During flight testing, the prototype of the
Imperial Japanese Army Air Force′s (IJAAF)
Nakajima Ki-43 (
Allied reporting name "Oscar") fighter displays poor takeoff and landing characteristics and proves to be far less maneuverable and only slightly faster than the fighter it is intended to replace, the
Nakajima Ki-27 (Allied reporting name "Nate"). The IJAAF considers ending further development of the Ki-43, but its co-designer,
Hideo Itokawa, convinces the IJAAF to allow him to redesign the aircraft.[4]
January 5 – Pioneering U.S. aviator
Amelia Earhart is officially declared dead, eighteen months after her disappearance over the Pacific.[5]
January 26 – In the
Spanish Civil War,
Barcelona surrenders to
Nationalist forces. In the days leading up to the surrender, Nationalist aircraft have raided the city continually, especially targeting ships in port to prevent them from saving
Republican refugees from capture.[8]
January 29 –
Karl Bode breaks the world altitude record for helicopters, flying a
Focke-Wulf Fw 61 helicopter to an altitude of 3,427 meters (11,243 feet). It is the last official record set by a German helicopter produced prior to 1945.
February 11 – The
Lockheed XP-38 falls 17 minutes short of the record for a flight across the United States, flying from
March Field,
California, to
Mitchel Field,
New York, in 7 hours 43 minutes. It loses power and crashes during its final approach at Mitchell Field, but its pilot is unhurt and the flight is considered an impressive demonstration of range and speed for a fighter.[10]
February 12 – Spanish Nationalist forces have 600 aircraft, compared to only 40 available on the Republican side.[11]
March 18 – During a test flight of a
Boeing 307 Stratoliner (registration NX19901) at an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), a
KLMtest pilot attempts a pre-approved test of the aircraft's flying characteristics at low speed with both engines on one side shut down. The Stratoliner
stalls, goes into a
spin, loses its
wings and
tail section, and crashes near
Alder,
Washington, killing all 10 people on board.[16]
March 25 – Ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Nationalist and Republican officials which include a Nationalist demand that all
Spanish Republican Air Force aircraft fly to Nationalist airfields to surrender on this day are broken off when Republican aircraft do not surrender. A major motivation for the Nationalist demand is to prevent Republican leaders from fleeing Spain by air; six Republican aircraft carry officials and refugees from central Spain to France on this day.[17]
March 26 – Republican leader
Segismundo Casado López telegraphs Nationalist leader
Francisco Franco, announcing that the Spanish Republican Air Force will surrender to Nationalist forces the following day. Franco replies that Nationalist armies would advance on Republican territory anyway.[18]
Nationalist leader
Francisco Franco announces that the
Spanish Civil War has ended in a complete Nationalist victory. During the 32½-month war, the Nationalists have used about 1,300 aircraft and the Republicans about 1,500; about 10,000 people have died in air attacks. Early Republican numerical
air superiority had been challenged almost immediately by the technical superiority of Italian
Fiat CR.32 fighters and
Savoia-Marchetti SM.81, and German
Junkers Ju 52 bomber-transports; Soviet
Polikarpov I-15 and
I-16 fighters had given the Republicans air superiority in the winter of 1936–1937, but the Nationalists had achieved lasting air superiority after German
Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters and
Heinkel He 111 bombers and Italian
Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers had arrived in 1937. Germany has sent about 600 aircraft to Spain, Italy about 660, the Soviet Union 1,000, and other countries (principally France) about 350. The
German,
Italian, and
Soviet air forces have learned a great deal about the employment of modern aircraft in warfare through their involvement, and the Luftwaffe's
Condor Legion in particular has used the conflict to test new aircraft and revolutionary new air warfare concepts.[21][22]
The Spanish Republican government airline
LAPE ceases operations. The Franco government
expropriates LAPE's aircraft and transfers them to the airline
Iberia.
On the ninth anniversary of its founding, the
Fieseler aircraft manufacturing company changes its name from Fieseler Flugzeugbau Kassel to the Gerhard Fieseler Werke
GmbH.
April 3 – The leading
ace of the Spanish Civil War, the Nationalist pilot
Joaquín García Morato y Castaño, dies when his
Fiat CR.32 fighter crashes while he is performing low-level
aerobatics for
newsreel cameras. He had scored 40 victories during the war.
