20 November 1939

1933 (MONDAY)

UNITED STATES: Lieutenant Commander Thomas G. W. Settle, USN, and Major Chester L. Fordney, USMC, flying a 600,000 cubic foot (16 990 cubic meter) free balloon, set a world's altitude record of 61,237 feet (18 665 meters) in a flight into the stratosphere with departure from Akron, Ohio, and landing near Bridgeton, New Jersey.

1934 (TUESDAY)

JAPAN: In baseball, 17-year-old Eiji Sawamura gives up one hit, a home run to New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, as the touring American All-Stars win in Japan, 1-0. At one point Sawamura strikes out four future Hall of Famers in a row: Detroit Tigers' second baseman Charlie Gehringer, New York Yankees right fielder Babe Ruth, Philadelphia Athletics first baseman Jimmie Foxx, and Gehrig.

1936 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Foreign Secretary Eden assures France and Belgium of British military support in case of unprovoked, aggression ". . . in accordance with our existing obligations."

1937 (SATURDAY)

CHINA: After the fall of Shanghai on 9 November, the Japanese continued their advance westward and capture Soochow today. The Japanese then mount a vigorous campaign up the Yangtze River towards central China. Japanese air attacks on Chinese cities outrage world opinion.

In light of the rapid Japanese advances in north and central China, the Nationalist Chinese government move their capital from Nanking to Chungking, although executive power is temporarily based at Hankow.

1938 (SUNDAY)

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: The Czecho-Slovak government gives the Germans rights to a highway across Moravia to Vienna, and a canal which connects the Oder and Danube Rivers.

UNITED STATES: Father Charles Coughlin, head of the misnamed Union of Social Justice, makes a notorious anti-Semitic radio broadcast, prompting group pressure that will eventually force him off the air.

November 20th, 1939 (MONDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:

Home Fleet submarines gain their first success in the Heligoland Bight when HMS/M Sturgeon (N 73) sinks the German patrol ship V209 (ex Gauleiter Telschow) in position 54.32N, 05.10E.

One Luftwaffe aircraft is shot down off the East Coast, 3 prisoners are taken.

The first magnetic mines are parachuted into the Thames Estuary by the Luftwaffe.

The minesweeper HMS Mastiff is blown up by a magnetic mine while attempting to recover it into a fishing net.

London: For the first time since war began workers travelled home in blackout conditions this evening. On the first business day after the change from British Summer Time the blackout began at 4.30 pm. Many offices in the City closed at 4pm to give employees a chance to get home before the lights went out. Staff had started early and cut short their lunch hours to make up time. Shops in the West End closed early, too, with only a few still serving customers after 5pm.

The change has brought the rush hour forward by an hour, and London Transport is considering adjusting services. This evening's bright moonlight made journeys in the darkened city more romantic than perilous.

Destroyer HMS Liddesdale laid down.

NORTH SEA: U-18 and U-57 both attacked a British destroyer, but without success.

GERMANY: OKW issues Fhrer Directive #8 for the Conduct of the War.
(i) A high state of preparedness should be maintained such that the planned Western offensive can be mounted at a moments notice, this will make it possible to take immediate advantage of favourable weather. It should be possible to delay the attack as late as 2300 hours on A-Day-1. Prior to this time Commands will receive the code words, Danzig to proceed with, or Augsburg to delay, the offensive.
(ii) Special orders are no longer required for undertaking planned measures against Holland when the offensive opens. Where no resistance is offered the operation should assume the character of a peaceful occupation.
(iii) All precautions should be taken to enable the main weight of the attack to be switched from Army Group B to Army Group A should the disposition of enemy forces suggest Army Group A could achieve greater success.
(iv) The Kriegsmarine will undertake the blockade of Dutch and Belgian ports and sea lanes. Initiation of the action is authorized on the night preceding the attack provided the secrecy of land operations is not compromised. Coastal artillery for the protection of the occupied coastline is the responsibility of the navy.
(v) The Führer has issued special verbal orders for airborne landings, including those supporting the army river crossings in Holland and Belgium. Air attacks on centres of population and large open cities in Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, are not permitted without compelling military necessity.
(vi) Until the opening of the attack, traffic and communication across the Dutch, Belgian, and Luxembourg frontiers will be maintained at a normal level to ensure surprise. Upon the opening of the attack these frontiers will be closed for all non-military purposes. At the time of the attack no special restrictions will be applied to other neutral frontiers of the Reich. (Marc Roberts)

U-139 laid down.

DENMARK: The Navy Supreme Command ("Søværnskommandoen") gives the orders to place mine fields in the Storebælt, between Langeland and Lolland, and in Lille Bælt between Als and Ærø.

FINLAND: Several cabinet ministers, foremost among them Foreign Minister Eljas Erkko, propose that the Army should be partially demobilized. In their opinion the threat of war with Soviet Union is receding, and keeping the Defence Forces fully mobilized is straining economy. Defence Forces high command and Defence Minister Juho Niukkanen oppose the proposal, and there's no demobilization. Tomorrow (on 21 Nov) the cabinet decides that people evacuated under compulsion from municipalities near the Fenno-Soviet border can return their homes.

GIBRALTAR: U.S. freighter SS Excambion is detained by British authorities.

U.S.A.:

Battleship USS Indiana laid down.

Destroyer USS Stack commissioned.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-33 sank SS Delphine, Sea Sweeper and Thomas Hankins.

20 November 1940

November 20th, 1940 (WEDNESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:

CIGS to Wavell:

PM and Secretary of State for War have authorised me to send you the following:

You will have learnt from AOC-in-C strength of air forces which will be available from day to day in Egypt after approved air support to Greece has been provided. We realise how disturbing reduction of air forces must be to you, especially at this moment, but we are making every effort in our power to ensure that you have the squadrons you have estimated necessary to proceed with "Compass".

You will appreciate that developments in Greek theatre are likely to lead to further persistent demands for our assistance which will be the more difficult to resist so long as your forces are not actively engaged. Nevertheless decision as to how and when to act with regard to "Compass" must rest with you and we have full confidence in your judgement.

Birmingham: Luftwaffe raiders bombard the city in a raid lasting nine hours, London is also bombed by over a 100 planes.

RAF Bomber Command: The RAF claim that during the bombing of Bremen the liner 'Europa' "was hit squarely at her dock".

