stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 9, 2020 0:24:13 GMT
Ramilles have heavier guns, 8x15" and their good guns but almost certainly a shorter range - due to lower elevation and probably older fire control than the 9x11" on the Scharnhorst. Could go badly for the RN if the Germans can stand off and fire at a distance but their got a low likelihood of a hit on any single salvo and if they get close enough a single 15" shell could do some real damage. Which might be fatal for the German ship far from friendly bases and with the RN sending air and surface units to the areas ASAP.
Did some checking Convoy HX 106, the convoy consisted of Ramilles, 5 destroyers, 2 trawlers, 3 corvettes who where escorting 41 merchant ships. Also this article says: The captain of Scharnhorst offered to draw off the escorting Royal Navy battleship HMS Ramillies, so that Gneisenau could sink the merchant ships. This strategy, if successful, would have entailed little risk to Scharnhorst as she was 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) faster than Ramillies, and her newer 11-inch (279 mm) guns outranged the 1915 era 15-inch (381 mm) guns of the British ship.In a battle i assume the Ramilles will face Scharnhorst alone while the rest of the escorts might have to face Gneisenau.
I suspect it would be the Ramilles and the DD against both the twins as the captain of the Ramilles would seek to shield the convoy from any attacker so it wouldn't be drawn far away from the merchants. This is likely to go very badly for the RN I fear but there would be risks for the Germans if they took any hits from either 15" shells or torpedoes that cause damage, especially a cut in their speed or some steering problem such as the Bismarck suffered.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 9, 2020 8:33:12 GMT
Day 528 of World War II, February 9th 1941Italian/Greek CampaignThe front remains quiet and the real activity is hundreds and thousands of miles away. Middle East Commander Archibald Wavell, in Cairo, responds to a telegram from the British Military Mission in Cairo inquiring whether he would be willing and able to send forces to Greece and/or Turkey quickly, if necessary. Wavell - despite well-known reservations about ending a winning campaign in Libya in favor of an assumed one in Greece - replies in the affirmative. He indicates that he has one armored brigade group and the New Zealand Division (two brigades) available immediately, with other troops available in March and April. The competition for resources between Greece and North is becoming white-hot on the British side, and the growing implied threat of a German invasion of Greece is becoming almost as effective German aid to Mussolini (in North Africa) as would be an actual invasion of Greece. North Africa Campaign: Operation CompassBritish patrols of the 11th Hussars range to Agedabia and El Agheila and occupy them. They find a few Italians and a little equipment, but no organized resistance. This marks the decisive end of Operation Compass, one of the operations of World War II which most exceeded expectations. However, while the Italians have been pushed out of half of Libya, they have not been defeated; they retain a strategic portion in the west and south which provides a possible springboard for recovery. General O'Connor certainly has the troops to advance further, but he does not have the authorization from General Wavell yet. O'Connor has sent his liaison officer to Cairo for permission, but that is a rough journey which will take several days. Operation Sunflower, the installation of Wehrmacht troops in Tripolitania, continues. General Erwin Rommel's first load of troops is at sea out of Naples. They are scheduled to land in North Africa in a couple of days. This would be an excellent convoy for the Royal Navy to intercept, and indeed they have large naval forces not far away - but they are far to the north, bombarding Genoa rather than where the real action is. Rommel, meanwhile, receives a promotion to Generalleutnant, befitting his new status as an Army Group commander. The hasty minesweeping of Tobruk Harbor continues to reveal its flaws. British 2590-ton freighter Crista hits a mine and is damaged. Small Italian ships have some difficulty on the other side of Libya. Freighter IV Novembre (61 tons), Tenax and Rosanna (205 tons) run aground and are lost on the Gulf of Sirte coast. 7 Staffel of JG 26, led by Oblt. Müncheberg, arrive in Sicily. They are based at Gela Airfield and will supplement Fliegerkorps X indefinitely. Battle of the MediterraneanOperation Grog (formerly Result) takes place in the morning. Admiral Somerville takes Force H from Gibraltar and parks it off Genoa. Led by the battleship HMS Malaya heavy cruiser HMS Sheffield and battlecruiser HMS Renown, Force H lobs 300 tons of shells on the harbor and the city. There is thick mist, which reduces the effectiveness of the Italian defense. Sheffield also concentrates on railway installations at Pisa. Tanker Sant Andrea is damaged by a hit from Sheffield but is towed back to port. Italian battleship Duilio, in dry dock just north of the Molo Ciano, escapes damage, though one salvo comes within 50-100 yards. Total civilian casualties are 144 dead and 272 wounded. Photo: Picture taken from HMS Malaya of HMS Ark Royal and HMS Renown after the bombardment of Genoa As part of Force H, aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal raids oil installations at Leghorn and railway infrastructure. The force also lays mines outside the entrance to La Spezia. RAF No. 820 Squadron loses a Swordfish in the attack. Admiral Iachino is at sea with battleships Vittorio Veneto, Cesare and Doria. He learns of the attack on Genoa only two hours after it ends - why this extremely important news took so long is unclear - and the signal incorrectly tells him that that the Royal Navy ships are heading west along the coast. In fact, Admiral Somerville is heading southwest. The two fleets miss each other completely, though the Italians at first mistake a number of French freighters for the Royal Navy ships and prepare for action. Photo: A Supermarine Walrus amphibious aircraft, which was one of the spotting aircraft used during the bombardment of Genoa and Spartivento, at the far end of its catapult about to be launched from HMS SHEFFIELD. A ship's cutter can be seen in the foreground. At the naval operations room in Rome, a Captain Bragadin made the following notation: The bombardment of Genoa inflicted serious damage on the city. In the harbor four steamers and the old training ship Garaventa were sunk. Fortunately, the most important target, the Duilio, which was still under repair after Taranto, was not hit. There were grave moral effects throughout Italy, all the more because, whilst the efforts of our aircraft were appreciated, not a word was announced about the search made by our naval squadron. As a result of such silence the Italian people thought - in so many words - that the navy had run away.Of course, the Italian Navy had not run away, and under slightly different facts a major naval engagement may have resulted. However, Bragadin is a bit too blithe in his summary about where to pin the blame for the Italian navy's inability to act effectively. Failure by shore observers to notify the Italian battle fleet of the attack in a more timely fashion, and failure to track the Royal Navy's subsequent movements, were faults just as grievous to any kind of effective defense as would have been "running away" - the effect was the same. Map: Observed drop points of the projectiles launched by Force H during the bombing of Genoa. East African CampaignThe Indian troops at Keren take a breather today, regrouping and recalibrating. Having been pushed back on both sides of Dongolaas Gorge, it is clear that either a different strategy or greater force is required to dislodge the Italian defenders. The attackers settle on a strategy of focusing on the left side of the gorge, which is dominated by a string of peaks. Battle of the AtlanticAdmiral Lütjens in command of battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau heads northwest in order to elude any pursuers from the abortive attack on Convoy HX-106. The Royal Navy does have many ships looking for them, but they are far to the east. Lütjens' plan is to head northwest to a point relatively close to western Greenland, then return south to the shipping lanes nearer to Canada than last time. U-37 (Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen), on its tenth patrol out of Lorient and one of the most successful submarines of the first two years of the war, stumbles upon Convoy HG 53 off the coast of Portugal (east of the Azores, about 160 miles from Cape St. Vincent) on the 8th. After stalking it for a day, Clausen goes to work. He successfully attacks and sinks two ships, then returns later and tries again. However, the second attack is unsuccessful. U-37 torpedoes and sinks 1325-ton British freighter Courland. There are three deaths and 30 survivors (rescued by fellow freighter Brandenburgh). U-37 torpedoes and sinks 1983-ton British freighter Estrellano. There are six deaths. Clausen informs the headquarters of the convoy. Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors based in Bordeaux, France are sent in to attack as well. They go in for the attack and sink: - 2490 ton British freighter Britannic (one death). - 2471 ton British freighter Dagmar I (five deaths). - 1759 ton British freighter Jura (17 deaths). - 1514 ton British freighter Varna (everyone survives). - 967 ton Norwegian freighter Tejo (four deaths). This incident is prime evidence of the utility of having U-boats and patrol aircraft working together. The Kriegsmarine has requested more aircraft, but Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, defending his Luftwaffe fiefdom, has only given them one small unit. Norwegian 1159-ton freighter Ciss, en route from St. John to Louisbourg, is caught in ice near Louisbourg. The captain stops the engines to prevent damage. The ice carries the ship toward Portnova Island, and the ship hits Little Shag Rock. Drifting further, the ships wind up aground on Scatarie Island, where it is wrecked. Taking to the boats, the crew barely makes it to Long Beach. The crew later blames the harbormaster at Louisbourg for failing to send an icebreaker upon request and claiming there was no ice - when in fact the Ciss was on the verge of being destroyed by ice. Another ship is lost to grounding off Cape Agulhas, Nova Scotia. British 2018 ton freighter Kervégan, a member of Convoy SC 22, runs aground and apparently capsizes. All 26 onboard perish, so the exact details are not known. The only reason the location is known at all is that that is where wreckage washed ashore. Convoy OB 284 departs from Liverpool, Convoy BN 15 departs from Aden, Convoy HX 108 departs from Halifax. Air War over EuropeThe RAF resumes its rabid and so-far fruitless attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz, which dangles like a pinata just out of reach at Wilhelmshaven. Either 13 or 23 bombers (sources vary) based at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire return to base with their crews elated at having scored hits on the ship, but in actuality, the attack failed utterly - as have all the attacks before. The RAF makes other attacks on Flushing oil tanks and Antwerp docks. The RAF sends a Rhubarb raid (offensive patrol) over Calais that does not result in any losses by either side. The Luftwaffe ends an extended period of dormancy with night raids on Plymouth, Birmingham and Humberside. The attack apparently damages light cruiser HMS Neptune in Plymouth Harbour, which just arrived in port for a refit, but the damage is not significant. Vichy French GovernmentMarshal Pétain shakes up the government. He appoints Admiral Darlan to fill Pierre Laval's vacant spot of Vice Premier. In addition, Foreign Minister/Prime Minister Pierre Étienne Flandin resigns. Not only is Darlan elevated, but Petain designates him as his chosen successor - for what that is worth. Laval turned down a spot in the cabinet on the 8th, so he may have been the one who Petain had in mind for the Flandin slot - and, when told at that time by Petain that Darlan was taking his former position of Vice Premier, decided that half a loaf was worse than none. He does have a steady pro-German orientation. Darlan, for his part, is a shady character, who throughout the war plays a devious game of courting the Allies and Germans, in turn, depending on who will offer him the best chances of advancement. The strategy certainly is working for the moment. Flandin's dismissal - which it almost certainly was - is a bit odd because he only occupied the position for two months as the replacement for Laval. Perhaps he was only intended as a stop-gap while Petain got over whatever personal issues Petain had with Laval. This essentially ends Flandin's career - which, given the course of events for those who remained in the government, was not the worst thing that ever happened to him. ChinaIn the Battle of Southern Honen, the Japanese 11th Army is retreating to its base at Hsinyang, and the Chinese 5th War Area is pursuing it. However, the Chinese maintain their distance and allow the Japanese to return to their base. This is a well-established pattern, with the Japanese making occasional raids (often called "rice offensives") and then taking their ill-gotten goods back to their lines. German occupied LuxembourgFor administrative purposes, Luxembourg is united with Koblenz-Trier. British/American HomefrontsPrime Minister Winston Churchill broadcasts his first speech in five months. It is to both a British and an American audience. He compares the Luftwaffe attacks on London to the British stand at Waterloo, and apparently refers to progress within the US government on the Lend-Lease Bill as the ultimate harbinger of victory: It seems now to be certain that the Government and people of the United States intend to supply us with all that is necessary for victory. In the last war the United States sent two million men across the Atlantic. But this is not a war of vast armies, firing immense masses of shells at one another.... We do not need the gallant armies which are forming throughout the American Union.... Bue we do need most urgently an immense and continuous supply of war materials and technical apparatus of all kinds. We need them here and we need to bring them here.He concludes with the words with which the speech is remembered: Give us the tools, and we will finish the job. Interestingly, Churchill also refers to Laval, who he calls the "French Quisling," as turning France into a "doormat" for Hitler. Laval, of course, is known to history as a great collaborator, but at this time he is not in the Vichy French government at all. This comment betrays a certain lack of knowledge by the British as to what is actually happening in Vichy France. YouTube (Sir Winston Churchill - Give Us The Tools Speech)
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 10, 2020 4:11:51 GMT
Day 529 of World War II, February 10th 1941Italian/Greek CampaignWhile the action at the front remains quiet, the Allied capitals are buzzing with discussions about how to meet the expected German invasion of Greece via Bulgaria. According to today's Defence Committee minutes in London, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill remains determined to help the Greeks. He is less impressed with the Turks, who, according to the Defence Committee minutes, he feels is "shirking her responsibilities." However, a neutral Turkey on the right of the line would be useful, and a spirited defense in Greece might induce the Turks "and possibly the Yugoslavs" to fight the Germans as well. The meeting reaches a somewhat uncertain conclusion, with it being "generally expressed that it was essential for us to come to the assistance of the Greeks if they would have us." Battle of the MediterraneanThe mysterious British troops that landed on Malta on the 9th in six converted Whitley bombers, a complete mystery to the British forces there, fly off again as mysteriously as they arrived at 18:30. This is Operation Colossus, an operation by 38 paratroopers of No. 2 Commando, No. 11 Special Air Service Battalion who are designated as X Force. They head north, where they drop near the town of Calitri in southern Italy. The objective is an aqueduct crossing the Tragino River in Campania near Monte Vulture. This carries the water supply for the Italian naval base at Taranto at the southern tip of Italy. The British troops of Operation Colossus arrive over the Italian drop zone at 21:42. The paratroopers from the first five planes land quite near or in the drop zone. However, the sixth plane for some reason misses the drop zone completely and ultimately drops its six paratroopers in a valley two miles from the aqueduct about two hours later. Ordinarily, this might not have been a problem, given planned redundancy; however, this final plane just happens to be carrying Royal Engineer sappers and their demolition equipment. The commander of the force, Major T.A.G. Pritchard, forms a hedgehog around the bridge, but at first determines that he has insufficient explosions to demolish the aqueduct (which is found to be constructed, not of brick, but of reinforced concrete). However, he picks a particularly vulnerable spot around the western pier and manages to blow up both the aqueduct and another nearby bridge over the Ginestra River. At this point, the Commandos split up into three groups and head for pickup on the coast. A local farmer spots the Pritchard group, and local carabinieri (police) soon arrives and arrests them. Another commando group tries to bluff their way out by claiming to be Germans, but the carabinieri round them up, too. All of the groups wind up as POWs, and the Italian translator with them is given to the Blackshirts, tortured, and executed. To add to the mission's later reputation as a fiasco, the submarine sent to pick the commandos up, HMS Triumph, must rescue the crew of a crashed Whitley (conducting a diversionary raid at Foggia airport) and would have been unavailable for the pick-up anyway because of security concerns that its location had been identified. The operation is a technical success and a strategic failure. The aqueduct is repaired quickly, and the Italian base is unaffected because it has other short-term water supplies. The best result of Operation Colossus for the British is that the military learns that more planning is necessary for the troops after they are on the ground, not just on how to get them to the target. Having stopped at Palermo, Sicily, the convoy carrying the very first elements of what will become the Afrikakorps (DAK) departs for the final leg to Tripoli. This is by far the most hazardous portion of the convoy route, both due to the presence of the Royal Navy but also because of mines and RAF aerial surveillance. The transports carrying the 5th Light Division troops should dock in Tripolitania on the 11th. North Africa CampaignAustralian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, whose troops have been a key component in the victories achieved over the Italians in the recent Operation Compass, has lunch with British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell. He records the following conclusions in his private diary: (a) Tripoli probably not worthwhile.
(b) Aggregation principle for AIF good, but must not be too rigid - e.g., guarding Canal or tackling Dodecanese. Difficult to find a front which will occupy entire Corps.
(c) Victory at Keren and Massawa would end East African campaign.
