Battle of Britain

Day 25

Weather - Overcast over the country with occasional bright intervals.

Combat - Raids are predominantly restricted to reconnaissance with a few crossing the coastline near Cardiff and one over Lands End. Anti-aircraft batteries in the West Midlands claim an He-111 while a Blenheim of No: 235 Squadron shoots down a He-115 over the North Sea. Bombs are dropped by a He-111 near Canterbury who escapes without being intercepted.

During the night widespread mine-laying continues around the British coastline with several raids plotted over East Anglia, South Wales, Scotland and the Northwest of England.

R.A.F. Losses: Nil

Luftwaffe Losses: 7 aircraft damaged or destroyed with 12 pilots and aircrew killed or missing.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-25 hits a mine and sinks off Terschelling with the loss of the entire crew of 49.
• U-A sinks the Yugoslavian steamer Rad off West Africa. The entire crew of 29 is picked up by the British steamer Grodno.
• U-57 sinks the Swedish steamer Atos (2161t) 35 miles north of Malin Head with the loss of 1 crewman. There are 27 survivors.
• The British steamer Wychwood (2794t) sinks on a mine 4 miles northwest of Shipwash Light Vessel. The British patrol sloop Mallard takes off 22 survivors.

Britain, Home Front

A large contingent of Canadian troops, including some US subjects, has arrived in Britain.

Diplomatic Relations

Japan protests the U.S. embargo on aviation fuel.

East Africa

Italy moves on Somaliland On this day in 1940, Italy begins its offensive against the British colony of Somaliland, in East Africa, territory contiguous with Italian Somaliland. Italy had occupied parts of East Africa since 1936 and by 1940, when it officially entered the war, had troops far outnumbering British forces in the region. Despite their numerical superiority, the Italians had been slow to make offensive moves for fear that the British blockade in North Africa would make it impossible to get much-needed supplies, such as fuel and weapons, to sustain long engagements. But if Italy was to make greater territorial gains, it had to act, while British numbers were still relatively small. After several forays a few miles into Sudan and Kenya, the Italians were ready for a bigger push: British Somaliland. The rationale was that it was actually a defensive move. Afraid that the British could enter Italian-occupied Ethiopia through French Somaliland, the Duke of Aosta (who was also Viceroy of Ethiopia and supreme Italian military commander of the region) ordered an invasion of British Somaliland. The British defenders at the garrison put up a fierce struggle; although they had to eventually withdraw, they inflicted 2,000 casualties on the Italian forces, while suffering only 250 of their own.

The Italians invade British Somaliland. In Abyssinia the Italians have a total force of 350,000 men, of whom 70% are native troops, under the command of Amadeo, Duke of Aosta. The British forces in East Africa, also including many colonial troops, are less than 25,000 men of whom only 4 battalions are in Somaliland. The Italians allot 7 times this force to the invasion along with an overwhelming superior artillery contingent. Gen Guglielmo Nasi is in command. There are 3 main lines of advance: toward Zeila in the north, Hargeisa in the center and Odweina on the right.

Italians Capture a Fort in British Somaliland

Zeila in the north of British Somaliland and Hargeisa on the main road to Berbera are both taken by the Italians.

Mediterranean

The Italian steamer Lodoletta (2822t) is sunk by British bombing at Derna.