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Prime Minister, at this time, according to our Ultra intercepts, the German invasion of Greece is on hold. The Germans are sending diplomats to negotiate a peace treaty between the Greeks and Italians. We believe that Hitler does not want to expand the war into the Balkans prior to his invasion of Russia.
We have met with Russian officials regarding Germany's next move. They have dismissed it as anti-Russian propaganda.



TO: Major General Bradley
FROM: General George C. Marshall
DATE: January 15, 1941
SUBJECT: Argentine operations

After consultations with the President and the Joint Chiefs, you are hereby authorized to cross into Argentina. Your mission is the destruction of the Argentine Army and occupation of the country of Argentina.

The President has authorized me to inform you of Operation Starfish. Operation Starfish is the planned amphibious invasion of Buenos Aires scheduled for late February. Once the Marines are ashore, they will fall under your command as Commander 2nd US Army. By order of the President, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General (temporary) as of this date. The Headquarters & Headquarters Battalion, 2nd US Army is being transferred to Brazil. Once there, the Southern Task Force HQ will revert back to corps HQ and you will assume command 2nd US Army. Reinforcements are being dispatched.

Major General Charles Whittlesey will relieve you as Corps Commander. More details to follow.

Signed, GC Marshall, General, Chief of Staff




Airborne Divisions (9,115 troops)

1 HQ & HQ Company
1 Air Landing Regiment
2 Parachute Infantry Regiments
1 Air Landing Artillery Regiment
1 Airborne MP Company
1 Airborne Signal Company
1 Airborne Engineer Company
1 Airborne Ordnance Company
1 Airborne QM Company
1 Airborne Intelligence & Reconnaissance Platoon

Armored Divisions (14,620 troops)

1 HQ & HQ Company
1 Armored Infantry Regiment
2 Armored Regiments
1 Armored Field Artillery Regiment
1 Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Battalion
1 Armored AAA Battalion
1 Armored Engineer Battalion
1 Armored Medical Battalion
1 Armored QM Battalion
1 Armored Ordnance Battalion
1 Armored Maintenance Battalion
1 Armored MP Company
1 Armored Signal Company

Mechanized Cavalry Division (10,937 troops)

1 HQ & HQ Company
3 Task Force HQ Companies
6 Mechanized Cavalry Battalions
3 Motorized Infantry Battalion
3 Armored Field Artillery Battalions
1 AAA Battalion
1 Engineer Battalion
1 Medical Battalion
1 QM Battalion
1 Ordnance Battalion
1 Transport Battalion
1 MP Company
1 Signal Company

Infantry Division (15,425 troops)

1 HQ & HQ Company
3 Infantry Regiments
1 Field Artillery Regiment
1 Engineer Battalion
1 Medical Battalion
1 QM Battalion
1 AAA Battalion
1 Ordnance Battalion
1 MP Company
1 Transport Company
1 Mechanized Cavalry Squadron
1 Signal Company

Infantry Division (Light) (9,984 troops)

1 HQ & HQ Company
2 Task Force HQ Companies
6 Infantry Battalions
3 Field Artillery Battalions
1 Engineer Battalion
1 Medical Battalion
1 QM Battalion
1 Ordnance Battalion
1 MP Company
1 Signal Company
1 Mechanized Cavalry Squadron
1 AAA Company

Mountain Division (14,101 troops)

1 HQ & HQ Company
3 Mountain Infantry Regiments
3 Mountain Artillery Battalions
1 Mountain Engineer Battalion
1 Mountain Medical Battalion
1 QM Company
1 Reconnaissance Company
1 MP Platoon
1 Maintenance Platoon
1 Signal Platoon



Good Evening, this is London, and now for tonight's news.

His Majesty's Government has confirmed that the Hong Kong garrison was forced to surrender to overwhelming Japanese forces yesterday.

Radio Berlin is denying a Swedish report that a number of Allied prisoners of war have escaped from captivity and have crossed the border into Sweden.