April 26 – German LuftwaffeFlugkapitänFritz Wendel sets a new world air speed record, reaching 755.59 km/h (469.50 mph) in the
Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 racing aircraft. The German government will report that the record was set by an "Me 109R," a false designation used as part of a 1939
propaganda campaign to confuse other countries into thinking that the Me 209 is an advanced variant of the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter.[19][23]
The
Imperial Japanese Navy's air arm conducts the first Japanese bombing raid on
Chungking,
China, an incendiary raid which causes huge fires and inflicts enormous casualties. Raids will increase in size and intensity over the next two years.[24]
May 24 – The
Royal Navy takes practical control of British naval aircraft for the first time since the dissolution of the
Royal Naval Air Service in 1918. British naval aircraft, since 1918 under
Royal Air Force control and since 1924 known collectively as the "Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force," officially become the Royal Navy's Air Branch, although the term "
Fleet Air Arm" remains in widespread informal use and finally will be adopted officially in 1953.[29]
May 26 – German personnel of the Condor Legion depart Spain.[28]
May 31 – Italian forces, including the "legionary air force," depart Spain.[28]
June 29 – During another Khalkhin Gol Incident dogfight between Soviet and Japanese aircraft, the Soviets claim to have shot down 25 Japanese planes in exchange for the loss of two Soviet aircraft.[31]
July
Serving as a testbed for the
Heinkel HeS 3turbojet with the jet engine slung under its fuselage, a
Heinkel He 118dive bomber takes off and lands using its piston engine but flies under jet power after the turbojet is started in flight. It is the first time any aircraft makes any part of a flight under jet power, and the successful test leads to the first flight made completely under turbojet power by the
Heinkel He 178 the following month.[35]
July 13 – First
Boeing 307 Stratoliner delivered, to
Howard Hughes, which he intended to use for a round the world flight that would be cancelled with the outbreak of war in Europe.[30]
July 30 – Commanded by
MajorCaleb V. Haynes, the
United States Army Air CorpsBoeing XB-15 sets two payload-to-altitude world records in a single flight over
Fairfield,
Ohio, by carrying 14,135 kilograms (31,162 pounds) to an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) and 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) to an altitude of 8,228 feet (2,508 meters).[37] Haynes will receive certificates from the
National Aeronautics Association for an international record for "the greatest payload carried to an altitude of 2,000 meters."[38]
August
August 2 – Under the command of
MajorCaleb V. Haynes, the
United States Army Air CorpsBoeing XB-15 sets a world record for speed over a closed circuit of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) with a 2.000-kilogram (4,409-pound) payload, averaging 267.67 km/h (166.32 mph).[37] During the same flight, it sets a U.S. national distance record for flight over a closed circuit of 3,129.241 miles (5,036.025 km).[38]
August 20 – Since the beginning of the
Khalkhin Gol Incident on May 11, the
Soviet Union has claimed 320 Japanese aircraft shot down and another 35 destroyed on the ground.[31]
August 26 – The
Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 (registration D-INJR) sets a new world speed record of 755 km/h (469 mph), not officially broken by another piston-engined aircraft
until 1969.
August 24 – The Royal Air Force forms the
Advanced Air Striking Force. Initially consisting of 10
squadrons of
Fairey Battle bombers, its mission is to deploy to France in the event of war with Germany and strike targets in Germany from French bases.
August 28 – Two months after its creation, the United Kingdom's
Women's Auxiliary Air Force mobilises in case war with Germany breaks out.[33]
August 29 –
Swissair suspends flight operations due to foreign airspace closures and the mobilization of most of its employees for Swiss military service. It will gradually reintroduce some flights during the course of
World War II until suspending them all again in
August 1944.
August 30 – The Deutsche Luft Hansa Junkers Ju 52/3mte Karl Hochmuth (registration D-AFOP) crashes just after takeoff from
Hannover,
Germany, killing all seven people on board.[41]
The German Luftwaffe has 3,650 combat aircraft (1,170 bombers, 335
dive bombers, 1,125 single-engine fighters, 195 twin-engine fighters, 620 reconnaissance aircraft, and 205 coastal aircraft); a reserve force of between 10 and 25 percent of each of these types; and a training organization with 500 operational types used for operational training and 2,500 other training aircraft.[43]
September 2
In anticipation of war breaking out with Germany, the Royal Air Force's
Advanced Air Striking Force deploys to bases around
Rheims, France.
