Tuesday 29 October 1940

Father Louis Cheray stands in his ruined Edmundite church in Whitton, England. It was destroyed on the night of 29 October 1940. Unlike today, when someone (usually the government) steps in and fixes things, back then if your building was bombed, you were out of luck. Father Cheray raised some money and set to work repairing the church himself. He completed repairs in 1941, doing a lot himself, and the church as he fixed it remains in service today.

Italian/Greek Campaign: There are three main sectors of the Greek front with varying degrees of activity on 29 October 1940.

Along the coastal sector, the main Greek 8th Infantry Division force on the coast breaks contact and retires in good order to the Kalpaki line. This area has swamps at the mouth of the Kalamas River directly in front of Kalpaki which would retard any attack. Two Greek battalions under Major-General Nikolaos Lioumbas hold this area. Further inland, nine Greek battalions hold the Kalpaki pass. This line looks sturdy due to its natural advantages despite the presence of Italian warships offshore that can bombard the Greeks.

In the central sector, the Julia Division is moving forward in the critical Pindus Mountains sector of the front. Their goal is the crossroads of Metsovo, which would cut Greek lines of communications to their forces further north. The Greeks of the scratch Pindus Detachment (soon to be supplemented by the 1st Infantry Division) are retiring in good order to Samarina. It begins to snow in this area, which helps the defense.

The northern Macedonian sector is fairly static, with minimal Italian gains. Advances in this sector depend upon the Italian forces further south taking Metsovo, through which Greek supplies and reinforcements pass.

A planned Italian landing on Corfu is scrubbed due to poor weather.

A Paris shopgirl displays her wares for appreciative Wehrmacht boys, October 1940.

German/Italian Relations: An underlying tension between the Italians and the Germans concerns North Africa. The Germans want to put their own troops there for a variety of reasons, including sheer imperialism. The Italians, however, consider North Africa their own private domain and want it to remain German-free. Mussolini has been uncertain about the ability of the Italian Army to advance past the British defensive line at Mersa Matruh and take Alexandria without German assistance. At the Brenner Pass meeting on 4 October, Mussolini had waffled on whether to allow German troops to participate in this "third stage" of the North Africa offensive, indicating that he "might be forced" to use German tanks to take the British base (which would lever the British completely out of the Middle East entirely).

In hindsight, it is fairly obvious that the Italian Army had absolutely no hope of reaching Alexandria by itself, much less capturing it. However, the Italians are full of themselves at this point and truly believe they are world-conquerors.

Italian Commander in Chief Marshal Badoglio - adamantly opposed to German involvement in North Africa - today convinces Mussolini that the "third stage" of the offensive, taking Alexandria, is completely impossible with or without German assistance. He convinces Mussolini to cancel any plans for an Italian advance beyond Mersa Matruh (which itself would be extremely difficult for the Italians to take). This eliminates any excuse for the Germans to intrude troops into North Africa. It cripples the "peripheral strategy" favored by many of Hitler's Generals and Admirals - at least for the time being. Armchair historians who wonder why the Germans didn't just boot the British out of Egypt and Gibraltar early on when it would have been feasible - here is your reason.

This is an eminently sensible conclusion for the Italians to draw from the situation. Italian troops have miserable morale and terrible equipment and supplies. The important thing to note, though, is that the Italians don't make this decision at this time because of the British defenses or anything to do with the state of the Italian military - but because of their desire to keep the Germans out of North Africa.

Japan's home fleet on October 29, 1940, off the coast of Yokohama, Japan.

Battle of Britain: The Luftwaffe steps up its raids today, requiring a maximum effort by the RAF. It is a bad day for the Luftwaffe's fighter force, which suffers heavily. Today's operations usually are considered the last major, or climactic, Luftwaffe daylight attacks over England, though the battle continues of course.

German fighter-bombers (Jabos) cross the coast around 10:30, with many evading interception and bombing central London. The Charing Cross bridge is hit. A Hurricane of RAF No. 213 Squadron bales out near Selsey but perishes.

Some Dornier Do 17s mount a rare daylight raid just past noontime. They are intercepted by RAF No. 1 Squadron and don't accomplish much.

The largest operations of the day begin at 13:00 when 100+ Jabos and accompanying fighters head for central London and nearby airfields (Biggin Hill, Hornchurch, Maidstone). JG 51 runs into the main force of RAF fighters and is attacked from above, losing 8 fighters. The Jabos drop their bombs and scramble for home quickly.

Around the same time, a large formation approaches Portsmouth from the south. This includes a dozen Junkers Ju 88s, and they run into RAF Nos. 145 and 213 Squadrons. The Luftwaffe bombs cause 39 casualties, with three deaths, along with dozens of houses destroyed and damage to the railway line.

As these other raids are in progress, the Italian CAI force sends over 15 BR 20 bombers with 39 CR 42 and 34 G.50bis escorts to bomb Ramsgate. They stray off course and bomb the Royal Marines Barracks at Deal, killing 8 men and wounding a dozen others.

The Jabos have great success later in the afternoon, and they are accompanied again by Junkers Ju 88 bombers. These raids proceed against airfields across East Anglia. This is Operation Opernhall (Opera Hall). There are 71 Ju 88s and 52 Jabos escorted by well over 120 Bf 109s and Bf 110s. North Weald, Leeming, Linton, Wattisham, Honington, Leeming, Newmarket, West Raynham, and Linton-on-Ouse and other airfields take damage.

The fighting is wild and wooly all afternoon. There are Luftwaffe planes going every which way, including a diversionary attack on the London docks by Epr210. There were planes falling out of the sky in all directions, most of them German.

After dark, the main targets are London, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Coventry. The raids are spread out all across southern England. One bomber raids Bristol, another causes a fire at the Wrays Optical Works which destroys the factory. Junkers Ju 88s act as dive bombers (all Luftwaffe bombers are required to have some dive-bombing capability), attacking airfields in East Anglia, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire.

