INVASION EFFORT FOILED, BRITISH SAY; AXIS DEMANDS ON GREECE REPORTED (10/19/40)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 10/19/40 | Robert P. Post

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[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
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.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Nazi Ships Blasted – 2
The International Situation – 3
Threat to Athens – 4-5
Burma Road Spans Ruined, Tokyo Says – 5-6
Parisians Face Death if They Hide Britons – 6
Navy Men’s Families to Leave Philippines – 6
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 7

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/oct40/f19oct40.htm

Convoy suffers heavy losses

Saturday, October 19, 1940 www.onwar.com

In the North Atlantic... Convoy HXZ-79 of 49 ships loses 12 over the course of the day and tomorrow. Following the losses incurred during the last week or so, the British decide to increase their convoy escorts and this can only be done by dismantling some of the anti-invasion measures.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/19.htm

October 19th, 1940

UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain: The weather is cloudy in the Channel and misty in northern France but the weather clears after 1200 hours.
One bomber sent out in the morning was shot down over Kent.

By 1400 hours, 14 Bf 109 fighters had assembled over the Pas de Calais for a fighter sweep over England. They headed from London and a dog fighter ensued; 2 RAF fighters were shot down bringing Fighter Command’s losses for the day to 5 against 2 Luftwaffe aircraft.

During the night, Luftwaffe bombers attacked London, Liverpool, the midlands and Bristol. (Jack McKillop)

NORTH SEA: WW1 vintage destroyer HMS Venetia is sunk by a magnetic mine in the Thames Estuary off the Knob Buoy at 51 33N, 01 10E, while on patrol. (Alex Gordon)(108)

NETHERLANDS: An RAF Wellington is shot down over the Zuider Zee by a Luftwaffe Do 17 Z-10 ‘Kauz II’ intruder, with the Infra-Red system called ‘Spanner’ (Observer).

GERMANY:

U-442 laid down.

U-149 and U-150 launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

BALTIC SEA: U-106 collided with U-143 during exercises off Danzig. (Dave Shirlaw)

SPAIN: Himmler arrives in Spain. He is accompanied by General Wolf, Chief of General Staff, plus five others. He arrives at Irun and proceeds to Burgos. (Russel Folsom)

MIDDLE EAST: Four Italian aircraft have made an audacious long-range attack on the British oil refinery at Bahrein, in the Persian Gulf. The SM82 bombers were in the air for more than 15 hours, flying 3,000 miles from Rhodes in the Mediterranean to Massawa, in Eritrea, on a triangular route whose most easterly point was Bahrein Island. Each aircraft dropped 66 30-pound bombs on the complex. Pilots say: “We saw fires for hundreds of miles as we left the area.”

This does not match the British claims that there was no damage. A refinery engineer asserted that safety flares were turned up to simulate uncontrolled fires.

JAPAN: Tokyo: The Dutch East Indies agrees to supply Japan with 40% of its oil production for the next six months.

CANADA: Patrol vessel HMCS Brad D’Or foundered in the early morning while keeping the Romanian freighter Ingener N Vlassopol under surveillance in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Anticosti Island. Her last known position was 40.20N, 063.50W. Brad D’Or sank with no survivors. It has been suggested Brad D’Or foundered due to icing conditions that were prevalent at the time. (Dave Shirlaw)

U.S.A.: “Only Forever” by Bing Crosby reaches Number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. The song is from the motion picture “Rhythm on the River” starring Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Basil Rathbone, Oscar Levant and William Frawley. This song, which debuted on the charts on 28 September 1940, was charted for 16 weeks, was Number 1 for 9 weeks and was ranked Number 4 for the year 1940.

The motion picture “They Knew What They Wanted” is released today. The romantic drama, based on the play by Sidney Howard, is directed by Garson Kanin and stars Charles Laughton, Carole Lombard, William Gargan and Harry Carey; Tom Ewell, and Karl Malden appear in bit parts. The plot has Laughton as an Italian grape-grower in California who asks a waitress to marry him. Gargan is nominated for a Best Supporting Actor award. (Jack McKillop)

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN: Royal Navy commanders were tonight counting the cost of Admiral Donitz’s escalation of the U-boat war. U-boats are now ordered to hunt in “wolfpacks” of up to a dozen boats. One pack has sunk over 30 ships from two convoys and damaged another in the last two days.

The slaughter began when Lieutenant Heinrich Bleichrodt in U-48 spotted a slow convoy, SC-7, escorted by two sloops and a corvette. Without waiting for the rest of the pack to catch up, Bleichrodt attacked and sank two merchant ships. He was then chased by a Sunderland flying boat and a sloop.

After dark last night he was joined by five other pack members. They struck together with devastating effectiveness, sinking 15 ships in six hours. Tragically, the escorts could do little to help as they floundered around picking up survivors.