The Rajah of Sarawak has confirmed that Japanese bombers have begun attacking the Sultanate. RAF and RAAF fighters inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.



Operation Valkyrie was conceived by the Abwher just after the US entered into the war. The plan called for the assassinations of President Roosevelt, Vice President John Garner, Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall, Prime Minister Churchill and the Chief of the Imperial General Staff General Sir Alan Brooke, French Prime Minister Reynard, and Defense Minister & Commander-in-Chief of the French Army General Weygand. Once these individuals were dead, Hitler would issue peace feelers (on his terms of course)

Each team would enter the allied countries by different means (U-Boats, neutral countries, and air drops). All the teams were composed of men from the elite Brandenburgers and they would attack their targets on January 18, 1941. Like most complicated plans, this one fell apart rather quickly.



Team One (Roosevelt) traveled by U-Boat and landed outside New York City on January 3, 1941. They ran into a Coast Guard patrol and attempted to shoot their way out. They failed and the entire three man team was wiped out.

Team Two (Garner) traveled by U-Boat and landed outside of Ocean View, Delaware on January 8. They successfully made it ashore and made their way to Washington, D.C and were in place on January 18th.

Team Three (Marshall) also traveled by U-Boat and landed outside of Norfolk, VA on January 8. They were spotted by a roving patrol of US Marines and attempted to shoot their way out. Both the team leader and team medic were killed. The third member of the team was badly wounded and captured. He did not regain consciousness until after the January 18 attacks. He was put on trial as a spy and sentenced to life in prison. He was paroled in 1953.



Team Four (Churchill) attempted to enter the UK by way of an HE-111. Sadly for them, their plane was shot down by RAAF Spitfires and all three men died.

Team Five (Brooke) traveled to Spain. There, posing as Spanish businessmen, they received entry visas to the UK and arrived in England on January 10. They were in position to attack on the morning of January 18th.



Team Six (Reynard) traveled to Spain and then Spanish Morocco. There they planned to drive to Tunis. They never made it. In 1962, a vehicle was discovered in a ravine, skeletal remains of three men were found a short distance away. The single gunshot wounds to the skull indicated the cause of death. Who killed them was not known, but dental records identified them as being the missing Brandenburgers.

Team Seven (Weygand) came ashore from a fishing trawler on the night of January 9 without incident.

Operation Lobster - Of the three American teams, only one team - Team Two - was successful. They killed the American Vice President, but only one team member survived.

Operation Thor's Hammer - Team Five came close to killing General Brooke. They attempted to kill him on his way into work, but were thwarted by a platoon of Home Guardsmen. Six Guardsmen, General Brooke's driver, and all three Germans were killed, with another 15 Guardsmen, the General and his bodyguards were all wounded. (For more details on the attack, read Alanbrooke by David Fraser)

Operation Sunset - Team Seven attempted a long range assassination. Unfortunately, they killed General Weygand's British liaison officer. French security forces were unable to capture the three Germans who made it back to Germany. Unlike the surviving member of Team Two, they were not decorated.



TO: Director Hoover
FROM: Special Agent in Charge William Schneider, Counter Intelligence Section
DATE: January 19, 1941
SUBJECT: Boeing B-17 bomber production

As you may recall, production of the Boeing B-17 has dropped by 33% and a significant number of delivered B-17s have greater than usual maintenance problems. The Army made inquires to Boeing which cited delays in getting parts from their suppliers. The Army asked the Bureau to investigate and the matter was handed over to this section for investigation.

The Douglas and Lockheed plants have had no significant delays. Boeing's Ensenda plant likewise has had no significant delays.

We have determined that Boeing's Renton, WA and Wichita KS plants have been infiltrated by Communist agitators. In fact, they have called for a 2 day strike to protest what they call dangerous working conditions and low pay.

We have also found that a number of Boeing's suppliers have also run into labor problems and we are currently investigating the depth of the Communist infiltration.



