It is another long, pitiless, brutal day at sea. German U-boat U-99 attacks British armed merchant cruiser HMS Forfar with five torpedoes between 0546 and 0657 hours, sinking her; 172 are killed, 21 survive. Shortly after, German submarines U-47, U-52, U-94, U-99, and U-101 attack Allied convoy HX.90, unescorted 300 miles west of Ireland, between 0400 and 0730 hours; her ocean escorts had departed on the previous day, and her coastal escorts fail to arrive due to poor weather. 5 ships are sunk (totaling 22,868 tons), while 2 are damaged; 119 are killed. After the coastal escorts finally arrive, U-94 presses one further attack after dark, sinking two more ships, killing 5. In all actions at sea this day, U-boats sink 13 ships, and damage three more.
U-Boats which make up the HX 90 wolfpack:
U-101 (Kptlt. Ernst Mengersen),
U-47 (Kptlt. Gunther Prien),
U-95 (Kptlt. Gerd Schreiber),
U-52 (Kptlt. Otto Salman),
U-94 (Kptlt. Herbert Kuppisch).
U-boats attacking OB 251:
U-99 (Kptlt. Otto Kretschmer), and
U-43 (Kptlt. Wolfgang Lüth)
U-boat attacking Convoy OG 46:
U-37 (Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen).
Deaths:
HMS Forfar: 172 dead, including Captain Norman Cyril Hardy;
Goodleigh: one crewman dead, 37 survivors;
Kavak: 25 crewmen dead, 16 survivors;
Lady Glanely: 33 dead, no survivors;
Ville d’Arlon: 56 dead, no survivors;
Tasso: 5 dead, 27 survivors;
Wilhelmina: 5 dead, 34 survivors;
Victoria City: 43 dead, no survivors;
Pacific President: 51 dead, no survivors;
Victor Ross: 44 dead, no survivors;
Samnanger: 30 dead, no survivors;
Galia: 16 dead, 6 survivors;
Jeanne M: 7 dead, 19 survivors.
There is a report that 5,000 Italian troops have surrendered in northern Albania. Collapse of Italy’s central defense line in Albania with the mass surrender of 5,000 Fascist troops was combined with new strategic gains in the south near the coast to precipitate another disorganized Italian retreat on a 100-mile front, a Greek government spokesman said early today. Increased British operations in the Grecian war sector were predicted today by observers in Egypt who expressed the belief Great Britain’s armies would carry the fight to the axis in southeastern Europe. These observers said they believed Adolf Hitler would have to come to Premier Mussolini’s aid within the next week or two if Italian reinforcements pouring into Albania failed to turn the tide of battle with the Greeks and regain prestige the Italians lost when their attempted invasion of Greece backfired.
The Greek commander-in-chief, Alexandros Papagos, and Crown Prince Paul visit the front on the right-wing of the line on 2 December 1940. The commanders at the front, Lieutenant-General Ioannis Pitsikas of the Western Macedonian Army Section (TSDM) and Lieutenant-General Georgios Tsolakoglou (III Army Corps) urge an immediate attack into the Klisura Pass to take advantage of Italian disarray. However, Papagos decides to wait for I and II Corps to advance further and create a more even front. This forces III Corps, which has advanced the furthest, to cease its attacks for the time being, while the units on the left catch up. The other Greek troops are advancing slowly; Greek I Corps is in Sucha Pass, while Greek II Corps in the central sector begins attacking again.
The RAF bombs Salona.
On the Italian side, Mussolini is losing his nerve and thinking about seeking an armistice – he only began the invasion a month ago! -via German mediation. His rationale for continuing is that the Greeks have little war industry, and their supplies only come from the British. He is very upset with his military leaders, however, and considering sacking them.
Troop trains bearing four fresh German divisions to Rumania sped through Hungary today under circumstances suggesting that Germany was preparing to halt the disorders sweeping parts of that country unless the Rumanians themselves acted effectively. These Nazi fighting men numbering perhaps 60,000 entered Hungary by way of Slovakia. They will supplement heavy German forces already quartered in Rumania and guarding the Rumanian pipelines and oil fields which are so vital to the German war machine. Informed quarters in Budapest, Hungary, said a United Press dispatch, suspected that new German troop movements into Rumania might be connected with a forthcoming Nazi move eastward and southward, rather than with suppression of the Rumanian disorders, in as much as Adolf Hitler for a month has had enough troops there to deal with such internal troubles if necessary.
