Saturday 4 January 1940

"Tracer from German anti-aircraft gunfire (flak) vividly depicted in a vertical aerial photograph taken over the Port Militaire, Brest, France, during a night raid, possibly that of 4/5 January 1941." Note that this apparently was taken by an unknown official RAF photographer from one of the bombers. © IWM (C 1856).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks and Italians continue fighting for control of the Klisura Pass on 4 January 1941.

The RAF raids Elbasan.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command targets Brest during the night, where German cruiser Admiral Hipper is anchored between voyages. No major damage reported, and the air lights up with German flak. Other bombers visit Hamburg. The weather is brutal, and not much is accomplished by either side today.

The Luftwaffe once again bombs Dublin. This has become a diplomatic incident, with the Irish government complaining to the German government. It also is leading to the suspicion that these attacks on Irish soil may not all be accidental. The other Luftwaffe raids of the night are in the western part of England, so it is quite possible that the Luftwaffe planes were off course.

"An Air Training Corps cadet secures his parachute, before an air experience flight in a De Havilland Tiger Moth at Biggin Hill, Kent, 4 January 1942." The DH 82 Tiger Moth is a legendary aircraft originally designed for civilian use, and its return to civilian use after the war via surplus sales extended its fame throughout Europe.  © IWM (CH 5030) (F.W. Crouch).

Battle of the Atlantic: A RAF Lockheed Hudson bombs and sinks Norwegian 1326 ton freighter Snyg near Hadyret southeast of Haugesund, Norway. As with many European ships, this one - built in 1918 - was named after another freighter which had just been sunk during World War I. The crew is rescued by a German patrol boat, M-1103.

Convoy FN 375 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 379 departs from Methil, Convoy FS 380 is canceled, Convoy BN 12A departs from Suez bound for Port Sudan.

U-72 (Korvettenkapitän Hans-Werner Neumann) is commissioned.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Larkspur (Lt. Stuart C. B. Hickman) is commissioned.

U-203 is launched, U-595 and U-596 are laid down.

Australian 2/2nd Battalion troops attacking into Bardia, 4 January 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Having blown a hole through the Italian defenses on the 3rd, the Australian 6th Division under Major General Iven Mackay today pushes through to the sea, capturing the port of Bardia and bisecting the Italian garrison. While Italian troops hold out in pockets north and south of the town, they cannot be resupplied and they have few fortifications between themselves and the Australians. Already, thousands of Italians are streaming to the rear as prisoners. The battle will go on for quite some time, but essentially today's advance decides the outcome.

The Italians are in complete disarray. General Bergonzoli and his retinue depart on foot for Tobruk. The Italians, as has been the case since the start of Operation Compass, are only too ready to surrender. There are reports of hundreds, even thousands, of Italians surrendering to isolated Australian units. The number of POWs already exceeds 10,000.

With the battle for the Bardia essentially decided already despite the Italian holdouts, Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell quickly begins shifting forces toward the next major target, Tobruk. He sends the 7th Armoured Division (Major General Michael Creagh), which has been idle since the early stages of Operation Compass, toward the port without bothering it with Bardia, which it bypasses. The 7th Armoured is headed to cut Tobruk off from supply from the west. While Bardia is strategically important, Tobruk is the real prize in eastern Libya and has much more formidable defenses.

The Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet, led by battleships HMS Warspite, Barham, and Valiant, returns to Alexandria. Shockingly, the Italian fleet has not bothered to put in an appearance despite the fact that, at least on paper, it has at least parity with the British naval forces.

Far to the west, the recently renamed British Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) under Colonel Bagnold is approaching Murzuk, the Italian District Headquarters in the Fezzan Province. They intend to raid the oasis town - which had been 1300 miles from any other British forces when they set out, but now, after Operation Compass, only 700 miles away - to stir up Libyans against their Italian occupiers. This also is a good chance for cooperation with Free French in the area, who help out the LRDC men with supplies, and local Tuareg and Tibesti tribesmen. Today, the British camp out near some lava beds southwest of Tazerbo, where they will stay for three days. The Italians have no idea they are there, of course.

A Fulmar of RAF No. 803 Squadron, flying off HMS Formidable, is shot down during a reconnaissance flight over Dakar. The two aircrewmen become French POWs.

Off Cape Bon, British Swordfish torpedo bombers unsuccessfully attack an Italian supply convoy returning to Italy from Tripoli.

