Friday 14 March 1941

Damage to Clydebank from the Luftwaffe bombing of 13/14 March 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Italian Primavera Offensive of the 11th Army continues on 14 March 1941 without achieving anything. The tough Julia Division assaults the heights south of the Vojussa river - and fails, with horrendous casualties. The Pusteria Division also tries to advance, with the same result. Italian casualties for the offensive are in the low five figures and rising fast.

Mussolini, watching the activity from a mountain with a good view of Monastery Hill in the center of the line, is frustrated. However, things could be much worse for him than simply feeling bad about his troops' difficulties. Two Allied airplanes suddenly strafe the mountain that he is standing on. Everyone rushes to the shelter - and leave Mussolini behind to enter last. It is both a lucky escape and a commentary on the people surrounding him and their view of their leader.

Italian Chief of the Supreme Command General Ugo Cavallero has seen enough. He urges Mussolini to end the offensive and go over to the defensive. Mussolini, however, urgently wants to have some sort of Italian victory before the start of the German offensive from Bulgaria.

Air battles over the ground fighting are intense. The Italians are making a major effort to support the ground troops, and the RAF joins the party. The RAF claims eight Italian aircraft downed.

A handful of British Swordfish torpedo planes of RAF No. 815 Squadron based in Paramythia, Greece attack Valona (Vlorë), Albania. They sink an Italian hospital ship, the Po, and 3539-ton freighter Santa Maria at the cost of one aircraft (the Santa Maria is later raised and repaired). Needless to say, hospital ships are off-limits to attacks. Technically, this is a war crime. However, like many other such incidents throughout the war (on both sides), nothing comes of it. The British lose a plane, and the three airmen become POWs.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill asks Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden to stay in Cairo until there is more clarity. Given that the British (and, unknown to the British, the Germans) are preparing radical departures in their activities in the region, this may be some time.

East African Campaign: Lieutenant-General William Platt has been stymied in front of Keren and its narrow entrance, the Dongolaas Gorge, for over a month. He has used that time to prepare his troops and wait for other British forces to put pressure on the entire Italian position in East Africa. Now, he is ready to attack on the 15th in a classic set-piece sequence of battles that focus on the Italian weak spots. He meets with his commanders on the 14th and warns them that it is going to be a bitter battle:

Do not let anybody think this is going to be a walkover. It is not. It is going to be a bloody battle: a bloody battle against both enemy and ground. It will be won by the side which lasts longest. I know you will last longer than they do. And I promise you I will last longer than my opposite number.

This is a standard inspirational speech. However, for those who like to cast everything that Adolf Hitler ever did as eccentric and weird and revealing of his mental deterioration and so forth, compare its language to speeches Hitler makes around the time of the Ardennes Offensive in late 1944 and early 1945. He easily could have said those words. In fact, he actually did say some of them, such as the bit about lasting longer than his opposite number. This is simply how commanders under stress talk, whether they are winning or losing.

Some patrol actions take place around Mount Gegghiro. Two companies of the 4/16 Punjab climb 5000 feet up the mountain and displace some Italians who also are patrolling in the area. Punjab troops occupy the heights and install artillery, which can reach Engiahat.

The Italians are testing their Reggiane Re 2001, which among other advances uses the same engine, the DB 601, as the German Bf 109. This is the remains of the 14th test flight today. The second prototype, MM408, crashes and kills the test pilot, Pietro Scapinelli. The crash is ascribed to a faulty airscrew pitch. Alfa Romeo is judged guilty and must pay a large fine. These "second-generation" fighters of the Regia Aeronautica hold great promise and are a major upgrade for the Italian air force.

European Air Operations: The weather has improved enough for the Luftwaffe, after a two-month absence, to resume major bombing raids. The Germans put 451 bombers in the sky over Great Britain, and they cause tremendous damage to several locations.

The Luftwaffe, as is its tendency, returns to the same city that it creamed on the previous night. Having devastated Glasgow and the surrounding area on the night of the 13th, the Luftwaffe returns tonight. Just over 200 bombers attack Glasgow and Clydebank again, dropping 231 tons of high explosives. Further damage results to the shipyards and to the Rolls Royce engine factory there. This is known as the second night of the Clydebank Blitz.

It also is the night of the largest Luftwaffe attack of the war on Leeds. Tonight's raid begins at 21:00 when about 40 bombers attack the city and drop about 25 tons of bombs on it. The bombers aim for the city center, destroying about 100 houses and damaging 4600 others. In all, about 65 people are killed. Many historical buildings are destroyed or damaged, and you can see some bomb damage to this day in various structures. The antiaircraft defenders in the region down about five Junkers Ju 88 and Dornier Do-17 bombers, but it is unclear if they are involved in the Leeds raid, which is known as the Leeds Blitz.

The bombers also target surrounding towns, which likewise take a beating. This includes Huddersfield, near the site of a David Brown factory making Supermarine Spitfire parts, and Castleford. Sheffield receives special attention, with 117 bombers dropping 83 tons of high explosives and 328 incendiary bombs. This raid receives a blackout in the British media and is usually referenced as a "North East Inland Town."

RAF Bomber Command attacks oil installations at Gelsenkirchen with 101 bombers. Oil production in the city is interrupted temporarily. Also attacked by 24 bombers is Dusseldorf.

Battle of the Atlantic: Heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper has been at Brest, France for a month. It has had to be repaired after hitting some submerged objects in the harbor. It also needs a major refit which can only be done in Germany. In any event, Brest is becoming too "hot" for it to remain there indefinitely. The Germans ready it today for a return voyage to Germany via the Denmark Strait for a departure on the 15th.

German battleship Bismarck is preparing for its own sortie into the Atlantic. Tied up at Scheerhafen, Kiel, the warship is taking on supplies.

German S-boats have been active recently off the English coast. Today, they attack local Convoy FS 35, but destroyers HMS Vanessa and Holderness fight them off.

Italian submarine Emo torpedoes and sinks 5759-ton British freighter Western Chief in the Atlantic. Western Chief is a straggler from Convoy SC-24. There are 22 deaths.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 1802-ton British freighter Stanleigh in the Mersey near the Bar Light Vessel. There are 17 deaths.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 6507-ton British freighter Artemisia off Mundesley.  There are two deaths.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 94-ton British drifter Peaceful Star east of the Rockabill Lighthouse. Everyone survives.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks British drifter Peaceful Star in the Irish Sea southeast of Rockabill, County Dublin. Everyone survives.

The Luftwaffe attack on Liverpool damages several British ships: 179-ton tug Minegarth, 7006-ton freighter Scottish Chief, and 5691-ton freighter Empire Simba.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 4265-ton Norwegian freighter Tyr in the Humber near the Humber Light Vessel. The ship has to be towed to Immingham.

The Luftwaffe bombs Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Franklin in the North Sea. Four near misses damage it.

