Battle of Britain diary

[colin m]

Thanks again Steve for all your work.

[stona]

Thanks again Steve for all your work.

No worries. Still no prospect of a return to work, so it gives me a little project each day. I generally stay a day or two ahead.

It's getting harder to find a lot of detail because the weather had started to have a serious effect on operations by mid October and many days were rather desultory affairs but still with fierce fighting on occasion and, of course, a steady stream of losses. A lot of authors don't follow the Air Ministry's definition of the Battle and more or less give up on this month!
There would be no more huge air battles as seen in August, September and even the beginning of this month, but it's important to remember that both sides were still flying and fighting whenever possible.
I intend to keep going until the official end of the Battle, one way or another.

[Tim Marlow]

Excellent stuff, worth writing up for publication I think.....

[stona]

Saturday 12 October

A grey day, overcast with cloud

Despite the weather the ‘Jabos’ were in action again today. There were seven separate attacks, five of which reached London, and more than 400 sorties were flown.

JG 51 were one of the first units across the English coast near Dungeness where they were intercepted by No 72 Squadron which lost P/O Herbert Chase, who became Werner Molders’s 44th victim (officially). British records state that Chase lost formation and crashed for unknown reasons and not in combat. No 249 Squadron were next to intercept and the Squadron Adjutant, G Perrin was shot down, also claimed by Molders. Perrin survived ‘slightly wounded’.

Further raids came in throughout the day and there were losses on both sides. 421 Flight suffered another loss when F/Lt C P Green was shot down by Bf 109s. Green baled out safely, landing at Pembles Cross Farm, Egerton, wounded in the neck and arm.

A few bomber sorties were made, typically by lone raiders. Two Spitfires of No 602 Squadron were damaged by return fire from a Ju 88 of II./LG 1 over the Channel. The Ju 88 was also damaged, crashing on its return to Orleans-Bricy and subsequently being written off.

Squadron Leader Bob Stanford Tuck had an interesting morning. He was the CO of No 257 Squadron, based at North Weald, but was visiting his old colleagues at No 92 Squadron when the latter was scrambled. Tuck jumped into one of 92 Squadron’s Spitfires rather than his own Hurricane and took off with them. He then shot down a Bf 109 of Stab II./JG 54 which made a good forced landing at Chapel Holding, Small Hythe, Tenterden. The pilot, Lt. Malischewski was captured unhurt. Tuck was a competent leader, much admired by those who flew with him. Sgt Reg Nutter remembered,

“I found Tuck to be a very charismatic leader and this, combined with his exceptional combat record, immediately gave one a good deal of confidence. His style of leadership contrasted greatly with that of his predecessor, Squadron Leader Harkness. Tuck would make suggestions to the Controller as to how we could be better placed to make an interception, but Harkness would follow instructions without question. There is no doubt that before Tuck’s arrival, squadron morale had sunk to a very low ebb; under his leadership there was a tremendous improvement. In many ways he was an individualist but he would go out of his way to give advice to other pilots.”

Operations today had seen the steady attrition on both sides continue. The Luftwaffe had lost 10 aircraft with 2 more damaged. Fighter Command had also lost 10 aircraft, with 4 more damaged.

We know that Operation Sealion was dead and buried and not merely postponed, but at the time this was not considered the case by either side. It was today that Generalfeldmarschall Keitel announced the OKW’s decision that Sealion was postponed until the spring or early summer of 1941. In the meantime, efforts would be made to “improve the military conditions for a later invasion”. How the Luftwaffe imagined that it was contributing to this objective is a moot point.

For the second successive night Luftwaffe activity over Britain ended early. The London warning period was from 19.14 until 02.05. The raids followed a similar pattern to the previous night, aircraft approaching over the coast in Shoreham-Hastings area or flying up the Thames Estuary. Apart from London, Surrey and Essex experienced some heavy bombing. There were at least two attacks on Coventry.

Tonight, Bomber Command despatched 93 sorties to 5 targets in Germany, the Channel ports and minelaying. 24 Blenheims and 6 Battles attacked the Channel ports, the last major raid on these targets during the invasion threat period. The British too understood that there would be no invasion attempted in 1940. All aircraft returned safely.

