Posted on 09/27/2010 5:12:03 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Plus a special guest map from Michael Korda’s, “With Wings Like Eagles,” showing the air defenses of England and Wales, August 1940.
John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/sep40/f27sep40.htm
Japan allied to Germany and Italy
Friday, September 27, 1940 www.onwar.com
In Berlin... Germany, Italy and Japan sign an agreement promising that each will declare war on any third party which joins the war against one of the three. It is stated that his agreement does not affect either Germany’s or Japan’s relations with the USSR. This treaty is known as the Tripartite Pact. All the signatories hope that the pact will deter the United States from joining the war in Europe or taking a more active line in the Far East.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/27.htm
September 27th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
Battle of Britain:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - installations at Lorient Naval base.
10 Sqn. Twelve aircraft. All bombed.
RAF Fighter Command: London, Bristol, heavily escorted bombers raid aircraft factories, but big losses are inflicted by the RAF.
At night London, the Midlands and Merseyside are raided.
Erpro Gr 210 makes its final fighter-bomber attack on the British Isles. Escorted by I./ZG 26 it attacks Bristol, but suffers five losses, including the new Kommandeur, Hptm Martin Lutz, to Hurricanes of 504 Squadron.
Observer Corps reported six large bombers circling Kenley. The only bombs though are reported in the Dover area. Ju88s of KG 77 attempted two raids on London and lost 13 of their number to British fighters. Bf110s of LG 1 fared little better, losing seven on their number over Kent and Surrey.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 55; RAF, 28.
Light cruisers HMS Kenya and Phoebe commissioned.
Submarine HMS Unique commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE: All Jews are forced to carry special identity cards.
BELGIUM: Eighty brand-new Italian Br.20M bombers have been assigned to 13th and 43rd Stormo and these units are transfered from Italy to Belgium today. The extremely bad weather conditions caused only 63 planes to arrive to their assigned bases of Melsbroech (13th St.) and Chivres (43rd St.). Twelve more Br.20s will arrive over the next several days, but five were lost in crash-landings. These units will begin the Italian contribution to the “Blitz”. (Ferdinando d’Amico)
GERMANY: Professor Franz Six, an SS colonel, is appointed to head the German secret police in Britain in the event of an invasion.
Berlin: Today, in the Berlin chancellery, the Japanese ambassador, Saburo Kurusu, put his signature to a tri-partite pact which extends the Rome-Berlin Axis to the Far East. In a move clearly directed at the United States, the three countries pledge themselves to aid one another with “all political, economic and military means” should one of them be attacked by “a power not involved in the European war.”
Japan accepts the hegemony of Germany and Italy in Europe, and they in turn recognise Japan’s right to organise “the Greater East-Asia Co-prosperity Sphere”. The pact contains a clause promising to preserve the status quo in relations with the Soviet Union.
In Washington, Roosevelt called his defence advisers to the White House to review the implications of the pact. Asked if he had expected Japan to join the Axis the President said: “Yes and No”.
A navy department spokesman said that the pact would not mean any change of policy. The navy, he said, would continue to be based at Pearl Harbor.
ICELAND: Second Hand John Henry Mitchell (1917-72) ran 100 yards and clambered over three ships to rescue two seamen from freezing waters. (Albert Medal)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-31 sank SS Vestvard.
U-37 sank SS Georges Mabro. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 393 September 27, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 80. Despite rain and clouds over Southern England, Luftwaffe launches a series of daylight bombing raids. At 9 AM, 80 bombers &100 fighters cross Kent towards London. Most of the bombers are turned back near Maidstone & Tonbridge, but some get through to bomb London. At 11.20 AM, 25 bombers & 45 Me110s fly towards Bristol. They are intercepted, sparing the Bristol Aeroplane Company, but RAF Filton is bombed. At midday, 300 German aircraft (mostly fighters) again cross Kent towards London but they are engaged at 12.30 & turned back. At 3 PM, 80 bombers & 80 fighters again fly towards London. They are intercepted & dispersed but 20 aircraft bomb Central London. In another big victory for RAF, Luftwaffe loses 21 bombers and 34 fighters while RAF loses 27 fighters (13 pilots killed). Overnight, there is heavy bombing of London (from Dieppe and Le Havre), as well as attacks on Liverpool (from Cherbourg), Edinburgh (from Denmark), Birmingham & Nottingham.
Germany, Italy and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact, designed to keep USA out of the war. Each agrees to declare war on any country that joins the war against one of the others. As Japan is not currently at war with the Allies, this is a clear sign of their intent to become involved.
