On this day in history

[bobbysocks]

GERMANY: US VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 78: The aviation industry in Germany was targeted but bad weather hampered the raids. The targets were: 58 of 182 B-17 Flying Fortresses dispatched bombed the Fieseler Works at Kassel, Germany. They claimed 27-15-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 B-17s were lost. 37 of 120 B-17s dispatched bombed the Fw 190 plant at Oschersleben, Germany. They claimed 56-19-41 Luftwaffe aircraft; 15 B-17s were lost. This was the deepest US bomber penetration into Germany to date. The raid achieved good results however, 22 B-17s were lost as fighters scored first effective results with rockets. 105 P-47 Thunderbolts, equipped with jettissonable belly tanks for the first time on a mission, escorted the B-17s into Germany. Other P-47s, going more than 30 miles (48 km) deeper into Germany than they have ever penetrated before, met the returning bombers. They surprised about 60 German fighters and destroyed 9 of them; 1 P-47 was lost.
....Bf 109s from II./JG 11 and I./JG 1 intercepted the bombers. But 11 Messerschmitts of 5./JG 11, led by Hptm. Heinz Knocke, hung back away from the attack. Each of these fighters was carrying a 55lb bomb underneath the fuselage with timed fuses. The fighter-bombers set themselves at 3,000 ft above the bombers and after setting dircetion and range, released the bombs. One bomb exloded in the middle of a dormation and 3 B-17s crashed together, destroyed. Free of the bombs, the fighters attacked. The fighters of II./JG 11, under Gunther Sprecht, scored 11 kills while JG 1 pilots claimed 8 bomber kills. The remaining B-17s were then attacked by I./Jg 26 who claimed 2 more bombers. The escorting P-47s of the US 4th FG then entered the melee over Holland, attacking abpout 45 Luftwaffe fighters. One P-47 was shot down by Hptm. Hermichen of I./JG 26 but fighter losses for the Germans was heavy. JG 1 and JG 11 lost 20 Fw 190s and Bf 109s shot down with 3 pilots killed while the fighters of I./JG 26 lost 3 Fw 190s.
....Goring gave orders to Milch that the aircraft industry would forthwith concentrate of defensive production. Milch then ordered the electronics industry to accelerate the production of radar units impervious to 'Window'. The objective was to be: "To inflict losses on enemy night bombers in the shortest time amounting to at least 20 to 25%."

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Husky' Day 19: On the ground in Sicily, the US Seventh Army took Nicosia and pushed toward Santo Stefano di Camastra and the Canadians took Agira. Allied cargo vessels began arriving at Palermo, and Lieutenant General Harold R Alexander, 15 Army Group Commanding General, moved his HQ to Sicily. Allied surrender terms were broadcast to the Italians by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
....In the air, Northwest African Tactical Air Force light bombers hit Regalbuto, Milazzo, and Centuripe; A-36 Apaches and P-40s hit heavy traffic on the Troina-Randazzo road, bridges and roads north and west of Cesaro, the landing ground at Falcone, and buildings near Randazzo. Almost 100 Ninth Air Force P-40s hit shipping at Catania and Santa Teresa di Riva, fly patrol over the Straits of Messina, and bomb encampments.

WESTERN FRONT: US VIII Air Support Command Mission Numbers 6 and 7: The primary targets were in Belgium and France. 18 B-26B Marauders were dispatched against the coke ovens at Zeebrugge, Belgium and 18 B-26Bs were dispatched against Tricqueville Airfield, France but the mission was recalled when the accompanying fighters did not join up.

ENGLAND: A Hurricane fighter operating from Milfield airfield, near Wooler, crashed at East Fenton, also near Wooler at 10.40. The plane took fire whilst in the air. The pilot baled out and was uninjured.

complements of njaco

[Gilly]

August 6th 1945

Enola Gay drops 'little boy' on Hiroshima killing 70,000 instantly

[winny]

9th August 1945.

The B-29 "Bock's Car" drops the 2nd atomic bomb on Japan in 3 days which detonates above Nagasaki.

