. B. Cunningham, signaled HMAS "Nestor", (destroyer):

"I hasten to add my congratulations and those of all in Force H. Another good piece of work by NESTOR. You have done so much for the common weal of substance".

HMAS "Nestor", (CMDR A. S. Rosenthal, DSO, RAN), stood by the damaged merchant ship "Sydney Star", which had been torpedoed by Italian E boats north of Pantellaria. Under continuous air attack and the threat of further E boat attacks, "Nestor" went alongside the "Sydney Star", and took off 467 troops and her crew of 231. The transfer was hampered by a lifeboat snagged alongside. Although it was dark LS R. J. Anderson and AB J. S. McLeod leapt into the water, and physically removed the boat, allowing the ships to come together for the transfer. The two sailors were awarded the DSM. "Nestor" later took the merchant ship in tow, and for 72 hours fought off air and E boat attacks until Malta was reached. CMDR Rosenthal was awarded the DSO.

NORTH AFRICA: Free France, distrustful of British command of its troops in the Middle East, took back control effective at 1200 hours.

NORTH AMERICA: US Marine Corps established a Marine Detachment under the 1st Defense Battalion at Johnston Island.

Some 700 employees of the Alcan aluminum company went on strike in Arvida, Quebec, Canada. Since the industry had been classified as essential to the war effort, the strike was illegal.

The air echelon of the USAAF's 33d Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), consisting of 30 P-40s and 3 primary training aircraft (Stearman PT-13 Kaydets), are loaded on the aircraft carrier USS "Wasp" at Naval Operating Base Norfolk, Virginia. The ship will sail for Iceland on 28 July and the aircraft will be launched on the morning of 6 August 1941.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Finnish 14th Infantry Division destroys Soviet pocket around Omelia en route to Murmansk railroad. Finnish Army of Karelia captures Vidlitsa and Rajakonru northeast of Lake Ladoga.

UNITED KINGDOM: The RAF submitted a report for the week ending 24 Jul 1941. Coastal Command flew 252 patrols (364 sorties) and escorted 94 convoys (264 sorties). Fighter Command flew 704 shipping protection patrols (1,476 sorties).

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bombers hit the German battle cruisers "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" and cruiser "Prinz Eugen". In the first attack, RAF Bomber Command attack the Kriegsmarine battlecruiser "Gneisenau" at Brest without success. Three Fortress bombers fly high toward Brest, while 18 Hampden bombers with Spitfire escort come in below. Two Hampdens are shot down. Then 79 Wellington bombers arrive in a second wave. Ten are shot down. 15 Halifax bombers attack Kriegsmarine battlecruiser "Scharnhorst" at La Pallice. Five direct hits were recorded on the battleship, but three armour-piercing bombs passed straight through the "Scharnhorst" without exploding, but causing a large amount of water to flood some areas. Five planes are shot down, the others are all damaged. "Scharnhorst" is damaged and forced to return to Brest for repairs. Seventeen bombers are lost in the raids. The repairs required will not be complete until 1942. Since "Prinz Eugen" has been hit earlier in the month and "Gneisenau" is under repair, this means that none of the German heavy ships in and around Brest are fit for operations in the near future.

RAF Bomber Command sends 36 Blenheim bombers on a diversionary raid on Cherbourg docks, heavily escorted by Fighter Command. Nine are shot down.

RAF Fighter Command Circus mission to Hazebrouck.

James Lacey engaged two German Bf 109 fighters and claimed kills on both of them after the two German aircraft collided in mid-air during the dogfight.

US transport "West Point" delivers German and Italian diplomatic personnel and families to Lisbon, Portugal.

.

 

[parsifal]

17 JULY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIC U-579
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Neutral
Benson Class DD USS INGRAHAM (DD 444)

An early wartime colour photo. The now standard radar fits are missing from this photo, probably the work of the wartime sensor

Allied
FNFL ML 268

Flower Class Corvette HMS NARCISSUS (K-74)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Isles Class ASW Trawler HMS RONALDSAY (T-149)
[NO IMAGE FOUND}

Losses
Submarine THRASHER damaged fishing trawler VIRGO FIDELIS (Vichy 129 grt) off San Sebastian. The trawler was run aground a total loss.

Fishing trawler BEN GLAMAIR (UK198 grt) was lost to an unknown cause near Dunstanburgh.

