Shipping off south and east coasts attacked.
Night: Very little activity.
Weather: Occasional rain in southern districts. Straits of Dover cloudy. Cool.
Enemy Action by Day
Following several days of unsettled weather, 18 July saw a modest increase in Luftwaffe activity despite continued rain and overcast conditions in the southern counties. Fighter Command remained on alert as reconnaissance and harassment attacks intensified along the south and east coasts. While no major raids materialised, multiple engagements occurred, and both sides suffered losses.
The day also marked the continuation of German minelaying operations and sporadic bombing, including incidents that caused both civilian and RAF casualties.
German preparations for Operation Sea Lion continued, but the German naval and army commands acknowledged that the proposed invasion date of 15 August was no longer practicable. The earliest possible date was considered to be the end of August or beginning of September, with preparations—particularly minesweeping and the movement of transport vessels—dependent upon the Luftwaffe first securing sufficient air superiority.
07:40–11:10 Hours: Southern England and the Channel
Between 07:40 and 08:30 hours, four German raids crossed the coast between Portland Bill and Bournemouth, penetrating inland as far as the railway junctions at Castle Cary and Bruton in Somerset, and northwards to Netheravon, Upavon, Abingdon, and Upper Heyford. These incursions appeared to be probing attacks or reconnaissance missions, and no bombs were dropped.
Shortly after 10:00 hours, Pilot Officer Peter Litchfield of No. 610 Squadron was shot down north of Calais while twelve of the squadron’s Spitfires were patrolling the Channel. His Spitfire P9452 was seen diving directly into the sea; Litchfield was killed and his body was not recovered. Hauptmann Horst Tietzen of 5./JG 51 claimed the Spitfire as his eighth victory.
During a separate convoy patrol at 10:25 hours, three Spitfires of No. 152 Squadron’s Yellow Section sighted around forty German aircraft flying westwards between Poole and the Isle of Wight. The pilots then encountered a Dornier acting as a convoy spotter.
Pilot Officer R.M. Hogg attacked the Dornier from astern and claimed it damaged, but the intervention of Bf 109s from 2./JG 2 broke up the British section. Spitfire K9990, flown by Pilot Officer I.N. Bayles, and P9440, flown by Pilot Officer C. Warren, were damaged, although both pilots returned safely. The Dornier was probably a Do 17M of Stab/StG 77 which failed to return. Its four crewmen—Feldwebel Alois Greil, Oberleutnant Heinz Strecker, Unteroffizier Max Strehle and Obergefreiter Friedrich Schelong—were killed.
Elsewhere in the Channel, the East Goodwin Lightship was attacked, bombed and sunk.
09:42–19:05 Hours: Raids and Interceptions over Scotland
At 09:42 hours, a Heinkel He 111 of KG 26 made a low-level attack on RAF Montrose, descending to approximately 500 feet before dropping eighteen high-explosive bombs and eight incendiaries. Several aircraft on the ground suffered splinter damage. Flight Sergeant Roy Nelson and Corporal Stan Floyd were fatally injured, while three other RAF personnel were wounded. A further bombing run was reported at approximately 10:30 hours.
During the mid-morning, four Dornier Do 17s of KGr 606 attacked the Rolls-Royce factory in Glasgow. Bombs struck the Blawarthill and Govan districts, killing four people and injuring twenty-four.
At 10:25 hours, Pilot Officer R. Berry of No. 603 Squadron intercepted a He 111 off Montrose in Spitfire R6721 and claimed it damaged.
Between 13:00 and 21:00 hours, further German aircraft operated along the north-eastern Scottish coast. A coastal convoy was repeatedly harassed, while bombs were dropped near Anstruther RDF Station and on the town of Crail, south of Fifeness. Some of the German activity may have been connected with minelaying operations.
At 14:38 hours, three Spitfires of No. 603 Squadron intercepted a Dornier Do 17 approximately ten miles east of Aberdeen. Flying Officer L.S. Ritchie and Pilot Officers J.S. Morton and W.A.A. Read shared a claim for the bomber damaged.
At 19:05 hours, Pilot Officer G.K. Gilroy of No. 603 Squadron engaged a He 111 approximately twenty miles north-west of Dyce and claimed it damaged. Gilroy’s Spitfire R6755 was struck by return fire, but he succeeded in bringing it back before force-landing in a field.
10:30–19:30 Hours: Fighting over the East and French Coasts
Between 10:30 and 12:00 hours, Blenheim N3541 of No. 235 Squadron disappeared while conducting a convoy patrol. Pilot Officer R.L. Patterson, Sergeant L.H.M. Reece and Sergeant R.Y. Tucker were posted missing. The circumstances remain uncertain, although the Blenheim may have been the aircraft attacked in error by Spitfires of No. 66 Squadron approximately twenty miles east of Great Yarmouth.
The Spitfire pilots reported engaging an aircraft they identified as an enemy Blenheim after it opened fire on them, but saw it escape into cloud.
At approximately 12:15 hours, two Blenheims of No. 236 Squadron failed to return from a reconnaissance mission along the French coast near Le Havre and Trouville. Blenheim L6779, flown by Pilot Officer C.R.D. Thomas with Sergeant H.D.B. Elsdon, and Blenheim L6639, flown by Pilot Officer R.H. Rigby with Sergeant D.D. MacKinnon, were both lost with their crews. Claims made by Major Wolfgang Schellmann of Stab/JG 2 and Oberfeldwebel Willi Melchert of 5./JG 2 probably account for the two aircraft.
At approximately 14:00 hours, Blenheim R3661 of No. 53 Squadron failed to return from a reconnaissance sortie over Vlissingen and the Scheldt. Flying Officer John Edward Mahony and Sergeants D.A. Keetley and G.E. Exton were killed. The Blenheim is believed to have been shot down south-west of Vlissingen by Feldwebel Georg Kiening of 6./JG 54.
During the early afternoon, Blenheim R3603 of No. 15 Squadron was attacked over the North Sea by several Bf 110s, probably belonging to Erprobungsgruppe 210. Sergeant W.C. Baker, the Blenheim’s gunner, claimed one of the attackers destroyed, although no corresponding German loss has been identified. Flying Officer J.N. Mahler succeeded in reaching the English coast and crash-landed near Bawdsey. Mahler, Baker and Sergeant R.F. Pavely escaped before the burning aircraft’s bomb load exploded.
At around 15:00 hours, fifteen enemy aircraft were plotted east of Bawdsey conducting reconnaissance over shipping lanes. Dive-bombing attacks on trawlers were reported, though no confirmed damage was recorded.
During the afternoon, Anson MK-G of No. 500 Squadron encountered a Bf 110 while patrolling over a convoy. Leading Aircraftman C.G. Stuteley, the Anson’s gunner, claimed the German fighter destroyed, but no corresponding Luftwaffe loss has been identified.
At 19:30 hours, nine Blenheims of No. 2 Group, escorted by approximately twenty fighters, attacked Boulogne under cover of low cloud. No German fighters intercepted the formation. German anti-aircraft batteries claimed five Blenheims and one Spitfire destroyed, but the RAF suffered no corresponding losses. A Bf 109 of 9./JG 54 subsequently made an emergency landing near Soesterberg with engine damage, possibly caused by friendly fire; its pilot, Leutnant Waldemar Wübke, was unhurt.
11:45–16:19 Hours: Fighting over the South-Western Approaches
At approximately 11:45 hours, a lone Junkers Ju 88 penetrated as far as Cardiff and Penarth. Bombs struck Penarth, damaging houses, telephone lines and water mains. At 11:55 hours, Pilot Officer C.H. Saunders of No. 92 Squadron intercepted the bomber off Cardiff in Spitfire P9368 and claimed it damaged. The Ju 88 escaped across the coast.
Between 12:45 and 13:28 hours, six Hurricanes of No. 145 Squadron intercepted a Heinkel He 111 approximately twenty miles south of Bognor Regis. The squadron collectively claimed the bomber destroyed, but no corresponding German loss has been identified. Hurricanes P3381, flown by Flight Lieutenant A.H. Boyd, and P3896, flown by Pilot Officer P.W. Dunning-White, were damaged during the engagement, although both pilots returned safely.
At approximately 15:15 hours, Red Section of No. 609 Squadron—Flight Lieutenant Frank J. Howell, Flying Officer A.R. Edge and Sergeant A.N. Feary—intercepted a Ju 88 off Swanage and claimed it destroyed. The aircraft was probably a Ju 88 of 6./LG 1 which failed to return with all four members of its crew killed.
Howell’s Spitfire R6634 and Edge’s R6636 were both hit by defensive fire. Howell baled out approximately four miles off Poole and was rescued by a small vessel. Edge force-landed on Studland Beach and escaped unhurt; his aircraft was covered by the incoming tide but was later recovered. Feary returned safely.
Yellow Section then intercepted a second Ju 88 as it approached the convoy. Pilot Officer J. Bisdee and Pilot Officer C.N. Overton attacked the bomber and shared a claim for it damaged. The aircraft, belonging to 4./LG 1, succeeded in returning to its base, although Feldwebel Rudolf Hacker was killed during the engagement.
During the mid-afternoon, Squadron Leader J.M. Thompson, Pilot Officer J.W. McKenzie and Sergeant H.S. Newton of No. 111 Squadron attacked a Henschel Hs 126 over the Channel and shared a claim for it probably destroyed. The damaged aircraft, belonging to 2.(H)/21, force-landed near Sainte-Sabine in France; both members of its crew survived.
Bombs were reported at Alverstoke near Gosport, as well as near Ringwood and Newport, though no significant damage was recorded. However, RAF St Athan Aerodrome in South Wales suffered a direct hit, resulting in one fatality, three serious injuries, and several minor casualties. Additional bomb damage was reported at Burnham-on-Sea and Axbridge.
