Shipping attacked off Norfolk coast and the Channel. Yeovil bombed.

Night: Minelaying.

Weather: Low cloud.

Enemy Action by Day

Low cloud and worsening weather conditions over the Channel and southern England severely restricted air operations throughout 15 July 1940. Visibility was poor for much of the day, limiting the possibility of large-scale offensive action by either side. As a result, Luftwaffe activity was confined primarily to reconnaissance flights, small-scale bombing raids, and attacks on coastal shipping.

Despite these limitations, several significant incidents occurred across southern England, South Wales, the Thames Estuary and the east coast. Fighter Command made several successful interceptions, although merchant shipping still suffered serious losses.

Early Morning–08:00 Hours: Raids on Brighton and the Norfolk Coast

During the early morning hours, enemy aircraft crossed the coast near Shoreham and carried out the first Luftwaffe bombing raid on Brighton of the war. Bombs fell in the Kemp Town area, causing considerable damage to properties in Brighton and Hove. This marked the beginning of a pattern of attacks on the town later in July, with subsequent raids concentrating primarily on Whitehawk and Kemp Town.

Between 06:00 and 08:00 hours, a single enemy raid was plotted off the Norfolk coast. Fighters were dispatched to intercept, but no contact was reported. At the same time, enemy reconnaissance aircraft were active over coastal waters, observing shipping movements along the east coast.

Morning Hours: Convoy Pilot Located

As the morning progressed, reconnaissance activity increased along the south and east coasts. A Dornier reconnaissance aircraft observed convoy movements in the Thames Estuary and identified Convoy Pilot, reporting its position and course to German headquarters. Persistent low cloud initially prevented an immediate bomber response, though preparations were made for an attack once conditions improved.

11:30 Hours: Raids on Yeovil and South Wales

At approximately 11:30 hours, German bombers attacked the Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, damaging a hangar and the runway. Other raids struck RAF St Athan and railway lines near Avonmouth, while four unexploded bombs fell on St Athan airfield.

12:12 Hours: He 111 Shot Down east of Peterhead

At 12:12 hours, two Spitfires of No. 603 Squadron intercepted Heinkel He 111H-3 1H+EK of 2./KG 26 between ten and twelve miles east of Peterhead. The bomber had flown from Norway and had been tasked with attacking an airfield north of the Firth of Forth. Pilot Officers J.S. Morton and D. Stewart-Clark attacked the Heinkel, damaging its starboard engine, wing and radio equipment.

The crippled bomber ditched in the sea approximately fifty miles offshore. Feldwebel Walter Reinhardt was killed, while Oberleutnant Ottmar Hollmann, Unteroffizier Erich Walz, Obergefreiter Heinrich Probst and Obergefreiter Josef Prefzger escaped into their dinghy. After two days adrift, the four survivors were picked up by fishermen approximately one mile off Fraserburgh and taken prisoner.

13:30 Hours: Reconnaissance Combat north of Portland

Three Hurricanes of No. 213 Squadron intercepted a reconnaissance Dornier Do 17 north of Portland. Sub-Lieutenant (A) H.G.K. Bramah, flying Hurricane N2541, attacked and damaged the Dornier, but return fire struck his aircraft and seriously wounded him in the arm. Bramah baled out into the sea and was rescued by HMS Scimitar. After reaching hospital, he refused a recommendation that his injured arm be amputated.

13:41–13:55 Hours: Raids on Mount Batten and Yeovilton

At 13:41 hours, bombs were dropped at Mount Batten, Plymouth. No serious damage was reported.

At 13:55 hours, a further raid targeted the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton near Ilchester. Bombs caused slight damage to one runway, a hangar, and one aircraft, forming multiple craters across the airfield.

14:13 Hours: Attack on Convoy Pilot

By early afternoon, weather conditions had improved sufficiently to permit an attack on Convoy Pilot. At approximately 14:13 hours, fifteen Dornier Do 17s of KG 2 approached the convoy through broken cloud and heavy rain. Hurricanes of Nos. 56 and 151 Squadrons were scrambled to intercept and disrupted the German formation.

