Convoys attacked off Suffolk. Portland harbour raided.

Night: Activity over south-west England, East Anglia, Yorkshire coast and Portsmouth.

Weather: Channel overcast. Cloud base 5,000ft, Visibility fair. Thunderstorms and bright intervals in the midlands and north.

Enemy Action by Day

The day began with scattered raids by lone Luftwaffe aircraft along the eastern coast between Yarmouth and Flamborough Head. Around 06:30 hours, several bombs were dropped inland, including on the Royal Engineer Headquarters at Melbourne in Derbyshire. Near Bridlington, an ammunition truck was hit and exploded, causing significant damage, though no confirmed casualties were reported.

06:00–07:30 Hours: Fighting off the East Anglian Coast

At 06:00 hours, Squadron Leader Peter Townsend, C/O of No. 85 Squadron, was flying Hurricane P2716 when he intercepted Do 17Z U5+GM of 4./KG 2 off Harwich. Flown by Oberleutnant Joachim Genzow, the Dornier had previously bombed shipping at Lowestoft, dropping ten 100-lb bombs before turning south for France. Townsend severely damaged the bomber, but return fire struck his Hurricane’s cooling system and forced him to bale out over the North Sea. He was rescued by the motor vessel Cape Finisterre.

Despite extensive damage and wounds to three members of its crew, the Dornier reached Arras–St-Léger, where Genzow made a successful belly landing after the undercarriage failed to lower.

Around the same time, two Spitfires of No. 66 Squadron engaged and damaged another Do 17 off Cromer. Squadron Leader Douglas Bader of No. 242 Squadron subsequently intercepted the aircraft beneath the low cloud and attacked it as it attempted to escape. The Dornier disappeared into the cloud before crashing into the sea near Cromer. It was probably a Do 17P weather-reconnaissance aircraft of Wekusta 26, reported missing with Unteroffizier Karl Haase and the other three members of its crew.

Over the South-Western Channel, three Blenheims of No. 59 Squadron searched for German E-boats reported at sea. Although no E-boats were found, Pilot Officer Bob Ayres and Flying Officer Tony Fry intercepted a Do 17 and pursued it until their forward ammunition was exhausted. The Dornier escaped, although its rear gunner was believed to have been killed.

07:45–08:30 Hours: Stuka Raid on a Convoy off Portland

Acting under orders from General Wolfram von Richthofen, Fliegerkorps VIII commenced offensive operations during the morning. Following a reconnaissance report of shipping south-west of Portland, approximately twelve Ju 87 Stukas were dispatched to attack the convoy under the protection of Bf 109s from III./JG 27.

At 07:41 hours, British radar stations tracked the raid assembling over the Cotentin Peninsula. Hurricanes of No. 501 Squadron were scrambled from RAF Middle Wallop as the first line of defence. However, they were intercepted by the Bf 109 escort before they could reach the bombers. In the ensuing engagement, Sergeant F.J.P. Dixon was shot down and killed after ditching in the sea.

Spitfires of No. 609 Squadron, operating from Warmwell, arrived moments later, just as the Ju 87s began their attack dives on the convoy. The squadron divided into two sections of three aircraft: one section attacked the Stukas, while the other engaged the escort fighters. Severely outnumbered—facing odds of nearly six to one—No. 609 Squadron was unable to break up the raid and lost two pilots in the attempt.

Flight Lieutenant P.H. Barran later died of his injuries after being picked up from the sea, and Pilot Officer G.T.M. Mitchell was killed; his body was later washed ashore on the Isle of Wight. Forced to withdraw, the squadron had little further impact on the engagement.

Flying Officer B.W. Little claimed a Ju 87 destroyed, while Pilot Officer A.J. Blaney claimed another probably destroyed. However, no corresponding German loss has been identified, and none of the ships in the convoy was lost.

09:00–10:50 Hours: Reconnaissance off the South Coast

As weather conditions over the Channel and southern England began to deteriorate, Luftwaffe activity became more sporadic. At approximately 09:15 hours, a Dornier Do 17 was intercepted and shot down off Selsey Bill by Hurricanes from No. 601 Squadron. This aircraft was probably from 2.(F)/11 and was reported to have crashed some twenty miles south of St Catherine’s Point. Elsewhere, another Do 17 carried out a reconnaissance mission over the Welsh coast.