The RAF (Handley Page bomber) bombs and sinks 2365-ton Finnish freighter Wirma, recently renamed Rainer, off the German North Sea Coast. Its location is northeast of Norderney Island, between Cuxhaven and Emden. All 23 aboard survive, rescued by Swedish freighter Arete. Because of the ship's different names and other factors, this sinking tends to get cited separately as two (or more) sinkings. It had left Emden bound for Stockholm.

Brazilian freighter Santa Clara sinks in the Atlantic. It is believed to have been sunk by a submarine. Nobody survives.

Royal Navy 95-ton drifter HMS Jeannie Leasik hits a mine off Clacton-on-Sea. The captain beaches the ship at Brightlingsea Harbour. It ultimately is refloated and repaired.

British 2653-ton freighter Herport hits a mine and sinks off Cromer in the North Sea. There are four deaths.

Convoy HG 56 departs from Gibraltar.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Trusty and minesweeper HMAS Mildura are launched, and destroyer HMS Rocket is laid down.

US destroyer USS Monssen (DD 436, Lt. Commander Roland N. Smoot) is commissioned.

Brazilian freighter Santa Clara. A mystery ship, nobody survives its sinking on 14 March 1941. Perhaps sunk by a U-boat.

Battle of the Mediterranean: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill has been zealously guarding the information received from the Ultra decryption service. However, he allows Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell to share in this intelligence beginning today.

The British are considering multiple courses of action in the Mediterranean basin - but none of them involve looking to the west. The obsession with the Wehrmacht forces in Bulgaria is at a fever pitch. The latest issue is whether or not to bomb infrastructure in Bulgaria. While a legitimate target due to the presence of German troops there, Bulgaria isn't at war with anyone. However, nobody is really too concerned about the rights of neutrals at this stage of the war.

On Malta, Lt. General William Dobbie, the island's governor and commander in chief, is knighted.  He is now Lt. General Sir William Dobbie.

Convoy ANF 20 departs from Alexandria, Convoy AS 19 departs from Piraeus.

An Axis convoy of three freighters and three Italian destroyers departs from Tripoli bound for Naples. A five-transport convoy also departs from Naples bound for Tripoli.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: The Axis ships in East Africa have been fleeing for safety as British troops approach. It has been an infallible signal of Italian-held ports about to fall. Today, 9000-ton German freighter Coburg, which had been at anchor in the port of Massawa, is intercepted off the island of Mauritius. The crewmen scuttle the ship and are taken as prisoners.

German raider Komet, which has been meeting with fellow raider Pinguin in the Kerguelen Islands, departs today. Pinguin remains in the islands to receive supplies and to have its crew scrape barnacles from the hull and the like.

US/Japanese Relations: The new Japanese Consul General to Hawaii, Kita Nagao, arrives in Honolulu aboard the freighter Tatsuta Maru. He replaces Acting Consul General Ojiro Okuda, who has been spying on the US Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Royal Navy battleship HMS Vanguard is ordered today from John Brown & Company. While it is launched on 30 November 1944, it is not commissioned until 12 May 1946. Incidentally, yes, this picture is taken from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier, but it is unknown which carrier it is.

US Military: Future ace Francis S. 'Gabby' Grabreski graduates from flight school.

Soviet Military: General Rodion Malinovsky becomes commander of Soviet 48th Rifle Corps.

China: The Battle of Shanggao (a county in the northwest of Jiangxi province) begins today when the Japanese 11th Army attacks the headquarters of the Chinese 19th Army.

Japanese Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters have been dominant over China. Today, they score another major success. Chinese ace pilot (seven victories) Major Wong Sun-Sui is flying a Soviet-built I-15III fighter over the southern area of Chengdu, Sichuan Province when a Zero shoots him down. He makes it to a hospital in Sumatou District of Chengdu but perishes from a head wound.

That isn't all. In addition, ace pilot Cen Zeliu (five victories), also flying an I-15III fighter, is shot down apparently in the same engagement, also by a Zero. Cen is remembered as someone who did not pursue medals but was a fine combat pilot (and also deputy commanding officer of the 5th Pursuit Group). The Chinese have great difficulties in the air against the Japanese, and these victories cement the superiority of the Zero over the second-rate import fighters the Chinese use.

American Homefront: The Gallup Organization has been tracking public opinion about the war throughout the conflict. While polling techniques are primitive, the data does provide some information about feelings among ordinary Americans about the distant wars in places many couldn't even locate on a map. Today, in Public Opinion New Service, 14 March 1941, Gallup finds that a small majority of voters with an opinion feel that preventing the Japanese from occupying Singapore and the Dutch East Indies is worth a potential US war.

"Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" enters the Billboard singles chart. It will be a No. 1 hit for teen weeks.

Future History: Wolfgang Petersen is born in Emden, Germany. He studies theater, then works for West German television. After making his first theatrical film in 1974, Peterson makes a controversial film, "Die Konsequenz," then makes the film he is most remembered for, "Das Boot" (1982). It stars an old friend, Jürgen Prochnow, and tells the tale of a German U-boat. Having made his international reputation off "Das Boot," Peterson goes on to a major film career and still makes films occasionally.

Norma Jeanne Baker aka Marilyn Monroe with Ana Lower's nephew, March 1941. They are standing at the southwest corner of Nebraska and Corinth Avenue in West Los Angeles. The scene looks remarkably similar today (without Marilyn and her friend), as the building behind them, the Nora Sterry (Sawtelle Boulevard school) school Auditorium, is still there. Norma Jeanne attended it in 1938. At the time of this picture, Norma Jeanne is a few months away from graduating from Emerson Junior High School. She is 14 years old.

March 1941

March 1, 1941: Rettungsboje
March 2, 1941: Oath of Kufra
March 3, 1941: Germans in Bulgaria
March 4, 1941: Lofoten Islands Raid
March 5, 1941: Cooperation With Japan
March 6, 1941: Battle of Atlantic
March 7, 1941: Prien Goes Under
March 8, 1941: Cafe de Paris
March 9, 1941: Italian Spring Offensive
March 10, 1941: Humanitarian Aid
March 11, 1941: Lend Lease Become Law
March 12, 1941: A New Magna Carta
March 13, 1941: Clydeside Wrecked
March 14, 1941: Leeds Blitz
March 15, 1941: Cruisers Strike!
March 16, 1941: Kretschmer Attacks
March 17, 1941: Happy Time Ends
March 18, 1941: Woolton Pie
March 19, 1941: London Hit Hard
March 20, 1941: Romeo and Juliet
March 21, 1941: Plymouth Blitz
March 22, 1941: Grand Coulee Dam
March 23, 1941: Malta Under Siege
March 24, 1941: Afrika Korps Strikes!
March 25, 1941: Yugoslavia Joins The Party
March 26, 1941: Barchini Esplosivi
March 27, 1941: Belgrade Coup
March 28, 1941: Cape Matapan Battle
March 29, 1941: Lindbergh Rants
March 30, 1941: Commissar Order
March 31, 1941: Cookie Bombs

2020

Monday 10 March 1941

The King and Queen visit Dundee, 10 March 1941. © IWM (A 3383).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Italian Primavera Offensive continues into a second day on 10 March 1941. On the left flank, the Pusteria Division captures, then loses Mali Spadarit, a peak overlooking the strategic Klisura Pass. In the center, Italian attacks to take Monastery Hill fail, and the Italians begin to bring up the reserve Bari Division. Elsewhere, the Italians are stopped cold by fixed Greek defenses of the Greek 1st Division. The weather turns poor, with cold rain negating any advantage that the Italians have in the air. The Italian high command decides to try to outflank the main Greek positions.

