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 heavy losses. While reconnaissance and probing attacks continued, large-scale formations were absent. Isolated raids occurred along the east and south coasts, with scattered bombings, machine-gun attacks, and attempted strikes on barrage balloons. In contrast, night operations saw renewed intensity, with widespread bombing and suspected minelaying along the eastern seaboard, the Thames Estuary, and the North Sea coast.
Enemy Action by Day
The morning began with scattered enemy raids off the Yorkshire and Norfolk coasts. These were likely reconnaissance sorties or shipping searches. A section of RAF fighters was scrambled to intercept a raid 25 miles east of Southwold, but the enemy aircraft withdrew before contact.
At approximately 11:40 hours, a lone Heinkel He 111H from Kampfgeschwader 26 crossed the coast near Sunderland and dropped fourteen high-explosive bombs on key infrastructure in the town. Targets included the shipyards at Laing’s, a railway bridge, Bonners Field, and the Monkwearmouth Station Hotel. The attack resulted in four civilian deaths and seventy-eight injuries, with widespread property damage. The aircraft was soon intercepted and shot down by Hurricanes of No. 79 Squadron, crashing just offshore at 11:45 hours. Reports suggest the crew jettisoned a rescue dinghy before ditching; a Royal Navy patrol boat recovered two injured and two unhurt survivors.
Later in the day, another He 111H was brought down by anti-aircraft fire near Flamborough Head during operations over the North Sea. The aircraft and its crew were listed as missing.
Between 14:00 and 14:20 hours, an enemy aircraft was observed conducting reconnaissance off Spurn Head, and was later reported to have reconnoitred a convoy. RAF observers believed this may have been connected to a possible submarine rendezvous between 70 and 90 miles northeast of Haisborough Light—an area where similar loitering behaviour had been reported on 1 August and again the previous night.
Between 13:00 and 17:00 hours, enemy reconnaissance flights were noted along a route stretching from the Isle of Wight up the Channel towards Dungeness, while other patrols extended westward towards Falmouth and the area south of Start Point and Portland Bill. These appeared to be test flights or weather reconnaissance sorties rather than coordinated attacks.
At 16:50 hours, two Messerschmitt Bf 109s carried out a low-level machine-gun attack on Dover Harbour. RAF fighters were dispatched to intercept and engaged the attackers, but no hits were confirmed and the Messerschmitts escaped.
Later in the evening, four separate raids approached Dover, targeting the town’s barrage balloon defences. The attacks were unsuccessful, and two RAF squadrons sent to intercept reported no visual contact with the raiders—indicating that the enemy either evaded the patrols or never fully committed to an engagement.
RAF observers reported several additional small raids scattered across the Channel throughout the day. Most appeared to be reconnaissance or diversionary in nature, likely probing for weak points along the coastal defences.
Losses and Incidents
RAF losses on this day were relatively limited compared with the previous day. Among the most tragic was the death of Sergeant R.D. Ritchie of No. 605 Squadron, who was flying a Hurricane I (L2103) when he crashed into the sea approximately one mile off Dunbar at 16:45 hours. Although he was recovered from the water, he had suffered a broken neck and could not be revived.
Enemy Action by Night
In contrast to the limited daytime activity, German night operations expanded significantly on 9 August. Around 21:00 hours, a lone raid entered Kent, conducting bombing runs near Chatham. Simultaneously, six raids crossed the coast between Plymouth and Portsmouth from the Cherbourg area, targeting presumed industrial or shipping infrastructure.
Several raids—believed to be minelaying—were reported in the Thames Estuary, off Harwich, and between Cromer and Great Yarmouth. Additional formations appeared off the Tyne and the Wash, steering northwest in patterns typical of mine-dropping flights.
Between 00:00 and 01:00 hours, approximately a dozen raids—many assessed as minelayers—were active between Aberdeen and the Wash. Other enemy aircraft dropped bombs over East Anglia, North London, Weymouth, Gloucester, North Devon, and the Mersey area.
During the night, KG 26 continued operations over Wearmouth, Northumberland, where they had struck earlier in the day. Meanwhile, II./KG 27 dispatched twelve He 111s to bomb and drop leaflets on the Filton airfield near Bristol at midnight.
One notable incident involved Flight Lieutenant S.P. le Rougetel of No. 600 Squadron. During a night patrol in a Blenheim IF (L8679, coded BQ-O), he suffered engine failure and was then attacked by a Luftwaffe night fighter—believed to be Oblt. Karl-Heinz Metz of 8./JG 2. To compound his difficulties, British anti-aircraft gunners opened fire during his descent. Both le Rougetel and his radar operator, Sergeant E.C. Smith, baled out over the Channel. Smith was forced to swim ashore at Westgate, but both crewmen survived.
German Losses:
Airmen: 13 | Aircraft: 6
British Losses:
Airmen: 1 | Aircraft: 3
Hurricane L2103, No. 605 Squadron. Crashed into sea.
Sgt R.D. Ritchie killed. Crashed into sea after aircraft had glycol leak. Rescued by boat, pilot dead.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/RitchieRD.htm
Photo Descriptions
- A Heinkel He 111 bomber in flight. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-647-5211-33 / Wilzek / CC-BY-SA 3.0.
- Bren gun carriers of the 53rd Striking Force, Royal Armoured Corps, passing through Amesbury in Wiltshire, 9 August 1940. © IWM (H 2919)