While Hitler is gallivanting across Europe meeting foreign leaders to little purpose, Marshal Petain in Paris is reaching across the Channel. His man Louis Rougier is in London meeting with Churchill and Foreign Minister Lord Halifax. Halifax, always a dove in such matters, is sympathetic, but Churchill, an adamant war hawk, is suspicious about Petain’s motives in light of his recent meeting at Montoire with Hitler. Churchill says vaguely that he would support an anti-German regime in North Africa under overall French auspices, which Petain takes as a willingness to ally with Vichy France — which is a bit further than what Churchill intends. Anglo/French relations remain murky.
Air Marshal Charles Portal officially takes over as RAF Chief of Staff. He takes the temporary rank of air chief marshal. Issues confronting him include a desire by the Royal Navy to absorb RAF Coastal Command and the wishes of the British Army to form its own air force. Air Chief Marshal Richard Peirse remains in charge of Bomber Command, but there is some grumbling that bombing operations should be more aggressive.
The British War Cabinet decides to continue the battleship construction program due to concerns about developments in the Far East.
General Johannes Blaskowitz is appointed commander of the German 1st Army. He takes over from Generalfeldmarschall Erwin von Witzleben, who remains in good standing but is a silent opponent to the regime. Von Witzleben will receive future appointments of significance, but for now, it is on to the reserve rolls for him.
The Italian Navy formed the Forza Navale Speciale (FNS) under Vice Admiral Vittorio Tur.
Ribbentrop’s rushed letter to Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano, completed from start in France to hand delivery in Rome in about 18 hours, is greeted with joy by Ciano when ambassador Mackensen hands it to him around noontime. Ciano sees it as a tacit agreement by Germany that Italy is entitled to additional territory in southern France — which is not the intent behind the letter. Ciano off-handedly proposes a date of 3 or 4 November for the meeting between Mussolini and Hitler that Ribbentrop proposes in it. Ribbentrop calls immediately after German ambassador Mackensen has left and proposes an even earlier date. They agree on 28 October — only three days hence — for the meeting, to be held in Florence. Hitler redirects his train “Amerika” from its scheduled return to Berlin to go over the Alps for the meeting. It all fits perfectly into his schedule.
The timing of all this frantic activity has become a matter of historical debate. The 28th also just so happens to be the planned start date for Mussolini’s invasion of Greece. The theory is that Hitler suddenly changes his plans and hurries down to Italy to try to stop the invasion of Greece. However, there is doubt whether the Italians have actually told the Germans the actual start date of the invasion, which Ciano previously has indicated would be 23 October but obviously has been postponed. The better view appears to be that Hitler was not planning to interfere with the Italian attack at all — he had not when informed of it previously — but instead decides to visit with Mussolini in Florence simply to smooth things over after the agitation caused by his visits to Spain and France. In other words, Hitler did not suddenly rocket down to Italy in a panic to try to stop the Italian offensive, but instead as a quick show of support to Mussolini and the alliance with Italy.
Hitler’s quick schedule change also may fit into some broader themes. For security purposes, he likes to vary his itinerary on the fly. This, in fact, already has saved his life at least once (at the Braun Haus in Munich in late 1939). His visit to Paris in June also was unplanned. One never knows when the RAF or some lone wolf terrorist might want to try to bomb his train (and an awful lot of people know his general itinerary by this point).
Hitler also likes to take care of diplomatic visits all at once, in quick succession. An example of this is on D-Day, 6 June 1944, when he spends the day with such visits rather than reviewing the dire war situation. Since Hitler already is on his train, with all of his necessary staff close at hand, it makes sense to just do a quick jog over the mountains rather than disrupt his entire schedule to get his train ready at some future point. He also has the Molotov visit approaching, and it would be better to get his own house in order before making big decisions with the USSR. Finally, winter is approaching, and better to get this kind of travel over the Alps out of way now.
The war on Malta is causing serious morale problems that result from safety measures. One of these today is the closing of a cemetery, Addolorata Cemetery, which lies on a direct path between Grand Harbour and Luqa Airfield. The cemetery has become a hot spot for bombs, so public access is restricted. While this in normal times might seem a minor inconvenience, local citizens have paid an unusual amount of attention to gravesites of their ancestors since the start of the war — perhaps because they know they might soon be joining them. Also, a new bomb disposal course concludes, the first one for men on the island.