Count Stephen Csáky, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, is expected to arrive in Belgrade some time this week. His trip is connected with the forthcoming conclusion of a Hungarian-Yugoslav pact of friendship, similar to that existing between this country and Bulgaria.
In a significant act of defiance, the Spanish dictator, General Franco, today ignored pressure from Nazi Germany and signed a financial pact with Britain. At the same time Franco gave a categorical assurance to Britain and the US that in no circumstances will Spain join the war against Britain or allow Spain to be used for military operations. The pact with Britain will release Spanish funds in London which have been frozen since the start of the Spanish Civil War.
CIGS telegrams C-in-C Med. to make landing craft and ships available for use in Operation Compass (the British attack against the Italians in Egypt) if requested.
General Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief Middle East Command, meets in Cairo with Lieutenant General William Platt, General Officer Commanding Sudan Defence Force, from the Sudan and Lieutenant General Alan Cunningham, (brother of the naval C-in-C) General Officer Commanding 51st Division, from Kenya. They decide that an operation must be planned to recapture Kassala in East Africa. But this would need at least one infantry division to be supplied from Egypt and that in turn would depend upon the outcome of the forthcoming offensive.
British Admiral of the Fleet William Boyle (Earl of Cork and Orrery) arrived at Gibraltar aboard destroyer HMS Jersey to conduct a Board of Inquiry into Admiral James Somerville’s decision to disengage at the Battle of Spartivento. Somerville will soon be exonerated.
Great War RAF legend Air Marshal Sir High Trenchard declines Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s offer of a staff position and continues to serve in an unofficial capacity.
The British sign a financial agreement with Spain that essentially is a care package. Franco is engaged in a delicate dance between the Allies and Axis in which he is attempting to stay out of the conflict but receive anything that he can from both sides. Around this time, Hitler drafts a letter to Franco requesting the right of transit for German troops to attack Gibraltar, but Franco replies that he wants to wait until Great Britain “was on the point of collapse.”
Overnight, German bombers heavily bombed Bristol, England, United Kingdom. The Luftwaffe switches from Southampton to Bristol as its main target, sending 120 bombers against it. For the past month, the Germans have concentrated on a succession of moderate-sized cities to hammer two or more times in a row – Coventry, Birmingham, Southampton included. London still receives attention, but the Luftwaffe high command apparently has decided that there is more impact by destroying a single smaller city than gradually demolishing London.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 6 Blenheims in daylight; 2 aircraft bombed targets. No losses.
RAF Coastal Command attacks Axis shipping off Norway.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 9 Whitleys overnight to Lorient, they encountered thick cloud and only 4 bombed. No losses but 4 aircraft crashed in England.
RAF bombers attack Naples, Catania, and Augusta. In North Africa, they attack the airfield at Benina and Italian communications and various targets in Italian Somaliland.
U-37, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Asmus Nicolai Clausen, sank Swedish steamer Gwalia (1258grt) in 39‑22N, 14‑22W, straggling behind OG.46. At 0418 hours the Gwalia in convoy OG.46 was hit amidships by one torpedo from U-37 and sank. The survivors from Gwalia were picked up from a raft after 11 days by a British destroyer and landed at Gibraltar. The 1,258-ton Gwalia was carrying coal and mail and was bound for Lisbon, Portugal.
U-37 also sank British steamer Jeanne M. (2465grt) in convoy OG.46 and attacked another steamer without result in 39‑19N, 13‑54W. At 0418 hours the Gwalia in convoy OG.46 was torpedoed and sunk by U-37, followed by the Jeanne M. at 0446 hours about 230 miles north of Cape Roca, Portugal. After a third attack at the same convoy the U-boat observed a burning tanker, but this cannot be confirmed from Allied sources. Seven crew members from the Jeanne M. (Master Jonathan MacInnes) were lost. The master and 18 crew members were picked up by HMS Erin (A/Cdr J.O. Davies, RNR). The 2,465-ton Jeanne M. was carrying coal and was bound for Lisbon, Portugal.
