August 1940
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The following events occurred in August 1940:


August 1, 1940 (Thursday)

* Vyacheslav Molotov made a speech to the
Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Верховный Совет Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, r=Verkhovnyy Sovet Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respubl ...
proudly recounting the recent annexation of the
Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
and clearly signalling the USSR's wish to recover all the territories that had been "stolen" from it during the country's military weakness at the end of World War I. *Japanese Foreign Minister
Matsuoka Yosuke Matsuoka (written: or lit. "pine tree hill") is a Japanese surname. Matsuoka is the 142nd most common name in Japan as of 2014, belonging to approximately 1 out of 865 people, or 141,900 individuals. It is most prevalent in Osaka, with the hig ...
formally announced the concept of a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. *Hitler issued Directive No. 17, declaring his intention to intensify air and sea warfare against the English in order to "establish the necessary conditions for the final conquest of England." *
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
made a special appeal to
French Canadians French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
for their help. *Born:
Ram Loevy Ram Loevy (Hebrew: רם לוי, born August 1, 1940) is an Israeli television director and screenwriter. He has written and directed and documentary films that challenge the status quo on such issues as class conflict, torture, the prison system ...
, television director and screenwriter, in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine


August 2 Events Pre-1600 *338 BC – A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean. *216 BC – The Carthaginian arm ...
, 1940 (Friday)

*A French military court tried Charles de Gaulle in absentia for treason and sentenced him to death. *The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was established. *Czech pilot Josef František joined the Royal Air Force.


August 3, 1940 (Saturday)

*The Italian Army invaded British Somaliland. *Born: Martin Sheen, actor, in Dayton, Ohio *Died:
Willard Hershberger Willard McKee Hershberger (May 28, 1910 – August 3, 1940) was an American baseball catcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1938 to 1940. In 160 career games, Hershberger recorded a batting average of .316 and accumula ...
, 30, American baseball player (suicide); Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, 56


August 4, 1940 (Sunday)

*
Operation Hurry Operation Hurry was the first British operation in a series that have come to be known as Club Runs. The goal of the operation was to fly twelve Hawker Hurricanes from to Malta, guided by two Blackburn Skuas. Background On 11 June 1940, Ital ...
ended in British success. *American General
John J. Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...
gave a nationwide radio broadcast urging that aid be sent to Britain. "It is not hysterical to insist that democracy and liberty are threatened," Pershing said. "Democracy and liberty have been overthrown on the continent of Europe. Only the British are left to defend democracy and liberty in Europe. By sending help to the British we can still hope with confidence to keep the war on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, where the enemies of liberty, if possible, should be defeated." That same day, Charles Lindbergh appeared at a pro-
isolationism Isolationism is a political philosophy advocating a national foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality and opposes entang ...
rally in Chicago and said that "if our own military forces are strong, no foreign nation can invade us and if we do not interfere with their affairs none will desire to."


August 5 Events Pre-1600 *AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. * 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...
, 1940 (Monday)

*The Italians captured Zeila in
British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British Empire, British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Soma ...
. *Died: Frederick Cook, 75, American explorer


August 6 Events Pre-1600 *1284 – The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean. * 1538 – Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada ...
, 1940 (Tuesday)

*The Italians captured Odweina in British Somaliland. *The American ambassador to Belgium
John Cudahy John Clarence Cudahy (December 10, 1887 – September 6, 1943) was an American real estate developer and diplomat. In the years leading up to World War II, Cudahy served as United States ambassador to Poland and Belgium, and as United States minis ...
said that the food situation in Belgium and northern France was desperate and suggested that the Nazis seemed to be expecting outside aid to solve the food shortage for them. This comment would be controversial for touching on the issue of the British blockade.


August 7, 1940 (Wednesday)

*
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
and Charles de Gaulle signed an agreement on the military organization of the Free French. Churchill agreed to allow the French units to have as much autonomy as possible. *The Louisiana hurricane made landfall at
Sabine Pass, Texas Sabine Pass is a neighborhood in Port Arthur, Texas. It lies at Sabine Pass, on the west bank of the Sabine River, the border between Louisiana and Texas, and was incorporated in 1861. Formally annexed by Port Arthur in 1978, Sabine Pass has its ...
. The hurricane would cause record flooding across the Southern United States before dissipating on August 10. *
Exeter Blitz The term Exeter Blitz refers to the air raids by the German ''Luftwaffe'' on the British city of Exeter, Devon, during the Second World War. The city was bombed in April and May 1942 as part of the so-called "Baedeker raids", in which targets w ...
:
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
, Devon was bombed for the first time, by a lone raider that did little damage. *German submarine '' U-140'' was commissioned. *Born:
Jean-Luc Dehaene Jean Luc Joseph Marie "Jean-Luc" Dehaene (; 7 August 1940 – 15 May 2014) was a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1992 until 1999. During his political career, he was nicknamed "The Plumber" and "The Minesweep ...
, Prime Minister of Belgium, in
Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
, France (d. 2014)


