The Battle of Britain (40 page)

Because of lack of height reports and the delays in receipt of RDF and Observer Corps information at Group, and the longer time recently taken by squadrons to take off, pairs and wings of squadrons were meeting enemy formations above them, before reaching the height ordered by Group.

Park: ‘Tip-and-run raids across Kent by Bf 110s carrying bombs or small formations of long-range bombers escorted by fighters give such short notice that the Group controller is sometimes compelled to detail even single fighter squadrons that happen to be in the air to intercept the enemy bombers before they attack aircraft factories, sector aerodromes, or other such vital points as docks, Woolwich, etc. Normally, however, Group controller has sufficient time to detail from one to three pairs (two to six squadrons) to intercept raids heading for London.

‘Whenever time permits I wish Group controllers to get the readiness squadrons in company over sector aerodromes, Spitfires 25,000ft (7,602m), Hurricanes 20,000ft (6,100m), and wait until they report they are in good position before sending them to patrol lines or to intercept raids having a good track in fairly clear weather.'

Saturday, October 5:
Rain with bright periods.

Day:
Southampton, Folkestone and Detling all hit. Fighter-bombers on London.

Night:
London and eastern airfields raided.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 9, Luftwaffe 9.

Sunday, October 6:
Wet.

Day:
London and east England under light attacks. Low-flying fighter-bombers demolished three barrack blocks at Biggin Hill.

Night:
Slight enemy activity over London and environs.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 1, Luftwaffe 6.

Monday, October 7:
Poor.

Day:
Yeovil aircraft factory raided.

Night:
London, Merseyside, Firth of Forth under attack. Airfields at Hatfield, Ford, Tangmere, Eastleigh, Lee-on-Solent hit.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 17, Luftwaffe 21.

Goering announced a new plan for the demoralisation of London and the provinces. Its objectives were: 1, Absolute control of the Channel and the English coastal area. 2, Progressive and complete annihilation of London, with all its military objectives and industrial production. 3, A steady paralysing of Britain's technical, commercial and civil life. 4, Demoralisation of the civil population of London and its provinces. 5, Progressive weakening of Britain's forces.

Instead of weakening, the RAF was reacting with growing strength. On that very day, it flew 825 sorties and, as shown above, destroyed 25 per cent more
enemy aeroplanes than it lost. And the civilian population remained defiant, its morale high. Instead of fear, its attitude towards Hitler and Goering was of ridicule: the former on account of his ranting and insane rages, the other for his obesity and flashy uniforms that were more appropriate to musical comedy than to the dignity of a Field Marshal.

Tuesday, October 8:
Fair.

Day:
London persistently bombed.

Night:
London bombed again.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 4, Luftwaffe 14.

Wednesday, October 9:
Poor.

Day:
Raids on south-eastern airfields and London.

Night:
London caught it badly.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 1, Luftwaffe 9.

Thursday, October 10:
Patchy.

Day:
Incessant raids by small numbers of fighter-bombers and bombers on south-east airfields, outer London and Weymouth.

Night:
London, Merseyside, Manchester and airfields attacked.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 5, Luftwaffe 4.

Friday, October 11:
Showers, fair intervals, early mist, night fog.

Day:
Raids on Weymouth, Folkestone, Canterbury, Deal, and on airfields at Southend, Kenley, Biggin Hill.

Night:
Bombs on London, Tyneside, Teesside, Merseyside, Manchester.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 9, Luftwaffe 7.

Saturday, October 12:
Mist and fog dispersed by light wind.

Day:
London attacked.

Night:
London bombed again.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 19, Luftwaffe 11.

Hitler at last conceded that he must admit that he could not invade Britain that year. His decision was announced by Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel, head of the unified Defence Staff, which had replaced the War Ministry and the Army Command in 1938. Hitler had chosen him for the post because of his lack of personality or intellect. Known as ‘Lakaitel' – Lakai means lackey – he carried out orders without question. His announcement read: ‘The
Führer has decided that from now until the spring, preparations for Sealion shall be continued solely for the purpose of maintaining political and military pressure on England. Should the Invasion be reconsidered in the spring or early summer of 1941, orders for renewal of operational readiness will be issued later. In the meantime military conditions for a later invasion are to be improved.'

Sunday, October 13:
Early fog clearing to fine, deteriorating afternoon to cloud.

Day:
Fighter-bomber raid on London.

Night:
Bombers attacked London, Wales, Merseyside, Bristol and Dundee.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 2, Luftwaffe 5.

Monday, October 14:
Rain.

Day:
Scattered light raids over Midlands and south-east.

Night:
London gravely damaged by Bf 110s taking advantage of the full moon. Waterloo railway station was left with only two lines open. Services had to stop at all five main termini. Underground tracks were damaged. Roads, gasworks and power stations were hit, while 900 fires spread devastation with the usual heavy loss of civilian lives.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 0, Luftwaffe 3.

Tuesday, October 15:
Fair, Straits cloudy.

Day:
Fighter-bombers on London and Kent.

Night:
Ferocious bombing of London and Birmingham.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 12, Luftwaffe 13.

Wednesday, October 16:
Foggy in France and Germany; Britain mist and rain at night.

Day:
Weather prevented all but sporadic single sorties over west and south-east England.

Night:
London lightly assaulted.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 1, Luftwaffe 13.

Thursday, October 17:
Rain with bright spells.

Day:
Fighter-bombers on Central London, Stanmore, site of HQ Fighter Command, seaside resorts of Margate and Broadstairs.

Night:
South-east raided.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 3, Luftwaffe 15.

Friday, October 18:
Fog in south-east.

Day:
Widespread small-scale raids.

Night:
The same.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 4, Luftwaffe 15.

Saturday, October 19:
Cloud.

Day:
Little activity.

