Destroyer HMS Whaddon launched.

Destroyer HMS Dulverton laid down.

Submarine HMS Saracen laid down.

London: The Labour MP Hugh Dalton is appointed political head of the Special Operations Executive.

FRANCE: The Vichy government deprives naturalised Jews of their French citizenship.

Germany expels 22,000 French citizens from Alsace-Lorraine, which it claims as part of the Reich.

GERMANY: Berlin: Hitler issues his directive no 16, "On the Preparation of a Landing Operation against England (Sealion)"

He talks of invading England with 20 divisions, to be put ashore on the south coast between Ramsgate and Lyme Regis. Hitler says that the aim is to "eliminate the English mother country as a base from which the war against Germany can be continued."

General Alfred Jodl says that the invasion should be seen as a river crossing on a broad front, and in place of bridging operations the navy would keep the sea lanes secure against British attacks. The Luftwaffe would knock out the RAF. Operation Sealion will be ready in nine weeks.

But the admirals in the Kriegsmarine are unhappy. In the absence of purpose-built landing craft, they say that they cannot guarantee to protect hundreds of river barges being towed slowly across the Channel, Among other things, the Wehrmacht’s famed mechanised army uses several thousand horses to pull its guns. How, ask the admirals, do you propose to get horses across the Channel under fire?

OKW issues Führer Directive #16. Plans for Operation Sealion. Despite Englands hopeless military situation, she shows no sign of being ready to come to an understanding, therefore we must prepare a landing operation against England, and if necessary carry it out. The aim of the operation is to eliminate the English homeland as a base for the prosecution of the war against Germany and if necessary occupy it completely. 
(i) The landing will be in the form of a surprise crossing on a wide front. Units of the Luftwaffe will act as artillery and units of the Kriegsmarine as engineers. Possible advantages of other limited operations (e.g. Isle of Wight or Cornwall) should be considered. Preparations should be completed by the middle of August. 
(ii) Preparations should create such conditions as to make the landing possible; the RAF must be reduced morally and physically to impotence, mine-free channels must be created, the Straits of Dover must be sealed off with minefields on both flanks, strong coastal artillery forces must protect the forward coastal area, the Royal Navy must be tied down shortly before the crossing, both in the North and Mediterranean Seas. Air attacks against home-based enemy naval forces should begin immediately. 
(iii) Under the Führer's overriding command, the Commanders-in-Chief will command the branches of the Wehrmacht for which they are responsible. One Army Group will be detailed to carry out the invasion. The Army will draw up the operational and crossing plans for the first wave of the invasion, and will lay down methods by which the invasion is to be carried out, forces involved, and selection and protection of points of embarkation and disembarkation. The Kriegsmarine will procure the means for invasion in accordance with the wishes of the Army, use will be made of captured shipping wherever possible. In addition the Kriegsmarine is responsible for coastal artillery, and in conjunction with the Luftwaffe, the defence of the crossing of the Channel on both flanks. The Luftwaffe will be tasked with preventing interference by enemy airforces, the destruction of enemy coastal fortresses, breaking the first resistance of enemy land forces, and the dispersal of enemy reserves on their way to the front. Opportunities for use of airborne troops should be investigated. 
(iv) Preparations for ensuring necessary communications between France and England will be handled by Chief, Wehrmacht Signals. Possible use of remaining length of the East Prussia cable should be examined. 
(v) Plans from all services should be submitted as soon as possible. (Marc Roberts)

PALESTINE: Italian bombers attack the British base at Haifa.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Submarine HM S/M Phoenix is sunk in the Mediterranean off Augusta by depth charges. After having attacked a tanker which was escorted by Italian Navy Albatros, the escort commander raced back down the track of the torpedoes and delivered 10 depth charges directly over the submarine. All submarine crew of 53 are lost. (Alex Gordon)(108)

RN and RAN ships bombard the Libyan port of Bardia, a key Italian position.

JAPAN: Tokyo: Military pressure forces the resignation of the Premier, Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai.

CANADA: MTB hull arrived Montreal, Province of Quebec, to become HMC MTB 1.

FRANCE: Corvette FS Lobelia commissioned.

GERMANY: In Führer's headquarter the German leaders plan how the Soviet territory is to be divided after the final victory. All the 'booty' is to be German, even if initially Germany is to stress the liberation of peoples from Soviet yoke. Ukraine and Crimean peninsula is to be German. Finland can have East Karelia, but the Kola peninsula is for Germany. Hitler also orders that the preparations for the annexation of Finland into Greater Germany should be started in utmost secrecy.

U-701 commissioned.

U-408 launched.

U.S.S.R.: The Germans reach the outskirts of Smolensk, and take Stalin's son, artillery regiment Lieutenant Jacob Dzhugashvili, prisoner.

