Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Adlertag
Adlertag ("Eagle Day") was the first day of Unternehmen Adlerangriff ("Operation Eagle Attack"), an operation by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe (air force) intended to destroy the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The operation came during the Battle of Britain after Britain rejected all overtures for a negotiated peace with Germany. However, Adlertag and subsequent operations failed to destroy the RAF or gain local air superiority.
On 16 July 1940 Hitler gave the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) Directive No. 16 ordering provisional preparations for the invasion of Britain. This operation was codenamed Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelöwe). Before this could be carried out, air superiority or air supremacy was required. The Luftwaffe was to destroy the RAF in order to prevent it from attacking the invasion fleet or providing protection for the Royal Navy's Home Fleet, which might attempt to prevent a landing by sea. On 1 August Hitler gave the Luftwaffe's commander-in-chief, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring and the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe Directive No. 17 ("for the conduct of air and sea warfare against England") to launch the air assault.
The essential target was RAF Fighter Command. The service's destruction would deny the British their air superiority asset and feeling vulnerable to air attack might negotiate for peace. Throughout July and early August, the Germans made preparations for Adlertag. The date of the assault was postponed several times because of bad weather. Eventually, it was carried out on 13 August 1940. The German attacks on 13 August inflicted significant damage and casualties on the ground, but, marred by poor intelligence and communication, they did not significantly impair Fighter Command's ability to defend British air space.
Göring had promised Hitler that Adlertag and Adlerangriff would achieve the results required within days, or at worst weeks. It was meant to be the beginning of the end of RAF Fighter Command, but Adlertag and the following operations failed to destroy the RAF, or gain the necessary local air superiority. As a result, Operation Sea Lion was postponed indefinitely.
After the declaration of war on Nazi Germany by Britain and France in the aftermath of the German invasion of Poland, nine months of stalemate took place along the Western Front. After the Polish Campaign, in October 1939, the planners of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL – Luftwaffe (Air Force) High Command) and the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW – Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) turned their attentions to Western Europe.
The German offensive—named Unternehmen Gelb (Operation Yellow), also known as the Manstein Plan—began in the west on 10 May 1940. The central campaign—the Battle of France—ended in Allied defeat and the destruction of the main French Army forces. The British Expeditionary Force escaped encirclement during the Battle of Dunkirk, but the Wehrmacht captured Paris on 14 June and overran half of France. The French surrendered on 25 June 1940.
With Western Europe neutralised, the OKL and OKW turned their attention to Britain, which was now home to the Allied base of operations in Europe. Hitler hoped Britain would negotiate for an armistice, for which he was prepared to offer generous terms. The tentative offers made by Hitler were rejected by the Churchill coalition government. Hitler now ordered the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine to prepare for an amphibious assault of Britain, codenamed Operation Sealion. The Luftwaffe was to eliminate enemy air power and the Kriegsmarine was ordered to make all the necessary preparations for transporting the German army (Heer) across the English Channel. The Luftwaffe's task came first. Once the RAF had been rendered impotent, Göring and Hitler hoped that an invasion would be unnecessary. If this proved not to be the case, the Luftwaffe would then support the army and prevent the Royal Navy interdicting German sea traffic. Göring named the offensive against the RAF as Operation Eagle Attack (Adlerangriff).
The losses of the spring campaign had weakened the Luftwaffe before the Battle of Britain. Over 1,400 aircraft had been lost in the Battle of France on top of about 500 lost in conquering Poland and Norway in 1939. The service was forced to wait until it had reached acceptable levels before a main assault against the RAF could be made. Therefore, the first phase of the German air offensive took place over the English Channel. The Kanalkampf ("Channel battle") rarely involved attacks against RAF airfields inland, but encouraged RAF units to engage in battle by attacking British Channel convoys. These operations would last from 10 July to 8 August 1940. The attacks against shipping were not successful; only 24,000 tons (gross register) was sunk. Minelaying from aircraft proved more profitable, sinking 38,000 tons. The impact on Fighter Command was minimal. It had lost 74 fighter pilots killed or missing and 48 wounded in July, and its strength rose to 1,429 by 3 August. By that date, it was short only 124 pilots.