London:

There may be no marmalade for British breakfasts unless the Ministry of Food stops haggling over the price it is prepared to pay for the current crop of Seville oranges. Any further delay means that the fruit will start going bad. The dispute is over GBP 77,000, which could make the difference of a farthing to a two-pound jar of marmalade. Housewives who are waiting to make their own marmalade are getting frustrated. Extra sugar is available - but no oranges.

Destroyers HMS Airedale and Albrighton laid down.

VICHY FRANCE: Canadian envoy Pierre Dupuy arrives.

AUSTRIA: Vienna: Hungary today signed a protocol linking itself to Germany, Italy and Japan. After the ceremony, held in the Belvedere Palace, the former home of Emperor Franz Josef, the Hungarian foreign minister, Count Csaky, emphasised that this did not mean that Hungary would change its attitude towards Russia. In fact, the protocol merely regularises the existing situation in which Hungary accedes to all of Germany's demands.

Only Yugoslavia and Bulgaria hold out against German pressure to become members; the only countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans not completely dominated by the Axis or the Soviet Union.

ITALY: The newly formed 97 Gruppo (238a and 239a Squadriglia) of the Regia Aeronautica equips with the Junkers JU87. These Squadriglia will operate on the Greek-Albanian front. (Ferdinando D'Amico)

ADRIATIC SEA: The Italian torpedo boat Cofienza sinks after a collision with the auxiliary patrol vessel Cecchi north of Brindisi.

EGYPT:

Cairo: Wavell to CIGS:

"Compass" in active preparation and forward depots already made. Main difficulties transport, spares for artillery and tanks, protection against air attack and secrecy. Can deal with first two locally as far as resources allow but air protection dependent on arrival Hurricanes in time. Am arranging to concentrate all AA artillery I can make available, taking risks elsewhere in Egypt. Shall endeavour to stage operation if air situation makes it at all possible but the less air support the larger the casualties will be and the greater the risk of failure.

EGYPT: Port Suez: The Indian Army arrives here and at Port Sudan. They bring with them cooks to prepare meals for the separate company messes for British, Hindu, Moslem, Sikh and Untouchable soldiers.

The role of these soldiers is unpopular with the Hindu majority of India where the Congress Party remains aloof from the war. Moslems, on the other hand, support the war effort. The reinforcements are welcome nonetheless. Britain has only 8,000 troops in the Sudan against Italy's 300,000.

EAST AFRICA: The RAF bomb military installations at Mai Edaga, Gura in Eritrea.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: Japanese warships and transports have arrived off Saigon, and the Japanese have demanded the right to occupy the city.

CANADA:

Corvette HMCS Kamsack laid down Port Arthur, Ontario.

Corvettes HMCS Baddeck and Buctouche laid down Lauzon, Province of Quebec.

U.S.A.: Washington: The House of Representatives defeated the move of the administration to adjourn the session. By a majority of 44 votes it was decided to stay in Washington and watch Roosevelt.

Washington:

An American bomber fresh off the drawing board has penetrated not only German defences but also the complex web of US law prohibiting the supply of war material to belligerents.

Two years ago a British defence, shopping in the US, asked Lockheed for a long-range reconnaissance bomber. None existed, but the Lockheed Super-Electra airliner was adapted in 24 hours. This became the Hudson. When war began, some legal way had to be found of avoiding the infringement of US neutrality. President Roosevelt revived an 1892 law permitting the lease of army property "not required for public use" for periods up to five years.

U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson and British Minister of Supply Sir Walter Layton agree to a partial standardization of British and American military weapons and equipment. The agreement establishes a general policy of pooling British and American technical knowledge, patents, and formulas for weapons production.

PANAMA: The War Department activates the Panama Canal Air Force at Albrook Field, Canal Zone. This new unit, which is assigned to the Army's Panama Canal Department, assumes administrative and operational control of all units in the Panama Canal which were previously under the 19th Wing.

20 November 1941

November 20th, 1941 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Light cruiser HMCS Ontario (ex-HMS Minotaur) laid down.

Corvette HMS Bellwort commissioned.

Minesweeper HMS Rye commissioned.

ASW trawler HMS Bredon launched.

Corvette HMS Poppy launched.

Aircraft carrier HMS Unicorn launched.

Frigate HMS Rother launched.

FRANCE: General Maxime Weygand, Governor-General of Algeria, is removed from his post in North Africa by the Vichy government due to German pressure.

GERMANY: U-597 commissioned.

U.S.S.R.: General der Infanterie von Briesen LII Armeekorps is killed at Andrejkawa. (138)(Russ Folsom)

LIBYA: The British operation Crusader continues. The British 4th Armoured Brigade again loses heavily. British General Cunningham orders the Tobruk garrison to begin their planned breakout attacks. Rommel begins to understand the extent of the British attack and issues orders concentrating his forces at Sidi Rezegh.

No. 80 Squadron RAF begin using Hawker Hurricane fighter-bombers, the Hurribomber, in the Western Desert. (22)

General Weygand is removed from his post in North Africa by the Vichy government due to German pressure.

JAPAN: Tokyo: Japan makes a proposal (Plan B) to the USA.

Foreign Minister TOGO Shigenori sends a message to the Japanese ambassador in Ankara, Turkey, that includes the following: "Insofar as Japanese-American negotiations are concerned, in proceeding upon these negotiations for the adjustment of diplomatic relations on a just basis, conferences have been in progress since the 7th. However, there is great disparity between their opinions and our own. In the light of the trend of past negotiations there is considerable doubt as to whether a settlement of the negotiations will be reached. Insofar as we are concerned we have lent our maximum efforts in order to bring about a settlement of the negotiations. However, the situation not permitting any further conciliation by us, an optimistic view for the future is not permitted. In the event that negotiations are broken off, we expect that the situation in which Japan will find herself will be extremely critical. The above is for your information alone."

All communications are cut to Etorofu Island, Kurile Islands. Tankan Bay is the assembly point for the Japanese naval vessels that will attack Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Transport, President Coolidge arrived with elements of the 27^th BG (L) and the 35^th PG. Navy Department disapproved Hart’s proposal to keep the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines but refuses to provide him with further guidance. Hart protests directly to Stark but no response was made. (Marc Small)

The 5th Air Base Group also arrive in Manila. This group has been sent to the Philippines to support the 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), the second B-17 group ordered to the Philippines.

