Battle of Britain Campaign Diary Date: 20th August 1940 Weather: Generally cloudy, rain spreading from the north. Channel mainly fine. Day: Scattered raids in the morning. Kent and Essex airfields attacked during the afternoon. Night: Very little activity. One or two raids in the south-west. Enemy action by day Enemy action was again on a reduced scale, consisting mostly of reconnaissances and a number of raids by single aircraft which attacked targets in East Anglia. One raid of 190 aircraft penetrated to the Thames Estuary where it was successfully driven off. Manston was attacked without success by twelve enemy fighters at 1455 hours. North and East Coasts In the morning, one raid of 3+ flew to Orfordness and attacked objectives near Chelmsford and Lowestoft. This raid was intercepted and one Me110 destroyed. In the afternoon, four small raids approached East Anglia some of which penetrated inland. Interceptions were not favoured by weather conditions. Later, a convoy East of Dunwich was attacked and also objectives at Great Yarmouth, Southwold and Wattisham. Two raids were intercepted and one Ju88 destroyed. South East Coast During the morning a number of small raids, mostly reconnaissances, were plotted in the Straits of Dover and the Thames Estuary. At about 1445 hours, 80+ aircraft were concentrated behind Calais and this was plotted as 190 aircraft when it crossed the coast between Dover and Manston and flew to the Estuary and Canterbury areas. It was intercepted and five aircraft were destroyed. It has not been reported that this raid dropped any bombs. At 1550 hours, 12 Me109s attempted to make a dive machine-gunning attack on Manston. They were successfully driven off by ground defences and three Blenheims. South and West Coasts A number of reconnaissances were plotted during the day in the Channel off the South and West Coasts and in the Bristol Channel, and a single aircraft attacked targets in Llanreath (Pembroke), Neath and Port Talbot. An enemy aircraft attacked a ship off Anglesey with two aerial torpedoes at 1840 hours. By night Weather was cloudy with poor visibility round most of the coast. Enemy activity was negligible. A few raids were plotted off the South West Coast and one of these penetrated several miles inland north of Portland. Statistics Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 20th August 1940 Blenheim - 53 Spitfire - 240 Hurricane - 396 Defiant - 22 Gladiator - 7 Total - 718 Casualties: Enemy Losses By Fighters Destroyed Probable Damaged 2 Me109 1 Me109 1 Me109 1 Me110 2 Ju88 1 Do17 3 Do215 1 unknown 2 Do215 1 Ju88 1 Ju88 7 4 5 Own: 3 aircraft of which two pilots are safe. Patrols: Own 166 patrols despatched involving 477 aircraft. Enemy It is estimated that about 150 enemy aircraft operated over Great Britain during the night 19th/20th August and 200 during the day of 20th August. Balloons: Flying 1472. Casualties 41 (31 repairable, 6 written off and 4 by enemy action). Aerodromes: Eastchurch is unserviceable. Abbotsinch and Hartlepool are unserviceable by night. Organisation: No changes. Air Intelligence Reports No reports. Home Security Reports Date: 20th/21st August 1940 General Summary Before dawn, hostile aircraft were active chiefly in the Midlands where bombs were dropped at Derby and Coventry and near Sheffield, without, however, causing serious industrial damage. During daylight, the East Coast districts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex were raided, and RAF aerodromes in these areas were unsuccessfully attacked. Pembroke and Port Talbot in South Wales were also visited during this period, but little damage resulted. The night of 20th/21st August has been quiet, but there are reports of a few incendiary bombs dropped on rural districts in Devon, Dorset, Worcestershire and Suffolk; there is also some railway and road traffic dislocation owing to the presence of unexploded bombs. [*]Detailed Summary Driffield Aerodrome was attacked by some enemy aircraft at 2245 hours, 19th August, four bombs being dropped from a low height, the first of which burst inside a hangar and severely damaged two Whitleys. The three others caused large craters on the aerodrome. Hatson Aerodrome. One heavy bomb is reported to have been dropped on the foreshore close to the aerodrome at approximately 0200 hours. Bircham Newton. At 0255 hours, HE and incendiaries were dropped which caused craters but did not affect the serviceability of the aerodrome. No other damage was caused. Porthcawl was attacked at 1020 hours, but the bombs fell on a beach near the hangars and only craters were caused. Manston Aerodrome. Twelve Me109s made a diving attack at 1550 hours; no bombs were dropped. Two of the enemy aircraft were able to get in burst of machine-gun fire before being driven