December 13th, 1940 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:London: Telegram from Churchill to Wavell:
1. ...Congratulations on your victory....
2. ... pursuit will hold first place in your thoughts. ...No doubt you have considered
taking some harbour in Italian territory to which the Fleet van bring all your stuff and
give you a new jumping off point.
3. I am much inclined to Egypt declaring war on Italy at the moment when we have made her
safe. Now is the appointed time.
4. As soon as you have come to a full stop along the African coast we can take a new view
of our prospects and several attractive choices will be open.
VICHY FRANCE:
Laval is dismissed from office and arrested; Pierre Etienne Flandin becomes Minister of
Foreign Affairs and the post of vice-premier is abolished. The National Assembly is to be
abolished and replaced by a new puppet consultative assembly.
GERMANY:
Berlin: Hitler has today ordered a build-up of forces in southern Romania in order to take
on Operation Marita, the occupation of Thessalonika and, if necessary, the entire mainland
of Greece.
24 divisions - including the 16th Panzer Division - will be earmarked for this enterprise.
They will move through Bulgaria on the arrival of favourable weather. Hitler has told his
generals: "We can rely on Bulgarian support." It seems that he is alarmed by
Mussolini's failure to complete his conquest of Albania and fears that Britain will
establish an air base in the Balkans to attack Italy and the Romanian oilfields.
The build-up is being carefully planned to take place under Hitler's usual cloak of
deception. The arrival of the invasion force in Romania will be explained away as
"reinforcements for the military mission."
Nothing is said about Russia in these orders, but when Marita takes place the Soviet
generals cannot fail to notice that its effect will be to safeguard Germany's southern
flank in the event of a war with Russia.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA:
Units of the Mediterranean Fleet including the small ship Inshore Squadron and the
Australian Destroyer Flotilla play an important part in supporting and supplying the land
campaign. Cruiser HMS Coventry
(D 43) is torpedoed by Italian submarine R. Smg. 'Neghelli', but she
carries on.
EGYPT:
During dog-fighting over western Egypt, No. 3 RAAF lose
five Gladiator
aircraft for one Italian while 274 Sqn.
(RAF) lose two Hurricane Mk Is for one CR42 and 33 Sqn. (RAF) shoot down
three CR42s and two S79s on one
interception.
Cairo: Middle East Command announces:
Operations in the direction of Sollum are proceeding as planned and we are winning rapid
victories. British motorised troops have encircled and disarmed sizeable Italian units in
the Buqbuq area.
LIBYA:
RAF bombers also attack Italian bases at Derna and Bardia.
CANADA: Naval
college HMCS Royal Roads commissioned
Esquimalt, British Columbia.
Corvette HMS Snowberry arrived Halifax for completion.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-43 damaged SS Orari.