Sixteen Italian BR20M bombers attacked Felixstowe and Harwich in Britain; 1 crashed on take off and 2 crashed on the return flight. Meanwhile, four groups of German Bf 109 fighters swept southern England, United Kingdom, shooting down 10 British fighters while losing 14 of their own. At dusk, German He 111 bombers attacked Montrose airfield in Scotland. Overnight, London, Birmingham, Pembroke, Cardiff, and Liverpool were bombed.
After an extended period of poor flying weather, on 25 October 1940 the skies clear and the Luftwaffe gets back into action. It is a busy day, with raids throughout and a return to large numbers of planes lost. As has been the case for a couple of weeks, the Luftwaffe emphasizes daylight fighter-bomber (Jabo) attacks, which are particularly difficult to prevent because the Jabos fly high and fast. The RAF, meanwhile, now has standing patrols over key sectors which make interception quicker and more effective.
The Luftwaffe fighter squadrons all fly three (or more) missions during the day, as is usually the case on days of maximum effort. The ratio of Jabos to fighters is usually 2 bomb-less Bf 109s per Jabo (which also, of course, are often Bf 109s).
The raids begin around 09:00, when JG 26 and JG 51, the two premier formations on the Channel coast, head for the South London area. Other Luftwaffe formations head toward Hastings and Dungeness, still others toward Central London. RAF Biggin Hill takes a beating despite fierce defense. The RAF fighters take a beating over Madstone, losing three fighters to one Bf 109.
Another large effort takes place around noontime. Once again, it heads for Maidstone and RAF Biggin Hill/Hornchurch. This is a large raid of over 100 planes crossing at Dover. As it flies inland, the formation breaks up to attack different targets. No. 12 Group has three squadrons in the air on patrol which lie in wait around London. The Jabos drop their bombs more or less over their targets, and then both sides take losses.
Another large formation crosses at around 13:00. This time, RAF Fighter Command has planes ready to confront the attackers near the coast. The Luftwaffe formation splits up, some remaining to tangle with the RAF fighters and the others heading west for Westminster, Blackfriars Road and areas nearby. This raid causes casualties at the Air Provost Marshal’s department at Westminster (four dead, 8 others wounded). Both sides take losses as the Jabos fight their way through to their targets.
The next large raid is around 15:00, and once again the main target is London and nearby areas. Fighter Command is late off the mark and makes few interceptions and the few RAF fighters that do take a beating. Two Hurricanes collide, killing one of the pilots.
Around dusk, RAF Montrose in Scotland suffers a rare raid from KG 26 Heinkel He 111s based in Norway. Five men are killed and 21 wounded in this raid, which is completely unexpected and causes a lot of damage. Perhaps as a result of poor bombing accuracy, nearby towns also suffer damage.
A 20-plane Luftwaffe formation attacks a convoy off North Foreland around 17:45. This results in one ship sunk.
After dark, the population centers of London, the Midlands, South Wales, Pembroke, Cardiff, and Liverpool are the primary targets. Airfields at Wittering and Middle Wallop also suffer damage. London is hit by about 150 bombers. The Luftwaffe continues its extensive recent mining operations (see below), dropping mines off Aberdeen, Liverpool, East Anglia and along the northeast coastline.
Overall, it is a day of moderate losses for both sides. The Luftwaffe loses roughly 15 planes while the RAF about 10. RAF No. 610 Squadron also loses two Hurricanes in a mid-air collision during training off Exmouth around 15:00 (this is in addition to the collision described above).
British Losses:
Hurricane V6804, No. 46 Squadron
P/O W.B. Pattullo died 26/10/40. Shot down by enemy aircraft. Crashed into house in Woodstock Avenue, Romford after attempting forced landing at Maylands Golf Course.
Hurricane N2708, No. 79 Squadron
P/O S. Piatkowski killed. Crashed near Carew Cheriton after routine patrol. Cause unknown.
Hurricane V7593, No. 302 Squadron
F/Lt. F. Jastrzebski killed. Failed to return from patrol over the Channel. Last seen gliding toward the enemy coast.
