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• British radio station BBC broadcasted about the "V Army", informing the general public on the resistance movements in occupied Europe. ww2dbase [TH]
• British citizen George Armstrong was executed at Wandsworth prison for spying. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Captured (by German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis on 10 Nov 1940) Norwegian tanker Ole Jacob arrived at Bordeaux, France, carrying aviation fuel and the captured crew of tankers Ole Jacob and Teddy. ww2dbase [Atlantis | CPC]
• Submarine HMS Umpire collided with a trawler off Kent, England, United Kingdom during her sea trials, sinking in 60 feet of water; 22 men were lost. ww2dbase [CPC]
• 11 British Blenheim bombers attacked an 8-ship German convoy escorted by 6 anti-aircraft ships off the Hague, Netherlands, sinking four of the transports and damaging another. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Adolf Hitler ordered that American shipping were not to be attacked by German forces in order to keep the United States from fully entering the war. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | CPC]
• German submarine U-66 sank transport Holmside northeast of Cape Verde islands at 1042 hours; 21 were killed, 16 survived. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Alessandro Malaspina received a report from Italian submarine Alpino Bagnolini to the base at 2245 hours, noting the discovery of an Allied convoy in the Atlantic Ocean. Alessandro Malaspina changed course toward the reported convoy. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | Alessandro Malaspina | CPC]
• Alpino Bagnolini sighted of Allied convoy HG 68 in the Atlantic Ocean at 2155 hours, but lost contact when an escorting destroyer turned toward the Italian submarine and forced her to submerge. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | CPC]

• Fijian ship Viti departed Suva, Fiji for Gilbert and Ellice Islands with New Zealand military servicemen aboard; she was to drop off small reconnaissance parties on many of the atolls and small islands to act as lookouts, or "coastwatchers", to watch for German surface raiders. ww2dbase [Suva | CPC]

• German submarine U-153 was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-375 was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Adolf Hitler ordered the German 2nd Panzer Group to move south toward Kiev, Ukraine as soon as the group completed the conquest of Smolensk, Russia. Heinz Guderian, commanding officer of the 2nd Panzer Group, protested and cited Moscow, Russia as the logical primary target, but Hitler would overrule him. ww2dbase [Operation Barbarossa | CPC]

• The lifeboat containing the last three survivors of British motor merchant Cathrine, which was sunk by U-43 west Ireland on 17 Jun 1941, was discovered 35 miles west of Valentia Bay, County Kerry, Ireland. The men were taken to hospital at Valentia Island where they recovered. All told, Cathrine's master, 21 men, and two gunners were lost. ww2dbase [Kerry | HM]

• Italo Gariboldi stepped down as the Governor-General of Italian Libya, succeeded by Ettore Bastico. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Joseph Stalin declared himself the Soviet Defense Commissar (NKO). ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | TH]
• Heavy fighting between German and Soviet forces took place near Lake Peipus near Leningrad, Russia. ww2dbase [Siege of Leningrad | Leningrad | CPC]
• Viktor Abakumov officially assumed the role as the head of UOO of the Soviet NKVD. ww2dbase [Viktor Abakumov | CPC]

• Winston Churchill decided to share military intelligence gained by deciphering the German Enigma-encoded messages with the Soviets, but the Soviets would not be told how the intelligence was gained; instead, they were told that the intelligence was gained through a spies in Berlin. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | London, England | CPC]

• The keel of US destroyer Baldwin was laid down. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The keel of US minesweeper Swallow was laid down. ww2dbase [CPC]

19 Jul 1941 Interactive Map