Day 761 September 30, 1941

German bombers attack shipyards at Tyneside, Northern England, badly damaging submarine HMS Sunfish which will require repairs at Portsmouth until October 9 1943.

In the Mediterranean 250 miles East of Gibraltar, Italian submarine Adua unsuccessfully attacks British warships returning from Malta (Operation Halberd). British destroyers HMS Gurkha and HMS Legion sink Adua with depth charges (all 46 hands lost).

Soviet Black Sea Fleet proposes evacuating to the Crimean peninsula from the port of Odessa which is now surrounded by German and Romanian troops.

Overnight, RAF again bombs the German ports of Stettin and Hamburg.

Day 760 September 29, 1941

Soviet foreign minister Molotov, British Minister of Supply Lord Beaverbrook and American envoy Averell Harriman meet in Moscow to discuss lend-lease aid to USSR to aid the fight against Germany.

Soviet submarine ShCh-319 attacks German minesweepers M151 and M203 off Liepāja, Latvia, but then goes missing presumably lost to a mine.

At 6.45 PM, convoy PQ.1 departs Hvalfjörður, Iceland (11 steamers escorted by British cruiser HMS Suffolk, destroyers HMS Antelope & HMS Impulsive and 4 minesweepers) and will arrive at Murmansk, USSR, on October 11.

Overnight, RAF bombs the German ports of Stettin and Hamburg.

Day 759 September 28, 1941

Convoy QP.1 (14 British and Soviet merchant ships escorted by British cruiser HMS London and 4 minesweepers) departs Archangel at midday and will arrive in British water on October 10. This convoy and PQ.1 leaving tomorrow in the opposite direction mark the beginning of regular supplies from Britain to USSR.

In the Mediterranean, British submarine HMS Tetrarch damages German steamer Yalova 20 miles South of Naples. Yalova beaches herself, but will be finished off by submarine HMS Talisman on October 3. Operation Halberd. Malta relief convoy arrives from Gibraltar, delivering 50,000 tons of supplies enabling the isolated island to hold out until May 1942. British corvette HMS Hyacinth sinks Italian submarine Fisala 35 miles of the coast of Palestine.

Day 758 September 27, 1941

Ethiopia. After a lengthy siege, British King's African Rifles capture Wolchefit Pass from the Italians (11 miles North of Gondar, the last Italian stronghold in East Africa).

Overnight, U-66 torpedoes unescorted and unarmed neutral Panamanian tanker I.C. White (3 dead and 34 survivors).

600 miles North of the Azores, U-201 takes over the attack on convoy HG-73 sinking 2 merchant ships and British anti-aircraft ship HMS Springbank (32 dead, 201 survivors rescued by HMS Jasmine, which also scuttles Springbank by gunfire, HMS Hibiscus and HMS Periwinkle).

Liberty Fleet Day in USA. SS Patrick Henry and 13 other Liberty ships are launched for supply to Britain under lend-lease to replace shipping lost to U-boats. Another 312 Liberty ships are on order, although 2710 will be built during WWII.

Operation Halberd. The Malta resupply convoy from Gibraltar is attacked by Italian bombers between Sardinia and Tunisia. British battleship HMS Nelson is hit in the bows by a torpedo and SS Imperial Star is sunk carrying 8,000 tons of supplies. Between Sicily and the Italian mainland, British submarine HMS Upright sinks Italian submarine chaser Albatros (42 survivors rescued by U-371).

Operation Supercharge. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Kandahar, Jaguar & Griffin make the last trip from Alexandria to Tobruk carrying troops and supplies. Since September 17, Royal Navy has carried 6308 British troops and 2100 tons of supplies into Tobruk and removed 5444 troops mostly Australian 9th Division, 544 wounded, and 1 POW.

Day 757 September 26, 1941

Most fighting ceases around Kiev, Ukraine. German Field Marshal von Rundstedt has been able to feed fresh infantry into the cauldron. In contrast, surrounded Soviet forces are staving and running out of ammunition, having not received supplies, and they are leaderless following the death of General Mikhail Kirponos in a German ambush on September 20. 4 Soviet Armies have been destroyed, comprising 850,000 men. 150,000 escaped the encirclement and about 300,000 are taken prisoner by the Germans – only 6,000 will return from captivity.

500 miles North of the Azores, U-124 and U-203 each sink 3 merchant ships in convoy HG-73 (total 12,828 tons) until both U-boats run out of torpedoes. U-203 is counterattacked with 26 depth charges by HMS Larkspur but not damaged.

in the Mediterranean, British submarine HMS Tetrarch sinks steamer Citta Di Bastia in an Italian convoy from Piraeus to Crete. Operation Supercharge. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Latona and destroyers HMS Jackal, Kimberley & Hasty make the round trip from Alexandria to Tobruk carrying troops and supplies.

Day 756 September 25, 1941

German and Romanian troops under German General Erich von Manstein seize the 7 km-wide Perekop Isthmus, linking the Crimean peninsula to the Ukrainian mainland. Soviet forces are now isolated on the Crimea itself and the major Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa.

At 7.44 AM 500 miles North of the Azores, U-124 sinks British SS Empire Stream carrying 3730 tons of potash (8 dead and 27 survivors picked up by British corvette HMS Begonia and landed at Milford Haven on September 30).

To prevent a breakout by Soviet Fleet from the Gulf of Finland, newly-formed German Baltic Fleet (battleship Tirpitz, battlecruiser Admiral Scheer, cruisers Köln and Nürnberg, 3 destroyers and 5 torpedo boats) patrols the Baltic Sea. Admiral Scheer is damaged when 2 depth charges explode on the deck (returns to Blohm & Voss shipyard at Hamburg via the Kiel Canal for repairs until October 24).

John F Kennedy enlists in the US Navy.

Day 755 September 24, 1941

350 miles West of the Portuguese island of Madeira, U-107 and U-67 sink 4 British freighters in convoy SL-87 (remarkably only 16 killed, 197 survivors mostly rescued by British sloop HMS Gorleston). Just after midnight, U-67 sinks SS St. Clair II. At 6.31 AM, U-107 sinks SS John Holt, SS Lafian and MV Dixcove.

Convoy ON.18 becomes the first westbound convoy escorted by the United States Navy. ON.18 (which left Liverpool on September 21 escorted by British destroyers HMS Leamington, Saladin, Skate and Veteran) is met in mid-Atlantic by US destroyers USS Madison, Gleaves, Lansdale, Hughes and Simpson.

600 miles West of the Maldives, Greek steamer Stamatios G. Embiricos mistakes German raider Kormoran for a British ship. Kormoran stops and scuttles the Greek ship which is to low on fuel to be used by the Germans. Kormoran picks up all 31 crew including 25 who try to row away in 2 lifeboats.

Operation Supercharge. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Napir, Kingston & Hotspur make the round trip from Alexandria to Tobruk carrying troops and supplies.

Day 754 September 23, 1941

Siege of Leningrad Day 16. Stukas attack Soviet warships at Kronstadt again and shipyards at Leningrad. WWI-era battleship Marat is hit with 2 1,000kg bombs, causing the forward magazine to explode, and sinks in 11 meters of water (326 killed). Marat will be refloated and her rear turrets used as a floating battery, firing 1971 12-inch shells in the defense of Leningrad. Soviet cruisers Maksim Gorki (damaged) and Kirov are attacked by German bombers while, under repair at Leningrad, and submarines P-2 & M-74 are sunk in the dockyards.

Day 753 September 22, 1941

British cruiser HMS London departs Scapa Flow carrying the Anglo American supply mission (Lord Beaverbrook and Averell Harriman) to Archangel, USSR, escorted by both British and Soviet destroyers. Beaverbrook and Harriman will arrive on September 27 and travel to Moscow to discuss Lend-Lease with the Soviet leaders.

At 2.33 AM 200 miles East of Iceland, U-562 sinks British SS Erna III (all 25 hands lost). U-103 and U-68 attack convoy SL-87 300 miles West of the Canary Islands. At 2.22 AM, U-68 damages British MV Silverbelle which sinks on September 29. At 11.46 PM, U-103 sinks British ships MV Edward (all 63 rescued) and SS Niceto de Larrinaga Blyden (2 killed, 53 rescued).

In the Black Sea near Odessa, Stukas bomb Soviet destroyers Bezuprechny (at 1.00 PM, badly damaged and towed to Odessa), Besposhchadny (at 5.30 PM, slight damage by near misses from 84 bombs) and Boyki (minor damage).

Operation Supercharge. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Kandahar, Jaguar & Griffin make the round trip from Alexandria to Tobruk carrying troops and supplies.

Day 752 September 21, 1941

In the Black Sea, Soviet cruisers Krasni Kavkaz and Krasni Krym, escorted by destroyers Boyki, Besposhchadny, Bezuprechny and Frunze, carry 1617 troops of 3rd Naval Rifle Regiment from Sevastopol to attack Romanian 15th Infantry Division near Odessa, simultaneous with a land attack by Soviet 157th and 421st Rifle Divisions. Destroyer Frunze is sunk by Stukas during the day but the landings go ahead overnight.

Siege of Leningrad Day 14. At Kronstadt, Stukas hit Soviet WWI-era battleship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsia with 6 medium bombs (damaged but remains afloat) and destroyer Stereguschy is also hit and capsizes.

U-boat and air attacks continue on convoy OG-74, 500 miles West of Brest, France. Between 10.50 and 11.20 PM, U-201 sinks British SS Runa, SS Lissa and SS Rhineland at 11.20 PM. A German Fw200 bombs British rescue ship, killing 16 survivors rescued from SS Baltallinn and SS Empire Moat which were torpedoed by U-124 yesterday. Walmer Castle is scuttled by British corvette HMS Marigold and sloop HMS Deptford which take off the remaining crew and passengers.

Day 751 September 20, 1941

Between 1.13 and 3.27 AM 200 miles East of Iceland, U-552 sinks 2 tankers and a cargo ship in convoy SC-44 and U-74 sinks escort catapult armed merchant SS Empire Burton. 102 survivors are picked up by British corvette HMS Honeysuckle.

500 miles East of Brazil, U-111 sinks British MV Cingalese Prince (57 dead, 20 survivors rescued after up to 12 days in lifeboats).

At 11.31 PM 500 miles West of Brest, France, U-124 sinks British SS Baltallinn (7 killed) and SS Empire Moat in convoy OG-74. 60 survivors picked up British rescue ship Walmer Castle. A Grumman F4F Wildcat (Martlet Mk II in British terminology) from escort carrier HMS Audacity shoots down a Folfwolf Condor trying to shadow convoy OG-74 (first kill by a carrier-based aircraft).

Operation Supercharge. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Jervis, Kimberley & Hasty carry 1000 troops and 120 tons of stores to Tobruk. They unload in 30 minutes and return to Alexandria.

Day 750 September 19, 1941

Battle of Kiev, Ukraine. German infantry of 2nd, 6th and 17th Armies pour into the Kiev pocket to annihilate the Soviet Southwestern Front (850,000 troops under General Mikhail Kirponos). Yesterday, Kirponos finally received permission to abandon Kiev. He withdraws leaving the city to the Germans but the Luftwaffe continues bombing, following Hitler’s order “to reduce the city to rubble”.

At 6.03 AM 125 miles East of Iceland, U-74 sinks Canadian corvette HMCS Lévis which is escorting convoy SC-44 (18 crew members killed, 40 survivors picked up by Canadian corvettes HMCS Mayflower & HMCS Agassiz). U-372 claims a final victim in convoy SC-42, sinking British SS Baron Pentland at 2.33 PM 100 miles East of Iceland. Baron Pentland’s back had been broken on 10 September by a torpedo from U-652 (2 crew lost, 31 crew and 8 gunners picked up by HMCS Orillia and landed at Reykjavik) but she remained afloat on her cargo of timber.

Operation Supercharge. British cruisers HMS Ajax, Neptune & Hobart return to Alexandria, Egypt, with 6000 troops of British 70th Infantry Division. Over the next few nights, these men will be shuttled to Tobruk to replace Australian 9th Division. To reduce German air attacks, this has to be done using fast warships during moonless periods of the month.

