Thursday 20 August 1940

The cover of "Der Adler" (The Eagle) magazine for 20 August 1940. The cover is somewhat ironic due to the fact that the Stukas are in the process of being withdrawn from most combat operations on the Channel front due to their vulnerability.

British Government: Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes one of his more famous and memorable speeches to Parliament on 20 August 1940, with the immortal line coming at the end of this paragraph:

The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

"The Few" remains the motto of the RAF to this day, so the speech had a lasting impact upon the service itself.

Of course, the Battle of Britain isn't quite over yet, so it is a bit early to be taking victory laps. However, the historical record in hindsight makes this a fitting occasion to make such a speech.

The debate after the speech makes interesting reading because there is some satisfaction expressed about the warlike tone constantly struck by Churchill, the apparent absence of any interest whatsoever in peace negotiations of any sort, and the "slanderous anti-Soviet propaganda" being (apparently) supported by the government. This is an interesting position in many ways, but particularly due to what we now know was about to happen to London.

Churchill also announces the agreement with the US to trade bases for destroyers. The bases will be in Newfoundland and the West Indies.


Battle of Britain: The weather - England's second-best ally in the battle following the assistance of the United States - once again turns foul and hinders operations. Great Britain merely has to run out the clock before the weather really closes in, while the Luftwaffe must get things done in a hurry if its aerial offensive is to have any meaning at all.

There is not much going on aside from reconnaissance until shortly before noon when Bf 110s from Epr.Gr 210 operates around Southwold, including attacking shipping and RAF Martlesham Heath. RAF No. 66 Squadron intervenes and chases them off.

At 13:45, Dornier Do 17s come across the North Sea and are met by RAF No. Squadron. 242, which loses a Hurricane.

Other Dornier Do 17 bombers attack RAF Eastchurch at 14:30. RAF No. 615 Squadron intervenes, joined by RAF No. 65 Squadron, which loses a Spitfire.

An hour or so later, the Luftwaffe launches another attack on RAF Manston. RAF No. 600 Squadron sends its Blenheims up in defense, one of which is damaged. The airfield is lightly damaged. A dogfight occurs between the escorting fighters and RAF No. 65 Squadron which forces a Spitfire to crash-land and ultimately be written off.

The 8 storage tanks at Llanreath near Pembroke Docks are still burning from the raid of the 19th, and the fire, in fact, is spreading to another two tanks, creating a massive inferno. This serves as a beacon visible for many miles, attracting more Luftwaffe attacks. RAF No. 236 Squadron sends up Blenheims, one of which is damaged.

There are a few lone-raider missions. One, on RAF Thornaby, results in the loss of a Junkers Ju uu to RAF No. 302 (Polish) Squadron. In addition, a Hurricane of RAF No. 257 Squadron downs a Dornier off Suffolk.

The day is notable because it marks the first time a Luftwaffe crew is interned in Ireland and only the second plane to crash there. It is a long-range Luftwaffe Focke Wulf FW 200C-1 Condor, coded "F8+KH" and assigned to I./KG 40. The anti-aircraft fire brought it down on Mount Brandon during a reconnaissance mission. The incident is unusual in Ireland and long-remembered - the Irish (in general) have no particular personal grudge against the Germans.

The Luftwaffe sinks 248-ton minesweeper trawler HMS Resparko at Falmouth. Everyone survives.

Three Luftwaffe bombers attack RMS St. Patrick off of South Wexford, damaging it. In other attacks on the west coast of Ireland, the Luftwaffe damages British freighter Macville at Blacksod Bay and British freighter Peebles 20 miles off Tuskar Rock.

The Luftwaffe stages a small raid on Scapa Flow in the North of Scotland shortly after midnight.

RAF Coastal Command spots a couple of Kriegsmarine destroyers in the North Sea and damage one.

Losses for the day are light, with Luftwaffe losses usually given as 10-15 planes and RAF losses at 3-5 planes.

Luftwaffe Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 51, Hptm. Horst Tietzen, who perished on 18 August, posthumously receives the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross). Theodor Osterkamp, the commanding officer of Jagdgeschwader 51, also receives the award and is there to receive it. Osterkamp is a fascinating figure because he also fought in World War I and received top awards then as well, including the highly coveted "Blue Max" (Pour le Mérite). The Luftwaffe is very protective of some of its top war heroes and orders Osterkamp to stop flying missions.

U-A, a submarine ordered by Turkey (as the Batiray) from Germaniawerft and requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine on the outbreak of war.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-A (Kapitänleutnant Hans Cohausz) torpedoes and sinks Panamanian (really Finnish) independent 4397-ton collier Tuira about 280 miles southwest of Rockall. There are two dead and 30 survivors.

U-46 (Oberleutnant zur See Engelbert Endrass) torpedoes 2089 ton  Greek wood freighter Leonida M. Valmas in the Western Approaches. Perhaps due to the light cargo, the freighter does not sink right away and is taken under tow, to Kames Bay, where the cargo salvaged and the ship declared a total loss.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Cachalot torpedoes and sinks U-51 (Kapitänleutnant Dietrich Knorr) in the Bay of Biscay 100 miles off of the base at St. Nazaire. All 43 crew perish. The U-boat route to the Atlantic from the French bases is a prime hunting ground for British forces.

British raider Widder sinks British freighter Anglo Saxon.

The British minelayers HMS Teviotbank, Plover, and Willem van der Zaan lay minefield BS 33 in the North Sea.

A floating dock (AFD.12) departs the Tyne for Lyness under escort by destroyers HMS Lowestoft and Egret.

Convoy FN 258 departs from Southend, Convoy MT 146 departs from Methil, Convoy FS 258 departs from the Tyne,, Convoy OB 201 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HG 67 departs from Halifax.

German destroyer Z28 is launched, U-141 is commissioned, and hospital ship Alexander von Humboldt is commissioned. British minesweeping trawler HMS Almond (T 14, Chief Skipper Robert Buchan) is commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The RAF bombs Diredawa and Dessie in Abyssinia and Kassala in eastern Sudan.