After consultations with the Governments of the Allied nations, this command has been ordered to mount invasions of France and Norway by June 30, 1942. If possible, these invasions will take place simultaneously or within 2 to 4 weeks of each other.

At this time the 7th US Army is the only force currently committed to the Allied invasion of Norway. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff is to submit the British order of battle for the Norway invasion by no later than February 25, 1941. The Chief of Staff of the Norwegian Army-in-Exile is to submit the Norwegian order of battle by no later than February 25, 1941.

For the invasion of Northern France, the US has committed the 1st US Army, currently stationed in England; and the 3rd US Army, currently stationed in Tunis. The Chief of the Imperial General staff, the Chiefs of Staff of the Danish, Dutch and Polish Armies-in-Exile, and the Chief of Staff of the French Army will provide orders of battle by no later than February 25, 1941.




After consultations with the Governments of the Allied nations, this command has been ordered to mount an invasion of Sicily by June 1, 1942. Said invasion will be a precursor for invasions of France and Italy.

The component commands are to submit unit readiness to this headquarters in 30 days, but it is expected that the French Army will constitute the bulk of the forces for the invasion of southern France with the Americans and British invading Italy.




Stockholm. The Swedish Government has confirmed that five foreign nationals - 1 American, 1 French and 3 New Zealanders - crossed into Sweden two days ago after successfully escaping from a German Prisoner of War camp. Among the escapees is UPI Correspondent Walter Cronkite. He has spoken to the US Embassy in Stockholm and has talked with our correspondent there. As soon as the Swedish authorities declare him fit to travel, he will return the United States



My fellow Americans, as I speak to you now, thousands of citizens and foreign dignitaries have paid their respects to Vice President Garner, who is currently lying in state at the Capitol Building.

I have been in consultations with the leaders of both the House and Senate since his untimely death four days ago in that tragic traffic accident. We are in a war and we cannot leave the office of the Vice President vacant. To that end, and in accordance with the Presidential Succession Act of 1886, the Secretary of State, my friend, Mr. Cordell Hull will become the Acting Vice President. He will serve out the remainder of Vice President Garner's term. I have appointed Under Secretary of State Edward Stettinius to be the next Secretary of State.

Thank you and God bless the United States.



Mr. President, the current government is having a very difficult time suppressing the Communists in this country. Within the last week, fresh uprising have taken place in Stalingrad/Volgograd, Smolensk, Azov, and Rostov.

Until the government is able to get the upper hand, there is an increasing likelihood that the Germans will be invading Russia very soon.

Thanks to the Italian-Greek peace treaty and the German-Greek non aggression pact, it looks like Germany has protected her southern flank from attacks.



In late November 1940, the residents in the Baja and Chihuahua Territories had petitioned the territorial legislatures and Governors on admitting the territories as states into the United States. The legislatures and the governors were not fools, there were strong desires for statehood throughout the territotries. They immediately began petitioning the President and Congress for Statehood. At the time, there were 6,377,638 American citizens and 1,450,000 Mexicans living in the territories.

The President and Congress ordered the Department of the Interior to research the matter and report back by the end of January 1941.

The Interior Department's report of January 10, 1941 recommended the following:
1) That the Territories of Alaska and Hawaii be granted statehood.
2) The Territory of Baja be granted statehood.
3) That the Territory of Chihuahua be divided into three states.
a) The state of Jefferson, with Hermosillo as the capital.
b) The state of Chihuahua with Chihuahua as the capital.
c) The state of Pershing with Monterrey as the capital.

On January 28, 1941, during the State of the Union, the President recommend to the Congress, that the Interior Department's recommendations be carried out without delay. The Congress called for special elections to be held in May. If the citizens of the territories voted for admission, then the new states would be admitted on July 4, 1941.

Problems immediately arose in the Mexican territories, when the territorial legislatures passed laws forbidding non-US citizens from voting. That was quickly struck down by the US Supreme Court which stated that non-US citizens living in the territories could vote. However, if the territory was admitted to the Union, then they had 1 year to get US citizenship or leave the new state.

