Friday 8 November 1940

The ground is broken for the Detroit Chrysler Tank Arsenal on 8 November 1940. It is owned by the US government - an early example of Socialism - and is completed in record time, churning out tanks in well under a year.

Italian/Greek Campaign: Things are not going well at all for the Italian offensive on 8 November 1940. Mussolini relieves Visconti Prasca of overall command of the Italian forces in Albania and restricted to the command of the Epirus front, where some limited progress still appears possible. Any hopes for a continued Italian offensive, however, are wishful thinking.

The Italians are making no progress at all on the Elaia–Kalamas front in Epirus, so they suspend operations there. The Italians make no further progress past Igoumenitsa and Margariti and are pushed off the Grabala Heights again.

In the Pindus Mountains, the remaining troops of the Julia Division hear a broadcast from London which suggests that a Greek offensive is coming. The Italians begin trying to break out as best they can. The Italian 3rd Alpini (mountain) Division is stuck fast in the Vovousa Valley and is losing men daily. While some of the Julia Division men can get out of the trap, very few of the 3rd Alpini can escape.

General Ubaldo Soddu, State Undersecretary of War, replaces General Prasca. He immediately tells Mussolini that the Italian forces must go over to the defensive "while awaiting the reinforcements that would permit us to resume action as soon as possible." This is a wise suggestion to which Mussolini gives his consent, but illustrates the catastrophic posture of an offensive that only began less than two weeks ago. While the Italians will indeed receive reinforcements, so will the Greeks, and the Greek reinforcements only have to march to the front, not requiring risky ship transport.

The Greeks, meanwhile, are calling in reinforcements from their other fronts, such as the Metaxas Line facing Bulgaria. They are comfortable for the time being that no attack will be launched by the Bulgarians or the Turks. This, and the growing British presence in southern Greece which relieves the Greeks of defensive responsibilities there, enables Metaxas and his Generals to begin building up forces opposite the Italians for a counterattack.

Italian problems are only getting worse. There is a clear strain on Italian resources between the North African and Albanian campaigns. The British, meanwhile, are reinforcing their own forces in both Greece and Egypt.

The Italians bomb Monastir.

"Nighttime view of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London in 1940." © IWM (D 717).

European Air Operations: The air war over England picks up somewhat. Attacks in England proper are mostly at night now. London receives attention after dark, as always. British anti-aircraft fire over the capital is particularly effective.

While most Stuka dive-bombers have been withdrawn, the Luftwaffe still has some Stuka formations along the coast for special purposes. Today, they go back into action and bomb shipping in the Straits of Dover. Stukas may be slow and vulnerable relative to top RAF fighters, but they also are extremely accurate ground attack planes that are irreplaceable in the Luftwaffe (and the Luftwaffe tries to replace them several times, but fails to find anything better). The Stukas once again prove their value by sinking a ship.

RAF Bomber Command bombs Munich. There is a special reason for this: it is the anniversary of the 1923 Putsch, and Hitler always gives a highly touted speech in Munich to commemorate it. Not much damage is done, but Churchill and the RAF bigwigs make their little statement, one of several similar stunts they will engage in around this time. While some accounts state that "Hitler narrowly escaped" and so forth, in fact, it is extremely difficult and unlikely - especially at this stage of the war, with extremely imprecise bombing accuracy - to target and kill a specific individual. One might as well say that every time the RAF bombs Berlin with Hitler in residence there that it "almost killed Hitler."

This Munich attack damages railway installations and also the beer cellar where Hitler gives his speeches (but was largely destroyed exactly a year ago in a domestic terrorism incident).  The RAF also bombs other targets in Germany, including numerous airfields in northwest Europe. Coastal Command chips in with an attack on Lorient to disrupt U-boat operations.

Lt. Heinz Bär, 1./JG 51, shoots down two Hurricanes.

Major Heinz Bär, May 1944. Bär ultimately fought on every German front and is credited with 221 aerial victories.

Battle of the Atlantic: It is a big day for the Luftwaffe. Air attacks are one of the four legs of the stool that enforces the blockade of Great Britain, the others being U-boats, mines and surface raiders.

Luftwaffe Stukas attack Convoy FN 329 in the Thames Estuary. They bomb and sink 1930 ton Dutch freighter Agamemnon. Two crewmen perish. The Luftwaffe also damages 1350 ton British freighter Ewell, 5596-ton British freighter Empire Dorado and 1568 ton British freighter Catford in the Thames estuary. The Royal Navy escort ship HMS Winchester (Lt Cdr S. E. Crewe Read) shoots down two of the Junkers Ju 87 Stukas.

This raid begins a sequence of events that cripples HMS Winchester. It is only lightly damaged by near misses in the air attack, but then is damaged by a mine and, while anchored to get repairs, is attacked by air again. This all requires extensive repair in London that will take until 6 June 1941.

Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors (1,/KG 40) spot Convoy HX 84 in the Atlantic west of County Donegal, Ireland. They drop two bombs on and disable 2734 ton Swedish freighter Vingaland. There are 19 survivors and six men perish. The ship is left a blazing derelict and easy prey for any submarine which can spot the plume of smoke or the fire itself. The Italian submarine Marconi will finish the job and sink the Vingaland on the 9th.

Italian submarine Marconi itself is attacked by Royal Navy destroyer HMS Havelock off northwest Ireland. It sustains some damage but escapes.

In a separate attack, the Luftwaffe attack, Heinkel He 115 seaplanes (KGr 506) bomb and damage 1261-ton British freighter Fireglow in the North Sea off Turk Head.

Kriegsmarine auxiliary submarine chasers 520 ton UJ-117 "Uhlenhorst" and 445-ton UJ 1104 "Westfalen" spot 934 ton Royal Netherlands Navy submarine HNLMS O-22 off Lindesnes, Vest-Agder, Norway. They depth-charge and sink the O-22. Everybody on board perishes. The wreck is found in 1993 some 60 miles away from the supposed spot of the attack. The Dutch believe that the O-22 may have survived the attack, but was damaged (the wreck does show depth charge damage) and either managed to get part-way home before succumbing to the damage or hit a mine afterward. There are 42 Dutch and 3 British deaths.

Royal Navy 221 ton converted whaler HMS A.N.2 hits a mine and sinks in the English Channel off Falmouth, Cornwall in southwest England.

Royal Navy 192 ton tug HMS Muria hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea north of Margate, Kent. Everyone on board perishes.

Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Elgin is damaged by an acoustic mine off the Sunk Light Vessel and requires repairs at Lowestoft.

Royal Norwegian Navy offshore patrol boat HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen runs aground and is lost on an unmarked shallow off the south coast of the Norwegian Arctic island Jan Mayen. Before the Nansen founders, the crew manages to get off some emergency messages. The crew reaches land on the Eggøya peninsula and finds an abandoned Norwegian radio station and is rescued some days later by naval trawler HNoMS Honningsvåg. This was the first Norwegian naval ship built purposefully for the coast guard and fishery protection. The ship was one of thirteen Royal Norwegian Navy ships that had escaped from Norway when the government capitulated.

U-47 spots Portuguese freighter Goncalo Velho off Portugal and surfaces. The U-boat fires a warning shot to stop the ship, but it turns toward the U-boat. The Germans, confused as to its intentions, fire another two shots, one of which damages the neutral ship in the stern. Once examined, the ship is allowed to proceed because no contraband is found.

Convoy OB 240 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 329 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 331 departs from Methil.

Royal Navy Hunt-class destroyer Southdown ( (L 25, Commander Edward R. Conder) is commissioned. It now heads to Scapa Flow for working up.

"A female member of Air Raid Precautions staff applies her lipstick between emergency calls." 8 November 1940. © IWM (D 176).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Royal Navy is engaged in a complex series of operations in the Mediterranean under the overall rubric Operation MB8. This involves all sorts of moving parts, including convoys to Malta, attacks on Italian bases, and diversionary activities. As part of these operations, Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal launches an air attack against the Italian seaplane base at Elmas, near Cagliari. This is Operation Crack. After this, the Ark Royal and its accompanying cruiser and destroyers return to Gibraltar. However, other Royal Navy forces are heading for Taranto and Operation Judgement.

French battleship Provence arrives at Toulon from Mers el Kebir, where it was damaged in the Royal Navy attack.

RAF bombers bomb Turin aircraft factories and the Pirelli magneto factory in Milan. The RAF also bombs Tobruk and Derna, Libya, and also Italian bases in Abyssinia.

Five Wellington bombers based on Malta attack Brindisi. They hit the railway station there and demolish it. Four other Wellingtons bomb Naples with incendiaries. On Malta, RAF Station Ta Qali (sometimes termed Takali) becomes operational. The airfield has had to be cleared of obstructions to prevent enemy landings - it is a former civilian field - and to host a Hurricane squadron.

Some native Maltese have been accused of distributing anti-British leaflets "and other seditious material." Today, two are acquitted, three are sentenced to three years of imprisonment. and two are sentenced to four years.

Battle of the Pacific: Another ship falls afoul of the mines being laid off Southern Australia. This time, it is the US City of Rayville. It sinks in the Bass Strait off Cape Otway. There are 37 survivors and one crewman perishes. Some accounts place this on the 9th.

The Australian authorities are now fully aware that German minelayers are operating in the vicinity of Southern Australia, so they close the port of Melbourne for the time being. German raider Pinguin and the Passat, who have been laying the mines, have completed their work and are heading west for the middle of the Indian Ocean to plan their next operation.

Aerial view of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge after the collapse, taken November 8, 1940. Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, PI- 20796. Courtesy of the Museum of History and Industry, Seattle.

