CANADA'S AIR WAR 1941 updated 21/01/13 January 1941 Ongoing, in early January Thailand launched a major offensive on the border with French Indo-China and drove back defending colonial forces (wikipedia Franco-Thai War). The first Canadian Red Cross parcels for prisoners in Germany and Italy leave New York, at a rate of 5,000 per week. These would be delivered to the International Red Cross Committee in Switzerland through neutral countries, and the IRCC undertook to deliver them to PoWs, a task that continued throughout the war with the help of the German authorities (O. Clutton-Brock). See October, 1941. Wednesday 1 RCAF orders 12 more Stranraer flying boats from Canadian Vickers (H. Tate). A total of 40 were built for the RCAF. 1 #9 EFTS, St. Catharines, Ontario, Finch II #4563 damaged and written off (R.W.R. Walker). 1 unknown unit, G/C A. Shekleton CBE DSO RAF died at Kingston, Ontario, no details. 1-2 The fortified port of Bardia in Libya is attacked by RN Swordfish and RAF Bombays, plus Wellington bombers making 'dive bombing' attacks to low level to ensure accurately hitting Italian positions (M. Bechthold). Bomber Command attack inflicts heavy damage to the Focke-Wulf factory in Bremen with 141 bombers, no losses, but 4 crashed on return to England (BC War Diaries). 2 Air attacks on Italian positions in Bardia continue by Blenheims (M. Bechthold). 2-3 Wellingtons and Bombays return to bomb positions around Bardia (M. Bechthold). Second attack on Bremen (47 aircraft) and other targets, 1 lost (BC War Diaries). The Blitz, Cardiff in Wales was attacked by 100 Luftwaffe bombers (ww2total.com Chronology/1941).www.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca Italian bombers make their last night attack on Britain in support of the Luftwaffe, 4 BR.20M bombers sent to attack Ipswich, 2 of which were unable to bomb. The Italian aircraft were withdrawn as they were needed in the fighting in Greece and Libya (H.W. Neulen). Friday 3 Italian counter offensive against Greek Army in Albania begins, but achieves nothing (ww2total.com Chronology/1940). With reinforcement by Australian forces the Commonwealth army in North Africa resumes it's advance into Libya (D. Sommerville). Supported by gunfire from battleships Australian forces break into the fortified port of Bardia. Co-ordinated bombing and patrols of Italian airfields west of Bardia kept the larger Italian air force from supporting their defending troops (M. Bechthold). 3-4 Third attack on Bremen (71 aircraft). Some bombs fall in Hamburg, 1 loss (BC War Diaries). The Blitz, Bristol attacked by 170 Luftwaffe bombers over 12 hours (ww2total.com Chronology/1941, wikipedia). Saturday 4 Australian troops capture Bardia, Libya (Oxford). 45,000 Italians taken PoW, plus 130 Italian tanks captured (M. Bechthold). The Greek army goes on the offensive in Albania, but makes slow progress against Italian forces who outnumber them (D. Sommerville). A Free French force from Chad composed mostly of local Tuareg and Tibesti tribesman cross the desert from Chad to southern Libya to destroy the Italian air base at the Murzuk Oasis, the first offensive action by Free French forces (ww2total.com Chronology/1941). 4 #6 EFTS, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, DH.82C Tiger Moth #4139 damaged and written off (R.W.R. Walker). 4-5 German warships in Brest were the target of 53 RAF bombers, no losses (BC War Diaries). Sunday 5 Australian forces begin advance from Bardia towards Tobruk (M. Bechthold). Pre-war aviator Amywww.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca Johnson missing on an ATA ferry flight over England in an Oxford aircraft, believed to have parachuted over the sea and drowned. Animator Miyazaki Hayao born in Tokyo, Japan. Monday 6 President Roosevelt makes his State of the Union address, also known as his Four Freedoms Speech, identifies 4 fundamental freedoms of man, ie, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear, which are later incorporated into the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (wikipedia). First Cessna Crane trainer arrives in Canada for the RCAF (J.A. Griffin). #5 AOS, Winnipeg, Manitoba and #9 SFTS, Summerside, PEI begin operations on this day (http://www.bombercrew.com/BCATP.htm). 6 211 Sqn. Blenheim I L1542 was damaged over Greece on a bombing sortie while fighting Italian fighters, Sgt J.R. Marshall RAF (Can.), Sgt W. Ward or Baird RAF and one other safe. Sgt Marshall was involved in the fighting for Greece and Crete and was later awarded a DFM and commissioned (Allison & Hayward). 