Overnight, Italian submarine Sciré launches 3 manned torpedoes into Gibraltar Harbour sinking oiler RFA Denbydale & oil storage tanker SS Fiona Shell (1 killed) and damaging cargo ship Durham (beached and then towed back to Falmouth). All 6 Italian frogmen swim to Spain and return to a hero’s welcome in Italy.

Day 749 September 18, 1941

Siege of Leningrad Day 11. Panzergruppe 4 begins redeploying South, in compliance with Führer Directive 35 of September 6 to send “essential units of the motorized forces” to support the drive on Moscow (Operation Typhoon). Fieldmarshall Ritter von Leeb, in command of Army Group North, is forced to order his remaining forces to establish siege lines around Leningrad.

President Roosevelt requests another 6 billion dollars from the US Congress for supplies for Britain and USSR under Lend-Lease.

British aircraft locate a convoy of 3 Italian troopships escorted by 4 destroyers from Taranto, Italy, to Tripoli, Libya. Submarines HMS Upholder, Upright, Ursula & Unbeaten attack. 70 miles East of Tripoli, HMS Upholder sinks troopships Neptunia and Oceania over 4 hours (384 killed, 6,500 troops rescued). HMS Ursula attacks the final troopship Vulcania without success.

Operation Supercharge, reinforcement and resupply of Tobruk. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Latona and destroyers HMS Napier, Havock & Nizam make the round trip from Alexandria to Tobruk carrying supplies and some troops. HMS Nizam is damaged on the wreck of Italian steamer Serenitas at Tobruk but returns to Alexandria (repaired in 14 days).

Day 748 September 17, 1941

First operational sortie by the British de Havilland Mosquito (a photo-reconnaissance mission). 3 Messerschmitt Bf109s attack but the unarmed wooden twin-engine Mosquito is able to outpace them.

German Nobel prize-winning physicist Werner Heisenberg attends a conference in German-occupied Copenhagen, Denmark. He warns his mentor Niels Bohr (a Danish Jew who is also a Nobel laureate) that Germany has an atomic weapons program. As proof, he gives Bohr a drawing of a reactor, which will end up in Allied hands and spur their development of atomic weapons.

Operation Supercharge. Australian 9th Division continues to be withdrawn from Tobruk, following Australian Government’s request that all Australian forces in the Middle East fight under one command. British cruisers HMS Ajax, Neptune & Hobart sail from Alexandria, Egypt, to Beirut, Lebanon, to embark British 70th Infantry Division to relieve Australian 9th Division. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Jervis, Jaguar & Hasty make the round trip from Alexandria to Tobruk carrying supplies.

Day 747 September 16, 1941

Siege of Leningrad Day 9. German XXXXI corps reaches the shore of the Gulf of Finland at Strelna isolating Soviet 8th Army in the Oranienbaum pocket. 8th Army is separated from the main garrison in Leningrad but still protects the causeway to the island fortress and naval base at Kronstadt.

Kiev, Ukraine. Kleist's Panzergruppe 1 (from the South) and Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 (from the North) meet at the town of Lokhvitsa, 120 miles East of Kiev. They have trapped 850,000 troops of the Soviet Southwestern Front in and around Kiev.

Convoy SC-42 has almost reached safety when U-98 sinks British MV Jedmoor at 11.16 PM 100 miles Northwest of Isle of Lewis, Scotland (31 dead and 5 survivors rescued by 2 merchant ships).

Italian submarine Smeraldo sinks in the Mediterranean, cause unknown (all 45 hands lost).

Day 746 September 15, 1941

Siege of Leningrad Day 8. Soviet 8th and 42nd Armies batter the flanks of German XXXXI corps pressing towards the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland. Neither side gains the upper hand. Soviet Generals Shcherbakov and Ivanov, commanding 8th and 42nd Army, respectively, are on the verge of giving up and are replaced by Zhukov.

800 miles West of Ireland, U-94 sinks 3 stragglers from convoy ON-14; at 08.16 AM, British SS Newbury (all 39 crew and 6 gunners abandon ship in lifeboats, but are never found), at 8.38 PM, Greek SS Pegasus (all 29 crew abandon ship in 2 lifeboats, 1 capsizes drowning 16, 13 survivors rescued by a Swedish), at 11.48 PM, British SS Empire Eland (all 33 crew and 5 gunners abandon ship in lifeboats, but are never found).

Overnight, British destroyers Napier, Nizam & Havock make the round trip from Alexandria to Tobruk carrying supplies.

Day 745 September 14, 1941

Siege of Leningrad Day 7. German XXXXI motorised corps (Armeekorps [mot]) under General Georg-Hans Reinhardt attempts to pinch off a Soviet salient 50 miles along the South shore of Gulf of Finland from Leningrad. Soviet General Zhukov who took command yesterday launches counterattacks into the flanks of XXXXI AK [mot] to hold the salient, desperate to obey Stalin's orders to attack immediately no matter the cost.

Day 744 September 13, 1941

Overnight, first snowfall on the Eastern Front begins a long, cold Winter.

Siege of Leningrad Day 6. General Georgy Zhukov, hero of the 1938 Soviet victory over Japan at Khalkhin Gol, flies from Moscow. On Stalin’s orders, he replaces his superior Marshall Kliment Voroshilov who is unable to control the numerous military and civilian groups defending Leningrad.

British Submarine HMS Tigris sinks Norwegian coastal steamer Richard With off Breisund in Northern Norway. Finnish coastal defense ship Ilmarinen hits a mine and sinks in the Gulf of Finland (271 killed, 132 survivors). Soviet motor torpedo boat sinks German auxiliary patrol boat VP 308 (previously trawler Oscar Neynaber) off Porkkala peninsula in the Gulf of Finland.

Day 743 September 12, 1941

After the loss of 13 ships in 2 days, convoy SC-42 is reinforced by the arrival of 3 corvettes (British HMS Gladiolus, Canadian HCMS Wetaskiwin & Free French Mimosa) and 8 destroyers (5 British HMS Douglas, Veteran, Leamington, Saladin & Skate and 3 American USS Sims, Russell & Charles F. Hughes). Catalinas of 209 Squadron provide air escort during daylight. The escorts prevent the U-boats from sinking any ships for the next 5 days.

Siege of Leningrad Day 5. Daily bread ration is cut to 500g for manual workers, 300g for office workers and children under 12. Food rations will be reduced further in coming months.

Operation EGV2. Fairey Albacore aircraft from British carrier HMS Victorious (escorted by cruisers HMS Devonshire & Suffolk and HMS destroyers Somali, Matabele & Punjabi) damage the Glomfjord hydroelectric power plant, Norway. They also attack ships at Bodo (20 miles away) with torpedoes.

Day 742 September 11, 1941

America takes one more step closer to war. In response to German torpedo attack on USS Greer on September 4, President Roosevelt uses one of his fireside chats to announce that American warships will attack German or Italian submarines on sight.

Siege of Leningrad Day 4. German artillery batters the city daily at 8-9AM, 11-noon, 5-6PM and 8-10PM, to disrupt the schedule of normal life, but starvation and the coming winter are the main problems facing the population. Leningrad has livestock, grain, flour & fats for 30-40 days and sugar for 60 days. There is little firewood already cut & stored for heating. Some food, supplies and ammunition arrives across Lake Ladoga by boat until the lake freezes over in November.

Attack on convoy SC-42 continues, 100 miles East of Greenland. U-82, U-202, U-207, U-432 and U-433 sink 7 merchant vessels (total 29854 tons). British destroyers HMS Leamington and HMS Veteran sink U-207 (all 41 hands lost).

65 miles Southwest of Benghazi, Libya, British submarine HMS Thunderbolt sinks German SS Livorno in a convoy from Naples, Italy.

Day 741 September 10, 1941

100 miles East of Greenland, U-81, U-82, U-85, U-432 and U-652 attack convoy SC-42, sinking 6 merchant vessels (total 25000 tons) and damaging 2 more. At 11.30 PM en route to join convoy SC-42, Canadian corvettes HMCS Chambly and HMCS Moosejaw sink U-501 by depth charges and ramming (11 dead, 37 survivors. Canadian sailor William Brown who boarded the sinking submarine is also lost).

300 miles North of Brazil, U-111 sinks Dutch MV Marken (all 37 crew escape in lifeboats, are given food by U-111 and rescued on September 21 by a Spanish steamer).

Mediterranean. Off Sirte, Libya, British submarine HMS Thunderbolt sinks tiny Italian boat SS Svam I. Off Haifa, Palestine, Italian submarine Topazio sinks brand new British ferry Murefte en route from the Tyne shipyards to Istanbul, for delivery to the Government of Turkey (1 killed, survivors picked up by Egyptian SS Talodi).

In the Ukraine, Kleist's Panzergruppe 1 (from the South) and Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 (from the North) have both crossed the Dneiper River and are closing East of Kiev to encircle Soviet Southwestern Front (850,000 men).

Day 740 September 9, 1941

In the Mediterranean 2 miles East of Corsica, Dutch submarine O.24 sinks Italian SS Italo Balbo. British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (escorted by cruiser HMS Hermoine and destroyers HMS Gurkha, Forester, Lively & Lance) flies off 14 Hurricane fighters to Malta.

At 6.55 AM 50 miles East of Greenland, U-81 sinks British SS Empire Springbuck (all 42 hands lost).

German cruiser Admiral Scheer is moved back to Swinemünde on the German Baltic coast from Oslo, Norway, after RAF bombing attempts.

Day 739 September 8, 1941

Siege of Leningrad Day 1. Germans reached Lake Ladoga at Orekhovets severing the last land connection to Leningrad, in Northwest USSR, trapping 2,950,000 civilians and 450,000 soldiers and sailors. Hitler has decided “to wipe the city of Petersburg (Leningrad) from the face of the earth" by artillery bombardment and aerial bombing. German Generals are instructed not to accept the capitulation of the city. Luftwaffe incendiary bombs destroy food storage warehouses with 3000 tons of flour and 2500 tons of sugar.

In the Atlantic, 275 miles Northeast of the Azores, British destroyers HMS Croome brings Italian submarine Maggiore Baracca to the surface with depth charges, then rams and sinks her (23 killed, 34 survivors picked up). HMS Croome suffers damage to her stern (under repair at Gibraltar until October 4).

British Flying Fortress bombers again unsuccessfully attack German cruiser Admiral Scheer in Oslofjord, Norway.

British sloop HMS Rosemary and Polish destroyer Burza collide at Milford Haven, Wales (both ships suffer minor damage, repaired in 12 days).

British destroyers HMS Kipling, Kimberley & Decoy are damaged by German bombing carrying supplies from Alexandria, Egypt, to the besieged garrison at Tobruk, Libya.

Day 738 September 7, 1941

German motor torpedo boats S.48, S.49, S.50, S.52, S.107 attack a convoy off the coast of Norfolk, England, sinking British SS Duncarron (9 killed) and Norwegian SS Eikhaug (15 crew lost, 4survivors picked up).

50 miles West of Benghazi, Libya, British submarine HMS Thunderbolt sinks Italian SS Sirena in a convoy from Tripoli for Benghazi.

At 1.30 AM, British cruisers HMS Nigeria and HMS Aurora intercept a German convoy in the Hammerfjord in the far North of Norway, sinking German gunnery ship Bremse. HMS Nigeria's bow is damaged (either by ramming the Bremse or on a Soviet mine) and returns to Scapa Flow at only 8 knots. HMS Nigeria will be under repair at the Tyne shipyards until December 15. Nearby, Fairey Albacore aircraft from British carrier HMS Victorious (Operation EGV1) achieve little success against German shipping near Tromso, Norway.

Overnight, 200 RAF bombers attack Berlin for 4 hours. Flight Lieutenant Peter Stevens (a German Jew born Georg Franz Hein, flying in the RAF) crash-lands his damaged Handley Page Hampden bomber near Amsterdam. He is captured next day and spends the rest of the war in POW camps.

