October 24th, 1941 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: No. 137 Squadron RAF begins operations over Europe equipped with the Westland Whirlwind.
Corvette HMS Saxifrage launched.
FRANCE: Bordeaux: The Germans execute another 50 hostages bringing to 100 those killed in the last 24 hours.
GERMANY: Berlin: Adolf Eichmann">Eichmann approves a scheme to gas Jews using exhaust fumes in specially adapted vans.
U.S.S.R.: The German Sixth and 17th Armys succeed in their joint attach and occupy Kharkov in the Ukraine after five days of heavy fighting. The Soviet 28th Army withdraws in good order. This city would change hands four times during the course of the war. Belgorod is also captured.
The last Soviet remnants of the Bryansk Pocket surrender. The German Ninth Army, freed from the operation, moves to support the Third Panzer Army at Kalinn but fails to jump start the stalled offensive there.
EAST AFRICA: The last combat between a Gloster Gladiator and a CR-42 occurs near Ambazzo, when a 3 Squadron RSAAF (Royal South African Air Force) intercepts an Italian fighter. (Steve Alvin)(163, 164 and 165)
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: MacArthur"> MacArthur requests an additional US $3 million (US $43.6 million in 2008 dollars) to build facilities at Del Monte (Mindanao) and five other airfields.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The IIWO of U-97 was badly injured in an accident onboard, forcing the boat to return to base.
After some successful attacks in the morning against convoy HG-75, U-564 was attacked twice in the evening, first by an aircraft with one bomb and 3 hours later by an escort with depth charges. The boat sustained no damage.
While escorting convoy HG-75 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. Some survivors are rescued by the destroyer HMS Legion (G 74) and the corvette HMS Carnation K 00) and taken to Leith, Scotland.
U-564 sank SS Alhama, SS Ariosto and SS Carsbreck in Convoy HG-75.