http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/aug40/f10aug40.htm
British armor sent to Middle East
Saturday, August 10, 1940 www.onwar.com
In London... The decision is taken to send a large part of the country’s total stock of tanks out to the Middle East although there is the threat of a German invasion. Churchill takes much of the credit for this brave decision which, although not his idea, is necessarily carried out on his instructions.
In the English Channel... There are German attacks on shipping.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/10.htm
August 10th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - industrial targets at Frankfurt-am-Main.
58 Sqn. Ten aircraft. Two returned early, four bombed primary, two bombed alternatives. One crashed at Hemswell on return.
RAF Fighter Command: Weather, cloud and rain. Little Luftwaffe activity, no aircraft losses.
Some activity in the Channel and Bf110 pilots of Erpro 210 attempt a surprise evening strike on Norwich. A lone undetected Do 17 put 11 HEs close to RAF West Malling despite 501 Squadron’s attempts to stop it.
During the night serious damage was done to the Llandore GWR (Great Western Railway) viaduct near Swansea where a direct hit on a shelter killed four.
Bombs fall for the first time on Abergavenny, Rochester and Wallasey along with heavy raids on Swansea and Weymouth.
Submarine HMS P 222 laid down.
Destroyer HMS Holderness commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
RAF Coastal Command: 608 Sqn. carries out its first operation with its new Blackburn Botha general reconnaissance aircraft.
Despite the threat of invasion, Churchill decides to send three regiments of tanks (about 150) to North Africa.
FRANCE: VICHY FRANCE: Laval offers Germany 200 pilots to help fight the Battle of Britain.
GERMANY: U-56 sank AMC HMS Transylvania.
U-94 commissioned.
U-132 and U-655 laid down.
U-143 launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
AUSTRIA: Vienna: Baldur von Schirach becomes Gauleiter of Vienna; Artur Axmann will take over as Reich youth leader.
ROMANIA: Anti-Semitic legislation is passed.
AUSTRALIA: Minesweeper HMAS Lismore launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
PACIFIC OCEAN: The Japanese naval blockade of the coast of China is extended to South China. (Jack McKillop)
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Spikenard launched Lauzon Province of Quebec. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: The motion picture “The Return of Frank James” is released. This western, directed by Fritz Lang, stars Henry Fonda, Gene Tierney (her film debut), Jackie Cooper, Henry Hull, John Caradine and Donald Meek. The plot has Frank James (Fonda) seeking revenge against the men who killed his brother Jesse. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Transylvania of the Northern Patrol is lost to U-56 to the north of Ireland 40 miles off Malin Head at 55 50N 08 03W. (Alex Gordon)(108)