The quiet before the storm…
The Battle of Britain: There was very little Luftwaffe activity during the day. A few raids reconnoitered convoys and one convoy was bombed. Enemy raids during the night were over a widespread area extending from the Thames Estuary up to Aberdeen on the East Coast and from Poole to Land’s End up to Liverpool.
More German patrols in the Channel, Hornchurch engaged a Heinkel formation attacking a convoys off the east coast. It is reported that four Heinkel 115s were shot down.
The quiet of the last few days was an uncanny quiet. Pilots roamed about their dispersal huts doing nothing in particular, reading papers and magazines or playing the odd game of chess or draughts. Occasionally they welcomed a new arrival, as the lull in combat operations allowed Fighter Command to stock squadrons with fresh aircraft and pilots. Three new squadrons are formed, 302 and 303 which were Polish squadrons and 310 which was a Czech squadron and it is this lull in operations that allows Fighter Command to build up its strength. 720 fighter aircraft were now available to squadrons compared with 587 on July 30th and aircrew was now 1,465 compared with 1,200 on July 30th.
In Germany, Göring was busy preparing for the planned air attacks on England. This could be the reason for limited activity, as more and more squadrons were moved closer to the French coastal airfields. Already on August 6th at Göring’s Prussia mansion Karinhall, he had set out plans in the presence of his three Luftflotte commanders and Milch the inspector general of the Luftwaffe. Göring explained that the main thrust would come from Kesselring’s Luftflotte 2 operating from bases in north-eastern France, Belgium and Holland. The task of Luftflotte 2 was to concentrate the attacks on the eastern coast of England, the Estuary ports and the south coast. Sperle’s Luftflotte 3 would concentrate its activities on an area west of Portsmouth and up into Bristol and South Wales. Göring knew that Fighter Command had bases in the north and in Scotland and that these should not be given any rest. Stumpff’s Luftflotte 5 operating from Norwegian bases would attack targets in the north of England, Scotland and in and around the area of Scapa Flow. All Luftflotte’s were to attack targets further inland during night operations.
He explained to his commanders that the bombing of targets was only the second priority, the first priority was still to draw the RAF fighters out into combat and destroy them. “It is imperative that the RAF be destroyed” he told them, “the invasion of England cannot go ahead until England is without its air force, and for this reason, all fighter escorts will be doubled in number and will fly at staggering levels of height.” Adlerangriff was beginning to take shape.
RAF Statistics for the day: Luftwaffe casualties: None. RAF casualties: None.
RAF Casualties:
0245 hours. Leconfield. Spitfire R6696. 616 Squadron Leconfield. (Aircraft destroyed)
P/O D.S. Smith Killed. (Crashed and exploded during night flying exercise)
Exeter Blitz: Exeter, Devon was bombed for the first time, by a lone raider that did little damage.
Further to the meeting at Carinhall on 6 August, Generalfeldmarchall Albert Kesselring on 7 August 1840 orders his units to begin focusing on RAF airfields and infrastructure.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 29 Blenheims to attack airfields during the day, only 2 bombed. 6 Blenheims on sea sweep. No losses.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 50 Hampdens and Wellingtons overnight to attack Emmerich, Hamm, Soest and Kiel and lay mines. No losses.
Barnes Wallis in a meeting with the Deputy Director of Operational Requirements (RAF) proposes a 4,000lb bomb to be carried in a Wellington.
The intelligence of the Luftwaffe reports on the use British use of radar and fighter controllers.
Werner Mölders returned to duty without receiving medical clearance. Major Werner ‘Vati’ Mölders, Kommodore of JG 51, returns from his hospital stay that resulted from his recent leg wound. Mölders does not have medical clearance but returns anyway. Just because he has been wounded does not make him “soft” — he immediately turns down a request for a pilot to receive leave to get married, telling him to wait for the final victory over England.
