Convoys and shipping in the Channel raided

Night: Minelaying in the Firth of Forth and Thames Estuary. Reconnaissance over Bristol and Channel area.

Weather: Fine day with haze in the Straits of Dover. Winds north-westerly and light.

Enemy Action by Day

The day began with fine weather and light north-westerly winds, although haze in the Straits of Dover restricted visibility across the main shipping lanes. Conditions were nonetheless sufficient for the Luftwaffe to mount sustained and destructive operations against Channel convoys and naval targets. Newly established radar and intercept stations at Wissant, on the French coast, gave Luftflotte 2 enhanced ability to vector strikes against shipping with precision. From these forward positions, Oberst Fink directed continuous attacks against Convoy CW 8 throughout the day, supported by reconnaissance flights and E-boat activity.

Early Action in the North Sea – Attacks off Spurn Point

At approximately 07:00 hours, Luftwaffe bombers attacked a convoy off Spurn Point in the North Sea. Red Section of No. 222 Squadron, on patrol over the convoy, intercepted two Heinkel He 111s. One was engaged by Pilot Officers T.A. Vigors and W.R. Assheton, the other by Pilot Officer J.W. Cutts. Both bombers were damaged and claimed as probables. Vigors’ Spitfire sustained damage from return fire, forcing him to return to base, while Cutts’ aircraft, also damaged, ran out of fuel after the action and force-landed four miles north-west of his airfield. No ships were reported lost. A second Luftwaffe attempt against the convoy occurred in the evening, again without result.

Northern Raids and Reconnaissance Flights

At 07:30 hours, a meteorological flight was tracked over the Wick area. Radio intercepts indicated that the aircraft also carried out bombing, suggesting a dual-purpose mission. Later in the day, a Heinkel He 111 was intercepted and shot down between the Orkneys and Kinnaird’s Head. An unidentified raid was also plotted over the Scapa Flow area in the evening, though no bombs were reported.

First Major Assault on Convoy CW 8

The principal engagement began shortly after midday. At 12:07 hours, a large formation of Bf 109s from III./JG 52 approached Dover at sea level and was intercepted by Spitfires of No. 65 Squadron. Flight Sergeant Franklin, flying Spitfire N3164, engaged a Bf 109 in close combat; the enemy aircraft was seen to strike the sea and was claimed destroyed.

At 12:45 hours, twenty Hurricanes from Nos. 32 and 615 Squadrons clashed with more than forty Bf 109s in a fierce dogfight near Dover. During the engagement, Pilot Officer V.G. Daw of No. 32 Squadron sustained leg wounds while battling six Messerschmitts and crash-landed his damaged Hurricane, P3677.

As the fighters withdrew, approximately sixty Ju 87 Stukas from II./StG 1 and IV.(St.)/LG 1 commenced a coordinated dive-bombing attack on Convoy CW 8 as it passed through the Dover Straits. Nine Spitfires from No. 54 Squadron were scrambled to intercept but were bounced by Bf 109s of III./JG 26 and lost two aircraft. Flight Lieutenant B.H. ‘Wonky’ Way, commander of ‘B’ Flight, No. 54 Squadron, was shot down and killed by Major Adolf Galland. Pilot Officer D.R. Turley-George was attacked while climbing; cannon fire from a Messerschmitt forced him to disengage and force-land his Spitfire, P9387, near Dover.

With minimal interference, the Stukas carried out accurate and devastating attacks. Eleven of the convoy’s twenty-one coal ships were sunk and seven more seriously damaged. The destroyers HMS Boreas and HMS Brilliant, which had sailed from Dover to intercept E-boats operating from Boulogne, also came under heavy attack. Both vessels were dive-bombed by Ju 87s and targeted by artillery fire from the French coast. HMS Boreas was struck twice, killing one officer and twenty crew. Under smokescreen cover, she was taken in tow by tugs to safety. During the action, gun crews at Dover’s No. 4 LAA site claimed one Stuka destroyed.