By this time U-48 and two others had used up all their torpedoes and headed for home. The others stayed to pick off some of the stragglers and to look for new prey. The pack leader was Gunther Prien, called the “Bull of Scapa Flow” in recognition for his daring sorties into the home of the British fleet. He homed in on the 49-ship convoy HX-79.

Cautiously Prien waited for three other submarines to join him, by which time the convoy had an escort of two destroyers, four corvettes, three trawlers, and a Dutch submarine. Again Prien waited and then after nightfall struck suddenly with his full force. Within hours he had hit six ships and his colleagues had hit seven - 12 sank. In the chaos the defending forces mistook the Dutch boat O14 for a German submarine and attacked it twice.

This same night the U-boats run into Convoy HX-79A, outward from England, and sink a further seven ships.

U-100 damaged SS Blairspey in Convoy SC-7.

U-101 sank SS Assyrian and SS Sosterberg in Convoy SC-7.

U-123 sank SS Boekelo, SS Clintonia, SS Sedgepool and SS Shekatika in Convoy SC-7.

U-99 damaged SS Clintonia and sank SS Thalia, SS Snefjeld and SS Empire Brigade in Convoy SC-7.

U-47 sank SS Uganda, SS Wandby and damaged SS Shirak in Convoy HX-79.

U-46 sank SS Ruperra in Convoy HX-79.

U-38 sank SS Bilderdijk and SS Matheran in Convoy HX-79. (Dave Shirlaw)

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 415 October 19, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 102. Clouds and mist in the English Channel and Northern France again restrict Luftwaffe to reconnaissance and a few single aircraft raids. 2 Ju88 bombers are shot down, 1 near Maidstone, Kent, and another near Falmouth, Cornwall. 60 German fighters, some carrying bombs, fly over Kent to Central London at 2.30 PM and are engaged by 5 RAF squadrons. 2 RAF fighters are shot down (1 pilot killed). Destroyer HMS Venetia hits a mine and sinks in the Thames Estuary, 10 miles North of Herne Bay, Kent (35 crew killed, 18 wounded). There is very heavy night bombing London, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester and Coventry.

U-99, U-100, U-101 and U-123 continue attacking convoy SC-7, 100 miles Northwest of Ireland, and 10 ships are torpedoed between midnight and 5 AM. U-123 sinks British SS Shekatika which was abandoned yesterday after being hit by U-100 and U-123 (it has taken a total of 5 torpedoes to sink her). U-99 sinks Norwegian SS Snefjeld (all 21 crew escape in a launch and accumulate survivors from other ships until picked up by corvette HMS Clematis on October 23). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/615.html

150 miles further West, U-38, U-46 and U-47 attack convoy HX-79, sinking 5 ships and damaging tanker SS Shirak.

A violent storm in the Gulf of St. Lawrence sinks Canadian auxiliary minesweeper HMCS Bras d’Or (all 30 hands lost), escorting Rumanian freighter Ingener N. Vlassopol from Quebec to Sydney, Nova Scotia (where slower merchant ships assembled before setting out in convoy for Britain). http://merchantships2.tripod.com/brasdor/brasdor.html

[Homer_J_Simpson]

U.S.A.: “Only Forever” by Bing Crosby reaches Number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. The song is from the motion picture “Rhythm on the River” starring Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Basil Rathbone, Oscar Levant and William Frawley. This song, which debuted on the charts on 28 September 1940, was charted for 16 weeks, was Number 1 for 9 weeks and was ranked Number 4 for the year 1940.

"Only Forever"

Here's the version from the movie. If the link still works.

"Only Forever"

[Future Useless Eater]

“Wilkie Declares Roosevelt Favors State Socialism - People Should Know What It Means, He says, Warning of ‘Insidious Change’”

---

“Rivals Falsifying, Roosevelt Asserts”

[PzLdr]

Karl Wolff was Himmler’s senior aide, not “Chief of the General Staff”. I don’t recall if the Operational Staff for the Waffen SS had been formed by this time, but its Chief was SS Gen. Juttner.

The Chief of the Army General Staff was Col. Gen. Franz Halder; for the Air Force Hans Jeschonnek. The Chief of the OKW staff was Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel.

[CougarGA7]

Battle of Britain Campaign Diary

Date: 19th October 1940

• Weather: Cloudy in Channel, mist in northern France clearing later.
• Day: Isolated patrols and reconnaissance.
• Night: Raids on London, Liverpool, the Midlands and Bristol.

  Enemy action by day

  Enemy activity was on a reduced scale, being limited to one attack by fighters on London and reconnaissance activity off the South and East Coasts, a few of which penetrated inland. Our fighters destroyed two aircraft (plus one damaged) and we lost two aircraft and one pilot missing.

