Red Army begins evacuating 28,000 troops and their equipment to Leningrad from Hango Peninsula in Finland (USSR leased a naval base here in the Moscow Peace Treaty, March 12, 1940). Overnight, Soviet destroyers Slavny and Stoiki sail from island of Suursaari in the Gulf of Finland (escorted by minelayer Marti, 4 T-class minesweepers and 5 MO-class submarine hunters) and embark 4230 troops at Hango. On the return journey, Marti and T-210 are damaged by mines while submarine Kalev (captured from the Estonian Navy on August 19, 1940) does not return from covering the evacuation, presumably lost on a mine.
At Sevastopol, Soviet 30th coastal battery (called Fort Maxim Gorky I by the Germans) shells German 132nd Infantry Division as they assemble at 12.30 PM between Alma railway station and Bazarchik village. Planned German attack on Soviet 8th Naval Brigade is broken up by 68 rounds from the 305mm guns. Von Manstein’s 11th Army lacks enough tanks and air support to take Sevastopol by storm, so they fan out to surround and besiege the city.
At 6.54 AM 300 miles off the coast of South West Africa (now Namibia), U-68 sinks British MV Bradford City (carrying 9500 tons of sugar and rum from Mauritius). All 37 crew and 8 gunners abandon ship in 2 lifeboats and make land near Walvis Bay, South West Africa. U-68 collides with the sinking ship but is not badly damaged.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Day 792 October 31, 1941
First US Navy warship lost in WWII. At 8.34 AM 725 miles West of Ireland, U-552 sinks American WWI-era destroyer USS Reuben James (escorting convoy HX-156 with 4 other US destroyers). 2 torpedoes ignite the aft magazine, blowing off the bow. Primed depth charges sink and explode, killing survivors in the water (115 killed, 45 rescued by other escorts).
At 9.03 AM 120 miles East of St. John’s, Newfoundland, U-374 sinks British SS Rose Schiaffino (all 37 crew and 4 gunners lost).
At 10.47 AM 400 miles West of Ireland, U-96 sinks Dutch SS Bennekom (5 crew and 3 gunners killed, 46 survivors picked up the next day by British sloop HMS Culver). U-96 is attacked by British sloop HMS Lulworth with 27 depth charges (U-96 is not damaged).
Soviet destroyer Bodryy at Sevastopol shells German tanks 25 miles North on the Crimean coast at Nikolaevka. Luftwaffe Stukas attack the Soviet warships being used as floating artillery batteries, doing no damage but killing or wounding 50 crewmen with machinegun fire.
At 9.03 AM 120 miles East of St. John’s, Newfoundland, U-374 sinks British SS Rose Schiaffino (all 37 crew and 4 gunners lost).
At 10.47 AM 400 miles West of Ireland, U-96 sinks Dutch SS Bennekom (5 crew and 3 gunners killed, 46 survivors picked up the next day by British sloop HMS Culver). U-96 is attacked by British sloop HMS Lulworth with 27 depth charges (U-96 is not damaged).
Soviet destroyer Bodryy at Sevastopol shells German tanks 25 miles North on the Crimean coast at Nikolaevka. Luftwaffe Stukas attack the Soviet warships being used as floating artillery batteries, doing no damage but killing or wounding 50 crewmen with machinegun fire.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Day 791 October 30, 1941
Operation Typhoon. At 5.30 AM, Kampfgruppe Eberbach advances into Tula but is beaten back by Soviet anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns. They repeat the exercise at 10 AM, 1 PM and 4 PM with the same result. Tula’s Soviet defenders (Workers Militia and NKVD 156th Regiment) suffer severe losses, mainly to German artillery, but just manage to hold their ground. Overnight, Soviet 32nd tank brigade arrives (later reinforced with 3 rifle divisions) and Tula is safe. While fighting will continue at Tula and elsewhere on the Mozhaysk line for the next few weeks, the German advance on Moscow grinds to a halt until the Russian mud freezes over.
At 9 AM 700 miles east of Newfoundland, U-106 torpedoes US fleet oiler USS Salinas but USS Salinas is able to reach Argentia, Newfoundland, for repairs. U-106 is then hunted for 9 hours by escorts and seriously damaged.
On the Crimean peninsula, German 132nd Infantry Division (part of 11th Army) is stopped by the outer defenses at Sevastopol. Overnight, Soviet cruiser Krasnyi Kavkaz ferries 8th Naval Infantry brigade from Novorossiysk (Caucasian port on the Black Sea coast) to beef up the defenses at Sevastopol. Black Sea Fleet moves WWI-era battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna, cruiser Molotov and smaller warships out of Sevastopol to safety in Caucasian ports while 3 cruisers and 3 destroyers are left to aid in the defense of the city as floating gun batteries.
At 9 AM 700 miles east of Newfoundland, U-106 torpedoes US fleet oiler USS Salinas but USS Salinas is able to reach Argentia, Newfoundland, for repairs. U-106 is then hunted for 9 hours by escorts and seriously damaged.
On the Crimean peninsula, German 132nd Infantry Division (part of 11th Army) is stopped by the outer defenses at Sevastopol. Overnight, Soviet cruiser Krasnyi Kavkaz ferries 8th Naval Infantry brigade from Novorossiysk (Caucasian port on the Black Sea coast) to beef up the defenses at Sevastopol. Black Sea Fleet moves WWI-era battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna, cruiser Molotov and smaller warships out of Sevastopol to safety in Caucasian ports while 3 cruisers and 3 destroyers are left to aid in the defense of the city as floating gun batteries.
Day 790 October 29, 1941
Operation Typhoon. At 4 PM, Kampfgruppe Eberbach, part of German 4th Panzer Division, reaches Tula (Southeast end of the Mozhaysk line, 100 miles from Moscow) having advanced 75 miles in a week despite the mud and stiff Soviet resistance. Reconnaissance of the Southern outskirts is turned back by Soviet anti-aircraft guns firing over open sights, so Eberbach decides to wait until dawn to attack.
Further South, Manstein’s German 11th Army has overrun most of the Crimean peninsula and is approaching the regional capital Simferopol and the massive port of Sevastopol, home of Soviet Black Sea Fleet. Germans want the Crimea as a base for operations further East into the Caucasus and need to eliminate the Soviet threat to their advance around the Black Sea. Moreover, Hitler wants the Crimean peninsula as a sun-drenched “German Gibraltar” for vacationers after the war.
Further South, Manstein’s German 11th Army has overrun most of the Crimean peninsula and is approaching the regional capital Simferopol and the massive port of Sevastopol, home of Soviet Black Sea Fleet. Germans want the Crimea as a base for operations further East into the Caucasus and need to eliminate the Soviet threat to their advance around the Black Sea. Moreover, Hitler wants the Crimean peninsula as a sun-drenched “German Gibraltar” for vacationers after the war.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Day 789 October 28, 1941
At 3.43 AM, U-68 sinks British SS Hazelside about 600 miles Southeast of St. Helena (2 killed, 44 picked up by British MV Malayan Prince and landed at Capetown).
At 5 AM 320 miles Northeast of the Azores, U-432 finishes the attack on convoy HG-75 sinking British SS Ulea (19 killed, 9 survivors picked up by British corvettes HMS La Malouine and HMS Bluebell).
At 7.19 AM, U-106 sinks British MV King Malcolm in the middle of the North Atlantic between Ireland and Canada (all 38 hands lost).
In North Africa, Rommel is preparing an all-out assault on the besieged Allied garrison at Tobruk, which is frustrating his plans to move on British interests in Egypt. He cannot afford to leave this threat to his rear and he needs the port as a forward supply base. German and Italian infantry rehearse storming bunkers, engineers plan routes through minefields and artillerymen range targets among the Allied defenses. Meanwhile Rommel plans a 2 week vacation in Italy with his wife Lucie, to celebrate his 50th birthday.
At 5 AM 320 miles Northeast of the Azores, U-432 finishes the attack on convoy HG-75 sinking British SS Ulea (19 killed, 9 survivors picked up by British corvettes HMS La Malouine and HMS Bluebell).
