Battle of Britain
Day 36
Weather - Mainly cloudy with bright intervals.
Combat - Raids are reduced in comparison to previous day, with the first approaching Kent at about 12 noon. Over 80 Ju-87's, escorted by around 30 Me-109's, are met over Dover by Spitfires of No: 65 and 610 Squadrons and Hurricanes of No: 32 and 615 Squadrons. A large dogfight ensues with the Me-109's of JG26, led by Adolf Galland, succeed in keeping the R.A.F. fighters engaged and allowing the Ju-87's to bomb their targets. Whilst the air-battle is raging over Dover and Folkestone, a small number of Me-110's from EG210 evade interception and severely bomb Manston airfield.
Later in the afternoon and into early evening several more raids are plotted. A fighter sweep over Kent by Me-109's is met by Hurricanes of No: 151 Squadron at about 1630hrs. Middle Wallop airfield is bombed by Ju-88's, around 1830hrs, whilst two Spitfires of No: 609 Squadron successfully scramble through the smoke to intercept the attackers. He-111's bomb railway lines in Southampton inflicting significant damage and further raids reach the Midlands and Chester. At the same time Hurricanes of No: 43 Squadron, scrambling from Tangmere, intercept raiders off Beachy Head.
At about 1815hrs Spitfires of No: 92 Squadron engage Ju-88's and He-111's over the South West. One of these pilots is Fg. Off. Robert Stanford-Tuck, a veteran of France and Dunkirk, who successfully shoots down two Ju-88's over the Bristol Channel in five minutes.
During the night, activity is quiet with a few plotted raids off Aberdeen and North Wales.
R.A.F. Losses: 11 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 3 pilots killed and 1 wounded.
Luftwaffe Losses: 28 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 44 pilots and aircrew killed or missing and 6 wounded.
NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.
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]Battle of the Atlantic
U-59 sinks the British steamer Betty (2339t) 35 miles west of Tory Island with the loss of 30 of her crew. Only 4 crewmen survive.
[ | ]Diplomatic Relations
The United States and Britain agree on the general lines of a mutual undertaking by which the Americans would give Britain 50 destroyers in exchange for the use by the American fleet of British bases in the western Atlantic.
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Gulf of Aden
The evacuation of Berbera, British Somaliland begins. British and Australian warships take 5,700 troops, 1,500 civilians and sick to Aden and bombard the advancing Italian forces who occupy the town on August 19.
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Occupied Luxembourg
Germany suspends the constitution of Luxembourg on the grounds the regent and government have fled the country. German laws are applied to the occupied nation.
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Science and Technology
Sir Henry Tizard heads a British scientific mission to the United States, carrying with him details of all of Britain's most advanced thinking in several vital fields. There are ideas on jet engines, explosives, gun turrets and above all a little device called the cavity magnetron. This valve is vital for the development of more advanced types of radar, including the versions used in proximity fuses later and the types working on centimetric wavelengths which will be vital at sea in the U-boat war. The US Official History will later describe this collection as the 'most valuable cargo ever brought to our shores'.
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Secret War
In a repeat performance from the previous night, German aircraft drop parachutes over southern Scotland which carry bogus operations orders, again to create the impression that the invasion has begun.
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