Friday 18 October 1940

Air raid warden Mary Couchman, 24-year-old, shields three little children as bombs fall. October 18, 1940.

Battle of Britain: Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, perhaps gilding the lily a bit too much, on 18 October 1940 continues his lavish praise of the Luftwaffe's lackluster campaign during the Battle of Britain. He thanks his pilots for "reducing the British plutocracy to fear and terror." This statement smacks of overkill, but the Luftwaffe's success or failure reflects directly upon him, so the better he makes their failures sound, the better he looks as well.

The fickle weather of 1940 once again puts many flying operations to a stop. The increased strength of the RAF is shown as it successfully prevents the usual reconnaissance flights over England during the morning.

There are no large-scale raids. Instead, there are numerous small-scale intrusions. The largest incident involves some Junkers Ju 88s that Fighter Command intercepts over Kent on the way to London. However, that is the exception.

After dark, the Luftwaffe swings back into action. It bombs London, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Southampton, and East Anglia.  A direct hit on the Rose and Crown Pub results in 42 killed and 6 injured. The night's activity ends early, though, by 01:45, giving Londoners a chance to get some good rest. The Luftwaffe also lays mines in the Thames Estuary.

The Luftwaffe manages to lose 15 planes and the RAF only four. In the foul weather, pilots get disoriented and planes head off in the wrong direction. This happens on both sides. The RAF loses four Hurricanes when RAF No. 302 (Polish) Squadron becomes disoriented over Surrey and runs out of fuel and the planes have to land with dead sticks. This leads to four Hurricanes lost, along with their pilots. The Luftwaffe also has two planes crash back in France, killing the pilots.

There is an exchange of gunfire by the big coastal guns at Hellfire Corner (Straits of Dover), with little consequence.

Sergeant Michael Gibson is killed while defusing a bomb that fell on Coventry city center. After taking it to the Whitley Common, the bomb explodes, killing him and his squad of seven. Gibson is awarded the George Cross (posthumously) for an earlier incident on 18 September - obviously, he was a very brave man. The medal later sells at auction in 2012 for £93,000. Collectors view the George Cross as less valuable than the Victoria Cross, but fewer have been awarded and thus it is rarer.

European Air Operations: Poor weather restricts operations. RAF Bomber Command attacks the ports of Duisberg, Kiel and Hamburg, warehouses at Schwerte, Osnabruck, and Dortmund (also a factory there), and an aluminum factory at Lunen.

Major Werner Streib replaces Hptm. Radusch as Gruppenkommandeur of night fighter unit I./NJG 1. Meanwhile, a night fighter Do 17Z-10s of 4./NJG 1 shoots down an RAF Wellington bomber over the Zuider Zee in Holland.

Battle of the Atlantic: Convoys, by and large, and relatively speaking, have been unmolested until now. U-boats have been picking off stragglers and "independents," ships traveling alone. There have been various attacks on convoys, but they have been uncoordinated affairs that have not sunk more than a few ships at a time. That changes today with the first true wolfpack, directed and coordinated by U-boat headquarters in France. This marks a new phase in the naval war.

Half a dozen U-boats have been shadowing Convoy SC 7, which is an eastbound convoy that left Sydney, Nova Scotia on 5 October bound for Liverpool, for several days. SC 7 is composed of 35 ships but has had only a few escorts: destroyer HMS Scarborough, sloop HMS Fowey and corvette HMS Bluebell. Today, a couple of more escorts arrive from Great Britain: sloop HMS Leith and corvette HMS Heartsease. These five escorts, however, are outnumbered by the shadowing U-boats.

U-38 (Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe), operating out of Lorient, starts things off today, already having sunk the Greek freighter Aenos on the 18th. At 02:04, U-38 torpedoes and damages 3670-ton British freighter Carsbreck. The Carsbeck is carrying timber and thus is buoyant, and the ship manages to make port escorted by HMS Heartsease. The Leith and Heartsease attack U-38 without success, and then Heartsease joins Carsbeck as Convoy SC 7 sails on.

U-38, meanwhile, stumbles upon Convoy OB 229 in the same area. It torpedoes and sinks British freighter Sandsend. There are 34 survivors and five crew perish.

Now back down to four escorts, Convoy SC 7 heads into the night knowing it is in trouble. It is about 300 km northwest of Rockall.

Now, with U-38 out of the picture, five U-boats make a joint attack:

• U-46 (Oblt.z.S. Peter-Ottmar Grau)
• U-99 (Kplt. Otto Kretschmer)
• U-100 (Kptlt. Joachim Schepke)
• U-101 (Kptlt. Fritz Frauenheim)
• U-123 (Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle)

This is not a seat-of-the-pants operation, where everybody just "does their thing." Strict control is maintained throughout by Konteradmiral Karl Dönitz at his headquarters in Lorient. The convoy escorts are completely ineffective and do not prevent any attacks - though they are instrumental in saving a lot of lives of merchant marine sailors. The night becomes a wonderland of flaming and sinking ships, with one torpedoed after another going down in flames, drifting onto other torpedoed ships, and generally causing chaos over many square miles of the open sea.

Adalbert Schnee, Karl Dönitz and Eberhard Godt at the Kriegsmarine Headquarters in Berlin, Germany. January 1943.

U-101 torpedoes and sinks 3913-ton British iron ore cargo ship Creekirk at 21:12. Loaded with 5900 tons of iron ore, it sinks quickly with all 36 men perishing in the dark.

