In eight months, Hitler is going to “Unfriend” you big time, Molotov.
The Battle of Taranto ended in decisive British victory. The British attack (Operation JUDGMENT) against Italian fleet at Taranto concludes. The 19 surviving Swordfish aircraft of the 21 sent to attack Taranto, Italy at 2300 hours on the previous day returned to the British carrier HMS Illustrious. At the cost of two Swordfish lost (one crew is captured), battleships Littorio and Caio Duilio are damaged and Conte de Cavour sunk; heavy cruiser Trento and destroyer Libeccio are hit by dud bombs. Battleships Vittorio Veneto, Andrea Doria, and Julio Cesare sail for Naples, to avoid being caught by a second attack by the British, which was indeed planned but failed to launch due to bad weather. Heavy units of the Italian Fleet will not base at Taranto again until May 1941. Littorio returns to service by 9 March 1941, Caio Duilio by 15 May 1941. Only Conte de Cavour is never again operational.
The Battle of the Strait of Otranto was fought, resulting in Allied victory. This was the destruction of an Italian convoy on 12 November 1940 during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War. It took place in the Strait of Otranto in the Adriatic Sea, between the Royal Navy and the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina). Force X, three British light cruisers and two destroyers from the Mediterranean Fleet, sailed north to the Strait of Otranto in the Adriatic on 11 November, catching a convoy of four merchant ships, with two Regia Marina escorts, returning from Valona that night. Force X sank the freighters and damaged an escort for no loss, then rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet.
Adolf Hitler issued Directive 18 for the capture of Gibraltar, Azores Islands, Madeira, and Portugal, codenamed Operation Felix. He also ordered the German army to be prepared in invade Greece so that the Luftwaffe could attack airfield from which the RAF might attack the oilfields of Rumania:
The Führer and Supreme Commander
of the Armed Forces — Führer Headquarters,
12th November 1940.
10 copies
Directive No. 18
The preparatory measures of the High Command for the conduct of the war in the near future will be made on the following lines:
- Relations With France The aim of my policy towards France is to cooperate with that country in the most effective manner possible for the future conduct of the war against England. For the present, France will assume the role of a nonbelligerent power and will thus be required to allow German war measures on French territory and particularly in the African colonies. She will also be required to support these measures with her own forces as far as may be necessary. The most urgent duty of the French is to secure their African possessions (West and Equatorial Africa), offensively and defensively, against England and the de Gaulle movement. From this the full participation of France in the war against England may develop. The conversations with France begun at my meeting with Marshal Pétain will, apart from the day to day work of the Armistice Commission, be carried out exclusively by the Foreign Office, in liaison with the High Command Of The Armed Forces. Further instructions will be issued when these conversations are concluded.
- Spain and Portugal Political measures to bring about the entry into the war of Spain in the near future have already been initiated. The aim of German intervention in the Iberian peninsula (covername Felix) will be to drive the English from the western Mediterranean Sea. To this end: (a) Gibraltar is to be captured and the Straits closed. (b) The English are to be prevented from gaining a footing at any other point on the Iberian peninsula or in the Atlantic Islands. The preparation and execution of this operation is planned as follows:
PHASE I
(a) Reconnaissance parties (Officers in plain clothes) will draw up the necessary plans for action against Gibraltar and for the capture of airfields. With regard to cover and collaboration with the Spaniards, they will conform with the security measures of the Chief Armed Forces Intelligence Division.
(b) Special detachments of the Armed Forces Intelligence Division, in secret collaboration with the Spaniards, will undertake to secure the Gibraltar area against any attempts by the English to enlarge the area they control or to discover and interfere prematurely with our preparations.
(c) Formations detailed for the operation will be concentrated at a considerable distance from the Francospanish frontier and without previous briefing of troops. Three weeks before troops are timed to cross the Spanish-French frontier (and after the conclusion of preparations for the occupation of the Atlantic islands) a warning Order will be issued.
In view of the low capacity of Spanish railways the Army will detail chiefly motorised formations for this operation, so that the railways are available for supplies.
