http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/aug41/f08aug41.htm
Soviets to keep fighting behind lines
Friday, August 8, 1941 www.onwar.com
From Moscow... Marshal Timoshenko issues a proclamation to all Soviet citizens in enemy-occupied areas urging them to join partisan forces, carry out Stalin’s “scorched-earth” policy and “wreak merciless vengeance on the enemy... for the death of your children...”
In China... Japanese air forces begin a week of air raids on Chungking. A total of 40 raids are recorded by August 13th.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/08.htm
August 8th, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: Boom defence vessel HMS Barbridge launched.
ASW trawler HMS Coverley commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
BELGIUM: Brussels: The pro-Nazi Rexist (Belgian fascist) leader, Leon Degrelle, leads his volunteer “Walloon Legion” to fight with the Nazis on the Eastern Front.
NETHERLANDS: The Nazi controlled “robber bank” of Lippmann, Rosenthal and Co., referred to as “Liro”, issues its first decree, requiring Jews to register all assets and private property; additionally, they are to turn over to the Liro Bank all credits, securities, and large sums of Dutch and foreign currency. Jewish “customers” are allowed to keep a thousand guilders in cash, which they can use at their discretion. (Peter Kilduff and Jannifer L. Foray (209 p.147)
GERMANY: First rocket powered flight by the Me 163 V1 KE+SW.
U-627 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
LITHUANIA: German troops and Lithuanian collaborators massacre Jews in the village of Zeimel. (Drew Philip Halévy)
U.S.S.R.: German troops smash Russian defenders at Kazaki, taking 38,000 PoWs.
Moscow: The Russians seeking revenge for the bombing of Moscow, raided Berlin last night. Five Soviet Ilyushin-4 bombers took off from airfields on the Estonian islands of Dago and Oesel for the hazardous 1,500 mile round trip.
Two of the twin-engined aircraft were shot down before they got to Berlin, and two more failed to find the target. But the last one got through and dropped bombs on a suburb of Berlin. It was a small raid, but it was an indication of Russian determination to strike back at the Germans. It is the first of seven attacks during August.
CANADA: Western Isles trawlers ordered for RN in Canada: HMS Anticosti, HMS Baffin, HMS Cailiff, HMS Campenia, HMS Campobello, HMS Manitoulin, HMS Magdalen, HMS Porcher, HMS Prospcet, HMS Texada, HMS Ironbound, HMS Luscomb, HMS Dochet, HMS Flint, HMS Gateshead and HMS Herschel.
Corvette HMCS Arrowhead launched.
Corvette HMCS Snowberry launched.
Minesweeper HMCS Esquimalt launched.
(Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: Japanese Ambassador Nomura suggests a conference between President Roosevelt and Japanese Prime Minister Konoye to discuss deteriorating relations between the two countries.
Les Brown and His Orchestra, with vocal by Betty Bonney, record the song “Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio” for Okeh Records. The song pays tribute to baseball great Joe DiMaggio who set a new record this year by getting hits in 56 consecutive games. (Jack McKillop)