October 24th, 1940 (THURSDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain: It is overcast and hazy in the English Channel, but clearing to a starlit night. During the day Luftwaffe activity is again on a small scale and is principally carried out by single aircraft. In Hayes, Middlesex, England, bombs are dropped at 1434 hours and a serious fire is started at the works of the Fairey Aviation Co, where the main store is damaged. There are five casualties and production is expected to be temporarily affected. At night, activity commences at about 1920 hours and is not severe with the exception of Birmingham which receives the main force of the attack which is attacked at 1953 hours during which many high explosive and incendiary bombs are dropped causing 90 fires, some of which are serious.. Elsewhere, including London, bombing is of a minor nature. RAF Fighter Command claims 2-0-2 German aircraft; there are no RAF loses. Losses: Luftwaffe, 8; RAF, 4.The first war operation of the Corpo Aereo Italiano in the bombing of England is the bombardment of Harwich by sixteen Br.20s. One of the bombers is lost on take-off and two more were lost upon return, being abandoned by their crews with no more fuel, after a long and unsuccessful night search of their bases. (Ferdinando d'Amico)
The Government issues an order to make the time be one hour in advance of Greenwich Mean Time throughout the year.
VICHY FRANCE: Hitler and Petain meet at Montoire. Pétain agrees to collaborate against Britain, in return for compensation in Africa and a high place in the New Europe.
GERMANY: During the night of 24/25 October, RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons bomb Hamburg starting 13 fires but the loss of life is slight.
LIBYA: Fleet Air Arm Swordfish aircraft flying from shore bases in North Africa, bombed Tobruk and mined the harbour.
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Dauphin launched Montreal, Province of Quebec.
Destroyer HMCS Annapolis damaged by a boiler room fire. Annapolis was under repair in Halifax until the end of Jan 41 and again from Mar 41 until the end of May 41. The unfamiliar boiler systems of the Town-class destroyers made them a substantial Maintenance problem for the RCN. Several members of the group suffered engineering fires and other breakdowns due to improper operation by their novice Canadian crews.
U.S.A.: Roosevelt requisitions 60 Seversky P-35 fighters, which were destined for Sweden, for the USAAF. These aircraft will be sent to the Philippines for the USAAF 34th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) at Del Carmen Field, Luzon where they are designated as P-35As.
Washington [via State Dept.]:
From the President to the Former Naval Person:
Very strong representation had already been made to the French Ambassador. I have now had conveyed to him a personal message from me to the following effect for immediate communication to his Government:
In the opinion of the United States Government the fact that the French Government alleges that it is under duress and consequently cannot act except to a very limited degree as a free agent is in no sense to be considered as justifying any course on the part of the French Government which would provide assistance to Germany and her allies in their war against the British Empire. The fact that a government is a prisoner of war of another power does not justify such a prisoner in serving its conqueror in operations against its former ally.
The 40-hour work week goes into effect under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
COLOMBIA: The German 11-knot freighter SS Helgoland (3,700 GRT) broke out of the Colombian port of Puerto Columbia. She eluded pursuit by Clemson-class destroyers USS Bainbridge (DD-246), Overton (DD-239) and Sturtevant (DD-240) from the USN Gulf Neutrality Patrol, and passed into the open sea through the Antilles Islands near St. Thomas, on 03 Nov. Helgoland reached St. Nazaire on 30 Nov. This was one of the most daring and successful exploits by a German blockade-runner during the Second World War.