Shipping attacked off Dover and south coast ports.
Night: Minelaying from Thames Estuary to Humber. Scattered raiders over England and Wales.
Weather: Fine early. Fair for the rest of the day, clouding over in the evening.
Enemy Action by Day
Fighter Command expected renewed and heavier Luftwaffe attacks and moved eight squadrons to forward airfields. However, the morning began with relatively little activity.
At 0500 hours, a Ju 88 from 3./KG 51, intended to bomb Crewe in Lancashire, became lost and ran out of fuel, eventually making a forced landing at Bexhill, Sussex. The crew was captured uninjured.
Shortly afterward, at 0525 hours, Spitfires from No. 234 Squadron (10 Group) intercepted Ju 88s south of Plymouth. Flight Lieutenant Hughes and Pilot Officer Horton were credited with bringing one Ju 88 down east of Plymouth.
Around 0630 hours, German bombers appeared over Glasgow, bombing the Hillingdon district. A printing works was severely damaged, windows at the Rolls Royce factory were broken, and minor casualties were reported.
At 0730 hours, a Ju 88 that attacked shipping near Porthcawl was shot down by No. 92 Squadron. Other raids approached Bournemouth and Portland but eventually withdrew without engaging.
Main Engagement – Dover, Afternoon
Around 1330 hours, a large German formation was detected assembling over Calais and began moving toward Dover, supported by fighters from I. and II./JG 51 and III./JG 26. The British Observer Corps estimated the force included about 60 Heinkel bombers and 40 Messerschmitt Bf 109s.
In response, Fighter Command dispatched:
- No. 41 Squadron (Spitfires)
- No. 74 Squadron (Spitfires)
- No. 111 Squadron (Hurricanes)
- No. 257 Squadron (Hurricanes)
The British fighters met the German force just off the Kent coast. As was standard, Hurricanes targeted the bombers, while Spitfires engaged the escorting fighters.
No. 74 Squadron, led by the South African ace S/Ldr Adolph “Sailor” Malan, launched a ferocious attack on 36 Bf 109s of I./JG 51. Hurricanes from Hawkinge went after the bombers. The German bomber formation broke apart before reaching its target, retreating back across the Channel and leaving the fighter escorts to engage the RAF.
A fierce dogfight followed. The RAF lost five Spitfires, including two destroyed and two damaged from No. 74 Squadron, and one Spitfire from No. 41 Squadron was also damaged. Luftwaffe losses included five fighters. Among those shot down was Gefreiter Martin Gebhardt of 2./JG 51, who downed a Spitfire before being killed.
Notable German claims included:
- Ofw. Karl Schmid (1./JG 51)
- Oblt. Richard Leppla (3./JG 51)
- Fw. Arthur Haase (6./JG 51)
- Oblt. Muncheberg (7./JG 26) – credited with a Hurricane.
Major Werner Mölders, newly appointed Kommodore of JG 51, shot down a Spitfire – his 26th kill – but was seriously wounded in both legs during the engagement. Despite his injuries, he belly-landed safely back in France and would be out of action for a month. His victim, F/O A.D.J. Lovell, managed to land his damaged Spitfire at Hornchurch.
A claim by Oblt. Richard Leppla that he shot down the Spitfire that wounded Mölders was disputed by S/Ldr Malan, who also claimed to have downed Mölders.
He 59 Search and Rescue Seaplanes
Later in the day, No. 111 Squadron (Hurricanes) intercepted He 59 seaplanes conducting air-sea rescue operations east of Boulogne. The Air Ministry had recently ordered these aircraft to be treated as enemy combatants if spotted near Allied shipping or the English coast. One He 59 was shot down, and a second was damaged while attempting a rescue but escaped. A third He 59 was also downed by 111 Squadron around 1530 hours.
In total, the Luftwaffe lost eighteen aircraft during the day. The downing of medical and rescue aircraft prompted a furious German response. Hitler condemned the RAF, calling their actions cold-blooded murder.
Enemy Action by Night
German night operations were extensive and widespread across the British Isles.
The primary feature was intense minelaying, beginning from the Thames Estuary to the Humber and later reaching as far north as Aberdeen. Numerous inland bombing raids also occurred, targeting the south and east coasts, and extending deep into England, Scotland, and Wales.
By 0130 hours, most raids were in retreat; by 0145, areas north and east of a Chester–London line were clear. By 0245, all inland activity had returned to coastal routes.
Notable incidents included:
- At 2330 hours, He 111s of III./KG 55 bombed the Rolls Royce works in Crewe.
- Kent and Sussex were bombed late at night. In Edenbridge, gas and water mains were damaged.
- At 0230 hours, Sealand Aerodrome was bombed.
- South Wales was hit, damaging rail lines near Neath and blocking roads near Pontaliw, outside Swansea.
Among the more serious events, an enemy aircraft reportedly crashed near Wooton Hill, four miles southwest of Newbury, around 0200 hours. The crew bailed out and evaded capture.
German Losses:
Airmen: 14 | Aircraft: 11
British Losses:
Airmen: 1 | Aircraft: 6
Spitfire P9547, No. 74 Squadron. Aircraft lost.
P/O J.H.R.Young. Killed. Shot down by Bf 109 near Goodwin Sands.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/YoungJHR.htm
Photo Descriptions:
- Acting F/L Adolph G “Sailor” Malan of No. 74 Squadron RAF poses besides Spitfire Mk I ZP-A at RAF Hornchurch. On 28 July 1940, Malan found himself in combat with Major Werner Mölders of JG 51 over Dover. Mölders was wounded and crash-landed in France.
- Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs of No. 40 Squadron at Wyton, July 1940.