August 1st, 1941 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: No. 133
Squadron Fighter Command is formed. It will be composed of American pilots.
GERMANY:
Making even a short journey as a civilian in war-torn Germany is now fraught with every
imaginable difficulty. Since the outbreak of war the entire transport system of the Reich
has been geared towards the Wehrmacht and the armaments industry.
Now shortages of spare parts and fuel have made cars a largely forgotten luxury, so that
there are more commuters seeking fewer trains. In Breslau in June passenger demand is
reported to have exceeded train capacity by 200 per cent.
U-198,
U-226,
U-266 laid down.
NORWAY:
The German authorities have imposed a state of emergency in Norway to try and clamp down
on native resistance to the occupation. Strikes have virtually crippled some regions and
acts of sabotage by partisans aimed at Wehrmacht (Heer) installations and railways have
also had a devastating effect. The Germans regard British radio propaganda as responsible
for the resistance and they have confiscated 90 per cent of the populations radios.
U.S.S.R.: Kishinev: Germans shoot dead over a thousand Jews and
communists.
German forces withstand strong Russian counterattacks north of the Pripet
Marshes.
SPAIN: U-331 refuelled from the German supply ship Thalia in Cadiz.
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Brandon arrived Halifax from builder Quebec City, Province of Quebec.
Armed yacht HMCS
Vencedor (ex Exmouth II) commissioned.
CHINA: Japan attacks Communist troops in the
Shansi-Chahar-Hopeh
border area, launching the "Three All" campaign.
Chungking:
American mercenary pilots hired to fly fighter and bomber missions for the Chinese
Nationalists are to become official members of the Chinese armed forces on the orders of
General Chiang Kai-shek.
The 101 volunteers, nicknamed the Flying Tigers but officially designated the American
Volunteer Group, are due here next month.
All the pilots are retired officers of the US Army and Navy Air Forces or serving officers
who have been granted leave on "inactive status" and guaranteed no loss of
seniority after their one-year contracts expire. They are being paid $750 a month each,
plus a $500 bonus for every Japanese plane they shoot down.
The Tigers will fly P-40 fighters, rejected as obsolete by Britain, financed by the US
under the recent $50 million lend-lease agreement between China and the USA. Their
commander is Captain Claire L. Chennault, a 51-year-old Texan maverick compulsorily
retired from the US Army Air Corps in 1937 because of deafness. He came here shortly after
to retrain Chinese pilots at the direct request of Madame Chiang Kai-Shek.
CANADA:
Corvette HMCS Brandon arrived Halifax from builder Quebec City, Province of Quebec.
Armed yacht HMCS Vencedor (ex Exmouth
II) commissioned.
U.S.A.: Washington: Roosevelt bans the export of
aviation fuel to the Western Hemisphere, except for Britain and countries of the British
Empire.
The transport USS West Point (AP-23) arrives in New York City from Lisbon, Portugal and disembarks American and Chinese consular personnel that had been stationed in Germany, German-occupied countries and Italy.
In the US, a microwave (AI-10) radar developed by the Radiation Laboratory and featuring a Plan Position Indicator (PPI) scope was given its initial airborne test in the Lockheed XJO-3 aircraft at the Boston, Massachusetts Airport. During the test flights, which continued through 16 October, scientists operated the radar and devised modifications. During the tests, surface vessels were detected at ranges up to 40 miles (64.4 km); radar-guided approaches against simulated enemy aircraft were achieved at ranges up to 3.5 miles (5.6 km).
"Parade" magazine devotes three full pages to a feature
article describing the U.S. Army's new vehicle, the "Truck, 1/4-ton,
4x4."
The magazine calls it "...the Army's most intriguing new gadget." The
gadget is a "tiny truck which can do practically everything." The new
"gadget" is more commonly known as the "Jeep."
In U.S. baseball, New York Yankee pitcher Lefty Gomez breaks the major league
record for walks in a shutout by walking 11 batters as the Yankees defeat the
St. Louis Browns 9-0.
Anti-Aircraft cruiser USS Reno laid down.
Submarine USS Marlin commissioned.