WW2/Battles of WW2/Hour-by-Hour • Curated by Admin Timeline.sg
Hour-by-hour account of the single day of heaviest daylight air fighting over Britain — the raids RAF Fighter Command decisively repelled, still commemorated as Battle of Britain Day. (15 September 1940)
Chronological Storyline (20 Milestones)
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Churchill praises 'The Few'
Prime Minister Churchill, reflecting on the day's events, reinforces the significance of Fighter Command's stand, later famously declaring: 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.' · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_was_so_much_owed_by_so_many_to_so_few
A poster quoting Churchill's words on the pilots of the Battle of Britain By H.M. Stationery Office - This World War II poster was taken from the uploader's own collection. A lower resolution version of the same poster is available at https://www.mplib.org/wpdb/index.asp?exact=MPW00376 where the publisher information is provided as follows "Printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Lowe & Brydon Printers, Ltd". This implies that the copyright holder is HMSO or, in other words, it is Crown Copyright. As this poster is more than 50 years old, it is now in the public domain. This photograph PST 14972 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums. This photograph PST 3738 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums. This photograph PST 8774 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35330825
Sep 15, 1940 CE
London assesses damage
As darkness falls, Londoners and civil defense services assess bomb damage from the day's raids. Casualties are lighter than feared, and civilian morale is bolstered by the visible RAF success. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz
Operations: A German Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over Wapping, London at the start of the Luftwaffe's evening raids of 7 September 1940. Copy negative of part of an aerial photograph taken from a German aircraft at 1848 hrs German time. By German Air Force photographer - This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15593029
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Hitler postpones Operation Sea Lion
Following the day's events and accumulating evidence that the Luftwaffe cannot achieve air superiority, Hitler's postponement of Operation Sea Lion, already under review, is effectively sealed in the following days. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion
Plan of battle of Operation Sealion, the cancelled German plan to invade England in 1940. Vector version of Image:Operazione-leone-marino.PNG, created by Resigua of the Italian Wikipedia. Ordnance Survey projection, covering from XJ170777 in the south-west to TJ447250 in the north-east, at 100m per pixel. Relief has been created from SRTM, bathymetry from ETOPO1, both from NASA. Coastlines are from the GSHHS, and the borders and rivers from the WDB data bundled with it. By User:Wereon - Own work, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6396911
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Luftwaffe tallies losses
Luftwaffe command assesses the day's losses: approximately 60 aircraft destroyed or damaged, far exceeding RAF losses. The scale of failure shakes confidence in achieving air superiority. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion
Plan of battle of Operation Sealion, the cancelled German plan to invade England in 1940. Vector version of Image:Operazione-leone-marino.PNG, created by Resigua of the Italian Wikipedia. Ordnance Survey projection, covering from XJ170777 in the south-west to TJ447250 in the north-east, at 100m per pixel. Relief has been created from SRTM, bathymetry from ETOPO1, both from NASA. Coastlines are from the GSHHS, and the borders and rivers from the WDB data bundled with it. By User:Wereon - Own work, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6396911
Sep 15, 1940 CE
RAF regroups and rearms
Fighter Command squadrons land to rearm and refuel. Park and Leigh-Mallory coordinate to ensure sufficient fighters will be airborne to meet the anticipated second assault. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Park
Royal Air Force Air Marshal Sir Keith Park, Commander of 11 Group seated at his desk. The photograph taken when he was made Air Officer Commanding in Chief Middle East Air Forces. By Royal Air Force official photographer - Cropped from This photograph CM 5631 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21357817
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Göring prepares second wave
Reichsmarschall Göring, observing from Cap Gris Nez, orders a second massed raid to be assembled, intending to overwhelm Fighter Command's defenses with sheer numbers in a single decisive blow. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_G%C3%B6ring
International Military Tribunal Nuremberg.Defendant Hermann Goering in the prisoners' dock at the International Military Tribunal trial of war criminals at Nuremberg. Goering was the former head of the Luftwaffe and was at one time second in command to Hitler. By Charles Alexander, Office of the United States Chief of Counsel - Harry S. Truman Library & Museum, accession no. 72-911 (Retrieved 2017-04-26), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=161339177
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Big Wing engages
Squadron Leader Douglas Bader's Duxford Big Wing, comprising five squadrons, arrives over London and engages the retreating Luftwaffe formations, claiming multiple kills and forcing bombers to jettison loads. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duxford_Big_Wing
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Churchill observes from bunker
Prime Minister Winston Churchill observes the unfolding battle from the Cabinet War Rooms, watching plots of RAF and Luftwaffe movements fill the operations table as the second raid approaches. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churchill_War_Rooms
The Map Room in the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms By MapRoomCabinetWarRooms20060617_CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg: Kaihsu Tai derivative work: SilkTork (talk) - MapRoomCabinetWarRooms20060617_CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7616093
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Fighter Command claims victory
RAF Fighter Command claims 56 enemy aircraft destroyed for the loss of 26 fighters. Though post-war figures revise Luftwaffe losses to around 40–60, the day is a clear defensive success. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Fighter_Command
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Bombers scatter over London
Under sustained RAF pressure, surviving Luftwaffe bombers scatter and many drop their payloads prematurely over the London suburbs before turning back toward France. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz
Operations: A German Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over Wapping, London at the start of the Luftwaffe's evening raids of 7 September 1940. Copy negative of part of an aerial photograph taken from a German aircraft at 1848 hrs German time. By German Air Force photographer - This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15593029
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Second wave detected
Radar plots reveal a second large Luftwaffe formation assembling over northern France, comprising over 150 aircraft, heading toward London along a similar corridor. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_Home
Chain Home radar installation at Poling, Sussex, 1945. Chain Home: AMES Type 1 CH East Coast radar installation at Poling, Sussex. On the left are three (originally four) in-line 360ft steel transmitter towers, between which the transmitter aerials were slung, with the heavily protected transmitter building in front. On the right are four 240ft wooden receiver towers placed in rhombic formation, with the receiver building in the middle. By Royal Air Force official photographer - http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib//36/media-36281/large.jpg This photograph CH 15173 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24473222
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Second raid crosses coast
The second wave of Luftwaffe bombers and fighters crosses the south coast, met immediately by scrambled RAF squadrons from 11 Group, which begin attacking the formations over Kent and Sussex. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._11_Group_RAF
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Luftwaffe launches first wave
Radar stations along the south coast detect a large build-up of Luftwaffe bomber and fighter formations assembling over the Calais–Boulogne area, the first of two massed raids targeting London. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Britain_Day
Battle Of Britain: The 13-Hour Dogfight That Denied Luftwaffe Air Superiority | TimelineRobert Zehbe's Dornier Do 17 bomber of bomber group Kampfgeschwader 76, brought down on Sunday 15 September 1940. It crashed onto London Victoria Station. This image was taken by an anonymous civilian. By Unknown likely ROC. The original uploader was Dapi89 at English Wikipedia.. Later version(s) were uploaded by Hohum at en.wikipedia. - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons. (Original text : http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/HolmesRT.htm), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=175095007
Sep 15, 1940 CE
RAF intercepts over Kent
Fighter Command squadrons including 602, 603, and 609 engage the enemy formations over Kent and the Thames Estuary, breaking up the bomber stream before it reaches central London. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._11_Group_RAF
Sep 15, 1940 CE
First raid crosses coast
The first wave of approximately 100 Luftwaffe aircraft, including He 111 and Do 17 bombers escorted by Bf 109s, crosses the English coast near Dover and heads north toward London. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Britain
A Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire trails smoke after attacking a German Heinkel He 111H/P bomber during the Battle of Britain. By Australian armed forces - This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19114172
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Fierce combat over London
Multiple RAF squadrons, including the Duxford Big Wing, engage the second wave in intense dogfights over London and the Thames, breaking up formations and inflicting significant losses on the bombers. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Britain_Day
Robert Zehbe's Dornier Do 17 bomber of bomber group Kampfgeschwader 76, brought down on Sunday 15 September 1940. It crashed onto London Victoria Station. This image was taken by an anonymous civilian. By Unknown likely ROC. The original uploader was Dapi89 at English Wikipedia.. Later version(s) were uploaded by Hohum at en.wikipedia. - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons. (Original text : http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/HolmesRT.htm), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=175095007
Sep 15, 1940 CE
RAF squadrons scramble
Air Vice-Marshal Park orders 11 Group squadrons to scramble and intercept the incoming raid, while Duxford's 12 Group Big Wing, led by Squadron Leader Bader, begins forming up to provide support. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Bader
Group Captain (retired) Douglas Bader in 1955 By Ragge Strand - National Archives of Norway (Riksarkivet), CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60469242
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Luftwaffe losses mount
Luftwaffe bombers suffer heavy casualties as RAF fighters press home their attacks; several He 111s and Do 17s are shot down over southern England, and many damaged aircraft struggle back across the Channel. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_111
Information added by Wikimedia users. Heinkel He 111 H-2 der 9./KG 53 (III. Gruppe des Kampfgeschwaders 53, 9. Staffel). Friedensstandort der III./KG 53 mit 7., 8. und 9. Staffel war Flugplatz Giebelstadt bei Würzburg vom 01.05.1939 bis 02.02.1940; Rumpf- bzw. Verbandskennzeichen: A1 + BT (gelbes B u. gelbe Propellerspinner). Das Wappen/Emblem der III./KG 53, auch als "Gruppe Giebelstadt" bezeichnet, ist an dieser Heinkel He 111 nicht erkennbar. Der hier bei einem Einsatzflug über Belgien oder Frankreich fotographierte He 111 Bomber A1 + BT war vor seiner Verlegung im Zuge des Frankreichfeldzuges v. 10. Mai bis 25. Juni 1940 auf dem "Heimathorst" seiner zugeh. Staffel bzw. Gruppe in Giebelstadt stationiert. By Schödl (e) - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5411257
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Second wave retreats
The remnants of the second raid turn back toward France, having failed to press home their attack on London. RAF losses are comparatively light, demonstrating Fighter Command's resilience. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Britain
A Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire trails smoke after attacking a German Heinkel He 111H/P bomber during the Battle of Britain. By Australian armed forces - This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19114172
Sep 15, 1940 CE
Dornier 17 shot down
A Dornier Do 17Z of 1./KG 76, damaged during the raid, is forced to crash-land near Victoria Station in central London after a dramatic low-level chase, becoming one of the day's iconic images. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_17
Dornier 17 shot down By Ketelhohn [Kettelhohn] - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5477214
