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February 23rd, 1941 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:

Churchill to Sir Alexander Cadogan:

"...we should continue to give increasing support to de Gaulle. I cannot believe that the French nation will give their loyalty to anyone who reaches the head of the state because he is well thought of by the Germans. We should reason patiently with Washington against giving any food to unoccupied France or North Africa. ...I am sure Darlan is an ambitious crook. His exposure and Weygand's weakness will both ... inure to the credit of de Gaulle."

ITALY: Rome: While admitting the loss of 200,000 troops in Ethiopia, Mussolini says victory is assured, and that Italy will fight "to the last drop of blood."

GREECE: Athens: After talks lasting all night and much of today, the Greek Premier, Alexander Korizis, agrees to Eden's proposal for British aid.

The Greek government agrees to accept a British force which at this stage is intended to be 100,000 men with suitable artillery and tank support. The Greeks are very reluctant to accept anything less since it would not be enough to fight the Germans off and would only encourage them to attack. The disposition of the British and Greek forces is also discussed. The British prefer a position along the line of the Aliakmon River but the Greeks are unwilling to give up the territory which this line does not cover. No final decision is made -- a serious omission in light of later events. 
 

BULGARIA: Sofia: German tanks and motorised columns have been infiltrating Bulgaria from their bases in Romania over a remote crossing of the Danube at Cernavoda in Dobruja. At the same time they have ostentatiously made no attempt to cross the main bridges over the river.

This piecemeal invasion seems to indicate that Hitler means to increase his pressure by degrees and wait for Britain to serve an ultimatum on Bulgaria before moving into the country openly to "save it from the British."
The secrecy surrounding these moves is helped by the rigid censorship of the Bulgarian press. All military news is banned and domestic news is replaced by foreign despatches. Ordinary Bulgarians have no idea that German Panzers are rolling through their land.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Luftwaffe Ju 87 Stuka British Monitor HMS Terror off the North African coast, near Tobruk, Libya. 

EGYPT: Cairo: Wavell decides against the projected bombing of the Ploesti oilfields as 1. it would necessitate violating Turkish airspace, and 2. it would attract the attention of the Germans to a British presence in Greece that we are trying to keep secret.

ERITREA: A small force Free French troops lands in Eritrea. 

ITALIAN SOMALILAND: The main Italian forces defending the line of the Juba River have been defeated. The troops of General Alan Cunningham, Commander in Chief East Africa Command, are now advancing very rapidly toward Mogadishu. 

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

At 2242, HMS Manistee was hit by one torpedo from U-107 south of Iceland, while escorting Convoy OB-288. The damaged ship continued and sank in 58°55N/20°50W after the U-boat hit her with two further torpedoes at 0758 on 24 Feb.

SS Svein Jarl lost the Convoy OB-288 in very bad weather and went missing. 19 Norwegians, 1 Swede and 1 Briton perished with the ship. Sunk by U-69 at 59.30N, 21W.

At 2327, SS Anglo-Peruvian in Convoy OB-288 was torpedoed and sunk by U-96 SW of Iceland. The master, 26 crewmembers and two gunners were lost. 17 crewmembers were picked up by the British SS Arberton and landed at Halifax on 4 March.


 

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