U-43, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Lüth, in attacks on convoy HX.90 sank British steamer Pacific President (7113grt) in 56‑04N, 18‑45W and tanker Victor Rose (12,247grt) in 56‑04N, 18‑30W.
At 0901 hours the Pacific President (Master James Smith Stuart) in convoy OB.251 was hit by two torpedoes from U-43 and sank fast by the bow west-southwest of Rockall. The master, 50 crew members and one gunner were lost. The 7,113-ton Pacific President was carrying ballast and was bound for New York, New York.
At 0941 hours the Victor Ross (Master Ernest Butler Case) in convoy OB.251 was hit by two torpedoes from U-43 and sank by the stern after being hit aft by a coup de grâce at 1015 hours 355 miles 210° from Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal. The tanker had been missed by a first coup de grâce at 0950 hours and the U-boat had to evade a ramming attempt by diving shortly afterwards. The master, 42 crew members and one gunner were lost. The 12,247-ton Victor Ross was carrying ballast and was bound for New York, New York.
U-47, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien, in attacks on convoy HX.90 sank Belgian steamer Ville D’Arlon (7555grt) in 55‑00N, 19‑30W and badly damaged British tanker Conch (8376grt) and steamer Dunsley (3,862 GRT) in 55‑40N, 19‑00W.
At 0409 hours the unescorted Ville d’Arlon (Master Albert Wilding) was hit on starboard side aft of amidships by one G7e torpedo from U-47 and sank quickly with a heavy list about 250 miles southwest of Rockall. The ship had been in station #71 of convoy HX.90, but became a straggler due to steering troubles and laid stopped when attacked by the U-boat, presumably carrying out repairs. The master, 55 crew members and one passenger (DBS) were lost. The 7,555-ton Ville d´Arlon was carrying general cargo and was bound for Liverpool, England.
At 0525 hours the Conch (Master Charles George Graham) in convoy HX.90 was hit by one torpedo from U-47 (Prien) about 370 miles west of Bloody Foreland in 55°40N/19°00W and dropped behind the convoy. Between 0905 and 0932 hours, U-95 (Schreiber) fired four torpedoes at the Conch and hit twice the foreship with only little effect and stopped the vessel with a hit in the engine room, but was then attacked by a destroyer and driven away. The abandoned tanker was finally sunk by one torpedo from U-99 at 1058 hours on 3 December. The master and 52 crew members were picked up by the HMCS St. Laurent (H 83) (Lt H.S. Rayner, RCN) and landed at Greenock.
At 0606 hours the Dunsley, a straggler from convoy HX.90, was damaged by gunfire by U-47. The U-boat fired eleven rounds of 88mm and scored five hits. The deck cargo caught fire, but was extinguished by the crew after U-47 broke off the attack. The shelling damaged also shell plates, derricks and masts. The 3,862-ton Dunsley was carrying steel and timber and was bound for Immingham, England.
U-52, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Otto Salman, in attacks on convoy HX.90 sank British steamers Tasso (1586grt) in 55‑03N, 18‑04W and Goodleigh (5448grt) in 55‑02N, 18‑45W, damaged Dunsley (3862grt) in 54‑41N, 18‑41W.
At 0723 hours, U-52 fired a torpedo at Tasso (Master Arnold Herbert) in convoy HX.90, hit the ship amidships and caused her to sink about 360 miles west of Bloody Foreland. Five crew members were lost. The master and 26 crew members were picked up by HMS Viscount (D 92) and landed at Liverpool. The 1,586-ton Tasso was carrying logs and was bound for Oban, Scotland.
At 0725 hours, U-52 attacked the convoy HX.90 about 367 miles west of Bloody Foreland and sank two ships, the Tasso and Goodleigh. At 0735 hours, the U-boat fired the stern torpedo, which probably struck one of the ships hit in the first attack. The master, 34 crew members and one gunner from the Goodleigh (Master William Wilson Quaitre) were picked up by HMS Viscount (D 92) (LtCdr M.S. Townsend, OBE, DSC, RN) and landed at Liverpool. One crew member was lost. The 5,448-ton Goodleigh was carrying lumber and spelter and was bound for Oban, Scotland.
