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Catalogue Reference:cab/66/12/35 Image Reference:0001 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

SECRET ^ Copy No.

W.P. (40) 405 (Also Paper No. 0.0.S. (40) 801)

October 4, 1940

TO BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY.

It is requested that special care may be taken to ensure the secrecy of this document,

WAR CABINET

WEEKLY RESUME (No. 57) of the NAVAL, MILITARY AND AIR -SITUATION from 12 noon September 26th to 12 noon October 3rd, 1940

[Circulated with the approval of the Chiefs of Staff.)

Cabinet War Room NAYAL SITUATION. General Review. There has been some activity by enemy destroyers in the Channel. U-Boats have continued to cause many casualties to shipping in the North-Western Approaches. Attacks by enemy aircraft on shipping on the East Coast have increased. British naval forces have been active in the Eastern Mediterranean. The naval force which was operating off Dakar has returned to Freetown.

Home Waters. 2. During the week, in addition to the nightly anti-invasion patrols in the Channel and southern North Sea, three sweeps have been carried out by our destroyers off the French coast to the Eastward of Ushant, but no contacts were made. On the evening of the 29th enemy destroyers were reported and gunfire was heard off Plymouth. Three destroyers, reinforced later by H.M.S. Emerald and one destroyer, were sent to investigate, but nothing was sighted. Subsequently, the wreckage of H.M. Yacht Sappho was found in St. AustelTs Bay. 3. H.M. Monitor Erebus bombarded Calais during the night of the 29th-30th September. On the 1st October H.M. Submarine Swordfish, on patrol off Cherbourg, attacked four small destroyers steaming west, and believes one hit was made. Dover was shelled on three occasions during the week, but no naval casualties have been reported. One hit was made on the detached breakwater. During an air raid on the 27th one naval officer was seriously wounded. 4. On the evening of the 25th September M.T.B. 6 developed a serious leak and sank off Beachy Head. The officers and crew, who were Norwegians, were landed at Newhaven. On the 26th M.T.B. 17 was slightly damaged by a mine in the Thames Estuary, and during the night of the 27th/28th H.M. Trawler Recoil was sunk off Portland, probably by a mine. On the 27th H.M. Minesweeper Halcyon struck a mine off the Tees, but was able to proceed to Middlesborough, and on the morning of the 30th H.M. Corvette Mallard off Harwich was bombed and seriously damaged. H.M. destroyer Campbeltown (one of the ex-American destroyers) was damaged coming alongside at Belfast and will require docking. The battleship King George V was commissioned at the Tyne on the 1st October. 5. During an air raid on Liverpool during the night of the 26th/27th September five berths in the South Docks were temporarily put out of action. Many warehouses and repair shops were damaged or burnt out and two merchant ships were damaged by fire. On the night of the 27th an attack by incendiary bombs on Milford Haven Mine Depot caused no damage. Slight damage was caused by bombs at the Royal Victualling Yard, Deptford. On the 2nd October Mere Oil Fuel Depot near Portland was attacked by a single aircraft, which dropped an unexploded bomb between the tanks.

Norway. 6. On the 28th September a force of heavy ships accompanied by destroyers carried out a sweep off the Norwegian coast in search of enemy units reported in this vicinity, but nothing was sighted.

Mediterranean. 7. On the 22nd September H.M. Submarine Osiris sank an Italian destroyer 47 miles North-East of Brindisi. On the 29th the Fleet left Alexandria to cover the passage of reinforcements and R.A.F. stores in two cruisers to Malta. A small Mge&n convoy also sailed under cover of this operation. On the morning of the 30th aircraft from H.M.S. Illustrious sighted a large enemy force of battleships, cruisers and destroyers over a hundred miles to the Northward of our fleet steering for Taranto at high speed. It was not possible to intercept them. Between the 29th September and the 2nd October attacks were made with bombs and torpedoes by enemy aircraft on our fleet, which, however, sustained no damage. Four enemy aircraft were shot down; three of our Fulmar aircraft made forced landings. On the 29th two Swordfish of the Fleet Air Arm successfully attacked two merchant ships with a destroyer escort at Jezira el Marasheb.

West Africa. 8. The Free French forces under General de Gaulle arrived at Freetown on the 27th, and the British naval forces with H.M.S. Resolution in tow of H.M.S. Barham on the 29th. Temporary repairs to H.M.S. Cumberland have been effected, but dockyard assistance is considered necessary at an early date. The damage caused to the other ships is not serious and temporary repairs are being carried out at Freetown. French aircraft flew over Freetown on the 27th and 28th September and have daily reconnoitred the harbour at Bathurst. A fleet reconnaissance aircraft was unsuccessfully attacked 200 miles north-west of Konakri. On the 28th a report was received from Tangier (which later proved to be incorrect) that a French force, including the battleship Richelieu, had left Dakar, and H.M.S. Renown, with four destroyers, was ordered to intercept them. On the 1st October ah air reconnaissance of Dakar showed that the Richelieu was still in the inner harbour with three destroyers, one submarine and one sloop. Two Gloire class cruisers were in the outer harbour, and tugs were standing by a Fantasque class destroyer which was beached near Rufisque,

Aden. 9. On the 27th September the French S.S. Esperance was intercepted south of Aden and ordered in under an aimed guard.

