France announcing coffee rationing: all cups must now be made with half coffee beans & half filler (roast peas/nuts), & buying coffee after 3PM is banned: part of Vichy austerity drive.

One bitter Royal Air Force pilot responds to Churchill's slogan: "Never were so many owed so much- or paid so little." RAF pilots paid about 14 shillings/day [~£45 in new money].

British High Command have issued top-secret Alert #3: "Expect invasion within the next 3 days." British army now on high alert after reports of German troop movements.

German citizens shocked that, despite extravagant promises of protection by the Luftwaffe, British bombers can reach their cities. ("The foe sees your light- black out!")

One Berliner claims that German prostitutes benefit from blackout: "Even ugly girls can safely hide their faces in the dark, shining torches on their legs in invitation."

King Carol of Romania has given in to fascist pressure & abdicated in favour of his 18-year-old son, Prince Michael (right): a new figurehead for Prime Minister Antonescu.

King Carol is fleeing Romania with his mistress Magda via private train, taking 16 poodles, 6 pet turkeys, $2.5 million in jewels, 4 Rembrandts taken from national gallery & royal stamp collection.

Royal Air Force is strained to breaking point: 6 out of 7 southern UK airfields badly damaged, only 75% of "Chain Home" radar network is operational, pilots exhausted.

Reichsmarschall Göring having a champagne picnic on the Channel coast to celebrate planned vast Luftwaffe raid on London today- largest so far.

900+ German planes now crossing Channel. Göring, frustrated by Royal Air Force bases's resilience, has aimed his Luftwaffe at London instead.

5.30PM Massive wave of German planes dropping first of their bombs- targeting the dockyards & warehouses of East London.

German bombs have set the East End ablaze. London firefighter Gerry Knight phones his station: "Send every pump- the whole bloody world's on fire!"

London's warehoused food stocks are burning: "There are pepper fires, loading the air with stinging particles; rum fires, barrels exploding like bombs."

Burning paint, rum, & oil are flooding from bombed warehouses onto the surface of the Thames; the river itself is on fire.

German pilot Ulrich Steinhilper, over London: "Glorious! The pure azure-blue of the sky with the sun dimmed by sinister smoke... interwoven & cross-hatched by the contrails of fighters locked in their life & death struggles."

RAF fighters are now wreaking havoc among Luftwaffe over London, despite Göring's claim that the British have less than 70 fighter planes operational (real number: 700).

As dusk falls, an amazing, horrifying sight in London: the sun seems to be setting in the east. Burning East End is lighting the sky on fire.

UK High Command, certain German attack on London is precursor to imminent invasion, have issued codeword "Cromwell": soldiers being issued live ammunition, told to block roads & guard coast

US war correspondent Ernie Pyle is in London: "You have all seen big fires, but I doubt if you have ever seen the whole horizon of a city lined with great fires - scores of them, perhaps hundreds." eyewitnesstohistory.com/blitz.htm

No sign yet of feared German invasion fleet- but overzealous Army engineers have already begun blowing up bridges "to stop Nazi advance".