Finnish troops take up positions at the northern end of Lake Ladoga.

EQUATORIAL AFRICA: Brazzaville: General de Gaulle repudiates the Saint Jean D'Acre convention which made no mention of the Free French.

JAPAN: Prince Konoye resigns as Japanese Prime Minister. Foreign Minister Matsuoka has advocated joining Germany in the attack against the USSR. He will not be in the cabinet when it is reformed on the 18th.

U.S.A.: While anchored off the Staten Island, New York quarantine station, the transport USS West Point (AP-23) (ex SS America) takes 137 Italian and 327 German citizens, from the consulates of those nations in the United States which had been closed, on board and gets underway at 1455 hours local, bound for Lisbon, Portugal. USS West Point was granted safe-conduct for the voyage by the British.

Baseball, the New York Yankees travel from Chicago to Cleveland, Ohio, to play the Cleveland Indians in League Park. Yankee center fielder Joe DiMaggio extends his hitting streak to 56 consecutive games by going 3-for-4 against Cleveland pitchers Al Milnar and Joe Krakauskas.

Escort carrier HMS Ravager launched.

Destroyer HMS Rapid launched.

Minesweeping trawler HMS Neave launched.

U-323, U-324, U-325, U-326, U-327, U-328, U-903, U-904, U-1171, and U-1172 ordered

U-631 commissioned.

Sloop HMS Lapwing launched.

U-366 commissioned.

U-1192 launched.

Destroyer USS Stembel commissioned.

Destroyer escort USS Dionne commissioned.

Submarine USS Apogon commissioned.

Destroyer escort USS Vance launched.

Frigate USS El Paso launched.

At 2115, the unescorted Richard Caswell was hit by one torpedo from U-513 about 150 miles SE of Florianopolis, Brazil. The torpedo struck on the starboard side at the after end of the engine room, destroying the engines and killing three men on watch below. Most survivors among the eight officers, 34 crewmen, 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4-in and nine 20-mm guns) and two passengers on board abandoned ship in three lifeboats and two rafts. The master and a small party stayed on board but ten minutes after the hit a second torpedo struck at the forward end of the engine room. The explosion blew a few men over the side and caused extensive damage to the amidships deck and the superstructure. Just as the ship broke in two and sank after about 15 minutes, the U-boat surfaced and questioned the survivors. The commander told the men that he had lived in Brooklyn for seven years and asked how the Dodgers were doing; the Germans gave them cigarettes and then left the area. In all, the master, two officers and six crewmen were lost. The 26 survivors in two of the boats were picked up on 19 July by the Argentine steam merchant Mexico and landed two days later at Rio Grande, Brazil. On 22 July the 16 survivors in the third lifeboat made landfall at Barra Valha, Brazil. The 18 survivors on the rafts were picked up by seaplane tender USS Barnegat on 22 July and landed three days later at Rio de Janeiro. (Jack McKillop and Dave Shirlaw)

U-306 shadowed Convoy SL-133 from grid EK79 to EK49 and reported two days later four ships of 27,000 tons sunk and one other ship of 5,000 tons probably sunk. The U-boat attacked two times; the first attack was carried out at 0352, firing five single torpedoes. Trotha reported one ship sunk, one probably sunk and three torpedoes missed due to great distance. In fact, only the Kaipara was torpedoed and damaged at this time. At 0801, the U-boat fired two spreads of two torpedoes and two minutes later the stern torpedo. U-306 observed three hits and could not see the targets anymore, but none of the reported hits are confirmed by Allied reports.

Mission 476: 1,087 bombers and 712 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany; eleven bombers and three fighters are lost: 

1. Of 407 B-17 Flying Fortresses dispatched, 213 hit an aircraft engine plant at Munich, 54 hit Augsburg, 52 hit Stuttgart and 50 hit two targets of opportunity; they claim 2-3-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; ten B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 240 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; a P-51 is lost.

2. Of 238 B-17s dispatched, 206 hit Stuttgart and two hit a target of opportunity; a B-17 is lost. Escort is provided by 214 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; a P-51 is lost.

3. 407 B-24s hit the marshalling yards at Saarbrucken. Escort is provided by 169 P-38s and P-47s; a P-38 is lost.

- Mission 477: 5 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.

- 24 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

The London Polish government publishes a paper claiming territory in East Prussia, Danzig and the Polish Corridor for postwar Poland.

