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http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/18.htm

February 18th, 1941

UNITED KINGDOM:

Destroyer HMS Gurkha commissioned.
Corvette HMS Veronica commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

GERMANY:

U-502 launched.
U-203 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

FINLAND: Chief of Staff of the German Norwegian Army Oberst Erich Buschenhagen arrives for a two-week visit in Finland. He meets the Finnish military leadership, and the purpose is to probe the possibility of Fenno-German military cooperation. (Mikko Härmeinen)

U.S.S.R.: Commander Pavlov asks for road-building operations in the western USSR to be speeded up.

LIBYA: Benghazi: Italian planes bomb the port so badly that Britain has to abandon it for supply purposes.
EGYPT: General Thomas Blamey, General Officer Commanding I Australian Corps, meets with General Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief, Middle East Command. Wavell explains the composition of a force designated “Lustreforce” intended for operations in Greece. The force is to consist of the New Zealand Division, the Australian 6th and 7th Divisions, HQ of the I Australian Corps, the 1st Armoured Brigade and an Independent Polish Brigade Group. (Jack McKillop)

ETHIOPIA: South African forces advancing from Kenya attack the town of Mega which is quickly captured along with 1,000 prisoners. (Jack McKillop)

SINGAPORE: Australian troops, 12,000 strong, arrived in Singapore today the reinforce the British garrison. Already the 11th Indian Division has arrived in the theatre, and the III Indian Corps headquarters under Lieutenant-General Sir Lewis Heath is due to be set up in May.

The build-up of British strength is in response to the growing menace of Japanese military expansion to the south. Nazi Germany has been urging the Japanese to attack Singapore at once.

The southward advance of Japan continues to cause anxiety in Australia at a time when the greater part of the Australian forces are engaged in the Middle East. The Singapore base is regarded by Australians as the keystone of defence against Japan, and Britain has assured Australia that if a Japanese attack appeared imminent, a British battlefleet would be sent at once to Singapore.

However, the clear need exists for an army and air force strong enough to hold out in Singapore and Malaya until the fleet arrived. Australia decided therefore to contribute a brigade of infantry to the garrison.

U.S.A.: Admiral King states that the American security zone has been extended eastwards as far as longitude 26 W. This is more than 2,300 miles from the American coast at New York and only 740 miles from the coast of Europe at Lisbon, and it includes the Azores.

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

At 0227, SS Black Osprey, a straggler from Convoy HX-107, was torpedoed and sunk by U-96 south of Iceland. The master and 24 crewmembers were lost. 11 crewmembers were picked up by the Norwegian SS Mosdale and landed at Barry.
MS Seaforth sunk by U-103 at 58.48N, 18.17W. (Dave Shirlaw)