The RAF has 1,171 fighters on this day: 675 Hurricanes, 348 Spitfires, 95 Blenheims, 39 Defiants, 9 Gladiators and 5 Whirlwinds.
The Battle of Britain: Weather hampered RAF fighters in their action against the Luftwaffe. Luftwaffe raids were plotted off the Scottish East and South coasts, apparently searching for shipping. An attack was made on shipping off Dundee and trawlers were attacked off Beachy Head. Scotland’s industrial east was bombed, as was the city of Bristol. [battleofbritain1940 web site]
There are scattered raids against shipping and the Scottish industrial areas in the east. There also is a raid against Bristol. Some of the raids, which are by one or two bombers, are intercepted by the RAF. One raid at Portland bombs the Mere Oil Fuel Depot. There is mixed aerial combat, with both sides taking minor losses, the Luftwaffe losing two planes and the RAF one. A night raid hits Port Talbot and Swansea around midnight. Overall, a very quiet day.
The Luftwaffe conducted activities during the night, many which were suspected of minelaying.
RAF Statistics for the day: 70 patrols were flown involving 266 aircraft. Luftwaffe casualties: Fighters – none; Bombers – 2 unconfirmed. RAF casualties: 2 Hurricanes confirmed. 1 Spitfire confirmed.
RAF Casualties: July 17th 1940
Time N/A: Location unknown. Spitfire K9916. (Aircraft lost)
F/O C.D. Peel. Certified as missing. (Failed to return from an operational flight)
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 13 Blenheims to attack barges during the day in Dutch and Belgian ports, no losses.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 7 Wellingtons to Gelsenkirchen and 3 Hampdens minelaying overnight. 6 Blenheims attempted to bomb airfields in France; 1 aircraft bombed Morlaix airfield. An aircraft of 15 Squadron, piloted by Squadron Leader Webster (the records give no initials), carried out what is believed to be the first Intruder attack of the war when he attempted to patrol at low level over an airfield near Caen, waiting to attack any aircraft seen operating there. He was not successful in this attempt on this night.
In North Africa, the RAF bombs Tobruk harbor, El Gubbi, Libya, and Assab and Agordat, Eritrea.
The Wehrmacht, organ of the German High Command, published an article saying that vessels ready at French ports could cross the Channel to Britain in from forty minutes to four hours, that airplanes could effectively support such attacks, and that ten French points of departure, all equipped with proper defenses and with good rail connec tions, had been completely prepared
German forces complete occupation of far northern Norway border areas and last Norwegian forces demobilized.
The concentration camps are gradually picking up steam in Germany. They are populated by German dissidents as well as Jews and other religions. Werner Scholem, a German communist, perishes at Buchenwald.
The German Luftwaffe placed Colonel Josef Kammhuber in charge of organizing nightfighter units to counter British bombings.
Mussolini tells Hitler that he is willing to contribute aerial forces to the Battle of Britain.
The German OKW assigned forces for the invasion of Britain, planning to put 90,000 men on British shores on the first attack wave.
In a secret report to the German Army Weapons Bureau German physicist Baron Carl Friedrich von Weizsacker proposed that reactors can be used to create neptunium for the construction of atomic bombs.
Vichy France passed a law forbidding employment to those not born of French parents. This effectively forces refugees to either return to their homes or go somewhere else.
The Anglo-Japanese agreement, by which the Burma road to China has been closed and Japan, it is reported, has promised to seek peace with China, was attacked in the British House of Commons yesterday as a “shameful deal.”
Sir Archibald Sinclair, British Air Minister, took advantage of a let-up in the German raids on Britain to warn his countrymen by radio that they must expect much greater bombardments from the sky than any yet experienced. He admitted Germany had air superiority. For the first time in weeks the Royal Air Force did not visit Germany Tuesday night.
Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes became the first Director of Headquarters, Combined Operations, a War Office department tasked with organising raids against enemy occupied Europe.
Lieutenant Colonel Dunford-Slater, Second Lieutenant Peter Young and Regimental Sergeant Major Harry Beesley landed on the German-occupied island of Guernsey in the first Commando raid of the war.
