Hermann Hoth took over command of the 17th Army from Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel. There are many command changes during World War II on both sides. However, on 5 October 1941, the Wehrmacht makes this seemingly routine change that reverberates across the conduct of the war in the East and also reveals some unpleasant truths about the state of the Wehrmacht in 1941.
The southern flank of the German advance during Operation BARBAROSSA has been both the most and the least, successful of the three main prongs of the offensive. While it is the only army group that has actually met its main objective by capturing Kyiv, this required a diversion of the main striking power from Army Group Center, namely General Guderian’s Panzer Group 2, to the south. The major port city of Odessa has been given to the Romanians to subdue, and while it now is far behind the main front, the Soviets there still hold out. Dissatisfaction at the pace of operations throughout the sector under the leadership of Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt has been growing for weeks.
The commander of the 11th Army at the extreme south of the line at the start of Operation BARBAROSSA, Colonel-General Eugen Ritter von Schobert, perished on 12 September 1941 when his Fiesler Storch observation plane landed in a minefield. He was replaced by General Erich von Manstein, previously a corps commander. On 5 October 1941, the army holding the line just to the north of the 11th Army, 17th Army, also gets a new commander. However, this command change is a little different and has nothing to do with anyone dying. Instead, the reason is a little more subtle and much more complex.
General of the Infantry Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel is a World War I veteran and a former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Army. However, his actual command experience is very limited. General Franz Halder, Chief of Staff of OKH, has been hinting in his diary that von Stülpnagel’s performance has been unacceptable. For instance, on 3 October 1941 Halder cryptically wrote in his war diary that:
“Regrouping of Sixth and Seventeenth Army has been initiated. The method chosen by the Army Group, to order the two left-wing Corps of Seventeenth Army to strike northeast, under its direct control, for the time being, is an indication of tensions within the Army Group.”
The next day, on 4 October 1941, Halder wrote the following:
“[17th Army] Commanding General, von Stülpnagel, has reported sick. This illness is the result of the pressure brought to bear on him because of his timid leadership. Intervention by the Army Group a few days ago in taking the command of his northern wing out of his hands and so getting the movement underway again, probably is as much a cause of this illness as is the letter from the Army Commanding General.”
It is very rare for Halder to be openly caustic about his colleagues in his war diary, so to see him openly calling von Stülpnagel “timid” is shocking. This is about the worst thing that a commanding general can be called during the war on either side and invariably leads to their replacement. Being too aggressive can be worse than being too timid, but it seldom gets a general fired.
Some note that Von Stülpnagel’s history of riding a desk may be one cause of this “timidness.” However, there may be a darker reason that Halder does not know. For some time, von Stülpnagel has been a secret opponent of Hitler. Like many of the generals, von Stülpnagel was upset by the Blomberg–Fritsch affair in January 1938. The Sudeten Crisis later in 1938 changed von Stülpnagel from being a passive resister to an active one. He initiated contact with the Schwarze Kapelle (Black Orchestra, a group of officers within the Wehrmacht who wished to overthrow Hitler) and revealing the secret plan for the invasion of Czechoslovakia. He remained a conspirator for the rest of his life. Thus, von Stülpnagel does not have his heart in German conquest, which may explain his “timid” leadership.
Having reported himself sick, which is a typical ruse by German generals to resign without actually resigning, von Stülpnagel needs to be replaced. The German high command now makes the utterly unfathomable decision to replace von Stülpnagel with Hermann Hoth, the commander of Panzer Group 3. There are several reasons why this is odd. Hoth is a panzer expert, one of the best of World War II, and the 17th Army is not a panzer formation. In addition, Hoth has been having great success with his command of Panzer Group 3, which is about to be upgraded to a full Panzer Army. Finally, Panzer Group 3 is in an absolutely critical situation, being the left arm of the Wehrmacht’s advance on Moscow. Replacing its commander at such a critical juncture is just asking for trouble. Hoth is replaced at Panzer Group 3 by General Georg-Hans Reinhardt, the commander of XLI Panzer Corps. While Reinhardt is a capable officer, switching command right as the panzer group is delicately trying to execute a movement that may determine the outcome of the entire war is a very risky decision. In addition, Reinhardt also will have to be replaced in his critical position in Panzer Group 3. This is akin to taking a winning formula and starting from scratch.
