Battle of Britain:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group. 78 Sqn. 1
aircraft crashed on landing at Linton-on-Ouse. Crew
safe. 51 Sqn. 1
aircraft ditched 120 miles off Firth of Forth on return from Bremen. 1 crew
member killed, over 5 safe.
Bombing - Bremen shipyards - industrial targets at Berlin.
51 Sqn. Nine
aircraft to Bremen. One returned early, six bombed primary. One badly damaged and
ditched on return, four rescued, one drowned.
58 Sqn. Four
aircraft. Three bombed primary, one bombed Wesermunde.
78 Sqn. Four
aircraft to Berlin. Two bombed primary, two bombed alternatives. Three
aircraft to
Bremen, all bombed successfully.
2 Group: 101 Sqn. Invasion barges at Antwerp. 1
aircraft FTR. Two crew saved.
RAF Fighter Command: Thames Estuary and Southampton are attacked. Major attack with some
200 bombers on London frustrated by 11 and 12 Groups, jettisoned bombs damaging suburbs
widely.
There are scattered showers and thundery in the east but the English. Channel is fair. During the day, one main attack is made in the afternoon by some 300 aircraft in the direction of Thames Estuary/South London and Biggin Hill but only a section penetrated to Central London. There are also a number of enemy reconnaissances, mostly over Convoys on East Coast. In the East, one raid is reported to have made an early morning attack on a Trawler, 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Lowestoft. Four raids made a reconnaissance of convoys off East Anglian Coast, of which one also penetrated to Bury St Edmunds. Two raids crossed Lincolnshire Coast. Interception is made by without success. In the South East, one early raid to Clacton and another from Beachy Head to Central London and back over Hastings. Later in the morning a raid of three aircraft approached the Kent coast. Fighters unsuccessfully attempted interception. Apart from patrols in Calais/Boulogne, France, area, there is little Luftwaffe activity until 1605 hours when formations began to mass in Calais/Boulogne area. From 1655 hours an attack in force on the South East crossed the Coast between North Foreland and Cover. German strength is estimated at some 300 aircraft amongst which there are reported to have been six four-engined aircraft with strong fighter escort. Up to 1730 hours the main trend is towards the Estuary and South London, though one raid of about 35 aircraft penetrated to Central London. A general drift Westwards then developed, and small raids are plotted as far West as Salisbury. The Luftwaffe withdrew in small groups and during this period Dover is shelled. 24 Squadrons of fighters are detailed to this attack, inflicting heavy casualties, and an intercepted instruction from Gruppe Headquarters read "Break off task if fighter opposition is too strong." Later it is reported that shipping off Dover is attacked by enemy seaplanes with fighter escort.
During the night of 9/10 September, the main target is London, including the City and West End. The usual stream of raids started to come out of Cherbourg and the Somme, France, about 2000 hours, crossing the coast between Isle of Wight and Dungeness, all proceeding to the London area, where again four to five raids are maintained for most of the period. From about 0230 hours the method of approach changed and activity increased. Raids have by this time practically ceased to come out of French Coast and are replaced by a larger series of raids from the Dutch Islands via the Thames Estuary into the London area, homing over Dungeness. Soon after 0430 hours the last raids are leaving the London Area and by 0455 hours the country is clear of enemy raids. There are a few raids before midnight in South Wales, Bristol, Midlands and one to Liverpool, and later raids spread up the East Coast with a few penetrations inland. Minelaying is suspected between Newcastle and Middlesborough. Dover is reported to have been shelled several times during the night.
Today, RAF Fighter Command claimed 50-9-13 Luftwaffe aircraft and antiaircraft batteries claimed 2-2-0 aircraft; the RAF lost 20 aircraft with five pilots killed or missing.Losses: Luftwaffe, 28; RAF, 19.
Destroyers HMS Clare, Churchill, Chesterfield, Chelsea,
Castleton, Campbeltown, Cameron and Caldwell commissioned.
NORTH SEA: Cruiser HMS Galatea is damaged by an acoustic mine in the Thames Estuary.
FRANCE: The French light cruisers FR Gloire, Montcalm and Georges Leygues and their destroyer escort leave Toulon, France, for Dakar, French West Africa. They reach Dakar safely on 14 September.
GERMANY:
Berlin: Hitler postpones the invasion of England until 24 September.
The Luftwaffe General Staff announces that the demise of Fighter Command is near, and
issues new instructions for the systematic destruction of London. Luftlotte 2 will
undertake daylight raids against key military and commercial targets in Greater London,
while Luftlotte 3 would bomb the areas of government and docks.
The Germans warn that all ships in the war zones defined by the Axis powers are
subject to attack.
PALESTINE:
Italian planes bomb Tel Aviv.
INDIA: In Pondicherry, French Governor Bonvin
proclaims the French Settlements in India's adhesion to Free France.
CANADA: The Second Victory Loan campaign begins to raise CDN$300 million (US$249 million).
U.S.A.:
A Naval Appropriations bill becomes law in the US. This 5.5
billion dollar authorization will provide 210 new ships including 7 battleships
and 12 carriers.
The first 8 overage USN destroyers in the destroyers-for-bases deal, are
transferred to the RN at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
USS Aaron Ward (DD-132), commissioned as HMS Castleton (I-23), USS Buchanan (DD-131), commissioned as HMS Campbeltown (I-42), USS Abel P. Upshur (DD-193), commissioned as HMS Clare (I-14), USS Welles (DD-257), commissioned as HMS Cameron (I-05), USS Welborn C. Wood (DD-195), commissioned as HMS Chesterfield (I-28), and USS Hale (DD-133), commissioned as HMS Caldwell (I-20), part of the destroyers-for-bases deal.
USS Crowninshield (DD-134), is commissioned as HMS Chelsea (I-35), and USS Herndon (DD-198), is commissioned as HMS Churchill (I-45). In 1944 Chelsea as Dzerki and Churchill as Dyatelnyi will be transferred to Russia as Dzerki and returned to the Royal Navy in 1949. Churchill will be the last war loss of the class and the only one of the destroyers transferred to Russia to be lost. (Ron Babuka)
Don McNeill and Alice Marble win the national tennis titles at Forrest Hills, New York.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-28 sank SS Mardinian in
Convoy SC-2.
U-47 sank SS Possidon in Convoy
SC-2.