Day 737 September 6, 1941

All Jews in Germany over the age of 6 are ordered to wear a yellow Star of David.

German Chief of Staff General Jodl visits Helsinki to ask the Finns to continue their offensive into Leningrad. However, Finnish commander Mannerheim and President Ryti have previously agreed only to restore the 1939 borders. Despite this, Ryti will spend 5 years in prison as a War Criminal after the war.

British minesweeping trawler HMT Brora becomes grounded on the island of South Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, while acting as escort to SS Northern Star. She rolls over at low tide and sinks. Another minesweeping trawler HMT Strathborve sinks on a mine in the Humber Estuary (15 killed or missing).

At 11.30 PM, U-141 sinks another tiny fishing boat this time British trawler King Erik (all 15 hands lost).

Day 736 September 5, 1941

British ships returning from Spitsbergen, Norway (Operation Gauntlet), are alerted to a German convoy. Cruisers HMS Nigeria and HMS Aurora refuel from oiler Oligarch and steam off to intercept while the destroyers continue back to Britain.

British Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers unsuccessfully attack German cruiser Admiral Scheer in Oslofjord, Norway.

In the Atlantic, U-501 sinks Norwegian SS Einvik 360 miles Southwest of Iceland (all 23 crew reach Iceland in 2 lifeboats, 7 and 8 days later) and U-141 sinks tiny Icelandic trawler Jarlinn with 1 torpedo (all 11 hands lost). Italian submarine Baracca sinks Panamanian SS Trinidad 535 miles Northwest of Porto, Portugal (10 survivors reach Porto after 20 days in lifeboats).

In the Mediterranean 2 miles East of Corsica, Dutch submarine O.21 sinks Italian SS Isarco (22 survivors picked up O.21 and taken to Gibraltar). In the Aegean Sea 22 miles Northwest of the Greek island of Lesbos, British submarine HMS Perseus hits Italian tanker Maya which is beached.

Day 735 September 4, 1941

Finnish troops recapture the frontier station at Beloostrov on the Gulf of Finland, 20 miles from Leningrad which is now almost entirely encircled.

190 miles Southwest of Iceland, U-652 is locates by a British bomber which drops 4 depth charges and then signals US destroyer USS Greer to pursue. Over the next 2 hours, U-652 fires 2 torpedoes at USS Greer which responds by dropping 19 depth charges. Although there is no damage, this is the first German attack on a US naval vessel. President Roosevelt will use the incident to convince Americans to go to war.

German cruiser Admiral Scheer is moved from the Baltic Sea to Oslo, Norway.

Day 734 September 3, 1941

Soviet POWs at the Auschwitz main camp are used in trials of the poison gas Zyklon-B in underground cells in Block 11. This poison gas was produced by the German company "Degesch" (Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Schädlingsbekämpfung).

Planned Operation EGV.1 (air strike against German installations at Tromso, Norway, from British aircraft carrier HMS Victorious) is canceled due to lack of cloud cover.

At midday British steamer Fort Richepanse is slightly damaged by German bombers and then sunk at 20.42 by U-567, 450 miles West of Ireland (41 killed, Polish destroyers Piorun and Garland rescue 22 survivor).

Day 733 September 2, 1941

RAF bombs targets in Northern France in daylight raids, responding to criticism of lack of accuracy in night bombing.

Day 732 September 1, 1941

US Navy allocates battleships USS Idaho, USS Mississippi & USS New Mexico plus 2 cruisers and 13 destroyers to patrol the Denmark Strait, escorting Atlantic convoys with American merchants.

Operation Gauntlet (Allied destruction of coal mines on Norwegian island of Spitsbergen). Troopship RMS Empress Of Canada and escorts British cruiser HMS Nigeria & 3 destroyers return to Spitsbergen from Arkhangelsk, USSR (carrying 200 French escapees from German POW camps who traveled to Arkhangelsk). All Allied forces embark for UK plus 800 Spitsbergen inhabitants and 15 sled dogs. Operation Gauntlet was concluded with no casualties and the ships return to Scapa Flow after a 7,000 mile round trip.

Day 731 August 31, 1941

Evacuation of Soviet Baltic Fleet through the Gulf of Finland from Tallinn, Estonia, is complete. The last ships arrive at Kronstadt naval base on Kotlin Island, 19 miles West of Leningrad, where they will serve as a floating battery firing on German forces attacking Leningrad. Despite the heavy losses, 165 ships and 66,000 tons of equipment are evacuated from Tallinn, plus 28,000 Soviet civilian and military personnel.

Overnight, Germans bomb British naval base at Alexandria, Egypt, but cause no damage to ships or facilities (2 Royal Navy officers killed).

Day 730 August 30, 1941

German/Romanian invasion of USSR, Operation Barbarossa. In the North, Germans capture Mga near Leningrad severing the last railroad between Leningrad and the rest of the USSR. In the Ukraine, Kleist's Panzergruppe 1 (Army Group South) and Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 (detached from Army Group Center) converge on Kiev to encircle the Soviet Southwestern Front (850,000 men under General Mikhail Kirponos). Further South on the Black Sea, Romanian 4th Army under General Nicolae Ciupercă and elements of German 11th Army are held by the Soviet the defensive line 6km around Odessa (Romanian 4th Army has already suffered 27,307 casualties, including 5,329 killed).

Day 729 August 29, 1941

Soviet Baltic Fleet resumes the voyage through the Gulf of Finland from Tallinn to Kronstadt. The warships steam as fast as possible to Kronstadt near Leningrad while the slower vessels are again attacked by German bombers, sinking 2 troop transports. Only 1 bomb-damaged transport will reach Kronstadt, carrying 2700 troops after leaving 2300 on an island in the Gulf of Finland. A special salvage force of ships operating from the island of Suursaari will rescue 12,160 survivors from damaged vessels and Gulf islands (although a Soviet submarine covering this operation will be lost, presumably to mines).

Finnish troops recapture all territory in the Karelian Isthmus given up to USSR in the truce ending the Winter War (March 12, 1940) including their second city Viipuri. Despite German urging to push on towards Leningrad, Finns stop more or less at the old border.

Day 728 August 28, 1941

With the Germans entering the Estonian capital Tallinn, Soviet “Red Banner” Baltic Fleet leaves port, heading 200 miles East through Gulf of Finland for Kronstadt near Leningrad. 200 vessels carrying Soviet 10th Rifle Corps sail in 7 groups starting at 11.18 AM. The main battlefleet with cruiser Kirov, under the command of Vice-Admiral Vladimir Tributs, is the last to depart at 2.52 PM. German Ju88 bombers attack immediately. At 4 PM, Soviet ships become trapped in German/Finnish minefields off Cape Juminda, under aerial bombing plus shellfire from the Estonian shore, and at dusk they are attacked by German & Finnish torpedo boats. A total of 15 warships and submarines and 15 transports ships are sunk (12,000 lives lost). Soviet ships anchor overnight, unable to proceed through the minefield.

In the Ukraine, NKVD blow Zaporozhye hydroelectric dam on the River Dnieper to prevent its use by the Germans. People downstream are not warned and thousands are killed in the torrent. Germans will rebuild part of the dam and restore power generation.

The new Iranian government of Mohammad Ali Foroughi signs a treaty allowing the Britain and USSR to protect oil fields and the Trans-Iranian Railway; however, troops are not allowed in the capital Tehran. In addition, German, Italian, Hungarian and Romanian legations are to be closed and all remaining German nationals handed over to the Allies.

130 miles West of Crete, Greece, British Submarine HMS Rorqual sinks Italian steamer Cilicia. Rorqual is rammed by escort torpedo boat Antares, sustaining damage to her periscope. U-101 and U-558 attack convoy OS-4 330 miles West of Ireland. U-558 sinks British MV Otaio (13 dead and 58 survivors picked up by destroyer HMS Vanoc). U-101 is chased away by a destroyer which drops 30 depth charges over 3 hours causing minimal damage.

Day 727 August 27, 1941

Ostfront. Germans begin final assault on the Estonian capital, Tallinn. Soviet “Red Banner” Baltic Fleet has permission to break out of the Baltic port with over 200 military and civilian vessels (including former Estonian and Latvian warships). Overnight, Soviet 10th Rifle Corps embark on troop transports to leave Tallinn (1000 killed by German bombing and shelling of the harbour).

Iran. The Shah of Iran, Rezā Shāh, appoints Mohammad Ali Foroughi as Prime Minister of Iran (replacing Ali Mansur). The new Iranian government immediately seeks an armistice, as Soviet troops advance on Tehran from the North and British troops seize oil fields and refineries in the South and West.

Between 01.25 and 04.26, U-557 sinks 4 steamers in convoy OS-4 300 miles West of Ireland. At 14.35, U-202 sinks tiny British trawler Ladylove near Iceland (all 14 hands lost). 80 miles South of Iceland, U-570 surfaces immediately below a British Hudson aircraft of 269 Squadron Coastal Command, which damages U-570 with depth charges. The submarine surrenders, is towed to Iceland and commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Graph on September 19.

The French resistance movement is born. Vice President Pierre Laval and a pro-German newspaper editor are shot and wounded near Versailles by French patriot Paul Colette. In response, Vichy government begins arresting and executing opponents, as “communists”.

Day 726 August 26, 1941

At 04.59, U-571 hits Soviet submarine supply ship Marija Uljanova with 2 torpedoes in the Barents Sea, 27 miles north of Teriberskij lighthouse. Soviet destroyers chase U-571 away with depth charges and pick up 14 survivors blown overboard. Marija Uljanova will be beached as a total loss the next day and used for oil storage.

Iran. British forces take control of Abadan at the head of the Persian Gulf. In the North, Soviet troops moving enter Tabriz while Soviet planes bomb Teheran.

Day 725 August 25, 1941

British and Soviet forces invade Iran, meeting little opposition, and their ambassadors in the capital Tehran demand that Iran accepts "protection" of oil supplies. This intervention also encourages Turkey to remain neutral. Soviet forces cross from USSR in the North, either side of the Caspian Sea, heading for Tehran. British land from the Persian Gulf at Bandar Shapur, Abadan and Khoramshahr, taking oil installations at Abadan. They sink 2 small Iranian warships and capture several Axis merchant ships. British troops advance from Baghdad in neighbouring Iraq, to seize installations at Kermanshah.

Operation Gauntlet. 527 Canadian troops supported by 118 Norwegian and British engineers capture the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen (600 miles south of the North Pole) to destroy coal mines before they are annexed and defended by the Germans. They land from troopship Empress of Australia, escorted by cruisers HMS Nigeria and HMS Aurora pus 3 destroyers (commanded by newly-promoted Rear Admiral Philip Vian). While 2000 Soviet miners are evacuated, the demolition teams remain on Spitsbergen to destroy coal mines and equipment plus 450,000 tons of coal and 275,000 gallons of fuel.

At 10.11, U-752 sinks Soviet minesweeping trawler T-898 in the Barents Sea, 80 miles East of Cape Chernyj (41 dead and 2 survivors). In the North Sea south-east of Iceland, British anti-submarine trawler HMS Vascama and a British Catalina aircraft of 209 Squadron sink U-452, 6 days into her first patrol, with depth charges (all 42 hands lost). Kriegsmarine orders 61 new submarines.

At midnight, 30 miles off Grimsby, East coast of England, British destroyer HMS Wolsey rams and sinks British minesweeper Kos XVI (Norwegian whaler taken over in July 1940 by Royal Navy but still with a Norwegian crew).

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Day 663 June 24, 1941 partial

Soviet submarine S-3, although under repair and unable to dive, attempts to escape from the Latvian port of Libau but is sunk by German motor torpedo boats S-60 and S-35 using 20mm cannon, hand grenades and depth charges. 2 other Soviet submarines (M-71 and M-80) and destroyer Lenin are also scuttled at Libau.

All day, German and Italian bombers attack British sloop HMS Auckland and Australian sloop HMAS Parramatta, escorting tanker Pass of Balmaha from Alexandria to Tobruk with 750 tons of aviation fuel. At 5.36 PM, HMS Auckland is hit by a bomb which destroys her stern and then capsizes (38 killed). 162 crew are rescued from the water by HMAS Parramatta, under continued dive bomb attack, before HMS Auckland explodes and sinks. Pass of Balmaha is damaged by near-misses and towed into Tobruk by Australian destroyer HMAS Waterhen.

taking a break

I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 662 days of posting a daily record of WWII from 70 years ago. Unfortunately, the time commitment is just too great for me to keep up with all the events in so many theatres as the war picks up pace.

I will create an entry for each date to provide a framework to fill in details later. I will no longer post a detailed update every day, although I will do this as often as I can. Some days, however, there will be no information posted. I know this will disappoint many of you who appreciate the daily posts and it will be frustrating to see blank entries or ‘empty’ dates. For this I apologise.

I am not giving up on this project completely, only delaying it. I intend to return to this later, when I have more time on my hands. Also, I will continue reading and writing (at least in note form) so there will be some framework for a future effort. I will also use the time to find grant funding to give this daily history a permanent website rather than using Facebook and blogger.

Finally, thank you all for your support over the last 644 days. I hope together we can continue following the events of WWII.

Please feel free to record your thoughts using comments to this post.

Day 662 June 23, 1941

Operation Barbarossa. German Panzers penetrate 40-50 miles into Soviet territory while Luftwaffe destroys another 1200 Soviet aircraft, mainly on the ground.

At 6.54 AM, U-144 sinks Soviet submarine M-78 in the Baltic Sea 9 miles West of Vindava, Latvia (all 15 crew lost including commander of the 4th Submarine-Division, Klt Matveev Stepan Ionovich). 3 other Soviet submarines (Ronis, Spidola and S-1) are scuttled at in the Latvian port of Libau to prevent capture by the Germans. 2 Soviet destroyers hit mines and sink (Gnevniy in the Baltic Sea off Estonian island of Hiiumaa, Bystry in the Black Sea off Sevastopol).

Day 661 June 22, 1941

Operation Barbarossa. At 4.15 AM, Germany invades USSR, breaking their non-aggression agreement, in the largest military operation ever. 3.5 million German and Romanian troops (with 3,350 tanks, 600,000 motor vehicles and 750,000 horses) cross the border along an 1800 mile front from East Prussia on the Baltic Sea, Poland in the middle and Romania on the Black Sea. Soviet border troops have some warning of the attack but they are overwhelmed. Soviet response is weak due to poor communications and dispositions which hold the main Soviet forces back from the border. Using classic blitzkrieg tactics, Luftwaffe bombs supply dumps, railways and airfields. 2000 Soviet aircraft are destroyed neatly lined up on the ground for the loss of 35 Luftwaffe aircraft. Stalin is paralysed by the attack and, at 11 PM, Foreign Minister Molotov addresses the Soviet people.

At 3.29 AM 100 miles off the North coast of Ireland, U-141 sinks neutral Swedish SS Calabria (3 dead and 21 survivors escape in a lifeboat). At 10.36 PM 550 miles East of St. Johns, Newfoundland, U-77 sinks British SS Arakara being used as a weather ship (all 33 crew and 12 Royal Navy meteorologists lost).

Day 660 June 21, 1941

Free French troops (Gentforce) capture Damascus, the capital of Syria, although there is still fighting in the surrounding villages and the country does not surrender. 5th Indian Infantry Brigade is annihilated in the village of Mezze, 3 miles West of Damascus; at 1.20 PM, 50 hours after being surrounded, they run out of ammunition and surrender. Vichy French then retreat West along the road to Beirut allowing Australian troops to capture Mezze.

Day 659 June 20, 1941

Damascus, Syria. 2 companies of Indian 3/1st Punjab Regiment and 2 companies of French Marines attempt but fail to relieve 5th Indian Infantry Brigade trapped in Mezze, 3 miles West of Damascus on the Vichy-held road from Quneitra. Overnight, Free French troops, British anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns and an Australian machine-gun battalion capture Qadim on the Deera-Damascus road.

At 8.30 PM, U-123 sinks neutral Portuguese SS Ganda off Casablanca with 3 torpedoes and the deck gun (3 crew and 2 passengers killed, 61 escape in a motorboat and a lifeboat). U-203 sights WWI-era US battleship USS Texas in the North Atlantic 750 miles West of Ireland, within the U-boats’ operational area. U-203 does not attack after checking with U-boat command, avoiding conflict with USA.

Day 658 June 19, 1941

Syria. Indian and Free French troops launch a two-prong attack on Damascus, along the 2 roads from the South. Free French are held up at Qadim, 4 miles South on the road from Deera. 5th Indian Infantry Brigade marches across country to the village of Mezze at 5.30 AM (3 miles West of Damascus on the road from Quneitra, behind the Vichy French lines) but they lack support and become surrounded.

Day 657 June 18, 1941

At 4.38 AM 150 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-552 sinks British SS Norfolk (1 killed, 64 crew and 6 gunners picked up by destroyer HMS Skate). British destroyers HMS Faulknor, HMS Fearless, HMS Forester, HMS Foresight and HMS Foxhound sink U-138 with depth charges, 100 miles West of Gibraltar (all 27 crew rescued and taken prisoner).

Day 656 June 17, 1941

Operation Battleaxe. Starting at 4.30 AM, German 5th Light and 15th Panzer Divisions drive East to cut off the British still attacking Halfaya Pass. General Messervy senses the trap and orders 22nd Guards Brigade at Fort Capuzzo and 11th Indian Brigade at Halfaya Pass to retreat. 7th Armoured Division tanks form a screen against the advancing Panzers until 4 PM, allowing the retreating infantry to avoid the German encirclement. British losses during Battleaxe are 381 killed and missing, 588 wounded, 91 tanks (27 cruiser tanks and 64 Matildas), 33 RAF fighters and 3 bombers. Wavell will be replaced as CIC Middle East by Churchill for this failure to relieve Tobruk with the new tanks from the Tiger convoy. Germans lose 328 killed and missing, 350 wounded, only 12 tanks and 10 aircraft. Although Egypt lies undefended before him, Rommel cannot exploit this success due to long supply lines from Tripoli and the threat from Allied forces at Tobruk.

At 3.15 AM 250 miles Southwest of Ireland, U-43 sinks British MV Cathrine (24 crew lost, 3 in a lifeboat rescued after 33 days by the British trawler Boreas).

Day 655 June 16, 1941

Operation Battleaxe. There is stalemate at Halfaya Pass where British tanks are held at bay by the 88s. With the British attack stopped by German anti-tank guns and numerous tank breakdowns, Rommel sends in his armoured reserves. 5th Light Division attempts to outflank the British at dawn, bypassing Hafid Ridge to the West, but they are spotted by British 7th Armoured Regiment. There are running battles all day with many British tanks lost to the heavier guns of the Panzer IIIs and Ivs. At dusk, 7th Armoured Regiment retreats, allowing 5th Light Division to swing East at Sidi Omar aiming to encircle the British at Halfaya Pass. 15th Panzer Division attacks Fort Capuzzo all morning but loses 50 of 80 tanks to British 25-pounder anti-tank guns by noon. They are then ordered to cut South to Sidi Omar to join 5th Light in the encircling manoeuvre.

The British Royal Fusiliers battalion surrounded at Quneitra, Syria, is annihilated by Vichy French tanks. At 7 PM, 177 British officers and men surrender. Meanwhile further North, Indian and Free French troops (Gentforce) push on towards Damascus. 40 miles of the coast of Syria, British torpedo bombers sink Vichy French destroyer Chevalier Paul carrying ammunition from Toulon, France.

Day 654 June 15, 1941

Operation Battleaxe. At 2 AM, British troops (including 11th Indian Infantry Brigade) in armoured cars, 100 infantry tanks & 90 cruiser tanks move forward from Egypt. They attack German/Italian defenses on the Libyan border at 6 AM, moving along the coast and across the desert covered by RAF Hurricane fighters. By noon, they recapture Fort Capuzzo (has now changed hands 9 times since June 1940). However, British tanks are decimated by dug-in 88mm anti-tank guns firing over open sights at Halfaya Pass and Hafid Ridge. At Halfaya Pass (named Hellfire Pass by the British) 15 heavy Matilda infantry tanks are quickly destroyed. At Hafid Ridge, Germans fake a retreat to lure the British tanks over a ridge into a trap (the first of many times Rommel will use this tactic). Although the race to bring reinforcing armour to North Africa has been a tie, Germans take the first round due to superior anti-tank weapons.

Operation Exporter. British destroyers shelling Sidon, Lebanon, in support of Australian 7th Division, are attacked again by Luftwaffe Ju88s, hitting destroyers HMS Jackal, Ilex and Isis. Jackal suffers minor damage from a bomb passing through the upper deck and into the sea. Both HMS Ilex and Isis go to Haifa for temporary repairs. Isis will go to Bombay and Singapore where she is further damaged by Japanese bombing on January 17 1942. Ilex will go to Aden, Mombassa, Durban and USA for repairs, completed in October 1942. In Syria at 4 AM, Indian and Free French troops (Gentforce, now under the command of British Brigadier Lloyd French as General Paul Legentilhomme has been wounded) launch an attack the city of Kissoué, 8 miles South of the capital Damascus on the road from Deera. They capture Kissoué by 9 AM but Vichy troops outflank them along a parallel road 5 miles to West and threaten Allied troops holding Quneitra, well behind Gentforce.

Day 653 June 14, 1941

Operation Exporter. British destroyers HMS Jervis and HMS Griffin bombarded Sidon, Lebanon, in support of Australian 7th Division. 2 French destroyers emerge from Beirut at 4.20 PM to engage but are chased off by New Zealand cruiser HMNZS Leander and the destroyers. 8 German Ju88s try to bomb the British warships but they are engaged by 8 Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks of 3 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force, flying from airfields in Palestine, which shoot down 3 Ju88s.

Operation Battleaxe. CIC Middle East General Wavell believes incorrectly that Rommel has most of his armour engaged in the siege of Tobruk. During the day, British armour, reinforced with tanks from the Tiger convoy, moves forward in Egypt to within 25 miles of German positions on the Libyan border. In fact, Rommel has the newly arrived 15th Panzer Division on the border and he orders up reinforcements when he learns of the British movement, leaving 5th Light Division to prevent any break out from Tobruk. Overnight, German artillery bombard Tobruk.

At 3.46 AM 700 miles West of Ireland, U-751 sinks British SS St. Lindsay (all 34 crew, 5 gunners and 5 Royal Navy passengers are lost). South of Sardinia, British submarine HMS Clyde sinks Italian SS Giovanni Bottigliere.

Operation Tracer. British aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal and HMS Victorious, escorted by cruiser HMS Renown and 7 destroyers, sail from Gibraltar and fly off 47 Hurricane fighters to Malta. Only 43 Hurricanes arrive safely.

Day 652 June 13, 1941

Operation Exporter, Lebanon. Australian 7th Division is held up by Vichy French defenders at the steep pass at Jezzine, halfway from the Palestinian border to Beirut.

At 5.45 AM 300 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, U-77 sinks British SS Tresillian (all 46 hands picked up by US Coast Guard cutter USS Duane and landed at St. Johns, Newfoundland). At midday 300 miles North of the Azores, U-107 sinks Greek SS Pandias carrying 4894 tons of coal and 1050 tons of military goods, including 11 Spitfire fighters, to Alexandria, Egypt (11 dead, 23 survivors in lifeboats given cigarettes, water & rum by the U-boat crew). 100 miles East of the Azores, Italian submarine Brin sinks British steamer Djurdjura (33 killed, 5 rescued) and Greek steamer Eirini Kyriakides (all 31 hands lost) in convoy SL75.

Operation Sommerreise. German heavy cruiser Lützow and escort cruisers Emden and Leipzig plus destroyers pass through the Skagerrak between Denmark and Norway, escorted by twin-engine Messerschmitt Bf110 fighters. South of Lindesnes, Norway, a Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber inveigles into the fighter escort and attacks. Lützow is hit with a torpedo in the engine room and returns to Kiel under her own steam.

