Day 428 November 1, 1940

Greece. In the middle of the Italian front, 11,000 elite mountain troops of 3rd Alpine Division Julia have the task of taking the mountain pass at Metsovo. 25 miles from Albania, this pass carries the only road for Greek movements East-West through the Pindus Mountains. They are faced by 2,000 Greek troops (2 infantry battalions, a cavalry troop and 2 artillery batteries, commanded by Colonel Konstantinos Davakis) who use their knowledge of the terrain to move along the hill tops and trap the Julia Division in the Vovousa valley 5 miles short of their objective.
http://www.enkripto.com/2008/10/october-28-1940.html
British cruiser HMS Ajax lands troops (2nd Battalion, York & Lancaster Regiment) to reinforce the garrison at Suda Bay on the Greek island of Crete. Italian bombers attack HMS Ajax, scoring several near misses but doing no serious damage.

German bombers attack shipping in the Thames estuary, sinking steamer Letchworth (1 killed) and badly damaging patrol sloop HMS Pintail (10 killed, 3 wounded). HMS Pintail will be under repair in London until February 1941. They also sink minesweeping trawler HMT Tilbury Ness (10 killed; survivors are rescued by anti-aircraft ship Royal Eagle, which also shoots down one of the bombers, and tug Salvo).

At 7.06 AM, 400 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-124 sinks British SS Empire Bison carrying 6067 tons of scrap steel and 94 trucks from USA. 30 crew and 1 gunner are killed. 3 crew and 1 passenger are picked up by Danish merchant Olga S.

Sloop HMS Black Swan hits a mine in the Firth of Forth, Scotland (no fatalities). Black Swan will be towed to Dundee for repairs, completed in April 1941.

Day 427 October 31, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 114 – Last Day. Despite cloud, haze and drizzle, Luftwaffe mounts numerous reconnaissance flights and ineffective single aircraft bombing raids on RAF airfields in South England. The weather and lack of real threat prevent RAF from responding so there are no losses on either side. Bad weather also hampers overnight bombing. London is bombed from 6.30 – 9 PM while London and the Midlands are bombed from 2.45 – 6 AM. Although night bombing continues for many months and there are sporadic German daytime raids, Luftwaffe has been contained by RAF and the threat of a German invasion of Britain is over. RAF has lost 915 fighters while 1733 German planes have been shot down. RAF recognizes 2936 Fighter Command aircrew (mostly pilots) from14 countries who were awarded the Battle of Britain Clasp to the 1939–45 Star by flying at least one authorised operational sortie from July 10 to October 31 1940. 544 were killed in Battle of Britain and another 795 died later in the war, leaving 1597 who survived WWII. About 100 of those are still alive today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_RAF_aircrew_in_the_Battle_of_Britain

At 9.58 PM, 300 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-124 sinks British SS Rutland which is carrying bananas from Jamaica (all 24 hands lost).

German armed merchant cruiser Widder arrives at Brest after 179 days at sea in the mid-Atlantic, sinking 10 ships for 58,645 tons. Captain Helmuth von Ruckteschell will be convicted after the war as a war criminal for his conduct on this short voyage and die in prison. http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/widder.html

Italy’s invasion of Greece begins to stall. Their troops lose momentum in the face of resistance from Greek screening forces in the rugged terrain of the Epirus Mountains along the Albanian border. Many Italians die in frontal assaults on well dug-in Greek positions. With the agreement of the Greek government, British forces land on the islands of Lemnos and Crete in the Aegean Sea, as a defensive move to prevent their occupation by an Italian amphibious landing. Greek destroyers Spetsai and Psara depart the Gulf of Patras and use their 120mm guns to bombard Italian troops on the Ionian coast of Albania and Northern Greece. Greek naval activity and the presence of the British Royal Navy persuade the Italian Navy to abandon plans for landing on Corfu.

Day 426 October 30, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 113. Despite low cloud and continuous drizzle, there are a few German reconnaissance flights over South England and patrols in the English Channel. Luftwaffe sends 2 sweeps of 130-150 fighters over Kent and London at 11.30 AM and 3.40 PM. Some RAF squadrons cannot take off due to the weather and consequently bombs are dropped in Kent and Southeast London. 8 Messerschmitt Bf109 fighters and 1 Heinkel He111 bomber are shot down. RAF loses 5 fighters (4 pilots killed). Overnight, London and towns in Southeast England are heavily bombed from 6.30 – 9 PM and then sporadically until 1 AM. Towns in the Midlands are also attacked but all German planes have returned to base by 3.30 AM.

2 days after sinking liner Empress of Britain, U-32’s captain Hans Jenisch attacks British SS Balzac in a rainstorm 100 miles Northwest of Ireland. At 12.40 PM, U-32 fires a torpedo which explodes prematurely. Balzac’s radio alert is picked up 45 miles away by destroyers HMS Harvester and Highlander, escorting convoy SC-8. Highlander arrives as U-32 is preparing to fire another torpedo. U-32 dives and tries to torpedo Highlander but is damaged by depth charges. At 7.08 PM, U-32 surfaces hoping to escape in the rain and darkness but is shelled by the destroyer (killing 9 crew). Unable to dive again, the crew abandons ship and scuttles U-32 (29 crew rescued by HMS Harvester and 4 by HMS Highlander). To hide the capture of Hans Jenisch (U-boat ace, Knights Cross recipient and celebrated sinker of Empress of Britain), German propaganda broadcasts a fake account of his triumphant return home.

2 British destroyers come to grief in stormy weather off Scotland. At 00.41, HMS Fearless collides with steamer SS Lanark off Gourock, causing heavy damage to her bow which will take until the end of the year to repair. HMS Sturdy runs aground and is wrecked on Tiree, an island in the Inner Hebrides (5 sailors drown swimming ashore and are buried on the island in the Soroby burial ground).

Day 425 October 29, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 112. Despite overcast skies, Luftwaffe mounts strenuous attacks from 10.25 AM until 5 PM (4 raids towards London and 2 over Portsmouth on the South coast). These are more than the nuisance raids of previous days, with up to 40 medium bombers escorted by Messerschmitt fighters (London and Portsmouth both suffer some bomb damage). At dusk, airfields in East Anglia, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire are attacked by dive bombing Ju88s and Bf109s. Germans lose 22 Bf109s, 3 Bf110s and 2 Dornier Do17 bombers. RAF loses 7 fighters including 2 destroyed by bombs when taking off from North Weald airfield (2 pilots killed). 15 Fiat BR20M bombers of the Corpo Aereo Italiano bomb Ramsgate in formation, wing tip to wing tip, and 5 are hit by anti-aircraft fire. There is heavy night bombing of Birmingham and Coventry & London is also bombed.

Following invasion by Italian troops from Albania, Greece requests help from Britain by invoking Chamberlain’s guarantee of 13 April 1939 ("in the event of any action being taken which clearly threatened the independence of Greece, His Majesty's Government would feel themselves bound at once to lend all the support in their power"). A joint reconnaissance party of all 3 British services lands at Suda Bay on the island of Crete in a flying boat. A flotilla of 4 British battleships, 2 aircraft carriers, 19 destroyers and various other vessels leaves Alexandria, Egypt, to sweep the seas around Crete of Italian warships. They are carrying 158 sailors from damaged cruiser HMS Liverpool as a base defense party to reinforce Suda Bay.

At 10.00 PM, U-31 torpedoes and sinks the drifting wreck of SS Matina (destroyed by U-28 on October 26). In the Bay of Biscay, U-29 rendezvous with German armed merchant cruiser Widder. Widder is returning from raiding in the mid-Atlantic with worn out engines at a speed of 5 knots (the journey has taken 13 days). http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/MaraudersWW2/4Widder.html

Day 424 October 28, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 111. Mist and fog over Northern France and Southeastern England in the morning hamper operations, but Luftwaffe launches 3 raids in the afternoon. At 1 PM and 2.30 PM, 20 Messerschmitt Bf109 fighters fly across Kent towards Biggin Hill but are turned back. From 4.30 PM until 5.10 PM, several groups of 30-80 German aircraft (mainly bomb-carrying Bf109s with some medium bombers) attack simultaneously across Kent and South coast of England. They do not reach London but many sites in Southern England are bombed. Bomb-laden Bf109s do not provide much protection for the medium bombers and 2 Ju88s are shot down plus 2 Bf109s. RAF loses no fighters in the action. London and Birmingham are again bombed overnight, but not heavily.

At 2.05 AM, 50 miles Northwest of Aran Island, Ireland, U-32 sinks British troop carrier Empress of Britain with 2 torpedoes (25 crew and 20 passengers killed). At 42,348 tons, Empress of Britain is the largest U-boat victim and the largest liner sunk during WWII. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/643.html

At dawn, before the expiry of the Italian ultimatum, 85,000 Italian troops cross the border from Albania into Greece, supported by 400 aircraft and 163 tanks. They are faced by 30,000 Greek troops with no tanks and only 77 aircraft. 5,000 Italian troops advance 5 miles along the Ionian coast and are able to cross the Kalamas River. Further inland, however, the Italians make little progress in the steep mountainous terrain where their tanks are useless and bad weather grounds their air support.

Between October 28 and November 7, German raider Pinguin and auxilliary minelayer Passat (converted Norwegian taker Storstad) laid mines off the ports of Sydney, Newcastle and Hobart, off Adelaide in the Banks Strait, off Tasmania and in the Bass Strait on the approaches to Melbourne.

Day 423 October 27, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 110. Despite cloudy weather, Luftwaffe sends 5 raids of 50-60 aircraft between 8AM and 5 PM (mostly bomb-carrying Messerschmitt Bf109 fighters with a few medium bombers). At dusk, German bombers attack 14 RAF airfields, causing much minor damage. RAF shoots down 6 Luftwaffe fighters and 2 bombers. 2 more German bombers are downed by anti-aircraft fire. RAF loses 8 fighters (4 pilots killed). Night bombing is widespread but London and Liverpool are the main targets. Italian Fiat BR20M bombers of the Corpo Aereo Italiano (Italian Air Corps) are in action again attacking Ramsgate.

At 9.30 AM, a boarding party from destroyer HMS Broke attaches tow ropes to the burning hulk of liner Empress of Britain which was bombed yesterday. Rescue tugs HMS Marauder and HMS Thames take Empress of Britain in tow towards the Clyde River in Scotland, escorted by destroyers HMS Broke and Sardonyx (with air cover from Sunderland flying boats until nightfall). However, U-32 vectors in on the small convoy, remaining submerged to avoid the Sunderlands.

70 miles Southeast of the Azores, Italian submarine Nani sinks Swedish steamer Meggie (all hands rescued).

Free French forces from Cameroon invade Vichy French Gabon (in French Equatorial Africa). They penetrate 70 miles and take the town of Mitzic.

Late in the evening, Italian ambassador in Athens Emanuele Grazzi issues an ultimatum from Mussolini, demanding that Italian troops be allowed occupy strategic points in Greece. Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas rejects the ultimatum, noting "Alors, c'est la guerre" (Then, it's war). The Greeks know of the Italian plans and have already mobilized in the areas facing the expected attack.

