Monday 29 July 1940

Spitfire pilots of No. 610 Squadron between sorties at "A" Flight dispersal at Hawkinge, 29 July 1940.

Battle of Britain: Another invasion alert at 21:00 on 29 July 1940 brings the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow to readiness, but once again it is a false alarm.

The Luftwaffe continues its attacks on Channel ports and convoys. Danish 1264 ton freighter Gronland and 197-ton yacht Gulzar sink at Dover Harbour.

The Stukas also catch destroyer HMS Delight off Portland at 17:00 and sink it. This attack is based on Freya Radar operating 60 miles away. There are 12 deaths and 59 other casualties.

To solidify the defense of Dover, from which all destroyers have been withdrawn, the Royal Navy sinks 5183 special service vessel Umvotti as a blockship.

The Admiralty expands upon its decision to take destroyers out of Dover Harbour. Now, destroyers are forbidden from any operations during daylight hours in the eastern English Channel. Minesweepers remain in action at great risk to themselves.

The Luftwaffe continues its mine-laying around the Thames estuary and nearby ports after dark.

Overall, it is another poor day for the Luftwaffe, which loses 8 planes to the RAF's 3 fighters.

P/O Kazimierz "Bonkin" Łukaszewicz takes his first familiarisation flight on 29 July 1940, 3 days after joining No 302 "Polish" Squadron. KIA 12 August 1940.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command continues its daylight raids over Occupied Europe. This includes raids on barges being collected at Channel ports for a possible invasion and airfields in northwest Europe. The RAF is being aided in these raids by Free French airmen. Other targets of opportunity are infrastructure installations such as railway marshaling yards and oil installations.

Battle of the Atlantic: Otto Kretschmer in U-99 continues his rampage in the mid-Atlantic. He picks off independent 7336-ton British freighter Clan Menzies about 150 miles off of County Clare, Ireland. Kretchmer misses with a torpedo, then stalks the ship for five hours until finally maneuvering into firing position. There are 88 survivors, 6 crew perish.

British 1262 ton freighter Moidart hits a mine and sinks off Felixstowe, Suffolk. All 11 crew perish.

British 44 ton trawler Leach's Romance hits a mine and sinks 10 miles south of Kemptown, Brighton. All four crew perish.

British 5952 ton freighter Clan Monroe hits a mine near Harwich. She remains afloat with a broken back for a few days but sinks while in tow.

British 5601 ton freighter Ousebridge hits a mine in Queen's Channel on the entrance to Liverpool. It blows her bow off and breaks her back. There are two deaths.

British submarine HMS Sealion spots U-62 on the surface in the North Sea heading back to Bergen and shoots 3 torpedoes at it. The crew of the U-boat spots the British submarine, however, and evades the torpedoes. Sealion then surfaces and attacks with its deck gun, but U-62 dives and manages to escape.

British submarine HMS Triton sights an unidentified U-boat off Korsfjord, Norway heading out to sea but is unable to attack.

British submarine HMS Porpoise lays a minefield (FD.23) off of Norway, then heads south to the Bay of Biscay.

British corvette HMS La Malouine (K 46, Lt. Commander Ronald W. Keymer, is commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: HMS Eagle, based at Alexandria, escorts a convoy in the eastern Mediterranean. Its Sea Gladiators shoot down an Italian SM.79 lurking in the vicinity.

Italian bombers raid Aden without much effect. Regia Aeronautica planes also attack Royal Navy ships north of Bardia but do not score any hits.

Malta is being bombed almost every day, and people have begun practically living in the larger shelters. Many of these underground chambers were created centuries ago by the Knights of Malta. During the day, there are two air raid alerts, but no bombs are dropped.

Walter von Hippel receives the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 July 1940 for services as Oberstleutnant and commander of Flak-Regiment 102.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: The Royal Navy blockades Vichy French Madagascar.

