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lordroel
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World War II in real time Aug 26, 2020 2:58:14 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Aug 26, 2020 2:58:14 GMT

Day 724 of World War II, August 26th 1941

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran

The invasion of Iraq by the Soviet Union and Great Britain that began on August 25th continues. Overall, resistance is virtually nonexistent, but isolated Iranian positions composed of very small groups of men sometimes fight to the death. Both the Soviet and British forces have overwhelming superiority in their respective zones of operations. While Tehran is not yet threatened with capture, Soviet bombers attack it.

Photo: British troops take control of Abadan, 26 August 1941.

In the northern sphere of operations, the Soviet Union begins using heavy bombers in groups of four bombers each. They bomb Rasht, Bandar Pahlavi, and other civilian and military targets throughout Gilan Province. There are 200+ civilian deaths. These attacks help the Soviet 44th Army to capture both Rasht and Bandar Pahlavi. Soviet 47th Army moves south through Dilman and Urmia against a smattering of fanatical resistance, while other Soviet forces continue their invasion from the Turkmenistan SSR. The Soviet 47th Army captures Tabriz.

The British secure the entire Shatt-al-Arab region (the Khazalabad area between Khorramshahr and Abadan) on land, and also including the waterway in Operation Mopup. Having secured their landing zones, the British next plan to drive north to Ahvaz and through the Zagros Mountains to Qazvin. The 10th Indian Infantry Division attacks from Iraq through Khanaqin, facing little resistance but slowed by the rough mountainous terrain. Iranian forces give up Paltak Pass. Iranian troops at Gilan-e Gharb, 30 km inside Iran, make a stand, and RAF fighters shoot down six Iranian fighters in the vicinity in fierce air battles, but the resistance is quickly overcome.

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

In the Army Group North sector, the Soviets attack General Hoth's Panzer Group 3 at Velikiye Luki without success. The Soviets, in turn, are surrounded and wiped out. German Panzer Group 4 continues compressing the defending Soviet forces north toward Leningrad.

In the Army Group Center sector, General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 seizes a key bridge at Novgorod-Seversky over the Desna River. Within the Wehrmacht, this becomes legendary as an example of German heroism. However, the Germans meet stiff Soviet resistance on the other side in its drive south from Starodub toward Kyiv. German 2nd Army, advancing south 75 miles to the west, has an easier time and makes more progress.

The Soviets have their eye on the Starodub position that Guderian is vacating. Of course, the Soviets don't know Guderian's intentions. The Stavka sends General Eremenko of the Bryansk Front a strong hint to attack it:

It seems possible to envelop the Starodub position, destroy the enemy in Starodub and close up the 13th and 21st Armies' flanks. The Supreme High Command considers the conduct of such an operation completely feasible and capable of yielding good results.

Of course, even with Guderian heading south, the prospects of the Soviets accomplishing a major envelopment of German forces at this stage of the war are dim. However, the Stavka remains optimistic despite all evidence to the contrary.

In the Army Group South sector, there is a lull in the fighting around Odessa. The Germans are bringing forward reinforcements to stiffen the Romanian troops who have pinned the defending Soviet troops in the city. Both sides are taking heavy casualties, and the Romanians continue pounding the Soviets with artillery based at Kubanka. The defending Soviet troops have been told to stand and fight - there is no retreat or evacuation for them.

The German XLVII Panzer Corps (General Lemelsen) captures Chernobyl outside Kyiv. The tankers of General von Kleist's Panzer Group 1 also tighten their hold on Dnepropetrovsk (some sources say it is taken on the 25th, others on the 26th, both are probably right because cities are often taken gradually). Soviet 6th Army counterattacks to no avail.

Continuation War

In the Far North sector, the Soviet 43rd, 115th, and 123rd Rifle Divisions attacking the Finnish bridgehead across the Vuoksi River are repulsed. The Finns are well acquainted with Soviet troop tendencies and set about encircling them in the woods. The Soviet troops have no orders to retreat and know that they would face recriminations and possibly worse from their commanders, so they stand and fight without retreating. Finnish troops also are prevailing between Nurmi Lake and Nurmi Mountain. There, Soviet defenders are frantically trying to escape to the east while the Finns and an SS battalion are trying to cut them off at the Kayrala narrows. The battle has become a race, with the Soviet troops abandoning their equipment and running for their lives and the Axis troops right behind them.

Photo: Finnish Hawker Hurricane fighter (HC-452) on Tiiksjärvi airport

Air War over Europe

During the day, the RAF Coastal Command sends 36 Blenheim bombers on coastal sweeps. The bombers claim to sink two ships (one being the German freighter City of Emden, which is only damaged north of the Hook of Holland), but seven are shot down. Another six Blenheims embark on a Circus operation over St. Omer airfield, one of the fields used by top Luftwaffe fighter squadron JG 26.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 99 bombers (47 Wellingtons, 29 Hampdens, 22 Whitleys, and one Manchester) over Cologne. They have good visibility, but most of the bombs drop east of the city. There are only 8 deaths in Cologne, while the RAF loses one Wellington and one Whitley.

In addition, 29 Wellingtons and Whitley planes bomb Le Havre, 14 Wellingtons and 2 Stirlings bomb Boulogne, and 17 Hampdens lay mines in the Frisians and off Kiel and the Danish coast. The RAF loses one Hampden that is laying mines.

French RAF pilot Rene Mouchotte gets his first victory, a Junkers Ju-88 over the Irish Sea.

Wing Commander David Lascelles, a cousin of the British Royal family, perishes while leading one of the daylight anti-shipping strikes. Lascelles was No. 82 Squadron's seventh commanding officer in eleven months and the third to be killed. While hardly desirable, such sacrifices by the Royals help to show that they are in the fight along with everyone else.

Battle of the Baltic

Soviet auxiliary river gunboats are sunk in operations supporting land forces.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-571 on its first patrol out of Trondheim, fires two torpedoes at 3870-ton Soviet freighter Marija Uljanova north of Cape Teriberka, Kola Peninsula. Even a third torpedo does not sink the wrecked ship, which the master eventually beaches at Teriberka (it is used as an oil storage depot hulk for the remainder of the war and then scrapped). The only reason that U-571 does not actually sink the ship, perhaps using its deck gun, is that escorts attack it with depth charges, preventing further attacks. There are 14 survivors.

Some sources state that U-652 torpedoes and sinks auxiliary minesweeper HMS Southern Prince today in the North Sea, others say that it happened on the 25th. Southern Prince makes it to Belfast for repairs.

U-141 (ObltzS Schiller) stalks Convoy OS-4, but cannot maneuver into attack position because of the escort.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier Argus (D 49) departs from Reykjavik bound for the Soviet Union. It carries Hurricane fighters and RAF pilots to fly them against the Wehrmacht.

Canadian troop convoy TC.12B departs from Halifax, Convoy ST.1 departs from Freetown bound for Takoradi.

Royal Navy submarine Thorn and destroyer Laforey are commissioned.

Canadian corvette HMCS Vancouver (formerly Kitchener) is launched at Esquimalt, British Columbia.

Submarine USS Silversides and minesweeper Auk are launched, destroyer Hendon is laid down.

U-505 (Kapitänleutnant Axel-Olaf Loewe) is commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Operation Treacle, the replacement of Australian troops in Tobruk with Polish troops of the Carpathian Brigade, continues. Minelaying cruiser Latona and destroyers Griffin, Havock, and Jervis, escorted by light cruisers Ajax and Neptune, depart from Alexandria and carry out their mission without incident.

Royal Navy submarine Rorqual lays fifty mines off Skinari, Greece.

Having successfully laid mines off the Italian coast in Operation Mincemeat, minelayer Manxman departs from Gibraltar and returns to England. The rest of the Operation Mincemeat force, headed by battleship Nelson and aircraft carrier Ark Royal, arrives back at Gibraltar (minelayers are very fast).

The Italian fleet that sortied on news of the Operation Mincemeat force, and having accomplished exactly nothing but at least not having lost any ships (probably the main objective), returns to port. However, not so fast - Royal Navy submarine Triumph spots the fleet and puts a torpedo into heavy cruiser Bolzano north of Messina, Sicily. Bolzano limps into port.

Royal Navy submarine Urge spots an Italian supply convoy heading from Palermo to Tripoli and stalks it.

Due to shipping losses, all merchant shipping journeys heading from Malta to Gibraltar are canceled for the time being.

An RAF Blenheim of No. 105 Squadron is lost during an attack on shipping off the north African coast. All aboard perish.

The RAF shoots down an Italian aircraft over Cyprus, the first Italian loss there. The Regia Aeronautica has been mounting small raids on the island.

Italian aircraft attack the Dockyard Victualling Yard, Boiler Wharf and a nearby depot, as well as Vittoriosa, Marsa, Birkirkara, and Hamrun and Malta. In this and other actions, the RAF shoots down two BR-20 bombers and a Macchi 200 fighter.

Canadian/Anglo/Free Norwegian raid on Spitsbergen (Operation Gauntlet)

British Operation Gauntlet at Spitzbergen continues. After nightfall, 21,517-ton transport Empress of Canada embarks the 1800 Russian coal miners and the Soviet Consul and heads to Archangelsk. Other Canadian troops of Force A stay behind and begin destroying coal at the Bergensburg coalfields, mining equipment, and fuel oil. They also burn down Barentsburg, which appears to have been a mistake. Everything is very hurried because nobody knows if the Germans will show up. It is the land of the midnight sun, so there is no darkness - meaning Luftwaffe attacks could come at any time. Despite this, the landing parties have no plans to leave quickly unless they are forced to, and, so far, there is no indication that the Germans even know the Canadians are there.

Among the spoils at Spitzbergen for the British and Norwegians are three Norwegian colliers.

Photo: Sappers of the 3rd Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers, burning coal piles during Operation Gauntlet

Japanese/US/Soviet Relations

Ambassador Nomura protests to Secretary of State Cordell Hull about the United States government sending supplies to the Soviet Union via Vladivostok. These can make it to Moscow in about a week via the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Hull responds that the shipments are supported by the Japanese-Russian agreement of Portsmouth. Nomura responds that this may be true, but it is stirring up animosity in the Japanese public because Japanese civilians must use coal while oil in US tankers is passing them by. The two men try to reach an agreement whereby two Japanese tankers be allowed to bring oil to Japan every month, subject to approval by their respective governments.

Japanese/US Relations

Behind the scenes, and unbeknownst to allies of both parties, furious negotiations are going on behind the scenes between the United States and the Empire of Japan. Prince Konoye sends a new peace offer to Ambassador Nomura for passage to the Americans. Secretary Cordell Hull agrees to arrange a meeting between Ambassador Nomura and President Roosevelt on the 27th to discuss the new Japanese offer. Nomura comments negatively on recent comments by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill about the situation in the Pacific but fervently wants to negotiate a settlement.

US/Chinese Relations

The White House issues a statement:

[T]his Government is preparing to send a military mission to China. The mission will be sent for the purpose of assisting in carrying out the purposes of the Lend-Lease Act. It is being organized and it will operate under the direction of the Secretary of War. Its chief will be Brigadier General John Magruder.

The US sends a mission to China to see what supplies the Chinese need against the Japanese.

German/Italian Relations

Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini inspect the Duce's troops at Uman, Ukraine. Morale in the Italian troops appears high, but commanding general Messe warns that the troops are poorly equipped, especially in anti-tank rounds.

German/Swedish Relations

Recruiting for the Wehrmacht in Sweden begins.

US Military

The Philippine Department Air Force, an independent unit within the US military, is re-designated USAFFE Air Force. The Philippine National Army, under Major General Basilio J. Valdez, AFP, also comes under the control of United States Army Forces Far East (USAFFE) commanded by Field Marshal General Douglas MacArthur. Members of these units are inducted into the US Army, subject to certain requirements.

Japanese Military

The Imperial Japanese Navy requisitions 6784-ton freighter Aratama Maru for assignment to the Kure Naval District.

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lordroel
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World War II in real time Aug 27, 2020 2:48:15 GMT stevep likes this

Post by lordroel on Aug 27, 2020 2:48:15 GMT

Day 725 of World War II, August 27th 1941

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran

The invasion of Iran by British and Soviet forces continues without too much hindrance from the defenders, but there are some isolated situations where the Iranian Army shows its mettle. British forces reach Ahvaz, where Iranian troops under General Mohammad Shahbakhti has prepared a fortified position on the far side of the Karun River. Ahvaz controls the entrance to the Zagros Mountains, through which the British hope to drive north toward Tehran. However, British probing attacks show that Ahvaz would require a costly battle, so the British Indian troops come to a halt and wait for the campaign to be decided elsewhere.

In central Iran, the 10th Indian Infantry Division is hindered more by the rough terrain than by the defenders. Defenders in the town of Gilan-e-Gharb put up a spirited resistance, but it is soon overcome. This opens the Pai Tak Pass, which leads toward Tehran. The retreating Iranians cut down some trees across the road and dynamite it in places, slowing the British down but not stopping them.

In the northwest, the Soviets face stiffer opposition, but overcome it with the aid of Red Air Force bombers and utter ruthlessness (along with taking a lot of casualties of their own). The Iranians retreat on Ramsar and hope to make a stand there. In the northeast, the Soviets invading from Turkmenistan SSR have a real battle against Iran's 9th Infantry Division at Mashhad and Khorasan province. The Soviets have been stopped for three days at the frontier, but the Iranians have taken heavy casualties and their hold on Mashhad is becoming tenuous.

Australian sloop HMAS Yarra captures 4901-ton Italian freighter Hilda at Banda Addas. The Iranian crew sets Hilda on fire, but the British put them out. Royal Navy tug Sydney Thubron tows Hilda to Karachi, where it is converted into a Royal Navy repair ship.

In Tehran, everyone can see how things will turn out. The Prime Minister resigns and German nationals look for escape routes. Mohammad Ali Foroughi becomes the new Prime Minister, but everyone knows that it won't be for long.

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

In the Army Group North sector, German troops of 18th Army advance on Tallinn (Reval), the capital of Estonia as the Soviet 10th Rifle Corps and affiliated troops and civilians begin a massive evacuation. Once Tallinn is taken, it will free up German soldiers for the all-important advance on Leningrad. So, no matter how the evacuation turns out, it is a strategic victory for the Wehrmacht.

