THE SPRINGFIELD UNION, Mass., Aug. 17, 1940

• Battle of Britain - Adlertag (Eagle Attack)
• German Luftwaffe vs. British Royal Air Force
• World War II - WWII

The front page has a nice banner headline: "NAZI PLANES BLAST LONDON'S SUBURBS AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS ALONG THAMES" with subheads. (see images) Nice for display.
Complete with all 16 pages, light toning and minor wear at the margins, generally nice.

Background: On August 17, 1940, during the height of the Battle of Britain's Adlertag (Eagle Attack) phase, the German Luftwaffe directed heavy air raids against targets surrounding London—including Thameshaven oil depots, Thames Estuary shipping lanes, and vital airfields like Biggin Hill—to degrade the city's air defenses in preparation for a planned invasion. RAF Fighter Command aggressively intercepted these incoming bomber formations and their fighter escorts over Kent and Essex, destroying roughly 45 German aircraft while losing around 25 of their own fighters, though the strikes still inflicted civilian casualties and structural damage on outskirts and industrial infrastructure. Occurring directly between the massive aerial engagements of August 15 and August 18 ("The Hardest Day"), this date represented a critical tactical phase focused on neutralizing RAF infrastructure before Adolf Hitler shifted strategy three weeks later, on September 7, to launch the sustained, direct bombing of central London known as the Blitz.