#battleofbritain

[whencyclopedia]

Heinkel He 111

The Heinkel He 111 was a medium two-engined bomber plane used by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) during the Second World War (1939-45). Heinkel He 111s contributed significantly to such campaigns as the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain, and the London Blitz, but were increasingly replaced from 1941 by the more modern and faster Junkers Ju 88.

Early Designs

The He 111 was first imagined as a civil airliner for Lufthansa, but when the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, production turned more openly towards machines of war. The Treaty of Versailles after the First World War (1914-18) had strictly forbidden Germany from possessing a military air force, but the German leader Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) went ahead and formed several secret squadrons anyway. Another way around the restriction was to build civilian craft that could easily be converted into bombers; the He 111 fell into this latter category.

Designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter and based on their earlier He 70 model, the He 111 bomber was manufactured by Heinkel, an aviation company founded and run by Ernest Heinkel (1888-1958). Heinkel had extensive experience with military aircraft, having built planes for the German Navy and the Austro-Hungarian army in the First World War. After much debate between the German high command and Hitler, the Luftwaffe bomber command (Kampfwaffe) was obliged to adopt the position that bombers should primarily be used strategically to assist ground troops. This meant that unlike, say, the British Royal Air Force, the Luftwaffe concentrated not on heavy bombers but building squadrons of more versatile medium bombers. The He 111 was the result of this thinking, that is, an aircraft with multiple tactical uses, but one not capable of carrying very heavy bomb loads that could deliver a significant blow to ground targets. The He 111 was hampered, too, by its short range as the theatre of war expanded and Germany sought to bomb Britain.

The first He 111 prototype model was flown in February 1935 at the Heinkel works at Rostock-Marienehe (now Rostock). Design tweaks included shortening the wings and improving stability. At this stage, the aircraft were powered by BMW engines. By 1936, Lufthansa was flying a number of He 111s as airliners and transport planes. The aircraft achieved the title of 'the world's fastest passenger plane' when a top speed of 250 mph (402 km/h) was recorded.

Meanwhile, military versions were being built, which had a slightly longer nose and machine-gun armaments. The bomber version was not powerful enough for requirements, though, and the BMW engines were replaced with Daimler-Benz engines (later models replaced these again, this time with Junkers Jumos). By 1937, and thanks to a large ministerial order, Heinkel built a dedicated factory for He 111s at Oranienburg close to Berlin. Further developments followed such as increasing the fuel capacity and making the tanks self-sealing, increasing the armour protection, making a straighter wing so that factory production was more efficient, moving the forward gunner a little to the side to give the pilot better visibility, and giving more transparency to the cockpit area and nose section, a distinctive feature of the He 111.

Heinkel He 111s were first used in action by German forces participating in the Spanish Civil War (1936-9) in the Legion Condor units and then throughout the Second World War by the Luftwaffe. Other air forces which used He 111s included the Chinese, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovakian, Spanish, and Turkish.

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[tmcphotoblog]

Battle of Britain Seal

[biographiness]

On July 22nd, history witnessed the rise of the Habsburg dynasty, the fierce battles over Britain’s skies, and a tragic day in Norway. 👑✈️🔥🇳🇴

[golfupnorth]

January 1, 2023 Newsletter

The Snow Came Back!

After the melting of the Thanksgiving snow and the warmup we were wishing that was the end of the snow for the season and courses would soon be opening. I tried to increase the odds of that happening with a conversation with Santa Claus.

He obviously did not think I have been a particularly good girl this year. Instead of sunshine and warmth we got a Christmas snowmageddon. Crazy amounts of snow and wild winds leading up to Christmas. I am guessing that golf is off the table in northern Michigan for at least a few months.

Picture shows 2 of my granddogs at a local dog park on Christmas Eve. Picture is blurry because it was screenshotted from a video I was sent.

What to Talk About?

