military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (09/27/90)
From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) Friday, 27 September, 1940 Germany, Italy, and Japan join in signing the Tripartite Pact. Each agrees to join in fighting any nation which declares war on a member of the pact, with the exception of the USSR and present belligerents (such as Great Britain and China). The apparent aim is to deter the USA from entering war in either the Pacific or the European theater. The treaty has a duration of 10 years. The RAF blunts daylight attacks on London, forcing a third of the 300 fighters and bombers detailed to attack the city to turn back, and downing 55 German planes at a cost of 28 Spitfires and Hurricanes. Night raids continue to strike London, and 177,000 residents seek shelter in Underground stations. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Bill Thacker military@att.att.com Send submissions for "50 Years Ago" to military-request@att.att.com "The final victory which we are striving for with unbending resolution and which cannot fail to be ours under the guidance of the great leaders of our peoples, will be the surest pledge of a future based on justice and peace for all the peoples of the world." - German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop.