Battle of the Atlantic
- The British steamer Temple Mead (4427t) is sunk by German bombing in the North Sea with the loss of 14 crewmen.
- The German steamer Brechsee (688t) sinks on a mine off Malmo.
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]The Blitz
Swansea is again the target for the third consecutive night. The bombing this night is more intense than the previous two. 160 tons of high explosives and 60,000 incendiaries are dropped in the 3-1/2 hour raid. A fire approximately one square mile in area consumes the town center and levels it to the ground. Among the areas suffering great destruction are Castle Street, High Street, College Street and Caer Street. Many churches and chapels are hit along with 14 schools. Many water, gas and sewer pipes are put out of service. Death toll from the 3 raids is 230. 6,500 people are left homeless.
Damage from Swansea Blitz |
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| ]Diplomatic Relations
From Tokyo the Japanese foreign minister Yosuke Matsuoka warns the US to stay out of Far Eastern affairs.
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Italian East Africa
The British take Kassala near the border between the Sudan and Eritrea. The Italians fall back to Agordat and then on to the tiny fortress of Keren.
[ | ]Japan
Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka states: 'The Netherlands East Indies and French Indochina, if only for geographical reasons, should be in intimate and inseparable friendship with our country.' He basically warns the U.S. against interfering in Asian affairs.
[ | ]Mediterranean
Two urgent messages from London reach the commanders of the British land and naval forces. Admiral Cunningham is ordered to provide Malta with the air cover necessary for its defense. Gen Wavell is told that the capture of Benghazi is still given top priority and that he should make that his next objective. Maj-Gen O'Connor has already ordered the Australian 4th Bde to press on to Mechili and the 7th Arm Bde to continue its advance on Derna, two important centers in Cyrenaica.
Churchill's message to Malta: 'The eyes of all Britain, and indeed of the whole Empire, are watching Malta in her struggle day by day, and we are sure that success as well as glory will reward your efforts.'
[ | ]North Africa
Tobruk is bombarded by HMS ships Ladybird, Gnat and Terror. The 6th Australian Div begins the attack on Tobruk. The town is already isolated by the advance of the British 7th Armored Bde which is heading for Martuba and Mechili. The southeast corner of the Italian position is assaulted and after a heavy bombardment the Italian defense is quickly broken. Fort Palastrino is taken later in the day and Gen Mannella also captured.
[ | ]Rumania
In a series of clashes that lasts several days, the ultra-fascist 'Iron Guard' attempts to overthrow military dictator Gen Antonescu while conducting a pogrom against the Jews at the same time. Many are butchered in a Bucharest animal slaughterhouse. About 1,000 Jews are killed altogether. Gen Antonescu calls in the army to put down the 'Iron Guard' insurrection, although they helped put him in power. Many members of the 'green-shirts' are arrested as order is restored by the 26th.
Sephardic Temple / Damaged Synagogue |
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Left: Sephardic Temple in Bucharest after it was robbed and set on fire during a revolt of the paramilitary Iron Guard between January 21 and 23, 1941. Prime Minister Gen. Ion Antonescu had invited the Iron Guard, as a powerful political, long-persecuted movement, to join his cabinet the previous September even as he worked to curb their influence. It was an uneasy alliance for that reason and because many Iron Guard followers were vengeful toward anyone associated with the regime. On January 21, 1941, the Iron Guard launched a rebellion (Legionary Rebellion) to overthrow Antonescu and seize control of the country. After three days of brutal street fighting, the Romanian army was able to crush the putsch, but only after the rebellion had erupted into a vicious pogrom against Jews. Antonescu banned the Iron Cross movement and imprisoned 9,000 of it members. Right: Interior of a ruined synagogue, Bucharest, Romania, January 23, 1941. Legionnaires, as members of the Iron Guard were called, consisted of anti-Semitic students, priests, intellectuals, young and old, men, women, and children. Legionary gangs swooped down on Bucharest’s Jewish districts to grab whatever they could carry away before vandalizing and setting fire to twenty-five synagogues, demolishing Jewish-owned stores, and plundering the homes of Jews. Signs posted on Jewish homes read “Kikes live here!” Homes of Christians displayed religious symbols, icons, or signs reading “Christians live here.” |
| ]United States, Policy
The U.S. ends its prohibition on exports to Russia which had been imposed as part of the 'moral embargo'.
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