off, but no damage or casualties resulted. Wattisham Aerodrome. One Do215 dropped twelve incendiaries at 1850 hours, but damage was very slight and no casualties resulted. Pembroke. Two further attacks were made on the oil tanks at Llanreath, at 0140 hours and again at 1155 hours, but only slight further damage was done. It is believed that six out of fifteen tanks are still intact. About midnight on the 19th/20th August, about 40 HE and 100 incendiaries fell on derby and surrounding district. Seventeen houses were completely wrecked with damage to many others and to roads and mains. Chelmsford was again raided at 0950 hours by a single aircraft and twenty-four houses were damaged and some casualties caused. At 1010 hours, HE bombs were dropped on Port Talbot where slight damage was done to railway sidings and at Neath where slight railway dislocation was caused and some casualties. Ten HE dropped on the Air Ministry Experimental Station at Great Bromley. No damage or casualties resulted. Serious damage to water mains and sewers occurred during a raid on Great Yarmouth at 1740 hours. Seventeen HE fell and an electric sub-station was wrecked. Casualties on Ground by Enemy Action: To RAF Personnel - nil. To others - 23 killed, 135 injured [/LIST]
20 August 1940 In a speech to the House of Commons, Prime Minister Winston Churchill says, "The gratitude of every home in our island, in our Empire and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen, who undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of world war by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Battle of Britain Campaign Diary Date: 21st August 1940 Weather: Cloudy, occasional rain. Day: Small raids on airfields in the east and south. Night: Slight activity including Scotland. Enemy action by day Enemy activity was on a widespread scale and operations were carried out in most instances by single aircraft. During the period some 200 raids of which one or two plus aircraft were plotted across our East and South Coasts. These raids made short runs inland, seldom penetrating more than 20 miles. Bombs were dropped and reports indicate the main objective of these raids was aerodromes in East Anglia and along the South Coast. The only raid greater than two plus plotted during this period was a raid of six plus which approached a convoy south of the Isle of Wight. A number of these raids were intercepted by our fighters and casualties were inflicted with the loss of one Hurricane (pilot safe) to ourselves. The main areas of activity were East Anglia and along the South Coast between Dungeness and the Isle of Wight. The Cornish Coast was also visited by several raids and aerodromes were attacked. Of the thirteen certain casualties inflicted, seven were in the eastern areas between Harwich and Scarborough, four were off the South Coast between the Isle of Wight and Beachy Head and two were off the North Cornish Coast in the St Eval area. By night Enemy activity was extremely slight. Four raids were plotted crossing the Sussex coast penetrating to Northolt, South London, Reigate, Maidstone and Weybridge. Further enemy raids, mostly of single aircraft, were plotted off Harwich, Aberdeen, the Humber, Firth of Forth and near Drem. Small-scale minelaying was suspected from Kinnaird's Head to St Abb's Head, Humber to Yarmouth and Dungeness to Selsey Bill. Statistics Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 21st August 1940 Blenheim - 58 Spitire - 239 Hurricane - 400 Defiant - 25 Gladiator - 7 Total - 729 Casualties: Enemy Losses By Fighters Destroyed Probable Damaged 1 He111 1 Do215 1 Do17 7 Ju88 1 Ju88 1 He111 3 Do17 2 Do215 13 2 2 By Anti-Aircraft Destroyed Probable Damaged - - - Own: 1 Hurricane - pilot safe. Patrols: Own 181 patrols despatched involving 620 aircraft. Enemy It is estimated that about 150 enemy aircraft operated over Great Britain (120 during daylight). Balloons: Flying 1460. Casualties 118 (84 repairable, 30 written off and 4 by enemy action). Aerodromes: Abbotsinch, Acklington, West Hartlepool, Hawkinge, Lympne and Exeter unserviceable by night. Organisation: No 302 Squadron (Polish) operational by day at Leconfield. No 264 Squadron has moved from Kirton to Hornchurch. No 266 Squadron has moved from Hornchurch to Wittering. Air Intelligence Reports Nil. Home Security Reports Date: 21st August 1940 General Summary There have been a large number of raids by small numbers of enemy aircraft, chiefly in the South and Easter districts. The objectives appear to have aerodromes but indiscriminate bombing and machine-gunning of open towns was apparent. [*]Detailed Summary The following aerodromes were bombed, resulting ion little damage to report: Horsham St Faith, Elton, Watton, Catfoss, Eastleigh, West Malling, Pulham, Exeter