This day during The Battle of Britain, Day 7.
By R.T. Bickers
Tuesday, July 16: Foggy in Channel, south-eastern England and Northern France.
Day:
Convoys off souther and eastern English and north eastern Scottish Coasts and Westland Aircraft harassed when weather lifted a trifle.
Night:
Minelaying in North-east England.
Aircraft Losses: RAF 2, Luftwaffe 5
......Major Josef Schmid, chief of Abteilung (Department) V, the Intelligence Service, submitted to Hitler a document entitled, "A Comparative Appreciation of the Striking Power of the RAF and the Luftwaffe". In this he stated that the British had 900 first-line fighters, of which 675 could be considered fully serviceable. Not a bad estimate: the actual number available on an ideal day was 587. Schmid was less accurate when he wrote "Taking into account both their combat performance and the fact that they have not yet equipped with cannon, the Hurricane and the Spitfire are both inferior to the Messerschmitt 109". But right in adding, "The Messerschmitt 110 however, is inferior to the Spitfire.....", although his proviso, "if the latter is well piloted" was nonsense. He concluded that the odds favoured the Luftwaffe "so long as the large-scale operations are begun early enough to permit the exploitation of the relatively favourable meteorological conditions of July to October."
......Hitler issued an order, Directive No. 16 that a landing operation against England must be prepared.
This was code-named
OPERATION SEALION
Another ccount from Battle-of-Britain.com
16th July
Weather Forecast
Foggy across Southern England and the Channel.
Combat Report
A quiet day due to the weather conditions. However, a few raids materialised during the afternoon over the coast at Swanage and Cardiff. The most significant action of the day saw Hurricanes of No: 601 Squadron, from Tangmere, attack a raid of Ju88's off the Isle of Wight at about 1700hrs.
Late afternoon also saw Spitfires of No: 603 Squadron intercept a raid off the Scottish coast, as Peterhead and Fraserburgh were bombed.
During the night several raids were plotted and were thought to be mine laying operations.
Statistics
R.A.F. Losses No losses.
Luftwaffe Losses: 6 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 5 pilots & aircrew killed or missing and 2 wounded.
NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and other accidents.
Jagdgeschwader 26 with Ace Major Adolf Galland Film
-After the fall of France JG 26 took part in the Battle of Britain, based in the Pas de Calais region. To help with identification the unit had the undernoses of their aircraft painted yellow. Some aircraft had their entire cowling thus painted yellow. JG 26 claimed 160 French and British aircraft shot down, for relatively light losses of 17 pilots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPAB-t44jXg&mode=related&search=
RAF Fighter Command Film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ4c61bz4Uk&mode=related&search=
From R.T. Bicker's BOB
A Spitfire from No. 19 Sqd. at Duxford.
Three WAAFs from Biggin Hill were decorated during the Battle of Britain. LtoR Sgt. joan Mortimer MM; Flying Officer Elspeth Henderson MM; and Sgt. Helen Turner MM.
CzechSquadron No. 301 form at Duxford on July 10 and became part of the "Big Wing"
A Hurricane of the Czech No. 301 Sqd. being rearmed. Each of the eight Browning machine guns needed a belt of 300 rounds,which gave roughly 15 seconds of firing time.
No. 601 Sqd. generally known as the "millionaire's squadron" and when petrol rationing was introduced early in the war, pilots kept their cars running by buying their own filling station.
A Schwarm - Four Fighter Section
Shay
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Semper Fortis
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