Anti-Submarine Operations. 10. In Home Waters ten attacks, of which two were by" aircraft, were carried out during the week without visible result. In the Mediterranean a destroyer and two A/S trawlers sent to attack four submarines, which had been reported by aircraft southward of Malta, failed to locate them. On the night of the 29th-30th September H.M.A.S. Stuart, 60 miles off Alexandria, made a series of attacks on a U-boat which forced her to the surface, whereupon she was bombed by a flying-boat and sank after the crew had abandoned her. Another U-boat was sunk on the 2nd October by H.M. Destroyers Havock and Hasty in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Enemy attack on Seaborne Trade. 11. During the period 80,000 tons of shipping have been sunk by enemy action, and in addition two ships (14,000 tons) have been included which were sunk previously but not reported, making a total of 88,000 tons. Seven British (50,506 tons) and three Norwegian ships (11,721 tons) were sunk by U-boats in the North-Western Approaches, and one Spanish ship (4,291 tons) was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean. One small Dutch schoot was mined, and two British ships (13,236 tons) sunk by aircraft. East Coast convoys have been attacked by aircraft with increased frequency, particularly in the vicinity of Kinnaird Head. Two ships have been sunk and three damaged by these attacks. The British S.S. Sussex (11,063 tons) was bombed and machine-gunned by four aircraft 340 miles west of the Bloody Foreland arid slightly damaged. Full details will be found in Appendix I. [21795] B Losses of Merchant Vessels due to Marine Risks during the first year of the war. 12. The monthly rate of British tonnage lost by marine risk during the first year of the war was 24,000 tons, which is the same as the average monthly losses from this cause during the years 1914-18, but the corresponding peace-time figure for the average of the eight years preceding this war was only 7,000 tons. The average monthly rate of loss of foreign tonnage during the first year of this war was 31,000 tons. Here again this figure is about the same as the relative figure for the years 1914-18 (viz., 32,000 tons) as compared with 21,000 tons for the average monthly loss during the eight years preceding the present war. A graph showing a comparison of Marine Risks in Peace and War for British Allied and Neutral shipping during the first year of the war is attached at the end of this Resume.

Protection of Seaborne Trade. 13. 807 ships, including 103 Allied and 35 neutral, were convoyed during the week ending noon the 2nd October, of which two were sunk by U-boats and two by aircraft. Five other ships were torpedoed and sunk after they had dispersed from outward-bound convoys. Ten armed merchant cruisers, 33 destroyers, 14 sloops and 24 corvettes were employed on escort duties. 125 ships, of which 105 were British, have been lost in convoy since the commencment of hostilities and, of these, 65 have been sunk since the 1st July, 1940. During June, July and August 233 British of 1,835,705 tons and 57 Allied and neutral ships of 183,501 tons have arrived in home ports unescorted. Imports into Great Britain by ships in convoy during the week ending the 28th September totalled 799,188 tons, compared with 830,794 tons for the previous week. Seven tankers brought 66,855 tons of oil of various grades. Mineral imports were 291,646 tons, or 5,117 tons more than last week. Of these 212,779 tons were iron ore, pig iron, scrap iron and steel. Timber and wood pulp imports were 98,864 tons and cereals were 192,307 tons, 19 ships being fully laden with grain. This is 78,958 tons more than last week. Other food imports amounted to 93,890 tons, or 56,988 tons more than last week.

Enemy Intelligence. German. 14. Air reconnaissance on the 28th September showed Gneisenau, Scharnhorst and Lutzow in dock at Kiel and that the new battleship Bismarck and an 8-inch cruiser—possibly the Prinz Eugen—had left the port. It is possible that Scharnhorst's return to the floating dock after coming out and lying alongside may be the result of the air attacks on the 26th September. The new battleship Tirpitz, which had emerged from the Bauhaven at Wilhelmshaven, has now gone into the floating dock there, and the new cruiser Seydlitz is still completing at Bremen. A report states that the cruisers Emden, Koln and Nurnberg, together with a ship which may be Admiral Scheer, were at Swinemunde on the 21st September, and another report gave a Hipper-class cruiser with destroyers in company proceeding northward on a line between Skagen and the Paternoster Light on the 25th September. This latter report also gave the Hipper-class cruiser southward bound a day or two later. The disposition of German destroyers seems to be five or six in the Brest and six to eight in Home Waters. The disposition of barges and merchant shipping in the '' invasion ports '' remains very much as last week. The barge concentrations are fairly evenly distributed from Flushing to Havre, with the larger ships at Havre, Rotterdam, and Antwerp, and naval ships at Rotterdam and Havre. There has been some indication of a movement of barges and shipping and certainly of naval ships westward to Cherbourg, Brest and round the peninsular of Brittany to Lorient. U-boats have again been active in the North-Western Approaches, and at least two have been working over 300 miles west of the Irish Coast. On the 27th September there were ten U-boats reported in Lorient, and seven were still there two days later. Italian. 15. On the 28th September aircraft reconnaissance reported that the bulk of the Italian main units were in Taranto. Reports from submarines state that there is considerable convoy activity between Bari and Durazzo. There have been reports of Italian submarines between Gibraltar and the Azores, otherwise there has been little sign of activity. Enquiries have been made through Bucharest about survivors of the Italian submarine Provana, said to have been sunk by a French warship in the Mediterranean on the 2nd July.

German Merchant Shipping. 16. It has been reported that instructions have been sent to fifteen specified ships, ten of them in non-European ports, to carry out running repairs and main­ tain seaworthiness so that they may sail at any time. The ships referred to are in the following ports : four at Kobe, two at Yokohama, one at Shanghai, one at Tampico, one at Paita, Peru, one at Massawa, three at Venice, one at Trieste, and one at Malaga. The last of these, the Tirpitz, 7,970 tons, completed bunkering on the 27th September. The tanker Antarjtis, 10,711 tons, which is at Vigo, embarked two 10-ton lorry loads of cases, all similar, on the 27th September. She has tested her engines fairly recently. The Weser, 9,179 tons, sailed from Manzanillo, Mexico, at 2345 on the 25th September. Twenty minutes later she was intercepted and captured by H.M.C.S. Prince Robert She is being escorted to Esquimalt, B.C., where she is expected to arrive on the 3rd October. She had on board 19,000 barrels of diesel oil fuel, 600 drums of lubricating oil and 2^ tons of provisions. The Regensburg, 8,068 tons, left Yokohama in a great hurry on the evening of the 27th September. She is believed to have had fresh provisions for only five days on board.