By the end of the day, the Luftwaffe has achieved virtually complete
air superiority over Poland. It switches over to support of
German Army ground forces for the rest of the
Polish campaign, knocking out roads, railroads, and bridges – sometimes so effectively that the movement of
Polish Army forces becomes impossible – and attacking Polish troop concentrations and destroying
artillery and
antiaircraft artillery units.[42]
September 15 – The
Khalkhin Gol Incident concludes in a Soviet victory over the
Imperial Japanese Army. In the final August 20 – September 15 Soviet offensive, the
Soviet Air Force claims the destruction of another 290 Japanese aircraft, bringing the total Soviet claim since the beginning of the Incident on May 11 to 645 Japanese planes destroyed. The Soviets claim to have lost only 34 aircraft in the last two months of the conflict.[31]
September 18 – Its bases in eastern Poland threatened by advancing Soviet forces, the Polish Air Force evacuates to
Romania.
September 19 – Germany halts construction of its second
Graf Zeppelin-class aircraft carrier, Flugzeugträger B, while she still is on the building ways. Work on the ship never will be resumed.
As
Adolf Hitler looks on from a camouflaged bunker outside of the city, about 400 Luftwaffe bombers – some flying more than one sortie during the day – attack
Warsaw, Poland, in conjunction with a German Army artillery bombardment, leaving the entire city ablaze. Its defenders surrender the next day.[42]
October 6 – The
Polish campaign ends as
Germany and the
Soviet Union gain effective control over all of
Poland. During the campaign, the Luftwaffe has lost 285 aircraft – 79 fighters, 78 bombers, 31 dive bombers, and 97 other aircraft – destroyed; 279 aircraft damaged; and 413 aircrew killed and 126 wounded.[42] Poland has lost 333 aircraft.
October 8 – The Royal Air Force scores its first aerial victory of World War II when a
Lockheed Hudson shoots down a German
Dornier Do 18 over
Jutland.
December 4 – Flying in bad weather, an
Ala LittoriaJunkers Ju 52/3mlu (registration I-BAUS) strikes a hillside near
Bayerisch Eisenstein,
Germany, at an altitude of about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) during the final leg of a flight from
Munich to
Berlin and crashes, killing four of the 17 people on board.[52]
December 13 – A
Fairey Seafoxfloatplanecatapulted from the British
light cruiserHMS Ajax spots fire for her guns while she fires on the German "
pocket battleship"
Admiral Graf Spee during the
Battle of the River Plate. It is the first time in World War II that a ship-based seaplane spots gunfire for a Royal Navy ship and is considered a classic example of the use of a floatplane in such a role; the pilot,
Lieutenant E. D. G. Lewin, receives the
Distinguished Service Cross for the action. The Seafox goes on to conduct reconnaissance flights over the Admiral Graf Spee daily until her crew scuttles her on December 17.[53]
^
abAngelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York:
Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 263.
^Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, p. 890.
^Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, p. 892.
^Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 910–911.
^Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, p. 912.
^
abBoyne, Walter J., "Lost Luftwaffe Airplanes," Aviation History, November 2015, p. 35.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 382.
^Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909–1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001,
ISBN978-1-55750-432-6, p. 117-118.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 19.
^
abcMondey, David, ed., The Complete Illustrated History of the World's Aircraft, Secaucus, New Jersey:
Chartwell Books, 1978,
ISBN0-89009-771-2, p. 35.
^
abcdThomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, p. 920.
^Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917–1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 32.
^
abDijkstra, Ronald (2016).
"Boeing 100 jaar - 80 jaar samenwerking met de KLM". Luchtvaart Historisch Tijdschrift LUCHTVAARTKENNIS (en:Aviation Historical Magazine AVIATION KNOWLEDGE) (in Dutch). Vol. 3, no. 65. Holland: Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Luchtscheepvaart (en:Association for the Promotion of Aviation). p. 81.
