Thursday 9 January 1941

"Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspects the 1st American Squadron of the Home Guard on Horse Guards Parade, London, on 9 January 1941." © IWM (H 6547).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek offensive to capture the key Klisura Pass continues on 9 January 1941. The Klisura Pass is considered the gateway to the strategic Italian port of Valona. Greek II Corps is attacking, with 1st Division on the left and 15th Division on the right. Defending is the Italian Julia Division.

The Italians frantically deploy the Lupi di Toscana division immediately after a 24-hour forced march in a blizzard. The Toscana has no maps, has not reconnoitered the terrain, and is not in communication with the Julia Division. The Greek 11th Division joins the 15th Division in its attacks on the right flank and makes good progress, surrounding part of the Toscana. The Julia Division begins pulling back from the pass. It is another absolute fiasco for the Italian military.

Four Italian destroyers (Ascari, Carabiniere, Folgore and Fulmine) shell Greek bases at Porto Palermo, Albania.

Despite the continuing Greek success against the hapless Italian military, everyone is looking over their shoulders toward the German forces assembling in Romania and Bulgaria - for "training."

European Air Operations: The Malta-based Wellingtons raid Messina. Damage is done to oil facilities, but they miss the ships in the harbor.

RAF Bomber Command hits scattered targets in northwest Europe, including another attack on the oil facilities at Gelsenkirchen, Dusseldorf, Duisburg-Ruhrort, and various invasion ports such as Rotterdam, Flushing, Dunkirk, and Calais. Coastal Command chips in with attacks on Brest, where the Admiral Hipper continues to linger. The Luftwaffe night fighter forces continue gaining experience, as Oblt. Reinhold Eckhardt of 6./NJG 1 destroys a British Whitley bomber over Nijmegen.

The Luftwaffe continues its period of primarily sporadic daylight raids by lone raiders, with small raids against London (67 aircraft) and Liverpool during the night. The major raid is against Manchester with about 143 bombers total.

Italian bombers in Albania/Greece, 9 January 1941 (AP Photo).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-105 (Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe), operating out of Kiel, gets its first kill. It torpedoes and sinks 4843-ton British iron/grain freighter Bassano in the mid-Atlantic due south of Iceland. There are one death and 55 survivors.

Italian submarine Glauco claims that it shells a large freighter just south of where U-105 is operating and makes some hits. However, it is unknown what ship this may be.

Royal Navy 40 ton drifter Dusky Queen runs aground and is wrecked in the Dover Straits.

British 646 ton freighter Dorset Coast hits a mine and is damaged south of Cardiff in the Bristol Channel. The ship makes it to Penarth Dock.

The Luftwaffe raids Portsmouth dockyard and slightly damages minesweeper Saltburn with a near miss.

The Royal Navy intercepts French trawler Urania in the Atlantic west of Gibraltar. The Urania is seized and sent to Gibraltar. The Urania has been en route from Saint Pierre et Miquelon off Canada to Casablanca.

Convoy FS 384 departs from Methil.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Pimpernel (K 71) and destroyer RNoN Bath (I-17) are commissioned.

U-410 is laid down.

"Pilots of No. 601 (County of London) Squadron run to their waiting Hurricane aircraft at RAF Northolt, 9 January 1941. Squadron scramble staged for General 'Hap' Arnold, USAAF." © IWM (HU 2408).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Today is known as the first Luftwaffe raid on Malta. There actually were scattered Stuka appearances over the island in 1940, but this is the beginning of the sustained German appearance in the Mediterranean and the first real Luftwaffe attacks on strategic targets by Fliegerkorps X. The Stukas appear just before sunset and attack the port of Marsaxlokk, without scoring any hits on shipping.

Australian 6th Infantry Division and British 7th Armoured Division have Tobruk encircled on the landward side. The 25,000 Italian defenders place great faith in fortifications remarkably similar to those that failed earlier in the month at Bardia.

Operation Excess, a typical 1940-41 supply operation to Malta, continues. Royal Navy aircraft carrier Ark Royal despatches five Swordfish torpedo bombers of RAF No. 821X Squadron to reinforce the RAF presence on the island. The Italians attempt an air raid on the Royal Navy ships, but it is beaten off with the loss of two SM 79 bombers to a Fulmar of 808 Squadron (Lt. Tillard). The Italians also lose two modern Macchi MC 200 Saetta (Arrow or Lightning) fighters during the day over Malta (island sources claim that four are shot down by Hurricanes and one by anti-aircraft fire, so it may be five planes altogether, but accounts differ).

As with all of these complex supply missions, there are diversions that sometimes take center stage. Swordfish raid Cagliari, losing one of their number (the crew is saved).

Force H turns back to Gibraltar once cruisers HMS Gloucester and Southampton return to the vicinity after unloading troops in Grand Harbor on the 8th.

