Battle of Britain

Day 66

Weather - Conditions throughout the country unsettled with rain.

Combat - With weather conditions yet again reducing air activity small reconnaissance raids are made during the morning until about 1130hrs when a raid of He-111's crosses the Kent coast and splits towards their targets around Kent and Sussex. One of the bombers is intercepted and shot down by a Hurricane of No: 501 Squadron, scrambled from Kenley and piloted by Sgt. James 'Ginger' Lacey, before he too is shot down. Sgt. Lacey manages to bale out and lands safely on a farm in Kent.

The afternoon sees little increase in raids. Hurricanes of No: 238, 501 and 607 Squadrons, scrambling from Middle Wallop, Kenley and Tangmere, intercept a raid by Ju-88's, about 1530hrs over Wiltshire, before the bombers can turn back to France.

During the night more bombs are dropped on London while some raids penetrate East Anglia and the Duxford area. Further raids are plotted over the Bristol Channel and South Wales.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth inspect bomb damage to Baker Street Cinema after Nazi air raids over the capital.

The Royals Inspecting Bomb Damage

R.A.F. Losses: 3 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 1 pilot and 1 aircrew of a Blenheim were killed.

Luftwaffe Losses: 10 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 13 pilots and aircrew killed or missing and 5 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

British King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth I survey the damage to Buckingham Palace from German bombs. Both the King and Queen were in the Palace when the attack hit the palace grounds and chapel on the morning of September 13, 1940. As they made their way to the palace shelter, they felt the Palace shake under the assault of high explosive and incendiary bombs. They were unhurt. Undeterred by the danger, the royal couple vowed to stay in London in the Palace. The Palace was a deliberate target for the Luftwaffe, as its High Command reasoned that its destruction would demoralize the nation. But it had the opposite effect, and the Queen was famously to utter "I'm glad we have been bombed. Now I can look the East End in the face."

King and Queen inspecting bomb damage at Buckingham Palace

Battle of the Atlantic

The German auxiliary minesweeper M-1306 (trawler Hermann Krone) (448t) sinks on a mine off Hanstholm.

China

Japan's Misubishi Zero makes its debut. 13 Zeros escort a bomber formation to Chungking. In the ensuing air battle, all the defending fighters are shot down. 4 Zeros are damaged in the action.

Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero of 14th AG

East Africa

Italian troops from Ethiopia penetrate up to 20 miles into Kenya in a tentative advance.

Germany, Home Front

The government announces it will subsidize the voluntary evacuation of children from Berlin to safer areas.

Mediterranean

The Vichy French steamers Ginette le Borgne (1619t) and Cassidaigne (1417t) sink on mines off Sardinia. They are carrying demilitarized troops from North Africa to France.

North Africa

The Italian forces begin a cautious offensive from Libya into Egypt. They have five divisions in the attack with another eight in rear areas in Libya. Marshal Rudolfo Graziani is in command. The British Western Desert Force of two divisions is led by General Richard O'Connor. On the first day the Italians occupy Sollum as the British pull back hardly contesting the move by the Italians.

Medium M11/39 tanks, of which only 100 were build, are advancing into Egypt with General Graziani's Italian desert army.

Medium M11/39 Tanks

During the months since the Italian declaration of war there have been no actions of any size, but the Italian numerical superiority has been morally undermined by much offensive patrolling by the British forces. These harassing tactics are now employed to good effect against the Italian offensive.