Sunday 29 September 1940

The two Avro Ansons involved in the Brocklesby mid-air collision.

Battle of Britain: Maintaining a long-standing pattern in the Battle of Britain, 29 September 1940 is an "off" day after some "on" days. The Luftwaffe sends across scattered raiders, makes half-hearted attacks on shipping, and performs reconnaissance for most of the day. There are only a few halfway-major efforts that do not amount to much. Neither side takes many losses, and some of those are self-inflicted.

Late in the morning, the naval base at Lowestoft is hit which does not do much damage to the facility itself, but infrastructure such as water mains and houses take a beating. Another attack around the same time takes place against shipping off Portsmouth, and a third off the North Wales Coast. RAF Fighter Command does not get much accomplished in these instances, showing the value of these sorts of small-scale hit-and-run raids.

Shortly after 16:00, the day's major daylight raid takes place. Several medium-scale formations penetrate over Dungeness and another over Dover. Some of the bombers attack Central London, but they are just fighters which can cause little damage. The RAF makes a half-hearted interception and loses a couple of Hurricane fighters for its trouble.

Another, smaller series of raids occurs around 18:00 in waning daylight over St. George's Channel. Not much happens, but a German fighter is lost.

After dark, it is a fairly average night. Around 20:00, bombers cross over and target numerous areas in southern Britain, including of course London. Liverpool receives a major attack around 22:30, initiating fires at the docks and nearby warehouses.

In London, St. Paul's Churchyard takes an unexploded bomb, while the docks around Horse Shoe Wharf receive damage. Other raids target the aircraft factory at Gloucester. The Luftwaffe loses a couple of Heinkel He 111s late in the day. After midnight, the attacks are largely confined to London and surrounding areas,, and they end a little earlier than usual at about 03:00.

Late in the day, as the light is fading, the RAF has some friendly fire incidents which cause it to lose two Hurricanes. Both pilots, however, survive.

Befitting the quiet day, losses are minimal and even at about a handful of planes apiece. The strategy of attacking at night makes the Luftwaffe's bombers much more effective and reduces their losses, but it also reduces (actually eliminates) the precision necessary to selectively eliminate RAF infrastructure.

Hptm. Walter Oesau of Stab III./JG 51 claims two Spitfires for his 32nd and 33rd victories.

An unexploded German land mine dropped by parachute. These could destroy all buildings within a quarter of a mile.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command continues its campaign against Luftwaffe airfields. It also targets oil installations at Hannover and Magdeburg, warehouses at Cologne and Osnabruck, an aluminum plant at Bitterfeld, and a gas plant at Stuttgart.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Royal Navy is has a bad day, not of losses, but of errant chases of phantom sightings. Cruiser HMS Emerald departs from Plymouth with a destroyer escort to intercept the Kriegsmarine destroyer force which recently laid a minefield right outside the harbor, but the Germans are long gone. HMS Renown (RN Force H) departs from Gibraltar after reports of the French battleship Richelieu at sea, but that proves erroneous (and the Richelieu is incapacitated at Dakar anyway). There are reports of German transports heading for the Azores which Royal Navy destroyers waste much time pursuing, There also is a report of French destroyers trying to pass through the Straits of Gibraltar - probably a paranoid echo of the recent escape through there effected successfully by French cruisers - but nothing there, either. This all points out how obscure the fog of war can be, and how a lack of good intelligence can lead to waste of resources.

U-32 (Kptl. Hans Jenisch) continues stalking ships dispersed from Convoy OB 218 about 350 miles west of Ireland. After a long stern chase, at 00:53, it adds to its score by sending a torpedo into the stern of 5267-ton British freighter Bassa (Captain George Edward Anderson). All 50 aboard perish after the U-boat crew sees them taking to lifeboats... it's a long way to nowhere out there if you aren't found.

Dutch 1939 ton freighter Arizona hits a mine and sinks in the Firth of Forth near the Kincraig Signal Tower. There are three survivors, the rest of the crew perishes.

Royal Navy 387 ton armed yacht HMY Sappho, serving as a guard ship, hits a mine and sinks off Falmouth, Cornwall. As often happens when smaller vessels hit mines, the ship blows up and kills the kill. 33 men perish. This seems to be a victim of the mines recently laid by a German destroyer flotilla at the mouth of the English Channel.

Norwegian freighter SS Vestkyst I collides with another ship, tug Storegut (formerly Minerva), off Skibeskjærene, Norway and sinks. It is in shallow water, though, and can be re-floated.

Convoy FN 294 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 294 departs from the Tyne, Convoy FS 295 departs from Methil, Convoy OB 221 departs from Liverpool.

The marching band of the Wehrmacht 10th Motorized Infantry Division in Regensburg, 29 September 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Royal Navy fleet is at sea in support of convoy MB 5, and some of its ships detach to bombard the coast road supporting the Italians at Sidi Barrani. This reinforces Marshal Graziani's fears about his supply lines.

Italian 1434 ton freighter Carmen hits a mine and sinks southwest of Durazzo, Albania, presumably while supplying the Italian garrison there. Some accounts state that the Carmen was sunk by a torpedo from the British submarine HMS Osiris, which had recently sunk the Italian torpedo boat Palestro on the 22nd in the same vicinity. The Carmen, though, is not usually included among the Osiris' successes.

Operation MB 5, a resupply convoy to Malta, runs two cruisers into Grand Harbor at 22:00. It battles through Italian air attacks on the final stage of the journey. The convoy brings over 1000 troops sent from England to help defend the island. Numerous units are represented, with a large artillery component.

Both fleets - the Italian fleet based at Taranto and Sicily and the Royal Navy fleet based at Alexandria - are at sea. The possibility of a major fleet action exists.

The Italian submarine Scirè (Commander Prince Borghese), heading to Gibraltar with manned torpedoes, heads back to base when the Italians learn that the large Royal Navy ships are out at sea (at Freetown following the failure of Operation Menace).

Children of the Blitz, September 1940.

Battle of the Pacific: It is a bad day for ships running aground in the Pacific.