August 8, 1940 (Thursday)

*The Luftwaffe began targeting British ports and harbours. * Romania promulgated racial laws modeled after those of Nazi Germany. *The
Japanese battleship Yamato was the lead ship of her class of battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) shortly before World War II. She and her sister ship, , were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing nearly a ...
is launched, she would become the largest and heaviest
battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
to ever set sail. *The adventure film ''
Boom Town A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although t ...
'' starring Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr premiered at
Grauman's Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chines ...
in Hollywood. *Born: Dilip Sardesai, Test cricketer, in Margao, Goa, British India (d. 2007) *Died:
Johnny Dodds Johnny Dodds (; April 12, 1892 – August 8, 1940) was an American jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonist based in New Orleans, best known for his recordings under his own name and with bands such as those of Joe "King" Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, ...
, 48, American jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonist


August 9, 1940 (Friday)

*German military commander
Alfred Jodl Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl (; 10 May 1890 – 16 October 1946) was a German ''Generaloberst'' who served as the chief of the Operations Staff of the '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' – the German Armed Forces High Command – throughout World ...
issued a directive titled '' Aufbau Ost'' ("Reconstruction East"), ordering that transport and supply facilities be improved in the east so the logistics would be in place for an attack on the Soviet Union in 1941. *The first air raid of the Birmingham Blitz took place when a single aircraft bombed Erdington. *
Sumner Welles Benjamin Sumner Welles (October 14, 1892September 24, 1961) was an American government official and diplomat in the Foreign Service. He was a major foreign policy adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served as Under Secretary of State ...
read a formal statement at a press conference calling John Cudahy's recent remarks "in violation of standing instructions of the Department of State" and said that they were "not to be construed as representing the views of this government." The statement went on to say that the incident "illustrates once again the importance which must be attributed by American representatives abroad to the Department's instructions to refrain at this critical time from making public statements other than those made in accordance with instructions of the Department of State." *The adventure film '' Captain Caution'' starring Victor Mature,
Bruce Cabot Bruce Cabot (born Étienne de Pelissier Bujac Jr.; April 20, 1904 – May 3, 1972) was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in ''King Kong'' (1933) and for his roles in films such as ''The Last of the Mohicans'' (1936), Fri ...
and
Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...
was released.


August 10, 1940 (Saturday)

*The Japanese blockade of China was extended to southern China. *The British armed merchant cruiser '' Transylvania'' was sunk west of
Islay Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The isl ...
by German submarine '' U-56''. *
John Cudahy John Clarence Cudahy (December 10, 1887 – September 6, 1943) was an American real estate developer and diplomat. In the years leading up to World War II, Cudahy served as United States ambassador to Poland and Belgium, and as United States minis ...
was recalled from his post for "consultation". The ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' quoted him as saying, "I do not retract one word from what I said." *Born: Bobby Hatfield, singer and one-half of the Righteous Brothers, in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin (d. 2003)


August 11 Events Pre-1600 * 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. * 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founde ...
, 1940 (Sunday)

*The ''
Kanalkampf The (Channel Fight) was the German term for air operations by the against the British Royal Air Force (RAF) over the English Channel in July 1940. The air operations over the Channel began the Battle of Britain during the Second World War. By ...
'' ended in limited German victory. *The South Carolina hurricane struck the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, resulting in 50 fatalities between this day and the next. *Died: Guy Branch, EGM, 26, Royal Air Force fighter pilot (killed in action)


August 12, 1940 (Monday)

*The second phase of the Battle of Britain began as the Luftwaffe expanded its targets to include British airfields. Bf 110s and Stuka dive bombers attacked radar installations along the coastlines of Kent,
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
and the Isle of Wight, damaging five radar stations and putting one out of action for eleven days. *It became a crime in the United Kingdom to waste food.


August 13 Events Pre-1600 * 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. * 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. * 554 – Em ...
, 1940 (Tuesday)

*The German military operation known as '' Adlertag'' ("Eagle Day") was put into action with the goal of destroying the Royal Air Force, but the attempt failed. *The
Canberra air disaster The 1940 Canberra air disaster was an aircraft crash that occurred near Canberra, the capital of Australia, on 13 August 1940, during World War II. All ten people on board were killed: six passengers, including three members of the Australian ...
killed ten people, including three ministers of the Australian Cabinet. *Vichy France passed a law aimed at Freemasonry by banning secret societies. *Born:
Dirk Sager Dirk Sager (13 August 1940 – 2 January 2014) was a German journalist. Life Sager studied American studies, politics and journalism at the Free University of Berlin. He worked as journalist in German television. Since 1968 he worked for Germa ...
, journalist, in Hamburg, Germany (d. 2014) *Died: Peter Eckersley, 36, English cricketer, politician and Fleet Air Arm aviator (plane crash); James Fairbairn, 43, Australian pastoralist, aviator and politician;
Henry Gullett Sir Henry Somer Gullett KCMG CB (26 March 1878 – 13 August 1940), known as Harry Gullett, was an Australian journalist, military historian and politician. He was a war correspondent during World War I and co-authored the official history of ...
, 62, Australian cabinet minister; Geoffrey Street, 46, Australian cabinet minister; Brudenell White, 63, Australian Army officer


August 14 Events Pre-1600 * 74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. The articles, enumerating t ...
, 1940 (Wednesday)

*U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved Rainbow No. 4, an emergency plan to defend the entire Western Hemisphere from attack. The plan required a massive number of soldiers and would have mobilized the National Guard and Reserves as well as introduced conscription. *Nazi administrator
Gustav Simon Gustav Simon (2 August 1900– 18 December 1945) was a Nazi Party official who served as ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Moselland from 1931 to 1945 and, from 1940 until 1942, as Chief of Civil Administration in occupied Luxembourg. Early years Gustav ...
abrogated the Constitution of Luxembourg, banned all opposition parties and made German the only official language there. *Born: Galen Hall, American football player and coach, in Altoona, Pennsylvania;
Max Schautzer Max Schautzer (born 14 August 1940 in Klagenfurt) is an Austrian-born German radio and television presenter. Schautzer was born in Klagenfurt and studied Drama and Economics in Vienna. In 1965, he left for Germany and began working for the regiona ...
, Austrian-born German radio and television presenter, in Klagenfurt


August 15, 1940 (Thursday)

*In the biggest air engagement of the Battle of Britain up to this point, the Luftwaffe attempted to overwhelm the RAF with a series of major air attacks. The Germans lost 76 aircraft to the British 34, and to the Germans the day became known as Black Thursday. *The U.S. Army contracted with
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
to build the
Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant Detroit Arsenal (DTA), formerly Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant (DATP) was the first manufacturing plant ever built for the mass production of tanks in the United States. Established in 1940 under Chrysler, the plant was owned by the U.S. government ...
in Warren, Michigan. *Died:
James P. Goodrich James Putnam Goodrich, (February 18, 1864 – August 15, 1940), was an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 29th governor of Indiana from 1917 to 1921. His term focused on reforming the operations of the ...
, 76, American politician and 29th Governor of Indiana


August 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1 BC – Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs. * 942 – Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamdan ...
, 1940 (Friday)

*The RAF attacked the
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
manufacturing plant in Turin. *48 volunteers of the
U.S. 29th Infantry Regiment The 29th Infantry Regiment ("Pioneers") is a unit of the United States Army first formed in 1813. History Previous 29th Regiments The first 29th Infantry was constituted on 29 January 1813, and served in the War of 1812. Following this, the r ...
made the first U.S. Army parachute jump from an aircraft in order to explore its applications in battle. *The Spanish Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and wife Gala arrived in New York to escape the war in Europe. They would not return to Europe for eight years. *The
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
-directed spy thriller film ''
Foreign Correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
'' was released. * Gardaí detectives Richard Hyland and Patrick McKeown are shot dead by the Anti-Treaty IRA during a Garda Special Branch raid. *Born: Bruce Beresford, film director, in Paddington, New South Wales,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...


August 17, 1940 (Saturday)

*Adolf Hitler ordered a total blockade of Britain as a means of weakening the island prior to Operation Sea Lion. *Canada and the United States signed the Ogdensburg Agreement, establishing the
Permanent Joint Board on Defense The Permanent Joint Board on Defense (spelled Defence in Canadian English) is the senior advisory body on continental military defence of North America. The board was established by Canada and the United States on August 17, 1940 under the Ogd ...
. * Wendell Willkie made a speech in his hometown of Elwood, Indiana formally accepting the Republican nomination for president. Willkie promised to return "to those same American principles that overcame German autocracy once before, both in business and in war, to out-distance Hitler in any contest he chooses in 1940 or after." Willkie said that the reason for France's defeat was because that country had become "absorbed in unfruitful political adventures and flimsy economy theories," drawing a parallel to the Roosevelt Administration.


August 18, 1940 (Sunday)

*In the Battle of Britain the air battle known as
The Hardest Day The Hardest DayBungay 2000, p. 231. was a World War II, Second World War air battle fought on 18 August 1940 during the Battle of Britain between the Germany, German Luftwaffe and United Kingdom, British Royal Air Force (RAF). On that day, the L ...
was fought, with an inconclusive result. The Germans lost 69 aircraft and the British 29. *Died: Walter Chrysler, 65, American automotive industry executive and founder of
Chrysler Corporation Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...


August 19 Events Pre-1600 *295 BC – The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War. *43 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, later know ...
, 1940 (Monday)

*The weather in Britain from this day through August 23 was wet with plenty of low cloud, causing a drop in the frequency of air raids. British ground crews took advantage of the lull in the fighting to repair damaged planes and airfields while Hermann Göring fumed at the loss of time. *Italian troops captured Berbera. *German submarine '' U-104'' was commissioned. *
Gallup Gallup may refer to: *Gallup, Inc., a firm founded by George Gallup, well known for its opinion poll *Gallup (surname), a surname *Gallup, New Mexico, a city in New Mexico, United States **Gallup station, an Amtrak train in downtown Gallup, New Me ...
published the results of a poll asking Americans whether they approved of a proposal to sell 50 old destroyer ships to England. 62% approved of the idea, 38% disapproved. *Born:
Jill St. John Jill St. John (born Jill Arlyn Oppenheim; August 19, 1940) is a retired American actress. She may be best known for playing Tiffany Case, the first American Bond girl of the 007 franchise, in '' Diamonds Are Forever''. Additional performances i ...
, actress, in Los Angeles, California


August 20, 1940 (Tuesday)

*
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
made the speech that included the line, "
Never was so much owed by so many to so few "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" was a wartime speech delivered to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom by British prime minister Winston Churchill on 20 August 1940. The name stems from the specific line in the speech, "Neve ...
." *The Hundred Regiments Offensive began in the Second Sino-Japanese War. * Leon Trotsky, living in exile in Mexico City, was stabbed with an ice axe by a Soviet agent. He died from his wounds the following day. *German submarine '' U-141'' was commissioned. *Born:
Musa Geshaev Musa Bautdinovich Geshaev ( ce, Муса Баутдинович Гешаев; August 20, 1940 in Grozny, Chechnya – March 7, 2014 in Moscow, Russia) was a Chechen poet, literary critic, songwriter, and historian who wrote extensively on the cu ...
, poet, literary critic, songwriter and historian, in Grozny,
Chechen-Ingush ASSR The Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic; inh, Нохч-ГӀалгӀай Автономе Советий Социализма Республика, Noxç-Ġalġay Avtonome Sovetiy Socializma Respublika; russian: Чече́но-И ...
, Soviet Union (d. 2014); Rubén Hinojosa, politician, in
Edcouch, Texas Edcouch is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,161 at the 2010 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas. The town was founded in 1927 and named for Edward ...


August 21 Events Pre-1600 * 959 – Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège. * 1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song Wars. *1169 – Battle o ...
, 1940 (Wednesday)

* Johann Schalk received the
Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe The ''Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe'' (Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe) was a Luftwaffe award established on 27 February 1940 by ''Reichsmarschall'' Hermann Göring, the ''Reich'' Minister of Aviation and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. It was of ...
. *The "tree of liberty", planted in Saverne after Alsace was restored to France at the end of World War I, was chopped down by members of the Hitler Youth. *Died:
Ernest Thayer Ernest Lawrence Thayer (; August 14, 1863 – August 21, 1940) was an American writer and poet who wrote the poem "Casey" (or "Casey at the Bat"), which is "the single most famous baseball poem ever written" according to the Baseball Almanac, and ...
, 77, American writer and poet; Leon Trotsky, 60, Russian Marxist revolutionary and politician (assassinated)