In the Army Group Center sector, Panzer Group 3 recaptures Velikie Luki after Soviet counterattacks. Group Stumme at Velikie Luki prepares for a drive on Toropets. General Stumme reports to headquarters that his troops have captured 34,000 Soviet soldiers and 300 guns of 22nd Army. German 250th Infantry Division, the Spanish Blue Division, begins marching on foot from the Polish border to Smolensk. General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 expands its bridgehead south of the Desna River at Novgorod-Seversk, but the going is slow both for the Panzer Group and Second Army which is also moving toward Kyiv.

In the Army Group South sector, the Germans complete their movement of an assault battalion and ten heavy artillery battalions to assist the Romanians in a resumption of the attack on Odessa. The Soviets have little chance of prevailing but have been ordered to fight to the end. Hitler and Mussolini tour areas behind the front lines and meet with army leaders. In what may be a related incident, the leader of Panzer Group 2, General Paul von Kleist, is mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht, one of the Reich's highest honors.

Soviet bombers hit Koenigsberg during the night.

Continuation War

In the Far North sector, the Finns mount major attacks on the Soviet-held port of Hango in southwest Finland by both land and sea. The heavily fortified Soviets, though, are well-provisioned and the small beachhead is heavily armed. The Soviets resist the assaults.

The Finnish Light Brigade T, 12th Division, and 18th Division continue pursuing the Soviet 43rd, 115th, and 123rd Rifle Divisions near the Vuoksi River. Finnish troops are spreading out all across the Karelian Isthmus, cutting off Viipuri tightening their grip on the shore of Lake Ladoga. However, despite being experts at forest warfare, they are having difficulty drawing tight lines to hem in the retreating Soviets because the terrain offers too many chances to escape unseen.

Photo: A Finnish soldier with Lahti-Saloranta M/26 light machine gun. Kananoja, August 1941

Northeast of Nurmi Lake, a bloody battle develops between Finnish XXXVI Corps and fleeing Soviet troops. A German SS battalion fails to close a pincer at the narrows at Kayrala in the morning, allowing Soviets to escape on foot without any equipment. The Axis troops quickly regroup, and XXXVI Corps sends some Finnish troops to the Wehrmacht's 169th Division while attaching three SS battalions to the Finnish 6th Division. The Axis troops hurry toward the town of Allakurtti along a road and a railway line, but the Soviets get there ahead of them and prepare fortified positions. The Soviets fight for their lives and manage to hold their line sufficiently for most of their troops to escape.

Photo: Finnish soldiers examine a disabled Soviet tank, 27 August 1941

Air War over Europe

During the day, the RAF sends 13 Blenheim bombers on Circus operations to Lille and St. Omer. However, the missions are recalled.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 91 bombers (35 Hampdens, 41 Wellingtons, and 15 Whitleys) against favorite target Mannheim. The bombers must overcome ground haze and cause only moderate damage, damaging 13 buildings and injuring 13 people at a hotel. The RAF loses 7 Wellingtons and a Whitley when the planes return to England, apparently due to bad weather.

In addition, the RAF sends 2 Wellingtons to bomb Boulogne, 2 Wellingtons to bomb Dunkirk, and 17 Hampdens on minelaying operations in the Frisians. There are no losses.

Pilot Officer William R. Dunn, an American pilot flying a Spitfire Mk II with RAF No. 71 "Eagle" Squadron, downs two Bf 109 Fs. Dunn, who also got the squadron's first confirmed victory on 21 July 1941, thereby becomes the first American ace of World War II. Dunn is wounded in the right leg in the action and, after recovery, becomes an instructor.

Battle of the Baltic

There is a short, sharp action off Cape Domesnas, Latvia. Four Soviet TKA boats attack a German motorboat convoy. No boats are sunk, but two of the German boats (Adele and Diete Korner) are damaged and beached

The Soviet Baltic Fleet evacuates Tallinn, Estonia in a maximum effort of over 200 vessels. The ships head toward Kronstadt, Kotlin Island near Leningrad. There are four separate convoys and a Soviet main covering force commanded by Vice Admiral V.F. Tributs. Prior to leaving, the Soviets scuttle a number of vessels.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-570 on its first patrol out of Trondheim, surfaces directly below a patroling RAF Hudson of RAF No. 269 Squadron due south of Reykjavik. The plane quickly drops depth charges on U-570 south of Iceland, forcing it to the surface and to surrender. There are 44 survivors. The Royal Navy captures the submarine and tows it to Thorlakshafn, Iceland. The Royal Navy ultimately recommissions it in the Royal Navy as HMS Graph and uses it operationally.

Photo: An RAF Catalina takes a picture of U-570 surrendering to a British Royal Navy ship, 27 August 1941

U-557 on its third patrol operating out of Lorient, has a big day. It torpedoes and sinks several ships of Convoy OS-4 west of Ireland and south of Iceland.

U-202 on its second patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks 230-ton British freighter Ladylove. Ladylove is part of Convoy OS-4 south of Iceland. All 14 men on board perish.

There is a tragedy on HMS Lulworth when Canadian seaman Lt. C.A. Keeler jumps off the ship to rescue a female survivor from 439-ton Norwegian freighter Ingria of Convoy OS-4. Both are lost at sea and their bodies are never found. Keeler receives the Albert Medal posthumously.

The German 6th Destroyer Division, based at Kirkenes, Norway, already is suffering from combat and the elements. After only six weeks in Northern Norway, destroyers Richard Beitzen and Hermann Schoemann must return to German for repairs. This leaves only two destroyers to patrol the northern convoy routes - right when activity is starting to ramp up with British supply missions to Murmansk and Archangel.

US Battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) departs from Hampton Roads, Virginia on a neutrality patrol. American Task Group TG-2.5, led by aircraft carrier Yorktown, arrives at Bermuda to conclude a neutrality patrol. Royal Navy battleship Rodney departs from Bermuda and joins American Task Force TG2.6 to search for a reported Kriegsmarine cruiser in the North Atlantic (reported by Canadian AMC Prince David).

Convoy ON-10 departs from Liverpool.

Royal Navy destroys Rotherham and corvettes Eglantine and Soroy are commissioned, destroyer Aldenham and submarine Traveler are launched.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Operation Treacle, the replacement of Australian soldiers at Tobruk with Polish soldiers of the Carpathian Brigade, continues. Royal Navy minelaying cruiser HMS Abdiel and destroyers Hotspur, Kingston, and Kipling are escorted to Tobruk after dark from Alexandria. Unlike previous Treacle missions, however, the Italian Regia Aeronautica makes a successful attack on the convoy. An Italian S.79 of 279 Squadron hits escorting light cruiser Phoebe with an aerial torpedo about 100 miles northeast of Tobruk. The attack kills eight sailors. Phoebe makes it back to Tobruk under its own power, and the rest of the ships make it to Tobruk and back without suffering further attacks. Phoebe later proceeds to New York Navy Yard for repairs that last until 15 April 1942.

While en route from Naples to Tripoli, an Italian convoy is attacked. Royal Navy submarine Urge (Lt Cdr Tomkinson) torpedoes 497-ton Italian freighter Aquitania, but Aquitania is able to return to Trapani, Sicily at reduced speed. Italian torpedo boat Clio counterattacks Urge and damages the British submarine. Two other Royal Navy submarines, Unbeaten and Utmost, also attack ships in the area but miss.

Royal Navy submarine Triumph captures and then sinks an Italian fishing boat off the Furano River, Sicily.

Operation Guillotine, the British reinforcement of Cyprus, continues today with the departure from Port Said of Australian sloop HMAS Parramatta and transport Salamaua. The ships proceed to Famagusta, arriving on the 29th, and then return to Alexandria to conclude the operation.

The Luftwaffe attacks Tobruk, and a Junkers Ju-87 Stuka sinks 245-ton whaler Skudd III. There are three deaths immediately, another man dies later of wounds, and two sailors are missing. An additional six men are wounded.

Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille shoots down a Hurricane fighter near Gambut, Libya.

There is an invasion alert on Gozo beach at Malta due to reports of Italian torpedo boats in the area. However, there is no invasion.

Canadian/Anglo/Free Norwegian raid on Spitsbergen (Operation Gauntlet)

Operation Gauntlet continues in Spitzbergen without any interference from the Germans. The Norwegians are sending the Germans in mainland Norway false weather reports of fog which keep away Luftwaffe reconnaissance flights by Wettererkundungsstaffel (Wekusta 5). The Canadians settle in and continue destroying mining equipment and coal dumps in the midnight sun. The Germans don't know anything is amiss, so they continue sending colliers to pick up loads of coal - which the Canadians gladly seize.

US/Japanese Relations: Ambassador Nomura hand-delivers a note from Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoye to Secretary of State Cordell Hull. It states in part that he wants:

to discuss from a broad standpoint all important problems between Japan and America covering the entire Pacific area, and to explore the possibility of saving the situation.

In a sign of things to come, the Japanese embassy staff has difficulty completing the translation of Prince Konoye's message in time for Nomura's meeting with the Secretary of State - even though they have the message a full day in advance. Thus, Nomura must deliver the message only partly in writing and partly orally. Hull denies Nomura's request to see President Roosevelt immediately but says he will try to set up a meeting in the morning.

The Director of the American Bureau for Japanese Foreign Affairs, Mr. Terasaki, delivers a statement intended for US Ambassador Joseph Grew. It demands that the US tankers bound for Vladivostok be recalled or, if that is impossible, be rerouted to avoid passing through the Straits of Saya and Tsugaru. The Japanese note says that Imperial Japan resents supplies being sent through Japanese waters to the USSR, which may later use those supplies against Japan.

Japanese military

The Imperial Japanese Navy requisitions 6667-ton freighter Onoe Maru.

China

At Macau, the Japanese issue an ultimatum to the Portuguese administrators of the city: either the city takes a pro-Japanese stance, or the Japanese will block all food imports.

US military

YouTube (Uss North Carolina Firing Trials, 1941)

Photo: USS North Carolina firing her forward 16" guns during trials, 26-27 Aug 1941

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lordroel
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World War II in real time Aug 28, 2020 6:21:13 GMT stevep likes this

Post by lordroel on Aug 28, 2020 6:21:13 GMT

Day 726 of World War II, August 28th 1941

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran

The British/Russian invasion of Iran continues on 28 August 1941 without much interference from the defending Iranian Army. In central Iran, the British reach Shahabad, while the Soviet troops in Gilan province force the defending Iranians to surrender after several days of hard fighting. The Soviets take Mashhad after taking heavy casualties.

Not everything is easy for the Allies. At Ahvaz, the entry to the Zagros Mountains, Iranian forces are dug in and the Indian troops facing them decide to wait for developments elsewhere before attacking. In the Soviet sector, Iranian diehards make a stands at Ramsar. However, the Iranian military is in a shambles, with only isolated units holding out while others simply allow themselves to be bypassed and taken prisoner.

The Red Air Force bombs Tehran and drops leaflets urging surrender. While there are few casualties and there is no likelihood of the capital falling any time soon, everyone knows that the Allies are on their way. The royal family, with the exception of Reza Shah and Crown Prince, leave for Isfahan. When the Shah learns that his generals have been discussing surrender, he throws their ringleader to prison.

Ali Furughi forms a new government after the resignation of the previous Prime Minister on 27 August. He immediately begins negotiations for a surrender and orders a cease-fire, stating that this is:

... in pursuance of the peace‑loving policy of His Majesty, [Iran] is issuing orders to all armed forces of the country to refrain from any resistance so that the causes for bloodshed and disturbance of security shall be removed and public peace and security assured.

The Iranian troops have barely been resisting anyway except in a few key areas, so this cease-fire order is easy to carry out. This order effectively ends hostilities in Iran.

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

In the Army Group North sector, the German XLII Corps occupies the Estonian capital of Tallinn (Reval) following the Soviet evacuation of 27 August. South of Lake Ilmen, General von Manstein's panzer corps and affiliated troops make "satisfactory progress," but elsewhere on the front there are "slow advances."

Photo: German soldiers enter Tallinn, Estonia, on 28 August 1941

In the Army Group Center sector, Panzer Group 2 and Second Army continue heading south toward Kyiv despite heavy counterattacks. Group Stumme is heading toward Toropets.

Late in the morning, the commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal von Bock, calls up Halder and is "highly excited." Von Bock claims that his defenses at Yelnya and elsewhere are "near breaking point." He warns that it may be necessary for a retreat - which would be highly unusual for the Wehrmacht at this stage of the war. Halder says he will send some reinforcements early in September. Halder also notes a call from General Paulus, who has been inspecting Panzer Group 2. Paulus warns that Guderian is facing stiff resistance and recommends reinforcing General Guderian by taking some units away from the Second Army. Halder rejects this out of hand, reasoning that, since Guderian does not like to be supervised and came up with his plan of attack on his own, it is best to "let him worry how he gets through."

In the Army Group South sector, the Romanians 4th Army at Odessa resumes its offensive. They have been reinforced by a German assault battalion and ten heavy artillery battalions, and the Romanian 4th, 11th, and 1st Army Corps make progress toward Gnileakovo and Vakarzhany. Halder writes that "The enemy situation is obscure."

The Soviets publicize the blowing up of the massive Dnieper Hydroelectric Station and dam at Zaporizhia (Zaporozhe) to prevent its capture by the Germans. They blew it up about 20 August 1941, causing many local casualties.

Continuation War

In the Far North sector, the Finnish forces which have crossed the Vuoksi River encircle the remnants of Soviet 43rd, 115th, and 123rd Rifle Divisions which had counterattacked the bridgehead. The Soviets are trapped in the villages of Sommee and Porlampi with little or no hope of rescue. However, the terrain is rough, full of swamps and forests, and the Soviets begin sneaking out through gaps in the Finnish line.

Elsewhere, Soviet troops facing encirclement also manage to escape destruction. At the narrows at Kayrala, a joint German and Finnish effort to encircle Soviet defenders fails when fierce Soviet defenders manage to keep open an escape route northeast of Nurmi Lake. The Soviet troops escape but they are not out of trouble completely, because they have had to leave their equipment and supplies behind. The Axis divisions are advancing throughout the region and remain in hot pursuit, but at least the fleeing Soviet troops survive to fight another day on the Verman Line.

Finnish troops continue pressuring the Soviet defenses at the port of Hanko in southwestern Finland. The Soviets there are in no danger of being defeated at this time, but they cannot look at the loss of Tallinn to the south in Estonia without realizing this makes their own position even more perilous.

Photo: Finnish submarine Vesikko, 28 August 1941

Air War over Europe

During the day, RAF Coastal Command sends 18 Blenheim bombers against shipping at Rotterdam. The planes report hitting two freighters along with damage to the docks but lose one plane on takeoff and two more during the raid itself.

The night's mission is Duisburg. RAF Bomber Command sends 118 bombers (60 Wellingtons, 30 Hampdens, 13 Stirlings, 9 Halifaxes, and 6 Manchesters) to bomb the railway marshaling yards. The RAF also sends an additional 6 Hampdens to suppress searchlights. There is good visibility, but damage to the city is only moderate, with no deaths or casualties. The RAF loses 6 bombers on the raid and an additional 2 on the searchlight suppression mission.

In addition, the RAF sends 23 bombers (Wellingtons and Whitleys) over Dunkirk and Ostend and an additional 2 training sorties, without loss.

A Blackburn Botha aircraft with a Polish crew crashes into the sea about 500 meters offshore from Rhosnegir after an aborted takeoff from RAF Valley. All three crewmen perish. Two 17-year-old boys who attempt to rescue the crew, John Wood and Derrick Baynham, receive the George Medal. Eleven local men, including the local Police Constable, lose their lives trying to rescue the crew when their boat overturns in rough seas.

Battle of the Baltic

The Soviet evacuation from Tallinn only has to cover 150 miles to reach safety at Kronstadt, but those are extremely treacherous miles to traverse. It is a rough day for the Soviets, and many of their 200 ships involved in the four evacuation convoys are lost.

The Luftwaffe attacks the Soviet convoys leaving Tallinn during the day. German planes damage Soviet light cruiser Kirov in the harbor. In the afternoon, Junkers Ju-88 bombers of II/KG77 and KGR806 continue the attacks and hit a handful of fleeing ships.

Photo: Soviet light cruiser Kirov on fire in the Baltic, 28 August 1941

Battle of the Atlantic

U-558 on its third patrol out of Brest, continues the attacks of Wolfpack Bosemüller on Convoy OS-4 south of Iceland and west of Ireland. Krech sinks 10,298-ton British tanker Otaio. There are 13 deaths, with nine of the deaths resulting after the crew takes to the boats, and 58 survivors. U-558 has been directed to its attack location by U-557.

A number of other U-boats in Wolfpack Markgraf set up a picket line southwest of Iceland.

German U-boat U-570, captured on the 27th, is taken to a secluded harbor in Iceland in great secrecy and beached at Þorlákshöfn, Iceland. The British intend to study it and eventually put it into service with the Royal Navy.

Royal Navy minesweeping trawler Lorinda sinks due to engine breakdown off Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 8149-ton British tanker Donovania a few miles off of St. Ann's Head. Donovania makes it back to Milford Haven for repairs. There is one death.

Newly commissioned US Navy escort carrier USS Long Island embarks on its first neutrality patrol from Bermuda. Task Force TF-3 departs from Trinidad led by light cruisers Memphis, Omaha, and Milwaukee.

The Royal Navy forms a strike group around battleship HMS Revenge to track down a reported German heavy cruiser in the North Atlantic. The Royal Navy ships are joined by American Task Force TG2.5, led by aircraft carrier Yorktown. They search but find nothing.

Royal Navy submarine Parthian departs from Portsmouth, England for Portsmouth, New Hampshire for repairs.

First Lord of the Admiralty A.V. Alexander completes his inspection tour of Scapa Flow and heads back to London.

Royal Navy minesweeper Beaumaris is commissioned and corvette Cowslip is launched.

US Navy destroyer USS Taylor (DD/DDE-468) is laid down at Bath Iron Works, Maine. Taylor becomes famous in 1945 as the first US warship to anchor in Japanese coastal waters.

U-352, U-585 and U-754 are commissioned, U-209 and U-704 are launched.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Operation Treacle, the replacement of Australian troops in Tobruk with Polish troops of the Carpathia Brigade, continues. Royal Navy minelaying cruiser Latona and destroyers Decoy, Jackal, and Napier carry Polish troops to the besieged port. This convoy is the penultimate voyage of Operation Treacle, which concludes on August 30th.

Photo: The British 8th Hussars familiarize themselves with new American M3 Stuart tanks in the Western Desert, 28 August 1941

Royal Navy submarine HMS Rorqual (Lt. Napier) torpedoes and sinks 2747-ton Italian freighter Cilicia off Morea, Greece. Italian torpedo boat Antares rushes to the scene and rams Rorqual before it can fully submerge, damaging its periscope.

Royal Navy submarines Unbeaten and Utmost attack Italian vessels in the vicinity of Sicily, but both miss.

Black Sea Campaign

Soviet submarine L-5 (Lt.Cdr. Zhdanov) lays 14 mines off of Mangalia, Romania.

US-Japanese relations

In the morning, Secretary of State Cordell Hull brings Japanese Ambassador Nomura in to see President Roosevelt. Nomura gives the President a proposal from Prime Minister Prince Konoye for resolving issues in the Pacific. Among Konoye's requests is a summit meeting with Roosevelt in Hawaii. Roosevelt responds that Juneau, Alaska would be better for him, to which Nomura immediately agrees, with the request that the meeting should take place as soon as possible. Roosevelt thanks Nomura for the note and indicates that he would like to spend three or four days with Konoye in Juneau.

In an extraordinary meeting in Washington, D.C., Japanese Military Attaché Major General Isoda Saburo tells Colonel R.S. Bratton, Chief of the Far East Section, Intelligence Branch that the Japanese made a mistake allying themselves with Germany. Saburo also tells Bratton that the Japanese already have begun using their war reserve of petroleum. Saburo also confesses that the Imperial Japanese Army is increasingly warlike and being restrained only with great difficulty. Given US sanctions and lack of respect, it is becoming a matter of national honor to go to war. This is part of a coordinated Japanese "peace offensive" that is timed to coincide with the visit by Ambassador Nomura with President Roosevelt.

German/Italian Relations

On the night of August 27/28th 1941, Hitler parks his command train "Amerika" in the Strzyżów tunnel of Anlage Süd, while Mussolini parks his train nearby at Stępina. This is the only time that Hitler uses Anlage Sud, while Mussolini uses Anlage Mitte, which are purpose-built headquarters for command trains built by Organization Todt precisely for this purpose. The complexes are never used again except for war production and storage.

Later, Mussolini and Hitler are touring the Russian Front, and there is an awkward moment while the two are flying from Uman to Lviv. Mussolini unexpectedly goes forward into the cockpit and asks the pilot if he can fly the plane himself. Everybody remains silent, including Hitler, so Mussolini pilots the plane for over an hour. Many of the passengers, including Heinrich Himmler and Joachim Ribbentrop, wonder how much experience Mussolini has flying planes (apparently very little) and become very uncomfortable. Fortunately for the Fuehrer, Mussolini causes no issues and Hitler's regular pilot Hans Baur retakes control and lands the plane.

Japanese Military

Imperial Japanese Navy freighter Santos Maru, 7266-tons, assists Japanese submarine I-5 off of a reef at Staring Bay, Kendari, the Celebes. Santos Maru then repairs the submarine.

IJN submarine chaser CH-26 is launched.

The IJN requisitions 6776-ton freighter Yamashimo Maru and 1192-ton oiler Kyoei Maru No. 2.

Soviet Military

The Stavka abolishes Marshal Voroshilov's Northwestern Theater headquarters, as he is consumed with the defense of Leningrad.

US Military

Admiral Hart, Commander in Chief of the U. S. Asiatic Fleet, writes a letter to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Stark. He suggests the withdrawal of US Naval Forces from China because "the weakness of their military position is so obvious." He adds that "it should be made clear, beyond any possible misapprehension in any quarter, that every military consideration calls for their withdrawal." He suggests that if a military presence in China is considered necessary, it should only be a token force, as "in the event of war with Japan they would be quickly contained or destroyed, probably without being able to inflict even a comparable loss on the enemy."

Lewis "Chesty" Puller takes command of 1st Battalion, 7th Marines after returning from China.

In Newfoundland, Naval Air Station Argentia is commissioned NAS Argentia. It is used for base convoy protection, coastal patrols, and anti-submarine aircraft.

Soviet Government

Joseph Stalin arbitrarily abolishes the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic with a "Decree of Banishment" effective 7 September 1941. Stalin also orders that all Volga Germans be exiled to Siberia and Kazakhstan and interned in labor camps lest they become spies for Hitler.

Last Edit: Aug 28, 2020 11:08:02 GMT by lordroel

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World War II in real time Aug 29, 2020 7:30:01 GMT stevep likes this

Post by lordroel on Aug 29, 2020 7:30:01 GMT

Day 727 of World War II, August 29th 1941

YouTube(The Allies Invade Iran, Barbarossa Continues)

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran

A ceasefire is in effect in Iran as new Prime Minister Mohammed Foroughi discusses a settlement with the British and Soviets. A key question is what happens to German and Italian nationals present in Tehran. Foroughi basically agrees with the Allies that all Axis nationals should be handed over to the Allies and the German, Italian, Romanian, and Hungarian legations expelled. However, the decision is up to Reza Shah, and he prefers to allow them the Axis nationals and their families to escape.

The negotiations take on a weird slant because Foroughi fundamentally opposes Reza Shah's rule (Foroughi had been dismissed from a previous appointment as prime minister in 1935 due to family connections with an anti-reform riot in Mashhad). Basically, Foroughi views an Allied takeover as "liberation" from Reza Shah. Thus, in effect, Foroughi simply wants to surrender, let the Allies have whatever they want, and doesn't care what happens to Reza Shah or the Axis nationals. At least on his end, it is not an adversarial negotiation.

Reza Shah has different goals. He thus becomes the major stumbling block to a quick settlement, being the only one who wants to protect some semblance of Iranian sovereignty. The issue becomes critical because the Soviets have no time to waste and simply want to occupy the half of the country allocated to them and get back to fighting the Germans. They also are eager to open up as quickly as possible an "Iranian corridor" for Allied supplies safe from Axis submarines and Luftwaffe attacks. The British are more patient because the Qajar dynasty has served their interests over the years, but the Soviets are in a better position to take Tehran - which gives their wishes a little more emphasis.

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

In the Army Group North sector, German troops complete the occupation of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Elsewhere, the front is relatively quiet due to poor weather. German troops are approaching the outer line of Leningrad's fortifications, but progress is slow all across the front. General Halder notes hopefully that "The Finns are making encouraging progress on Leningrad from the north." He does not realize yet that Field Marshal Mannerheim has no intention of actually attacking the city.

In the Army Group South sector, the Soviets encircled at Odessa mount a fierce counterattack. They manage to push back the Romanian 4th, 11th, and 1st Army Corps in the area of Gnileakovo and Vakarzhany and give themselves a little breathing room. The Axis forces, however, remain in control and prepare to resume their own attacks on the 30th.

Continuation War

In the Far North sector, Soviet forces at Viipuri (Vyborg) receive orders to retreat. Finnish 4th and 8th Infantry Divisions march into the city unopposed. One of the first things that the Finnish troops do is to raise a flag (actually, since they can't find a flag, they use a soldier's shirt) over the medieval castle's main tower. The flag that flew over the tower when the Finns handed the city over to the Soviets at the end of the Winter War is soon found and raised again (the flag is now in the central War Museum at Helsinki).

The Soviet troops are gone, but they remain intact and undefeated. They also have left many "presents" for the Finns throughout Viipuri in the form of boobytraps and time bombs. The news of the capture (or, recapture) electrifies the nation and is probably the happiest day of the entire war for the people of Finland. The Finns also make further advances in the direction of Leningrad, capturing Terioki, which is about 30 miles north of the city. They also cut the railroad running to Leningrad along the northwestern shore of Lake Ladoga. All of these successes, however, only bring the moment of truth closer in which they will have to tell the Germans that they will not attack Leningrad.

Air War over Europe

Weather is poor throughout the day and night, so not as much is accomplished as the RAF probably wished. During the day, the RAF sends 6 Blenheim bombers on a Circus mission to Hazebrouck and one to Dusseldorf. There are no losses, but the bombers achieve very little because out of all seven bombers, only one releases its bombs over its target (Hazebrouck).

After dark, RAF Bomber Command mounts raids on perennial favorites Frankfurt and Mannheim. It is a big night, with a maximum effort in the air. RAF raids still do not match the size of Luftwaffe raids at their peak, but RAF bombers tend to be larger than Luftwaffe bombers with larger bomb loads, so just looking at raw numbers of bombers can be deceptive.

Against Frankfurt, RAF Bomber Command sends 143 bombers (73 Hampdens, 62 Whitleys, 5 Halifaxes, and 3 Manchesters). This is the first 100-bomber raid on Frankfurt. The targets are railway installations and the harbor area. This raid is the first in which an Australian squadron, No. 455 (Squadron Leader French) participates. Two Hampdens and a Whitley are lost. Due to the poor weather accuracy is impossible, and the results reflect this. Some lucky hits damage a gasworks, but most of the bombs drop either aimlessly on vacant ground or on some houses. There are 8 deaths, 7 in a single house that is hit.

Against Mannheim, RAF Bomber Command sends 94 Wellington bombers, of which two are lost. The weather affects results here as well, with only minor and scattered damage. There is one injury.

Attacks on the French coast have become training exercises as much as real attacks due to their close proximity and the ease of locating the targets. Tonight, five Wellington bombers attack Le Havre without loss.

Battle of the Baltic

The Baltic is littered with sinking and sunk Soviet ships from the evacuation convoys that left Tallinn. Destroyer Yakov Sverdlov, damaged on the 28th, goes under today, having been mined along with many other ships off Cape Juminda. Overall, about 30 of 200 Soviet vessels have been lost in one of the greatest naval disasters of the war.

Luftwaffe Junkers Ju-88s from II/KG77 and KGR806 return to the attack today after having had great success on the 28th. They again attack the Soviet convoys, now off Suursaari (Hogland Island). They hit several Soviet ships.

Battle of the Atlantic

Royal Navy destroyer HMS St. Mary's collides with 3244-ton troopship Royal Ulsterman while operating with Convoy SD-10 to the west of Scotland. St. Mary's requires repairs in Greenock and then Liverpool that lasts until 15 December.

Italian blockade runners 6420-ton Himalaya and 5869-ton Africana reach the Gironde River after their journey from Brazil.

The Royal Navy and US Neutrality patrols have been fruitlessly searching for a reported German heavy cruiser in the North Atlantic for several days. However, today an RAF reconnaissance plane spots the three known German cruisers in the Atlantic - Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen - in port at Brest.