Fleet Air Arm Blackburn Skuas attack oil installations at Bergen, Norway. A few observations about this particular raid:
Bergen is being used as a major U-boat base;
Depriving the U-boats of oil would crimp their patrols and make the Royal Navy’s job easier;
The Royal Navy would be much more interested in prioritizing the destruction of U-boat oil supplies than would Bomber Command, because Bomber Command has a strategic, and sometimes parochial, perspective with numerous inviting and deserving targets scattered all across Europe;
Thus, the Fleet Air Arm makes the attack.
It is common to view the British military as one, big united group of heroes battling the nasty Germans. To a large extent, that is true. In point of fact, though, inter-service rivalries persist throughout the war. The Admiralty could, for instance, have kindly requested that Bomber Command pound the living daylights out of the oil depots servicing the U-boats. It then could have waited until Air Marshal Sir Charles Portal found time to spare from bombing the airfields which are attacking his own bombers and other important targets in Germany and France. The U-boat supplies might make the Bomber Command targeting list tomorrow or next week or next month. On the other hand, the Admiralty could just conduct the raid itself, right now, using its own somewhat less powerful and scarcer resources. This, my friends, is how wars actually are fought, many little wars in the midst of the larger one.
The RAF bombs Italian positions at Bardia and Massawa.
German radio claims that the Luftwaffe has closed to the English Channel to British shipping. This is not strictly true, although the remaining daily convoys have been taking horrendous losses. In fact, many convoys have been re-routed north around Scotland. The remaining ships are almost exclusively colliers whose cargo is not considered a priority — there is always more coal to be dug — and the Admiralty refuses to admit that it cannot protect shipping right offshore of England. It convenes a meeting of ship captains and tells them in no uncertain terms:
“We don’t give a damn for your coal, we’d send you through empty if we had to… It’s a matter of prestige.”
Really, that is what war comes down to in the end. You can practically see them raising their middle fingers at the Germans.
To assert this prestige, one such convoy (20 colliers, 9 destroyers) codenamed Peewit by the RAF and CS9 by the Royal Navy sets out at dusk from the Thames estuary heading north. German Freyda radar at Wissant detects the convoy, but in fact, it is plainly visible to German sentries at Cape Gris Nez anyway. The Germans prepare to attack in the morning.
Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle signed an agreement on the military organization of the Free French. Churchill agreed to allow the French units to have as much autonomy as possible.
A German aviator who had bailed out from a crippled plane and hidden in woods in the Bristol area for nine days was captured by Lady Buckland, sister-in-law of Lord Camrose, it was announced today. Lady Buckland was being driven by her chauffeur when she saw the flier at the side of the road. She ordered the chauffeur to question him. The German did not understand English, but made signs indicating fear he would have his throat cut. Acting under Lady Buckland’s instructions, the chauffeur put the German in the front seat of the car and drove him and Lady Buckland to a police station. “Lady Buckland feels she has done only what any other Englishwoman would have done,” a member of her staff told reporters today.
The British Government is manufacturing Molotov Cocktails for Home Guard use.
General Cunningham takes command of 51st Infantry Division.
Frank Pick becomes the new Director-General of Information, replacing Sir Kenneth Lee.
Germany annexes Alsace and Lorraine.
The war has devastated the harvest throughout the Low Countries, making food a valuable commodity. There are reports of Wehrmacht troops raiding houses for food. The British blockade is making the food situation much worse. There remains much controversy in the press about whether the British will allow humanitarian aid to the starving peoples of Europe.
Hungary was reported to have told Rumania that she would not rest content until at least 75 percent of her former province of Transylvania was returned to her. Relations between Rumania and Bulgaria over the question of South Dobruja also took a more complicated turn as Rumania was seen attempting to postpone any decision until she could harvest the Dobruja wheat crop by month’s end.
The Malta authorities reorganize the ground troops. The Malta Infantry Brigade is broken up into two new units, the Northern Infantry Brigade (Brigadier W H Oxley MC) and the Southern Infantry Brigade (Brigadier L H Cox MC). The day is quiet save for an Italian reconnaissance flight across the island at first light.
Middle East commander General Wavell completes his journey to London from Alexandria via Malta after his plane survives multiple Luftwaffe attacks.
The 1st Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment arrived in British Somaliland to reinforce against the Italian invasion. The 2nd Black Watch Battalion (73rd Regiment) completes its cross-over from Palestine to British Somaliland to aid in the defense.
U-38, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe, sank Egyptian steamer Mohamed Ali El Kebir (7527grt) from convoy HX.61 in 55-22N, 13-18W. There were 162 crewmen, one gunner, and 697 troops on the steamer. At 2140 hours the Mohamed Ali El-Kebir (Master John Pratt Thomson, died) was hit in the starboard quarter by one of two stern torpedoes fired by U-38 about 230 miles west of Bloody Foreland, while steaming on a zigzag course at 15 knots under escort by HMS Griffin (H 31) (LtCdr J. Lee-Barber, DSO, RN). The ship settled by the stern and sank by the stern at 2340 hours, just before the destroyer was able to go alongside. The destroyer first attacked the U-boat and chased it away and then began picking up the survivors from 11 lifeboats and over 20 rafts and set out two whale boats. The destroyer constantly dropped depth charges to scare away the U-boat and searched the area until the next morning when no more survivors were found and then left for Greenock, arriving on 9 August. The master, nine crew members, four naval personnel and 82 troops were lost, 33 bodies were washed up two weeks later on the shore of Donegal. 154 crew members, one gunner, 549 troops and 62 naval personnel were rescued by the destroyer, among them 62 wounded men. The 7,527-ton Mohamed Ali El-Kebir was carrying troops including naval personnel, government stores and mail and was headed for Gibraltar.
Destroyers HMS Tartar (D.6), HMS Bedouin, and HMS Ashanti departed Scapa Flow at 2000 to carry out an anti-submarine sweep northward of North Rona mined area to Rockall. The destroyers then joined battlecruiser HMS Hood, light cruiser HMS Arethusa, and destroyer HMS Foxhound to escort them to Scapa Flow. Destroyers Tartar, Bedouin, and Ashanti with battlecruiser Hood, light cruiser Arethusa, and destroyers Foxhound and HMS Escapade arrived at Scapa Flow at 0600/10th.
Destroyers HMS Javelin and HMS Jaguar, en route from the Humber to join the Home Fleet, were diverted to meet British steamers St Magnus and Rognvald off Aberdeen at 1400 for escort to Kirkwall and Lerwick, respectively. On 8 August, on their arrival at Lerwick, the destroyers embarked ten officers and one hundred and fifteen ranks of the British Army repatriated from Petsamo, Finland on the Swedish steamer Goteborg (880grt). The British Army personnel were landed at Scrabster and the destroyers arrived at Scapa Flow.
German minelayers Roland, Cobra, and Brummer laid mines in the southwest North Sea for minefield “SW 1” escorted by torpedo boats T.2 of the 1st Torpedo Boat Flotilla, T.7 of the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla, Falke, Kondor, and Jaguar of the 5th Torpedo Boat Flotilla. It was on this minefield that Destroyers HMS Esk and HMS Ivanhoe were lost and destroyer HMS Express was badly damaged at the end of the month.
German auxiliary submarine chaser Vp.1501 (trawler Wiking 7, 381grt) was sunk on a mine near Frederickshavn. Trawler Wiking 7 was later salved in 1940 and restored to duty as Vp.1501.
German raider Orion refuels from supply ship Winnetou.
Convoy OA.195 departed Methil escorted by sloop HMS Fowey.
Convoy OB.195 departed Liverpool escorts by destroyer HMS Vanoc and corvettes HMS Periwinkle and HMS Geranium from 8 to 12 August.
Convoy FN.245 departed Southend. The convoy arrived in the Tyne on the 9th.
Convoy MT.133 departed Methil. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day.
Convoy FS.245 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer HMS Woolston, sloop HMS Fleetwood, patrol sloop HMS Mallard. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 9th.
