Sunday 20 October 1940

Spanish leader Francisco Franco with Heinrich Himmler in Madrid, 20 October 1940 (Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L15327).

Battle of Britain: The weather continues to be poor, but is just good enough for a few medium-sized Luftwaffe operations. The Luftwaffe continues to concentrate on fighter-bomber (Jabo) attacks on southern England, with only occasional daylight bomber raids.

The Jabos mount small-scale attacks throughout the morning, but cause little damage and few casualties. The RAF sends up 8 Squadrons to challenge them, and both sides take some losses.

After lunchtime, at 13:00 a 50-plane Jabo raid crosses Dover for London. Once again, the RAF sends up a handful of Squadrons to battle them. Again both sides take losses.

Around 14:30, another Jabo raid crosses over Maidstone. However, it peters out after the RAF intercepts, and from then on there are only scattered skirmishes until nightfall.

After dark, the Luftwaffe sends about 300 bombers against London, Manchester, the Midlands, East Anglia, and Birmingham. The bulk of the attacks are before midnight. Coventry, home of the Armstrong-Siddeley and Singer Motor Works, also takes damage. The Luftwaffe drops mines along the coast of southern and eastern England.

In London, there is a cultural tragedy when The British Museum Newspaper Repository building goes up in flames, taking with it 6000 volumes of 19th Century literary works. The rail stations at Euston, Waterloo and King William Street are hit.

The RAF No. 219 Squadron gets some night fighters in the air, but the Beaufighter interceptors are difficult for the crews to learn. The radar equipment in particular poses problems. However, the RAF believes that the night fighters hold great promise.

For the day, the Luftwaffe loses about ten planes and the RAF only a handful. The best news for the RAF is that it does not lose any pilots. Luftwaffe losses, of course, usually do lead to lost pilots, either through death or capture.

The Italians are now ready to begin operations against England from their base in Belgium. The planes include BR20 bombers, Cant Z1007 long-range bombers, G50 fighters, and CR42 fighters. None of them are up to the standards of the fierce Channel Front.

There is an exchange of coastal gunfire at Hellfire Corner (Straits of Dover) which does not achieve much. The German shells often do not explode, and today 15 out of 20 fired (some sources say 50 are fired) turn out to be duds.

Werner Mölders, the leading ace of the war, is promoted to Oberstleutnant.

Oberleutnant Helmut Wick becomes Major Wick and assumes command as Kommodore of JG 2, replacing Major Wolfgang Schellmann. A top Luftwaffe scorer, Wick says:

As long as I can shoot down the enemy, adding to the honor of the ‘Richthofen’ Geschwader and the success of the Fatherland, I will be a happy man. I want to fight and die fighting, taking with me as many of the enemy as possible.

Oblt. Hans Philipp, 4./JG 54, claims 2 Hurricanes to reach 20 victories.

"Prehistoric Porky," a Looney Tunes Porky the Pig cartoon directed by Bob Clampett, is released on 20 October 1940. This is a rare leading role for Porky during this period. He is an "everyman" prehistoric caveman with a pet dinosaur named Rover. There are similarities between "Prehistoric Porky" and "The Flintstones" from the 1960s.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids Berlin twice during the night, starting many fires. RAF bombers also hit points in Italy (Turin, Aosta, Milan), north German ports (Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven), the Krupps factory at Essen, and various invasion ports. The attack on Wilhelmshaven is directed by 7 bombers at battleship Tirpitz, which has become the tar baby of the Kriegsmarine for the RAF. As usual, the bombers achieve no hits against it.

Battle of the Atlantic: The slaughter of Convoy HX 79 continues through the night of 19/20 October. I go through that battle in the entry for the 19th. Ships sunk in the early hours of the 20th from Convoy HX 79 (150 miles southwest of Rockall) include:\

• British 8230 ton tanker Caprella (by U-100) (1 dead, 52 survivors);
• British 5452 ton freighter Loch Lomond (by U-100) (1 dead, 39 survivors); 
• British 6218 ton tanker Sitala (by U-100) (1 dead, 43 survivors);
• Swedish 9965 ton tanker Janus (by U-46) (4 dead, 33 survivors);
• British 5185 ton freighter La Estancia (by U-47) (1 dead, 33 survivors);
• British 5026 ton freighter Whitford Point (by U-47) (37 dead, 2 survivors).

In addition to the battle around Convoy HX 79, a bit further west there is a separate attack against Convoy OB 229. U-124 (Kplt. Georg-Wilhelm Schulz). While not nearly as epic a confrontation as that surrounding Convoys SC 7 and HX 79, it adds to the British misery as they begin to contemplate the possibility that the Kriegsmarine actually might be able to shut down the North Atlantic trade routes. In total, U-124 sinks 11,199 tons of shipping during the attack, not a bad haul at all.

U-124 (Kptl. Georg-Wilhelm Schulz) torpedoes and sinks 5810-ton Norwegian freighter Cubano. There are 30-33 survivors (accounts vary) and two crew perish. The Cubano takes its time sinking, so the lifeboats remain with the tanker for some time due to heavy seas and wind in hopes of perhaps reboarding it. Other ships pass the lifeboats but refuse to stop to pick them up, perhaps for fear of falling prey to the same U-boat. The men in the lifeboats also rescue the sole survivor from the Sulaco, who is on a raft. Ultimately, the Cubano sinks and the boats head toward Scotland but are picked up along the way by Royal Canadian Navy destroyer Saguenay.

U-124 torpedoes and sinks 5389-ton British freighter Sulaco. There is one survivor and 66 men perish.

Italian submarine Malaspina also is in the vicinity of Convoy OB 229, which is somewhat north of its operational zone. It spots a tanker dispersed from the convoy but fails to sink it.

As if those the U-boat spree is not enough, the Luftwaffe also gets involved. It attacks Convoy OA 232 17 km off Girdleness, Aberdeenshire in the North Sea and torpedoes a ship. British 4876 ton United Africa Company freighter Conakrian is badly damaged and abandoned by its crew. The ship remains afloat long enough to be taken in tow by destroyer HMS Cleveland. It reaches port and is beached at Bridge of Don, Aberdeenshire. Everybody survives and the ship can be refloated and repaired.

The Luftwaffe also damages 7108-ton British freighter City of Roubaix at Alexandria Dock, Liverpool.

Convoys OA 232 and FS 315 depart from Methil, Convoy FN 315 departs from Southend, Convoy HX 82 departs from Halifax, Convoy BS 6B departs from Port Sudan, Convoy BS 7 departs from Suez, Convoy BM 2 departs from Bombay.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Crocus (K 49, Lt. Commander Edward Wheeler) is commissioned.

Charlie Chaplin as Herr Hynkel in "The Great Dictator," currently playing in US theaters.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Papers retrieved by the Royal Navy from (later sunk) Italian submarine Durbo are used to direct a force of Royal Navy destroyers after another submarine mentioned in them. This leads to a successful interception. An Italian submarine fires a torpedo at Royal Navy destroyer HMS Forester north of Melilla, Spanish Morocco. Royal Navy destroyers HMS Gallant, Griffin and Hotspur spot Italian submarine Lafolè. The destroyers depth-charge, ram and finally sink the Italian sub. There are nine survivors taken aboard the British ships as POWs, along with 37 dead. The Hotspur, meanwhile, takes damage to its bow from the ramming and heads for Gibraltar for lengthy repairs there and at Malta.