The Luftwaffe drops mines in the Thames Estuary. These include new acoustic mines, which explode due to noise caused by ship propellers. One of the mines is recovered by two Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve officers in the River Ogmore for study.

Overall, as with most days when the Luftwaffe mounts a major effort, it is a bad day for the Germans. They lose over two dozen planes (22 Bf 109s, 3 Bf 110s and 2 Do 17s), and the RAF fewer than a dozen planes.

Werner Mölders claimed his 54th victory, keeping his lead over second-place Adolf Galland. Major Helmut Wick of JG 2 files two claims for Hurricanes over Portsmouth, giving him 44 victories.

Check out Tommy Dorsey and Frank at the Palladium tonight.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends its 25th raid against Berlin.

Battle of the Atlantic: British 1500 ton sludge barge G.W. Humphreys hits a mine and sinks Thames Estuary north of Leysdown-on-Sea, Kent. Seven crewmen perish.

U-31 (Kptl. Wilfried Prellberg) torpedoes and sinks 5389-ton British freighter Matina. The Matina is a drifting derelict that was attacked by U-28 on 26 October. This will be U-31's final success.

U-29 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart) rendezvouses with German raider Widder in the Bay of Biscay. Widder is operating at a reduced power of 5 knots due to engine difficulties and is slowly returning to base.

Norwegian 3015 ton freighter Jamaica hits a mine and is damaged.

Dutch submarine O-24 attacks a freighter off Norway but misses.

German E-boats Iltis and Jaguar lay minefield Alfred off Dover.

Convoy OB 236 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 322 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 322 departs from Methil, Convoy SC 10 departs St. John, Convoy OG 45 departs from Liverpool/Milford Haven/Glasgow, Convoy BM 3 departs from Bombay.

Daily Worker, 29 October 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Greece formally requests British military assistance per the guarantee of 13 April 1939, which states:

[I]n the event of any action being taken which clearly threatened the independence of Greece, His Majesty's Government would feel themselves bound at once to lend all the support in their power.

England already has offered its assistance, so this request is a mere formality.

Operation BN: Pursuant to their mutual defense obligations to the Greeks, the British land troops on Greece. It is a reconnaissance party drawn from members of the Royal Navy, RAF, and the army. The men arrive at Suda Bay in a flying boat. The Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria, led by battleships HMS Warspite, Valiant, Malaya, and Ramillies along with aircraft carriers HMS Eagle and Illustrious sorties to the west of Crete to cover landing operations there. A convoy of troopships also depart for Suda Bay. Operation BN is planned to continue for the next week and land a large body of British troops. The initial force of battleships also carries an extempore initial landing force of 158 sailors from the crew of damaged HMS Liverpool to form a shore party at Suda Bay.

Italian submarine Scirè parks off Gibraltar and releases its three manned torpedoes. All three submersibles, however, experience technical difficulties and the mission is scrubbed.

Italian submarine Atropo lays mines off Zante in the Aegean.

RAF bombers raid Italian positions in North Africa.

At Malta, the Malta Fighter Plane Fund is closed to contributions today, being announced a great success. A total of £12900 has been raised over three months, which is to be sent to the Minister for Aircraft Production, Lord Beaverbrook, in London.

Battle of the Pacific: German raider Pinguin and converted minelayer Passat continue laying mines off southeast Australia. The Passat lays 30 mines in the Banks Straits.

Italian Military: The government begins full mobilization of the Italian Blackshirt units.

Actress Carole Landis learns her future from phrenology, 29 October 1940.

Vichy France: French Brigadier-General Paul Legentilhomme, who has been the Commander in Chief of the French military units stationed in French Somaliland, arrives in London to join Charles de Gaulle. Legentilhomme condemned the French Armistice on 18 June and left his command on 2 August.

China: At the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese withdraw from Nanning as the Chinese advance. The Chinese capture Kaofengyi, Santang, and Chientaohsu.

American Homefront: The first draft number is drawn pursuant to the  Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 lottery by Secretary of War Henry Stimson. He uses a blindfold to fish a number out of a fishbowl. This is the beginning of the first peacetime draft in US history. Chinese laundryman Yuen Chong Chan is the first choice and announces that he is eager to fight Japan.

October 29, 1940, U.S. Attorney General Robert Jackson draws the third draft lottery number, watched by President Roosevelt. You can see the first two numbers drawn on the board.

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

Sunday 27 October 1940

Tommies on patrol in the Western Desert, 27 October 1940.

Battle of Britain: The weather remains acceptable for flying on 27 October 1940, and the pattern of recent days continues - that is, no real pattern. There are disjointed Luftwaffe raids throughout the day which primarily are made by fighter-bombers (Jabos) and cause little damage. They do stretch out the RAF fighter defenses, but they stress the Luftwaffe planes and pilots as well. As usual, the daylight attacks are bifurcated between the usual city targets and RAF airfields, with neither suffering particularly much due to the Jabos' small bomb loads.

The day has low-hanging clouds which allow the planes to battle it out in blinding sunshine, but on the ground, it is dark, drizzly and miserable. For some reason, Fighter Command loses (at least temporarily out of action) several planes today due to running out of fuel. This may be related to the standing patrols that it has begun implementing.

The Jabos start early this morning, coming across in waves beginning around 07:30. The primary targets are the airfields around London (Biggin Hill, Kenley) and the city itself. As usual with the early morning raids, Fighter Command is slow off the mark and makes relatively few interceptions. Both sides take losses.

The first series of raids last for two hours, and another series begins around 11:30. This formation flies high and fast and heads for the London docklands. Two Hurricanes run out of fuel and are forced to crash-land, and a Spitfire is lost at Andover.