The Senate continued debate on the Administration proposal to call the National Guard into Federal service for training; received a proposed constitutional amendment by Senator Bridges to forbid a third term for any President; received a conference report on the Omnibus Transportation Bill; heard Senator Reynolds urge deportation of Harry Bridges, and recessed at 5:53 PM until noon tomorrow. Its Interstate Commerce Committee continued hearings on the nomination of Thad Brown to the Federal Communications Commission.
The House passed and sent to the Senate an amendment to the Neutrality Act which would permit American vessels, under certain limitations, to enter European combat zones for the evacuation of refugee children; received the Geyer petition to discharge the Poll Tax Bill; received the Kennedy resolution to create a European Food Distribution Commission, and adjourned at 5:36 PM until noon tomorrow. Its Military Affairs Committee voted to reopen hearings on the Burke-Wadsworth selective service bill, and its Immigration Committee authorized the drafting of a compromise measure for the admission of refugee children.
U.S. Senate anti-conscription bloc leaders found themselves on the losing side today when they supported a plan to muster the National Guard upon a voluntary rather than a compulsory basis. The senate voted 47 to 36 to reject the plan, offered to amend a pending bill empowering the president to call the militia and army reserve for 12 months active service anywhere in the western hemisphere. Senator Barkley predicted that only one-fourth of the Senators voting would oppose the Selective Service Bill. He thought the opposition would be more vocal than numerous. The House Military Affairs Committee reversed a decision taken yesterday and decided next week to hear more witnesses on the Selective Service Pill, including Harry H. Woodring, former Secretary of War; General John J. Pershing. Secretary Knox and Hugh Johnson, newspaper writer. When the Senate recessed it was debating an amendment offered by Senator Adams of Colorado, which would restrict the President’s power to send the National Guard outside the United States to territories and possessions of this country, including the Philippine Islands. This would eliminate the Chief Executive’s authority to send Guardsmen to any part of the Western Hemisphere, and Senator Barkley announced that he would make a speech tomorrow opposing the restriction.
The House passed the Hennings bill today to permit United States ships to enter war zones to evacuate refugee children. While applicable to any country, the measure was urged as a necessary amendment to the Neutrality Act to allow American ships to bring here for the duration of the war British children, when assurances of safe passage are given by all belligerent powers named under proclamations issued by the President. Passage was by a voice vote, with only a few heard in dissent. Before passage the House added several amendments, including one by Representative Taber of New York extending the laws applying to the responsibility of a parent for his children to United States citizens sponsoring the evacuation and domiciling here of refugee children.
John Cudahy, United States Ambassador to Belgium, will be called upon to officially explain statements of a friendly character he made in a newspaper interview in London yesterday with reference to the Germans, if the official text of his remarks confirms the press reports. This was implicit in an announcement made by Sumner Welles, Acting Secretary of State, at his press conference today, that he had instructed Joseph P. Kennedy, United States Ambassador to Great Britain, to forward an accurate text of the statements made by Mr. Cudahy. Before returning to this country, after having been forced by the Germans to leave Belgium, Mr. Cudahy is visiting Mr. Kennedy.
Mr. Welles said he had read newspaper reports of the interview and that Mr. Cudahy spoke without prior notification to or authorization from the State Department. Beyond making this announcement, the Acting Secretary added, he had no comment to make. He must see the authoritative text first, but, of course, the State Department was interested, he said. He declined to say whether the department was concerned over the envoy’s remarks. What aroused the department most was the reported statement of Mr. Cudahy that the conduct of the German soldiers in Belgium had been exemplary — better, he is quoted as having said, than that of many American soldiers he could remember.
The transfer of fifty United States World War destroyers to aid Great Britain against invasion by Hitler was declared today by Secretary Knox to be a question for Congress to answer, not the Navy Department.
