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• American destroyer Punkett intercepted German tanker Phrygia; Phrygia's crew scuttled the ship to avoid capture. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The Greek 3rd Army Corps broke through the Italian 9th Army defensive line at Korcë, Albania. Far to the south, 4,230 British troops arrived at Pireaus, Greece by sea. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | CPC]
• German submarine U-65 sank British ship Fabian with torpedo and her deck gun 250 miles southwest of Sierra Leone, killing 6. 33 survivors were briefly interrogated, given food and water, and placed in lifeboats; they would later be rescued by British tanker British Statesman. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-137 sank British ship Planter 30 miles north of Ireland at 2015 hours; 13 were killed and 60 survivors were picked up by British destroyer HMS Clare. ww2dbase [CPC]
• British anti-submarine trawler HMT Arsenal collided with Polish destroyer Burza 4 miles south of Toward, Clyde River estuary, Scotland, United Kingdom. Arsenal sank as her depth charges were detonated, which damaged HMS Arrow which came to rescue survivors. Tug Superman also participated in the rescue. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Heinz Guderian was named commander of Panzer Group 2. ww2dbase [Heinz Guderian | AC]

• RAF bombers attacked Hamburg, Germany again for the second day in a row. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Hamburg | TH]

16 Nov 1940 Interactive Map