The RAF bombs the Italian depot of Tobruk. The Italian Air Force bombs Cairo for the first time from bases in East Africa. In addition, the Italians send a group of bombers on an epic 4506 km journey from the Dodecanese Islands to bomb oil refinery targets in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and then land in Eritrea. The refineries are American-operated in the British Protectorate of Bahrain. They cause little or no damage to the refineries.

Italian destroyers attack Convoy BN 7 in the Red Sea. They lose destroyer Francesco Nullo, which is beached and subsequently destroyed by Blenheim bombers. The Royal Navy also has one of its destroyers, HMS Kimberley, damaged by coastal guns. It is towed to Port Sudan.

At Malta, Governor Dobbie sends a request to the War Office for a thousand tons of meat. This is to ensure that the island has sufficient supplies to withstand a siege. The supplies must make the long, perilous route around Africa, which takes about three months from start to arrival in Malta.

Battle of the Pacific: German raiders Orion and Komet complete their re-supply from the Kulmerland.

Margaret Landry, “Miss Southern Belle,” rides the brand new Kansas City Southern streamliner Southern Belle, inaugurated on September 2, 1940. Service is between Kansas City and New Orleans via Shreveport. The railroad picked the 18-year-old Baton Rouge, Louisiana, student during a contest held in August. She remained the line's rep throughout the war. October 20, 1940.

German Government: At 23:30 (which is around when he usually holds his nightly war briefing), Hitler embarks on his Special train (Führersonderzug) Amerika. His itinerary is the Spanish border, to visit with Franco, and Montoire to meet with Petain and Laval. Hitler's twin goals are to draw Spain into the war so that the Wehrmacht can launch Operation Felix against Gibraltar, and to draw Vichy France more tightly into the German orbit. A side benefit would be to lessen tensions between Italy and France. In essence, Hitler aims to create a "Continental Bloc" whose first and primary goal is the destruction of Great Britain.

He privately confides that achieving this would require a "grandiose fraud" wherein governments willingly act against their own countries' interests. Hitler has little to offer aside from his personal charm, and the governments of both countries have indicated at best lukewarm support for a united military front.

Ribbentrop's train, "Heinrich," also leaves. He is carrying a German-Italian-French protocol which is somewhat similar to the Tripartite Agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan. It would guarantee France's "rightful place in Europe" in exchange for her assistance in the prosecution of the war against the British. The bottom line is that Hitler wants both countries to openly declare war on England. While both are known to be pro-German governments to one extent or another, inducing them to actually go to war and ally openly with Germany (as opposed to covertly, as with Spain, or being a sort of temporary co-belligerent at times, as with Vichy France) is asking a lot.

The trains travel through Aachen, Namur, Yvoir, and Vendome on the way to the first stop, Montoire. Heinrich Himmler already is in Madrid meeting with Francisco Franco and Foreign Minister Serrano Suner to pave the way for Franco's upcoming meeting with Hitler at Hendaye. There remain to this day some loose ends from this trip which have yet to be resolved completely, as discussed below.

Anglo/French Relations: Both sides are courting Vichy France. Marshal Petain secretly notifies Whitehall that he will send emissary Louis Rougier to London via Lisbon to discuss their relationship.

Dalby Olympic Swimming Pool, 20 October 1940. Queensland State Archives, Digital Image ID 506.

British Military: Brigadier Colin Gubbins, who essentially has been in charge of special operations in Norway and subsequently, joins Special Operations Executive.

US Military: The Greenslade Board, touring the British bases obtained in the destroyers-for-bases deal, arrives in San Juan, Puerto Rico aboard the USS St. Louis.

Oiler USS Ramapo arrives at Guam and offloads district patrol craft YP-16 and YP-17 at Apra Harbor. Guam is the subject of fierce debate within the US government as to whether its facilities should be upgraded to resist Japanese aggression, or whether it is indefensible. A lot of money is being poured into Guam.

Australia: Troop Convoy US 6, including the Queen Mary and Aquitania, are heading from Sydney to the Middle East Command at Suez, with the first stop at Freemantle.

Future History: Poet Robert Pinsky is born in Long Branch, New Jersey.

During Himmler's visit to Madrid on 20 October 1940, he is given gifts of gold and bronze cups, necklaces and even human bones excavated from a Visigoth necropolis near Segovia. This is intended to verify Spain's Aryan heritage. Here, archaeologist Julio Martínez Santa-Olalla, a Franco aide, shows Himmler some of the items. These "gifts" subsequently have become the subject of controversy, and the Spanish head of medieval antiquities at the National Archaeological Museum is now, in the 21st Century, trying to find them and bring them back to Spain. The argument is that they were only "loaners," not gifts, but evidence of that is still lacking. The items have been dispersed throughout Germany and Austria.

October 1940
October 2, 1940: Hitler's Polish Plans
October 3, 1940: British Cabinet Shakeup
October 4, 1940: Brenner Pass Meeting
October 5, 1940: Mussolini Alters Strategy
October 6, 1940: Iron Guard Marches
October 7, 1940: McCollum Memo
October 8, 1940: Germans in Romania
October 9, 1940: John Lennon Arrives
October 10, 1940: Führer-Sofortprogramm
October 11, 1940: E-Boats Attack!
October 12, 1940: Sealion Cancelled
October 13, 1940: New World Order
October 14, 1940: Balham Tragedy
October 15, 1940: Mussolini Targets Greece
October 16, 1940: Japanese Seek Oil
October 17, 1940: RAF Shakeup
October 18, 1940: Convoy SC-7 Catastrophe
October 19, 1940: Convoy HX-79 Catastrophe
October 20, 1940: Convoy OB-229 Disaster
October 21, 1940: This Evil Man Hitler
October 22, 1940: Aktion Wagner-Burckel
October 23, 1940: Hitler at Hendaye
October 24, 1940: Hitler and Petain
October 25, 1940: Petain Woos Churchill
October 26, 1940: Empress of Britain Attack
October 27, 1940: Greece Rejects Italian Demands
October 28, 1940: Oxi Day
October 29, 1940: US Draft Begins
October 30, 1940: RAF Area Bombing Authorized
October 31, 1940: End of Battle of Britain

2020

Friday 18 October 1940

Air raid warden Mary Couchman, 24-year-old, shields three little children as bombs fall. October 18, 1940.

Battle of Britain: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, perhaps gilding the lily a bit too much, on 18 October 1940 continues his lavish praise of the Luftwaffe's lackluster campaign during the Battle of Britain. He thanks his pilots for "reducing the British plutocracy to fear and terror." This statement smacks of overkill, but the Luftwaffe's success or failure reflects directly upon him, so the better he makes their failures sound, the better he looks as well.

The fickle weather of 1940 once again puts many flying operations to a stop. The increased strength of the RAF is shown as it successfully prevents the usual reconnaissance flights over England during the morning.

There are no large-scale raids. Instead, there are numerous small-scale intrusions. The largest incident involves some Junkers Ju 88s that Fighter Command intercepts over Kent on the way to London. However, that is the exception.

After dark, the Luftwaffe swings back into action. It bombs London, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Southampton, and East Anglia.  A direct hit on the Rose and Crown Pub results in 42 killed and 6 injured. The night's activity ends early, though, by 01:45, giving Londoners a chance to get some good rest. The Luftwaffe also lays mines in the Thames Estuary.

The Luftwaffe manages to lose 15 planes and the RAF only four. In the foul weather, pilots get disoriented and planes head off in the wrong direction. This happens on both sides. The RAF loses four Hurricanes when RAF No. 302 (Polish) Squadron becomes disoriented over Surrey and runs out of fuel and the planes have to land with dead sticks. This leads to four Hurricanes lost, along with their pilots. The Luftwaffe also has two planes crash back in France, killing the pilots.