British Minelaying. 17. On the 28th September H.M.S. Plover and the Dutch Van der Zaan laid 170 mines in the Straits of Dover, and on the 30th September a deep minefield of 2,103 mines was laid in the North-Western Approaches by the First Minelaying Squadron. Mines were laid during the week by aircraft in the mouths of Jade and Weser Rivers and at Lorient.

Enemy Minelaying and British Minesweeping. 18. Enemy destroyers laid a contact minefield east of Falmouth during the night of the 28th/29th September. This has caused one casualty, an A/S Special Service Trawler; two other mines in this area have been exploded by Oropesa trawlers. Two groups of Oropesa trawlers are being sent to strengthen mine­ sweeping forces in the Western Approaches. With reference to the suggested new type of '' accoustic mine '' mentioned last week, though there is at present no confirmation of its existence, similar explosions have occurred near ships during the past week. It is considered probable that the sinking of a small Dutch ship in the Firth of Forth on the 29th September was due to a mine of this type. H.M.S. Halcyon was damaged aft by a mine, also presumed to be of this type, when leaving the Tees on the 27th September. Nineteen mines of this suspected type have been exploded up to date, and three more have caused the loss of ships. Six LL trawlers are being­ fitted with minesweeping gear, which it is hoped will be able to deal with this type of mine. The magnetic mine total on the 2nd October was 679, of which LL sweep had accounted for 457. This total excludes those dealt with on land. The contact mine total has risen to 531, an increase of two. It is intended, eventually, to sweep the coastal channel round Scotland ahead of Convoys. The 5th Minesweeping Flotilla has been allocated to Rosyth from the Humber, and will practice this form of sweep with convoys between Rosyth and the Pentland Firth. Information from a Finnish source states that both German and Russia!) minefields have been laid off Petsamo. A dangerous area due to mines has been declared about 9 miles south-east of Delimara Point, Malta. At the close of the period covered in tihis report the following ports were closed, due to enemy mines : the Hoy entrance to Scapa, the approaches to Rosyth, Tyne, Falmouth and the Kyles of Bute.

MILITARY SITUATION. Germany. Distribution of German Divisions. 19. Although divisions are constantly being moved, the total number in each area does not appear to have changed in the past few weeks.

Italy and Italian Possessions. 20. The Italian advance in Egypt has not proceeded further east than Sidi Barrani, where the frontier is being consolidated and probably prepared for use as an advanced base. There has been considerable movement of M.T. in the L. of C. area, and perimeter camps, containing large numbers of M.T., have been established inland from the coast. There are, at present, no indications of a threat to the Sudan from Libya. 21. Attention is again drawn to the Italian concentrations in Italian East Africa. On the Sudan frontier strong garrisons are at Elghena, Cassala, Metemma and Kunmuk. Opposite Kenya the Italians have adequate forces along the east-west and north-south sides of the Mandera triangle. Previous reports stated that offensive action might commence at the end of September or the 1st October, andjthe threat is in no way diminished.

The Balkan States. Greece. 22. The military situation vis-a-vis Italy remains calm. In consequence, however, of reports of increased Italian troop concentrations in Albania, Greek forces have been strengthened in the regions of Epirus and Fiorina. It is also reported that all Army, Navy and Air Force leave was cancelled on the 28th September.

Roumania. 23. There are indications that difficulties between General Antonescu and the Iron Guard are coming to a head. The GeneraFs immediate tasks are to reorganise the army and to moderate the Iron Guard. The latter party, though divided internally, is gaining many undesirable adherents and it would seem, from press reports of the expulsion of all Britons and the assassination of twelve policemen at Galatz, that they are also gaining the upper hand. The internal situation thus threatens to deteriorate rapidly. Although it has been generally believed that Germany's interests would be best served by a stable Roumanian Government, there are now certain indications that her faith in the maintenance of any such government may have waned.

Iceland. 24. One battalion of the Durham Light Infantry has arrived in the area Hunafloi-Borganes as a garrison.

Malta. 25. Reinforcements of approximately 1,000 men, which include one Battery Heavy AA . and 720 infantry drafts have arrived in Malta from Alexandria. The Middle East. Egypt, Sudan and East Africa. 26. There has been no change in the operational situation during the week. 3rd New Zealand Brigade and 2,550 Australian reinforcements arrived at Suez on the 29th September. A Brigade Group less one battalion arrived at Port Sudan on the 24th September.

West Africa. 27. Approval has been given for the establishment of a Signal Training Centre at Accra. G.O.C. West Africa has requested approval in principle for the establishment of the following new corps to be incorporated with the Royal West African Frontier Force, and asked that the necessary steps to legalise and name them be gone into :— The Corps of West African Engineers. The West African Signal Corps. The West African Army Service Corps. The West African Army Medical Corps. The West African Army Ordnance Corps. General de Gaulle has proposed that a battalion of Senegalese troops should be raised in Sierra Leone under Major Allegret for operation in French Guinea.

AIR SITUATION. General Review. 28. During the week our night-bombing attacks have been greatly increased against military, industrial, oil and communications targets in Germany. Enemy attacks have been on a heavy scale on two days only, and the intensity of his night bombing has been somewhat reduced. Both by day and night enemy attacks have been mainly against South-East England and, considering the operations as a whole, the damage caused to production and the general war effort has been very small in proportion to the effort expended. 29. Our operations in the Mediterranean and Middle East have continued on a similar scale to the previous week, but those of the Italians have been exceedingly light. 30. Operational aircraft casualties are recorded in Appendix VI, and Appendix VII contains further extracts from Raid Assessment Reports.