U-94, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Herbert Kuppisch, in attacks on convoy HX.90 sank British steamers Stirlingshire (6022grt) in 55‑36N, 16‑22W and Wilhelmina (6725grt) in 55‑43N, 15‑06W.
At 1823 hours the Stirlingshire (Master Charles Edward O’Byrne) in convoy HX.90 was hit amidships by one G7e torpedo from U-94 and sank with a starboard list about 280 miles west by north of Bloody Foreland. The master, 72 crew members and one gunner were picked up by the British steam merchant Empire Puma from the same convoy and landed at Liverpool. The 6,022-ton Stirlingshire was carrying sugar, lead, refrigerated foodstuffs, and general cargo and was bound for Liverpool, England.
Between 2216 and 2217 hours, U-94 fired three single torpedoes at a tanker and two steamers in convoy HX.90 265 miles west of Bloody Foreland and observed two hits on the tanker and one on a steamer identified as W. Hendrik, which was missed by a coup de grâce at 0005 hours on 3 December. Only Wilhelmina (Master James Black Rue) in station #91 was hit and sunk in this attack. Four crew members and one gunner were lost. The master and 33 crew members were picked up by HMS Gentian (K 90) (LtCdr R.O. Yeomans, RNR) and landed at Gourock. The British steam merchant W. Hendrik (4360 grt) in station #81 apparently thought that they had been hit when the other ship was torpedoed, sent a distress signal and stopped. She was in fact undamaged and continued with the convoy, but was bombed and sunk by a German aircraft on 3 December. The 6,725-ton Wilhelmina was carrying general cargo, fish, and wood pulp and was bound for Liverpool, England.
U-99, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Otto Kretschmer, sank armed merchant cruiser Forfar (Captain N. A. C. Hardy), which had departed convoy HX.90 to join OB.251, in 54‑35N, 18‑18W. At 0546 hours HMS Forfar (F 30) (Capt N.A.C. Hardy, RN) was hit by one torpedo from U-99 after she had just left the convoy HX.90 bound for OB.251 about 500 miles west of Ireland. She finally sank at 0657 hours, after four additional torpedo hits at 0639, 0643, 0650 and 0657 hours. The master, 35 officers and 136 naval ratings were lost. Three officers and 18 naval ratings were rescued by HMCS St. Laurent (H 83) (Lt H.S. Rayner, RCN), HMS Viscount (D 92) (LtCdr M.S. Townsend, OBE, DSC, RN) and the Dunsley and landed at Oban.
U-99 sank Norwegian steamer Samnanger (4276grt) west of Ireland. On 29 Nov 1940 the Samnanger (Master Andreas Hansen) was reported missing after straggling from OB.251 and was wrongly reported lost on 21 December in 08°26N/16°50W. In the afternoon on 2 December, U-99 spotted and identified the Samnanger west of Ireland and followed her for a night attack because the periscope was inoperative. At 20.50 hours, one G7e torpedo was fired that hit amidships and caused a list to starboard. After the crew abandoned ship in the lifeboats, the U-boat began shelling the starboard side of the ship with 27 high explosive and 25 incendiary shells from the deck gun, setting her on fire. The ship capsized and sank after several hours. While the Germans had observed the crew to abandon ship, no survivors were ever found. The 4,276-ton Samnanger was carrying ballast and was bound for Pepel, Sierra Leone.
U-101, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Ernst Mengersen, in attacks on convoy HX.90 sank British steamers Kavak (2782grt) in 55‑00N, 19‑30W and Lady Glanely (5497grt) in 55‑00N, 20‑00W, attacked and claimed damaging another steamer with Kavak, but no confirmation is available.
At 0406 hours U-101 attacked the convoy HX.90 about 340 miles west of Bloody Foreland and reported one ship sunk and another damaged. In fact, only Kavak (Master Jackson Napier) was hit and sunk. The master, 23 crew members and one gunner were lost. 15 crew members and one gunner were picked up by HMS Viscount (D 92) (LtCdr M.S. Townsend, OBE, DSC, RN) and landed at Liverpool. The 2,782-ton Kavak was carrying bauxite and pitch and was bound for Newport, England.