There is an exchange of gunfire by the big coastal guns at Hellfire Corner (Straits of Dover), with little consequence.

Sergeant Michael Gibson is killed while defusing a bomb that fell on Coventry city center. After taking it to the Whitley Common, the bomb explodes, killing him and his squad of seven. Gibson is awarded the George Cross (posthumously) for an earlier incident on 18 September - obviously, he was a very brave man. The medal later sells at auction in 2012 for £93,000. Collectors view the George Cross as less valuable than the Victoria Cross, but fewer have been awarded and thus it is rarer.

European Air Operations: Poor weather restricts operations. RAF Bomber Command attacks the ports of Duisberg, Kiel and Hamburg, warehouses at Schwerte, Osnabruck, and Dortmund (also a factory there), and an aluminum factory at Lunen.

Major Werner Streib replaces Hptm. Radusch as Gruppenkommandeur of night fighter unit I./NJG 1. Meanwhile, a night fighter Do 17Z-10s of 4./NJG 1 shoots down an RAF Wellington bomber over the Zuider Zee in Holland.

Battle of the Atlantic: Convoys, by and large, and relatively speaking, have been unmolested until now. U-boats have been picking off stragglers and "independents," ships traveling alone. There have been various attacks on convoys, but they have been uncoordinated affairs that have not sunk more than a few ships at a time. That changes today with the first true wolfpack, directed and coordinated by U-boat headquarters in France. This marks a new phase in the naval war.

Half a dozen U-boats have been shadowing Convoy SC 7, which is an eastbound convoy that left Sydney, Nova Scotia on 5 October bound for Liverpool, for several days. SC 7 is composed of 35 ships but has had only a few escorts: destroyer HMS Scarborough, sloop HMS Fowey and corvette HMS Bluebell. Today, a couple of more escorts arrive from Great Britain: sloop HMS Leith and corvette HMS Heartsease. These five escorts, however, are outnumbered by the shadowing U-boats.

U-38 (Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe), operating out of Lorient, starts things off today, already having sunk the Greek freighter Aenos on the 18th. At 02:04, U-38 torpedoes and damages 3670-ton British freighter Carsbreck. The Carsbeck is carrying timber and thus is buoyant, and the ship manages to make port escorted by HMS Heartsease. The Leith and Heartsease attack U-38 without success, and then Heartsease joins Carsbeck as Convoy SC 7 sails on.

U-38, meanwhile, stumbles upon Convoy OB 229 in the same area. It torpedoes and sinks British freighter Sandsend. There are 34 survivors and five crew perish.

Now back down to four escorts, Convoy SC 7 heads into the night knowing it is in trouble. It is about 300 km northwest of Rockall.

Now, with U-38 out of the picture, five U-boats make a joint attack:

• U-46 (Oblt.z.S. Peter-Ottmar Grau)
• U-99 (Kplt. Otto Kretschmer)
• U-100 (Kptlt. Joachim Schepke)
• U-101 (Kptlt. Fritz Frauenheim)
• U-123 (Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle)

This is not a seat-of-the-pants operation, where everybody just "does their thing." Strict control is maintained throughout by Konteradmiral Karl Dönitz at his headquarters in Lorient. The convoy escorts are completely ineffective and do not prevent any attacks - though they are instrumental in saving a lot of lives of merchant marine sailors. The night becomes a wonderland of flaming and sinking ships, with one torpedoed after another going down in flames, drifting onto other torpedoed ships, and generally causing chaos over many square miles of the open sea.

Adalbert Schnee, Karl Dönitz and Eberhard Godt at the Kriegsmarine Headquarters in Berlin, Germany. January 1943.

U-101 torpedoes and sinks 3913-ton British iron ore cargo ship Creekirk at 21:12. Loaded with 5900 tons of iron ore, it sinks quickly with all 36 men perishing in the dark.

U-101 also torpedoes 4155-ton British freighter Blairsprey at 23:08. With a load of timber, the Blairsprey is buoyant and, while abandoned, remains afloat. Another U-boat, U-100, torpedoes it at 02:50 on the 19th, but that doesn't sink Blairsprey, either. The ship eventually makes the Clyde in tow and is beached, and later repaired.

U-101 also torpedoes 2962 ton British freighter Assyrian (the convoy commodore's ship). The Assyrian is out of formation because earlier it had spotted another U-boat and chased it in order to ram it - unsuccessfully. U-101 sends a torpedo into its starboard side, which puts out its lights and engines but leaves the crew enough time to abandon ship. There are 34 survivors and 17 men perish. Captain Kearon later was awarded Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea and the OBE.

U-101 had fired four torpedoes in rapid succession, one of which sank the Assyrian. While two miss, another hits and sinks Dutch freighter Soesterberg. There are 19 survivors and 6 men perish.

Kptlt. Fritz Frauenheim of U-101.

U-99, led by legendary captain Kretschmer on his fifth patrol, has an epic night. It sinks in rapid succession:

• British 6055 ton freighter Empire Miniver (35 survive, 3 dead)
• British 4815 ton freighter Fiscus (38 dead, 1 survivor)
• Greek 3854 ton freighter Niritos (27 survive, one death)
• British 5154 ton freighter Empire Brigade (35 survive, 6 dead)
• Norwegian 1643 ton freighter Snefjeld (all survive)
• Greek 5875 ton freighter Thalia (22 perish, 6 survive)
• British 3106 ton freighter Clintonia (damaged, later sunk by gunfire from U-123) (34 survive, one death).

U-123 torpedoes and sinks 5556-ton British freighter Sedgepool. There are 36 survivors and three men perish.

U-123 torpedoes and damages British freighter Skekatika, which has grown tired of the slow pace of Convoy SC 7 and run ahead of it. This is one of those situations where those who figure that the faster ships should just go at their own pace are proven wrong. Skekatika's crew of 36 all survive and are taken on board HMS Fowey.

U-46 torpedoes and sinks 4885-ton British freighter Beatus in Convoy SC 7. All 37 men aboard are rescued.

U-46 also torpedoes and sinks 1996 ton Swedish freighter Convallaria in Convoy SC 7. Everybody aboard survives and is taken on board HMS Fowey.

U-100 torpedoes and damages Dutch freighter Boekelo. U-123 later comes along and finishes her off. All 25 men aboard survive.

U-46 torpedoes and sinks 1572 ton Swedish freighter Gunborg. All 23 men aboard survive and are taken aboard HMS Bluebell.

Locations of ships lost in Convoy SC 7.

Just to sum up, the ships lost in Convoy SC 7.

• Trevisa (1,813 grt. ca.)
• Languedoc (9,512 grt. br.)
• Scoresby (3,843 grt. br.)
• Aenos (3,554 grt. gr.)
• Beatus (4,885 grt. br.)
• Convallaria (1,996 grt. sw.)
• Creekirk (3,917 grt. br.)
• Empire Miniver (6,055 grt. br.)
• Gunborg (1,572 grt. sw.)
• Niritos (3,854 grt. gr.)
• Fiscus (4,815 grt. br.)
• Assyrian (2,962 grt. br.)
• Soesterberg (1,904 grt. nl.)
• Boekelo (2,118 grt. nl.)
• Empire Brigade (5,154 grt. br.)
• Sedgepool (5,556 grt. br.)
• Thalia (5,875 grt. gr.)
• Snefjeld (1,643 grt. nw.)
• Shekatika (5,458 grt. br.)
• Clintonia (3,106 grt. br.)

