26 Jun 1857

United Kingdom
  • Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom presented the Victoria Cross award for the first time at Hyde Park, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
18 Mar 1869

United Kingdom
24 Nov 1878

United Kingdom
10 Jul 1886

United Kingdom
27 Sep 1886

United Kingdom
26 Sep 1887

United Kingdom
17 Nov 1887

United Kingdom
5 Feb 1888

United Kingdom
7 Sep 1893

United Kingdom
2 Nov 1893

United Kingdom
23 Dec 1893

United Kingdom
27 Oct 1894

United Kingdom
14 Dec 1895

United Kingdom
  • Prince Albert, future King George VI, was born at York Cottage, Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [George VI | Sandringham, England | CPC]
26 Apr 1896

United Kingdom
16 Nov 1896

United Kingdom
7 Feb 1897

United Kingdom
6 Aug 1897

United Kingdom
1 Jul 1903

United Kingdom
10 Aug 1908

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill and Clementine Hozier became engaged at the Churchill home of Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | Woodstock, England | CPC]
14 Aug 1908

United Kingdom
  • Jean Leith-Marshall was born in the United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Jean Knox | England | CPC]
12 Sep 1908

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill married Clementine Hozier at the Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
19 May 1909

United Kingdom
21 Feb 1910

United Kingdom
20 May 1910

Photo(s) dated 20 May 1910
Nine European monarchs gathering at Windsor Castle for the funeral of King Edward VII, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, 20 May 1910
6 Aug 1910

United Kingdom
  • Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Lion was launched at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. Lion would later see action at Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank and Jutland. ww2dbase [Plymouth, England | AC]
7 Oct 1910

United Kingdom
  • The keel of protected cruiser Zhaohe was laid down by Armstrong-Whitworth at Elswick, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Zhaohe | Elswick, England | CPC]
12 Dec 1910

United Kingdom
14 Dec 1910

United Kingdom
3 Jan 1911

Photo(s) dated 3 Jan 1911
UK Home Secretary Winston Churchill at the scene of the Siege of Sidney Street, London, England, United Kingdom, 3 Jan 1911
22 Feb 1911

United Kingdom
  • Lord Gort married Corinna Vereker at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [John Vereker | London, England | CPC]
20 Jun 1911

United Kingdom
22 Jun 1911

United Kingdom
  • King George V of the United Kingdom was crowned. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • Haiqi and her crew attended the coronation ceremony of King George V of the United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Haiqi | London, England | CPC]
30 Jun 1911

United Kingdom
  • Haiqi participated in the Spithead Naval Review off Gilkicker Point in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Haiqi | Gosport, England | CPC]
  • John David Lamont Morris was born in Reading, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [John Morris | Reading, England | DS]
14 Jul 1911

United Kingdom
29 Sep 1911

United Kingdom
23 Oct 1911

United Kingdom
  • Chinese cruiser Zhaohe was launched at Elswick, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Zhaohe | Elswick, England | CPC]
2 Dec 1911

United Kingdom
  • Yingrui was completed in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Yingrui | England | CPC]
21 Feb 1912

United Kingdom
  • Zhaohe completed her trials in Britain. ww2dbase [Zhaohe | England | CPC]
23 Jun 1912

United Kingdom
20 Feb 1913

United Kingdom
  • The keel of battleship Almirante Cochrane was laid down by Armstrong-Whitworth at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Eagle | Newcastle-on-Tyne, England | CPC]
8 Jun 1913

United Kingdom
  • British Suffragette Emily Davison died of her injuries incurred when she stepped out in front of the King's horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby in southern England, United Kingdom four days earlier. ww2dbase [England | AC]
3 Sep 1913

United Kingdom
  • Lord Gort was appointed the aide-de-camp to General Officer Commanding London District Francis Lloyd. ww2dbase [John Vereker | London, England | CPC]
27 Nov 1913

United Kingdom
  • The dreadnought Admirante Latorre was launched at Armstrong's Elswick yard in England, United Kingdom. Intended for the Chilean Navy, when war broke out in Aug 1914 the as yet unfinished ship was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Canada. Canada was reckoned among the most effective units of the Grand Fleet, with which she served without damage, at the Battle of Jutland. Refitted in Apr 1920, she was at last returned to Chile. In 1929-31 she was extensively modernised at Davenport, England, United Kingdom; receiving oil-burning machinery, anti-torpedo bulges and an anti-aircraft armament. Following the Japanese attack on the US Base at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii in Dec 1941, the USA offered to purchase the veteran battleship from Chile but this was refused, and she remained the Chilean Navy's flagship until Oct 1958. ww2dbase [Newcastle upon Tyne, England | AC]
2 Apr 1914

United Kingdom
9 Mar 1915

United Kingdom
12 Mar 1915

United Kingdom
  • The British Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, signed a secret pact with the Russian Ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom giving Russia the right to post-war control of Constantinople and the Turkish Straits, in return for recognition of British and French aspirations in the remainder of the Ottoman Empire. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
31 May 1915

United Kingdom
  • The first airship raid was made on London, England, United Kingdom by German Army Zeppelin LZ 38. Bombs fell on the East End of the capital, killing seven civilians and injuring at least fourteen more. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
3 Aug 1916

United Kingdom
  • Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson RFC, flying a BE.2c, destroyed the German airship Schütte-Lanz St.11. As a result of this victory, large scale airship raids on London, England, United Kingdom were effectively dissuaded, and Robinson would receive the Victoria Cross in the following month. ww2dbase [England | AC]
23 Sep 1916

United Kingdom
  • Eleven German Zeppelin airships raided England, United Kingdom, with three heading for London. LZ 76 (L-33) was forced to land after being damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and LZ 74 (L-32) was attacked by Second Lieutenant F. Sowrey, causing it to burst into flames. ww2dbase [England | AC]
28 Nov 1916

United Kingdom
  • A German L.V.G. C.II aircraft flown by Deck Offizier R. Brandt dropped six bombs near Victoria railway station in central London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
1 Feb 1917

United Kingdom
19 Feb 1917

United Kingdom
  • The US Ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom was briefed by Reginald "Blinker" Hall, head of the top secret Room 40, about the contents of the intercepted Zimmermann telegram. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
3 Mar 1917

United Kingdom
  • The first prototype Medium Mark A Whippet tank participated in a trial with other models at Oldbury, central England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Medium Mark A Whippet | Oldbury, England | CPC]
20 Mar 1917

United Kingdom
  • Dame Vera Lynn, the popular World War II singer and actress, was born at East Ham, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
25 May 1917

United Kingdom
  • A fleet of 23 German Gotha G.IV bombers commanded by Hauptmann Ernst Brandenburg set out to bomb London, England, United Kingdom, but on reaching the Thames River ran into bad weather and diverted to find an alternative target. The English coastal town of Folkestone was thronged with shoppers when the German aircraft struck. Ninety-five civilians were killed and the air raid cause widespread panic among a populace who now believed that Germany could rain death from the skies over Britain unopposed. The Germans lost two aircraft. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
13 Jun 1917

United Kingdom
  • At midday German Gotha bombers launched from bases in Belgium bombed London, England, United Kingdom, killing 162 civilians and injuring 432. Daily air raids would continue for a month, largely unopposed by the RNAS and Royal Flying Corps. The effect on civilian morale was considerable and damaging, and worker's productivity levels plummeted. The psychological impact was perhaps as damaging to Britain as the loss of life and physical destruction caused by the falling bombs. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
25 Jan 1918

United Kingdom
  • The first aeroplane to be shot down by a night fighter was a German Gotha brought down by British Captain G. H. Hackwell and Lieutenant C. C. Banks during a raid on London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
8 Jun 1918

United Kingdom
18 Jun 1918

United Kingdom
  • Carrier Eagle was towed to Armstrong-Whitworth's High Walker yard on the Tyne River in England, United Kingdom for fitting out. ww2dbase [Eagle | England | CPC]
21 Jul 1918

United Kingdom
14 Jul 1919

Photo(s) dated 14 Jul 1919
Prince Albert of the United Kingdom, Major General Hugh Trenchard, and Colonel C. L. Courtney at the Independent Air Force Dinner, Savoy Hotel, London, England, 14 Jul 1919
11 Sep 1919

United Kingdom
  • Hermes was launched at Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom, sponsored by Mrs. A. Cooper, daughter of the First Lord of the Admiralty, Walter Long. ww2dbase [Hermes | Newcastle, England | CPC]
4 Feb 1920

Photo(s) dated 4 Feb 1920
Lieutenant Colonel Pierre van Ryneveld and First Lieutenant Quinton Brand posing before Vimy aircraft
5 Feb 1920

United Kingdom
  • The world's first Military Air Academy was established at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom to train officer cadets for the British Royal Air Force. ww2dbase [Cranwell, England | AC]
11 May 1920

United Kingdom
  • Oswald Mosley married Lady Cynthia Curzon, the daughter of British Foreign Secretary George Curzon, at St James's Palace in London, England, United Kingdom. Their guests included King George V of the United Kingdom and King Leopold III of Belgium. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | CPC]
1 Dec 1920

United Kingdom
  • Bruce Fraser greeted officers returning from Soviet captivity at Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Bruce Fraser | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
1 Feb 1921

United Kingdom
24 Mar 1921

United Kingdom
  • Carrier Eagle underwent a reconstruction at Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Eagle | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
5 May 1921

United Kingdom
14 May 1921

Photo(s) dated 14 May 1921
Crown Prince Hirohito visiting Oxford, England, United Kingdom, 14 May 1921
15 May 1921

Photo(s) dated 15 May 1921
Japanese Crown Prince Hirohito and UK Prime Minister Lloyd George, England, United Kingdom, 15 May 1921
29 Jun 1921

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, Lady Randolph Churchill died at her London home from gangrene that had set in following the amputation of a leg after a fall. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
28 Feb 1922

United Kingdom
  • Princess Mary, The Princess Royal, married Viscount Lascelles at Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom. The Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future Queen Elizabeth) was one of the bridesmaids. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
19 Oct 1922

United Kingdom
  • A rebellion by Conservative Party Members of Parliament at the Carlton Club in London, England, United Kingdom resulted in a decision to end the Coalition government of Lloyd George. The Prime Minister, who had already lost the support of his influential Foreign Minister, Lord Curzon, was forced to resign, never to return as a major figure in party politics. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
28 Dec 1922

United Kingdom
  • The keel of Rodney was laid down by the firm Cammell Laird at Birkenhead, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Rodney | Birkenhead, England | CPC]
26 Apr 1923

United Kingdom
  • Prince Albert, Duke of York, married the Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
30 Oct 1923

United Kingdom
  • Former British Prime Minister Bonar Law died in London, England, United Kingdom from throat cancer. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
20 Feb 1924

United Kingdom
  • HMS Eagle was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Eagle | England | CPC]
  • Passenger-cargo ship Tilawa was launched at Hawthorn, Leslie & Company at Hebburn on the Tyne, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Tilawa | Hebburn on the Tyne, England | DS]
2 May 1924

United Kingdom
  • Construction of the passenger-cargo ship Tilawa was completed and the ship was turned over to the British India Steam Navigation Company. ww2dbase [Tilawa | Hebburn on the Tyne, England | DS]
26 Jul 1924

United Kingdom
  • HMS Hermes participated in a fleet review in Spithead in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hermes | Spithead, England | CPC]
25 Mar 1925

United Kingdom
  • John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television at Selfridges department store in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
23 Apr 1925

United Kingdom
28 May 1925

United Kingdom
17 Jun 1925

United Kingdom
17 Dec 1925

United Kingdom
  • Battleship Rodney was launched at Birkenhead, England, United Kingdom, sponsored by Princess Mary, the daughter of King George V. ww2dbase [Rodney | Birkenhead, England | CPC]
21 Apr 1926

United Kingdom
  • Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) was born at Mayfair, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
16 May 1927

United Kingdom
  • The keel of HMS York was laid down by the Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company in Jarrow, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [York | Jarrow, England | CPC]
20 May 1927

United Kingdom
  • Roderick Carr and L. E. M. Gillmann departed RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom in an attempt to fly to India without stopping. ww2dbase [Roderick Carr | Cranwell, England | CPC]
15 Feb 1928

United Kingdom
  • Former British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith (Lord Oxford) of the Liberal Party died at his home at Sutton Courtenay, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Sutton Courtenay, England | AC]
23 Feb 1928

United Kingdom
1 May 1928

United Kingdom
  • In the United Kingdom, the train Flying Scotsman successfully ran the 392 miles between Edinburgh, Scotland and London, England without stopping, a record at the time for a scheduled rail service. ww2dbase [England | AC]
17 Jul 1928

United Kingdom
  • HMS York was launched by the Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company in Jarrow, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [York | Jarrow, England | CPC]
1 Aug 1928

United Kingdom
  • The keel of HMS Exeter was laid down at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Exeter | Plymouth, England | AC]
28 Jan 1929

United Kingdom
  • Amy Johnson earned her pilot's certificate in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Amy Johnson | England | CPC]
8 May 1929

United Kingdom
  • The Bristol Bulldog biplane fighter entered service with No. 3 Squadron at RAF Upavon in Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Upavon, England | AC]
8 Jun 1929

United Kingdom
  • Miss Margaret Grace Bondfield (born 1873) became the first woman to hold a (minor) British government post as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour in the Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
9 Jun 1929

United Kingdom
6 Jul 1929

United Kingdom
  • Amy Johnson earned her "A" License for aviation in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Amy Johnson | England | CPC]
18 Jul 1929

United Kingdom
  • HMS Exeter was launched at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Exeter | Plymouth, England | AC]
5 May 1930

United Kingdom
  • Amy Johnson, flying a de Havilland DH.60 Gipsy Moth aircraft, took off from Croydon, Surrey, England, United Kingdom for Australia. ww2dbase [Amy Johnson | Croydon, England | CPC]
3 Jun 1930

United Kingdom
26 Jul 1930

United Kingdom
  • Douglas Bader was made a pilot officer of No. 23 Squadron RAF based at Kenley, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | Kenley, England | CPC]
23 Sep 1930

United Kingdom
29 Sep 1930

United Kingdom
  • HMS Hermes departed Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom for Sheerness in Kent, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hermes | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
12 Nov 1930

United Kingdom
20 Sep 1931

United Kingdom
  • A run on the pound caused by panic in the London Stock Market led to the British national government abandoning the Gold Standard. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
24 Sep 1931

United Kingdom
  • The keel of HMS Neptune was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Neptune | Portsmouth, England | AC]
14 Dec 1931

United Kingdom
  • Douglas Bader suffered an accident at the Reading Aero Club in Reading, England, United Kingdom. His legs, severely injured, were amputated by surgeon J. Leonard Joyce. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | Reading, England | CPC]
29 Jul 1932

United Kingdom
30 Aug 1932

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta began a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
29 Oct 1932

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
14 Nov 1932

United Kingdom
  • Amy Johnson, flying a de Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth aircraft, took off from London, England, United Kingdom for Cape Town, South Africa. ww2dbase [Amy Johnson | London, England | CPC]
28 Nov 1932

United Kingdom
31 Jan 1933

United Kingdom
13 Apr 1933

United Kingdom
  • The London Passenger Transport Board was established by the British Transport Minister Herbert Morrison (who would later be the Home Secretary during the Churchill premiership). ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
26 Jun 1933

United Kingdom
  • The keel of HMS Amphion was laid down at the Royal Dockyard in Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Perth | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
22 Jul 1933

United Kingdom
15 Aug 1933

United Kingdom
  • The keel of HMS Apollo was laid down at the Royal Dockyard in Devonport, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hobart | Devonport, England | CPC]
30 Mar 1934

United Kingdom
  • The 833-ton British steam coastal merchant ship Jim struck a mine a sank two miles south east of Aldburgh on the Suffolk coast, England, United Kingdom. Six of her crew were killed. ww2dbase [Aldburgh, England | HM]
7 Jun 1934

United Kingdom
  • At a large British Union of Fascists rally, attended by 15,000 people who had come to hear Oswald Mosley speak, including some 2,000 Blackshirts acting as stewards, at the Olympia Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom a couple of thousand communist infiltrators heckled to the point where open mass brawling broke out when hecklers were removed by the stewards. This resulted in such bad publicity that the party lost support from many of its influential supporters, who defected away in protest of Mosley's ever more radical and authoritarian methods. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | AC]
8 Aug 1934

United Kingdom
22 Sep 1934

United Kingdom
  • HMS Phaeton was launched at Wallsend on Tyne, England, United Kingdom, sponsored by Mrs. Ethel Bruce, the wife of the High Commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom Stanley Bruce. ww2dbase [Sydney | Wallsend, England | CPC]
18 Nov 1934

United Kingdom
28 Nov 1934

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill warned the House of Commons that should Britain be attacked by hostile forces from the air, as many as 40,000 Londoners would be lost in the first week of war. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
29 Apr 1935

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta began a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
3 Jul 1935

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
12 Jul 1935

United Kingdom
  • Aging Australian cruiser HMAS Brisbane arrived in Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom with a crew for operating the future cruiser HMAS Sydney (currently HMS Phaeton). ww2dbase [Sydney | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
24 Sep 1935

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, newly constructed British cruiser HMS Phaeton was commissioned into Australian service as HMAS Sydney. Aging Australian cruiser HMAS Brisbane, which had brought HMAS Sydney's crew to Britain, was decommissioned from service and was prepared to be sold to Thomas Ward and Company for scrapping. ww2dbase [Sydney | England | CPC]
16 Oct 1935

Photo(s) dated 16 Oct 1935
Vice Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (center) arriving at Southampton, England, United Kingdom for the Third London Naval Conference, 16 Oct 1935
23 Oct 1935

United Kingdom
  • In England, portions of the prototype Hurricane fighter were transported from Kingston upon Thames to Brooklands for assembly for a soon to be held test flight. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Weybridge, England | CPC]
3 Nov 1935

United Kingdom
  • Test pilot George Bulman began familiarizing himself with the prototype Hurricane fighter at Brooklands in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Weybridge, England | CPC]
4 Nov 1935

United Kingdom
  • Hawker engineers informed test pilot George Bulman that the engine of the prototype Hurricane fighter failed the 50-hour endurance test; Bulman ordered a careful evaluation of the engine, but refused to cancel the maiden flight scheduled for two days later. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Weybridge, England | CPC]
6 Nov 1935

United Kingdom
  • The prototype Hawker Hurricane fighter made its maiden flight over Brooklands near Weybridge, Surrey, England, United Kingdom, with George Bulman at the cockpit. Bulman failed to file an official report of the flight, but in his casual notes he expressed minor concern with the engine running at high temperatures, minor concerns with the creaking and flexing of the canopy, and general satisfaction with this new aircraft design. Hurricane fighters would later become the first RAF monoplane with enclosed cockpit, eight guns, and retractable landing gear, and the first to exceed 300 mph. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Weybridge, England | AC, CPC]
20 Jan 1936

United Kingdom
  • British King George V passed away at Sandringham House, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Sandringham, England | AC]
5 Mar 1936

United Kingdom
  • Supermarine prototype Type 300 aircraft took flight from Eastleigh airfield in England, United Kingdom; this aircraft would later be named Spitfire. ww2dbase [Spitfire | Eastleigh, England | AC]
  • Hawker's prototype fighter K5083 was delivered to Martelesham Heath airfield in Suffolk, England, United Kingdom for testing. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Martelesham Heath, England | CPC]
27 May 1936

United Kingdom
  • The transatlantic ocean liner RMS Queen Mary made her maiden voyage, departing from Southampton, England, United Kingdom. Converted into a troopship in World War II she would carry thousands of American troops across to Europe. ww2dbase [Queen Mary | Southampton, England | AC]
14 Jul 1936

United Kingdom
  • RAF Fighter Command's Headquarters moved from RAF Uxbridge to Bentley Priory in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [England | AC]
16 Jul 1936

United Kingdom
  • An attempt was made to assassinate British King Edward VIII in London, England, United Kingdom. An Irish malcontent, Jerome Brannigan (otherwise known as George Andrew McMahon), produced a loaded revolver as the King rode on horseback at Constitution Hill, near Buckingham Palace. Police spotted the gun and pounced on him; he was quickly arrested. At Brannigan's trial, he alleged that "a foreign power" had approached him to kill Edward, that he had informed MI5 of the plan, and that he was merely seeing the plan through to help MI5 catch the real culprits. The court rejected the claims and sent him to jail for a year. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
17 Aug 1936

United Kingdom
  • The Hurricane prototype fighter took another test flight at Brooklands near Weybridge, Surrey, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Weybridge, England | CPC]
9 Sep 1936

United Kingdom
  • The Non-Intervention Committee met for the first time in London, England, United Kingdom. It was created to prevent personnel and matériel reaching the warring parties of the Spanish Civil War. ww2dbase [The Spanish Civil War | London, England | AC]
4 Oct 1936

United Kingdom
  • Battle of Cable Street: In Britain, Sir Oswald Ernald, 6th Baronet, Mosley, led around 2,000 BUF members in uniform in a march through the East End (an area of London known to have a high proportion of Jewish residents and much poverty) in an attempt designed to intimidate local Jews and rally fascist sympathisers. This was a fatal mistake, for waiting for him in Cable Street were around 100,000 counter-demonstrators who had overturned a lorry and piled up bricks as a barricade. The police seeing what was about to happen ordered Moseley and his men to turn away. They did. The police then turned on the anti-fascist demonstrators and in the ensuing fracas more than a hundred people were injured and eighty arrested. This confrontation was just as disastrous to the BUF as the Olympia rally had been. Moderates deserted in droves. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | AC]
30 Oct 1936

United Kingdom
  • The Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park, London, England, United Kingdom for the Great Exhibition in 1851, was destroyed by fire. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
31 Oct 1936

United Kingdom
  • The Jarrow Marchers arrived in London, England, United Kingdom. This protest was the best remembered of the hunger marches of the depression years. Led by their Labour Party Member of Parliament Ellen Wilkinson (1891-1947), 200 shipyard workers marched to London from Jarrow as a demonstration against the massive unemployment in northeastern England. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
12 Nov 1936

United Kingdom
  • During a debate in the House of Commons, Winston Churchill attacked the British government for its slow progress on rearmament. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
30 Jan 1937

United Kingdom
  • The first production Wellesley bomber took flight at Brooklands in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Wellesley | Weybridge, England | AC]
9 Apr 1937

United Kingdom
  • A Ki-15/Karigane aircraft, named "Kamikaze", landed in London. The flight from Tokyo to London broke the world record, while "Kamikaze" became the first Japanese aircraft to fly over Europe. ww2dbase [Ki-15 | London, England | CPC]
1 May 1937

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta arrived at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom and began a period of refitting. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
3 May 1937

United Kingdom
11 May 1937

Photo(s) dated 11 May 1937
King George VI of the United Kingdom with Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King at the Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom, 11 May 1937
12 May 1937

United Kingdom
  • The coronation of King George VI took place at Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 12 May 1937
Ba Maw in traditional Burmese clothing at King George VI coronation, Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom, 12 May 1937
20 May 1937

United Kingdom
  • The Fairey Battle light bomber entered service with No. 63 Squadron at RAF Upwood near Upwood, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle | Upwood, England | CPC]
  • HMS Hermes participated at the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hermes | Spithead, England | CPC]
  • HMS Glorious participated in the Coronation Fleet Review held at Spithead off Hampshire, southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Glorious | Spithead, England | AC]
24 May 1937

United Kingdom
  • Garland entered drydocks at Sheerness, England, United Kingdom for a scheduled overhaul. ww2dbase [Garland | Sheerness, England | CPC]
25 May 1937

United Kingdom
  • British Royal Air Force took ownership over prototype Hurricane fighter K5083 at Martelesham Heath airfield in Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Martelesham Heath, England | CPC]
29 May 1937

United Kingdom
  • Hurricane prototype fighter K5083 was revealed to the public during the Empire Air Day exhibitions at Felixstowe and Martlesham in Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hurricane | England | CPC]
5 Jul 1937

United Kingdom
26 Aug 1937

United Kingdom
  • The keel of destroyer Kelly was laid down by Hawthorn Leslie and Company in Hebburn, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Kelly | Hebburn, England | AC]
1 Sep 1937

United Kingdom
  • No. 5 Group, RAF Bomber Command was established under the command of Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Travis with its headquarters at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Mildenhall, England | AC]
12 Oct 1937

United Kingdom
  • Hurricane prototype fighter K5083 took its final flight; on the same day, the first production Hurricane fighter took its first flight at Brooklands near Weybridge, Surrey, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Weybridge, England | CPC]
  • Lieutenant-General Sir William Bartholomew was appointed General Officer Commanding, Northern Command with its Headquarters in York, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [York, England | AC]
25 Dec 1937

United Kingdom
  • The first production Hurricane fighters began to be delivered to No. 111 Squadron RAF at Northolt, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Northolt, England | CPC]
1 Jan 1938

United Kingdom
  • Although Hurricane fighters had been arriving for the past week, this date was the official date that No. 111 Squadron RAF (based at RAF Northolt, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom) converted to operate these newly developed fighters. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Northolt, England | CPC]
31 Mar 1938

United Kingdom
  • The keel of cruiser HMS Mauritius was laid down by Swan Hunter at Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Mauritius | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | CPC]
11 Apr 1938

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
3 May 1938

United Kingdom
23 May 1938

United Kingdom
31 May 1938

United Kingdom
  • Garland entered drydocks at Sheerness, England, United Kingdom for a scheduled overhaul and repairs on her low-pressure turbines. ww2dbase [Garland | Sheerness, England | CPC]
29 Jun 1938

United Kingdom
  • British cruiser HMS Amphion was recommissioned as Australian cruiser HMAS Perth at Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Perth | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
16 Jul 1938

United Kingdom
  • HMS Hermes was transferred from the Reserve Fleet for training duties at Devonport, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hermes | Devonport, England | CPC]
28 Jul 1938

United Kingdom
6 Sep 1938

United Kingdom
  • HMAS Albatross arrived at Devonport, England, United Kingdom with a crew to man the cruiser soon-to-be transferred to Australia as HMAS Hobart. ww2dbase [Hobart | Devonport, England | CPC]
7 Sep 1938

United Kingdom
  • The newspaper Times of London published an editorial suggesting that Czechoslovakia had much to gain in terms of achieving ethnic homogeneity should it allowed Sudetenland to secede. Once again, leader of the Sudeten Nazi Party Konrad Henlein announced that he would cut off communications with the Czechoslovakian government. ww2dbase [Munich Conference and the Annexation of Sudetenland | London, England | CPC]
16 Sep 1938

United Kingdom
21 Sep 1938

United Kingdom
  • On the last leg of her extended shakedown cruise, cruiser USS Nashville departed Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom bound for New York. The ship was also laden with 25 tons of British gold bullion bound for the United States. ww2dbase [Nashville | Portsmouth, England | DS]
22 Sep 1938

United Kingdom
  • USS Honolulu departed Portsmouth, England bound for the United States with $20,000,000 in gold bullion being transferred from the Bank of England to the New York Federal Reserve Bank. ww2dbase [Honolulu | Portsmouth, England | DS]
Photo(s) dated 22 Sep 1938
Neville Chamberlain preparing to board a Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra aircraft for negotiations in Germany, Heston Aerodrome, London, England, United Kingdom, 22 Sep 1938
30 Sep 1938

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 30 Sep 1938
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain approaching press microphones at Heston Aerodrome near London, England, United Kingdom, upon his return from the Munich Conference, 30 Sep 1938. Note 2 Lockheed Super Electras.
25 Oct 1938

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 25 Oct 1938
Launching of HMS Kelly at the Hawthorn Leslie yard, 25 Oct 1938Antonia Kelly and others at the launch party of HMS Kelly, Hawthorn Leslie yard, Hebburn, England, United Kingdom, 25 Oct 1938
3 Nov 1938

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta began a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
20 Nov 1938

United Kingdom
  • Queen Maud of Norway passed away from heart failure at the age of 68 following surgery in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
17 Jan 1939

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
2 Mar 1939

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta began aiding Vickers-Armstrongs in testing ASDIC equipment for the Argentinian light cruiser La Argentina. ww2dbase [Acasta | England | CPC]
13 Mar 1939

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed ASDIC testing work with Vickers-Armstrongs. ww2dbase [Acasta | England | CPC]
21 Mar 1939

United Kingdom
  • French President Albert Lebrun visited London, England, United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain attempted to persuade Lebrun to enter into a British-French-Polish alliance to contain Germany; a similar proposal was also sent to the Polish leadership via the British ambassador in Warsaw, Poland, but the Polish responded coolly. On the same day, in Berlin, Germany, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop expressed that if Poland continued to not agree with German demands for Danzig and if Poland continued to resist signing the Anti-Comintern Pact, then the present German-Polish friendship would deteriorate. ww2dbase [The Danzig Crisis | London, England | CPC]
6 Apr 1939

United Kingdom
  • The 30 Mar 1939 British-French-Polish agreement to mutually guarantee each others' borders was signed into a formal treaty in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [The Danzig Crisis | London, England | CPC]
16 Apr 1939

United Kingdom
  • The Soviet ambassador in Britain made the final attempt to form some kind of alliance between the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union to contain German aggression. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
26 Jun 1939

United Kingdom
  • The British Royal Navy and the British Foreign Office reported that Britain could only break the Japanese blockade on the British concession in Tianjin, China by deploying warships to the area. However, given the current tensions with Germany, such a deployment would not be advisable. ww2dbase [Tianjin Incident | London, England | CPC]
15 Jul 1939

United Kingdom
19 Jul 1939

United Kingdom
  • British light cruiser HMS Mauritius was launched at the Swan Hunter shipyard in Wallsend, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Wallsend, England | CPC]
  • HMS Mauritius was launched at Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Mauritius | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | CPC]
20 Jul 1939

United Kingdom
  • British Foreign Secretary Halifax met with Swedish businessman Birger Dahlerus in London, England, United Kingdom, telling him to approach Hermann Göring for possible Anglo-German negotiations to avoid war. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]
28 Jul 1939

United Kingdom
  • The German embassy in London, England, United Kingdom reported to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany that the British was attempting to start talks with the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact | London, England | CPC]
1 Aug 1939

United Kingdom
  • German Ambassador to Britain Herbert von Dirksen reported to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany that the British-Soviet talks did not seem to be proceeding well. ww2dbase [Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact | London, England | CPC]
24 Aug 1939

United Kingdom
  • The Emergency Powers (Defence) Bill was passed by the British Parliament, which bill was renewed on an annual basis throughout the war. In theory all existing laws were set aside. In future Ministers and departments would issue new regulations as Orders in Council, which would have the force of law. The Government was empowered to enter and search premises; to prosecute and punish offenders, detaining indefinitely and without trial those whose detention "appears expedient"; and to suspend or alter any existing laws. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
31 Aug 1939

United Kingdom
  • Evacuation order for London civilians orders given by the United Kingdom Ministry of Health, to be executed on the next day, with special note stressing that it did not necessarily meant war was inevitable. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
2 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
  • The Times Literary Supplement reported that the copy of the Magna Carta owned by the Lincoln Cathedral of England, United Kingdom, currently on display at the 1939 New York World's Fair, would remain in the United States under the care of the Library of Congress for the duration of the war. It would be stored at Fort Knox until its return to Lincoln in 1944. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
3 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
  • British Member of Parliament Winston Churchill became the First Lord of the Admiralty, a post he had held during the Great War. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
  • At 1115 hours, British Prime Minsiter Neville Chamberlain announced over radio that because Germany had failed to withdraw troops from Poland by 1100 hours, a state of war now existed between the United Kingdom and Germany. ww2dbase [Invasion of Poland | Neville Chamberlain | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 3 Sep 1939
Typed script of the radio address King George VI of the United Kingdom delivered announcing Britain’s entry into the war with Germany, Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK, Sept 3, 1939. Page 1 of 2.Typed script of the radio address King George VI of the United Kingdom delivered announcing Britain’s entry into the war with Germany, Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK, Sept 3, 1939. Page 2 of 2.
4 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
8 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
  • King George VI of Britain suggested to Lord Hankey, Minister without Portfolio, that the Government might not reject any German peace proposals out of hand, but should instead say that "We are prepared to discuss terms with the German people, but not with Hitler or his regime". ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | AC]
9 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
22 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
  • Sidney Cotton was made a Squadron Leader and honorary Wing Commander of the RAF. ww2dbase [Sidney Cotton | England | CPC]
24 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill noted that the past three weeks since the European War had begun had been the longest he had ever lived. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | England | CPC]
8 Oct 1939

United Kingdom
30 Oct 1939

United Kingdom
7 Nov 1939

United Kingdom
11 Nov 1939

United Kingdom
  • Built by Newport Ship Building in the United States, the 4,576-ton Greek owned Elenor R. struck a mine off the Shambles, Portland on the British south coast. The ship was on her way to Antwerp, Belgium from Rosario, Argentina and sank immediately. The crew were rescued; there were no casualties. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | England | HM]
22 Nov 1939

United Kingdom
  • The 1,006-ton merchant steamer Lowland struck a mine two miles east-north-east from the NE Gunfleet Buoy in the Thames Estuary in Britain. Nine crew members died. She belonged to the Shipping and Coal Company and was taking coal into London. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | England | HM]
23 Nov 1939

United Kingdom
8 Dec 1939

United Kingdom
12 Dec 1939

United Kingdom
  • Off the British coast, at 0815 hours, the 496-ton ship Marwick Head taking coal to London from Boness, near Grangemouth, Scotland, struck a mine laid by U-59 and sank 0.5 miles South of the North Caister Buoy, off Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Five crew members were lost, the captain and four other crew were rescued and taken to Great Yarmouth. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | England | HM]
18 Dec 1939

United Kingdom
  • The first Canadian troops arrived in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [England | TH]
20 Dec 1939

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta began a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
28 Dec 1939

United Kingdom
  • The British Ministry of Food announced that sugar would be rationed from 8 Jan 1940 and meat from a date still to be fixed. The Minister of Food William Morrison said this would release foreign exchange and provide shipping space for the importation of armaments and raw materials. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
5 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta completed a period of refitting at HM Dockyard, Devonport in Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
9 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • British liner SS Dunbar Castle hit a naval mine and sank off Ramsgate in southeastern England, United Kingdom. 9 were killed immediately, including the captain. Chief Officer Herbert Robinson of Dunbar Castle was later awarded the Order of the British Empire for evacuating 189 survivors. ww2dbase [Ramsgate, England | CPC]
11 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • British oil tanker SS El Oso hit a naval mine and sank 6 miles west of the Bar Lightship, Liverpool, England, at about 1100 hours. 3 men were killed, 32 were rescued by destroyer HMS Walker. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | CPC]
14 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
16 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • British tanker Inverdargle, with 12,000 tons of aviation fuel aboard, struck a naval mine in the Bristol Channel at 1619 hours. All 49 aboard were killed. ww2dbase [Bristol Channel, England | CPC]
19 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • British destroyer Grenville hit a naval mine and sank in the Thames Estuary in southern England, United Kingdom at 1250 hours, killing 77. 108 survivors were rescued by two destroyers that braved the minefield. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
23 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • MI5 debriefed NKVD defector Walter Krivitsky at the Langham Hotel in London, England, United Kingdom. The former Soviet resident agent in Holland would describe over hundred Soviet agents working in Europe, including sixteen who were British subjects. Yet the single officer tasked with investigating the claims failed to spot, among those named, MI6 traitor Kim Philby. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
26 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • Believing that Germany would not be able to directly attack Britain, about half of the 750,000 children evacuated from London, England, United Kingdom since Sep 1939 had returned to their homes in the city. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
31 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • HMS Acasta escorted HMS light cruiser Ajax into Plymouth, England, United Kingdom as Ajax returned from her engagement with German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. ww2dbase [Acasta | Plymouth, England | CPC]
1 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • In the British House of Commons, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declined to accept a suggestion by Herbert Morrison that a Minister of War Economy should be appointed on the grounds that such a post would do nothing which was not already being done. ww2dbase [Neville Chamberlain | London, England | AC]
3 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • The Norwegian steam ship Tempo was on a voyage from Methil, Scotland, United Kingdom to Hull, England, United Kingdom with a cargo of paper. Being a neutral the ship was marked as such. She was attacked by three German aircraft as the ship passed close to the Longstone Lighthouse, seven miles off the coast. The first attack was with machine guns after which the aircraft attacked with bombs, one of which hit the stern of the Tempo. The captain immediately ordered the ship to be abandoned as the Tempo was sinking rapidly. A third pass over the ship was made in which four bombs were dropped near missing the freighter, the survivors reported that the aircraft then fired at the lifeboats only missing them by a metre. The bombers continued to circle the area for twenty minutes as the lifeboats headed for the shore however the boat under command of the first mate capsized in the heavy surf and five of the men were drowned, the sole survivor luckily being washed onto the beach. The other boat under command of the captain were picked up by a rescue vessel. An inquiry was held in Oslo, Norway where the attack was noted and the German authorities notified of the event. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Bamburg, England | HM]
7 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 4,305-ton Belfast-Liverpool ferry boat Munster, owned by Coast Lines Ltd Liverpool, with 45 crew and 190 passengers on board, as well as cargoes of food stuffs and textiles, triggered a magnetic mine (laid by German submarine U-30 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp) on 6 Jan 1940) in the Queen's Channel northwest of the Mersey Light at 0600 hours. The master, 44 crew members, and 190 passengers were picked up by the British coaster Ringwall and taken to Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | CPC, HM]
9 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 5,406-ton British steam merchant Chagres, carrying 1,500 tons of bananas from Victoria in the Cameroons, hit a mine and sank 5.5 miles from the Bar Light Vessel near Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. The mine was deployed by German submarine U-30 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp) on 6 Jan 1940. Two crewmen were killed in the explosion but the master and the other 61 were picked up by the AST HMS Loch Montreith and brought into Liverpool. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | CPC, HM]
21 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • The cavity magnetron, a device that produced stable high-power short-wave radio waves for what would become "Centrimetric radar" was operated for the first time at the physics department of the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Edgbaston, England | AC]
22 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • Irish Republican Army bombs injured 12 in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
23 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • The citizens of London, England, United Kingdom cheered the officers and men of HMS Exeter and HMS Ajax as they returned from South American waters. ww2dbase [Battle of the River Plate | London, England | CPC]
24 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 5,941-ton cargo steamer Clan Morrison, requisitioned by the British Admiralty, was steaming from Southampton to Blyth struck a mine and sank 20 miles north of Cromer, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Cromer, England | HM]
2 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 5,222-ton Italian steam tanker Mirella, built in 1918, was on route from Tyne, England, United Kingdom for Livorno, Italy with 3,900 tons of coal when she was torpedoed by German submarine U-20 just off Lowestoft, Suffolk, England at 0315 hours. One member of her crew was lost. ww2dbase [Lowestoft, England | HM]
11 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
12 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 3,745-ton British steam merchant Gardenia was en route from Casablanca, Morocco to Middlebourgh, England, United Kingdom, when she struck a mine and sank off Cromer, Norfolk, east coast of England. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Cromer, England | HM]
13 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • Punjabi nationalist Udham Singh assassinated Sir Michael O'Dwyer in Caxton Hall in Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom in retaliation for Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in India. O'Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab at the time of the massacre. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
14 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • First "bombe" decipher machine became operational at Bletchley Park in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Bletchley Park | Milton Keynes, England | CPC]
  • British Foreign Minister Lord Halifax began to ask Finland to return some of the supplies that the British had given to Finland for the Winter War. He retracted the request shortly after Finnish Ambassador to London G. A. Gripenberg reminded him that Finland had paid for the relatively small amount of goods that Britain offered. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]
17 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • British miners from Nottinghamshire, England voted to forgo vacations to support the war effort. ww2dbase [Nottinghamshire, England | CPC]
18 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • HMS Edinburgh arrived at Tyne, England, United Kingdom for a refit. ww2dbase [Edinburgh | Tyne, England | CPC]
  • Alan Turing's first electromechanical machine, "bombe", was installed. ww2dbase [Alan Turing | England | CPC]
22 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • The first boats of the French 10th Submarine Flotilla, Sibylle, Antiope, and Amazone, arrived at Harwich on the east coast of England, United Kingdom together with their depot ship Jules Verne. The boats would reinforce the British Home Fleet. 5 more boats would arrive during the next 10 days plus some boats of the 2nd Submarine Flotilla. The Sibylle would be the first to go out on active war patrol. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Harwich, England | HM]
26 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • The British War Cabinet debated French Prime Minister Reynaud's proposal of attacking Soviet oilfields at Baku on the Caspian Sea and Soviet shipping in the Black Sea. Agreeing with the British Prime Minister Chamberlain, the proposals were rejected by the cabinet. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
12 Apr 1940

