Fall, 1940
Chapter 6
The Mediterranean Heats Up
October - December
German HE-111 bombers in flight
As the Battle of Britain drew down into stagnation, the war elsewhere continued as well, both against the warring factions as well as various innocents caught in the crossfire, or even deliberately targeted. On the third of October the French government in Vichy issued new laws barring Jews from holding employment in the so-called “Zone Libre” under their control, and on the same day in the east the Germans began to force the Jewish population of Warsaw into a ghetto, planning to seal them inside. Once this is complete the population will be forced into an area unrepaired from the damage taken when the city fell in 1939, often with almost ten people to a room and with very little food. Unfortunately, despite this atrocity, it is only the beginning of what the Nazis intend for their new Jewish subjects, as well as a host of other “undesirables”.
Walls are constructed to seal the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw
On October 4th, 1940 Mussolini and Hitler held another conference at the Brenner Pass in Austria, where Hitler pushed for attempting to persuade Francisco Franco to bring Spain into the war, whilst Mussolini spent considerable time railing against the Greeks, although Hitler brushed him off, as he was opposed to opening another front at this stage of the war. In preparation for Hitler’s planned next move, however, German troops entered Romania on the eighth of October to secure the Axis Powers’ main source of oil, as well as to train the Romanian Army to enter the conflict.
Meanwhile, despite his boasting, Mussolini was not in the clear on his end. On the twelfth of October, the Regia Marina engaged a British convoy headed for Malta, catching the escorting cruisers on their return run and in the resulting batte the Italian destroyer force was mauled while only inflicting limited damage on the enemy.
A German pilot inspects an Italian CR42 fighter in Belgium
As the fighting on the Mediterranean continues, the Regia Aeronautica has also been active. Italian aircraft have been bombing the British held island of Malta, and have also attacked British controlled Arabian oil fields. They are also active in the north, as they also began operations against Britain in support of the Luftwaffe. on October 24. Two Italian fighter squadrons and one bomber squadron were deployed, although one of the fighter squadrons was still equiped with outdated CR42 biplanes.
A Greek soldier rests on a knocked out Italian tankette
Not content with his gains against the British in Africa and his meager portion of France, as well as unfazed by Hitler’s disinterest in the Balkans, Mussolini’s government issued an ultimatum to Greece on October 27. In it he demanded free access to Greek territory for Italian military personnel, as well as occupation of unspecified strategically important locations within the country. When Athens rejected the terms the Italian Army in Albania crossed into Greek territory, opening the Balkan Front on October 28. Mussolini met with Hitler later that day, where he assured the Fuhrer that the campaign would be over within two weeks. Hitler would later extoll his commanders on the ”madness” of the Italian attack.
The British were quick to respond to the invasion, landing troops on the island of Crete and mining Greek territorial waters to dissuade the Regia Marina. The Italian offensive moved forward over the first few days of their drive on Greece, with the Regio Esercito reaching the Thyamis River several miles from the border. The Greeks were able to push back in some areas, however, retaking some territory and halting the Italians along the river.
Neville Chamberlain in France, 1939
In Britain, things were slowing down as the fall continued, with the Blitz finally relenting for the night of November 3, when no Luftwaffe bombers appeared over the city for the first time in two months. The Royal Navy found itself threatened by not just U-boats, however, as the German cruiser Admiral Scheer had broken out into the Atlantic, slipping past the Royal Navy’s patrols blocking the Denmark Straight. On November 5 a British convoy of 38 merchantmen, escorted only by a single armed merchant, were engaged by the German cruiser on the high seas, destroying the escort after a short battle and managing to sink five freighters afterward as the they scattered. Despite the small victory this was, it did serve to show the British that the Kriegsmarine surface fleet remained as much a threat as the U-boats.
Also of note is that Neville Chamberlain, the former British Prime Minister, who had been replaced by Churchill in May and had retired from politics in the summer due to failing health, died of cancer on November 9. A funeral was held at Westminster Abbey, although it was not highly publicized at the time out a concern for security.
The Italian battleship Conte di Cavour sunk in Taranto Harbor
The British were planning something big, however, in the Mediterranean. On the evening of November 11 the carrier HMS Illustrious and her task force moved into position just south of Italy and launched two waves of Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. The aircraft proceeded to their target: the Italian Regia Marina base at Taranto, the pathfinder aircraft dropping flares to guide the others just before 2300. Attacks then began on the fuel tanks near the base, followed by the rest of the aircraft, which commenced torpedo attacks on the Italian ships anchored there. The results were telling for the future of naval warfare: three Italian battleships were badly damaged and forced to beach themselves to prevent sinking completely. Two destroyers and a cruiser were also damaged, with the British only losing two aircraft. The Regia Marina had been seriously crippled, and was forced to move its surviving capitol ships further north to spare them from similar strikes.