The new states would have approximately the following population numbers:

Baja 829,093 US citizens and 188,500 Mexicans
Jefferson 1,084,199 US citizens and 246,500 Mexicans
Pershing 1,977, 068 US citizens and 449,500 Mexicans
Chihuahua 2,487,279 US citizens and 565,500 Mexicans

The legislatures were immediately ordered to draw up plans for the votes which were to be held the first Tuesday in May.


EUROPEAN THEATRE OF OPERATIONS (HQ London)
General Dwight Eisenhower

6th US Army Group (HQ London)
General Eisenhower

Army Group Reserves

15th US Armored Group
1st Special Forces Regiment (American/British/Canadian)
1st US Ranger Battalion

1st US Army (HQ London)
Lieutenant General Walter Kruger

Army Reserves

18th US Infantry Division

I US Corps

1st US Infantry Division
25th US Mechanized Cavalry Division
28th US Infantry Division
46th US Infantry Division (CLD)

V US Corps

19th US Mechanized Cavalry Division
29th US Infantry Division
47th US Infantry Division

VII US CORPS

2nd US Infantry Division (CLD)
16th US Infantry Division
26th US Infantry Division

XX US Corps

35th US Infantry Division (CLD)
66th US Infantry Division
91st US Infantry Division
2nd US Armored Group

7TH US Army (HQ: Glasgow)
Lt. General James Welch

Army Reserves

23rd US Mechanized Cavalry Division (CLD)

XIX US Cavalry Corps

2nd US Mechanized Cavalry Division
25th US Infantry Division
32nd US Mechanized Cavalry Division
61st US Mechanized Cavalry Division

XXIII Corps (Awaiting transport to the UK)

1st US Armored Division
8th US Infantry Division
69th US Infantry Division
94th US Infantry Division

Mediterranean THEATRE OF OPERATIONS (HQ: Tunis)
General Leonard Gerow

8th US Army Group (HQ: Tunis)
General Gerow

Army Group Reserves

2nd US Ranger Battalion

3rd US Army (HQ Tunis)
LTG John Longstreet

Army Reserve

100th US Infantry Division

VIII US Armored Corps

7th US Armored Division
15th US Mechanized Cavalry Division
24th US Armored Division
92nd US Infantry (Motorized) Division

XXI US Corps

27th US Infantry Division
68th Mechanized Cavalry Division
90th US Infantry Division
1st US Armored Group

XVII US Corps

1st US Mechanized Cavalry Division
4th US Infantry Division
30th US Infantry Division
93rd US Infantry Division (CLD)

5th US Army
Lieutenant General George Patton

Army Reserves

96th US Infantry Division

II US Corps

13th US Infantry Division
19th US Infantry Division
37th US Infantry Division
47th US Armored Division

VI US Armored Corps

4th US Mechanized Cavalry Division (CLD)
9th US Armored Division
12th US Armored Division
41st US Infantry (Motorized) Division

X US Armored Corps

22nd US Armored Division
40th US Mechanized Cavalry Division
46th US Armored Division
99th US Infantry Division

MEXICAN THEATRE OF OPERATIONS (HQ: Mexico City)
Lieutenant General Walter Short

4th US Army (HQ: Mexico City)
LTG Short

Army Reserves

11th US Infantry Division
7th US Armored Group

XII US Corps

44th US Armored Division
67th US Mechanized Cavalry Division
89th US Infantry Division
95th US Infantry Division

XXX US Corps

2nd US Armored Division
5th US Infantry Division
31st US Infantry Division
70th US Infantry Division (CLD)

XXXIV US Corps

32nd US Infantry Division
44th US Infantry Division
69th US Mechanized Cavalry Division
18th US Armored Group (CLD)

SOUTH AMERICAN THEATRE OF OPERATIONS (HQ: Recife)
LTG Omar Bradley

2nd US Army (HQ: Recife)
Lt. General Omar Bradley

Army Reserves

3rd US Marine Division

XI US Corps

33rd US Infantry Division
42nd US Infantry Division
49th US Armored Division
94th US Infantry Division

XIV US Mountain Corps (awaiting transport to Brazil)

17th US Mountain Division
20th US Mountain Division
71st US Infantry (Light) Division

XXV US Corps (enroute to Brazil)

14th US Infantry Division
43rd US Infantry Division (CLD)*
69th US Infantry Division

6th US Army (HQ: Brisbane) (at sea enroute to Brisbane)
LTG Rodney Jansen

Army Reserves

75th US Infantry Division (Light) (CLD)

III US Armored Corps (At sea enroute to Australia)

13th US Mechanized Cavalry Division
21st US Armored Division
34th US Armored Division

XV US Corps (in the process of transferring to Australia from Hawaii)

23rd US Infantry Division
24th US Infantry Division (at sea)
97th US Infantry Division

XVI US Corps (awaiting transport to Australia)

3rd US Infantry Division
22nd US Infantry Division
38th US Infantry Division

ARMY GROUND FORCES COMMAND (HQ: Washington DC)
General Norman Pendleton

AGF RESERVES:
XXVI US Airborne Corps
74TH US Airborne Division
82nd US Airborne Division (being transferred to Brazil)
5th US Armored Brigade
177th US Air Landing Brigade (forming) (CLD)

EASTERN DEFENSE COMMAND (HQ: Atlanta, GA)
Lieutenant General John Persons

3rd United States Army (HQ: Atlanta)
LTG Persons

Army Reserves

11th US Mechanized Cavalry Division

IV US Corps

33rd US Armored Division
70th US Infantry Division
10th US Mechanized Cavalry Group

XXIV US Corps

53rd US Infantry Division
48th US Armored Division
72nd US Infantry Division (forming)

XXVIII US Corps

76th US Infantry Division
77th US Infantry Division (forming)
78th US Infantry Division (forming)

WESTERN DEFENSE COMMAND (HQ: The Presidio)
Lieutenant General Hugh Drum

8th US Army (HQ: The Presidio)
LTG Drum

Army Reserves

12th US Infantry Division

XXXII US Armored Corps (Mexican Theatre reinforcements)

3rd US Mechanized Cavalry Division
13th US Armored Division
45th US Armored Division
98th US Infantry (Motorized) Division (CLD)

XIII US Training Corps

21st US Infantry (Training) Division
73rd US Mechanized Cavalry (Training) Division
40th US Infantry (Training) Division
43rd US Armored (Training) Division
101st US Infantry (Training) Division
1st US Airborne (Training) Brigade

ALASKAN DEPARTMENT

36th US Infantry Division (Arctic)
3rd US Light Armored Group

PANAMA CANAL ZONE

39th US Infantry Division
12th US Armored Group

US Armed Forces Far East (HQ: Corregidor, PI)

Philippine Division
17th Cavalry Brigade (Horse-Mechanized) (CLD)


After my unit had been so ingloriously kicked out of France by the Germans, we spent the next few months getting resupplied and training. Just after the New Year, I received new orders and a promotion to major. I became the Executive Officer of the 2nd Battalion, Loyal Regiment. The Battalion was in training to be transferred to North Africa when we got orders to deploy to Singapore, we would leave February 1.



General Sosabowski and the Polish Legion came to England bloodied, battered and bruised but not defeated. Sent to Scotland, they set up camp and spent most of the next year getting resupplied and training. With the formation of the 1st Polish Corps, a cadre of men from the Legion, renumbered as the 1st Polish Infantry Division (the men still referred to the unit as the Legion), was split off to form the 2nd Polish Infantry Division.

It was when the 2nd Division was formed, that Sosabowski was promoted to Lieutenant General and awarded the Cross of Valor for his actions in France (the French also awarded him Croix de guerre). He was not an easy man to get along with, especially with the British, however, many Scots found him agreeable and easy to get along with.

