Battle of Britain

Day 109

Weather - Cloudy over most areas with scattered showers.

Combat - The day starts with occasional reconnaissance raids over most of southern England and East Anglia. By 1030hrs a small sweeping raid by Me-109's of JG53 is met with force by the Biggin Hill Spitfires of No: 92 Squadron.

During this period, Spitfires of No: 234 Squadron, scrambled from St. Eval, intercept a Ju-88 off Cornwall and lose one of their aircraft before the raider is shot down.

At 1100hrs a large raid is plotted by radar leaving the Boulogne area and crossing the Channel. Patrolling Hurricanes of No: 229 Squadron, scrambled from Northolt, are vectored to intercept the raid over the Channel and suffer the loss of 2 aircraft during a dogfight with Me-109's.

Between 1200hrs and 1300hrs several squadrons are scrambled to intercept Me-109 raids over Sussex and Kent. The ensuing engagements involve Hurricanes of No: 302 (Polish) and 605 Squadrons and Spitfires of No: 602 Squadron.

Throughout late afternoon from 1600hrs until dusk, small raids cross inland with very few interceptions made. Hurricanes of No: 605 Squadron, from Croydon and Spitfires of No: 222 Squadron, from Hornchurch, are both involved in combat with Me-109's over Kent.

As the night raids were underway, No: 151 Squadron, based at Digby, loses 2 (night fighter) Hurricanes as they scrambled to intercept bombers at about 2000hrs. Both pilots are killed.

During the night London is again bombed along with Liverpool, Manchester, the Midlands and Bristol. Mines are dropped along the east of England from the Thames Estuary up to the Firth-of-Forth.

R.A.F. Losses: 11 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 4 pilots killed or missing and no reported wounded.

Luftwaffe Losses: 23 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 21 pilots and; aircrew killed or missing and 6 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The 42,000-ton liner Empress of Britain is damaged by a Focke-Wulf FW-200 Condor bomb attack off the coast of Ireland 70 miles northwest of Donegal Bay. The British destroyers Echo and Burza take off 570 survivors. She is taken in tow by the Burza and U-boats are sent in pursuit. The liner is sunk 2 days later on the 28th by U-32 with the loss of 25 crewmen and 20 passengers.

• The British Liner Empress of Britain Sinks

  The big event though - not yet broadcast to the nation - is a Luftwaffe attack on the former liner and now troopship the Empress of Britain. She is found by a roving Condor about 150 miles from land, off the north-west coast of Ireland. Hptm. Bernard Jope, the aircraft captain, releases two bombs on the ship. He then strafes her, taking return fire from deck-mounted machine guns. The bombs start large fires which soon cripple the ship. Many crew are trapped below deck by the fires, some forced to escape through portholes into the sea. A Sunderland and three Blenheims assist with the rescue. Under constant air cover from Hurricanes from No. 245 Sqn out of Aldergrove, the ship limps eastwards, only to be torpedoed by U-32 on 28 October while under tow. Most of the 643 passengers and crew are taken off. Only 45 are killed, all passengers in the initial attack. At 42,348 grt, she is the largest liner to be sunk through the entire war. Jope is eventually to become a senior Captain with Lufthansa. U-32 is sunk by the destroyer Harvester, two days after she despatches the Empress.

• U-28 damages the British steamer Matina (5389t) about 100 miles west of Rockall. U-31 sinks the steamer on the 29th with the loss of the entire crew of 71.
• The British tanker Dosinia (8053t) sinks on a mine near Queens Channel, Mersey. The entire crew is rescued.
• The Swedish tanker Strombus (6549t) sinks on a mine about 2 miles southwest of Mumbles Light. Her entire crew is rescued.

Italy, Planning

An ultimatum to Greece is prepared for the Italian minister in Athens, Emanuele Grazzi. He is to deliver it at 3:00a. m. on October 28. The document accuses Greece of adopting a non-neutral attitude towards Italy, and the Greek government is asked to allow Italian forces to 'occupy, as a guarantee of Greek neutrality and for the duration of the present war against Britain, certain strategic points in Greeek territory... Wherever Italian troops meet with resistance, it will be crushed by force of arms, and the Greek government will be held responsible for any consequences.'