| “Throughout the Battle of Britain, Royal Air Force (RAF) Fighter Command released an inaccurate total of enemy aircraft destroyed. Fighter Command was not actually sure of the total strength of the Luftwaffe. The inflated kill ratio did help to boost civilian morale. German losses never reached 126 aircraft during the Battle of Britain. 20 RAF fighters were lost on August 14, 1940; but only 20 Luftwaffe aircraft were destroyed. On September 16, a British flying boat arrived in New York City delivering news of a “record bag” of 185 enemy aircraft. The German Embassy tried in vain to correct the total. The Germans were ignored and The New York Times ran several excited stories calling for a military alliance with Britain and her Commonwealth. The Germans were slower in putting their story together. On September 17, the Nazi Party newspaper Völkischer Beobachter announced that attacks had caused considerable damage to London. It claimed the Luftwaffe destroyed 79 RAF aircraft for 43 losses. This was also a severe over claim. RAF losses amounted to 29 fighters and 30 other aircraft. Air Officer Commanding 11 Group Air Chief Marshal Keith Park (June 15, 1892 – February 6, 1975) was livid with the claim returns. As far as he was concerned, claiming 200 on 1 day was nonsense. He placed particular blame on Air Officer Commanding 12 Group Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory’s (July 11, 1892 – November 14, 1944) Big Wing which had claimed 1/3, around 60, of the 185 “victories” (total claims were 81 in the morning and 104 in the afternoon). 88 German aircraft were lost on August 15, and 89 German aircraft were lost on August 18. Throughout the Battle of Britain, Royal Air Force (RAF) Fighter Command released an inaccurate total of enemy aircraft destroyed. Fighter Command was not actually sure of the total strength of the Luftwaffe. The inflated kill ratio did help to boost civilian morale. German losses never reached 126 aircraft during the Battle of Britain. 26 RAF fighters were lost on September 3, 1940; but only 17 Luftwaffe aircraft were destroyed. On September 16, a British flying boat arrived in New York City delivering news of a “record bag” of 185 enemy aircraft. The German Embassy tried in vain to correct the total. The Germans were ignored and The New York Times ran several excited stories calling for a military alliance with Britain and her Commonwealth. The Germans were slower in putting their story together. On September 17, the Nazi Party newspaper Völkischer Beobachter announced that attacks had caused considerable damage to London. It claimed the Luftwaffe destroyed 79 RAF aircraft for 43 losses. This was also a severe over claim. RAF losses amounted to 29 fighters and 30 other aircraft. Air Officer Commanding 11 Group Air Chief Marshal Keith Park (June 15, 1892 – February 6, 1975) was livid with the claim returns. As far as he was concerned, claiming 200 on 1 day was nonsense. He placed particular blame on Air Officer Commanding 12 Group Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory’s (July 11, 1892 – November 14, 1944) Big Wing which had claimed 1/3, around 60, of the 185 “victories” (total claims were 81 in the morning and 104 in the afternoon). 88 German aircraft were lost on August 15, and 89 German aircraft were lost on August 18. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0311.jpg |
| Image Size | 380.81 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2310 x 1625 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United Kingdom Foreign Office |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 1, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | London |
| State or Province | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Archive | Imperial War Museum |
| Record Number | HU 810 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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