Shipping attacks off Dover and Swanage.
Night: Bristol area, Isle of Wight, Kent and Suffolk raided.
Weather: Fair all day.
Enemy Action by Day
Despite clear skies and ideal flying conditions across southern England, Luftwaffe operations on 14 July 1940 remained limited and disjointed throughout the morning. Early activity focused on locating and attacking coastal convoys in the Channel, but these efforts were largely unsuccessful due to the presence of RAF standing patrols and timely interceptions.
11:00 Hours: Morning Skirmish off Manston
At approximately 11:00 hours, a Dornier Do 17—likely from 4.(F)/121—and escorted by around ten Bf 109s from III./JG 3, with additional fighter cover from II./JG 51, was detected approaching a coastal convoy near Manston. Spitfires from No. 65 Squadron were scrambled and intercepted the formation before it reached its target. One Bf 109 was confirmed shot down, while at least four others sustained damage or were later recorded as probables. No RAF aircraft were lost in the encounter.
15:00 Hours: Major Assault on Convoy Bread near Dover
The main engagement of the day unfolded shortly after 15:00 hours, when a major Luftwaffe strike was mounted against Convoy CW 6, codenamed Bread, off Dover. The attacking force included over forty Ju 87 dive-bombers of II./LG 1, escorted by Bf 109s from III./JG 3 and elements of JG 51. In addition, more than twenty Dornier Do 17s from KG 2 were dispatched, accompanied by heavy escort from Bf 109s and Bf 110s of ZG 26. The combined formation was detected early by RDF (radar), and RAF squadrons from Biggin Hill, Croydon, and Manston—including Nos. 151, 615, and 610 Squadrons—were swiftly scrambled to intercept.
The resulting dogfight, which involved well over 100 aircraft, saw intense aerial combat above the Channel and near the White Cliffs of Dover. RAF pilots claimed three Ju 87s and three Bf 109s destroyed, with two further aircraft listed as probable. One of the Messerschmitts was confirmed as belonging to 8./JG 3; another aircraft from the same Staffel was severely damaged. British losses included a single Hurricane, flown by Pilot Officer Michael Robert Mudie of No. 615 Squadron, who was shot down by Hauptmann Horst Tietzen of 5./JG 51 at approximately 15:30 hours. Mudie bailed out badly wounded and was rescued by the Royal Navy, but died from his injuries the following day.
Several ships sustained damage during the attack. The SS Island Queen (779 tons) was sunk, while the Norwegian vessel Balder and the British cargo ship SS Mons were damaged. A Royal Navy trawler was also reported hit.
The action was witnessed from the cliffs above Dover by BBC radio reporter Charles Gardner, whose live broadcast became one of the most famous moments of the Battle of Britain. Wearing a tin helmet and padding the roof of his car with a mattress, Gardner narrated the air battle in real time. His breathless commentary described a “Junkers 87” crashing into the sea—actually Mudie’s Hurricane—and conveyed the chaos and intensity of the swirling dogfight overhead. Though widely heard and remembered, the broadcast provoked criticism for its excited tone, which some felt trivialised the grim realities of combat. Yet for many listeners, Gardner’s report captured the immediacy of the aerial struggle and brought the war home in a way no other coverage had yet achieved. The full broadcast can be heard here.
Afternoon Activity and Diminishing Raids
By late afternoon, Luftwaffe operations had diminished, likely due to deteriorating weather over the French coast. Despite this, sporadic reconnaissance flights and isolated raids continued. One Junkers Ju 88 was brought down by anti-aircraft fire, while minor attacks were directed against shipping off the east coast and inland targets, including RAF West Raynham. No. 242 Squadron flew afternoon sorties and claimed one confirmed and one probable victory.
Elsewhere, a Dornier Do 17 and a Heinkel He 111 were confirmed destroyed over eastern England, with another of each type listed as probable. These aircraft were likely conducting weather or reconnaissance missions rather than participating in offensive bombing operations.
In Scotland, Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft approached the Montrose area during the afternoon, but no incursions were made inland, and no interceptions occurred.
Enemy Action by Night
Luftwaffe activity escalated after nightfall. Shortly before midnight, Heinkel He 111s of I./KG 55 conducted a coordinated night raid targeting strategic infrastructure in and around Bristol. Oil storage tanks at Avonmouth, searchlight emplacements, and the National Smelting Works were struck. A railway line, nearby docks, and a signal box also sustained damage in the Avonmouth area.
Simultaneous night raids were plotted over Kent, Suffolk, and the Isle of Wight. In the Bristol region, bombs fell across the city and surrounding districts, causing scattered damage and temporary blackouts.
Along the Thames Estuary and around Harwich, radar stations and observer posts recorded up to eighteen separate tracks—most likely minelaying aircraft operating over key maritime approaches. Incendiary bombs were also reported dropped across County Durham, particularly in the areas of Bridgehill, Seaton Snook, and Graythorp. While some fires were ignited, material damage was minimal, and there were no reports of fatalities.
RAF night fighter sorties were flown in response to these incursions, but due to poor visibility and scattered cloud, no enemy aircraft were intercepted.
German Losses:
Airmen: 3 | Aircraft: 3
British Losses:
Airmen: 1 | Aircraft: 1
Hurricane L1584, No. 615 Squadron. Crashed into sea.
P/O M.R. Mudie died of injuries. Baled out badly injured, rescued by Navy, died on July 15th 1940.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Mudie.htm
Photo Descriptions
- A British convoy under air attack by German dive-bombers on 14 July 1940.
- Bombs falling away from a Junkers Ju-87 Stuka dive-bomber, 1940.
- Spitfires of No. 610 Squadron land over the western end of ‘The Bump’, as Biggin Hill airfield was known, July 1940. © IWM (HU 87412)