ISSN1381-9100.
^
abcdHardesty, Von, Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941–1945, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982,
ISBN978-0-87474-510-8, p. 51.
^
abcdPrice, Alfred, Luftwaffe: Birth, Life, and Death of an Air Force, New York: Ballantine Books, Inc., 1969, p. 40.
^Price, Alfred, Luftwaffe: Birth, Life, and Death of an Air Force, New York: Ballantine Books, Inc., 1969, p. 26.
^Hinchcliffe, Peter, The Other Battle: Luftwaffe Night Aces Versus Bomber Command, Edison, New Jersey: Castle Books, 2001,
ISBN978-0-7858-1418-4, p. 26.
^Morison, Samuel Eliot, History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II, Volume I: The Battle of the Atlantic September 1939 – May 1943, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1988, p. 14.
^
abAngelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 156.
^Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917–1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 33.
^Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917–1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 33-34.
^Condon, Richard W., The Winter War: Russia Against Finland, New York: Ballantine Books Inc., 1972, p. 7.
^Condon, Richard W., The Winter War: Russia Against Finland, New York: Ballantine Books Inc., 1972, pp. 29, 30, 32.
^Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909–1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001,
ISBN978-1-55750-432-6, p. 118.
^Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991,
ISBN1-55750-076-2, pp. 17, 151–152.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 80.
^Hinchcliffe, Peter, The Other Battle: Luftwaffe Night Aces Versus Bomber Command, Edison, New Jersey: Castle Books, 2001,
ISBN978-0-7858-1418-4, p. 27.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 451, 453.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 207, 569.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, pp. 169–170.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 388.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 364, 570.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 65.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 146, 570.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 179.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 103.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 81.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 224, 567.
^Boyne, Walter J., "Unfettered Turkeys," Aviation History, July 2008, p. 47.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 457.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 40.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 378–379.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 170.
^Polmar, Norma, "Historic Aircraft: The Hall Contribution," Naval History, February 2014, p. 15.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, pp. 160–161.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 92.
During flight testing, the prototype of the
Imperial Japanese Army Air Force′s (IJAAF)
Nakajima Ki-43 (
Allied reporting name "Oscar") fighter displays poor takeoff and landing characteristics and proves to be far less maneuverable and only slightly faster than the fighter it is intended to replace, the
Nakajima Ki-27 (Allied reporting name "Nate"). The IJAAF considers ending further development of the Ki-43, but its co-designer,
Hideo Itokawa, convinces the IJAAF to allow him to redesign the aircraft.[4]
January 5 – Pioneering U.S. aviator
Amelia Earhart is officially declared dead, eighteen months after her disappearance over the Pacific.[5]
January 26 – In the
Spanish Civil War,
Barcelona surrenders to
Nationalist forces. In the days leading up to the surrender, Nationalist aircraft have raided the city continually, especially targeting ships in port to prevent them from saving
Republican refugees from capture.[8]
January 29 –
Karl Bode breaks the world altitude record for helicopters, flying a
Focke-Wulf Fw 61 helicopter to an altitude of 3,427 meters (11,243 feet). It is the last official record set by a German helicopter produced prior to 1945.
