This Day in the Battle of Britain

[Glider]

I like the idea of Galland being given his own Spitfire but adit I find that hard to believe

 

[michaelmaltby]

I did a quick Google on "Galland's Spitfire" and there wasn't a crumb on it. Just the quote about "wanting some".

On the other hand, Bader almost talked the Jerry pilots at the "club" in France into letting him take up a 109 - missing one artificial leg .

MM

 

[Njaco]

I did have 2 sources for that - one I believe was Galland's book. Its been years since I wrote that, Might have to remove.

 

[Njaco]

3 September 1940 Tuesday
UNITED KINGDOM: The targets for almost 300 German planes this day were Eastchurch, North Weald and Lympne airfields with North Weald being the heaviest hit. At about 0830 hours one German aircraft at 22,000 feet made a reconnaissance to North Foreland, along the Kentish Coast to Eastchurch, and out by Dungeness. At 0915 hours, 40 minutes after assembly south and east of Calais, over twenty aircraft at 20,000 feet approached Deal but were intercepted by one British squadron off North Foreland. A further formation of about eighty aircraft flew up the North side of the Estuary at 25,000 feet.

These were followed by another raid composed of forty Do 17s of KG 2 and sixty Bf 110s with a fighter escort of forty Bf 109s from JG 26 at a higher altitude flying up the Thames River whose objective was North Weald. Again, the Bf 109 fighters would advance ahead of the Dornier and Messerschmitt bombers. Again Fighter Command would refuse to engage the leading fighters, instead timing their take offs to engage the main bomber force at the latest possible moment. This way, the leading Bf 109s would have used up valuable fuel and it would not be long before they would need to return back towards their bases. But the British pilots were unable to gain height in sufficient time to attack the Germans. Eleven RAF fighter squadrons were ordered up and 12 Group sent the Czech No. 310 Squadron (Hurricanes) to provide assistance cover at North Weald.

North Weald was hit hard. It was estimated that over 150 bombs fell on the aerodrome, many of them delayed-action which caused substantial damage. Two hangars, several MT lorries, two Hurricanes and one Blenheim were damaged by fire and the main stores and living quarters received a certain amount of damage. The hangars belonged to RAF Nos. 25 and 151 Squadrons and were severely damaged by the fire that broke out afterwards. A part of the old Operations Room was demolished, but there was no damage when a direct hit was registered on the new Operations Room. One of the British squadrons at the airfield had just landed there from a previous patrol and was refueling when the Luftwaffe bombers appeared.

12 Hurricanes of RAF No. 303 (Polish) Sqdrn left Northolt at 10:28 hours and made contact with two Bf109s near Dungeness. Sgt. Wojtowicz was attacked and his engine damaged, last seen going in to land near Dungerness. F/O. Henneberg's aircraft hit in the tail but he was not wounded, and flew the machine to Northolt and landed normally. Rest of the Squadron had no contact with the enemy.

RAF No. 19 Sqd. and No. 310 Czech Sqd. managed to intercept about fifty Do17s with about 100 Bf 109s returning after their raids on East London. Three of the British fighters that swooped down on the German formation suffered with jammed guns. 'Green' section fared better and managed to down two Bf 110s and another was seen trying to escape by flying at about fifty feet above the waters of the Thames Estuary towards Whitstable. The formation of Bf 110s No. 310 Czech Sqd. encountered were from 1./ZG 2 and they surprised the German pilots with outrageous maneuvers and daredevil antics. They screamed in for the kill with throttles wide open, calling and shouting excitedly in their own language. As the fighter bombers weaved, intent on completing their attack on the airfield, the Czech squadron managed to claim four Bf 110s. In total, five Bf 110s of ZG 2 were destroyed. The first was when a Bf 110 (3M+EK) collided with another Bf 110 (3M+HL) and crashed and exploded in flames at Harlow north of North Weald. The Bf 110 (3M+HL) was at the time being pursued by Hurricanes of No. 310 Czech Sqd. and trying to take evasive action when it collided with 3M+EK. It crashed at Epping south of North Weald. Also prior to attacking North Weald, a Bf 110 (3M+BK) was attacked by Spitfires of RAF No. 222 Sqd. and shot down at Reculver. Both crew baled out and were captured by a motor boat crew off Herne Bay. At 1100 hours, P/O J.M.V. Carpenter of RAF No. 222 Sqd., Sgt. B. Furst of No. 310 Czech Sqd. and Sgt. G.C. Unwin of RAF No. 19 Sqd. all laid claims for the destruction of Bf 110 (3M+CB) which crashed at Stowmaries. Finally, at 1118 hours, a Bf 110 (3M+EL) was shot down possibly by F/O Count M.B. Czernin of RAF No. 17 Sqd. (Hurricanes) and crashed at Canewden, Essex. Lost was Ofw. Kurt Müller of 3./ZG 2 who was made a Prisoner of War.

In addition to those mentioned above, Bf 110s of ZG 26 also on escort duty for Do17 bombers, came under attack over the southern coast of Essex. One of them was damaged by British fighters over Southend where it had to make a crash landing. F/O Count Czernin of RAF No. 17 Sqd. claimed another Zerstörer when he shot down a Bf 110 over Wickford at 1030 hours. Then Spitfires of RAF No. 54 Sqd. attacked another Bf 110 over the Thames Estuary at 1038 hours and partially disabled it. It was finally shot down by F/O B. van Menz of RAF No. 222 Sqd. over Southend where it crashed at North Shoebury House. Oblt. Hans-Joachim Jabs of 6./ZG 76 tried to get his heavily damaged Bf 110 to French soil but the plane was too broken to make it and he ditched in the Channel. He was later rescued and returned to base. Three British fighters were shot down during the aerial battle. Oblt. Sophus Baagoe of 8./ZG 26, Obfhr. Friedrich Lugger of 9./ZG 26 and Lt. Kurt Sidow also of 9./ZG 26 claimed double kills.

In another incident. Two Blenheims, returning to North Weald were accidently mistaken for Bf110s by a couple of Hurricane pilots. They opened fire on the helpless fighter bombers only to shoot down and destroy two of their own aircraft.

Splits from this raid flew towards Debden, Hornchurch and Thames Haven. Hornchurch and Debden received considerable damage, but all stations remained operational. RAF No. 603 Sqd. were warned by the Hornchurch controller that they had about fifty plus bandits above them. Eight Spitfires from RAF No. 603 Sqd. decided to go in line astern at the Dorniers over Margate and at the same time the Bf 109s from II./JG 26 dived toward the Spitfires. The British fighters had no time to gain height, and the climb was aborted so as to gain speed. But already in their dive, the Bf 109s had the momentum and their speed was far greater than that of the Spitfires. Three aircraft fell in flames. Oblt. Eckhardt Roth, the Gruppe adjutant was killed and two severely burned British pilots baled out into the Thames Estuary. Both Spitfires were claimed by Hptm. Erich Bode of Stab II./JG 26, his first kills of the war. P/O Richard Hillary of RAF No. 603 Squadron was shot down;

"I was peering anxiously ahead, for the controller had given us warning of at least fifty enemy fighters approaching very high. When we did first sight them, nobody shouted, as I think we all saw them at the same moment. They must have been 500 to 1000 feet above us and coming straight on like a swarm of locusts. The next moment we were in among them and it was each man for himself. As soon as they saw us they spread out and dived, and the next ten minutes was a blur of twisting machines and tracer bullets. One Messerschmitt went down in a sheet of flame on my right, and a Spitfire hurtled past in a half-roll; I was leaving and turning in a desperate attempt to gain height, with the machine practically hanging on the airscrew. Then, just below me and to my left, I saw what I had been praying for - a Messerschmitt climbing and away from the sun. I closed in to 200 yards, and from slightly to one side gave him a two-second burst: fabric ripped off the wing and black smoke poured from the engine, but he did not go down. Like a fool, I did not break away, but put in another three-second burst. Red flames shot upwards and he spiralled out of sight. At that moment, I felt a terrific explosion which knocked the control stick from my hand, and the whole machine quivered like a stricken animal. In a second, the cockpit was a mass of flames: instinctively, I reached up to open the hood. It would not move. I tore off my straps and managed to force it back; but this took time, and when I dropped back into the seat and reached for the stick in an effort to turn the plane on its back, the heat was so intense that I could feel myself going. I remember a second of sharp agony, remember thinking "So this is it!" and putting both hands to my eyes. Then I passed out."

Hillary was saved by the Margate Lifeboat and was immediately taken to the Queen's Victoria Burns Unit in East Grinstead.

 

[Njaco]

(3 September 1940 continued....)