Convoy OG-73 departs from Liverpool bound for Gibraltar, Convoy HX-147 departs from Halifax bound for Liverpool.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Operation Treacle concludes as Royal Navy destroyers HMS Griffin and Havock bring the last batch of Polish troops into Tobruk and carry the final group of Australians out. The ships return safely to Alexandria without incident in the early hours of the 30th.

An Italian convoy three troopships (Neptunia, Oceania, and Victoria) departs from Naples for Tripoli by way of Sicily. Royal Navy submarine Urge fires a torpedo at Victoria off Capri but misses. It alerts the Admiralty about the tempting targets, which dispatches fellow submarines Upholder and Ursula from Malta.

Another Italian convoy departs from Tripoli bound for Naples. So, there will be a lot of targets for the British over the next 48 hours.

The Royal Navy begins patrols of the Straits of Gibraltar, hunting for any U-boats making the passage. This patrol involves destroyers Vimy, Midette, and Wild Swan, and corvettes Campanula, Wallflower, Campion, and Hydrangea, along with a couple of motor launches (ML-170 and ML-172).

British freighters Deucalion (7516 tons) and Farndale arrive safely at Gibraltar after sailing from Malta. The Admiralty has stopped any further such independent journeys due to the danger.

Fifteen Wellington bombers based on Malta raid Tripoli, reporting hits on both ships and shore targets. The RAF conducts daily raids on the North African coast, but the British do not publicize these raids because they want to keep the Germans confused as to their source.

Royal Australian Air Force pilot Clive Caldwell, in a P-40 “Tomahawk” of No. 250 Squadron, is flying northwest of Sidi Barrani when he is jumped by two Bf 109E-7s. They badly damage Caldwell's Tomahawk and wound him in the back, left shoulder, and leg. However, he manages to maneuver into position to shoot one of the planes down (the wingman of Luftwaffe ace Leutnant Werner Schroer, who watches in bemusement) and nurse his flaming plane back to base. It is incidents such as this that give him the nickname "Killer Caldwell" (a nickname he despises) and make him the top Allied ace in North Africa and of any pilot flying a P-40. Caldwell finishes the war with 28 total victories: 20 German/Italian and 8 Japanese.

Canadian/Anglo/Free Norwegian raid on Spitsbergen (Operation Gauntlet)

Operation Gauntlet, the raid on Spitzbergen and its associated activities, continues. Today, 21,517-ton HMT Empress of Canada offloads the 1800 Russian coalminers that it evacuated from Spitzbergen to two Soviet ships that meet it off the Dvina lightship. Empress of Canada then returns to Spitzbergen to join light cruiser HMS Aurora, carrying 200 Free French escaped prisoners of war who managed to make it across the lines.

US/Japanese Relations

Both the Japanese and the Americans wish to keep their negotiations out of the press for a variety of reasons. These include the effect on public opinion in Japan and the reactions of their allies. This has led to some unhelpful incidents, such as Winston Churchill making bellicose statements directed at Japan during a radio address, but, on the whole, it has succeeded. Today, however, some cracks appear in the curtain of secrecy. The New York Times prints a story that notes the meeting between Ambassador Nomura and President Roosevelt on the 28th, and the Japanese release some details from the diplomatic note given to Roosevelt at that meeting. The Japanese accuse the Americans of publicizing the meeting in order to alienate them from their German and Italian allies - who are completely oblivious to the negotiations - tell Nomura that henceforth he must consult with the Foreign Office before releasing any public statements.

Overall, Tokyo is pleased with the slight movement in negotiations that resulted from Nomura's visit with Roosevelt. However, Nomura is instructed to avoid any meetings on US soil - which apparently does not include Hawaii or Alaska - and that a meeting at sea would be acceptable, too.

French/Laotian/Japanese Relations

A final agreement, the Franco-Laotian Treaty of Protectorate, puts the finishing touches on the brief border war earlier in 1941 between Thailand and French Indochina. Vichy French Admiral Jean Decoux, Governor-General of Indochina and King Sisavang Vong of Louangphrabang sign the agreement. This affirms the status of Laos as a protectorate of Vichy, recognizes the transfer of territory to Thailand, and adds the provinces of Vientiane, Xiangkhoang, and Louang Namtha to Laos. Japan acts as the "honest broker" in the negotiations.

Japanese Military

The Imperial Japanese Navy requisitions 10,439-ton freighter Hokoku Maru. The IJN also begins converting 8691-ton Hoyo Maru and 5350-ton freighter Bangkok Maru, the former into an auxiliary tanker and the latter into an armed merchant cruiser.

Australian Government

Arthur Fadden of the Country Party officially becomes Australia's 13th Prime Minister. Former Prime Minister Robert Menzies, who resigned due to lack of support within his own party, stays on as Minister for Defense Coordination.

Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia

General Milan Nedic is chosen to lead the Germans' revamped puppet government, the Government of National Salvation. This succeeds the Commissioner Government. The completes the partition of Serbia. Nedic institutes the Serbian State Guard, a paramilitary organization designed to maintain control within the puppet state. The Serbian State Guard assists in executions at the Banjica Concentration camp in Belgrade.

Last Edit: Aug 29, 2020 14:11:35 GMT by lordroel

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World War II in real time Aug 30, 2020 6:13:57 GMT stevep likes this

Post by lordroel on Aug 30, 2020 6:13:57 GMT

Day 728 of World War II, August 30th 1941

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

In the Army Group North sector, the Germans take Mga, about 20 miles southeast of Leningrad. This cuts the last rail link to Leningrad and puts the Wehrmacht in a good position to take Schlusselburg and cut the last road into the city as well.

In the Army Group Center sector, the Soviets resume their counteroffensive against the Wehrmacht's "lightning rod" position at Yelnya. This is resumed in conjunction with other attacks by Western Front and Bryansk Front (General Andrey Eremenko) and thus constitutes the first coordinated Soviet offensive. The German German front holds, but the Soviet troops make an advance of about 10 km on the south flank that threatens encirclement. Field Marshal von Bock has to send the 10th Panzer Division (Lt Gen F. Schaal) and an infantry division to prevent a breakthrough.

Photo: German Infantry unit with an anti-tank gun in defensive positions in the village on the Eastern Front. The soldiers are hiding behind a wooden fence

In the Army Group South sector, the Romanian 4th Army resumes its attack on Odesa after blunting a Soviet counterattack on the 29th. However, the Soviet defenders are fighting with desperation, and even retake Kubanka (site of the Romanian artillery) before being driven back before dark. The Germans are displeased with the Romanian tactics, which have no subtlety and resemble the trench warfare of World War I and massive casualties resulting from frontal attacks - but that is exactly the kind of battle the Soviets want.

General Guderian continues trying to break through the Soviet line north of Kyiv but faces fierce resistance. The German plan is for Guderian to form an encirclement with Panzer Group 2 (Gen von Kleist) to trap the 850,000 Soviet troops defending Kyiv under General Kirponos and Marshal Budenny. German 2nd Army, pushing south to the west of Guderian's troops, approaches Chernihiv.

Photo: German SdKfz 253 artillery observation vehicle with troops

Continuation War

In the Far North sector, Finnish troops on the Karelian Isthmus are approaching the old border and capture Raivola. Finnish IV Corps is in the west, II Corps in the center, and I Corps on the eastern side. Marshal Mannerheim issues an order to the three Corps to stop short of the old Soviet fortifications on the other side of the border. The Germans have no say in this and apparently are not even informed. In fact, the Germans still think that the Finns will mount a major assault on Leningrad from the north - which Mannerheim already has decided against.

Photo: Soviet DS-39 machine gun captured by Finland

Air War over Europe

The RAF sends six Blenheim bombers on a Channel sweep during the day, but they are recalled without loss.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends 5 Wellingtons and a Stirling to attack Cherbourg docks and two on minelaying off Warnemunde. There are no losses in either mission.

One of the few Luftwaffe lone raiders attacking England hits a balloon cable over the Humber Estuary. The damage causes it to crash into the North Sea.

Battle of the Baltic

Now that the convoys from Tallinn are safely at Kronstadt (more or less), the Soviet Baltic Fleet provides gunfire support to the Leningrad Front. The force is organized into three groups:

Group 1 (three destroyers and three gunboats) operating in the Neva River to support Soviet 42nd and 55th Armies south of Leningrad.

Group 2 (two cruisers, destroyer leader Leningrad, five destroyers, and one minelayer) supporting troops east of Leningrad.

Group 3 (two battleships, cruiser Kirov (recently damaged), a destroyer leader, four destroyers, two additional damaged destroyers, and a gunboat) supporting troops defending the Kronstadt naval base on Kotlin Island.

Soviet 3974-ton transport VT-505/Ivan Pananin runs aground on Suusaari (Hogland Island). There it offers a tempting target for Luftwaffe bombers, which destroy it.

German shore artillery shells and sinks Soviet MO-4-class patrol boat MO-202.

Soviet MO-2-class patrol boats No. 173 and 174 are lost today, perhaps due to German shore-based artillery as well.

After dark, the German 5th R-Boat Flotilla lays 32 mines between minefield Juminda and Finnish minefield Valkjarvi.

Battle of the Atlantic

Off of the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway, Royal Navy submarine HMS Trident (Cdr Sladen) comes upon a convoy of German freighters and goes to work. He torpedoes and sinks two freighters.

There are 700+ German soldier deaths and 1289 survivors taken aboard multiple other ships in the convoy. The troops were destined for Mountain Corps Norway.

Operation Strength, a Royal Navy delivery of 24 Hurricanes to the Soviet Air Force at Vaenga by HMS Argus, begins. Argus, escorted by heavy cruiser Shropshire and destroyers, departs from Scapa Flow bound for Seidisfjord.

Convoy Dervish, the first supply convoy to the Soviet Union, arrives at Spitsbergen. There it refuels before proceeding on to Archangel.

Convoy WS-11 (Winston Special) departs from Liverpool bound (eventually) for Colombo and Singapore, where it arrives on 6 November. Convoy ON-11 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SC-42 (65 ships) departs from Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia bound for Liverpool.

US Navy battleship USS New Mexico leads Task Group TG1.1.2 out of Hvalfjord, Iceland to patrol the Denmark Strait. This is due to a report of a suspicious vessel (presumed to be a German Hipper-class cruiser) between there and Bermuda by US Coast Guard cutter Alexander Hamilton. The thinking is that it is a German ship returning from a raiding expedition that will seek to use the Denmark Strait to return to Norway. What exactly the Task Group would do if it spotted such a ship is a bit unclear - typically, they are just supposed to notify the Royal Navy to take action. However, an awful lot of US firepowers is present just to use the radio.

A German blockade runner, 8306-ton tanker Benno (formerly Norwegian Ole Jacob), departs from Bordeaux, France bound for Kobe, Japan.

Royal Navy sloop HMS Ibis is commissioned and sloop Cygnet is laid down.

Canadian minesweeper HMCS Quinte is commissioned.

U-136, U-213 and U-435 are commissioned, U-253 is launched, and U-305 is laid down.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Royal Navy submarine HMS Unbeaten (Lt Woodward) uses its deck gun to sink 373-ton Italian auxiliary patrol boat V.51/Alfa off Augusta, Sicily.

RAF Swordfish based on Malta of No. 830 Squadron torpedo and sink 861-ton Italian freighter Egadi about 30 miles northeast of Lampedusa.

The RAF attacks Tripoli with 9 Wellington bombers and they sink four freighters.

Royal Navy submarine Talisman torpedoes and damages Italian auxiliary patrol boats San Michele and Tenacemente about three miles north of Benghazi.

Australian minesweeper HMAS Ballarat (Lt. Alfred D. Barling) is commissioned.

Canadian/Anglo/Free Norwegian raid on Spitsbergen (Operation Gauntlet)

Operation Gauntlet, the Royal Navy raid on Spitzbergen, continues without any interference from the Germans. The Norwegian operators of the radio station keep the Luftwaffe away by sending false reports of heavy fog to the mainland, and the Canadians quickly capture any ships that appear. Overall, the raid is a resounding success, and the Canadian troops continue destroying mining equipment and rendering the island useless to the Germans.

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran

With a ceasefire in effect while the opposing parties dicker over terms of an armistice, the Soviets occupy the "open city" of Qazvin. This is 94 miles (151 km) from Tehran. The Soviets also take the "non-open" city of Hamadan after some light bombing that kills a small child.

The Soviet troops remain on the move throughout the day, while the British are content to stop and allow negotiations to play out. The Soviets and British have agreed beforehand to occupy their respective spheres of influence contained in a 1908 agreement, so there is little point to being aggressive at this point - as long as the British and Soviets trust each other. Elements of the Indian 10th Infantry Division enter Kermanshah.

Soviet and British troops meet at Sinneh.

Italian/Japanese Relations

Italy has learned through press reports of Ambassador Nomura's meeting with President Roosevelt on the 29th, so Italian Ambassador to the US Don Ascanio dei principi Colonna meets with Ambassador Nomura. Nomura tries to fob him off with generalities about the meeting, but Colonna is not satisfied. Nomura then adds that Japan would continue to abide by the Tripartite Pact, but was simply trying to avoid war in the Pacific. Nomura later, however, cables Tokyo and states that he successfully maintained secrecy about the true nature of Prince Konoye's note to President Roosevelt, including the proposed summit meeting.

German/Japanese Relations

Tokyo sends a message to Berlin stating that Ambassador Nomura had simply carried on informal discussions with Secretary Hull and then submitted a note to President Roosevelt whose contents had been revealed to the world press. However, the statements by Japan and the US did not reveal the true contents of Prince Konoye's message to Roosevelt, so this remains a secret from Japan's allies.

German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop asks his Japanese counterpart, Soemu Toyoda, if the Japanese would be willing to attack the Soviet port of Vladivostok. The Japanese already have decided against this, but Toyoda responds that Japan indeed is preparing for such an attack but just needs a little more time.

German/Romanian Relations

The Germans and Romanians reach agreements on Romanian administration of Transnistria - which would include Odessa.

British/Soviet Relations

Joseph Stalin receives a message from Winston Churchill which is very fulsome and promises continued aid. Specifically, Churchill promises that two RAF squadrons of 40 aircraft will arrive at Murmansk by 6 September along with 200 P-40 Tomahawk fighters, and perhaps 200 more Hurricanes later for a total of 440 fighters. Churchill, unaware of the furious US/Japanese negotiations in progress, also notes that President Roosevelt "seems disposed... to take a strong line against further Japanese aggression."

Japanese Military

The Imperial Japanese Navy requisitions 6353-ton freighter Kogyo Maru for conversion into an ammunition ship.