Taking a cue from Hitler's decision a few days ago to institute a "total blockade" of Great Britain, Italy institutes its own "total blockade" of Gibraltar, Malta, and Egypt. While it is a fanciful idea in many ways, Malta already is blockaded, and Egypt potentially could face a blockade due to the recent Italian conquest of British Somaliland. The timing of this announcement, though, reinforces the image of the Italian tail wagging on the German dog.

Vice Admiral James Somerville arrives in Gibraltar with his flotilla headed by aircraft carrier Ark Royal and battlecruiser HMS Renown. They have been in Great Britain for home defense. This reconstitutes Force H. Italian bombers attack Gibraltar to no effect.

At Malta, half a dozen more Blenheim bombers land at Luqa, while three others continue their journey to Egypt. The Italians naturally take an interest in all this bomber activity and decide to pay a visit as well. There are air raids on Luqa airfield which destroy several buildings and destroy one of the bombers and damage a couple of others. There also are some attacks on the Hal Far airfield which damage an RAF No. 830 Squadron Swordfish torpedo bomber.

Admiral James Somerville (1882–1949) on the right.

Battle of the Pacific: German disguised merchant raider Orion is operating in the Cook Straight of the Tasman Sea. It finds and sinks 9,691 ton New Zealand cargo steamer SS Turakina about 500 km off the Taranaki coast. It is the first battle of any kind ever fought in the Tasman Sea: the Turakina has a 4.7-inch deck gun versus Orion's six 5.9 inch guns. The battle lasts almost three hours, but the end result is pretty much unavoidable due to the disparity in force. There are 35/38 deaths (sources vary) and 20-21 survivors who are taken as prisoners. The Orion is making plans to work in concert with fellow raider Komet and supply ship Kulmerland.

The Komet, meanwhile, now is being led eastward in the Arctic ocean by Soviet icebreakers. When - or if - it will make it to the Pacific Ocean is unclear.

The New Zealanders and Australians send ships out to hunt down German raiders, but it is a big ocean. The Orion remains in the area of the sinking for five hours to save the survivors from an otherwise almost certain death despite the likelihood of the British ships' arrival.

German Government: Generalmajor Walter Warlimont, deputy chief in the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), and his staff present a revised plan for Operation Felix, the proposed invasion of Gibraltar. The plan concludes with the obvious, that everything depends upon Spanish participation, and that is far from certain. Franco wants to have it both ways, appearing to be against the whole thing while actually supporting it - but absent a declaration of war on Great Britain. Clearly, Franco does not want to enter another general war so soon after winning the Spanish Civil War.

Walter Warlimont.

Soviet Government: Settling once and for all a longstanding feud with former ally Leon Trotsky, Soviet Premier Stalin has an agent, undercover NKVD agent Ramón Mercader, kill him with a mountaineering ice pick at Trotsky's home in Mexico. Stalin has launched other attacks by hit squads on Trotsky that failed, but this time a single attacker does the trick.

China: The Japanese continue their bombing campaign against Chungking. The cumulative effect of the raids is devastating to the Nationalist capital. The new Zero fighters continue escorting the "Nell" bombers, which they began doing only yesterday.

Chinese communists operating in Hebei and Shanxi Provinces launch the "Hundred Regiments Offensive." The attack is focused along the railway line that separates them from the Japanese. The provinces are a major source of supply for the Japanese.

Ramón Mercader, at the time of his assassination of Leon Trotsky and many years later. Convicted of murder, he was released from prison on 6 May 1960, quickly moved to the Soviet Union, and passed away in 1978. A committed communist, Mercader is buried under the name “Ramon Ivanovich Lopez” in Moscow’s Kuntsevo Cemetery.

August 1940

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

2020

Friday 16 August 1940

The RAF Fighter Command Operations Room at Bentley Priory.

Battle of Britain: Luftwaffe attacks on 16 August 1940 focus on RAF airports today. RAF Tangmere suffers the most damage, with over half a dozen fields getting hit as well. While the Luftwaffe is taking serious losses, the RAF losses are not insignificant. The widespread damage to airfields and radar installations today actually makes it a rather successful day for the Germans, though of course, the British press can't know any of this.

There is a large operation around noon when 100 airplanes approach the Thames estuary. At the same time, a different formation makes landfall at Kent. A third attack by KG 2 crosses the coast at Dover. The Thames and Kent formations are intercepted, but the Dover formation gets through and hits RAF West Malling and Brize Norton, causing extensive damage at the latter (46 trainers destroyed).

About an hour later, another large Luftwaffe formation approaches from Cherbourg. This is primarily composed of Junkers Ju 87 Stukas of StG 2 and some Junkers Ju 88 bombers of KG 54. The escorts are from II,/JG 2 (Bf 109Es) and III,/ZG 76 (Bf 110s). The force splits up at the coast, with one group heading toward the Ventnor radar station, a second for RAF Tangmere, and a third toward Portsmouth and Gosport. RAF Nos. 1, 43, 601 and 602 Squadrons intercept. There is mass carnage, with the Luftwaffe losing 9 Stukas

The Stukas, however, mangle Tangmere, destroying 7 Hurricanes on the ground. The Junkers Ju 88 bombers are especially effective at Tangmere, destroying 14 more planes and hitting every major building. Both sides take heavy losses during this engagement.

The raid on the Ventnor radar station also is extremely effective, knocking it out for over a month. Hermann Goering's admonition against bombing the radar stations is proving unwise, and thankfully for the German cause is being ignored.

The attacks continue throughout the afternoon. Heathrow airport receives attention, but the attacking Heinkel He 111s of KG 55 lose six of their number. Another attack by Heinkels over Sussex at 17:30 results in four more bombers going down, and the last major raid of the day a little later, over Essex, results in another Heinkel going down along with several Bf 110s.

