day. The day's operations cost the Luftwaffe heavy losses which prompted the crews to refer to the 15 August as "Black Thursday." Dickore was replaced by Rolf Kaldrack. ZG 76 was back in action the following day. Heavy raids were made against airfields in southern England, though German intelligence failings often mistook RAF Bomber Command, RAF Coastal Command and Fleet Air Arm bases for fighter fields. The day's operations cost ZG 76 four crews and one damaged, from the Stab/ZG 76 in combat with No. 609 and No. 19 Squadron. The casualties were sustained when 100 aircraft from StG 2, Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing) followed by 12 Kampfgeschwader 54 (KG 54—54th Bomber Wing) Ju 88s escorted by III./ZG 76 struck at Tangmere and other airfields. ZG 76 did not participate in the battles of the 18 August—known as The Hardest Day—it reported no casualties on this date. ZG 26 made up the burden of Bf 110 operations and suffered heavy losses. 13 Bf 110s were recorded as destroyed and 6 damaged. Among their casualties were two Staffelkapitän. Little activity was recorded over the following days, the only casualty being a II./ZG 76 machine in a taxiing accident at Jersey Airport; the gruppe retained a staffel there on 24 August during the German occupation of the Channel Islands in 1940. According to German loss reports from the quartermaster general Hans-Georg von Seidel, ZG 2, V./LG 1 and ZG 76 were active on 25 August. ZG 76 reported the loss of one crew, their fate is unknown. ZG 2 reported the loss of four Bf 110s and three damaged. V./LG 1 suffered two losses and two damaged. ZG 76 reported no losses on 26 August; ZG 76 reported one severely damaged and ZG 26 lost three over Chelmsford. ZG 76's last major operation of the month occurred on 30 August. Two of its aircraft were lost and one damaged. While escorting Do 17s in the vicinity of RAF Manston, No. 85 and No. 111 Squadron intercepted the German formation by chance after initialling being vectored to investigate an unknown formation—which transpired to be Blenheims from No. 25 Squadron RAF. The action attracted No. 54 Squadron led by Alan Christopher Deere the scene and they damaged two of the bombers. The battle reached a climax in September 1940. On 1 September, ZG 76 were flying combat operations and reported one damaged