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'The Hardest Day' Events

From 15.00 GMT on August the 18th to 15.00 GMT on August the 19th, 2015

'[Air Domination] Britain' will be available in AB

'The Hardest Day' will be available in RB / SB

You can join the event through the 'Events & Tournaments' tab in the main menu.

The Hardest day is the name given to a major air battle of the Second World War. The encounter took place during the Battle of Britain on the 18th of August 1940, between the British RAF and the German Luftwaffe. With the planned invasion of Britain in progress, following their rejection of all overtures for a negotiated peace, the Germans considered that a successful invasion would only be possible with air superiority. Hence, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring and the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (High Command of the German Air Force) were tasked with making this a reality.

With the RAF Fighter Command as their primary target, and following a series of attacks on convoys and airfields throughout July and early August, the Luftwaffe made an all out effort to gain the air superiority they believed was needed to secure a successful invasion. On the 18th of August, a series of air battles took place that were considered to be amongst the largest aerial engagements in history at that time. Both sides suffered heavy losses, however, the British were able to outperform the Luftwaffe by a ratio of 2:1. In the aftermath, both nations lost more aircraft on this day than at any other point during the campaign. For this reason, the 18th of August 1940 became known as “The Hardest Day”.



The War Thunder Team