United Kingdom
  • Corporal Jack H. Langridge of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, assigned to a Wellington bomber of No. 149 Squadron RAF, became the first of 1,670 New Zealanders to be killed while serving with RAF Bomber Command during the war. The aircraft took off from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, attacked Stavanger Airfield in Norway during daylight, and was shot down around 1610 hours by a Bf 110 fighter just off of the coast southwest of Stavanger. ww2dbase [Invasion of Denmark and Norway | Mildenhall, England | AC]
22 Apr 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 199-ton Dutch steam merchant Wocana on voyage from Antwerp, Belgium to Goole in the Humber Estuary, north east coast of England, United Kingdom, carrying a cargo of sand, sank after being in a collision with British corvette HMS Pintail (L 21/K 21). The Wacona sank within five minutes but the crew was saved. HMS Pintail would recover from the collision. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | England | HM]
24 Apr 1940

United Kingdom
  • British House of Commons approved a trade agreement with Spain; it was the first since the Spanish Civil War. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
  • Three British cargo merchant steamers were sunk by aerial mines off the River Thames Estuary, England, United Kingdom. The 1,149-ton Stokesley had been on her way to London, England from Antwerp, Belgium carrying 1,600 tons of ammonium sulphate. The 1,969-ton Lolworth from Portsmouth, England on her way to the Tyne in northeastern England in ballast and the 1,049-ton Rydal Force from Sunderland, England for Cowes in the Isle of Wight with coal. Fifteen of the Stokesley's crew died, eleven died on board the Rydal Force, and eight were wounded on board the Lolworth. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | England | HM]
25 Apr 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 2,470-ton ship Margam Abbey was sunk whilst exiting the Thames Estuary, England, United Kingdom after hitting an aerial laid mine. The ship's bows were blown off and she sank within minutes. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | England | HM]
27 Apr 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 628-ton British merchant ship Thornhill was involved in a collision with the Circle south of Torbay, England, United Kingdom and sank. She was on route from Barry, Wales, United Kingdom to Caen, France. ww2dbase [Torbay, England | HM]
30 Apr 1940

United Kingdom
  • A German Heinkel bomber crashed into a house in Clacton, Essex, England, United Kingdom and its mines exploded, killing two civilians and injuring 132 others. They were the first civilian casualties of the war in England. ww2dbase [Clacton, England | AC]
1 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • British government passed a trade union agreement which allowed women to work in munitions factories. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
  • A German bomber crashed in Essex, England, United Kingdom, killing the crew and two civilians, wounding a further 150 people. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | TH]
5 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • Norway established a government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
10 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • RAF Kirton in Lindsey was officially opened as the Fighter Command base responsible for the air defence of the Humber area in northern England, United Kingdom. It had its satellites Coleby Grange, south of Lincoln, and Hibaldstow, just three miles away. No. 222 Squadron, whose pilots included the legendary Douglas Bader, were moved north with their Spitfire fighters from Duxford and were joined by the Hurricane fighters of No. 253 Squadron from Kenley. Bader was later to recall his time at Kirton as the period of "fun" for the squadron. ww2dbase [Lincoln, England | AC]
11 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • Isaac Sweers arrived at the Thorneycroft shipyard in Southampton, England, United Kingdom by tow. ww2dbase [Isaac Sweers | Southampton, England | CPC]
  • Sir Archibald Sinclair replaces Sir Samuel Hoare as the British Secretary of State for Air. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
12 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, about 2,000 people were rounded on the direction of British Home Secretary Sir John Anderson, on the recommendation by Sir John Dill, Vice-Chief of the Imperial General Staff, that, on military grounds, adult male aliens along the coast in the south east and east of England should be immediately interned for the duration. ww2dbase [England | AC]
13 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • The Dutch Royal Family and the Dutch government arrived in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
14 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill told American Ambassador to the United Kingdom Joseph Kennedy that even if Britain was to be conquered by Germany, the British government would continue the fight from Canada with the Royal Navy. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
15 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • In London, England, United Kingdom, at a British cabinet meeting attended by Winston Churchill, Archibald Sinclair, Lord Beaverbrook, and Cyril Newall, Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding argued the case for expanding the strength of RAF Fighter Command to 52 squadrons for the immediate air defence of Britain. Despite his insistence that no more squadrons should be sent to France orders were still given to send four more squadrons to France. ww2dbase [Hugh Dowding | London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 15 May 1940
HMS Kelly on the River Tyne in England, United Kingdom after S-Boat damage off the Netherlands, mid-May 1940
19 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 2,197-ton HMS Princess Victoria, an old steam ferry requisitioned by the British Admiralty for use as an auxiliary-minelayer, part of the Humber Force, struck a mine at the River Humber entrance on the east coast of England, United Kingdom and sank quickly taking over 30 of her crew with her. She was equipped with an outfit of up to 244 mines, one single 10.16-centimeter QF (4-inch Quick-Firing) gun and two single 5.44-kilogram (12-pounder) anti-aircraft guns. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | England | HM]
22 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • Cryptologist in Bletchley Park, England broke the Luftwaffe Enigma code. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | Bletchley Park | Milton Keynes, England | TH]
  • In London, England, United Kingdom, a Home Morale Emergency Committee was set up to advise the Ministry of Information on how to combat defeatism in Britain. Its chairman was the diplomat, author and wit, Mr. (later Sir) Harold Nicolson, a junior Minister for Information. Another member of the board was the Director of the National Gallery and future Television presenter, Kenneth (later Lord) Clark. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
30 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 338-ton British Boom defence vessel Cambrian, built in 1924 by Cochrane & Sons Shipbuilders Ltd. and owned at the time of her loss by British Royal Navy, was sunk by a mine at Spithead roadstead in southern England, United Kingdom whilst attending the Solent Boom. 23 people lost their lives. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Spithead, England | HM]
31 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • Without regard to her own safety, WAAF Corporal Daphne Pearson pulled Pilot Officer Bond, from his crashed Anson aircraft at RAF Detling, Kent, England, United Kingdom moments before the 120-pound bombs still on board exploded. For her selfless bravery, Corporal Pearson would be awarded the British Empire Medal for gallantry (later exchanged for the George Cross – the first George Cross awarded to a woman) and a Commission. ww2dbase [Detling, England | AC]
16 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
  • Company Sergeant Major George Gristock of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment, British Army died in Brighton, England, United Kingdom, from wounds he had received while winning the Victoria Cross on 21 May 1940 in an action near the River Escault, Belgium. ww2dbase [Brighton, England | AC]
18 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
  • British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made the "the Battle of France is over... I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin" speech before the House of Commons. "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour'." On the same day, Churchill wrote to the Commander-in-Chief Home Forces asking for ideas for the creation of "Storm Troops" to be "ready to spring at the throat of any small landing or descent"; secretly he intended to use such a force as the basis for Commando raids on the continent. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC, AC]
  • After dark, seventy-one Luftwaffe aircraft crossed the English Channel in the first major air raid on Great Britain. Some were attempting to destroy the oil storage tanks at Thameshaven while others were targeting the airfields at Mildenhall and Honington. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | AC]
19 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
  • Oberleutnant Joachim von Arnim, of German Luftwaffe Kampfeschwader 4, was reported to have been the first member of the German armed forces to have been captured by British Local Defence Volunteers, forerunners of the Home Guard. His Heinkel III bomber tasked to attack railway goods yards near Cambridge, England, United Kingdom, but was shot down at Fulbourne (five miles from Cambridge) by a Spitfire fighter from No. 19 Squadron and Squadron Leader O'Brien in a Blenheim bomber of No. 23 Squadron. Both of the British aircraft involved were also shot down by return fire; from the Blenheim, O'Brien survived, but his navigator and his gunner were both killed. Parachuting into a potato field, Arnim and two other members of the four-man crew were arrested by LDV member Ron Barnes, a farm labourer, and handed over to a nearby searchlight post from where they were escorted under guard to barracks in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. These Germans were the first airmen to be captured by the LDV. ww2dbase [Fulbourne, England | AC]
21 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
  • HMS Campbell (D 60) landed 38 survivors of steam merchant Empire Conveyor, sunk by German submarine U-122 on the previous day, at Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | HM]
22 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, the second evacuation plan by the London County council resulted in over 100,000 children being evacuated to the west. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
  • Charles de Gaulle broadcast a speech from London, England, United Kingdom on the BBC; in this broadcast, he used the term Free French for the first time, while declaring himself the French leader in exile. ww2dbase [Charles de Gaulle | London, England | CPC]
  • British Foreign Secretary Halifax had his undersecretary Richard Butler contact Swedish Minister in London, England, United Kindom Björn Prytz for a possible Anglo-German negotiations. Germans intercepted Prytz's report back to Stockholm and concluded that the war with Britain was likely to end by the end of the summer. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]
  • Noor Inayat Khan arrived at Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom with her family. ww2dbase [Noor Inayat Khan | Falmouth, England | CPC]
  • Eight survivors of Dutch steamer Berenice, which was sunk by German submarine U-65 on the previous day, were landed at Falmouth, England, United Kingdom. The ninth survivor of the sinking, the Berenice's master, died from his wounds after being rescued. ww2dbase [Falmouth, England | HM]
  • The British motor yacht Campeador V (FY002) was requisitioned for war service on harbour patrol duties at hire rate £60.0.0d per month. She was sunk after activating a magnetic mine just south of Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. 20 people lost their lives; two crew members were picked up. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Portsmouth, England | HM]
26 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
28 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
  • Douglas Bader was named the commanding officer of No. 242 Squadron RAF, flying Hurricane fighters, based at RAF Coltishall at Norwich, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | Norwich, England | CPC]
29 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
  • Greek steam merchant Orion landed the four survivors of Dutch motor tanker Moordrecht at Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. Moordrecht had been sunk by German submarine U-48 nine days prior. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | HM]
1 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • British liner Arandora Star departed Liverpool, England for Canada with 479 German and 734 Italian civilian internees, 86 German prisoners of war, and 374 British crew and guards. Some of the civilian internees were Jewish refugees who had previously been able to escape from Nazi Germany. Arandora Star failed to display a red cross to denote that she was carrying civilians and prisoners of war. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | CPC]
  • The Free French government-in-exile established its own Military Intelligence Service under Major André Dewavrin - Service de Renseignements. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • Winston Churchill recorded in his diary that during a meeting with the US Ambassador, Joseph Kennedy had stated that Britain was beaten and that Adolf Hitler would be in London by the 15th of August. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
4 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill received his first standing ovation in the House of Commons as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after delivering a speech justifying the attack on French warships. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
5 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, the south coast of England for twenty miles inland from Bexhill was declared to be a "Defence Area". ww2dbase [England | AC]
8 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
9 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • Douglas Bader's No. 242 Squadron RAF, based at RAF Coltishall at Norwich, England, United Kingdom, was declared fully operational. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | Norwich, England | CPC]
  • King George VI made a royal visit to RAF Digby during which he presented a Distinguished Flying Cross to Flying Officer Guy Gibson, the future leader of the Dambusters Squadron. ww2dbase [George VI | Scopwick, England | AC]
11 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • German aircraft attacked the British Royal Navy Base at Portland in southern England, United Kingdom; 1 British Hurricane fighter, 2 British Spitfire fighters, 2 German Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers, and 2 German Bf 109 fighters were shot down. Off the eastern coast of England Hurricane fighters of No. 66 Squadron RAF attacked a Do 17 bombers on a reconnaissance mission, shooting it down but they also one of their own. Off the coast of Kent in southern England, a German rescue seaplane escorted by 12 Bf 109 fighters was shot down by the British while en route to rescue downed German airmen; 2 of the 6 Spitfire fighters and 2 of the 12 Bf 109 fighters were also lost. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Douglas Bader shot down a German Do 17 aircraft off the coast of Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | England | CPC]
  • 1,120-ton converted steam luxury yacht HMS Warrior II was on her way back to Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom when she was seen by a flight of over 50 German bombers. The aircraft attacked in two waves, dropping bombs all around the zigzagging ship. Armed only with a single Lewis machine gun she fought back but was hit by a bomb dropped in the second wave. The bomb went through the decks and Warrior II started to sink. All the crew got away from the ship save for the Chief Steward who had been in the wardroom when the bomb passed through the ship. Warrior II had been built by Fredrick Vanderbilt in 1904 and was then the most luxurious yacht in the world. After almost being wrecked she was sold, she served as HMS Warrior during WW1 and then was used as a hospital ship in the Spanish Civil War, then sold off and then taken over by the British Admiralty. Fitted out with depth charges and a Lewis machine gun she was given the task of escorting British submarines between ports of Portsmouth and Plymouth. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | England | HM]
12 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • German He 111 and Do 17 bombers attacked Allied convoy code named Booty off of Essex and Suffolk, England, United Kingdom; 2 British Spitfire fighters and 1 British Hurricane fighter were lost in the battle, but they prevented sinkings. In southern England, German Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers attacked Portland and Exeter, losing two aircraft. At Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom, a He 111 bomber on a reconnaissance mission was intercepted and shot down, but was able to release one bomb on the city before crashing into the city's ice rink. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
14 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • Free French leader Charles de Gaulle celebrated Bastille Day at the Cenotaph in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Charles de Gaulle | London, England | CPC]
  • British armed merchant cruiser HMS Esperance Bay departed Plymouth, England, United Kingdom at 1250 hours with £10,000,000 in gold. She was intercepted and bombed by German aircraft 100 miles west of the port, killing 7, but she was able to return to Plymouth without losing her cargo. ww2dbase [Plymouth, England | CPC]
15 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • The United States Marine Corps established the Marine Detachment, London in Britain, consisted of the 12th Marine Company. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • Hampden bombers from RAF Hemswell in England, United Kingdom were sent, in one of the most daring attacks of the war, to raid Wilhelmshaven, Germany in an attempt to cripple the Tirpitz and Admiral Scheer. Six aircraft were detailed to attack Tirpitz and two to attack Admiral Scheer. Other aircraft were detailed to carry out diversionary raids. The raid was not a success. Four bombers were shot down and most of the survivors damaged (one was found to have 150 holes on its return). No damage was incurred by the German warships. ww2dbase [Tirpitz | Hemswell Cliff, England | AC]
  • Resulting from a debate in the British Parliament on 10 July 1940 in which some members had argued that internment of foreign aliens was wasteful of human resources and was bringing Britain's reputation into disrepute, it was announced that internment of enemy aliens would stop immediately except for a few special cases. Over the rest of the year and into the next large number of internees would be released with just a small number, who were still considered to be a danger to national security, remaining caged for the remainder of the war. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • 2,124-ton Polish merchant steamer Zbaraz and 2,855-ton British merchant steamer Heworth were sunk by German bombers 10 miles south of Aldeburgh Light off the coast of Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. Attempts to get Heworth under tow failed and she floundered and sank; four of her crew perished in the attack. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | England | HM]
17 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • British mooring vessel HMS Steady struck a mine and sank off Newhaven in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Newhaven, England | CPC]
18 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • 15 Spitfire fighters of No. 152 and No. 610 Squadron engaged 30 Bf 109 fighters off Beachey Head on the southern coast of England, United Kingdom, resulting in 1 British fighter lost. Elsewhere, German bombers attacked Montrose Aerodrome on the east coast of Scotland, United Kingdom, killing 2 and wounding 3. Further to the south, German bombers sank the East Goodwin Light Vessel. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • The United Kingdom recognized the Czechoslovakian government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
19 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • Defiant turret fighters of No. 141 Squadron RAF were launched to protect a convoy off Folkestone, England, United Kingdom but they were inadequate in defending against German aerial attacks. 6 of them were shot down by 12 German Bf 109 fighters within the first eight minutes of combat (10 killed, 2 survived), with the 3 remaining saved only by the arrival of Hurricane fighters of No. 111 Squadron RAF. Elsewhere, German bombers attacked various targets in southern and eastern Britain, leading to the loss of 3 Hurricane fighters, the death of 42 civilians in Glasgow, damage aboard destroyers HMS Griffin and HMS Beagle, and the sinking of tanker War Sepoy. The Germans lost 3 bombers and 3 fighters on this day. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Prime Minister Winston Churchill made a proposal to the British War Cabinet suggesting the creation of Special Operations Executive (SOE) to conduct unscrupulous, underhand methods to be pursued against Germany. ww2dbase [Special Operations Executive | Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
20 Jul 1940

