World War II Today: November 30
A day marked by shifting air power, brutal winter offensives, tightening oppression, and the growing Allied preparation for a return to mainland Europe.
1939 – A Raider Strikes Off Africa
Far from European waters, the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee continued its campaign against Allied shipping.
Today it sank the merchant vessel Africa Shell off the coast of Mozambique, widening the reach of the naval war into the Indian Ocean.
The ship’s operations were part of Germany’s effort to disrupt British trade routes across the globe.
1940 – Bombs Over Hamburg and a New Aircraft Takes Flight
In one of the most successful early bombing raids of the war, 67 RAF Wellington, Whitley, and Hampden bombers struck Hamburg.
The raid inflicted significant damage on the city and its shipyards—without the loss of a single aircraft.
A milestone in aviation history occurred as the prototype de Havilland Mosquito made its first flight.
Designed as a bomber so fast it needed no defensive guns, the Mosquito would become one of the most versatile and beloved Allied aircraft,
capable of speeds over 400 mph.
RAF squadrons also began deploying from the Middle East to support Greece under Air Vice-Marshal J. D’Albiac, while the Western Desert Air Force
launched deep strikes into Italian-held territory. Blenheims, Wellingtons, and Lysanders reconnoitered and harassed Italian positions around Sidi Barrani.
In occupied Poland, the Nazis sealed the Warsaw Ghetto, trapping more than 400,000 Jews within its walls.
It would become one of the most tragic and iconic symbols of persecution during the Holocaust.
1941 – Winter Offensive Toward Moscow
In temperatures plunging to −20°C, German Army Group Centre resumed its assault on Moscow.
The offensive used nearly every major formation available—Panzer Groups 1, 2, and 3, along with the 2nd, 4th, and 9th Armies.
Men and machines alike strained against the brutal winter as the Germans attempted one last push toward the Soviet capital.
On the home front in Britain, the de Havilland Mosquito officially entered service with No. 105 Squadron at RAF Swanton Morley.
Although operational missions would not begin until 1942, its arrival marked a new chapter in Allied air power.
Across the Atlantic, a special Japanese negotiator arrived in Washington, part of the final diplomatic exchanges preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1942 – Losses at Sea Near Guadalcanal
Another violent night battle near Guadalcanal cost the U.S. Navy dearly as three destroyers were lost in an engagement with the Japanese battleship Kirishima.
The waters around the island had become one of the most fiercely contested naval battlegrounds of the war.
1943 – Preparing for the Liberation of Europe
In Britain, the Allied Expeditionary Air Force was formally created to coordinate the overwhelming airpower required for the invasion of Europe.
The newly formed 2nd Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF) became a cornerstone of this effort, later supporting the landings in Normandy and the push across France.
In Italy, General Mark Clark called off the U.S. Fifth Army’s offensive as the Germans and the Luftwaffe struck hard.
On the island of Leros, the British counterattack collapsed under relentless German air assaults—up to 600 sorties per day.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared in Milan as unrest grew. German forces seized 1,750 hostages, machine guns appeared in the streets,
and a strict 8 p.m. curfew was imposed.
Remembering November 30
From the sinking of merchant ships in distant seas to the sealing of the Warsaw Ghetto, from brutal winter fighting outside Moscow to the
formation of Allied air forces preparing for liberation, November 30 reveals the wide arc of the war—its suffering, its innovation, and its relentless movement toward eventual Allied victory.
Lest we forget.