Thursday 31 July 1941

A Finnish gunner inside the dorsal turret of a Bristol Blenheim bomber, July 31, 1941 (SA-Kuva).

Eastern Front: The Germans on 31 July 1941 capture and interrogate an unnamed Soviet General Staff officer who gives tantalizing hints that the Soviets may be in the process of abandoning Leningrad. He says that the Stavka is shifting troops from the Leningrad perimeter to south of Lake Ilmen to defend the approaches to Moscow. The Germans also notice heavy rail traffic between Moscow and Leningrad. General Halder hopefully notes in the OKH war diary a single word: "evacuation?"

Halder also notes something more troubling in the war diary. He writes that Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch, the head of the German Army (ObdH), is simply transcribing Hitler's most recent Fuhrer directive directly into operational orders. Halder writes plaintively:

Unfortunately I cannot induce ObdH to inject into this order the slightest overtone expressive of a will of his own. Its wording is dictated by an anxiety to avoid anything that could be suspected as opposition to his superior.

This continues a constant refrain in Halder's diary, that Hitler is tightening his grip on military operations and squeezing out all sense of direction aside from his own.

Finnish soldiers stand in lake Paanajärvi over the dead body of a Soviet soldier killed near Rukajärvi, Karelia, Finland (now Rugozero, Republic of Karelia, Russia). 31 July 1941 (SA-Kuva).

In the Far North sector, Finnish II Corps (Maj. Gen. Laatikainen) begins an offensive north of the Karelian Isthmus toward Lake Ladoga. One goal is to cut off the Soviet divisions that are northwest of the lake from their shortest withdrawal routes. The geographical target is the city of Viipuri (Vyborg), which Finland considers naturally its own possession and not Russian for historical reasons. The overall goal is the reconquest of the entire Karelian Isthmus. The defending Soviet 115th and 142nd Divisions have strong defensive positions and blunt the Finnish offensive.

In the Army Group North sector, German forces of the 16th Army secure the southwestern shore of Lake Ilmen. The Soviets counterattack from the direction of Toropets. General von Manstein's troops continue in the direction of Luga. The Soviets are putting up a strong defense at Kholm, which is preventing the Germans from transferring troops further south.

In the Army Group Center sector, there are only local Soviet counterattacks. The Soviets are building fortifications all along their positions and evidently they intend to make a stand where they are. The Soviets continue attacking the German "lightning rod" position at Yelnya from all directions. The Germans, meanwhile, continue reducing the Smolensk pocket while the trapped Soviet forces such as Group Kachalov attempt to break out.

In the Army Group South sector, the German Sixth Army continues to sidestep the large Soviet troop concentration at Kyiv to the south. Panzer Group 1 (General von Kleist) is operating west of Pervomaisk and attempting to envelop Soviet forces of the 12th Army. Soviet attacks against the 11th Army begin to increase in intensity during the day. Progress is slow for the Germans all across this sector.

Captain Eric S. Lock of the RAF in the cockpit of his Spitfire Mk.V with his dog, 31 July 1941.

European Air Operations: It is a quiet day on the air front in northwest Europe following several days of unsettled weather. The RAF sends four Blenheim bombers on a Roadstead sweep over St. Valery en Caux, and they return undamaged.

The Air Ministry reports that civilian air raid casualties during July 1941 were 900 killed and 908 injured.

Battle of the Baltic: U-140 (Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel) torpedoes and sinks 206-ton Soviet submarine M-94 (Lt Dyakov) at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland. Some sources place this on 21 or 22 July. There are three survivors. U-140 also attacks M-98 but misses.

Soviet minesweeper No. 46 sinks from unknown causes off Tallinn, Estonia.

The Luftwaffe (KG4) drops 38 mines at the mouth of the Triigi River, Saaremaa, Estonia.

HMCS Battleford, commissioned on 31 July 1941, off the East Coast of the United States, 5 October 1943.

Battle of the Atlantic: In Operation FB, the Royal Navy arrives at Advent Fjord, Spitsbergen. There are no Germans there, but about 700 Norwegians. Other ships arrive at Gronfjord, where there are 1800 Russians.

