Mainly shipping reconnaissance in Channel.
Night: South Wales, with some raids continuing to Liverpool, Crewe and Bradford areas.
Weather: Mainly dull with bright patches. Cloud base 4,000ft. Visibility two to five miles.
On this day, the Luftwaffe General Staff formalised its operational plan for the aerial destruction of RAF Fighter Command, known as Adlerangriff (Eagle Attack). The campaign was to unfold in three phases, beginning with widespread strikes within a 90-to-60-mile radius of London, followed by increasingly concentrated attacks leading up to assaults within a 30-mile radius. Luftflotten 2 and 3, based in France and the Low Countries, would bear the brunt of the effort, supported by Luftflotte 5 operating from Norway. The plan outlined an ambitious timeline and placed enormous pressure on German aircrews to achieve air superiority in just over two weeks. Fighter Command.
Enemy Action by Day
Enemy activity during daylight hours was again dominated by reconnaissance patrols targeting British coastal shipping. Four German aircraft approached the southern coastline between Swanage and Land’s End during the morning. Of these, one crossed inland at St Alban’s Head and flew along a familiar route toward Bristol and Cardiff before returning via the same track. During this sortie, the raider reportedly attacked a British trawler, which claimed to have shot the enemy aircraft down off St Alban’s Head. The type of aircraft remains unidentified, and confirmation of its destruction was not obtained.
Off the Isle of Wight, one reconnaissance flight was detected, while two additional enemy tracks were plotted near Beachy Head. In one case, coastal patrols were reportedly bombed. Further out, one German aircraft was tracked over Wexford. RAF fighter sections were dispatched to intercept several of these sorties, but no contacts were made, likely due to persistent low cloud and the altitude of the enemy patrols.
The Dover Straits saw continued Luftwaffe reconnaissance throughout the day. Patrols were made off Pevensey and Dover during the forenoon. In the afternoon, four separate raids, each comprising approximately 15 aircraft, were tracked approaching Dover. All faded before reaching the English coast, disappearing back toward the French side of the Channel. Other indistinct tracks were plotted over the Straits but never crossed into British airspace. Fighter Command launched intercept attempts, but none succeeded in engaging the elusive formations.
Several coastal reconnaissance missions were flown toward the East Anglian shoreline, with tracks approaching Harwich, Cromer, and Orfordness. One enemy formation was observed inspecting a convoy off Orfordness, while another was reported off the Tyne, believed to be conducting a meteorological flight during the early morning.
In the afternoon, No. 85 Squadron engaged and shot down a Bf 110 ten miles east of Southwold at 15:32 hours. Separately, No. 603 Squadron intercepted and downed a Heinkel He 111 off Montrose at 12:12 hours during one of several German weather reconnaissance missions observed between Flamborough Head and the Orkneys.
Enemy activity increased slightly over Scotland and the northeast later in the day. Two meteorological reconnaissance flights were logged between 11:00 and 16:00 hours, one near the Orkneys and another off St Abb’s Head. Late in the evening, a single raid was plotted approximately 25 miles east of Aberdeen.
Numerous tracks were observed throughout the day over northern France, particularly in the Baie de la Seine and Cherbourg areas. These reflected a combination of operational fighter patrols, staging activity, and reconnaissance ahead of upcoming offensive operations.
Enemy Action by Night
Despite relatively low numbers of enemy aircraft, night operations were once again widespread. Beginning at 21:35 hours, a raid penetrated over Southend and reached North Weald, with a splinter group diverting toward Chelmsford. As a result, London Central was placed on alert (“purple” status).
At 22:45 hours, activity increased along the East Anglian coast, and several raiders pushed inland. A separate stream entered via Weymouth and moved across to South Wales, mirroring patterns seen in the previous two nights. Many of these raiders pressed on toward Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester, and Bradford. Around 01:00 hours, another aircraft followed a similar route, reaching Leeds before veering east over Digby and North Weald, then exiting over Beachy Head toward occupied France. Heavy ground fog in the Thames-to-Duxford corridor further complicated defensive measures.
Additional bombing was reported between Kinnaird’s Head and the Firth of Forth, where enemy minelaying was suspected. Other suspected minelaying sorties were plotted in the Thames Estuary, off East Anglia, and along the coast from the Humber to Berwick. One notable incident involved a Ju 88 flying low over the Wembury Cliff searchlight site; the startled gun crew fired downward as the aircraft skimmed overhead.
Two aircraft appeared over the Pembroke area during the night, but plots were sparse. Elsewhere, extensive tracks were recorded over northern Scotland, with at least five separate raids observed between Flamborough Head and the Orkneys.
At 22:16 hours, two Heinkel He 111s from I./KG 55 bombed the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton. A military camp at Laindon Hills, Essex, reported the presence of unexploded ordnance at 21:55 hours.
Reports continued to surface regarding the Luftwaffe’s psychological operations. Hitler’s 19 July speech—his so-called “Last Appeal to Reason”—was disseminated via propaganda leaflets, which were dropped overnight across parts of Essex, including Epping, Tonbridge, and Waltham Cross. Notably, a small explosive charge was reportedly attached to one leaflet bundle dropped at Tonbridge in the early hours of 3 August.
German Losses:
Airmen: 11 | Aircraft: 6
British Losses:
Airmen: 0 | Aircraft: 0
Photo Description
- Heinkel He 111H bombers of Kampfgeschwader 1 (KG 1) at rest in France, Summer 1940. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-385-0582-06 / Wanderer, W. / CC-BY-SA 3.0.