Great Britain. 31. During this period the scale of operations of the German Air Force was very similar to the preceding two weeks. Widespread night bombing in the London area was continued, but on a somewhat reduced scale, and was con­ centrated more on the Western outskirts of the capital, the East End and the London Docks being almost neglected. Attacks have continued against the Mersey-side Docks and in the Liverpool area. There has been a marked decrease in operations against South Wales. 32. By day the heaviest attacks were made on the 27th and the 30th September, when approximately 850 and 650 enemy aircraft operated over this country; our fighters destroyed 133 enemy aircraft on the first occasion, and 46 on the second. During the remainder of the week enemy activity was on a comparatively small scale. Numerous aerodromes were attacked and several aircraft factories, the principal being the Supermarine Works at Southampton and the De Havilland Works at Hatfield, which was subjected to a severe dive­ bombing attack on the morning of the 3rd October. This aircraft was shot down by light anti-aircraft fire and the crew captured. 33. The average scale of attack by night has been about 220 and that by day approximately 410, a very high proportion by day being fighters. By day there has been no penetration in- strength in the London area, all raids have shown a [21795] c marked tendency to disperse on being intercepted by our fighters, and generally have dropped their bombs indiscriminately over a wide area, principally in Kent and Sussex. Enemy aircraft also appear to be disinclined to press home their attacks in the face of the heavy anti-aircraft barrage. During the week Fighter Command have flown an average of approximately 40 sorties each night and a total of 904 patrols, involving 5,230 sorties, by day. Details of casualties are given in Appendix VI.

Enemy Territory in Europe. 34. While the weather conditions throughout the week have not generally been favourable for either day or night attacks, the scale of operations has not been greatly reduced; Bomber Command flew 71 day and 653 night sorties. Numerous marshalling yards, oil, shipping and industrial targets have been attacked in Germany, and the Berlin area has been visited on three occasions, while a heavy scale of attack has been maintained against the Channel ports. Successful daylight attacks were made on Calais, Ostend and Dunkirk, and a number of small ships Avere bombed off the Dutch coast. 35. The operations against the Channel ports, in which Coastal Command also took part, were principally directed against Calais, Dunkirk, Boulogne, Havre and Ostend, a lighter scale of attack being made against Flushing, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Rotterdam. Fecamp and ,Cherbourg. On the nights of the 26th/27th and 27th/28th September particularly heavy attacks were made against Havre, many violent explosions being caused and large fires started; three aircraft reported further explosions when they were 60 or 70 miles on their return journey. Further operations against Havre and the attacks on the other ports were also very successful; although in some cases results could not be observed it is considered that very extensive damage was done. A heavy attack was made against the submarine base at Lorient, thirty heavy bombers taking part; many largefireswer e caused and explosions were seen among buildings and on the docks. On a number of occasions the gun emplacements at Cap Gris Nez were attacked. 36. The largest operation against targets in the Berlin area was made on the night of the 30th/1st, when forty-two heavy bombers were despatched; a military objective in central Berlin was heavily attacked and many direct hits were reported on this target. On the same night the power stations at Klingen­ berg and Charlottenburg, the B.M.W. factory at Spandau, a central railway station and the yards at Schoneberg were located and attacked. On two other occasions attacks were made on industrial targets in the Berlin area, but on a lighter scale. In an attack on warships at Kiel it is believed that Scharnhorst was hit, and an attack was also made on Tirpitz at Wilhelmshaven, but results were not observed. Attacks on communications included both the old and new aqueducts on the Dortmund-Ems Canal and most of the principal marshalling yards in Western Germany. It is believed that at Mannheim an ammunition train was blown up; but in many cases, on account of intense darkness and low cloud, results could not be observed. A number of synthetic oil plants, including those at Leuna, Gelsenkirchen, Misburg, Sterkradeholten and Stettin, were successfully attacked. The Bosch factory at Stuttgart, the aluminium works at Bitterfeld, the nickel works at Hanau, near Frankfort, the Fokker factory at Amsterdam, Krupps works at Essen, and numerous other industrial targets and aerodromes were also successfully located and attacked.

North Sea and Coastal. 37. During the week 352 anti-invasion and anti-submarine patrols and photographic and offensive reconnaissances, involving 634 sorties, were flown, and escorts were provided for 132 convoys. During these operations eleven of our aircraft had encounters with the enemy, resulting in two enemy aircraft being destroyed. Bomber Command flew daily a North Sea Sweep, destroying one and probably two Do. 18 flying boats. On the 25th September a lifeboat from the City of Benares was sighted by a Sunderland, resulting in the survivors being rescued. Minelaying continued during the week, on one occasion flares being dropped to facilitate these operations. The seaplane base at Mok and the naval base at Helder were attacked. During daylight a number of merchant vessels and barges were attacked, but definite results were not observed. 38. During the week minelaying was continued by enemy aircraft. Eight convoys between' Kinnaird Head and the Thames Estuary were attacked, two attacks being also made on shipping about 340 miles west of Bloody Foreland. Bomber reconnaissance aircraft were very active, covering a wide area, including the Shetlands, South Wales, the Bay of Biscay, and the west coast of Ireland; the usual routine meteorological flights were maintained.

Middle East and Mediterranean. Malta. 39. On the 27th September nine bombers, escorted by fifteen fighters, dropped bombs on Luqa Aerodrome, damage was done to the runways, several buildings and to two unserviceable aircraft; one bomber and one fighter were shot down.