August 22, 1940 (Thursday)

*
Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England ** Harrow, London, a town in London ** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) ...
in northwest London received a German bomb at 3:30 a.m., the first to fall within the borders of the London Civil Defence Area. *Died: Oliver Lodge, 89, British physicist; Gerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland, 79, Maltese and British politician and peer; Mary Vaux Walcott, 80, American artist and naturalist


August 23, 1940 (Friday)

*The British destroyer ''
Hostile Hostility is seen as form of emotionally charged aggressive behavior. In everyday speech it is more commonly used as a synonym for anger and aggression. It appears in several psychological theories. For instance it is a facet of neuroticism in ...
'' struck a mine off
Cape Bon Cape Bon ("Good Cape") is a peninsula in far northeastern Tunisia, also known as Ras at-Taib ( ar, الرأس الطيب), Sharīk Peninsula, or Watan el Kibli; Cape Bon is also the name of the northernmost point on the peninsula, also known as Ra ...
, Tunisia and had to be scuttled. *King George VI commanded that the names of all Germans and Italians be stricken from the lists of British titles and decorations. The order affected
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
, who had been made a member of the Order of the Bath in 1923, as well as King Victor Emmanuel III who had been a member of the
Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...
. No prominent Nazis were affected as few Germans held any British titles. *The musical drama film '' Young People'', starring
Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...
premiered at the
Roxy Theatre Roxy Theatre or Roxy Theater may refer to: Australia *Roxy Theatre (Warner Bros. Movie World), a movie theatre within Warner Bros. Movie World, Queensland *Roxy Community Theatre in Leeton, New South Wales, originally called the Roxy Theatre *Roxy ...
in New York City. This was Temple's final film for her
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
contract and it was thought that it might be her last film ever. *Born: Tom Baker, actor, in West Virginia (d. 1982)


August 24, 1940 (Saturday)

* Portsmouth suffered the most casualties sustained in a single raid up to this point in the Battle of Britain. Over 100 were killed and 300 injured. *The Luftwaffe dropped bombs on the financial heart of London and Oxford Street in the West End, probably unintentionally as the German bomber pilots had likely made a navigational error and did not know they were over the city. Winston Churchill was outraged at what he perceived to be a deliberate attack and ordered the RAF to bomb Berlin in retaliation. *The German battleship '' Bismarck'' was commissioned into service. *A team of pathologists at Oxford University including
Howard Florey Howard Walter Florey, Baron Florey (24 September 189821 February 1968) was an Australian pharmacologist and pathologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Sir Ernst Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming for his role in ...
,
Ernst Chain Sir Ernst Boris Chain (19 June 1906 – 12 August 1979) was a German-born British biochemist best known for being a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on penicillin. Life and career Chain was born in Be ...
and Norman Heatley published laboratory results in '' The Lancet'' describing methods for the production of
penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...
and the effects of its chemotherapeutic action on lab mice. *Died: Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, 80, German technician and inventor


August 25, 1940 (Sunday)

*The RAF bombed Berlin for the first time in the war. Damage was slight and nobody was killed, but it came as a loss of face for Hermann Göring, who had boasted that Berlin would never be bombed. Hitler authorized the bombing of London in retaliation. *Born: José van Dam, bass-baritone, in Brussels, Belgium *Died:
Prince Jean, Duke of Guise Prince Jean of Orléans, Duke of Guise (Jean Pierre Clément Marie; 4 September 1874 – 25 August 1940), was the third son and youngest child of Prince Robert, Duke of Chartres (1840–1910), grandson of Prince Ferdinand Philippe and great- ...
, 65, Orleanist pretender to the French throne


August 26, 1940 (Monday)

*The French colony of
Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
joined the Free French side and declared war on Germany and Italy. *The Luftwaffe bombed the town of Wexford on the south-east coast of Ireland, killing three women. Ireland protested to Germany over the incident. *No. 1 Fighter Squadron RCAF became the first Royal Canadian Air Force unit to engage enemy planes in battle when it encountered German bombers over southern England.