Australian schooner Henrietta sinks at Port Phillip, Victoria in poor weather. The ship runs aground on a reef because there were no charts on board and is wrecked in a storm during the night. The three sailors on board survive, as well as the ship's cat, but the cat's kittens don't make it.

British 429 ton freighter Kinabulu runs aground at Batu Mandi Rock, North East Borneo. It is carrying cattle and other cargo to from Jesselton to Sandakan. The five crew perish.

Spy Stuff: During the night of 29/30 September, three German spies land by rubber dinghy on the Scottish Banff coast after being deposited offshore by a Heinkel He 115. They are Vera de Witte, Theodore Drueke and Werner Waelt. This is part of Operation Lobster (Unternehmen Hummer), a continuing operation to infiltrate Great Britain with spies in order to gather data.

US Military: The Greenslade Board, examining new US bases acquired in the bases-for-destroyers deal, departs from Norfolk, Virginia for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Madagascar: The local government affirms its allegiance to Vichy France.

Luxembourg: The Germans formally incorporate Luxembourg into the Greater Reich.

Midway Island: US Marine Corps Midway Detachment of the Fleet Marine Force (Major Harold C. Roberts) arrives on the island to prepare a camp.

Brocklesby mid-air collision.

Australia: The collision of two Avro Ansons of No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF, based at RAAF Forest Hill near Wagga Wagga, creates one of the most unusual incidents in aviation history. Flying in formation at 1000 feet (330 meters) over Brocklesby, the two aircraft come together, knocking out the upper aircraft's engines and somehow locking the two planes together. There are two men in each aircraft, all students in the final stages of their training. Three of them successfully bailout, with the sole exception of the pilot in the top aircraft. He is a man with a plan.

Leading Aircraftman Leonard Graham Fuller, 22, the pilot of the top aircraft, is now flying an aircraft whose engines are out, but which is still flying because the engines of the lower aircraft remain in operation. His controls otherwise work, though he later comments that they are "pretty heavy." Fuller flies five miles (8 km) and then spots a field about 4 miles (6 km) southwest of Brocklesby. Landing into the wind, he brings the two aircraft down in the field, sliding 200 yards (180 m) before they come to rest.

By landing the planes, Fuller not only avoids damage to the town or wherever else the planes might come down together, but saves £40,000 worth of military hardware (both aircraft are repaired and one returns to service, the other used as an instructional aid). Fuller receives an immediate promotion to sergeant but also is reprimanded for talking to the media without authorization. He later receives the Distinguished Flying Medal for actions over Palermo in 1942. In 1944, Fuller perishes when hit by a bus.

The incident is commemorated in Brocklesby by memorials and markers, most recently in 2007.


September 1940

September 1, 1940: RAF's Horrible Weekend
September 2, 1940: German Troopship Sunk
September 3, 1940: Destroyers for Bases
September 4, 1940: Enter Antonescu
September 5, 1940: Stukas Over Malta
September 6, 1940: The Luftwaffe Peaks
September 7, 1940: The Blitz Begins
September 8, 1940: Codeword Cromwell
September 9, 1940: Italians Attack Egypt
September 10, 1940: Hitler Postpones Sealion
September 11, 1940: British Confusion at Gibraltar
September 12, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Approved
September 13, 1940: Zeros Attack!
September 14, 1940: The Draft Is Back
September 15, 1940: Battle of Britain Day
September 16, 1940: Italians Take Sidi Barrani
September 17, 1940: Sealion Kaputt
September 18, 1940: City of Benares Incident
September 19, 1940: Disperse the Barges
September 20, 1940: A Wolfpack Gathers
September 21, 1940: Wolfpack Strikes Convoy HX-72
September 22, 1940: Vietnam War Begins
September 23, 1940: Operation Menace Begins
September 24, 1940: Dakar Fights Back
September 25, 1940: Filton Raid
September 26, 1940: Axis Time
September 27, 1940: Graveney Marsh Battle
September 28, 1940: Radio Belgique Begins
September 29, 1940: Brocklesby Collision
September 30, 1940: Operation Lena

2020

Wednesday 25 September 1940

A dogfight over England. "This camera gun film still shows tracer ammunition from an RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mark I, flown by Flight Lieutenant J H G McArthur, hitting a German Heinkel He 111. These aircraft were part of a large formation which attacked the Bristol Aeroplane Company's works at Filton, Bristol, just before noon on 25 September 1940." © IWM (CH 1823).

Operation Menace: With the British/Free French invasion frustrated, the French turn to the attack on 25 September 1940. The Vichy French Air Force (Armée de l'Air de Vichy), based in Morocco and Algeria, launches another, larger strike on Gibraltar than on the 24th. This is in retaliation for the Operation Menace attack on Dakar by the British and Free French. It is even larger than the attack on 24 September, this time including 80-100 aircraft dropping some 300 bombs. This is the largest air raid of the war to date on Gibraltar, causing extensive damage to the dockyard facilities. British 550 ton anti-submarine trawler HMT Stella Sirius is sunk by direct hits in the harbor with 12 deaths. Some accounts state that four Vichy French destroyers also bombard the port.

The British fleet again bombards Dakar at first light. French submarine Bévéziers, the only one remaining at Dakar after two have been sunk, manages at 09:00 to evade detection by the assembled fleet and torpedoes British battleship HMS Resolution. It loses power and must be towed back to Freetown, Sierra Leone, by HMS Barham, which also takes damage from the French battleship Richelieu. This forces the Royal Navy to end the operation, which has been accomplishing nothing anyway.

The affair has been a fiasco for the Allies. Long in the planning, involving extensive Royal Navy movements throughout September, Operation Menace accomplishes nothing but further poison relations with the Vichy French. General Charles de Gaulle suffers a huge loss in prestige, as his assumption of the mantle of resistance to his former French bosses turns out to have less appeal than he has claimed. It is easier now to portray de Gaulle as nothing but a tool of British interests. The Royal Navy itself does not come off well, either.