Egypt and Libya. 40. Enemy aircraft were attacked on the landing grounds at Sollum, El Gazala, Maraua and at a point 10 miles west of Barrani, and a number of aircraft were destroyed and others damaged. The harbour at Tobruk was attacked; large fires were started and a ship is believed to have been hit. Con­ centrations of mechanised transport were attacked at Giarabub, and in the vicinity of Barrani. On information received from a prisoner of war and later confirmed, water storage tanks were attacked on two occasions at Buq Buq and direct hits made, a number of heavy bombs being droppped in the target area. The fort at Giarabub was attacked, a direct hit causing a cloud of black smoke. In the course of these operations a number of enemy aircraft were encountered and some were shot down. Fleet Air Arm operations are recorded in the Naval Section. Italian air activitjr has been almost negligible, and the only attacks of any importance were those on British naval units, reported in the Naval Section.

Sudan, Aden and East A frica. 41. During the week both our own aircraft and those of the South African Air Force carried out a number of successful operations. The power house at Macaaca was attacked, and six Blenheims made a successful dive-bombing attack on the aerodrome at Dessie. Assab was attacked on six occasions, direct hits being made on sheds and buildings. Three attacks were made on Gura, and two on Mai Adaga. A very successful attack was carried out by six Blenheims against the Col de Har tunnel on the Jibuti railway, a direct hit being made on the tunnel entrance with a 500-lb. bomb. Two further attacks were made on the Jibuti railway; at Aisha station a stick of bombs burst along a train and the line is believed blocked. 42. Enemy air activity was on a minor scale. A single aircraft attacked Aden, and a number of enemy aircraft attacked forward troop positions at Gallabat, but in neither case were damage or casualties caused. One aircraft attacked Rozieres, on the Blue Nile, and buildings were slightly damaged.

Palestine. 43. On the 29th September ten unidentified aircraft dropped bombs on Haifa, damaging a water tank and telephone and power wires. Naval sources report that one of these aircraft was damaged by anti-aircraft fire and landed at Beirut; the pilot was German and the crew of five, Italians.

Air Intelligence. Italy. 44. Italian press reports hail the new seaplane station which is being built at Rome as the largest in Europe. Morocco. 45. The French Air Force in Morocco is reported to be short of bombs, and though this statement must be accepted with some reserve, it is unlikely that attacks on Gibraltar, if continued, would maintain the intensity of that of the 25th September. French losses in the two engagements total three confirmed and two probable, of which two aircraft fell in Spanish territory. It is alleged that before the attack the French Government sought the agreement of the Spanish Government to violation of the neutrality of Spanish Morocco, and that permission for this was refused. Some confirmation of this is provided by the fact that the aircraft were engaged by Spanish A.A. guns.

Roumania. 46. Germany has refused to deliver any further aircraft or spares to Roumania, but has offered to send four complete fighter squadrons with German personnel. Bulgaria. 47. Bulgarian aircraft from Yamboli are reported to patrol the coast from Bourgas to the Turkish frontier almost daily. The report adds that German airmen are invariably carried as passengers.

Spain. 48. There are indications that the air strength in the Balearic Islands will shortly be reduced to normal and the aircraft transferred to Southern Spain and Morocco. This may be in connection with possible operations against French Morocco, but it may also be for the purpose of relieving the congestion and difficulties of maintenance in the Balearics, which have been in evidence since reinforcements went there in May and June.

Japan. 49. There is good reason to believe that the Japanese have already established a base for heavy bombers in Indo-China, to which they are moving some of their Air Force from Nanning, hitherto their main base in the interior of Kwangsi. No information is yet available as to the numbers of aircraft or units involved. It may, however, be assumed that the force will contain a high propor­ tion of heavy bombers, since it is a declared intention of the Japanese to under­ take intensive bombing of the Burma Road, for which these bases will undoubtedly be used. There are already press reports of a heavy raid on Kunming, which is the Chinese terminus of this route.

HOME SECURITY SITUATION. General. 50. The details of enemy aircraft activity over this country are dealt with under Air Situation.

Damage. 51.—(a) Aerodromes have been attacked every day except on the 29th. On the 27th a. hangar was damaged at Filton, but otherwise the effect of these attacks has not been serious. (b) Several attacks were made on aircraft factories and serious damage was done to the Super-Marine Aviation Co. (Messrs. Vickers Armstrong^ Works) at Southampton on the 26th September and to the De Havilland works at Hatfield on the morning of the 3rd October. In both cases direct hits by H.E. were registered on workshops. (c) London railways have again suffered a good deal of damage, but though widespread throughout the area this has not been so serious as in previous weeks. Stations hit include Kentish Town, Cricklewood and Ealing Broadway, and among the lines affected the most important are those between London Bridge and Waterloo, London Bridge and Charing Cross, Brixton and Loughborough Junction, and Wandsworth and Clapham Junction. On the night of the 29th/30th both the up and down main lines and the relief lines at Acton were put out of action. (d) In other parts of the country railways have been damaged at Filton (Bristol), Coppenhall (Crewe to Liverpool line), Eastbourne and Sherborne. The railway station at Maidstone was hit on the 27th. (e) Other military objectives damaged by enemy action include the Liverpool Docks (twice), Irongate Wharf (Paddington), Oil tanks at Portland, and the Chelsea Barracks. (/) Damage to industry other than in (b) above has been fairly widely distributed and has been largely due to fires started by incendiary bombs. But ) in most cases it has not been very serious and has caused only temporary interruption. The firms most seriously affected are almost all in the London area. They are Muller and Co. (Acton), Thames Ammunition Works (Crayford), S. & Gr. Brown (N. Acton), Johnson & Son (Hendon), Smith & Sons (Motor Accessories), Tampiers (Cricklewood), the Cork Manufacturing Co., Manganese Bronze (E. 4), Messrs. Crosse and Blackwells, Messrs. Ruston and Hornsby of Grantham and the Standard Motor Co. of Coventry: (g) There has, as usual, been considerable damage to civilian property and main services in the London area, particularly in Wandsworth, Hendon, St. Pancras, Hornchurch, Acton, Southwark and Cricklewood. The explosion of parachute mines caused much damage at Chingford and Southall and dive­ bombing did considerable damage to houses at Greenford. Elsewhere in the country the South Coast towns, particularly Dover, Eastbourne (twice), Bexhill and Hastings suffered badly, and considerable civilian damage was also inflicted at Sherborne, Maidstone, Lowestof t, Ipswich, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Civilian Casualties. 52. The approximate figures for week ending 0600 hours the 2nd October are :—' Killed, 2,000; wounded, 2,800. These figures included 1,700 killed and 1,600 wounded in London. Parachute Mines and Bombs. 53.— (a) About a hundred parachute mines have been reported during this period, principally from the London and Cambridge Regions. Some sixty of these mines have failed to explode. The naval parties who have dealt with them have shown the greatest efficiency and courage, and have sustained a number of casualties. Thoir.worlr rorrhTCi nn public- recugTfiliun, owing L6' the paramomrt jfreeefl&i-FEY-trf'lI0r- *TFFF,01'm'IL'l'gl"tfeiex'mnfy^lCTt-^grTTgrTr3r^f these mfflgb have FAILED *eF^5pfed^. Since the 17th September just under 300 parachute mines have been dropped on land. Of these, approximately a third exploded on impact and of the rest 125 have been rendered safe. (b) Though the unexploded bomb problem remains, it seems now to be rather less acute. The issue of memoranda on the identification of unexploded bomb craters and on evacuation appears to have reduced the number of erroneous reports and restricted the extent of evacuation from their neighbourhood. (c) There are some indications that a higher proportion of heavy calibre bombs is now being used particularly against London. A number of 1,000 kilo, bombs have been reported, and in many cases these have penetrated very deeply and have completely demolished the buildings, hit. This depth of penetration seems also to have directed the blast upwards so that buildings very close by have been only slightly damaged. This may also account for the small proportion of injured to killed in a number of recent incidents.

