Day 381 September 15, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 68. With fine weather, Luftwaffe makes one last effort to cripple RAF in time for invasion to take place. Coincidentally, Winston Churchill and his wife visit AVM Park’s No. 11 Group Headquarters at Uxbridge. At 11.30 AM, 250 German bombers with fighter escorts cross the coast in 2 waves and are intercepted, about 100 bombers arriving to bomb London. At 2.30 PM, another 250 bombers attack in 2 waves and about 70 reach London. On both occasions, Douglas Bader’s Big Wing of 4 squadron rips into the bombers over London (mostly without escort fighters). At 4 Pm and 6 PM, Spitfire factory at Woolston, Southampton, is bombed with little damage. Every squadron and every airfield of No. 11 Group participate during the day. RAF loses 25 fighters (13 pilots killed) but RAF is clearly capable of mounting a vigorous defense. Germans lose 56 aircraft. Overnight, London is bombed as well as South Wales, Bristol Channel, the Midlands and Liverpool. http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/0041.html
http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/0042.html

Just after midnight 200 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-99 shells Canadian SS Kenordoc with the deck gun. 7 crew are killed and 13 more rescued by destroyers HMCS St. Laurent and HMS Amazon, which also scuttles Kenordoc. At 00.25 in the same area, U-48 sinks British sloop HMS Dundee, the only escort vessel of convoy SC-3 (12 lives lost, 83 crew rescued). U-48 continues attacking the convoy; at 1.23 AM, torpedoing Greek SS Alexandros which stay afloat on its cargo of timber (5 killed, 23 survivors are picked up by destroyer HMS Wanderer), and at 3 AM, sinking British SS Empire Volunteer carrying 7700 tons of iron ore (6 killed, 33 survivors). At 6.05 AM 180 miles West of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, U-65 sinks Norwegian MV Hird (which had evacuated 3500 Allied soldiers from Dunkirk). All 30 crew abandon ship and are rescued by Icelandic trawler Þórólfur and landed at Fleetwood, England on September 17. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/522.html