SMASHING RAIDS HIT 50 AREAS IN LONDON; R. A. F. BLASTS NAVAL BASES, KRUPP PLANT (10/10/40)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 10/10/40 | Robert P. Post, James MacDonald Joseph M. Levy

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
German Fighter Range and British Radar Deployment
Marcks’ Plan, August 5, 1940
The Mediterranean Basin (Map 33)
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

Plus a special guest map from Michael Korda’s, “With Wings Like Eagles,” showing the air defenses of England and Wales, August 1940.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Gordon W. Prange, At Dawn We Slept

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Fires Rage in City – 2
Bevin Says Future Belongs to Labor – 2
The International Situation – 3
Amity Pledge Signed by Poles and Czechs – 3
Reich Heavily Hit – 4
French Army Placed on Volunteer Basis – 4
Norwegian Workers to be Sent to Reich – 4
Cairo Hears Keitel Leads Axis in Egypt – 5
Fascisti Offer U.S. British Dominions – 5-6
Vichy to Purge Movies, Curb Exports of Films – 6
Texts of Day’s War Communiques – 6

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/oct40/f10oct40.htm

Luxembourg opposes German occupation

Thursday, October 10, 1940 www.onwar.com

In Occupied Luxembourg... The Germans run a plebiscite in Luxembourg. When the results are counted they find that 97 percent of the population is opposed to their occupation. The experiment is not repeated elsewhere.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/10.htm

October 10th, 1940

UNITED KINGDOM:
Battle of Britain: Fighter-bombers appear in streams. RAF has great difficulty in intercepting.

Losses: Luftwaffe, 4; RAF, 4.

RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: Operation Medium with the Royal Navy. 11 Blenheims bombing shipping and defending guns in the Bassins Charles X and Napoleon III at Cherbourg and spotting for the heavy guns of HMS Revenge. Wellingtons of 3 Group light the target area, the sea and the coastline. (A warning note was given. Shells from HMS Revenge would reach 5,000 feet during trajectory.)

Destroyer HMS Venetia mined in the Thames Estuary. (Dave Shirlaw)

LUXEMBOURG: A German-run plebiscite shows that 97% of the population opposes Nazi occupation of the country. This experiment is not repeated elsewhere.

FRANCE: Cruisers HMS Newcastle and Emerald, with destroyers HMS Broke and HMS Wanderer of the 17th DF and the Polish destroyers ORP Garland and Burza act as a screen to the battleship HMS Revenge which bombarded Cherbourg.

GERMANY: U-66 is launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

CANADA:

Minesweeper HMCS Georgian laid down Toronto, Ontario.

Corvette HMCS Brandon laid down Lauzon, Province of Quebec. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.A.: War Plans Division recommends withdrawal of all military forces west of the 180º meridian. This recommendation may have been made to force a reassessment of US policy to the Far East.

Richardson directed by Knox to aggressively patrol between Hawaii and the Philippines but protests that this was beyond the capacity of his Fleet.

Hart issues order that all dependents were to be sent back to U.S. (Marc Small)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-123 sank SS Graigwen in Convoy SC-6. (Dave Shirlaw)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 406 October 10, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 93. With sunshine and some showers, Luftwaffe mounts 4 raids of 20-100 aircraft into Kent and towards London. Bombs fall on London and towns on the South and Southeast coast. RAF loses 5 fighters (3 pilots killed) while shooting down 3 German fighters and 1 Do17 bomber. Another Ju88 bomber is shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Between 6.25 and 6.44 PM, Dover is hit by 18 shells from German guns near Calais but there is little damage and no casualties. Overnight bombing is heavy with London, Manchester and 15 airfields attacked. There are isolated raids on numerous other cities and towns.

At 11.33 PM, British steamer Graigwen (abandoned after being torpedoed yesterday by U-103) is sunk by U-123. British motor torpedo boats MTB-22, MTB-31 & MTB-32 attack a German convoy in the middle of the Straits of Dover, sinking German trawler Nordenham and capturing 34 prisoners.

[PAR35]

Surprisingly enough, the socialist Bevin would end up playing a key roll in checkmating the Soviets during the Berlin Crisis. He turned out not to be a puppet after all, but a sincerely misguided red.

[PzLdr]

Keitel [”Lakeitel” to his fellow German generals] was probably one of the few general officers of ANY country as stupid as Graziani.