[Tim Marlow]

Another good write up. At this point in the battle German fighter morale must have been at a very low ebb. The strain on the Jabos in particular must have been extreme knowing they were achieving very little in return for the risks involved. At least the Allies were defending home soil so could use that as motivation, even if they were exhausted.

[stona]

Another good write up. At this point in the battle German fighter morale must have been at a very low ebb. The strain on the Jabos in particular must have been extreme knowing they were achieving very little in return for the risks involved. At least the Allies were defending home soil so could use that as motivation, even if they were exhausted.

Yes, the Germans were feeling the strain.
At this time no squadron anywhere in Fighter Command was short of aircraft. This was not the case for the Luftwaffe units across the Channel, some could barely muster one third of their authorised strength.
None of 11 Group's squadron were short of fully trained pilots, the stabilisation system was working well. Only Leigh-Mallory let it down by sending very 'green' pilots to 11 Group, where they were killed (this is not just an accusation, but statistically proven). The Luftwaffe fighter units had many pilots so inexperienced that their senior officers were reluctant to take them on operations, estimating that they only had a 50% chance of surviving their first 'war flight'.

A lot of nonsense is written about whether the Battle of Britain was an outright victory for the RAF or whether, by surviving until the winter weather closed in, a de facto draw became a victory. By this stage the Germans had already lost. It was an unequivocal victory for the RAF. Unsurprisingly, one group who have never argued anything different are the men who were on the receiving end, the Luftwaffe veterans who survived.

[stona]

Sunday 13 October

Thick fog and cloud over Channel area and much of England.

The weather severely curtailed any daylight operations. A few Jabos did operate in the afternoon and No 66 Squadron, up from Gravesend, was one of the few to make interceptions. P/O C A W Bodie’s Spitfire was damaged in combat with Bf 109s at about 16.20. Cpl Bob Morris remembered Bodie returning to base.

“I remember Pilot Officer ‘Bogle’ Bodie coming back with his port mainplane knocked about by a cannon shell, and I had to rip part of the aileron off for him which he proudly took as a souvenir.”

Two more of the squadron’s Spitfires were damaged in this action.

No 29 Squadron lost a Blenheim and both crew when it was shot down in error by Hurricanes of No. 312 Squadron. Another Blenheim was damaged. In another incident of ‘friendly’ fire a No 17 Squadron Hurricane was shot down by AA fire over Chatham. The pilot, P/O J K Ross baled out wounded.

Today the Luftwaffe lost just 1 aircraft to British defences with another 2 damaged. Fighter Command had lost 2 to own goals and 1 to the Luftwaffe, but had suffered 4 aircraft damaged.

Luftwaffe activity tonight was extensive and of longer duration, an estimated 300 aircraft operated over Britain, of which 80 attacked London. All the Home Counties reported bombing, heaviest in Surrey and Kent. Bombs fell across the country, but the heaviest raids were reported in Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesborough and Hull.

At 9.15 p.m., in London, a bomb from a lone enemy aircraft demolished two houses directly above the east end of the westbound platform tunnel of Bounds Green Piccadilly line station, killing or mortally wounding seventeen shelterers and injuring fifty nine. Four people also perished in the two houses. This was a warning that the Underground was not as secure a shelter as some believed.

Tonight, Bomber Command entered what the Official History describes as the ‘winter lull’, which continued through to February 1941. Despite this, operations continued. 125 sorties were despatched to targets in Germany, but the bad weather meant that just 41 aircraft reported identifying their primary target. One of the targets was Wilhelmshaven, to which 35 Hampdens were sent. They must have reached the area because German Flak opened fire and one 80 year old woman was killed by a falling shell fragment, but no bombs fell on the target. One Wellington failed to return.

[stona]

Monday 14 October

Morning fog, cloudy with rain

The bad weather again limited daytime operations, though ‘Jabos’ did drop bombs on London. An estimated ninety enemy aircraft flew over the UK today, a substantial number being weather or reconnaissance flights. 7./JG 2 lost a Bf 109 which crashed at Sway in Hampshire, killing the pilot, but the cause is unclear as there is no matching British claim.