Meanwhile, Convoy HX 79 also is about to get devastated. This also is an eastbound convoy of 49 ships which left Halifax on 8 October 1940. This is a case of two convoys merging as they funnel into the Western Approaches, making one formless mass with ships exposed to attack everywhere the U-boats can look. Prien, in fact, initiated the entire attack because he spotted HX 79 and informed U-boat headquarters about it. However, those attacks occur on the 19th and 20th, which is where we will address them.

There is also U-boat action elsewhere.

German patrol craft (U-Jäger) UJ 116 and UJ 118 of the 5th German anti-submarine flotilla are operating in the North Sea off Texel when they spot British submarine HMS H49 ((Lt R. E. Coltart). They depth-charge and sink it. There are 21-25 deaths (accounts vary), and only one man, Leading Stoker George William Oliver, survives. He winds up in Marlag M as a POW for the rest of the war. This is a known war grave off Terschelling. Divers visiting it have been prosecuted by the Dutch government.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Argus sails to Reykavik, Iceland to take aboard planes of RAF No. 701 Squadron.

Royal Navy 448 ton anti-submarine trawler Kingston Cairngorm, in tow since being mined off Portland on the 17th, sinks at 03:18.
The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 159-ton British trawler King Athelstan about 20 km off Mizzen Head.

Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS Cornwall seizes Vichy French freighter Indochinois off Casablanca. It boards it with a prize crew and sends it to Freetown.

Convoy OA 231 departs from Methil, Convoy SL 52 departs from Freetown.

Royal Navy escort destroyer HMS Exmoor (L 61, Lt. Commander Robert T. Lampard) is commissioned.


Battle of the Mediterranean: General de Gaulle meets with General Catroux. This is a relationship fraught with intrigue because technically Catroux outranks de Gaulle (though technically they both no longer serve in any nation's army). De Gaulle is known to fear that the British will replace him with Catroux. This meeting allays some of de Gaulle's fears on that score, but this will not be the last time that a possible battle for supremacy of the Free France movement arises.

A Royal Navy operation including two Saunders-Roe London Flying boats of RAF 202 Squadron and destroyers HMS Firedrake, HMS Vidette, and HMS Wrestler find Italian submarine Durbo 120 miles east of Gibraltar (off Alboran Island). The British forces torpedo and sink the Italian submarine, with everybody on board surviving. The 48 Italians become POWs (ultimately in the US). This sinking has lasting consequences because, before sinking the sub, Royal Navy sailors get aboard and grab documents that will be helpful in tracking down other submarines.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Regent, having collided with a caique in the Ionian Sea, arrives at Malta for repairs with damage to its forward hydroplanes.

The South African Air Force, based in Sudan, attacks the Italian airfield at Barentu. The RAF attacks various Italian bases, including Benghazi, Sollum, Gura, Diredawa, Rhodes (an airfield) and the Dodecanese Islands.

At Malta, Governor Dobbie responds to a recent memorandum from the Chief of the Imperial Staff which suggested that additional forces need not be stationed on the island to repel an invasion, as forces could be transported in quickly. This degenerates into an argument over tactics - Dobbie wants the ability to attack the landing zones, while the Imperial Staff feels a counter-attack after a four-day delay (the minimum amount of time to bring in new forces) would suffice. Dobbie is probably right because the islands are so small that any delay likely would result in quick defeat.

North Judah streetcar, San Francisco, California. October 18, 1940.

Battle of the Pacific: US schooner Director II runs aground off Gladstone, Queensland and is lost.

German raiders Orion and Komet, operating in tandem, rendezvous with supply ship Kulmerland at Lamotrek Atoll in the Caroline Islands.

Italian/German Relations: Having made his decision to invade Greece on the 15th, Mussolini has been studiously quiet about it. Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano has told neither the German ambassador nor his German counterpart. The decision has immense implications for Germany, but Mussolini throughout the war occasionally allows his annoyance at being the junior partner in his relationship with Hitler to manifest itself.

Finally, word starts seeping out today. First, Lt. General Emil (Enno) von Rintelen, Wehrmacht liaison to Rome, tells the OKW that Mussolini has decided to attack Greece on the 26th. In this sense, he is almost acting in the role of a spy, as perhaps the Italian Generals don't even realize this is still top secret information. The information is outdated because army commander Marshal Badoglio already had convinced Mussolini to postpone the attack for two days, until the 28th. However, it is the first information Germany receives about Mussolini's intentions at all.

Then, Ciano sends an odd telegram to German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop stating that army commander Marshal Badoglio had opposed any Greek invasion and even Mussolini had been hesitant. Ciano professes himself enthusiastic about it, which is at odds with his usual attitude toward military entanglements. The telegram does not even say that such an invasion has been planned - it comes out of the blue as if the Germans already should know about the operation. All of this rather casual communication creates an appearance of insincerity or deception, to put it mildly.

All of this information sends the German command at Zossen and the Foreign Ministry into a whirlwind of activity. They contact their agents from Belgrade to Ankara to Tirana to Rome to get confirmation, and General von Pohl (liaison to the Italian Air Force) confirms that he has heard the same thing. Ribbentrop, meanwhile, remains in the dark about the status of the projected Italian operation, as the Italians are being cute about divulging the information.

Italian/German/Greek Relations: Germany and Italy begin ratcheting up pressure on Greece, submitting demands to the Greek government which they do not expect to be met.

The War Illustrated, Vol. 3 No 59, October 18, 1940.

Japanese/Dutch Relations: There are reports that the Japanese and the government in the Dutch East Indies in Batavia have reached a "concrete understanding" on oil deliveries to Japan. The actual agreement will be signed on the 19th.

Anglo/Japanese Relations: The British in India suspend indefinitely the export of scrap iron to Japan. This follows upon a similar ban imposed by the United States and appears to be tied to the re-opening of the Burma Road.

US Military: Heavy cruiser USS Louisville arrives in Rio de Janeiro as part of the continuing "Show the flag" operation.

China: The Chinese announce that in the first 18 hours of the re-opening of the Burma Road, more than 1500 tons of cargo have embarked on the long journey from Lashio (the start) to Kunming (the terminus). The truck convoys travel at night and a mile apart to avoid attacks. The trucks are described as "the latest American types."

The Japanese also have noticed the Burma Road's opening, and today the Japanese South China Seas Fleet Command announces that they sent 36 planes to bomb sections of the road (Bunna Road) at and near Kunming. This included a bridge which they "seriously damaged." Naval Air Force Commander Chikao Yamamoto (not the famous Yamamoto), noting bad weather over the target, states:

Heaven helped us by enabling us to sight and bomb the bridge. We saw no enemy aircraft and no anti-aircraft fire. 

There is some confusion about how the road will be used; the Colonial Secretary (N.L. Smith) issues, then retracts, a statement that gasoline and some other prohibited items under the July Anglo-Japanese agreement would be sent over the road. The Japanese would not be happy with that, and they retain the ability to pressure the British enclaves in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

French Homefront: The Vichy government publishes the new anti-Semitic laws (Statute of 4 Oct 1940) that it has recently announced. This specifies that Jews who are not French citizens are no longer protected by French laws and will be housed in new "Special camps." Now, where could they have gotten that idea?

British Homefront: Another evacuation of London children begins. Some 2000 depart every day for the more rural parts of the country. In fact, many Londoners now are living in caves in Kent. Most, however, have relocated to places such as Reading, Basingstoke, and Oxford.

