Battle of the Atlantic
- The British steamer Dalryan hits a mine and sinks 2-1/2 miles southwest of Tongue Light Vessel. This is the result of the German destroyer minelaying operation in the Thames Estuary the night of the November 12th. The crew is rescued and taken to Margate.
- U-21 sinks the Norwegian steamer Arcturus (1277t) off the east coast of Scotland in the North Sea with the loss of 9 crewmen. 7 survivors are picked up by the Danish merchant ship Ivar and 8 more by the Norwegian steamer Eva.
- The Finnish merchant ship Mercator (4260t) is sunk by U-31. 1 crewman is lost and 18 survivors are rescued by 2 minesweeping trawlers from Aberdeen. Another 13 arrive at Boddam in the ship's boat.
- The French steamer Floride hits a mine a sinks about a mile from the Dunkirk Light House with the loss of 2 of her crew.
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]Britain, Policy
Blockade measures are put into effect. Neutral shippers need a 'navicert' certificate to allow their cargo to pass through British patrols. Several countries protest including Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Belgium. The US issues an objection on the 8th.
[]Finland - Winter War
Day 2
Russian attacks on the Karelian Isthmus continue. The Finnish forces on the Isthmus withdraw to their first delaying position. Russian aircraft attack villages on Suursaari. Cities bombed this day include Helsinki (80 dead), Lahti, Kirkkonummi, Loviisa, Kotka, Hamina, Kouvola, Antrea, Hiitola, Jääski, Immola, Tainionkoski and Viipuri.
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Finnish fighters shoot down 13 Russian aircraft. The Soviet cruiser Kirov, supported by 2 destroyers, attacks the Russarö Fortress. In the late morning in an exchange of artillery all 3 Soviet ships are hit.
The legitimate Finnish government is reorganized. Pres Kyösti Kallio selects Dr Risto Ryti as Prime Minister and Väinö Tanner as Foreign Minister. The main goal of the new governmnent is the restoration of peaceful relations with the Soviet Union. The boundaries of the theater of operations is also announced by the new government.
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| ]Germany, Home Front
Gottlob Berger creates the Ergänzungsamt der Waffen-SS (Waffen-SS Recruiting Office) within the SS-Hauptamt (SS Central Office). The remarkable growth of the Waffen-SS must be attributed to Berger rather than Himmler. He had generally been able to outmaneuver and outwit his military counterparts with a cunning cocktail of diplomacy, threat and duplicity. His successes also encouraged him to undertake increasingly ambitious schemes to expand the wartime role of the SS, thus fulfilling the desires of his Reichsführer-SS. Berger, who had proved his organizational ability by directing the activities of the Henlien Freikorps during the 1938 Sudetenland crisis, was appointed by Himmler to command the new SS-Hauptamt, with responsibility, among other duties, for recruitment. One of the functions of the district leadersof the Allgemeine-SS had always been recruiting for the SS, but with the threat of impending war it became necessary to centralize and consolidate this increasingly important role.
The establishment of a nation-wide SS recruiting network was Berger's first task, and on December 1 he created the Ergänzungsamt der Waffen-SS within the SS-Hauptamt with himself as its chief, with an order he prepared and signed by Himmler. In each of the 17 SS-Oberabschnitte (Higher Sections), an SS-Ergänzungsstelle (Recruiting Center) was established. Since the Wehrkreise (Army Defense Districts) were coterminous with these SS districts, Berger possessed a recruiting organization which geographically paralleled that of the army. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), High Command of the Armed Forces, at the same time issued an order to military district commander explaining the function of the new bureaus and ordering them to deal directly with the SS-Ergänzungsstelle in all SS personnel matters.
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