and Bircham Newton where there were several casualties. Two hangars at St Eval Aerodrome were set on fire and at Binbrook and Stormy Down aerodromes there was a certain amount of damage to buildings. Presumably an attempt was made to bomb Brooklands Aerodrome, Weybridge, but only damage to the Southern Railway line was reported, resulting in stoppage of all traffic. HMS 'Royal Arthur', Ingoldmells, Royal Naval Training Station, was bombed resulting in severe damage. HE fell at Canterbury demolishing seven houses and at Hastings a certain amount of damage was caused to houses and water mains. At Falmouth, a drifter was sunk and two others damaged by HE and IB. HE were dropped south of Brentwood station causing obstruction to the line. Bournemouth and Poole were attacked, which resulted in road blockages and superficial damage. The Scilly Isles were bombed and machine-gunned and damage was caused to a wireless station. HE fell in Leicester, demolishing seven houses and damaging sixteen others. HE fell in Southwold, wrecking three houses. Bombs were dropped near Thorneycroft's Works, Woolston, Southampton. A dredger was sunk clear of the fairway and water mains fractured. Casualties on Ground by Enemy Action: To RAF Personnel - 2 killed, 40 injured. To others - 4 killed, 178 injured. [/list] Corrigendum to report for 20th August, 1940. Bircham Newton should read Newton for bombing attack at 0255 hours.
21 August 1940 The first Royal Air Force (RAF) unit established to support the activities of the Special Operations Executive and other clandestine operations dedicated to Special Duties operations, No.419 (Special Duties) Flight, is officially formed at RAF North Weald. The flight is subsequently redesignated No.1419 (Special Duties) Flight on 1 March 1941.
August 21, 1941 Hitler orders the investment, not capture, of Leningrad, and the transfer of several divisions from the North and Center to capture the Crimea and the Donets basin, an industrial region vital to the Soviet war effort.
August 21, 1944: German forces of Heeresgruppe Mitte retake Tukkum in Estonia, reestablishing contact with Heeresgruppe Nord (Schoerner).
August 21, 1944 The seeds of the United Nations are planted On this day in 1944, representatives from the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China meet in the Dumbarton Oaks estate at Georgetown, Washington, D.C., to formulate the formal principles of an organization that will provide collective security on a worldwide basis-an organization that will become the United Nations. Following up on a promise made at the Moscow Conferences of 1943 to create an international organization to succeed the League of Nations, the Dumbarton Oaks Conference began planning its creation. Step one was the outline for a Security Council, which would be composed of the member states (basically, the largest of the Allied nations)--the United States, the USSR, China, France, and Great Britain-with each member having veto power over any proposal brought before the Council. Many political questions would remain to be hammered out, such as a specific voting system and the membership status of republics within the Soviet Union. A more detailed blueprint for the United Nations would be drawn up at both the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and the San Francisco Conference, which would produce the U.N. charter, also in 1945.
Battle of Britain Campaign Diary Date: 22nd August 1940 Weather: Cloudy and squally. Day: Shipping reconnaissance and attacks on two Channel convoys. Night: Increased activity particularly in the Midlands, north and west. Some minelaying. Enemy action by day Enemy activity consisted chiefly of a number of shipping reconnaissances off the South and East Coasts and two major attacks, one on a convoy in the Straits of Dover, the other in the Manston/Dover area. Interceptions were effected by fighters and enemy aircraft were destroyed. North Coast One reconnaissance flight was plotted towards Arbroath. East Coast One raid of three aircraft was plotted from St Abb's Head and was reported over a convoy in that area. Another raid was plotted over Orfordness; this aircraft was chased out to sea by our fighters but escaped after jettisoning its bombs. At 1830 hours, a raid of 30+ crossed the coast near Deal and bombing is reported. Between 1900 and 1945 hours, a number of aircraft approached the coast in waves and bombs were reported at Dover, Deal and Manston. Six squadrons were sent to oppose these raids but a few interceptions were effected. South East Coast The were a number of reconnaissance flights to convoys off the Estuary and in the Straits and one enemy aircraft is reported to have been 'spotting' for guns shelling a convoy off Deal. Shortly after the shelling ceased