Operation Lustre, the British reinforcement of Greece, continues. The troop convoys from Alexandria and Suda Bay are arriving every three days. So far, the first troop tranche has arrived at Piraeus, and the second is en route.

East African Campaign: At Keren, Eritrea, Lieutenant-General William Platt remains frustrated at his troops' inability to fight through the narrow Dongolaas Gorge. The fierce Italian resistance at Keren is the only thing standing between the British and the coast at Massawa. Platt is assembling his troops for another attempt at the middle of the month.

Keren is a key crossroads whose capture will enable the British to scoop up all of Eritrea and head south into Abyssinia toward Addis Ababa, which is being threatened by the South African advance far to the south. Once the British are past Keren, the entire Italian position in East Africa will become unhinged - but there are very few routes in this rough country that are able to support large military operations. So far, attempts to flank Keren using secondary routes have produced no results.

Far to the south, the South African forces continue to advance north from the vicinity of Mogadishu. Operation Canvas continues without any meaningful results despite swallowing large amounts of territory. Now about 500 miles (900 km) past it, the Italian resistance begins to stiffen forward of the fortress of Jijiga, Abyssinia. The Italians top the 23rd Nigerian Brigade of the British 1st African Division at Dagabur (Degehabur), about 100 miles (160 km) south of Jijiga.

Belgian Congolese troops, meanwhile, cross the border into Abyssinia from the west and take Italian base Asosa.

Battery "Pooh," located at St. Margaret's near Dover, on 10 March 1941. It is a 14-inch gun designed to counter the German batteries at the Pas de Calais at Hellfire Corner.

European Air Operations: After the winter lull, air operations are picking up again. Both sides launch damaging raids, though the Luftwaffe continues to have the upper hand in terms of the devastating effects of their raids.

The Luftwaffe raids Portsmouth after dark for the second night in a row. It is one of the most devastating raids outside of London for some time. The Germans put around 240 bombers over the city, the most since 1940, and cause extensive damage to the docks and shipping. They sink a minesweeping trawler, HMT Revello, killing one man, and damage destroyers HMS Sherwood, Tynedale and Witherington, training ship HMS Marshal Soult and four other minesweeping trawlers. Four sailors on shore also perish.

RAF Bomber Command raids Le Havre. While just another raid against a Channel port, this is the first raid by Handley Page Halifax bombers by No. 35 Squadron flying out of Yorkshire (Linton-on-Ouse). One of the Halifax bombers (L9489) goes down over Hog's Back in Surrey, killing four of the six crew, crashing on fields near Merrist Wood, Worplesdon. This is what is known as a "nursery raid," the first operational raid by new equipment which is intended as much to test it operationally as to produce actual results. The crash is a friendly fire incident, as the bomber is shot down over England by an RAF night fighter (Squadron Leader P A Gilchrist DFC) whose crew is completely unaware that it just shot down one of its own planes. One of the engines will be recovered from the field in 1996, and a plaque will be erected on the lonely spot on 8 March 1997.

Other RAF targets during the night are Cologne (19 bombers) and St. Nazaire (14 bombers). The RAF also conducts Rhubarb sweeps over the French coast during the day.

Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies writes down in his diary his impression of the Blitz:

Curious to see the North Lodge at Buckingham Palace lying in ruins this morning. Houses shattered in Curzon Street. Germans are poor psychologists. If they had left the West End alone the East Enders might have been persuaded that they alone were bearing the brunt of the war. And Buckingham Palace again! ha ha!

Of course, the German bombs at Buckingham Palace came within whiskers of killing the King, which would not have been such a laughing matter.

The Reykjaborg, sunk by U-552 today.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-552 (KrvKpt. Erich Topp), on its first patrol just south of Iceland, comes across 687-ton Icelandic fish trawler Reykjaborg.  Topp fires a torpedo that fails to explode. Refusing to waste another torpedo, Topp surfaces at 23:14 and uses his deck and anti-aircraft guns to sink the ship about 460 miles southeast of Iceland. There are 12 deaths (13 if you count a man who dies just before his mates are rescued by HMS Pimpernel) and three survivors.

A convoy of British freighters blunders into a minefield off Hastings. Three ships sink:

• 870-ton Corinia (14 deaths)
• 708-ton Sparta (9 deaths)
• 1107-ton Waterland (7 deaths)

German S-boats (fast boats) attack Convoys FN 428 and FS 429A in the English Channel. The Royal Navy escorts fight them off without loss.

The Luftwaffe attacks a freighter off Wexford in St. George's Channel. It is the 4343-ton Norwegian ship Bur. The Bur is damaged and barely makes it to Fishguard, where the captain beaches it. The ship is repaired at Barry in the Bristol Channel. Another freighter, 391-ton Dutch ship Libra, also is damaged and towed into Swansea.

Royal Navy submarine HMS H.28 is damaged by a collision with an unidentified freighter in the Irish Sea. Repairs in Belfast take until mid-April.

German supply operations in the Atlantic operate without much hindrance these days. German tanker Nordmark rendezvouses with supply ship Alsterufer.

German minelayers lay minefield Pregel as part of minefield Westwall.

Convoy OB 296 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SC 25 departs from Halifax.

Destroyer HMS Chiddingfold is launched.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Formidable completes its journey to join the British Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria. HMS Illustrious, badly damaged but seaworthy, departs from Alexandria for Port Said.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Unique torpedoes and sinks Italian freighter Fenicia 160 km (100 miles) north of Tripoli.

In Malta, there are repeated attacks by the Luftwaffe throughout the day. At 12:21, nine German Bf 110s strafe the Sunderland flying boats in St. Paul's Bay, destroying one and damaging two others. In addition, a fuel lighter has to be beached with damage. The defending Hurricanes shoot down one of the Bf 110s. After dark, up to 20 bombers attack in bright moonlight, damaging Luqa Airfield and various other points on the island.

Convoy BN 19 departs from Aden, bound for Suez.

Applied Science: Centimetric radar is being developed both by the Americans and the British, and today both countries try out a prototype mounted in a bomber. The USAAC uses a Douglas B-18 Bolo bomber to try out the radar, but it is a first test of the equipment with no real results beyond making sure the aircraft can handle it. The British are at the next stage in their development and today use the radar to make an air-to-air detection. It is hoped that centimetric radar will have useful applications in naval warfare.

Spy Stuff: Acting Japanese Consul General Ojiro Okuda is continuing his spying operations on the US Pacific Fleet. Today, he sends another message to Tokyo listing the ships present there on the 9th. This includes "Four battleships... Five heavy cruisers... Six light cruisers... [and the aircraft carrier USS] Yorktown."

