Posted on 08/09/2010 4:54:31 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/aug40/f09aug40.htm
British shipping under attack
Friday, August 9, 1940 www.onwar.com
In the English Channel... There are German attacks on shipping.
In London... The British government announces that it is abandoning the British presence in Shanghai and Tientsin province, in China. The forces concerned move out later in the month. Also, General de Gaulle announces that he has the support of the French New Hebrides colony. [Later in the month Chad, French Equatorial Africa, Cameroon and several of the French Pacific islands also declare for the Free French. The leader of the Free French forces who brings Cameroon over to de Gaulle is Captain de Hautecloque who will later change his name and be better known as Leclerc. This is in order to avoid persecution of his family. Another prominent officer who joins de Gaulle is General Larminat who is in command at Brazzaville.]
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/09.htm
August 9th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - aluminium works at Ludwigshaven.
77 Sqn. Nine aircraft. Seven bombed primary.
78 Sqn. Five aircraft. Four bombed primary, one bombed an alternative. One damaged by Flak. One fighter seen but no attack.
RAF Fighter Command: Weather, cloud and rain. Luftwaffe attacked east coast shipping and Dover balloons.
Heavy raids on Bournemouth and Salisbury, and a mine is dropped on South Shields, Tyneside.
Bombs fall for the first time on Birkenhead, Cheshire.
KG 26 attack Wearmouth, Northumberland, dropping 14 bombs over shipbuilding and railway facilities and injuring 73 people. Sunderland’s shipyards also came under attack before 79 Squadron shot the offender down.
By dawn in total 190 HEs had fallen in 24 hours, killing 7 and injuring 100.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 5; RAF 4.
London: Britain promises Japan that it will pull out of Shanghai and northern China; its manpower is needed elsewhere.
Corvette HMS Erica commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: The ‘New British Broadcasting Station’ (NBBS) propaganda radio announces that German parachutists would descend on Britain wearing some of the 100,000 British uniforms captured in France or else dressed as miners.
U-703 is laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
CHINA: The British withdraw their forces from Shanghai. (Dave Shirlaw)
CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Cowichan launched North Vancouver, British Columbia.
Corvette HMCS Saskatoon laid down Montreal, Province of Quebec. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-30 sinks SS Canton. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 344 August 9, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 31. Göring believes Luftwaffe has control of the air having successfully attacked many convoys and excluded Royal Navy ships from the English Channel during daylight. Overestimates of downed RAF planes and underestimated Luftwaffe losses further convince him the RAF is almost beaten (in reality, RAF is stronger than a month ago, with losses [84 fighters] less that half the Luftwaffe’s [227 aircraft]). Göring orders new tactics to destroy RAF’s fighting capacity by attacking their airfields, control centers and radar. These tactics cannot be put into effect, however, as cloudy weather allows only reconnaissance patrols. 1 Heinkel He111 is shot down. At 4.45 PM, R.D. Ritchie of 605 Squadron crashes his Hurricane into the sea and dies off Dunbar, East coast of Scotland.
At 8.32 PM, 70 miles west of Ireland, U-30 sinks Swedish MV Canton carrying 7900 tons of iron, cloth and other cargo from India and South Africa to England (16 dead, 16 survivors). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/456.html
Date: 9 August 1940
Enemy action by day
Many small raids approached the East Coast during the morning and were probably searching for shipping.
In the afternoon, several raids concentrated in mid-Channel but turned when our fighters were sighted.
One enemy aircraft was shot down off Sunderland.
In the evening, about 6 raids approached the Dover area and made an unsuccessful attack on the Balloon Barrage.
Enemy activity was generally on a much-reduced scale.
South and West
Between 1300 and 1700 hours, a hostile reconnaissance was made from the Isle of Wight are up the Channel to Dungeness. Further reconnaissance flights were in the Falmouth area and there were test flights in mid-Channel south of Start Point and Portland Bill.
At 1650 hours, two Messerschmitts machine-gunned Dover Harbour. Fighters intercepted and fired at the enemy aircraft but without results.
Later, 4 raids approached Dover and attempted to shoot down the Barrage Balloons without success. Two squadrons which were sent to intercept, saw no enemy aircraft.
Several raids were scattered all over the Channel and appeared to represent portions of reconnaissance flights.
East Coast
In the early morning, several raids were reported off the Yorkshire and Norfolk Coasts searching for shipping. A section of fighters was sent up to intercept a raid about 25 miles east of Southwold but the enemy turned away before interception could be effected.
At 1140 hours, one He111 crossed the coast near Sunderland, but after being active over Sunderland was shot down by No 79 Squadron (Hurricanes) at 1145 hours. There is a report that 1 boat was dropped by this aircraft but there is no confirmation of the crew having been saved.
Between 1400 and 1420 hours, there was one hostile reconnaissance off Spurn Head and later, one enemy aircraft, which may have been the same raid, reported on a convoy and suggests the possibility of a rendezvous with submarines 70-90 miles north east of Haisboro'. Enemy aircraft have been known to circle in this vicinity on the 1st and on the night of 8th/9th August.
By night
Increased enemy activity was noticeable during the night.
About 2100 hours, one raid came in over Kent and was active over Chatham. Six raids approached the coast between Plymouth and Portsmouth from the Cherbourg area. Several raids - apparently minelaying - were in the Thames Estuary and north of Harwich and probably between Cromer and Yarmouth. About seven raids were off the coast between the Tyne and the Wash steering in a north-westerly direction.
Between 001 and 0100 hours, approximately 12 raids - thought to be minelaying - were off the coast between Aberdeen and the Wash. Several raids came over East Anglia and one over the North London area. Further raids were over Mersey, Weymouth and Gloucester and also North Devon.
Between 0100 and 0200 hours, enemy aircraft were very active near two convoys off Amble and Hartlepool respectively.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 9 August 1940
Casualties:
Patrols:
Balloons:
Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Air Intelligence Reports
Home Security Reports
Young Franklin Roosevelt was Woodrow Wilson's Under Secretary of the Navy during WWI -- his responsibilities included Naval Intelligence and anti-sabotage efforts.
So President FDR was always concerned -- some historians say "obsessed" -- with possible German spies and saboteurs.
He had them hunted down and rooted out wherever they might be.
During the war many potential German agents were sent to concentration camps, similar to those for Japanese nationals.
Of course, Roosevelt never had any such concerns about the vastly more numerous Soviet spies.
After all, "Uncle Joe" was his friend.
If I had been paying closer attention it would have finished on 4, or perhaps 5, instead of ending midsentence. In any case, thanks for the commentary here and on the other threads of the last week or so. It's always a treat when BroJoeK checks back after a short absence.
thank you Homer
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