The Luftwaffe attacks 209-ton British freighter Onward about 20 miles east of Nolso, France.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Vansittart intercepts 792-ton Vichy French freighter Oued Grou several hundred miles south of Dakar. The British take the ship to Freetown.

The Germans at Arcachon, France requisition 329-ton Italian trawler Sardella.

German 3172-ton blockade runner Natal arrives at Gironde, France.

Soviet destroyer Sokrushitelny meets British minelayer HMS Adventure near the Gorodetski lighthouse at the entrance to the White Sea in northern Russia. Adventure has been detached from Operation EF, the raid on Petsamo and Kirkenes.

Convoy ON-3 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL-82 departs from Freetown bound for Liverpool. Ships intended for Convoy WS-10 (Winston Special) depart from Liverpool to join other ships arriving from other ports at sea.

Royal Navy corvettes HMS Monkshood (Lt. Commander James E. R. Wilford) and Pentstemon (Lt. Commander John Byron) are commissioned, escort carrier Pursuer is laid down.

Canadian corvette HMCS Battleford is commissioned in Montreal, Quebec (named after Battleford, Saskatchewan).

US destroyers USS Duncan, Lansdowne, and Pringle are laid down.

U-581 (Kapitänleutnant Werner Pfeifer) is commissioned, U-172 is launched, U-711 is laid down. The Kriegsmarine decommission U-B, which is the former Royal Navy submarine HMS Seal, at Kiel.

Allied shipping losses drop sharply in July 1941, from 389,316 tons in June to 109,276 tons in July. This undoubtedly is due to the diversion of German resources toward the Soviet Union. Allied losses are down sharply in every category, such as losses by U-boat down from 310,143 tons in June to 94,209 tons in July.

The silver lining for the Kriegsmarine is that they do not lose any U-boats during July after losing four in June. For its part, the Axis loses 12 ships of 47,055 tons in the Mediterranean. Admiral Doenitz has a fleet of 65 U-boats in operation during the month of July 1941.

Scots Dragoons of the "Royal Scotts Greys" Regiment fall in on horseback near Nablus, Palestine on July 31, 1941. The photo was taken after the regiment returned from fighting in Syria and Lebanon.

Battle of the Mediterranean: As part of Operation Style, a British Force S convoy run from Gibraltar to Malta, the Royal Navy Force H detaches destroyers HMS Cossack and Maori to bombard Italian positions at Alghero, Sardinia. They also fire star shells to guide in RAF planes from aircraft carrier Ark Royal. This attack is intended to distract the Italians away from the convoy ships heading to Malta.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Regent (Lt. Knox) surfaces and uses its deck guns to sink 160-ton Italian sailing ship Igea about seven miles northeast of Benghazi (or a similar distance from Carcura, Libya).

The Luftwaffe bombs Tobruk before dawn and are met with heavy anti-aircraft fire.

The Italians attack St Angelo, Malta with three BR-20 bombers. They cause some damage to military facilities there and injure three people. Three other BR-20 bombers attack the Grand Harbour area.

Braunschweig, Ruhfäutchenplatz. On the left is the New Town Hall, at the center of the picture is tram line 3, at the right is Dankwarderode Castle (Proietti, Ugo, Federal Archive, Bild 212-267).

US/Soviet Relations: President Roosevelt's personal emissary Harry Hopkins meets with Joseph Stalin in Moscow to discuss the terms of the United State's lend-lease aid to the USSR.

US/Japanese Relations: Japan lavishly apologizes for the bombing of USS Tutuila during a bombing raid of Chungking on the 30th. They call it "an accident, pure and simple."

Effective today, US exports of aviation motor fuels and lubricants and No. 1 heavy melting iron and steel scrap to Japan are put on the restricted list pursuant to the Export Control Act signed on 2 July 1940.

German/Swedish Relations: Having successfully transferred the 163rd Infantry Division in its entirety from Narvik, Norway to Finland on the railway line that runs across Swedish territory, the Germans ask for Swedish permission to transfer another division. The Swedes, who have been conflicted about the earlier decision, refuse.