Photo(s) dated 20 Jul 1940
Guy Mk I armored car of C Squadron, 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry, British 1st Armoured Division at Albury Heath, Surrey, England, United Kingdom, 20 Jul 1940
21 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • Edvard Beneš established the Czechoslovakian government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Edvard Beneš | London, England | TH]
22 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • The British War Cabinet approved the 19 Jul 1940 document by Neville Chamberlain to create the new secret Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization. ww2dbase [Special Operations Executive | London, England | TH, CPC]
  • British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Lord Halifax rejected Adolf Hitler's proposal for peace of 19 Jul 1940. "No one here wants the war to go on for a day longer than is necessary. But we shall not stop fighting until freedom, for ourselves and others, is secure." This was a departure from his previous stance, urging Winston Churchill to negotiate a peace with Germany. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]
  • While escorting convoy CW7, British B-class destroyer HMS Brazen was heavily damaged by German Ju 87 aircraft. She was placed under tow in an attempt to save her, but she would nevertheless sink at 2040 hours about 10 kilometers (5 miles) southeast of Folkestone, Kent, England, United Kingdom. One member of her crew was killed during her loss. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Folkestone, England | CPC]
23 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • German aircraft conducted raids on coastal cities in Britain and deployed naval mines overnight. A German Do 17 bomber of 1/KF1Gr 606 attacked British submarines HMS Narwhal and HMS Truant 125 miles east of Aberdeen, Scotland, sinking the former. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
24 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • 1,277 French Navy sailors captured by the British on 3 Jul departed Southampton, England, United Kingdom aboard French passenger liner Meknes for Marseille in southern France for repatriation. At 2230 hours, German torpedo boat S-27 fired a torpedo at the French ship off the northern Brittany coast in the English Channel despite her displays of neutrality, killing 416. British destroyers HMS Viscount, HMS Wolverine, HMS Sabre, and HMS Shikari rescued the survivors. ww2dbase [Southampton, England | TH]
  • Reports of the Lancastria disaster (which was sunken by air attack on 17 Jun 1940 with 1,738 killed) were released in London, England, United Kingdom after Winston Churchill lifted the media ban. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
29 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • Jackie Sorour joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Jackie Moggridge | England | CPC]
  • The 1,264-ton ex-Danish merchantman Gronland was sunk by German aircraft at the outer harbour at Dover, England, United Kingdom whilst on passage from Blyth to Plymouth. The 201-ton large private yacht Gulzar was also sank. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | Dover, England | HM]
  • The 5,601-ton British cargo steamer Ousebridge was mined on the in the Queens Channel leading to the docks of Liverpool, England, United Kingdom; she was on route from Pepel, Sierra Leone for Manchester, England with a cargo of iron ore. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | Liverpool, England | HM]
30 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • The 5,183-ton merchant steamer Umvoti, built in 1903, was taken of of service and scuttled at the entrance to Portsmouth harbour in southern Britain. The ship was subsequently cut in half and the two halves were moved to East Sands where in 1944 the wreck was broken up. ww2dbase [Portsmouth, England | HM]
31 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • While German Army and Navy leadership continued to disagree over the plans for the invasion of Britain (with Admiral Erich Raeder convincing Adolf Hitler to delay the invasion until mid-Sep 1940), the Luftwaffe moved forth with its plans and began to shift the main target from English Channel shipping to RAF airfields in southern England. Although 77 RAF aircraft were destroyed and 43 were damaged (along with 67 airmen killed and 23 wounded), aircraft production during the month was greater than aircraft lost. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | TH]
  • American ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom Joseph Kennedy relayed to US Secretary of State Cordell Hull another request from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill for destroyers. "If we cannot get reinforcement," Churchill noted, "the whole fate of the war may be decided by this minor and easily remediable factor." ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
1 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • 30 German He 111 aircraft reached Norwich, England, United Kingdom and bombed the Boulton-Paul Aircraft Works and the Norwich railway station without any opposition, killing 6 and wounding 54 civilians. Meanwhile, in Germany, Hitler issued Directive No. 17, calling for a temporary halt on attacks on British shipping, shifting attention to the RAF. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Norwich, England | TH]
2 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Josef Frantisek joined the British Royal Air Force and was assigned to No. 303 Squadron based at RAF Northolt in South Ruislip near London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Josef Frantisek | South Ruislip, England | CPC]
3 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Two Japanese businessmen were arrested in London, England, United Kingdom. In response to a protest by the Japanese Ambassador, the authorities denied that their arrest was a reprisal for the arrest of British citizens in Japan six days prior. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
5 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Large German Luftwaffe formations patrolled the Strait of Dover and attacked convoys off the east and southeast coast of England, United Kingdom; 4 German Bf 109 fighters and 1 British Spitfire fighter were shot down as RAF fighters rose to intercept. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • British minesweeping trawler HMT River Clyde hit a naval mine off Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom and sank, killing 12. ww2dbase [Aldeburgh, England | CPC]
11 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Although the weather was fine, the German Luftwaffe did not start its offensive against RAF airfields, instead mounting a carefully prepared feint. Starting at 0730 hours, Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighters bombed and strafed Dover Harbor in southern England, United Kingdom as a prelude to a larger attack on Portland Naval base and Weymouth, aiming to draw RAF fighters. Spitfire fighters of No. 64 and No. 74 Squadrons responded, but most RAF units remain on the ground per Keith Park's strategy of sending up only enough fighters to counter the German attack and withholding the remaining in reserve. As a larger formation consisted of 56 Ju 88 bombers and 20 He 111 bombers arrived with 97 Bf 110 fighters in escort was detected in the direction of Cherbourg, France at 0945 hours, there were enough British fighters to counter that attack; the ensuing battle caused 20 British Hurricane fighters, 5 British Spitfire fighters, 27 German bombers, and 10 German Bf 110 fighters to become destroyed. The day's German bombing damaged 4 British destroyers: HMS Windsor in the Thames Estuary, HMS Esk at Harwich, and HMS Scimitar and HMS Skate in Portland Harbor. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • British Commander-in-Chief Middle East Major General General Wavell was in London, England, United Kingdom to discuss the defense of British colonies in Africa and the Middle East. Seeing events in Somaliland and expecting an Italian attack on Egypt, Winston Churchill's War Cabinet made a far-reaching decision to send tanks to defend the vital Suez Canal. Despite the ongoing threat of invasion, 150 tanks (about half the total in Britain), 48 anti-tank guns, 48 field guns, and 20 Bofors anti-aircraft guns were ordered to Egypt. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
12 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • 20 German Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighters, especially converted as fighter-bombers, raided British radar stations along the coast. As the radar station operations were disrupted, almost 100 Ju 88 bombers escorted by 145 Bf 110 fighters attacked Portsmouth and the Ventnor radar station on the Isle of Wight, while Do 17 bombers attacked RAF airfields of Manston, Lympne, and Hawkinge in southern England, United Kingdom. Most of the radar stations would be repaired by the end of the day, but the Ventnor radar station would be out of commission for two weeks. Portsmouth was also bombed, killing 100 civilians. Minesweeping trawler HMT Pyrope was sunk (killing 6), so was HMT Tamarisk (killing 7), by German aircraft during this day. 55 German aircraft were shot down during aerial combat at the cost of 6 British Spitfire fighters and 9 British Hurricane fighters. British anti-aircraft guns claimed 7 bombers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • James Lacey was shot down over Britain. ww2dbase [James Lacey | England | AC]
13 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • James Lacey was shot down by a German He 111 aircraft over Britain. ww2dbase [James Lacey | England | AC]
15 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • As the weather over Britain cleared up, the German Luftwaffe launched a major strike, with aircraft from Norway and Denmark joining their counterparts based in France. A formation of 1,100 German aircraft crossed the Dover Strait before diverging to different targets, damaging aircraft, runways, hangars, and radar stations. At 1850 hours, German Bf 110 fighter-bombers bombed Croydon airfield south of London, England, United Kingdom by mistake, meeting stiff resistance; one of the shot down Bf 110 aircraft crashed into a London suburb, killing 60 and wounding 120. At the end of the day, 161 aircraft, mostly bombers, were lost, leading to the nicknaming of this day Black Thursday. The RAF lost 34 fighters and 18 pilots. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • US Assistant Chief of Naval Operations Rear Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, US Army Air Corps Major General Delos C. Emmons, and US Army Brigadier General George V. Strong arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for an informal meeting with British officers. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
17 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Pilot Officer Billy Fiske of No. 601 Squadron RAF died from his injuries at Royal West Sussex Hospital in Chichester, England, United Kingdom after being shot down and badly burned on the previous day. Billy Fiske, an American volunteer, was remembered by a plaque in London's St. Paul's Cathedral as "An American Citizen who Died That England Might Live". ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Chichester, England | AC]
18 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • On this "Hardest Day", German aircraft attacked Kenley and Biggin Hill airfields in southern England in the United Kingdom, among other locations, subjecting the airfields to heavy bombing. Losses on both sides were heavy with the Germans losing 69 aircraft and the RAF Fighter Command 29. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | TH]
Photo(s) dated 18 Aug 1940
Wreckage of a downed Do 17 aircraft (Oberleutnant Rudolf Lamberty) north of RAF Biggin Hill, Leaves Green, Kent, England, United Kingdom, 18 Aug 1940
20 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1445 hours, 190 German aircraft flew over the Thames Estuary in search of British shipping, but failed to find any; British fighters arrived and shot down five German aircraft. Meanwhile, RAF Manston in northeastern Kent, England, United Kingdom was attacked; 1 Spitfire fighter was shot down while attempting to defend the airfield. In total, 7 Luftwaffe aircraft and 3 RAF aircraft were lost today. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made the "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" speech in the House of Commons in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
21 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • The United Kingdom House of Commons authorized foreign troops of occupied nations to conduct training in Britain under their own flags. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
  • Bad weather prevented large formations of German bombers from forming, so the German Luftwaffe dispatched only small one- to two-aircraft raids against coastal Britain. On this day, 1 Hurricane fighter was shot down, 2 RAF personnel were killed on the ground, and 40 RAF personnel were wounded; 4 civilians were killed, and 178 were wounded; several merchant ships were damaged or sunk. On the German side, 13 bombers were shot down. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Violette Bushell and Étienne Szabo were married at the Aldershot Register Office in Manor Park, Aldershot, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Violette Szabo | Aldershot, England | CPC]
22 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Harrow in northwest London, England, United Kingdom received a German bomb at 0330 hours, the first to fall within the borders of the London Civil Defence Area. After daybreak, bad weather once again prevented large German raids. At 0900 hours, German 38-centimeter guns at Cape Gris Nez, France shelled the convoy "Totem" in the Strait of Dover for 80 minutes, but no ships were hit. At 1300 hours, German Ju 88 bombers, escorted by Bf 109 fighters, attacked the same convoy, but were engaged by Spitfire fighters of No. 54 Squadron and Hurricane fighters of No. 610 Squadron; 1 Ju 88, 1 Spitfire, and 1 Hurricane aircraft were shot down, wit the Hurricane fighter shot down by friendly fire. In the evening, the 38-centimeter gun fired again, this time at the city of Dover; British 14-inch gun "Winnie" returned fire. From 1830 hours through the night, German bombers raided British cities, including Aberdeen, Bristol, and Hull. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
  • Winston Churchill visited RAF Kenley in southern London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
24 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Before dawn, the London Blitz began as a misguided group of German bombers of KG1 unloaded their bombs London's Thames Haven oil terminal, which also damaged the church of St. Gile in East End; Göring demanded to know the crews that did this so to punish them. Clear weather allowed the German attacks to restart in size. German bombers arrived in waves against RAF Hornchurch, RAF North Weald, and RAF Manston in southern England; the Germans lost 22 fighters and 18 bombers, while the British lost 20 fighters. At 1600 hours, 50 German aircraft bombed Portsmouth in southern England, killing 100 civilians and wounding a further 300, while damaging HMS Acheron (killing 2, wounding 3) and HMS Bulldog (killing the commanding officer) in the harbor. Overnight, deliberate bombing of London, England, United Kingdom began, hitting north, east, and west of the city. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
  • Hans-Joachim Marseille scored his first kill, a British Hurricane Mk I fighter, over Kent, England, United Kingdom. While he was congratulated by his commanding officer, he was also reprimanded because he achieved the kill after abandoning his wingman to pursue the target. Later that evening, in his diary, he noted great sadness when he thought about the enemy pilot's mother not being able to see his son again. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | England | CPC]
25 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1700 hours, German bombers attacked RAF Warmwell and the harbor of Dover in Britain; during the defense, Czechoslovakian pilot Count Manfred Czernin, flying a Hurricane fighter for the RAF, shot down three Bf 110 fighters in one minute. Overnight, German bombers attacked South Wales, Bristol, Birmingham, and other cities in the Midlands area of England, United Kingdom. In total, the Germans lost 38 fighters and 14 bombers, while the British lost 16 fighters and 2 bombers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
28 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Shortly after 0800 hours, German bomber formations were detected above Calais, France; the incoming 33 bombers and 120 Bf 109 fighters would drop 100 bombs on RAF Eastchurch in southeastern Britain, but failed to disable the RAF airfield. At 1235 hours, 30 German fighters attacked RAF Rochford, which received 30 bombs. Two additional raids would reach airfields in southern England in the afternoon. During the day, the Germans lost 14 Bf 109 fighters, 8 modern bombers, and 1 WW1-era Gotha biplane bomber; the British lost 15 fighters; despite the fighter losses, after Winston Churchill's tour of some airfields, he was much more concerned about the German ability to damage runways, which could seriously disrupt fighter operations, thus he ordered more manpower to be assigned to the RAF for airfield repairs. Overnight, Birmingham, Coventry, Derby, Sheffield, Manchester, and South Yorkshire were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
29 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Low clouds and rain in the morning prevented Germans from launching attacks on Britain; reconnaissance flights were mostly left alone by the British. At 1500 hours and 1915 hours, the Germans launched large groups of fighters in an attempt to draw out British fighters, which was initially successfully, but very quickly Air Vice Marshal Keith Park saw through the German attempt and recalled the fighters; only 9 fighters were lost on either side. On this day, RAF leadership decided to stop using Defiant turret fighters as daylight intercepters as they were no match for German fighters. Overnight, German bombers attacked Portsmouth, Tyneside, Hartlepool, Swansea, Manchester, and Liverpool; decoy fires were lit in the countryside to lure German bombing, which were partially successful. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Grand Duchess Charlotte made her first radio broadcast from Britain. ww2dbase [Charlotte | London, England | CPC]
30 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Albert Kesselring knew that the British were used to large raids every few hours by this time, so he changed tactics by dispatching smaller raids every 20 to 30 minutes. The airfield at Biggin Hill in England, United Kingdom was attacked repeatedly, but for the most part bombs fell on the town instead of the airfield, killing 39 and wounding 26; nevertheless, the few bombs that hit the airfield did damage the operations room and briefly brought down defense coordination at this site. Other targets attacked by German bombers on this day include Dietling (placed out of commission for remainder of day), Debden, North Weald, Duxford, Eastchurch, Croydon, and Hornchurch. The Ken radars were also brought offline briefly as power lines were damaged. This day, with 1,310 sorties flown by the Luftwaffe, would become RAF Fighter Command's day of greatest casualties, with 40 aircraft destroyed, 9 people killed, and 18 people seriously injured. German losses were great as well: 33 fighters and 30 bombers. Heavy attacks continued in England after nightfall, with Liverpool, London, Portsmouth, Manchester, Worcester, and Bristol bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Douglas Bader's No. 242 Squadron RAF was moved from RAF Coltishall at Norwich, England, United Kingdom to RAF Duxford at Duxford, England. On the same day, the squadron claimed downing 10 German aircraft, with two of which, Bf 110 heavy fighters, claimed by Bader. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | Duxford, England | CPC]
  • After shooting down a German He 111 bomber and damaged a Bf 110 fighter over the Thames estuary in southern England, United Kingdom, James Lacey's Hurricane fighter was badly damaged, but he was able to successfully glide the aircraft and crash land the aircraft at Gravesend to the north. ww2dbase [James Lacey | Gravesend, England | AC]
31 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Overnight, the British complete enough repairs to bring RAF Biggin Hill back to operational status. At 0800 hours, radar installations in Kent in southern England, United Kingdom picked up German formations; it was soon discovered to be all fighters, thus fighters already dispatched to intercept were called back, and only 3 fighters (all Canadian) were lost. Before noon, the real German raids arrived. 200 bombers attacked Essex; No. 56 Squadron RAF shot down 1 bomber but lost 4 fighters to German escort fighters from III./ZG26 and III./JG26. Debden, North Weald, Eastchurch, Dietling (strafed by fighters), Croydon (bombed by Bf 109 fighter-bombers of Erprobungsgruppe 210), and Hornchurch were all attacked in the morning. In the afternoon, Hornchurch was attacked again, destroying 2 Spitfire fighters on the ground but at the cost of 5 Bf 109 fighters. At 1800 hours, Biggin Hill was bombed from low level, destroying 2 of the 3 remaining hangars, cutting telephone lines, and destroying the operations room. On this day, the RAF lost 41 fighters and 9 pilots, while the Luftwaffe lost 56 fighters and 29 bombers. After sundown, Liverpool was bombed for the fourth consecutive night; other cities received bombs, too. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
1 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Formations of German fighters arrived in Britain in the morning to lure British fighters, but the tactic did not succeed. At 1100, 1330, and 1730 hours, large German raids attacked Debden, Biggin Hill, Hawkinge, Lympne, Kenley, Detling, Eastchurch, Tand Sherburn, as well as the Tilbury Docks in the East End of London. Luftwaffe lost 17 fighters and 8 bombers, while the RAF lost 15 fighters (with 6 pilots killed). Overnight, German bombers attacked Kent, Bristol Channel, and South Wales. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
2 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down a British Spitfire fighter, his second kill, over Kent, England, United Kingdom. He received minor damage in the engagement and ran out of fuel, but successfully crash landed on a beach near Calais, France. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | England | CPC]
  • In the morning, German bombers attacked RAF Eastchurch (destroyed buildings and down to only one runway), RAF Rochford (bombs fell on Gravesend instead of the airfield), RAF North Weald (most bombers forced back), and RAF Biggin Hill (suffered heavy damage) in England, United Kingdom. In the afternoon, RAF Hornchurch (most bombs missed), RAF Eastchurch (bomb dump detonated), and the Vickers bomber factory at Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey, England, United Kingdom was attacked. On this day, the RAF shot down 27 German fighters and 10 bombers, while British anti-aircraft fire shot down a further 1 fighter and 3 bombers; 20 RAF fighters were shot down, with 10 pilots killed. Overnight, German bombers attacked Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • In Britain, the Bletchley Park codebreakers with the help of the newly installed Bombe succeed in breaking the "Brown" cipher thereby providing useful information regarding German Luftwaffe targets. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | Bletchley Park | Bletchley, England | AC]
3 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • 50 German Do 17 bombers escorted by 80 Bf 110 fighters and 40 Bf 109 fighters flew up the Thames Estuary in souther England, United Kingdom, then split up to hit RAF airfields at North Weald, Hornchurch, and Debden. All three airfields were badly damaged, but all remained operational. Biggin Hill also saw two minor raids on this date. Luftwaffe lost 17 fighters and 8 bombers, while the RAF lost 20 fighters and 2 bombers (to friendly fire). During a meeting on this date, Kesselring recommended Göring to cease the bombing of British fighter airfields because there were too many of them; instead, he suggested to bomb London and use the threat of civilian deaths to force large numbers of British fighters to come to battle. Overnight, German bombers attacked Kent, Liverpool, and South Wales. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Four German Abwehr spies landed from rowing boats on the Kent coast in southern Britain. Poorly trained and without papers the four, Charles van den Kieboom, Carl Meier, Jose Waldberg, and Sjoerd Pons, were quickly apprehended and handed over to Colonel Robin Stephens of Military Intelligence for interrogation. ww2dbase [England | AC]
5 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • In the morning, German bombers attacked RAF airfields at Eastchurch, Lympne, North Weald, Kenley, and Biggin Hill in England, United Kingdom; in the afternoon, German bombers attacked RAF airfields at Detling and Biggin Hill, as well as the Hawker factories at Brooklands and oil storage tanks at Thameshaven. Eastchurch and Biggin Hill were placed out of action after sustaining heavy damage, while the fires at Thameshaven could be seen from London. When Churchill spoke to the House of Commons on this day, he promised compensation for families who had lost homes due to German attacks. On this day, 23 German aircraft were lost, as were 20 RAF fighters. Overnight, London, Manchester, and Liverpool were bombed by German bombers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
6 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • A German paratrooper dressed in civilian clothes with a Swedish passport was dropped in Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom at 0300 hours to report damage to airfields; he was injured upon landing and would be captured at 1720 hours. At 0900, 1300, and 1800 hours, German bombers flew up the Thames Estuary and bombed RAF airfields at Heston, Kenley, and Biggin Hill, as well as the Hawker factories at Brooklands (only minor damage) and the oil storage tanks at Thameshaven (caused large fires). The Germans lost 37 fighters and 7 bombers on this day, while the British lost 22 fighters. Overnight, German bombers attacked London. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Northampton | England | TH]
  • Successful tests of the "Plastic Armour" devised by lawyer Edward Terrell were conducted at the Royal Navy gunnery school, HMS Excellent. The trials of this material which consisted of a mastic asphalt and hard granite mix on a steel plate would result in a directive being issued that the bridge and gun positions on merchant ships (and subsequently, in December, for naval ships) should be protected with the new material to deflect bullets. Terrell would later receive an award of £9,500 from the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors for this protective material. ww2dbase [Portsmouth, England | AC]
7 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Ignoring the RAF airfields, German bombers instead attacked London, England, United Kingdom as the new Operation Loge commenced; Göring rode his personal train Asia to Pas-de-Calais, France in a freshly made uniform to personally oversee the first night of the operation. At 1600 hours, 300 bombers and 200 Bf 110 fighter-bombers escorted by 600 Bf 109 fighters. British fighters expected the attacking force to split up to attack airfields, thus were unprepared when they flew straight for East End, London. By the time the British fighters arrived, the bombers had already unloaded their bombs. However, as the Bf 109 fighters had already left due to low fuel levels, German bombers became easy prey. During the day, 53 German bombers were shot down, as was 21 Bf 109 fighters; the British lost 27 fighters. Overnight, German bombers continued to attack East End, which saw 490 killed and 1,200 wounded on this day. This would mark the first of 57 consecutive nights of German bombings on the British capital. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • The Luftwaffe bomb St. Mary's Hospital, London, England, United Kingdom which was caring for wounded soldiers, killing two nurses and five patients. Nurse Agatha Joan Credland was buried in an unmarked grave in her home village of Sturton by Stow. Seventy-six years after her death the local historical society were able to find her burial site and a memorial service was held in the village attended by around 40 family members along with many local residents. A headstone, funded by West Lindsey District Council, would be erected at the location. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 7 Sep 1940
German He 111 bomber in flight northbound over Surrey Docks, London, England, United Kingdom at 1700 hours on 7 Sep 1940, photo 1 of 2Two Do 17Z-2 bombers of German wing Kampfgeschwader 3 over Beckton Gas Works, flying southward toward Woolwich Arsenal, London, England, United Kingdom, 7 Sep 1940German He 111 bomber in flight northbound over Surrey Docks, London, England, United Kingdom at 1700 hours on 7 Sep 1940, photo 2 of 2
8 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1200 hours, 20 German bombers escorted by 30 Bf 109 fighters flew for London, England, United Kingdom, but the group was intercepted by British fighters; 3 German bombers and 1 German fighter were shot down at the cost of 4 British fighters. At 1930 hours, 30 German bombers dropped incendiary bombs on London, causing fires for the purpose of marking target zones for bombers that would arrive during the night. The night time raid saw bombs dropped on East End in London once more; 3 of the German night raiders were shot down by anti-aircraft guns. Meanwhile, the British War Cabinet was convinced that the German invasion of Britain would take place very soon. The warnings passed to local Home Forces commanders led to many church bells across England being rung as some commanders thought the invasion had already started; some of them went as far as blowing up bridges. Finally, on this day, the British government declared the National Day of Prayer. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 8 Sep 1940
Smoke rising from the Surrey Docks, London, England, United Kingdom, 8 Sep 1940, the morning after the opening night of “The Blitz” bombings as seen from London Bridge. Note Tower Bridge silhouetted against the smoke.
9 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • German long-range guns shelled Dover, England. ww2dbase [Dover, England | TH]
  • A large German raid crossed the English Channel at 1700 hours and flew toward London, England, United Kingdom in two pincers. Unexpectedly, a British "Big Wing" formation came to intercept, shooting down 29 bombers and 21 Bf 109 fighters and prevented most of the German bombers from reaching London. The British lost 20 fighters (6 pilots killed) in the battle. Overnight, London was heavily bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
10 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Bad weather restricted the Germans to flying reconnaissance missions only through most of the day. At 1715 hours, 6 small raids approached London, England, United Kingdom; 2 bombers were shot down and all of the rest were turned back by British fighters at the cost of one Spitfire fighter. Also on this date, ocean-going ships were banned from the port of London as these easy targets attracted German attackers. Overnight, the East End section of London was bombed, damaging the Buckingham Palace among others; South Wales, West Midlands, and Liverpool were also attacked during the night. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
11 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • After an entire morning without attacks, 300 German bombers flew across Kent in southern England, United Kingdom and up the Thames Estuary in 2 waves at about 1500 hours. British figthers from No. 11 Group RAF engaged the escorting fighters, while British fighters of No. 12 Group RAF attacked the bombers. Some of those bombers got through and bombed the East End of London. On the same day, Portsmouth and Southampton were also bombed. Off Ramsgate, Kent, destroyers HMS Atherstone and HMS Fernie were attacked in the Strait of Dover, badly damaging HMS Atherstone, which also suffered 6 deaths. Overnight, London and Liverpool were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
12 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Bad weather restricted German activity to small reconnaissance flights over Britain during the day. Overnight, 50 bombers attacked London, England, United Kingdom. St. Paul's Cathedral was hit by a bomb which failed to detonate; Royal Engineers Lieutenant R. Davies and Sapper J. Wylie were later awarded the George Cross for defusing this bomb. On this night when two of the German bombers were shot down, London searchlight and anti-aircraft gun crews attempted to improve their coordination. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
  • Lieutenant Robert Davies' company of the British Royal Engineers successfully removed an unexploded one-ton bomb from the southwestern corner of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England, United Kingdom and then brought it to the countryside to detonate it. Davies and fellow sapper George Wylie were awarded the George Cross medals. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
13 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Bad weather restricted the size of German raids, but still a continuous stream of single-bomber raids attacked London and surrounding RAF airfields in England, United Kingdom throughout the day; one of the bombs landed in front of the Buckingham Palace and another in the palace courtyard. Three of the German bombers were shot down during the day. Meanwhile, Royal Navy transferred battleships HMS Nelson and HMS Rodney to Rosyth and battleship HMS Revenge to Plymouth to deter a possible German landing through the next few days during tide conditions favoring landings. Overnight, German bombers attacked London and Cardiff. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • British passenger ship City of Benares departed Liverpool, southern England for Quebec and Montreal, Canada as the flagship of Allied convoy OB-213 commanded by Rear Admiral Mackinnon. She was carrying 90 British children being evacuated to Canada. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | CPC]
  • James Lacey pursued the He 111 bombers of German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing which had bombed the Buckingham Palace in London, England, United Kingdom and shot down one of them. After the attack, he had to bail out of his Hurricane fighter due to battle damage. ww2dbase [James Lacey | England | AC, CPC]
  • Peter Roderick became the first baby to be born in an air-raid shelter at the height of a German air raid on London, England, United Kingdom. His sister, Doreen, then aged five, later recalled: "There was no midwife. My dad and gran delivered him with just a little torch." ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
14 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1530 hours, 150 German aircraft crossed the coast for London, England, United Kingdom; another 100 approached at 1800 hours. Most bombers were unable to reach their targets due to British fighter opposition. Overnight, there was little bombing of London. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
15 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1130 hours, 250 German bombers with fighter escort crossed the English Channel, with 100 of them targeting London, England, United Kingdom. At 1430 hours, another 250 bombers arrived in 2 waves, with 70 of them reaching London. At 1600 and 1800 hours, the aircraft factory at Woolston in Southampton, building Spitfire fighters, was bombed, but with little damage. On this day, 56 German aircraft and 29 British aircraft were shot down; 136 German airmen were killed or captured and 12 British pilots were killed. Overnight, the German Luftwaffe conducted heavy bombing raids over Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Southampton. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | TH]
  • Hans-Joachim Marseille scored his fourth kill, a British Hurricane fighter, over southeastern London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | London, England | CPC]
16 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 0730 hours, more than 100 German Bf 109 fighters made a raid on Kent, England, United Kingdom to draw British fighters, which never rose to meet them. Overnight, German bombers attacked London, Liverpool, Manchester, Coventry, Birmingham, and Bristol. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
17 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1400 hours, German Ju 88 bombers attempted to attack factories in Bristol, England, United Kingdom but were turned back by Spitfire fighters of No. 152 Squadron RAF. At 1530 hours, a formation of converted Bf 109 fighter-bombers attacked Kent; 4 were shot down by British fighters without doing much damage. In Berlin, Adolf Hitler postponed Operation Seelöwe indefinitely, but Hermann Göring was allowed to continue the aerial attacks on Britain. Meanwhile, in London, Winston Churchill announced that 2,000 civilians were killed and 8,000 were wounded during the Blitz thus far. Overnight, more than 350 tons of bombs were dropped on London, South Wales, and Liverpool. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | TH]
  • James Lacey was shot down over Ashford, England, United Kingdom by Bf 109 fighters. ww2dbase [James Lacey | Ashford, England | CPC]
  • The British Royal Air Force resumed operations at RAF West Drayton, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom for radar training, thus forcing the WAAF recruit depot at that location to relocate to Harrogate, Yorkshire, England and later to Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England. ww2dbase [WAAF: Women in the WW2 Royal Air Force | West Drayton, England | AC]
18 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At about 0015 hours, an indiscriminate German air raid on London's Oxford Street severely damaged both the Peter Robinson and John Lewis stores; elsewhere, the Inner Temple Library and County Hall are also hit. At noon, 70 German Ju 88 bombers escorted by 100 Bf 109 fighters crossed the English Channel and were intercepted by British fighters of No. 11 Group RAF; 60 of the bombers would reach London, England, United Kingdom and drop their bombs. At 1600 hours, 200 bombers in multiple waves attacked targets in Kent in southern England; they were engaged by fighters of No. 11 and No. 12 Groups and suffered 23 bombers and 10 fighters lost, but they were able to shoot down 12 British fighters in exchange. Overnight, London was bombed by several waves of bombers; Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, and other cities were also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC, AC]
  • Hans-Joachim Marseille scored his fifth kill, a British Spitfire fighter, over Dover, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | Dover, England | CPC]
19 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Bad weather restricted aerial activity during the day, thus the Germans only launched reconnaissance missions. 5 Ju 88 bombers dispatched on reconnaissance missions were lost, including one that was forced to land at RAF Oakington at 1500 hours due to engine trouble. Overnight, London, England, United Kingdom was bombed several times between 2000 hours and midnight. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
  • No. 71 "Eagle" Squadron was formed at RAF Church Fenton in North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, the first fighter squadron made up of American volunteer pilots under the command of Squadron Leader Earnest Bitmead RAF. Initially supplied with Brewster Buffalo fighters the squadron was soon re-equipped with Hawker Hurricane fighters. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Church Fenton, England | AC]
20 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Three waves of German Bf 109 fighters totaling over 100 aircraft flew across the English Channel for London, England, United Kingdom; they successfully lured out British fighters and shot down 7 of them (killing 4 pilots) at the cost of 2 of their own. Overnight, London was attacked by German bombers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
  • Werner Mölders shot down two Spitfire fighters of No. 92 Squadron RAF near Dungeness, England, United Kingdom, which were the 39th and 40th victories. ww2dbase [Werner Mölders | Dungeness, England | CPC]
21 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Through out most of the day, the German Luftwaffe only dispatched reconnaissance missions against Britain. The only major raid of the day came at 1800 hours when over 200 aircraft flew toward London, England, United Kingdom; this attack was turned back by British fighters. In London, the British government officially sanctioned the usage of the Tube underground rail stations as air raid shelters, though this usage had already been in place for some time; many stations had already been equipped with first aid stations, food canteens, bunks, and toilets. The Tube tunnel near the Aldwych branch of the Piccadilly Line was reinforced with concrete and was used to store antiques and artifacts from the British Museum such as the Elgin Marbles. Overnight, London and Liverpool were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
22 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Bad weather restricted flying on both sides; only 1 German aircraft (Ju 88 bomber on reconnaissance mission shot down near the Isle of Wight, with entire crew captured) and 3 British Hurricane fighters (became lost in fog while on patrol) destroyed during the day. Overnight, London, England, United Kingdom received a heavy bombing from German bombers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
23 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Two German raids approached London, England, United Kingdom at 0930 hours and 1730 hours, but few aircraft reached London, turned back by RAF fighters; the Germans lost 10 Bf 109 and 1 Bf 110 fighters, while the British lost 11 fighters. Overnight, German bombers attacked London and Liverpool. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
24 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 0830 and then again at 1115 hours, 200 German bombers, escorted by 400 fighters, were launched to attack targets in Kent in southern England, United Kingdom; Portsmouth, Southampton, and the nearby Spitfire fighter factory at Woolston were among the targets. Meanwhile, as the British government announced plans to expand evacuation, 444,000 children had already been evacuated from the London area. The arrival of German bombers on this night marked the 18th consecutive night in which London had been bombed; Liverpool, Dundee, and other cities and towns were also bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
25 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1145 hours, 27 German bombers escorted by 30 fighters attacked the Bristol Aeroplane Company factory at Filton in southwestern England, United Kingdom; construction sheds and 8 newly-built aircraft were destroyed, while 132 were killed and 315 were wounded; the Germans lost 6 aircraft (8 killed, 10 taken prisoner), while the British lost 4 fighters (1 killed). At 1647 hours, 24 German bombers escorted by 12 Bf 110 fighters attacked Plymouth in southern England, losing 1 bomber. Overnight, London and other cities were bombed, while other German bombers laid mines in the Thames Estuary. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • The British government conceded public defeat with a declaration to the press that the use of London tube stations as air raid shelters has been officially recognised. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
26 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1630 hours, 100 German aircraft attacked Southampton in England, United Kingdom, causing damage to the factory at Woolston producing Spitfire fighters. RAF fighters claimed 16 bombers and 16 fighters shot down, which was likely over-estimated, while losing 10 fighters and 3 pilots. Overnight, London, England was bombed for the 26th consecutive night, while Liverpool and other towns and cities were also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | TH]
27 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 0900 hours, 80 German bombers escorted by 100 fighters flew over Kent toward London, England, United Kingdom; most of the bombers were turned back near Maidstone and Tonbridge, but some got through and released their bombs over London. At 1120 hours, 25 bombers escorted by 45 Bf 110 fighters were intercepted before they reached their industrial targets in Bristol. Between 1200 and 1230 hours, 300 German aircraft, mostly fighters, conducted a sweep and engaged in dogfights near London; 20 bombers within this group were able to bomb London. By the end of the day, the Germans lost 21 bombers and 34 fighters while the British lost 27 fighters with 13 pilots killed. Overnight, London, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Birmingham, and Nottingham were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down his 6th kill, a British Hurricane fighter, over London, England, United Kingdom. In doing so, he abandoned his duty as wingman to flight leader Staffelkapitän Adolf Buhl, and Buhl would happen to be shot down in combat in this engagement. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | London, England | CPC]
28 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1000 hours, over 120 German aircaft crossed the coast of Kent in southern England, United Kingdom in two waves; British fighters intercepted most of them, and only 6 bombers were able to reach London to release their bombs. At 1330 hours, 35 German bombers escorted by 125 fighters attacked targets in Kent; this group was turned back by 1410 hours. At 1415 hours, 60 German aircraft flew toward Portsmouth, southern England from Cherbourg, France; they were intercepted over the English Channel, released their bombs into the water, and returned to base. Although most German missions failed to reach their targets, the kill ratio of the day favored the Germans; 16 British fighters were shot down with 9 pilots killed, while the Germans only lost 6 fighters. Overnight, London was heavily bombed, while Liverpool was also attacked; meanwhile, German aircraft mined the Thames Estuary. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Nearly half a million mothers and children began evacuating London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
29 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1600 hours, a large group of German aircraft, mostly fighters, conducted a sweep in Kent in southern England, United Kingdom; this sweep failed to draw British fighters. Overnight, London was heavily bombed, while Liverpool was also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
30 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • 4 German raids, each consisting of 60 to 200 bombers and escorted by large numbers of fighters, crossed into southern England, United Kingdom at 0900, 1000, 1300, and 1600 hours; some got through to London, but some did not drop their bombs as they had little visibility due to low clouds, overshooting their targets as radar operators misread the Knickebein radio beacon signals. Meanwhile, 2 groups of about 100 bombers each attacked cities on the southern coast. On this day, the Germans lost 14 bombers, 28 Bf 109 fighters, and 1 Bf 110 fighter, while the British lost 19 fighters with 8 pilots killed. Today's daylight attacks would represent the last major raids of such type conducted by the Luftwaffe. Overnight, London, Liverpool, and several others cities were bombed; the aircraft factory at Yeovil was attacked but was only lightly damaged as most bombs fell on the town instead. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | TH]
1 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Small raids of 20 to 70 aircraft each attacked RAF airfields in England, United Kingdom; London was not targeted during the day. The Germans lost 4 fighters and the British lost 5 fighters with 4 pilots killed. London was bombed overnight. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
2 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • A German Ju 88 bomber became lost in the darkness during an early-morning reconnaissance mission and landed at Brightlingsea, Essex, England, United Kingdom at 0630 hours and was captured. During the day, the German Luftwaffe launched 6 raids of Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighters and fighter-bombers against London and Kent in southern England; only one of the raids contained bombers. The Germans lost 5 bombers and 5 Bf 109 aircraft, while the British lost 1 fighter without the loss of its pilot. Overnight, London, Manchester, and Newcastle were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 1940
Handley Page Hampden crewmembers of No. 83 Squadron RAF Bomber Command arriving at their aircraft in a lorry driven by a WAAF member, RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, 2 Oct 1940
3 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • London, Worcester, Birmingham, and Wellingborough in England, United Kingdom were attacked by single-bomber raids. The British suffered damage at the De Havilland aircraft factory at Hatfield, while the Germans lost one Ju 88 bomber to ground-based anti-aircraft fire. Overnight, London was the target to several small German raids. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
4 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, German bombers attacked Kent in southern England and the area near London, damaging homes, farms, and factories. The Germans lost 2 Ju 88 bombers and the British lost 3 fighters with 1 pilot killed. Overnight, London was bombed between 1900 and 2100 hours. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • In Operation Lucid, British tankers War Nizam and War African, filled with oil and gasoline and to be used as fire ships, departed Sheerness and Harwich in England, United Kingdom with 11 destroyers, 6 minesweepers, and a number of torpedo boats in escort. They were dispatched to destroy ports on the English Channel coast that housed German invasion barges, but rough seas caused the mission to be canceled shortly after commencing. ww2dbase [Sheerness, England | CPC]
5 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Between 0930 and 1600 hours, 4 German raids of mainly fighters attacked southern England, United Kingdom. At 2035 hours, the Royal Navy base at Portland was bombed. The Germans lost 2 bombers and 20 fighters, while the British lost 9 fighters with 2 pilots killed. Overnight, London suffered a heavy raid which started a large fire at the West India Dock on the River Thames in the East End area of the city. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
6 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • German Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighter-bombers conducted day time raids against British factories and RAF airfields, accompanied by a small number of medium bombers. On this day, the Germans lost one Do 17 bomber and the British lost one fighter with the pilot killed. Overnight, London, England, United Kingdom sustained a small raid. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
7 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • German Luftwaffe dispatched large raids of 50 to 100 aircraft against southern England, United Kingdom, with fighters being 66% to 75% of each wave. On this day, 21 German fighters and 6 bombers were shot down, while the British lost 16 fighters with 6 pilots killed. Overnight, London, Bristol, Liverpool, Firth of Forth, and other locations were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
8 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • The German Luftwaffe mounted 4 raids of 30 to 160 aircraft consisted mostly of fighter-bombers and fighters, with few medium bombers, against London, England, United Kingdom; various government offices in Whitehall and the Charing Cross Railway Station were damaged by bombs. The Germans lost 1 Bf 109 fighter and 3 bombers; the British lost 4 fighters with all 4 pilots killed. Overnight, London, East Anglia, East Midlands, Portsmouth, and Southampton were bombed, with a serious fire damaging wharves and nearby warehouses. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Czech-born fighter ace Sergeant Josef Frantisek of No. 303 "Warsaw-Kosciuszko" Squadron RAF was killed when his Hurricane crashed whilst landing at RAF Northolt at Ruislip near London, England, United Kingdom. At the time of his death Frantisek had a score of 17 kills and had been awarded the British Distinguished Flying Medal. Posthumously he was commissioned lieutenant, and awarded a Bar to his DFM, the Czech Military Cross, the Polish Cross of Valour (with three bars) and the Polish Virtuti Militari. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • Josef Frantisek passed away in Ewell, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Josef Frantisek | Ewell, England | CPC]
9 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill became the head of British Conservative Party. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | England | TH]
  • German fighter-bombers dropped bombs in London, Maidstone, Hastings, Falmouth, and other British towns. 3 German fighters and 1 German Ju 88 bomber was shot down, while the British lost 1 fighter with the pilot unhurt. Overnight, London, Liverpool, and Manchester were bombed; St. Paul's Cathedral in London was hit, destroying choir stalls and the High Altar but the building was not structurally damaged. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
10 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • A lone German Do 17 bomber on a reconnaissance mission was caught over RAF Tangmere in England, United Kingdom by British fighters. While attempting to shoot it down, two British fighters collided, killing both pilots. Then, another fighter, piloted by Sergeant Ellis, was damaged by the German bomber's guns, and crash landed The Do 17 bomber sustained heavy damage, but was able to make it back to France, crash landed, and saved all of its photographs. During the day, four German raids of 20 to 100 aircraft were mounted, with bombs dropping on London and other towns. Through the day, the British lost 5 fighters with 3 pilots killed, while shooting down 3 German fighters and 1 Do 17 bomber. Between 1824 and 1844 hours, Dover was struck by 18 shells from German guns at Calais, France. Overnight, London, Manchester, and various airfields were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
11 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • While small raids of 10 or few aircraft harassed southern England, United Kingdom all day, a number of larger raids, with 25 to 90 aircraft, attacked larger towns. The larger raids were composed mostly of fighters as the Germans continued to try to wear down British fighter strength. On this day, the Germans lost 1 Do 17 bomber and 4 Bf 109 fighters, while the British lost 8 fighters with 3 pilots killed. Overnight, London, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, and the Tyne and Tees areas were bombed; 3 Do 17 bombers were shot down over Anglesey after attacking Liverpool, at the cost of 1 British fighter. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Werner Mölders claimed his 43rd victory over Canterbury, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Werner Mölders | Canterbury, England | CPC]
12 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • German reconnaissance aircraft scouted England, United Kingdom between 0650 and 0900 hours, and then between 0900 and 1715 hours several raids attacked southern England, many of which reached London. During this day, Germans lost 9 Bf 109 fighters and 1 Ar 95 seaplane over the Dover Strait; the British lost 10 fighters with 4 pilots killed. Overnight, London received light bombing, while Birmingham and Coventry were also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
13 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Four raids of 25 to 50 aircraft attacked southern England, United Kingdom between 1230 and 1600 hours, consisted mostly of fighters. The Germans and the British each lost 2 fighters. Overnight, London was bombed from 1900 hours until 0600 hours of the next day; Middlesborough, Hull, Huddersfield, Grantham, Liverpool, and Manchester were also attacked overnight. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
14 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Poor weather limited German ability to attack southern England, United Kingdom, thus only a few small attacks were launched against coastal areas; no losses were suffered on either side on this day. Overnight, London, Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool, Blackburn, and Preston were bombed; at 2002 hours, a 1,400-kg armor piercing bomb hit Balham Tube Station in London, causing flood that killed 66 of the about 600 civilians using the station for shelter. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
15 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • The German Luftwaffe launched 5 fighter sweeps toward London and 1 over Southampton, both in England, United Kingdom; the Germans lost 16 fighter and 3 bombers, while the British lost 15 fighters with 6 pilots killed. Overnight, 400 German bombers dropped 530 tons of high explosives on London, killing 400 and wounding 900; Bristol and Birmingham were also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 15 Oct 1940
A London bus after falling into a massive bomb crater in the center of Balham High Road, London, England, United Kingdom, Oct 15 1940.
16 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Two ARP rescue workers who helped themselves to £16 they found in a bombed-out house were each jailed for 12 months at the Old Bailey in central London, England, United Kingdom for looting. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • Heavy fog during the day limited operations, thus the day's losses were limited to 1 German aircraft damaged and 1 British Hurricane fighter lost. Overnight, London, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham, Perth, and other locations in the United Kingdom were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
17 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • The German Luftwaffe mounted four raids against southern England, United Kingdom during the day. Meanwhile, at 1530 hours, at the Air Council room at the Air Ministry in London, British fighter commanders including Portal, Douglas, Dowding, Park, Bader, and others gathered to discuss strategy; specifically, Park's approach was attacked by some of the others. Overnight, London, Liverpool, and Birmingham were heavily bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • British minesweeper HMS Dundalk hit a mine 20 miles northeast of Harwich, England, United Kingdom, killing 4 and wounding 7; she was towed into the harbor for repairs, but she would sink on the next day. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | Harwich, England | CPC]
18 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Foggy weather limited German ability to attack southern England, United Kingdom, thus only few aerial battles were fought with no losses for either side. Overnight, London was bombed, hitting the Rose and Crown Pub which resulted in 42 killed and 6 injured; Liverpool and Birmingham were also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 18 Oct 1940
Universal Carrier Mk I of UK Duke of Cornwall
19 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • During the day, a German Ju 88 bomber was shot down near Maidstone, Kent and another near Falmouth, Cornwall in England, United Kingdom. A raid of 60 German fighters and fighter-bombers for London was intercepted by 5 RAF squadrons over Kent at 1430 hours; 2 British fighters were shot down during the battle with 1 pilot killed. Overnight, London, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, and Coventry were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • British destroyer HMS Venetia hit a mine and sank in the Thames Estuary 10 miles north of Herne Bay, Kent in southern England; 35 were killed and 18 were wounded. ww2dbase [Herne Bay, England | CPC]
20 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • 5 raids consisted of German fighters and fighter-bombers flew over Kent in southern England, United Kingdom toward London between 0930 and 1500 hours; the Germans lost 6 Bf 109 fighters and 1 Bf 110 fighter, while the British lost 3 fighters without losing any pilots. Between 1900 hours and 0100 hours of the next day, London, Coventry, and Birmingham were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
21 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Between 1100 and 1400 hours, heavy fog limited Germans to small raids against southern England, United Kingdom and kept British fighters on the ground; as the result, bombs were successfully dropped on London, Lancashire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Sussex, and Kent; 1 Ju 88 bomber was lost. Overnight, London, Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Liverpool, and South Wales were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
22 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • As the heavy fog dissipated in the afternoon, two German fighter sweeps attacked southern England, United Kingdom; 3 German fighters and 6 British fighters were shot down. Overnight, London, Liverpool, and Coventry were bombed; Coventry suffered 150 fires. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
23 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • The only example of the Hertfordshire aircraft crashed near RAF Hendon in London, England, United Kingdom, killing all 11 aboard, including Air Vice-Marshal Charles Blount. ww2dbase [DH.95 Flamingo | London, England | CPC]
24 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • During hte day, poor weather restricted German efforts against Britain, limiting missions to that of reconnaissance only; one Do 17 bomber was shot down on such a mission. Overnight, London and Birmingham were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
25 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • 16 Italian BR20M bombers attacked Felixstowe and Harwich in Britain; 1 crashed on take off and 2 crashed on the return flight. Meanwhile, four groups of German Bf 109 fighters swept southern England, United Kingdom, shooting down 10 British fighters while losing 14 of their own. At dusk, German He 111 bombers attacked Montrose airfield in Scotland. Overnight, London, Birmingham, Pembroke, Cardiff, and Liverpool were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
26 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
27 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • 5 raids of 50 to 60 German aircraft attacked Britain throughout the day, most of which were German fighter-bombers and medium bombers, but Italians also contributed several BR20M bombers for the attack on Ramsgate, England, United Kingdom; 6 German fighters and 4 bombers were shot down, while the British lost 8 fighters with 4 pilots killed. Overnight, London and Liverpool were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
28 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • An additional 489,000 children had been evacuated from the greater London area in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
  • At 1300 and 1430 hours, German fighters conducted sweeps towards the British airfield at Biggin Hill in England, United Kingdom, but were turned back. Between 1630 and 1710 hours, Bf 109 fighter-bombers and Ju 88 bombers attacked various sites in southern England; 2 Bf 109 and Ju 88 aircraft were shot down without any British aircraft losses. Overnight, London and Birmingham were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Britain pledged support for Greece against the Italian invasion. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
29 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • German bombers conducted several raids in southern England, United Kingdom all day, escorted by Bf 109 fighters, damaging areas of London and Portsmouth. At dusk, German Ju 88 aircraft, acting as dive bombers, attacked airfields in East Anglia, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire. Italian BR20M bombers bombed Ramsgate in formation. During the day, the Germans lost 22 Bf 109 fighters, 3 Bf 110 fighters, and 2 Do 17 bombers; the British lost 7 fighters with 2 pilots killed; the Italians lost 5 bombers. Overnight, London, Birmingham, and Coventry were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
30 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • The German Luftwaffe launched two raids over southern England, United Kingdom at 1130 and 1540 hours; the Germans lost 8 Bf 109 fighters and 1 He 111 bomber, while the British lost 5 fighters with 4 pilots killed. London was bombed overnight. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
31 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • According to a British Air Ministry pamphlet published in 1941, this date was the official end of the Battle of Britain, but bombings on London, England, United Kingdom would continue. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | TH]
3 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
7 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • British submarine HMS Swordfish hit a mine and sank 7 miles south of the Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom, killing the entire crew of 39. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
  • US diplomat Tyler Kent, a cipher clerk at the American Embassy in Britain, was convicted of espionage by the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey, London, England, United Kingdom and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • King George VI became Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Army. ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | AC]
9 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill moved his weekend retreat to discrete Ditchley Hall, near Charlbury in Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom as a precaution against a possible German assassination attack on the Prime Ministers' official retreat at Chequers, Buckinghamshire, or on his home at Chartwell House in Westerham, Kent. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | Charlbury, England | AC]
10 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • British anti-submarine trawler HMS Kingston Alalite hit a mine and sank off Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, killing 6. ww2dbase [Plymouth, England | CPC]
  • The first Avro Manchester Mk. 1 bomber to be delivered went to No. 207 Squadron RAF (Squadron Leader Noel Challis Hyde) based at RAF Waddington in the county of Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Lancaster | Waddington, England | AC]
12 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • A captured German airman warned of a planned bombing against the British city of Coventry; British intelligence officers thought the airman was fed incorrect information in case he was captured, and the actual target would be London. On 14 Nov, a massive raid on Coventry by 440 German bombers killed 568, injured 863, and destroyed the city's 14th century cathedral. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | AC]
14 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • A massive night time raid on Coventry, England by 437 German He 111 bombers, dubbed Operation Moonlight Sonata, killed 568, injured 863, and destroyed 60,000 buildings (including the city's 14th Century cathedral) with 450 tons of high explosive bombs, 50 parachute bombs, and 36,000 incendiary bombs. Only one German bomber was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. British intelligence officers received this information two days prior from a captured German airman, but they incorrectly thought the information was meant for deceit and the actual target would be London. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Coventry, England | AC]
  • Neville Chamberlain's funeral was held at Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, or Westminster Abbey, in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Neville Chamberlain | London, England | CPC]
15 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • British tug HMS Guardsman hit a mine and sank in the mouth of the Thames Estuary, England, United Kingdom, killing 2. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
19 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked an Allied convoy in the North Sea 12 miles off the coast of East Anglia, England, United Kingdom, sinking minesweeping trawler HMT Fontenoy and damaging 3 freighters. Sloop HMS Lowestoft shot down one German bomber. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
  • German bombers arrived over Leicester, England, United Kingdom at 1940 hours and by the time they left their 150 high explosive bombs had killed 108 people, injured 284, and destroyed 255 homes and 56 industrial premises. This was the worst night of bombing that Leicester experienced during the war. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Leicaster, England | AC]
  • The four spies captured in Kent, England, United Kingdom on 3 Sep 1940, found unsuitable for use as double agents the four spies appeared for trial before Mr. Justice Wrottesley in a secret hearing at Court One of the Old Bailey in London. Three of the spies (Charles van den Kieboom, Carl Meier and Jose Waldberg) were found guilty under the Treachery Act and later executed. The fourth defendant, Sjoerd Pons, managed to convince the jury that he had had no intention of aiding the enemy, and was acquitted, only to be re-arrested by MI5 as he left the Court and interned until the end of the war, subsequently being deported back to his native Netherlands. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
21 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • A German aircraft bombed the British Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, damaging the diplomatic section, the telephone exchange, and the typists room. There were no casualties. The attack was almost certainly accidental, as the Germans did not know of the importance of this site. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Bletchley Park | Milton Keynes, England | CPC]
25 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • The prototype of the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito unarmed light bomber was flown for the first time from Hatfield Aerodrome, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom. The aircraft was flown by Geoffrey de Havilland, accompanied by engineer John E. Walker. ww2dbase [Mosquito | Hatfield, England | AC, CPC]
28 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • German Luftwaffe bombers attacked Liverpool, England, United Kingdom overnight. A parachute mine hit Edge Hill Training College on Durning Road, the site of a large underground shelter; the blast, boiling water from a damaged boiler, and gas from damaged pipes killed 166 of the about 300 civilians taking shelter there. 96 were seriously injured. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Liverpool, England | AC]
30 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • Southampton, England, United Kingdom was bombed by 128 German bombers during the night causing extensive damage along the High Street and main shopping area. One bomb fell into an air-raid shelter killing all but three of the twenty-eight people taking shelter within. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Southampton, England | AC]
1 Dec 1940

Photo(s) dated 1 Dec 1940
A sergeant in the Dorking Home Guard cleaning his Thompson submachine gun in his home, Dorking, southern England, United Kingdom, 1 Dec 1940
12 Dec 1940

United Kingdom
  • British monitoring stations detected X Verfahren radio beams being laid across northern England, United Kingdom, and suspected a German attack would take place on the city of Sheffield. In the evening, 13 He 111 bombers of Kampfgruppe 100 arrived over the Sheffield suburbs of Norton Lees and Gleadless at 1941 hours, dropping 16 SC50 high explosive bombs, 1,009 B1 E1 ZA incendiaries, and 10,080 B1 E1 incendiaries. Shortly after, three groups of German bombers, the main force, attacked. The first group was consisted of 36 Ju 88 bombers and 29 He 111 bombers; the second group was consisted of 23 Ju 88 bombers, 74 He 111 bombers, and 7 Do 17 bombers; the third group was consisted of 63 Ju 88 bombers and 35 He 111 bombers. The 280 German aircraft heavily damaged the city center and residential districts through the night through 0400 hours on the next day. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Sheffield, England | CPC]
15 Dec 1940

