Air Operations, Mediterranean

The RAF bombs Syracuse, Sicily.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US-Panama freighter Sessa is sunk. 24 of the 27 crew members are lost.

Diplomatic Relations

• The United States presents a formal warning to the Japanese along the lines agreed at Placentia Bay. The text of the note has been toned down somewhat from the draft originally agreed with the British and Dutch, so they do not present their notes in order not to be seen to disagree with the American line. No decision has yet been taken on the Japanese proposal of a meeting between Roosevelt and Konoye on September 3 the Japanese will be told that it cannot take place. The Americans are worried that Konoye would not be able to make the Japanese military keep to any agreement that might be made.
• Britain and Russia demand that Iran order Germans out of the country on the grounds that many are involved in subversive activities which hurts the Allied cause. There are about 3,200 Germans in the country, the majority of which are technical experts brought in by the shah who is trying to industrialize his country without being swallowed up by either the Russians or the British. The shah at this time is demonstrably pro-German.

Eastern Front

In the northern sector the Germans capture the ancient city of Novgorod, north of Lake Ilmen and southeast of Leningrad, and push forward to the October Railway which leads to Moscow.

In the southern sector they take Dniepropetrovsk, on the lower Dniepr. They are already threatening Kharkov and the Donetz basin and the Crimea. Odessa is surrounded.

Attacks headed by the XLI Panzer Corps capture Narva. The 8th Army has already evacuated most of its forces from Estonia. The 48th Army launches a desperate counterattack in an effort to prevent the Germans turning north from Novgorod and isolating Leningrad from the east. Busch's 16th Army holds off the attacks of the 34th Army, while the LVI Panzer Corps deploys along the right wing of the X Corps.

Rakutin's 24th Army begins to attack the Elnya salient, pinning down 5 German divisions. This battle will rage until August 21st.

After a brief struggle, Unecha falls to the XXIV Panzer Corps. Schweppenburg is ordered to block the withdrawal of the 21st Army from Gomel, which is being attacked by the 2nd Army.

Elements of the XIV Panzer Corps enter Dnepropetrovsk and are dragged into bitter street battles with the defending 6th Army. To the southwest, the broken 9th And 18th Armies fall back across the Ingulets, Nikolayev having been abandoned. German forces are heaviy attacking at Krivoi-Rog with the intention of pressing on to the Dniepr at Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhe.

Brauchitsch and Halder try one last appeal to Hitler to resume the advance in the center. Their arguments are set forth in a memorandum but fail to change Hitler's decision. The advantage the the Wehrmacht has gained on the road to Moscow seemed about to be squandered in return for territorial gains to the south. However, even if Brauchitsch and Halder had been successful at this stage, there would still have been a delay launching the next phase of the offensive in the center. Hoth's 3rd Panzer Groups has already left the Moscow axis and is marching north to join Leeb's attack on Leningrad while Guderian has orientated his forces to the south to strike into the Ukraine.

German Raiders

The Dutch steamer Kota Nopan (7322t) is captured by the German raider Komet southeast of the Galapagos Islands.

Mediterranean

The Dutch submarine O-23 torpedoes the Italian steamer Maddalena Odera (6003t). The ship is sunk on the 18th at Lampedusa by British aircraft.