Vichy French ocean liner Lamoricière (Commandant Milliaseau) gets caught in a storm about 10 km northeast of Cap Favaritx, Minorca, Spain. It has aboard 122 crew and 272 passengers. Despite sending out distress calls that bring several ships to her assistance, the Lamoricière capsizes during the night. There are 292 deaths, including the captain.

The Lamoricière was responding to a distress call herself, from 1708 ton freighter Jumièges. The Jumièges also vanishes on or around this date, taking with her 20 crewmen.

Italian 636 ton coastal freighter Giovanni Mari hits a mine and sinks a dozen miles off Bardia.

Royal Navy and Greek submarines are quite active today as part of the protective screen for Operation Excess. The Royal Navy subs are operating in the general vicinity of Sardinia and Corsica, positioned in case the Italian fleet chooses to seek battle as during the previous convoy runs. The Greek submarines are at the mouth of the Adriatic. The day is notable for the number of unsuccessful attacks.

Submarine HMS Pandora, operating off Cape Carbonara, Sardinia, torpedoes and sinks 2715 ton Italian freighter Palma and 5400-ton freighter Valdivagna.

Submarine HMS Parthian torpedoes 4208-ton Italian freighter Carlo Martinolinch off Calabria.

Submarine HMS Rover makes a surface attack on an unidentified Italian freighter, but the ship gets away.

Greek submarine Nereus attacks an Italian freighter off Brindisi, but it gets away.

Greek submarine Triton attacks an Italian submarine off Otranto, but it also gets away.

Italian submarine Beilul spots a convoy just northeast of the eastern tip of Crete and fires a couple of torpedoes. Both miss and the convoy gets away.

The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) continues driving toward Murzuk, the Italian administration center in southwestern Libya which its soldiers plan to attack. They cross a main Italian road, then spend a tense time brushing away traces of their vehicle crossing marks. It is a tense time, as if an Italian convoy happened along at this time, the entire surprise attack endeavor might be ruined. However, they are not spotted.

The Indian 5th Infantry Brigade continues transferring from Egypt to Sudan for future operations there.

In Ethiopia, the RAF bombs the Italian fort of Gubba with three planes. While the attack is not of any value, it signals a new phase of the campaign where the skies are not solely under Italian control.

Anglo/US Relations: President Roosevelt's crony, Harry Hopkins, arrives in London to schmooze with Churchill. Hopkins is a member of Roosevelt's kitchen cabinet who literally lives upstairs at the White House. He is on hand to assess the British will to win and is escorted all across the country personally by Winston Churchill. This is the first of Hopkins' unofficial visits to a key ally which will go a long way to smoothing relations within the sometimes fractious coalition-to-be.

Anglo/Free French Relations: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill apologizes personally to Charles de Gaulle over the Muselier incident, which now has been closed. The Vice-Admiral is reinstated - to cause more trouble later.

US/Vichy French Relations: New US Ambassador to France Admiral William D. Leahy meets with Marshal Petain.

Separately, Secretary of State Cordell Hull gives French Ambassador Gaston Henry-Haye a diplomatic note of this date, entitled, "Refugee Problem in France." In the note, Hull notes numerous procedural obstacles to the US accepting German Jewish refugees currently living in Vichy France, as requested by the French. The biggest problem apparently is that:

forced migration in which people in great numbers are intended to be driven anarchically upon the receiving states [will create] unhappy consequences to the economic and social equilibrium of all.

Hull concludes by flatly denying this French request and even any further attempts to discuss it at all:

Accordingly, while this Government holds the view that the time will come when such conditions of order and peace will prevail in the world as will warrant a humane and orderly approach to the migration problem by the Governments collaborating in mutual confidence and mutual respect, it does not believe that any useful purpose can be served by discussing migration problems bilaterally with the French Government or multilaterally with the several Governments at this time.

US/Dutch Relations: The Dutch remain a major military presence in the Dutch East Indies. US Rear Admiral Purnell, Admiral Hart's chief of staff, visits Java for consultations.

The Avro Lancaster prototype BT308 right after its first flight, 9 January 1941.

British Military: The Avro Mk III Manchester (serial number BT308) makes its first flight at Manchester. This version has extensive modifications, including longer wings with four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. The name is changed to "Lancaster" immediately after the flight. Basically, the re-design - aside from everything else - is a success simply due to the substitution of the Merlins for the original Vulture engines, which have proven to be a disaster in terms of power and reliability. This plane, the Lancaster, has a longer range and heavier bomb load than any other British bomber - in fact, it is the very bomber that Hitler and Goering need very badly.

The British Chiefs of Staff and Defence Committee continue reviewing and weighing the conflicting priorities of the North African and Greek theaters. Today, the Chiefs of Staff wire Air Officer Commanding in the Middle East Air Marshal Arthur Murray Longmore that:

for political reasons, priority must now be given to Greece.... Absence of British help might put Greece out of the war, keep Turkey out and cause most serious political consequences both here and in America.

