Replies

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/aug41/f23aug41.htm

Germans strike south from Smolensk

Saturday, August 23, 1941 www.onwar.com

On the Eastern Front... German Panzer Group 2 and 2nd Army from Army Group Center begin attacks south to link up east of Kiev with the forces of Army Group South. Most of the German generals are opposed to this move and would prefer to maintain the drive toward Moscow but Hitler insists on this change in strategy.

In the North Atlantic... The German merchant cruiser Orion returns from its cruise and arrives in the Gironde Estuary. The cruise has lasted 510 days and six ships of 39,000 tons have been sunk, as well as seven more in company with the raider Komet.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/23.htm

The site has a couple items from 1942 mixed in with the 1941 events. I skipped the obvious ones but a couple may have slipped in here - Homer

August 23rd, 1941

UNITED KINGDOM: Submarine HMS P39 is launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

FRANCE: General Schaumburg as Kommandant von Gross-Paris announces: “...all Frenchmen taken into custody, either by the German authorities in France or on orders originating with them, will be regarded as hostages. Should any further criminal action occur, hostages will be shot in a number corresponding to the seriousness of that action.”

“Orion”, a German merchant cruiser, arrives in the Gironde Estuary. After 510 days, 6 ships for 39,000 tons have been sunk. Seven other ships were sunk with the raider “Komet”.

GERMANY: Rastenburg: Hitler is unimpressed by the argument of the Panzer commander General Heinz Guderian, that Moscow should be the next target for attack.

U-755, U-629 and U-630 are laid down. U-155 is commissioned.

U.S.S.R.: The German 2nd Panzer Group and 2nd Army of Army Group Centre begin advancing south to link up east of Kiev with Army Group South. Hitler has insisted on this change in strategy, which stops the German advance on Moscow.

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Calgary is launched from Sorel, Province of Quebec.

HMC S-09 arrives at Montreal, Province of Quebec, under tow. Built by British Power Boat Co., Hythe, for the ELCO Boat Corp., New Jersey. Arrived without engines, fitted with two 500 H.P., 45 tons, 70x20x4.5ft, 22kts, 4-.5in mg (2xII), 4-18in TT. Post WW.II, Jun 45 returned to RN by way of British Naval Liaison Officer New York

U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Emmons is launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Whilst escorting convoy OG.71, Flower class corvette HMS Zinnia is torpedoed by U-564 West of Portugal at 40 43N 11 39E. The corvette exploded after the torpedo struck and caused 49 casualties. (Alex Gordon)(108)

SS Spind damaged by U-564 in Convoy OG-71.

U-143 sank SS Inger.

U-201 sank SS Aldergrove and SS Stork in Convoy OG-71.

U-552 sank SS Spind in Convoy OG-71.

HMCS Trail, a Flower-class corvette, departed St. John’s to join with the 62-ship Halifax to Liverpool convoy HX-146, as part of the convoy’s close escort as far as Iceland. The relatively short endurance of most British escorts, but especially the corvettes, forced a complicated series of meeting points and escort handovers in order to provide continuous protection for convoys across the Atlantic. The corvettes, because of their short length and broad beam, suffered badly from plunging and rolling in heavy weather. This resulted in as much as a one-third reduction in their effective range. The sustained use of high speed in screening and reacting to emergencies also drove up their fuel consumption. The combined effect of weather, defensive screening, enemy action, poor mechanical condition and improper engineering operations all drove down endurance to the point where most small escorts could no longer traverse the Atlantic. British sloops were the only exception to this very debilitating endurance limitation. Like destroyers, early attrition reduced their numbers significantly. Convoy HX-146 arrived safely in Liverpool on 06 Sep 41 with all ships intact.