With the damage done, and North Weald in a shambles, Hornchurch damaged but only regarded as minor and parts of Tilbury and the London Docks also damaged by high explosive and incendiary bombs, the raiders began their retreat back eastwards. At 1115 hours when the North Weald attacking forces were heading back to France, two other raids, consisting of thirty aircraft in all, went inland at Deal and North Foreland. They penetrated only a short distance before returning. One small raid made its way towards Maidstone and one of fifteen aircraft headed towards Biggin Hill but no definite objective was singled out. Manston was bombed at 1140 hours by three German aircraft which dropped five bombs but did no damage. There was one unexploded bomb in the middle of the aerodrome.

Most of the day's intense fighting occurred during this time with elements of JG 26, JG 27 and JG 51 engaged with fighters of the RAF. Notable pilots achieving kills were Major Adolf Galland of Stab/JG 26 reaching his twenty-eighth kill. Others victors included Lt. Gustav Sprick of 8./JG 26 (15 kills total), Oblt. Gustav Rödel of 4./JG 27 (10 kills) and Oblt. Gerhard Homuth of 2./JG 27 (13 kills). Getting their first victories of the war were Uffz. Arnold Küpper of 8./JG 26, Lt. Johannes Naumann of 9./JG 26 and Oblt. Otto Meyer of 8./JG 26.

At 1400 hours six Luftwaffe raids were active off the Kent Coast and one of these entered the Estuary. After the success of the morning's attack, the Luftwaffe followed the same course and pattern as they had done just five hours previously. However, this was a lighthearted affair in comparison with the morning raids. Fighter Command put up the usual strong opposition once the attackers had crossed the coast. More squadrons, and a request for 12 Group to give protection to North Weald again, were put up and this time AVM Park was prepared. But most of the raids were aborted and many of the RAF fighter squadrons began chasing the Germans back towards their own coastline. No damage was recorded.

At night, German activity was on a similar scale to that of recent nights but confined almost entirely to the Liverpool, South Wales and Kentish areas. Very little attention was paid to the Industrial Midlands. From 2100 hours a steady stream of raids from the Brest and Cherbourg areas was plotted to South Wales and Bristol. Ninety aircraft flew on to Liverpool and a few as far as Barrow-in-Furness. Successive waves followed to Liverpool and whilst the rest of the country was almost clear by 0100 hours raids were still passing towards Liverpool at 0230 hours.

Beginning at 2100 hours and lasting until 0130 hours twenty-one He 111s from Stab, I and III./KG 55 raided the docks at Avonmouth. Although it was a clear night with no moon, giving perfect visibility over Bristol, only minor damage was caused at Avonmouth, the raid having in fact spread itself along the North Somerset coast with four people killed and five injured at Portishead. Two high explosive bombs were dropped on the LMS Leamington - Rugby railway line near Dunchurch station causing damage to the track and a goods train was derailed.

Aircraft losses for both sides were even at sixteen apiece for the day. The Luftwaffe achieved parity for only the second time during the battle.

Losses: Luftwaffe, 16; RAF, 16.

WESTERN FRONT: Hermann Göring had arranged a meeting with his Air Fleet Commanders and it was at the Hague that they all met, with the usual introductions of wine, delicacies and light hearted humour before getting down to the serious business of discussing the current situation as it stood at the moment. In attendance were Feldmarschall Albert Kesselring, commander of Luftflotte 2, Feldmarschall Hugo Sperrle, commander of Luftflotte 3, Oberst Werner Junck, General Bruno Lörzer and other Fliegerkorps commanders. Göring began the meeting by asking if British Fighter Command was defeated or were they still able to attack the bombers. Kesselring announced that the RAF was finished and that the attack of numerous targets should cease and a concentrated raid on one objective, namely London, should be enough to bring England down. Sperrle disagreed to the point that he wagered a good meal that the RAF was far from finished. He stated that he could not agree that the RAF was down to its last reserves, and that his sources stated that the British Royal Air Force still had in excess of 600 aircraft based on operations in the southern portion of England and that a further reinforcement of 400 aircraft could be called upon from areas in the north and west bringing a total of 1000 fighters. A heated discussion ensued. Commenting on the ability of the RAF after so many losses, Oberst Junck remarked;

"This is a Verdun of the air!"

Infuriated, Kesselring turned to German Intelligence Chief Oberst Josef 'Beppo' Schmid for the exact number of aircraft the British had left. Caught between the two commanders, Oberst Schmid announced that British Fighter Command had perhaps only 100 fighters left or even as much as 350. This information convinced Göring that British defenses would soon be exhausted and the invasion could commence. After some discussion, a 'Zielwechsel' or change of objective was decided. The attacks on RAF airfields would cease. Göring and Kesselring were convinced that the British Air Force was all but finished, and the recommendation was put to Hitler that the time had come that London, the inland cities and the dockland areas be attacked and bombed as a prelude to the invasion. Convinced by Göring that the British were close to defeat, Hitler informed the meeting that the earliest date for the sailing of the invasion fleet would be on 20 September, the actual landings (S-Day) to take place on 21 September and the launching of the attack on the English Isles through Kent would be on 11 September. Hitler also asked for an increase in the output of 2,200lb bombs, designed for use against built up areas.

As for the attack on London, Hitler proclaimed,

" Will not the British ever learn. Their bombers come and kill innocent German people, and I have given them fair warning. We have told you before, that the nights when the British bombers do not attack our capital, our glorious Luftwaffe has forcibly stopped the British bombers in their tracks and they have had to turn for home. But now, the time is right, the British air force is down to its last reserves, they cry for pity, and I will give them pity for I will wipe London from the face of the earth. I want fire everywhere, thousands of them and then they will unite in one gigantic area of conflagration."

Unknown to the Luftwaffe High Command, this decision changed the whole course of the battle, giving Fighter Command a breather and a chance to rebuild.

Despite much opposition to the bombing of London, things were busy in the preparation of the pending invasion. Thousands of landing craft were ready for mobilization in many of the harbours along the coast of northern France. Trucks carrying amphibious craft were photographed in a nose to tail convoy along the French coastal roads by the RAF. The 'Sea Lion' plan now provided for elements of 11 divisions to make the assault. Two airborne divisions were to be sent in at once, but the other nine would start 6700 strong and only reach full strength after several days. About 250 tanks were to accompany the assault. Four divisions of the 16th Army with airborne support were to land near Folkestone, two of the 9th Army near Eastbourne and three more of the 9th Army, also with airborne support, at Brighton. These beachheads will not be mutually supporting in the early stages. At this time the defending British forces had only made a partial recovery from the equipment losses at Dunkirk. There were perhaps four divisions fully equipped and about eight more in a reasonable state. In addition, there were various mobile brigade groups. There were about 350 cruiser and heavy tanks in the country and about 500 antitank guns.

In France, Hptm. Karl-Heinz Greisert was made Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 2.

 

[Njaco]

4 September 1940 Wednesday
"BE CALM, HE'S COMING!"
UNITED KINGDOM: The Luftwaffe's main effort consisted of two attacks in East Kent and the Thames Estuary areas. There was also a considerable amount of high flying reconnaissances of convoys, especially round the North and East Coasts and Wales. Most of the action commenced from 0900 hours onwards as the British fighters engaged a mixture of Bf 110s and Bf 109s. And for the first time, the Luftwaffe began to target during the day, the aircraft factories of Britain in obedience of the order from 1 September.

Between 0700 and 0800 hours four Luftwaffe raids were in the Channel off the Isle of Wight, Portland and Beachy Head. At 1615 hours two German aircraft flew over the Isle of Wight. A British section sent up did not make an interception.

At 0915 hours activity developed into an attack by about 150 German aircraft. One group of eighty aircraft flew into the Estuary and on towards Eastchurch, Hornchurch, North Weald and Debden, and the other of seventy aircraft crossed near Lympne and flew towards Biggin Hill. Hurricanes of RAF No. 111 Squadron scrambled from Croydon and RAF No. 253 Squadron, scrambled from Kenley. RAF No. 66 Squadron Kenley (Spitfires) were vectored to the Thames Estuary as was RAF No. 72 Squadron Croydon (Spitfires). The Bf 109s of the Eastchurch force stuck to their task well, keeping the Hurricanes and Spitfires at bay and allowing a number of the Bf 110s to get to Eastchurch where again the airfield was attacked. A number of bombs made deep craters in the runway and some stores were damaged. Most of the German aircraft soon turned and by 0945 hours were re-crossing the coast.

At 0934 hours, the second German formation, headed to Biggin Hill. Fighter Command released a number of fighter squadrons towards the Dover area but some excellent defensive action by the British fighters stopped most of the Bf 110s from getting through. The remaining bombers made it to the Aerodrome at Lympne, which was attacked but did not suffer any damage of importance, although the harbour and the barrage balloons came under fire. Most of the damage at the airfield were a number of bombs hit buildings and again the aerodrome was cratered.