This photo was taken from the roof of St. Paul's in London. While dated 4 January 1941, this photo may have been taken a few days earlier and only released on the 4th (AP Photo).

Battle of the Pacific: Royal Navy destroyer HMS Stronghold begins a prolonged series of minelaying around Singapore. This process will continue into March.

Spy Stuff: Free French leader Charles de Gaulle continues to press for the release of Vice-Admiral Emile-Henri Muselier, accused of spying and arrested by the British on the 1st. Muselier is accused of, among other things, betraying the British/Free French assault on Dakar in late 1940, Operation Menace.

German/Bulgarian Relations: Hitler meets with Bulgarian Prime Minister Bogdan Filov in Berlin and continues his campaign of trying to coerce an alliance with Bulgaria. Adopting a threatening tone (recently used by Hitler with Admiral Darlan in France, too), Hitler broadly hints that the Wehrmacht troops already taking positions for Operation Marita in Romania would be enough to take care of themselves against all comers. Hitler wants Filov to sign the Tripartite Pact, but Filov demurs and returns to Sofia to discuss the brewing crisis with his ministers.

Soviet Military: The Soviet war games that began on 2 January continue. General Zhukov, in command of the "Western" or "Blue" forces, opposes General D.G. Pavlov. While Pavlov is given a numerical advantage, Zhukov is doing quite well with his (paper) forces.

Indochina: French Indochina is granted dominion status and tariff autonomy by decree (Times, January 4, 1941, p. 2). This sounds like it is a major step toward independence, but many disagree with this interpretation. Dominion status grants Marshal Petain ultimate control over the colony rather than Parliament. He is an autocrat, as opposed to the fairly liberal Parliament, so some consider this a step backward for local rule. Dominion status also does nothing with regard to the continuing conflict with Thailand, which, among other things, has its eye on major portions of the Mekong Delta. It also does nothing to mollify Vietnamese nationalists/communists such as Ho Chi Minh, who continue strategizing some kind of revolt to achieve independence.

Burma: Lieutenant-General Harold Alexander takes command of the British I Corps in Burma.

China: The Communist New Fourth Army departs from Yunling, Anhui Province.

The New Yorker - Saturday, January 4, 1941 - Issue # 829 - Vol. 16 - N° 47 - Cover: Ilonka Karasz.

American Homefront: Marlene Dietrich, a top German film star ("The Blue Angel") who fled Germany upon Adolf Hitler's assumption of power, becomes a naturalized US citizen. There are many dates given for Dietrich's actually becoming a US citizen, a process that she began in the mid-1930s, but this appears to be the final step in the process.

Bugs Bunny appears in the short "Elmer's Pet Rabbit" and, for the first time, is identified as Bugs Bunny. Bugs has been developing since his first appearance in "Porky's Hare Hunt" (30 April 1938), but really has only been identifiable as Bugs since his 27 July 1940 outing in "A Wild Hare" (and which recently has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cartoon Short Subject). "Elmer's Pet Rabbit" is considered Bugs' second true outing. Bugs Bunny makes his debut identified in a title card that simply says, "featuring Bugs Bunny"("Bugs" is the nickname of the character's first director, Ben Hardaway). Original illustrators Charlie Thorson and Cal Dalton would refer to their bunny character as "Bugs' bunny," and the name stuck after it was rather casually put in a model sheet (this is a very famous story in the animation world, though little-known elsewhere). Bugs Bunny's real name, revealed later, is George Washington Bunny, and Mel Blanc later recalled they were considering "Happy Rabbit" (or "Happy Wabbit" as Elmer Fudd would say).

They are still working on the character at this juncture, and this Bugs Bunny looks and sounds less like the Bugs known in later years than he did in the previous July's "A Wild Hare." Chuck Jones directs this time, and Mel Blanc voices Bugs (though he is uncredited). Cartoons at this point in time are considered adult entertainment, and they bring vivid technicolor to the Saturday night at the Bijou at a time when virtually everything else there is in black and white.

Future History: Movie stars Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman welcome Maureen Elizabeth Reagan into the world. Maureen is their first child. She becomes an actress, appearing In "Kissing Cousins" with Elvis Presley, but eventually gives that up as her father becomes a famous political figure. Later, she herself runs for political office but loses both times. Maureen is very supportive of her father during his time as US President and afterward. Maureen Reagan passes away at 60 from cancer on 8 August 2001, predeceasing her father.