At 0507 hours the Lady Glanely (Master Alexander Hughson) in convoy HX.90 was torpedoed and sunk by U-101 about 410 miles west of Bloody Foreland. The master, 32 crew members and one gunner were lost. The 5,497-ton Lady Glanely was carrying wheat and lumber and was bound for London, England.
In an appointment announced on 18 October, Admiral Sir J. C. Tovey assumed Commander in Chief, Home Fleet relieving Admiral Sir C. M. Forbes on the 2nd. Tovey had been Vice Admiral, Light Forces in the Mediterranean being relieved by Rear Admiral H. D. Pridham-Wipple in November 1940.
Battleship HMS King George V with destroyers HMS Somali (Captain D.6), HMS Mashona, HMS Beagle, and HMS Bulldog departed Rosyth at 1445 for the Scapa Flow exercise area for trials.
Anti-aircraft ship HMS Alynbank arrived at Scapa Flow at 0700 after escorting convoy EN.34.
Destroyer HMS Vimy departed the Tyne at 1650 for Rosyth arriving at 0700/3rd.
Destroyer HMS Maori departed Rosyth for the Tyne for repairs completed on 14 January.
Destroyer HMS Matabele was taken in hand at Rosyth for docking and repairs.
Destroyer HMS Campbeltown was damaged when destroyer HMS Caldwell was blown into her while refueling at Belfast.
During the night of 2/3 December, German torpedo boats Iltis and Jaguar from Cherbourg laid minefield OSKAR off Dover.
British steamer Jolly Girls (483grt) was sunk on a mine 18 cables 101° from North Pier Light, Tyne. The entire crew of the steamer were rescued.
British trawler Kilgerran Castle (276grt) was sunk by German bombing in 51‑21N, 08‑35W. There were no casualties on the British trawler.
Light cruiser HMS Manchester, escorted by destroyers HMS Hasty and HMS Hereward departed Alexandria for Gibraltar. The ships called at Suda Bay at 0900/3rd. Light cruiser HMS Manchester and heavy cruiser HMS York departed Suda Bay at noon. At dark, heavy cruiser York was detached and light cruiser Manchester then set off on her own arriving at Gibraltar at 1100/6th.
HMS Hermes made rendezvous with light cruiser HMS Dragon in the South Atlantic.
Light cruiser HMS Southampton departed Alexandria for Suez. She departed Suez that day to meet troop convoy WS.4B coming from the Cape.
Heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire departed Durban.
Australian destroyers HMAS Voyager and HMAS Vendetta departed Alexandria and Port Said, respectively, with steamers for convoy AN.8 of five ships, two British. The convoy arrived at Piraeus on the 6th.
Destroyer HMS Jersey arrived at Gibraltar with Admiral of the Fleet the Earl of Cork and Orrery for a Board of Inquiry over the Battle of Spartivento.
Ocean boarding vessel HMS Marsdale arrived at Gibraltar from Western Patrol, escorted by destroyer HMS Encounter.
Convoy OB.253 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers HMS Vansittart and HMS Westcott and corvettes HMS Candytuft and HMS Honeysuckle. The escort was detached on the 6th.
Convoy FN.348 departed Southend, escorted by destroyers HMS Verdun and HMS Wolsey. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 4th.
In Washington today, President Roosevelt conferred for two hours with the new Ambassador to France, Admiral William D. Leahy, signed three Constitutional amendments for the Philippines, and departed for a fifteen-day cruise presumably in the Caribbean, during which he may inspect defenses and new bases.
The Senate received the Vandenberg bill for creation of an economic defense board to replace the Tariff Commission, heard Mr. Vandenberg’s objection to the present confirmation of J. Warren Madden to be a member of the Court of Claims, received the nomination of Abner M. Ferguson to be FHA Administrator, and recessed at 1:05 PM, until noon Thursday.
