Posted on 12/04/2010 6:48:55 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/dec40/f04dec40.htm
Greeks reach Premeti
Wednesday, December 4, 1940 www.onwar.com
In the Balkans... The Greek forces continue their advance and enter Premeti.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/04.htm
December 4th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: The Admiralty admits heavy losses. For the month ending November 24th, 323,157 tons of British and neutral vessels were sunk.
London: The Defence Committee meets to decide the strategy for the anti-U-boat offensive and what roles Coastal Command and the Royal Navy should play. Churchill decides that the operational control of the U-boat war must rest with the sailors not matter what the opinions of the RAF.
Destroyer ORP Krakowiak launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: The High Command announces that U-boats have sunk 15 ships in a convoy 400 miles west of Ireland and that a flight of planes have attacked British ships in the Channel sinking one and damaging several others.
U-552 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
ALBANIA: Greek troops, advancing from the Pindus, capture the town of Premeti.
ROMANIA: The army manages to contain the civil unrest which has been going on for a week.
EGYPT: General O’Connor moves to his battle headquarters in preparation for Operation Compass.
CANADA:
Corvette HMCS Collingwood arrived Halifax from builder Collingwood, Ontario.
Corvettes HMCS Brantford, Midland, Timmins, Vancouver (ex-Kitchener), New Westminster and Dundas ordered.
Minesweeper HMCS Thunder laid down Toronto, Ontario.
Corvette HMCS Drumheller laid down Collingwood, Ontario.
Corvette HMCS Amherst launched Saint John, New Brunswick.
Oiler HMCS Moonbeam commissioned. Built by George T Davie Lauzon,, Province of Quebec. Launched 1913, 180x32, 676 tons, Originally MandF Hopper Barge No.1, renamed circa 1930 D.M. Hopper Barge No.1, Mills No. 033250, Propulsion Steam, #134364, rebuilt 1940 Yard#89, at Marine Industries Ltd, Sorel, Province of Quebec, 676 tons, 178x33.5x12ft, 6kts, crew 2/18, fuel oil carrier east coast, and St. John’s Nfld. When more modern and capacious tankers became available, she reverted to a static fuel depot ship. Pendants (Z43)>(J43) Post WW.II, sold 1946, renamed Birchbranch, renamed circa 1951 David Richard, B.L.I.24, 1960, broken up, and register closed 1968. The RCN’s pre-war strategy of local defence and restricted pre-war budgets prevented the development of oilers as part of its force structure. A lack of fuel and fuel storage facilities in St. John’s were serious limitations for early escort operations, which were partially addressed through the use of depot vessels requisitioned from trade and loaned from the RN. By Jun 41, the St. Johns base, HMCS Avalon, included Moonbeam, submarine depot ship HMS Forth, fleet stores ship HMS City of Dieppe, tankers Teakwood and Clam as well as the Great Lakes overnight passenger steamer Georgian used as a floating barracks and renamed Avalon II.
AMC HMCS Prince Henry commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Eberle commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-37 sank SS Daphne in Convoy OG-46. (Dave Shirlaw)
The aircraft in the blurry picture are mostly these I suspect.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 461 December 4, 1940
Greek forces advance to Përmet 10 miles across the Albanian border, taking 500 Italian prisoners. They now occupy a line from Sarandë on the Ionian Sea, via Përmet and Korçë, to Pogradec on Ohrid Lake in the East.
At 4.57 AM, U-37 sinks Swedish SS Daphne, 15 miles Southwest of Cabo Espichel, Portugal (18 dead and 1 survivor). This vessel was also torpedoed in WWI (at the time known as SS Naparima) off Hartlepool, England, by UB-107 on May 10 1918.
Birmingham is bombed again. 62 aircraft dropped 77 tons of high explosive bombs and 184 incendiary canisters.
I’m not sure - they look like tail draggers, not tricycle landing gear. Perhaps the one in front - looks like it might be up on 3, most of the others don’t. And the others look more than a couple of feet shorter than the transport, and the wings aren’t that much longer. (Wing looks different on the front one, as well).
B-20 L 47 ft 11 in, Wingspan 61 ft 4 in
Lodestart L 49 ft 10 in, Wingspan 65 ft 6 in
I’ll nominate the Martin Maryland for the small ones.
It’s a really blurry picture but I am sticking with A-20 havaocs.
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