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

Showery weather and bright intervals produced uneven flying conditions across Britain, although light winds over the Channel allowed German reconnaissance and bombing activity to continue from early morning. Luftwaffe aircraft appeared over southern England, East Anglia and the North Sea coast, initially conducting scattered raids against airfields, coastal installations and other targets. At 06:03 hours, Norfolk and Norwich Aerodrome was bombed.

A hangar used for storing Auxiliary Fire Service equipment was hit, while the aerodrome clubhouse was destroyed by fire.

07:03 Hours: Reconnaissance Dornier Shot Down off Shoreham

At 07:03 hours, a Dornier Do 17P of 4.(F)/121, returning from a reconnaissance mission over Croydon, Northolt and Brooklands, was intercepted approximately twenty miles south of Shoreham by six Hurricanes of No. 145 Squadron and three Hurricanes of No. 257 Squadron. The Dornier, 7A+CM, was shot down into the Channel, killing Unteroffizier Rupert Roos, Leutnant Walter Thiele and Obergefreiter Erich Manko.

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.

12:45 Hours: Defiant Disaster off Folkestone

At 12:32 hours, nine of eleven Defiants of No. 141 Squadron took off from RAF Hawkinge to patrol a line twenty miles south of Folkestone at 5,000 feet.

At around 12:45 hours, the formation was attacked from the direction of the sun by approximately twenty Bf 109s of III./JG 51. The German fighters held the advantage of height and position and inflicted devastating losses before Hurricanes of No. 111 Squadron arrived to protect the surviving Defiants.

Five Defiants were lost during the engagement. A sixth, L7001, was badly damaged and almost reached Hawkinge before its engine failed approximately 200 yards from the airfield; it crashed into trees and was written off. Three Defiants returned from the patrol, two of them damaged. The intervention of No. 111 Squadron may have prevented even heavier losses.

The action later became known as the “Slaughter of the Innocents”. Four pilots were killed, two others wounded, and six air gunners were reported missing. German pilots of III./JG 51 submitted numerous claims during the engagement, substantially exceeding the RAF’s actual losses.

No. 111 Squadron claimed two Bf 109s destroyed and another probably destroyed, while the Defiant crews claimed three additional Messerschmitts. Only one German fighter was lost: Feldwebel Karl Heilmann of 9./JG 51 reached France in his badly damaged Bf 109 but crashed while landing and died the following day.

The Bf 109s flown by Hauptmann Hans Trautloft and Oberleutnant Otto Kath were also damaged and force-landed after reaching France. Unteroffizier Walter Miesala returned in another damaged aircraft and was wounded.

Following the engagement, the severely depleted No. 141 Squadron was withdrawn from front-line daylight operations.

15:00 Hours: Engagement off Selsey Bill

At approximately 15:00 hours, twelve Hurricanes of No. 43 Squadron engaged a formation of Bf 109s from III./JG 27 off Selsey Bill. Pilot Officer Frank Carey, flying Hurricane P3527, claimed one Bf 109 destroyed and two damaged, while Flight Lieutenant J.W.C. Simpson, in P3140, claimed another destroyed and one damaged.

Simpson’s Hurricane was then hit, apparently by Oberleutnant Walter Adolph of 8./JG 27. Wounded in the foot, Simpson baled out and landed on the roof of a house in West Worthing before falling into the garden and breaking his collarbone.

Sergeant J.A. Buck was wounded when Hurricane P3531 was shot down during the engagement. He baled out several miles off Bognor but drowned before he could be rescued. Hurricane P3468 also returned damaged.

No. 43 Squadron claimed two Bf 109s destroyed but no German fighter was lost during the engagement, although Leutnant Erbo von Graf Kageneck returned wounded in a damaged aircraft.

15:45–16:45 Hours: Raid on Dover

At 15:45 hours, No. 74 Squadron was scrambled from Manston to intercept enemy aircraft reported off Dover, but encountered two Bf 109s attacking a Hurricane of No. 242 Squadron. Flight Lieutenant A.G. Malan and Pilot Officer P.C.F. Stevenson each engaged one of the German fighters. Both Messerschmitts appeared to be damaged before disappearing over the Channel and were claimed probably destroyed.

Six Hurricanes of No. 257 Squadron were also scrambled from Northolt under the command of Squadron Leader David Bayne but failed to make contact with the enemy.

At 16:00 hours, radar detected another formation assembling over Calais and heading towards Dover. The attacking force comprised Ju 87 dive-bombers escorted by Bf 109s of III./JG 51 and was intercepted by twelve Hurricanes of No. 32 Squadron, eleven Spitfires of No. 64 Squadron and twelve Spitfires of No. 74 Squadron.

No. 32 Squadron claimed two Bf 109s and one Ju 87 destroyed, together with two additional Bf 109s probably destroyed. Flying Officer H.J. Woodward and Pilot Officer J.J. O’Meara of No. 64 Squadron each claimed another Bf 109 destroyed. These claims exceeded the confirmed German losses, although two Messerschmitts returned badly damaged and one pilot was 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, baled out near Hougham at 16:25 hours after his aircraft caught fire. He sustained severe burns but was rescued.

