The Nazi German Luftwaffe launched the first of 57 consecutive days and nights of bombing raids on London in what became known as the Blitz.
21st June 1919: The German High Seas naval fleet is scuttled at Scapa Flow
21st June 2019
“The Hardest Day” saw the Luftwaffe lose more than 60 aircraft, while the RAF lost around 30 fighters together with experienced pilots whose replacement was increasingly difficult.
No. 303 Squadron, which was composed primarily of Polish airmen who had escaped to Britain after the defeat of Poland, claimed the largest number of aircraft shot down of any RAF squadron during the Battle of Britain.
Robert Watson-Watt and Arnold Wilkins conducted an experiment using a BBC shortwave radio transmitter located near Daventry, Northamptonshire, and a receiving station was set up in a field around 6 miles away that consisted of two receiving antennae attached to CRT monitoring equipment installed in a van. A Handley Page Heyford bomber was instructed to fly through the radio signal’s path, and it caused detectable variations in the received radio waves displayed on the CRT.
Captain Joseph “Mutt” Summers, chief test pilot for Vickers, performed a series of exercises to evaluate the Spitfire’s handling characteristics and performance capabilities, and found that the aircraft demonstrated remarkable potential.
HistoryPod Extra: The Myth of Gavrilo Princip’s Sandwich
28th June 2015
11th November 1918: WW1 Armistice of Compiègne is signed
11th November 2025
11th November 1918: WW1 Armistice of Compiègne is signed
11th November 2025
1st September 1939: Nazi Germany invades Poland
1st September 2018
9th November 1989: East Germany opens the Berlin Wall
9th November 2019