French diplomat Gaston Henry-Haye on the cover of Time Magazine, March 10, 1941, | Vol. XXXVII No. 10 (Cover Credit: DAVID E. SCHERMAN).

Vichy French/US Relations: Marshal Petain requests humanitarian aid from the United States. The hold-up for such aid is not President Roosevelt or the US government, because Roosevelt has been pressing for such aid since late 1940. Instead, the British government, meaning Prime Minister Winston Churchill, is against such aid to any country that is not strictly neutral. The official British position is set forth concisely and coldly:

Nothing has since occurred to alter the view of His Majesty's Government that it is the responsibility of the German Government to see to the material welfare of the countries they have overrun, nor to weaken their conviction that no form of relief can be devised which would not directly or indirectly assist the enemy's war effort.

Speaking to US journalists, Admiral Darlan, now Petain's chief deputy, warns:

I am responsible for feeding 40 million people, plus millions more in Africa. I will feed them even if I have to use force.

The issue of humanitarian aid will remain throughout the war, with the US wishing to help the people of Europe, but the British government objecting on the grounds that any aid of any sort to countries controlled by the Germans will help the Axis war effort.

France confirms the Murphy-Weygand Agreement today. Pursuant to the agreement, the United States agrees to supply French North Africa with certain basic commodities, so long as the French do not build up stockpiles and do not export them.

Anglo/US Relations: The Lend-Lease Bill is not yet law, but President Roosevelt gets a jump on the process by requesting $7 billion in aid to England.

US Military: The USAAF 73rd Squadron (Douglas B-18s) begins transferring from McChord Field outside Tacoma, Washington to Elmendorf Field, Anchorage, Alaska.

Japanese Military: Japanese rear admiral Takijirō Ōnishi submits to Isoroku Yamamoto a plan for the Pearl Harbor attack.

British Government: There is a rare meeting of the War Cabinet at the Cabinet War Room bunker ("Paddock") located in Brook Road, Dollis Hill, northwest London. It is a massive, two-story underground facility under a corner of the Post Office Research Station site. The bunker is only used for two meetings during the war. Visiting Australian Prime Minister Menzies gives a summary of Australian achievements in the war to date.

Soviet Government: Nikolai Voznesensky becomes the First Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. Maksim Saburov becomes Chairman of the State Planning Committee.

"Squadron Leader James Wheeler, a Flight Commander of No. 85 Squadron RAF, gets into the cockpit of a Hawker Hurricane Mark I night fighter, 'VY-X', at Debden, Essex, for a sortie while taking advantage of the clear moonlit nights during the period of the full moon from 10-16 March 1941." © IWM (CH 2249).

Yugoslav Government: Regent Prince Paul convenes the Crown Council again to consider signing the Tripartite Pact. There is great disagreement about what course to take - support the British or succumb to the Germans.

Vichy French Government: The Vichy government orders that, as of this date, compulsory ceremonies be conducted in every school Dahomey. This includes raising and lowering the French flag to the sounds of choral music.

Indochina: The Japanese mediate the French into giving the Thais everything that they originally sought. Thailand takes possession of all land up to the Mekong River. As their "fee," the Japanese take a monopoly on Indochinese rice production and basing rights for their planes at a Saigon airfield. This is a major expansion of Japanese influence in Indochina, which formerly was confined to the northern area around China.

Australia: Queensland's Public Works Department begins construction of the Rocklea Small Arms Factory/Munitions Works.

China: The Western Hupei Operation continues. Japanese 13th Infantry Division advances to take Kuankungling, Hutzuchung, and Hsianglingkou along the Yangtze River as the Chinese (Kuomintang) continue retreating on Chunking.

French Homefront: The Vichy government rations beer. It cannot be sold on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

German Homefront: The government constantly monitors public views about the war and toward the regime. These reports continue throughout the war and, unlike German propaganda, are as accurate as the preparers can make them. This week's report notes that hawking pictures of Hitler at fairs next to those of religious icons is meeting resistance with the public.

American Homefront: Following upon the test of batting helmets in Havana, Cuba, the General Manager Lee MacPhail of the Brooklyn Dodgers organization announces that the team's players will wear them throughout the season.

Future History: Naw Louisa Benson is born in Burma. She becomes Burma's first Miss Universe contestant in 1956 and again becomes Miss Burma in 1958. Benson joins the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) in 1964 and takes over command of her husband's brigade after he is assassinated.

On 10 March 1941, Transport Workers Union bus drivers in New York City go on strike over wages, hours, working conditions, and benefits. The strike halts most of Manhattan’s bus service.

March 1941

March 1, 1941: Rettungsboje
March 2, 1941: Oath of Kufra
March 3, 1941: Germans in Bulgaria
March 4, 1941: Lofoten Islands Raid
March 5, 1941: Cooperation With Japan
March 6, 1941: Battle of Atlantic
March 7, 1941: Prien Goes Under
March 8, 1941: Cafe de Paris
March 9, 1941: Italian Spring Offensive
March 10, 1941: Humanitarian Aid
March 11, 1941: Lend Lease Become Law
March 12, 1941: A New Magna Carta
March 13, 1941: Clydeside Wrecked
March 14, 1941: Leeds Blitz
March 15, 1941: Cruisers Strike!
March 16, 1941: Kretschmer Attacks
March 17, 1941: Happy Time Ends
March 18, 1941: Woolton Pie
March 19, 1941: London Hit Hard
March 20, 1941: Romeo and Juliet
March 21, 1941: Plymouth Blitz
March 22, 1941: Grand Coulee Dam
March 23, 1941: Malta Under Siege
March 24, 1941: Afrika Korps Strikes!
March 25, 1941: Yugoslavia Joins The Party
March 26, 1941: Barchini Esplosivi
March 27, 1941: Belgrade Coup
March 28, 1941: Cape Matapan Battle
March 29, 1941: Lindbergh Rants
March 30, 1941: Commissar Order
March 31, 1941: Cookie Bombs

2020

Thursday 27 February 1941

A noose on a gibbet is "Reserved for Hitler." London, 27 February 1941.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The front is quiet on 27 February 1941 aside from some artillery duels.

East African Campaign: The South African troops in Mogadishu become increasingly apprehensive about sanitary conditions. They discover unburied bodies, shallow graves, and other issues. However, they have to occupy the city, so strict sanitation and health practices are mandated.

Gazelle Force is disbanded, having achieved its mission of harassing the Italians north of Kassala. It is replaced by a new force named Kestrel under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel P. S. Myburgh DSO, MC, 25 Field Regiment.

At Mersa Taklai, Eritrea, the 14th Battalion of the Free French Foreign Legion arrives by boats to supplement the Indian 7th Infantry Brigade.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 30 Wellington bombers of Nos. 40, 115, 214 and 214 Squadrons against the newly commissioned German battleship Tirpitz, still at Wilhelmshaven. While 26 aircraft manage to press home their attacks through strong anti-aircraft fire and claim success, the attack causes little or no damage to the ship. The official report blames the poor weather on the failure, which is but one of many RAF failures against the battleship.

