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http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/24.htm

December 24th, 1941

GERMANY:
U-648, U-672 laid down

U-610 launched.

U-460 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.S.R.: The positions of the Spanish 250.Infanterie-Division or ‘Division Azul’ (Blue Division) of the Wehrmacht, at Udarnik and Gorka come under attack. General Munoz Grandes has commanded the division to hold its present positions ‘as though nailed to the ground’, and the Spaniards do just that. (Russ Folsom)

LIBYA: Benghazi: Battle-worn and weary, after a month of continuous fighting, men of the 8th Army captured this wrecked town today. Rommel has fought all the way, shielding his few remaining Panzers with potent anti-tank fire and fending off British attempts to outflank his retreating Afrika Korps. His main threat came from the Desert Air Force, which itself was badly hampered by poor weather.

With heavy casualties to his men and the loss of 170 fighting vehicles, Rommels army has been badly hurt by Operation Crusader, and its commander faces a long wait for replacements.

General Auchinleck could press on towards Tripoli and complete victory in North Africa. But his men are tired, and his tanks have suffered badly in fierce desert combat. The replacement crews are “green”, and the pattern of desert war is repeating itself in that it is the British turn to suffer from stretched lines of communication.

British troops were in a similar position once before - only to be moved to Greece to disaster. On December 12, Auchinleck was told that his much-needed reinforcements of two divisions, four light bomber squadrons and a consignment of anti-tank guns were being diverted - to the Far East.

Flower class corvette Salvia which had been attempting to rescue Axis POW’s from the sunken Shuntien, is torpedoed and sunk by U-568 about 100 miles West of Alexandria at 31 48N 28 00E. There are over 900 casualties, as no one survives this sinking. (Alex Gordon)(108)

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Lamon Bay in southeast Luzon is the point of an additional Japanese landing. US and Filipino forces fall back to the 1st of 5 defending lines in northern Luzon. MacArthur’s intention is to fall back onto the Bataan Peninsula and await reinforcements and supplies from the US.

Manila: The Japanese noose is beginning to close on the capital of the Philippines. A second support force, numbering 7,000 landed today at Lamon Bay, on Luzon’s east coast, and is expected to try to link up with General Homma’s 43,000-strong main force which landed two days ago by 85 transports in the Lingayen Gulf and is only 120 miles from Manila.

However, because of intelligence overestimates, the US C-in-C, General MacArthur, who has only 25,000 US troops and Filipino scouts available to defend Manila, has declared it an open city and started to withdraw his men to the Bataan peninsula where they will regroup.

Japanese troops land on Jolo in the Sulu Archipelago today and tomorrow.

PALMYRA ISLAND: A Japanese submarine shells the atoll slightly damaging a dredge without inflicting casualties. (Gordon Rottman)

CHINA: Changsha: Central China’s gateway city of Changsha is in danger of being overrun by Japanese forces for the third time in 12 months as the deadlocked conflict between Japan and China flares again. The Japanese have moved on Changsha to head off a Chinese Nationalist force from Hunan that was being moved south to Canton to attack Japanese forces in order to relieve pressure on Hong Kong.

HONG KONG: Destroyer HMS Thracian bombed and sunk. (Dave Shirlaw)

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Orillia arrived Halifax, Nova Scotia for refit. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.A.:
Destroyer USS Cony laid down.

AA cruiser USS Atlanta commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Submarine HMS H-31 sunk by mine in Bay of Biscay.

Corvette HMS Salvia sunk by U-568. (Dave Shirlaw)