Another wave of Jabos crosses around 12:30. Fighter Command is ready and waiting for them and prevents any major damage.

The next wave of attacks is just after lunchtime at 13:30. The Jabos split up after crossing the coast, some heading for Central London, others for points further east. RAF No. 603 Squadron takes a beating in this encounter, losing three planes and two pilots.

The largest raids of the day take place around 16:30. This one includes medium bombers, a rare sight during daylight hours. Junkers Ju 88s, Heinkel He 111s and Dornier Do 17s fly over the Thames Estuary to East Anglia. RAF Martlesham and Coltishall are attacked, but they sustain little significant damage. The medium bombers strafe the airfields to little purpose, and the bombs, including some with delayed action fuses, only lightly damage the facilities.

At the same time, Junkers Ju 88s escorted by fighters attack Southampton and Portsmouth. Both sides claim victories in this attack. Further, but smaller, raids take place beginning around 18:30 against a bunch of RAF airfields: Leconfield, Feltwell, Driffield, Kirton-in-Lindsey, and Martlesham. One of the Junkers is shot down near Driffield, and the men at the base recover one of the MG 15 machine guns for their trophy case. Italian BR 20M bombers participate in an attack on Ramsgate

After dark, the main targets are London, Liverpool, and the Midlands. The London raids are of moderate intensity, and the bombers drop their loads all across the southern part of England without any main target. The LMS railway at Tottenham takes a hit which puts it out of action when a water main bursts. The Luftwaffe also drops mines all along the eastern coast, including Harwich and the Thames estuary.

Losses for the day are about even at roughly a dozen apiece. While the Luftwaffe attacks appear disorganized, they cause a fair amount of damage. The Germans do much better when they do not send their formations over "parade-style" but instead, vary the targets and intensity of their raids. The RAF loses four pilots killed, which is much worse than losing planes.

A Bf 109 shot down today in the marshes near Canterbury - flown by Oblt. Ulrich Steinhilper of I./JG 52 - will be recovered in 1980 for preservation by the Kent Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge. Steinhilper himself, who survived the war as a POW in Canada, visits the plane a few years later.

Another plane lost today at Congburn Dean, Edmondsley, a Hurricane of No. 43 Squadron flown by Sergeant L.V. Toogood, is recovered in October 1978. Toogood perished in the crash. This apparently was not a combat crash, but due to some equipment malfunction such as oxygen failure.

Major Hannes Trautloft of JG 54 claims a Spitfire over Ashford.

“The Messerschmitt Bf 109 E Oberleutnant Karl Fischer shot down in Windsor Great Park. October 1940.”

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command attacks several targets in Greater Germany, including oil installations at Hamburg, Hanover, Gelsenkirchen, Magdeburg, and Ostermoor. Other targets include the Skoda plant at Pilsen, ports such as Antwerp, Flushing, Ostend, Lorient, Wilhelmshaven and Hamburg, and warehouses at Krefeld, Hamm, and Mannheim.

Battle of the Atlantic: British 42k ton troopship Empress of Britain is taken in tow by oceangoing tugs HMS Marauder and HMS Thames around 09:30. They make for the Clyde at 4 knots, covered by destroyers and Short Sunderland flying boats. U-32 (Kptl. Hans Jenisch), directed to the scene by U-boat Command, approaches the British ships during the day but must remain submerged throughout the day due to the British escorts. After dark, he surfaces and locates the stricken liner using hydrophones. Destroyer escorts HMS Broke and Sardonyx are zig-zagging. U-32 maneuvers into position to attack just after midnight.

Italian submarine Nani torpedoes and sinks 1583 ton Swedish freighter Meggie about 130 km off Santa Maria Island, Azores. Everybody aboard survives.

Dutch 325 ton coaster Margaretha hits a mine and sinks in the Bristol Channel near Newport, Monmouthshire. Everybody aboard survives.

British 20 ton drifter Persevere hits a mine and sinks in the Firth of Forth.

British 634 ton coaster Suavity hits a mine and sinks off Hartlepool, County Durham in the North Sea. Everybody aboard survives.

The Luftwaffe damaged 5013-ton British freighter Alfred Jones in Convoy OB 234 in the Irish Sea. There are 12 deaths.

The Luftwaffe also damages 411-ton British freighter Conister and 1556 ton British freighter Newlands.

Royal Navy light cruiser Arethusa collides with freighter Flaminian in the North Sea, slightly damaging its bow.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Swordfish reports damaging a freighter off Cherbourg.

German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer departs Germany for a raid into the Atlantic, proceeding north along the Norwegian coast.

Convoy OB 235 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 321 departs from Southend, Convoy FN 321 departs from Methil, Convoy SL 53 departs from Freetown.

USS Wasp decked out for Navy Day. 27 October 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: General de Gaulle's Free Free troops in French Equatorial Africa are on the march into Vichy French Gabon. Under the command of General Edgard de Larminat, they advance from the Congo Valley, take the town of Mitzic, and invest the fortress of Lambarene. These events in central Africa are intended to consolidate de Gaulle's strength and set up bases for air attacks on the Italian positions further north and east.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, on a mission out of Alexandria, launches air attacks against the Italian seaplane base at Maltezana, Rhodes, Greece.

At Malta, there is an air raid around 10:00 which results in a massive dogfight over the island. Eight RAF planes (six Hurricanes, two Gladiators) take on an equal number of Macchi 200 aircraft. There is no bomb damage and both sides take some damage to a plane (the Italian plane may not have made it back).

Spy Stuff: An Enigma intercept puts British fears of an imminent invasion to rest. The German message refers to "training" for the invasion - which means it can't happen any time soon, if at all.


Italian/Greek Relations: Italian ambassador in Athens Emanuele Grazzi peremptorily delivers a demand from Mussolini late in the evening. The note demands that Italian troops be permitted to occupy key points in Greece. Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas replies:

Alors, c'est la guerre ("Then, it's war").

