Battle of Britain

Day 79

Weather - Mainly fine conditions with light cloud over most of the country.

Combat - Throughout the morning and early afternoon small, single aircraft, reconnaissance and bombing raids are made on coastal towns from Yorkshire down to Kent and along the South coast. Although many squadrons are scrambled during this period, very few interceptions are made.

At about 1630hrs, a large raid approaches the Isle of Wight and Southampton areas. Once again, the He-111's of KG55 are escorted by Me-110's and bombed the Woolston factory in Southampton, inflicting severe damage. Hurricanes of No: 229, 238, 253, 303 (Polish) and 607 Squadrons and Spitfires of No: 92, 152, 602 and 609 Squadrons have been scrambled to intercept the raid. Up until nearly 1800hrs chases and dogfights spread across the southern areas of England and over the Channel.

As darkness was falling, a raid is made on Crewe just before 2000hrs without interception.

During the night heavy raids are made across the country to London, Liverpool, Hull, the Midlands, Cambridge, Newmarket and the airfields at Mildenhall and Duxford. Mines are also dropped in the Thames Estuary.

R.A.F. Losses: 7 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 2 pilots killed and 2 wounded.

Luftwaffe Losses: 17 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 23 pilots and aircrew killed or missing and 10 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-32 badly damages the British steamer Corrientes (6863t) from dispersed Convoy OB-217 about 600 miles west of Achill Head. The abandoned ship is sunk on 28 September by U-37. The entire crew of 50 is rescued by the Swedish steamer Kolsnaren. U-32 also sinks the British steamer Darcoila (4084t) and the Norwegian steamer Tancred (6094t), both of the dispersed Convoy OB-217, west of Ireland. The entire crew of 37 is lost from the Darcoila while the entire crew of 36 from the Tancred is rescued by the Norwegian steamer Tricolor.
• U-46 sinks the Norwegian steamer Siljan (3058t) 350 miles southwest of Ireland with the loss of 9 of her crew. U-46 also sinks the British steamer Coast Wings (862t), a straggler from Convoy OG-43 in the North Atlantic, with the loss of her entire crew of 16.
• In attacks on Convoy OB-218 U-137 sinks the British steamer Manchester Brigade (6042t) west of Malin Head with the loss of 56 of her 60-man crew, the British tanker Stratford (4753t) 85 miles west-southwest of Bloody Foreland with the loss of 2 crewmen, and the Norwegian steamer Asgerd (1308t). The British corvette Gloxinia rescues the 32 survivors from Stratford.
• The British steamer Port Denison is damaged by German bombing 6 miles northeast of Peterhead. She sinks on the 27th with the loss of 16 of her crew. Survivors are rescued by the British anti-submarine trawler Pentland Firth.
• The German steamer Weser (9179t), which is to supply the German armed merchant cruiser Orion, is captured by the Canadian armed merchant cruiser Prince Robert as she leaves Manzanillo, Peru.

The Blitz

Liverpool is bombed by the Luftwaffe. The attack on London lasts from 8p.m. until 3:30a.m. The northern and western areas of the city are hit the hardest. The Houses of Parliament are also hit.

German Raiders

The German armed merchant cruiser Thor sinks the Norwegian tanker Kosmos (17,801t) in the South Atlantic.

Indochina

After occupying Indochina Japanese troops then invade China 120 miles from Hanoi.

French colonial forces move out of Haiphong, in the Tonkin region of French Indochina, on September 26, 1940, as Japanese occupational troops take over the port and city under the terms of the Franco-Japanese agreement, where Vichy France granted military access to Japanese forces. (AP Photo)

French Forces Leave Haiphong

United States, Policy

An embargo is imposed on the export of all scrap iron and steel to all countries outside the Western hemisphere except Britain. Japan protests through their ambassador in Washington.