An ad in The Pilot (Vass, N.C.), 18 October 1940.

October 1940

October 2, 1940: Hitler's Polish Plans
October 3, 1940: British Cabinet Shakeup
October 4, 1940: Brenner Pass Meeting
October 5, 1940: Mussolini Alters Strategy
October 6, 1940: Iron Guard Marches
October 7, 1940: McCollum Memo
October 8, 1940: Germans in Romania
October 9, 1940: John Lennon Arrives
October 10, 1940: Führer-Sofortprogramm
October 11, 1940: E-Boats Attack!
October 12, 1940: Sealion Cancelled
October 13, 1940: New World Order
October 14, 1940: Balham Tragedy
October 15, 1940: Mussolini Targets Greece
October 16, 1940: Japanese Seek Oil
October 17, 1940: RAF Shakeup
October 18, 1940: Convoy SC-7 Catastrophe
October 19, 1940: Convoy HX-79 Catastrophe
October 20, 1940: Convoy OB-229 Disaster
October 21, 1940: This Evil Man Hitler
October 22, 1940: Aktion Wagner-Burckel
October 23, 1940: Hitler at Hendaye
October 24, 1940: Hitler and Petain
October 25, 1940: Petain Woos Churchill
October 26, 1940: Empress of Britain Attack
October 27, 1940: Greece Rejects Italian Demands
October 28, 1940: Oxi Day
October 29, 1940: US Draft Begins
October 30, 1940: RAF Area Bombing Authorized
October 31, 1940: End of Battle of Britain

2020

Thursday 17 October 1940

U.S. Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, left, with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill outside 10 Downing Street in London on Oct. 17, 1940. (AP).

Battle of Britain: Both sides draw some conclusions from the course of the battle so far on 17 October 1940. They are vastly different conclusions, and both are completely unwarranted - for vastly different reasons.

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering attempts to put a bit of a period on the disastrous Battle of Britain by praising his pilots:

In the past few days and nights you have caused the British world enemy disastrous losses by your uninterrupted disastrous blows. Your indefatigable, courageous attacks on the heart of the British Empire, the City of London, with its eight and a half million inhabitants, have reduced British plutocracy to fear and terror. The losses which you have inflicted on the much-vaunted Royal Air Force in determined fighter engagements is irreplaceable.

It is true that recent attacks on London have been especially severe. However, throughout the battle, there has been a decided tendency for the Luftwaffe to think that it has been doing than it has. The RAF's losses are hardly "irreplaceable," and its losses are quickly replaced by newer and better aircraft and more pilots coming from Canada and elsewhere. The Royal Air Force has survived, and the Luftwaffe's night attacks are doing little to curb its growth.

On the British side, the continued conflict about tactics once again breaks out into the open. Air Vice-Marshal Leigh Mallory of No. 12 Group, along with his second Douglas Bader, pushes his favored tactic of the "Big Wing" again. This is the assembly of large fighter formations composed of multiple squadrons before attacking intruders. AVM Keith Park at the more stretched No.11 Group, however, resists this tactic as it wastes valuable time and allows many intruders to complete their missions and escape. He would rather continue the strategy of sending squadrons into battle as soon as they assemble rather than go through the added complication of stacking squadrons. Air Marshal Dowding basically backs Park, while Leigh Mallory has the support of the Air Ministry - partly due to war hero Bader's political connections with it and Churchill.

There are pros and cons to each approach, but Park has been the point man who essentially saved England in its darkest days. His leadership worked, as did Dowding's. Leigh-Mallory has been a carper who at times appeared to disregard Park - to the detriment of operations. Bader, for his part, is a propaganda hero (somewhat overblown, but his personal story, of course, is inspirational) with a Member of Parliament in his unit. This has become a classic power struggle that has more to do with becoming a master of the domain rather than tactics. There are going to be winners and losers in short order.

With this background, after some delay, a long-anticipated meeting is held today under the rubric of Major Day Tactics in the Fighter Force. This becomes a classic bureaucratic set-up, with the guys on the front-lines - Dowding and Park - completely outmatched by the REMFs (or, as Hitler would put it, the swivel-chair Generals). Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Sholto Douglas chairs the meeting, and Leigh-Mallory brings junior officer Bader - a clear sign that this is a political affair, as otherwise, Bader has no reason to be there. It really doesn't matter whose ideas are better - Leigh-Mallory and Bader are "in good" with the powers that be, and that is it.

As a direct result of this meeting - handled quite discreetly, with no blame attached and decorations granted and so on and so forth - both Dowding and Park get the ax. Dowding "decides to retire," and Park is given a temporary post in the training sector. The Air Ministry's description of the battle issued later does not even bother to mention either man. Leigh-Mallory takes over the more prestigious No. 11 Group from Park (made cushier because Park has done all the heavy lifting), and Bader is promoted to Wing Commander at Tangmere. Douglas, meanwhile, takes the job he quietly had coveted all along - Dowding's spot in charge of Fighter Command.

As George Carlin would say, there's a big club, and you ain't in it.

Sir Hugh Dowding and Douglas Bader in 1945.

Over England, the weather turns better again, allowing large-scale raids, though visibility remains poor. The days are getting shorter, and the Luftwaffe no longer has its heart in the battle - which even a fool could see that it has lost, as evidenced by Goering's spurious valedictory quoted above.

The day's first raid occurs at 08:30, with fighter-bomber (Jabo) raids toward London. This group also includes some Dornier Do 17s and numbers altogether about 100 planes. The Germans bomb Margate, Broadstairs, and Stanmore without too much interference due to the cloudiness.

After lunch, another Jabo raid at 13:00-15:00 targets East London, Kenley and Biggin Hill. The RAF sends up 14 Squadrons, and massive dogfights break out all across southern England. Central London takes some damage, as does RAF Kenley.

At 17:00, another Jabo raid targets various objectives in Kent and Sussex. Three Fighter Command squadrons handle this attack.

After dark, the Luftwaffe targets the usual suspects of London, Liverpool, Birmingham, the Midlands, and East Anglia. There also is some mining in the Thames Estuary and off the Suffolk coast. The night's biggest casualty is the automatic signaling equipment at Waterloo Station, which is replaced until repair by human signallers.

Overall, it is a fairly bad day for the Luftwaffe. It loses about 15 planes, while the RAF only loses a few. As usual, when the Luftwaffe launches major raids as today, it loses disproportionately, whereas when it keeps the raids small and varied as in recent days, the losses are about equal.

Two Home Guard officers, Sub-Lt Jack Maynard Cholmondeley Easton, RNVR, and AB Bennett Southwall, RN, attempt to disarm a mine in a house. The mine slips and goes off, killing Southwall and badly injuring Easton. They both receive the George Cross. Another man, 2nd Lt Alexander Fraser Campbell of the 9 Bomb Disposal Coy Royal Engineers, also perishes while working on a bomb and receives the award. While all involved undoubtedly earned their awards many times over - what more can you give than your life? - this continues a trend where the George Cross - originally conceived as a way to reward civilians - typically is awarded instead to men working (and often dying) in their official capacities.

Luftwaffe ace Hans-Karl Mayer, Gruppenkommandeur I./JG 53, never returns from a test flight today. His body washes up on a beach 10 days later. He was possibly a victim of RAF ace F/L D. McMullen of No. 222 Squadron. Mayer had 39 victories, just under the leaders.

