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• Louis-Lazare Kahn was born in Versailles, France. ww2dbase [Louis-Lazare Kahn | Versailles, Île-de-France | CPC]

• British 8th Division arrived in Ypres, Belgium, which was currently under German attack. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Ernst Udet was awarded the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. ww2dbase [Ernst Udet | CPC]

• The Austrian Republic was established. ww2dbase [TH]

• Light carrier Hosho was launched. ww2dbase [Hosho | CPC]

• The Reich Chamber of Culture was officially launched under the auspices of Goebbel's Ministry of Propaganda. Under the executive presidency of Hans Hinkel, a former Freikorps fighter and Nazi Party member, the chamber assumed responsibility for all cultural activity in Germany. ww2dbase [AC]

• The keel of Gloire was laid down by Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde in Lormont, Aquitaine, France. ww2dbase [Gloire | Lormont, Aquitaine | CPC]

• Nazi Party Christians held a rally at the Sportpalast in Berlin, Germany, during which party officially announced what amounted to the Nazification of Christianity. ww2dbase [Berlin | CPC]

• Failures in communications in the city of Changsha, Hunan Province, China led to the commencement of a scorched earth operation which was only suppose to take effect when the city was about to fall into Japanese hands. Fires were started at pre-arranged locations around the city, starting the Wenxi Fire that would burn for five days, killing 3,000 people and destroying a large number of buildings. ww2dbase [Changsha, Hunan | CPC]

• German destroyers Z20, Z18, Z19, and Z21 mined the mouth of the River Thames in southern England, United Kingdom before dawn. At 0526 hours, British cruiser HMS Adventure hit one of the mines and was damaged, killing 23. At 0820 hours, British destroyer Blanche also hit one of the mines and was badly damaged, killing 1 and wounding 12; as Blanche sank while under tow by tugboat Fabia, she became the first British destroyer lost to enemy action in WW2. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Finnish diplomats Paasikivi and Tanner departed Moscow, Russia after all negotiation attempts failed. ww2dbase [The Winter War | CPC]
• Adolf Hitler again postponed the invasion of France; the next date for decision was to be 22 Nov 1939. ww2dbase [Invasion of France and the Low Countries | CPC]

• U-56 arrived at Kiel, Germany, ended her third patrol. ww2dbase [U-56 | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | CPC]

• Prince Nagahisa's daughter Princess Hatsuko was born. ww2dbase [Nagahisa | CPC]

• King Carol II of Romania offered to mediate peace between Germany and the western powers. ww2dbase [Carol II | CPC]

• German bombers struck the Shetland Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom but did little damage. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Shetland Islands, Scotland | TH]

• Hitler, Ribbentrop, and Molotov continued their meeting in Berlin, Germany. Hitler attempted to divert Soviet aggression out of the Balkan Peninsula and Finland, and instead focus, together with Germany, to defeat the United Kingdom, with the ultimate prize being the partition of the British Empire among Germany, the Soviet Union, Italy, and Japan. Molotov, who was not moved, asked Hitler whether Germany would feel comfortable with a Soviet guarantee of Bulgarian borders much like how Germany had recently guaranteed Romanian borders; unable to answer that question, Hitler again broke off the discussion on the excuse of potential British bombings as the hours were getting late. Indeed, having known that Molotov was visiting Berlin, the British RAF launched bombers to attack Berlin as a show of force to convince Molotov that Britain was still in the fight. Ribbentrop and Molotov continued the meeting in a underground bunker amidst the bombing where Ribbentrop failed to entice Molotov with a four-power (Germany, Italy, Japan, and Soviet Union) military alliance proposal. ww2dbase [Vyacheslav Molotov | CPC]
• By the end of the day, Greek troops had pushed most Italian troops in northern Greece back to the Albanian border. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | CPC]
• German submarine U-137 torpedoed and sank British ship Cape St. Andrew, which was under tow by tug HMS Salvonia, 100 miles northwest of Ireland at 2108 hours. 14 crew and 1 gunner were killed. 53 survivors were picked up by Salvonia. ww2dbase [CPC]
• British submarine HMS Tigris sank French trawler Charles Edmonde 100 miles west of Bordeaux, France. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Italian bombers damaged British destroyer HMS Decoy at Alexandria, Egypt, killing 8 and wounding 3. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Air Chief-Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham was appointed Commander-in Chief, Far East, with his headquarters in Singapore. This post was a new creation. ww2dbase [AC]
• British convoy M. E. 3 arrived at Suda Bay, Crete, Greece. ww2dbase [Malta Campaign | HM]