6 #1 Air Navigation School, Rivers, Manitoba, Anson I #6016 crashed near the airfield on a navigation exercise, LAC(OB) L.J. Gray, Sgt G.J. Lewis, F/O M.D. MacBrien, Sgt E.J. Pink, Sgt J.D. Ross killed. Tuesday 7 After negotiation with the RAF a supplementary agreement to the BCATP Agreement (known as the Sinclair-Ralston Agreement) is signed, agreeing that the dominions will establish their own Squadrons for service overseas under Article 15 of the BCATP. Canada plans 25 such Squadrons in the next 18 months, above the three already overseas. Canada would provide the air and ground crews for these units but the RAF would bear the cost of equipment and pay, to offset the cost of the BCATP covered by Canada. As Canadian airmen are paid at a higher rate than the RAF the excess will be paid by Canada to RCAF members and banked for their return to Canada. To avoid confusion with established RAF units these Article 15 Squadrons were to be numbered in the RAF 400 range, RCAF being allocated numbers 400-449, RAAF 450-479 and RNZAF 485 to 499 (CCMA, RCAF Sqns., wikipedia). One unresolved problem of the scheme was the lack of incentive for the RAF, who handled supplementary training and manning depots in England, to provide complete aircrews of Canadians (and other nationalities) for multi-engined squadrons. Thus most multi-engine Article 15 squadrons would initially have a majority of RAF aircrew (RCAF Sqns.). On the plus side experienced RAF enlisted and officers in specialty tradeswww.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca such as Airframe, Engine, Wireless, Instruments, Armament, Administration, Stores, Intelligence, Police, Catering etc., were initially posted to the new squadrons to provide training and needed knowledge to their Canadian counterparts (A.D. Squires, pers. comm.). See April 1943. Despite the Sinclair-Ralston Agreement, most RCAF aircrew overseas would continue to serve in RAF units. In Japan Admiral Yamamoto presented his plans for a war with the Western Powers in the Pacific, including the USA. It would open with an attack on the newly established US Navy base at Pearl Harbour in the Hawaiian Territory in an attempt to cripple the US Pacific Fleet (wikipedia). Government committee in Ottawa recommends not allowing Japanese Canadians to enlist in the military due to the strong feelings against Japan's actions in China (wikipedia). 7 #2 SFTS, Uplands, Ontario, Harvard #2598 crashed near New Orleans, Ontario on an instrument practice flight, LAC(P) H.N. Dawson and LAC(P) J.R. Dority killed. (Griffin). 7 #11 EFTS, Cap de Madeleine, Finch II #4657 damaged and written off (R.W.R. Walker). Wednesday 8 In Japan Army Minister General Tojo issues 'Instructions for the Battlefield', a pamphlet sent to all members of Japan's military, which orders absolute obedience by Japanese soldiers and sailors, and forbids them to retreat or surrender in combat. These orders are meant, and are taken, literally by Japanese military and naval personnel (Oxford). Italian garrison in Tobruk cut off by advancing British and Australian forces (CJCA headline). Further RAF units were ordered transferred to Greece, including 2 from A/C Collishaw's #202 Group engaged in the advance from Bardia. Tobruk was surrounded but the commonwealth forces needed time to re-supply, and the RAF squadrons, not at this time fully mobile or self-sustaining, needed time to move forward and service aircraft. Captured supplies of Italian food and fuel helped the logistics, and the RAF adapted its aircraft to use captured Italian bombs in their attacks. Nightly bombing attacks by Wellingtons on Italian ports continued (M. Bechthold). Soviet general staff wargames the possibility of a German attack and a Russian counter attack, which indicate a successful defence in depth possible, but the initial attack/defensive stage was not part of the simulation. They assumed (despite the previous actions of the German military under Hitler) that there would be a period of several weeks between Germany declaring a war and their beginning to attack. They also assumed any attack would be on a limited front. It should also be noted that such wargameswww.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca would also follow the then current Soviet doctrine of defence by offensive operations, ie, meeting an attack with an overwhelming counter attack (Oxford). Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, dies in Kenya (wikipedia). 8-9 RAF Wellingtons damage Italian battleship Giulio Cesare in an attack on Naples (D. Sommerville). German battleship Tirpitz at Wilhelmshaven attacked by 32 bombers, 48 more attack Emden, 9 aircraft GARDENING in the River Elbe, no losses (BC War Diaries). Thursday 9 First flight of the 4 engined Manchester III bomber, later called the Lancaster (M.J.H. Taylor). 9 #1 Manning Depot, Toronto, Ontario, LAC D.L. Poegal died in hospital of natural causes. 9-10 Bomber Command sends 135 aircraft to attack synthetic oil plants at Gelsenkirchen, but only 56 report bombing the target. This was the largest number of RAF bombers attacking a single target of the war so far. Bombing was scattered, including bombs in surrounding towns. Nineteen other sorties, 1 loss (BC War Diaries).