Australia’s War Diary-August 1940

August 3-Britain. Hudson T9282, VX-E, of 206 Sqn fails to return from a North Sea convoy patrol. Lost are two Australians, P/O John Gilbert and Sgt Ben Gannon.

August 5-6-Britain. RAF Bomber Command sends 85 aircraft to targets in Germany. At Hamburg, 50 Sqn hunts the battleship Tirpitz. Three Australians involved are F/Lt George Taylor (Hampden P4389); F/O Dereck French (Hampden L4149); and F/Lt Bob Reed(Hampden P4395). Extreme darkness, haze, glaring searchlights and intense flak makes finding targets and observing bombing results impossible. F/O Henry Ross DFC (Hampden L4412) and 83 Sqn are similarly frustrated over Wilhelmshaven, where the Bismarck is docked.

August 6 – Germany. Reichsmarschall Goering instructs his commanders to be ready for deer Tag’ (Eagle Day) the assault against the RAF, by August 10. The main attacking forces will be Luftflotte 2 and Luftflotte 3 operating from bases in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Luftflotte 5 will fly from Norway and Denmark to threaten north-eastern England and Scotland. From the 10th, all that will be required to begin will be a forecast of 3-4 days of suitable weather.

August 8-English Channel. Heavy attacks on Convoy Peewit by German E-boats and aircraft. F/O Clive Mayers of 601 Sqn destroys a Bf 109 and P/O John Curchin of 609 Sqn destroys a Bf 110 and damages another. The convoy is decimated. Out of 23 ships, 7 are sunk and 6 – plus 6 escort vessels – are heavily damaged. August 10 – Germany. Because of unfavourable weather forecasts, Goering postpones Adler Tag’. Overnight, RAF Bomber Command bombs 9 targets in Germany. Bob Reed of 50 Sqn (Hampden L4097) causes large explosions and a huge fire at the synthetic oil plant at Hornberg, near Hamburg.

August 11 – Britain. The Luftwaffe strikes at Portland, the RN’s principal base near the proposed invasion area. South Australian P/O John Cock of 87 Sqn damages a Bf 109 and destroys a Ju 88 before bailing out of his crippled Hurricane. He struggles ashore, slightly injured and minus his trousers which he had kicked off while swimming. Tasmanian F/Lt Stuart Walch of 238 Sqn, is killed in action(KIA).

August 12 – Germany. With fine weather predicted, Goering orders Adler Tag’ for the 13th England. The Luftwaffe attacks radar stations, forward airfields and two small convoys in the Thames Estuary. 152 Sqn’s Australian flight commander, F/Lt Latham Carr Withall (Spitfire P9456), is KIA. Queenslander F/Lt Gordon Olive of 65 Sqn probably destroys a Bf 109 and later the Spitfires of 65 Sqn narrowly escape destruction in a frantic scramble while Manston airfield is being bombed. All airfields, except Manston, are operational again within a few hours. Ventnor radar station is out of action for several days.

In a daring low level precision night attack, 5 RAF Hampden successfully breech the vital Dortmund/Ems Canal. In command, F/Lt Roderick ‘Babe’ Learoyd (RAF) will receive the VC. Flak claims 2 Hampdens, both flown by Australians, and the others are heavily damaged. F/O Ellis ‘Rossy’ Ross DFC, of Tamworth NSW, is killed and F/Lt Allen ‘Mull’ Mulligan, who is awarded the DFC, is shot down and captured.

August 13-Britain. Adler Tag. Uncertain weather delays the main German attack until midday. F/O Clive Mayers of 601 Sqn destroys a Ju 88, probably another Ju 88 and a Bf 110 and damages a Bf 110 before bailing out over the sea during his second sortie. He is rescued by an MTB. Gordon Olive shoots down two Bf 109s and one probable. F/O Harry Hardman of 111 Sqn damages a Do 17 and P/O Ian Bayles of 152 Sqn damages a Bf 110. ‘B’ Flight of 87 Sqn shoots down a Ju 88 but F/O Dick Glyde’s Hurricane, P3387, is hit by return fire. He disappears and is never seen again.

Four Ju 88s bomb the camp of the 18th Australian Infantry Brigade. There are no casualties.

The Germans lose 46 aircraft, Fighter Command 13. On the ground 47 RAF aircraft are destroyed, only one a fighter. Australia. Hudson A16-97 crashes near Canberra airport and is destroyed by fire. Killed are its crew and 6 VIP passengers, including the Minister for Air, Mr J V Fairbairn.

August 14 – Britain. The Germans continue attacking RAF airfields. Gordon Olive probably destroys a Bf 109. Bf 110 fighterbombers raid Manston. A 40mm shell smashes one Messerschmitt but its gunner miraculously bails out at 500 feet(150m). Bleeding and in shock, he staggers aimlessly amid exploding bombs from his own planes. F/Lt Charles Pritchard from Manildra, NSW, a night fighter pilot trapped on the ground, courageously leaps from his trench and guides the German to safety. August 15 – France. Successful overnight attack on the oil refinery at Pauillac by 50 Sqn. Australians involved: Bob Reed (Hampden P2124) and Dereck French(Hampden P4417). Britain. Believing “RAF fighters to be concentrated in the south, Luftflotte 5 attacks the north from Norway and Denmark but loses 16 bombers and 7 fighters. After this it never again makes a major daylight attack. Australian scorers are P/O Bill Millington of 79 Sqn(3 He 111s) and F/Lt Desmond Sheen of 72 Sqn(2 Bf 110s, one probably flown by Hptmn Werner Restemeyer, Gruppe Kommandeur of 1/ZG 76).

