Convoy raids off North Foreland and Dover. Night: The east coast, home counties and western Scotland attacked. Weather: Showery in south-east England and Channel. Continuous rain elsewhere. Morning Operations and Reconnaissance At first light, Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft, including Dornier Do 17s, Do 215s, and Ju 88s, swept out from France under cloud cover to scout […]
1940
10
Jul
11
Jul
Thursday 11 July 1940
Convoys attacked off Suffolk. Portland harbour raided. Night: Activity over south-west England, East Anglia, Yorkshire coast and Portsmouth. Weather: Channel overcast. Cloud base 5,000ft, Visibility fair. Thunderstorms and bright intervals in the midlands and north. Enemy Action by Day On the morning of 11 July, between 0600 and 0900 hours, the Luftwaffe launched a number […]
12
Jul
Friday 12 July 1940
Attacks on convoy off Norfolk-Suffolk coast, shipping off the Isle of Wight and Aberdeen. Night: South Wales and Bristol areas. Weather: Mainly cloudy with early-morning fog in the Channel. Thunderstorms in many districts. The Luftwaffe’s activity on 12 July was sporadic and understrength, with most of the fighting occurring along the East and South Coasts […]
13
Jul
Saturday 13 July 1940
Shipping attacks off Dover and Portland. Night: Minelaying in Thames Estuary. Weather: Early morning fog in southern England clearing by mid-morning. Enemy Action by Day The day began quietly with early fog over southern England, but by mid-morning, as conditions improved, the Luftwaffe resumed its intermittent attacks on British coastal targets. Shipping and convoys remained […]
14
Jul
Sunday 14 July 1940
Shipping attacks off Dover and Swanage. Night: Bristol area, Isle of Wight, Kent and Suffolk raided. Weather: Fair all day. Enemy Action by Day Enemy operations remained limited in scale despite clear weather. Luftwaffe activity focused primarily on shipping reconnaissance and light bombing raids. RAF fighter patrols were effective in repelling most attacks, and the […]
15
Jul
Monday 15 July 1940
Shipping attacked off Norfolk coast and the Channel. Yeovil bombed. Night: Minelaying. Weather: Low cloud. Enemy Action by Day Worsening weather with low cloud significantly reduced Luftwaffe operations over southern England and the Channel. The Luftwaffe confined itself to a few reconnaissance missions and isolated bombing raids, with little success. In the early morning, German […]
16
Jul
Tuesday 16 July 1940
Very little activity. Weather: Fog in France, the Straits and south-east England. Note: On this day, Hitler issued Directive No. 16 ordering the preparation of an invasion plan to ‘eliminate the English motherland as a base from which war against Germany can be continued and, if this should become unavoidable, to occupy it to the […]
17
Jul
Wednesday 17 July 1940
Search for shipping off Scottish and east coasts. Night: Targets attacked in south-west. Minelaying. Weather: Dull with occasional rain. Enemy Action by Day Adverse weather again restricted operations. The Luftwaffe carried out a limited number of raids, primarily directed against shipping and convoys. A Do 17 penetrated inland as far as Kenley at 11:36 hours […]
18
Jul
Thursday 18 July 1940
Shipping off south and east coasts attacked. Night: Very little activity. Weather: Occasional rain in southern districts. Straits of Dover cloudy. Cool. Enemy Action by Day Despite the ongoing rain, clearer skies allowed the Luftwaffe to resume offensive operations, particularly against shipping and radar installations. The day began with four enemy raids crossing the coast […]
19
Jul
Friday 19 July 1940
Dover raided. Defiant squadron largely destroyed. Weather: Showery with bright intervals in most cases. Channel winds light – fair. Night: Some activity between Isle of Wight and Plymouth, Thames Estuary and Harwich. In Berlin, Adolf Hitler delivered what he called his “Last Appeal to Reason,” declaring his desire for peace while simultaneously boasting of the […]