24th September 1940 We Remember

TUESDAY 24th SEPTEMBER 1940 THE CASUALTIES.

0900hrs:Nth Epping Forest. Spitfire X4037. 92 squadron Biggin Hill
P/O J.S.Bryson Killed. Shot down by Bf109s over Essex and crashed in flames near North Weald

1630hrs:Over Channel. Hurricane P3832 605 Squadron Croydon
P/O W.J.Glowacki Killed. In combat with Bf109 over French coast and shot down.

Six Hurricanes and Spitfires were destroyed, three pilots baled out, four damaged aircraft crashed on landing while eight other aircraft were ‘damaged but repairable’.

For more information on the actions of the day click the link below

http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/september24.html

The Battle of Britain was not the battle that won WW2 but it was the battle that prevented the war being lost.

By the end of September The Luftwaffe had failed to destroy RAF Fighter Command in the air or on the ground and therefore the air superiority so vital to any foray across the Channel had not been gained. All the intelligence gathering sources showed that Hitler had postponed his plans. The invasion barges gathered in the French ports began to disperse and army units started to move back from the coast and away to other fronts.

From a tactical point of view the battle was virtually won, but it was far from completely over and to qualify for the award of the Battle of Britain clasp Fighter Command aircrew had to have flown operational sorties ‘In defence of the Realm’ between the dates of July 10th and October 31st 1940.

The attention shifted from knocking out the RAF to destroying the major centres of population and manufacturing, THE BLITZ had begun in earnest.
Massed daylight raids continued for a while but by now Fighter Command had really got it’s act together and the attrition rate could not be sustained by the Luftwaffe who quickly changed to operating mainly at night.

And here dear friends is where I bow out for a while as my records are not fully available at present however von Perthes has graciously agreed to continue the thread from tomorrow in order that it may run until the end of October.

Over to you Geoff.