Posted on 08/05/2010 4:27:58 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Thomas E. Griess, Series Editor, The Second World War: Europe and the Mediterranean
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
Interesting post. Thanks for posting this.
Notice the “Paris Fooled Into Giving Nazi Salute” article.
Forgot about the Indochina article.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/aug40/f05aug40.htm
Italians advance on Berbera
Monday, August 5, 1940 www.onwar.com
In East Africa... Zeila in the north of British Somaliland and Hargeisa on the main road to Berbera are both taken by the Italians.
In Berlin... The first operational plans for the German invasion of the Soviet Union are presented to General Halder, the Chief of Staff at OKH, by one of his officers, General Marcks. They envisage a two-pronged attack with the major effort being directed toward Moscow and a minor advance being made toward Kiev. Work continues on the plans at both OKH and OKW.
In the English Channel... There are German attacks on shipping.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/05.htm
August 5th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - oil plant at Sterkrade and Dornier aircraft factory at Wismar.
10 Sqn. Seven aircraft to Wismar. Six bombed primary. Two damaged by Flak.
51 Sqn. Eight aircraft to Wismar. Six bombed primary, one damaged by Flak and force landed at Spurn Point (East Yorkshire) on return.
102 Sqn. Six aircraft to Sterkrade. Four bombed primary, one bombed an alternative target.
RAF Fighter Command: Weather, fine. Luftwaffe attacks shipping in the Straits of Dover.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 6; RAF 2.
Six Spitfires of 64 Sqn. fought with Bf109s of JG 54, two Spitfires are shot down and one Bf109 crashes in France. Later Ju88s seeking Channel shipping are attacked off Dover by 151 Sqn. who claim another 109.
London: Britain today responded to the recent arrests of seven British subjects in Tokyo by detaining leading Japanese businessmen in London, Rangoon, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Japan has protested at the arrests and the British ambassador, Sir Robert Craigie, has been summoned by Mr. Matsuoka, the Japanese Foreign Minister, who described the arrests as “unwarrantable”. Among the detainees is the manager of the London branch of Mitsubishi Trading. Seven officials of the Salvation Army in Japan have been arrested on espionage charges.
Sloop HMS Erne launched.
Minesweeping trawler HMS River Clyde mined and sunk off Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
At 2138, U-56 fired a spread of two torpedoes at Convoy OB-193 NW of Malin Head and observed that one missed and the other detonated at the end of the run after 7 minutes 25 seconds. However, the Boma was hit in this attack and sank the next day. Three crewmembers were lost.
The master, 47 crewmembers and two gunners were picked up by the Norwegian tanker Vilja, transferred to destroyer HMS Viscount and landed at Liverpool. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: Bad weather conditions force the postponement of the air offensive against Britain.
U-208, U-760 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
General Halder receives the first operations plans for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, by General Marcks.
BRITISH SOMALILAND: The Somali town of Hargeisa fell to the Italian army this afternoon, assaulted by infantry and tanks after a three-hour bombardment. It was defended by two battalions of Indian and East African troops plus some of the Somali Camel Corps - most of whom got away.
Any serious defence of Somaliland lost all chance of success when the pro-Allied governor of neighbouring French Somaliland, General Legentilhomme resigned today and was replaced by General Germain, who is under heavy Vichy pressure to obey the terms of the Franco-Italian armistice.
Elsewhere, on the borders of Ethiopia, Italy’s 300,000 man army seems reluctant to act aggressively, content with the symbolic occupation of a few border towns, such as Moyale in Kenya and Kassala in the Sudan, and in harassing the British in northern Kenya with some remarkably effective guerrilla columns. It is so short of petrol that it can do nothing else.
CANADA: Camillien Houde, the isolationist mayor of Montreal, is detained under the Defence of Canada Regulations, for making an anti-conscription speech on the 2nd August. He is ‘invited’ to correct his remarks, refuses, and will be detained until mid-1944. (Dave Hornford)
Armed yacht HMCS Wolf commissioned.
Corvettes HMCS Lethbridge and Sherbrooke laid down Montreal. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: In Washington, D.C., Lord Lothian, the British Ambassador to the U.S., provides President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a note concerning the facilities which the British were prepared to “extend to the United States Government...” This will be part of the “destroyers-for-bases” agreement between the U.K. and U.S. that will be announced in September. (Jack McKillop)
In the U.S., Rear Admiral John W. Greenslade, USN, and French Vice Admiral Georges A.M.J. Robert conclude an agreement concerning the status of Vichy French warships and aircraft in the French West Indies. Ships in question are the aircraft carrier Bearn, light cruiser Emile Bertin, training
cruiser Jeanne d’Arc and auxiliary cruisers Esterelle, Quercy, and Barfleur; aircraft are 44 Curtiss SBC-4 Helldivers, 15 Curtiss H75-A4 Hawks (export version of USAAC P-36) and 6 Brewster Model B-339 fighters (export version of USN F2A Buffalo) delivered to Belgium. The basic agreement is that the French ships and aircraft will remain in Martinique throughout the war. (Jack McKillop)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 340 August 5, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 27. Despite fine weather, it is another quiet day. Large Luftwaffe formations patrol the Dover Straits and attack convoys off the East and Southeast coast of England. RAF fighters go up to intercept (4 Messerschmitt Bf109s and 1 Spitfire are shot down). Several other raids approach the coast and convoys but turn back before engaging. There is little activity overnight, with some minelaying. The number of serviceable British fighters has increased by 55 in the last 2 days.