(d) Thinks we should consider forming a Second Corps Headquarters.The mention of Tripoli is significant, because, if Wavell knew that the Germans were on the verge of landing there, he might not think it was "not worthwhile." In Libya, General O'Connor's XIII Corps continues clearing the region from Benghazi to El Agheila. O'Connor is seeking permission to proceed further west and south to Tripolitania and has sent a liaison officer to Cairo to get permission from Wavell. Royal Navy Force H, which successfully bombarded Genoa on the 9th, arrives back at Gibraltar. The RAF raids Colato, Rhodes. Today marks Malta's 300th air raid of the war. It is a minor raid by one bomber at 18:40, with the aircraft dropping bombs at Hal Far airfield and Kalafrana. East African CampaignAfter a one-day pause, the British Indian troops at Keren resume their attacks. Today, they focus on the left side of the Dongolaas Gorge and don't attack the right side at all. The 3/1st Punjab Regiment attacks Brig's Peak and Sanchil Peak next to it. As on their previous attack, the Indian troops are vulnerable to artillery and small-arms fire both at the mountain and on the approaches from the Cameron Ridge. The fighting is fluid and seesaws throughout the day, with both sides claiming the peak at different times. The day ends with the Indian troops managing to maintain two platoons situated partway up the heights. The two battalions involved, the 3/1st Punjab and the 4/11 Sikhs, lose 123 and 100+ casualties, respectively. In Italian Somaliland, British General Cunningham (brother of Admiral Cunningham) opens Operation Canvas. This is an assault across the Juba River. The RAF raids Afmadu in Italian Somaliland. In Eritrea, the Indian 7th Infantry Brigade captures Mersa Tadai (on the Red Sea Coast). At Kismayo, Somalia, the Axis authorities can see the writing on the wall regarding the approaching British troops. Eight ships make a break for it after dark, trying to escape to more secure ports. The Royal Navy, however, is patrolling offshore with improvised Force T. Heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins captures: - 3809 ton Italian freighter Adria. - 5490 ton Italian freighter Savoia. - 5644 ton Italian freighter Erminia Mazzella. - 5594 ton Italian freighter Manon. - 7515 ton Italian freighter Leonardo da Vinci. German 7201-ton freighter Uckermark is approached by the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle of Force T and its crew scuttle it. 2315-ton Italian freighter Duca Degli Abruzzi and 2699 ton Italian freighter Somalia are the only two of the eight ships that make good their escapes. They make it to Diego Suarez. Battle of the AtlanticThe weather remains rough. Ice in the North sea damages U-147, sending it back to Cuxhaven for repairs, while Royal Navy 109-ton drifter Boy Alan is involved in a collision and sinks in the Thames Estuary. The frigid weather makes surviving sinkings extremely unlikely unless conditions are just right, and two ships sink today with no survivors. U-37 follows up its two sinkings east of the Azores on the 9th with another one today. Today, it torpedoes and sinks 1473 ton British freighter Brandenburg in Convoy HG 53. All 23 crew onboard perish, along with 30 survivors of the Courland which the Brandenburg had picked up on the 9th after U-37 sank it as well. Convoy escort sloop Deptford launches an attack on U-37, but the submarine gets away. U-52 torpedoes and sinks 3364-ton British freighter Canford Chine about 306 km southwest of Rockall in the Northwest Approaches. There are no survivors from the 35-man crew. The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 6869-ton British freighter Benmacdhui in the North Sea off Hembsy Beach. The ship manages to make it to Tees on her own. German raider Kormoran concludes its three-day meeting with supply ship Nordmark in the mid-Atlantic off the Cape Verde Islands. Captain Detmers takes his ship south. On this journey, Detmers receives a signal from Berlin notifying him that the Kormoran has been awarded two First Class Iron Crosses and 50 Second Class Iron Crosses, to be awarded to whomsoever he chooses. Convoy BS 15 departs from Suez, Convoy SL 65 and SLS 65 depart from Freetown.-- Royal Navy destroyer HMS Blackmore is laid down. US submarine USS Growler is laid down. Air War over EuropeAfter dark, RAF Bomber Command sends about 200 planes of RAF No. 7 Squadron over Hanover. Hanover is the location of a major manufacturer of U-boats. This includes the first operations for Short Stirling bombers. Another flight of bombers attacks oil installations at Rotterdam. There is a Circus Raid on Dunkirk and a Roadstead operation on shipping off Calais. Both are by six Blenheim bombers escorted by heavy fighter escorts. There are reports of a Luftwaffe air raid on Iceland. The only slight activity takes place over England, with a few bombs dropped on East Anglia. Werner Mölders claims his 56th victory. Anglo/Romanian Relations British Ambassador Sir Reginald has a meeting with Conducător Ion Antonescu. He asks Antonescu why so many German troops are necessary for training purposes, the purported reason for their presence. Receiving unsatisfactory replies regarding the growing German military presence in the country at the half-hour meeting, the ambassador decides to return to England. This is seen as the moment when Great Britain severs diplomatic relations with Romania - a country which at one point during the 1930s was a close British ally. However, officially the breaking of relations happens tomorrow. Battle of the Pacific OceanThe Australian Leander class light cruiser HMAS Sydney coming alongside at Circular Quay in Sydney Harbour. Photo: HMAS Sydney coming alongside at Circular Quay Anglo/US Relations President Roosevelt's personal envoy to London Harry Hopkins boards a plane to fly back to Washington. Japanese/Thai RelationsThe Japanese are "mediating" continuing negotiations between the Thais and the Vichy French to conclude their border war in Indochina. They send four cruisers (IJN Suzuya, IJN Mikuma, IJN Mogami, and IJN Kumano) to Bangkok to "show the flag." This is Operation S, a not-very-subtle show of support for the Thais and an effort to pressure the French into a weak negotiating posture. US MilitaryThe 104th Automatic Weapons Battalion is activated at Birmingham, Alabama. Iowa National Guard unit 133rd Infantry Regiment is inducted into the US Army as the 34th Infantry Division. Romanian Military Deliveries of the first 20 home-grown IAR 80 fighters begin today to operational units of the 8th Fighter Group. The aircraft uses a licensed Gnome-Rhône 14K II Mistral Major engine (870 hp (650 kW) IAR K14-III C32 engine, switched to the 960 hp (716 kW) K14-IV C32 engine for the 21st through 50th versions). Photo: a example of the IAR 80 in flight Coincidentally, a Bf 109 arrives at Brasov today for purposes of testing a DB 601 1175hp engine on the IAR 80. Romanian pilots have complained that the engine in the plane is underpowered, and it also is in short supply. However, ultimately the DB 601 engine (removed from the Messerschmitt and transplanted into the IAR 80) is found to cause vibrations in flight and is not used. US GovernmentWhile the US House of Representatives has passed the Lend-Lease bill, the Senate is still considering it. Merwin K. Hart, a founder of the New York State Economic Council, testifies. He states that the Lend-Lease bill likely would lead the country into war and create an authoritarian regime in the United States. ChinaThe Japanese 11th Army completes its return to its base at Hsinyang, watched by the Chinese 5th War Area. This ends the Battle of Southern Honen.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 11, 2020 4:10:01 GMT
Day 530 of World War II, February 11th 1941
Italian/Greek Campaign
The front remains stable, which effectively is of benefit to the Italians. The wrangling about what to do in Greece continues in London. Prime Minister Winston Churchill feels that the British should insert "at least 4 Divisions, rising to 6 or 10 in the summer." He wishes to "make an offer of assistance to the Greeks" and proposes sending guns and a squadron of American Curtis Tomahawk P-40 fighters there. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and General Sir John Dill both set agree to visit Cairo and Athens to coordinate the expected troop movements.
The Greeks are looking at the Bulgarian border and considering their own defensive military options. The Italians, meanwhile, are determined to defend the key port of Valona (Vlorë and are planning another counteroffensive in the next few days. To date, Italian counteroffensives in Greece have been unmitigated disasters, making no progress and winding up costing the Italians territory. However, the contest for the Trebeshina Heights near the Klisura Pass has produced some minor defensive successes for the Italians, who are fighting much better now than earlier in the campaign.
Battle of the Mediterranean
At Malta, there are some minor Luftwaffe attacks on St. Paul's Bay that cause minor damage to a seaplane base and petrol lighter. Antiaircraft fire downs a Junkers Ju 88.
Two Malta-based RAF reconnaissance pilots, Flying Officer Adrian Warburton of 431 Flight (now 69 Squadron) and his observer/navigator, Sergeant Frank Bastard, are decorated. Warburton receives the DFC, while Bastard receives the Distinguished Flying Medal. Bastard is the navigator who took over as pilot (without any training) and successfully landed the plane after the pilot (apparently Warburton) was rendered unconscious. As usual in the British military, the senior officer in such a situation invariably receives a plum award when a subordinate is decorated - as Menzies noted (see above), "that is the way of the world."
North Africa Campaign
British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell requests permission from the Chief of the Imperial General Staff to continue Operation Compass into Tripolitania in western Libya. Whitehall denies this request, as Prime Minister Winston Churchill is more interested in sending troops to Greece.
