World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 21 Nov 1940

• Greek troops defeated the Italian IX Army and captured Koritza, Albania. The Greeks took 2,000 prisoners and captured 135 field guns and 600 machine guns. The surviving elements of the Italian IX Army was able to escape without being harassed as the Greeks were poorly motorized and could not give chase. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | TH]
• German warships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Köln, and Leipzig departed for a sweep against Allied shipping between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. ww2dbase [Scharnhorst | CPC]
• The German 6th Army exercised a simulated invasion of Ireland. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German armed merchant cruiser Pinguin attacked British freighter Port Brisbane in the southern Indian Ocean after sundown, killing the radio operator in the process; 67 were taken prisoner and 27 escaped in a lifeboat. Port Brisbane was sunk by torpedo after scuttling charges failed to sink her. ww2dbase [Pinguin | CPC]
• German submarine U-103 fired torpedoes from a surfaced position at Allied convoy OB-244 200 miles northwest of Ireland at 0740 hours, sinking British ship Daydawn (2 killed, 36 survived) and Greek ship Victoria (entire crew of 27 survived). A ship in the convoy attempted to ram U-103, but U-103 dodged the ramming attack; U-103 fired a torpedo at her attacker, but that torpedo, though striking the target, failed to detonate. ww2dbase [CPC]

• A German aircraft bombed the British Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, damaging the diplomatic section, the telephone exchange, and the typists room. There were no casualties. The attack was almost certainly accidental, as the Germans did not know of the importance of this site. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Bletchley Park | Milton Keynes, England | CPC]
• The British No. 2 Commando Battalion was redesignated 11th Special Air Service Battalion for training as paratroopers. ww2dbase [CPC]

21 Nov 1940 Interactive Map