Winston Churchill was elected head of the Conservative Party following the retirement of Neville Chamberlain. Following the retirement from public life of former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, current Prime Minister Winston Churchill was elected the head of the Conservative Party. Chamberlain had resigned his positions as Lord President of the Council and as a member of the War Cabinet on October 3, 1940 because he was suffering from terminal bowel cancer.
Continuing the cozy relationship between Great Britain and North America, the British purchasing mission places initial orders for 20 10,000 ton freighters. This order eventually expands to 26 ships.
The Nazi occupation administration in the occupied Netherlands banned Jews and half-Jews from public employment.
German troops began to secure oil fields in Rumania, which was vital for the German war effort. German troops continue entering Rumania with that government’s permission in order to secure the Ploesti oil fields and other key points. The oil fields are a major preoccupation of Adolf Hitler and are the real reason for this “invasion,” which ostensibly is to train the Rumanian Army (which doesn’t really need any training). While the Soviet Union looms nearby, Hitler is more worried at this point by British sabotage.
Belief among foreign observers that Germany may be planning an active military campaign in the Near East was strengthened today with the announcement of a Rumanian ban on shipments of Rumanian oil to Greece and the possibility that it may be extended to Turkey.
From morning to evening one can hear the thud of guns firing practice volleys out to sea beyond Salamis, the roar of cannonading in the mountains encircling Athens and the crackle of machine guns in military training fields closer to the city. Greece is preparing for any eventuality.
Soviet circles in the British capital, commenting on the Far Eastern situation, said today that Russia would welcome improved relations with the United States, but added that America should take the steps toward improving them.
At Malta, Governor Dobbie requests permission to implement a bonus system for the fast construction of shelters.
The Royal Navy supported a Free French expedition, under General Charles De Gaulle, to gain control of Duala in the Cameroon. The Free French forces succeeded in seizing control of the colony from the Vichy French authorities. The Free French under General Charles de Gaulle invade and capture Duala in Cameroon. This establishes Free French control over the colony, from which de Gaulle hopes to launch air raids against Italian positions to the north and east. De Gaulle himself arrives aboard Free French minesweeper Commandant Duboc.
Airfields in the southeast of England form today’s main targets. German fighter-bombers dropped bombs in London, Maidstone, Hastings, Falmouth, and other British towns. Maidstone is attacked by fighter-bombers is daylight, 87 buildings being damaged, and using cloud cover a single raider managed to damage English Electric’s Stafford factory. 3 German fighters and 1 German Ju 88 bomber was shot down, while the British lost 1 fighter with the pilot unhurt. Overnight, London, Liverpool, and Manchester were bombed; St. Paul’s Cathedral in London was hit, destroying choir stalls and the High Altar but the building was not structurally damaged.
Weather is poor on 9 October 1940, preventing major operations. As on the 8th, there are mostly small raids that don’t accomplish much, with one major raid in the afternoon. There is a lot of damage, but by this time, bad as it is, the bombing is becoming almost routine.
Early in the morning, a bomber scores a strike on St. Paul’s Cathedral. It damages the High Altar. Later in the morning, around 11:00, a moderate-sized raid of 20-30 planes reaches south London. The fighter-bombers (Jabos) fly high, as usual, and elude interception. Another raid of around 35 aircraft around the same time targets Gravesend, Hornchurch, and Canewdon. Other raids of about the same size hit Maidstone and Dover.
After lunch, at 13:00, some Heinkel He 111s attack a convoy of Land’s End, but RAF No. 601 Squadron intercepts and shoots two of the bombers down. At 14:30, the day’s main raid of about 175 aircraft crosses to hit East London. This formation includes Junkers Ju 88s and causes appreciable damage. Major dogfights break out over the Thames Estuary and points east. Damage is scattered, with many private residences taking damage.
Right before sunset, at 18:53, a Jabo attack on Solent Naval Air Station causes little damage. About half an hour later, the Luftwaffe attacks Yeovilton Naval Air Station, but the damage is slight. A little later, attacks are made on St Merryn Naval Air Station, which damages a Swordfish and a Proctor aircraft.
After dark, London is the main bomber target. The attacks begin around 19:00 and are of moderate intensity. Aside from London, the usual targets of Liverpool, Manchester, and Derby are hit. The Luftwaffe drops 386 tons of High Explosive bombs on London and 70,000 one kg bombs. The Luftwaffe also drops mines all along the English Channel shoreline.
Losses for the day are light, with the RAF losing only three planes and the Luftwaffe 9.
British Losses:
Hurricane V7376, No. 1 Squadron
Sgt. S. Warren listed as ‘missing’. Failed to return from section cloud formation flight over the Wash.
