Battle of the Atlantic

U-124 sinks the British steamer Empire Thunder (5965t) north-northeast of Rockall with the loss of 9 crewmen. 30 survivors are picked up by the British armed boarding vessel Kingston Onyx.

Britain, Planning

Churchill sends a long memorandum to the Chief of Staffs Committee which gives priority to aid Greece at the risk of sacrificing any further advance in North Africa. He argues that help for the Greeks in their attack on Valona, Albania, is essential in order to avoid any lessening of Greek resistance or even capitulation. A few days later, on receiving reports of German troop concentrations in preparation for large-scale action in the Balkans, Churchill tells Wavell that, once Tobruk is captured, all operations in Libya must be subordinated to the urgent needs of the Greek front.

German Raiders

The Greek steamer Antonis is sunk by the German raider Kormoran in the South Atlantic. The entire crew are made prisoners of war.

Mediterranean

4 British merchant ships leave Gibraltar with vital supplies for Malta. It is the first convoy to make the dangerous Mediterranean run since Nov. Force H is assigned to escort the cargo ships in and provide support for their return. A number of merchantmen which have been stuck in Malta since November will also be escorted out by Force H. At this time Malta has only 15 Hurricane fighters for its many defense responsibilities.

North Africa

Advance units of the Allied force reach the outer defenses of Tobruk after taking El Adem airfield to the south. The encirclement of Tobruk will not be complete in any strength, however, until January 9. Patrols to examine the Italian defenses begin immediately. The Tobruk garrison is 25,000 men with 220 guns and 70 tanks. Gen Pitassi Mannella is in command. There are other Italian units still in positions farther west in Libya.

A column of Italian prisoners captured during the assault on Bardia, Libya, is marched to a British army base.

Italian Prisoners

Southeast Asia

Thai troops begin attacking Cambodia and seize disputed border areas.

United States, Home Front

President Roosevelt, in his State of the Union message, talks of 4 essential freedoms, of speech and worship and from fear and want. He again refers to the United States as the 'arsenal of democracy' and would like weapons to be supplied to the democracies who are already at war with aggressor nations.

FDR’s First State of the Union Address

FDR’s first State of the Union after winning an unprecedented third term in 1940 is considered among his most memorable and most influential speeches. Delivered on January 6, 1941, with Europe in the throes of World War II, Roosevelt opened his remarks with the warning that "at no previous time has American security been as seriously threatened from without as it is today." After making a vigorous case for the need to supply America's European allies with arms (Roosevelt would sign the Lend-Lease Act codifying this policy just two months later on March 11, 1941), FDR closed his address by outlining the “four essential human freedoms” he argued were the foundation for a secure, prosperous world: The first is freedom of speech and expression -- everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -- everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want, which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants -- everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor -- anywhere in the world. The first two freedoms are enshrined the Constitution, while the latter two go beyond the scope of America’s founding document but nevertheless became the basis of the modern liberal vision both domestically and internationally.