Drifter FERTILE VALE (UK 91 grt) was sunk in a collision off the River Tay.

RM submarine MALASPINA sank steamer GUELMA (UK 4402 grt) in the central Atlantic, 150 miles south of Madeira. The entire crew were rescued by Submarine THUNDERBOLt on the 17th.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
Departures
Bergen: U-143
Trondheim: U-81, U-652

At Sea 17 July 1941
U-66, U-68, U-74, U-81, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-97, U-98, U-109, U-123, U-124, U-125, U-126, U-140, U-141, U-144, U-145, U-201, U-202, U-203, U-331, U-372, U-401, U-431, U-553, U-561, U-562, U-564, U-565, UA

31 Boats

OPERATIONS
North Sea
DD ESCAPADE arrived at Scapa Flow from the Tyne on the completion of her refitting.

British steamer EMERALD QUEEN was damaged by the LW in the NthSea. The steamer, carrying Admiralty Stores and ammunition, was towed to Hartlepool.

Northern Waters
DD WINCHESTER departed Scapa Flow after completion of work up bound for Rosyth. En route, the DD joined convoy WN.53 as additional escort. DD ORIBI arrived at Scapa Flow from Greenock to work up.

DD HEYTHROP departed Scapa Flow escorting British tankers WAR SUDRA and DAXHOUND. At 1700, trawler NORTHERN SKY with steamer LOCHGARRY was met. The force proceeded to Skofenfjord in the Faroes. They arrived at 1630 on the 18th. The DD and WAR SUDRA proceeded on to Seidisfjord, where they arrived on the 20th.

The DD departed Seidisfjord at 0730 on the 21st and proceeded to Skaalefjord, arriving at 0800 on the 22nd. On the 22nd, DD HEYTHROP, tankers DAXHOUND and WAR PINDARI, and ASW trawler LORD AUSTIN departed Skaalefjord. The DD arrived at Scapa Flow on the 23rd; the other ships having been detached to Kirkwall.

ORP DD BURZA arrived at Scapa Flow escorting oiler BLACK RANGER. The DD later left to return to the Western Approaches.

AA ship ALYNBANK departed Scapa Flow to provide AA protection for convoy WN.53 from Pentland Firth until south of Buchan Ness, where she transferred to convoy EC.46.

Later in the day off Cape Wrath the ship transferred to convoy WN.54.During the morning of 20 July, the ship transferred to convoy EC.47. On arrival in Pentland Firth, the ship departed the convoy and arrived at Scapa Flow at 0200 on the 21st.

Med/Biscay
CL NEPTUNE arrived at Suez after repairs. The cruiser passed through the Canal and at Port Said disembarked her catapult to make room for additional AA weapons. NEPTUNE then proceeded to Alexandria, arriving on the 19th.

RAN sloop PARRAMATTA departed Alexandria for Port Said for escort duties.

Italian tanker PANUCO (6212grt) was damaged at Tripoli by British aerial torpedo attack of three Swordfish of 830 Squadron from Malta. The tanker was unable to unload her cargo. The tanker departed Tripoli on the 19th with her cargo still aboard, escorted by TBs CENTAURO and MONTANARI. She docked at at Palermo on the 22nd.

Sub P.32 departed Gibraltar to patrol to support Operation SUBSTANCE, then proceed to Malta. Submarine UTMOST departed Malta for Operation SUBSTANCE.

Nth Atlantic
OB.348 departed Liverpool, escort DDs DOUGLAS and SKATE, corvette ANEMONE, MSW LEDA, and ASW trawlers ST ELSTAN and ST ZENO. DD LEAMINGTON and corvette ABELIA joined on the 22nd. These escorts were detached on the 22nd. On the 22nd, DDs READING and RCN SAGUENAY and corvettes DIANTHUS, HONEYSUCKLE, and SNOWBERRY joined. The escorts were detached off Halifax on the 30th. The convoy arrived at Halifax on the 31st.

Central Atlantic
Submarine TALISMAN arrived at Gibraltar from Halifax

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 17 JULY TO DAWN 18 JULY 1941
Weather Sunny and hot.