January 1941

January 1, 1941: Muselier Arrested
January 2, 1941: Camp Categories
January 3, 1941: Liberty Ships
January 4, 1941: Aussies Take Bardia
January 5, 1941: Amy Johnson Perishes
January 6, 1941: Four Freedoms
January 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Plans
January 8, 1941: Billions For Defense
January 9, 1941: Lancasters
January 10, 1941: Malta Convoy Devastation
January 11, 1941: Murzuk Raid
January 12, 1941: Operation Rhubarb
January 13, 1941: Plymouth Blitzed
January 14, 1941: V for Victory
January 15, 1941: Haile Selassie Returns
January 16, 1941: Illustrious Blitz
January 17, 1941: Koh Chang Battle
January 18, 1941: Luftwaffe Pounds Malta
January 19, 1941: East African Campaign Begins
January 20, 1941: Roosevelt 3rd Term
January 21, 1941: Attack on Tobruk
January 22, 1941: Tobruk Falls
January 23, 1941: Pogrom in Bucharest
January 24, 1941: Tank Battle in Libya
January 25, 1941: Panjiayu Tragedy
January 26, 1941: Churchill Working Hard
January 27, 1941: Grew's Warning
January 28, 1941: Ho Chi Minh Returns
January 29, 1941: US Military Parley With Great Britain
January 30, 1941: Derna Taken
January 31, 1941: LRDG Battered

2020

Tuesday 6 August 1940

P/O Juliusz "Topola" Topolnicki of No 601 Squadron RAF sits in readiness near Hurricane Mk I UF-N in a revetment at RAF Tangmere. August 1940.

Battle of Britain: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering finally gets serious about the aerial assault on England on 6 August 1940 and calls a conference at his grandiose hunting lodge Carinhall north of Berlin. The subject is Hitler's Fuhrer Directive No. 17. While it has been about three weeks since that directive was issued, the weather in between was poor, so large operations were difficult if not impossible. Now, however, the weather has cleared and there appears to be a long period of fine flying weather approaching. So, time to get down to business and see if the RAF can be broken. The main attendees are:

• Inspector General, Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch;
• the commander of Luftflotte 5, Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen Stumpff;
• Luftflotte 2's Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring; and
• Generalfeldmarschall Hugo Sperrle of Luftflotte 3. 

The issue is the overall strategy, about which there is no consensus. The basic positions of the main protagonists are:

• Goering wishes to destroys RAF airfields, factories, other infrastructure and beat the RAF into submission through direct attacks;
• Kesselring, perhaps based on his experiences at Warsaw and Rotterdam, pushes for a massive terror raid on London;
• Sperrle advocates attacks on ports to intensify the blockade.

As with virtually all German staff meetings, it doesn't really matter what any subordinates want, though their suggestions often plant the seeds for future orders by the decisionmakers.

Goering orders (it is not a democracy) that the attacks on the RAF and its infrastructure are to commence on a date to be chosen, designated Adler Tag ("Day of Eagles"). The entire operation, which Goering projects to take four weeks in order for Operation Sealion to take place around 15 September, is given the codename Adlerangriff ("Operation Eagle Attack"). Unlike the others, Goering is privy to plans to attack the Soviet Union in 1941, so he has every reason to try to settle things with England now in an all-out do-or-die series of aerial battles.

Current Luftwaffe forces include about 484 bombers of KG 27, KG 51, 54, KG 55, LG 1, KGr 100, KGr 606, and KGr 806. The Luftwaffe's fighter force outnumbers the RAF by roughly 2-1.

Overall, it is not a bad plan or at least as bad as histories tend to recite. However, it is a campaign of attrition, and as such must be pursued to the end, otherwise it is all for naught. It would be ineffective to switch from, say, Goering's attrition campaign to Kesselring's terror campaign before the RAF is completely neutralized.

Heinkel He 111 A1+BP of 6./KG 53 seen here in "Sandsackbox" camouflage during August 1940 in Vendeville (south of Lille, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) at the height of the Battle of Britain.

The day is clear and windy, with clouds and intermittent sunshine. The Luftwaffe attacks are small and sporadic. For instance, a lone bomber attacks RAF Llandow in South Wales. Shipping attacks few until around 16:30, at which time a large Luftwaffe force bombs a convoy off Clacton without making any hits. The RAF does not make any interceptions of note, perhaps because of the iffy flying conditions, and the only victory of the day on either side is when RAF No. 85 Squadron downs a Dornier Do 17  if III,/KG3 off East Anglia which is stalking a convoy.