At Malta, the Admiralty considers using a fast ship of the Glen Line to supply the island. The RAF also assigns 3 Wellington bombers to the island, though Governor Dobbie does not find this to be a particularly good idea. He tells Whitehall that unless better defenses can be sent to the island, a bomber force would just be a liability.
Spanish General Francisco Franco told army, navy and air force officers today that “there remains for us as a duty and a national mission control of Gibraltar, expansion in Africa and continuance in the policy of unity.” This was the first official endorsement of the Gibraltar campaign carried on by students and Falangists.
Germany is putting pressure on Rumania to resign from the Balkan Entente, which is considered more or less a bloc directed against the Axis and an instrument serving British and Russian interests.
Three thousand railway oil tank cars were filled with Rumanian gasoline today to start for Germany, and oil men believe they may be rushed to English Channel ports to fuel Nazi planes during a mass onslaught on Britain.
The acting president of Lithuania, Antanas Merkys, was imprisoned and deported to Saratov, Siberia, Soviet Union.
There are “spontaneous” worker demonstrations throughout the Baltic states “demanding” that the formerly independent nations become Soviet republics.
Sir Stafford Cripps, Britain’s new Ambassador to Moscow, recently had an interview with Joseph Stalin, it was revealed. Among matters discussed, it was understood, were some of interest to the United States. London reported that the Russian dictator had said Russia was determined to stay neutral, and that he saw no reason to fear German domination of Europe.
U-34, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Rollmann sank the Greek steamer Naftilos in the eastern Atlantic Ocean in 48-05N, 10-25W. At 0005 hours U-34 began shelling the Naftilos until she sank at 0110 hours. All 28 crew members abandoned ship safely, but one man later died of wounds. The 3,531-ton Naftilos was carrying grain and was headed for Dublin, Ireland.
U-43, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Ambrosius, sank steamer Fellside straggling convoy OA.184 at 135 miles northwest of Bloody Foreland in 56-09N, 12-30W. At 1040 hours the Fellside (Master John Thomas Nelson) was hit underneath the bridge by one torpedo from U-43 and sank by the bow after 5 minutes about 135 miles northwest of Bloody Foreland. A first G7e torpedo fired two minutes earlier had passed under the vessel without detonating. The master and 20 crew members were rescued and landed at Liverpool. Twelve crewmen were missing. The 3,509-ton Fellside was carrying ballast and was headed for Sydney, Nova Scotia.
U-57, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Erich Topp, sank Swedish steamer O. A. Brodin in 59-22N, 03-40W. At 0410 hours the neutral and unescorted O.A. Brodin (Master B.F. Gustafsson) was hit on the port side amidships by one G7e torpedo from U-57 15 miles northwest of Noup Head, Orkneys. The U-boat had missed the ship with a first G7e torpedo five minutes earlier as it was a surface runner. Most of the crew members abandoned ship in one lifeboat while she developed a heavy list, only the first and third officers remained behind to search for three missing crewmen but they also had to leave after five minutes. The ship sank vertically about 45 minutes after the hit and the U-boat was seen to surface and leave the area. The Germans misidentified their victim as Swedish motor merchant Anita from the same shipping company. The lifeboat searched between the drifting deck cargo and wreckage for the missing men and located another lifeboat that floated free, transferring some men into it. Both boats then set sail and were spotted at 1330 hours by two armed trawlers during minesweeping operations in 59°18N/03°20W. The 21 survivors were picked up within one hour by HMS Sicyon (FY 669) (Skr W. Masson, RNR), which then took one of the empty lifeboats in tow and arrived after five hours in Kirkwall, accompanied by HMS Admiral Sir John Lawford (FY 533) (T/Skr G.W. Smith, RNR) towing the other boat. The 1,960-ton O.A. Brodin was carrying lumber and pulp wood and was headed for Ridham Dock, England.