1126-1145 hrs Air raid alert for one SM 79 on reconnaissance escorted by 15 fighters which cross over the GrandHarbour area and fly over the centre of the Island from north to south at 23000 feet. Heavy anti-aircraft guns engage. 19 Hurricanes are scrambled (eight of 249 Squadron, 11 of 185 Squadron) 185 see the raiders but are 4000 feet too low to engage. 249 Squadron chase the raiders out to sea, eventually engaging them at 16000 feet, 55 miles north of the Island. Two Macchi 200 fighters are shot down into the sea and another is damaged. One Hurricane of 249 Squadron is lost; the pilot Sgt Guest is killed.

0110-0134 hrs Air raid alert for a single enemy aircraft which approaches from the north and drops bombs on the Sliema area and in the sea, including off Filfla.

0155-0355 hrs Air raid alert for a series of four enemy aircraft which approach singly from the north at intervals, then drop bombs on the north of the Island and Ta Qali. Heavy anti-aircraft guns engage with one barrage; no claims. Hurricane fighters are scrambled but there are no interceptions due to no searchlight illuminations. One unexploded bomb is reported at Targa Gap.

0411-0442 hrs Air raid alert for two enemy aircraft which approach the Island at the same time as Wellingtons are returning, then drop bombs on Kalafrana and in St Thomas' Bay. Other sticks of small bombs fall on fields across a mile stretch of open country. Hurricane fighters are scrambled; no engagements.

OPERATIONS REPORTS THURSDAY 17 JULY 1941

ROYAL NAVY Utmost sailed for 'Operation Substance'.

AIR HQ Departures 5 Hurricane. 69 Squadron Maryland search for convoy ship.

HAL FAR Fulmar 'intruder operation' on Catania met with heavy ground opposition. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm3 Swordfish attacked Tripoli and successfully torpedoed a 7000 ton tanker as well as dropping bombs on Spanish Quay causing a huge explosion, despite heavy ground defences. 148 Squadron 5 Wellingtons attacked Palermo Harbour, dropping 20000lb of bombs on four cruisers and six destroyers; results not seen.

 

[parsifal]

Halders Diary 17 July 1941

 

[parsifal]

18 JULY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
Tangier Class AV USS POKOMOKE (AV 9)

ELCO 77' PTs USS PT 37 and 38

Allied
ML 255, MSW MMS 42

Losses
None

UBOATS
At Sea 18 July 1941
U-66, U-68, U-74, U-81, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-97, U-98, U-109, U-123, U-124, U-125, U-126, U-140, U-141, U-144, U-145, U-201, U-202, U-203, U-331, U-372, U-401, U-431, U-553, U-561, U-562, U-564, U-565, UA

31 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front
Baltic
Defence of the RigaGulf Area 12-18 July 1941
While German forces started their advance to the Baltic States, the Baltic Fleet carried out a series of defensive operations against German barge traffic, ferries and transports that had infiltrated into the Riga Gulf. A number of attacks were carried out by VMF MTBs, a/c and DDs. The first VMF MTBs attack of the conflict was carried by TK-17, TK-87, TK-73 and TK-93 on 13 July. They attacked a convoy formed by the gunboat SAT-3 AUGUST, LAT-21 GRETCHEN and LAT-23 Siebel Ferry DEUTSCHLAND , the command unit FEYYA and a number of barges and tugs and other ships, escorted also by MSWs M-251, R-28, R-29, R-168, R-169, R-170 and MTBs S-54 and S-58 (then joined by S-47 and S-57). Despite their torpedoes missing the targets, the gunboat SAT-3 AUGUST was damaged (struck by 60 hits of machine guns) and were damaged too by gunfire the barges B-1P, B-2P and EEMLAN.

Painting of the MTB attack.


Air raids were more successful, sinking the Siebel Ferry DEUTSCHLAND (DKM 130 grt)

+
Siebel Ferry similar to the DEUTSCHLAND

These air attacks also managed to damages to the tugs R.18 and D.118, the barges A-279, A-291, S-289, and the MSWs R-169 and MTB S-58 . Also the assault boat UK.126 suffered underwater damage. Human losses on ferries, tugs and transport and barges were very light with only 5 kia, 27 wia, all caused by air attacks. Other damages (and light casualties) were inflicted by air attacks to other convoys over the next several days. In the end the Soviet claimed to have sunk , destroyed or damaged 37 targets but in reality they only sank one ship whilst damaging a total of 2 badly damaged and 23 with light damages. During the last engagement on 18 July the G-5 Class MTB TK-123 (VMF 15 grt) was sunk by the LW.