PHASE II
(a) Units of the Airforce, summoned through observation in the Algeciras area, will set out from French bases and make a well timed air attack on English naval forces in Gibraltar harbour. After the attack they will land in Spanish airports.
(b) Shortly after this attack units detailed for operations in Spain will cross or fly over the Francospanish frontier.
PHASE III
(a) An attack will be made with German troops to seize Gibraltar.
(b) Forces will be made ready to invade Portugal should the English gain a footing there. Formations detailed for this purpose will enter Spain immediately behind the forces intended for Gibraltar.
PHASE IV
After the capture of The Rock, the Spaniards will be assisted to close the Straits; if necessary, from Spanish Morocco also.
The strength of the formations destined for Undertaking Felix will be as follows:
Army:
Formations detailed for Gibraltar must be strong enough to capture The Rock even without Spanish support.
A smaller force must also be available to support the Spaniards in the improbable event of an attempted English landing on another part of the coast.
Motorised forces will be employed in the main for a possible invasion of Portugal.
Airforce:
The forces detailed for the attack on Gibraltar harbour must be sufficient to ensure a resounding success.
Dive bomber units, in particular, are to be transferred to Spain to engage naval targets and to support the attack on The Rock.
Army formations will be allotted sufficient antiaircraft artillery to allow them to engage targets on the ground also.
Navy:
Submarines will be used to engage the English Gibraltar squadron, particularly when it leaves harbour, as is likely after the attack.
To support the Spaniards in closing the Straits, preparations are to be made, in conjunction with the Army, to bring over single coastal batteries.
Italian participation in the operation is not expected.
The Atlantic islands (especially the Canaries and Cape Verde Islands) will assume additional naval importance after the operations against Gibraltar, both for the English and for ourselves. Commanders In Chief Navy and Airforce are to consider the best means of supporting the defence of the Canaries by the Spaniards, and the occupation of the Cape Verde Islands.
I also request that the problem of occupying Madeira and the Azores should be considered, together with the advantages and disadvantages which this would entail for our sea and air warfare. The results of these investigations are to be submitted to me as soon as possible.
- Italian Offensive Against Egypt: The employment of German forces will be considered, if at all, only after the Italians have reached Mersa Matruh. But even then, the use of German air units will only be considered if the Italians will provide the necessary air bases. The preparations of the Armed Services for operations in this theatre or in any other North African theatre of war will be made on the following basis: Army: One Armoured Division (composition as already laid down) will stand by for service in North Africa. Navy: German ships in Italian ports which are suitable as troopships will be converted to carry the largest possible forces either to Libya or to northwestern Africa. Airforce: Plans will be made for attacks on Alexandria and on the Suez Canal to close it to English warships.
- The Balkans: Commander In Chief Army will be prepared, if necessary, to occupy from Bulgaria the Greek mainland north of the Aegean Sea. This will enable the German Air Force to attack targets in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and in particular those English air bases which threaten the Romanian oilfields. In order to be capable of fulfilling all tasks, and to keep Turkey in check, planning and march tables will assume the employment of an Army Group in a strength of about ten divisions. The use of the railway line running through Yugoslavia will not be assumed in planning the movement of these forces. In order to reduce the time required for the movement, the German Military Mission in Romania will be shortly reinforced to an extent about which I require advice. In conjunction with the proposed land operations, Commander In Chief Airforce will prepare to post air force units to the southeastern Balkans and to set up an Airforce Signal Service on the southern frontier of Bulgaria. The German Airforce Mission in Romania will be reinforced to the extent proposed to me. Requests by Bulgaria for equipment for its army (weapons and ammunition) will be met sympathetically.
- Russia: Political discussions for the purpose of clarifying Russia’s attitude in the immediate future have already begun. Regardless of the outcome of these conversations, all preparations for the east for which verbal orders have already been given will be continued. Further directives will follow on this subject as soon as the basic operational plan of the Army has been submitted to me and approved.
- Landing In England. Since changes in the general situation may make it possible, or necessary, to revert to Undertaking Sea Lion in the spring of 1941, the three branches of the Armed Forces will make every effort to improve in every way the conditions for such an operation.