In a wider sense, Operation Menace is a learning experience. It is the first in a series of Allied raids along the length of the Atlantic Coast that will grow in intensity over the coming years. While a shaky start, it sets the foundation for later efforts at Dieppe, in Norway, and ultimately at Normandy. However, there is no question whatsoever that, in the short run, this is a major Vichy French victory.

U-48, with commander Heinrich Bleichrodt, returns to base at Lorient. 25 September 1940. Note the numerous victory pennants.

Battle of the Atlantic: A Coastal Command flying boat flying over the shipping lanes in the mid-Atlantic spots a lifeboat and vectors in destroyer HMS Anthony. It turns out to be from the City of Benares, sunk on the 18th. Lifeboat 12 contains about 40 survivors, including six boys from the Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB) program. Also on board are Mary Cornish and Father Rory O'Sullivan, the children's escorts, along with numerous crewmen.

U-32 (Oblt.z.S. Hans Jenisch) torpedoes and sinks 6694-ton British freighter Mabriton 500 hundred miles west of Ireland at 03:25. There are 25 survivors and 12 crew perish. The Mabriton was sailing with Convoy OB 216, which had dispersed.

U-43 (Kptlt. Wilhelm Ambrosius) torpedoes and sinks 5802-ton British freighter Sulairia about 400 miles out in the Atlantic west of Ireland around 13:30. There are 56 survivors and one fatality. The Sulairia was sailing with Convoy OB 217, which had dispersed.

U-29 (Kptlt. Otto Schuhart) torpedoes and damages 6223-ton British freighter/passenger ship Eurymedon (John Faulkner Webster) west of Ireland around 14:00. The ship stays afloat for two days before sinking. There are 66 survivors (42 crew and 22 passengers) and 29 perish (9 passengers and 20 crew). Captain Faulkner, who survives, later receives the Lloyd's War Medal for bravery at sea. The Eurymedon was part of Convoy OB 217, which had dispersed.

Italian 569 ton cargo ship Rina Croce hits a mine and sinks about 6 nautical miles west of Capo di Torre Cavallo (near Brindisi). The HMS Rorqual laid the minefield on 14 June 1940.

British 79 ton naval trawler HMT White Daisy founders in the North Sea near Lerwick.

The Royal Navy seizes Vichy French 1344 ton ocean-going trawler Finland near the Vichy French base at Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Canada. They transfer it to de Gaulle's Free French movement.

The Royal Canadian Navy AMC Prince Robert captures 9170-ton German freighter Weser off Manzanillo, Mexico just before midnight. The Weser is a supply ship for German raider Orion. The Canadians, approaching in the dark, get aboard before the crew can scuttle the freighter. The Canadians put aboard a prize crew who sail it to Esquimalt, where it is renamed Vancouver Island.

The British prepare Operation Lucid, which is designed to use obsolete warships as fire ships against the invasion barges in Channel ports. The operation is set for the 26th. It is a throwback to the use of fireships against the Spanish Armada and during the Napoleonic Wars. Escorted by destroyer forces, the fire ships are old tankers Nizam and Nawab. The tankers are packed with various flammables including heavy fuel oil, gasoline, and diesel oil. The force leaves port today (Sheerness and Portsmouth) - the old fire ships are very slow. En route, the Nizam breaks down less than 10 miles from Boulogne Harbor and the operation is canceled.

Royal Navy submarine Cachalot fires torpedoes and U-138 in the Bay of Biscay but misses. The British submarines like to lie in wait on the typical routes taken by U-boats from their main bases to and from their Atlantic patrol stations.

British minelayers Plover and Willem van der Zaan run aground on the Goodwins but are brought off by a tug. They are prevented from laying their mines.

Convoy FS 290 departs from the Tyne, Convoy FN 291 departs from Methil, Convoy OB 219 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SLS 49 departs from Freetown.

German freighter Weser is captured on 25 September 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: On the desert front, the RAF attacks Tobruk, while the Royal Navy shells Sidi Barrani. The RAF raids Berbera in British Somaliland and the port of Assab in Ethiopia.

A Royal Navy destroyer flotilla operating out of Alexandria bombards an Italian land convoy west of Sidi Barrani, causing extensive damage to the vehicles.

At Malta, there is an air raid around noontime which drops some bombs on the countryside. The Italians lose one Macchi C. 200 Saetta ("Arrow") fighter. The soldiers at Malta already are occupied defusing unexploded bombs at Hal Far and Luqa airfields which have been dropped over the previous two weeks.

Leading B Flight of No. 152 Squadron from RAF Warmwell took off just before 11:30 on 25 September 1940 to intercept KG55. 29-year-old S/L Peter K Devitt claims a Ju 88 damaged south of Bristol during the Filton Raid. However, he sustains hits to the fuel tank of his Spitfire Mk I UM-A by return fire. Temporarily blinded, Devitt somehow makes a belly landing at Skew Bridge, Newton St Loe. He is lucky: Spitfire UM-C in his flight crashes at 12:00 near Church Farm, Woolverton, killing Sgt Kenneth C "Ken" Holland (see picture below)

Battle of Britain: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering continues fine-tuning his aerial assault on England. This time, he cuts back on raids against London and shifts his focus toward British aircraft factories. These are primarily located in the western half of Britain, and Luftlotte 3 (Sperrle) is given primary responsibility. While perhaps justified by changing priorities, these types of changes are demoralizing to Luftwaffe crews who see no lasting results from all their efforts. These changes do, however, catch the RAF off guard now and then, and this happens today, to England's detriment.

Spy Stuff: The US Signals Intelligence Service has been hard at work on breaking the Japanese military codes. Today, it reads the Japanese Purple Code for the first time.

German/Soviet/Japanese Relations: German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop informs the German embassy in Moscow that Japan is joining the German-Italian alliance (Axis). He emphasizes that this is not directed against the Soviet Union - which is absolutely true. Germany has other plans for the USSR. Ribbentrop instructs the Chargé d'affaires to tell Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov about the coming agreement on the 26th and explain that the alliance is directed against "American warmongers."

