The British War Cabinet orders the Royal Navy to seize or destroy all French warships in British and North African ports. In London, the British cabinet approves Operation CATAPULT, ordering the Royal Navy to seize, disable or destroy the French fleet. The plan draws sharp protests from the men charged with carrying it out, Admirals, Sir James Somerville and Sir Andrew Cunningham. Churchill is adamant, “No act was ever more necessary for the life of Britain.” The nature of what he has ordered is not lost on the Prime Minister on the night before CATAPULT is launched he wires Somerville, “You are charged with one of the most disagreeable and difficult tasks that a British admiral has ever been faced with but we have complete confidence in you and rely on you to carry it out.”
Britain announced a general blockade of the European coastline from the Bay of Biscay to the North Cape of Norway.
The British are frantically beefing up their beach defenses with whatever is available. These defenses include pillboxes, tank traps, and barbed wire.
The British 146th Infantry Brigade arrives in Iceland to reinforce the occupation force there.
The Pétain government, currently at Bordeaux, is considering relocating to Clermont-Ferrand.
General Maxime Weygand, French minister of war, has telegraphed Geo. Auguste Nogues, French commander in North Africa, urging all chiefs and officers of the army to maintain discipline and have faith in Marshal Henri Philippe Petain’s government and to obey its orders, a dispatch from Casablanca said today.
At Algiers, General Dillion, the British Military liaison in French North Africa, is asked to leave.
The French Levant accepts armistice and remains loyal to Petain’s Vichy government.
At Djibouti, French General Legentilhomme is also replaced as commander of forces in French Somaliland after opposing the armistice.
German forces are still occupying French towns in the south. There are still some British evacuations pursuant to Operation AERIAL along the French Mediterranean coast.
British and French POWs are being marched back to Germany through Holland. They are not treated with much kindness, though the Dutch civilians try to help by giving water.
With propagandists in the spearhead, advance detachments of Chancellor Hitler’s armies reached the Spanish border today.
Hitler moves to his Tannenberg headquarters in the Black Forest.
The Wehrmacht sets up radio stations at Brest and Cherbourg using the Enigma machine. The stations are designed in part to direct Luftwaffe bombers to their England targets using, among other things, the Knickebein radio system. These stations are manned by Luftwaffe personnel who are not very security conscious, committing such obvious blunders as sending the identical messages (“Skies clear today”) on a daily basis using changed codes. The Allied code-breaking operation at Bletchley Park begins intercepting messages, which they call ULTRA.
The Hungarian Government orders nine battalions to deploy along Rumanian border and reiterates demand for return of Transylvania.
King Carol II of Rumania had a meeting with the ambassadors of Italy and Germany and communicated his wish to stand against the Soviet Union and asked that their countries influence Hungary and Bulgaria in the matter. The ambassadors urged the King to stand down.
The Rumanian government replied to the Soviet Union suggesting it would agree to “immediate negotiations on a wide range of questions”. A second Soviet ultimatum note followed that put forward a specific time frame, demanding the evacuation of the Rumanian government from Bessarabia and northern Bukovina within four days. There will be no “negotiations” when the USSR delivers an ultimatum. Rumania then ceded Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union under duress.
The USSR returns to the Gregorian calendar, using Sunday as a rest day, after 6 years using a Russian six-day calendar.
Acting Flight Lieutenant James William Elias Davies, Royal Air Force, a fighter pilot assigned to No. 79 Squadron at Biggin Hill, was scheduled to be presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross on this date. Instead, he was assigned to lead a flight of three Hawker Hurricanes as escort to reconnaissance aircraft on a mission to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, just across the English Channel. Flight Lieutenant Davies was flying Hurricane Mk.I P3591. While still over the Channel, the three Hurricanes were attacked by three enemy Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. Two Hurricanes were shot down and the third escaped. One RAF pilot safely bailed out, but Jimmy Davies went down with his Hurricane. Flight Lieutenant Davies was an American citizen, born in New Jersey 26 years earlier. He was the first American airman to be killed in combat during World War II.
During the night of 27 June 1940, the Luftwaffe’s Junkers Ju 88s from I and III./KG 51 raid dockyards at Avonmouth and Portishead and the airfield at Bristol.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 24 Blenheims to attack targets in Germany and along the French coast during the day. 12 bombing targets, 12 on extensive reconnaissance of the Channel coast. Only 6 aircraft bombed, 5 at Hannover. 1 aircraft lost
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 96 aircraft to industrial targets in Germany, airfields in Holland and minelaying. 1 minelaying Hampden lost.