It is unclear why Hoth is forced to move at this time from a critical point on the front to an important, but a hardly critical, area. The reason may be that Field Marshal von Rundstedt, in charge of the army group, is the senior officer in the Wehrmacht and basically has his pick of replacements. He previously chose Manstein for the 11th Army because they had worked together well in planning the successful invasion through the Ardennes in 1940. Hoth is a dashing, aggressive tactician who does not carry the baggage of General Guderian at Panzer Group 2, who is well known to be a difficult subordinate. General Hoth can be expected to be aggressive without becoming a problem, exactly what von Rundstedt needs.
How this impacts Operation TYPHOON, the drive to Moscow, is not really his concern — German generals are notorious for only worrying about their own operations and not those being handled by other commands. However, from a larger perspective, removing a successful commander such as Hoth from an absolutely critical operation, the advance on Moscow, is not positive for the German war effort. It is one of those oft-overlooked “details” that can be the difference between ultimate victory and defeat.
The leading German formations reported that they were only about 100 kilometers from Moscow, Russia. On the same day, Moscow-based Soviet fighters discovered German vehicles as close as 50 kilometers from Moscow; when Moscow Military District’s Air Force Fighter Command chief Nikolai Sbytov reported this to his superiors, he was investigated by the NKVD for disseminating false rumors, but he was lucky that Joseph Stalin believed him. For precaution, Stalin ordered the Soviet Western Front to withdraw to Vyazma to form a new defensive line under a new commanding officer, Georgy Zhukov, replacing Ivan Konev.
In Ukraine, Panzergruppe 1 (von Kleist) reaches the Sea of Azov.
Field Marshal Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist was named the commander of German 1st Panzerarmee.
The German Second Panzer Group was reorganized as the Second Panzerarmee; Heinz Guderian remained the unit’s commanding officer.
The Russians put German losses in the campaign at 3,000,000 and their own at 1,100,000.
British military leaders have devised a plan to hit back at Rommel and the Afrika Korps. The Allied enclave at Tobruk will be the prime target of Operation CRUSADER. It was agreed two days ago and despite pressure from Churchill for quick action, General Sir Claude Auchinleck, the C-in-C, wants to build up his supplies before taking the offensive next month. Lieutenant General Sir Alan Cunningham will lead the British campaign at the head of the Eighth Army, formed last month from XIII and XXX Corps. In addition to the British troops, Sir Alan will have Australian, Indian, New Zealand, Polish and Free French forces under his command.
The proposed repatriation of some physically unfit and noncombatant prisoners of war by officials of Great Britain and Germany was held in abeyance once again today for the second day in succession as the two belligerent countries continued to seek a satisfactory solution to last-minute difficulties blocking the whole plan.
Captain Jack Parsonon strafes an Italian Sm-75 cargo plane on the airfield at Djibouti, Italian Somaliland; the only enemy aircraft destroyed by a P-36 Mohawk in East Africa.
A Blenheim bomber of No. 1404 Meteorological Flight of British RAF Coastal Command attacked German submarines U-563 and U-565 in the Bay of Biscay; a 250-lb bomb missed U-563 at about 1030 hours, and another 250-lb bomb hit the conning tower of U-565 at 1102 hours but it failed to explode.
Swordfish torpedo bombers of British No. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm based in Malta attacked an Italian convoy en route from Naples, Italy to Tripoli, Libya 67 miles north of Misrata, Libya, sinking tanker Rialto; the 145 survivors were rescued by Italian destroyer Gioberti.
There were no Bomber Command operations from 5 to 10 October, because of unfavorable weather conditions.
U-204 sank Panamanian steamer C. Jon (744grt) in 48-30N, 13-00W. The entire crew was made prisoners of war.
U-559 in operations northeast of Tobruk was attacked by a “friendly aircraft” which dropped three bombs. No damage was done.
Norwegian destroyer HNoMS Draug and motor torpedo boat MTB.56 departed Lerwick for Scapa Flow where they arrived later that day.
British tanker Tynefield (5856grt) was sunk by mining in the Suez Canal. Four crewmen were lost.
Italian tanker Rialto (6099grt) was sunk by British 830 Squadron in 33-30N, 15-53E, eighty miles north-northeast of Misurata. Destroyer Gioberti rescued 145 survivors. The tanker was from a convoy of steamers Vettor Pisani, Sebastiano Venier, Fabio Filzi, Rialto and German Reichenfels and Ankara, escorted by destroyers Da Noli, Usodimare, Gioberti, and Euro which had departed Naples on the 2nd for Tripoli and torpedo boats from Tripoli Calliope and Partenope.
