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• German submarine U-34 sank Norwegian ship Janna 100 miles southwest of Ireland at 0700 hours. The entire crew of 25 took to lifeboats and would reach Mizen Head, Ireland 3 days later. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | CPC]

• USS Wichita and USS Quincy departed Rio Grande do Sol, Brazil for Santos, Brazil. ww2dbase [Quincy (New Orleans-class) | Rio Grande do Sul | CPC]

• Marshal Philippe Pétain declared himself head of state of the French Republic. On radio later on the same day, he spoke of the expected roles of the young people, the parents, and the government. "Let us give ourselves to France. She has always led her people to greatness." Privately, the younger generation responded poorly to Pétain's new vision, critiquing it as discriminatory toward young women, enslaving them as homemakers. ww2dbase [Philippe Pétain | TH]
• Pierre Laval became the 120th Prime Minister of France with the title of the Vice President of the Council. ww2dbase [Pierre Laval | CPC]

• A meeting between Admiral Erich Raeder and Adolf Hitler took place at the Obersalzberg, Berchtesgaden, Germany where matters of how things were in Norway and Hitler's plans for that area were made clear. How to continue the war against Britain was discussed and again Hitler made it clear of his aims and that no invasion was to take place until all efforts had been made to bring the British government to sue for peace. However, within the next few days Hitler would change his mind. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | Erich Raeder | Berchtesgaden, München-Oberbayern | CPC, HM]
• Joachim von Ribbentrop requested Spain to assist in the detaining of the Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Joachim von Ribbentrop | CPC]

• German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis sank British ship City Of Baghdad 400 miles southeast of Ceylon. 2 men were killed and 81 were taken prisoner. ww2dbase [Atlantis | CPC]

• Leonardo da Vinci set sail from Naples, Italy at 0931 hours for exercises, returning at 1635 hours. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | Napoli, Campania | CPC]
• Alessandro Malaspina conducted exercises out of La Spezia, Italy between 0800 hours and 1651 hours. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | La Spezia, Liguria | CPC]
• Alpino Bagnolini conducted exercises out of Taranto, Italy between 1125 and 1535 hours. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | Taranto, Apulia | CPC]
• Comandante Faà di Bruno departed La Spezia, Italy at 2200 hours, starting her second war patrol. ww2dbase [Comandante Faà di Bruno | La Spezia, Liguria | CPC]
• Morosini departed Naples, Italy at 2350 hours, starting her second war patrol. ww2dbase [Morosini | Naples, Campania | CPC]

• Capitano Tarantini attacked Panamanian tanker Beme in the Mediterranean Sea about 60 miles south of Cyprus at 2300 hours as the tanker was in ballast on a voyage from Haifa, Palestine to Istanbul, Turkey. The first torpedo fired missed, but the tanker was then disabled by gunfire. After removing the tanker's crew, the ship was sunk by a second torpedo. ww2dbase [Capitano Tarantini | CPC]

• British Minister for Aircraft Production Lord Beaverbrook announced that there would be virtually no limit to expenditures on US aircraft, with costs working out to over £2 million per day on planes for the RAF. ww2dbase [Beaverbrook | TH]
• German aircraft attacked the British Royal Navy Base at Portland in southern England, United Kingdom; 1 British Hurricane fighter, 2 British Spitfire fighters, 2 German Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers, and 2 German Bf 109 fighters were shot down. Off the eastern coast of England Hurricane fighters of No. 66 Squadron RAF attacked a Do 17 bombers on a reconnaissance mission, shooting it down but they also one of their own. Off the coast of Kent in southern England, a German rescue seaplane escorted by 12 Bf 109 fighters was shot down by the British while en route to rescue downed German airmen; 2 of the 6 Spitfire fighters and 2 of the 12 Bf 109 fighters were also lost. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
• Bernard Montgomery was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. ww2dbase [Bernard Montgomery | CPC]
• Douglas Bader shot down a German Do 17 aircraft off the coast of Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | England | CPC]
• Richard Saul was Mentioned in Despatches. ww2dbase [Richard Saul | CPC]
• Richard O'Connor was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. ww2dbase [Richard O'Connor | CPC]
• 1,120-ton converted steam luxury yacht HMS Warrior II was on her way back to Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom when she was seen by a flight of over 50 German bombers. The aircraft attacked in two waves, dropping bombs all around the zigzagging ship. Armed only with a single Lewis machine gun she fought back but was hit by a bomb dropped in the second wave. The bomb went through the decks and Warrior II started to sink. All the crew got away from the ship save for the Chief Steward who had been in the wardroom when the bomb passed through the ship. Warrior II had been built by Fredrick Vanderbilt in 1904 and was then the most luxurious yacht in the world. After almost being wrecked she was sold, she served as HMS Warrior during WW1 and then was used as a hospital ship in the Spanish Civil War, then sold off and then taken over by the British Admiralty. Fitted out with depth charges and a Lewis machine gun she was given the task of escorting British submarines between ports of Portsmouth and Plymouth. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | England | HM]

• US Army approached 135 American automotive manufacturers to submit designs to replace its existing, aging light motor vehicles. They were told that they must submit their first prototypes within 49 days and have 70 test vehicles prepared in 75 days. ww2dbase [Jeep | DS]
• Frank Knox took office as the US Secretary of the Navy. ww2dbase [Frank Knox | CPC]

• Captain Laurence Wild relieved Captain Edward W. Hanson as Governor of American Samoa and Commandant of Naval Station, Tutuila, Samoa. ww2dbase [Samoa | CPC]

11 Jul 1940 Interactive Map