Tuesday 19 November 1940

Bomb damage in Leicester due to the Luftwaffe attacks of 19 November 1940.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek advance, which sputtered a bit on the 18th, resumes on 19 November 1940 in the Korçë plateau area. The Greek K Group under Lieutenant-General Georgios Kosmas makes progress in capturing the summit of Moravia, which provides a commanding perspective over the surrounding region. The Italians fight hard to keep the summit but give ground.

In northwestern Greece, the Greeks push the Italians back across the Kalamas River. The Greek Liuba Detachment begins crossing the Kalamas River in the Thesprotia sector. In the Kalamas Sector, the Greek 8th Division continues on the offensive. In the Negrades sector, the Greek 2nd Infantry Division captures Agios Kosmas.

The Greek and Italian air forces engage in heavy combat over the Koritsa fighting.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe is fairly quiet during daylight hours. The Germans have realized that night-time operations are much less costly. They also can be devastating, as proven today.

The Luftwaffe sends 350 bombers from KG 26, KG 54, KG 55 and KuFlGr 606 against Birmingham in a first wave, then 116 in a second. They drop 403 tons of high explosives and 810 incendiary bombs. There are about 900 killed and 2000 injured. The Luftwaffe loses five planes, one of them brought down by a Beaufighter of RAF No. 604 Squadron that makes the first radar victory of the war.

While this attack is not given nearly as much prominence in accounts of the war as the 14 November 1940 attack on Coventry, it kills and injures many more people. In addition, Birmingham Cathedral is damaged, just as Coventry Cathedral was. The Luftwaffe has honed its nighttime bombing technique, using pathfinders from KG 100 that drop flares and sophisticated guidance techniques that the British continue to have difficulty jamming.

The Luftwaffe also bombs Leicester, England. They drop 150 high explosives which destroy 255 homes, 56 businesses, kill 108 people and seriously injure another 284.
The RAF bombs the Skoda armaments plant at Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, but bombing accuracy is poor.

A Heinkel He 111 being repaired with a captured RAF crane, November 1940 (Federal Archive).

Battle of the Atlantic: The weather is rough in the English Channel throughout the day, restricting shipping attacks.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 276-ton Royal Navy trawler HMT Fontenoy (T/Skipper John Couch Coaker, RNR) in the North Sea off Lowestoft, Suffolk. Everyone survives. The Fontenoy is a converted fishing boat taken over by the Admiralty in February 1940.

Destroyers HMS Campbell and Garth ambush Kriegsmarine E-boats S-7, S-38, and S-54 whilst on patrol in the Thames Estuary. One of the destroyers rams and sinks 115-ton S-38.

The Luftwaffe attacks Convoy WN 40 in the North Sea, but the defending cruiser HMS Curacoa and escorting RAF Blenheims drive off the attacking planes.

The Luftwaffe damages 1166-ton British freighter Folda in the North Sea.

Convoy OG 46 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FS 339 departs from Methil, Convoy SLS 56 departs from Freetown and rendezvouses with Convoy SL 56, Convoy BS 9 departs from Suez bound for Aden.

Canadian corvettes HMCS Collingwood (K 180), Freesia (K 43) and Hollyhock (K 64) are commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: A light cruiser, HMS Newcastle, arrives at Malta carrying supplies and 200 airmen. This is part of Operation White, which saw only 4 of 12 Hurricanes make it to Malta from HMS Argus on the 18th. The Newcastle proceeds on to Alexandria.

Royal Navy cruiser HMS York arrives at Suda Bay, Crete with a battalion of British troops. This frees up Greek troops for the fighting in the north.

An inquiry is launched into the loss of the 8 Hurricane fighters that had been launched from HMS Argus on the 18th but failed to make it to shore. The "emergency investigation" led by First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Dudley Pound blames the weather for missed communications but also notes that the planes had too small a margin of fuel. The report also notes that the planes flew off from the aircraft carrier 40 miles further west from Malta than during Operation Hurry due to fears of Italian fleet operations.

Spy Stuff: Noor Inayat Khan, of an Indian Muslim family by way of Russia, joins the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and, as an aircraftwoman 2nd class, is sent to be trained as a wireless operator.

German/Spanish Relations: In meetings with Spanish Foreign Minister Serrano Suner, Adolf Hitler presses for Spain to join the Axis so that they can mount Operation Felix, the assault on Gibraltar. Serrano, however, responds that Spain would require 400,000 tons of grain before entering the war. This is a continuation of tactics that the Spaniards employed at Hendaye in October which show they are not ready to join the war.

