August 2nd, 1940 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain:
RAF">RAF Fighter Command: Weather, fine, drizzle over sea. Luftwaffe attacks shipping off
south-east coast. At night South Wales and the Midlands are attacked.
Luftwaffe">Luftwaffe bombs Dundee for the first time, Swansea suffers a heavy raid. Off Harwich
Me110s of Erpro 210 sink HM Trawler Cape Finisterre with a direct hit. Gunners aboard the
SS Highlander in a convoy off Scotland shoot down one of two He-111s of KG76 which are
attacking it. The Heinkel crashes onto the deck to provide a trophy!
Southern England: German bombers drop leaflets detailing Hitler's August peace proposals.
At 0427, the Alexia in Convoy OB-191 was torpedoed by U-99 in position 55°30N/15°30W and fell out of convoy, where she was shelled by the same U-boat but did not sink.
At 0345, the Lucerna in Convoy OB-191 was torpedoed by U-99 and later shelled, but the damaged tanker reached port and was repaired.
U-99 damaged motor tanker Strinda at 55.10N, 17.16W.
Corvette HMS Peony commissioned.
London: Lord Beaverbrook joined the war cabinet today. The
Prime Minister brought Beaverbrook into the government in May, and he has been one of its
outstanding successes. Since he became Minister of Aircraft Production - a new post - in
May, he has boosted output of fighters for the RAF. In February there was a shortfall: 141
planes produced against a planned 171. In May, however, this had been turned around with
261 planes planned and 325 built. This month's planned output of 282 is expected to be
exceeded by up to 200 machines.
The Canadian-born press baron's success has been achieved through force of personality. He
has been aggressively cutting through Whitehall red tape and treading on ministerial toes
in purloining all accessible supplies for aircraft factories.
River class submarine HMS Thames is believed to have been sunk in a minefield whilst on her homeward passage. All crew of 61 are lost. In conforming with her navigational instructions, HMS Thames would have passed through four minefields. Currently believed to lie around 56 45N 03 26E. (Alex Gordon)(108)
FRANCE: VICHY FRANCE: The government sentences General de Gaulle to death in his absence.
GERMANY: Hitler issues war directive number 17 -
"1. To destroy the RAF and the British aircraft
industry,
2. to disrupt the British food supply, and
3. to inflict extensive damage on the
British merchant and war navy. The intensified air offensive should be launched by August
5."
Thence the Luftwaffe assembles 14 bomber wings, 8 fighter wings, 4 Stuka dive-bomber wings
and 3 Me110 fighter-destroyer wings, nearly 1700 aircraft (600 bombers, 700 fighters, 200
Stukas, 200 fighter-destroyers).
MALTA: Operation Hurry: The first delivery of 12 Hurricanes of 261 Squadron flies off the carrier
HMS Argus. All aircraft arrive on the island. They are the first Hurricanes to operate in
the Mediterranean theatre.
(Mark Horan) In in effort to curb further attacks
HMS Ark Royal lays plans for a dawn attack on the Italian bomber bases in
Cagliari, Sardinia.
"Operation Hurry" concludes. After recognizing the need to close
significantly closer to Malta to successfully launch the Hurricane Is of 418 Flight on
their transit flight from HMS Argus, Force H opts to launch a pre-dawn strike on Regia
Aeronautica's airfield at Cagliari, Sardinia by aircraft from HMS Ark Royal. The plan
calls for 9 Swordfish of 810, 188, and 820 squadrons to go after the airfield while
simultaneously, 3 additional 820 Squadron Swordfish will lay mines in Cagliari harbour.
The 0230 takeoff is marred when one Swordfish of 810 Squadron crashes. Most unfortunately
for those involved, the strike planes had difficulty finding their targets until
after dawn. Although the harbour is successfully mined and the bombing destroyed 4 Italian
aircraft and several hangers, one aircraft is downed by a defending fighter. Back with the
fleet, dawn's early light sees the 12 Hurricanes and their 2 Skua II guides depart HMS
Argus and, ultimately, arrive safely at Malta. Covered by Ark Royal's Skua II fighters of
800 and 803 Squadrons, the entire force sails past the rock en-route to the UK, where Force
H will stay for most of the month. (Mark Horan)
CANADA: Norwegian whalers commissioned as minesweepers (former names retained) HMCS Star VXI, Suderoy IV, Suderoy V and Suderoy VI.
U.S.A.: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his cabinet have a long discussion in a cabinet meeting concerning "ways and means to sell directly or indirectly" 50 to 60 overage destroyers to the British. Everyone agrees "that the survival of the British Isles under German attack might very possibly depend on their (the British) getting these destroyers." Everyone also agrees that legislation to permit the sale of these ships is necessary.