1940 in aviation

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1940:

Events

The world's first high-performance, purpose-built night fighter, the British Bristol Beaufighter, enters combat.

January

January 6 - During the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland, Finnish Lieutenant Jorma Sarvanto managed to shoot down six Soviet Tupolev DB-3 bombers in one mission.

March

March 16 - The United Kingdom suffers its first civilian air-raid casualties of the war after a raid by KG 26 on Scapa Flow
March 25 - the U.S. government grants permission to the country's aircraft manufacturers to sell advanced combat aircraft to nations fighting the Axis powers.

April

April 9 - Germany invades Denmark and Norway, making extensive use of paratroops
April 13 - The British Royal Air Force (RAF) begins deploying sea mines around Germany's coastal waters.
April 24-28 - aircraft carrier HMS Glorious evacuates the Gloster Gladiators of No. 263 Squadron RAF from Norway

May

The Imperial Japanese Navy's air arm begins Operation 101, the largest aerial offensive of the Second Sino-Japanese War to date, seeking to destroy Nationalist Chinese air capabilities in Szechuan Province and military facilities around Chungking. It continues until the end of the summer, and will involve 3,715 sorties in 182 raids and the dropping of over 2,000 tons (1,800 kg) of bombs.
May 10 - Germany invades the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Paratroops again play a key role.
May 13 - the Sikorsky 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 the Ruhr Valley

June

June 4 - BOAC commences a twice-weekly service between the United Kingdom and Portugal, scheduled to connect with Pan Am flights from Lisbon to New York.
June 8 - after a second expedition to Norway, HMS Glorious is sunk by German light battleship (or battlecruisers) Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
June 10 - Italy declares war on the United Kingdom and France. 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

July 10 - the Battle of Britain commences with the first German attacks on British convoys in the English Channel.
Late July - In the first use of airborne radar for interception of an enemy aircraft, a British Bristol Blenheim IF night fighter destroys a German Dornier Do 17 bomber.

August

August 12-23 - The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) conducts Operation Eagle Attack (Adlerangriff), targeting British radar stations, inland Fighter Command airfields, and Royal Air Force communication centers during the Battle of Britain.
August 15 - The heaviest fighting of the Battle of Britain occurs, with the loss of 46 British and 76 German aircraft.
August 19 - First combat mission of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Mistubishi A6M Zero fighter. Twelve Zeroes escort 54 Mitsubishi G3M bombers over Chungking, but no Chinese aircraft rise to meet them.
August 24 - A German bomber crew bombs a residential area of south London, apparently in error, prompting a British retaliatory attack on August 26.
August 25-26 - The Royal Air Force makes its first air raid on Berlin of World War II.
August 27 - First flight of the motorjet-powered Caproni Campini N.1 is recognized as the first flight of a jet aircraft; the recognition later is retracted when news of the August 1939 flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178 is made public.
August 31 - Polish 303 Squadron, the most efficient allied unit of the Battle of Britain, enters action.
August 31 - In the Lovettsville Air Disaster, a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3A crashes in a thunderstorm killing all 25 aboard

September

Imperial Japanese Navy Aichi D3A dive bombers and Nakajima B5N carrier attack bombers begin bombing attacks on Chungking.
September 4 - Adolf Hitler orders German bombing attacks on London.
September 7 - Hermann Gx¶ring orders the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) to stop targeting British airfields and to attack the city of London instead.
September 7-September 8 - the largest mass air combat in history takes place over Great Britain, with 1,200 British and German aircraft operating in an area of only 24 x 48 km (15 x 30 miles).
September 10 - The Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) forms the Corpo Aereo Italiano (Italian Air Corps) as an expeditionary force for bombing the United Kingdom alongside the German Luftwaffe from bases in Belgium.
September 13 - The Imperial Japanese Navy's Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter scores its first aerial victories, when a flight of Zeroes attacks 27 Nationalist Chinese fighters over Chungking and claims to have destroyed all of them; actual Chinese loses probably are 13 to 24 aircraft. No Zeroes are lost.
September 15 - Germany makes its heaviest daylight raid on London. The Royal Air Force destroys 185 German aircraft over England during the day. As a result, Germany abandons its hopes of achieving victory in the Battle of Britain.
September 25 - The bombers of the Corpo Aereo Italiano (Italian Air Corps) arrive at their base in Belgium to participate in the Battle of Britain. The fighters will arrive later.
September 30 - The Battle of Britain is said to be over, with Hitler's planned invasion of the United Kingdom (Operation Sealion, or Unternehmen Seelx¶we) postponed indefinitely.

October

Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi G3M bombers based at Hanoi in French Indochina begin attacks on the Burma Road.
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.
October 24 - The Regia Aeronautica's (Italian Royal Air Force's) Corpo Aereo Italiano (Italian Air Corps) launches its first bombing raid over England, using 18 Fiat BR.20 bombers.

November

November 5 - Four RAF squadrons are deployed to Greece to support the country against Italian attacks.
November 11 - Regular ferry flights 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) at Taranto. The raid damaged the Italian battleship Conte di Cavour beyond repair, and extensively damaged two others, Littorio and Caio Duilio (see Battle of Taranto).
November 14-15 - 437 aircraft of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) make a massed air raid on Coventry. 380 civilians were killed and some 800 were wounded.

December

December 23 - Eddie August Schneider dies in crash when his plane is clipped by a navy bomber at Floyd Bennett Field.
December 29-30 - the Luftwaffe makes a devastating attack on London, making extensive use of incendiary weapons.

First flights

Ikarus Aero 2

January

January 4 - Fairey Fulmar production aircraft N1854
January 13 - Yakovlev Ya-26, prototype of the Yakovlev 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-1

August

August 28 - Caproni-Campini N.1, thermojet-powered aircraft

September

September 7 - Blohm & Voss BV 222
September 14 - Miles M.20 U-9

October

October 12 - Ilyushin TsKB-57, prototype of the Ilyushin Il-2
October 18 - Airspeed Fleet Shadower
October 26 - North American NA-73X, prototype of the P-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 Helldiver

Entered service

February

Blackburn Roc

March

Fairey Albacore with No. 826 Squadron FAA

May

Dewoitine D.520 with French squadrons

July

Fairey Fulmar with No. 806 Squadron FAA
Westland Whirlwind with No. 263 Squadron RAF

November

Avro Manchester with No. 207 Squadron RAF
November 23 - Handley Page Halifax with No. 35 Squadron RAF

1940 in Aviation Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia