October 2nd, 1940 (WEDNESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain:Bf109s operating at altitude over south-east England. Mixture of fighter and fighter-bomber variants to bomb London before RAF can react.
50 daylight raiders also relied upon cloud and rain cover to mask their approach to London. One Do17 was shot down by the Hurricanes of 17 Squadron near RAF Pulham.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 10; RAF, 1.
Destroyer HMS Zetland laid down.
USS Mason (DD-191), commissioned as HMS Broadwater (H-81), part of the destroyers-for-bases deal. (Ron Babuka)
GERMANY: U-136 laid down.
GREECE: Two light cruisers, the Australian HMAS Sydney (D 48) and the British HMS Orion (85), bombarded Italian defenses on Stampalia Island in the Aegean Sea.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: The Royal Navy completes a sweep of the eastern
Mediterranean, during which additional forces are landed on Malta. Today, destroyers HMS
Havock and HMS Hasty sink submarine 'Berillo' off Sollum.
CANADA: Armed yacht
HMCS Wolf commissioned.
Armed yacht HMCS Vison arrived Halifax
from conversion and arming at Pictou, Nova Scotia.
U.S.A.: Baseball.
Submarine USS Tuna launched.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-32 sank SS Kayeson. After attacking Kayeson, the submerged U-32 collided with the ship and sustained damage to her bow.