U-57 also sank steamer Manipur from convoy HX.55A in 58-41N, 05-14W. At 2222 hours the Manipur (Master Raymond Mallett) in convoy HX.55A was torpedoed and sunk by U-57 eight miles northwest of Cape Wrath. 14 crew members were lost. The master and 64 crew members were picked up by HMCS Skeena (D 59) (LtCdr J.C. Hibbard, RCN) and landed at Rosyth. Destroyers HMS Hambledon and HMS Fernie in the area to join convoy WN.1 began to hunt for the submarine, and attacked a contact. Destroyers HMS Diana, HMS Berkeley, and HMS Garth departed Scapa Flow at 0645 on the 18th to assist. Berkeley and Garth were ordered at 1725/18th to return to Scapa Flow, where they arrived at 0045/19th. The 8,652-ton Manipur was carrying general cargo, including iron, steel, lumber, copper, and zinc slabs and was headed for London, England.
Destroyers HMS Bedouin and HMS Punjabi departed Scapa Flow at 1120 to patrol in 60-20N, 01-34E. Punjabi was detached at 1230 from this force to investigate a trawler reported by aircraft at 1132 in 60-13N, 0-45E, steering 270, and flying the signal “I have sighted a mine in the position indicated.” At 1415 on the 18th, Bedouin and Punjabi were ordered to return to Scapa Flow. The trawler, located by Punjabi, was found to be manned by Norwegians. Punjabi escorted the trawler towards Lerwick until 2115 when she parted company and proceeded to Scapa Flow.
Destroyers HMS Ashanti and HMS Mashona departed Scapa Flow at 1120 to patrol in 59-08N, 00-12E. When destroyers HMS Bedouin and HMS Punjabi were ordered to return to Scapa Flow, Ashanti and Mashona were ordered to move their patrol to 58-30N, 1-45W to cover the passage of convoys across Moray Firth. At 2346, Ashanti and Mashona were ordered to return to Scapa Flow by 1000/19th. These destroyers arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1100/19th after being delayed by fog.
Destroyers HMS Hambledon and HMS Fernie departed Scapa Flow at 1830 to reinforce convoy WN.1 off Cape Wrath at about midnight.
Submarine L.23, escorted by Dutch torpedo boat Z.8, arrived at Scapa Flow at 1140. The torpedo boat departed at 1815 that day to return to Dundee.
British minefield BS.24 was laid by destroyers HMS Express and HMS Impulsive.
Mooring vessel HMS Steady (758grt) was sunk on a mine at Newhaven, two cables south of East Pier Head. There were thirteen survivors.
Estonian steamer Leola (554grt) was sunk by German bombing in 49-00N, 07-30W, about sixty miles east of the Scillies. Two crew were lost and the survivors rescued by Belgian trawler Roger Jeannine.
Finnish steamer Wiiri (3525grt) was sunk by Italian bombing 30 miles off Malta. Twenty six crew were rescued.
Belgian fishing vessel De Zeester (74grt) was damaged by German bombing 15 miles south by west of Bishop Light.
Commodore F. H. Pegram on heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins at Montevideo ordered armed merchant cruiser HMS Alcantara to patrol the Pernambuco-Trinidade area.
Sloop HMS Milford departed Freetown for anti-submarine patrol in the Cape Verde Islands area. She refueled at St Vincent on the 25th and was to arrive back at Freetown on 5 August.
Italian light cruisers Bande Nere and Colleoni with the 10th Destroyer Division departed Tripoli. The destroyers were detached to the Sollum area and the cruisers proceeded towards Leros.
Convoy OG.38 was to have been formed from convoys OA.185G and OB.185G, but departed Liverpool as an OG.convoy. The convoy of twenty ships was escorted by sloop HMS Wellington from 17 to 29 July when the convoy arrived at Gibraltar.
Convoy OA.186 departed Methil escorted by sloops HMS Sandwich and HMS Deptford from 17 to 21 July.
Convoy MT.113 departed Methil, and arrived in the Tyne on the 18th.
Convoy FS.224 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer HMS Wolsey and sloop HMS Egret, and arrived at Southend on the 18th.
Convoy BN.2 departed Bombay, escorted by light cruiser HMS Ceres and armed merchant cruisers HMS Cathay and HMS Westralia. The armed merchant cruisers were detached on the 26th. Light cruiser HMS Leander joined on the 26th and sloops HMS Hindustan and HMS Shoreham on the 27th. Ceres was detached on the 29th, and Hindustan and Shoreham on the 30th. On the 30th, anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Carlisle, destroyers HMS Kandahar and HMS Kimberley, with sloops HMS Auckland and HMS Flamingo joined HMS Leander and the convoy. Sloop HMS Clive joined on 3 August when the other ships were detached and arrived at Suez with the convoy on 5 August.
The War at Sea, Wednesday, 17 July 1940 (naval-history.net)
Destroyers BEDOUIN and PUNJABI departed Scapa Flow at 1120 to patrol in 60-20N, 01‑34E.
PUNJABI was detached at 1230 from this force to investigate a trawler reported by aircraft at 1132 in 60-13N, 0-45E, steering 270, and flying the signal “I have sighted a mine in the position indicated. “
At 1415 on the 18th, BEDOUIN and PUNJABI were ordered to return to Scapa Flow.
The trawler, located by PUNJABI, was found to be manned by Norwegians. PUNJABI escorted the trawler towards Lerwick until 2115 when she parted company and proceeded to Scapa Flow.
Destroyers ASHANTI and MASHONA departed Scapa Flow at 1120 to patrol in 59‑08N, 00‑12E.
When destroyers BEDOUIN and PUNJABI were ordered to return to Scapa Flow, ASHANTI and MASHONA were ordered to move their patrol to 58-30N, 1-45W to cover the passage of convoys across Moray Firth.
At 2346, ASHANTI and MASHONA were ordered to return to Scapa Flow by 1000/19th. These destroyers arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1100/19th after being delayed by fog.
Destroyers HAMBLEDON and FERNIE departed Scapa Flow at 1830 to reinforce convoy WN.1 off Cape Wrath at about midnight.
Submarine L.23, escorted by Dutch torpedo boat Z.8, arrived at Scapa Flow at 1140. The torpedo boat departed at 1815 that day to return to Dundee.
British minefield BS.24 was laid by destroyers EXPRESS and IMPULSIVE.
U-57 sank steamer MANIPUR (8652grt) at 2222 from convoy HX.55A in 58‑41N, 05‑14W. Fourteen crew were lost, but Canadian destroyer SKEENA rescued sixty-four survivors. Destroyers HAMBLEDON and FERNIE in the area to join convoy WN.1 began to hunt for the submarine, and attacked a contact. Destroyers DIANA, BERKELEY, and GARTH departed Scapa Flow at 0645 on the 18th to assist. BERKELEY and GARTH were ordered at 1725/18th to return to Scapa Flow, where they arrived at 0045/19th.
Convoy OG.38 was to have been formed from convoys OA.185G and OB.185G, but departed Liverpool as an OG convoy. The convoy of twenty ships was escorted by sloop WELLINGTON from 17 to 29 July when the convoy arrived at Gibraltar.
Convoy OA.186 departed Methil escorted by sloops SANDWICH and DEPTFORD from 17 to 21 July.
Convoy MT.113 departed Methil, and arrived in the Tyne on the 18th.
Convoy FS.224 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer WOLSEY and sloop EGRET, and arrived at Southend on the 18th.
U-43 sank steamer FELLSIDE (3509grt) straggling convoy OA184 at 135 miles northwest of Bloody Foreland in 56‑09N, 12‑30W. Twelve crew were missing.
U-57 sank Swedish steamer O. A. BRODIN (1960grt) in 59‑22N, 03‑40W. Three crew were killed and the survivors rescued by minesweeping trawler SICYON and taken by Kirkwall.
Mooring vessel STEADY (758grt) was sunk on a mine at Newhaven, two cables south of East Pier Head. There were thirteen survivors.
Estonian steamer LEOLA (554grt) was sunk by German bombing in 49‑00N, 07‑30W, about sixty miles east of the Scillies. Two crew were lost and the survivors rescued by Belgian trawler ROGER JEANNINE.
Finnish steamer WIIRI (3525grt) was sunk by Italian bombing 30 miles off Malta. Twenty-six crew were rescued.
Belgian fishing vessel DE ZEESTER (74grt) was damaged by German bombing 15 miles south by west of Bishop Light.
Commodore F. H. Pegram on heavy cruiser HAWKINS at Montevideo ordered armed merchant cruiser ALCANTARA to patrol the Pernambuco-Trinidade area.
