Eighty years on. 10th August 1940.

Historical

Göring’s planned offensive against RAF airfields was cancelled due to bad weather.  Clouds, squalls and thunderstorms precluded much flying.  The Luftwaffe mounted reconnaissance patrols and sporadic attacks on isolated trawlers and merchant ships.  Overnight the Germans dropped mines at several points on the coast of Britain.

Despite the threat of invasion, Winston Churchill ordered three tank regiments to be sent to North Africa.

In the mid-Atlantic, 300 miles south-west of the Azores,  the German armed merchant cruiser Widder stopped the Finnish barque Killoran.  The steel-hulled 3 mast sailing ship built in 1900 was carrying a British-owned cargo of 2,500 tons of maize and 500 tons of sugar from Buenos Aires to Las Palmas. Although most of Widder’s crew was against sinking the old sailing ship, Widder’s surgeon wanted a dramatic finale for the film of the voyage he was making.  He persuaded Captain Ruckteschell to blow up Killoran with all sails still set, after taking off Killoran’s 18 crew.

The British troopship SS Neuralia left Gibraltar, escorted by destroyer HMS Gallant, with 2,000 civilian evacuees bound for the Portuguese island of Madeira 600 miles west in the Atlantic.

Just off the north coast of Scotland, the Dutch MV Albula and American steamer Crescent City collided in convoy OA-196.  MV Albula sank after the entire crew was taken off by British destroyer HMS Jaguar. (This sounds very similar to an incident in the novel “The Good Shepherd” –now “Greyhound” – by C. S. Forester.)

20 miles North of Ireland the British armed merchant cruiser HMS Transylvania was hit with U-56’s last torpedo but stayed afloat.  The Destroyer HMS Ashanti and several trawlers rescued 300 survivors before Transylvania was taken in tow but later sank.

The Japanese blockade of China was extended to southern China.

The U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, John Cudahy, was recalled from his post for “consultation”.  The British “Daily Mail” newspaper quoted him as saying, “I do not retract one word from what I said.”

In Vienna, Baldur von Schirach was appointed “Gauleiter” (Regional Governor).  Artur Axmann was appointed “Reich Jungenfuehrer” (Youth Leader).

Vichy France offered 200 pilots to Germany to help fight the “Kanalkampf”.

Game day 345.  Free France

The Free French collected 2.5 Resource Points in Algeria and Indo-China.  No action was undertaken apart from beginning construction of a factory in Indo-China.