The Luftwaffe lost just Obgftr Lux’s Bf 109 (above) and a Do 17 damaged by fighters in operations against Britain today. Fighter Command suffered no losses to enemy action, though there were several accidents. Unlucky was F/O R Hope of No 605 Squadron who inadvertently flew into the Inner Artillery Zone and is thought to have collided with a balloon cable, causing him to be killed when his Hurricane crashed.

The Luftwaffe made a substantial effort tonight. Bombs were reported falling in any parts of the country, but it was London which suffered the heaviest attack for some time. This was a period of full moon and the Luftwaffe took advantage of this to fly 242 sorties.

Heavy casualties were caused at Balham Underground Station. I passed through this station a while ago and paused to read the plaque commemorating the event.

At 8.02 p.m., a 1,400 kg ‘Esau’ semi-armour piercing bomb struck the road surface in front of 184 Balham High Road, just north of Balham Northern line station. Penetrating deeply before detonating, the bomb only exploded when it hit the cast iron segments of a cross passageway, causing a massive crater on the surface and collapsing the northern end of the north-bound platform tunnel. An avalanche of earth, debris and water from broken mains and sewers flooded into the station, which was packed with people sheltering from the air raid, causing multiple fatalities. The running tunnels between Clapham South and Tooting Bec stations were also flooded. Here is some of the official report, from a Colonel Mount:

“At 20.02 hours (precisely) on 14/10, a heavy bomb (presumably 500 kilo? [this presumption was incorrect]) fell on the north-bound tramway track in Balham high Road, some 200 yards north of the Southern Railway main (Brighton) line four-track bridge over this road, 1½ miles south east of Clapham Junction and the same distance north west of Streatham.

This site was immediately over the north end of the north-bound tube platform where the tunnel lining is 22 feet 1½ inches diameter and about 27 feet below the surface of the road. The top of the tunnel was broken in to an extent which is at present unknown; the south side of the fracture being located some 18 feet north of the platform clock. The road carried three 30-inch water mains and one of 10 inches; also a 4 feet x 2 feet 8 inches sewer and two gas mains 6 inches and 8 inches. All the mains were broken as also many cable and of course the tram lines. A large quantity of shingle, silt and water and some clay ran through the cavity into the tunnel with the result that the final crater extended completely across the road from shop to shop, its diameter being some 60 to 70 feet. A north-bound No. 88 bus had pitched headlong into it at a steep angle, the conductor’s platform coming to rest just above the level of the roadway. It will be a big operation in itself to get the bus out.

Entering the station via the escalators, we walked through the sliding watertight door on to the shingle and silt covered platform and up to the bottom of the crater through which there was daylight; the depth of the shingle and silt over the platform was 4 or 5 feet tapering off to nothing at the south end of the platform. The Stationmaster’s office was located at the north end of this platform on the north side of the crater, but we did not inspect that side and at present I have not heard whether anyone has done so. The shingle had flowed out through the one sliding and one hinged watertight doors on this platform into the escalator chamber. There is another sliding watertight door from this chamber giving access to the south-bound platform through which the Fire Brigade were pumping out this tunnel. Water was still draining from one of the mains into the crater like a small waterfall.”

The reported number of fatalities for this incident usually varies but the best figure, including a casualty added in 2010, is sixty six. The plaque in the ticket hall, which I paused to view early that morning as I headed towards Brixton Academy (in the days when we still had live entertainment), was put up in 2010 and replaced an earlier one. It commemorates ‘the civilians and London Transport staff who were killed at this station during the Blitz on the night of 14 October 1940’, but does not number them. In all 500 people were killed in London tonight, with another 2,000 injured. No Luftwaffe aircraft were shot down. P/O George Pushman expressed his frustration.

“We of 23 Squadron were based at Wittering, but flew mostly from Ford during the Battle of Britain, which was a very busy period. We used to have 10 days on duty followed by 2 days off. Flying at night in our Blenheims, we prowled around the east coast, but I never even caught a glimpse of a German aircraft.”