Admiral Thomas C. Hart, commander of the Asiatic Fleet, orders the destroyer tender USS Black Hawk (AD-9) and the destroyers USS Alden (DD-211), Edsall (DD-219), John D. Edwards (DD-216) and Whipple (DD-217) dispatched to Balikpapan, Borneo, the Netherlands East Indies. (Marc Small)

PACIFIC OCEAN: Hart ordered tender Blackhawk and four destroyers dispatched to Balikpapan in the Netherlands East Indies.

U.S.A.: The motion picture They Died With Their Boots On opens at the Strand Theater in New York City. Directed by Raoul Walsh, this western drama about General Custer and Little Bighorn stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Arthur Kennedy, Gene Lockhart, Anthony Quinn, Sydney Greenstreet, Regis Toomey and Hattie McDaniel. Appearing on stage is Woody Herman And His Orchestra.

The spectre of a coming war hangs over America, but even as they listen to the latest news from the Atlantic, Britain, Germany and the Russian front and await the arrival on the west coast of Japan's special envoy, US citizens are buying their Thanksgiving Day turkeys and shopping early for Christmas. Holiday trade will be up 5 to 15% over last year. But not all the economic news is rosy. Congress and the president are preparing anti-inflationary tax legislation, and Roosevelt is threatening a government takeover of the coal mines.

The president, in announcing that he will delay his planned trip to Georgia, blames the coalminers' strike, but insiders say that he wants to hear what Japan's special envoy, Saburo Kurusu, has to offer. There is not much optimism, given the tenor of recent statements by Japan's leaders in Tokyo.

President Roosevelt did get the Neutrality Act amended and he is hearing less and less from "America Firsters". One restaurant in New York removed a flag belonging to Charles A Lindbergh until, the owner states, "he comes to his senses."

The Japanese Ambassador to the U.S., NOMURA Kichisaburo presents the following draft proposal to U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull: "(1) Both the Governments of Japan and the United States undertake not to make any armed advancement into any of the regions in the South-eastern Asia and the Southern Pacific area excepting the part of French Indo-China where the Japanese troops are stationed at present. (2) The Japanese Government undertakes to withdraw its troops now stationed in French Indo-China upon either the restoration of peace between Japan and China or the establishment of an equitable peace in the Pacific area. In the meantime the Government of Japan declares that it is prepared to remove its troops now stationed in the southern part of French Indo-China to the northern part of the said territory upon the conclusion of the present arrangement which shall later be embodied in the final agreement. (3) The Government of Japan and the United States shall cooperate with a view to securing the acquisition of those goods and commodities which the two countries need in Netherlands East Indies. (4) The Governments of Japan and the United States mutually undertake to restore their commercial relations to those prevailing prior to the freezing of the assets. The Government of the United States shall supply Japan a required quantity of oil. (5) The Government of the United States undertakes to refrain from such measures and actions as will be prejudicial to the endeavours for the restoration of general peace between Japan and China."

ATLANTIC OCEAN: USN destroyer USS Nicholson (DD-424), with Task Unit 4.1.5, escorting convoy HX-160 (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to U.K.), depth charges a sound contact about 195 nautical miles (361 kilometers) north-northeast of St. John's, Newfoundland, in position 50B030'N, 50B040'W.

20 November 1942

November 20th, 1942 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Essex: Mr. Wilson Charles Geoffrey Baldwin (b.1912), assistant works manager, helped put out a fire after a massive blast at a munitions factory, preventing further explosions and deaths. (Empire Medal)

Destroyer HMS Wager laid down.

Destroyer HMS Saumarez launched.

Minesweeping trawler HMS Gruinard launched.

FRANCE: Vichy: Pierre Laval, President of the Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of the Interior, and Minister of Information, once again broadcasts in support of Germany. He states that the United States and England are now "tearing France limb from limb. . . . It is in the interests of France and in the interests of the peace to come that we are attempting reconciliation with Germany. . . . The entente with Germany is the sole guarantee of peace in Europe." He also says the alternative to a German victory is rule by "Jews and Communists".

During the night of 20/21 November, RAF Bomber Command aircraft fly two missions: four Stirlings lay mines in the River Gironde Estuary and eight drop leaflets over the country.

GERMANY: U-538 launched.

NORWAY: Operation Freshman.

U.S.S.R.: (Sergey Anisimov)(69)Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega Flotillas: Shipping loss. MS "TSch-48" (ex-BP "N33") - due to collision, in Kronshtadt (later raised)

The second half of the Soviet offensive designed to encircle the German 6th Army at Stalingrad is launched, this time striking the Romanian 4th Army, holding positions south and east of that city. Most of the blow falls on the depleted Romanian 1st and 2nd Divisions. The main Russian attacks target an 18-mile stretch of front held by five battalions of the 1st Division, and an 11-mile sector defended by four battalions of 2nd Division. The Soviets have almost 400 tanks available to support these efforts, while the Romanians have no tanks at all (the only Romanian armored division in existence was supporting the Romanian 3rd Army north and west of Stalingrad).

The Red Army's assault achieves a stunning success almost at once (and much more easily than in the previous day's attack on 3rd Army). More than two Soviet divisions overwhelm the four battalions of the Romanian 2nd Division, and that afternoon a full mechanized corps is pushed into the breech in the lines created. Part of this force then swings north and smashes into the right flank of the Romanian 20th Division. This unit's 84th Infantry Regiment is virtually wiped out after resisting six Russian tank attacks, and its engineer battalion suffers a similar fate.

Nonetheless, the division commander, General Nicolae Tataranu, manages to retreat with the remnants of his unit into the Stalingrad pocket, where his men will be trapped along with the Germans (for this he was awarded the German Knight's Cross). Tataranu himself, however, will later fly out of the pocket, feeling it his duty to report personally to the high command on the appalling conditions inside the Stalingrad perimeter, and on what he feels is the shabby treatment accorded to the Romanians there. Antonescu, the Romanian military dictator and commander-in-chief, sees it differently, and Tataranu narrowly escapes a court-martial and potential firing squad for deserting his post.

