The Battle of Britain (38 page)

Thursday, August 22:
Clouds and rain squalls.

Goering put Luftflotte 3's fighters under Luftflotte 2's command and ordered them to move from Cherbourg area to Pas de Calais.

Day:
Channel shipping attacked. Manston airfield and Dover bombed.

Night:
Convoy attacked at Wick; airfields North Coates, Manston, St Eval, Wick, Filton and aircraft factory at Filton bombed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 5, Luftwaffe 2.

Friday, August 23:
Cloudy, showers, bright patches.

Day:
Light raids on airfields at Abingdon, Biggin Hill, Tangmere. Bombs jettisoned over London residential suburbs. Bombers attacked Portsmouth, Maidstone, St Albans, Cromer and convoys off Essex and Norfolk coasts.

Night:
Pembroke Dock, Midlands factories, and a convoy attacked.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 0, Luftwaffe 5.

Saturday, August 24:
Fine south, showers north.

Climactic days resumed and Britain entered a period of greatest jeopardy.

Day:
Heavy raid on Manston, destroying buildings and telephone lines, leaving unexploded bombs on landing area, compelling evacuation. Raids on Hornchurch, North Weald, Dover, Ramsgate and Portsmouth.

Night:
170 raiders over northern and south-eastern England. Bombs intended for Thames Haven and Rochester fell on central London.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 22, Luftwaffe 38.

Sunday, August 25:
Fair, turning cloudy. All German bomber units received a telegram from Goering demanding the names of aircraft captains whose crews dropped bombs within the London perimeter. Luftwaffe High Command would punish them by posting to infantry regiments.

Day:
Quiet until mid-afternoon. Warmwell airfield badly damaged, and targets in west of England, Scilly Isles RAF wireless station, and Pembroke Dock bombed. Heavy raid on Dover and Thames Estuary.

Night:
Minelaying west and south. Midlands heavily raided, also south Wales, south of England, and airfield at Montrose, Scotland.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 16, Luftwaffe 20.

The night RAF Bomber Command put up 81 Hampdens to attack the Siemens-Halske factory and other targets in Berlin. Crews unable positively to identify objectives through cloud jettisoned bombs over the city. This first damage to the enemy capital brought ridicule on Goering, who had boasted that it would never happen.

Monday, August 26:
Channel cloudy. Britain generally cloudy; south better than the rest.

Day:
At 1100hrs 150-plus hostiles attacked Biggin Hill and Kenley, bombed Folkestone and set fire to balloon barrage at Dover. Six RAF squadrons and three flights intercepted and scattered them. In the afternoon 100-plus hostiles made for Hornchurch and North Weald but were met and disrupted, managing only to attack Debden quite severely. A third 150-plus raid was intercepted. Portsmouth, Warmwell, Debden, Biggin Hill, Kenley under attack.

Night:
Bombs on Plymouth, Coventry, Bournemouth and St Eval.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 31, Luftwaffe 41.

Tuesday, August 27:
Straits hazy, clouds over Channel clearing, rain Midlands and east.

Day:
Luftwaffe reconnaissance flights spotted.

Night:
Bombers over south and south-east.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 0, Luftwaffe 3.

Wednesday, August 28:
Straits cloudy, generally fair to fine.

Day:
Eastchurch, Rochford bombed. Enemy fighter sweeps over Kent and Thames Estuary provoked engagement by RAF.

Night:
150 raiders on Liverpool, London, Birmingham, Coventry, Sheffield, Manchester, Derby.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 28, Luftwaffe 30; one mail-carrying Gortha 154 lost its way and force landed.

Thursday, August 29:
Bright intervals between rain.

Day:
Light raids on south-east and south.

Night:
Liverpool hit by 130 bombers. Diversionary singletons over Midlands and London.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 9, Luftwaffe 17.

Friday, August 30:
Channel fine, elsewhere fair.

Day:
Shipping in Thames Estuary attacked. This was to distract attention from main targets; at 1030, 1100 and 1130hrs raids, each 30-plus, over French coast setting course for England. Sixteen defending squadrons airborne. Biggin Hill damaged. At 1330hrs three raids totalling more than 40 on Kenley, Biggin Hill, Tangmere, Shoreham; eight squadrons sent up to turn them back. Radar stations at Rye, Pevensey, Foreness, Dover, Fairlight, Beachy Head, Whitstable rendered unserviceable; electricity mains damaged. Another raid at 1600hrs targeted Kenley, Biggin Hill, North Weald and a convoy; Oxford, Luton and Detling were
badly damaged. At about 1800hrs approximately 10 hostiles attacked Biggin Hill and caused widespread severe damage.

Night:
Raids began at 2030hrs on London, Liverpool and south Wales. Singletons aimed at North Weald, Debden, Biggin Hill, Hornchurch, Detling, Eastchurch, Thorney Island, Calshot, Rochford, Broxbourne, Derby, Norwich and Peterborough.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 25, Luftwaffe 36.

Saturday, August 31:
Fair, Straits of Dover hazy.

Day:
Action opened at 0800hrs. Dover balloon barrage destroyed. Debden hit by 100 bombs. North Weald, Croydon, Hornchurch, Biggin Hill, Detling all bombed or strafed during the day's attacks. Radar stations at Pevensey, Rye, Beachy Head, Whitstable, Foreness damaged.

Night:
Liverpool badly damaged, Portsmouth, Manchester, Bristol, Rotherhithe, Durham, Stockport, Gloucester, Worcester bombed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 39, Luftwaffe 41.

Fighter Command was feeling the increasing wear and tear of two months' dawn readiness and unrelenting action. Pilots were weary. Some, even among the bravest and the most successful, were showing signs of excessive nervous tension. Dowding, his Group and Sector Commanders and the Operations Controllers were concerned about the high losses among squadron and flight commanders and the problem of finding replacements. They were no less worried by the curtailed training of the new pilots being hurried through the Operational Training Units and committed to meeting the enemy with only five to ten hours on Hurricanes or Spitfires, and without any practice at air-to-air firing. But that unquantifiable essential for victory, high morale, remained as buoyant as ever.

The Luftwaffe, both fighter pilots and bomber crews, were equally tired and worn. Although their fighting spirit remained unabated, they were disillusioned. Their leaders had promised them swift conquest, yet they had been unable to accomplish it. Instead of recognising his own defects, Goering heaped blame on his fighter units. However courageous the fighter pilots, they were nagged by the ever-present anxiety that their aircraft endurance allowed only ten minutes' fighting time over England, and the Channel waited to swallow them up if empty fuel tanks forced them down. They had grown to hate the Channel and had many abusive names for it, the least scabrous being ‘The Sewer'. Under-achievement and Goering's incessant recriminations had sapped their morale.

Sunday, September 1:
Fine.

Goering ordered operations to concentrate on 30 factories making aircraft or aircraft parts.

Day:
Heavy attacks on airfields at Eastchurch, Detling, Biggin Hill, Hawkinge, Lympne, and also on Dover and Tilbury.

Night:
Bombs on Sheffield, Stafford, Liverpool area, Hull, Grimsby, Burton, Kent, south Wales.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 15, Luftwaffe 14.

Monday, September 2:
Fine, Straits hazy.

Day:
Attacks on Rochford, Biggin Hill, North Weald, Eastchurch, Debden, Kenley, Digby, Hornchurch, Detling; and on airfield and aircraft factory at Brooklands. Random bombing of Kent.

Night:
Minelaying and bombing south Wales, Liverpool, Birmingham and small towns.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 31, Luftwaffe 35.

Tuesday, September 3:
Mostly fine.

Day:
Debden, Hornchurch, North Weald severely hit.

Night:
South Wales, Liverpool and south-east England bombed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 16, Luftwaffe 16.

Wednesday, September 4:
Fine.

Day:
Action on Goering's directive about attacking the aircraft industry was initiated. Dover balloon barrage, Lympne, Eastchurch, Brooklands (and aircraft factory) hit. Also aircraft factory at Rochester.

Night:
Bristol, south Wales, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Tilbury, Gravesend airfield, Nottingham, all bombed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 15, Luftwaffe 20.

Thursday, September 5:
Mostly fine.

Day:
North Weald, Croydon, Lympne, Biggin Hill, Eastchurch airfields attacked.

