On 12 August 1940 the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) began a systematic assault on RAF (Royal Air Force) Fighter Command's forward airfields and radar stations, striking at Manston, Lympne and Hawkinge aerodromes in the south-east and radar installations in Kent, Sussex and on the Isle of Wight. For the Germans, 13 August 1940 marked the start of their Battle of Britain. They called it 'Adlertag' (Eagle Day). On 15 August, all three of the Luftwaffe's air fleets were deployed in a coordinated onslaught for the first time. The Luftwaffe made a similarly massive effort the following day, 16 August, with three assaults over Kent and the Thames Estuary, Sussex and Hampshire, and at four different points between Harwich and the Isle of Wight. After their major efforts on 15 and 16 August, the Germans paused to recover before returning in force on 18 August. On 30 August during a period of direct assaults against RAF sector stations across the southeast, Fighter Command flew 1,054 sorties - its largest daily number yet. On 31 August the Germans mounted an even larger operation. It was costly for both sides and Fighter Command’s losses were the heaviest of the whole of the Battle of Britain - 39 aircraft shot down and 14 pilots killed. On 7 September, after a fortnight of assaulting vitally important RAF sector stations in the south-east with considerable success, the Germans suddenly changed their tactics and launched an all-out attack on London. A week after their change of tactics, the Germans launched another massive assault on 15 September, which they believed would finally shatter Fighter Command’s resistance and open the way for a successful invasion.