- I await reports from Commanders In Chief on the operations laid down in this Directive. I will then issue orders on the manner of execution and the timing of individual operations. In the interests of security, special measures are to be taken to limit the number of those working on these plans. This applies particularly to the undertaking in Spain and to the plans relating to the Atlantic islands.
[signed] ADOLF HITLER
Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov arrived in Berlin, Germany for discussions about spheres of influence in the Balkan Peninsula and in Finland. In the morning, German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop reassured Molotov that Germany had no further interest in eastern and southern Europe. In the afternoon, Molotov met with Adolf Hitler and relayed Joseph Stalin’s request for Hitler to explain the recently formed German-Italian-Japanese military alliance and the recent German move into Rumania; before Hitler gave a concrete answer, he noted that as the hour was getting late, the risk of British bombing was getting greater, thus the meeting should be broken up.
Molotov arrives on 12 November 1940 at the Berlin train station at midday. German Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop meets him there and they then sit down for a meeting. They then proceed to the Reich Chancellery, where Molotov meets Adolf Hitler.
At the first meeting, Ribbentrop sets forth the New World Order which he has outlined in his letter of 14 October (delivered several days later). He states that the Axis Powers will divide the world, with the Soviet Union to possess India and Southeast Asia to the Persian Gulf. Basically, Germany will possess Europe, while the Soviet Union will take the remainder of the Eurasian landmass with the exception of areas in the Far East (primarily China) claimed by Japan. Italy would have, well, Italy, as well as parts of Africa where it had historic interests (but Hitler undoubtedly had desires for at least the restoration of the old German colonies in Africa, that was a common desire in Germany after World War I).
At the meeting with Hitler, the two reach some surface agreement about German/Soviet relations as benefiting from peace between the two nations — though both secretly are dealing in bad faith: Germany and the Soviets both are in the process of drawing up invasion plans against the other. The gist of Hitler’s remaining remarks is that the Soviet Union’s future lies in the East, not in Europe. Molotov, for his part, is not impressed by Hitler. Personal impressions aside — Molotov has some smart remarks to make about that later — Molotov is not impressed by Hitler’s attempt to focus the Soviet Union on Asia and the Indian sub-Continent. Instead, he zeroes in on issues in Europe, such as recent German agreements for troop movements in Finland which the USSR sees as threatening.
The essence of Molotov’s argument is that it is much too early to worry about Asia, as there are many issues in Europe that need to be resolved first. He is adamant that the Soviet Union has an interest and security concerns in the region. Molotov also finds it of concern that the Soviet Union is being left with areas that have yet to be conquered, such as British India.
Molotov will be in Berlin for another two days, so the talks adjourn after this meeting, with more meetings scheduled on the morrow.
Having realized that his staff made plans to move visiting Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov to bomb shelters in case Allied bombers attacked Berlin, Adolf Hitler realized that the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany did not have an adequate bunker, and immediate ordered for a plan to be drawn up. Digging would begin in the middle of the Chancellery garden in 1943, but the construction would never be finished.
A captured German airman warned of a planned bombing against the British city of Coventry:
“…by every bomber in the Luftwaffe….will take place by moonlight between November 15 and 20.”
Interesting, the official code name for the attack (unknown to the interlocutors) actually is Operation Mondscheinsonate (Moonlight Sonata).
The intelligence staff passes along the information, which it considers likely to be false. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, however, has the benefit of Top Secret Ultra decrypts. He knows the information to be true and also knows that the target will be Coventry. However, Churchill feels that he cannot say anything about this for fear of revealing the critically important Ultra operation.
British intelligence officers thought the airman was fed incorrect information in case he was captured, and the actual target would be London. On 14 November, a massive raid on Coventry by 440 German bombers killed 568, injured 863, and destroyed the city’s 14th century cathedral.
Greeks expressed belief that immediate danger of a big Italian drive was over today as their troops reported pressing retreating Fascists back toward Albania, where Greek and British planes pounded invasion bases. Except for one shallow salient in Greece, the invaders were said to have been driven into Albania on the whole central front.
