A Soviet gun crew during the siege of Odessa, 1941. Click on photo to enlarge.
By: Phil Kohn. Dedicated to the memory of his father, GM3 Walter Kohn, U.S. Navy Armed Guard, USNR, and all men and women who have answered the country’s call in time of need. Phil can be contacted at ww2remembered@yahoo.com.
From Moscow on August 8, 1941, Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Timoshenko, commander of the Western and Central Fronts of the Red Army, issues a proclamation to all Soviet citizens in enemy-occupied areas. He urges them to join partisan forces, carry out Stalin’s “scorched-earth” policy and “wreak merciless vengeance on the enemy . . . for the death of your children . . .” Farther south, German and Romanian troops begin a siege of the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa. In China, Japanese air forces begin a week of air raids on Chungking. A total of 40 raids are recorded by August 13th.
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill — who has arrived from the United Kingdom aboard the battleship HMS Prince of Wales — meet onboard the heavy cruiser USS Augusta at (U.S.) Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada, on August 9. In the U.S., in a speech in Cleveland, Ohio, Charles Lindbergh accuses “interventionists” of creating “incidents and situations” that will drag the U.S. into war.
On July 10, the British and Soviet governments pledge to assist Turkey if that country is attacked by Axis forces. In the Gulf of Finland, German submarine U-144 is sunk by the Soviet submarine Shch-307.
Finnish attacks on Red Army forces south of Lake Ladoga reach Vuosalmi on August 11. In Russia, the Red Army launches a counterattack near Yelnya, about 51 miles from Smolensk. Royal Navy Fairey Swordfish torpedo planes flying from Malta sink the Italian hospital ship SS California off Syracuse, Sicily.
August 12 is full of activity. In Vichy France, Marshal Pétain says in a broadcast that Germany is fighting “in defense of civilization” in the war against the Soviet Union. He announces new measures for the suppression of political parties and the creation of a stronger police force and special courts. Admiral Darlan is to be appointed to the Ministry of Defense. In Washington, the House of Representatives passes an extension of the draft period from one year to thirty months (and a similar increase for service in the National Guard) after considerable debate. The bill — similar to one approved in the Senate — passes in the House by one vote, 203–202. From Berlin, Hitler issues Directive 34: Army Group North is to continue its efforts in the direction of Leningrad; Army Group South is to begin the battle for the Crimea, Kharkov and the Donets; and Army Group Center is to halt and provide help to the other army groups. In North Africa — in response to pressure from the Australian government concerning the relief of its troops in Tobruk — Allied naval forces evacuate 5,000 Australian troops from the besieged city. Over the course of six nights, the fast minelayers HMS Abdiel and HMS Latona — escorted by a cruiser and two destroyers — land 6,000 fresh Polish troops to replace the Aussies. In Newfoundland, Churchill and Roosevelt conclude their meeting. They agree to send strong warnings to the Japanese and they come to the understanding that the U.S. will almost certainly enter the war if Japan attacks British or Dutch possessions in the East Indies or Malaya. The two leaders also send a message to Stalin, proposing a meeting in Moscow. From Ottawa, the government orders all Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry to carry a registration card.
The Soviet government on August 13 announces the release of all Polish prisoners of war captured in September 1939 when the U.S.S.R. invaded and took over eastern Poland. Also announced is an “amnesty” (from persecution) of ethnic Poles who are living in the areas absorbed by the Soviet Union. (The reason: The Soviets would like to entice Poles to join the Red Army.) The Nazi occupation authority in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania orders all property owned by Jews to be registered and confiscated; all money and personal valuables must be handed over immediately.
On August 14, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill jointly issue the Atlantic Charter, which sets goals for post-war international cooperation. The Soviets begin to evacuate their Black Sea naval base at Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Eight destroyers of the Black Sea Fleet cover the operation, which lasts through August 17th. Of the ships under construction in the port, 13 are far enough advanced to be towed away, but one battleship and 10 other vessels still in the construction ways are blown up.