This devastating loss would be followed up the next day by the defeat if the Regio Esercito in Greece by stubborn defenders at Pindus, resulting in Italian commander General Visconti Prasca being removed from command due to incompetence. The same day, in Africa, Free French forces defeated the Vichy forces in French Equatorial Africa, seizing that for the Allies as well.
The ruins of Coventry Cathedral after the bombing
Despite slowing down, the German terror bombing campaign on Britian was by no means over. Major raids on British cities were still ongoing, and on November 14 a massive raid targeted the city of Coventry with 515 bombers. The first waves destroyed utilities like water and electricity and cratered the roads, greatly disrupting the response by emergency services to the subsequent raids with incendiary munitions. The ensuing fires consumed more than four thousand homes in the city, along with many other buildings. Perhaps most famous, however, with the complete destruction of the 14th century Coventry Cathedral, leaving only the charred stone walls, which remains in that state to this day. Almost 600 of Coventry’s citizens were killed.
Hungarian Prime Minister Pál Teleki with Hitler and Italian Foreign Minister Ciano after formally joining the Axis Powers
The same day the Luftwaffe leveled Coventry, in the Balkans the Greeks launched a counteroffensive against the Italians. This drive would capitalize on the Italian defeats earlier in the campaign, and would soon see the invaders thrown back over the border and into Albania. This disaster would show no sign of improving for Mussolini’s forces in the near future.
All was not going poorly for the Axis Powers, however, as Hungary officially joined the alliance on November 20, followed in the coming days by Romania and the German puppet state of Slovakia. The Germans were beginning to assemble a coalition in the east, and talks were held with the Soviet Union regarding their possible entry into the alliance as well, although they bore as little fruit as those with Franco’s Spain. They Allies too saw more help come during this period, however, as the Belgian Congo began to send troops to assist against the Italians in British Somalia and Kenya.
Belgian Force Publique troops in the Belgian Congo
The Regia Marina was crippled, but not out of the fight, and intended to demonstrate that. A battlefleet clashed with the Royal Navy’s Force H off of Cape Spartivento on November 27, with two Italian battleships and an assortment of cruisers and destroyers engaging a British battleship, carrier, battlecruiser and several smaller ships. After an hour long duel with their big guns both sides withdrew, both suffering damaged ships and the British some sailors killed, but no other losses. The engagement resulted in the British Commander, Admiral James Somerville, almost being releived of command by Churchill for cowardice, although a board of other Royal Navy admirals stood up to this and Somerville was exonerated.
The situation in Greece, meanwhile, continued to deteriorate for the Italians. The Greeks continued to push them back, and by late November they were fighting to retain control over Albania. By early December several border cities had fallen to the advancing Greek forces, and the Italian Chief of Staff, Marshal Pietro Badoglio, was forced to resign.
Italian cruisers at sea
Greece was soon to be joined by yet another woe for Rome. As December began, the British launched Operation Compass; a major counterattack against the Italian penetrations of Egypt from months prior. On December 9 the British began their push against the Italians with large formations of armor and infantry, and by the eleventh of December the port of Sidi Barrani was liberated by the advancing British forces.
Italian tanks going into action at Sidi Barrani
By the seventeenth the British had crossed the border into Italian Libya and seized some of the Italian border fortifications, and continued their drive into Libya. With the Italians now on the defensive on all fronts, it was beginning to appear as though a disaster was approaching for Mussolini’s dreams of a new Roman Empire.
On December 22 the Greeks broke through the Italian lines once again, taking the Himara area of Albania in yet another embarrassing defeat for the Regio Esercito. The situation had deteriorated to such a point that despite his earlier assurances from earlier in the campaign, a humbled Mussolini was forced to ask Hitler for assistance in the Balkans.
A British howitzer battery at Barida
As the year came to an end the fighting continued to rage in Greece and Africa, while the Germans continued their bombing of British cities. Manchester was hit by the Luftwaffe on the night of December 22, and London was hit again on the thirtieth of the month, causing a massive conflagration that would become known as the Second Great Fire of London. Over 100,000 incendiaries were dropped on the British capitol that night, starting a massive conflagration that exceeded the 1666 blaze that had destroyed much of Old London. Several hit the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral, prompting special orders from Churchill himself to spare no effort in saving the landmark church. One of the most famous photographs of the war, St. Paul’s Survives, was taken from a nearby rooftop during the fires that night.