The House passed, 176 to 51, the Logan-Walter bill as amended by the Senate and sent it to the White House; heard Representative Randolph of West Virginia urge passage of the Mine Inspection Bill, heard Representative Ford of California criticize the Justice Department as failing to curb subversive activities, and adjourned at 2:25 PM, until noon Thursday.
President Roosevelt and crony Harry Hopkins depart from Washington by train to Miami, where they will conduct a tour of the Caribbean on the cruiser USS Tuscaloosa. His plans surrounded with unusual secrecy, President Roosevelt sped southward toward Florida today, apparently to embark on a Caribbean cruise combining recreation with an inspection of insular defense fortifications. When his special train left Washington around mid-day, his destination was announced. Several hours later, Major-Gen. E. M. Watson, White House secretary, said that Mr. Roosevelt would board the cruiser Tuscaloosa at Miami tomorrow afternoon for a cruise, the details of which were kept secret. Presumably the chief executive will visit some of the island defense works protecting the Panama Canal and possibly base sites recently leased from Great Britain.
The House of Representatives today completed action on the Logan-Walter bill, subjecting rules and regulations of Federal regulatory and administrative agencies to judicial review, and sent it to the White House, where Administration leaders said it would encounter a veto. The measure ended its stormy legislative journey when the House adopted the Senate’s amendments by a roll-call of 176 to 51. Sixty-two Democrats joined with 113 Republicans and one Progressive in completing this setback to the New Deal so soon after the November elections. The Senate passed the measure last Tuesday by 27 to 25, rolling over all efforts of Administration leaders to block it and save President Roosevelt the possible embarrassment over a decision as to whether to approve or veto.
Chairman Dies, Texas Democrat, appealing for a continuation of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, said tonight that at least “five separate acts of sabotage” had been committed on “a most important experimental plane” at an undisclosed factory. Declining to name the plane, plant or time of the incident, Dies said in a radio address that the live acts were discovered before the plane left the ground, but that there was a subsequent “crack up” of the ship. “It is highly probable that a sixth act of sabotage which went undiscovered was the cause of the plane’s destruction,” Dies said. “The plant’s Inspector warned against the plane’s leaving the ground, and when his warning went unheeded, he demanded a transfer out of the experimental department.”
A greatly expedited delivery of combat planes, both for the Army and Navy, as well as Great Britain, was declared assured today by the Priorities Board of the National Defense Advisory Commission following agreement of private aircraft interests to turn over to the commission an undisclosed number of new engines recently delivered to them. The commercial lines represented by the Air Transport Association of America, also relinquished voluntarily to the commission about $7,500,000 worth or equipment which they had ordered with a view to maintaining and expanding their scheduled services.
Casting aside previous bitter rivalry, A.F.L. and C.I.O. lumber unions combined today in what appeared to be a strongly united labor front, called out 3,000 more workers in strikes at various mills and threatened a complete tie-up of the Pacific Northwest’s foremost industry employing an estimated 45,000. Six mills were closed at nearby Everett, Wash., as well as a large logging company at Morton, Wash. Ten Tacoma sawmills, employing about 2,500, was closed several months ago by strikes and a big Weyerhaeuser plant at Snoqualmie, Wash., has been down for six weeks.
A plan for regulation of network broadcasting, advanced by the Federal Communications Commission on the basis of the report of its inquiry committee, was criticized today by representatives of the major networks.
Henry (“Hap”) Arnold was promoted to the permanent rank of brigadier general, U.S. Army Air Corps. Arnold, the head of the Air Board, is not a Roosevelt favorite because, in Roosevelt’s own words, Arnold does not “play ball.” However, Arnold is a huge impetus behind the elevation in the status of the U.S. Army Air Corps and Roosevelt needs him.
Henry A. Wallace and the rest of the American delegation, along with the delegations of thirty other nations, gathered in Mexico to attend President Manuel Avila Camacho’s inauguration, were received in special audience this morning at the National Palace to present their congratulations to the new President.
German steamer Klaus Schoke (5830grt) had departed Holtenau on 12 August 1939 for New York. She was only three hundred miles from New York when she diverted for Las Palmas in the Azores. On the 1st, the German steamer left Las Palmas to attempt to return to Germany. Steamer Klaus Schoke attempted to scuttle herself when she was intercepted by armed merchant cruiser HMS California off the Azores on the 2nd in 38‑28N, 22‑15W. On the 3rd, destroyer HMS Encounter and tug St Day departed Gibraltar to bring the prize to Gibraltar. The German steamer sank after an unsuccessful attempt to get to port on the 5th and the destroyer and tug were recalled to Gibraltar.
