Posted on 07/26/2010 4:59:48 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
Barbara W. Tuchman, Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/jul40/f26jul40.htm
Luftwaffe clears the Dover Straits
Friday, July 26, 1940 www.onwar.com
From London... The British Admiralty order that no ships are to pass Dover during daylight. This is not a direct response to the previous day’s losses but has been under preparation for some time because of the extra organization involved.
In Tokyo... The Japanese government formally adopts policy documents giving priority to solving their China problem by blocking supplies reaching the Chinese through Indochina and to securing their own raw materials by a more aggressive stance in the Dutch East Indies.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/26.htm
July 26th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - marshalling yards at Mannheim and Hamm.
102 Sqn. Nine aircraft. One returned early, three bombed, one FTR.
RAF Fighter Command: Weather, rain, Luftwaffe attack south-coast shipping. Channel convoys suspended in daylight hours. 4 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed, 2 RAF aircraft lost.
Bombs fall for the first time on Brentwood, Essex.
No. 1 Squadron replaces 43 Sqn. at Tangmere. Plt. Off. Goodman in a Hurricane downs a Bf109 of III/JG 27.
238 Sqn. tangles with JG27 and off Portland Flt. Lt. S.C. Walch destroys a Bf109.
German night activity includes ten HE’s dropped at Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, and attacks on houses in Chigwell (Essex), Bristol, Dagenham and Canvey Island (Essex). Bombs intended for the ICI plant at Winnington, Cheshire instead fell among houses in Northwich but none exploded. Off Flatholme, Wales, a sand ship was blown up (possibly by mines) and eight crewmen were lost.
The Admiralty issues an order prohibiting the passage of Dover by ships during daylight hours.
Submarine HMS P-36 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
NORTH SEA: As the damaged KM Gneisenau makes for Germany from Norway, submarine Swordfish carries out an attack and sinks escorting torpedo boat ‘Luchs’.
JAPAN: Tokyo: Japan intends to take advantage of the war in Europe to expand its empire in Asia, according to a new military-inspired national plan to prepare Japan for war. Their top priority is to block supplies reaching the Nationalist Chinese via Indochina. They will also take a more aggressive stance to secure their own raw materials from the Dutch East Indies.
Unveiled by Prince Konoye four day after becoming Prime Minister, Japan’s “new order”, for Greater East Asia envisages Japan leading a strong union combining Japan, Manchukuo and China, the Chinese Nationalists defeated and the Japanese armed forces ready to go to war with Britain and the USA within 12 months if talks fail to stop arms reaching China through British and French territories.
U.S.A.: President Franklin D. Roosevelt invokes the Export Control Act which prohibits the exporting of aviation fuel and certain classes of iron and steel scrap with a license. This act stops the flow of these vital materials to Japan. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 1447, U-34 attacked Convoy OB-188 320 miles west of Bloody Foreland for the first time and sank two ships, the Accra and Vinemoor. The Accra sank after one hour and 15 minutes. 12 crewmembers and 12 passengers were lost. The master, 153 crewmembers and 311 passengers were rescued: 215 survivors were picked up by the British SS Hollinside, 126 survivors by the Norwegian merchantman Loke, 27 crewmembers and 52 passengers by sloop HMS Enchantress and 45 survivors by corvette HMS Clarkia. The warships landed the survivors at Liverpool. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 330 July 26, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 17. Bad weather restricts flying. Several times, both small and large raids approach within 10-20 miles of the English coast but turn away when RAF fighter squadrons go up. It is not clear if this is due to the weather, reluctance of Luftwaffe pilots to engage or a new tactic designed to draw the RAF over the open sea towards France. 3 Messerschmitts and 1 Hurricane are lost.
50 miles Southwest of Stavanger, Norway, British submarine HMS Thames fires a torpedo that is intended for German battleship Gneisenau heading for Kiel. The torpedo instead hits one of the screening vessels at 50 yards; torpedo boat Luchs which sinks immediately. HMS Thames is never heard from again (possibly damaged by the proximity of the blast or hit by the sinking Luchs, or she may be lost on a German mine at a later date).
