http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/07.htm
September 7th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
Battle of Britain:
RAF Fighter Command:
Losses: Luftwaffe, 41; RAF, 28.
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). 51 Sqn. One aircraft crashed near Wells, Norfolk on return from Boulogne. Crew unhurt, aircraft wrecked.
Bombing - invasion fleet at Ostend and Boulogne.
51 Sqn. Four aircraft. Three got off but none bombed due to adverse weather.
One crashed on return, crew safe.
78 Sqn. Three aircraft. None bombed due to weather.
London: Today as many as 350 German bombers protected by as many fighters appeared over London’s docks. They were followed by another 247 tonight. A few hours later, with 2,000 Londoners dead or injured and the whole area engulfed by flames, all railway links south were blocked, and the decision was taken at GHQ Home Forces to send out the code word “Cromwell”: invasion imminent. Home Guard and regular troops were called out, church bells rung and some bridges blown.
Churchill had been warning the chiefs of staff that if an invasion is to be tried it cannot be long delayed, because the weather may break at any time. For the past few weeks hundreds of self-propelled barges have been observed moving down from German and Dutch harbours to ports of northern France. They have come under heavy bombardment from the RAF and the Royal Navy. But the massive bombing attack on London docks, which British forces interpreted as a prelude to an attempted German landing, does not appear to have been followed up by any movement of the invasion fleet. One theory is that the Germans hope that their air raids on civilian targets will cause such panic and chaos that invasion will be unnecessary.
RAF Fighter Command has a total of 59.5 fighter squadrons available: 31 Hurricane squadrons, 20 Spitfire squadrons, 6 Blenheim squadrons, 2 Defiant squadrons and 1/2 of a Gladiator squadron. (Jack McKillop)
London: London’s dockland is on fire tonight after a massive daylight raid in which more than 300 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs rained on the capital, with the RAF seemingly unable to stop the death and destruction which fell from a stately procession of bombers onto the streets of East London.
Göring directed the attack from a clifftop in France, whence he watched 350 bombers escorted by 650 fighters stream across the Channel. Broadcasting from his HQ, he said he could see waves of planes heading for England.
It seems that the RAF have been wrong-footed this time, despite Enigma warnings of an at
tack on London. There have been raids on Hawkinge airfield this morning and thinking that the new wave of raiders were heading for airfields north of London, the 11 Group controller kept his squadrons north of the capital not realising that London was the target until it was too late. Eventually 21 out of 23 squadrons airborne managed to get into action and shot down 41 German planes for the loss of 25, but by then the damage had been done.
The first bombs set fire to bonded warehouses. Blazing rum, paint and sugar floated on the Thames. Many people had to be evacuated by boat. “Send all the pumps you’ve got,” pleaded one fire officer, “the whole bloody world’s on fire.” One of the problems facing the fire-fighters was that the level of the Thames had fallen in the dry summer and they had difficulty in getting their pumps to work. Later the sirens sounded again, and in the night 247 German aircraft attacked the capital, dropping 352 tons of high explosive and 440 canisters of incendiary bombs.
London: Mr Albert Ernest Dolphin (b. 1896), a porter, died when he flung himself under a falling wall, saving the life of a nurse trapped after a bomb hit the South-Eastern Hospital, New Cross. (George Cross)
The U.S. freighter SS Lehigh, detained by British authorities since 5 September, is released. The British then detain another U.S. freighter, SS Warrior. (Jack McKillop)
LUXEMBOURG: Anti-Semitic Nuremburg laws are applied to Jews living in Luxembourg by decree. (Jack McKillop)
GERMANY: Berlin: The German armed forces have drawn up detailed plans not only for invading the British Isles but for consolidating their positions after the initial landings. Operation Sealion entails the landing of a first wave of 13 divisions at a number of points on the south coast, from Ramsgate in the east to Lyme Regis in the west. Airborne troops will also be used. The Germans would then move inland to establish themselves on a line eastward from Gloucester to south of Colchester. By then they believe that Britain will have surrendered and a military government will be set up. But the difficulty of mounting an invasion without air superiority worries the chiefs of staff.