The Luftwaffe sends some planes over the English east coast, which drop some bombs and cause some damage. The Germans stay on the ground after dark.

SS Empire Tiger, which vanishes without a trace on 27 February 1941.

Battle of the Atlantic: Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, visiting London and meeting with all the government ministers, notes a simple but unassailable fact in his diary:

Another convoy beaten up. The shipping strain is enormous, and represents our only real chance of defeat.

It's unclear which particular convoy Menzies is talking about because two separate convoys have been "beaten up" within the past week: OB 289 and OB 290. He notes that this will have a direct effect on his country, as "Australia's export trade is going to suffer" due to the shipping losses.

Norwegian tanker Sandefjord, captured by German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer on 18 January 1941, arrives in France. It carries 11,000 tons of crude oil. It will be renamed Monsun for German service.

German cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau refuel from tankers Ermland and Friedrich Breme in the mid-Atlantic west of the Azores. The tankers take the 180 POWs taken in the action of 22 February.

U-47 (Kptlt. Günther Prien) torpedoes and sinks 4233-ton British freighter Holmlea west of Ireland. There are 2 deaths and 11 survivors. Some accounts place this attack on the 26th or 28th.

Some sources place Italian submarine Michele Bianchi's sinking of British freighter Baltistan today, others on the 26th or 28th. There are 18 survivors and 51 deaths.

The Luftwaffe attacks 1562-ton British freighter Old Charlton off Harwich. There is one death, freighter Catherine Hawksfield rescues the crew.

The Luftwaffe attacks 1109-ton British freighter Blacktoft, disabling it. Taken in tow, the Blacktoft reaches Harwich.

The Luftwaffe damages 1556-ton British freighter Newlands at the Barrow Deep. Fortunately for the freighter, a German bomb that falls on it turns out to be a dud.

The Luftwaffe bombs 10,000-ton British transport Anchises west of Bloody Foreland. The Anchises is disabled but remains afloat as the day ends.

A Luftwaffe aerial mine hits British 5085-ton freighter Cape Clear west of Liverpool. The blast damages the engines, but the Cape Clear eventually makes it back to Liverpool.

Royal Navy 266-ton minesweeping trawler HMT Remillo hits a mine and sinks in the Humber. There are 17 deaths, including skipper H.H. Jarvis.

British 203-ton trawler Christabelle hits a British mine just southeast of the Faroe Islands and sinks. There are ten deaths.

German 1371-ton freighter Adele Ohlrogge hits a mine and sinks in the Jade Bight.

The weather is rough, and shipping suffers as a result. French destroyer Mistral collides with British oiler Black Ranger, slightly damaging it. Separately, the destroyer HMS Chesterfield also is involved in a collision with submarine H 32, but the damage is inconsequential.

British 1020-ton freighter Stanwold founders about 10 miles west of Selsey, Chichester near the Isle of Wight. The cause is unknown.

British 438-ton freighter Noss Head sinks near Gardenstown, Eastern Scotland. The cause of the sinking is unknown.

British 4886 ton pig iron freighter Empire Tiger is last seen today in the Atlantic. The ship is never seen or heard from again. It is a complete mystery what happened to it. There are 34 men on board, they are listed on Tower Hill Memorial. The location of the sinking is unknown, speculation is that it sank about 30 miles south of Iceland.

Norwegian 181-ton auxiliary schooner M/S Stjørnfjord, constructed in 1878, runs aground and is wrecked at Madsøgalten, Leka, Norway.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Taku breaks down in the Atlantic and has to be assisted back to Londonderry by tug Salvonia.

Italian submarine Bianchi attacks 7603-ton British freighter Empire Ability in Convoy 290 south of Iceland but misses.

Convoys OB 291 and OB 292 depart from Liverpool,

U-559 (Oberleutnant zur See Hans Heidtmann) is commissioned, U-603 and U-604 are laid down.

SS Stanwold sinks mysteriously, 27 February 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Abstention on Kastelorizo turns from bad to worse for the British, who landed troops successfully on the 26th but then saw them chased out of the main port by newly landed Italian soldiers. The weather is poor, and both sides suspend any landing operations after dark on the 26th. The Italians, however, have more troops on the way from their bases in the Aegean. This leaves the Italian troops already onshore, equipped with 99 mm artillery, free to harass the defenseless British commandos who now are back at their embarkation point.

The Italian destroyers carrying fresh troops arrive from Leros in the early morning hours of the 27th, and two MAS motor-launches ferry these troops from destroyers Crispi and Sella to reinforce the Italian troops already on the island. Faced with overwhelming force, the commandos are forced to flee from their position and the British who arrive later to try to evacuate them find nothing but a few stragglers and a dead body. At 03:00, the Royal Navy ships finally locate the commandos on the east side of Kastelorizo and come in to evacuate them. However, not all of the commandos can escape; the Italians take a number of them as prisoners.

Offshore, HMS Hereward spots the Italian naval force, but, instead of attacking immediately, looks for fellow destroyer HMS Decoy. It does not find the Italian ships again, which proceed with their operations unmolested. Italian destroyer Crispi attacks patrolling destroyer HMS Jaguar, inflicting some damage, then escapes.

After evacuating the commandos, the British retreat to Alexandria. This leaves the Italians in possession of the valuable island and marks a rare victory for the Italian military. Admiral Cunningham later opines that Operation Abstention was "a rotten business and reflected little credit to everyone." As usual, there are some claims that the operation served as a good "learning experience," but the evidence for this is scant. The Admiralty is not amused by the whole affair and court-martials the captain of HMS Hereward for lack of initiative in engaging the Italian destroyers when he first sighted them (found guilty).

Operation Abstention is another failed British commando mission, in company with the assault on an Italian aqueduct in southern Italy earlier in the month and several other rough operations. While many fondly remember the successful commando exploits from later in the war, remembering these early difficult operations provides a more balanced picture.

At Malta, the Luftwaffe drops mines across Grand Harbour and Marsamxetto. Four of the mines drop on land. The British close the harbor while the Royal Navy isolates the mines. There are several air raids during the day.

The Free French continue bombarding the Italians holed up in El Tag fortress at the Kufra Oasis in southwestern Libya. The Italians are taking a lot of damage and do not have any artillery to match that of the French.

Convoy ANF 16 departs from Port Said bound for Piraeus.

Italian raider Ramb I burning and on its way down, 27 February 1941.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Italian 3667 ton raider Ramb I, a pre-war fast banana boat converted into an armed auxiliary cruiser, was based at the Eritrean port of Massawa until the British invasion earlier in February. Having successfully escaped from Massawa, Ramb I has made it to the area of the Maldive Islands. Today, Royal New Zealand Navy light cruiser HMNZS Leander spots and challenges her. Not receiving satisfactory responses, Leander's commander orders the ship to stop, at which point the Ramb I raises its real flag and opens fire. The Italians miss, but when Leander returns fire, it doesn't. With Ramb I a burning wreck, its captain lowers the colors and orders the crew to abandon ship. Shortly after most of them take to the boats, Ramb I blows up. Ultimately, 113 men survive, including the Captain, and they all become prisoners of war (save one who later perishes) in Colombo, Ceylon.

