http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/aug40/f06aug40.htm
Italians mine Sicilian Channel
Tuesday, August 6, 1940 www.onwar.com
In the Mediterranean... The Italians place extensive minefields in the Sicilian Channel.
In the English Channel... There are German attacks on shipping.
In East Africa... Odweina is taken by the Italians.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/06.htm
August 6th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Fighter Command: Weather, cloudy, windy. Little Luftwaffe activity, some attacks against shipping. Heavy raids on Swansea and Midlothian
Off East Anglia three 85 Sqn. Hurricanes led by Sgt. Geoffrey Allard shot down a Do 17 of III/KG 3..
Losses: Luftwaffe, 1; RAF 1.
London: The first contingent of airmen from Southern Rhodesia arrived in Britain today to add its strength to the increasingly international air force which is waging war on Germany. The men join not only British and Polish pilots but also airmen from Canada, Australia and New Zealand - not to mention volunteers from Ireland and the USA.
Throughout the Empire, towns, islands, colonies and even tribes are donating money for individual planes to the mother country. Soon more airmen will arrive from the colonies to pilot the planes that their fellow countrymen have donated. Already Canada is training hundreds of fighter pilots. More generally, India has 500,000 men under arms; Australasia 225,000; Canada 200,000, and South Africa 80,000.
ASW trawlers HMS Morris Dance, Saltarelo launched.
Rescue tug HMS Prudent launched.
Destroyer HMS Blencathra launched.
Corvette HMS Gentian launched.
Corvette HMS Salvia launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: U-219, 220, 301, 302, 359, 360, 445, 446, 447, 448, 707, 708 ordered. (Dave Shirlaw)
FINLAND: The US Army transport American Legion arrives at Petsamo, Finland to embark US citizens that had been living in European countries, e.g., Finland, Estonia, Lativa, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. (Jack McKillop)
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Quezon asks the US War Department for a subsidy of $100 per soldier. This was rejected on the advice of High Commissioner Sayre, who analyzed it as a money-making scheme for the Commonwealth.
AUSTRALIA: Minesweeper HMAS Toowoomba laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: The Secretary of State, Cordell-Hull, calls for a massive build-up of arms to dissuade enemy attacks.
In the U.S., Columbia Records cut the prices of its 12-inch (30.48 cm) classical records. The records are priced to sell at US$1 (US$11.76 in year 2000 dollars). Within two weeks, RCA Victor did the same and ended a record-buying slump brought on by disinterested consumers. (Jack McKillop)
Destroyer USS Madison commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)