Real time Discusion thread

Shortly before noon, the first two attacking formations began to take off and reach altitude. With cloud building up, the bomber formations were given the all clear to take off, some three hours behind the planned commencement of operations. Bombers of KG 1 got away as scheduled and over the French coast met up with their escorts. But heavy cloud cover forced a delay in the rendezvous as several bombers circled the airfields waiting for formations to emerge from the clouds. The Do 17s and Ju 88s of KG 76 had problems with the cloud and found it difficult meeting up with their escorts. Several minutes later the bombers of 9./KG 76, led by Staffelkapitaen Hptm. Joachim Roth took off and flew almost a direct route to the target, first at an altitude of 500 feet but dropping to 60 feet as they approached the Sussex coast, avoiding the British radar. Relatively free of any defensive fire from the British, the Dornier formation approached the airfield at about 1320 hours only to find, not pillars of smoke from the preceding attacks, but clear skies. The problem was that the delay that had occurred with the Ju 88s and Do 17s in negotiating the cloud base on take off, coupled with the fact that flying time was slower than expected, they were running up to ten minutes behind schedule while the nine low flying Do 17s crossing near Beachy Head were on time.  Instead of being the third to arrive the nine bombers of 9./KG 76 were the first to arrive at the airfield and were alone.

As the German bombers spread out and selected targets, the British defenses woke up and attacked. RAF No. 111 Squadron Croydon (Hurricanes) were "scrambled" and instructed to vector Kenley, and to 111 commander Squadron Leader John Thompson's surprise, he was told to maintain only 100 feet over the airfield. Quipped Thompson;

"Your bloody mad" "......I could prune trees at that height."

Came the voice over the R/T;

"I repeat, yes repeat.......vector Kenley.....patrol at 100 feet........30 plus low level bandits approaching"

The twelve Hurricanes curved in to attack the formation from above as British anti-aircraft guns opened fire. The first plane to go down was not German but British when one of the attacking Hurricanes spun and dove into the ground. The remaining British fighters pulled up and away from the flak bursts and made for the opposite side of the airfield where the German bombers would exit after attacking the airfield. Despite the murderous fire from below, the Dorniers pressed home their attacks. Soon three hangars were ablaze as bombs scored direct hits. But many of the bombers were severely damaged from the ground fire. Reaching the end of the airfield the German bombers faced another British defense, parachute-and-cable launchers. These were cables shot into the sky and held aloft by small parachutes and weighted with a drag parachute. Launched in rows of nine or more directly in the flight path of a low flying enemy airplane, the cable would create drag on the plane and play havoc with its control, finally forcing it to crash. Upon reaching the edge of the airfield, the Do 17s were greeted with the first salvo of these innovative British defenses. Most of the bombers made it through the cables but one bomber, damaged and on fire from the anti-aircraft guns, was unable to clear the wires. The cables snagged the bomber, the plane stalled and finally crashed to the ground just outside the airfield, killing all on board.

The rest of the bomber formation cleared the cables and airfield only to be bounced by the waiting Hurricanes of RAF No. 111 Sqd. Immediately, two Hurricanes set one bomber on fire and it soon crashed. The rest of the formation scattered and tried to individually make it back to France. Continuing with their attacks as the Dorniers hedge hopped across the English countryside, the Hurricanes were able to seriously damage more of the Dorniers but lost three more fighters to the bomber's defensive fire. Crossing the coast the remaining seven bombers headed to French soil, many smoking, on fire and running on only one engine. Two Dorniers crashed into the Channel on the return flight and two more crashed onto the French coast. One of the bombers that crashed on the coastline was counted to have more than two hundred holes from .303in rounds in its fuselage. Two more landed, wheels down and seriously damaged, at other airfields in France - one piloted by the navigator after the pilot had been killed in his seat. Only one bomber made it back to its airfield at Cormeilles-en-Vexin without serious damage and no injured crewmen.

While the attack by 9./KG 76 was happening, the twenty-seven Dorniers of I./KG 76 and III./KG 76 were having troubles of their own. The first RAF fighters to engage the high flying Dorniers were Hurricanes from RAF No. 615 Sqd. who became entangled with the escorting Messerschmitts of JG 3. The Bf 109s, coming out of the sun, seriously damaged three Hurricanes, killing one of the British pilots. Despite this success, the action allowed the twelve Hurricanes of RAF No. 32 Sqd. to dive and attack the bomber formations of I./KG 76, III./KG 76 and the Zerstörers of ZG 26 unmolested from the Bf 109s. The sudden attacks by the Hurricanes knocked down one Dornier and seriously damaged several others while forcing some of the bombers to miss Kenley and instead drop their loads on rail lines near the airfield and on Croydon airfield. Several Bf 110s were damaged when eight Spitfires of RAF No. 64 Sqd. joined the battle. One of the Zerstörers attacked was that of Rüdiger Proske, who, with his rear gunner wounded and his engines damaged, pretended to 'play dead' in the face of an attack by a Spitfire. Allowing the twin-engined plane to plunge 6,000 feet out of control, Proske regained control and found nobody had followed him down during his death spin. He headed for France.

Instead of being the first to arrive, the twelve Ju 88s of II./KG 76 arrived last to find the target covered in smoke and instead switched to their secondary target, the airfield at West Malling. As the formation passed Biggin Hill, the anti aircraft defense of the airfield damaged a Ju 88 and it was immediately pounced on by RAF fighters. The bomber crashed eight miles south-east of Biggin Hill.

The twelve Hurricanes curved in to attack the formation from above as British anti-aircraft guns opened fire. The first plane to go down was not German but British when one of the attacking Hurricanes spun and dove into the ground. The remaining British fighters pulled up and away from the flak bursts and made for the opposite side of the airfield where the German bombers would exit after attacking the airfield. Despite the murderous fire from below, the Dorniers pressed home their attacks. Soon three hangars were ablaze as bombs scored direct hits. But many of the bombers were severely damaged from the ground fire. Reaching the end of the airfield the German bombers faced another British defense, parachute-and-cable launchers. These were cables shot into the sky and held aloft by small parachutes and weighted with a drag parachute. Launched in rows of nine or more directly in the flight path of a low flying enemy airplane, the cable would create drag on the plane and play havoc with its control, finally forcing it to crash. Upon reaching the edge of the airfield, the Do 17s were greeted with the first salvo of these innovative British defenses. Most of the bombers made it through the cables but one bomber, damaged and on fire from the anti-aircraft guns, was unable to clear the wires. The cables snagged the bomber, the plane stalled and finally crashed to the ground just outside the airfield, killing all on board.

The rest of the bomber formation cleared the cables and airfield only to be bounced by the waiting Hurricanes of RAF No. 111 Sqd. Immediately, two Hurricanes set one bomber on fire and it soon crashed. The rest of the formation scattered and tried to individually make it back to France. Continuing with their attacks as the Dorniers hedge hopped across the English countryside, the Hurricanes were able to seriously damage more of the Dorniers but lost three more fighters to the bomber's defensive fire. Crossing the coast the remaining seven bombers headed to French soil, many smoking, on fire and running on only one engine. Two Dorniers crashed into the Channel on the return flight and two more crashed onto the French coast. One of the bombers that crashed on the coastline was counted to have more than two hundred holes from .303in rounds in its fuselage. Two more landed, wheels down and seriously damaged, at other airfields in France - one piloted by the navigator after the pilot had been killed in his seat. Only one bomber made it back to its airfield at Cormeilles-en-Vexin without serious damage and no injured crewmen.

While the attack by 9./KG 76 was happening, the twenty-seven Dorniers of I./KG 76 and III./KG 76 were having troubles of their own. The first RAF fighters to engage the high flying Dorniers were Hurricanes from RAF No. 615 Sqd. who became entangled with the escorting Messerschmitts of JG 3. The Bf 109s, coming out of the sun, seriously damaged three Hurricanes, killing one of the British pilots. Despite this success, the action allowed the twelve Hurricanes of RAF No. 32 Sqd. to dive and attack the bomber formations of I./KG 76, III./KG 76 and the Zerstörers of ZG 26 unmolested from the Bf 109s. The sudden attacks by the Hurricanes knocked down one Dornier and seriously damaged several others while forcing some of the bombers to miss Kenley and instead drop their loads on rail lines near the airfield and on Croydon airfield. Several Bf 110s were damaged when eight Spitfires of RAF No. 64 Sqd. joined the battle. One of the Zerstörers attacked was that of Rüdiger Proske, who, with his rear gunner wounded and his engines damaged, pretended to 'play dead' in the face of an attack by a Spitfire. Allowing the twin-engined plane to plunge 6,000 feet out of control, Proske regained control and found nobody had followed him down during his death spin. He headed for France.