U-101 also torpedoes 4155-ton British freighter Blairsprey at 23:08. With a load of timber, the Blairsprey is buoyant and, while abandoned, remains afloat. Another U-boat, U-100, torpedoes it at 02:50 on the 19th, but that doesn't sink Blairsprey, either. The ship eventually makes the Clyde in tow and is beached, and later repaired.

U-101 also torpedoes 2962 ton British freighter Assyrian (the convoy commodore's ship). The Assyrian is out of formation because earlier it had spotted another U-boat and chased it in order to ram it - unsuccessfully. U-101 sends a torpedo into its starboard side, which puts out its lights and engines but leaves the crew enough time to abandon ship. There are 34 survivors and 17 men perish. Captain Kearon later was awarded Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea and the OBE.

U-101 had fired four torpedoes in rapid succession, one of which sank the Assyrian. While two miss, another hits and sinks Dutch freighter Soesterberg. There are 19 survivors and 6 men perish.

Kptlt. Fritz Frauenheim of U-101.

U-99, led by legendary captain Kretschmer on his fifth patrol, has an epic night. It sinks in rapid succession:

• British 6055 ton freighter Empire Miniver (35 survive, 3 dead)
• British 4815 ton freighter Fiscus (38 dead, 1 survivor)
• Greek 3854 ton freighter Niritos (27 survive, one death)
• British 5154 ton freighter Empire Brigade (35 survive, 6 dead)
• Norwegian 1643 ton freighter Snefjeld (all survive)
• Greek 5875 ton freighter Thalia (22 perish, 6 survive)
• British 3106 ton freighter Clintonia (damaged, later sunk by gunfire from U-123) (34 survive, one death).

U-123 torpedoes and sinks 5556-ton British freighter Sedgepool. There are 36 survivors and three men perish.

U-123 torpedoes and damages British freighter Skekatika, which has grown tired of the slow pace of Convoy SC 7 and run ahead of it. This is one of those situations where those who figure that the faster ships should just go at their own pace are proven wrong. Skekatika's crew of 36 all survive and are taken on board HMS Fowey.

U-46 torpedoes and sinks 4885-ton British freighter Beatus in Convoy SC 7. All 37 men aboard are rescued.

U-46 also torpedoes and sinks 1996 ton Swedish freighter Convallaria in Convoy SC 7. Everybody aboard survives and is taken on board HMS Fowey.

U-100 torpedoes and damages Dutch freighter Boekelo. U-123 later comes along and finishes her off. All 25 men aboard survive.

U-46 torpedoes and sinks 1572 ton Swedish freighter Gunborg. All 23 men aboard survive and are taken aboard HMS Bluebell.

Locations of ships lost in Convoy SC 7.

Just to sum up, the ships lost in Convoy SC 7.

• Trevisa (1,813 grt. ca.)
• Languedoc (9,512 grt. br.)
• Scoresby (3,843 grt. br.)
• Aenos (3,554 grt. gr.)
• Beatus (4,885 grt. br.)
• Convallaria (1,996 grt. sw.)
• Creekirk (3,917 grt. br.)
• Empire Miniver (6,055 grt. br.)
• Gunborg (1,572 grt. sw.)
• Niritos (3,854 grt. gr.)
• Fiscus (4,815 grt. br.)
• Assyrian (2,962 grt. br.)
• Soesterberg (1,904 grt. nl.)
• Boekelo (2,118 grt. nl.)
• Empire Brigade (5,154 grt. br.)
• Sedgepool (5,556 grt. br.)
• Thalia (5,875 grt. gr.)
• Snefjeld (1,643 grt. nw.)
• Shekatika (5,458 grt. br.)
• Clintonia (3,106 grt. br.)

Meanwhile, Convoy HX 79 also is about to get devastated. This also is an eastbound convoy of 49 ships which left Halifax on 8 October 1940. This is a case of two convoys merging as they funnel into the Western Approaches, making one formless mass with ships exposed to attack everywhere the U-boats can look. Prien, in fact, initiated the entire attack because he spotted HX 79 and informed U-boat headquarters about it. However, those attacks occur on the 19th and 20th, which is where we will address them.

There is also U-boat action elsewhere.

German patrol craft (U-Jäger) UJ 116 and UJ 118 of the 5th German anti-submarine flotilla are operating in the North Sea off Texel when they spot British submarine HMS H49 ((Lt R. E. Coltart). They depth-charge and sink it. There are 21-25 deaths (accounts vary), and only one man, Leading Stoker George William Oliver, survives. He winds up in Marlag M as a POW for the rest of the war. This is a known war grave off Terschelling. Divers visiting it have been prosecuted by the Dutch government.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Argus sails to Reykavik, Iceland to take aboard planes of RAF No. 701 Squadron.

Royal Navy 448 ton anti-submarine trawler Kingston Cairngorm, in tow since being mined off Portland on the 17th, sinks at 03:18.
The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 159-ton British trawler King Athelstan about 20 km off Mizzen Head.

Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS Cornwall seizes Vichy French freighter Indochinois off Casablanca. It boards it with a prize crew and sends it to Freetown.

Convoy OA 231 departs from Methil, Convoy SL 52 departs from Freetown.

Royal Navy escort destroyer HMS Exmoor (L 61, Lt. Commander Robert T. Lampard) is commissioned.