German raider Atlantis rendezvouses with Kriegsmarine freighter Tirranna and takes on board ample fuel and other supplies.
War Crimes: The British Air Ministry justifies the fact that it has shot down four Luftwaffe Heinkel He 59 search and rescue planes that are clearly marked with the Red Cross symbol by stating that any plane that acts "suspiciously" is fair game. In point of fact, the RAF has been shooting down such planes while in the very act of rescuing downed crewmen in the Channel when there was nothing suspicious about them.

German Government: OKW Chief of Operations Colonel-General Alfred Jodl briefs top military personnel on Hitler's decision to attack the Soviet Union. "The collision with Bolshevism is bound to come. Better to have it now, when we are at the height of our military power," he says. The decision, of course, is not up for debate.

The timing given for the attack is spring 1941, which pretty much everyone believes will give the Wehrmacht plenty of time to settle matters with Great Britain. Eventually, the codename Operation Barbarossa will be given to this invasion.

While there are off-handed ruminations by some that the attack would occur as early as the fall of 1940, this is the first time a specific time frame has been officially established. In fact, while treated very matter-of-factly, this is the first real communication from Hitler to the Wehrmacht, aside from off-handed comments, that an attack on the USSR will occur at all. After this, the idea of an attack on the USSR will be an accepted, in fact almost obvious and inevitable, idea among the top military leadership.

Hitler is at the absolute peak of his popularity following the fall of France, and while many have misgivings about attacking the Soviet Union - with very good reason - it is impossible to oppose his next move absent some intervening event. Among the many who oppose the idea to one extent or another is Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, but there really is nothing that he or anyone else can do within the chain of command once Hitler has made a decision.

The OKL (Kriegsmarine high command) issues a memo urging that Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Great Britain, be postponed until 1941. The OKL does, however, state that an invasion is feasible and could succeed even in September 1940 as seems the most likely possible start date.

With Great Britain about to fall into its hands, the Germans set up an economic board to oversee the exploitation of the British industry after Operation Sea Lion succeeds.

George Marshall, Time Magazine, 29 July 1940.

Spanish/Portuguese Relations: The two governments sign the Iberian Pact.

Anglo/Romanian Relations: The Romanian government has recently nationalized a Dutch Royal Shell subsidiary. The British government formally protests via a diplomatic note.

German/Belgian Relations: Germany annexes Belgian provinces Eupen, Malmedy, and Moresnet. Speaking French/Flemish there now is banned. There is a large ethnic German population in this region, and many already tend to view themselves as German in nationality as well as by origin.

Vichy France: With trials scheduled for former Prime Minister Daladier and other "traitors," the Vichy government sets up a special Supreme Court to try former officials of the Third Republic. This becomes known as the Riom Trial.

Japan: One of the 9-12 British nationals (sources vary) imprisoned by the Japanese recently on spying and other charges (they claim), a Mr. Melville Cox, commits suicide at the police station.

China: The Nationalist government rejects a semi-serious Japanese peace offer which would assure Japanese hegemony in the region.

American Homefront: A poll in Life Magazine shows that 36% of the public thinks that Germany will beat Great Britain, versus 24% who see the reverse outcome. There is 70% support for a draft.

"Girl Lifeguard," Life Magazine, 29 July 1940.

July 1940

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

2020

Friday 19 July 1940

General Dietl, the first recipient of the Oak Leaves on 19 July 1940.

German Government: In a speech on 19 July 1940 made to the Reichstag but intended for international distribution, Adolf Hitler confirms the doubts expressed in his 16 July 1940 Directive No. 15 regarding Operation Sea Lion. As stated in the directive, he would prefer not to have to invade England. What he has in mind as a settlement is unknown, but he is the only one making peace offers - the British are adamantly opposed to even considering the idea.

In this hour, I feel it to be my duty before my own conscience to appeal once more to reason and common sense in Great Britain as much as elsewhere. I consider myself in a position to make this appeal, since I am not a vanquished foe begging favors, but the victor, speaking in the name of reason. I can see no reason why this war need go on. I am grieved to think of the sacrifices it must claim.

Hitler adds that if Churchill ignores him, "I shall have relieved my conscience in regard to the things to come." He somewhat dilutes the "peace" offer, though, with some rather fanciful trash talk:

Fighting alone all these weeks on the Channel front, Jagdgeschwader 51 has already shot down 150 of the enemy's aircraft, quite enough to weaken him seriously. Think now of all the bombers we can parade in the English sky. The few R.A.F. fighters will not be able to cope. 