The units to transfer will be forwarded on the 10th. Longmore is not a fan of this decision, feeling that the battle in North Africa is far from over despite the huge recent successes in Operation Compass.

German Military: Adolf Hitler concludes a two-day conference at the Berghof in Berchtesgaden with his military chiefs. The main topic is the coming attacks the east, particularly in Greece and then Russia. Hitler, as usual at this stage of the war, is painting in broad strategic strokes. He figures that, by attacking the Soviet Union, the Japanese will be induced to launch their own campaign in the Far East, which will draw off US attention and forces. He basically shelves Operation Felix for the time being - but it remains on the back burner. His focus has turned to what the Italians should have been able to do by themselves, drive the British out of the Mediterranean.

Hitler does not seem to attach any significance to the economic might of the United States (and the Soviet Union) and how that might translate into the Allies being able to fight two major wars simultaneously, one in the Pacific and another in North Africa/Europe. To be fair, the US Navy also doubts this US ability at this time, as reflected in its most recent Rainbow plans. These plans envisage a holding operation in the Pacific while resources are devoted to the Atlantic - another possibility that Hitler does not seem to consider likely. Essentially, he just figures that Japan takes care of the US and keeps it occupied - a huge assumption. Everybody is about to learn quite a few basic lessons about how economic might translates into military power.

Soviet Military: The second set of Soviet war games proceeds. General Zhukov, in command of the "Red" or Soviet forces, is doing well against the "Blue" or German forces led by General Kulik. This series is tilted somewhat in favor of the Red forces, as the Red Army is given the initiative from the start from the original border - a scenario unlikely to happen in a real war, at least at the beginning of a conflict.

US Military: Construction crews begin building the new naval air station on Wake Island.

Members of the Chantiers de Jeunesse clearing a hillside above a roadway (A. D. Allier, 69 J 93, Crépin Leblond collection). Source: A. D. Allier.

Vichy France: The Chantiers de Jeunesse [Youth Workshops], voluntary until now, are slated to become mandatory for all men of age 20. Their duration also is extended to eight months. The entire organization is of a paramilitary character, with the men wearing uniforms, marching, and engaging in work designed to be of an educational character. The "educational" part is broadly defined, as the objective is to teach the young men to work together toward some common purpose, such as gathering firewood or building paths or creating ironwork. There are 52 camps with between 1500-2200 young men at each camp, and the daily routine very much resembles a Scout or summer camp - but with extreme discipline and often backbreaking work in harsh conditions.

China: The Nationalist Chinese (Kuomintang) 3rd War Area begins reducing encircled communist troops of the New 4th Army near Maolin on the Yangtze River.

American Homefront: CBS, under the auspices of Dr. Peter Goldmark, demonstrates field-sequential live color television ("Columbia Broadcasting Exhibits Color Television", Wall Street Journal, Jan. 10, 1941, p. 4. "CBS Makes Live Pick-up in Color Television", Radio & Television, April 1941). The Germans had demonstrated color television as early as August 1939, but the war interrupted further development - though the German television service is still very much in development.

Future History: Joan Chandos Baez is born in Staten Island, New York. She begins performing music in the late 1950s in various clubs near her father's job at MIT. Joan gets noticed, and records her eponymous first album in 1960 for Vanguard Records; it includes a pre-Animals recording of "House of the Rising Sun," one of many artists (including Roy Acuff, Andy Griffith, Woody Guthrie and Glenn Yarbrough) to record this classic folk song before it becomes a huge hit. Joan follows that with many other releases during the 1960s. Her singles begin making the charts in the mid-60s, with the most successful by far being the classic version of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" in 1971. She becomes friends with many in the burgeoning "folk singer" music scene, including all the household names, and a household name herself.

Joan also becomes known for political activism, and this makes her a controversial figure. She begins with involvement in the '60s civil rights struggles and protests against the Vietnam War, among many other causes. Some of her personal experiences during a wartime visit to Hanoi, however, turn her off to the communist regime there, which she learns has its own human rights issues. Joan Baez continues in the 21st Century to perform at various venues and still releases live albums with some regularity. However, she has scaled back her political activism considerably in recent years after some more disillusionment with the political process.

Winston Churchill during his inspection of the 1st American Squadron of the Home Guard at Horse Guards Parade in London, 9 January 1941. Mrs. Churchill is fashionably attired aside from her sensible shoes. Lieutenant-General Sir Bertram N. Sergison-Brooke (GOC London Area) is on the right.

