1943

1943

Jan 27th - B17's of the 1st Bombardment Wingmade the first heavy-bomber attack on Germany, attacking Emden and Wilhemshaven.
Jan 30th - Mosquito bombers of No 105 sqdn made the first daylight raid on Berlin.

Feb 11th - Air Marshall Sir Arthur Tedder RAF was appointed to be Air C-in-C Mediterranean Air Command.

Mar5th - First flight of the Gloster Meteor prototype and it becomes the first turbojet aircraft to enter service with the RAF and the only Allied turbojet to see operational service during the Second World War.

May 17th - Historic attack by the RAF's No 617 Sqdn led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson against the Ruhr Dam using the so called "bouncing bomb" conceived by Barnes Wallis.
May23 - Fairey Swordfish operating from the escort carrier H.M.S. Archer sinks the German submarine U-572 by rocket attack.

June - The Messerchmitt Me 262A jet-powered fighter is ordered into series production.
June 15th - The Arado Ar 234V-1 Blitz (Lightning), the prototype of the world's first tubojet-powered recce-bomber makes its first flight.

July 18th - The U.S. Navy airship K-74 is shot down by a German submarine off the Florida coast. It was the only U.S. airship to be destroyed by enemy action during the Second World War.
July 24th -The anti-radar device known as "Windows" is used by the RAF for the first time during an attack on Hamburg.
July 30th - First flight of the Arado Ar 234A jet reconnaissance bomber prototype.

Aug 1st - U.S.A.A.F. Mediterranean-based B 24 Liberators made a low-level attack on the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania.
Aug 2nd -RAF Bomber Command made its fourth major attack on Hamburg in 10 days. More than 3000 were employed in these attacks , but thanks to "Windows" only 87 aircraft, in total, were lost.
Aug 17th - In daylight attacks against Regensburg and Schweinfurt the Us Eith Army Air Force lost 59 heavy bombers.
Aug 18th - First operational use by the Luftwaffe of the Henschel HS 293 A-1 rocket-powered remotely-controlled glide bombagainst British ships in the Bay of Biscay. a british corvette was sunk.
Aug 31st - First operational use of the Grumman F6F Hellcat by U.S. navy squadron.

Sept - First flight of the DFS 228 rocket released from a Do 217K carrier.
Sept 15th - RAF Lancaster made the first operational dropping of a 12000-lb bomb on the Dortmund-Elms Canal in Germany.
Sept 20th - The prototype of the de Havilland Vampire turbo-powered single-seat fighter made its first flight at Hatfield,Hertford shire. .

Oct 26th - First flight of Dornier Do 335 single-seat multi-role fighter prototype, powered by both tractor and pusher engines

Nov

Dec 20th - Allied aircraft begin intensive bombing attacks on V-1 launching sites being prepared in Northern France.