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 attacks against Channel convoys and naval targets. Newly established radar and intercept stations at Wissant, on the French coast, gave Luftflotte 2 an enhanced ability to direct strikes against shipping.
From these forward positions, Oberst Fink directed continuous attacks against Convoy CW 8 throughout the day, supported by reconnaissance flights and E-boat activity.
05:30–07:45 Hours: Attacks off Spurn Point
During the early morning, Luftwaffe bombers attacked a convoy off Spurn Point in the North Sea. Three Spitfires of No. 222 Squadron intercepted two Heinkel He 111s approximately thirty-five to sixty miles off Mablethorpe. Pilot Officers T.A. Vigors and W.R. Assheton attacked one bomber, while Pilot Officer J.W. Cutts engaged the other. Both Heinkels were damaged and claimed as probably destroyed.
Vigors’s Spitfire P9443 was struck by defensive fire, forcing him to break away and return to base. Cutts’s aircraft was also damaged and subsequently ran out of fuel, forcing him to land approximately four miles north-west of his airfield. Both pilots escaped injury, and no corresponding German bomber losses have been identified.
No ships were reported lost. A second Luftwaffe attempt against the convoy occurred during the evening, again without result.
07:30–08:15 Hours: Meteorological Aircraft Shot Down off Scotland
At 07:30 hours, a German meteorological aircraft was plotted near Wick. An intercepted wireless transmission referred to “dropping carried out” at 07:04 hours, suggesting that the flight may also have delivered an agent into Scotland.
Flying Officer D.A.E. Jones and Pilot Officer J. Lonsdale of No. 3 Squadron were scrambled from Wick and intercepted Heinkel He 111H-3 T5+AL of Wettererkundungsstaffel 1 between the Orkney Islands and Kinnaird’s Head. Their attacks damaged both engines and forced the bomber to ditch in the sea.
Regierungsrat Ernst Franken was the sole survivor. He was rescued by a Royal Navy vessel off Rora Head after spending several hours clinging to a damaged dinghy. Gefreiter Paul Müller and Unteroffiziers Roman Freitag, Walter Loch and Albert Bauch died; their bodies were subsequently recovered and buried in the Orkney Islands.
10:50–12:33 Hours: Fighting off Portland
At approximately 10:50 hours, twelve Spitfires of No. 152 Squadron were dispatched to meet a German formation approaching Portsmouth and Portland. About an hour later, the squadron encountered approximately eighteen Ju 87s of III./StG 1, twelve escorting Bf 109s and a solitary Dornier Do 17M.
B Flight attacked the Bf 109s above and behind the dive-bombers, while A Flight attempted to reach the Stukas. Squadron Leader P. Devitt’s Spitfire was hit by Hauptmann Joachim Schlichting of III./JG 27, but Devitt survived. No. 152 Squadron claimed four Bf 109s destroyed and three damaged.
Pilot Officer R.M. Hogg and Sergeant R. Wolton jointly claimed a Ju 87 probably destroyed. Flying Officer E.C. Deansley’s Spitfire K9901 was then struck in the glycol system by defensive fire from a Stuka. Deansley ditched approximately five miles from Portland and was rescued by the trawler Empire Henchman, which landed him at Lyme Regis.
Pilot Officer F.H. Holmes and Sergeant Wolton pursued the accompanying Dornier Do 17M and shot it down at East Fleet Farm near Fleet, Dorset. The aircraft, A5+EA of Stab/StG 1, skimmed the roof of the farmhouse before crashing in a nearby field. Unteroffizier Kurt Lingenbrink was killed, while Feldwebel Erich Grossmann was wounded and captured with the pilot, Feldwebel Bernhard Erdmann.
Although RAF pilots submitted several claims against the Stukas, none of the Ju 87s involved in this attack was lost. Aircraft of III./StG 1 returned to Théville with varying degrees of combat damage. Obergefreiter Josef Stillinger of 8./StG 1 was killed, while Unteroffizier Walter Meissner of 7./StG 1 was wounded.
At 11:30 hours, Flying Officer R.M.S. Rayner of No. 87 Squadron, flying Hurricane P2855, engaged a Bf 110 approximately twenty miles south-east of Portland and claimed it destroyed. No corresponding German loss has been identified.
12:07–14:05 Hours: First Assault on Convoy CW 8
At 11:27 hours, a large German formation was detected approaching Dover from Calais. The first attack reached the coast at approximately 12:07 hours and comprised more than fifty aircraft, followed by another formation of at least forty fighters.
The Luftwaffe employed a new tactic. Bf 109s approached Dover at sea level to draw RAF fighters into combat, while Ju 87 dive-bombers of I./StG 1 attacked Convoy CW 8 from above. Twelve Spitfires of No. 65 Squadron were the first to engage, followed by nine Hurricanes of No. 32 Squadron and eleven Hurricanes of No. 615 Squadron.