The Administration received today a unanimous “vote of confidence” from the two interested committees of Congress to proposals to extend $100,000,000 in American credits and currency stabilization aid to the government of China, headed by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.
Fighting on the alternately jungle-covered, swampy and mountainous border between Thailand (Siam) and French Indo-China persisted without letup tonight. Thai planes were reported to have twice attacked the 500-ton Indo-Chinese naval vessel Beryle in the Gulf of Siam. Nine bombs were dropped without damage, a communique said, and the ship’s anti-aircraft guns evidently drove off the squadron with damage to one bomber. Fighting apparently centered on the border town of Thakher, reported bombed twice by Thai planes. The Indo-Chinese communique reporting the Beryle attack also said Thai troops took over Bandong Island, in the Mekong River 40 miles below Vientiane, in northern Indo-China.
An unidentified Japanese spattered the gateposts of the United States Embassy in Tokyo with two buckets of refuse this afternoon and then threw the empty buckets into the embassy compound.
Crown Prince Yi Un was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in the Japanese Army.
Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma was named the commanding officer of the Taiwan Army.
Colonel Seiichi Miyamoto becomes the commanding officer of the Japanese Unit 516 chemical weapons research unit based in Qiqihar, Nenjiang Province, China, replacing Colonel Oyanazu Masao.
Australian light cruiser HMAS Adelaide was escorting the Vancouver Mail Ship. On the 2nd, the light cruiser turned over the escort to New Zealand Division light cruiser HMS Achilles off North Cape, Australia. Light cruiser Achilles escorted the steamer to the Tasman Sea.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 130.93 (-0.07)
Born:
Willie Brown, American cornerback, coach and executive (Pro Football Hall of Fame, inducted 1984; NFL Champions, Super Bowl 11-Raiders, 1976; AFL Champions [lost Super Bowl II]-Raiders, 1967; AFL All-Star, 1964, 1965, 1967–1973; Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders), in Yazoo City, Mississippi (d. 2019).
Jonathan Sheppard. English-born American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame horse racing trainer (4X Breeder’s Cup Grand National Steeplechase;, record 1,242 steeplechase victories), in Ashwell, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom (d. 2023).
Constance “Connie” Booth, American writer, actress, comedienne and psychotherapist (“Fawlty Towers”, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”), in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Died:
Nikolai Koltsov, 68, Russian biologist.
Bernard Revel, 55, Lithuanian-American Orthodox rabbi and scholar.
Naval Construction:
The U.S. Navy 77-foot Elco patrol motor torpedo boat USS PT-21 is laid down by the Electric Launch Company Ltd. (Elco), (Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.A.).
The Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) Platino-class submarine Bronzo is laid down by Cantieri Tosi (Taranto, Italy). On 12 July 1943 the Italian submarine Bronzo was captured off Syracuse; she later serves in the Royal Navy and with the Free French naval force.
The U.S. Navy Cleveland-class light cruiser USS Montpelier (CL-57) is laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corp. (Camden, New Jersey, U.S.A.).
The Royal Navy Alligator-class tug HMS Crocodile (W 88) is launched by Richard Dunston Ltd. (Hessle, U.K.).
The Royal Navy Isles-class minesweeping trawler HMS Balta (T 50) is launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmill (Beverley, U.K.); completed by Holmes.
The Royal Navy Isles-class minesweeping trawler HMS Copinsay (T 147) is launched by Cochrane & Sons Shipbuilders Ltd. (Selby, U.K.); completed by Amos & Smith.
The U.S. Navy 70-foot Elco patrol motor torpedo boat USS PT-21 is launched by the Electric Launch Company Ltd. (Elco), (Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.A.).
The Royal Navy Shakespeare-class minesweeping trawler HMS Ophelia (T 05) is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is T/Lieutenant Ernest Samuel Bennett, RNVR.
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