At 2.47 PM, 320 miles West of Ireland, U-34 fires three torpedoes at convoy OB-188, sinking British passenger ship Accra carrying 1700 tons of general cargo (24 dead). 465 survivors are rescued by British steamer Hollinside, Norwegian steamer Loke, sloop HMS Enchantress and corvette HMS Clarkia and landed at Liverpool. British MV Vinemoor is hit and sinks the next day (all 32 crew picked up by HMS Clarkia, transferred to steamer Hollinside and landed at Liverpool).
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/435.html
ping for later
this book- a must read!!
and am in the process of reading this:
Thus President Roosevelt, having just met his Pacific Fleet commander, Admiral Richardson -- who advised FDR the fleet was in no way ready to take on the Japanese from Pearl Harbor and was too weak to deter them -- Roosevelt decides anyway to begin tightening the screws on Japan.
Despite the sounds of "today's" report, the embargo does not seriously cut-off Japan from their most critical raw material: US oil.
But the Japanese are already beginning to respond.
And when FDR does finally embargo US oil exports, the Japanese immediately decide to attack a very vulnerable US target.
Date: 26 July 1940 
Enemy action by day
Enemy activity was on a much-reduced scale. Reconnaissances were made of shipping and the few raids which penetrated inland only inflicted minor damage. The chief feature was the lack of determination of the enemy to press home attacks. Several times, raids - whether small or large size up to 50 aircraft - turned away when 10-20 miles from the coast when our fighter squadrons were sent up.
North and North-East
A meteorological flight took place in the early morning off the Orkneys. Of two other raids plotted, one crossed to Glasgow and dropped bombs near Kilmarnock.
East and South-East
Two raids occurred off Orfordness, one of which successfully bombed a naval unit. Four other raids were in the Yarmouth-Cromer area flying at about 18,000 feet. One of these raids approached to within 20 miles of the coast and the others to about 50 miles.
South and West
At about 0603 hours, a single aircraft crossed the coast at Beachy Head and flew inland via Uckfield, Maidstone, Crowborough, Lingfield, Sevenoaks, East Grinstead and back to Hastings and Abbeville. Bombs were dropped at Mayfield and Hastings. Fighters failed to intercept.
At about 0900 hours, three raids consisting of 21+ aircraft in all approached Swanage. In each case as the fighters were sent to intercept, the raiders turned away not less than 10 miles from the coast.
At about 0945 hours, No 601 Squadron when on patrol off the Isle of Wight, intercepted a formation and a Me109 is a probable casualty. One Hurricane fell into the sea and the pilot is lost.
Between 1100 and 1300 hours, twenty enemy aircraft approached Portland but turned back when some distance from the coast on the approach of our fighters. No 238 Squadron shot down one Me109 (confirmed).
At 1530 hours, eight raids consisting of fifty aircraft assembled in the Bay of Seine and flew towards the Isle of Wight. Three fighter squadrons ordered to patrol at heights between 10,000 - 20,000 feet turned the enemy force which split and flew to within 30 miles of the Isle of Wight whence it returned to its rendezvous area. One raid crossed the coast north of Dungeness and No 65 Squadron shot down one Me109 (confirmed) off Dover.
A force of 24+ aircraft (and probably considerably more) appeared in the Cherbourg area at 1848 hours. The formation was plotted on a 10-mile front, flying in layers at an average height of 16,000 feet. It turned west towards Portland and then broke into separate raids and returned direct to Cherbourg. Squadrons off Portland failed to sight the enemy.
West Coast
Two unidentified raids appeared off the Pembroke coast and at 1700 hours, No 92 Squadron whilst on patrol off this coast, shot down one Ju88 (unconfirmed).
France
Early in the day there were the normal enemy reconnaissances off the French coast bit later, a continuous patrol was kept up, but a few aircraft ventured out to sea.