German/Spanish Relations: Troops of the Spanish Blue Division are formally designated the Wehrmacht's 250th Infantry Division. They assemble prior to their departure to the front and swear allegiance to Adolf Hitler. They are destined for the Army Group North sector.

German Relations: Romanian leader Ion Antonescu acquiesces to Hitler's recent request to have Romanian troops conquer and occupy Ukrainian territory between the Bug and Dniester Rivers.

"Lord Derby is seen talking with Mrs. T A Hussey." The opening of the new extension of the Flotilla Club, 31 July 1941. © IWM (A 4698).

Ecuadorian/Peruvian Relations: After several days of discussion during which military operations continued, the two sides agree to a ceasefire in their border war. As a last military movement in the war, Peruvian troops arrive at Puerto Bolivar by ship and continue to operate against Ecuadorian troops in the Amazonian jungle.

German Military: General Ludwig Crüwell becomes commander of Afrika Corps while Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel is promoted to command of the new Panzerarmee Afrika. Panzer Army Africa is more the size of a corps than an army because it has only one infantry and two panzer divisions. While there are large Italian forces in North Africa, they remain under nominal Italian command. Crüwell is ill and does not take up his position until 15 September.

A Lockheed Ventura of RAF No. 21 Squadron ca. 1941.

US Military: The Lockheed Ventura, a twin-engine medium bomber, makes its first flight. It is developed from the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar transport. The British Purchasing Commission ordered 188 Venturas in February 1940 while the plane was still in the early stages of development.

US heavy cruiser USS Astoria arrives at Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian Islands.

Soviet Military: Soviet 43rd Army (Lieutenant General Ivan Zakharkin) becomes operational as part of General Georgy Zhukov's new Reserve Front pursuant to a Stavka order dated 30 July 1941. Its mission is to defend the Desna River south of Yelnya on the line of Kholmets and Bogdanovo.

A translation of the 31 July 1941 letter from Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering to Reinhard Heydrich regarding the "Final Solution" (Truman Library).

Bulgarian Government: The Bulgarian government annexes its portion of the former Yugoslavia.

Holocaust: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering sends RSHA (Reichssicherheitshaupamt) Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich an order to make:

all the necessary preparations with regard to organizational, practical and financial aspects for an overall solution (Gesamtlosung) of the "Jewish question" in the German sphere of influence in Europe.

Heydrich already has verbally instructed the SS to exterminate entire groups of people, including Jews, and even put it in writing. However, some later assume that Heydrich specifically asks Goering for this after-the-fact authorization letter. In colloquial terms, it is a "cover your butt" letter for Heydrich's benefit.

As it works out, the letter is meaningless to Heydrich (who is assassinated in 1942) but provides a "smoking gun" against Goering at the Nuremberg Trials (who futilely claims that the letter is mistranslated and only refers to a "desired solution," not a "final solution"). While things may have progressed as they did without this order, it provides legal cover for Heydrich to do whatever he wants to do - and Heydrich wants to do a lot where the Jews are concerned.

At Kishinev, Bessarabia (Moldova), the SS has killed about 10,000 Jews by the end of the month. At Zhytomyr, an additional 2500 are dead.

Einsatzcommando 3 reports executing 235 Jewish men, 16 Jewish women, and 5 non-Jews in the "Jäger Report."

Norwegian Homefront: Reich Commissar Josef Terboven issues a regulation that authorizes him to declare a civilian state of emergency. He does not do so at this time, however.