February 11 – The
Lockheed XP-38 falls 17 minutes short of the record for a flight across the United States, flying from
March Field,
California, to
Mitchel Field,
New York, in 7 hours 43 minutes. It loses power and crashes during its final approach at Mitchell Field, but its pilot is unhurt and the flight is considered an impressive demonstration of range and speed for a fighter.[10]
February 12 – Spanish Nationalist forces have 600 aircraft, compared to only 40 available on the Republican side.[11]
March 18 – During a test flight of a
Boeing 307 Stratoliner (registration NX19901) at an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), a
KLMtest pilot attempts a pre-approved test of the aircraft's flying characteristics at low speed with both engines on one side shut down. The Stratoliner
stalls, goes into a
spin, loses its
wings and
tail section, and crashes near
Alder,
Washington, killing all 10 people on board.[16]
March 25 – Ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Nationalist and Republican officials which include a Nationalist demand that all
Spanish Republican Air Force aircraft fly to Nationalist airfields to surrender on this day are broken off when Republican aircraft do not surrender. A major motivation for the Nationalist demand is to prevent Republican leaders from fleeing Spain by air; six Republican aircraft carry officials and refugees from central Spain to France on this day.[17]
March 26 – Republican leader
Segismundo Casado López telegraphs Nationalist leader
Francisco Franco, announcing that the Spanish Republican Air Force will surrender to Nationalist forces the following day. Franco replies that Nationalist armies would advance on Republican territory anyway.[18]
Nationalist leader
Francisco Franco announces that the
Spanish Civil War has ended in a complete Nationalist victory. During the 32½-month war, the Nationalists have used about 1,300 aircraft and the Republicans about 1,500; about 10,000 people have died in air attacks. Early Republican numerical
air superiority had been challenged almost immediately by the technical superiority of Italian
Fiat CR.32 fighters and
Savoia-Marchetti SM.81, and German
Junkers Ju 52 bomber-transports; Soviet
Polikarpov I-15 and
I-16 fighters had given the Republicans air superiority in the winter of 1936–1937, but the Nationalists had achieved lasting air superiority after German
Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters and
Heinkel He 111 bombers and Italian
Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers had arrived in 1937. Germany has sent about 600 aircraft to Spain, Italy about 660, the Soviet Union 1,000, and other countries (principally France) about 350. The
German,
Italian, and
Soviet air forces have learned a great deal about the employment of modern aircraft in warfare through their involvement, and the Luftwaffe's
Condor Legion in particular has used the conflict to test new aircraft and revolutionary new air warfare concepts.[21][22]
The Spanish Republican government airline
LAPE ceases operations. The Franco government
expropriates LAPE's aircraft and transfers them to the airline
Iberia.
On the ninth anniversary of its founding, the
Fieseler aircraft manufacturing company changes its name from Fieseler Flugzeugbau Kassel to the Gerhard Fieseler Werke
GmbH.
April 3 – The leading
ace of the Spanish Civil War, the Nationalist pilot
Joaquín García Morato y Castaño, dies when his
Fiat CR.32 fighter crashes while he is performing low-level
aerobatics for
newsreel cameras. He had scored 40 victories during the war.
April 26 – German LuftwaffeFlugkapitänFritz Wendel sets a new world air speed record, reaching 755.59 km/h (469.50 mph) in the
Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 racing aircraft. The German government will report that the record was set by an "Me 109R," a false designation used as part of a 1939
propaganda campaign to confuse other countries into thinking that the Me 209 is an advanced variant of the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter.[19][23]
The
Imperial Japanese Navy's air arm conducts the first Japanese bombing raid on
Chungking,
China, an incendiary raid which causes huge fires and inflicts enormous casualties. Raids will increase in size and intensity over the next two years.[24]
May 24 – The
Royal Navy takes practical control of British naval aircraft for the first time since the dissolution of the
Royal Naval Air Service in 1918. British naval aircraft, since 1918 under
Royal Air Force control and since 1924 known collectively as the "Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force," officially become the Royal Navy's Air Branch, although the term "
Fleet Air Arm" remains in widespread informal use and finally will be adopted officially in 1953.[29]
May 26 – German personnel of the Condor Legion depart Spain.[28]
May 31 – Italian forces, including the "legionary air force," depart Spain.[28]
June 29 – During another Khalkhin Gol Incident dogfight between Soviet and Japanese aircraft, the Soviets claim to have shot down 25 Japanese planes in exchange for the loss of two Soviet aircraft.[31]
July
Serving as a testbed for the
Heinkel HeS 3turbojet with the jet engine slung under its fuselage, a
Heinkel He 118dive bomber takes off and lands using its piston engine but flies under jet power after the turbojet is started in flight. It is the first time any aircraft makes any part of a flight under jet power, and the successful test leads to the first flight made completely under turbojet power by the
Heinkel He 178 the following month.[35]
July 13 – First
Boeing 307 Stratoliner delivered, to
Howard Hughes, which he intended to use for a round the world flight that would be cancelled with the outbreak of war in Europe.[30]
July 30 – Commanded by
MajorCaleb V. Haynes, the
United States Army Air CorpsBoeing XB-15 sets two payload-to-altitude world records in a single flight over
Fairfield,
Ohio, by carrying 14,135 kilograms (31,162 pounds) to an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) and 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) to an altitude of 8,228 feet (2,508 meters).[37] Haynes will receive certificates from the
National Aeronautics Association for an international record for "the greatest payload carried to an altitude of 2,000 meters."[38]
August
August 2 – Under the command of
MajorCaleb V. Haynes, the
United States Army Air CorpsBoeing XB-15 sets a world record for speed over a closed circuit of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) with a 2.000-kilogram (4,409-pound) payload, averaging 267.67 km/h (166.32 mph).[37] During the same flight, it sets a U.S. national distance record for flight over a closed circuit of 3,129.241 miles (5,036.025 km).[38]
August 20 – Since the beginning of the
Khalkhin Gol Incident on May 11, the
Soviet Union has claimed 320 Japanese aircraft shot down and another 35 destroyed on the ground.[31]
August 26 – The
Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 (registration D-INJR) sets a new world speed record of 755 km/h (469 mph), not officially broken by another piston-engined aircraft
until 1969.
