Following his big meeting with Hitler at the Brenner Pass on the 4th, Prime Minister Mussolini announces a few planning changes. From a historical perspective, his decisions today are an insight into the attitude permeating the Axis that even Italy, with well-known weakness in all three major military branches, can accomplish major strategic military objectives. In essence, he views himself as an equal military partner to Hitler. This attitude, of course, is a bit… fanciful. For now, though, it instructs very real military decisions with lasting consequences for the entire Axis war effort.
One must remember that, while Mussolini’s army is weak, he has just as much ability as Hitler does to embroil the Axis in new wars. Mussolini does the following today in a series of directives and messages:
Orders Marshal Graziani to cancel all plans to attack Yugoslavia;
Emphasizes the necessity of the Italian Army at Sidi Barrani to attack and occupy Mersa Matruh;
Steps up planning for an attack on mainland Greece through Albania soon after occupying Mersa Matruh.
The basic strategy is for the army in Egypt to push the British back another 80 miles, then switch the main effort to Albania/Greece. While one operation does not depend upon the other, accomplishing them in sequence would lessen the strain on Italian resources. The Italians are having enough problems with just one front in North Africa, taking on another active front would be imprudent. At this stage, though, Mussolini views the Allies as weak and the Axis — including his own shaky troops — as strong enough to accomplish his objectives.
A key issue is Crete. Taking it would enhance Axis naval operations in the eastern Mediterranean and support an attack on the major British military bases at Alexandria and Cairo. The Italian army seriously considers invading it, but ultimately rejects such an operation as too difficult, especially before the capture of the Greek mainland. The Italian navy is strong, but replacing losses would be impossible in any reasonable time frame, and the Royal Navy would have something to say about an operation so close to its bases.
Mussolini’s directives today somewhat suggest that he is acting at the very least with the Germans’ knowledge, and possibly with their blessing (some of the wording in his messages sounds similar to Wehrmacht phrases). However, that is controversial, and the extent of German involvement in any of Mussolini’s actions at this stage is unknown.
The conversations at the Brenner Pass between Chancellor Hitler and Premier Mussolini were dominated by confidence in the military situation, German quarters asserted today. The subject under discussion was emphatically described here as having been “not peace but victory.”
Rumania’s month-old Iron Guard government put into force today the most sweeping of its many anti-Semitic laws as its drive against foreign interests and the old regime flared up to new heat. Under the new law all rural land and dwellings to which Jews held title automatically became state property today. Occupants must leave land and homes immediately. The property is to be turned over to Rumanian refugees from Transylvania, Bessarabia and the south Dobruja, areas Rumania recently has ceded to Hungary, Soviet Russia and Bulgaria.
Yugoslavia acts to reduce the number of Jews in its schools.
In the first public declaration on the Jewish question since the outbreak of the war, Arthur Greenwood, member without portfolio in the British War Cabinet, assured the Jews of the United States that when victory was achieved an effort would be made to found a new world order based on the ideals of “justice and peace.”
Richard Peirse replaced Charles Portal as Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command in the British Royal Air Force.
The London Lord Mayor’s Air Raid Relief fund has raised £5 million.
Stalin approves of plans submitted by the Stavka Chief of the General Staff Meretskov. These call for the greatest weight of defense to be attached to the Southwest Front, i.e., in the direction (from Germany) of Kyiv. After the initiation of Operation Barbarossa, this will be the destination for Army Group South. On the German side, the initial plans of attack didn’t even contemplate any attack on this axis of advance, but more recent drafts do have an army group heading toward Kyiv from Romania.
The Soviet press tonight published a lengthy description of the part being played by trade unionists and the working class in the defense of Britain, and at the same time Marshal Semyon Timoshenko, Russian Commissar of Defense, warned of “provocations that may threaten our borders.”
At Malta, new procedures are implemented by the War Office for unexploded bombs. German bombs have electrical fuses that are more difficult to handle, and the instructions provide useful information that helps in their disposal.
Between 0930 and 1600 hours, 4 German raids of mainly fighters attacked southern England, United Kingdom. A single raider starts a fire at Hawker’s Kingston factory, and New Cross (London) telephone exchange is also seriously damaged. At 2035 hours, the Royal Navy base at Portland was bombed. The Germans lost 2 bombers and 20 fighters, while the British lost 9 fighters with 2 pilots killed. Fighter Command flies 1,175 sorties — a record. Overnight, London suffered a heavy raid which started a large fire at the West India Dock on the River Thames in the East End area of the city. Hauptmann Helmut Wick, the Gruppenkommandeur of 1/JG 2, claimed the destruction of five RAF fighters in one day. This took his overall total to 41.