German/Spanish Relations: Adolf Hitler meets with Spanish Interior Minister - and Franco's brother-in-law - Serrano Suner. It is likely that the topics discussed include arranging a meeting between Hitler and Franco. Hitler's objective is to bring Spain into the war on his side in order to capture the British naval base at Gibraltar, while Franco demands an exorbitant price for his cooperation.

US/Chinese Relations: The US grants a $25 million loan to China that is designed to help stabilize the Chinese currency.

US Military: Heavy cruiser USS Louisville departs from Colon in the Panama Canal Zone on another "Show the Flag" tour. Its first stop will be Recife, Brazil.

The Greenslade Board investigating new US bases acquired from the British in the destroyers-for-bases deal arrives in Norfolk, Virginia.

Norway: Pursuant to decisions taken earlier, the German Reich-Commissar for Norway (Reichskommissar für die besetzten Norwegischen Gebiete), Josef Terboven, dissolves all political parties except for the pro-German Nasjonal Samling. He appoints 13 commissars to govern the country. As the leader of Nasjonal Samling, Vidkun Quisling forms the new collaborationist government. In addition, the King and his former government are formally deposed.

Sgt Kenneth C "Ken" Holland of No 152 Squadron RAF, KIA 25 September 1940. He opened fire on He 111P-1 G1+EP of KG55 at 400yds from astern and slightly to the port side in the morning. He was seen turning for a second burst at 2000ft. His Spitfire Mk I UM-C was hit by the rear gunner still in the stricken bomber. Both aircraft were strewn across the fields of Church Farm, Woolverton when crashing less than 500yds apart at 12:00. The 20-year-old Australian was found to have been shot in the head. See below for another related photo.

French Homefront: The Vichy French begin court-martial trials for the various government officials arrested for alleged misdeeds which led to to the loss of the Battle of France.

French Indochina: The Japanese invasion of French Indochina continues. The Japanese have aircraft carriers off the coast in the Gulf of Tonkin that are launching raids on French bases. The French shore batteries remain under orders to repel any invasion. The French have sent a special envoy to Tokyo to negotiate. The Japanese are primarily interested in northern Indochina in the Haiphong area, not as much in the area further south by Saigon. The Japanese 5th Infantry Division consolidates its hold on Lang Son, site of a key airfield.

New Caledonia: The government of Noumea reaffirms that it is siding with Free France.

American Homefront: Eleanor Roosevelt attends the American Newspaper Guild meeting in New York City (of which she is a member, with voting privileges). At issue is whether to approve a report critical of President Roosevelt as trying to force the United States into the European War. She votes against the report, but it passes 140-85. Afterward, she meets with the Guild's leaders and expresses her disagreement. The incident is an early foray by Mrs. Roosevelt into politics and an indication of the widespread isolationist sentiment in the country.

The only survivor of He 111P-1 G1+EP when bailing out following hits by Sgt Kenneth C "Ken" Holland (see above ) of No. 152 Squadron RAF near Woolverton on the morning of 25 September 1940 was pilot Hptm Helmut Brandt of KG55. He stated on interrogation that the first burst had already crippled the bomber and that there was no need for Holland to go in for a second attack. Holland failed to heed a basic lesson: take out the rear gunner first, then the engine.

September 1940

September 1, 1940: RAF's Horrible Weekend
September 2, 1940: German Troopship Sunk
September 3, 1940: Destroyers for Bases
September 4, 1940: Enter Antonescu
September 5, 1940: Stukas Over Malta
September 6, 1940: The Luftwaffe Peaks
September 7, 1940: The Blitz Begins
September 8, 1940: Codeword Cromwell
September 9, 1940: Italians Attack Egypt
September 10, 1940: Hitler Postpones Sealion
September 11, 1940: British Confusion at Gibraltar
September 12, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Approved
September 13, 1940: Zeros Attack!
September 14, 1940: The Draft Is Back
September 15, 1940: Battle of Britain Day
September 16, 1940: italians Take Sidi Barrani
September 17, 1940: Sealion Kaputt
September 18, 1940: City of Benares Incident
September 19, 1940: Disperse the Barges
September 20, 1940: A Wolfpack Gathers
September 21, 1940: Wolfpack Strikes Convoy HX-72
September 22, 1940: Vietnam War Begins
September 23, 1940: Operation Menace Begins
September 24, 1940: Dakar Fights Back
September 25, 1940: Filton Raid
September 26, 1940: Axis Time
September 27, 1940: Graveney Marsh Battle
September 28, 1940: Radio Belgique Begins
September 29, 1940: Brocklesby Collision
September 30, 1940: Operation Lena

2020

Tuesday 24 September 1940

Adolf Galland is greeted back at the airfield in Wissant by his mechanic, Unteroffizier Gerhard Meyer, after recording his 40th victory. He shot down a Hurricane of RAF No. 17 Squadron over Rochester at 10:45 on 24 September 1940.

Operation Menace: The Allies on 24 September 1940 remain offshore of Dakar during Operation Menace, with the Vichy French sitting tight. Both sides are lobbing shots at each other, but the basic situation remains unchanged. During the day, the British battleship HMS Barham, sitting 13,500 yards (about 8 miles) offshore, lobs in some 15-inch shells that strike the French battleship Richelieu sitting in port. The Richelieu, unfinished, also has issues with its guns, with 380mm guns 7/8 in Turret 2 going out of service today when a shell explodes. However, the port defense guns aren't fully manned, so some Richelieu crew just switch to coastal guns, where they have success. The biggest problem for the Vichy French is ammunition, as they are using an old powder which causes problems.

The Vichy French have submarines in the area, and shortly after sunrise the British force their submarine Ajax to surface. This is a joint exercise between Swordfish operating from the Ark Royal and patrolling destroyers. The Swordfish bomb the submarine and force it to surface. The Vichy French crew then scuttles the badly damaged sub. Destroyer HMS Fortune rescues the 61-man crew. There are different versions of this action in which the destroyer, and not the planes, cause the sub to surface and scuttle, and likely it was some combination of forces.

The freighter Tacoma under fire at Dakar, 24 September 1940. The Tacoma was bombarded in the harbor, then towed out to sea where she sank. (Tentative credit: Frederick Milthorp, Frederick Milthorp Collection).