The timing of the speech suggests that the start of the true Battle of Britain is not 10 July, as the British claim, but August as the Germans maintain. The British date is somewhat arbitrary, as the Luftwaffe had been staging raids during late June. US journalist William Shirer considers the speech a "masterpiece," though of little value as a basis of peace. He considers Hitler the "finest liar in History."

The British government takes its time refusing the peace offer, but the BBC - on its own initiative - immediately rejects it. The Germans use the speech as the basis of a propaganda campaign, dropping leaflets with that theme in London. This is the last open peace proposal of any kind between the UK and Germany before the closing days of the Reich, though there are various half-hearted attempts by the Germans to start some kind of negotiations along the way.

It is easy to dismiss Hitler's proposal. However, to him, it is quite serious - he does not want to invade and probably knows that he can't launch a successful invasion. As for the British, while Churchill is adamantly opposed to the mere idea of negotiations, there is a large faction headed by Lord Halifax within the British War Cabinet that believes there is no harm with at least discussing the matter with the Germans even if nothing comes of it.

Of more importance to the future conduct of the war, Hitler stages the 1940 Field Marshal Ceremony at the Kroll Opera House. For the first time, he elevates Generals to the rank of Field Marshal, a rank banned under the Treaty of Versailles:

• Colonel-General Walther von Brauchitsch
• Colonel-General Fedor von Bock
• Luftwaffe General Albert Kesselring
• Colonel-General Wilhelm Keitel
• Colonel-General Günther von Kluge
• Colonel-General Wilhelm von Leeb
• Colonel-General Wilhelm List
• Colonel-General Erhard Milch
• Colonel-General Walther von Reichenau
• Colonel-General Gerd von Rundstedt
• General Hugo Sperrle
• Colonel-General Erwin von Witzleben

Hermann Goering, Hitler's chosen successor, receives the new ranks of Reich Marshal of the Greater Reich, or Reichsmarschall. This maintains his status as a sort of Vice President of the Reich.

As a special gesture toward one of his favorite Generals, Hitler bestows the first Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross upon Eduard Dietl, who managed to avoid either being defeated or forced to flee into internment in Sweden during the Battle of Narvik. There are other awards, such as the award of the Knight's Cross to Major Michael Pössinger. While military rank, of course, is always important, the huge separate track of medals created by the Wehrmacht is often more important in terms of how a soldier is perceived. A major with a Ritterkreuz has infinitely more status in the eyes of his comrades, for instance than a mere office General. Rank confers power, but top medals grant unique status.

Hitler at the Kroll Opera House before the Reichstag, 19 July 1940 (Federal Archive).

Battle of Britain: Overall, it is a bad day for the RAF, not so much do the number of losses, but what the day means about part of the British fighter force. The weather is fair, good enough for most flying operations.

The Luftwaffe bombs the RAF airfield at Norwich at first light, destroying a hangar.

Bolton Paul Defiants remain front-line fighters for the RAF. In the morning, a formation from RAF No.141 Squadron intercepts some Bf 109Es south of Folkestone during a Luftwaffe raid on shipping. The Messerschmitts make mincemeat of the Defiants, shooting down 6 and damaging another with one loss to themselves. The Battle of Britain shows that 2-seat fighters on both sides are not quite ready for prime-time, especially ones like the Defiants which rather incredibly have no forward armament. More Defiants likely would have been lost if not for the timely intercession of Hurricanes from RAF No. 111 Squadron.

The action is made much, much worse than just the loss of fighters due to the fact that 10 pilots/crew perish. Three Hurricanes go down in the action as well.

The Luftwaffe sends four Dornier Do 17s against the Rolls Royce engine factory at Glasgow. There are 42 casualties.