  Attack on London

  At 1430 hours, two enemy raids totalling abut 60 aircraft flew over Dungeness and Maidstone and into the Inner Artillery Zone, some penetrating to Central London, with plots also at Biggin Hill and near Hornchurch. The raids are reported to have been composed of fighters, some carrying bombs. They turned about and returned to France on a reciprocal course, the country being again clear at 1510 hours. Five Squadrons were despatched to meet this attack; three reported having sighted the enemy. Our losses were two aircraft and one pilot missing.

  Reconnaissances

  East: In the morning several reconnaissances were plotted off East Anglia and one flew across Suffolk to Coventry area. A section of fighters sighted this aircraft, but it escaped in cloud.

  South East: During the morning reconnaissances were plotted at intervals in the Straits, a few penetrating inland, and one Ju88 was destroyed near Maidstone. After the attack on London reported above patrols in the Straits were particularly active.

  South and West: A few reconnaissances appeared between Cherbourg and the Isle of Wight, one of which was damaged by fighters. Slight activity continued, and late in the afternoon a Ju88 was destroyed near Falmouth.

  Night Operations - 19th/20th October 1940

  Activity commenced at dusk and for the first four hours was abnormally heavy, then continuing on a large but more usual scale. The main attacks were against the London area, but Liverpool, Manchester and Coventry districts received considerable attention.

  1900 Hours to 2100 Hours

  Hostile raiders were extremely active, 14 from Le Havre, 33 from Dieppe, 20 from Belgium, 14 from Holland, and 18 from Baie de la Seine concentrating on London and its suburbs during this period. In addition, at least 10 raids from Cherbourg penetrated to Liverpool and Manchester, Birmingham and Coventry, with plots also showing over Bristol and South Wales. Three raids from Holland also visited North Eastern areas.

  2100 Hours to 2200 Hours

  17 raids from France over Kent and Sussex, and 23 from Holland and Belgium via the Thames Estuary, concentrating on London, with a few raids in East Anglia. Seven further raids from Cherbourg flew to the Coventry and Liverpool areas, with plots as far North as Barrow, and at Bradford.

  2100 Hours to 2300 Hours

  A few additional raids entered from Cherbourg, the Midlands and Lancashire, 12 from France and 9 from Holland to London, and six from Holland to East Anglia and Lincolnshire.

  2300 Hours to 0200 Hours 20/10/40

  During this period no fresh raids were plotted to the Midlands, all new activity concentrating on London and East Anglia. About 40 raids were plotted, 26 from France and 14 from Holland. From considerable initial volume numbers gradually decreased and at 0100 only three fresh incoming raids were plotted. The South-East gradually cleared and at 0200 hours all hostile aircraft were leaving.

  0200 Hours to 0600 Hours

  Activity was resumed at 0220 hours, single enemy aircraft alternating from the Somme and Belgium every twenty minutes. Those from Belgium flying by the Estuary, over London, and to the Somme, those from the Somme reversing the procedure. This well organised activity continued steadily until 0550 hours, when the country was reported clear.

  

  ________________________________________

  Statistics

  Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 19th October 1940

• Blenheim - 47
• Spitfire - 233
• Hurricane - 412
• Defiant - 22
• Gladiator - 7
• Total – 721

  Casualties:

  	Enemy Losses
  	By Fighters – By Day
  Destroyed	Probable	Damaged
  2 Ju88		1 Ju88
  1	Nil	1

• Own:

• Two aircraft. One pilot missing.

  Patrols:

• Own

• During the night of 18th / 19th October - 2 patrols involving 2 sorties.
• During the day of 19th October - 63 patrols involving 286 sorties.

• Enemy

• It is estimated that about 230 enemy aircraft operated over or near our coasts during the day of 19th October.

  Balloons:

• No report.

  Serviceability of Aerodromes:

• No report.

  Organisation:

• No report.

  Home Security Reports

• General Summary

• Date: 19th October 1940

• There has been little enemy air activity during the day except for one ineffective attack on London. A number of houses were damaged in Coventry and the By Pass Road machine-gunned. There are only minor incidents to report in Essex, Surrey and Kent.
• As soon as darkness fell, a particularly vicious attack was launched against London and surrounding suburbs. Railway communications appeared to be the main objective and considerable damage was done. The Dockyards were attacked by damage was not as great as at first thought, owing to a large number of bombs falling either on empty sheds or on warehouses already destroyed. There were numerous fires But all are now under control.
• In the Midlands attacks were concentrated on Coventry. Districts in and around Liverpool & Birkenhead were also attacked but on the whole damage to factories and residential quarters was not as great as at first feared.

• Detailed Summary

• RAF Stations 19th October 1940

• Hatfield: attacked at 2210 hours on the 17th. Four incendiary bombs which dropped on the Aerodrome were immediately extinguished.
• Kidbrooke: Attacked at 0030 hours on the 18th and slight structural damage was caused but no casualties.
• Heston: Attacked with HE and IB at 2155 hours on the 19th and these bombs fell on the Airport Field. All fires are extinguished.
• Bombs were dropped in the vicinity of Pembrey and Luton.