It dropped its bomb load over Swansea before returning safely to France.

10:03 Hours: Heinkel Seaplane Forced Down off Start Point

At 10:03 hours, an Anson of No. 217 Squadron, flown by Flight Sergeant Nelson Webb, sighted Heinkel He 59 D-AGIO of Seenotflugkommando 1 after the seaplane had taken off near Start Point. Webb opened fire at 10:11 hours, damaging the port wing and float and forcing the Heinkel down onto the sea. Major Otto Dreyer and the other four members of its crew abandoned the aircraft in their dinghy and were subsequently captured.

11:10–12:10 Hours: Main Raid on Portland

At 11:10 hours, British radar operators detected a substantial enemy formation crossing the Cherbourg Peninsula. The raid consisted of Ju 87 Stukas from 11./LG 1 and III./StG 2, the latter under the command of Geschwaderkommodore Oskar Dinort, heavily escorted by approximately thirty Messerschmitt Bf 110s of III./ZG 76. Owing to the distance involved, the Luftwaffe employed Bf 110 escorts in place of the shorter-range Bf 109s normally used in Channel operations.

The main formation was not detected early enough, and the initial RAF response—Hurricanes from No. 601 Squadron—was misdirected toward a lone reconnaissance contact near Poole.

By chance, No. 601 Squadron encountered the main force head-on and immediately engaged. During the opening phase of the battle, RAF fighters shot down two Ju 87s, while another damaged Stuka later force-landed at St-Inglevert on the French coast. At the time, most squadrons in the Middle Wallop sector were refuelling and rearming, but six Hurricanes of No. 238 Squadron, along with Hurricanes from Nos. 87 and 501 Squadrons, were hastily scrambled.

Though they were too late to prevent the bombing run, which struck Portland Harbour at 11:53 hours, they contributed to the fierce dogfight that followed.

Intense aerial combat unfolded over Dorset. No. 87 Squadron attacked from altitude, with Squadron Leader John Dewar leading a dive from the sun to strike the Bf 110 of Staffelkapitän Oberleutnant Gerhard Kadow. The aircraft—Bf 110C-2 2N+EP, Werknummer 3551, of 9./ZG 76—was brought down at approximately 12:10 hours through the combined efforts of Dewar, Flying Officer D.C. MacCaw, Pilot Officer J.H. Mann and Sergeant C. Parkinson of No. 238 Squadron, and Flying Officer H.J. Riddle of No. 601 Squadron. It force-landed at Povington Heath near Wareham, where Kadow and his gunner, Gefreiter Helmut Scholz, were captured after unsuccessfully attempting to destroy the aircraft.

Another Bf 110C of 9./ZG 76 was shot down at approximately 12:05 hours, probably by Flying Officer R.L. Glyde of No. 87 Squadron and Pilot Officer P. Chaloner Lindsey of No. 601 Squadron. The aircraft crashed near the Ney Breakwater; Leutnant J. Schröder was rescued by the lifeboat William and Clara Ryland, while Gefreiter F. Sorokopot was reported missing, believed killed.

In total, four Bf 110s of III./ZG 76 were destroyed or forced down during the fighting.

Among the Luftwaffe losses was Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Göring—nephew of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring—who was killed alongside his rear gunner when their Bf 110 crashed into the cliffs at Verne Citadel.

One Hurricane sustained friendly fire damage, but its pilot survived uninjured.

Ju 87s of III./StG 1, led by Gruppenkommandeur Hauptmann Helmut Mahlke, were also dispatched against shipping off Portland. Violent changes in wind direction repeatedly disrupted the pilots’ aim as they dived on a solitary vessel close inshore. Every bomb missed, and the formation returned without loss.

Damage to Portland was limited, though several merchant vessels in the harbour and surrounding waters were struck. The British freighters SS Kylemount (704 GRT), City of Melbourne (6,630 GRT), SS Peru (6,961 GRT) and Eleanor Brooke (1,037 GRT) were all damaged. The Dutch cargo vessel SS Mies (309 GRT) also suffered damage off Portland Bill. HMS Warrior II, a 1,124-ton former steam yacht converted for naval patrol duties, was sunk with the loss of one crewman.