January 1941

January 1, 1941: Muselier Arrested
January 2, 1941: Camp Categories
January 3, 1941: Liberty Ships
January 4, 1941: Aussies Take Bardia
January 5, 1941: Amy Johnson Perishes
January 6, 1941: Four Freedoms
January 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Plans
January 8, 1941: Billions For Defense
January 9, 1941: Lancasters
January 10, 1941: Malta Convoy Devastation
January 11, 1941: Murzuk Raid
January 12, 1941: Operation Rhubarb
January 13, 1941: Plymouth Blitzed
January 14, 1941: V for Victory
January 15, 1941: Haile Selassie Returns
January 16, 1941: Illustrious Blitz
January 17, 1941: Koh Chang Battle
January 18, 1941: Luftwaffe Pounds Malta
January 19, 1941: East African Campaign Begins
January 20, 1941: Roosevelt 3rd Term
January 21, 1941: Attack on Tobruk
January 22, 1941: Tobruk Falls
January 23, 1941: Pogrom in Bucharest
January 24, 1941: Tank Battle in Libya
January 25, 1941: Panjiayu Tragedy
January 26, 1941: Churchill Working Hard
January 27, 1941: Grew's Warning
January 28, 1941: Ho Chi Minh Returns
January 29, 1941: US Military Parley With Great Britain
January 30, 1941: Derna Taken
January 31, 1941: LRDG Battered

2020

Saturday 28 September 1940

Piccadilly Underground Station, 28 September 1940.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daily Mail, 28 September 1940.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

U-97 (Kapitänleutnant Udo Heilmann) is commissioned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

September 1940

September 1, 1940: RAF's Horrible Weekend
September 2, 1940: German Troopship Sunk
September 3, 1940: Destroyers for Bases
September 4, 1940: Enter Antonescu
September 5, 1940: Stukas Over Malta
September 6, 1940: The Luftwaffe Peaks
September 7, 1940: The Blitz Begins
September 8, 1940: Codeword Cromwell
September 9, 1940: Italians Attack Egypt
September 10, 1940: Hitler Postpones Sealion
September 11, 1940: British Confusion at Gibraltar
September 12, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Approved
September 13, 1940: Zeros Attack!
September 14, 1940: The Draft Is Back
September 15, 1940: Battle of Britain Day
September 16, 1940: Italians Take Sidi Barrani
September 17, 1940: Sealion Kaputt
September 18, 1940: City of Benares Incident
September 19, 1940: Disperse the Barges
September 20, 1940: A Wolfpack Gathers
September 21, 1940: Wolfpack Strikes Convoy HX-72
September 22, 1940: Vietnam War Begins
September 23, 1940: Operation Menace Begins
September 24, 1940: Dakar Fights Back
September 25, 1940: Filton Raid
September 26, 1940: Axis Time
September 27, 1940: Graveney Marsh Battle
September 28, 1940: Radio Belgique Begins
September 29, 1940: Brocklesby Collision
September 30, 1940: Operation Lena

2020

Wednesday 28 August 1940

Mossley Hill Parish church in Liverpool (the Church of St. Matthew and St. James) It is bombed during the night of 28/29 August 1940 - the first church bombing in England.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe continues to avoid bombing London. However, that doesn't mean they are completely avoiding English cities, as discussed below, and the British have been "triggered" (to use a 21st Century idiom) into bombing German cities themselves. The slippery slope toward unrestricted aerial warfare is getting greasier on a daily basis as of 28 August 1940.

The RAF raids Berlin for the second time, killing 8-10 civilians and injuring 21-29 others. Among other things, they bomb the Görlitzer railway station. This kind of obvious damage to public infrastructure is causing the government to lose face, and Hitler is still deliberating about how to respond. People are starting to recall Luftwaffe boss Hermann Goering's words at the start of the war in September 1939:

Wenn auch nur ein englischer Bomber die Ruhr erreicht, will ich nicht mehr Hermann Göring, sondern Hermann Meyer heißen. (If even one British bomber reaches the Ruhr, I don't want to be called Hermann Göring any more, but rather Hermann Meyer.)

Note that, contrary to every legend about Goering, he never said anything about Berlin not being bombed. However, this statement invariably is mistranslated and bastardized to, "If the enemy ever bombs Berlin, you may call me Meyer," which is a lot pithier (This is similar to Captain Kirk never actually saying "Beam me up, Scotty" on Star Trek, but that is how it comes down in history). Loosely interpreted, Goering has been boasting in his usual bombastic fashion that his Luftwaffe is so powerful and almighty that he stakes his entire reputation on completely overwhelming and destroying the RAF before it can strike back and hurt Germans.

Incidentally, let's clear one other thing up while we're at it. Goering was not making an anti-Semitic reference here, though that is claimed far and wide now. Meyer was and is a common German name. "Panzer" Meyer would have been highly offended if you claimed that "Meyer" was a Jewish name. Goering simply was intimating that he was staking everything on the claim - which makes the whole incident more ironic in retrospect.