In the south, F/Lt Pat Hughes of 234 Sqn shoots down a Bf 110 and shares a second, but Queenslander P/O Vincent ‘Bush’ Parker bails out near the Isle of Wight. After floating in the water for 4 hours he is rescued by a German boat. P/O John ‘Tiger’ Pain of 32 Sqn probably destroys a Bf 109 but P/O Frank Cale’s Spitfire, N3168, of 266 Sqn, bursts into flames. Wreckage from N3168 is found at Teston, Kent, and local police find a parachute with charred straps but no pilot.

Claims of aircraft destroyed are exaggerated; by both sides.

The RAF claims 182, the Luftwaffe 82. Postw·ar figures put Luftwaffe losses at 75, Fighter Command 34. History records that German aviators remembered this day as ‘Black Thursday’. August 16 – Britain. Overnight, incendiaries fall close to the Australian Army Camp near Middle Wallop Aerodrome.

Late afternoon heavy fighting over southern England. Successful Australians: Clive Mayers (2 Ju 87s, 1 Ju 87 probable); Gordon Olive(1 Bf 109, 1 Ju 88 probable); Pat Hughes(2 Bf 109s); and John ‘Tiger’ Pain(1 Ju 88 probable).

Police recover Frank Cale’s body from the River Medway at Teston. August 17-Britain. Over the past 28 days, Fighter Command has lost 78 pilots killed and 27 wounded, mostly experienced airmen. OTUs cannot match this rate of attrition so the Air Ministry decides to slash pilot training plus allow volunteers from 4 Fairey Battle squadrons and 4 Lysander Army Co-operation squadrons in 22 Group to join Fighter Command. Among them are 2 Australians, F/O Robert Bungey (226 Sqn) and F/Lt John Hewson DFC(142 Sqn), both veterans of France.

August 18-Britain. During heavy fighting, Pat Hughes destroys 2 Bf 109s and Clive Mayers damages another. Over Brenchley, John Pain’s Hurricane, P3147, bursts into flames. He is wounded but manages to bail out safely.

August 19 – Britain. Relatively light air activity. Many historians suggest Ausgust 18’s fighting marked the end of the second phase of the Battle of Britain.

August 20 – Britain. Poor weather restricts German operations. Winston Churchill states: “. . . Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few . . . ”

Australia. A surface raider sinks the steamer Tuakina in the Tasman Sea. RAAF patrols are increased.

August 21 – Britain. Led by Queenslander F/Lt Fred Flood, 3 Blenheims of 235 Sqn escort a reconnaissance plane over Le Havre. Just off the port, Flood shoots a Henschel Hs 126 into the sea.

August 23 – Middle East. The men of 3 Sqn RAAF arrive at Port Tewfik.

August 24 – Britain. With fine weather the most critical phase of the Battle of Britain begins. British defences take heavy punishment. Gordon Olive probably destroys a Bf 109.

Defiants again prove useless in combat when 3 out of 9 from 246 Sqn are lost to Bf 109s. Hurricanes save the rest. in a tragic mistake, Hurricanes attack 3 Blenheims from 235 Sqn led by Fred Flood. Flood evades and lands safely but one is shot down and the other crash lands.

At night, some Luftwaffe bombers accidentally stray over London and bomb the city for the first time since 1918. Hitler had specifically ordered that London was not to be bombed and this sets in motion a series of events which will alter the course of the Battle.

August 25 – Britain. Heavy attacks on southern England. Over Portland, a Bf 109 attacked by John Curchin explodes.

After dark, 103 planes from Bomber Command raid France and Germany, 43 going to Berlin. Winston Churchill has been provoked into ordering a hasty reprisal attack. Berlin is covered by thick cloud and few bombs actually fall within the city limits only 2 people are injured. While returning, the British encounter strong headwinds. Operating at maximum range, 6 Hampdens are lost, 3 ditching into the sea as they run out of fuel. George Taylor of 50 Sqn in Hampden L4062 has an exhausting 8 hour 38 minute flight. Like the bombing of London, in spite of the raid’s lack of military success, its political consequences will be far reaching.

August 26-Britain. The Luftwaffe bombs RAF airfields and sector stations. Successful Australians are Gordon Olive(1 Bf 110) and Pat Hughes(2 Bf 109s).

Overnight, continuous German bombing of Plymouth lasts 7 hours but Mount Batten, home of 10 Sqn RAAF, is not damaged. August 28 – Britain. RAF airfields are heavily attacked during daylight and at night the Luftwaffe steps up its offensive. Airborne radar for night fighters remains experimental and without it Britain’s night defences are ineffective. Five Blenheim squadrons fly over 80 sorties but only one even sights a raider. Charles Pritchard of 600 Sqn attacks 2 bombers but both escape into the darkness.

August 29 – Britain. The Luftwaffe launches fighter sweeps and light raids. P/O Richard Hillary of 603 Sqn destroys a Bf 109 but has to force land in a field. His Spitfire, L1021(XT-M), is written off.

German intelligence officers, noticing that RAF fighters are avoiding combat, deduce the British are weakening.

August 30-Britain. Luftwaffe chiefs increase the tempo of operations. RAF airfields suffer, especially Biggin Hill where nursing orderly, ACW1 Lena Button from Tasmania, is killed during the bombing. Bill Millington of 79 Sqn, flying from Biggin, destroys a He 111, probably another and damages a Bf 110.

August 31 – Britain. During heavy dogfights, successful Australians are Richard Hillary (1 Bf 109), Clive Mayers (1 Do 17 and another damaged) and Bill Millington(2 Bf 109s). Millington’s Hurricane is set on fire but while preparing to bail out, he realizes it is plunging down onto a village. Fighting the urge to jump, he manages to crash land in a nearby field. Wounded and suffering

burns, he crawls clear just before the fuel tank explodes. Fighter Command loses 39 aircraft, more than ever before.

The fight for survival is reaching its most dangerous period . . .