The Battle of Britain by Richard Townshend Bickers

Author:Richard Townshend, Bickers
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781849943161
Publisher: Pavilion Books
Published: 2015-06-10T04:00:00+00:00

■ Phase 2

Sunday, August 11, dawned fine, and the first attack came from Jagdbomberflieger, or Jabos, of EprGr 210, which raided Dover harbour. This was followed by three Luftwaffe fighter sweeps in quick succession, then a series of incursions by German fighters in Staffel strength over Kent and Sussex. Combat was generally refused by the British, but some inconclusive skirmishes took place.

At 0945hrs, Ventnor radar detected a large build-up near Cherbourg, France. This emerged as 54 Ju 88s of I and III/KG 54, and 20 He 111s of KG 27, escorted by 60-plus Bf 110s of II and III/ZG 2, and about 30 Bf 109s of III/JG 2. it was the biggest raid yet seen, and a total of 74 Hurricanes and Spitfires from eight squadrons were scrambled as the German formation moved inexorably towards Portland naval base. Many of the British fighters became entangled with the escorts, and fighter losses were high on both sides.

Things would have been worse for the Germans had it not been for the arrival of more Bf 109s from JG 27 to cover the withdrawal. The Zerstörers’ defensive circle failed to save them on this occasion; they lost six aircraft, including that of Major Ott, the Gruppe Kommandeur of I/ZG 2, and five more were damaged.

Meanwhile, the Jabos of EprGr 210 were busy again, this time leading eight Dorniers of 9/KG 2 against convoy ‘Booty’, off Harwich. They were met by elements of Nos. 17, 74, and 85 Sqns, who handled them roughly, despite the efforts of their escorts, the Bf 110s of I/ZG 26.

As they withdrew, a further raid was building up. About 45 Dorniers of II and III/KG 2, accompanied by a handful of Stukas and escorted by 109s, headed for another convoy in the Thames Estuary. They were intercepted by Spitfires of No. 74 Sqn. Nos. 54 and 111 Sqns also attempted to engage, but rapidly deteriorating weather conditions rendered further action abortive.

German combat losses on the day were 15 Bf 109s, 10 Bf 110s, one Do 17Z, six Ju 88s, two Ju 87s, and two He 59s. In addition, one Bf 109, two 110s, and one Ju 88 force landed on return, while one Bf 109, five 110s and five Do 17s returned in various states of disrepair. British losses were also heavy; six Spitfires and 21 Hurricanes were shot down; a further Spitfire and four Hurricanes force landed; two Spitfires and nine Hurricanes were damaged. This was not an adequate exchange rate. Even worse, 26 RAF pilots were missing, a rate that could not long be sustained by Fighter Command.

German fighter sweeps started the ball rolling on the morning of August 12, followed by the most serious development yet; a coordinated attack on the British coastal radar chain. This was carried out by EprGr 210, commanded by Hptm Walter Rubensdorffer, who attacked Dover, Pevensey, Rye and Dunkirk in quick succession. They were difficult targets, and though the first three were temporarily put off the air, no lasting damage was done.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.