December 3rd, 1940 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:The government orders sixty merchant ships from the USA to replace losses in the Atlantic.
Midlands: The Luftwaffe returns targeting Birmingham in particular.
London: Churchill to First Sea Lord:
The new disaster which has overtaken the Halifax convoy requires precise examination. We
heard about a week ago that as many as 13 U-boats were lying in wait. Would it not have
been well to divert the convoy to the Minches?
Churchill also telegrams to C-in-C Mediterranean to outline the plan for the capture of the Italian island of Pantelleria, codename "Workshop"
RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: 82 Squadron Blenheim Mk. IVs bombs Essen. Weather bad. Only one aircraft attacked primary target, four aircraft lost due to accidents. Two crews killed, one crew PoW.
GERMANY:
U-76 commissioned.
ALBANIA: Greek forces break through the Italian defenses and capture Porto Edda and Agyrokastron on 8 December. The Italians lose 28,000 soldiers as POWs and one-fourth of Albania's territory. In response to the Italian crisis, the Germans dispatched 50,000 troops to Albania to shore up the Italian defenses. Coupled with the Italian defeats in Africa, the debacle in Greece is a blow to Axis prestige.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA:
At anchor in the poorly defended Suda Bay, British light cruiser HMS Glasgow
(21) is hit by two torpedoes
from Italian aircraft and badly damaged. She makes it back safely to
Alexandria, Egypt, where temporary repairs are carried out.
ANGLO-EGYPTIAN SUDAN:
The RAF bombards the Italian base at Kassala in the Sudan.
CANADA: Corvette HMS Arrowhead arrived Halifax from builder Sorel, Province of Quebec.
Patrol vessel HMCS
Renard arrived Halifax for Local defence Force.
U.S.A.:
Washington: Ambassador Joseph Kennedy tenders his resignation in order to devote himself
to keeping the US out of the war.
Miami, Florida: President Franklin D. Roosevelt embarks on heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) to inspect bases acquired from Great Britain under Destroyer-for Bases agreement. During the cruise, he will broach the lend-lease concept that he will implement upon his return to Washington. Ports of call included Kingston, Jamaica; Santa Lucia, Antigua; and the Bahamas. Roosevelt fishes and entertains British colonial officials, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, on board the cruiser. The ship returns to Charleston, South Carolina, on 16 December and Roosevelt returns to Washington, D.C. (Jack McKillop & Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Destroyer HMCS St Laurent rescued survivors from the British tanker Conch (8,376 GRT), which had been sunk from convoy HX-90 by U-99, Kptlt. Kretschmer, Knight's Cross, Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Knight's Cross with Swords, CO, in approximate position 55.40N, 019.00W. One of the greatest convoy battles of the war was fought on the nights of 02-03 December when seven U-boats attacked the Halifax to Liverpool convoy HX-90. Nine of the convoy's 35 merchant ships were sunk for a total of 52,817 tons and another two ships were damaged. Most critical was the loss of two large British tankers, each of which carried over 11,000 tons of aviation fuel and fuel oil. In addition to Conch, Kretschmer sank the British freighter Stirlingshire (6,022 GRT), and the armed merchant cruiser HMS Forfar. U-101, Kptlt. Ernst Mengersen, Knight's Cross, CO, sank three ships including the second tanker. German long-range aircraft sank the last of the nine ships during the day on 03 Dec. The convoy arrived in Liverpool on 05 Dec. The total shipping lost amounted to over 69,000 tons.