While this jest (using a common German idiom) explicitly refers to the industrial region of the Ruhr, virtually everyone in Germany interprets it as really meaning Berlin. Since Berlin is now being bombed, it becomes a catchphrase for the failures of the Luftwaffe (of which there is an increasing number). It is one of the classic ill-fated predictions of the war. This phrase will haunt Goering to the last days of the war, but among much of the public, he remains a popular figure. Despite all of his other many and varied faults, Goering is perhaps the only top German with any kind of sense of humor, which is badly needed during the dark days of World War II. People already are starting to call the ubiquitous air raid sirens "Meyer's trumpets" with typical German sardonic wit as a way to poke fun at the fat man and his farcically bellicose rhetoric.

"Call me Meyer."

Battle of Britain: Air Vice Marshall Keith Park of No. 11 Group continues to ride the whirlwind. The Luftwaffe is singling out his airfields in southeastern England for devastation, and his forces are weakening though not breaking. Some of his jealous fellow commanders (No. 11 Group is the most prestigious command in England) are secretly delighting in Park's discomfiture (though they would never admit any such thing, would deny it to the death, and the regular history books would never even hint as such an interpretation).

There are three major Luftwaffe raids against England forces during the daylight hours:

1. At 09:00, raids against various points in Kent;
2. Around 11:00, raids targeting RAF Rochford;
3. During the afternoon, a massive fighter sweep swooping down from Kent to the Thames estuary.

The first raid results in massive dogfights between JG 51 and RAF Nos. 79, 85 and 264 Squadrons. Dornier Do 17s of I,/KG 3 bomb RAF Eastchurch with 100 bombs, while Heinkel He 111s from KG 53 bomb RAF Rochford. The damage is significant in both airfields, particularly Eastchurch.

The second raid by KG 2 Dorniers hits RAF Rochford again with about 30 bombs. However, the damage to the airfield is slight despite it being hit for the second time, and it remains operational. There is some fancy flying, with a Bf 109 heading for home and the pursuing Spitfires of No. 54 Squadron flying so low themselves that one of them returns to its base with leaves and branches stuck in its wing.

The third raid is a standard Luftwaffe fighter sweep, or Freie Jagd, over a large swathe of England from north to south. It is a massive sweep, including elements of JG 2, 3, 26, 27, 51, 54 and Epr.Gr 210 (Bf 110s). The Luftwaffe fighter pilots love these opportunities to act unrestricted by escort obligations, and, having the initiative, they generally begin the battles with the altitude advantage. Both sides lose 16 fighters in this action, which somewhat vindicates the fighter pilots' argument that the Freie Jagds are a good way to wear down the RAF. Keith Park, meanwhile, is furious that his weary fighters are being baited like this and forbids any similar interceptions in the future.

After dark, another slide down the slippery slope toward all-out bombing occurs when the Luftwaffe raids Liverpool for the first time. KG 27, LG 1 and KGr 806 send across about 160 bombers. The raid experiences navigational errors and bombs land seemingly everywhere in the general vicinity. Another raid by 23 Dorniers hits Bristol, but Bristol gets hit every night and that raid is barely noticed. The bombs dropping on houses in Liverpool do get everyone's attention.

A Morris Quad towing a 25-pounder field gun, 28 August 1940.

The day's losses sum up to about 30 Luftwaffe losses and 20 RAF ones. There are clear signs of frustration on both sides to just get on with it and move on to the next stage, but Hitler continues to ponder a decision to resort to outright mass terror bombing.

In addition, RAF Fighter Command is forced to come to some hard truths about part of its force which is completely inadequate. During the afternoon raid, the remaining Boulton Paul Defiants are like sitting ducks, and one after another - five in all - goes down in flames. Along with the planes, nine crew perish. At long last, Fighter Command transfers the remaining planes to night operations. In this way, there is a parallel to the Bf 110s, but they remain at least viable during the daytime, if not particularly threatening.

Luftwaffe top-scoring ace Werner Mölders gets two victories but loses his wingman, who is captured. His new wingman is Oberleutnant Georg Claus.

In a weird "wrong way Corrigan" type of flight, a Luftwaffe Gotha Go 145 biplane (not a World War I plane as often claimed, these were built starting in 1935) used for communications gets seriously lost and, instead of flying east from Cherbourg to Strasbourg, somehow flies north to England. It lands at Lewes horse track and becomes an odd exhibit in the "Rafwaffe," the RAF No. 1426 Squadron of captured enemy aircraft.

British Prime Minister Churchill watches the afternoon air battles over Dover from Dover Castle, where he inspects "Hellfire Corner." Afterward, he visits some bombed buildings in Ramsgate, then tours a nearby bombed airfields and, concerned about the damage, orders more manpower devoted to airfield repairs. This has not really been an issue for the RAF, and bomb craters are easily filled in. It is an instance of Churchill's good intentions leading to intervention that would have been better off avoided.