Civil Defence Operations. 54.—*(a) During the past week the cumulative effect of enemy action over London made it necessary to reinforce the resources of the public utility companies, particularly those dealing with gas and water, if repairs Were to keep

[21795] . D pace with damage. As an interim measure some 90 men were obtained urgently from the Birmingham Region to assist in the repair of gas mains, and a similar number to help repair water mains, and arrangements are being made for six companies (1,560 skilled men) from the Royal Engineers to help with public utility repairs. (6) The need for dealing rapidly with the increasing amount of debris in London has also been considered and the loan of 5,000 men from the Auxiliary Military Pioneers has been arranged. (c) Road and railway repairs have been effected promptly and most damaged communications quickly reopened, though on occasion the railways, which have more vital points than roads, have been faced with damage which will take a considerable time to put right. (d) Some figures may be of interest on the taking of shelter in London Underground Stations. On one night (30th September/lst October), 112,925 were reported by the police as having taken shelter in the London underground stations. This, though a formidable figure, is less than many people have supposed, and represents only a very small proportion of the population. No disorder was reported from any station, and one Police Division says that there is now a decrease in the number of young able-bodied men who go to the tube stations at night.

Morale. 55.—(a) The continuance of German attacks upon London, their appearance in daylight, and their resumption upon the provinces have had, in general, no fundamental ill-effect upon the heart of the nation. There is now a real and vindictive demand for reprisals, and the savage dislike of Germany is deepening. (b) The most marked feature is the cool toleration of inconveniences, and even disasters, and the adjustment of ordinary life to the new conditions, but there is evidence of anxiety over the approach of winter. The recent appoint­ ments of Special Commissioners, and the announcements of the development of shelter policy and evacuation have had a reassuring effect. (c) The dislocation of essential services by causing discomfort has affected people far more than the death and destruction resulting from the raids. Self­ adjustment to loss of sleep is particularly noticeable. Many people get more than formerly, though it is less comfortable, for they go so early to their shelters. (d) Surface shelters are not at the moment fashionable, because of the disasters which have befallen some of them. They are still, however, generally considered as much better than nothing. There is, nevertheless, evidence that larger numbers of people are remaining in their own homes for warmth and comfort, even when they do not possess cellars or ground-floor rooms. (e) In general, there is no food complication, but there has been great difficulty over warmth and cooking in the most affected areas. The small cafes and eating houses, by ceasing to function, have much embarrassed local populations, but this situation is being rectified. APPENDIX I.

Ships sunk by Submarines.

Name and In Convoy Date. Nationality. Cargo. From- To- How sunk. Position. Tonnage. or not. Fate of Crew and Remarks.

Sept. 24 ... Mabriton British ... jILK. Canada Torpedo Dispersed from Outside the N.W. 25 survfvors. :(6,694 tons) convoy Approaches I Sept. 25 ... EuTymedon ,i British Java Torpedo Yes 400 miles West of 64 survivors. (6,223 tons) General..,! U.K. of Ireland

-Sept. 26 ... Tancred... ..J Norwegian.. TJ.S.A. Torpedo Dispersed from Off the West coast All crew rescued. . (6,094 tons) U.K. convoy of Ireland

Sept. 26 .. Stratford British West Indies Torpedo Yes 100 miles N.W. of the 32 survivors, 2 killed. ,-(4,753 tons) tanker ILK. Bloody Foreland

Sept. 26 ... Gorrientes British Canada Torpedo Dispersed from 600 miles West of (6,863 tons) TJ.K. convoy Ireland.

