Convoy off Dover raided.
Night: Activity on a reduced scale over land.
Weather: Fair all over Britain. Thames Estuary and Dover hazy.
Enemy Action by Day
Weather conditions were generally fair across Britain, with haze affecting visibility in the Thames Estuary and Dover. These ideal flying conditions allowed the Luftwaffe to resume large-scale operations after days of intermittent attacks. The principal focus remained the Dover area and convoys operating in the English Channel, with additional reconnaissance and minelaying activity extending along the East Coast and into Scotland.
07:00 Hours: Morning Raid on Dover
Shortly after 07:00 hours, Chain Home radar stations and Royal Observer Corps posts detected the first major Luftwaffe movement of the day. A high-flying reconnaissance sortie over Dover was followed by the formation of four distinct raids assembling over the Calais–Boulogne–St. Omer area. By 07:34 hours, these groups had merged into a single force of over 80 aircraft. The formation comprised approximately forty Ju 87 Stukas from II./LG 1 and II./StG 1, escorted by around fifty Bf 109s from JG 51 and III./JG 26. Their objective was Dover Harbour.
RAF Fighter Command responded swiftly. Nos. 41, 56, 64, and 501 Squadrons were scrambled to intercept. No. 41 Squadron’s Spitfires engaged the enemy from the northern flank, while Hurricanes from No. 501 Squadron attacked out of the sun. A swirling dogfight ensued as more than 200 aircraft clashed in the skies over Dover. RAF pilots claimed eight Ju 87s and seven Bf 109s confirmed destroyed, with several additional unconfirmed claims. Anti-aircraft gunners contributed, bringing down two Stukas. RAF losses amounted to two Spitfires and one Hurricane.
Despite the scale of the assault, damage in Dover was relatively light. The steamer SS Gronland, already damaged in a previous raid, and the patrol yacht Gulzar were sunk, while a naval auxiliary ship sustained damage. Blast effects and flying debris damaged several seafront buildings. Stuka bombs ignited a fire aboard HMS Sandhurst, a depot ship, and ruptured an oil pipeline, sending flames sweeping across the surface of the harbour.
Several Luftwaffe aces made claims during the engagement. Hauptmann Horst Tietzen of 5./JG 51 scored his thirteenth victory, while Oberfeldwebel Fritz Beeck and Feldwebel Eduard Hemmerling of 6./JG 51 were credited with their second and third kills, respectively. Oberfeldwebel Karl Schmid of 1./JG 51 brought down his ninth RAF aircraft. JG 51, however, also suffered losses: Feldwebel Emmerling was killed after ditching in the Channel, and Hauptmann Erwin Aichele of 6./JG 51 died following a crash-landing in France.
Convoy Raids and Loss of HMS Delight
In the early afternoon, the Luftwaffe resumed its attacks on Channel shipping. Around 13:00 hours, Junkers Ju 88s of KG 76 launched a low-level bombing raid against a group of trawlers off Dungeness. During the engagement, the lead aircraft reportedly struck a balloon cable. One Dornier Do 215 was likely brought down by Spitfires of No. 610 Squadron, which had been scrambled to intercept.
Later in the day, a more serious loss occurred. At 15:00 hours, the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Delight (Commander M. Fogg-Elliot, DSO) sailed from Portsmouth bound for the Clyde. Her daylight transit of the Channel violated standing orders, placing the ship at significant risk. Detected soon after departure by German radar installations at Cherbourg, Delight was shadowed and subsequently attacked approximately 20 miles off Portland Bill by twelve Ju 87s of III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2, led by Gruppenkommandeur Walter Enneccerus. One bomb struck the forecastle, igniting a major fire and causing a secondary explosion. The ship sank later that evening having lost six of her company in the attack.
17:00 Hours: Fighter-Bomber Attacks on Convoy and Port Facilities
Shortly after 17:00 hours, the Luftwaffe mounted a coordinated assault on key shipping lanes and port installations along the East Coast. Harwich was struck by a force of approximately twenty Heinkel He 111s and Dornier Do 17s, while Bf 110s from Erprobungsgruppe 210, operating out of St. Omer, launched a simultaneous attack on Dover. At the same time, a mixed formation of thirty-six Bf 110s—comprising both fighters and fighter-bombers—targeted Convoy Agent off the Essex coast.
