Footage of No. 56 (Punjab) Squadron Hurricanes and No. 65 (East India) Squadron Spitfires operating from RAF Rochford (now Southend Airport), August 1940. Source: British Pathé
1940
19
Aug
Monday 19 August 1940
Isolated raids on Britain. Heavy reconnaissance activity. Night: Widespread harassing raids. Minelaying. Weather: Mainly cloudy. Occasional showers in the east. Enemy Action by Day Monday, 19 August 1940, brought overcast skies and scattered showers across eastern Britain. On the surface, it appeared to be a quieter day in the Battle of Britain, marked by isolated […]
20
Aug
Tuesday 20 August 1940
Scattered raids in the morning. Kent and Essex airfields attacked during the afternoon. Night: Very little activity. One or two raids in the south-west. Weather: Generally cloudy, rain spreading from the north. Channel mainly fine. Enemy Action by Day The weather on Tuesday, 20 August 1940, was largely overcast across Britain, with rain moving down […]
21
Aug
Wednesday 21 August 1940
Small raids on airfields in the east and south. Night: Slight activity including Scotland. Weather: Cloudy, occasional rain. Enemy Action by Day The Luftwaffe’s operations on Wednesday, 21 August 1940, were hampered by poor weather and low visibility, yet attacks continued in the form of scattered bombing runs, reconnaissance probes, and fighter-bomber raids across a […]
22
Aug
Thursday 22 August 1940
Shipping reconnaissance and attacks on two Channel convoys. Night: Increased activity particularly in the Midlands, north and west. Some minelaying. Weather: Cloudy and squally. Enemy Action by Day Cloudy skies and squally weather persisted throughout the day, with strong winds and rain sweeping across much of Britain. While these poor conditions curtailed large-scale aerial operations […]
23
Aug
Friday 23 August 1940
Single raids in the south and reconnaissance flights. Night: Main attacks in South Wales. Weather: Showers with bright intervals. Cloudy in Straits, Channel and Thames Estuary. Enemy Action by Day The weather on Friday, 23 August 1940, remained unsettled, with intermittent showers and brief bright intervals. Thick cloud cover blanketed the Straits of Dover, the […]
24
Aug
Saturday 24 August 1940
Airfield attacks in south-east; Manston evacuated. Heavy raid on Portsmouth. Night: Heavier attacks over wide area. Minelaying. Weather: Fine and clear in the south, drizzle in the north. Enemy Action by Day The lull of the previous five days had allowed both the RAF and the Luftwaffe to regroup. RAF radar stations, though damaged in […]
25
Aug
Sunday 25 August 1940
Slight activity in the morning, main raids by Luftflotte 3 in the south-west during the afternoon. Night: Continued widespread attacks with the main concentration in the Midlands. Weather: Early morning fair but remainder of day cloudy. Enemy Action by Day: Many RAF pilots in 10 and 11 Groups spent the early hours in the warm […]
26
Aug
Monday 26 August 1940
Dover, Folkestone and airfields in Kent and Essex attacked. Lesser raids in the Solent. Night: Widespread raids, Industrial areas and airfields the main targets. Weather: Mainly cloudy but dry. Brighter in the south. Enemy Action by Day By the final week of August, the Luftwaffe had shifted tactics to large-scale, heavily escorted daylight raids, hoping […]
27
Aug
Tuesday 27 August 1940
Reconnaissance mainly in the Portsmouth – Southampton area. Night: Widespread attacks on industry and airfields from Lincolnshire to Portsmouth. Weather: Rain in central and eastern England. Some cloud in the Channel and haze over Dover Straits. Enemy Action by Day The day began with poor weather across much of Britain. Rain and low cloud covered […]