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Statistical summary, Week 5:
- Total Fighter Command Establishment: 1558 planes
- Strength: 1396 planes
- Balance: understrength 162 planes
- Losses: 33 Hurricanes (+ 3 damaged), 12 Spitfires (+10 damaged), 3 Blenheims
- Aircraft Production: 5 Beaufighters, 10 Defiants, 64 Hurricanes, 37 Spitfires
By early August, the German attitude to Britain had hardened. After the fall of France, most of the world had expected Britain one way or the other to fall out of the war, either because it was pushed out or it opted out. This is certainly what Hitler had hoped for. But when that didn’t happen, Hitler had to think again. On July 19th, in a speech to his assembled top brass, who were there to receive their decorations and promotions, following the French campaign, Hitler made what was to be called his ‘last appeal to reason’. What he said was that he’d never wanted to make war on the British Empire. He urged London to reconsider its attitude.
A few days later, when Halifax made it quite clear that Britain wasn’t in the least interested in falling into line with Hitler’s policies, Hitler set in motion a new strategy. He decided to unleash attack from the air.
Britain was surrounded by sea. This meant that the only way to force Britain to accept a German settlement was by attacking it from the air. The RAF had to be neutralised. This is where Goering came in. He was delighted that “his” Luftwaffe had been chosen as the instrument to bring Britain to terms. So the orders were given. Adler Tag, Eagle Day, was to be fixed very shortly with the exact day to be decided according to the weather. After a postponement from the original date, August 8th, it was finally launched on August 13th – though not without some confusion, as our previous post examines.
The following weeks were to see an intense and concentrated effort to smash the RAF.
Adler Tag (Eagle Day)
Weather: Fine; some patchy cloud over Channel.
Adolf Hitler, Directive No. 17 (1st August, 1940)
The Luftwaffe will use all the forces at its disposal to destroy the British air force as quickly as possible. August 5th is the first day on which this intensified air war may begin, but the exact date is to be left to the Luftwaffe and will depend on how soon its preparations are complete, and on the weather situation.
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours:
- Blenheim – 71
- Spitfire – 226
- Hurricane – 353
- Defiant – 26
- Gladiator – 2
- Total – 678
There was some mist at first but this later cleared. Early in the morning, a large force of Do17s had taken off under the leadership of Commander Johannes Fink. But the fighters who were meant to accompany the bomber stream had turned back. Goering, back in Karinhall, had been told that the weather wasn’t, after all, all that good. He decided to postpone the opening of the new campaign, that had been scheduled for today, codenamed ‘Adler Tag’, or ‘Eagle Day’.. He personally ordered those aircraft, which had already taken off, to be recalled. The recall signal reached the fighters, but not the bombers. The former turned for home, leaving the bombers to forge on alone.
However, the bombers’ target was an RAF station in Surrey, Eastchurch. This wasn’t a fighter command station at all, as it belonged to Coastal Command, although 266 Squadron Spitfires were there having just been moved down from the Midlands. No fighters were permanently stationed there. The raid on Eastchurch turned out to be very damaging and destructive, wrecking a number of aircraft, killing several personnel, and it gave the impression to Fink and his men that they had completely destroyed a fighter command station, together with 10 Spitfires. In fact, only 1 Spitfire was destroyed, although 16 ground crew were killed and 5 Blenheims were destroyed. Despite this damage, the station was back in service the next day.
On the way home, flying across Kent, five Do17s of Fink’s group were shot down with several more being damaged by 111 and 151 Squadrons. On return to base Fink was furious. What had happened to his fighter escort?
Yet the most serious error made that day was mistaking Eastchurch, a coastal command station for a fighter command one.
A second German group had not received details of Eagle Day’s postponement and a sizeable force of Ju88s was heading for Odiham and the research establishment at Farnborough. But they were intercepted by 601 Squadron and forced to return to their base.
In the afternoon came a series of raids from Luftflotte 3 from the Cherbourg peninsula which were aimed at Portland and other south coast ports including Southampton. Several interceptions were made by RAF squadrons on this latest incursion. However, several German aircraft managed to get through to Southampton and did serious damage.
At the same time, Luftflotte 2 were also in action. Detling was hit and the Commanding Officer was killed. The day had given Fighter Command a taste of the much more intensive battle which was about to take place over the next few weeks. Cumulatively, it was to put the Command under severe strain. The RAF lost 13 aircraft with the Germans losing 45.
That night the Nuffield works near Birmingham were hit.
54 Squadron Operational Record Book, 13 August
A respite with only 1 patrol over Hornchurch for an hour early in the morning.
19 Squadron Operational Record Book – 13 August – Eastchurch
Eastchurch Aerodrome (and “B” Flight) most thoroughly bombed. Approximately 220 bombs dropped in 20 minutes. The personnel were also machine-gunned by low-flying enemy aircraft. Fortunately “B” Flight sustained no damage or injuries. The dispersal of the aircraft would help considerably to this end.
Reported Casualties (RAF Campaign Diary 13th August 1940):
* Enemy: 78 aircraft destroyed, 33 probable, 49 damaged.
* Own: 11 Hurricanes, 2 Spitfires
Todays’s theme: Historical Documents – Hitler’s Sea Lion Directives and Invasion Plans
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