At 7.19 AM, U-106 sinks British MV King Malcolm in the middle of the North Atlantic between Ireland and Canada (all 38 hands lost).
In North Africa, Rommel is preparing an all-out assault on the besieged Allied garrison at Tobruk, which is frustrating his plans to move on British interests in Egypt. He cannot afford to leave this threat to his rear and he needs the port as a forward supply base. German and Italian infantry rehearse storming bunkers, engineers plan routes through minefields and artillerymen range targets among the Allied defenses. Meanwhile Rommel plans a 2 week vacation in Italy with his wife Lucie, to celebrate his 50th birthday.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Day 788 October 27, 1941
Operation Typhoon. Germans slowly make progress towards Moscow all along the Mozhaysk line. At the Southeast end of the line, Kampfgruppe Eberbach advances to Plavsk 37 miles from Tula (140 miles from Moscow). At the Northwest end of the line, 4th Panzer Army finally defeats Soviet 316th Rifle Division at Volokolamsk 68 miles from Moscow (316th Rifle Division is reduced to only 3500 men but has delayed 4th Panzer Army for 2 weeks). In the middle of the line, the 11 infantry divisions of German 4th Army come to a standstill. Feldmarschall von Kluge lies to his superior Feldmarschall Fedor von Bock, commander of Army Group Center, about the strength of Soviet defenses. Amazingly, von Bock allows 4th Army to dig trenches and go on the defensive, losing all momentum towards Moscow.
British submarine HMS Tetrach, which left Malta yesterday to refit in Britain via Gibraltar, is lost in an Italian minefield between Sicily and Tunisia (all 59 hands plus 3 naval personnel returning to Britain are lost).
British submarine HMS Tetrach, which left Malta yesterday to refit in Britain via Gibraltar, is lost in an Italian minefield between Sicily and Tunisia (all 59 hands plus 3 naval personnel returning to Britain are lost).
Monday, October 24, 2011
Day 787 October 26, 1941
Siege of Leningrad Day 49. Leningrad Front and Soviet 54th Army swap commanders. General Fedyuninsky, the better fighting general, moves from Leningrad to take command of 54th Army which is now defending against the German advance on the railhead at Tikhvin. General Mikhail Khozin is relieved of 54th Army to take charge in Leningrad (he is familiar with the area having commanded Leningrad Front in 1938).
Battle of convoy HG-75. At 3.54 AM, U-83 badly damages British fighter catapult ship HMS Ariguani with a torpedo (2 killed, survivors taken off by British corvette HMS Campion including those rescued 2 days ago from torpedoed steamer SS Carsbreck). HMS Ariguani will be towed to Gibraltar, decommissioned, repaired and returned to service as a merchant ship in January 1944. U-71 fires 4 torpedoes at an unidentified escort boat (all miss). The escort then counterattacks with depth charges for 7 hours, severely damaging U-71 which is forced to return to base.
Battle of convoy HG-75. At 3.54 AM, U-83 badly damages British fighter catapult ship HMS Ariguani with a torpedo (2 killed, survivors taken off by British corvette HMS Campion including those rescued 2 days ago from torpedoed steamer SS Carsbreck). HMS Ariguani will be towed to Gibraltar, decommissioned, repaired and returned to service as a merchant ship in January 1944. U-71 fires 4 torpedoes at an unidentified escort boat (all miss). The escort then counterattacks with depth charges for 7 hours, severely damaging U-71 which is forced to return to base.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Day 786 October 25, 1941
500 miles West of Gibraltar, Italian submarine Galileo Ferraris is homing in on convoy HG-75 when attacked by a British Catalina seaplane from Gibraltar. Although depth charges fail to explode, Galileo Ferraris is damaged by machinegun fire. British destroyer HMS Lamerton arrives but is hit with a 4 inch shell from Galileo Ferraris. The superior firepower of HMS Lamerton forces the submarine to scuttle (6 killed, 44 crew rescued). U-563 attempts to attack convoy HG-75 again but is counterattacked with depth charges by British corvette HMS Heliotrope. U-563 is driven under but is undamaged.
Odessa massacre continues. Romanian troops shell the fourth warehouses at Dalnik building, containing all the male Jews.
Operation Cultivate. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Latona and destroyers HMS Hero, Hotspur & Encounter leave Alexandria, Egypt, for Tobruk, Libya. At 9.05 PM, they are attacked by 10 German Stukas and 2 Italian S.79 medium bombers 35 miles East of Tobruk. HMS Latona, carrying 1000 Polish troops into Tobruk, is hit by a 500-kg bomb which destroys the engine room (20 crew and 7 soldiers killed, HMS Hero and Encounter take off survivors and return to Alexandria). HMS Latona sinks at 10.30 PM when fire ignites the magazine. HMS Hero is damaged by near misses of 3 bombs (under repair at Alexandria for 4 weeks). 7234 Australian 9th Division troops and 727 wounded have been taken out of Tobruk during Operation Cultivate, and 7138 replacements brought in.
Odessa massacre continues. Romanian troops shell the fourth warehouses at Dalnik building, containing all the male Jews.
Operation Cultivate. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Latona and destroyers HMS Hero, Hotspur & Encounter leave Alexandria, Egypt, for Tobruk, Libya. At 9.05 PM, they are attacked by 10 German Stukas and 2 Italian S.79 medium bombers 35 miles East of Tobruk. HMS Latona, carrying 1000 Polish troops into Tobruk, is hit by a 500-kg bomb which destroys the engine room (20 crew and 7 soldiers killed, HMS Hero and Encounter take off survivors and return to Alexandria). HMS Latona sinks at 10.30 PM when fire ignites the magazine. HMS Hero is damaged by near misses of 3 bombs (under repair at Alexandria for 4 weeks). 7234 Australian 9th Division troops and 727 wounded have been taken out of Tobruk during Operation Cultivate, and 7138 replacements brought in.
Day 785 October 24, 1941
Operation Typhoon. After the fall of Mtensk, an ad hoc formation of 4th Panzer Division under Colonel Heinrich Eberbach (Kampfgruppe Eberbach) advances 18 miles to Chern, on the road to Tula.
Further South, Germans rapidly encircle the major Soviet industrial city of Kharkov in the Eastern Ukraine. Infantry divisions from 6th & 17th Armies, using horse-drawn artillery and supplies, take Kharkov without any tanks or armored vehicles which have been diverted for Operation Typhoon. However, most heavy industry has been moved East beyond the Ural mountains (over 70 factories dismantled and loaded onto 320 trains) and the city is defended only by Soviet 216th Rifle Division.
Odessa massacre continues. At 5 PM, Romanian troops set fire to 3 warehouses at Dalnik containing the survivors, mainly women and children, from yesterday’s machinegunning. A fourth building with the men is left until tomorrow.
U-563 and U-564 attack convoy HG-75 300 miles west of Gibraltar. At 00.38, U-563 badly damages British destroyer HMS Cossack with 1 torpedo (159 killed, 60 survivors on rafts picked up by destroyer HMS Legion and corvette HMS Carnation). HMS Cossack will be towed towards Gibraltar and sink in heavy weather on October 27. At 6.36 AM, U-564 fires 5 torpedoes sinking 3 small British steamers (SS Carsbreck, SS Ariosto and SS Alhama; 30 killed, 96 survivors).
British minesweeping trawlers HMS Lucienne Jeanne and HMT Emilion hit mines and sink in the Thames estuary.
Germans execute 50 communist activists at Camp Souge, France, in retaliation for the killing 3 days ago of Dr. Hans-Gottfried Reimers, a civilian working for the German occupation forces.
Operation Cultivate. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Kandahar, Kingston & Griffin make the round trip from Alexandria, Egypt, carrying troops and supplies to Tobruk, Libya, and bringing out Australian 9th Division.
Further South, Germans rapidly encircle the major Soviet industrial city of Kharkov in the Eastern Ukraine. Infantry divisions from 6th & 17th Armies, using horse-drawn artillery and supplies, take Kharkov without any tanks or armored vehicles which have been diverted for Operation Typhoon. However, most heavy industry has been moved East beyond the Ural mountains (over 70 factories dismantled and loaded onto 320 trains) and the city is defended only by Soviet 216th Rifle Division.
Odessa massacre continues. At 5 PM, Romanian troops set fire to 3 warehouses at Dalnik containing the survivors, mainly women and children, from yesterday’s machinegunning. A fourth building with the men is left until tomorrow.
U-563 and U-564 attack convoy HG-75 300 miles west of Gibraltar. At 00.38, U-563 badly damages British destroyer HMS Cossack with 1 torpedo (159 killed, 60 survivors on rafts picked up by destroyer HMS Legion and corvette HMS Carnation). HMS Cossack will be towed towards Gibraltar and sink in heavy weather on October 27. At 6.36 AM, U-564 fires 5 torpedoes sinking 3 small British steamers (SS Carsbreck, SS Ariosto and SS Alhama; 30 killed, 96 survivors).
British minesweeping trawlers HMS Lucienne Jeanne and HMT Emilion hit mines and sink in the Thames estuary.
Germans execute 50 communist activists at Camp Souge, France, in retaliation for the killing 3 days ago of Dr. Hans-Gottfried Reimers, a civilian working for the German occupation forces.
Operation Cultivate. Overnight, British minelaying cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Kandahar, Kingston & Griffin make the round trip from Alexandria, Egypt, carrying troops and supplies to Tobruk, Libya, and bringing out Australian 9th Division.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Day 784 October 23, 1941
Siege of Leningrad Day 46. Soviet breakout along the Southern shore of Lake Ladoga peters out in the face of stiff German resistance. Meanwhile, the German advance on the rail and road junction at Tikhvin continues. General Mikhail Khozin, commanding Soviet 54th Army which is attacking from the East to link up with the breakout, realizes the danger and diverts 2 rifle divisions to defend Tikhvin.
Operation Typhoon. 3rd Panzer Division (part of Panzergruppe 2 which had been involved in the destruction of the Bryansk pocket) moves through Bolkhov to outflank Soviet defenses at Mtensk 27 miles away. The road to Tula (the last Soviet defenses before Moscow) is now open.
Odessa massacre. Romanians continue murdering Jewish civilians in retaliation for the Soviet time-bomb blast yesterday. 19,000 Jews are herded to a square, doused with petrol and burned. Another 20,000 are taken to the village of Dalnik. Groups of 50 are shot in antitank ditches but this is too slow; the rest are locked in 4 warehouses and machine-gunned from outside. The survivors, many wounded, are left until the following day.
The 4-man watch (Oberleutnant zur See Werner Grüneberg, Fähnrich zur See Herbert von Bruchhausen, Oberbootsmannmaat Karl Heemann, Matrose Ewald Brühl) is all swept overboard off U-106 in the Bay of Biscay, 2 days after leaving base at Lorient, France.
Soviet submarine SC.323 sinks German merchant SS Baltenland in the Baltic Sea.
Overnight, British warships leave Alexandria, Egypt, to shell Axis positions on the Mediterranean coast. Cruisers HMS Ajax, Neptune & Hobart (escorted by destroyers HMS Eridge & Avonvale) bombard Bardia, Libya, while destroyers HMS Napier, Nizam, Jupiter & Hasty shell Sollum, Egypt. All return safely to Alexandria next day.
Operation Typhoon. 3rd Panzer Division (part of Panzergruppe 2 which had been involved in the destruction of the Bryansk pocket) moves through Bolkhov to outflank Soviet defenses at Mtensk 27 miles away. The road to Tula (the last Soviet defenses before Moscow) is now open.
Odessa massacre. Romanians continue murdering Jewish civilians in retaliation for the Soviet time-bomb blast yesterday. 19,000 Jews are herded to a square, doused with petrol and burned. Another 20,000 are taken to the village of Dalnik. Groups of 50 are shot in antitank ditches but this is too slow; the rest are locked in 4 warehouses and machine-gunned from outside. The survivors, many wounded, are left until the following day.
The 4-man watch (Oberleutnant zur See Werner Grüneberg, Fähnrich zur See Herbert von Bruchhausen, Oberbootsmannmaat Karl Heemann, Matrose Ewald Brühl) is all swept overboard off U-106 in the Bay of Biscay, 2 days after leaving base at Lorient, France.
Soviet submarine SC.323 sinks German merchant SS Baltenland in the Baltic Sea.
Overnight, British warships leave Alexandria, Egypt, to shell Axis positions on the Mediterranean coast. Cruisers HMS Ajax, Neptune & Hobart (escorted by destroyers HMS Eridge & Avonvale) bombard Bardia, Libya, while destroyers HMS Napier, Nizam, Jupiter & Hasty shell Sollum, Egypt. All return safely to Alexandria next day.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Day 783 October 22, 1941
Operation Typhoon. Guderian’s Panzergruppe 2 resupplies with fuel & ammunition and resumes the drive on Moscow from the Southwest despite the rasputitsa. 4th Panzer Division renews the attack near Mtensk where they have been held since October 10 but they are held by well dug-in Soviet infantry.
At 1.42 AM, U-68 sinks British Fleet oiler RFA Darkdale, serving as an oil storage vessel (with 3000 tons of fuel oil, 850 tons of aviation fuel, 500 tons of diesel and lubricating oil) off the island of St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic. All 37 crew and 4 gunners on board are killed in the explosion but the Captain, Chief Engineer and 4 crewmen are ashore. U-68 had been spotted the day before by a civilian on the island but his report was not taken seriously. Darkdale is first British ship sunk south of the Equator during WWII.
Romanian HQ in Odessa, Ukraine, is destroyed by a time-bomb left by Soviet Coastal Army during the evacuation of Odessa a week ago (67 killed including Romanian commander General Glogojeanu and 4 German naval officers). Jews and communists in the city are blamed for the blast. Romanian troops begin rounding up suspects and execute 5000 civilians overnight, mostly Jews.
German firing squads execute 48 civilians (mainly communist activists) in France, in retaliation for the killing 2 days ago of Colonel Karl Hotz, Feldkommandant of Nantes.
At 1.42 AM, U-68 sinks British Fleet oiler RFA Darkdale, serving as an oil storage vessel (with 3000 tons of fuel oil, 850 tons of aviation fuel, 500 tons of diesel and lubricating oil) off the island of St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic. All 37 crew and 4 gunners on board are killed in the explosion but the Captain, Chief Engineer and 4 crewmen are ashore. U-68 had been spotted the day before by a civilian on the island but his report was not taken seriously. Darkdale is first British ship sunk south of the Equator during WWII.
Romanian HQ in Odessa, Ukraine, is destroyed by a time-bomb left by Soviet Coastal Army during the evacuation of Odessa a week ago (67 killed including Romanian commander General Glogojeanu and 4 German naval officers). Jews and communists in the city are blamed for the blast. Romanian troops begin rounding up suspects and execute 5000 civilians overnight, mostly Jews.
German firing squads execute 48 civilians (mainly communist activists) in France, in retaliation for the killing 2 days ago of Colonel Karl Hotz, Feldkommandant of Nantes.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Day 782 October 21, 1941
Operation Typhoon. Rain and light snow turn roads in Western USSR to deep mud which hampers movement of wheeled movement of trucks, horse-drawn artillery & wagons and some tracked vehicles. This rasputitsa (quagmire season) and overextended German supply lines begin to slow the Panzers advance on Moscow.
Soviet submarine M58 sinks on a Romanian mine in the Black Sea near the Danube River (all 19 hands lost).
At 3.34 AM 30 miles Northeast of Bardia, Libya, U-79 torpedoes British gunboat HMS Gnat (returning from Tobruk to Alexandria), blowing away 20 feet of her bow all the way back to the 6 inch gun mount (no casualties). HMS Gnat is towed to Alexandria, beached and used as an anti-aircraft defense platform until the end of the war.
At 4.28 AM 400 miles West of Ireland, U-123 torpedoes British armed merchant cruiser HMS Aurania escorting convoy SL-89, causing a 25 degree list to port. Before the ship is righted, 6 men launch a lifeboat which is then swamped (2 killed, 3 rescued by destroyer HMS Croome, Leading Seamen Bertie Shaw is taken prisoner by U-123). HMS Aurania will be under repair at Rothesay Bay for 19 months and then return to service as base repair ship HMS Artifex. At 10 PM, U-82 attacks convoy SL-89 sinking SS Serbino (14 killed, 51 crew picked up by corvette HMS Asphodel) and SS Treverbyn (all 36 crew and 10 gunners lost).
