DK - World War II Map by Map

58 GERMANY TRIUMPHANT 1939–1941

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Portsmouth

Newhaven

Amsterdam

Le Havre

Deauville

Dieppe

Abbeville

Ostend

Boulogne

Etaples

Rouen Beauvais

Arras

Ypres

Dreux

Evreaux

St. Malo

Bayeux

Cherbourg

Senlis

Dover

Calais

Dunkirk

Paris

Hull

Nottingham

Great

Yarmouth

Harwich

Birmingham

Newcastle

Edinburgh

Plymouth

Liverpool

Glasgow

Swansea

Brighton

Isle of

Portland Wight

Bath

Cardi„ Bristol Uxbridge London

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LUXEMBOURG

THE KANALKAMPF (CHANNEL BATTLE)

JULY–AUGUST 1940

The Luftwaffe’s “nuisance raiders” tested Britain’s

aerial and sea defenses beginning in early July with

large-scale daylight assaults on ports and shipping.

British Spitfires and Hurricanes scrambled to

confront the raiders in a series of dogfights over

the sea-lanes. The Luftwaffe had some success in

hampering British shipping but failed to establish

air superiority over the Channel.

2

Main areas of conflict, Aug 8–11, 1940

British naval ports

“Hardest day” raids, Aug 18, 1940

Luftwaffe headquarters

Other Luftwaffe airfield

EAGLE ATTACKS AND THE “HARDEST DAY”

AUGUST 13–18, 1940

German High Command switched to focusing

on RAF Fighter Command and its infrastructure.

On August 13, dubbed Adlertag (“Eagle Day”),

German raids destroyed 24 planes in the air and

damaged 47 on the ground. This was the first of

a series of daily attacks, code named Adlerangriff

(“Eagle Attack”). The heaviest attacks came on

August 18, known in Britain as the “hardest day.”

3

OPERATION SEA LION JULY 1940

Hitler’s plan, approved on July 16, envisaged a

three-pronged assault across the Channel. The main

thrust was to be delivered from the Pas-de-Calais

region against the stretch of coastline west of Dover.

A second prong, launched from Le Havre, would

target Newhaven, Portsmouth, and the Isle of

Wight, while a smaller force dispatched from

Cherbourg was to land at Portland and embark

on a cross-country march to Bristol.

1

German army group

Proposed invasion route

German corps

German army

Aug 19 German

bombers raid Liverpool,

targeting the RAF’s

infrastructure.

Sep 7 German

bombers target

London.

Aug 30 The

Spitfire base at

Biggin Hill is

hit by bombers.

Jun 30 Germany occupies the Channel

Islands by landing a platoon of airmen at

Guernsey’s undefended airport.

Aug 13 German

bombers hit RAF

Eastchurch in the

first of more than

1,500 sorties

launched on

“Eagle Day.”

Jul 4 Stuka dive bombers attack

shipping in Portland harbor,

sinking a converted merchantman.

Aug 24 More than 100

are killed by bombing

in Portsmouth.

Jul 26 The British

Admiralty suspends

all traffic between

Dover and Calais.

Aug 15 German aircraft based

in Denmark and Norway attack sites

in the north of England in one of the

“Eagle attacks”; they meet heavy

resistance and 75 planes are lost.

No.10 Group

No.11 Group

COORDINATED DEFENSES

AUGUST 13–SEPTEMBER 16

The RAF divided coverage of Britain’s airspace

into four Groups, each split into sectors in which

fighter activity was directed. Most of the action

was over south-eastern England (under 11 Group),

due principally to the limited effective range of the

Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt Bf 109 escort fighters.

4

No.12 Group

No.13 Group

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