United Kingdom
  • 16 German He 111 bombers dropped 11,520 B1 E1 incendiaries on the city of Sheffield in central England, United Kingdom between 1900 and 1950 hours, starting large fires as a beacon for the main force of 50 He 111 bombers and 11 Do 17 bombers. The German raid ended at 2215 hours, damaging steelworks. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Sheffield, England | CPC]
20 Dec 1940

United Kingdom
  • Liverpool, England, United Kingdom was bombed by the Luftwaffe. 42 were killed when two official shelters collapsed, 72 were killed when bombs destroyed a shelter in the Blackstock Gardens tenement, and a further 42 were killed when an unofficial shelter at Bentinck Street under railway arches was hit. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Liverpool, England | TH]
23 Dec 1940

United Kingdom
  • Propagandist William Joyce, "Lord Haw-Haw", warned of a second night of bombing for Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Overnight, from 1915 until 0129 hours the next day, 171 German aircraft attacked the still-burning Manchester with 195 tons of high explosive bombs and 893 incendiary bombs. In two nights, 363 civilians were killed and 1,183 were wounded. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | William Joyce | Manchester, England | CPC]
29 Dec 1940

United Kingdom
  • 244 German Luftwaffe bombers dropped 30,000 incendaries on the historic city center of London, England, United Kingdom, destroying the London Guildhall and eight Wren churches. St. Paul's Cathedral, however, was saved by clergymen who successfully prevented the flames on the roof from spreading. In the aftermath the Government ordered that "fire-watchers" be stationed on all factories, offices, and shops to act as spotters to provide early warning. This order proved to be very unpopular with Trade Unions. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 29 Dec 1940
St. Paul
30 Dec 1940

United Kingdom
5 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • Amy Johnson, record-breaking aviation pioneer of the 1930s, was killed when the Airspeed Oxford trainer she was delivering as an Air Transport Auxiliary ferry pilot came down in the Thames Estuary in Southern England, United Kingdom, near Herne Bay. It was sadly ironic that a woman who navigated her way solo from England to Australia got lost in bad weather. Running out of fuel, she baled out thinking she was over London. Landing in the freezing water, she was dragged under a rescue boat by her parachute and chopped to death by the propellers. Her body was never found. ww2dbase [Amy Johnson | Herne Bay, England | AC]
9 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • Harry Hopkins, President Roosevelt's personal envoy, arrived in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Harry Hopkins | England | AC]
10 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, received confirmation from intercepts of German signals, decrypted at Bletchley Park, that the German build-up in Romania formed a grave threat to Greece. He promptly ordered draft contingency plans for the commitment of a British expeditionary force to the Greek mainland. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | Winston Churchill | England | AC]
13 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • German aircraft dropped 106 high explosive bombs on Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, damaging the Sherwell Congregational Church on Tavistock Road, City Hospital at Freedom Fields, gas works at Coxside, and Corporation electricity works at Prince Rock (26 killed, 117 wounded). Electricity would be restored on the following day, but gas would not be restored for three weeks. Patrol Officer George Wright and Leading Fireman Cyril Lidstone of Auxiliary Fire Service would be awarded George Medals for putting out a fire on an oil tank that might otherwise have exploded. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Plymouth, England | TH]
14 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • A memorial service for Amy Johnson was held at the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Amy Johnson | London, England | CPC]
16 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • British minesweeping trawler HMT Desiree hit a mine and sank in the Thames estuary in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
17 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • British corvette HMS Rhododendron hit a mine in Liverpool Harbor, England, United Kingdom. She was to remain out of action for three months for repairs. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | CPC]
18 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • British destroyer HMS Castleton was damaged by German bombing while under repair at Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Portsmouth, England | CPC]
19 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
12 Feb 1941

United Kingdom
  • British Foreign Secretary and Chief of Imperial General Staff left London, England, United Kingdom for Cairo, Egypt to coordinate military assistance to Greece. They were also trying to create an anti-Axis agreement, which would soon be rebuffed by Yugoslavia and Turkey. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | London, England | TH]
13 Feb 1941

United Kingdom
  • Canadian Military Policeman James McCallum from Quebec was sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for the murder of barman Morris Sholman during an armed robbery of the Coach and Horses pub in Covent Garden, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
18 Feb 1941

United Kingdom
  • In the afternoon, a single Dornier Do 17Z of 1/K2 that had been reporting weather conditions over the County of Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, passed near to the RAF base at Duxford and then flew west and strafed an Army Convoy heading into Newmarket. Over the town it released ten bombs that fell directly in line with the market town's busy High Street. Eighteen shops and businesses were completely destroyed, and the civilian casualties were high, many being trapped in the shops that had collapsed. The town was ill equipped to deal with such a serious raid and it was only days later when rubble had been cleared that it became clear that 20 civilians had died and over 200 injured, seven more would die in hospital due to their injuries. This attack was one of the worst of many such lightening and seemingly pointless attacks that the mostly rural coastal county would undergo of the course of the war. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Newmarket, England | HM]
24 Feb 1941

Photo(s) dated 24 Feb 1941
Buffalo Mark I fighter at Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, 24 Feb 1941
25 Feb 1941

United Kingdom
  • While escorting convoy FN 417, British destroyer HMS Exmoor (Lieutenant Commmander R. T. Lampard) either hit a mine and sank or was sunk by German motor torpedo boat S-30 12 miles off Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. Exmoor put up a strong defence of her convoy, but after the explosion she sank quickly. Four officers, including her Commanding Officer, and 100 men were lost with the ship; 32 survived. No ships of the convoy suffered loss or damage. ww2dbase [Lowestoft, England | CPC, HM]
  • After sundown, torpedo boats Iltis (Lieutenant Commander Jacobsen) and Jaguar (Lieutenant Commander Hartenstein) carried out mining operations off Eastbourne on the Sussex coast of England, United Kingdom. The minefield would be known as "Augsburg A". ww2dbase [England | HM]
26 Feb 1941

United Kingdom
  • In a night-time sortie by the German 1st MTB Flotilla, the boat S28, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Klug, sank the 1,123-ton British freighter Minorca off the Norfolk coast on Sheringham shoal near Cromer, England, United Kingdom. The freighter was carrying 1,350 tons of cement from London to Grangemouth, Scotland, United Kingdom. The captain, 17 of the crew, along with 2 passengers, were lost. Only 3 survivors were picked up. ww2dbase [England | HM]
2 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • The United Kingdom severed diplomatic relations with Bulgaria. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
5 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • Ten survivors of British merchant steamer Holmelea (sunk by German submarine U-47 on 28 Feb 1941) in a lifeboat were picked up by the Icelandic trawler Baldur and later landed at Fleetwood, England, United Kingdom. The trawler had already picked up 39 survivors from the Dutch merchant steamer Simaloer, which has been bombed and sunk by German aircraft on 2 Mar 1941. ww2dbase [Fleetwood, England | HM]
8 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • West Indian jazz band leader Ken "Snakehips" Johnson, his musicians and many dancers were killed by a direct hit from a German bomb on the popular Café du Paris night club in London, England, United Kingdom. A total of 34 were killed at the club, while a further 80 were injured. The club had been thought to be relatively safe as it was located underground. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
9 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • German aircraft bombed London, England, United Kingdom overnight, damaging Buckingham Palace and destroying the underground nightclub Café De Paris; 80 patrons were killed at the latter. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
  • The British minesweeper HMT Gullfoss (FY710) was sunk by a mine 3.5 miles south-south west of Dungeness, Sussex, England, United Kingdom. Ten crew lost their lives. ww2dbase [England | HM]
10 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • The 708-ton British armed steamship Sparta, while steaming from Blyth to Southampton in England, United Kingdom with a cargo of coal was sunk by a mine, ten miles off Dungeness, Sussex, England; nine of the crew lost. Nearby, the 700-ton British cargo ship Corinia, built in 1928 and owned by Northwest Shipping Co. Ltd., also struck a mine while sailing from Blyth to Cowes; the ship broke in two and 14 crew lost their lives. ww2dbase [England | HM]
12 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Merseyside (containing the city of Liverpool), England, United Kingdom. 8 merchant ships were sunk, one floating crane was destroyed, and 174 people were killed in the town of Wallasey. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Liverpool, England | CPC]
13 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • The 4,738-ton British merchant steamer Tacoma City Sunk on the after being mined in the Formby Channel, River Mersey, northwestern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | HM]
  • The 304-ton British tug Bullger struck an aircraft-laid mine and sank in Druridge Bay near Amble, Northumberland, north east England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Amble, England | HM]
  • The 4,891-ton Norwegian steam merchant Ullapool of Allied Convoy SC 23 struck a parachute mine in the River Mersey in northwestern England, United Kingdom and broke in two. Sixteen men, including the Captain, William Thwaites, were lost; 22 survived. ww2dbase [England | HM]
  • The 842-ton Norwegian cargo ship Samlanes, on voyage from Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom to Shoreham, England, United Kingdom with a cargo of 907 tons of coal, was sunk by a mine, two miles off the Lizard peninsula. The whole crew, 15 people in total, were lost. ww2dbase [Helston, England | HM]
18 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • German 1st S-boat Flotilla (with 6 motor torpedo boats) raided shipping on the east coast of England, United Kingdom, sinking French ship Daphne II off the Humber Estuary. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
19 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • 370 German Luftwaffe aircraft bombed London, England, United Kingdom, killing 750. Several freighters and auxiliary anti-aircraft ship Helvellyn were sunk or damaged in London docks. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
20 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • King George and Queen Elizabeth visited Plymouth, England, United Kingdom where they took tea with Lady Nancy Astor, the first woman to take a seat in the commons. The local people took the Royal visit as a "gala day" with bands and dancing on the Hoe, but no sooner had the Royal party departed 125 German bombers appeared overhead causing great damage to the docks (sinking British tug HMS Sir Bevois (9 killed), tug HMS Elan, and transport Mari II) and city centre. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Plymouth, England | AC]
  • The 1,386-ton Polish cargo ship Cieszyn was attacked by five German aircraft whilst on her way from Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom to the Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom and sank in Coverack Cove on the southern edge of The Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall. All aboard made to lifeboats and survived. The lifeboats were machine gunned briefly by one of the Dornier aircraft, but some of the survivors believed that the German pilots were shooting to scare rather than to kill. The nearby lifeboat house on land was also strafed as the aircraft departed. ww2dbase [Helston, England | HM]
21 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • German aircraft attacked British shipping off various ports in England, United Kingdom; minesweeping trawler HMT Asama was sunk near Plymouth, ship Millisle was sunk off Bristol (10 killed), and ship London II was sunk off Swansea (4 killed). ww2dbase [England | CPC]
29 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • The 109-ton fishing trawler Kimberley (GY167) was sailing from Grimsby to Hartlepool in England, United Kingdom when she foundered and was lost in the North Sea, due to an attack by German aircraft, near 62D buoy, 22 miles southeast of Flamborough Head. The nine crew on board were rescued. ww2dbase [Bridlington, England | HM]
3 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill warned Joseph Stalin (via the Soviet ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom) German troop movements into Poland detected by British intelligence. ww2dbase [Operation Barbarossa | London, England | CPC]
7 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • German bombers sank minesweeping trawler HMT Rochebonne off The Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, killing 11. ww2dbase [Helston, England | CPC]
17 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • King Petar II of Yugoslavia arrived at London, England, United Kingdom via Athens, Greece. ww2dbase [Petar II | London, England | CPC]
  • The bombing of London, England, United Kingdom which began on the previous date ended before dawn. 1,179 were killed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
19 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • 712 German bombers conducted a heavy raid on London, England, United Kingdom starting in the evening hours. Although the primary target was the London docks, the Old Place School in Poplar, East London, which was being used as a sub-fire station, was struck by a stray bomb, killing 13 London firefighters of both genders and 21 male Beckenham firemen; it was the largest single loss of firefighters in British history. The bombing continued past midnight. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | TH]
20 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • The bombing of London, England, United Kingdom which began on the previous date ended before dawn; 449 were killed. Via a speech made in Ireland, Irish Prime Minister Eamon De Valera protested the German bombing of Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom; "they are our people", he said, "we are one and the same people, and their sorrows in the present instance are also our sorrows". ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
21 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • Starting after sundown and lasting until the next day, German bombers attacked Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, damaging cruiser HMS Kent, destroyer HMS Lewes, and destroyer HMS Leeds. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Plymouth, England | CPC]
25 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • An indication that the Germans were considering Crete, Greece as a target for major parachute assault was discovered by the code-breakers at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park in Britain through an interception of the German Luftwaffe's lax cypher discipline. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | Bletchley Park | Milton Keynes, England | AC]
27 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • The 942-ton Norwegian collier Rimac, on a voyage from Blyth, England, United Kingdom to Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom with a cargo of coal, collided with British minelayer Lord Plender near Yarmouth, on England's eastern coast. The Rimac sank quickly with a loss of three crew; Lord Plender also lost three. The 14 survivors from the Rimac were taken aboard the Lord Plender and landed at Grimsby, England. ww2dbase [Yarmouth, England | HM]
28 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
3 May 1941

United Kingdom
  • A bomb penetrated the basement shelter of Wilkinson's Lemonade factory in North Shields, England, United Kingdom. One hundred and seven people, more than half of those in the shelter, were killed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | North Shields, England | AC]
4 May 1941

United Kingdom
  • The German bombing on Liverpool, England, United Kingdom that began on the previous date ended before dawn on this date, killing 850 people and destroying ammunition ship Malakand in the harbor. The rocket shelter at Broad Green in Liverpool received a direct hit from a German bomb during this raid; the shelter was, at the time, packed with people many of whom had come out of a local dance hall looking for shelter as the sirens rang. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Liverpool, England | CPC, AC]
7 May 1941

Photo(s) dated 7 May 1941
Guy Mk IA armoured car in a village, southern England, United Kingdom, 7 May 1941
9 May 1941

United Kingdom
  • At RAF Waddington in Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, a direct hit by a German bomb on the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) station and a nearby air-raid shelter killed three airmen and seven women who worked in the NAAFI, including Mrs. Raven, the manageress. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Waddington, England | AC]
10 May 1941

United Kingdom
  • German bombers mounted what would turn out to be the last major raid on London, England, United Kingdom. Low tide on the River Thames made firefighting difficult as it was harder to draw water, thus fires caused more damage than usual. The Houses of Parliament were among the buildings damaged during this night. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
11 May 1941

United Kingdom
  • John Colville, secretary to Winston Churchill, observed great fires burning on the southern shore of River Thames in London, England, United Kingdom, result of the previous night's bombing. During the day, German Luftwaffe aircraft bombed RAF Feltwell in England. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
16 May 1941

United Kingdom
  • German bombers conducted what would turn out to be the last major raid against London, England, United Kingdom, as most Luftwaffe units were being transferred to the Eastern Front. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | TH]
11 Jun 1941

United Kingdom
  • Sir Staffrord Cripps, the British envoy to Moscow, returned to London for consultation, but his departure left a suspicious Joseph Stalin assuming that Winston Churchill (who he distrusted) might be preparing some Byzantine move designed to leave the Soviet Union isolated to face any possible Nazi invasion. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
19 Jun 1941

United Kingdom
23 Jun 1941

United Kingdom
  • The Southern Railway Central Station in London, England, United Kingdom, damaged by German bombing over the night of 21 to 22 Jun 1941, was cleared of debris and returned to full operational status. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
  • The 717-ton coastal freighter Hull Trader was on passage from London to Hull when she struck a German laid mine and sank one mile from 57 C Buoy, at Cromer on the east coast of England, United Kingdom; eleven of the fourteen crew were killed. ww2dbase [Cromer, England | HM]
25 Jun 1941

United Kingdom
  • During the day, a report was released that, for the week ending at 0600 hours on 25 Jun 1941, about 39 people were killed and 116 were seriously injured in Britain due to German bombing; none of the casualties were from London, England, United Kingdom. After dark, German bombers bombed Southampton, England, United Kingdom and dropped many naval mines in surrounding waters. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
  • The 2,154-ton British cargo steamer Dashwood was making for Sunderland, northeast England, United Kingdom in ballast when she was bombed and sunk by German aircraft off Cromer on the Norfolk coast. ww2dbase [Cromer, England | HM]
7 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • The Norwegian merchant steamer Inga I departed the Tyne river mouth in Britain for Oban, Scotland, United Kingdom to join a convoy. ww2dbase [England | HM]
8 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • A Soviet military mission arrived in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
10 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • Traitor George Armstrong was hanged at Wandsworth prison in London, England, United Kingdom following his conviction for communicating with, and offering assistance to, the German consul in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
12 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • Four days after the Soviet military mission arrived in London, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union signed an agreement of mutual assistance, noting that neither country would negotiate a separate peace with the Axis powers. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
15 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • The US Marine Corps activated the Marine Detachment at the American Embassy in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
16 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • General Wladyslaw Sikorski was presented with the Standard of the Polish Air Force at RAF Swinderby in England, United Kingdom. Smuggled out of Poland, via Stockholm in Sweden, the Standard would subsequently be held by each Polish Squadron in the United Kingdom during the war years. ww2dbase [Władysław Sikorski | Swinderby, England | AC]
18 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • The Soviet Union signed a friendship treaty with the Czechoslovakian government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
19 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill decided to share military intelligence gained by deciphering the German Enigma-encoded messages with the Soviets, but the Soviets would not be told how the intelligence was gained; instead, they were told that the intelligence was gained through a spies in Berlin. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | London, England | CPC]
20 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • Brendan Bracken was named the British Minister of Information. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
21 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • Jean Knox was made the director of the British Auxiliary Territorial Service. ww2dbase [Jean Knox | England | CPC]
23 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • A British No. 44 Squadron Hampden bomber, returning from to Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom from a minelaying sortie, crashed into the staff residence of Lincoln Girls High School on Lindum Hill in the nearby city of Lincoln. The crew of four were all killed immediately as was the senior French mistress who died trying to escape from the burning building. Four other members of staff were injured and exploding ammunition peppered the surrounding area, seriously hampering the work of the fire and rescue teams. ww2dbase [Lincoln, England | AC]
24 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
30 Jul 1941

Photo(s) dated 30 Jul 1941
British War Office personnel instructing Home Guard personnel on the use of a Northover Projector in Saxmundham, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, 30 Jul 1941
31 Jul 1941

Photo(s) dated 31 Jul 1941
Cruiser Mk V Covenanter III tank, 31 Jul 1941
1 Aug 1941

Photo(s) dated 1 Aug 1941
Cruiser Mk V Covenanter III tanks of British 9th QueenCruiser Mk V Covenanter III tanks of British 9th Queen
5 Aug 1941

Photo(s) dated 5 Aug 1941
Search and rescue dog Rip atop a pile of rubble after an air raid on Poplar, London, England, United Kingdom, 5 Aug 1941
15 Aug 1941

United Kingdom
  • German parachutist Josef Jakobs, captured in Britain on 1 Feb 1941, was executed by firing squad at the Tower of London in England, United Kingdom at 0715 hours. He was the last person to be executed at that site. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
19 Aug 1941

Photo(s) dated 19 Aug 1941
Cruiser Mk V Covenanter III tanks of Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, British 9th Armoured Division on parade at Guisborough, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, 19 Aug 1941
24 Aug 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill broadcast, on the BBC, his "Crime without a name" speech which told the listening public of the mass murders that are being committed by German police and SS units against the civilian populations in the overrun Soviet territories. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
29 Aug 1941

Photo(s) dated 29 Aug 1941
Cruiser Mk V Covenanter III tank of British 9th Armoured Division undergoing engine maintenance in the field, Guisborough, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, 29 Aug 1941
31 Aug 1941

United Kingdom
  • A mixed-gender anti-aircraft battery with 200 men and an equal number of women was established, with great public interest, in Richmond Park, London, England, United Kingdom. The women were the first to take a combat role in Britain. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
3 Sep 1941

United Kingdom
  • Canadian Lieutenant-General Arthur Grasett MC, DSO (1888-1971), the former General Officer Commanding in Hong Kong, suggested to the Chiefs of Staff in London, England, United Kingdom that with the addition of two or more battalions, the colony's garrison would be strong enough to resist, for an extensive period, any Japanese seige. He further affirmed that Canada might be prepared to provide the battalions. ww2dbase [Battle of Hong Kong | London, England | AC]
6 Sep 1941

United Kingdom
20 Sep 1941

United Kingdom
  • The ferry vessel SS Portsdown sank in the Solent between the Isle of Wight and England, United Kingdom after hitting a mine. There had been disquiet for some time that that no minesweeping had been carried out in the eastern Solent, despite enemy mines becoming an increasing problem. The day before the sinking a meeting of steamer captains agreed by a majority of 4 to continue the night time sailings to the island and Captain H. Chandler, who was commodore of the Southern Railways Company fleet, decided he would take command of the next night crossing which was to be a 4 am mailboat, the SS Portsdown. Captain Chandler died along with 20 crew members, military personnel (going home on leave) and one civilian. ww2dbase [England | AC]
21 Sep 1941

United Kingdom
  • No. 1259 Flight RAF, commanded by Squadron Leader James Nicolson V.C., moved to RAF Hibaldstow in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom to operate Havoc bombers fitted with a huge Tumbinlite searchlight, powered by 48 heavy duty batteries in the bomb bay, with which to illuminate enemy aircraft at night for the Hurricane fighters of 253 Squadron. The project was not a great success; formation flying at night was quite difficult and the use of the searchlight tended to blind the accompanying fighter pilots. ww2dbase [Hibaldstow, England | AC]
22 Sep 1941

United Kingdom
  • King George II of the Hellenes, with members of his family and government who have escaped from Crete, Greece arrived in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [George II | England | AC]
1 Oct 1941

United Kingdom
13 Oct 1941

United Kingdom
17 Oct 1941

Photo(s) dated 17 Oct 1941
Cruiser Mk V Covenanter III tanks of British 9th Armoured Division being loaded onto flatbed railway wagons, Blaydon near Newcastle, England, United Kingdom, 17 Oct 1941
26 Oct 1941

Photo(s) dated 26 Oct 1941
A sergeant from the British Fife and Forfar Yeomanry showing two female factory workers the turret of a Covenanter tank, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom, 26 Oct 1941
29 Oct 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill visited the Harrow School in London, England, United Kingdom, which he attended in his younger days. In a speech there, he gave the advice "Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
31 Oct 1941

United Kingdom
  • A B-17 bomber from the USAAF 379th Bomb Group on a night training flight flew into a restricted area and was fired on by the heavy anti-aircraft guns on the British coast. With a wing on fire, First Lieutenant Charles W. Goodier ordered his crew to bail out. All landed safely, the B-17 bomber falling into Manor Farm's field, Knodishall in Suffolk. ww2dbase [Knodishall, England | HM]
1 Nov 1941

United Kingdom
  • HMS Eagle arrived at Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Eagle | Liverpool, England | CPC]
  • A newly issued Typhoon fighter of British No. 56 Squadron plunged into the ground near East Harling, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom, killing Pilot Officer J. F. Deck. Subsequent investigations revealed that he had suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning leading to the entire Typhoon fleet being grounded for modifications to cockpit sealing and the fitting of improved extended exhausts, although the problem was never satisfactorily resolved. ww2dbase [Typhoon | East Harling, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 1 Nov 1941
Covenanter tanks of 15th/19th The King
7 Dec 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill had lunch with Duchess of Marlborough Alexandra Mary Cadogan and her son Marquess of Blandford John Spencer-Churchill. He had dinner with US Ambassador John Gilbert Winant and W. Averell Harriman; after dinner, they learned of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor in the US Territory of Hawaii. He would later write that he "slept the sleep of the saved and thankful", relieved that the United States was finally in the war, and Britain was no longer alone. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
8 Dec 1941

United Kingdom
  • United Kingdom declared war on Japan. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • The French government-in-exile in Britain declared war on Japan. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • The Dutch government-in-exile in Britain declared war on Japan. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • Mavis Batey successfully broke into a German Abwehr coded message on a link between Belgrade, Yugoslavia and Berlin, Germany, thereby allowing the codebreakers to construct one of the Enigma Machine. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | Mavis Batey | England | AC]
9 Dec 1941

Photo(s) dated 9 Dec 1941
Six British Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Sea Hurricane aircraft operating from RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron), Somerset, England, United Kingdom, 9 Dec 1941
11 Dec 1941

United Kingdom
  • American aviator and poet John Gillespie Magee, Jr. was killed in a mid-air collision over Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom. He became famous for his poem High Flight, and had, before the United States entered the war, forsaken a place at Yale University in order to train as a fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force. ww2dbase [England | AC]
15 Dec 1941

Photo(s) dated 15 Dec 1941
Admiral Percy Noble speaking to crew of HMS Stork at Liverpool, England, United Kingdom, mid-Dec 1941
1 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • Fifty-Seven men and boys died in a colliery disaster near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Stoke-on-Trent, England | AC]
6 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
9 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
12 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • The 5,626-ton British steam merchant Lerwick had brought a cargo of manganese ore to the Ford factory at Dagenham, London, England, United Kingdom and was on passage to the Tyne for dry docking. When she reached a position 6 miles east-southeast of Whitby High in Yorkshire, England, the ship was attacked by a single Heinkell III bomber that dropped three bombs, one landed off the starboard quarter and the other two were direct hits. The hatch covers were blown through the ship causing catastrophic damage and letting in a rapid flow of water. The Lerwick sank in less than twenty minutes four miles off Robin Hood's Bay. The ship's master Captain Robinson assisted the crew to get into a boat and then returned to the bridge apparently wishing to go down with his ship as he had just learnt that his wife had been killed in a German air-raid on South Shields in northeastern England. He was persuaded to get into the boat by crew members who had also saved the ship's cat Lucky and six of her recently born kittens named after Disney's seven dwarves. Five crew members as well as the kitten Dopey were lost during the sinking. ww2dbase [Whitby, England | HM]
13 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • The Allied conference in London, England, United Kingdom pledged to punish Axis war criminals after the war. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
16 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers sank British minesweeping trawler HMS Irvana off Yarmouth, England, United Kingdom, killing 2. ww2dbase [Yarmouth, England | CPC]
17 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • The Boeing 314 Clipper Flying Boat "Berwick" with Winston Churchill aboard suffered a navigational error and would have flown into France had not been a last minute course correction. When the aircraft approached Britain from the south, the aircraft was initially treated as hostile and six Hurricane fighters were scrambled to intercept; the fighters failed to locate Churchill's transport. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | England | CPC]
19 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • Seven US airmen set up the VIII Bomber Command at RAF Daws Hill in Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [High Wycombe, England | CPC]
21 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • The German Luftwaffe resumed bombing London, England, United Kingdom and a number of southern British ports. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
22 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • Returning from an aborted raid on Borkum, northwestern Germany, a Canadian Hudson aircraft of No. 407 Squadron crashed at RAF Donna Nook in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom with its bombs still on board. The five-man crew were killed on impact and the exploding bombs killed another eleven RAF ground crew and two soldiers from the local defence force. A further 16 men were injured, some badly. ww2dbase [North Somercotes, England | AC]
27 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill opened a three-day Parliamentary debate in London, England, United Kingdom on the course of the war. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
2 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
  • Two British Trawlers under Admiralty Control were bombed and sunk off the River Humber estuary, north-eastern England, United Kingdom. The 356-ton British trawler Cape Spartel was commanded by T/Lt. John Richard Grundy, RNR and the 324-ton Cloughton Wyke (Pennant No. 4446) were both sunk during an attack by German bombers. The skipper of Cloughton Wyke, Charles Seymour Larter, RNR survived the attack although wounded, he survived the war and was commander of HMS Hildina (FY 451) a Trawler/minesweeper. Both Trawlers were armed with a 12-pounder anti-aircraft gun at the time of the attack. John Grundy also survived and went on to command three different minesweepers. ww2dbase [England | CPC, HM]
5 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
  • Australian high commissioner in London Stanley Bruce sent a cable to Prime Minister John Curtin, recommending Peter Drummond to succeed Air Chief Marshal Charles Burnett as the Chief of the Air Staff of the RAAF. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
7 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
  • The first of the new Avro Lancaster bombers to be written off in RAF Bomber Command occurred when Flight Sergeant D. F. Nicholson of 44 Squadron, approaching RAF Skellingthorpe in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom realized that he had misread the wind direction. Rather than going around again he attempted to turn onto the correct runway, but lost control and skidded into a frozen snow bank which caused the undercarriage to collapse. ww2dbase [Lancaster | Skellingthorpe, England | AC]
19 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
  • Major changes were made to the British War Cabinet. Sir Stafford Cripps became Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons. Mr. Clement Atlee became Secretary for the Dominions and Mr. Oliver Lyttleton was appointed Minister of State with special responsibilities for all branches of production. Outgoing Ministers of the Cabinet were Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Kingsley Wood and Mr. Arthur Greenwood. ww2dbase [Clement Attlee | London, England | AC]
20 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
  • A Douglas DC3 aircraft of the USAAF landed at RAF Hendon bringing Brigadier General Ira Eaker and six of his fellow officers; their orders were to prepare the way for the entry of the US Army Air Force into the "European Theatre of Operations". ww2dbase [Ira Eaker | London, England | AC]
25 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
  • The keel of destroyer Success was laid down by J. Samuel White on Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Stord | Cowes, England | DS]
28 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
1 Mar 1942

United Kingdom
  • No. 97 Squadron RAF was transferred to RAF Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Woodhall Spa | Woodhall Spa, England | CPC]
  • The 697-ton steamer Polgarth, owned by Polgarth S.S. Ltd of Liverpool, England, United Kingdom, was on passage from Blyth, Northumberland, England, to Southampton, England with cargo of 865 tons of coal. When two miles off Aldeburgh Light Float, on the Suffolk coast, she struck a mine. After attempts to tow her failed the vessel foundered two hours later. All 16 crew were saved. ww2dbase [Aldeburgh, England | HM]
  • The 598-ton small coastal steam tanker Audacity struck a mine soon after exiting the river Humber estuary on the eastern coast of England, United Kingdom. The ship was on passage from Goole bound for London with a cargo of palm oil. The Audacity's captain was killed in the explosion. ww2dbase [England | HM]
3 Mar 1942

Photo(s) dated 3 Mar 1942
Covenanter cruiser tanks of 2nd (Armoured) Irish Guards of British Guards Armoured Division during an inspection of Southern Command, England, United Kingdom, 3 Mar 1942
8 Mar 1942

United Kingdom
  • An annoyed Winston Churchill, not satisfied with Cairo's reasons for not attacking at Gazala, summoned the British C-in-C Middle East back to London, England, United Kingdom to "confer with him about the situation". ww2dbase [Claude Auchinleck | London, England | AC]
9 Mar 1942

United Kingdom
  • Admiral Harold Stark, formerly the American Chief of Naval Operations, was appointed as Commander of the United States Naval Forces in European waters with his headquarters in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Harold Stark | London, England | AC]
15 Mar 1942

United Kingdom
  • German motor torpedo boats attacked British coastal convoy FS749 20 miles off the English coast in the North Sea, with S-104 sinking British destroyer HMS Vortigern; 110 were killed, 14 survived. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
16 Mar 1942

United Kingdom
  • Soviet ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom expressed wish for a second front in Europe. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
26 Mar 1942

United Kingdom
  • 3 British destroyers and 16 smaller vessels departed Falmouth, England, United Kingdom with commandos aboard at 1400 hours for the drydock at Saint-Nazaire, France. ww2dbase [Falmouth, England | CPC]
2 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
9 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Worthing in southern England, United Kingdom during the day, damaging a hospital and a gasometer and killing 2. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Worthing, England | CPC]
13 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
  • Pilot Sergeant William McLachlan of No. 175 Squadron RAF, flying a Hurricane fighter, accidentally killed 25 spectators during a ground attack tactics demonstration flight in Imber, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom. McLachlan was found guilty of making the fatal mistake, but continued to fly combat missions until he was shot down and killed in France on 29 Jun 1942. ww2dbase [Imber, England | CPC]
  • German bombers attacked Portland and Weymouth, England, United Kingdom during the day, damaging a number of homes. After dark, German bombers attacked Grimsby on the eastern coast of England, lasting until the next date. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
14 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
  • The German bombing on Grimsby, England, United Kingdom that began before midnight on the previous date ended; it killed 13, injured 28, and destroyed a number of homes. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Grimsby, England | CPC]
  • In a speech at a meeting with Franklin Roosevelt's representatives in London, England, United Kingdom, General Alan Brooke on behalf of the Chiefs-of-Staff Committee insisted that it must be essential to hold the Japanese and to ensure that there should be no junction between them and the Germans that could gravely threaten Allied oil supplies from the Persian Gulf. ww2dbase [Alan Brooke | London, England | AC]
15 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
17 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Southampton, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Southampton, England | CPC]
  • 18-year-old Private Nora Cleveney, of the British Army Auxiliary Territorial Service, became the first British female soldier to be killed on active service when a German bomb fell close to where she was stationed as an enemy plane spotter near Southampton, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Southampton, England | AC]
22 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
  • No. 616 Squadron RAF based in RAF Kings Cliffe in Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom received the first of the high-altitude Spitfire Mk VI aircraft intended to counter high-flying German reconnaissance bombers. They were passed on to meteorological reconnaissance units when replaced by Mk VII variants in 1943. ww2dbase [Spitfire | Battle of Britain | Kings Cliffe, England | AC]
23 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
25 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
27 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
  • Germans retaliated the 28 Mar 1942 RAF raid that destroyed the historic district of Lübeck, Germany by beginning a campaign that was later nicknamed "the Baedeker raids". Norwich was the first target. The pathfinder bombers of 1/KG100 dropped shoals of incendiary bombs making a clear target for the aircraft of KG2 and KG106 to drop mixed loads onto the city. The narrow streets were utterly demolished by the 550-kilogram bombs and fires soon became out of control as the mains water system became damaged. By the end of this raid 63 people had lost the lives and many were in hospitals and emergency aid depots. At 0045 hours on the following date, the last of the raiders turned homeward, all returned safely, leaving the entre of the old town a burning ruin. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Norwich, England | HM]
28 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
  • The historic Guildhall in York, England, United Kingdom was destroyed by fire started by a German air raid on the city. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | York, England | AC]
29 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
30 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
4 May 1942

United Kingdom
  • Before dawn, 90 German bombers attacked the ancient city of Exeter, England, United Kingdom. This, the third raid on the "Jewel of the West" in ten days, caused extensive damage, devastating 30 acres of the city with many if its historic buildings smashed or incinerated by high explosive and fire bombs. The 15th-century cathedral was badly damaged, while many of the Tudor, Georgian and Victorian landmarks were lost forever. The city library was burnt down losing an estimated 1 million books and historic documents (which took Exeter more than 20 years to recover). Over 1,500 houses were completely destroyed with a further 2,700 more seriously damaged. Some 400 shops, 150 offices, over 50 warehouses plus 36 pubs and clubs were also lost. Additionally 156 civilians had been killed and 563 others injured. During the day, the Nazi propagandist Lord Haw-Haw broadcast to British listeners "We have destroyed that jewel and the Luftwaffe will return to finish the job". ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Exeter, England | AC]
5 May 1942

United Kingdom
  • Garland completed her refitting at Middlesbrough, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Garland | Middlesbrough, England | CPC]
  • Ira Eaker was made the commanding officer of US Eight Bomber Command in Britain. ww2dbase [Ira Eaker | England | CPC]
8 May 1942

United Kingdom
16 May 1942

Photo(s) dated 16 May 1942
Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Major-General Brian Horrocks aboard a Covenanter tank of 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, British 27th Armoured Brigade near Newmarket, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, 16 May 1942; note H. V. Evatt in second tankPrime Minister Winston Churchill and Major-General Brian Horrocks inspecting British 9th Armoured Division atop a Covenanter tank of 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, new Newmarket, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, 16 May 1942
19 May 1942

United Kingdom
20 May 1942

United Kingdom
  • Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Minister for Foreign Affairs, met with Winston Churchill in London, England, United Kingdom and demanded to be told the date of the Second Front when British troops would again land in Europe. Churchill tried to explain that the time was not appropriate for an attack against fortress Europe (Dunkirk was still fresh in his mind and he had no desire to repeat the performance) until Britain was strong enough in arm, men and assault craft for such an ambitious operation. Angrily Molotov declared that he was not satisfied with Churchill's excuses and threatened to come to terms with the Germans unless the Allies came to the assistance of the Soviet Union immediately. ww2dbase [Vyacheslav Molotov | London, England | AC]
24 May 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked the Royal Navy seaplane training center at Poole in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Poole, England | CPC]
26 May 1942

United Kingdom
  • The United Kingdom and the Soviet Union signed a treaty in London, England, United Kingdom, with terms including the agreement that neither party would seek a separate peace with Germany, a 20-year alliance, the refusal to join any treaty against one another, and the pledge not to interfere in each other's internal affairs. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
27 May 1942

United Kingdom
  • A German Ju 87 Stuka aircraft sank British anti-submarine trawler HMT Arctic Pioneer off Portsmouth Harbour, England, United Kingdom; 18 were killed, 16 survived. ww2dbase [Portsmouth, England | CPC]
29 May 1942