At 11.13 AM, U-31 sinks Norwegian MV Vestvard 300 miles West of Ireland (1 killed, 30 survivors escape in 1 lifeboats and make land October 1 near Galway, Ireland). In the same area at midnight, U-37 sinks Egyptian steamer Georges Mabro (all hands lost). After sailing 500 miles West from base at St-Nazaire, France, in 4 days, U-46 malfunctions and dives accidentally, killing Oberbootsmaat Heinrich Schenk and Matrosenobergefreiter Wilhelm Reh. The patrol is aborted and they return to St-Nazaire.
Minesweeper HMS Halcyon is badly damaged on a mine laid by German aircraft in the mouth of the River Tees, North England (several crew wounded). Halcyon will be out of service until July 1941.
OUTSTANDING posts! Thanks. History/education BUMP!
Thanks for posting from Toland’s “The Rising Sun.” It’s one of my favorite books. Toland’s wife was Japanese, so while he was able to write the war from the Japanese point of view, he was not a Japanese apologist. His account of the Bataan Death March left little to the imagination and after reading it, I had no problems with firebombing Tokyo. Something about “reaping the whirlwind.”
Even though Matsuoka signs this pact this week, on his way back to Japan through the USSR he will conclude a Non-Aggression Pact with the USSR, which Japan will scrupulously honor and the USSR will breach in August 1945. This shows how all Axis powers were really pursuing their own contradictory aims during the war. Hitler’s inability to get the Japanese to look north rather than south may have forfeited his chance to defeat the USSR and win WW2. But if you were a Japanese leader, it would be hard to look anywhere but south, since Siberia did not offer the readily accessible war materiel Japan desired.
So here you have an example, in today’s NYT, of these historical forces weaving their complex tapestry. The Japanese conclude their pact with Hitler, while America puts more economic screws on Japan’s war economy. Having been given a bloody nose by the Soviets, and with France defeated and Britain isolated, Japan is lured away from the USSR and towards conflict with Britain and the USA. So in a way, Hitler becomes a victim of his own success by defeating France so quickly. These are the ironies of history that make it so compelling to study.
I see we just handed another $25,000,000.00 to Chaing Kai Shek. While Stillwell usually referred to Chaing as “Peanut,” his other nickname for Chaing as “Cash My Check” is much better.
The Chinese played us for fools during the war. Their saying “We can always fool the foreigner” certainly applied to us.
And they are still at it today. Any American who does business with the Chinese is a fool.
Date: 27th September 1940
Enemy action by day
During the day, there were three major attacks on London and South-East England, and one smaller attack on Filton. Balloons were attacked at Dover.
Our fighters destroyed 131 enemy aircraft (plus 33 probable and 52 damaged) and AA guns shot down two (plus two probable). Our losses were 27 aircraft of which 18 pilots are killed or missing.
First Major Attack
About 0900 hours, some 180 enemy aircraft (100 fighters and 80 bombers) crossed the Coast between Folkestone and Dover in six formations at heights varying from 15,00 to 20,000 feet. No 11 Group sent up 13 Squadrons to meet this attack and 11 of these Squadrons intercepted. No 12 Group provided 4 Squadrons to patrol North Weald and Hornchurch. The attack was halted in the Maidstone - Tonbridge area but some enemy aircraft penetrated to Central and West London. By 0943 hours, raids were dispersing over the Coast from Shoreham to Dungeness.
Second Major Attack
Between 1147 and 1215 hours, six formations totalling 300 enemy aircraft crossed the coast between Dover and Lympne at heights varying from 12,000 to 29,000 feet, and headed towards the Chatham area. Twenty Squadrons were sent up and the main engagements took place over Kent and East Sussex. Enemy formations encountered were principally composed of fighters. Enemy dispersal commenced at 1230 hours and was practically completed by 1300 hours.
Third Major Attack
Between 1500 and 1526 hours, nine formations totalling about 160 enemy aircraft, of which probably half were bombers, crossed the coast between Dover and Brighton at an average height of 22,000 feet, and flew towards South London. The enemy formations were intercepted but about 20 aircraft appeared to penetrate to the Central London area. The last raids had recrossed the coast by about 1600 hours.
Attack on Filton
At 1120 hours two formations consisting of about 25 bombers escorted by 45 Me110s and some Me109s, crossed the coast near Swanage and flew to Filton. At Frome, the Me109s turned back. Eight Squadrons were despatched to meet the attack, one of which intercepted and dispersed the enemy formations before they reached the Bristol Aeroplane Co's Works, but Filton RAF Station was attacked from 11,000 feet. Formations were also intercepted on their return journey.