Sloop MILFORD departed Freetown for anti-submarine patrol in the Cape Verde Islands area. She refueled at St Vincent on the 25th and was to arrive back at Freetown on 5 August.
Italian light cruisers BANDE NERE and COLLEONI with the 10th Destroyer Division departed Tripoli. The destroyers were detached to the Sollum area and the cruisers proceeded towards Leros.
Convoy BN.2 departed Bombay, escorted by light cruiser CERES and armed merchant cruisers CATHAY and WESTRALIA. The armed merchant cruisers were detached on the 26th. Light cruiser HMNZS LEANDER joined on the 26th and sloops HINDUSTAN and SHOREHAM on the 27th.
CERES was detached on the 29th, and HINDUSTAN and SHOREHAM on the 30th. On the 30th, anti-aircraft cruiser CARLISLE, destroyers KANDAHAR and KIMBERLEY, with sloops AUCKLAND and FLAMINGO joined LEANDER and the convoy. Sloop CLIVE joined on 3 August when the other ships were detached and arrived at Suez with the convoy on 5 August.
The Democratic national convention shouted quick approval tonight of a 1940 platform promising not to send United States armed forces to fight in foreign lands, outside the Americas, “except in case of attack.” Action came after Senator Robert P. Wagner of New York, platform committee chairman, read the document amid frequent interruptions of cheering and applause. After a long delay due to differences of opinion among members of the committee on resolutions on the foreign relations plank, Senator Wagner of New York, chairman of the committee, presented the final draft of the platform to the Democratic convention tonight. It was adopted by a voice vote.
Controversy in the committee centered on the phrasing of the foreign relations plank, which as finally submitted was strictly non-interventionist, calling for non-participation in foreign wars and expanding the recent pledge of President Roosevelt not to send troops to fight in Europe by a definite declaration against sending the military, naval or air forces to fight in foreign lands outside of America, except in case of attack. This strong isolation declaration was modified only by a pledge to support the Monroe Doctrine and a pledge to send “to peace-loving and liberty loving people wantonly attacked by ruthless aggressors” all material aid “consistent with law and not inconsistent with the interests of our own national self-defense.”
Unanimous agreement by members of the resolutions committee on the final draft was reached while Senator Claude H. Pepper of Florida, who led the fight for a strong declaration for aid to Great Britain was absent. Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana, a leader of the anti-war group, entered the meeting room just after the agreement was reached. He pronounced the foreign relations plank satisfactory as the meeting broke up.
Secretary Hopkins said tonight: “There is nothing on the foreign policy plank which changes by one jot or tittle the foreign policies of the President and the Secretary of State. I refer not only to the present policies, but future policies. I cannot believe that anyone can mislead the American people on this point. The foreign policy of the President has the overwhelming approval of the American people.”
After Senator Wagner finished reading the platform and moved for its adoption, Elmer J. Ryan of Minnesota offered an amendment to insert the declaration of the 1896 convention declaring against the third term as a violation of American tradition. The reading of the amendment was greeted with groans and jeers. There was a faint shout of ayes when Chairman Barkley asked for a vote on the amendment and then a thundering chorus of noes. The platform was then adopted with a loud shout of ayes.
“The draft” of President Roosevelt for a third nomination, which culminated in the stadium here tonight, was never able to shake off the quotation marks which surrounded it when initiated by Secretaries Ickes and Hopkins, T.G. Corcoran and other members of the White House inner circle.
The seeming spontaneity with which the Democratic National Convention has moved toward the renomination of President Roosevelt is attributed by those who have explored its byways, rather than its highways, to Harry L. Hopkins, Secretary of Commerce, who for several weeks has lived at the White House. Robert H. Jackson, the Attorney General, has been looking over Mr. Hopkins’s shoulder most of the time.
Far from having cleared up the confused race for Vice President, the message of President Roosevelt to the convention was thought tonight to have further complicated the situation. There was a feeling among the delegates, despite the tenor of the Presidential message, that there would be a definite White House selection of a running mate after the convention had disposed of the first place. Nevertheless, the score or more of candidates for running mate doubled their efforts on the theory that, after all, the delegates might be allowed to choose their favorite. One of the developments of the day was a movement among the Texas delegation to obtain Vice President Garner’s consent to support Representative Rayburn of Texas, the House majority leader, who continued his activity among other delegations today. The Texans were said to feel that Mr. Rayburn is acceptable to the President. They say that Mr. Garner is entirely out of the picture, so far as Mr. Roosevelt’s acceptance is concerned.
