http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/11.htm
July 11th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - Leverkusen.
58 Sqn. Eight aircraft sent, one bombed primary and remainder attacked alternative targets. One FTR.
London: Lord Beaverbrook appeals for housewives to hand over aluminium artefacts for the war effort; Lady Reading, the head of the Women’s Voluntary Service, will handle the collection of donations.
The RAF raids enemy airstrips in the Netherlands and munitions factories in Germany.
FRANCE: Paris: The first issue of La Gerbe, a collaborationist weekly paper, appears.
Marshal Petain issues his first decree as the new Vichy Head of State which begins: “Nous, Philippe Petain”.
ROMANIA: The government withdraws from the League of Nations.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Force H, which has now put to sea on receiving reports of the Italian fleet, is now returning to Gibraltar, when screening destroyer HMS Escort is attacked by Italian submarine ‘Marconi’ north of Algiers at 36 11N, 03 36E. Escort is sunk some hour later after all her crew has been transferred to HMS FORESTER. There are no casualties. (Alex Gordon)(108)
Regia Aeronautica delivers a series of 16 raids on the British Mediterranean Fleet in the Ionian Sea. The sole aerial defence of the fleet is provided by the four Sea Gladiators of 813 Fighter Flight (N5512, N5513, N5517, N5567), which was formed on 16 June. The aircraft are flown by Eagle’s Commander Air (Commander Charles Lindsay Keighly-Peach, RN) and three volunteer Swordfish pilots of 813 Sqn, FAA (Lieutenant (A) L. K. Keith, RN , Lieutenant (A) P. W. V. Massy, RN, and Lieutenant A. N. Young, RN). In the series of actions, the Sea Gladiators break up several attacks during which Cdr. Keighly-Peach downs an S-79 while Lt. Keith damages another. Despite an estimated 126 sorties, the Italians are able to obtain only a single bomb hit on HMS Gloucester. (Mark Horan)
U.S.A.: William Franklin (Frank) Knox, publisher of the Chicago Daily News, takes the oath of office as U.S. Secretary of the Navy. (Jack McKillop)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 15 July 11, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 2. Clouds keep most RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft grounded. Hurricanes from 601 Squadron & Spitfires of 609 Squadron tangle with Ju87 Stukas & Messerschmitt Bf109s attacking the Royal Navy base at Portland (South coast of England). 1 Hurricane, 2 Spitfires, 2 Stukas and 2 Bf109s are shot down. Hurricanes of 66 Squadron attack a reconnaissance Dornier Do17 bomber off the East coast of England (the Dornier and 1 Hurricane are lost). 6 Spitfires shoot down a Heinkel seaplane bearing Red Cross markings (to pick up downed Luftwaffe pilots) escorted by 12 Bf109s of the coast of Kent. 2 Spitfires and 2 Bf109s are also shot down. http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/0021.html
In the Indian Ocean 400 miles Southeast of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis sinks British steamer City Of Baghdad (previously a German ship SS Geierfels, taken by Britain as reparations after WWI) carrying 9,324 tons of steel, chemicals and machinery. 2 crew are killed, 81 taken prisoner.
At 7 AM, U-34 sinks Norwegian steamer Janna 100 miles Southwest of Ireland. All 25 crew abandon ship in three lifeboats and make land at Mizen Head, Ireland 3 days later. In the Mediterranean 60 miles South of Cyprus, Italian submarine Tarantini sinks Panamanian tanker Beme and rescues her entire crew.