a raid of 30+, which massed in the Gris Nez area, attacked the convoy between 1240 and 1315 hours. Two and a half squadrons of fighters were sent up to protect the convoy. Thereafter, several hostile formations were plotted in the Straits, but these turned back without engagement. South and West Coast Some eleven raids were plotted on reconnaissance flights along the South Coast; of these, one penetrated to Bristol, another crossed inland to the Thames Estuary and East Coast and a third was shot down over Somerset. Between 2100 and 0100 hours, enemy aircraft visited Aberdeen, Pontefract district, Hampshire, Bristol, South Wales and a convoy of Kinnaird's Head. Minelaying is suspected in the Thames Estuary and to a lesser degree up to Flamborough Head and off the Firth of Forth. By night Enemy activity has been on a considerably larger scale and more widespread than for some time past, and continued throughout the hours of darkness. Raids have consisted almost entirely of single aircraft. Raids were also plotted in the Bradford, Hull and Middlesborough areas. Later, one raid of three aircraft flew over North Wales toward Liverpool and Manchester. Manston was again attacked. London Central twice received the 'purple' warning and the 'red' warning at 0325 hours when 4 or more enemy aircraft were reported in the area. Later, Harrow was attacked. Statistics Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 22nd August 1940 Blenheim - 58 Spitire - 219 Hurricane - 412 Defiant - 26 Gladiator - 6 Total - 721 Casualties: Enemy Losses By Fighters Destroyed Probable Damaged 2 Me109 3 Me109 3 Ju88 1 Do215 1 Me110 6 4 0 By Anti-Aircraft Destroyed Probable Damaged Nil. 0 Own: Five aircraft (2 pilots lost). Patrols: Own 141 patrols involving 536 aircraft. Enemy Estimated approximately 190 aircraft of which 140 during the day (sunrise to sunset) and by night 230. Balloons: Flying 1433, Casualties 99 (88 repairable, 8 written off and 3 by enemy action). Aerodromes: Manston unserviceable until dawn, 23 August. Eastchurch totally unserviceable. Abbotsinch and Hartlepool. Organisation: No changes. Air Intelligence Reports No reports. Home Security Reports Date: 21st/22nd/23rd August 1940 General Summary A number of enemy aircraft appeared during the day, principally over the southern half of the country. Bombs were dropped in the Aldeburgh district in Suffolk and in the Scilly Isles, causing little damage. During the night of 22nd/23rd reports have been received of enemy activity against RAF stations and in the London area. [*]Detailed Summary 21st August Catfoss RAF Station. It has now been reported that damage was done to runway and landing ground. It is also reported that one of the unexploded bombs is suspected to be a 2,000lb bomb. At the Royal Naval Station at Eastchurch it is reported that eight craters, approximately 10 feet in diameter, were made at the south end of the landing ground. [*]22nd August Manston RAF Station was heavily bombed at 1910 hours on the 22nd and at 0125 hours on the 23rd. Approximately thirty bombs were dropped during the first raid resulting in the destruction of two hangars and two Blenheim aircraft. Some buildings were damaged and the aerodrome made unserviceable. Filton RAF Station was bombed at 2358 hours and the Bristol Aero Factory was hit, but the ensuing fire was extinguished. Guildford. At midnight, a train between Wanborough station and Tongham (Guildford rural area) was attacked with HE and IB and set on fire. One casualty so far reported. Barnstaple. At Umberleigh, a train was machine-gunned at 1615 hours. Brighton. HE were dropped in the Kemp Town area, 100 yards from a gun battery, which, however, was not put out of action. Peterhead, near Aberdeen, was bombed at 2200 hours. Damage was caused to one house, water and gas mains. A signal cabin and engine were damaged, resulting in blockage of line. [*]23rd August It was reported that HE were dropped at approximately 0310 hours on Harrow, Edmonton and Willesdon districts. [*]Casualties on Ground by Enemy Action: To RAF Personnel - 0 killed, 3 injured. To others - 3 killed, 36 injured [*]Enemy Attacks by Shell Fire Reports have been received that approximately thirty shells of unknown calibre have fallen in the Dover area between the hours of 2100 and 2210 on the 22nd. Considerable damage was caused to houses and a church. Gas and water mains were seriously affected. At 1255 hours, St Margaret's Bay, near Folkestone was also reported to have been shelled causing slight damage. [/LIST]
August 22, 1942: The advance of 17.Armee (Ruoff) toward the Black Sea port of Suchum west of the Caucasus bogs down. A platoon of 1.Gebirgs-Division hoists the German war flag on the top of Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in the Caucasus.
