Battle of Britain - Day 34
Página 1 de 1
Battle of Britain - Day 34
Day 34 – August 12th 1940
August 12, 2010 in 54 Squadron, August 1940
Diana Barnato Walker climbing into the cockpit of a Spitfire whilst serving with the Air Transport Auxiliary
Weather: Fine.
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours:
Blenheim – 60
Spitire – 248
Hurricane – 363
Defiant – 24
Gladiator – 4
Total – 699
Operations began in the morning over Dover as usual. Then followed attacks on radar stations in the vicinity of Dover. Despite a number of bombs being dropped, no serious damage was done. The radar station by Dover itself was slightly damaged, but that at Rye suffered considerable damage as did the station at Pevensey. However, Rye was back on air by noon. The radar station at Pevensey took longer to repair.
An hour later, an attack by Ju87 dive bombers took place on a convoy in the Thames Estuary followed by a heavy raid on Portsmouth which resulted in the destruction of the pier and damage to the railway station. While this was occurring a serious raid was launched on the radar station at Ventnor on the east coast of the Isle of Wight. Numerous direct hits were scored on Ventnor which put it out of action for 3 days.
At lunchtime, switching back to the east coast, a heavy attack was launched by a large force of Dorniers on the airfield at Manston. Over one hundred bombs were dropped on the airfield, but happily without heavy casualties being caused. Hawkinge was also attacked and a considerable amount of damage done. The station was, however, serviceable the next day. Lympne airfield, also in the south east, which had been the subject of an attack that morning, was once again visited with a number of bombs being dropped. Most fell on the airfield but some also fell in surrounding fields. Small raids by German bombers that evening attacked Hastings and Dover.
Back in Germany, the day’s raids were assessed as having been very successful. Wildly exaggerated estimates were made of the number of planes destroyed on the ground. A number of the airfields visited that day were duly crossed off as irreparably damaged. However, there was more realism concerning the radar stations. The Head of Signals reported that attacks had not put the radar stations out of action for long. It was all part of the process by which the Luftwaffe, within the next few weeks, estimated they had virtually wiped out Fighter Command. Nothing could have been more disappointing to the German fighter pilots, who on their raids over Britain, went on being met by an undiminished number of Spitfires and Hurricanes. German losses that day totalled 31 as against the RAF losses of 22.
54 Squadron Operational Record Book, 12 August
The squadron engaged the enemy twice during the day – once in the morning and again in the evening when Flt Lt Deere added still further to his personal score with one Me 109 and one Me 110 both destroyed. One of our Polish Sergeants (Sgt Klozensky) vented his wrath on the Hun to the extent of one certain Me 109 and one probable Me 109.
Reported Casualties (RAF Campaign Diary 12th August 1940):
* Enemy: 62 planes confirmed destroyed, 36 probable, 39 damaged
* Own: 9 Hurricanes, 6 Spitfires
Tópicos semelhantes
» Battle of Britain - Day 36
» Battle of Britain - Day 1
» Battle of Britain - Day 10
» Battle of Britain - Day 37
» Battle of Britain - Day 2
» Battle of Britain - Day 1
» Battle of Britain - Day 10
» Battle of Britain - Day 37
» Battle of Britain - Day 2
Página 1 de 1
Permissões neste sub-fórum
Não podes responder a tópicos
|
|