Thursday Snapshot will be "
Most Memorable Day "
The event starts at 21.00 CET,
4 PM EST. (Daylight saving time has already ended in Europe)
Welcome all!!!
Backround:
June 26, 1941 saw RAF 'Circus' attacks on Luftwaffe Airfields at St. Omer-Wizernes and Boulogne. The morning attack was conducted by 50 Blenheim bombers escorted by Spitfire Vs of RAF 303 Squadron and others, opposed primarily by Adolph Galland's JG26.
Galland recorded this as his 'Most Memorable Day'. He was credited with 2 Blenheims and a Spitfire, and was himself shot down twice. Recuperating that evening in the Officer's Mess at Audembert, Galland learned that he had been awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross... and forbidden to fly further combat missions by Hitler's personal order.
The RAF Circus missions were a part of Lord Trenchard's policy of having the RAF 'Lean Forward' into France. The objective was not so much to inflict strategic damage as to harass the Luftwaffe and provide combat training for the massive influx of new RAF pilots. The Luftwaffe, who could afford to be fairly circumspect about engaging these raids, sought to inflict casualties on Bomber Command and avoid excessive losses themselves. There would be no replacements transferred from Russia...
