Year 1940

Diary for Tuesday, October 22, 1940: Air War South African Air Force planes attack Birikau, Italian East Africa, for the fifth time. Shortest night raid on London since onset of […]

Diary for Monday, October 21, 1940: Home Front Britain: Churchill broadcasts to France, in French; he pours scorn on the threatened invasion of Britain: ‘We are waiting …. So are

Diary for Sunday, October 20, 1940: Air War RAF night raids on Berlin, Milan and Turin. Italian aircraft drop bombs near Cairo. Italian bomber formation flies 4,506 km from Dodecanese

Diary for Saturday, October 19, 1940: Sea War Destroyer Venetia mined and sunk in Thames Estuary.

Diary for Friday, October 18, 1940: Air War RAF and South African Air Force raid targets in Italian East Africa. Indo-China Japanese bomb Bunna Road.

Diary for Thursday, October 17, 1940: Air War Messerschmitt Me 109E fighter-bombers raid London: bomb destroys all signalling equipment at Waterloo Station. Sea War German destroyers and torpedo boats carry

Diary for Wednesday, October 16, 1940: Sea War Atlantic: Four U-boats operating off Northern Channel (October 5-16) sink 4 merchant ships and damage 3 other vessels, inc. armed merchant cruiser

Diary for Tuesday, October 15, 1940: Air War THE BLITZ: 400 German bombers raid London by moonlight, dropping 530 t of high-explosives bombs, starting 900 major fires in the City

Diary for Monday, October 14, 1940: Air War RAF raid Berlin. Night raids on London by 240 aircraft.

Diary for Sunday, October 13, 1940: China Nationalist Chinese artillery, secretly transported deep behind Japanese lines, shells Ichang Airfield – key base for enemy raids on Chungking Sea War Engagement

Diary for Saturday, October 12, 1940: Sea War Hitler postpones Operation Sea Lion until Spring 1941. Neutrals Argentina – J M Fangio (World Motor Racing Champion, 1951-57) wins the longest

Diary for Friday, October 11, 1940: Sea War Mediterranean: Cruiser HMS Ajax routs force of 7 Italian torpedo boats and destroyers south of Sicily – sinking two and damaging a

Diary for Thursday, October 10, 1940: Sea War Battleship Revenge bombards Cherbourg docks (night October 10-11). Home Fronts Britain: Myra Hess gives her daily piano recital in National Gallery, London,

Diary for Wednesday, October 9, 1940: Home Fronts Britain: Churchill elected Leader of Conservative Party, in succession to Chamberlain.

Diary for Tuesday, October 8, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 90): Hawker Hurricane flown by Sgt. Frantisek, leading Czech fighter ‘ace’ (17 victories), missing in combat over Sussex.