Warbird Information Exchange

This day during The Battle of Britain, Day 10.


By R.T. Bickers


Friday, July 19: Fair in the Channel. Bright intervals elswhere between showers.

Day: 20 Bf 109s bounced 9 Defiants (two seater with four-gun turret) of No. 141 Sqd. and shot down 5 into the channel, and one at Dover before 12 Hurricanes drove them off. In the afternoon some 70 enemy bombers with fighter escort attacked Dover and were intercepted by 35 Hurricanes and Spitfires.

Night: Sporadic raids on Harwich, Thames estuary and Plymouth -- Isle of Wight area.


Aircraft losses: RAF 11, Luftwaffe 2.

Hitler made a speech in the Reichstag appealing to Britain to surrender and threatening that continued resistance would mean her complete destruction.

Goering held a conference with the Commanders of Luftflotten 2 and 3 and their Air Corps commanders. He told them "Fighting alone all these weeks on the Channel front, Jagdgesschwader 51 has already shot down 150 of the enemy's aircraft: quite enough to have weakened him seriously. Think now of all the bombers we can parade in the English sky. The few RAF fighters will not be able to cope."



Another account from Battle-of-Britain.com:


19th July

Weather Forecast
Occasional bright intervals in-between rain, over most of Great Britain. Conditions fair in the Channel.



Combat Report
Improved weather conditions also increased enemy activity. Early morning saw Hurricanes of No: 145 Squadron, from Tangmere, shoot down a Do17, which had penetrated inland to Croydon & Northolt and at about 1000hrs Do17's dropped bombs on Glasgow.
The afternoon brought some major engagements, which saw Fighter Command suffer its heaviest losses so far, most notably Defiants of No: 141 Squadron. At about 1215hrs a raid was plotted building up in the Calais area and No: 141 Squadron were scrambled to patrol south of Dover & Folkestone. Without warning, Me109's attacked and made hits on 7 of the Defiants. As news reached Hawkinge, Hurricanes of No: 111 Squadron were scrambled at great speed to assist and a large dogfight ensued.
Slightly later at around 1530hrs Hurricanes of No: 32 Squadron intercepted a raid on Dover by Ju87's and were themselves attacked by Me109's while a Spitfire of No: 64 Squadron shot down a Heinkel trying to drop mines in the Thames Estuary. Between 1700hrs & 1800hrs, Hurricanes of No: 145 Squadron were again in action against a He111 off Shoreham along with those of No: 43 Squadron (also from Tangmere) involved in a dogfight with Me109's off Selsey Bill and a lone Hurricane of No: 87 Squadron attacked Ju87's bombing the naval base at Portland.
During the night bombs were dropped on Manston airfield, along the coast between Plymouth & the Isle of Wight and near Kilmarnock. Many other raids were plotted around the British coastline, most of which probably dropped mines.



Statistics

R.A.F. Losses: 13 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 11 pilots & aircrew killed or missing and 5 wounded.

Luftwaffe Losses: 6 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 12 pilots & aircrew killed or missing and 2 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and other accidents.




The Hawker Hurricane - Close up footage of Hurricanes today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq9Lg7Q6OCc


The Boulton Paul Defiant - Close up footage of The Defiant on display at the RAF Museum Hendon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxWfVDklVhY



From R.T. Bicker's BOB


The "Flying Pencil" Do 17Z


The Do 17Z Bombardier given more spacious accommodations over previous versions of the Do 17.


Prewar photo of Blenheim Is


Hurricanes from No. 501 Sqd. scrambling from Gravesend.


Polish fighter squadron No. 303 based at Northolt.




Robert Roland Stanford Tuck joined the RAF in 1935. After serving with 65 Sqd. he joined 92 as a flight lieutenant on May 1, 1940. On the 23rd he shot down a Bf 109 and two Bf 110s over Dunkirk, and an He 111 and a Bf 109 on june 2. which brought him a DFC. He destroyed a Ju 88 one night and another by day on August 13. on the 14th he got two more of the same. With a bar to his DFC, he was promoted to command 257 Sqd. and opened his score with them by shooting down a 110 on Sept 15. He had four more victories during the battle. In December he was awarded a DSO and March 1941 a second bar to the DFC. In 1942 he was shot down over France and captured and escaped in 1945. He was credited with a total of 29.



Shay
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Semper Fortis