Wednesday 18 June 1941

"Australian pilots of No. 452 Squadron relax outside their dispersal hut at Kirton-in-Lindsey, 18 June 1941." © IWM (CH 2883).

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: At 20:30 on 18 June 1941, the 5th Indian Brigade start heading twelve miles north toward Damascus. This begins the Battle of Damascus, perhaps the defining event of Operation Exporter.

After hand-to-hand fighting, the Indian troops take Mezzeh, on the Damascus-Beirut road about three miles west of Damascus. This accomplishes the major goal of cutting communications between the two cities. The Indian troops are now to head east and take Damascus. That is the plan, at least.

However, the Vichy French destroy their convoy of anti-tank guns and other supplies. The Vichy French troops then put pressure on the Indian troops at Mezzeh with Renault R35 tanks even though the town was supposed to be merely a stepping-stone to a further advance on Damascus. The day ends with the Indian troops desperately trying to defend Mezzeh rather than advancing further north.

Vichy French destroyers Guepard and Valmy sortie out of Beirut Harbor and bombard the advanced Australian positions at Sidon. They don't tarry long, however, because the Royal Navy is nearby.

Overhead, six Gloster Gladiators bounce a formation of Vichy French Dwoitine D.520 fighters. The Gladiator biplanes shoot down two of the French planes over Kissoue. These apparently are the final two claims by Gloster Gladiator pilots of World War II.

The fierce Vichy French resistance has caused more British and Australian effort than anticipated. This has caused some command difficulties as British General Henry Maitland Wilson has retained sole command at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. For a simple campaign, such a command arrangement would have sufficed, but the French are showing signs of digging in. Thus, Australian Lieutenant General Thomas Blamey, Deputy Commander in Chief, Middle East Command, gives tactical authority to Lieutenant General John Lavarack General I Corps.

Behind the scenes, the Vichy French already see how things are going and quietly open negotiations with the British through the American Consul-General in Beirut. The Vichy government asks what terms the British and Free French would accept.

No. 3 Squadron Course No.5  RCAF 52 O.T.U. Debden, 18 June 1941 (Fred Turner Collection).

European Air Operations:  During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends a Circus mission (6 bombers with heavy fighter escort) over Bois de Licques. A major action takes place in which the RAF claims 10 fighters for the loss of four.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command attacks Bremen with 100 bombers. The RAF also sends 57 bombers to attack the German cruisers at Brest without success.

London Docks, 18 June 1941.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-138 (Oblt.z.S. Franz Gramitsky), on its fifth patrol and operating west of Cadiz, is sunk in a depth-charge attack by Royal Navy destroyers HMS Faulknor, Fearless, Foresight, Forester, and Foxhound. The submarine broaches the surface before it goes down long enough for the crew to scuttle it and for the entire 27-man crew to escape and survive the day to become POWs aboard the Faulknor. U-138 has sunk six ships totaling 48,564 tons and damaged one ship of 6,993 tons.

The lookouts on U-552 (KrvKpt. Erich Topp), on its third patrol out of St. Nazaire and operating about 150 nautical miles (280 km) northwest of Malin Head, spot a convoy. At 03:28 it torpedoes 10,948-ton British transport Norfolk. The freighter takes over an hour to sink and requires two more torpedoes, at 04:19 and 04:38. There is one death, the 70 survivors are picked up by HMS Skate. After the attack on Norfolk, U-552 attempts to shadow the convoy and bring in a wolf pack but the convoy escorts drive it off.

Polish destroyer Kujiwiak, just commissioned, is attacked by the Luftwaffe. There is one fatality from an exploding ammunition locker, but otherwise, the damage from the machine-gun fire of the German planes is minor.

British 6-ton fishing trawler Doris II hits a mine and sinks just off Sheerness. Both men on board perish.

Convoy SL-78 departs from Freetown bound for Liverpool.

Royal Navy minesweeping trawler HMS Romeo (Skipper William R. H. Stewart) is commissioned.

US Navy escort carrier USS Copahee and submarine Peto are laid down.

U-753 (Korvettenkapitän Alfred M. von Mannstein) is commissioned.

US Navy destroyer USS Gleaves underway, 18 June 1941. Note the U.S. Navy camouflage (National Archives NAID 513043).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The British re-establish their positions after the failed Operation Battleaxe. British 7th Armored Division and Indian 4th Infantry Division have withdrawn to their original positions and, in some cases, behind them.

The RAF bombs Benghazi. During air battles, the Bf 109s of I,/JG 27 shoot down three Brewster Buffaloes. Ace Hans-Joachim Marseille requests and receives medical leave in Berlin.

The Royal Navy makes a supply run to Mersa Matruh, sending troopship Glenroy and net-layer Protector. They carry troops, gasoline and other supplies for the retreating British troops.

Spy Stuff: A German defector tells the Soviets that Operation Barbarossa will begin at 04:00 on 22 June. During warfare, such a warning would be given great credence, but this warning is brushed off because it is a time of peace. Another warning from the Soviet embassy in London also is filed.

Signing the German/Turkey Treaty of Friendship, 18 June 1941.

German/Turkish Relations: While Hitler ideally would like Turkey to join the war on its historic enemy Russia, he realizes that is not going to happen. However, he gets the next-best thing today when Turkey signs a ten-year non-aggression pact (Türkisch-Deutscher Freundschaftsvertrag) with Germany. German ambassador to Turkey Franz von Papen signs on behalf of the Reich, while Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Şükrü Saracoğlu signs for Turkey. Germany, of course, has a similar pact with the Soviet Union.

German/Soviet Relations: Soviet Ambassador to Germany Vladimir Dekanozov suddenly requests an audience with the Foreign Ministry. Hitler flies into a panic and fears that the Soviets have uncovered his invasion plans. The last thing he wants is some desperate offer made to try to stop Operation Barbarossa when it is in the final stages of preparation. He spends a long time discussing the matter with Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop and his adjutants Engel and Hewel. They decide that Hitler and Ribbentrop need to "disappear" for a few days to avoid any awkward questions. They even consider fleeing to Berchtesgaden.

However, Dekanozov shows up unannounced at the Foreign Ministry at 18:00 on the 19th, makes some small-talk, transacts some mundane business, cracks a few jokes, and leaves. Everyone then breathes a huge sigh of relief and Hitler stays in Berlin. It is probably the most uncomfortable Hitler has been during the entire war.

Filmwoche Magazine, 18 June 1941.

German/Romanian Relations: Hitler meets with Ion Antonescu and lets him in on the details of the "great secret" Operation Barbarossa, including the opening date.

Japanese/Dutch Relations: The Japanese terminate their attempts to secure all of the oil and other output from the Dutch East Indies. They state:

The reply of the Netherlands of June 6 is not only very unsatisfactory but asserts in connection with the question of the acquisition of essential materials and goods, to which Japan attaches importance, that their quantities may be decreased at any time to suit their own convenience.

Luftwaffe reconnaissance of  Münsterwalde, 18 June 1941 (Federal Archive, Bild 196-02278).