Spy Stuff: Japanese Acting Consulate General Ojiro Okuda sends another detailed spy transmission to Tokyo:

Apparently the Fleet goes to sea for a week of training and stays in Pearl Harbor one week. Every Wednesday, those at sea and those in the harbor change places. This movement was noted on last Wednesday, the 26th.

Okuda also, as usual, provides a detailed summary of the ships in port, noting that the USS Yorktown is absent.

Spanish/Italian Relations: With Spanish leader Francisco Franco having refused to side with the Axis per his letter to Adolf Hitler dated 26 February 1941, the reaction from the Axis is swift. The Axis leaders, with some justification, feel that Franco owes his position to their assistance during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. They take Franco's refusal as an abrogation of an implicit bargain: we help you, you help us. Accordingly, Italian Duce Benito Mussolini has his ambassador deliver to Spain a bill for sums expended by Italy to support Franco during that earlier war: 7.5 billion Lire.

Jimmy Stewart and Ginger Rogers show off their Oscars, 27 February 1941.

Anglo/Turkish Relations: Discussions conclude today between the British (Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and CIGS John Dill) and the Turks (Turkish Prime Minister Dr. Saydam, and Mr. Sarajoglu, the Foreign Minister). While no real agreement on anything of consequence is reached, the official communique makes the best of it, stating "deep gratification at the tenor of the conversations" - whatever that means. Unofficial statements by Ankara Radio take a more pro-British stance, but nothing sufficient to suggest a swing in Turkish support toward the Allies.

German/Japanese Relations: Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōsuke Matsuoka arrives in Berlin, the first stop in his tour of Axis capitals.

Dutch Homefront: The SS and local Dutch police take extreme measures, shooting protesters and taking others captive, to suppress the General Strike. By today, it basically is over, and Martial Law is in effect. This is the only direct action by civilians in Europe against the Holocaust.

American Homefront: The 1940 (13th) Academy Awards are held at the Biltmore Hotel. The format changes dramatically to inject more suspense into the proceedings; instead of the previous practice of releasing the names of the winners beforehand, now the identities of the winners are kept secret until the actual award. This change leads to the use of "May I have the envelope, please?" for each award. This is done because, before the previous ceremony, the LA Times published the names of the winners before the ceremony.

In terms of awards, David O. Selznick produces the Best Picture winner for the second consecutive year. Having won for "Gone With The Wind" previously, this year he wins for "Rebecca." However,  "Rebecca" wins only one other award, for Best Cinematography (Black and White), making it the least successful Best Picture winner from 1940 onward. Walt Disney's "Pinocchio" makes history by winning competitive Oscars for Best Song and Best Score, while "The Thief of Baghdad" wins three Academy Awards, the most of the night.

James Stewart wins for Best Actor for "The Philadelphia Story," Ginger Rogers wins Best Actress for "Kitty Foyle," John Ford is named the Best Director, Walter Brennan wins his third Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for "The Westerner," and Jane Darwell wins Best Supporting Actress for "The Grapes of Wrath." Henry Fonda does not win Best Actor for "The Grapes of Wrath," but his performance endures and is often reckoned the best of his legendary career.

Jimmy Stewart with his Oscar for "The Philadelphia Story," 27 February 1941.

February 1941

February 1, 1941: US Military Reorganization
February 2, 1941: Wehrmacht Supermen
February 3, 1941: World Will Hold Its Breath
February 4, 1941: USO Forms
February 5, 1941: Hitler Thanks Irish Woman
February 6, 1941: Operation Sunflower
February 7, 1941: Fox Killed in the Open
February 8, 1941: Lend Lease Passes House
February 9, 1941: Give Us The Tools
February 10, 1941: Operation Colossus
February 11, 1941: Afrika Korps
February 12, 1941: Rommel in Africa
February 13, 1941: Operation Composition
February 14, 1941: Nomura in Washington
February 15, 1941: Churchill's Warning
February 16, 1941: Operation Adolphus
February 17, 1941: Invade Ireland?
February 18, 1941: Panzerwaffe Upgrade
February 19, 1941: Three Nights Blitz
February 20, 1941: Prien's Farewell
February 21, 1941: Swansea Blitz Ends
February 22, 1941: Amsterdam Pogrom
February 23, 1941: OB-288 Convoy Destruction
February 24, 1941: Okuda Spies
February 25, 1941: Mogadishu Taken
February 26, 1941: OB-290 Convoy Destruction
February 27, 1941: Operation Abstention
February 28, 1941: Ariets Warns Stalin

2020

24 February 1941

Hitler at the Hofbrauhaus, Munich, 24 February 1941. Visible aside from Hitler are Martin Bormann, Heinrich Himmler, Rudolf Hess, Robert Ley, Julius Schaub.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The big conference between British and Greek leaders continues in Athens on 24 February 1941. The British promise to send 100,000 men, including three British divisions and an armored brigade.

Meanwhile, one of the most momentous decisions of the Greece campaign is being made a thousand miles away. At 17:00, the War Cabinet meets along with Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, in London after his long flight from Melbourne. The minutes show that Eden and Dill (in Athens) and General Wavell (who, as noted, remains in Cairo):

had recommended that we should send armed forces to Greece to help the Greeks meet a German advance through Bulgaria.

Menzies is a little more doubtful. He says at the War Council meeting that he would like to be "reassured" about things such as tactics and the composition of the expedition. He says that he would rather not commit Australian troops to a "forlorn hope," in which case "it had better not be undertaken." Another complicating factor is that "Wild Bill" Donovan has told President Roosevelt about the proposed operation, and canceling it now "would have a bad effect in the United States." Menzies later comments in his diary that he is the only one to ask questions, and the whole thing "would have been finished in ten minutes, but for some queries raised by me regarding air support, problems of equipment, of shipping and of time." History shows that Menzies had quite valid concerns, but the room is full of Churchill supporters, and the outcome of the deliberation is certain.

After everyone speaks, the War Council votes. It unanimously approves "sending military assistance to Greece."
East African Campaign: The British are on the move, both along the Juba River and toward Mogadishu. Middle East Commander General Wavell, who is busy worrying about what troops to transfer to Greece, cables General Cunningham to press on to Harar and cut communications between Addis Ababa and Djibouti. The 12th African Division continues pressing north along the Juba, while the 11th Division continues toward Mogadishu against very light Italian resistance. It reaches Goluin, only about 50 miles from the important port.

West African troops capture Brava, a port 160 miles up the coast from Kismayu. Indian 7th Indian Brigade moves south of Cub Cub and takes Chelamet.