Winston Churchill inspects air raid damage at Ramsgate in Kent, 28 August 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-101 (Kptlt. Fritz Frauenheim), operating out of Kiel, stalks Convoy SC 1 west of Ireland. At 04:25, it torpedoes and sinks 3868-ton Finnish freighter Elle. There are 27 survivors and 2 crew perish. The ship doesn't sink right away, so sloop HMS Leith sinks it with gunfire.

U-28 (Kptlt. Günter Kuhnke), on its fifth patrol, is about 200 nautical miles west of the Outer Hebrides stalking Convoy HX 66. At 21:00, it torpedoes and sinks 3946-ton British freighter Kyno. There are 32 survivors and 5 crew perish.

Dutch grain freighter SS Driebergen is sailing with the daily food convoy from Methil to the Tyne when it sinks off Northumberland in the North Sea after colliding with British freighter Port Darwin, perhaps trying to avoid Luftwaffe attack. Everybody survives, and the damaged Port Darwin makes it to port.

British 202 ton trawler Flavia goes missing in the North Sea, perhaps hitting a mine - both sides are heavily mining the area.

Convoy FN 265 departs from Southend, Convoy MT 153 departs from Methil, Convoy FS 265 departs from the Tyne, Convoy HX 69 departs from Halifax and other ports,

British minelayers HMS Plover and Willem van der Zaan lay minefield BS 36 in the North Sea, while four other minelayers put down a field in the St. George's Channel.

U-94 is commissioned.

Destroyer HMS Eglington (L 87, Commander Emile F. V. Dechaineux) is commissioned.

This Ju 88 A-1 of I/KG 54 just made it back to France and crashed near Dieppe on August 28, 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: British submarine HMS Pandora, which has been delivering supplies to Malta, torpedoes and sinks Italian cargo ship Famiglia about just east of Haniya, Libya.

Italian bombers raid  El Qantara and Port Said during the night.

At Malta, there are two air raid alerts, but, as is often the case, the Italian planes turn back before getting close to the coastline. In other news, Governor Dobbie and the War Office continue wrangling over additional anti-aircraft guns for the island, with the War Office dragging its feet despite hinting at big plans for upgraded air forces there.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: The British know there is a German raider operating in the Indian Ocean - one of its victims' recent distress signal was even picked up in New York - but they don't know which one or exactly where it is. Ships are out looking for it, without success so far. The Italian Navy also has destroyers Pantera and Tigre operating in the Red Sea.

German Government: Adolf Hitler is keeping a close eye on Romania, which has been seething over losing territory to its neighbors such as the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, and Hungary. He cautions the Wehrmacht to be prepared to intervene if necessary as the situation develops and perhaps occupy the country.

Vichy France: The government broadcasts that laws providing special protections to Jews - such as there are any - have been revoked. Marshal Petain has complete power and discretion over the entire government, but Pierre Laval is actually running day-to-day operations.

In between stops at Dover and then Ramsgate on 28 August 1940, Winston Churchill noticed a crashed plane and asked to stop and visit. It is a Messerschmitt Bf 109E on Church Farm at Church Whitfield near Dover. His personal bodyguard, Inspector W H Thompson, is on the right.

French Cameroon: Captain Leclerc, who occupied the Presidential Palace on the 27th, travels by train to Youande to accept the country's surrender from the nominal Vichy authorities. This is a major coup for Charles de Gaulle's "Free France" movement, which has not been accomplishing much recently.

Oubangui (Central African Republic): At French-controlled Bangui, Governor de Saint Mart follows Captain Leclerc's lead in Cameroon and announces for Free France also. He promises the local Vichy garrison that they will be taken to the Vichy base at Dakar if they wish.

Finland: Famed sniper Simo "Simuna" Häyhä, horribly injured on 6 March 1940 during the closing stages of the Winter War, receives a promotion direct from Marshal Mannerheim. He is elevated from alikersantti (Corporal) to vänrikki (Second lieutenant). Häyhä is still recovering from his disfiguring wounds but improving.

Latin America: Heavy cruisers USS Wichita and Quincy continue their "Show the flag" mission and depart Montevideo, Uruguay for Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is the area that ignited the request for the mission in the first place.

Burma: The British lock up radical nationalist Ba Maw.

American Homefront: The last refugee ship from Petsamo in northern Finland arrives in New York City. It carries Crown Princess Martha and a 40mm Bofors gun which the Finns did not wish to fall into Soviet hands.

"Rhythm on the River" starring Bing Crosby and Mary Martin (the mother of Larry Hagman of "Dallas" who at this time is 8 years old) opens today.

