East and south coast shipping attacked.

Night: South Wales and midlands targets. Minelaying in Thames Estuary and north-east coast Scottish coast.

Weather: Fair in most districts with Straits and Channel overcast. Low cloud dispersing during the day. Warmer.

The day opened under largely fair skies across much of Britain, though the Channel and Straits remained overcast. Low cloud and morning mist cleared as the day progressed, giving way to warmer conditions. Although enemy activity remained relatively light compared to previous days, the Luftwaffe’s raids persisted, with attacks on convoys, light bombing raids, and intensified minelaying by night.

Strategically, 1 August 1940 marked a significant milestone in the German war effort: Adolf Hitler issued Directive No. 17, ordering the Luftwaffe to commence an intensified aerial offensive against Britain. The objective was to achieve air superiority over the RAF in preparation for Operation Seelöwe—the planned invasion of southern England. Göring’s Luftflotten were instructed to destroy RAF aircraft, infrastructure, and supporting industry, with operations to begin after 5 August, weather permitting. The directive made clear that while terror bombing could be reserved as a reprisal, the Luftwaffe’s primary focus was to crush Fighter Command and neutralize naval threats to an amphibious assault.

Enemy Action by Day

The Luftwaffe’s daylight operations were scattered and modest in scope, largely comprising reconnaissance and attacks on coastal convoys. Early in the morning, German aircraft harassed trawlers south of Selsey Bill, though no RAF fighters intercepted the raiders.

Small formations continued to probe Britain’s southern coastline throughout the day. Aircraft were plotted near Beachy Head and the Isle of Wight, but they turned back upon sighting RAF fighters. Reconnaissance flights extended westwards toward the Cornish coast and northwest of Cornwall.

At 14:30 hours, several enemy raids composed of small formations approached the Dungeness sector. Hurricanes of No. 145 Squadron were scrambled and successfully engaged the enemy off Hastings. A Henschel Hs 126 was shot down into the Channel, and a Junkers Ju 88 was damaged in the encounter. However, Sub-Lt I.H. Kestin, flying Hurricane P3155, was killed when his aircraft was struck by return fire and crashed into the sea—one of the few RAF casualties of the day.

Elsewhere, two No. 610 Squadron Spitfires engaged enemy bombers near the Sussex coast. One Spitfire sustained damage and was forced to make an emergency landing back at base.

A significant raid developed at 15:10 hours, when a formation of approximately 30 Heinkel He 111s reached Norwich unchallenged. The aircraft dropped both high-explosive and incendiary bombs on multiple targets, including the Boulton Paul Aircraft Works, timber yards, and railway infrastructure. A crane was destroyed, steel structures were damaged, and fires broke out across industrial areas. Six civilians were killed and fifty-four injured. The damage to Boulton Paul was a symbolic success for the Luftwaffe, though most aircraft under construction were spared.

Off the Norfolk coast near Yarmouth, No. 242 Squadron (Hurricanes) intercepted enemy bombers attacking a convoy. The squadron shot down one Ju 88 (confirmed) and claimed a He 111 (unconfirmed). Further offshore near Harwich, two Dornier Do 17s were intercepted—one was seen to fall into the sea, the other escaped trailing smoke.

RAF Counter-Attack on Cherbourg Airfield

Reconnaissance earlier in the day by RAF PRU Spitfires revealed a substantial buildup of Luftwaffe aircraft at Cherbourg. In response, RAF No. 56 Squadron (Blenheim IV bombers) and No. 236 Squadron (long-range Blenheim fighters) launched a bombing raid on the airfield.

Although poor weather caused the first wave of Blenheims to overshoot the peninsula, the second formation located the airfield and delivered a successful low-level bombing and strafing run. Hangars, aircraft, and gun emplacements were hit, and explosions and fires were reported. However, Luftwaffe fighters from JG 27 and JG 54 were scrambled. Three Blenheims were lost—one from No. 56 Squadron and two from No. 236 Squadron. Confirmed kills were credited to several Luftwaffe aces, including Oblt. Walter Adolph, Oblt. Franz Eckerle, and Oblt. Erwin Düllberg, who scored his first victory.

Enemy Action by Night

The night of 1/2 August saw an uptick in Luftwaffe activity, with raids reaching widely scattered targets across Britain. Minelaying occurred in the Thames Estuary, off the northeast coast, and near Scapa Flow in Scotland.

Inland bombing raids during the night were sporadic but widely dispersed. In Scotland, bombs fell on Montrose, Dundee, Haddington, Duns, and Armadale. Further south, the counties of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire were targeted, with explosions reported near Peterborough, Stradishall, and Newmarket. Additional raids were recorded near major urban centres including Leeds, Liverpool, Coventry, Weymouth, Cardiff, Sealand, and Brighton. Llanion Barracks in Pembroke sustained a direct hit, resulting in the death of one soldier and injuries to six others. Near Taunton, two parachute magnetic mines were dropped, further highlighting the varied nature of the Luftwaffe’s nocturnal operations.

At sea, an extraordinary engagement unfolded at approximately 23:45 hours when the merchant vessel SS Highlander, sailing six miles south of Stonehaven, was attacked by two German Heinkel He 115 floatplanes. The aircraft launched aerial torpedoes and made repeated low-level machine-gun attacks. Displaying remarkable defensive resolve, the crew responded with small arms and a Holman projector. One of the Heinkels was reportedly struck and crashed onto the ship’s poop deck; the second was brought down in flames by return fire from a Lewis gun. The incident highlighted the growing risks faced by coastal shipping, even under cover of darkness.

In an unusual development, four He 111s of II./KG 55 dropped packets of propaganda leaflets rather than bombs, intended to disseminate Hitler’s 19 July speech—his so-called “Last Appeal to Reason.” Owing to navigational error and poor visibility, the leaflets were scattered over South Wales and Somerset, falling largely in open fields.

In a tragic case of misidentification, a Fairey Battle of No. 1 Group was mistakenly shot down at 00:15 hours by a night fighter of No. 29 Squadron. The incident underscored the persistent challenges facing RAF night operations, particularly with respect to Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) procedures.

German Losses:
Airmen: 19 | Aircraft: 13

British Losses:
Airmen: 5 | Aircraft: 1

Hurricane P3155, No. 145 Squadron. Lost at sea.
Sub/Lt I.H. Kestin missing. Shot down by gunfire from Hs 126 and crashed into Channel.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Kestin.htm

Blenheim IV N3601, No. 236 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
S/L P.E. Drew and F/O B.Nokes-Cooper. Both killed. Shot down on bomber escort by ground fire.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Drew.htm
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Nokes-Cooper.htm

Blenheim IV R2774, No. 236 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
P/O B.M. McDonough and Sgt F.A.P.Head. Both killed. Shot down on bomber escort by ground fire.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/McDonough.htm
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/HeadFAP.htm

Photo Descriptions:

  1. No 264 Squadron’s CO, Squadron Leader Philip Hunter, leads a ‘vic’ of Defiants up from Kirton-in-Lindsey, early August 1940. © IWM (CH 885)
  2. Hawker Hurricane Mk Is of No. 242 Squadron during the Battle of Britain, 1940. © IWM (CH 1430)