Atomic Research

The British Maud Committee reports that they believe that it will be possible to make an atomic bomb using the isotope Uranium 235. Research in the US is also proceding, as yet at a more gentle pace but substantial funds will be authorized later in the year. Following the Maud report, the British soon move to set up a formal research program under the code name Tube Alloys (see June 18, 1942).

Battle of the Atlantic

German submarines sink 61 ships of 310,000 tons this month.(Allied Ships Lost to U-boats) Owing to the diversion of German aircraft to take part in BARBAROSSA there is a drop in Allied shipping losses to air attack. The total Allied loss from all causes is 432,000 tons (109 ships).

The first escort carrier, the Audacity, enters British service. 5 more ships of this class are being converted in the UK and 6 in the USA under Lend-Lease arrangements. The work on these British ships will provide useful information for the construction of later US vessels of this class. The U-boats' task is also being made more difficult by Allied scientists. Radar working on the 10cm wavelength is now gradually coming into service. This is sufficiently sensitive to detect a submarine periscope over 1000 yards away in the best conditions.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The US Coast Guard begins patrol operations off the southern Greenland coast. Only 4 ships are involved at this stage.
• U-105 sinks the British steamer Scottish Monarch (4719t) southwest of the Cape Verde Islands with the loss of 1 crewman. 24 survivors are picked up on 8 June by the Dutch motor merchant Alphard and landed at Freetown five days later. 20 more survivors are picked up on 11 June by the British steam merchant Christine Marie and landed at Freetown on 19 June.
• U-107 sinks the British steamer Alfred Jones (5013t) 140 miles southwest of Freetown with the loss of 14 of her crew. 62 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Marguerite and taken to Freetown.
• The British submarine Clyde sinks the Italian steamer San Marco (3076t) southeast of Sardinia 5 miles from Capo Carbonara.

The Blitz

There is a night raid by 110 German planes on Manchester.

Britain, Command

Air Vice-Marshal Tedder is appointed AOCinC R.A.F. Middle East.

Britain, Home Front

It is announced that measures for clothing and footwear rationing are being prepared. It will be a point system with each person allotted 66 points per year. An example: an adult mackintosh (raincoat) - 16 points.

Crete

The 'Battle of Crete' is virtually over. Altogether 18,600 men are taken off but casualties and prisoners in the battle for the island amount to 16,583 men (8,200 British, 3,376 Australian and 2,996 New Zealand army personnel and 2,011 men of the Royal Navy). The Germans have lost 3,714 dead and missing and about 2,500 wounded. About 600 more Allied troops will escape from the island by various routes later. The largest groups of prisoners are the 5,000 men who are captured when the Germans take Sfakia this day and the garrison of Retimo who do not receive evacuation instructions because of a communications breakdown.

The German casualties are picked men - a very high proportion of them deaths - and Hitler decides that such large-scale airborne attacks should not be repeated even although the result has been a brilliant success.

The AA cruiser Calcutta is sunk by the German Ju-88s north of Alexandria. British naval losses in the 'Battle of Crete' include 3 cruisers and 6 destroyers sunk, 3 battleships, 1 carrier, 6 cruisers and 7 destroyers damaged. In all the operations in Greece and Crete 44 transports are lost.

Axis Diplomacy

Hitler and Mussolini have a meeting at Brennero on the Brenner Pass to discuss urgent military questions.

Battle of the Atlantic

• After damaging the Belgian steamer Mokambo in convoy OB-329, U-147 is sunk northwest of Ireland by the British destroyer Wanderer and the corvette Periwinkle. The entire crew of 26 is lost.

  U-147

  Class	Type IID
  CO	Oberleutnant zur See Eberhard Wetjen
  Location	Atlantic, W of Skerryvore
  Cause	Depth charge
  Casualties	26
  Survivors	None

• U-108 sinks the catapault aircraft merchantship Michael E (7268t) from Convoy OB-327 mid-Atlantic with the loss of 4 crewmen. 47 survivors are picked up by the British steamer Alcinous.
• The British steamer Beaumanoir (2477t) is sunk after two air attacks by German planes near Robin Hood's Bay. Also sunk by German bombing are the British steamer Prince Rupert City (4749t) in the North Sea with the loss of 4 crewman and the Belgian trawler John (197t) 90 miles southeast of Inglos Hofti.
• The Finnish steamer Kasteholm (5417t) sinks on a mine off Norway with the loss of 1 crewman.

Crete

People of Crete Fight Back

Resistance from the Civilian Population

Air Operations, Middle East

The R.A.F. bomb and strafe the oil installations at Beirut, Lebanon.

Air Operations, North Africa

Tobruk is hit again by Axis aircraft.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The German tanker Belchen (6367t) is sunk by the British light cruisers Aurora and Kenya near Greenland. U-93 rescues 50 survivors.
• U-48 damages and U-75 sinks the British tanker Inversuir (9456t) in mid-Atlantic. The entire crew is rescued.
• U-75 sinks the Dutch steamer Eibergen (4801t) from convoy OB-327 in mid-Atlantic with the loss of 4 crewmen. The British anti-aircraft ship Cairo rescues 35 survivors on the 7th.

• The British steamer Royal Fusilier (2187t) is badly damaged in a German bombing attack, then sinks 4 miles from May Island. The entire crew is rescued.

Italian East Africa

The British regain control of Debarech, near Gondar, Ethiopia, after the Italians have recaptured it twice.

German Raiders

Over the next 3 weeks British forces successfully intercept and sink 9 German supply ships. 7 of them have been sent to sea to cooperate with the Bismarck and the remaining 2 have been working with the merchant raiders. These interceptions all occur because of the British ablility to decode some German signals.

Air Operations, North Africa

170 are killed and 200 injured in a night raid on Alexandria.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The German tanker Gedania is abandoned and scuttled when the British auxiliary cruiser Marsdale appears. Royal Navy personnel manage to get on board before the tanker sinks and capture secret material relating to the 'Enigma' cipher machine.
• The British steamer Queensbury (3911t) from convoy WN-36 is sunk by German bombing west of the Orkneys. 11 cremen are lost.
• The German tanker Esso Hamburg is scuttled when it is intercepted by the British heavy cruiser London and the destroyer Brilliant in the Freetown Natal Strait. The entire crew of 87 is rescued.

• The German supply ship Gonzenheim (4104t) is intercepted by the British battleship Rodney. The light cruiser Neptune boards her and she scuttles herself. 63 survivors are rescued by the Neptune and taken to Gibraltar.
• The German tanker Gedania (8923t) is captured in the North Atlantic by the British ocean boarding vessel Marsdale. The tanker is renamed Empire Garden and placed in British service.
• U-101 sinks the British steamer Trecarrell (5271t) in mid-Atlantic with the loss of 4 of her crew. 42 survivors are picked up by the British steam merchant Cornerbrook.
• The British dredger Robert Hughes (2879t) sinks on a mine in the mouth of the Lagos River. The mine was laid by U-69 on 27 May.

Air Operations, Middle East

British Blenheim aircraft raid Aleppo airfield in Syria where Italian aircraft stand ready for action.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The Danish steamer Skandia (1248t) is lost in the Kattegat on a mine in the minefield laid by the British submarine Seal on 4 May.
• The German tanker Egerland (9789t) scuttles herself when she is intercepted by the British heavy cruiser London and the destroyer Brilliant in the south Atlantic. The crew of 94 is rescued.
• U-48 sinks the British tanker Wellfield (6054t) in the mid-Atlantic with the loss of 8 crewmen.
• The British coal hulk Himalaya (3540t) is sunk by German bombing at Portland.

