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• Moscow radio reported that RAF bombing had largely destroyed the German invasion fleet along the English Channel. ww2dbase [TH]
• France tentatively agreed to meet increased Japanese demands for Indochina. ww2dbase [Indochina Campaign | CPC]
• British Royal Navy launched 11 Swordfish torpedo bombers and 6 Skua fighters/dive bombers from carrier HMS Furious at 0300 hours to attack German positions at Trondheim, Norway. Rough waters due to bad weather forced HMS Furious to turn back for Scotland ahead of schedule. When the aircraft returned, 1 Swordfish aircraft ran out of fuel while looking for HMS Furious (3 killed), 3 Swordfish aircraft crash landed in Norway (9 captured), and 1 Swordfish and 1 Skua aircraft cash landed in Sweden (5 interned). ww2dbase [Furious | CPC]
• British destroyers HMS Jervis, HMS Janus, HMS Juno, and HMS Mohawk bombarded Italian positions at Sidi Barrani, Egypt. ww2dbase [CPC]
• British submarine HMS Truant sank Italian ship Provvidenza 10 miles west of Naples, Italy. ww2dbase [CPC]
• British submarine HMS Osiris sank Italian destroyer Palestro in the Adriatic Sea 75 miles east of Bari, Italy. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Allied convoy HX-72 continued to be attacked by German submarines about 600 miles west of Inishtrahull, Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean after being detected and attacked in the previous day. Between 0022 and 0214 hours, German submarine U-100 (Joachim Schepke) sank British ship Empire Airman (33 killed, 4 rescued), British tanker Frederick S. Fales (11 killed, 32 rescued), British ship Scholar (entire crew of 45 survived), Norwegian ship Simla (5 drowned after jumping overboard including master Hans von Krogh, 31 survived; see further detail), and three other ships. The 6.031-ton Simla, carrying scrap metal and steel, was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side forward of the bridge and sank quickly before the crew could launch the lifeboats; the survivors were picked up by corvette HMS Heartsease (K 15). At 0740 hours, U-32 attacked British ship Collegian with her deck gun, but return fire from Collegian drove off the attack. Meanwhile, 100 miles south of the Faroe Islands, German submarine U-31 sank Faroese trawler Union Jack at 1755 hours by deck gun fire; the entire crew of 7 survived. 1 mile off the French coast near Bordeaux, British submarine HMS Tuna sank Norwegian passenger liner Tirranna; the commanding officer of HMS Tuna did not know that Tirranna was a prize ship taken by German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis back in Jun, and it carried 274 prisoners; of the 88 killed, only one was German; the remainder were all civilians of friendly nations. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | Atlantis | CPC, HM]

• Leonardo da Vinci set sail from Naples, Italy at 0900 hours for Bordeaux, France. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | Napoli, Campania | CPC]

• Bad weather restricted flying on both sides; only 1 German aircraft (Ju 88 bomber on reconnaissance mission shot down near the Isle of Wight, with entire crew captured) and 3 British Hurricane fighters (became lost in fog while on patrol) destroyed during the day. Overnight, London, England, United Kingdom received a heavy bombing from German bombers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]

22 Sep 1940 Interactive Map