December 10th, 1940 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group: Four Blenheims of 105 Sqn., bomb the Focke-Wulf factory at Bremen, one enemy night fighter 'probably' shot down.
Britain loans £10 million to China.
GERMANY:
Berlin: Hitler issues a directive for the seizure of French military resources and the
future occupation of Vichy France (Operation Attila), and cancels plans to invade
Gibraltar via Spain (Operation Felix).
Chancellor Hitler tells the German arms workers there would be neither military nor economic defeat of Germany stating, "I am not a man who, once he is engaged in a fight, breaks it off to his own, disfavor."
U-125 launched.
EGYPT: The advance of the Western Desert Force commanded by Major General Richard O'Connor, is delayed by a sandstorm. General Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief Middle East Command, in the meantime withdraws the Indian 4th Division and sends it to the Sudan where he expects an attack. At first light the Coldstream Guards assault the Italian positions at Mersa Matruh, supported by heavy fire from the sea. Fighting continues all day and by 2200 hours local the Coldstream battalion headquarters signals that it was impossible to count the number of prisoners, but that "there were about five acres (2 hectares) of officers and 200 acres (81 hectares) of other ranks."
AUSTRALIA: Minesweeper
HMAS Ballarat launched.
U.S.A.:
Washington: Roosevelt announces that the export licence system will be extended to include
iron and steel.