Hurricane P2903, No. 501 Squadron
P/O V. Goth killed. Collided with P/O MacKenzie during combat over Tenterden.
Hurricane V6917, No. 601 Squadron
Sgt. L.D. May missing. Crashed into sea off Exmouth after mid-air collision with Sgt. Mills-Smith during section training flight.
Hurricane P3709, No. 601 Squadron
Sgt. F. Mills-Smith missing. Crashed into sea off Exmouth after mid-air collision with Sgt. May during section training flight.
Major Werner Mölders of JG 51 downs a Spitfire off Dover for his 51st victory.
The British Air Ministry issues a statement noting that airmen from numerous countries are contributing to the defense of Great Britain, including the United States, Poland, France, Belgium, Holland, and Czechoslovakia. The U.S. pilots are part of the Eagle Squadron of volunteers.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 12 Blenheims on daylight sweeps at sea and on the German coast but no bombs were dropped. No losses.
RAF Bomber Command dispatches 94 aircraft overnight to many targets, mostly German oil and harbor targets. 1 Hampden attacking Kiel was lost. 5 Hampdens laid mines in Kiel Bay and the Elbe. Bomber Command focuses on the coast today. Targets include the coastal guns at Hellfire Corner and the Kriegsmarine ports, such as Kiel, Bremen, Hamburg, Cuxhaven, Amsterdam, Den Helder, and Ostend. Some of the raids target oil installations in northern Germany. Berlin and Hamburg are recovering after the massive raid on the night of 24/25 October.
The U-boats that have been on patrol in the Atlantic, having gorged on Convoys SC 7 and HX 79 earlier in the week, make port in France to re-stock their torpedoes and other supplies. This period thus marks a lull in U-boat successes, but the Germans have other ways to keep the pressure on Allied shipping. These make their mark today in the form of mines and the Luftwaffe.
U-46 on patrol in the Atlantic was attacked by British aircraft. One crewman was fatally wounded. Three RAF Hudson bombers attacked German Kriegsmarine (German Navy) submarine U-46 in the Atlantic Ocean, wounding Matrosengefreiter Plaep, who would die from his injuries on the next day.
Anti-aircraft ship HMS Alynbank departed Scapa Flow at 1300 to cover convoy WN.25.
Destroyer HMS Vimy arrived at Scapa Flow at 1730 after escorting armed merchant cruiser HMS California to her Northern Patrol Station.
Motor fishing vessel Encourage (45grt) was sunk by mine six and a half cables 210° from Breakwater Point, Plymouth. The entire crewmen of four were lost on the vessel.
British trawler Windsor (222grt) was sunk on a mine 2.1 miles 174° from Spurn Point. One crewman was lost on the British trawler.
British steam drifter Carlton (207grt) was sunk by a mine three and a half miles 131.5° from Spurn Point. Ten crewmen were lost on the drifter.
British motor fishing vessel Janet (25grt) was damaged by German bombing at Montrose Quay.
Minesweeping trawler HMS Lord Inchcape (338grt, Temporary Skipper O. B. Bell RNR) was sunk by mining off Plymouth.
British drifter Duthies (89grt) was sunk by German bombing alongside the jetty at Montrose. The entire crew was rescued.
Anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Calcutta departed Alexandria and destroyers HMS Havock and HMS Hero departed Port Said to escort convoy AN 5 of three steamers in operation MAQ 2. Battleship HMS Malaya, aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, anti-aircraft ship HMS Coventry, destroyers HMAS Vampire, HMS Hyperion, HMS Mohawk, HMS Janus, HMAS Voyager, and HMS Wryneck departed Alexandria. During this sortie, Aircraft carrier Eagle aircraft raided Maltezana without loss. Light cruisers HMS Orion and HMAS Sydney with destroyers HMS Jervis and HMS Juno departed Alexandria on the 25th and operated in the Dardanelles as contraband control. The convoy arrived on the 27th. The forces involved returned to Alexandria on the 28th.
British gunboat HMS Aphis bombarded an Italian troop concentration fifteen miles east of Sidi Barrani.
Four Destroyers (including HMS Encounter) departed Gibraltar to carry out an anti-submarine sweep off Alboran Island.