Operation Cultivate. British cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Napier, Hasty & Decoy make the round trip overnight from Alexandria, Egypt, to bring supplies to Tobruk, Libya, and remove Australian 9th Division troops.
Soviet submarine M58 sinks on a Romanian mine in the Black Sea near the Danube River (all 19 hands lost).
At 3.34 AM 30 miles Northeast of Bardia, Libya, U-79 torpedoes British gunboat HMS Gnat (returning from Tobruk to Alexandria), blowing away 20 feet of her bow all the way back to the 6 inch gun mount (no casualties). HMS Gnat is towed to Alexandria, beached and used as an anti-aircraft defense platform until the end of the war.
At 4.28 AM 400 miles West of Ireland, U-123 torpedoes British armed merchant cruiser HMS Aurania escorting convoy SL-89, causing a 25 degree list to port. Before the ship is righted, 6 men launch a lifeboat which is then swamped (2 killed, 3 rescued by destroyer HMS Croome, Leading Seamen Bertie Shaw is taken prisoner by U-123). HMS Aurania will be under repair at Rothesay Bay for 19 months and then return to service as base repair ship HMS Artifex. At 10 PM, U-82 attacks convoy SL-89 sinking SS Serbino (14 killed, 51 crew picked up by corvette HMS Asphodel) and SS Treverbyn (all 36 crew and 10 gunners lost).
Operation Cultivate. British cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Napier, Hasty & Decoy make the round trip overnight from Alexandria, Egypt, to bring supplies to Tobruk, Libya, and remove Australian 9th Division troops.
Day 781 October 20, 1941
Siege of Leningrad Day 43. Soviet General Fedyuninsky launches an attack with 70,000 troops plus 97 tanks and all available heavy artillery along the Southern shore of Lake Ladoga, to breakout and form a corridor to the rest of USSR. They make little progress against dug-in German troops on the swampy terrain. German Field Marshal von Leeb makes his own move in the area, heading Southeast from Lake Ladoga to the important rail and road junction at Tikhvin to cut off the supply route to Leningrad.
At 5.54 AM 80 miles off Sierra Leone, U-126 torpedoes British tanker SS British Mariner (3 killed, 48 survivors). British Mariner is towed to Freetown but declared a total loss and will be used as oil hulk. U-126 stalks another tanker but is chased away by a convoy escort.
Operation Cultivate. Overnight, British cruiser HMS Latona and destroyers HMS Kingston, Encounter & Nizam make the round trip overnight from Alexandria, Egypt. In addition, cruisers HMS Ajax, Hobart and Galatea (escorted by destroyers HMS Griffin and HMS Jaguar) shell German coastal guns near Tobruk to protect ships in the Cultivate convoys.
At 5.54 AM 80 miles off Sierra Leone, U-126 torpedoes British tanker SS British Mariner (3 killed, 48 survivors). British Mariner is towed to Freetown but declared a total loss and will be used as oil hulk. U-126 stalks another tanker but is chased away by a convoy escort.
Operation Cultivate. Overnight, British cruiser HMS Latona and destroyers HMS Kingston, Encounter & Nizam make the round trip overnight from Alexandria, Egypt. In addition, cruisers HMS Ajax, Hobart and Galatea (escorted by destroyers HMS Griffin and HMS Jaguar) shell German coastal guns near Tobruk to protect ships in the Cultivate convoys.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Day 780 October 19, 1941
Operation Typhoon. Evacuation of Moscow picks up pace with Germans taking Mozhaysk yesterday and the Mozhaysk line crumbling elsewhere. However, Stalin decides he will stay in Moscow. 68 miles away at Volokolamsk (the Northwest end of the Mozhaysk line), German 4th Panzer Army is held up by Soviet 316th Rifle Division (full-strength division recently arrived from Central Asia).
Off the coast of Morocco 35 miles Southwest of Tangier, U-204 sinks British tanker Inverlee carrying 13,880 tons of Admiralty fuel oil at 3 AM (22 dead and 21 survivors, the explosion is seen by ships 28 miles away) and U-206 sinks British SS Baron Kelvin at 6.14 AM (26 dead and 16 survivors). British corvettes are dispatched from Gibraltar to hunt the U-boats and HMS Mallow sinks U-204 at 9.46 PM with 7 depth charges.
After mistaking the neutral American steamer Lehigh for a Greek vessel 100 miles West of Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-126 sinks SS Lehigh at 10.51 AM (all 34 crew and 4 Spanish stowaways escape in 4 lifeboats).
Overnight, British gunboat HMS Gnat bombards a German artillery battery near Tobruk to protect ships in Operation Cultivate.
Off the coast of Morocco 35 miles Southwest of Tangier, U-204 sinks British tanker Inverlee carrying 13,880 tons of Admiralty fuel oil at 3 AM (22 dead and 21 survivors, the explosion is seen by ships 28 miles away) and U-206 sinks British SS Baron Kelvin at 6.14 AM (26 dead and 16 survivors). British corvettes are dispatched from Gibraltar to hunt the U-boats and HMS Mallow sinks U-204 at 9.46 PM with 7 depth charges.
After mistaking the neutral American steamer Lehigh for a Greek vessel 100 miles West of Freetown, Sierra Leone, U-126 sinks SS Lehigh at 10.51 AM (all 34 crew and 4 Spanish stowaways escape in 4 lifeboats).
Overnight, British gunboat HMS Gnat bombards a German artillery battery near Tobruk to protect ships in Operation Cultivate.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Day 779 October 18, 1941
In the final attack on convoy SC-48, U-101 blows the bow off British destroyer HMS Broadwater with 1 torpedo at 4.20 AM. 45 crew and all 11 survivors rescued a day earlier by HMS Broadwater (9 from British steamer W.C. Teagle and 2 from Norwegian SS Erviken) are killed. 85 crew are taken off by antisubmarine trawlers HMS St. Apollo, Angle and Cape Warwick. HMS St. Apollo scuttles HMS Broadwater by gunfire at 3.41 PM.
Operation Typhoon. Soviet 5th Army’s resistance crumbles as German SS Reich and 10th Panzer Divisions capture Mozhaysk. In the evening, a motorcycle battalion from SS Reich Division finds the Minsk Highway towards Moscow open. Soviet 5th Army has suffered 60% casualties defending Mozhaysk and only 5 weakened rifle divisions and 20 tanks stand before Moscow, 90 km away.
11 Albacore and 2 Swordfish of 828 Squadron fly to Malta off British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (escorted by battleship HMS Rodney, cruiser HMS Hermione and 7 destroyers). 1 Swordfish is lost en route (2 killed). These strike planes will harass Axis supply lines through the Mediterranean to North Africa.
Barents Sea. 5 miles off the coast of Russia, U-132 sinks Soviet SS Argun at 1.20 PM (all hands rescued) and trawler RT-8 Seld´ at 8.17 PM (all hands lost).
Operation Typhoon. Soviet 5th Army’s resistance crumbles as German SS Reich and 10th Panzer Divisions capture Mozhaysk. In the evening, a motorcycle battalion from SS Reich Division finds the Minsk Highway towards Moscow open. Soviet 5th Army has suffered 60% casualties defending Mozhaysk and only 5 weakened rifle divisions and 20 tanks stand before Moscow, 90 km away.
11 Albacore and 2 Swordfish of 828 Squadron fly to Malta off British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (escorted by battleship HMS Rodney, cruiser HMS Hermione and 7 destroyers). 1 Swordfish is lost en route (2 killed). These strike planes will harass Axis supply lines through the Mediterranean to North Africa.
Barents Sea. 5 miles off the coast of Russia, U-132 sinks Soviet SS Argun at 1.20 PM (all hands rescued) and trawler RT-8 Seld´ at 8.17 PM (all hands lost).