Ocean boarding vessel HMS Maron was attacked by U-67 at 27-59N, 18-39W. The vessel fired upon the submarine, which submerged.
Corvettes HMS Coreopsis and HMS Fleur de Lys, which had escorted tanker Benedick, were ordered to assist the boarding vessel. On the 6th, corvette Coreopsis developed engine room defects and proceeded to Funchal. The ocean boarding vessel and corvette Fleur de Lys arrived at Gibraltar on the 8th. Corvette Coreopsis arrived at Gibraltar on the 10th.
Convoy SL.89 departed Freetown escorted destroyer HMS Brilliant and corvettes HMS Asphodel, HMS Clematis, HMS Clover, HMS Columbine, and HMS Cyclamen to 8 October. On the 6th, destroyers HMS Velox and HMS Wrestler escorted the convoy for that day only. Sloop HMS Wellington joined on the 8th to 25 October. Sloop HMS Stork joined the convoy on the 9th to 25 October. Escort vessels HMS Sennen and HMS Totland escorted the convoy on the 21st only. Destroyers HMS Beverley to 24 October and HMS Croome for that day only joined the convoy on the 22nd. On the 23rd, destroyers ORP Krakowiak and ORP Kujawiak to 24 October and HMS Vanquisher and HMS Witch to 25 October joined. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 25th.
Convoy HX.153 departed Halifax, escorted by destroyer HMCS Annapolis. The destroyer was relieved on the 7th by American destroyers USS Bernadou, USS DuPont, USS Lea, USS MacLeish, and USS Sampson and corvette HMS Gladiolus. The corvette was detached the next day. The American group was relieved on the 13th by destroyers HMS Malcolm, HMS Sardonyx, and HMS Watchman, corvettes HMS Arabis, HMS Dahlia, HMS Monkshood, and HMS Sunflower, and anti-submarine trawlers HMS Northern Pride and HMS Northern Wave. Corvette Monkshood was detached on the 16th and the rest of the escorts on the 17th. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 19th.
Convoy SC.48, departed Sydney CB, by corvettes HMCS Baddeck and HMCS Shediac. Corvette HMS Gladiolus joined on the 8th and corvettes HMCS Camrose, HMS Mimosa, HMCS Rosthern, and HMCS Wetaskiwin on the 9th. The convoy was joined on the 16th by American destroyers USS Plunkett, USS Livermore, USS Kearny, and USS Decatur from convoy ON.24, destroyer USS Greer joined from other escort duties, and Destroyer HMS Broadwater and corvette HMS Abelia from Reykjavik. Also joined on the 16th were destroyers HMS Highlander and HMS Richmond, corvettes HMCS Pictou and HMS Veronica, and anti-submarine trawler HMS St. Apollo. Corvette HMCS Pictou was detached later that day. Corvette Gladiolus was lost on the 16th. The initial escorts, except for corvette HMCS Rosthern were detached, and the American destroyers were detached. Corvette Veronica was also detached on the 17th. On the 17th, destroyers HMS Amazon, HMS Bulldog, and HMS Georgetown, corvette HMS Heartsease, and anti-submarine trawlers HMS Angle and HMS Cape Warwick joined. On the 18th, destroyer Broadwater was lost. Destroyers Highlander and Richmond and corvette Abelia were detached on the 20th, destroyers Amazon, Bulldog, and Georgetown and corvettes Heartsease and HMCS Rosthern were detached on the 21st, the anti-submarine trawlers on the 22nd, when the convoy arrived at Liverpool.
Louis D. Brandeis, first Jewish U.S. Supreme Court Justice, died at age 84. Louis Dembitz Brandeis, retired Supreme Court justice who was celebrated for his liberal views, died tonight at the age of 84. Brandeis, who was appointed to the court by President Wilson and served for 23 years, suffered a severe heart attack at his home here last Wednesday. His condition became steadily worse and physicians lost hope of saving his life when he fell into a coma last night. His death resulted from a recurrence of the heart trouble which prompted his retirement February 13, 1939.