The British decision to halt their offensive is made just in time - for the Wehrmacht. Today, the German convoy which departed from Naples with a stopover in Palermo arrives in Tripolitania as part of Operation Sunflower (Unternehmen Sonnenblume). The transports carry troops of the 5th Light Division, the vanguard of General Erwin Rommel's Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK). This is the first time that German troops have been on North African soil. These troops would still be quite vulnerable before they are reinforced - if the British were to attack. Royal Navy submarine HMS Unique spots the troop convoy and attacks one of the ships, German transport Ankara, but misses. Allied attacks on troop convoys from Naples will be a prime cause of the DAK's issues in North Africa.
General Rommel, en route to Tripoli, arrives in Rome. German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels has given him a camera and some color film, which Rommel intends to make use of.
The Italians never wanted the Germans involved in their "empire" of North Africa, but the situation has changed drastically over the past few months due to Italian reversals there and in Albania. Mussolini accepts the resignation of Libyan commander Rodolfo Graziani, who flies out of Tripoli today. He is replaced by the Italian 5th Army (Tripolitania) Commander General Italo Gariboldi.
Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies resumes his extended journey from Melbourne to London. He arrives today in Benghazi, where he meets with General Iven Mackay, commander of the Australian 6th Infantry Division. This division captured Bardia, Tobruk, and Benghazi, and Menzies somewhat cattily comments in his diary that the General's "tactics are highly praised, but [he] looks as gently ineffectual as ever." He dines with General O'Connor, commander of XIII Corps, of whom he notes:
He did this job [conquer Cyrenaica], but Wavell has received all the credit.... Wavell will probably get a peerage while this man gets a CB but that is the way of the world.
Menzies notes that life has changed little in Benghazi for the residents there, with "good Australians slapping down their money on the bar of a hotel conducted by a 'conquered' Italian."
The Royal Navy begins Operation Shelford, the clearing of Benghazi Harbor by minesweepers. A similar operation at Tobruk was a disaster, with several ships hitting mines after the port was declared free of mines. In fact, today 344-ton naval whaler HMSAS Southern Floe hits a mine off Tobruk and sinks, killing everybody on board (mostly South Africans) but one rating.
Free French forces under Leclerc take the Italian outpost Gadamis in southwestern Libya.
East African Campaign
The battle at Keren, Eritrea continues. British Indian troops are faced with the tactical problem of forcing their way through the narrow Dongolaas Gorge in order to enter the Keren Plateau. The 3/1st Punjab Regiment takes the top of Sanchil, a low peak overlooking the gorge and have men on the sides of Brig's Peak next to it. However, the Indians are faced with murderous crossfire from both sides of the gorge, as the Italians occupy the heights all around them. While they might be able to hold their ground despite this, the approaches to the peaks are flat ground which exposes anyone crossing it to machine gunfire. Thus, no matter how much they bring with them, the Indians eventually run low on supplies. The Italians rain mortar and artillery fire on the Indian troops throughout the day. Finally, the Italian Savoia Grenadiers advances on the Indian troops and forces them off of both Brig's Peak and Sanchil.
By day's end, the Indian troops wind up back where they started at Cameron Ridge. This reversal, identical to the first attempt to take the peaks several days before, does not interfere with plans to attack the other (right) side of the gorge on the 12th.
In Italian Somaliland, South African and Gold Coast troops (East African 22nd Infantry Brigade) complete the capture of Afmadu at the north end of the Juba River. The South African Air Force heavily supports these attacks.
Battle of the Atlantic
British monitor HMS Erebus parks off Ostend between 01:00 and 01:40 bombards the port along with escorting destroyers HMS Quorn and Eglinton. This is Operation PX.
Royal Navy submarine HMS Snapper (Lt. G.V. Prowse) fires at German minesweepers M.2, M.13 and M.25 southwest of Ouessant, Finistère, France in the Bay of Biscay. The attack fails, and the German ships attack and sink Snapper. At least, this is believed to have been her fate, as none of the 41 men aboard survived to tell the tale. Another theory is that she hit a mine.
Operating between Portugal and the Azores, German battlecruiser Admiral Hipper encounters 1236-ton British freighter Iceland. Iceland is from Convoy HX 53, which already has been savaged by U-boat and Luftwaffe attacks and dispersed. Hipper makes short work of Iceland with its guns. In the evening, Hipper spots Convoy SLS 64 (19 ships) out of Freetown and stalks it through the night.
The Luftwaffe attacks 227-ton British trawler Eamont off the coast of northern Scotland. All ten men aboard take to the boats and survive, but the abandoned ship is run ashore by the winds and current and wrecked.
The Luftwaffe also bombs and sinks 215-ton British trawler John Dunkin 13 miles northeast of Buckie, Aberdeenshire. There is one death.
In a related attack nearby, the Luftwaffe attacks 488-ton British freighter Cantick Head and damages it.
Minelayer HMS Plover lays minefield ZME 16 in the Irish Sea.
Convoy OB 285 departs from Liverpool.
Royal Navy submarine HMS Ultimatum is launched.
US destroyers USS Aaron Ward and Buchanan are laid down.
U-68 is commissioned, U-80 is launched.
Air War over Europe
RAF Bomber Command sends 79 bombers against Bremen and 29 against Hanover during the night. There are other RAF operations as well during the day, including a Coastal Command attack on the seaplane base at Thisted, Jutland. There also are some Circus offensive RAF operations over northern France.
The day is notable for the first RAF attack by four-engine bombers. Three Short Stirlings bomb the docks at Rotterdam.
The Luftwaffe mainly stays on the ground today, as has been the practice for much of 1941 so far. A few bombs are dropped in the east and southeast of England, while the Luftwaffe attacks shipping off the Scottish coast.
Battle of the Indian Ocean
German raider Atlantis rendezvouses with supply vessel Tannenfels east of Madagascar. Atlantis has captured Norwegian tanker Ketty Brøvig and 5159-ton freighter Speybank with it. The tanker, in particular, is prized because it has a load of fuel which is quite useful for all of the German ships. The Speybank is no slouch either, being used by the Germans as a minelayer off Cape Town.
Battle of the Pacific
In the Netherlands East Indies, the military authorities for some reason go on a high military alert. They suddenly close all ports to Japanese shipping, order Dutch vessels to safe waters, put the military on alert and take other actions. The Japanese are not planning anything, however.
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Thracian and minelayer HMS Man Yeung lay mines outside Hong Kong Harbor.
US/Japanese Relations
New Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburō Nomura arrives in Washington. Nomura is a moderate who genuinely wants to broker some kind of deal to avoid conflict with US Secretary of State Cordell Hull. However, the hardliners in Tokyo want concessions (primarily economic), while the Americans are not interested, demanding major concessions of their own (entirely military and political ones). Major issues between the two powers are the US oil embargo of Japan, Japanese military action in China, and the Japanese occupation of Indochina.
Vichy French/German Relations
Rudolf Hilferding dies in a Gestapo dungeon in Paris. Hilferding is a prominent Jewish socialist from Austria who upon the accession of Hitler to power fled to Denmark, then Switzerland, then Paris. He would have been safe in Zurich, but he left there for Paris in 1939 (many expected Hitler to invade Switzerland in 1939). The Vichy French arrested him, and the Vichy government turned him over to the Gestapo on 9 February despite Hilferding securing an emergency visa to emigrate to the United States. The Gestapo tortured him at La Santé for two days, leading to his death. Hilferding's wife, Margarete, is sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp and perishes there in 1942.
Anglo/Italian Relations
Rumors are flying in Vichy France that Generalissimo Francisco Franco of Spain and Marshal Petain are trying to negotiate an Armistice between Great Britain and Italy. If this is the case, though, nothing seems to come of it.
British Government
Churchill sends General Ismay a note suggesting that "an Anti-Mussolini or Free-Italian" force be organized in Cyrenaica using Italian POWs. He views this as "world propaganda." It is unclear where he came up with this idea, but he might not be flattered to be told that this is an old Soviet and Imperial Japanese tactic.
Churchill also complains to Minister of Shipping Ronald Cross about an incident involving a ship that refused to sail around from Liverpool to London. Agreeing with the captain's reasoning, Churchill points out the immense value of the ship's cargo to the war effort (19,677 sub-machine guns and about 2.5 million cartridges). Churchill notes that "I always follow the movements of these important cargoes."
US Government
President Roosevelt meets with U.S. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, U.S. Secretary of the Navy William "Frank" Knox, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold R. Stark, and U.S. General of the Army George C. Marshall. Roosevelt suggests that the navy risk half a dozen cruisers and two aircraft carriers at Manila as bait to gt the Japanese to enter the war. Navy Chief of Operations replies:
I have previously opposed this and you have concurred as to its unwisdom. Particularly do I recall your remark in a previous conference when Mr. Hull suggested (more forces to Manila) and the question arose as to getting them out and your 100% reply, from my standpoint, was that you might not mind losing one or two cruisers, but that you did not want to take a chance on losing 5 or 6.
