October 21st, 1941 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Sloop HMS Woodcock laid down.
FRANCE: Nantes: Fifty hostages were shot here this morning - in reprisal for the killing of Lt-Col Karl Holz, the local German commander. He was shot six times as he walked past the cathedral yesterday morning, two of the bullets hitting his neck.
Now the Vichy authorities have announced that, "considering the gravity of the crime", 50 more hostages will be shot unless the killers are found by tomorrow. The statement coincides with a visit to occupied France by Admiral Darlan, the Vichy vice-premier.
General Stülpnagel, commander of the German occupation forces, described the killers as "cowardly criminals, paid for by England and Moscow". So far - after an enthusiastic round-up which netted the prefect of Loire, the commandant of the Nantes gendarmerie and three perfectly innocent policemen - they have not been found.
Since the Germans invaded the USSR and the French Communist Party roused itself from a policy of "masterful inactivity", there has been a steady increase in anti-German terrorism, though the majority of the French have had no strong feelings either way. What are slowly changing their attitudes are the German and Vichy counter-measures. So far 131 Frenchmen have been executed as hostages; no one can tell in which direction opinion will go.
GERMANY:
U-271, U-418, U-713 laid down.
YUGOSLAVIA: Kragujevac: Germans and local fascist militiamen massacre 2,300 Serbs in reprisal for recent partisan attacks.
U.S.S.R.: In Odessa, Ukraine, a delayed-action bomb blows up Major General Ion Glogojanu, commander of the Romanian 10th Division, and 51 of his staff. (This was referred to in detail in Mike Yaklich's additional post for October 16th)
At Kharakov, the workers at the massive Kramatorsk heavy-machine factory finish packing the last of their factory onto rail cars for the journey east. The men unable to find places on the train walk 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the nearest railhead to find transport there. The Germans are seven miles (11 kilometers) behind them.
In the Ukraine, units of the German Sixth Army capture Stalino in the industrial Donets Basin.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Insect class gunboat HMS Gnat is torpedoed by U-79 North of Bardia at 32 08N 25 22E. She loses all power and but is eventually towed back to Alexandria by destroyer HMS Griffin. Her hull is beached, but repair (consideration being given to welding Cricket’s bow to Gnat’s stern) is not possible, so she was paid off on 7 December 1941.
GNAT owed her survival to the fact that she was hit well forward under the port anchor. Her bows and some 30 feet of starboard side plating were blown off. Two more torpedoes were fired, one passing under the shallow draft vessel, bumping her as it went. The other missed down the starboard side.
Everything forward of No 18 bulkhead had gone but the bulk head, although bulging, held. She was towed back to Alexandria stern first by the destroyer GRIFFIN initially and then the tug ST MONANCE.
There were no casualties.
(Alex Gordon and Richard Pelvin)(108
and 124)
JAPAN: The Foreign Office in Tokyo sends the following message to the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.: "The new cabinet differs in no way from the former one in its sincere desire to adjust Japanese-United States relations on a fair basis. Our country has said practically all she can say in the way of expressing of opinions and setting forth our stands. We feel that we have now reached a point where no further positive action can be taken by us except to urge the United States to reconsider her views. We urge, therefore, that, choosing an opportune moment, either you or Wakasugi let it be known to the United States by indirection that our country is not in a position to spend much more time discussing this matter. Please continue the talks, emphasizing our desire for a formal United States counter-proposal to our proposal of 25(?) September."
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: The following message is sent from the Japanese representative in Davao, Mindanao Island, to Tokyo: "As an air base for central Mindanao district, 300 men are being managed by Americans, and the ground is now being leveled. An under ground hangar and under ground oil tanks are planned; however, the material for this is delayed so that building on this is not progressing as planned. Already several times a week planes are flying here, and it seems they are expecting large heavy bomber planes too, very soon."
CANADA:
Corvette HMCS The Pas commissioned.
Corvette HMCS Edmunston commissioned Esquimalt BC
U.S.A.: In tests with MAD (Magnetic Airborne Detector) equipment, a PBY Catalina from NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island, locates the USN submarine USS S-48. The tests are carried out in cooperation with the National Defense Research Committee.
Escort carrier USS Copahee launched.
Submarine USS Haddock launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-82 sank SS Treverbyn and SS Serbino in Convoy SL-89.
After damaging the British Armed merchant cruiser HMS Aurania in Convoy SL-89, U-123 took one seaman of this ship onboard as a prisoner. In the evening the boat was attacked by a British Sunderland aircraft with two bombs. U-123 suffered slight damage.
While escorting a convoy from Gibralter to the U.K., the destroyer HMS Cossack (G 03) is hit by a torpedo from the German submarine U-563. The explosion blows off the bow and forward section of the ship killing 159 officers and ratings. Still afloat, the vessel is taken in tow stern first by a tug from Gibralter but bad weather causes the tow to be slipped and the Cossack sinks soon after about 229 nautical miles (425 kilometers) west of Gibraltar in position 35.56N, 10.04W. Sn 35.56N, 10.04W. Some survivors are rescued by the destroyer HMS Legion (G 74) and the corvette HMS Carnation (K 00) and taken to Leith, Scotland.