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.

Enemy Action by Day

The day opened with sporadic Luftwaffe activity across southern England and the North Sea. At 06:03 hours, Norfolk and Norwich Aerodrome was bombed. A hangar used for storing auxiliary fire service equipment was hit, and a clubhouse destroyed by fire.

At 07:03 hours, a Dornier Do 17 from 4.(F)/121 on a reconnaissance mission over Croydon, Northolt, and Brooklands was intercepted and shot down by Hurricanes of No. 145 Squadron off Shoreham. Other early raids appeared in the Bristol Channel, Portsmouth, and Swanage areas, targeting naval movements and coastal infrastructure.

10:13 Hours: Bombing of Glasgow

At 10:13 hours, two Dornier Do 17s from an unidentified unit crossed the coast north of Aberdeen and bombed the Govan and Scotstoun areas of Glasgow. Eight high-explosive bombs were dropped. A communal air-raid shelter received a direct hit, resulting in 42 civilian casualties, including two fatalities. Windows at the Royal Ordnance Factory in Cardonald were shattered, though the facility remained intact.

12:15–13:00 Hours: Defiant Disaster

At 12:15 hours, a formation of approximately thirty German aircraft—Bf 109s and bombers—was detected assembling behind Cap Gris-Nez and heading for Dover. RAF Fighter Command scrambled three squadrons: No. 111 Squadron (Hurricanes), No. 610 Squadron (Spitfires), and No. 141 Squadron (Defiants), which had arrived from Turnhouse and flown into RAF Hawkinge only hours earlier.

No. 141 Squadron was ordered to patrol a line south of Folkestone at 5,000 feet. Nine Defiants took off at 12:32 hours, with a tenth following just over five minutes later. At 13:00 hours, the squadron was ambushed by sixteen Bf 109s from III./JG 51, led by Hauptmann Hannes Trautloft, and II./JG 2 under Hauptmann Wolfgang Schellmann.

Attacking from above and behind, the German fighters exploited the Defiants’ fatal vulnerability—their lack of forward-firing guns. Four aircraft were destroyed in less than a minute. By the end of the engagement, six Defiants had been shot down; three returned to Hawkinge damaged. Intervention by Hurricanes of No. 111 Squadron may have prevented the patrol’s total destruction.

The action became known as “The Slaughter of the Innocents”. Four pilots were killed, two others wounded, and six air gunners reported missing. Confirmed German claims included three Defiants shot down by Leutnant Pichon-Kalau vom Hofe of Stab III./JG 51, one by Oberleutnant Walter Oesau of 7./JG 51, and another credited to Major Trautloft. One Bf 109 returned severely damaged and crash-landed upon reaching France.

16:00 Hours: Clash Over the Channel – Second Dover Engagement

At 16:00 hours, a second major Luftwaffe formation—comprising approximately thirty-six bombers and fighters—approached Dover. Hurricanes of No. 32 Squadron and Spitfires from Nos. 64 and 74 Squadrons were scrambled to intercept.

The confrontation developed into scattered dogfights over Folkestone and the Channel. RAF pilots claimed six Bf 109s and one Ju 87 destroyed, though few were officially confirmed. Verified German losses included three Bf 109s from 9./JG 51 and III./JG 27, with two pilots seriously wounded.

Two Spitfires of No. 64 Squadron were damaged but returned safely. No. 32 Squadron lost one Hurricane: Flight Sergeant G. Turner, flying Hurricane P3144, bailed out near Hougham at 16:25 hours after his aircraft caught fire. He sustained severe burns but was rescued.

Twenty-two bombs were dropped during the attack. The oiler War Sepoy was destroyed in a massive explosion, while the tug Simla, the drifter Golden Drift, and the destroyer HMS Griffin all sustained damage.

Additional Engagements and Interceptions

At 14:31 hours, Hurricanes of No. 43 Squadron engaged twelve Bf 109s off Selsey Bill. One Hurricane was lost; Flying Officer J.A. Buck baled out but drowned before rescue. At 17:35 hours, another Hurricane was shot down near West Grinstead; the pilot, Flight Lieutenant J.W.C. Simpson, baled out and survived with minor injuries.

At 18:03 hours, a Heinkel He 111 that had penetrated inland was intercepted and shot down off Shoreham. Flight Lieutenant D.O.M. Browne of No. 1 Squadron, flying Hurricane P3471, engaged the bomber but crash-landed after his aircraft caught fire; he escaped uninjured.

A section of Spitfires patrolling near Calais reported destroying two enemy seaplanes, though these claims remain unconfirmed.

