Activity limited to reconnaissance sorties. Fighter Command faces pilot shortage.
Night: Light raids on the Midlands, Merseyside and South Wale
Weather: Fine in the Channel, haze and some cloud in the east.
Strategic Pause
AftAfter five consecutive days of punishing combat, the Luftwaffe’s activity sharply declined on 17 August. Fighter Command, anticipating continued heavy raids, remained on alert throughout the day, but radar screens across southern England remained unusually quiet. Squadron Leader Mike Crossley of No. 32 Squadron described the stillness as “an amazing, heavenly day,” free from alerts or engagements.
The lull was genuine. German bomber units, particularly from Kampfgeschwader 3, were suffering from exhaustion and mounting strain on morale. Oberfeldwebel Manfred Langer of 4./KG 3 later recalled their frustration: missions were flown repeatedly with little success and at high cost. Despite pleas to concentrate on Britain’s radar sites, the Luftwaffe’s leadership remained fixated on airfields and aircraft production. Langer observed:
“Man is not a machine, though our commanders thought differently.”
Fighter Command seized the respite to regroup. Repairs were carried out at Biggin Hill, Hornchurch, and Kenley, restoring vital facilities. Yet the human cost remained severe: sixty-eight RAF pilots had been killed or reported missing over the previous five days, with more than seventy wounded. Reinforcements helped fill the gap—No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron arrived at Duxford, No. 1 (Canadian) Squadron was committed to the battle, No. 145 Squadron transferred to Drem in Scotland, and No. 602 Squadron redeployed to Westhampnett near Tangmere.
Enemy Action by Day
Luftwaffe activity was confined to scattered reconnaissance sorties. Along the East Coast, aircraft shadowed British convoys from Calais to North Foreland and as far north as Yarmouth. At 13:05 hours, a lone German aircraft crossed the North Sea and approached two convoys off the East Anglian coast, but refrained from engaging. Another flight was plotted at 15:08 hours, but turned south toward Dunkerque without incident. Around 17:00 hours, one or more enemy aircraft entered the Thames Estuary, drew anti-aircraft fire, and dropped bombs near RAF Hornchurch. At 18:20 hours, a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was tracked over the Thames Estuary at 35,000 feet.
In southern England, a lone German aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over Southampton early in the day. Between 09:00 and 16:00 hours, several reconnaissance flights were tracked between Newhaven and the Isle of Wight. At 12:04 hours, a group of three or more aircraft approached Portsmouth but withdrew when RAF fighters appeared. Around 12:30 hours, six aircraft moved from Shoreham toward Selsey Bill but again turned back. During this period, solitary aircraft also conducted reconnaissance over Thorney Island and the Isle of Wight, while a group of eight or more from Cherbourg was driven off by RAF patrols.
A minor reconnaissance effort over Cardigan Bay suggested a ship may have been sunk off Strumble Head, though this was never confirmed. In an unusual episode, a single Luftwaffe aircraft flew over mid-Wales and dropped propaganda leaflets around Welshpool before returning to France. Elsewhere, a German aircraft was destroyed over the English Channel by a Royal Navy vessel.
Despite the lack of large-scale action, several leading Luftwaffe aces still filed claims. Hauptmann Walter Oesau of 7./JG 51 reported his nineteenth victory with a Hurricane off Cap Gris Nez. In the same unit, Oberfeldwebel Arthur Dau claimed a Hurricane over Canterbury. Hauptmann Horst Tietzen of 5./JG 51 reached his twentieth victory, while Leutnant Heinz Bär of 1./JG 51 added his fourth. Hauptmann Josef Fözö of 4./JG 51 also claimed a Hurricane from No. 601 Squadron at 17:40 hours. However, official RAF records confirm that no fighters were actually lost that day.
Enemy Action by Night
Around 21:00 hours, a small formation crossed the Isle of Sheppey. Between 21:00 and 23:00 hours, several single aircraft operated off the Norfolk coast. At approximately 21:30 hours, one flew up the Thames Estuary before exiting near Southend.
Between 23:00 and 01:00 hours, bombers struck across western England and Wales. Around seven separate raids passed over Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Chester, and surrounding districts. Aircraft were also plotted near Lyme Bay and along the coast between Beachy Head and Hastings.
At 00:42 hours, a bomber crossed the Mersey and flew a circuitous route via Crosby, Oswestry, Birmingham, Nottingham, and Poole before leaving the south coast at 02:53 hours. Another penetrated the Reading–Windsor–Henley area at 01:15 hours. A third was tracked over Hucknall, Newark, and Lincoln at 02:44 hours before being intercepted and shot down off Spurn Head at 03:00 hours by a Bristol Blenheim of No. 29 Squadron, flown by P/O Rhodes and Sgt. Gregory. The Ju 88, from I./NJG 1, was destroyed with all crew lost.
Shortly after midnight, heavier bombing resumed. Raids struck Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and East Suffolk. Coventry and Birmingham were hit, though serious damage was limited. At Liverpool, bombs damaged the docks, including a warehouse, dry dock, and rail siding.
A notable raid involved fourteen He 111s of II./KG 27 targeting the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Avonmouth docks; the formation withdrew at 02:05 hours. Meanwhile, Kampfgruppe 100 aircraft using X-Gerät radio-beam guidance attacked Castle Bromwich, though most bombs fell harmlessly. One returning aircraft crashed at Dinard due to mechanical failure, though its crew survived. Additional KG 27 aircraft struck Coventry, but much of the ordnance again fell in open countryside.
German Losses:
Airmen: 6 | Aircraft: 5
British Losses:
Airmen: 0 | Aircraft: 0
Photo Description
- Armourers fit fuzes to 250-lb GP bombs on their trolleys, prior to loading into Handley Page Hampden Mark I, P1333 ‘EA-F’, of No. 49 Squadron RAF at Scampton, Lincolnshire. P1333 crash-landed near Breda, Netherlands, on returning from a raid on Merseburg, Germany on 17 August 1940. © IWM (CH 254)