German Military: The Luftwaffe continues its reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union. One at the Soviet Koshka Yavr airbase 25 km southeast of Zapolyarny in the Murmansk Oblast comes under anti-aircraft fire. German troops are assembling across the border in Finland to invade the Soviet Union and try to seize the port of Murmansk.

The Kriegsmarine lays mines in the Baltic

General Halder confers with the Romanian Minister of War and tours the "front."

Luftwaffe reconnaissance over Neuenburg, 18 June 1941 (Federal Archive, Bild 196-02378).

US Military: President Roosevelt meets with Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and William "Wild Bill" Donovan. They talk about setting up a new intelligence organization based upon the British MI6, which Donovan studied during his recent European visit. This will become the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, which will morph into the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA.

The US Navy concludes Pacific Fleet Exercise No. 1 off the coast of California.

Soviet Government: Premier Joseph Stalin, completely unruffled by the mounting piles of warnings on his desk about a coming German invasion, leaves Moscow on a vacation down south.

British Government: King George and Queen Elizabeth tour munitions factories and shipyards in Tyneside.

Royal Visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Tyneside, 18 June 1941.

British Homefront: Perhaps in an effort to boost morale, the government has decided to release some information about radar (known in England as "radiolocation technology"). It appears in the press today.

American Homefront: Felix Frankfurter, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, gives the Commencement address at Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He gives a rationale for the war:

One of the most current of these evasions of thought is that "war never settles anything." The Civil War settled slavery. This war will settle the quality of your lives and your children's lives. It simply is not true that war never settles anything. I respect the convictions of a conscientious objector to war and I believe I understand the philosophy underlying Gandhi's non-resistance. But the relentless choice events may force on every individual cannot be met by such a fair-sounding pernicious abstractions as that "war never settles anything.

Boxer Joe Louis knocks out Billy Conn in the 13th round at the Polo Grounds in New York City. He thus defends his World Heavyweight Boxing title. It is his first serious defense after a string of "bum of the month" opponents.

New York Yankees Centerfielder Joe DiMaggio extends his record club-record hitting streak to 31 games with a single off White Sox pitcher Thornton Lee.

RCAF 1941 Chevrolet staff car with a flag, 18 June 1941.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3581798).

June 1941

June 1, 1941: Farhud Pogrom
June 2, 1941: Massacres on Crete
June 3, 1941: Kandanos Massacre
June 4, 1941: Kaiser Wilhelm Passes Away
June 5, 1941: Death in Chungking
June 6, 1941: Hitler's Commissar Order
June 7, 1941: Commandos Strike at Pessac
June 8, 1941: British Invade Syria and Lebanon
June 9, 1941: Litani River Battle
June 10, 1941: British Take Assab
June 11, 1941: Hitler Thinking Beyond Russia
June 12, 1941: St. James Agreement
June 13, 1941: Lützow Damaged
June 14, 1941: Latvian June Deportations
June 15, 1941: Operation Battleaxe
June 16, 1941: The Old Lion
June 17, 1941: British Spanked in North Africa
June 18, 1941: Turkey Turns Its Back
June 19, 1941: Cheerios Introduced
June 20, 1941: Birth of US Army Air Force
June 21, 1941: Damascus Falls
June 22, 1941: Germany Invades Russia
June 23, 1941: A Soviet KV Tank Causes Havoc
June 24, 1941: Kaunas and Vilnius Fall
June 25, 1941: Finland Declares War
June 26, 1941: Bombing of Kassa
June 27, 1941: Encirclement At Minsk
June 28, 1941: Minsk Falls
June 29, 1941: Brest Fortress Falls
June 30, 1941: Mölders Becomes Top Ace

2020

Tuesday 20 May 1941

German paratroopers (Fallschirmjäger) drop on Crete, 20 May 1941.

Anglo/Iraq War: In London, Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 20 May 1941 decides to support Free French General Catroux in an invasion of Syria. As the War Cabinet minutes state, he decides that "It was worth taking a chance which might come off, rather than watch the Germans establishing themselves in Syria."

British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell transfers the 7th Australian Division (Major General John Lavarack) from Mersa Matruh, Egypt to Palestine. This is a key step in preparing for an invasion of Syria, which the Luftwaffe is using as a transit point for operations in Iraq.

RAF planes attack the Luftwaffe planes based at Mosul, while the Luftwaffe bombs Habbaniya. There are dogfights over Fallujah, just occupied by the British. Four of Habbaniya's Gloster Gladiators tussle with four ZG 76 Bf 110s. One of the Gladiators is damaged and the German (future night fighter ace) Martin Drewes takes credit for a victory.

Luftwaffe General Hellmuth Felmy takes command of Sonderstab F, which controls air operations in Iraq. He is not the overall commander of German operations in Iraq, though, which are projected to include ground troops.

The 1st Fallschirmjäger artillery regiment, 7 Kompanie, Crete, 20 May 1941.

European Air Operations: It is another quiet day on the Channel Front, with no major raids. The Luftwaffe engages in some aerial reconnaissance in support of Operation Rheinübung, the sortie into the Atlantic by battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen. The British continue to dig out from the May Blitz which recently ended.

East African Campaign: During an appearance in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Winston Churchill describes the recent victory over the Italians at Amba Alagi in Abyssinia. He is careful to give credit to local army commanders Generals Cunningham and Platt, who he says "discharged so well the task assigned to them by the Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East, Sir Archibald Wavell."

Battle of the Atlantic: Today is one of the big days of the war for the U-boat fleet, though it is little remembered. Attacks in multiple areas inflict a great defeat on the Allies at sea.

Convoy HX-126, heading west to Liverpool from Halifax, is spotted by Wolf Pack West around 160 miles south of Greenland (220 miles southeast of Cape Farewell) and comes under attack by several U-boats. While largely forgotten because several other high profile events are taking place (such as the Bismarck mission and the invasion of Crete), this is one of the epic wolfpack battles of the war. As with all major wolfpack battles, details are sketchy, and who sank what on which day is often unclear and subject to further research.

At 04:58, U-94 (Kptlt. Herbert Kuppisch), on its seventh patrol out of St. Nazaire and which recently survived depth charging by escorts of OB 318, torpedoes 4718-ton British freighter Norman Monarch in the starboard side. All 48 men aboard survive, taken aboard the designated rescue ship Harpagus. However, their day is not over yet.

It is unclear if U-109 (Kptlt. Hans-Georg Fischer), on its first patrol out of Kiel, knows that the 5173-ton Harpagus is a rescue ship, but in any event, it is fair game. Fischer spots the Harpagus trying to catch up to the convoy after picking up the survivors from the Norman Monarch. He pumps a torpedo into the Harpagus and sinks it. There are 26 deaths from the survivors of the Norman Monarch and ultimately only 22 crewmen survive that ship to see another day.

U-556, seen here coming alongside battleship Tirpitz.

At 14:48, U-556 (Kptlt. Herbert Wohlfarth) strikes HX-126. He sinks three ships in rapid succession (again at 14:50 and 15:16):

8740-ton British freighter British Security
5995-ton British freighter Cockaponset
4974-ton British freighter Darlington Court.