The weather clears during the night, so on 5 October 1940 the Luftwaffe follows the pattern of alternating periods of activity by mounting a sustained effort today following some slow days. The battle has developed a definite rhythm, with the Luftwaffe adopting patterns that can last for days or weeks. This gives the RAF cues for successful interceptions, but it also can cause Fighter Command to be out of position when the patterns suddenly change due to some edict from Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering.
The early morning is occupied by German reconnaissance flights. The first large raid occurs at 09:30, when about 30 Bf 109 fighter bombers attack Dover, strafing the town and attacking barrage balloons. Fighter Command takes its time intercepting, and the German planes are long gone by the time any Hurricanes or Spitfires arrive.
A much more serious raid transpires around 10:45, when about 150 aircraft of Bf 109s and 110s raid Kent. about two-thirds of the fighters head for London, while the remainder lingers on the coast. This is another fighter-bomber attack, and as soon as the Germans spot RAF fighters, they drop their loads at random and engage the British. This results in massive dogfights over London. The bombs drop on Hastings, causing unintended damage.
Following behind the first formation is a second, composed of Bf 110s. This raid appears to be timed to catch the RAF fighters “in-between” the opening attacks and their ability to refuel and engage again. RAF No. 303 (Polish) Squadron is scrambled, though, and engages the Bf 109 escort. Once again a big battle takes place, and the Polish pilots shoot down 4 Bf 110s and 2 Bf 109s. The Poles lose just one plane. There is light bombing damage to London as well as RAF Mailing.
After a by now regular break for lunch, the next attack takes place at 14:00. This time, thirty Junkers Ju 88 bombers of KG 77 are included in the mix, so it is a much more serious affair. These head to Southampton and points further north. Another formation crosses at Swanage heading toward Weymouth. This time, the bombers get through, as the Bf 109s have a better time than they did during the morning battles. About half a dozen British fighters go down, though most of the pilots survive.
Another, smaller raid crosses the Isle of Wight toward Portsmouth at 17:15. While the bombers don’t cause much damage, there are some dogfights which result in two Spitfires lost.
After dark, the London area is the target again, along with Liverpool, the Midlands, Northampton, East Anglia, and Leicester. The Luftwaffe also mines the Thames Estuary. A major priority tonight for the Germans is the cluster of RAF airfields in the Kenley/Biggin Hill/Debden/Martlesham area. Large fires are started at the West India Dock, a Millwall food plant and a factory at Erith. Railway installations at Cricklewood also suffer, along with the Portland dock area.
The day is notable for a record number of sorties by the RAF, who are getting more planes in the air than during the dark days of August and early September. Total losses are about 16 for the Luftwaffe and half that number for the RAF, though accounts vary widely.
British Losses:
Spitfire R9989, No. 72 Squadron
P/O N. Sutton killed. Mid-air collision shortly after take-off. Aircraft crashed and burned out.
Hurricane P3892, No. 303 Squadron
F/O W. Januszewicz killed. Shot down by Bf 109s and crashed in flames at Stowting.
Hauptmann Helmut Wick, Gruppenkommandeur of JG 2, claims three Spitfires during the 14:00 raid and two more during the 17:15. That makes him an “ace in a day” and gives him a grand total of 41 claims, which is right behind the two leaders, Molders and Galland. He is awarded the oak leaves (Eichenlaub) for his total.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 8 Blenheims to oil targets in Germany during the day; all turned back because of lack of cloud cover. 6 Blenheims on sea sweep; 1 aircraft bombed ships without scoring hits. No losses.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 20 Hampdens overnight which attacked oil and rail targets at Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Hamm, Osnabruck and Soest. 10 Hampdens minelaying in the Elbe. 4 Wellingtons to Rotterdam docks. 3 Hampdens lost, 2 of them on the minelaying operation. Bomber Command targets Gelsenkirchen oil installations, the Krupp factory at Essen, and the usual airfields and ports along the Channel. RAF Coastal Command chips in with raids on Brest and Gravelines. The German invasion barges remain in many ports and provide tempting targets, as they are a key part of the German transportation network.
Anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curacoa departed Scapa Flow at 1030 to provide anti-aircraft support for convoy WN.20 from Pentland Firth to the Firth of Forth. She then proceeded to Rosyth.
Submarine HMS Tigris attacked Italian submarine Otario without success in the Bay of Biscay.
British steamer Adaptity (372grt) was sunk on a mine (Minefield WERNER) laid by German torpedo boats on 30 September/1 October in 51-44N, 01-17E. The Master of the steamer was lost.
Dutch steamer Ottoland (2202grt) was sunk on a mine four miles south of 20A Buoy, off Hartlepool. The entire crew was rescued.
British steamer Ortolan (489grt) was damaged by German bombing at Free Trade Wharf, Stepney.
Free French submarine Narval arrived back at Malta from a patrol beginning on 25 September. The patrol was conducted with Submarine HMS Rorqual.