August 27, 1940 (Tuesday)

* Philippe Leclerc led a bloodless coup in Cameroon that toppled the Vichy presence there and switched the colony's allegiance to the Free French. *President Roosevelt signed a joint resolution authorizing him to call National Guard and Army Reserve components into federal service for one year. *Born: Fernest Arceneaux, zydeco accordionist and singer, in
Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th- ...
(d. 2008); Sonny Sharrock, jazz guitarist, in
Ossining, New York Ossining may refer to: * Ossining (town), New York, a town in Westchester County, New York state *Ossining (village), New York, a village in the town of Ossining * Ossining High School, a comprehensive public high school in Ossining village * Ossi ...
(d. 1994)


August 28, 1940 (Wednesday)

* Liverpool Blitz: The first major air raid on Liverpool took place. * French Congo and Ubangi-Shari joined the Free French. The small colony of Gabon was the last French possession in the region to remain pro-Vichy. *German submarine '' U-94'' was commissioned.


August 29, 1940 (Thursday)

*Germany formally apologized to Ireland for the Wexford bombing. *Northwest of Ireland, German submarine '' U-100'' sank four cargo ships from Allied Convoy OA-204 and damaged a fifth. *Born:
Bennie Maupin Bennie Maupin (born August 29, 1940) is an American jazz multireedist who performs on various saxophones, flute, and bass clarinet. Maupin was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. He is known for his participation in Herbie Hancock's Mwandi ...
, jazz multireedist, in Detroit, Michigan; Johnny Paris, rock musician and leader of Johnny and the Hurricanes, in
Walbridge, Ohio Walbridge is a village in Wood County, Ohio, United States, within the Toledo metropolitan area. The population was 3,019 at the 2010 census. History Walbridge was platted in 1874. A post office called Walbridge has been in operation since 1871 ...
(d. 2006);
Wim Ruska Willem "Wim" Ruska (29 August 1940 – 14 February 2015) was a judoka from the Netherlands. He is the first athlete to win two gold medals in Judo in one Olympics – in the heavyweight and absolute categories in 1972. Judo career He started ...
, Olympic gold medalist in judo, in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 2015)


August 30, 1940 (Friday)

*The Second Vienna Award was rendered. *Vichy France announced that it would allow 6,000 Japanese troops to be stationed in Indochina and use ports, airfields and railroads for military purposes. However, the French government attempted to delay the implementation of this plan for as long as possible. *German submarine '' U-93'' was commissioned. *Died: J. J. Thomson, 83, English physicist and Nobel laureate


August 31, 1940 (Saturday)

*President Roosevelt called up 60,000 National Guardsmen into federal service. * Lovettsville air disaster: A new Pennsylvania Central Airlines
Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
passenger plane crashed near
Lovettsville, Virginia Lovettsville is a town in Loudoun County, located near the very northern tip of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. Settled primarily by German immigrants, the town was originally established in 1836. The population was 1,613 at the 2010 ...
during a storm, killing all 25 aboard. *
Texel Disaster The Texel Disaster took place off the Dutch coast on the night of 31 August 1940 and involved the sinking of two Royal Navy destroyers, and damage to a third and a light cruiser. The disaster was caused by a destroyer flotilla running into an unmar ...
: Two British Royal Navy
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s were lost by running into a
mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...
field off the coast of the occupied Netherlands with the loss of around 400 men, 300 of them dead. *The
Caproni Ca.331 The Caproni Ca.331 ''Raffica'' ("Gust of Wind" or "Fire Burst") was an Italian aircraft built by Caproni in the early 1940s as a tactical reconnaissance aircraft/light bomber and also as a night fighter. Development Ca.331 O.A. (Ca.331A) In res ...
military aircraft had its first test flight at Ponte San Pietro, Italy. *Film stars
Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...
and
Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...
were married at the
San Ysidro Ranch The San Ysidro Ranch is a luxury resort located in the Montecito foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Ynez Mountains. Originally deeded with the Presidio by Charles III of Spain, the San Ysidro Ranch exchanged hands, changing from a Mis ...
in California. *German submarine '' U-95'' was commissioned. *Born: Wilton Felder, jazz saxophonist and bassist ( The Crusaders), in Houston, Texas (d. 2015); Jack Thompson, actor, in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
*Died:
Ernest Lundeen Ernest Lundeen (August 4, 1878August 31, 1940) was an American lawyer and politician. Family and education Lundeen was born and raised on his father's homestead in Brooklyn Township of Lincoln County near Beresford in the Dakota Territory. H ...
, 62, American politician and U.S. Senator from Minnesota (killed in the Lovettsville plane crash)


References

{{Events by month links
1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...
*1940-08 *1940-08