Battle of the Atlantic

• U-126 sinks the British steamer Nailsea Manor (4926t) northeast of the Cape Verde Islands. The entire crew of 42 is rescued by the British corvette Violet.
• The British steamer Kyma sinks on a mine east of Hornsea. The entire crew is rescued.

Britain, Home Front

In a public speech in London at the Mansion House, Churchill announces that 'should the United States become involved in war with Japan, a British declaration of war will follow within the hour'.

Britain, Preparations

A division of British troops, about 22,000 men, leaves Halifax, Nova Scotia for duty in the Far East. They will be traveling on US ships protected by the US Navy. The convoy is made up of the carrier Ranger, 2 cruisers and 7 destroyers to escort the 6 transports.

Eastern Front

Convinced that Operation Barbarossa, the objective being to reach the Volga, will not be completed within the year, Hitler defines new objectives for his armies in Russia. In the south, von Rundstedt is to take Sevastopol and Rostov-on-Don, cross the river and take Maikop and the Kuban oilfields. In the center,von Bock will continue the attack on Moscow, which is to be taken by a giant pincer movement. In the north, von Leeb must join up with the Finns to completely cut off Leningrad.

Group Belov counterattacks at Serpukhov, the intention being the encirclement of the XIII Corps. Belov commits the II Cavalry Corps, 2 tank divisions and 2 tank brigades.

The Stavka disbands the Bryansk Front, incorporating the 50th Army into the Western Front and the 3rd and 13th Armies into the Southwest Front.

Hitler issues objectives for the continuation of Operation TYPHOON. Army Group North is to build upon its gains at Tikhvin, effecting a junction with the Fins on the Svir before pounding Leningrad into submission. The Germans do not anticipate the surrender of the city, having decided there were insufficient resources available to feed the civilian population. Army Group Center is to continue the attacks on the Moscow axis and destroy Soviet forces in and around the city. It is then to push east to the Urals. Army Group South, tasked with capturing Rostov, is to reduce the Soviet forces encircled at Sevastopol using the 11th Army and then cross the Kerch Strait into the Kuban. This will begin the advance to and capture of the Maikop oilfields, a gigantic task given the early onset of the Russian winter and the weakened state of Army Group South.

These objectives prove just how out of touch Hitler and his staff really are with the situation at the front. To expect the Ostheer, with its exhausted and under-strength divisions, to maintain an advance in the middle of winter, without winter equipment, and bring about the destruction of the Red Army in the field is utter delusion.

Mediterranean

20 U-boats enter the Mediterranean. This is the German high command's response to a request made by Rommel personally, after a number of Italo-German convoys heading to Africa had been sunk.

Men of the Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry lighting up their Italian cigars in Tobruk, 10 November 1941.

Lighting Up Italian Cigars