The British fleet approaches the port in the morning but retreats under fire around 10:00. It then approaches in the afternoon again, then retreats again. British battleship HMS Resolution, for its part, takes damage which eventually requires it to be put under tow down to Cape Town, South Africa. Barham and two British cruisers are damaged by coastal defense guns manned by the Richelieu crew.

The Vichy French retaliate for the attack by sending 64 aircraft based in Morocco and Algeria over Gibraltar. They drop 150 bombs on the British base and cause damage to the dock area, especially the South Mole area. This attack is somewhat unusual because heretofore the Armée de l'Air de Vichy bombers have made perfunctory runs and dropped many of their bombs out at sea. Somewhat perversely, this is the largest air raid of the war to date by the French Air Force, including the Battle of France.


Battle of the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks classic 1815 ship of the line HMS Wellesley at its dock on the Thames. The ship sinks in shallow water and can be salvaged, but it is damaged beyond repair. HMS Wellesley has the distinction of being the last ship of the line to be lost in enemy action and the only one lost by air attack. Its figurehead now graces the entrance to Chatham Dockyard.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 169-ton British trawler Bass Rock about 40 km southwest of County Cork, Ireland. Four crew perish and four perish, that's the lottery of the Battle of the North Atlantic, pick your number and take your chances.

German torpedo boat S-30 torpedoes and sinks 555 ton Continental Coaster off Happisburgh, Norfolk (off Great Yarmouth) in the North Sea. Four crew perish.

Royal Navy 20 ton motor torpedo boat HMS MTB 15 hits a mine and sinks 56 km northeast of North Foreland, Kent (Thames Estuary) in the North Sea. These carry a complement of 9-12 men, and it is unclear if there are any survivors.

HMS Tuna torpedoes and sinks 1280 ton submarine tender ("catapult vessel") Ostmark southwest of Saint-Nazaire in the Bay of Biscay. The Ostmark is a Deutsche Lufthansa vessel on its way to Germany for commissioning into the Kriegsmarine, and the plan is to use the Ostmark to launch long-range reconnaissance aircraft from Brest (contemplated as the new main U-boat base in France). So, technically, it is not a loss for the Germany Navy. However, the loss is noticed in Berlin and is an early indication to the Germans that the Atlantic coast shipping area is vulnerable and security there needs to be upgraded - a turn to the defensive. The Tuna, for its part, is having an excellent patrol, having sunk the Tirranna on the 22nd.

The Luftwaffe damages anti-submarine trawler HMT Loch Monteith operating in the Channel. Seven crew perish.

British submarine Cachalot spots an unidentified U-boat in the southwest approaches and fires torpedoes but misses.

Convoy OA 219 departs from Methil, Convoy FN 290 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 289 departs from the Tyne, Convoys OB 218 and OL 4 depart from Liverpool, Convoy SL 495 departs from Freetown.

German cruiser Admiral Hipper leaves Wilhelmshaven to attempt to break out into the Atlantic but soon loses all engine power due to a fire in the engine oil feed system. It drifts aimlessly for several hours before repairs are effected and the ship can return to Hamburg for more permanent repairs.

U-106 (Oberleutnant zur See Jürgen Oesten) is commissioned.

Harold 'Birdie' Bird-Wilson, RAF No. 17 Squadron, RAF Debden. He becomes Adolf Galland's 40th victim today. Birdie takes two months to recover from his burns but then returns to service. His nose is one of the first reconstructed by pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe. (Via WW2 Colourised Photos, Colourised by Doug UK).

Battle of Britain: The morning is foggy, but clears up rapidly. While bombing is fairly light and mainly on secondary targets, there is intense fighter activity throughout most of the morning.

The first Luftwaffe attacks begin around 08:30. This time, it is 200+ plane formation that includes a large formation of Junkers Ju 88s. RAF Fighter Command sends up 11 squadrons, which intercept the Luftwaffe planes over the Thames Estuary. The bombers turn back, some badly damaged, and the fighters engage in dogfights which result in some RAF losses.

Around 11:00, the Luftwaffe sends over more planes. One force attacks coastal towns, but Adolf Galland's JG 26 is hunting for RAF fighters over the Thames Estuary and finds them. Both sides lose a plane.

An eerie calm descends around noontime. Luftwaffe pilots jokingly praise the "Anglo-Saxon custom of lunch" for such a quiet period. However, things heat up again soon thereafter.

The Luftwaffe sends more fighters over during the early afternoon. RAF No. 41 Squadron loses a couple of planes. Some Bf 110s of  I./Epr.Gr 210, 4./ZG 76 and III./ZG 76 then raid Southampton and Portsmouth, bombing the Woolston Spitfire factory. A "lucky" hit on a shelter there kills 100 workers, but the factory itself is unscathed. For some reason, Fighter Command does not intercept this formation, accounting for its great success, but anti-aircraft fire downs three of the fighter-bombers.

Around 16:00, another formation crosses near the Isle of Wight. This time, Fighter Command intercepts and downs four bombers.

After dark (which is coming much earlier now), the Luftwaffe targets London, Shoreham, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Hull, Humberside, Newcastle, Manchester, Middlesborough, and South Wales. The London West End takes some damage, as does Westminster. The attacks are widespread and scattered, causing fairly random damage. The largest raid is in Liverpool, which is bombed by II,/KG 27 from midnight until first light. RAF Feltwell takes some damage during the final raids of the night.

Overall, losses are fairly light on both sides. The Luftwaffe loses about 10 planes (depends how you count the several bombers heavily damaged but which make it back to France), while the RAF loses about half that number.

Adolf Galland gets credit for his 40th claim. The victim is ace Harold Bird-Wilson of RAF No. 17 Squadron (baled out badly burned into the Thames, picked up by a riverboat). Galland is hot on the trail of Werner Mölders, who has a few more victories at this point. This victory entitles Galland to the Oak Leaves, which he receives at the hand of Adolf Hitler. Hitler, aware of Galland's somewhat impertinent comment to Reichsmarschall Goering in August, jokes with Galland about also wanting a squadron of Spitfires.