The relentless wear and tear on the RAF continue to extort a price, however. A New Zealand pilot of RAF No. 234 Squadron crashes while attempting to land after a night patrol, and a Spitfire of RAF No. 72 Squadron does the same at RAF Acklington. In addition, a Blenheim crashes at Catterick when it hits some barrage balloon cables. Three Spitfires of RAF No. 616 Squadron sustain damage after an unsuccessful interception of a fast Junkers Ju 88 bomber off of Flamborough Head. The Luftwaffe also sustains damage to a Bf 109 of JG 3 upon landing.

For its part, RAF Bomber Command sends only a few small missions to the Continent, attacking Le Bourget airfield at Paris and some other airfields in northwestern Europe.

The history books tend to say that the RAF once again "won the day" with its solo shootdown of the Dornier. However, a closer examination shows that factoring in the non-combat losses, the RAF came off much the worse.

For the general tenor of the time, here is the entry for the day in the operations book of RAF No. 249 Squadron at Fenton:

During the last few days a considerable amount of practice flying has been carried out and much attention paid to beam attacks and dogfighting practice. There seems to be very little activity in the North now, but things are boiling up in the South of England and attacks are being carried out by large numbers of e/a on convoys and South Coast ports. We are all hoping to get a move South.

Southern Rhodesian pilots (SRAF) arrive today to help the RAF defense.

In preparation for Adler Tag, the Luftwaffe accelerates the process of moving fighter formations to forward airfields. Two Gruppen of JG 52 leave Nordholz, Germany and set up operations at Peupelinge on the Pas de Calais. I,/JG 54 moves from Eindhoven, Belgium to Guines-En-Calaisis, while II./JG 54 moves from Harlinghem to Campagne-les-Guines and III,/JG 54 joins them from Soesterberg, Holland. Anyone seeing these moves would realize that something big is in the offing.

Sergeant Rudolf Zíma is posted to No 310 Squadron RAF at RAF Duxford on 6 August 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: British submarine Sealion attacks a convoy southwest of Stavanger, Norway. After it misses with some torpedoes, the Kriegsmarine escorts spot it. A patrol boat rams it, perhaps inadvertently, causing extensive damage to the conning tower.

British destroyers Express, Esk, Icarus, Impulsive and Intrepid (Destroyer Flotilla 20) lay minefield CBX 4 off the Dutch coast.

British destroyers (HMS Inglefield and Anthony) seize two Dutch patrol boats in the Pentland Firth and send them to Kirkwall for interrogation.

Convoy WS 2 ("Winston Special") departs from the Clyde and Liverpool, bound for the Middle East. These will be semi-regular convoys to reinforce depleted British garrisons in the Indian Ocean and Egypt.

Convoy FN 224 departs from Southend, Convoy MT 132 departs from Methil, Convoy FS 244 departs from the Tyne, Convoy OB 194 departs from Liverpool, Convoy BN 2A departs from Aden for Suez.

Focke Wulf FW 200 "Condor" long-range bombers begin operating out of France, attacking British convoys in the Atlantic.

A Focke Wulf Fw 200 Condor.

Battle of the Mediterranean: There is another Italian raid on Haifa, Palestine which causes little damage, and also one at Sollum.

Some Italian forces cross the border from Libya into Egypt, causing dramatic news announcements on the BBC.

The Italians have been spotting British ships in the Strait of Sicily (between Tunisia and Sicily), so destroyers Pigafetta and Zeno escort minelayers to mine the area near the fortified island of Pantelleria. The strait is about 145 km (90 miles) wide.

Operation Tube, a submarine supply mission to Malta, concludes successfully when HMS Pandora arrives from Gibraltar with equipment for the Hurricanes which arrived via Operation Hurry.

Cairo announces that the new Long Range Patrol Unit (LRP), formed on 3 July 1940 by Major Ralph Bagnold, has been successfully infiltrating Italian Libya. The LRP is composed largely of New Zealand farmers taken from volunteers in the 2nd New Zealand Division. These are the first patrols of the so-called "Desert Rats."

At Malta, the RAF organizes its new Hurricanes into RAF No. 261 Squadron. This formation includes the remaining Gloster Gladiators. The day is very quiet, with only reconnaissance missions by both sides.