Flight Lieutenant E.J. Gracie, flying Hurricane P3579, and Flight Sergeant F.W. Higginson, in N2440, each claimed a Do 17 probably destroyed. No corresponding German bomber was lost, although several Dorniers sustained damage before the formation withdrew.

The German aircraft nevertheless succeeded in attacking the convoy. The 2,855-ton steamer SS Heworth, bound from London to Sunderland, was bombed near the Aldeburgh Lightvessel and sank with the loss of four members of her crew. The survivors were rescued by HMS Valorous.

The Polish cargo vessel Zbaraz was also damaged and taken in tow. She subsequently sank, although her entire crew was rescued by accompanying armed trawlers.

Later, ten bomb-carrying Bf 110s of Erprobungsgruppe 210 attacked shipping in the Thames Estuary. Their crews claimed hits on a 4,000-ton ammunition ship and a smaller vessel.

14:25 Hours: Attack on SS City of Limerick

At 14:25 hours, Sunderland P9603 of No. 10 Squadron RAAF, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Hugh “Smokey” Birch, encountered five Heinkel He 111s attacking a merchant ship. The Sunderland engaged one of the bombers immediately after it had released its bombs. The front gunner opened fire from approximately 1,000 yards and struck the Heinkel’s tail as it turned away. The bomber entered cloud with smoke issuing from it and was claimed damaged.

Two other Heinkels made brief attacks on the Sunderland and shadowed it for approximately ten minutes before breaking away.

The Heinkels had been attacking the neutral Irish merchant vessel SS City of Limerick, which was bombed and sunk despite displaying Irish markings. Two crewmen were killed, while the survivors abandoned ship in the lifeboats and were subsequently rescued by a Belgian trawler.

16:00–18:00 Hours: Raids over Cornwall and South Wales

Between 16:00 and 18:00 hours, a raid crossed the Cornish coast. Two aircraft were dispatched to intercept, but no confirmed contact was reported.

During the same period, a raid originating near Liverpool crossed Wales and Gloucestershire and dropped four unexploded bombs on St Athan.

At 17:15 hours, Pilot Officer R.H. Holland of No. 92 Squadron, flying Spitfire N3193 from Pembrey, intercepted a Ju 88 over the Bristol Channel and claimed it probably destroyed. German records confirm that a Ju 88 of 4./LG 1 was lost in the area. Unteroffizier Erwin Gockele, Unteroffizier Josef Michel, Unteroffizier Willi Sievers and Gefreiter Ernst-Günther Klettke were all killed.

During another raid on South Wales, a Hurricane of No. 19 Maintenance Unit encountered an enemy aircraft bombing Barry Docks. The Hurricane was conducting a test flight and its guns were not loaded, but the pilot made a series of dummy attacks and succeeded in driving the bomber away.

17:00 Hours: Reconnaissance Aircraft Intercepted near Drem

At 17:00 hours, Midshipman (A) R.F. Bryant of No. 245 Squadron was scrambled from Turnhouse in Hurricane P2906 to intercept a lone Dornier Do 17 approaching Drem. Bryant attacked the reconnaissance aircraft and claimed it damaged before it escaped. Later in the evening, another raid crossed the coast flying east just north of Aberdeen, although no further information was received regarding its objective or outcome.

18:00–21:00 Hours: Raids over Portsmouth, Southampton and Southend

Between 18:00 and 21:00 hours, two Dornier aircraft carried out a raid over Portsmouth and Southampton. One of these aircraft was probably destroyed following an interception by Blue Section of No. 145 Squadron. Later in the evening, a single raider dropped bombs harmlessly into the sea off the coast of Southend.

Further Shipping Losses

In the Bristol Channel, the British cargo vessel SS Bellerock struck a mine and sank with the loss of seventeen lives.