DD STRASHNYI carried the first and only torpedo attack (by DD) in Baltic, launching 2 torpedoes without hits (she was then damaged by mine, 11kia and 7 wia, DKM claims this damage was by S-Boats. At the same time DD STEREGUSHCHYI claimed to have sunk 5 barges and 2 escort units (later it was claimed only 2 barges sunk and 2 damaged), but according to DKM sources this action caused only light damages to the MSWs R-30 and R-31. MSW R-168 was also later damaged by air attacks with 3 wia.

The largest naval operation in 1941 took place in the Gulf of Riga. The Baltic fleet considered the results to be poor at the time, and this appears to be a correct conclusion. However these operations were crucial to the advancing germans and appear to have casused some delay to the German operations.

Black Sea/Caspian
Steamer KOLA (SU 2654 grt) was sunk in the Kerch strait She was lost on a way from Novorossiysk to Feodosia with 3 crew were lost and 30 crew were rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

North Sea
DD ANTHONY arrived at Scapa Flow from Rosyth on the completion of her refitting.

Northern Patrol

Northern Waters
BC REPULSE, escorted by DDs ICARUS, ACTIVE, and ACHATES departed Scapa Flow for Rosyth where the ships arrived on the 19th.

DD BEDOUIN departed Scapa Flow for refitting in the Humber. The DD arrived on the 19th.

Western Approaches
British steamer PILAR DE LARRINAGA was damaged by the LW in the Western Approaches. Four crew were killed on the steamer. The steamer was towed to Belfast Lough.

SW Approaches
HG.68 departed Gibraltar, escort DDs BEVERLEY and WISHART, sloop SCARBOROUGH, submarine CLYDE, ASW trawlers LADY HOGARTH, LADY SHIRLEY, and LEYLAND. Captured Vichy trawler GROUIN DU COU in the convoy was forced to return to Gibraltar on the 22nd when she could not keep up with the convoy. On the 24th, captured Vichy trawler L'ORAGE returned to Gibraltar with boiler defects. Corvettes FLEUR DE LYS and GERANIUM departed Gibraltar on the 19th and joined the convoy at sea. DD BEVERLEY was detached on the 19th with captured French ship ISAC. On the 22nd, submarine CLYDE, corvette FLEUR DE LYS, and DD WISHART were detached. The submarine and DD going to convoy OG.68.

Corvettes CLOVER and VERVAIN joined on the 23rd. Trawlers LADY HOGARTH and LADY SHIRLEY were detached on the 25th. On the 27th, corvettes ALISMA, DIANELLA, KINGCUP, and SUNFLOWER joined the convoy. DDs BATH, VANOC, and WALKER, CAM ship ARIGUANI, and corvettes CARNATION, HELIOTROPE, LA MALOUINE, and MALLOW. Corvettes CLOVER and VERVAIN were detached on the 28th. On the 29th, corvettes CARNATION and LA MALOUINE were detached. Corvette GERANIUM was detached on the 31st for refitting in the UK. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 2 August.

Med/Biscay
In Operation GUILLOTINE, beginning on this date and continuing into August, troops and supplies were moved from Port Said and Haifa to Famagusta in cruisers, ML cruisers ABDIEL and LATONA, and DDs.

Australian steamer SALAMAUA, carrying an AA battery and RAF 80 Sqn, proceeded to Famagusta from Port Said, escorted by sloop PARRAMATTA in serial S.1 of this operation. The ships arrived at Famagusta on the 21st.

DDs HERO and HOTSPUR carried supplies to Tobruk. They returned to Alexandria on the 18th.

BBs VALIANT and QUEEN ELIZABETH, CLA PHOEBE, and DDs JACKAL, NIZAM, HASTY, KIPLING, and HAVOCK departed Alexandria for exercises.

ML cruisers ABDIEL and LATONA had departed Alexandria the prior day for further exercises.

RAN CL PERTH, after having been relieved by RAN CL HOBART, departed Alexandria to return to Australia. Before departing the Med Flt, PERTH had a quadruple pom pom removed and a catapult, previously carried in CL AJAX, mounted at Port Said on the 19th. The CL passed through the Suez Canal on the 20th. PERTH was refitting and repairing defects at Sydney from 11 August to 30 October.