After dark, the Luftwaffe bombs the Bristol area, including the Filton airfield, Avonmouth docks, and a searchlight battery at Bristol.

Two Hurricanes from No. 501 Squadron at Hawkinge, August 16, 1940.

The Luftwaffe damages trawler Regardo off the Isle of Wight and freighter Loch Ryan off of Land's End in Cornwall. The Luftwaffe also strafes fishing trawlers off the west coast of Scotland.

RAF Bomber Command attacks oil installations at Leuna (Leipzig) and Bohlera, aircraft factories at Bernburg and Augsburg, and other targets in central Europe. During the night of 15/16 August, aircraft factories in Northern Italy were attacked.

Flight Lieutenant James Nicolson shoots down a Bf 109 after being badly wounded and with his plane in the process of crashing. Nicolson has a very bad time of it, shot twice by the Germans and then once more by a Home Guardsman who mistakes him for a German. He earns the Victoria Cross for this. He survives.

Adolf Galland of JG 26, the top pilot in the premier Luftwaffe fighter formation, receives the Pilot's Badge in Gold with Diamonds.

Oblt. Karl Ebbighausen, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 26 is KIA, replaced by Hauptmann Erich Bode. Staffelkapitän of 4./JG 2 Oblt. Walter Möckel is shot down and becomes a prisoner.

American Pilot Officer W. M. "Billy" Fiske III is serving with the RAF and is mortally wounded during the Stuka raid on Tangmere. He is buried at St. Paul's Cathedral in London and is the only American in the RAF killed during the Battle of Britain.

The Luftwaffe once again takes the brunt of the damage - as long as you don't count the numerous RAF aircraft destroyed on the ground. Estimates vary widely as usual, but the Luftwaffe loses around 45 planes and the RAF around 30.

Flight Lieutenant James Nicolson, V.C.

German Government: Today perfectly illustrates the confusion that permeates the German planning process. There are false estimates of British strength, plans drafted with great care for operations that cannot be made, and internal arguments.

Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) has little real information to go by other than pilot reports and confirmed kills. Today, the intelligence section of the OKL ("Section 5") estimates today that the RAF is down to 300 fighters defending England. The actual number is roughly 600, of which 200 are Spitfires.

The wrangling over Operation Sea Lion continues. Hitler orders the Army and the Navy to reach some sort of compromise. The Army wants a broad front, the Navy a narrow one. The Army began the process wishing to land 40 divisions but now concedes that it can make do with 13.

Hitler approves a plan for Operation Felix, the conquest of Gibraltar. No invasion of Gibraltar can be performed without Spanish intervention in the war, and that does not appear to be forthcoming any time soon.

Battle of the Atlantic: A wolfpack - a collection of U-boats operating as a group - is northwest of Ireland along the normal convoy route. Today, it scores several successes.

U-100 (Kapitänleutnant Joachim Schepke) torpedoes and sinks 4864-ton British freighter Empire Merchant in the Western Approaches. There are 49 survivors and seven crew perish. The Empire Merchant is an independent, zig-zagging at a fast 16 knots, and Schepke uses two torpedoes that hit the stern.

U-30 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp) torpedoes and sinks 6628-ton British freighter Clan McPhee in the Western Approaches. There are 41 survivors and 67 dead. They are picked up by Hungarian freighter Kelet.

U-48 (Korvettenkapitän Hans Rudolf Rösing) torpedoes and sinks 2325 ton collier Hedrun in the Western Approaches. There are 21 survivors, and 8 crew perish. Hedrun is traveling with Convoy OB 197.

U-46 (Kapitänleutnant Engelbert Endrass) torpedoes Dutch freighter Alcinous in the same area, but she is taken under tow and makes it to port.

U-51 (Kptlt. Dietrich Knorr) is spotted about 170 miles northwest of Tory Island by a Coastal Command Short Sunderland flying boat. A depth charge attack seriously damages it. While little is known about what happened afterward, it appears the U-51 could not submerge after this and headed back to Kiel.

British 1598-ton freighter Meath hits a mine and sinks northeast of Breakwater Rock Lighthouse. The 24 ton Manx Lad, a pilot ship, is alongside the Meath and goes down as well. Everybody survives.

The British 5309-ton freighter City of Birmingham hits a mine and sinks about 5 miles from the Humber River. Everybody survives. The cargo of copper and tin is quite valuable and worthy of salvage.

Norwegian ship Jaederen hits a mine laid by RN submarine Narwhal in the North Sea.

The British lay minefield BS.32 in the North Sea.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier Ark Royal leaves Gibraltar to conduct practice operations in the Bay of Biscay.

Convoy FN 254 departs from Southend, Convoys MT 142 and OA 200 depart from Methil, Convoy FS 254 departs from the Tyne, Convoy OB 199 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HX 66 departs from Halifax, SHX 66 departs from Sydney, Canada, Convoy BHX 66 departs from Bermuda.


Battle of the Mediterranean: British submarine HMS Osiris torpedoes and sinks 1968 ton Italian freighter Osiris in the Adriatic west of Durrës, Albania.

The Italians bomb Alexandria and sink local dockyard vessel Moorstone in shallow water where it can be salvaged. The RAF attacks Tobruk.

At Malta, there is an air raid alert at 07:41 which involves Italian aircraft offshore which do not attack. The War Office informs Governor Dobbie that Malta soon will be the base for seaborne raiders, but the size and scope of the force is not known yet. Dobbie is concerned about supplying them, as supplies already are quite tight on the island.

Battle of the Pacific: German raider Orion captures 2489 ton French freighter Notou southwest of Noumea, New Caledonia. After inspecting it and finding war material, the Orion sinks it.

British Somaliland: The British begin pulling out of the country. British troopships Chakdina, Changala, Laomedon, Akbar, and Vita begin evacuating British troops from Berbera to Aden. Some of the Royal Navy ships are damaged slightly by air attack, but all continue operating. Tug Queen sinks during the operation. The Italians approach the British rearguard but do not attack.