Everybody knows this is tantamount to a declaration of war. Metaxas is fully aware of increasing Italian provocations, such as their air raid on Greece on the 26th, but censors such news from the media.

Metaxas has been mobilizing his own troops in great secrecy and they are dug in along the mountains facing Albania. Mussolini, of course, did not deliver the demand in the expectation that it would lead to anything other than such a refusal. The Greek/Albanian front - the traditional invasion route from Italy for millennia - is full of good defensive positions. It also is an extremely restricted front, with almost no maneuvering room. For the time being, Metaxas can concentrate his entire army there, because the Italians also have to worry about the Royal Navy and thus cannot embark on tenuous amphibious invasions further south. Deep-seated historical enmity guarantees that any conflict between the two countries will be fought with great savagery.

German/Italian Relations: The Germans remain in the dark about Italian intentions toward Greece, and news flows to them sporadically from various sources. German Generalmajor Enno von Rintelen, the liaison with the Italian military, calls the OKW at noon and informs them that it is now "practically certain" that the invasion will take place the next morning. This is the first "confirmation" of when the attack will take place, as Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano has been uncommunicative. German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, meanwhile, already is on his train "Heinrich" for the meeting on the 28th with Mussolini in Florence and remains completely out of the loop. General Alfred Jodl, OKW Chief of Operations, reviews the information and informs Hitler that the Italian attack will take place in the morning; Hitler simply accepts the information, issues no instructions, and leaves as scheduled in his train "Amerika" at 18:00 for Florence. If the attack does take place as anticipated, it will be while Hitler is still crossing the Alps in his train. By 21:00, the Italians reveal their plans officially to the Germans.

Today is Navy Day in the US. Here, the battleship USS Texas shows its colors on 27 October 1940 (US National Archive).

US Military: The Greenslade Board investigating the British bases acquired in the destroyers-for-bases deal winds up its travels aboard light cruiser USS St. Louis at Norfolk, Virginia.

Free France: In a symbolic exercise, the Free French government officially is established in London. General de Gaulle, in Africa, broadcasts:

As long as the French Government and the representation of the French people do not exist normally and independently of the enemy, the powers formerly performed by the Chief of State and by the Council of Ministers will be exercised by the leader of the Free French forces assisted by a Council of Defense.

Albania: The Italians, preparing for their invasion of Greece, order all Jews out of Albania.

American Homefront: The 1939-40 New York World's Fair, which opened in April 1939, closes. A cultural success, it is a financial failure at least in part due to the outbreak of the war in Europe. Many countries have not participated or have withdrawn their participation due to the conflict. The site in Flushing Meadows remains a park to this day and was later used for the 1964-65 World's Fair, which obliterated the remnants of the earlier fair but used the same basic geography. The monuments leftover from the latter remain clearly visible to travelers on the nearby New York highways. Little is left of the 1939-40 Fair, however, which most people consider having been more historically significant and a classier affair. The site, incidentally, also will be used briefly as the first home of the United Nations.

Future History: John Joseph Gotti, Jr. is born in the Bronx, New York. Born in poverty, he rises through the ranks of organized crime and becomes the boss of the Gambino crime family. He ultimately is convicted of five murders and numerous other crimes. He dies in prison on 10 June 2002.

Frieda Siegel (Miss Brooklyn) at the Fair. The Crosley Pavilion and Trylon and Perisphere can be seen in the background.

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

Monday 21 October 1940

October 21, 1940: Accordion players and singers playing at the Aldwych tube station subway stop. The troupe traveled from station to station each night.

Battle of Britain: The weather on 21 October 1940 remains poor, with normal English fall weather: overcast, drizzly, low visibility. The Luftwaffe mounts mainly smaller raids by pirate bombers and other lone wolves.

During the morning, there are small raids in London, Liverpool, Northampton, Cambridge, and the Duxford area.

Some Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s attempt bombing missions during the afternoon when the weather clears a bit. One odd incident takes place at Old Sarum when a Ju 88 poses as a Bristol Blenheim while attacking the airfield there. However, ultimately the bomber is shot down by RAF No. 609 Squadron.

After dark, there are raids on the usual targets: London, Liverpool and the Midlands with further raids on Sheffield, South Wales and Lancashire. The Luftwaffe also drops mines in the Thames Estuary and off Swansea. A particularly devastating hit is scored by a land mine at Strathmore Avenue, Beverley High Road, near the River Hull. It devastates the entire area, kills two, and injures many others.

Tonight counts as Liverpool's 200th air raid, conducted by KGr 606 and III,/KG 27.

Coventry, home to many strategic factories, also gets hit again. This is a particularly devastating raid that devastates both businesses and infrastructure. A water main break floods the nearby Northern Line.

The day is pretty much a wash, with a handful of Luftwaffe planes lost and nary a single RAF plane - an extreme rarity during the Battle of Britain.

The coastal guns at Hellfire Corner (the Dover Strait) exchange fire between 14:00 and 16:00. Several of the six German shells fired fail to detonate, as was the case yesterday.

European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Bomber Command attacks the ports of Boulogne and Gravelines. It also attacks a convoy off the French coast, damaging a ship. After dark, the targets include the Skoda plant at Pilsen, the Hamburg dockyards, oil installations at Reisholz, and Stade Airfield near Hamburg.

A Vickers Wellington V is tested for altitude and reaches 20,000 feet.

The Luftwaffe night fighters get another victory when Hptmn Karl Hülshoff of 1./NJG2 damages an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley of RAF No. 58 Squadron. It almost makes it back to base but crashes into a hillside at Botton Head on Ingleby Greenhow Moor, North Yorkshire.