As described in the 19 November 1940 Look Magazine, the Panoram is the trademark name of a visual jukebox. The jukebox plays a closed-loop 16 mm film reel projected on a glass screen, and you can see it after putting in a coin. This is an early form of music video. The idea was stunted due to the outbreak of World War II, but similar machines finally reappeared during the 1960s. President Roosevelt's son James is one of the backers of the Panoram in RCM Productions. Some of these shorts survive on youtube.

German/Belgian Relations: Hitler continues with his round of diplomatic meetings by receiving King Leopold of Belgium. Many in Belgium are growing unhappy with the King, feeling that he is a bit too comfortable with the Germans.

German Military: Following his meeting on the 18th with Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano, Adolf Hitler refines his plans for an invasion of Greece (Operation Marita). Previously, he had been thinking of simply occupying the northern portion of the country, securing the Aegean coast and as a means of rescuing the Italians advancing (or now retreating) in the northwest. Now, he decides to expand the scope of the invasion to include the entire mainland. This requires a great expansion in the forces allocated to the operation, which up to this point have been only a little more than a strengthened corps.

While this may seem like a relatively obvious and almost natural change - Hitler always expands the scope of operations when he can - the change causes grumbling within the Wehrmacht. The Army (Heer, led by the OKH) is far along with its plans for an invasion of Greece from Bulgaria and feels as if it is being given unclear directives by the Military Staff (OKW) which complicate its task. This OKH/OKW tension will remain throughout the war. OKH Chief of Staff Franz Halder begins revising the plans for the Greece invasion while complaining in his diary about the "deficient connections between ourselves and OKW."

Not everybody thinks that new commitments in the Balkans would be a good idea. One thing weighing in favor of invading Greece in Hitler's mind is the new presence of RAF bases in Greece, which threaten his Romanian oil supply. Isolating Great Britain is at the heart of all this planning. There are many ways to do this: Hitler also expresses some renewed interest in Operation Sealion, which would be a more direct way of getting at the British Empire than a time-consuming march through the Balkans (and, later, the Soviet Union and North Africa, because all of these operations will flow from the same wellspring). However, the Italian disaster in Albania requires some sort of solution that Operation Sealion could not provide.

The Rose Room Ballroom in Oakland, California. It was a taxi dancing hall at 409 12th Street. Taxi dancers were paid by the song.

US Military: Cruiser USS Houston arrives in Manila to serve as the US Asiatic Fleet's flagship.

British Military: De Havilland completes prototype E0234, the Mosquito bomber at Hatfield. This prototype undergoes successful engine runs (two Merlin 21 two-speed single-stage supercharged engines driving three-bladed de Havilland Hydromatic constant-speed, controllable-pitch propellers. The prototype remains to be flight-tested. This is not the final form of the aircraft, as it has Handley Page slats on the outer leading wing edges.

Canada: The Canadian government approves the start of germ warfare production.

Switzerland: Federal Police close down Kellers NBS, including its 160 chartered cells involving nearly 4,000 members. Kellers NBS is a far-right organization led by Dr. Max Leo Keller and Rolf Henne which wishes to see Switzerland annexed by Germany. The group, working through its cells and financed by Heinrich Himmler's SS, continues to work underground.

Look Magazine, 19 November 1940.

November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020

Sunday 20 October 1940

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2020

Wednesday 16 October 1940

Houses in Moseley Road bombed on October 16, 1940.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Queuing for food in the Warsaw Ghetto, date unknown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2020

Monday 16 September 1940

President Roosevelt signs the Selective Service Act, reinstating the draft.

German Military: Pursuant to Adolf Hitler's statements that Operation Sealion could be set in motion with "four or five days" of a maximum Luftwaffe effort, Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering on 16 September 1940 holds a meeting with his top lieutenants to announce another change in strategy. The supposed coup de grace on the 15th did not go as planned, with little damage to London and huge losses to the Luftwaffe.

Everybody in the German High Command is confused because the RAF was supposed to be kaput. The bomber guys blame the fighter pilots for being late to their stations, while the fighter jocks point their fingers at the bombers for taking so long to get into formation, thereby giving the RAF plenty of warning

Goering rather belatedly comments that the change of strategy to bomb London was a poor idea. He issues new orders to his commanders to return to the earlier strategy of bombing RAF airfields while bombing London at night. At this point, however, the constant changes in objectives and advanced season are wearing on the Luftwaffe's morale, not to mention the staggering losses taken on the 15th of September, "Battle of Britain Day." The results of that day, though, pretty much seal the case that the Luftwaffe is not, in fact, winning the battle, so tinkering with strategy at this point is increasingly futile.