• Garland was seriously damaged by a storm while escorting battleship HMS Revenge in the Atlantic Ocean. Two men were killed. ww2dbase [Garland | CPC]

• Tatsuta Maru arrived at San Francisco, California, United States. ww2dbase [Tatsuta Maru | San Francisco, California | CPC]

• German troops fighting near Moscow, Russia were fighting temperatures as low as -8° F (-22° C). As the mud freezes, however, the Germans prepared for a new offensive amidst increasing casualties due to weather. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | TH]
• Japanese Admiral Yamamoto gathered his commanders at Iwakuni air base at Yamaguchi, Japan to discuss Pearl Harbor tactics. ww2dbase [Attack on Pearl Harbor | Detailed Timetable | CPC]
• Adolf Hitler ordered the German Navy to restraint from attacking American ships, but should German warships be fired upon by the Americans, they were to fire back in defense. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | CPC]
• After sundown, Soviet destroyers Gordy and Surovy departed Gogland, Russia for Hanko, Finland, escorted by minelayer Ural, four T-class minesweepers, and four MO-class submarine chasers. En route, Surovy, T-206, and MO-301 struck Finnish naval mines and sunk. ww2dbase [CPC]
• General Kirill Meretskov attacked German troops at Tikhvin, Russia with Soviet 4th, 52nd, and 54th Armies. ww2dbase [Siege of Leningrad | CPC]
• German submarine U-81 sank British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal in the Mediterranean Sea 150 miles east of Gibraltar at 0437 hours; 1 was killed, 1,487 survived. Destroyer escorts counterattacked with 130 depth charges, but U-81 would escape. HMS Ark Royal was taken in tow. ww2dbase [Ark Royal | CPC]
• German submarine U-126 sank British merchant vessel Peru at 0042 hours, all 50 aboard survived and were rescued by South African whale factory ship Uniwaleco. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Allied troops established a new defensive line from the mouth of the Muar River to Gemas in British Malaya. ww2dbase [Invasion of Malaya and Singapore | Singapore | CPC]

• Soviet cruiser Chervona Ukraina, damaged by German aircraft on the previous day, sank at Sevastopol, Russia. Her guns would be salvaged to be used on shore. ww2dbase [Battle of Sevastopol | Sevastopol | CPC]

• The British Air Ministry instructed Sir Richard Pierse, the Commander-in-Chief Bomber Command, to curtail drastically the scale of sorties against Germany, especially in bad weather. The War Cabinet stated the instruction "having stressed the necessity to conserve our resources in order to built a strong force to be available by the spring of next year". ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | AC]

13 Nov 1941 Interactive Map

• USS S-28 began an overhaul, during which she would receive a fathometer, a Kleinschmidt distilling unit, and SJ radar. ww2dbase [S-28 | CPC]
• Norman Scott passed away. ww2dbase [Norman Scott | CPC]
• Daniel Callahan passed away. ww2dbase [Daniel Callahan | CPC]
• Allied troops captured Tobruk, Libya. ww2dbase [Second Battle of El Alamein | CPC]
• In Algeria, men of British No. 6 Commando captured the harbor of Bone, while other troops captured Djedjelli. ww2dbase [Advance into Tunisia | CPC]
• US Navy pilot Lieutenant H. S. Blake flying a PBY-5A Catalina with Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-92 detected Vichy French submarine Le Conquerant 700 miles off Casablanca, French Morocco, which refused to answer recognition signals when challenged. Blake attacked, blowing off the conning tower, and sank the submarine with all aboard lost. ww2dbase [PBY Catalina | Operation Torch | CPC]
• Adolf Hitler promised France that Germany would leave the French fleet at Toulon, France alone. ww2dbase [Scuttling of the French Fleet | CPC]
• Hauptmann Wilhelm Antrup and Oberleutnant Albert Koller of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Frederick Aikman shot down a German Ju 88 aircraft in North Africa. ww2dbase [Frederick Aikman | CPC]

• USS Ranger began her withdrawal from the Moroccan coast and began steaming westward bound for Bermuda. ww2dbase [Operation Torch | Ranger | DS]

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Rabaul, New Britain. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