Second Wave off Folkestone – RAF Losses Mount

At approximately 14:30 hours, as the remnants of the convoy neared Folkestone, a second major raid developed. Thirty Ju 88s from III./KG 4, escorted by more than fifty Bf 109s, were vectored towards the convoy. Spitfires from Nos. 64 and 610 Squadrons, together with a flight of Hurricanes from No. 111 Squadron, scrambled to intercept. Vastly outnumbered—by more than five to one—the RAF mounted a determined head-on attack against the bombers before climbing to engage the escorting fighters. The attack was broken up but two Spitfires were lost and another two damaged. Flight Lieutenant A.J.O. Jeffrey of No. 64 Squadron failed to return, while No. 610 Squadron lost its commanding officer, Squadron Leader A.T. Smith, whose Spitfire (R6693) stalled while attempting to land at Hawkinge and crashed into a disused engine-testing shed. One Bf 109 was confirmed destroyed.

Final Raid on Convoy CW 8

The last major raid began around 17:15 hours, when Ju 87 Stukas from II./LG 1 and III./StG 1 attacked Convoy CW 8 off Folkestone. Five further merchant ships were sunk and four more seriously damaged. Of the original twenty-one vessels, only two ultimately reached Portland. Hurricanes from No. 56 Squadron, together with Spitfires from Nos. 54, 64, and 610 Squadrons, were scrambled to intercept, shooting down one Ju 87 and four Bf 109s. Two Spitfires were also lost. Sub-Lieutenant F.D. Paul of No. 64 Squadron was shot down over the Channel and rescued by a German E-boat, severely wounded—he died five days later; Pilot Officer A. Finnie of No. 54 Squadron was killed in a running engagement over the Dover Straits.

Despite overwhelming odds, RAF fighters inflicted significant damage. Jagdgeschwader losses included six aircraft—one from III./JG 27, four from III./JG 52 (including Staffelkapitän Wilhelm Keidel, killed a day after assuming command), and one Bf 109E-4 from 5./JG 51, written off after returning badly damaged. Feldwebel Bernhard Eberz of 9./JG 26 was also shot down. Anti-aircraft gunners at Dover’s Site D1 and No. 4 LAA battery claimed additional kills.

Individual German victories were credited to Unteroffizier Paul Obst, Hauptmann Walter Oesau, Hauptmann Horst Tietzen, and Leutnant Hans-Otto Lessing. RAF fighters claimed fourteen enemy aircraft destroyed.

The scale and intensity of the fighting made 25 July one of the fiercest days of the month. Within No. 54 Squadron it was remembered as ‘Black Thursday’. By day’s end, the unit had lost two more pilots and three Spitfires destroyed or badly damaged. Having flown more than 500 operational sorties in three weeks, the squadron was withdrawn from the front line for rest.

Engagements over the South Coast and Dorset

At 10:40 hours, two large raids approached Portsmouth before veering west towards Portland. Ju 87s of III./StG 1 attempted to bomb targets around the Isle of Wight but were intercepted by three RAF squadrons. Six Stukas were destroyed, including one brought down off Cherbourg after a running pursuit across the Channel; another was badly damaged. One Spitfire from No. 152 Squadron was lost—Flying Officer E.C. Deansley baled out after his aircraft, K9901, was hit in the glycol tank by return fire from a Ju 87. He was rescued from the sea by SS Empire Henchman.

At approximately 11:15 hours, a Dornier Do 17M (A5+EA) of Stab./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1, conducting a photo-reconnaissance mission, was intercepted and shot down by Spitfires of No. 152 Squadron. It crashed at East Fleet Farm near Fleet, Dorset. Two crew were captured; the pilot, Unteroffizier Lingenbrink, was killed.

Several small-scale incursions were also reported near Poole and in parts of Gloucestershire. One enemy aircraft was claimed destroyed by anti-aircraft fire.

Enemy Action by Night

As night fell, German raiders left the Cherbourg peninsula and crossed the Dorset coast en route to the Bristol Channel and South Wales. No confirmed bombing occurred, though one aircraft was claimed shot down in flames by anti-aircraft gunners near Milford Haven.

Extensive minelaying took place: twenty-eight mines were dropped in the Firth of Forth, with further activity in the Newcastle area. Harwich and Lowestoft were visited by single aircraft which dropped bombs near Bungay (Norfolk) and Harlestown. About ten aircraft laid mines in the Thames Estuary and the Downs. Two more were tracked along the west Cornish coast, probably mining the Bristol Channel before turning away south-west of Land’s End.