Sept. 27 .. Asgerd ... Norwegian... Torpedo Straggler from 90 miles N.W. of (1,308 tons) convoy Malin Head. About Sept 27 .. Manchester British ILK. Canada Torpedo Yes North of Ireland 4 survivors landed at Gibraltar. Brigade (6,042 tons)

Sept. 28 .. Empire Ocelot... British Ballast U.K. U.S.A. Torpedo Dispersed from 450 miles West of the 33 survivors. (5,759 tons) convoy Bloody Foreland

Sept. 28 .. Vestvard Norwegian... ILK. Canada Torpedo Dispersed from 300 miles West of 38 survivors, 1 killed. (4,319 tons) convoy' Ireland

Sept. 28 .. Monti Moncayo Spanish Torpedo Not Oil Cagliari, Sardinia 4 killed. (4,291 tons)

Oct. 1 ... Highland Patriot British Meat ...! Buenos ILK. Torpedo Not 300 miles S,W. of J 136 survivors (14,172 tons) Aires Slyne Head Ships Mined.

Name and In Convoy Date. v Nationality, Cargo. From— To ­ Position. Fate of Crew and Remarks. ! : Tonnage. or not.

Sept. 29 .. Arizona ',' ... Dutch ;Coal Blyth Methil Fjrth of Forth - \ ... 3 saved, 5 missing. (398 tons). Sohoot

Ships sunk by Aircraft.

* Name and In Convoy Date. Nationality. Cargo. From— To - How sunk. Position. Fate of Crew and Remarks. . . Tonnage. or not.

8 killed, 10 missing. Previously Sept. 16 ... Aska ...... British Nigeria ILK. Bombed ... Not Off Mull (8,823 tons) - reported damaged in Weekly R^sum^ No. 55.

Sept. 26 ... Port Denison ... British Methil Liverpool ... Bombed and Yes... OffPeterhead (8.043 tons) machine­ 96 survivors. Set on fire. 1 gunned t-c,. ' Sept. 28 ... Dalveen... British Grain Canada U.K. Bombed ... Yes Off Kinnaird Head ... (5,198 tons) 31 survivors, 12 missing.

Ship sunk by unknown cause.

Sept. 16 ... Stad Schiedam Dutch Explosion ... 2 days out from Ber- 12 survivors, 20 missing. (5,918 tons) 1 muda be Ships Damaged by Enemy Action, but NOT Sunk. h-l

Name and Nature of In Convoy Date. Nationality. Cargo. From— To - Position. Fate of Crew and Eemarks. Tonnage. Attack. or not.

Sept. 26 ... Ashantian British ILK. West Africa Torpedo Yes 100 miles West of the 25 survivors. 1 injured. Arrived in (4,917 tons) from U-boat Bloody Foreland Clyde.

Sept. 26 .. Welsh Prince ... British Yes No casualties. Calling at Scapa for (5,149 tons) Aircraft East of Peterhead ... repairs.

Sept. 26 ... Diplomat British (8,240 tons) Aircraft In Liverpool Damaged by fire.

Sept. 26 ... Peterton British (5,221 tons) Aircraft In Liverpool... Damaged by fire.

Sept. 26 ... West Kedron ... British (5,621 tons) Aircraft Damaged by fire.

Sept. 28 ... Queen City British Steel ... Canada ILK. Yes Off Kinnaird Head ... No casualties. Considerably damaged. Aircraft (4,814 tons) Berthed at Aberdeen.

Sept. 30 ... Sussex ... British N.W. approaches Some minor casualties. Damaged by Aircraft (11,063 tons) fire.

Sept. 30 ... Empire Success British General... ILK. Straggle r Off Peterhead 1 killed. 4 injured. Aircraft (6,009 tons) from convoy

Oct. 2 ... Kayeson British ILK. South Torpedo Dispersed 700 miles S.W. of (4,606 tons) America from U-boat from convoy Slyne Head APPENDIX II.

Number and Tonnage of Mercantile Vessels sunk up to Noon, Wednesday, October 2, 1940.

British. No: Tonnage Neutral. No. Tonnage By Submarine ...... 197 1,050,686 By Submarine 149 478,235 Mine 107 335,079 Mine 81 235,398 "Surface craft ... 38 178,363 Surface craft ... 2 2,069 Aircraft... 85 243,808 Aircraft... 25 68,415 Other causes and cause Mine or torpedo 1 2,434 unknown 28 61,751 Other causes and cause unknown 6 16,605 455 1,869,687 264 803,156

Summarised, the Totals are :- Allied. , By Submarine ... 393 1,765,914 By Submarine 47 236,993 Mine 209 634,335 Mine ...... " ... 21 63,858 Surface craft 46 214,568 iSurface craft ... 6 34,136 Aircraft 144 459,957 Aircraft... 34 147,734 Mine or torpedo 1 2,434 Other causes and cause Other causes and unknown ... 37,881 cause unknown ... 42 116,237

116 520,602 835 3,193,445

APPENDIX III.

Additions and Deductions of British Mercantile Sea-going Vessels of 500 gross tons and over.

From September 3, 1939-September 29, 1940,

Additions.

Tankers. Other Vessels. No. Tonnage. No. Tonnage. New vessels 7 57,000' 129 736,000 Enemy vessels captured 3 19,000 49 249,000 ( (i) Danish flag 5 42,000 112 299,000 Transfers from -j (ii) French flag 10 57,000 76 352,000 t (iii) Other flags 12 84,000 67 - 327,000 Other additions ... 11 16,000 88 177,000 (Great Lake vessels converted to Ocean use) 48 275,000 521 2,140,000 Total Additions : 569 vessels of 2,415,000 tons. Deductions.

Tankers. Other Vessels. Losses by enemy action­ No. Tonnage. No. Tonnage. (i) Sunk* 45 345,000 333 1,465,000 (ii) Seized ...... 1 6,000 5 16,000 Other total losses ' . ... 8 22,000' 89 292,000

54 373,000 427 1,778,000 Total Deductions : 481 vessels of 2,146,000 tons. * Excluding the following commissioned vessels which, being King's ships, are not regarded as losses of Mercantile tonnage :— 2 tankers of 13,000 tons and 18 other vessels of 147,000 tons. NOTE :—The status of the following British vessels detained in -French ports has not yet been determined :— 1 tanker of 4,000 tons and 20 other vessels of 66,000 tons.

