Posted on 10/26/2010 4:54:36 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.
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
We didn’t have TV, we did have radio, newspapers, Life, Time and the Saturday Evening Post mags, plus newsreels and friends and family in the services. ;)
blackie, September 5, 2010
Happy birthday, blackie
Vichy Data Sought – 2
Bomb Sight Reported Released to British – 2
The International Situation – 3
Kennedy is Delayed Again on Trip Home – 3
Air Progarm Lags, Guggenheim Holds – 3
Nazi Cities Raided – 4
Herbert Warns Hitler, 51, that Napoleon Died at 52 – 4
Nazis Again Strike Heavily at London – 5-6
Buyer of 2 Draft Bowls Explains the ‘Mystery’ – 5
Japanese Bid High to Russia for Amity, Seeing War with Us – 7
Planes for Britain Urged by Towers – 7
New Italian Advance in Egypt is Reported; Gayda Says Vanguard is Moving on Matruh – 8
Belgium to Draft Her Men in Canada – 8
Strategy of Change – 9
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 10
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/oct40/f26oct40.htm
Empress of Britain stricken in Atlantic
Saturday, October 26, 1940 www.onwar.com
In the North Atlantic... The 42,000-ton liner Empress of Britain is damaged by a bomb attack off the coast of Ireland.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/26.htm
October 26th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
Battle of Britain:
RAF Fighter Command: Losses: Luftwaffe, 10; RAF, 4.
London: Britain and the USA have concluded a secret arms deal which should boost the British effort to turn the tide against Hitler, probably in 1942. Under the deal, signed two days ago and described by Churchill as “splendid”, the USA promises to equip and maintain ten British divisions with weapons currently under production. Churchill received more good news today when he was told that US military supplied destined for Britain include 250 aircraft engines, 2.5 million tons of explosives, 78 million cartridges for the Thompson machine gun and 78 million rounds of rifle ammunition.
London: Transport has taken a hammering as the Luftwaffe keeps up its nightly attacks on the capital. Railways in particular have been hard hit, not just at the docks but with main-line stations regularly bombed. This week it was the turn of St Pancras station, but the forecourt of Victoria station has also been badly damaged.
For travellers train services, especially on the Southern Railway, often terminate in the suburbs, and commuters face new puzzles every day in finding “passable” routes to the office. Unexploded bombs closing many streets add to the frustration by diverting bus routes. So many buses and tramcars have been bombed that Londoners see the unfamiliar colours of buses borrowed from as far away as Aberdeen and Exeter on their streets.
The Underground has also been interrupted by bombs. Four stations have been hit, the worst being Ballam, where 600 people sheltering were deluged with a river of sludge when the road and water mains above caved in, suffocating 64 of them.
Submarine HMS Thunderbolt (ex-Thetis) commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
VICHY FRANCE: It is announced that Petain and Hitler have agreed on principles of co-operation.
GERMANY: U-409, U-457 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
ITALY: Rome: With 162,000 Italian troops massed on the Albanian border, Italy accuses Greece of attacking Albania.
U.S.A.: The North-American NA-73, the prototype P-51 (Mustang), makes its maiden flight at Inglewood, California, USA . This was the NA Model NA-73X, NA serial number 73-3097 registered NX19998. The Allison V-1710-39 engine had been received in October and after installation, the aircraft began taxi runs on 15 October and two brief flights were made today. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: A Luftwaffe FW Kondor piloted by Oberleutnant Bernhard Jope ranging 150 miles off Ireland damages the 42,348 ton liner ‘Empress of Britain’. The flagship of the Canadian Pacific fleet. The ship was later sunk by a U-boat.
This was an Fw 200C-1 of I. Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 40 (I/KG40) based at Merignac Airfield in Bordeaux, France. This unit was reequipped with the Fw 200C-1 in June 1940 and then transferred to Bordeaux. Between 1 August 1940 and 9 February 1941, this unit claimed 363,000 tons of Allied shipping. (Jack McKillop)
U-28 damages SS Matina. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 422 October 26, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 109. From 7 AM to 6.30 PM, there are continuous small raids of German fighter/bombers (mostly Messerschmitt Bf109s) over Kent and a major sweep of 80 aircraft at 11.30, with several aircraft reaching London. Again, there is little damage to airfields or towns including London. Germans lose 4 Bf109s. 2 RAF fighters are shot down (both pilots killed). At 5.45 PM, German bombers at very low altitude attack RAF Lossiemouth in Northeast Scotland, destroying 1 Blenheim and damaging 2 more. 1 Heinkel He111 is caught in the explosion of its own bombs and crashes. Overnight, London, Manchester, Liverpool and other cities in the Midlands are bombed.
At 4.32 AM, U-28 hits British SS Matina (carrying 1500 tons of bananas from Jamaica) with a torpedo 250 miles Northwest of Ireland. U-28 surfaces and hits Matina with 15 rounds from her deckgun. 67 crew and 2 gunners abandon ship in the lifeboats but are never seen again.
