Posted on 10/15/2010 5:48:31 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.
William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/oct40/f15oct40.htm
Luftwaffe targets London
Tuesday, October 15, 1940 www.onwar.com
From Berlin... Goring issues orders to give priorities for the German night offensive against Britain. The priorities are firstly London, secondly aircraft factories and third industry in the Midlands and all air bases.
Over Britain... About 400 Luftwaffe bombers attack London by moonlight, dropping 530 tons of high explosive bombs, starting 900 major fires and seriously disrupting road and rail communications. Oxford Street is blocked by rubble; the BBC Broadcasting House is hit. About 400 are killed, 900 are injured and some 600 people are trapped in Balham Underground Station.
From Rome... The Italian War Council makes the final decision for an attack on Greece. Hitler is not to be told beforehand and instead is to be presented with a fait accompli. The Italians hope for the campaign to be over within two weeks. Operations will start at the end of the month.
Over Germany... The RAF conducts a nighttime raid on Kiel.
In the Mediterranean... The British submarine Rainbow engages the Italian submarine Enrico Toti (which was previously damaged and is unable to submerge) in a gun battle off the coast of Calabria. The Rainbow is sunk.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/15.htm
October 15th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain: During the day, the Luftwaffe penetrates to London targets and targets in Kent and the Thames Estuary. For once, RAF fighters bounce high-flying Bf 109s out of the sun, shooting down 4. At night, there are unusually heavy attacks on London and Birmingham.
At 2100 hours local, 30 aircraft head for Hornchurch and central London and hit Waterloo Station and block all but 2 of the rail lines. At 2145 hours, another 50 aircraft attack the city and at 2320 hours, attacks begin in Kent and the Thames Estuary.
In London, train service is stopped at the 5 main stations and traffic for other stations is cut by more than two-thirds. The Underground (subway) is severed at 5 places and roads are blocked throughout the city and a reservoir, 3 gasworks, 2 power stations and 3 important docks were hit. There are 900 fires in London during the night and there are over 1,200 casualties including 400 killed including 64 people sheltering in Balham Underground station. The BBC loses 7 people killed when a bomb hits Broadcasting House during the BBC’s 2100 hours local news program. Bombs destroy the main artery of London’s water supply, the 46 million Imperial gallon-a-day (55.2 million U.S. gallons or 209.1 million liters) pipeline at Enfield. RAF Fighter Command flies 643 sorties during the day; 14 Luftwaffe aircraft are shot down vs. 15 RAF aircraft. (Jack McKillop)
Birmingham: Section Cdr George Walter Inwood (b. 1906), Home Guard, saved two men unconscious from gas in the cellar of a bombed house; he died from gas on a third rescue. (George Cross)
Losse: Luftwaffe, 14; RAF, 15.
London: Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Eric Charles Twelves Wilson of the East Surrey Regiment, reported killed and awarded a VC posthumously last Saturday, is alive and a prisoner of war. The War Office has informed his parents, the Reverend Cyril and Mrs Wilson of Hunsdon Rectory near Ware, Hertfordshire.
Wilson was awarded his VC, the 12th of the war, for outstanding bravery while attached to the Somaliland Camel Corps. Between 11 and 15 August he kept a machine-gun post on Observation Hill in action despite being wounded and suffering from malaria. His mother said tonight that she had never given up hope.
Corvette HMS Orchis launched.