• Damaged in the naval battle before dawn, Hiei struggled to return to base. After persistent attacks by aircraft attacks, it was decided that she was to be scuttled. After all men were taken off, she was scuttled by torpedoes north of Savo Island in the Solomon Islands. She became the first Japanese battleship to be lost in combat. ww2dbase [Hiei | Savo | CPC]
• The First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal ended before dawn with the US Navy task force under Rear Admiral Daniel Callahan driving off a Japanese naval bombardment group. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | Savo Sound | CPC]
• Japanese troops arrived at Munda Point, New Georgia, to construct an airfield. Detecting this movement, three squadrons of US B-24 bombers flew to Iron Range airfield in northern Queensland, Australia to stage an attack on the future airfield. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Munda Point, New Georgia | CPC]
• Tenryu departed Shortland Island, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Tenryu | Shortland Island | CPC]
• USS Helena detected Japanese warships with her radar off Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands at 0124 hours, but poor communications and general confusion caused a lack of proper action from the task force. The First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was joined after the two sides sighted each other. USS Helena assisted in the sinking of destroyer Akatsuki and seriously damaged destroyer Amatsukaze. Captain Gilbert Hoover, commanding officer of USS Helena and the senior surviving US officer, gave the order for all Americans to disengage from battle after 40 minutes of fighting. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | Helena (St. Louis-class) | CPC]
• USS Jueanu, while sailing for Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides for repairs sustained during the previous night, was intercepted by I-26, which fired two Type 95 torpedoes. One struck on the port side, sinking the light cruiser very quickly. 687 lives would eventually be lost; only 10 survived. ww2dbase [Juneau | Type 95 | Solomon Islands | CPC]
• After dark, Japanese cruisers challenged the US naval forces again by coming close to shore and bombarding Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | Henderson Field | Lunga Point, Guadalcanal | CPC]
• Portland was struck with a torpedo in her starboard quarter during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (Third Battle of Savo Island). The torpedo explosion took off Portland's two inboard propellers, jammed the rudder at five degrees to starboard, and froze the No 3 main turret. Portland could only steam in circles but still managed to fire her forward main batteries effectively, starting fires on the Japanese battleship Hiei and sinking the abandoned destroyer Yudachi. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | Portland | Ironbottom Sound, Solomon Islands | DS]
• Cruiser USS Atlanta was sunk by Type 93 torpedoes launched from Japanese destroyer Akatsuki; destroyer USS Barton was sunk by Type 93 torpedoes launched from Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze; and destroyer USS Laffey was sunk by Type 93 torpedoes launched from unidentified Japanese destroyers. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | Atlanta | Laffey (Benson-class) | Type 93 | Iron Bottom Sound | DS]

• Kamikaze arrived at Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan for patrols in the Tsugaru Strait area. ww2dbase [Kamikaze | Ominato, Aomori | CPC]

• German submarine U-431 (Wilhelm Dommes) sank Dutch destroyer Isaac Sweers in the Mediterranean Sea with two torpedo hits; 108 of the crew of 194 were lost. ww2dbase [Isaac Sweers | CPC]

• USS Haddock fired 6 torpedoes at convoy in the Yellow Sea 50 miles west of the Korean coast, damaging an oiler with 1 hit. She was given chase by escort craft. ww2dbase [Haddock | Yellow Sea | CPC]

• A Sunderland Mk II flying boat (W 6054) crashed on landing in Plymouth Sound in southern England, United Kingdom in thick fog at approximately 2100 hours. The aircraft from No. 10 squadron Royal Australian Air Force was on a flight from Gibraltar to Plymouth piloted by Flight Lieutenant Wynton Thorpe with a crew of 11 and five passengers. With only 15 minutes of fuel left the pilot attempted a blind landing, but with the altimeter still reading 600 feet the Sunderland ploughed into the sea. The aircraft flipped on its back, split in half and the pilot was thrown into the sea. The eleven crew were left in the sea for 90 minutes before rescue, but none of the passengers survived. The remains of this Sunderland were found spread over a wide area on the north side of the breakwater between the Fort and the lighthouse. The propeller and reduction gear was recovered in 1985 and shipped to the RAAF Museum near Perth, Australia. ww2dbase [Plymouth, England | HM]

• Carrier Crown Point, still under construction at Camden, New Jersey, United States, was renamed Langley. ww2dbase [Langley (Independence-class) | Camden, New Jersey | CPC]
• Carrier Oriskany was renamed Wasp while still under construction at Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. ww2dbase [Wasp (Essex-class) | Quincy, Massachusetts | CPC]

13 Nov 1942 Interactive Map

• Omar Bradley was promoted to the permanent rank of colonel. ww2dbase [Omar Bradley | CPC]
• USS Scorpion attacked a Japanese convoy in the Mariana Islands with four torpedoes, damaging oiler Shiretoko with one hit. ww2dbase [Scorpion | CPC]
• Adolf Hitler officially upheld Kaiser Wilhelm II's previous decree and bestowed upon Alfried von Bohlen und Halbach the name Krupp, making him the official head of the Krupp family conglomerate Friedrich Krupp AG. ww2dbase [Alfried Krupp | CPC]