During their withdrawal a force of thirty Luftwaffe aircraft patrolled off North Foreland in addition to the usual hostile patrols in the Straits. The balloons at Dover continued to be shot up. RAF No. 111 Squadron, even though they forced the Bf 109s to retreat did lose two of their pilots, both over the Channel off Folkestone. Oblt. Werner Machold and Oblt. Otto Bertram of 1./JG 2 claimed both kills.

Fighter units engaged in these actions were from JG 2, JG 3, JG 51 and JG 54. Several notable pilots claiming kills were Fw. Erich Rudorffer and Uffz. Kurt Bühligen of 2./JG 2, Oblt. Richard Leppla of 3./JG 51, Oblt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of 9./JG 54 and Uffz. Hans Hahn of 4./JG 2. Hptm. Wilhelm Balthasar of Stab III./JG 3 destroyed his twenty-fourth Allied aircraft southeast of London before being severely wounded. He made it back to England but was out of war operations until February 1941. Oblt. Karl Müller of 6./JG 2 failed to return from a sortie and was listed as missing in action.

At 1235 hours five German bombers were over Dover and at 1258 hours an attack developed. Radar at Dover and Rye detected a wide formation coming across the Channel for the midday attack. By 1305 hours some 300 aircraft crossed the English coast on a wide front between Dover and Littlehampton at 20,000 feet. This consisted of about fifty Heinkel He 111s, thirty Dornier Do 17s and 200 Bf 109s. Again they split into small groups and headed towards five different targets. The bulk flew over Kent and Sussex but had begun to disperse by 1400 hours. Some however flew over the Thames Estuary and near Gravesend but drew off at 1340 hours. A third section of about fifty aircraft flew along the Coast to west of Shoreham as if making for Kenley but quickly turned back.

RAF No.43 Squadron Tangmere (Hurricanes) were ordered up giving protection along the Sussex coast. RAF No.46 Squadron Stapleford (Hurricanes) were to patrol the Thames Estuary, 66 Squadron Kenley (Spitfires) who had already been up once that morning, 72 Squadron Croydon (Spitfires) also up for a second time, 79 Squadron Biggin Hill (Hurricanes), 222 Squadron Hornchurch (Spitfires), 249 Squadron North Weald (Hurricanes), 234 Squadron Middle Wallop (Spitfires), 253 Squadron Kenley (Hurricanes), 601 Squadron Tangmere (Hurricanes), 602 Squadron Westhampnet (Spitfires) and 603 Squadron Hornchurch (Spitfires) were all scrambled for this biggest build up of the day. The British Squadrons were divided as two separate formations came in from two different parts of the English coast. Heavy dogfighting action took place over northern Kent and as usual, in the Thames Estuary with the skies over Kent and Sussex chaos. Vapor trails now hung like heavy white clouds as two thirds of RAF No. 11 Group battled it out at 20,000 feet. But 11 Group were further reinforced by RAF No.73 Squadron (Hurricanes) who had been transferred from Church Fenton to Debden, 41 Squadron (Spitfires) came down from Catterick and found their new home at Hornchurch.

What radar did not pick up was a low flying formation of Bf 110s that were following the railway line from Hindhead to Guildford until it was too late. This small formation of fourteen Bf 110s managed to get through the British defenses and was not intercepted until just north of the town of Guildford which is to the south-west of London. They were met by RAF No. 253 Squadron (Hurricanes) who had reasonable success, even though a couple of Bf 110s did get through. Although the target was the Hawker factory at Brooklands, they mistakenly hit the Vickers Armstrong Works aircraft factory at Brooklands, Weybridge where Wellington bombers were made. Following the rail line into Brooklands, the bombers burst onto the aircraft factory. As the bombers approached, the anti-aircraft defenses were made ready and immediately shot down two of the Zerstörers, throwing the rest of the formation into confusion. Through the AA fire, six bombers managed to drop their loads on the factory, killing eighty-eight people, injuring 600 and completely stopping production of Wellington bombers for four days. Considerable damage was done to the erecting shop and plant. Heavy calibre bombs were dropped outside the hangars causing some damage but it was believed that the casualties would have been greater but for the fact that the attack was made during the lunch hour. The Hawker factory nearby escaped unscathed. A total of six of the Bf 110s were destroyed prior to the bombing of the Vickers factory, while another nine were destroyed as they turned for home. Another raid reached Rochester where the Short Bros factory producing the new four-engined Stirling bombers was damaged.

 

[Njaco]

(4 September 1940 continued......)

At 1320 hours AVM Park instructed that a squadron patrol the sector station to the south of London, and also a squadron was to patrol the sector station of North Weald who were still trying to repair the damage of the previous raids. German aircraft had crossed all along the south coast, and now Tangmere was brought into the action. While all this was going on, a small force of 14 Bf 110 fighter-bombers of Epr.Gr 210 with close escort provided by V.(Z)/LG 1 and III./ZG 76 crossed the coast almost unnoticed and attacked the radar station at Poling. II./ZG 76 flew a free-lance sweep east of the main formation to cover their withdrawal back over Beachy Head. The in-coming raid was first met by RAF No.234 Squadron, soon reinforced by RAF Nos.43 and 601 Squadrons with top cover from No.602 Squadron, while No.253 Squadron joined the fray east of Guildford. Twelve Spitfires of RAF No. 234 Squadron bounced the Luftwaffe formation along with the Hurricanes from RAF No. 601 Squadron. Seven Bf 110s were shot down over Worthing in sixty-five minutes. The Zerstörers suffered badly and RAF No. 234 Squadron alone claimed a record fourteen Bf 110s and one Do 17 destroyed for the day for only one damaged Spitfire in return. RCAF No.1 and RAF No.79 Squadrons also hit II./ZG 76 over East Grinstead.

Of the Bf 110s lost was that of the Gruppe adjutant of Stab.(Z)/LG 1, Oblt. Wilhelm Schäfer, who was shot down and captured. Oblt. Schäfer remembered later;

"I was not down to fly this mission, as my machine had been shot down in the Channel on 11th August. On the morning of the 4th September as the aircraft of I. Gruppe were started up and II. Gruppe were moving to their take-off position, the Geschwaderkommodore (Obstlt. Friedrich Vollbracht) suddenly gave me the "green light" to take part in the mission in his machine, in his place. With my Bordfunker, Uffz. Heinz Bendjus, I arrived at the airfield ten minutes later and found that the Kommodore's machine had one wing uncovered. As both Gruppen had already take-off , there was no time to warm-up the engines. Already, on take-off, there were problems as the tail unit was malfunctioning and the cold engine was not functioning properly. I was not successful in my hope of catching up the rest of my unit before reaching the English coast, and so my flight was a solo effort to England. From afar, I could see that the Bf110s were caught up in a heavy dogfight. Although my left engine was still not functioning fully. I hoped in the meantime to link up with my Geschwader on the return flight. As a result of my stuttering engine I was neither high enough nor fast enough to catch up with my returning Geschwader and shortly afterwards was attacked by several Spitfires. As my chances in the forthcoming combat were slim, I took my first chance to dive towards the coast. That was a mistake. As I flew over the coast, coming towards me from the Channel were two fighters that immediately engaged me in a low-level combat. Fired at from both sides, but without success, I was hoping that they would soon have to break off combat due to low fuel, when a third fighter appeared above me, in a firing position, and turning, the full side of my Messerschmitt presented a good target. In spite of several hits, I was still able to control the aircraft, until the left engine failed and I could no longer do so. In order not to crash in flames, I shut off both engines, and carried out a belly landing in a meadow. The place of the force-landing was Mill Hill , Shoreham Downs; the time was 13:50 hours on 4th September 1940. With that, the active war service for my Bordfunker and myself ended. I myself was not wounded, Uffz. Bendjus was slightly wounded. Our aim to set the aircraft on fire was not to be. We were soon greeted by Home Guard, and transported into captivity to a nearby village. On the way we were greeted by a British officer, who claimed to have shot us down. He apologised for not being able to take us for a drink at the officer's mess with him."

Sixteen Bf110s were lost in the Weybridge attack with RAF Nos.43 and 234 Squadrons in particular inflicting considerable damage.

But numerous Zerstörer pilots did claim kills during these actions despite an official loss by Fighter Command of four pilots killed. Making claims were Hptm. Erich Groth of Stab II./ZG 76 who claimed four Spitfires destroyed, Oblt. Walter Borchers of 4./ZG 76 who took credit for three Spitfires downed and Oblt. Hans-Joachim Jabs of 6./ZG 76 and Oblt. Wilhelm Hobein of 5./ZG 76 who each claimed two Spitfires shot down during the battles.