August 1940

August 1, 1940: Two RN Subs Lost
August 2, 1940: Operation Hurry
August 3, 1940: Italians Attack British Somaliland
August 4, 1940: Dueling Legends in the US
August 5, 1940: First Plan for Barbarossa
August 6, 1940: Wipe Out The RAF
August 7, 1940: Burning Oil Plants
August 8, 1940: True Start of Battle of Britain
August 9, 1940: Aufbau Ost
August 10, 1940: Romania Clamps Down On Jews
August 11, 1940: Huge Aerial Losses
August 12, 1940: Attacks on Radar
August 13, 1940: Adler Tag
August 14, 1940: Sir Henry's Mission
August 15, 1940: Luftwaffe's Black Thursday
August 16, 1940: Wolfpack Time
August 17, 1940: Blockade of Britain
August 18, 1940: The Hardest Day
August 19, 1940: Enter The Zero
August 20, 1940: So Much Owed By So Many
August 21, 1940: Anglo Saxon Incident
August 22, 1940: Hellfire Corner
August 23, 1940: Seaplanes Attack
August 24, 1940: Slippery Slope
August 25, 1940: RAF Bombs Berlin
August 26, 1940: Troops Moved for Barbarossa
August 27, 1940: Air Base in Iceland
August 28, 1940: Call Me Meyer
August 29, 1940: Schepke's Big Day
August 30, 1940: RAF's Bad Day
August 31, 1940: Texel Disaster

2020

Thursday 4 July 1940

A bomb at the New York City World's Fair on 4 July 1940 kills two policemen. The incident remains unsolved and is a prime example of terrorism in the United States decades ago.

European Air Operations: Today is sometimes referred to as the beginning of the Kanalkampf, or English Channel Battle. The battles are said to take place on the Kanalfront.

The German recently have been focusing on British convoys sailing north past Spain and France, but today, 4 July 1940, they score some major successes at England itself with Convoy OA178. Kriegsmarine E-boats join with 33 Stukas of III/StG51 to mangle a British convoy at Portland, sinking auxiliary anti-aircraft vessel HMS Foyle Bank (157 men rescued, 176 crew lost), tug boat Silverdial and five freighters (Dallas City, Britsum, Deucalion, Kolga, and Elmcrest) in the Portland Harbor. The attackers lose one Stuka to anti-aircraft fire. One of the British seamen in the attack, Jack Foreman Mantle, receives the VC - posthumously - for firing his anti-aircraft gun to the end and going down with the ship.

There also are dogfights near the Kent coastline between III/JG27 and RAF No. 54 Squadron. Each side loses a couple of fighters.

A Heinkel of III/KG54 bombs the Bristol Aeroplane Company and damages the roof before getting shot down by RAF No. 92 Squadron.

During the day, the RAF attacks refineries near Hannover and Emmerich, and also airfields in Holland. After dark, the target is Kriegsmarine bases such as Wilhelmshaven, Emden, and Kiel, along with related naval targets such as the Dortmund-Ems Canal.

General Ernst Udet, Director General of Luftwaffe Equipment, and the Kommodore of KG76, Generalmajor Stephan Fröhlich, both receive the Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz). Udet already has the Pour le mérite from World War I.

The Winnipeg Free Press of 4 July 1940 notes hopefully in its headline "British Get French Navy." Well, that's not exactly what happens.

Battle of the Atlantic: The French government issues an all-points bulletin to French ships to attack British vessels on sight due to yesterday's attack on the French fleet in Algeria.

Convoy SL 38F departs from Freetown.

Battle of the Mediterranean: At 15:30, British submarine HMS Pandora sinks French mine-layer Rigault de Genouilly off Oran, Algeria. This is part of Operation Catapult.

French battleship Strasbourg and destroyers Volta, Tigre, and Le Terrible complete their journey to Toulon from Mers el Kebir.
The French raid Gibraltar with little impact, but the British hurry up plans to evacuate women and children.

At Malta, there is an air raid alert at first light, 05:55. The Italian fighters conduct a strafing attack without causing any damage.

The Italians are broadcasting propaganda in Maltese to undermine morale. Malta’s own Rediffusion radio service begins counter-programming.

The French fleet is now the subject of interest to both sides. The Pétain government claims that the fleet at Alexandria has been recalled, but also says they are to be scuttled if they can't escape due to the wishes of Hitler that they do not fall into British hands.

At Alexandria, Admiral Cunningham and Admiral Godfroy agree to demobilize Godfroy's ships, but he does not turn them over. Talks continue.

Mrs. Hathaway, the Dame of Sark, greets the Germans.

Western Front: The Germans complete their unopposed occupation of the Channel Islands by sending a token detachment from Guernsey to Sark. Dame Sibyl Mary Hathaway, DBE rules the island independently by charter and has an American husband, and thus feels free to adopt a neutral stance. As the hereditary ruler of the island, she receives the German delegation cordially, sorts matters out quickly, and then serves them lobster dinner (which becomes notorious back in England). When the German commander asks if she is afraid, Dame Hathaway (her official title) replies, "Is there any reason why I should be afraid of German officers?"

