http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/29.htm
August 29th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - oil plant at Wesseling - petrol store at Ludwigshaven.
51 Sqn. Seven aircraft to Wesseling. Very bad weather. One bombed primary, two bombed alternative targets.
78 Sqn. Five aircraft to Ludwigshaven. Two returned early, one bombed primary, two bombed alternative targets.
Battle of Britain:
RAF Fighter Command: Some 700 Luftwaffe fighters in provocative sweeps to which RAF do not respond. The Chief of Kesselring’s fighter organisation claims unlimited fighter superiority has been achieved.
At night there are heavy raids against Merseyside (176 sorties) and 44 sorties elsewhere.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 17; RAF, 9.
Admiral Robert L Ghormley, US Assistant CNO, meets with British military delegation in London for staff talks. (Marc Small)
U-100 sank SS Alida Gorthon, Astra II, Dalblair, Empire Moose and damaged Harismere in Convoy OA-204.
ASW trawler HMS Sarabande launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
EGYPT: Italian planes raid Suez Canal. (Jack McKillop)
FRENCH EQUATORIAL AFRICA: In Libreville, Gabon, the Free French Governor Masson receives a telegram from Free French General de Larminat informing him of the new order in French Equatorial Africa. Masson informs the local commandant and publicly declares the colony’s adhesion to Free France. The naval commander of Libreville opposes the move and informs the governor of the imminent arrival of a Vichy naval squadron from Dakar, French West Africa. Masson yields and labels the affair a misunderstanding. Several prominent Gaullists in the colonial establishment are deported to Dakar by flying boat. Vichy France dispatches Air Force General Tetu to Libreville as “Governor General of Equatorial Africa” and orders him to re-establish order throughout the colonies.
FRENCH INDOCHINA: The Vichy French government cedes the Tonkin bases to the Japanese. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.A.: Peter Goldmark of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) announces his invention of a color television system. (Jack McKillop)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 364 August 29, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 51. Low clouds and rain give way to sunny intervals in the afternoon. German reconnaissance flights are mostly left alone by RAF. However, Luftwaffe tries a new tactic at 3 PM and 7.15 PM, sending large groups of fighters across the English Channel with no bombers. RAF initially goes up to intercept but No. 11 Group commander Air Vice Marshal Keith Park sees the German ruse. He withdraws RAF planes to avoid being drawn into a battle of attrition between fighters. Both sides lose 9 fighters. Luftwaffe again bombs major industrial and shipping centers (Portsmouth, Tyneside, Hartlepool, Swansea, Manchester and Liverpool). Decoy fires are lit in the countryside (’Starfish’ sites), fooling German bombers into dropping their bombs away from the cities (as shown by German air photos).
In 4 hours, U-100 hits 5 steamers in Convoy OA-204, 150 miles Northwest of Ireland. At 00.23, U-100 damages British SS Hartismere and sinks British SS Dalblair (4 killed, 19 crew and 1 gunner picked up by Swedish SS Alida Gorthon, 17 crew picked up by corvette HMS Clematis and landed at Londonderry, Ireland). At 1.40 AM, British SS Astra II is sunk (4 crew and 1 gunner lost, 20 crew picked up by the British minesweeper HMS Gleaner). At 3.36 AM, Swedish SS Alida Gorthon is sunk (11 crew and all 20 survivors from Dalblair killed, 13 survivors). At 4.27 AM, British SS Empire Moose is sunk (all 36 crew are rescued).