August 24 – The Royal Air Force forms the
Advanced Air Striking Force. Initially consisting of 10
squadrons of
Fairey Battle bombers, its mission is to deploy to France in the event of war with Germany and strike targets in Germany from French bases.
August 28 – Two months after its creation, the United Kingdom's
Women's Auxiliary Air Force mobilises in case war with Germany breaks out.[33]
August 29 –
Swissair suspends flight operations due to foreign airspace closures and the mobilization of most of its employees for Swiss military service. It will gradually reintroduce some flights during the course of
World War II until suspending them all again in
August 1944.
August 30 – The Deutsche Luft Hansa Junkers Ju 52/3mte Karl Hochmuth (registration D-AFOP) crashes just after takeoff from
Hannover,
Germany, killing all seven people on board.[41]
The German Luftwaffe has 3,650 combat aircraft (1,170 bombers, 335
dive bombers, 1,125 single-engine fighters, 195 twin-engine fighters, 620 reconnaissance aircraft, and 205 coastal aircraft); a reserve force of between 10 and 25 percent of each of these types; and a training organization with 500 operational types used for operational training and 2,500 other training aircraft.[43]
September 2
In anticipation of war breaking out with Germany, the Royal Air Force's
Advanced Air Striking Force deploys to bases around
Rheims, France.
By the end of the day, the Luftwaffe has achieved virtually complete
air superiority over Poland. It switches over to support of
German Army ground forces for the rest of the
Polish campaign, knocking out roads, railroads, and bridges – sometimes so effectively that the movement of
Polish Army forces becomes impossible – and attacking Polish troop concentrations and destroying
artillery and
antiaircraft artillery units.[42]
September 15 – The
Khalkhin Gol Incident concludes in a Soviet victory over the
Imperial Japanese Army. In the final August 20 – September 15 Soviet offensive, the
Soviet Air Force claims the destruction of another 290 Japanese aircraft, bringing the total Soviet claim since the beginning of the Incident on May 11 to 645 Japanese planes destroyed. The Soviets claim to have lost only 34 aircraft in the last two months of the conflict.[31]
September 18 – Its bases in eastern Poland threatened by advancing Soviet forces, the Polish Air Force evacuates to
Romania.
September 19 – Germany halts construction of its second
Graf Zeppelin-class aircraft carrier, Flugzeugträger B, while she still is on the building ways. Work on the ship never will be resumed.
As
Adolf Hitler looks on from a camouflaged bunker outside of the city, about 400 Luftwaffe bombers – some flying more than one sortie during the day – attack
Warsaw, Poland, in conjunction with a German Army artillery bombardment, leaving the entire city ablaze. Its defenders surrender the next day.[42]
October 6 – The
Polish campaign ends as
Germany and the
Soviet Union gain effective control over all of
Poland. During the campaign, the Luftwaffe has lost 285 aircraft – 79 fighters, 78 bombers, 31 dive bombers, and 97 other aircraft – destroyed; 279 aircraft damaged; and 413 aircrew killed and 126 wounded.[42] Poland has lost 333 aircraft.
October 8 – The Royal Air Force scores its first aerial victory of World War II when a
Lockheed Hudson shoots down a German
Dornier Do 18 over
Jutland.
