Against the Stukas on Eagle Day
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
Cat. No. 82151
The Battle of Britain is one of the legendary milestones of the Second World War and also the first battle fought entirely by air forces. From the RAF perspective, it began on July 10, 1940, and lasted until the end of October 1940. Its international impact is amplified by the fact that pilots from thirteen other countries fought on the RAF side. From the German point of view, the battle began almost a month later and ended with their first military failure since the outbreak of the war. After earlier fighting over the Channel, German command launched the Battle of Britain on 8 August 1940, with the start of the so-called “intensified air war against England” (verschärfte Luftkrieg gegen England), which lasted until the end of October 1940.
The Germans launched “Operation Eagle Attack” (Unternehmen Adlerangriff) on August 13, 1940, after two days of extensive air battles over England. The day had the code name “Eagle Day” (Adlertag) and brought a shift in German strategy. Instead of focusing on naval convoys, the Germans intended to systematically destroy airfields and other infrastructure of RAF Fighter Command. The selection of targets, however, suggests that Luftwaffe intelligence and strategic planners did not understand the purpose and importance of many RAF bases.
The long-planned Adlertag went awry for the Germans right from the start. The raids were supposed to begin in a coordinated manner at 07:00, but heavy cloud cover, ground fog, and poor visibility over occupied northern France hindered their execution. Although a recall order was issued, not all bomber units received it. The result was a series of isolated raids, some without fighter escort and sometimes without even reaching the target.
After the official renewal of the Adlertag order, the most concentrated series of raids began after noon, though again complicated by clouds and navigation issues. During this phase of the day, Stukas formed a significant part of the bombing forces.
Crews of St.G 1 and II./St.G 2 were assigned to strike Warmwell and Yeovil, but due to weather they ended up over Portland. Their escorts were Bf 109s from I. and II./JG 53 “Pik As.” Their colleagues from JG 27 escorted a large formation of Stukas from St.G 77, while the fighters of JG 26 “Schlageter” provided free-hunt fighter cover for the Stukas of IV.(St)/LG 1, whose target was Detling.
The latter formation hit its target very successfully and without losses. A total of 22 aircraft were destroyed on the ground, 67 service personnel and civilians, including the station commander Gp Capt. E. P. Meggs-Davies, were killed, and more than 40 people were wounded. The Coastal Command base was temporarily put out of action, but the strategic significance of the raid was minor, since the airfield did not fall under Fighter Command. The success can be attributed in part to cloud cover, which made it harder for defenders to spot the Stukas, and also to the freie-Jagd cover of all three Gruppen of JG 26, which were used together in action for the first time.
The difficulty of escorting dive bombers is described in the memoirs of Günther Rall (275 victories): “Escorting Stukas over the Channel could be likened to trying to get a family of hedgehogs across a highway. Stukas flew horizontally at some 250km/h, which wasn’t much more than a fully loaded and fueled Bf 109 needed just to stay in the air…on the highway, you can only save the hedgehogs by stopping traffic as far away as possible, and not by zigzagging through traffic with them.”
The raid of II./St.G 2 went very differently. They were to be protected by free-hunt of JG 53, but the escort became entangled with RAF aircraft, lost situational awareness, and part of the escort arrived behind the bombers with several minutes’ delay.
Pilots of Spitfires from No. 609 Squadron RAF, including Polish airmen, took advantage of this situation and attacked the Stukas near the Solent. They claimed nine bombers shot down for certain, three probably destroyed and three damaged. In reality, six Ju 87s were shot down, mostly from 5. Staffel.
One of the British pilots who scored victories in this action was F/O John Charles Dundas, DFC & Bar. His aircraft is depicted on the box art of the kit. This outstanding pilot was killed on 28 November 1940, in an air battle in which Kommodore of JG 2 Helmut Wick was also lost. Dundas’s brother, Hugh Spencer Lisle Dundas, also fought in the Battle of Britain, survived the war, was awarded CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC, and was later knighted.
From 13 to 18 August 1940, German fighters (flying Bf 109s and Bf 110s) claimed 386 aerial victories, while losing 61 Bf 109s and 70 twin-seat Bf 110s shot down or heavily damaged. During less than a week, the Luftwaffe lost 93 twin-engine bombers and 42 Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers. The Ju 87s were no longer employed over Britain. However, this was not because of the losses, which were quickly replaced, but because of their short operational range.