Corvettes HMS Aster and Bergamot laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: U-441 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
ITALY: Rome: Mussolini orders the invasion of Greece even though he knows that Hitler strongly disapproves.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Last night, on patrol southwest of Calabria in the Ionian Sea, submarine HMS/M Triad (71) is lost in a surface gun action with the submarine ‘Enrico Toti’. The TRIAD, commanded by Lt-Cdr G. S. Salt, was on patrol in the Gulf of Taranto and found the Toti on the surface shortly after midnight. Triad fired first hitting Toti twice, one of which was at the base of the conning tower by a 4” round from TRIAD but the damage was minor, and firing a torpedo which goes astern of Toti. The two boats now came so close that Toti’s first lieutenant could hear Triad’s bridge party speaking English. TOTI (an unorthodox boat with a 120mm gun in an enclosed mount forward) now used her superiority in close range weapons to force Triad’s bridge party and the gun crew below decks. Triad began to dive but Toti scored two hits with her gun on TRIAD’s conning tower and one hit with a torpedo and the British submarine was later seen to sink. The TRIAD, commanded by Lt-Cdr G. S. Salt, was on patrol in the Gulf of Taranto and had earlier fired a torpedo which narrowly missed going to the stern of the target. According to the reports of the Toti’s captain (Lt-Cmdr Bandino Bandini) though, it was a surface torpedo attack. The Italian boat at once point came so close to the British submarine that the crews could hear each other and an Italian threw a boot at the Triad.
At about this time HMS Rainbow is lost off Albania in a collision with the Italian merchant ship Antonella Costa. The entire crew of 53 are casualties.
(Peter Beeston and Mike Yaklich and Alex Gordon)(108 and 121)
CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Outarde laid down North Vancouver, British Columbia. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: Over 16 million men have registered for the draft.
The United States requisitioned planes ordered by Sweden. These are 144 Vultee Model 48C single-seat fighter aircraft which are given the USAAF designation P-66 and assigned to Britain (which designated it Vanguard Mk. I), Canada and China under Lend-Lease. China eventually received 129 of the aircraft and the USAAF kept 14 as trainers. (Jack McKillop)
Additional units of the National Guard (NG) are inducted today. Called up are three divisions, ten brigades, 26 regiments, four observation squadrons and a battalion of coast artillery from five states and Puerto Rico. The divisions are New York’s 27th, Ohio’s 37th and the 32d consisting of NG units from Michigan and Wisconsin. (Jack McKillop)
The 298th and 299th Infantry Regiments of the Hawaii National Guard are inducted at Honolulu. (Jack McKillop)
The motion picture “The Great Dictator” premiers at the Astor and Capitol Theaters in New York City. Written, directed and starring Charles Chaplin, this screwball comedy also stars Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner and Billy Gilbert. Chaplin plays a dual role, a Jewish ghetto barber and dictator Adenoid Hynkel of Tomania, a spoof of Adolf Hitler, while Oakie plays Benzino Napaloni of the rival country Bacteria, a spoof of Benito Mussolini. The film is nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture (it loses to “Rebecca”), Best Actor (Chaplin), Best Supporting Actor (Oakie) and a music and writing award. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-93 sank SS Hurunui in Convoy OA-228.
U-138 damaged SS British Glory and sank SS Bonheur in Convoy OB-228.
U-103 sank SS Thistlegarth in Convoy OB-227. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 411 October 15, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 98. Cloudy in the Straits of Dover but clear over Southern England. Luftwaffe makes 6 fighter-only sweeps, 5 coming in over Kent or up the Thames Estuary to London from 8.15 AM to 4 PM and 1 over Southampton at 12.15 PM. German losses are 16 fighters and 3 bombers while RAF loses 15 fighters (6 pilots killed). Overnight, there is very heavy bombing of London, concentrated on railway lines, dockyards and the old City. In clear moonlight, 400 Luftwaffe bombers drop 530 tons of high explosive bombs (400 killed, 900 injured). German bombers from Cherbourg attack Bristol and bomb Birmingham heavily.
