Fighter-bomber raids on London and the south-east.

Night: Heavy attacks on London and industrial targets in the Midlands.

Weather: Mainly cloudy in most districts.

Enemy Action by Day

Cloud and damp weather did little to impede Luftwaffe operations over southeast England, which saw renewed efforts by Bf 109 Jabos—Messerschmitt fighter-bombers—conducting fast-moving daylight strikes. Over the course of the day, five main waves of attacks crossed the Kent and Sussex coasts, many penetrating to London or the Thames Estuary. The first formation arrived shortly after 09:30 hours and was followed by successive raids throughout the morning and early afternoon, with the final significant wave making landfall near Dungeness around 15:00 hours and dispersing inland in multiple sections.

Most of the German formations were composed of bomb-laden Bf 109s from JG 52, JG 53, and JG 54, operating with high cover from unladen fighters. Fighter Command scrambled multiple squadrons from across 11 Group to intercept. Hurricanes from Nos. 249, 253, 302 (Polish), and 605 Squadrons, alongside Spitfires from Nos. 41, 66, 74, 92, and 603 Squadrons, were heavily engaged in the morning and midday battles. Combat was fierce in the skies over Kent, Maidstone, and the approaches to central London.

Several notable engagements occurred. Around 11:00 hours, Bf 109s of II./JG 54 clashed with RAF fighters near Ashford. Hauptmann Dietrich Hrabak claimed a Hurricane, while Oberleutnant Hans Philipp of 4./JG 54 claimed two more, bringing his tally to twenty victories. Later that afternoon, Oblt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of 7./JG 54 claimed a Spitfire, while Fw. Albert Griener of 5./JG 52 also scored. JG 52 sustained losses, however—Fw. Ludwig Bielmaier of 5./JG 52 was shot down and taken prisoner.

The RAF sustained several losses during the day’s engagements. Pilot Officer B.V. Draper of No. 74 Squadron force-landed his Spitfire II (P7355) after engaging Bf 109s; he emerged unscathed. Later, during an afternoon interception over Maidstone, Sergeant T.B. Kirk of No. 74 was badly wounded and bailed out of his Spitfire (P7370). Minutes later, Sgt. C.G. Hilken of the same squadron was also forced to abandon his aircraft (P7426) after combat over South London. Despite these losses, RAF pilots destroyed at least seven enemy aircraft, with a further five claimed as probables and six damaged.

Dover again came under intermittent shellfire from German heavy artillery across the Channel, though only a fraction of the shells exploded.

Reconnaissance and Patrols

Enemy patrols and reconnaissance flights were observed along the Channel and North Sea coastlines. Early in the morning, a lone aircraft crossed from Le Havre, flying over the Isle of Wight, Bristol, and onward toward Lancashire before returning south across Shrewsbury. Additional enemy tracks were plotted over Spurn Head and as far inland as West Perthshire, where one Ju 88 attacked a British training aircraft south of Wick. Reconnaissance activity was also reported off East Anglia, near Portland, and along the Dutch coast.

Enemy Action by Night

After dusk, London and the Midlands bore the brunt of another sustained night offensive. The first raiders were plotted leaving France at 18:30 hours, and from that point onward, heavy bombing continued almost uninterrupted until the early hours of the 21st. Nearly 300 bombers were involved. London, Birmingham, and Coventry were the principal targets, though attacks were also reported in Derby, Manchester, East Anglia, and along the Humber–Tees coastal corridor, where extensive minelaying was carried out.

Birmingham suffered especially. The Erdington Institution, housing children evacuated from London, was struck; although 20 casualties were reported, none of the children were among the injured. Coventry endured further devastation as the Armstrong-Siddeley and Singer Motor Works were hit. A nearby infants’ school, housing a warden’s post, was badly damaged.

In London, railway infrastructure and cultural landmarks were among the sites damaged during the night’s bombing. A high-explosive bomb destroyed the British Museum’s Newspaper Repository, obliterating some 6,000 volumes of provincial and Irish newspapers. At 20:40 hours, an explosion near Euston disrupted transport routes, and Bank Station was temporarily closed after a delayed-action bomb landed just 30 feet from the King William Street entrance. Around midnight, a heavy bomb struck Spur Road, penetrating to the depot of the Waterloo & City line.

Anti-Aircraft Command reported the destruction of one enemy bomber overnight, with two others listed as probable. A Do 17 was also brought down near Shaftesbury under unclear circumstances. However, efforts by RAF night fighters were hampered by continuing technical issues with AI (Airborne Interception) radar equipment in the new Beaufighters. On this night, eleven sorties were flown without success.

Civilian Impact

The scale of the air offensive and the psychological toll on the population remained high, though public resilience held firm. Churchill remarked that far from breaking morale, the bombings were hardening the will of the British people to resist. Losses across the country were again heavy, though accurate totals for the day and night were still being assessed by morning.

German Losses:
Airmen: 11 | Aircraft: 11

British Losses:
Airmen: 5 | Aircraft: 5

Spitfire P7370, No. 74 Squadron
Sgt. T.B. Kirk died of wounds 22/7/41. Shot down at Coxheath in combat with enemy fighters over Maidstone. Pilot baled out severely wounded and admitted to Preston Hall Hospital in Maidstone.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Kirk.htm

Blenheim P6952, No. 248 Squadron
Shot down in attack on enemy aircraft off coast of Norway.
P/O G.M. Baird captured
http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/Baird.htm
Sgt. R. Copcutt missing.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Copcutt.htm
Sgt. D.L. Burton captured wounded and admitted to hospital in Stavanger.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/BurtonDL.htm
Sgt. S.V. Wood captured wounded and admitted to hospital in Oslo.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/WoodSV.htm

Blenheim L9453, No. 248 Squadron
Shot down by Bf 109s from 4./JG 77 off Ballen Hemnefjord, Norway.
P/O S.R. Gane killed.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Gane.htm
P/O M.D. Green killed.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/GreenMD.htm
Sgt. N.J. Stocks killed.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Stocks.htm

Photo Description

1. The wreckage of Oberfeldwebel Albert Friedemann’s Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 (W.Nr. 2780) of 6./JG 52, which came down opposite Gibson’s Farm in Wickham Street, Welling, on 20 October 1940. The aircraft exploded in mid-air shortly after Friedemann bailed out, but he was killed when his parachute failed to open. Although previously attributed to Flying Officer Peter Brown of No. 41 Squadron, subsequent clarification confirms that Brown was responsible for shooting down Feldwebel Ludwig Bielmaier of 5./JG 52, who baled out near West Malling and survived. Brown himself confirmed this in later years, having personally visited Bielmaier in captivity and kept items from the encounter as mementoes. The fence in the background marks the perimeter of the farmhouse garden at Gibson’s Farm, just across the road.