Spitfire X4597, No. 92 Squadron
Sgt. E.T.J. Frith died of injuries 17/10/40. Shot down believed by Bf 109s. Pilot baled out badly burned.
Blenheim N3530, No. 235 Squadron
Shot down by Bf 109s over the Channel.
P/O J.C. Kirkpatrick listed as ‘missing’.
P/O R.C. Thomas killed.
Sgt. G.E. Keel killed.
Oblt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob from 7./JG 54 makes two claims, both Spitfires.
British Albacore biplanes of No. 829 Squadron from Royal Navy station HMS Peregrine attacked Brest, France overnight, damaging German destroyers Eckholdt, Lody, and Riedel with near misses. 1 Albacore aircraft was shot down with its three crewmen captured, including squadron commander Lieutenant Commander Stevinson.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 8 Blenheims to Germany during the day. 2 aircraft bombed in Germany and 3 in Holland. No losses.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 70 Battles, Hampdens and Wellingtons overnight to many targets, 1 Wellington lost. The largest raid was by 20 Hampdens on the Krupps armament works in Essen but only 3 aircraft reached this target because of icing conditions. There were also 6 minelaying and 4 O.T.U. sorties. Bomber Command attacks oil installations at Hamburg and various targets in Holland (Texel Airfield, Helder) and France (Le Havre) during the day. After dark, it launches an oil installation at Cologne, a Krupp factory in Essen, and various Channel ports.
A Whitley of RAF No. 77 Squadron returning from a raid over Germany during the night flies into high ground west of Snape while returning. Midshipman D. A. C. Hadingham perishes.
The RAF attacks Tobruk Harbor. There is some skirmishing south of Buna in East Africa that results in some Italian casualties.
U-103, commanded by Korvettenkapitän Viktor Schütze, attacked convoy SC.6, sank Greek steamers Zannes Gounaris (4407grt) and Delphin (3816grt) and badly damaged British steamer Graigwen (3697grt) in 58-11N, 13-57W. At 2211 hours on 9 Oct 1940, U-103 (Schütze) attacked the convoy SC-6 in grid AM 1762 (37 miles north-northwest of Rockall) and sank two ships, Zannes Gounaris and Delphin and damaged the Graigwen, which was later sunk by U-123 (Moehle). The 4,407-ton Zannes Gounaris was carrying phosphate rock and was bound for Garston, England.
The Delphin remained afloat and sank during the next day at 57°46N/13°50W. The 3,816-ton Delphin was carrying maize and wheat and was bound for Cork, Ireland.
At 2133 hours on 10 October 1940 the abandoned Graigwen (Master Daniel Wright Fowle) was sunk by a coup de grâce by U-123. Seven crew members were lost. The master, 25 crew members and one gunner were picked up by the HMS Enchantress (L 56) (Cdr A.K. Scott-Moncrieff) and landed at Londonderry.
Aircraft carrier HMS Furious departed Scapa Flow at 0800 with destroyers HMS Eskimo and HMS Matabele to strike at Bodo. Poor weather conditions forced the operation to be cancelled and the ships arrived back at Scapa Flow at 1630.
Destroyer HMS Vimy departed Londonderry at 1400 for Portsmouth for refitting.
Destroyer HMS Versatile departed Londonderry at 0900 for Rosyth on passage to the Tyne for refitting. Defects forced her to return to Londonderry.
Midshipman D. A. C. Hadingham, in a Whitley of RAF 77 Squadron from Topcliffe, was killed returning from a raid over Germany when the plane flew into high ground west of Snape.
Steamer Alderney Queen (663grt) was sunk by German bombing off Grassholm Island, North Wales, 51-38-30N, 5-25-30W. The entire crew was rescued.
Minesweeping trawler HMS Sea King (321grt) was sunk by mining 28 miles 310° from Bull Sand Road, Grimsby Roads. Acting Temporary Skipper T. Sleeth RNR, Temporary Skipper L. Rushby RNR, twelve ratings were lost.
During the night of 9/10 October, Italian destroyers Vivaldi, Da Noli and Tarigo laid mines to the south of Malta. Destroyer HMS Imperial was soon mined on this minefield.
Submarine HMS Regent sank Italian steamer Antonietta Costa (6880grt) in 41-17N, 19-25E off Durazzo. On 11 October, Regent unsuccessfully attacked a tanker in the Southern Adriatic.
Light cruiser HMS Dragon arrived at Duala.
Anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curacoa departed Scapa Flow at 1600 to cover convoys WN.21S and WN.21F. On meeting convoy OA.227, the cruiser joined the OA convoy and escorted it to Pentland Firth. Curacoa then proceeded to Scapa Flow.