This Hawker Hind trainer (L7226) of RAF No. 501 Squadron crashes on 24 February 1941 at Balls Farm, Langford (Malcolm Handscombe Collection).

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids Brest with 60 bombers. While the damage is fairly average for such a raid, it is notable as being the first operation mission by the Avro Manchester 2-engine bomber. Half a dozen Manchester bombers of RAF No. 207 Squadron participate, and one crashes upon returning to RAF Waddington from undercarriage failure. Tactically, the raid is a failure because German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, the primary target, is not hit despite claims by the bomber crews that they bracketed it in dry dock. In addition, their Vulture engines display a tendency to overheat. These are Mark I Manchesters with the original triple tail fin, no dorsal turret and an inability to carry the 2000lb bombs that they partially had been designed to deliver. The crash today is an omen, for the Manchester will wind up with the highest combat-loss-to-sorties ratio and the highest accident rate in the RAF.

The Luftwaffe bombs Cambridge after dark. There is little damage and few or no casualties.

Battle of the Atlantic: The destruction of Convoy OB 288 by a large Wolf Pack continues today (see 23 February 1941 for more details). U-95 (Kptlt. Gerd Schreib) joins the action. Sunk today (sources vary, and all are British except as indicated):

• 8685-ton Dutch transport Grootekerk (U-123) 
• 1908-ton Norwegian freighter Svein Jarl (U-95 or U-96)
• 4542-ton Marslew (U-96)
• 5468-ton Sirikishna (U-96)
• 3385-ton Linaria (Italian submarine Bianchi)
• 4260-ton Waynegate (U-73)
• 3807-ton Cape Nelson (U-95)
• 4427-ton Temple Moat (U-95)
• 5360-ton HMS Manistee (U-107 and Bianchi, 140 deaths)

They join some of their fellow convoy members already on the bottom. The ordeal is not yet over for OB 288, though.

Convoy OB 289, which is following OB 288 fairly closely about 500 km northwest of Cape Wrath, Scotland, also comes under attack. U-boat U-97 (Kptlt. Udo Heilmann), on its first patrol out of Kiel, has an awesome start to its career. Heilmann makes repeated attacks and sinks three ships from the convoy and damages a fourth:

• 6894-ton British freighter British Gunner (sunk)
• 4973-ton British freighter  Johnathon Holt (sunk, 52 dead)
• 4894-ton British freighter Mansepool (sunk, two dead)
• 9718-ton Norwegian tanker G.C. Brøvig (damaged).

The tanker has its bow blown off, but the bulkheads hold and it makes port at Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides. It later is fully repaired. The convoy escorts are noticeably jittery due to all the recent U-boat attacks, and this manifests itself in an order by corvette HMS Petunia for the crew of the British Gunner to abandon ship despite the master's belief that the ship can be towed to port. A total of three ships of 16,761 tons are sunk.

U-48 (Kptlt. Herbert Schultze), one of the war's most successful submarines, adds to its total today. It finds a straggler to Convoy SLS 64 about 60 miles southwest of Fastnet. It is 4289-ton British freighter Nailsea Lass, which U-48 sends to the bottom. There are five deaths and two men become POWs. The other 29 manage to elude German capture and later are picked up by the British. SLS 64, incidentally, was the convoy that Admiral Hipper had attacked on the 12th, sinking seven ships, so this adds to that carnage.

The Luftwaffe strafes minesweeper HMS Blackpool off the northeast coast of Scotland. It suffers minimal damage.

Royal Navy 265-ton minesweeping trawler HMT Erimo hits a mine and is seriously damaged just off Swansea. It makes port.

Royal Navy destroyers HMS Impulsive and Intrepid lay minefield GT in the Channel.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Inconstant and minesweeper HMS Cromarty are launched.

U-512 is laid down.

"Anzac Conquerors," Life Magazine, 24 February 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Abstention begins. This is a British commando operation to seize the strategically useful island of Kastellorizo from the Italians. By seizing it, the Royal Navy essentially could seal off the southeast Mediterranean from Italian shipping. The British remain preoccupied with the Greek islands throughout the war, perhaps a holdover from Winston Churchill's experiences during World War I and the failed Gallipoli campaign. About 200 commands at Suda Bay, Crete board destroyers HMS Decoy and Hereward, accompanied by 24 Royal Marines on gunboat HMS Ladybird. Another force sails from Cyprus. They plan to land on Kastellorizo at dawn on the 25th and wrest it from the Italians.

Advanced Afrika Korps troops skirmish again with advance British troops west of El Agheila. While there have been several claims of "first" in terms of firing between the Germans and British in Libya, this incident has a better claim than some others: it involves tanks, armored cars, and motorcycles. While the Germans ambush a British/Australian patrol, thereby unequivocally confirming their presence, the British in Cairo take little notice of this; instead, they remain bound and determined to take troops out of North Africa for the campaign in Greece. This, of course, is happening at precisely the wrong moment, with yet another convoy of German troops about to arrive in Tripoli.

Italian troopships Esperia, Conte Rosso, Marco Polo, and Victoria depart Naples. They are under heavy escort and bound for Tripoli. Several Royal Navy submarines are in the area, such as HMS Upright, which already has claimed an independent victim off the coast of Tunisia.

Three German Heinkel He 111 bombers continue the attacks on Tobruk Harbor which have forced most Royal Navy ships to flee eastward (and which sank monitor HMS Terror on the 23rd). Today, these bombers get another victim when they sink the destroyer HMS Dainty. There are 16 deaths and 140 survivors.

The Luftwaffe (II,/KG 26) torpedoes and sinks 3089-ton Free French freighter Louis Charles Schiaffino in the Gulf of Philippeville off East Collo, Algeria (some sources place this on the 25th).

Royal Navy submarine HMS Ursula (Lt. Ward) had attacked and damaged 5788-ton Italian freighter Sabbia on the Naples/Tripoli route on the 21st. Today, Sabbia either makes port in Tripoli or is sunk by Royal Navy submarine HMS Regent, depending on the source.

The Free French siege of El Tag fortress in Kufra continues. The French are raining artillery and mortar shells on the Italians, who have no weapons with which to respond.
Convoys BN 17 and BS 17 depart from Suez.

Another photo of the Hawker Hind that crashed today, 24 February 1941 (All photos: Malcolm Handscombe Collection).

Spy Stuff: Japanese Vice-Consul (acting Consul General) Ojiro Okuda in Hawaii has been spying for the Japanese on the US fleet docked in Pearl Harbor. Okuda picks out quiet spots overlooking the harbor and uses his binoculars to see what ships are in port. Armed with a copy of "Jane's Fighting Ships," he provides detailed information on ship movements and locations. Today he sends another message to Tokyo, which reads in part:

The Enterprise came into port from the continent on the 21st, having transported 31 Army pursuit planes of the Curtiss-Hawk P36 classification. She immediately returned to the continent; (there is a rumor that she went on to Manila). I have observed the following ships in Pearl Harbor:
6 battleships, two of the New Mexico, two of the Pennsylvania, one of the Oklahoma, and one of the California type.
4 heavy cruisers, two of the New Orleans, and two of the Portland class.
7 light cruisers, three of the Honolulu and four of the Omaha type.
The aircraft carrier Yorktown.

