The Battle of Britain (A Ladybird Expert Book) (The Ladybird Expert Series) by James Holland

Author:James Holland [Holland, James]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781405929462
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2017-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

Stukas attacking a radar station.

Eagle Day was 13 August. It turned into something of a fiasco. Bombers headed across the Channel that morning, unescorted by fighters because of a communication error, and attacked Eastchurch, an RAF Coastal Command airfield. They destroyed no fighters and the airfield was fully operational again by the end of the day.

A large formation of Stukas attempted to attack Middle Wallop in the afternoon but were intercepted by four squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes, including 609 Squadron. David Crook and his colleagues were at 20,000 feet with the sun behind them when they attacked. A large battle followed to the north of Weymouth, in which Crook shot down an Me109 and the squadron twelve other enemy planes; thirteen proved a lucky number for them that day.

Despite the forecast, the weather was poor the next day so it was not until the fifteenth that any further large-scale attacks took place. Several RAF airfields were heavily bombed and above there were ferocious battles. The Luftwaffe lost seventy-six aircraft that day and Fighter Command thirty-five. It was to be the most costly day for the Luftwaffe in the entire battle.

The next day, Göring called another conference of his commanders. He was not happy and now ordered his fighters to close-escort the Stukas all the way to the target and back. He was forgetting his fighters could not dive with the Stukas and that his order risked losing their advantages in speed and height. Göring also cancelled further attacks on radar stations. ‘It is doubtful whether there is any point,’ he said.

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