On this day...... 13 August

1704: John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, and Prince Eugene of Savoy, with perhaps 52,000 British, Dutch, German, and Austrian troops defeated Marshal Tallard and the Elector of Bavaria, with 56,000 French and Bavarian troops, at the Battle of Blenheim, Marlborough having marched across Europe from the Netherlands to join Eugene on the Danube.  It proved an extremely bloody contest, with the allies suffering some 12,000 casualties, but inflicting on the French and Bavarians losses of 20,000, plus taking 14,000 prisoners.  The battle also proved the passing of the old French superiority in cavalry: a turning point in the battle was marked by an attack by eight squadrons of the elite Gendarmerie on five squadrons of British horse under Colonel Palmes.  Despite being outnumbered, Palmes counter-charged and routed the French.  The allied cavalry went on to secure victory, when Marlborough threw in a carefully hoarded reserve of 80 squadrons, supported by infantry and artillery, which burst through the French centre.

As the armies fought on land at Blenheim, the navies met at sea off Malaga.  Admiral Sir George Rooke commanded 51 British and Dutch ships of the line against 50 French and Spanish ships, plus 24 galleys, under the Comte de Toulouse.  The Franco-Spanish fleet hoped to drive the Anglo-Dutch fleet from the Straits of Gibraltar to allow a blockade of the British garrison on the Rock.  Sir Cloudisley Shovell won the action in the van, and was then able to support Rooke in the centre of the line, where several particularly powerful French ships had helped put most of the British vessels out of action.  Heavy casualties and extensive damage were suffered on both sides, although no ships were actually sunk, and the Anglo-Dutch fleet almost ran out of ammunition.  However, Toulouse chose not to renew the fight the following day, although the wind now favoured him, and the threat to Gibraltar was lifted.

1762: In an operation brilliantly planned by Lord Anson, a fleet under Sir George Pocock and troops commanded by the Earl of Albemarle captured the supposedly impregnable fortress of Havana, twelve ships of the line, 100 merchantmen, and two million dollars worth of booty, depriving Spain of the centre of its empire in the Americas.

1901: Sergeant-Major Young of the Cape Police won the Victoria Cross by spurring ahead during the pursuit of a group of Boers, and, ignoring enemy fire, riding down and capturing their commander.

1915: During a bombing raid on Turkish positions at Gallipoli, Private Lauder of the Royal Scots Fusiliers threw a grenade, but it hit the trench parapet and bounced back at the British bombing team.  Lauder immediately ran forward and stamped his foot on the grenade.  It exploded, taking off his foot, but the blast was sufficiently dampened that no-one else suffered injury.  Lauder was awarded the Victoria Cross.

1921: The Australian Air Force was granted the Royal prefix.

1940: Having declared "Adler Tag" - Eagle Day - the Luftwaffe continued with a full assault along the south coast.  Although the total later proved exaggerated, Fighter Command claimed at least 78 victories over enemy aircraft; 13 RAF fighters were lost in action.  The day's events are recorded on the RAF's Battle of Britain website.

At the same time, Bomber Command continued to send its Blenheim light bombers on unescorted daylight raids against targets in the Low Countries, including German airfields.  A strike by 12 Blenheims of 82 Squadron against Haamstede airfield proved disastrous, only one aircraft making it back to base after the formation was caught by Luftwaffe fighters.