http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/02.htm
August 2nd, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - oil refinery at Salzbergen.
10 Sqn. Seven aircraft. Two returned early, five bombed primary. Weather bad, opposition severe.
51 Sqn. Eight aircraft. Seven bombed primary. Weather bad, opposition severe.
RAF Fighter Command: Weather, fine, drizzle over sea. Luftwaffe attacks shipping off south-east coast. At night South Wales and the Midlands are attacked.
Luftwaffe bombs Dundee for the first time, Swansea suffers a heavy raid. Off Harwich Me110s of Erpro 210 sink HM Trawler Cape Finisterre with a direct hit. Gunners aboard the SS Highlander in a convoy off Scotland shoot down one of two He-111s of KG76 which are attacking it. The Heinkel crashes onto the deck to provide a trophy!
Southern England: German bombers drop leaflets detailing Hitler’s August peace proposals.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 4; RAF 0.
At 0427, the Alexia in Convoy OB-191 was torpedoed by U-99 in position 55°30N/15°30W and fell out of convoy, where she was shelled by the same U-boat but did not sink.
At 0345, the Lucerna in Convoy OB-191 was torpedoed by U-99 and later shelled, but the damaged tanker reached port and was repaired.
U-99 damaged motor tanker Strinda at 55.10N, 17.16W.
Corvette HMS Peony commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
London: Lord Beaverbrook joined the war cabinet today. The Prime Minister brought Beaverbrook into the government in May, and he has been one of its outstanding successes. Since he became Minister of Aircraft Production - a new post - in May, he has boosted output of fighters for the RAF. In February there was a shortfall: 141 planes produced against a planned 171. In May, however, this had been turned around with 261 planes planned and 325 built. This month’s planned output of 282 is expected to be exceeded by up to 200 machines.
The Canadian-born press baron’s success has been achieved through force of personality. He has been aggressively cutting through Whitehall red tape and treading on ministerial toes in purloining all accessible supplies for aircraft factories.
River class submarine HMS Thames is believed to have been sunk in a minefield whilst on her homeward passage. All crew of 61 are lost. In conforming with her navigational instructions, HMS Thames would have passed through four minefields. Currently believed to lie around 56 45N 03 26E. (Alex Gordon)(108)
FRANCE: VICHY FRANCE: The government sentences General de Gaulle to death in his absence.
GERMANY: Hitler issues war directive number 17 -
“1. To destroy the RAF and the British aircraft industry,
2. to disrupt the British food supply, and
3. to inflict extensive damage on the British merchant and war navy. The intensified air offensive should be launched by August 5.”
Thence the Luftwaffe assembles 14 bomber wings, 8 fighter wings, 4 Stuka dive-bomber wings and 3 Me110 fighter-destroyer wings, nearly 1700 aircraft (600 bombers, 700 fighters, 200 Stukas, 200 fighter-destroyers).
MALTA: Operation Hurry: The first delivery of 12 Hurricanes of 261 Squadron flies off the carrier HMS Argus. All aircraft arrive on the island. They are the first Hurricanes to operate in the Mediterranean theatre.
(Mark Horan) In in effort to curb further attacks on the 2nd, HMS Ark Royal lays plans for a dawn attack on the Italian bomber bases in Sardinia.
“Operation Hurry” concludes. After recognizing the need to close significantly closer to Malta to successfully launch the Hurricane Is of 418 Flight on their transit flight from HMS Argus, Force H opts to launch a pre-dawn strike on Regia Aeronautica’s airfield at Cagliari, Sardinia by aircraft from HMS Ark Royal. The plan calls for 9 Swordfish of 810, 188, and 820 squadrons to go after the airfield while simultaneously, 3 additional 820 Squadron Swordfish will lay mines in Cagliari harbour. The 0230 takeoff is marred when one Swordfish of 810 Squadron crashes. Most unfortunately for those involved, the strike planes had difficulty finding their targets until after dawn. Although the harbour is successfully mined and the bombing destroyed 4 Italian aircraft and several hangers, one aircraft is downed by a defending fighter. Back with the fleet, dawn’s early light sees the 12 Hurricanes and their 2 Skua II guides depart HMS Argus and, ultimately, arrive safely at Malta. Covered by Ark Royal’s Skua II fighters of 800 and 803 Squadrons, the entire force sails past the rock en-route to the UK, where Force H will stay for most of the month. (Mark Horan)
CANADA: Norwegian whalers commissioned as minesweepers (former names retained) HMCS Star VXI, Suderoy IV, Suderoy V and Suderoy VI. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his cabinet have a long discussion in a cabinet meeting concerning “ways and means to sell directly or indirectly” 50 to 60 overage destroyers to the British. Everyone agrees “that the survival of the British Isles under German attack might very possibly depend on their (the British) getting these destroyers.” Everyone also agrees that legislation to permit the sale of these ships is necessary. (Jack McKillop)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 337 August 2, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 24. Overnight, steamer Highlander in convoy FN.239 is attacked by 2 He115 torpedo bombers, 20 miles south of Aberdeen, Scotland. 1 He115 is shot down by escort sloop HMS Weston. The other clips Highlander’s mast while strafing her, crash landing onto Highlander’s poop deck. Clouds again restrict flying during the day. Germans bomb convoys in the English Channel and along the East coast, sinking anti-submarine trawler HMT Cape Finesterre off Harwich (1 sailor killed). 2 Spitfires crash on take off at Hornchurch and 1 Hurricane crashes on landing (1 pilot killed). http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/0023.html
Overnight, British submarine HMS Thames hits a mine and sinks Southwest of Stavanger, Norway (all 62 crew lost). U-60 has another lucky escape, suffering no damage when bombed in error off Hagesund, Norway, by Stukas flying from Stavanger. U-99 torpedoes 3 empty tankers in convoy OB-191 (British MV Alexia and MV Lucerna, Norwegian MV Strinda). All 3 are damaged but none sink and no lives are lost. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/445.html
French military court sentences General Charles de Gaulle to death in absentia for leading the Free French movement in London.
Operation Hurry. At 4.45 AM, 12 Hurricanes launch from aircraft carrier HMS Argus Southwest of Sardinia and fly about 300 miles to Malta, forming new 261 Squadron. Admiral Somerville’s Force H returns safely to Gibraltar (arriving August 4) or to England (arriving August 10). Meanwhile, to prevent Italian air attacks on the carrier group, 8 Swordfish torpedo bombers from aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (escorted by battlecruiser HMS Hood, cruiser HMS Enterprise and 4 destroyers) attack an Italian airfield at Cagliari on the South coast of Sardinia, destroying several Italian aircraft and laying mines in the harbour.