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Germany attacks Britain.
Germany steps up attacks on shipping in the Channel. -
Britain hits a Messerschemitt
BBC journalist Charles Gardner gives listeners a blow-by-blow eyewitness account of dogfights over the Channel. His breathless, sports-style commentary attracts complaints for not taking the business of war seriously enough: "There we go again...oh, we have just hit a Messerschmitt. Oh, that was beautiful! He’s coming right down. I think it was definitely that burst got him. Yes, he’s come down. You hear those crowds? He’s finished! Oh, he’s coming down like a rocket now..." -
Hitlers orders preparations to be made for Operation Sealion - the invasion of Britain.
"The British Air Force must be eliminated." -
The Hardest Day
Wave after wave of Luftwaffe attacks are met with stiff resistance. By the end of the day both sides have lost about 70 planes but the Germans have failed to achieve the expected breakthrough. -
Lost German planes accidentally bomb London.
This leads Churchill to order a raid on Berlin in retaliation. Hitler cancels an earlier order ruling out attacks on civilian areas of London. -
The Blitz
The first mass daylight raids on London cause serious damage but take the pressure off Fighter Command, giving squadrons time to regroup. A series of strategic bombings conducted by the Germans against London and other cities in England from the 7th of September, 1940 through the 21st of May, 1941, targeting populated areas, factories and dock yards. -
Hitler's deadline for air superiority to be established ahead of an invasion.
Heavy losses for Luftwaffe. They had already conquered Poland, Norway, Denmark, France, Belgium, Holland and Luxemburg. They were at the peak of their powers. -
Hitler calls off the invasion indefinitely.
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The official end of the Battle of Britain.