RAF Fighter Command responded swiftly. Spitfires of No. 66 Squadron and Hurricanes from Nos. 17, 85, and 151 Squadrons were scrambled to intercept. In the air battle near Harwich, No. 17 Squadron brought down a He 111H-2 of 2./KG 53, which crashed into the North Sea off Lowestoft. No. 151 Squadron, operating in the Orfordness sector, intercepted the Bf 110 formation and claimed two confirmed victories and one probable. In total, six German aircraft were destroyed during the afternoon engagements, while four others were severely damaged by anti-aircraft fire. Among these were Bf 109s from JG 51 and II./JG 27, two of which crash-landed in France without casualties. Oberstleutnant Adolf Genth, Gruppenkommandeur of III./KG 26, was mortally wounded when his Dornier Do 17Z was damaged during a sortie off Dover, reportedly engaged by Hurricanes of No. 85 Squadron. Although the aircraft managed to return to France, Genth succumbed to his injuries later at Feldlazarett Helfaut. The remainder of the crew survived unhurt, and the aircraft was returned damaged.
The RAF lost three fighters in the action. Two Hurricanes sustained heavy damage from Bf 110 gunfire and were forced to make emergency landings at Martlesham and Rochford. At least one of the Hurricanes was credited to pilots of 8./ZG 26.
Despite the scale of the assault, Dover itself remained untouched, and several Luftwaffe aircraft were lost or damaged before reaching their targets.
Additional Reconnaissance and Scattered Engagements
Reconnaissance flights were conducted throughout the day across the Channel and along the East Coast. A Ju 88 was shot down off Portsmouth by No. 145 Squadron, while a He 111 on a shipping reconnaissance mission off Harwich was brought down by No. 17 Squadron. No. 85 Squadron also engaged enemy aircraft, claiming a Dornier Do 17 as a probable.
At 17:20 hours, a formation of over thirty Luftwaffe aircraft approached a convoy off North Foreland. Seven RAF squadrons were scrambled in response, but only No. 151 Squadron made contact. Its Hurricanes claimed two Bf 110s destroyed and one probable. One Hurricane crashed on landing, but the convoy itself emerged unscathed.
Enemy Activity in the North and Northeast
Two Luftwaffe raids approached the Aberdeen area during the morning. RAF fighters engaged two Heinkels, but the enemy evaded combat by climbing into cloud cover.
Enemy Action by Night
After nightfall, Luftwaffe operations shifted to minelaying along the East Coast, particularly in the Dover, Thames Estuary, and Harwich areas. Seaplanes were reported by Observer Corps posts. Nine small-scale raids approached the coast between Scarborough and St. Abb’s Head, laying mines from Hartlepool to the Firth of Forth.
Bombs were dropped at Brigg, Gilestone (near St Athan), east of Highbridge, and at Acklington. At 00:10 hours, a Ju 88, damaged by AA fire during a mission to Filton, crashed north of Bury St Edmunds after being misidentified as friendly. Sixteen bombs were also dropped near Norwich.
German Losses:
Airmen: 25 | Aircraft: 11
British Losses:
Airmen: 3 | Aircraft: 6
Spitfire N3038, No. 41 Squadron. Aircraft Lost.
F/O D.R. Gamblen missing. Disappeared over Dover.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Gamblen.htm
Hurricane L1955 , No. 43 Squadron. Crashed and burnt out.
P/O K.C. Campbell killed.
Hurricane P3879, No. 56 Squadron. Crashed and exploded in the Channel off Dover.
F/Sgt C.J. Cooney killed. Shot down by Bf 109.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Cooney.htm
Photo Descriptions
- Dover Harbour under air attack by Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers on 29 July 1940.
- HMS Sandhurst burning in Dover Harbour on 29 July 1940 after being bombed. Alongside is the broken wreck of HMS Codrington.
- Pilots of ‘B’ Flight, No. 32 Squadron relax on the grass at RAF Hawkinge in front of Hurricane Mk I P3522, GZ-V, 29 July 1940. From left to right: Pilot Officer R F Smythe; Pilot Officer K R Gillman; Pilot Officer J E Procter; Flight Lieutenant P M Brothers; Pilot Officer D H Grice; Pilot Officer P M Gardner and Pilot Officer A F Eckford. All survived the war except Keith Gillman who was posted missing 25 August 1940. © IWM (HU 54418)
- Three Hurricanes of No. 32 Squadron taxying for take-off at Hawkinge, 29 July 1940. The centre aircraft is N2459, normally flown by Pilot Officer ‘Grubby’ Grice. © IWM (HU 69116)
- Hawker Hurricane Mk I P3522 of No. 32 Squadron, flown by Pilot Officer Rupert Smythe, taxying at Hawkinge, 29 July 1940. © IWM (HU 54417)
- Spitfire pilots of No. 610 Squadron relaxing between sorties at ‘A’ Flight dispersal at Hawkinge, 29 July 1940. © IWM (HU 1062)
- The Bf 109E of Erwin Aichele of 6./JG 51 that crashed in France, 29 July 1940