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January 9th, 1943

UNITED KINGDOM: Minesweeping trawler HMS Property commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

GERMANY: The RAF is tonight bombing Essen, the home of Krupp’s arms factory. Conditions are hazy, but the RAF is using “Oboe”, a blind-bombing device that depends on radio pulses transmitted from two stations in England and transmitted back to the aircraft. By measuring the time taken by the pulses to reach the plane and return, its exact position can be calculated, and a short signal is then transmitted to the aircraft to indicate the bomb release point. Errors should normally be of less than 300 yards.

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau leave Gotenhafen for Norway together with the Prinz Eugen and three destroyers. Detected by British planes on the 11th, the group returns to Gotenhafen where it arrives on the 12th. (Navy News)
U-250 laid down.

U-236 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.S.R.: Stalingrad: General Paulus, determined to obey Hitler’s orders to fight to the end, today ignored a Soviet offer of an honourable surrender for the starving, frozen Germans trapped in the ruins of Stalingrad.

The order signed by General Rokossovsky, was carried into the German lines by a Russian captain under the protection of a white flag. The news ran through the weapons pits and the weary men of the Sixth Army began to think that their ordeal was at last at an end.

This morning they could read the terms of the offer themselves in leaflets scattered by Soviet aircraft. The Russians promised that everyone who surrendered would be fed and receive medical attention, and that their lives and safety would be guaranteed.

The leaflet also promised that they would “retain their uniforms, badges of rank and decorations, their personal belongings and valuables. Senior officers may retain their swords and bayonets.”

Rokossovsky, anxious to free his forces tied down around the city, left no doubt of his intentions if the offer was refused: the Red Army would embark upon the annihilation of the encircled German troops.

Destroyer HMS Achates in action with strong enemy force off the North Cape while escorting a convoy to Russia. Damaged in the defence of the convoy and subsequently sank. 7 officers and 106 ratings lost their killed. (Dave Shirlaw)

NEW GUINEA: The Australian 17th Brigade is airlifted to Wau, establishing a forward base for the next phase of the Allied offensive.

CHINA: Nanking: The reformed Kuomintang, the pro-Tokyo puppet regime which is an offshoot of Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang (Nationalists), today gave in to the Japanese and declared war on Britain and America.

In return, Japan had agreed to give up its claims to the international settlement in Shanghai and its territorial concessions in Hankow, Tientsin, Amoy and other major cities. It will also release Wang Ching-wei’s client regime from the much-despised Basic Treaty of November 1940 that legitimised Japanese infringements of Chinese sovereignty. Wang’s decision to declare war follows a propaganda barrage from Tokyo, culminating two weeks ago in a Japanese decision to adopt a new softer-profile policy towards Wang’s China. In place of “supervision” and “guidance”, the Wang regime is to receive koiteki shien - well-meaning assistance.

Japanese army officers have also been told to be more helpful and respectful to the Chinese and to avoid harsh, imperious language.

U.S.A.: The Lockheed Constellation prototype makes its first flight. (Jack McKillop)

Destroyer escorts USS Bebas, Buckley, Carlson, Griswold, Steele launched.
Submarine USS Seahorse launched.

Minesweeper USS Climax launched.

(Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0619, U-522 fired three torpedoes at the convoy TM-1 and reported three hits, which were also observed by U-575 and claimed three tankers sunk. It is probable that two torpedoes hit the Minister Wedel, which started to burn fiercely and the other the Norvik. HMS Havelock unsuccessfully tried to scuttle both badly damaged ships by gunfire. In the afternoon, U-522 reported the sinking of three damaged tankers in grid DG 9510 at 1515, 1650 and 1730 by coup de grâce. But again, the U-boat probably attacked one of the tankers twice, so only Norvik and Minister Wedel were finished off. Minister Wedel was hit on the starboard side forward and was abandoned by all 33 crewmembers and five gunners. HMS Havelock picked up the survivors and went alongside, allowing the master and four others to reboard the vessel to see if she could be saved, but nothing could be done. Two days later the master returned on another escort vessel, but the tanker had been sunk in the meantime.

At 0727, U-442 attacked Convoy TM-1 west of the Canary Islands (grid DG 9411) and claimed hits on two tankers, but in fact only one torpedo had hit the Empire Lytton. The chief officer, 12 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 30 crewmembers and three gunners were picked up by the HMS Saxifrage and landed at Gibraltar. HMS Havelock failed to sink the wreck with gunfire. At 1450, U-442 found the drifting tanker and torpedoed her again, but the tanker remained afloat and only sank after a further torpedo hit at 1938.

