NAZIS SMASH HALF A CONVOY WITH PLANES, TORPEDO BOATS (7/27/40)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 7/27/40 | Raymond Daniell, Charles E. Egan, C.L. Sulzberger

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour

[Homer_J_Simpson]

This song grabbed the #1 spot on the Billboard Top Ten the week of July 27, 1940. It would remain atop the chart until October 12. Personally, I think the boy singer’s voice could use a little more character. I recommend a strict regimen of cigarettes and Jack Daniels. Twenty years of that ought to do the trick.

“I’ll Never Smile Again”

[Homer_J_Simpson]

10 of 21 Craft Hit – 2-3
Irish Defend Policy Against U.S. Critics – 3
Russia and China Draft Trade Pact – 3
The International Situation – 4
Nazis’ Reported Buying Here Reported as Hedge – 5
Soviet Said to Plan a Bloc in Balkans – 5
Gibraltar Bombed by Fliers in Waves – 6
Raids Damage Reich Badly, Swede Finds – 7
France Reduces List of Missing Notables – 7
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 8-9

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Royal Navy suffers losses in Channel

Saturday, July 27, 1940 www.onwar.com

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/jul40/f27jul40.htm

In the English Channel... Kesselring’s forces sinks 2 British destroyers and damages 1 in air strikes.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/27.htm

July 27th, 1940

UNITED KINGDOM: Destroyer HMS Wren (D 88) is bombed and lost off Aldeburgh, Sussex on the east coast at 52 10N, 02 06E, as she gives AA cover to minesweepers. He-111s of Bomber Wing (Kampfgeschwader) 53 (KG 53) took the credit. (Alex Gordon)(108)

Destroyer HMS Codrington D 65) is sunk in an air raid on the port of Dover. The ferocity of this attack (another destroyer and a sloop were also damaged) caused the Admiralty to abandon the use of Dover as an advanced base for destroyers. (Alex Gordon)(108)

RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). No ops due to bad weather.

RAF Fighter Command: Weather, clear, then stormy. Luftwaffe attacks shipping. 4 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed, 1 RAF aircraft lost.

Bombs fall for the first time on Faversham and Sheppey in Kent.

17 HE bombs dropped on Canvey Island, Essex.

About 30 Ju87s of I/StG 77 were dispatched to intercept a convoy off Swanage, escorted by JG 27. Three Hurricanes of 238 Sqn. arrived just as the Stukas were peeling off into the attack and Flg. Off Davis destroyed one, by the time the second wave of Stukas arrived three Hurricanes and the Spitfires of 609 Sqn. were protecting the convoy.

Thundery weather delayed any further attacks until late afternoon, when Dover was hit. The barracks and marine station were hit and four direct hits on HMS Codrington causes its boilers to explode. This event and the discovery that the Germans are building emplacements for long-range, heavy-calibre guns near Calais, forces the Admiralty to move the destroyer flotilla from Dover to the Nore.

At 18:46 Hurricanes of 615 Sqn. down an air-sea rescue He59 off the Foreland.

A night attack highlighted the inadequacy of defences and the vulnerability of the west. 20 bombers had operated over Ireland and Anglesey, while others were busy over the south-east dropping 60 He’s and an oil bomb on Gillingham as well as bombs on Maidstone and Sevenoaks.

GERMANY: Bavaria: Bulgaria’s Prime Minister confers with Hitler at Berchtesgaden; yesterday Romania’s Premier did the same.

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Collingwood launched Collingwood, Ontario.

Patrol vessel HMCS Cleopatra assigned to Quebec City, Province of Quebec. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.A.: The first of 81 Grumman Martlet Is (F4F-3 - US designation) is delivered to the British Purchasing Commission.

Warner Brothers releases a cartoon entitled “A Wild Hare” the first cartoon in which Bugs Bunny is fully recognizable. (Jack McKillop)

The motion picture “They Drive by Night” is released. Directed by Raoul Walsh, this drama about truck driving brothers from A.I. Bezzerides’ novel stars George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Hale and Roscoe Karns. (Jack McKillop)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 331 July 27, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 18. 15 German dive bombers attack 6 minesweeping trawlers and escort destroyers in the English Channel 20 miles off Aldeburgh, East Anglia. Destroyer HMS Wren is holed below the waterline by several near misses and sinks (37 lives lost). HMS Montrose suffers damage to the hull, losing her bow, and is towed to Harwich. Germans also bomb the port of Dover sinking destroyer HMS Codrington, in dock for boiler cleaning (3 men wounded). Merchant convoys are also attacked in the English Channel. 2 German fighters and 1 Stuka are shot down. RAF loses a Spitfire and a Hurricane.

At 2.58 AM, 350 miles West of Scotland, U-34 attacks convoy OB-188 sinking British steamer Sambre and British tanker Thiara (25 killed). British destroyer HMS Winchelsea rescues all 48 of Sambre’s crew plus 36 survivors from Thiara, who will be landed at Liverpool. http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/436.html

[iowamark]

Note the left front page of The NY Times, where Republican Willkie is talking about campaigning in the Solid (Democrat) South. They are discussing forming a new party. The Republican party could not exist openly in the Klan run southern states.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Ping.

