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

Saturday 28 September 1940

Piccadilly Underground Station, 28 September 1940.

Battle of Britain: Weather is good on 28 September 1940, but the Luftwaffe is licking its wounds from the 27th. Once again, the Luftwaffe brass fine-tunes its strategy. Large formations of hundreds of bombers have been attracting massive responses from RAF Fighter Command to the Luftwaffe's detriment because half the German forces are ponderous bombers which make easy targets. Why it has taken the Luftwaffe this long to figure out such basic tactics is a good question, perhaps simply a sign of immense (and wholly unjustified) overconfidence.

Thus, the new Luftwaffe strategy is to launch smaller, more focused formations which will force the RAF to pick and choose among them for attacks. Another tactic is to keep the escorting Bf 109s even higher than usual to retain the height advantage.

The first raid comes across at about 10:00 when 120 aircraft approach the Kent coast. They separate into two waves, one toward London and the other around Maidstone. About six of the bombers make it to central London, while the others drop out along the way to bomb RAF Biggin Hill, Poplar, Deptford, and Woolwich.

The second raid comes across right on schedule after lunchtime, at about 14:30. It heads for Portland, Beachy Head, Maidstone and nearby areas. RAF Nos. 10 and 11 Groups basically thwart this raid, but at some cost to themselves. Numerous Luftwaffe fighter pilots claim victories in this action, despite the lack of bombing success.

A third attack wave crosses toward Kent about half an hour after the second. It heads from Cherbourg toward Portsmouth and Tangmere. Fighter Command is stretched by this raid, which dilutes the effort against the second wave. Most of the bombers turn back to base after dropping their bombs in the water.

The Luftwaffe mounts a couple of small convoy raids during the remainder of the afternoon, with limited success (described below).

After dark, London, as usual, is the main target. The bombers also attack airfields throughout England, including at Digby, the Midlands, Liverpool, Derby, Nottingham, Peterborough and around Bristol. A Liverpool raid causes heavy damage, with the bombers circling around over Wales to escape. A large force of 120 bombers attacks London shortly after 21:00, and the attacks last until after sunrise. London anti-aircraft fires all night long until the morning sun arrives. The night is noted for damage to hospitals in West Middlesex Heston, Staines Emergency, St Bernards (Uxbridge) and Barnes Isolation.

At a London railway station, an evacuee has a little fun. 28 September 1940.

The score for the day is about even at 16 apiece. It is a good day for the Luftwaffe in terms of aerial victories, but the daylight bombing raids are proving more and more problematic. Daylight raids are not favored by everyone due to high losses, but they allow precision bombing of aircraft factories and other select targets that are extremely difficult to achieve at night.

Major Werner Mölders of Stab/JG 51 downs a Spitfire over Littlestone for his forty-second, staying ahead of Adolf Galland for the fierce battle for top scorer. Hptm. Helmut Wick of Stab I./JG 2 and Hptm. Walter Oesau of Stab III./JG 51 file for their victories, thirty-second victory, and thirty-first, respectively.

Hans-Joachim Marseille notches his seventh victory while over the English Channel (a Spitfire). His plane is damaged in the encounter, but he makes it back to a French beach.

The high victory scores for the Luftwaffe Experten are encouraging for the Luftwaffe, but also signs of possible trouble down the road. It is a case of the rich getting richer while the vast majority of pilots play second fiddle. New aces need to be developed in order to continue this kind of production, as the few top aces are accumulating an exaggerated amount of experience and confidence while their subordinates - often forced to play supportive roles to the "masters" - languish.

Hans-Joachim Marseille proves the point by being the exception, as he refuses to play second fiddle and thus gains experience, stature, and victories, but at the cost of resentment by his superiors. Around this time, in fact, Marseille is passed over promotion from Fähnrich, leaving him the only one in his entire Geschwader (LG 2).

Daily Mail, 28 September 1940.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids Berlin, targeting anti-aircraft guns and power stations. In addition to the usual airfields and ports along the coast, such as Lorient, Hanau, it bombs Frankfurt and Wilhelmshaven.

The British lose a Hampden bomber near Bergen to Uffz. Otto Niemeyer of 4./JG 77 (his fourth victory).

Today's Daily Mail has an article quoting "a famous neutral air expert" deriding the Luftwaffe's chances in the Battle of Britain. He makes the following points:

1. The Luftwaffe's numerical advantage is not as big as believed;
2. Many of the Luftwaffe's bombers are dive-bombers which are not effective in a strategic bombing campaign;
3. The Luftwaffe's ability to expand is minimal, while the RAF's ability to do so is "immense";
4. The Luftwaffe has few aircrew reserves;
5. The Luftwaffe training system is completely inadequate.

The unnamed expert is likely an American with a dog in this fight, and these ideas are stated perhaps a bit bombastically. However, the basic points are all uncannily insightful - in hindsight.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth inspecting air-raid damage in London during the Blitz, 27 September 1940. By Keystone/Hulton.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-32 (Kapitänleutnant Hans Jenisch), operating hundreds of miles west of Ireland, torpedoes and badly damages 5759-ton British freighter Empire Ocelot. The ship stays afloat long enough for 33 of her 35-man crew to be rescued by HMS Havelock but ultimately sinks.

