Battle of the Atlantic

• The German 4th Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla attacks Convoy FN-564 northwest of Cromer. S-51 sinks the British steamer Cormarsh (2848t) half a mile north of the 58A Buoy. The entire crew are rescued. S-52 sinks the British steamer Empire Newcomen (2840t) 5 miles south of Dudgeon Light with the loss of 10 of her crew. S-64 sinks the British tanker Asperity (699t) with the loss of 10 crewmen.
• U-43 sinks the British steamer Thornliebank (5569t) from Convoy OS-12 240 miles north-northwest of the Azores with the loss of the entire crew of 75.

Diplomatic Relations

The US warns Britain of an impending attack by the Japanese in the Asia-Pacific area.

Eastern Front

In the Moscow sector German tank forces commanded by Gen Reinhardt reach the Moscow-Volga Canal and manage to cross in in the Dmitrov area. The Germans here are coming up against some of the fresh Siberian units and more of the Germans tank force is being tied down here because of the fierce Soviet resistance.

In the south the Russians recapture Taganrog and Rostov with a violent counter-offensive, forcing the 7th Pzr Army out of the 'Gateway to the Caucasus' and threatening to surround the German forces. This is the first setback for the Germans on the Russian front. In spite of having orders to stand firm, Von Rundstedt orders his troops to retire behind the line of the Mius River.

Lead units of the 4th Panzer Group take Dmitrov on the eastern bank of the Moscow-Volga Canal. The 16th and 30th Armies receive substantial reinforcement, much needed following their bloody battles with the 3rd and 4th Panzer Groups. The 1st Shock Army and the 10th Army are allocated to the West Front as reinforcement, but are held in reserve behind the wings of the front until the German attack grinds to a halt. As yet both the 1st Shock and 10th Armies need fleshing out, being short of men and equipment.

Germans Often Execute Partisans in Public

The Germans often made a public spectacle of partisans that were executed in an attempt to deter the local population from supporting them. The body of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya with the sign 'Arsonist' around her neck. The threat to Moscow now seemed desperate. Many Soviet citizens were mobilised to build the city’s defences. Many volunteered for more dangerous duties. Eighteen year old Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya was still in college in Moscow when she volunteered to join a guerrilla group that would operate behind enemy lines. The Partisan unit that she was operating with was split into small groups with orders to burn down the villages where the German troops were sheltering. An attempt by Zoya’s group to burn down the village of Petrisheva on the 27th November failed when their leader was captured and killed. Zoya returned alone the following night but was found and betrayed by one of the locals. She was then tortured by the Germans attempting to discover her comrades. According to one report she was tortured all night so badly that a German officer in the next room was unable bear the sound of it. Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya remained defiant to the end. She only gave her name as Tanya and named no-one else. The villagers who were forced to watch her execution on the 29th were to witness her remarkable final declaration: "You hang me now but I am not alone. There are 200 million of us. You won’t hang everybody. I shall be avenged. Soldiers! Surrender before it is too late. Victory will be ours." Their account of what happened did not reach the Soviet press until January 1942. She was declared a Hero of the Soviet Union in February, her story making her one of the legends of the Russian resistance. It was a story that was re-inforced when these German pictures were subsequently captured.

On the southern wing, the XLVII Panzer Corps come under fierce attack and is force to pull back from Skopin. The XXIV Panzer also comes under heavy fire around Tula. To the rear of the combat line, the Red Army brings up yet more reserve armies. The 60th deploys around Tarasovka, while the 24th is situated on the Moskva near Davidkovo. In addition, the 26th Army is at Noginsk and the 61st at Ryazan.

Fierce fighting continues as the 1st Panzer Army withdraws to the Mius, giving up Rostov to the 56th and 9th Armies. These 2 units press the Germans relentlessly but are unable to rout the retreating force.

Finland

Finland restores its former border with the Soviet Union, reincorporating territories taken by recent military action. Finland had been forced to cede territory to the Soviet Union as part of the agreement ending the 'Winter War' in 1940.

Japan, Home Front

Tojo restates Japan's leadership role in east Asia, 'Nothing can be permitted to interfere with this sphere because this sphere was decreed by Providence.'

Japan, Policy

A Japanese government liaison conference decides that the final terms are unacceptable and that Japan must go to war.

Mediterranean

• The Italian steamer Capo Faro (3476t), sailing from Brindisi to Benghazi, is sunk by British aircraft from Malta.
• The Italian steamer Berbera (2093t) is sunk by British bombing at Navarino, Greece.

North Africa

Lt-Gen Willoughby Norrie leads an attempt by the 1st South African Bde to regain Point 175, but the attack does not go in until after dark and is repulsed with some ease.

Occupied Soviet Union

Near Riga, the massacre of 38,000 Jews by the Germans begins.