Air Operations, Europe

The RAF sends attacks against the Fiat works in Turin and the Caproni works in Milan.

Battle of Britain

Day 38

Weather - Warm and fair with haze over the Channel.

Combat - As early mist clears a raid approaches Kent at about 1030hrs and a number of Do-17's break through, without interception, and bomb the airfield at West Malling. There is no more reported raids until early afternoon when at about 1230hrs, Spitfires of No: 54 Squadron intercept nearly 30 Do-17's, with Me-109 escorts, over the Thames Estuary.

Shortly after, a larger raid of up to 150 Do-17's and Me-109's approached Dover and split into several sections. Spitfires of No: 64, 65 and 266 Squadrons are scrambled along with Hurricanes of No: 32 and 111 Squadrons to intercept the raiders. The Spitfires of No: 266 Squadron, from Hornchurch, suffer heavy losses during a bitter battle with the Me-109's of JG26.

During this, another large raid of Ju-87's, Ju-88's, Me-110's and Me-109's is plotted between Dungeness and the Isle of Wight. Just after 1300hrs, Ju87's bombd and severely damage Tangmere airfield as Hurricanes of No: 1, 43 and 601 Squadrons arrive along with Spitfires of No: 602 Squadron, which engage the Me-109's. Meanwhile, the remaining Ju-87's bomb Ventnor radar station and are intercepted by Spitfires of No: 152 Squadron as the Me-109 escort engage the battle.

Naval ships are bombed at Lee-on-Solent before Hurricanes of No: 213 Squadron intercept. Also a large raid, of Ju-88's and Me-110's, is made on the Naval airfield at Gosport before 3 Hurricanes of No: 249 Squadron attack. It is this engagement that Flt. Lt. James Nicolson earns the first, and only, Victoria Cross for Fighter Command. Nicolson along with Sqn. Ldr. Eric King and Plt. Off. Martyn King, dive onto the Me-110's as Me-109's attackeall 3 Hurricanes. Sqn. Ldr. King makes it back to Boscombe Down, Plt. Off. King bales out with severe burns and plunges to his death whilst Flt. Lt. Nicolson, badly wounded and still in his burning aircraft, attacks an Me-110 before baling out and into hospital for a few months.

At about 1700hrs several more raids cross the coasts and the airfields of Manston and Brize Norton are attacked without interception. Two other raids are intercepted; one by Spitfires of No: 610 Squadron and Hurricanes of No: 32, 56 and 501 Squadrons as Ju-88's approach Biggin Hill, and the other by Spitfires of No: 64 Squadron along with Hurricanes of No: 1 and 615 quadrons as He-111's and Me-110's cross the Sussex coast.

During the night raids are made on Martlesham Heath, Harwich, Bury St. Edmunds, Oxford, Shrewsbury and Derby.

R.A.F. Losses: 40 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 8 pilots killed or missing and 10 wounded.

Luftwaffe Losses: 61 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 74 pilots and aircrew killed or missing and 14 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The first successful attack on a German submarine by British Coastal Command aircraft occurs when U-51 is seriously damaged in an air attack 170 miles northwest of Tory Island.
• The British steamer Meath (1598t) sinks on a mine northeast of Breakwater Rock Light House. The entire crew is rescued.
• U-30 sinks the British steamer Clan MacPhee (6628t) 350 miles west of North Uist, Outer Hebrides, with the loss of 67 of her crew. 41 survivors are picked up by the Hungarian steamer Kelet.
• U-48 sinks the Swedish steamer Hedrun (2325t) 70 miles west of Rockall with the loss of 8 of her crew. 21 survivors are rescued.
• U-100 sinks the British steamer Empire Merchant (4864t) 186 miles west of Bloody Foreland with the loss of 7 crewmen. 49 survivors are rescued.
• The British steamer City of Birmingham sinks on a mine about 5 miles from Spurn Point. The entire crew is rescued.

East Africa

In British Somaliland the British forces embark at Berbera for evacuation to Aden. Altogether nearly 5,700 service personnel and civilians are taken off by RN cruisers and destroyers. The British have suffered 260 casualties in the brief campaign and the Italians 2,050. Churchill criticizes the performance of the British forces despite this balance. They are defended, however, by Gen Archibald Wavell, whose Middle East command they are part of. Wavell has recently been in London and has made a bad impression on Churchill and the arguments about this issue do not improve Churchill's feeling toward him.

Germany Planning

Hitler intervenes in the quarrel between his army and naval staffs as to whether the invasion of Britain should be conducted on a broad front, as the army prefers or the narrow front more suited to naval limitations. He orders them to reach a compromise. The army has previously talked of using 40 divisions in the first 3 days of the operation, but now consider using 13.

Secret War

The Luftwaffe Command Staff estimate that the RAF now have only 300 fighters, the actual total is 700.

United States, Politics

Roosevelt announces that there have been conversations with the UK on the acquisition of bases for western hemisphere defense. He does not disclose as yet that Britain wants some old US destroyers in return.