Dogfights developed at low altitude against approximately fifty Bf 109s. Flight Sergeant W.H. Franklin of No. 65 Squadron claimed one Messerschmitt destroyed, while Flight Lieutenant L.M. Gaunce and Pilot Officer P.H. Hugo of No. 615 Squadron each claimed another. Flight Lieutenant M.N. Crossley of No. 32 Squadron claimed a Bf 109 probably destroyed.
Pilot Officer V.G. Daw of No. 32 Squadron was wounded in the leg while fighting six Messerschmitts. His Hurricane P3677 was damaged, but he succeeded in returning and crash-landing safely.
14:30–16:12 Hours: Second Assault off Folkestone
By approximately 14:30 hours, CW 8 had reached Folkestone when another major attack developed. Approximately forty Ju 87 dive-bombers, protected by more than fifty Bf 109s, approached the convoy. Eight Spitfires of No. 64 Squadron, eight Spitfires of No. 54 Squadron, nine Spitfires of No. 610 Squadron and twelve Hurricanes of No. 111 Squadron were sent to intercept. The RAF fighters were outnumbered by more than five to one.
No. 54 Squadron was attacked by Bf 109s while its Spitfires were still climbing. Flight Lieutenant B.H. “Wonky” Way, flying Spitfire R6707, was shot down and killed, probably by Major Adolf Galland of Stab III./JG 26. Way nevertheless claimed a Bf 109 during the engagement.
Pilot Officer D.R. Turley-George’s Spitfire P9387 was struck by cannon fire from a Bf 109. Although the aircraft initially continued to respond normally, its oil pressure fell and the engine eventually failed. Turley-George force-landed in a cornfield and escaped unhurt, but the Spitfire was written off. Pilot Officer C.F. Gray claimed a Bf 109 probably destroyed, while Squadron Leader J.A. Leathart claimed another damaged.
No. 64 Squadron attacked the Stukas as they began their dives before becoming embroiled in combat with the escorting fighters. Squadron Leader A.R.D. MacDonell claimed a Ju 87 destroyed, while Sub-Lieutenant F.D. Dawson-Paul, RNVR, claimed a Bf 109 destroyed.
Flying Officer A.J.O. Jeffrey was shot down and killed in Spitfire P9421. His body was subsequently recovered from the Dutch coast. MacDonell’s Spitfire L1055 was damaged during his attack on the Stukas, but he succeeded in gliding back to Hawkinge and force-landing safely.
No. 610 Squadron engaged the German fighters over Dover and Folkestone. Flight Lieutenant J. Ellis claimed a Bf 109 destroyed, while Pilot Officers S.C. Norris and F.T. Gardiner and Sergeant P. Else each claimed one probably destroyed. Gardiner was slightly wounded and brought his damaged Spitfire R6595 back safely.
Squadron Leader A.T. “Big Bill” Smith, the commanding officer of No. 610 Squadron, returned to Hawkinge in Spitfire R6693 after the combat. The aircraft approached too slowly, struck the roof of a generator building and crashed in flames. Smith was killed.
Flight Lieutenant A.G. Malan of No. 74 Squadron also engaged the German fighters north-west of Calais and claimed a Bf 109 damaged.
14:15 Hours: Ju 88 Shot Down near Stroud
At approximately 14:15 hours, Ju 88A 9K+GN of 5./KG 51 approached the Gloster Aircraft Company’s factory at Hucclecote. Two Hurricanes of the Airfield Defence Flight at No. 4 Ferry Pilots Pool, RAF Kemble, flown by Pilot Officers C.A. Bird and R.G. Manlove, intercepted the bomber near Cirencester.
Bird attacked the Ju 88 at extremely close range before his Hurricane entered a spin and crashed at Oakridge, killing him. The German crew subsequently believed that the Hurricane had collided with the bomber’s tail, although this could not be confirmed by the other British pilots.
Manlove continued the attack and damaged the Ju 88’s starboard engine. A section of Spitfires from No. 5 Operational Training Unit, led by Flight Lieutenant Prosser Hanks, DFC, then joined the pursuit. Hanks attacked as the bomber emerged from cloud, prompting its crew to bale out.
The Ju 88 crashed at Bidcombe Bottom near Oakridge. Unteroffizier Walter Theiner was killed when his parachute failed to open. The pilot, Unteroffizier Friedel Dörner, was wounded and captured with Unteroffizier Wilhelm Hügelschäfer and Gefreiter Gottfried Treue.
