Targets in south-east England, airfields and communications facilities along with airfields in the west. Night: Little activity. Weather: Mainly cloudy with bright patches and cloud in the Channel. Main Activity: At 1140 hours, a large formation comprising eighty Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers of II/StG 1 and IV/LG 1, escorted by around 100 Bf 109s of […]
1940
15
Aug
Thursday 15 August 1940
Decisive raids by German aircraft during their most intensive period of the battle to date. Seventy-five aircraft are lost during the day with airfields as their main targets. Night: Little activity. Weather: High pressure giving fine, warm weather although some cloud remained in the Channel area. Main Activity: In Britain the early hours seemed quiet […]
16
Aug
Friday 16 August 1940
Airfields in Kent, Hampshire and West Sussex attacked with widespread damage. Radar station at Ventnor put out of action. Other targets in Oxfordshire, Essex and Suffolk hit. Night: Numerous light attacks. Weather: Mainly fair and warm with haze over the Channel. Main Activity: The plotting tables were quiet until 11 a.m. when a series of […]
16
Aug
Won Vc In First Fight
During an action near Southampton on 16 August 1940, Flight Lieutenant James Nicolson was wounded when his Hurricane was attacked by a Messerschmitt Bf 110. Despite his cockpit being on fire, he attacked and shot down another German fighter, suffering serious burns before bailing out. For his actions he became Fighter Command’s only recipient of […]
17
Aug
Saturday 17 August 1940
Activity limited to reconnaissance sorties. Fighter Command faces pilot shortage. Night: Light raids on the Midlands, Merseyside and South Wale Weather: Fine in the Channel, haze and some cloud in the east. Main Activity: The lull continued throughout the day. Reconnaissance flights were plotted and, although Fighter Command flew 288 sorties, Luftwaffe losses amounted to […]
18
Aug
Sunday 18 August 1940
Massed German formations return attacking airfields in the south and south-east. Night: Light bombing in Bristol, East Anglia and South Wales. Minelaying. Weather: Fine and fair early, cloudy for rest of day. Main Activity: The Luftwaffe’s all-out efforts to destroy Fighter Command in one week ended with a final flourish on this Sunday. The main […]
18
Aug
Fighter Station Scramble
Footage of No. 56 (Punjab) Squadron Hurricanes and No. 65 (East India) Squadron Spitfires operating from RAF Rochford (now Southend Airport), August 1940. Source: British Pathé
19
Aug
Monday 19 August 1940
Isolated raids on Britain. Heavy reconnaissance activity. Night: Widespread harassing raids. Minelaying. Weather: Mainly cloudy. Occasional showers in the east. Main Activity: On the 19th large numbers of the enemy made threatening moves in the Channel and estuary areas, but only isolated raids came through. The most intense Luftwaffe activity was put up by the […]
20
Aug
Tuesday 20 August 1940
Scattered raids in the morning. Kent and Essex airfields attacked during the afternoon. Night: Very little activity. One or two raids in the south-west. Weather: Generally cloudy, rain spreading from the north. Channel mainly fine. Main Activity: The weather was autumnal, with low clouds, strong winds and intermittent rain which restricted German operations. The Luftflotten […]
21
Aug
Wednesday 21 August 1940
Small raids on airfields in the east and south. Night: Slight activity including Scotland. Weather: Cloudy, occasional rain. Main Activity: The bad weather continued throughout the day, and the Luftwaffe resorted to ‘tip-and-run’ raids round the east and south coasts. Instead of mass attacks, small formations or single aircraft were used in some cases, while […]