At 1 AM, 100 miles South of Taranto, Italy, British submarine HMS Triad, running on the surface, encounters Italian submarine Enrico Toti. HMS Triad fires first, scoring 2 hits with 4-inch shells from the deck gun but missing with a torpedo. Enrico Toti cannot dive due to a mechanical breakdown but hits Triad with 2 shells and machinegun fire, forcing Triad’s gun crews to take cover below deck. As HMS Triad dives, she is hit by a torpedo & sinks at 1.30 (all 59 hands lost). http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3493.html
Italian submarine Foca sinks while laying a minefield off Haifa, Palestine (now Israel). Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini (one of only 2 submarines to serve in Italian, German and Japanese navies) sinks Belgian steamer Kabalo 800 miles West of Casablanca, Morocco (1 killed, survivors picked up by American steamer Pan American). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_submarine_Comandante_Cappellini
U-93 and U-138 attack convoy OA-228 100 miles Northwest of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Just after midnight, U-93 sinks British SS Hurunui (2 killed, 72 survivors). Between 5.10-5.15 AM, U-138 sinks British SS Bonheur (all crew picked up by anti-submarine trawler HMS Sphene) and damages British tanker MV British Glory (3 killed). At 7.33 PM, U-103 sinks British SS Thistlegarth, 100 miles Northwest of the Outer Hebrides (29 crew members and 1 gunner lost, 9 crew picked up by corvette HMS Heartsease). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/593.html
Date: 15th October 1940 
Enemy action by day
During the day the enemy made five fighter sweeps over Kent and Sussex, some aircraft penetrating to Hornchurch and Central London. One formation of fighters flew over the Portsmouth-Southampton area. It is estimated that about 550 enemy aircraft were employed on these sweeps.
Our fighters destroyed 17 enemy aircraft, (plus 5 probable and 10 damaged). While our losses were 15 aircraft and 6 pilots killed or missing.
First Two Attacks
At 0815 hours three raids totalling about 50 aircraft flew in over Dover and Dungeness and penetrated to the Biggin Hill and Kenley areas and then retired. This attack was quickly followed by another of about 30 bomb carrying fighters which attacked targets in East and South London.
Third and Fourth Attack
At 1130 hours two raids, totalling about 60 aircraft, flying North-West from Maidstone reached the Hornchurch area. At the same time two formations of 50 aircraft flew up the Estuary from North Foreland but turned South at Sheppey Island. Shortly afterwards about 120 enemy aircraft crossed the Kentish coast and some of these reached Hornchurch and Gravesend districts before turning back.
Fifth Attack
At about 1550 hours two formations, each of about 60 aircraft, flew in, one up the East of Kent to the Estuary and the other West of Maidstone to East London; between these several smaller raids followed and attacked the railways radiating from Ashford.
Southampton Sweep
Shortly after raids had flown in over Kent, a formation of ME110s heavily escorted by Me109s approached the Isle of Wight at about 1215 hours, and passing over the Western suburbs of Southampton returned to Cherbourg without dropping any bombs.
Reconnaissances
In the morning hostile reconnaissances were reported off East Anglia and in the Bristol and Wet-Super-Mare districts. Later single enemy aircraft reconnoitred in the Channel and Isle of Wight to Portland areas. One hostile reconnaissance was destroyed by fighters near Rochester.
Night Operations - 15th / 16th October 1940
Activity began at 1830 hours when raids were plotted leaving Holland and Dutch Islands, Somme/Fecamp area, Le Havre and Cherbourg. The main attack was delivered on London, but a steady stream of raids was plotted over the Bristol Channel up to the Midlands, where Birmingham appeared to be the principal target.
Raids from Holland and the Dutch Islands approached between Harwich and the Thames Estuary. Many of these appeared to be engaged in minelaying off Clacton and Walton. The remainder crossed the Coast and approached London from the North.
Raids from Cherbourg area to the Midlands crossed the Swanage and Lyme Bay and flew over the Bristol Channel and Western counties to Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent areas.
Isolated raids were plotted over Glasgow and Aberdeen.
After 0200 hours, activity was on a reduced scale, and was mainly concentrated on London.
A Blenheim of No 23 Squadron shot down an He111 near Cuckfield and a Defiant of No 264 Squadron destroyed a Ju88 near North Weald. It is reported, but not yet confirmed that 3 enemy aircraft were shot down by AA guns during the night.