December 4 – Flying in bad weather, an
Ala LittoriaJunkers Ju 52/3mlu (registration I-BAUS) strikes a hillside near
Bayerisch Eisenstein,
Germany, at an altitude of about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) during the final leg of a flight from
Munich to
Berlin and crashes, killing four of the 17 people on board.[52]
December 13 – A
Fairey Seafoxfloatplanecatapulted from the British
light cruiserHMS Ajax spots fire for her guns while she fires on the German "
pocket battleship"
Admiral Graf Spee during the
Battle of the River Plate. It is the first time in World War II that a ship-based seaplane spots gunfire for a Royal Navy ship and is considered a classic example of the use of a floatplane in such a role; the pilot,
Lieutenant E. D. G. Lewin, receives the
Distinguished Service Cross for the action. The Seafox goes on to conduct reconnaissance flights over the Admiral Graf Spee daily until her crew scuttles her on December 17.[53]
^
abAngelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York:
Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 263.
^Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, p. 890.
^Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, p. 892.
^Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 910–911.
^Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, p. 912.
^
abBoyne, Walter J., "Lost Luftwaffe Airplanes," Aviation History, November 2015, p. 35.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 382.
^Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909–1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001,
ISBN978-1-55750-432-6, p. 117-118.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 19.
^
abcMondey, David, ed., The Complete Illustrated History of the World's Aircraft, Secaucus, New Jersey:
Chartwell Books, 1978,
ISBN0-89009-771-2, p. 35.
^
abcdThomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986,
ISBN978-0-671-75876-9, p. 920.
^Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917–1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 32.
^
abDijkstra, Ronald (2016).
"Boeing 100 jaar - 80 jaar samenwerking met de KLM". Luchtvaart Historisch Tijdschrift LUCHTVAARTKENNIS (en:Aviation Historical Magazine AVIATION KNOWLEDGE) (in Dutch). Vol. 3, no. 65. Holland: Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Luchtscheepvaart (en:Association for the Promotion of Aviation). p. 81.
ISSN1381-9100.
^
abcdHardesty, Von, Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941–1945, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982,
ISBN978-0-87474-510-8, p. 51.
^
abcdPrice, Alfred, Luftwaffe: Birth, Life, and Death of an Air Force, New York: Ballantine Books, Inc., 1969, p. 40.
^Price, Alfred, Luftwaffe: Birth, Life, and Death of an Air Force, New York: Ballantine Books, Inc., 1969, p. 26.
^Hinchcliffe, Peter, The Other Battle: Luftwaffe Night Aces Versus Bomber Command, Edison, New Jersey: Castle Books, 2001,
ISBN978-0-7858-1418-4, p. 26.
^Morison, Samuel Eliot, History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II, Volume I: The Battle of the Atlantic September 1939 – May 1943, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1988, p. 14.
^
abAngelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 156.
^Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917–1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 33.
^Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917–1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990,
ISBN0-87021-026-2, p. 33-34.
^Condon, Richard W., The Winter War: Russia Against Finland, New York: Ballantine Books Inc., 1972, p. 7.
^Condon, Richard W., The Winter War: Russia Against Finland, New York: Ballantine Books Inc., 1972, pp. 29, 30, 32.
^Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909–1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001,
ISBN978-1-55750-432-6, p. 118.
^Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991,
ISBN1-55750-076-2, pp. 17, 151–152.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 80.
^Hinchcliffe, Peter, The Other Battle: Luftwaffe Night Aces Versus Bomber Command, Edison, New Jersey: Castle Books, 2001,
ISBN978-0-7858-1418-4, p. 27.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 451, 453.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 207, 569.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, pp. 169–170.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 388.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 364, 570.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 65.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 146, 570.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 179.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 103.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997,
ISBN978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 81.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 224, 567.
^Boyne, Walter J., "Unfettered Turkeys," Aviation History, July 2008, p. 47.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987,
ISBN978-0-517-56588-9, p. 457.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 40.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 378–379.
^Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979,
ISBN978-0-87021-313-7, p. 170.
^Polmar, Norma, "Historic Aircraft: The Hall Contribution," Naval History, February 2014, p. 15.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, pp. 160–161.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 92.