These will be U-556's final three victories, as it will be sunk on its next mission.

At 18:17, Kuppisch in U-94 strikes again against Convoy HX-126. He torpedoes a 6128-ton Norwegian tanker, John P. Pedersen. There are 37 survivors and one death. The tanker requires two more torpedoes, at 18:50 and 19:20, to finally sink.

At 17:29, U-98 (Kptlt. Robert Gysae), on its second patrol out of Lorient, also gets in on the action against Convoy HX-126. He torpedoes and sinks 5356-ton British freighter Rothermere.

Italian Glauco-class submarine Otaria (Lt. Commander Giuseppe Vocaturo) torpedoes and badly damages 4662-ton British freighter Starcross several hundred miles west of Ireland. The crew abandons ship, and the Starcross is scuttled. Survivors are picked up by Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Francis, a former US (USS Bancroft) Clemson-class destroyer.

At 21:24, U-138 (Oblt.Wolfgang Lüth), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient and operating about 155 miles northwest of the Butt of Lewis, torpedoes and sinks 8593-ton British tanker Javanese Princess. Some accounts state this took place on 15 May, but the 20th seems more likely. There are 57 survivors (including some passengers) and one death. Survivors are picked up by HMS Faulknor, Lincoln Assurance (a tug).

U-103 (Viktor Schütze), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient and operating off Freetown, torpedoes and sinks 3575-ton Egyptian freighter Radames. There is one death. Some sources place this sinking on 25 May.

At 16:44, U-111 (Kptlt. Wilhelm Kleinschmidt), on its first patrol and operating near U-138, hits 13,307-ton British tanker San Felix. The San Felix develops a list to starboard but escapes further damage in a rain squall. It makes it to St. John's and is repaired.

One of the seven Junkers Ju 52s shot down over Crete today, 20 May 1941.

Completing an arduous journey to which they were not suited, the last of four Italian coastal submarines, Perla, completes its journey to Bordeaux, France from Massawa on the Red Sea. The submarines are too small to carry enough supplies for lengthy journeys, and the sailors become malnourished on the trip around the Cape of Good Hope, but they complete the journey rather than surrender. The submarines now join the other Italian submarines operating in the Atlantic.

German freighter Dresden arrives in Bordeaux with prisoners captured by raider Atlantis from the Zamzam.

German battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen reach the Norwegian coast, and the accompanying minesweepers are sent back to base. Aerial reconnaissance shows that the Royal Navy Home Fleet remains at anchor at Scapa Flow, Scotland. Pursuant to Operation Rheinübung, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen continue northward along the Norwegian coast to Bergen. At 13:00, neutral Swedish seaplane-cruiser Gotland sights the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen and reports this (through circuitous means) to the Royal Navy.

A major USN Neutrality Patrol leaves Bermuda. It includes aircraft carrier USS Wasp and heavy cruiser Quincy (CA-39). This is Task Force 2 and it will cover over 4000 miles (6500 km) on its two-week patrol.

Convoy HX 128 departs from Halifax and BHX 128 from Bermuda.

Royal Navy sloop HMS Landguard (Lt. Commander Rowland E. S. Hugonin) is commissioned.

Destroyer USS Barton is laid down.

Operation Mercury, 20 May 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Unternehmen Merkur - Operation Mercury - commences. It is treated lightly by the Wehrmacht, almost as an afterthought to Operation Marita, and Adolf Hitler spends little time on it. The operation is directed by General Kurt Student in the King George Hotel in Athens and is exclusively a Luftwaffe operation (though reinforcement of the initial lodgement by sea is contemplated). The British know the Germans are coming from their Ultra decrypts, but there remains a gap between knowing the invasion is coming and being able to stop it.

The Fallschirmjäger (German paratroopers) of the 7th Flieger Division board their Junkers Ju 52 transport planes and DFS 230 gliders on mainland Greece around daylight and beginning dropping on Crete around 07:15-08:00. The drops are in the three battlegroups (Kampfgruppen) East, West and Center. There are several airfield objectives, as the plan is to seize at least one airfield and then sluice reinforcements into it to create a defensible bridgehead. One of the failings of the plan is that sea reinforcement is difficult not just because of the presence of the Royal Navy, but the lack of good landing sites. The targets are Maleme airfield and Chania in the west, Rethymno in the center, and Heraklion further east. Group West has the highest number of attacking troops. Overall, Luftwaffe transport losses are lighter than expected (seven are shot down).

German Fallschirmjäger troops prepare for the mission to Crete.

The first landings are at Maleme, where many Fallschirmjäger land west of the airfield and form up for an advance on the airfield and Chania. The 21st, 22nd and 23rd New Zealand battalions in the vicinity respond quickly, and the Germans take heavy casualties. Some Junkers Ju 52s land on the airfield itself, and the surviving Germans (many planes are destroyed immediately) form a small perimeter at the southern end of the field. An Allied counterattack by the 22nd New Zealand Infantry Battalion makes some progress but ultimately fails because of command confusion which results in no reinforcements being sent. As the day progresses, the Germans west of the field advance and take Hill 107, which overlooks the field. However, the field itself is still raked by Allied fire and unsuitable for normal use.

Fallschirmjäger at Crete, 20 May 1941. Odds are good that this is a composite or otherwise doctored photo prepared for propaganda purposes.

In the afternoon, the second tranche of transports drop waves of Fallschirmjäger at Rethymno and Heraklion. The Germans attack Rethymno at 16:15 and Heraklion at 17:30. The Heraklion defenders - 14th Infantry Brigade, the 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion, and the Greek 3rd, 7th and "Garrison" (ex-5th Crete Division) battalions - respond quickly, and the Germans essentially surround the field without penetrating it. The attackers have even less success at Rethymno and wind up spending more time trying to evade capture than secure the airfield.

As the day ends, the Germans are in the best shape at Maleme, but even there they have not secured the airfield. During the night, General Student decides to concentrate his entire effort on Maleme and basically leaves the other forces to fend for themselves. He bases this decision on a report that a Ju 52 flown by Captain Kleye managed to land at the airport while only subject to small arms fire. While the planes may be destroyed, this may be a way to get reinforcements to the island.

Fallschirmjäger on Hill 107 overlooking Maleme airfield, 20 May 1941.

On the other side, General Bernard C. Freyberg authorizes a pullback at Maleme during the night, leaving Hill 107 uncontested. Freyberg makes plans for a set-piece attack on the 21st using the handful of British tanks available on the island. The entire invasion and control of Crete now depend upon who can concentrate the most force at one point: Maleme airfield.

The RAF and Luftwaffe battle over Crete, neither side using its airfields (the RAF withdrew to Alexandria on the 19th). The Luftwaffe sinks minesweeper HMS Widnes at Suda Bay (later salvaged by the Germans as UJ.2109). In addition, 353-ton armed trawler Kos XXIII is badly damaged and ultimately written off.