The Italians are proceeding with circumspection in British Somaliland because of rumors of peace talks with the English via the Vatican. The Duke of Aosta, in overall command in Abyssinia, is said to be temperate in the pace of Italian operations as a result.

The RAF attacks Italian positions at Zeila and Adadleh.

Spy Stuff: The US makes progress in deciphering the Japanese codes.

Romanian/Hungarian Relations: The territorial disputes continue, as the two sides begin discussing Hungary's claim on Transylvania.

US Government: President Roosevelt announces at a press conference that the US is considering the acquisition of British naval bases. He omits the fact that they will be exchanged for US Navy destroyers.

US Military: The US 29th Infantry Regiment begins parachute jumps with 48 men lead by Major William Lee as a possible beginning to the formation of US airborne units.

Canada: The Canadian Armoured Corps forms.

A lecturer at the University of British Columbia, Professor Henry Angus, accurately predicts a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

Norway: A small force of Norwegians begins military training in Dumfries, Scotland.

Hitler meets with Vidkun Quisling, who is out of power and has been hosting a radio program.

Finland: The last neutral ship allowed to leave, the US Army Transport American Legion, departs from Petsamo for New York. It carries Crown Princess Martha and military supplies.

German Homefront: Two nights of dancing per week are allowed, relaxing a previous war-time ban.

American Homefront: Alfred Hitchcock film "Foreign Correspondent" starring Joel McCrea hits theaters.

Salvador Dali, previously based in Spain, arrives in New York for an extended stay.

The Antarctic Snow Cruiser near the Bay of Whales on 16 August 1940.

August 1940

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

2020

Thursday 15 August 1940

A Luftwaffe raid on RAF Middle Wallop, on or around 15 August 1940.

German Military: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering is no fool, but he completely fails at crafting a successful aerial strategy against the British. Partly this is due to poor German military intelligence, partly to grandiose notions he has of what the Luftwaffe can accomplish, and partly to the simple fact that the Luftwaffe equipment is not up to the task before them - something that he, of course, cannot admit. A huge part of the problems, though, is that he has an uncanny knack for drawing the wrong conclusions from known facts.

At his estate north of Berlin named after his dead wife (and not his living one), on 15 August 1940 Goering conducts a critical morning review of the situation with the commanders of the three Luftflotten facing England. Kesselring, Sperrle, and Stumpff have little positive to say about the outcome of Adler Tag on 13 August, but they can't put the blame where much of it belongs: on Goering's own meddling. Goering listens to what they have to say and then issues a lengthy order (see below)  More than anything, it expresses his own frustrations at the course of the battle. The order is the clearest expression of aerial defeat during the entire battle. It also has a remarkably grumpy tone for a top German directive.

The order is full of phrases such as "I have repeatedly given orders" and those fighter tactics "must be readjusted" which evidence obvious anger at the failures to date. There is classic blame-shifting, as he explicitly blames "certain unit commanders" for the failures on Adler Tag. It also is full of observations that are incredibly basic, such as that night attacks on shipping only succeed when the pilots can see their targets - something that local commanders should be well aware of, but apparently are not. Most of all, it appears to be an attempt to cover his own heinie, something that he can always point to as proof that these problems are not his own fault because he was always right.

Basically, the order is a study in scapegoating. Goering knows that Hitler receives summaries of the foreign press every morning, and the London newspapers are making him look the fool for the (extremely overstated) Luftwaffe losses being reported there.

The essence of the order, after you wade through all the whining about the faults of others, is that the vulnerable bombers have to be better-protected, and attacks must be focused on destroying the RAF. With this order, Goering creates the doctrine of close escorts, something which is innovative and adopted by all air forces.

He also draws one of the worst possible conclusions from a factually true statement: the British radar stations have not been destroyed, thus they are not worth attacking. That not only shows phenomenally poor judgment, it also reveals that Goering, the head of the Luftwaffe, now realizes that his force is not up to the job.

A Polish groundcrew writes to the enemy on a bomb at RAF Hemswell, 15 August 1940. The message appears to be something along the lines of "Warsaw then, Berlin now." IWM (HU 111733).

Battle of Britain: The weather is poor during the morning, so little takes place then. A fast Dornier Do 17 of 3(F)/31 tempts fate by flying reconnaissance over the damaged radar station at Ventnor on the Isle of Wight but is shot down. Things heat up remarkably when the weather clears, leading to the most Luftwaffe sorties (about 1800) of the entire Battle of Britain.

The day's strategy is to draw Air Marshall Dowding's fighters to the south, leaving the north of Great Britain wide open to attacks from Luftflotte 5 in Norway. This is necessary because Luftwaffe Bf 109s cannot make the 1100-mile distance from Norway to Great Britain and back.

When the weather clears shortly before noon, II./StG 1 and IV (St)./LG 1 of Luftlotte 2 send 45 Stukas, accompanied by escorts from JG 26. The formations split after reaching the coast, with some bombing Folkestone and the others toward Kent. They score a major success by putting the airfield at Lympne out of action. However, RAF No. 54 Squadron metes out punishment over the airport, shooting down two Stukas. The elite JG 26 formation, however, quickly steps in and shoots down two Spitfires in return. Adolf Galland gets two victories during this action.

About two hours later, at 13:30, Luftflotte 5 in Norway sends across 65 Heinkel He 111s from I./KG 26 and III./ KG 26 toward airfields at Dishforth, Usworth, and Linton-upon-Ouse. The only escorts are long-range Bf 110s, which on their best day are no match for Spitfires, but the distance from Norway prevents the use of Bf 109s. An innovation is that Gruppenkommandeur's Bf 110 - Hptm. Werner Restemeyer's plane is outfitted with special radio gear to listen in on RAF radio transmissions vectoring the fighters towards them. A major navigational foul-up, though, nullifies any advantage of surprise, as the Bf 110s mistakenly make landfall right where a supposedly diversionary attack by Luftwaffe seaplanes is taking place. The RAF fighter thus is ready and waiting for the vulnerable Heinkels and Bf 110s, leading to an epic catastrophe for the Luftwaffe in which Restemeyer, five other Bf 110s, and 8 Heinkels are shot down.