German/Soviet Relations: German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, overdoing it a bit in advance of Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov's planned arrival in Berlin on 12 November, sends Molotov a fulsome message. He asks that Molotov bring with him a portrait of Stalin. Molotov immediately replies in the affirmative.

Anglo/US Relations: President Roosevelt vows to send half of all US military output to Great Britain. Now that the election is past, he can be more aggressive in his support of England.

Japanese/US Relations: The Japanese appoint Admiral Nomura Kichasaburo as ambassador to the US.

German Government: Hitler gives his annual speech in Munich to commemorate the failed 1923 Putsch. Speaking in the Löwenbräukeller, he vows retribution for RAF attacks on Berlin. Somewhat ironically, Hitler has had to move the speech up due to fears of RAF attacks on the site of his speech (fears that prove well-founded).

Hitler states that he has always felt that "the Germanic races had to come together" and that as part of this effort "I wished to establish close bonds of friendship with England." In this, however, "we  met with failure regarding England." Hitler blames the war on "war profiteers" and states that he is "indifferent" to the war because it will only go on "until we end it."

As he continues, Hitler drops his conciliatory tone and begins to rage against Winston Churchill, calling him "World History's 'General Liar'" (Generallugner der Weltgeschichte) and a "common criminal." "I will show them who shall be destroyed!" he vows. One somewhat humorous aspect for those reading the speech now is that at one point he says, "And, summing up," but then proceeds to give the bulk of his speech.

US Military: The US War Department announces that it will set up a new training center in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It will be known as Camp Croft Infantry Replacement Training Center, after Major General Edward Croft who came from the state and retired as Chief of Infantry. The camp will be officially activated on 10 January 1941 as part of the Fourth Service Command.

Gabon: General Koenig's troops have landed at Pointe La Mondah, near Libreville, which is still held by Vichy forces. The Vichy forces resist vigorously, but they have few sources of reinforcement or supply. Success in this operation is vital to General de Gaulle's reputation, as the failed invasion of Dakar has cast a cloud over his military reputation.

French Homefront: The Vichy government bans union confederations.

American Homefront: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation releases "The Mark of Zorro," starring Tyrone Power as Diego, Linda Darnell as Lolita Quintero and Basil Rathbone as Captain Esteban Pasquale.

"The Mark of Zorro" starring Tyrone Power is released on 8 November 1940.

November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020

Sunday 18 August 1940

Dornier Do 17 bombers coming in at wavetop level to avoid radar detection. This is the group that gets wiped out at RAF Kenley by arriving there first.

Battle of Britain: After a day of rest, the air battle returns full-bore today, 18 August 1940. The outcome, though, follows the norm of the past month: the RAF loses far fewer planes than the Luftwaffe but has its substance slowly eroded as the Germans pound its airfields, radar stations and factories. This is known as "The Hardest Day" due to the fact that more aircraft are lost today than on any other day of the Battle of Britain.

The day begins poorly for the Luftwaffe when it loses a Junkers Ju 88 during the night and then a reconnaissance Bf 110 of LG 2 over RAF Manston. The latter presages that the main effort of the day is aimed at RAF airfields, which took a huge beating on 15 August.

KG 26 and KG 76 attack RAF Kenley first at around noon - three hours behind schedule due to fears about the weather. It is a highly coordinated attack, with a lot of moving parts. Twenty Bf 109s of JG 51 serve as escorts. Wave after wave of different groups of bombers - first Junkers Ju 88s, then Dornier Do 17s, then another group of Dorniers flying in at tree-top level. The plan is to string out the defense and overwhelm it. Everything is planned out precisely, with different waves of bombers planned to come in at five or ten-minute intervals. On paper, it is an ideal plan.

Another attack at around the same time is made on RAF Biggin Hill by KG 1, escorted by JG 54. In addition, it is planned that a "Freie Jagd" (target of opportunity patrol) by the elite JG 26 and JG 3 would also be in the area.

Things start going wrong due to heavy cloud cover. The bombers and the escorts have difficulty finding each other, and also the winds are against certain formations. The result is that the bombing attacks turn into a mish-mash of Luftwaffe bombers appearing over the targets at random. In fact, a group of Dorniers without escort reach the target first.

RAF No. 111 Squadron gets over Kenley airfield early, and the British anti-aircraft guns are ready for action, with plenty of radar warning due to the swarms of Luftwaffe planes approaching from all directions. In addition, the RAF uses the "cable bombs," which are cables shot into the air and which hang in the air from parachutes over the targets. It is not a very effective weapon, but it does snag a bomber or two.

The result is the wholesale slaughter of the first batch of Dornier bombers over Kenley. They were supposed to be the last to arrive after the defenses already have been disrupted and came the whole way at wavetop/treetop level to avoid detection. Instead, the defenses are fresh and waiting for them. Those bombers that don't get shot down or snagged by cables are badly damaged and either crash in the Channel or make it back to France as total wrecks. Only one bomber from this formation makes it home. Kenley, however, is badly damaged, including the hospital there, and is only partially operational after the attack. Biggin Hill, though, escapes without too much damage. The other airfields are soon operational.

Junkers Ju 87 Stuka on the way down. Unteroffizer August Dann and Unteroffizer Erich Kohl perish.

The rest of the day is a sequence of chaotic, confusing actions over various RAF airfields. RAF Gosport, Ford, and Thorney Island receive attention, the radar station at Poling is attacked at 14:00, Portsmouth is hit, and RAF Manston gets strafed. Basically, the entire coordinated attack breaks down, and it is "every formation for itself." One Bf 110 pilot only survives after being badly damaged by spiraling in trailing smoke to appear like a write-off, then pulling out at the last second and scooting for France. It is that kind of day, men fighting desperately for their lives and pulling out all their tricks just to stay alive.

The Luftwaffe loses 17 Junkers Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers during the day (out of 109 committed to action). Ten are lost just in the Thorney Island raid. It is the single worst day for the Stuka force during the war, at least to this point. Six others are badly damaged for an overall attrition rate of over 20%. After this, the Stukas basically are withdrawn from the battle, though they remain available at the Pas de Calais for targeted strikes, particularly against naval targets and to support Operation Sea Lion (the invasion of Great Britain that never takes place). Looking ahead, the Stukas are withdrawn completely only when Sea Lion is finally canceled in September 1940.

The Luftwaffe damages British dredge ship Lyster at Liverpool.

Sgt. Bruce Hancock, an RAF pilot, uses his unarmed training plane to ram a Luftwaffe bomber and perishes.

The day's losses are usually touted as 60-75 losses for the Luftwaffe and 30-40 for the RAF. This, however, does not count numerous aircraft (one estimate is 29, including half a dozen fighters) destroyed on RAF airfields, so things are not quite as bad for the Luftwaffe as it might appear based on the aerial combat losses. One can with confidence say that air losses for the day were heavy for both sides and favored the RAF by roughly 2-1, while planes actually destroyed were about even.

However, the numbers also understate the problems caused for the Luftwaffe. The numbers do not come close to reflecting the chaos and the damage suffered. GruppenKommandeur Hptm. Herbert Meisel of I,/StG 77 is killed,  Lt. Walter Blume of 7./JG 26 (14 victories) becomes a POW, Oblt. Helmut Teidmann of 2./JG 3 (7 victories) becomes a POW, Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 51 Hptm. Horst Tietzen is killed - the list of very talented and successful pilots lost is long. When that many top pilots are lost, something is going seriously wrong. Fortunately for Adolf Galland, he is at Carinhall receiving a decoration and misses the "fun," but the losses are absolutely crippling for several formations.

The RAF also loses a dozen pilots, and that is not trivial. Most of their men, however, can parachute to safety and be back with their Squadrons by suppertime. The Germans shot down over England are gone for good, and there are scads of them. It is fair to say that neither side really knows how the other is holding up, so the day puts everyone on edge.

The RAF also makes some attacks of its own. RAF Coastal Command attacks Boulogne, and Bomber Command raids the Italian aircraft works at Milan and Turin again. Other attacks are made against Luftwaffe airfields at Freiburg and Habsheim, and industrial targets at Waldshut and Bad Rheinfelden are bombed.

Due to heavy losses, JG 52 is pulled from the Channel and transferred back to Jever to fly defensive missions against RAF Bomber Command. In addition, Ju 87 Stukas finally are withdrawn from attacks inland.

RAF Kenley under attack. The photo is taken from a Luftwaffe bomber. 18 August 1940.

German Government: The summer is wearing on, and Operation Sea Lion is no nearer to having its preconditions fulfilled. It is not, however, the Luftwaffe's fault, for it is fighting its heart out with inadequate equipment and delusional commanders. The problem is the Kriegsmarine. It continues to reveal just how unprepared it is for a cross-Channel expedition of any kind, which is a bit of a farce because the navy was the service pushing the idea of an invasion hardest in the first place. While Wilhelm Keitel can issue fatuous orders about "compromise" between the army and navy conceptions of an invasion, reality intrudes. The army can insist all it wants on inserting an entire army group on the English shores at once, but everything ultimately boils down to the Kriegsmarine and what it can actually do. There is only one conclusion to be drawn as the high command reviews the facts: the Kriegsmarine simply does not have the ships pretty much regardless of what the Luftwaffe does from now on.

There is scapegoating everywhere in the German high command. Hermann Goering blames "local commanders," Admiral Raeder blames the Luftwaffe, the Army blames the Kriegsmarine, and Hitler apparently doesn't even really want to invade anyway. One thing is for certain, things have to improve fast or the entire military strategy against Great Britain is bankrupt.

German pilots are given their objectives before taking to the skies in their Stukas, 18 August 1940. Notice how solemn the pilots look. (Credit: Corbis).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-48 (K.Kapt. Hans-Rudolf Rösing) torpedoes and sinks 7,590-ton Belgian freighter Ville de Gand (some sources place the sinking on the 19th).

Armed merchant cruiser Circassia eludes an attack by an unknown U-boat, then counterattacks without success (but claims it sank the U-boat). Nobody has been able to identify the U-boat.

Cruiser HMS Delhi stops Spanish freighter Ciudad de Seville and Portuguese freighter Joao Belo. It sends the former to Freetown and interns six Germans on the latter.

Convoys OA 201 and MT 144 depart from Methil, Convoy FN 256 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 256 departs the Tyne, Convoy OB 200 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL 44 departs from Freetown, BS 3 departs from Suez.

Battle of the Mediterranean: At Malta, there are no raids. Three Blenheim bombers fly in for operations.

A Spitfire at Biggin Hill on or about 18 August 1940.

British Somaliland: The Black Watch rear guard boards the transports at Berbera in the early morning hours and completes the evacuation. Skeleton forces remain in Berbera throughout the day, with the Italians advancing hesitantly, but it basically is an open city. Local Somali troops choose to stay and retain their weapons, but they are not defending the city.

The Italians do not press their attacks to disrupt the evacuation, even though they easily could. Perhaps this is because of typical Italian military timidity. There is lingering suspicion, though, that the Italians hold back because of peace talks being conducted in the Vatican between Italy and Great Britain which Italy does not want to hinder. This is a highly controversial topic. In any event, such talks (if they occur) ultimately lead nowhere, so there is nothing to point to as firm evidence. However, if one takes the absolute longest view, the Italian forbearance at Berbera may make things easier for them when it truly is time to get out of the war.

Three Australian sailors from HMAS Hobart, which remains in the harbor, are captured at one of the previous blocking positions outside of Berbera around this date and become the first Australian POWs of World War II.

Blenheim bombers of RAF No. 11 Squadron based in Aden bomb the road near Laferug, losing a bomber to little purpose. RAF No. 223 based on Perim Island at the same time also raids Addis Ababa in Abyssinia, destroying some hangars, the Duke of Aosta's personal airplane, an SM.79 bomber, an SM.75 bomber, and three Ca.133 planes in addition to damaging several other planes.

The campaign is a decided British defeat, and Prime Minister Churchill (who has strong views about the Italian military) is furious at everyone involved. As a media event, it is overwhelmed by the climax of the Battle of Britain and thus receives scant attention in the Allied media. However, British prestige in the Middle East and throughout the Arab World, first earned by Lawrence of Arabia during World War I, is shattered.

For Italy, today may be the highpoint of their military involvement in World War II, an unalloyed victory with no downside and insignificant losses. Once they occupy Berbera, they quickly begin converting it into a submarine base.

German/Finnish Relations: Finland remains solidly neutral, but German negotiators propose a trade of German military equipment for Norwegian raw materials such as nickel, along with transit of German troops through the country (which could only be for one obvious purpose...). The Finns, still smarting from the Winter War and all of the territory lost to the Soviet Union, give the proposal serious consideration.

US Military: The keel is laid down on battleship USS Columbia in Camden, New Jersey.

American Homefront: The German-American Bund and the KKK hold an anti-war rally in Camp Nordland, New Jersey, which attracts the attention of protesters.

The founder of the Chrysler Corporation, Walter Chrysler, passes away.

L1851 was one of a few fabric wing Hurricanes with 1 (F) Squadron RCAF. On August 18, 1940, the day after the Squadron became operational, Flight Lieutenant V. B.Corbett ran into a fuel browser with YO-U during a scramble at 14:30 hours at RAF Hornchurch, as shown. (Photo courtesy of the Canada Department of National Defence/Library and Archives of Canada.)

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

Thursday 15 August 1940

A Luftwaffe raid on RAF Middle Wallop, on or around 15 August 1940.

German Military: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering is no fool, but he completely fails at crafting a successful aerial strategy against the British. Partly this is due to poor German military intelligence, partly to grandiose notions he has of what the Luftwaffe can accomplish, and partly to the simple fact that the Luftwaffe equipment is not up to the task before them - something that he, of course, cannot admit. A huge part of the problems, though, is that he has an uncanny knack for drawing the wrong conclusions from known facts.

At his estate north of Berlin named after his dead wife (and not his living one), on 15 August 1940 Goering conducts a critical morning review of the situation with the commanders of the three Luftflotten facing England. Kesselring, Sperrle, and Stumpff have little positive to say about the outcome of Adler Tag on 13 August, but they can't put the blame where much of it belongs: on Goering's own meddling. Goering listens to what they have to say and then issues a lengthy order (see below)  More than anything, it expresses his own frustrations at the course of the battle. The order is the clearest expression of aerial defeat during the entire battle. It also has a remarkably grumpy tone for a top German directive.

The order is full of phrases such as "I have repeatedly given orders" and those fighter tactics "must be readjusted" which evidence obvious anger at the failures to date. There is classic blame-shifting, as he explicitly blames "certain unit commanders" for the failures on Adler Tag. It also is full of observations that are incredibly basic, such as that night attacks on shipping only succeed when the pilots can see their targets - something that local commanders should be well aware of, but apparently are not. Most of all, it appears to be an attempt to cover his own heinie, something that he can always point to as proof that these problems are not his own fault because he was always right.

Basically, the order is a study in scapegoating. Goering knows that Hitler receives summaries of the foreign press every morning, and the London newspapers are making him look the fool for the (extremely overstated) Luftwaffe losses being reported there.

The essence of the order, after you wade through all the whining about the faults of others, is that the vulnerable bombers have to be better-protected, and attacks must be focused on destroying the RAF. With this order, Goering creates the doctrine of close escorts, something which is innovative and adopted by all air forces.

He also draws one of the worst possible conclusions from a factually true statement: the British radar stations have not been destroyed, thus they are not worth attacking. That not only shows phenomenally poor judgment, it also reveals that Goering, the head of the Luftwaffe, now realizes that his force is not up to the job.

A Polish groundcrew writes to the enemy on a bomb at RAF Hemswell, 15 August 1940. The message appears to be something along the lines of "Warsaw then, Berlin now." IWM (HU 111733).

Battle of Britain: The weather is poor during the morning, so little takes place then. A fast Dornier Do 17 of 3(F)/31 tempts fate by flying reconnaissance over the damaged radar station at Ventnor on the Isle of Wight but is shot down. Things heat up remarkably when the weather clears, leading to the most Luftwaffe sorties (about 1800) of the entire Battle of Britain.

The day's strategy is to draw Air Marshall Dowding's fighters to the south, leaving the north of Great Britain wide open to attacks from Luftflotte 5 in Norway. This is necessary because Luftwaffe Bf 109s cannot make the 1100-mile distance from Norway to Great Britain and back.

When the weather clears shortly before noon, II./StG 1 and IV (St)./LG 1 of Luftlotte 2 send 45 Stukas, accompanied by escorts from JG 26. The formations split after reaching the coast, with some bombing Folkestone and the others toward Kent. They score a major success by putting the airfield at Lympne out of action. However, RAF No. 54 Squadron metes out punishment over the airport, shooting down two Stukas. The elite JG 26 formation, however, quickly steps in and shoots down two Spitfires in return. Adolf Galland gets two victories during this action.

About two hours later, at 13:30, Luftflotte 5 in Norway sends across 65 Heinkel He 111s from I./KG 26 and III./ KG 26 toward airfields at Dishforth, Usworth, and Linton-upon-Ouse. The only escorts are long-range Bf 110s, which on their best day are no match for Spitfires, but the distance from Norway prevents the use of Bf 109s. An innovation is that Gruppenkommandeur's Bf 110 - Hptm. Werner Restemeyer's plane is outfitted with special radio gear to listen in on RAF radio transmissions vectoring the fighters towards them. A major navigational foul-up, though, nullifies any advantage of surprise, as the Bf 110s mistakenly make landfall right where a supposedly diversionary attack by Luftwaffe seaplanes is taking place. The RAF fighter thus is ready and waiting for the vulnerable Heinkels and Bf 110s, leading to an epic catastrophe for the Luftwaffe in which Restemeyer, five other Bf 110s, and 8 Heinkels are shot down.

At the same time, I., II. and III./KG 30 from Luftlotte 5 attack RAF Driffield - also without escorts - with 50 Junkers Ju 88s. The theory is that by massive attacks, the RAF fighters will be preoccupied elsewhere - which is a very hopeful theory. In fact, the RAF is ready and waiting for them, and, though they do bomb the airfield, the Ju 88s lose 6 planes. However, the attack turns into a success despite the losses because the bombs set off an ammunition dump that destroys a dozen Whitley bombers.

Luftflotte 3 based in Belgium has the next crack. KG 3 sends 88 Dornier Do 17s toward Rochester and Eastchurch airfields in southeast England. This formation, though, has a massive fighter escort of some 130 Bf 109s from JG 26, 51 and 52 - all premier formations. The large force loses only four Bf 109s and two Dorniers, with the bombers doing major damage to the airfields and a nearby aircraft factory developing the Stirling bomber and some other targets as well.

Galland of JG 26 then conducts another mission, this time a pure fighter sweep over the Canterbury region. The RAF fighters are still in the air from the Luftflotte 3 attack, and Galland's fresh fighters go to work. Walter Oesau gets two Spitfires and a barrage balloon, Pips Priller gets one, and generally, the Bf 109s get some payback for the horrendous losses further north.

