November 27th, 1940 (WEDNESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:The Vichy government are invited to economic discussions.
Glasgow: Sir Kingsley Wood, Chancellor of the Exchequer, says that Britain's average daily war expenditures have risen from £5,300,000 for the first year to £9,100,000 for the first 77 days of the second year.
Bristol: Last night German air raiders, coming over at the rate of one a minute, made their fourth attack in three days.
RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: 105 Sqn. ( Blenheim) 8 aircraft to Cologne and a 'freshman' flight to Boulogne. Six claimed to bomb Cologne. On return one crew after getting permission to land at Swanton Morley, flew off too low towards the radio beacon and crashed. One crew got lost in dense cloud and ran out of fuel, bailing out near Manchester, 200 miles from base.
Corvette HMS Borage laid down.
Corvette HMS Lavender launched.
Submarine HMS Uproar launched.
GERMANY: U-150 commissioned.
ROMANIA: Bucharest: Pro-Nazi Iron Guards massacre 64 former aides of the exiled king.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Battle of Cape Spartivento:
South of Sardinia, HMS Ark Royal's aircraft sight an Italian force with two battleships and seven heavy cruisers. Force H, now joined by HMS Ramillies, sails to meet them. In an hour-long exchange of gunfire HMS Renown and the cruisers are in action, during which time HMS Berwick is damaged and an Italian destroyer badly hit. The slower HMS Ramillies has not come up by the time the Italians have turned back for home. Adm Somerville pursues them but as he approaches their shores has to turn back himself. The convoys arrive safely.
Admiral Somerville is later subjected to a board of inquiry for not continuing after the Italians. He is soon exonerated. (Ric Pelvin)
EGYPT: Telegram from Wavell to Churchill:
1. Will undertake Compass in spite of risks involved.
2. Possibility of landing on coast has been considered, ... neither Navy nor myself are very hopeful of results.
PACIFIC OCEAN: The 16,710 ton New Zealand passenger liner MV Rangitane is sunk by gunfire from the German auxiliary cruiser H.K. Orion (Ship 36 also known as Raider A by the British) about 443 nautical miles (820 kilometers) east of Auckland, New Zealand, in position 37.00S, 176.00W. The ship, en route from Auckland to Liverpool, England, is the largest passenger liner to be sunk by surface raiders during WWII. Rangitane had encountered the Orion, auxiliary cruiser H.K. Komet (Ship 45 and known to the British as Raider B) and the supply ship Kulmerland at about 0320 hours. (The same ships had encountered and sunk the freighter SS Holmwood two days ago.) Rangitane is carrying 311 people, including 36 women passengers) and only 16 die. During the next three weeks the Germans sink six more ships and have over 600 prisoners. The ships head for Emirau Island in the St. Matthias Island group and releases 512 men, women and children; they are eventually rescued by the Australians. A bout 150 men are held as prisoners as returned to Germany as POWs.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-95 sank SS Irene Maria in Convoy OB-248.
U-104 sank SS Diplomat of Convoy HX-88.
U-104 damaged SS Charles F Meyer in Convoy HX-87.
Canadian Government ship Lisieux (an ex-French schooner) foundered in a gale in the North Atlantic. There were 12 survivors from her crew of 29 men.
HMC MTB grounded off Richibucto, New Brunswick.