1 December 1941

FRANCE: Marshal Petain and General Göring reaffirmed Franco-German collaboration at St. Florentin. France gave Germany naval and air bases in North Africa for release of war prisoners and reduction of occupation costs.

LITHUANIA: Colonel Karl Jäger of the SS Einsatzkommando reports that his force has killed 230,000 Baltic Jews since June.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: During the day, the Italian destroyer Alvise Da Mosto is rescuing survivors of an Italian tanker that had been sunk in an air attack. The Malta-based British Force K encounters the destroyer. Da Mosto attacks unsuccessfully with torpedoes before she is sunk by the light cruisers HMS Aurora (12) and Penelope (97) and destroyer HMS Lively (F 40).

LIBYA: The New Zealand forces at Sidi Rezegh withdraw under pressure from Rommel's forces. Despite the mauling taken by the British 8th Army, it is still in the fight and unlike the Germans receiving supplies and replacement tanks.

As British, German and Italian tank formations clash from all directions in the brutal fight to relieve Tobruk, any resemblance between this battle and traditional warfare has long since disappeared. "This is sea warfare," said one general. "Our tanks are ships that appear and disappear at such speed that often no one knows where their lines are."

JAPAN: The Imperial Privy Council meets and after discussing a war with the Allies, the ministers sign the documents declaring war, and give them to Emperor HIROHITO, who signs them a few hours later, telling his aides that he does not feel that a constitutional monarch can overturn his ministers on such a momentous decision.

The Chief of the Naval General Staff, Admiral NAGANO Osami, sends Navy Order No. 9 to the Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet, Admiral YAMAMOTO Isoroku: (1) Japan has decided to open hostilities against the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands early in December, (2) the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet will smash the enemy fleets and air forces in the Orient and at the same time will intercept and annihilate enemy fleets should they come to attack us, (3) the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined fleet will occupy immediately the key bases of the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands in East Asia in close cooperation with the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army and will capture and secure the key areas of the southern regions, (4) the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined fleet will cooperate with the operations of the China Area Fleet, if necessary, (5) the time of the start of operations based on the aforementioned items will be made known

later, and (6) the Chief of the Naval General Staff will issue instructions concerning particulars.

The Midway Destruction Unit of the Pearl Harbor Strike Force, consisting of two destroyers and an oiler, departs Tatyama Bay, Honshu, Japan, today. The two destroyers arrive off Midway at 2100 hours on 7 December.

MALAYA: Reacting to reports of Japanese preparations, the British authorities declare a State of emergency.

SINGAPORE: All British, Indian and Australian forces in Malaya are at battle stations following the declaration of a state of emergency as fear of Japanese invasion grows. Reservists and volunteers have been called up, forcing many offices to close. The decision was taken by the governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Shenton Thomas, after consultation with the Commander-in-Chief Far East, Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham. They emphasise that the state of emergency does not signify a deterioration in the diplomatic situation. Singapore will also be reinforced by the warships HMS PRINCE OF WALES and battle cruiser HMS Repulse.

PACIFIC OCEAN: As river gunboats USS Luzon (PR-7) and Oahu (PR-6), submarine rescue vessel USS Pigeon (ASR-6) and minesweeper USS Finch (AM-9) proceed through the South China Sea toward Manila, Philippine Islands, they become the object of curiosity by Japanese forces in the vicinity; first a floatplane circles the formation, then seven Japanese warships of various types.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Olongapo: 4th Marine Regiment arrives from Shanghai aboard USS President Coolidge and disembarks. President Coolidge then sails in convoy with remaining US dependents aboard; other ships include the USAT Scott, with the 15th Infantry Regiment, and an escort of the cruiser Louisville and two destroyers.

Arnold orders all B-17's in Hawaii transferred to the Philippines. Never implemented.

Marshall advises MacArthur that 100,000 tons of supplies were to be shipped during December and that several million more tons were on the West Coast awaiting shipping.

Hart ordered directly by Roosevelt to form “Defensive Information Patrol” of three ships to be placed in harm’s way.

