Congress is Called – 2
Broad Survey Set – 2-3
Air Corps Will Fly Supplies to Alaska – 3
The International Situation – 4
Russians Pursue Enemy in Center – 4-5
Berlin Reticent on War in East – 5
Burma Road Rains Defied by Trucks – 6-7
Former Governor Smith Aids Campaign for China Relief (with photo) – 6
Amphibious Force Set Up by Marines – 7
Spitsbergen as a Symbol (by Hanson W. Baldwin) – 8
‘World Citizenship’ Broached by Winant – 8
As Allied Forces Staged a Raid on Spitsbergen (phtotos) – 9
Air Mission from U.S. Arrives in Near East – 9
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 10
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/sep41/f11sep41.htm
US warships to “shoot on sight”
Thursday, September 11, 1941 www.onwar.com
From Washington... As a result of public outrage over the Greer incident, the president announces that American warships will be able to “shoot on sight” to ensure the protection of waters “necessary for American defense.” This formalizes a situation which has been commonly occurring.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/11.htm
September 11th, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: No. 56 Squadron at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, becomes the first RAF squadron to receive the Hawker Typhoon Mk. IA. (Jack McKillop)
Light cruiser HMS Bermuda launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE: Paris: The newspaper La Semaine states “We are not used to such a tempo of events in Paris,” the reference is to the return from holidays in Nice of such stars as Maurice Chevalier, Vivienne Romance, Cécile Sorel, Tino Rossi and René Lefèvre.
GERMANY: U-658 launched.
U-587 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.S.R.: The government warns Bulgaria against allowing its territory to be used as a basis of attack by Germany and Italy. (Jack McKillop)
Soviet Submarine USSR P-1: End service: Sank during transport task on mine fields Uminda or Korbetta. All hands lost (53 men). (Dave Shirlaw)
JAPAN: A United Press dispatch from Tokyo gives the following information: “Emperor Hirohito today took direct command of Japanese Army Headquarters and moved to assure close Army collaboration with Premier Fumimaro Konoye’s Government, which appeared to be trying to keep Japan out of war even if that meant drifting away from her Axis ties.” (Jack McKillop)
Emperor Hirohito assumes personal command of the Japanese Army, a move misread by American intelligence analysts as indicating a personal commitment to peace by the Japanese sovereign. (Marc Small)
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: George advises MacArthur that the total end strength of the FEAF ought to be 27 pursuit squadrons, eighteen light or medium bomber squadrons, and thirty heavy bomber squadrons. (Marc Small)
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Summerside commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: In a broadcast to the nation at 9pm tonight, President Roosevelt issues the “Shoot on Sight” order to naval forces in the Atlantic in regard to German U-Boats. This action is partly in response to the Greer “incident” of September 4. It is, in fact, more or less what is going on at the present. He describes the attack last week on the Greer as “piracy, legally and morally.” He said that the outposts the USA has established in Iceland, Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland would protect Atlantic shipping of all nations. He stressed that the US Navy only provides “invincible protection” if Britain’s Royal Navy survived.
The president emphasized the difficulty of defending ships from torpedoes fired from submarines; “When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do wait until he has struck before you crush him, ...., these Nazi submarines and raiders are the rattlesnakes of the Atlantic - they are a menace to the free pathways of the high seas.”
Stark advises Hart that Washington had declined to endorse Allied mobilization plans proposed by the British for joint operations in the event of war. Hart ordered to defer plans to move the Asiatic Fleet to Dutch or British ports when hostilities began. Hart ordered to ensure his fleet operations were “co-ordinated” with British and Dutch operations.
Washington: Ground breaking ceremonies for the Pentagon building take place. (Jack McKillop)
President Roosevelt submitted report on lend-lease $7,000,000,000 appropriation to Congress. (Dave Shirlaw)
Des Moines: Famed aviator Lindbergh makes a speech against further US involvement in the war.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German submarine U-207 is sunk in the Straits of Denmark southeast of Angmassalik, Greenland, in position 63.59N, 34.48W, by depth charges from the RN destroyers HMS Leamington and HMS Veteran. All 41 hands on the U-boat are lost. (Jack McKillop)
USS Twiggs (DD-127) was commissioned as HMS Leamington (G-19) on 23 Oct. 1940, part of the destroyers-for-bases deal. (Ron Babuka)
U-105 sank SS Montana.
U-202 sank SS Scania in Convoy SC-42.
U-207 sank SS Berury and SS Stonepool in Convoy SC-42.
U-432 sank SS Garm in Convoy SC-42.
U-433 sank SS Bestum in Convoy SC-42.
U-82 sank SS Bulysses, SS Empire Crossbill, SS Gypsum Queen and damaged SS Scania in Convoy SC-42. (Dave Shirlaw)