British Somaliland: The western of the three Italian columns (Lt. General Bertoldi) is in the port of Zeila, screening French Somaliland and preventing any attacks from that quarter. The central column (Lt. General Carlo De Simone) consolidates at the port of Hargeisa. The easternmost column (Brigadier Bertello) takes Odweina. The light British forces under General Reginald Chater are in full retreat and trying to set up a defensive perimeter in the east at Tug Argan.

The 2nd Black Watch Battalion (73rd Regiment) begins the journey from Palestine to join the forces in British Somaliland.

German/Japanese Relations: The Reich sells 7744-ton freighter Fulda to the Japanese, who rename it Taai Maru.

US Military: US destroyers USS Wake and Wainwright make port at Santos, São Paulo, Brazil as part of the "Show the Flag" effort.

Destroyer USS Madison (DD 425, Lt. Commander Thomas E. Boyce) is commissioned.

US Government: Congress debates the merits of a conscription bill. Senator Claude Pepper calls isolationist Charles Lindbergh a "Fifth Columnist."

Free France: Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque aka "Captain Leclerc" departs from London for Lisbon on the first stage of a journey to French colonies in Africa to promote the Free French cause.

Finland: American refugees from throughout Scandinavia and points further south are concentrated at Petsamo, Finland in the far north. US Army Transport American Legion docks there to transport them to the United States.

Baltic States: Another puppet government ratifies the decision to make the nation the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania.

India: Mahatma Gandhi proposes the use of non-violence against the Germans.

Burma: The government arrests pro-Japanese agitator Ba Maw for questioning the government's tilt toward Great Britain.

Belgian Homefront: The British blockade is not just hurting the German war effort, it also is decreasing civilian food supplies throughout the Low Countries. US Ambassador John Cudahy suggests that the US deliver food supplies, an idea which the British find offensive.

British Homefront: Invasion fears remain high, stoked by German propagandist Lord Haw-Haw with his nightly broadcasts.

William Joyce aka Lord Haw-Haw. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he broadcast German propaganda throughout the war.

August 1940


August 1, 1940: Two RN Subs Lost
August 2, 1940: Operation Hurry
August 3, 1940: Italians Attack British Somaliland
August 4, 1940: Dueling Legends in the US
August 5, 1940: First Plan for Barbarossa
August 6, 1940: Wipe Out The RAF
August 7, 1940: Burning Oil Plants
August 8, 1940: True Start of Battle of Britain
August 9, 1940: Aufbau Ost
August 10, 1940: Romania Clamps Down On Jews
August 11, 1940: Huge Aerial Losses
August 12, 1940: Attacks on Radar
August 13, 1940: Adler Tag
August 14, 1940: Sir Henry's Mission
August 15, 1940: Luftwaffe's Black Thursday
August 16, 1940: Wolfpack Time
August 17, 1940: Blockade of Britain
August 18, 1940: The Hardest Day
August 19, 1940: Enter The Zero
August 20, 1940: So Much Owed By So Many
August 21, 1940: Anglo Saxon Incident
August 22, 1940: Hellfire Corner
August 23, 1940: Seaplanes Attack
August 24, 1940: Slippery Slope
August 25, 1940: RAF Bombs Berlin
August 26, 1940: Troops Moved for Barbarossa
August 27, 1940: Air Base in Iceland
August 28, 1940: Call Me Meyer
August 29, 1940: Schepke's Big Day
August 30, 1940: RAF's Bad Day
August 31, 1940: Texel Disaster

2020

Wednesday 3 July 1940

Destroyer Mogador beaching itself after having been hit by a 15-in round at Mers El Kebir, 3 July 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Admiral James Somerville of Force H executes his orders to neutralize the French fleet at Mers El Kébir, Oran Province, northwest Algeria on 3 July 1940. He gives the French commanders the options to surrender the fleet, scuttle it, sail it to the Carribean, or be interned. French Admiral Marcel Gensou remains loyal to the Vichy government. He tells Captain Holland, sent to negotiate, that any attack will be a declaration of war. He refuses to act in concert with the Royal Navy, but drags things out. By 13:00, Somerville tires of Gensou's obstinacy and mines the harbor but continues talking.