United Kingdom
31 May 1942

United Kingdom
1 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
  • In Canterbury, England, United Kingdom, the full extent of the damage caused by the German air raid was revealed. A total of forty-three people had been killed with forty-eight seriously injured and fifty more slightly hurt. The German bombs destroyed 400 buildings, seriously damaged a further 1,500 and slightly damaged 2,000 others. St. George's Place and church were in ruins with further destruction around St. Dunstan's. The Warriors Chapel Entrance was demolished as was the Victorian Cathedral Library, but fortunately the historic Canterbury Cathedral had miraculously survived undamaged. Further bombings in the following few days would cause further damage to buildings and lives (5 killed). ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Canterbury, England | AC]
2 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
3 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
4 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
  • The Royal Air Force aerodrome at Thurleigh was formally assigned for use by the United States Army Air Forces. The USAAF designated the base as Station AAF-111. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
6 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
14 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
  • The King, Queen, and Princesses of the United Kingdom and the heads of a number of Allied countries attended a United Nations Day ceremony. The flags of 22 states were honoured during a march past Buckingham Palace in London, England, United Kingdom by representatives of the British armed forces, civil defence organisations and war workers. ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | AC]
16 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
17 Jun 1942

Photo(s) dated 17 Jun 1942
Covenanter tanks of 28th Armoured Brigade, British 9th Armoured Division on parade at Barton Mills near Newmarket in Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, 17-18 June 1942
21 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
25 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
  • Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in London, England, United Kingdom and was appointed the Commander of US Forces in Europe. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | London, England | TH]
  • In the Palace of Westminster in London, England, United Kingdom, Winston Churchill's critics, led by Sir John Wardlaw-Milne, embarked on a vote on no-confidence in the Prime Minister. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 25 Jun 1942
Covenanter tank of 6th Guards Armoured Brigade, British Guards Armoured Division crossing a scisssors bridge laid down over an anti-tank ditch, Tilshead, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, 25 Jun 1942
26 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
28 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Weston-super-Mare in southwestern England, United Kingdom, killing 102 and wounding 400; German intelligence had incorrectly determined that Winston Churchill was at Weston-super-Mare this night. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Weston-super-Mare, England | CPC]
29 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
5 Jul 1942

United Kingdom
  • Avro York aircraft took its maiden flight at Manchester, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [York | Manchester, England | AC]
18 Jul 1942

Photo(s) dated 18 Jul 1942
Major-General Brian Horrocks of British 9th Armoured Division in a Covenanter command tank during Exercise Limpet, near Thetford, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom, 18 Jul 1942Covenanter tanks of British 9th Armoured Division during Exercise Limpet near Thetford, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom, 18 Jul 1942
21 Jul 1942

United Kingdom
  • Jean Knox was promoted to the rank of controller in the British Auxiliary Territorial Service. ww2dbase [Jean Knox | England | CPC]
25 Jul 1942

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 25 Jul 1942
Hopkins, Churchill, King, Winant, and others at Painted Hall, Greenwich Naval College, Greenwich, England, United Kingdom, 25 Jul 1942
27 Jul 1942

United Kingdom
  • Before dawn, German bombers attacked Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. After daybreak, a single German bomber attacked Manchester, England, killing 3 and wounding 7 in the Palmerston Street-Hillkirk Street-Russell Street area. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
31 Jul 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Hull, England, United Kingdom with 46 tons of bombs between 0215 hours and 0325 hours, damaging Victoria Dock facilities and destroying several homes on Grindell Street. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Hull, England | CPC]
3 Aug 1942

United Kingdom
  • A German Do 217 medium bomber attacked Middlesbrough, England, United Kingdom at 1308 hours, damaging the railway station, killing 8 civilians, and wounding 56. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Middlesbrough, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 3 Aug 1942
British Home Guard personnel demonstrating the use of an EY rifle with a No. 68 AT grenade, Dorking, Surrey, England, United Kingdom, 3 Aug 1942
6 Aug 1942

United Kingdom
  • Alan Brooke declined Winston Churchill's offer of the appointment to head Middle East Command, telling the Prime Minister that there would be no time to reorganise the Imperial General Staff and that he had no knowledge of desert warfare. Secretly he confided in his diary that he felt he would serve better by remaining in his present post in order to exercise some control over the Prime Minister's wilder schemes and, also, to prevent Claude Auchinleck from thinking that he had come out on purpose to work his way into the latter's shoes. ww2dbase [Alan Brooke | London, England | AC]
7 Aug 1942

Photo(s) dated 7 Aug 1942
Covenanter tanks passing through the village of Stockton in Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, 7 Aug 1942
8 Aug 1942

United Kingdom
20 Aug 1942

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 20 Aug 1942
HMS Dianthus at Liverpool, England, United Kingdom, mid to late Aug 1942; note bow damage sustained from ramming U-379
22 Aug 1942

Photo(s) dated 22 Aug 1942
British 2-inch mortar team, near Lewes, southern England, United Kingdom, 22 Aug 1942
27 Aug 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Leeds, England, United Kingdom in the late hours of the day, lasting until the next day. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Leeds, England | CPC]
29 Aug 1942

United Kingdom
  • Before dawn, German bombers attacked the village of Blackhall Colliery in County Durham, England, United Kingdom. On the same day, Swindon and Brighton were also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
1 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Lydd in southeastern England, United Kingdom. After sundown and lasting until the next date, Doncaster was attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
2 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Teignmouth, England, United Kingdom. In London, England, the British War Cabinet received the Home Security Situation Report for the week, which noted that in the week ending at 0600 hours on 2 Sep 1942, 92 British civilians were killed by German bombing while a further 91 were seriously wounded. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
7 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) began landing their B-17 Fortress bombers at RAF Thurleigh as their new base in Britain. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
12 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
  • RAF Debden in Essex, England, United Kingdom was transferred to the United States Eighth Air Force (Station 356) becoming the home to the US 65th Fighter Wing. ww2dbase [Debden, England | AC]
  • Prince Emanuel Galitzine, great grandson of Russian emperor Paul I, in a specially modified Spitfire IX fighter, intercepted a high-flying pressurized Junkers Ju 86 over the Solent in southern England, United Kingdom at an altitude of over 42,000 feet, far higher than any other RAF fighter could attain. After evading four attempts by Galitzine to shoot down the intruder, the German bomber, expertly flown by Oberfeldwebel Horst Goetz, jettisoned its 550-pound bomb and escaped to land at Caen, France with only one cannon hole in its wing. ww2dbase [England | AC]
14 Sep 1942

Photo(s) dated 14 Sep 1942
Hugh Dowding with an aide and several British fighter pilots outside the Air Ministry headquarters at the Adastral House (now Television House), London, England, United Kingdom, 14 Sep 1942
22 Sep 1942

Photo(s) dated 22 Sep 1942
Female worker at the B. T. H. factory in Neasden Lane, Willesden in London, England, United Kingdom writing messages on a Covenanter tank of British Guards Armoured Division, 22 Sep 1942
24 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Hastings, England, United Kingdom; 19 were killed, 17 were seriously injured. Seaford in southeastern England was also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
25 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
  • In England, United Kingdom, RAF Wickenby, recently completed from land requisitioned by the Air Ministry in 1941, became operational with the arrival from Binbrook of No. 12 Squadron of 1 Group Bomber Command. Initially flying Wellington bombers, the squadron would convert to Lancaster bombers in Nov 1942. ww2dbase [Wickenby, England | AC]
  • After sundown, German aircraft attacked Penzance, southwestern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Penzance, England | CPC]
  • Isaac Sweers departed Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom for Scapa Flow, Scotland, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Isaac Sweers | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
26 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
  • British No. 12 Squadron of 1 Group Bomber Command, having arrived at the newly completed RAF Wickenby in England, United Kingdom just the previous day, conducted its first operation with Wellington bombers. ww2dbase [Wickenby, England | AC]
28 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
  • German bombers attacked Colchester and Broadstairs, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
29 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
  • A lone German bomber attacked the rural town of Petworth in Sussex County, England, United Kingdom in the morning, destroying a boys' school; 23 were killed (20 of whom were children), 30 were seriously injured (24 of whom were children). Somerton, Somerset County; Shrewton, Wiltshire County; and Betteshanger Collthbourne, Kent County were also attacked. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 29 Sep 1942
General Bernard Paget in a Crusader tank of British 42nd Armoured Division during an exercise near Malton, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, 29 Sep 1942; note Covenanter tank in background
30 Sep 1942

United Kingdom
2 Oct 1942

United Kingdom
9 Oct 1942

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group launched their first bombing mission from RAF Thurleigh. The group sent 24 B-17 Fortresses to join other B-17s and B-24s to form the first US 100-plane raid of the war. The target was Lille, France. The 306th lost no planes. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
23 Oct 1942

United Kingdom
  • Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for a three-week visit as guest of King George VI. ww2dbase [Eleanor Roosevelt | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 23 Oct 1942
King George VI, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Queen Elizabeth, in London, England, United Kingdom, 23 Oct 1942
3 Nov 1942

United Kingdom
  • Merchant seaman Duncan Scott-Ford was hanged at Wandsworth prison in London, England, United Kingdom following his conviction for selling information to the enemy. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
13 Nov 1942

United Kingdom
  • A Sunderland Mk II flying boat (W 6054) crashed on landing in Plymouth Sound in southern England, United Kingdom in thick fog at approximately 2100 hours. The aircraft from No. 10 squadron Royal Australian Air Force was on a flight from Gibraltar to Plymouth piloted by Flight Lieutenant Wynton Thorpe with a crew of 11 and five passengers. With only 15 minutes of fuel left the pilot attempted a blind landing, but with the altimeter still reading 600 feet the Sunderland ploughed into the sea. The aircraft flipped on its back, split in half and the pilot was thrown into the sea. The eleven crew were left in the sea for 90 minutes before rescue, but none of the passengers survived. The remains of this Sunderland were found spread over a wide area on the north side of the breakwater between the Fort and the lighthouse. The propeller and reduction gear was recovered in 1985 and shipped to the RAAF Museum near Perth, Australia. ww2dbase [Plymouth, England | HM]
  • King George VI of the United Kingdom visited the 306th Bomb Group at RAF Thurleigh. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | George VI | Thurleigh, England | DS]
Photo(s) dated 13 Nov 1942
King George VI of Great Britain visits the base of the USAAF 352nd Bomb Squadron at Chelveston, England, UK, 13 Nov 1942. The aircraft is B-17F “Holey Joe” with Cpl David C Casteel of Illinois standing second from the leftKing George VI of the United Kingdom (center) on a tour of RAF Thurleigh in Bedfordshire, England, 13 Nov 1942. He is hearing from USAAF Lt Robert Riordan (left) about how his B-17 Fortress was damaged on a mission.
17 Nov 1942

United Kingdom
  • British Admiral Max Horton was appointed Commander-in-Chief Western Approaches Command with his Headquarters at Northways, North London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
22 Nov 1942

United Kingdom
  • The British Admiralty Operational Intelligence Centre (OIC) urged the staff of Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom to focus on Germany's new four-rotored Enigma machines. ww2dbase [Bletchley Park | Milton Keynes, England | CPC]
13 Dec 1942

United Kingdom
  • The Enigma codebooks captured by HMS Petard from the sinking German submarine U-559 arrived at Bletchley Park's Hut 8 and within one hour intercepts of German submarine signals allowed the British Admiralty to instantly pinpoint the location of fifteen U-Boats. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | Bletchley Park | Milton Keynes, England | AC]
15 Dec 1942

United Kingdom
  • Allied convoy JW-51A departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom; it was consisted of 16 freighters and was escorted by seven destroyers and four smaller warships. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Liverpool, England | CPC]
22 Dec 1942

United Kingdom
  • Convoy JW-51B departed from Liverpool, England, United Kingdom for Murmansk, Russia; it was consisted of 14 freighters and was escorted by six destroyers, two corvettes, one minesweeper, and two trawlers under the command of Captain Robert Sherbrooke; British cruisers of Force R covered the convoy from a distance. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Liverpool, England | AC, CPC]
3 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • President Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz of the Polish government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom urged Pope Pius XII to denounce German atrocities against the Jews. ww2dbase [Pius XII | London, England | CPC]
7 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • British murderer Harry Dobkin is hanged at Wandsworth Prison in London, England, United Kingdom. Dobkin had murdered his wife whose mutilated body he had dumped in a badly damaged Baptist chapel near where he was a fire watcher, in the hope that she would appear to be another unidentified victim of the Blitz. He confessed to his crime after examination of the remains indicated death by strangulation. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
13 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
17 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
20 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • German fighter-bombers made a surprise daylight attack on London, England, United Kingdom during which bombs were dropped on a school in Lewisham killing 39 children and five teachers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
  • The German Luftwaffe was forced to abandon any further hit-and-run fighter-bomber raids on London, England, United Kingdom after five Fw 190 aircraft were lost within half an hour to the RAF Manston based Typhoon fighters of Wing Commander Roland Beamont's No. 609 Squadron. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
24 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • Glyndwr Michael, homeless and suffering from mental illness, was found dead in an abandoned warehouse in King's Cross, London, England, United Kingdom after consuming rat poison which contained phosphorus; it was unknown whether he had committed suicide or simply ate what he thought was thrown-away food laced with the poison for the purpose of pest control. The discovery of his remains was reported to MI5 per previous request for such a body. ww2dbase [Operation Mincemeat | London, England | CPC]
27 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • Firewatcher Harry Dobkin was hanged at Wandsworth Prison in London, England, United Kingdom after being found guilty of the murder, by strangulation, of his wife, Rachel. Evidence at his trial was one of the earliest in which identification of the body, which he had concealed under a slab in a bombed Baptist church, had been made possible by forensic photography and dental records. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
7 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
  • The British motor gun boat MGB 109 (BPB 72 feet-type class) fell victim of the mines laid around North Foreland, England, United Kingdom. The vessel did not sink and was helped back to port but was declared a total loss. ww2dbase [England | HM]
8 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
  • Colonel Frank Armstrong, commander of the 306th Bomb Group and the base at RAF Thurleigh, was promoted to Brigadier General. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
9 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
  • Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge (Belgian National Radio), made its first broadcast from London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
10 Feb 1943

Photo(s) dated 10 Feb 1943
Brigadier General Westside T. Larson, commanding officer of Antisubmarine Command in England, commending Captain Jack H. Shaw, Navigator of B-24D Liberator
11 Feb 1943

Photo(s) dated 11 Feb 1943
Two women amidst a wrecked building, Newbury, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, 11 Feb 1943
15 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
17 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
  • The 306th Bomb Group and the air base at RAF Thurleigh had a change of command with Lieutenant Colonel Claude Putnam relieving General Frank Armstrong. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
18 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
  • In the British House of Commons 121 Ministers of Parliament (97 Labour members and including former prime minister David Lloyd George in his last ever vote in the House) condemned the Government for its failure to back the Beveridge Report. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
21 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
  • The Red Army's 25th anniversary was celebrated in London, England, United Kingdom with a massed gathering at the Albert Hall. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden represented the government while other notable celebraties present included Dame Sybil Thorndike and Commander Ralph Richardson RNVR. ww2dbase [Anthony Eden | London, England | AC]
25 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
3 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • British anti-aircraft gunners used a new rocket projectile for the first time during an air raid on London, England, United Kingdom. Civilians descending into a new tube station at Bethnal Green to take cover became panicked by the unfamiliar sound and, believing they were being bombed, stampeded down the stairs. In the crush someone stumbled causing others to fall. Those behind, not being able to see what was happening below continued to press forward, and soon 300 bodies were piled up. Tragically 173 people were crushed to death or suffocated. For the sake of public morale, news of the tragedy was suppressed for another two years. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
  • Destroyer Stord was launched on Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Stord | Cowes, England | DS]
10 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Group Captain Sidney Bufton replaced Air Commodore J. W. Baker as the Director of Bomber Operations at the Air Ministry in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
11 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • The royalist Yugoslavian government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom reported that German forces had executed 1,250 Serbians in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
18 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Oswald Mosley and Diana Mosley received Norah Elam and Dudley Elam while in imprisonment in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | CPC]
  • American oil workers recruited by the Noble Drilling Corporation on a one year contract arrived at Kelham Hall Monastery, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom to work at extracting oil from the Eakring oil field in Sherwood Forest. With imported American rigs the "Roughnecks" would ultimately drill over 100 wells before returning home, producing, at its peak, over 300,000 tons of high grade oil from 170 "Nodding Donkeys" in addition to training (initially unskilled) British workers in American drilling techniques. ww2dbase [Kelham, England | AC]
21 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • No. 617 Squadron RAF was established at RAF Scampton, England, United Kingdom under the command of Wing Commander Guy Gibson for the purpose of launching an attack upon the Ruhr dams in Germany. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Scampton, England | AC]
22 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Two captured German generals spoke of plans for long range missiles in a room in Kensington Park Gardens, London, England, United Kingdom, not realizing that the room had been bugged. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
28 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Wing Commander Guy Gibson flew a Lancaster bomber down Derwent reservoir near Sheffield in central England, United Kingdom to try out flying very accurately at low level. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Sheffield, England | AC]
29 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Guy Gibson was summoned to Group Headquarters where he was given a more detailed briefing by Ralph Cochrane, including details of the proposed targets of the Möhne and Sorpe Dams in Germany. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | England | AC]
31 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Replying to a question from Member of Parliament Richard Stokes, the Air Minister, Sir Archibald Sinclair, told the British House of Commons that Bomber Command's targets were always of a military nature, but that bombing of military targets would necessarily involve bombing areas in which they were situated. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | London, England | AC]
1 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • Andrew Geddes was made the head of Operations and Plans of the Second Tactical Air Force RAF. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
7 Apr 1943

Photo(s) dated 7 Apr 1943
A Diamond T tank transporter carrying a Churchill tank at the British Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers experimental recovery section at Aborfield, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, 7 Apr 1943
8 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • The first modified Lancaster ED765/G ("G" for "Guard" denoting the special security arrangements required) bomber was delivered to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom for planned attacks against German dams. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Farnborough, England | AC]
10 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • The first modified Lancaster bomber was moved to RAF Manston, England, United Kingdom to conduct dropping trials for attacks on German dams. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Manston, England | AC]
16 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • The first night fighter attack on London, England, United Kingdom, carried out by thirty Focke-Wulf 190 aircraft, turned into a farce. Only two bombs hit the city, and four German pilots got lost, thought that they were over France and landed at West Malling RAF fighter base in Kent where three were taken prisoner and one was killed crash-landing. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
  • The first release of a non-explosive "Upkeep" bouncing bomb took place at Reculver, off the North Kent coast in Britain, but the device broke up on hitting the water. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Reculver, England | AC]
17 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • The demanding training of dropping the new "Upkeep" bombs at low altitudes had proven too much for some British pilots. Pilot Officer Bill Divall replaced Sergeant Ray Lovell followed soon after by Flight Sergeant Lanchester and his crew being withdrawn. This brought 617 Squadron's stenghth down to 21 crews. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | England | AC]
18 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
20 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • The most famous of all Lancaster bombers, ED888, was delivered to No. 103 Squadron RAF at RAF Elsham Wolds in Elsham, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom. ED888, which served as M-Mother (later adapted to Mother-of them-all) would, by the time it was retired early in 1945, have set a record of 140 completed operations to its credit. ww2dbase [Lancaster | Elsham, England | AC]
21 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • Allied convoy ONS 5 consisted of 42 ships departed from Liverpool, England, United Kingdom for a 3-week journey to Halifax, Nova, Scotia, Canada; it was escorted by 7 warships (2 destroyers, 1 frigate, and 4 corvettes) and supported by 2 trawlers and 1 tanker. The convoy was under the command of J. Kenneth Brook of the British Royal Navy Reserve; he was aboard Norwegian freighter Rena. The convoy was to grow in size from mid-journey rendezvous with other ships departing from other ports. ww2dbase [Black May | Liverpool, England | CPC]
  • An attempt was made to assassinate General Charles de Gaulle when the Wellington bomber flying him to Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom was sabotaged at RAF Hendon. The pilot detected the elevator controls had been cut just before take-off and aborted the flight. At the time, the incident was hushed up and blamed on German intelligence but de Gaulle never flew by plane in Britain again. ww2dbase [Charles de Gaulle | London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 21 Apr 1943
British Typhoon Mk.IB aircraft at rest at RAF Matlaske in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom, 21 Apr 1943
27 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • Peter Drummond was made the Air Member for Training of the British Air Council. ww2dbase [Peter Drummond | England | CPC]
29 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • After much experimentation an "Upkeep" bomb drop was successfully carried out at Reculver in southeastern Britain. By this time several of the new Lancaster bombers modified for dam attacks had been delivered to the squadron's base, RAF Scampton, in Lincolnshire. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Reculver, England | AC]
4 May 1943

Photo(s) dated 4 May 1943
Brigadier General Haywood Hansell and Colonel Curtis LeMay in front of B-17F “Dry Martini – The Cocktail Kids 4” at Chelveston, England, on the occasion of Hansell’s last combat flight, 4 May 1943.
8 May 1943

United Kingdom
  • Guy Gibson, together with Harold Martin and John Hopgood, made a number of successful practice drops of "Upkeep" bombs at Reculver off southeastern England, United Kingdom. Low level training, which had now been consolidated at the Uppingham reservoir and a dam on the Colchester reservoir, was reduced from 150 feet to just 60 feet. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Reculver, England | AC]
  • At 1203 hours, ten B-24 bombers of the US 44th Bomber Group took off from their base at Shipdham, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom and rendezvoused with B-24s of US 329th Squadron. Their 18th mission was to target the marshalling yards in Rouen, France. This was the largest railway yard in Northern France and all rail traffic to the Channel ports had to pass through, also there was important dock facilities in the town next to the yards. The bombers with Spitfire escorts crossed the British coast at Beachy Head and then reached France at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme at 1353 hours. As they approached the target a strong FW 190 formation attacked head on bringing down two aircraft. These two B-24 bombers were taken by surprise as they thought that the fights were P-47 fighters that were expected over the target. The loss of these two lead aircraft caused the remainder ships to abandon the primary target and to bomb targets of opportunity to the north. Seven B-24s returned to base at 1510 hours after fighting all the way through the more than 40 enemy fighters, claiming several as destroyed. Gunners of the 67th Squadron claiming six. ww2dbase [Bombing of Cities in France and Low Countries | Shipdham, England | HM]
11 May 1943

United Kingdom
  • Allied convoy SC 130 (37 ships) departed Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Black May | Liverpool, England | CPC]
12 May 1943

United Kingdom
  • Polish Jewish leader Samuel Zygelbojm committed suicide in London, England, United Kingdom as an expression of solidarity with the Jewish resistance fighters in Warsaw. "By my death I wish to make my final protest against the passivity with which the world is looking on and permitting the extermination of the Jewish people", he wrote in his suicide note. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
14 May 1943

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, following more "Upkeep" bomb dropping training at the Wainfleet Bombing Range on the Wash (where a wooden mock up of the dam's towers had been constructed) at full night dress rehearsal was conducted on the Uppingham and Colchester reservoirs. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Uppingham, England | AC]
16 May 1943

United Kingdom
  • Wing Commander Guy Gibson's Dambusters took off from Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom for an attack on the Ruhr River dams in Germany. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | England | TH, CPC]
26 May 1943

United Kingdom
  • King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited RAF Wyton near St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [George VI | St. Ives, England | CPC]
  • Allied convoy SC 130 arrived in Liverpool, England, United Kingdom without losses despite German submarine attacks en route. ww2dbase [Black May | Liverpool, England | CPC]
27 May 1943

United Kingdom
  • While arming B-17 bombers of the USAAF 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) at Station 102 (Alconbury, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom) a 500-pound bomb exploded, killing 16 men with four B-17 bombers destroyed and eleven others damaged. ww2dbase [Huntingdon, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 27 May 1943
Air Vice Marshal Ralph Cochrane, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, King George VI, and Group Captain John Whitworth discussing Dambusters Raid at St Vincents Hall, headquarters of No. 5 Group RAF Bomber Command, Grantham, England, United Kingdom, 27 May 1943King George VI speaking with Flight Lieutenant Les Munro, observed by Wing Commander Guy Gibson and Air Vice Marshal Ralph Cochrane, Scampton, England, United Kingdom, 27 May 1943King George VI inspecting ground crewmen during his visit to No. 617 Squadron (Dambusters) and No. 57 Squadron at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, 27 May 1943; note Lancaster B Mk I bomber
5 Jun 1943

Photo(s) dated 5 Jun 1943
UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom, 5 Jun 1943; he had just returned from the US after a meeting with Roosevelt
11 Jun 1943

United Kingdom
14 Jun 1943

Photo(s) dated 14 Jun 1943
An Iranian, a Chinese, and two British officers in conversation during the United Nations Day Parade, London, England, United Kingdom, 14 Jun 1943
20 Jun 1943

United Kingdom
  • The 306th Bomb Group and the air base at RAF Thurleigh had a change of command with Lieutenant Colonel George Robinson relieving Colonel Claude Putnam. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
28 Jun 1943

Photo(s) dated 28 Jun 1943
Two B-17 Fortresses of the 94th Bombardment Group approaching an airfield in England, United Kingdom, 28 Jun 1943 (aircraft serial numbers 42-30382 above and 42-30376 below).
2 Jul 1943

United Kingdom
  • No. 19 Squadron RAF, flying Spitfire VB and VC fighters, arrived at RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]
  • Two Stirling bombers of No. 620 Squadron collided in mid-air over Sudbury, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom while engaged in an fighter affiliation exercise, a mock attack with a Bristol Beaufighter. Both aircraft crashed with fifteen airmen killed and two injured. One of the fatalities was air mechanic AC1 A. Haigh who was just eighteen years old. ww2dbase [Sudbury, England | AC]
3 Jul 1943

United Kingdom
  • No. 132 Squadron RAF, flying Spitfire VB and IXB fighters, arrived at RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]
4 Jul 1943

United Kingdom
  • Journalist John Steinbeck of the newspaper New York Herald Tribune spent a day with British airmen at an airfield in England, United Kingdom. His experiences on this day would later be found in his work "Once There Was a War" in a chapter titled "Waiting". ww2dbase [England | CPC]
14 Jul 1943

Photo(s) dated 14 Jul 1943
French Commandos celebrate Bastille Day on the parade grounds of Wellington Barracks, London, United Kingdom, 14 Jul 1943. Note the Thompson sub-machine gun.
15 Jul 1943

United Kingdom
  • Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, Lt. General Jacob Devers, commander of US Army Air Forces in Europe, Maj. General Ira Eaker, commander of the Eighth Air Force, and several Brigadier generals visited RAF Thurleigh. Secretary Stimson personally present the Congressional Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Maynard “Snuffy” Smith for his heroic actions on 1 May 1943. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Henry Stimson | Jacob Devers | Ira Eaker | Maynard Smith | Thurleigh, England | DS]
Photo(s) dated 15 Jul 1943
US Secretary of War Henry Stimson presenting the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Maynard H. Smith, at RAF Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom, 15 Jul 1943. Photo 2 of 4.US Secretary of War Henry Stimson presenting the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Maynard H. Smith, at RAF Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom, 15 Jul 1943. Photo 1 of 4.US Secretary of War Henry Stimson presenting the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Maynard H. Smith, at RAF Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom, 15 Jul 1943. Photo 3 of 4.Staff Sergeant Maynard H. Smith of the 306th Bomb Group saluting the colors after being awarded the Medal of Honor at RAF Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom, 15 Jul 1943.
See all photos dated 15 Jul 1943
17 Jul 1943

United Kingdom
19 Jul 1943

United Kingdom
23 Jul 1943

Photo(s) dated 23 Jul 1943
British Lancaster bombers of No 50 Squadron RAF flying in loose formation over Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, 23 Jul 1943
1 Aug 1943

Photo(s) dated 1 Aug 1943
Col Leon W Johnson points to scoreboard of B-24 Liberator “Victory Ship” as LGen Jacob L Devers and LGen Ira C Eaker look on, RAF Shipdham, Norfolk, England, UK, Nov 22 1943. The horizontal bomb represents the low level attack on Ploesti, Aug 1 1943
4 Aug 1943

United Kingdom
  • Orde Wingate arrived in London, England, United Kingdom and met Winston Churchill, with their meeting extended onto the dinner table. By evening Churchill knew he would be taking Wingate to the Quadrant Conference to discuss the acomplishments of the Chindits with US President Franklin Roosevelt. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | Orde Wingate | London, England | CPC]
9 Aug 1943

Photo(s) dated 9 Aug 1943
M.19 Master II aircraft at RAF Bodney, England, United Kingdom, 9 Aug 1943
13 Aug 1943

United Kingdom
  • No. 602 Squadron RAF, flying Spitfire VB fighters, arrived at RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]
15 Aug 1943

United Kingdom
18 Aug 1943

United Kingdom
26 Aug 1943

United Kingdom
  • The French Committee of National Liberation headed by General de Gaulle, which was based in Britain, was recognised by Britain, the United States and Russia. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • Destroyer Stord was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander Skule Storheill in command. ww2dbase [Stord | Cowes, England | DS]
2 Sep 1943

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against the German airfields in France but turned back over the English Channel due to bad weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
6 Sep 1943

United Kingdom
  • Reginald McKenna passed away in London, England, United Kingdom. He had been Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith's Home Secretary, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, during the early part of the Great War, before becoming the Chairman of the Midland Bank in 1918. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
7 Sep 1943

Photo(s) dated 7 Sep 1943
A P-47D Thunderbolt that crashed on take-off, Halesworth, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, 7 Sep 1943. Photo 1 of 3.A P-47D Thunderbolt that crashed on take-off, Halesworth, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, 7 Sep 1943. Photo 2 of 3.A P-47D Thunderbolt that crashed on take-off, Halesworth, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, 7 Sep 1943. Photo 3 of 3.
9 Sep 1943

Photo(s) dated 9 Sep 1943
RAAF Flight Sergeant Roberts Dunstan posing outside of a tail gun position of a Lancaster bomber, Britain, 9 Sep 1943
17 Sep 1943

United Kingdom
  • No. 184 Squadron RAF, flying Hurricane IV fighters, arrived at RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]
23 Sep 1943

United Kingdom
  • King George VI cabled Chiang Kaishek, informing the Chinese leader that Louis Mountbatten would soon be dispatched to Chinese to discuss an Anglo-American-Chinese joint offensive against Japanese forces in Burma. ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | CPC]
  • Air Marshal Arthur Harris despatched a bomber raid to Berlin, Germany to test the effectiveness of the H2S navigation system over the city and to probe German defences before the first major operation was undertaken. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Arthur Harris | England | AC]
25 Sep 1943

Photo(s) dated 25 Sep 1943
The 4th Fighter Group’s control tower at RAF Debden, Essex, England, UK, Sep 25 1943. Front to Back: BGen Frederick L Anderson, Jr; Mr Donald Nelson, Chief of US War Production; LCol Chesley Peterson, 4th Fighter Group Commanding Officer.
2 Oct 1943

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill cabled Chiang Kaishek, informing the Chinese leader that Louis Mountbatten would soon be dispatched to Chinese to discuss an Anglo-American-Chinese joint offensive against Japanese forces in Burma. This followed another message dated 23 Sep 1943 from King George VI regarding the same topic. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
5 Oct 1943

Photo(s) dated 5 Oct 1943
WC-27 ambulances of the 70th Service Group await the return of the 386th Bomb Group’s B-26 Marauders, RAF Great Dunmow, Essex, England, United Kingdom, Oct 5, 1943
7 Oct 1943

United Kingdom
  • Air Commodore Andrew James Wray Geddes, a First World War RFC pilot who was now in command of the three airfields in 12 Base, made the first Lancaster bomber landing at the newly built RAF Kelstern in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom. A week later No. 625 Squadron (formed from C-flight of No. 100 Squadron) relocated from nearby RAF Grimsby. ww2dbase [Andrew Geddes | Waltham, England | AC]
12 Oct 1943

United Kingdom
  • Nos. 132, 184, and 602 Squadrons RAF were transferred out of RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]
16 Oct 1943

United Kingdom
  • The US Ninth Air Force was reformed with its headquarters at RAF Bushey Hall in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom. It was charged with gaining air superiority and destroying the German Army forces in their front lines as well as their lines of communications. ww2dbase [Watford, England | AC]
20 Oct 1943

United Kingdom
  • Captured German Tiger I heavy tank "131" arrived at the village of Chobham, Surrey, England, United Kingdom via a Scammell 100-ton truck. ww2dbase [PzKpfw VI Ausf. E 'Tiger I' | Chobham, England | CPC]
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against Duren, Germany but aborted half way to the target due to bad weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
21 Oct 1943

United Kingdom
  • Dudley Pound passed away from brain tumor at the Royal Masonic Hospital in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Dudley Pound | London, England | CPC]
30 Oct 1943

United Kingdom
  • Jean Knox stepped down as the director of the British Auxiliary Territorial Service. ww2dbase [Jean Knox | England | CPC]
4 Nov 1943

United Kingdom
  • The ground echelon of USAAF 354th Fighter Group arrived in England, United Kingdom; their P-51B Mustang fighters were still in transit. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
15 Nov 1943

United Kingdom
17 Nov 1943

United Kingdom
  • The British government announced that Sir Oswald Mosley, well-known British fascist, was to be released from imprisonment due to health reasons, to public protest. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | TH, CPC]
20 Nov 1943

United Kingdom
  • British Fascist Sir Oswald Mosley and Lady Diana Mosley were released from imprisonment. They would stay with Lady Diana's sister Pamela Mitford after their release, followed shortly after by a stay at the Shaven Crown Hotel in Shipton-under-Wychwood. He then purchased Crux Easton, near Newbury, England, United Kingdom, with Diana. He and his wife became the subject of much media attention, but the war had ended what remained of his political reputation. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | AC, CPC]
22 Nov 1943

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 22 Nov 1943
WAAF intelligence officer Section Officer P. Duncalfe questioning No. 49 Squadron RAF Lancaster bomber pilot Warrant Officer H. Blunt (to her left) and his crew upon their return to Fiskerton, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom after a raid on Berlin, Germany, 22 Nov 1943; this crew would be killed five days later during another mission to Berlin
25 Nov 1943

United Kingdom
  • Colossus, the world's first all-electric computer, created by Post Office engineer Tommy Flowers, to assist in the reading of German Lorenz teleprinter traffic, was tested at the Post Office factory in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. The huge machine would be able to process data five times faster than the earlier slower Robinson machine and process as many as fifteen signals a day. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | Birmingham, England | AC]
  • USS Ancon arrived in Devonport, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Ancon | Plymouth, England | CPC]
5 Dec 1943

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against La Rochelle, France but aborted over the French coast due to weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
12 Dec 1943

United Kingdom
  • Allied convoy JW-55A departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Liverpool, England | CPC]
  • Jean Knox relinquished the temporary rank of chief controller of the British Auxiliary Territorial Service. ww2dbase [Jean Knox | England | CPC]
13 Dec 1943

United Kingdom
  • The US 359th Fighter Group became operational in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
24 Dec 1943

United Kingdom
  • US Army General Dwight Eisenhower was named the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | England | CPC]
1 Jan 1944

United Kingdom
  • Colonel Donald Blakeslee took control of USAAF 4th Fighter Group at RAF Debden in North Essex, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Debden, England | CPC]
6 Jan 1944

United Kingdom
  • James Doolittle, commanding officer of USAAF Eighth Air Force, ordered his fighter chief William Kepner to go on a fighter offensive, rather than focusing on bomber escort as he had instructed under the former commanding officer. ww2dbase [James Doolittle | England | CPC]
12 Jan 1944

United Kingdom
  • Allied convoy JW-56A departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom; it was consisted of 20 freighters and was escorted by 2 cruisers and 9 destroyers. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Liverpool, England | CPC]
16 Jan 1944

United Kingdom
  • General Eisenhower assumed the post as Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | England | TH]
21 Jan 1944

United Kingdom
  • Richard O'Connor was made the commanding officer of British VIII Corps, which included the Guards Armoured Division, 11th Armoured Division, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, 6th Guards Tank Brigade, 8th Group Royal Artillery, and 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment. ww2dbase [Richard O'Connor | England | CPC]
22 Jan 1944

United Kingdom
29 Jan 1944

United Kingdom
  • Luftwaffe bombers attacked London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | TH]
  • In a continuous two-hour battle, beginning after a raid on Frankfurt, Germany, the USAAF 322nd Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress bomber "Man o' War", piloted by Lieutenant William Burtt, was crippled by direct hits that knocked out two engines, with one of the crew killed and another injured by shell fragments the aircraft lost power in a third engine as they crossed the English coast. Burtt put the aircraft down smoothly onto a farmer's turnip field. No further injuries resulted. "Man of War" saw no further action. Due to heavy cloud over the target area the raid was thought to have been of little value. ww2dbase [England | HM]
1 Feb 1944

Photo(s) dated 1 Feb 1944
Bradley, Ramsay, Tedder, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Leigh-Mallory, and Smith at a SHAEF conference in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Feb 1944, photo 1 of 7Bradley, Ramsay, Tedder, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Leigh-Mallory, and Smith at a SHAEF conference in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Feb 1944, photo 6 of 7Bradley, Ramsay, Tedder, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Leigh-Mallory, and Smith at a SHAEF conference in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Feb 1944, photo 5 of 7Bradley, Ramsay, Tedder, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Leigh-Mallory, and Smith at a SHAEF conference in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Feb 1944, photo 2 of 7
See all photos dated 1 Feb 1944
5 Feb 1944