China

In an air raid on Chungking, 700 Chinese are entombed and suffocate in a tunnel shelter.

Stampede Victims Caused by Panic

Prime Minister Sees Flying Fortresses

Battle of the Atlantic

• The German blockade runner Elbe (9179t) is sunk by a Swordfish from the British aircraft carrier Eagle in the South Atlantic. The British ocean boarding vessel Hilary rescues 19 survivors from the ship on the 21st.
• The Italian submarine Marconi sinks the British steamer Baron Lovat (3395t) and the Swedish steamer Taberg (1392t) from convoy OG-63. There are no losses on the British ship, 19 are lost from the Taberg.
• U-106 sinks the British steamer Sacramento Valley (4573t) 250 miles northwest of the Cape Verde Islands with the loss of 3 crewmen.

• U-43 sinks the Dutch steamer Yselhaven (4802t) 600 miles east of Newfoundland. Only 10 of the 34 crewmen survive.
• U-48 sinks the British steamer Tregarthen (5201t) north northwest of the Azores. The entire crew of 45 is lost.
• The British steamer Glen Head (2011t) is sunk by German bombing southwest of Cape Vincent. 27 crewmen are lost.

Germany, Strategy

Hitler's Directive for the Treatment of Political Commissars is issued by the High Command of the Armed Forces under Field Marshal Keitel's signature. Every Soviet military unit has a political officer, a commissar, who has as much power as the commander. This 'dual command' structure is militarily disastrous, as most commissars are uneducated and have little or no military knowledge.

'In the struggle against Bolshevism, we must not assume that the enemy's conduct will be based on principles of humanity or international law. Political commissars have initiated barbaric, Asiatic methods of warfare. Consequently, they will be dealt with immediately and with maximum severity. As a matter of principle they will be shot at once, whether captured during operations or otherwise showing resistance. The following regulations will apply: on capture they will be immediately separated from other prisoners on the field of battle. After they have been separated they will be liquidated.'

Air Operations, North Africa

Tobruk is bombed by Italian aircraft while the British hit Benghazi and Derna.

In another night raid on Alexandria 230 people are killed. The evacuation of 40,000 people from the city begins the next day.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-38 sinks the British steamer Kingston Hill (7628t) southwest of the Cape Verde Islands with the loss of 14 of her crew. 16 survivors are picked up by the British destroyer Achates.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-108 sinks the British steamer Baron Nairn (3164t) west of Cape Race with the loss of 1 crewman. 18 crew members are picked up by the Canadian corvette Chambly and land at St.Johns. 21 more crew members are rescued after 19 days in a lifeboat and land at Galway, Ireland on 27 June. U-108 next sinks the Greek steamer Dirphys (4240t) about 600 miles east of Newfoundland with the loss of 6 of her crew. 19 survivors make it to safety in a lifeboat.
• U-107 sinks the British steamer Adda (7816t) 82 miles west-southwest of Freetown with the loss of 10 on board. 415 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Cyclamen and landed at Freetown.
• U-103 sinks the British steamer Elmdene (4853t) 200 miles west-southwest of Freetown. All 36 of her crew are rescued by the American steamer Carlton.
• U-46 sinks the British steamer Trevarrack (5270t) from dispersed Convoy OB-329 southwest of Cape Clear. The entire crew of 45 are lost.
• U-48 sinks the Dutch tanker Pendrecht (10,746t), also from dispersed Convoy OB-329, 500 miles northwest of the Azores. All 36 of her crew survive in 3 lifeboats. The lifeboats are picked up by the British steamer Alresford, the British submarine Pandora and the American passenger ship Excalibur.

Mediterranean

The British submarine Clyde sinks the Italian steamer Sturla (1195t) 5 miles off Policastro.

Syria

At 0200 hours British and Free French forces invade Syria. The British have been increasingly worried by reports of a German presence in Syria in recent weeks. In fact, although German aircraft did use Syrian bases during the fighting in Iraq, they have all now left at the request of the Vichy authorities. The Allied attack goes in nonetheless.

British Field Gun in Action during the Advance into Syria

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-46 sinks the British steamer Phidias (5623t) north of the Azores with the loss of 8 crewmen. 43 survivors are picked up by the British steamer Embassage.
• U-101 sinks the British steamer Silverpalm (6373t) west of Ireland with the loss of all 68 on board.
• The British steamer Diana (942t) is sunk by German bombing southeast of Iceland with the loss of 1 crewman. The survivors are picked up by the British anti-submarine trawler Cape Portland. Also sunk in a German air attack is the British steamer Dagmar (844t) near Southampton with the loss of 3 of her crew. The Finnish steamer Fenix (1894t) is sunk by German bombing west of the Faroes with the loss of 1 of her crew.

Children in Gas Masks

Mediterranean

• The Vichy destroyers Guépard and Valmy bombard Australian troops advancing along the coast of Lebanon. 4 British destroyers move in to drive them off which results in a naval battle off the coast between the 2 destroyer groups. The Vichy ships are forced to retire but inflict some damage.

• The Spanish steamer Sabina (2421t) sinks on a mine 40 miles from Genoa. The entire crew are rescued.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-204 sinks the Belgian steamer Mercier (7886t) 450 miles east of St John's, Newfoundland with the loss of 7 of her crew. 61 survivors are picked up by the Finnish steamers Hammarland and Kemi.
• U-108 sinks the Norwegian steamer Christian Krohg (1992t) from Convoy OB-328 in the middle of the North Atlantic with the loss of her entire crew of 23.
• U-552 sinks the British steamer Ainderby (4860t) 130 miles northwest of Bloody Foreland with the loss of 12 crewmen. 29 survivors are picked up by the British destroyer Veteran.
• The British steamer Royal Scot (1444t) sinks on a mine near the Humber River entrance with the loss of 11 of her crew.

Bolivia

All tungsten mines over the next 3 years will be sold to the US, following the rejection of a Japanese counterbid.

Britain, Home Front

During a debate in the House of Commons, Churchill answers critics on the operation in Crete. Hore-Belisha declares: 'For the first time in history an island has been captured by an airborne attack.' He asks why all the mistakes made in Norway have been repeated in Crete. Churchill defends the decision to fight in Crete and declares it will pay future dividends.

Italian East Africa

In Operation CHRONOMETER the British launch a strong attack on the centers of Italian resistance in the Galla Sidamo region, southwest of Addis Ababa.

The Italians are commanded by Gen Pietro Gazzera, the senior Italian commander in East Africa since the capture of Amba Alagi and the surrencer by the Duke of Aosta. An Indian battalion lands and captures Assab, the last Red Sea port held by the Italians.

Air Operations, Europe

On the first of 20 successive nights the R.A.F. hits the Ruhr, Rhineland and ports in northwest Germany.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-79 sinks the Norwegian steamer Havtor (1524t) west of Reykjavik with the loss of 6 crewmen. 14 survivors are picked up by the fishing vessel Pilot.
• German air attacks sink the British steamer Baron Carnegie (3178t) in St George's Channel with the loss of 25 crewmen and the British steamer Moorwood (2056t) north of Whitby with the entire crew being rescued.

The Blitz

There are widespread night raids over England. Leaflets are dropped in rural areas of East Anglia threatening starvation as a result of German victory in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Diplomatic Relations

Trade negotiations between Japan and the Netherlands East Indies are broken off because the Dutch are unwilling to consider the exorbitant Japanese demands for raw materials.

Germany, Strategy

Directive No 32 is distributed to Germany's armed forces. In it is described a drive through the Caucasus to take over Iran.

