25th September
The allies were surprised to find after the surrender of Dakar just how oppressive the Vichy regime had been to the locals. It had been pro-Allied street demonstrations and an unsuccessful naval mutiny that persuaded the Allies earlier in the year that Senegal was fertile ground for the Free French. However the Vichy authorities had responded by appointing a Vichy governor and purging the Free French supporters, many of whom were released from jail after the allies took control of the town. The port had also been reinforced by loyal Vichy troops, but the need to confront the allied landings had stretched these too thin to also allow them to fully control the town, and the growing discontent, and in many cases outright rioting and local mutinies had forced the governor to admit that it was not going to be possible to drive off the allies.
Although the Luftwaffe has been restricting daylight raids to small 'nuisance' attacks by small, heavily escorted formations, today they try again with a large attack on the British Aeroplane works at Filton in Bristol. While the two week respite has allowed the Luftwaffe formations to recover from their low point, it has also allowed Fighter command to fully recover its front line squadrons, and the raid is heavily handled, 12 bombers being shot down by the fighters and AA. The losses seem to convince the Luftwaffe that large daylight raids are not worth the losses in trained bomber crews (who have taken heavy casualties over the last couple of months), and that night bombing is a better use of their resources. It is clear that the old tactics of close escort of bombers by fighters is simply too costly; 12 bombers and 5 fighters conceded for the loss of 7 RAF fighters.
27th September
Today, in the Berlin chancellery, the Japanese ambassador, Saburo Kurusu, put his signature to a tri-partite pact which extends the Rome-Berlin Axis to the Far East. In a move clearly directed at the United States, the three countries pledge themselves to aid one another with "all political, economic and military means" should one of them be attacked by "a power not involved in the European war."
Japan accepts the hegemony of Germany and Italy in Europe, and they in turn recognise Japan's right to organise "the Greater East-Asia Co-prosperity Sphere". The pact contains a clause promising to preserve the status quo in relations with the Soviet Union.
Following the signing of this pact, Hitler secretly orders war production to be geared towards the invasion of Russia.
In Washington, a navy department spokesman said that the pact would not mean any change of policy. The navy, he said, would continue to be based at Pearl Harbor.
29th September
Britain informs Japan that it intends to re-open the Burma Road to China when the current three-month agreement expires on 17 October. The move, announced by Churchill, is the first direct result of the Japan-Axis pact. He told the House of Commons that Britain had originally agreed to ban the transit of war materials from Burma to China while the two sides tried to reach a settlement. Japan had not taken the opportunity and had signed a ten-year pact with the Axis. To cheers from the House the Prime Minister said that in the circumstances Britain could not see its way to renewing the agreement.
30th September
Italian submarine 'Gondar' approaches Alexandria with human torpedoes for an attack on the base. She is located by an RAF Sunderland of No 230 Squadron and sunk by the destroyer HMAS Stuart.
Early in the month the first wolf-pack attacks were directed by Admiral Donitz against the convoy SC2. Five of the 53 ships are sunk. A similar operation is mounted two weeks later against the 40 ships of HX72. The U-boats present include those commanded by the aces Kretschmer, Prien and Schepke. Eleven ships are lost, seven to Schepke's U-100, in one night. The German B-Service is instrumental in directing U-boats to many convoys, where they hold the advantage as they manoeuvre on the surface between the merchantmen and escorts.
This new tactic is of considerable worry to the Royal Navy. While losses in the Atlantic have been high over the last few months, this has been accepted as a necessary short term price to pay for the invasion defence. Now that the invasion has obviously been called off (at least until the Spring), pressure is being applied to allocate the light carriers and many of the escorts back into the Atlantic to reinforce the very minimal current escorts
RN major fleet units disposition, October
Home Fleet : Illustrious(CV), Victorious(CV), Formidable (CV),Colossus(CVL), Resolution(BB), Repulse(BC), Renown(BC), Rodney(BB), KGV (BB), Nelson(BB), Hood(BC)
Plymouth : Revenge (BB)
Gibraltar : Ark Royal(CV), Mars(CVL), Resolution (BB), Barham(BB)
Alexandria : Implacable(CV), Indefatigable(CV), Courageous(CV), Malaya(BB), Royal Sovereign(BB), Ramilles(BB), Warspite(BB), Valiant(BB)
West Indies : Prince of Wales (BB)working up. Theseus (CVL) working up
Far East : Eagle(CVL), HMAS Melbourne
Convoy duty (Atlantic) : Vengeance(CVL), Glory(CVL), Activity(CVE), Hermes (CVL), Ocean(CVL), Edgar(CVL)
Training : Furious(CVL)
Refit : Glorious (CV)
Long Refit : Queen Elizabeth(BB)