Home Fronts
Germany: Halder, the last ‘real’ COGS of the traditional Prussian-German General Staff, is being replaced by Zeitzler because of prolonged protests against Hitler’s orders for the offensives in Stalingrad and in the Caucasus. Zeitzler, though not the ‘blind joke’, which Hitler expected, has no longer the intellectual brilliancy of his predecessors.
Sea War
Atlantic: Liberty ship Stephen Hopkins (1 x 4-inch gun) fights epic engagement with disguised raider Stier (6 x 5.9-inch guns, 2 torpedo tubes); both sink. German crew rescued by SS Tannenfels, but Americans make 31-day voyage to Brazil (15 survivors out of 57).