• USS Ray departed Milne Bay, British Territory of Papua for her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Ray | CPC]

• Shokaku returned to Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Shokaku | Truk | CPC]

13 Nov 1943 Interactive Map

• The Japanese Army Fugaki Squadron, based in the Philippine Islands, conducted its first tokko mission with five converted Ki-67-I Kai To-Go aircraft, without success. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 1, the Leyte Campaign | CPC]
• Colonel George E. Price received the go-ahead for Project Extraversion, which called for four YP-80A jet aircraft to move to the front lines of the European Theater of Operations for combat testing. ww2dbase [P-80 Shooting Star | CPC]

• Escort carrier USS Bogue and her task group departed Bermuda for three days of anti-submarine exercises against friendly Italian submarine RIN Onice. ww2dbase [Bogue | Port Royal Bay | DS]

• Attun Palalin, also known as Private Teruo Nakamura of the Japanese Army 4th Takasago Volunteer Unit, was declared dead on Morotai, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [Attun Palalin | Morotai, Maluku Islands | CPC]

• General Philippe LeClerc's Free French troops attacked to the Upper Rhine out of Alsace, France. ww2dbase [Advance to the Rhine | Philippe Leclerc | Alsace | TH]

• USS Caiman departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Caiman | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]

• Landing ship No. 115 was completed and was transferred to the Japanese Army. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | CPC]

• USS Ticonderoga launched Air Group 80 aircraft for strikes on Manila and surrounding targets on Luzon, Philippine Islands; 2 men and 4 aircraft were lost. ww2dbase [Ticonderoga | DS]

• Civil air service was restored to London, England, United Kingdom for the first time since Sep 1939 when Railway Air Services began flight operations on a Croydon-Liverpool-Belfast route. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]

• German forces withdraw from Skopje, Yugoslavia. ww2dbase [Belgrade Strategic Offensive Operation | Skopje, Macedonia | TH]

13 Nov 1944 Interactive Map

• General Charles de Gaulle became the first post-war head of French government. ww2dbase [Charles de Gaulle | TH]
• Norman Jackson was presented with a Victoria Cross medal by King George VI of the United Kingdom for his brave attempt to put out the fire on his Lancaster bomber's starboard wing during the night of 26-27 Apr 1944. ww2dbase [George VI | CPC]

• Liu Yuzhang and his troops were landed at Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China by ships of the US 7th Fleet. ww2dbase [Liu Yuzhang | Qinhuangdao, Hubei | CPC]

• U-977 arrived at Boston, Massachusetts, United States by tow. ww2dbase [U-977 | Boston, Massachusetts | CPC]
• USS Sterlet departed San Diego, California, United States. ww2dbase [Sterlet | San Diego, California | CPC]
• USS Ranger departed Pensacola, Florida bound for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ww2dbase [Ranger | Pensacola, Florida | DS]
• S-43 was stricken from the US Naval Vessel Register. ww2dbase [S-43 | CPC]

13 Nov 1945 Interactive Map

• German prisoners of war Georg Jantschi and Karl Kosch were transferred from the special Prisoner of War Camp No. 27 in the suburbs of Moscow, Russia to the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow. ww2dbase [Lefortovo Prison | Moscow | CPC]

13 Nov 1946 Interactive Map

• Battleship New Mexico was spotted by a US Coast Guard aircraft 35 miles off the coast of New York, United States. Two tugboats were dispatched to the battleship. ww2dbase [New Mexico | CPC]

• Landing ship No. 147 was transferred to the United States while at Yokosuka, Japan. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | Yokosuka, Kanagawa | CPC]

• USS Bennington was recommissioned at New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York, United States. ww2dbase [New York Navy Yard | Bennington | Brooklyn, New York | DS]

13 Nov 1952 Interactive Map

• Paul von Kleist passed away in Vladimir Prison in Vladimir, Russia. ww2dbase [Paul von Kleist | Vladimir | CPC]

13 Nov 1954 Interactive Map

• Zang Shiyi passed away at the Fushun War Criminals Management Center in Liaoning Province, China. ww2dbase [Zang Shiyi | Fushun, Liaoning | CPC]

• Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the rank of temporary air commodore in the Royal Ceylon Air Force. ww2dbase [Rohan Amerasekera | CPC]

• Aleksandr Pokryshkin passed away. ww2dbase [Aleksandr Pokryshkin | CPC]

• USS Missouri departed Long Beach, California, United States for the Middle East. ww2dbase [Missouri | CPC]

• The demolition work on the General Government Building in Seoul, Korea was completed. ww2dbase [Keijo General Government Building | Seoul | CPC]

13 Nov 1996 Interactive Map