Air War: Heavy raids on airfields. Serious damage at Detling and Eastchurch (bomb dump explodes). Surprise low-level attack on Biggin Hill. Fighter-bomber unit Erpr.Grp.210 suffers heavy losses (8 Me110s). Small-scale night raids on Birmingham, Liverpool and Cardiff. Mines dropped in Thames Estuary (similar operations on six other nights in September 1940).

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1940

Air War: RAF night raid on Berlin (first of nine raids in September).

Sea War: Hitler postpones launching of Operation Sea Lion from September 15 to September 21.
US forces to occupy naval and air bases in Bahamas, Bermuda, British Guiana, Jamaica, St Lucia, Trinidad and Newfoundland on 99-year lease; Britain to receive in exchange 50 old destroyers.

Picture: The old Flush-deck destroyer Lincoln belongs to the 50 destroyers from World War I which were received by the Royal Navy. They all became names of cities which were existing both in Great Britain and in the USA and most of them were rebuild as anti-submarine escorts.

Home Front Germany: Unemployed total 32,000.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1940

Air War: Me110 fighter-bombers (6 lost) make devastating low-level raid on Vickers' factory at Brooklands (Surrey) killing 88, injuring 600 and halting production of Wellington bombers for 4 days. Other raiders attack airfields and Dover balloon barrage.

Sea War: German MTBs sink 5 ships in convoy off Gt.Yarmouth, North Sea.

Home Front Germany: Hitler speaks in Berlin - threatening to invade Britain and raze British cities to the ground by bombing.

Neutrals, Rumania: General Antonescu given full powers by King Carol.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1940

Air War: Germans raid Biggin Hill and Detling airfields; Ju88s and He111s fire oil storage tanks at Thameshaven (these burn for many days); Maidstone bombed. Night raids on Liverpool and Manchester.
Oberleutnant von Werra captured when he force-lands Me109 in Kent; von Werra is later only German PoW to escape (from Canada) and return to Germany.

Picture: a British guard with the force-landed Messerschmitt Bf109E from von Werra.

Sea War: Operation Walter. German minelayers active in Straits of Dover (night September 5-6).

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1940

Air War, Battle of Britain (Day 59): airfield attacks continue; Hawker factory at Weybridge bombed.

Home Front Britain: King and Queen visit RAF Fighter Command HQ at Bentley Priory, Stanmore (Middx.).

Picture: The Operation room of the RAF Fighter Command. The womens of the Royal Air Force Service were marking the positions of the enemy planes and the own fighters on a large map.

Sea War Atlantic: U-47 is guided to Convoy SC.2 by U-65 and sinks 3 ships (night 6-7). U-47 sinks fourth ship following night - outwitting escorts equipped with Asdic by attacking on the surface.

Neutrals, Rumania: King Carol abdicates following fascist riots in Bucharest and leaves the country with his mistress, Magda Lupescu. Prince Michael ascends the throne for second time (his wayward father having renounced the succession in 1925 but returned in 1930).

Vichy France: General Weygand quits Government; to command Vichy forces in North Africa.

Secret War: Two German agents - Caroli and Schmidt - land by parachute in Oxon (September 6 and 10); Caroli arrested almost immediately.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1940

Air War: (MAIN EVENT) 'BATTLE OF LONDON' BEGINS. Goring launches massive day-light 'reprisal' raid, in answer to RAF attacks on Berlin, with 1,000 aircraft (inc. 350 bombers). Heavy HE bombs and clusters of incendiaries start huge fires in Docks (15 ships seriously damaged) and Silvertown (East End); also at Woolwich Arsenal, Thameshaven and Tilbury. RAF are temporarily confused by new German tactics, but destroy 30 raiders after the bombing (28 RAF fighters lost).
THE 'BLITZ': 247 bombers (2 lost) take part in 7-hour raid on London (night September 7-8), dropping 352 t of bombs. Civilian casualties (afternoon September 7-dawn September 8): 448 killed, 1,600 seriously injured.

Picture: Goring (third from right) and his staff is watching the 'Battle of London' at this day opposit to Dover.

Home Front Britain: GHQ Home Forces sends codeword 'Cromwell ' ('invasion imminent') to Southern and Eastern Commands and London-area commanders at 8 p.m. Church bells rung and Home Guard put on action stations. Air Ministry issues similar warning to all RAF Commands.

Home Front Germany: Goring broadcasts: 'For the first time the Luftwaffe has struck at the heart of the enemy.'

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1940

Air War: Small-scale raids on airfields in southeastern England and Dover. 9 1/2-hour night raid on London by 170 bombers: 12 large fires, all railway lines to South Coast blocked; casualties: 412 killed, 747 injured.

Sea War: Operation Hannelore: German torpedo boats lay mines in Straits of Dover.

Secret War: Vichy French agents in London report that Free French expeditionary force is at sea en route for one of France's African colonies.

Home Front Germany: Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess asks Prof Haushofer: 'Is there nobody in Britain willing to make peace ?'