Mediterranean

The British submarine Taku sinks the German steamer Tilly L. M. Russ (1600t) in Benghazi Harbor.

Atlantic

The British cruiser Sheffield rescues valuable secret documents from the German supply ship Friedrich Breme before her crew can scuttle her. 88 survivors are picked up by the cruiser.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

There are fierce air battles over the island of Malta between the Italians and the British fighters. The Italian war communique announces that 8 Hurricanes have been shot down for the loss of 2.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-553 sinks the British steamer Susan Maersk (2355t) 370 miles north-northeast of the Azores with the loss of all 24 of her crew. The u-boat next sinks the Norwegian tanker Ranella (5590t) from Convoy OG-64. All 29 members of the crew escape in 2 lifeboats and make it 300 miles to the Azores in 12 days.

• U-48 sinks the British steamer Empire Dew (7005t) north of the Azores with the loss of 23 of her crew. 19 survivors are picked up by the Norwegian destroyer St Albans.
• U-552 sinks the British steamer Chinese Prince (8593t) south of Rockall with the loss of 45 of her crew. 19 survivors are picked up by the British corvettes Arbutus and Pimpernel.

Diplomatic Relations

In a meeting in London, Allied and 'Free' European representatives pledge mutual assistance until victory is won. Churchill declares that every trace of Hitlerism will be 'blasted from the surface of the Earth', and that the R.A.F. 'will continue to teach the German homeland that war is not all loot and triumph.'

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-77 sinks the British steamer Tresillian (4743t) southeast of Cape Race. The entire crew of 46 is picked up by the US Coast Guard cutter Duane.
• The Italian submarine Brin attacks Convoy SL-75 in the middle of the Atlantic and sinks the British steamer Djurdjura (3460t) and the Greek steamer Eirini Kyriakides (3781t). 33 of the crew are lost on the British ship, 5 are rescued. The entire crew of the Greek ship are lost.
• U-107 sinks the Greek steamer Pandias (4981t) west of Liberia with the loss of 11 of her crew. 23 survivors make it in lifeboats.
• German air attacks sink the British steamer Kingstown (628t) 9 miles northwest of Bishops Light, Bristol Channel, the British steamer St Patrick (1922t) in St George's Channel, and the Norwegian steamer Ala (933t) southeast of Portsmouth. The entire crew of the Kingstown are rescued, 30 are lost on the St Patrick, and 1 from the Ala.

The Blitz

An attempted night raid on Chatham naval base completely misfires. Bombs are scattered widely over southern and eastern England while 7 aircraft are shot down.

Irish Sea

The ferry steamer St Patrick is sunk by German aircraft off Fishguard. 23 people are killed.

Norwegian Sea

The German pocket battleship, Lutzow, is damaged by a torpedo attack from a British Beaufort aircraft off the Norwegian port of Lindesnes. Lutzow returns to port and will be in dock until January 1942.

The German Pocket Battleship Lutzow

Air Operations, Europe

This begins a month-long series of daylight fighter sweeps by R.A.F. Fighter Command over the Channel and northern France.

Air Operations, North Africa

During the night Alexandria is bombed by Italian fighters.

Axis Diplomacy

Croatia signs the Tripartite Pact.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-751 sinks the British steamer St Lindsay (5370t) from Convoy OG-64 southwest of Iceland with the loss of all 43 of her crew.

Britain, Command

Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert become AOCinC R.A.F. Coastal Command.

Germany, Policy

Hitler informs his senior generals that during the forthcoming attack on the Soviet Union, prisoners of war do not have to be treated according to the Articles of the Hague Convention since the USSR has not signed. Soviet Commissars are 'not to be considered PoWs', they are to be summarily executed.

Italian East Africa

The British continue their pressure around Gondar and Debra Tabor and in the Galla Sidamo area.

North Africa

Operation BATTLEAXE begins which is the British attempt to raise the siege of Tobruk. During the afternoon British troops advance from Sidi Barrani to within 25 miles of the Libyan frontier. Towards evening, seeing the advance has been reinforced and is continuing, Rommel begins to prepare his troops.

The German 88mm

Battle of the Atlantic

The German supply ship Lothringen (10,746t) is captured by the British cruiser Dunedin. Once again, secret documents fall into British hands. By this time, Britain has captured vital documents and machinery for deciphering German secret codes, which is unknown to the Germans. The ship is renamed Empire Salvage for British use.

Mediterranean

The Vichy destroyer Chavalier Paul, carrying ammunition to Syria, is sunk by British torpedo-bombers.

North Africa

The major British offensive, Operation BATTLEAXE, continues. The aim is to relieve Tobruk. Wavell is still reluctant to attack, largely because the tanks which recently arrived on the TIGER convoy have had many mechanical faults and the time taken for repairs means that the troops have had a very short training period.

Although the 2 divisions involved, 4th Indian and 7th Armored, are both experienced formations, they are not at full strength and have been further weakened by changes in command. Gen Beresford-Pierse is in charge of the attack.

Three columns are sent forward, one to Halfaya Pass, one to Capuzzo along the edge of the escarpment and one inland to Hafid Ridge which is west of Fort Capuzzo. The attack of Matilda tanks is beaten off at Halfaya by the emplaced 88's, and without tank support the infantry units there can achieve nothing. A force of lighter cruiser tanks similarly loses heavily at Hafid Ridge. By evening some success is achieved as the British take Fort Capuzzo and the fortified position on the Hafid Ridge known as Hill 208.

The German radio intelligence gives them excellent tactical information and their dispositions of 5th Light forward and 15th Panzer watching Tobruk are more than adequate. On the whole Rommel is content to defend on the first day and, indeed, by the end of the day the British tank losses already leave them at a disadvantage.

A Burning British Tank

German 88 Anti-Aircraft Gun, an Anti-Tank Gun

North Africa

Nominally the British attack continues but the initiative has really passed to the Germans. The British 7th Armored Brigade continually attacks the 5th Light as it moves south. The British 7th Armored Brigade loses nearly all its tanks both to the Germans and to mechanical failure. The British 4th Armored Brigade withdraws from Fort Capuzzo in order to join up with the 7th Armored Brigade to protect the left flank of the British line from being encircled by the 5th Light. 4th Indian Div has to fight hard to hold off 15th Panzer. Halfaya remains in German hands.

Syria

The Vichy counterattacks continue. El Quneitra is retaken.

Washington's National Airport (DCA) Opens On This Day

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-43 sinks the British steamer Cathrine (2727t), a straggler from Convoy SL-76, 600 miles west of Cape Clear with the loss of 24 of her crew. 3 survivors are picked up 19 July by the British steam trawler Boreas.
• The British armed merchant cruiser Pretoria Castle captures the Vichy steamer Desirade (9645t) east of the Antilles.

Finland

Finland begins mobilizing its forces. A partial mobilization had been ordered on 9 June, and the northern Finnish air defense troops (30,000 men) had been placed under German command, although in reality the Wehrmacht already held the northern half of the border with the USSR. On 14 June, the Finnish III Army Corps had been mobilized and put under German command.

German Raiders

The British steamer Tottenham (4762t) is sunk by the German raider Atlantis in the middle of the South Atlantic. 17 of her crew are landed at Trinidad on 2 July. 26 crewmen are made prisoners of war.

North Africa

Rommel attempts to move his tank forces together early in the day to threaten the now-weakened British armor guarding the inland flank. The German 5th Light reaches the top of Sidi Omar and turns east towards Sidi Suleiman. Rommel orders up the 8th Panzer Regiment from Fort Capuzzo and sends them first southwest and then east. He hopes to launch a joint attack on the British at Halfaya Pass. After some confusion the whole British force begins to withdraw and Wavell is left to signal the failure of BATTLEAXE to Churchill. By the end of the afternoon the military situation on the Libyan-Egypt is back the way it was 2 days previous.