United Kingdom
9 Feb 1944

United Kingdom
12 Feb 1944

Photo(s) dated 12 Feb 1944
Piper L-4 Grasshopper observation aircraft on a 2.5 ton CCKW truck in preparation for the D-Day landings. Devon, England, United Kingdom, Feb 12 1944.
18 Feb 1944

United Kingdom
20 Feb 1944

United Kingdom
  • Allied convoy JW-57 departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. It was consisted of 42 merchant ships, was supported by 2 tankers and 1 rescue ship, and was escorted by 4 corvettes (and later reinforced with destroyers and frigates). ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Liverpool, England | CPC]
24 Feb 1944

United Kingdom
  • USAAF 453rd Bomber Group based at Old Buckenham Airfield (US Station 144) in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom attacked aircraft factories at Gotha in central Germany without losses. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Old Buckenham Airfield | Old Buckenham, England | AC]
  • The 2,085-ton merchant steamer Philipp M was torpedoed and sunk by a German E-boat off Great Yarmouth, England, United Kingdom. Seven of the crew were killed in the explosion, the other 18 were rescued. ww2dbase [England | HM]
1 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
  • US fighter ace Lieutenant Charles F. Gumm, with seven confirmed victories to his credit, was tragically killed when the engine of his P-51B Mustang fighter failed during take-off from RAF Boxted in Essex, England, United Kingdom. Rather than bailing out (which would inevitably lead to his crippled aircraft crashing into the little village of Nayland) he gallantly stayed in the cockpit long enough to glide it towards open ground. By that time he was too low to parachute, and his body was found by local villagers near the burning wreckage. ww2dbase [Nayland, England | AC, CPC]
3 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against Erkner, Germany but aborted due to weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
4 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against Erkner, Germany but aborted due to weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
16 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
  • British civilian Oswald Job was hanged at Pentonville Prison in Islington, London, England, United Kingdom for spying. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 16 Mar 1944
WC-54 ambulances waiting for returning B-24 Liberator bombers of the 453rd Bomb Group at Old Buckenham in England, United Kingdom, Mar 16, 1944
17 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
  • Edward Brooks became the commanding officer of the US 2nd Armored Division at Tidworth Barracks near Salisbury, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Edward Brooks | Salisbury, England | CPC]
18 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
20 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against dock facilities at Frankfurt, Germany but turned back because of weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
21 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
  • A Junkers Ju 88A-14 from 8/KG6 of German Luftwaffe shot down during the night by a Mosquito of No. 488 Squadron RAF crashed on three B-26 Marauder bombers of the US 323rd Bombardment Group (Medium) at RAF Earls Colne at Earls Colne, Essex, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Earls Colne, England | AC]
24 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
27 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
4 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • Going against precedence, British Foreign Office banned foreign embassies located in Britain from sending coded messages, and stated that diplomatic pouches were subject to censorship, with the exception of British allies. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
5 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • Violette Szabo boarded a B-24 aircraft at Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom and paradropped near Cherbourg, France. ww2dbase [Violette Szabo | Bedfordshire, England | CPC]
7 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • During a dinner with Dwight Eisenhower and other Allied generals in England, United Kingdom, George Patton suggested that divisions used for Operation Overlord should be made over-strength. ww2dbase [George Patton | England | CPC]
8 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
11 Apr 1944

Photo(s) dated 11 Apr 1944
Brigadier General Jesse Auton, General Dwight Eisenhower, Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz, Major General James Doolittle, Major General William E. Kepner, Colonel Donald M. Blakeslee, RAF Debden, Essex, England, United Kingdom, 11 Apr 1944. VIPs were present for the presentation of Blakeslee with the Distinguished Service CrossBattle damaged B-17G Fortress “Bertie Lee” after belly landing at RAF Waltham (Grimsby), Lincolnshire, England following a mission to Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland), 11 Apr 1944. See comment below for details.
14 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
18 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Hitchcock, Jr., the famous American polo player who had been instrumental in the development of the P-51 fighter, was killed in an air crash while flight testing an aircraft at Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Salisbury, England | AC]
20 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • No. 214 Squadron RAF (of No. 100 group based at RAF Oulton at Aylsham, England, United Kingdom), established in Nov 1943, flew the first operational sortie with their Fortress Mk. III (SD) aircraft. These were extensively modified B-17G aircraft fitted out with electronic countermeasures and radar jamming devices. This Squadron would fly more than 1,000 sorties up to May 1945 losing just eight aircraft on operations. ww2dbase [B-17 Flying Fortress | Aylsham, England | AC]
21 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • No. 486 Squadron RNZAF, flying Tempest V fighters, arrived at RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 21 Apr 1944
Actress Vivian Leigh speaks to the 381st Bomb Group at Ridgewell, Hallstead, UK during the christening ceremonies for B-17G “Stage Door Canteen,” 21 Apr 1944. Also present were actors Alfred Lunt and Laurence Olivier.Mary Churchill, daughter of the Prime Minister, holding up a bottle of Coca-Cola just before she cracked it over the machine gun barrels of the B-17G “Stage Door Canteen” as a christening, 21 Apr 1944 at Ridgewell.Mary Churchill, daughter of the Prime Minister, speaks to the 381st Bomb Group at Ridgewell, Hallstead, UK during the christening ceremonies for B-17G “Stage Door Canteen,” 21 Apr 1944.
22 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • American forces conducted marshalling and embarkation drills at Slapton, Devonshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Exercise Tiger | Slapton, England | CPC]
23 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • American forces conducted marshalling and embarkation drills at Slapton, Devonshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Exercise Tiger | Slapton, England | CPC]
24 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • American forces conducted marshalling and embarkation drills at Slapton, Devonshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Exercise Tiger | Slapton, England | CPC]
25 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • George Patton was at a welcome club in Knutsford, England, United Kingdom as the guest of honor. Learning that his visit was supposed to be unofficial, he freely spoke of a post-war world in which the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union would together rule the world. A reporter carelessly missed writing down the Soviet Union, thus when the story was published several days later, it appeared as if Patton was disrespecting the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [George Patton | Knutsford, England | CPC]
  • American forces conducted marshalling and embarkation drills at Slapton, Devonshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Exercise Tiger | Slapton, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 25 Apr 1944
Amphibious invasion training in England, United Kingdom in preparation for Operation Overlord, 25 Apr 1944US troops conducting landing exercises at Slapton Sands, Devonshire, England, United Kingdom, 25 Apr 1944
26 Apr 1944

Photo(s) dated 26 Apr 1944
Civilian workers pose with sections of an Airspeed Horsa glider, as received from the manufacturers, before assembly at No. 6 Maintenance Unit, Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom, 26 Apr 1944.
27 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • Canadian and New Zealand prime ministers arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
  • American forces conducted a practice amphibious assault at Slapton, Devonshire, England, United Kingdom. Live artillery fire was used to simulate German defenses; in an episode of friendly fire, an estimated 400 Americans were killed as the shells came down amongst the men of the second wave. ww2dbase [Exercise Tiger | Slapton, England | CPC]
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh bombed targets in northwest France. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
28 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • The South African and Rhodesian prime ministers arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
  • Nos. 3 and 56 Squadrons RAF, both flying Tempest V fighters, arrived at RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]
  • A group of German Schnellboote (E-boats) came across an American landing exercise at Slapton, England, United Kingdom and launched an attack, sinking two LSTs and damaging other craft, killing 198 sailors and 551 soldiers. ww2dbase [Exercise Tiger | Slapton, England | CPC]
29 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • Australian Prime Minister John Curtin arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference. ww2dbase [John Curtin | London, England | TH]
  • In England, United Kingdom, Dwight Eisenhower cabled Washington DC, United States, telling Marshall that he was pondering the notion of firing George Patton because "he simply does not keep his mouth shut", referring to the 25 Apr 1944 incident in which Patton spoke of his vision of a post-war world that, after being mis-quoted by a reporter, created another public relations row for Eisenhower's headquarters. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | England | CPC]
1 May 1944

United Kingdom
  • The Yugoslavian partisan leader Tito's mission arrived in London, England, United Kingdom to discuss cooperation with the Allies and gained official recognition. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
  • While in Britain, Robert Johnson was promoted to the rank of major. ww2dbase [Robert Johnson | England | CPC]
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a raid against rocket launching sites in the Pas-de-Calais region of France but turned back due to the weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
Photo(s) dated 1 May 1944
US Army soldiers boarding landing craft at Weymouth, Dorset, England, United Kingdom, while preparing for the Normandy operation, 1 May 1944; note barrage balloons aloft and on the ground
3 May 1944

United Kingdom
  • Dwight Eisenhower wrote George Patton a personal letter in which he informed Patton that Patton would be allowed to keep his post even after the public relations rows that Patton had created. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | England | CPC]
4 May 1944

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against Berlin, Germany but were recalled due to bad weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
11 May 1944

United Kingdom
  • In an address delivered to both Houses of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster in London, England, United Kingdom, Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada, stated that Canada's fight would be a fight to the finish and that the Canadian people would not relax until the monstrous conspiracy of the Fascist Powers to dominate and enslave the world had been eliminated. He further declared that once the war in Europe was ended, Canadian forces would join the other Allies for the final assault on Japan. ww2dbase [Mackenzie King | London, England | AC]
13 May 1944

Photo(s) dated 13 May 1944
WC-54 ambulances at RAF Kimbolton, England waiting as returning B-17 Fortress bombers of the 379th Bomb Group fly overhead, May 13, 1944
16 May 1944

Photo(s) dated 16 May 1944
P-38J Lightning “Bambi” of the 338th Fighter Squadron assigned to Capt John L Odegard, probably at RAF Ridgewell, Essex, England, May 16 1944. Behind P-38’s nose wheel is B-17G Fortress “Chug a Lug IV” with the 535th Bomb Squadron.
18 May 1944

Photo(s) dated 18 May 1944
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King and General Harry Foster walking by a Ford GPA amphibious Jeep, England, United Kingdom, 18 May 1944
19 May 1944

Photo(s) dated 19 May 1944
John Curtin speaking to pilots of No. 463 (Lancaster) Squadron RAAF at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, 19 May 1944Prime Minister John Curtin with airmen of No. 467 (Lancaster) Squadron RAAF at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, 19 May 1944
20 May 1944

Photo(s) dated 20 May 1944
Troops of 325th Glider Infantry of US 82nd Airborne Division in a Horsa glider, training or preparing for Normandy, France invasion, England, United Kingdom, May-Jun 1944
25 May 1944

Photo(s) dated 25 May 1944
Royal Navy Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Naval commander of the Normandy operations, and US Navy Rear Admiral John L. Hall, Jr., commander of amphibious operations, aboard AGC-4 USS Ancon, 25 May 1944, the day King George VI visited the shipUS Navy Rear Admiral Alan G Kirk introducing his staff to King George VI of the United Kingdom, Portland, England, 25 May 1944. Admiral Kirk was in command of all US Naval forces for the Normandy landings.
28 May 1944

United Kingdom
30 May 1944

Photo(s) dated 30 May 1944
Horsa gliders line up in preparation for invasion, England, United Kingdom, May-Jun 1944
1 Jun 1944

Photo(s) dated 1 Jun 1944
US LSTs 284, 380, 382, and 499 loading men, vehicles, and supplies for the upcoming Normandy Invasion in Brixham Harbor, Devon, England, Jun 1 1944. Note wings and fuselage of an Aeronca L-3 Grasshopper observation aircraft on a CCKW truck.A Rhino barge docked with LST-347 in Portland Harbor, Dorset, England, United Kingdom during preparations for the Normandy invasion, 1 Jun 1944.
5 Jun 1944

Photo(s) dated 5 Jun 1944
Four stick commanders of 22nd Independent Parachute Company, UK 6th Airborne Division synchronizing watches in front of an Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle aircarft of No. 38 Group RAF, RAF Harwell, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom, 5 Jun 1944 at about 2300 hoursGeneral Dwight Eisenhower speaking to airborne troops, England, United Kingdom, 5 Jun 1944; note Major General Ray Barker in background
6 Jun 1944

Photo(s) dated 6 Jun 1944
Crews examine flak damage to B-17G Fortress at RAF Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, England, UK. Damage sustained on mission to Munich, Germany, Jul 6 1944. Note "Mickey" pathfinder radar dome in place of ball turret.
7 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • Henry Arnold arrived in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Henry Arnold | London, England | CPC]
  • HMS Rodney collided with LCT 427 off Portsmouth, England, slicing the LCT in half and killing all 13 British Royal Navy personnel aboard the LCT. ww2dbase [Rodney | Portsmouth, England | CPC, DS]
8 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • Violette Szabo and three others boarded a B-24 aircraft at RAF Harrington in Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom and were paradropped near Sussac near Limoges, France. ww2dbase [Violette Szabo | Harrington, England | CPC]
11 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against targets in northern France but turned back due to bad weather. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
13 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The first ten V-1 flying bombs were launched from France between 0330 and 1400 hours. Two blew up shortly after take off, two crashed into the English Channel, two landed and exploded in rural areas and another in a garden destroying the house and greenhouses. Only one reached the target, London, England, United Kingdom. It exploded at Bethnal Green on the railway bridge across Grove Road, killing six people, the first of 6,200 such fatalities that would be caused in the coming months. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | CPC]
14 Jun 1944

Photo(s) dated 14 Jun 1944
A V-1 buzz bomb falling into the Covent Garden area of London, England, United Kingdom, 14 Jun 1944, the second day of the V-1 assault on London.
15 Jun 1944