By nightfall, the Luftwaffe changed from the bombing of Fighter Commands airfields and aircraft producing factories, to the bombing of large towns and cities. Night bombing raids were made on Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Tilbury Docks. In South Wales, large oil storage tanks received direct hits and the red glow lit up the dark night sky so much that it was a wonder that they couldn't see it from London.

Several bomber Gruppen were involved in the mission to raid Bristol and Avonmouth. Aircraft involved were one He 111 of I./KG 27, one Ju 88 of II./LG 1, six Ju 88s of I./KG 51, five Ju 88s of II./KG 51, eleven Ju 88s of III./KG 51, eleven He 111s of I./KG 55, thirteen He 111s of II./KG 55 and one Ju 88 of I./LG 1. Despite clear weather, the raid caused little damage besides creating a fire at the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton. Total casualties for the British amount to four killed and six injured.

In all, for the day, the Luftwaffe lost 35 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 27 pilots and aircrew killed or missing and 5 wounded. Anti-aircraft fire accounted for an additional five German planes. Fighter Command lost fifteen valuable aircraft, nine Spitfires and six Hurricanes. Six RAF pilots were killed.

Off Cromer, E Boats attacked a south-bound convoy, sinking the 'SS New Lambton' (2,709t) steamer, from Hartlepool. 'SS Joseph Swan' (1,571t) steamer, from Blyth. 'SS Fulham V' (1,562t) steamer, from South Shields and the 'SS Corbrook' (1,792t) steamer, from Seaham. All were carrying coal to London.

 

[Njaco]

(4 September 1940 continued.....)

WESTERN FRONT: Back in France, Hptm. Wolfgang Lippert was made Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 27 in place of the acting Gruppenkommandeur Ernst Dullberg. Oblt. Martin Lutz was made acting-Gruppenkommandeur of Epr.Gr. 210 in place of Hptm. Walter Rubensdörffer. Oblt. Werner Weymann was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./Erpr.Gr. 210 in Oblt. Lutz's place.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler spoke to a crowd at the Sportpalast in Berlin about the war against Britain, In his usual sarcastic manner, he informed them of the astounding success that the Luftwaffe was having on the Royal Air Force, he fed them largely inflated figures that indicated that the Luftwaffe had actually shot down more RAF aircraft than the RAF actually possessed. They wanted to know when England would be invaded, to which he told them,

"In England they're filled with curiosity and keep asking, 'Why doesn't he come? Be calm. Be calm. He's coming!' . . . It is a wonderful thing to see our nation at war, in its fully disciplined state. This is exactly what we are now experiencing at this time, as Mr. Churchill is demonstrating to us the aerial night attacks which he has concocted. He is not doing this because these air raids might be particularly effective, but because his Air Force cannot fly over German territory in daylight. Whereas German aviators and German planes fly over English soil daily, there is hardly a single Englishman who comes across the North Sea in daytime. . . They therefore come during the night and as you know, release their bombs indiscriminately and without any plan on to residential areas, farmhouses and villages. Wherever they see a sign of light, a bomb is dropped on it. For three months past, I have not ordered any answer to be given, thinking that they would stop this nonsensical behavior. Mr. Churchill has taken this to be a sign of our weakness. You will understand that we shall now give a reply, night for night, and with increasing force! . . . And if the British Air Force drops two, three or four thousand kilos of bombs, then we will now drop 150,000, 180,000, 230,000, 300,000 or 400,000 kilos, or more, in one night. If they declare that they will attack our cities on a large scale, we will erase theirs! We will put a stop to the game of these night-pirates, as God is our witness. The hour will come when one or the other of us will crumble, and that one will not be National Socialist Germany. Never! Never! I have already carried through such a struggle once in my life, up to the final consequences, and this then led to the collapse of the enemy who is now still sitting there in England on Europe's last island."

The Battle of Britain was now in its 55th day, and it now appeared more than ever that plans were now to be made to make an attack on London itself. So the RAF got another reprieve just when they were almost destroyed. The war of purely military targets was over and total war, or war between peoples, was now a reality.

 

[Njaco]

5 September 1940 Thursday
"THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY"
UNITED KINGDOM: The day proved to be a beautiful day for combat, the weather was clear with only a slight breeze. Conditions for flying were ideal, although Fighter Command was praying for rain and inclement weather. Although the directive had gone out that the Luftwaffe were to bomb the British cities, it was no doubt that this day, arrangements were already being made for the annihilation of London and the industrial centers of the Midlands. But in the meantime, the Luftwaffe were resting many of their heavy bombers and quite a number had been moved from airfields further south to more strategic airfields closer to the French coast. For the time being, the Luftwaffe would continue its attacks of RAF airfields and aircraft factories in an effort to wear down Fighter Command.

One such mission was an attack again on the sector station at Biggin Hill around 1030 hours by KG 2. But to confuse the British this time, a diversionary raid on Croydon was launched. German bombers approached at two points, one wave crossed the coast between Dover and Folkestone while the other came in from the Thames Estuary. Five RAF squadrons were dispatched to intercept. Biggin Hill was attacked, as was Croydon, Eastchurch, Lympne and North Weald. More damage was sustained, but only Biggin Hill again gave cause for concern. Biggin Hill was again a shambles and Group Captain Grice stated that he now had only one hangar left standing, and even that was nothing but a burnt out shell and the commander issued orders to place explosive charges in it and destroy it at the next raid. RAF No.79 Sqd (Hurricanes) is the only squadron operating from Biggin, RAF No.72 Sqd (Spitfires) was told to remain at Croydon for the time being.

After the bombers dropped their loads, they were intercepted by six Spitfires. Thirty Bf 109s of II./JG 3 flying escort for the bombers, dove to the attack. Other RAF squadrons soon joined in. The Manston based RAF No. 41 Sqd immediately made their presence felt. F/L J.T. Webster came hard down on a Bf 109 who was about to engage one of the Hurricanes. A couple of short bursts missed and the Bf 109 took evasive action but F/L Webster weaved and swayed keeping the 109 in his gunsight. Another short burst and smoke trailed from the Messerschmitt and it glided down finally making a forced landing just outside the village of Adlington Kent. F/L Webster was also thought to have shot down another Bf 109 while over the South London area. The Bf 109 withdrew and losing height, finally made a forced landing near Faversham in Kent. The Bf 109 of Oblt. Franz von Werra, Gruppe Adjutant of Stab II./JG 3 was shot down over Marden in Kent by P/O B.G. Stapleton of RAF No.603 Sqd, although it was believed that the Bf 109 sustained original damage after being hit by gunfire from the Spitfire of P/O G.H. Bennions of RAF No. 41 Sqd.

And so began one of the most adventurous chapters of Luftwaffe history. Oblt. Franz von Werra was captured and taken to the authorities and finally transferred to a prisoner of war camp in Canada where he made good his escape by making his way to the USA and finally by boat to Europe where he rejoined his unit and flew again against Fighter Command. The British pilot who shot at Oblt. von Werra, F/L Webster, was later killed the same afternoon. Also lost was Lt. Heinz Schnabel of 1./JG 3 when he, too, was shot down and taken prisoner by the British. Lt. Schnabel had six victories against the British.

Concerning the combat which resulted in von Werra's fall into British hands, there is confusion. That he crash landed on 5th September at Winchet Hill is not disputed but other circumstances surrounding the incident are open to question. F/L Webster of RAF No. 41 Sqd. is often given credit for downing von Werra as is P/O Stapleton of RAF No.603 Sqd. Also getting credit is P/O Bennions of RAF No. 41 Sqd. and F/O Pat Hughes of RAF No. 234 Sqd, an Australian ace.

At 1050 hours twelve Bf 109s attacked the Dover Balloons. The Dover guns opened fire destroying one German aircraft and damaging another. Shortly after a formation of Do17s and Bf 109 escorts came in from the Thames Estuary and headed in the direction of South London. Too far to the south to be targeting London, for some reason the target was again that of.....Biggin Hill. RAF No.79 Sqd was scrambled and with some miraculous flying broke up the Dorniers and they dropped their bombs well off target.

Pilots from the escorting fighters from JG 3, JG 54, JG 52 and LG 2 that made claims during the morning battles were two Spitfires for Oblt. Herbert Ihlefeld of 2.(J)/LG 2, single claims for Oblt. Willy Stange of 8./JG 3, Lt. Franz Beyer of 8./JG 3, Lt. Hans Berthel of Stab I./JG 52, Oblt. Karl-Heinz Leesmann of 2./JG 52, Hptm. Fritz Ultsch of Stab III./JG 54, Lt. Max-Hellmuth Ostermann of 7./JG 54, Fw. Paul Pausinger of 8./JG 54 and Uffz. Karl-Heinz Kempf of 9./JG 54.