Light cruiser HMS Enterprise departed Buenos Aires.
Light cruiser HMS Delhi departed the Cameroons.
Anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curacoa arrived at Scapa Flow at 0915 from convoy OA.234. The Anti-aircraft cruiser departed Scapa Flow at 1400 to cover convoy SL.50. The cruiser returned to Scapa Flow after dark.
Convoy OL.9 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers HMS Sturdy, HMS Shikari, and HMS Viscount from 25 to 27 October, when the convoy was dispersed. This is the end of the OL series which only began on 14 September.
Convoy FN.319 departed Southend, escorted by destroyers HMS Verdun and HMS Watchman. The convoy arrived at Methil on the 27th.
Convoy SLS 53 departed Freetown. Corvettes HMS Asphodel and HMS Picotee escorted the convoy on 18 November. The convoy arrived at Liverpool 18 November.
Convoy BN.8 departed Bombay, escorted by light cruiser HMS Caledon and armed merchant cruiser HMS Antenor. These ships were relieved when met on 3 November by light cruiser HMS Leander, anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Carlisle, destroyer HMS Kingston, and sloops HMS Flamingo and HMIS Indus. The escorts were detached on 6 November. The convoy arrived at Suez on 11 November.
U.S. Senator Carl A. Hatch of New Mexico, Democratic author of the “clean politics” law, indicated today he might sponsor a constitutional amendment to limit the number of terms a president may serve. “There is no law of any kind against a third term,” ho said in a political speech. “There is no third term issue other than a shadowy tradition.” Senator Hatch said any proposal to limit the term of the president would have to be endorsed by the people. He did not say what limit he would propose.
The U.S. Presidential campaign is in the home stretch. Republican candidate Wendell Willkie campaigns today in Lackawanna Station.
Declaring that the Roosevelt Administration had failed to bring about recovery because it had not understood the true relationship between various elements of our economy, particularly between industry and agriculture, Wendell L. Willkie said tonight in an address in the Wilkes-Barre Armory that the American people had a management in government which for nearly eight years had had a fair trial and had been unable to solve the farm problem, revive industry or provide jobs and now says that it cannot be done.
Wendell L. Willkie, his voice extremely hoarse from outdoor campaigning in damp weather, said tonight he would like to have President Roosevelt answer these questions in his next political speech:
— “I ask him: Where is this defense system that he said that we needed back in 1936?”
— “I ask him: Where are these jobs that he has been talking about ever since 1933?
— “I ask him: How does he propose to make America strong by running us into debt?”
— “I ask him: How does he propose to increase our earning power so that we can sustain the enormous debt that his administration has created?”
Henry A. Wallace, Democratic candidate for vice-president, said tonight that “Nazi support” of Wendell L. Willkie is part of Adolf Hitler’s plan to weaken and eventually conquer the United States. “The friends of the totalitarian powers have decided that the ignorance and lack of leadership of the Republican candidate qualify him as their candidate,” Wallace said in his most unrestrained attack yet delivered against the Re-publican presidential candidate. The former secretary of agriculture spoke in the third regiment armory, from which his speech was broadcast nationally. He accused Willkie of “moral confusion… ignorance and lack of leadership,” and said “his mind is in a state of confusion.” Wallace did not mention Willkie by name, referring to him only as the “Republican presidential candidate.” A Republican victory in November is a necessity for the dictator plans to “overthrow our peace and our liberties,” Wallace declared. He added that totalitarian agents have been ordered to spend money and effort to “remove from their path the greatest power for protection of our peace, the administration and leadership of Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
John L. Lewis, in a nationwide address last night, announced bis support of Wendell L. Willkie for president and said he would retire as president of the C.I.O. if the G.O.P. candidate were defeated. Reelection of President Roosevelt, he said, will mean members of the C.I.O. have rejected my advice and recommendation. “I will accept the result as being the equivalent of a vote of no confidence.”