The Russians take 10,000 prisoners from 4th Army on the first day of the assault, and make a complete breakthrough. Probably their biggest setback during the day comes when the three tank brigades of the Soviet 4th Mechanized Corps run into one of the few Romanian minefields, leading to the disabling of 50 vehicles. The Romanian motorized 6th Rosiori (cavalry) Regiment is hurled into a counterattack, but quickly find themselves surrounded. They will eventually fight their way back to Axis lines, but only after losing 65% of their men, including the regimental commander Lt-Col Harconitza, killed while leading an attack with a rifle in his hands. The Soviet spearheads race toward Kalach in the German rear, where they will soon link up with the forces that broke through the Romanian 3rd Army front the previous day, thereby trapping more than a quarter million Germans in Stalingrad. Although the 18th Division will subsequently prove helpful in limited offensive operations to assist the Germans, the bulk of the Romanian 4th Army is virtually finished as a fighting force, its officers and men demoralized at all levels. The malaise includes the commanders of the 6th and 7th Corps, as well as the 4th Army commander General Constantinescu-Klaps. These two corps will virtually melt away before a renewed Soviet offensive against their new positions just before Christmas, and the Germans will find it necessary to withdraw what is left of the 4th Army from the front by the end of December. (Michael F. Yaklich)

ITALY: Turin is hit hard by an RAF raid.

During the night of 20/21 November, RAF Bomber Command dispatches 232 aircraft, 86 Lancasters, 54 Wellingtons, 47 Halifaxes and 45 Stirlings, to bomb Turin; 200 aircraft bomb the target, the largest raid to Italy during this period. Three aircraft, a Halifax, a Stirling and a Wellington, are lost. This is another successful attack, with large fires being started. Dense smoke prevents further observations of the effects of the bombing but the casualty roll in Turin, 117 dead and 120 injured, confirms that many bombs fall in the city.

MALTA: The future of Malta was finally assured when British and American merchant ships began unloading at the quayside here today.

The navy was taking no chances with the convoy (MW-13 Egypt to Malta)- Operation STONE AGE - that sailed from Port Said three days ago. The four merchantmen were escorted by seven destroyers and the 15th Cruiser Squadron, HMS EURYALUS (42) and DIDO (37) - such was the desperate need of Malta for food and fresh supplies. At 1,500 calories per day, the Maltese population is close to starvation. Despite Allied victories in the desert, Malta remains vulnerable to Luftwaffe bombers in Sicily and strategically vital.

Everything depended on STONE AGE. Massive air and sea attacks could have been expected, but Axis attention is diverted elsewhere. The four merchantmen were unscathed when they sailed into the Grand Harbour at Valetta today with 35,000 metric tons (38,581 tons) of supplies.

Sadly, the cruiser HMS ARETHUSA was hit by an aerial torpedo. Burning fiercely, she is being towed stern-first into Malta by the destroyer HMS PETARD. 153 men were lost.

LIBYA: Benghazi falls to X Corps, British Eighth Army.

USAAF Ninth Air Force P-40s patrol over the battle area near Bengasi.

ALGERIA: During the night of 20/21 November, Axis aircraft bomb the harbour and Maison Blanche Airfield at Algiers, destroying several aircraft.

TUNISIA: French XIX Corps units, together with British and attached U.S. forces, withdraw from Medjez el Bab to Oued Zarga, 10 miles (16 kilometers) west, where forward elements of Blade Force (former 17/21 Lancers Regimental Group), British First Army, are located. The main body of Blade Force is concentrated in the Souk el Arba area. The British 1st Parachute Battalion is holding BC)dja.

BURMA: Eight USAAF"> USAAF Tenth Air Force India Air Task Force (IATF) B-24 Liberators bomb the marshalling yard at Mandalay as IATF bombers intensify their campaign against Burma and Thailand.

NEW GUINEA: In Papua, advance elements of the Australian 25th Brigade, Maroubra Force, enter Gona but are driven out after nightfall. The 126th Infantry Regiment. U.S. 32d Infantry Division, upon reaching Popondetta, is sent on to Soputa to assist the Australian 16th Brigade, Maroubra Force. The Australian 16th Brigade clears the Japanese rear guard from Soputa and continues along the Sanananda track to its junction with the main trail to Cape Killerton but is halted at the Japanese forward defense line. Task Force Warren continues to meet heavy fire, which pins down the 3d Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, on the left; the 1st Battalion is halted after a 100-yard (91 meter) advance in the coastal area. Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Carrier's detachment (elements of the 1st Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment) and the 2/6th Independent Company, Maroubra Force, arrive at the front and prepare to join in attack along coast.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: On Guadalcanal, the Japanese attack the left flank of the 1st Battalion, 182d Infantry Regiment, early in the day and forces it back, but the battalion recovers lost ground with the assistance of air and artillery and drives forward until stopped by Japanese fire just west of Point Cruz. The Japanese retain Point Cruz itself. The 164th Infantry Regiment moves forward during the night of 20/21 November to bridge the gap between assault battalions of the 182d Infantry Regiment.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: A USAAF Eleventh Air Force reconnaissance aircraft over Japanese-held Kiska Island draws heavy antiaircraft fire from Gertrude Cove.

CANADA: Through trucks start rolling from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, toward Fairbanks, Territory of Alaska, along the 2 450 kilometer (1,323 mile) Alcan Military Highway, or Alaska Highway; built to supply the Pacific North West and Alaska in case of a Japanese invasion. An opening ceremony for the highway is held at Soldiers Summit, Yukon Territory, in -35F (-37C) degree weather.

U.S.A.: The USAAF Antisubmarine Command activates HQ 25th and 26th Antisubmarine Wings at New York, New York, and Miami, Florida, respectively. These two wings will have administrative and operational control of all USAAF"> USAAF antisubmarine squadrons based in the eastern U.S.

Destroyer USS Twining laid down.

Destroyer USS Converse commissioned.

Destroyer escort USS Burden R Hastings launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

After sinking SS Corinthiakos, U-181 rescued a survivor from the water and later transferred him to a lifeboat.

Convoy escorts dropped 119 depth charges on U-263, causing so much damage that the boat was forced to return to base.

U-264 was attacked by a British escort with gunfire and depth charges, and suffered heavy damage.

U-177 sank SS Pierce Butler.

U-263 sank SS Grangepark and Prins Harald in Convoy KMS-3.

20 November 1943

UNITED KINGDOM: London: Just before 7am today, Sir Oswald Mosley was released through a back entrance of Holloway prison, where he has been detained under Regulation 18B since 1940. His release was on health ground. He and Lady Mosley, who shared a flat in the prison, were reunited with their two sons, aged four and two, who were being cared for by friends. Protests at the Mosleys' release are being made by many Labour organizations, trade unions and factory deputations outside the Home Office. It has been stated by the government that Herbert Morrison, the home secretary, who ordered the release, still has wide powers to control Sir Oswald's movements.

