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WWII On This Day: May 16

What happened on May 16 during World War II? This date brings together 2 events from 1940 and 1943, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.

1940
A formation of Heinkel He 111s in the Battle of Britain
Imperial War Museums, MH6547 · Public domain · Source
The Battle of Britain

Dowding warns against draining the home defence

As the German offensive broke the Allied front in France, French requests for additional fighter squadrons increased. Dowding warned the Air Ministry that continuing to send the home fighter force across the Channel risked leaving Britain without the strength required for its own defence. The decision was not Dowding's alone and Fighter Command continued to operate over France and Dunkirk. His memorandum mattered because it stated the strategic trade-off plainly: fighters lost in a collapsing continental campaign could not defend British airspace a few weeks later. Fighter Command entered July…

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1943
The breached Möhne Dam photographed by Flying Officer Jerry Fray on 17 May 1943, hours after Operation Chastise.
The breached Möhne Dam photographed by Flying Officer Jerry Fray on 17 May 1943, hours after Operation Chastise. Flying Officer Jerry Fray / Royal Air Force · Public domain (UK Government) Source
The Combined Bomber Offensive

Operation Chastise

Nineteen specially modified Lancasters attacked the Ruhr reservoir system at low altitude. The Möhne and Eder dams were breached; the Sorpe was damaged but not broken. Eight aircraft and 53 aircrew were lost. Flooding killed roughly 1,300 to 1,600 people, including many foreign forced labourers and prisoners.

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