[CougarGA7]

Battle of Britain Campaign Diary

Date: 10th October 1940

• Weather: Showery with bright intervals. Haze in the Thames Estuary and East Anglia.
• Day: Raids over Kent, London suburbs and Weymouth.
• Night: London, Manchester and fifteen airfields attacked.

  Enemy action by day

  There were four main attacks, three during the morning and one in the afternoon. Two of these operated over Kent, one of which split en route to London. One attacked London and the fourth raid went slightly inland over Dorset.

  Reconnaissances were chiefly flown in the afternoon and early evening in the North Sea. A few others operated along the South Coast and one flew via Hastings to South London and another in the Straits.

  One convoy was shadowed in the evening.

  Patrols were maintained in the Straits of Dover during the main attacks at other times, patrol activity was slight.

  Reports so far received indicate that our fighters destroyed four enemy aircraft plus five damaged. We have lost three aircraft and one pilot by enemy action. One enemy aircraft has been destroyed by AA fire.

  Main Attacks

  At 0835 hours 20+ aircraft flew from Boulogne North-West over Dover and split near Shoeburyness. One section went towards London and the remainder, after approaching London, flew South East from Hornchurch and out over Kent.

  At 0952 hours a raid of 20+ crossed the coast at Lympne and another of 12+ crossed at Dover. Both flew over Kent and went out over Dover. These were followed at 1017 hours by two raids totalling 26+ aircraft which flew over Kent, one leaving at Dover and the other over North Foreland.

  Between 1203 and 1230 hours 100+ enemy aircraft penetrated slightly inland at Lulworth. 9 Squadrons were detailed to counter this attack.

  At 1510 hours the first wave of the fourth attack consisting of 65+ aircraft, crossed the coast into Kent. A single aircraft from this wave flew to South London. The second wave of over 80 came inland over Deal and Dover at 1525 hours and does not appear to have penetrated far inland. No 12 Group despatched three Squadrons to assist in meeting this attack.

  Small attacks

  At 0709 hours two He111s are reported to have attacked Dover.

  Reconnaissances

  Between 0600 and 0700 hours one reconnaissance was made over the North Sea and one to Harwich. At the same time, four or five single aircraft reconnoitred from Selsey Bill to Beachy Head.

  Between 1300 and 2100 hours patrols were active in the Straits. Reconnaissances were flown in the North Sea and in large numbers off Harwich, and a convoy was shadowed off the East Coast.

  Night Operations - 10th / 11th October 1940

  1900 Hours to 2100 Hours

  About 1915 hours, the first enemy aircraft was plotted from the Dutch Islands, being augmented shortly afterwards by others from the Dieppe and Le Havre areas. All raids were apparently en route to London. Plots were also shown in the Liverpool area about this time, the aircraft having been tracked from off Caernarvon Coast, while later, other aircraft were plotted in the South Wales area. Minelaying probably took place between Flamborough Head and Newcastle. Towards the end of the period, raids also appeared from Cherbourg towards Portsmouth and London.

  2100 Hours to 2300 Hours

  There was no diminution in the scale of attacks on London, and the area covered extended in the form of isolated raids to Birmingham, Gloucester, Shrewsbury, East Anglia and South Wales. Raids entering from the Dutch Islands appeared to make a sweep of the Debden and Duxford area before turning South West to London. Minelaying extended to Harwich.

  2300 Hours to 0100 Hours 11.10.40

  All activity diminished considerably and raids from the Dutch Islands ceased.

  0100 Hours to 0300 Hours

  Activity towards London increased and extended Northwards to Bedford during earlier part of period. By 0230 hours however, it had temporarily ceased apart from two raids which passed over London to Birmingham/Coventry area.

  0300 Hours to 0600 Hours

  By 0330 hours, isolated aircraft were again penetrating London area and returning on the same tracks. Activity was maintained over the Bristol Channel and extended to Mid Wales and Stoke. Apart from slight activity in Northern England, raids had practically ceased by 0400 hours. London and its approaches were clear by 0452 hours and at 0530 hours, apart from an isolated raid over Bristol, there were no enemy aircraft over the country.

  

  ________________________________________

  Statistics

  Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 10th October 1940

• Blenheim - 53
• Spitfire - 226
• Hurricane - 387
• Defiant - 14
• Gladiator - 8
• Total – 688

  Casualties:

  	Enemy Losses
  	By Fighters
  Destroyed	Probable	Damaged
  3 Me109		2 Me109
  		1 Me110
  1 Do17
  		1 Ju88
  		1 Do215
  4	Nil	5
  	By Anti-Aircraft
  1 Ju88
  1	Nil	Nil

• Own:

• 5 aircraft with 3 pilots killed.

