Commemoration Marks 85th Anniversary of World War Two’s Initial Named Air Battle

The families of servicemen who participated in the first named air engagement of World War Two will be honored at a special event in Lincoln, marking its 85th anniversary. This conflict, known as the Battle of the Heligoland Bight, occurred on 18 December 1939 and is now recognized as a pivotal moment in the war, following substantial casualties for the Royal Air Force during the ill-fated daylight operation. Jack Waterfall, 75, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, who organized the commemoration, was unaware of the battle until he began researching his uncle, who died while serving in the RAF in 1940. The event is scheduled to take place at the International Bomber Command Centre on 18 December. The Heligoland Bight is a geographical area situated near the German ports of Wilhelmshaven and Bremerhaven. The Air Ministry resolved to initiate an assault on German vessels located there to prevent them from providing support to U-boats in the North Atlantic. On 18 December 1939, a contingent of 24 Wellington bombers, dispatched from RAF stations in Honington and Mildenhall in Suffolk, and Feltwell in Norfolk, were tasked with sinking or damaging as many ships as possible. The designated targets were exclusively military, with a strict directive to avoid civilian casualties. The sole method to ensure precision was for the mission to be conducted in daylight. A prevailing belief suggested that bombers flying in close formation during daylight could defend themselves against fighter aircraft. This theory was about to be put to the test. “The action was such a disaster for the RAF, with the loss of half of the 24 bombers sent and 57 airmen killed,” stated Mr Waterfall. He added, “In the spring of 1940, Bomber Command changed to night operations, which by many is regarded as a turning point in the war.” Mr Waterfall remained unaware of this historical account until he collaborated with a cousin to ascertain the fate of their uncle, Sgt JH Waterfall, who went missing in action over Germany in 1940. “With the help of German contacts we traced our uncle’s grave and I was shown a really dramatic painting of Wellingtons being shot down, which turned out to be the Battle of Heligoland, which I had never heard of,” he recounted. “After seven years of research, we had tracked down most of the relatives of the men involved in the battle, and we published a book, Daylight to Darkness, and launched a website to mark the event,” he further explained. A spokesperson for the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln indicated that the event would include descendants of those lost in the battle and the unveiling of a commemorative stone. The spokesperson further expressed that the centre was indebted to Mr Waterfall for “ensuring that the operation and those lost on all sides are remembered. Mr Waterfall has consistently pushed to bring people together and promote reconciliation”. Information regarding Cambridgeshire news is available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites and provides details on its external linking policy.