Battle of the Mediterranean: General de Gaulle meets with General Catroux. This is a relationship fraught with intrigue because technically Catroux outranks de Gaulle (though technically they both no longer serve in any nation's army). De Gaulle is known to fear that the British will replace him with Catroux. This meeting allays some of de Gaulle's fears on that score, but this will not be the last time that a possible battle for supremacy of the Free France movement arises.

A Royal Navy operation including two Saunders-Roe London Flying boats of RAF 202 Squadron and destroyers HMS Firedrake, HMS Vidette, and HMS Wrestler find Italian submarine Durbo 120 miles east of Gibraltar (off Alboran Island). The British forces torpedo and sink the Italian submarine, with everybody on board surviving. The 48 Italians become POWs (ultimately in the US). This sinking has lasting consequences because, before sinking the sub, Royal Navy sailors get aboard and grab documents that will be helpful in tracking down other submarines.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Regent, having collided with a caique in the Ionian Sea, arrives at Malta for repairs with damage to its forward hydroplanes.

The South African Air Force, based in Sudan, attacks the Italian airfield at Barentu. The RAF attacks various Italian bases, including Benghazi, Sollum, Gura, Diredawa, Rhodes (an airfield) and the Dodecanese Islands.

At Malta, Governor Dobbie responds to a recent memorandum from the Chief of the Imperial Staff which suggested that additional forces need not be stationed on the island to repel an invasion, as forces could be transported in quickly. This degenerates into an argument over tactics - Dobbie wants the ability to attack the landing zones, while the Imperial Staff feels a counter-attack after a four-day delay (the minimum amount of time to bring in new forces) would suffice. Dobbie is probably right because the islands are so small that any delay likely would result in quick defeat.

North Judah streetcar, San Francisco, California. October 18, 1940.

Battle of the Pacific: US schooner Director II runs aground off Gladstone, Queensland and is lost.

German raiders Orion and Komet, operating in tandem, rendezvous with supply ship Kulmerland at Lamotrek Atoll in the Caroline Islands.

Italian/German Relations: Having made his decision to invade Greece on the 15th, Mussolini has been studiously quiet about it. Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano has told neither the German ambassador nor his German counterpart. The decision has immense implications for Germany, but Mussolini throughout the war occasionally allows his annoyance at being the junior partner in his relationship with Hitler to manifest itself.

Finally, word starts seeping out today. First, Lt. General Emil (Enno) von Rintelen, Wehrmacht liaison to Rome, tells the OKW that Mussolini has decided to attack Greece on the 26th. In this sense, he is almost acting in the role of a spy, as perhaps the Italian Generals don't even realize this is still top secret information. The information is outdated because army commander Marshal Badoglio already had convinced Mussolini to postpone the attack for two days, until the 28th. However, it is the first information Germany receives about Mussolini's intentions at all.

Then, Ciano sends an odd telegram to German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop stating that army commander Marshal Badoglio had opposed any Greek invasion and even Mussolini had been hesitant. Ciano professes himself enthusiastic about it, which is at odds with his usual attitude toward military entanglements. The telegram does not even say that such an invasion has been planned - it comes out of the blue as if the Germans already should know about the operation. All of this rather casual communication creates an appearance of insincerity or deception, to put it mildly.

All of this information sends the German command at Zossen and the Foreign Ministry into a whirlwind of activity. They contact their agents from Belgrade to Ankara to Tirana to Rome to get confirmation, and General von Pohl (liaison to the Italian Air Force) confirms that he has heard the same thing. Ribbentrop, meanwhile, remains in the dark about the status of the projected Italian operation, as the Italians are being cute about divulging the information.

Italian/German/Greek Relations: Germany and Italy begin ratcheting up pressure on Greece, submitting demands to the Greek government which they do not expect to be met.

The War Illustrated, Vol. 3 No 59, October 18, 1940.

Japanese/Dutch Relations: There are reports that the Japanese and the government in the Dutch East Indies in Batavia have reached a "concrete understanding" on oil deliveries to Japan. The actual agreement will be signed on the 19th.

Anglo/Japanese Relations: The British in India suspend indefinitely the export of scrap iron to Japan. This follows upon a similar ban imposed by the United States and appears to be tied to the re-opening of the Burma Road.

US Military: Heavy cruiser USS Louisville arrives in Rio de Janeiro as part of the continuing "Show the flag" operation.

China: The Chinese announce that in the first 18 hours of the re-opening of the Burma Road, more than 1500 tons of cargo have embarked on the long journey from Lashio (the start) to Kunming (the terminus). The truck convoys travel at night and a mile apart to avoid attacks. The trucks are described as "the latest American types."

The Japanese also have noticed the Burma Road's opening, and today the Japanese South China Seas Fleet Command announces that they sent 36 planes to bomb sections of the road (Bunna Road) at and near Kunming. This included a bridge which they "seriously damaged." Naval Air Force Commander Chikao Yamamoto (not the famous Yamamoto), noting bad weather over the target, states:

Heaven helped us by enabling us to sight and bomb the bridge. We saw no enemy aircraft and no anti-aircraft fire. 

There is some confusion about how the road will be used; the Colonial Secretary (N.L. Smith) issues, then retracts, a statement that gasoline and some other prohibited items under the July Anglo-Japanese agreement would be sent over the road. The Japanese would not be happy with that, and they retain the ability to pressure the British enclaves in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

French Homefront: The Vichy government publishes the new anti-Semitic laws (Statute of 4 Oct 1940) that it has recently announced. This specifies that Jews who are not French citizens are no longer protected by French laws and will be housed in new "Special camps." Now, where could they have gotten that idea?