Luftwaffe ace Hans-Karl Mayer.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command has no operations due to the foul weather. Coastal Command makes a daylight attack on Brest.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-boats have infested the major sea lanes, and today all the hard work to change bases from Germany to forward bases in Norway and France pays off.

Several convoys get hit in running battles that last several days. In addition, four German destroyers (Hans Lody, Karl Galster, Friedrich Ihn, and Erich Steinbrinck) with six torpedo boats are sighted off Brest, forcing the Admiralty to re-route Convoys OG 44, SL 50 and HG 45 to the west. The Admiralty despatches Two light cruisers (HMS Newcastle and Emerald) and destroyers from Plymouth to confront the German ships, and the British cruisers chase the German ships from 16:00 to 18:00 before the faster Kriegsmarine ships slip away as the light fades.

Convoy SC 7 is entering the Western Approaches from Canada and only has as escorts three ships: destroyer HMS Scarborough, sloop HMS Fowey and corvette HMS Bluebell. This is one of those early-war situations where the number of U-boats watching actually is greater than the number of escorts. There is air cover by Coastal Command, but it can only do so much. This is only the beginning of the torture of Convoy SC 7.

U-38 (Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe), on her seventh patrol out of Lorient, is shadowing Convoy SC 7 about 150 km northeast of Rockall when it spots 3554 ton Greek freighter Aenos. The freighter is a straggler from the convoy. U-38 fires a torpedo at 09:57 but misses. The U-boat then surfaces and uses its 105 mm deck gun on the ship, sinking it at 10:52. There are 25 survivors and 4 crew perish. Canadian freighter Eaglescliffe Hall rescues the crew and takes them to Scotland.

U-38 is not the only U-boat stalking Convoy SC 7; in fact, half a dozen submarines have their eyes on the large convoy. U-48 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Bleichrodt) sets up and fires three torpedoes into the convoy. All three hit.

U-48 (Kptl. Heinrich Bleichrodt) torpedoes and badly damages 9512-ton British tanker Languedoc in Convoy SC 7. After all 41 crew survive and are taken off on other ships, the tanker is deemed irrecoverable. Royal Navy corvette HMS Bluebell scuttles it.

U-48 also torpedoes and sinks 3843-ton British freighter Scoresby (Master Lawrence Zebedee Weatherill) in Convoy SC 7. The entire crew survives when also picked up by HMS Bluebell.

U-48 torpedoes and damages 4678-ton British freighter Haspenden. The ship makes it to port.

After the U-48 attacks, the U-boat is chased by the Scarborough. This forces the U-boat to go deep, putting it out of action as far as Convoy SC 7 is concerned. However, this incident also takes the Scarborough, one of only three escorts, out of the picture as well. From this point, the Convoy SC 7 only has two escorts - and more than double that number of U-boats are watching and waiting for opportunities to attack.

U-93 (Kptlt. Claus Korth), on her first patrol out of Kristiansand, Norway, is tracking Convoy OB 228 south of Iceland. At 03:39, he torpedoes and badly damages 2715 ton British tanker Uskbridge (Master Wilfred Breckon Smith). Tankers are very difficult to sink. After waiting for it to sink, Korth finally puts another torpedo into it at 13:36, splitting it in two. There are 27 survivors and six crew perish.

After being spotted by the British escorts of Convoy OB 228, U-93 is attacked twice with ships and once by a flying boat. After surviving these attacks, Korth gets down to business again. He torpedoes and sinks 1168 ton Norwegian freighter Dokka. There are seven survivors and ten crew perish. He questions the survivors, then proceeds on his way after being spotted by the convoy escorts again.

Popeye animation "My Pop, My Pop" released today.

E-boat attacks off the East Anglia coast are so common that the area has become known as "E-boat Alley." Today, a major E-boat attack cements that nickname.

E-boat S-27 attacks Convoy FN 11. It torpedoes and badly damages British collier Gasfire about 11 km northeast of Smith's Knoll at Great Yarmouth. There are 11 deaths. Having lost her stern, the collier is towed to Spurn Head at the mouth of the Humber and beached, where it will be repaired after being towed to the River Wear.

E-boat S-18 (Christiansen) torpedoes and badly damages 1595 ton coaster Hauxley in Convoy FN 11. HMS Worcester takes her in tow, but she sinks on the 18th. There is one death.

E-boat S-24 torpedoes and sinks 3754-ton French ship P.L.M. 14 in Convoy FN 11.

British freighter Brian claims to have sunk one of the E-boats that attacked Convoy FN 11, but there is no record of that in the German archives. In addition, British long-range coastal guns at Dover shell the E-boats, but the distance is too great and the boats too fast for any hope except a very lucky hit.

British 1361 ton freighter Frankrig hits a mine and sinks off Orford Ness, Suffolk. All 19 crew survive, taken on board HMS Holderness.

Royal Navy trawler HMT Kingston Cairngorm hits a mine south of the Isle of Portland, Dorset. Taken in tow, it sinks on the 18th.

Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Dundalk hits a mine off Harwich, Essex and suffers extensive damage. Fellow minesweeper HMS Sutton takes it in tow, but the Dundalk sinks. There are four deaths.

The Faroe Islands 65-ton fishing trawler Cheerful hits a mine and explodes off the Faroe Islands.

British 15 ton fishing boat Albatross hits a mine and blows up off Grimsby, Lincolnshire. All five onboard perish, including skipper J.A. Ward. The crew is listed on Tower Hill Memorial in London.

Sailing ship Janna A (unknown flag) hits a mine and sinks in the Oosterschelde, Zeeland. It lies just offshore and becomes a fairly popular diving wreck, with lots of lobsters.

British 936 ton freighter Ethylene hits a mine just northeast of East Oaze Light Buoy but makes it back to port.

British 1570 ton freighter George Balfour hits a mine just off Aldeburgh Light Vessel. The ship makes it back to port.

Convoy OB 230 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 311 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 312 departs from Methil.

Vice-Admiral J. C. Tovey replaces Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles M. Forbes as Commander-In-Chief of the Home Fleet.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy control of the Straits of Gibraltar continues to be somewhat shaky, at least as far as the French Navy is concerned. Previously, some French cruisers had reinforced Dakar by passing through the Strait, causing the British commander there to be sacked. Today, French torpedo boat La Batailleuse escorts submarines Pegase, Monge, Espoir and Vengeur westbound to Casablanca. Why the British are allowing these transits is a mystery because they have enough ships to at least attempt interceptions. It may simply be that the French vessels simply sneak through without being spotted - which also raises questions about British operations on Gibraltar.

The South African Air Force bombs Italian transports at Neghelli, Abyssinia.

Orde Wingate arrives in Cairo.

The Chief of Imperial General Staff in London informs Governor Dobbie on Malta that it will be sending some tanks and artillery to Malta. In addition, a battalion will be shifted from Egypt to Malta. This is completely inadequate to repel a serious invasion but does mitigate the military's weakness on Malta. The General Staff somewhat puckishly suggests that building dummy tanks might convince the Italians to stay away from the island.

Marion Michael: born 17 October 17, 1940, Königsberg Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia); star of “Liane, Jungle Goddess” (1956), “Jungle Girl and the Slaver” (1957) and “Davon träumen alle Mädchen” (1961). Michael passed away on 13 October 2007 at Brandenburg Germany.

German/Soviet Relations: German Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop's lengthy letter to Soviet Premier Josef Stalin is finally fully translated (after several days) and delivered to Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. Among the ideas in the far-reaching letter is the institution of a New World Order led by Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union. Ribbentrop is furious at the delay in delivering the letter and feels it should have been hand-delivered to Stalin himself, but the embassy staff knows what it is doing and handles things properly.