American Homefront: The New York Yankees lead the American League by 12.0 games over the second-place Cleveland Indians, while the St. Louis Cardinals leads the National League by 2.0 games over the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The original and infamous "final solution" letter from Hermann Goering to Reinhard Heydrich, 31 July 1941

July 1941

July 1, 1941: US TV Broadcasting Starts
July 2, 1941: MAUD Report
July 3, 1941: Stalin Speaks
July 4, 1941: Pogroms in Eastern Europe
July 5, 1941: Germans on Schedule
July 6, 1941: Australians Attack Damour
July 7, 1941: US Marines in Iceland
July 8, 1941: Flying Fortresses In Action
July 9, 1941: British Take Damour
July 10, 1941: Sword and Scabbard Order
July 11, 1941: Cease-fire in Syria and Lebanon
July 12, 1941: Anglo/Russian Assistance Pact
July 13, 1941: Uprising in Montenegro
July 14, 1941: Katyusha Rocket Launchers in Action
July 15, 1941: Smolensk Falls
July 16, 1941: Stalin's Son Captured
July 17, 1941: Heydrich Orders Mass Executions
July 18, 1941: Twin Pimples Raid
July 19, 1941: V for Victory
July 20, 1941: The Man Who Wouldn't Shoot
July 21, 1941: Moscow in Flames
July 22, 1941: Soviet Generals Executed
July 23, 1941: Secret Plan JB 355
July 24, 1941: Operation Sunrise
July 25, 1941: US Naval Alert
July 26, 1941: Italian E-Boat Attack on Malta
July 27, 1941: MacArthur Returns
July 28, 1941: Auschwitz Exterminations
July 29, 1941: Rescue From Crete
July 30, 1941: Raid on Petsamo and Kirkenes
July 31, 1941: Final Solution Order

August 1941

August 1, 1941: More Executions on Crete
August 2, 1941: Uman Encirclement Closes
August 3, 1941: Bishop von Galen Denounces Euthanasia
August 4, 1941: Hitler at the Front
August 5, 1941: Soviets Surrender at Smolensk 
August 6, 1941: U-Boats in the Arctic
August 7, 1941: Soviets Bomb Berlin
August 8, 1941: Uman Pocket Captured
August 9, 1941: Atlantic Conference at Placentia Bay
August 10, 1941: Soviet Bombers Mauled Over Berlin
August 11, 1941: Rita Hayworth in Life
August 12, 1941: Atlantic Charter Announced
August 13, 1941: The Soybean Car
August 14, 1941: The Anders Army Formed
August 15, 1941: Himmler at Minsk
August 16, 1941: Stalin's Order No. 270
August 17, 1941: Germans in Novgorod
August 18, 1941: Lili Marleen
August 19, 1941: Convoy OG-71 Destruction
August 20, 1941: Siege of Leningrad Begins
August 21, 1941: Stalin Enraged
August 22, 1941: Germans Take Cherkassy
August 23, 1941: Go to Kiev
August 24, 1941: Finns Surround Viipuri
August 25, 1941: Iran Invaded
August 26, 1941: The Bridge Over the Desna
August 27, 1941: Soviets Evacuate Tallinn
August 28, 1941: Evacuating Soviets Savaged
August 29, 1941: Finns take Viipuri
August 30, 1941: Operation Acid
August 31, 1941: Mannerheim Says No

2020

Thursday 31 October 1940

British Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft (bottom) flying past a German Heinkel He-111 bomber (top) during the Battle of Britain. Since the Spitfire is trailing smoke, it may be in trouble itself. Bombers shot down a lot of fighters.

Overview: Today, 31 October 1940, is when the British officially view the Battle of Britain as ending (date first established by a British Air Ministry pamphlet published in 1941). Just as their start date of 10 July 1940 is somewhat arbitrary, so too is this date. The Luftwaffe attacks continue, and the Germans retain the initiative throughout the winter. On the other hand, the likelihood of an invasion in 1940 has ended long ago, and there are few prospects for one in 1941. Hitler's wandering eye and strategic obligations to his allies, and the continuing inability of Fighter Command to subdue the Royal Air Force, rules out any kind of a repeat of the opportunities so briefly afforded during the summer of 1940. There was a brief window of opportunity to conquer England, and he walked right by it.

The ironic thing about the battle ending now is that the Germans finally have figured out a coherent strategy which, if pursued long enough and with enough vigor, conceivably could turn the battle in their favor. Fighter-bomber (Jabo) raids during the day and medium bomber waves at night is a winning formula - given the right targets. Combined with a heightened U-boat campaign, the battle conceivably could still turn in Germany's favor. Churchill always maintains that the real threat to England, the thing that worries him the most, is the economic strangulation posed by the U-boats. However, Hitler knows that his strength lies on land, not at sea and that quite accurate belief, ironically, will be his downfall.