British Homefront: Another evacuation of London children begins. Some 2000 depart every day for the more rural parts of the country. In fact, many Londoners now are living in caves in Kent. Most, however, have relocated to places such as Reading, Basingstoke, and Oxford.

An ad in The Pilot (Vass, N.C.), 18 October 1940.

October 1940

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

2020

Monday 14 October 1940

Damage to Balham underground station. The bomb on the High Road created a crater 50 feet wide. A bus (nobody hurt) drove into the crater in the darkness due to blackout conditions. (The New Guardian).

Battle of Britain: The fickle weather of 1940 continues on 14 October 1940. Today there are clouds and intermittent shows. Missions are scattered throughout the day until the skies clear after dark.

Before dawn, a Dornier Do 17 from 4(F)./14 drops a stick of bombs on Bristol. Otherwise, it is a fairly quiet early morning. The first real operations begin at 10:30 when high-altitude fighter-bombers (Jabos) fly up from the Cherbourg area. The attack does not accomplish much, however, due to the weather and the lurking presence of RAF fighters.

RAF North Weald receives attention late in the morning. Four squadrons are based there, so it is a vital link in the chain of fighter airfields across southern England. While the attacks are small-scale affairs, bombing accuracy during the day is notably better than at night.

Since the weather is poor, the Luftwaffe apparently feels better about including more lumbering Heinkel He-111s and other medium bombers in the mix. London, Portsmouth, East Anglia and nearby points are bombed. Airfields hit in the London region include RAF Hawkinge and Duxford, with bombs also falling over nearby South London either intentionally or due to bombing inaccuracy. A direct hit on an air-raid shelter in Middlesex kills 20 people.

An odd incident happens during the afternoon. Fighter pilots of RAF No. 17 Squadron spot a Dornier Do 17 bearing British markings on all the upper surfaces. As it banks to turn, however, German markings are seen on the underside. When attacked, the bomber fires two Very rockets - but of the wrong color. Despite being damaged, the odd plane makes it away safely through the balloons over Harwich.

After dark, the pace of attacks increases dramatically. The Luftwaffe sends a total of 240 across the Channel, helped by a full moon. London, Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool, Preston, Bristol, Avonmouth, and East Anglia take damage. The scale of the attacks is reflected in the fact that 565 people are killed and 2125 seriously injured. Coventry, with many medieval wooden buildings, is consumed by fires caused by incendiary oil bombs. In London, The Carlton Club is hit, but nobody is hurt.

The Balham bus after being hoisted out of the hole.

In a notorious incident which since has become iconic for The Blitz, a 1400 kg armor-piercing bomb hits the Balham underground station at 20:02. It sends those inside who survive (66 people perish) fleeing when the water mains, a gas pipe, and a sewer pipe burst and flood the north-bound tunnel with a tidal wave of smelliness. The water rises 25 feet above the trackbed. Many people drown in the slurry. A bus drives into the immense creator in the blackout darkness, but nobody in it is hurt. The underground line is out of operation until 1941, with bodies being recovered past Christmas. This incident features in the Ian McEwan novel "Atonement," made into a feature film starring Keira Knightley. A plaque is laid at the site in 2010 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the tragedy.

In London alone, 500+ casualties are taken to the hospital or killed.

Due to the small-scale of the raids, the inability of the RAF to manage effective interceptions due to the weather, and the majority of the raids being undertaken at night, both sides take less than a handful of casualties (some accounts say no losses on either side). The day is a successful one for the Luftwaffe, which takes sustainable losses but still inflicts measurable damage both to civilian and RAF targets.

Rear Admiral I.B.B. Tower, DSC, perishes in an air raid "on the steps at the bottom of Regent's Street." He has been in charge of gunnery training ship HMS President and has held a number of senior staff positions, including chief naval liaison officer to the Commander-in-Chief Home Forces, General Sir Alan Brooke.

KG 53's Major Friedrich Kless receives the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Another view of the Balham blast.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command raids Berlin, oil plants in Stettin, the ports of Hanover, Hamburg and Le Havre, and various airfields in northwest Europe.

Night fighter ace Werner Streib, Gruppenkommandeur of I./NJG 1 and the man considered to be the "Father of German night-fighter forces," scores his tenth night-fighter victory during the evening.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-137 (Kapitänleutnant Herbert Wohlfarth) torpedoes and damages 10,552 ton Royal Navy armed merchant cruiser HMS Cheshire northwest of Ireland. The 220 onboard are taken off by destroyer HMS Periwinkle and corvette HMCS Skeena. The Cheshire is taken under tow and makes it to Belfast Lough where it is beached. It ultimately is brought to Liverpool for extensive repairs.

Royal Navy 683 ton pilot vessel Reculver hits a mine and sinks in the Humber Estuary south of Spurn Point. All 31 aboard survive.

Royal Navy 448 ton trawler HMS Lord Stamp (Chief Skipper J. D. McKay RNR) hits a mine and sinks about 31 km from Portland Bill, Dorset. The 23 crew on board perish.

British 1076 ton collier Glynwen sinks in the English Channel of unknown causes relating to enemy action.