The Greeks begin reorganizing their troops for a counteroffensive against the Italian invasion into two field armies, Ninth Army (Korçë sector) and Eleventh Army (Epirus sector). In the Epirus sector, I Army Corps under Lieutenant-General Panagiotis Demestichas takes over, with its troops including the Greek 8th Division. Along the coast, the independent Lioumabas Detachment takes over. The Greeks on the coast are still pushing the Italians back to the Kalamas River, attacking toward Igoumenitsa.
The Greeks are assembling overwhelming power against the Italians. Due to the absence of other threats and the assistance of the British, who are landing troops in Crete and near Athens, the Greeks can assemble their entire military to oppose the Italians. Greek commander-in-chief Alexander Papagos now has over 100 infantry battalions facing fewer than 50 Italian battalions.
Members of all parties in both Houses of Parliament joined today in mourning former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. It was not as a “has-been” of an outworn political philosophy that the apostle of the discredited policy of appeasement was lamented, but as a sincere and zealous man of peace who had been betrayed by the Nazi leader whom he once had trusted.
At Malta, reinforcements received in Convoy MB 8 of the 11th are put into position. The island now has six British battalions, two batteries of 25-pounder artillery, and a company of light I-tanks. The British War Cabinet considers these troops adequate for the time being and views Malta as a strategically important base from which to interdict possible Wehrmacht troop movements to North Africa. In part, the ongoing occupation of Crete is viewed as a bridge to Malta, which operates as a forward base against Axis troop movements across the Sicilian Narrows.
Vichy French forces in Gabon, French Equitorial Africa surrendered to Free French forces at Port Gentil 70 miles south of Libreville. Having successfully negotiated the surrender, Governor Georges Pierre Masson committed suicide shortly after the agreement was reached.
The Luftwaffe sends numerous small attacks against England during the day. At night, a large raid against London hits a movie theater, two American ambulance centers, and working-class areas. Other attacks take place in the Liverpool area and the Midlands.
The Spitfire IB enters service with No 92 squadron
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 77 aircraft to many targets in Germany and France overnight; the largest raid was by 24 Wellingtons to Gelsenkirchen but only 6 aircraft reached that target. Because of bad weather, only 19 of all aircraft dispatched bombed their primary targets. 1 Whitley lost. Bomber Command attacks oil installations in Cologne and Gelsenkirchen, an inland port at Duisburg-Ruhrort, and railway installations both near Cologne and in the Ruhr industrial region. In addition, it attacks the U-boat pens at Lorient, the ports of Flushing and Dunkirk, and airfields in northwest Europe.
The RAF bombs energy facilities in the Italian supply port of Durazzo in Albania.
RAF bombers raid Bahir Dar in the Horn of Africa (Italian East Africa).
Anti-aircraft ship HMS Alynbank arrived at Scapa Flow at 1530 after escorting convoy EN.23 to the Pentland Firth.
Destroyers HMS Brilliant and HMS Vimy arrived at Scapa Flow at 1200 from the Faroes.
Minelayers HMS Southern Prince, HMS Port Napier, HMS Port Quebec, HMS Menestheus, and HMS Agamemnon (on her first duty), escorted by destroyers HMCS St Albans, HMS Bath, and HMCS St Marys, laid minefield SN.43.
Polish destroyer ORP Piorun (former British HMS Nerissa) departed Greenock at 1500 to work up at Scapa Flow. She arrived at 1400/13th.
Destroyers HMS Exmoor and HMS Pytchley departed Skaalefjord. At 0906, the destroyers were ordered to return to the Faroes and await the arrival of destroyer HMS Douglas to relieve them of the escort of steamer Adda. On the arrival of destroyer HMS Douglas, they departed and destroyers HMS Exmoor and HMS Pytchley arrived at Scapa Flow at 1000/13th.
Destroyer HMS Electra departed Scapa Flow at 0900 for Aberdeen. At 1500, the destroyer met British steamer Ben My Chree and escorted her to Lerwick arriving at 0540/13th. Destroyer Electra returned to Scapa Flow arriving at 1200/13th.
