January 2nd, 1941 (THURSDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: The "Twenty Committee", formed to co-ordinate the activities of double agents based in Britain, meets for the first time. Thus the XX or 'double-cross' tactic of using German agents in its service.RAF Bomber Command: More than 20,000 incendiaries as well as tons of high explosives were dropped on the industrial arsenal of Bremen, starting a fire which could be seen by later waves of RAF bombers 120 miles away. In spite of 50 earlier raids against Bremen, there seem to have been a remarkable number and variety of targets still available. These included warships under construction in docks extending over 126 acres, the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory, oil refineries and food warehouses. The latest attack, by 95 aircraft, lasted over three hours and was pressed home through intense flak.
London: Anthony Eden informs de Gaulle of the arrest of Muselier. de Gaulle is highly suspicious and rather indignant at the way the whole matter has been handled.
ASW trawler HMS Sarabande commissioned.
ÉIRE: Dublin: A 100-mile swathe of neutral Irish territory was bombed by German aircraft today for the second time in 48 hours. At Knockroe, Co. Carlow, a house containing five members of the Shannon family was hit and a woman aged 50, a 16-year-old girl and a man aged 40 were killed. Two men were injured. Including yesterdays attack 26 are injured in total.
Six counties bordering the Irish Sea were attacked. The first raid hit Drogheda, north of Dublin. On Curragh racecourse an incendiary bomb was identified as a German device. The attacks may not have been accidental. It is thought that they might be intended to intimidate the Irish into remaining neutral in spite of Anglo-American pressure for the use of Irish bases to protect convoys, though the Germans claim that high winds blew the bombers off course.
There are reports, too, of efforts by the Germans to augment their already large diplomatic team in Dublin with agents parachuted into the country to spy on British fleet activities in Ulster.
FRANCE: The bread ration is cut to ten ounces a day.
Paul Baudoin ceases to be Minister of Information in the Vichy government, and the office is abolished in the Petain government. An advocate of appeasement, Baudoin served as Marshal Petain's first Minister of Foreign Affairs from June 1940, and negotiated the armistice with the Germans.
GERMANY: Berlin: Doenitz meets with Jodl to ask for better air-submarine co-operation and more air reconnaissance over the North Atlantic. He gets a daily reconnaissance sweep by 12 Focke-Wulf Kondors of 40 Group based in Bordeaux.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Monitor HMS Terror (I 03), supported by British destroyer HMS Dainty (H 53) and Australian destroyer HMAS Voyager (D 31), HMS Aphis and HMS Ladybird bombard Bardia in preparation for an assault on it.
U.S.A.: President Roosevelt announces the beginning of the Liberty Ship program, 200 merchant ships of a standardized design.
Submarine USS Tuna commissioned.
The Andrews Sisters record "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" on Decca Records. The song, which became a classic World War II hit, is heard in the Abbott and Costello film "Buck Privates." The Andrews Sisters were the most popular "girl group" of their time, selling millions of records.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-38 was attacked by an escort with depth charges and suffered slight damage.