FlyPast 06.2018

88 FLYPAST June 2018

1918 2018

BRITAIN’S IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO OPERATION

‘BARBAROSSA’ WAS TO INCREASE FIGHTER

COMMAND’S OFFENSIVE OVER FRANCE.

ANDREW THOMAS OUTLINES A COSTLY CAMPAIGN

OFFENSIVE OFFENSIVE

W

inston Churchill broadcast

to the people of Britain

on the evening of June 22,

1941. It had not been lost on the
      great statesman and historian that
      129 years before, to the very day,
      Napoleon had launched his ill-fated
      invasion of Russia.
      Now history was repeating itself,
      Hitler had unleashed Operation
      ‘Barbarossa’, a massive offensive
      across a vast front against his former
      ally, the Soviet Union.
      Despite being passionately anti-
      Communist Churchill told his
      people: “Any man or State who fights
      against Nazism will have our aid...
      That is our policy and that is our
      declaration... It is noteworthy that
      only yesterday the Royal Air Force,
      striking inland over France, cut down
      with very small loss to themselves
      twenty-eight of the ‘Hun’ fighting
      machines in the air above the French
      soil they have invaded, defiled and
      profess to hold. But this is only a

NON-STOP

beginning. From now henceforward

the main expansion of our air force

proceeds with gathering speed.”

Churchill issued a directive that

round-the-clock offensive air action

should start immediately. So began

the ‘Non-Stop Offensive’ on the

Channel Front and it was to shape

the activities of Fighter Command

and Bomber Command’s 2 Group

for the coming months.

As the great man had alluded,

June 21 had been a day of heavy

fighting over northern France, but

this was in pursuit of the existing

RAF policy of ‘leaning into Europe’.

However, as night fell, and the

Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht prepared

for the onslaught against the USSR,

the RAF’s campaign took on new

meaning.

BLENHEIMS AS BAIT

Unrelated to events in the East,

Fighter Command had staged a

large operation the day Barbarossa

opened. This was ‘Circus 18’, with

Hazebrouck, France, as the target for

the six Blenheims of 139 Squadron

with a huge fighter escort. So-called

Circuses had been flown for several

months and were aimed at forcing

enemy fighters to engage their

counterparts in conditions tactically

favourable to the RAF escorts. At this

stage the ‘bait’ was usually Blenheims

W

inston Churchill broadcast

to the people of Britain

on the evening of June 22,

Above

On June 22 Sgt Tommy

Rigler of 609 Squadron

was credited with three

victories on a cross-

Channel Circus. 603

SQUADRON ASSOCIATION

Right

F/Sgt Don Kingaby, a

very successful pilot

with 92 Squadron.

VIA C F SHORES