August 22, 1944: The Red Army recaptures Jassy on the Dnestr river in the souther Ukraine. US Third Army (Patton) reaches Troyes and Reims.
August 22, 1944 Romania captured by the Soviet Union On this day in 1944, Soviet forces break through to Jassy, in northeastern Romania, convincing Romania's king to sign an armistice with the Allies and concede control of his country to the USSR. As early as 1937, Romania had come under control of a fascist government that bore great resemblance to that of Germany's, including similar anti-Jewish laws. Romania's king, Carol II, dissolved the government a year later, but was unable to suppress the fascist Iron Guard paramilitary organization. In June 1940, the Soviet Union co-opted two Romanian provinces, and the king searched for an ally to help protect it and appease the far right within its own borders. So on July 5, 1940, Romania allied itself with Nazi Germany. Later that year, it would be invaded by its "ally" as part of Hitler's strategy to create one huge eastern front against the Soviet Union. King Carol would abdicate in September 1940, leaving the country in the control of fascist Prime Minister Ion Antonescu and the Iron Guard. While Romania would recapture the territory lost to the Soviet Union when the Germans invaded Russia, it would also have to endure the Germans' raping of its resources as part of the Nazi war effort. As the war turned against Germany, and the Soviet Union began to run roughshod over Eastern Europe, Antonescu started looking west for allies to save it from Soviet occupation. At this stage, King Michael, son of the late King Carol, emerged from the shadows and had the pro-German Antonescu arrested, imploring Romanians, and loyal military men, to fight with, not against, the invading Soviets. The king would finally sign an armistice with the Allies and declare war against an already-dying Germany in 1944. King Michael would, ironically, be forced to abdicate by the Soviets, who would maintain a puppet communist government in Romania until the end of the Cold War. The king had virtually destroyed his nation in order to save it.
22/8/1945 A Sqn main party left for ULM to relieve a Sqn of 17/21st Lancers in admin of camp. Rear party commanded by Lt Balfour remained at TRIEBEN to guard ACs. On this day, 64 years ago, my Squadron in the 4th QOH left for Ulm in Germany, North of Munich, to take over a transit camp that was being used to house servicemen on their way home to the UK on PYTHON or LIAP. We were to spend a month on this duty before returning to Northern Italy Full story here: BBC - WW2 People's War - Running a Staging Camp in Germany, August 1945
USS INGRAHAM (August 22, 1942 ) The American destroyer sank after a violent collision with the Navy oil tanker SS Chemung in pea-soup fog off the coast of Nova Scotia. The Ingraham was part of task Force 37 escorting Convoy AT-20 to the United Kingdom. An internal explosion caused the ship to blaze from stem to stern. It was all over in a flash, the burning wreck vanishing beneath the waves taking the lives of 218 of her crew. There were only 11 survivors, one officer and ten men, all rescued by the Chemung's boat crews.
23 August 1939 Messages are exchanged between Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler. Chamberlain warns that the United Kingdom is willing to use force to aid Poland and Hitler states that he will not renounce Germany's claim to Danzig.