British Military: Air Vice Marshal Park of No. 11 Group also has a meeting. While everyone is happy with the turn in the battle, Park does some tinkering of his own:

• squadrons must focus on going to their assigned places;
• squadrons needed to gain higher altitude earlier (the Bf 109s maintain a high altitude and thereby have the advantage);
• squadrons operating together needed to stick together as intended.

Overall, things are going well for the RAF, but the Luftwaffe's numerical superiority remains.

Battle of Britain: The weather is poor, and Luftwaffe attacks are light. A raid at 07:30 toward London fizzles, with the bombers turning back after Fighter Command mounts a full-scale interception.

A later fighter sweep by Bf 109s of JG 51 achieves little, with RAF Fighter Command slow to intercept and getting in little combat (and the German fighters accomplishing little).

During the night, the Luftwaffe sends over heavy formations. The Germans drop 200+ tons of bombs on London's dock areas and the residential areas of Bethnal Green West Ham, East Ham, Hackney, and Shoreditch. The Bristol area takes damage, as do Liverpool and Manchester. In a typical incident of poor bombing accuracy, bombs fall on the golf course at Hebburn.

Otherwise, Luftwaffe raids are minimal and scattered. A Pirateneinsatze ("Pirate Raid") by a Heinkel He 111 targets the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton, a favorite Luftwaffe target, but the pilot apparently gets lost and returns to base.

There are few claims filed, with the score for the day generally considered to be in single digits for both sides, with an advantage for the RAF. Major Werner Mölders of JG 51 shoots down a Hurricane for his 38th victory.

The coastal guns at "Hellfire Corner" exchange salvoes in the morning without causing much damage.

On 16 September 1940, F/L Archibald A "Archie" McKellar of No 605 Squadrons RAF uses more tracer ammunition than usual in his Hurricane Mk I UP-A night fighter and shoots down a He 111 lit up by searchlight.

European Air Operations: The RAF focuses on the invasion ports, sending 155 bombers against Antwerp, Calais, Ostend, Dunkirk, and Veere. In addition, Bomber Command targets barge convoys at Ostend and Zeebrugge and the usual airfields in northwest Europe. During these raids, the British capture the Germans engaged in the practice of amphibious landings for Operation Sealion, causing casualties. The poor weather keeps the bombers on the ground after dark.

Battle of the Atlantic: The British continue their erratic approach toward Vichy French ships today. One day they fire on them, the next they allow French warships to pass by unopposed. Today, they resume attacking them.

South of Dakar, British cruiser HMS Cumberland - on patrol as part of Operation Menace - spots 4185 ton Vichy French freighter Poitiers heading for Dakar. After taking off the crew, the Cumberland sinks it with gunfire.

The British also seize 5135 ton Vichy French freighter Touareg near the Congo River.

U-99 (Kplt. Otto Kretschmer) continues to stalk Convoy SC 3. at 02:41, it torpedoes and sinks 1327 ton Norwegian freighter Lotos just northeast of Rockall (off the coast of Ireland). Everyone on board (17 men) survives.

U-59 (Kptlt. Joachim Matz), on her 12th patrol, torpedoes and sinks 4616-ton British collier Bibury in the Atlantic south of Iceland. All 39 onboard perish.

Dutch 5918 ton freighter Stad Schiedam (City of Schiedam) sinks south of Bermuda due to a suspicious explosion. While terrorism is suspected at the time, it now is believed that the old ship (launched in 1911) had mechanical issues that caused sparks, igniting its load of sulfur. Everyone survives, the 12-man crew spend five days in a life raft in the middle of the Atlantic before being picked up by a passing freighter (SS White Crest).

British 4098 ton freighter Incemore runs aground at East Cape on Anticosti Island, Quebec and is a total loss.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 6588-ton freighter City of Mobile (formerly Kentucky) in the Irish Sea near Portaferry, County Down. Everybody on board survives.

The Luftwaffe also bombs and sinks 8323-ton troopship HMT Aska. There are about 300-600 survivors, while 30 people perish (sources vary because multiple ships picked up survivors and landed them at different places). The ship is loaded with French troops from West Africa. The ship burns and drifts for days before finally sinking near Gigha. While it sinks in shallow water, it is never re-floated.

British destroyers HMS Worcester and Wild Swan collide in Harwich Harbour, causing damage to the latter.

