October 5th, 1940 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain: The Luftwaffe attacks with larger formations of aircraft than has been their custom during the last few days. Most of their activity is again concentrated on Kent and Sussex and some of the coastal towns that suffered yesterday are again bombed today. Owing to indiscriminate bombing, most of the damage is mainly confined to house property, although the railways at Gillingham and Lewes receive slight damage. In the evening, London is again the main objective and a large fire is started at the West India Dock. Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire are also visited. RAF Fighter Command claim 22-5-16 Luftwaffe aircraft; the RAF lose nine aircraft with two pilots missing.West Malling and Detling airfields are attacked and Southampton is bombed without opposition in the air.
Fighter Command flies 1,175 sorties - a record.
A single raider starts a fire at Hawker's Kingston factory, and New Cross (London) telephone exchange is also seriously damaged.
With better weather today, Bf109s and 110s operate high over Kent and London, then KG77 mounts an afternoon raid on Southampton.
The Bf110s of Erpro 210 attack the new airfield at West Malling offering the Polish pilots of 303 Squadron an opportunity they seized eagerly. Four of the 110s, including the Kommandeur, were shot down and two more crash-landed with injured crews in the Pas de Calais.
To set against this success, 607 Squadron from Tangmere was bounced by 109s over Swanage and four Spitfires shot down, all pilots surviving unhurt.
Losses: Luftwaffe, 13; RAF, 8.
London: The Lord Mayor's Air Raid Relief fund has raised £5 million.
GERMANY: U-214 is laid down.
U-657 is laid down.
JAPAN: Tokyo: Prime Minister, Prince Konoye, warns that war with the US is
inevitable if the US goes on seeing the Axis as hostile. "If the United
States refuses to understand the real intention of Japan, Germany, and Italy
in concluding an alliance for positive cooperation in creating a new world
order and persists in challenging those powers in the belief that the accord
is a hostile action, . . ."
CANADA: The fourth group of ships
involved in the destroyers-for-bases agreement--USS Branch (DD-197), USS Hunt
(DD-194), USS Mason (DD-191), USS Satterlee (DD-190), USS Laub (DD-263), USS
Aulick (DD-258), USS Edwards (DD-265) and USS McLanahan (DD-264)--arrive at
Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Corvette HMCS SHEDIAC and corvette HMCS PICTOU are laid down at Lauzon, Province of Quebec.
Patrol craft HMCS Vison is commissioned.
U.S.A.: * Secretary of the Navy Knox places all Organized Reserve divisions and aviation squadrons of the Organized Reserve on short notice for call to active duty and grants authority to call fleet reservists as necessary. Before this date, Naval Reserve personnel had been ordered to active duty on a voluntary basis only.
He also denounces the Tripartite Pact.
Submarine USS GATO is laid down.
Following the premiere of "Knute Rockne-All American" yesterday in South Bend, Indiana, the two stars, Pat O'Brien and Ronald Reagan, attend a Notre Dame football game where Kate Smith sings "God Bless America" at halftime.