Day 778 October 17, 1941
The attack on convoy SC-48 intensifies. U-432 and U-558 sink 3 freighters each (35760 tons total). US destroyer USS Kearny is torpedoed by U-568 (11 killed, 22 wounded) but does not sink (under repair until April 1942). British corvette HMS Gladiolus disappears during the night, probably sunk by U-553.
At 3.25 AM 50 miles West of Alexandria, Egypt, U-97 intercepts a small convoy carrying supplies to Tobruk. U-97 torpedoes Greek SS Samos (31 dead, 3 survivors rescued by antisubmarine whaler HMS Cocker) and British tanker Pass of Balmaha (carrying aviation fuel and petrol, goes up in a ball of flame killing all 16 crew and 4 gunners instantly).
Operation Typhoon. Although German and Soviet armor and infantry are evenly matched at Borodino, Soviet 5th Army is worn down by losses of men and tanks. All day and through the night, German SS Reich and 10th Panzer Divisions advance slowly along the 2 East-West roads that run parallel only 2 miles apart (Moscow Highway and Minsk Highway). Soviet 5th Army resists doggedly as they fall back towards Mozhaysk.
Operation Cultivate. Overnight, British cruiser HMS Latona and destroyers HMS Jackal, Havock & Nizam make the round trip overnight from Alexandria, returning on October 18.
At 3.25 AM 50 miles West of Alexandria, Egypt, U-97 intercepts a small convoy carrying supplies to Tobruk. U-97 torpedoes Greek SS Samos (31 dead, 3 survivors rescued by antisubmarine whaler HMS Cocker) and British tanker Pass of Balmaha (carrying aviation fuel and petrol, goes up in a ball of flame killing all 16 crew and 4 gunners instantly).
Operation Typhoon. Although German and Soviet armor and infantry are evenly matched at Borodino, Soviet 5th Army is worn down by losses of men and tanks. All day and through the night, German SS Reich and 10th Panzer Divisions advance slowly along the 2 East-West roads that run parallel only 2 miles apart (Moscow Highway and Minsk Highway). Soviet 5th Army resists doggedly as they fall back towards Mozhaysk.
Operation Cultivate. Overnight, British cruiser HMS Latona and destroyers HMS Jackal, Havock & Nizam make the round trip overnight from Alexandria, returning on October 18.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Day 777 October 16, 1941
At 1.14 AM 400 miles West of Ireland, U-568 sinks British SS Empire Heron in convoy SC-48 (42 dead, 1 survivor rescued by HMS Gladiolus).
Evacuation of Odessa. At 5.10 AM, the last ships depart, leaving only blazing ruins for the Germans and Romanians. The ‘Soviet Dunkirk’ is an unqualified success, although empty transport ship Bolshevik is sunk by German torpedo bombers (16 killed, 31 crew and 5 passengers rescued by Soviet motor torpedo boats). 121,000 troops and civilians have been evacuated from Odessa along with 400 artillery pieces, 1000 trucks and 20,000 tons of ammunition. The defense of Odessa has cost Soviet Coastal Army and Black Sea Fleet 16,578 killed and 24,690 wounded.
Operation Typhoon. SS Reich Division and 10th Panzer Division attack the Mozhaysk line at Borodino, the site of the 1812 Napoleonic battle, 125 km West of Moscow (allegedly, Soviet troops are shown 1812 Russian battle standards to motivate them). However, the Panzers lack infantry support and are turned back by Soviet rifle divisions (Feldmarschall von Kluge is resting 4th Army’s 11 infantry divisions after the battles around Vyasma). In Moscow, foreign diplomats and government staff are evacuated 1500 miles East to the reserve capital, Kuibyshev.
Returning from a raid on Mannheim, Germany, RAF Pilot Officer AJ Heyworth flies a Wellington bomber of No. 12 Squadron Bomber Command 500 - 600 miles on 1 engine (about 5 hours). He lands with the other engine on fire.
German raider Kormoran meets supply ship Kulmerland off Cape Leeuwin, Southwestern Australia. Kulmerland has sailed 5000 miles from Japan in 45 days, carrying 4,000 tons of diesel oil and 6 months supply of provisions which will take 7 days to transfer to Kormoran.
Evacuation of Odessa. At 5.10 AM, the last ships depart, leaving only blazing ruins for the Germans and Romanians. The ‘Soviet Dunkirk’ is an unqualified success, although empty transport ship Bolshevik is sunk by German torpedo bombers (16 killed, 31 crew and 5 passengers rescued by Soviet motor torpedo boats). 121,000 troops and civilians have been evacuated from Odessa along with 400 artillery pieces, 1000 trucks and 20,000 tons of ammunition. The defense of Odessa has cost Soviet Coastal Army and Black Sea Fleet 16,578 killed and 24,690 wounded.
Operation Typhoon. SS Reich Division and 10th Panzer Division attack the Mozhaysk line at Borodino, the site of the 1812 Napoleonic battle, 125 km West of Moscow (allegedly, Soviet troops are shown 1812 Russian battle standards to motivate them). However, the Panzers lack infantry support and are turned back by Soviet rifle divisions (Feldmarschall von Kluge is resting 4th Army’s 11 infantry divisions after the battles around Vyasma). In Moscow, foreign diplomats and government staff are evacuated 1500 miles East to the reserve capital, Kuibyshev.
Returning from a raid on Mannheim, Germany, RAF Pilot Officer AJ Heyworth flies a Wellington bomber of No. 12 Squadron Bomber Command 500 - 600 miles on 1 engine (about 5 hours). He lands with the other engine on fire.
German raider Kormoran meets supply ship Kulmerland off Cape Leeuwin, Southwestern Australia. Kulmerland has sailed 5000 miles from Japan in 45 days, carrying 4,000 tons of diesel oil and 6 months supply of provisions which will take 7 days to transfer to Kormoran.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Day 776 October 15, 1941
Convoy SC-48 left Sydney, Australia, on October 5, then traveled up the East coast of USA and entered the North Atlantic through the Labrador Straits. At 8.15 AM, U-553 makes contact 500 miles West of Ireland, sinking British MV Silvercedar (21 lost, 26 survivors) and Norwegian SS Ila (14 lost, 7 survivors). Another ship in the convoy, MV Silverelm, tries to ram U-553 and later in the day Canadian destroyer HMCS Columbia counterattacks with depth charges. Several U-boats in the area are ordered to converge on convoy SC-48. En route, U-558 sinks unescorted Canadian MV Vancouver Island at 11.17 PM (some of the 65 crew, 8 gunners and 32 passengers are seen to escape in lifeboats but are never found alive).
Siege of Odessa ends. At noon, Soviet troops start blowing up port facilities & coastal artillery batteries and boarding 30 transport ships. Overnight, Black Sea Fleet evacuates the garrison of 35,000 men to Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula.
Operation Typhoon, assault on Moscow. 1st Panzer Division advances Northwest from Kalinin towards Torshok to attack Soviet Northwestern Front from the rear; however, they are now heading away from Moscow and this will prove costly in the long run.
Siege of Odessa ends. At noon, Soviet troops start blowing up port facilities & coastal artillery batteries and boarding 30 transport ships. Overnight, Black Sea Fleet evacuates the garrison of 35,000 men to Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula.
Operation Typhoon, assault on Moscow. 1st Panzer Division advances Northwest from Kalinin towards Torshok to attack Soviet Northwestern Front from the rear; however, they are now heading away from Moscow and this will prove costly in the long run.
Day 775 October 14, 1941
British corvette HMS Fleur de Lys (built as La Dieppoise for the French Navy) is escorting convoy OG-75 towards Gibraltar. At 3.36 AM 60 miles West of Gibraltar, U-206 sinks HMS Fleur de Lys (71 killed, 3 survivors rescued by a Spanish merchant ship). Kriegsmarine places orders for 49 more U-boats.
Operation Typhoon, assault on Moscow. Germans announce that Soviet resistance West of Vyasma has ended; in reality Red Army will hold out in small pockets for another 10 days, tying down German infantry. In a bold move, 1st Panzer Division raids deeply between Soviet Northwestern and Western Fronts, scattering Soviet infantry formations. They advance 75 miles Northeast from Rzhev to capture the medieval Russian city of Kalinin (known previously and again now as Tver) which lies 100 miles Northwest of Moscow.
