Baltic Sea

The Russian submarine L-2 hits a mine and sinks south of Finland. Losing his life is the 'sailor-poet' Lt Aleksei Lebedev, aged 29.

Britain, Command

Gen Sir Alan Francis Brooke is chosen to replace Gen Sir John Greer Dill as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (the British Army Staff). Gen Dill will go to Washington to lead the British military mission there and Gen Bernard Paget becomes Commander in Chief, Home Forces in place of Brooke. These appointments will take effect in December.

Eastern Front

One of Guderian's infantry divisions loses heavily in fighting near Venev in a counterattack sent in by one of the fresh Soviet Siberian divisions. There is a series of similar brief Soviet attacks against Guderian's force during the next few days which do much to confine the German attempts to advance.

The Soviet 52nd Army encircles units of the XXXVIII Corps at Malaya Vyshera. German counterattacks fail to dislodge the Soviets from the town.

The 3rd and 4th Panzer Groups and 9th Army continue to grind into Soviet defenses north of Moscow. The German 4th Army, however, fails to cross the Oka River due to Red Army resistance.
To the south, the XXIV Panzer Corps attack the 50th Army, but then a counterattack from Venev causes panic among German units. To avoid this sector crumbling altogether, Guderian is forces to counterattack with the XLVII Panzer Corps into the right flank of the Western Front.

The Soviet 37th Army continues to attack the 1st Panzer Group.

Japan, Policy

The House of Representatives in Tokyo passes a resolution expressing hostility towards the US.

North Africa

A new British offensive, Operaton CRUSADER, begins with an advance by XXX Corps over the Egyptian border into Libya. The British forces in the desert are now organized as 8th Army with Lt-Gen Alan Cunningham in command. The plan calls for the XXX Corps to outflank the German frontline defenses on the south of Sidi Omar, before advancing astride the Trigh el Abd. This move, however, would create a dangerous gap between the 2 corps of the 8th Army. Cunningham attempts to fill it by detaching Brig Alec Gatehouse's 4th Armored Bde with supporting infantry from the 7th Armored Div. It would be able to protect left flank of Lt-Gen Reade Godwin-Austen's XIII Corps or assist Lt-Gen Willoughby Norrie's XXX Corps in the main armored thrust as proved necessary.

Operation Crusader began with a pre dawn artillery barrage from within the Tobruk perimeter. A 25-pdr Field Gun firing at night in the desert, 1941.

Operation CRUSADER Begins

The British have about 450 cruiser tanks and 132 infantry models in their main forces with more in the Tobruk garrison. They also have good reserve stocks of all equipment. The cruiser tanks are concentrated in XXX Corps which leads the British attack. There are problems with the reliability and gun power of the British tanks and, far more importantly, defects in the tactical training of their armored units. And, Gen Cunningham has no experience of commanding tank units.

On or near the frontier there are garrisons in fortified areas on the coastal routes to west and east with 21st Panzer supporting them. The 15th Panzer Div is near Tobruk as is the bulk of the Italian force which is around Tobruk and to the south. The Germans have about 180 Mk III and IV tanks with another 220 of the much weaker Italian and other German models. Rommel was intending to attack Tobruk on 21 November and has, therefore, enough supplies for a short sharp battle, but not for the prolonged brawl which will in fact ensue. The British deception measures have been good and because of this and his determination to attack Tobruk, Rommel will not react promptly to the British attack. He is in fact returning to North Africa from Rome when the British moves begin.

The immediate goal of the operation is to reinforce the Tobruk bridgehead with the ultimate goal being the recapture of Cyrenaica and, if successful, to invade Tripolitania. The rather vague British plan is to advance round the inland flank to the area of Gabr Saleh and Sidi Rezegh, draw the Germans into making attacks and destroy their tank forces.

Heavy rain and storms the previous night prevent the Desert Air Force from making raids on the Axis airfields in order to reduce Axis interference from the air. The Axis airfields are raided over the next 2 days and numerous aircraft are destroyed on the ground.

Matilda tanks on the move outside the perimeter of Tobruk, Libya, 18 November 1941.

Matilda Tanks Outside Tobruk

Initially all goes well as the 8th Army units meet little resistance as they move up to the positions held by the Afrika Korps. The moves are observed by the German 3rd and 33rd Reconnaissance Units detached from the 21st and 15th Panzer Divs respectively. By evening XXX Corps has reached Gabr Saleh, but Rommel's armor has still not been sighted.

Pacific

A force of 11 Japanese submarines leaves their home ports to go to take up stations off Hawaii or to take part in other scouting missions. A further 9 vessels sails toward Hawaii from Kwajalein.