When the Polish Government-in-Exile was asked what they would be willing to contribute to the invasions of France or Norway, they asked Sosabowski for his views. He stated that he would like to see his units sent to France; naturally the Polish Government-in-Exile volunteered the 1st Corps for the Norwegian operation. When he objected, President Władysław Raczkiewicz, tired of Sosabowski's views, removed him from command. The entire 1st Division and the cadre of men who had joined the 2nd Division simply mutinied. They did not run amuck and cause damage; they simply refused to obey orders. Raczkiewicz ordered the Independent Polish Armored Brigade to move in and arrest the ring leaders. They moved in and joined the mutiny. At this point the British and Americans stepped in. After some serious discussions, On February 1, Sosabowski was reinstated and agreed that his troops would take part in the Norwegian operation.

USN MOVEMENT ORDERS
JANUARY 31, 1941

To: Commanding Admirals
Task Force 10
Task Force 12
Task Force 18
Task Force 20
Task Force 24

From: Chief of Naval Operations
Re: Movement orders
Date January 31, 1941

You are hereby ordered to transfer the following ships to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba:

Aircraft carriers: USS Constellation, USS Hornet
Battle cruisers: USS Alaska, USS Baja, USS Chihuahua
Battleships: USS Idaho, USS Indiana
Cruisers: USS Chicago, USS Louisville, USS Boise, USS Brooklyn, USS Helena, USS St. Louis
Destroyers: Task Force Commanders will allocate sufficient escorts for the transfer to Guantanamo Bay.

Once there, ships will fall under the command of Commanding Admiral, Task Force 24. Commanding Admiral, Task Force 20 is to proceed to Subic Bay Naval Base and join forces with Task Force 9 in defending the Philippines.



While the majority of the Italian surface fleet was out of the war, there were forces still in combat - the motor torpedo boats and submarines. The submarines Gondar and Scire were tasked for a special mission - penetrating the Royal Navy base at Alexandria and attack the American and British warships stationed there. They were carrying a total of 6 mini-submarines which had the mission of penetrating the harbor defenses with manned torpedoes and attach limpet mines to the American and British warships stationed there.

On the night of February 1, 1941, two British and one American destroyer went out through the anti-submarine gate. At this time, five of the six torpedoes went through (the sixth disappeared and its fate was unknown until 2000 when it was discovered 4 nautical miles off the harbor.)

In the harbor at this time were the American battleships USS South Dakota, USS Washington, USS West Virginia, three US cruisers and ten destroyers. In addition, the Royal Navy battles cruisers Nelson and Howe, the battleship Valiant, 12 cruisers and 19 destroyers were in the harbor. The Italians had a target rich environment.

In the space of two hours limpet mines were placed on the Valiant, Howe, South Dakota and West Virginia. The Italians were placing mines on the Washington when the torpedo was discovered (one of the oxygen tanks was leaking air), within a short time, all the torpedo crews were discovered and arrested. Questioned, they refused to answer questions until shortly before 2am. Then, the commander, Lt. Commander Luigi Durand de la Penne, confessed what he and his men had done. Divers were immediately sent down to see if the mines could be removed but they were too late - At 0230 hours, the mines on the Valiant, South Dakota, and West Virginia went off. All three ships were severely damaged and would be out of action for most of 1941.



To: Commander-in-Chief, US Pacific Fleet
From: Commander, US Naval Base Midway Island

At 1200 hours local time, this command received the following garbled communication:

To: Comm…er in -.hief, Asia..ic Fl..t, from C..mander, Task F…. 9. Am engaging Ja..nese ……forces. Requ..ting air support at……….

At 1345, we picked up the following garbled communication:

To Commander As…c Fleet, This …. Mormon Actual, little b..s su.k, Jap..ese force in..act. Am fa…ng back.

We have received no further communications at this time.