German submarine chaser UJ-173 Heinrich Wesselhöft runs aground near Kvitsøy, off Stavanger in the North Sea. It is a total loss.

German 1879 ton freighter Euler hits a  mine and sinks off Saint-Nazaire in the Bay of Biscay.

As discussed in our entry for 13 October, sometime during the night Captain Phillip Vian of HMS Cossack leads a destroyer force in Operation DN. It torpedoes and sinks German net layer Genua off Egersund, Norway. There are 78 deaths. The vessel sinks in shallow water and can be refloated and returned to service. It is the only success of the night engagement despite somewhat more elaborate claims by the Royal Navy at the time.

Convoy FN 308 departs from Southend, Convoys FS 309 and OA 229 departs from Methil.

The escort destroyer HMS Mendip (L 60) is commissioned.

General Wavell, British Middle East Commander, makes the cover of Time Magazine on 14 October 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: In the early hours of the morning, Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, returning to Alexandria after escorting a convoy to Malta, detaches briefly from the main force with cruisers HMS Gloucester and Liverpool. It conducts airstrikes against the Italian bases at Leros. The Illustrious then returns to the main battle group.

At 16:55, the Italians reciprocate for the attack on Leros by launching their own strike on the Royal Navy forces nearby. An Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM79 bomber torpedoes HMS Liverpool, which sets off fuel and other flammables in the ship and blows off its bow from just ahead of the bridge. There are 30 deaths when all is said and done, with 42 others wounded. Light cruiser HMS Orion takes the Liverpool in tow back to Alexandria. Liverpool eventually will go to Mare Island, California for full repairs shortly before the Pearl Harbor attack.

Battlecruiser HMS Renown, light cruiser HMS Sheffield, and destroyers HMS Gallant, Firedrake and Griffin arrive in Gibraltar to reinforce Force H.

The RAF bombs Italian forces in Benghazi.

At Malta, Governor Dobbie and the local military institute new rules for shore-based artillery. They are to wait until opening fire until the target has approached within 5000 yards by day and 1800 yards by night. Local gunners are given independent authority to open fire if they deem the intruder to be hostile. In addition, it is "fire at will" on any submarine unless they have been notified of a friendly submarine in the vicinity. The cargo from the recent convoy is still being processed, with ammunition being dispersed to the gunners.

Battle of the Pacific: German raider Orion stops and sinks 7302-ton Norwegian freighter Ringwood in the Pacific about 600 miles Northwest of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. The 35 neutral crewmen and the ship's cat become the ship's "guests" and eventually are repatriated to Norway.

Meanwhile, German raider Pinguin and converted minelayer Passat continue heading south toward their destinations off the coast of southeastern Australia. The voyage will take roughly two weeks.

Italian/German/Romanian Relations: Mussolini protects Italy's historic interest in the Balkans by sending air officers to Bucharest. They join the German troops who have arrived there and elsewhere in the country. Their purpose is to set up a seaplane base at the Romanian port of Constanta on the western coast of the Black Sea, 179 nautical miles (332 km) from the Bosphorus Strait.

Hitler's fears about British sabotage in Romania are perhaps heightened today when a fire breaks out in Băicoi, a train stop away from the main oil center of Ploiești. The fire destroys three oil wells.

German/Soviet Relations: The German embassy staff in Moscow is still translating von Ribbentrop's interminable letter to Stalin about a New World Order ruled by Germany, the USSR, Italy and Japan. It will take several more days.

Another view of the Balham incident.

US/Japanese Relations: With war tensions rising, the US State Department announces that it is sending three passenger liners (Monterey, Mariposa, and Washington) to Japan and China for the purpose of repatriating American citizens. China, in particular, is a top destination for missionaries. The Monterey is headed for Yokohama and Shanghai, and the Mariposa to Shanghai, Chinwangtao, and Kobe, Japan.

Soviet Military: The Politburo stamps its approval on the war plan recently submitted to it by the Stavka for an attack on Germany. There is no such operation currently contemplated but one is a contingency plan for the future. The plan is in some respects the mirror image of the war plans currently being drafted at OKW headquarters at Zossen for Operation Barbarossa.

Italian Military: Benito Mussolini is the in final stages of planning his strategy following the meeting with Hitler at the Brenner Pass earlier in the month. He has decided not to invade Yugoslavia, but Greece is an open question. He is not keeping the Germans informed of his decision-making process. Today, he meets with General Staff Marshal Badoglio and Army Chief of Staff General Roatta, both of whom are known to be very realistic about Italian military capabilities - but they have little influence on Mussolini.

US Military: The US Navy sends heavy cruiser USS Louisville from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as part of the continuing series of "Show the Flag" missions being undertaken throughout the year.

US Government: President Roosevelt signs into law the Nationality Act of 1940. It provides for three classes of persons eligible for citizenship and defines how one could lose citizenship. It is the first comprehensive attempt at a nationality and naturalization policy in US history. Among other things, the Act specifies that US citizens can lose their citizenship if they emigrate abroad to, say, England and stay there. The law in effect requires many Americans living in Great Britain to return to the United States or risk losing their citizenship - which in fact happens to hundreds of people.

German Propaganda: Dr. Goebbels fine-tunes his ministry's depiction of the effect of the air war on England's capital and Berlin. He cautions his press people via the Reich Press Chief to keep accounts of damage to the respective cities moderate. The aim, the Press Chief writes, is that "the possibility of intensified attacks must be preserved."