The Luftwaffe again raids Dover at 14:00 to disperse British Royal Navy ships preparing to meet any invasion. The destroyer HMS Griffin is damaged by near misses. Destroyer HMS Beagle also is damaged off Dover by near misses. The 5574-ton British tanker HMS War Sepoy is damaged by the attack in Dover Harbor and ultimately sinks, used as a blockship. British 550 ton trawler HMS Crestflower also sinks, with two deaths.

During the night, the Luftwaffe sends bombers from KG55 to attack the port of Southampton, with the Germans losing on Heinkel 111.

The Luftwaffe lays mines in the Thames estuary during the night.

Luftwaffe III,/LG1, a Junkers 88 formation based at Lille, has a new Gruppenkommandeur. Hptm. Karl-Friedrich Knust is appointed in place of Major Dr. Ernst Bormann.

European Air Operations: The RAF Bomber Command makes night raids on northern German ports and on Channel ports where barges are being assembled for an invasion. Coastal Command attacks naval bases at Emden and Harlingen. Among the targets is the battleship Tirpitz, still under construction at Wilhelmshaven, and Admiral Scheer.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-62 (Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Bernhard Michalowski) torpedoes and sinks 4581-ton British iron freighter Pearlmoor in the Western Approaches. There are 26 survivors and 13 perish. The ship is a straggler from Convoy Sl-38.

German raider Thor sinks Dutch freighter Tela off Brazil after taking the 33 crew prisoner.

The Kriegsmarine lays mines in the North Sea.

Convoy HX 59 departs from Halifax.

British corvette HMS Bluebell (K 80, Lt. Commander Robert E. Sherwood) is commissioned.

HMAS Sydney.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Australian cruiser HMAS cruiser Sydney, escorted by five destroyers, intercepts Italian cruisers Bartolomeo Colleoni and Giovanni delle Bande Nere off Crete. In the Battle of Cape Spada, the Colleoni sinks and the Sydney and Bande Nere are damaged. Sydney retreats under pressure from Regia Aeronautica bombers, Bande Nere to Benghazi. Royal Navy destroyers pick up 525 survivors from the Bande Nere. RN destroyer Havock is badly damaged by air attack but makes it back to Alexandria.

At Malta, there is an air raid shortly after noontime. Two Gloster Gladiators defending the island are damaged by air raids, but they prevent any bombs from being dropped. There is now only one serviceable aircraft left, aptly nicknamed "Faith." The other two Gladiators and a Hurricane can be repaired with a little time, but reinforcements from Egypt or England are difficult.

Applied Science: The British radar research center (TRE) at Swanage receives its first prototype cavity magnetron.

US/Latin American Relations: Cruisers USS Wichita (CA 45) and Quincy (CA 39), meeting by destroyers Wainwright and Walke, arrive at Rio de Janeiro on their "show the flag" mission. The destroyers transfer a marine contingent to the cruisers.

Soviet/Baltic States Relations: The Soviets continue their purge of former Baltic States leaders. They deport Estonian General Johan Laidoner to Siberia. Others, of course, are simply being shot with little fanfare.

Denmark: The government, under German domination, withdraws from the increasingly irrelevant League of Nations.

British Government: There is a major shakeup of the military.

General Sir Alan Brooke, former commander of the BEF, is appointed Commander in Chief, Home Forces. He replaces General Edmund Ironside. Churchill makes the change because he gets along better with Brooke, who secretly feels that Churchill has a wobbly sense of military strategy. This completes Ironside's dramatic fall from grace since the Battle of France, but at least he is promoted to Field Marshal as he retires.

General Claude Auchinleck, who has been in charge of British Egyptian forces, becomes the commander of Southern Command.

The British Army Intelligence Corps forms. Churchill also wishes for commando operations to be centralized and coordinated in a Special Operations Executive (SOE). He also suggests forming a foreign legion, like the French Foreign Legion.

Canadian Government: The new commander of the Canadian 1st Corps. is General Andrew McNaughton.

Japanese Government: The new government is much more militaristic and looks toward nearby French possessions as possible targets.

American Government: President Roosevelt receives and quickly signs the Vinson-Walsh Act (the Two-Ocean Navy Act). There are 1,325,000 tons of ships and 15,000 naval aircraft authorized in order to create two separate navies on both coasts. The ambitious plan is for 35 battleships, 20 carriers, and 88 cruisers.

