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December 11th, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: “We have a very hard period to go through,” Winston Churchill told MPs in a report in the new situation created by Japanese attacks on US and British possessions in the Far East. But within a few months the flow of munitions and aid from the US “will vastly exceed anything that could have been expected on the peacetime basis that has ruled up to the present.” Then, he said, Britain, the US and the Soviet Union would teach the “gangs and cliques of wicked men” a lesson that will not be forgotten in a thousand years.
Destroyers HMS Calpe and Tetcott commissioned.
The Free Polish government declares war on Japan. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY and ITALY declare war on the USA.
GERMANY:
U-600 commissioned.
U-607, U-608, U-661 launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
SPAIN: U-574 received support (supplies, etc.) in the Spanish harbor of Vigo. (Dave Shirlaw)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Italian submarine Ammiraglio Caracciolo was sunk off Bardia by HMS Fandale. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.S.R.: Soviet submarine Shch-204 of the Black Sea Fleet is mined and sunk in the Varna area off the coast of Bulgaria. (Mike Yared)(146 and 147)
Off MALAYA: HMS Repulse and HMS PRINCE OF WALES were heading for Singapore when they were attacked by Japanese aircraft. On of the Repulse’s survivors describes the end: “The Prince of Wales is hardly distinguishable in smoke and flame ... I can see one plane release a torpedo ... It explodes against her bows. A couple of seconds later another explodes amidships and astern.” Immediately after this the Repulse, too, was hit and the men plunged into oil-filled water. A destroyer later picked up the lucky ones: “We were stripped, bathed and left naked ... to sweat the oil out of the pores in the great heat.”
Canadian National Steamships Line SS Colborne attacked and badly damaged by Japanese a/c at Penang. She was able to return to Canada. (Dave Shirlaw)
SOUTH CHINA SEA: The Dutch submarine O 19 attacks the American ! freighter Lillian Lukenbach, probably in the South China Sea. Fortunately the attack is unsuccessful. Lillian Lukenbach is a 6369 grt turbine steamer, built in 1919 by Sun Shipbuilding of Chester, Pennsylvania. (Bram M. Otto)
WAKE ISLAND The Japanese attempt to land a 450-man party of the Maizaru 2d Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF). The landing force at is repulsed by 450 US Marines, who also sink 2 Japanese destroyers and damage seven other ships with their Marine coast defence guns and the remaining fighter aircraft. This force withdraws to Kwajalein. (Arnold Lloyd Gladson, Marine and Gordon Rottman)
CANADA:
Minesweeper HMCS Grandmere commissioned.
Corvettes HMCS Summerside and Drumheller departed St. John’s to join eastbound Convoy SC-59. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: Congress declares war on Germany and Italy. They also vote to use US forces anywhere in the world. The term of those enlisted under the Selective Service Act is extended for the duration plus 6 months.
” Therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the state of war between the United States and the Government of Germany which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared; and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the government to carry on war against the Government of Germany; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.” They also vote to use US forces anywhere in the world. The term of those enlisted under the Selective Service Act is extended for the duration plus 6 months.
Colonel Charles W. Bundy, the senior officer responsible for Pacific operations in the War Plans Division, is killed in an airplane crash. He is replaced by Dwight Eisenhower. (Jay Stone)
Contract establishes the Naval Salvage Service. (Dave Shirlaw)
CUBA: Havana breaks off diplomatic relations with Berlin. (Mike Yared)
MEXICO broke diplomatic relations with Germany and Italy. (Dave Shirlaw)
NICARAGUA declared war on Japan. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Patrol vessel HMS Lady Shirley was hit by one torpedo from U-374, exploded and sank at 0421 with all hands. HMS Rosabelle tried to find the U-boat, but was also torpedoed 0442 hours and sank. (Dave Shirlaw)