Shipping attacked in Channel and east coast.
Night: South Wales and the Midlands.
Weather: Mainly fine in the north but cloudy in the east. Channel cloudy. Drizzle in Dover Straits.
Enemy Action by Day
The day began with mixed meteorological conditions across the British Isles. While the north experienced largely fine weather, the eastern counties and Channel coast were overcast with low cloud cover and intermittent drizzle. Visibility in the Dover Straits was particularly poor, limiting both aerial visibility and the scale of enemy operations in the morning.
Although the weather restricted Luftwaffe activity over southern England, German aircraft continued to attack shipping along the east coast. Fighter Command reported only two engagements during the day, while RAF Blenheims carried the offensive across the North Sea to aerodromes in France and the Netherlands.
07:43–11:58 Hours: RAF Raids over France and the Netherlands
Thirty-six Blenheims of No. 2 Group were dispatched against aerodromes and other targets in France and the Netherlands. Twenty-four crews reported completing their attacks, although several aircraft were intercepted by German fighters or damaged by anti-aircraft fire.
Blenheim L8780 of No. 110 Squadron was hit by anti-aircraft fire while attacking Soesterberg airfield between 07:43 and 07:45 hours. Sergeant Maurice S. Hards was wounded in the thigh but succeeded in bringing the aircraft back to Wattisham, where it crash-landed at 09:00 hours. His observer, Sergeant S.M. Cashman, and wireless operator and air gunner, Sergeant A.S. Dunleavy, escaped injury, but the Blenheim was written off.
Another No. 110 Squadron Blenheim, N3897, was attacked and damaged by three Bf 109s during a raid on Leeuwarden. Flight Lieutenant Simon N.L. Maude was wounded but managed to return safely.
Flying Officer John Douch of No. 18 Squadron also attacked Leeuwarden in Blenheim T1862. As several Bf 109s took off to intercept, Sergeant R. Bassett opened fire from the turret and shot down the aircraft flown by Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank, the commander of 5./JG 27, who was killed. The Blenheim completed its bombing run, during which three additional Bf 109s were destroyed or severely damaged on the ground, and returned safely.
No. 18 Squadron lost Blenheim L9422 before it could attack its assigned target. The aircraft was intercepted near Haamstede by Bf 109s of II./JG 54 and crashed into the sand dunes near the Hotel De Schouwse Boer, exploding on impact. Sergeants John H. Davies, Kenneth R. Bryant and Warren S. Barrett were killed. The Blenheim was probably the aircraft claimed by Leutnant Bernhard Malischewski shortly before midday.
Coastal Command also lost Blenheim N3587 of No. 59 Squadron during a search and reconnaissance sortie along the French coast. Oberleutnant Paul Temme of Stab I./JG 2 intercepted the aircraft near Le Havre at approximately 11:00 hours. The Blenheim crashed into a street in the city, killing Pilot Officer Deryck A. Drew, Sergeant Arthur G. Herbert and Sergeant James R. Close.
11:15 Hours: Interception near Cromer Knoll
At 11:15 hours, three Spitfires of No. 19 Squadron intercepted a Heinkel He 111 near the Cromer Knoll Light Vessel while protecting shipping off the Norfolk coast. Flight Lieutenant W.G. Clouston, flying Spitfire R6625, attacked with the section’s only eight-machine-gun aircraft, disabling the Heinkel’s starboard engine and possibly killing its rear gunner.
The remaining two Spitfires were cannon-armed Mk IBs, but their weapons jammed during the attack. The damaged bomber escaped eastwards through the low cloud. It was probably the He 111 of II./KG 55 that subsequently force-landed at Chartres with battle damage. No crew members were killed.
12:15 Hours: Attack off the Shetland Islands
At 12:15 hours, Sunderland N6138 of No. 201 Squadron was attacked by a Dornier Do 215 approximately three miles west of the Ramna Stacks in the Shetland Islands. Gunfire badly holed the Sunderland’s hull and shattered the pilot’s windscreen.
Aircraftman First Class Patrick Thomson was seriously wounded in the chest and arm, while Pilot Officer David J. Fletcher and Sergeant Derek W. Arnold suffered lesser wounds. Pilot Officer Harold J. Field nevertheless brought the damaged flying boat safely back to Sullom Voe.
16:30 Hours: Attack on Convoy FS 237
At 16:30 hours, two German formations merged and advanced towards Clacton before attacking Convoy FS 237 approximately ten miles north of Herne Bay. The 8,006-ton British cargo vessel SS City of Brisbane, carrying food, wool and lead from Australia, was struck and set on fire.
The burning ship was beached on the southern end of Long Sand in the Thames Estuary. Eight members of her crew were killed. The wreck continued burning for three days before breaking in two and sinking.
18:27–19:05 Hours: Renewed Attacks off the East Coast
Between 18:27 and 18:53 hours, seven German formations assembled between Calais and Boulogne before crossing the Straits of Dover on varying courses. Several RAF squadrons were dispatched, although the cloud and poor visibility prevented most from making contact.
Spitfires of No. 66 Squadron apparently engaged a Dornier Do 17 during the evening. A Do 17Z of 8./KG 2 subsequently crash-landed at Guînes after sustaining combat damage and was written off, although its crew escaped injury.
