September 13th, 1940 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:Battle of Britain: The weather is unsettled. During the day, Luftwaffe activity is on a light scale, but during the morning small raids are continuously active over Kent and the London area. Bad visibility hindered interception by RAF fighters. As a result of an SOS signal a fighter sweep is carried out 20 miles (32 kilometers) North-east of Kinnairds Head, but no reports of interception have been received.
In the South East from 0730 hours, a number of raids, mostly by single aircraft, crossed the Coast between Hastings and Beachy Head and penetrated to the Thames Estuary and London area. Up to 0930 hours some six such raids are reported, but thereafter a steady stream of raids developed, most of which originated from the Dieppe, France, area. It is reported that German aircraft crossed the Coast at the rate of one about every eight minutes. One raid penetrated to Chelmsford, but practically all the others proceeded to the South London area, returning to Dieppe, France.
Between 1300 and 1500 hours, these scattered raids continued and appeared to have as their objectives, Biggin Hill and targets in mid Kent. One raid is plotted towards Rochford, and one raid, reported to be a long-nosed Blenheim, attacked Dover Harbour. From 1500 hours until night operations began, Luftwaffe activity consisted chiefly of reconnaissance flights between North Foreland and Beachy Head. In the South and South West in the early morning, one raid flew parallel to the Coast from 15 miles (24 kilometers) South of Selsey Bill, westwards into Lyme Bay. Between 1300 and 1500 hours, three raids are active from Selsey Bill to Tangmere, and there are three reconnaissances in the Straits between Dungeness and Foreness. At 1800 hours, one reconnaissance is made from Boulogne, France, along the Coast to the Isle of Wight. In the West, a vessel is attacked off Copeland Light (Near Belfast) at 0650 hours, by an aircraft reported to be a four-engined bomber.During the night of 13/14 September, there are renewed attacks against London and Buckingham Palace is again hit. German activity commences at about 2045 hours when hostile raids are plotted leaving the Cherbourg, France, area. From 2100 to 0030 hours, raids originated from the Cherbourg, Dieppe and Calais/Boulogne, France, areas. The main objective is London but a few raids are active over East Anglia and Duxford area. One raid is plotted in the Firth of Forth. Between 2300 and 0100 hours, about four raids from the Channel Islands flew to Bristol Channel and South Wales.By 0130 hours, activity had practically ceased, but at 0200 hours a second wave originating from the Dutch Islands approached London from the North-east, having crossed the Coast between Clacton and Harwich. Luftwaffe activity continued over London and North of the Thames Estuary until 0525 hours when all raids had finally withdrawn.
RAF Fighter Command claims 2-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft and antiaircraft batteries claim 2-0-3 aircraft; the RAF lost a Hurricane of which the pilot is safe.
RAF Fighter Command: Small daylight raids on London, causing little damage. At night
London is raided.
Buckingham Palace is again hit. At 11:10 building is straddled by a stick of six bombs
dropped by a low-flying aircraft. Two of these burst in the Quadrangle, some eighty yards
from the window behind which the King and Queen were discussing the day's arrangements
with the King's secretary, Sir Alexander Hardinge. The blast showered them with broken
glass.
Two other bombs fell in the forecourt. One wrecked the Royal Chapel and one exploded
harmlessly in the garden.
Other raids include one on Belfast Loch and incendiaries are dropped on Bangor, NI.
Ten bombs dropped on Eastbourne's centre start large fires and cause 20 casualties.
At West Ham (London) the Ravenshill School where homeless were being accommodated is hit mid-morning and 50 casualties result.
The main eight-hour raid on London commences at 20:45. Although only five night fighter sorties are flown, Flg Off M.J. Herrick in ZK-A of 25 Squadron manages to bring down a He-111H 5J+BL of 3/KG 4 near North Weald.
The battleships HMS Rodney and HMS Nelson at Rosyth in Scotland, and HMS Revenge at Plymouth move to likely invasion sites. HMS Hood is at Rosyth.
Luxury liner SS City of Benares leaves Liverpool with British
children being evacuated to Canada to escape World War II. The ship is
torpedoed by U-boat during the night about 600 miles out to sea; only 13 of
the over 90 children survive.
NORTH AFRICA:
An Italian offensive starts at Sollum, on the border of Libya and Egypt.
After months of prodding by a Mussolini hungry for victory, Marshal
Rodolfo Marquis Graziani's Italian 10th army with over 200,000 men, is
making a ponderous advance in North Africa and has finally crossed the barbed-wire fence
that marks the Egyptian border with Libya. Bells are being rung in Rome to celebrate the
capture of Sollum, a tiny settlement of mud huts.
Graziani has insisted on "digging in" at frequent points along the coastal road,
harassed continually by British defenders.
The attack on British forces in Egypt was to coincide with Operation
Sealion (the invasion of England by Germany). When it became apparent to
Benito Mussolini that "Sealion" was postponed indefinitely, he
orders Marshal Graziani, Governor-General of Libya and Commander in Chief
North Africa, to launch an attack into Egypt by the seven divisions of his
10th Army. British tanks and armored cars make bold attacks into Libya,
forcing the Italians to transfer troops from the 5th Army to the 10th and
acquiring 2,500 motor vehicles and gaining the delivery of 70 M-11 medium
tanks from Italy. The British retreat to buy time and receive
reinforcements. After four days and a 60 mile (97 kilometer) advance into
Egypt, Graziani halts his attack due to logistics. Graziani was now 80 miles
(129 kilometres) west of the British defenses in Mersa Matruh; to risk going
any farther, Graziani said, would risk being defeated until supplies were
available. Mussolini, angered over the sudden stop of the 10th Army, urges
Graziani to continue 300 miles (483 kilometres) into the port of Alexandria.
Graziani is appalled. Eventually Field Marshal Pietro Badoglio, Chief of the
Supreme General Staff, promises 1,000 tanks to Graziani but this promise is
never kept. The recent military operations in Ethiopia and Spain drained
Italy of many needed supplies and equipment and Graziani is forced to change
his attack plan and he cannot penetrate further than Sidi Barrani.
EAST AFRICA:
Italian troops from Ethiopia advance 20 miles into the British colony of Kenya.
CHINA:
Pre-production Mitsubishi A6M2, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter Model 11s,
assigned to the 12th Rengo Kokutai (12th Combined Naval Air Corps), are
flown in combat for the first time over Chungking, China. The Japanese
pilots destroy 99 Chinese aircraft for the loss of two A6M2s to ground fire.
U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Kearny commissioned.