http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/01.htm
July 1st, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - German battleship Scharnhorst at Kiel. Marshalling yards at Hamm
58 Sqn. Five aircraft to bomb Scharnhorst - direct hits claimed. Opposition heavy. One FTR.
102 Sqn. Eight aircraft to Hamm. All bombed successfully. Opposition light.
Resounding ‘One Nation’ editorial in the London _Times_, with the famous passage : ‘If we speak of democracy we do not mean a democracy which maintains the right to vote but forgets the right to work and the right to live’. This is widely interpreted as meaning that the Conservative elites rally behind the concept of social reform to counter Nazi attacks on ‘plutocratic’ Britain. (Antoine Capet)
Coal rationing introduced in Britain. (Antoine Capet)
Destroyer HMS Onslow laid down.
Minesweeping trawler HMS Deodar commissioned.
Destroyer HMS Garth commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE: The government moves to the spa town of Vichy, where the empty hotels are suitable new homes for government departments.
The U.S. Ambassador to France meets privately with the President of the French Council of Ministers, Marshal Henri Petain. Regarding the French Fleet, Petain states that orders have been given “to every captain of the French Fleet to sink his ship rather than permit [it] to fall into German hands.” The Ambassador also has an interview with Admiral Darlan and is told that if the Germans demand the fleet, it had orders to sail for Martinique and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to join the USN. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: U-88 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
SPAIN: U-52 refueled from the German supply ship Bessel in Vigo. (Dave Shirlaw)
ROMANIA: Bucharest: Oil-rich Romania, the chief source of Hitler’s oil supplies, today renounced the Anglo-French guarantee of its frontiers and sent “important emissaries” to Berlin.
These moves confirm the Allied fears that King Carol would look to the Nazis for protection following Russia’s occupation of the provinces of Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia.
For the moment all is quiet in the capital, although there are reports of clashes between troops and workers at the port of Galatz.
U.S.S.R.: Soviet submarine SC-137 launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
LIBYA: Marshal Rodolfo Graziani succeeds the late Italo Balbo as commander-in-chief of Italian forces.
JAPAN: Rationing of sugar, matches and other goods is introduced.
U.S.A.: US President Roosevelt sign another naval construction bill. This provides for the construction of 45 more ships and provides 550 million dollars (US) for this and for other projects.
Effective this date, a new law passed by the U.S. Government places a two cent tax on movie theater tickets to help pay for increased defence spending. (Jack McKillop)
Ben Turpin, the cross-eyed slapstick comedian of the silent movies, dies in Santa Monica, California, of heart disease. He was 65. He began his career as a burlesque comedian and entered films in 1907 but failed to attract attention and went back to burlesque. He returned to films in 1914 and his big break came in 1915 when he played opposite Charlie Chaplin. The two did not get along and Turpin moved on to another studio; Mack Sennett found him in 1917 and he went on to become a leading comedy star and insuring his eyes with Lloyds of London against uncrossing. He appeared in over 160 films until sound came in and then appeared in cameo roles in 18 films until his death. (Jack McKillop)
The 7th “Bayonet” Infantry Division of the United States Army is activated. (Marc James Small)
Light cruiser USS Cleveland laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Two German U-boats are sunk today:
- The crew of U-26 scuttles their boat about 282 nm (522 km) west of Brest, France. The RN corvette HMS Gladiolus had dropped eight depth charges damaging the U-boat in an attack yesterday. Today, a Sunderland Mk. I, aircraft “H” of No. 10 Squadron, RAAF, based at Mount Batten, Devonshire, England, sights the boat on the surface and drops two sticks of four 250-pound (113 kg) bombs further damaging it and preventing it from diving. Recognizing their situation, the crew scuttles the boat to prevent capture by the British and all 48 crewmen are picked up by the sloop HMS Rochester. (Alex Gordon)
- After sinking a 5,219 ton merchant ship in Convoy SL-36 (Sierre Leone to U.K.), U-102 is sunk about 238 nm (440 km) west of Brest, France, in position 48.33N, 10.26W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Vansittart. All 43-hands in the U-boat are lost. (Alex Gordon)
At 1155, the Clearton in Convoy SL-36 was torpedoed and damaged by U-102 about 180 miles west of Ushant. At 1325, the now straggling vessel was again torpedoed by the U-boat and sank 042° 240 miles from Smalls. Eight crewmembers were lost. The master, 24 crewmembers and one gunner were picked up by HMS Vansittart, which had sunk U-102 shortly after the last attack and brought the survivors to Plymouth.
SS Damastos sunk by U-29 at 46.20N, 14.30W.
At 0023, U-30 attacked Convoy SL-36 about 300 miles west of Ushant and claimed the sinking of one ship with 7900 tons. This claim is not confirmed by Allied reports. At 0400 hours, the U-boat attacked again and sank the Beignon. The Beignon had picked up 84 survivors of the Avelona Star, which had been torpedoed by U-43 in the same convoy at 2227 hours on 30 June. Three crewmembers and three survivors were lost. The master, 29 crewmembers and 81 survivors were picked up by HMS Vesper and Windsor and landed at Plymouth
At 1351, the Amstelland in Convoy OA-175 was hit by a torpedo from U-65 about 380 miles SW of Lands End. Stockhausen claimed to have sunk his victim, but she remained afloat for two days, before HMS Marauder took the ship in tow. HMS Calendula escorted the damaged vessel to Falmouth, where they arrived on 5 July. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 305 July 1, 1940
A planned invasion of Britain, Operation Seelöwe (Sealion), is first mentioned by the German General Staff (OKW).
The island of Jersey in the Channel Islands surrenders to German occupation. British paranoia escalates. Liner SS Arandora Star leaves Liverpool carrying 565 German internees & 734 Italian internees to camps in Canada, plus 374 British crew & military guards. 86 are Germans POWs, but most are Italians & Germans living in Britain (including Jews who have escaped from the continent). They are suspected of being German agents planning the invasion of Britain. The ship has no Red Cross sign to indicate that she is carrying prisoners and civilians.
Germans begin strategic bombing of British industrial centers. Luftwaffe bombs Hull in Northeast England and Wick, Scotland, in daylight (12 civilians killed, 22 injured).
The French government relocates from Bordeaux to Vichy. Pétain’s administration will henceforth be known as Vichy France.
At 4 AM, 300 miles West of Brest, France, U-30 sinks British MV Beignon carrying 8816 tons of wheat in convoy SL-36 (6 die, including 3 survivors from SS Avelona Star rescued yesterday). 30 crew and 81 Avelona Star survivors are picked up by destroyers HMS Vesper & HMS Windsor and landed at Plymouth.
In the same convoy, U-102 sinks British SS Clearton (8 crew lost). U-102 is sunk by British destroyer HMS Vansittart with depth charges (all 43 hands lost). HMS Vansittart then picks up 26 survivors from the Clearton and lands them at Plymouth. In the same area, U-65 sinks Dutch SS Amstelland (1 dead, 39 survivors) and U-29 sinks Greek SS Adamastos (all 25 crew survive).
U-26 damages British steamer Zarian in convoy OA-175. U-26 is depth charged by corvette HMS Gladiolus and then bombed on the surface by Flight Leader W.N. Gibson in an Australian Sunderland aircraft (10 Squadron, RAAF). Unable to dive, U-26 is scuttled (all 48 crew are rescued and became POWs). Gibson will receive the Distinguished Flying Cross. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u26.htm