The broadcasting of the Democratic platform from the convention in Chicago last night drew violent protests from thousands of radio listeners here because it interfered with the scheduled broadcast of the fight between Henry Armstrong and Lew Jenkins at the Polo Grounds.
A trained and fully equipped army of 2,000,000 men is the minimum necessary for adequate defense of this hemisphere, even with Navy and Air Force cooperation, General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, declared today in disclosing) that the War Department had as its objective the formation of forty-five streamlined infantry divisions and ten armored divisions. Both General Marshall and Secretary Stimson again urged the passage of compulsory selective service legislation in addressing a meeting today at the War Department of Civilian Aides to the Secretary of War from nine corps areas and forty-four States.
Secretary Stimson declared this legislation “the very foundation stone of preparedness,” and added: “Congress has appropriated billions of dollars for material to save the country, but we have not yet taken the step necessary to get the men to run the matériel.” General Marshall, in a subsequent press conference, said that Army plans were based as much on trained manpower as matériel. The nine Regular Army infantry divisions and the four National Guard divisions, which it is planned to call to service as soon as Congress will authorize the step, would be fully equipped by January 1, the general said, stressing that this was merely a first step toward preparedness.
Admiral James O. Richardson concluded the conferences in Washington D.C., United States regarding the retention of the U.S. Fleet in Hawaiian waters.
All units of the United States fleet are being re-equipped with modern anti-aircraft defense weapons and already installations have been completed on fifty-three ships while work is far advanced on others. This was disclosed today by an aide to Secretary Knox.
Major League Baseball:
Going for his 14th straight win, Detroit’s Buck Newsom breaks his right thumb in the 4th inning against Boston, and the Sox pound relievers to win the opener, 8–3. Al Benton takes the loss as Buck leaves with a 3–2 lead. Detroit loses the nitecap, 8–5, and drops into a 2nd place tie with the Red Sox, both a half-game back. Newsom’s injury occurs in the 4th when he is covers first base and takes a throw from Rudy York. The doctor predicts Newsom will be out 4 weeks but Buck says 10 days. Bobby Doerr has a grand slam for Boston.
Bob Feller pitched a two-hitter for a ten-inning stretch yesterday, but so did Monte Pearson. Something had to crack before hurling of such superlative skill, and as the shadows lengthened over Yankee Stadium the Yankees caught up with the Indians’ Boy Wonder. Ringing singles by Red Rolfe and Bill Dickey in the thirteenth consummated the Cleveland downfall, 4–3, before a crowd of 16,084.
Thanks to an American League record-tying 4 errors by Chicago third baseman Eric “Boob” McNair, the Senators trip the White Sox, 5–3. Gee Walker has 4 Nats hits. Dutch Leonard got the win today, his tenth of the year. For McNair, it is his only game at third base this year and will earn him a demotion and release. The Tigers will pick him off the waiver list in December.
With the tying run on second base, two out and two strikes on Hank Leiber, Brooklyn’s Luke (Hot Potato) Hamlin delivered his best pitch in weeks today. He slipped a fast curve over the outside corner for a called strike and the Dodgers romped off the field with a 2-1 triumph over the Cubs in the opener of their three-game series. Hamlin allowed just three hits in out-dueling Jake Mooty of the Cubs.
Cincinnati’s Paul Derringer posted his twelfth victory of the year tonight as the Reds beat the Boston Bees, 4–3, with an unearned run in the ninth inning. Pitcher Manuel Salvo tossed the game away with a wild throw on Harry Craft’s attempted sacrifice, allowing a pinch runner for Willard Hershberger to score from second. The Reds’ catcher had doubled. The victory kept the Reds three and a half games ahead of the second-place Dodgers.
The Phillies snapped the Cardinals’ winning streak at six straight tonight with a 3–0 victory behind the five-hit pitching of Hugh Mulcahy. Mort Cooper, on the mound for the Redbirds, hurled five-hit ball until the ninth, when the Phillies scored two runs.
