Thursday, October 21, 2010

Day 418 October 22, 1940

Battle of Britain Day 105. Widespread fog in the morning restricts Luftwaffe to reconnaissance flights. In the afternoon, fog clears to rain and Luftwaffe sends 2 fighter sweeps, 1 over Kent and 1 over Southeast London and Thames Estuary (3 Bf109s shot down, 6 REF fighters shot down with 4 pilots killed). 2 minesweeping trawler hits mines and sink. HMT Joseph Button sinks 6 miles off Aldeburgh, Suffolk, (5 killed) and HMT Hickory sinks in the English Channel, South of Weymouth (24 killed). Night bombing of London is light but Liverpool is attacked and Coventry is heavily bombed from 8-10 PM, starting 150 fires and causing much damage.

Canadian destroyer HMCS Margaree, escorting convoy OL-8, collides with freighter Port Fairy 300 miles West of Ireland and sinks (142 crew lost, 34 rescued by Port Fairy). HMCS Margaree had previously been in the Royal Navy as HMS Diana and had been commissioned into the Canadian Navy on September 6. Most of the crew had survived the sinking of destroyer HMCS Fraser on June 25 after a collision with cruiser HMS Calcutta.

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