Day 422 October 26, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 109. From 7 AM to 6.30 PM, there are continuous small raids of German fighter/bombers (mostly Messerschmitt Bf109s) over Kent and a major sweep of 80 aircraft at 11.30, with several aircraft reaching London. Again, there is little damage to airfields or towns including London. Germans lose 4 Bf109s. 2 RAF fighters are shot down (both pilots killed). At 5.45 PM, German bombers at very low altitude attack RAF Lossiemouth in Northeast Scotland, destroying 1 Blenheim and damaging 2 more. 1 Heinkel He111 is caught in the explosion of its own bombs and crashes. Overnight, London, Manchester, Liverpool and other cities in the Midlands are bombed.

At 4.32 AM, U-28 hits British SS Matina (carrying 1500 tons of bananas from Jamaica) with a torpedo 250 miles Northwest of Ireland. U-28 surfaces and hits Matina with 15 rounds from her deckgun. 67 crew and 2 gunners abandon ship in the lifeboats but are never seen again.

At 9.20 AM, 70 miles Northwest of Aran Island, Ireland, two 250kg bombs from a German Fw200 Condor bomber set fire to British liner Empress of Britain (now converted into a troop ship, carrying military personnel and their families from Egypt to Britain). Most of the 416 crew members, 2 gunners and 205 passengers abandon ship and are rescued by British destroyer HMS Echo, anti-submarine trawler HMS Cape Arcona and Polish destoyer Burza. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/643.html

Day 421 October 25, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 108. Overnight, while RAF bombs Hamburg and Berlin causing considerable casualties, 16 Italian Fiat BR20M bombers of the Corpo Aereo Italiano bomb Felixstowe and Harwich from bases in Belgium (1 crashes on take off, 2 others get lost on the return flight and crash). During the day, clouds lift and visibility improves. Luftwaffe steps up activity, with increased reconnaissance flights and patrols in the English Channel. 4 groups of 50-200 Messerschmitt Bf109s sweep over Kent and of up to 30 fighters reach London. However, there is little damage to airfields or towns, including London. Germans lose 14 Bf109s and 10 RAF fighters are shot down (3 pilots killed). Minesweeping trawler HMT Lord Inchcape hits a mine and sinks off Plymouth. At dusk, He111 bombers raid Montrose airfield, Scotland. Overnight, London and Birmingham are the main targets, but Pembroke, Cardiff and Liverpool and the Midlands are also bombed. A German bomber is shot down by 219 Squadron in the English Channel near Brighton.

3 RAF Lockheed Hudson bombers attack U-46 in the Atlantic, wounding Matrosengefreiter (Able Seaman) Plaep who dies next day.

British gunboat HMS Aphis bombards Italian troops 15 miles East of the Italian garrison at Sidi Barrani, Egypt.

Day 420 October 24, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 107. Low cloud and drizzle again restrict Luftwaffe to reconnaissance flights. 1 Dornier Do17 is shot down in the English Channel and another approaching Coventry. There are no RAF losses. Overnight bombing of London is light but Birmingham is heavily bombed.

In Operation DNU, British battlecruisers HMS Hood and Repulse plus 2 cruisers and 8 destroyers conduct a sweep of the Norwegian coast hoping to engage German shipping. Their only victim is German weather ship WBS5 (trawler Adolf Vinnen) sunk by destroyers HMS Somali, Matabele & Punjabi, 30 miles off the Stadlandet peninsula between Bergen and Trondheim.

At 11.35, in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, a depth charge on board British destroyer HMS Mendip explodes, blowing off her stern. Mendip will be repaired at the Tyne until February 17, 1941.

Hitler's armoured train arrives in Montoire, France, to meet French Prime Minister Philippe Pétain. After meeting with Franco yesterday, Hitler tries to persuade France to join the war against England. Pétain indicates he is only willing “to collaborate”, words that will cost him his freedom in 1945. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H25217,_Henry_Philippe_Petain_und_Adolf_Hitler.jpg

Day 419 October 23, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 106. The weather deteriorates further with poor visibility due to low cloud and drizzle. Luftwaffe mounts only reconnaissance flights and sporadic raids of single bomb-carrying fighters. No fighters are shot down by either side. There is relatively light night bombing of London and Glasgow and minelaying off the Yorkshire coast in Northeast England.

In an attempt to bring Fascist Spain into the war on the side of Germany, Hitler travels to Hendaye, Southern France, to meet General Franco. Over 9 hours of negotiations, Hitler offers Gibraltar and territory in North Africa to Spain but Franco demands French Catalonia (North of the Pyrenees), almost all of Morocco and a large chunk of Algeria. Hitler later confides (to Mussolini) that he would rather have 3 or 4 teeth pulled out than continue the discussions.

10 more WWI-era US Navy destroyers are transferred to Royal Navy at Halifax, Nova Scotia, for escort duty as part of the “destroyers for bases” deal between Churchill and Roosevelt.

Day 418 October 22, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 105. Widespread fog in the morning restricts Luftwaffe to reconnaissance flights. In the afternoon, fog clears to rain and Luftwaffe sends 2 fighter sweeps, 1 over Kent and 1 over Southeast London and Thames Estuary (3 Bf109s shot down, 6 REF fighters shot down with 4 pilots killed). 2 minesweeping trawler hits mines and sink. HMT Joseph Button sinks 6 miles off Aldeburgh, Suffolk, (5 killed) and HMT Hickory sinks in the English Channel, South of Weymouth (24 killed). Night bombing of London is light but Liverpool is attacked and Coventry is heavily bombed from 8-10 PM, starting 150 fires and causing much damage.

Canadian destroyer HMCS Margaree, escorting convoy OL-8, collides with freighter Port Fairy 300 miles West of Ireland and sinks (142 crew lost, 34 rescued by Port Fairy). HMCS Margaree had previously been in the Royal Navy as HMS Diana and had been commissioned into the Canadian Navy on September 6. Most of the crew had survived the sinking of destroyer HMCS Fraser on June 25 after a collision with cruiser HMS Calcutta.

Day 417 October 21, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 104. Typical British Autumn weather (clouds, fog and drizzle) restricts Luftwaffe to reconnaissance and numerous single aircraft raids, mainly from 11 AM to 2 PM. Fog on the ground prevents many RAF squadrons from taking off in response. As a result, there is bombing of London, Lancashire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Sussex and Kent. 1 Ju88 bomber is shot down and RAF loses no fighters. Dover is shelled again from 2-4 PM but most of the 6 shells do not explode. British motor torpedo boat MTB-17 hits a mine and sinks off Ostend. Minesweeping trawler HMS Waveflower hits a mine and sinks off Alderburgh, Suffolk (15 dead, 7 rescued by another minesweeping trawler HMS Thomas Leeds). London, Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Liverpool and South Wales are bombed heavily until 1 AM.

At 2.19 AM, in the Red Sea, Italian destroyers Manin, Sauro, Battisti & Nullo, from Massawa in Italian-held Eritrea, attack convoy BN-7 from Bombay. New Zealand cruiser HMNZS Leander and other convoy escorts drive the Italian destroyers away. Italian destroyer Nullo is badly damaged by shellfire from British destroyer HMS Kimberley & Australian sloop HMAS Yarra. Nullo is chased back towards base at Massawa by HMS Kimberley but runs aground on nearby Hormi Island (and is later destroyed by British bombing). HMS Kimberley is hit by shore guns at Massawa (3 wounded).

Day 416 October 20, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 103. Luftwaffe takes advantage of clearing mist to send 5 raids of fighters, some carrying bombs, over Kent towards London, between 9.30 AM and 3 PM. Luftwaffe loses 6 Bf109s and 1 Bf110 while RAF loses 3 fighters (none of the pilots are killed). Dover is again shelled by German heavy artillery in Calais but only 15 out of 50 explode. Italian BR20 bombers, Cant Z1007 long range bombers, G50 fighters and CR42 fighters are reported to be in Belgium to begin operations against England. From 7 PM to 1 AM, there is heavy bombing of London, Coventry and Birmingham.

U-46 and U-47 continue attacking convoy HX-79 50 miles Northwest of Ireland, joined by U-100 fresh from the attack on convoy SC-7. They sink 7 ships and damage 1 more between midnight and 7.20 AM. U-100 sinks British SS Loch Lomond (1 killed). 111 survivors, including all 72 men rescued last night from SS Matheran, are picked up by minesweeper HMS Jason. 200 miles further West, U-124 sinks Norwegian SS Cubano (2 killed) and British SS Sulaco (63 crew members and 2 gunners killed). 29 crew from Cubano escape in lifeboats and pick up the sole survivor from Sulaco, chief cook James Thompson Harvey. They are all rescued the next day by destroyer HMCS Saguenay.

Using papers captured from submarine Durbo on October 18, British destroyers HMS Gallant, Griffin & Hotspur locate Italian submarine Lafole in the Mediterranean off Mellila, Morocco. HMS Hotspur rams Lafole which sinks (37 crew killed, 2 rescued by HMS Gallant and 7 by Hotspur). Hotspur’s bow is severely damage and she will be under repair until February 20 1941.

Day 415 October 19, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 102. Clouds and mist in the English Channel and Northern France again restrict Luftwaffe to reconnaissance and a few single aircraft raids. 2 Ju88 bombers are shot down, 1 near Maidstone, Kent, and another near Falmouth, Cornwall. 60 German fighters, some carrying bombs, fly over Kent to Central London at 2.30 PM and are engaged by 5 RAF squadrons. 2 RAF fighters are shot down (1 pilot killed). Destroyer HMS Venetia hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary, 10 miles North of Herne Bay, Kent (35 crew killed, 18 wounded). There is very heavy night bombing London, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester and Coventry.

U-99, U-100, U-101 and U-123 continue attacking convoy SC-7, 100 miles Northwest of Ireland, and 10 ships are torpedoed between midnight and 5 AM. U-123 sinks British SS Shekatika which was abandoned yesterday after being hit by U-100 and U-123 (it has taken a total of 5 torpedoes to sink her). U-99 sinks Norwegian SS Snefjeld (all 21 crew escape in a launch and accumulate survivors from other ships until picked up by corvette HMS Clematis on October 23). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/615.html

150 miles further West, U-38, U-46 and U-47 attack convoy HX-79, sinking 5 ships and damaging tanker SS Shirak.

A violent storm in the Gulf of St. Lawrence sinks Canadian auxiliary minesweeper HMCS Bras d'Or (all 30 hands lost), escorting Rumanian freighter Ingener N. Vlassopol from Quebec to Sydney, Nova Scotia (where slower merchant ships assembled before setting out in convoy for Britain). http://merchantships2.tripod.com/brasdor/brasdor.html

Day 414 October 18, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 101. Again, fog in Southern England restricts Luftwaffe activity to reconnaissance and single aircraft raids throughout the day. There are few engagements and no aircraft are shot down. Between 11.37 AM to 1.11 PM, German guns near Calais fire 10 shells at Dover but only two explode. Anti-submarine trawler HMT Kingston Cairngorm hits a mine in the English Channel and is taken in tow but sinks the next day. Night bombing of London is on a reduced scale but the Rose and Crown Pub in Lambeth is demolished by a direct hit at 8.25 PM, killing 42 with 6 injured. Liverpool and Birmingham are heavily bombed, receiving considerable damage.