Day 651 June 12, 1941

As part of the effort to cleanse the Atlantic of German supply ships refueling surface raiders and U-boats, British cruiser HMS Sheffield sinks German tanker Friedrich Breme with shellfire (2 killed, 86 crew rescued including 10 wounded).

Indian and Free French forces under French General Paul Legentilhomme (Gentforce) capture Deraa, Sheikh Meskine and Ezraa in Southwest Syria on the road to Damascus but are held up at Kissoué.

British submarine HMS Taku sinks Italian steamer Silvio Scaroni 70 miles West of Benghazi but is counterattacked by Italian torpedo boats Pallade and Polluce without success. British submarine HMS Torbay sinks Italian schooner Gesue E Maria off Greek island of Skiros. Dutch submarine O.24 sinks Italian tanker Fianona and tiny auxiliary patrol ship Carloforte 10 miles North of the Italian island of Elba.

In the middle of North Atlantic, U-48 sinks British SS Empire Dew (23 killed, 18 picked up by Norwegian destroyer St. Albans) and U-371 sinks British SS Silverpalm (all 68 hands lost) while U-558 sinks British SS Susan Mærsk (all 24 hands lost) and Norwegian tanker Ranella (all 29 hands escape in 2 lifeboats, sailing 300 miles South to the Azores in 12 days). West of Ireland, U-552 sinks British MV Chinese Prince (45 killed, 19 picked up by corvettes HMS Arbutus and Pimpernel).

Operation Sommerreise. German heavy cruiser Lützow and escort cruisers Emden and destroyers pass through the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden.

Day 650 June 11, 1941

Indian 3rd Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment captures Assab, Eritrea, clearing the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden coastlines of Italian forces. This will allow President Roosevelt to declare the area a non-combat zone and permit US ships to proceed through the Suez Canal, providing much relief to British forces in the Mediterranean.

Operation Sommerreise. German heavy cruiser Lutzow (repaired after damage from Norwegian shellfire and a British torpedo attack during the invasion of Norway in April 1940) departs Kiel for Norway, escorted by light cruisers Emden and Leipzig plus 6 destroyers.

At 8.51 PM 150 miles West of Iceland, U-79 sinks Norwegian SS Havtor (6 killed). 14 survivors, including 9 wounded, abandon ship in a lifeboat and are picked up by a fishing boat. Able seaman Ole Normann Lorentzen has now survived 3 sinkings in the North Atlantic in 9 months since September 15 1940.

15 miles South of Greek island of Lesbos, British submarine HMS Torbay rams and sinks a Greek fishing boat carrying German troops and supplies. British submarine HMS Taku sinks German steamer Tilly LM Russ in Benghazi Harbour.

Overnight, RAF Bomber Command begins 20 nights of raids on the Germany industrial heartland (Ruhr area and the Rhineland) and the port towns of Hamburg and Bremen.

Day 649 June 10, 1941

Operation Exporter. Allied troops make slow progress North out of Palestine. They capture a number of villages and small towns in Southwestern Syria. In Lebanon, the initially rapid advance of Australian 7th Division towards Beirut is slowed by blowing of bridges over the Litani River by the French defenders.

Operation Chronometer. Indian 3rd Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment lands at Assab, Eritrea. Assab is the last Italian Red Sea port, mainly held by assorted survivors retreating from various battles in Eritrea plus 5 batteries of coastal guns manned by the Navy.

In the Humber estuary, steamship Royal Scot hits an acoustic mine and sinks. Patrol vessel HMS Pintail assists but also sets off an acoustic mine, sinking immediately (55 killed, 22 rescued by destroyer HMS Quantock and another ship).

U-boats sink 3 freighters in the North Atlantic from the coast of Ireland to within 500 miles of the Canadian coast.

British submarine HMS Torbay attacks an Italian convoy 15 miles off the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey, sinking steamer Giuseppina Ghirardi and hitting Utilitas with a torpedo that sticks in the hull but does not explode.

Day 648 June 9, 1941

Operation Exporter. Lebanon. British troopship Glengyle (escorted by destroyers HMS Ilex and Hero) departs Port Said, Egypt, and lands 420 British Commandos who aid Australian troops in crossing the Litani River in canvas boats and capturing Vichy French positions. French destroyers Valmy and Guépard from Beirut bombard the Allied troops attacking the Litani River but British destroyers HMS Janus, Hotspur, Isis & Jackal and New Zealand cruiser HMNZS Leander arrive to drive off the French. HMS Janus is badly damaged by the French destroyers (towed to Haifa and then through the Suez Canal to Cape Town, South Africa, for repairs until the end of the year). French submarine Caiman attacks British cruiser HMS Phoebe without success off the Syrian coast. In Syria, British, Indian and Free French troops make slow progress but still meet little resistance from Vichy defenders.

In the Atlantic West of Britain, U-46 sinks British SS Phidias with the deck gun just after midnight (8 crew killed, 40 crew and 3 gunners picked up by British SS Embassage and landed at Sydney, Australia) and U-101 sinks British SS Trevarrack at 6.35 PM (3 lifeboats launch but 38 crew and 7 passengers are never found).

Day 647 June 8, 1941

About 30,000 Allied troops invade Vichy French Lebanon and Syria (Operation Exporter), defended by 35,000 regular Vichy troops and 10,000 colonial Levantine irregulars. At 2 AM, Australian, Free French, British and Indian troops advance North from Palestine heading for Beirut (Southern Lebanon) and Damascus (Southwest Syria) under the assumption that Vichy forces will not put up much resistance. Australian 7th Division moves 35 miles North along roads towards Beirut but is held up by French troops dug in on the Litani River in Lebanon. A planned landing of 420 British commandos from the Mediterranean near the Litani River is abandoned due to rough seas. In Syria, British, Indian and Free French troops meet little resistance but make slow progress across the rocky desert. http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/histories/18/chapters/16.pdf
http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/histories/18/chapters/17.pdf

Day 646 June 7, 1941

Day 645 June 6, 1941

Axis submarines have a busy day in the mid-Atlantic. 350 miles West of Gibraltar, Italian submarine Marconi sinks British SS Baron Lovat (all rescued) and Swedish SS Taberg (15 killed). At 5.03 AM 250 miles West of Cape Verde Islands, U-106 sinks British SS Sacramento Valley (3 killed, 39 survivors in a lifeboat and a jolly boat rescued on June 9 by British MV Caithness, 7 rescued from a jolly boat on June 24 by Panamanian tanker Stanvac Calcutta). At 8.24 PM 930 miles Northwest of the Azores, U-43 sinks Dutch SS Yselhaven (24 killed, 10 survivors in a lifeboat rescued by Finnish steamer Hammarland on June 15 and taken to Norfolk, Virginia, USA). At 11.25 PM 630 miles Northwest of the Azores, U-48 sinks British SS Tregarthen (all 45 hands lost).

Hitler issues Guidelines for the Treatment of Political Commissars (Commissar Order, Kommissarbefehl) during the upcoming invasion of USSR, ordering that Soviet political commissars should be shot.

Day 644 June 5, 1941

At 1.31 AM 670 miles North of the Azores, U-48 sinks British MV Wellfield (8 killed, 19 crew picked up by British tanker British Ardour, another 15 crew picked up by Norwegian MV Heina on June 11). Kriegsmarine places orders for 102 U-boats.

Off the coast of Libya between Misrata and Sirte, British submarine HMS Triumph and WWI-era Italian gunboat Valoroso engage in a duel of deck guns. HMS Triumph sinks Valoroso and 2 tiny Italian steamers Frieda and Trio Frassinetti.

700 miles Southwest of Cape Verde islands, British cruiser HMS London and destroyer HMS Brilliant intercept German tanker Egerland, another supply ship refueling surface raiders and U-boats in the Atlantic. Egerland is scuttled by her crew (all 94 hands rescued by HMS London and HMS Brilliant).

Day 643 June 4, 1941

Royal Navy continues rounding up German supply ships all over the Atlantic. 750 miles Southwest of Cape Verde islands, cruiser HMS London and destroyer HMS Brilliant intercept tanker Esso Hamburg which is then scuttled by her crew (all 87 hands rescued). 380 miles Northeast of the Azores, supply ship Gonzenheim is located by armed merchant cruiser HMS Esperance Bay and aircraft from carrier HMS Victorious. Battleship HMS Nelson and cruiser HMS Neptune intercept and attempt to board but then Gonzenheim is scuttled (63 crew rescued by HMS Neptune). In the same area, tanker Gedania (carrying 48 torpedoes) is captured by ocean boarding vessel HMS Marsdale. Gedania will be renamed Empire Garden and used by the British.

At 5.03 AM 1200 miles West of Brest, France, U-101 stops British SS Trecarrell with torpedoes (4 crew lost). 39 crew and 4 gunners abandon ship in 3 lifeboats and a raft (later picked up by British steam merchant Cornerbrook and landed at Halifax). U-101 tries to finish her off with the deck gun but Matrosenobergefreiter Horst Jackl is thrown overboard by the recoil and lost. At 6.40 AM, U-101 rams the wreck, bending her bow, and then gives up and allows SS Trecarrell to sink on her own.

British dredger Robert Hughes hits a mine (laid by U-69 on May 27) and sinks in Lagos Harbour, Nigeria (14 killed, 17 crew members rescued).

Dutch minelayer HNLMS Van Meerlant hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary (3 killed).

Day 642 June 3, 1941

Using information from Ultra intercepts, Royal Navy hunts the network of German supply ships that refuel surface raiders and U-boats in the Atlantic. 80 miles Southwest of Greenland, cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Kenya attack German tanker Belchen while refueling U-93. U-93 crash dives. Belchen is hit with shellfire and a torpedo from HMS Aurora and then finally scuttled by her crew (5 killed). British ships leave without picking up survivors, knowing there is a U-boat nearby, but 50 crew are rescued later in the day by U-93.

950 miles West of Brest, France, U-48 and U-75 attack convoy OB-327 sinking Dutch MV Eibergen (4 dead, 35 survivors picked up by a British anti-aircraft ship HMS Cairo on June 7) and British tanker Inversuir (all 45 hands rescued by Norwegian steam merchant Para, destroyer HMS Wanderer and an unknown vessel).

British liner SS Mamari (used by Royal Navy as Fleet Tender C, a decoy version of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes) is attacked by German aircraft off the English coast near Cromer, Norfolk. Mamari takes evasive action and becomes stuck on the submerged wreck of steam tanker Ahamo (sunk on a mine on April 8). The crew is taken off by rescue tug Sabine. Overnight, Mamari is torpedoed by German E-boats before she can be salvaged.

Day 641 June 2, 1941

U-147 attacks convoy OB-329 Northwest of Ireland, damaging Belgian MV Mokambo (all 43 crew and 4 gunners survive). U-147 is sunk by depth charges from convoy escorts, British destroyer HMS Wanderer and corvette HMS Periwinkle (all 26 hands lost).

At 8.43 PM about 1050 miles West of Land’s End, England, U-108 torpedoes British SS “Michael E.” (Catapult Armed Merchantman or CAM ship, carrying a Hurricane fighter in a catapult to combat long-range German bombers targeting shipping and directing U-boats). Michael E. sinks with the loss of the Hurricane and 4 crew (47 survivors rescued by Dutch MV Alcinous next day).

Vichy France grants Germany use of Tunisian port of Bizerta for transport food, clothing and supplies to North Africa (but excludes troops, equipment and ammunition).

Day 640 June 1, 1941

Evacuation of Crete. British cruiser HMS Phoebe, minelayer HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Jackal, Kimberley & Hotspur return safely to Alexandria, Egypt, carrying 3710 troop evacuated from Sphakia. Anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Calcutta and HMS Coventry are sent out from Alexandria to cover their return but HMS Calcutta is bombed and sunk at 9.45 AM (118 killed, 255 survivors picked up by HMS Coventry). 16,511 Allied troops have arrived at Alexandria from Crete, but about 5000 remain on the island. Australian Lieutenant Colonel Theo Walker, whose battalion has been left behind, formally surrenders to the Germans. Allied losses in the battle of Crete are 1736 killed, 1742 wounded, 11835 POWs. German casualties number 4,041 killed, 2,640 wounded, 17 POWs.