British Somaliland. Italians take the port of Zeila on the coast near the border with French Somaliland, effectively isolating the British colonial forces and advance on Berbera from the West. The main Italian force, going across the mountains towards Berbera, is held up at Hargeisa. Italian light tanks push back Somaliland Camel Corps and other unarmoured British units.
At 9.38 PM 20 miles North of Ireland, U-56 hits British steamer Boma carrying 10,000 tons of coal from Cardiff (3 crew lost). 48 crew and 2 gunners are picked up by Norwegian tanker Vilja, transferred to destroyer HMS and landed at Liverpool. Boma sinks next day. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/453.html
British steamer Cape St. George hits the wreck of steamer Rad (sunk by German submarine UA on August 3) and sinks. All 65 crew are rescued by British steamer Grodno (which already has the Rad’s crew on board) and landed at Freetown, Sierra Leone. British minesweeping trawler HMT River Clyde hits a mine and sinks off Aldeburgh, Suffolk, on the English East coast (12 crew killed, captain J. Grant wounded).
Securing Soviet grip on the Baltic States, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic is incorporated into the Soviet Union.
Oooh, there was a “Foyle’s War” episode about this, too!
That's reason enough to fight them !!
Date: 5 August 1940
Enemy action by day
A number of enemy shipping reconnaissance flights were plotted off the east and south east coasts during the day; although convoys in these areas were reported no attacks on them developed. Raids approached Dover but were driven off with losses.
Large formations patrolling the Straits and Gris Nez area was a feature of the afternoon.
North and North East
One raid was detected in this area. It approached the Firth of Tay and proceeded to the Turnhouse area. Reports were received of a Heinkel with white roundels on the fuselage but without the usual German markings.
Some ten raids were plotted off the East Coast. Two raids crossed the coast, one over Bempton, fading 100 miles east of Whitby; the other between Hartlepool and Tees. The remainder were possibly shipping reconnaissances and several approached convoys off East Anglia.
South East
A raid approaching Dover turned when fighters were ordered to intercept. This was followed by four raids which formed in the Calais-Gris Nez area and approached Dover at about 0830 hours. These raids were plotted as a total of fifty-three plus aircraft. Four squadrons and one section were despatched to intercept and the enemy turned for home when our fighters were approaching. Two squadrons of Spitfires managed to catch up with the enemy; they claim three Me109s (certain) and four Me109s (probable); one Spitfire has failed to return.
Later in the day other raids approached a convoy during its passage between Hastings and the North Foreland but no attack developed.
South and West Coasts
One raid approached the Isle of Wight but turned back when 45 miles from Ventnor. Another approached to within 10 miles of Bournemouth but turned south before an interception could be made.
W/T [radio] intercepts indicated enemy activity in the Bristol Channel area but no reports of plots off the West Coast have been received.
France
Between 1300 and 1700 hours eleven raids totalling eighty-three plus aircraft were detected in the Gris Nez area. Later, aircraft in this area appeared to be massing for an attack on a convoy off the Downs, but this did not develop. A squadron of Hurricanes intercepted a raid in this area, and claim one Me109 (certain).
By night
Activity has only been slight. Minelaying appears to have been the main objective and only a few raids were plotted as crossing inland.
At 2125 hours a raid crossed inland near Dover, over Kent up to the Estuary (London purple), and back on a similar course. Two other raids later followed on similar tracks.
The main area of activity appears to have been between the Wash and the Tay where minelaying is suspected. Five raids were tracked down Channel towards Cherbourg and later plotted towards Dorset, but only two appeared to carry on towards Cardiff and Swansea.
Four other raids were plotted for short periods off the Pembrokeshire coast.
At 2210 hours one of our bombers reported seeing an Me110 in position 77 degrees North Walsham 18 miles at 10,000 feet.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 5 August 1940
Casualties:
Patrols:
Balloons:
Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Air Intelligence Reports
Home Security Reports
Heh, trying to get the Germans to drink fizzy-water. I’ll bet that worked out really well.
I started watching the "Foyle's War" series after you mentioned the Trondheim connection back in April. Or was it May? Anyhow, Mrs. Homer and I are really enjoying them. The timing is working out well. We saw the Dunkirque episode just at the right time. We just completed the one that goes into the issue of evacuating children from London and preparing coffins for the expected air assault on London. The next one is "Eagle Attack," or something like that. It should be timely also. I am curious to see how the 50 destroyers are worked into a murder investigation.
Thanks for getting me hooked.
Doh. Meant bracelet.
That teetotaler Hitler is trying to ruin the national drink now. Of course his disdain for alcohol will not stop the Einsatgruppen from giving their men copious amounts of Schnapps to help them complete their tasks.
You’re welcome. Being post-war myself (born in 1966) I found it very interesting to see how people actually lived in the 40s, and the unique issues the British faced.
Schnapps is medicinal, according to my dad and the old boys at deer camp!
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