At the same time, I., II. and III./KG 30 from Luftlotte 5 attack RAF Driffield - also without escorts - with 50 Junkers Ju 88s. The theory is that by massive attacks, the RAF fighters will be preoccupied elsewhere - which is a very hopeful theory. In fact, the RAF is ready and waiting for them, and, though they do bomb the airfield, the Ju 88s lose 6 planes. However, the attack turns into a success despite the losses because the bombs set off an ammunition dump that destroys a dozen Whitley bombers.

Luftflotte 3 based in Belgium has the next crack. KG 3 sends 88 Dornier Do 17s toward Rochester and Eastchurch airfields in southeast England. This formation, though, has a massive fighter escort of some 130 Bf 109s from JG 26, 51 and 52 - all premier formations. The large force loses only four Bf 109s and two Dorniers, with the bombers doing major damage to the airfields and a nearby aircraft factory developing the Stirling bomber and some other targets as well.

Galland of JG 26 then conducts another mission, this time a pure fighter sweep over the Canterbury region. The RAF fighters are still in the air from the Luftflotte 3 attack, and Galland's fresh fighters go to work. Walter Oesau gets two Spitfires and a barrage balloon, Pips Priller gets one, and generally, the Bf 109s get some payback for the horrendous losses further north.

There also are some minor attacks that are designed to take advantage of the air fleet actions which are preoccupying the defending RAF fighters. I,/LG 1 bombs RAF Middle Wallop, and II,/LG 1 bombs RAF Worthy Down. Some bombers also head for Swanage and Southampton late in the afternoon. The attacks have varying degrees of success depending upon the degree of RAF involvement. There are reports that radar stations at Rye, Dover and at Foreness on the Isle of Wight are put out of action temporarily.

In one of these late-afternoon attacks, Epr.Gr 210 attempts to bomb RAF Martlesham Heath but hits RAF Croyden by mistake (62 dead). Croyden is in the middle of built-up London suburbs, and some mark this as the first attack on London - though apparently unintentional.

KG 27 winds up the day by attacking Bristol. Once again, III,/KG 27 bombs the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton and the nearby docks.

RAF Bomber Command continues its attacks on typical targets such as the aircraft works in Turin and Milan, industrial targets in Genoa, oil installations at Gelsenkirchen and Reisholz, various ports, Ruhr ammunition plants, and various airfields throughout northwestern Europe.

The day is another big RAF victory, and within the Luftwaffe, it becomes known as "Black Thursday." The estimated losses for the Luftwaffe are 75, for the RAF 35 (sources vary widely, the newspapers claim 161 Luftwaffe planes lost but that is highly unlikely). The RAF does lose about 18 pilots, but the Luftwaffe loses many times that many aircrews. Major Galland, who has a great day personally, later recalls that, by this point, the wear and tear on the Luftwaffe have become overwhelming and is magnified by the lack of success. The lesson of the day is that bombers absolutely must be escorted, Bf 110s themselves must be escorted, and only well-planned raids that are well-protected can succeed. Luftflotten 5 is taken out of the battle completely because it is too far away for its fighters to make the crossing from Norway.


Battle of the Atlantic: U-51 (Kapitänleutnant Dietrich Knorr) torpedoes and sinks 5709-ton British tanker Sylvafield about 150 miles west of Rockall. There are 36 survivors and three crew perish. The tanker is full of badly needed oil. Tankers are hard to sink, and Knorr has to use two torpedoes.

U-A (Kapitänleutnant Hans Cohausz) torpedoes and sinks 4211 ton Greek ore freighter Aspasia in the eastern Atlantic. All 19 crewmen perish.

British freighter Brixton hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea.

Convoy OA 199 departs from Methil, Convoy OB 198 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SC 1 departs from Sydney, Nova Scotia,.

With the Battle of Britain going poorly, the Kriegsmarine issues orders for the construction of 86 new U-boats. It is getting ready for a long war.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italy does not want Greece to enter the war. On the feast day of the Assumption of Mary, it tries a little intimidation. The attacks are a complete surprise, including to the Italian Foreign Ministry which must come up with denials about something it knows nothing about.

Greek light cruiser Helle (aka Elli) sinks off the island of Tinos while at anchor. The instant assumption is that an Italian submarine sank it, but nobody knows for sure. This becomes the "Helle Incident." In fact, the cruiser is sunk by Italian submarine Delfino. There are 9 deaths and 24 wounded.

Royal Navy submarine Osiris sinks Italian freighter Morea in the Adriatic.

Greece goes out of its way to simply note that it was an "unknown attacker" in order to not provoke Italy, but it is pretty clear what happened. The incident could have been far more serious, as the Delfino unsuccessfully attacks passenger liners M/V Elsi and M/V Esperos anchored nearby.

Italian bombers also attack Greek destroyers Vasilissa Olga and Vasilevs Georgios I - apparently mistakenly - in the same area.

The RAF attacks the harbor at Bomba, Libya, and also points in Eritrea and Abyssinia. The Italians raid Alexandria.

After a long period with no raids or only light attacks, the Italians mount a major attack on Malta at 13:44. Ten bombers escorted by 25 fighters attack Hal Far airfield, destroying infrastructure and a Swordfish torpedo plane. One of the buildings hit was housing scarce supplies for the Hurricanes. The Italians lose no planes, while the RAF loses one of its precious Hurricanes, with the pilot (Sgt. R. O'Donnell) KIA.

British submarines HMS Pandora and Proteus set off on another supply mission to Malta.

All ice cream sales in Malta are banned.

British commander General Wavell boards his plane in London for the flight back to Alexandria.

