Air Operations, Europe

There are air raids by the British on Catania, Brindisi and Acireale causing casualties and damage.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

Italian torpedo planes sink 2 British transports off the coast of Tunisia.

Italian aircraft attacking a British convoy in the Mediterranean

Baltic Sea

The Soviet destroyer Gordy sinks on a mine off Naissaari, Finland.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-561 sinks the Panamanian steamer Crusader (2939t), a straggler from SC-53 in the North Atlantic with the loss of 33 of her crew. There is only 1 survivor.

China

The US orders the evacuation of all US Marines from Shanghai, Peking and Tientsin. Of the 750 Marines involved, 183 get held up by transportation delays and eventually get imprisoned by the Japanese once the war starts.

Diplomatic Relations

The Premier of Burma, U Maung Saw, leaves London after failing to win a promise of independence from the British. As he is returning to Rangoon passing through New York, he contacts Japanese officials in the US to set up a meeting between himself and 'prominent Japanse'. The purpose of this meeting is apparently to seek Japanese aid against the British.

Eastern Front

The Germans begin to get in position for resuming the Moscow offensive. They are, however, running short of equipment. Guderian has to transform one of his Panzer corps, whose establishment calls for 350 tanks, into a 'brigade' of barely 50 effective tanks. Russian forces attemp a counterattack to relieve the pressure on Moscow.

The Soviet air force begins a concerted campaign to airlift essential supplies into Leningrad. Over the next 2 weeks 1,200 tons are delivered.

Fighting erupts as the 16th and 49th Armies launch spoiling attacks north of Volokolamsk and east of Serpukhov. The 49th Army hits the 98th, 13th, 17th and 137th Infantry Divisions of the XII and XIII Corps with 5 rifle divisions (415th, 5th Guards, 60th, 194th and 17th) northeast of Serpukhov, making minor gains. The II Cavalry Corps also enters the battle, the 112th Tank Division trying to exploit gains by the 49th Army but is halted in its tracks. German counterattacks by the 263rd and 268th Infantry Divisions throw the tank division back.

Knowing the resumption of the German attack is imminent, the Stavka sends out an alert to the armies at the front.

Mediterranean

• It seems at first that the damage to the Ark Royal, from the U-boat attack the previous day, has been brought under control. When the carrier gets to within 25 miles of Gibraltar, at 2:15a.m., a fire breaks out in the engine room putting the pumps out of action and she is abandoned to sink. As in some carrier losses early in the Pacific war, poor damage control seems largely to have been responsible. Only 1 crewman is lost from the carrier.
• The British steamer Empire Pelican (6463t), en route to Malta, is sunk by Italian bombing southwest of Galita Island with the loss of 1 crewmen. 44 of her crew are made prisoners of war.