Staffelkapitän Oblt. Hans 'Assi' Hahn, 4./JG 2, receives the Ritterkreuz.

Charlie Chaplin has to explain why he made fun of Hitler in "The Great Dictator" in the 24 September 1940 Look Magazine.

European Air Operations: RAF Coastal Command attacks the ports of Zeebrugge and Brest, while Bomber Command attacks Berlin with 20 bombers, Frankfurt, the German coastal guns at Cap Gris Nez, and the usual ports and airfields in northwest Europe. By far the greatest effort is made against the invasion ports, where the barges are gradually dispersing.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian submarine Scirè departs La Spezia, Italy carrying three special manned torpedoes. Its mission is to drop off the torpedoes, which then will penetrate Gibraltar Harbour and sink large Royal Navy ships (which, apparently unknown to the Italians, are operating off Dakar). Prince Junio Valerio Borghese, who has trained with U-boats in the Baltic, is in command of this prestige assignment. Italy leads the world in the area of manned torpedoes.

At Malta, it is a quiet day with no air raids. The island receives word that three warships are on the way (arrival date unknown) carrying supplies, so unloading parties are put on standby throughout the day. Arriving ships must be docked and unloaded immediately so they can depart again to avoid air/naval attack.

Anglo/US Relations: The formal transfer of the third tranche of US destroyers is made pursuant to the destroyers-for-bases deal at Halifax. The destroyers are:

• USS Mackenzie > HMCS Annapolis, 
• USS Haraden > HMCS Columbia, 
• USS Williams > HMCS St. Clair, 
• USS Thatcher > HMCS Niagara, 
• USS McCook > HMCS St. Croix
• USS Bancroft > HMCS St. Francis.

French Indochina: The Japanese 5th Infantry Division seizes Lang Son, where the French briefly held out due to the airfield there. Fighting continues further south.

Australia: General Gordon Bennett now commands the Australian 8th Infantry Division.

The 24 September 1940 issue of Look Magazine contains a photo-story on starlet Lucille Ball.

US Military: President Roosevelt establishes the Defense Communication Board, headed by Director of Naval Communications Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes.

British Homefront: The German blockade is biting. Petrol prices rise to 2 shillings 2 pence per gallon.

The government announces that 444,000 children have been evacuated from London and plans to evacuate more.

American Homefront: Jimmie Fox, 32, of the Boston Red Sox hits home run No. 500 in a game against the Phillies. He is only the second man to do so and trails Babe Ruth, retired since 1935, by 214 home runs. He is the youngest to reach 500 home runs until Alex Rodriguez in 2007, but Foxx has health issues of one form (exactly what and why is controversial) which impair his skills going forward.

On 24 September 1940, former World Heavyweight champion James Joseph "Gene" Tunney meets with competitors of the American Institute of New York's science fair at the Westinghouse Pavilion, New York World's Fair. Tunney, always considered a scholarly boxer, was there to give a speech at the official sealing of a time capsule. Shown with Tunney, left to right: Irving Lazarowitz, Alan Bernstein, Theresa Zinghini, and Jack Zimmer. The Science Talent Search became an annual event the following year.

September 1940

September 1, 1940: RAF's Horrible Weekend
September 2, 1940: German Troopship Sunk
September 3, 1940: Destroyers for Bases
September 4, 1940: Enter Antonescu
September 5, 1940: Stukas Over Malta
September 6, 1940: The Luftwaffe Peaks
September 7, 1940: The Blitz Begins
September 8, 1940: Codeword Cromwell
September 9, 1940: Italians Attack Egypt
September 10, 1940: Hitler Postpones Sealion
September 11, 1940: British Confusion at Gibraltar
September 12, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Approved
September 13, 1940: Zeros Attack!
September 14, 1940: The Draft Is Back
September 15, 1940: Battle of Britain Day
September 16, 1940: Italians Take Sidi Barrani
September 17, 1940: Sealion Kaputt
September 18, 1940: City of Benares Incident
September 19, 1940: Disperse the Barges
September 20, 1940: A Wolfpack Gathers
September 21, 1940: Wolfpack Strikes Convoy HX-72
September 22, 1940: Vietnam War Begins
September 23, 1940: Operation Menace Begins
September 24, 1940: Dakar Fights Back
September 25, 1940: Filton Raid
September 26, 1940: Axis Time
September 27, 1940: Graveney Marsh Battle
September 28, 1940: Radio Belgique Begins
September 29, 1940: Brocklesby Collision
September 30, 1940: Operation Lena

2020

Tuesday 9 July 1940

The Italian Cruiser Zara at the Battle of Calabria, 9 July 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Today, 9 July 1940, marks the first large naval engagement of the war in the Mediterranean, and really the first large conflict of any kind in that sector. There are 50 warships involved.

In the Battle of Calabria aka the Battle of Punta Stilo, the Royal Navy and Italian Fleet square off in the vicinity of the Italian naval base at Taranto. The engagement arises from each side shepherding convoys to North Africa at the same time, the British with Convoy MF 1 from Malta. The British have the advantage of firepower, while the Italians have speed.

At about 15:15, the two sides see each other and their cruisers open fire at extreme long range. The Italians damage cruiser HMS Neptune, causing the British to withdraw. However, battleship HMS Warspite then comes up, and a duel between her and Italian battleships Giulio Cesare and Conte di Cavour begins at 15:52. The artillery duel as noted as one of the longest in naval history, at about 24 km (the Kriegsmarine's Operation Juno on 8 June also was about as far, but that was a heavy cruiser against an aircraft carrier). Giulio Cesare takes a hit which reduces its speed, and the battle turns into a duel between each side's cruisers. The Italian Admiral Campioni withdrew with his battleships to Messina at about 17:00. A final Italian air attack damages several of the Royal Navy capital ships. The cargo ships for both sides ultimately reach their destinations, so it is a strategic draw. Most consider the engagement a slight (and rare) Italian naval victory.

Force H, operating out of Gibraltar, is attacked by bombers but suffers no damage.

At Malta, there is a raid at 08:00 by an SM79 bomber and seven CR42s. They bomb Luga, with the RAF prominent in the defense. The Italians lose two planes. Governor Dobbie requests and receives permission to stop using his limited air resources in offensive operations against Sicily, instead of using them to defend the island only at his discretion.

Italian battleship Conte di Cavour. Italian battleships were heavily armed but lightly armored, making them fast but vulnerable.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-34 (Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Rollmann) torpedoes and sinks 1,865-ton Estonian freighter Tiiu about 100 miles southwest of Mizen Head, Ireland in the southwest approaches at 12:32. All 20 aboard take to lifeboats and survive.

U-43 torpedoes and sinks 3,944-ton British freighter Aylesbury about 230 miles southwest of Cape Clear, Ireland in the southwest approaches at 21:35. All 35 onboard survive.

U-99 (Otto Kretschmer) completes its 14-hours of depth-charge attack and survives. Kretschmer pretends calmly to read a book throughout the ordeal as if he hasn't a care in the world. The book is upside down. There are 129 depth charges dropped.

British submarine HMS Salmon hits a mine (that is the assumption) and sinks off Egersund, Norway. All 35 aboard perish.

German raider Thor sinks Belgian freighter Bruges in the South Atlantic. The crew becomes prisoners of war.

The Luftwaffe bombs and badly damages sloop Foxglove off the Niab en route to Portsmouth.

The Germans send about 60 Bf 109s and 110s on a sweep across the English channel and find targets in a convoy forming up at the mouth of the Thames River. The Luftwaffe catches British freighters Kenneth Hawksfield and Polgrange in the Dover sector and damages them. The Luftwaffe sinks Latvian freighter Talvaldis off Devon. Dutch steamer Iola also was damaged, along with Greek freighter Aegeon.

German armed merchant raider Komet (Kapitän zur See Robert Eyssen) leaves Bergen to break out into the Pacific via the Northern Passage. Soviet icebreakers assist her. The Komet itself is reinforced to travel through ice.

Convoy SL 39 departs from Freetown.

The Italian battleship Giulio Cesare firing salvos from her big guns near Punta Stilo during the Battle of Calabria. Ministero Della Difesa-Marina photo.

European Air Operations: The British consider this the beginning of their strategic night bombing campaign against Germany, though they have been raiding it all along.

RAF Bomber Command raids the key airbase at Stavanger with a dozen planes, Norway, losing seven of the twelve bombers with the rest damaged.

The RAF also sends 11 Hampden bombers to attack the battleship Tirpitz (still under construction) without causing any damage.

King George VI presents Guy Gibson with the DFC on a visit to RAF Digby. Gibson earned this by completing 34 missions in five months with No. 3 Squadron.

The new Luftwaffe night fighter force gets its first victory off Heligoland. Ofw Paul Förster of 8/NJG1 shoots down a Whitney bomber at 02:50. The British crew becomes POWs (this is not the initial night fighter victory of the war, just of this unit).

JG26 adds another Gruppe, 8./JG26, by taking over 2./JG1.

Spitfires of RAF No. 54 Squadron shoot down such an unarmed He-59 marked as a search-and-rescue aircraft on the Goodwin Sands and capture the crew. Nothing incriminating is found and the official report states that "The men were unarmed and whatever else they may or may not have been doing they seem to be genuine sea-rescue Red Cross workers." However, the apparent innocence of the craft does not sway the British, who are deeply suspicious that such planes are performing reconnaissance missions.

The He-59 forced down at Goodwin Sands on 9 July 1940.

North Africa: Italian artillery is in action against the 1st King's African Rifles at Moyale, Kenya.

US Military: US Marine Corps Captain Kenneth W. Benner takes over the military presence on Midway Atoll, relieving Captain Samuel G. Taxis.

British Government:  The House of Commons approves a £1,000 Million line of credit for war expenditure.

The crown appoints the Duke of Windsor the Governor of the Bahamas. He is widely viewed as having German sympathies, and this position is more to keep an eye on him than to reward him with new responsibilities. Hog's Island (Nassau) in the Bahamas has several residents who are considered suspicious, such as industrialist Axel Wenner-Grenn of Sweden.

The Admiralty claims credit for sinking the French battleship Richelieu during recent Operation Catapult. The claim technically is correctly, but the Richelieu has settled in very shallow water and is quickly repaired and refloated.

French Government: The French legislature at Vichy votes Marshal Pétain's full powers to establish a new constitution by decree, with only three in the Chamber and one in the Senate voting against him. In this manner, the Third Republic ends.

Pierre Laval, the French vice-PM, announces that the Republic will become "a Fascist form of government, which I have long admired." This is the first time any member of the Vichy government has openly admitted to Fascist leanings. The new national slogan, "Work, Family, and Fatherland," is adopted.

The Armistice Commission announces that all German POWs in French custody have now been released.

German Government: Berlin announces that Romania is under German protection.

Czechoslovakian Government: Edvard Benes forms a government-in-exile in London.

Romania: King Carol II orders the arrest of Marshal Ion Antonescu after Antonescu sends him a note protesting the decision to give the Soviet Union the lands it had demanded in the east. Antonescu is interned at Bistrița Monastery. At this time, Antonescu is viewed with suspicion by just about everyone.

Greenland: U.S. Consul to Greenland James K. Penfield, Governor of North Greenland E. Brun, and a group of Danish officials arrive at Boston on U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCG Campbell for discussions about trade with Greenland.

Iceland: Canadian Z Force arrives to supplement the existing British occupation force (treated as "guests" by the locals).

China: A Japanese embassy spokesman in Shanghai demands an apology for the recent arrest of 16 Japanese Gendarmes by US Marines, threatening that this could affect "the whole course of Japanese - United States relations."

Sweden: The government denies that it is joining the Axis despite allowing the Wehrmacht transit rights.

Norway: It is reported that Vidkun Quisling is now a local radio commentator in Norway. "Quisling" already has become a synonym for "traitor."

Holocaust: Polish Silesian politician Józef Biniszkiewicz perishes at Buchenwald.

