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• German cruiser Admiral Scheer captured Norwegian tanker Sandefjord 1,000 miles off the coast of Angola, Portuguese West Africa. The ship, along with her cargo of 11,000 tons of crude oil, was sent to France as a prize ship. ww2dbase [Admiral Scheer | CPC]
• German armed merchant cruiser Kormoran sank British tanker British Union 700 miles west of the Canary Islands, killing 10. 28 survivors were captured by Kormoran and 7 survivors were rescued by British auxiliary cruiser HMS Arawa on the following day. ww2dbase [Kormoran | CPC]

• Vichy France passed a law that extended the youth program Chantiers de la Jeunesse's mandatory work experience from 6 months to 8 months. The territory that the program covered was expanded to cover French colonial holdings in North Africa. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Maggiore Baracca departed Bordeaux, France at 0950, starting her third war patrol. She was escorted by German minesweeper M-9. ww2dbase [Maggiore Baracca | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]

• German Luftwaffe Stuka dive bombers attacked Malta for the third consecutive day, destroying 6 RAF aircraft and damaging many more at the Luqa and Hal Far airfields. ww2dbase [Malta Campaign | RAF Luqa | Luqa | CPC]

• British destroyer HMS Castleton was damaged by German bombing while under repair at Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Portsmouth, England | CPC]

18 Jan 1941 Interactive Map