July 4th, 1941 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: From today only one ton a month of coal, coke or any other type of solid fuel can be supplied for domestic use. Even that amount is not guaranteed to be available. Coal production has fallen because of the call-up of young miners. Ernest Bevin, the Minister of Labour, has appealed for 50,000 ex-miners to return to the pits, without success; he is now ordering ex-miners to register for recall. The new restriction of supply affects all households, hotels, flats, clubs and offices, and is intended to save fuel for industry.Minesweeping trawler HMS Akranes bombed and sunk off Bridlington Bay, Yorkshire.
GERMANY: Bremen: Wing-Cdr Hughie Idwal Edwards (1914-82) led a daylight raid on the port at just 50 feet, despite wires and fierce fire. Four planes were lost, but the rest, all hit, returned. (VC)
Hugie Edwards was an Australian serving in the RAF (having taken a Regular (Short Service) Commission pre WWI). He was a native of Western Australia and eventually became Governor there before his death. (Daniel Ross)
U.S.S.R.: Kovno: Lithuanian militiamen kill 463 Jews.
ETHIOPIA:
Addis Ababa: With the Italian surrender at Amba Alagi, all that remains for the Allies in East Africa is clearing up. Yeserday General Gazzera surrendered his divisions at Sidamo to a Free Belgian force. The alternative to the Belgians was the Ethiopian "Patriots", led by Major Orde Wingate, who reputedly wears a purse made from the scrotum of a dead Italian.
A few Italian divisions remain around Gondar in the north-west, and in the far west, and the rains - which make all roads impassable - will give them a few months life, but they present no strategic threat to anyone.
U.S.A.:
Roosevelt urges Americans to pledge their lives as well as their work to the defence of
human freedom.
Roosevelt broadcasts on Independence Day that the US will never survive as a happy and
fertile oasis of liberty surrounded by a cruel desert of dictatorship.
Two motion pictures are released in the U.S. today.
"Manpower" a drama directed by Raoul Walsh, stars Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, George Raft, Alan Hale, Frank McHugh, Eve Arden, Barton MacLane and Ward Bond; Diana Barrymore and Faye Emerson have uncredited bit parts. Robinson and Raft are members of a power company road gang who meet Dietrich in a clip joint and then she comes between them.
"Moon Over Miami," a musical directed by Walter Lang, stars Don Ameche, Betty Grable, Robert Cummings, Jack Haley, Carole Landis, Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Haley. Grable and Landis are gold diggers from Texas who arrive in Miami looking for rich husbands.
CANADA:
Corvettes HMCS Prescott, Lethbridge and Kenogami arrive Halifax from builders in Montreal.
Corvette HMCS Lachine arrived Halifax from builder Quebec City.
Minesweeper HMCS Cowichan commissioned.
ICELAND: PBY-5 Catalinas of Patrol Squadron Seventy Two
(VP-72) operating from Reykjavik, Iceland, begin flying protective patrols to cover the
arrival of US Marine Corps garrison units from the U.S.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-69 whilst on her way back to Lorient (61st day of cruise) and, out of torpedoes, sighted the Robert L Holt. Metzler decided to take her on, and by keeping Robert L Holt's gun crew away from their gun by firing his 2cm machine gun at them if they tried to approach, bought enough time to ready and fire his 8.8cm main armament. U-69 thus sank the Robert L Holt.
At 0355, the Auditor, dispersed on 28 June in 48°17N/20°40W from Convoy
OB-337, was hit by one torpedo from
U-123 and sank about 600
miles NW of the Cape Verde Islands. One gunner was lost. The master and 50
crewmembers landed at St Michael Island, Azores and 20 crewmembers and four
gunners landed at Taffalal Bay, San Antonio Island, Cape Verde Islands and
were brought to Bathurst by sloop HMS Gorleston.