North Africa: Italian troops advance north across the Abyssinia/Sudan border and take two British outposts, Kassala and Galabat. It is quite an aggressive move for a poorly equipped colonial garrison.

The Regia Aeronautica raids Alexandria and Malta. They lose 7 CR-42 fighters in various actions over the desert.

German/Romanian Relations: The Germans warn Romania to concede Hungarian territorial aspirations if it wants closer ties.

German/Hungarian Relations: The Germans warn Hungary against taking military action against Romania, but broadly hint that Hungary will get the territory it seeks from Romania.

Romanian Government: The political upheavals caused by the recent occupation of eastern territories continues. The Tatarescu government falls. Ion Gigurtu becomes Prime Minister, and the fascist Iron Guard goes from being imprisoned only weeks ago to having two members - Manoilesca (Foreign Minister) and Sima (Minister for Arts) - in the cabinet. Mr. Gigurtu, a wealthy industrialist, has extensive contacts with the Germans, including - according to him - friendship with Hermann Goering.

At the same time, the government expels 22 British oil technicians in an indirect swipe at the British for failing to keep the Soviets away. Romania is casting about for a "big brother" protector against the Soviets, and this is yet another indication that Germany is it.

French Government: The final rupture between former allies takes place when the Vichy government severs diplomatic relations with London.

Charles de Gaulle becomes a wanted man when a Toulouse court sentences him in absentia to four years in prison for treason.

Finnish Government: The Finnish Foreign Minister tells German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop that his country desires closer relations with Germany.

British Government: Winston Churchill goes before the House of Commons and receives his first standing ovation as Prime Minister when he denies:

“...that we have the slightest intention of entering into negotiations in any form and through any channel with the German and Italian Governments. We shall, on the contrary, prosecute the war with the utmost vigour by all the means that are open to us.”

China:  Japanese bombers attacked Chungking, China.

A bomb exploding at the World's Fair is big news in New York.

Terrorism: A bomb explodes at the New York World's Fair. Since it is at the British exhibit, German saboteurs are suspected. Two policemen are killed. Many countries' exhibits already are closing, since their home countries have been occupied.

Canadian Homefront: The government is banning many US publications. Today, the New York Post and Chicago Tribune join 115 others.

German Homefront: The German demobilize some troops to release them for industries that badly need workers.

American Homefront: Sonja Henie, Norwegian skating champ, marries baseball executive Dan Topping in Chicago.

The United States celebrates independence day as one of only 14 quasi-democracies remaining in the world. The others are Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Chile.

Future History: During a professional appearance at the Manistee National Forest Festival, a faulty brace irritates the ankle of Robert Pershing Wadlow. At 8' 11", he is the tallest person ever recorded in human history. The chafing causes a blister and subsequent parasitic infection. Doctors treat him with a blood transfusion and emergency surgery, but his condition worsens due to an auto-immune disorder, and on July 15, 1940, he dies in his sleep at age 22.

Karolyn Grimes is born today. She becomes a child actress who concludes "It's a Wonderful Life" in 1946 with the line, "Look, Daddy. The teacher says every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings” as Zuzu Bailey.

Karolyn Grimes, Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed in "It's a Wonderful Life."

July 1940

July 1, 1940: Vichy France
July 2, 1940: Arandora Star
July 3, 1940: Operation Catapult at Mers El Kébir
July 4, 1940: Romania In Crisis
July 5, 1940: The Five Freedoms
July 6, 1940: Hitler's High Point
July 7 1940: Dakar And Ringo
July 8, 1940: Tea Rationing in England
July 9, 1940: Battle of Calabria
July 10, 1940: Battle of Britain Begins
July 11, 1940: "Nous, Philippe Petain"
July 12, 1940: Enter Laval
July 13, 1940: German Surface Raiders Attack!
July 14, 1940: Bastille/Mourning Day
July 15, 1940: Tallest Man Dies
July 16, 1940: Plans for Sea Lion
July 17, 1940: Burma Road Closed
July 18, 1940: FDR Runs Again
July 19, 1940: Last Appeal To Reason
July 20, 1940: First Night Fighter Victory
July 21, 1940: Soviets Absorb Baltic States
July 22, 1940: First RAF Night Fighter Victory
July 23, 1940: Invasion False Alarm
July 24, 1940: The Meknés Incident
July 25, 1940: Black Thursday for RAF
July 26, 1940: Capture The Duke?
July 27, 1940: What's Up, Doc?
July 28, 1940: Destroyers Pulled From Dover
July 29, 1940: Barbarossa On The Burner
July 30, 1940: Hitler Delays Sealion
July 31, 1940: Bloody Wednesday of Olkusz

2020