The Luftwaffe continues returning fighters to Germany for rest and refit. II./JG 52 returns from Luxemburg/Sandweiler to Nordholz to work on its Bf 109E fighters. JG 2 flies to a new “airfield” at Beaumont-le-Roger which is actually an uncut wheatfield. The flight lands successfully and spends the evening clearing the field.
At Malta, air raids continue throughout the day. Malta had this morning its seventh air-raid in twenty-eight hours. The sound of heavy firing was heard when bombers, apparently Italian, came over twice. Paranoia grows about every violation of the blackout. The Governor and Commander-in-chief reject an offer of French Foreign Legion troops based in Tunis, Tunisia to defends the island. There are no plans to deploy additional British troops to defend the island. The Italian air raids are incessant, but there are no signs of any attempt to invade.
Italian bombers attack British targets in Egypt.
U-47, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien, sank Norwegian steamer Lenda 160 miles southwest of Fastnet in 50-12N, 13-18W. One crewman was killed on the steamer. At 0338 hours the unescorted Lenda (Master Caspar Bjørseth) was missed by U-47 with one torpedo. Then the U-boat began shelling the ship for the next 20 minutes until she caught fire. The crew abandoned ship in the starboard lifeboat, because the port lifeboat had been damaged by the shelling. The boat stayed near the ship for a while in the hope to find the first mate who was missing. The ship was on fire aft and amidships and the sea entered through holes at the waterline on the port side, so the U-boat left her in this sinking condition. But at dawn, some of the crew reboarded the vessel and they found the first mate dead on the port side of the upper bridge. A workboat was lowered and eight of the men transferred to it, whereupon both boats left and headed for the south of Ireland, just before two explosions were heard, followed by a tall column of fire which appeared to come from the engine room. The Lenda remained afloat for a while on her cargo, but finally sank in 50°N/13°24W, about 160 miles southwest of Fastnet, Ireland. Destroyer HMS Hurricane Rescued nineteen survivors. The 4,005-ton Lenda was carrying timber and was headed for Hull, England.
U-47 also sank the Dutch steamer Leticia (2580grt) in 50 11N, 13 15W. Two crewmen were killed on the Dutch steamer. At 1705 hours the unescorted and unarmed Leticia was attacked by U-47 with gunfire about 150 miles west-southwest of Mizen Head, Ireland. The U-boat was only spotted astern when it opened fire from a distance of about 300 meters. The shelling killed the second engineer, seriously wounded the second mate in the left leg and slightly wounded the master on the right hand. Prien ceased fire after 20 minutes when the tanker stopped to allow the crew to abandon ship in both lifeboats, but an oiler fell overboard and drowned. After the lifeboats got clear the U-boat again shelled the Leticia until she sank in 50°09N/13°46W at 1811 hours. The third engineer, fourth engineer and a stoker had failed to leave the ship and jumped overboard from the stern. They were picked up by U-47, given dry clothing and schnaps and placed in one of the lifeboats after being questioned. The third engineer had been asked if the name of the tanker was Lucita or Liseta. First aid materials, some sausages and wine were given to the survivors before the U-boat left the area. At sunset HMS Havelock (H 88) (Capt E.B.K. Stevens, DSC, RN) and HMS Hurricane (H 06) (LtCdr H.C. Simms, RN) spotted the lifeboats sailing for the coast of Ireland and the latter picked up the master and 29 crew members. They were landed at Plymouth in the evening of 30 June. The 2,580-ton Leticia was carrying fuel oil and was headed for Falmouth, England.
Destroyers HMS Maori and HMS Echo departed Scapa Flow at 1300 to hunt for a German submarine north of Muckle Flugga in 60 24N, 5 59W, reported damaged at 0700 in an air attack. The submarine was on course 030, apparently homebound. This was U-32 which had not been damaged. Armed boarding vessels HMS Northern Sun and HMS Northern Isles, and submarine HMS L.23, which had been on exercises, four Swordfish from Hatston were also ordered to search. The destroyers were recalled at 1030/28th after failing to make contact and arrived at Scapa Flow later that day.
German steamer Köln (7881grt) was lost in stranding near Gävle, Sweden. She ran aground and broke in two.
Destroyers HMS Dainty (Cdr M. S. Thomas, Cdr D), HMS Decoy, HMS Defender, HMS Ilex, and HMAS Voyager departed Alexandria on an anti-submarine sweep to be followed by a voyage to Malta to escort convoy MA 3 back to Alexandria. Destroyers Decoy, Defender, Ilex carried stores for Malta. Destroyer HMS Diamond would sail from Malta with this group and escort the two convoys. However, the second half of the operation was cancelled and the convoys were brought away early in early July.
