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August 17th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - aircraft factory at Augsburg.
102 Sqn. Five aircraft. One returned early, three bombed primary and one FTR.
RAF Fighter Command: A day of reduced activity limited to single aircraft seeking coastal shipping.
Around 17:00 a photo-reconnaissance aircraft lingered at 35,000 feet over London, before another flying even higher surveyed the Thames and its Estuary.
During night attacks homes are destroyed in Aberavon, Wales. Bombs also fell south-west of Coventry and a dozen on Liverpool.
Pilot Officer R.A. Rhodes and Sgt. Gregory operating a Mersey Blue Line patrol from Ternhill in a Blenheim 1 fighter L6741 of 29 Sqn shot down a night raider which they located by the lights in its rear position. Killed in the encounter was KG 53’s Gruppenkommandeur.
Churchill spends the afternoon watching the progress of the battle in the “ops room” of No. 11 Group at Uxbridge, near London. He could hardly contain his excitement as he followed the progress of the battles. The gallantry of the RAF against constant attack from the Luftwaffe made a deep impression on him. Later, driving home, he said: “Don’t speak to me; I have never been so moved.”
London: The Reuters News Agency reported:
For the first time in the war German aircraft have bombed the suburbs of London, but the actual city of London neither saw enemy aircraft, nor heard the roar of their engines nor of anti-aircraft fire. Londoners are going quietly about their work. In the evening the usual crowds are to be seen outside theatre and cinemas, and the parks are packed with strollers who will be very surprised to read in the morning papers what the Germans say about the great air battles over London. The first German report that London’s port district had been “very badly damaged,” provoked some mirth here; while the later German reports that their planes “danced” over London, that gigantic fires were raging on both sides of the Thames, and that a curtain of smoke lay across the whole of London, gave Londoners much amusement. When the air alert was sounded for the second time in 24 hours on Friday afternoon, at an hour when there was busy traffic on the streets, the majority of passers-by entered the air-raid shelters in complete composure.
Lt Edward Womersley (1917-55), Royal Engineers, dug 17 feet to an unexploded bomb and removed a new type of fuse for which he had no instructions. (Empire Gallantry Medal)
Corvette HMS Coreopsis commissioned. Submarine HMS Utmost commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: The Luftwaffe removes Stukas from its attacking force, as they have proved too vulnerable.
Daily Keynote from the Reich Press Chief:
The Minister [of Propaganda, Goebbels] reckons that sooner or later the English will give up their present tactic of trivialising [the German air raids] and substitute a new tactic: playing the fiddle of humanitarian sentiment in order to “awaken the world’s conscience,” for which they will trot out murdered women, pregnant women, old people etc., for inspection. To meet this predictable eventuality, Herr Fritsche and Herr Bohmer [of the Ministry of Propaganda] should have material ready to hand, pictures of the children killed in Freiburg and so on ...
The German government announces a “total blockade” of the British Isles and states that all ships will be sunk without warning. (Jack McKillop)
Corvette Kreizis commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
GREECE: Greek reserve forces are called up in some districts. This demonstrates the recent increased tensions. The Greek cruiser Helle was sunk by an Italian submarine recently.
LIBYA: The Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet lead by Admiral Cunningham bombards Italian positions at Bardia and Fort Capuzzo.
(Mark Horan adds): In an effort to provide air cover for the bombardment operation, HMS Eagle dispatched the three Sea Gladiators of her 813 Fight Flight to Sidi Barrani where they joined RAF Gladiator’s of 112 Squadron in flying CAP throughout the day. In the afternoon, the expected attacks by Regia Aeronautica appeared. The patrols of Gladiators broke up several attacks, with 813 Fighter Flight’s Cdr. C. L. Keighley-Peach, Lt. L. K. Keith, and Lt. A. N. Young claiming two of 8 claims overall.
Tragically, 11 days later Young would be killed as killed when his 824 Squadron Swordfish crashed at Dekheila. The Mediterranean fleet sustained no damage.
Meanwhile, with Commonwealth’s recent gains in Libya, the Royal Navy begins laying plans to send several of HMS Eagle’s Swordfish aircraft to the Bardia area to operate against Italian supply lanes in the Gulf of Bomba.
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Cobalt launched Port Arthur, Ontario. (Dave Shirlaw)
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Day 352 August 17, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 39. Despite perfect flying weather with little wind and cloudless skies, there are only a few German reconnaissance flights. RAF takes the opportunity to rest pilots and make repairs to aircraft, airstrips and radar stations damaged in the recent bombing. 1 German aircraft is shot down by anti-aircraft fire at Southampton. Overnight, there is bombing of the East coast and cities in the Midlands (Coventry, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Chester) and one small bombing raid on London. Another German aircraft is shot down by a Blenheim. RAF bombs the armament works at Leuna, near Leipzig, Germany. No RAF aircraft are lost.
British Somaliland, East Africa. British troops are evacuated from Berbera. Italian forces are ordered not to attack during the withdrawal, hoping for a future peace settlement with Britain. British cruiser HMS Ceres, covering the evacuation, shells an Italian column advancing along the coast 40 miles West of Berbera at Bulhar. British casualties in the defense of Somaliland are 38 killed, 102 wounded and 120 captured (in contrast, Italians have 465 killed, 1530 wounded). Churchill believes Somaliland has been given up without a fight. Commander-in-Chief Middle East, General Wavell, replies that “A bloody butcher’s bill is not the sign of a good tactician”, driving Churchill into a rage. Amazingly, both Wavell and Major-General Godwin-Austen (responsible for defending British Somaliland) are not removed from command.
North Africa. Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet sails from Alexandria, Egypt, to bombard the Libyan port of Bardia. At 7 AM, battleships HMS Warspite, Malaya & Ramillies and cruiser HMS Kent, supported by 12 destroyers, shell Bardia and Italian troop concentrations 12 miles South at Fort Capuzzo. Light Italian coastal batteries do not have the range to reach the British warships.