Posted on 07/23/2010 4:53:32 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
Homer predicts low thread traffic with this headline.
Transfer Opposed – 2-3
The International Situation – 3
British Intensify Air Raids on Reich – 4
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 6
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/jul40/f23jul40.htm
Czechoslovakians get British recognition
Tuesday, July 23, 1940 www.onwar.com
In London... A provisional Czechoslovakian government is formed and is recognized by British government. Dr. Benes is president and Mgr Sramek is prime minister.
In the United States... The British Purchasing Mission in the United States reaches agreement that it will be allowed to buy up 40 percent of the United States’ production of aircraft.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/23.htm
July 23rd, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - road and rail communications at Osnabruck, Hamburg Docks and an aircraft factory at Kassel.
77 Sqn. Ten aircraft to Kassel. Nine bombed. One hit by flak and landed at Bircham Newton.
78 Sqn. Three aircraft to Osnabruck. One returned early, one bombed primary, one bombed alternate.
102 Sqn. Ten aircraft to Hamburg. Seven bombed.
2 Group ( Blenheim). Three aircraft raided airfields around Wilhelmshaven.
The Local Defence Volunteer force is renamed the “Home Guard”.
Submarine minelayer Narwhal (instructed to proceed on the surface) is attacked and sunk by a Dornier flying boat in the Norwegian Sea at 55 30N 01 10E. All crew of 59 are lost. (Alex Gordon)(108)
London: Dr. Eduard Benes, the Czech leader, has formed a provisional Czechoslovak government in London with the approval of the British government. It is probable that a British minister will be accredited to Dr Bene’s government. Mgr Sramek is appointed prime minister.
Dr Benes, who becomes president, said today: “Our main effort will be the organisation of our forces on land and in the air so that our share in the defence of Britain and the defeat of Nazism will be as effective as possible.
An emergency budget today ushered in tough new taxes, including 24% on luxuries such as furs, real silk stockings and cosmetics. “In the hard circumstances of the times we can do without them,” said Sir Kingsley Wood, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He also announced all-round tax increases, including an extra shilling on income tax. This will be 8/6 in the pound from next January. (42.5%)
In future income tax will also be compulsorily deducted at source. People will “pay as they earn” instead of the present system with lump sums paid twice a year.
U.S.S.R.: Soviet submarine M-99 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Quezon awards Marquat the Philippine Distinguished Service Star for his work in establishing the Philippine Army Coast Artillery School at Fort Wint from 1938 to 1940.
U.S.A.: A British Purchasing mission is given permission to buy 40% of the USA’s production of aircraft.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 327 July 23, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 14. German bases in France make convoys in the English Channel an easy target for the Luftwaffe. Most convoys are now sent around Scotland. Consequently, there is little activity in the Channel. The extra distance forces German bombers to fly beyond the range of their fighter escorts. Luftwaffe mounts a few coastal raids and minelaying overnight.
German bombers attack British submarines in the North Sea. 125 miles East of Aberdeen, Scotland, German Dornier Do-17 bomber (Lt. Karl Müller, 1/KF1Gr 606) sinks HMS Narwhal on her way to lay mines off Kristiansund, Norway. HMS Truant’s good luck continues when she is also attacked but suffers no damage.
8077 Canadian troops bound for Britain leave Halifax, Nova Scotia, on troopships Batory, Antonia, Monarch Of Bermuda, Sobieski, Duchess Of York & Samaria, escorted by Canadian destroyers HMCS Assiniboine & Saguenay and British cruiser HMS Emerald. The convoy will arrive safely in Scotland on August 1.
Date: 23 July 1940
Enemy action by day
Enemy activity appeared to have further decreased and those aircraft with few exceptions approaching the coast seemed to devote their attention to reconnaissance of shipping and to attacks when opposition was not immediately encountered but turned away when fighters were in the vicinity.
While patrolling a convoy off Yarmouth in the early morning, Hurricanes shot down a Ju86[?] and it is a probable casualty.
A 'help' message from a convoy some distance off Lowestoft was received at about 0809 hours but only one bomb is reported to have been dropped from a great height.
Later, a raid penetrating inland as far as Kenley dropped bombs during the flight. It at once retraced its track on the approach of fighters. At 1120 a force of six aircraft approached North Foreland and bombed trawlers. Two fighter squadrons intercepted without conclusive results. During the morning, various other aircraft were detected around the coast from the North of Scotland southwards. No contact was made by fighters.
During the afternoon activity was still further reduced but in a raid near Kinnaird's Head a Do215 was intercepted and is confirmed as having been shot down by Spitfires at 1540 hours.
At 1530 hours a raid of nine aircraft appeared without being tracked in RDF 50 miles east of Harwich. A naval vessel is reported to have been bombed. Another raid appeared inland near Yarmouth at 1640 hours and re-crossed the coast near Bawdsey after dropping bombs at Pulham Market. It evaded fighters in the clouds. Fighters were sent up to a raid which appeared inland over North Scotland after 1800 hours but the enemy aircraft escaped east at great speed.
France
Hostile tracks were plotted along the French coast and to mid-Channel but few approached nearer to our coasts.
By night
Enemy activity again was again at somewhat on a lesser scale and almost exclusively confined to coastal flights, presumably minelaying. The chief activity was along the east coast from Dover to the Tyne and Forth Estuary, with one or two raids as far north as Kinnaird's Head and considerably less concentration in the Thames Estuary and the South Coast.
It is reported that one He111 was shot down for certain at 0040 hours by a Spitfire near Dunbar. About eight raids visited the West Country picking out Falmouth, Plymouth and Bristol and four raids were lost going north off the Welsh Coast., but were picked up in the Liverpool area where anti-aircraft guns were in action and they claim one enemy aircraft (type unknown) unconfirmed.
At about 0043 hours a smoke screen about 100 yards long and thirty feet high was reported by the Observer Corps off Dover.
From information received during the late evening it would appear that attempts were being made to intercept our bombers, an attack upon one having been reported.
It was noticeable too that that throughout the night there were only two or three isolated raids which crossed the coast, one over Middlesborough proceeding south of Catterick and one over Cornwall and South Wales.
The only report of any bombs having been dropped is near Hartlepool.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 23 July 1940
Casualties:
Patrols:
Balloons:
Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Air Intelligence Reports
Home Security Reports
So when did A&F actually go gay? They were clearly “manly” men in 1940.
Men and boys, camping alone in the woods?
Who would ever object to that -- in 1940?
In 2010?
So what has really changed -- human nature or our expectations?
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