The prototype Blohm and Voss Bv 222 V1 six engined flying boat makes its maiden flight.
ITALY: Rome: The Italian High Command announced:
‘Italian bombers have again bombed oil refineries in the centre of Haifa and caused extensive fires. In North Africa our planes bombed the rail line between Alexandria and Marsa Matruh.’
EAST AFRICA: A Gloucester Gauntlet of No. 430 Flight (RAF) (K 5355) downs an Italian Caproni Ca 133.
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Dawson laid down Victoria, British Columbia. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: The USN’s Cruiser Division 7 (Rear Admiral Andrew C. Pickens) sails to establish patrol off the eastern seaboard between Newport, Rhode Island, and Norfolk, Virginia. Heavy cruisers USS Quincy (CA-39) and USS Vincennes (CA-44) depart first, USS San Francisco (CA-38) (flagship) and USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) follow. The ships, burning running lights, are to observe and report the movements of foreign men-of-war, and, as required, render prompt assistance to ships or planes encountered. (Jack McKillop)
Artie Shaw and his Orchestra recorded “Temptation” on the Victor label. (Jack McKillop)
Destroyer USS Hilary P Hones commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Off the coast of Spain, the British steamer SS Olivegrove is stopped, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-33 200 miles (322 km) northwest of Spain; upon receiving SS Olivegrove’s distress signal, U.S. passenger liner SS Washington, en route to the British Isles to evacuate American citizens from the European war zone, alters course and increases speed to reach the scene. Meanwhile, U-33’s commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Hans-Wilhelm von Dresky, treats the British survivors courteously, and aids in their rescue by having distress rockets fired to guide SS Washington to the two lifeboats containing the 33-man crew, which she picks up without loss. (Jack McKillop)
The German submarine U-47 torpedoes and sinks three merchant vessels, two British and one Norwegian totalling over 14,500 tons, sailing in convoy SC-2 between Iceland and Ireland in position 58.30N, 16.10W. They are the SS Gro, SS José de Larringa and SS Neptunian. (Jack McKillop)
CARIBBEAN SEA: U.S. passenger liner SS Santa Paula is hailed by an unidentified RN cruiser 30 miles (48 km) off Curaçao, Netherlands West Indies, and ordered to stop; after a delay of 20 minutes, SS Santa Paula is allowed to proceed.
U.S. tanker SS I.C. White is challenged by unidentified cruiser 15 miles (24 km) off Baranquilla, Colombia, but is allowed to proceed without further hindrance. (Jack McKillop)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 373 September 7, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 60. On the brink of victory, Göring changes tactics. With RAF on its knees, Luftwaffe ceases bombing airfields, radar and aircraft works. Hitler, furious at the bombing of Berlin, believes Britain brought to the negotiating table by breaking the will of British civilians by terror bombing London. At 4 PM, a huge armada heads up the Thames Estuary (300 Heinkel and Dornier bombers & 200 Bf110s carrying bombs, escorted by 600 Bf109s). Soon, RAF has 23 squadron airborne waiting for them to split up. Instead they fly straight ahead to bomb London’s East End, including docks, shipyards & Woolwich Arsenal (igniting gunpowder stores for artillery shells). RAF tears into the retreating bombers, now unescorted by Bf109s which have returned home low on fuel. Luftwaffe loses 53 bombers and 21 Bf109s in all. RAF loses 27 fighters (15 pilots killed). Still burning, London’s East End is bombed continuously overnight (490 civilians killed, 1200 injured). http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/0036.html
Between 4 and 5.33 AM, 300 miles Northwest of Ireland, Günther Prien in U-47 sinks 3 steamers in convoy SC-2 en route to Britain from Sydney, Australia; British SS Neptunian carrying 8500 tons of sugar from Chile (all 36 hands lost), British SS José de Larrinaga carrying 5303 tons of steel and linseed oil from USA (all 40 hands lost) and Norwegian SS Gro carrying 6321 tons of wheat from Canada (11 killed, 21 survivors escape in 1 lifeboat and are picked up by British steamer Burdwan on September10, then transferred to corvette HMS Arabis and landed at Liverpool on 13 September).