Instead of being the first to arrive, the twelve Ju 88s of II./KG 76 arrived last to find the target covered in smoke and instead switched to their secondary target, the airfield at West Malling. As the formation passed Biggin Hill, the anti aircraft defense of the airfield damaged a Ju 88 and it was immediately pounced on by RAF fighters. The bomber crashed eight miles south-east of Biggin Hill.

Four Ju 88s and six Do 17s were lost during the attacks on Kenley, with one Ju 88 forcing Flt. Lt. Stanford Tuck, by return fire to bale out of his RAF No. 92 Squadron Spitfire. Despite the heavy attack by KG 76, Kenley was operational again within twenty-four hours. A total of 100 bombs had fallen on the airfield with the result that ten hangers were damaged and fourteen aircraft on the ground destroyed. For the first time the operations room at Kenley was put out of action with the communications cut and nine people killed. Within three days after moving to a new location, operations were back in action.

August 23rd

1244 – Siege of Jerusalem: The city's citadel, the Tower of David, surrenders to Khwarezmian Empire.

1864 – American Civil War: The Union Navy captures Fort Morgan, Alabama, thus breaking Confederate dominance of all ports on the Gulf of Mexico except Galveston, Texas.

The first RAF Bomber Command raid on Berlin occurred during the night of 25/26 August. Winston Churchill dispatched an order to Bomber Command that an attack of retaliation be made on Berlin. The participants were: 9 Vickers Wellington Mk Is of No. 99 Squadron based at Newmarket, Suffolk, and 8 Vickers Wellington Mk Is of No. 149 Squadron based at Mildenhall, Suffolk, and 12Handley Page Hampdens Mk Is of No. 61 and No. 144 Squadrons, both based at Hemswell, Lincolnshire, and 9 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk Vs of No. 51 Squadron (4 Group) and 5 Whitley Mk Vs of No 78 Squadron (4 Group), both based at Dishforth, Yorkshire. Whitley and Wellington crews were told that their main target "is the Siemens and Halske factory at Siemenstadt, producing 85% of the electrical power used by the German forces." Hampden crews were told to demolish Berlin's Klingenberg power station. Other objectives were the Henschel Aircraft Factory, the Bucker training aircraft factory at Rangsdorf, Tempelhof aerodrome and Tegel's gasworks. The head of the Air Staff of the RAF, Sir Charles Portal, justified these raids by saying that to...

At the same time, there was a small skirmish over Dover where a Staffel of Bf 110s again bombed the harbour and docks, but fighters from Gravesend and Biggin Hill chased them back out over the Channel. During the battle over the Isle of Wight, III./JG 2 lost three Bf 109s destroyed by British fighters. All three pilots survived though they were severely wounded. But JG 2 succeeded in claiming its 250th victory of the war while Oblt. Helmut Wick got his nineteenth and twentieth victories.

The last of the French forts surrounding the city of Namur fort are silenced.

During the night of August 24/25th, the French continued a bombardment and Castelnau concentrated the Second Army against the centre of the 6th Army and launched an early morning attack to take Rozelieures, the attack succeeded but the Germans counter-attacked and retook Rozelieures. Castelnau now again attacked both German flanks with the XV Corps and XVI Corps. This had a devastating effect on the morale of the Bavarians, who had expected to be in pursuit of a defeated enemy. The Bavarian centre was kept under constant artillery fire by the French and at 3:00 p.m., the French regained Rozelieures from the 6th Army, which suffered casualties of 2,500 men killed.

Early a.m. August 25th: Von Kluck received a new air report showing the British moving in almost the opposite direction. At once new orders were given. The German III Korps pushed southeastward through the Forest of Mormal as the advanced guard pushed south. Skirmishes occurred at the towns of Maroilles and Landrices. At Landrices, as General Sir Douglas Haig's men of I Corps were entering the town they came upon a body of troops wearing French uniforms. When questioned, the officer in charge answered in French. Haig's men found nothing strange and continued down the road. Without warning, the French soldiers lowered their bayonets and charged. These were not French but men of von Kluck's IVth Korps. This dastardly trick caught the British off guard and a fight ensued that comprised about 2 regiments and a gun battery. Under the cloak of darkness Haig thought he was under attack from a much larger force. He telephoned HQ: "heavy attack ...send help... situation very critical." Haig was normally a cool headed thinker, this report worried Sir John and he believed I Corps to be in grave danger. He now feared envelopment; he sent the order for Haig and his men to retreat. Haig's exaggerated report caused Sir John to panic, and he believed now more than ever the retreat must continue.