Operation Sea Lion: Hitler orders preparation for seaborne invasion of England
week from July 15 - 21, 1940

MONDAY, JULY 15, 1940

Air War: Hurricanes beat off 15 Dornier Do17s attacking convoy in English Channel. Hidden by low cloud, Ju88s hit targets in southwest Britain, inc. two airfields and railway in Avonmouth.

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 1940

Air War: RAF raid airfields in north France.

Sea War: Cruiser Glasgow and destroyer Imogen collide off northwest Scotland; latter sunk.
(MAIN EVENT) OPERATION SEA LION (Seeloewe): HITLER ORDERS PREPARATION FOR SEABORNE INVASION OF ENGLAND, to be completed by mid-August, inc. the reduction of the 'English Air Force' so that it is incapable of delivering 'any significant attack' during the crossing.

Picture: Construction of landing crafts by cutting the bow of lighters in Duisburg harbour.

Neutrals, Japan: Cabinet resigns.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 1940

Diplomacy: Britain agrees (under severe Japanese diplomatic pressure) to close the Burma Road - a vital supply route for Chiang Kai-shek's armies - for three months.

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1940

Air War: Germans attack shipping off south England. RAF daylight raids on invasion barges at Rotterdam and St Orner airfield (3 aircraft lost). RAF Bomber Command night raids on Krupp's armament works at Essen, in the Ruhr; targets at Bremen and Hamm marshalling yards (1 aircraft lost). Coastal Command bomb Emden naval base.

Neutrals, Japan: New Cabinet formed: Prince Konoye as Prime Minister, Matsuoka as Foreign Minister.

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 1940

Air War: Me109s overwhelm squadron of Defiant two-seat fighters (6 lost, 1 damaged) south of Folkestone. Four Do17s bomb Rolls-Royce engine factory at Glasgow.

Diplomacy: HITLER'S 'LAST APPEAL TO REASON' speech in Reichstag, Berlin, says Britain has no sensible alternative but to reach peace agreement; (Britain rejects, July 22).

Picture: Members of the Reichstag during Hitler's speech from 19 July. It is hard to find someone who didn't have a uniform of the German Armed Forces or organisation of the NSDAP party.

Home Front Germany: The Fuehrer creates 19 new Field-Marshals.

Picture: The Fuehrer with the newly created Field-Marshals. Visible are from left: Keitel, von Rundstedt, von Bock, Goering, Hitler, von Brauchitsch, Ritter von Leeb, List, von Kluge, von Witzleben, von Reichenau.

Sea War Mediterranean: Battle of Cape Spada. Italian cruisers Bartolomeo Colleoni and Giovanni delle Bande Nere (world's fastest cruisers) intercepted off Crete by Australian cruiser Sydney and five destroyers; Colleoni sunk, Sydney damaged.

Neutrals, USA: Two-Ocean Navy Bill signed by President Roosevelt: warships totalling 1,325,000 t and 15,000 naval aircaft authorized.

SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1940

Air War: Goering orders creation of first specialized night-fighter wing Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1) - under Oberst Josef Kammhuber. Me110 night fighter achieves first 'kill' of WW2 (a Whitley over northwest Germany).

Sea War Mediterranean: Two Italian destroyers and cargo ship torpedoed by FAA Swordfish biplanes near Tobruk.

SUNDAY, JULY 21, 1940

Diplomacy: Rumania cedes Southern Dobrudja area to Bulgaria. National assemblies in Baltic States 'vote' for union with USSR.

Home Front Britain: Lt.-Gen. Sir Alan Brooke appointed CinC Home Forces.