15:08–16:10 Hours: Fighting south of the Isle of Wight
Hurricanes of No. 1 Squadron intercepted Bf 109s south of St Catherine’s Point during the afternoon. Pilot Officer G.E. Goodman claimed one Messerschmitt destroyed, while Flying Officer H.N.E. Salmon claimed another probably destroyed.
17:15–19:30 Hours: Final Assault on Convoy CW 8
German formations continued assembling behind Cap Gris-Nez during the late afternoon, and another attack developed against the remains of CW 8. Ju 87s of I./StG 1 and bomb-carrying Bf 110s of Erprobungsgruppe 210 attacked the convoy in successive waves, accompanied by a strong Bf 109 escort.
Eight Spitfires of No. 64 Squadron, nine Hurricanes of No. 56 Squadron, ten Spitfires of No. 54 Squadron and seven Spitfires of No. 610 Squadron were dispatched to intercept.
No. 56 Squadron attacked the Stukas as they withdrew at low altitude. Flight Lieutenant E.J. Gracie and Pilot Officers A.G. Page and F.B. Sutton each claimed a Ju 87 destroyed, while Pilot Officer M.N. Mounsdon claimed another probably destroyed. Flying Officer R.E.P. Brooker claimed a Bf 109 damaged. Squadron Leader G.A.L. Manton was slightly wounded but returned safely in his damaged Hurricane P3479.
No. 610 Squadron claimed five Bf 109s destroyed and three probably destroyed. Flight Lieutenant J. Ellis, Flying Officer D.S. Wilson, Pilot Officer S.C. Norris and Sergeants H.H. Chandler and P. Else each claimed one destroyed. Ellis also claimed one probable, while Flight Lieutenant E.B.B. Smith and Sergeant C.A. Parsons claimed one probable apiece.
Flight Lieutenant L.F. Henstock of No. 64 Squadron claimed a Bf 109 probably destroyed. Pilot Officer G.D. Gribble of No. 54 Squadron claimed a Ju 87 and a Bf 109 damaged.
The RAF’s claims considerably exceeded the Luftwaffe’s confirmed losses. German records establish the destruction of two Ju 87s of 6./StG 1, whose crews—Unteroffizier Viktor Schröder and Gefreiter Willi Heuberger, and Leutnant Dieter von Rohden and Gefreiter Herbert Lipsius—were killed. Several other Stukas returned damaged, with at least two rear gunners killed or wounded.
Sub-Lieutenant F.D. Dawson-Paul returned to the fighting in Spitfire L1035 at approximately 17:30 hours. His section was attacked by Bf 109s of 7./JG 26, and Dawson-Paul was shot down at about 17:45 hours, possibly by Leutnant Walter Blaume. Severely wounded, he was rescued from the Channel by a German E-boat and taken to a hospital at Hardinghen, where he died on 30 July.
Pilot Officer A. Finnie of No. 54 Squadron was killed when Spitfire R6816 was hit by Bf 109 gunfire and crashed at Kingsdown near Dover. His loss, together with those of Way and Turley-George’s Spitfire, completed a disastrous day for No. 54 Squadron.
German fighter losses included Feldwebel Bernhard Eberz of 9./JG 26 and Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz Kirstein of Stab III./JG 27, both killed. III./JG 52 lost Oberleutnant Wilhelm Keidel, Oberleutnant Willi Bielefeld and Leutnant Hans Schmidt, while Unteroffizier Max Reiss was shot down and captured after his Bf 109 crashed at Elvington Court near Deal. Unteroffizier Paul Ost of 5./JG 51 was wounded.
German victories during the fighting were claimed by pilots including Major Adolf Galland, Hauptmann Walter Oesau, Hauptmann Horst Tietzen, Leutnant Hans-Otto Lessing and pilots of JG 26, JG 51 and JG 52.
Destruction of Convoy CW 8
While dogfights continued overhead, Ju 87s and bomb-carrying Bf 110s repeatedly attacked the slow-moving convoy. E-boats operating from the French coast joined the assault, while German coastal artillery fired on the ships as they passed through the Dover Straits.
Three merchant vessels—Lulonga, Broadhurst and London Trader—were sunk by E-boats. Five others—Corhaven, Polgrange, Leo, Henry Moon and Portslade—were sunk by German aircraft. Fifteen merchant seamen were killed, including all six members of Leo’s crew. A further five vessels were damaged by bombing.
The 554-ton motor vessel Summity was struck by three bombs, which destroyed her wheelhouse and wounded her master and helmsman. Although the rudder could no longer be used, Captain Ernest Milton steered the ship by alternating the engines, using an anchor and exploiting the tide until she could be beached beneath the Dover cliffs.