One of the air casualties is Flt. Lt. Montague T St. John "Pat" Pattle of RAF No. 80 Squadron, who has dozens of confirmed victories (the exact number of his actual victories is subject to debate but likely is somewhere around 30-40).

Crete, 20 May 1941.

The Royal Navy has Force A-1, including battleship HMS Warspite, west of Crete. Force B is west of Cape Matapan but en route to join Force A-1. Force C, with two light cruisers, is in the Kaso Strait. Force D, also including light cruisers, is in the Antikythera Strait. Force C comes under air and motorboat attack, without results.

Italian 52 ton freighter Padre Eterno and 194-ton freighter Aghios Georgios spotted by Force A-1 and sunk by gunfire.

Italian destroyer escort Curatone is operating in the Gulf of Athens when it hits a mine and sinks.

Italian 5165 ton freighter Zeffiro and 4856-ton Perseo hit mines just off Cape Bon. The mines are newly laid Italian mines. The Zeffiro sinks, and the Perso is badly damaged.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Urge fires a torpedo at Italian destroyer Alpino (thought to be a tanker) near Lampedusa (midway between Malta and Tunisia) but misses.

German troops occupy the island of Antikythera, near Crete.

Another mission to ferry planes to Malta, Operation Splice, reverses its feint into the Atlantic from Gibraltar and heads into the Mediterranean. HMS Ark Royal and Furious carry 48 planes for the island.

Fallschirmjäger of the 3./FjSR having just been dropped about one kilometer from the Tavronitis bridge, Maleme sector, Crete, 20 May 1941.

Second Lieutenant Roy Farran (in command of "C" Squadron of the 3rd King's Own Hussars) earns the Victoria Cross for actions near Canea. He manages to block a key road with tanks and has his men shoot a group of Fallschirmjäger who have captured a group of 40 hospital patients. See below for a darker side of this incident.

General Freyberg reports to Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell:

At dawn on Tuesday, powerful German forces began heavy assault on Crete. Large numbers of paratroops jumped onto the island, and according to reports received so far, airborne troops have landed in transport aircraft. British and Greek units have engaged the enemy. A number of German paratroops have been killed and captured. The battles are continuing.

Wavell has limited options to help on Crete, as he already has a full commitment of the Royal Navy and RAF.

Winston Churchill announces the invasion in the House of Commons in the evening, saying:

The third matter is not yet known to the House. For the last few day our reconnoitring aeroplanes have noticed very heavy concentrations of German aircraft of all kinds on the aerodromes of Southern Greece.... It is now clear that these concentrations were the prelude to an attack upon Crete. An airborne attack in great strength started this morning, and what cannot fail to be a serious battle has begun and is developing.

Churchill may be correct in stating that he knew about the German preparations for the invasion due to reconnaissance aircraft, but he is careful not to mention the real source of his information: the Ultra decrypts.

Churchill elaborates on the invasion in a statement:

After a good deal of intense bombing of Suda Bay and the various aerodromes in the neighborhood, about 1,500 enemy troops, wearing New Zealand battle-dress, landed by gliders, parachutes and troop carriers in the Canea-Maleme area.

It is unclear why Churchill states that the Fallschirmjäger are wearing Allied uniforms, which would be a violation of the rules of warfare. What is clear now is that they were not, so either Churchill is misinformed or he is lying to the House of Commons intentionally for some reason.

In Malta, there are more Luftwaffe attacks. They damage Luqa airfield, damaging the control tower and destroying Beaufighter on the tarmac. There is one death.

A Junkers Ju 52 comes in low over Crete, avoiding artillery fire (but exposing itself to ground fire), 20 May 1941.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Orion turns toward home. It will have to round the Cape of Good Hope, and South Africa is a British ally, so this is a dangerous trip. This will be a leisurely journey. The Orion carries a Japanese floatplane, which it acquired from supply ship Münsterland on 1 February.

German/Finnish Relations:  Minister Karl Schnurre arrives in Helsinki as the German Special Envoy to meet the Finnish President Ryti. He depicts an increasingly tense relationship between the Reich and the USSR. Schnurre also warns about a possible Soviet preemptive attack somewhere along the border, perhaps in Finland.

The Finns agree to his suggestion that they send a delegation to Berlin to coordinate possible responses to a Soviet attack. Field Marshal Mannerheim prepares a delegation to be sent within a few days, led by the Chief of the General HQ, Lieutenant General Heinrichs, accompanied by four other high-ranking officers. They will not be authorized to enter agreements but simply perform some fact-finding.

Anglo/US Relations: US Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Shoshone (CGC-50) is transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Landguard. This is the ninth transfer of USCGC vessels pursuant to Lend Lease.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Truant departs from Gibraltar to refit in the United States at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

German/Venezuelan Relations: The LA Times reports that German diplomats have been expelled, though on very cordial terms.

May 20, 1941. Ack-Ack Girls, members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), run to action at an anti-aircraft gun emplacement in the London area when the alarm is sounded. (AP Photo)

War Crimes: Second Lieutenant Roy Farran, who as described above wins the Military Cross for actions today near Canea, later writes that his troops encountered some Fallschirmjäger attempting to surrender. Farran claims to have ordered the surrendering Germans shot. He claimed that this was done on the spur of the moment.

Spy Stuff: Japanese Ambassador to the US Kichisaburō Nomura reports to Tokyo that the US is reading their coded messages. However, he claims that the most important diplomatic codes are still secure - when in fact they are not.

POWs: Polish Lieutenant J. Just, a prisoner of war of Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle, temporarily escapes but is quickly recaptured.

Winston Churchill, during his remarks in the House of Commons, refuses to comment on Rudolf Hess.

British Government: Prime Minister Churchill takes questions in the House of Commons. Among other things, he refuses requests to appoint a Minister of Civil Defence or a minister devoted to the development of military armored formations.

German Government: Apparently completely unconcerned about Operation Mercury, Adolf Hitler drives down to Munich to spend two days at his old apartment there - and not at nearby Berchtesgaden. What he does during such solitary visits is not known. His next meeting will be on the 22nd.

Powell's house at the intersection of 195th Street and 58th Avenue, Queens, New York, May 20, 1941. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives)

China: The Chinese manage to shoot down an A6M Zero in fairly good condition near the city of Chengdu, north of Chungking (Chongqing). Marine Corps Major James McHugh gets drawings and data on the plane and passes them along both to the Navy Department in Washington and (much later) to Flying Tigers commander Claire Chennault. The Chinese drawings and analysis are good as far as they go, but the Zero's tail has been destroyed and this part of the fuselage remains a mystery to the Allies.

The Japanese launch the Jidong Operation. Its goal is to capture the eastern part of Hebei Province.

Chinese Communists form the CCP Central China Bureau.

Holocaust: Germany bans emigration of Jews from France and Belgium in anticipation of an imminent broader solution to their situation (which is not specified). While this obviously is ominous, at this time it may still mean their transport to newly captured territories in the East for use as slaves rather than outright extermination.