German Panzers

Air Operations, North Africa

German aircraft bomb the British troops pulling back from Halfaya Pass while British aircraft hit Benghazi.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-552 sinks the British steamer Norfolk (10,948t) 175 miles northwest of Malin Head with the loss of 1 crewman. 70 survivors are picked up by the British destroyer Skate.
• British destroyers Faulknor, Fearless, Foresight, Forester, and Foxhound, returning to Gibraltar after escorting the British aircraft carrier Victorious away, attack a submarine contact. U-138 is sunk by destroyers Faulknor and Forester 70 miles off Cape Trafalgar. The entire crew of 27 is picked up by the Fearless.

  U-138

  Class	Type II
  CO	Kapitänleutnant Franz Gramitsky
  Location	Atlantic, W of Cape Trafalgar
  Cause	Depth charge/gunfire
  Casualties	None
  Survivors	27

Diplomatic Relations

A German-Turkish treaty of friendship for 10 years is concluded by the Turkish government and the German ambassador in Ankara, Franz Von Papen. President Ismet Inönü has always been of the opinion that the Axis powers cannot win the war.

And despite German pressure, Turkey will at no time permit the future passage of Axis troops, ships or aircraft through or over Turkey and its territorial waters. This warns the Soviets off Turkish territory, saves the occupation of Turkey by the Germans and provides a lucrative war materials trade with Germany, especially the export of chrome.

Alliance Between Germany and Turkey

Axis Diplomacy

Italy and Germany ask that American consulates be closed in response to the American action taken on 16 June.

Baltic Sea

German warships begin laying mines in the Baltic, and German U-boats move to their war stations.

Battle of the Atlantic

After leaving Convoy HG-64 the British steamer Empire Warrior (1306t) is sunk in a German air attack about 3 miles off Guadiana Bar, Gulf of Cadiz. The entire crew is rescued by a Portuguese destroyer. The same fate fell to another ship from the same convoy, the Swedish steamer Gunda (1770t). Her entire crew is picked up by the British steamer Peterel and the British anti-submarine trawler Imperialist.

Italian East Africa

The British increase their efforts on the Italian positions at Gondar and Debra Tabor.

Mediterranean

Over the next 3 weeks ending 12 July, Australian and British destroyers and sloops carry out frequent night supply troop transport missions from Alexandria and Mersa Matruh to Tobruk. Sunk by Axis aircraft during the operation are the sloop Auckland and the destroyers Waterlieu and Defender.

Battle of the Atlantic

• A German u-boat, U-203, sights the American battleship Texas within the area the Germany has declared is the operational area for u-boats. However, after checking with the U-boat Command, the Texas is not attacked.
• U-123 sinks the Portuguese steamer Ganda (4333t) off Casablanca with the loss of 5 crewmen. 61 survivors are picked up and landed in Portugal.
• The Norwegian steamer Schieland (2249t) from Convoy FS-520 is sunk by German bombing in the North Sea. 9 survivors are picked up by the British destroyer Mendip.

Finland, Politics

All reservists under the age of 45 are called up in a general mobilization.

Mediterranean

• The Italian submarine Ondina sinks the Turkish steamer Refah (3805t) 40 miles south of Mersin, Turkey. 25 crewmen and 142 passengers are lost.
• The Italian steamer Buccari (4543t) is lost in an explosion at Taranto.

Soviet Union, Home Front

In Moscow, an air unit is set up for the defense of the captital. It is one of the few concessions to imminent danger of attack which the Soviets allow themselves.

Soviet Border Guards on Patrol

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British steamer Gasfire (3001t) sinks on a mine 10 miles east of Southwold.
• The British steamer Kenneth Hawksfield (1546t) sinks on a mine southeast of Lowestoft with the loss of 1 crewman.
• The German supply ship Babitonga (4422t) scuttles herself when intercepted by the British heavy cruiser London near St Paul Rocks.

Germany, Policy

U-boats are ordered by Hitler not to attack US warships.

Italian East Africa

British forces take Jimma, southwest of Addis Ababa and receive the surrender of the whole Italian garrison. About 15,000 prisoners are taken. Although Jimma has been Gen Pietro Gazzera's main base, he escapes capture with a small part of his force that are in the Galla Sidamo sector. A further 4,000 prisoners were taken earlier after an action at crossings of the Omo River, and many more were rounded up in smaller groups.

The remaining Italian forces retire to the west. Italian resistance in Ethiopia is not finished. The last detachments, dug in in the region of Laka Tana, south of Gondar, will hold firm until November under the command of Gen Guglielmo Nasi.

North Africa

Churchill decides to replace Wavell, Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in the Middle East with Sir Claude Auchinleck who has been Commander-in-Chief in India.

Occupied Yugoslavia

King Peter and Prime Minister Gen Simovic arrive in London.

Luftwaffen 2cm Flak 38

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-48 returns to Kiel after her twelfth and last war cruise. This U-boat has sunk a total of 54 merchant ships of 322,000 tons and the sloop Dundee.
• The British naval trawler Beech is sunk in a German air attack at Scrabster with the loss of 1 of her crew.
• U-141 sinks the Swedish steamer Calabria (1277t) from Convoy SL-75 100 miles from Inishtrahull Lightship with the loss of 3 of her crew. 21 survivors are picked up by the British destroyer Sikh.
• U-77 sinks the British weather ship Arakaka (2379t) 450 miles east of St John's, Newfoundland with the loss of the entire crew of 40.

Britain, Politics

In the evening, Churchill broadcasts saying that help will be given to the Soviet Union. He says, 'Any state who fights Nazism will have our aid... It follows therefore that we shall give whatever help we can to Russia'.

Diplomatic Relations

Germany declares war on the USSR. Italy and Rumania also declare war on the Soviet Union.

German Raiders

The British steamer Balzac (5372t) is sunk by the German raider Atlantic in the South Atlantic with the loss of 3 crewmen. 45 crewmen are made prisoners of war.

Eastern Front

Operation BARBAROSSA, the German attack on the Soviet Union, begins. Despite the massive preparations spread over many months and the numerous indications Stalin receives from many sources, the Soviet forces are taken almost completely by surprise and lose very heavily in the first encounters.

The German attack, however, should not have been unexpected. The Russian secret agent Richard Sorge, who is operating in Japan, had already reported it, specifying the forces which would be used as early as 19 May. On 15 June he actually reported the precise date the assault would begin. Confirmation of Sorge's information had come on 18 June from a German deserter who crossed the Russian border to escape court-martial. The Russian leaders, however, were convinced that the Germans were neither able nor willing to relinquish their operations against the British. Therefore, they gave no credence to these reports.