Battle of Britain Campaign Diary Date: 23rd August 1940 Weather: Showers with bright intervals. Cloudy in Straits, Channel and Thames Estuary. Day: Single raids in the south and reconnaissance flights. Night: Main attacks in South Wales. Enemy action by day Enemy activity was on a restricted scale. In the morning a few reconnaissances were reported off the East Coast and a few raids penetrated inland, bad weather conditions prevented interception. In the afternoon, a number of single raids crossed the South Coast and attacked isolated targets causing little damage. North and East A meteorological reconnaissance was plotted east of Scotland. One raid penetrated inland to the Rugby and Warwick areas and attacked targets with bombs and machine guns at these towns, causing slight damage. A number of reconnaissances were plotted off the East Coast, probably looking for shipping; weather conditions were bad in this area. One He111 was destroyed by fighters near Sumburgh. South Coast One reconnaissance, which crossed the coast at Clacton, was brought down by AA at Duxford and the crew of five made prisoners. Two reconnaissances flew over the Walton, Harwich and North Foreland areas and attacked objectives near Harwich without result. South and West During the morning, five reconnaissances were reported in the Bristol Channel. In the afternoon, nine raids of single aircraft, one of which was reported to be a meteorological flight, approached the coast between Selsey Bill and Lyme but turned away. Later, eleven individual aircraft penetrated inland and attacked scattered targets in Devon and Hampshire. One Ju88 was destroyed in the Weymouth area by fighter action. By night Enemy activity was widespread although not on the scale of the previous night. The largest of the raids were in the Bristol and South Wales area, Cardiff receiving several visits. Raids were reported over East Anglia and northwards along the coast to Middlesborough, Harrogate and York. Kent was also visited. Five raids were also plotted in the Birmingham area where AA guns were in action. Convoys off Wick and Cromer were visited. Five raids were plotted between Land's End and Falmouth. Minelaying was suspected in areas Portsmouth, Lizard-Land's End, Bristol Channel and Carmarthen Bay. Statistics Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 23rd August 1940 Blenheim - 55 Spitire - 236 Hurricane - 410 Defiant - 26 Gladiator - 6 Total - 733 Casualties: Enemy Losses By Fighters Destroyed Probable Damaged 1 He111 1 Ju88 2 By Anti-Aircraft Destroyed Probable Damaged 1 Do17 1 Own: Nil. Patrols: Own 200 patrols involving 507 aircraft. Enemy 320 aircraft, of which 250 between 2100 hours on 22nd August and 0900 hours on 23rd August, and 70 between 0900 hours and 2100 hours on the 23rd. Balloons: Flying 1442, casualties 63 (50 repairable, 12 written off and 1 by enemy action). Aerodromes: Filton, Hartlepool, Abbotsinch, Manston and Exeter are unserviceable during the hours of darkness. Organisation: No 141 Squadron moved from Prestwick to Montrose and Dyce. No 603 Squadron moved from Montrose and Dyce to Turnhouse. No 253 Squadron moved from Turnhouse to Prestwick. Air Intelligence Reports Nil. Home Security Reports Date: 23rd/24th August 1940 General Summary The approximate number of HE bombs dropped in this country from 3rd September 1939 to 3rd August 1940 inclusive is 5,800. These figures are based on reports received from all sources and where later reports indicate that the original figures were incorrect, necessary adjustments have been made. Of these, between 2% and 4% were 250-kilo, the remainder being 50-kilo. This figure does not include bombs dropped on convoys or other ships at sea. The majority of daylight raids were carried out in the South and the Midlands and damage on the whole was slight. There are several reports of machine-gunning by enemy aircraft, which resulted in little damage. It is reported that Birmingham and South Wales were attacked by night. [*]Detailed Summary 23rd August It was reported from Durham that enemy aircraft machine-gunned a searchlight and wardens' post at Whitburn (360 degrees Sunderland, 3½ miles). It was reported from the same area that an enemy aircraft was shot down by AA fire at 0056 hours on the 23rd. Daventry. The BBC wireless station was machine-gunned at 1150 hours. One person was injured. A factory in the progress of being built at Kites Hardwick, near Rugby, was machine-gunned resulting in several workmen being wounded. The village of Grandborough was also machine-gunned by the same aircraft. Witney, Oxon. Leafield wireless station was machine-gunned with no damage reported. Bridlington in Yorkshire was bombed at 0250 hours and suffered considerable damage, particularly to a café where several people were trapped. Casualties - 4 killed and one injured. Bristol area was raided three times during the night of 22nd/23rd over a period of 2½ hours. Property suffered considerable damage and the main road (the A38) was blocked between Almondsbury and Woodlands Lane. New Milton (Hampshire) was attacked in the early evening and serious damage was done. Telephone and high-tension cables were damaged, putting the air raid siren out of order. Casualties - 23 killed and 20 injured. [*]24th August Birmingham. It has been reported that at 0315 hours enemy aircraft attacked the city and IB were dropped near the Nuffield Factory at Castle Bromwich. At 0535 hours, HE fell on Fort Dunlop, causing damage to buildings, steam and gas mains. It is reported that the fire has been extinguished. Two casualties. It is also reported that HE fell on the Repairable Equipment Depot No 1, Castle Bromwich. Some damage, no casualties. [*]Casualties on Ground by Enemy Action: To RAF Personnel - nil. To others - 34 killed, 107 injured [/LIST]
23/24 August - 3/4 September 1943 RAF Bomber Command opens the preliminary phase of the 'Battle of Berlin' with a series of three major raids on the German capital. During these attacks, the Command despatches a total of 1,652 sorties and loses 125 aircraft. Operations against Berlin are suspended in early September due to difficulties in marking targets within the city.