British destroyer HMS Holderness is damaged by a mine in the North Sea and requires repairs.

Convoys OA 215 and MT 171 depart from Methil, Convoy FN 282 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 283 departs from the Tyne.

Hauptmann Hermann-Friedrich Joppien (I./JG 51) receives the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross) on 16 September 1940, after his twenty-first victory.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Italians complete their offensive. They send 50 tanks and supporting artillery toward Alam el Dab, near Sidi Barrani, in an attempt to outflank the British. The British continue withdrawing, this time from Alam Hamid to Alam el Dab. They engage in scorched earth demolitions as they go, suggesting they don't expect to be returning any time soon. The Italians (1st Blackshirt "23 Marzo" Division) occupy Sidi Barrani by sunset. The coast road in this area has an alternate route on cliffs overlooking the road, and the Italians advance on the road while the British retreat on the cliffs.

The Italians make various threats over Italian radio to continue their advance toward the railroad station at Mersa Matruh, 70 miles further down the coast road. In fact, they stop at Sidi Barrani and dig in. Eventually, they form a chain of fortified encampments in an arc reaching into the desert. They also occupy all the points they bypassed, such as Buq Buq and Sidi Omar, and repair the road and lay a water pipe (the Italians are awesome road-builders in the desert). The British set up a defensive line in front of Mersa Matruh and leave the 11th Hussars forward as a screening force.

While the media at the time claims that the Italians suffered thousands of casualties a day, in fact, their total casualties are about 550 men. The British, in turn, suffer very few casualties, retreating in good order to their railhead, and this time Churchill is more appreciative of an efficient withdrawal than he was in British Somaliland. Both sides engage in fighter sweeps on their enemy's advanced positions, to little effect.

The entire Italian offensive accomplishes little beyond occupying the worthless ground, but it fulfills Mussolini's desire to look like Hitler's partner. He has other projects in mind anyway, in Albania. However, Mussolini chafes at his army's inactivity and continually prods Marshal Graziani to resume the offensive toward Matruh, which is planned for December. As Mussolini tells Graziani, he just wants the army to attack, not occupy places:

Once again I repeat that there are no territorial objectives. It is not a question of aiming for Alexandria nor even Sallum. I am only asking that you attack the British forces facing you.

Graziani, however, is a cautious commander, is worried about his supply line and the size of the British forces opposing him, and goes no further.

The Royal Navy sallies from Alexandria. During the night, HMS Illustrious launches an air raid on the Italian base at Benghazi. The British also mine the harbor there. The Italian fleet there takes a beating, losing two destroyers and two cargo ships during the day. Cruiser HMS Kent independently shells Bardia and is badly damaged by torpedo planes.

At Malta, Governor Dobbie warns that the island is running out of food stores. The island does, however, have ample fuel stocks with strict rationing. Everything is vulnerable to bomber attack, so the government is building underground storage tanks.


Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Pinguin captures 4111-ton Norwegian freighter Nordvard. The Germans put a prize crew on board the Nordvard and send it off toward Bordeaux, where the captured Norwegian crew will be forwarded on to their country.

German/Soviet Relations: The Soviets take notice of the Wehrmacht troops using their new transit rights in Finland (they are en route to Narvik) and are concerned. Of course, they would be a lot more concerned if they knew what was going on in Fuehrer Headquarters.

German/Spanish Relations: Spanish Minister Serrano Suñer visits Berlin to discuss Germany's request for bases in the Canary Islands and elsewhere. He indicates that Spain would require a lot in return and, in effect, denies the request.

Free France: General Georges Albert Julien Catroux, recent commander of French Indochina, arrives in London. He joins the Free French movement, having met General Charles de Gaulle during World War I. Catroux is the most senior officer of the French Army to transfer allegiance (including de Gaulle) and becomes the commander-in-chief of the Free French forces (under de Gaulle).

New Caledonia pledges its allegiance to the Free French upon the appointment of Governor Henri Sautot of New Hebrides to replace Governor Pélicier.

US Military: Cruiser USS St. Louis, carrying the Greenslade Board, arrives in St. John, Newfoundland to inspect the new US base there (transferred as part of the destroyers-for-bases deal).

China: The Communist Chinese continue their offensive, with the New 4th Army capturing Jiangyan in Jiangsu Province.

Dutch Homefront: The SS actively recruits for the new Dutch SS formation.

American Homefront: President Roosevelt signs the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, reinstating the draft.

"Jessie Woods Starting Private Plane at Memphis Airport, Flight Across America," Life Magazine, September 16, 1940.

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