Iraq. Having waited several days at RAF Habbaniya, the Regent of Iraq, Amir Abdul Illah, returns to Baghdad to restore the monarchy and a pro-British government.

At 00.52 AM Southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, U-105 sinks SS Scottish Monarch (1 dead, 44 survivors). At 2.09 PM 140 miles off Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-107 sinks British MV Alfred Jones (14 dead, 62 survivors picked up by corvette HMS Marguerite).

Day 639 May 31, 1941

Evacuation of Crete. British destroyers HMS Napier & Nizam are both bombed and damaged by near misses on the return journey to Alexandria, Egypt. British cruiser HMS Phoebe, minelayer HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Jackal, Kimberley & Hotspur depart Alexandria at 6 AM and evacuate 3710 troop overnight from Sphakia. 54 senior officers including General Freyberg leave for Alexandria in 2 Sunderland flying boats.

Iraq. The mayor of Baghdad surrenders to British Ambassador, Sir Kinahan Cornwallis, at the Washash Bridge in Baghdad. An armistice is agreed. The terms of the 1930 Anglo-Iraqi treaty are restored and British right to station troops in the country is confirmed. As the British see this as political repression of Rashid Ali rather than a war against the Iraqi people, the Iraqi Army is allowed to return to barracks and captured guns and vehicles are returned. POWs on both sides are released, except Italians and Germans who remain POWs of the British.

U-boats have a busy morning off the coast of West Africa. At 0.25 AM, U-69 sinks British MV Sangara in harbour at Accra, Gold Coast (captain is the only casualty). At 0.24 AM off Liberia, U-38 sinks Norwegian SS Rinda (13 killed, 18 survivors escape in a lifeboat and picked up by anti-submarine trawler HMS Pict). At 3.34 AM near Cape Verde Islands, U-106 sinks British MV Clan MacDougall (2 killed, 75 crew members and 10 gunners reach San Antonio, Cape Verde Islands). At 7.39 AM off Sierra Leone, U-107 sinks British SS Sire (3 killed, 46 survivors picked up by corvette HMS Marguerite).

U-147 sinks British SS Gravelines 100 miles Northwest of Ireland (11 killed, 25 picked up by British sloop HMS Deptford). At 5.15 AM in the Denmark Strait, Northwest of Iceland, U-204 sinks Icelandic fishing boat Holmsteinn with the deck gun (all 4 hands lost). Holmsteinn is one of the smallest ships sunk in WWII, displacing only 16 tons.

Overnight, Luftwaffe aircraft heading for Bristol and Liverpool over-fly their targets and bomb Dublin, Eire, by mistake (28 civilians killed, 87 injured).

Day 638 May 30, 1941

Evacuation of Crete. Overnight 29th-30th, British cruisers HMS Phoebe, Perth, Calcutta & Coventry, destroyers Janus, Hasty & Jervis and assault ship Glengyle (with landing craft) embark 6029 troops at Sphakia. RAF fighters protect the convoy returning to Alexandria, Egypt, keeping most German and Italian bombers at bay, but HMS Perth is hit by a bomb in the engine room (4 crew, 2 Marines, 7 troops killed). During the day, Luftwaffe aircraft strafe and bomb thousands of Allied troops waiting to evacuate in the cliffs above Sphakia. Destroyers HMS Kelvin, Kandahar, Napier & Nizam depart Alexandria in the morning for another evacuation run but Kandahar breaks down and Kelvin is damaged by a bomb (1 killed, 4 wounded). HMS Napier & Nizam can only embark 1510 troops at Sphakia overnight 30th-31st.

Iraqi government of Rashid Ali collapses. British forces reach the outskirts of Baghdad from Falluja in the West and 2 Indian brigades are advancing from the South. Rashid Ali, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and members of the National Defence Government flee to Persia and then on to Germany.

At 0.36 AM near Cape Verde Islands, U-106 sinks British MV Silveryew (1 killed, 50 crew and 3 gunners reach San Antonio, Cape Verde Islands). At 2.07 PM off Sierra Leone, U-38 sinks British SS Empire Protector (5 killed, 30 crew and 3 gunners picked up by Dutch steamer Arundo and landed at Freetown).

Day 637 May 29, 1941

Evacuation of Crete. After leaving Heraklion at 2.45 AM, the steering on British destroyer HMS Imperial fails at 4 AM (damaged by bombing yesterday). Destroyer HMS Hotspur takes off the crew and troops then sinks HMS Imperial with 2 torpedoes. At dawn, the flotilla is an hour behind schedule and still in the Kaso Strait, near airfields on the Italian island of Scarpanto. Destroyer HMS Hereward is bombed at 6.45 and beached on Crete (76 crew killed, 89 taken prisoner). Cruisers HMS Orion & HMS Dido are both hit by bombs which penetrate their decks, exploding among the troops below (Orion, 105 crew and 260 troops killed, 280 troops wounded; Dido, 27 crew and 100 troops killed by fire or water pumped in to prevent the magazine from exploding). Destroyer HMS Decoy is also damaged. The flotilla is attacked until 3 PM, 100 miles from Alexandria, Egypt. They limp into Alexandria at 8 PM.

At 8.43 PM, U-557 sinks British SS Empire Storm in the North Atlantic (3 killed, 36 crew and 4 gunners picked up by Norwegian merchant Marita). At 11.50 PM 250 miles off Sierra Leone, U-38 sinks British SS Tabaristan (21 killed, 36 crew and 3 gunners picked up by British armed trawlers HMS Bengali and HMS Turcoman).

Day 636 May 28, 1941

Crete. Overnight, Allied troops retreat South from Canae and Suda Bay to evacuate from Sphakia on the South side of the island, while Colonel Laycock’s commandos fight a rearguard action. At dawn near Stylos on the route to Sphakia, ANZAC troops ambush German 85th Mountain Regiment, ending a week of bravery that wins the VC for Sergeant Clive Hulme, New Zealand 2nd Division. Evacuation of Crete begins. British cruisers HMS Ajax, Orion & Dido and destroyers HMS Decoy, Jackal, Imperial, Hotspur, Kimberly & Hereward leave Alexandria, Egypt, to evacuate troops from Heraklion. German bombing damages HMS Ajax (turns back with 6 killed, 18 wounded) and HMS Imperial (1 wounded). They reach Heraklion at 11.30 PM and embark all 3,486 troops there by 2.45 AM next morning. Simultaneously, destroyers HMS Napier, Nizam, Kelvin & Kandahar (from Alexandria) embark 608 troops at Sphakia, bringing food and water for the large numbers expected to arrive.

Low on fuel after the hunt for Bismarck, British destroyers HMS Tartar and HMS Mashona return slowly to Scapa Flow, Scotland. In the morning 100 miles West of Ireland, they are attacked by German Focke-Wulf bombers. A bomb penetrates Mashona’s deck near the funnel and explodes in the boiler room, blowing a hole in her side underwater (36 killed). Mashona capsizes within an hour but does not sink and Tartar rescues 184 survivors. Destroyers HMS Sherwood and HMCS St. Clair sink Mashona with shellfire.

Iraq. Indian troops continue advancing on the capital, Baghdad, from Basra. 20th Indian Brigade reaches the ancient city of Ur on the Euphrates, 110 miles from Basra.

At 4 PM off Sierra Leone, U-107 sinks Greek SS Papalemos with a torpedo and the anti-aircraft gun (2 killed). 27 crew abandon ship in 2 lifeboats.

Day 635 May 27, 1941

British battleships HMS King George V & HMS Rodney approach German battleship Bismarck from the Northwest and begin firing at 8.47 AM. Bismarck is an easy target, almost stationary & illuminated by the sun rising behind her. Loss of steering & a port list render her firing inaccurate. Bismarck is hit several times putting her guns out of action, without registering any hits on the British. King George V & Rodney plus heavy cruisers HMS Norfolk & HMS Dorsetshire close in, firing 2876 rounds including 719 14-inch & 16-inch shells. About 400 shells hit Bismarck, turning her into a burning hulk but she does not sink until the crew blow scuttling charges (she is also hit by torpedoes from HMS Dorsetshire). Bismarck sinks at 10.39 AM. Dorsetshire & destroyer HMS Maori rescue 110 survivors but then leave on a false sighting of a U-boat, leaving many in the water. German weather ship Sachsenwald picks up 5 survivors next day. In all, 2091 German sailors are killed.

Crete. Overnight, Allied troops begin retreating from Canea and Suda Bay, crossing the White Mountains to the South. However, Germans mistakenly push East along the coast road towards Rethymno and Heraklion, where they meet stern ANZAC resistance (killing 121 German troops). The Mayor of Canea initially refuses to surrender to Germans entering Canea due to the disheveled appearance of their commander Captain von der Heydte. In the afternoon, General Wavell orders an evacuation of Crete from Sphakia on the South of the island.

At 1.46 AM, U-107 sinks British SS Colonial off Guinea, West Africa (all 100 hands picked up by British target ship HMS Centurion and landed at Freetown, Sierra Leone).

Operation Skorpion. Afrika Korps recapture Halfaya Pass on the Libyan/Egyptian border, retaking all ground lost to the British during Operation Brevity. British lose 173 casualties, 4 field guns, 8 anti-tank guns and 5 Infantry tanks.

Iraq. British forces begin to advance toward the capital, Baghdad, from 2 directions. Indian troops move North from Basra (20th Indian Brigade advances along the Euphrates by boat and road while 21st Indian Brigade advances up the Tigris by boat). Overnight, British forces leave Fallujah but they are slowed by destroyed bridges over irrigation ditches. 12 Royal Italian Air Force Fiat CR42 aircraft arrive at Mosul to operate under German command.

Day 634 May 26, 1941

In 30 hours since her last sighting by the British, German battleship Bismarck travels 750 miles Southeast towards France. At 10.30 AM, a Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat from Lough Erne, Northern Ireland (piloted by British Flying Officer Dennis Briggs and US Navy Ensign Tuck Smith) locates Bismarck 700 miles West of Land’s End, England. British Admiral Tovey orders Royal Navy ships to the area, including Force H from Gibraltar with aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. At 4 PM, 15 Swordfish launch from Ark Royal but attack British cruiser HMS Sheffield in error (no damage done) and return to Ark Royal to reload torpedoes. At 8.55 PM, the Swordfish attack Bismarck and return to Ark Royal safely. 1 torpedo hits the armour belt causing little damage but the other jams her rudder hard to port, causing Bismarck to steam in circles. Tovey sends 6 destroyers to harry Bismarck and maintain contact overnight while the capital ships converge.

Crete. Germans advance from Galatas towards Canae, on the edge of Suda Bay, but Luftwaffe takes the wind out of the attack by mistakenly bombing and strafing their own troops. Overnight, confused orders from General Freyberg and other Allied commanders cause a botched changeover in front of Canae, allowing Germans to surround 1000 fresh Allied troops held in reserve until this point. Also overnight, British minelayer HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Hero and HMS Nizam arrive at Suda Bay from Alexandria, Egypt, to disembark 750 British commandos and evacuate personnel from the naval base. The commandos are led by Colonel Robert Laycock, whose intelligence officer is Captain Evelyn Waugh.

Operation MAQ3. British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable (escorted by battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth & HMS Barham and 8 destroyers) launches 6 Albacore aircraft to bomb Italian airfields on the Dodecanese islands of Scarpanto (now Karpathos). HMS Formidable is counterattacked by Luftwaffe bombers and hit twice (12 killed, 10 wounded, under repair in USA until December 1941) while a bomb destroys the stern of destroyer HMS Nubian above the water line, leaving the screws and rudder intact (15 killed, 6 wounded, under repair at Bombay, India, September 1942).