Roosevelt accepts the Democratic nomination for President.

British Homefront: The British are setting up internment camps on the Isle of Wight for German and Italian nationals caught up in the war. Conditions are quite poor, with not enough food or shelter. Many of those imprisoned actually are anti-German refugees, but their official documents just list them as German.

Future History: Dennis Cole is born. He becomes famous as an American television actor in such productions as The Love Boat and Charlie's Angels.

Hermann Goering's official portrait taken on 19 July 1940 by Hitler's personal photographer Heinrich Hoffmann. He is holding his new Reichsmarschall baton (he must have known this was coming, those batons are hand-crafted and take time to prepare). It includes a note in Goering's own hand. The photo is said to be retouched to make him appear thinner.

July 1940

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

2020

Wednesday 29 May 1940

A formation of German Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers, May 29, 1940.

Western Front: The French on 29 May 1940 are beginning to realize how much trouble they are in now that the Belgians have surrendered. While the Maginot Line is holding as designed for the most part, the BEF and accompanying French forces are taking a royal beating to the north. French counterattacks along the Somme are not going well, either. In a sign of this growing pessimism, the French load auxiliary cruiser Ville d'Oran with 200 tons of Gold from the French reserve and send it to Casablanca, Morocco - where it will be available for transfer to the United States if necessary.

There are endless lines of BEF troops on the beaches and hiding in the dunes, but the Wehrmacht is assaulting the British line on the and banging it in. By the end of the day, the British troops are behind the final line of canals. A weak spot is developing at Nieuport, but there are endless amounts of British reinforcements from the hundreds of thousands of men trapped in the pocket. The British have nowhere to retreat to, so it is stand and fight, or die. So far, the line is holding.

The fighting at Lille comes to an end, with the capitulation of the 40,000 French Troops who have been drawing Wehrmacht attention away from the beachhead. General Prioux of French 1st Army is captured at Steenwerck, while General Alphonse Juin is captured and his French 15th Infantry Division eliminated at Lille. General Rommel's 7th Panzer Division is prominent in the final stages, surrounding five French divisions.

Brigadier General Charles de Gaulle attacks the German positions near Abbeville again with the French 4th Armoured Division (4e Division cuirassée). There also are some tanks of the British 1st Armoured Division in support roles. The main German defense is formed by over a dozen 88 mm Flak guns of Flak-Abteilung 64. There also are some 105 mm howitzers. The smaller anti-tank weapons, which have been found to be useless against the French tanks, are withdrawn to other purposes.

Seeking the high ground, the French tanks attack Mont de Caubert with initial success. They get to a plateau near the summit before running into serious opposition. There, the French Char B1s suddenly find themselves facing the German artillery near the summit at point-blank range and withdraw with casualties. Another group of French R35 tanks had more success on a different route and caused unreliable Wehrmacht troops of the 57th Infantry Division (Lieutenant-General Oskar Blümm) to flee across the Somme in a panic. Seeing this, General de Gaulle believes that the battle is won and orders a general advance, but the German artillery on Mont de Caubert is still intact and firing down on the French.

Faced with a potential disaster, Generalleutnant Erich von Manstein, the XXXVIII Corps commander in Abbeville, rallies his troops, who soon return to their positions. He uses his artillery to pick off more Char B1 tanks, which are the heart of the French attack. The French tanks are capable but vulnerable to the German artillery fired at close range. German infantry then counterattacks around Cambron, pushing back the 51st (Highland) Division. The day ends with the French giving the Germans a severe fright, but the positions of the two sides barely changed.

Werner Mölders is awarded the Knight's Cross on 29 May 1940 as Hauptmann & Gruppenkommandeur of III./Jagdgeschwader 53.

Dunkirk: BBC newsreader Alan Howland broadcasts an extraordinary and deliciously British understated appeal to the nation:

A number of appeals for recruits have been issued today. The Admiralty want men experienced in marine internal combustion engines for service as engine-men in yachts or motorboats. Others who have had charge of motorboats and have good knowledge of coastal navigation are needed as uncertified second hands. Application should be made to the nearest registrar, Royal Naval Reserve, or to the Fishery Officer. 