12:10 Hours: Fighting off Start Point

At 12:10 hours, three Blenheims of No. 236 Squadron, escorting two destroyers off Start Point, encountered a Ju 88 that had apparently responded to distress signals transmitted by the He 59 forced down earlier that morning. Pilot Officer Fred Ripley attacked the bomber, apparently from 1./KG 51, and damaged its starboard engine. The Ju 88 was subsequently reported to have crashed into the sea off the French coast.

Pilot Officers Charles Peachment and Bryan McDonough then attacked a second aircraft, initially identified as a Heinkel. It was a Ju 88 of 6./LG 1 flown by the Staffelkapitän, Oberleutnant Adolf Vitense. The bomber crashed into the sea approximately twenty-two miles off Start Point, killing all four members of its crew. McDonough’s Blenheim was hit by return fire but returned safely to St Eval.

17:44 Hours: Raid on Portsmouth

At 17:44 hours, approximately twelve Heinkel He 111 bombers of KG 51 and KG 55 approached Portsmouth under the protection of Bf 110s. Hurricanes of Nos. 601 and 145 Squadrons intercepted the formation off Selsey, while ground-based anti-aircraft batteries opened fire as the raiders approached the coast.

Hurricane P3681, flown by Sergeant Arthur Woolley of No. 601 Squadron, was set alight when a bullet struck the gravity tank during an attack on He 111s over the Channel off Selsey. Woolley bailed out, wounded and burned, and the aircraft crashed at Cranmore on the Isle of Wight. Squadron Leader John Peel of No. 145 Squadron was shot down by return fire and ditched off Selsey Bill in Hurricane P3400; he was rescued semi-conscious by the Selsey lifeboat five hours later.

No. 601 Squadron claimed six He 111s and one Bf 110 as probably destroyed, while No. 145 Squadron claimed three more He 111s and another Bf 110 destroyed as the German formation withdrew. In fact, the Luftwaffe lost three He 111s during the raid. Among these was a He 111H, G1+LK, of 2./KG 55, shot down by Pilot Officers Lord R.U.P. Kay-Shuttleworth and E.C.J. Wakeham of No. 145 Squadron. The bomber crash-landed on East Beach at Selsey at approximately 18:15 hours. Oberleutnant Siegfried Schweinhagen, Oberfeldwebel Erich Slotosch and Feldwebel Herbert Steiner were captured; Oberfeldwebel Hans Schlüter later died of wounds, and Unteroffizier Wilhelm Müller was killed in the engagement. Schlüter and Müller were buried at St Andrew’s Churchyard, Tangmere.

Another He 111, G1+HK of 2./KG 55, was attacked by Flight Sergeant Arthur Pond of No. 601 Squadron and exploded during the fighting, colliding with an adjacent aircraft. Pilot Officer James Storrar of No. 145 Squadron subsequently attacked a damaged Heinkel approximately ten miles south of St Catherine’s Point and claimed it destroyed after watching it alight on the sea.

Several Heinkels nevertheless evaded the RAF fighters and reached Portsmouth. Bombs struck the dockyard and sank three barges, while the French destroyer Savorgnan de Brazza suffered minor splinter damage. Other bombs fell across the city, including on Drayton Road School, which was being used as a first-aid post. Nineteen civilians were killed and twenty-six seriously injured during the raid.

19:13 Hours: Lone Raid Over Scotland

At 19:13 hours, a single unidentified German aircraft was tracked flying north of Glasgow before turning eastward over the Firth of Forth and vanishing out to sea. The sighting drew attention due to its resemblance to a curious radar contact logged the previous night (10–11 July), which had tracked a similar path westward before disappearing without trace.

Enemy Action by Night

After 21:00 hours, enemy activity resumed under cover of darkness. Raids struck South Wales, Somerset, Bristol, Portland, Dorchester, and Plymouth. Further attacks were recorded over Hull, Ipswich, Harrogate, Doncaster, Colchester, and Harwich, though no major damage was reported.