Off Alboran Island, 120 miles East of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean, 2 Saro London flying boats of RAF 202 Squadron from Gibraltar spot Italian submarine Durbo. British destroyers HMS Firedrake & Wrestler attack with depth charges forcing Durbo to the surface. The crew scuttles Durbo but, before she sinks, British sailors manage to go aboard and capture secret papers revealing the location of other Italian submarines in the Mediterranean. Durbo’s crew of 48 is taken prisoner, taken to Gibraltar and sent to England aboard troopship Reina Del Pacifico (and later to camps in USA). http://www.hmsfiredrake.co.uk/firedrake20.htm

German submarine chasers (U-Jäger) UJ-116 and UJ-118 sink British WWI-era submarine H-49 (21 killed, 1 survivor taken prisoner) off Texel Island on the Dutch coast.

At 6.36 AM, U-38 torpedoes British SS Carsbreck in convoy SC-7, which stays afloat on its cargo of lumber. 4 other U-boats (U-99, U-100, U-101 and U-123) converge and attack convoy SC-7, 100 miles Northwest of Ireland. Between 10 PM and midnight, 10 steamers are torpedoed. U-99 sinks British Fiscus (38 killed, 1 survivor clings to floating debris and will be found next day by a lifeboat from another ship). U-100 and U-123 both torpedo British SS Shekatika but she does not sink (all 36 crew escape in lifeboats). 400 miles further Northwest, at 10.25 PM, U-48 sinks British SS Sandsend (5 killed).

Day 413 October 17, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 100. Luftwaffe takes advantage of the return of bright weather and sends 4 raids of fighters, some carrying bombs, over Kent and the Thames Estuary towards London between 8.30 AM and 4.30 PM. The largest raid of about 80 aircraft at 3.10 PM is met over East London, Kenley and Biggin Hill by 14 RAF squadrons, which shoot down 4 Messerschmitt Bf109s. RAF loses 3 fighters (all 3 pilots killed). Overnight, London, Liverpool and Birmingham are all heavily bombed.

Minesweeper HMS Dundalk hits a mine 20 miles Northeast of Harwich on the East coast of England (4 killed, 7 wounded) and is taken in tow but sinks early the next day. German motor torpedo boats S-24 and S-27 attack convoy FN.311 in the North Sea, 10 miles off Lowestoft, Norfolk. British steamer Hauxley is torpedoed (1 crewman lost) and taken in tow by destroyer HMS Worcester but sinks the next day.

4 German destroyers and 6 torpedo boats leave Brest, France, to attack shipping in the Bristol Channel but they are spotted by British reconnaissance aircraft at 7.19 AM. British cruisers HMS Newcastle & Emerald and 5 destroyers leave Plymouth at 11.00 AM and sight the German ships at 4 PM. After an exchange of shellfire at a distance of 11 miles lasting until 6 PM, both sides retire with no damage reported.

U-93 continues the attack on convoy OA-228 300 miles Northwest of the Outer Hebrides, sinking Norwegian SS Dokka at 3.17 AM (10 killed, 7 crew escape on two rafts and are picked up by sloop HMS Folkestone and landed in Sydney, Australia, on October 23) and British SS Uskbridge at 3.39 AM (2 killed, 6 crew picked up and transferred to British SS Cristales and landed at Bermuda). U-93 is attacked 3 times during the day (depth charged at 4 AM by HMS Folkestone, depth charged again at 10.15 AM, and bombed in the evening by a Sunderland aircraft) but suffers no damage. At 5.53 AM, U-48 fires 3 torpedoes at convoy SC-7 400 miles Northwest of Ireland, sinking British SS Scoresby and stopping British tanker Languedoc (carrying 13,700 tons of fuel oil). Corvette HMS Bluebell scuttles tanker Languedoc with gunfire and also picks up all 39 crew from Scoresby and all 39 crew from Languedoc (landed at Gourock, Scotland, on 20 October). At 10.52 AM, U-38 sinks Greek SS Aenos with the deck gun (4 killed, 25 survivors picked up by Canadian SS Eaglescliffe Hall).

Day 412 October 16, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 99. Widespread fog over France and Germany severely limits operations during the day. There are some German patrols in the English Channel and single aircraft fly over Kent, the Thames Estuary, Liverpool, Swansea, Cardiff and Gloucester. There are limited engagements with 1 German aircraft damaged over Ashford, Kent, and 1 Hurricane lost (pilot is safe). British motor torpedo boat MTB-106 hits a mine and sinks near the Nore Light Vessel in the Thames Estuary. However, there is heavy overnight bombing of London and other targets in South Wales, Midlands Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham and Perth (Scotland) are bombed until midnight. 2 German bombers crash of unknown causes around 7.30 PM, 1 near Bishops Stortford and another near Denbigh.

At 3.50 AM, U-124 sinks Canadian SS Trevisa 400 miles Northwest of Ireland (7 killed, 14 crew picked up by corvette HMS Bluebell and landed at Gourock, Scotland). British submarine HMS Tigris sinks tiny French trawler Cimcour with gunfire in the Bay of Biscay, 120 miles West of La Rochelle, France.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/596.html

Aircraft from British carrier HMS Furious bomb oil storage tanks and a German seaplane base at Tromso, Norway, and also attack shipping.

Day 411 October 15, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 98. Cloudy in the Straits of Dover but clear over Southern England. Luftwaffe makes 6 fighter-only sweeps, 5 coming in over Kent or up the Thames Estuary to London from 8.15 AM to 4 PM and 1 over Southampton at 12.15 PM. German losses are 16 fighters and 3 bombers while RAF loses 15 fighters (6 pilots killed). Overnight, there is very heavy bombing of London, concentrated on railway lines, dockyards and the old City. In clear moonlight, 400 Luftwaffe bombers drop 530 tons of high explosive bombs (400 killed, 900 injured). German bombers from Cherbourg attack Bristol and bomb Birmingham heavily.

At 1 AM, 100 miles South of Taranto, Italy, British submarine HMS Triad, running on the surface, encounters Italian submarine Enrico Toti. HMS Triad fires first, scoring 2 hits with 4-inch shells from the deck gun but missing with a torpedo. Enrico Toti cannot dive due to a mechanical breakdown but hits Triad with 2 shells and machinegun fire, forcing Triad’s gun crews to take cover below deck. As HMS Triad dives, she is hit by a torpedo & sinks at 1.30 (all 59 hands lost). http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3493.html

Italian submarine Foca sinks while laying a minefield off Haifa, Palestine (now Israel). Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini (one of only 2 submarines to serve in Italian, German and Japanese navies) sinks Belgian steamer Kabalo 800 miles West of Casablanca, Morocco (1 killed, survivors picked up by American steamer Pan American). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_submarine_Comandante_Cappellini

U-93 and U-138 attack convoy OA-228 100 miles Northwest of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Just after midnight, U-93 sinks British SS Hurunui (2 killed, 72 survivors). Between 5.10-5.15 AM, U-138 sinks British SS Bonheur (all crew picked up by anti-submarine trawler HMS Sphene) and damages British tanker MV British Glory (3 killed). At 7.33 PM, U-103 sinks British SS Thistlegarth, 100 miles Northwest of the Outer Hebrides (29 crew members and 1 gunner lost, 9 crew picked up by corvette HMS Heartsease). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/593.html

Day 410 October 14, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 97. Clouds and rain limit flying to reconnaissance over the English Channel, Straits of Dover and Thames Estuary and isolated raids on the English coast (from East Anglia to Portsmouth, Hampshire). No British or German aircraft are lost. Anti-submarine trawler HMT Lord Stamp hits a mine and sinks off Dorset in the English Channel (25 lives lost). Overnight, London is bombed as well as Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool, Blackburn and Preston. At 8.02 PM, a 1400kg armour piercing bomb hits Balham Tube Station, part of the London Underground, which is being used as an air raid shelter. Fractured water mains and sewers flood the Station killing 66 civilians but over 500 escape from shoulder-high water in darkness.

British Mediterranean Fleet is returning from Malta to Alexandria. Aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious detaches to launch air strikes against the Italian Dodecanese island of Leros (now part of Greece), escorted by cruisers HMS Gloucester & Liverpool and 4 destroyers. The group then heads for Alexandria. At 6.55 PM, 50 miles South of Crete, an Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM79 bomber hits cruiser HMS Liverpool with a torpedo, causing an explosion in the aviation fuel store which blows off her bow (30 crew killed, 35 wounded). Liverpool will be towed to Alexandria and then sail with a false bow across the Pacific Ocean to California to be repaired, not returning to service until December 1941.

At 9.28 PM, 100 miles Northwest of Ireland, British armed merchant cruiser HMS Cheshire is hit by one torpedo from U-137, but does not sink. 220 crew members are taken off by Canadian destroyer HMCS Skeena and British corvette HMS Periwinkle. HMS Cheshire will be beached at Belfast and then taken to Liverpool for repairs lasting 6 months. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/2068.html

German armed merchant cruiser Orion stops and scuttles Norwegian steamer Ringwood in the Pacific 600 miles Northwest of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea (35 crew and 1 cat taken prisoner). http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/orion.html

Day 409 October 13, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 96. Fog in the morning restricts flying but then clears. Luftwaffe again mounts raids of mostly fighters. There are 4 raids of 25-50 aircraft from 12.30-4 PM, attacking London and airfields in Kent. Luftwaffe and RAF lose 2 fighters each (both RAF pilots survive). Rescue tug HMRT Danube III hits a mine and sinks off Sheerness, Kent, in the mouth of the Thames Estuary (11 killed). There is widespread bombing of London from 7 PM to 6 AM and 250 civilians are killed at Stoke Newington by a direct hit on a block of flats which collapses on the air raid shelter underneath. There is also heavy overnight bombing in the North of England (Middlesborough, Hull, Huddersfield, Grantham, Liverpool and Manchester).

At dawn, a Sunderland flying boat spots Italian destroyer Artigliere under tow by destroyer Camicia Nera. Attacks by aircraft from British carrier HMS Illustrious force Camicia Nera to abandon Artigliere. British cruisers HMS York and Ajax (which damaged Artigliere yesterday) & 4 destroyers respond to the action and HMS York sinks Artigliere with torpedoes. The British warships drop rafts for the survivors who are picked up next day by an Italian Navy hospital ship. The Battle of Cape Passero costs Italy about 200 sailors from destroyer Artigliere and the 2 torpedo boats Ariel and Airone sunk yesterday.

At 8.46 AM, U-103 torpedoes Estonian SS Nora 200 miles West of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Nora does not sink but the lifeboats are destroyed so U-103’s Korvettenkapitän Viktor Schütze sends a distress message with the steamer’s position. 19 survivors will be picked up by sloop HMS Leith on October 18. At 7.57 PM, in the same area, U-37 sinks British SS Stangrant (8 killed). 30 survivors are rescued by a Sunderland flying boat (10 Squadron RAAF) and landed at Oban, Scotland.

Day 408 October 12, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 95. Despite fog across much of England, it is another very busy day. There are reconnaissance fights from 6.50 to 9 AM and then a steady stream of larger raids from 9 AM to 5.15 PM. These consist of 20-150 aircraft, mostly 25% medium bombers and 75% escort fighters, many of which penetrate to London. German losses are 9 Bf109 fighters and 1 Arado Ar95 seaplane patrolling in the Straits of Dover. RAF loses 10 fighters (4 pilots killed). Overnight, there is relatively light bombing of London but Birmingham and Coventry in the Midlands are also attacked.

German Governor-General of Poland Hans Frank orders 138,000 Jews in Warsaw to move into "Jewish residential quarters". The Ghetto will comprise 2.4 percent of the city's land contain 30% of population of 400,000 people.