By night
At 2128 hours, an enemy aircraft was plotted from 12 miles south of Dunkirk to North Foreland, Shoeburyness, Kent and north over Hornchurch and to within 8 miles of North Weald, re-crossing the coast at Mersea Island. It crashed into the sea of Brightlingsea. This raid is reported to have dropped bombs in Kent and Essex. No definite report as to why this enemy aircraft crashed has yet come to hand.
At 2205 hours, a hostile raid of one aircraft at 10,000 feet was plotted 50 miles east-north-east of Hazeburgh. This raid eventually faded without crossing the coast and was either a meteorological flight or hoping to intercept our out-going bombers. One raid of 2+ aircraft was plotted on patrol from east-north-east of North Foreland to south of Rye. No convoys were in this vicinity.
Between 2230 and 0100 hours, enemy aircraft were active over a widespread area. Thirteen raids approached and crossed the coast in the vicinity of Portland, flying north-north-east and some continued to the Bristol area. Bombs are reported to have been dropped without causing serious damage. Ten raids were plotted in the Thames Estuary between Deal and Harwich and the majority appeared to be minelaying. Three raids were plotted near the Tyne in the vicinity of two convoys and were probably mainelaying. Seven raids appeared near Aberdeen of which the majority flew over convoys in the vicinity and some minelaying is suspected. Bombs are also reported to have been dropped at Rosehearty, south of Frazerburgh and on Dyce aerodrome, but no damage is reported. Peterhead is reported to have been machine-gunned by low-flying aircraft. Single tracks were also plotted over the coast between the Humber and Whitby and may also have been engaged in minelaying.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 26 July 1940
Casualties:
Patrols:
Balloons:
Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Air Intelligence Reports
Home Security Reports
I haven’t read the first two yet, but the Pacific Campaign by Van der Vat is very good. I also recommend his compainion to that book called “The Atlantic Campaign”. They compliment each other very well. Currently my pleasure reading has dropped since I’m working on resources for my thesis, but I am rereading “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” by Richard Rhodes.
i highly recommend Death March...it was written in 1981 but is truly a page turner...
if you’d like Freepmail me your address and I can mail you my copy...it is an incredible book....
without being overly dramatic in many ways you see the holocaust taking place against Americans in the far east by the Japs....
This is pretty small potatoes at this point. One provision of the July 2nd Export Control Act which this licensing process is a part of is the total embargo of aviation fuel to Japan. But as we can see by the news article itself, this is already happening with Japan not receiving any aviation fuel this year or last year for that matter. The only thing of any significance that is not in the article is that there is also a full embargo of machine tools to Japan that went into effect here. This was probably the most significant effect at the moment since Japan can still get the scrap iron they need. The loss of these machine tools though are more of a nuisance on the grand scheme of things, it just forces them to rely on their own tooling industry more heavily.
We can also see the first hints of Japan's designs on Indochina. This would provide them with some good sources of tin, rubber, and magnesium making it an inviting target to the new Japanese government that is now dominated by the more aggressive militant leaders. It also would serve as a good launching point for attacks into China. With Britain closing the Burma Road for the time being there are definitely appearances of a shift in the balance of power in the Sino-Japanese conflict and not one that favors the United States.
I’ll do that. Thanks.
Tuchman’s book is a very good read. And with the rise of China, it is still relevant today for anyone wanting an understanding of how the Chinese look at us “foreigners.” Most importantly, it shows how we can expect to be treated by them. I don’t have the book open in front of me right now, but the two things about the Chinese from Tuchman’s book that always stuck out in my mind are:
1. Whenever Stilwell had an audience with Chaing Kai Shek (affectionately called by Stilwell “Cash My Check”), when the audience was over Chaing would insist on opening the windows “let out the smell of the foreigner.”
2. Ancient Chinese proverb, applied to all their dealings with us “barbarians:” “We can always fool the foreigner.”
Reading “Stilwell and the American Experience in China” should be required reading for any American executive who is even thinking about doing business with the Chinese. They look at us as sub-humans, and only want to rip us off. Call me racist if you will, but I believe it is actually the Chinese who are racists toward us.
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