Battle of the Atlantic

• Owing to the Greer incident of September 4, Roosevelt is able to order US warships to 'shoot on sight' in waters 'the protection of which is necessary for American defense'. In fact this is more or less what is happening already. He is basically saying that the American navy is to attack any ships that threaten the free passage of US merchant ships and ships with US escorts.
• In attack on Convoy SC-42 U-82 sinks the British tanker Bulysses (7519t) and the steamer Gypsum Queen (3915t) south of Cape Farewell. The tanker loses 1 crewman; 60 survivors are picked up by the Finnish steamer Wisla. The Gypsum Queen loses 10 of her crew; 26 survivors are picked up by the Norwegian steamer Vestland. Later in the day U-82 sinks the British steamer Empire Crossbill (5463t) east of Cape Farewell with the loss of the entire crew of 49.
• U-432 sinks the Swedish steamer Garm with the loss of 6 crewmen. 14 survivors are rescued by the Norwegian steamer Bestum.
• U-207 sinks the British steamer Stonepool (4815t) and the British steamer Berury (4924t) east of Cape Farewell. The Stonepool loses 42 of her crew, 7 survivors are picked up by the Canadian corvette Kenogami. Berury loses 1 crewman, 41 survivors are picked up by the Canadian corvettes Kenogami and Moosejaw.
• U-202 sinks the Swedish steamer Scania (1980t), straggling behind the convoy, east of Cape Farewell. The entire crew of 24 are rescued.
• The British destroyers Leamington and Veteran sinks U-207 in the Denmark Strait. The entire crew of 41 are lost.
• U-105 sinks the Panamanian steamer Montana (1549t) 400 miles northeast of Cape Farewell with the loss of 18 of her crew. 7 of the crew are picked up.

Diplomatic Relations

Russia warns Bulgaria against the use of its territory by Germany or Italy for attacking the Soviet Union.

Eastern Front

In the northern sector the situation is becoming desperate for the defenders in Leningrad. The daily bread ration, established on September 2, is 21oz for workmen, 12oz for clerical workers and 10oz for all others including children. All possible material are used to make the bread including rye, chaff, flax, soya and malt. People hide their dead so that they can use their ration cards. There is no lighting or heat. The death toll begins to climb from the cold and starvation.

Voroshilov goes into the front line in the hope of finding a hero's death in the field. Zhukov then arrives to organize the situation from the chaos. In three days he completely reorganizes the defenses. He rouses the dispirited garrison to greater efforts and oversees the erection of many new strong points and barricades. The Germans are convinced that they can starve the city into submission, but Hitler does not want a surrender and the addional burden of having to deal with that many people. German troops are ordered to shoot down all who flee from the city towards the German lines, but to not to prevent anyone from escaping to the east where they will add to the prevailing chaos. Meanwhile, under Zhukov's leadership, the city is fortified street by street.

The Soviet 7th Army retreats behind the Svir River and digs in.

The Germans close in on Leningrad, capturing Slutsk, Pushkin and battling for control of Krasnoye Selo. The Stavka takes measures to strengthen the Red Army defense, appointing Zhukov commander of the Leningrad Front, which has a strength of 425,000 troops. There are a further 85,000 men of the 54th Army around Volkhov plus the shattered remnants of the 48th Army.

The XLVII Panzer Corps captures Glukhov.

With Stalin insistent that Kiev be hel, the Germans move the XLVIII Panzer Corps into the Kremenchug bridgehead as part of their plan to encircle the city.[MORE]

German Raiders

The Norwegian steamer Silvaplana (4793t) is captured by the German raider Atlantis southwest of the Cook Islands in the Southern Pacific.

Mediterranean

• The British submarine Thunderbolt sinks the German steamer Livorno (1829t) off Bougie. The German ship was part of a convoy heading for Benghazi.
• The Italian steamer Alfreco Oriani (3059t) is sunk by British Blenheim bombers west of Crete.

Occupied Belgium

King Leopold III marries Marie Lilian Baels. His first wife, Queen Astrid, died in 1935. The king's new bride refuses the title of Queen and will be known as Princess de Réthy.

United States, Home Front

At a rally in Des Moines, Lindbergh accuses 'the British, the Jewish, and the Roosevelt administration' as being 'the three most important groups who have been pressing this country toward war.'

Construction on the Pentagon to house what was then called the War Department begins this day.

Construction of the Pentagon Begins