Stalin decides to evacuate Moscow. He briefs 23 senior military and Party officials between 3.30 and 6.15 PM to inform them. First to go are 4 Moscow theatrical groups; Lenin State Theatre, Maxim Gorky Artistic Academic Theatre, Little Academic Theatre and Vakhtangov Theatre.
Operation Typhoon, assault on Moscow. Germans announce that Soviet resistance West of Vyasma has ended; in reality Red Army will hold out in small pockets for another 10 days, tying down German infantry. In a bold move, 1st Panzer Division raids deeply between Soviet Northwestern and Western Fronts, scattering Soviet infantry formations. They advance 75 miles Northeast from Rzhev to capture the medieval Russian city of Kalinin (known previously and again now as Tver) which lies 100 miles Northwest of Moscow.
Stalin decides to evacuate Moscow. He briefs 23 senior military and Party officials between 3.30 and 6.15 PM to inform them. First to go are 4 Moscow theatrical groups; Lenin State Theatre, Maxim Gorky Artistic Academic Theatre, Little Academic Theatre and Vakhtangov Theatre.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Day 774 October 13, 1941
Siege of Leningrad Day 36. General Fedyuninsky is ordered to break the siege by breaking out to the East along the Southern shore of Lake Ladoga, beginning no later than October 20. However, there are 54,000 German troops well dug in on the swampy terrain.
Operation Typhoon, assault on Moscow. West of Moscow, Soviet 18th and 19th tank Brigades gradually fall back from Gzhatsk (now Gagarin) in the face of heavy German tank and Stuka attacks. They retreat along the Smolensk-Moscow road towards the main defensive line at Mozhaysk, which is still under hasty construction by 250,000 civilians (mostly women). 130 miles West-Northwest of Moscow, 1st Panzer Division captures Rzhev encircling and destroying Soviet 30th Army.
Operation Typhoon, assault on Moscow. West of Moscow, Soviet 18th and 19th tank Brigades gradually fall back from Gzhatsk (now Gagarin) in the face of heavy German tank and Stuka attacks. They retreat along the Smolensk-Moscow road towards the main defensive line at Mozhaysk, which is still under hasty construction by 250,000 civilians (mostly women). 130 miles West-Northwest of Moscow, 1st Panzer Division captures Rzhev encircling and destroying Soviet 30th Army.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Day 773 October 12, 1941
Operation Typhoon. Germans move towards Moscow on a broad front, capturing Kaluga 100 miles Southwest of the capital. Many German formations have advanced over 70km in 5 days.
Soviet submarine S8 (which left Kronstadt yesterday) is blown apart, presumably by a German mine, and sinks 8 miles off the Swedish island of Öland (all 48 hands lost).
At 2.00 PM 100 miles off the coast of Portugal, U-83 stops and sinks neutral Portuguese SS Corte Real for carrying cargo to Canada and Australia. Remarkably, the U-boat tows 3 lifeboats with 42 crew and passengers for 3 hours enabling them to make land near Lisbon.
German motor torpedo boats S41, S47, S53, S62, S104, and S105 attack convoy FN531 just off the coast of East Anglia, England, sinking British SS Chevington (7 crew and 2 gunners killed) and Norwegian SS Roy (3 crew lost).
With the moon waning, the final phase to replace Australian 9th Division at Tobruk, Libya begins (Operation Cultivate). British cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Hero, Kipling & Nizam make the round trip overnight from Alexandria Egypt. However, German U-boats are now patrolling the Alexandria-Tobruk route. 35 miles West of Tobruk, U-75 sinks 2 British landing craft tanks which left Tobruk yesterday (29 crew, 4 Australian soldiers, a Royal Engineers officer and 2 Italian POWs are killed; 1 survivor is taken prisoner by U-75 and taken back to Germany).
Overnight, RAF mounts a big raid on Hüls and Bremen, Germany, with 118 bombers mainly Avro Manchesters (Bomber Command No.5 Group).
Soviet submarine S8 (which left Kronstadt yesterday) is blown apart, presumably by a German mine, and sinks 8 miles off the Swedish island of Öland (all 48 hands lost).
At 2.00 PM 100 miles off the coast of Portugal, U-83 stops and sinks neutral Portuguese SS Corte Real for carrying cargo to Canada and Australia. Remarkably, the U-boat tows 3 lifeboats with 42 crew and passengers for 3 hours enabling them to make land near Lisbon.
German motor torpedo boats S41, S47, S53, S62, S104, and S105 attack convoy FN531 just off the coast of East Anglia, England, sinking British SS Chevington (7 crew and 2 gunners killed) and Norwegian SS Roy (3 crew lost).
With the moon waning, the final phase to replace Australian 9th Division at Tobruk, Libya begins (Operation Cultivate). British cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers HMS Hero, Kipling & Nizam make the round trip overnight from Alexandria Egypt. However, German U-boats are now patrolling the Alexandria-Tobruk route. 35 miles West of Tobruk, U-75 sinks 2 British landing craft tanks which left Tobruk yesterday (29 crew, 4 Australian soldiers, a Royal Engineers officer and 2 Italian POWs are killed; 1 survivor is taken prisoner by U-75 and taken back to Germany).
Overnight, RAF mounts a big raid on Hüls and Bremen, Germany, with 118 bombers mainly Avro Manchesters (Bomber Command No.5 Group).
Monday, October 10, 2011
Day 772 October 11, 1941
Soviet troops encircled at Vyasma are ordered to break out at all costs, after having been refused permission to retreat before being surrounded. Instead, they are decimated by German artillery and air bombardment, particularly Stukas. Germans have reduced the Vyasma pocket from 75 x 35 km to 20 x 20 km. Further South at Bryansk, Soviet 3rd and 13th Armies mount a counteroffensive and break through the weak cordon held by Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 which is exhausted after months of fighting.
British bombers (830 Squadron from Malta attack) attack an Italian convoy from Naples to Tripoli (escorted by Italian destroyers Granatiere, Bersagliere, Fucliere & Alpino) and sink steamers Zena & Casaregis about 100 miles north of Tripoli.
A series of disasters begins for Soviet submarines. Shchuka class submarine ShCh-322 which departed Kronstadt near Leningrad yesterday, is lost in the Baltic Sea presumably to a mine (all 40 hands lost).
British bombers (830 Squadron from Malta attack) attack an Italian convoy from Naples to Tripoli (escorted by Italian destroyers Granatiere, Bersagliere, Fucliere & Alpino) and sink steamers Zena & Casaregis about 100 miles north of Tripoli.
A series of disasters begins for Soviet submarines. Shchuka class submarine ShCh-322 which departed Kronstadt near Leningrad yesterday, is lost in the Baltic Sea presumably to a mine (all 40 hands lost).
Day 771 October 10, 1941
The remnants of the Soviet Western Front, Southwestern Front and Reserve Front (troops that avoided encirclement at Kiev, Bryansk and Vyasma or escaped from these pockets) are reformed into a new Western Front under the command of General Zhukov. They are positioned to hold a line from Tula (South of Moscow), through Naro-Fominska and Mozhaysk to Volokolamsk (Northwest of Moscow) – the Mozhaysk Line. Defensive fortifications will be hastily built, mainly by civilians. In addition, Soviet 32nd Rifle Division (full-strength Division with 15,000 fresh, well-trained troops) begins arriving at Mozhaysk by train from Siberia.
At Gzhatsk (now known as Gagarin, 32 miles East of Vyasma and 40 miles from the main defensive line at Mozhaysk), Soviet 18th and 19th tank Brigades hold up the German spearhead, SS Reich Division which suffers about 500 casualties.
At 5.43 AM 150 miles Northeast of the Cape Verde Islands, U-126 sinks British SS Nailsea Manor carrying 6000 tons of military stores, including 1000 tons of ammunition and a landing craft (LCT-102 crated in four sections). All 36 crew, 5 gunners and a Royal Navy Petty Officer (in charge of the landing craft) abandon ship in haste due to the cargo of ammunition and are picked up by British corvette HMS Violet.