Some triva..

Nagasaki was not its original target - the intended target city was Kokura, which escaped as the bomber was under orders to attack only a clear target and the city was shrouded in smog at the time. Nagasaki was the first alternative target city.

[Gilly]

August 12th 1918 Guy Gibson was born

[bobbysocks]

August 15, 1945 - The Last Day of the War
On their way to bomb Japanese airfields in the interior of Japan, 4 Hellcats from VF-31 from the USS Belleau Wood were flying with 4 Hellcats from VF-49 from the USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) when they came across four British torpedo bomber aircraft being attacked by a group of 15 Zeros. This was very unusual as there had not been much enemy fighter resistance in the last month of the war as there were very few aircraft and fewer pilots remaining with the Japanese forces.

The four fighters from VF-49 dropped down to engage the enemy aircraft while the pilots of VF-31 flew top cover. The pilots of VF-49 succeeded in downing 4 of the Zeros but were having difficulties from the other 11 so VF-31 dropped down and engaged the enemy aircraft and VF-49 flew top cover for a while. They switched back and forth until 12 of the enemy aircraft were shot down and the other 3 fled. Not one of the British torpedo planes or American fighter planes were lost or badly damaged in this engagement.

Lt (jg) Ed Toaspern: Is credited with 2 aerial victories
Lt. Jim Stewart: Is credited with 1 aerial victory

35 minutes after regrouping with the aircraft from VF-49 and heading once again for their assigned target, the division from VF-31 got word over the radio from the air officer aboard USS Belleau Wood to abort their mission and return to the carrier Belleau Wood as Japan had just surrendered and the war was over. All aircraft landed safely aboard.

This may very well have been the last fighter to fighter aerial engagement of the war against Japan.

Shortly after 1400 hours radar picked up a single unidentified contact closing on the fleet. Four divisions from VF-31 were flying CAP over the task force and were ordered to intercept. The aircraft was identified as Japanese "Judy" dive bomber and Admiral Halsey gave the order "To shoot down, not with hostility but with compassion".

Ens. Clarence Moore fell in behind the Judy and with 2 short bursts from his F6F, set it on fire and it crashed into the ocean.

This was the last aerial engagement of the war against Japan.


A British pilot was captured that day, but executed in the evening, despite the war having ended.

FRED HOCKLEY Sub-Lieutenant (A)
H.M.S. Indefatigable, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who died on Wednesday, 15th August 1945. Age 22.

As an Officer in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve flying Seafires with 24 Wing with the Fleet Air Ann on H.M.S. Indefatigable he took off early on 15th August 1945 to attack airfields in the Tokyo Bay area of Japan.

His aircraft was shot down, he parachuted to land near Higashimura. At midday that day the Emperor of Japan declared the war was officially over.

Three senior officers nine hours later executed Fred. All three were later tried by a War Crimes Court in Hong Kong in May/June 1947. Colonel Tamura, Major Hirano were hanged in Sept.1947 and Captain Fujino sentenced to 15 Years imprisonment. Inexcusable barbaric act by these Japanese soldiers

[Gilly]

September 1st 1939
Germany invades Poland kicking off our (Brits) involvement in the war.

[Davedog74]

15th september 1940,two successive raids on london intended to destroy what the luftwaffe believed were the last remnants of fighter command.
The raid was repulsed with high casualties to the luftwaffe,on this day the germans realised that fighter command was still intact and that invasion was impossible.


eric lock 41 squadron,hornchurch,20 kills during b.o.b

[Gilly]

15th September

Tonight I raise a glass to the memory of this day....

Gentlemen I give you


The IMORTAL FEW

[winny]

Originally Posted by Gilly

15th September

Tonight I raise a glass to the memory of this day....

Gentlemen I give you


The IMORTAL FEW

Here, here.

[BRIGGBOY]

Originally Posted by Gilly

15th September

Tonight I raise a glass to the memory of this day....

Gentlemen I give you


The IMORTAL FEW

amen to that