Battle of Cape Passero. At 2 AM, East of Malta, British cruiser HMS Ajax (part of the Mediterranean fleet returning to Alexandria after resupplying Malta) is attacked by Italian torpedo boats Ariel, Alcione and Airone with torpedoes and 99mm shells. Ajax returns fire sinking Ariel and Airone. At 2.15 AM, Ajax’s radar detects Italian destroyers Artigliere and Aviere which do not have radar and are unaware of Ajax’s presence. Ajax fires 6 inch shells badly damaging Aviere and crippling Artigliere (which hits Ajax with 4 120mm rounds). Artigliere is taken in tow by another destroyer Camicia Nera. HMS Ajax retires with damaged gun turrets and disabled radar (13 dead, 20 wounded). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cape_Passero_(1940)

U-48, U-59 and U-101 attack convoy HX.77 150 miles Northwest of Ireland, sinking Norwegian tanker Davanger carrying 10.000 tons of fuel oil just after midnight (17 crew killed, 12 survivors escape in lifeboats), British MV Pacific Ranger at 6 PM (all 55 hands escape in lifeboats) and Canadian steamer Saint Malô at 11.25 PM (28 dead, 16 survivors in lifeboats will be picked up by British tug HMS Salvonia on October 22).

Minesweeping trawler HMS Resolvo hits a mine in the Thames estuary (2 wounded) and will be beached and abandoned the next day.

Day 407 October 11, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 94. Fair weather brings a very busy day. Luftwaffe mounts reconnaissance fights, patrols in the English Channel and small raids (less than 10 aircraft) over Southeast England all day. From 10.20 AM until 4 PM, there is a steady stream of larger raids (25-90 aircraft, mostly fighter-only but some have 25% medium bombers), causing damage to towns in Southern England but not penetrating to London. Germans lose 1 Do17 bomber and 4 Bf109s. RAF loses 8 fighters (3 pilots killed). There are overnight bombing raids on London, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and the Tyne and Tees areas, but these are halted at midnight by fog. 3 Dornier bombers are shot down by No 611 Squadron over Anglesey after bombing Liverpool (1 RAF fighter shot down, pilot wounded).

Operation Medium. From 3.33 to 3.51 AM, battleship HMS Revenge and destroyers Javelin, Jaguar, Jupiter, Kashmir, Kelvin & Kipling bombard Cherbourg. They are screened by a number of motor torpedo boats, cruisers and destroyers, which see off an attack by German torpedo boats.

Overnight, in the English Channel off the Isle of Wight, German torpedo boats Falke, Greif, Kondor, Seeadler & Wolf sink British anti-submarine trawler HMT Warwick Deeping (no lives lost), French submarine chasers CH.6 (9 killed, 12 taken prisoner) and CH.7 (12 killed, 8 taken prisoner) and French armed trawler Listrac (12 killed, 25 wounded). http://www.bevs.org/diving/wkwdeep.htm

The convoy of 4 merchant ships arrives safely at Malta from Alexandria, escorted by 4 battleships, 2 aircraft carriers, 6 cruisers, 16 destroyers and 6 submarines. At 11.05 AM, 15 miles South of Delimara, Malta, destroyer HMS Imperial hits a mine (1 killed) and is badly damaged (under repair at Malta until April 28). British Mediterranean Fleet begins the return journey to Alexandria but is spotted by an Italian civilian plane 100 miles Southeast of Malta. Italian destroyers and torpedo boats set out to intercept the British warships.

At 9.20 AM, British destroyer HMS Zulu detonates an acoustic mine in the Firth of Forth, Scotland. There are no casualties but Zulu is badly damaged and will be under repair at Rosyth until January 1941.

250 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-48 attacks convoy HX-77 in gale force conditions. At 9.50 PM, Norwegian MV Brandanger is sunk (6 killed, 16 survivors in a lifeboat and on a raft picked up next morning by corvette HMS Clarkia, 8 survivors in another lifeboat picked up on October 16 by British SS Clan Macdonald). At 10.09 PM, British MV Port Gisborne is sunk and the crew abandons ship (26 lost in a lifeboat that capsized). 38 crew are rescued by tug HMS Salvonia on October 22 and by British steamer Alpera on October 24.

British sloop HMS Auckland, escorting convoy BS.6, is bombed by Italian bombers in the Red Sea, 50 miles off the coast of Italian-held Eritrea.

Day 406 October 10, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 93. With sunshine and some showers, Luftwaffe mounts 4 raids of 20-100 aircraft into Kent and towards London. Bombs fall on London and towns on the South and Southeast coast. RAF loses 5 fighters (3 pilots killed) while shooting down 3 German fighters and 1 Do17 bomber. Another Ju88 bomber is shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Between 6.25 and 6.44 PM, Dover is hit by 18 shells from German guns near Calais but there is little damage and no casualties. Overnight bombing is heavy with London, Manchester and 15 airfields attacked. There are isolated raids on numerous other cities and towns.

At 11.33 PM, British steamer Graigwen (abandoned after being torpedoed yesterday by U-103) is sunk by U-123. British motor torpedo boats MTB-22, MTB-31 & MTB-32 attack a German convoy in the middle of the Straits of Dover, sinking German trawler Nordenham and capturing 34 prisoners.

Day 405 October 9, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 92. Despite bad weather, with rain in northern France and the Straits of Dover and clouds over the Channel, Luftwaffe mounts several large raids (consisting mainly of bomb-carrying Messerschmitt fighters) in the Southeast of England and towards London. Bombs are dropped at London, Maidstone, Hastings, Falmouth and other towns. 3 German fighters and 1 Ju88 bomber are shot down. RAF loses 1 fighter (pilot is safe). Overnight, London, Liverpool and Manchester are bombed. St Paul's Cathedral in London is hit, destroying choir stalls and the High Altar but the building is not structurally damaged. Fairey Albacore biplane torpedo bombers of 829 Squadron from HMS Peregrine (Royal Navy air station at Ford, Sussex) bomb Brest during the night, damaging German destroyers Eckholdt, Lody and Riedel by near misses. 1 Albacore is shot down and 3 aircrew are taken prisoners of war, including the squadron commander, Lt. Cdr. Stevinson.

At 10.11 PM, 20 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-103 attacks convoy SC-6 sinking Greek steamers SS Zannes Gounaris (1 killed) and SS Delphin (all hands rescued) and damaging British SS Graigwen (7 killed, 26 crew and 1 gunner picked up by HMS Enchantress and landed at Londonderry). U-103 is then depth charged by a convoy escort but not damaged.

British submarine HMS Regent torpedoes Italian merchant ship Antonietta Costa, 20 miles West of Durrës, Albania. Antonietta Costa does not sink but goes aground and is lost 10 miles off the coast near Durrës.

British minesweeping trawler HMS Sea King hits a mine and sinks 28 miles East of Grimsby, England (14 lives lost).

German troops enter its ally, Romania, to provide protection to the oilfields vital to the German war effort.

Day 404 October 8, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 91. Luftwaffe reverts to fighter-only flights (along with a handful of medium bombers), mounting 4 raids of 30-160 bomb-carrying Bf109s into Kent and towards London. RAF intercepts these formations as early as possible to minimize damage to the intended targets. The Messerschmitt pilots tend to drop their bombs quickly wherever they are challenged, knowing that the bomb-load makes them less maneuverable and more vulnerable to the RAF fighters. However, Government offices in Whitehall (Paymaster General's Office, Ministry of Agriculture and Great Scotland Yard) and Charing Cross Railway Station are bombed. 1 Bf109 and 3 German bombers are shot down but RAF has a bad day losing 4 fighters (all 4 pilots killed). London, East Anglia, East Midlands, Portsmouth and Southampton are bombed overnight. Serious fires develop in London, at the wharves and warehouses of Bermondsey and LEP transport in Chiswick.

At 9.31 PM, U-58 hits British SS Confield with 2 torpedoes 88 miles west of Barra Head, Outer Hebrides, Scotland (1 killed, 36 crew take to the lifeboats) but Confield remains afloat. The next day, 5 survivors are picked up by sloop HMS Weston (which shells and sinks Confield) and 31 survivors are picked up by corvette HMS Periwinkle. In the Bay of Biscay, British submarine HMS Trident and U-31 exchange gunfire; Trident hits U-31 with the deck gun, causing some minor damage, but misses with torpedoes.

British Mediterranean Fleet leaves Alexandria, Egypt, to escort a supply convoy to Malta though the dangerous waters South of Italy. Battleships HMS Warspite, Valiant, Malaya & Ramillies, aircraft carriers HMS Eagle & Illustrious, 6 cruisers, 6 anti-aircraft cruisers & 16 destroyers escort 4 British steamers, covered by 6 submarines.

350 miles Northeast of Natal, Brazil, German armed merchant cruiser Thor shells empty British refrigeration steamer Natia which stops after a chase (2 killed, 83 crew abandon ship in lifeboats and are taken prisoner). Natia stays afloat on the empty refrigerated chambers but is finally sunk with a torpedo and 35 150mm shells. Thor now has 368 prisoners on board, outnumbering the crew. http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/thor.html

8 more old US Navy destroyers are transferred to Royal Navy for escort duty under the destroyers for bases deal brokered between Churchill and Roosevelt.

Day 403 October 7, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 90. Visibility improves, although there are clouds and some rain. Luftwaffe again tries the tactic of sending over large raids of 50-100 aircraft, with bombers escorted by 3 times the number of fighters to overwhelm the RAF defenses. Again it fails and RAF claims 21 German fighters & 6 bombers shot down for the loss of 16 RAF fighters (6 pilots killed). London is subjected to heavy night bombing again but there is also widespread bombing of other cities including Bristol, Liverpool and towns in East Anglia, Wales and Scotland (where naval and dock facilities in the Firth of Forth are attacked).

Operation Lucid. Fire ships (tankers War Nizam & War African filled with a flammable floating cocktail) sail for the French channel ports but the operation is again cancelled when escort destroyer HMS Hambledon is badly damaged on a mine just off the English coast near Folkestone (under repair until May 1941).

50 miles off the Northwest Irish coast, at 4 PM, U-59 sinks Norwegian MV Touraine (1 killed, 34 survivors abandon ship in 3 lifeboats). 400 miles West of Ireland, British tanker British General finally sinks at 8 PM, after being hit by 2 more torpedoes from U-37 (all 47 hands lost).

500 miles Northwest of Australia, German armed merchant cruiser Pinguin stops Norwegian tanker Storstad (carrying 12,000 tons of diesel oil from British North Borneo to Melbourne). Storstad is taken as a prize ship, loaded with 110 mines from Pinguin, renamed Passat and commissioned into the German Navy as an auxiliary minelayer. 30 of Storstad’s crew are taken prisoner while 5 continue to serve with the German prize crew of Passat. http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/pinguin.html

Day 402 October 6, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 89. Göring again changes tactics, tiring of the heavy losses in recent days despite the high fighter:bomber ratio and the RAF showing no sign of weakening. In fact, AVM Park’s policy of not responding to small fighter-only raids has been very successful in avoiding unnecessary and costly engagements. Göring begins saving his bombers mostly for night operations, leaving Messerschmitt Bf109s & Bf110s to bring their smaller bomb loads during daylight along with occasional conventional medium bombers. They target mainly factories and RAF airfields. Luftwaffe loses 1 Do17 bomber and RAF loses 1 fighter (pilot killed). It is a quiet night with relatively little bombing of London. http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/phase4ofthebattle.cfm

At 1.04 PM, 400 miles West of Ireland, U-123 sinks British steamer Benlawers carrying supplies for the British Army in Egypt, including trucks (23 crew members and 1 gunner are lost, 27 survivors rescued by British steamers Bengore Head and Forest). In the same area, U-103 sinks Norwegian tanker Nina Borthen at 10.04 PM (all 35 crew lost) and British tanker British General is torpedoed by U-37 at 6.55 and 11.10 PM but refuses to sink. U-37 stays nearby throughout the night but cannot surface and use her deck gun because British General is armed.