Naturally, if the Americans knew that Okuda was spying, he would be expelled from the country instantly and a major diplomatic row would ensue. However, ignorance is bliss, and the US military is unaware that the most obvious spies of all are openly traveling around the island scouting out US Navy assets.

Anglo/Japanese Relations: The British, who have been monitoring secret Japanese communications via decrypts and thus have a very good idea of Japanese intentions, deliver a diplomatic reply to the Japanese Ambassador about his offer of mediation in the European conflict. It notes in passing that "All the preparations which are being made in oriental regions by Great Britain and the United States are of a purely defensive character." The British government rejects the offer of mediation because:

[I]n a cause of this kind, not in any way concerned with territory, trade or material gains, but affecting the whole future of humanity, there can be no question of compromise or parley.

This reply bears the unmistakable hand of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Many in Great Britain, including some highly placed personages, feel that negotiations with Germany should at least be tried. However, Churchill is absolutely adamant that no talks of any kind should occur.

A Brewster Model 339 Buffalo Mk I (AS426) at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, 24 February 1941. © IWM (E(MOS) 218). This is from a Belgian contract taken over by the British Government. The RAF finds the American planes inadequate and passes them off to the Fleet Air Arm.

US Military: Lieutenant Colonel Omar Nelson Bradley, an assistant to US Army Chief of Staff George Marshall, is promoted to a wartime temporary rank of brigadier general. This is done to enable him to become the commandant at the US Army Infantry Training School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

British Military: Respective county divisional headquarters form for new units in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Dorchester.

Bulgarian Government: In a speech at the opening of the National Assembly (Naradno Subranie), Tsar (King) Boris III vows not to change the country's official posture of neutrality. The British mission in the country packs its bags and leaves Sofia, a sure sign that an end to diplomatic relations is in the offing.

Vichy France: Admiral Darlan, the new Vice Premier, names his cabinet. General Huntziger becomes Minister of War. Darlan himself takes the key spots of minister for foreign affairs, defense, and the interior. As Marshal Petain's hand-picked successor, Darlan basically will run the government - as long as he does not personally offend Petain like Laval.

A map to accompany Sir David Owen's report on Hong Kong development, dated 24 February 1941.

Hong Kong: Sir David J. Owen submits a report of this date entitled "Future Control and Development of the Port Of Hong Kong." It is considered a seminal work on the port's evolution. In the short term, Hong Kong's development will be drastically affected by events of which Sir Owen can have no inkling at the time.

Antarctica: US icebreaker Bear meets Interior Department vessel North Star off Adelaide Island. Their mission is to evacuate East Base from Antarctica. They are unable to penetrate the ice and retreat to Dallman Bay. North Star then travels to Punta Arenas, Chile for supplies while Bear searches for a way through the pack ice. It is troubling to those on the ships that they are having difficulty reaching the base despite the fact that it is high summer in the Antarctic.

German Homefront: Adolf Hitler delivers a speech in Munich at the Hofbrauhaus to commemorate the date in 1920 when he joined the NSDAP (he does not mention the Party already was in existence, and he had joined as a member of military intelligence to infiltrate suspected terrorists). He reports that "just two hours ago" he received a report that "a single convoy of 125,000 tons" had been "destroyed yesterday." The convoy in question, OB-288, in fact, has suffered tremendous losses, but nowhere near the amount, he claims. His other numbers of Allied shipping losses also are gross exaggerations. He does make vague references to an increased U-boat offensive in the offing but without any specifics.

Continuing a theme extended by Mussolini in a speech in Rome on the 23rd, Hitler assumes a typical defensive tone at some points.

My opponents may believe that they can terrify me with the threat of time, but I have learned to wait, and I have never been idle while waiting... It is for this reason that such threats do not frighten us.

He also adopts an offended attitude about the Allies' rejections of his previous half-hearted peace overtures:

I have made proposal after proposal to Britain; likewise to France. These proposals were always ridiculed-rejected with scorn. However, when I saw that the other side intended to fight, I naturally did that which as a National Socialist of the early days, I did once before: I forged a powerful weapon of defense.

Thus, despite his repeated decisions to invade other countries, Hitler portrays himself (and presumably Germany, though the speech is all about him and his decisions) as the victim of bullies.

Another oddity in hindsight is when he catalogs a list of reasons offered by his enemies why his rule would collapse quickly. Among them is the following:

Then they said: "Winter, General Winter is coming, and he will force Germany to her knees." But, unfortunately, the German people are "winter-proof." German history has passed through I do not know how many tens of thousands of winters. We will get through this one, too.

This, of course, is not a claim he would be able to make at the next anniversary.

Dutch Homefront: A group of anti-fascist organizations meets in the Noordemarkt. They decide to start a nationwide strike. The Communist Party of the Netherlands, previously outlawed, is an enthusiastic participant/organizer and plans to print up placards and flyers announcing the strike, which is to begin on the 25th.

American Homefront: Another Gallup poll is released, this one regarding attitudes toward Japan. There are two major questions.

Question 1: "Do you think the United States should try to keep Japan from seizing the Dutch East Indies and Singapore?"

Yes: 56%
No; 24%
No Opinion: 20%

Question 2: "Do you think the United States should risk war with Japan, if necessary, in order to keep Japan from taking the Dutch East Indies and Singapore?"

Yes: 39%
No. 46%
No Opinion: 15%.

The results are interesting in that they appear to support President Roosevelt's policy of economic, but not military, warfare against Japan.

HMS Dainty, sunk today by Luftwaffe bombers off Tobruk.

February 1941

February 1, 1941: US Military Reorganization
February 2, 1941: Wehrmacht Supermen
February 3, 1941: World Will Hold Its Breath
February 4, 1941: USO Forms
February 5, 1941: Hitler Thanks Irish Woman
February 6, 1941: Operation Sunflower
February 7, 1941: Fox Killed in the Open
February 8, 1941: Lend Lease Passes House
February 9, 1941: Give Us The Tools
February 10, 1941: Operation Colossus
February 11, 1941: Afrika Korps
February 12, 1941: Rommel in Africa
February 13, 1941: Operation Composition
February 14, 1941: Nomura in Washington
February 15, 1941: Churchill's Warning
February 16, 1941: Operation Adolphus
February 17, 1941: Invade Ireland?
February 18, 1941: Panzerwaffe Upgrade
February 19, 1941: Three Nights Blitz
February 20, 1941: Prien's Farewell
February 21, 1941: Swansea Blitz Ends
February 22, 1941: Amsterdam Pogrom
February 23, 1941: OB-288 Convoy Destruction
February 24, 1941: Okuda Spies
February 25, 1941: Mogadishu Taken
February 26, 1941: OB-290 Convoy Destruction
February 27, 1941: Operation Abstention
February 28, 1941: Ariets Warns Stalin

2020