What unsuccessful 1945 attack involved German ships. the RAF, and Focke-Wulf fighters?
Black Friday (1945) On 9 February 1945, a force of Allied Bristol Beaufighter aircraft suffered heavy casualties during an unsuccessful attack on the German destroyer "Z33" and its escorting vessels; the operation was labelled "Black Friday" by the surviving Allied aircrew. The German ships were sheltering in a strong defensive position in Førde Fjord, Norway, forcing the Allied aircraft to attack through heavy anti-aircraft fire. The Beaufighters and their escort of Mustang Mk III fighters from the RAF's No. 65 Squadron were also intercepted by twelve German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters of the "Luftwaffe" fighter wing Jagdgeschwader 5. In the resulting attack, the Allies damaged at least two of the German ships for the loss of seven Beaufighters shot down by flak guns. Another two Beaufighters and one Mustang were shot down by the Fw 190s. Four or five German fighters were shot down by the Allied aircraft, including one flown by German Ace Rudi Linz.
The Hardest Day The Hardest Day is a name given to a Second World War air battle fought during the Battle of Britain on 18 August 1940 between the German Luftwaffe and British Royal Air Force (RAF). By June 1940, the Allies had been defeated in Western Europe and Scandinavia. Britain rejected overtures for a negotiated peace. Consequently, Adolf Hitler issued the German armed forces ("Wehrmacht") Directive No. 16 ordering the invasion of the United Kingdom.