American Homefront: The LA Times reports that the mother of Desi Arnaz, who is a US citizen at least since marrying Lucille Ball on 30 November 1940, is told that she must return to Cuba (which she has left for Mexico) in order to emigrate to the United States with a quota number. The Arnaz family is not welcome in Cuba since Fulgencio Batista seized the family's properties in the 1930s. Note that Arnaz did not mention this in his autobiography "A Book" (1976), where he states that the family fled to Miami.

The Young Women's Republican Club of Milford, Connecticut has a "smoker" party on 20 May 1941 to show that they enjoy wild parties just as much as men do (photo and story were in the 16 June 1941 Life magazine).

May 1941

May 1, 1941: British Hold Tobruk
May 2, 1941: Anglo-Iraq War
May 3, 1941: Liverpool Hammered
May 4, 1941: Hitler Victory Speech
May 5, 1941: Patriots Day
May 6, 1941: Stalin In Command
May 7, 1941: May Blitz
May 8, 1941: Pinguin Sunk
May 9, 1941: U-110 Captured
May 10, 1941: Hess Flies Into History
May 11, 1941: The Hess Peace Plan
May 12, 1941: Tiger Arrives Safely
May 13, 1941: Keitel's Illegal Order
May 14, 1941: Holocaust in Paris
May 15, 1941: Operation Brevity
May 16, 1941: Blitz Ends
May 17, 1941: Habbaniya Relieved
May 18, 1941: Croatia Partitioned
May 19, 1941: Bismarck at Sea
May 20, 1941: Invasion of Crete
May 21, 1941: Robin Moore Sinking
May 22, 1941: Royal Navy Destruction Off Crete
May 23, 1941: Crete Must Be Won
May 24, 1941: Bismarck Sinks Hood
May 25, 1941: Lütjens' Brilliant Maneuver
May 26, 1941: Bismarck Stopped
May 27, 1941: Bismarck Sunk
May 28, 1941: Crete Lost
May 29, 1941: Royal Navy Mauled Off Crete
May 30, 1941: Sorge Warns, Stalin Ignores
May 31, 1941: British Take Baghdad

2020

Tuesday 15 October 1940

Damage to the 7th floor of the BBC House in central London by a 500 lb bomb on 15 October 1940. At first, the bomb does not detonate, but when men arrive to move it, the bomb goes off, killing four men and three women.

Battle of Britain: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering continues with his perpetual tinkering of the Luftwaffe operations over England on 15 October 1940. In this case, he basically just codifies what has been the program for weeks now anyway. He orders that there be three priorities in descending order:

• London;
• aircraft factories;
• factories in the Midlands and air bases.

More importantly, the weight of the offensive from now on is to be at night, something that already has been the case throughout the month. With the nights getting longer, this makes good tactical sense, although not so much strategic sense. The British night fighter force composed of Bristol Beaufighters is still embryonic, and the only real defense to the bombers is the fierce anti-aircraft ring defending inner London and some other major cities. Recent raids have been tactically devastating but strategically almost worthless, as they destroy random buildings in the cities while leaving the RAF's growing power unchecked.

The RAF also is tinkering with its strategy. While the British do not have the initiative at the moment - fighter operations by RAF fighters at this stage over the Continent are rare and usually accidental - their decisions greatly affect the course of the battle because the Luftwaffe repeatedly has shifted its own strategy in response.

Number 11 Group today issues new instructions to its units. From now on, there are to be standing patrols at 20,000 feet or higher. This is considered necessary due to the new Luftwaffe tactic of using fighter-bombers (Jabos) during the day rather than the slower (and lower-flying) bombers. This allows for an interception on somewhat equal terms, as the British fighters do not need ten minutes to get up to altitude. It also, however, somewhat plays into the Luftwaffe's own strategy of desiring air battles in order to continue harvesting Fighter Command's assets.

The weather is unsettled, cloudy over the Channel and France but clearing from the west. The day begins with a "pirate raid" at 06:10 by a lone Heinkel He 111 of III,/KG 55 upon the British Aeroplane Company located at Filton. Another attack at 07:00 targets Birmingham and RAF Ternhill, destroying two Blenheims and some other aircraft. Thereafter, the raids are almost continuous, of small scale but coming from all directions.

At 08:00, the Luftwaffe sends a Jabo raid against southern England. As is often the case with the Jabos, the initial group reaches its targets before the RAF can respond. Their target is London, and King George V Dock in West Ham, Waterloo Station and south London, in general, take the brunt of the attack.

Another attack crosses at 09:45. This time, the RAF is waiting and the Jabos don't reach their targets.

Around noontime, the day's major raid occurs when sixty fighters, including Jabos and Bf 110s, cross near Folkestone with London as their target. The RAF performs a successful interception, chasing away the Bf 110s and forcing the Bf 109 Jabos to drop their bombs at random in the Ashford/Gravesend/Maidstone region. Both sides use the clouds to their advantage, which reduces the number of losses on both sides.

Another large formation crosses the Isle of Wight around the same time. This time, the RAF has a clear-cut victory, attacking out of the sun and shooting down several Bf 109s and leading to more dogfights. The Germans, though, have a numerical advantage in this engagement, so some of the Jabos get through to their target of Southampton.

JG 26, perhaps the premier Luftwaffe formation at the time, bounces some Hurricanes east of London during the afternoon as the Luftwaffe continues raids on the Maidstone/Ashford area. Just as the RAF earlier had a clear-cut victory, this battle goes to the Germans. They shoot down several RAF planes.

Sergeant Alois Dvořák welcomed by pilots of RAF No. 310 Squadron at RAF Duxford. He joins the unit on 15 October 1940.

The skies clear completely during the day, and there is a bright moon. After dark, the Luftwaffe mounts another major effort against London. 400 bombers pound the financial district (City of London) with 530 tons of bombs, starting 900 fires and killing hundreds of people. There is extensive damage that severs rail and road communications at five main railway stations. Oxford Street is blocked, as well as the road above Balham Underground Station from the night before. Damage also is caused to key installations such as the Royal Docks, Beckton Gasworks, Battersea Power Station, and a Handley Page aircraft. The vital water pipeline at Enfield is severed, shutting off a 46-million Imperial gallon per day pipeline.

An especially noticeable incident occurs when bombs fall on the BBC during its 21:00 news broadcast. Seven people lose their lives after the bomb crashes through the exterior wall into an interior library, causing extensive damage. However, the equipment still functions. Broadcaster Bruce Belfrage, sitting in the basement with Hell itself breaking loose above, carries on throughout the broadcast despite being covered in plaster. The home audience never suspects a thing. "Keep calm and carry on" indeed.

Birmingham, Kent, and Bristol also are hit during the night but don't receive nearly the attention as does London.  The Luftwaffe loses only one bomber, as the British night fighter force remains ineffective.

Overall, it is another reasonably good day for the Luftwaffe. The score is usually given as 14 losses for the Luftwaffe and 15 by the RAF - and that generally does not include either RAF bombers lost over Europe over planes destroyed on the ground. The Luftwaffe has found a workable strategy against the British, but the question, as previously, is how long they will stick to a good thing. In the past, the answer has been... not long enough.

