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• German Admiral Wilhelm Meisel aboard cruiser Admiral Hipper ordered an attack on Allied convoy WS.5 in the morning, taking advantage of mist and rain; the convoy had been detected on the previous day and the ship's crew had been shadowing it through the night, but failing to realize it was heavily escorted. At 0808 hours, Admiral Hipper fired on troopship Empire Trooper (16 soldiers killed) and freighter Arabistan, but she was soon chased off by a corvette and three cruisers. In retreat, Admiral Hipper fired at her pursuers, striking cruiser HMS Berwick at the rear gun turret, killing 4. Carriers HMS Argus and HMS Furious launched aircraft to hunt for Admiral Hipper as she retreated toward Brest, France for repairs, but the German cruiser would not be found. Later on the same day, 150 miles to the east, Admiral Hipper detected and sank British ship Jumna; 111 survivors in the water were left to drown. ww2dbase [Admiral Hipper | TH]

• Two FAA Martlet I fighters of British 804 Naval Air Squadron, on patrol over Scapa Flow, Scotland, United Kingdom, intercepted and destroyed a prowling Junkers Ju 88 aircraft, the first victory for a US-built aircraft in British service. ww2dbase [F4F Wildcat | Scapa Flow | Scapa Flow, Scotland | AC]

25 Dec 1940 Interactive Map