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WWII On This Day: November 26

What happened on November 26 during World War II? This date brings together 4 events from 1939, 1941, 1942 and 1944, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.

1939
Finnish ski troops moving through forest during the Winter War.
Imperial War Museums, HU 52936 · Public domain · Source
The Winter War

The Mainila incident ends the diplomatic pause

Explosions were reported near the Soviet village of Mainila on 26 November. Moscow announced that Finnish artillery had killed Soviet soldiers and demanded that Finnish forces withdraw from the frontier. The Finnish government replied with its border-observation record and proposed a joint investigation under the existing non-aggression arrangements. Moscow rejected that procedure and renounced the Soviet-Finnish non-aggression pact on 28 November. Soviet diplomatic relations with Finland were broken on 29 November. The Red Army crossed the frontier the following morning, turning the Mainila accusation into the final public justification for…

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1941
Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941, photographed from a Japanese aircraft.
Unknown Japanese Navy photographer · U.S. Navy NH 50472 · Public domain (PD-Japan-oldphoto) · Source
Attack on Pearl Harbor

Nagumo takes the carrier strike force to sea

Under strict radio silence, the Pearl Harbor Striking Force departed the Kuriles. Its core was six fleet carriers — Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, Hiryū, Shōkaku and Zuikaku — screened by battleships, cruisers and destroyers and supported by tankers. The northern route was chosen to reduce the chance of contact with merchant traffic. The operation could still be cancelled if diplomacy produced an agreement or if the force was discovered before reaching its launch area.

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1942
Red Army soldiers carrying a Soviet flag through the ruins of Stalingrad in 1943.
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R76619 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE · Source
Battle of Stalingrad

Sixth Army reports that the airlift is failing to meet its needs

During the first days after encirclement, Sixth Army reported deliveries far below the tonnage required to maintain the force. Paulus again sought freedom of action through the new Army Group Don command, arguing that the army could not remain effective if the supply deficit continued. The headquarters had to balance two incompatible preparations. It was creating an all-round perimeter under Hitler’s order while also gathering mobile formations and fuel toward the southwest in case a breakout was authorised. Moving too early risked disobedience and loss of the city; waiting consumed…

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1944
Royal Navy minesweeping operations at Antwerp during the final clearance of the Scheldt, 20–30 November 1944.
Royal Navy minesweeping operations at Antwerp during the final clearance of the Scheldt, 20–30 November 1944. John Alfred Hampton / Royal Navy official photographer · IWM A 26564 · Public domain Source
The Battle of the Scheldt

The channel is declared clear

By 26 November the principal swept channel through the Scheldt had been declared ready for shipping. Royal Navy minesweepers had worked through minefields laid over several years while buoyage and navigation marks were restored. The clearance allowed the first ocean convoy to proceed toward Antwerp two days later, although salvage and additional sweeping continued after commercial use of the port began.

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