A speed-up of 65 percent in the production of Army munitions by the six Federal arsenals was ordered today by Secretary of War Stimson. The new program, which will take effect on August 10, will involve operation of the arsenals six days a week, with three shifts a day, and will call for the employment of 8,000 additional skilled mechanics and something like 16,000 semi-skilled and unskilled workers. The order, issued with the approval of President Roosevelt and after conference with Sidney Hillman, member of the National Defense Advisory Commission in charge of labor supply, will spread employment and increase payrolls through the country from the most westerly of the six arsenals at Rock Island, Illinois, to the Atlantic Coast.
The augmented aircraft armament program calling for 25,000 fully equipped military and naval planes by July 1, 1942, is progressing in a completely satisfactory manner, the National Defense Advisory Commission reported today.
President Roosevelt completed arrangements today for a conference of major political significance tomorrow in which he will discuss campaign strategy with his two principal lieutenants in the third-term drive. He will sit down in the quiet and guarded library at Hyde Park House with Henry A. Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture and Democratic candidate for Vice President, and Harry L. Hopkins, Secretary of Commerce, who has become the confidant and chief political emissary for Mr. Roosevelt, and actually a resident of the White House.
Wendell L. Willkie, declaring that he favored any revision of the Hatch “clean politics” law which would make it “air-tight,” today offered two amendments to the act. The first would require the President of the United States, members of his Cabinet and officials of Federal regulatory bodies, as well as all members of their immediate families, to file with the Secretary of State a “detailed listing” of their personal assets on assuming and leaving office. The second would preclude any member of the immediate families of such officials from receiving compensation for any services for representing “outside interests” before any government body or agency.
An assertion that Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh would view a Nazi victory over Great Britain “with equnimity, if not with relish,” was made by Professor William Yandell Elliott of Harvard in an open letter against appeasement tonight.
Harry S. Truman held a lead of nearly 7,000 votes tonight in his race with Governor Lloyd C. Stark for the Democratic Senatorial nomination in Missouri.
The Louisiana hurricane made landfall at Sabine Pass, Texas. The hurricane would cause record flooding across the Southern United States before dissipating on August 10. A tropical hurricane moved inland with diminishing intensity tonight, leaving a trail of destruction in Texas’ Sabine area and Louisiana coastal lowlands. One person was dead, scores marooned and nine injured as the 75-mile-an-hour winds overtook some of the hundreds who sought safety in flight, either inland or to public buildings. The storm roared into Texas from the east and lashed Port Arthur and Orange before heading northwest across the state.
While the individual income tax returns for the tax year 1938 (filed during 1939), numbered 199,376 less than in the preceding year, and the tax liability of those reporting net income was $114,920,405 less than in the year before, there were fifty instead of forty-nine taxpayers reporting net income of $1.000,000 or more, and three with net income of $5,000,000 or over, as compared with only one in this class the year before, the Treasury said today.
Representative W. Ben Gibbs, Georgia Democrat, died at Naval hospital tonight following a stroke.
Major League Baseball:
The Yankees split a double-header with the Red Sox. They grabbed the nightcap, 6–3, to break a five-game losing streak, after kicking the opener into the laps of Tom Yawkey’s lads, 10–7. Babe Dahlgren hammered a double and two singles to drive in three runs in the first game and a triple that gave the Yanks their first run in the second. Joe DiMaggio smacked his twenty-second home run with one aboard in the appetizer, when he also singled and figured in the scoring of four runs. Joe Gordon had a field day, with three hits in each game. But it all added up to an even break because in the opener the Yankee pitching was feeble and aggravated by a sieve-like defense. In the nightcap it took Tommy Heinrich’s three-bagger with two aboard to pull the Yanks out of a 3–3 deadlock in the ninth, before Tommy scooted in himself on Joe DiMaggio’s second single.
The American League-leading Tigers had a scare today but managed to hold on to an early margin and defeat the St. Louis Browns, 7–5, to maintain a half-game advantage over the threatening Indians, who open a six-game series in St. Louis tomorrow. The Browns piled up 4 runs in the last three innings but could not quite catch Detroit.
