Posted on 10/01/2010 5:04:19 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.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/oct40/f01oct40.htm
German arms for Finnish nickel
Tuesday, October 1, 1940 www.onwar.com
In Helsinki... The Germans and Finns reach another agreement strengthening their ties. The Germans promise arms and the Finns grant rights to the Germans to purchase their nickel production from the mines in the Petsamo region.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/01.htm
October 1st, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
Battle of Britain:
A new phase opens in which the Germans use their main bomber force almost entirely under cover of darkness. In daylight they send over only small numbers of fast Ju88s together with Messerschmitt fighters at high altitude carrying bombs, protected by further fighters above. This activity occurs every day and proves extremely difficult to deal with, but strategically is of little benefit to the Germans. At night London is bombed heavily (by an average of 150 bombers) every night of the month except one.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 6; RAF, 4.
Corvette HMS Monkshood laid down. Corvette HMS Verbena launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: U-90, U-155, U-213, U-380, U-439, U-440, U-583, U-584, U-585, U-586 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
POLAND: Germany starts Operation Otto to improve road and rail links to the USSR. Slaves will provide the labour.
FINLAND: The government signs an agreement with Germany giving it sole rights to Finnish nickel exports in exchange for arms.
CHINA: The Nationalist 89th Army attacks Chen Yi’s New Fourth Army at Taixing.
Weihhaiwei is occupied by the Japanese.
INDIA: Sloop INS Sutlej launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Nipigon launched. Minesweepers HMCS Swift Current and Drummondville laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: The first 160 miles (257.5 km) of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the pioneer toll superhighway in the country, opens today. The section extends from Irwin, 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Pittsburgh, to Middlesex, 13 miles (20.9 km) west of Harrisburg. The road is built at a cost of US$61 million (US$753 million in year 2000 dollars) and the toll for the 160 mile trip for cars is US$1.50 (US$18.50 in year 2000 dollars) one way and US$2.50 (US$30.86 in year 2000 dollars) round trip. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-32 sank SS Haulerwijk.
U-38 sank SS Highland Patriot. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 397 October 1, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 84. As a result of the mauling handed out by RAF over the last 4 days, Göring changes tactics again and large-scale daylight raids are abandoned. Despite good weather, Luftwaffe mounts only reconnaissance flights and numerous small raids of 20-70 aircraft, which target RAF airfields and do not approach London. 4 Messerschmitts are shot down and RAF loses 5 fighters (4 pilots killed). There is widespread bombing overnight, although on a reduced scale compared to recent nights, and London is again targeted. With the air battle apparently won by RAF and the relatively settled weather of Summer giving way to Autumn gales in the English Channel, the threat of German invasion of Britain recedes. London and other large cities will continue to be the target of night bombing.
Italian submarine Maggiore Baracca sinks Greek steamer Aghios Nicolaos 400 miles West of Porto, Portugal. U-32 sinks Dutch steamer Haulerwijk 400 miles West of Ireland (4 killed, 27 survivors). At 6.47 AM, 300 miles West of Ireland, U-38 sinks Highland Patriot (3 crew lost, 136 crew and 33 passengers picked up by sloop HMS Wellington and landed at Greenock). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/573.html
Date: 1st October 1940
Enemy action by day
Three attacks were made in the Kent area and one towards Poole and the Isle of Wight, in each case the numbers of aircraft employed were fewer than of late. Reconnaissance flights and patrols were less active.
Our fighters destroyed 4 enemy aircraft (plus one probable and 5 damaged). Our losses were 5 aircraft with 4 pilots killed or missing.
North and North-East Coast
Between 0900 and 1300 hours three reconnaissances were made off the Aberdeenshire Coast and three in the Moray Firth.
East Coast
One reconnaissance off the Norfolk Coast and of a convoy was reported between 1630 and 1730 hours.
South-East Coast
Between 0600 and 1300 hours some 16 raids by single and in one case by 6 aircraft, were made in the Estuary and round the coast to Beachy Head.
At 0613 hours one of these flew inland from Sheppey to Croydon and bombed and machine-gunned the latter place.
1st Attack
At 1312 hours two raids numbering 50 enemy aircraft crossed the coast at Dover. Of these 30 flew to Maidstone and Biggin Hill. The attack, against which 11 Squadrons were sent up, was of short duration by at 1403 a second attack developed.
2nd Attack
50 enemy aircraft appeared flying North West towards Biggin Hill. A second formation of the same strength followed but withdrew very soon. The first formation returned to France shortly after but single aircraft maintained patrols in North Kent and North Surrey until 1520 hours. 13 Squadrons were detailed to the attack.
3rd Attack
At 1610 hours 70 enemy aircraft in three successive waves flew towards Kenley. 40 of these approached the South East edge of the Inner Artillery Zone but immediately turned South East. The remainder turned away before reaching London. The aircraft had recrossed the Coast by 1640 hours.
During this attack reconnaissance aircraft were active along the Coast from Selsey Bill Eastwards and continuous patrols were maintained in the Straits until 1800 hours.
South & West Coasts
At 1045 hours 20 enemy aircraft flew to Swanage and over Poole and inland for 10/15 miles. They were met by three Squadrons from No 10 Group and recrossed the Coast at 1100 hours.
At the same time 50 enemy aircraft approached the Needles and were met over the sea by 5 Squadrons from No 11 Group. The enemy aircraft did not cross the coast and withdrew.
During the morning a single enemy aircraft flew from North Wales to Bristol Channel, Exeter and St Malo.
In the late afternoon 1 aircraft flew North from NNW of Lands End to Milford Haven.
Night Operations - 1st October / 2nd October 1940
Enemy activity was on a reduced scale, but raids were scattered over a wide area during the earlier part of the night.
The first night bombers came out of Le Havre and Cherbourg area and crossed the Isle of Wight at 1940 hours. Raids from Dieppe and the Somme crossed the coast between Beachy Head and Dungeness with London as their objective. A number of raids originating from Cherbourg crossed at Portland and flew to Bristol Channel whence they spread to South Wales, West Midlands and up to Chester, Liverpool, Manchester and Preston areas. A few raids were plotted over East Anglia and inland as far as Leicester.
At 2145 hours there was a marked lull in the number of fresh raids entering the country. Central London was clear for a time, but at 2340 hours fresh raids approached from the East and a number were plotted in and out of the Thames Estuary. Some minelaying was suspected.
At 0145 hours a raid was plotted in the Glasgow area but apart from this the activity was almost entirely confined to London and the South East Counties.
Raids continued to come out of Dieppe and cross near Beachy Head, but appeared to be active more over the suburbs than over Central London itself.
Reduced activity continued over South East England and East Anglia until 0528 hours when the last raids were leaving the country.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 1st October 1940
Casualties:
| Enemy Losses | ||
| By Fighters | ||
| Destroyed | Probable | Damaged |
| 1 Me109 | 1 Me109 | 3 Me109 |
| 3 Me110 | 1 Me110 | |
| 1 He111 | ||
| 4 | 1 | 5 |
Patrols:
Balloons:
Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Home Security Reports
Major General Campbell Hodges is not to be confused with Courtney Hodges whom I will be pretty unkind to down the road.
I did make that mistake. Thanks for tip. How about this General Short? Will he, next year, be resonsible for protecting the U.S. Fleet based in Hawaii?
That is the same Walter Short that will be sent to Pearl Harbor next year. Come to think of it, I wont be very nice to him either, but not as harsh as I will be on Hodges’ and his handling of the 1st Army.
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