6 Oct 1941 | World War II Database

6 Oct 1941

U-576 began her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
Eight Soviet Armies were encircled at Bryansk and Vyazma, Russia by a surprise maneuver conducted by German 17th Panzer Division. In less than two weeks, the Germans have taken nearly 700,000 prisoners and destroyed or captured 1,200 tanks and 5,000 heavy guns. ww2dbase [Main Article | AC]
German submarine U-129 transferred 119 rescued survivors of sunken German supply ship Klara to a Spanish tug. ww2dbase [CPC]
German bombers attacked shipping in the Gulf of Suez east of Egypt, sinking British ship Thistlegorm, which carry aboard, among other items, two steam locomotives; 9 were killed. Australian ship Salamaua, Norwegian tanker Norfold, and British ship Scalaria were also damaged during this attack. ww2dbase [CPC]
Heinz Guderian noted in his diary that he had observed snow for the first time in the campaign in the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
The Jager Report (issued on 1 Dec 1941) noted that 213 adult male, 359 adult female, and 390 children, all Jews, were killed in Semiliski, Lithuania for a total of 962 people. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

Russia

In Russia, Georgy Zhukov departed Leningrad for Moscow to take command of Soviet Western Front. General Ivan Fedyuninsky assumed command at Leningrad. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis