September 25th, 1940 (WEDNESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - Scharnhorst at Kiel - Antwerp docks - power station at Berlin.
51 Sqn. Eleven aircraft to Berlin and Kiel. Five bombed Scharnhorst , two bombed Berlin, two bombed alternatives.
78 Sqn. Ten aircraft. Four bombed Scharnhorst , three bombed Antwerp, three did not bomb.
Battle of Britain:
The weather is cool but fair to fine in most areas. During the day, with the exception of attacks on Filton and Portland during the morning and an attack on Plymouth in the afternoon, Luftwaffe activity has been confined to small raids chiefly in the southeastern area. About 100 aircraft had massed in the Calais, France, area by 0900 hours but an attack did not materialize. In the main attacks, the proportion of fighters to bombers appears to have been approximately equal., attacked the Bristol Aeroplane Company's Works at Filton. Dispersal of the German invasion assembly released sufficient aircraft to reinforce Luftlotte (Air Fleet) 3 to allow it to resume large-scale daylight operations with a morning attack by 27 He 111s of Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55 or Bomber Wing 55) plus escorting fighters on the Bristol Aeroplane works at Filton at 1148 hours. The attack is made from 11,000 feet (3 353 meters) and all bombs are dropped simultaneously.
Three RAF fighter squadrons plus one section are despatched to intercept and all of them engaged, though only one squadron succeeded in doing so before the German aircraft reached the target. It is reported by Anti-aircraft Command that seven Ju 88s broke away from the main body flying to Filton, and made an unsuccessful dive bombing attack down to 500 feet (152 meters) on the oil tanks at Portland. Approximately 24 Luftwaffe bombers with an escort of 12 Me 110s crossed the coast at Start Point and attacked the Plymouth area at 1647 hours. Two sections of RAF fighters intercepted and dispersed this formation. Hostile reconnaissances, mostly of single aircraft, are plotted during the day as follows: (1) Over three convoys, one of which is reported to have been attacked and (2) London (three), Thames Estuary, Luton, Hatfield, Farnborough, Northolt, Kent, Sussex Coast, Bristol Channel, Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and east of Yarmouth. Some interceptions are effected and casualties inflicted. Patrols by German aircraft are frequent in the Straits.
During the night of 25/26 September, London, North Wales and Lancashire are attacked. German activity in the London area is widespread and steadily maintained throughout the night. Shortly after 1930 hours, raids began doming out of Le Havre, France, towards Portsmouth and made for London. These are followed by others from Cherbourg, France, which entered along the coast Westward from Beachy Head. Other raids from Holland came in over the Norfolk Coast and the Wash. Some of the later made a wide sweep and approached London from the North West. During this period, about 25 raids crossed the Coast, some of which flew to South Wales and one over Derby. Anti-aircraft in the Rochford area claim to have destroyed one Ju 88 at 1940 hours which is reported to have fallen into the sea. Between 2100 and 0100 hours, about 100 Luftwaffe aircraft came inland, 19 of which proceeded to the Midlands (as far North as the Mersey) and to the West Country and South Wales. After 2300 hours, raids ceased to approach London from East Anglia, the points of entry being between Dungeness and the Isle of Wight. Many raids appeared to return via the Estuary to the Dutch Coast. After midnight, about nine aircraft from the Dutch Coast circled in the outer Thames Estuary and may have been engaged on a shipping search or minelaying operations. At 0115 hours, a new series of about 20 raids started approaching from Holland and made for the London Area, but some remained in the Thames Estuary and these, to, may have been minelaying. By 0530 hours, the last raids from the London area had recrossed the South Coast. In addition to the activity mentioned above, there have been a few raids in Lincolnshire, the Humber area and in the South West. There has been no activity in the North of England or in Scotland.
RAF Fighter Command claims 22-8-10 aircraft and anti-aircraft batteries claim 4-0-2. The RAF loses four aircraft with two pilots killed or missing.By day Plymouth, Portland and Filton (Bristol) are bombed by heavily escorted bombers aiming for aircraft factories. At night London, South Wales and Lancashire are bombed.
Dispersal of the invasion assembly released sufficient aircraft to reinforce Luftlotte 3 to allow it to resume large-scale daylight operations with a morning attack by He-111s of KG 55 on the Bristol Aeroplane works at Filton. No. 10 Group, after incorrect intelligence indications had pointed to Raid 22H attacking Yeovil, positioned squadrons of fighters accordingly. As a result 90 tons of HEs and 24 oil bombs caused serious damage to Filton's aero engine and airframe works as well as nearby villages and communications. Casualties amounted to 60 dead and 150 injured before Nos. 152 and 238 Squadrons struck down at least three of the withdrawing Heinkels and AA gunners another. Several Ju88s of LG1 later dive-bombed oil installations at Portland and Plymouth, where a crane was destroyed.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 13; RAF, 4.
Under the dispersal plans Vickers prototype Wellingtons including the high-altitude models are flown to Squires Gate airfield in Blackpool, Lancashire.
Destroyer HMS Quentin laid down.
BELGIUM: RAF Bomber Command 4 Group (Whitley): Bombs the docks at Antwerp. (Andy Etherington)
NORWAY: The Reichs Commissioner for Norway, Terboven, deposes the King of Norway formally and appoints Vidkun Quisling to head the new Norwegian government.
GERMANY: U-581 and U-582 laid down.
WEST AFRICA:
Dakar: The bombardment of the town continues but HMS Resolution
(09) is torpedoed and badly
damaged by Vichy submarine 'Beveziers' and HMS Barham is hit by Richilieu's 15in gunfire.
At this point the operation is abandoned and the Anglo-French forces withdraw.
The pro-Vichy police in the meantime are rounding up Allied sympathisers, and Senegal's black middle class, which demonstrated in support of de Gaulle, is paying the price.
It was the pro-Allied street demonstrations and an unsuccessful naval mutiny that persuaded the Allies that Senegal was fertile ground for the Free French. An so it was. Then the pro-Allied Governor was replaced by the present Governor Boisson and the colony was purged of Free French sympathisers. Worse, the amphibious force arrived two days after three French cruisers had docked bringing with them reliable Vichy reinforcements - although the Royal Navy did prevent several more French warships from sailing further south to overawe the Free French supporters in French Equatorial Africa. For the Royal Navy failure is bad news since it fears that Dakar may become a German U-boat base.
GIBRALTAR:
The French bomb again. The French formation is reinforced by two escadrilles and two more bomber groups. A total of 83 bombers made their run in good weather from 3:00 to 4:15 PM., this time without fighter plane cover. The air crews reported stronger anti-aircraft fire than on the previous day. They met no fighters and dropped 56 metric tons of bombs. A LeO45 bomber of French 23 Squadron, 2nd Bomber Group based on Merknes, was shot down by AA and crashed into the sea with its air crew under Lt. Court. 13 bombers were slightly damaged. Scout aircraft confirmed hits on the base and harbour installations.
This raid was the largest French operation since the war broke out.
CANADA: AMC HMCS Prince Robert intercepted and seized German freighter Weser 9,472 GRT, 15kts, renamed SS Vancouver Island.
U.S.A.: Military intelligence reads the Japanese "Purple" code
for the first time.
The MIT Radiation Laboratory, where much Allied radar development would take place, comes
into formal existence with a budget of $455,000 for the first year of operation. (Cris
Wetton)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The last lifeboat
of survivors of the City of Benares sinking is picked up due to the actions
of Flight Lieutenant William Garing of No. 10 Squadron
RAAF. When he heard about the sinking
Garing himself worked out the likely course of winds and surface currents.
He still had to protect his own allocated convoys but flew flight paths that
would check these areas. Today, six days after the sinking, he found the one
remaining lifeboat with 46 survivors aboard. He could not break radio
silence so flew back to his convoy, even though this
meant he now did not have enough fuel to get home. He signalled his find to
another Sunderland and the lifeboat was later picked up by destroyer.
Husbanding his fuel, Garing ditched 10 miles from his base at Oban. He and
his crew were towed in. (Mike Mitchell)
U-29 sank SS Eurymedon in
Convoy OB-217.
U-43 sank SS Sulairia in
Convoy OB-217.
U-32 sank SS Mabriton in
Convoy OB-216.