October 5th, 1941 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Destroyer HMS Hurworth is commissioned.
U.S.S.R.: Moscow: The Russians put German losses in the campaign at 3,000,000 and their own at 1,100,000.
Ukraine, Panzergruppe 1 (von Kleist) reaches the Sea of Azov.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: U-79 is successful in breaking through to the Mediterranean.
EGYPT: British military leaders have devised a plan to hit back at Rommel and the DAK. The Allied enclave at Tobruk will be the prime target of Operation Crusader. It was agreed two days ago and despite pressure from Churchill for quick action, General Sir Claude Auchinleck, the C-in-C, wants to build up his supplies before taking the offensive next month.
Lt-Gen Sir Alan Cunningham will lead the British campaign at the head of the Eighth Army, formed last month from XIII and XXX Corps. In addition to the British troops, Sir Alan will have Australian, Indian, New Zealand, Polish and Free French forces under his command.
ITALIAN SOMALILAND: Capt. Jack Parsonon strafes an Italian Sm-75 cargo plane on the airfield at Djibouti, the only enemy aircraft destroyed by a P-36 Mohawk in East Africa. (Mike Yared)(284)
JAPAN: Japan breaks diplomatic relations with the Polish government-in-exile.
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: USN Task Force 5 returns from deployment in southern Philippine waters. (Marc Small)
CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Red Deer is launched at Montreal, Province of Quebec.
U.S.A.: Baseball!
Brereton briefed by Marshall, Gerow, Arnold, and Spaatz. Brereton stated "in the event of war it was almost certain to incur destruction of a bomber force put in the Philippine Islands without providing adequate antiaircraft defense"; Marshall responded that he and Arnold were taking a "calculated risk". Brereton was to state, after the War, that, "[T]he lessons of the War in Europe were being completely ignored in placing a heavy bomber force in the Philippines without adequate protection." (Marc James Small)
CARIBBEAN SEA: The Canadian Paterson Steamships Co. merchantman Mondoc (1,926 GRT) sank in the Caribbean Sea after she struck an unknown submerged object, probably Darien Rock, off the east coast of Trinidad. She was on route from Trinidad to the US Virgin Islands (other sources say Guyana to the British Virgin Islands), with a cargo of bauxite from transshipment. There were no survivors from this incident.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-565 is attacked by an aircraft. One bomb hit the deck, but it was a dud and rolled off into the water.