Operation BARBAROSSA German troops attacking the Russians German Soldier Inspecting

BARBAROSSA Begins German Panzer Troops Advance from Poland German Troops Moving on the Soviet Union

The Germans have assembled almost 140 of their own divisions (figures very in different sources), including 17 Panzer and 13 motorized units. Army Group North, commanded by Field Marshal von Leeb, has 26 divisions and includes 2 infantry armies and Hoeppner's 4th Panzer Group. Field Marshal von Bock leads the largest German force, Army Group Center, with 51 divisions in 2 infantry armies and Guderian's 2nd and Hoth's 3rd Panzer Groups. Army Group South is led by Field Marshal von Rundstedt and includes 41 divisions in 3 infantry armies and 1 Panzer Group as well as 14 Rumanian and 2 Hungarian divisions. German units from Norway in Gen Falkenhorst's Norway Army will join the attack in alliance with the 21 divisions of the Finnish army who are keen to regain the territory lost to the USSR in 1940. There are more German units in general reserve and others allocated for security duties in captured territory. Altogether, the Germans deploy over 3,000,000 men, 7,100 guns and 3,300 tanks. Each army group has support from a complete Luftflotte. The total strength is 2,770 aircraft, almost the same as in France but now spread over a much larger front. Of the 3,300 tanks deployed in the attack only 1,400 are Mark III or IV types. This is a rather greater proportion of high-grade machines than in 1940 but Hitler's wish to have many of them armed with better guns has not been met. The increase in the number of Panzer divisions compared with 1940 has been achieved by a reorganization made in September 1940, when tank establishment was halved so that the number of divisions could be doubled. The strongest Panzer division in May 1940 had 300 tanks; now the strongest has 199. The new Panzer divisions have made considerable demands on scarce supplies of others vehicles also. As well as the tank force there is now a significant number of assault guns (250), mustered in special infantry-support battalions. The assault guns are formidable machines but they are administered and commanded by the artillery rather than the Panzer arm and will come to compete with the true tanks for scarce production resources.

The logistic preparations for BARBAROSSA have been particularly difficult for the German High Command. It has only been possible to assemble even a bare sufficiency of motor transport by using German, French and other captured types, which will, of course, cause many problems with spares and maintenance. The captured vehicles, especially the French, will be found to be notably unreliable. In addition to the motor transport the forces moving into the USSR still employ 625,000 horses. A further difficulty for the Germans is that the Soviet railroad system runs on a different gauge and must be converted if German rolling stock is to be used in captured areas. The Soviet forces also have their problems. Out of a total Red Army strength of over 230 divisions, about 170 are in the western part of the Soviet Union and 134, 32 of them armored, are with the formations facing the Germans. The total Soviet tank strength is around 24,000 machines but only a quarter of these are in running order. The Red Air Force has about 8,000 aircraft facing the Germans but, again, many are obsolete or in poor repair. In all classes of equipment the most modern Soviet designs are simple and durable and at least as good as the German equivalent.

German Tanks before Their Deployment Soviet Tanks Moving to the Front German Troops Crossing Bridge near Przemysl, Poland

There are important gaps in the German's information about Soviet strength and equipment. They underestimate badly the manpower the Soviets have available and take too little account of the speed with which the Soviets will prepare new army and militia units. They also believe that the Soviets have a total of 10,000 tanks and they have no real information about the superior T34 and KVI tanks. There are 1,475 of these in various armored divisions. The KV type is almost invulnerable to the German tanks' guns.

However, the considerable Soviet resources are less formidable than their extent suggests. Following the purges of the late 1930's a large part of the remaining senior leadership of the Red Army had been made up from the 'Cavalry Army' clique, old associates of Stalin not always distinguished for their military talents. Marshal Budenny typefies this group, perhaps owing his preferment to his position as one of Stalin's favorite drinking companions.

The Winter War with Finland exposed many weaknesses within the Red Army and led to many changes. Some, like the re-creation of the mechanized corps in September 1940, are undoubtedly sensible but others have been wasteful. All the changes, sensible or not, have been made in an atmosphere of haste which has made assimilating them more difficult. Training has also been poor. Some of the tank drivers and mechanics have had about an hour's instruction altogether on their new T34's and KVI's. Soviet deployment is also very weak. Some units which are supposedly part of the front line are as much as 200 miles away in barracks or on training grounds. Other formations, 10th Army of the Western Front is the best example, are too far forward in dangerously exposed salients. Plans are under way to being reinforcements from the units deployed in the Far East but these have not yet become effective. Thus, despite Soviet manpower resources and useful stocks of equipment, the weakness of their tactical system, training and deployment means that they could hardly be worse placed.

Marshal Timoshenko is Commissar for Defense and Gen Zhukov is Chief of the General Staff. In the line from the north to south are Kuznetsov's Northwest Front, Pavlov's West Front, Kirponos's Southwest Front and Tyulenev's South Front. The balance of forces differs from the Germans in showing a slight preponderance in the south. Kuznetsov, Pavlov and Kirponos will all be replaced early in the campaign.

The German plan is for an advance by all 3 army groups. Von Leeb is to go for Leningrad, von Bock for Smolensk and von Rundstedt for Kiev. Army Group Center is to be prepared to give support to the flanks of the thrust rather than to press toward Moscow after Smolensk. This decision has been Hitler's own and is generally regarded by later military critics as unsound. Equally controversial is the timing of the attack. Since the war it has often been argued that despite errors in Hitler's direction of the campaign, the main reason why the German army did not reach Moscow and win the war in the autumn and early winter was the weather and that, if BARBAROSSA had been begun earlier in the year, Moscow would have fallen. However, it is by no means certain that even with a few weeks' grace the Germans would have been able to finish off their Moscow attack. Also, it is almost certain that Barbarossa could not have been started any earlier. The Greek campaign did not cause any delay and the Yugoslav campaign almost none (see April 25-29). The real causes of delay were that the winter and spring of 1940 was particularly wet, flooding the rivers of Poland and softening the ground. Even in early June the Bug was well over its banks in many places on the front of Army Group Center. It should not be forgotten also that any delay meant that the Germans could add tanks and lorries to their units. All this discussion is somewhat academic. The Germans were in no particular hurry because they believed that they could win in a matter of weeks, and foreign military opinion agreed with them. The Red Army proved everyone wrong.

On the first day of the attack almost everything goes the German way. The attack begins at 0300 hours with advances on the ground and simultaneous air strikes. The Luftwaffe begins its operations very early in order to be over the Soviet bases exactly at zero hour. By noon the Soviet Air Force has lost around 1,200 planes. The land battle is equally successful. Army Group North's Panzer spearhead advances 40 miles during the day and Army Group Center captures most of the Bug bridges intact. During the first 4 days Manstein's LVI Panzer Corps with Army Group North will advance 185 miles; Guderian's Panzer Group will make 270 miles in the first week. Other forces will do equally well. One setback for Army Group Center is that, although they win control of the town of Brest-Litovsk, they will not be able to take the medieval citadel or use the communications network centering there for several days.

Ribbentrop Announces the Invasion Captured Soviet Army Officers Wehrmacht Soldiers near a Burning Soviet Vehicle

At 11:15am Moscow announces the German attack to the Russian people: 'At 4 o'clock this morning, with no declaration of war and no demands made on the Soviet Union, German troops have assailed our country, attacked our frontier at many points and bombed Zhitomir, Kiev, Sevastopol, Kaunas and other places. Similar attacks by bombers and artillery have also been launched from Rumanian and Finnish territory. This incredible attack on our country is an act of treachery unequalled in the history of civilized nations. It has been carried out despite the existance of a non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Germany...and although the German government has never had the least cause for complaint about the way in which the Soviet Union has fulfilled its own obligations. The entire responsibility for this act of rapint must therefore fall on the Nazi rulers ... The government of the Soviet Union is deeply convinced that the whole population of our country will do its duty ... The government appeals to you, men and women, citizens of the Soviet Union, to unite more closely than ever round the glorious Bolshevist party, the Soviet government and our great leader, Comrade Stalin. Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours.' Stalin does not actually speak to the people himself until 11 days later on 3 July.

A supreme defense council, the Stavka, is set up immediately and 15 million men are called up.

