January 1941

January

• 02

  • German bombs on IrelandOn the nights of 1–2 and 2–3 January 1941 German bombs fell on neutral Ireland. Three women were killed at Knockroe and many civilians were injured in Dublin.
• 03

  • RAF raids on Bremen and the Kiel CanalIn the first nights of 1941 the RAF bombed the Focke-Wulf works in Bremen. During a raid on the Kiel Canal a damaged bridge fell on the Finnish ship Yrsa.
• 05

  • The capture of BardiaOn 5 January 1941 General Mackay’s Australians broke the last resistance at Bardia. Some 36,000–40,000 Italians were captured, but Bergonzoli escaped to Tobruk.
  • Degrelle declares for NazismOn 5 January 1941, at a rally in Liège, the Rexist leader Léon Degrelle proclaimed the kinship of Rex and Nazism and ended his speech with “Heil Hitler!”.
• 10

  • The Lend-Lease bill in CongressOn 10 January 1941 bill H.R. 1776, letting Roosevelt lend arms to the British, went before Congress. On 23 January Lindbergh urged that it be rejected.
  • The German–Soviet border and commercial agreementOn 10 January 1941 Germany and the USSR signed a border treaty, a trade agreement and a secret protocol selling Moscow a strip of Lithuania for $7.5 million.
  • The attack on HMS IllustriousOn 10 January 1941 German Ju 87s from Sicily hit the carrier Illustrious off Malta. For two weeks the Luftwaffe tried to finish her off in the Grand Harbour.
  • The Greeks take the Klisura PassOn 10 January 1941 the Greek II Corps took the Klisura Pass on the Vjosa in Albania, opening the road to Berat. An Italian relief division disintegrated.
• 11

  • The Bank station disasterOn 11 January 1941 a bomb exploded in the booking hall of Bank Underground station, by the Royal Exchange. 56 died; the crater was some 37 by 30 metres.
• 14

  • The V for Victory campaignOn 14 January 1941 Victor de Laveleye urged listeners of Radio Belgique to paint the letter V on walls. The sign soon spread across occupied Europe.
• 15

  • The New Fourth Army incidentIn January 1941 Kuomintang troops crushed the Communist New Fourth Army’s headquarters in southern Anhui. Ye Ting was captured; the united front was dead.
• 17

  • The Battle of Ko ChangOn 17 January 1941 a French squadron from Indochina surprised Thai warships off Ko Chang island and routed them without loss. It did not decide the war.
• 19

  • The British offensive in East AfricaOn 19 January 1941 British and Indian troops entered Kassala, abandoned by the Italians, and pushed into Eritrea. The offensive on Italian East Africa began.
  • Hitler and Mussolini meet at the BerghofIn January 1941 Mussolini, beaten in Libya and Albania, met Hitler at the Berghof. He was promised troops for Libya but told nothing of plans against the USSR.
• 21

  • Key eventThe capture of TobrukOn 21 January 1941 the 6th Australian Division attacked Tobruk. Next day the fortress capitulated and some 25,000 Italians were taken prisoner.
  • The Legionnaires’ rebellion and the Bucharest pogromOn 21–23 January 1941 the Iron Guard rose against Antonescu and staged a pogrom in Bucharest in which some 125 Jews were killed. The army crushed the revolt.
• 29

  • The death of Ioannis MetaxasOn 29 January 1941 Ioannis Metaxas, dictator of Greece since 1936, died in Kifisia. King George II appointed the banker Alexandros Koryzis prime minister.
• 30

  • The British take DernaOn 30 January 1941 Australians entered Derna unopposed. After a week of stubborn defence on the Wadi Derna, the Italians withdrew to avoid encirclement.
• 31

  • The Battle of AgordatOn 31 January 1941 the 4th Indian Infantry Division, backed by Matilda tanks, broke the Italian defences at Agordat in Eritrea. It took the town next morning.