I was going through my notes and pictures of golfing this past season. Trying to decide what I would talk about for our first story of the new year. Didn’t see anything exciting, but a couple of things jumped out at me. I did not break 100 this year (we did in a scramble), I again feel like I did not golf enough and lastly, I made really substantial progress with my new clubs.

I opened a folder titled war rules and wasn’t sure what it was or why I named that folder that. Well, it was a picture of a wartime rules poster for a golf course in the UK from 1940 that was found in the club’s photo archives 80 years later. The course founded in 1891 now has the rules on display in the clubhouse.

I decided to find out if these rules were real. I didn’t remember finding this picture or where it came from, needed to fact check it. Double treat for me this month, golf, and history!

Technically not a northern Michigan golf thing, but still golf related and as it turns out pretty darn interesting to boot!

Keep Calm and Play On!

Temporary wartime rules were written by members of The Richmond Golf Club in Surrey, England. The golfers refusing to let Hitler’s Luftwaffe stop the game created these tongue-in-cheek instructions.

Although they may have been created lightly, the threat was real. Between October 7, 1940, and June 6, 1941, the German Luftwaffe decided to start attacking London and other major cities towards the end of the Battle of Britain. More than 1,000 bombs were dropped on Richmond. Several on the golf club including one that destroyed a laundry used by the club.

It is rumored that German high command was enraged by the rules and used them as a propaganda to make fun of the English. William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) sent Nazi propaganda through the airwaves into British homes and made the rules the theme of one of his broadcasts. “By means of these ridiculous reforms the English snobs try to impress the people with a kind of pretended heroism. They can do so without danger, because, as everyone knows, the German Air Force devotes itself only to the destruction of military targets and objectives of importance to the war effort.”

Apparently the club’s laundry was of importance to the war effort. 😊

Temporary Wartime Golf Rules

Players are asked to collect bomb and shrapnel splinters to save these causing damage to the mowing machines.

In competitions, during gunfire or while bombs are falling, players may take cover without penalty for ceasing play.

The positions of known delayed action bombs are marked by red flags at a reasonably, but not guaranteed, safe distance therefrom.

Shrapnel and/or bomb splinters on the fairways, or in bunkers within a club's length of a ball, may be moved without penalty, and no penalty shall be incurred if a ball is thereby caused to move accidentally.

A ball moved by enemy action may be replaced, or if lost or destroyed, a ball may be dropped not nearer the hole without penalty.

A ball lying in the a crater may be lifted and dropped not nearer the hole, preserving the line to the hole, without penalty.

A player whose stroke is affected by the simultaneous explosion of a bomb may play another ball from the same place. Penalty one stroke.

Golf during Wartime in the United States

Golf was encouraged in the United States during World War II, the threat of the courses being bombed was unlikely. Many Americans were avid golfers, and they were concerned the sport would die during the war. One such golfer was John Kelly, the assistant director of civilian defense (a branch of the federal government) in charge of physical fitness.

He was a member of a golf club in Philadelphia and was a passionate golfer. Kelly reached out to the USGA days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He wrote, “Eight million people will be going into the armed forces. My job is to look after the 124 million who will not or cannot go. They can keep fit by playing golf. France was the most physically inactive country in the world and look what happened to them.”

New Position created

Kelly created a new position and named Fred Corcoran the Golf Deputy for the Office of Civilian Defense. Corcoran was the Manager of the PGA Tournament Bureau (now known as PGA Tour). Kelly and Corcoran proposed fundraisers called the Hale America tournaments to support soldiers fighting for our freedom. Kelly sent a letter to golf associations and the media that read in part, “This is the time when golf really must score for the physical and mental conditioning of American citizens under wartime pressure. Golf’s strong attraction as a sport in which more than 2 1/4 million of our citizens exercise regularly in the open air qualifies the game for national service of a vital character. Therefore, we are urging the golf clubs and organizations of America to exert themselves to meet the requirements of individual and collective physical fitness.”

