14^th August 1940

Historical

Cloudy weather again frustrated German attempts to send big raids against British airfields.  At noon, 300 aircraft flew over the Channel to attack Dover and Folkestone.  Simultaneously, Manston airfield in Kent was bombed for the second day running.  No. 65 squadron was engaged over Dover, so Manston was undefended apart from the 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns which shot down two Messerschmitt Bf110’s.   Later RAF Middle Wallop in Hampshire was bombed by Stukas and Heinkels. 

Bombing damaged the sloop HMS Kingfisher and the tug Carbon in Portland Harbour.

In total the Germans lost thirty aircraft while the RAF lost three Spitfires and five Hurricanes.

The British hold off Italian attacks at Tug Argan in Somaliland.  Major-General Godwin-Austen requested permission from General Wavell (Commander-in-Chief Middle East) to withdraw from British Somaliland.

Three British motor torpedo boats and the destroyers HMS Malcolm and Verity engaged three German motor torpedo boats (Schnellboote) escorting a convoy of six trawlers off Texel Island, Holland.  One Schnellboot and one trawler were sunk.

Off the north coast of Ireland, U-59  sank the British steamer Betty, carrying 2,726 tons of rice from China to Liverpool.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved Rainbow No. 4, an emergency plan to defend the entire Western Hemisphere from attack. The plan required a massive number of soldiers and would have mobilized the National Guard and Reserves as well as introduced conscription.

Nazi administrator Gustav Simon abrogated the Constitution of Luxembourg, banned all opposition parties and made German the only official language there.

Game day 349.  Britain and the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth began to ramp up war production.  Two destroyers were launched on the west coast of Britain and two freighters in South Africa.  Two new fighter units were deployed in the UK.  In Australia two armoured units became available.  A destroyer and freighter were launched in Eastern Canada.  An industrial complex was completed in New Zealand.  Five infantry units were deployed in Transjordan.

In the north-east Atlantic three British submarines maintained their patrols searching for enemy submarines or raiders.  One was located to the east of Scotland and engaged, but the British submarine was sunk.  The Aircraft carrier bound for Malta reached the Bay of Biscay.  Two troopships left Southampton for Egypt carrying one armoured and two infantry units.

In the Mediterranean the three British Battleships were made aware of the flight of the two French battleships from Marseilles and pursued them.  In the resulting gunfight each side lost one ship.  Three more battleships sailed south from the Bay of Biscay to the West African coast.

Two convoys departed from Canada and rendezvoused south of Newfoundland (Map ref 25,37) to form a single group of one Canadian destroyer and a freighter carrying an armoured unit, two British battleships and two freighters carrying six resource points for Britain

The battleship which left Britain some weeks ago finally reached Singapore. The unescorted convoy in the Indian Ocean continued towards Australia.

In Egypt the Commonwealth forces held on against the Italians but did not attack.  To the south a total of fourteen infantry units attacked six Italian infantry at map ref 70,65 from three sides.  The Italians lost two units and retreated eastwards.