During the evening of 5 October, Italian operation CV began. Two merchant ships departed Taranto for North Africa escorted by the 12th Destroyer Division, with destroyers Lanciere, Carabiniere, Corrazziere, and Ascari. On the morning of 6 October, heavy cruisers Pola, Fiume, Gorizia, and Zara and the 9th Destroyer Division, with destroyers Alfieri, Oriani, Carducci, and Gioberti, departed Taranto. Heavy cruisers Trieste, Trento, and Bolzano and the 11th Destroyer Division, of destroyers Artigliere, Camicia Nera, Aviere, and Geniere departed Messina. When a British force of battleships and screening forces were sighted between Kaso Strait and Alexandria, all Italian ships returned to port.
Temporary Lt (A) I. P- Godfrey RNVR, Naval Airman L. J. Stevens and Acting S/Lt (A) J. Marshall RNVR, Naval Airman A. S. Rush of 806 Squadron from aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious landed their Fulmars in Crete and were interned. The airmen returned to their Squadron at the end of the month.
Italian steamer Maria Grazia (188grt) was sunk in 41-05N, 17-45E by ramming by submarine HMS Regent.
Italian submarine NANI sank armed boarding vessel HMS Kingston Sapphire (356grt, Lt L. A. Sayers RNR) southwest of Cadiz, 36-11N, 6-32W. Three ratings were lost. The rest of the crew were rescued by a Spanish trawler and landed at Huelva.
Anti-submarine trawler HMS Lord Hotham attacked a submarine contact near Almina Point.
Convoy OB.224 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyer HMS Skate, sloop HMS Deptford, and corvettes HMS Anemone, HMS Erica, and HMS Picotee. Anti-submarine trawlers HMS Pentland Firth and HMS Stella Capella joined on the 6th and were detached on the 8th along with destroyer Skate. The corvettes were detached on the 9th and the sloop on the 12th.
Convoy FN.300 departed Southend, escorted by destroyers HMS Wallace and HMS Watchman. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 7th.
Convoy FS.301 departed Methil, escorted by destroyers HMS Vega and HMS Vimiera. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 7th.
Convoy SC.7 of thirty four ships departed Sydney at 1115 escorted by Canadian armed yacht HMCS Elk as local escort and ocean escort Sloop HMS Scarborough. The convoy commodore was Vice Admiral L. D. I. MacKinnon, CB, CVO Rtd on British steamer Assyrian. On 16 October, at 21-20W, SC.7 was reinforced by sloop HMS Fowey and corvette HMS Bluebell from OA.228 escort. On 18 October, the convoy was reinforced by sloop HMS Leith and corvette HMS Heartsease. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 21st.
Convoy BS.6 departed Suez, escorted by sloops HMS Clive and HMS Grimsby. The sloops were detached on 11 November when joined by light cruiser HMS Leander and sloops HMS Auckland, HMIS Hindustan, HMAS Yarra. Light cruiser HMAS Hobart joined on the 13th. The convoy was dispersed off Aden on the 13th.
Calling for improvement and simplification of local government, President Roosevelt told a rally of Democrats in his home county tonight “overstatement, personal attacks and wild promises have no part in our county campaign any more than in a national campaign.” “I am very certain that, realizing this, you will conduct it on the highest possible level of American ethics and decency,” he said. “May your efforts be understood and approved by the voters next November.”
Free and uncontrolled education was described today by President Roosevelt as a vital necessity in the preservation of democracy against encroachment by dictators.
A new state-by-state survey by the American Institute of Public Opinion, completed at the end of a fortnight marked by mounting crises in Europe and by the disclosure of new threats to the United States in the far Pacific, shows President Roosevelt continuing to lead Wendell L. Willkie in the race for the American Presidency, according to Dr. George Gallup, the institute’s director. “For more than two years the fact-finding surveys of the institute have shown that President Roosevelt’s popularity increases with every intensification of the war crisis abroad,” Dr. Gallup declares. “The past two weeks have apparently been no exception. “Despite Mr. Willkie’s opening campaign tour, which took him through a large part of the West and Midwest, President Roosevelt is slightly stronger in current institute tests than he was in mid-September. If the election had been held October 1, the survey’s indications are that Mr. Roosevelt would have led in forty-two States with a total of 499 electoral votes — or far more than the 266 necessary for election.
While Attorney General Jackson was complaining that his informal opinion on whether National Labor Relations Board decisions were binding on other government agencies had been misconstrued, and members of the Smith committee investigating the NLRB were asking how that opinion could be reconciled with two conflicting views by the War and Navy Departments, a high Defense Commission official said anonymously today that the governmental procurement divisions were not bound to withhold contracts from firms held by the Labor Board to be in violation of the Wagner act. This official explained that the government contract officers may use their judgment, and that if national defense was impaired by the withholding of an order from an allegedly recalcitrant firm, defense requirements would be paramount.