Detroit Tigers 3, Boston Red Sox 8
Detroit Tigers 5, Boston Red Sox 8
Brooklyn Dodgers 2, Chicago Cubs 1
Boston Bees 3, Cincinnati Reds 4
Cleveland Indians 3, New York Yankees 4
Philadelphia Phillies 3, St. Louis Cardinals 0
Chicago White Sox 2, Washington Senators 5
The Chilean Charge d’Affaires in Madrid, Spain, German Vergara Donoso, today was instructed to leave for Lisbon, Portugal, following Spain’s severance of diplomatic relations.
The Central India Horse is ordered to Egypt. About 100 men refuse, are arrested, and are subsequently court-martialed. Sixteen are ultimately executed.
A Japanese communiqué said today that naval forces landed marines in a surprise attack on Chungchow, a hitherto unmolested port of South Fukien Province, at dawn on Tuesday. It said the Chinese fortress of Mount Paichi, on the south shore of Hangchow Bay, fell after six hours of land and sea attacks.
The British government announced that the Burma Road would be closed to concentrate on the war at home. The British accede to Japanese pressure and agree to close the Burma Road route into China over the Himalayas. Supposedly, this is just for three months while the British government “focuses on other things.” The Japanese believe, with some justification, that the road is being used to supply Chiang Kai-shek with military supplies. Massed Japanese troops on the Hong Kong border, threatening to invade the British colony, amplify their concerns.
British MPs are unimpressed by the decision, which they feel is cowardly, and yell at the government. The Japanese try to make it look as if they also gave up something by “promising” to seek peace with China. Now that the Japanese have closed the supply routes to Chiang both through French Indochina and over the Burma Road, the Chinese Nationalists are isolated.
A formal statement by the Chungking Foreign Office spokesman condemns Britain’s decision to close the Burma Road. The press and public joined in the clamor of denunciation.
More than 3,000 Japanese civilians condemned “American interference in Asia” tonight at a Shanghai mass meeting sponsored by Tairiku Shimpo, Japanese army-controlled newspaper. They also adopted a resolution condemning the United States Marines for arresting fourteen Japanese gendarmes July 7 and demanding that the Japanese military disarm the United States defense. forces in Shanghai if the Marines do not apologize to Japan for the arrests. Another resolution demanded that the Japanese Army publish the correspondence between Colonel De Witt Peck, Peck, commander of the Shanghai Marines, and Major General Saburo Miura, Japanese commander, regarding the Japanese charge that the arrested gendarmes had been mistreated.
Japanese premier Prince Konoe appoints his new war cabinet. The most important post, Foreign Minister, is pro-German Matsuoka. General Tojo becomes Minister of War. They will join him in a strong centralized government. No immediate alliance with Germany and Italy is expected from his government, but attempts at expansion southward are likely.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 122.82 (-0.3)
Born:
Phyllis Davis, American actress (“Love American Style”, “Vega$”), in Port Arthur, Texas (d. 2013)
Tim Brooke-Taylor, comic actor (“The Goodies”), in Buxton, Derbyshire, England (d. 2020).
Verne Lundquist, sportscaster (CBS Sports), in Duluth, Minnesota.
Died:
Werner Scholem, 44, German Communist politician (executed at Buchenwald concentration camp).
Naval Construction:
The Royal Navy Bangor-class (Reciprocating-engined) minesweeper HMS Stornoway (J 31) is laid down by Henry Robb Ltd. (Leith, U.K.); completed by Plenty.
The Royal Navy Hunt-class (Type II) escort destroyer HMS Beaufort (L 14) is laid down by the Cammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, U.K.).
The Marynarka Wojenna (Polish Navy) British Power Boat 63-foot-class motor anti-submarine boat ORP S 2 is commissioned.
The Marynarka Wojenna (Polish Navy) Bourrasque-class (ex-French) destroyer ORP Ouragan is commissioned.
The U.S. Navy Gleaves-class destroyer USS Plunkett (DD-431) is commissioned. Her first commander is Lieutenant Commander Peter Gerald Hale, USN.
History Diaries 