Posted on 09/29/2010 5:02:44 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Plus a special guest map from Michael Korda’s, “With Wings Like Eagles,” showing the air defenses of England and Wales, August 1940.
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
Enemy action by day
Apart from a sweep by enemy fighters through Kent westwards, and as far as Reading by one element, the day's activities consisted of reconnaissances, attacks on shipping and some inland flights.
Our fighters destroyed 3 enemy aircraft (plus 3 probable and 2 damaged), and in addition one was destroyed by Lewis Guns at Dover.
East Coast
Reconnaissances were made throughout the day off East Anglia, and in one instance to Duxford, and between 1300 and 1700 hours one convoy was attacked and two inspected by enemy aircraft.
Bombs are reported to have been dropped at Felixstowe.
At dusk an enemy aircraft with British markings is reported to have been minelaying near Farne Islands and to have fired at a Naval Unit with a torpedo.
South-East Coast
In the morning extensive reconnaissances took place off-shore in the East Kent and Thames Estuary areas. One Do215 flew inland at Ramsgate to Maidstone and Northolt and was shot down at Taplow.
At 1610 hours three formations of 50, 20 and 20 enemy aircraft crossed the Coast West of Dungeness at 10 minute intervals, while a further 12 aircraft went inland at Dover. The first raid flew westwards of the London area before wheeling South. A split however, flew towards Central London. The remainder penetrated only some 25 miles inland. All the enemy aircraft appeared to be fighters flying at a great height.
Between 1700 and 1800 hours reconnaissances by single aircraft were made in Kent, in one case Eastchurch and Detling being visited.
South & West Coasts
At 0910 hours one aircraft crossed the Coast at Lyme Bay and flew through Somerset to Wiltshire. At about 1127 hours one convoy was attacked in the Portsmouth area, and at 1135 hours a "Help" message was received from another off the North Wales Coast. Fighters failed to intercept.
Between 1800 and 1900 hours three small raids of 9+, 3+ and 3+ aircraft were plotted in St George's Channel, and intercepted. One enemy aircraft being destroyed.
Night Operations - 29th/30th September 1940
At 1930 hours the first enemy raids were plotted approaching the Coast at Shoreham from the direction of Dieppe. From 2000 hours onwards, a steady stream of raids crossed the Coast between Portsmouth and Beachy Head, the majority having London as their objective. A few, however, coming in over Portsmouth, flew North-west to the Middle Wallop area.
Between 2100 and 0200 hours, raids of 1 or 1+ aircraft crossed the Coast between Poole and Start Point and flew to the South Wales area, some continuing North to Liverpool.
A number of raids crossed the Coast at points between Clacton and the Wash. A few of these approached London from the North-east, whilst the others were active over East Anglia and the Midlands.
Raids were also plotted off Kinnairds Head, in the Aberdeen area and in the Firth of Forth.
At 0250 hours it was noticed that there was a definite tendency with the London raids to fly home Eastwards along the Estuary.
After 0200 hours activity was almost entirely confined to the South Eastern Counties and the London area. At 0230 hours, raids were approaching London both from the South and from the East.
Activity continued until 0305 hours when the last raids were plotted leaving this Country.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 29th September 1940
Casualties:
| Enemy Losses | ||
| By Fighters | ||
| Destroyed | Probable | Damaged |
| 1 Me109 | 1 Me109 | 1 Me109 |
| 1 Me(Jaguar) | ||
| 1 Do215 | ||
| 1 Do17 | ||
| 1 He111 | 1 He111 | |
| 3 | 3 | 2 |
| By Lewis Gun, Dover | ||
| 1 Ju88 | ||
| 1 | Nil | Nil |
| By Anti- Aircraft | ||
| 2 E/A | ||
| 2 | Nil | Nil |
Patrols:
Balloons:
Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Air Intelligence Reports
Home Security Reports
Soviet Gets Zone – 2-3
Flames in Capital – 3
The International Situation – 4
Brazil Condemns Axis-Tokyo Pact – 4
Japanese Premier Asks for Sacrifice – 5
More Nazi Planes Join British Raids – 6
‘Stuffy’ Dowding, Savior of Britain – 7
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 8
News of the Week in Review
Ten Vital Areas in the Expanding Theatre of War (map) – 9
Twenty News Questions – 10
Japan’s Move Follows Our Increasing Curbs – 11
Where Japan Seeks to Build a “New Order” (map) – 12
War Bears Down on Japanese Life – 13-14
Nazi Menace Met in South America – 14
Two Parties Disclose Strategy of Campaign (by Leo Egan and Turner Catledge) – 15-16
Field Service Welds Guard (by Anthony Leviero) – 16-17
Answers to Twenty News Questions – 18
College Football
Virginia’s Power Routs Lehigh, 32-0 – 19
Navy Overcomes W. and M., 19-7, Scoring Twice in the Last Quarter – 19
Wake Forest Tops No. Carolina, 12-0 – 20
So. California Plays Tie – 20
Football Scores - 20
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/sep40/f29sep40.htm
Luftwaffe bombers intercepted
Sunday, September 29, 1940 www.onwar.com
Over Britain... Hurricane fighters intercept a formation of German Heinkel He111 bombers over the Irish Sea. Three fighters and 3 bombers are shot down.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/29.htm
September 29th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - oil plants at Magdeburg and Hanover.
58 Sqn. Ten aircraft to Magdeburg. Nine got off, four bombed primary with good results, one bombed an alternative, five failed to bomb.
77 Sqn. Ten aircraft to Magdeburg and Hanover. One returned early, remainder bombed primaries or alternatives. One returned on one engine from Amsterdam.
RAF Fighter Command: Some activity, reduced in south-east and East Anglia. Liverpool is bombed in daylight from the west, but raid intercepted. At night the usual targets of London and Merseyside are visited by the Luftwaffe.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 5; RAF, 5.
London: Britain has served notice on Japan that it intends to re-open the Burma Road to China when the current three-month agreement expires on 17 October. The move, announced the Churchill, is the first direct result of the Japan-Axis pact. Mr. Churchill told the House of Commons that Britain had originally agreed to ban the transit of war materials from Burma to China while the two sides tried to reach a settlement. Japan had not taken the opportunity and had signed a ten-year pact with the Axis. To cheers from the House the Prime Minister said that in the circumstances Britain could not see its way to renewing the agreement.
Airborne units of the Free French army are created. (Stuart Millis)
LUXEMBOURG: The Grand Duchy is incorporated into the German Reich on the grounds that it “derives from the German race.”
MADAGASCAR: Madagascar rejected British ultimatum that it repudiate French Government. (Dave Shirlaw)
PACIFIC OCEAN: The Midway Detachment of the USMC’s Third defence Battalion arrives on Midway Island to begin construction of defensive positions. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.A.: The 30-minute radio show “Double or Nothing” debuts on the Mutual Network on Sundays at 1800 hours Eastern Time. This quiz show, sponsored by Feenamint, is hosted by Walter Compton. Each time a contestant answers a question correctly, their winnings would double — from $20 to $40 to the big payoff of $80. If they gave an incorrect answer, they were gone! The show remained on the air until January 1954. (Jack McKillop)
CANADA: USS Mackenzie (DD-175), commissioned as HMCS Annapolis (I-04), and USS Williams (DD-108), commissioned as HMCS St Clair (I-65), part of the destroyers-for-bases deal. (Ron Babuka)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: An unknown enemy submarine fired two torpedoes at U-31. The boat escaped by the narrowest of margins.
U-32 sank SS Bassa. (Dave Shirlaw)
Nice to see that the Nazis and Soviets have worked everything out, I’m sure things will work out just fine.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 325 September 29, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 82. Mostly sunny with some clouds. After the large raids of the last 2 days, Luftwaffe activity is restricted to reconnaissance flights and attacks on shipping. However, at 4 PM, a large flight of German fighters sweeps across Kent to London and back but they are not engaged by RAF fighters. 2 German bombers and 1 fighter are shot down but RAF reports losing 5 fighters and 3 pilots killed. Overnight, London is heavily bombed again and Liverpool and towns in the Midlands are also attacked.
U-32’s spree with the ships dispersed from convoy OB-218 continues at 00.53 AM, when British steamer Bassa is sunk 350 miles West of Ireland. 49 crew and 1 gunner abandon ship but are never found.
Egypt, North Africa. The British wait for the expected Italian onslaught in their prepared defenses at the railhead in Mersa Matruh. The Italians, however, are content to fortify their gains with a line of 7 forts stretching 30 miles inland from Sidi Barrani, 70 miles from the British lines. Demonstrating the vulnerability of the Italian supply lines, Royal Navy ships from Alexandria shell the coast road from Libya and harass shipping at the Italian-held ports.
"Adopting President Roosevelt's favorite precept that 'a good offense is the best defense' Democratic leaders have laid out a campaign which calls for increasing attacks on wendell L. Willkie as Nov 5 draws nearer."Those assaults are designed for the dual purpose of 'blanketing' Republican barrages at the third term and the New Deal and of strengthening the theme that domestic security from invasion and preservation of the social gains of the last seven years can only be attained through a Democratic victory.
"In general, the attack on Mr. Willkie follows three main lines.
- First is his alleged distaste for democratic processes, a distast which, the orators say, might lead to the abolition of democracy here if he is elected.
- Second is his alleged intemperance of speech and lack of campaign dignity which, it is charged, might cause him to plunge the nation into war or lower the prestige of the United States in world politics.
- The third line of attack is the claim that his election would mean the end of social reforms which the New Deal has put into effect and his alleged lack of any program of his own."
Now Homer! I know you've been cheating and stealing stories out of today's news.
This was supposed to be 1940, remember.
You're not going to tell us the Dems were doing all the same d*mn stuff back then, are you?
;-)
It looks like FDR and his people might have invented some of those scare tactics.
I am glad to see Dowding getting some recognition for his role in the BoB. (See #7.) Even if they don’t cite his more important accomplishments, like pushing radar development and setting up the command and control system that worked so well. I don’t know how his insistence on burying the telephone lines compares in importance with his influence on the kind of guns were installed in the fighters, but the radar wouldn’t have been so useful if the information it created could not be communicated throughout Fighter Command.
USC’s performance against Washington State was disappointing. With the departure of athletes such as Joe Shell, I don’t think our team is as good as it was last year.
Next week, Oregon State will be coming to the Coliseum to entertain us, and here’s hoping we do better.
Fight on, Trojans! Shoot the Beavers!
That is the first real reference I’ve seen of any of the R.A.F. leadership. Glad to see that he got some recognition.
Keep an eye out for anything on Alan Brooke. I was just finishing up “Winston’s War” by Max Hastings last night when I ran across this complaint he wrote in his diary on May 9th, 1945.
“There is no doubt that the public has never understood what the Chiefs of Staff have been doing in the running of this war...The PM has never enlightened them much, and has never once in all his speeches referred to the Chief of Staff.”
Sounds like a pity party to me, but he may be right.
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