Despite the RAF interception, twenty-two bombs were dropped during the attack. HMT Crestflower was bombed and sunk with the loss of two members of her crew, while RFA War Sepoy was severely damaged in the harbour. The tanker broke in two and was subsequently used as a blockship. The tug Simla, the drifter Golden Drift and the destroyer HMS Griffin also sustained damage.

At 16:10 hours, Flying Officer Alistair Jeffrey of No. 64 Squadron attacked two Heinkel He 115 floatplanes near Calais and claimed both destroyed. The Heinkels, believed to have belonged to 3./Küstenfliegergruppe 906, were engaged in minelaying operations. Only one was actually lost, and its crew is believed to have been rescued.

18:15 Hours: Heinkel Shot Down off Shoreham

Three Hurricanes of No. 1 Squadron intercepted Heinkel He 111P G1+AR of 7./KG 55 over the Channel as it approached the English coast. Pilot Officer D.O.M. Browne, flying Hurricane P3471, damaged the bomber but was hit by return fire and forced to land his burning aircraft. Browne escaped uninjured.

At approximately 18:15 hours, three Hurricanes of No. 145 Squadron intercepted the damaged Heinkel off Shoreham. Flying Officer Antoni Ostowicz participated in the attack that brought down the bomber approximately five miles off the coast.

Unteroffizier Max Biskup, Oberleutnant Rudi Westhaus and Feldwebel Kurt Maeder were killed. Feldwebel Rudolf Kasten and Gefreiter Arthur Meusel escaped into a dinghy and attempted to paddle towards France but were intercepted and captured.

Pilot Officer M.A. Newling’s Hurricane P2770 was damaged by return fire during the engagement. Newling force-landed at Shoreham Aerodrome and suffered a slight concussion.

12:45–17:20 Hours: Bombing of Civilian and Military Targets

Sporadic bombing and reconnaissance continued during the afternoon. 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.

Non-operational Accident

At Toussus-le-Buc airfield, Hauptmann Reinhard Liebe-Piderit, Staffelkapitän of the reconnaissance unit 3.(F)/123, and engine mechanic Gefreiter Edmund Thiel crashed in an antiquated Blériot XI discovered in a nearby hangar. Both men were seriously injured, and Liebe-Piderit died the following day.

Enemy Action by Night

During the night of 18–19 July, thirty-three German aircraft carried out minelaying operations in the Thames Estuary, the Clyde, the Bristol Channel and around Cardiff. Further activity was recorded along the southern coast between the Isle of Wight and Plymouth and in the Harwich area.

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.

RAF Manston was attacked at 23:20 hours, but no significant damage occurred.

At 23:55 hours, Focke-Wulf Fw 200 F8+EH of I./KG 40 was struck by anti-aircraft fire while laying mines between Hartlepool and Sunderland and crashed into the sea east of Crimdon.

The aircraft’s commander, Hauptmann Roman Steszyn, was killed along with Feldwebel Willi Meyer, Gefreiter Joseph Perl and Gefreiter Silverius Zraunig. Feldwebel Herbert Külken and Feldwebel Karl Nicolai were rescued and taken prisoner.

A second Fw 200 of I./KG 40, F8+BH, commanded by Hauptmann Volkmar Zenker, laid mines near the Bangor Pier Light Vessel. The 4,886-ton cargo vessel SS Troutpool, carrying a cargo of grain, subsequently struck one of these mines and sank, killing eleven members of her crew.

Bomber Command Operations

Bomber Command lost Wellington L7795 of No. 9 Squadron north-west of Kiel. The aircraft was intercepted by a Ju 88C night fighter flown by Oberleutnant Werner Streib of 2./NJG 1. Squadron Leader J.B.S. Monypenny, Flight Lieutenant D.D. Middleton, Sergeants F. Watson, W.R. Cowell and M. Gott, and Pilot Officer H.F.A. Lees were all killed.

Two Wellingtons of No. 149 Squadron were attacked by Bf 110 night fighters over the North Sea. Sergeant J.S. Legge, the air gunner aboard L7918, claimed the attacking fighter possibly destroyed, while Sergeant J. Cannon aboard R3164 claimed another probably destroyed. No corresponding German losses have been confirmed.

Whitley P5007 of No. 51 Squadron was shot down near Münster, probably by anti-aircraft fire. Flight Lieutenant S.E.F. Curry and Sergeants A.J. Harris, R.N. Lewis and J. Tansey were killed, while Sergeant G.R. Harvey survived and was taken prisoner. Lewis was seventeen years old.

Hampden L4087 of No. 44 Squadron was hit by anti-aircraft fire near Frederikshavn and ditched in Tannis Bay. Sergeant E.L. Farrands and Pilot Officer B. Green survived and were taken prisoner, while Sergeants F.D. Nixon and R.T. Miller were killed.

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)