Central Atlantic
CA LONDON departed Gibraltar to return to Scapa Flow, where she arrived on the 23rd.

DD VIDETTE departed Gibraltar to join British tanker BRITISH HONOUR and escort her to Gibraltar, arriving on the 21st.

Corvette GERANIUM arrived at Gibraltar, escorting British oiler HORNSHELL.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 18 JULY TO DAWN 19 JULY 1941
Weather Sunny and hot.

0927-0950 hrs Air raid alert for five enemy Macchi fighters five miles off the south of the Island.

0945 hrs An unexploded bomb at Targa Gap is removed by the Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Section.

0222-0340 hrs; 0400-0435 hrs Air raid alerts for a total of nine enemy aircraft which cross the Island at intervals, dropping small calibre bombs on Zabbar damaging a water main near the Poor House, on isolated areas near Luqa, Naxxar and Gudja, and in the sea off the north coast near Dragonara and Valletta. Rinella wireless station is slightly damaged. Two Hurricanes and one Fulmar are airborne throughout the raids but searchlights do not illuminate any raiders and there are no interceptions.

OPERATIONS REPORTS FRIDAY 18 JULY 1941

AIR HQ Arrivals 1 Sunderland. Overnight (17/18) the Inspector General, Air Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt, and staff arrived by Sunderland from Gibraltar. 69 Squadron Maryland reconnaissance Catania, Augusta, Syracuse recorded 8 JU 52, 15 BR 20, 11 other unidentified bombers and 42 fighters. 148 Squadron 5 Wellingtons night bombing raid on PalermoHarbour. 110 Squadron 2 Blenheims attacked Tripoli power station achieving direct hits and causing explosions. 1 Blenheim of W/C Hunt was shot down by enemy fighters near Tripoli; probably no survivors.

HAL FAR Fulmars on 'intruder operations' over Catania and Gerbini dropped bombs on Gerbini and Augusta.

 

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Halders Diary 18 July 1941

 

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19 JULY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type IXC U-153

Type VIIC U-375

Allied
Fairmile B FNFL ML ST ALAIN

Isles Class ASW Trawler HMS BURRA (T-158)

Fairmile B ML 291,

MMS Class MSW MMS 25 (J-525)

Losses
U-66 sank Steamer HOLMSIDE (UK 3433 grt) from dispersed convoy OG-67 off the coast of West Africa. The ship was on passage Hull to Pepel, travelling empty. Of the crew of 37 embarked 21 would be lost in the attack. At 1042 hrs the HOLMSIDE, was hit by three torpedoes from U-66 and sank within 15 minutes NE of the Cape Verde Islands. During a first attack the ship had been missed with two stern and two bow torpedoes between 0316 and 0323 hours. 18 crew members and three gunners were lost. The master, 13 crew members and two gunners were picked up by the Portuguese steam merchant SETE CIDADES and landed at Lisbon on 1 August.

UBOATS
Arrivals
Brest: U-201
St Nazaire: U-553
Stormelo: U-144

Departures
Kiel: U-373

At Sea 19 July 1941
U-66, U-68, U-74, U-81, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-97, U-98, U-109, U-123, U-124, U-125, U-126, U-140, U-141, U-145, U-202, U-203, U-331, U-372, U-373, U-401, U-431, U-561, U-562, U-564, U-565, UA

28 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front
Baltic
VMF MSW TSZCZ-202 laid mines that damaged the FN MTB VINHA. She was towed away by the RAJU while the SYOKSY launched torpedo with no effect. There were no casualties for either side.

VMF DDs SERDITY and STEREGUSHCHI attempted to attack a German convoy off Dunamunde. No contact was made. DD SERDITY was badly damaged by the LW off Oesel and scuttled on the 22nd.

