Year 1941

Diary for Friday, January 24, 1941: Politics Lord Halifax, new British Ambassador to USA, arrives aboard new battleship King George V.

Diary for Thursday, January 23, 1941: Sea War After emergency repairs carrier Illustrious leaves Malta for Alexandria (then goes to Norfolk Navy Yard, USA). Five Norwegian merchant ships – interned

Diary for Wednesday, January 22, 1941: North Africa BRITISH CAPTURE TOBRUK. Sea War Atlantic – Operation Berlin: Battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst leave Kiel in Baltic to attack Atlantic convoys.

Diary for Tuesday, January 21, 1941: Neutrals Rumania: Ultra-fascist Iron Guard attempts to overthrow Rumanian military dictator, General Antonescu, and conducts simultaneous pogrom against the Jews (approx. 1,000 killed); many

Diary for Monday, January 20, 1941: Air War British, South African and Rhodesian aircraft raid power station at Massawa and other targets in east Africa. Neutrals USA: Roosevelt inaugurated.

Diary for Sunday, January 19, 1941: East Africa British recapture Kassala (Sudan). Start of Italian East Africa campaign. China Nationalist Chinese disband Communist New 4th Army in Yangtse Valley following

Diary for Saturday, January 18, 1941: Neutrals Vichy France: Petain and Laval reconcile their differences.

Diary for Friday, January 17, 1941: Sea War Battle of Koh-Chang in China Sea: Vichy French squadron defeats Thai Navy, sinking 3 ships.

Diary for Thursday, January 16, 1941: Air War Ju 87 Stukas escorted by Italian fighters raid Malta, inflicting further damage on carrier Illustrious and damaging cruiser Perth. Illustrious again damaged

Diary for Wednesday, January 15, 1941: East Africa Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Ethiopia (night January 15-16). Air War Europe: 76 RAF bombers raid Wilhelmshaven (night January 15-16).

Diary for Tuesday, January 14, 1941: Air War RAF night raids on Benghazi and Assab (Eritrea). Sea War German disguised raider Pinguin captures a Norwegian whaling fleet with 3 factory

Diary for Monday, January 13, 1941: Air War RAF bombs Lorient U-boat base (night January 13-14). German night bombers shower incendiaries over Plymouth. Neutrals Switzerland: Death of James Joyce, author

Diary for Sunday, January 12, 1941: Sea War Atlantic: 21-ship troop convoy leaves Britain for North Africa. Air War Europe: RAF night raids on oil installations at Regensburg and Porto

Diary for Saturday, January 11, 1941: Sea War Ju 87 Stukas cripple heavy cruiser HMS Southampton for second time near Malta. She must be abandoned. German and Italian submarines and

Diary for Friday, January 10, 1941: Sea War Mediterranean: Ju 87 Stukas disrupt Malta convoy and score 6 hits on carrier Illustrious escorting convoy west of Malta. Cruiser Southampton crippled.

Diary for Thursday, January 9, 1941: Home Fronts Britain: Air Training Corps to be formed. Politics Harry Hopkins, Roosevelt’s personal representative, arrives in London (leaves February 16).

Diary for Wednesday, January 8, 1941: Air War RAF night raid on Naples: battleship Giulio Cesare damaged (she has to be moved to La Spezia). Neutrals USA: $17.5 billion Defense

Diary for Tuesday, January 7, 1941: Sea War Atlantic: Four-engined Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bombers, based near Bordeaux transferred to operational command of Admiral Dönitz. British corvette Anemone sinks large

Diary for Monday, January 6, 1941: Neutrals USA: Roosevelt’s ‘Four Freedoms’ Speech to Congress: ‘We look forward to a world founded on four essential human freedoms … freedom of speech

Diary for Sunday, January 5, 1941: North Africa British capture Bardia in Libya: 45,000 PoWs, 130 tanks taken. Home Front Britain: Amy Johnson, famous long-distance flier, dies in crash over