In the Month of July 1941

US NAVY

1 July 1941, Tuesday

UNITED STATES—Naval Coastal Frontiers are established: North Atlantic, Southern, Caribbean, Panama, Pacific Southern, Pacific Northern, Hawaiian, and Philippine. Their commanders are responsible for the direction of local patrol, convoy escort, and antisubmarine warfare operations. Mobilization of all Organized, Fleet, and local defense divisions of the Naval Reserve is completed on this date.   

ATLANTIC—Task Forces are organized by Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet (Admiral Ernest J. King) to support defense of Iceland and to escort convoys between the U.S. and Iceland. TF 1 (Rear Admiral David M. LeBreton) based at Narragansett Bay and Boston; TF 2 (Rear Admiral Arthur B. Cook) based at Bermuda and Hampton Roads; TF 3(Rear Admiral Jonas H. Ingram) based at San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Guantanamo; TF 4 (Rear Admiral Arthur L. Bristol) based at Narragansett Bay; TF 5 (Rear Admiral Richard S. Edwards), TF 6 and TF 8 (Rear Admiral EdwardD. McWhorter), TF 7 (Rear Admiral Ferdinand L. Reichmuth) based at Bermuda; TF 9 (Rear Admiral Randall Jacobs); and TF 10 (Major General Holland M. Smith, USMC).

            Patrol Wing 7 (the redesignated Patrol Wing, Support Force) (Captain Harold M. Mullinix) (TG 4.2) is established at Argentia, Newfoundland, for operations in North Atlantic.

            Northeast Greenland Patrol (Commander Edward H. "Iceberg" Smith, USCG) (TG 6.5) is organized at Boston, Massachusetts, by the Coast Guard; it consists of cutters Northland and North Star, and auxiliary Bear (AG‑29).

2 July 1941, Wednesday

PACIFIC—Japan recalls its merchant ships from Atlantic Ocean and calls up more than one million army conscripts.

4 July 1941, Friday

ATLANTIC—PBYs (VP 72) begin operations based in seaplane tender (destroyer) Goldsborough (AVD‑5), out of Reykjavik, Iceland, covering the movement of marines to Iceland.

5 July 1941, Saturday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Charles F. Hughes (DD‑428) rescues 14 survivors (including four American Red Cross nurses) from the sunken Norwegian steamship Vigrid, which had been torpedoed while straggling from convoy HX 133 by German submarine U‑371 on 24 June, at 58°58'N, 36°35'W.

            U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom John Winant reports on 11 July 1941 that of the 27 American Red Cross nurses were travelling to serve in England; 9 had arrived safely, 10 had been rescued (4 in serious condition) and 8 were missing.

6 July 1941, Sunday

ATLANTIC—Transport Munargo (AP‑20) and U.S. Army transport Chateau Thierry arrive at Tunugdliarfik Fjord, Greenland, to disembark men and unload equipment to establish an air base there.

7 July 1941, Monday

ATLANTIC—President announces to Congress that an executive agreement has been made with Iceland for U.S. troops to occupy that country; the Navy is ordered to take all steps necessary to maintain communications between the United States and Iceland. TF 19 (Rear Admiral David M. LeBreton) lands 1st Marine Brigade (Provisional) (Brigadier General John Marston, USMC) at Reykjavik, the Icelandic capital. The replacement of the British garrison frees those troops for combat duty elsewhere.

UNITED STATES—1st Marine Aircraft Wing (Lieutenant Colonel Louis E. Woods, USMC) is established at Quantico, Virginia.

US MARINE CORPS

ATLANTIC—1st Marine Brigade lands in Iceland.

UNITED STATES—1st Marine Aircraft Wing forms at Quantico, Va.

8 July 1941, Tuesday

US NAVY

UNITED STATES—Patrol Wing 8 (Commander John D. Price) is established at Norfolk, Virginia.

10 July 1941, Thursday

UNITED STATES—2d Marine Aircraft Wing (Brigadier General Ross E. Rowell, USMC) is established at San Diego, California.

US MARINE CORPS

UNITED STATES—2d Marine Aircraft Wing forms at San Diego, Calif

12 July 1941, Saturday

US NAVY

UNITED STATES—Office of the Coordinator of Research and Development is established to unify the Navy's research activities, and to evaluate the best ways of advising tactical officers of air, ground, and sea forces of the "latest applications of science to the problems of modern warfare."

            Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island, is established.

15 July 1941, Tuesday

ATLANTIC—Naval Air Station and Naval Operating Base, Argentia, Newfoundland, are established.

