http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/11.htm
February 11th, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: The Stirling bomber made its operational debut last night when three of No. 7 Squadron’s Stirlings, led by Sqn. Ldr. Griffith-Jones, DFC, dropped 56 500lb bombs on oil-storage tanks in Rotterdam.
Prime Minister to Minister of Shipping:
Is it true that the steamship ‘New Toronto’, which arrived at Liverpool, was ordered to proceed north-about to London, and is it true that this order was only cancelled as a result of the protest of the captain, who pointed out the enormous value of his cargo, which contained, inter alia, 19,677 sub-machine guns and 2,456,000 cartridges? The arrival of these ships with large consignments of invaluable munitions ought to receive your personal attention in every case.
Submarine HMS Ultimatum launched.
Light cruiser Jacob Van Heemskerck commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE: Admiral Darlan becomes Marshall Petain’s successor and Deputy in the Vichy government. Darlan is also named Foeriegn Minister, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Information, and Commander in Chief of the French Navy.
THE NETHERLANDS: The government breaks diplomatic relations with Romania.
GERMANY:
U-80 launched.
U-68 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
LIBYA: Tripoli: The first troops of German 5th Light Infantry Division land.
ITALIAN SOMALILAND: South African and Gold Coast troops occupy the military centre of Afmadu.
U.S.A.: Destroyers USS Aaron Ward and Buchanan laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Submarine HMS Snapper is sunk in the Atlantic Southwest of Ushant. All 39 crew are lost. It is believed that she was attacked by German minesweepers M2, M13 and M25 which were conducting an A/S sweep in the area and dropped over 50 depth charges when Snapper broke surface after firing a torpedo. (Alex Gordon)(108)
Between 0133 and 0135, U-136 fired four torpedoes at Convoy SC-67 south of Iceland and reported hits on two steamers and on a corvette and later sighted debris and two lifeboats. In fact, the Heina and HMCS Spikenard were sunk. Heina in station #72 was hit below the #2 hatch, developed a heavy list and sank vertically three hours later. All men were picked up by HMCS Dauphin and landed at Londonderry, where the injured master was taken to a hospital. The remaining survivors left for Glasgow on 14 February.
Destroyer ORP Blyskawica escorted a convoy to Iceland. But on the 14th she was again damaged in a storm and returned to Greenock. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 530 February 11, 1941
Operation Colossus. At 0.30 AM, British paratroops of X Troop blow up the Tragino aqueduct, Southern Italy. They head West towards the coast to meet submarine HMS Triumph, but they are soon captured (remaining POWs until 1943, except Lieutenant Deane–Drummond who escapes, returns to England in 1942 and joins 1st Airborne Division). Although water supplies are temporarily interrupted, the aqueduct is quickly repaired and no harm is done to the Italian war effort or morale.
At 1 AM, British monitor HMS Erebus bombards Ostend, Belgium, for 40 minutes escorted by destroyers HMS Quorn and HMS Eglinton.
Convoy carrying the first German troops arrives at Tripoli, despite an unsuccessful attack by British submarine HMS Unique.
Another submarine HMS Snapper disappears en route from the Clyde to the Bay of Biscay (all 41 hands lost), either lost on a German minefield or depthcharged 70 miles Southwest of Brest, France, by German minesweepers M-2, M-13 and M-25.
East Africa. In the Dongolaas Gorge near Keren, Eritrea, Indian 3rd Batt/1st Punjab Regiment advances and takes the next peak, Sanchil. Italians respond with shell and mortar fire all day and a counterattack by Savoia Grenadiers. Indian troops are forced off both Sanchil and Brig’s Peak, retreating back to Cameron Ridge. Further South in Italian Somaliland, Cunningham’s forces from Kenya take the road junction at Afmadow, at the North end of the Juba River.
800 miles West of Gibraltar, German cruiser Admiral Hipper (which left Brest, France, on February 1) sinks British SS Iceland carrying 962 tons of oranges from Seville, Spain, to Britain. Hipper picks up all 23 crew who are taken prisoner. SS Iceland is a straggler from convoy HX53. Just before midnight, Hipper locates the convoy on radar at 15km and shadows it all night.