Italian submarine Console Generale Luizzi was sunk by destroyers HMS Dainty, HMS Defender, and HMS Ilex south of Crete in 33-36N, 27-27E. Destroyers HMAS Voyager and HMS Dainty rescued the survivors. Thirteen ratings were rescued by destroyer Voyager. The destroyer was ordered to return to Alexandria and destroyers HMS Hostile and HMAS Stuart departed to join the hunt. From this submarine and submarine Uebi Scebeli, which was sunk by the same group on the 29th, ten officers and seventy two ratings were rescued by destroyer Dainty. Destroyers Decoy and Ilex had three more ratings between them.
British steamer City Of Cairo, carrying Anti-aircraft guns and troops, arrived at Gibraltar, escorted by destroyers HMS Witch and HMS Viscount.
Off the coast of Eritrea near Port Sudan, New Zealand Division light cruiser HMS Leander and destroyers HMS Kandahar and HMS Kingston shelled beached Italian submarine Macalle and Leander’s aircraft dropped four bombs on the submarine. Submarine Macalle was lost. Light cruiser Leander and destroyer Kingston arrived at Aden on the 28th.
Italian destroyers Espero, Ostro, and Zeffiro departed Taranto for Tripoli with 120 tons of ammunition, ten anti-tank guns, 160 artillerymen. Later that day, destroyers Pilo and Missori departed Taranto for Tripoli with supplies and fifty two soldiers.
The escaping French battleship Jean Bart, which had been fitting out at Saint-Nazaire when France fell, reached safety at Casablanca, French Morocco.
The first Italian convoy arrives at Tripoli, Libya.
Convoy OB.173GF departed Liverpool on the 24th escorted by destroyer HMS Witherington on 24 to 27 June, and merged on the 27th with convoy OA.173GF, which departed Southend on the 24th, as convoy OG.35 with fourteen ships. Convoy segments which departed Plymouth and Falmouth on 25 and 26 June also joined. Destroyer Witherington was then detached to convoy HG.35. Corvette HMS Gardenia escorted the convoy from 28 June to 1 July. Sloop HMS Fowey escorted the convoy segment from 25to 26 June when she was detached to convoy HGZ. The convoy was joined by destroyer HMS Wishart from convoy HGZ on the 28th. Convoy OG.35 arrived at Gibraltar on 1 July, escorted by destroyer Wishart.
British convoy OA.174 departed Southend on the 27th escorted by destroyer HMS Vanessa on 26 and 27 June and corvette HMS Clarkia on the 27th.
Convoy OB.174 departed Liverpool escorted by sloop HMS Rochester from 27 to 30 June.
Convoy FN.206 departed Southend, escorted by destroyer HMS Woolston, sloop HMS Fleetwood, patrol sloop HMS Shearwater. Norwegian destroyer Sleipner from the Tyne joined this convoy en route. The convoy arrived at Rosyth on the 29th.
Convoy FS.206 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer HMS Vimiera, sloop HMS Londonderry, and patrol sloop HMS Mallard. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 29th.
Convoy MT.97 departed Methil, escorted by HMS Winchester and HMS Wolsey and sloop HMS Egret. The convoy arrived in the Tyne the next day.
The War at Sea, Thursday, 27 June 1940 (naval-history.net)
Light cruiser BIRMINGHAM was boiler cleaning and refitting at Rosyth from 27 to 30 June.
Destroyers ASHANTI and COSSACK arrived at Scapa Flow.
Destroyer MASHONA arrived at Rosyth.
Destroyer FORTUNE departed Sheerness for Rosyth, arriving on the 28th.
British steamer CAIRNDALE (8129grt) escorted by submarine tenders BREDA (1431grt) and WHITE BEAR (1822grt) departed the Clyde for Scapa Flow.
Destroyers MAORI and ECHO departed Scapa Flow at 1300 to hunt for a German submarine north of Muckle Flugga in 60‑24N, 5‑59W, reported damaged at 0700 in an air attack. The submarine was on course 030, apparently homebound.
This was U-32 which had not been damaged.
Armed boarding vessels NORTHERN SUN and NORTHERN ISLES, submarine L.23, which had been on exercises, four Swordfish from Hatston were also ordered to search.
The destroyers were recalled at 1030/28th after failing to make contact and arrived at Scapa Flow later that day.