Ju 88s of I./KG 51 attacked oil tanks, searchlight positions and anti-aircraft emplacements around Bristol, Avonmouth and Portishead. On its return, a Ju 88 of 3./KG 51 suffered engine failure and crashed and burned at Varneville while approaching its airfield. Oberfeldwebel Josef Rattel was killed and the remaining three members of the crew were injured.

RAF night fighters conducted 32 sorties but made no interceptions. Heavy cloud cover again reduced effectiveness.

Summary

Thursday, 11 July 1940 marked a clear escalation in German operations. While convoy harassment and reconnaissance continued, the coordinated raids on Portland and Portsmouth signalled growing Luftwaffe confidence. Despite this, RAF Fighter Command inflicted heavy losses—particularly on the overstretched Bf 110 Zerstörer units—and continued to blunt German attacks through well-directed fighter responses and coordinated anti-aircraft fire.

The day’s engagements further exposed the Bf 110’s limitations as a close escort, a weakness that would become increasingly apparent in the weeks to come. With each passing day, the Battle of Britain moved closer to full-scale confrontation.

German Losses:
Airmen: 41 | Aircraft: 17

British Losses:
Airmen: 3 | Aircraft: 6

Hurricane P2485, No. 501 Squadron. Aircraft lost at sea.
Sgt F.J.P Dixon drowned. Hit by gunfire from Bf 109 of III/JG 27 ten miles off Portland. Baled out but search failed to find any trace of pilot.
https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/DixonFJP.htm

Spitfire L1095, No. 609 Squadron. Aircraft lost at sea.
P/O G.T.M. Mitchell drowned. Shot down in combat by Bf 109 over Channel off Portland protecting convoy. Body later washed ashore at Newport I.O.W.
https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/MitchellGTM.htm

Spitfire L1069 No. 609 Squadron. Aircraft lost at sea.
F/L P.H. Barran died of burns. Shot down in combat by Bf 109 over convoy in Channel off Portland. Baled out. Pilot was rescued but died on rescue boat.
https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Barran.htm

Photo Descriptions

1. Messerschmitt Bf 110C-4 (W.Nr: 3551 2N+EP) of 9./Zerstörergeschwader 76 lies in a field at Grange Heath, near Lulworth in Dorset, following combat over Portland at 12:10 on 11 July 1940. Surprised at 12,000 ft by Green Section of No. 238 Squadron, the aircraft force-landed after being harried by S/L John S “Johnny” Dewar of No. 87 Squadron and F/O Hugh J Riddle of No. 601 Squadron. The pilot Oberleutnant Gerhard Kadow and his gunner Gefreiter Helmut Scholz were both captured. Kadow was shot in the foot while attempting to set fire to the aircraft.
2. Military personnel inspect Messerschmitt Bf 110C-4 (W.Nr: 3551 2N+EP) of 9./Zerstörergeschwader 76 at Grange Heath, near Lulworth in Dorset.
3. RAF personnel examine the wreck of Heinkel He 111H (G1+LK) of 2./KG 55 on East Beach, Selsey in Sussex, shot down by P/O Wakeham and P/O Lord Shuttleworth of No. 145 Squadron on 11 July 1940 during a sortie to attack Portsmouth dockyards. Oblt. Schweinhagen, Ofw. Slotosch and Fw. Steiner were all captured wounded. Uffz. Mueller died on his way to hospital and Ofw. Schlueter died of his wounds the same day. © IWM (HU 72441)
4. The rear fuselage of Heinkel He 111H (G1+LK) of 2./KG 55 on East Beach, Selsey in Sussex. © IWM (HU 72440)
5. RAF personnel inspect damaged machine guns next to the wrecked tail section of Heinkel He 111H (G1+LK) of 2./KG 55 on East Beach, Selsey in Sussex.
6. The CO of No. 85 Squadron, Sqn Ldr Peter Townsend, jumps down from Hurricane Mk I P3166 VY-Q while being refuelled at Castle Camps, July 1940. On 11 July, Townsend, flying Hurricane P2716 VY-K intercepted a Dornier Do 17 of KG 2 and severely damaged the bomber, forcing it to crash land at Arras. Return fire from the Dornier hit the Hurricane coolant system and Townsend was forced to ditch 20 miles (32 km) from the English coast, being rescued by HM Trawler Cape Finisterre. © IWM (HU 104489)