January 11th, 1941 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Portsmouth was again attacked last night by 155 bombers which dropped 140 tons of HE and over 40,000 incendiaries. There was not enough water to fight the fires as the principal water main was hit when the tide was out. Casualty figures would have been higher had not many people left town for the night.GERMANY: The bitterly cold winter weather across many parts of Europe is also affecting the ordinary Germans, who are finding that their meagre coal rations are insufficient to heat their flats and houses.
The situation seems unlikely to improve. Next week the Security Service of the SS is to produce one of its regular reports for the Berlin government on the conditions and mood of the country, which is expected to reveal acute shortages of coal for households and small businesses throughout the Reich.
This shortage is in spite of current record coal production, and can be blamed mostly on the Nazi government's policy of giving priority to the armaments industry. But in some areas the weather has dealt a double blow: it has boosted demand for coal, but has frozen many of the canals and rivers on which new supplies are carried.
Hitler issues his 22nd war directive, ordering preparations for
reinforcements to be sent to aid Italian armies in North Africa (Operation Sunflower) and
Albania (Operation Alpine Violets).
"German support for battles in the Mediterranean area. The situation in
the Mediterranean area, where England is employing superior forces against
our allies, requires that Germany should assist for reasons of strategy,
politics, and psychology. Tripolitania must be held and the danger of a
collapse on the Albanian front must be eliminated. Furthermore the Cavallero
Army Group must be enabled, in co-operation with the later operations of
12th Army, to go over to the offensive from Albania."
U-598 is laid down.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: As the return Malta/Alexandria convoy proceeds eastwards, HMS Gloucester (62) and HMS Southampton (83) sail to join it. Both are attacked by 12 Ju.87 dive bombers to the east of Malta HMS Gloucester is damaged but unable to put out a fire in the after engine room HMS Southampton is abandoned. Whilst the crew are transferred to HMS Diamond, the Italian submarine Settimo fires 3 torpedoes at Southampton, one of which explodes. Later Southampton is dispatched by torpedo fired by HMS Orion. There are 80 casualties, but 727 survive. (Alex Gordon)(108)
All merchantmen reach their destinations safely, but at a cost of a cruiser and a destroyer, and the loss of HMS Illustrious' vital airpower.
NORTH AFRICA: Longmore orders 11 ( Blenheim) and 112 (Gladiator) Squadrons to Greece. To bring No. 11s strength up to establishment, 39 handed its Blenheims over and re-equipped with the first Martin Marylands to reach the Command. With a top speed of 278 mph and a bomb load of 2,000 lb, they were also used for photo-reconnaissance.
U.S.A.: The Army orders two prototypes of Northrops new twin-boom, twin-engine, night fighter the P-61.