Night:
Feeble incursions over Bristol, London, Merseyside.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 5, Luftwaffe 5.

Sunday, October 20:
Cloud.

Day:
London and Kent hit by fighter-bomber raids.

Night:
London and Coventry grievously damaged.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 4, Luftwaffe 14.

Monday, October 21:
Rain, cloud, fog.

Day:
London, west England, Merseyside raided.

Night:
London, Coventry, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, south coast radar stations all bombed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 0, Luftwaffe 6.

Tuesday, October 22:
Rain and fog.

Day:
Convoy in Thames Estuary and two off Dover fruitlessly attacked.

Night:
London, Coventry, Merseyside bombed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 6, Luftwaffe 11.

Wednesday, October 23:
Cloudy, rain.

Day:
London and airfields at Tangmere, Biggin Hill, plus ports at Southampton, Cromer and Harwich all suffered nuisance raids.

Night:
London and Glasgow bombed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 6, Luftwaffe 4.

Thursday, October 24:
Low cloud.

Day:
Sporadic intrusions over eastern and central England.

Night:
London and Birmingham lightly hit,

Aircraft losses:
RAF 0, Luftwaffe 8.

Friday, October 25:
Fair with low cloud.

Day:
London and south-east hit by both aimed and jettisoned bombs.

Night:
Harwich raided by Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica Italiana).

Aircraft losses:
RAF 10, Luftwaffe 20, RAI 2.

Saturday, October 26:
Cloudy, improving to fair.

Day:
Frequent fighter-bomber attacks on London, south-east and a Channel convoy.

Night:
London, Manchester, Merseyside bombed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 2, Luftwaffe 10.

Sunday, October 27:
Cloud.

Day:
Mostly sweeps by fighters and fighter-bombers in formations up to 50 strong, which began at 0745hrs with attacks on convoys in the Thames Estuary and on London. The docks and south-eastern suburbs were damaged. At 1630hrs London, Southampton and Martlesham Heath airfield were attacked.

Night:
London, Bristol, Liverpool bombed; RAF fighter stations at Kirton-in-Lindsey, Driffield, Coltishall, Leconfield, Hawkinge, Feltwell and Honington strafed.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 8, Luftwaffe 12.

Monday, October 28:
Cloud, some fog.

Day:
London bombed, also convoys in Thames and Dover.

Night:
Raids on London, Midlands and Merseyside.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 2, Luftwaffe 11.

Tuesday, October 29:
Haze and low cloud.

Day:
The enemy made their last great effort of the Battle. The first raid, aimed at London, was engaged at 1100hrs. When the second raid came in, No. 602 Squadron, flying in pairs instead of threes, shot down eight fighter-bombers in 10 minutes, and another four when chasing the attackers back over the Channel. Three formations of fighter-bombers, numbering 112, attacked Portsmouth. The Italian Air Force, making its second appearance, with 73 Fiat CR42 Falco fighters escorting 15 Fiat BR20 Cicogna bombers, bombed Rams-gate.

Night:
London and central England badly hit.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 7, Luftwaffe 19.

Wednesday, October 30:
Rain and overcast.

Day:
At noon 80 German bombers and fighter-bombers appeared over the Thames Estuary and a quarter of an hour later two formations, together numbering over 100, crossed the coast at Dymchurch. Six RAF fighter squadrons on patrol intercepted them. In the late afternoon 130 enemy aircraft were over the south coast and a few managed to reach London. Poor visibility and general bad weather hampered both attackers and defenders.

Night:
Scattered small raids.

Aircraft losses:
RAF 5, Luftwaffe 8.

Thursday, October 31:
Hazy and wet.

Day:
Limp effort by fighter-bombers against London and Kent.

Night:
Weak bomber effort.

Aircraft losses:
None on either side.

The Battle of Britain was over. With regard to total losses contemporary claims were over-estimated by both sides. The speed and confusion of air fighting made this unavoidable. The British claimed that they had destroyed 2,698 aircraft. The Germans alleged that they had shot down 3,058.

Post-war investigation proved that the true figures were; RAF losses 915; Luftwaffe losses 1,733.

S
election of those airmen whose RAF service careers are summarised in the following pages is based on their achievements during the Battle of Britain and its immediate prelude in May and June. With a few exceptions, the following pilots shot down at least ten enemy aircraft during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain. Thus many pilots who by the end of the war had shot down more enemy aircraft than these may have been omitted. The exceptions are five men who merit special mention: Air Marshal Sir Denis Crowley-Milling, DSO, DFC and bar; Air Vice Marshal J. E. Johnson, CB, CBE, DSO and two bars, DFC and bar, DL, who had a total of 38 victories and destroyed more German aircraft in combat than any other pilot, all of them fighters; Air Commodore P. M. Brothers, CBE, DSO, DFC and bar; Group Captain Sir Hugh Dundas, KBE, DSO and bar, DFC; and Wing Commander M. H. Brown, DFC and bar.

GEOFFREY ALLARD,
known as ‘Sammy', joined the RAF as an apprentice in 1929 and was a sergeant pilot on 85 Sqn when war broke out. The squadron was posted to France with the Air Component of the British Expeditionary Force. On May 10, 1940, Allard shot down an He 111. He made more kills before the squadron returned home later that month and was awarded the DFM. He destroyed an He 111 on July 8 and shared a Bf 110 with another member of the
squadron on July 30. During the next month he brought down four Bf 109s and two He 111s. He also shared in the destruction of four Do 17s and was credited with two probables. For these he received a bar to the DFM, his commission and a DFC. He shot down a Do 17 and a Bf 109 on September 1, which made his total 11 plus three unconfirmed, two probables, and five shared. On March 13, 1941, Flt Lt Allard was killed in a flying accident.