There is a strong suspicion that to some degree Mosley's extended internment was motivated by the hatred felt for him by the Labour Home Secretary, Herbert Morrison, who regarded Mosley as a traitor to the Labour Party (Mosley had been a Minister in Ramsey MacDonald's second government). Certainly Churchill, who knew and despised Mosley, was very uneasy about keeping him locked-up without trial long after the threat of a German invasion had receded. (Adrian Weale)

Frigate HMS Curzon commissioned.

Escort carrier HMS Speaker commissioned.

Frigates HMS Trollope and Tyler launched.

GERMANY:

U-249, U-397, U-924 commissioned.

U-484, U-680, U-681, U-905 launched.

BALTIC SEA: U-768 sunk in the Gulf of Danzig in position 54.30N, 19.15E after a collision with U-745. 44 survivors (No casualties).

U.S.S.R.: A new attack by the Soviets begins near Cherkassy as they cross the Dnieper River.

The Red Army achieves a breakthrough near Kremenchug in the Ukraine, and advances toward Kirovograd.

ITALY: Heavy rains dull Montgomery's planned attack across the Sangro River to a limited effort. The 36th Brigade is the only unit to cross.

The USAAF Twelfth Air Force's XII Air Support Command and RAF Desert Air Force fighters carry out uneventful armed reconnaissance; Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force aircraft bombs the Porto Civitanova railway junction, Pedaso, Giulianova, and Loreto.

GREECE: The Germans occupy Samos in the Dodecanese Islands, after the British evacuate. This ends the British campaign. The British have taken a beating and their effort will later be described as quickly improvised with insufficient forces.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: U-565 fired one T 5 torpedo at a British submarine, but without success.

BURMA: In the British Fourteenth Army's XV Corps area, the Indian 7th Division starts across the Mayu Range along two crude trails in preparation for an offensive.

CHINA: Two USAAF"> USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit warehouses and barracks on Nampang Island; weather prevents completion of several other scheduled missions.

NEW GUINEA: In Northeast New Guinea, 50 USAAF"> USAAF Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders bomb Japanese positions in the Sattelberg area and sink or damage at least ten luggers in Hansa Bay while A-20 Havocs hit the Lae area.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Major General Ralph J. Mitchell, USMC, relieves Major General Nathan F. Twining, USA, as head of Solomon's Air Command. Gen Twining later takes command of the USAAF"> USAAF Fifteenth Air Force in Italy.

On Bougainville, the 3d Marine Division is extending its positions in the vicinity of the Piva River forks against lively opposition. The 37th Infantry Division is unopposed.

Forty five USAAF"> USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells, RNZAF Venturas and P-38 Lightnings attack Bonis Airfield on northern Bougainville; a few other B-25s strafe coastal villages in the Empress Augusta Bay region in western Bougainville.

GILBERT ISLANDS: US landings begin on Tarawa Atoll. The crystal-clear waters of this equatorial paradise turned to blood as hundreds of US marines are mown down by machine-gun fire as they try to wade ashore.

Admiral Hill's US naval TF 53 has brought General J.C. Smith's 2nd Marine Division of 18,600 men to invade Betio Island which is 2 miles long and less than 1/2 mile wide, but the site of the Gilberts' only airfield. The defenders are lead by Admiral Shibusaki and 4,800 men with 50 artillery pieces and 7 light tanks. The terrain ranges from sea level to 9 feet above sea level.

The preliminary bombardment is massive with more than 3,000 tons of shells from 18 ships and air strikes. Due to the sandy ground, timing and other coordination issues these preparations leave many bunkers and other defensive positions and weapons untouched. The reef around the island will also cause many problems with the landing, forcing many Marines to wade far too long to reach the beach.

Marines casualties quickly started to mount as amphibious tanks and tracked personnel carriers ran aground on the coral reef, leaving their occupants to wade 800 yards through open sea.

The US sustains 1,500 casualties of 5,000 that attempt to land. The tides interfere with later planned reinforcements, so they will not land today.

Admiral RK Turner's US naval TF 52 lands soldiers from General Ralph Smith's 27th Infantry Division on Makin Atoll. These landing on Butaritari are somewhat successful in spite of a vigorous defence and the inexperience of this unit.

Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner's Task Force 52's landing force (the 27th Infantry Division's 165th Infantry Regiment reinforced by the 3d Battalion of the 105th Infantry Regiment, tanks of the 193d Tank Battalion, and other supporting units), under Major General Ralph C. Smith, invades Makin. (The 165 Infantry Regiment is the old 69th "Fighting Irish" Regiment of the New York National Guard.)

A third US task force is poised to attack Apamam.

Rear Admiral Harry W. Hill's USN Task Force 53b's landing force (2d Marine Regiment of 2d Marine Division, reinforced by the 2d Battalion of 8th Marine Regiment and supporting units), under Major General Julian C. Smith, USMC, invades Betio Island, at the south-western tip of the atoll, where an airfield and main Japanese forces are located. Betio is 2 miles (3,2 kilometres) long and less than ½ mile (805 meters) wide The defenders are lead by Rear Admiral SHIBASAKI Keiji and 4,800 men with 50 artillery pieces and seven light tanks. The terrain ranges from sea level to 9 feet (2,7 meters) above sea level. Landings are made with great difficulty and very heavy casualties. Transports arrive south of the assigned area and at 0507 hours come under fire of previously alerted Japanese on Betio. While transports are moving northward out of range of Japanese guns, warships attempt, with some success, to neutralize Japanese positions. Aircraft deliver brief strikes before the forces land. Although H Hour is postponed from 0830 to 0900 hours, the first troops do not reach shore until 0910 hours. Marines land under direct fire, many wading from a partly exposed reef that fringes coast; upon reaching the shore, landing teams become intermingled and disorganized. Landings are made on three adjacent beaches (Red 1, 2, and 3, from west to east) on the northwest coast. The 3d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, the Red assault force, gains a beachhead on the northwest tip of the island but is isolated there. In the centre, 2d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, is pinned down by Japanese fire on Red 2. The 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, favoured by more protracted naval gunfire preparation, meets less opposition on Red 3 and gains a beachhead extending inland to the airfield. To strengthen their precarious hold on the island, the 1st Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, from regimental reserve, and 3d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, from division reserve, are committed. Fortunately, Japanese counterattacks, expected after nightfall, fail to materialize, and meagre gains are held. Shortly before the invasion of Betio, a scout-sniper platoon clears Japanese positions from the main pier, partly burning it in the process.