The second raid of the day was detected by the British at 1230 hours when another huge formation was again coming in from the Thames Estuary. The assemblies were at a high altitude, some above 20,000 feet, and quite a number of formations were so high that they were undetected by both the British radar and the Observer Corps. One of the formations was intercepted by RAF No. 72 Sqd (Spitfires) and consisted of about fifty Ju 88s and Heinkel He111s escorted by about 100 Bf 109s as escorts. The main target was the oil storage tanks at Thameshaven and the attack caused serious damage. Giant palls of thick arid black smoke could be seen for miles. RAF No. 72 Sqd were joined by RAF No. 73 Sqd (Hurricanes), and both squadrons were attacked by a recently arrived formation of Bf 109s. Some of the Hurricanes were bounced by surprise and four of them were shot down with one of the pilots killed.

Thereafter up to 1630 hours strong German formations (up to 70+) patrolled the Straits of Dover and a seaplane was reported to have rescued a German crew off Ramsgate. Nos 10 and 12 Groups assisted No 11 Group during this attack by providing patrols over Tangmere and North Weald.

Many of the bomber formations managed to get through Fighter Command's defenses although a number of Bf 109s were casualties of the afternoon battle. Many of the airfields and towns along the Thames were still cleaning up after the morning's raids when now, almost mid-afternoon they were witnessing German bombers making their way to their targets and the tell tale spirals of fighter dogfighting high above. By 1500 hours the afternoon raid was almost a couple of hours old and still damage was being recorded and aircraft were being shot down, but this last hour of the battle was the most active of the afternoon. At 1530 hours another raid of fifty German aircraft was intercepted when attempting to cross the coast near Dungeness. Most British squadrons were either only recently arrived replacing those that had returned to their bases to refuel and rearm or had been recalled back into the skirmish. RAF No.41 Sqd (Spitfires) were now back into the affray, as was RAF No. 66 Sqd (Spitfires) that had been called in to relieve squadrons returning to base. One of the squadrons that had been in the thick of the action since just after midday was RAF No. 72 Sqd and RAF No. 73 Sqd and they were just about to return to base to refuel and rearm, when they were dispatched to the Essex coast after a formation of Ju 88s that had been detected.

 

[Njaco]

(5 September 1940 continued.....)

As the German bombers made their way home, Staffels of Bf 109s from JG 2, JG 3, JG 53 and JG 54 came out across the Channel to provide escort on a day that although it may have seemed impressive, was not all that it claimed to be by the Luftwaffe. During the engagement Flt. Lt. A. Rabagliati of RAF No. 46 Sqn. took a four-cannon Hurricane, V7360, into action for the first time. Operating alongside RAF No.249 Squadron, No. 46 encountered Bf109s over the Thames Estuary, one being blown apart by cannon fire. All told the RAF claimed 18 Bf109s destroyed, plus four probables, and another one damaged. Detling aerodrome was bombed and five oil tanks at Thameshaven set on fire, which came to serve as a useful beacon despite the efforts of RAF Nos.43 and 303 Squadrons to prevent the bombing. Thameshaven was the only target which they claimed was a success, and just about the last nail had been hammered home in Biggin Hill's coffin, but other than that any damage done was not to have any effect on Fighter Command. The Hawker factory at Brooklands was hit, but damage was only slight and the casualties were few. Maidstone was hit and demolished a part of one street and the attacks on Detling and Eastchurch were by no means going to affect Fighter Command.

In the meantime, S/L Zdzislaw Krasnodebski's RAF No. 303 Squadron Northolt (Hurricanes) was in action over the south coast even though the squadrons actions was deemed 'questionable' even by AVM Keith Park since they had commenced an impressive record from August 30th when the squadron had made their first claim. 9 Hurricanes had left Northolt at 14.53 hrs. After various vectors, S/Ld. Kellett, 'Red 1', at 22,000 ft, near Gillingham, saw A.A. fire across the Estuary and led his Squadron to attack. Red Section attacked Bf109s that were circling around 35 Ju. 88s. As 'Red' section went in, about a dozen German fighters came in to attack from above. 'Yellow' section, apparently mistook the enemy's direction because of the circling fighters, and after taking avoiding action lost the enemy. 'Blue' section went in under 'Red' and attacked the Bombers. The Squadron became scattered and returned independently with claims of six Bf 109s and three Ju 88s.

For those that were keeping score, it was twenty-three German planes down for twenty RAF fighters, a fairly even scoresheet in reality. Claims by the Jagdflieger for the afternoon battles were much more than the actual loss by Fighter Command of twenty machines. But credit was given. Of those increasing their scoreboards were three Spitfires for Oblt. Helmut Reumschüssel of 2./JG 3, double kills were awarded to Hptm. Otto Bertram of 1./JG 2 (his third double in four days) and Hptm. Hubertus von Bonin of Stab I./JG 54. Notable pilots with claims included Oblt. Rudolf Pflanz of 3./JG 2, Hptm. Hans von Hahn of Stab I./JG 3, Ofw. Robert Olejnik of 2./JG 3, Oblt. Willy Stange of 8./JG 3, Hptm. Günther von Maltzahn of Stab II./JG 53, Hptm. Heinz Bretnütz of 6./JG 53, Lt. Friedrich-Karl Müller of 8./JG 53 and Oblt. Hans Philipp of 4./JG 54. The most important of the day's successful pilots was Oblt. Helmut Wick of 6./JG 2 who claimed a Spitfire for his twenty-third kill. He was slowly gaining on Mölders and Galland.

Losses were heavy for JG 54 over England. Lost were Fw. Dettmer of 9./JG 54 and Uffz. Behze of II./JG 54 who were killed in the dogfights over Kent. Uffz. Fritz Hotzelmann of I./JG 54 was shot down over Maidstone and captured becoming a prisoner of war. The most serious loss for the Geschwader was the Gruppenkommandeur of Stab III./JG 54, Hptm. Fritz Ultsch, who was shot down and killed shortly after getting his fourth kill.

As the darkness of night closed in on the evening of September 5th, British radar tracked a large formation of German bombers heading towards the city of London. German activity commenced soon after 2030 hours. The night fighters of the RAF were not up to the task of attacking the bombers - the British were not experienced in night fighting. Hundreds of searchlights lit up the night sky and the bombers were lit up like small white specks. Anti-aircraft fire followed but the bombers maintained their courses. Other formations attacked Manchester and Liverpool causing damage, but all the cities received only the one air raid which by now, most of the residents were getting used to the hit and run tactics of the night attacks. Heinkel He 111 bombers of II and III./KG 27 again targeted the city of Liverpool. Damage was caused at Walton where one high explosive bomb fell on Dunlop Works. The Mersey Docks and Harbour Board suffered some damage of a fairly widespread nature but not very serious. In London many houses were damaged and water, gas, electricity mains and sewers also damaged. The County Hospital at Dartford was hit, two wards being damaged, three houses destroyed and casualties exceeded fifty. Numerous other towns were placed under a Red Alert and scattered attacks were made by German bomber formations. By 0230 hours activity had decreased and less than a dozen raids were still inland.

At 0300 hours during the early morning darkness, a German aircraft dropped a parachutist in Nottinghamshire. No one heard or saw the aircraft or noticed the parachute silently gliding earthwards.

Because of the attacks being made on the aircraft factories and assembly lines, Keith Park was to take the necessary steps to provide cover for these establishments. Following a recommendation from AVM Hugh Dowding, Park was to give maximum protection possible to the Hawker factories at Kingston and Brooklands, and to the Supermarine works at Southampton. 12 Group was informed, that if 11 Group was to provide additional cover for Weybridge and Brooklands, he would need the support of 12 Group and that they would be called upon at short notice. The same was passed on to 10 Group, that they provide patrols from Brooklands to Croydon whenever there was heavy enemy activity in the area, although Park new that 12 Group was fairly heavily committed by having to cover the Essex and Norfolk coasts where a number of enemy formations had recently been keeping 12 Group busy. Knowing that 12 Group would hastily respond to his request, AVM Quintin-Brand made available four extra squadrons that could cover the Southampton-Portsmouth area as soon as heavy raids had been detected. Park also brought down 504 Squadron who had been resting at Catterick and posted them to Hendon.


WESTERN FRONT: Several units from Luftflotte 5 in Norway including KG 26 and KG 30 transferred to the Channel coast while several fighter Gruppen in France were moved to forward airbases in order to reduce the flight time across the Channel.

Oblt. Werner Machold of 1./JG 2 was awarded the Ritterkreuz for achieving twenty-one victories.

 

[Airframes]

Great stuff Chris. Coincidentally, Ltn Heinz Schnabel, shot down and force-landed at the same time as von Werra, was the one who nearly got away! Together with Oblt. Harry Wappler, he made an audacious escape attempt which almost succeeded, on the day after von Werra, having escaped and returned to active duty, went missing, presumed dead.
The story is in my thread on Schnabel's aircraft, in the Modelling Section Group Builds.