Squadron Leader E. A. McNab becomes the first RCAF pilot to record a kill in the Battle of Britain. McNab is Commanding Officer with No 1 (RCAF) Squadron.

British Somaliland: The Italians take another of the four remaining British hills defending the coast road to Berbera. With Observation Hill lost, the British defenders begin pulling back toward the capital. The next blocking position is at Barkasan, about ten miles further down the road.

Major General Godwin-Austen receives a reply to his 14 August request to evacuate; the request is granted. The British will now evacuate the entire country.

One of the soldiers at Tug Argan, Eric Wilson of the British Somaliland Camel Corps, does not receive the order to retreat and continues firing his machine gun. Eventually, he is captured. He later earns the Victoria's Cross for the event.

Anglo/US Relations: As expected, British Prime Minister Churchill is ecstatic at the American offer of exchanging British bases for US destroyers. He replies to President Roosevelt's telegram of 13 Aug 1940, writing that the "moral value of this fresh aid from your Government and your people at this critical time will be very great and widely felt," and that "the worth of every destroyer that you can spare to us is measured in rubies."

Assistant Chief of Naval Operations Rear Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, Major General Delos C. Emmons (USAAC), and Brigadier General George V. Strong (USA) arrive in London for informal staff conversations with British officers. This presumably is related to the transfer of the destroyers.

Italian/Spanish Relations: Generalissimo Francisco Franco of Spain tells fellow dictator Benito Mussolini that he is preparing to join the Axis. However, he is watching the Battle of Britain and other military developments very closely.

US Military: Chrysler contracts with the US Army to construct the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant at Warren, Michigan. This is an innovation in military-industrial cooperation, as it is the first government-owned and contractor-operated facility.

The US Navy establishes a new Naval Air Station in Miami. The first commander is Gerald F. Bogan.

Destroyers USS Wake and USS Wainwright arrive at Bahia, Brazil.

Submarine USS Triton (SS 201,  Lt. Commander Willis A. Lent) is commissioned.

Soviet Military: Boris Shaposhnikov is named Deputy People's Commissar of Defense.

Applied Science: President Roosevelt approves the formation of the National Defense Research Committee, to oversee the activities of civilian researchers working on military projects.

Holocaust: Adolf Eichmann submits a memo proposing the forced deportation of European Jews to Madagascar, which is under Vichy French control.

Luxembourg: The new civil administration in Luxembourg establishes a customs union with Germany, the first step in its ultimate planned absorption.

A pilot of No. 64 Squadron RAF running towards his Supermarine Spitfire Mark 1A as the Squadron is scrambled at Kenley, 10.45 a.m. 15 August 1940. © IWM (HU 54420).

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering's Order of 15 August 1940:

1. The fighter escort defenses of our Stuka formations must be readjusted, as the enemy is concentrating his fighters against our Stuka operations. It appears necessary to allocate three fighter Gruppen to each Stuka Gruppe, one of these fighter Gruppen remains with the Stukas, and dives with them to the attack; the second flies ahead over the target at medium altitude and engages the fighter defenses; the third protects the whole attack from above. It will also be necessary to escort Stukas returning from the attack over the Channel.

2. Night attacks on shipping targets are only fruitful when the night is so clear that careful aim can be taken.

3. More importance must be attached to co-operation between members of individual aircrews. Seasoned crews are not to be broken up except in cases of utmost urgency.

4. The incident of V(Z)LGI on August 13 shows that certain unit commanders have not yet learned the importance of clear orders.

5. I have repeatedly given orders that twin-engined fighters are only to be employed where the range of other fighters is inadequate, or where it is for the purpose of assisting our single-engined aircraft to break off combat. Our stocks of twin-engined fighters are not great, and we must use them as economically as possible.

6. Until further orders, operations are to be directed exclusively against the enemy Air Force, including the targets of the enemy aircraft industry allocated to the different Luftflotten. Shipping targets, and particularly large naval vessels, are only to be attacked where circumstances are especially propitious. For the moment, other targets should be ignored. We must concentrate our efforts on the destruction of the enemy Air Forces. Our night attacks are essentially dislocation raids, made so that the enemy defenses and population shall be allowed no respite. Even these, however, should where possible be directed against Air Force targets.

7. My orders regarding the carrying out of attacks by single aircraft under cover of cloud conditions have apparently not been correctly understood. Where on one afternoon 50 aircraft are dispatched without adequate preparation on individual missions, it is probable that the operation will be unsuccessful and very costly. I, therefore, repeat that such sorties are to undertaken only by specially selected volunteer crews, who have made a prolonged and intensive study of the target, the most suitable method of attack, and the particular navigational problems involved. By no means, all our crews are qualified to undertake such risks.

8. KG2 100 (bombers) is also in the future, to operate against the enemy Air Force and aircraft industry.

9. It is doubtful if there is any point in continuing the attacks on radar sites, in view of the fact that not one of those attacked has so far been put out of operation.

10. The systematic designation of alternative targets would appear frequently to lead to certain targets being attacked which have absolutely no connection with our strategic aims. It must, therefore, be achieved that even alternative targets are of importance in the battle against the enemy Air Force.

11. The Commanders-in-Chief of the Luftflotten are to report to me on the question of the warnings to be given during enemy penetrations over the Reich. At present, the warnings are causing a loss of output whose consequences are far graver than those caused by the actual bomb damage. In addition, the frequent air raid warnings are leading to nervousness and strain among the population of Western Germany. On the other hand, we must take into account the risk of heavy loss of life should an attack be launched before a warning has been given.

Field Marshal Kesselring, known to the Allies as "Smiling Albert," probably isn't smiling too much on 15 August 1940.

August 1940


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

2020

Saturday 29 June 1940

Tommies in action in North Africa, June 1940.

Western Front: Wehrmacht forces on 29 June 1940 are relinquishing some areas allocated to the French government pursuant to the Armistice Agreement of 22 June 1940.

