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 English Channel, and the Thames Estuary, limiting visibility and grounding many Luftwaffe units. While the day brought only scattered raids, the night saw an uptick in enemy activity, particularly over South Wales and the Bristol region.
Enemy operations during the day were limited in scope, consisting largely of reconnaissance flights and sporadic bombing or strafing missions by lone aircraft. The morning began with a few German reconnaissance missions along the east coast, though poor weather made interception difficult.
One notable raid penetrated as far inland as Rugby and Warwick, where German aircraft dropped bombs and conducted machine-gun attacks. Several workmen at a construction site in Kites Hardwick were wounded, and the nearby village of Grandborough was also strafed. The BBC wireless station at Daventry came under machine-gun fire at 11:50 hours, leaving one person injured.
In Scotland, a meteorological reconnaissance flight was detected east of the mainland. RAF fighters intercepted and destroyed a Heinkel He 111 near Sumburgh. Meanwhile, Canadian pilots of No. 1 RCAF Squadron conducted their first engagement with the Luftwaffe, marking their combat debut in the Battle of Britain.
On the South Coast, a reconnaissance aircraft that crossed the coast near Clacton was brought down by anti-aircraft fire near Duxford; the five-man crew were captured. Two other German aircraft flew over Walton, Harwich, and North Foreland, dropping bombs near Harwich without causing damage. In the Weymouth area, a Junkers Ju 88 was intercepted and destroyed by RAF fighters.
By afternoon, the Luftwaffe had launched at least nine small-scale raids by single aircraft between Selsey Bill and Lyme. Most turned back before reaching inland targets. However, eleven later penetrated into Devon and Hampshire, dropping bombs on scattered targets. A raid on New Milton in Hampshire caused serious damage, including the destruction of telephone and high-tension lines that disabled the town’s air raid siren. Casualties amounted to 23 killed and 20 injured.
Convoy Attacks and Interceptions
In the Bristol Channel, five reconnaissance flights were detected during the morning. That evening, Heinkel He 115s operating from Stavanger, Norway, attacked Convoy OA 203 in the Moray Firth with aerial torpedoes. Two ships, the Llanishen (5,035 GRT) and the Makalla (6,680 GRT), were sunk. This marked a shift in Luftwaffe anti-shipping tactics as they began to employ torpedo bombers in greater numbers.
Enemy Action by Night
As darkness fell, Luftwaffe operations expanded in scale and reach. Although not as widespread as the night before, the night of 23rd/24th August saw renewed raids over the Midlands, South Wales, and East Anglia. Cardiff and the surrounding area were bombed repeatedly, with fires reported and damage sustained.
The industrial centres around Bristol were again prime targets. Around 23:00 hours, twelve Heinkel He 111s from III./KG 27 attacked the Bristol docks, followed by eleven more from I./KG 27 striking Avonmouth. Shortly after midnight, a further eight aircraft from II./KG 27 bombed the docks a second time. Earlier, the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton had been hit again by Ju 88s, with up to sixteen tons of high explosive dropped. Although hangars and workshops were damaged, the site remained operational.
Additional raids were plotted across East Anglia and northwards along the coast to Middlesbrough, Harrogate, and York. The counties of Kent and Suffolk also experienced bombing. In Yorkshire, Bridlington suffered considerable damage at 02:50 hours, particularly to a café where several people were trapped. Four civilians were killed and one injured.
Aberdeen too came under attack. Ten miles off the Firth of Forth, Adrian Hope Boyd of No. 145 Squadron destroyed a He 111 in his Hurricane, adding to the RAF’s modest tally of successes during the night.
Further inland, Birmingham experienced bombing during the early hours of 24 August. At 03:15 hours, incendiary bombs were dropped near the Nuffield Factory at Castle Bromwich. Later, high explosive bombs fell on Fort Dunlop, damaging buildings and infrastructure. Two civilians were also injured. The Repairable Equipment Depot No. 1 also suffered minor damage.
Manston Attacked Again
RAF Manston was again subjected to bombing. At 01:25 hours, Ju 88s dropped around thirty bombs on the aerodrome, destroying two hangars and two Blenheim aircraft. Several buildings were damaged, and the station was rendered inoperative temporarily. This marked the second attack on Manston within twenty-four hours.
Home Front and Strategic Developments
On the Home Front, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered that the name “Local Defence Volunteers” be changed to the “Home Guard” to reflect the growing seriousness of their role. Now better equipped with uniforms, rifles, and ammunition, these volunteer units would form the backbone of Britain’s ground defences against any potential invasion.
Nos. 304 and 307 Polish Squadrons were officially formed on this day. No. 304 “Land of Silesia” Squadron, composed of Polish veterans of the campaigns in Poland and France, was assigned to No. 1 Bomber Group and began training on Fairey Battles. No. 307 Squadron became the RAF’s second Polish night-fighter unit.
Pilot Officer Petrus Hendrik Hugo of No. 615 Squadron was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for destroying five enemy aircraft during June and July. Meanwhile, in Germany, Luftwaffe command changes continued: Hauptmann Hannes Trautloft took command of JG 54, Walter Oesau became the Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 51, and Leutnant Wolfgang Kosse assumed command of 5./JG 26.
German Losses:
Airmen: 20 | Aircraft: 8
British Losses:
Airmen: 0 | Aircraft: 1
Photo Description
- A Hurricane of No. 1 RCAF Squadron is re-armed while a section flies overhead, 1940.
- The Alcazar Theatre in Lower Edmonton—then part of Middlesex—was struck by German bombs on 23 August 1940. The blast destroyed the adjoining dance hall, collapsed one wall of the cinema, and caused the roof of the auditorium to cave in.