Betio would give the Allies an airfield within striking range of Japan's bases on the Marshall Islands.

Offshore the carriers of TF 50 covers both landings. Beginning at about 1755 hours, 16 Betty bombers (Mitsubishi G4M, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers) attack Task Group 50.3 built around the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) and USS Essex (CV-9) and the small aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVL-22). F6F Hellcat pilots of Fighting Squadron Eighteen (VF-18) in USS Bunker Hill, shoot down five bombers and ship's gunners down four but one launches a torpedo that strikes the carrier's starboard quarter seriously damaging the ship; she retires for repairs. (Dennis Peck and John Nicholas)

From Glen Boren's diary:

November 20. The day started the same as before with four or five flights to assist the Marines with the landing. We figured it was a pushover. We were astounded to learn of all the problems that they were having. We sure had a lot to learn.

At about sunset, Radar announced twenty aircraft coming in at 20 feet making torpedo runs on the fleet. Five went after the USS INDEPENDENCE. Four were shot down and one got through and scored a hit, damaging the rudder. She could steer with the engines, but not very good. She went back to Pearl(?) The Bunker Hill shot down five and VF 18 got four and two unconfirmed. I don't know what the rest of the Task Force shot down. One or two may have gotten away.

As a preliminary to the main invasion of Butaritari Island, the largest of the Makin group, a special landing detachment sails for Kotabu Island at 0645 hours and secures the island without opposition. The invasion of Butaritari is begun on schedule at 0830 hours, when Boat Landing Teams (BLTs) 1 and 3 of the 165th Infantry start landing on Red Beaches 1 and 2 on the west coast. At 1041 hours, about 10 minutes behind schedule, BLT 2 begins landing on Yellow Beaches, located on the northern (lagoon) shore between On Chong's Wharf and King's Wharf. Both assault forces secure beach heads and with tank support push rapidly forward against light resistance, converging along the West Tank Barrier, where Japanese opposition is overcome, although a small pocket remains to the northwest. Artillery is emplaced on Ukiangong Point.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb Gasmata on New Britain Island.

A USN PBY-5 "Black Cat" Catalina of Patrol Squadron One Hundred One (VP-101) sinks a cargo ship in Rabaul harbour during the night of 20/21 November.

MARSHALL ISLANDS: USN carrier-based aircraft from Task Group 50.1 [USS Lexington (CV-16), USS Yorktown (CV-10) and USS Cowpens (CVL-25)] attack Japanese installations on Mili Atoll.

CANADA: HMC ML 113 commissioned.

U.S.A.: USAAF XX Bomber Command is activated as Smoky Hill AAFld, Kansas.

This new command will eventually have operational and administrative control of all B-29 Superfortress units in India.

The escort aircraft carrier Delgada (CVE-40) is transferred to the British Navy under Lend-Lease and is commissioned as HMS Speaker (D 90). This is the 30th escort aircraft carrier transferred to the Royal Navy. She is returned to the USN on 27 July 1946.

Submarine USS Parche commissioned.

Escort carrier USS Nehenta Bay launched.

Minesweeper USS Project launched.

Destroyer escort USS Roy O Hale launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Donitz calls off his U-boats, as the convoy is protected by 19 warships and 24-hour air cover: three U-boats have been sunk.

German submarine U-536 is sunk about 453 nautical miles (839 kilometres) northeast of Lagens Field, Azores Islands, in position 43.50N, 19.39W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Nene (K 270) and the Canadian corvettes HMCS Snowberry (K 166) and Calgary (K 231); 17 of the 55 crewmen survive.

U-618 shot down RAF Liberator aircraft (Sqn 53/N). The entire aircrew was lost.

U-648 shot down RCAF Sunderland aircraft (Sqn 422/G). The entire aircrew, 11 men, was lost.

U-453 sank SS Jela.

20 November 1944

November 20th, 1944 (MONDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: London: Five years of darkness end as street lights are switched on in Piccadilly, the Strand and Fleet Street.

WESTERN EUROPE: USAAF Eighth Air Force bombers fly Mission 719: six B-17 Flying Fortresses and seven B-24 Liberators drop leaflets on the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night.

NETHERLANDS: In the British Second Army area, XII Corps continues toward the Maas River with the 49th Division, supported by elements of 4th Separate Armoured Brigade, and the 51st Division. The 51st finds villages on the river southwest of Venlo clear of Germans.

FRANCE: Units of the US 3rd Army capture Dieuze in the Metz area. In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, the 95th and 5th Infantry Divisions continue methodically to clear rear-guard opposition within Metz and contain the forts about the city. Preparations are made for the final drive to the Saar River. In the XII Corps area, the 80th Infantry Division conducts a reconnaissance in force on the northern flank of corps, seizing a bridge at Faulquemont and establishing a bridgehead north of the Nied Allemande River. The 137th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, upon emerging from Bois de Freybouse, is disorganized by a German counterattack. Combat Command A, 4th Armored Division, followed by the 320th Infantry Regiment, secures Francaltroff. The 26th Infantry Division advances quickly behind the retreating Germans, elements of 101st Infantry Regiment reaching Torcheville, west of Munster. Corps orders Combat Command A, 6th Armored Division, to attack to gain Saar River crossings in the 35th Infantry Division zone and Combat Command B of 4th Armored Division to advance through Mittersheim in 26th Infantry Division zone; Combat Command A of 4th Armored Division is recalled from Francaltroff area to assembly area near Conthil.

In the U.S. Seventh Army's XV Corps area, the French 2d Armored Division commits Combat Command D on the northern flank of corps in effort to outflank the Saverne Gap from the north while Combat Command L continues enveloping maneuver from the south; Combat Command D crosses the Saar River north of Sarrebourg and drives eastward in two columns, one toward Phalsbourg, at the western entrance to the gap, and the other toward La Petite Pierre, to the north; Combat Command L encounters stiffening resistance in the vicinity of the Wolfsberg Pass, southwest of Saverne, and Combat Command V is committed to assist in that area. In the VI Corps area, the 3d Infantry Division crosses the Meurthe River in the Clairefontaine-St Michel area before dawn to spearhead the drive, beginning at 0645 hours, on Strasbourg via Saales. The attack is preceded by intense artillery preparation and closely supported by the USAAF XII Tactical Air Command of the First Tactical Air Force (Provisional). The Germans, stunned by bombardment and threatened by successes of the Allied forces on both flanks of VI Corps, is incapable of resisting effectively. The 3d Infantry Division gains a substantial bridgehead including the towns of Le Paire, Hurbache, and La Voivre. The 103d Infantry Division, cross the Meurthe River in the 3d Infantry Division zone, during the night of 20/21 November, to drive toward St Die. On the southern flank of the corps, the 36th Infantry Divisionbs 143d Infantry Regiment seizes ridge commanding Anould and Clefcy.