The Country was finally clear of enemy aircraft at 0515 hours.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 15th October 1940
Casualties:
| Enemy Losses | ||
| By Fighters – By Day | ||
| Destroyed | Probable | Damaged |
| 15 Me109 | 5 Me109 | 9 Me109 |
| 1 Me110 | ||
| 1 He111 | ||
| 1 Ju88 | ||
| By Fighters – By Night | ||
| 1 He111 | ||
| 1 Ju88 | ||
| 19 | 5 | 10 |
Patrols:
Balloons:
Serviceability of Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Home Security Reports
Secret
Notes for the Responsible Officials
1. Only full Jews will be deported. Mischlinge, partners in mixed marriages and foreign Jews, as long as they are not citizens of enemy nations or of areas occupied by us, will be excluded from the Aktion. Stateless Jews will, on principle, be detained. Every Jew is considered fit to be moved; the only exceptions are Jews who are actually bedridden.
2. In order to assemble the Jews collection points have been established in... The transport of those who are being held will be by buses. Every bus will be accompanied by a Crime Police official as transport leader. He will have with him, according to need, regular police, Gendarmerie or Crime Police. The transport leader is responsible for the assembly, transport and supervision of his group until the departure of the train from the collection point.
3. Every transport leader will receive a list at the concentration point, noting the bus which he has been allocated, the police officials who will work with him, and the names and addresses of the persons to be detained. Where the names of the officials to work with him have not yet been listed they will be inserted later by the transport leader.
4. The transport leader will inform the officials working with him of the names and addresses of the persons to be detained.
5. When the officials appointed for this purpose have received the personal information on the Jews, they will go to the homes of those concerned. They will then convey to them that they have been detained in order to be deported; it is to be pointed out at the same time that they must be ready to move in two hours. Possible queries are to be communicated to the head of the collection point, who will clarify the issue; no delay in the preparations is to be permitted.
6. Those who have been detained should take with them, as far as possible:
a) A suitcase or parcel with clothing for each Jew; the weight permitted is 50 kg. for each adult, 30 kg per child.
b) A complete set of clothing.
c) A woollen blanket for every Jew.
d) Food for several days.
e) Utensils for eating and drinking.
f) Up to RM 100 in cash per person.
g) Passports, identity cards or other identification papers. These are not to be packed but to be carried by each individual.
7. ...
8. A questionnaire is to be filled in for every head of a family or single Jew, in accordance with the sample provided, and is to be signed by the official in charge.
9. Attention should be paid to the following before the apartment is vacated:
a) Livestock and other live animals (dogs, cats, cage birds) are to be handed over to the local head official, chairman of the local farmers association or other suitable person against a receipt.
b) Perishable foodstuffs are to be placed at the disposal of the NSV [Nazi welfare organization].
c) Open fires are to be extinguished.
d) Water and gas supply is to be turned off.
e) Electrical fuses are to be disconnected.
f) The keys to the apartment are to be tied together and provided with a tie-on label with the name, city, street and number of the house of the owner.
g) As far as possible the persons detained are to be searched before their departure for weapons, ammunition, explosives, poison, foreign currency, jewelry, etc.
10. After the apartment has been vacated the entrance to the apartment is to be locked by the official and sealed with the adhesive strip provided for this purpose. The keyhole must be covered by the adhesive strip.
11. After the persons detained have been taken to the bus the official will hand over to the transport leader the objects or valuables, questionnaires and keys, for delivery at the concentration point.
12. After the transport leader has handed over the detainees at the concentration point he will check the list which he received, amend it if required, and mark it as having been dealt with.
13. It is absolutely necessary that the Jews will be dealt with in a proper manner when they are detained. Excesses are in any case to be avoided absolutely.
P. Sauer, ed., Dokumente ueber die Verfolgung der juedischen Buerger in Baden-Wuerttemberg durch das nationalsozialistische Regime 1933-1945 ("Documents on the Persecution of the Jewish Citizens of Baden-Wurttemberg by the National-Socialist Regime 1933-1945"), II, Stuttgart, 1966, pp. 236-237.
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