23 August 1944 Dakota transport aircraft of No.267 Squadron RAF and the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) 60th Troop Carrier Group evacuate 1,078 wounded Yugoslav partisans from a landing strip at Brezna in Yugoslavia. Escort for the evacuation was provided by the North American Mustangs of No.213 Squadron, RAF.
August 23, 1942 After a year-long siege of the city, Hitler orders the final attack on Leningrad (Operation Nordlicht). At Stalingrad, bombers and dive-bombers of Luftflotte 4 (von Richthofen) launch massive attacks (over 2,000 missions) that devastate the city. A battle group of 16.Pz.Div., 3. and 60.Inf.Div.(mot) rapidly advances from the Don, reaching the west bank of the Volga at Rynok north of Stalingrad.
Battle of Britain Campaign Diary Date: 24th August 1940 Weather: Fine and clear in the south, drizzle in the north. Day: Airfield attacks in south-east; Manston evacuated. Heavy raid on Portsmouth. Night: Heavier attacks over wide area. Minelaying. Enemy action by day The main enemy activity consisted of six large raids which crossed the Kentish coast and in two cases flew up the Estuary towards London. A large number of enemy aircraft attacked targets in the Portsmouth area. Preliminary reports state that our aircraft destroyed 40 enemy aircraft at the cost of 20 to ourselves but only six of our pilots were lost. North East Reconnaissance aircraft were reported off the East Coasts of Scotland and the Orkneys during the afternoon. In the early morning there were two small raids off East Anglia and a target at Gorleston was attacked. South East Between 0600 and 0800 hours, a series of raids totalling 80+ aircraft crossed the coast in the Dover-Dungeness areas and flew towards North Foreland and Gravesend. Fighters intercepted and dispersed these raids, destroying four enemy aircraft. At 1000 hours, Dover was shelled and a little later about 100 enemy aircraft were plotted to Dover and Manston in which places were heavily attacked. Fighters again drove off the enemy inflicting a reported loss of three enemy aircraft. At 1230 hours, about 50 enemy aircraft again approached Dover and Manston and were engaged by fighters. Enemy losses were estimated as seven aircraft. Between 1300 hours and 1400 hours, about 30 enemy aircraft were engaged over the North Foreland and Deal areas. At 1500 hours, four raids crossed the Kentish Coast and one of these penetrated to the eastern outskirts of London, attacking targets in Upminster, Dagenham and Essex areas. These raids were heavily engaged and it is reported fighters destroyed about 20 hostile aircraft. At 1845 hours, 110+ hostile aircraft crossed the coast near Dover and Dungeness and penetrated to Maidstone but turned away on despatch of our fighters apparently without attacking any objectives. South and West Activity up to 1600 hours was limited to reconnaissance in the Channel and in the Middle Wallop district. At 1600 hours, 50+ enemy aircraft approached Selsey Bill in a wide front and attacked objectives at Portsmouth. By night Enemy activity was on a widespread and continuous scale over Southern and Western England, South Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and Yorkshire. London Central was under 'Red' warning for nearly two hours, and the City of London, Millwall, Tottenham, Islington, Enfield, Hampton, Kingston and Watford were attacked. Birmingham was visited continuously for over four hours and there were repeated raids in the Devon, Bristol, Gloucester and South Wales areas. Raids were also reported in the Liverpool, Sheffield, Bradford, Hull and Middlesborough districts, and in Kent, Hampshire, Reading, Oxford and East Anglian districts. Minelaying is suspected off the Lancashire coast, in the Channel off Lyme Bay and Weymouth, and extensively off the Thames Estuary, East Anglia, the North Foreland and Flamborough Head. Enemy aircraft also attacked Newcastle and the London area received a second visit. It is reported that one He111 was destroyed by fighter action +1 probable. Statistics Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 24th August 1940 Blenheim - 63 Spitfire - 238 Hurricane - 408 Defiant - 23 Gladiator - 8 Total - 740 Casualties: Enemy Losses By Fighters Destroyed Probable Damaged 11 Ju88 8 Me109 6 Me109 21 Me109 3 He111 3 Me110 1 Me110 2 Me110 3 Ju88 1 He113 3 He111 5 He111 1 Do215 40 13 15 By Anti-Aircraft Destroyed Probable Damaged 1 unknown 4 unknown 1 4 Own: 20 aircraft with 6 pilots