The French Army are fighting in Belfort and some of their advance units reach the Rhine at Mulhouse.

In the French First Army area, the 2d Moroccan Division and Combat Command 6, 5th Armored Division, now under army command, break into Belfort, where fighting continues for next few days. In the II Corps area, the 3d Algerian Division occupies Gerardmer without resistance. The 1st Division takes Plancher-les-Mines and Champagney. In the I Corps area, elements of the 1st Armored Division reach the outskirts of Muihouse. St Louis, the French suburb of the Swiss city of Basle, is now largely clear. The 5th Armored Division attacks toward Fontaine and Cernay, meeting strong opposition on the Rhine-Rhone Canal south of Fontaine.

GERMANY: In the British Second Army's XXX Corps area, the 334th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 84th Infantry Division eliminates resistance in environs of Prummern with help of British flame-throwing tanks, but enemy retains heights to NE. Strong opposition is slowing other elements of corps.

On the First US Army Front. The weather is bad with low cloud cover and no aircraft fly in support of offensive operations. In the north, the 104th Divisions clears the towns of Rohe and Burgrath and up to Hehlrath and the outskirts southwest of Eschweiler. The 3d Armored Division is pinched out by the 104th and 1st Divisions which also clears Wenau, bypasses Hersten and has elements well across the open ground towards Schnthal. Its attached 47th Regimental Combat Team reaches to within 1/2 mile of the Aachen-Stolberg-Dren railway. The 4th Division's 8 Infantry is counter-attacked and loses some ground, while the 22d Infantry makes slow progress towards Grosshau. (Richard Rush)

Units of the US XIX Corps are on the offensive near Julich, east of Aachen.

In the U.S. Ninth Army's XIX Corps area, the 2d Armored Division, assisted by attached British tanks, renews an all-out drive in heavy rainfall; Combat Command B employs three Task Forcebs against Gereonsweiler and takes the town; one Combat Command A Task Force overruns Ederen and another clears Freialdenhoven. The 29th Infantry Division, after seizing the village of Niedermerz, makes a two-pronged attack on Aldenhoven, in the second defensive arc of Juelich defenses, and takes the town.

In the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps area, Combat Command B, 10th Armored Division, continuing toward Merzig, reaches Hill 378 but pulls back to Hill 383 because of fire from the Merzig area.

With the Red Army fast approaching Rastenburg, Hitler leaves his old headquarters and returns to Berlin.

The USAAF">USAAF Eighth Air Force flies Mission 718: 60 B-17 Flying Fortresses are sent to hit the Schowen oil plant at Gelsenkirchen and 92 hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Munster.

Bad weather prevents USAAF">USAAF Ninth Air Force bomber operations but fighters fly sweeps and night patrols over broad areas of western Germany and strafe and bomb numerous railroads, trains, buildings and various military targets.

USAAF">USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb three targets: 172 bomb the I.G. Farben synthetic oil refinery at Blechhammer, six bomb Oppell and one hits the marshalling yard at Glewitz.

During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 183 Lancasters to make a G-H attack on the Meerbeck synthetic oil plant at Homberg but the weather is stormy and many aircraft are not able to maintain formation with the G-H aircraft on the bombing run. The bombing by 168 aircraft, through cloud, is believed to have been scattered. Five Lancasters are lost.

During the night of 20/21 November, RAF Bomber Command sends 43 Lancasters on an unusual Pathfinder solo raid on Koblenz; 42 bombers attack without loss. The purpose of the raid is not recorded. It is possible that either the large road and rail bridges over the Rhine and Mosel Rivers or the local railway yards are the targets. Only high-explosive bombs are carried. Koblenz is completely covered by cloud and all bombing is by H2S from 15,000 feet (4 572 meters). The local report states that some bombs fall in the town, blocking several roads and railways and scoring hits on a road and a rail bridge, although these remained usable. Other raids are made by Mosquitos to six other targets: 58 hit Hannover, 14 bomb the Rauxel/Klocknerwerke synthetic oil refinery at Castrop, 11 attack the Meerbeck synthetic oil refinery at Homberg, seven bomb an aircraft engine factory at Eisenach and one each hit Duisburg and Minden.

U-2349 launched.

U-2346 commissioned.

U-2545 laid down.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: USAAF Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses encounter bad weather and attack several alternate targets and targets of opportunity: 166 bomb the marshalling yard at Brno, 50 hit the marshalling yard at Hodonin with the loss of one aircraft, 27 attack the Bata synthetic rubber plant at Zlin, 26 bomb the marshalling yard at Lundenburg, 21 hit Kromeriz and one each attack the marshalling yard at Ostrana Moravaska, the city of Trnava and a third unknown target.

HUNGARY: Three targets of opportunity are bombed by USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers: two attack the marshalling yard at Nagykanizsa and one each bomb tactical targets at Gyor and the marshalling yard at Szombathely.

FINLAND: Finnish forces reach Utsjoki, the northernmost tip of Finland.

Northern ITALY: As the autumn rains turn to driving snow, General Alexander, the Allied commander-in-chief in Italy, has called a halt to the gruelling campaign and stood down his armies. British tanks have found the going almost impossible, particularly across hundreds of rivers in the marshy Po valley. The German defence in Italy has been outstanding - but costly. With the Germans equally exhausted, winter activity at the front lines seems likely to be confined to patrolling and occasional artillery duels. The Allies will devote much time to training, particularly in the skills of river crossing and the Alpine warfare yet to come.

In the British Eighth Army's V Corps area, German positions are heavily hit by air. The 46th Division, as a preliminary to their main assault, which is postponed until 21 November, begins to clear the Cosina loop north of Castiglione and takes Castiglione.