Romania: In a sign of further attempts by the Romanian authorities to ingratiate themselves with the Germans, they ban Jewish students from Romanian schools.

China: In the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Infantry Division fights off the Chinese Nationalist attack on Lungchin.

American Homefront: Charles Lindbergh makes another national broadcast radio speech. In it, he all but endorses Republican candidate for President  Wendell Willkie, though he does not mention him. Lindbergh, in particular, implies indirectly that President Roosevelt has a hidden agenda to embroil the United States in the European War - which the evidence supports to one degree or another - and states that the country should elect a leader "whose promises we can trust, who know where they are taking us, and who tell us where we are going."

Future History: Cliff Richard is born to his British parents in Lucknow, United Provinces, British India. Richard becomes a top British pop star in the late 1950s as the front-man of The Shadows, continues his success thereafter with various twists and turns in his career, and establishes numerous "records" for longevity in terms of the success of his singing career. Richard remains quite active and in the news during the 21st Century and often is referred to as "ageless."

Life Magazine, 14 October 1940. On the cover is actress/swimmer/model "Jinx" Falkenburg. While largely forgotten now, Jinx (after the war) helped create the modern celebrity chit-chat television show format. She became a long-time resident of Manhasset, Long Island, New York (where I am from, and thus I mention it). Along with her husband, Jinx was instrumental in building the North Shore University Hospital, one of the premier medical centers in the region. Jinx passed away in 2003 and has a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame at 1500 Vine Street.

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

2020

Sunday 6 October 1940

The great Legionnaire (Iron Guard) manifestation in Bucharest, October 6,1940.

Overview: Both sides have incidents of Friendly Fire on 6 October 1940 that unnecessarily take the lives of men simply doing their jobs in a routine way. These things happen in war, and they happened a lot more during World War II than either side ever acknowledged until many years later.

Battle of Britain: The poor weather returns, with more clouds and rain over England. In fact, the Luftwaffe actually begins a large raid at one point, but it turns back due to the weather. Instead, the day is characterized by lone "pirate" raiders conducted by specially trained crews who make hit-and-run raids on selected targets.

Late in the morning, a raider bombs Middle Wallop, while at 12:45 it is the turn of RAF Biggin Hill. Another raid on Eastbourne damages gas/water lines.

The Luftwaffe attacks the same convoy at 13:30 and then again an hour later. This is the largest raid of the day, with maybe a dozen bombers, but it accomplishes nothing. At 16:19, a bomber from Chartres starts to come across but turns back. A little while later, a Junkers Ju 88 strafes RAF White Waltham and Farnborough, and a bomber scores some minor hits on the Hawker Aircraft Factory at Stough. Another strafing attack on RAF Northolt catches a Hurricane about to take off and destroys it and kills the pilot, while the Junkers Ju 88 is hunted down and destroyed at Leatherhead, Surrey. Other attacks during the afternoon take place at Biggin Hill and Croydon.

London does have a few minor attacks during the day, but after dark, everything is very quiet. An occasional bomber crosses over, such as one at 20:00 and another at 21:00, but they don't accomplish much. There are a couple of more lone raiders before midnight, then the remainder of the night is peaceful.

Overall, losses are in the single digits for both sides. The RAF loses two planes, and the Luftwaffe about nine.

An airman refueling a Hawker Hurricane I aircraft of No. 1 (F) Squadron, RCAF. Northolt, England, October 6, 1940. Photographer unknown.

The RAF suffers a friendly fire incident when a Hampden bomber of RAF No. 106 Squadron shuttling between bases on a quiet day is mistakenly attacked by a pair of Hurricanes. A quick burst of fire kills the bomber's navigator, Sgt K.S Powers, but then the Hurricane pilots recognize their mistake. The bomber lands intact and without any great damage, but the man is dead. These kinds of things can happen on days of low visibility such as this, but generally, there is little tolerance for such incidents within the RAF. The Hurricane pilots hear about it with great emphasis from their commander when they land.

Sergeant Frederick Fenton Vinyard, flying a Spitfire for RAF No. 64 Squadron, has some kind of mechanical or weather issue and crashes into the sea near Beverley, Yorkshire. It is a typical incident, no glory, an accident, just another casualty of the war. However, sometimes we remember an individual now and then. His name is listed at the Air Forces Memorial, or Runnymede Memorial, in Englefield Green, near Egham, Surrey, England.

Hauptmann Helmut Wick receives the Oak Leaves for his 40th victory on the 5th.

Oblt. Werner Streib, Gruppenkommanduer of I./NJG 1 is awarded the Ritterkruez. He is instrumental in developing the Luftwaffe's night fighter force.

Perhaps the biggest news of the day is that the Luftwaffe has a new version of the Bf 109 to play with. Geschwaderkommodore Werner Mölders of JG 51, the top scorer in the battle, is given the honor of being the first to fly the new Bf 109 F-1 WNr. 5628 'SG+GW' in action. The weather is so bad that he makes no interceptions.

European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Bomber Command bombs several ports along the Channel coast, including Boulogne, Calais, and Ostend. along with the airfield at Diepholz. Coastal Command attacks a German convoy off the Dutch coast and loses a Hudson.

HMS Poulmic.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-123 (Karl-Heinz Moehle), U-103 (Kptl. Viktor Schütze)  and U-37 (Victor Oehrn) are all operating in the general area of the trade routes about 400 miles west of Ireland. This is becoming a favored spot by the U-boats based in France and Norway.

