This is the day on which the Germans officially commenced the Battle of Britain. An all out dawn assault was planned, but bad weather forced a delay until the afternoon, where the weather continued to muddle things. Few German missions succeeded and one group of Bf 110s, intended only as a feint for a group of Do 17s, found themselves determinedly set upon by several squadrons of RAF fighters. Unbeknownst to the Bf 110s, the Do 17 mission had been canceled, leaving them to draw all the attention. The Bf 110s went into a lufberry circle for defense, a tactic devised after suffering severe losses to RAF fighters in France and over Dunkirk. Nevertheless, five of twenty-three Zerst÷rers were lost for some damage to a few RAF fighters.