In the demilitarized Channel Islands, the remaining islanders are instructed to paint white crosses on the aerodromes and fly white flags. Five thousand children and their schools have been evacuated to England, in places such as Marple in Cheshire. Many of the children have been individually sponsored by wealthy Americans, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, who sponsors a girl named Paulette. They also have received clothing and school supplies. England itself, of course, may not be safer for much longer.

The Germans ready two battalions for an assault on the Channel Islands. The BBC has broadcast that the islands are "open towns," but the Wehrmacht is taking no chances.

European Air Operations: After a Heinkel He 111 of Aufklarungsgruppe Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe (AufklGr. Ob.d.L.) (German air force high command) performs reconnaissance over the Bristol dockyards, several others from I/KG27 attack the port facilities at 01:00.

The RAF attacks various points in Holland and western Germany, including the harbor at Willemsoord, a chemical factory at Hochst near Frankfurt, and the Dortmund-Ems Canal. A dozen planes of Bomber Command attack the airfield at Abbeville during the day.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-51 (Kapitänleutnant Dietrich Knorr) sends 3 torpedoes into 4,724 ton Royal Navy decoy ship (special service vessel) HMS Edgehill (X 39) southwest of Ireland and sinks it. There are 24 survivors, 15 perish. The ship takes some time to sink and requires three torpedoes because these ships are packed with buoyant material ("ping pong balls," as the US Navy would say half-jokingly about similar Japanese ships) to prevent sinking.

U-47 ((Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien) torpedoes and sinks British freighter Empire Toucan southwest of Ireland. There are 31 survivors, 3 crew perish.

U-26 (Kptl. Heinz Scheringer) sinks 6,701 ton Greek freighter Frangoula B. Goulandris southwest of Ireland. There are 32 survivors, 6 crew perish.

Unlucky U-boat U-99 (Otto Kretschmer), which had been attacked by Luftwaffe planes off Norway and then while heading to Wilhelmshaven for repairs, once again is attacked while leaving the port. It avoids the three bombs dropped at it, but damages itself on the ocean floor.

British submarine HMS Talisman (N 78,  Lt. Commander Philip S. Francis) is commissioned.

Troop Convoy WS 1 departs for Suez, Convoy OA 176 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 176 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HX 54 departs from Halifax.

A Short Sunderland.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy destroyers Dainty, Defender, Voyager, and Ilex sink Italian submarine Uebi Scebeli southwest of Crete. Before it sinks, they recover valuable Italian naval codes. The destroyers also sink Italian submarine Argonauta and damage Italian submarine Salpa.

A Short Sunderland of RAF Group No. 201 sinks Italian submarine Rubino in the Ionian Sea. The flying boats land and take off some survivors.

Short Sunderlands of RAF 230 Squadron damage Italian submarine Sirena off Tobruk.

Admiral Somerville of Force H prepares to neutralize the French fleet anchored at Mers-el-Kébir, Algeria under Operation Catapult. He has several different methods to do so, but the French ships must not remain afloat under French control. He has battleships HMS Valiant and HMS Resolution, the battlecruiser HMS Hood, aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, cruisers HMS Arethusa and HMS Enterprise, and 11 destroyers. This is a "by any means necessary" operation.

Malta, under daily air attack, has only four flyable Hurricanes with two Gloster Gladiators. Governor and Commander in Chief Lt. General William Dobbie requests more planes and ground support. He also requires planes if the island is to serve as a point of interdiction of Axis convoys from Sicily to North Africa.

North Africa: An Italian attack across the Eritrean border is repelled by two British light tanks.

The RAF attacks Tobruk.

Gandhi in 1940 (by Kulwant Roy).

India: Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, Governor-General and Viceroy of India, meets with Mohandas Mahama Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah of the Indian National Congress in an effort to build support for the British war effort. While Gandhi is no fan of Hitler and Germany, and in fact sent a letter to Hitler in 1939 pleading with him not to start a war, Gandhi is uninterested in cooperating with the Allies until India is granted full independence. Great Britain has no intention of doing that, so negotiations are at a standstill.

China: At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Army advances toward Lungchin.

Japanese troops are on the outskirts of Hong Kong, effectively blockading it from the landward side.

German Military: In the first of a parade of promotions and awards for the recent campaign, General Maximilian von Weichs is awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz). He has commanded Army Corps Weichs during the Polish campaign and the 2nd Army during the Battle of France. He also receives a promotion to Colonel-General.

German Government: The Germans release a "white paper" outlining Allied plans to occupy the Low Countries. This is another in a long line of such white books accusing the "other side" of nefarious plans.

French Government: The government transfers from Bordeaux to Clermont-Ferrand, evacuated by the Wehrmacht on 28 June.

Japanese Government: Japan continues its gradual campaign to assert dominion over the entire western Pacific. Japan's Foreign Minister Hachiro Arita broadcasts that there is a "new order in Asia: unity into a single sphere revolving harmoniously around Japan." This language echoes the future Japanese colonial organization, the "Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere."

Pianist Paul Klee passes away on 29 June 1940.

Romanian Government: The government is mobilizing the armed forces because of new threats posed by Hungary and Yugoslavia, which smell weakness due to Romania's quick capitulation to the Red Army.

Romanian Homefront: Another wave of refugees hits Europe, as inhabitants of Eastern Romania flee westward to avoid living under the occupying Soviets. The number of refugees is estimated at 100,000.

German Homefront: Berlin travel agents begin offering tours of the newly conquered Maginot Line.

Painter Paul Klee, who has lived in Switzerland for the past 7 years, passes away.

British Homefront: The authorities arrest Diana Mitford, the wife of jailed fascist leader Oswald Mosley, under Defence Regulation 18B. She had escaped jail to date due to giving birth to son Max. Unity Mitford, Hitler's former girlfriend, has recovered somewhat from her attempted suicide on 3 September 1939, but the bullet remains lodged in her brain. While mobile, she acts somewhat erratically.