No explanation as to why these men are suddenly needed is given, perhaps not to give the Germans a propaganda coup.

Operation Dynamo ramps up, with 47,310 men taken off (33,558 from the port, 13,752 from the beaches) under fierce Luftwaffe, E-boat and artillery attack. The British lose three destroyers and have another 9 damaged (Royal Navy destroyers Gallant, Jaguar, Greyhound, Intrepid, Saladin, Mackay, Montrose and Wolfhound, and French destroyer Mistral).

The Miracle of Dunkirk continues, with numerous small private craft taking men off the beaches. About 15 of these smaller vessels go under due to Luftwaffe and shore attacks. The French begin to participate in the evacuation and send their own vessels to take men off. Everybody understands that it easily could turn into a one-way trip.

The Luftwaffe clearly is over-matched. They face the determined RAF air cover from unmolested bases in England, anti-aircraft fire from the besieged troops, and Royal Navy ships putting up additional anti-aircraft fire. Still, many planes get through despite the intense crossfire.

The BEF troops wait patiently in the surf. Discipline remains strong, with lines of men stretching out into the deep water waiting for expected ships. The tide, of course, rolls in and out, the waves crash about, and the men are attired in heavy uniforms. They stand still, waiting, risking drowning (some indeed drown), knowing that if they break ranks and return to the beach, they will lose their spot and perhaps not get back to England at all.

A13 Cruiser Mk IV tank on guard at Huppy, France (just south of Abbeville), 26-29 May 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-37 (Kapitänleutnant Victor Oehrn) continues its successful patrol off Vigo, Spain. It is spotting so many ships that it begins using its deck gun. Captain Oehrn stops 2,477-ton French freighter Marie José, uses its deck gun, and finishes it off with a torpedo.

U-37 then spots 7,406-ton British tanker Telena, which is carrying petrol to Pauillac, France. This time, Oehrn uses his gun to sink the ship. There are 18 survivors and 18 crew perish.

U-62 (Kapitänleutnant Hans-Bernhard Michalowski) torpedoes and badly damages destroyer HMS Grafton (H 89) just off of Dunkirk. Four men perish. The men are rescued by destroyer HMS Ivanhoe, which finishes off the sinking Grafton with gunfire.

German E-Boat S-30 torpedoes and sinks destroyer HMS Wakeful (H 88) just off of Dunkirk. The Wakeful is full of BEF troops, and 640 of them perish along with 97 crew, with only 25 crew and one of the BEF men rescued.

The Luftwaffe sinks British destroyer HMS Grenade just off Dunkirk during the evacuation. It is hit by three bombs, one going down the stack, and 18 are killed.

The scene off of Dunkirk is controlled chaos. HMS Lydd mistakes HMS Comfort for a German ship and rams it, with four killed. Destroyers HMS Mackay and Montrose collide, damaging both. HMS Jaguar is bombed with 13 killed; minesweeper HMS Waverley is carrying BEF men back to England when it is bombed, with about 350 men killed. Boats approaching Dunkirk report seeing half-sunk ships everywhere.

The British commission destroyer HMS HMS Fernie (L 11) (Lt. Commander Ronald M. P. Jonas).

European Air Operations: The cynosure of everyone's eyes is the Dunkirk defense and evacuation. The Luftwaffe is able to move more aircraft close to the battlefield, increasing the number of sorties. RAF Bomber Command maintains constant pressure on the encroaching panzers, with 51 sorties during the day and 15 at night.

However, with the RAF giving iron priority to the beachhead, the rest of France is wide open to the Luftwaffe. It establishes aerial dominance, and on a beautiful, cloudless day it shoots "anything that moves."

Hauptmann Werner Mölders, Gruppenkommandeur of III./Jagdgeschwader 53, is mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (the Wehrmacht's daily despatches, a huge honor for any serviceman) for achieving his 20th aerial victory. He is awarded the Knight's Cross.