U-123 torpedoes and sinks 5943-ton British cargo ship Benlawers at 13:04. The Benlawers is loaded with trucks and other goods destined for British forces at Cairo. There are 27 survivors and 24 men perish. The Benlawers is a straggler from Convoy OB 221.

U-103 torpedoes and sinks 6123-ton Norwegian tanker Nina Borthen in the same general area as U-123's success at 22:04. The tanker refuses to sink, so the U-boat puts two more torpedoes into it at 22:14 and 22:38 - but it remains afloat. Finally, a fourth torpedo at 23:30 does the trick. There are no survivors, all 35 onboard perish. The Nina Borthen had been dispersed from Convoy OA 222.

U-37 (Kplt. Victor Oehrn), also operating in the same area, spots 6989-ton British tanker British General. Tankers are notoriously difficult for U-boats to sink due to their internal structures, and the British General has deck guns. The tanker also is empty, which gives its crew some flexibility in counter-flooding. U-37 puts one torpedo into it at 18:55 and the second at 23:10, but the tanker remains afloat and the U-boat cannot surface to use its deck gun due to the British General's armament. This is one instance where a deck gun plays a vital role in assuring a merchant ship's survival for a while. The ship remains afloat as the day ends, but the U-37 is waiting patiently to finish it off. The British General has been dispersed from Convoy OA 222.

British 910 ton freighter Jersey Queen hits a mine laid by German destroyers and sinks a couple of miles from St. Anthony Point in the English Channel. Two crewmen perish. This sinking is uncertain, and some sources claim it was sunk by the Luftwaffe.

British 300 ton auxiliary minesweeper HMS Poulmic (Le Poulmic, seized from France) also hits a mine and sinks in the same general area off Penlee Point, Cornwall. Divers describe the wreck - a popular dive spot - as being all strewn about as if caused by a particularly violent explosion.

British 84 ton coastal freighter Scotch Thistle runs aground in the Thames Estuary and is written off.

Swedish trawler Hugin hits a mine and sinks in the Skagerak.

Convoys OA 225 and Convoy FS 302 depart from Methil, Convoy FN 301 departs from Southend, Convoy OL 6 departs from Liverpool.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, as he is wont to do, conducts a surprise snap inspection of army units in northern Italy. The Roman press drops hints about "big things" in the offing.

Italian submarine Tricheco mistakes her fellow submarine Gemma for an enemy and torpedoes and sinks it five miles south of Karpathos (near Leros) in the Dodecanese. Everyone aboard perishes. The Italian Naval Command (Supermarina) fails at notifying both crews of the others' presence.

Yugoslavian 1919 ton freighter Vido hits a mine about 18 km off of Sulina, Romania in the Black Sea. The crew beaches the ship.

At Malta, there are no air raids, continuing a lengthy pause in operations. There are various patrols by Short Sunderland Flying Boats that spot an Italian hospital ship and a Greek freighter, but otherwise, it is a very uneventful day.

Anglo/US Relations: The US destroyers that arrived in Halifax on the 5th are turned over to the Royal Navy pursuant to the destroyers-for-bases deal.

• USS Branch -> HMS Beverley, 
• USS Hunt -> HMS Broadway, 
• USS Mason -> the HMS Broadwater, 
• USS Satterlee -> HMS Belmont, 
• USS Laub -> HMS Burwell, 
• USS Aulick -> HMS Burnham, 
• USS Edwards -> HMS Buxton, and 
• USS McLanahan -> HMS Bradford.

Horia Sima, Antonescu and King Michael I of Romania, 1940

Romania: Ion Antonescu presides over a massive rally by the Iron Guard in Budapest. He thereby skillfully creates the appearance of being in charge of the Iron Guard, when in fact that position is still held by Horia Sima. In fact, Antonescu, for now, continues a relatively moderate policy of tolerating the opposition parties (PNT and PNL) without massive reprisals or persecutions.

The Iron Guard pledges allegiance to Antonescu and Sima. The Iron Guard has gained a poor historical reputation for fascism and violence, but at least its ethos has a mystical, heroic quality that transcends current politics:

Walk only on the path of honour. Fight and never exhibit cowardice. Leave to lesser men the ways of infamy. Better to fall in battle, struggling on the path of honour, than to win the battle through the ways of infamy.

 - Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, leader of the Iron Guard in "Cărticica şefului de cuib."

American Homefront: Game 5 of the World Series. The Detroit Tigers win, 8-0, and lead the series 3-2 (best of 7).

The Tigers' Dick Bartell heads home in the first inning of Game 5 of the World Series. Center fielder Mike McCormick throws him out.

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

2020

Saturday 20 July 1940

London schoolchildren during an air raid drill ordered by the London Board of Education, July 20, 1940. The rules are to go to the middle of the room, away from windows, and hold their hands over the backs of their necks.

Battle of Britain: There is good weather over the Channel on 20 July 1940, a big change from the last few days. The Luftwaffe continues to focus on shipping, which has the added benefit of drawing the RAF up for combat, which the Germans hope will wear the RAF out. There are several large dogfights during the day, but some produce no downed planes.

During the afternoon, the Luftwaffe attacks destroyer HMS Acheron off the Isle of Wight. It is damaged by near misses and proceeds to Portsmouth for repairs. The Luftwaffe loses two Bf 109s of II,/JG51, while the RAF loses three fighters of No. 32 Squadron. Joseph "Pips" Priller, one of the Luftwaffe's great aces, gets one of the kills.

Luftwaffe Stukas of II,/StG1 attacks Convoy CW 7 off Dover. They sink destroyer HMS Brazen (sinks on the 21st, one death) and 960 ton freighter Pulborough, while damaging 710 ton freighter Westown and Norwegian freighters Kollskegg and Nina Borthen. The Germans lose two planes from 3,/JG27. The RAF loses three fighters.

Losses for the day are roughly even. The British lose 5 Hurricanes, a Spitfire and a Blenheim bomber, and the Luftwaffe lose 6 fighters, a couple of bombers and a seaplane.

The Gruppenkommandeur of JG27, Major Helmut Riegel, is shot down over Sark, Dover by Hurricanes of RAF No. 501 Squadron. His replacement is Major Eduard Neumann.

S/L Aeneas RD "Don" MacDonell of No 64 Squadron RAF, one of the pilots fighting over the convoys in the Channel.

European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends 24 aircraft against the German airfield at Flushing.

At night, RAF Bomber Command sends raids against Düsseldorf and Wismar. A force from Hemswell-Lincolnshire attacks battleship Tirpitz, under construction at Wilhelmshaven, but makes no hits.

The German night fighter force gets its first victory. Pilot Werner Streib of 2,/NJG1, in a prototype Do 17Z (one of a kind), shoots down a British Whitley bomber over the Ruhr without the use of radar. This kind of night visual interception will later be known as "Wild Boar." Streib himself becomes known as “The Father of Night Fighting.”

The Luftwaffe conducts minelaying operations off England, and the Germans lose an FW200C of 1,/KG40. The Luftwaffe bombs Stirling during the night, causing some damage to vehicles at the Royal Ordnance Factory in Forthside.

Reichsmarschall Goering orders Oberst (Colonel) Josef Kammhuber to follow up on the decisions made on 26 June and organize an expanded night fighter force. Kammhuber, a good organizer who briefly had been a prisoner of the French, will command the force. Kammhuber sets to work preparing a night fighter defensive line across Europe for Nachtverteidigung, or the protection of the skies. This becomes known as the Kammhuber Line, and Kammhuber effectively becomes the Night Fighter Czar with priority to get whatever equipment he needs.

3,/JG77 begins operating out of Tempelhof Airport in defense of Berlin.

Werner Streib (1911 - 1986).

Battle of the Atlantic: British 4886 ton Freighter Troutpool hits a mine and sinks near Bangor Pier. There are 11 deaths.

Destroyers HMS Havelock and Vanoc collide near Liverpool, but the damage is minor.

The British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow receives an erroneous report that German battlecruiser Gneisenau had left its port at Trondheim. It organizes its forces to intercept, but the report is proven false.

Convoy OA 187 departs from Methil, Convoy OB 186 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL 40F departs from Freetown.

Battle of the Mediterranean: HMS Eagle launches airstrikes by Swordfish torpedo bombers on Tobruk, trying to finish off the damaged Italian cruiser Bande Nere. They sink Italian destroyers Ostro and Nembo in Tobruk Harbor, also damaging 2333 ton freighter Sereno. The British lose two planes. The Italians abandon Tobruk as a naval base, though of course, it remains a formidable fortress.

At Malta, there is an air raid at 02:42 by three airplanes which attacks the airbase at Hal Far and at Kalafrana. The raid causes extensive damage at Kalafrana, damaging a Sunderland Flying Boat and other assets. One of the Italian planes is damaged.

Morale at Malta is faltering, so the War Office plans a propaganda campaign to prop up the citizens' spirits.

German Military: Wehrmacht soldiers are warned to avoid too much mingling with the French in Paris and to patronize Wehrmacht coffee shops and canteens (which are being set up). France, particularly Paris, quickly is gaining a reputation as the favorite billet for Wehrmacht soldiers.

British Government: With Hitler having given his "Last Appeal to Reason" speech to the Reichstag on the 19th, there are some within the British government who at least want to open some kind of negotiations with the Reich. Churchill, however, remains adamantly opposed.

The Ministry of Home Security gives statistics on recent civilian casualties. During the month beginning 18 June 1940, there have been 336 civilian deaths and 476 other casualties.

Churchill continues to reshuffle the military top commands. He appoints Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, the former BEF commander, Inspector of Training and the Home Guard. Sir Alan Brooke, the new commander of the Home Guard, has full authority, so this is a meaningless post. However, Gort remains under consideration for posts with real authority, though not for anything critical.

New Zealand: The Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Air Staff depart Auckland and head for Suva on HMS Achilles for conferences.

France: New Hebrides Islands residents vote to join Charles de Gaulle's "New France."

Vichy France installs Admiral Decoux as Governor-General of French Indochina in place of General Catroux. This solidifies Vichy France's control over this sensitive foreign possession.

Dutch Homefront: In retaliation for the refusal of Dutch colonies to surrender, the Germans arrest Dutch leaders.

Italian Homefront: The University of Rome seeks the return of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre.

British Homefront: New car sales are banned.

American Homefront: Glenn Miller tops the charts with "The Woodpecker."

The first Highland Park segment of the Arroyo Seco Parkway on its opening day, July 20, 1940. Courtesy of the Herald-Examiner Collection, Los Angeles Public Library.

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