Requisitioned 10,439-ton Hokoku Maru begins its conversion into an armed merchant cruiser with the installation of four 6-inch (152-mm) guns and other equipment.

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World War II in real time Aug 31, 2020 6:10:06 GMT stevep likes this

Post by lordroel on Aug 31, 2020 6:10:06 GMT

Day 729 of World War II, August 31st 1941

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran

With a ceasefire in effect, fighting is negligible today. The British eye occupying the "open city" of Kermanshah, while the Soviets also continue expanding their presence within their agreed northern zone of influence. Soviet and British troops meet in Qazvin (Kazvin) at Avej Pass. This basically halts the Soviet advance as both sides watch the diplomats try to arrange a final settlement.

Photo: British soldiers inspecting a Soviet T-26, 31 August 1941

The outcome of the campaign is a foregone conclusion, but the Allies want to convert Iran into an ally, not just subdue it. Iran represents a possible supply line (the "Persian Corridor") from the Western Allies to the USSR, and the less opposition within the country to that idea, the better. The stumbling block is Reza Shah Pahlavi, who wishes to protect German, Italian, Hungarian, and Romanian nationals and give them an opportunity to escape. The Allies, of course, want to intern them.

YouTube (More News Pictures From Iran, 1941)

The Iranian government, led by new Prime Minister Mohammad Ali Foroughi, doesn't care about protecting Axis nationals and simply wants the war over, so it is an unstable situation in which either someone gives in - or goes.

YouTube (Allies Meet In Iran, 1941)

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

Soviet troops are in disarray on the Karelian Isthmus. Having lost Viipuri, they stream back toward Leningrad and prepare to make a stand in the Stalin Line anchored by the KaUR. On the other side of Leningrad, the Germans continue to advance but still do not have a tight line around the city.

In the Army Group North sector, the final Soviet troops evacuate from Tallinn and the Germans complete their capture of the city. The Soviets counterattack at Mga and retake it. The Germans complete the capture of Novgorod north of Lake Ilmen, providing a secure "block" on the eastern flank of Army Group North. Moscow radio announces in its usual vague wording that "the enemy is at the approaches of Leningrad." The Leningrad government puts up posters throughout the city saying "The Enemy is at the Gates." The city is prepared for a siege, with sandbags in store windows and everyone mobilized to help in the defense.

Photo: A 105 mm LeFH howitzer position at the intersection. On the left side, the building of the National Bank of the USSR

In the Army Group Center sector, General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 and Second Army continue trying to drive south to Kyiv against fierce resistance from Soviet Bryansk Front. The Soviets are counterattacking and have stopped the Germans for the moment.

In the Army Group South sector, the Wehrmacht opens the offensive toward Rostov by building a pontoon bridge over the Dneipr. LII Corps (General of the Kavalrie von Briesen) captures a bridge at Derievka just south of Kremenchuk.

Photo: German infantry in front of the trenches

Continuation War

The true nature of the relationship between the Finns and the Germans is starkly revealed without any possibility of misinterpretation. German General W. Erfurth contacts Finnish Field Marshal Mannerheim on behalf of Field Marshal Keitel, head of OKW, and informs Mannerheim that Keitel will be sending a letter coordinating a joint attack on Leningrad. Mannerheim already has decided not to attack Leningrad, and politely replies that he is not interested. However, Erfurth later delivers the letter anyway.

Mannerheim is not acting alone, as the Finnish Social Democrat government led by President Risto Ryti is dead-set against any advances beyond the old border. Ryti and Mannerheim, after receiving Keitel's letter shortly thereafter, collaborate on a negative reply. There will be no Finnish attack on Leningrad (though this is a sensitive topic to Russians who feel the physical evidence in the city of Finnish artillery shelling indicates otherwise).

Photo: A Finnish anti-tank gun crew poses next to a captured Soviet gun, August 1941

In the Far North sector, Mannerheim orders that Finnish forces attack to the south but stop their advance once they reach a line well short of Leningrad. This line runs from the mouth of the river Rajajoki to Ohta and actually is slightly beyond the old border - which Mannerheim has requested and received permission from the government to do in order to achieve the best defensible positions (Minister of War Lt. General Walden also supports this). Ryti's government demands in exchange for this slight concession that Germany supplies 25,000 tons of rye in order to support Finland keeping all of its men at the front (this is a continuing theme in Finnish/German relations throughout the war). Mannerheim leaves the exact line in between those two points unsaid in order to give his troops local flexibility on seizing the most advantageous defensive points (hills, rivers, marshes, etc.).

A quick look at the map shows that Mannerheim's line represents a shortened front between the Baltic and Lake Ladoga while avoiding Soviet fortifications on the outskirts of Leningrad (the 22nd Karelian Fortified Region, or KaUR). Mannerheim's specificity on stopping along a specific line avoids incidents encountered previously in other sectors in which some Finnish troops refused to cross the old border. The troops now are reassured that they are not advancing endlessly into the Soviet Union and thus feel more confident in advancing slightly into the USSR. Finnish 12th Division reaches the town of Kivennapa south of Viipuri on the old border today but continues advancing beyond pursuant to Mannerheim's orders.

Photo: Finnish military parade in Viborg on 31 August 1941, after its recapture from the Soviet Union

Air War over Europe

During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 30 Blenheim bombers against several targets. Twelve bombers attack the Lille power station, while the RAF sends six bombers against each of several targets: Lannion airfield, St-Omer airfield, and Le Trait Shipyards. The weather is poor, so some of the bombers choose other targets that they can see. In addition, three Flying Fortresses bomb Bremen. All of the bombers then return safely.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command attacks Cologne and Essen despite the poor weather. There are 103 bombers (45 Wellingtons, 39 Hampdens, 7 Halifaxes, 6 Manchesters, and 6 Stirlings) over Cologne, with an additional five Manchesters on searchlight-suppression missions. The RAF loses 3 Hampdens, one Manchester, and one Wellington over the city, and another Wellington shot down over England by a Luftwaffe intruder. Accuracy is very poor, and only 68 bombers actually release bombs over the city. There is one death in the city, suggesting that most of the bombers miss it completely.

The night's secondary target is Essen. The 43 Whitleys and 28 Wellingtons sent there lose only one Whitely and accomplish very little due to the cloud cover. Only a handful of people are killed and ten injured.

In addition, the RAF sends 6 Wellingtons over Boulogne and 12 Hampdens on minelaying at Kiel Bay and the Frisian Islands. There is one Wellington lost.

The Luftwaffe attacks Hull after dark. A bomb hits a shelter and causes many casualties. Approximately 200 homes are destroyed and 38 people are killed.

Battle of the Baltic

The German 5th R-Boat Flotilla lays 32 mines between German minefield Juminda and Finnish minefield Valkjarvi during the night. This was the scene of over 20 Soviet ships hitting mines and sinking recently during the evacuation of Tallinn.

A total of 164 Soviet vessels reach Kronstadt out of roughly 200 that participate in the Tallinn evacuation - the rest are at the bottom of the Baltic. The four convoys carry 28,000 troops and civilian evacuees - many thousands either drowned or were rescued along the way. The convoy escorts now change missions and provide shore bombardment in support of ground troops defending Leningrad.

Battle of the Atlantic

This is one of the few days of this stage of the war when no ships are reported sunk for any reason in the Atlantic.

The ships of Operation Dervish, the first British convoy to the Soviet Union, reach Archangel. It includes six freighters an oiler escorted by the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, heavy cruisers Devonshire and Suffolk, and several destroyers. Four Soviet destroyers greet the convoy at sea and guide it in.

For the month of August 1941, total Allied shipping losses edge up slightly, from 109,276 tons in July to 125,550 tons in August. Imports to - which now include the Soviet Union for the first time - edge up as well, from 3,765,724 tons to 4,002,450 tons. Allied losses to U-boats are down from 94,209 tons to 80,310 tons, but that is counterbalanced by increased losses to the Luftwaffe (from 9275 tons to 23,862 tons). Losses to mines fall from 8583 tons to 1400 tons, which is the lowest point of the war and also the lowest until August 1942.

The Allies lose 36 ships of 103,452 tons in the Atlantic and 5 ships of 27,247 tons in the Mediterranean. The Axis (primarily Italy) loses 11 ships of 52,538 tons in the Mediterranean, most along the vital convoy route from Naples to Tripoli which the Royal Navy knows all about and where it maintains patrols. RAF bombers based on Malta also are becoming more effective against Axis shipping. The Kriegsmarine loses four U-boats (which includes U-570, which is captured and the crew made prisoners of war) but has a new high of 65 available in the Atlantic.

Battle of the Mediterranean

The Luftwaffe attacks Alexandria shortly before midnight. There are two deaths of Royal Navy officers and an officer is wounded, along with numerous other casualties. Damage to the port itself and shipping is minimal.

An Italian convoy of three large liners (Neptunia, Oceania, and Victoria) being used as transports, escorted by six destroyers, departs from Tripoli bound for Taranto. Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder (Lt Cdr Wanklyn) attacks the convoy but misses. Another Italian convoy of five freighters and a mine-ship also departs from Tripoli bound for Naples.

Dutch submarine O.21 spots an Italian submarine in the Tyrrhenian Sea and makes an unsuccessful attack.

Nine Wellington bombers based on Malta attack Tripoli, damaging buildings.

During the month of August, Royal Navy submarines based on Malta sink six ships totaling 50,000 tons, 1 Italian cruiser (Bolzano), and damage 4971-ton freighter Aquitania and perhaps a destroyer.

Canadian/Anglo/Free Norwegian raid on Spitsbergen (Operation Gauntlet)

Canadian forces remain in possession of Spitzbergen. Norwegian radio operators on the island continue feeding the Germans on the mainland false information about bad weather, keeping the Luftwaffe at bay. The native Norwegians on the island prepare to be evacuated to England.

Black Sea Campaign

Soviet submarine M-34 spots 4958-ton Italian tanker Tampico off Varna, Bulgaria. It attacks but misses.

The Germans sink several Soviet river warships on the Dneipr.

Cuban/Italian Relations

Cuban authorities seize 5441-ton Italian freighter Recca at Havana and rename it Libertad.

British/Australian Relations

Prime Minister Winston Churchill informs new Australian PM Arthur Fadden that he intends to create a new Far East fleet built around capital ships. These ships would be based in Singapore.

Japanese Military

The Imperial Japanese Navy completes the conversion of Kasuga Maru into an escort carrier named Taiyo at Sasebo, Japan.

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World War II in real time Sept 1, 2020 6:16:16 GMT stevep likes this

Post by lordroel on Sept 1, 2020 6:16:16 GMT

Day 730 of World War II, September 1st 1941

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran

Photo: British and Soviet officers inspect troops, in preparations to the Joint Soviet-British military parade in Tehran. Iran, September 1941

YouTube (Iran - Anglo-Soviet Control)

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

In the Army Group North sector, Field Marshal von Leeb tonight proposes an "operational strategy' that OKH Chief of Staff General Halder calls "which is completely out of harmony with our strategy, both in planning and in the direction of the attack." It is easy to read between the lines and presume that von Leeb wants a massive effort north against Leningrad even as the high command is sending troops south to Kyiv. German grand strategy always has been divisive within the top generals, and von Leeb naturally wants the glory of taking Leningrad. However, Hitler views Kyiv as a higher priority.

On the ground, there are heavy rains. There are some local German gains, but, otherwise, it is a quiet day. Panzer Group 4 recaptures Mga, a major rail junction, and continues on toward Lake Ladoga. These gains come at a heavy cost in lives. The Germans come within the artillery range of Leningrad.

In the Army Group Center sector, General Guderian's Panzer Group 2, however, is stalled on its way south from Army Group Center toward Kyiv. Soviet General Timoshenko launches a major counterattack at Gomel which forces Guderian to adopt a defensive posture when he should be attacking south. Other Soviet offensives on the central sector, timed to begin together, also break out east of Smolensk and elsewhere. Soviet 24th Army makes some gains into the German 4th Army line at the lightning-rod position at Yelnya but takes heavy losses.

Photo: After crossing the Dnieper, soldiers in the marshes, foxholes with machine gun emplacement in an open field

In the Army Group South sector, Eleventh Army expands its bridgehead over the Berislav River by pouring in five regiments, or about two divisions. In addition, the Germans take another bridge over the Dnepropetrovsk Ridge, a damaged railway bridge, and expand their bridgehead there. Sixth Army, however, reports "severe enemy pressure" on the approaches to Kyiv.

Protecting the crossings at the Dnepr, German fighter group JG 51 claims to have destroyed 77 Soviet bombers.

Continuation War

Finnish troops heading south from Viipuri surround Soviet 43rd and 115th Divisions near Porlammi and Ylä-Somme. About 12,000 Soviet troops melt away through the forest, but the Finns take 9000 prisoners, 55 tanks, 306 artillery guns, and 246 mortars. There also are 7000 Red Army deaths.

Photo: Lahti L-39 anti-tank gun in the front line

Air War over Europe

The RAF attacks Cologne with 54 bombers (34 Wellingtons and 20 Hampdens) after dark, losing one Hampden. The Germans begin decoy fires which prove effective. The German authorities record damage to only one house, with no casualties.

The British also conduct Roadsted Operations over France, during which they severely damage vorpostenboot V 1512 Unitas 8 at Barfleur, Manche, France.

The RAF also sends four Hampdens to lay mines off Denmark. They return without incident.

A British Overseas Airways (BOAC) Consolidated Liberator Mk. I (serial number AM915) crashes into a hill outside Campbeltown, Argyll, England. All ten people on board perish.

The Luftwaffe sends 25 bombers against Newcastle. This causes extensive damage, destroying over a hundred houses and killing 49 people, with an additional 1000 or so made homeless in the Jesmond and Shildfield areas. Fires are started which blaze for days. A bomb that hits just outside an Anderson shelter kills a man and his two sons while injuring his wife.

The Luftwaffe makes numerous command changes, including installing Oberst Heinrich Conrady in command of KG 3 and Oblt. Georg Pasewald at KG 40.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US Atlantic Fleet under the command of Admiral Ernest J. King forms a Denmark Strait Patrol. This is led by battleships USS Idaho, Mississippi, and New Mexico and two cruisers, Wichita and Tuscaloosa. The announced goal is to protect US shipping. The US Navy permits its ships to escort convoys and escorts ships from Argentia, Newfoundland to Iceland, where the Royal Navy takes over.

Convoy ON-12 departs from Liverpool bound for Reykjavik. Convoy SC-2 departs from St. John, New Brunswick.