Night:
Liverpool, London, Manchester and more than 40 other places bombed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 20, Luftwaffe 23.

Friday, September 6:
Fine.

Day:
Inaccurate bombing of Biggin Hill airfield and aircraft factory at Brooklands.

Night:
Scattered light raids.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 23, Luftwaffe 35.

Saturday, September 7:
Fair.

Armageddon was the name of the biblical last great struggle between Good and Evil. It could appropriately be applied to the period of plenary raids on London that began on this day.

The Operations Order issued on the previous day by Grauert, the General Officer Commanding I Air Corps, is a statement of intention and method that summarises and illustrates the many further high-intensity attacks that followed.

‘1. In the evening of 7.9 Luftflotte 2 will conduct a major strike against target Loge (the code word for London).

‘To this end the following units will operate in succession: for the Initial Attack: at 1800 one KG of II Air Corps; for the Main Attack: at 1840 II Air Corps at 1845 I Air Corps, reinforced by KG30.

‘2. Disposition of I Air Corps Units: KG 30 (plus II KG/76) on the right; KG1 central. KG76 (less II/KG76) on the left.

‘3. Fighter Cover. (a) Purpose of Initial Attack is to force English fighters into the air so that they will have reached end of endurance at time of Main Attack. (b) fighter escort will be provided by Jafu 2 in the proportion of one fighter Geschwader for each bomber Geschwader. (c) ZG76 (for this operation under I Air Corps command) will, from 1840, clear the air of enemy fighters over I Air Corps targets, thereby covering attack and retreat of bomber formations. (d) Jafu 2 guarantees two fighter Geschwader to cover I and II Air Corps.

‘4. Execution. (a) Rendezvous: To be made with fighter escort before crossing coast. Bombers will fly direct. (b) Courses: KG30, St Omer – just south of Cap Griz Nez – railway fork north of ‘Seveneae' – to the target. KG1, St Pol – mouth of la Slack – Riverhead – to the target. KG76, Hesdin – north perimeter Boulogne – Westerham – target. (c) Fighter escort: JG26 for KG30, JG54 for KG1, JG27 for KG76. In view of the fact that the fighters will be operating at the limit of their endurance, it is essential that direct courses be flown and the attack completed in minimum time. (d) Flying altitudes after RV with fighters: KG30: 5,000–5,500 metres (16,400–18,000ft), KG1: 6,000–6,500m (19,700–21,300ft). KG76: 5,000–5,500m (16,400–18,000ft). To stagger heights as above will provide maximum concentration of attacking force. On return flight some loss of altitude is permissible, in order to cross the English coast at approximately 4,000m (13,000ft).
(e) The intention is to complete the operation by a single attack. In the events of units failing to arrive directly over target, other suitable objectives in Loge may be bombed from altitude of approach. (It is chilling to pause here and reflect that the ‘other suitable objectives' permitted in 4(e) were the men, women and children of London.) (f) Return flight: After releasing bombs formations will turn to starboard. KG27 will do so with care after first establishing that starboard units have already attacked. Return course will then be Maidstone – Dymchurch – escort fighter bases. (g) Bomb-loads: He 111 and Ju 88, no 50kg bombs, 20 per cent incendiaries, 30 per cent delayed-action 2 – 4 hours and 10 – 14 hours (the latter without concussion fuses); Do 17, 25 per cent disintegrating containers with BI, EL and no SD 50; load only to be limited by security of aircraft against enemy Flak. Fuel sufficient for completion of operation and marginal safety to be carried only.

‘5. To achieve the necessary maximum effect it is essential that units fly as highly concentrated forces during approach, attack and especially on return. The main objective of the operation is to prove that the Luftwaffe can achieve this.'

Day:
London heavily bombed; widespread carnage and fires. Valiant and unremitting defence by RAF.

Night:
Ruthless savage bombing of London.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 25 aircraft (19 pilots), Luftwaffe 37.

Sunday, September 8:
Fair, turning cloudy.

Day:
Light attacks on Detling, Hornchurch, West Malling, Gravesend, Dover and Sevenoaks.

Night:
207 bombers on London kill 412 and grievously injure 747.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 2, Luftwaffe 15.