Battle of the Atlantic

• The British minesweeping trawler Strathborve (216t) sinks on a mine in the Humber. 14 of the crew are killed.
• The British steamer Empire Gunner (4492t) is badly damaged in a German bombing attack in St George's Channel. The ship sinks early on the 7th with the entire crew being rescued.
• The German gunnery training ship Bremse (1870t), being used as a troopship escort, is sunk near North Cape by the British cruisers Aurora and Nigeria.

Eastern Front

The Germans capture Schlüsselburg, 40 km east of Leningrad, at the junction of the Neva River and Lake Ladoga.

The 1st NKVD Div is bombed by 300 Luftwaffe aircraft at Schlusselburg ant then assaulted by the XXVIII and XXXIX Panzer Corps. Hitler orders that Leningrad is to be starved into submission and its population removed by any means (there is only a month's supply of food in the city).

Yelnya is recaptured by the Soviet 24th Army, a rare victory for the Red Army since the beginning of BARBAROSSA. This victory prompts the start of the Soviet practice of creating guards units. The price has been high, however, with the 24th Army losing 10,000 dead and 21,000 missing. Of the 103,000 troops committed to the offensive 32,000 have become casualties, reflecting the poor tactics and leadership of the Red Army.[MORE]

Russian troops entered Yelnya. September 6, 1941.

Germany, Strategy

Hitler issues the order for Operation TYPHOON, the attack on Moscow.

Hungary, Home Front

Gen Henrik Werth, Chief of the General Staff, resigns due to 'ill health'. He is succeeded by Gen Ferenc Szombathelyi (see April 2, 1941).

Japan, Policy

Konoye gives in to military pressure and an Imperial Conference decides that, in view of the declining oil stocks, war preparations should be completed by mid-October, and that if no agreement is reached by then, that the decision to go to war should be taken. Emperor Hirohito is told the risks of going to war with the US. At the conference it is judged that America's total defeat is utterly impossible though it might be conceivable that a shift in American public opinion due to Japanese victories in southease Asia or to England's surrender might bring an end to the war. Konoye is given six more weeks to effect a diplomatic settlement of all outstanding issues with the US. He continues to make some conciliatory proposals to the US but is judged insincere despite the advice of Grew, the Ambassador in Tokyo, that if no agreement is reached the moderate Konoye may be replaced by a military dictatorship.

Occupied Europe

By order of Heydrich, who heads the German security services (SD, a division of the SS) and the security police, all Jews over the age of 6 are to wear a distinguishing Star of David badge. This measure is only one token of the increasing barbarity with which the Jews are being treated. Experiments are being conducted at the Auschwitz concentration camp with various methods of exterminating large number of people. The gas Cyclon-B (Zyclon-B?) is being tested. The tests are a success and will lead to widespread use of the gas. The extermination camps will not begin full-scale operations until early in 1942 when the mass transportation of Jews begins. 600 Russian POWs and 250 Jews are the first victims when testing began on September 3.