Photo: USS Juneau under construction, 1 September 1941

Battle of the Mediterranean

The Germans activate Panzer Group Afrika. General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel is in command while General Crüwell is appointed to replace Rommel at Afrika Korps. Afrika Korps includes 90th Light Division, 15th Panzer Division, and Italian Corps C and XX.

Photo: British troops manning a captured Italian 149mm gun relax at Tobruk

The fifth Vichy French convoy evacuating the Middle East (following the French defeat there) departs from Haifa carrying 5216 French troops. This is all done per the armistice agreement with the British.

An Axis convoy of five merchant ships (Andrea Gritti, Rialto, Vettor Pisani, Francesco Barbaro, and Sabastiano Venier) escorted by four Italian destroyers departs from Naples bound for Tripoli. The RAF based on Malta attacks and sinks 6338-ton Andrea Gritti and damages 6343-ton Francesco Barbaro. Francesco Barbaro returns to Messina, while the remainder of the convoy proceeds to Tripoli.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Otus departs from Malta bound for Alexandria carrying mail, supplies and 15 passengers. The submarine attacks an Italian armed merchant cruiser later in the day but misses.

Royal Navy battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth becomes the flag vessel of the commander of the Mediterranean Fleet. The First Battle Squadron transfers its flag to the Barham.

Malta becomes the base for the Royal Navy's 10th Submarine Flotilla under the command of Commander George W G Simpson.

Photo: A crashed and burning German Junkers Ju 87B Stuka dive bomber near Tobruk, Libya, in 1941

Black Sea Campaign

Soviet cruisers Chervona Ukraina and Komintern of the Black Sea Fleet support ground operations by bombarding German and Romanian positions.

Soviet river monitor Zhytomyr runs aground in the Dnepr River at Cherni, remains stuck, and ultimately is lost to scuttling due to the German advance.

Canadian/Anglo/Free Norwegian raid on Spitsbergen (Operation Gauntlet)

The major portion of British Operation Gauntlet begins winding down in Spitsbergen. The Canadians continue destroying coal mines, while troopship HMT Empress of Canada and its escorts arrive back from Arkhangelsk. The Empress carries with it 200 French troops who have escaped from Soviet POW camps. The men of Operation Gauntlet evacuate the island along with about 800 local inhabitants and 15 sled dogs. The Allies have taken no casualties.

US/Chinese Relations

All of the top U.S. leaders in China - the American Consul-General at Shanghai, the commander of the Yangtze Patrol, and the commanding officer of the 4th Marine Regiment at Shanghai - recommend withdrawing all naval forces in China. This appears to be a result of recent damage sustained from the Japanese bombing.

Japanese/Soviet Relations

The Japanese demand a guarantee of safety for their ships and reparations after a fishing trawler hits a mine off Vladivostok. The Soviets respond to both requests with a firm "No" and tell the Japanese to stay away from their ports.

Anglo/Soviet Relations

The RAF flies Hawker Hurricane fighters of Nos. 81 and 134 Squadrons off of HMS Argus to Vaenga near Murmansk.

Soviet/Estonian Relations

The Soviets execute Estonian military leader Karl Parts. At this time, there is great enthusiasm within some quarters of Estonia at being "liberated" by the Germans.

German/ Spanish Relations: Adolf Hitler meets with the commander of the Spanish Blue Division, General Agustín Muñoz Grandes. The division is on its way to the Army Group North sector of the Eastern Front and is marked by its high enthusiasm for the war.

Japanese Military

An attack on Pearl Harbor remains under fierce debate within the Japanese high command. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto shuts down opposition within his own command and gets his men working on the grand project despite their own doubts:

What you recommended was understandable but I have resolved to carry out the Pearl Harbor attack no matter what the cost. So please do your best to develop the plan from now on. I will place all the details of the project in your hands.

Kusaka proceeds to draw up the plans.

Mineichi Koga becomes commander of the China Area Fleet of the Japanese Navy, while Nobutake Kondo becomes commander of the 2nd Fleet.

US Military

The US Army Air Corps places its first production order for 150 Northrop P-61 ("Black Widow") night fighters. The plane has a much better nickname than its performance.

Philippine Army Field Marshal Douglas MacArthur mobilizes the Filipino military. These troops are inducted into US federal service under MacArthur's command. General Marshal resolves to reinforce the Philippines because Hawaii is sufficiently defended.

China

The Japanese begin the Second Battle of Changsha by launching attacks across Lake Tun-Ting. Japanese 11th Army takes charge of the battle. Chinese planes attempt to interdict the offensive.

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World War II in real time Sept 2, 2020 5:45:52 GMT stevep likes this

Post by lordroel on Sept 2, 2020 5:45:52 GMT

Day 731 of World War II, September 2nd 1941

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

The German advance is at a standstill due to a variety of factors. In some places, Soviet counterattacks are forcing many leading German elements to guard their flanks, while in others the Wehrmacht is simply consolidating past advances. There are some German gains, but they are local. In fact, there is a very rare occurrence to this point in the war, with the Germans deciding that they have to withdraw in the central sector due to Soviet pressure. OKH Chief of Staff General Franz Halder bemoans the "absence of any purposeful concentration of strength" at several points along the front. It is a growing problem for the Germans, not so much because of poor generalship as the growing spaces that need to be defended. Perhaps the most notable aspect of this conference in light of later events is that the decision to withdraw apparently is made without resistance from Hitler, who does, however, ask several pointed questions about why this situation developed when he is informed. In his war diary, Halder treats Hitler's concerns as just an annoyance to be dealt with by others.

In the Army Group North sector, advances are minor. Halder criticizes Army Group Commander von Leeb, who he says (but not by name) "shies from taking risks and so pushes on only by inches." About 20 miles south of Leningrad, advance Wehrmacht troops try to push through determined Soviet opposition. Soviet gunboats on the Neva River support the defenders. At the key railway junction of Mga somewhat to the southwest, the Germans finally end Soviet counterattacks and consolidate their hold on the town. While not of much use to the Germans, Mga's loss ends any hope of the Soviets reestablishing the rail line from Moscow to Leningrad. There is a secondary rail line further north that is still in Soviet hands, but it is threatened, too.

In the Army Group Center sector, General Halder holds a difficult conference with Army Commander Field Marshal von Brauchitsch and Army Group Center commander Field Marshal von Bock. After reviewing the heavy casualties and lack of reserves in the Yelnya "lightning rod" position, they decide to evacuate the salient. In retrospect, some consider the first time that the Germans have been forced to make a significant retreat during World War II. The situation is made more critical by the need to transfer all available reserves to support General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 and accompanying the Second Army, which are facing heavy counterattacks south of the Desna. Guderian's tanks give up some ground on the east flank when they are supposed to be advancing south toward Chernihiv on the road to Kyiv.

In the Army Group South sector, the Germans are consolidating their bridgeheads across the Dneipr and make no further major progress. German Sixth Army begins attacking Soviet 37th Army as it continues plowing into the Kyiv defenses.

Continuation War

In the Far North sector, Finnish troops reach the pre-1939 border on the Karelian Isthmus. Contrary to some past incidents, the Finnish troops cross the border without any hesitation. Marshal Mannerheim orders the troops to advance until they have reached the shortest possible defensive line across the isthmus, which is beyond the old border but still well short of Leningrad.

Air War over Europe

The RAF has a rough night. It flies 201 sorties and loses 12 bombers. This is a 6% loss rate. This kind of attrition means that any airman who flies the required 20 such missions statistically is unlikely to return to base at some point.

The RAF begins a daylight bombing campaign against targets in northern France. RAF Fighter Command sends six Blenheims on a sweep across the French coastline north to Ostend on Roadstead operations, losing one Blenheim bomber. They claim to set one ship on fire. RAF Bomber Command sends three Flying Fortresses to attack Bremen, Duisburg, and Hamburg, but only Bremen is attacked.

After dark, the RAF attacks Frankfurt with 126 bombers (71 Wellingtons, 44 Whitleys, and 11 Hampdens). Three Wellings and a Hampden fail to return. Damage is slight.

A secondary attack by 49 bombers (32 Hampdens, 7 Halifaxes, 6 Stirlings, and 4 Manchester bombers) bombs Berlin. The RAF loses five bombers (2 Halifaxes, 2 Hampdens, and a Manchester).

There are also 16 RAF bombers sent to lay mines off the Frisian Islands and the Danish coast. There are ten Wellingtons and Whitleys sent to bomb Ostend. The RAF loses two Hampdens and 1 Wellington.

Battle of the Baltic: Finnish Thornycroft boat Syöksy sinks Soviet transport Meero south of Koivisto in Koivisto Sound.

Finnish minelayers conduct operations designed to bottle up the Soviet warships at Kronstadt and Leningrad.

Battle of the Atlantic

Royal Navy Force M, composed of the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, heavy cruisers Devonshire and Suffolk, and six destroyers, departs from Sardam Bay on Operation EGV1. This is a planned attack on German convoys and installations at Tromso in northern Norway.

The 4989-ton German freighter Oslebshausen sinks near Obrestad, Norway (near Stavanger). This apparently is due to a mine, though some sources say it is due to an RAF torpedo attack.

Norwegian sources report that renovated 1866 fishing vessel Sydnes springs a leak and sinks under tow after taking on coal at Kristiansund.

German salvage tug Peter Wessels hits a mine and sinks in the Ems River.

Royal Navy landing craft HMS LCP(L) 59 and LCP(L) 71 sink on this date. No other details are readily available.

Free French destroyer La Cordeliere runs aground in Scotland and sustains some minor damage.

Convoy OS 5 departs from Liverpool bound for Freetown, Convoy HG 72 departs from Gibraltar bound for Liverpool, Convoy ST 2 departs from Freetown bound for Takoradi.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Umbra is commissioned.

Canadian corvette HMCS Fredericton (Quebec), patrol boat Ehkoli (British Columbia), and minesweeper Miramichi (North Vancouver) are launched.

USS submarine US Gurnard is laid down.

U-175 is launched.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Royal Navy submarines HMS Ursula and Triumph arrive at Malta after completing patrols to the south.

Malta has just concluded its first full week without any enemy night air raids since early in the war. The moon, however, is now full, and before dawn, there is a lengthy raid that lasts for four or five hours. Damage is minor. There are no raids during the day or after dark.

A mine explodes at Ta Qali, killing three or four RAF soldiers.

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet cruisers Chervona Ukraina and Komintern support the ground troops at Odesa.

Partisans: Marshal Tito's forces combine with the nationalist Chetniks in attacks on the German garrison in Krupanj in Serbia.

Canadian/Anglo/Free Norwegian raid on Spitsbergen (Operation Gauntlet)

In Spitzbergen, Royal Navy transport Empress of Canada embarks the inhabitants and Canadian troops. Before they depart, the Canadians destroy the town after already having destroyed the nearby coal facilities. The force, which includes cruisers and destroyers, plans to leave on 3 September. The Germans remain completely unaware of the operation.

Japanese intelligence

The Japanese consulate in Batavia, Netherlands East Indies, informs Tokyo that the local government has assumed an anti-Japanese and pro-Chinese posting, stating:

conditioned by our military invasion of French Indo-China, it was a fact that the government of these islands had drastically stepped up their anti-Japanese tendencies and very evidently assumed an attitude of aid to China.

Trade continues between the Netherlands East Indies, however.

US/Mexican Relations

The United States extends loans to Mexico to create a joint defense of the hemisphere. In addition, the two countries, and also Colombia and Ecuador, enter into currency stabilization agreements.

Japanese Military

The Imperial Japanese Air Force establishes the Air Defense Bureau in order to centralize air defenses throughout Japan.

United States Military

There is no sense of urgency on the American side in the Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur, in charge of US forces in the Philippines, casually remarks to Admiral Hart that there is "plenty of time" to get ready for a Japanese attack.

China

The collaborationist government of Manchuria ("Wei Manzhouguo") enacts its second five-year plan for economic growth.

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World War II in real time Sept 3, 2020 5:35:14 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Sept 3, 2020 5:35:14 GMT

Day 732 of World War II, September 3rd 1941

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

Armeegruppe Nord: German heavy artillery began shelling Leningrad. German 4.Panzergruppe pushes back Soviet 48th Army outside Leningrad.

Armeegruppe Mitte: German 2.Panzergruppe pushes south and captures Krolovetz. Guderian, having seized bridgeheads over the Desna near Korop and Novgorod-Severskii begin to threaten Kirponos' rear area.

Armeegruppe Sud: German and Romanian troops captured the village of Vakarzhany, Ukraine.

The equivalent of a whole Red Army Division under NKVD officers was sent south to round up and deport all the Soviet Union's ethnic Germans they could find. By Jan 1942, 800,000 Germans from all parts of the Soviet Union had been shipped eastward.

Photo: 16th Army Commander Colonel-General Ernst Busch inspects an anti-aircraft gun position on September 3, 1941

Air War over Europe

Soviet aircraft bomb Berlin overnight, killing 30 with one plane lost.

Fifteen long-range Luftwaffe bombers operated over the North-East, bombs being dropped at three places in Co Durham and the East Riding, causing slight damage to crops.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Polish Carpathian Brigade begins moving into positions of Australian 20th Infantry Brigade at Tobruk.

Italian air attacks against airfields around Sidi Barrani with 23 G.50bis fighters.

From an Axis convoy en route Naples to Tripoli, one Italian vessel was sunk and another severely damaged by RAF torpedo aircraft from Malta.

US/Japanese Relations

The Japanese have been pressing for a summit meeting between Prince Konoye and President Roosevelt for weeks in the hope that this could lead to better relations between the two powers. After much hesitation and deliberation, but the Americans finally tell the Japanese that President Roosevelt will not agree to such a meeting.

This decision effectively scuttles settlement talks. The Japanese hold an emergency liaison conference where it is decided that:

if by the early part of October there is still no prospect of being able to obtain our demands, we shall immediately decide to open hostilities against the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands.

The Japanese fleet already is planning a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor under the direction of Admiral Yamamoto. However, there are many moderates in both governments - almost all outside of the military - who continue to hold out hopes for a peaceful resolution in the Pacific.