Italian submarine Tricheco accidentally sinks Italian submarine Gemma, 5 miles South of the Greek island of Karpathos.

Day 401 October 5, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 88. The weather improves, with some sunny periods, and Luftwaffe resumes bombing raids up to 150 aircraft (mainly fighters supporting smaller numbers of bombers). Between 9.30 AM and 4 PM, 4 raids cross the Straits of Dover into Kent and there are raids across the Channel towards Southampton at 1.30 PM and 5.15 PM. Luftwaffe loses 2 bombers and 20 fighters while RAF has 9 fighters shot down (only 2 pilots killed). There is again widespread bombing on a small scale overnight (including Portland Naval base which is bombed at 8.35 PM). London is heavily bombed, starting a large fire at the West India Dock on the River Thames in the East End of London.

Italian submarine Nani sinks British armed boarding trawler HMT Kingston Sapphire in the Atlantic, 20 miles South of Cadiz, Spain (3 killed, survivors rescued by a Spanish trawler and landed at Huelva, Spain). Lieutenant Commander Browne, captain of British submarine HMS Regent, uses the unusual technique of ramming to sink Italian steamer Maria Grazia in the Adriatic Sea, 10 miles off the coast of Italy near Bari. Submarine HMS Tigris attacks an Italian submarine (possibly Glauco class submersible torpedo boat Otario) without success in the Bay of Biscay.

Day 400 October 4, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 87. Rain and mist again cause poor visibility over Southern England and Luftwaffe sends a steady stream of reconnaissance flights and single bomber raids with peak intensity around 3 PM. Bombs are dropped in Kent and near London hitting mainly homes, farms and few factories. 2 Ju88 bombers are shot down for the loss of 3 RAF fighters (1 pilot killed). There is widespread bombing on a small scale overnight but London is heavily bombed between 7 and 9 PM.

Operation Lucid. Fire ships (tankers War Nizam & War African filled with 50% heavy fuel oil, 25% diesel oil and 25% petrol) depart Sheerness and Harwich escorted by 11 destroyers, 6 minesweepers and torpedo boats. However, rough seas force the operation to be cancelled.

General Charles de Gaulle arrives in Douala, French Cameroon (which is sympathetic to the Free French) on board British cruiser HMS Devonshire, to organize the invasion of neighbouring Gabon (loyal to Vichy France). After the failed invasion of French West Africa at Dakar, de Gaulle is keen rally support for the Free French cause in Equatorial Africa, to mount operations from Chad into Italian-held Libya and to deny Germany use of the Atlantic coast for basing submarines and surface raiders to disrupt Allied shipping around Africa.

British submarine HMS Rainbow collides with Italian steamer Antonietta Costa and sinks in the Adriatic Sea, 20 miles North of Brindisi, Southern Italy (all 55 hands lost). Submarine HMS Triton shells shore installations at Vado Ligure and Savona, near Genoa, Northern Italy. Triton also sinks Italian steamer Franca Fassio 20 miles to Southwest of Savona, in the Ligurian Sea. Submarine HMS Tetrarch attacks another Italian merchant ship nearby, without success.

Day 399 October 3, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 86. Clouds, rain and mist, with poor visibility over the Channel, lead to a light day. Luftwaffe does not send over any formations of aircraft but instead there is a steady stream of reconnaissance flights and single bomber “nuisance” raids. Bombs are dropped on London, Worcester, Birmingham and Wellingborough. At 11.26 AM, anti-aircraft guns shoot down a Ju88 which had just bombed the De Havilland aircraft factory at Hatfield. RAF fighters do not respond to these attacks and no Luftwaffe or RAF aircraft are lost in dogfights. There is relatively little bombing of London overnight, by small groups of bombers or single aircraft.

Neville Chamberlain has been absent from London for several days, incapacitated by incurable bowel cancer. He resigns his position as Lord President of the Council in Churchill’s War Cabinet (where he has served loyally since resigning as Prime Minister), ending a political career that began in 1914. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain

Day 398 October 2, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 85. A Ju88 leaves Amsterdam at 3 AM on a reconnaissance flight but gets lost and lands at 6.30 AM at Brightlingsea, Essex, Southeast England. From 9 AM to 4.30 PM, Luftwaffe sends 6 raids of Messerschmitt Bf109 and Bf110 fighters (some carrying bomb loads) to harass Kent and London but bombers are only present in 1 attack. A few bombs fall on Kent and London. RAF shoots down 5 bombers and 5 Bf109 fighters. RAF loses only 1 fighter (pilot safe). Overnight, London is bombed again as well as Manchester and Newcastle.

British destroyers HMS Havock and Hasty sink Italian submarine Berillo 50 miles south of Crete (all 45 crew rescued). Cruisers HMS Orion and Sydney bombard the port of Maltezana on the Italian-held Greek island of Stampalia (now Astypalaia).

At 6.25 PM, 400 miles West of Ireland, U-32 sinks British steamer Kayeson (carrying 2800 tons of general cargo and 3900 tons of coal from Liverpool) with the last torpedo. All 38 crew abandon ship in the lifeboats, but are never found.

Day 397 October 1, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 84. As a result of the mauling handed out by RAF over the last 4 days, Göring changes tactics again and large-scale daylight raids are abandoned. Despite good weather, Luftwaffe mounts only reconnaissance flights and numerous small raids of 20-70 aircraft, which target RAF airfields and do not approach London. 4 Messerschmitts are shot down and RAF loses 5 fighters (4 pilots killed). There is widespread bombing overnight, although on a reduced scale compared to recent nights, and London is again targeted. With the air battle apparently won by RAF and the relatively settled weather of Summer giving way to Autumn gales in the English Channel, the threat of German invasion of Britain recedes. London and other large cities will continue to be the target of night bombing.

Italian submarine Maggiore Baracca sinks Greek steamer Aghios Nicolaos 400 miles West of Porto, Portugal. U-32 sinks Dutch steamer Haulerwijk 400 miles West of Ireland (4 killed, 27 survivors). At 6.47 AM, 300 miles West of Ireland, U-38 sinks Highland Patriot (3 crew lost, 136 crew and 33 passengers picked up by sloop HMS Wellington and landed at Greenock). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/573.html

Day 396 September 30, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 83. With fair weather, Luftwaffe again mounts bombing daylight raids supported by large numbers of fighters. 4 raids consisting of 60-200 aircraft come in over Kent at 9AM, 10AM, 1 PM & 4 PM. They are intercepted and broken up but some get through to bomb London and RAF airfields. 2 raids of 100 aircraft fly across the Channel from the Cherbourg area to attack the South coast. Luftwaffe loses 14 bombers and 32 Messerschmitt fighters, while RAF loses 20 fighters (8 pilots killed). Since September 7, Luftwaffe has lost 433 aircraft compared to 242 RAF fighters lost. During the night, London, Liverpool and a number of other cities are bombed. RAF bombers conduct night raids on Berlin, invasion ports, airfields (5 British bombers lost). Since the beginning of September, British civilian casualties are 6,954 killed and 10,615 injured.

The minefield laid off Falmouth by German destroyers Eckholdt, Riedel, Lody, Galster, Ihn and Steinbrinck on September 28 claims 2 victims. British armed yacht HMY Sappho (29 killed) and minesweeping trawler HMT Comet (15 lost, 2 survivors) hit mines and sink.

British monitor HMS Erebus (a slow, lightly armored WWI-era ship, carrying 2 15-inch guns) fires 17 rounds at German gun emplacements near Calais from the middle of the Straits of Dover, escorted by destroyers HMS Vesper and Garth.

300 miles West of Ireland, U-37 sinks 2 British steamers; SS Samala carrying 1500 tons of bananas from Jamaica at 10.13 AM (all 65 crew members, 1 gunner and 2 passengers lost) and SS Heminge carrying 3300 tons of coal at 9.56 PM (1 killed, 24 crew members and 1 gunner 1 picked up by British merchant Clan Cumming and landed at Liverpool). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/570.html

Day 395 September 29, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 82. Mostly sunny with some clouds. After the large raids of the last 2 days, Luftwaffe activity is restricted to reconnaissance flights and attacks on shipping. However, at 4 PM, a large flight of German fighters sweeps across Kent to London and back but they are not engaged by RAF fighters. 2 German bombers and 1 fighter are shot down but RAF reports losing 5 fighters and 3 pilots killed. Overnight, London is heavily bombed again and Liverpool and towns in the Midlands are also attacked.

U-32’s spree with the ships dispersed from convoy OB-218 continues at 00.53 AM, when British steamer Bassa is sunk 350 miles West of Ireland. 49 crew and 1 gunner abandon ship but are never found.

Egypt, North Africa. The British wait for the expected Italian onslaught in their prepared defenses at the railhead in Mersa Matruh. The Italians, however, are content to fortify their gains with a line of 7 forts stretching 30 miles inland from Sidi Barrani, 70 miles from the British lines. Demonstrating the vulnerability of the Italian supply lines, Royal Navy ships from Alexandria shell the coast road from Libya and harass shipping at the Italian-held ports.

Day 394 September 28, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 81. With fair weather and clouds over the Channel, Luftwaffe sends daylight raids with particularly large numbers of fighters. At 10 AM, 120+ aircraft cross the Kent Coast in 2 waves but they are intercepted and only 6 reach bombers London. At 1.30 PM, 35 bombers and 125 fighters attack targets in Kent. All squadrons of AVM Park’s No. 11 Group and 5 Squadrons of AVM Leigh-Mallory’s No. 12 Group converge on the German planes who, by 2.10, head back to France. At 2.15 PM, 60 aircraft fly towards Portsmouth from Cherbourg. They are engaged by 9 RAF squadrons and the bombers drop their bombs into the Channel and head for home. The large proportion of fighters in the Luftwaffe raids allows them to down 16 RAF fighters (9 pilots killed) while losing only 6 Messerschmitts. London is pounded continuously again overnight with raids from Holland, Northern France and Cherbourg. Liverpool is also bombed and mines are laid in the Thames Estuary.

At 4.09 PM, U-32 sinks British steamer Empire Ocelot 350 miles West of Ireland (2 killed, 32 crew picked up by British destroyer HMS Havelock and landed at Liverpool). At 8 PM, U-37 finishes off British steamer Corrientes which was abandoned after being damaged by U-32 on September 26. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/564.html

German destroyers Eckholdt, Riedel, Lody, Galster, Ihn and Steinbrinck depart Brest and lay mines at the end of the English Channel in Falmouth Bay, Cornwall (right under the nose of Royal Navy squadron based at Plymouth).

British anti-submarine trawler Recoil (previously German trawler Blankenburg, captured in April off Norway) hits a mine off Portland Bill in the English Channel and sinks (25 crew killed). German tanker Shell II is sunk by British bombers in the River Scheldt, Holland.