The Luftwaffe shuffles some of its personnel. Kommodore of KG 2 Generalmajor Johannes Fink becomes Inspector of Bomber and Ground Attack Flyers. Oberst Herbert Rieckhoff from KG 30 replaces him, and Oblt. Erich Blödorn replaces Rieckhoff.

Kapitänleutnant Claus Korth of U-93.

Battle of the Atlantic: The last few days have seen tremendous victories by the U-boat fleet over the British convoy system. While the U-boats involved in those actions have spent most or all of their torpedoes, there remain other ways to continue the savage attacks on Britain's ocean lifeline. Today, mines and the Luftwaffe take over.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 825-ton Irish collier Kerry Head about 9 km south of Blackball Head, County Kerry. All 12 men aboard perish in the sinking.
The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 4935-ton British freighter Houston City in the Thames Estuary northeast of Leysdown-on-Sea. The crew beaches the ship, but it later is bombed again by the Luftwaffe and written off.

Royal Navy auxiliary minesweeper HMT Waveflower also hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea off Aldeburgh, Suffolk. There are seven survivors and 15 crew perish.
Royal Navy trawler HMT Joseph Button investigates the sinking of the Waveflower and also hits a mine and sinks. There are five deaths.

Royal Navy motor torpedo boat MTB 17  (Lt R. I. T. Falkner) hits a mine and sinks off Ostend, West Flanders. It sinks in shallow water and can be salvaged.

Royal Navy minelayers HMS Teviotbank and Plover, along with destroyers Icarus and Impulsive, lay minefield BS 42 in the North Sea.

Convoy OB 232 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FS 316 departs from Methil.

Wolfgang Lüth transfers out of U-138 and assumes command of U-43, an ocean-going submarine.

Royal Navy corvette HMCS Jonquil (K 68, Lt. Commander Robert E. H. Partington) is commissioned.

Hurricanes of RAF No. 1 Squadron and Spitfires of RAF No. 266 Squadron performing a flyover for factory workers. October 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italy begins preparing for the invasion of Greece by forming a new naval command. The Maritrafalba will escort convoys from the Italian ports of Bari and Brindisi to Albania. British submarines have been targeting this area recently, with some success.

Convoy BN 7, sailing out of Bombay, is attacked by Italian destroyers Manin, Sauro, Battisti and Francesco Nullo, operating out of Massawa, at 02:19. The Nullo is badly damaged by HMS Kimberley and Australian sloop HMAS Yarra and is beached/runs aground (it is unclear which). Bristol Blenheim bombers later destroy the Nullo, which is beached on Harmi Island, Italian Somaliland.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Kimberley is hit by Massawa shore artillery and damaged. Three men are wounded. The destroyer must be towed by light cruiser Leander to Port Sudan, and later travels to Bombay for permanent repairs.

The RAF attacks Italian transport between Sollum and Buq Buq. Other operations include attacks on Italian East Africa/Abyssinia (Bahir Dar and Tessenei) and Eritrea (Gura and Asmara).

The Royal Navy is planning an airstrike, Operation Judgment, against the Italian fleet at Taranto. Fire on aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious destroys four Swordfish of RAF No. 819 Squadron postpones the operation for at least a week.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Parthian spots an Italian submarine off Cape Colonna and tries to ram it, but fails.

Italian submarine Scirè, which carries three manned torpedoes, sails from La Spezia once again for Gibraltar to carry out its mission against the Royal Navy based there.

At Malta, the Information Office announces that enemy air losses over Malta since the outbreak of the war have been 25 and badly damaged aircraft 20. RAF losses to date have totaled three fighters and two pilots. This is a rebuttal to Italian propaganda which has stated that the Regia Aeronautica has crushed RAF resistance on the island.

The South African 2nd Infantry Brigade arrives at Mombasa.

Battle of the Baltic: Finnish 623 ton wooden coaster Astrid is crossing the Baltic from Leningrad at 21:50 carrying salt when it sinks near Kovisto to the south of Gogland/Suursaari. It usually is reported that the coaster hits a mine, but the better sources suggest that a Soviet submarine rams it. There are 3 survivors and 9 men perish. The Soviet sub rescues the survivors and takes them to the naval base at Kronstadt near Leningrad, where they are kept for a month. This incident is subject to much suspicion about what actually happened, and not even the identity of the submarine is certain (apparently S-102). Many hard feelings were left over from the Winter War at the time. Some blame the Finnish ship for not running navigational lights. Others claim that the Finnish ship had its lights on and it was the new Soviet sub that was running dark, and this is supported somewhat by the fact that S-102's crew was inexperienced as the submarine was still on its trials. In any event, the timing of this incident is striking because Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov and the rest of the Politburo are quite concerned about transit rights recently granted by the Finns to Wehrmacht troops. There is no evidence, however, that this was a planned incident, perhaps a question of Soviet indifference or inattention. This is the kind of murky incident that keeps World War II discussion boards humming.

Battle of the Pacific: Light cruiser HMNZS Adelaide and Achilles depart for patrols out of Sydney and Auckland, respectively, after reports of a German raider in the vicinity. They find nothing. However, the reports are probably accurate, as raider Pinguin and its consort Passat are traveling in the vicinity to lay minefields off southern Australia.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Atlantis captures 5623-ton Yugoslavian freighter Durmitor. The Germans quickly rename it Radwinter and put a prize crew on it to sail to Mogadishu.

Ernest Hemingway at his Sun Valley, Idaho hunting lodge in October 1940. Photographed by Lloyd Arnold for Life Magazine. With him is Gary Cooper. Lloyd Arnold/ Hulton Archive/Getty Images/Lloyd Arnold.

German/Soviet Relations: Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov replies to German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop's lengthy letter of 13 October about a New World Order. The letter, signed by Stalin, is considered so important that Gustav Hilger personally brings it to Berlin.