Bad weather prevents USAAF">USAAF Twelfth Air Force medium bombers from successfully attacking targets but fighter-bombers are able to operate during the late morning and destroy two factories east of Modena, and supply dumps near Parma, and cause large explosions in a dump near San Felice del Benaeo.

RAAF 3 Sqn flies its last operation with the Curtiss Kittyhawk. (Daniel Ross)

YUGOSLAVIA: USAAF"> USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack five targets: 33 bomb a railroad bridge at Doboj, 25 hit the West marshalling yard at Sarajevo, 20 attack a railroad bridge at Zenicca, 14 bomb a railroad bridge at Fojnica and one bombs the marshalling yard at Zagreb.

RAF bombers of No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group attack Visegrad: 38 bomb vehicles and 27 hit a pontoon bridge.

GREECE: The task of disbanding guerrilla armies is placed in the hands of British Lieutenant General Sir Ronald Scobie, General Officer Commanding British Troops in Greece.

BURMA: On the Salween front, the Chinese of the XI Group Army push through Mangshih, whose airfield is soon used to land supplies.

Seven USAAF Tenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells knock out the Hsipaw road bridge; four others fail to damage the Bawgyo bridge; 12 P-47 Thunderbolts support ground forces in the Pinwe sector; 20+ others hit defenses at Mong Nge, a horse transport unit at Selan, bomb storage areas at Kyungon and Kyakataing, Japanese HQ and troop concentration at Man Mao, and several scattered targets of opportunity.

Eight USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit the barracks area at Lashio.

CHINA: Over 60 USAAF Fourteenth Air Force P-38 Lightnings, P-40s, and P-51 Mustangs on armed reconnaissance over parts of southeastern and southwestern China and French Indochina attack shipping--especially severely in the Chiuchiang area--and barracks, radio stations, villages, and other targets of opportunity.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: In the U.S. Sixth Army's X Corps area on Leyte, the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, is still held up on Corkscrew Ridge. Company C, 34th Infantry Regiment, joins the main body of the 1st Battalion on Kilay Ridge, abandoning forward positions. Company B tries unsuccessfully to recover knoll lost yesterday. The ammunition supply is critically low.

The U.S. merchant ship SS Thomas Nelson, at anchor with twenty other ships in Dulag Bay. Leyte Island, is attacked by a Japanese suicide plane that has dived through a barrage of anti-aircraft fire to crash on her deck. On board are hundreds of tons of ammunition. The plane's single bomb explodes on impact, the explosion and fire causing the deaths of some 140 US Army enlisted men, navy gunners and merchant navy crewmen.

USN submarine USS Gar (SS-206) lands supplies on the north coast of Mindoro.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: British carrier aircraft strike Sumatra. The targets are the airfields at Sabang and oil installations at Belawan Deli. The two carriers launch two strikes at these targets.

In the air, USAAF Far East Air Forces (FEAF) B-25 Mitchells bomb Haroekoe Drome on Haroekoe Island, an island off Ambon Island, and Laha Drome on Amon Island. On Celebes Island, P-38 Lightnings hit targets of opportunity over Sidate and in the Makassar areas.

Eight Australian Bostons and four Beaufighters attack the airfield and buildings at Tanamon Airfield on Celebes Island.

NEW GUINEA: The U.S. Eighth Army's operations on Asia and Mapia Islands are successfully concluded. The islands are to become sites for loran and radar stations.

CAROLINE ISLANDS: The USS MISSISSINEWA, AO-59; a CIMARRON class US Navy Oiler is the first ship sunk by a Japanese "Kaiten" (manned suicide torpedo) while in the lagoon (4th largest in the world) at Ulithi Atoll. (Gene Hanson)

The destruction of the Mississinewa proved to be one of the most important sinkings of the Pacific war as this was the first time the US Navy had encountered this type of submarine. Two kaitens, launched from their mother submarines HIJMS I-36 and I-47 had penetrated the safety nets across the mouth of the harbor. One ran ashore but failed to explode and is recovered by the USN. The second kaiten found its mark on the starboard side of the Mississinewa which is loaded with 440,000 U.S. gallons (366,377 Imperial gallons or 1.67 million liters) of aviation fuel which explodes and erupts into a blazing inferno at 0547 hours local. At about 0900 hours the ship slowly turns over and disappeares. Casualties are three officers and 47 enlisted men killed, 11 officers and 81 enlisted wounded from the ships complement of 298.

CANADA: Frigate HMCS Kirkland Lake departed Halifax for workups in Bermuda.

Corvette HMCS Strathroy commissioned.

U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Rogers launched.

Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-277 was commissioned at New York with LTJG F. A. Grantham, USCG, as her first commanding officer. She departed New York on 14 December 1944 for the Southwest Pacific where she operated during the war. LT Matthew L. Stansell, USCG, succeeded Grantham as commander on 1 December 1945.

20 November 1945

November 20th, 1945 (TUESDAY)

GERMANY: Nürnberg: The International War Crimes Tribunal opens.

Twenty-four high-ranking Nazis go on trial for atrocities committed during World War II. The international tribunal consists of representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain. It will be the first trial of its kind in history. Charges range from crimes against peace, to crimes of war, and crimes against humanity. Lord Justice Geoffrey Lawrence, the British member, will preside over the proceedings.

The original 24 defendants, are Robert Ley, Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hermann Göring, Alfred Jodl, Wilhelm Frick, Rudolf Hess, Albert Speer, Karl Doenitz, Hans Frank, Hans Fritzsch, Walther Funk, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Wilhelm Keitel, Erich Raeder, Alfred Rosenberg, Fritz Sauckel, Hjalmar Schacht, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Julius Streicher, Constantin von Neurath, Franz von Papen, Baldur von Schirach and Martin Bormann, believed dead.

"We must never forget that the record on which we judge these defendants today is the record on which history will judge us tomorrow. To pass these defendants a poisoned chalice is to put it to our own lips as well. We must summon such detachment and intellectual integrity that this trial will commend itself to posterity as fulfilling humanity's aspirations to do justice." Justice Robert H. Jackson Opening speech at the first Nuremberg Trial.

More here.

(Tom Hickcox and John Nicholas)

The Allied Control Council in Berlin approves the transfer of 6.65 million Germans from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and the German regions east of the Oder-Niesse Line, which have been transferred to Poland at the Potsdam Conference, pending a final peace settlement. Through the expulsion of the German minorities, these East European countries hope to avoid future German claims to their territories.

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