Netherlands Government-in-Exile
The British severed diplomatic relations with Romania on the 10th, and the Dutch Government-in-exile (in London) follows suit today.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 11, 2020 14:31:38 GMT
Day 530 of World War II, February 11th 1941Two Malta-based RAF reconnaissance pilots, Flying Officer Adrian Warburton of 431 Flight (now 69 Squadron) and his observer/navigator, Sergeant Frank Bastard, are decorated. Warburton receives the DFC, while Bastard receives the Distinguished Flying Medal. Bastard is the navigator who took over as pilot (without any training) and successfully landed the plane after the pilot (apparently Warburton) was rendered unconscious. As usual in the British military, the senior officer in such a situation invariably receives a plum award when a subordinate is decorated - as Menzies noted (see above), "that is the way of the world." East African CampaignIn Italian Somaliland, South African and Gold Coast troops (East African 22nd Infantry Brigade) complete the capture of Afmadu at the north end of the Juba River. The South African Air Force heavily supports these attacks. US Government President Roosevelt meets with U.S. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, U.S. Secretary of the Navy William "Frank" Knox, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold R. Stark, and U.S. General of the Army George C. Marshall. Roosevelt suggests that the navy risk half a dozen cruisers and two aircraft carriers at Manila as bait to gt the Japanese to enter the war. Navy Chief of Operations replies: I have previously opposed this and you have concurred as to its unwisdom. Particularly do I recall your remark in a previous conference when Mr. Hull suggested (more forces to Manila) and the question arose as to getting them out and your 100% reply, from my standpoint, was that you might not mind losing one or two cruisers, but that you did not want to take a chance on losing 5 or 6.
Some quick comments.
Actually Menzies reference, all too true unfortunately  , is below this point.
The Gold Coast was the colonial name for Ghana which is in West Africa, so wondering if there's an error here? Checking one of my source books it mentioned Britain deployed the 11th and 12th African Divisions to the fighting in east Africa but doesn't give further details of their component parts. Ah found it in Wiki, see 2nd African Div, at the bottom of the Background section. This was renamed the 12th African division consisted of three brigades, 22nd and 23rd from E Africa and the 24th from the Gold Coast [Ghana]. So a gold coast brigade was there but it was the 24th while the 22nd was from E Africa rather than Ghana.
Bloody hell, deploying 2CV to Manlia might trigger an earlier Japanese attack but its unlikely either of those ships would get away so it would be costly for the USN and leave them definitely inferior in carrier strength for the 1st part of the Pacific war.
Steve
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 11, 2020 14:54:15 GMT
Day 530 of World War II, February 11th 1941Two Malta-based RAF reconnaissance pilots, Flying Officer Adrian Warburton of 431 Flight (now 69 Squadron) and his observer/navigator, Sergeant Frank Bastard, are decorated. Warburton receives the DFC, while Bastard receives the Distinguished Flying Medal. Bastard is the navigator who took over as pilot (without any training) and successfully landed the plane after the pilot (apparently Warburton) was rendered unconscious. As usual in the British military, the senior officer in such a situation invariably receives a plum award when a subordinate is decorated - as Menzies noted (see above), "that is the way of the world." East African CampaignIn Italian Somaliland, South African and Gold Coast troops (East African 22nd Infantry Brigade) complete the capture of Afmadu at the north end of the Juba River. The South African Air Force heavily supports these attacks. US Government President Roosevelt meets with U.S. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, U.S. Secretary of the Navy William "Frank" Knox, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold R. Stark, and U.S. General of the Army George C. Marshall. Roosevelt suggests that the navy risk half a dozen cruisers and two aircraft carriers at Manila as bait to gt the Japanese to enter the war. Navy Chief of Operations replies: I have previously opposed this and you have concurred as to its unwisdom. Particularly do I recall your remark in a previous conference when Mr. Hull suggested (more forces to Manila) and the question arose as to getting them out and your 100% reply, from my standpoint, was that you might not mind losing one or two cruisers, but that you did not want to take a chance on losing 5 or 6. Some quick comments.
Actually Menzies reference, all too true unfortunately , is below this point. The Gold Coast was the colonial name for Ghana which is in West Africa, so wondering if there's an error here? Checking one of my source books it mentioned Britain deployed the 11th and 12th African Divisions to the fighting in east Africa but doesn't give further details of their component parts. Ah found it in Wiki, see 2nd African Div, at the bottom of the Background section. This was renamed the 12th African division consisted of three brigades, 22nd and 23rd from E Africa and the 24th from the Gold Coast [Ghana]. So a gold coast brigade was there but it was the 24th while the 22nd was from E Africa rather than Ghana. Bloody hell, deploying 2CV to Manlia might trigger an earlier Japanese attack but its unlikely either of those ships would get away so it would be costly for the USN and leave them definitely inferior in carrier strength for the 1st part of the Pacific war. Steve
I agree, sending two carriers as bait is a lot, but the age of the carrier has not begun, so two carriers is nothing i think compared to sending two battleships to Manila. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 11, 2020 15:35:11 GMT
Some quick comments.
Actually Menzies reference, all too true unfortunately , is below this point. The Gold Coast was the colonial name for Ghana which is in West Africa, so wondering if there's an error here? Checking one of my source books it mentioned Britain deployed the 11th and 12th African Divisions to the fighting in east Africa but doesn't give further details of their component parts. Ah found it in Wiki, see 2nd African Div, at the bottom of the Background section. This was renamed the 12th African division consisted of three brigades, 22nd and 23rd from E Africa and the 24th from the Gold Coast [Ghana]. So a gold coast brigade was there but it was the 24th while the 22nd was from E Africa rather than Ghana. Bloody hell, deploying 2CV to Manlia might trigger an earlier Japanese attack but its unlikely either of those ships would get away so it would be costly for the USN and leave them definitely inferior in carrier strength for the 1st part of the Pacific war. Steve
I agree, sending two carriers as bait is a lot, but the age of the carrier has not begun, so two carriers is nothing i think compared to sending two battleships to Manila.
Probably to the people at the time but with the advantage of hindsight. While the deaths were a blow the loss albeit temporary in most cases of the old BBs at Pearl didn't really affect the US war effort and by forcing them to prioritise carriers may even have helped. If two were lost at Manlia this wouldn't have been possible and you might have had something rash attempted with the surface fleet that could be a lot costlier for the USN than Pearl.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 11, 2020 15:38:09 GMT
I agree, sending two carriers as bait is a lot, but the age of the carrier has not begun, so two carriers is nothing i think compared to sending two battleships to Manila. Probably to the people at the time but with the advantage of hindsight. While the deaths were a blow the loss albeit temporary in most cases of the old BBs at Pearl didn't really affect the US war effort and by forcing them to prioritise carriers may even have helped. If two were lost at Manlia this wouldn't have been possible and you might have had something rash attempted with the surface fleet that could be a lot costlier for the USN than Pearl.
So was what Roosevelt suggested to be part of War Plan Orange, ore did Churchill stupid ideas starting to rub off on Roosevelt. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 11, 2020 15:46:25 GMT
Probably to the people at the time but with the advantage of hindsight. While the deaths were a blow the loss albeit temporary in most cases of the old BBs at Pearl didn't really affect the US war effort and by forcing them to prioritise carriers may even have helped. If two were lost at Manlia this wouldn't have been possible and you might have had something rash attempted with the surface fleet that could be a lot costlier for the USN than Pearl.
So was what Roosevelt suggested to be part of War Plan Orange, ore did Churchill stupid ideas starting to rub off on Roosevelt.
Well Roosevelt could be pretty stupid himself. He pushed the US military to agree to a 2nd front in France in 1942! Also for Operation_Sledgehammer, which would be a way of attempting this. Plus while he treated Britain with disdain he thought he could trust Stalin.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 11, 2020 16:01:31 GMT
So was what Roosevelt suggested to be part of War Plan Orange, ore did Churchill stupid ideas starting to rub off on Roosevelt. Well Roosevelt could be pretty stupid himself. He pushed the US military to agree to a 2nd front in France in 1942! Also for Operation_Sledgehammer, which would be a way of attempting this. Plus while he treated Britain with disdain he thought he could trust Stalin.
