Luftwaffe

Events (20)

• 1916

  9/17 — World War I: Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron"), a flying ace of the German Luftstreitkräfte, wins his first aerial combat near Cambrai, France.

• 1935

  2/26 — Adolf Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.

• 1937

  4/26 — Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by German Luftwaffe.

• 1939

  9/1 — The Wound Badge for Wehrmacht, SS, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe soldiers is instituted. The final version of the Iron Cross is also instituted on this date.

• 1939

  10/16 — World War II: No. 603 Squadron RAF intercepts the first Luftwaffe raid on Britain.

• 1940

  5/14 — World War II: Rotterdam is bombed by the German Luftwaffe.

• 1940

  6/3 — World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Paris.

• 1940

  6/17 — World War II: RMS Lancastria is attacked and sunk by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France. At least 3,000 are killed in Britain's worst maritime disaster.

• 1940

  9/7 — World War II: The German Luftwaffe begins the Blitz, bombing London and other British cities for over 50 consecutive nights.

• 1940

  9/15 — World War II: The climax of the Battle of Britain, when the Royal Air Force shoots down large numbers of Luftwaffe aircraft.

• 1940

  10/9 — World War II: Battle of Britain: During a night-time air raid by the German Luftwaffe, St. Paul's Cathedral in the City of London, England is hit by a bomb.

• 1940

  11/14 — World War II: In England, Coventry is heavily bombed by German Luftwaffe bombers. Coventry Cathedral is almost completely destroyed.

• 1940

  11/16 — World War II: In response to the leveling of Coventry by the German Luftwaffe two days before, the Royal Air Force bombs Hamburg.

• 1940

  12/29 — World War II: In the Second Great Fire of London, the Luftwaffe fire-bombs London, England, killing almost 200 civilians.

• 1941

  4/15 — In the Belfast Blitz, two-hundred bombers of the German Luftwaffe attack Belfast, killing around one thousand people.

• 1941

  5/8 — The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby

• 1941

  5/10 — World War II: The House of Commons in London is damaged by the Luftwaffe in an air raid.

• 1943

  8/27 — World War II: Aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe razes to the ground the village of Vorizia in Crete.

• 1943

  11/26 — World War II: HMT Rohna is sunk by the Luftwaffe in an air attack in the Mediterranean north of Béjaïa, Algeria.

• 1945

  1/1 — World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow.