http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/jul41/f21jul41.htm
Germans bombing Moscow
Monday, July 21, 1941 www.onwar.com
On the Eastern Front... There are more German air attacks on Moscow. The Soviet authorities announce that they have withdrawn their forces from the line of the Dniestr River.
In Washington... Roosevelt asks Congress to extend the draft period from one year to 30 months and to make similar increases in the terms of service for the National Guard. There is considerable debate on the proposal.
In the Mediterranean... A major operation, code named Substance, is launched by the British Gibraltar forces to bring supplies to Malta. There are seven transports in the convoy and they are covered by Force H which has been reinforced for the operation. In addition to Renown, Ark Royal, a cruiser and eight destroyers, the Home Fleet has sent Nelson, three cruisers and nine destroyers.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/21.htm
July 21st, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM: Hugh Dalton, the Minister for Economic Warfare and head of the Special Operations Executive, tells Churchill that he can now “set in motion ... schemes for full-scale revolution in Europe.”
Minesweepers HMS Cadmus and Circe laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
VICHY FRANCE: The government accepts Japans’ demand for military control of French Indochina.
U.S.S.R.: Minsk: SS troops rope together 45 Jews and order 30 White Russians to bury them alive in a pit; when the White Russians refuse, all 75 victims are machine-gunned to death.
During the night German bombers took off from airfields near Smolensk on a heading for Moscow, and the commander of the Moscow air defence, Maj. Gen. M.S. Gromadin, set off the first grand alert in the Soviet capital. The raid was carried out by 127 bombers flying in several waves, which dropped 104 metric tons of bombs. The Soviet high command, STAVKA, allegedly knew about the German preparations for the assault 2 days before it took place, and this explains why German air crews reported that defensive fire over Moscow was even more powerful than over London. But despite the heavy flak fire, only a few Soviet night fighters appeared to fight off the attackers.
Soviets withdraw their forces from the Dniestr.
Soviet submarine M-94 of the Baltic Fleet is sunk by U-140 near Ristna Lighthouse off Dago Island. (Mike Yared)(146 and 147)
SPAIN: U-109 refueled from the German supply ship Thalia at Cadiz. (Dave Shirlaw)
GIBRALTAR: Convoy “Substance” leaves for Malta.
EGYPT: Cairo: de Gaulle meets with the Minister of State in Cairo, Oliver Lyttleton. Angry over the treatment of the Free French by the Syrian armistice he hands Lyttleton a memorandum:
“Free France, that is to say France, is no longer willing to entrust to the British military command the duty of exercising command over the French troops in the Middle East. General de Gaulle and the French Empire Defence Council are resuming full and entire disposal of all the French forces of the Levant as from 24 July 1941, at midday.”
CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Guysborough launched North Vancouver, British Columbia. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: Washington: Roosevelt asks Congress for permission to extend the Selective Service Act so that troops are retained for 30 months in the armed forces after completing one year in service.
Minesweepers USS Velocity, Tumult, Token laid down.
Destroyers USS Evans and John D Henley laid down.
Submarine USS Gunnel laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)