Photo(s) dated 15 Jun 1944
B-26C Marauder “Carefree Carolyn” of the 552nd Bomb Squadron makes a wheels-up landing after having her hydraulics shot out, RAF Great Dunmow, Essex, England, June 15 1944. Note the WC54 Ambulance and fire crews rushing to the scene. Photo 1 of 2Crew of B-26C Marauder “Carefree Carolyn” of the 552nd Bomb Squadron in front of their airplane after making a wheels-up landing, RAF Great Dunmow, Essex, England, June 15 1944. This was the aircraft’s 100th mission. Photo 2 of 2A B-24H Liberator of the 392nd Bomb Group damaged by German fighters over France making an approach for an emergency crash landing at RAF Eye, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, 15 Jun 1944.
16 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • For two days after the first V-1 flying bomb exploded in London, none were fired, leading the defence and intelligence committees in the UK to believe that those of the 13 August 1944 had been rangefinders and experiments. To-day this idea was shattered by 224 being fired from their launch sites across the British Channel. The Germans did still have guidance and reliability problems but over twenty-two exploded in South London. Due to the nature of the bomb gliding down the blast damage was greater than bombs dropped at altitude by bombers. In Mayplace Avenue, Crayford, nine people were killed and many seriously injured and in Beckenham seven bombs hit within a couple of hours killing over ten, the worst incident at Maple Grove. In all the Borough had over 200 houses badly damaged, together with gas mains and electricity supplies cut. Other V-1 flying bombs exploded throughout the south-eastern counties. Some of the Germans called it "Day of Vengeance". ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | TH, CPC]
18 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
20 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The airfield at Biggin Hill, south-east London, England, United Kingdom had now become the centre for the defence of South London. 700 balloon personnel including 170 WAAFs were stationed there. Early in the morning one of the recently raised balloons brought down a V-1 flying bomb that exploded in an orchard. Tempest V aircraft pilots from 3 Squadron at RAF Newchurch in Kent brought down 9 bombs and the New Zealand pilots of 486 squadron who shared the airfield brought down a further 3. An American pilot 1st Lieutenant D. W. Johnston of 356th Fighter Squadron of 358th Fighter Group USSAF flying a P-47 aircraft brought down one over the British Channel; he was returning to his base at High Halden, Kent from a fighter/bomber raid against rail traffic in occupied France. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
  • German Type IXC U-Boat U-505’s cipher material arrived at Bletchley Park allowing the Allies to break most of the remaining Enigma settings. ww2dbase [The Capture of the U-505 | U-505 | Milton Keynes, England | DS]
21 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The southern boroughs of London, England, United Kingdom suffered multiple V-1 flying bomb strikes during the day. The bombs started to arrive at 0525 hours when one exploded in Bexley close to the river Thames; it killed four people and wrecked 7 houses. Bombs followed in Addington Road, West Wickham where 65 houses were damaged and Queens Road in Beckenham where 3 were killed. Pilot Officer N. P. Gibbs of 41 Squadron at RAF West Malling shot down his second in two days over Beachy Head on the Channel coast. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
22 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • V-1 flying bombs continued to fall on London, England, United Kingdom. A V-1 bomb killed 11 residents of Clapham in Stockwell Park Road, two hours later another impacted nearby killing one of the emergency workers. The worst incident was in Peckham killing 23 of the women working in an under garment factory in Nunhill Lane. 3 Squadron brought down another 9 bombs, one pilot was very upset when the bomb he shot down hit a cottage and killed the elderly couple living there. The New Zealanders of 486 Squadron were getting the hang of having to dive from high to get enough speed to catch up with the V-1 bombs; they brought down 9 in the sky above Hastings, Sussex. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
23 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • Over southern England, United Kingdom, No. 3 Squadron RAF added a further 15 "kills" to their tally and 91 Squadron at ALG (Advance Landing Ground) Deanland accounted for a further 11. Flight Officer Ken Collier RAAF flying a Spitfire XIV aircraft became the first pilot to bring down a V-1 bomb by tipping it over using his wingtip. Pilots of the fighter Squadrons were now demanding that areas of defence be made as regards anti-aircraft batteries as some pilots had experienced friendly fire. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | England | HM]
24 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • During the morning, a V-1 flying bomb, shot down by a fighter, crashed on the Newlands Military Camp at Charing, near Ashford, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Forty-seven men were killed and twenty-eight seriously injured. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Charing, England | AC]
  • The British government issued a statement saying 756 people had died and 2,697 badly injured since the V-1 flying bomb assault started. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | England | HM]
  • 56 Squadron at RAF Newchurch in Kent, England, United Kingdom received its first Tempest aircraft and underwent intensive training on flying them. ww2dbase [Tempest | Newchurch, England | CPC]
  • Belgian pilot Flight Officer Joseph Brosteaux of No. 350 Squadron RAF had to make a forced landing after being hit by anti-aircraft fire over Sussex, the crash landing wrecked his Spitfire Vb aircraft but he was unhurt. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
25 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • Following a visit to British No. 617 Squadron at Woodhall Spa in England, United Kingdom by USAAF Generals Carl Spaatz and James Doolittle, a crated Mustang fighter was delivered as a gift from the United States to Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire. Cheshire wanted to use it that evening for a raid on the V-bomb site at Siracourt, France, and his mechanics worked all day removing the grease and the guns. One hour after the Lancaster bombers had taken off Cheshire followed in the Mustang fighter (which type he had never flown before) and he arrived in time to mark the target at low level for the heavy bombers. ww2dbase [P-51 Mustang | RAF Woodhall Spa | Woodhall Spa, England | AC]
  • A V-1 bomb struck the eastern side of Victoria Station, London, England, United Kingdom as the train crews were arriving in the early morning; 17 were killed, including six men on fire watch. A further 8 Londoners were killed when V-1 bombs landed in Deptford and 7 fatalities occurred in Kepler Road, Clapham. A pub, The Freemason's Arms, and 50 houses were badly damaged in Camberwell. Nine V-1 bombs were shot down by 3 Squadron RAF and 10 by 486 Squadron (RNZAF). During the evening the flying bombs were aimed at Southampton, most landed on or around the Isle of Wight. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
26 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The first V-1 bomb to drop on London, England, United Kingdom on this day hit Elfin Road in Camberwell at 0130 hours, killing three and demolishing 18 houses. The US Naval Armed Guard Service vessel William A. Jones brought down a bomb whilst on patrol off the French Normandie coast. One US Naval Officer said "We never could get used to those buzz bomb attacks. Kinda like an artillery shell: as long as you can hear them you know that you are OK. When the noise of the buzz bomb stopped you had an instant cure for haemorrhoids." The Mosquito XIII night fighters of 96 Squadron from RAF Ford were getting used to the method of attacking the bombs and brought down six between 0030 and 0334 hours. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
27 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • 53 V-1 flying bombs were launched against the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth in southern Britain but had little effect and the order was rescinded the next day. One of the first V-1 bombs that failed to explode came down at a farm outside Newington providing information on its construction and propulsion. The worst impact of the day was at Gauden Road in Clapham, south London when at a few minutes into the day 11 people, asleep in their houses were killed. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | England | HM]
28 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • USS Ancon arrived at Portland, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Ancon | Portland, England | CPC]
  • In Britain, damage to South London was severe due to V-1 bombs hitting four of the main railway stations and lines, parts of the Underground railway were also closed due to the damage. The Chiefs of Staff were forced to meet to discuss options to them. One idea raised was to guarantee the immunity of specified German cities from bombing if the bombardment was stopped. Another was to consider using napalm or poison gas against the launch sites. General Dwight Eisenhower promptly vetoed the ideas as did Chief of Imperial General Staff General Sir Alan Brooke. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
29 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The borough of Penge in south-east London, England, United Kingdom received four V-1 flying bombs or "Divers" as they were now being called by the military. The first three explosions did considerable damage to houses but caused no casualties, the fourth however, fell behind an anti-aircraft gun site and killed a soldier and destroyed the Nissen huts where Z rockets were going to be stored. The afternoon and evening saw over seven explosions causing loss of life in the south London area. The Folkestone and Hythe anti-aircraft batteries brought down eight into the sea during the day. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
30 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • Weald House in Edenbridge, Kent, England, United Kingdom was being used by London County Council as a home for evacuated mothers and babies. In the early morning a V-1 was deflected by a tree and directly hit the house; twenty-two babies were killed outright or died in hospital, eight staff also died. The mothers at the rear of the building survived. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Edenbridge, England | HM]
1 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • V-1 flying bombs destroyed 60 houses and killed three residents in Brixton, south London, England, United Kingdom. Another 10 fatalities were caused during the morning in Gibbs Square, Upper Norwood and Lunham Road, Gypsy Hill, both also in London. In the afternoon the Colindale Hospital in Hendon was hit resulting in 5 airmen, 4 WAAFs and a civilian nurse being killed. The death toll rose in the afternoon with hits on the Goat public house, Bermondsey (18 killed) and over 250 seriously injured when the Corporation Refuse Destructor chimney was brought down on houses. A total of 61 people in South London perished during the day. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
2 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • The V-1 flying bomb assault on London, England and the south-eastern counties of the United Kingdom continued during the early hours with 30 deaths and much damaged property. The bombs continued to arrive throughout the morning, one bomb hitting a US Army camp. Sergeant Ed Bearefoot was trapped for over 3 days beneath the rubble, his two friends who had been in the room with him died shortly after the blast. Allied fighter aircraft were now getting to know how to dive onto the V-1 flying bombs in order to shoot them down. The speed of the bomb was faster than all but the latest Spitfire and Tempest fighters and the pilots had to dive from height in order to gain speed and get their shots in. New aircraft were being brought to the area and many anti-aircraft guns were taken to the coastal areas where the bombs passed overhead. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
3 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 64 US Army servicemen and 10 civilians were killed in their living quarters when, at 0747 hours, a V-1 bomb hit the building at Turk's Row in Chelsea, London, England, United Kingdom. A further 54 soldiers were seriously injured. Another V-1 bomb exploded in Sandling Park in East Kent, the bomb had been brought down by a fighter and exploded in the lines of the Canadian 6 Tank Regiment, six soldiers were wounded. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
  • Remy van Lierde, a Belgian pilot with No. 3 Squadron RAF, shot down a V-1 flying bomb over Beachy Head, East Sussex, England on the south coast of Britain. He would go on to shoot down 44 in total. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Remy Van Lierde | England | HM]
4 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • No. 3 Squadron RAF brought down 14 V-1 flying bombs over the coastal town of Hastings in southern England, United Kingdom; Belgian pilot Flight Lieutenant Remy Van Lierde, flying his Tempest V fighter (JN862/JF-Z), accounting for four in his two patrols. No. 486 Squadron RNZAF, also flying Tempest V fighters, brought down a further 14 over Tonbridge and the Kent coast. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Remy Van Lierde | England | AC, HM]
  • American servicemen were again killed, and six women of US Army Women's Army Corps were wounded, by a V-1 flying bomb hitting their accommodation in Bexley, south-east London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
5 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 22 Heinkel bombers of German III/KG3 flew sorties during the night and launched V-1 flying bombs. The bomb all fell in the south London area in Britain, causing considerable damage to property and killing over fifteen residents. The British were seeing that more damage was caused by these flying bombs than by the bombs dropped by bombers. This was due to the fact that they often glided down in shallow dives and blew up on the ground, the blast of 1,870 pounds of Amatol or Trialen often destroyed over 20 houses and took the roofs off many more. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
6 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • The Heinkel aircraft of German III/KG3 launched 8 V-1 flying bombs into England, United Kingdom during the night. This squadron lost two planes during take off from their base at Rosi?res, France when they collided on the runway, one crew member was killed. 418 Squadron RAF, flying Mosquito VI aircraft, brought down 12 flying bombs most of them over the cliffs of Beachy Head on the East Sussex coast, while further south after dark, 605 Squadron, flying the Mosquito VI night fighters, shot down 7. Night fighter pilots asked that the aircraft be fitted with dark glass visors as the explosion of the V-1 bomb in the air in front of the attacking aircraft was temporally blinding the pilot and navigator. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
Photo(s) dated 6 Jul 1944
B-17G s/n 42-102547 of the 367th Bomb Squadron was rechristened “Rose of York” by Princess Elizabeth in honor of her 18th birthday at Thurleigh, England, United Kingdom, 6 July, 1944. This photo was taken later that same day at Molesworth, England.LtGen Jimmy Doolittle speaking with Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom during a Royal visit to RAF Thurleigh, home of the USAAF 306th Bomb Group, 6 Jul 1944.Princess Elizabeth, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom and LtGen Jimmy Doolittle beside the B-17G ‘Rose of York’ after the bomber’s christening in honor of the Princess, RAF Thurleigh, 6 Jul 1944The United Kingdom’s Princess Elizabeth of York holding onto her hat against the wind at RAF Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England, 6 Jul 1944. She is standing with Col. George Robinson, base commanding officer.
See all photos dated 6 Jul 1944
7 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • German III/KG3 mounted a V-1 flying bomb assault on England, United Kingdom from their base in Rosières, France. Two of the Heinkel He.111 bombers collided on the runway during take off resulting in the death of one of the air crew. The night fighter Mosquito aircraft of 418 Squadron (RCAF) shot down 13 of the bombs mostly over the English Channel. One of the bombs that got through landed in Southampton, causing little damage. No. 91 Squadron RAF flying from their base at RAF Deanland shot down 12 flying bombs whilst No. 3 Squadron's Tempest V fighters brought down another. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Southampton, England | AC, HM]
8 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 bomb landed and exploded on Greenwich Police Station in London, England, United Kingdom; several people were trapped in the wreckage of the West London station, no deaths occurred. However, an early arriving bomb killed 6 people in Oakdale Road, Streatham, south west London. Polish pilot, Flying Officer Tadeusz Karnkowski, 316 (Polish) Squadron, after shooting down two V-1 bombs tried to tip over a third with his wing tips, the manoeuvre was successful but also damaged his Spitfire fighter and he was forced to crash land on the runway at RAF West Malling. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
9 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • The South Metropolitan Gas Company's gasholder in Kennington, south-east London, England, United Kingdom received a direct hit from a V-1 flying bomb causing a huge explosion and a large amount of damage to local houses. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
10 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 30 sorties were made by the Heinkel bombers of III/KG3 carrying V-1 flying bombs against Britain. A British naval anti-aircraft battery brought down one of the aircraft. The falling V-1 bombs caused deaths in the southern London boroughs of Battersea and Clapham where six people were killed in the Underground Station. The Royal navy Fleet Air Arm Pilot Sub Lieutenant D. P. Davies, whilst returning from an anti-shipping patrol in his Avenger Mk. 1 aircraft, saw a V-1 bomb and his TAG L/Airman Fred Shirmer brought it down at 700 yards, only firing 20 rounds; Shirmer received a mention in dispatches. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
11 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • London, England, United Kingdom received many V-1 bombs and over 38 deaths were reported. The worst incident, killing 14, was at Annerley Road in Crystal Palace, south-east London. At Public House, The Paxon's Arms was hit close by in Clapham, 11 people in the pub were killed. At Deptford, south-east London, 11 dock workers were killed, with cranes and workshops destroyed. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
12 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 bomb hit "Beechmont House" in Sevenoaks, Kent in southern England, United Kingdom. The house was used as a billet for ATS girls that maintained army vehicles, fortunately most of the girls had left for work, nevertheless two girls were killed and 44 injured. The borough of Beckenham received two fatal hits from the flying bombs; the borough would soon become one of the hardest hit areas in South London. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Sevenoaks, England | HM]
13 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • In the United Kingdom, General Frederick Pile and Air Marshal Roderic Hill held a meeting to discuss the best way for the British Royal Air Force and the anti-aircraft batteries to deal with incoming V-1 bombs. Two distinct areas for fighters were created, one over the sea in front of the guns and the other inland behind them; these zones were created partially because the gun batteries along the coast were to be supplied with the secret radio proximity fuzed shells that would pose an equal threat to nearby friendly aircraft as to the V-1s. There were many fatal V-1 bomb impacts over south London during the day; the worse was when the Tiger's Head Inn in Lewisham was hit killing 16 and injuring 40. Five members of a family were killed in the Park Hotel in Bromley, they were due to be evacuated that afternoon. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | VT Radio Proximity | London, England | HM]
14 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • Heinkel aircraft of III/KG3 flew 23 sorties to launch V-1 bombs against Southampton, England, United Kingdom during the night. Most missed the City or were shot down but night fighters. However, one came down on Newcomen Road in Portsmouth killing 15 and another killed all members of a family that had fled London and were staying with friends in the small village of Goodworth Clatford. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Portsmouth, England | HM]
15 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 7 people were killed outside London Bridge railway station in London, England, United Kingdom by a V-1 bomb that also demolished a block of apartments. First Lieutenant Donald M. Raine of 412th Fighter Squadron of USAAF 373rd Fighter Group, flying his P-47 fighter, brought down the first of his squadron's V-1 bombs over the village of Kingsnorth in Kent. Pilots were becoming nervous about the bombs they shot down hitting houses and civilians. The Air Ministry put the defence of London as a priority. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
16 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • The Polish government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom published a paper which laid claim to the German territory of East Prussia and the Free City of Danzig; the paper also reasserted the territory that the Germans called "Polish Corridor" was to remain within Polish borders. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • Three V-1 flying bombs impacted in quick succession in Brixton, London, England, United Kingdom, hitting Ramsey Road (5 killed), Brixton Road (2 killed) and at Lubbock Street in nearby Battersea (16 killed). The Church of St John in Bermondsey was hit; this church had been badly damaged during the Blitz of 1940 and repairs had been completed. The church was used as an emergency aid station; two workers were killed when the roof collapsed. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
17 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • A major incident was declared when at 0530 hours a V-1 bomb blew up in Suffield Road, Walworth, south-east London, England, United Kingdom; 17 residents were killed, 40 houses demolished and 150 damaged by the blast. Many houses were damaged beyond repair to the south west in Brixton when another V-1 bomb landed in the middle of Brassey Square. The new defence system announced earlier on in the week came into effect at dawn, it was welcomed by the fight pilots who had been troubled by friendly fire whilst diving on the bombs. 41 Squadron at RAF Lympne lost two of its pilots in a collision above the airfield. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Lympne, England | HM]
18 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • Heinkel aircraft of III/KG3 flew 14 sorties to launch V-1 flying bombs against London, England, United Kingdom; all aircraft returned safely. Meanwhile, another German squadron was working up to operational level at Gilze-Rijen. The borough of Beckenham in London was the scene of the worst bomb incident of the day when the bus station was hit; 18 were killed including 2 soldiers, the petrol supply tanks at the depot exploded adding to more damage and injuries to firemen. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
19 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • Over 45 V-1 flying bombs were shot down by fighters from the RAF squadrons situated in the Counties of Kent and Sussex in Britain, whilst more were shot down into the sea by coastal anti-aircraft batteries. Two Polish Squadrons (306 and 315) accounted for 14 of them, with Flight Sergeant J. Zaworski PAF (306 Squadron) scoring 3 kills within 2 patrols. However more damage was caused by bombs getting through the defences; Wandsworth in south west London and Peckham in the south east had bombs causing fatalities and over 50 houses were condemned after damage assessment. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
20 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • A farmer was surprised when a V-1 bomb impacted in woodland by his house in Gipping, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. It was thought that the automatic pilot system had failed to make the bomb go so far off course. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Gipping, England | HM]
21 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • No. 616 Squadron RAF, equipped with Meteor Mk I jet fighters, was transferred to RAF Manston in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Meteor | Manston, England | CPC]
  • 7 people were killed at 0654 hours when a V-1 flying bomb struck Blenheim Close, Penge, south-east London, England, United Kingdom; over 150 houses were badly damaged. Injured staff at the ice cream factory in Lambeth meant that the factory was unable to supply ice to hospitals. Another Mosquito aircraft was lost when 248 Squadron intercepted enemy aircraft whilst hunting V-1 flying bombs, three Dornier bombers were shot down but the aircraft of Flight Sergeant Walter Scott and his observer Flight Sergeant John Blackburn was hit by return fire and crashed into the sea. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
22 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • Pilot Officer Ken Foskett became a local hero after bringing down a V-1 flying bomb onto the railway lines near Ashford in Kent, England, United Kingdom. Seeing a train approaching the damaged track at speed, Fosket made low passes over the locomotive, lowering his wheels and dipping his wings. The engineers in the engine got the message and stopped the train. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Ashford, England | HM]
23 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • Tempest V fighters of No. 3 Squadron RAF based at RAF Newchurch in Kent, England, United Kingdom destroyed 13 V-1 flying bombs over the south eastern counties. At the same time further to the south the two Polish Squadrons were busy accounting for 8 more. One, shot down by Kasimierz Siwek PAF (315 Squadron) landed on the perimeter of RAF Kingsnorth, a prototype Advanced Landing Ground, narrowly missing aircraft parked there. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Kingsnorth, England | HM]
24 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • In the early morning five aircraft-launched German V-1 flying bombs impacted on London, England, United Kingdom, the most serious being in Canterbury Terrace in the borough of Kilburn at 0440 hours, killing 16 residents. III KG/3 had launched 11 in total; the other six blew up in the counties of Essex and Hertfordshire. The Tempest V fighters of the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) of the RAF brought down seven bombs after dark two of which fell onto the military camp at Offham in Mereworth Woods and Gravelly Bottom; No service personnel were hurt but damage to vehicles and offices was severe. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
25 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • Sorties were flown by aircraft of III KG/3 again during the night, in all 18 aircraft took off to launch V-1 flying bombs on England, United Kingdom. One aircraft, Heinkel He 111 5K+GT of 9 Staffel flown by Unteroffizier Günter Rohne, hit a high communication mast near Eindhoven in the Netherlands and blew up; there were no survivors. London and the counties of Hertfordshire and Essex were again hit but only light casualties were reported. 96 Squadron RAF lost a Mosquito XIII aircraft and the crew when the aircraft failed to return to RAF Ford. It was thought that the plane was hit by friendly fire when returning from the anti-diver patrol. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
26 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • At dusk, Flight Lieutenant Remy van Lierde, a Belgian pilot with 3 Squadron RAF, shot down two V-1 flying bombs and shared a third over the Bexhill area on the coast of Sussex County in southern England, United Kingdom. Van Lierde would go on to shoot down 35 bombs during the V-1 assault. He flew a Tempest V fighter and had the Belgian national colours painted on the spinner tip. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Remy Van Lierde | Bexhill, England | HM]
27 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 24 people were killed when a V-1 flying bomb fell onto Church Road in Beckenham, London, England, United Kingdom; it impacted by the road and graveyard by the St George's Church and caused major damage and unearthing graves. Others fell in Norwood elsewhere in London, killing 6 and bringing down houses. A stray flying bomb impacted near the town of Mosstofta in Sweden, causing little damage and no casualties. It was unclear where this bomb was launched from; it could have been from a training flight by III KG/3 or from the research area at Peenemünde, Germany. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
28 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • One of the worst V-1 flying bomb incidents happened at 0935 hours when a bomb hit the crowded shopping centre in Lewisham, London, England, United Kingdom. It landed on the roof of a street level shelter outside a Marks & Spencer department store. It caused major damage to the store and the Woolworths next to it. Many were killed in the Woolworth's basement restaurant area and passing buses were ripped apart. 51 people were killed instantly and others in hospital later. The blast zone of this bomb stretched for 600 yards in all directions. The day was made worse when another 45 were killed in Kensington High Street in central London. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
29 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • In south London, England, United Kingdom, two surface air raid shelters were partly destroyed when a V-1 flying bomb impacted at the junction of Hollyoak and Dante Roads in Elephant and Castle; twenty houses were rendered uninhabitable. There were no casualties with this bomb, however another exploded nearby killing five and damaging almost 200 houses. Further south a V-1 flying bomb crashed and blew up near the town of Sevenoaks in western Kent after being shot down by a fighter, as often happened in the countryside, after the explosion schoolboys took parts for souvenirs. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
30 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • In southern England, United Kingdom, the North Kent village of Swanscombe had a V-1 flying bomb explode in Taunton Road. It killed 11 and badly wounded 22 and the blast resulted in the complete destruction of 60 cottages making 160 people homeless. Flight Sergeant Gedfrey Tate of 1 Squadron was lost when his Spitfire fighter LFIXh crashed into the sea after he went into a dive chasing a V-1 flying bomb. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Swanscombe, England | HM]
31 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 91 Squadron RAF lost a veteran pilot when Flying Officer Paddy Schade's Spitfire XIV fighter was hit by a Tempest fighter flown by Flight Sergeant Archie Wilson RNZAF of 486 Squadron when Wilson emerged from cloud whilst chasing a V-1 flying bomb. The wing of the Tempest fighter tore off the Spitfire fighter's cockpit; both pilots were killed. Flight Sergeant Stan Rudowski of 306 Squadron (Polish) RAF was vectored onto a V-1 flying bomb approaching the town of Rye, Kent in southern England, United Kingdom, two miles west of the coastal town he attacked from below, the flying bomb slowed, looped and exploded in the sea just off the beach. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
1 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • On completing an anti-diver patrol against V-1 flying bombs, Flight Lieutenant F. Wiza's Yellow Section of 306 Squadron (Polish) RAF received a warning that they were 10 miles off the English coast and were vectored into a "safe lane" away from anti-aircraft batteries; as the Mustang III fighters crossed the coast they found themselves under intense fire; fortunately no aircraft were hit. 96 Squadron lost a Mosquito aircraft and crew whilst the night fighter was landing in bad weather and visibility; Flight Officer Ray Ball and his navigator Flight Officer Fred Saunders were both killed as was Leading Aircraftman Charlie Allen on the ground. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | England | HM]
2 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 flying bomb caused the deaths of 12 residents of Pendle Road in the borough of Streatham, South-west London, at 0510 hours, a second bomb impacted on Gypsy Road in Upper Norwood, killing 3, one of whom was an elderly lady awaiting evacuation from the area. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
Photo(s) dated 2 Aug 1944
Portrait of Winston Churchill taken in London, England, United Kingdom, 2 Aug 1944
3 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • RAF Hendon north of London, England, United Kingdom was hit by a V-1 flying bomb in the early hours; it demolished a barrack block and 5 accommodation huts where 5 airmen were killed and over 25 wounded. The area around Maidstone in Kent in southern England received V-1 flying bombs throughout the morning, one of them fell after snagging the wires of a barrage balloon; it killed 5 workmen on the railway and another 7 had to be hospitalized. First Lieutenant Jack Robinson USAAF of 416th Fighter-Bomber Group flying a P-47 aircraft shot down a V-1 flying bomb; this episode was watched by civilians on the ground near Ashford, Kent who cheered as the bomb veered away and exploded in woodland. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
Photo(s) dated 3 Aug 1944
As seen from the Fleet Street rooftops, a V-1 Flying Bomb strikes near Kings Way or Drury Lane with the Law Courts towers in the foreground, London, England, United Kingdom, 3 Aug 1944. Photo 2 of 2.
4 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • During the early hours of the morning the Tempest aircraft of the Fighter Interception Unit based at RAF Manson in Kent, England, United Kingdom brought down 11 V-1 flying bombs. The bombs all fell in the area around East Sutton and Thurnham. A church was badly damaged, and houses lost their roof tiles but only 8 people were treated for injury from the explosions. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
  • From London, England, United Kingdom, Winston Churchill sent Joseph Stalin a message, requesting him to provide material aid to the resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland. Stalin rejected the request. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | Joseph Stalin | Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 4 Aug 1944
Conspicuously marked Radio Jeep of the 391st Bomb Group at RAF Matching, England, United Kingdom, 4 Aug 1944.
5 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Louis Mountbatten arrived in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Louis Mountbatten | London, England | CPC]
  • A V-1 flying bomb brought down by a Tempest aircraft landed in Malling Road, Snodland in north Kent, England, United Kingdom; the explosion brought down 10 houses in the village and killed 12 people in them, a further 16 were badly injured; two doctors, both badly injured whose surgery facility was within one of the houses, carried on treating the casualties. Another serious incident happened in East Dulwich in south-east London when the Co-Operative department store in Lordship Lane was hit; 23 people died and many injured; a Salvation Army headquarters was damaged where 29 people were seriously injured when the roof fell in. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
6 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Anti-aircraft batteries along the southern British coast were in action throughout the day, bringing down V-1 flying bombs; the beaches along the coast at Folkestone and Hythe, Kent, England, United Kingdom were becoming littered with wreckage from the bombs. The fighter squadrons were busy too with the Polish 316 squadron bringing down 9, mostly behind the coastal anti-aircraft guns near Hastings, Sussex. Flight Sergeant Don MacKerras RAAF was killed when his Tempest V fighter spun into the ground whilst he was on patrol; he had attempted to tip a flying bomb over with his wing tip but collided with the missile, losing his wing. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
  • A V-1 flying bomb caused massive damage when it exploded in Carrington Road in Dartford, London, England, United Kingdom; 20 homes were wrecked and another 700 houses needed repair; ten people died and 20 hospitalized. Balloons brought down four flying bombs around the town of Sevenoaks in Kent, England; the success was a testament to the skill of the balloon crews in placing them at the correct height and in areas that did not threaten dwellings if the bombs were brought down. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
7 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 flying bomb blew up in Underhill Road, East Dulwich in south east London, England, United Kingdom, 4 residents were killed. Three V-1 bombs, brought down by fighters, crashed into the outskirts of Ashford, Kent, England causing damage and one death. The fighter pilots were now taking efforts to avoid their targets impacting on built up areas but the problem remained of the bombs flying erratically once hit. 316 Squadron (Polish) brought down 8 flying bombs, following on from the 9 kills made the previous day. Warrant Officer Czeslaw Bartlomiejczyk shot down four in the space of five minutes when he got behind the V-1 flying bombs flying in single file over the English Channel in his Mustang III fighter. Flight Officer Henry "Dixie" Dean flying the new RAF jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, brought down a V-1 flying bomb over the village of Rorbertsbridge, east Sussex. 616 squadron now had a dozen of the jet fighters and 33 pilots training with them. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
8 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • He 111 aircraft flying from their base in Rozières in France flew 23 sorties during the night of 7-8 Aug 1944. One of the Heinkel bombers was shot down by Flight Officer John Smith (604 Squadron); the bomber crashed near Achmer, Lower Saxony, Germany attempting to reach base; Smith also brought down a Do 217 bomber during the patrol over the channel. A V-1 flying bomb launched by another He 111 bomber hit a hostel for agricultural workers near Benenden, Kent, England, United Kingdom, killing four and injuring 33. The balloons around Dartford brought down two flying bombs and another, shot down by a fighter over Bidborough, near Tonbridge Wells in Kent, was the first to be found to be carrying 24 1-kilogram incendiary bombs. Flight Lieutenant "Togs" Mellersh of FIU (fighter interception Unit) shot down four flying bombs on his single night patrol. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
9 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 flying bomb exploded in the air above the town of Lamberhurst, Kent, England, United Kingdom after being shot at by a fighter, the bomb scattered 1-kilogram incendiary bombs. 91 squadron was officially taken off anti-V-1 operations and moved to RAF Hawkinge in Kent to re-equip with Spitfire LFIX fighters. The squadron had accounted for 184 of the bombs, and 2 more would be added whilst they trained in their new aircraft. The squadron's Spitfire XIV fighters were handed to 402 Squadron (RCAF) who commenced anti-V-1 operations three days later. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Hawkinge, England | HM]
12 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Lieutenant Joseph Kennedy, Jr., the older brother of future US President John F. Kennedy, was killed in a flying accident involving an Operation Aphrodite aircraft over East Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. His flight engineer, Lieutenant Wilford John Willy, was also killed. ww2dbase [England | AC, HM]
  • No. 402 Squadron RCAF, flying Spitfire XIV fighters, began anti-V-1 flying bomb operations in Britain. The squadron was based at RAF Hawkinge in Kent, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Hawkinge, England | HM]
  • Winston Churchill sent another message to Joseph Stalin, relaying Polish request for machine guns and ammunition for the resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | Joseph Stalin | Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
13 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • There were 19 V-1 flying bombs launched against Britain by Heinkel aircraft from III/KG3 during the night, only half of the number launched by air the previous evening. The Gruppe were having to evacuate their base at Rozières, Picardy, France, as the Allied advance was approaching the area, they would fly to Venlo in the Netherlands but would not launch any further bombs for a week. Squadron 274 lost a pilot, Flight Sergeant Royston Ryman flew into a hilltop at Elham, Kent, whilst conducting an anti-Diver patrol. A further seventeen V-1 flying bombs were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, one of which fell and exploded near to Lydden Spout coastal battery at Dover, Kent where a serviceman was badly wounded and four others slightly injured. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Dover, England | HM]
14 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • The US 127th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment became operational; at the end of the V-1 attacks the regiment had accounted for 56 of the flying bombs. A V-1 flying bomb brought down by British guns tragically fell on Twiss Road, Hythe in Kent in southern Britain. It destroyed houses and killed a family of 5 also injuring a further 17 some seriously. Flight Officer Peter Graham almost lost his life when diving down from 12,000 feet he levelled up too close to his target; the slip stream threw his Spitfire fighter over, but he managed to recover, only to see his target, a V-1 flying bomb, fly between the wires of the balloon defence. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
  • Winston Churchill ordered Anthony Eden to against request assistance from Joseph Stalin for the resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | Winston Churchill | Anthony Eden | London, England | CPC]
15 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
16 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 flying bomb exploded in High Street of Walthamstow in east London, England, United Kingdom killing 17 and injuring 62. Nine more people were killed further south in Brockley. Deptford in south-east London received its 7th bomb which damaged houses that were already being repaired and killed 7. Officers and men of the squadrons based at RAF Dettling, north-east of Maidstone, Kent, southern England were not amused when a bomb was shot down and exploded not far from their control tower and sending three airmen to hospital. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Detling, England | HM]
17 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Anti-aircraft gunners using proximity fuzed shells at Folkestone, Kent, England, United Kingdom brought down 27 flying bombs during the day, all landing in the sea close to the beaches. The batteries at nearby Hythe accounted for a further 16, also due in large part to the proximity fuzes. As usual the number of bombs being launched meant that some got through to the London area. One bomb landed only yards from where one exploded four days earlier killing another 3 residents. The worst incident was at Rotherhithe Street in Bermondsey where 17 were killed and more than 60 injured. Later in the afternoon 16 residents of Mossbury Road in Lavender Hill south London were killed. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | VT Radio Proximity | London, England | HM]
18 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 bomb blew up and destroyed the railway bridge over Oak Lane in Newington, Kent, England, United Kingdom. This happened as an express train was approaching. The locomotive and tender jumped the gap, but the first two carriages crashed onto the road. Seven passengers and a railway worker who had run to the bridge for shelter were killed. Two days later the bridge was repaired, and traffic was as normal. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Newington, England | HM]
  • Flight Lieutenant Brian Williams of 605 Squadron RAF flying his Mosquito VI fighter from RAF Manston brought down 2 V-1 flying bombs on his patrol bringing his total to 5 in just two weeks of action. A typically economic report entered by pilots on patrol was written by Flight Lieutenant K. A. Roediger of 456 squadron RAAF: "23.24hrs attacked Diver astern, height 1,200ft, speed 360 mph fired at range of 1,200 feet. Target dived straight in and exploded on ground." ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
19 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 flying bomb went astray and impacted in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom near RAF Thorpe Abbots, the base of the 100th Bomber Group (The bloody One Hundredth). The base diarist commented that, "The tannoy gave a red alert and two seconds later the buzz bomb blew". Three Polish squadrons (316, 315 and 306) were in action, shooting down 12 V-1 flying bombs between them, with Warrant officer Józef Feruga (316 Squadronn) taking down 3 of them over Dungeness, Kent. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Diss, England | HM]
20 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Three V-1 flying bombs caused 16 deaths in the area around Twickenham Road, Feltham and Studeley Road in Stockwell, both of London, England, United Kingdom. Pilot Officer John Bilodeau RCAF (129 Squadron) flying Mustang III FB395/DV-Y fighter appeared to spin out of low cloud and crash into the sea, this was the squadron's first loss of a pilot whilst combatting the flying bombs. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
21 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Willesden in north-west London received its second V-1 flying bomb in two days, the latest impacting in College Road where 20 were killed and many injured another. 29 lives were lost and 58 hospitalized in Wharnecliffe Gardens, Marylebone in south-east London. The anti-aircraft battery in Dover had their best day, shooting down over 36 bombs over the sea and beaches. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
22 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • 111/KG3 of the German Air Force launched 21 sorties during the early hours from their new base at Venlo in the south east of the Netherlands. All Heinkel bombers returned safely after launching their V-1 flying bombs. One of these impacted on just half a mile down Oak Lane, where the railway bridge had just been repaired. Another clipped some elm trees near some cottages and span into on of them killing a man and a woman, orphaning the two children who were dug out of the wreckage unhurt. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Newington, England | HM]
23 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Fifty-one V-1 flying bombs were brought down by anti-aircraft fire using proximity fuzes over the coast at Folkestone, Kent, southeastern England, United Kingdom; all but two crashed into the sea. The railway line out of Folkestone was damaged by another bomb shot down by a fighter of 315 Squadron (Polish) RAF. Thirteen more were brought down by the anti-aircraft batteries at Lydd, Kent, one of which exploded and scattered propaganda leaflets over the town. One V-1 flying bomb that made it to South London was brought down when it hit barrage balloon cables at Skeet Hill House, Orpington. A V-1 flying bomb hit Oakleigh Road in Brunswick Park, East Barnet, north of the river Thames, killing 33 as houses and shops collapsed with the blast. Another fell nearby in the centre of the football pitch which had been emptied. Yet another that made it through the defences badly damaged the village church near the perimeter of RAF Stradishall in Suffolk, shortly after it had been crowded with a harvest thanksgiving service. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | VT Radio Proximity | Orpington, England | CPC]
  • A US B-24 Liberator bomber crashed into the village of Freckleton in Lancashire County, England, United Kingdom at about 1047 hours, destroying the Holy Trinity Church of England School (6 adults and 38 children were killed), three houses (2 were killed), and the Sad Sack Snack Bar (7 American servicemen, 4 British servicemen, and 3 civilians were killed). All 3 members of crew aboard the B-24 bomber were killed. ww2dbase [Freckleton, England | CPC]
  • At 0801 hours a V-1 flying bomb exploded at Oakleigh Road, Brunswick Park, East Barnet, London, England, United Kingdom, killing 33 and injuring a further 212 people. The bomb impacted on the Standard Telephone and Cable factory. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
24 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A heavy anti-aircraft gun position in Annerley Road, Penge, London, England, United Kingdom took a direct hit from a V-1 flying bomb, killing all 7 of the gun crew. The anti-aircraft guns along the coast had another good day thanks to their proximity fuzed shells taking account of over 65 flying bombs, many before they reached the mainland. The spectacle of seeing the bombs get hit and explode had become somewhat of a daily routine along the coast, many of the impact sites were visited by curious boys on their cycles before any home guard unit got to them. Parts of the bombs were being collected as trophies, a spark plug being the big prize. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | VT Radio Proximity | London, England | HM]
25 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • The amount of V-1 flying bombs being sent over the English Channel was now noticeably decreasing as the Allied armies pushed into the Netherlands and captured and destroyed the launching sites. The German Air Force still were able to launch missiles with the Heinkel bombers of III /KG3 which had been moved east-wards to other airfields. Just before midnight a V-1 flying bomb came down in Carrington Road, Dartford, Kent, England, United Kingdom killing 12 people as they slept in their houses. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Dartford, England | HM]
Photo(s) dated 25 Aug 1944
Wounded aircrewmen are helped off B-24H Liberator “Liberty Lib” of the 752nd Bomb Squadron at RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, England, UK after a raid on the Dornier factory at Lubeck, Germany, Aug 25 1944. Note the WC54 Ambulance.
27 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A total of 18 V-1 flying bombs were brought down within an hour by the anti-aircraft batteries at Folkstone and Hythe in Kent, England, United Kingdom. Flight Lieutenant Francis "Togs" Mellersh of 96 Squadron flying out of RAF Ford shot down a V-1 flying bomb as it passed the anti-aircraft guns at Dungeness on the Kent coast; this bomb brought his score to 43 and the squadron's to 176. Flight Lieutenant Gordon Bonham RNZAF of 501 Squadron brought down 4 bombs on his patrol and found he had to land on a farm as his Tempest V fighter had run dry of fuel; the farmer's son watched him land and took him to have lunch at the farm after telephoning for fuel to be brought in; the process of refuelling was slow as 4-gallon drums had to be carried over the field; after taking off, Bonham treated the family to a show of aerobatics. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
28 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Of 97 V-1 flying bombs launched this day from the Netherlands only 4 got through the anti-aircraft and fighter cordon, the fighters taking down 23 and the anti-aircraft guns 65 (Folkestone hitting 58), the remainder struck barrage balloon wires. Some of the bombs were found to be carrying propaganda leaflets. Only two serious casualties were reported during the day. Although 41 squadron had been stood down from V-1 patrols Flight Lieutenant Terry Spencer whilst carrying out tests in his Spitfire XII fighter saw a bomb passing over the town of Rye, Kent, England, United Kingdom he gave chase and brought it down in farmland; it was the Unit's 53rd and last victory. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Rye, England | HM]
29 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • One of the last V-1 flying bombs to fall on south-east London, England, United Kingdom glided down in a shallow dive at 1440 hours, its wing collided with the steeple of Eltham's Parish Church; the subsequent blast killed 2 and injured 50 more. 200 houses were badly damaged by blast in the town of Lydd, a village on the Romney marshes in Kent in southern England. Flight Lieutenant D. F. Ruchwaldy, 129 Squadron RAF shot down 4 V-1 flying bombs as he crossed the English Channel; the first over Dungeness and two more in mid-Channel. As he approached the French coast he sighted a fourth and gave chase and opened fire, he then came under friendly fire from a Royal Navy vessel; the bomb blew up and he flew through the blast. Upon landing he claimed the last bomb, saying that the Navy's shooting was not up to much and the could not possibly have hit the thing. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
31 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • In the early morning hours between 0300 and 0630 hours, German Air Force III K/G3 launched twenty V-1 flying bombs with Gloucester, England, United Kingdom as the target. Only 8 got across and over the coast and 6 of these fell to earth in Suffolk and the other two in Essex. One of the bombs injured 7 people in Suffolk near to Harleston. One bomb brought down by a fighter near the coast impacted near Whitstable in Kent seriously injuring four people. One of the Heinkel bombers flown by Unteroffizier Lorenz Gruber crashed at Vossenberg in Belgium on the return flight, all the crew perished. This was the final operation of the of the month by the aircraft of III K/G3, they had flown 228 sorties for the loss of 3 aircraft, a better return from the previous month. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
1 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden responded to Chaim Weizmann's 6 Jul 1944 request, rejecting Weizmann's request to bomb rail lines leading to Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | London, England | CPC]
  • Several waves of V-1 flying bombs were launched across the English Channel toward Britain, most failed to make their targets being brought down by coastal gunners; Folkestone batteries brought down 19 and saw 3 more destroyed by fighters behind them. Of the 19 brought down by batteries, Hythe got 9, while Dover brought down 6. The credit for the third of the 3 brought down by fighters was given to Warrant Officer Tommy Hetherington of 129 Squadron, brought down in the afternoon; this was his unit's 66th bomb to be destroyed; Hetherington had very little ammunition left and although seeing strikes he ran out flying around the bomb he managed to upset the bombs gyros with his slipstream, the bomb fell into the sea 5 miles from Dover on the British coast. One bomb that succeeded in getting through exploded close to the battery at Lyddon Spout beach, Dover. It wounded 4 soldiers on guard. The battery had been upgraded to Mark XXIV six-inch guns. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
2 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • A sortie was carried out by II/KG 101 of the German Air Force, the target being Allied shipping in the English Channel. The plans were to co-ordinate with bomb-carrying Fw 109 aircraft from 2/KG200 but it was not successful. A Ju 88 aircraft crashed at Warsop in Nottinghamshire in central England, United Kingdom, another was brought down at Hothfield, Kent, southern England. Following this unsuccessful attack, II/KG101 was disbanded and a new unit III/KG66 was formed commanded by Hauptmann Kurt Capesius flying from Burg airfield near Magdeburg, Germany. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Warsop, England | HM]
  • In Britain, a V-1 flying bomb landed on RAF Hawkinge destroying a Spitfire fighter of 350 squadron and wounding some airmen. Another fell on the perimeter of RAF Nacton in Ipswich, killing a RAF non-commissioned officer and destroying a house. Records later showed that by this date, the effective end of the V-1 assault from France, 8,617 bombs had been ground launched against the United Kingdom. German AIr Force unit III K/G3 had launched about 410, mostly against London, however the Germans still had more to send. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Folkestone, England | HM]
3 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • Heinkel aircraft of III/KG3 of the German Air Force made 23 sorties with V-1 flying bombs being launched against London, Portsmouth, Southampton, and Gloucester of England, United Kingdom. 3 of these bombs came down in East Anglia, at Hill Farm in Felixstowe on the Suffolk coast, Langham in the east midlands and Dedham, near Colchester in Essex, other bombs fell in various areas of the home counties but caused very little damage. A veteran Luftwaffe pilot, Horst Juventus, who had been posted to III/KG3 recalled that the pilots all felt that the Luftwaffe were finished and hated to fly the Heinkel aircraft with the flying bomb attached. "Some crews", he said, "just dumped the bombs as soon as possible in order to get home safely." Also on this date, in the early morning, the 4 remaining Mistel aircraft with II/KG101 again headed out to launch against London, the attack was to be co-ordinated with that of bomb carrying Fw 190 aircraft from 2/KG200, but it failed. 2 of the Ju 88 Mistel aircraft crossed the English coast, one of which crashed at Warsop in Nottinghamshire and the other only just made it over the coast to crash at Hothfield, Kent. Following this II/KG101 was disbanded and a new Mistel unit, III/KG66 came into being commanded by Hauptmann Kurt Cepesius at Burg airfield near Magdeburg, Germany. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
4 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • 23 sorties of Heinkel bombers, carrying V-1 flying bombs, operated by German Air Force III/KG3 from Venlo, Netherlands took off against London, Portsmouth, and Gloucester in Britain. 3 came down in East Anglia and one reached Eyeworth in Bedfordshire. Veteran German pilot Horst Juventus had been posted to III/KG3 and recalled "They [V-1 flying bombs] were obviously a very indiscriminate weapon and really served no good purpose. But we had our orders. I flew from Gilze-Rijen over the North Sea for a distance before igniting the V-1s and launching them. These things were a positive menace as they did not fly true and we were in great danger with the contraption beneath us. I am sure some crews released them as soon as we were out of sight of land." ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
6 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • The British government issued a communique after a meeting of the Chiefs of the Imperial Staff saying that the V-1 flying bombs to this date had killed 5,817 people, and with 22,870 slightly wounded another 17,086 hospitalised. It finished by adding that the enemy had been completely driven out of static launch sites and that a small-scale attempt was still being made to launch by aircraft. "Except possibly for a last few shots, the Battle of London is over-we have beaten Hitler's secret weapon, the V-1, which was to have terrorised Britain into making a negotiated peace." ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
  • Personnel of the 761st Tank Battalion aboard troop transport SS Esperance Bay arrived at Avonmouth, England, United Kingdom. Ruben Rivers was among its members. ww2dbase [Ruben Rivers | Avonmouth, England | DS]
7 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • British Member of Parliament Duncan Sandys, Winston Churchill's son-in-law who had been made responsible for coordinating the defences against the V-1 flying bombs, confidently predicted that "Except fot a few shots, the Battle for London is over". It was not within a day the V-2s (the second of Adolf Hitler's secret weapons) would begin to fall on the British capital. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | AC]
12 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • One of the four German V-2 rockets launched on this date hit Chrysler vehicle works in Mortlake Road, Kew, southwestern London, England, United Kingdom. 8 were killed, 14 were wounded, and property damage was significant. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 12 Sep 1944
Telegraph Cottage in Kingston upon Thames, England, United Kingdom, 12 Sep 1944. This was Eisenhower’s residence while in England. It was destroyed by fire in 1987 and not rebuilt.
14 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • Three German V-2 rockets hit Britain. One of them hit the center of Walthamstow, London, England, United Kingdom at 0455 hours, killing six immediately and another one later from wounds. The resulting crater was 50 feet wide and 10 feet deep. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
15 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
16 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • 13 He III bombers of I/KG53 of the German Air Force from Varelbusch, near Bremen, Germany took off to launch V-1 flying bombs, one crashed and exploded on take off killing the crew. 3 of the aircraft were intercepted and shot down over the sea. Royal Naval gunners hitting 2 and the other by a Mosquito aircraft of 96 Squadron flown by Lieutenant Ian Dobie. As they crossed the British coast 2 more were shot down by a Tempest aircraft flown by Flight Officer Bud Miller USAAF of 501 Squadron. Of the bombs launched, one hit a water tower at Saffron Walden, a market town in Essex. The tower was at the end of the runway of nearby Debden airfield and shook the men of 4th Fighter Group billet there. General Sir Fredrick Pile in charge of Britain's anti-aircraft defences noted that after an interval the attacks were being stepped up and he was having trouble shifting the guns into places where they could combat the bombs being launched by aircraft. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Debden, England | HM]
17 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German Heinkel bomber was lost when 14 of them took off from Varrelbusch, near Bremen, Germany on a sortie to launch V-1 flying bombs over eastern England, United Kingdom. Unteroffizier Hans Jördens ditched into Lake Braassemermeer in southern Netherlands, the crew survived but the aircraft was written off; it had flown into friendly fire. 9 of the returning aircraft were also damaged by the flak around the Dutch coast. These messages were all picked up on Utlra intercepts. A Mosquito aircraft from 96 Squadron brought down a flying bomb after its launch over the Kent coast of southern England. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
Photo(s) dated 17 Sep 1944
Members of the 82nd Airborne Division having their gear checked by the jumpmaster for the last time before entering their C-47 Dakotas for the Market Garden operation at Cottesmore airfield, England, 17 Sep 1944
19 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • No. 486 Squadron RNZAF was transferred out of RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]
  • Prime Minister Stanisław Mikołajczyk of the Polish government-in-exile sent a message to Franklin Roosevelt, Carl Spaatz, Anthony Eden, and others requesting a repeat of the 18 Sep airdrop operation to supply resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland. Despite the fact that the Home Army fighters received less than half of the crates dropped, they were desperately short on supplies. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | London, England | CPC]
20 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • German Air Force III/KG3 flew 21 sorties and 68 Squadron RAF was vectored to a position over the Dutch coastal Islands. A Mosquito aircraft flown by Flight Sergeant John Jenkins failed to return. It was presumed that the aircraft was brought down by the explosion of its target, which was a V-1 flying bomb. One of the V-1 flying bombs launched by the German bombers impacted on the beach next to the perimeter of the Experimental Radar Facility at Bawdsey Manor near Felixstowe eastern United Kingdom. One that fell in a farmer's field at Chediston in the County of Suffolk had the number 701422 and another that destroyed 3 houses at Hacheston near Ipswich in the same County was 701427. This numbering only appeared on the air launched bombs. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
21 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
23 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • No. 56 Squadron RAF was transferred out of RAF Newchurch in southern England, United Kingdom; the field ceased operations upon No. 56 Squadron's exit. ww2dbase [RAF Newchurch | Newchurch, England | CPC]
  • A V-1 flying bomb over flew the town of Newmarket, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom and crashed near Burwell in Cambridgeshire. The pilot, at the rank of flight officer, of the 501 Squadron had been chasing the bomb and had reached overtaking speed when the engine of his Tempest aircraft seized up. He had seconds to gain a little height and turn to the west to avoid the marshlands and bale out. He saw the aircraft crash into a barn and explode whilst he landed in a cherry tree outside the Leather Bottle Inn. It was there that he was rescued by a Royal Engineer Officer before being held in a Police Station for 2 hours awaiting proper identification. The fault in the Tempest aircraft was traced to an air lock when fuel tanks were switched over. ww2dbase [Tempest | V-Weapons Campaign | Burwell, England | HM]
  • The 306th Bomb Group and the air base at RAF Thurleigh had a change of command with Lieutenant Colonel James Sutton relieving Colonel George Robinson. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
24 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • US Ambassador to the United Kingdom John Winant met with US Army Air Forces generals Carl Spaatz and Ira Eaker to discuss the possibility of conducting another major supply drop for resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland. They concluded that similar missions should not be conducted due to the closure of US bases in the Soviet Union (the closure was planned for 5 Oct 1944), the shortening of daylight hours, and the rate of aircraft loss. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | Operation Frantic | Carl Spaatz | Ira Eaker | John Winant | England | CPC]
25 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • British 501 Squadron's Tempest aircraft continued to fly all weather patrols against the V-1 flying bombs. The American Flight Officer Bud Miller shot down his 9th and final bomb but Flight Lieutenant Gordon "Snowy" Bonham DFC was killed when his Tempest aircraft crashed in bad weather at Spitfield Farm in Essex, England, United Kingdom; the New Zealander had flown against the Japanese in Singapore in 1942, and had 5 flying bombs to his credit. Four flying bombs penetrated the defences, one falling in Chersey, Surrey, one in Essex and another at Hessett, 5 miles east of Bury St Edmunds, it exploded in the middle of Mellfield Woods, damaging the farm house. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
27 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • Carl Spaatz authorized a plan for Operation Frantic 8, which called for 72 B-17 bombers, 64 P-51 fighters, and 2 Mosquito aircraft to drop supplies to Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland on 30 Sep 1944. The Soviets, whose bases were required for receiving the bombers after the operation, agreed only after Winston Churchill personally asserted pressure on Joseph Stalin. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | Operation Frantic | England | CPC]
28 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • During a speech in the House of Commons, Winston Churchill condemned Bulgaria, reminding the members that Bulgarians have been responsible for many war crimes in Greece and Yugoslavia, and that (as far as Great Britain was concerned) they were not welcome as co-belligerents, until they demonstrate atonement for their former misdeeds. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
  • German Air Force III/KG3 flew 20 sorties and lost two of their aircraft. The only other contacts were with a Royal Navy Avenger aircraft that was intercepted by Flight Officer Henley and a Warwick recognised in good time by Squardon Leader Humphrey, he continued on his patrol and claimed his first flying bomb over The hague, The Netherlands. All 7 of the bombs that got through the defence fell in the East Anglia region of England, United Kingdom, most landed in farmland and there were no injuries caused. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
  • In the United Kingdom, US airmen were awarded by the Polish government-in-exile for having dropped supplies to Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland during Operation Frantic 7. Colonel Karl Truesdell, Jr. received the Virtuti Militari 5th Class personally awarded by Commander-in-Chief General Kazimierz Sosnkowski, while nine other airmen received the Cross of Valor. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | Operation Frantic | England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 28 Sep 1944
B-17G Fortress “Lost Angel” Belly landed at RAF Kimbolton after being damaged over Magdeburg, Germany, 28 Sep 1944. Note that the crew had unbolted and dropped the ball turret to keep it from breaking the airframe’s back
30 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 flying bomb caused 5 deaths and many injuries when a row of houses was demolished at Ardleigh in Essex, England, United Kingdom. The USAAF base at Thorpe Abbots, home of the 100th Bomb Group ("The Bloody 100th") reported buzz bombs flying over the airfield at 150 feet before exploding in the farm fields surrounding the base. A US 8th Air Force 750-bomber raid on Munster and Handorf in Germany killed the Staffelkapitän and the training officer of German Air Force 7/KG3; records captured by the Allies showed that 177 flying bombs had been launched by the Staffel during 13 nights of sorties in Sep 1944. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
  • Operation Frantic 8, a USAAF air mission to supply Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland scheduled for this date, was postponed to 1 Oct 1944. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | Operation Frantic | England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 30 Sep 1944
British Army photographers Sergeant Dennis M. Smith, Sergeant G. Walker, and Sergeant C. M. Lewis at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, late Sep 1944
1 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • Operation Frantic 8, a USAAF air mission to supply Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland scheduled for this date, was postponed to 2 Oct 1944 due to weather. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | Operation Frantic | England | CPC]
2 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • Operation Frantic 8, a USAAF air mission to supply Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland scheduled for this date, was postponed to 3 Oct 1944 due to weather. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union sent the Americans a falsified report which claimed that the Soviets had evacuated a large number of Polish resistance fighters from Warsaw, Poland, thus the planned airdrop mission would not be necessary. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | Operation Frantic | England | CPC]
3 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit the Hellesdon Golf Course near Norwich, England, United Kingdom at 1950 hours, injuring 1 person and damaging a glasshouse, 5 farm buildings/barns, several haystacks, and 1 acre of sugar beet. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | Norwich, England | CPC]
  • The British Royal Navy's NFIU now received permission to participate in anti V-1 patrols; naval airmen operated from RAF Coltishall in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom to evaluate the Firefly NF.I aircraft against the V-1-carrying Heinkel bombers. ww2dbase [Firefly | V-Weapons Campaign | Coltishall, England | HM]
4 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Rockland St Mary 6 miles southeast of Norwich, England, United Kingdom. It hit the village school directly, injuring 2 adults and 34 children, and the blast damaged 23 houses nearby. It was the worst attack on the Norwich region during the war. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | Rockland St Mary, England | CPC]
  • Carl Spaatz announced that USAAF's Frantic operations would no longer involve the dropping or supplies for Polish resistance fighters. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | England | CPC]
5 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Acle near Norwich, England, United Kingdom, temporarily causing blockage to a road. Another rocket hit Surlingham, downing several telephone lines. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | Acle, England | CPC]
  • Major General Orvil Anderson, US Eighth Air Force deputy commander for operations, informed the Polish government-in-exile that US bases in the Soviet Union were now closed, and there would be no more American missions to drop supplies to Polish resistance fighters. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | London, England | CPC]
6 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
7 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • More German Heinkel bombers carrying V-1 flying bombs were shot down. One V-1 flying bomb escaped the fighters and anti-aircraft guns and flew into a balloon cable over the village of Fawkham near Gravesend, Kent, England, United Kingdom and demolished several houses. There were 17 fatalities and 54 injured, 20 of them seriously when another fell at the Park Road/Barrington Road. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
11 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
12 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Ingworth 14 miles north of Norwich, England, United Kingdom, slightly injuring 2 people and causing damage to 20 houses and 1 school. This rocket was the 28th rocket to hit the Norwich region, and was to be the last of the current rocket campaign against Norwich. None of the 28 rockets targeted at this area killed anyone, and property damage was relatively light. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | Ingworth, England | CPC]
13 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, V-1 flying bomb fell on the Suffolk town of Southwold and caused major damage but surprisingly no serious injuries; in all 337 houses were damaged, 68 shops, three churches and the fire station were all reported as being victims in some way to the blast. Another impacted on RAF Raydon near Ipswich, the bomb narrowly missed the bomb dump concealed in woods next to the perimeter, at the time of the strike bombs were being loaded onto transport trucks. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Raydon, England | HM]
14 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, a V-1 flying bomb landed in a field by the Suffolk village of Hopton and failed to explode. Bomb Disposal Officer Lieutenant C. H. Bassett was killed whilst removing one of the fuses. Flying Officer Lulu Deleuze of 501 Squadron shot down two V-1 flying bombs in his Tempest fighter, one of them came down by the Red Lion Public House injuring a number of customers. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
15 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
17 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • Some 70 houses were damaged in the village of Kirby-le-Soken in Essex, England, United Kingdom when a V-1 came down. This date marked an increase in the number of flying bombs launched over the rest of the month. More night fighters were now sent up to the east coast. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Kirby-le-Soken, England | HM]
20 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
22 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • Belgian Florent Victor Paul Van Rolleghem, a Lancaster bomber pilot with No. 103 Squadron RAF based at RAF Elsham Wolds in Elsham, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) having flown 70 operations in 18 months and never once failing to bomb his target. ww2dbase [Elsham, England | AC]
  • Two V-1 flying bombs were brought down by British pilot Flight Officer Johnny Johnson. Two people were killed and 69 were injured by the blast of a V-1 flying bomb exploded at the Orsett Road-Derby Road junction in Grays, Essex, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Grays, England | HM]
Photo(s) dated 22 Oct 1944
Photograph taken moments after a mid-air collision between two B-17 Fortress bombers over the airfield at RAF Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England, 22 Oct 1944.
26 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Palmers Green Station in North London, England, United Kingdom at 1845 hours; detonating next to a stationary train, it seriously injured 15 people, while 38 suffered minor injuries. Elsewhere, another rocket hit Ilford, London, killing 8, seriously injuring 15, and lightly injuring 20. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
  • Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, passed away at Westgate-on-Sea, Kent, England, United Kingdom. He was the last Archbishop of Canterbury to die in office and had only recently returned from visiting the Normandy battlefield - the first Archbishop of Canterbury to go into battle since medieval times. ww2dbase [Westgate-on-Sea, England | AC]
  • On attachment to 68 Squadron RAF for night fighter training, First Lieutenant Sam Peebles USN and his navigator Ensign Dock Grinndal USN chased three V-1 flying bombs that went into thick cloud but, sighting a fourth, they dived to follow and got to 200 yards range at only 400 feet above the sea. "We had reached 350 mph and gave it a short burst, the engine stopped, and it exploded and shook the Mosquito a little", he put in his report. A V-1 flying bomb that had evaded the defences came down on the railway line at Palmer's Green Station in Enfield in London, England, United Kingdom, causing the line to be closed for a day and slightly injuring some railway workers. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
28 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • Deptford, one of the most heavily hit London boroughs by V-1 flying bombs was hit again; the bomb crashed into Milton Court Road, killing one and injuring others. Flight Lieutenant Ernie Williams flying a Tempest V fighter (EJ590/SD-L) shot down his tenth and final V-1 flying bomb. ww2dbase [London, England | HM]
  • Roddie Edmonds and the 422nd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division arrived from the United States at Cotswolds in the English Midlands, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Roddie Edmonds | Witney, England | DS]
29 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
30 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
31 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Swedish Yard of Surrey Commercial Docks in Bermondsey, London at 0256 hours, damaging several wheat containers. Another rocket hit the Royal Victoria Dock at Earlham Grove, West Ham in the afternoon. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
  • Allied convoy JW-61A departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Liverpool, England | CPC]
  • V-1 flying bombs struck Britain. Fifteen people were killed in the south eastern counties and a further three were killed in West Ham, London. At 0650 hours a V-1 flying bomb struck the Marie Hotel at Coulsdon, London; the hotel was used as an old people's private hotel; seventeen of the residents were killed and ten more seriously injured. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
1 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Eglington Road in Woolwich, London, England, United Kingdom at 0210 hours, killing 7 people. At 0510 hours, another rocket hit Friern Road in Camberwell, London, killing 24 and injuring 17. A third rocket hit Shardeloes Road in Deptford, London at 1830 hours, killing 31, seriously injuring 62, and lightly injuring 90. Two other rockets hit London that day, though causing little damage. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
2 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • Four German V-2 rockets hit London, England, United Kingdom on this date. One of them hit outside of a mental hospital at Banstead, killing 3 and seriously injuring 11. Another hit Deptford, killing 31. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
4 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit the golf course at Ilford, London, England, United Kingdom without causing any injuries. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
  • Another mini-blitz of V-1 flying bombs started in the evening after some quiet days. 17 Heinkel bombers of III/KG3 started the assault; during the next seven nights, 12 of the Heinkels failed to return, half falling to the night fighters. A Beaufighter aircraft of the Fighter Interception Development Squadron (FIDS) from RAF Coltishall, flown by Squadron Leader P. J. Howard-Williams brought down one and as he was heading for home picked up another on his radar and shot it down. The evening proved disastrous for the crews of II/KG53, of the 14 aircraft that left Varrelbusch, 5 failed to return and another crashed upon landing. Six aircraft totally lost along with 23 aircrew. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
5 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Collier Row in Essex County near London (now a part of London), England, United Kingdom at 0035 hours. Another rocket hit Penhurst, Kent, southern England at 0130 hours. At 0745, a third rocket hit Tooting Bec Common in southwest London. A fourth rocket hit an iron bridge in Southwark Park Road, Bermundsey, London at 1045 hours, damaging 250 feet of railway. At 1713 hours, yet another rocket hit Grovedale Road, Islington, London, killing 31 and seriously injuring 84. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | England | CPC]
  • Another disastrous night for the Luftwaffe with a further 5 Heinkel bombers launching V-1 flying bombs lost. Two were victims of 68 squadron's Mosquito aircraft and another being brought down by Squadron Leader Bill Maguire DFC (with Flight Officer W. D. Jones DFC) in their Beaufighter aircraft. 17 crews from German Luftwaffe 11/KG53 airborne that night was instructed to carry out attacks on Portsmouth in southern Britain; none of the bombs hit the town. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
6 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket fired from the Hague, the Netherlands intended for London, England, United Kingdom went astray, hitting Biscot Road, Luton 32 miles north of London instead. It killed 19 people and injured 196, while destroying 17 houses and damaging 1,500 others. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | Luton, England | CPC]
8 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • The second largest cinema in England, the Gaumont State Theatre in Holloway, north London, England, United Kingdom, was hit by a V-1 flying bomb. The cinema's frontage and restaurant were blown out, only the main walls and part of the foyer were left undamaged. However, the most serious incident of the day was at Rochester, North Kent, in which a V-1 flying bomb impacted at at 2045 hours on the junction of Grafton Avenue and Gerrard's Avenue, killing 8 and seriously wounding 17. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
9 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • 25 Squadron RAF had success during the night over the North Sea. Mosquito aircraft MV521 crewed by Flight Lieutenants Jim Lomas and Norman Fleet shot down a Heinkel bomber off the coast near Clacton, Essex, England, United Kingdom. A V-1, damaged by a fighter, crashed at Brentwood in Essex, killing 3 and injuring 10 in Mount Crescent. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Brentwood, England | HM]
10 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • British government lifted the ban on reporting rocket attacks on Britain after Prime Minister Churchill announced to the Parliament that British cities had been under rocket attack "for the last few weeks"; German V-2 rocket attacks had in fact started on 8 Sep 1944, or more than two months prior to Churchill's announcement. On the same day, a V-2 rocket hit Goulson Street in Stepney, London, England United Kingdom, killing 19, seriously injuring 97, and lightly injuring 323. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
11 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
12 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
13 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • Civil air service was restored to London, England, United Kingdom for the first time since Sep 1939 when Railway Air Services began flight operations on a Croydon-Liverpool-Belfast route. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 13 Nov 1944
Wing Commander J. B. Tait (5th from left) with his crew in front of their Lancaster B Mk I (Special) bomber, RAF Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, 13 Nov 1944
14 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • Mosquito aircraft HK289/WM-K of 68 Squadron took off from RAF Coltishall in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom at 1805 hours flown by one of the unit's American crews, Lieutenants Joe Black from Virginia and Tom Aiken from Pennsylvania both USN Reserve officers. The crew advised that they had a contact on their radar and were in pursuit. At 1909 hours, a V-1 flying bomb passed over the batteries at the village of Hopton, behind it was Black's Mosquito aircraft. The briefing to pilots in such situation was to lose speed and height and to circle at asset distance from the coast with navigation lights on. It was supposed that Black was so focused on the pursuit that they failed to notice they were in the batteries' area. Proximity shells burst all around the aircraft which crashed on Decoy Farm, Blundeston, Suffolk killing the Americans. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | Blundeston, England | HM]
16 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
19 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit a car park at Southborough Lane, Bromley in southeast London, England, United Kingdom, across from a crowded pub, at 2115 hours. 23 were killed and 63 were injured. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
22 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
23 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, the Suffolk and Essex coastal batteries, who were now in place and fully operational, brought down a total of 25 V-1 flying bombs between the previous night and this night. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
24 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit McCullum Road, Poplar in East End of London, England, United Kingdom at 2030 hours. 18 were killed and 53 were injured. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
  • In Britain, the batteries in Suffolk and Essex coastal areas brought down 11 V-1 flying bombs during the evening and another German He 111 aircraft was brought down by a Mosquito night fighter of 456 Squadron flown by Flight Officer Fred Stevens RAAF and Flight Officer Andy Kellett RAAF who had chased the German aircraft for 20 minutes. The Heinkel aircraft of 1/KG53, with its V-1 flying bomb still attached, fell into the sea ten miles off Egmond Aan Zee, the Netherlands. However, the Mosquito aircraft from the same Unit was posted missing, the reasons for the loss have never been found, it was thought at the time that it was lost due to damage sustained in its target's explosion. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | HM]
25 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit near the intersection of High Holborn and Chancery Lane, Holborn, London, England, United Kingdom at 1115 hours, killing 6 and injuring 292. At 1225 hours, another V-2 rocket hit across the street from the Woolworths store in Deptford, London, destroying the store and many nearby building, killing 160 and injuring 199 (77 seriously). ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 25 Nov 1944
William Humble test flying a Tempest V Series II fighter near the Hawker factory Langley, near Slough, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, 25 Nov 1944
26 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
30 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
7 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
12 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
  • Dwight Eisenhower arrived in London, England, United Kingdom and secured Winston Churchill's agreement on Eisenhower's strategy for the war in Europe for the foreseeable future. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | London, England | CPC]
  • B-17 bomber 'Devil's Own', piloted by Lieutenant John E. DeWitt, landed at RAF Debach in eastern England, United Kingdom with a burning engine. Moments after he and his crew safely evacuated the aircraft, the fire detonated its bomb load, destroying the aircraft and damaging nearby facilities. ww2dbase [Debach Airfield | Woodbridge, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 12 Dec 1944
Wreckage of B-17 bomber
18 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
  • Two aircraft from the US 9th Air Force based at RAF Barkston Heath in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom were involved in a mid-air collision. The crash involved a new C-109 flown by Lieutenant Dan Wolf and an elderly B-24 Liberator, known as Lazy Lou, which had already survived two combat tours and was now being used to train C-109 crews. The C-109 was a B-24 Liberator converted into a fuel tanker aircraft with additional internal fuel tanks to carry aviation fuel to Allied airfields in liberated Europe. The C-109 plummeted into the ground killing the entire crew. Lazy Lou lost two engines and her commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Frederick, struggled desperately with the controls in an attempt to land at RAF Cranwell but crashed short of the runway killing Colonel Frederick and Flight Engineer Paul Sattler, while "Major Jerry" was severely injured. Major Jerry was, in fact, the pet dog of Lewis Frederick who not only had his own rank but also his own log book and parachute. American personnel paid for Jerry's vet bills to ensure he received the best care in the supply section armament tent, but sadly the animal died on Boxing Day (December 26) greatly mourned by the personnel of Barkston Heath. ww2dbase [Grantham, England | AC]
24 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
  • Fifty German Heinkel bombers air-launched V1 flying bombs from off the eastern coast of Britain targeting the Manchester area. Most fell harmlessly all over the north of England but a handful came down in the Oldham area, killing 42 and injuring more than 100. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | AC]
26 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Islington, London, England, United Kingdom at 2126 hours, killing 68 and seriously injuring 99. The rocket left two craters, one 40 feet wide and 12 feet deep, the other 10 feet wide and 4 feet deep. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
29 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
30 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
31 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit near the intersection of Stroud Green Road and Stapledon Hall Road in Crouch Hill, London, England, United Kingdom at 2340 hours, killing 15 and seriously injuring 34. 15 homes were destroyed by this attack. This rocket was the 382nd, and the last, rocket to hit England in 1944. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
3 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
4 Jan 1945

