1941 Newspapers

1941 News Headlines

Discover the 1941 newspaper articles which commemorate some the most important events of the year 1941. The 1940s were a period in history characterised by savage war and destruction. It was during 1941 that the dreadful attack on Pearl Harbour occurred, where Japan launched their surprise attack and killed over 2000 people.

Although war was the dominating topic in the headlines during this year, there was plenty more happening as the war raged on. This was the year the the first modern perfume Chanel No. 5, was released, Churchill launched his “V for Victory” campaign, and Walt Disney premiered his animated feature film “Dumbo”. 1941 was an extremely eventful year in history, and through our collection of original 1941 newspapers you can understand exactly how these stories were reported on at the time they were occurring.

8th January 1941
Lord Robert Baden-Powell, English soldier and founder of the Boy Scouts (b. 1847) dies.

22nd January 1941
British troops capture Tobruk from the Italians in the Second World War. This is seen as a major victory and an essential part of taking control of the desert that provides access into Libya and Egypt.

27th January 1941
U.S. Ambassador Joseph C. Grew informs the Whitehouse of an imminent rumoured attack upon Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.

9th February 1941
Winston Churchill, in a worldwide broadcast, pleads with the United States to show its support by sending arms to the British: “Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”

19th February 1941
Swansea is stunned by three nights of intensive bombing, which last a total of thirteen hours and forty-eight minutes. Swansea’s town centre is almost completely obliterated by the German Air Force attack. A total of 397 casualties and 230 deaths are reported.

17th March 1941
British Minister of Labour, Ernest Bevin, calls for women to fill vital jobs that have been left untended by the men going to war.

10th April 1941
The U.S. destroyer ‘Niblack‘ drops depth charges on a German U-Boat, while picking up survivors from a sunken Dutch freighter. This is the first “shot in anger” fired by America against Germany.

5th May 1941
Emperor Haile Selassie enters Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, which had been liberated from Italian forces; this date has been since commemorated as Liberation Day in Ethiopia.

10th May 1941
The British House of Commons is damaged by the Luftwaffe in an air raid.

27th May 1941
The German battleship ‘Bismarck’ is sunk in the North Atlantic, killing 2,300 people.

22nd June 1941
Winston Churchill promises all possible British assistance to the Soviet Union in a worldwide broadcast: “Any man or state who fights against ‘Nazidom’ will have our aid. Any man or state who marches with Hitler is our foe.”

6th September 1941
The requirement to wear the Star of David with the word “Jew” inscribed, is extended to all Jews over the age of six-years-old in German-occupied areas.

10th November 1941
In a speech at the Mansion House in London, Winston Churchill promises, “should the United States become involved in war with Japan, the British declaration will follow within the hour.”

26th November 1941
Attack on Pearl Harbour: A fleet of six aircraft carriers, commanded by Japanese Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, leaves Hitokapu Bay for Pearl Harbour under strict radio silence.

7th December 1941
The Japanese Navy launches a surprise attack on the United States’ fleet at Pearl Harbour, thus drawing the United States into the Second World War.

26th December 1941
Winston Churchill becomes the first British Prime Minister to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

More from this Decade

• 1940 Newspapers
• 1942 Newspapers
• 1943 Newspapers
• 1944 Newspaper
• 1945 Newspaper
• 1946 Newspaper
• 1947 Newspaper
• 1948 Newspapers
• 1949 Newspaper