Iraq. More supplies arrive by train in Mosul from Vichy French Syria, including 8 155mm guns, 6000 shells, 30000 grenades and 32 trucks.

Day 633 May 25, 1941

Overnight 400 miles Southeast of Greenland, British cruisers HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk shadow damaged German battleship Bismarck using radar, while zigzagging to avoid potential submarine attack. At 3.06 AM, Admiral Lütjens (celebrating his 52nd birthday) orders Bismarck to zig West while HMS Suffolk and Norfolk are zagging East, breaking the British radar contact. Bismarck circles behind the British cruisers and steams Southeast at 20 knots toward safety at St. Nazaire, France. British Admiral Tovey is desperate to locate Bismarck and, incredibly, Lütjens sends radio signals in the morning allowing Tovey to plot his position. British warships and aircraft search all afternoon and evening but cannot find Bismarck.

Crete. More German troops are airlifted into Maleme airport. After dive-bombing by Stukas at 4 PM, German paratroops and mountain troops attack the North coast town of Galatas (on the approach to Suda Bay) from both South and West. Allied forces quickly withdraw but a group under Major John Russell holds their position and is surrounded. New Zealand Colonel Howard Kippenberger immediately organizes a scratch force with 2 British light tanks (3rd Hussars) to counterattack. Led by a Maori war chant (haka), New Zealand troops charge into Galatas with bayonets fixed, causing a German retreat and freeing Russell Force. Germans mortar fire pushes them back out of the town with the loss of 1 tank. On the other end of the island, Luftwaffe bombs Heraklion heavily.

Off Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa, U-103 sinks Egyptian SS Radames at 4.31 PM (1 killed) and Dutch SS Wangi Wangi at 10.13 PM (1 dead, 92 survivors in 2 boats reach the Liberian coast next day).

Day 632 May 24, 1941

Battle of Denmark Strait. At 5.52 AM, British battlecruiser HMS Hood and battleship HMS Prince of Wales open fire on German battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen from 24 km. Although they outgun the Germans, both British ships have flaws. At 6 AM, a 15 inch shell from Bismarck penetrates HMS Hood’s thin deck armour, exploding a magazine. Hood is blown in 2 and sinks quickly (1,415 killed, 3 survivors). HMS Prince of Wales (completed only 2 months earlier) is hit 7 times (13 killed) and retires at 6.04 AM with her new guns jammed. Bismarck is hit 3 times (no casualties) but flooding in her bows and a boiler room reduces speed to 28 knots. British cruisers HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk continue following Bismarck and Prinz Eugen but at 6 PM Prinz Eugen escapes South in a squall. At 11.50 PM, 8 Swordfish torpedo bombers from British aircraft carrier HMS Victorious attack Bismarck (1 torpedo hits with little damage, 1 killed).

Crete. In the face of constant flow of fresh German troops at Maleme and continued fighting around the airports at Rethimnon and Heraklion, Allies began a series of retreats South across Crete. German 55th Motor-Cycle Battalion, armed with Spandau machine guns mounted on side-cars, advances towards the South coast to prevent Allied reinforcements arriving from North Africa. Carpet-bombing by Luftwaffe levels the North coast town of Canae. Overnight, Minelayer HMS Abdiel transports 200 British commandos from Alexandria, Egypt, to Suda Bay, Crete. 800 more commandos are not landed at Port Lutro, Crete, due to bad weather.

10 miles off Sicily, British submarine HMS Upholder sinks Italian troopship SS Conte Rosso, carrying troops from Naples to Tripoli (1049 troops and crew killed, 1680 survivors).

Off the coast of West Africa, U-38 sinks British SS Vulcain at 2.49 AM (7 killed) and U-103 sinks Greek SS Marionga at 3.56 AM (26 dead, 5 crew escape on a raft).

850 miles off the coast of South Africa (now Namibia), German raider Atlantis shells British steamer Trafalgar (carrying 4500 tons of coal and 2 aircraft) and then sinks her with a torpedo when the 2 ships are on collision course (12 crew killed, 33 picked up from the water).

Day 631 May 23, 1941

Crete. Overnight, British destroyers HMS Kelly (captained by Lord Louis Mountbatten, 2nd cousin of King George VI) and HMS Kashmir shell German positions at Maleme airfield. They retire 35 miles South of Crete but they are sunk by Stukas at 8 AM (181 killed). Destroyer HMS Kipling rescues 297 survivors, including Mountbatten, but is then badly damaged by HMS Kelly as she sinks (under repair at Alexandria, Egypt, until June). More German troops are airlifted into Maleme airfield along with artillery, securing the entire West end of the island. Paratroops push along the North coast against the British and ANZACs while mountain troops tackle the hilly backbone of the island held by poorly-armed Greek troops and Cretan guerrillas. 5 British motor torpedo boats are sunk by German bombing at Suda Bay.

Operation Rheinübung. At 7.22 PM, German battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen are spotted by British cruisers HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk in the Denmark Strait. After HMS Norfolk is almost hit by shellfire from Bismarck, both cruisers retire to a safe distance. They shadow the German warships using radar while battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Hood close in from 300 miles to the South.

At 8.20 PM 200 miles off Guinea, West Africa, U-38 sinks Dutch MV Berhala (3 dead, 59 survivors rescued by a British warship).

Day 630 May 22, 1941

Crete. At 3.30 AM, Australian and New Zealand troops launch a counterattack to retake Maleme, during which New Zealand Lieutenant Charles Upham wins his first VC. They reach the airfield but are repelled by German 5th Mountain Division. With control of Maleme airfield, General Student sends more Junkers Ju 52 transports bringing in 2 battalions of fresh troops. The airfield is still under Allied artillery fire and many Junkers are destroyed with considerable casualties but, during the day, Germans establish control on the West end of the island. Allied commanders, many miles from Maleme, are mistakenly under the delusion that Germans are using Ju 52 transport planes to withdraw from the island. They withdraw the ANZAC troops to prepare a counterattack to regain the airfield.

Royal Navy has a disastrous day off Crete. They know from Ultra intercepts that a flotilla of small vessels is carrying German troops and supplies from the island of Milos, but this is delayed by the late arrival of Italian escort (torpedo boat Sagittario). British warships search overnight but make the mistake of continuing after sunrise and come under heavy German air attack. At 10 AM, cruisers HMS Naiad (6 killed) & Calcutta (14 killed) and destroyer HMS Kingston (1 killed) are damaged by bombs. At noon, destroyer HMS Greyhound is sunk (76 killed) and battleship HMS Warspite is badly damaged (43 killed, 69 wounded, under repair in USA until December 18). Anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Gloucester (722 killed) and Fiji (257 killed) try to fend off the Stukas but they run out of ammunition and are sunk. Most survivors from Greyhound, Gloucester & Fiji are rescued by destroyers HMS Kingston & Kandahar.

Overnight, Iraqis with Italian light tanks counterattack British forces in Fallujah. There is fighting all day but the British hold the town with reinforcements from RAF Habbaniya (capturing 6 light tanks).

Operation Rheinübung. British aerial reconnaissance confirms that German battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen have left Grimstadfjord, Norway. Luftwaffe surveillance of Scapa Flow, Scotland, is not so accurate. They are fooled by dummy wood & canvas warships and report to Bismarck’s Admiral Lütjens that British Home Fleet is still at dock.

At 1.40 PM 400 miles Southwest of Iceland, U-111 sinks British SS Barnby (1 killed, 44 survivors taken to Iceland). At midnight 50 miles off Sierra Leone, U-103 sinks empty British tanker Grenadier (all 49 hands rescued by the Spanish tanker Jose Calvo Sotelo and Portuguese SS Ganda).

Day 629 May 21, 1941

Crete. At 3 PM, General Student sends in 2 more companies of paratroops who are slaughtered as they land among New Zealand Maori troops. Student then ignores German doctrine not to reinforce failure & sends 40 Ju52 transports to land 650 5th Mountain Division troops on Maleme airfield giving them control of the landing strip. Many of the Junkers are destroyed before they can take off. General Freyberg still holds back his reserves, expecting amphibious landings. The only seaborne activity is a flotilla of 19 fishing boats and 2 small steamers which set out from the island of Milos carrying 2331 German troops and supplies (no tanks). At midnight, 3 Royal Navy cruisers and 4 destroyers intercept sinking 11 small vessels (297 Germans killed, Italian torpedo boat Lira rescues survivors). Italian torpedo boat Lupo attacks the British warships with torpedoes and her 4-inch guns allowing the other boats to scatter (Lupo is hit by 18 6-inch shells but survives).

During the day, Luftwaffe attacks British warships sweeping the coast of Crete. Cruisers HMS Dido, Orion & Ajax and 4 destroyers suffer minor damage in 4 hours of bombing off Canae, where the invasion fleet is expected. 45 miles Southeast of Crete, destroyer HMS Juno is hit by 3 bombs from 5 Italian Cant Z.1007 bombers and sinks in 3 minutes (128 killed, 97 survivors picked up by destroyer HMS Nubian).

Operation Rheinübung. German battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen stop in Grimstadfjord, Norway, to refuel the cruiser. At 1.15 PM, RAF Flying Officer Michael Suckling spots the warships while doing reconnaissance in a Spitfire over Bergen (only 5 miles away). British Admiral Sir John ‘Jack’ Tovey, commander of the British Home Fleet, sends out all available warships (including battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Hood) to patrol the Denmark Strait and the Iceland-Faroes gap. At 7 PM, the German ships head out into the North Sea and overnight RAF bombers attack the empty fjord.

At 5.25 AM 850 miles West of Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-69 sinks neutral American SS Robin Moor (first American merchant ship sunk by a U-boat). All 38 crew and 8 passengers (including 3 women and a child) abandon ship in 4 lifeboats. 35 survivors in 3 lifeboats are picked up on June 2 by a British merchant and landed at Capetown, South Africa. The final boat with 11 survivors is picked up on June 8 by Brazilian SS Ozório after floating 900 miles. US President Roosevelt protests the sinking and demands compensation from Germany but to no avail. At midnight, U-69 sinks British SS Tewkesbury (all 42 hands escape in lifeboats). In the North Atlantic off Greenland, U-93 sinks Dutch tanker Elusa (5 killed, 49 rescued by a British destroyer) and U-98 sinks British SS Marconi (22 dead, 56 picked up by US Coast Guard patrol boat General Greene).

Day 628 May 20, 1941

At 8 AM, German paratroops from Junkers Ju52 troop-carriers and 750 glider-borne troops land between Suda Bay and Maleme airfield on the North coast of Crete, establishing positions in a dry river bed near the airfield. A second wave of paratroops lands around 2 other airfields (Rethimnon at 4.15 PM, Heraklion at 5.30 PM). 1856 Germans are slaughtered in the air or on landing by Allied troops (or Cretan civilians wielding knives and clubs), with many wounded. General Freyberg, still misreading Ultra signals and expecting amphibious landings, holds back artillery & reserve troops. Overnight, amid confusion about who controls Maleme airfield, New Zealand defenders fall back to regroup for an attack in the morning (but reinforcements do not arrive). Overnight, British destroyers HMS Jervis, Nizam & Ilex bombard a German airfield on the Greek island of Karpathos, trying to reduce the threat to Navy ships from German air attack.

German bombers sink British minesweeper HMS Widnes in Suda Bay.

Operation Rheinübung. Swedish seaplane-cruiser Gotland spots German warships Bismark and Prinz Eugen in the Kattegat. The British naval attaché in Stockhlom, Henry Denham, learns the news and informs the Admiralty in London.

U-94, U-98, U-109 and U-556 attack convoy HX-126 250 miles Southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland, sinking 7 ships. British tanker MV British Security burns out of control for 3 days, killing all 53 on board. SS Harpagus rescues 48 men from SS Norman Monarch, but is then sunk at 11.20 PM killing 26 of those survivors plus 25 crew, 4 gunners and 3 passengers. 155 miles Northwest of Outer Hebrides, U-138 sinks British MV Javanese Prince. 430 miles West of Ireland, Italian submarine Otaria sinks British SS Starcross (all hands rescued by Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Francis).