Canadian/Anglo/Free Norwegian raid on Spitsbergen (Operation Gauntlet)

Operation Gauntlet ends in a Allied success. An Allied task force has robbed the Nazis of their most northerly asset: the Norwegian island of Spitzbergen, 500 miles from the North Pole. The civilian population of 700 has been evacuated and valuable coal mines wrecked. No Germans were present as an invasion force of Norwegians, Canadians and British landed to take over the radio station. When it was clear that the soldiers were welcome the force commander, from Saskatchewan, made a formal landing from a small commando craft and soon afterwards, at a community centre, was greeted by the commissar (Norway allows the USSR to mine on the island) and handed gifts of Russian cigarettes. At the Norwegian settlement of Svalbard nearby, a Norwegian major read a proclamation from the exiled King Haakon. For several days the invaders billeted cheerfully with the locals. Before the final evacuation of Norwegians and Russian miners, parties took place and a dance at which Norwegian girls danced with the soldiers.

China

Japanese aircraft sank Chinese vessel “Ganlu” at Bazhong, Sichuan Province, China. Chinese forces recapture Foochow from Japan.

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World War II in real time Sept 4, 2020 5:55:51 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Sept 4, 2020 5:55:51 GMT

Day 733 of World War II, September 4th 1941

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

Adolf Hitler has been actively following the fighting and making suggestions. However, he continues to refrain from taking active control over operations. As an indication of his frustration at how Operation Barbarossa has slowed, however, today Hitler vents his frustration on his top generals.

The particular issue is General Heinz Guderian's move south with Panzer Group 2 from the Army Group South region toward Kyiv. This is being done at Hitler's behest, as many of the other generals feel that sending the panzers east toward Moscow makes more sense. one of the problems with a move lateral to the front in this manner is that it exposes a unit's flank to counterattacks by the enemy's main troop concentrations, and that is exactly what is happening to Panzer Group 2.

The situation is compounded because many of the other generals are not very fond of Guderian, who has an abrasive personality and is a propaganda hero. In addition, they do wish to undercut Guderian in part to sabotage his drive south and keep his forces in the center of the front.

Hitler notices that Guderian has his 47 Panzer Corps east of the Desna River on its move southward, exposing it to attack. General Guderian probably has very good reasons for this disposition, but he is not there to defend himself and likely has no idea that he is under attack by the high command. Army Group Center commander Field Marshal Fedor von Bock joins in the recriminations against Guderian and immediately issues an order to Guderian to pull his forces to the west bank of the Desna. Hoping to take advantage of Guderian's sudden disfavor, von Bock also requests that Army Commander Field Marshal von Brauchitsch relieve Guderian of command. However, Guderian remains in command as he has not actually disobeyed any orders, just run into unexpected and very unpleasant difficulties.

German forces begin shelling Leningrad with 240 mm guns and four days later the city comes under daylight bombing raids by Luftwaffe aircraft. Last pockets of Soviet resistance in Estonia surrender.

Armeegruppe Mitte: Rakutin's 24th Army's renewed attack on the Yel’nia bridgehead have deeply penetrated the German positions threatening the German XX. Armeekorps (General of the Infantry W. Materna) (defending the salient), with encirclement. Unable to reinforce the defenders, especially with any armored forces as they were all committed elsewhere, Army Group Centre ordered the infantry divisions in the salient to conduct a fighting withdrawal.

Continuation War

Finnish Army of Karelia attacking Soviet 7th Army northeast of Lake Ladoga. Finnish troops captured Beloostrov, which was 20 miles from Leningrad, Russia. Germany requested Finland to immediately press on against the city, but Finland rejected, noting that Finland was only attempting to reclaim territory lost to the Soviets.

General der Artillerie Alfred Jodl visits Finland. He discusses with the Finnish leadership about the Finnish war effort, particularly the possibility of a Finnish attack towards Leningrad. Mannerheim rejects the idea of a Finnish participation, but agrees to pursue the retreating Russians as far as the first Soviet fortification-line north of Leningrad. Mannerheim informs Jodl about the situation on the Finnish front: Karelian Army has just started its attack towards the River Syväri (Svir). Jodl also hands Mannerheim the Knight’s Cross Hitler had awarded him a couple of days earlier.

Photo: A column of T-26E tanks and a DKW NZ500 Motorbike (1939) of the Finnish 3rd Armoured Company near the Juoksiala village on the Aunus Isthmus

Air War over Europe

RAF Fighter Command flew Roadstead and Circus operations. RAF Bomber Command sends 18 aircraft to attack Mazingarbe and Cherbourg during the day.

Battle of the Atlantic

American destroyer “Greer” (DD-145) pursued German submarine U-652 for 2 hours 190 miles southwest of Iceland. The two ships attacked each other but no damage was inflicted on either side. The torpedoes fired at USS “Greer” represented the first German attack on a US warship. Roosevelt declared that any German or Italian warship entering waters under US protection would do so “at their peril”.

Battle of the Baltic

German cruiser “Admiral Scheer” departed the Baltic Sea for Oslo, Norway. Shortly after, the ship was called back to Germany to form part of the so-called "Baltic Fleet".

Japan

Admiral Yamamoto organized his Combined Fleet into eight separate commands. Joseph Rochefort's cryptanalytic team detected the sudden increase in Japanese naval radio traffic. Rochefort and American radio intelligence at Station HYPO obtained the details and informed Admiral Kimmel of the reorganization.

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World War II in real time Sept 5, 2020 5:54:25 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Sept 5, 2020 5:54:25 GMT

Day 734 of World War II, September 5th 1941

YouTube (The war is two years old

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

The Soviet Red Army achieves its first victory of the war by eliminating German opposition in the Yelnya salient. This exposed position on the road to Moscow had been a "lightning rod" for Soviet attacks for weeks. However, the departure of General Guderian's Panzer Group 2 south toward Kyiv sealed its fate. Writing in his war diary, General Franz Halder, OKH Chief of Staff, praises the "great piece of staff work" that accomplished the "execution of the withdrawal from the salient." Some historians mark the evacuation of Yelnya as the first true German retreat during World War II, but it is only a temporary reversal as the Wehrmacht focuses elsewhere.

German forces complete the occupation of Estonia, occupied by the USSR in 1940. Except for the Baltic Island holdouts, all of the Baltic States are cleared of Soviet troops and occupied by the Germans.

Authorities in Moscow order the evacuation of all children 12 and under from the city.

Voroshilov replaces Popov as commander of Leningrad Front. General Werth resigns as Hungarian Chief of General Staff.

Roosevelt promises 5 B-17’s to the USSR as a token gesture.

Battle of the Atlantic

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

Battle of the Mediterranean

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

Air War over Europe

British bombers attacked chemical works at Hüls, Germany.

British RAF Flying Fortress bombers attack the German pocket battleship “Admiral Scheer” in Oslo Fiord.

Battle of the Pacific

U.S. Army’s Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall offers MacArthur a “first-class” National Guard division. MacArthur declines and asks for more aircraft. Initial flight of nine B-17D’s of the 14th Bombardment Squadron of the 14th Bombardment Squadron of the 19th B.G. are transferred to the Philippines.

The U.S. Army’s Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall, issues a memorandum giving a “Brief Periodic Estimate of the World Situation.” The estimate for Japan states;

“...beset with uncertainties, may do nothing, may attack the Maritime Provinces (the islands north of Hokkaido and the entire Sakhalin peninsula), may seek to expand to the Southwest; it is even possible that she may withdraw from the Axis. Japan also has the capability of concentrating her newly augmented forces against China and seeking a decision there. No indication or likelihood of this is seen. In the general picture and excluding China, where she must continue to fight, her most likely, but by no means certain course is inaction.”

HMAS “Canberra”, escorted the troop ships “Queen Mary” and “Queen Elizabeth” from Sydney, to join troop convoy US 12A.

Japanese Government

The reverberations from President Roosevelt's refusal to meet with Prince Konoye continue. An Imperial Conference is scheduled to discuss the next steps, and those steps are decidedly warlike. Today, Prime Minister Konoye submits to the Emperor a draft of a decision taken on 4 September by the Cabinet to Emperor Hirohito. This Cabinet decision, in turn, is based on plans prepared by the Imperial General Headquarters, which is full of war hawks. The decision outlined in the report is to commit to war with the United States unless progress is made in peace talks with the United States by 10 October 1941.

Hirohito reviews the proposal and meets with Konoye, Chief of Staff of the Imperial Army General Sugiyama, and Chief of Staff of the Navy Admiral Osami Nagano. This is an extremely unusual meeting, as the Emperor typically does not engage in discussions about policy but instead merely ratifies them.

In response to a question by Hirohito, Sugiyama claims that Japan could defeat the United States and its allies. Hirohito refuses to accept this, pointing out that the army has promised success in China but failed to achieve it. When Sugiyama counters that China is simply too big to conquer, Hirohito responds with anger that the Pacific Ocean also is vast and would be difficult to conquer.

Admiral Nagano later recalls to a friend:

I have never seen the Emperor reprimand us in such a manner, his face turning red and raising his voice.

Considering that Hirohito is renowned for his placid demeanor, this is quite a statement. Hirohito decides to take an active role in the Imperial Conference scheduled for 6 September.

Last Edit: Sept 5, 2020 14:22:45 GMT by lordroel

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World War II in real time Sept 6, 2020 6:33:19 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Sept 6, 2020 6:33:19 GMT

Day 735 of World War II, September 6th 1941

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

Hitler issued Directive 35 for Operation Typhoon, which he intended should destroy in a swift blow any remaining Soviet resistance. Army Group South is to make a surprise movement north-west, and Army Group Centre is to launch an attack against the Russian Army east of Smolensk at the end of the month.

Armeegruppe Nord: Supported by strong air attacks, German 4.Panzergruppe is assaulting the Schlusselberg sector.

Armeegruppe Mitte: After weeks of bloody fighting, the Soviets recapture Yel’nia on the Moscow axis. The defeat for the Germans forces Hitler to accelerate his plans for the “final” attack against Moscow.

Armeegruppe Sud: German 2.Panzergruppe is pushing south toward Konotop.

Continuation War

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

Photo: Finnish Light tank

Air War over Europe

RAF Bomber Command sends 86 aircraft to attack Huls overnight.

RAF Bomber Command sends 24 aircraft on minelaying operations overnight off Norway.

A Luftwaffe raider followed returning RAF aircraft over the coast and dropped two HE bombs at 03.30 hours at South Shields. One landed in a back lane between Charlotte Street and Franklin Street, another on vacant land at the west end of Mount Terrace. Both bombs failed to explode but damage was done to walls, water and gas mains etc. No casualties resulted but a large number of people had to be evacuated, pending the removal of the unexploded bombs.

The Grumman Martlet fighter makes its first carrier deployment aboard Royal Navy aircraft carriers on convoy protection duties. It is the first carrier-based combat use of any variant of the F4F Wildcat.

Japanese Government

The Japanese hold an Imperial Conference to discuss the next steps to take regarding the United States and its allies. Those steps are decidedly warlike. Under consideration is a decision is to commit to war with the United States unless progress is made in peace talks with the United States by 10 October 1941.

Hirohito attends the conference. Typically, a sitting Emperor says little at such affairs and merely ratifies the decisions taken by others. This is not, however, how this conference turns out.

Everyone at the Imperial Conference expresses their support for war with the United States. However, under questioning by Baron Yoshimichi Hara, President of the Imperial Council and the Emperor's representative, the service chiefs qualify their eagerness by saying that war should be a "last resort." This is a very sharp turnabout from their usual bellicose posturing.

Now very concerned, Emperor Hirohito breaks with tradition and begins questioning the service chiefs himself. He recites a poem written by his grandfather, Emperor Meiji:

The seas of the four directions—
all are born of one womb:
why, then, do the wind and waves rise in discord?

This does not change the course of events but does reinforce the importance that the emperor places on a peaceful resolution. War planning continues and the net effect of the conference is to leave the current course of action - a military solution - intact.

US Government

US Ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew has a good idea of the power of the military in the Japanese government. After meeting with Prince Konoye, who pledges to respect President Roosevelt's four principles and other requirements. Grew submits a report to the State Department. He writes in part:

The Prime Minister hopes that as a result of the commitments which the Japanese Government is prepared to assume . . . a rational basis has been established for a meeting between the President and himself.

Grew concludes, however, that a failure to reach an agreement with the Japanese will result in a Japanese military dictatorship and eventual war. In any event, President Roosevelt already has informed the Japanese that he does not intend to have a summit meeting with Prince Konoye or anyone else.

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World War II in real time Sept 7, 2020 6:25:23 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Sept 7, 2020 6:25:23 GMT

Day 736 of World War II, September 7th 1941

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

Adolf Hitler tries to resolve the ambiguity once and for all with Führer Directive 35.

Directive No. 35 provides that the Soviet forces standing in front of Moscow "must be defeated and annihilated in the limited time which remains before the onset of winter weather." The Directive is extremely detailed in terms of unit movements, specifying not only the units to be used for specific purposes but the days on which they are to attack.

The Directive provides that an attack toward Moscow is to begin "at the earliest possible moment (end of September)." A general pincer movement past Smolensk "in the general direction of Vyazma" is to destroy the Soviets' "Army Group Timoshenko." Once that is done, Army Group Center can then "begin the advance on Moscow with its right flank on the Oka River and its left on the Upper Volga River."

Armeegruppe Nord: The 20.Infanterie-Divisionen (mot.) (Major General H. Zom) supported by the 12.Panzer-Divisionen (Major General J. Harpe) capture Siniavino and take Schlusselberg on the south shore of Lake Ladoga. Finnish Army of Karelia captures Olonets and Nurmoyla northeast of Lake Ladoga. Soviet battleship “Marat” and cruiser “Maksim Gorki” shell German 18.Armee outside Leningrad.

Armeegruppe Mitte: After a week of heavy combat, Hitler permitted Army Group Center's commander Fedor von Bock to evacuate the Yel’nia bridgehead. The Soviets retook Yel’nia itself.

Armeegruppe Sud: The German 6.Armee broke through near Konotop, Ukraine. 262.Infanterie-Divisionen (GL Edgar Theissen) crosses the Desna River at Oster, about 100 miles west of Konotop. 2.Panzergruppe units move south making a breakthrough at Konotop. Specifically, 3.Panzer-Divisionen (GL Walter Model) of XXIV.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of Panzer Troops Leo Freiherr Geyr von Schweppenberg) crosses the Seim River north of Konotop. Guderian’s 2.Panzergruppe driving south, behind the Soviet forces defending Kiev, reaches Lokhvista. Nearly 600,000 Russians face encirclement in the Kiev area.

German XIII.Armeekorps (General of the Infantry H. Felber), XLIII.Armeekorps (General of the Infantry G. Heinrici) and XXXV.Armeekorps captured Chernihiv. Soviet warships bombard Rumanian positions around Odessa.

The autonomous Volga German Republic was formally abolished; all German males were formed into construction brigades working as forced labourers wherever the regime directed them in conditions littler different from the Gulag camps.

