[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Started a new career in August 2019, to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years ago ...

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Friday, 18 April 1941 - Bremen - AG Weser, Deutsche Schiff und Maschinenbau

Standing by during the final stages of construction of U 113 (IXC).

B.d.U. suspects that the enemy has knowledge of our own Uboat dispositions and therefore issues a directive for the introduction of an additional cyphering key (ENIGMA) for the naval communication services.

Started a new career in August 2019, to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years ago ...

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Wednesday, 23 April 1941 - Bremen - AG Weser, Deutsche Schiff und Maschinenbau

Standing by during the final stages of construction of U 113 (IXC).

Balkans Campaign ends today with the official surrender of the Greek forces in Albania to both the Germans and the Italians after a personal representation from Mussolini to Hitler.

Meanwhile in the North African Campaign:
Ongoing siege of Tobruk by the German Afrika Korps since 10 April.

After the capture of the Cyrenaica by the British from the retreating Italian Forces, from December 1940 to February 1941 (Operation "Compass"), the German blocking force ("Afrika Korps"), commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (the "Desert Fox"), arrived in Africa from 10 February until 12 March 1941 (Operation "Sonnenblume"). This force consisted only of Panzer Regiment 5, which was put together from the 2nd Regiment of the 3rd Panzer Division and organized into the 5th Light Division. This 5th Light Division is now joined by elements of the 15th Panzer Division, transferred from Italy. In late summer, the 90th Light Infantry Division will be formed and join the Afrika Korps (DAK). On 15 August 1941, the 5th Light Division will be redesignated 21st Panzer Division.

Field Marshal Rommel, not being a defensive commander, was soon preparing for a counter attack (Rommel's First Offensive). On 24 March he captured El Agheila, the leading British position. He then advanced to Mersa el Brega, which fell on 31 March. Rommel then decided to turn this raid into a larger scale offensive and the British position in Cyrenaica quickly collapsed. Benghazi fell on 4 April and the British began a chaotic retreat towards Egypt.

Rommel's only failure came at Tobruk, where his first attacks were badly planned. The siege of Tobruk (10 April-16/17 December 1941) will last for most of the rest of the this year and will significantly weaken Rommel's position on the Egyptian border. The British will hold on to Sidi Barrani but apart from that and Tobruk, all of the gains of "Operation Compass" (December 1940 - February 1941) will have been lost.