Battle of Britain

Day 104

Weather - Cloudy and foggy with occasional rain.

Combat - Due to poor weather this Monday is quiet of combat apart from a few interceptions of reconnaissance and small bombing raids.

A small raid makes it to Liverpool during the morning along with several on London, Northampton, Cambridge and Duxford areas.

Just after 1300hrs Hurricanes of No: 253 Squadron, scrambled from Kenley, meet a raid of Ju-88's and Do-17's over Kent.

London Blitz, England October 21, 1940 - Royal Army engineers sit and drink their tea on the edge of a bomb crater in the middle of London

London Blitz, October 21, 1940

Later in the afternoon, Spitfires of No: 609 Squadron, scrambled from Warmwell, intercept and shoot down a Ju-88 over Dorset.

During the night large raids appear over London, Liverpool and the Midlands with further raids on Sheffield, South Wales and Lancashire. Mines are dropped in the Thames Estuary and off Swansea.

R.A.F. Losses: 3 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 3 pilots killed and no wounded.

Luftwaffe Losses: 14 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 14 pilots & aircrew killed or missing and 2 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British minesweeping trawler Waveflower (550t) sinks on a mine off Aldeburgh with the loss of 15 of her crew. 7 of her crew are rescued by the British minesweeping trawler Thomas Leeds.
• The British steamer Kerry Head (825t) is sunk by German bombing a half mile southwest of East Oaze Light Vessel.

Britain, Home Front

Churchill calls on the people of France not to block British war efforts against Germany. In a broadcast to France Churchill says: 'The morning will come. Brightly will it shine on the brave and true; kindly on all who suffer for the cause; glorious upon the tombs of heroes. Vive la France.'

Aldwych Underground Station, London, used as an air raid shelter during the Blitz, 21 October 1940.

Aldwych Air Raid Shelter

Liverpool undergoes its 200th air raid.

German Raiders

The German armed merchant cruiser Atlantic captures the Yugoslavian steamer Durmitor (5623t) in the Indian Ocean. The ship is renamed Radwinter and taken to the Italian port of Mogadishu.

Italy, Command

The Italian Navy forms a new command, 'Maritrafalba'. Its purpose is to escort vital convoys from Brindisi and Bari to Albania getting ready for the impending invasion of Greece.