At approximately 19:05 hours, four Bf 110s of Erprobungsgruppe 210 attacked the 594-ton armed trawler HMT Cape Finisterre while she was conducting an anti-invasion patrol off Harwich. The German aircraft approached in line astern and each released a single bomb.
Although none of the bombs struck the trawler directly, two exploded close alongside. The blasts threw members of the gun crew overboard and fractured the main steam pipe, filling the engine room with scalding steam. Cape Finisterre developed a heavy list and sank stern-first approximately ten minutes later. One member of her crew was killed.
Able Seaman Joseph Dunn continued firing at the attackers and was credited with bringing down one of the Bf 110s. He was subsequently awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.
Operational Accidents
At 15:15 hours, Blenheim L8692 of No. 219 Squadron overshot the runway while landing at Leeming after investigating an unidentified raid. Pilot Officer William G.M. Lambie deliberately raised the undercarriage to prevent the aircraft from running onto the Great North Road. Lambie and Sergeant Ralph Bell escaped injury, but the Blenheim was written off.
At approximately 17:45 hours, Hurricane L1945 of No. 504 Squadron landed heavily in fog at Castletown. A tyre burst, causing the Hurricane to swing off the runway onto soft ground and tip onto its nose. Sergeant Dennis A. Helcke was unhurt, and the aircraft was repairable.
At 21:30 hours, Sergeant Ivor K. Arber of No. 603 Squadron became lost in poor visibility while flying Spitfire R6717. He attempted a forced landing at Inkhorn in Aberdeenshire, but the aircraft crashed and was written off. Arber survived with minor injuries.
Shortly after 23:30 hours, Squadron Leader Henry Cecil “Sam” Sawyer, the commanding officer of No. 65 Squadron, was killed when Spitfire R6799 stalled and crashed in flames during take-off from Rochford for a night patrol. Sawyer may have been blinded by the glare from the aircraft’s exhausts as he climbed into the darkness. He was twenty-five years old.
Pilot Officer Richard Shuttleworth, a prominent pre-war racing driver and private pilot, was also killed during a night-flying exercise when Battle trainer L4971 of No. 12 Operational Training Unit crashed.
August 2nd also marked the formal establishment of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron at RAF Northolt. Despite initial resistance from Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, the desperate shortage of trained fighter pilots led to the integration of Polish airmen into RAF units. Flight Commander John Kent, a Canadian, and Czech pilot Sergeant Josef František would go on to become two of the unit’s most celebrated members.
František would ultimately record the highest number of individual victories during the Battle of Britain.
Enemy Action by Night
Night raids were more widespread than during the day but remained less intense than previous nights. German bombers followed familiar routes, entering via Weymouth and striking targets in South Wales, then continuing as far north as Sealand, Liverpool, and Lancashire. One particularly long-ranging aircraft reached Hartlepool before returning via the same route through Liverpool and south Wales back to the Cherbourg area.
Swansea was bombed at 23:30 hours, damaging houses and vehicles and causing five casualties.
In the Midlands, raids penetrated through East Anglia, with one searchlight post north of Bury St Edmunds reportedly machine-gunned. Bombs were also reported at Ternhill, though none struck the aerodrome itself. Other aircraft approached from Beachy Head and North Foreland, both formations circling within the London Artillery Zone before withdrawing.
Several enemy formations were detected moving toward the Orkney and Shetland Islands around 22:00 hours. Additional aircraft flew inland over Edinburgh, crossed to Glasgow, and turned south over Cumberland before exiting via the east coast.
German minelaying was observed across several coastal sectors, including the Thames Estuary, East Anglia, the stretch from Tees to St Abb’s Head, and areas off Aberdeen and the northeast coast. These efforts underscored the persistent threat to British coastal navigation.
Reports confirmed that further copies of Hitler’s 19 July Reichstag speech were dropped by Luftwaffe aircraft, this time over the Brecon and Talyllyn districts of Breconshire, following similar leaflet operations the previous day.
Bomber Command Activity
Bomber Command also suffered two serious losses. Hampden P4376 of No. 83 Squadron returned prematurely from a sortie and crashed, killing Sergeants R. Beales and E.J. Clarke and injuring Sergeants S. Harpham and A.E. Jackson.
Wellington R3202 of No. 115 Squadron failed to return. Pilot Officers R.T. Terry, R.W. Pryor and S.J.S. Wilde, Flight Sergeant R.J. Ruffell-Hazel, DFM, and Sergeants J. Dempsey and J.M. Croft were killed.
German Losses:
Airmen: 16 | Aircraft: 7
British Losses:
Airmen: 1 | Aircraft: 3
Spitfire R6799, No. 65 Squadron. Burnt out.
S/L H.C. Sawyer. Killed. Crashed on take off on night patrol and exploded in flames.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Sawyer.htm
Photo Descriptions
- A Handley Page Hampden being bombed up, 2 August 1940. © IWM (HU 104647)
- The wreckage of the He 115 seaplane, which crashed onto the deck of the SS Highlander on 2 August 1940.