There also are some minor attacks that are designed to take advantage of the air fleet actions which are preoccupying the defending RAF fighters. I,/LG 1 bombs RAF Middle Wallop, and II,/LG 1 bombs RAF Worthy Down. Some bombers also head for Swanage and Southampton late in the afternoon. The attacks have varying degrees of success depending upon the degree of RAF involvement. There are reports that radar stations at Rye, Dover and at Foreness on the Isle of Wight are put out of action temporarily.

In one of these late-afternoon attacks, Epr.Gr 210 attempts to bomb RAF Martlesham Heath but hits RAF Croyden by mistake (62 dead). Croyden is in the middle of built-up London suburbs, and some mark this as the first attack on London - though apparently unintentional.

KG 27 winds up the day by attacking Bristol. Once again, III,/KG 27 bombs the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton and the nearby docks.

RAF Bomber Command continues its attacks on typical targets such as the aircraft works in Turin and Milan, industrial targets in Genoa, oil installations at Gelsenkirchen and Reisholz, various ports, Ruhr ammunition plants, and various airfields throughout northwestern Europe.

The day is another big RAF victory, and within the Luftwaffe, it becomes known as "Black Thursday." The estimated losses for the Luftwaffe are 75, for the RAF 35 (sources vary widely, the newspapers claim 161 Luftwaffe planes lost but that is highly unlikely). The RAF does lose about 18 pilots, but the Luftwaffe loses many times that many aircrews. Major Galland, who has a great day personally, later recalls that, by this point, the wear and tear on the Luftwaffe have become overwhelming and is magnified by the lack of success. The lesson of the day is that bombers absolutely must be escorted, Bf 110s themselves must be escorted, and only well-planned raids that are well-protected can succeed. Luftflotten 5 is taken out of the battle completely because it is too far away for its fighters to make the crossing from Norway.


Battle of the Atlantic: U-51 (Kapitänleutnant Dietrich Knorr) torpedoes and sinks 5709-ton British tanker Sylvafield about 150 miles west of Rockall. There are 36 survivors and three crew perish. The tanker is full of badly needed oil. Tankers are hard to sink, and Knorr has to use two torpedoes.

U-A (Kapitänleutnant Hans Cohausz) torpedoes and sinks 4211 ton Greek ore freighter Aspasia in the eastern Atlantic. All 19 crewmen perish.

British freighter Brixton hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea.

Convoy OA 199 departs from Methil, Convoy OB 198 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SC 1 departs from Sydney, Nova Scotia,.

With the Battle of Britain going poorly, the Kriegsmarine issues orders for the construction of 86 new U-boats. It is getting ready for a long war.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italy does not want Greece to enter the war. On the feast day of the Assumption of Mary, it tries a little intimidation. The attacks are a complete surprise, including to the Italian Foreign Ministry which must come up with denials about something it knows nothing about.

Greek light cruiser Helle (aka Elli) sinks off the island of Tinos while at anchor. The instant assumption is that an Italian submarine sank it, but nobody knows for sure. This becomes the "Helle Incident." In fact, the cruiser is sunk by Italian submarine Delfino. There are 9 deaths and 24 wounded.

Royal Navy submarine Osiris sinks Italian freighter Morea in the Adriatic.

Greece goes out of its way to simply note that it was an "unknown attacker" in order to not provoke Italy, but it is pretty clear what happened. The incident could have been far more serious, as the Delfino unsuccessfully attacks passenger liners M/V Elsi and M/V Esperos anchored nearby.

Italian bombers also attack Greek destroyers Vasilissa Olga and Vasilevs Georgios I - apparently mistakenly - in the same area.

The RAF attacks the harbor at Bomba, Libya, and also points in Eritrea and Abyssinia. The Italians raid Alexandria.

After a long period with no raids or only light attacks, the Italians mount a major attack on Malta at 13:44. Ten bombers escorted by 25 fighters attack Hal Far airfield, destroying infrastructure and a Swordfish torpedo plane. One of the buildings hit was housing scarce supplies for the Hurricanes. The Italians lose no planes, while the RAF loses one of its precious Hurricanes, with the pilot (Sgt. R. O'Donnell) KIA.

British submarines HMS Pandora and Proteus set off on another supply mission to Malta.

All ice cream sales in Malta are banned.

British commander General Wavell boards his plane in London for the flight back to Alexandria.

Squadron Leader E. A. McNab becomes the first RCAF pilot to record a kill in the Battle of Britain. McNab is Commanding Officer with No 1 (RCAF) Squadron.

British Somaliland: The Italians take another of the four remaining British hills defending the coast road to Berbera. With Observation Hill lost, the British defenders begin pulling back toward the capital. The next blocking position is at Barkasan, about ten miles further down the road.

Major General Godwin-Austen receives a reply to his 14 August request to evacuate; the request is granted. The British will now evacuate the entire country.

One of the soldiers at Tug Argan, Eric Wilson of the British Somaliland Camel Corps, does not receive the order to retreat and continues firing his machine gun. Eventually, he is captured. He later earns the Victoria's Cross for the event.

