[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
North Africa – Graziani’s Advance, 13 September-16 September 1940 (Map 34a)
German Fighter Range and British Radar Deployment
Marcks’ Plan, August 5, 1940
The Mediterranean Basin (Map 33)
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

Plus a special guest map from Michael Korda’s, “With Wings Like Eagles,” showing the air defenses of England and Wales, August 1940.

[iowamark]

Operation Sea Lion:

[PzLdr]

Interesting that the TIMES had a picture of Ritter von Greim in it in 1940.

After the famous Goering telegram about replacing Hitler, and Hitler's order stripping Goering of all his offices and placing him under arrest, Hitler had Hannah Reitsch, the female test pilot [flew a V-1, held the IC 1]fly von Greim to Berlin. Wounded on the way in, von Greim was named Commander in chief of the Luftwaffe [the second and last] by Hitler. Then, over their objections Reitsch and von Greim were ordered out of the bunker, and ordered to escape. Von Greim committed suicide.

[CougarGA7]

Battle of Britain Campaign Diary

Date: 15th September 1940

• Weather: Fair with some cloud patches. Fine during the evening.
• Day: Heavy attacks on London, broken up by Fighter Command. Highest German losses since 18 August [185 claimed by the RAF] force a serious rethink by the German High Command.
• Night: Heavy damage to London.

  Enemy action by day

  The enemy delivered two major attacks on London during the day. Later smaller formations attacked both Portland and targets in the Southampton area.

  Our fighters destroyed 176 enemy aircraft (124 bombers and 53 fighters) plus 41 probable and 72 damaged.

  AA destroyed 7 enemy aircraft plus 4 probable.

  Our casualties are 25 aircraft and 13 pilots killed or missing

  Enemy patrols were plotted between 0900 and 1100 hours in the following areas:

• In the Straits.
• Off Harwich.
• Between Lympne and Dungeness.
• 20 miles East of line Lowestoft to Spurn Head.
• In the Estuary.
• South of Shoreham and the Isle of Wight.

  Attempts to intercept the above were not successful. One He 111, flying west, was intercepted and destroyed near Start Point.

  First Major Attack

  At 1100 hours enemy aircraft began to mass in the Calais/Boulogne area and at 1130 hours the leading wave of about 100 aircraft crossed the coast between Dover and Dungeness, followed by a second wave of 150 aircraft. Objectives appeared to be in the London district.

  No 11 Group sent up 16 Squadrons to meet the attack, and No 12 Group provided 5 Squadrons to patrol Debden and Hornchurch.

  Approximately 100 enemy aircraft succeeded in reaching Central London.

  Second Major Attack

  At 1400 hours a wave of approximately 150 enemy aircraft crossed the coast near Dover, followed by a second wave of 100 aircraft. These formations spread over South-east and South-west Kent and the Maidstone area, and about 70 penetrated Central London.

  No 11 Group sent up 16 Squadrons and No 12 Group 4 Squadrons. Targets in South London and railways in London and Kent appeared to be the chief objectives.

  Attack on Portland

  At 1530 hours a formation of 25 enemy aircraft attacked Portland. It was engaged and successfully driven off by our fighters.

  Attack on Southampton

  At 1725 hours about 50 enemy aircraft flew over the Isle of Wight and attacked objectives in the Southampton district. This formation was intercepted and driven off by 6½ Squadrons.

  By night

  The first hostile raids were plotted leaving the French Coast at Le Havre at about 2000 hours. They crossed the Coast at Shoreham and penetrated to the London area which appeared to be the main objective throughout the night. At about 2230 hours raids to London started to come from the Dieppe area crossing the coast between Selsey Bill and Dover. Between 0100 and 0300 hours raids were coming in via the Thames Estuary and Essex. About fifteen raids were plotted out of the Cherbourg area to South Wales and the Bristol Channel, some of which penetrated to the Midlands and others to Liverpool. By 0130 hours these raids had withdrawn by the activity over London and the South-east continued until about 0500 hours.

