Battle of Britain Day, 15th September 1940
New Luftwaffe tactics On 15 September – now known as “Battle of Britain Day” – the Luftwaffe launched two huge bombing raids on London. Believing that the RAF was close...
Category: World War II
Prime Minister, Winston Churchill visits Manston on 28th August 1940
Manston’s importance was recognised when the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, paid it a personal visit. He saw an airfield barely serviceable, still with craters everywhere and markers denoting unexploded bombs...
On this day, 28th August 1942, 56 emergency landings
Fifty six emergency landings on the night of 28th/29th August 1942 left devastation that would lead to the approval for the new runway to be built. The Station Commander had already...
Heavy Luftwaffe raids on Manston and Ramsgate on 24th August 1940 leaving the airfield unserviceable
Six heavy attacks, the first at 0600 hrs (TBC) when approximately 80 aircraft crossed the coast to Thanet, left Manston unserviceable after the heavy raid at 1520 hrs, despite its...
Manston attacked on ‘The Hardest Day’, 18th August 1940
“The Hardest Day” It would be described later as “The Hardest Day” but although Manston escaped most of what the Luftwaffe would today throw at the RAF, it still was...
The second large attack on Manston during the Battle of Britain, 14th August 1940
At 1140hrs, a large formation of enemy aircraft was detected forming up over Calais by Dover and Pevensey radar. Four squadrons were brought to readiness, including seven Spitfires of No.65...