St. Paul’s Survives, one of the most famous images of the war, showing St. Paul’s Cathedral in London still standing amongst the smoke and ruins
Timeline
10-3-1940
The French Government in Vichy passes laws banning Jews from holding jobs
Warsaw’s Jews begin to be moved into a walled ghetto by the Nazi SS
10-4-1940
Hitler and Mussolini meet in Austria, where Mussolini strongly hints he might soon move against Greece
10-8-1940
German troops begin to enter Romania at the invitation of dictator Ion Antonescu to train the Romanian Army and secure the country’s oil fields
10-10-1940
As RAF raids continue on Germany, a massive program to build public shelters is commenced by the government
10-12-1940
Royal Navy ships engage the Regia Marina off of Malta, resulting in Italian defeat
10-13-1940
Princess Elizabeth gives her first public address via radio. The 14 year old future Queen speaks to other children who have been evacuated from the cities
10-15-1940
A British submarine is sunk by an Italian submarine near the Italian naval base at Taranto
The Charlie Chaplain classic The Great Dictator premiers in New York
10-16-1940
Draft registration in the US begins
10-18-1940
A convoy of 35 ships is engaged by a German wolfpack of 7 U-Boats, resulting in 20 ships sunk with no German losses
10-22-1940
Belgian Prime Minister Hubert Pierlot, having escaped across France and Franco’s Spain, arrives in London to head the Belgian Government in Exile
10-24-1940
The Italian Regio Aeronautica joins the Battle of Britain
10-27-1940
The Italians issue an ultimatum to the Greeks
10-28-1940
The Greek government rejects the Italian ultimatum, and the Italians invade the country. Mussolini states to Hitler that Greece will fall within two weeks
10-29-1940
British troops land on the Greek island of Crete and begin mining operations near Greece
The draft begins in the United States
10-31-1940
The Germans end major daylight operations over Britain
11-3-1940
For the first night since September 7 London is not raided by the Luftwaffe
11-5-1940
Franklin D. Roosevelt wins his third term as President of the United States, an unprecedented achievement
The German cruiser Admiral Scheer engages a British convoy on the open sea and destroys several ships
11-8-1940
The Battle of Elaia–Kalamas ends in Greece, with the Greeks preventing the Italians from accomplishing any of their objectives.
Free French forces launch an offensive against the Vichy controlled French Congo
The American freighter SS City of Rayville is sunk by a German mine, becoming the first US ship lost in the war
11-9-1940
Former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain dies of cancer at the age of 71
11-12-1940
British swordfish torpedo bombers launched from the carrier HMS Illustrious attack the Italian battle fleet at its base at Taranto. The Regia Marina loses three of its six battleships, a heavy cruiser and two destroyers. All of the ships could be repaired, but for the time being the Italians fleet has been seriously crippled.
11-13-1940
The Italians are defeated by the Greeks at Pindus, leading to General Visconti Prasca, the Italian commander in Greece, being removed from command
11-14-1940
The Greeks launch a counteroffensive against the Italians
515 German bombers hit the British city of Coventry in the most intense attack on that city of the war. 4,300 homes are destroyed and 568 are killed, with almost a thousand more injured
Facing meat shortages, the German government legalizes human consumption of dog meat
11-16-1940
The Germans seal 380,000 Jews behind the walls of the new Warsaw Ghetto
RAF Bomber command raids several German cities to retaliate for the Coventry Blitz
11-17-1940
Battle of Britain hero Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding is replaced as head of RAF Fighter Command by Air Chief Marshal Sholto Douglas
11-20-1940
Hungary joins the Axis Powers
11-22-1940
The Greek counteroffensive ends with the Italians pushed out of the country and into Albania
11-23-1940
Romania joins the Axis Powers
Belgian forces in the Congo begin operations against the Italians alongside the British in Africa
11-24-1940
Slovakia officially joins the Axis Powers
11-26-1940
Atonescu’s government in Romania commences a blood purge against enemies of the regime
11-27-1940
The Battle of Cape Spartivento sees the remnants of the Italian battle fleet engage British capital ships, but ends without major loss to either side
11-29-1940
The Germans begin to formally draft plans for a massive offensive operation in the currently quiet east
12-1-1940
The Italian controlled Albanian city of Pogradac falls to advancing Greek forces
12-3-1940
The Italian controlled Albanian city of Sarandë falls to the Greeks
12-6-1940
Italian Marshal Pietro Badoglio is removed from his post as Italian Chief of Staff for the disasters in the Balkans
12-9-1940
The British commence Operation Compass, aiming to drive the Italians out of Egypt
12-11-1940
The Egyptian port of Sidi Barrani is liberated by the British
12-16-1940
The RAF commences a large raid on the German city of Mannheim, with 134 bombers commencing a saturation raid
12-17-1940
The British capture Italian frontier forts along the Libya-Egyptian Border
12-18-1940
Hitler officially issues his orders for a massive offensive, codenamed Operation Barbarossa
12-22-1940
Greek forces break Italian lines and take the Himara area along the Adriatic coast
The Luftwaffe commences a large scale bombing campaign against Manchester, dropping almost 500 tons of bombs on the city, along with thousands of incendiary munitions
12-24-1940
The Canadian Expeditionary Corps achieves battle readiness in Britain
12-28-1940
With the situation in Greece progressing disastrously, Mussolini requests help from Hitler
12-29-1940
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces via radio his intention for America to be the “Arsenal of Democracy” and provide materiel support to Britain
12-30-1940
One of the most destructive Luftwaffe raids on London comes to be known as the Second Great Fire of London