Convoys off shipping at Dover attacked. Night: Widespread minelaying from the Needles, Isle of Wight, to Land’s End; Bristol Channel and eastern coastal waters. Weather: Occasional thunderstorms. Straits of Dover cloudy clearing to bright intervals. Enemy Action by Day Despite the clearing skies, German air operations were somewhat reduced compared to previous days. However, almost […]
1940
20
Jul
21
Jul
Sunday 21 July 1940
Raids on convoys in Channel and Straits of Dover. Night: Targets chiefly at Merseyside. Weather: Fine and fair early, clouding over during the morning. Fair in the evening. Enemy Action by Day Most Luftwaffe operations focused on the Channel and the Straits of Dover, with British convoys – particularly Convoy “Peewit” – as the primary […]
22
Jul
Monday 22 July 1940
Shipping off the south coast attacked. Night: Minelaying the whole length of the eastern seaboard. Weather: Straits fair; Channel cloudy. Light westerly winds in both. Bright intervals between showers in the east. Enemy Action by Day Enemy operations during daylight hours were significantly reduced compared to the previous day. Aside from a few attacks on […]
22
Jul
Air Drama Off The Coast
Newsreel footage “Air Drama Off The Coast”, 22 July 1940. Source: British Pathé
23
Jul
Tuesday 23 July 1940
East coast shipping raided. Night: Minelaying from Dover to the Tyne and Forth Estuary. Weather: Slight haze in the Straits of Dover. Cloudy with occasional rain in other districts. Enemy Action by Day Luftwaffe activity further diminished on 23 July, with most raids confined to reconnaissance and attacks on shipping off the East Coast. This […]
24
Jul
Wednesday 24 July 1940
Convoys and shipping in the Channel attacked Night: Nil. Weather: Channel and Straits of Dover cloudy. Coastal and hill fog in western districts spreading east. Rain in most districts. South-East England and the Thames Estuary 24 July saw some of the most intense air battles of the early Battle of Britain, particularly over the Thames […]
25
Jul
Thursday 25 July 1940
Convoys and shipping in the Channel raided Night: Minelaying in the Firth of Forth and Thames Estuary. Reconnaissance over Bristol and Channel area. Weather: Fine day with haze in the Straits of Dover. Winds north-westerly and light. Enemy Action by Day Luftwaffe operations focused once again on shipping in the English Channel, made more precise […]
25
Jul
Running The Gauntlet
Newsreel footage “Running The Gauntlet”, 25 July 1940. Source: British Pathé
26
Jul
Friday 26 July 1940
Shipping off the south coast attacked. Night: Minelaying in Thames Estuary and off the Norfolk coast. Bristol area. Weather: Heavy cloud with rain and poor visibility. Enemy Action by Day Despite the disastrous weather, the Luftwaffe persisted with sporadic bombing raids, primarily conducted by Fliegerkorps VIII. Most of these were aborted when RAF fighters rose […]
27
Jul
Saturday 27 July 1940
Raids on shipping and naval units in Dover harbour and Straits. Night: Attacks on south-west England. Weather: Fair Straits, cloudy in Channel. Slight rain in the midlands and the North Sea. Enemy Action by Day With a brief improvement in weather, Fliegerkorps VIII renewed its offensive against British shipping and naval units along the southern […]