Bombing of Civilian and Military Targets

Sporadic bombing and reconnaissance continued through the day. At 12:45 hours, bombs fell on Milton Aerodrome near Pembroke. At 17:20 hours, a boys’ school in Polruan, near Fowey, was demolished during an isolated raid. RAF Manston was attacked at 23:20 hours, but no significant damage occurred.

Enemy Action by Night

Between 23:30 and 02:30 hours, the Luftwaffe intensified minelaying operations. Thirty-three raids were plotted along the southern coast from the Isle of Wight to Plymouth, with some aircraft entering the Bristol Channel. Others concentrated on the Thames Estuary and Harwich area, where mines were also believed laid.

Additional raids extended along the east coast, with suspected minelaying off Hull, the Firth of Forth, and into the Firth of Clyde. Bombs were reported northwest of Kilmarnock and near Abbotsinch, where Abbotsinch Aerodrome was bombed at 01:20 hours. Stirling was struck at 02:20 hours, two houses being demolished.

A confirmed night victory came at 01:07 hours when a patrolling RAF Blenheim shot down a German seaplane near Harwich; it crashed into the sea in flames.

Berlin: “Last Appeal to Reason”

In Berlin, Adolf Hitler delivered what he termed his “Last Appeal to Reason,” declaring his desire for peace while boasting of the Luftwaffe’s dominance over the RAF. He praised Jagdgeschwader 51 for allegedly destroying 150 RAF aircraft and insisted the RAF was already too weak to resist Germany’s bomber force. The same day, several senior Luftwaffe officers received promotions, most notably Hermann Göring, who became Reichsmarschall—the highest rank in the German armed forces below Hitler. Leading German aces Werner Mölders and Adolf Galland were both promoted to Major.

German Losses:
Airmen: 13 | Aircraft: 5

British Losses:
Airmen: 11 | Aircraft: 10

Defiant L7009, No. 141 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
F/Lt I.D.G. Donald and P/O A.C. Hamilton. Both killed. Shot down by Bf 109 and crashed into residential street in Dover.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Donald.htm
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/HamiltonAC.htm

Defiant L6974, No. 141 Squadron. Aircraft lost at sea.
P/O J.R. Kemp and Sgt R. Crombie. Certified as missing. Crashed into Channel after being shot down by Bf 109.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/KempJR.htm
http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/Crombie.htm

Defiant L6995, No. 141 Squadron. Aircraft lost at sea.
P/O R.A. Howley and Sgt A.G. Curley. Certified as missing. Crashed into Channel after being shot down by Bf 109.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Howley.htm
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Curley.htm

Defiant L7015, No. 141 Squadron. Aircraft lost at sea.
P/O R. Kidson and Sgt F.P.J. Atkins. Certified as missing. Crashed into Channel after being shot down by Bf 109.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Kidson.htm
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Atkins.htm

Defiant L7016, No. 141 Squadron. Aircraft lost at sea.
P/O D.M. Slatter. Certified as missing. Crashed into Channel after being shot down by Bf 109.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Slatter.htm

Defiant L6983, No. 141 Squadron. Aircraft damaged.
Sgt J.F. Wise. Certified as missing. Damage sustained by Bf 109. Sgt Wise baled out over Channel but pilot managed to get aircraft back to base.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Wise.htm

Hurricane P3531, No. 43 Squadron. Aircraft lost at sea.
Sgt J.A. Buck drowned. Hit by gunfire from Bf 109, baled out over Channel.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Buck.htm

Photo Descriptions

1. A rare photograph of Boulton Paul Defiant, L7000 TW-P, of No. 141 Squadron during the early stages of the Battle of Britain.
2. Boulton Paul Defiant N1564 of No. 141 Squadron at RAF Gravesend after suffering an undercarriage collapse on 29 November 1940. The aircraft was flown by Flt Lt Tom Fitzgerald (New Zealand), B Flight Commander, with Sgt Allen serving as air gunner. On 19 July 1940, only three aircraft made it back to RAF Hawkinge following a disastrous engagement over the Channel that decimated the squadron.
3. Boulton Paul Defiant of No. 264 Squadron being refuelled, July 1940. © IWM (HU 104453)
4. Crews being taken out to their Boulton Paul Defiants of No. 264 Squadron, July 1940. © IWM (HU 104494)
5. An air gunner climbs into a Boulton Paul Defiant of No. 264 Squadron, July 1940. © IWM (HU 104495)
6. An air gunner in the turret of a Boulton Paul Defiant Mark I of No. 264 Squadron RAF, trains his four .303 Browning machine-guns skywards. © IWM (CH 879)
7. Major Werner Mölders and Major Adolf Galland, two leading aces of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, in conversation with Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring at a coastal location. Both pilots were promoted to Major on 19 July 1940. © IWM (HU 76020)