At 16:46, the Admiralty sends Somerville an order "to settle matters quickly." Somerville gives Gensou until 17:30 to choose an option. With no response, Somerville's force opens fire at 17:56. The gunfire continues for 15 minutes, including 15-inch shells. 23,936 ton French battleship Bretagne is sunk, with 977 killed. Battlecruiser Dunkerque is heavily damaged, with 210 killed, and also battleship Provence. The French lose 1,297 killed and 350 wounded.

Battlecruiser Strasbourg, aircraft carrier Commandant Teste and four destroyers that survive the battle later cross the Mediterranean to the naval base at Toulon under pressure from RAF attacks launched from the Ark Royal. Other ships follow. Both sides launch ineffective air attacks against the other's ships.

Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham conducts negotiations in Alexandria with French Admiral René-Émile Godfroy about his battleship Lorraine and four cruisers. Godfroy is much more reasonable and not as much of a Vichy supporter. The situation is not as critical there because France is much further away and British power much stronger. The day ends with no conclusion there and negotiations continuing, but prospects are good.

Prime Minister Churchill regrets the whole affair, which is the first Anglo-French naval conflict since the Napoleonic Wars, and later says that he carries its "scars," but considers it absolutely necessary. He rejects a suggestion by First Lord of the Admiralty Dudley Pound that the Royal Navy should abandon the eastern Mediterranean altogether.

At Malta, the day begins with another air raid alert at 09:45, right on schedule. However, this is just a reconnaissance mission. The Italians lose an SM 79 bomber, while the British lose a Hurricane whose pilot is unhurt. Another raid at 17:55 causes no damage.

Mers El Kebir before the attack in 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: Operation Grasp is implemented. At dawn, the British seize 59 large French warships in British harbors at Plymouth and Portsmouth. Among these are battleships Courbet and Paris, submarine Surcouf and destroyer Mistral. In all, 2 battleships, 4 cruisers, and 8 destroyers are taken. There are scattered instances of the French resisting, including some minor casualties on the latter two vessels. In all, three British and 1 French sailor perish.

The Admiralty suspends all shipping in the British Channel due to Luftwaffe attacks.

U-29 sinks British freighter Athelaird in the North Atlantic.

British submarine HMS Snapper sinks Norwegian freighter Cygnus.

HMS Coquetmouth (447t), which is used to keep Amble Harbor dredged, strikes a mine and sinks. Three crew perish.

German raider Komet departs Gdynia for Bergen. Its ultimate destination is the Pacific.

Convoy OA 178 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 178 departs from Liverpool, Convoy OG 36 forms off Gibraltar, Convoy HX 55 departs from Halifax.

USS Tautog (SS 199, Lt. Commander Joseph H. Willingham, Jr.) is commissioned.

European Air Operations: The Royal Air Force redirects its priorities from German industrial targets such as oil installations and airplane factories to German shipping and ports along the Channel coast.

The Luftwaffe raids Cardiff, Wales for the first time.

At around 15:00, three Ju 88s of I/KG51 attack the Portishead docks in Bristol, and some Dornier Do 17s from KG77 bomb the Kent area. Seven Dorniers go down.

At Maidenhead, a lone Dornier 17 attacks the aerodrome and destroys half a dozen Tiger Moths on the ground and damages 25 others.

The RAF's Fighter Command institutes standing patrols over the Channel.

The Regia Aeronautica has lost 60 aircraft to date.

North Africa: Acting Brigadier Ralph A. Bagnold, pursuant to previous orders from General Wavell, commences his long-range reconnaissance patrols with the Long Range Patrol Unit (LRP) in the desert with his "desert rats." They operate under the 8th Army and have two officers and 85 men, mainly volunteers from the 2nd New Zealand Division.

Exiled Abyssinia leader Haile Selassie, who had been in England, arrives in Khartoum to participate in the reconquest of his country from the Italians who have occupied it since 1935.

The Regia Aeronautica bombs a British base in Aden.

French ships under fire at Mers El Kebir, 3 July 1940.

German/Romanian Relations: The Germans reject a Romanian request for a full military alliance. This would be an obvious provocation to the Soviet Union. However, the Wehrmacht has a free hand and is uncertain what to do next, and this draws their attention to the area. General Franz Halder of OKH asks his staff as a desk exercise to consider military alternatives in the East.

US/Latin American Relations: Heavy cruisers USS Wichita (CA 45) and Quincy (CA 39) complete their visit to Montevideo, Uruguay and head back to Brazil.