The average weekly. increment of British sea-going ships and tonnage over the 56 weeks was about 10-2 ships and 43,100 gross tons, compared with an average weekly loss due to enemy action alone, for the same period, of 6 - 9 ships and 32,700 gross tons, and an average weekly loss from all causes (including Marine risks) of 8-6 ships and 38,300 gross tons.

Vessels under Construction in United Kingdom on September 28, 1940. Tankers 31 vessels of 256,530 gross tons Other vessels *141 vessels of 779,680 gross tons

Total 172 vessels of 1,036,210 gross tons * Including 3 Merchant vessels of 19,500 gross tons taken over by the Navy and 1 cargo vessel of 6,580 tons being built abroad, but excluding 13- vessels (27,530 tons) of merchant type building for Navy.

Vessels under Repair.

During the week ending 19th September. 1940, there were undergoing or awaiting repair in ports of the United Kingdom: ab^at l,200j,.00O tens q£ sea-going merchant shipping, of which about 200,000 tons was in respect of damage due to enemy action.

APPENDIX IV.

Casualties to Naval Personnel.

The following are the total war casualties for the Royal Navy during the first year of war:— Killed or Prisoners missing. Wounded. of War. Total. Officers .... 706 240 8tf 1,032. Ratings .... 7,491 1,835 462 9,788. UY

[21795] APPENDIX V.

Ships built and completed for the Royal Navy, September 3, 1939- September 3, 1940 No. Type. Remarks. "­ 1 Aircraft Carrier ..." H.M.S. Illustrious. 3 6-in. Cruisers U.M.S. Fiji, H.M.S. Naiad, H.M.S. Bonn-venture. 28 Destroyers 11 Submarines 20 M.T.B'8. 8 M.A./S.B's. 242 Oropesa M/S Trawlers (15 of these sunk). 114 L.L. M/S Trawlers (6 of these sunk). 35 A/S Yachts (1 of these sunk). 190 A/S Trawlers (25 of these sunk).

Ships requisitioned for use of Royal Navy, September 3, 1939- September 3, 1940. No. Type. 51 Armed Merchant Cruisers (of which 6 have been sunk). 715 Trawlers. 509 Steam Drifters. 324 Motor Pishing Vessels. 1,615 Motor-boats or Yachts. 248 Foreign small craft. Of the last 134, 1 French, 74 Belgian, 38 Dutch, 16 Danish and 15 Norwegian.

APPENDIX YI.

Operational Aircraft Casualties. 0600 hours September 26 to 0600 hours October 3. Metropolitan Area. British. In the'Air: On the Ground. Bombers ... 15 Nil Fighters ... 83 Nil Coastal ... 6 3

Total 104 3 Thirty-eight fighter pilots are known to be safe.

German. Destroyed. Probable. Damaged. Bombers ...... 79 25 46 . - Fighters ...... 154 58 55 Miscellaneous ...... 9 6 2

Total 242 89 103 No account is taken of aircraft destroyed on the ground. Of the above totals, 9 aircraft were destroyed, 4 probably destroyed, and 2 damaged by A.A. fire. Middle East. British. In the Air. On the Ground. 5 Nil Italian. Destroyed. Probable. Damaged. Bombers 5 Nil 2 Fighters 6 1 Nil Miscellaneous 3 Nil 2

Total 14 1 4 1 Ivfl

APPENDIX YII.

Air Attacks on Enemy Territory in Europe. Extracts from recent Raid Assessment Reports. The following reports have been received during the week from air reconnaissance and Intelligence sources :—

Germany. Berlin.—A factory near the Lehrter Station has been burnt out and two fires from the railway covered Berlin with smoke. The Brandenburg Tor has been hit and the windows of the Hotel Adlon were blown out. The Institute of Electrical Engineers has also been burnt out. Essen.—Production at Krupps has been affected. Politz,—Reports from two sources have been received of damage to the synthetic oil plant, but it is not known what part has been affected. Rheinfelden.—The old aluminium works was not hit, but the new works which were about to start operating have been badly damaged. The area damaged is about a quarter of the whole of the new factory. Leuna.—Two reports of hits upon the plant have been received, one states that part of the control system has been affected. Oberhausen.—A steel casting plant and foundry has been severely damaged. Hoescht.—The central telephone exchange received a direct hit and communications are seriously affected. Wishar.—One of the hangars on the aerodrome was completely gutted and all the aircraft therein destroyed. In addition, six aircraft on the ground were destroyed. Leipzig.—One section of the railway station has been severely damaged. Harburg.—Recently out of 75 cranes only 7 were functioning and a ship had to unload with its own derricks. Railways.—On occasion it has taken three to four days to get from Berlin to certain parts of the Rhineland, and at several points it is necessary to change trains, in some cases involving walks of no little distance. The disorganisation in the Ruhr has led to the greater part of supplies of coal for Italy being now sent via Vienna from coalfields in Silesia and Saxony. General.—Reports have been received of the evacuation of the civil popula­ tion from Berlin, Hamburg, Rhineland and Westphalia, and Hessen-Nassau, and of transfers from Vienna of experienced workers and specialists in gas and electricity to Berlin and Kiel to replace and relieve workers in these areas.

France. Havre.—Photographs disclose that the top storey of the Kleber Barracks has been burnt out and that considerable damage has been done to sheds at the eastern end of the Bassin Vetillart. Dunkirk.—Photographs disclose that the centre of the town is almost completely demolished, and that part of the docks and railway sidings covered by the photograph are extensively damaged. Lorient.—The Frebault Barracks have been hit and casualties among the troops were severe. Several ships are said to have been sunk by mines at the mouth of the estuary.

Holland. Delfzijil-Groningen Canal.—Serious dislocation of waterborne traffic has been caused in this area.