A Brief History
On August 18, 1940, an air battle was fought between the British RAF and the German Luftwaffe, the largest air battle in history to that point as part of the Battle of Britain, July 10 through October 31, 1940.
Digging Deeper
German planners knew they had to defeat British air defenses in order to defeat Britain, and the best way to make that happen was to destroy the RAF Fighter Command. Despite September 15, 1940, being known as “Battle of Britain Day,” the purported climax of the Battle of Britain, it was “The Hardest Day” that saw the most aerial losses on both sides.
The exhausted British fliers lost 30 fighter planes shot down and another 29 planes destroyed on the ground, while the Luftwaffe lost about 70 planes destroyed and another 31 damaged. Only 10 British airmen died, while 94 German aircrew were killed and 40 more were captured.
The Luftwaffe effort failed, and Britain would go on to fight until final victory.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
History Unleashed. The Hardest Day: Britain’s Last Stand in the Second World War. Kindle, 2020.
Price, Alfred. Hardest Day: The Battle Of Britain 18 August 1940. Rigel, 2004.
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