All indications today were that Mr. Roosevelt was preparing for one of the busiest weeks Washington has seen for some time. At a bipartisan meeting with Senate leaders Tuesday morning at the White House, the Executive is expected to make a final decision as to whether repeal or modification of the Neutrality Act is to be asked of Congress. Later in the week he may send his message on modification of the Social Security Act to Capitol Hill. The President will return to Washington with his hand strengthened by the knowledge that the persistent sinkings in the Atlantic of American-owned ships or ships traveling in the Pan-American “safety” belt have aroused the American public. The sinking of the American-owned tanker I. C. White within the neutrality zone, which Secretary Hull yesterday termed another “act of piracy,” is expected to give another fillip to American opinion, which was reported in a Gallup survey published today to be 70 percent convinced that it is more important to defeat Hitler than to keep the United States out of war.
A majority of U.S. Senate leaders is expected to urge President Roosevelt this week to take advantage of what they regard as mounting support for his “freedom of the seas” program and seek almost complete nullification of the Neutrality Act. The president will discuss the question with a group of five senators Tuesday. One influential legislator said there was no doubt that three of these would advise the chief executive to recommend immediate removal of the act’s major restrictions on shipping. Democratic Leader Barkley of Kentucky, Chairman Connally, Texas Democrat, of the foreign relations committee and Senator Austin of Vermont, the assistant Republican leader, have said they favored repeal of prohibitions against arming American merchant ships and against sending them into the war zones.
Wars of today are won in the shops and America “must sweat hard for the next year or so” to overcome the tremendous lead the Nazis hold in production of important war items, William S. Knudsen, O.P.M. director, said tonight. Speaking at a Madison Square Garden rally sponsored by Fight for Freedom, Knudsen said In his address that when “democracy is destroyed, the United States Is destroyed.”
In its most recent survey of the agricultural situation, the agriculture department said today that the farmer faced the best economic outlook in many years. Chief causes are the billions of dollars of purchasing power resulting from the expanding defense program, high levels of prices and incomes, and the earmarking of more than $1,000,000,000 of food products for Great Britain.
On the eve of the opening of the American Federation of Labor’s annual convention, during which, President William Green predicted, the war would “overshadow everything,’ the federation’s executive council urged the Federal Government today to continue giving Great Britain all aid possible “until Hitler and his allies are decisively defeated.” The executive council also recommended tonight in its annual report that the United States furnish aid to Russia “without the slightest pretense that the nations are or can be friends.” “Soviet Russia is not the willing ally of the forces of democracy in this war,” said the report for the sixty-first annual A.F.L. convention which opens tomorrow. “Her present friendly gestures to Great Britain and America are dictated by desperation and hypocrisy.”
A “Freedom Rally” is held at Madison Square Garden in New York, and 17,000 attend. Dancer Bill Robinson, “Bojangles,” entertains the crowd, along with Ethel Mermen. The rally supports aid to Great Britain.
A 102-mile-an-hour hurricane swept past Nassau early tonight, leaving the town littered with the wreckage of boats blown out of the harbor, uprooted trees and disabled electric wires. The storm is now heading for Florida.
Destroyer USS Mayo (DD-422), escorting convoy HX.152, after seeing Swedish motor vessel Kaaparen showing a string of lights for five minutes, thus jeopardizing the convoy, hails the offender and threatens to open fire if the practice is not stopped.
The attraction of Bob Feller versus Satchel Paige draws a crowd of 10,136 to Sportsman’s Park as the Miguel Gonzalez All-Stars play the Kansas City Monarchs. The two aces retire half way through, with Feller ahead 4–1. Frank Crespi and Johnny Lucadello have the hits to drive in the runs off Paige. The final is 5–1 with Al Barlick umping.
Major League Baseball, World Series, Game 4:
Game 4 of the 1941 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers is again played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. The starting pitchers are Atley “Swampy” Donald (9–5 with a 3.57 ERA) for the Yankees and Kirby Higbe for the Dodgers. The Yankees are leading 3–0 by the 4th inning but the Dodgers score two in the fourth and two in the fifth making it 4–3 going into the top of the 9th inning. By this time, Hugh Casey is pitching for the Dodgers. With two outs for the Yankees, Casey throws strike three past Yankee right fielder Tommy “Old Reliable” Henrich but the Dodger catcher, Mickey Owen, lets the ball get by him allowing Henrich to reach first base. The Yankees then score four runs winning the game 7–4 and taking a 3–1 series lead. There is one home run in the game by Dodger center fielder Pete “Pistol Pete” Reiser with one on. The Yankee starting pitcher, Atley Donald, pitched four innings and was followed by Marv “Baby Face” Breuer (3 innings) and the winning pitcher, Johnny “Fireman” Murphy who pitched 2 innings. The Dodgers Kirby Higbe pitched 3 ⅔ innings and was replaced by Larry French for ⅔ of an inning, followed by Johnny Allen for ⅔ of an inning and Hugh Casey, the losing pitcher, who pitched 4 ⅓ innings.