Minelaying cruiser HMS Adventure laid mines east of Inishtrahull.
British steamer Argus (661grt) was sunk on a mine three cables 199° from south Oaze Buoy. One gunner was lost on the steamer. Thirty three crewmen and one gunner were rescued.
British trawler Lord Haldane (91grt) was lost in the vicinity of the Bristol Channel to unknown cause.
A second strike on Taranto by aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious was cancelled at 1800/12th due to weather conditions in the Gulf of Taranto.
Battleship HMS Malaya, light cruiser HMS Ajax, destroyers HMS Dainty, HMS Diamond, HMS Greyhound, HMS Griffin, and HMS Gallant were detached at 1830 to refuel at Suda Bay, arriving at 1000/13th. The force, plus destroyer HMAS Vendetta, departed that afternoon for Alexandria.
Heavy cruisers HMS York and HMS Berwick, both short on fuel, were sent directly to Alexandria, arriving on the 13th.
As a result of the British raid on Taranto, the major Italian warships were sent elsewhere.
Italian battleships Veneto, Cesare, and Doria with the 10th and 13th Destroyer Division left Taranto for Naples.
Italian heavy cruisers Zara, Fiume, Gorizia, and Pola with the 9th and 11th Destroyer Divisions left Taranto for Naples.
Italian heavy cruiser Trieste and the 12th Destroyer Division left Taranto for Messina.
Also, Italian light cruiser Bande Nere was transferred from Brindisi to Palermo and light cruisers Di Guissano and Diaz with fourteen destroyers were transferred from Augusta to Palermo.
Battlecruiser HMS Renown arrived back at Gibraltar after a sweep into the Atlantic, escorted by HMS Duncan and HMS Forester. Flag Officer, Force H, returned his flag to battlecruiser Renown on the 13th.
Armed merchant cruiser HMS Cilicia departed Gibraltar, escorted by destroyer HMS Foxhound as local escort, for the Western Patrol.
Convoy FS.334 departed Methil, escorted by destroyers HMS Verdun and HMS Wolsey. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 14th.
Convoy BN.8B departed Bombay carrying the troops from convoy WS.3. Carrying troops were steamers Rohna, Rajula, Egra, Lancashire, Indrapoera, Slamat, Dilwara, Nevasa, Takliwa, President Doumier, and Christiaan Huygens. Steamer Khedive Ismael carried troops from convoy WS.3 C. Steamers Clan Cameron and Rhesus carried stores and ammunition. The convoy was escorted by armed merchant cruisers HMS Ranchi and HMS Hector at the start. Cruiser Ranchi was detached on the 15th and cruiser Hector was detached on the 16th. Heavy cruiser HMS Shropshire joined the convoy on the 16th. At Aden on the 18th, sloop HMAS Parramatta joined the convoy escort. The sloop was with the convoy until 21 November. Anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Carlisle and sloop HMS Flamingo joined the convoy on the 19th and remained until 21 and 20 November, respectively. The convoy arrived at Suez escorted by sloop HMS Grimsby on the 23rd.
Convoy SL.55 departed Freetown escorted by armed merchant cruiser HMS Moreton Bay to 2 December. On 30 November, armed merchant cruiser HMS Cilicia, destroyers HMS Active, HMS Achates, and HMS Anthony from convoy OB.250, and anti-submarine trawler HMS Lady Madeleine joined. A German air attack on cruiser Cilicia caused no damage on the 30th, but one rating was killed and six wounded by two near misses.
On 1 December, when destroyer HMCS Saguenay was torpedoed in convoy HG.47, destroyers HMS Achates and HMS Anthony joined HG.47 and were relieved in convoy SL.55 by destroyers HMS Vansittart and HMS Veteran from convoy OB.252. On 2 December, all escorts were detached. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 2 December.
Convoy BS.8A departed Suez. The convoy was escorted by sloops HMS Auckland and HMAS Parramatta until the convoy was dispersed on the 16th.