This is a mapping based on data from original bomb census maps of bombs dropped on London during the Blitz. For the map's purposes (and not the RAF's) the Blitz is calculated to last from 10 July 1940 through 6 June 1941 (which is far more representative of damage caused than ending it at the end of October 1940). The map is interactive and shows the entirety of London, quite good fun to play with if you are interested in the Battle of Britain.

Estimates for losses during the Battle of Britain (as defined by the British) vary wildly. If you were to take accounts from the media of the day, German losses would be several times what their records establish them to be. However, there is no question that the RAF soundly trounced the Luftwaffe over England.

• Luftwaffe losses (approximate): 1733-2200 planes, 3893 men
• RAF losses (reasonably certain): 544-828 planes 1007 men

These figures, incidentally, are constantly changing. I have seen figures as high as 1100+ for RAF planes lost. Generally, more recent figures have the loss ratio much closer than earlier figures. Eventually, historians easily could conclude that both sides lost the same numbers of planes - the figures have changed that much. If I can make a parenthetical observation, it is extremely unlikely that the Luftwaffe lost 2000 planes, considering that they only began the campaign with about that many planes (some estimates say 2800) and the German factories were hardly producing fast enough at this time to cover those kinds of losses. Many planes made it back to France smoking like a chimney but were repaired and sent up again. So, to be realistic, it is probably wise to take any official estimates and ratchet up the RAF losses and ratchet down the Luftwaffe ones.

However - and this is a huge "however" - the Luftwaffe lost the vast majority of pilots and aircrew that were shot down (yes, some were picked up by the very efficient Luftwaffe He-59 air-sea rescue crews). The RAF lost a much smaller fraction of its personnel to death and severe injury. This was the real damage to the Luftwaffe, not the number of planes lost (many of which would soon have been replaced by better models anyway). The Luftwaffe was never really short of planes, even during the war's last days: the constraining factors were trained pilots and, most importantly, fuel. Losing all those great pilots was the real cost to Germany of the battle - well, that and the anger from Hades unleashed upon them by killing so many civilians essentially to no purpose.

To the British side of the loss-ledger should be added the cities ruined, the civilian lives lost, the businesses destroyed, the families separated, the ships sunk, the bombers lost over Europe, and many other costs to which the war summaries pay lip service. The Luftwaffe dropped over 35,000 tons of bombs on Great Britain. London was attacked 19 times by 18,800 tons of bombs, razing 16,000 houses, damaging 130,000 others and making 60,000 uninhabitable. The worst area hit was the East End. All of this damage to England evens the "score" between the two sides somewhat, but destroying houses and killing women and children brought the Luftwaffe no closer to victory and made any talk of peace talks political suicide in England.

The Battle of Britain was won by the pilots, and they came from throughout the British Empire. 595 of the RAF pilots were non-British:

• 145 pilots from Poland
• 127 from New Zealand
• 112 from Canada
• 88 from Czechoslovakia
• 28 from Belgium
• 32 from Australia
• 25 from South Africa
• 13 from France
• 10 from Ireland
• 7 from America
• 1 from each of Jamaica, Palestine, and Rhodesia.

It should be noted that virtually everyone then and now agrees that the best RAF pilots during the Battle of Britain were the Polish pilots who escaped before their country's surrender.

The most successful pilots of the Battle of Britain were Werner Molders and Adolf Galland of the Luftwaffe, both of whom had 50 victories to their credit (some earned previously) by the battle's conclusion. On the RAF side, Eric Stanley Lock had 21 victories by 31 October 1940 (he wound up with 26 confirmed and 8 probable kills). James Lacey - often erroneously reported as the top ace of the Battle of Britain - only shot down 18 during the battle itself. He wound up with 28 kills and four probable kills by 1945. Lacey's greatest feat was, like Galland, to be on duty on both the first day of the war and the last.