and 4 air gunners lost or missing. Patrols: Own 187 patrols involving 985 aircraft. Enemy It is estimated that during the night of 23rd/24th August, 200 aircraft were in action, and during the day of 24th August about 500 aircraft. Balloons: Flying 1462, casualties 88 (82 repairable, 4 written off, 2 by enemy action) Aerodromes: Manston unserviceable North Weald, Abbotsinch and Hartlepool unserviceable during the hours of darkness. Organisation: No changes. Air Intelligence Reports Nil. Home Security Reports Date: 24th/25th August 1940 General Summary Heavy attacks have been made by enemy aircraft on Ramsgate and Portsmouth today, and damage to these towns has been extensive, but casualties were fewer than expected. Several RAF stations have been attacked during the day and night with varying results. From midnight on the 24th onwards, London and southern counties in particular Surrey have been bombed. [*]Detailed Summary RAF Stations 24th August Manston Aerodrome was attacked at 1311 hours and set on fire; a further attack was delivered at 1539 hours, resulting in the evacuation of the RAF. Ramsgate. A number of bombs were dropped resulting in damage to airport buildings and houses. ARP personnel were machine-gunned by two low-flying aircraft. Casualties not reported. North Weald was attacked in the afternoon and a wireless station slightly damaged. Electric, gas and water mains suffered and road A122 blocked. Many casualties reported. St Athan was attacked at 2100 hours. Several HE demolished part of the RAF hospital. It is also reported that Castle Bromwich, Hornchurch and Gravesend have been attacked, but no details are available. [*]25th August Driffield was reported to have been bombed at about 0130 hours. The Sergeant's Mess was hit and a searchlight bombed and put out of action. No casualties reported so far. [*]Other Areas 24th August Ramsgate. At 1138 hours, an attack was made which resulted in severe damage to the gas works and sulphur plant. Direct hits were made on military headquarters and Customs House. Mains were fractured and houses demolished with many casualties. Portsmouth was attacked at 1623 hours and the damage in the city was heavy and widespread. Local rail services were affected and two naval units in the harbour were badly damaged. Approximately two hundred are homeless and it is reported that there are at least 55 killed and 225 injured. [*]25th August London and suburbs were attacked in the early hours and the following districts are reported as having been bombed: Canonsbury Park, Tottenham, Highbury Park, Leyton, Wood Green, Stepney, Islington, Enfield, Hampton Court, Millwall and others. A large fire was started at Fore Street spreading to London Wall. Neill Warehouse, West India Dock, was badly damaged by fire, and Warehouse Nos 3 and 4 are now reported to be ablaze. At 0240 hours, it was reported that the Imperial Tobacco Factory and Carter Patterson's Works in Goswell Road were on fire but only slight damage has since been reported. The following places were also bombed: Malden, Coulsdon, Feltham, Kingston, Banstead and Epsom. Birmingham. It is reported that the Nuffield and Dunlop Factories have again been bombed at 0003 hours, but no damage reported. Castle Bromwich Aeroplane Factory at Erdington was hit but no damage reported. The Moss Gear Co Ltd was hit with very slight damage. Cardiff. It is reported that the main GWR line is unserviceable between Cardiff and west Wales owing to a train being bombed at Cardiff. A gun site at Datchet, Buckinghamshire, was bombed at 0100 hours and the ammunition blown up. [*]Casualties on Ground by Enemy Action: To RAF Personnel - no killed, 1 injured. To others - 102 killed, 335 injured. [*]Enemy Action by Shell Fire Reports have been received that Dover and Folkestone were shelled at approximately 1000 hours on the 24th August. Four shells fell near Hawkinge Aerodrome (Folkestone), but little damage reported otherwise. The interval between the shells fired was about 8 minutes. [/LIST]
HMS PENZANCE (August 24, 1940) Royal Navy sloop of 1,025 tons sunk by the German submarine U-37. The Penzance (Cdr. Allan Wavish) was escorting Convoy SC-1 south-west of Iceland when torpedoed. A total of 90 crewmen died leaving only 7 survivors to be picked up by the merchant vessel Blairmore which later that night was herself torpedoed by the same U-boat. The seven survivors had again to be rescued, this time by the Swedish merchant ship Eknaren.