These men in order to ensure a game they loved continued through the war were able to market the sport as government sanctioned, carefully framing the sport as a kind of patriotism. Plus their wives had to support them playing a lot of golf as part of their civic duty.

Brilliant if you ask me!

More stories about golf during wartime

After reading about golf during World War II, I did a little more research. There are great stories and interesting facts of golf and the role it has played during wartime over the years. Below are a few of the articles I found.

What’s ahead for golf in wartime?

WWII & Hesketh Golf Club established in 1885, designed by George Lowe

Six golfing moments from World War II you've likely never seen

Turnberry Course has served British nobly in both peace and war

The story of the POWs who played golf while being held by the Nazis

A Philadelphia golf club raised $3 million for WWII US War Bonds in one day!

The wartime fundraising efforts of a British Golfer, 1939-1940

That time golf saved the world from war

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[jamesliskutin]

WW2 RAF SPITFIRE HERO General Emil Boček has DIED! One of the very last heroes of WW2.

[ramtinsnaps]

Have you heard of the Battle of Britain ? ℹ️ The Battle of Britain monument was erected in honour of the pilots of the RAF that scrambled to their planes to defend the invasion of the Luftwaffe when the Germans attacked the Brits. This is where churhill said his famous quote "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" 📍London, UK 📅 September 2022 🔖 @london.travelers #️⃣ #london🇬🇧 #tourist #touringphotographer #cityphotography #photography📷 #travelling #travelphotography #raf #battleofbritain #monuments #monument #churchill (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cocf24kLIiN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[pasthistoricalevents]

The Real Reasons Hitler Lost: 10 Shocking Revelations

[usafphantom2]

Today is Battle of Britain Day. 145 Polish fighter pilots flew for the @RoyalAirForce in the #BattleOfBritain. No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron, credited with 126 kills, was the highest-scoring fighter squadron of the Battle. Winston Churchill said: "Never was so much owed by so many to so few".

@BritishPoles via X

[positivegreenford]

You have to know it's there to find it, the grave of Pilot Officer Francis Cale RAF, killed in action on August 15th 1940, one of The Few. The Battle of Britain took place between July and October 1940, the first major battle fought entirely in the air. His Spitfire was shot down and he managed to bail out but his body was found in the River Medway the next day. He was Australian, born at Milford Junction, Perth, Western Australia, and had been married for about a month. City of Westminster Cemetery, Uxbridge Road, Hanwell, London Borough of Ealing, London, UK, August 2022. #lestweforget #RAF #Australia #BattleofBritain #Hanwell #LondonBoroughofEaling #UK #August2022 #suburbs #suburban #suburbia #photography

[jdvcolours]

Three Westland Lysander Mark IIIAs of No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron RAF on a photo-recon training sortie over snow-covered Scottish hills.

On 15th September 1940, the Luftwaffe launched the largest attack they ever had on London. The aim was to draw out the RAF into a battle of annihilation.

Up until this point, the RAF had been locked in a battle of 'non-attrition,' where the RAF sought to only inflict moderate losses against the Luftwaffe and to take few of their own. This way, by always putting up some resistance but refusing to engage in larger battles, the Luftwaffe felt they were getting nowhere.

And so 1,120 Luftwaffe aircraft (620 fighters, 500 bombers) met 630 RAF fighter aircraft in the skies above London. But there, 57-61 Luftwaffe aircraft fell, as opposed to only 29 British planes.

While these losses again seem only moderate they represented a large chunk of Axis air power. This is not to mention that all the German pilots were lost, as if they survived the crash or bailed out, they were still captured and interned for the rest of the war. British pilots could return straight to the front.

Both groups tried to overclaim the amount of aircraft they shot down. The Luftwaffe claimed 79 kills for under 40 losses, and the RAF claimed a staggering 185 German planes shot down.