British Homefront: War jitters are at a fever pitch. There are so many rumors of parachutists, German ray guns and the like that the government warns that spreading false rumors will be prosecuting.

Edward R. Murrow is broadcasting in dramatic fashion to the States about The Blitz.

American Homefront: President Roosevelt dodges questions at a press conference about whether he will seek an unprecedented third term. He already has decided to do so but wants to maintain the suspense.

The Major League All-Star Game is held in Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, with the National League winning, 4-0.

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 7 July 1940

View of French battleship, Richelieu, with buoys in the foreground marking the top of the anti-submarine net in the port of Dakar, Senegal, 1940. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7293.

Battle of the Atlantic: The French in Dakar, Senegal, on 7 July 1940 refuse to surrender to the British or choose an acceptable alternative, so the British send half a dozen Swordfish from the small aircraft carrier HMS Hermes to attack. They score a torpedo hit on the Richelieu, sinking it in shallow water, and a torpedo boat also drops off commandos who damage the Richelieu with mines. The damage, however, is not serious and is quickly repaired. This is all a continuation of Operation Catapult.

U-34 (Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Rollmann) torpedoes and sinks freighter 2,584-ton Dutch freighter Lucrecia at 07:14 about 70 miles west of the Isles of Scilly in the western approaches. There are 30 survivors, and two crew perish. The ship takes some time to sink. Portuguese freighter Alferrarede arrives soon and picks up the survivors.

U-99 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Kretschmer) torpedoes and sinks 1,514-ton Swedish freighter Bissen at 23:12 about 80 miles southwest of Cape Clear in the southwest approaches. All 20 aboard survive.

U-99 then spots the freighter Sea Glory at 00:53 and torpedoes and sinks it in the same area. All 29 aboard perish.

German raider Thor captures British freighter Delambre in the South Atlantic.

 U-30 arrives at the new U-boat base at Lorient, France, the first U-boat to use it.

Norwegian ship Krossfonn, captured by German raider Widder, arrives in Lorient with its prize crew.

Convoy OB 180 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HG 37 departs from Gibraltar, Convoy HX 56 departs from Halifax.

The British ship Teviotbank lays a minefield in the North Sea.

Battle of the Mediterranean: French Admiral Godefroy in Alexandria agrees to complete demobilization of his force, including the battleship Lorraine, three heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, and three destroyers. The ships technically remain under French command but are under British control. Most of the French crews are sent back to France on transports.

Operation MA5 begins. This is a British fleet operation to cover convoys from Malta to Alexandria. The Med Flt sortied from Alexandria and Port Said to cover convoys MS.1 and MF.1 coming from Malta. The fleet divides into three sections:

1. Force A, which includes cruisers Neptune, Orion, Gloucester, and Liverpool;
2. Force B with battleship/flagship Warspite and destroyers Nubian, Mohawk, Hero, Hereward and Decoy;
3. Force C with battleships Royal Sovereign and Malaya, aircraft carrier Eagle and destroyers Hasty, Hyperion, Ilex, Voyager, and other ships;
4. Force D from Malta, which has destroyers Diamond and Jervis and other ships.

The Regia Aeronautica catches British submarine HMS Olympus in port at Malta and bombs it, severely damaging it.

The Italians also attack Alexandria with 11 S-81 bombers during the night.

An Italian battalion crosses into Sudan and occupies Kurmuk.

At Malta, there is an air raid at 09:17 which drops bombs on Benghalsa and the dockyards. Eight civilians perish (seven from one family, a mother with her six young children), and eight civilians and an officer are wounded. The RAF responds and a Hurricane shoots down one of the bombers. Another attempted raid in the afternoon is chased off by the RAF before it reaches the island.

Italy grants permission for the French Navy to keep its Mediterranean bases armed.

Ground crewmen of No 152 Squadron at RAF Warmwell in 1940. The men moved in from RAF Acklington on 7 July, defending the No 11 Group sector, which included Portland naval base. This area is becoming the focus of the Luftwaffe's attention.

European Air Operations: It is a bad day for the RAF Fighter Command. The Luftwaffe stages numerous small raids along the coast, which draws out the defenders and causes several losses.

During the afternoon, II/JG51 and II/JG51 engage with Spitfires over England. The Bf 109s shoot down three Spitfires of RAF No. 54 Squadron over Manston. Another dogfight over Folkestone sends four RAF fighters down, three Spitfires and a Hurricane.

In the evening, some fighters of JG27 shoot down three Spitfires of RAF No. 64 Squadron.

Dornier Do 17s raid the West Country, killing five people.

A night right by He 11 bombers of 4/KG55 is intercepted by British fighters over Portland, Dorset. The bombers sustain damage but make it back to base.

RAF Bomber Command raids the Ruhr industrial valley (Ludwigshafen and Frankfurt) and loses a Blenheim bomber to a pilot from III/JG26. In other raids, the damage is done to barracks at Wilhelmshaven and the canal at Duisberg-Ruhrort. The Fleet Air Arm raids Bergen, setting alight oil storage tanks.

German/Italian Relations: Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano meets with Hitler, who tells him that he is not ready to attack Yugoslavia. Their general topic is the "new order in Europe."

Soviet Military: General Dmitrii Pavlov becomes commander-in-chief of the Western Special Military District, which controls the direct route between Germany and Moscow.

US Government: President Roosevelt tells Congress that he is sending a US Marine Corps brigade to Iceland, which currently is occupied by British troops

League of Nations: The Secretary-General fires all British staff, hoping to curry favor with Hitler.

A Dewoitine D.338.

French Indochina: Japanese fighters shoot down a Dewoitine D.338, F-AQBA, in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Mexico: Mexico holds elections. In the race for President, Manuel Ávila Camacho is elected president with 93.9% of the vote.

Holocaust: The Vichy French government orders the arrest of Jewish refugees.

British Homefront: Evacuations of children from large cities continues.

Future History: Richard Starkey is born in Dingle, Liverpool. He becomes famous as a drummer in the early 1960s and joins The Beatles as Ringo Starr. The oldest Beatle, Ringo eventually enters the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Ringo Starr during his Beatles days.

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