Today in World War II History—January 12, 1942

U-123 preparing to fire on a surface vessel off the US East Coast, Jan-Feb 1942 (German Federal Archive, Bild 101II-MW-4008-20)
80 Years Ago—Jan. 12, 1942: Off Nova Scotia, German U-boat U-123 sinks British freighter Cyclops, the first loss in Germany’s “Operation Paukenschlag.”
Col. Charles Lindbergh is refused a military command due to his vocal pre-war isolationist work.
US forms National War Labor Board to deal with union wage demands.
In US, the Victory Book Campaign begins, with a goal to collect 10 million books for servicemen in 1 month (Read more: “Books in World War II”).

Poster for the US Victory Book Campaign, 1942-43