Circus offensive, the Glossary
Circus was the codename given to operations by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War where bombers, with a mass escort of fighters, were sent over continental Europe to bring Luftwaffe fighters into combat.[1]
Table of Contents
44 relations: Air Ministry, Air officer commanding, Anti-aircraft warfare, Battle of Britain, Béthune, Bomber, Brewster F2A Buffalo, Bristol Blenheim, Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford, Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom), Douglas Bader, Eastern Front (World War II), Eric Lock, Fighter-bomber, Handley Page Hampden, Hawker Hurricane, Hugh Dowding, Jagdgeschwader 2, Jagdgeschwader 26, Keith Park, Lille, Luftwaffe, Malayan campaign, Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II, No. 11 Group RAF, No. 2 Group RAF, No. 5 Group RAF, Office of Public Sector Information, Operation Barbarossa, Operation Ramrod 16, Pacific War, Paddy Finucane, RAF Bomber Command, Royal Air Force, Royal Air Force daylight raids, 1940–1944, Ruhr, Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside, Short Stirling, South East England, Soviet Union, Strait of Dover, Target of opportunity, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, World War II.
- World War II aerial operations and battles of the Western European Theatre
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964.
See Circus offensive and Air Ministry
Air officer commanding
Air Officer Commanding (AOC) is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth (and some other) nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment which typically comprises a large, organized collection of air force assets.
See Circus offensive and Air officer commanding
Anti-aircraft warfare
Anti-aircraft warfare is the counter to aerial warfare and it includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action" (NATO's definition).
See Circus offensive and Anti-aircraft warfare
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain (Luftschlacht um England, "air battle for England") was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe. Circus offensive and battle of Britain are aerial operations and battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom and World War II aerial operations and battles of the Western European Theatre.
See Circus offensive and Battle of Britain
Béthune
Béthune (archaic and Bethwyn historically in English) is a town in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.
See Circus offensive and Béthune
Bomber
A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles.
See Circus offensive and Bomber
Brewster F2A Buffalo
The Brewster F2A Buffalo is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II.
See Circus offensive and Brewster F2A Buffalo
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war.
See Circus offensive and Bristol Blenheim
Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Frederick Algernon Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford, (21 May 1893 – 22 April 1971) was a senior Royal Air Force officer.
See Circus offensive and Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford
Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) is the professional head of the Royal Air Force and a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Air Force Board.
See Circus offensive and Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)
Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War.
See Circus offensive and Douglas Bader
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in contemporary German and Ukrainian historiographies, was a theatre of World War II fought between the European Axis powers and Allies, including the Soviet Union (USSR) and Poland.
See Circus offensive and Eastern Front (World War II)
Eric Lock
Eric Stanley Lock, (19 April 1919 – 3 August 1941) was a British Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War.
See Circus offensive and Eric Lock
Fighter-bomber
A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft.
See Circus offensive and Fighter-bomber
Handley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden is a British twin-engine medium bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF).
See Circus offensive and Handley Page Hampden
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd.
See Circus offensive and Hawker Hurricane
Hugh Dowding
Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, (24 April 1882 – 15 February 1970) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force.
See Circus offensive and Hugh Dowding
Jagdgeschwader 2
Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen" was a German fighter wing during World War II.
See Circus offensive and Jagdgeschwader 2
Jagdgeschwader 26
Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26) Schlageter was a German fighter-wing of World War II.
See Circus offensive and Jagdgeschwader 26
Keith Park
Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park, (15 June 1892 – 6 February 1975) was a New Zealand-born officer of the Royal Air Force (RAF).
See Circus offensive and Keith Park
Lille
Lille (Rijsel; Lile; Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders.
See Circus offensive and Lille
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe was the aerial-warfare branch of the Wehrmacht before and during World War II.
See Circus offensive and Luftwaffe
Malayan campaign
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the, was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War.
See Circus offensive and Malayan campaign
Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II
The Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre was a major theatre of operations during the Second World War.