Bomber Command despatched 78 sorties to targets in Berlin, Stettin, Bohlen, Magdeburg and Le Havre. One Whitley was lost when it collided with a barrage balloon cable at Weybridge while on its way to Le Havre. Three other aircraft failed to return.

[stona]

Tuesday 15 September

Various reports state that the weather cleared today.

The improvement in the weather meant that the Luftwaffe could again make a significant daytime effort. The Luftwaffe carried out 500 fighter and 304 bomber sorties over England, and Fighter Command responded with a total of 598 fighter sorties, of which more than two hundred made contact with the enemy.

The action started early in the morning when No 229 Squadron's S/Ldr John Banham was shot down by Bf 109s of JG 53, this victory was claimed by Werner Molders. Banham had previously flown a Defiant in 264 Squadron until he was shot down on 26 August. On the previous occasion he had baled out to be rescued from the sea off Herne Bay (his gunner was killed), today he baled out again coming down on dry land but suffering burns.

At 11.30 JG 26 escorting II./LG 2 to London and spotted a formation of British fighters over the Thames Estuary. Adolf Galland reported.

“Coming from below, I attacked a lone Spitfire which had become separated from the others. ‘I opened fire from 150-200 metres and could see my bullets hitting. The aircraft levelled off. My wingman and I made one pass each against the Spitfire, which at that time was flying very slowly and without taking any evasive action. Suddenly, we saw the pilot bail out. He fell freely at least 1,000 metres before his parachute opened.”

The man shot down was British ace F/Lt Brian Kingcome of No 92 Squadron, up from Biggin Hill. Kingcome was admitted to RN Hospital Chatham for treatment. This was one of three operations flown by JG 26 over England today.

No 46 Squadron had a bad day. The squadron ORB recorded the day’s events.

“Commencing at 12.30 hours, a patrol was carried out by the Squadron over Seven Oaks and Gravesend. While flying at a height of over 20,000 feet, they were vectored east and attacked from the sun by a flight of Me 109s, three of our aircraft were shot down.”

Sadly for the squadron two of the pilots were killed, the third, Sgt A T Gooderham survived but was another to suffer burns.

Also in action was a combined force from JG 2 and ZG 26, flying a fighter sweep over the Isle of Wight. They were met by four squadrons from 10 Group. JG 2 would make ten victory claims when there were only two British fighter losses. For this it lost three Bf 109s, while the British claimed to have shot down four. One of these ten ‘imaginary’ victories was chalked up as number 42 for Major Helmut Wick.

The Germans had learned from their initial mistakes during the ‘Jabo’ offensive, and now had fighter escort flying together with fighter bombers, denying the British fighters the gaps they had previously exploited. It also yielded results for the Luftwaffe in the form of increased British losses, reflected in today’s numbers.

The Luftwaffe had lost or written off 10 aircraft with 6 more damaged. Fighter Command had lost 14 aircraft with another 11 damaged (including a Blenheim destroyed and another damaged by bombs from a Ju 88 which attacked No 29 Squadron’s aerodrome at Ternhill). Another 2 of No 313 Squadron’s Hurricanes were lost and another damaged when they became disorientated on a routine patrol from Speke. This suggests that the weather was still marginal for flying in the north- west.

Tonight would see another very heavy attack on London. Damage was extensive and large fires started. There was widespread disruption to communications and transport infrastructure and as many as a million Londoners suffered interruption to their gas supplies. Bombs also fell on Bristol and Gloucestershire.

Following yesterday’s heavy raids there had been discussion at the British War Cabinet’s meeting today over concerns that:

“The civilian population in London were beginning to wonder whether we were hitting back hard enough at Germany in our bombing operations”.

Bomber Command was doing its best. 134 sorties were despatched tonight, many to oil targets in Germany. The naval dockyards at Kiel were damaged and an oil storage facility set on fire, according to German reports. 9 Fairey Battles were sent to Calais and Boulogne in what would be a swansong for this type with Bomber Command. This was to be the last time the venerable Battles operated with the Command.

[adt70hk]

Steve

Thank you as always for keeping us updated every day.

Andrew

[stona]

Wednesday 16 October

The weather closed in again, fog blanketing airfields in France and southern England severely limited daytime operations.