At 2025, the unescorted Louise Lykes was hit by two of four torpedoes fired by U-384 from a distance of 1800 meters, while proceeding on a zigzagging course at 15 knots. The ship exploded with a terrible blast, forcing the U-boat to crash dive because debris was falling onto the deck and into the water around her. As the U-boat resurfaced after five minutes, the ship had disappeared. The ten officers, 41 crewmen and 32 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two 3in and eight 20mm guns) all perished.
At 0433, U-124 attacked the convoy TB-1 and hit the Broad Arrow with two torpedoes and sank the Birmingham City with one torpedo at 0436. The Broad Arrow in station #31 was struck on the port side by the first torpedo at the after magazine. The explosion tore open the entire after end of the vessel and she flooded rapidly and settled by the stern. The explosion probably killed seven of the eight armed guards on board (the ship was armed with one 5in and two .30cal guns). Moments later the second torpedo struck forward of amidships and set the cargo on fire, so that the tanker lit up the entire convoy. The explosions killed all hands standing on watch on the bridge (including the master) and in the engine room. She began to settle more evenly and sank stern first at 07.00 hours. The survivors of the eight officers and 31 men abandoned ship within five minutes without orders in two lifeboats and two rafts. Some men stranded on the burning tanker and in the water, because the lifeboats were launched with only a few men in it. Three officers, 22 crewmen and one armed guard were picked up by the American submarine chaser USS PC-577 about ten hours later and landed them at Paramaribo the next day. The Second Mate died on board and the Pumpman died from burns in the hospital. Both were buried in Paramaribo. Birmingham City was hit on the port side amidships at the #3 hatch and the ship began to blaze. The explosion blew the port lifeboats overboard, destroyed the fireroom bulkhead and caused her to sink on an even keel in three minutes about 50 miles north of Paramaribo, Dutch Guyana. The most of the nine officers, 29 crewmen and 18 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four .50cal guns) immediately abandoned ship as she rapidly settled. The #1 motor lifeboat capsized on launching, pitching men into the water and contributing to the drowning of several crewmen. The remaining survivors left in #3 boat or jumped overboard and swam to several rafts. The #1 boat was later righted and the men from the rafts were transferred to it. Three officers, two crewmen and five armed guards died, most from drowning. All survivors were picked up by subchaser USS PC-577 ten hours later and landed at Paramaribo

At 0557, U-124 fired two torpedoes in a second attack on Convoy TB-1 about 100 miles NE of Paramaribo and two minutes later another torpedo. Mohr thought that he had hit three ships, but in fact the first torpedo passed astern of the Collingsworth, the second hit the ship and the third missed also, but hit the Minotaur. The torpedo was seen about 200 yards from the Minotaur and the helmsman put the wheel hard to port, but it was too late and it struck on the port side in the #1 hold. The explosion opened a large hole and flooded the hold rapidly. The engines were secured and the eight officers, 28 crewmen, 15 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and two .50cal guns) and one passenger (naval medical officer) began abandon ship in two lifeboats, but the ship sank by the bow within four minutes, fouling one boat and capsizing the other. The men were thrown in the water and had to swim to three rafts that floated free. Two officers and four crewmen drowned. The survivors were picked up by submarine chaser USS PC-577 later that day and landed at Paramaribo, Surinam. The Collingsworth was struck by the second torpedo on the port side between the #1 and #2 holds. The helmsman spotted the third torpedo, swung the ship hard to port and it missed by ten feet but hit a ship in the next column. The engines were secured and an inspection found no serious damage other than flooding to the compartments. But the ship began to settle fast, sinking by the head four minutes after the hit. Her crew of eight officers, 35 men and 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four 20mm guns) abandoned the ship almost immediately. The #1 boat got away with 21 men, but the #3 boat fouled while launching, forcing the men to jump into the water. 34 survivors were picked up by the American submarine chaser USS PC-577 from the wreckage and one raft 13 hours later. The survivors in #1 boat were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant Dalvangen 36 hours after the attack. The master, another officer, 6 crewmen and four armed guards did not survive.

U-511 sank SS William Wilberforce in position 29.20N, 26.53W - Grid DG 9116.

(Dave Shirlaw)