Anti-aircraft ship HMS Alynbank departed Scapa Flow at 0700 to escort convoy SL.48A from Pentland Firth until dusk. She then returned to Scapa Flow.
Convoy OB.226 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyer HMS Antelope, corvettes HMS Geranium and HMS Gloxinia, anti-submarine trawler HMS Huddersfield Town. The escort was detached on the 12th.
Convoy FN.304 departed Southend, escorted by destroyers HMS Valorous and HMS Westminster. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 11th.
Convoy HG.45 of forty nine ships departed Gibraltar escorted by local escort destroyers HMS Hotspur, HMS Firedrake and HMS Wishart. Troopship Neuralia departed with the convoy with 1093 Gibraltar civilians. She was detached and proceeded unescorted to Kingston. Wishart was detached on the 10th and Hotspur and Firedrake escorted the convoy until 15 October. Escort vessel HMS Gleaner escorted the convoy from 9 to 27 October. On 17 October, armed merchant cruiser HMS Pretoria Castle from convoy SL.50 joined the convoy and remained with it until 27 October. On 20 October, sloop HMS Fleetwood joined the convoy and escorted it until 27 October. Destroyer HMS Antelope and corvette HMS Mallow from convoy OB.230 joined the convoy on the 21st and escorted it until 27 October. Destroyers HMS Havelock, HMS Hesperus and HMCS Skeena escorted the convoy from 22 to 27 October, which arrived at Liverpool on the 27th.
Convoy SLS.51 departed Freetown on the 9th. Sloop HMS Rochester escorted the convoy on 30 and 31 October, when it arrived at Liverpool.
In Washington today, President Roosevelt signed the Excess Profits Tax-Amortization Bill. He tendered to Dr. Clarence A. Dykstra, president of the University of Wisconsin, the post of National Director of Selective Service, conferred with Gifford Pinchot who promised him his support in the Presidential campaign, with Sidney Hillman of the National Defense Advisory Commission, Henry A. Wallace, Vice Presidential candidate, and Norman Armour, Ambassador to Argentina. He greeted a delegation of Confederate war veterans.
The Senate passed the bill authorizing States to establish home guards, debated a proposal for three-day recesses until after the November elections, approved a resolution for an investigation into needs for educational facilities for children of national defense workers and a resolution authorizing the Commerce Committee to investigate the recent airplane crash at Lovettsville, Florida, and recessed at 3:45 PM, until noon tomorrow.
The House completed Congressional action on the bill requiring submission to the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation of lists of crews on ocean ships, heard Representative C. Arthur Anderson charge Harry Bridges with conspiracy to commit murder and with plotting sabotage, passed a bill providing payment to short-line railroads for losses suffered during the World War, and adjourned at 4:26 PM, until noon tomorrow.
The U.S. Navy continued today to prepare for a possible emergency in the Pacific, but a slackening of diplomatic activity appeared to reflect diminished tension generally in administration quarters over the far eastern situation. Secretary Knox announced after talks with high naval strategists during the week that the personnel of the fleet now in the Pacific would be reinforced immediately to raise it to full strength. He said 4,200 men would join the fleet at once and sail back to Hawaii with the warships now on the west coast undergoing repairs. He said he did not concur in a published statement that the administration feared war with Japan in 15 days. “I don’t think anybody knows,” he added.
In Washington, Knox said that no decision had been made to withdraw the Marines from Shanghai, nor would Pacific fleet plans for shore leaves be changed. He laughed off a question whether reopening of the Burma Road to supplies for China would set off war.
Congress today became embroiled in a bitter fight over plans to recess until after election as the senate heard a somber warning from Senator Hiram Johnson, California Republican, to remain in session because the nation is on the brink of war. Although Speaker Rayburn announced that the house had abandoned plans to go home, the administration leadership in the senate for the space of two hours this afternoon was under the impression that it had obtained an agreement among Republicans and Democrats alike for a series of three-day recesses to last until November 18.
Senator Danaher of Connecticut said that “the row kicked up” over Attorney General Jackson’s ruling on defense labor might provoke an emergency with Congress in a recess. Mr. Barkley laughed at the idea, saying that Mr. Jackson’s opinion had been misinterpreted. Mr. Danaher said Congress was in a “lull” during the recent transfer of fifty destroyers to Great Britain and suggested that “we might better stay here.” Senator Barkley told the Senate there was no legislative program at present, but in the House. Representative Walter of Pennsylvania observed that his measure, the Logan-Walter bill to subject administrative agency rules and regulations to judicial review, had been reported unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
It was observed by Representative Smith of Virginia, author of the Smith amendments modifying the National Labor Relations Act, that his bill also was in the Senate. And Representative Hobbs of Alabama, author of a bill calling for the arrest of aliens who remain in this country after being ordered deported, pointed out that his bill had been on the Senate calendar since July, 1939. Senator Barkley has blocked consideration of the Logan-Walter bill, which is opposed by the Administration particularly because among other agencies it would include the National Labor Relations Board which is the target of a considerable group in Congress. The Smith amendments have been pigeonholed in the Senate Committee on Education and Labor. Mr. Hobbs said he did not know what was holding up consideration of his bill.