Had they flown operations today 11 Group’s pilots would have received another revision of tactics from Keith Park. Park decided to abandon the tactic of letting his squadrons operate rigidly in pairs, or even in Wings.

“Controllers will see the importance of ordering pairs or Wings to rendezvous over a point at operating height in order that they can climb quickly, singly, and not hold one another back by trying to climb in an unwieldy mass…Bitter experience has proved time and again that it is better to intercept the enemy with one squadron above him than by a whole wing crawling up below, probably after the enemy has dropped his bombs.”

It was one of Park’s great strengths, that he was never rigid in the way he operated his squadrons and was always prepared to react to changes in the enemy’s tactics.

Corporal Bob Morris, who we met earlier, had a chance to examine a downed Bf 109 today. He was not overly impressed.

“I looked in the cockpit and by our standards it was nowhere near up to the Spitfire’s instrumental standards. It was very bleak.”

The Luftwaffe lost three of its bombers on operations against England today with another two damaged. 3 more bombers were lost on operations tonight, one a rare victory for a Defiant night fighter. This was an He 111 of 2./Kgr. 126 shot down by a No 264 Squadron Defiant, crashing on Creasey’s Farm, Hutton at 02.00. Two of the crew managed to bale out and survived, the other two were killed. The CEAR states that the aircraft was completely destroyed and this photograph, taken the following morning would confirm that.



Fighter Command suffered no operational losses today. Just one of No 249 Squadron’s Hurricanes was damaged by return fire from a Do 17 and made a forced landing. P/O K T Lofts was unhurt. Both sides suffered a number of accidents, a reflection of the poor weather.

Tonight, an estimated 150 Luftwaffe aircraft raided the London area with the rest of the country being visited by 50 more. Birmingham was heavily bombed, with other bombing reported in the South West, Liverpool and isolated places across the UK.

Bomber Command despatched 73 sorties to targets in Bremen, Kiel, Merseburg and Bordeaux. 3 aircraft failed to return and 10 Hampdens and 4 Wellingtons crashed on their return when their bases were fogged in.

[stona]

Thursday 17 October

Cloudy but with a high enough base for the airfields in the south east to be clear. Marginal weather in some areas. A No 603 Squadron report recorded ‘Cloud 8/10 at 2,000 feet with haze below’.

Today the Germans dispatched 110 fighter-bombers against London, divided into four different raiding groups. The first two, involving, among others, III./ZG 76, hardly led to any air combat. The third raid against London, shortly after 15.00, was met by fourteen British squadrons. Park’s new tactic was put into action, and with good results. Nos 41, 66, 74 and 222 Squadrons engaged the Bf 109s. No 74 Squadron’s ‘Sailor’ Malan was one of the first into the action.

“We suddenly saw some yellow-noses (Me 109s) crossing our bows, and surprised them from the sun. I gave the right-hand one a two-second burst with quarter deflection from 200 yards and closed to 150 yards astern and delivered another two-second burst. I then closed to 100 yards and delivered a four-second burst which appears to damage elevator controls, as his nose went vertically downwards very suddenly instead of the usual half-roll. My engine naturally stopped when I followed suit, but it picked up again and I closed to 150 yards on half-roll and gave another four-second burst. I found myself doing an aileron turn to keep direction and delivered another four-second burst. He then started to smoke, but I blacked out completely and lost consciousness for a couple of seconds.”

Three Bf 109s, all from JG 53, and all with unit commanders at the controls, were shot down in this action. Hauptmann Hans-Karl Mayer, who led I./JG 53, crashed in the Thames Estuary, probably a victim of P/O Edward Wells from No 41 Squadron whose combat report described this action.

“I noticed a single Me 109 returning from the London area and heading towards the Channel. I immediately gave chase; as my height was only about 2,000 feet more he took some time to overtake. He seemed unaware of my presence and took no evasive action, so I closed until he exactly filled the sight bar, range 250 yards. I gave what I considered a preliminary burst of about 2 seconds and glycol smoke immediately poured away in large quantities and the machine started a shallow dive which he continued until about 7,000 feet, when he suddenly dived very sharply straight down into the sea. No pilot attempted to leave the machine at any time. I circled over the spot on the sea at 500 feet. Nothing came to the surface.”