Dover
At 1143 hours, Dover Balloons were unsuccessfully attacked by three Me109s.
Patrols and Reconnaissances
During the greater part of the day, the enemy maintained patrols in the Channel.
In the evening, there was some reconnaissance activity off the South-East Coast, in the Estuary, and off East Anglia, the last probably being shipping reconnaissances over a convoy.
Night Operations - 27th/28th September 1940
Enemy activity was chiefly directed towards London from the French Coast and lasted from 1940 hours to 0600 hours, with a brief lull from 0215 to 0315 hours. Edinburgh was visited just after dusk and there were scattered raids in the Liverpool District, Birmingham and Nottingham, mostly up to midnight.
1930 to 2100 Hours
There were 18 raids to the London area which originated from Dieppe and Le Havre. Nine raids from Cherbourg crossed the Coast between Swanage and Selsey and made for the Bristol Channel area, some proceeding to Liverpool.
Four raids from the direction of Denmark crossed the coast North of St Abb's Head and proceeded to Edinburgh, after visiting a convoy.
2100 to 0100 Hours
55 raids were plotted of which the majority proceeded to London from Cherbourg and Dieppe. A few of these went as far North as Duxford.
Two or three raids visited the Liverpool district as well as one each to Birmingham and Nottingham.
No minelaying operations are suspected.
By 2300 hours the Western half of the Country was clear.
0100 to 0600 Hours
Raids continued to come in fairly steadily from the French Coast to the London area until 0215 hours.
Activity in the remainder of the Country was very slight.
At 0315 hours, there was renewed activity from the Abbeville area to London crossing the coast between Bexhill and Hastings. This stream continued until about 0600 hours when the last raids were recrossing the coast.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 27th September 1940
Casualties:
| Enemy Losses | ||
| By Fighters | ||
| 44 Me109 | 9 Me109 | 13 Me109 |
| 47 Me110 | 12 Me110 | 18 Me110 |
| 18 Ju88 | 6 Ju88 | 5 Ju88 |
| 7 Do215 | 2 Do215 | 7 Do215 |
| 3 Do17 | 2 Do17 | 5 Do17 |
| 1 Do? | 1 Do? | |
| 11 He111 | 2 He111 | 3 He111 |
| 131 | 33 | 52 |
| By Anti-Aircraft | ||
| 2 E/A | 2 E/A | |
| 2 | 2 | Nil |
Patrols:
Balloons:
Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Air Intelligence Reports
Home Security Reports
Something interesting here with Toland’s account of the event.
He states that the American’s ban on shipping scrap metal was an immediate retaliation to Japan’s signing of the Tripartite Pact. Yet when I look at this time line it appears that the ban may have come before the signing of the pact. I would think for the ban to be in today’s paper it must have been decided on yesterday at the latest and the pact wasn’t signed until today. It just doesn’t seem that a ban like this would be a gut check reaction to me.
I think the ban is more in line with a measured response to the Japanese actions in north Indochina and the signing of the Tripartite Pact is more of a affirmation of the U.S. policy makers being correct in their decision.
The Rising Sun is one of my favorite books on the Pacific war as well. I also particularly like Ronald Spector's Eagle Against the Sun and its a rather interesting exercise to put the two together to look at things from a Japanese and American point of view.
My earlier post points out what might be a minor error in Toland's assessment, but minor is a key word there. Toland's book is one that I would recommend to anyone who want's to get a good analysis of the Japanese in World War II.
I agree. I've told my wife that the reason Macy's change their logo to just be a single red star was to honor the source of their merchandise. We won't shop there. If we want Chinese junk we get it at Walmart where we can get it on the cheap.
I don’t think you ever got around to pinging out today (Monday).
You are absolutely right. And you are the first to bring it to my attention. Thanks.
Really cool posting today and it underscores Japan’s jealous rage that gave cause to their military aggression.
No oil and no steel? Pretty much ends the means of production and I guess they had no choice militarily. Still, they made a huge mistake in attacking America and paid the price for it in an instant.
The Chinese should send us a Thank You letter every year but they don’t and now they will be confronted by our military, some years down the road.
That dreadful day will result in the breakup of the Chinese Confederacy that has been forced on the 57 unique ethnicities who to this day strive for their autonomy.
Thanks for another great post!
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