So would you agree with General Archibald Wavell requests to continue Operation Compass into Tripolitania in western Libya, could the British made it harder for the Germans who are now coming into the fight. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 11, 2020 16:10:08 GMT
Well Roosevelt could be pretty stupid himself. He pushed the US military to agree to a 2nd front in France in 1942! Also for Operation_Sledgehammer, which would be a way of attempting this. Plus while he treated Britain with disdain he thought he could trust Stalin.
So would you agree with General Archibald Wavell requests to continue Operation Compass into Tripolitania in western Libya, could the British made it harder for the Germans who are now coming into the fight.
If we had kept our full strength there and reinforced them rather than sending forces to Greece it would probably have been possible to crush Rommel's initial attack and a lot could happen by then as Germany would be committed to Barbarossa and since Rommel had disobeyed orders he would probably get short shift from Hitler.
In terms of advancing to Tripoli and occupying all of Libya it would be difficult as supply lines would be very long and especially the 7th Armoured division units that had gone cross country to cut off the retreat from Benghazi had seen a hell of a lot of wear and tear so were in poor condition.
The best option might have been if Churchill had been willing to support a drive to Tripoli earlier. Instead of sending the 4th Indian to E Africa which caused a delay in the follow up attacks on Benghazi pushing on ASAP and preferably giving full logistical support to such an advance. The 6th Australian Div might then come in as a reinforcement possibly supplementing the 4th Indian and replacing it at some point when the latter needs a break to regroup. Logistics would of course be the big problem but it might be possible to reach Tripoli, especially given the fragile state of Italian moral after their early defeat.
Anyway getting a bit off topic I'm afraid.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 11, 2020 16:16:17 GMT
So would you agree with General Archibald Wavell requests to continue Operation Compass into Tripolitania in western Libya, could the British made it harder for the Germans who are now coming into the fight. If we had kept our full strength there and reinforced them rather than sending forces to Greece it would probably have been possible to crush Rommel's initial attack and a lot could happen by then as Germany would be committed to Barbarossa and since Rommel had disobeyed orders he would probably get short shift from Hitler. In terms of advancing to Tripoli and occupying all of Libya it would be difficult as supply lines would be very long and especially the 7th Armoured division units that had gone cross country to cut off the retreat from Benghazi had seen a hell of a lot of wear and tear so were in poor condition. The best option might have been if Churchill had been willing to support a drive to Tripoli earlier. Instead of sending the 4th Indian to E Africa which caused a delay in the follow up attacks on Benghazi pushing on ASAP and preferably giving full logistical support to such an advance. The 6th Australian Div might then come in as a reinforcement possibly supplementing the 4th Indian and replacing it at some point when the latter needs a break to regroup. Logistics would of course be the big problem but it might be possible to reach Tripoli, especially given the fragile state of Italian moral after their early defeat. Anyway getting a bit off topic I'm afraid.
No problem getting of topic stevep, Churchill did it by focusing on Greece instead of the fight in North Africa. |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 12, 2020 4:16:05 GMT
Day 531 of World War II, February 12th 1941Italian/Greek CampaignToday,the Greeks complete the conquest of the Trebeshinë massif. The Italians, however, are building up forces for an offensive in the same sector. As has been the case for several days, however, the real action is taking place in capitals across Europe and North Africa. In a note to British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sets forth current priorities: [Y]our major effort must now be to aid Greece and/or Turkey. This rules out any serious effort against Tripoli, although minor demonstrations thitherwards would be a useful feint.... concentrate all available forces in the Delta in preparation for movement to Europe.This change in priorities from North Africa to Greece is, as Churchill knows, opposed not only by Wavell but by his closest military advisers in London. However, Churchill is acting on his own initiative. He concludes his instructions to Wavell with alternative moves in case the Greeks prove uncooperative regarding British troop inflows (as they have in the past): [T]hen we must try to save as much from the wreck as possible. We must, at all costs, keep Crete and take any Greek islands which are of use as air bases. We could also reconsider the advance on Tripoli. But these will only be consolation prizes after the classic race has been lost.Thus, Churchill makes clear that Greece itself is only a pawn in the struggle against Hitler, and only useful in that regard. In essence, he proposes making war on Greece itself if it stands in the way of fighting Hitler on Greek soil. Battle of the MediterraneanAt Malta, the increased German presence in the Mediterranean is made plain by the first appearance of Bf 109 fighters over the island. A dozen 7,/JG 26 fighters escort a Fliegerkorps X bombing raid during the afternoon and shoot down three Hurricanes - the worst losses suffered by the RAF on the island to date. The Bf 109 pilots are veterans of the Channel Front and among the best fighter pilots of the time. They are led by ace Oblt. Müncheberg, who gets one of the victories. Royal Navy submarine HMS Utmost damages 5463-ton Italian freighter Manfredo Campiero off Tripoli. North Africa CampaignThe halt order to General Wavell that arrives today from Churchill and the General Staff forces Wavell to completely re-direct his efforts away from Libya. Brigadier Dorman-Smith, General Wavell's liaison to XIII Corps, finally arrives in Cairo after his 570-mile drive from General O'Connor's advanced headquarters. His instructions are to attempt to secure permission for O'Connor's troops to continue westward. Instead, after being kept waiting all day by Wavell, Dorman-Smith walks in to find that Wavell is no longer interested in Libya at all. Motioning to maps of Greece that have replaced maps of North Africa on his walls, Wavell says, "You find me busy with my spring campaign." In fact, today does mark a definitive end to Operation Compass. Some Italian troops have been holding out at Beda Fomm despite their hopeless position. Today, the last of them surrender. Throughout the campaign, including the very end today, the Italians have outnumbered the British by roughly 20,000-3000. General Erwin Rommel flies on a Junkers Ju 52 from Rome to Tripoli to command the new Afrika Korps troops carried in three German transport ships that made port on the 11th. These transports carried elements of the 5th Light Division. The plan is for the Korps to include the light (motorized) division, a panzer division, and Italian infantry (the Ariete and Trento divisions). Rommel meets new Italian Libyan Commander General Italo Gariboldi, who replaced Marshal Rodolfo Graziani. Photo: Erwin Rommel in Tripoli, February 1941 Rommel has his men march around the town square repeatedly to make it appear that he has more men than he actually does. He also has them drive real and fake German tanks. This is an old German trick, first practiced in the Rhineland in the 1930s when the Luftwaffe would fly the same few planes overhead to make it appear as if it had more forces than it actually did. Naturally, the Germans can assume that there are many British sympathizers among the local populace, word will get out, and appearances are important. The British are 400 miles from Tripoli, but there is virtually nothing standing between them and the few Germans in North Africa aside from Italian troops who have proven themselves completely ineffective. Photo: General Italo Gariboldi (Left) Italian Governor Of Libya, And General Erwin Rommel, Commander Of German Units In North Africa, review troops Of The German Afrika Korps The second convoy of ships carrying the Afrika Korps departs from Naples. There are four transport ships (Adana, Aegina, Kybfels, and Ruhr) escorted by Italian destroyer Camicia Nera and torpedo boat Procione. The convoy will follow the usual pattern of spending a day in Palermo before proceeding on to Tripoli. Photo: Units of the Afrika Korps in North Africa, early part of 1941 British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and Chief of the Imperial General Staff General Sir Anthony Dill depart London bound for Cairo. Their mission (according to Churchill's written instructions) is to expedite "speedy succor to Greece" and for CIGS Dill to "advise on the military aspect." He provides a list of 15 points that "require particular attention," the most interesting (in light of later events) of which is "What is the minimum garrison that can hold the western frontier of Libya, and Benghazi." Churchill's letter of introduction for Middle East commander General Wavell is illuminating as to colloquialisms in use at the time. He writes: Request you will take all possible precautions for safety of our two Envoys having regard to nasty habits of Wops and Huns.In another note to Wavell, Churchill offers his "heartfelt congratulations" on taking Benghazi, but forbids any further advances beyond "demonstration attacks." General Rommel later writes: I f Wavell had now continued his advance into Tripolitania, no resistance worthy of the name could have been mounted against him - so well had his superbly planned offensive succeeded.Of course, the Germans could not know that Wavell was gung-ho for taking Tripolitania, but it was solely the decision of Churchill to stand pat and divert units elsewhere. Some consider this 12 February 1941 order to stop at Benghazi to be one of the greatest British military blunders of the war. Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, on his extended journey from Melbourne to London, returns from Benghazi to Cairo. He experiences "My first Air Raid" before leaving the former, a visit at dawn by some minelaying bombers. The Royal Navy at this time is sending ships from Alexandria and Suda Bay in Operation Shelford to sweep Benghazi Harbor. East African CampaignThe battle at Keren continues. Today, the 5th Indian Division's 29th Indian Infantry brigade is brought up from Barentu and added to Major-General Beresford-Peirse's 4th Indian Division. The plan is for troops already on the scene to create a gap in the Italian defenses, through which the 29th Infantry can pour through and overwhelm the Italian defenses. It doesn't go quite like that. At 05:30, the British artillery roars and the 4/6th Rajputana Rifles advance toward the west side of the Dongolaas Gorge. The objective is the Acqua Col, a spot that connects Italian strong-points on either side. Things go wrong right from the start, though: the initial surge carries to the crest of the feature, but there the troops are subjected to murderous crossfire. The battalion leader, Captain Subadar Richpal Ram, is at the forefront, and he has his foot blown off and is shot dead shortly thereafter (Posthumous VC). The 4/11th Sikh Regiment comes at the Col from the side but is stopped cold. The Indian troops are forced to retreat again, leaving them with nothing to show for heavy casualties incurred in several days of desperate fighting. Lieutenant-General William Platt now has tried to force both sides of the gorge twice, with no success. He decides to build up his supplies and troops and try a set-piece battle at a later date. Platt sends the 29th Infantry Brigade back to Barentu, which is served by a railway line and can be more easily supplied. The British sit down to devise a new strategy. RAF planes bomb and sink the 590-ton German cargo ship Askari at Kismayo, Somalia, while on a voyage to Mogadishu. The crew of Askari manages to beach it on the 13th, but it is a total loss. Elsewhere in Eritrea, British forces take Elghena south of Port Sudan. At Kismayo, Somalia, the Italians scuttle freighters Integritas (5952 tons), Marghera (4531 tons), and Carso (6275 tons). The Carso is later salvaged and renamed Empire Tana. Battle of the AtlanticWith four German heavy cruisers (Admiral Scheer, Admiral Hipper, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst) on the loose in the Atlantic, the Royal Navy is as stretched as at any point of the war. Force H from Gibraltar departs into the Atlantic to cover Convoy HG 53, which has been under incessant attack by the Luftwaffe and U-boats. Late in the day, it is redirected to cover Convoy WS 6, a troop convoy bound for the Middle East - the other convoy would have to be left to its own devices. One of those German cruisers, Admiral Hipper, illustrates today why the Royal Navy is worried. After stalking Convoy SLS 64 through the night just east of the Azores, it attacks at dawn. It is a reprise of its Christmas Day attack on another convoy in the same general area, but this time there are no escorts to send it fleeing for the port. In short order, Hipper sinks: - British 4876 ton freighter Warlaby (three survivors). - British 4712 ton freighter Westbury (five deaths). - British 4684 ton freighter Oswestry Grange (five deaths). - British 4542 ton freighter Shrewsbury (20 deaths). - British 4896 ton freighter Derrynane (all lost). - Norwegian 3924 ton freighter Borgestad (all lost). - Greek 5172 ton freighter Perseus (14 deaths). Hipper also damages 4934-ton British freighter Lornaston. Despite all the losses, it is a fairly quick action, over by 07:40. Hipper probably could have sunk more ships, but it is a rainy and foggy morning, giving the convoy ships cover. Much confusion develops about this encounter which is not resolved until much later. The British, in possession of the convoy manifest, correctly report 7 ships lost. However, the Germans claim 13 ship victims, and some survivors of the convoy (experienced sea crews) believe that 14 ships were sunk. This is a classic example of how eyewitnesses can perceive vastly different outcomes without any deliberate attempt to inflate the figures - though the Germans are not averse to inflating enemy loss figures. After this attack, Admiral Hipper heads for Brest. Due to a chain of related reasons, this will be Hipper's last operation for a full year. Royal Navy submarine HMS Tigris sinks 243-ton French fishing trawler René Camaleyre in the Bay of Biscay. Swedish 2139 ton four-masted hulked bark Gullmarn, built 1887, drifts ashore at Madeira and is wrecked. British 8 ton fishing vessel Caledonian hits a mine and blows up. Royal Navy corvette HMS Amaranthus and destroyer HMAS Nestor are both commissioned. U-651 is commissioned, U-301 and U-659 are laid down. U-651 develops a reputation for being crewed by particularly fanatical Germans, a spirit apparently imbued by Lohmeyer. Soviet submarine M-122 is launched. Air War over EuropeAir activity continues to be light due to the winter weather. The Luftwaffe sends a few planes over England at night, and for most of them, if they drop bombs, nobody notices. The RAF, which has been more active than the Luftwaffe lately, largely stays on the ground both during the day and night. Battle of the Pacific Convoy ZT 2 departs from Wellington for Sydney. Italian/Spanish Relations Mimicking the October 1940 meeting at Hendaye between Adolf Hitler and Spanish Generalissimo Francisco Franco, Mussolini meets with Franco at Bordighera on the Italian Riviera to chat "on all problems interesting the two governments at the present historic moment." The meeting is scheduled to take two days. Hitler has high hopes that Mussolini can convince Franco to join the Axis. Italian/US RelationsItaly requests that the United States close its consulates in Palermo and Naples and consolidate operations in Rome. This purportedly is due to the recent Royal Navy raid on Genoa, which makes the entire Italian seacoast insecure. Soviet Government Internal security specialist Viktor Abakumov, head of the UNKVD of Rostov Oblast, arrives at the Moscow headquarter of the NKVD. His new role is as a Senior Major of State Security. He will be working closely with Lavrentiy Beria. British Government Prime Minister Winston Churchill takes questions in the House of Commons. He states that: I can recall no occasion when the question of peace aims or reconstruction has been mentioned by any of the representatives of the American Government.Churchill also memos the Foreign Office conceding that he has received "no reply" to offers made to Vichy French General Weygand. On another topic, he urges the foreign office to be prepared to supply food to Spain in order to induce them to support the Allied cause. Spanish GovernmentAlfonso XIII, the former king now living in Rome, renounces the throne in favor of his son Juan, who is the third surviving son of the king. Alfonso was deposed by the Second Spanish Republic. Juan, known to history as Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona. Juan is the father of Juan Carlos I, the future king of Spain rather than Juan due to the post-war intervention of Franco.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 13, 2020 4:09:50 GMT
Day 532 of World War II, February 13th 1941
Italian/Greek Campaign
While the front is quiet, the Italians are preparing a major effort in the Klisura Pass region for the 14th. This has become the focal point for the entire campaign, as the Greeks, despite some successes, have been unable to advance beyond it to take the vital Italian port of Valona. The RAF raids airfields at Durazzo and Tirana.
The Greek I and II Corps are combined into Epirus Army. Western Macedonia Army controls units to the north.
Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, having broken his journey from Melbourne to London in Cairo, meets with British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell. Menzies observes (in his diary) that the general is "clearly contemplating the possibility of a Salonika (Greece) expedition." This seems to be news to Menzies of at most casual interest as if Wavell has mentioned it only as side operation, not a major strategic initiative.
The implication is that Menzies - the national leader of the Australian troops now carrying the brunt of the fighting during Operation Compass - has been kept "out of the loop" on the wrangling about whether to send Middle East troops to Greece. Such moves are imminent, and RAF units already are being switched to Athens. This seems like something that the Prime Minister of Australia should be kept informed about, given that his troops are directly affected. However, it is the only reference in Menzies' entire diary about discussions with Wavell regarding any such "expedition."
Battle of the Mediterranean
The Luftwaffe attacks Malta multiple times throughout the day. The attacks are spread out across the island. A Wellington and a Whitley bomber are damaged during the attacks, and three bombs apparently intended for Ta Qali airfield fall on Imtarfa Hospital, killing three patients, seriously wounding six, and lightly wounding another six. Many of the patients are military personnel.
North Africa Campaign
The second convoy of ships bringing the Afrika Corps to Tripoli arrives. The German 5th Light Division and the Italian Ariete Division are assembling in Tripolitania. While the overwhelming mass of the Italian military is under-equipped and lacks motivation, the units attached to the Afrika Korps will continually fight at a very high level.
The Luftwaffe continues planting magnetic mines in Benghazi harbor. The Royal Navy, however, has opened the port for convoys despite numerous sinkings at Tobruk from such mines.