Anglo/US Relations: As expected, British Prime Minister Churchill is ecstatic at the American offer of exchanging British bases for US destroyers. He replies to President Roosevelt's telegram of 13 Aug 1940, writing that the "moral value of this fresh aid from your Government and your people at this critical time will be very great and widely felt," and that "the worth of every destroyer that you can spare to us is measured in rubies."

Assistant Chief of Naval Operations Rear Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, Major General Delos C. Emmons (USAAC), and Brigadier General George V. Strong (USA) arrive in London for informal staff conversations with British officers. This presumably is related to the transfer of the destroyers.

Italian/Spanish Relations: Generalissimo Francisco Franco of Spain tells fellow dictator Benito Mussolini that he is preparing to join the Axis. However, he is watching the Battle of Britain and other military developments very closely.

US Military: Chrysler contracts with the US Army to construct the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant at Warren, Michigan. This is an innovation in military-industrial cooperation, as it is the first government-owned and contractor-operated facility.

The US Navy establishes a new Naval Air Station in Miami. The first commander is Gerald F. Bogan.

Destroyers USS Wake and USS Wainwright arrive at Bahia, Brazil.

Submarine USS Triton (SS 201,  Lt. Commander Willis A. Lent) is commissioned.

Soviet Military: Boris Shaposhnikov is named Deputy People's Commissar of Defense.

Applied Science: President Roosevelt approves the formation of the National Defense Research Committee, to oversee the activities of civilian researchers working on military projects.

Holocaust: Adolf Eichmann submits a memo proposing the forced deportation of European Jews to Madagascar, which is under Vichy French control.

Luxembourg: The new civil administration in Luxembourg establishes a customs union with Germany, the first step in its ultimate planned absorption.

A pilot of No. 64 Squadron RAF running towards his Supermarine Spitfire Mark 1A as the Squadron is scrambled at Kenley, 10.45 a.m. 15 August 1940. © IWM (HU 54420).

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering's Order of 15 August 1940:

1. The fighter escort defenses of our Stuka formations must be readjusted, as the enemy is concentrating his fighters against our Stuka operations. It appears necessary to allocate three fighter Gruppen to each Stuka Gruppe, one of these fighter Gruppen remains with the Stukas, and dives with them to the attack; the second flies ahead over the target at medium altitude and engages the fighter defenses; the third protects the whole attack from above. It will also be necessary to escort Stukas returning from the attack over the Channel.

2. Night attacks on shipping targets are only fruitful when the night is so clear that careful aim can be taken.

3. More importance must be attached to co-operation between members of individual aircrews. Seasoned crews are not to be broken up except in cases of utmost urgency.

4. The incident of V(Z)LGI on August 13 shows that certain unit commanders have not yet learned the importance of clear orders.

5. I have repeatedly given orders that twin-engined fighters are only to be employed where the range of other fighters is inadequate, or where it is for the purpose of assisting our single-engined aircraft to break off combat. Our stocks of twin-engined fighters are not great, and we must use them as economically as possible.

6. Until further orders, operations are to be directed exclusively against the enemy Air Force, including the targets of the enemy aircraft industry allocated to the different Luftflotten. Shipping targets, and particularly large naval vessels, are only to be attacked where circumstances are especially propitious. For the moment, other targets should be ignored. We must concentrate our efforts on the destruction of the enemy Air Forces. Our night attacks are essentially dislocation raids, made so that the enemy defenses and population shall be allowed no respite. Even these, however, should where possible be directed against Air Force targets.

7. My orders regarding the carrying out of attacks by single aircraft under cover of cloud conditions have apparently not been correctly understood. Where on one afternoon 50 aircraft are dispatched without adequate preparation on individual missions, it is probable that the operation will be unsuccessful and very costly. I, therefore, repeat that such sorties are to undertaken only by specially selected volunteer crews, who have made a prolonged and intensive study of the target, the most suitable method of attack, and the particular navigational problems involved. By no means, all our crews are qualified to undertake such risks.

8. KG2 100 (bombers) is also in the future, to operate against the enemy Air Force and aircraft industry.

9. It is doubtful if there is any point in continuing the attacks on radar sites, in view of the fact that not one of those attacked has so far been put out of operation.

10. The systematic designation of alternative targets would appear frequently to lead to certain targets being attacked which have absolutely no connection with our strategic aims. It must, therefore, be achieved that even alternative targets are of importance in the battle against the enemy Air Force.

11. The Commanders-in-Chief of the Luftflotten are to report to me on the question of the warnings to be given during enemy penetrations over the Reich. At present, the warnings are causing a loss of output whose consequences are far graver than those caused by the actual bomb damage. In addition, the frequent air raid warnings are leading to nervousness and strain among the population of Western Germany. On the other hand, we must take into account the risk of heavy loss of life should an attack be launched before a warning has been given.

Field Marshal Kesselring, known to the Allies as "Smiling Albert," probably isn't smiling too much on 15 August 1940.

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