It is a big day for the big names of the Luftwaffe. Major Werner Mölders of Stab/JG 51 downs a Hurricane during the morning for victory number 47. Adolf Galland of Stab/JG 26 gets his 45th victory, a Spitfire during the afternoon battles, staying hot on the heels of Mölders. Hauptmann Walter Oesau of Stab III./JG 51 also claims a Hurricane for his 37th victory. "Pips" Priller also gets two victories, and Hauptmann Helmut Wick downs a Spitfire for victory no. 42. When the Experten rack up the scores, you know the Luftwaffe is having a good day - for those who return to base.

On the English side, Section Commander George Walter Inwood of the Home Guard pulls two unconscious men from a gas-filled center but perishes on his third go-round. He posthumously receives the George Cross.

Lieutenant Eric Charles Twelves Wilson previously has received the Victoria's Cross for actions in Somaliland during the Italian invasion, but there is a twist. At first, it is believed that the award is posthumous, but today he turns up in a POW camp. Wilson really earned the award, maintaining a machine-gun post-operational from 11-15 August despite being wounded... and having malaria. The stiff upper lip and all that.

General Alexander Holle replaces Generalmajor Robert Fuchs as Kommodore of KG 26.

With all the other big Luftwaffe names in the news today, there's also another one who does something important. This Luftwaffe legend, however, is still unknown. Erich "Bubi" Hartmann joins the Luftwaffe Military Training Regiment 10 at Neukuhurn near Koenigsberg in East Prussia.

Another view of the BBC House damage.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command concentrates on the German-held ports tonight. This includes Kiel, Hamburg, Boulogne, Flushing, Lorient, Brest and Terneuzen. The Fleet Air Arm chips in with attacks on Dunkirk.

Battle of the Atlantic: It is a good day for the U-boats and a bad one for the convoys. As usual, it is a lottery for the merchant marine sailors: sometimes the crew all live, sometimes most or all of them perish. There's no way to predict what will happen, the variables include the weather, the ship's cargo (ships with heavy and dense cargos tend to sink faster), the distance from shore, the presence of other ships nearby, the type of ship you are on (tankers are much harder to sink), any assistance offered by the U-boat itself, and whether you even survive the initial explosion intact. Even if you make it to the lifeboats, they may get swamped or spring a leak or you may die of starvation before you make land or are found. Many lifeboats, seen by the U-boat to depart intact, are never seen again. Serving on the North Atlantic trade routes is so disliked that some crews transfer to the navy, which in some ways can be safer.

U-138 (Oblt.z.S. Wolfgang Lüth) stalks Convoy OB 228 northwest of the Butt of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides (about 80 km northwest of Rockall). At 05:10 Lüth fires a torpedo at the Bonheur, and at 05:15 another at the British Glory.

U-138 also torpedoes and sinks 5327-ton British freighter Bonheur. All 39 crew survive, taken off by HMT Sphene.

U-138 then torpedoes and damages 6993 ton British Glory. The torpedo hits in the aft section engine room, killing three men there and disabling the ship. The ship is towed to Kames Bay, then to the Clyde for repairs.

U-103 (Kptl. Viktor Schütze), toward the end of her first patrol, also stalks Convoy OB 228. It torpedoes and sinks 4747-ton British freighter Thistlegarth. There are 9 survivors and 30 crew perish. After this, U-103 heads to its new base at Lorient.

U-93 (Kptlt. Claus Korth) stalks Convoy OB 227 northwest of the Outer Hebrides. Just after midnight, it torpedoes and sinks 9331-ton British cargo freighter Hurunui. There are 73 survivors and 2 crew perish.

Italian submarine Comandante Alfredo Cappellini, operating off the Azores, uses its deck gun to sinks Belgian freighter Kabalo. There are 42 survivors and one man perishes.

Royal Navy patrol boat HMT Mistletoe hits a mine and blows up in the Humber Estuary near Spurn Point, Yorkshire. There are two survivors and six men perish. Several ships have been succumbing to this minefield.

British drifter Apple Tree (19 tons) gets the worst of a collision with RAF Pinnace No. 50 in Oban Harbour and sinks.

British 477 ton collier Bellavale runs aground in a storm at St. John's Point, Rossglass, County Down. It is a total loss.

Royal Navy submarine L 27 (Lt R. E. Campbell) reports attacking a German convoy off Cape Barfleur and scoring three hits on a 7000-ton freighter. However, in one of those mysteries of the sea, the German records make no mention of any such incident.

U-65 (Kptlt. Joachim Hoppe) reports being attacked by a Royal Navy submarine while transiting through the Bay of Biscay from its base at Lorient. However, it is undamaged and continues out to the Atlantic.

Operation D.H.U. is set in motion. Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Hood departs from Scapa Flow as part of a force to attack Tromso, Norway in a few days. Several destroyers also depart and will conduct exercises in the interim.

Minelayer HMS Teviotbank and destroyer HMS Intrepid lay minefield BS 41 in the North Sea.

Convoy OB 229 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 309 departs from Southend, Convoy 310 departs from Methil, Convoy SC 8 departs from St John, Nova Scotia.

"Posed portrait of a soldier with rifle and bayonet standing watch behind beach defenses' somewhere in Southern England', 15 October 1940." © IWM (H 4733).

Battle of the Mediterranean: In a rare gunbattle between submarines, Italian submarine Enrico Toti sinks Royal Navy submarine HMS Triad (Lt.Cdr. G.S. Salt) off Calabria (50 miles south of Cape Colonne in Otranto Strait). Encountering each other on the surface at 01:00, the Triad fires first but misses, and also fires a torpedo that misses. Using its machine gun, the Toti then forces the Triad gunners to seek shelter and closes at full speed. The Toti then sinks the Triad with a torpedo as the British submarine attempts to dive. The submarine pops out of the water vertically stern first, then sinks straight down. There are no survivors of the 50-man crew. The Triad is often mistaken for HMS Rainbow, which sank on 4 October in a collision.

At Malta, a French Loire 130 reconnaissance aircraft with three aboard unexpectedly lands (after being shadowed by three Hurricanes) at Kalfrana from Bizerta. It is a crew of Vichy airmen switching sides. The pilot has never flown a Loire before, but he brings the plane down in a manner described as "a bit shaky" by ground observers. The men provide valuable intelligence about aircraft at Bizerta. It is a solid victory for the propaganda service, as the men are carrying a leaflet dropped by the RAF.

German/Soviet Relations: The German embassy in Moscow is still translating Ribbentrop's massive mission to Stalin about a New World Order. It will take a few more days.

Italian/Bulgarian Relations: Italy asks Bulgaria to assist the projected invasion of Greece. This would require the Italians to defend two fronts rather than one.

