Battle of the Atlantic

The US Navy oiler Salinas is torpedoed by U-106 700 miles east of Newfoundland but makes it to port with no casualties.

Diplomatic Relations

Roosevelt offers the Soviet Union a one billion dollar interest-free loan for the purchase of lend-lease equipment. Repayment will begin five years after the end of the war and be complete in ten years.

Eastern Front

The German offensive in the Moscow sector comes to a halt until the winter weather sets in fully, giving permanently hard ground and restoring some mobility to the German tank forces.

With all the men at the Front, Moscow women dig anti-tank trenches around Moscow.

Women Digging Trenches

In the south the siege of the fortress of Sevastopol begins with the onslaught by the German 11th Army and Rumanian forces on the outer defense line. These attacks will go on for about 3 weeks. The Russian Black Sea Fleet and 21,000 Marines repel many of the attacks, but the Germans capture Balaclava Hills. (see December 17.) The siege itself will last eight months. Moscow radio admits that the town of Tula is in danger.

Following his failure to rush Tula, Guderian skirts east of the town, moving upon Dedilovo. He plans to let the supporting infantry clear Tula.

52-K Gun of 6th Battery of 732nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment

During battles near Tula on October 30, 1941 about 40 52-K guns were used as AT guns; but due to a poor defense plan most of them were destroyed or captured by the Germans. These guns were widely used as anti-tank guns similarly to the German 88mm, especially during early period of War, when the Red Army had a great lack of effective AT guns. For example, these guns were used during battle for Moscow in 1941 as AT guns. In this image is a 52-K gun of 6th Battery of 732nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment in town of Tula, 30 October 1941.

Russian Marines, Defenders of Sebastopol, Under Shell Fire

Manstein pushes deep into the Crimea as the Ishun defenses collapse. Soviet forces are in total disarray, many soldiers surrendering to the approaching German units and more fleeing to the rear, creating a rout on the roads leading south to Sevastopol.

As the situation at the front deteriorates, the Stavka activates the 56th Independent Army of the North Caucasus Front. The intention is to protect the approaches to Rostov and the road into the Caucasus.

New Zealand troops wait for the order to advance during training manoeuvres in Egypt, 30 October 1941.

Training Exercise in Egypt