A Heinkel He 111 was reported shot down near Christchurch, though this claim remained unconfirmed by nightfall.
Off Falmouth, the naval trawler HMT Rinovia was attacked by a German aircraft. Two members of the trawler’s crew were killed and a third was wounded. Her gunners claimed that the attacker crashed into the sea, but no corresponding German loss has been confirmed.
German aircraft also continued their reconnaissance and minelaying operations around the British coast. Three Fw 200s of KG 40 laid mines off Belfast, while aircraft of KGr 126 operated off the Humber, Liverpool and Barrow. German naval reports claimed that twelve merchant vessels had been seriously damaged during attacks on convoys, although this figure was not independently confirmed. German S-boat operations in the Channel were curtailed by the poor weather.
Enemy Action by Night
During the early hours, German bombers operated over East Anglia, with bombs falling at Felixstowe, Colchester and Braintree. A Heinkel struck a cable belonging to No. 928 Squadron’s balloon barrage at Harwich, after which its pilot was heard reporting that he was ditching. The aircraft may have belonged to I./KG 54, although its identity and eventual fate remain uncertain.
In Gillingham, four houses were destroyed during a raid at 01:10 hours, while in Jersey Marine, near Swansea, bombs fell at 02:00 hours, damaging a railway, level crossing, electric cables, and telegraph lines.
Northern Britain and the Irish Sea
Bombs were dropped at Leith at 19:27 hours, causing minor damage to docks and telephone cables. Repair crews were immediately dispatched.
At approximately 22:30 hours, Sergeant J.R. Caister of No. 603 Squadron intercepted a Ju 88 ten miles south of Aberdeen. Caister claimed the bomber destroyed, while his Spitfire K9995 sustained slight damage from return fire. The German aircraft, belonging to I./KG 30, did not crash into the sea but reached Aalborg, where it crash-landed with severe damage. Flieger Gustav Eireiner was wounded.
German aerial activity increased after 23:50 hours, concentrating north of the Humber–Liverpool line. Ten to twelve separate raids were plotted. Several crossed the coast, dropping mines off Cumberland and Westmorland and as far south as Liverpool before returning east. Others appeared to conduct minelaying off the Yorkshire coast and farther south, including the Straits of Dover, Norfolk and Suffolk. One raid reached as far inland as King’s Lynn.
A separate late-night track approached St Abb’s Head and was later detected off Belfast Lough, possibly indicating a minelaying operation in the Irish Sea.
Bomber Command Operations
Blenheim P6924 of No. 101 Squadron failed to return from a night attack against the invasion ports. Flying Officer F.E.R. Ducker and Sergeants E.L. Dodd and G.E. Bloor were killed.
Bomber Command continued its attacks against targets in Germany and the occupied territories. Wellington P9227 of No. 115 Squadron failed to return from a raid on Bremen. Pilot Officers W.H.C. Hunkin and J. Barker and Sergeants C. Clark, J.J. MacGregor, A.G.S. Colley and H. Dickson were captured and became prisoners of war.
During an attack on Wunstorf aerodrome, Pilot Officer Wilf Walker, flying Hampden P1324 of No. 44 Squadron, was struck in the head by anti-aircraft shrapnel while observing the results of the bombing. The aircraft began to stall, but its Canadian navigator and second pilot, Pilot Officer D.A.A. Romans, succeeded in taking control while the remaining crewmen pulled the unconscious pilot from his seat. Romans brought the damaged Hampden safely back to Britain.
Walker was taken to Lincoln County Hospital but later died of his wounds; Romans was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
German Losses:
Airmen: 16 | Aircraft: 6
British Losses:
Airmen: 8 | Aircraft: 5
Spitfire P9452, No. 610 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
P/O P. Litchfield killed. Shot down by Bf 109 over Channel. Body never recovered.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Litchfield.htm
Blenheim N3541, No. 235 Squadron. Aircraft lost.
P/O R.L. Patterson, Sgt R.Y. Tucker, and Sgt L.H.M. Reece. Certified as missing. Failed to return from operational flight.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/PattersonRL.htm
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/TuckerRY.htm
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/ReeceRHM.htm
Blenheim L6779, No. 236 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
P/O C.R.D. Thomas and Sgt H.D.B. Elsdon. Both killed. Shot down during photo-recon mission over Le Havre, France.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/ThomasCRD.htm
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/ElsdonHDB.htm
Blenheim L6639, No. 236 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
P/O R.H. Rigby and Sgt D.D. Mackinnon. Both killed. Shot down by Bf 109 during photo-recon mission over Le Havre, France
http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/Rigby.htm
http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/MacKinnonDD.htm
Photo Descriptions
- Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV L9446 of No. 235 Squadron
- Spitfires of No. 610 Squadron, based at Biggin Hill, banking left, July 1940. © IWM CH 734