A demand that congress investigate the appointment of Elliott Roosevelt, son of President Roosevelt, to a position as captain in the U. S. army air corps was made today in a resolution adopted by the Fresno chapter of the United Spanish American War Veterans. The resolution said, “It is the considered opinion of this organization that all commissions awarded in the army and navy or air corps on a basis other than of training and earned merit alone, endanger the morale of the members of our defense forces and encourage dissension and distrust.”
The next year will bring the largest increase in employment this country has ever witnessed in a like period, with jobs for 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 persons, Secretary Perkins predicted today on the basis of a report made to her by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Senator Charles L. McNary, Republican candidate for Vice President, told a gathering of farmers here today that election of a Republican ticket in November would defend American agriculture against the hazards of low prices and loss of export markets.
The Japanese alliance with Germany and Italy “is directed at us,” and as a result “our mode of life has never been so challenged as it is now,” Secretary Knox told the graduating class of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Police Academy today.
Henry Arnold submitted a proposal for the reorganization of U.S. Army air units to U.S. Army Chief of Staff George Marshall; the proposal called for a separate staff for air apart from the ground and supply units.
U.S. Secretary of the Navy William “Frank” Knox placed all Organized Reserve divisions and aviation squadrons of the Organized Reserve, 27,591 officers and enlisted men in all, on short notice for call to active duty and granted authority to call fleet reservists as necessary.
The U.S. Marine Corps organized the Air Detachment, Marine Barracks, Parris Island in South Carolina, United States; it would later be renamed Marine Corps Air Station, Parris Island.
Our Gang in “Waldo’s Last Stand” is released, starring Robert Blake as Mickey, George Spanky McFarland, Darla Hood, and Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer.
1940 World Series, Game Four:
Paul Derringer, who had lost 4 world series starts going back to 1931, finally breaks his jinx. His 5–hitter and Jim Ripple’s 3rd-inning double, which knocks Dizzy Trout from the mound, provide a 5–2 win. In Game 4, after a leadoff walk off Dizzy Trout, Ival Goodman’s RBI double and Pinky Higgins’s error on Jimmy Ripple’s ground ball made it 2–0 Reds in the first. They made it 3–0 in the third on Jimmy Ripple’s RBI double after two leadoff singles. The Tigers got on the board in the bottom half when Paul Derringer walked Barney McCosky, who moved to second on a groundout and scored on Hank Greenberg’s RBI double, but the Reds got back that run in the fourth on Ival Goodman’s sacrifice fly off Clay Smith after a leadoff walk and double. The Tigers got another run in the sixth Bruce Campbell singled with two outs and scored on Higgins’s triple, but the Reds again got the run back in the eighth when Billy Werber singled with two outs off Archie McKain, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Mike McCormick’s RBI single. Derringer pitched a complete game to give the Reds a 5–2 win, tying the series 2–2.
Cincinnati Reds 5, Detroit Tigers 2
The fourth group of U.S. ships involved in the in the destroyers-for-bases transfer to Great Britain arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia. This group included the USS Branch, USS Hunt, USS Mason, USS Satterlee, USS Laub, USS Aulick, USS Edwards and USS McLanahan.
The State Department, through an indirect method, made clear today that the United States Government gives no recognition to the claims of General Juan Andreu Almazan that he is the duly elected President of Mexico.
Communist Chinese New 4th Army counterattacked and defeated Nationalist Chinese troops at Huangqiao (“Yellow Bridge”), Jiangsu Province, China, capturing great quantities of weapons and ammunition.
Empire Hirohito directs that some French prisoners in Indochina be released. The elite 5th Infantry Division begins withdrawing to China.
Thailand continues to make territorial demands on French Indo-China.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 133.9 (+0.11)
Born:
Frank Jackunas, AFL center (Buffalo Bills), in Detroit Michigan.
Died:
Ballington Booth, 83, Officer of the Salvation Army and co-founder of Volunteers of America.
Lincoln Loy McCandless, 81, American industrialist and politician.
Silvestre Revueltas, 40, Mexican composer, violinist and conductor (pneumonia).
Naval Construction:
The Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvette HMCS Shediac (K 110) is laid down by the Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd. (Lauzon, Quebec, Canada).
The U.S. Navy submarine USS Gato (SS-212), lead boat of her class of 77, is laid down by the Electric Boat Co. (Groton, Connecticut, U.S.A.).
The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) Type VIID U-boat U-214 is laid down by F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (werk 646).
The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) Type VIIC U-boat U-657 is laid down by Howaldtswerke Hamburg AG, Hamburg (werk 806).
The Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvette HMCS Pictou (K 146) is launched by the Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd. (Lauzon, Quebec, Canada).
The Royal Canadian Navy patrol craft HMCS Vison (S 11) is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is Lieutenant Commander Robert Irving Swansburg, RCNVR.
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