  Two raids were plotted in the Digby and Church Fenton areas and two were plotted in the Irish Channel. Some ten raids were suspected of minelaying between Montrose and Flamborough Head.

  During the night on He111 was destroyed (plus one probable) by a Defiant of No 141 Squadron.

  

  ________________________________________

  Statistics

  Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 15th September 1940

• Blenheim - 47
• Spitfire - 192
• Hurricane - 389
• Defiant - 24
• Gladiator - 8
• Total - 660

  Casualties:

  	Enemy Losses
  	By Fighters
  Destroyed	Probable	Damaged
  38 Me109	8 Me109	9 Me109
  10 Me110	2 Me110	3 Me110
  31 Do215	10 Do215	19 Do215
  46 Do17	8 Do17	16 Do17
  7 Do?	1 Do?	4 Do?
  		2 Ju88
  26 He111	9 He111	13 He111
  21 (?) Type	4 (?) Type	6 (?) Type
  179	42	72
  	By Anti-Aircraft
  7 (?) Type
  7	Nil	Nil

• Own:
• 25 aircraft with 13 pilots killed or missing.

  Patrols:

• Own

• During the night of 14th/15th September - 28 patrols involving 28 sorties.
• During the day of 15th September - 115 patrols involving 705 sorties.

• Enemy

• It is estimated that about 80 enemy aircraft operated over Great Britain during the night 14th/15th September and 600 during the day of 15th September.

  Balloons:

• No report.

  Aerodromes:

• No report.

  Organisation:

• Nil.

  Home Security Reports

• General Summary

• Date: 15th September 1940

• The London area was again the chief objective of enemy aircraft during the day, and the attack on the Capital was maintained at intervals from about noon until the early hours of 16th September 1940. A certain about of damage and casualties resulted, mainly in the districts South of the River Thames, where several factories were hit by bombs and many fires started. Communications and utility services are also affected.
• Elsewhere, bombs were dropped in Kent, Sussex and East Anglia during the day, and attacks were made on Southampton, and on the Portland area where slight damage was done in the dockyard.
• After dark, London continued to bear the brunt of the attack, which was intensified in the early hours of 16th September, and many reports of major damage have been received. Isolated raids were also made during the night in the Southern and South- Eastern coastal Districts, and in the Bristol Channel area but damage from these appears to have been moderate.

• Detailed Summary

• London Area

• Battersea: At 1210 hours railway bridges between Victoria and Clapham |Junction were hit and bombs also fell on the West London extension Line, and at 2325 hours HE bombs fell on the Projectile Engineering Company's Works causing major damage. Damage has been done to Utility Mains and roadways in this District.
• Lambeth: At 1215 hours Water and Gas mains were damaged by HE bombs, and Norwood Road and Brixton Hill were blocked. An unexploded bomb at the Telephone Manufacturing Company caused production to be suspended. At 2029 hours a major fire was caused at the Brixton School of Building and other extensive fires as well as damage to Gas and Water Mains resulted from bombing with HE and IB.
• Beckenham: At 1200 hours the Electricity Station was hit but damage was not serious and distribution is not affected.
• Islington: At 0030 hours KB fell close to GPO Stores and to Mount Pleasant Post Office, but no reports of serious damage have been received.
• Mitcham: The roof of Smith's Meters Factory was badly damaged by a bomb during the night but it is reported that the machinery escaped damage.
• East Croydon: The railway track is closed and damage has been done to the property in the vicinity by HE bombs which fell at 0030 hours, 16th September.
• Shepherd's Bush: HE bombs have fallen on private property near the Electric substation, which has been put out of action by the resulting blast. There is no current on the Hammersmith City Line.
• Barnes: At 0238 hours 16th September, HE bombs fell on a council house necessitating the evacuation of the Control Centre of temporary premises.
• Kilburn: HE bombs fell at Kilburn High Road which is blocked as a result, and damage was done to the railway bridge which crossed it.
• Hammersmith: At 2253 hours HE bombs fell outside Cadby Hall damaging Gas and Water Mains and completely blocking Hammersmith road. At 0220 hours further HE bombs fell at the junction of Uxbridge Road which is also blocked. Utility Mains were damaged and a LCC Sewer was fractured.
• Strand: Shell Mex House suffered heavy damage at 0047 hours by HE bombs. The central tower was demolished and the top storey is in danger of collapse. The Strand was blocked from Adam's Street to Aldwych. Bombs also fell near the Gaiety Theatre and serious flooding took place as a result of burst water main.
• Westminster: HE bombs fell at Vauxhall Bride Road which was blocked by craters and debris.
• Hospitals: St Thomas's, Guys and Lambeth Hospitals were all hit by bombs but no serious damage or casualties have been reported.