Destroyers ATHERSTONE and FERNIE and escort vessel GLEANER departed the Clyde to search for a submarine in the Clyde approaches.
The ships were advised to return if no contact was made by 0600/28th. The ships arrived back at Greenock at 1130/28th.
Destroyer BOREAS and Anti-submarine trawler GRIMSBY TOWN were ordered to investigate a submarine contact three miles southeast of Dover.
This contact was later found to be the wreck of steamer ALBUERA lost on the 24th.
Submarines SUNFISH, TRUANT, and SALMON arrived at Rosyth after patrol.
Submarine TRIAD departed Rosyth on patrol.
Destroyer HARVESTER and troopship ARANDORA STAR arrived at Liverpool.
Destroyer HIGHLANDER arrived at Plymouth after operations off southern France.
Convoy OB.173GF departed Liverpool on the 24th escorted by destroyer WITHERINGTON on 24 to 27 June, and merged on the 27th with convoy OA.173GF, which departed Southend on the 24th, as convoy OG.35 with fourteen ships. Convoy segments which departed Plymouth and Falmouth on 25 and 26 June also joined.
Destroyer WITHERINGTON was then detached to convoy HG.35. Corvette GARDENIA escorted the convoy from 28 June to 1 July.
Sloop FOWEY escorted the convoy segment from 25to 26 June when she was detached to convoy HGZ. The convoy was joined by destroyer WISHART from convoy HGZ on the 28th.
Convoy OG.35 arrived at Gibraltar on 1 July, escorted by destroyer WISHART.
British convoy OA.174 departed Southend on the 27th escorted by destroyer VANESSA on 26 and 27 June and corvette CLARKIA on the 27th.
Convoy OB.174 departed Liverpool escorted by sloop ROCHESTER from 27 to 30 June.
Convoy FN.206 departed Southend, escorted by destroyer WOOLSTON, sloop FLEETWOOD, and patrol sloop SHEARWATER. Norwegian destroyer HNoMS SLEIPNER from the Tyne joined this convoy en route. The convoy arrived at Rosyth on the 29th.
Convoy FS.206 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer VIMIERA, sloop LONDONDERRY, and patrol sloop MALLARD. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 29th.
Convoy MT.97 departed Methil, escorted by WINCHESTER and WOLSEY and sloop EGRET. The convoy arrived in the Tyne the next day.
U-47 sank Norwegian steamer LENDA (4005grt) 160 miles southwest of Fastnet in 50-12N, 13-18W and Dutch steamer LETICIA (2580grt) in 50‑11N, 13‑15W.
One crewman was killed on the Norwegian steamer. Destroyer HURRICANE rescued nineteen survivors.
Two crew were killed on the Dutch steamer. Destroyer HURRICANE rescued thirty survivors.
Destroyers HAVELOCK and HURRICANE were searching in the area.
German steamer KOLN (7881grt) was lost in stranding near Gefle.
Destroyers DAINTY (Cdr M. S. Thomas, Cdr D), DECOY, DEFENDER, ILEX, and HMAS VOYAGER departed Alexandria on an anti-submarine sweep to be followed by a voyage to Malta to escort convoy MA 3 back to Alexandria. Destroyers DECOY, DEFENDER, and ILEX carried stores for Malta. Destroyer DIAMOND would sail from Malta with this group and escort the two convoys.
However, the second half of the operation was cancelled and the convoys were brought away early in early July.
Italian submarine CONSOLE GENERALE LUIZZI was sunk by destroyers DAINTY, DEFENDER, and ILEX south of Crete in 33-36N, 27-27E.
Destroyers HMAS VOYAGER and DAINTY rescued the survivors.
Thirteen ratings were rescued by destroyer VOYAGER. The destroyer was ordered to return to Alexandria and destroyers HOSTILE and STUART departed to join the hunt. were taken by destroyer VOYAGER from submarine LUIZZI. The destroyer was ordered to return to Alexandria and destroyers HOSTILE and HMAS STUART departed to join the hunt.
From this submarine and submarine UEBI SCEBELI, which was sunk by the same group on the 29th, ten officers and seventy-two ratings were rescued by destroyer DAINTY. Destroyers DECOY and ILEX had three more ratings between them.
British steamer CITY OF CAIRO, carrying Anti-aircraft guns and troops, arrived at Gibraltar, escorted by destroyers WITCH and VISCOUNT.
Off the coast of Eritrea near Port Sudan, New Zealand light cruiser HMNZS LEANDER and destroyers KANDAHAR and KINGSTON shelled beached Italian submarine MACALLE and LEANDER’s aircraft dropped four bombs on the submarine.