In his reply, Stalin agrees to Ribbentrop's proposal that they meet in Berlin, to be followed by a meeting in Moscow:

I agree with you that a further improvement in the relations between our countries is entirely possible on the permanent basis of a long-range definition of mutual interests.

Molotov proposes 10-12 November as good dates for his visit. However, he carefully sets aside any possibility of involving Italy and Japan in the negotiations. Hitler's grand idea is to get the USSR to sign on with the Tripartite Pact, and he remains confident that will happen. The Germans are extremely excited at what appears to be a thawing of relations between the two parties.

Both sides, meanwhile, have been busy crafting war plans to invade the other. Molotov, in particular, is greatly concerned by German activity in Finland, where the Finns have granted the Wehrmacht transit rights and engaged in trade agreements with Germany. In the paranoid minds of the Kremlin, this all seems directed at them - and to a large extent, they are right. The Soviet attitude on the recent matter is not nearly as rosy as the Germans assume or would like to believe.

Terrorism: Two men of the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers on Malta are arrested and face dishonorable discharges for suspected IRA activities. Ultimately, one is repatriated, the other jailed for two years for "involuntary homicide."

German Military: Naval officer Friedrich Ruge, who won the Iron Cross 2nd Class during World War I, now receives the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as Kapitän zur See and commodore leader of the Minensuchboote West.

Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock's Army Group B headquarters, now redesignated Army Group Center, moves to Posen. Field Marshal Wilhelm List takes temporary command when von Bock goes on medical leave.

US Military: The Greenslade Board departs from San Juan, Puerto Rico to visit Hamilton, Bermuda. The Board is inspecting naval bases recently acquired pursuant to the destroyers-for-bases deal.

Italy: Benito Mussolini sets a firm date for the invasion of Greece of 28 October.

India: The British authorities are working valiantly to prevent any civil war by nationalists. Today, Gandhi's Congress Party begins non-violent protests. The British begin arresting the first of thousands of protesters for such acts as demonstrations and anti-war speeches.

China: Heitaro Kimura becomes chief of staff of Kenkichi Ueda, leader of the Japanese Kwantung Army in northeastern China.

American Homefront: Ernest Hemingway publishes "For Whom the Bell Tolls" about the Spanish Civil War.

"Young Bill Hickok," starring Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes, is released.

British/French Homefront: Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes a stirring speech to the nation from the Cabinet War Rooms. However, the nation he speaks to is not Great Britain, but France, as he provides a version in the French language ("Dieu protege La France") as well as English. It is one of Churchill's darkest speeches, not so much uplifting as it is savage in its denunciation of "this evil man" Hitler and his "little Italian accomplice" Mussolini.

In an angry tone, Churchill gets off some of his sharpest taunts at Hitler's expense, who he at first calls "Herr Hitler," but then "this evil man, this monstrous abortion of hatred and defeat":

We are waiting for the long-promised invasion. So are the fishes.

As he is wont to do, Churchill references Napoleon in a sentimental manner - not exactly how England felt about the Emperor while defeating him, but times have changed - and casually throws in a mention of "our friends across the Atlantic Ocean" as a sort of ace in the hole. Referencing Hitler, he vows:

If he does not destroy us, we surely shall destroy him and all his gang and all his works.

Churchill also plays on French fears by hinting darkly that Italy intends to wrest away the best parts of France, including "Nice, Savoy, and Corsica - Napoleon's Corsica." He notes that there is little love lost between the Germany/Italy coalition and France at this point, and offers little subtlety in warning about how "these two ugly customers" intent to not only rape France but cause its "complete obliteration."

Churchill has good reason to be angry. U-boat wolfpacks in the last few days have destroyed two convoys from Canada (SC 7 and HX 79), brushing aside the Royal Navy escorts as if they weren't even there. Those weren't the only losses at sea, either. Churchill, as former First Lord of the Admiralty, is extremely sensitive to naval developments, more so than events in the air. Despite the victories in the air, this is one of the darkest periods of the war for Great Britain.

But there are things going on behind the scenes that cast the situation in an entirely different light. Unbeknownst to anyone, Marshal Petain and Churchill secretly are negotiating through an intermediary. Petain, in fact, is in the process of sending his representative to London to see if some kind of reconciliation can be worked out between the two countries. This, of course, is particularly sensitive for Petain, because Hitler literally is on his way to meet Petain, Laval, and Franco (all separately) to discuss his own vision of forming a united front against England. If Hitler knew what Petain was doing behind his back, he would not be pleased. Churchill does, and he fairly gloats about it in this address without revealing why.

How much each side knows about the other's plans is unclear, but Churchill has a habit of interjecting himself forcefully into the internal affairs of the Continent in quite unsubtle (in hindsight) ways. The timing of this France-friendly address appears a bit too coincidental. It is likely Churchill knows what Hitler has in mind and is throwing in his own two cents before the big meetings. We shall see more of this in the near future.

Separately, Britain institutes a purchase tax.

Future History: Manfred Sepse Lubowitz is born in Johannesburg, Union of South Africa. He moves to London in 1961, changes his name to Manfred Mann while writing for a jazz magazine, and forms a blues-jazz band. They are signed to a record deal with EMI in 1963 as part of the "British Invasion." Mann goes on to front a number of acts which include his name in the moniker. He continues to perform with his most recent band, "Manfred Mann's Earth Band."

The US Presidential campaign is entering the home stretch, with Republican Wendell Willkie trying to prevent a third term by Franklin Roosevelt.

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 4 October 1940

Bombs dropping on Tillbury, England. This port is the source of London's food supply. The bomb cluster on the left will hit ships, the second to the right will hit the docks. 4 October 1940.

Battle of Britain: The weather remains lousy on 4 October 1940, and air operations remain minimal. In any event, given the pattern of the battle so far, this probably would have been an "off" day for the Luftwaffe anyway, which has alternated periods of attacks and quieter days since June.