A busy day off the coast of North Africa. 12 miles off Egypt, in the busy sea lane between the British bases at Mersa Matruh and Alexandria, Italian submarine Gondar is sunk by Australian destroyer HMAS Stuart and British aircraft called from Alexandria. Gondar is carrying 3 human torpedoes intended for use against the Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria. All 43 crew from Gondar and the 4 frogmen to drive the human torpedoes are all picked up by HMAS Stuart and taken prisoner. 10 miles off Libya, in the busy sea lane between the Italian bases at Benghazi and Tobruk, British submarine HMS Pandora sinks Italian steamer Famiglia. HMS Pandora is then counterattacked by Italian torpedo boat Enrico Cosenz but not damaged.

Day 393 September 27, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 80. Despite rain and clouds over Southern England, Luftwaffe launches a series of daylight bombing raids. At 9 AM, 80 bombers &100 fighters cross Kent towards London. Most of the bombers are turned back near Maidstone & Tonbridge, but some get through to bomb London. At 11.20 AM, 25 bombers & 45 Me110s fly towards Bristol. They are intercepted, sparing the Bristol Aeroplane Company, but RAF Filton is bombed. At midday, 300 German aircraft (mostly fighters) again cross Kent towards London but they are engaged at 12.30 & turned back. At 3 PM, 80 bombers & 80 fighters again fly towards London. They are intercepted & dispersed but 20 aircraft bomb Central London. In another big victory for RAF, Luftwaffe loses 21 bombers and 34 fighters while RAF loses 27 fighters (13 pilots killed). Overnight, there is heavy bombing of London (from Dieppe and Le Havre), as well as attacks on Liverpool (from Cherbourg), Edinburgh (from Denmark), Birmingham & Nottingham.

Germany, Italy and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact, designed to keep USA out of the war. Each agrees to declare war on any country that joins the war against one of the others. As Japan is not currently at war with the Allies, this is a clear sign of their intent to become involved.

At 11.13 AM, U-31 sinks Norwegian MV Vestvard 300 miles West of Ireland (1 killed, 30 survivors escape in 1 lifeboats and make land October 1 near Galway, Ireland). In the same area at midnight, U-37 sinks Egyptian steamer Georges Mabro (all hands lost). After sailing 500 miles West from base at St-Nazaire, France, in 4 days, U-46 malfunctions and dives accidentally, killing Oberbootsmaat Heinrich Schenk and Matrosenobergefreiter Wilhelm Reh. The patrol is aborted and they return to St-Nazaire.

Minesweeper HMS Halcyon is badly damaged on a mine laid by German aircraft in the mouth of the River Tees, North England (several crew wounded). Halcyon will be out of service until July 1941.

Day 392 September 26, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 79. Mixed clouds and sunshine. Reconnaissance flights in the English Channel all day. At 4.30 PM, 100 German planes attack Southampton, doing much damage to the Spitfire factory at Woolston using both dive bombers and high level bombing. RAF claims 16 German bombers and 16 Messerschmitts shot down (although this seems high). RAF losses are 10 fighters and 3 pilots. London is bombed continuously overnight and Liverpool and towns in the Midlands are also attacked.

350 miles southwest of Ireland, U-46 sinks British SS Coast Wings at 1.53 AM (all 16 hands lost) and Swedish SS Siljan at 9.20 PM (9 killed, 18 survivors). U-46 is damaged in a near collision with Siljan and is forced to return to base.

10 miles off the Mullet Peninsula, Ireland, between 00.50 and 00.52 AM, U-137 fires 3 torpedoes at convoy OB-218 sinking British SS Manchester Brigade (44 crew and 8 Navy personnel killed, 4 crew picked up by French hospital ship Canada and landed at Gibraltar) and damaging Ashantian (4 lives lost). At 1.35 AM, U-137 sinks British SS Stratford also in convoy OB-218 (2 crew killed, 32 rescued).

400 miles West of Ireland, U-32 torpedoes British SS Corrientes at 2.34 AM (Corrientes does not sink but all 50 hands abandon ship and are picked up by Swedish MV Kolsnaren and landed at Philadelphia), sinks Norwegian MV Tancred at 8.11 AM (all 36 crew abandon ship in 3 lifeboats and are picked up next morning by Norwegian MV Tricolor and landed in New York) and sinks British SS Darcoila at 1.37 PM (all 31 crew lost). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/563.html

Just off the German U-boat base at Lorient, France, British submarine HMS Tribune fired 4 torpedoes at U-138. U-138 is not hit and returns to base unscathed.

In the South Atlantic, 400 miles Northwest of Natal, Brazil, German armed merchant cruiser Thor uses the deck gun to sink Norwegian whaling factory ship Kosmos loaded with whale oil. Kosmos’ 89 crew are added to the 195 prisoners already aboard Thor. Thor’s captain Kahler will later be criticised for not sending this valuable cargo back to German-occupied France. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/563.html

Day 391 September 25, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 78. Again, the weather is fine but only 2 major raids materialize. At 11.45 AM, 27 German bombers and 30+ fighters attack the Bristol Aeroplane Company factory at Filton, near Bristol, which manufactures Blenheims. In 45 seconds, construction sheds are damaged, 8 newly built are aircraft destroyed, including 2 Beaufighter prototypes, and 132 people are killed (315 wounded). 6 German aircraft are shot down (8 airmen killed, 10 taken prisoner) and 2 more crash land returning to France. 4 RAF fighters are shot down (1 pilot killed). At 4.47 PM, 24 bombers and 12 Me110s attack Plymouth (1 bomber shot down, no RAF fighters lost). London and other cities are bombed overnight and mines laid in the Thames Estuary.

Operation Menace. British warships return and shell Dakar harbour and coastal batteries. At 9 AM, French submarine Beveziers torpedoes British battleship HMS Resolution (which has to be towed back to Freetown, Sierra Leone, by HMS Barham), forcing the British warships to retire. In consultation with the British war cabinet, the operation is abandoned. Vichy French bombers return to bomb Gibraltar from bases in Algeria and Morocco. While most bombs drop in the sea, the harbour receives some damage and British anti-submarine trawler Stella Sirius is sunk.

At 3.25 AM, 500 miles West of Ireland, U-32 sinks British SS Mabriton (12 dead, 25 survivors rescued by British survey ship HMS Jason and sloop HMS Rochester). 400 miles West of Ireland, U-43 sinks British SS Sulairia at 1.30 PM (1 killed, 56 survivors picked up by Canadian destroyer HMCS Ottawa) and U-29 hits British MV Eurymedon at 2 PM, which sinks 2 days later (20 crew & 9 passengers lost, 42 crew & 22 passengers picked up by HMCS Ottawa). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/555.html

Operation Lucid. Old Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers War Nizam & War Nawab are to be set on fire and sent into the French Channel ports as fire ships to ignite German invasion barges. Filled with 2-3000 tons of a cocktail of 50% heavy fuel oil, 25% diesel oil and 25% petrol, they depart Sheerness and Portsmouth escorted by 6 destroyers, 5 minesweepers and torpedo boats. The operation is cancelled in the evening when War Nizam breaks down. Reminiscent of Sir Francis Drake’s attack on the Spanish Armada in 1588 which "singed the King of Spain's beard", the plan is supported by Churchill to "singe Hitler's moustache". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Lucid http://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=28522

Day 390 September 24, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 77. The ability of German fighter-only raids to down substantial number of RAF fighters prompts Luftwaffe to try another new tactic, sending raids with 2 fighter escorts for each bomber. Towns and airfields in Kent are attacked twice y raids of about 200 aircraft at 8.30 and 11.15 AM. At 1.20 and 4.10 PM, raids of about 50 aircraft bomb naval facilities at Portsmouth & Southampton and the nearby Spitfire factory at Woolston. Dusk is at 7.30 and the bombers start rolling in from France (to bomb London) and from Holland (targeting towns in East Anglia). London is bombed intermittently until 5.30 the next morning. Liverpool, towns in the Midlands and Dundee, Scotland, are also bombed.

British submarines are busy in the Bay of Biscay. HMS Cachalot attacks a German submarine without success. HMS Tuna sinks German catapult ship Ostmark, 35 miles West of St. Nazaire, France. http://www.steelnavy.com/1250DLHships.htm

German motor torpedo boat S-30 sinks British steamer Continental Coaster in the North Sea, 10 miles off Great Yarmouth (4 crew lost).

Operation Menace. Overnight, Governor of French West Africa, Pierre Boisson, rejects demands for the surrender of Dakar. At 7 AM, British destroyer HMS Fortune detects Vichy French submarine Ajax. Ajax is brought to the surface with depth charges and then sunk with gunfire, after all 61 hands are taken off. British battleships HMS Barham and Resolution engage the partly finished French battleship Richelieu in Dakar harbour, as Richelieu’s 8 380-mm guns present a considerable danger to the Allied ships. Richelieu is damaged by 2 15-inch shells from HMS Barham and by a misfire of one of her own shells (which explodes disabling 2 of her 380-mm guns). French shore batteries return fire and the British flotilla retires at 10 AM. They try again in the afternoon, but Barham is hit by 4 shells from the coastal batteries and they withdraw again. In retaliation, 64 Vichy French bombers from bases in Algeria and Morocco attack Gibraltar. Most bombs are dropped at sea but the South Mole is hit damaging a large ship in the harbour.

Day 389 September 23, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 76. Fine weather brings 2 raids of 200 Luftwaffe fighters at 9.30 AM and 100 at 5.30 PM. These are both repulsed by RAF and do not reach London. Luftwaffe loses 10 Messerschmitt Bf109s and 1 Bf100, while RAF loses 11 fighters (2 pilots killed, 6 wounded, 1 crashes in the Channel near France and taken prisoner). Overnight, London is bombed by German bombers flying from France, Belgium and Holland. Liverpool is also bombed.

Operation Menace. General Charles de Gaulle attempts a peaceful landing of 3600 Free French troops at Dakar, French West Africa (now Senegal), to persuade Vichy French forces to join the Allied cause. They are supported by 4300 British troops (held in reserve in case of resistance) and a flotilla including British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and battleships HMS Barham and Resolution. However, Vichy spirit has been strengthened by the recent visit of French warships (indicating that Vichy had learned of de Gaulle’s plans). 2 Free French aircraft from HMS Ark Royal land at Dakar airport, where the crews are taken prisoner. de Gaulle sends emissaries into the port under a white flag and French tricolour but they are fired on (2 wounded). At 10 AM, British warships close in to prevent Vichy ships leaving harbour and are shelled by shore batteries (damaging cruisers HMS Cumberland [1 killed] & Dragon and destroyers HMS Foresight [3 killed] & Inglefeld). The British ships withdraw out of range at 11.30 AM, unable to hit the French guns due to fog. Vichy submarine Persee is sunk attempting to torpedo cruiser Dragon. In the afternoon, cruiser HMAS Australia shells Vichy destroyer L'Audacieux, which catches fire and is beached (81 crew killed). de Gaulle then attempts to land his troops at Rufisque Bay, 10 miles East of Dakar, but the attack becomes confused in the fog and the beach is well defended. de Gaulle withdraws, not wanting to "shed the blood of Frenchmen for Frenchmen". When Churchill learns of the failure, he urges “having begun we must go on to the end. Stop at nothing”.