Submarine MACALLE was lost.
Light cruiser HMNZS LEANDER and destroyer KINGSTON arrived at Aden on the 28th.
Italian destroyers ESPERO, OSTRO, and ZEFFIRO departed Taranto for Tripoli with 120 tons of ammunition, ten anti-tank guns, 160 artillerymen.
Later that day, destroyers PILO and MISSORI departed Taranto for Tripoli with supplies and fifty-two soldiers.
Light cruiser DURBAN arrived at Singapore.
U.S. President Roosevelt declared a national emergency and re-invoked the Espionage Act of 1917 to control shipping in American waters and in waters near the Panama Canal Zone. President Roosevelt, in a step interpreted as laying groundwork for possible detention of French ships, today authorized seizure of foreign vessels in American waters if necessary to protect this country’s interests, or safety of the ships themselves. The chief executive acted under the espionage act of 1917 to grant this power to Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau along with other broad powers of control over both domestic and foreign vessels. Both coast guard and customs are Treasury Department units. The White House said in a statement Mr. Roosevelt’s action was supplementary to his proclamation of a limited national emergency last September. It described powers granted to Secretary Morgenthau in this manner: “The powers which are made available for exercise by today’s proclamation include the promulgation of regulations subject to the president’s approval, governing the anchorage and movement of vessels, and, with the consent of the president, taking possession and control of any vessels if necessary to secure them from damage or injury, or to prevent damage or injury to United States harbors or waters, or to secure observance of the rights and obligations of the United States.”
Thomas E. Dewey’s Presidential boom, always weak in his home state, was formally buried tonight, at exactly 11:30 PM, when the New York delegation swung 75 of its 92 votes to Wendell Willkie on the fifth ballot. This move came after Mr. Dewey had released his delegates, at their request, relayed to him by J. Russel Sprague, the Dewey campaign manager. The prosecutor got only four votes on this roll-call. Willkie was gaining strength through the evening as Thursday night passed into early Friday morning.
For the first time since France and England placed orders for American-built warplanes, a detailed and fairly complete picture of the number and types of planes purchased by the Allies in this country and the number delivered to date can now be made public. Heretofore, announcements of Allied plane purchases have been expressed in terms of the dollar value of the craft, leaving the actual number of units to guesswork, with information on deliveries vague and sometimes conflicting.
By assuming French contracts for planes, as Arthur B. Purvis, head of the Anglo-French Purchasing Board, advised Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau on June 17, Britain now holds contracts for 9,512 American planes, estimated to cost slightly more than $1,000,000,000. Nearly half of that number has been delivered to the Allies, it was learned yesterday. Delivery means the turning over to Allied agents in this country of planes built by American manufacturers. How many of the delivered planes have been shipped to Europe can not be learned definitely, but the latest estimate puts the figure at “about 3,000.”
Orders from France totaled 4,934 up to the date of the signing of the armistices with Germany and Italy, while British orders now stand at 4,578 planes. During the last eighteen months and up to the present time, France has taken delivery of 1,858, and British agents here have had 2,028 planes delivered to them. Thus total orders for the two countries are 9,512 and combined deliveries 3,886, or a shade more than 40 percent. French and British orders can be broken down into those placed before the beginning of the European war, and those placed from September, 1939, to the present week. The number of planes ordered by France before the war totaled 812, of the following types: Douglas bombers, 105; North American trainers, 242; Curtiss pursuits, 210; Martin bombers, 215, and Vought-Sikorsky dive bombers, 40.
Since the opening of hostilities, France has ordered 4,122 planes, as follows: Douglas bombers, 846 (of which 262 are to be built by the Boeing Company in Seattle); North American trainers, 692; Curtiss pursuits, 1,690; Martin bombers, 655; Grumman fighters, 84; Consolidated flying boats, 55, and Brewster fighters, 100. The 1,858 deliveries to the French during the last eighteen months are broken down as follows: Douglas bombers, 251: North American. trainers, 524; Curtiss pursuits, 708; Martin bombers, 335, and Vought-Sikorsky dive bombers, 40.
Great Britain will share in any Rolls Royce airplane engines produced in this country as a matter of fairness, and because of the policy to aid the Allies, Secretary Morgenthau said today at his press conference.
A confidential meeting is held between members of the British and Australian governments and U.S. Secretary of State Hull regarding their concerns about the Japanese buildup. They request either economic measures or movement of some naval vessels to the area of Malaysia or the Philippines. Cordell Hull does not agree to any of these proposals. They would constitute a more active foreign policy than the Administration believes the American public is prepared to tolerate.