RAF Fighter Command, for its part, is focusing on developing more lead-time for its fighters. These measures, championed by Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, include a new reconnaissance squadron based at Gravesend. The new guidelines are that Spitfires are to assemble at 25,000 feet and Hurricanes at 20,000 feet before embarking on patrol.

The new pattern of using primarily fighter-bombers by day and regular bombers by night continues, but especially on days like this with heavy clouds and rains, the Luftwaffe does sneak a fair number of Junkers Ju 88s, Dornier Do 17s and Heinkel He 111s into the mix.

The morning is occupied with lone bombers seeking out specific targets. Some hit London, others various other targets in the southeast. Among the areas hit are RAF Penrhos, which destroys some buildings, and Fairlight (home of the Air Ministry). Some bombers are intercepted at sea before they can even make land.

Around 13:00, the Luftwaffe sends over some Bf 109E-7 Jabos (fighter-bombers) and Bf 110s. This is the first organized raid, but does not accomplish much in the muck.

Another raid at 17:00 crosses the coast apparently heading for London. A timely interception by RAF No. 605 Squadron Hurricanes, though, sends them running.

The weather clears up a bit after dark, just in time for the Luftwaffe to get to its main task, the bombing of English cities. Airfields around Abbeville send out a steady stream of bombers beginning around 19:00. The aircraft are in parade formation, regularly spaced in true Germanic precision. These raids last for about two hours and all head for London, which is fairly easy to find even in the poor weather conditions. Southwest and Northwest London take the brunt of the attack, with some bombers hitting the RAF stations at North Weald and Debden. The most significant damage to infrastructure is at the Hawkers Aircraft Factory at Kingston, the New Cross Telephone Exchange, and the railroad track near Crews Hill Station. This last attack stops all rail traffic on the line in both directions for a while.

The Luftwaffe also mines all along the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts.

Losses are light today. The Luftwaffe loses about 10 planes, the RAF about 3.

Squadron Leader M. Lister Robinson, DSO, DFC, becomes commanding officer of RAF No. 609 Squadron.

Hauptmann Walter Adolph becomes Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 26.

A Wehrmacht man enjoying wine and some artichokes. This is why France is one of the most sought-after billets in the German Army. Dieppe, 4 October 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Royal Navy once again tries to implement Operation Lucid, the fireship attack on Channel ports. Once again, creaking old tankers Nizam and War African, loaded with volatile fuel oil, diesel oil, and petrol, head across the Channel. The previous time the Royal Navy attempted this, the Nizam broke down within sight of the target. This time, a massive force of 11 destroyers, 6 minesweepers and various torpedo boats escorts the tankers toward France. However, this time it is the weather that does not cooperate (the tankers are barely seaworthy), and once again the operation is scrubbed.

British paper mill tug HT Sirdar hits a mine and sinks in The Swale near Kent. Some accounts state that the Luftwaffe sank it, but an oral history by local Keith Chisman states that it hit a mine, with the loss of all three crew. The Luftwaffe story is unlikely due to the foul weather, but memories can be shaky 70 years later, too.

Convoys OA 224 and FS 300 depart from Methil, Convoy FN 299 departs from Southend, Convoy HX 78 departs from Halifax.

British patrol ship HMCS Otter is commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Due to the foul weather in the Atlantic, all of the action at sea today is in the Mediterranean for a change - where the weather also is cloudy and rainy. It is a very mixed day for British submarines in the Mediterranean. Despite some successes, it is a sad day for the Royal Navy's Mediterranean fleet.

British submarine HMS Rainbow (Lt. Colonel Moore), operating in the Adriatic 20 miles north of Brindisi, gets too close to 6860-ton Italian freighter Antonietta Costa, which is on a supply run to Durazzo. The sub is rammed and sunk, with all 55 crew perishing. This is a very rare instance of a freighter "evening the score" with the submarines that terrorize them.

British submarine HMS Triton approaches Genoa and uses its deck gun to get in some target practice and shell Savona and Vado Ligure. During this action, it sinks passing 1854 ton Italian passenger ship Franca Fassio about 30 km off Capo Noli, Liguria (Vado Roads, Gulf of Genoa).

British submarine HMS Tetrarch is operating in the same general area as Triton and attacks another (unknown) Italian freighter, but misses.

British submarine Rorqual lays mines off neutral Portugal.

At Lisbon, British troopship Neuralia takes off various refugees and Polish troops who failed to escape over the summer. The troopship makes it back to Gibraltar escorted by destroyer Wishart - which is only a marginally better location for the people aboard, and perhaps worse.

Italian 2180 ton freighter Nina Bianchi collides with fellow freighter Veloce near Brindisi. The Nina Bianchi sinks.

The RAF sends raids against railway infrastructure serving Italian bases in Eritrea and Abyssinia (Ethiopia).

Force H, which participated in Operation H, returns to Gibraltar.

At Malta, there is a sustained Italian air raid shortly after 10:00. The formation is composed of fighters, and the defending Hurricanes only rise to defend when they attack Luqa and Hal Far airfields. The Italians lose one Macchi C.200 Saetta ("Arrow") and the pilot perishes.

Hitler and Mussolini exchange a few last words through the window of his Führersonderzug "Amerika."

German/Italian Relations: Hitler and Mussolini meet in the Brenner Pass, which is convenient for their command trains. They talk for three hours. The main subject apparently is new plans in the Mediterranean, as the Germans have given up on Operation Sealion. This pleases Mussolini militarily because his priority always is the "Italian Lake." However, there may be more to Mussolini's good humor than merely a convenient military decision. Foreign Minister Count Ciano confides to his diary that Mussolini appears to be delighted by this setback for the Germans, happier than at almost any other time. This is an attitude that Mussolini reprises throughout the war even as it can't be good news for himself personally in the long run.