British Government: The Duke of Windsor, who has fled France, arrives in Lisbon from Madrid. He is widely believed to be pro-German.

Norway: The Norwegian parliament places pressure on King Haakon to abdicate, but he refuses.

Argentina: Presidente Roberto Maria Ortiz falls ill and delegates power to VP Ramon Castillo.

China: At the Battle of South Kwangsi:, the Japanese halt their offensive and both sides adopt a defensive posture.


July 1940

July 1, 1940: Vichy France
July 2, 1940: Arandora Star
July 3, 1940: Operation Catapult at Mers El Kébir
July 4, 1940: Romania In Crisis
July 5, 1940: The Five Freedoms
July 6, 1940: Hitler's High Point
July 7 1940: Dakar And Ringo
July 8, 1940: Tea Rationing in England
July 9, 1940: Battle of Calabria
July 10, 1940: Battle of Britain Begins
July 11, 1940: "Nous, Philippe Petain"
July 12, 1940: Enter Laval
July 13, 1940: German Surface Raiders Attack!
July 14, 1940: Bastille/Mourning Day
July 15, 1940: Tallest Man Dies
July 16, 1940: Plans for Sea Lion
July 17, 1940: Burma Road Closed
July 18, 1940: FDR Runs Again
July 19, 1940: Last Appeal To Reason
July 20, 1940: First Night Fighter Victory
July 21, 1940: Soviets Absorb Baltic States
July 22, 1940: First RAF Night Fighter Victory
July 23, 1940: Invasion False Alarm
July 24, 1940: The Meknés Incident
July 25, 1940: Black Thursday for RAF
July 26, 1940: Capture The Duke?
July 27, 1940: What's Up, Doc?
July 28, 1940: Destroyers Pulled From Dover
July 29, 1940: Barbarossa On The Burner
July 30, 1940: Hitler Delays Sealion
July 31, 1940: Bloody Wednesday of Olkusz

2020

Sunday 23 June 1940

Speer, Hitler, and Brekker.

German Government: Adolf Hitler on 23 June 1940 takes a typical victory tour after his conquest of France, flying to Le Bourget airport in Paris on short notice at first light. He tells nobody in advance, and the visit is a complete surprise to everyone around him and the German authorities in Paris. He visits the Paris Opera House - where he impresses the elderly guide with his knowledge of the building - and Napoleon's tomb at Les Invalides. Just like other tourists, he walks up Montmartre and stands to observe the city as bemused Parisians going to church walk by in astonishment. Imagine just walking by and seeing Hitler standing there! But that's what happened. Hitler has little protection, but his best security, as always, is his planned spontaneity which prevents possible assassins from planning an attack. That spontaneity and frequently changing his schedule on the fly saves Hitler's life several times.

After a few hours, he flies back to his headquarters, never to visit Paris again. "That was the greatest and finest moment of my life,” he says, ""It was my life's dream to be allowed to see Paris." His companions, architect Albert Speer and sculptor Arno Breker, professor of visual arts in Berlin, are there to get ideas about how to remake Berlin. Speer later notes that he hears Hitler say, "Compared to France, an invasion of Russia would be child's play in a sandbox."


French Government: Charles de Gaulle forms the French National Committee. French officials are forced to choose sides between the "legitimate" Vichy government and the "continuation" de Gaulle organization - which has no legitimacy at all beyond the sheer force of his personality.

The "official" government of France, which remains very much in power, is not impressed by de Gaulle's freelance act. General Weygand is still the Commander-in-chief. He dismisses de Gaulle, who remains in London and technically is AWOL, in absentia. De Gaulle continues to call himself General de Gaulle as a self-described leader of the Free French.

Prime Minister Marshal Philippe Pétain appoints former Premier Pierre Laval - currently Minister of Foreign Affairs - as Vice-Premier and Minister of State. Laval is a firm believer that German total victory is inevitable, and this is often viewed as being pro-German, or, at the very least, "the agent of collaboration." This view is solidified by the fact that Pétain is more or less a figurehead figure in terms of day-to-day governance, while Laval handles the hard work of making arrangements with the Germans.

British Government: The British are shifting to a "battle of the periphery," where they confront the Wehrmacht in commando raids and secondary theaters (such as North Africa) rather than head-on. A Commando force is established which comes under the jurisdiction of the Combined Operations Headquarters. Admiral Sir Roger Keyes takes command, and he begins working up operations to start quickly. The nucleus of the new Commando force is composed of the men of the disbanded Independent Companies.