Molotov is somewhat nonplussed by the letter - he virtually directs Soviet Foreign policy, with of course the required approval of Stalin, and the letter does not address concerns he has about recent German activities in Finland - but decides to accept Ribbentrop's invitation for a visit in November. Molotov begins preparing a response to be signed by Stalin.

Holland: Consistent with other changes in occupied Europe, Holland now institutes a requirement that Jews carry special documents with them.

Japan: There is a general amnesty which releases Buddhist priest Inoue Shirō (Inoue Nissho ) of the infamous League of Blood incident of 1932 (assassinations of several liberal political figures). Inoue is an ultra-nationalist hero to some, and it is possible to interpret this gesture as an increasing nationalism and imperialism within the Japanese government.

China: Following through on its recent vow, Great Britain reopens the Burma Road from Burma to China after it has been closed for three months.

British Homefront: The London bus system has taken a beating during the Blitz. Today, the London Transport requests provincial bus systems to send replacement buses to keep the London transport system running.

American Homefront: "My Pop, My Pop" is released by Paramount. Popeye's Pappy produces problems.

British actress Madeleine Carroll being escorted into a Red Cross benefit at the Orpheum Theater, Royal Mounties clear a path. Vancouver. 17 October 1940.

October 1940

October 2, 1940: Hitler's Polish Plans
October 3, 1940: British Cabinet Shakeup
October 4, 1940: Brenner Pass Meeting
October 5, 1940: Mussolini Alters Strategy
October 6, 1940: Iron Guard Marches
October 7, 1940: McCollum Memo
October 8, 1940: Germans in Romania
October 9, 1940: John Lennon Arrives
October 10, 1940: Führer-Sofortprogramm
October 11, 1940: E-Boats Attack!
October 12, 1940: Sealion Cancelled
October 13, 1940: New World Order
October 14, 1940: Balham Tragedy
October 15, 1940: Mussolini Targets Greece
October 16, 1940: Japanese Seek Oil
October 17, 1940: RAF Shakeup
October 18, 1940: Convoy SC-7 Catastrophe
October 19, 1940: Convoy HX-79 Catastrophe
October 20, 1940: Convoy OB-229 Disaster
October 21, 1940: This Evil Man Hitler
October 22, 1940: Aktion Wagner-Burckel
October 23, 1940: Hitler at Hendaye
October 24, 1940: Hitler and Petain
October 25, 1940: Petain Woos Churchill
October 26, 1940: Empress of Britain Attack
October 27, 1940: Greece Rejects Italian Demands
October 28, 1940: Oxi Day
October 29, 1940: US Draft Begins
October 30, 1940: RAF Area Bombing Authorized
October 31, 1940: End of Battle of Britain

2020

Wednesday 16 October 1940

Houses in Moseley Road bombed on October 16, 1940.

Battle of Britain: The variable weather of 1940 continues on 16 October 19540 with fog throughout the day. This leads to reduced operations today, a welcome relief for London, which has been savaged by both day and night attacks in recent days. The strategy remains fighter-bomber (Jabo) sweeps during daylight hours and regular bombing missions on major cities and military production facilities at night, with occasional participation of regular bombers during the day.

The RAF has instituted standing patrols at 20,000 feet, but this does not prevent losses from well-positioned German fighters, and in fact makes some of the fighters vulnerable to attacks out of the clouds. RAF No. 302 (Polish) Squadron, one of the elite RAF formations, learns this when it loses several planes. The poor visibility also makes barrage balloons with their dangling cables particularly effective.

The Luftwaffe beings the day with a Jabo mission between 08:00 and 09:00. One formation heads over Kent to the south London area, while others head for east London. The Jabos fly high and fast. Fighter Command generally shoos them off, and there are no reports of major damage.

Another Jabo formation crosses the Kent coast around 11:30, heading for the Thames Estuary area. Fighter Command sends up six squadrons in defense. The Jabos attempt to bomb some hangars and nearby buildings at RAF Ternhill. Another raid around the same time comes from the south and hits the Southampton/Isle of Wight region. The third formation of fast Junkers Ju 88 bombers crosses near Falmouth and is welcomed there by Spitfires of Nos. 92 and 222 Squadron.

There is a lull during the afternoon, and at 16:00 another Jabo raid crosses the Kent coast heading for east London again. Most of these bombers get through, and there is extensive damage to railway tracks at Ashford.

After dark, the Luftwaffe mounts another major effort that is about half as large as on previous nights. The night raids begin at 16:30 and hit the usual areas: London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Stoke-on-Trent, and Liverpool. There is some mine-laying in the Thames Estuary, the Bristol Channel and off the coast of East Anglia.

Given the quiet nature of the day, losses are few. The Luftwaffe loses a handful of planes, while the RAF apparently loses none - a great rarity during the Battle of Britain.

"Handley Page Hampdens of No. 61 Squadron at Hemswell prepare to take off on a raid, 16 October 1940." © IWM (HU 104631).

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command attacks the ports of Bordeaux, Kiel, Hamburg, Bremen, and Cuxhaven. Some industrial targets are hit in Germany, including various targets in Saxony and oil installations in Leuna.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Furious launches raids at oil installations, a Luftwaffe seaplane base and other targets of opportunity at Tromso, Norway. This is aimed at supplies for the U-boat fleet stationed there.

The Luftwaffe raids the Orkneys at 19:20, bombing Deerness and Shapinsay.

Reichsmarschall Goering promotes Oberst Josef Kammhuber to Generaloberst and appoints him to the new position of General der Nachtjägd (General of Night Fighters). Kammhuber works out of Utrecht, Holland. His duties are to both defend against RAF attacks on the Reich and prepare night attacks on RAF bomber bases. He becomes famous for the "Kammhuber Line" of night fighter bases across northwest Europe which works fairly well at first. Kammhuber is a good strategist and organizer, which the Battle of Britain has shown the Luftwaffe badly needs. The new position itself also is a sign of things to come in the air war. This is one area in which the Luftwaffe is slightly ahead of the RAF in the air war, as the RAF night fighter force is still in the process of becoming fully operational.

North Carolina State College student registering for selective service. October 16, 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: While escorting new battleship HMS King George V from Vickers Armstrong, Tyne (actually preceding it to clear a path for mines) to Rosyth for final fitting out, three destroyers run aground at Whitburn Rifle Range near Sunderland on the Northumberland coast. HMS Maori gets off lightly, with some damage to its asdic (sonar). HMS Ashanti and HMS Fame, however, both suffer severe damage. The Fame sinks in shallow water. The Fame can and will be refloated, but it will take until 1 December 1940 and then repairs will lay it up until September 1942. The Ashanti makes it back to port, but also requires extensive repairs and will be out of action until 1 June. The battleship, meanwhile, makes it to its new port.

A wolfpack is gathering around Convoy SC 7, a 30-ship convoy from Sydney to Aberdeen. It is still three days or more out of port, plenty of time for the U-boat fleet to disrupt the final portion of its journey around Scotland. Today is just the start of their attacks. This will go down as one of the most disastrous convoys of the war.

U-124 (Kptlt. Georg-Whilhelm Schulz) is tracking convoy SC 7 along with 6 other U-boats when it spots straggler 1813 ton Canadian freighter Trevisa about 404 km west of Rockall. There are 14 survivors and 7 crew perish.

