1940 Updated 21/04/10

CANADA'S AIR WAR 1940 updated 21/04/10 January 1940 An order for 150 Short Stirling bombers is placed with Canadian Associated Aircraft Ltd. (Molson & Taylor). These aircraft were intended to be Stirling II bombers, using Wright Cyclone engines, but when these engines were installed and test flown in England the aircraft was found to be under-powered, so this version was never built (M.J.F. Bowyer). 242 (Canadian) Sqn. begins re-equipping with Hurricane I fighters (FE). The RCAF Flying Instructors School was transferred from Borden to Trenton, Ontario (E.A. Johnson et al). In Alberta, Buffalo National Park at Wainwright, Alberta, used to preserve Bison in Canada, was closed and the land given to the military for exercises. This was made formal in 1947 and the land transferred permanently (wikipedia). Plans are begun to open a training school for Polish aircrew in France (Falkowski). Sino-Japanese War, In China fighting between National Army and Communist forces reaches a peak before subsiding (but never ending) due to increased attacks by the Japanese Army (Oxford). In Germany the T.4 Program of secret and illegal euthanization of mental patients and those deemed "inferior" by the state continues. A co-ordinated effort was made to keep the deaths from becoming public, including fake letters to families and to private insurance companies reporting that the victims were living happy lives (Oxford). Even children with slight learning disabilities were included in the numbers killed (A. Beevor). See August, 1941. Monday 1 England calls up onewww.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca million men (CJCA headline). The age of conscription in England was raised to 27 (wikipedia). Air Training Command renamed #1 Training Command, headquartered in Toronto (CCMA). RCAF Overseas Headquarters formed in London, England (CCMA). It should be noted that the RCAF Overseas Headquarters was in charge of welfare of RCAF personnel serving in Europe, and later for pay and postings between RCAF units, but operational control of all Canadian squadrons overseas rested with the RAF (5th Year). First flight of the Yak-1 fighter, later developed into the Yak-3 and Yak-9 fighters (M.J.H. Taylor). This was a cantilever winged retractable gear monoplane fighter with an inline engine, fabric covered welded steel tube fuselage and wooden wings. Tuesday 2 P/O S.R. Henderson RAF (Can.) and W/C J.F. Griffiths RAF (Can.) were awarded the DFC, the first Canadians to be decorated in the war (CCMA). See July 4, below and May 9, 1945. Another daylight anti-warship reconnaissance by 17 Wellington Ia bombers, now with armour protection and self sealing fuel tanks, was intercepted by Bf 110 fighters off the German coast, which attacked a group of three bombers, quickly shooting down 2 (FE). As a result of this and the two similar losses of Wellingtons in December it was realized that the theory that numbers of bombers could protect themselves in daytime with mutual gunfire was flawed, and Bomber Command issued orders that made bombing by night their priority (S. Bond). See October 7, below. Wednesday 3 German U-boat secretly refuelled and provisioned from a moored German vessel at Cadiz, in neutral Spain (Polsson). See note, July, 1941. Winter War, Finnish aircraft drop leaflets over Leningrad (ww2total.com Chronology/1940). Thursday 4 #119 (BR) Sqn. RCAF transfers from Hamilton, Ontario to Jericho Beach, BC (RCAF Sqns.). First flight of the Fairey Fulmar naval fighter (Flypast, September 1986). This was a 2 seat all metal monoplane design for over water operations, larger than the Spitfire or Hurricane but using the same Merlin engine. Sunday 7 First restrictions of butter, bacon and sugar in Britain as food rationing begins (wikipedia; K. Farrington).www.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca It would continue until late 1954. Monday & Tuesday 8-9 First use of Wellington bomber equipped with a generator and a conductive ring to generate an electronic field, used to detonate German magnetic mines from very low altitude (ww2total.com Chronology/1940). Tuesday 9 Winter War, Finnish forces complete destruction of two Russian divisions surrounded in Finland at Lake Kianta (Polsson). The Finnish army is able to re-equip with the captured equipment (Oxford). soviet Liner MV Dunbar Castle hits a destroyer laid mine and sinks off England with the loss of 10 crew (K. Farrington). Wednesday 10 On this date Hitler decides that the long postponed invasion of France will take place Jan. 17 (LH). German troops were already beginning to move into position for this (FE), but it is thwarted when a German liaison Bf 108 aircraft becomes lost in a snowstorm and force lands in Belgium, also on this date. The crew, two officers of the German Airborne forces, raise suspicions when they attempt to destroy documents they were carrying, detailing the plans for the attack on France through Belgium (various sources). Based on the captured documents Belgium and Holland mobilize their forces, causing the planned invasion to be cancelled. The information was passed to the Allies, but they dismiss it as a fake (Polsson, FE). Belgium's King Leopold decides not to make an issue of the matter hoping Germany will alter it's plans and go around Belgium instead (Polsson). This incident forces Germany to seek a new plan to attack France, and delayed the attack by 4 months (LH), but it did not save Belgium. In Gander, Newfoundland, the staff is experimenting with compacted snow over the paved runways. The Harrow tanker G-AFRG makes the first test take-off on wheels from the snow covered runway on this date (C.F. Warren et al) 10 242 (Canadian) Sqn. Hurricane crashed in a snowstorm attempting a forced landing, F/O R. Coe RAF (Can.) killed. Just one month before he had married his fiance, Pauline Hazel Browne, who had traveled to England from Canada (H.A. Halliday). One of a flight of 6 Hurricanes being ferried to the Squadron, S/L F.M. Gobeil also force landed but was not hurt (C. Charland and H.A. Halliday at www.rafcommands.com). mid-January Winter War, Finnish commander General Mannerheim makes an informal request to England and France for 30,000 volunteer troops to help defend Finland from the anticipated spring attack by the USSR. soviet In Canada Sir Fredrickwww.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca Banting sends a 19 page memo to the National Research Council (NRC) and Canadian Military Headquarters on developments in bacterial warfare, which leads to Canadian research and development in this area (Polsson). Thursday 11 For security reasons Hitler orders that no person in the intelligence services is to be told more than they need to know (Oxford). (Possibly a reaction to the loss of the invasion plans the day before?). Although this is a sound basic principle for security for planned military operations it's rigid application to the gathering and analysis of information leads to misconceptions in planning. The problem arises that who decides what an analyst "needs" to know, and a lack of information sharing between various groups that might have yielded greater insights was precluded. There were thus no inter-service committees allowed in the German intelligence system to co-ordinate between groups gathering intelligence, to compare results, encourage speculation, or play "devil's advocate". The only person who was to be allowed access to all information gathered was Hitler himself, and what he saw was filtered by the gathering organizations. Without a second opinion, his view of the world became what he chose to believe (Oxford). This does not mean that various departments of the German military and police were ineffective at gathering information, but were hampered in the sharing of it. The result was that while tactical information was widely and effectively used, strategic appreciation of enemy intentions or capabilities was poor or biased. For example, misjudging of the will and ability of England to resist during the Battle of Britain, or the quality of the US military. It would also lead to the dismissal of valid information that did not fit Nazi beliefs, ie, that Germany was losing the war. And those accused of criticizing the German war effort could be charged, and if found guilty, executed, under German law. This reflected the Nazi ideology of will and force as superior to knowledge. This lack of coordination would continue until late in the war when German armies were placed on the defensive and needed to know what their enemies were planning (Oxford). Swedish "volunteer" fighter squadron using Gladiators begins operations in Finland (ww2total.com Chronology/1940). Soviet aircraft are being used to try and supply Russian divisions surrounded in Finland (ww2total.com Chronology/1940). Sunday 14 In New York Federal agents raided the Brooklyn headquarters of the Christian Front. This resulted in charges of plotting to overthrow the State against 17 members, many of them members of the US National Guard and military reserves. After a long trial 10 were acquittedwww.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca and the remaining 7 released due to hung juries (wikipedia, metapedia). This marked the end of the Christian Front as a major force in the New York area. It's spiritual leader, the radio preacher Father Coughlin, based in Detroit, had already disavowed himself from the group following it's mass rally with the German American Bund in February, 1938. See December 7, 1941. Monday 15 French Commanding General proposes opening a new front in Scandinavia, by landing forces in Norway and Finland (LH). This matches the strategic thinking of Churchill's proposal of December. Tuesday 16 Three RN submarines reported lost in operations off German coast (K. Farrington). 16 #3 SFTS, England, P/O J.A.

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