Other accounts make Mayer a victim of one of the Spitfires of No 603 Squadron, which engaged the same formation from a lower level than No 41 Squadron. We will never know for sure.

Mayer’s body washed ashore ten days later. With 30 victories in in the Second World War and another nine in the Spanish Civil War, he was the most successful fighter pilot to be killed in the war so far.

The pilots of JG 53 would also claim three Spitfires in this fight. In fact, two had been shot down. P/O Hugh Reilley, an American volunteer, was killed when his Section was attacked at height by Major Molders’s flight, becoming Molders’s 48th victory.

Bombs from the ‘Jabos’ fell at random across London. In one incident five bombs struck Wilkins Street, killing three people, wounding ten and burying dozens of others in the collapsed houses.

The Luftwaffe had lost four of its fighters today with another damaged. More worryingly it had lost seven bombers with another damaged, several to London’s improving anti-aircraft defences. Lt Sven Schulte from KG 54 wrote in his diary:

“The strange thing is that the defence of London has grown stronger. Tonight, I was caught by the light beams from ten searchlights simultaneously. But our newspapers tell us that there are no more searchlights in London.”

Fighter Command had lost 4 aircraft in combat with another 5 damaged, two by bombs on their bases. There were also aircraft damaged in accidents caused by weather and poor visibility.

The Luftwaffe flew 254 sorties tonight, London being the principal target. Bombs fell on many parts of the Capital and several large fires resulted. Merseyside and Birmingham were also bombed and there were isolated reports of bombs falling in Essex, Kent and Hertfordshire.

Bomber Command did not operate tonight. This was probably due to a weather forecast which predicted that bases would be fogged in when the bombers returned at around first light.

[stona]

Friday 18 October

Autumn weather with fog and heavy cloud.

The weather prevented almost all of Fighter Command’s operations today. A very small number of enemy aircraft operated over the country today but interception was almost impossible. One Luftwaffe bomber, a Ju 88 of II./KG 76 reported an attack by fighters after making a forced landing at Calais, causing 60% damage.

The Luftwaffe suffered an astonishing number of accidents and losses as aircraft attempted to land in the bad weather or were even abandoned due to it. At least 18 aircraft were lost or damaged in this way. KG 54’s Lt Sven Schulte wrote:

“Once again we encountered searchlights, barrage balloons and heavy anti-aircraft fire. On the return flight my air base and the entire surrounding area was covered by thick clouds. For over two and a half hours, I tried to find a gap in the clouds, while my radio operator called various aerodromes to inquire about landing opportunities. After five hours in the air, I found a suitable location. Several other crews from my air base had to bale out because their aircraft ran out of petrol.”

Fighter Command suffered no losses at the hands of the Luftwaffe, but it too suffered a number of accidents as aircraft became lost or disorientated in the bad weather, were forced to make unplanned landings, ran out of fuel or collided on aerodromes in the fog. In all at least 12 aircraft were lost or damaged in this way. No 302 Squadron lost 4 Hurricanes and had another damaged as they became lost in the weather and attempted forced landings. Two came down on Kempton Park race course, both pilots were killed. F/O P E G Carter was so disorientated that he was seen to attempt to bale out from an estimated 50 feet, with inevitable and fatal consequences.

In spite of the appalling weather the Luftwaffe made 129 sorties tonight. The bombing was understandably widely scattered. Bombs again fell on London, Merseyside and Birmingham.

Bomber Command’s operations were also curtailed, just 28 sorties were flown to Hamburg docks and the Lunen aluminium works. Hamburg reported that four people were injured, so some of the bombers found the right city. All the aircraft returned safely.

[stona]

Saturday 19 October

Poor weather continues with heavy cloud and morning fog

Operations were again limited by the weather. There was one ineffective raid by ‘Jabos’ of 3./LG2 on London, during which one of 92 Squadron’s Spitfire’s may have been shot down by Bf 109s. Sgt L C Allton was killed in a crash landing, though the British recorded the circumstances as ‘unknown’.