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Charles Portal telegrams Commander-in-Chief Arthur Longmore of the RAF's Middle East Command. Portal directs Longmore to render "such immediate help as [he is] able." Portal specifically mentions transferring a Wellington bomber unit, RAF No. 33 Squadron, to Athens. Longmore is unenthusiastic about sending units to Greece, and in fact, believes that more RAF units are needed in Egypt and Libya. However, Prime Minister Winston Churchill is adamant about transferring units to Greece as soon as possible. Portal is courteous, but he makes it plain that Longmore had better not drag his feet, saying that he would be "glad to hear...what immediate help [you can] send."
Many in the British Middle East Command are quite upset about the halt of operations imposed by Whitehall on the 12th. Admiral Cunningham notes that he is "most bitterly disappointed at the turn this Libya campaign has taken." He takes some comfort from the fact that "I know it was not due to any naval shortcomings (we had just landed just landed 2,500 tons of petrol and over 3,000 tons of other stores at Benghazi and had doubled the amount we had guaranteed to land daily at Tobruk)." In light of later events, it is instructive to see that commanders at the time viewed the diversion of resources away from a continuing victorious campaign in Libya as questionable. It is fair to point out that the British military leadership in both London and Egypt uniformly wish to continue Operation Compass all the way to Tripoli.
East African Campaign
Operation Composition begins. Fourteen Fairey Albacore from HMS Formidable sink 5723-ton Italian freighter Monacalieri at Massawa in Italian East Africa. They also cause minor damage to several other ships. The RAF loses two Albacores, the six aircrew becoming POWs.
At Keren, Eritrea, Lieutenant-General William Platt decides to pause his Indian troops' attacks on the Italian troops defending Dongolaas Gorge. He reduces his troop count in order to ease the supply situation by sending the 5th Indian Division back to the railhead at Kessala. The British begin assembling troops on all sides of Keren. It will take some time, however, for other forces to assemble and threaten Keren from the rear. Undeniably this has been an Italian defensive victory, but all it promises to do is buy some time, not stop the British offensive rolling through East Africa.
British advances continue elsewhere without too much hindrance from the Italians. Bulo Erillo, Somalia (south of Mogadishu) falls to the Gold Coast 24th Infantry Brigade.
Battle of the Atlantic
U-96 is stalking Convoy HX 106 and spots a straggler. Lehmann-Willenbrock torpedoes 7987-ton British freighter Clea at about 15:00. A single torpedo snaps the freighter in two, but they remain afloat. U-96 surfaces and gets in some artillery practice on the two hulks, sinking them.
U-103 also finds a straggler of Convoy HX 106 in the shipping lanes south of Iceland. It is 10,516-ton tanker Arthur F. Corwin, and Schütze puts some torpedoes into it. Tankers, however, are difficult to sink due to their compartmentalized construction and does not sink. However, it is on fire and trailing heavy plumes of smoke.
U-96, perhaps attracted by the smoke from the burning tanker, comes across the Corwin later in the day. The tanker is still under power, but has fallen further behind its convoy. Lehmann-Willenbrock puts two more torpedoes into the tanker, which is a burning wreck. This does the trick, sending the ship to the bottom. All 59 men on board perish. The HX 106 convoy escorts come back to investigate and spot U-96 later, attacking it without success.
The Luftwaffe (I,/KG 40) bombs and sinks 320-ton anti-submarine trawler HMT Rubens. Rubens is an escort of convoy OG 52, but through a misunderstood signal has separated from the convoy. All 21 onboard perish.
The Luftwaffe attacks Glasgow. Along with shoreside damage, the destroyer HMS Anthony receives some minor splinter damage from exploding bombs on the docks.
The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 1900-ton British freighter Westcliffe Hall near the Whitby High Light. The ship's steering gear is damaged, but the crew manages to get the ship to the River Tees.
The Luftwaffe damages 4512-ton British freighter Cape Rodney off Girdle Ness, Aberdeen.
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Ripley collides with the fellow destroyer HMS Burwell and anti-submarine trawler HMS Notre Dame de France while they are at sea-trials. These are all destroyers acquired under the destroyers-for-bases deal of September 1940. The damage is moderate, and Ripley sets off for three weeks of repair at Devonport.
Convoy OB 286 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HX 109 departs from Halifax.
Royal Navy corvette HMS Alisma is commissioned and boom defense vessel HMS Barrymore is launched.
U-557 is commissioned and is assigned to U-boat Flo1, based at Kiel.
Air War over Europe
The Luftwaffe mounts its first major raid in weeks, attacking London after dark. The attacks in residential districts cause heavy casualties, as many people have been lulled into a false sense of security by the recent quiet period and have returned to their homes at night. During the day, Bf 109s again have some fun with the Dover barrage balloons, and one Messerschmitt is damaged by a Spitfire while doing so.
Battle of the Pacific
The Marine 3rd Defense Battalion completes its move to Midway Island aboard three cruisers and a store issue ship.
Vichy French/Spanish Relations
After winding up his talks with Mussolini (Italy), General Franco (Spain) meets Petain (Vichy France) at Montpellier. The three nations basically have nothing whatsoever in common, but Hitler has high hopes that the three dictators will find some kind of common ground in fighting the British.
German/Vichy French Relations
The Germans have gotten wind of Marshal Petain's backdoor negotiations with the British. In no uncertain terms, the Germans tell the French to stop it.
German/Italian Relations
Grand Admiral Erich Raeder meets with his Italian counterpart, Admiral Arturo Riccardi, at Merano. They discuss naval cooperation in the Mediterranean, a matter of urgency due to the new Afrika Korps in Libya. Shipping from Naples to Tripoli will be a major determinant in the limits of General Erwin Rommel's success in North Africa.
Anglo/US Relations
Churchill intervenes directly with Secretary of State for War David Margesson regarding Kermit Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt's son and President Franklin Roosevelt's fifth cousin, once removed. In 1939, Kermit enlisted in the British Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Middlesex Regiment, but the doctors have indicated that he should be disqualified from serving on health grounds. Churchill writes that his case is a "matter of political consequence" and "if he wishes to go on with us he should be allowed to do so." The issue of Presidential relatives serving in the military will recur at several points throughout the war, and anything having to do with the Roosevelt name is of extreme sensitivity. Kermit does, in fact, have serious health problems, but they relate to depression as much as anything physical.
Anglo/Bulgarian Relations
The British recently have broken off relations with Romania due to the presence of German troops there. Today, the British warn the Bulgarians that the same could happen to them if the same circumstances arise. The British minister in Sofia, George Rendel, states:
If the Germans occupy Bulgaria and make it a base against our ally, obviously we shall have to break off relations with Bulgaria and take whatever measures the situation requires.
British Military
Continuing his extreme skepticism about the necessity to maintain a large force in North Africa, Churchill memos General Ismay about a convoy being formed, of whose composition he writes "I do not approve." This is a continuation of Churchill's outspoken concern about the "tooth to tail" ratio in the Middle East Command, which he implies repeatedly at this stage of the war is full of unnecessary useless mouths. He points out specific units being carried in the convoy (apparently a Winston Special convoy, though it is not identified in the memo) that he views as "non-combatants" due to lack of equipment and thus dead weight. Churchill proposes sending fewer troops in such convoys and more equipment, given that there are troops already on the ground in Egypt that are at loose ends due to lack of equipment.
Soviet Military
General Nikolai Vatutin becomes Deputy Chief of the General Staff (Stavka).
US Military
American Samoa Governor Captain Laurence Wild recommends:
the establishment of a Native Insular Force separate and distinct from the Fita Fita Guard, which was to function under and to be paid by the Government of American Samoa.
The issue of US commitment to overseas bases in the Pacific is quite controversial in congress. Some feel that they should be built up, others that they are indefensible. In this case, the suggestions lead to the establishment of the First Samoan Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Indochina
The Japanese "show the flag" operation (Operation S) continues. Having visited Bangkok, heavy cruisers IJN Suzuya, IJN Mikuma, IJN Mogami, and IJN Kumano visit Saigon. The Japanese are currently mediating talks between the French and Thais to close out their border war, and this show of force is designed to move the French toward making concessions.
Italian Homefront
The Italians have worked extremely quickly to repair the damage to the aqueduct on the Tragino River caused during Operation Colossus on 11 February. Today, the aqueduct goes back in service. Throughout World War II, the British will obsess about attacking dams and other water infrastructure, with extremely mixed results.
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stevep
Fleet admiral
Posts: 24,861
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Post by stevep on Feb 13, 2020 16:14:57 GMT
lordroel , With
Do you know whether this is a daytime or night attack. I would have assumed a night attack give FC's detection system and the fact Glasgow is way beyond any fighter escorts from France or Norway so I would have thought a daytime attack by the Luftwaffe is going to get badly hammered.
Steve
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, is below this point.