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Hansberry v. Lee, 311 U.S. 32 (1940). This case limits res judicata (“a thing decided”) to the parties to a case. Of course, the previous case can serve as a precedent, but not as a bar to further litigation. The case involves a racially restrictive covenant in a Chicago neighborhood; the defendants argued — unsuccessfully — that a different plaintiff cannot also challenge the covenant because an earlier court already found it valid.
In one of the few defeats the National Labor Relations Board has suffered before the Supreme Court, permission was denied it today to force the Republic Steel Corporation to reimburse work relief agencies for wages paid to strikers. Such a requirement, said Chief Justice Hughes, in a six-to-two decision, would amount to a penalty upon Republic and was beyond the authority of the board to command. The powers of the board, according to the majority ruling, were remedial in assuring collective bargaining and correcting unfair labor practices, but not punitive, because Congress had bestowed no such power. A dissent was entered by Justices Black and Douglas, but three other Roosevelt appointees, Justices Reed, Frankfurter and Murphy, joined with the Chief Justice and Justices Stone and McReynolds against the Labor Board. Justice Roberts did not participate.
Three plants manufacturing explosives, one working on defense contracts, were struck by death-dealing blasts within 50 minutes yesterday, leaving a toll of 14 dead and at least 25 injured. All three plants were In the important northeastern industrial area, although in widely-separated sections of western and eastern Pennsylvania and the New York harbor shore of New Jersey. The Federal Bureau of Investigation quickly swung into action, announcing that operatives already were investigating the blast which took three men’s iives at the Trojan Powder Co. plant near Allentown, Pa. The concern has army and navy contracts totaling at least $202,150. In addition, the F.B.I. said, “observers” were sent to the plants of the Burton powder works of the American Cyanamid Corp., at Edinburg, Pa., near where three men were killed, and of the United Railway & Signal Corp., at Woodbridge, N. J., where eight died and at least 25 were hurt.
Representative Martin Dies, Texas Democrat, said from his home in Orange today that “the acts of sabotage the past 24 hours are only a beginning” and added that he is dispatching men to “every scene of trouble.” Dies said he had predicted “these things” would occur and that he planned to ask congress for $4,000,000 or $5,000,000 with which to conduct a nationwide “close-in” on all subversive elements. being engaged in government work.”
President Roosevelt cancelled the usual Tuesday press conference today with an announcement, through Stephen Early, one of his secretaries, that there was no news for the press.
The U.S. is digging out of the Armistice Day Blizzard.
Boat disasters on gale-tossed Lake Michigan last night added steadily to the toll of the season’s first heavy storms, while falling temperatures harassed wide areas which already had been damaged by high winds and blizzards. Known deaths attributed to the storms increased to at least 91. One freighter foundered in Lake Michigan and another was believed to have gone down, possibly adding 70 more to the mounting death list. The Chicago weather bureau said the winds, which were making lake rescue work difficult, would gradually diminish Wednesday but that no immediate relief from the abnormally low temperatures of the middle west was in sight. Eight of 16 bodies washed ashore near Ludington, Mich., were identified as members of the crew of the 7.200-ton William B. Davock, which carried a crew of 32 men. Four other bodies bore papers indicating they sailed with the 4,200-ton grain carrier Anna C. Minch, Wreckage bearing the name Anna C. Minch also was washed ashore, The other four bodies had not been identified. Several other vessels were unreported and coast guard cutters and patrol boats from several stations were battling heavy seas in an effort to reach stranded ships. Two tugboats, carrying eight men, were given up for lost. While winds abated in the midwest, a gale that registered 74 m.p.h. at its peak in Toronto whisked over Ontario. Several persons were missing in the province. At least 26 men who had embarked upon duck hunting expeditions perished in the storm country. Some drowned in the wild waters of lakes and rivers. Others froze to death. These fatalities included 15 in Minnesota, 5 in Wisconsin, 3 in Illinois, 2 in the vicinity of Windsor, Ontario, and one in Iowa.
