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• German submarine U-96 sank British troopship Oropesa with three torpedoes 150 miles northwest of Ireland at 0616 hours; 106 were killed. Survivors drifted in 6 lifeboats, but only 5 lifeboats, containing 143, were found and rescued. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Italian submarine Luigi Torelli attacked an Allied convoy 350 miles west of Ireland, sinking Greek ship Nicolas Filinis (3 killed, 26 survived). ww2dbase [CPC]
• Luigi Torelli sank Greek freighter Nicolaos Filinis in the North Atlantic Ocean, killing 3. ww2dbase [Luigi Torelli | CPC]
• Leonardo da Vinci sighted a possible destroyer in the Atlantic Ocean in rough seas. She fired a bow torpedo at the distance of 1,200 meters at 0133 hours and dove immediately. She reported a single depth charge counter attack. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | CPC]
• Alessandro Malaspina received orders to intercept a 20-ship Allied convoy escorted by an armed merchant cruiser about 280 miles away from her present position in the Atlantic Ocean. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | CPC]

• French troops launched a successful counterattack against Thai troops at the villages of Yang Dang Khum and Phum Preav in Cambodia, French Indochina, but poor intelligence forced the French to back off from any territory gained. The Thais were unable to pursue the retreating French, as their forward tanks were kept in check by the guns of the French Foreign Legion. ww2dbase [Franco-Thai War | CPC, AC]

• Hans-Joachim Marseille began a period of rest at home in Berlin, Germany. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | Berlin | CPC]

• 80 German Luftwaffe Stuka dive bombers attacked Valletta Harbor, Malta, trying to finish off damaged British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. HMS Illustrious, British destroyer HMS Decoy, and Australian cruiser HMAS Perth, and British ship Essex were damaged, but none sank. 10 German aircraft were lost. ww2dbase [Malta Campaign | Valletta | CPC]

• The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was founded in Britain. ww2dbase [CPC]
• British minesweeping trawler HMT Desiree hit a mine and sank in the Thames estuary in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [England | CPC]

16 Jan 1941 Interactive Map