Communication Intelligence Summary for 1 December: "General.-All service radio calls of (Japanese) forces afloat changed promptly at 0000, 1 December. Previously, service calls changed after a period of six months or more. Calls were last changed on 1 November, 1941. The fact that service calls lasted only one month indicate an additional progressive step in preparing for active operations on a large scale. For a period of two to three days prior to the change of calls, the bulk of the radio traffic consisted of dispatches from one to four or five days old. It appears that the Japanese Navy is adopting more and more security provisions. A study of traffic prior to 0000, 1 December indicates that an effort was made to deliver all dispatches using old calls so that promptly with the change of calls, there would be a minimum of undelivered dispatches and consequent confusion and compromises. Either that or the large number of old messages may have been used to pa

First Fleet.-Nothing to indicate that this fleet as a fleet is operating outside of Empire waters. It is believed that such a large percentage of the First Fleet is operating with the Second Fleet Task Force that this fleet has ceased to operate in a prominent role.

Second Fleet.-This fleet is believed proceeding from the Kure-Sasebo area in the direction of South China and Indo-China. Takao does not appear to play an important role in today's traffic; consequently, the assumption is made that his fleet is passing up Takao. Certain units of the Second Fleet Task Force are definitely in the Indo-China area (Cruiser Division Seven and Destroyer Squadron Three most prominent).

Third Fleet.-Nothing to report except that the same association of Second, Third Fleets, and Combined Air Force with South China and Indo- China Forces continues.

Submarines.-Large number of the Submarine Force believed to be in the area to the eastward of Yokosuka-Chichijima and Saipan Flagship somewhere in this general area.

Patrol vessels (ex-fishing vessels) HMCS , British Columbia Lady, Canfisco, Smith Sound, Tordo, Loyal II, Arashio, Spray, Western Maid, Loyal I, Marlis hired.

Trawlers HMS Cailiff and Miscou (ex-Bowell, ex-Campeaia) laid down Collingwood, Ontario.

U.S.A.: Roosevelt meets with British Ambassador, Lord Halifax, and indicates the US would enter the war on the British side the British if they were attacked by Japan, but did not explicitly promise this. (Marc Small)

In a meeting between Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Japanese Ambassador NOMURA Kichisaburo and special envoy KURUSU Saburo said "the Japanese people believe that the United States wants to keep Japan fighting with China and to keep Japan strangled."

Civil Air Patrol created in the US as an auxiliary to the Army Air Corps. The Director of Civilian Defense, former New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, signs a formal order to create the patrol. Today the CAP has a youth cadet branch and an adult branch that is involved in search and rescue with private aircraft. During W.W.II, however, it's principal duty was patrolling the coast for submarines using the members private aircraft. (P. T. Holscher)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders a "defensive information patrol" of "three small ships" established off the coast of French Indochina; he specifically designates yacht USS Isabel (PY-10) as one of the trio of vessels. Schooner Lanikai is chartered and fitted out, but the start of the war results in her planned mission being cancelled. The third vessel, schooner Molly Moore, is selected for the mission but is never taken over. Lanikai's civilian career had seen her used as a "prop" in the filming of motion picture "Hurricane" that starred Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall.

TIME magazine declares the German "official announcement" of the death of Ernst Udet was sort of a cover-up, but in a rather (unintentionally) darkly humorous vein: "Colonel General Ernst Udet, Quartermaster of the German Air Force, was killed 'yesterday', (Nov. 17) while testing a new type of firearm."

TIME also reported that Berlin radio said he died in an "airplane accident on Monday, the eleventh," and "reports from Vichy said he was a suicide." (William Rinaman"

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German supply ship Python is sunk by HMS DORSETSHIRE a British cruiser off the west coast of Africa. She had aboard survivors of the raider ATLANTIS. She was refuelling the submarines UA and U-68. UA fired five torpedoes at DORSETSHIRE which missed due to underestimation of her speed. PYTHON's survivors were stashed into the submarines and open boats and were later transferred to other submarines which brought them home. The recent British success against German raiders and replenishment vessels in this area end Doenitz's plans to concentrate off the coasts of west and South Africa. (Ric Pelvin)

German submarine U-575 encounters and tracks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral, the latter en route from Aruba, Netherlands West Indies, to Lisbon, Portugal, with a cargo of 78,200 barrels of gasoline (petrol) and kerosene. After seeing that Astral is unarmed and bears prominent neutrality markings, however, the U-boat's commanding officer allows the American ship to pass unmolested. Subsequently, another submarine in the vicinity, U-43, encounters Astral and attacks her, but her torpedoes miss their mark.