 

[Njaco]

Thanks Terry. Don't know how I missed that!

 

[Juha]

Hello Njaco
thanks a lot for Your effort. Great job.
The info on LW meeting on 3 Sept is especially interesting; when I came across info on that meeting years ago it was the first time when I understood that Sperrle really had also other attributes than his fierce look and large appétit for his position. I cannot recall from earlier texts the exact numbers of his estimate on FC strength, so it was nice to see the figure which was very accurate, it would be nice to know what was his source, but clearly Sperrle's opinion was much more realistic than that of Smiling Albert, who had the habit of being overly optimistic, the weak spot of that very capable officer.

Juha

 

[Njaco]

Thanks Juha, I'm trying to make it as accurate as possible.

 

[Njaco]

6 September 1940 Friday
UNITED KINGDOM: The fine weather of the previous days was expected to continue with the cloud in the north dispersing overnight and bringing fine weather to all areas. The success of Bomber Command's raid on Berlin on the previous night would no doubt raise anger in the German halls of officialdom. Hugh Dowding and Keith Park knew by instinct that the overnight raids on Berlin especially, would bring about instant retaliation.

At 0800 hours British radar and observation detected a number of single Bf 109s over factories and industrial areas. Park requested that Air Vice Marshal Brand of 10 Group cover the factories at Weybridge and the upper reaches of the River Thames with a squadron of fighters. Brand gave this task to RAF No. 609 Sqd (Spitfires). RAF No. 609 Sqd patrolled the area, without incident but when they returned to refuel, a formation of Bf 110s got through and managed an attack on the Hawker factory at Brooklands, where half the total output of Hurricanes was produced. This time their aim was accurate and the Hawker factory was hit but only minor damage was caused.

Between 0840-0950 hours, a large raid of Ju88s, He111s, Do17s and Bf109s, totaling some 300 German aircraft crossed the Coast between Dover and Dungeness and spread out fanwise, headed for Biggin Hill, Thames Estuary area and North Weald. Scrambled into action were Hurricanes of RAF Nos. 1, 73, 111, 249, 253, 303 (Polish), 501 and 601 Squadrons and Spitfires of RAF Nos. 41 and 609 Squadrons. RAF No.1 Squadron Northolt (Hurricanes)and RAF No. 73 Squadron Debden (Hurricanes) were busy over the north Kent coast and the Thames Estuary. RAF No.111 Squadron Croydon (Hurricanes), RAF No.303 Squadron Northolt (Hurricanes) and RAF No.501 Squadron Gravesend (Hurricanes) were kept busy in engagements over the aerodromes of Kenley and Biggin Hill, while RAF No.249 Squadron North Weald (Hurricanes) and RAF No.601 Squadron Tangmere (Hurricanes) were kept busy over Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Rochester. Thameshaven, still ablaze from the previous days bombing was again the target for another attack, but although RAF No.73 Sqd (Hurricanes) intercepted, they were engaged by the escorting Bf 109s. P/O H.W. Eliot was hit by gunfire from one of the Bf 109s and he was forced to bale out leaving some of the bombers to add fuel to an already burning Thameshaven.

The Polish pilots of RAF No. 303 Squadron, who had so far shown great courage and inflicted heavy losses on the Luftwaffe, suffered the loss of 7 Hurricanes as a Gruppe of Bf109s attacked from above whilst they were attacking. While being vectored towards a bomber formation, they were bounced by fighters of III./JG 27. S/Ldr Kellet, Maj. Krasnodebski and Sgt. Karubin, were all wounded (Krasnodebski seriously) and baled out, while Sgt. Rogowski made a forced landing. F/Lt. Forbes shot down one Bf109 and damaged another. He was forced down by petrol pouring into the cockpit. He tried to land but overshot the field and was slightly wounded by splinters. Other pilots claimed seven confirmed (5 Bf 109, 1 Do 17, 1 He 111) and one probable victories. (The Bf 109 awarded as a 'probable' to Feric crashed while attempting to land in France). Witold Urbanowicz's victim was Hptm. Joachim Schlichting, the Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 27. A veteran of Legion Condor and the son-in-law of Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch, Hptm. Schlichting had bailed from his burning Bf 109 over the Thames Estuary. Because both the British and the Polish commander were wounded in this fight, AVM Park appointed Witold Urbanowicz as the new squadron commander.

Vapor trails and dogfights filled the skies between the coast and London. Heavily involved were the Messerschmitts of JG 27 who suffered greatly. Crashing and becoming prisoners of the British were Uffz. Ernst Nittmann of 7./JG 27 and Oblt. Werner Schüller of 3./JG 27. Other deeply involved Geschwaders also lost fliers. Lt. Karl-Heinz Metz of 8./JG 2 collided with Fw. Kurt Goltzsch over Kent and was taken prisoner by the British. Recorded as missing in action from the 'Richthofen' Geschwader were Lt. Max Himmelheber of Stab I./JG 2 and Oblt. Adolf-Friedrich von Götz from1./JG 2.

A number of bombs were dropped during the raid. The Southern Railway lines to Caterham and Oxted were temporarily blocked and very slight damage was done to the Hawker-Hurricane Aircraft Factory at Weybridge and to Pobjoy's Factory at Rochester. For the rest, the bombs were remarkably ineffective and there were very few casualties.

The second attack occurred between 1255-1400 hours, totaling some 200 German aircraft crossed the coast again between Dover and Dungeness, followed by further raids. The majority of the raids did not penetrate beyond Kent and Sussex, but some went as far as Debden and Hornchurch. Biggin Hill was again a target but the bombs overshot the airfield and landed on the Westerham road where the much repaired main trunk cable was once more severed. The raiders were intercepted by Spitfires of RAF Nos. 72, 234, 602 and 603 Squadrons along with Hurricanes of RAF No. 303 (Polish) Squadron and prevented from reaching their targets.

Major Galland's entire JG 26 was engaged in escort duties to England. While III./JG 26 led the raid with a freie jagd, Galland and I./JG 26 were close escort for the bombers, the rest of the Geschwader taking high escort duties. A number of RAF squadrons had now been dispatched into the combat areas. As the German formation reached the target, they were bounced by Spitfires and Hurricanes. First to engage was the II Gruppe's Stabschwarm which quickly shot down two Spitfires from RAF No. 234 Sqd who were vectored to fifteen Bf 110s escorted by twenty-five Bf 109s heading for Dover. Claims for the two Spits were made by Hptm. Erich Bode and Oblt. Kurt Ebersberger. The next to get hit was Oblt. Müncheberg's III./JG 26 which was still operating a freie jagd ahead of the raid. Oblt. Müncheberg's own 7 Staffel was hit by Spitfires from the same RAF No. 234 Sqd and quickly lost three Bf 109s. Oblt. Hans Christinecke was hit, crashed and taken prisoner. Gefr. Karl Biecker and Gefr. Peter Holzapfel were killed.

Sgt M.C. Boddington RAF No. 234 Sqd came in astern of a Bf 109 and gave chase, and it was not until over Ashford that the Bf 109 was brought down. F/L Pat Hughes tagged onto a weaving Bf 109 that had been escorting a damaged Bf 110 and fired a short burst. The Messerschmitt banked and weaved, trying to escape from the Australian but Hughes stuck to him like glue. Smoke emitted from the German fighter over Beachy Head as Hughes' next burst found its target, but Hughes was forced to disengage as he himself came under fire from other Bf 109s. P/O J. Zurakowski took over and it was uncertain if he managed to hit the Messerschmitt but it crashed in flames near Old Romney. British troops were quick to get to the burning Bf 109 finding the pilot still in the blazing cockpit. The heat was so intense that there was no way that they could get at the German pilot and pull him clear. Instead, they pulled their rifles and shot the pilot as an act of humanity so as to stop any undue suffering. There is a grave at the New Folkestone Cemetery marked "Unknown German Airman" This is probably the remains of that pilot who was shot by British troops. Research has discovered that the burnt remains were taken to the New Folkestone Cemetery, but the German authorities claim that only the two pilots of 7./JG 26 did not return that day who were on operations in that area. Although German records state that Gefr. Peter Holzapel's death occurred on January 7th 1941. So it is still not certain as to who lies in the grave dedicated to an "Unknown German Airman" at Folkestone. Gefr Peter Holzapel's aircraft was also possibly hit by Hurricanes from RAF No. 303 Polish Sqd which reached the German formation near the coast and claimed two German bombers and five fighters for the loss of three Hurricanes. The fighters of II./JG 26 claimed two Spitfires and two Hurricanes destroyed without losing a single pilot.

 

[Njaco]

(6 September 1940 contiued....)