Related to this same strategic shift, Major Ralph A. Bagnold meets with General Archibald P. Wavell, the commander of the Middle East Command in Alexandria, Egypt. Bagnold sets forth a strategy whereby small, mobile groups of men will conduct long-range reconnaissance patrols behind the Italian lines in Libya. Wavell approves, allowing Bagnold six weeks to organize such a force, and gives Bagnold letters providing that his supply/personnel needs “should be met instantly and without question.” The Long Range Desert Group, popularly known as the "Desert Rats," is born.

Hitler at Les Invalides.

Western Front: Some French holdouts in the Maginot Line refuse to surrender, but they are bottled up in fortresses and cannot do any harm. The only troops still "fighting" are Italian troops. A massive Italian force occupies the beach resort town of Menton - or, in Italian news summaries, the "strongly fortified town of Menton." In addition, the Italian troops in the Alps make some perfunctory attacks on the French dug in behind mountain passes.

Some evacuations continue at St. Jean de Luz pursuant to Operation Ariel. The Germans are not yet in possession of this region, which is under their administration pursuant to the Armistice. Today, they reach Rochefort and Royan.

French/Italian Relations: French and Italian representatives meet at Villa Incisa in the Roman suburbs. The French, which is the same group led by General Huntziger that just completed the armistice with Germany, are not as anxious to resolve the war with Italy as they had been with Germany. However, Mussolini is stage-managing the entire event (including the war itself) for propaganda purposes. His representatives Count Ciano and General Badoglio do not ask for very much in the actual armistice.

Soviet/Norwegian Relations: The Soviets demand access to the nickel mines at Petsamo.

Battle of the Atlantic: French destroyer Lansquenet is taken out of the Gironde Estuary under German artillery fire. The crew heads for North Africa on its own initiative.

French battleship Richelieu, operating on half-power, arrives in Dakar.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian cruisers sortie near Sardinia, but they meet no French shipping. French aircraft sent to intercept them don't spot them.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Italian submarine Galvani sinks Indian Navy sloop Pathan near Bombay.

In the Persian Gulf, three British destroyers and a sloop find Italian submarine Evangelista Torricelli off Perim. The destroyers blow the submarine up, but destroyer HMS Khartoum also goes down when one of its own torpedoes explodes on deck. The interception was possible due to papers captured on the submarine Galileo Galilei on 19 June.

European Air Operations: French bombers raid Palermo, Sicily.

The RAF bombs targets in Holland (Osnabruck and Hamm) and the Bremen/Hamburg area in northern Germany.

North Africa: French bombers attack Italian bases in Zuara, Libya.

Egypt: The pro-British government of Aly Pasha Maher loses its support, but it is unclear what will replace it. In any event, the absolute British dominion over the country is not in doubt..

China: At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Army captures Panli and Leishihhsu.

US Navy: Destroyer USS Herbert (DD-160) leaves Casablanca, French Morocco for Lisbon with more American refugees for transport to New York.

British Homefront: Three downed Luftwaffe airmen who perished in their Heinkel (shot down by ‘Sailor’ Malan) on 21 June are buried with full military honors (paid for by local RAF officers) at Chelmsford. The Bishop of Chelmsford officiates, and the RAF sends a wreath. In 1966, their graves are removed to the newly formed German Military Cemetery at Cannock Chase in Staffordshire.

Stuart Sutcliffe.

Future History: Adam Faith is born Terence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright in Acton, London. He forms a skiffle group in the late 1950s and turns this into a long-lasting pop career. Faith has the first number one hit for Parlophone, a classical music label that later - perhaps partly due to its success with Faith - signs The Beatles after they have been rejected by other labels.

Wilma Rudolph is born in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee. She becomes known as the fastest woman in the world in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

And, speaking of the Beatles, Stuart Sutcliffe is born on 23 June 1940 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Sutcliffe is the original bassist for the group. While extremely creative and a key figure (along with the friends that he brings into the Beatles' orbit) in the fabrication of the Beatles' memorable visual style, Sutcliffe's musical skills are lacking. He leaves the band before it becomes famous just like Pete Best. Stu Sutcliffe perishes in 1962 from a brain aneurysm and is remembered by many fans as the "Fifth Beatle."


June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

2020