Reconnaissance along the south coast and Bristol Channel. Night: Little activity. Weather: Fair to fine early. Cloudy with bright intervals at midday, clearing in the evening. Enemy Action by Day Luftwaffe activity remained relatively limited as increasingly cloudy conditions curtailed operational flying over the Channel and northern France. During daylight hours, German aircraft conducted a […]
1940
04
Aug
05
Aug
Monday 5 August 1940
Shipping in Straits attacked. Night: Minelaying between the Wash and the Tay. Weather: Temperatures high. Fine weather with slight haze in the Channel. Enemy Action by Day The return of fine weather on 5 August 1940 brought renewed Luftwaffe activity across Britain’s skies. With clear conditions and only light haze over the Channel, reconnaissance flights […]
05
Aug
Air Attack On Dover Harbour
Newsreel footage “Air Attack On Dover Harbour”, 5 August 1940. Source: British Pathé
06
Aug
Tuesday 6 August 1940
Little activity Night: Minelaying off east and south-east coasts. Weather: Generally cloudy with fairly strong winds. Cloud ceiling 3,000 – 5,000 ft. Enemy Action by Day Luftwaffe activity was again curtailed by persistent cloud cover and moderate winds. The morning opened with a low-level bombing raid on RAF Llandow, a satellite airfield in South Wales. […]
07
Aug
Wednesday 7 August 1940
Convoy reconnaissances. Convoy off Cromer attacked. Night: Widespread raids from Thames Estuary to Aberdeen and from Poole, Dorset, to Land’s End and Liverpool. Weather: Mainly fair with cloud and thunderstorms in eastern districts. South-eastern districts cloudy. Winds variable. Enemy Action by Day The main Luftwaffe action during the day centred on convoy reconnaissance and one […]
08
Aug
Thursday 8 August 1940
Three major attacks on a Channel convoy. Night: Small raids and minelaying. Weather: Showers and bright intervals. Channel cloudy. Enemy Action by Day The fighting marked the climax of the Kanalkampf, during which the Luftwaffe sought to disrupt British coastal shipping and draw Fighter Command into sustained combat. The focal point was Convoy CW9, codenamed […]
09
Aug
Friday 9 August 1940
Quiet with isolated raids on east coast shipping. Night: Minelaying and attacks off east coast. Weather: Cloudy with showers, some bright intervals. Channel still cloudy. Following the intense and costly actions of 8 August, the Luftwaffe scaled back its daylight operations on 9 August, likely due to poor weather and the need to regroup after […]
10
Aug
Saturday 10 August 1940
Shipping and overland reconnaissance. Night: Minelaying. Weather: Squally and thundery, some bright intervals. Channel cloudy. The 10th of August was originally designated by the Luftwaffe as the launch date for Adlerangriff (“Attack of the Eagles”), the full-scale aerial offensive against RAF Fighter Command. However, poor weather across northern France and southern England delayed the operation. […]
11
Aug
Sunday 11 August 1940
Heavy attack on Portland, feints by fighter formations over Dover. Convoy attacks in Thames Estuary and off East Anglia. Night: Harassing attacks on Merseyside. Minelaying. Weather: Fair in morning, cloudy for most of the day. Although Adlerangriff would not officially begin until 13 August, Luftwaffe activity intensified sharply after several quieter days caused by poor […]
12
Aug
Monday 12 August 1940
Heavy raid on Portsmouth. Convoy in Thames Estuary, radar stations and coastal airfields attacked. Night: Widespread harassing raids. Weather: Fine with some mist patches. Enemy Action by Day On the eve of Adler Tag (Eagle Day), the Luftwaffe launched a powerful and highly coordinated assault across southern England in what amounted to a full-dress rehearsal […]