The third attack at 1745 hours, of two raids with some fifty German aircraft each, crossed the coast between Maidstone towards the Thames Estuary. The main target was Hornchurch but the formations turned back through Maidstone. The raid had split up and headed south as Spitfires of RAF No. 222 Squadron, scrambled from Hornchurch engaged the Bf109s and Hurricanes of RAF No. 111 Squadron, scrambled from Croydon, chased down the bombers. Little damage was done. One of the more unusual events was a Bf 109 which landed at Hawkinge when it ran out of fuel. This could possibly be Uffz. Hans-Georg Schulte of 7./JG 53, an eight victory Experte who claimed a Spitfire at 1910 hours and then crash landed, becoming a Prisoner of war.

But the most unusual was an incident that happened about this time. At 1720 hours, a German soldier dressed in civilian clothes, was captured at Denton, (Northants). He was in possession of a loaded automatic, receiving and transmitting wireless set, Swedish passport and British identity card. He reported that on landing with a parachute at 0300 hours he was injured by crashing on his wireless set. He was discovered in a ditch by a farmer. As part of his duties upon landing he was to report on damage to British airfields and aerodromes. Gosta Catroli, a Swedish national trained by the German Secret Service "Abwerh", had parachuted from a Dornier Bomber and landed near Yardley, Hastings.

Numerous Jägdflieger made kills against the RAF during the day especially during the first attack of the day. The most notable being Major Werner Mölders, Kommodore of Stab./JG 51 who downed a Spitfire over Folkestone during a fighter sweep over the English coast for his thirty-third kill along with Major Adolf Galland, Kommodore of Stab./JG 26 who destroyed a Hurricane near Tonbridge for his twenty-ninth score. Close behind the two Kommodoren was Oblt. Helmut Wick of 6./JG 2 who got his twenty-fourth victory. Confirmed double kills were awarded to Oblt. Herbert Ihlefeld of 2.(J)/LG 2, Oblt. Hans Hahn of 4./JG 2, Oblt. Walter Schneider of 6./JG 26 and Lt. Julius Meimberg of 4./JG 2. Famous pilots adding to their score were Hptm. Otto Bertram of 1./JG 2, Lt. Horst Ulenberg of 2./JG 26, Lt. Karl Borris of 5./JG 26, Oblt. Kurt Ebersberger of Stab II./JG 26, Lt. Gustav Sprick of 8./JG 26, Oblt. Joachim Müncheberg of 7./JG 26, Oblt. Gustav Rödel of 4./JG 27, Oblt. Max Dobislav of 9./JG 27, Oblt. Hermann-Friedrich Joppien of 1./JG 51, Hptm. Walter Oesau of Stab III./JG 51 and Hptm. Heinz Bretnütz of 6./JG 53.

By the end of the first week in September, Fighter Command was in a desperate situation. By now, the British commanders were at their lowest ebb, with exhausted pilots and squadrons. Spitfires and Hurricanes were still being lost at a far greater rate than they were being replaced. In the last week of August, for example, only 91 Spitfire and Hurricanes were produced while losses reached 137 destroyed and 11 seriously damaged. In just two weeks Fighter Command had lost 295 planes with 171 badly damaged. 103 pilots had been killed while 128 had been wounded. Squadrons were now weakened by only having 16 pilots attached instead of the normal 26. Experienced pilots numbered no more than 500 – less than one-half of Fighter Command's strength. One squadron, RAF No. 85, based at Croydon, had fourteen of its eighteen pilots shot down in two weeks, two of them twice.

On the ground the persistence of the German attacks was beginning to take effect. Air superiority over Kent and Essex, at least for a week or two, was in the Luftwaffe's grasp. As far as the airfields were concerned, Lympne and Manston were out of action while Biggin Hill which had suffered immensely could only operate one squadron at a time. Six of the seven sector airfields were extensively damaged, the telecommunication links to and from the operations blocks proving especially vulnerable. Radar stations were being patched up the best that they can, and communications was only at 75% efficiency. The RAF was faced with the real possibility of withdrawing 11 Group to bases north of London. The aim of Adlerangrif was near to being realized.

"We have squadrons that have been involved in combat from first light right through until dusk, they have operated like this for days on end and that includes many of our experienced squadrons. These men are not immortal, they are human beings, day after day of prolonged combat has made them tired and they are exhausted.We cannot win if we have pilots who cannot even stand up."

. . . said Dowding at a meeting that day. He explained that he must now categorise all squadrons. "A" will consist of all those squadrons in the front line of defence which would include all squadrons in 11 Group plus those in 10 and 12 Groups that would most likely find themselves also in the front line. "B" would be those squadrons that were not in the front line but were prepared and ready to be transferred to a front line airfield, and "C" would be all those squadrons that have reached exhaustion or have not yet reached the level required for operations in the front line.

That night, from the office of the War Ministry, the Home Forces HQ issued its preliminary Alert No.3, "Invasion probable within three days".

Luftwaffe Losses: 53 aircraft damaged or destroyed including 8 He111s from KG 26, 54 pilots and aircrew killed or missing and 9 wounded. RAF Losses: 29 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 6 pilots killed or missing and 11 wounded.

Luftwaffe activity during the night was on a very reduced scale. From 2015 hours, a few raids flew towards London via the Thames Estuary and Kent. Bombs fell on West Ham damaging houses, railway lines and the Victoria Docks causing 55 casualties. More bombing involved Woolwich, Southwark and London's south-east suburbs, where over 70 casualties were reported. There were no raids after 0030 hours. During another raid on Liverpool, a He 111 from 6./KG 55 crashed at Caen, France, possibly from friendly anti-aircraft fire.

The King and Queen visited RAF Fighter Command headquarters at Bentley Priory, Stanmore (Middlesex).

'SS St Glen' (4,647t) cargo ship, Rosario and Buenos Aries to Hull, was sunk by German aircraft off the east coast of Scotland.

WESTERN FRONT: At a railroad siding between Calais and Boulogne, in his special train, code-named 'Asia' Reichsmarschall Göring gave a banquet for his air fleet commanders. He offered them the choicest of French wines and they ate the finest of French table food. He told his guests, that from this day, he would be taking personal command of the battle and his air fleets for the first time since the opening of hostilities against England and began making plans to direct them in their attacks. He would settle for nothing less than victory. During an evening radio broadcast in Germany, Reichsmarschall Göring commented on his new position,

"This moment is a historic one. As a result of the provocative British attacks on Berlin on recent nights, the Führer has decided to order a mighty blow to be struck in revenge against the capital of the British Empire. I personally have assumed the leadership of this attack and today I have heard above me the roaring of the victorious German squadrons."

Oblt. Günther Scholz was made acting Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 54 in place of Hptm. Fritz Ultsch who was killed the day before.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Chris. Although I have most of the information already, it's good to see it all laid out in an easy to read, day by day account. You're doing a great job here mate, keep it up !

 

[Njaco]

Thanks!

 

[Njaco]

7 September 1940 Saturday
"THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN: PHASE THREE - LONDON AND THE NIGHT BLITZ"
UNITED KINGDOM: In a final effort to destroy the RAF, day-light attacks on London commenced with the code-name "Loge". Believing that England was down to her 'last fifty Spitfires', Hitler and Göring were confident that one heavy attack on the British capital would bring England to her knees. And they were not far from the truth. The Luftwaffe had pounded and pounded at the RAF, and now it appeared that victory was within their grasp. Six out of seven sector airfields were heavily damaged. Another five advanced airfields were also destroyed. Telephone and communication lines were disrupted or totally destroyed and the general destruction was confusing the handling of squadrons in the air. The fighter losses from the day before again exceeded aircraft production. And Fighter Command could call upon only about 700 pilots.

But the Luftwaffe also had its problems. Air crews were becoming fatigued and the Bf 110 and the Ju 87 had proven to be useless against the Hurricanes and Spitfires of the British. The third phase of the battle – 24 August to 7 September - had cost the Luftwaffe 378 aircraft destroyed and 115 aircraft damaged while RAF losses amount to 262 aircraft lost. It had taken the German war machine much longer than they had anticipated, mainly due to their own mistakes, but slowly they were grinding away at Fighter Command, and slowly Fighter Command was weakening. Adolph Hitler was now firm in his beliefs that by concentrating on an all out bombing campaign on the British capital, Britain would collapse, and that the bombing should continue until Britain submitted under the strain. In between missions to England by day and by night during September 5th and the 6th, the Luftwaffe was busy in its preparations of strengthening all bomber units and moving Bf 110 and Bf 109 units to specific locations close to the French coast. An all out bombing campaign on London was to commence.