War hysteria is in full swing throughout southern England. Aside from constructing military installations and erecting beach obstacles, the authorities are filling open fields such as cricket pitches with old cars which can prevent glider landings.

As noted previously in this blog, there were rumors floating around during Fall Rot that the Germans were killing black French African soldiers on sight. The natural tendency is to believe anything negative, particularly racist, about the Germans and nothing positive (and, yes, there are good reasons for that). Simply to show that there are two sides to such situations (one of my aims in writing about World War II), and without trying to disprove anything, here is a photograph that was taken in June 1940 of a German motorcyclist transporting a wounded Colonial French Senegalese Tirailleur POW. (It may be purely a propaganda shot).

June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

2020

Tuesday 25 June 1940

French surrendering (Ang, Federal Archive).

Western Front: The Franco/Italian armistice goes into effect at 00:35. The Italians have not advanced beyond Menton on the coast and had barely advanced at all further north. Italy has suffered 631 killed, 2,631 wounded and 4,494 missing/POWs. France has suffered virtually no casualties during the brief campaign on the Riviera.

Operation Ariel, the evacuation of people from France to England, concludes at 14:00 on 25 June 1940. Scattered evacuations, however, continue on the Mediterranean coast into August. There have been 214,000 people taken to England since the commencement of Operation Cycle (evacuations from Le Havre) and Operation Ariel (evacuations from Cherbourg and points south) since they began on 15 June. Among the last refugees evacuated is exiled King Zog of Albania, who departs with his family on British ship Ettrick.

Operation Collar, the commando raid near Boulogne, concludes with no British casualties and two German deaths.

The cease-fire in France goes into full effect. French Maginot Line fortresses surrender.

Hitler tours some of his old battlefields near the Somme with a couple of his Great War comrades. It is around this time when Hitler supposedly visits Charlotte Lobjoie. She is a Frenchwoman who lived near the battlefields with whom he is alleged to have had an affair in 1916 after she saw him sketching while she was cutting hay. While disputed by historians, this affair is claimed to have produced a son, Jean-Marie Loret. Hitler at around this time arranges regular payments to Lobjoie for the remainder of his time in power.

General der Infanterie Hermann Geyer (7 July 1882 – 10 April 1946) received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 25 June 1940 as General der Infanterie and commander of IX. Armeekorps.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-51 (Kapitänleutnant Dietrich Knorr) stalks Convoy OA-72 and finds some juicy targets starting at 15:45.

First, U-51 torpedoes and sinks 12,049-ton British tanker Saranac 270 miles southwest of Land's End. There are 40 survivors and 4 crew perish.

Then, U-51 torpedoes and sinks 5,395-ton coal freighter Windsorwood. All 40 crew survive.

The anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Calcutta in the Gironde estuary accidentally rams and sinks Canadian destroyer Fraser as Operation Ariel winds down. All but 45 of the crew are rescued by nearby ships, including her sister ship HMCS Restigouche.

Royal Navy submarine Snapper sinks Kriegsmarine patrol vessel V-1107 off Stavanger, Norway.

Convoy OA 174 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 174 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL 37 departs from Freetown, Convoy HX 53 departs from Halifax.

The headline in the 25 June 1940 Los Angeles Times is "Hitler ends war in France."

Battle of the Mediterranean: An Italian convoy carrying 1727 Italian troops on the transports Esperia and Victoria departs from Naples for Tripoli. Auxiliary cruiser Ramb and torpedo boats Orsa and Procione form a protective screen.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe raids the British midlands. The RAF intercepts and loses two fighters.

The RAF sends 25 planes to attack German targets during the day, and 48 aircraft after dark.

Fifteen Bf 109 fighters intercept a Royal Air Force sweep over Abbeville.

US Government:  Congress abolishes the Construction Corps of the Navy and gives them line officer status designated for Engineering Duty Only (EDO). In addition, the status of those line officers who had previously had been designated for Aeronautical Engineering Duty Only (AEDO) was also redesignated EDO.

The US begins creating an airborne force, with its first commander Major William Lee.

British Government: Winston Churchill gives a speech to the House of Commons in which he expresses concern about the ultimate disposition of the French Navy.

Switzerland: Technically neutral, Switzerland's true sympathies are called into question when President Pilet-Golaz broadcasts that he feels "relief" about the "end of the war in Europe." He announces that there a "new order" in Europe and that it is time for Switzerland to join with its own Fuhrer (using the same word as in German). "The people should follow the government as a sure and devoted Fuhrer who will not always be able to explain, elaborate and give the reasons for his decisions." He partially demobilizes the army, since in his view there is no longer a threat to Swiss sovereignty. This speech is usually described as "Petainist" and an example of collaboration by another name.

China: Admiral Decoux, commanding French naval forces in the Far East, replaces Catroux as Governor-General of French Indochina (Vietnam). He comes in determined to create infrastructure and make development progress throughout the country.

German Homefront: Adolf Hitler announces more church bell ringing and other "joyous celebrations" for what he modestly characterizes as "the most glorious victory of all time." The bells will ring for a full week, and flags fly for ten days. Many ordinary Germans, including those in the Wehrmacht, believe that this means that the entire war is over.

French Homefront: As opposed to Hitler's required celebrations, the French government announces a day of mourning, with flags to be flown at half-mast.

Hitler orders the demolition of the French memorial to the end of the First World War at Compiegne. However, he brings Marshal Foch's railway carriage, the Alsace-Lorraine Monument depicting a German eagle impaled by a French sword, and the dedication tablet back to Berlin. All that is left at the site is a statue of Marshal Foch, staring out over nothing.

There remain 1.5 million French soldiers in German POW camps.

American Homefront: New taxes are imposed to add 2.2 million new taxpayers. This will partially pay for new armaments spending, with the balance paid by bonds and deficit spending.

Admiral Decoux, French Governor-General in French Indochina during World War II.

June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

2020