[CougarGA7]

Battle of Britain Campaign Diary

Date: 27 July 1940

• Weather: Fair Straits, cloudy in Channel. Slight rain in the midlands and the North Sea.
• Day: Raids on shipping and naval units in Dover harbour and Straits.
• Night: Attacks on south-west England.

  Enemy action by day

  During the afternoon, several raids attacked shipping and naval units in the Straits and in Dover harbour. Two enemy aircraft were shot down and we lost one Hurricane.

  One raid approaching a convoy off Swanage was intercepted and driven back, two enemy aircraft being shot down and one Spitfire missing. Other raids approaching shipping and ports on the South Coast retired before our fighters could intercept.

  North and North-East

  Five raids of one aircraft each were reported off the east coast of Scotland and the Orkneys.

  South and West

  During the day, six raids approached the South Coast between Selsey Bill and Portland. One of these, which was attempting to attack a convoy off Swanage, was intercepted and driven off. One Me109 (confirmed) and one Ju87 (confirmed) was shot down by Hurricanes of Nos. 145 and 238 Squadrons respectively. The other raids retired before fighters could intercept.

  Enemy aircraft made a reconnaissance of Belfast, Isle of Man and the area south-west of Anglesey to Cardiff.

  Spitfires of No 234 Squadron shot down one Ju88 (unconfirmed) off Land's End.

  Dover Area

  At 1430 hours, ten Me109s which had been patrolling the Calais area, crossed the Straits and dropped bombs which caused damage to dock equipment. Fighters chased the enemy aircraft towards France but did not make contact.

  At 1602 hours, one raid of 6+ flew towards Dungeness, turned west and bombed a steamer (which was damaged) off Sandgate.

  At 1730 hours, three Squadrons were sent up to patrol the Dover area and No 41 Squadron shot down one He113 (confirmed) and No 615 Squadron shot down one He59. No 501 Squadron lost one Hurricane.

  Off East Anglia

  At 0930 hours, one raid attacked a convoy off Lowestoft. Our fighters failed to intercept.

  At 1706 hours, a convoy and naval units off Orfordness were attacked. RDF lost track of this raid and it was not intercepted.

  Approximately six other raids approached the east and south-east coasts but did not penetrate inland.

  By night

  At 2230 hours, about 20 enemy aircraft were plotted out of Cherbourg and the Channel Islands to Cornwall and other western counties as far as Anglesey, Bala, Kidwelly, Upton-on-Severn, west of Gloucester, Cardiff and Bristol area. In some instances fighters were despatched but no interceptions are reported.

  Between 2348 and 0130 hours, four raids approached the coast near St Abb's Head - apparently minelaying - and went north as far as the Firth of Tay where explosions were heard. Three further raids appeared to carry out minelaying from the Tay to Kinnaird's Head.

  By 0300 hours, most of the raiders had returned from the west to northern France, but not all landed in the Cherbourg area.

  

  ________________________________________

  Statistics

  Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 27 July 1940

• Blenheim - 63
• Spitfire - 242
• Hurricane - 331
• Defiant - 24
• Gladiator - 8 (1 Flight only)
• Total – 668

  Casualties:

• Enemy: Fighters - 2 confirmed; Bombers - 1 confirmed 1 unconfirmed. 1 seaplane also confirmed as shot down.
• Own: 1 Spitfire, 1 Hurricane.

  Patrols:

• 141 patrols despatched involving 522 aircraft.

  Balloons:

• Flying - 1274 Casualties - 70.

  Aerodromes:

• Abbotsinch, Sherburn and Hartlepool serviceable by day only.
• Evanton is unserviceable.

  Organisation:

• No 604 Squadron moved from Gravesend to Middle Wallop.

  Air Intelligence Reports

• None.

  Home Security Reports

• 26th/27th July 1940.

• General Summary

• With reference to yesterday's report, it is now established that no bombs were dropped at Poole on July 26th.
• Bombs were dropped in many localities during the early hours of the morning of July 27th, but casualties and damage reported are negligible, the majority of bombs falling in open country.

• Detailed Summary
• Early on July 27th, bombs were dropped near Faversham (Kent), in the Wimborne and Dorchester sections of Dorset and at Weymouth, without any damage being reported.
• Bombs were also dropped at Elie, Kinglassie and Falkland in Fifeshire and at North Berwick.
• In all, reports of bomb droppings were received from nearly thirty points but only one slight casualty has been reported.
• An unexploded bomb at Westerleigh (Gloucester) has now been established as a petrol bomb.
• All the above incidents occurred during the early hours of the morning, and the remainder of the day of July 27th has been quiet.
• Late at night on the 27th of July and early in the morning of the 28th July, bombs were dropped at Swansea Docks, Upton-upon-Severn and Kidwelly (Carmarthen). No damage has been reported except at Swansea where a railway line was displaced.

  Battle of Britain