Italian Military: Benito Mussolini, after much thought and consultation, decides to use the Italian occupation of Albania to invade Greece. Mussolini obtains permission from the Italian War Council (Ciano, Badoglio, Jacomoni, Visconti-Prasca, Roatta, Cavagnari, and Pricolo), which is a mere formality (despite misgivings they almost all privately have). He does not tell German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, who complains around this time that there is a strange "inability" of Germans to learn the Italian plans. Marshal Badoglio, no fan military adventures with a weak army, succeeds only in gaining a postponement of two days for the start of the invasion, which will have to go through the mountains in northern Greece.

The planned attack date of the invasion is 26 October. The Commando Supremo projects a quick two-week operation to defeat the Greeks. This is a decision of far-reaching ramifications - some say it directly affects the outcome of World War II itself by a direct chain of events - that will not become fully apparent for some time.

US Military: The US Marine Corps mobilizes its reserve battalions. They are to be assigned to active duty by 9 November 1940.

Fighters ordered by Sweden are requisitioned by the US Army Air Corps and the order is canceled.

The storied US 69th Regiment (New York) is inducted into the Federal Armory during a ceremony held at the drill shed. 15 October 1940.

Japanese Military: Captain Sadayoshi Yamada becomes commanding officer of the aircraft carrier “Kaga.” Captain Matsuji Ijuin becomes commanding officer of “Naka.”

British Government: Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a message to all ambassadors via the Foreign Office that "nothing can compare with the importance of the British Empire and the United States being co-belligerent." This, of course, is not the official policy of the United States - at least openly.

Holocaust: Adolf Hitler expounds upon his vision for Czechoslovakia, which has been incorporated into the Greater Reich as the provinces of Bohemia and Moravia. His view is that half the population will assimilate, and the rest is expendable. Naturally, the usual groups - intellectuals, Jews and other minorities such as the Gypsies, clergy - fall into the latter category.

American Homefront: The government announces that, pursuant to the new peacetime draft, 16 million already have registered for the peacetime draft.

Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" premieres in New York City. This is a pet project of Chaplin's which he has been working on for years. A very political film due to its obvious parodies of Hitler and Mussolini (who is portrayed like a delicatessen butcher in a hilarious performance by Jack Oakie) and others, "The Great Dictator" is seen by just about everyone as a propaganda tool. It is favored in the UK and banned in some Latin American countries.

Charlie Chaplin in "The Great Dictator," released today.

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

2020

Sunday 13 October 1940

Future Queen Elizabeth, right, and Princess Margaret make their radio address on 13 October 1940.

Battle of Britain: The day begins with poor weather which clears as the afternoon progresses. Most of the action on 13 October 1940 thus occurs in the afternoon and evening.

The first significant intrusion is after lunchtime. At 13:00, the Luftwaffe sends over several dozen fighter-bombers (Jabos) escorted by III,/JG 3. They bomb Woolwich and the tracks at Hackney and Dalston. RAF Nos. 46, 66 and 92 Squadrons intercept from underneath - the Bf 109s are flying at 27,000 feet - and the Luftwaffe loses a fighter.

Another series of raids occur after 14:00. This includes some fast Junkers Ju 88s along with the Jabos and escorting fighters. The formation splits at the coast and heads for London and Hornchurch. Fighter Command sends up 14 squadrons to attack Bf 109s of JG 27 and 54. The Luftwaffe gets the best of this encounter, with the German pilots claiming half a dozen victories.

At 15:30, more Jabos cross at Dover. RAF No. 66 defends, but the Jabos reach their targets in London.

After dark, London, Liverpool, Hull, East Anglia, Huddersfield, Grantham and the Midlands are bombed. The raids cause extensive damage and, at London, continue until daylight. Losses for the day are about even at a handful apiece.
In war, there can be odd coincidences. Today, there are such coincidences in several different areas.

The first set of coincidences is separate friendly fire incidents, which are fairly rare during the Battle of Britain. One occurs at 18:20 when two Blenheims of RAF No. 29 Squadron, engaged in a standard patrol about 10 miles from North Weald, are attacked by Hurricanes of RAF No. 312 (Czech) Squadron. One Blenheim quickly fires off two Very lights and escapes significant damage, but the other is shot down into the water. There is one fatality.

Another friendly fire incident occurs over Chatham when P/O J.K.Ross of RAF No. 17 Squadron is shot down and wounded by anti-aircraft fire. He survives by bailing out of his Hurricane.

The other coincidences are even more deadly. Londoners have seen the underground subway system as a secure series of shelters during the Blitz. However... not necessarily. There are numerous incidents tonight of bombs blasting through the surface and causing deaths and other casualties in these supposedly secure settings.

Stanmore Underground Station takes damage, and 154 civilians perish in a shelter at Stoke Newington. Wembley Park Station also takes damage. At Bounds Green Piccadilly Station, a bomb destroys a house just above the eastbound line. This collapses the tunnel and injures/kills the people sheltering there. A 250 lb bomb hits an air raid shelter at Newcastle, killing 21. Other shelters also take damage and casualties: Marsh Road, Argyle Street, Farrer Street, Hardman Street, Benjamin Street, and Hatherley Street.

Bomber pilots seldom get much glory, though they are put at great hazard and suffer tremendous casualties. Today one of them, Lt. Hajo Herrmann of KG 30, receives the Ritterkreuz

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command focuses on the German-held ports, including the Mole at Zeebrugge, Domburg Harbour, Kiel, and Wilhelmshaven. Other targets include the Krupps factory at Essen and oil installations at Duisberg and Gelsenkirchen. A total of 125 bombers are in action.

The Tirpitz, well along in its construction, remains a sort of tar baby for the RAF (as it will be throughout the war). Once again, RAF Bomber Command sends a group of bombers to attack it. Only four Hampden bombers actually attack due to poor weather. If one calculates the sum total of British attempts to sink the Tirpitz and balances that against the effort to build her, the scale likely would tilt decisively in the German battleship's favor.

A 1940 De Soto print ad. The war was going to make this model year a common sight throughout the 1940s as the production of private cars is curtailed for war production until the last years of the decade. If you asked the question posed in the headline four years hence, the answer would be, "Not at all."

Battle of the Atlantic: Operation DN begins. Captain Philip Louis Vian in destroyer HMS Cossack, HMS Ashanti, HMS Maori, and HMS Sikh depart the Firth of Forth. They intercept a small German convoy off Egerö light and sink 1949 ton German net layer Genua in shallow water. The Cossack takes a shell which damages the rudder and injures a stoker. Vian, a legendary, swashbuckling Royal Navy veteran of World War I and the Altmark incident from earlier in the year, is awarded a bar to his DSO for this action. This action is blown out of all proportion in the press, as the destroyer captains claim much greater success (at least two ships) than they actually achieve (one small ship that is later salved). Many later accounts also recite more victories in this action than actually occurred. No matter: it further cements Vian's reputation.

U-103 (Viktor Schütze) continues a successful maiden cruise, patrolling west of the Outer Hebrides. At 08:46, it torpedoes and badly damages 1186 ton Estonian timber freighter Nora. The lifeboats are destroyed in the attack, so Schütze deviates from standing orders and radios a distress call giving the survivors' position. The ship remains afloat long enough for the survivors to be picked up by sloop HMS Leith on the 18th.

U=37 (Kptlt. Victor Oehrn) torpedoes and sinks 5804-ton British freighter Stangrant in the Atlantic west of the Outer Hebrides at 19:57. Stangrant is a straggler from Convoy HX 77. There are 30 survivors and 8 crew perish. A Sunderland flying boat of 10 Squadron RAAF rescues the survivors. This is Captain Oehrn's final U-boat victory, as he transfers to a shore-side staff position after this. He has sunk 23 ships totaling 103,821 tons.

U-138 (Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Lüth) damages 4562-ton Norwegian freighter Dagrun in Convoy HX 77 in the western Atlantic. After this voyage, Lüth receives the Iron Cross.

Royal Navy 98 ton converted fish trawler/patrol drifter HMT Summer Rose (PD594) hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea near Sunderland in County Durham. There are two deaths.

Royal Navy 234 ton rescue tug HMS Danube III hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary northeast of sheerness, Kent. Eleven men perish.

British 1130 ton barge Cargo Fleet No. 2 hits a mine just west of Datum Buoy off Tees. The barge is taken in tow, but breaks the line and drifts ashore and is destroyed. No casualties.

German auxiliary minesweepers Gnom 7, Kobold 1 and Kobold 3 sweep the wrong minefield, hit mines and sink in the North Sea.

The Royal Navy completes an extensive sweep of Scapa Flow (except for a small part northeast of Barrel of Butter), which has been securely sealed since the embarrassing Royal Oak incident of 1939. This permits anti-submarine exercises to begin.

Convoys OL 7 and OB 228 depart from Liverpool, Convoy FN 307 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 308 departs from Methil,

Dedication of a memorial to the Spanish-American War, 13 October 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian submarines Zoea and Foca lay mines off Palestine. The Foca is lost off Haifa while doing so in some kind of mishap, while the Zoea completes the mission off Jaffa.

Royal Navy gunboat Ladybird assaults Italian positions at Sidi Barrani.

The South African Air Force makes its fifth raid against Neghelli in southern Abyssinia. The British send a patrol across the Abyssinia border and cause some casualties on Italians southeast of Kassala.

Italian destroyer Artigliere, in tow after heavy damage at the Battle of Cape Passero, is sunk by British cruiser HMS York using torpedoes. The British ships, which include cruiser HMS Ajax (the victor in the night action) and several destroyers, drop rafts for the survivors and allow the Italians to rescue them later.

Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Eagle and Illustrious launch raids against Italian-held Leros island as they continue their withdrawal from their escort duties of the recent (successful) Malta convoy.

Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu is concerned about Allied air attacks (none of which have happened to Romania yet). He requests some Luftwaffe assistance. Hitler accedes and sends the Luftwaffe's night intruder force to the Mediterranean area.

The First Lord of the Admiralty issues a memorandum to the War Cabinet. It urges a concentrated effort against Italy:

I feel that what we must aim at is to knock Italy out of the Axis as soon as possible and at the same time avoid, if we can, the full entry of France into the Axis. If we are to achieve the first of these, it is vital that we should strengthen Malta, reinforce the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet and the forces under the command of the General Officer Commanding Middle East. The bulk of our efforts must be applied in this direction, until at any rate we have carried out our special operation for putting through reinforcements through the Mediterranean to Malta and the Middle East.

In an unrelated but coincidental event (see below), the British Secretary of State visits Malta today by RAAF Sunderland flying boat. It lands at Kalafrana in the dark in poor weather. After touring the island, he prepares to leave in the morning.

Charlie Chaplin at a press conference held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City for "The Great Dictator," 13 October 1940.

German/Soviet Relations: The term "New World Order" has been thrown about by many different people for numerous different purposes throughout the years. The first known use of the phrase was by Nicholas Murray Butler in his 1917 book "A World in Ferment." It also was the title of "The New World Order" by Frederick C Hicks. The same title was used in 1940 by H.G. Wells. The phrase continues to be a catchphrase in the 21st Century among those suspicious about globalization.

The New World Order is like the weather: everyone talks about it, but very few people ever do anything about it. Today, 13 October 1940, however, someone actually tries to do something concrete about it.

Hitler and Ribbentrop, along with others in the German high command such as Admiral Raeder, have been trying to figure out a way to avoid a war with the Soviet Union. Their latest theory is that the world should be divided up into spheres of influence, with Germany taking Europe, the Soviet Union dominating central Asia down through India, and the Japanese taking the Asian coastal regions. Italy would have control over Africa.

In pursuit of this somewhat hopeful theory, Ribbentrop sends the German embassy in Moscow a long letter for Stalin which basically recites the course of the war to date with a rather defensive attitude. It then goes on to suggest some ideas of cooperation for the future. The letter makes numerous points, including:

• Germany essentially had been forced to continue the war through British and French "games";
• Great Britain essentially is finished;
• Germany has no military intentions regarding the Soviet Union;
• He explains away recent events in Scandinavia as purely defensive;
• Germany desired a long-term agreement with the USSR, Italy and Japan regarding respective spheres of influence "which would last for centuries";
• Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov should come to Berlin to discuss this further, with discussions to continue at Moscow.

The letter, like many of Ribbentrop's literary efforts, is tedious, overly complicated and full of random excursions into completely extraneous issues. The is delighted to reach the first three words in the following paragraph, even though - yes - that is not the end of the lecture either:

In summing up, I should like to state that, in the opinion of the Führer, also, it appears to be the historical mission of the Four Powers—the Soviet Union, Italy, Japan, and Germany—to adopt a long-range policy and to direct the future development of their peoples into the right channels by delimitation of their interests on a world-wide scale.

In fairness to Ribbentrop, these types of eternally long essays are fairly common in diplomatic efforts of the day. The letter is sent today to the German embassy in Moscow for translation, which literally takes several days.

Japanese citizens march with flags of Imperial Japan, Germany, and Fascist Italy during the Tripartite Pact celebration ceremony hosted by the Imperial Rule Assistance Association at Yasukuni Shrine on October 13, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan.

Vichy France: Consolidating centralized control, the Vichy government abolishes local departmental councils.

China: The Japanese have been bombing the Nationalist capital of Chungking steadily for months, and the Chinese fighters have been unable to stop them. Recently, the appearance of the new Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters has made that task even more difficult. However, there are many ways to skin a cat, and today the Nationalists show how crafty they can be. In great secrecy, they have smuggled artillery pieces through Japanese lines to within range of Ichang airfield, the forward staging base close to Chinese lines which they captured on 12 June. Ichang is of great importance because it is within 400 miles of Chungking and thus a fairly easy trip for bombers.

Elsewhere, the Chinese attack Japanese positions at Lungchin during the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi.

British Homefront: Princess Elizabeth, 14, makes her first public speech. It is a radio address to the children of the British Commonwealth. Princess Margaret, 10, joins in. Elizabeth says that England's children are cheerful and courageous.

Un-Americans are a big concern at the University of Nebraska. The Daily Nebraskan, 13 October 1940.

October 1940

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

2020