New York Yankees 7, Brooklyn Dodgers 4
A Japanese spokesman claimed today that Chinese forces south of Chengchow were being rapidly dispersed as a result of the new Japanese offensive in North Honan Province, and that the whole Chengchow region now had been cleared of Chinese forces.
The Chinese Central News Agency reported today that Chinese forces had evacuated Chengchow, important railway center in North Honan Province, after “inflicting 5,000 casualties on the Japanese.” The Chinese War Office admitted early yesterday that Japanese forces had penetrated into the suburbs of the city.
Japan breaks diplomatic relations with the Polish government-in-exile.
French authorities have rejected sweeping new Japanese demands on Indo-China, reports from the French colony said today. The Japanese were said to have asked for complete control over postal censorship within Indo-China, control of all establishments in the Cam Ranh Bay area below Saigon and the right to establish an arsenal and other military works in Saigon. There were reports that the Japanese further demanded that Indo-Chinese authorities require American oil companies to furnish tank facilities sufficient to store 30,000 tons of kerosene. Informed quarters here expressed the belief that the arrival of Kenkichi Yoshizawa, Japanese ambassador to Indo-China, within the next few days would bring intensification of Japanese efforts to establish a virtual Japanese regime in the French colony in disregard of Tokyo’s assurance that French sovereignty would be respected.
U.S. and U.K. naval commanders met in Singapore.
Conversations were concluded in Manila between Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, Britain’s commander in the Orient, and United States defense officers there. A clarification of the United States and Philippine position was believed to have resulted.
Brereton is briefed by Marshall, Gerow, Arnold, and Spaatz. Brereton stated “in the event of war it was almost certain to incur destruction of a bomber force put in the Philippine Islands without providing adequate antiaircraft defense”; Marshall responded that he and Arnold were taking a “calculated risk”. Brereton was to state, after the War, that, “[T]he lessons of the War in Europe were being completely ignored in placing a heavy bomber force in the Philippines without adequate protection.
U.S. Navy Task Force 5 returns from deployment in southern Philippine waters.
Tokyo newspapers frankly were concerned at the conference in Manila of American Far East military leaders and the British Far Eastern commander, Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, and asserted that Britain and the United States were plotting new moves in their anti-Japanese encirclement policy.
Born:
Eduardo Duhalde, President of Argentina (2002–2003), in Lomas de Zamora, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Arlene Smith, American pop singer-songwriter (The Chantels — “Maybe”, “Every Night I Pray”), in the Bronx, New York, New York (d. 2026).
(Patricia) Stephanie Cole, British stage, screen, and radio actress (“Waiting for God”; “Coronation Street”), in Solihull, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom.
Andy Kosco, MLB outfielder and first baseman (Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds), in Youngstown, Ohio (d. 2025).
Larry Glueck, NFL defensive back (NFL Champions-Bears, 1963; Chicago Bears), in Norristown, Pennsylvania (d. 2025).
Bob Poole, NFL and AFL tight end (San Francisco 49ers; Houston Oilers), in Paducah, Kentucky (d. 2017).
Died:
Louis Brandeis, 84, American lawyer and associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1916–1939
Naval Construction:
The Nihon Kaigun (Imperial Japanese Navy) Yūgumo-class destroyer HIJMS Kiyonami (清波; “Clear Wave”) is laid down by the Uraga Dock Company (Uraga, Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan).
The Royal Canadian Navy Bangor-class (VTE Reciprocating-engined) minesweeper HMCS Red Deer (J 255) is launched by Canadian Vickers Ltd. (Montreal, Quebec, Canada).
The Royal Navy submarine HMS Graph (P 715), formerly the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) Type VIIC U-boat U-570, is commissioned. Her first commanding officer in British service is Lieutenant George Robson Colvin, RN.
The Royal Navy Hunt-class (Type II) escort destroyer HMS Hurworth (L 28) is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is Lieutenant John Travis Beaufoy Birch, RN.