  Patrols:

• Own

• During the night of 9th / 10th October - 42 patrols involving 42 aircraft.
• During the day of 10th October - 133 patrols involving 712 aircraft.

• Enemy

• It is estimated that about 275 enemy aircraft operated over or near our coasts during the day of 10th October.

  Balloons:

• No report.

  Serviceability of Aerodromes:

• Caistor unserviceable by day and night.

  Organisation:

• Corrigendum: With reference to report on 9th October for '609 Squadron' read '607 Squadron'.

  Home Security Reports

• General Summary

• Date: 10th October 1940
• Enemy bombing activity during daylight was confined to London and South-East England. Two main attacks were made, the first soon after dawn, when bombs were dropped in the eastern districts of the Capital; and the second in the early afternoon, when Kent and Sussex Coastal towns were attacked. No vital targets were hit during these raids, and damage was almost entirely confined to house property.
• The night attack on London opened up as soon as darkness fell, and appeared to be more intense than of late. Few districts in Greater London escaped bombing, but the reports so far received indicate that little real damage was done, beyond some further dislocation of railway communications and utility services.
• Bombs were also dropped during this period in many districts of Southern England, South Wales and in Tynemouth, but in no case was major damage caused.

• Detailed Summary

• RAF Stations - 10th October 1940

• Penrhos: The station was unsuccessfully attacked at 1910 hours, most of the bombs falling outside the aerodrome boundaries.
• Carew Cheriton was attacked at 1958 hours by a low-flying enemy aircraft, which dropped 6 HE bombs. A petrol pump was set on fire, but this was quickly extinguished, and other damage was negligible.

• Factories - 10th October 1940

• An attack was made on General Aircraft Ltd, Hanworth, at 1940 hours, and the main hangar was set on fire by incendiary bombs. The fire was under control by 2340 hours, and it is estimated that two-thirds of the building will be saved.

• Factories - Night of 10th / 11th October 1940

• HE bombs fell on the Doulton Works at Lambeth and caused some casualties, but no reports of damage are available.
• A fire was in progress at the LPTB works at Gunnersbury.
• A fire was started by incendiary bombs at J Wright and Sons Factory, at Stepney, but was soon brought under control.
• Mullards Radio Valve Co Suffered damage to the machine shop at Mitcham Works, but it is uncertain if this was caused by a shell or bombs.
• HE bombs fell in the yard of Sangamo Weston at Enfield but the full extent of the damage is not known.
• At Wembley a large trunk water main was damaged near the GEC factory. The GEC will not be affected, but British Oxygen Co will be without water until repairs have been effected.

• Railways

• At 2145 hours HE bombs fell at Wembley, derailing a train near the Metropolitan Railway bridge.
• At 2020 hours HE bombs were dropped on the GWR Line - Greenford Loop, and both lines are reported destroyed.
• HE bombs fell at the LMS sheds at St Pancras, and also at a Coal Wharf at Kentish Town. Extensive damage was done to trucks and to railway property.
• The LNER track at Edmonton was blown up by HE bombs at 2228 hours, and this company's track at Tottenham was also blocked, and bridges were damaged.
• At Hendon the LMS down main passenger line is unserviceable owing to bombing at 2218 hours.
• At Acton the GWR Locomotive Department was damaged by HE bombs at 0054 hours, but full details are not yet available.

• Other damage

• Hastings was attacked twice, at 0644 hours when 14 HE bombs fell in the residential area demolishing four houses, and at 1215 hours when further civil damage was done. Brighton, Eastbourne and Bexhill were also attacked, but only superficial damage resulted.
• Primrose Telephone Exchange, St John's Wood, was hit by HE bombs and a fire broke out. The effect on working is not yet ascertainable.
• HE bombs were dropped at South Mimms at 0130 hours and caused damage to a 33000 volts transmission line.

• Dover Shelling

• Between 1825 and 1844 hours a total of 18 shells fell, but damage was negligible and there were no casualties.

  Battle of Britain

[Homer_J_Simpson]

He turned out not to be a puppet after all, but a sincerely misguided red.

So useful idiocy is a reversable condition. That is encouraging.

[PAR35]

The Condor (FW 200) was a nice looking plane - ahead of its time.

[CougarGA7]

That is a sharp looking plane. The Germans made some excellent aircraft during the war.