As far as Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park was concerned, it was ridiculous to claim 200 aircraft downed. It was also not a cause for celebration as, despite the 2:1 ratio in favour of the RAF, this was proof that the RAF needed 'tightening up.' It was a good performance, but not the RAF's best.

Hitler was not overly concerned with the outcome - he believed from the end of August the Luftwaffe would not achieve aerial supremacy, and so postponed Operation Sealion indefinitely on 17th September. His plan now was to knock the USSR out of the war before they could even start it, neutralising the UK's last potential ally.

But for the British public, it was a cause for great celebration. The Luftwaffe had failed in its last attempt to gain full aerial superiority. For this reason, every 15th of September is celebrated as Battle of Britain day in the UK.

[jannis-world-connection]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jannette Vega Rivera (@jannicrowe)

Posted @withregram • @london #ASundayCarPic is today dedicated to the #BattleOfBritain 2020 Memorial. @MrLondon drives down The Mall towards #BuckinghamPalace which features alternating Union Jack and #RAF Ensign Flags. 🇬🇧✈️🇬🇧 This year marks the 80th anniversary of a famous battle in the skies which saw Adolf Hitler sending 1,120 Luftwaffe aircraft to attack #London. They were defeated by 630 RAF fighters forcing Hitler to delay a planned invasion of the UK. 🙏🏼 A service is being held at Westminster Abbey today to remember 1,497 pilots and air crew killed in the conflict. ❤️ A hurricane and 3 spitfire planes performed a flypast the Abbey after the service. ✈️ ___________________________________________ #thisislondon #lovelondon #london #londra #morganmotor #londonlife #londres #uk #visitlondon #british #🇬🇧 #lestweforget #wewillrememberthem https://www.instagram.com/p/CFXCFtfhAJ-/?igshid=1g3gk8dbgjzhz

[whencyclopedia]

Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane was a single-seat fighter plane, Britain's first monoplane, which fought in the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. Slower but more numerous than the Supermarine Spitfire, the Hurricane was used by the Royal Air Force in multiple theatres of the Second World War (1939-45).

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[penandswordbooks]

‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’ - On 20 August 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill made his now famous speech to the House of Commons during the Battle of Britain, coining the term ‘The Few’ to describe the RAF’s fighter pilots. - Greenhill Books’ innovative graphic biography tells Churchill’s extraordinary story, from his upbringing, through his military exploits and experience of the First World War, to his pivotal role in the Second World War. It explores the details of Churchill’s life within its historical and political context and brings the story to vivid life with precision, clarity and stunning visuals. Available now for only £9.09! • #OnThisDay #OTDIH #OTD #History #Churchill #Quotes #WinstonChurchill #TheFew #FamousSpeeches #Biography #Recommended #RAF #RoyalAirForce #Aviation #BattleOfBritain #Quotestagram #BattleOfBritain80 #WW2 #WW2History #GreenhillBooks #GraphicBiography #Book #RecommendedBooks (at Pen and Sword Books) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEHnxN1gyc-/?igshid=15752z37adun0

[ruthypie100]

80 years ago today, the Battle of Britain began. My grandmother Kitty was sent to school in Cambridge to get out of London. Her mother Catherine Carey (new Rice) has 2 siblings who were not so lucky. Their house at 23 Endell Street, was bombed later that year in October. My 2nd great uncle, Lawrence W Rice (1926-1940) was killed on 8 Oct 1940 in a bomb blast while his sister, Phyllis M Rice (1919-1940) passed away from her injuries a day later. #lestweforget #rip #battleofbritain ❤️ (at London, UK) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCdBcezBPF8/?igshid=b8odw70e8o0i

[eskiwoods]

'I am Freedom'

Spitfire BM597 over the Seven Sisters. Acrylic on canvas 24 X 30 inch. I painted this and the Hurricane as a pair.

[lutnistas]

Supermarine Spitfire at the Oslo Gardermoen Airport ( Norway )