November 25, 1936 Germany and Japan agree the Anti-Comintern-Pact. It turned out to be a rather senseless paper...
Sunday, November 26, 1939 www.onwar.com In the Soviet Union... The Mainila incident takes place In Moscow... The Soviet government blames Finland for firing on Mainila and demands an immediate withdrawal of Finnish troops from the Karelian isthmus, near Leningrad. The government describes the presence of Finnish troops in the area as a "hostile act." In Britain... The prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, makes his first radio broadcast of the war, saying that the British know the secret of the German magnetic mines and denouncing the indiscriminate laying of mines by German forces. Wednesday, November 26, 1941 From London... General Cunningham is relieved of command of the British 8th Army. General Ritchie will replace him, with the British Commander in Chief Auchlinleck overseeing tactical control. From the Washington... President Roosevelt and Secretary Hull decide to present a 10 point note to the Japanese Government requiring their withdrawal from Indochina and China, and their recognition of the Chinese Nationalist Government. The tone of the note is uncompromising on these points, but promises to negotiate new trade and raw material agreements. From Japan... The Japanese carrier force leaves its bases for Hawaii. Sunday, November 26, 1944 From London... General Alexander is promoted to Field Marshal and appointed the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean.
1941 - Japanese Fleet Sails for Pearl Harbor On this day, a Japanese fleet of six aircraft carriers, commanded by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, left Hitokapu Bay under strict radio silence. The surprise attack was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's idea. The Commander in Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet had been stewing over the idea since November 1940, two months after Japan signed the Tripartite Pact that aligned them with Germany and Italy. Yamamoto's Pearl Harbor idea was inspired by two things: a prophetic book and a historic attack. The book was The Great Pacific War, written in 1925 by Hector Bywater, a British naval authority. It was a realistic account of a clash between the United States and Japan that begins with the Japanese destruction of the U.S. fleet and proceeds to the Japanese attacks on Guam and the Philippines. To Yamamoto, the book's plot almost seemed like a blueprint for war. And when the Royal Air Force attacked and successfully debilitated the Italian fleet at Taranto on November 11, 1940, Yamamoto was convinced that Bywater's fiction could become reality. He started making plans at once. Yamamoto, who studied English at Harvard University, did not underestimate the Americans. He said that if "hostilities break out between Japan and the United States, it would not be enough that we take Guam and the Philippines . . . we would have to march into Washington and dictate the terms of peace in the White House." He understood this would be virtually impossible but also believed that waiting for the Americans to strike first would be playing into U.S. strengths. Planning the Pearl Harbor attack and organizing the First Air Fleet took up much of 1941. When the fleet finally sailed on November 26, the mood was tense. The director of the First Fleet, Vice Admiral Nagumo, not only lacked experience with naval aviation but openly opposed the attack. Yamamoto sat in his flagship headquarters in Japanese waters, anxiously awaiting the results of his Pearl Harbor brainchild.
November 26, 1942 1st meeting of Tito's AVNOJ (Anti-fascist Council of Yugoslavia) in Bihac. About Yugoslavian resistance: http://www.workmall.com/wfb2001/yugoslavia/yugoslavia_history_the_resistance_movement.html
OOooops! I think this thread is now TOO long and it becomes awkward when threads are like this... Continued here: What happened today? Part III
59 years ago today my cousin gave his life to defend his homeland from the US heavy bomber formations.........26 November 1944 "Schwarze Tag für JG 301". You can read my pre-story to this event at www.militariacollecting.com in the uniforms section under "A Luftwaffe pilots service". Several pics and maps will be included. Note, to read the information U will have to join the forums site....... 1137 haevy bombers and around 730 plus US fighter escorts flew over the areas of Bielfeld, Misburg and Hannover, and the air battle was a furious one ! At least 37 Fw 190's of JG 301 were lost for the claims of 21 B-24's of the 491st and 445th bomb groups. Once my article is complete I will cut and paste it as it will need revising, and with Otto's permission display it somewhere on the forums....... ~E