Hub AI
Adlertag AI simulator
(@Adlertag_simulator)
Adlertag
Adlertag ("Eagle Day") was the first day of Unternehmen Adlerangriff ("Operation Eagle Attack"), an operation by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe (air force) intended to destroy the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The operation came during the Battle of Britain after Britain rejected all overtures for a negotiated peace with Germany. However, Adlertag and subsequent operations failed to destroy the RAF or gain local air superiority.
On 16 July 1940 Hitler gave the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) Directive No. 16 ordering provisional preparations for the invasion of Britain. This operation was codenamed Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelöwe). Before this could be carried out, air superiority or air supremacy was required. The Luftwaffe was to destroy the RAF in order to prevent it from attacking the invasion fleet or providing protection for the Royal Navy's Home Fleet, which might attempt to prevent a landing by sea. On 1 August Hitler gave the Luftwaffe's commander-in-chief, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring and the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe Directive No. 17 ("for the conduct of air and sea warfare against England") to launch the air assault.
The essential target was RAF Fighter Command. The service's destruction would deny the British their air superiority asset and feeling vulnerable to air attack might negotiate for peace. Throughout July and early August, the Germans made preparations for Adlertag. The date of the assault was postponed several times because of bad weather. Eventually, it was carried out on 13 August 1940. The German attacks on 13 August inflicted significant damage and casualties on the ground, but, marred by poor intelligence and communication, they did not significantly impair Fighter Command's ability to defend British air space.
Göring had promised Hitler that Adlertag and Adlerangriff would achieve the results required within days, or at worst weeks. It was meant to be the beginning of the end of RAF Fighter Command, but Adlertag and the following operations failed to destroy the RAF, or gain the necessary local air superiority. As a result, Operation Sea Lion was postponed indefinitely.
After the declaration of war on Nazi Germany by Britain and France in the aftermath of the German invasion of Poland, nine months of stalemate took place along the Western Front. After the Polish Campaign, in October 1939, the planners of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL – Luftwaffe (Air Force) High Command) and the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW – Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) turned their attentions to Western Europe.
The German offensive—named Unternehmen Gelb (Operation Yellow), also known as the Manstein Plan—began in the west on 10 May 1940. The central campaign—the Battle of France—ended in Allied defeat and the destruction of the main French Army forces. The British Expeditionary Force escaped encirclement during the Battle of Dunkirk, but the Wehrmacht captured Paris on 14 June and overran half of France. The French surrendered on 25 June 1940.
With Western Europe neutralised, the OKL and OKW turned their attention to Britain, which was now home to the Allied base of operations in Europe. Hitler hoped Britain would negotiate for an armistice, for which he was prepared to offer generous terms. The tentative offers made by Hitler were rejected by the Churchill coalition government. Hitler now ordered the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine to prepare for an amphibious assault of Britain, codenamed Operation Sealion. The Luftwaffe was to eliminate enemy air power and the Kriegsmarine was ordered to make all the necessary preparations for transporting the German army (Heer) across the English Channel. The Luftwaffe's task came first. Once the RAF had been rendered impotent, Göring and Hitler hoped that an invasion would be unnecessary. If this proved not to be the case, the Luftwaffe would then support the army and prevent the Royal Navy interdicting German sea traffic. Göring named the offensive against the RAF as Operation Eagle Attack (Adlerangriff).
The losses of the spring campaign had weakened the Luftwaffe before the Battle of Britain. Over 1,400 aircraft had been lost in the Battle of France on top of about 500 lost in conquering Poland and Norway in 1939. The service was forced to wait until it had reached acceptable levels before a main assault against the RAF could be made. Therefore, the first phase of the German air offensive took place over the English Channel. The Kanalkampf ("Channel battle") rarely involved attacks against RAF airfields inland, but encouraged RAF units to engage in battle by attacking British Channel convoys. These operations would last from 10 July to 8 August 1940. The attacks against shipping were not successful; only 24,000 tons (gross register) was sunk. Minelaying from aircraft proved more profitable, sinking 38,000 tons. The impact on Fighter Command was minimal. It had lost 74 fighter pilots killed or missing and 48 wounded in July, and its strength rose to 1,429 by 3 August. By that date, it was short only 124 pilots.