Eric Stanley Lock. This photo was taken sometime between 14 July 1941 and 3 August 1941; on the former date, Lock was credited with his 26th kill, and on the latter, he went missing off Calais after being forced down in the Channel by ground fire. Most likely, he had this photo taken immediately after his 26th victory to commemorate it.

Battle of Britain: During the day itself, the weather is rough and little takes place. In fact, it is one of the quietest days since the campaign began. The day is occupied by reconnaissance and occasional raids, primarily on airfields at Bassingbourn, Poling, Lawford Heath, and Martlesham. The raids are primarily by lone "pirate" bombers and don't accomplish much.

The Royal Ordnance Factory at Glascoed, the British Portland Cement Company, and The Repairable Equipment Ltd Factory all took damage. The raids are so scattered and sparse that Fighter Command can't even vector in any fighters for a confrontation - the bombers slip in and out.

After dark, London and the Midlands are bombed, and mines are dropped in the Thames Estuary. The winds are so bad that they blow the German bombers off course. This causes most of the bombers to miss London - which shows how strong the winds. Other attacks on Birmingham also achieve little. London is bombed throughout the night, but sporadically, and only by a handful of bombers at a time.

For the first time in four months, neither side takes any combat casualties. The weather, though, does take something from both sides, so generally, it is accepted that the Luftwaffe lost 2 planes today in weather-related incidents and the RAF one.

A Spitfire making a pass by a Dornier Do 17 during the Battle of Britain.

Italian/Greek Campaign: In the vital Pindus Mountains sector in the center of the line, the Italian troops struggle forward through the snow and icy rain. Their first objective (40 km off their initial front) is the town of Vovousa, which they have not yet reached and is only a stepping-stone to the key Greek supply crossroads of Metsovo. The Greek line is stabilizing and giving ground grudgingly. On the coastal sector, the Italians are still moving forward to reestablish contact with the Greeks who have withdrawn to the Kalpaki Line. At this point, the Italians are still giving the North African front priority over the Albanian one.

Most histories state that this is the day that the Italian advance "stalls." That is a little premature. Greek resistance is stiffening, but the Italians are still moving forward in the central and coastal sectors.

The British land forces on the islands of Lemnos and Crete.

Greek destroyers Spetsai and Psara, operating out of Patras, cruise up to Albania and bombard Italian positions there using their 120 mm guns. This incident and the looming presence of the Royal Navy (the British Mediterranean Fleet is operating to the south) helps to cause Italy to scrub its projected operation to occupy Corfu (there are other reasons as well, such as troops being diverted to other operations).


European Air Operations: There is no bombing activity by the RAF out of England owing to the poor weather. RAF Bomber Command in Egypt, however, stretches its operations to the maximum (so far) and bombs oil installations in Naples, Italy. Coastal Command attacks enemy shipping off Norway.

Battle of the Atlantic: Convoy stragglers are ships that have difficulty maintaining convoy speed (which already is slower than many captains would like, usually 5-10 knots). The convoy system is having a Darwinian effect on shipping, eliminating older and poorly maintained ships at the expense of newer, faster ships.

U-124 (Kptlt. Georg-Whilhelm Schulz), the "Edelweisseboot," is on its second patrol out of Lorient when it finds a straggler to Convoy HX 82 west of the Outer Hebrides. She torpedoes and sinks 1437 ton British bauxite/sundries freighter Rutland. There are 25-29 deaths (accounts vary) - all of her crew.

Royal Navy trawler HMT Wardour hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea. The 12 crew survive and are picked up by HMS Douglas.

Royal Navy motor torpedo boat MTB 16 (Lt P. F. S. Gould) hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea near Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Another motor torpedo boat, MTB 22, is damaged.

British 1535 ton collier Hillfern hits a mine (apparently, or maybe it was a Luftwaffe attack, in the foul weather nobody is sure) and sinks about 35 miles off Kinnaird Head/Buchanness. There are 8 deaths.

German 433 ton trawler Aldebaran hits a mine and sinks in the Baltic near Liepāja, Estonia.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 5702-ton British freighter Starstone.