Civilian Damage and Home Security Reports

Home Security reports from the previous evening confirmed that at 06:40 hours on 24 July, an enemy aircraft had dropped six high-explosive bombs (and one unexploded device) in open fields near Glasgow, although it had not been plotted until over the city. On 25 July, a steamer previously beached near St Catherine’s Point, Isle of Wight, was struck by bombs at 15:30 hours. Dover Harbour was also bombed without effect. Swingate Aerodrome near Dover was machine-gunned, causing minor damage to windows and fences, with no casualties. Further bombs fell in open fields near South Cerney Aerodrome, Cowley (Gloucestershire), and Scarning (Norfolk), without casualties or infrastructure loss.

Summary

Thursday, 25 July 1940 was one of the most destructive days for Allied shipping during the Battle of Britain. The sustained Luftwaffe attacks on Convoy CW 8, combined with sweeping fighter tactics and coastal artillery fire, inflicted devastating losses on the convoy and the Royal Navy. RAF squadrons responded with determination but were heavily outnumbered and often outmanoeuvred. The scale and coordination of the raids marked a clear escalation in the Luftwaffe’s maritime strategy, while the heavy toll on No. 54 Squadron necessitated its temporary withdrawal from front-line operations.

German Losses:
Airmen: 19 | Aircraft: 19

British Losses:
Airmen: 7 | Aircraft: 9

Spitfire P9451, No. 64 Squadron. Lost at sea.
F/O A.J.O. Jeffrey killed. Was last seen crashing into the Channel. Body washed up on Dutch coast.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Jeffrey.htm

Spitfire R6707, No. 54 Squadron. Lost at sea.
F/Lt B.H. “Wonky” Way presumed drowned. Shot down by Bf 109 and crashed into Channel.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/WayBH.htm

Spitfire R6693, No. 610 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
S/L A.T. Smith killed. Crashed and burnt out after stalling on landing. Previously in combat with Bf 109.
http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/SmithAT.htm

Spitfire L1035, No. 64 Squadron. Lost at sea.
Sub/Lt F.D. Paul died of injuries. Shot down by Bf 109, captured by a German E-boat but died five days later.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Dawson-Paul.htm

Spitfire R6816, No. 54 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
P/O A. Finnie killed. Hit by gunfire from Bf 109 and crashed at Kingsdown, near Dover.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Finnie.htm

Spitfire P9493, No. 234 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
P/O G.K. Gout killed. Crashed just outside town. Circumstances not known.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Gout.htm

Photo Descriptions

1. Blenheim Mk IFs of No. 25 Squadron at Martlesham Heath, 25 July 1940. The foreground aircraft is equipped with AI Mk III radar. The squadron was used for night fighter operations. © IWM (HU 104651, HU 104652)
2. Blenheim Mk IF of No. 25 Squadron taxying at Martlesham Heath, watched by air and ground crews, 25 July 1940. © IWM (HU 104653)
3. Two armourers service the machine guns of a Hawker Hurricane Mk I of No. 85 Squadron, while a third unpacks belts of .303 inch ammunition at RAF Debden, 25 July 1940. © IWM (HU 54510)
4. Hawker Hurricane Mk I P3166 VY-Q, flown by the CO of No. 85 Squadron, Sqn Ldr Peter Townsend, taxiing out at Castle Camps, 25 July 1940. © IWM (HU 104488)
5. HMS Boreas (H77) under attack by Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers on 25 July 1940 after engaging German E-boats off Dover Harbour. Her bridge was hit twice by bombs that killed one officer and twenty crewmen. Boreas was under repair at Millwall Dock until 23 January 1941.
6. Bystanders gather around the wreckage of a Junkers Ju 88A (9K+GN) of 5./KG 51 at Oakridge near Stroud in Gloucestershire. The bomber had been tasked to attack the Gloster Aircraft Factory at Hucclecote on 25 July 1940 when it was intercepted by two Hurricanes of the Airfield Defence Flight, No.4 Ferry Pilot’s Pool, RAF Kemble. Pilot Officers R.G. Manlove and C.A. Bird intercepted the Junkers, but in the attack Plt Off Bird collided with the bomber’s tail causing the enemy aircraft to crash at Lower Weir Farm, Oakridge. The four-man crew of the Ju 88 baled out, although one of them was killed when his parachute failed to open. Plt Off Bird was killed in the collision. © IWM (HU 69164)