Day 627 May 19, 1941

At 11.15 AM, 4777 Italian and colonial troops formally surrender at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia. They march down the hill with their rifles passing British General Mayne, who takes their salute, and a guard of honour (1 officer and 25 men from each battalion of the 5th Indian Division). The pipe band of the 1st Transvaal Scottish plays. Duke of Aosta spends 1 more day in his mountain stronghold and formally surrenders next day. He will die from tuberculosis in a POW camp in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 3, 1942.

Luftwaffe again bombs anti-aircraft emplacements and RAF airfields on Crete, in preparation for the coming invasion. The last RAF aircraft are withdrawn to Egypt in the face of bombing and overwhelming numbers of German fighters.

Iraqis surrender the town of Fallujah after 57 RAF aircraft drop 10 tons of bombs and field guns bombard their positions (300 taken prisoner). Luftwaffe bombers attack RAF Habbaniya destroying several aircraft and inflicting casualties.

At 3.24 AM 50 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-96 sinks British SS Empire Ridge (31 killed, 2 rescued by destroyer HMS Vanquisher).

Day 626 May 18, 1941

British battleship HMS Nelson and aircraft carrier HMS Eagle are sailing from Cape Town to Freetown in search of German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis. Just after midnight 226 miles South of St Helena off the coast of West Africa, they pass within 7 km of Atlantis without noticing her.

German dive bombers attack British hospital ship Aba 50 miles south of Crete. HMS Coventry comes to her aid and Petty Officer Alfred Sephton wins the VC for directing anti-aircraft fire despite a machinegun bullet partially blinding him. He dies of his injuries next day.

General Mosley Mayne, British commander of 5th Indian Division, lunches with Duke of Aosta in his mountain cave at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia, while Italian troops bury their dead and prepare to leave. Italians honour the Duke’s agreement not to destroy guns or stores and to dismantle or identify mines and boobytraps.

Falluja, Iraq. In addition to forces crossing the River Euphrates, 4 Vickers Valentia biplanes land a company of King's Own Royal Regiment on the Baghdad road. RAF aircraft from Habbaniya bomb Iraqi positions in Falluja all day.

At 10.27 PM 130 miles West of Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-107 sinks British SS Piako (10 killed, 65 rescued by sloop HMS Bridgewater). Off Benghazi, Libya, British submarine HMS Tetrarch sinks Italian SS Giovinezza.

British reinforce Crete, in anticipation of German invasion. 700 Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders are transported from Port Said, Egypt, on troopship Glengyle and land overnight at Tymbaki, Crete.

Overnight, German battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen depart Gotenhafen, Poland, to attack British convoys in North Atlantic (Operation Rheinübung). Admiral Günther Lütjens, aboard Bismarck, commands both ships.

Day 625 May 17, 1941

At midnight, U-107 stops Dutch tanker MV Marisa with a torpedo after following her for 12 hours (2 killed, 47 crew abandon ship in 3 lifeboats). U-107 sinks MV Marisa with the deck gun and antiaircraft gun but both guns are damaged when rounds explode in the barrel.

At 1 AM, Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire delivers fresh Australian troops to Tobruk, including 2/12th Field Regiment which is immediately pressed into action at 5.30 AM to support a failed probing attack on the German salient. This is the first time Australian artillery supports Australian infantry at Tobruk.

German invasion of Crete is delayed until May 20 by the late arrival in Southern Greece of tanker Rondine with 5,000 tons of aviation fuel.

At 5.30 PM, after 5 hours of negotiation, Duke of Aosta (Viceroy of Italian East Africa) agrees to a “surrender with honour” of the mountain fortress at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia. His troops will be allowed to march out with their rifles (to be surrendered later). In exchange, they will leave all artillery, weapons and stores intact and identify the location of all mines.

Iraq. Kingcol, the British mobile column from Palestine, arrives at Habbaniya late the evening. Overnight, elements of the Gurkha battalion, a company of RAF Assyrian Levies, RAF Armoured Cars towing captured Iraqi howitzers cross the River Euphrates using improvised cable ferries to advance 10 miles East on the town of Falluja.

Day 624 May 16, 1941

Operation Brevity. Colonel von Herff wants to withdraw, believing the British force to be bigger than it really is. Rommel suspects the Allied attack is a major breakout from Egypt to relieve the besieged forces at Tobruk and orders von Herff to counterattack. In the face of German reinforcements, Brigadier Gott withdraws British tanks and infantry from the desert around Sollum and Fort Capuzzo, Libya, to consolidate a hold on Halfaya Pass.

Amba Alagi, Ethiopia. At 7.30 AM, with the drinking water of the Italian fortifications contaminated, Duke of Aosta sends an envoy, Colonel Tramontano, to request fresh water. When the British refuse, Tramontano asks for a ceasefire until 7 PM to allow a senior officer, General Volpini, to negotiate terms for surrender. However, Volpini is killed en route by Ethiopian guerrillas who have begun terrorizing the Italian troops. British extend the ceasefire until noon tomorrow.

Luftwaffe bombs British anti-aircraft emplacements and RAF airfields on Crete, to weaken British air defenses in preparation for the invasion (2 Hurricanes of 33 Squadron at Maleme are shot down). Suda Bay is also bombed, sinking several freighters and causing further damage to crippled British cruiser HMS York. Destroyer HMS Encounter in drydock at Malta is hit again by German bombers.

Iraq. 3 Heinkel He111 bombers attack RAF Habbaniyah (1 British Gloster Gladiator shot down, 1 Heinkel is damaged and ditches in the desert). Kingcol is attacked for the second day by Luftwaffe aircraft, causing some casualties but no damage.

Between 5.48 and 9.30 AM 400 miles off Sierra Leone, U-105 sinks British SS Rodney Star with 4 torpedoes and shellfire (all 83 hands escape in lifeboats, picked up 6 days later by destroyer HMS Boreas and SS Batna). A shell explodes in the barrel of U-105’s deck gun wounding 6 of the gun crew.

10 miles off Aberdeen, Scotland, German bombers sink British troopship SS Archangel carrying troops back from the Orkneys (40 crew and 12 troops killed, 35 crew and 400 troops rescued by destroyer HMS Blankney).

Overnight, RAF bombs Bramsfeld in the industrial Ruhr Valley, Germany, hitting the Atlantik rubber works.

Day 623 May 15, 1941

Operation Brevity. The key to holding the border between Libya & Egypt is Halfaya Pass, where the coastal road cuts up the steep escarpment onto the desert plateau, which is currently held by Italian & German troops under German Colonel Maximillian von Herff. At 6 AM, British Brigadier William Gott leads 3 battalions in armoured cars plus 24 infantry tanks & 29 cruiser tanks along the coast and across the desert, covered by RAF Hurricane fighters. Despite skirmishes with German tanks, British capture Halfaya Pass and Fort Capuzzo by noon (taking 347 prisoners, mainly Italian). Rommel sends a Panzer battalion plus anti-tank guns from Tobruk, allowing von Herff to counterattack and recapture Fort Capuzzo by 2.45 PM (taking British 70 prisoners). Fort Capuzzo has now changed hands 7 times since June 1940.

Ethiopia. Ethiopian guerrilla forces, South African troops advancing from the South and Indian troops crossing from Gumsa Hill to the East meet at the top of Triangle, a hill adjacent to the Italian stronghold at Amba Alagi. Allied shelling of the Italian fortifications damages a store of oil which leaks into the only source of drinking water.

Iraq. An Iraqi Bristol Blenheim bombs and strafes Kingcol, British column advancing from Rutbah to Habbaniya (no damage or casualties). British Fairey Swordfish, from aircraft carrier HMS Hermes in the Indian Ocean, bomb the Al Qushla (Ottoman Barracks) in the Iraqi city of Samawah. 1 Swordfish is shot down but Lieutenant James Dundas (Fleet Air Arm air-sea rescue) wins the DSC for rescuing the crew. RAF bombers raid Vichy French airfields at Palmyra and Damascus, Syria, to prevent transshipment of German planes to Iraq.

At 8.29 PM 400 miles off Sierra Leone, U-105 sinks British SS Benvenue (2 killed; 48 crew, 1 gunner and 6 army personnel picked up by British liner Empire Trader). 430 miles West of Brest, France, U-43 shells and sinks French 3 mast sailboat Notre Dame du Châtelet which is believed to be reporting the position of U-boats (28 dead, 10 survivors abandon ship in 2 lifeboats). German bombers sink Greek destroyer Leon in Salamis Navy Yard at Suda Bay, Crete.

At midnight, British cruisers HMS Gloucester & Fiji land 2nd Battalion Leicester Regiment at Heraklion, Crete, from Alexandria, Egypt.

Day 622 May 14, 1941

A British Bristol Blenheim bomber flying reconnaissance over Syria spots a German Junkers Ju90 transport aircraft at the Vichy French airfield at Palmyra. British government gives permission to enter Syrian air space (risking reprisals from the French). RAF fighters return to strafe the airfield, damaging 2 German Heinkel He111 bombers.

In anticipation of German invasion of Crete, British cruiser HMS Dido departs Suda Bay for Alexandria, Egypt, with £7,000,000 of Greek gold, escorted by destroyers HMS Stuart, Vendetta, Janus & Isis.

British gunboat HMS Gnat shells a mobile German gun battery on the coast near Tobruk, Libya.

500 miles West of South Africa (now Namibia), German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis sinks British SS Rabaul with shellfire after Rabaul fails to stop (7 crew killed, 47 crew and 4 passengers taken prisoner).

Day 621 May 13, 1941

Iraq. The first shipment of Vichy French armaments from Syria arrives in Mosul. The Iraqi army receives 15,500 rifles, 6 million rounds of ammunition, 200 machineguns, 4 75 mm field guns and 10,000 shells. Kingcol (British mobile column from Palestine) arrives at Rutbah, Iraq, over halfway to RAF Habbaniya. The fort at Rubah (protecting the oasis spring and an airstrip for refueling British civilian aircraft flying to India) had been occupied by Iraqi troops on May 2 but abandoned on May 10 after bombing by RAF Bristol Blenheims of 203 Squadron from Basra.

In the morning off Greenland, U-98 and U-111 attack convoy SC-30 sinking British SS Somersby (all 43 hands rescued by Greek steamer Marika Protopapa) and convoy escort armed merchant cruiser HMS Salopian (3 killed 287 survivors in lifeboats picked up next morning by destroyer HMS Impulsive).

At 7.48 AM 700 miles off Sierra Leone, U-105 sinks British SS Benvrackie after chasing her for 34 hours. 13 crew and 15 survivors from MV Lassel are killed (MV Lassel was sunk by U-107 on April 30). 41 crew, 4 gunners and 10 Lassel survivors are rescued after 13 days in lifeboats by British hospital ship Oxfordshire.

Overnight, British gunboat HMS Gnat shells the German airfield at Gazala, Libya, 30 miles West of Tobruk.

Day 620 May 12, 1941

3 ex-US Coast Guard Cutters are commissioned into Royal Navy at New York as convoy escort ships HMS Sennen, Walney & Totland with crews from battleship HMS Malaya (which is under repair in USA).

The British convoy carrying 135 infantry tanks, 82 cruiser tanks, 21 light tanks and 43 Hurricane fighters through the Mediterranean (Tiger convoy) arrives at Alexandria, Egypt. Churchill’s gamble has paid off and Allied forces in North Africa can face the Afrika Korps on level terms.

British gunboat HMS Ladybird is severely damaged by German dive bombers in Tobruk harbour (4 killed, 14 wounded). She settles on an even keel in 10 feet of water allowing her 3 inch gun, still above water, to be used in an anti-aircraft role.

British submarine HMS Rorqual sinks 2 small Greek vessels carrying German troops, off the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea. At 8.30 PM, Italian torpedo boats Pleiadi and Pegaso sink British submarine HMS Undaunted off Tripoli, Libya (all 32 hands lost).