NORTHERN SECTOR
The 4th Panzer Group makes good progress against the Northwest Front, especially the LVI Panzer Corps, which smashes the Soviet 8th Army's left flank and heads toward the Dvina River. The German 18th Army advances along the coast while the 16th Army heads for the Niemen River, forcing apart the Soviet 8th and 11th Armies. Heavy German artillery barrages and Luftwaffe attacks hinder Red Army movements.

CENTRAL SECTOR
The 4th Panzer Group pierces the front between the Northwest and Western Fronts. Reinforcements from the III and XII Mechanized Corps come under sustained Luftwaffe attack, and the German 9th Army inflicts heavy casualties on the Soviet 3rd Army. Meanwhile, the 2nd Panzer Group attacks Brest-Litovsk, whose garrison withdraws into the citadel. Under relentless attacks the Soviet 3rd, 4th and 10th Armies begin to fall apart, compounded by Luftwaffe strikes against troop concentrations at Bialystok, Grodno, Lida, Volkosky, Brest-Litobsk; and against airfields, and fuel and ammunition dumps. As the German 9th and 4th Armies maul the Soviet 10th Army, the Russian VI Cavalry Corps is virtually wiped out. The 10th Army begins to withdraw, while the XIV Mechanized Corps begins a day-long battle with the 18th Panzer Division. By evening the Soviet 10th Army has suffered severe casualties.

SOUTHERN SECTOR
The Luftwaffe achieves almost immediate air superiority, destroying more than 300 aircraft in the first three hours of operations. The 1st Panzer Group and the 6th Army attack the Soviet 3rd, 14th and 6th Armies as the Germans cross the Bug River. The German 17th Army attacks toward Lvov. As the day wears on, the Soviet XV Rifle Corps disintegrates at the junction of the 4th and 5th Armies. Gen Mikhail Kirponos, the Southwest Front commander, counterattacks with the IV and XXII Mechanized Corps but fails to halt the panzers.[MORE]

Order of Battle - Germans --Soviets

Baltic Sea

• U-144 sinks the Soviet submarine M-78 9 miles west of Vindava with the loss of her entire crew of 16.
• The Soviet destroyer Gnevny sinks on a mine off Hango.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Beginning this day and lasting about a week, the largest convoy battle to date occurs around HX-133. 10 U-boats are concentrated to attack the convoy, which at first has 4 escorts. The escort group is later reinforced by 9 more ships from other onvoys (which, partly in consequence, lose 2 freighters) and in the ensuing battles HX-133 loses 5 ships. 2 U-boats are sunk. This ratio of losses would be favorable to the British in the long run if it could be repeated.
• The British steamer Hull Trader (717t) sinks on a mine west of Cromer with the loss of 11 of her crew.
• A German air attack claims the British steamer Trelissick (5265t) about 3 miles southeast of Sheringham Buoy, Cromer with the loss of 2 of her crew.

Diplomatic Relations

The puppet state of Slovakia declares war on the USSR.

North Africa

Italian and German air raids on the fortress of Tobruk continue, but without appreciable effect.

Tobruk Under Air Raid

Eastern Front

The German attacks continue to make astonishing progress. The tank and motorized forces are already forging ahead. In the north the LVI Panzer Corps under Gen Manstein of the 4th Panzergruppe has advanced almost 50 miles. They cross the important Ariogala viaduct over the Dubysa River in Latvia. Hoth's forces, the LXII Panzer Corps under Gen Kuntzen and XXXIX Panzer Corps under Gen Schmidt, have captured Merech and Alyrus and have taken bridges over the Niemen after an advance of about 55 miles. In the central sector Guderian's tanks, the XXIV Panzer Corps under Gen von Schweppenburg and the XLVII Panzer Corps under Gen Lemelsen, have done slightly less well but have crossed the Bug River above and below Brest-Litovsk and consolidated at Kobrin and Pruzhani, 40 and 45 miles from the frontier. In the southern sector south of the Pripet River, von Kleist's 1st Panzer Group has made some ground also but there is a strong concentration of Russian troops, 56 divisions including 16 armored, on their front.

Elements of a German Panzer Division	Street Fighting Death
Hitler Travels to the Wolf`s Lair	A Wrecked German Tank

The Luftwaffe continues to batter the Red Air Force and disrupt the already exiguous Soviet communications. By noon on the 22nd 1,200 aircraft had been destroyed on the ground or in combat.

Chaos reigns in the headquarters of the Russian formations, not helped by directives from the general staff that reveal a complete ignorance of the facts of the situation, such as the on sent to the headquarters of the south-western front ordering the forces there to launch a major offensive and re-take Lublin, 30 miles behind the enemy lines, within 24 hours.

The Soviet III Mechanized Corps launches a counterattack against the LVI Panzer Corps but only succeeds in losing 70 tanks. The panzers reach Kedainiai toward evening. An attack by the III and XII Mechanized Corps against the XLI Panzer Corps near Rasainiai is equally disastrous, with the panzrs and Luftwaffe taking a heavy toll of Soviet vehicles. Meanwhile, the infantry of the German 16th Army continues their march toward the Niemen unopposed.

The German XXXIX and LVII Panzer Corps, heavily supported by the Luftwaffe, reach the Niemen while the VIII Corps captures Grodno. The Soviet 3rd and 8th Armies withdraw, creating a gap through which the panzers pour. Farther south, Heinz Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group advances toward Slutsk. Gen Dmitry Pavlov, commander of the Western Front, orders up his reserve, the 13th Army, in an effort to stabilize the front.

The 11th Panzer Division captures Berestechko, splitting the Soviet 5th and 6th Armies. Kirponos orders an immediate attack by the IV, IX and XIX Mechanized Corps in an effort to slow the Germans.

As the frontier armies collapse, the Soviets begin organizing the rear. The Central Committee meets and creates the High Command Headquarters, the Stavka. Stalin is the head of the Stavka, which also includes marshals and heads of service. As part of the reorganization of the Soviet command system, the Industrial Evacuation Group is formed. They are tasked with the responsibility of moving any equipment of possible use to the Germans to the east out of range of the enemy. This group will be instrumental in the long-term survival and eventual victory of Soviet forces during the campaign in the east.[MORE]

Axis Diplomacy

Recruitment of volunteers for service against the Soviet Union starts in Spain and Denmark.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Convoy HX-133, which has had 4 escort vessels, is to be given another 9 from other missions.
• U-203 sinks the Norwegian steamer Soloy (4402t) from Convoy HX-133 south of Greenland. All 32 of her crew are picked up by the British steamer Traveller. The u-boat next sinks the British steamer Kinross (4956t) southeast of Cape Farewell. Her entire crew of 37 are picke up by the Canadian corvette Orillia.

• U-371 sinks the Norwegian steamer Vigrid (4765t), a straggler from Convoy HX-133, 400 miles southeast of Cape Farewell with the loss of 26 of her crew. 21 survivors are picked up in separate lifeboats by the British destroyer Keppel and the American destroyer Charles F. Hughes (DD-428).
• U-651 sinks the British steamer Brockley Hill (5297t), also straggling from Convoy HX-133, southeast of Cape Farewell. All 42 of her crew are picked up by the British steamer Saugor.

Diplomatic Relations

Slovakie declares war on the Soviet Union. Hungary breaks of diplomatic relations with the USSR. An Anglo-Soviet mutual aid agreement is announced.

Eastern Front

The German attacks continue to make rapid gains. Vilna and Kaunas have been taken and Brest-Litovsk, which is now far behind the front line, is also assaulted. In the northern sector thr Russians launch a violent counter-attack.