The Saturday started with a strange deadly quiet, experienced by all the radar stations along the south coast. The CRTs were all blank, not a sign of the enemy. Some took advantage of the mild balmy early morning to stroll outside, something that had not been done for weeks. But it was at Wittering that the first contact was made with the Germans. A single blip had been detected and RAF No. 266 Squadron was sent to intercept. Three Spitfires took off and made for their vectored position at twenty-eight thousand. All three aircraft were at full boost trying to catch the enemy aircraft, and one of them had to turn back because the engine started to become erratic. The German aircraft was a Dornier 215 and it was not until they were well out over the North Sea close to the Dutch border that they managed to make their first attack. Their shots went wide and they came under some accurate gunfire from the German aircraft. A second attack was more successful with the Dornier exploding in a ball of flame.

Across the Channel at 10:30 hours, Göring, Albert Kesselring and the commander of II Fliegerkorps, Bruno Loerzer drove through the French countryside towards the township of St Omer. Göring, who had now pronounced himself as the leader of the Luftwaffe operations wanted to see for himself the beginning of the final stage of the battle, and had invited Loerzer and Kesselring along. They were to position themselves at the closest point of the French mainland to the English coast, as it would be from here that they could witness what they thought would be the greatest onslaught that Britain would ever endure.

Along the way they found time to have breakfast, and called in to some of the Luftwaffe fighter stations, one of them being the Lehrgeschwader of Bf 109s based at Calais-Marck, where a midday banquet was held. Here, Göring in his open heavy leather coat that displayed all his war medals talked and chatted with the many pilots. He spoke of his days as a fighter pilot when air combat was fought with open cockpit biplanes. He was in a sort of jovial, yet somewhat cocky mood. After lunch, the procession of three Mercedes escorted by motorcycle police made their way to the high picnic grounds at Cape Blanc Nez, where a team of noncommissioned officers with almost a precision like mentality set out tables and white table linen, and hastily set out the sandwiches, biscuits and champagne. There was a war on, the British were lazily sitting around almost bored with themselves, the German pilots were preparing to deploy themselves on the greatest attack yet, and Göring was going to have a picnic.

At 11:55 hours the radar at Dover and Pevensey picked up the first significant blips of the day, a small formation just off the coast. They appeared to be content on staying just within striking distance of the English coastline but made sure that they did not cross the coast. RAF No. 66 Squadron (Spitfires) who were on a routine patrol were sent to intercept. It was a small formation of about fifty Bf 109s with twelve of the Messerschmitts carrying bombs in the 'Jabo' role, possibly trying to draw the British fighters out, just as they had done during the early Channel attacks in July. Being as the Germans were content in staying out there, Fighter Command decided that as long as they kept their distance from the coast, no other squadrons would be sent to intercept.

The raid was plotted approaching Dover, which subsequently split and bombed Hawkinge airfield and Dover causing light damage. RAF No.66 Sqd engaged combat, but after two of its aircraft had to return to base, they decided to break off the action. One of the Spitfires did not make it back to Kenley, instead the pilot P/O Bodie decided to crash land the aircraft close to Hawkinge when losing height rapidly. The other Spitfire made it back to Kenley and also made a crash landing.

 

[Njaco]

(7 September 1940 continued....)

On the other side of the Channel, it was a different story. German ground personnel were busy putting the finishing touches to new airfields that were positioned very near to the French coast. Many new gun emplacements were being constructed, and word broke through to British intelligence that heavy bombers were being moved into readiness. More amphibious landing craft were still arriving at the Channel ports. A meeting that was called by the British Chiefs of Staff and was to commence that day at 17:30 hours to discuss whether or not the "Alert No.1" should be issued. At this stage, Dowding and Park had no idea as to the change in tactics that the Luftwaffe was to implement later this day.

Across the Channel, Göring and his party of invited guests started to take their positions on the cliff edge. Everyone was relaxed, talking and smiling with a sort of waiting in anticipation. It looked like a picnic day for the rich. Suddenly, in the distance the dull drone of engines could be heard, coming from the south. Shortly, the same sounds could be heard to the north, an eerie sort of sound yet you could not see anything. After about ten minutes, one of the Major's called and pointed to the south. The first of the huge formations could just barely be seen coming over the high ground behind them. All eyes were at straining point, some members of the party were on tip toes stretching their necks to get the first glimpses of the great armada of bombers that were soon to fill the sky.

The first major raid by the Luftwaffe on London was also one of the largest when the bombers escorted by fighters began forming over Calais. As the hundreds of bombers formed a sheet of black cross like figures in the sky above, the smile on Göring's face went from cheek to cheek. He excitedly placed his hands on a Major's shoulder and shook it, pointing towards the mass of aircraft high above. The noise was deafening. From his special train, 'Asia' at Cap Griz Nez, Göring stood up from his collapsible seat, settling his binoculars on the first spearhead of the Heinkels and Dorniers which were now circling some ten miles away before forming up with the twin-engined fighter screen on each flank and, almost invisible above, the Bf 109s. As the bombers and their escort groaned deafeningly overhead, gaining altitude, to these senior officers it was as if the frustrating weeks of struggle in the air, with its distressing casualties, and the Phoenix-like reappearance of the Hurricanes and Spitfires when none should have survived, had been wiped clean.

Other formations, again Heinkels, Dorniers and intermixed with Bf 110s came in from the east, and as the main formation passed over the French coastline high above Göring's head, more formations could be seen way back over the mainland to the west. The total blanket of bombers and fighters now covered an area that was at least 800 square miles, and still the excitable Göring could hardly control himself as the huge formation of droning bombers headed towards the English coast. German bombers and their Bf 109 escorts began forming over inland France from 15:00 hours onwards. Slowly, as other groups took off, they joined forces with more formations, with each formation flying at a different altitude, and flying some minutes either above or below the formation in front.

By 15:40 hours the coastal radar stations, that had been extra quiet all day, suddenly could not believe their eyes. At first, it was just a few blips off the French coast that slowly appeared to join and increase in size like a formidable cancer. The radar station at Foreness was the first to detect the appearance of the Germans on the CRT screen. Within moments, Dover had also picked up the giant formation as did Rye. Those that had been relaxing outside in the late afternoon sun were called in, cigarettes were stubbed in the already full ashtrays as everybody's attention was turned to the armada that was crossing the Channel and coming towards them. It was realized that the biggest raid yet of the conflict was heading towards the Kent coast. The plots on the large map showed that the build up of German aircraft was increasing and covering a wider area. The information was passed on to Group HQ. The usual procedure of the Luftwaffe attacks was after the Channel crossing, the formations would split up upon reaching the English coast, and it was presumed that this would be no different.

The huge armada of German aircraft were now over the coast and within the range of the Observer Corps posts. They reported in to the Maidstone HQ that "Enemy sighted, 100 plus, 20,000," but within moments, they would lift the telephone again, "Further to my last report.....make that 200 plus," and so it continued. In reality, a total of some 1,100 aircraft were crossing the English coastline consisting of 372 medium-heavy bombers, 200 Bf 110s with bomb loads and 642 Bf 109s flying as escorts, with one main target in mind, London.

The target for this first London raid was the large dock and residential area on the banks of the Thames east of the city. The majority of aircraft for the raid were from Luftflotte 2 along with KG 26 and KG 30 from Luftflotte 5 who had transferred to the area in the last two days. Once over the Kent coast, the huge armada of German bombers and their escorts broke into separate groups with each one seemingly heading for a different target.

Fighter Command became bewildered as the change in direction saw many of the bombers heading away from the sector airfields and away from patrolling RAF fighters. Adding to the confusion for the plotters was the disappearing and re-emergence of formations as they made their way towards England. As soon as one formation was plotted another appeared and headed over the Channel. The Luftwaffe did its best to confuse the British and keep the main objective, London, hidden from the observers. Seeing the size of the approaching formation, Keith Park ordered every squadron covering London into the air. The dispersal's at Northolt, Kenley, Croydon, Hendon, North Weald and Hornchurch all became an immediate hub of activity. By 16:20 hours, RAF No.1 Squadron (Hurricanes) completed its scramble, as did RAF No.303 Squadron (Hurricanes), RAF No. 504 Squadron (Hurricanes), and RAF No. 501 Squadron (Hurricanes). Expecting the assault to be directed at the sector airfields, all squadrons were ordered into positions that would provide protection for the important sector stations and such installations as the oil refinery at Thameshaven. The station controllers were still undecided as to which were really the targets, but the general feeling was that the fighter station surrounding London would be one of the first targets. It was of no surprise when the first squadrons scrambled were directed to give cover to the all important airfields. Within thirty minutes, Fighter Command had twenty three squadrons in the air. Most had been vectored to cover the aerodromes around London while others had been vectored towards the Thames Estuary to meet the phalanx of aircraft, one and a half miles high and covering nearly 800 square miles sky.