British submarine HMS Thunderbolt sinks Italian steamer Citta di Simi, just off the Northeast corner of Crete.
At Gzhatsk (now known as Gagarin, 32 miles East of Vyasma and 40 miles from the main defensive line at Mozhaysk), Soviet 18th and 19th tank Brigades hold up the German spearhead, SS Reich Division which suffers about 500 casualties.
At 5.43 AM 150 miles Northeast of the Cape Verde Islands, U-126 sinks British SS Nailsea Manor carrying 6000 tons of military stores, including 1000 tons of ammunition and a landing craft (LCT-102 crated in four sections). All 36 crew, 5 gunners and a Royal Navy Petty Officer (in charge of the landing craft) abandon ship in haste due to the cargo of ammunition and are picked up by British corvette HMS Violet.
British submarine HMS Thunderbolt sinks Italian steamer Citta di Simi, just off the Northeast corner of Crete.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Day 770 October 9, 1941
There are massive encirclements of Soviet troops from Leningrad in the North to the Sea of Azov on the Black Sea, with the largest pockets in the middle around Bryansk and Vyasma. Coupled with the destruction of Soviet Southwestern Front around Kiev, these cauldron battles (Kesselschlacht) will result in 2 million unrecoverable Soviet losses. However, Stalin knows from his spy in Tokyo (Richard Sorge) that the Japanese have no plans to attack USSR and instead intend to expand South by moving on British and American interests. Stalin transfers troops from the Far East to protect Moscow.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Day 769 October 8, 1941
Soviet Army suffers another disaster, this time in the Ukraine. Soviet forces on the Sea of Azov (Northern part of the Black Sea) are on the brink of forcing German 11th Army off the Perekop Isthmus which links the Crimean peninsula to the mainland. General von Kleist’s Panzergruppe 1 races South after the encirclement of Kiev to relieve 11th Army; they reache Berdyansk and Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. Soviet 9th and 18th Armies (100,000 soldiers) are trapped between Panzergruppe 1, 11th Army and the sea.
Just after midnight, German Heinkel He111 bombers from Crete attack shipping at anchor at Safe Anchorage H in the Gulf of Suez. They sink British steamer Rosalie Moller (carrying 4680 tons of Welsh coal to Alexandria, Egypt, via the Cape of Good Hope) which is awaiting passage through the Suez Canal (2 crew killed, survivors rescued by Australian sloop HMAS Parramatta). Dive video.
British bombers from Malta (830 Squadron) sink Italian steamer Paolo Z. Podesta in a small convoy with a schooner, and two trawlers just leaving Trapani, Sicily, for Tripoli, Libya.
Just after midnight, German Heinkel He111 bombers from Crete attack shipping at anchor at Safe Anchorage H in the Gulf of Suez. They sink British steamer Rosalie Moller (carrying 4680 tons of Welsh coal to Alexandria, Egypt, via the Cape of Good Hope) which is awaiting passage through the Suez Canal (2 crew killed, survivors rescued by Australian sloop HMAS Parramatta). Dive video.
British bombers from Malta (830 Squadron) sink Italian steamer Paolo Z. Podesta in a small convoy with a schooner, and two trawlers just leaving Trapani, Sicily, for Tripoli, Libya.
Day 768 October 7, 1941
Operation Typhoon. A day after encircling 3 Soviet Armies around Bryansk, German Panzers close the Vyasma pocket and trap an even larger number of Soviet troops. At 10.30 AM, 10th Panzer Division (Panzergruppe 4 advancing from the South) takes Vyasma and links up with 7th Panzer (Panzergruppe 3) North of the city. 5 Soviet Armies are surrounded (30 Divisions). About 250,000 Soviet troops will escape from the Bryansk and Vyasma pockets, 300,000 are killed and 700,000 become POWs.
At 4.17 PM 100 miles South of Iceland, U-502 torpedoes British whaling ship Svend Foyn, which does not sink and is towed to Liverpool for repairs (returning to service in May 1942). Svend Foyn will sink in March 1943 after hitting an iceberg off Greenland (195 lives lost, 152 rescued).
At 4.17 PM 100 miles South of Iceland, U-502 torpedoes British whaling ship Svend Foyn, which does not sink and is towed to Liverpool for repairs (returning to service in May 1942). Svend Foyn will sink in March 1943 after hitting an iceberg off Greenland (195 lives lost, 152 rescued).
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Day 767 October 6, 1941
Operation Typhoon. Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 captures Bryansk when 17th Panzer Division rolls in unexpectedly from the East, surprising the HQ of Soviet General Yeremenko who is wounded but escapes. Panzergruppe 2 links up with German 2nd Army, encircling 2 large pockets of Soviet troops (23 Divisions of 3rd, 13th and 50th Armies).
Siege of Leningrad Day 29. General Zhukov leaves for Moscow to replace Konev in command of Soviet Western Front which is falling back in front of Operation Typhoon. Zhukov’s protégé General Ivan Fedyuninsky assumes command in Leningrad.
German bombers attack shipping in the Gulf of Suez, sinking British SS Thistlegorm carrying ammunition and other supplies including 2 steam locomotives to Alexandria, Egypt (4 crew and 5 gunners killed, survivors picked up by British cruiser HMS Carlisle). Australian SS Salamaua, Norwegian tanker Norfold and British SS Scalaria are also damaged.
Siege of Leningrad Day 29. General Zhukov leaves for Moscow to replace Konev in command of Soviet Western Front which is falling back in front of Operation Typhoon. Zhukov’s protégé General Ivan Fedyuninsky assumes command in Leningrad.
German bombers attack shipping in the Gulf of Suez, sinking British SS Thistlegorm carrying ammunition and other supplies including 2 steam locomotives to Alexandria, Egypt (4 crew and 5 gunners killed, survivors picked up by British cruiser HMS Carlisle). Australian SS Salamaua, Norwegian tanker Norfold and British SS Scalaria are also damaged.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Day 766 October 5, 1941
Operation Typhoon. Stalin orders Soviet Western Front to withdraw to Vyasma, falling right into the German trap. Stalin recalls Zhukov from Leningrad to replace General Ivan Konev who he blames for failing to stop the German advance. Stalin considers executing Konev but is talked out of it by Zhukov. Konev will command Soviet forces throughout the war, achieving great success and promotion to Marshal of the Soviet Union by Stalin in February 1944.
Overnight, Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers (Fleet Air Arm 830 Squadron from Malta) attack an Italian convoy from Naples to Tripoli, sinking tanker Rialto 67 miles North of Misrata, Libya (145 survivors rescued by Italian Destroyer Gioberti).
A single RAF Bristol Blenheim (Coastal Command 1404 Meteorological Flight from RAF St. Eval, Cornwall) unsuccessfully attacks two U-boats in the Bay of Biscay. A 250lb bomb misses U-563 (departing Brest, France) at 10.30 AM and another 250lb bomb hits the conning tower of U-565 (returning to Lorient, France) at 11.02 AM but does not explode.
Overnight, Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers (Fleet Air Arm 830 Squadron from Malta) attack an Italian convoy from Naples to Tripoli, sinking tanker Rialto 67 miles North of Misrata, Libya (145 survivors rescued by Italian Destroyer Gioberti).
A single RAF Bristol Blenheim (Coastal Command 1404 Meteorological Flight from RAF St. Eval, Cornwall) unsuccessfully attacks two U-boats in the Bay of Biscay. A 250lb bomb misses U-563 (departing Brest, France) at 10.30 AM and another 250lb bomb hits the conning tower of U-565 (returning to Lorient, France) at 11.02 AM but does not explode.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Day 765 October 4, 1941
Operation Typhoon. As Soviet Western Front falls back along the main Smolensk/Moscow road in the face of Army Group Center’s attack, Hoth's Panzergruppe 3 bypasses them to the North while Hoepner's Panzergruppe 4 advances from the South (capturing the cities of Kirov and Spa-Demensk). The German aim is a massive double encirclement, converging on Vyasma, to trap the Soviet Western Front (31 rifle Divisions, 3 cavalry Divisions, 2 motorised Divisions and 3 tank Brigades, under General Ivan Konev). 3 German infantry Armies follow behind the Panzers to fence in Soviet troops for the coming battle of annihilation. Despite the obvious encircling of large Soviet forces at Vyasma and Bryansk, Stalin repeats the mistake of Kiev and refuses to allow a withdrawal.
