Eastern Front

The German forces continue to overrun the Crimea. Kerch falls to the XLII Corps under Gen Graf Hans von Sponeck, one wing of the attack while Sevastopol is now being besieged by the German 11th Army. The Soviet resistance is Sevastopol will become very stubborn.

In the Moscow sector the new German drive makes some slow advances. Severe winter conditions are reported along the entire front. Russian ski troops go into action for the first time.

A Soviet spoiling attack by the Soviet 16th Army against units of the 9th Army and 3rd Panzer Group fails. The Germans then counterattack, forcing a crossing of the Lama River. The 4th Panzer Group then attacks the 16th Army, tearing it to pieces and also mauling the 30th Army to the north. The only success for the Red Army is its attacks against XIII Corps, which suffers heavily.

The 1st Panzer Group resumes its drive to Rostov. Soviet losses in the battle for the city thus far have been high: Southwestern Front, 11,200 killed and missing; Southern Front, 132,000 killed and missing. In the Crimea the Germans take Kerch, capturing 100,000 troops as they do so. During the Crimea battles, the Red Army has lost 48,000 killed and missing, 15,000 wounded, plus 700 artillery pieces and 160 tanks captured or destroyed.[MORE]

Mediterranean

The British corvette Marigold sinks U-433 south of Malaga, Spain with the loss of 6 crewmen. 38 of the crew are rescued.

Flower Class Corvette of the Same Type as HMS Marigold (K-87)

A Flower Class Corvette of the same type as HMS Marigold (K-87). The distorting camouflage pattern can be seen here although it is much faded. The Royal Navy believed they had sunk the U-Boat that had torpedoed HMS Ark Royal when U-433 was sunk late on the 16th November in the Eastern Mediterranean. In fact U-433 was not responsible for sinking the Ark Royal, as the British were soon to learn from German propaganda.

Pacific

The Japanese Fleet disappears from US surveillance in the Pacific.