Air Operations, Europe

12 Blenheims raid Stavanger airfield. 7 are lost and 5 damaged.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British submarine Salmon sinks on a mine off Egersund with the loss of her entire crew of 41.
• U-34 sinks the Estonian steamer Tiiu (1865t) 280 miles west of St Ann's. The entire crew is rescued.
• U-43 sinks the British steamer Aylesbury (3944t) 230 miles southewest of Cape Clear. The entire crew is rescued.

Diplomatic Relations

Rumania is declared to be under the military protection of Germany.

France, Politics

Marshal Pétain is granted powers to make and alter the constitution by vote of the French parliament. He is opposed by only 4 votes, 3 in the Chamber and 1 in the Senate.

German Raiders

• The German disguised raider Komet leaves Bergen for the Pacific via the Northeast Passage assisted by Russian icebreakers.
• The German armed merchant cruiser Thor sinks the Belgian steamer Bruges (4983t) in the South Atlantic. The crew is made prisoners of war.

Mediterranean

The first major naval encounter between the British and the Italians, the Battle of Punta Stilo, occurs off the coast of Calabria. The British force consisting of 1 aircraft carrier, 3 battleships, 5 light cruisers and 6 destroyers is led by Vice-Adm Sir Andrew Cunningham. The Italian squadron of 2 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 12 light cruisers and a number of destroyer is under the command of Adm Inigo Campioni.

The island of Malta had been the strategic naval location for the Royal Navy for 150 years, when in 1940, with Germany waging war and Italy as an air threat, Britain moved operations to Alexandria, Egypt. They left the protection of Malta to the French Navy, but when France fell to Germany, the defense of this important island controlling commerce lines was once again a British priority.

Italian battleship Giulio Cesare During the Battle of Calabria, on July 9, 1940.

The British fleet attempt to cut off the Italians from its Taranto base. There is a brief exchange of fire by the surface ships. The action ends when the Italian flagship, the battleship Giulio Cesare, is hit by the British flagship Warspite. The Italians escape at high speed covered by a smoke screen. Adm Campioni manages to reach Messina. Aircraft from the British carrier Eagle play an effective part in the battle, but the intervention of Italian aircraft, high altitude bombers, is entirely ineffective although they do some minor damage on the cruiser Gloucester. Italy claims a naval victory.

The Giulio Cesare in the afternoon returning to base after the Battle of Point Stilo

The Giulio Cesare after the Battle of Point Stilo