Adlertag

Adlertag
	Part of the Western Front of World War II
	; An air battle, 1940
Date	13 August 1940
Location	England and English Channel
Result	British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Nazi Germany
Commanders and leaders
Hugh Dowding; Keith Park; Charles Portal	Hermann Göring; Albert Kesselring; Hugo Sperrle; Joseph Schmid
Casualties and losses
Fighter Command:; 13 fighters (air); 1 fighter (ground); 3 fighter pilots killed; RAF Bomber Command:; 11 bombers (air); 24 aircrew killed; 9 captured; Other:; 47 miscellaneous aircraft (ground); c. 25 civilians killed	47–48 aircraft destroyed (air); 39 severely damaged; circa 200 killed or captured including:; 44 killed; 23 wounded; at least 45 missing

Adlertag ("Eagle Day") was the first day of Unternehmen Adlerangriff ("Operation Eagle Attack"), an air operation by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe (German 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 July 16, 1940 Hitler gave the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) a directive (Directive No. 16) that ordered provisional preparations for invasion of Britain.^[9] This operation was codenamed Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelöwe). Before this could be carried out, air superiority or air supremacy (control of the air) 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 (Empire Marshal) Hermann Göring and the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (High Command of the Air Force) Directive No. 17 ("or 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 make a significant impression on Fighter Command's ability to defend British air space.^[10]

Göring had promised Hitler that Adlertag and Adlerangriff would achieve the results required within days, or at worst weeks.^[11] 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.^[10] As a result, Operation Sea Lion was postponed indefinitely.

^ Bungay 2000, p. 207.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Bungay 2000, p. 211.
^ ^a ^b Bungay 2000, p. 371.
^ Donnelly 2004, pp. 88–89.
^ Note excluding 4 casualties from Australia; the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists only 25 Civilian casualties 13 August 1940
^ Taylor and Moyes 1968, p. 23.
^ ^a ^b Hough and Richards 2007, p. 162.
^ Mason 1969, pp. 240–243.
^ Trevor-Roper 2004, pp. 74–79.
^ ^a ^b Bungay 2000, p. 210.
^ Mackay 2003, p. 71.

[Bungay_2000,_p._207-1] Bungay 2000, p. 207.

[Bungay_2000,_p211-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Bungay 2000, p. 211.

[Bungay_2000,_p371-3] Bungay 2000, p. 371.

[Donnelly_2004,_p88–89-4] Donnelly 2004, pp. 88–89.

[5] Note excluding 4 casualties from Australia; the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists only 25 Civilian casualties 13 August 1940

[6] Taylor and Moyes 1968, p. 23.

[Hough_and_Richards_2007,_p162-7] Hough and Richards 2007, p. 162.

[8] Mason 1969, pp. 240–243.

[9] Trevor-Roper 2004, pp. 74–79.

[Bungay_2000,_p._210-10] Bungay 2000, p. 210.

[FOOTNOTEMackay200371-11] Mackay 2003, p. 71.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]