August 4th, 1940 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - oil plant at Sterkrade.
58 Sqn. Five aircraft. All bombed primary. One fighter seen, but no attack.
RAF">RAF Fighter Command: Weather, mainly fine. Little enemy activity reported. No aircraft
lost.
Luftwaffe night raids on Mildenhall, Ely, Newark and near Debden, bombs fall for the first
time on Cwmbran in Wales.
FRANCE: The Paris Soir newspaper reports that General Charles de Gaulle had been condemned to death in absentia for treason by a Vichy military court.
U.S.A.: The 30-minute radio show "Crime Doctor" debuts on CBS on Sunday at 2030 hours Eastern time. The plot has a unique twist. The hero, Dr. Benjamin Ordway, was a criminal who lost his memory when hit on the head but he built a new life studying medicine and went into psychiatry and after regaining his memory, he specializes in criminal psychology. The show remained on the air until October 1947 and Ordway was later played by John McIntire, Hugh Marlowe, Brian Donlevy and Everett Sloane.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0922, the
Newfoundland-registered Anglo-Newfoundland Steamship Co., merchantman Geraldine
Mary (7,244 GRT) in Convoy HX-60 was torpedoed and sunk by
U-52 about 270 miles WNW of
Bloody Foreland. The master and 27 survivors were picked up by a British escort
vessel and landed at
Methil on 8 August. Six survivors were rescued and landed at Liverpool and 14
others landed at Uig, Isle of Lewis. Among the survivors were four passengers.
One passenger and two crewmembers were lost. GERALDINE MARY was part of the
60-ship Halifax to Liverpool Convoy HX-60 and was loaded with 6,112 tons of
newsprint.
At 0335 and 0338,
U-52 fired torpedoes at Convoy HX-60 about 300 miles WNW of Bloody Foreland
and sank the King Alfred and Gogovale. All men from Gogovale were picked up by
HMS Vanoc and landed at Liverpool.
The King Alfred broke in two, the bow sank and Vanoc, which also picked up the
master and 33 crewmembers and landed them at Liverpool, sank the stern. Seven
crewmembers were lost.
At 2120, the Pindos, a straggler from Convoy SL-40, was hit by two torpedoes
from U-58 and capsized to port
before sinking. The U-boat misidentified her as the British-flagged Limerick.
Trawler HMS Marsona mined and sunk off Cromarty.
Trawler HMS Drummer lost to unknown causes.