Operation PS: British monitor Erebus departs from the Nore to bombard Calais just after midnight on the 17th.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Tigris (Lt. Cdr. H. F. Bone) uses its gun and sinks 250-ton French freighter Cimcour in the Bay of Biscay about 120 miles west of the Gironde Estuary.

Royal Navy motor torpedo boat MTB 106 (S/Lt I. A. B. Quarrie RNVR) hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary off Sheerness, Kent. This area has claimed a number of small vessels lately.

British fishing boat Pride hits a mine and blows up off Scarborough East Pier at Scarborough, Yorkshire. All four onboard perish.

U-93 stalks Convoy OB 228, but is subject to repeated attacks by the escorts and aircraft and makes no attack of its own.

British 358 ton freighter Activity detonates a mine and is damaged, but makes it to port.

Minesweeper Dundalk is damaged when it detonates a mine off Harwich. She is put in tow but sinks on the 18th. There are four deaths and 7 other casualties.

Light cruiser HMS Manchester detonates an acoustic mine in The Humber, but it far enough away to not cause damage.

German motor torpedo boats attack Convoy FN 9 in the Channel.

Convoys OA 230 and FS 311 depart from Methil, Convoy FN 310 departs from Southend, Convoy HX 81 departs from Halifax.

U-145 (Oberleutnant zur See Heinrich Driver) is commissioned. It is a smaller Type II destined to be used as a training boat.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian 1260 ton cargo ship Verace hits a mine and sinks just off the Benghazi, Libya breakwater.

British submarine HMS Pandora spots a submarine in the Otranto Strait and attacks but misses.

Royal Australian Air Force officers embarking on HMT Awatea in Sydney, Australia on 16 October 1940 for the long trip to Vancouver, Canada. They are bound for flight training pursuant to the Empire Training Scheme (Australian War Memorial).

Japanese/Dutch Relations: While the Germans conquered and occupied Holland back in May, the country remains a regional power in Asia. Their possessions in the Dutch East Indies have extensive oil fields. It is well-known that the Japanese covet this oil, particularly since the US imposed a ban on oil exports to Japan for its military activities in China. Today, the two countries negotiate towards an agreement whereby the Dutch will supply 40% of Japanese oil needs for the next six months. The British Empire, which also is a regional power, notice and begin steps to try to stop this agreement. They are in a position of some influence, as the Dutch royal family is sheltering in British territory.

While this transaction may seem fairly minor, in fact, it is a symptom of a growing Japanese problem that is going to play a major role in coming events of world-wide importance whose effects will be felt for generations.

German/Soviet Relations: The German embassy in Moscow is still translating German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop's massive missive to Stalin about a New World Order. Ribbentrop is known to be wildly impatient about such delays and, if true to form, is bombarding the embassy with inquiries about when the job will be completed. It will not be ready until tomorrow.

Anglo/US Relations: The fifth tranche of US Navy destroyers arrives in Halifax for transfer to the Royal Navy pursuant to the bases-for-destroyers deal. The ships are USS Twiggs, USS Philip, USS Evans, USS Wickes, USS McCalla, USS Rodgers, USS Conner, USS Conway, USS Stockton, and USS Yarnall.

Spanish Government: Francisco Franco appoints his Ramón Serrano Suñer as Foreign Minister. Suñer is the brother-in-law of Franco and has been acting unofficially in that role. He is widely viewed as pro-German, but later confesses a marked dislike of German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop. His background is in the EFE press agency and the large blind person's organization ONCE.

Queuing for food in the Warsaw Ghetto, date unknown.

Holocaust: Gauleiter Hans Frank of Occupied Poland officially establishes the Warsaw Ghetto.

Japanese Government: The Japanese are hard at work on improving their air fleet, particularly naval aviation.  In recognition of their progress, aviation engineers Ichiro Sekine (Nakajima), Joji Hattori (Mitsubishi), Yu Nakajima (Mitsubishi), Shuzo Kito (Mitsubishi), and Tomio Kubo (Mitsubishi) are awarded the Nagao Memorial Award for excellence.

Vichy French Homefront: The Petain/Laval government prohibits the manufacture, export or movement of war materiel. This likely (but perhaps not) is due to Italian pressure, as the Italians are very concerned about French rearmament. Germany, on the other hand (specifically Hitler), desires (or at lease would not mind) a military buildup in France to assist in the war against Great Britain. At this point in the war, Italy is flexing its diplomatic muscles in what turn out to be counterproductive ways.

British Homefront: Looting is always a problem in dire situations. Stiff penalties are in place to discourage it. Today, two Air Raid Precaution workers are sentenced to one year in prison at the Old Bailey for taking £16 from a bombed residence. A similar scene is portrayed in the film "Slaughterhouse 5" with somewhat difference consequences for the looter. Incidentally, while that seems like a small amount, it is roughly US$4200 in current value, so it wasn't as if they just grabbed a few cups and saucers.

American Homefront: President Roosevelt makes a "fireside chat" about the draft. He says:

Calmly, without fear and without hysteria, but with clear determination, we are building guns and planes and tanks and ships-and all the other tools which modern defense requires ... Today's registration for training and service is the keystone in the arch of our national defense … The duty of this day has been imposed upon us from without. Those who duty of dared to threaten the whole world with war - those who have created the name and deed of total war - have imposed upon us and upon all free peoples the necessity of preparation for total defense."

The institution of a peacetime draft for the first time in US history is one of the most unpopular acts that Roosevelt takes during his four terms in office. The recent Select Service Act of 1940 requires that eligible males register for the draft (not to begin until 29 October). So far, 16.4 million men have complied.

Native Americans also are required to register, though some tribes deny the authority of the US government to compel them to do so (being technically separate nations). While many Native Americans willingly comply, some do not. US officials in southern Arizona today raid the O'odham tribe. This begins the Machita Incident.

Future History: Dave DeBusschere is born in Detroit, Michigan. he becomes a top basketball star with the University of Detroit and then the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks. He leads the Knicks to championships in 1970 and 1973, and later becomes a basketball executive who is instrumental in the merger of the NBA with the ABA. DeBusschere passes away in 2003.

Japanese and African Americans register for the draft. October 16, 1940

October 1940
October 2, 1940: Hitler's Polish Plans
October 3, 1940: British Cabinet Shakeup
October 4, 1940: Brenner Pass Meeting
October 5, 1940: Mussolini Alters Strategy
October 6, 1940: Iron Guard Marches
October 7, 1940: McCollum Memo
October 8, 1940: Germans in Romania
October 9, 1940: John Lennon Arrives
October 10, 1940: Führer-Sofortprogramm
October 11, 1940: E-Boats Attack!
October 12, 1940: Sealion Cancelled
October 13, 1940: New World Order
October 14, 1940: Balham Tragedy
October 15, 1940: Mussolini Targets Greece
October 16, 1940: Japanese Seek Oil
October 17, 1940: RAF Shakeup
October 18, 1940: Convoy SC-7 Catastrophe
October 19, 1940: Convoy HX-79 Catastrophe
October 20, 1940: Convoy OB-229 Disaster
October 21, 1940: This Evil Man Hitler
October 22, 1940: Aktion Wagner-Burckel
October 23, 1940: Hitler at Hendaye
October 24, 1940: Hitler and Petain
October 25, 1940: Petain Woos Churchill
October 26, 1940: Empress of Britain Attack
October 27, 1940: Greece Rejects Italian Demands
October 28, 1940: Oxi Day
October 29, 1940: US Draft Begins
October 30, 1940: RAF Area Bombing Authorized
October 31, 1940: End of Battle of Britain

2020