Finnish forces land on Aaland and take control from the Soviet garrison. In the Arctic north, on the Russo-Norwegian border, Gen Eduard Dietl's mountain corps begins to advance from the Petsamo mining region toward Murmansk.

Despite fierce, although fragmented, resistance by the Red Army, the LVI Panzer Corps continues its advance toward the Dvina, cutting the road to Daugavpils. The German X Corps takes Kaunas and then holds it in the face of a Soviet counterattack by the 23rd Rifle Division.

The German LVII Panzer Corps captures Vilnius, and the XXXIX Panzer Corps advances east toward Minsk. The Soviet 3rd Army has been bypassed and is being reduced by ground and air attacks. The 2nd Panzer Group captures Slonim.

The German XIV Panzer Corps reaches Lutsk, but on this front Soviet resistance is intensifying as the XXII Mechanized Corps attacks the 13th and 14th Panzer Divisions east of Vlidimir Volynsky and the XV Mechanized Corps tries unsuccessfully to halt the 11th Panzer Division. To the south, the 17th Army captures Nemirov. As elsewhere, Luftwaffe activity is severely hampering Soviet movements. However, Kirponos is attempting to gather a large armored force to strike the flanks of the 1st Panzer Group and 6th Army.

Slovakia joins the axis coalition and begins sending troops into Russia to fight alongside Army Group South.[MORE]

Damaged Soviet Tanks	German Engineers Buiilding a Bridge
Street Fighting in Nemirov, Ukraine	Destroyed Soviet T-26 Tanks

Air Operations, Europe

• Blenheims, under heavy fighter escort, bomb the Hazebrouck marshaling yards in northern France. A munitions train and a bridge are destroyed.
• Russian bombers hit Helsinki and 5 other Finnish towns.
• The Luftwaffe has established air superiority over the whole of the Eastern Front. It can now focus on providing air support for the army.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-75 sinks the Dutch steamer Schie,a straggler from Convoy OB-336, south of Greenland with the loss of all 29 of her crew.

Eastern Front

Already the Germans are threatening to complete the first of their great encircling operations. The Soviet salient around Bialystok, containing forces of 3rd, 4th and 10th Armies, is menaced by an envelopment southwest of Grodno while a far deeper cordon is to be drawn closed at Minsk in a few days.

In the north Daugavpils is taken in the German advance and Hoeppner's forces begin working to take bridgeheads over the Dvina. The Russians attack Finnish defense positions and counterattack in the area of Murmansk.

In the advance of Army Group Center the first encirclement is closed by Hoth's and Guderian's forces near Baranovichi. In addition they reach Lida and Borodechno, more thatn 125 miles east of Bialysto, the headquarters of Pavlov, commander of the Russian western front.

In the southern sector the Germans occupy Dubno, and important town northeast of Lvov.

The Germans bomb Odessa, Kiev, Nikolayev, Minsk and other towns.

500 Soviet bombers strike Finnish cities and airfields. Finnish Prime Minister Johan Rangell announces that as a result Finland is at war with the Soviet Union as war is declared by an emergency session of the Finnish parliament. The immediate aim of the Finns is the recovery of the territory lost during the Winter War.

4 Junkers Ju-88 bombers, operating from Malmi airfield, bomb the Soviet heavy cruiser Kirov at Kronstadt but fail to hit the target.

The XXI Mechanized Corps tries to hold the LVI Panzer Corps west of the Dvina as the XII Mechanized Corps employs KV-1 and T-34 tanks against the XLI Panzer Corps around Rasainiai, causing the Germans some disquiet. The German advance toward Riga prompts the building of siege lines around the port. The Soviet 8th and 27th Armies are ordered to establish a defensive line from Riga to Kraslava.

The speed of the Blitzkrieg has resulted in the Soviet 10th and 3rd Armies being isolated around Bialystok and Volkovsky. The XXXIX Panzer Corps captures Molodechno and Lida while XXIV Panzer Corps races toward the Dnieper. Seeing the Western Front under threat of collapse. Timoshenko orders the 22nt Army to deploy on the front's northern wing.

As Kirponos prepares his armored counterattack, the 11th Panzer Division enters Dubno and Lutsk falls to the Germans. There is heavy fighting around Lvov between the 17th Army and the Soviet 26th Army.[MORE]

Lithuanian Militia Leading Jews Turku Castle after the Soviet Bombing German Shelling of Kovno

Air Operations, Europe

• The Germans bomb Leningrad. The Russians attack Bucharest.
• The Kassa Incident occurs. 2 aircraft bomb the Hungarian border town of Kassa killing 20 and injuring 41. Hungary blames the USSR, but the raid was probably fabricated by the Luftwaffe.

  Civilians View Damage

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  Diplomatic Relations

  Finland declares war on the USSR.

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  Eastern Front

  In the northern sector Hoeppner's IV Panzergruppe spreads out into Lithuania and takes Daugavpils on the Dvina, establishing a bridgehead across the river. In Army Group Center's sector, Guderian's and Hoth's tanks make their first contact at Slonim, between Baranovichi and Bialystok.

The siege of Hangö begins. A Russian garrison holds out in the naval base west of Helsinki until they are evacuated in December 1941.

Russian destroyers shell Constanta where a munition train explodes. During the bombardment the destroyer Moskva is damaged when it hits a mine and is sunk later by coastal artillery.

The Soviets launch an abortive attack from the Murmansk area.

The Soviet III and XII Mechanized Corps are destroyed beteen Siauliai and Rasainiai. As Manstein's panzers race ahead, the infantry of the 18th and 16th Armies struggle to keep up with the armored units.

The lead elements of the 3rd Panzer Group are now only 18 miles north of Minsk and the 2nd Panzer Group is approaching from the south. The jaws are closing on the Soviet units around the city. The Soviet 10th Army begins to fall apart and the 4th Army struggles to extricate itself. The Western Front is collapsing, and in desperation Timoshenko decides to build a second defensive line east of Minsk.

German Soldiers Advancing

Air Operations, Mediterranean

Hurricanes disperse a formation of Italian Macchi fighters off Malta shooting down 6.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-69 sinks the British steamer Empire Ability (7603t) from Convoy SL-78 200 miles southeast of the Azores with the loss of 2 crewmen. 107 survivors are picked up by the British steamer Amerika. U-69 next sinks the British steamer River Lugar (5423) from the same convoy in the same area with the loss of 38 of her crew. 6 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Burdick.
• In attacks on Convoy HX-133 U-564 sinks the Dutch steamer Maasdam (8812t) and the British steamer Malaya II (8651t) about 300 miles south of Iceland. 2 are lost from the Maasdam, 78 survivors are picked up by the Norwegian steamer Havprins. 41 crewmen are lost from the Malaya II, 6 survivors are picked up by the Canadian corvette Collingwood.
• U-556 is sunk by the British corvettes Nasturtium, Celandine and Gladiolus southwest of Iceland with the loss of 5 of her crew. 40 survivors are rescued.

  U-556

  Class	Type VIIC
  CO	Kapitänleutnant Herbert Wohlfarch
  Location	Atlantic, E of Cape Farewell
  Cause	Depth charge/gunfire
  Casualties	5
  Survivors	40

• U-123 attacks Convoy SL-78 and sinks the British steamer P.L.M. 22 (5646t) and the Dutch steamer Oberon (1996t) west-southwest of the Canary Islands. 32 are lost on the British ship, 12 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Armeria. The Dutch ship loses 6 of its crew, 28 are picked up by a British corvette.
• The Dutch steamer Montferland (6790t) is sunk by German bombing off Hartlepool. The entire crew is rescued.
• The British destroyer Wishart, which had just left Convoy HG-66, sinks the Italian submarine Glauco west of Gibraltar. 51 of the crew are rescued.