At 9.20 AM, 70 miles Northwest of Aran Island, Ireland, two 250kg bombs from a German Fw200 Condor bomber set fire to British liner Empress of Britain (now converted into a troop ship, carrying military personnel and their families from Egypt to Britain). Most of the 416 crew members, 2 gunners and 205 passengers abandon ship and are rescued by British destroyer HMS Echo, anti-submarine trawler HMS Cape Arcona and Polish destoyer Burza. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/643.html
Interesting article about Henry Wallace. It seems nasty POS Democrats with Communist leanings are nothing new.
Date: 26 July 1940
Enemy action by day
Enemy activity was on a much-reduced scale. Reconnaissances were made of shipping and the few raids which penetrated inland only inflicted minor damage. The chief feature was the lack of determination of the enemy to press home attacks. Several times, raids - whether small or large size up to 50 aircraft - turned away when 10-20 miles from the coast when our fighter squadrons were sent up.
North and North-East
A meteorological flight took place in the early morning off the Orkneys. Of two other raids plotted, one crossed to Glasgow and dropped bombs near Kilmarnock.
East and South-East
Two raids occurred off Orfordness, one of which successfully bombed a naval unit. Four other raids were in the Yarmouth-Cromer area flying at about 18,000 feet. One of these raids approached to within 20 miles of the coast and the others to about 50 miles.
South and West
At about 0603 hours, a single aircraft crossed the coast at Beachy Head and flew inland via Uckfield, Maidstone, Crowborough, Lingfield, Sevenoaks, East Grinstead and back to Hastings and Abbeville. Bombs were dropped at Mayfield and Hastings. Fighters failed to intercept.
At about 0900 hours, three raids consisting of 21+ aircraft in all approached Swanage. In each case as the fighters were sent to intercept, the raiders turned away not less than 10 miles from the coast.
At about 0945 hours, No 601 Squadron when on patrol off the Isle of Wight, intercepted a formation and a Me109 is a probable casualty. One Hurricane fell into the sea and the pilot is lost.
Between 1100 and 1300 hours, twenty enemy aircraft approached Portland but turned back when some distance from the coast on the approach of our fighters. No 238 Squadron shot down one Me109 (confirmed).
At 1530 hours, eight raids consisting of fifty aircraft assembled in the Bay of Seine and flew towards the Isle of Wight. Three fighter squadrons ordered to patrol at heights between 10,000 - 20,000 feet turned the enemy force which split and flew to within 30 miles of the Isle of Wight whence it returned to its rendezvous area. One raid crossed the coast north of Dungeness and No 65 Squadron shot down one Me109 (confirmed) off Dover.
A force of 24+ aircraft (and probably considerably more) appeared in the Cherbourg area at 1848 hours. The formation was plotted on a 10-mile front, flying in layers at an average height of 16,000 feet. It turned west towards Portland and then broke into separate raids and returned direct to Cherbourg. Squadrons off Portland failed to sight the enemy.
West Coast
Two unidentified raids appeared off the Pembroke coast and at 1700 hours, No 92 Squadron whilst on patrol off this coast, shot down one Ju88 (unconfirmed).
France
Early in the day there were the normal enemy reconnaissances off the French coast bit later, a continuous patrol was kept up, but a few aircraft ventured out to sea.
By night
At 2128 hours, an enemy aircraft was plotted from 12 miles south of Dunkirk to North Foreland, Shoeburyness, Kent and north over Hornchurch and to within 8 miles of North Weald, re-crossing the coast at Mersea Island. It crashed into the sea of Brightlingsea. This raid is reported to have dropped bombs in Kent and Essex. No definite report as to why this enemy aircraft crashed has yet come to hand.
At 2205 hours, a hostile raid of one aircraft at 10,000 feet was plotted 50 miles east-north-east of Hazeburgh. This raid eventually faded without crossing the coast and was either a meteorological flight or hoping to intercept our out-going bombers. One raid of 2+ aircraft was plotted on patrol from east-north-east of North Foreland to south of Rye. No convoys were in this vicinity.
Between 2230 and 0100 hours, enemy aircraft were active over a widespread area. Thirteen raids approached and crossed the coast in the vicinity of Portland, flying north-north-east and some continued to the Bristol area. Bombs are reported to have been dropped without causing serious damage. Ten raids were plotted in the Thames Estuary between Deal and Harwich and the majority appeared to be minelaying. Three raids were plotted near the Tyne in the vicinity of two convoys and were probably mainelaying. Seven raids appeared near Aberdeen of which the majority flew over convoys in the vicinity and some minelaying is suspected. Bombs are also reported to have been dropped at Rosehearty, south of Frazerburgh and on Dyce aerodrome, but no damage is reported. Peterhead is reported to have been machine-gunned by low-flying aircraft. Single tracks were also plotted over the coast between the Humber and Whitby and may also have been engaged in minelaying.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 26 July 1940
Casualties:
Patrols:
Balloons:
Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Air Intelligence Reports
Home Security Reports
Thanks much!
No, and they keep running the same plays from FDR's playbook election after election.
But maybe this time around, those old plays won't work so well... ;-)
Isn't one of the ironies that Germans had already stolen the Norden bomb sight plans before the began?
Not exactly a secret that Japan expected war with the US eventually.
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