Two Ju 88s were claimed as damaged by No 10 Group, off the coast, along with one claimed destroyed by fighters of No 11 Group. The latter must in fact have returned to its base as no losses are recorded in German records, though several Ju 88s were damaged for various reasons.

This was still a battle of attrition, slowed by the autumn weather. When the weather was good enough, some of Fighter Command’s pilots were flying two, three or even four sorties in a day, but their German counterparts were flying even more. On one day Ulrich Steinhilper flew seven cross-Channel sorties, in his words,

“…running with the practiced efficiency of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and just like passengers waiting for their scheduled service, the Spitfires would be on station waiting for the next wave.”

Today he wrote to his father.

“All the young pilots we get have so much to learn, we just can’t take them along without taking a 50% risk of losing them on their first mission. In our Gruppe there are only twelve left from the old crew. We frequently fly missions with only eight or nine aircraft mustered from the whole Gruppe*, a small force, but still full of fight. If we are to rebuild Then a certain critical nucleus is required as a core and for this our Gruppe shouldn’t get any smaller.

The British have, in part, a new engine in their Spitfires and our Me can hardly keep up with it. We have also made improvements and have also some new engines, but there is no more talk of absolute superiority. The other day we tangled with these newer Spitfires and had three losses against one success. I got into deep trouble myself and my ‘Rottenhund’ [wing man], Sigi Voss, was shot down.”

*To put that into perspective, a 1940 Luftwaffe fighter Gruppe would normally be able to muster 35-40 aircraft, including the Gruppenstab (roughly ‘staff flight’).

The Luftwaffe did not lose any aircraft on operations against Britain today, but four bombers were damaged on their return to base, all crashing. Fighter Command’s only possible operational loss was Sgt Allton’s Spitfire.

The Luftwaffe resumed intensive operations tonight, flying 282 sorties. Bombs fell on London, causing serious disruption to the railways, and also on Merseyside, Coventry, Leamington Spa. Random loads were scattered across south eastern counties.

Bomber Command despatched 120 sorties to five targets in North Germany, to Ambes oil refinery in France, airfields in Holland, Belgium and France, and minelaying. 2 Blenheims and 1 Whitley failed to return.

[stona]

Sunday 20 October

Improved weather with broken cloud over the Channel and SE England.

Today saw a resumption of the ‘Jabo’ missions heading for London. Six large raids crossed the coast during the day, two of which dropped their bombs in the London area. Elements of JG 2 were escorting the ‘Jabos’ of 3./LG 2 when they tangled with No 41 Squadron. Two Bf 109s were shot down, including that of Fw Bielmaier who baled out unhurt. P/O Peter ‘Sneezy’ Brown later visited his victim, ‘liberating’ his Luftwaffe Schwimmveste. This was a much superior piece of kit to the standard RAF ‘Mae West’, and Brown subsequently wore his prize on operations.

Two other well known Fighter Command pilots also scored today. F/Lt McKellar (605 Squadron) and F/O Mungo Park (74 Squadron) both shot down Bf 109s.

The Luftwaffe lost 7 aircraft on operations against Britain today, with another 3 damaged. Fighter Command lost 3 aircraft in the fighting today, plus 2 Blenheims lost off the coast of Norway. Another 6 aircraft were damaged.

The Luftwaffe came back in force tonight, flying 298 sorties against Britain. London was heavily bombed in the early part of the night, the last raiders departing shortly after 03.00. Coventry received its heaviest raid of the war so far. Bombing was reported in Liverpool, Birkenhead, Leamington Spa (maybe mistaken for Coventry) and across the South-East.

Bomber Command despatched 139 sorties to various targets, the largest raid being by 30 Whitleys on Berlin. 5 aircraft were lost, including 3 Whitleys that ran out of fuel and were forced to ditch in the North Sea. Of note was the loss of a Whitley of No 58 Squadron, shot down by a German intruder, killing all but one of the crew. This was the first British bomber shot down by the enemy over mainland Britain. The victorious pilot was Hauptmann Karl Hulshoff of I./NJG 2, a specialist intruder unit at the time. All its previous victims had been shot down over the sea.