A warning of new burdens for the Federal courts as a result of the national defense program was given to the Judicial Conference by Attorney General Jackson, it was revealed in a report of the work of the conference made public today by Chief Justice Hughes.
President Roosevelt has no present plans for speeches at political rallies in the New York metropolitan area, Democratic National Chairman Edward J. Flynn said yesterday. The President will make an election eve address from wherever he is at that time, probably Hyde Park, the National Chairman indicated. Coincident with this, it was learned from other sources that the Democratic National Committee has contracted for radio time from 10 o’clock to midnight on election eve, on all major networks, with the exception of from 10 to 11 PM on the Columbia Broadcasting System, the Republicans having taken that hour on that network.
China has asked London to send a mission of military and technical experts to help Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in his fight against Japan. It is believed the request may be granted either officially or unofficially. How far the British will go in support of the Chinese depends largely on the United States, it was said in London.
With passenger liners already heavily booked far in advance, travel agencies and steamship offices were besieged today by Americans fearful of the gathering United States-Japanese crisis in the Orient. Many American businessmen, accepting the state department’s counsel to get out of the Orient, started liquidation of their holdings and church societies stepped up arrangements to assemble their missionaries who wish to leave at likely points of embarkation.
Americans booking passage home were considered unduly nervous by the Japanese Government, it was stated in Tokyo, but the State Department’s advice had awakened the Japanese people to the status of relations with the United States. A Tokyo spokesman pointed out that his government had not issued similar advice to Japanese residing in the United States, and decried a war scare.
Shanghai’s International Settlement became an armed camp with leaves for United States Marines and sailors canceled and the Shanghai Volunteer Corps mobilized because of the possibility that celebration today of China’s “Double Tenth,” a holiday comparable to the American Fourth of July, might provide an excuse for disorders. Shipping facilities were unavailable for the majority of Americans seeking immediate compliance with the State Department’s advice to leave the Orient.
The U. S. Navy announced today that Major General Miura, commander of the Japanese gendarmes in Shanghai, had apologized for the arrest and beating of a sailor from the U. S. cruiser USS Augusta by Japanese police on September 28. The announcement said Admiral Thomas C. Hart, commander of the U. S. Asiatic fleet, received a letter from General Miura expressing the latter’s regrets for the “unwarrantable conduct” of the Japanese gendarmes. It added that General Miura offered to have the officer responsible for the affair make a direct apology to the captain of the Augusta but that Admiral Hart had replied the “additional direct apology might well be omitted” in view of the general’s expression of regrets.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 130.54 (-0.77)
Born:
John Lennon, singer and songwriter (The Beatles), in Liverpool, England, United Kingdom (d. 1980, murdered).
Joe Pepitone, MLB first baseman and outfielder (World Series Champions-Yankees, 1962; All-Star, 1963-1965; New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves), in Brooklyn, New York, New York (d. 2023).
John Contoulis, NFL defensive tackle (New York Giants) in New London, Connecticut.
Harry Dinnel, ABA forward and guard (Anaheim Amigos), in Venice, California (d. 2017).
Gordon J. Humphrey, U.S. Senator (R) New Hampshire (1979-1990), in Bristol, Connecticut.
Died:
Wilfred Grenfell, 75, English medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Naval Construction:
The Royal Canadian Navy Bangor-class (Reciprocating-engined)minesweeper HMCS Ungava (J 149) is launched by North Vancouver Ship Repairs Ltd. (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada).
The Royal Navy Fairmile B class motor launch HMS ML 130 is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is Edric Guy Philip Bromfield Knapton, RN.
The Royal Navy Fairmile B class motor launch HMS ML 157 is commissioned.
The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) auxiliary cruiser Kormoran (HSK-8) is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is Korvettenkapitän Theodor Detmers.
The Royal Navy Town-class destroyers (former U.S. Navy) HMS Belmont (H 46), HMS Beverley (H 64), HMS Bradford (H 72), HMS Broadwater (H 81), HMS Broadway (H 90), HMS Burnham (H 82), and HMS Burwell (H 94) are commissioned.
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