military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (09/20/90)
From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) Friday, 20 September, 1940 German U-boats experiment successfully with a new "Wolf Pack" tactic. Three boats, the U-47, U-99, and U-100, commanded by three of Germany's leading submariners (Prien, Kretschmer, and Schepke) attack convoy HX.72, scattering the ships and sinking twelve totalling over 77,000 tons. The U-100 alone accounts for seven ships, without being detected by the convoy's escorts. Japan delivers an ultimatum to French Indo-China, demanding access to air bases and Haiphong harbor, as well as permission to transport troops to China through Indo-China. The French Foreign Minister warns that France has no power to resist. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Bill Thacker military@att.att.com Send submissions for "50 Years Ago" to military-request@att.att.com "Nothing stimulates the Englishman so much as something which affects his navy, for tradition and security are bound up in it." - Admiral William V. Pratt, U.S.N., Ret.