Norway: The British begin evacuating Bodø during the night, sailing to Scapa Flow. To avoid attracting attention, the departure is done without explosive detonations. The weather keeps the Luftwaffe away, and the 2d Mountain Division is having to take the long road around the fjord and remains far to the south.

The Luftwaffe is active over Narvik, tangling with the Hawker Hurricanes based at Bardufoss. The Hurricanes have the upper hand, downing three of the German planes.

General Dietl has been evicted from Narvik, but his force remains intact and morale is high. During the day, the Luftwaffe drops another 125 paratroopers to help him. He is on the rail line to Sweden, watching and waiting for any pursuers.

Holland: Artur Seyss-Inquart takes over his position as Reichskommissar of Holland in The Hague, stating:

"We Germans have not come to subjugate this country and its people, nor do we seek to impose our political system on them."

King Leopold, refusing to leave the country, is arrested by the Wehrmacht and placed under house arrest in one of his castles.

Italy: Mussolini is in a strange mood, wishing to go to war and not really caring about the details. Foreign Minister Count Ciano - who maintains a meticulous diary - notes that Mussolini is ready to jump on board with whichever side appears to be winning. "His blood is up," as the expression goes.

Sweden: The Swedish Government implements its own civil defense force aka Home Guard.

US Navy: The prototype Vought F4U Corsair (XF4U-1) makes its first flight at the hands of Lyman A. Bullard, Jr. The plane has some difficulty with its elevator trim tabs but lands safely. The plane has been in development since June 1938, when the U.S. Navy signed a contract with Vought for the prototype.

British Government: The debate in the cabinet continues, with Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax urging negotiation and Prime Minister Churchill wishing to fight on. Churchill gives a rousing speech to the cabinet in the evening which stops talk of "surrender."

Sir Samuel, 1st Viscount Templewood, flies to take up his position as Ambassador to Spain.

The prototype of the Vought F4U Corsair takes to the skies.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2020

Saturday 18 May 1940

German mounted troops, 18 May 1940 (Schweizer, Federal Archives).

Western Front: The XXVI Corps of General Georg von Küchler's 18th Army captures the vital port of Antwerp, Belgium on 18 May 1940.

Brigadier General de Gaulle regroups after his failure of 17 May and prepares for another flank attack on the German spearhead with his French 4th Armoured Division. He prepares for another attack.

At Noord-Beveland, the last Dutch holdout in Zeeland, a German under a flag of truce goes over and informs the Dutch that all of their comrades have surrendered. They have been out of touch, and now surrender.

General Erwin Rommel is at Cambrai, having advanced 85 miles to the west. He takes the town with one of his usual clever strategems: he has his tanks roll over a dusty field near the town, giving the defenders the impressions that his force is larger than it is, and causing them to flee in terror. Rommel is over halfway to the English Channel, having captured (by his own account) 10,000 prisoners and 100 French tanks for losses of his own of only 50 dead and 100 wounded. He pauses to refuel, resupply and plan his next axis of attack.

General Guderian's troops also are refueling and consolidating gains. The 1st Panzer Division troops reach the vicinity of Péronne in their drive toward Amiens.

Hitler issues Fuhrer Directive 12, Prosecution of the Attack in the West. It does not contain anything significant, and is more an expression of his desire to appear in charge and reassert control over a campaign which has developed due to decisions of commanders at the front rather than OKW headquarters.

Morale in the BEF is low, because they are being told to retreat despite giving a good account in every battle they have fought. The problem is not their military skill, but the German eruptions to the south that threaten their lines of communication.

In Belgium, a German 88mm gun model Flak 18 and crew pass Wehrmacht motorcycles (a BMW R18 and a DKW NZ350) alongside a British Morris C8.

Norway: Colonel Gubbins arrives at Mo i Rana. He has orders from Lieutenant General Claude Auchinleck to defend Mo i Rana. However, the local commander, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Byrnand Trappes-Lomax of the Scots Guards, tells him that he cannot hold out without reinforcement - of which none is available. Gubbins thus, against orders but based on the best available information, authorizes a withdrawal. In Gubbins' opinion, the Scots Guards withdraws "precipitately" toward the ferry terminus at Rognan and leaves behind much valuable equipment. The German 2nd Mountain Division approaches the town, though Gubbins leaves behind some skeleton forces.

The Luftwaffe continues its gradual reinforcement of General Dietl at Narvik, dropping another 16 troops of the 1st Fallschirmjaeger Regiment. In addition, Luftwaffe seaplanes bring 15 more troops.

The Luftwaffe damages the Royal Navy battleship HMS Resolution off Narvik.

The Germans capture a Norwegian torpedo boat, Troll, at Floro.

European Air Operations: The RAF sends 13 aircraft against German columns around le Cateau.

Battle of the Atlantic: The U-boat fleet has been occupied with tactical patrolling the Dutch/Danish/Norwegian coasts. They now resume strategic patrolling around Great Britain. U-37 and U-43 are already are at sea, while U-60 and U-62 leave Kiel for stations around Great Britain.

Convoy OA 150G departs from Southend, Convoy OB 150 departs from Liverpool.

Anglo/US Relations: Churchill sends Roosevelt a telegram stating, "if American assistance is to play any part it must be available [soon]."

Spies: A member of the US embassy staff, clerk Tyler Kent, is arrested for spying. He has been (allegedly) passing copies of Prime Minister Churchill's correspondence with President Roosevelt to Anna Wolkoff, a Russian emigre with ties to a Fascist organization. Wolkoff, also arrested, has been (allegedly) passing the documents to Italian diplomats, who (allegedly) forwarded them on to Hitler. The US waives Kent's immunity.

French Government: Prime Minister Paul Reynaud shakes up the cabinet. Former PM Daladier switches to Foreign Minister, Philippe Pétain becomes Vice Premier. Reynaud takes Defense. General Weygand, recalled from the Middle East, is the new Commander-in-chief. Both 84-year-old war hero Pétain, who was the Ambassador to Spain, and Weygand are somewhat "out of the loop" and bring a fresh attitude to the government which may not be entirely positive. Weygand arrives in Paris from the Levant via Tunis.

Pétain is a particularly interesting choice. He has developed a friendly relationship with Francisco Franco and has commented that "France's greatest mistake has been to enter this war" - not exactly a resoundingly enthusiastic position.

The Paris sector is declared a military zone, with martial law imposed. For now, the government remains in Paris.

Belgian Government: King Leopold and his cabinet set up improved headquarters in Brugges.

Holland: The new Reich Commissioner for Holland, which surrendered on 15 May, is Artur Seyss-Inquart.

Germany re-incorporates into its borders the small slices of territory handed to Holland pursuant to the Treaty of Versailles.

Queen Wilhelmina is in Great Britain and visits Dutch vessels at Portsmouth.

French Homefront: The refugee crisis is only growing. An estimated 6 million Frenchmen are on the road south, while the population of northern French cities has fallen by 90%.

Belgian Homefront: The Belgians now really have nowhere to run, so the refugee crisis is much less there than in France.
Norwegian Homefront: The Germans ban the celebration of Norwegian Constitution Day, which typically includes traditional children's parades.

British Homefront: British men continue volunteering for the local defense groups - and an estimated 250,000 have now signed up (eventually known as the Home Guard). They do not have any uniforms or equipment and are told: "We'll get back to you." They are nicknamed "parashots" due to their presumed role of guarding against German paratroopers.

American Homefront: In California, the El Centro earthquake hits at 21:35 Pacific Standard Time. It is the first earthquake recorded by a nearby strong-motion seismograph and registers 6.9 on the Richter scale. It is the strongest earthquake in Imperial Valley, killing nine people. The area is largely agricultural, so, while irrigation systems and other farming infrastructure are destroyed, the damage is much more limited than it if had hit, say, a little further northwest at Los Angeles.

It is a quiet morning in New York. Today's headline: "[German] Army Now 75 Miles From Paris." The sports section, however, is more interesting at the moment. Sixth Avenue and 40th Street, near Times Square, New York City. May 18, 1940.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

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