- 1940 in aviation
yearbox
in?=in aviation
cp=19th Century
c=20th century
cf=21st century
yp1=1937
yp2=1938
yp3=1939
year=1940
ya1=1941
ya2=1942
ya3=1943
dp3=1910s
dp2=1920s
dp1=1930s
d=1940s
dn1=1950s
dn2=1960s
dn3=1970sThis is a list of
aviation -related events from1940 :Events
January
*
January 6 - During theWinter War between theSoviet Union andFinland , Finnish LieutenantJorma Sarvanto managed to shoot down six Soviet Tupolev DB-3 bombers in one mission.March
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March 16 - TheUnited Kingdom suffers its first civilian air-raid casualties of the war after a raid byKG 26 onScapa Flow
*March 25 - the U.S. government grants permission to the country'saircraft manufacturer s to sell advanced combat aircraft to nations fighting theAxis powers .April
*
April 9 - Germany invadesDenmark andNorway , making extensive use ofparatroops
*April 13 - The BritishRoyal Air Force (RAF) begins deploying sea mines aroundGermany 's coastal waters.
*April 24 -28 -aircraft carrier HMS "Glorious" evacuates theGloster Gladiator s ofNo. 263 Squadron RAF fromNorway May
*
May 10 - Germany invades theNetherlands ,Belgium , andLuxembourg . Paratroops again play a key role.
*May 13 - theSikorsky VS-300 , which made its first flight the previous year, makes its first untethered flight.
*May 15 -16 - British bombers make their first attack on German land targets, in theRuhr Valley June
*
June 4 -BOAC commences a twice-weekly service between theUnited Kingdom andPortugal , scheduled to connect withPan Am flights fromLisbon toNew York .
*June 8 - after a second expedition to Norway, HMS "Glorious" is sunk by Germanbattlecruiser s (or light battleships) "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau".
*June 10 -Italy declares war on theUnited Kingdom andFrance . The Italian Royal Air Force ("Regia Aeronautica "), the Italian Royal Navy ("Regia Marina "), the German Air Force ("Luftwaffe "), and the German Navy ("Kriegsmarine ") begin the "Siege of Malta".July
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July 10 - theBattle of Britain commences with the first German attacks on British convoys in theEnglish Channel .August
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August 15 - the heaviest fighting of the Battle of Britain occurs, with the loss of 46 British and 76 German aircraft.
*August 25 -26 - TheRoyal Air Force makes its first air raid onBerlin of the war.
*August 31 -Polish 303 Squadron , the most efficient allied unit of the Battle of Britain, enters action.eptember
*
September 7 -Hermann Göring orders the German Air Force ("Luftwaffe ") to stop targeting British airfields and to attack the city ofLondon instead.
* September 7-September 8 - the largest mass air combat in history takes place overGreat Britain , with 1,200 British and German aircraft operating in an area of only 24 x 48 km (15 x 30 miles).
*September 15 - Germany makes its heaviest daylight raid on London
*September 30 - TheBattle of Britain is said to be over, withHitler 's planned invasion of theUnited Kingdom (Operation Sealion , or "Unternehmen Seelöwe") postponed indefinitely.October
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October 8 -No. 71 Squadron RAF , "Eagle Squadron" is formed, comprising American volunteers.
* October 8 - Josef František, the Czech ace (17 victories) - the most efficient allied pilot of the Battle of Britain, died in an aircrash.November
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November 5 - Four RAF squadrons are deployed toGreece to support the country against Italian attacks.
*November 11 - Regularferry flight s of US-built warplanes commence across the Atlantic.
* November 11-12 -Fairey Swordfish from HMS "Illustrious" make a highly successful raid against ships of the Italian Royal Navy ("Regia Marina ") atTaranto . The raid damaged the Italian battleship "Conte di Cavour" beyond repair, and extensively damaged two others, "Littorio" and "Caio Duilio" (seeBattle of Taranto ).
*November 14 -15 - 437 aircraft of the German Air Force ("Luftwaffe ") make a massed air raid onCoventry . 380 civilians were killed and some 800 were wounded.December
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December 23 -Eddie August Schneider dies in crash when his plane is clipped by a navy bomber atFloyd Bennett Field .
*December 29 -30 - the Luftwaffe makes a devastating attack onLondon , making extensive use of incendiary weapons.First flights
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Ikarus Aero 2 January
*January 4 -Fairey Fulmar production aircraft "N1854"
*January 13 - Yakovlev Ya-26, prototype of theYakovlev Yak-1 February
*February 24 -Hawker Typhoon prototype "P5212"March
*March 20 -Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle prototype "P1361"May
*May 18 - SAAB B17
*May 29 - Vought XF4U-1August
*August 28 -Caproni-Campini N.1 ,thermojet -powered aircraftSeptember
*September 7 -Blohm & Voss BV 222
*September 14 -Miles M.20 October
*October 12 - Ilyushin TsKB-57, prototype of theIlyushin Il-2
*October 18 -Airspeed Fleet Shadower
*October 26 - North American NA-73X, prototype of theP-51 Mustang November
*November 25 -de Havilland Mosquito prototype "W4050"
*November 29 -Junkers Ju 288 December
*December 7 -Fairey Barracuda prototype "P1767"
*December 18 - Curtiss SB2C HelldiverEntered service
February
*Blackburn Roc March
*Fairey Albacore withNo. 826 Squadron FAA May
*Dewoitine D.520 with French squadronsJuly
*Fairey Fulmar withNo. 806 Squadron FAA
* Westland Whirlwind withNo. 263 Squadron RAF November
*Avro Manchester withNo. 207 Squadron RAF
*November 23 -Handley Page Halifax withNo. 35 Squadron RAF
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