German raider Widder (Captain Helmuth von Ruckteschell), running on greatly reduced power due to issues with its engines, arrives at Brest after a long journey home. The Widder has had a very successful cruise, sinking 10 ships of 58,645 tons.

There are a couple of incidents that illustrate the complicated nature of Anglo/Gallic relations at the moment.

French destroyers Brestois, Bordelais, Simoun, Tempete and L'Alcyon sail through the Straits of Gibraltar to the Atlantic. HMS Griffin shadows the French flotilla, and Force H, led by battleship HMS Barham, leaves Gibraltar. The Admiralty is concerned that they might turn north toward England, but instead, they turn south and Force H returns to port.

French 5205 ton transport Congo, having departed on the 24th, is en route from Fort de France bound for Casablanca. It has aboard 1206 French naval officers and 53 other passengers. Royal Navy AMC Moreton Bay intercepts it and orders it to Freetown. The 1259 men on board, though, eventually are allowed to proceed to Casablanca by other means.

German battlecruiser Admiral Scheer leaves Stavanger, Norway to break out into the Atlantic.

German supply ship Rio Grande departs from Rio de Janeiro to replenish raider Thor and then head for France. She has to elude the Neutrality patrols and the Royal Navy.

Convoy OB 237 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FS 324 departs from Methil, Convoy HG 46 (51 ships) departs from Gibraltar.

During the month of October 1940, Allied losses due to U-boats and mines increase, while losses to surface raiders and aircraft decrease:

• Sunk by U-boat: 352,407
• Sunk by Aircraft: 8752
• Sunk by Raider: 32134
• Sunk by Mine: 32548

There is one U-boat lost. The month of October is considered perhaps the height of the first U-boat "Happy Time" of the war, exemplified by the catastrophes of Convoys SC 7 and HX 79.

To the Atlantic losses should be added 4 Allied ships of 24,721 tons lost elsewhere (including the Mediterranean).

At the end of the month, the Royal Navy has 50 destroyers under repair at various facilities including Portsmouth, Plymouth, the Tyne, the Humber, Rosyth, and Malta. This, coincidentally, is the same number of destroyers obtained from the US in the destroyers-for-bases deal.

U-74 (Kapitänleutnant Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat) is commissioned.

Royal Navy corvette HMCS Trillium (Lt.Cdr. R.F. Harris, RCNR)  is commissioned.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder (Lt. Malcolm D. Wanklyn) is commissioned.

Nehru in prison.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian bombers attack the British base at Mersa Matruh with 26 bombers escorted by 37 fighters. The RAF also attacks Italian airfields.

South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts is flying home from a conference in Sudan when RAF fighters mistake his plane for Italian and attack it. The plane lands safely in Kenya.

The British establish the Combined Bureau in Cairo. It is staffed by specialists from Bletchley Park to handle Ultra decrypts, which are closely guarded.

Axis shipping losses for October 1940 in the Mediterranean are:

• 6 Axis ships (all Italian);
• 19,968 tons

The government of Malta reports on the results of the war during its first four months of the war with Italy. It finds that there have been distinct phases in the battle:

• First Stage: Italian SM 79 bombers attacked without escorts;
• Second Stage: Italian fighters made sweeps without bombers;
• Third Stage: Day bombings resumed with fighter escorts, including by Stuka dive-bombers.

Air activity, the reports also states, died down completely in October.

Battle of the Pacific: German raider Pinguin continues laying mines between Australia and Tasmania. It lays 40 mines off Hobart. Meanwhile, converted minelayer Passat lays another 40 mines in the Bass Strait.

India: The British government continues to crack down on Nationalists who are engaging in coordinated nonviolent protests. Jawaharlal Nehru gives a speech, is arrested, and ultimately is sentenced to four years of hard labor.

China: At the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Army is under pressure and retreats to Chinhsien for evacuation to Hainan Island.

President Franklin Roosevelt dedicates the new National Institute of Health campus at Bethesda, Maryland.

October 1940

October 1, 1940: Wait Daddy 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

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