7 old US Navy destroyers are handed over to the British Royal Navy at Halifax, Nova Scotia, as part of the “destroyers for bases” deal. British submarine H-49 sinks German steamer Heimdal 7 miles Northwest of Terschelling Island, Holland.

Day 388 September 22, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 75. Another quiet day, with fog, rain and some sunshine. There are photographic or weather reconnaissance flights all day. 1 Ju88 on reconnaissance is shot down in the English Channel near the Isle of Wight by 234 Squadron. The Ju88 crew escapes from the sinking aircraft and are taken prisoner. RAF loses 3 Hurricanes which get lost in bad weather on a routine patrol and crash land (no pilots killed). London receives exceptionally heavy bombing overnight, with fires lighting up the night sky for several miles.

The attack on convoy HX-72 continues overnight. From 00.22 to 2.14 AM, Joachim Schepke in U-100 continues his spree, torpedoing 4 ships which all eventually sink; British steamer Empire Airman (33 crew killed, 4 rescued), British tanker Frederick S. Fales (10 crew and 1 gunner killed, 32 crew rescued), British steamer Scholar (all 45 hand survived) and Norwegian steamer Simla (the crew jumps overboard, 5 drown, 31 survivors picked up after 45 minutes by corvette HMS Heartsease). In 3 hours, U-100 has sunk a remarkable 7 ships (over 50,000 tons). At 7.40 AM, U-32 shells British steamer Collegian (a straggler from HX-72) with the deck gun from 7km but Collegian returns accurate fire and chases off the U-boat.

At 5.55 PM, 100 miles South of Faroe Islands, U-31 sinks the tiny Faroese sailing trawler Union Jack with the deck gun. The crew of 7 abandons ship in a small rowboat and reach the tiny Flannan Isles in the Outer Hebrides 36 hours later.

British submarine HMS Tuna sinks Norwegian liner Tirranna 1 mile from shore near Bordeaux, France. Sadly, Tirranna had been taken as a prize ship by German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis on June 10 and dispatched to occupied France on August 5 with 274 prisoners. 87 prisoners, including women and children, and 1 of the prize crew from Atlantis are killed. http://www.warsailors.com/raidervictims/atlantis.html

At 3 AM, 11 Swordfish and 6 Skuas fly 50 miles from British aircraft carrier HMS Furious to bomb Trondheim. However, bad weather frustrates the operation, forcing HMS Furious to return to Scotland early and abandon some of the aircraft. 1 Swordfish crashes into the sea looking for the carrier (3 aircrew killed). 3 Swordfish crash land in Norway (9 aircrew captured). 1 Swordfish & 1 Skua crash land in Sweden (5 aircrew interned). http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/81/a2109881.shtml

British destroyers HMS Jervis, Janus, Juno and Mohawk bombard the Italian-held airfield at Sidi Barrani, Egypt, and then return to British-held Alexandria. British submarines attack Italian ships off Italy. HMS Truant sinks steamer Provvidenza 10 miles West of Naples. HMS Osiris sinks Regia Marina destroyer Palestro in the Adriatic Sea 75 miles east of Bari.

Day 387 September 21, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 74. A very quiet day, despite fine weather. There are reconnaissance flights all day (2 German bombers shot down) and a 200+ aircraft raid towards London which is turned back at 6 PM. No RAF fighters are lost. London and Liverpool are bombed again overnight. British government sanctions the use of London Underground ‘Tube’ stations as air-raid shelters, which until now have been used unofficially by a growing number of Londoners. Tube stations are kitted out with food canteens, first aid facilities and chemical toilets. Some stations are equipped with bunks. One section of track is closed to trains and concreted over (the Aldwych branch of the Piccadilly Line), to allow storage of antiques and artifacts from the British Museum including the Elgin Marbles. http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/images/21sept2.jpg

U-138 continues the attack on convoy OB-216, 10 miles off Malin Head, Ireland. At 2.27 AM, U-138 torpedoes British SS Empire Adventure (21 crew lost, 18 rescued) which is taken in tow but sinks on September 23.

Convoy HX-72 (41 merchant ships from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Britain, protected by 4 Royal Navy destroyers, 1 sloop and 2 corvettes) is mauled by a wolf pack of 9 U-boats, 400 miles West of Ireland. Günther Prien in U-47 spots the convoy, but he has only 1 torpedo and calls for help. From 3.12 to 4.47 AM, U-99 torpedoes 3 ships which all eventually sink; British tanker Invershannon (16 dead and 32 survivors), British SS Baron Blythswood (all 34 hands lost) and British MV Elmbank (2 dead and 54 survivors). At 6.14 AM, U-48 sinks British SS Blairangus (6 dead and 28 survivors). At 11.10 PM, U-100 torpedoes and sinks British steamers Canonesa (1 dead and 62 survivors), Dalcairn (all 48 hands rescued) and British tanker Torinia (all 55 hands rescued). At 11.38 PM, U-48 gets back in the action, damaging British SS Broompark (1 crew killed).
http://www.uboat.net/ops/convoys/convoys.php?convoy=HX-72

The flotilla of ships to support the Free French landings at Dakar (Operation Menace) leaves Freetown, Sierra Leone. This includes aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, battleships HMS Barham and Resolution, cruiser HMS Devonshire, numerous destroyers and troop transports as well as French sloops Commandant Domine, Commandant Duboc and Savorgnan De Brazza. They will be joined at sea by cruisers HMS Cumberland and Dragon and HMAS Australia.

Day 386 September 20, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 73. Despite fine weather, there are only reconnaissance flights until 11 AM when 100+ Messerschmitt Bf109 fighters cross the Channel, in 3 waves, and converge on London. 15 squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes engage the Bf109s. The German fighters do not have to protect any bombers. They fare much better in these dogfights than usual and only 2 are shot down while RAF loses 7 fighters (4 pilots killed). In addition, Sgt. C.V. Meeson is killed when his Hurricane crashes during formation flying practice. London is bombed again overnight.

Between 9.20 and 9.26 PM, U-138 fires 3 torpedoes at convoy OB-216 and hits 3 ships 10 miles North of Malin Head, Ireland. Yugoslavian collier Boka, carrying coal from Wales to Sierra Leone, sinks (8 killed 26 survivors). British passenger liner SS City of Simla also sinks (1 crew and 2 passengers lost, 182 crew and 165 passengers rescued). British whale factory ship New Sevilla is hit (2 crew lost, 282 rescued) and taken in tow, but sinks the next day. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/534.html http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/533.html http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/535.html

In the Red Sea, Italian aircraft attack Convoy BN-5 which is also being hunted by Italian Navy destroyers and submarines. British SS Bhima is damaged by near misses and will be towed to Aden and beached. Escort cruiser HMS Leander (New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy) is unsuccessfully attacked. 1 Italian bomber is shot down.

In the Indian Ocean halfway between Madagascar and Australia, German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis reluctantly sinks empty French passenger liner Commissaire Ramel carrying a cargo of steel, wheat, soap, leather and fruit (3 crew killed). 63 crew, mostly Australians, are added to the prisoners on board Atlantis. Fregattenkapitän Rogge would prefer to transfer his 230 prisoners to the liner and send her home as a prize ship. Royal Navy forms hunter group to locate Atlantis, composed of Royal Australian Navy cruiser HMAS Canberra and armed merchant cruiser Westralia as well as British cruisers HMS Capetown and Durban. http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/atlantis.html

Day 385 September 19, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 72. In the early hours, RAF Wellington, Hampden and Whitley bombers batter German invasion barges assembled in the Channel ports (1 Hampden lost). The German invasion fleet starts dispersing on Hitler's orders, ‘so that the loss of shipping space caused by enemy air attacks may be reduced to a minimum’ (of 1918 invasion barges assembled, 214 have been sunk or damaged by British bombing). Clouds and showers restrict Luftwaffe to reconnaissance fights and single aircraft bombing raids. At 3 PM, engine trouble forces a Ju88 to land undamaged at Bomber Command base at RAF Oakington, near Cambridge, complete with bombs and crew who are taken prisoner. 4 other Ju88s are shot down. No RAF fighters are lost. Overnight, London is bombed again with waves of bombers flying up the Thames estuary from 8PM until midnight.

British bombers sink German torpedo boat T-3 at Le Havre, France (9 crew killed, 12 wounded. T-3 will be raised and returned to service on December 12, 1943.

Italian submarines have a busy day. Submarines Archimede and Guglielmotti plus Italian destroyers Leone, Pantera, Battisti, and Manin search without success in the Red Sea for convoy BN-5. In the Bay of Biscay, submarine Guglielmo Marconi sinks Spanish trawler Almirante Jose De Carranza (only 1 survivor). 700 miles West of Gibraltar, submarine Comandante Faa Di Bruno unsuccessfully attacks a steamer. In the Mediterranean 59 miles South of the heel of Italy, submarine Serpente mistakenly fires a torpedo at another Italian submarine Marcantonio Colonna. The torpedo misses.

Day 384 September 18, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 71. Luftwaffe sends 2 more big raids during the day. 70 Ju88 bombers escorted by 100 Bf109 fighters fly over English Channel at noon and are intercepted by AVM Park’s No. 11 group, with about 60 bombers reaching London. At 4 PM, 200 bombers in several waves (with fighter escorts) attack targets in Kent. In addition to squadrons from No.11 group, a Big Wing from No. 12 group joins in (repeating its success of September 7). 23 German bombers and 10 Messerschmitt fighters are shot down, while RAF loses 12 fighters (3 pilots killed). Overnight, London is bombed repeatedly and Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and the North East Coast between Humber and Newcastle are also attacked.

At 1 minute past midnight, U-48 fires another torpedo at British liner SS City of Benares. The torpedo hits City of Benares in the stern and she lists heavily (preventing many of the lifeboats from being launched) and sinks within 30 minutes (121 crew and 134 passengers are lost, including 77 of the 90 children being evacuated from Britain to Canada). Destroyer HMS Hurricane arrives 24 hours later and rescues 105 survivors. 1 lifeboat with 42 survivors including 6 British children is missed. They will be spotted 8 days later by an Australian Sunderland flying boat and rescued by destroyer HMS Anthony. At 00.07, U-48 sinks British steamer Marina carrying 5700 tons of general cargo (2 killed, 17 crew and 3 gunners picked up by HMS Hurricane next day, another 17 crew members picked up after 8 days by 8 British merchant vessel Carlingford). At 6.49 PM, U-48 sinks British SS Magdalena carrying 4600 tons of iron ore (all 31 hands lost).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/timewatch/diary_codv_01.shtml

Near Porto, Portugal, Italian submarine Bagnolini sinks Spanish steamer Cabo Tortosa (Spanish steamer Monte Ayala rescues the entire crew).

Day 383 September 17, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 70. At 2 PM, Ju88s attempt to bomb factories in Bristol but are turned back by Spitfires of 152 Squadron from Warmwell. Luftwaffe tries a new tactic arming Messerschmitt Bf109s, their best fighter, with 250kg bombs which slow them down and reduce their range. At 3.30 a large formation flies over Kent but they are intercepted by several squadrons of Hurricanes. 4 Bf109s are shot down and the rest drop their bombs indiscriminately in the Kentish countryside and head for home. Hitler postpones Operation Sealion (the invasion of Britain) indefinitely. With Summer ending and Winter gales coming, it is now clear that there will be no invasion this year, but the bombing of British cities will continue. Overnight, London, South Wales and Liverpool are attacked again.

