http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/27.htm
November 27th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
The Vichy government are invited to economic discussions.
Glasgow: Sir Kingsley Wood, Chancellor of the Exchequer, says that Britain’s average daily war expenditures have risen from £5,300,000 for the first year to £9,100,000 for the first 77 days of the second year.
Bristol: Last night German air raiders, coming over at the rate of one a minute, made their fourth attack in three days.
RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: 105 Sqn. ( Blenheim) 8 aircraft to Cologne and a ‘freshman’ flight to Boulogne. Six claimed to bomb Cologne. On return one crew after getting permission to land at Swanton Morley, flew off too low towards the radio beacon and crashed. One crew got lost in dense cloud and ran out of fuel, bailing out near Manchester, 200 miles from base.
Corvette HMS Borage laid down.
Escort carrier HMS Avenger launched.
Corvette HMS Lavender launched.
Submarine HMS Uproar launched.
(Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: U-150 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
ROMANIA: Bucharest: Pro-Nazi Iron Guards massacre 64 former aides of the exiled king.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Battle of Cape Spartivento:
South of Sardinia, HMS Ark Royal’s aircraft sight an Italian force with two battleships and seven heavy cruisers. Force H, now joined by HMS Ramillies, sails to meet them. In an hour-long exchange of gunfire HMS Renown and the cruisers are in action, during which time HMS Berwick is damaged and an Italian destroyer badly hit. The slower HMS Ramillies has not come up by the time the Italians have turned back for home. Adm Somerville pursues them but as he approaches their shores has to turn back himself. The convoys arrive safely.
Admiral Somerville is later subjected to a board of inquiry for not continuing after the Italians. He is soon exonerated. (Ric Pelvin)
EGYPT: Telegram from Wavell to Churchill:
1. Will undertake Compass in spite of risks involved.
2. Possibility of landing on coast has been considered, ... neither Navy nor myself are very hopeful of results.
PACIFIC OCEAN: The 16,710 ton New Zealand passenger liner MV Rangitane is sunk by gunfire from the German auxiliary cruiser H.K. Orion (Ship 36 also known as Raider A by the British) about 443 nautical miles (820 kilometers) east of Auckland, New Zealand, in position 37.00S, 176.00W. The ship, en route from Auckland to Liverpool, England, is the largest passenger liner to be sunk by surface raiders during WWII. Rangitane had encountered the Orion, auxiliary cruiser H.K. Komet (Ship 45 and known to the British as Raider B) and the supply ship Kulmerland at about 0320 hours. (The same ships had encountered and sunk the freighter SS Holmwood two days ago.) Rangitane is carrying 311 people, including 36 women passengers) and only 16 die. During the next three weeks the Germans sink six more ships and have over 600 prisoners. The ships head for Emirau Island in the St. Matthias Island group and releases 512 men, women and children; they are eventually rescued by the Australians. A bout 150 men are held as prisoners as returned to Germany as POWs. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-103 sank SS Glenmoor in Convoy OB-248.
U-95 sank SS Irene Maria in Convoy OB-248.
U-104 sank SS Diplomat of Convoy HX-88.
U-104 damaged SS Charles F Meyer in Convoy HX-87.
Canadian Government ship Lisieux (an ex-French schooner) foundered in a gale in the North Atlantic. There were 12 survivors from her crew of 29 men.
HMC MTB grounded off Richibucto, New Brunswick. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 454 November 27, 1940
Operation Collar, Battle of Spartivento. 10 AM; spotter aircraft from HMS Ark Royal & Italian cruiser Bolzano find Italian warships & British Force H (from Gibraltar). Holding aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal in reserve, British are outgunned by heavier fire & longer range of the Italian ships which close for battle. 11.30; British gain the advantage when battleship HMS Ramillies and cruisers HMS Berwick & Newcastle arrive from the East (Malta). Italian Admiral Campioni’s orders are to avoid combat with equal forces. He orders a withdrawal but Italian cruisers are already engaged. At 12.22, there is an exchange of fire lasting 54 minutes from 23–14 km, as the Italians lay smoke and turn away. HMS Berwick is hit at 12.22 & 12.35 by Italian cruiser Fiume (7 dead). British start to pursue but are turned back by shells from Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto at 29 km. Italian destroyer Lanciere is crippled by cruiser HMS Manchester but is towed to safety. http://www.regiamarina.net/detail_text_with_list.asp?nid=37&lid=1&cid=3
Northwest of Ireland, U-95 sinks British SS Irene Maria (all 25 hands lost) at 1 AM, U-103 sinks British MV Glenmoor (31 killed, 2 survivors picked up by destroyers HMS and HMS Havelock) at 7.56 PM, and U-104 damages British tanker Charles F. Meyer and sinks British SS Diplomat (14 killed, 39 crew picked up by destroyer HMS Active).
At 3 AM, 400 miles East of New Zealand, German armed merchant cruisers Komet and Orion shell New Zealand liner Rangitane carrying 201 crew, 111 passengers including 36 CORB nurses, 14,000 tons of food and 45 bars of silver from Auckland to Liverpool (8 crew and 8 passengers killed). Due to distress messages sent by Rangitane, there is no time to plunder the cargo after transferring the remaining 296 passengers and crew. Komet sinks her with a torpedo. http://www.btinternet.com/~thebells/rangitane/story.htm