Word of the Taranto raid is received in the Navy Department with “great satisfaction.” Secretary of the Navy Knox asks the Special Naval Observer in London, Rear Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, to “learn more details of how the attack was carried out, especially as to what extent aerial torpedoes were used.” Knox tells Ghormley the successful operation “did not a little to promote an most optimistic attitude hereabouts.” Everyone in the U.S. military is extremely happy about the raid and the effectiveness of torpedo destruction of fleets at anchor in fortified harbors. The Japanese are also quite interested in the technical aspects of the raid and will let the Americans know how much on 7 December 1941. This goes into the special file marked “Be careful what you wish for.”
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold Stark submits memorandum to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy proposing a choice of four war plans if the U.S. enters the war. He favors the fourth one, “Plan Dog,” calling for a strong offensive in the Atlantic and defense in the Pacific.
Los Angeles County airplane factories have sent 1,745 military planes, including 945 bombers, to England and 100 bombers to Australia, a survey showed today.
Walt Disney releases the movie “Fantasia.”
Alva Bradley wouldn’t fire Oscar Vitt on his players’ demand during the season, but he does now. Today he hires Roger Peckinpaugh to become Cleveland boss, the 2nd hitch for Peck.
The Chief of the Canadian General Staff rejects for the second time a proposal from Colonel Tommy Burns that it form a parachute unit.
The United States formally recognized General Manuel Avila Camacho as President-elect of Mexico tonight when President Roosevelt designated Henry A. Wallace, Vice President-elect, to represent him at the inauguration in Mexico City on December 1.
U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Louisville (CA-28) departs Buenos Aires, Argentina, for Santos, Brazil, as she continues her goodwill cruise in Latin American waters.
As United States Ambassador Joseph C. Grew uttered the last sentence of his speech yesterday, Emperor Hirohito nodded emphatically in approval of the passage in which the Ambassador invoked a future in which Japan might “increasingly contribute to the general culture and well-being of mankind.”
The Japanese and Dutch authorities — the Dutch remain a major power in the Far East — conclude an agreement regarding oil supplies to Japan. The agreement provides that the Japanese will receive 1.8 million tons of oil annually. This will partially make up for the Japanese shortfall due to the American oil embargo.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 137.41 (-0.71)
Born:
Ria Lubbers (née Maria Hoogeweegen), Dutch wife of Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers, and disability advocate, in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 2024)
Glenn Stetson, singer, concert promoter and television producer, in the Ottawa Valley, Ontario, Canada (d. 2003).
Died:
Joe Quinn, 75, Australian baseball player.
Naval Construction:
The Royal Indian Navy Basset-class minesweeping trawler HMIS Travancore (T 312) is laid down by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. (Calcutta, India).
The Royal Navy Bangor-class (Turbine-engined) minesweeper HMS Clacton (J 151) is laid down by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (Troon, Scotland).
The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) Type VIIC U-boat U-91 is laid down by Flender Werke AG, Lübeck (werk 295).
The U.S. Navy Gato-class submarine USS Greenling (SS-213) is laid down by Electric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.).
The Royal Navy LCT (Mk 1)-class landing craft, tank HMS LCT 18 is launched by Hawthorn Leslie & Co. (Hebburn-on-Tyne, U.K.).
The Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvette HMCS Quesnel (K 133) is launched by Victoria Machinery Depot Co. Ltd. (Victoria. British Columbia, Canada).
The Royal Navy M 1-class minelayer HMS M 4 (M 68) is commissioned.
The Royal Navy Dance-class ASW trawler HMS Rumba (T 122) is commissioned. Her first commander is Lieutenant Norman Edward Hendy, RNVR.
The Royal Australian Navy auxiliary patrol vessel HMAS Vigilant is commissioned.
The U.S. Navy 70-foot Elco patrol motor torpedo boat USS PT 12 is commissioned.
The Royal Navy Flower-class corvette HMS Hepatica (K 159) is commissioned with a Canadian crew at Quebec City, Quebec. Her first commanding officer is T/Lieutenant Charles Copelin, RCNR. She will be loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy in May 1941, becoming the HMCS Hepatica (K 159).
History Diaries 