North Sea
U class Sub HMS UMPIRE (RN 540 grt), which departed Sheerness on the 17th in convoy EC.47, was sunk in an accidental collision just nine days after commissioning with the loss of 22 men. She stopped overnight at Sheerness and joined a convoy headed Nth. The submarine suffered engine failure with one of the two diesel engines and as a result fell behind the convoy; the propellers were driven purely by electric motors on the surface and when submerged with no mechanical linkage to the diesel engines. The convoy passed a Southbound convoy around midnight while about 12 nautical miles off Blakeney (Norfolk), with the two convoys passing starboard to starboard; this was unusual since ships and convoys should pass port to port. No ships showed any lights because of the risk from S-Boats. However, an ASW trawler, PETER HENDRIKS in the southbound convoy accidentally struck HMS UMPIRE causing her to sink in 18 metres of water.[

BB PRINCE OF WALES and DDs ACTIVE, ACHATES, and ICARUS departed Rosyth for Scapa Flow, arriving that evening.

SW Approaches
Submarine TUNA attacked German tanker BENNO (former Norwegian OLE JACOB), escorted by DKM MSWs M.18, M.25, M.27, and M.30, 60miles west of the Gironde.

The submarine claimed hits on a steamer and a destroyer, but no ships were damaged.

Med/Biscay
BBs VALIANT and QUEEN ELIZABETH, CLA PHOEBE, ML cruiser LATONA, and DDs JACKAL, NIZAM, HASTY, KIPLING, and HAVOCK arrived at Alexandria after exercises.

ML cruiser ABDIEL and DD DECOY departed Alexandria to carry supplies to Tobruk. The supplies were delivered and both ships returned to Alexandria on the 20th.

Submarine UNBEATEN arrived at Malta from patrol. Submarine UPHOLDER departed Malta at 2200 for her part in Operation SUBSTANCE.

Central Atlantic
RN ML cruiser MANXMAN, which had been with convoy WS.9C, arrived at Gibraltar at 0530 on the 19th. The cruiser's arrival had been delayed one and a half hours by fog.

FNFL troopship PASTEUR arrived at Gibraltar, escorted by destroyers LIGHTNING, NESTOR, AVON VALE, FARNDALE, and ERIDGE.

DD BEVERLEY with convoy HG.68 intercepted steamer ISAC (Vichy 500 grt (est)). The incident was raised in British Parliament, where Hansard records accurately the legality of British stop and search procedures. "The ship was carrying three locomotive chassis and parts weighing 127 tons, 165 tons of sugar and 248 tons of general cargo for Casablanca, Dakar and other West African ports. This vessel was seized under Article 2 of the Reprisals Order in Council of 31st July, 1940, whereby any vessel on her way from a port through which goods might come from enemy territory, and which is not provided with a valid ship navicert, is deemed to be carrying goods of enemy origin or ownership and shall be liable to seizure as prize., which had departed Bordeaux on the 14th for Casablanca and Dakar, in 35-12N, 9-12W".

The steamer was escorted towards Gibraltar by the DD until relieved by a tug that afternoon. HMS BEVERLEY arrived at Gibraltar on the 20th. The tug and French ship arrived at Gibraltar on the 21st.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 19 JULY TO DAWN 20 JULY 1941
Weather Sunny and hot.

AM Hurricanes are scrambled in response to a formation of six enemy aircraft located some distance to the north of the Island. The raiders turn away and there is no engagement.

0246-0338; 0405-0437 hrs Air raid alerts for four enemy aircraft which approach the Island at intervals from the north east and drop bombs mostly in the sea, except for one stick south east of Zeitun. 17 heavy anti-aircraft funs fire three barrages; no claims.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SATURDAY 19 JULY 1941

ROYAL NAVY Unbeaten returned from coastal patrol west of Tripoli – sank 2 schooners by gunfire. Upholdersailed at 2200 for Operation Substance. Four Swordfish dropped bombs on Tripoli Harbour near-missing a merchant vessel and starting a fire on the foreshore.

AIR HQ Arrivals 6 Beaufighter, 6 Blenheim, 2 Maryland, 1 Sunderland. Departures 1 Sunderland, 1 Wellington.69 Squadron Marylands reconnaissance Tripoli, Zliten, Sirte area, Palermo, Messina, Naples, Pantelleria, Catania, Cagliari, Elmas, Monserrato. 126

Squadron Hurricane pilot Sgt J D McCracken was killed in an accident on take off.

HAL FAR 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 4 Swordfish attacked Tripoli with torpedoes and bombs; observation of results difficult due to poor visibility. Fulmar operation on Catania; small bombs were dropped.