Diplomatic Relations

Hungary declares war on the USSR. A British military mission arrives in Moscow.

Eastern Front

Von Bock's Army Group Center, pressing on far beyond Brest-Litovsk, traps huge enemy forces in a pincer movement in the sector between Bialystok and Novgorod (now Novogrudok).

Von Rundstedt's Army Group South, with von Kleist's I Panzergruppe, breaks through between the Carpathians and the Pripet marshes in the direction of Kiev and Vinnitsa, southeast of Kiev. Russian resistance is dogged and sometimes brilliant.

Gen Mannerheim, Finland's national hero, issues a proclamation to the Finnish people calling on them to play their part in the 'holy war' against the Russians.

As the tanks of XLI and LVI Panzer Corps near the Dvina, Timoshenko orders Red Army units to muster on the river line. The German 18th Army encounters heavy resistance as it pushes into the Baltic states, and the 16th Army is mopping up in the wake of the 4th Panzer Group.

The Massacre of 68 Jews

The 2nd and 3rd Panzer Groups link up at Minsk, trapping the Soviet 3rd, 4th, 10th and 13th Armies.

Air Operations, Europe

German Ju-88s drop 1,800-kg 'block-buster' bombs on the besieged fortress of Brest-Litovsk, in former Russian-occupied Poland. The garrison surrenders the next day.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-146 sinks the Finnish steamer Pluto (3496t) 100 miles north-northwest of Butt of Lewis with the loss of 3 crewmen. 36 survivors are picked up by the British anti-submarine trawler Northern Duke.
• The Italian submarine Da Vinci sinks the British tanker Auris (8030t) west of Casablanca with the loss of 32 of her crew. 27 survivors are picked up by the British destroyer Farndale.
• The British steamer Barrhill (4972t) is sunk by German bombing northeast of Norwich with the loss of 5 crewmen.

Diplomatic Relations

Albania declares war on the Soviet Union.

Eastern Front

Troops of Army Group Center push on and threaten Minsk. Soviet troops fall back to new positions.

Fierce Red Army counterattacks against Daugavpils fail after savage fighting in the town. The Red Air Force fails to destroy the bridges over the Dvina. To date the Northwest front has lost 400 tanks and 200 artillery pieces.

As the Minsk Pocket is reduced, XXIV Panzer Corps reaches Bobruisk. Stalin removes Pavlov and replaces him with Gen Andrei Eremenko.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Convoy HX-133 loses 5 ships and 2 U-boats are sunk in this large escort versus submarine action.
• U-103 sinks the Italian steamer Ernani (6619t) 450 miles west of Las Palmas with the loss of 2 crewmen. 32 survivors make it to the Canary Islands in a lifeboat.
• U-651 sinks the British steamer Grayburn (6342t) from Convoy HX-133 south of Iceland with the loss of 35 of her crew. 17 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Violet and the British anti-submarine trawler Northern Wave.

  U-651

  Class	Type VIIC
  CO	Kapitänleutnant Peter Lohmeyer
  Location	Atlantic, S of Iceland
  Cause	Depth charge
  Casualties	44
  Survivors	None

• U-651 is then sunk by the combined efforts of the British destroyers Malcolm and Scimitar, the corvettes Arabis and Violet and the minesweeper Speedwell. The entire crew are rescued.
• U-66 attacks stragglers from Convoy SL-78 and sinks the Greek steamers George J. Goulandris (4345t) and Kalypso Vergotti (5686t) west of the Canary Islands. All 28 crewmen from the George J. Goulandris are rescued. All 36 of the crew of the Kalypso Vergotti are lost.
• U-123 sinks the British steamer Rio Azul (4088t) from Convoy SL-78 200 miles southeast of the Azores with the loss of 33 of her crew. 9 survivors are picked up by the British armed merchant cruiser Esperance Bay.
• U-564 sinks the Icelandic steamer Hekla (1215t) south of Greenland with the loss of 14 crewmen. 6 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Candytuft.
• The British steamer Cushendall (626t) is sunk in a German air attack south of Aberdeen with the loss of 2 crewmen.

Britain, Home Front

Lord Beaverbrook is appointed Minister of Supply.

Eastern Front

In the central sector, Hoth's and Guderian's forces, join up near Minsk, completing the isolation of another huge pocket around Gorodische, a little town in White Russia southwest of Minsk.

In Finland, the Finns attack the Russians in Karelia, while in the extreme north German troops advancing from Norway and Finnish forces are both engaged in the area of Murmansk and Petsamo. The prizes are the only port on the Barents Sea that is ice-free all year round and a nickel mine of great strategic importance. The final objective of the offensive in Karelia is to link up with the German Army Group North.

In Operation SILBERFUCHS (SILVER FOX), German ski troops led by 'Dietl of Narvik' begin an advance from northern Finland towards Murmansk. Over time 3 successive attacks all fail and Dietl's troops end up digging in along the Litsa River in September.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party issues a directive that establishes partisan groups to fight the Germans.

Gen Eduard Dietl's Operation SILVER FOX (the attack on Murmansk) gets under way. The 2nd and 3rd Mountain Divs launch their attack against Soviet positions. However, the terrain is inhospitable and the Germans make slow progress against determined opposition.

As the Germans breach the Dvina River line, the XXI Mechanized Corps is reduced to 7 tanks, 74 guns and 4,000 men. Libau falls to the German 291st Infantry Div.

Brest-Litovsk falls to the Germans. The Stavka orders a scorched earth policy in an effort to slow the German advance.

German Troops Approaching Minsk

German Troops Entering a Burning Minsk

The German 17th Army enters Lvov.[MORE]

Soviet Airfield near Bobruisk

A Destroyed KV-2 Tank

Air Operations, Europe

• The elite German fighter wing JG51 shoots down 100 Russian bombers who were attacking Guderian's Panzers east of Minsk. The CO, Mölders, personally destroys 5 of the Russian bombers.
• Moscow has its first air raid alert. It is a false alarm.
• There are daylight raids on Bremen and Kiel by the RAF. Halifax bombers participate in the Kiel raid.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The German floating weather station Launenburg sinks in the North Atlantic. Men from the British destroyer Tartar manage to get on board before she goes down and capture yet more top secret German documents.
• U-66 sinks the British steamer St Anselm (5614t) west of Madeira with the loss of 34 of her crew. 33 survivors are picked up by the British armed merchant cruiser Moreton Bay and the Spanish steamer Tom.
• The British light cruiser Dunedin captures the Vichy French steamer Ville de Tamatave (4993t) east of St Paul.

Japanese Tank Crossing a Bridge

Diplomatic Relations

Vichy France breaks off diplomatic relations with the USSR and freezes Russian assets in France.

Eastern Front

In the central sector the 2nd Panzergruppe take Bobruisk and begin to cross the Berezina. Meanwhile the mop up the big pocket at Bialystok, destroying the remaining Russian 10th Army.

Stalin orders the execution of Gen Dmitri Pavel and his leading officers for incompetence.

Troops from Army Group South take Lvov and attacks the Stalin line, the fortification system built by the Russians but entirely neglected by them when they advanced to the borders of Poland. Other units make deeper advances toward Kiev.

Gen Fedor Kuznetsov is replaces by Gen Petr Sobennikov as commander of the Northwest Front.

German Army Commanders Meeting

Ostfront Inspection Tour

XXIV Panzer Corps captures Bobruisk and establishes a crossing point over the Berezina River as Gen Pavlov is shot in Moscow for incompetence.