16 July 1941, Wednesday

ATLANTIC—Transport West Point (AP‑23) (former U.S. passenger liner America) sails from New York City with German and Italian consular officials and their families, bound for Lisbon, Portugal. British government has granted West Point safe‑conduct for the voyage (see 24 and 26 July, and 1 August).

            TG 2.7, comprising light cruisers Philadelphia (CL‑41) and Savannah (CL‑42) and destroyers Meredith (DD‑434) and Gwin (DD‑433), departs Bermuda for 3,415‑mile neutrality patrol that will conclude there on 25 July.

17 July 1941, Thursday

ATLANTIC—VP 72 concludes its operations out of Reykjavik, Iceland, from seaplane tender (destroyer) Goldsborough (AVD‑5).

18 July 1941, Friday

JAPAN—Prince Konoye Fumimaro forms new Japanese cabinet; Vice Admiral Toyoda Teijiro succeeds Matsuoka Yosuke as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

24 July 1941, Thursday

ATLANTIC—Transport West Point (AP‑23) disembarks German and Italian consular officials and their families at Lisbon, Portugal (see 26 July and 1 August).

PACIFIC—Japanese forces occupy northern French Indochina (see 26 July).

26 July 1941, Saturday

PACIFIC—In response to the Japanese occupation of northern French Indochina on 24 July, President Roosevelt freezes Japanese and Chinese assets in United States and cuts off the export of oil to Japan.

            U.S. Army Forces, Far East (Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur) is organized; Philippine military forces are called into service with U.S. Army.

ATLANTIC—Transport West Point (AP‑23), at Lisbon, Portugal, embarks American and Chinese consular staffs from Germany, German‑occupied countries, and Italy, and sails for the United States. In addition, West Point embarks the 21 American ambulance drivers who had been passengers on board the Egyptian steamship Zamzam when she had been sunk by German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis on 17 April (see 1 August). [The other three members of the detachment were accounted for as follows: (1) Commander of the BAAC field unit, Francis J. 'Frank' Vicovari of New York remained aboard the Atlantis due to the extent of his shrapnel injuries during the attack of April 17th (There had been9 passengers wounded in the attack ‑‑ 3, who were serious, including Frank remained aboard Atlantis, the other passengers and crew transferred aboard the NDL freighter Dresden. The other wounded American died of his injuries several days later and was buried‑at‑sea. A British doctor was also wounded and transferred to the Dutch flagged prize ship Silva Plana in September, arriving Bordeaux in November). Frank would not return to the United States until released in the 2nd of 3 such operations under the RAMP (Returned Allied Military Personnel) scheme. Frank was exchanged for (2) German archeologists, detained in the United States. This 2nd exchange took place in Lisbon, Portugal during March of 1944 (1st Goteburg, Sweden October 42; 3rd Seville, Spain, May 44). Frank had been held in the Marlag und Milag du Nord internment camp near Bremen, Germany since his arrival and transfer from the French port of St. Nazaire on Christmas Eve, 1941. (2) The other 2 members of the BAAC team, David Stewart and Tom Greenough had escaped from a German transport train while the guards watching over the 21 drivers slept. After several days they walked safely across the border into unoccupied France. After meeting with Free‑French officials, they were granted passage to Lisbon and arrived in the USA just 5‑days ahead of the other 21 members of the BAAC.]

28 July 1941, Monday

JAPAN—Japan freezes U.S. assets.

29 July 1941, Tuesday

PACIFIC—Japanese occupy southern French Indochina with French permission.

30 July 1941, Wednesday

ATLANTIC—TG 2.5, comprising carrier Yorktown (CV‑5) (VF 42, VS 41, and VT 5), light cruiser Brooklyn (CL‑40), and destroyers Roe (DD‑418), Grayson (DD‑435), and Eberle (DD‑430), departs Hampton Roads, Virginia, for 3,998‑mile neutrality patrol that will conclude at Bermuda on 10 August.

PACIFIC—During Japanese bombing raid on Chungking, China, one bomb falls eight yards astern of river gunboat Tutuila (PR‑4). While the bomb causes no damage to the ship, Tutuila's motor boats are badly damaged and the motor sampan cut loose from its moorings. There are no casualties (see 31 July).

31 July 1941, Thursday

UNITED STATES—Economic Defense Board is created.

PACIFIC—Japanese government assures U.S. government that the previous day's bombing of river gunboat Tutuila (PR‑4) at Chungking, China, is "an accident 'pure and simple'."