See Circus offensive and Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II
No. 11 Group RAF
No.
See Circus offensive and No. 11 Group RAF
No. 2 Group RAF
No.
See Circus offensive and No. 2 Group RAF
No. 5 Group RAF
No.
See Circus offensive and No. 5 Group RAF
Office of Public Sector Information
The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of His Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) and of other public information services of the United Kingdom.
See Circus offensive and Office of Public Sector Information
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II.
See Circus offensive and Operation Barbarossa
Operation Ramrod 16
Ramrod 16 was an attempt by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to bomb the Koninklijke Hoogovens (Royal Blast Furnaces) steelworks at IJmuiden in the Netherlands during the Second World War. Circus offensive and Operation Ramrod 16 are aerial operations and battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom and World War II aerial operations and battles of the Western European Theatre.
See Circus offensive and Operation Ramrod 16
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theater, was the theater of World War II that was fought in eastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania.
See Circus offensive and Pacific War
Paddy Finucane
Wing Commander Brendan Eamonn Fergus Finucane, (16 October 1920 – 15 July 1942), known as Paddy Finucane amongst his colleagues, was an Irish Second World War Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot and flying ace—defined as an aviator credited with five or more enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat.
See Circus offensive and Paddy Finucane
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968.
See Circus offensive and RAF Bomber Command
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
See Circus offensive and Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force daylight raids, 1940–1944
A strategic bombing campaign was waged by RAF Bomber Command against Nazi Germany and other Axis powers in Europe during the Second World War. Circus offensive and Royal Air Force daylight raids, 1940–1944 are aerial operations and battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom.
See Circus offensive and Royal Air Force daylight raids, 1940–1944
Ruhr
The Ruhr (Ruhrgebiet, also Ruhrpott), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside
Marshal of the Royal Air Force William Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside, (23 December 1893 – 29 October 1969) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.
See Circus offensive and Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside
Short Stirling
The Short Stirling was a British four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War.
See Circus offensive and Short Stirling
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England in the United Kingdom at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes.
See Circus offensive and South East England
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.
See Circus offensive and Soviet Union
Strait of Dover
The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait (Pas de Calais - Strait of Calais) is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, and separating Great Britain from continental Europe.
See Circus offensive and Strait of Dover
Target of opportunity
A target of opportunity is a target "visible to a surface or air sensor or observer, which is within range of available weapons and against which fire has not been scheduled or requested." A target of opportunity comes in two forms; "unplanned" and "unanticipated".
See Circus offensive and Target of opportunity
Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, (11 July 1892 – 14 November 1944) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.
See Circus offensive and Trafford Leigh-Mallory
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers.
See Circus offensive and World War II
See also
World War II aerial operations and battles of the Western European Theatre
- Augsburg raid
- Baedeker Blitz
- Bath Blitz
- Battle of Barking Creek
- Battle of Britain
- Battle of the Heligoland Bight (1939)
- Big Week
- Black Friday (1945)
- Bombing of Foggia
- Bombing of Normandy
- Casablanca directive
- Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident
- Circus offensive
- D-Day naval deceptions
- Defence of the Reich
- Exeter Blitz
- Fighter-bomber attacks on the United Kingdom during World War II
- Haddock Force
- Norwich Blitz
- Operation Bodenplatte
- Operation Carpetbagger
- Operation Catechism
- Operation Corona
- Operation Diver
- Operation Donnerkeil
- Operation Freshman
- Operation Gisela
- Operation Goodwood (naval)
- Operation Jericho
- Operation Judgement (1945)
- Operation Mascot
- Operation Obviate
- Operation Paravane
- Operation Paula
- Operation Ramrod 16
- Operation Robinson
- Operation Sportpalast
- Operation Steinbock
- Oslo Mosquito raid
- RAF raid on La Caine (1944)
- Sunderland Blitz
References
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_offensive
Also known as Operation Circus.