225 miles West of Tenerife, British anti-submarine trawler HMS Lady Shirley brings U-111 to the surface with 3 depth charges. After a gun battle, U-111 is scuttled by the crew (8 dead and 44 survivors picked up by HMS Lady Shirley, 1 sailor on HMS Lady Shirley is killed by machinegun fire). Another anti-submarine trawler HMS Whippet (previously a Norwegian whaler taken over by the Admiralty in October 1940) is sunk by German bombing 30 miles North of Bardia, Libya (1 killed).
British submarine HMS Talisman sinks French steamer Theophile Gautier in a convoy from Crete to the Greek mainland (escorted by Italian torpedo boats Monzambano, Calatafimi and Aldebaran).
225 miles West of Tenerife, British anti-submarine trawler HMS Lady Shirley brings U-111 to the surface with 3 depth charges. After a gun battle, U-111 is scuttled by the crew (8 dead and 44 survivors picked up by HMS Lady Shirley, 1 sailor on HMS Lady Shirley is killed by machinegun fire). Another anti-submarine trawler HMS Whippet (previously a Norwegian whaler taken over by the Admiralty in October 1940) is sunk by German bombing 30 miles North of Bardia, Libya (1 killed).
British submarine HMS Talisman sinks French steamer Theophile Gautier in a convoy from Crete to the Greek mainland (escorted by Italian torpedo boats Monzambano, Calatafimi and Aldebaran).
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Day 764 October 3, 1941
Operation Typhoon. Panzergruppe 2 captures Orel 220 miles Southwest of Moscow, (Luftwaffe will use the airfield as a forward airbase). Another column of Panzergruppe 2 battles Soviet troops South of Bryansk. With 2nd, 4th and 9th Armies plus Panzergruppe 3 and 4 (part of Army Group Center) advancing from the West, Germans are now positioned to encircle Soviet Bryansk Front (3rd, 13th and 50th Armies under the command of General Andrey Yeremenko).
Just after midnight 650 miles East of Newfoundland, Canada, U-431 sinks British SS Hatasu (40 killed, 7 survivors in a lifeboat picked up after 7 days by US destroyer USS Charles F. Hughes and landed at Reykjavik).
North Sea. German bombers attack British destroyer HMS Vivacious (steering damaged, under repair until November). British motor torpedo boat MTB56 sinks Norwegian tanker Borgny off Bergen, escorted by Norwegian destroyer Draug (Operation Barefoot). MTB56 and Draug return next day to the Shetland Islands, Scotland.
300 miles Northeast of the Azores, a Walrus reconnaissance aircraft from British cruiser HMS Kenya spots German supply ship Klara (tender for the armed merchant raiders). HMS Kenya sinks Klara but does not stop for survivors due to the presence of a submarine (U-129). U-129 picks up 119 survivors and transfers them to a Spanish tug 2 days later.
Dutch submarine O.21 sinks Vichy French steamer Oued Yquem off Sardinia, Italy.
Just after midnight 650 miles East of Newfoundland, Canada, U-431 sinks British SS Hatasu (40 killed, 7 survivors in a lifeboat picked up after 7 days by US destroyer USS Charles F. Hughes and landed at Reykjavik).
North Sea. German bombers attack British destroyer HMS Vivacious (steering damaged, under repair until November). British motor torpedo boat MTB56 sinks Norwegian tanker Borgny off Bergen, escorted by Norwegian destroyer Draug (Operation Barefoot). MTB56 and Draug return next day to the Shetland Islands, Scotland.
300 miles Northeast of the Azores, a Walrus reconnaissance aircraft from British cruiser HMS Kenya spots German supply ship Klara (tender for the armed merchant raiders). HMS Kenya sinks Klara but does not stop for survivors due to the presence of a submarine (U-129). U-129 picks up 119 survivors and transfers them to a Spanish tug 2 days later.
Dutch submarine O.21 sinks Vichy French steamer Oued Yquem off Sardinia, Italy.
Day 763 October 2, 1941
German advance on Moscow (Operation Typhoon). At Sevsk 280 miles from Moscow, General Guderian splits Panzergruppe 2 into 2 pincers; one going North to Bryansk and one heading Northeast to Orel.
600 miles West of Ireland, U-94 repeatedly torpedoes British tanker SS San Florentino over 6 hours and finally sinks her at 5.52 AM (23 killed, 35 survivors picked up by Canadian corvette HMCS Mayflower). In the same area, U-575 sinks Dutch MV Tuva at 7.09 AM (1 killed, 34 survivors in 2 lifeboats and 2 rafts picked up by Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Croix).
At 6.52 AM 250 miles East of Iceland, U-562 sinks British catapult armed merchant Empire Wave (20 crew and 9 RAF personnel killed, 31 survivors picked up by Icelandic trawler Surprise).
British submarine HMS Perseus sinks German steamer Castellon (escorted by Italian torpedo boats Calliope and Pegaso in a convoy from Naples to Tripoli) 60 miles West of Benghazi, Libya.
600 miles West of Ireland, U-94 repeatedly torpedoes British tanker SS San Florentino over 6 hours and finally sinks her at 5.52 AM (23 killed, 35 survivors picked up by Canadian corvette HMCS Mayflower). In the same area, U-575 sinks Dutch MV Tuva at 7.09 AM (1 killed, 34 survivors in 2 lifeboats and 2 rafts picked up by Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Croix).
At 6.52 AM 250 miles East of Iceland, U-562 sinks British catapult armed merchant Empire Wave (20 crew and 9 RAF personnel killed, 31 survivors picked up by Icelandic trawler Surprise).
British submarine HMS Perseus sinks German steamer Castellon (escorted by Italian torpedo boats Calliope and Pegaso in a convoy from Naples to Tripoli) 60 miles West of Benghazi, Libya.
Day 762 October 1, 1941
Siege of Leningrad Day 24. Finnish forces reach Petrozavodsk, the capital city of the Soviet Republic of Karelia on the Western shore of Lake Onega, further increasing the isolation of Leningrad.
Germans refocus their attention on the Soviet capital, Moscow (Operation Typhoon), after having isolated Leningrad and destroyed Soviet Southwestern Front around Kiev. They aim to take Moscow before the beginning of Winter, precipitating a Soviet collapse and surrender. The German attack includes 1,929,406 troops, 14,000 artillery guns and 1000 tanks plus 1390 aircraft. Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 is first off the mark, having participated in the encircling of Kiev. Panzergruppe 2 attacks Northwest towards Orel and Bryansk, reaching Sevsk.
Germans refocus their attention on the Soviet capital, Moscow (Operation Typhoon), after having isolated Leningrad and destroyed Soviet Southwestern Front around Kiev. They aim to take Moscow before the beginning of Winter, precipitating a Soviet collapse and surrender. The German attack includes 1,929,406 troops, 14,000 artillery guns and 1000 tanks plus 1390 aircraft. Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 is first off the mark, having participated in the encircling of Kiev. Panzergruppe 2 attacks Northwest towards Orel and Bryansk, reaching Sevsk.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, September 26, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Friday, September 23, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, September 19, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
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).
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).
Friday, September 16, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
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).
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).
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
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.
Monday, September 12, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Friday, September 9, 2011
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).
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).
Thursday, September 8, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, September 5, 2011
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).
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.
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.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
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).
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).
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Day 733 September 2, 1941
RAF bombs targets in Northern France in daylight raids, responding to criticism of lack of accuracy in night bombing.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
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.
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).
Overnight, Germans bomb British naval base at Alexandria, Egypt, but cause no damage to ships or facilities (2 Royal Navy officers killed).
Monday, August 29, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
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.
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”.
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”.
Friday, August 26, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
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).
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).
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
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.
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).
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).
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
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).
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.
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).
Friday, June 17, 2011
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).
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).
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, June 13, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Friday, June 10, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
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).
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
http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/histories/18/chapters/17.pdf
Monday, June 6, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
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).
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).
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