Lou Boudreau, Cleveland’s sparkling young shortstop, drove in the six runs with two homers and a single today as the Indians defeated the White Sox, 9–3, and took the series, three games to one. Johnny Rigney, tall Chicago right-hander, was the victim of Boudreau’s spree and suffered his 13th defeat against 10 victories. Boudreau’s eighth homer of the year tied the score at 1–1 in the fourth. He connected again in the seventh after Pitcher Al Smith had walked and Ben Chapman had singled. Boudreau singled in two runs in the ninth.
The game in Washington between the Athletics and Senators is rained out.
Dixie Walker has his second big day in a row, collecting a homer, a triple, and two singles, to pace the Brooklyn Dodgers to a 8–4 drubbing of the New York Giants. The Dodgers totaled 14 hits in all. The Dodgers trailed 3–1 before scoring five times in the seventh.
Two home runs gave the Boston Bees a 6–3 victory over the Phillies tonight. Rookie Carvel Rowell and Eddie Miller hit for the circuit, each with a man on base, to play the most important part toward the Phillies’ seventh straight setback. Rowell’s long drive over the right field wall came in the first inning after Johnny Cooney had singled. In the fourth, Miller blasted one of Ike Pearson’s fast ones on top of the left field stands to score Chet Ross ahead of him.
Chicago’s Cubs said it with home runs and a four-hit tenth-inning attack today, defeating the first-place Reds, 5–3, in ten innings before a Ladies’ Day crowd of 18,549. Paul Derringer failed in his attempt to win his eighth straight game. Bill Lee got the victory for Chicago.
Showing the fight which Frankie Frisch had promised to instill in them, the Pirates today ran their winning streak to seven straight by taking a double-header from the Cardinals, 10–9 and 12–6.
New York Yankees 7, Boston Red Sox 10
New York Yankees 6, Boston Red Sox 3
Cleveland Indians 9, Chicago White Sox 3
Chicago Cubs 5, Cincinnati Reds 3
Brooklyn Dodgers 8, New York Giants 4
Boston Bees 6, Philadelphia Phillies 3
St. Louis Cardinals 9, Pittsburgh Pirates 10
St. Louis Cardinals 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 12
Detroit Tigers 7, St. Louis Browns 5
U.S. Navy light cruiser USS Phoenix arrived at San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
Lord Halifax of the United Kingdom and US Ambassador to Tokyo Joseph Grew voiced concerns over Japanese demands for French Indochina.
The National Assembly in Manila officially approved last night the so-called emergency powers legislation which enables Manuel Quezon legally to assume a control over the Philippines unequaled anywhere except possibly in the totalitarian countries.
The Australian Government requisitions Alanzo Sparkes’ paddock in Chermside. The plan is to build a military camp there.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 125.12 (-0.15)
Born:
Jean-Luc Dehaene, Prime Minister of Belgium (1992-1999), in Montpellier, France (d. 2014).
Tom Barlow, American politician (Rep-D-Kentucky, 1993-1995), in Washington, District of Columbia (d. 2017).
Marlyn Mason, American actress (“Making It”, “Peyton Place”), in San Fernando, California.
Bobby Morgan, NFL defensive back (Pittsburgh Steelers), in Wamego, Kansas.
Naval Construction:
The Royal Navy Isles-class minesweeping trawler HMS Copinsay (T 147) is laid down by Cochrane & Sons Shipbuilders Ltd. (Selby, U.K.); completed by Amos & Smith.
The Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvette HMCS Kamloops (K 176) is launched by Victoria Machinery Depot Co. Ltd. (Victoria. British Columbia, Canada).
The U.S. Navy Gleaves-class destroyer USS Grayson (DD-435) is launched by the Charleston Navy Yard (Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A.).
The Вое́нно-морско́й флот СССР (ВМФ) (Soviet Navy) “K” (Katjusa)-class submarine K-22 is commissioned.
The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) Type IID U-boat U-140 is commissioned. Her first commander is Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Peter Hinsch.
History Diaries 