The Estonian merchant vessel Merisaar, carrying timber to Cork, had been intercepted by the German submarine U-99 two days earlier and ordered to proceed to Bordeaux. While underway, she was strafed by a He 111. The crew abandoned ship before the bomber returned and dropped a bomb into the engine room, setting the vessel on fire and sinking her off Queenstown. The entire crew survived and was later recovered by a French fishing trawler.

Air-Sea Rescue Policy

The Air Ministry issued instructions permitting attacks on German aircraft carrying Red Cross markings when they flew over operational areas, approached British or Allied territory, or operated close to British and Allied shipping. The decision followed concerns that German air-sea rescue aircraft were reporting convoy movements while ostensibly conducting humanitarian missions.

Aircraft engaged solely in the evacuation of wounded personnel would continue to receive protection under the applicable international convention.

The Air Ministry also informed Fighter Command that arrangements were being made with the Admiralty to establish motorboat patrols close inshore whenever air fighting was taking place. Coastal vessels under Admiralty control were instructed to watch for airmen in the water, while five RAF high-speed launches were transferred to No. 11 Group’s area.

Operational Accident near Elsenham

Hurricane P3482 of No. 17 Squadron crash-landed near Elsenham in Essex during a routine patrol. The aircraft descended through a stand of trees before striking the ground, but its pilot, Pilot Officer P.L. Dawburn, survived.

Enemy Action by Night

Night activity on 15 July remained very slight, as poor weather continued across much of the country. Despite these conditions, the Luftwaffe conducted several small-scale raids and minelaying operations.

One enemy aircraft, believed to be a Dornier, was reported off Kinnaird’s Head. At approximately 23:00 hours, between six and eight raids crossed the coast between Newcastle and Flamborough Head and proceeded toward Liverpool Bay. These aircraft were assessed to be engaged primarily in minelaying operations. One bomb was dropped near Berwick without reported damage.

Later, approximately twelve enemy aircraft appeared between the Norfolk coast and the River Tyne. About half of these crossed the coastline, while the remainder cruised offshore in a manner consistent with minelaying. These aircraft subsequently returned eastward toward Borkum.

Further night attacks were reported in the Avonmouth area, including three separate incidents spanning the night of 14/15 July. High-explosive and incendiary bombs fell on open ground near the National Smelting Works without causing damage or casualties. Additional bombing occurred near Carew Cheriton Aerodrome, St Athan Aerodrome, and RAF Station Llandow, where underground internal cables were damaged.

Losses and Strategic Context

By the end of the day, Fighter Command had lost four aircraft from all causes, including combat and operational accidents. The Luftwaffe lost five aircraft confirmed destroyed.

German preparations for a possible invasion of Britain continued. The Armed Forces High Command informed the German services that Hitler intended preparations to be sufficiently advanced for an invasion from 15 August, although the Naval Staff expressed serious reservations about whether that deadline could be met.

Preparations for sustained air operations against England also continued. The Stab and I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 began moving from Germany to France, while II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 2 also prepared to contribute to forthcoming operations.

German Losses:
Airmen: 6 | Aircraft: 5

British Losses:
Airmen: 0 | Aircraft: 4

Photo Descriptions

1. A flight of Hawker Hurricane Mark Is of No. 151 Squadron RAF take off from North Weald, Essex, while beneath them, Hurricanes of 56 Squadron RAF taxy to the northern end of the main runway. Behind them can be seen the wireless masts of the GPO radio station at Weald Gullet. © IWM (CH 162)
2. Line-up of Spitfires of No. 65 Squadron, presented by the East India Fund, 15 July 1940. © IWM (CH 594)
3. Hawker Hurricane Mk. I (P3482) of No. 17 Squadron crash-landed near Elsenham in Essex during a routine patrol on 15 July 1940. The pilot, P/O P. L. Dawburn, survived.
4. The recovery team prepares to remove P/O Dawburn’s Hurricane from dense trees.