Today in World War II History—July 10, 1940 & 1945

British poster, WWII (Imperial War Museum)
80 Years Ago—July 10, 1940: Battle of Britain begins with German Luftwaffe attacks on British shipping and on southern England.
National Assembly of the Third Republic of France votes to ban the Third Republic, granting Marshal Philippe Pétain dictatorial powers and the ability to alter the constitution.
French motto “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” is replaced with “Travail, Famille, Patrie” (work, family, fatherland).
Japanese deploy new A6M Zero fighters against Chinese forces.

B-29 Superfortress bombers near Mount Fuji, Japan, July 1945 (US National Parks Service)
75 Years Ago—July 10, 1945: US Navy Task Force 38 begins raids on Japan coordinated with B-29s; 1000 aircraft strike airfields near Tokyo.