U-37 (Kplt. Victor Oehrn), just starting her eighth patrol, spots abandoned freighter Corrientes, torpedoed by U-32 on the 26th. It finishes the freighter off.

The Luftwaffe attacks Convoy HX 73A north of Aberdeen in the North Sea. It bombs and sinks 5193-ton British freighter Dalveen. There are 32 survivors and 11 men perish. In addition, they damage British freighter Queen City.

British 344 ton trawler HMS Recoil hits a mine and sinks off Bridport, Dorset on the English Channel. All 24-25 men aboard perish. Since nobody survived, it is merely a guess that it hit a mine on or about this date (some accounts place this on the 27th, but nobody knows for sure). The Recoil previously had been a German trawler named Blankenburg and was seized in April near Norway.

The RAF bombs and sinks 517 ton German (Dutch) tanker Shell II during a raid on the Scheldt estuary. Casualties are unknown.

A flotilla of German destroyers (Eckholdt, Riedel, Lody, Galster, Ihn, and Steinbrinck) based at Brest makes an audacious night-time visit to Falmouth Bay and lays mines. This proves to be a very successful minefield near the Royal Navy base at Plymouth.

The first tranche of new British destroyers obtained from the US Navy pursuant to the destroyers-for-bases deal arrives in Great Britain.

The Bismarck departs from Kiel for Gotenhafen (Gdynia, Poland) to conduct sea trials.

Convoy OA 221 departs from Methil, Convoy FN 293 departs from Southend, Convoy OL 5 departs from Liverpool,

U-97 (Kapitänleutnant Udo Heilmann) is commissioned.

Hans-Joachim Marseille's plane near Théville after engine failure. Bf 109 E-7; W.Nr. 4091. 28 September 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The South African Air Force attack Birikau, Italian East Africa (British Somaliland).

The Royal Navy fleet at Alexandria puts to sea to support a convoy to Malta pursuant to Operation MB 5.  This convoy includes over 1000 troops and anti-aircraft artillery for Malta. The force is led by battleships Warspite and Valiant. An Italian submarine operating off Sidi Barrani spots the armada and reports it to the Regia Marina, which immediately dispatches the Italian fleet, led by battleships Littorio, Veneto, Cavour and Cesare, from Taranto and Messina.

Australian destroyer HMAS Stuart, at sea to cover the Malta Convoy MB 5, works with Alexandria aircraft to sink Italian submarine Gondar along the Egyptian coast. The Gondar carried three human torpedoes for use against the British fleet at Alexandria. All 47 crew are survivors, including four frogmen to man the human torpedoes, and taken aboard the Stuart.

Italian submarine Scire also is carrying manned torpedoes for use against the British fleet at Gibraltar but is recalled when the Italians learn that the fleet is down at Freetown following Operation Menace.

British submarine HMS Pandora torpedoes and sinks 813-ton Italian freighter Famiglia north of Ras Aamer, Libya (near Tobruk/Benghazi). Some accounts place this sinking in late August. Italian torpedo boat Enrico Cosenz tries to sink the Pandora in retaliation, but the British sub gets away.

Spanish 1,939 ton freighter Monte Moncayo hits a mine and sinks about 15 km from Cagliari, Sicily. There are four deaths.

Propaganda War: The British begin Radio Belgique, broadcasting from London to German-occupied Belgium. The Germans have been broadcasting all along every evening in the cultured tones of Lord Haw-Haw, so this is a counter-measure to provide the "real" news. Radio Belgique is produced with the support of the Belgian government in exile and forms part of the BBC's European Service.

Radio Belgique broadcasts in French and Dutch (two separate services), and thus also provides news for people in France who choose to listen. Broadcasts at first are in a single segment from 21:00 to 21:15 each evening with the language switching on alternate days. Later, the broadcasts are expanded to include both languages daily at alternate times, with an expanded slate of both morning and evening timeslots.

Radio Belgique is a continuation of the pre-war BELGA agency and transmits throughout the war. The Germans are a bit slow on the uptake and only ban people from listening to the broadcasts in December, with harsh penalties imposed upon those who do listen. The Germans respond with collaborationist radio stations and attempt to jam the transmissions. It is estimated that more Belgians listen to this BBC station than to the German-run stations. These BBC propaganda broadcasts start small and take time to acquire a loyal following, but eventually accumulate a massive audience. They have a direct influence on the war, being used to transmit codes to resistance groups and provide a way for people who oppose the occupation to link together through this shared interest.

US Government: US Under-Secretary of State Sumner Welles, who visited the European leaders during Spring 1940, notes in a written statement that the majority of US citizens wanted to support Great Britain against Germany. He notes the "heroism" of "that proud people" in "defending their homes."

British Homefront: All clocks are adjusted back one hour for Daylight Savings Time.

"Arrival of the first flotilla of American destroyers for Royal Navy. 28 September 1940, Royal Dockyard, Devonport. The flotilla handed over by the US government under the agreement were manned entirely by British crews." © IWM (A 729).

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