However, Hitler also is in an expansive mood and declares "The war is won" - which somewhat contradicts the topic of the conference, to change the Axis' focus away from the country that he cannot defeat, Great Britain, to the Mediterranean. Hitler states that the British people are about to "crack" - a constant refrain of his about his accumulating enemies throughout the conflict.

Hitler offers his support for Italy's (now stalled) drive into Egypt. Mussolini, however, indicates that he doesn't need the help yet, perhaps during the final drive into Alexandria and Cairo. Mussolini still sees his armed forces as capable of defeating Allied resistance and Italy being an equal partner in the relationship. Perhaps Mussolini feels it would be a slight to Italian prestige to require German help. This is one of Mussolini's quirks - perhaps fantasies is a better word - that leads him into a lot of difficulties and actual loss of prestige.

Another major issue at this conference is France. Hitler wants to upgrade Vichy France to virtually a full partner in the war. Mussolini, however, adamantly opposes any French rearmament, perhaps because he has his eyes cast in a completely different direction. France recently has shown its potential value in the successful defense of Dakar against Charles de Gaulle's and the Royal Navy's Operation Menace, and Hitler wants to build upon that. Vichy France occupies vast overseas dominions such as Madagascar and could be a big help to the Axis. The outcome of the discussion on this point is unclear, but Hitler seems to have succeeded in keeping Mussolini from interfering with his plans for Vichy France.

What is most significant about this meeting is what is not said. Hitler does not bring up Operation Barbarossa - which is consuming Wehrmacht planning. Mussolini also (apparently) does not mention that he also has plans of his own. These involve perennial Italian nemesis Greece, Italy's ancient enemy stretching back before even Roman times. Mussolini has a springboard against Greece in Albania - the traditional European route of the Middle Ages to attack Constantinople/Istanbul - and he intends to use it, and soon. In Mussolini's defense, these meetings according to accounts of other meetings usually turn into Hitler monologues, with Mussolini probably trying to stay awake in a comfortable chair.

Little is known about this meeting, and there are some subtle indications that maybe the topic of an Italian invasion of Greece did come up, at least tangentially. It is known that Mussolini speaks at the meeting with contempt of Greek "double-dealing," but Hitler may not "take the hint." Hitler's later reaction to the Italian invasion suggests that this meeting at least did not bring him completely on board. Immediately after this meeting, Mussolini quickly gives up plans to invade Yugoslavia as well - which is almost always overlooked by historians - so Hitler and Mussolini may have made some kind of deal on that score.

Back in Berlin, one of the Foreign Ministry's tasks is to brief neutral governments (such as the United States) about what is going on with things like the Mussolini/Hitler meeting. A spokesman says that the discussion at the Brenner Pass was about reaching a peace deal with Great Britain - which is far-fetched because Great Britain would need to be interested, or at least consulted, and it isn't. The Italian newspaper Il Popolo di Roma harps on the fact a German invasion of Great Britain is impossible in 1940. There is always an underlying resentment during World War II of the Italians at their military domination by the Germans, who in the 1920s were seen as little more than beggars across the Alps.

Cole sorghum mill near Camden, Tennessee, October 4, 1940. This sorghum mill belongs to John Cole, located about 5-6 miles south of Camden, Tennessee on Highway 69. Nelson Cole, grandson of John Cole, reports that the individuals in the photograph are Pauline Hargis, Rural Cole (son of John Cole), Fay Howe, Johnell Moore, Reba Nell Pace, and Harold Cole. Two mules are visible, "Bigun" and "Littleun." Department of Conservation Photograph Collection, Courtesy of the Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TN (USA).

Anglo/US Relations: Churchill sends a message to President Roosevelt requesting a US naval presence in Singapore.
British Government: The re-shuffling of government and military posts that began on the 3rd continues. Sir Charles Portal takes over as British Chief of Air Staff from Sir Cyril Newall, who becomes Governor-General of New Zealand. This change is effective on 24 October 1940. Sir Richard Peirse takes over at RAF Bomber Command.

Free France: Charles de Gaulle (still referred to as a "General," but in fact no longer a member of any army) arrives in Douala, French Cameroon. His arrival fits into grand British strategy to wrest all of Africa from the Axis by picking off the low-hanging fruit first. While an overlooked part of World War II, control of central and southern Africa is of immense importance for many reasons, not least the ability it gives to extend the range and scope of U-boat and Luftwaffe operations against vulnerable British supply routes.

PM Weekly Magazine, 4 October 1940.

Vichy France: The Petain/Laval government continues the persecution of communists that has lasted ever since the first days of the German invasion and arrests communists in Paris.

China: The Japanese launch a typical raid by 27 G3M bombers escorted by 8 A6M Zero fighters against Chengdu, Sichuan. Half a dozen Nationalist Hawk 75 fighters intercept. The Zeros once again demonstrate their superiority and destroy three of the Hawks.

The Nationalists at Huangqiao attack the communist Chinese New 4th Army forces which have been advancing along the Yangtze. The communists struggle to hold the town.

American Homeland: "Knute Rockne, All American" premieres at four separate venues in South Bend, Indiana, the home of Rockne's alma mater, Notre Dame. The film stars Pat O'Brien and Ronald Reagan. Ticket prices range from $1.10 to $1.65 for reserved seating on the main floor (about $23 today).

Boxer Fritzie Zivic beats Henry Armstrong for the world welterweight title at Madison Square Garden.

Future History: Barbara-Maria "Barbi" Henneberger is born in Oberstaufen, Bavaria. Germany. She becomes a top alpine skier who competes in the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics, winning the bronze medal in the Slalom in the former. She perishes in an avalanche accident not long after the latter Olympics.

The War Illustrated magazine, 4 October 1940. One of the reasons we have so many excellent photographs of World War II is that picture magazines were in vogue in the 1940s, much more so than today when television and other media has lessened their importance.

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

2020