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September 5th, 1940 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - oil target at Regensburg - Fiat works at Turin - 'Razzling'.
58 Sqn. Bombing - nine aircraft to Regensburg. Five bombed primary, four bombed alternatives and 'razzling'.
77 Sqn. Six aircraft. Five got off and bombed, claiming good results.
2 Group: Blenheims of 15 and 40 Sqns raid barges in Boulogne, Calais, Dunkirk, Antwerp, Ostend and Flushing.

Battle of Britain: The weather continues fine and warm with cloud developing later. During the day, the Luftwaffe launched two attacks in the East Kent and the Thames Estuary area. Activity apart from this is limited to a few reconnaissance flights mainly off the East Coast. In the East, one raid passed near a convoy off East Anglia and then flew inland as far as Newmarket. Later in the day and during the second attack in the southeast, an aircraft reported as a four engine bomber is plotted from the Harwich area across the Estuary and out over Ramsgate. In the evening some six raids are plotted off the Coast between the Wash and the Humber. In the Southeast, after two early reconnaissance flights in the Dungeness/Deal area, raids began to mass behind Calais. At 0935 hours these aircraft, some 70 in all, crossed the coast at Dungeness and proceeded towards Biggin Hill, returning via the Maidstone district. These aircraft are closely followed by some 50 aircraft, which flew to the Isle of Shelly and split towards Hornchurch and Harwich. At 1050 hours 12 Bf 109 fighters attacked the Dover Balloons. Dover guns opened fire destroying one enemy aircraft and damaging another. Scattered raids are active inland in east Kent until about 1215 hours. After a high reconnaissance over the North Foreland, another attack in force is made on Kent. This is opened at 1456 hours by two raids of some 112+ aircraft. Some 100 of these approached Biggin Hill but appeared to turn back short of this objective; another small split raid approached Hornchurch. A mass of plots containing elements of these raids and RAF fighters is tracked eastwards from the Estuary at 1530 hours. At this time another raid of 50+ aircraft is intercepted when attempting to cross the coast near Dungeness. Thereafter up to 1630 hours strong enemy formations (up to 70+) patrolled the Straits of Dover and a seaplane is reported to have rescued a German crew off Ramsgate. Nos. 10 and 12 Groups assisted No 11 Group during this attack by providing patrols over Tangmere and North Weald. In the South, an early reconnaissance of 3+ aircraft approached Worthing but turned back when fighters are despatched to intercept. One raid from Cherbourg flew on reconnaissance to the Bristol area and another made a reconnaissance over the Isle of Wight. In the West, a "help" signal is received from a convoy off Anglesey. (Andy Etherington)

     During the night, German activity commenced soon after 2030 hours. Raids to the South Wales/Midlands/Manchester and Liverpool and West Riding areas came in between Portland and Bournemouth, and there is also activity in the southeast of Scotland, and in the Tees district as far inland as Catterick. A number of raids coming from the Thames Estuary and from the South Coast, over a considerable period, remained within the London area. There are also scattered raids in Essex/Kent/Surrey and Sussex. At 0100 hours two raids are being plotted in the Irish Sea between Dublin and Belfast and between Kintyre and the Irish Coast. By 0230 hours activity has decreased and less than a dozen raids are still being plotted inland. Mine-laying is suspected in Lyme Bay, Thames Estuary and between Amble and St Abb's Head. Also increased activity of this nature in the Firth of Forth. (Andy Etherington)

     RAF Fighter Command claims 36-22-17 Luftwaffe aircraft while antiaircraft gunners claim 1-1-0. The RAF loses 23 aircraft with 11 pilots killed or missing.


RAF Fighter Command: There were two main raids on the south-east today, the first between 10:15 and 10:45 directed at targets in south-east London. 

In a second and more serious phase, between 15:15 and 16:30, Detling aerodrome was bombed and five oil tanks at Thameshaven set on fire, which came to serve as a useful beacon despite the efforts of 43 and 303 Squadrons to prevent the bombing. During the engagement Flt. Lt. A. Rabagliati of 46 Sqn. took a four-cannon Hurricane, V7360, into action for the first time. Operating alongside 249 Squadron, No. 46 encountered Bf109s over the Thames Estuary, one being blown apart by cannon fire.

At night the Luftwaffe roamed almost with impunity over a wide area, many single aircraft overflying London's IAZ (Inner Artillery Zone). Bombs falling at Greenwich. 

Shops and buildings at Clifton, Bristol, were hit and four people killed, while at Liverpool bombs found the docks, Dunlop's Walton works, domestic buildings and shops in Bootle, Lime Street and Rainhill Mental Hospital. At Prescot, St. Helens, four died, and others in incidents at Birkenhead, Wallasey and Wigan.

Losses: Luftwaffe, 23; RAF 20.

Destroyer HMS Cottesmore launched.

Minelayer HMS Manxman launched. Corvettes HMS Larkspur and Aubretia launched.

Flower class corvette HMS Picotee is completed at Harland and Wolff at Belfast. (Debbie Laws)

NORTH SEA:
4,000 German troops are believed drowned when a British submarine torpedoes the transport ship 'Marion'. This later turns out to be a false rumour.

FRANCE: Vichy France breaks diplomatic relations with Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway.

     Blenheims of RAF 2 Group raid barges in Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk.

GERMANY: An irate Chancellor Adolf Hitler orders a new offensive by the Luftwaffe against Britain with no regard for the civilian population, with London as the primary target, after the RAF for the first time makes several night raids on Berlin, causing many civilian casualties.


LUXEMBOURG: The authorities adopt Germany's anti-Semitic Nuremburg Laws, and seize all Jewish-owned businesses.

     The government in exile breaks diplomatic relations with Vichy France.



ROMANIA: Having lost Bessarabia and northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union and Transylvania to Hungary, the Romanian government collapses. General Ion Antonescu assumes dictatorial powers in a coup and opens negotiations with the Fascist Iron Guard. Parliament is dissolved and the constitution is suspended. King Carol II flees the country tomorrow and his son, Michael V, became the new king.
 

AUSTRALIA: The first Australians leave Sydney, New South Wales, for Canada for training by the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. More than 10,000 Australian airmen will be trained in Canada during the war.



 

CANADA: The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division is formed and concentrated in the Maritimes at Camp Debart, Nova Scotia and Camp Sussex, New Brunswick.

Corvette HMCS Kenogami launched Port Arthur, Ontario. Minesweeper HMCS Malpeque launched North Vancouver, British Columbia.
 
 

U.S.A.: Corvette USS Fury launched. Destroyer USS Charles F Hughes commissioned.

COSTA RICA: The government offers Cocos Island to the U.S. for the defence of the Panama Canal.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: After months of negotiations, an agreement is announced for the transfer of 50 old but valuable US destroyers to the RN in exchange for bases in the West Indies and British Guinea. The first of them arrive in Britain towards the end of the month.

U-47 lost a man (MtrOGfr Heinrich Mantyk) overboard during use of the deck gun.
 


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