Friday, November 21, 1941. Storms named Maria, Thanksgiving Parades, the 70th Infantry Division launches an attack at Tobruk, Relief across Lake Logoda, Dutch War Warning.

George Stewart's novel Storm, which dealt with a subtropical storm hitting California, and ultimately even New York, hit the stands. In the novel, the National Weather Service names the storm Maria, which in turn caused the NWS to actually start naming storms, and which inspired the song They Call The Wind Maria in the 1951 play Paint Your Wagon.

I'd often wondered how that suggestion came about.  The lyrics of the song, which is set in the mid 19th Century, famously claimed names for all sorts of natural events.

A Way Out Here They've Got A Name For Wind And Rain And Fire
The Rain Is Jack The Fire Is Joe And They Call The Wind Maria
Maria Flows The Stars Around Since The Clouds're Flying
Maria Makes The Mountains Sound Like Cold Wind Out There Dying
Maria Maria They Call The Wind Maria 

Before I Knew Maria's Name Heard Her Wails And Whining
I Had A Girl And She Had Me And The Sun Was Always Shining
And Then One Day I Left My Girl Left Her Far Behind Me
Maria Blowed Her Love To Me I Need Her Here Beside Me
Maria Maria They Call The Wind Maria 

Out Here They've Got A Name For Rain And Wind And Fire Only
But When You're Lost And All Alone There Ain't No Name For Lonely
Now I'm A Lost And Lonely Man Without The Stars To Guide Me
Maria Blowed Her Love To Me I Need Her Here Beside Me
Maria Maria They Call The Wind Maria

Interestingly, the book was influential, but not so much that it was ever made into a movie.  It was made into a televised Disney production.

Shoppers on that day were enjoying day two of the Thanksgiving Holiday, if they lived in state observing it this week and not next.  The New York Macy Thanksgiving Parade was held on this day in 1941.

The British 70th Infantry division attacked from besieged Tobruk.  The Italians held them back, but Afrika Korps defenses everywhere were rapidly being stretched to the breaking point.

Men of the 70th Infantry Division at Tobruk.

A Soviet horse-drawn supply column crossed the frozen Lake Lagoda outside of Leningrad/St. Petersburg for the first time, meaning that the besieged town is now no longer really encircled, but sill in desperate straits. The first convoy carried food stuffs.

The USSR also, on this day, instituted a tax on childless bachelors, singles, and small families. The tax would remain in place until 1992. The tax was instituted under the Soviet belief that childless people possessed more discretionary income and therefore needed to do more from that to help defend the state.

An elaborate military ceremony was held for the departed Ernst Udet, whose passing the German press attributed to an "accident".  Goering and Hitler were in attendance.

The United States Navy issued the following warning

Have been informed by Dutch Legation that they have received a dispatch as follows: 

 “According to information received by the Governor General of The Netherlands East Indies a Japanese expeditionary force has arrived in the vicinity of Palau. Should this force, strong enough to form a threat for The Netherlands Indies or Portuguese Timor, move beyond a line between the following points Davao (Philippine Islands) Waigeo (Island, Netherlands East Indies) Equator the Governor General will regard this as an act of aggression and will under those circumstances consider the hostilities opened and act accordingly." 

Inform Army authorities of foregoing. Request any information you may have concerning development of this Japanese threat against the Dutch East Indies and your evaluation of foregoing information.

For movie goers, two new films hit the screen, one being Shadow of the Thin Man, the fourth installment in that series, and the highly romanticized account of the death of George Custer and his men, They Died With Their Boots On.

Both are noted here:

Today in World War II History—November 21, 1941

Also noted is George Stewart's novel Storm.