• Elsewhere

• Southampton: At 1750 hours three fires were caused by bombs near the Super Marine Aviation Works and damage was done to house property and mains nearby. Slight damage was also done to Thorneycroft's and a further attack at 2132 hours caused a fire at a furniture depository in the High Street.
• Portland: At about 1530 hours HE and IB were dropped at Portland causing heavy damage to four houses and several small fires. Bombs also fell in the dockyard but damage was not extensive.
• Cardiff: At 2245 hours five HE bombs were dropped in a residential district causing casualties. A number of unexploded bombs have fallen near the Docks.

  Battle of Britain

[CougarGA7]

I've got a couple short but very interesting audios today. The first is a report on the fight over the skies of Britain today from Alvar Liddell.

BBC - Alvar Liddell Reports 175 German Aircraft Destroyed

(begin transcription)

Here is the midnight news and this is Alvar Liddell reading it. Up to 10 o’clock, 175 German aircraft have been destroyed in today’s raids over this country. Today was the most costly for the German Air Force for nearly a month. In daylight raids, between 350 and 400 enemy aircraft were launched in two attacks against London and Southeast England. About half of them were shot down. It was officially announced that by 10 o’clock tonight 175 raiders were known to be destroyed by our fighters and anti-aircraft gunners.

(end transcription)

Next is a VERY interesting report on heavy German artillery firing on a convoy in the Channel.

BBC - Robin Duff on Convoy Attack off Dover

(begin transcription)

At the moment we can see two bright flashes, three flashes from the other side of the Channel, and three great puffs of smoke, and now four. At any moment now the shells will be arriving over this side. Four columns of smoke going up on the far side as the convoy goes past us here. And there’s the f… (loud bang) first explosion; and the second. Just a very short front… way in front of us in the sea here, tremendous column (loud bang) of water goes up as a third bomb just comes down now and there’s one…rather (loud bang) one more to come and there it is. All those four completely wide of the convoy as they’ve all been so far as the convoy steams past us slowly here. Needless to say we have heard those tremendous explosions and a great swirl of water goes up a cloud of smoke and spray in the air still. The extraordinary thing is you see the flash right over on the far side of the coast, then the little column of smoke goes up from it and then a wait for the explosion over on this side.

(end transcription)

[M. Espinola]

Excellent post!

[CougarGA7]

That's a neat little tidbit on the Westinghouse Atom Smasher. Originally built in 1937 this is really one of the first particle accelerators as it uses a 5 million volt Van de Graff to bombard elements with high energy particles. It's a straight assembly with requires a ton of power to make it work as advertised (hence the big Van de Graff). In Berkley Ernst Lawrence built a device which uses a different approach to accelerating particles using magnetism perpendicular to an alternating current. This he first built in 1931 and was called the cyclotron.

Last July's issue of Popular Mechanics has a very interesting article on the atom smasher. It also goes into Lawrence's cyclotron as well as the use of the mass spectrometer to separate isotopes of uranium. Eventually these last two items will be wedded to make the calutron which will be used to enrich uranium. I also like the mention at the end of this article of the potentially large explosive weapon that could be created by "exploding" uranium 235. Seems like the potential to make a game changing weapon by splitting the atom was pretty much public knowledge in 1940.