http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/aug40/f14aug40.htm
British give secrets to Americans
Wednesday, August 14, 1940 www.onwar.com
In the United States... Sir Henry Tizard heads a British scientific mission to the United States, carrying with him details of all of Britain’s most advanced thinking in several vital fields. There are ideas on jet engines, explosives, gun turrets and above all a little device called the cavity magnetron. This valve is vital for the development of more advanced types of radar, including the versions used in proximity fuses later and the types working on centimetric wavelengths which will be vital at sea in the U-boat war. The US Official History will later describe this collection as the “most valuable cargo ever brought to our shores.”
Over Britain... The weather is less good for flying, and the Luftwaffe confines itself to small-scale operations which include raids on Hastings and Southampton. About 500 sorties are flown by each side. The RAF loses eight planes, the German 19.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/14.htm
August 14th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing -oil targets at Bordeaux and St. Nazaire - Caproni aircraft factory at Milan.
51 Sqn. Four aircraft to Bordeaux. One returned early, three bombed primary. One hit by balloon barrage on return, crew killed.
77 Sqn. Twelve aircraft to St. Nazaire. Two returned early, ten bombed primary. One hit balloon barrage on return, crew killed.
78 Sqn. Six aircraft to Bordeaux. All bombed primary.
102 Sqn. Nine aircraft to Milan. All bombed primary.
RAF Fighter Command: German effort today amounts to almost 500 sorties.
Opening with a high-speed low-level attack on Manston by Bf110s of Erpro Gr 210. Only four bombs hit the airfield destroying a Puss Moth and damaging two Blenheims. Two of the attackers were shot down by ground defences.
At 12:20 the main Stuka force attacked Hawkinge and Dover, with a detachment sinking the Gate Light Vessel killing two crew.
A mid-afternoon raid by Do17s on Pevensey was thwarted and the attackers forced to jettison their load, but a later raid on Pevensey put four bombs in the radar station.
London: The Reuters News Agency reported:
The southeast of England has been the arena of heavy dogfights. This morning more than 300 German aircraft took part in the raids; but the RAF fighters foiled the intrusion of the enemy planes. Dozens of Messerschmitt fighter planes dived from a great altitude to protect their bombers, but the British air defence was so effective that in most cases the enemy wings had to veer off and change course.
London: Sir Henry Tizard leaves for the USA with various British scientific items and ideas for development including the magnetron.
U-59 sank SS Betty. (Dave Shirlaw)
LUXEMBOURG: Germany suspends the constitution, henceforth the Duchy will be ruled by the German civil service.
GERMANY: The Wehrmacht High Command announced:
On August 13 German aerial formations made effective bombing raids on the harbour and dock installations in Wallsend, Hartlepool, Bournemouth and Plymouth, and munitions plants in Exeter and Bristol, as well as major fuel storage depots in North Killingham.
A large number of violent dogfights took place during the raids in the Channel and on England, in the course of which 74 enemy aircraft were destroyed.
Berlin: The American United Press Agency reported:
Tonight an air raid alert was sounded in Berlin at 1:35 A.M. and ended at 2:22 A.M. This was the third alert in the German capital since the outbreak of war. No explosions could be heard from the vantage point on the United Press offices, nor were any searchlights seen operating. The German Ministry of Propaganda has stated that no details may be released as yet.
U-207 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
CANADA: Corvettes HMCS Baddeck and Buctouche laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)