200 miles West of the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, U-65 and U-99 each sink a British steamer in convoy HX-71 from Halifax, Nova Scotia. At 8.32 AM, U-99 sinks SS Crown Arun (all 25 crew are picked up by destroyer HMS Winchelsea and landed at Liverpool). At 4.26 PM, U-65 sinks Tregenna carrying 8000 tons of steel from USA (33 crew killed, 4 rescued by British steamer Filleigh and landed at Avonmouth).
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/529.html

At 11.45 PM, in the Atlantic Ocean 400 miles west of Scotland, U-48 misses British liner SS City of Benares with two torpedoes. Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Bleichrodt does not know that on board are British 90 children being evacuated to Canada, in order to escape the Blitz.

British warships attack Italian forces in North Africa. Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers from aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious attack the important Italian-held port of Benghazi, 200 miles inside Libya. 9 aircraft from 815 Squadron bomb shipping while 6 aircraft from 819 Squadron lay mines in the harbour. Italian destroyer Aquilone hits a mine and sinks and destroyer Borea is sunk by torpedoes in the harbour, along with Italian merchant steamers Gloria Stella and Maria Eugenia. An Italian plane torpedoes British cruiser HMS Kent at 11.55 PM (31 killed), preventing further bombardment of Bardia the next day. British destroyers HMS Janus and Juno sail from Alexandria, Egypt, and bombarded Italian positions at Sidi Barrani at 11 PM. At 11.30, British gunboat HMS Ladybird shells the coastal highway at the point where it is closest to the sea, at Sollum. The coastal road is critical to the Italian supply lines.

Day 382 September 16, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 69. Rain and clouds hinder flying. Luftwaffe pilots are demoralized after yesterday’s mauling at the hands of RAF fighter pilots. They had been attacked by over 300 fighters, despite having been told RAF had only 50 remaining. Daytime bombing of London is abandoned, although Luftwaffe will resume attacking RAF facilities during the day and continue bombing London at night. At 7.30 AM, 100+ German fighters make a half-hearted raid on Kent to draw up British fighters, but RAF does not respond and the Bf109s turn back. 1 Ju88 is shot down by a Spitfire which then runs out of fuel and crashes in the North Sea (pilot Sgt T.C. Iveson bales out and is brought ashore by a Royal Navy motor torpedo boat). Overnight, RAF bombers hit invasion barges in Channel ports along the French, Belgian and Dutch coasts. Luftwaffe mounts intensive night bombing of London’s East End, Liverpool, Manchester, Coventry, Birmingham and Bristol. http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/0043.html

North Africa. In Egypt, Italian troops of the 1st Blackshirt Division (23 Marzo) reach the village of Sidi Barrani about 60 miles from the Libyan border. Here they halt and dig in, 70 miles short of the main British defenses at Mersa Matruh. Marshal Graziani is unsure of the size of the British forces facing him, unconvinced about the quality of his own troops and worried about 150 mile supply line across the desert from Tobruk, Libya. Despite being urged onwards by Mussolini, Graziani feels he has met the strategic goal of the invasion (from Mussolini’s own orders “Once again I repeat that there are no territorial objectives. It is not a question of aiming for Alexandria nor even Sallum. I am only asking that you attack the British forces facing you.”)

At 2.41 AM, U-99 sinks Norwegian steamer Lotos (1500 tons of timber) off the North coast of Ireland. All 17 crew escape in 2 lifeboats, reaching Ireland or the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, in 3 to 5 days. In the Irish Sea between Ireland and Scotland, German bombers badly damage British troopship SS Aska, carrying 186 crew and 358 French troops from Bathurst, West Africa, to Liverpool (either to return to France or join the Free French forces in Britain). 11 crew and 19 troops are lost but the survivors are taken off by minesweeper HMS Jason.

Vichy French steamer Poitiers is en route to Dakar from Libreville, French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon), when she is intercepted by British cruiser HMS Cumberland which has been searching for the French cruisers now at Dakar. After scuttling SS Poitiers, the crew are rescued by HMS Cumberland which then sinks Poitiers by gunfire.

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

Day 380 September 14, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 67. Again, the weather is cloudy and rainy. Hitler postpones any German invasion of Britain until September 17 to give Luftwaffe more time to tame RAF. However, the lull in fighting since September 9 allows RAF to return to operational strength with newly-manufactured and repaired fighters. They also repair airfields & radar stations and integrate newly trained pilots with rested veterans. AVM Park has reshuffled squadrons so that Hurricanes (to attack bombers) and Spitfires (to attack the fighter escorts) work in pairs. 150 German aircraft cross the coast to bomb London at 3.30 PM and another 100 attack London and some airfields at 6 PM. Most bombers do not get through to their targets. RAF shoots down 4 German bombers and 11 Messerschmitt fighters but RAF loses 12 fighters also (4 pilots killed). Despite good weather overnight, there is little bombing of London. Leicester is also bombed.

Operation Menace. Prior to landing Free French troops at Dakar, French sloops Commandant Domine and Commandant Duboc, British battleships HMS Barham and HMS Resolution and several British destroyers arrive at Freetown, Sierra Leone, to refuel. Aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and cruisers HMS Devonshire and HMAS Australia are 300 miles North, patrolling off Dakar to prevent the arrival of 3 Vichy French cruisers which are suspected of reinforcing Vichy troops holding Dakar. However, the French cruisers are already there, dealing a critical blow to the operation.

Egypt, North Africa. Italian troops make slow inroads into Egyptian territory. As the main British force prepares defenses at the railhead at Mersa Matruh (which is the expected target of the Italian advance), covering forces harass the Italians without becoming seriously engaged as they fall back. Italian intelligence becomes conviced they are facing many more British troops than in reality.

German antisubmarine trawler Hinrich Wesselhoft is a total loss after running aground in the Hardangerfjord near Bergen, Norway. 500 miles West of Porto, Portugal, Italian submarine Emo torpedoes and shells British steam tanker Saint Agnes en route from Vizagapatam, India to Hull.

Day 379 September 13, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 66. Bad weather again restricts German attacks during the day, with single bombers coming across at a rate of about 7 per hour to drop bombs on London and RAF airfields. Bombs land in front of Buckingham Palace, slightly damaging the Victoria Memorial, and in the Palace courtyard where much damage is done. The Royal Family is at the Palace at the time but they are not injured. Luftwaffe has 3 aircraft shot down. RAF loses 2 Blenheims (1 does not return from a reconnaissance flight over Norway; the crew bales out of another near Calais and are taken prisoner). Bombing of London overnight is more widespread than previously (Westminster, Battersea, Mitcham, Clapham Junction, Wembley and Hammersmith). Cardiff is also bombed. With tides the next few nights favouring invasion by Germany, Royal Navy moves battleships HMS Nelson & Rodney to Rosyth and HMS Revenge to Plymouth, to support cruisers and destroyers defending the English Channel. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/6200463/Queen-Mothers-biography-on-bombing-raid-on-Buckingham-Palace.html

North Africa. Italian 1st Blackshirt Division (23 Marzo, in honour of the founding of the Italian Fascist Party on 23 March 1919) recapture Fort Capuzzo, taken by the British in June, just inside Libya on the border with Egypt. Soon after, Italian troops cut the barbed wire on the Libyan/Egyptian border and begin the invasion of Egypt.

Vichy French steamers carrying demilitarized troops home from North Africa to France hit mines west of Sardinia (SS Ginette Le Borgne and SS Cassidaigne are sunk and SS Cap Tourane is damaged). German minesweeping trawler Hermann Krone hits a mine and sinks off Hanstholm, Denmark.

British steam passenger ship SS City of Benares departs Liverpool bound for Quebec and Montreal, carrying 90 British children being evacuated to Canada. She is the flagship of the convoy commodore Rear Admiral Mackinnon and the first ship in the center column of convoy OB-213.

Day 378 September 12, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 65. Cloudy weather restricts flying to a minimum. Only German reconnaissance flights take place during the day and 50 bombers attack London overnight (compared to about 300 on previous nights). 2 German bombers are shot down and Wing Commander J.S. Dewar (airfield commander at Exeter) is lost on a pleasure flight to Tangmere in his Hurricane. A delayed action high-explosive bomb hits St. Paul’s Cathedral but does not explode and is buried 30 feet into the ground. Royal Engineers Lieutenant R. Davies and Sapper J. Wylie defuse the bomb and are awarded the George Cross, becoming the first military personnel to receive this medal for “bravery not in the face of the enemy”. St. Paul’s Cathedral will become a symbol of London’s resilience during the Blitz. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul%27s_Cathedral#Post-Wren_history

Vichy French cruisers depart Casablanca at 4 AM, leaving behind their destroyer escorts. 3 British destroyers join HMS Renown and 3 other destroyers off Casablanca, searching for the French cruisers which are now well on their way South, steaming for Dakar at full speed.

North Africa. Italian 10th Army continues to make slow progress towards the Libyan border with Egypt to begin their invasion. British light covering forces fall back slowly fighting delaying actions.

In the Indian Ocean 330 miles East of Madagascar, German armed merchant cruiser Pinguin stops British steamer Benavon with a shot across the bows. Benavon tries to escape and returns fire with her 4 inch gun but the inexperienced crew does not fit the shells with fuse caps (1 shell hits Pinguin, lodging next to the magazine containing 300 high-explosive mines; a lethal hit if it had exploded). Pinguin shells Benavon into submission (24 killed, 25 crew taken prisoner).
http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/pinguin.html

Day 377 September 11, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 64. Despite fine weather, there are no Luftwaffe attacks in the morning. At 3 PM, 300 German bombers fly across Kent and up the Thames Estuary in 2 waves, escorted by Messerschmitt Bf109s and Bf110s. While Bf109s (which are at the limit of their fuel supplies) are engaged by fighters of AVM Park’s No. 11 Group at high altitude, AVM Leigh-Mallory’s “Big Wing” of 3 squadrons from No. 12 Group attacks the bombers. Losses are equally high on both sides but many bombers get through and again drop their loads on London’s East End. At the same time, Portsmouth and Southampton are also bombed. Destroyers HMS Atherstone and Fernie are attacked by German bombers off Ramsgate, Kent, escorting convoy CW-11 in the Straits of Dover. HMS Atherstone is badly damaged (6 killed), towed to Chatham by tug Turquoise and will be under repair until January 1941. Overnight, London and Liverpool are bombed.

3 Vichy French cruisers and 3 destroyers pass through the Straits of Gibraltar at 25 knots at 8.35 AM, heading for Dakar. They have been spotted at 5.15 AM by destroyer HMS Hotspur 50 miles inside the Mediterranean, but it is too late for the British fleet at Gibraltar to respond. Battleship HMS Renown departs at 4 PM with 3 destroyers to pursue the French warships, with instructions to make sure they go no further South than Casablanca. The French warships stop at Casablanca overnight but only to refuel.

Between 3.26 and 3.28 AM, 200 miles Northwest of Ireland, U-28 torpedoes 2 unladen steamers in convoy OA-210 outbound from Britain. Dutch SS Maas sinks (20 killed) and British SS Harpenden (1 dead) is badly damaged, towed back to the Clyde and beached. At 7.16 AM, U-99 sinks British SS Albionic, carrying 3500 tons of iron ore from Canada to Britain (all 25 hands lost).