HMS “Argus” delivered Hurricane fighters of No. 81 Squadron RAF and No. 134 Squadron RAF to Vaenga near Murmansk, Russia.

Battle of the Mediterranean

British submarine HMS “Thunderbolt” attacked an Axis convoy and sank Italian ship “Sirena” 50 miles west of Benghazi, Libya.

Photo: A patrol from the Australian 2/13th Infantry Battalion, near Tobruk

Air War over Europe

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

At Northumberland, England twenty to thirty APBs, were dropped near Gallowgate Farm, Birchill House and near RAF Winfield. A German plane passed over the village and machine-gunned the roofs of council houses. Three council houses were damaged by anti-personnel bombs - one on Birchill House caused damage to roof and windows. Whilst approaching one of the small UXAPBs at Norham to render it harmless, a corporal in the Royal Engineers, and a member of No 1 Bomb Disposal Company, attached to Company HQ, Mayfield, was killed outright when it exploded. Another UXAPB dropped in this raid, was found in February 1942 at Castle Bank Dene, Norham by children gathering firewood in a plantation. Seven HEs were dropped in fields at Springwell causing damage to an electric grid wire. Two horses were killed and two seriously injured, both of which were later destroyed. A Dornier 217 of 4./KG 40 failed to return from this raid.

RAF Fighter Command flew Roadstead operations. RAF Bomber Command sends 12 aircraft on sweeps along Dutch coast and 38 aircraft to attack Boulogne overnight.

RAF Bomber Command sends 51 aircraft to attack Kiel overnight.

Battle of the Atlantic

German motor torpedo boats S.48, S.49, S.50, S.52, and S.107 attacked an Allied convoy off the coast of Norfolk, England, sinking British ship “Duncarron” (9 killed) and Norwegian ship “Eikhaug” (15 killed, 4 survived).

British cruisers HMS “Nigeria” and HMS “Aurora” attacked a German convoy in Hammerfjord in northern Norway at 0130 hours. The German training ship “Bremse” was rammed and sunk with the loss of over half the crew by the British cruiser HMS “Nigeria”. HMS “Nigeria” was damaged in the bow and was sent back to Britain for repairs. Elsewhere, British Albacore aircraft from HMS “Victorious” searched for German shipping off Tromsø, Norway.

China

Second Battle of Changsha: Japanese forces attack Chinese positions near Yuezhou at the beginning of the Second Battle of Changsha. The Battle of Changsha was Japan's second attempt at taking the city of Changsha, China, the capital of Hunan Province, as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The offensive was carried out by more than 120,000 Japanese troops including supporting naval and air forces. The Chinese forces under the command of General Xue Yue—the 9th Army Group—gathered more than 300,000 with help from the 5th, 6th, and 7th Army Groups, but due to poor intelligence on the Japanese invading forces plus its telegraphic messages having been code-broken by the Japanese army, the defense was on the passive end of the battles. The battle started when a small Chinese guerrilla force clashed with the Japanese 6th Division in the mountains southeast of Yueyang.

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World War II in real time Sept 8, 2020 5:34:20 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Sept 8, 2020 5:34:20 GMT

Day 737 of World War II, September 8th 1941

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

Armeegruppe Nord: German forces from Army Group North capture Schlusselberg on the banks of Lake Ladoga. All land communications with Leningrad are now cut. The city of Leningrad is now completely encircled by German and Finnish troops. The Finns have cut the Stalin canal, completing the encirclement trapping 2,950,000 civilians and 450,000 soldiers and sailors. Hitler has decided “to wipe the city of Petersburg (Leningrad) from the face of the earth" by artillery bombardment and aerial bombing. Field Marshal von Leeb’s Panzers are within ten miles of the city, which is being pounded by long-range artillery and the Luftwaffe. German bombers begin raids against civilian targets in Leningrad, dropping nearly 6000 incendiary bombs on food warehouses in the city. Hundreds of tons of food were destroyed along with four acres of warehouses in the Badayev district. Continuing Finnish attacks between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega advance across the Svir and capture Lodenoye Pole. This cuts the railway line from Murmansk to Leningrad. Arkangel is still available to use now, but the winter ice will close this. This would force the Russians to build hundreds of miles of new lines to reach the important supply link to the west. The land attack on the city is being mounted by 1.Panzer-Divisionen (Lieutenant General Friedrich Kirchner) thrusting along the left bank of the Neva and the 6.Panzer-Divisionen (Major General Franz Landgraf) following the Moscow-Leningrad railway line. It is not going to be a walkover for them. They have been held up for three weeks by suicidal Russian counter-attacks. Their men and machines are worn out by fighting both the Russians and the mud caused by incessant rain. If they had made their assault a month ago they would be in the Romanov’s palaces today. Instead, they are caught up in hastily-built defences manned by Opolchenye - militia units armed with rifles, Molotov cocktails and grenades. This is not the sort of fighting the Panzers enjoy. In fact, von Leeb’s attempt to capture the city may not last. Hitler wants to switch his tanks to the forthcoming attack on Moscow, leaving Leningrad to “wither on the vine”. He would rather subject the city to a long siege by gun and bomber and so relieve the German army of the necessity of feeding the population during the winter. Von Leeb however, can almost taste the glory of capturing the old Tsarist capital and will carry on his assault until told to stop.

The Russians are heavily out-numbered in the air, but their pilots are fighting ferociously against the swarms of Stukas which are attacking the heavy Russian ships in the harbours of Kronstadt and Leningrad. They are carrying specially-developed 2,000 pound bombs. Their particular targets are the battleships “October Revolution” and “Marat”, whose 12-inch guns are pounding the German rear echelons.

German XIX.Gebirgskorps opens new attack across the Litsa River. German forces land on Vormsi Island in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Estonia and begin attacking Soviet 8th Army positions. Voroshilov orders all warships of the Soviet Baltic Fleet to prepare to scuttle.

Armeegruppe Mitte: The Soviets deport 600,000 ethnic Germans who had lived on the upper Volga for nearly 200 years. Hundreds of villages in the area were emptied. The ethnic German community is exiled to Siberia because of Kremlin fears that it might become a fifth column of Nazi sympathizers.

Armeegruppe Sud: The Germans captured Kremenchuk. Rakutin's forces cross the Desna river and reach the German defenses along the Ustrom and Striana rivers. Shaposhnikov, the Chief of the General Staff orders the Western Front to go over to the defensive.

Air War over Europe

RAF bombers inflicted heavy damage on Berlin last night in the heaviest raid yet on the German capital. RAF Bomber Command sends 95 aircraft to attack Kassel overnight.

RAF Bomber Command sends 4 Fortress aircraft to attack the Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser “Admiral Scheer” at Oslofjord, Norway in daylight, but they are intercepted and unsuccessful, with two lost and one crashed on landing.

The first prototype de Havilland Mosquito IV Bomber variant (W 4072) makes its maiden flight. The new bomber has a level speed of 400 mph and fighter-agility.

Battle of the Atlantic

British destroyer HMS “Croome” forced Italian submarine “Maggiore Baracca” to surface 275 miles northeast of the Azores islands, then proceeded to ram the submarine, resulting in her sinking. 23 Italian sailors were killed; 34 survived. HMS “Croome” was damaged in the stern and was ordered to Gibraltar for repairs.

British Admiralty diverts Atlantic convoy SC-42 north to hug the eastern coast of Greenland to avoid German submarines.

Battle of the Mediterranean

German aircraft attacked and damaged British destroyers HMS “Kipling”, HMS “Kimberley”, and HMS “Decoy” as the ships carried supplies from Alexandria, Egypt for besieged Tobruk, Libya.

RN task force with aircraft carrier “Ark Royal” departs eastward with air reinforcements for Western Desert via Malta. 69 more British Hurricane fighters are being shipped to Malta with the help of British navy’s Force H using the “Ark Royal” and the “Furious”.

Photo: a small patrol of the 2/13th infantry battalion waiting in a tank ditch for a favorable opportunity to go further ahead in "NO- MAN'S- LAND"

Battle of the Pacific

Joseph Rochefort's cryptanalytic team detected increased radio traffic between carriers and land bases, and interpreted it as the Japanese Navy conducting fitting out operations of carriers with new air groups.

Nine B-17’s of the 14th Bombardment Squadron arrive at Clark AAF, Philippines.

China

Japanese 11th Army skirmishes with 4th Army and 58th Army of Chinese 9th War Area around Chungfang and Hsitang.

“Shokaku” arrived at Yokosuka, Japan and disembarked Commander First Air Fleet.

Ho Chi Minh forms the League for the Independence of Vietnam (Viet Minh).

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World War II in real time Sept 9, 2020 5:58:45 GMT stevep and gillan1220 like this

Post by lordroel on Sept 9, 2020 5:58:45 GMT

Day 738 of World War II, September 9th 1941

Eastern Front - Operation Barbarossa

The Siege of Leningrad begins and one of the first raids by the Luftwaffe against the city is launched. A flight of Ju 87 Stukas from StG 2 escorted by fighters from JG 54 attack the Soviet Baltic fleet near the city. But the day ends tragically for JG 54 when Oblt. Hubert Mütherich, Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 54, is killed when his badly damaged Messerschmitt somersaults while trying to land outside Leningrad. His final tally is forty-three kills with thirty-three of them gained since the beginning of the Russian campaign.
Armeegruppe Nord: Guns from the battleships “October Revolution” and “Marat” are fired in defense of Leningrad. Most of the sailors of the Red Banner Fleet have been taken off their ships and given rifles to defend the city, but the ships act as floating batteries.

The Finnish advance in Karelian Isthmus is stopped. The troops have reached the outermost defenses of Leningrad and dig into defense. Three years of trench warfare follows here, until the Soviet attack in June 1944. The Karelian Army advances into eastern Karelia north of Lake Ladoga. The first signs of war weariness are already showing in the men. There have been instances of men declining to follow orders to cross the pre-1939 border; the common opinion is that the war is fought to reconquer the territory lost in the Winter War, not to annex new ‘living space’ from east. However, the majority of men are content with grumbling, and the serious cases of insubordination are few. The official explanation for crossing the old border is to get as short lines of defense as possible. Tactically this is true, but the Finnish leadership is already discussing what shape the post-war ‘Greater Finland’ shall take. The most favored option is the so-called ‘border of three isthmuses’: Karelian Isthmus (between Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga), Onega Isthmus (between Lakes Ladoga and Onega) and the isthmus between Lake Onega and White Sea, of which English name I don’t have a clue (”Maaseln Kannas” is the Finnish name). The status of Kola Peninsula is still unclear; whether it will be claimed by Finland or Germany has not been decided yet.

Armeegruppe Mitte: Marshal Budyenny, commanding an Army in the Kiev area, makes his first request to abandon Kiev. Stalin denies the request.

Armeegruppe Sud: Soviet 5th Army and 37th Army trapped between German 2.Armee and 6.Armee. Recon elements of Generalleutnant Walter Model’s 3.Panzer-Divisionen (XXIV.Armeekorps (mot.)(General of Panzer Troops Geyr von Schweppenburg) discovered a gap in Soviet defenses between Konotop and Baturin.

Marshall Ion Antonescu fires the commander of the 4th Army, General Cuiperca. It comes after the first two rounds of bloody fighting, in which the Romanians failed to completely breach the Russian defenses (backed up by prodigious quantities of artillery and mortar fire) at Odessa. Cuiperca frankly reported to Antonescu that his troops lacked the strength, both physically and in terms of morale, to successfully resume the assault. Antonescu, known for his frank speaking himself in a command culture where direct talk was often perceived as impolite and insulting, did not respond well to this analysis. Antonescu claims that Cuiperca lacks “faith in the battle capacity of the Romanian Army.” Antonescu has brought in his own defense Minister, Iacobici, to replace Cuiperca at 4th Army - a man considered one of the great academic brains of the Romanian staff.

Vojtech Tuka, with the guidance of German SS-Hauptstrumführer Dieter Wisliceny, enacted the Ordinance Judenkodex which required Slovakian Jews to wear the yellow Stars of David, annulled all debts owed to Jews, confiscated Jewish property, and deported all Jews from the capital Bratislava.

The Wehrmacht is getting help from a group of allies in its assault on Russia. Mussolini has sent an expeditionary corps, the Romanian army is engaged in the drive on Odessa, the Hungarians are supporting the thrust through the Ukraine and Franco has sent a contingent of Spanish “volunteers”. The Spanish Volunteer Division, “Blue Division” arrives to serve with the German Army on the Leningrad Front. The “Blue Division,” listed as the 250th Infantry Division in the Wehrmacht order of battle, will get a reputation for not retreating and also of having its way with the local ladies. The Slovaks too, have soldiers fighting for the Germans, and volunteers from Holland, Denmark, Belgium and Norway have been formed into legions of the Wehrmacht. The Finns are a disappointment to the Germans, doing no more than holding the northern line round besieged Leningrad.

Air War over Europe

RAF Fighter Command flew operations over the Netherlands and a Rhubarb operation over France.

Battle of the Atlantic

Dutch submarine O.24 sank Italian ship “Italo Balbo” 2 miles east of Corsica, France.

Convoy SC-42, moving across the Atlantic along the Greenland coast, is attacked by German submarines for the first time. U-432 torpedoes and sinks SS “Muneric”. Two more merchant ships are torpedoed before midnight.

German cruiser “Admiral Scheer” was ordered to sail from Oslo, Norway for Swinemünde, Germany (now Swinoujscie, Poland).

Battle of the Mediterranean

British carrier HMS “Ark Royal” launched 14 Hurricane fighters to reinforce Malta.

RAF bombers attack Reggio Calabria and Messina.

Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down a Hurricane fighter over the Bay of Sollum in the morning, his 15th kill. In the afternoon, on another mission, he shot down another Hurricane fighter, the 16th kill, while escorting Stuka dive bombers toward Bardia, Libya.

Luftwaffe bombers attack Ismailia overnight.

Battle of the Pacific

MacArthur complains to Grunert that the training of the mobilized Philippine troops is not going well. Marshall advises MacArthur that he had “the highest priority” for supplies and for the filling of the “authorized defense reserve” of 50,000 men.

British/Soviet and Iranian relations

The Iranian Government accepted the Soviet and British terms, which included the closure of Axis legations and the surrender of German nationals. All Axis-aligned consulates would be closed and German nationals would be turned over to the British or Russians. The Allies would control Iranian roads, airports and communication. Iran expels German and Italian “tourists” and diplomats.

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