Battle of Britain

Day 59

Weather - Generally fine with some haze in the Channel and Thames Estuary.

Combat - Early morning reconnaissance suggests planned bombing raids as previously experienced. This is to be proved as at about 0830hrs a large raid of Ju-88's, He-111's, Do-17's and Me-109's approach Kent and head for Biggin Hill, Thames Estuary area and North Weald while another raid attacks the Hawker factory at Brooklands. Scrambling into action were Hurricanes of No: 1, 73, 111, 249, 253, 303 (Polish), 501 and 601 Squadrons and Spitfires of No: 41 and 609 Squadrons. The Polish pilots of No: 303 Squadron, who had so far shown great courage and inflict heavy losses on the enemy, suffer the loss of 7 Hurricanes as a Gruppe of Me-109's attack from above while they are attacking the bomber formation.

Between 1300hrs and 1400hrs several more raids, totalling over 200 aircraft, cross the coast into Kent and Sussex. The raiders are intercepted by Spitfires of No: 72, 234, 602 and 603 Squadrons along with Hurricanes of No: 303 Squadron and prevented from reaching their targets.

The last main daylight raid, of about 100 aircraft, materialize at about 1730hrs heading towards Maidstone and the Thames Estuary areas, with the airfield at Hornchurch a target. The raid splits up and heads south as Spitfires of No: 222 Squadron, scramblingfrom Hornchurch engaged Me-109's and Hurricanes of No: 111 Squadron, scrambling from Croydon, chases down the bombers.

During the night bombing raids are greatly reduced with reported plots over South Wales, the Thames Estuary and the Midlands.

R.A.F. Losses: 29 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 6 pilots killed or missing and 11 wounded.

Luftwaffe Losses: 53 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 54 pilots and aircrew killed or missing and 9 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Being guided by U-65, U-47 attacks Convoy SC-2 during the night and sinks 3 ships, the British freighter Neptunian (5,155t) with the loss of 1 of her crew, the British freighter José de Larrinaga (5,303t) and the Norwegian freighter Gro (4,211t) with the loss of 11 of her crew.
• The British steamer St Glen (4647t) from convoy SL-44A is sunk by German bombing 15 miles east of Aberdeen with the loss of 3 of her crew. Survivors are picked up by the British sloop Sandwich.

Britain, Home Front

• RAF Fighter Command HQ at Bentley Priory, Stanmore is visited by the King and Queen.

  Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding (right), commander-in-chief of RAF Fighter Command, escorts King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on their visit to his headquarters at Bentley Priory, Stanmore, September 1940. More than any other person, Dowding was responsible for victory during the Battle of Britain, having overseen the creation of a centralised aerial defence network that combined advances in technology with a flexible system of command and control. The 'Dowding system' of radio-based fighter control linked to an effective detection network meant that his squadrons could offer a level of air defence out of proportion to their actual numbers.

  Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth

• Churchill puts Britain on Yellow Alert (invasion within three days) following increasingly heavy Luftwaffe raids.

Red Sea

The Italian submarine Gugliemotti sinks the Greek tanker Atlas (4008t) from convoy BN-4 14 miles north of Jebel Tier. The crew is landed at Aden.

Rumania

In Bucharest, riots break out instigated by the ultra-nationalist and anti-Semitic 'Iron Guard'. King Carol II abdicates in favor of Crown Prince Michael for a second time and leaves the country with his mistress Magda Lupescu. Gen Ion Antonescu proclaims himself 'Conducator' (leader) as head of a dictatorship. There is widespread public dissatisfaction with the Axis-imposed loss of northern Transylvania, but Antonescu is determined to stand on the side of Germany and Italy.

Secret War

A German agent named Caroli parachutes into Oxon. He is arrested almost immediately.

United States, Politics

Congress passes a bill appropriating $5,246,000,000 and providing for 210 ships of war, including 12 aircraft carriers and 7 battlehships.

Vichy France

Gen Weygand resigns from the Government. He is given command of Vichy forces in North Africa.