9 Oct 1940
- HMS Cumberland relieved HM Cruiser Sheffield as escort of military convoy to Middle East. ww2dbase [Cumberland | DS]
- German submarine U-103 attacked Allied convoy SC-6, sinking Greek ships Zannes Gounaris (1 killed) and Delphin (all survived) and damaging British ship Graigwen (7 killed, 27 survived). U-103 was subjected to a depth charge attack, but escaped unharmed. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | CPC]
- British minesweeping trawler HMS Sea King hit a mine and sank 28 miles east of Grimsby, England, United Kingdom; 14 were killed. ww2dbase [North Sea | CPC]
- Seeadler completed her patrol off the Isle of Wight, southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Seeadler | English Channel | CPC]
- British Albacore biplanes of No. 829 Squadron from Royal Navy station HMS Peregrine attacked Brest, France overnight, damaging German destroyers Eckholdt, Lody, and Riedel with near misses. 1 Albacore aircraft was shot down with its three crew captured, including squadron commander Lieutenant Commander Stevinson. ww2dbase [Brest, Bretagne | CPC]
- Alessandro Malaspina departed Bordeaux, France at 1420 hours for her second war patrol. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]
- British submarine HMS Regent hit Italian merchant ship Antonietta Costa 20 miles west of Durrës, Albania with a torpedo; Antonietta Costa did not sink but went aground and was lost 10 miles off the coast near Durrës. ww2dbase [Adriatic Sea | CPC]
- The occupation government in the Netherlands banned Jews and half-Jews from public employment. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | CPC]
- German troops began to secure oil fields in Romania, which was vital for the German war effort. ww2dbase [Soviet Demands on Romania and the Second Vienna Arbitration | CPC]
- Winston Churchill became the head of British Conservative Party. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | England | TH]
- German fighter-bombers dropped bombs in London, Maidstone, Hastings, Falmouth, and other British towns. 3 German fighters and 1 German Ju 88 bomber was shot down, while the British lost 1 fighter with the pilot unhurt. Overnight, London, Liverpool, and Manchester were bombed; St. Paul's Cathedral in London was hit, destroying choir stalls and the High Altar but the building was not structurally damaged. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
- Harold George was promoted to the rank of colonel. ww2dbase [Harold George | CPC]
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
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