• Other damage

• Coventry: At 1205 hours on the 19th a single enemy aircraft dropped 10 HE in the Coundon and Keresley District. Gas mains and 27 houses were damaged but no casualties are reported. The Coventry By Pass was machine gunned presumably by the same machine. After dark, attacks caused considerable damage and people have been evacuated in Built-up areas owing to the presence of approximately 40 unexploded bombs. The centre of the town was not affected and business premises and shops have not suffered greatly in consequence. Reports of slight damage appear to have been sustained by Dunlop's and the Riley Motor Co and Armstrong Siddeley, Parkside received a direct hit on the Surgery but it is also reported that there are two unexploded bombs located outside the works.
• A fire was reported at the Humber Works but it appears that there was a great deal of smoke and with no apparent flame. However, there are twelve pumps in attendance.
• Margate: Eighteen HE were dropped in the Central District at 1145 hours on the 19th. Four houses and two workshops were demolished. Fourteen houses and water mains badly damaged. A few casualties are reported.
• Southwark: The South Eastern Post Office was damaged. The loading bank and sorting rooms on the first and second floors in Swan street were mostly affected. It is reported that the ordinary mail was damaged but registered mail is intact.
• Acton: The Dubilier Condenser Co was badly damaged. The Electrolytic Condenser shop was completely wrecked by a direct hit. The spray shop, impregnation shop and other departments were less severely damaged. No casualties reported.
• Stepney: At 2125 hours on the 19th HE partially demolished 'D' Block of the Mile End Hospital.

• Railways

• Euston Station: Damage by fire was caused to Large Hall on the Station and bombs fell on Nos 2 and 3 roads. Coaches were derailed but some electric services are available.
• Hampstead Heath Station: A direct hit was obtained on the station which is strewn over the tracks blocking all lines.
• Wimbledon: Bombs fell near Durnsford Power Station and 30 casualties have been reported, some of which may be trapped in passenger train.
• Poplar: A direct hit was registered on the District railway at Foot Bridge.
• Deptford: Bombs fell through SR Arch at Filwood Street causing major damage.
• Brentford: HE fell on the SR track south of Chiswick Station.
• Woolwich: Wellhall Station damaged by fire.
• Sundry Damage

• Two coaches overturned blocking all tracks between Richmond and North Sheen.
• Lines blocked between Kentish Town Junction and Canonbury Station.
• The Southern Railway arch at Windmill Walk damaged.
• GWR bridge adjacent to Central London Railway Bridge reported to be unsafe.
• No damage was caused when eight IB fell on Lordship Lane SR Station and permanent way.

• Docks

• London Dock: Bombs fell on the Western end of Denmark Shed and No 9 Warehouse. The bridge between No 9 Warehouse and 'F' Warehouse collapsed in Nightingale Lane. Fires are under control.
• St Leonards Wharf: It is reported that owing to damage to Olisal Oil tank, oil is running into the roadway and entering sewers.
• Royal Albert Dock: No 17 Shed (empty) was partially demolished.
• Surrey Commercial Dock: HE dropped in the ruins of Nos 2 and 15 Warehouses and also in water of Greenland Dock and South Dock.
• Bombs were also dropped in St Catherines, King George V No 12 Shed, Lavender Yard and Downing Wharf.

• Fires

• Reports of a 20 pump fire at Smeed Road, Bow.
• Reports of a 50 pump fire at Goswell Road, Clerkenwell.
• Reports of a 30 pump fire at Gas Works, Poplar.
• Reports of a 20 pump fire at Hopton Street, Southwark.
• Reports of a 20 pump fire at Medical College, Charterhouse Square.
• Reports of a 20 pump fire at College Hall, St Bartholomew's Hospital.
• It is now reported that all these fires are all either out or well under control.

  Battle of Britain

[CougarGA7]

These demands on Greece are very interesting.

The Italians had designs on invading Greece and Yugoslavia back in August but were warned off of the venture by the Germans. Hitler told Mussolini that he wanted to keep the Balkans quite.

So you can imagine how disturbed Mussolini was as Hitler moved troops into Rumania. He felt that Hitler had kept him out of making moves in the Balkans just so Hitler could make his own moves in the region.

He was so upset over the mood that he made the decision to move forward with the invasion of Greece. He told Ciano, “Hitler always confronts me with a fait accompli. This time I am going to bay him back in his own coin. He will find out that I have occupied Greece.”

Plans now are going forward despite the fact that the Italian army is going through a demobilization. The forces that were around a million soldiers is now down to about 600k

This news story though give me the impression that the invasion of Greece this month was not quite the shock to the Germans as most accounts would lead us to believe.