Leaders of the automobile industry today pledged a pooling of their efforts in pushing the production of 12,000 airplanes for the national defense. This was the result of a meeting between the company heads and William S. Knudsen, production director for the National Defense Advisory Commission, in the offices of the Automobile Manufacturers Association. The closed session lasted for nearly five hours. Afterward Mr. Knudsen said the aircraft industry soon will be subletting contracts to automobile companies in the amount of about $500,000,000. The orders, Mr. Knudsen said, will start flowing by next Spring, and will be mostly for parts and tooling for bomber production. The amount does not include contracts already awarded for airplane engines. Whether this added burden on automobile production capacity will eliminate 1942 motor car models remains to be seen.
The U.S. Navy began to mobilize its aviation arm.
The U.S. Navy light cruiser USS St. Louis departed Hamilton, Bermuda for Norfolk, Virginia with the Greenslade Board aboard.
The stage musical “Cabin in the Sky” premiered at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway.
The Cincinnati Reds declare a $12 dividend to stockholders.
United States embassy in Chungking, China, barely escaped destruction today when 10 bombs were dropped by three groups of Japanese planes around the embassy compound and its vicinity. Japanese naval land attack planes from the 13th Kokutai followed a course that took them directly over the U.S. Embassy and the river gunboat USS Tutuila while raiding Chungking, China. Due to what was later explained as a malfunctioning release mechanism, Japanese bombs fell north, east, and west of the embassy and the gunboat, the nearest falling 300 yards away. In response to American protests, Japanese naval authorities said they would advise air commanders in the region “to take such steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.” One bomb loosed a huge boulder which rolled down the Yangtze river bank and smashed into the U.S. Navy river gunboat USS Tutuila, anchored along the south bank near the embassy. The gunboat, however, was barely damaged, and the embassy escaped harm.
The Japanese 5th Infantry Division is withdrawing in northern Indochina, and the French re-occupy the territory around Lang Son. The French also launch operations against nationalists who have been taking over local governments in the area.
Authoritative sources today were of the opinion that, parallel with the axis diplomatic offensive in Europe, Germany is moving quietly in the Orient in an effort to break up Anglo-American collaboration and to free Japan from her involvement in China for possible later hostilities with Britain and the United States. These sources believed that the German objectives were:
- To present the United States with another apparent foreign policy failure before the elections through creation of distrust and dissension within the Anglo-American front in the Pacific as result of Japanese attempts to appease Britain.
- To enable Japan to occupy the Dutch East Indies and obtain vital supplies for the axis.
Japan is getting ready to make substantial offers to Russia in return for an agreement removing the fear of Russian pressure in the Far East. Japan is preparing for war with the United States. Nothing short of a major turn in the policy toward Russia can save Japan in “the eventual struggle with the United States” in the view of Masao Maruyama, the Asahi expert. That struggle, he believes, is inherent in Japan’s pact with the Axis powers. “That Japan will find herself confronted across the Pacific by a resentful and powerful United States is inevitable,” he said. “Without a determined stand on our part, cooperation with Germany is impossible.”
Washington’s obvious and practical concern for the defense of the Philippines has materially benefited the morale of the islands, which had begun to consider themselves a potential sacrificial offering on the altar of Japanese-American relations.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 131.16 (-0.2)
Born:
Bobby Knight, college basketball coach (Indiana University, 1971-2000 — NCAA Division I Championship 1976, 1981, 1987; Olympic gold 1984, in Massillon, Ohio (d. 2023).
Died:
Oliver Brooks, 51, English soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War I.
Thomas Waddell, 86, Australian politician.
Naval Construction:
The U.S. Navy Aloe-class net tenders USS Teaberry (AN-34), USS Teak (AN-35), and USS Pepperwood (AN-36) are laid down by the John H. Mathias Co. (Camden, New Jersey, U.S.A.).
The Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvette HMCS Morden (K 170) is laid down by Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. (Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada).
The U.S. Navy 80-foot Elco patrol motor torpedo boat USS PT-13 is launched by the Electric Launch Company Ltd. (Elco), (Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.A.).
The Royal Australian Navy Bathurst-class minesweeper-corvette HMAS Burnie (J 198) is launched by the Morts Dock & Enginering Co. Ltd. (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia).
The Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvette HMCS Sherbrooke (K 152) is launched by Marine Industries Ltd. (Sorel, Quebec, Canada).
The Royal Navy British Power Boat 70 foot-class motor anti-submarine boat HMS MA/SB 15 is commissioned.
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