August 1
Politics, Germany
Hitler issues Directive No. 17, which states that preparations for the invasion of England are to be complete by September 15, ready for an invasion between the 19th and 26th.

August 2
Sea War, Mediterranean
A British naval force attacks the Italian naval base on the island of Sardinia.

August 3-19
Africa, British Somaliland
Italian forces, superior in manpower and artillery, attack the 1475-strong garrison in British Somaliland from neighboring Ethiopia.

August 5
Politics, Germany
General Franz Halder, the chief-of-staff, inspects the first plans for the invasion of the Soviet Union. He proposes a two-pronged offensive, principally directed against Moscow, and a secondary attack on Kiev.

August 13-17
Air War, Britain
'Eagle Day' heralds a four-day German air offensive designed to destroy Britain's Fighter Command with raids on airfields and industrial targets. Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, postpones the early raids, however, and the later attacks are inconclusive.

Police and resuce workers frantically clear
debris after a German air raid on London

August 15
Air War, Britain
Three German air fleets totaling 900 fighters and 1300 bombers launch massed daylight and night attacks on British airfields and ports to lure RAF fighters into combat. Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding's 650 operational fighters, aided by effective radar defenses, are able to concentrate effectively to intercept the attackers in the coming days.

August 17
Politics, Germany
A total blockade of the British Isles is declared. Any Allied or neutral vessels found in British waters will be attacked on sight.

August 17-18
Sea War, Mediterranean
British naval vessels bombard Bardia and Fort Capuzzo, Libya, and shoot down 12 Italian bombers sent to attack them.

August 24-25
Air War, Britain
The Luftwaffe inflicts serious losses on the RAF during attacks on its main air bases in southeast England, straining the resources of Fighter Command to breaking point in a few days. London has also been bombed.

August 26-29
Air War, Germany
The RAF launches a night raid with 81 aircraft on Berlin following a similar raid on London. Raids also take place against Düsseldorf, Essen, and other cities. The raids contribute toward a critical change in Germany's strategy, as aircraft are redirected to make retaliatory raids on London. This move relieves the pressure on Fighter Command's air bases.