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 4 Jan 1945
Melvin Hoffman of the 82nd Fighter Squadron made the best landing he could under the circumstances in his P-51D Mustang at RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England, UK; Jan 4 1945. Note oil covering the windscreen and engine cowling.
5 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
8 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit the junction of LMS and Met. railway lines behind 114 Iverson Road between West End Lane and Kilburn High Road in Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom at 1630 hours. 2 were killed, 64 seriously injured, and 57 lightly injured. The rocket destroyed 14 houses, badly damaged 152 houses, and lightly damaged 1,600 houses. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
10 Jan 1945

Photo(s) dated 10 Jan 1945
B-17G Fortress with the 327th Bomb Squadron taxis for take-off at snow covered RAF Podington, Bedfordshire, England, UK for a morning mission to Gymnich Airfield; Jan 10 1945
12 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
13 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
15 Jan 1945

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 15 Jan 1945
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery standing in a Jeep while addressing American troops in Devon, England, United Kingdom, 15 Jan 1945. The bare-headed soldiers suggest this was a worship or memorial service.
18 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in a speech before the House of Commons, announced that "US troops have done almost all the fighting (in the Ardennes) suffering losses equal to those of both sides at the Battler of Gettysburg". This was interpreted by many as a direct and insulting attack on the abilities of Bernard Montgomery and the British fighting forces in Europe. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
19 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
20 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • Three German V-2 rocket hit London, England, United Kingdom. The first hit Potters Bar at 1100 hours, killing 21. The second hit Calton Road in East Barnet at 1315 hours, killing 12. The third hit Tottenham at 2000 hours, killing 23. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
24 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • Frigate HMS Tyler disembarked Harald Hvidtsten, the sole survivor of Norwegian merchant freighter Galatea which was sunk by German submarine U-1051 three days prior, at Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Liverpool, England | HM]
26 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • An air burst from a German V-2 rocket over Cotswold Gardens, London, England, United Kingdom caused widespread damage. Another rocket hit Clapham, London at 1045 hours, seriously injuring 25 and lightly injuring 42. Another rocket hit Croydon, London in an open space without causing any injuries. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
27 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
28 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • USAAF pilot Major Fredrick Austin Borsodi was killed when the tail of his YP-80A jet fighter disintegrated, causing the aircraft to crash at RAF Burtonwood near Warrington, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom. It was due to the failure of exhaust pipes in the tail section of the aircraft. ww2dbase [P-80 Shooting Star | Warrington, England | CPC]
2 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
7 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
8 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit the Super Cinema in Ilford, London, England, United Kingdom at 1245 hours; 13 were killed and 64 were seriously injured, and 86 were lightly injured. Another rocket hit Tavistock Place in St Pancras, London at 1608 hours; 31 were killed and 54 were seriously injured; the Central London Opthalmic Hospital and the Medical School of the Royal Free Hospital were damaged. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
10 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Silvertown in North Woolwich, London, England, United Kingdom just across the River Thames from the Harland and Wolff shipyard offices; many workers at Harland and Wolff were injured. Another rocket scored a direct hit on the Bascule Bridge in Woolwich at 1115 hours. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
11 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
14 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
15 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
  • The 2,628-ton Dutch tanker Liseta (Captain P. Buisman) was lost while searching for an anchoring place at Margate on the coast of Kent, England, United Kingdom. Most of the crew were saved by the destroyer HMS Holderness (L 48), but 16 were killed in the engine room where the torpedo struck. Later, part of the wreck was blown off during salvage in order to lift her. When the Liseta was lifted, she was repaired and put back into service. She was sold for scrap in Hong Kong in 1957. The tanker was reported as sunk by the German Seehund-type midget submarine U-5332, but the submarine did not report any attacks on this date. ww2dbase [Type XXVII | England | HM, CPC]
16 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
19 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Bawn's factory at Blackhorse Lane in Walthamstow, London, England, United Kingdom at 1420 hours. It wrecked 12 houses, damaged 500 houses, killed 18, seriously injured 53, and lightly injured 150. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
20 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
22 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
24 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
  • Major Geoffrey Hutchinson, Member of Parliament representing Ilford in London, England, United Kingdom, wrote to the Secretary for Air for assistance with recent German rocket attacks on Ilford. This letter yielded no significant results. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
25 Feb 1945

Photo(s) dated 25 Feb 1945
Medical officer of the 535th Bomb Squadron, Capt Graham, congratulating pilot Lt Biene of B-17G Fortress ‘Stage Door Canteen,’ on the bomber’s 100th mission, 25 Feb 1945 at Ridgewell, Essex, England, United Kingdom.
26 Feb 1945

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 26 Feb 1945
The 401st Bomb Group’s control tower at RAF Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, England, UK, Feb 26 1945. Note a US Navy Captain among the group of observers.
27 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
1 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • Escort carrier USS Card, still in port at Liverpool due to high winds, was struck by the converted liner RMS Empress of Scotland as the troopship was changing berths. Card’s LSO platform and net were damaged. ww2dbase [Card | Liverpool, England | DS]
2 Mar 1945

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 2 Mar 1945
B-24J Liberator with the 458th Bomb Group with a collapsed front wheel due to a landing accident at Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, England, 2 Mar 1945.
4 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • The last Luftwaffe aircraft to crash on British soil was a Ju 88G-6 of 12/Nachtjagdgesswader 3 flown by Hauptmann Johann Dreher, an experienced former bomber pilot who had already been awarded the Knight's Cross medal. Having attacked a Halifax aircraft trying to land at Elvington near York, Dreher spotted a car on a road alongside the airfield. As he came in low, his aircraft clipped a tree and cart-wheeled into Dunnington Lodge at 0145 hours, badly injuring Ellen Moll (aged 61) and her daughter-in-law Violet (28) both of who died later that day in York County Hospital. All four members of the German aircraft were killed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Elvington, England | AC]
6 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
7 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Trundleys Road at Folkestone Gardens, London, England, United Kingdom at 0300 hours, killing 52 and seriously injuring 32. Two blocks of homes were destroyed. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
8 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • Private Karl Hulten, who had deserted from the US 501st Airborne Regiment and subsequently committed a series of crimes in Britain, was hanged at Pentonville Prison. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
9 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched 36 aircraft on a non-operational gunnery training flight off the east coast of England. B-17G "Hellcat Hattie" had an engine explode and the airplane crashed into the sea. Two were rescued and eight were killed. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Norfolk, England | DS]
11 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • The first unexploded V-2 rocket landed in England, United Kingdom, but it was not retrieved and studied until 7 Apr, by that time other unexploded rockets had been found and many secrets of the rocket had already been uncovered. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | England | CPC]
13 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • In a statement to Parliament, Sir James Grigg, the British Secretary of State for War, praised the achievements of the British Army over the previous months but announced that it will be necessary for another call up, for military service, men from civilian life (including from those previously in reserved occupations) in order to continue the war against Japan once Germany has been defeated. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • The 2,878-ton Canadian steamship Taber Park, on a voyage from the Tyne to London in England, United Kingdom with convoy FS-1753 with coal, was sunk by mine or by a German Seehund midget submarine, off Aldeburgh, Suffolk coast. Twenty-four of her crew and four gunners were lost; the captain and three others were saved. ww2dbase [Conclusion of the Battle of the Atlantic | Type XXVII | Aldeburgh, England | HM]
15 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
16 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit at Albert Road in Leyton, London, England, United Kingdom at 0638 hours, killing 23 and seriously injuring 18. Another rocket hit Willesden near Hampstead, London at 0230 hours, damaging 200 houses. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
17 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit 212 Finchley Road near Borough Central Library in Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom. Aside from the library, 1,000 homes, the telephone exchange, the lighting station, Council's Work Depot, Warden's Post No. 16, and Women's Voluntary Service offices were damaged. Another rocket hit the Rippleway sidings in Barking, London at 2230 hours. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
18 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
21 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit the Packard factory in London, England, United Kingdom at 0939 hours, destroying it and damaging 13 factories and 662 houses; it killed 32, seriously injured 100, and lightly injured 460. Another rocket hit Primrose Hill in St Pancras (though officially listed as in Hampstead), London, damaging the reservoir and injuring 14 people. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
25 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Whitfield Street in St Pancras, London, England, United Kingdom in the late afternoon, killing 9 and seriously injuring 46. The Whitfield Memorial Chapel at Tottenham Court Road was badly damaged. In the evening, at 2300 hours, another rocket hit Broadfield Square in Enfield, London, killing 7 and seriously injuring 100. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
26 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • Two German V-2 rockets hit Romford, Essex, England, United Kingdom. The first struck Forest Road, destroying 16 buildings and killing 2. The second rocket destroyed one building named "Victory Hut" at Nook Hill. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | Romford, England | CPC]
  • The 362-ton Dutch motor merchant Pacific was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-399 four miles south west of the Lizard peninsula, Cornwall, south west England, United Kingdom while on route to Penryn, Wales, United Kingdom from Maryport, England. She was carrying 350 tons of coal. Five of the ten crewmen on board were killed. ww2dbase [Conclusion of the Battle of the Atlantic | Helston, England | HM]
27 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Ilford, London, England, United Kingdom. It was to be the last rocket to strike this suburban district of London. To date, 117 Ilford residents were killed by rockets, while 349 were seriously injured. A second V-2 rocket hit Hughes Mansions, Stepney, London, killing 134 and injuring 49. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
29 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • The 1,370-ton Canadian River-class frigate HMCS Teme (K 458) was torpedoed and fatally damaged by German submarine U-315 just off Land's End, England, United Kingdom. The frigate lost 60 feet of her stern and was towed to Falmouth, Cornwall, England and was declared a total loss. ww2dbase [Conclusion of the Battle of the Atlantic | England | HM]
30 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • At 1243 hours, British Royal Marine anti-aircraft gunners on the gun platform 12 miles off Felixstowe (Churchill Fort) shot down the last V-1 flying bomb to be fired toward Britain. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | England | CPC, HM]
31 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
4 Apr 1945

Photo(s) dated 4 Apr 1945
Gen Jimmy Doolittle, the Duchess of Kent, Lady Herbert, and Col Henry G
9 Apr 1945

United Kingdom
  • Charles Burnett passed away from a coronary thrombosis at the Princess Mary Hospital at RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Charles Burnett | Halton, England | CPC]
10 Apr 1945

Photo(s) dated 10 Apr 1945
War Weary P-51B Mustang of the 84th Fighter Squadron after a landing accident at Duxford, England, United Kingdom, Apr 10, 1045
12 Apr 1945

United Kingdom
17 Apr 1945

United Kingdom
  • In an address to the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill paid tribute to the late US President Franklin Roosevelt concluding with "in Franklin Roosevelt there died the greatest American friend we have ever known, and the greatest champion of freedom who has ever brought help and comfort from the new world to the old." ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
22 Apr 1945

United Kingdom
  • While performing a low level "beat-up" of the airfield at RAF Fulbeck in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom, a Lancaster bomber, serial PB463, struck a building and crashed, killing all seven crewmen and eight spectators on the ground. Another twenty personnel suffered injuries, of whom four later died in hospital. ww2dbase [Lancaster | Fulbeck, England | AC]
29 Apr 1945

United Kingdom
30 Apr 1945

United Kingdom
2 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • British government announced that London, England, United Kingdom was now a "Go Home" area, ending the nearly six-year evacuation. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • In a report to the House of Commons the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the unconditional surrender of the German land, sea and air forces, commanded by Colonel-General Heinrich von Wietinghof-Scheel, Commander-in Chief South-West Command and Commander-in Chief of Army Group C. The instrument of surrender signed at the Allied Forces Headquarters at Caserta on Sunday afternoon, 29 Apr 1945, by two German plenipotentiaries and Lieutenant-General W. D. Morgan, Chief of Staff at Allied Forces Headquarters would see the surrender of all German forces in Northern Italy to the Isonzo River, in the North-East, and the Austrian provinces of Salzburg, Vorarlberg, anf the Tyrol plus portions of Carinthia and Styria, Hostilities would end at 12 o'clock GMT on Wednesday, 2 May 1945. ww2dbase [Germany's Surrender | Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a leaflet dropping mission (nickels) to 19 cities in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Bombing of Cities in France and Low Countries | RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
3 May 1945

United Kingdom
5 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • Canadian frigate HMCS Teme (K 458), torpedoed by German submarine U-315 on 29 Mar 1945 and already declared a constructive total loss, was returned to the British Royal Navy. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
6 May 1945

United Kingdom
7 May 1945

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 7 May 1945
Winston Churchill with his Chiefs of Staff at a luncheon at 10 Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom, 7 May 1945, photo 1 of 2Chinese Army junior officer celebrating with British soldiers, London, England, United Kingdom, 7 May 1945Winston Churchill with his Chiefs of Staff at a luncheon at 10 Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom, 7 May 1945, photo 2 of 2
8 May 1945

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 8 May 1945
The British Royal family and Prime Minister Winston Churchill responding to the cheering crowds on the surrender of Germany, Buckingham Palace balcony, London, England, United Kingdom, May 8, 1945.
9 May 1945

United Kingdom
10 May 1945

United Kingdom
11 May 1945

United Kingdom
12 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh sent 25 aircraft on observation flights to Western Germany. These tours were organized in order to show ground personnel throughout the United Kingdom some of the bomb damage done to the Reich. All flights were completed without incident. ww2dbase [RAF Thurleigh | Thurleigh, England | DS]
13 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • The British Royal Family and Allied military leaders attended a thanks-giving service at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
23 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • In Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Churchill resigned and formed a caretaker administration in which the Labour Party refused to serve. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
28 Jun 1945

United Kingdom
26 Jul 1945

United Kingdom
  • The results of the 5 Jul 1945 election in the United Kingdom was revealed, yielding a Labour Party victory over Winston Churchill's Conservative Party, 394 seats to 188 seats. As Churchill prepared to be replaced by Clement Attlee, many of his war time ministers had also lost their seats, including Air Minister (and later Prime Minister) Harold Macmillan. Throughout the world, there was much sympathy for the great wartime leader. The New York Daily News called him "The greatest Englishman of his time and one of the greatest of all time". ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 26 Jul 1945
British Prime Minister Clement Attlee and King George VI of the United Kingdom, Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom, 26 Jul 1945
31 Jul 1945

United Kingdom
  • British King George VI approved the appointment of Field-Marshal Sir Harold Alexander as Governor-General of Canada. He will succeed the Earl of Athlone who has held the office since 1940. ww2dbase [Harold Alexander | London, England | AC]
2 Aug 1945

United Kingdom
  • King George VI met with President Harry Truman on board HMS Renown in Plymouth Sound. The US President had flown from Germany to an airport in Devon, England, United Kingdom, and had toured the city of Plymouth. ww2dbase [Renown | Plymouth, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 2 Aug 1945
USS Augusta flying the British King George VI returning the salute of American servicemen aboard USS Augusta, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, 2 Aug 1945; the monarch was visiting President Harry Truman aboard this shipKing George VI inspecting the crew of USS Augusta, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, 2 Aug 1945US President Harry Truman and King George VI of the United Kingdom aboard USS Augusta, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom, 2 Aug 1945, photo 1 of 2
See all photos dated 2 Aug 1945
8 Aug 1945

United Kingdom
10 Aug 1945

Photo(s) dated 10 Aug 1945
USAAF aerial photograph of RAF Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom, 10 Aug 1945.
20 Aug 1945

United Kingdom
  • British Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin announced to the Parliament that the treatment of Thailand would depend on Thailand's willingness to cooperate with Allied authorities and its willingness to rebuild the entire region's economy. ww2dbase [Ernest Bevin | London, England | CPC]
29 Aug 1945

United Kingdom
5 Sep 1945

United Kingdom
  • The London-based newspaper Daily Express published Wilfred Burchett's account of post-atomic-bombing Hiroshima, Japan under the title "The Atomic Plague". ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
6 Sep 1945

United Kingdom
7 Sep 1945

United Kingdom
  • A Monetary Agreement was signed by the governments of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
14 Sep 1945

Photo(s) dated 14 Sep 1945
German He-162 Volksjäger on public display after the war in Hyde Park, London, England, United Kingdom, 14 Sep 1945
19 Sep 1945

United Kingdom
  • Lord Haw-Haw, William Joyce, was sentenced to death in Britain for treason. ww2dbase [William Joyce | England | TH]
10 Oct 1945

United Kingdom
  • The British Colonial Secretary in Malaya provided the British House of Commons in London detailed plans for the Malayan Union. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
1 Nov 1945

United Kingdom
8 Dec 1945

United Kingdom
  • The former Canadian frigate HMCS Teme (K 458), torpedoed by German submarine U-315 on 29 Mar 1945 and already declared a constructive total loss, was sold for scrap. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
13 Dec 1945

United Kingdom
  • William Joyce's treason conviction was upheld by Lords William Jowitt, Hugh Macmillan, Robert Wright, Gavin Simonds, and Samuel Porter of the British House of Lords, with Porter dissenting. ww2dbase [William Joyce | London, England | CPC]
19 Dec 1945

United Kingdom
  • The traitor Jon Amery, founder of Heinrich Himmler's British Free Corps, convicted of High Treason, was executed at Wandsworth Prison, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
26 Dec 1945

United Kingdom
  • British Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes, who had been the first Chief of Combined Operation between 1940 and 1941, died at his home in Tingewick, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Tingewick, England | AC]
3 Jan 1946

United Kingdom
  • William Joyce was executed by hanging at the Wandsworth Prison in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [William Joyce | London, England | CPC]
26 Jan 1946

United Kingdom
  • HMS P556 was transferred to the US Navy, and the submarine was struck from the US Naval Register. She would remain in Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [S-29/P556 | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
30 Mar 1946

Photo(s) dated 30 Mar 1946
Aerial view of RAF Old Buckenham, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom, 30 Mar 1946
15 Apr 1946

Photo(s) dated 15 Apr 1946
RAF Debach, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, 15 Apr 1946
27 Apr 1946

United Kingdom
8 Sep 1946

United Kingdom
  • About a thousand people converged on Kensington High Street in London, England, United Kingdom intent on taking over empty properties for desperately needed accommodation. In a typically British response the Women's Voluntary Service provided hot drinks to the demonstrators while even the police supplied tea and coffee from Kensington Barracks. The Press were sympathetic too as were much of the public, some of whom actively assisted the squatters by passing food and drink through windows. The police picked up and distributed food parcels and blankets, money, food, chocolate and cigarettes were collected for the families. Student from London University marched throughout the streets in support. After Prime Minister Clement Attlee refused to meet with a delegation a frightened government threaten to employ force to evict the squatters, but the protest eventually ended when it was announced that squatters could lose their rights to a place on the Council Housing queue if they persisted in occupation. ww2dbase [Clement Attlee | London, England | AC]
27 Sep 1946

United Kingdom
  • The first of the two-seat Hurricane trainer aircraft to be transferred from Britain to Iran departed Langley Airfield in Berkshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hurricane | Langley, England | CPC]
17 Dec 1946

United Kingdom
24 Jan 1947

United Kingdom
  • S-29 was sold to the firm H. G. Pound of Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom for scrapping. ww2dbase [S-29/P556 | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
8 May 1947

United Kingdom
  • Harry Gordon Selfridge died at the age of 83 from bronchial pneumonia in the district of Putney in London, England, United Kingdom. The American founder of the London luxury department store was pennyless, but he created an idea that revolutionised shopping forever. Selfridge believed the customer was always right and provided restaurants and attentive salespeople to keep customers in his shop for longer. But the Depression and his lavish spending and gambling habits meant he owed a quarter of a million pounds by 1940. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
7 Jun 1947

United Kingdom
  • RAF Sergeant John Hannah, who as an 18-year-old had won the Victoria Cross during a raid on Antwerp in Belgium (having never fully recovered from burns and smoke inhalation), died of tuberculosis in Markfield, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Markfield, England | AC]
19 Mar 1948

United Kingdom
  • HMS Valiant was sold for scrap while at Devonport, Devon, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Valiant | Devonport, England | CPC]
29 Apr 1948

United Kingdom
  • Production of Avro York aircraft ceased. ww2dbase [York | England | AC]
11 Aug 1948

United Kingdom
  • HMS Valiant departed Devonport, England, United Kingdom for the Arnott Young ship breakers at Cairnryan, Scotland, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Valiant | Devonport, England | CPC]
14 Nov 1948

United Kingdom
  • Prince Charles (later Prince of Wales) was born at Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
6 Sep 1949

Photo(s) dated 6 Sep 1949
HMS London de-ammunitioning and de-fuelling at Sheerness, Kent, England, United Kingdom, 6 Sep 1949
18 Nov 1949

United Kingdom
  • A Douglas C-74 Globemaster I aircraft of the USAF's MATS landed at RAF Marham, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom after a non-stop flight from the US. It carried a total of 103 passengers and crew, then the largest number of people carried across the North Atlantic in a single flight. ww2dbase [Marham, England | AC]
24 Jun 1950

Photo(s) dated 24 Jun 1950
M.14A aircraft G-AHNV at No. 25 Reserve Flying School, Wolverhampton (Pendeford) Airfield, Wolverhampton, England, United Kingdom, 24 Jun 1950
3 May 1951

United Kingdom
  • The Festival of Britain opened in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
24 Jul 1951

Photo(s) dated 24 Jul 1951
Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding laying the foundation stone at the Battle of Britain Memorial Chapel at RAF Biggin Hill, London, England, United Kingdom, 24 Jul 1951
1 Sep 1951

United Kingdom
  • William Dimoline stepped down as the commanding officer of the Aldershot District in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [William Dimoline | Aldershot, England | CPC]
25 Sep 1951

United Kingdom
19 Dec 1951

United Kingdom
15 Jun 1952

United Kingdom
1 Mar 1953

Photo(s) dated 1 Mar 1953
Josip Tito, Winston Churchill, and Anthony Eden in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Mar 1953
26 May 1953

United Kingdom
  • Edmund Herring personally led Australian troops in guarding Queen Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace in London, England, United Kingdom during the queen's coronation ceremonies. ww2dbase [Edmund Herring | London, England | CPC]
2 Jun 1953

Photo(s) dated 2 Jun 1953
Portrait of Winston Churchill, his son Randolph, and his grandson Winston, 2 Jun 1953; they were dressed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
6 Jun 1953

Photo(s) dated 6 Jun 1953
DH.95 Flamingo G-AFYH of British Air Transport at Redhill Aerodrome, Nutfield, Surrey, England, United Kingdom, 6 Jun 1953
23 Jun 1953

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill suffered a stroke in the evening at 10 Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
10 Jul 1953

United Kingdom
  • Edmund Herring was made a Knight of the Order of Saint John at Buckingham Palace in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Edmund Herring | London, England | CPC]
7 Jun 1954

United Kingdom
  • Alan Turing passed away in his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom. The cause of death was cyanide poisoning; it was generally accepted to be a suicide, but his mother suspected it to be poor chemical storage procedures at his lab. ww2dbase [Alan Turing | Wilmslow, England | CPC]
29 Sep 1954

United Kingdom
14 Oct 1954

United Kingdom
1 Mar 1955

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill made "The Deterrent - Nuclear Warfare" speech before the House of Commons of the British Parliament. It was to be his last major speech at the House of Commons. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
4 Apr 1955

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill held what was to become his last formal dinner at 10 Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom. His guests included Queen Elizabeth II, her consort Prince Philip, and many high government officials. ww2dbase [10 Downing Street | Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
10 Nov 1958

United Kingdom
23 Dec 1959

United Kingdom
  • Edward Wood passed away at Garrowby Hall, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Halifax | Garrowby, England | CPC]
20 Jun 1960

United Kingdom
1 Mar 1962

United Kingdom
17 Apr 1962

United Kingdom
  • Captain W. F. Brewer of USS Wasp presented Lord Mayor Alderman A. Goldberg of Plymouth, England, United Kingdom a large picture of Mayflower II from the people of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. ww2dbase [Wasp (Essex-class) | Plymouth, England | CPC]
27 Jul 1964

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill visited the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the last time. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
17 Nov 1964

United Kingdom
15 Jan 1965

United Kingdom
24 Jan 1965

United Kingdom
30 Jan 1965

United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 30 Jan 1965
Winston Churchill
9 Feb 1965

United Kingdom
13 Feb 1969

United Kingdom
17 Feb 1969

United Kingdom
  • Sidney Cotton's remains were cremated following a service at Dormansland Parish Church in Lingfield, Surrey, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Sidney Cotton | Lingfield, England | CPC]
15 May 1969

United Kingdom
  • USS Wasp arrived at Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom and participated in a NATO naval review presided by Queen Elizabeth and her consort Prince Philip. ww2dbase [Wasp (Essex-class) | Portsmouth, England | CPC]
27 Aug 1969

United Kingdom
  • While in exile in London, England, United Kingdom, U Nu declared that he was legally the Prime Minister of Burma, challenging General Ne Win in Yangon, Burma who held the title with backing of the military. ww2dbase [U Nu | London, England | CPC]
29 Oct 1969

United Kingdom
28 Aug 1970

United Kingdom
30 Aug 1970

United Kingdom
7 Sep 1970

United Kingdom
14 Dec 1970

United Kingdom
15 Dec 1971

United Kingdom
20 Apr 1975

United Kingdom
24 Mar 1976

United Kingdom
30 Oct 1979

United Kingdom
12 Feb 1981

United Kingdom
17 Jun 1981

United Kingdom
22 Feb 1984

United Kingdom
15 Dec 1988

United Kingdom
30 May 1989

United Kingdom
13 Dec 1993

United Kingdom
24 Jun 2000

United Kingdom
5 Aug 2000

United Kingdom
30 Jan 2001

United Kingdom
  • James Johnson passed away from cancer in Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [James Johnson | England | CPC]
22 Aug 2004

Photo(s) dated 22 Aug 2004
Bernard Montgomery
3 Feb 2005

United Kingdom
  • Andrée Peel received a birthday greeting from Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Andrée Virot | England | CPC]
8 Jul 2007

Photo(s) dated 8 Jul 2007
Lancaster bomber in flight during an air show at Duxford, England, United Kingdom, 8 Jul 2007
5 Mar 2010

United Kingdom
31 May 2011

United Kingdom
8 Nov 2012

United Kingdom
  • The Princess Royal of Britain unveiled a bronze bust of Noor Inayat Khan at Gordon Square Gardens, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Noor Inayat Khan | London, England | CPC]
24 Dec 2013

United Kingdom
  • Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an unprecedented Royal Pardon expunging Alan Turing's 1952 indecency conviction. ww2dbase [Alan Turing | London, England | DS]
1 Jul 2015

United Kingdom
  • Nicholas Winton passed away in his sleep at the Wexham Hospital in Slough, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom on 1 Jul 2015. ww2dbase [Nicholas Winton | Slough, England | CPC]
15 Jul 2019

United Kingdom
  • The Bank of England announced that Alan Turing will be on the United Kingdom's new £50 note. ww2dbase [Alan Turing | London, England | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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Vertical aerial photograph of Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, 10 Nov 1941; note Battleship Row on top, USS Lexington at bottom, and PBY aircraft at upper right

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