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• » 15 Jul 1941

• Erwin Rommel was officially declared the commanding officer of Panzergruppe Afrika. ww2dbase [Erwin Rommel | CPC]
• Hartwig von Ludwiger was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his service during Operation Barbarossa. ww2dbase [Hartwig von Ludwiger | CPC]
• ShCh-401 attacked German auxiliary submarine chasers UJ 177 and UJ 178 off Kiberg, Norway with a torpedo; the torpedo missed. ww2dbase [ShCh-401 | CPC]
• The keel of cruiser Oakland was laid down. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The keel of carrier Cabot was laid down at Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. ww2dbase [Lexington (Essex-class) | CPC]
• The United States established a Naval Air Station and a Naval Operating Base at Argentia Bay, Newfoundland. ww2dbase [CPC]
• All pilots of the US Army 3rd Pursuit Squadron and 20th Pursuit Squadron based in the Philippine Islands were certified to fly the P-35A fighters. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Honoring Charles de Gaulle's previous proclamation that the Allies had invaded the Vichy-held French Mandate of Syria and the Lebanon as liberators rather than conquerors, the British who had accepted the Vichy surrender on the previous day handed control of the territory to the locals. ww2dbase [Campaigns in the Middle East | CPC]
• Soviet commandos attacked the island of Morgonland in Finland and captured the 5 men stationed at the observation station. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Soviet troops began a counter offensive in the Lake Ilmen area near Leningrad, Russia. ww2dbase [Siege of Leningrad | CPC]
• German submarine U-507 was launched. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The keel of German submarine U-624 was laid down. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The keel of German submarine U-623 was laid down. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The keel of German submarine U-224 was laid down. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The keel of German submarine U-223 was laid down. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The keel of Canadian destroyer Huron was laid down at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Kashii was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Kashii | CPC]
• The British Military Application of Uranium Detonation (MAUD) Committee issued its final report on atomic weapons. ww2dbase [Operation Trinity and Manhattan Project | CPC]
• Werner Mölders claimed his 100th and 101st victories over the Soviet Union. He was awarded Diamonds to his Knight's Cross for achieving 100 victories, which was to be presented later by Adolf Hitler personally. ww2dbase [Werner Mölders | CPC]

• Alessandro Malaspina continued to pursue Greek freighter Nikoklis in the Atlantic Ocean, which she detected on the previous date. At 0110 hours, she fired two bow torpedoes at the distaince of 700 meters, followed by a third bow torpedo very shortly after; one of the torpedoes struck Nikoklis amidships, and another hit the engine room. The Greek freighter broke in two and sank; 11 were killed, 17 survived. 11 of the survivors in a lifeboat would later land at Cape Juby in Morocco. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | CPC]

• Leonardo da Vinci arrived at Bordeaux, France at 1140 hours, ending a war patrol. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]

• Inigo Campioni was appointed governor of the Italian Aegean Islands, also known as the Italian Dodecanese. ww2dbase [Inigo Campioni | Dodecanese | CPC]

• German troops encircled Smolensk, Russia. ww2dbase [Operation Barbarossa | Smolensk | TH]

• German 228th Regiment cleared four Stalin Line bunkers and crossed the Ljadowa River, a tributary of the Dniester River, in Ukraine. ww2dbase [Operation Barbarossa | CPC]

• The US Marine Corps activated the Marine Detachment at the American Embassy in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]

15 Jul 1941 Interactive Map