USS Crowninshield (DD-134), was commissioned as HMS Chelsea (I-35) on 9 Sep. 1940, and USS Cowell (DD-167), commissioned as HMS Brighton (I-08) on 23 Sept. 1940, USS Fairfax (D-93), commissioned as HMS Richmond (G-88) on 26 Nov. 1940; USS Thomas (DD-182), commissioned as HMS St Albans (I-15) on 23 Sep. 1940, are transferred to Russia. All four were part of the destroyers-for-bases deal. Chelsea is transferred to Russia as Dzerki, Brighton as Zharki, St. Albans as Dostoinyi and Richmond as Zhivuchi. They will be returned to the Royal Navy in 1949. (Ron Babuka)

FRANCE: US forces continue their attacks near St. Lo.

About 375 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26s and A-20 Havocs, during morning and evening operations, bomb strongpoints in the Saint-Lo area, bridges in the frontline area, and bridges and a fuel dump southeast of Rennes. Fighters escort the bombers and fly armed reconnaissance over the frontlines in the Chateaudun-Orleans-Tours areas.

AUSTRIA: Around 380 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force bombers based in Italy attack oil and aircraft targets in the Vienna area, bombing Munchendorf Airfield, Winterhafen oil depot, Vienna marshalling yard, and the Wiener Neudorf engine factory; P-51s and P-38s fly 150+ sorties in escort while 132 other P-51s sweep the Vienna area; 100+ Luftwaffe fighters oppose the raids. Ten USAAF aircraft are lost and several others are missing; USAAF claims of fighters shot down total 30+.

ITALY: The Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches about 380 bombers to attack  targets in the Vienna, Austria area including Munchendorf Airfield, Winterhafen oil depot, Vienna marshalling yard, and the Wiener Neudorf engine factory; P-51 Mustangs and P-38 Lightnings fly 150+ sorties in escort while 132 other P-51s sweep the Vienna area; 100+ fighters oppose the raids; 10 AAF aircraft are lost.

Arezzo, key point of the German defensive line, falls to the British 8th Army. The British XIII Corps cross the Arno River.

U.S.S.R.: Grodno, southwest of Vilna is attacked by the Russians.
Baltic Fleet, Ladoga Lake and Chudskoe Lake Flotillas: MS "T-218" - by shnellboat (?), in Narva Gulf.  (Sergey Anisimov)(69)

Soviet warplanes sink German Anti-Aircraft cruiser Niobe (former Dutch Gelderland from 1898) in Kotka harbor and believe that the victim was Väinämöinen.

GUAM: In support of the preinvasion strikes against Guam, Seventh Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts based on Saipan continue to pound Tinian Island while Fifth Air Force B-24s continue bombing Yap Island.

Thirty people from the village of Merizo, Guam were massacred at a place known as Faha by soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army. Unlike the incident of the previous night at Tinta, there were no survivors. However, the general circumstances regarding the Faha massacre were similar to those of the event at Tinta. Again, using the pretense of gathering a work crew, the Japanese herded a group of thirty men and marched them off to the site at Faha. Here the men had grenades thrown at them and were slashed to death. (Will O'Neil quoting a plaque erected in a National Park on Guam.)

Soviet warplanes sink German Anti-Aircraft cruiser Niobe (former Dutch Gelderland from 1898) in Kotka harbor and believe that the victim was Väinämöinen.


COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Task Group 17.16 consisting of the submarines USS Guardfish (SS-217), USS Piranha (SS-389) and USS Thresher (SS-200) attacks Japanese convoy TAMA 21C enroute from Takao to Manila. The submarines sink 2 army transports, 2 army cargo ships and damage 2 freighters.

NEW GUINEA: Kamiri Airdrome on Noemfoor Island is declared operational and capable of supporting a USAAF fighter group.

Submarine USS Bullhead launched.

Destroyer USS Hugh W Hadley launched.

Destroyer USS Fred T Berry laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-299 commanding officer wounded in an aircraft attack. The boat, part of a defence line off Norway, reached Bergen four days later.

- Mission 271: 119 B-29s attack the Namazu urban area destroying 1.4 sq mi (3.6 sq km), 89.5% of the city.

- Mission 272: 124 B-29s hit the Oita urban area destroying 0.555 sq mi (1.437 sq km), 25.2% of the city.

- Mission 273: 94 B-29s attack the Kuwana urban area destroying 0.63 sq mi (1.63 sq km), 77% of the city; 2 other B-29s hit alternate targets.

- Mission 274: 129 B-29s hit the Hiratsuka urban area destroying 1.04 sq mi (2.69 sq km), 44.2% of the city; 1 other hits an alternate target.

A TBM Avenger of Composite Squadron Thirteen (VC-13) in the escort aircraft carrier USS Anzio (CVE-57) and the destroyer escort USS Lawrence C. Taylor (DE-415) sink Japanese submarine HIJMS I-13 at 34-28N 150-55E, about 540 miles (860 km) east of Yokohama, Japan.

Iwo Jima: VII Fighter Command, United States' Seventh Air Force bases the 21st Fighter Group flying P-51Ds at South Field.