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• All political parties in Norway were dissolved except for Quisling's Nasjonal Samling Party, which was installed as the pro-Nazi Norwegian government. ww2dbase [TH]
• The US Navy awarded contracts for the construction of 210 new ships, including 12 aircraft carriers and 7 battleships. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Italian Army Marshal Rudolfo Graziani ordered his troops in Libya to march toward British positions, with troops of the Italian 10th Army under General Mario Berti as spearhead; the Italian goal was to capture the Suez Canal. Italian aircraft bombed British defensive positions while British aircraft flew sorties against Italian supply dumps and troop concentrations. ww2dbase [Invasion of Egypt | CPC]
• Greek collier Antonios Chandris, abandoned by her crew as forced by German armed merchant cruiser Widder, was sunk by demolition charges at dawn. Lifeboats containing 22 of her crew of 29 would be rescued by Portuguese freighter Serpa Pinto on 8 Oct 1940. ww2dbase [Widder | CPC]
• German submarine U-47 sank Greek ship Possidon of Allied convoy SC-2 70 miles north of Ireland at 0024 hours; 17 were killed. ww2dbase [U-47 | CPC]
• German submarine U-28 sank British ship Mardinian of Allied convoy SC-2 70 miles north of Ireland at 0447 hours; 6 were killed and 22 survived. Italian submarine Comandante Faà di Bruno damaged British tanker Auris 750 miles west of Gibraltar. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | CPC]
• British Skua aircraft of 801 Squadron took off from Royal Naval Air Station Hatston, Orkney, Scotland to attack German shipping off Bergen, Norway; 1 of the Skua was lost during the attack, with two airmen killed. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis sank British tanker Athelking (without any cargo) 1,200 miles east of Madagascar; 6 were killed and 40 were captured. ww2dbase [Atlantis | CPC]
• Walther von Brauchitsch issued a plan for the future military occupation of Britain which, among other things, called for the rounding up of males between the age of 17 and 35 to be sent to continental Europe as forced laborers and the systematic looting of British goods; this type of harsh treatment was not even implemented in German-occupied Poland at this time. ww2dbase [Walther von Brauchitsch | CPC]
• Douglas Bader shot down a German Do 17 aircraft and damaged the rudder of a He 111 aircraft using his propeller. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | CPC]
• Hans-Joachim Marseille was awarded Iron Cross 2nd Class. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | CPC]

• At Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, the first eight of many American submarines were transferred to the British Royal Navy. ww2dbase [Halifax, Nova Scotia | CPC]

• French intelligence reported a possible invasion of Dakar in West Africa by General de Gaulle's forces, supported by the British. In response, French cruisers Georges Leygues, Montcalm, and Gloire, plus three destroyers, were ordered to sail from Toulon, France to reinforce Dakar. ww2dbase [Toulon Military Port | British Attacks on the French Fleet | Toulon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | CPC]
• Montcalm departed Toulon, France. ww2dbase [Montcalm | Toulon Military Port | Toulon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | CPC]

• Adolf Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Britain. ww2dbase [TH]

• Aircraft from HMS Illustrious and HMS Eagle attacked Italian airfields on the island of Rhodes, Greece; Eagle lost 4 aircraft in this attack. ww2dbase [Eagle | Rhodes | CPC]

• Leonardo da Vinci set sail from Naples, Italy at 1045 hours for exercises, returning at 1830 hours. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | Napoli, Campania | CPC]
• Alpino Bagnolini departed Trapani, Sicilia, Italy at 1850 hours, starting her third war patrol. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | Trapani, Sicilia | CPC]

• Comandante Faà di Bruno sighted British tanker Auris on the horizon in the Mediterranean Sea. After closing in and unsure of the ship's identity, the Italian submarine fired a warning shot at 1126 hours, and the tanker responded with a gunshot while turning to escape. The submarine began firing on the tanker, but rough seas led to inaccurate gunnery. Auris would be able to escape successfully. ww2dbase [Comandante Faà di Bruno | CPC]

• German long-range guns shelled Dover, England. ww2dbase [Dover, England | TH]
• A large German raid crossed the English Channel at 1700 hours and flew toward London, England, United Kingdom in two pincers. Unexpectedly, a British "Big Wing" formation came to intercept, shooting down 29 bombers and 21 Bf 109 fighters and prevented most of the German bombers from reaching London. The British lost 20 fighters (6 pilots killed) in the battle. Overnight, London was heavily bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]

• The order for the construction of Illinois and Kentucky was issued. ww2dbase [Illinois | Kentucky | CPC]

9 Sep 1940 Interactive Map