08-1940

Diary for Thursday, August 29, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 51): 720 Messerschmitt Bf 109Es carry out sweeps over Kent but fail to provoke large-scale fighter-v-fighter combats (RAF […]

Diary for Wednesday, August 28, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 50): German bombers raid Eastchurch and Rochford airfields and Me 109Es carry out sweeps over southeast England. A

Diary for Tuesday, August 27, 1940: Sea War Hitler modifies Operation Sea Lion invasion plan: landings to be made on narrow front’, Eastbourne-Folkestone, in preference to earlier ‘broad front’ proposal.

Diary for Monday, August 26, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 48): Attempted raids on airfields round London, including Debden (heavy damage), and Portsmouth area. Losses: German, 31; British,

Diary for Sunday, August 25, 1940: Air War FIRST RAF NIGHT RAID ON BERLIN: 81 bombers despatched, but many fail to find target; slight damage in city center and suburbs.

Diary for Saturday, August 24, 1940: Air War Heavy raids on airfields in southeastern England: Manston evacuated; North Weald and Hornchurch also hard hit. Residential areas of Portsmouth and Ramsgate

Diary for Friday, August 23, 1940: Sea War Heinkel He 115 seaplanes torpedo two cargo ships and damage third in Moray Firth.

Diary for Thursday, August 22, 1940: Sea War German super-heavy artillery bombards a convoy for 80 minutes (no hits). Fire switched to Dover town in evening; British 14-inch gun replies

Diary for Wednesday, August 21, 1940: Secret War Leon Trotsky, exiled Russian Revolutionary leader and founder of Red Army, assassinated by NKVD agent in Mexico City; aged 61.

Diary for Tuesday, August 20, 1940: Home Fronts Britain: Churchill praises RAF Fighter Command (the ‘Few’). Sea War Mediterranean: Italian Navy to carry out ‘total blockade’ of Gibraltar, Malta, Suez

Diary for Monday, August 19, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 41): Luftwaffe operations hampered by bad weather (cloud and rain), August 19-23. Light raids on airfields, shipping and

Diary for Sunday, August 18, 1940: Air War Heavy raids on RAF bases and other targets in south and southeast England. 19 Ju 87 Stukas lost; 8 of 50 escorting

Diary for Saturday, August 17, 1940: Sea War Mediterranean: Battleships Warspite, Malaya and Ramillies bombard Bardia and Fort Capuzzo, Libya. Italian bombers (12 lost) attack bombardment force, August 18. Politics

Diary for Friday, August 16, 1940: Air War Ju 87 Stukas (7 lost) wreck Tangmere Airfield (Hants); seven other airfields bombed. Secret War Luftwaffe Command Staff estimate that RAF now

Diary for Thursday, August 15, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 37): GÖRING EMPLOYS THREE ‘AIR FLEETS’ (Luftflotten 2, 3 and 5) IN MASSED DAYLIGHT RAIDS on airfields from

Diary for Wednesday, August 14, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 36): Widespread small raids on airfields and railway lines. Me 109Es strafe Dover balloon barrage; E. Goodwin lightship

Diary for Tuesday, August 13, 1940: Air War ADLERTAG (EAGLE DAY): Launching of great Luftwaffe offensive planned to destroy RAF Fighter Command in four days begins amid confusion. Goring postpones

Diary for Monday, August 12, 1940: Air War Heavy German raids on shipping off English South Coast, radar stations (inc. Ventnor), and airfields. Losses: German, 32; British, 21. 5 Hampdens

Diary for Sunday, August 11, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 33): Highest daily losses up now. While German fighters stage diversions over Dover, Ju 88‘s and He 111s

Diary for Saturday, August 10, 1940: Air War First flight of Macchi-Castoldi C.202 Folgore powered by imported Daimler-Benz engine – designed to replace obsolete fighters of Italian Regia Aeronautica (enters