The National Defense Research Committee was officially created as part of the Council of National Defense, which had been created during 1916 to coordinate industry and resources for national security purposes, by an order of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The NDRC was a result of a proposal presented to Roosevelt by Dr. Vannevar Bush, president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington on June 12, 1940.
General Walter Krueger takes command of US VIII Corps. He is an innovator of armored warfare along the lines of General Guderian in Germany. In fact, Krueger’s troops like to call themselves “Blitzkruegers.”
The keel is laid at the New York Navy Yard for the USS Iowa (BB-61), first of the U.S. Navy’s new 45,000-ton (standard) battleships.
Major League Baseball:
In Brooklyn, the Dodgers honor Jack Norworth, who wrote the lyrics to “Take Me Out To The Ball Game.” Norworth penned the lyrics 32 years ago, but this is the first baseball game he’s ever seen. Albert Von Tilzer, who wrote the music, waited 20 years to see his first game (according to columnist Hal Lebovitz). The Dodgers rally for two runs in the 8th inning to manage a 5–4 win over the Cubs to move a game and a half behind the first place Reds. Billy Rogell’s pinch homer had given Cincinnati a 4–3 lead in the top of the inning.
The Giants blnked the Phillies 7–0, shelling Hugh Mulcahy and Lloyd Brown for 15 hits, all singles. Mel Ott had three hits and two RBIs. Hal Schumacher held Philadelphia to just three hits, and only one runner made it to second base.
Buck Newsom (10–1) wins his 10th in a row as the 2nd place Tigers whip St. Louis 2–1. Detroit manages just 3 hits off Bob Harris, but 2 are homers by Hank Greenberg and Charley Gehringer.
Chicago Cubs 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 5
New York Giants 7, Philadelphia Phillies 0
Detroit Tigers 2, St. Louis Browns 1
As has been certain from the outset, nothing tangible will result from the denunciation of Henry Ford and his American motor company because of Mr. Ford’s refusal to make airplane engines in quantity for the British Government.
The Canadian Government announces that it is taking in 10,000 refugee children ages 5-15. The plan is for them to remain with host families until the war is over.
Heavy cruiser USS Wichita, with Commander Cruiser Division Seven Rear Admiral Andrew C. Pickens aboard, departed Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, en route to join the heavy cruiser USS Quincy (CA 39) at Montevideo, Uruguay. This is part of the “show the flag” operation to pry South American sympathies away from German influence.
Destroyer USS O’Brien arrived at Rio Grande du Sol, Brazil.
Reports that Argentina has politely but firmly informed the United States Government that she does not desire the visits of further American warships at this time circulated today in usually well-informed diplomatic quarters here.
The authoritative Domei news agency broadcast a dispatch from Nanning, China, today declaring that, although Japanese troops were operating along the Chinese side of the Indo-China border, “Japanese forces have no intention of invading French Indo-China.” The report, based on a Japanese field dispatch, said the Japanese sought merely to cut the supply route from Indo-China to the armies of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, Minklang, twenty-five miles from the border, was said to have been taken yesterday afternoon while the Japanese drove toward Ningming, about five miles nearer the border.
In Hanoi, French General Catroux is replaced as Governor General of Indochina after refusing to accept the armistice.
Australian representatives hold a secret meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull. They are worried about growing Japanese aggressiveness and want a bigger U.S. presence in the western Pacific. No agreement is reached.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 120.69 (+0.96)
Born:
Dennis Biodrowski, AFL guard (AFL Champions-Chiefs, 1966; Kansas City Chiefs), in Gary, Indiana (d. 2014).
John Yaccino, AFL defensive back (Buffalo Bills), in Hazleton, Pennsylvania (d. 2019).
Anil Karanjai, Indian artist, in Bengal Province, British Raj of India (d. 2001).
Naval Construction:
The U.S. Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61), first of her class of 6 (4 completed), is laid down by the New York Navy Yard (New York, New York, U.S.A.).
The Royal Navy Flower-class corvette HMS Lobelia (K 05) is laid down. She later is transferred to the Forces Navales Françaises Libres (Free French Naval Forces), commissioning in mid-1941 as the Lobelia (K 05).
The Royal Navy Bar-class boom defense vessel HMS Barcote (Z 52) is commissioned.
The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) Type IID U-boat U-138 is commissioned. Her first commander is Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Lüth.
History Diaries 