The destroyers HMS Boreas and HMS Brilliant, which had sailed from Dover to confront German E-boats, also came under sustained air attack. At 18:08 hours, eight Bf 110s of Erprobungsgruppe 210 attacked Boreas, scoring several near misses that temporarily stopped the ship and caused extensive damage.
Ju 87s subsequently attacked both destroyers. Boreas received two direct hits, killing seventeen members of her crew and seriously wounding sixteen; four of the wounded died the following day. Brilliant was struck on the quarterdeck but suffered no casualties. Both destroyers were towed back to Dover under a smokescreen.
The German crews substantially exaggerated the results, claiming ten steamers sunk and two more set on fire. In reality, eight vessels were sunk by aircraft and E-boats combined, while five more were damaged.
Only two vessels from CW 8 eventually completed the passage to Portland. The convoy’s destruction represented one of the Luftwaffe’s most damaging attacks on British coastal shipping during the opening phase of the Battle of Britain.
Other RAF Operations
Spitfire P9382 of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit suffered slight damage during a bombing raid after landing at Dyce. The pilot was unhurt, and the aircraft was repaired.
Blenheim N6174 of No. 101 Squadron failed to return from a daylight sortie against Cherbourg. Pilot Officer R.E. Short and Sergeants J. Parkinson and K.V. Gibson were killed.
Seven Blenheims of No. 82 Squadron were dispatched from Watton, four of them on bombing sorties. Wing Commander E.C. de V. Lart, flying Blenheim T1828, bombed Leeuwarden aerodrome before being attacked by four Bf 109s during the return flight. His gunner, Sergeant A.S. Beeby, claimed one fighter probably destroyed. The damaged Blenheim reached its base but its undercarriage collapsed on landing; the crew escaped injury.
Coastal Command lost Blenheim R3836 of No. 53 Squadron. Pilot Officer D.B. Starky and Sergeants H.W. Hunt and B. Moriarty were killed. No. 59 Squadron also lost Blenheims L9473 and T1801, with all six crewmen aboard the two aircraft killed.
Enemy Action by Night
During the night of 24/25 July, the 6,127-ton French liner Meknes sailed from Southampton for Marseilles carrying nearly 1,300 French naval officers and ratings who had elected to return to unoccupied France. The vessel displayed the French colours prominently, flew the French flag and was fully illuminated.
At approximately 22:30 hours, German E-boat S.27, commanded by Leutnant zur See Bernd-Georg Klug, intercepted the liner south-west of Weymouth. The E-boat opened fire and subsequently launched a torpedo, sinking Meknes within several minutes. A total of 383 French officers and ratings were killed.
The destroyers HMS Viscount, HMS Wolverine, HMS Sabre and HMS Shikari rescued ninety-nine French officers and 779 ratings and landed them at Portland.
Blenheims of No. 59 Squadron searched for further survivors. Flying Officer H. Haswell later departed again to guide destroyers towards the area but was intercepted and shot down, possibly by Unteroffizier Karl Born of 7./JG 27. Haswell and Sergeants R.B. Martin and D.B. Simpson were killed in Blenheim L9473.
Minelaying and Reconnaissance
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 individual aircraft that dropped bombs near Bungay and Harleston. Approximately ten aircraft laid mines in the Thames Estuary and the Downs. Two further aircraft were tracked along the western Cornish coast, probably mining the Bristol Channel before turning away south-west of Land’s End.
British Night Operations
Bomber Command suffered one of its worst nights of the campaign to date. Two Blenheims, two Hampdens and two Wellingtons failed to return from attacks against targets in Germany and the occupied territories.
Blenheim L9469 of No. 15 Squadron was lost with Pilot Officers C.H. Robinson and A.L. McLaggan and Sergeant L.J. Horton. Blenheim R3763 of No. 40 Squadron was hit in both engines by anti-aircraft fire and abandoned near its target. Sergeants P.H. Steele, J. Moore and R. Peacock survived and were captured.
Hampden P1321 of No. 50 Squadron returned to England with combat damage but crashed at Happisburgh, killing Flying Officer W.A. Mulloy, DFC, Sergeants G.R. Watt and A.L. Stewart and Pilot Officer T.M. Taylor. Hampden L4094 of No. 83 Squadron was brought down by anti-aircraft fire. Pilot Officer W.O.D. Tweedale, DFC, and Sergeants G.W. Jones and D.G.J. Townsend were killed, while Sergeant P.J. Tointon was captured.
Wellington R3235 of No. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron failed to return with all six members of its crew. Wellington P9275 of No. 99 Squadron was illuminated by searchlights over Dortmund and attacked by a Bf 110 of 3./NJG 1 flown by Leutnant Wilhelm Pack. Pilot Officer B.A. Power was killed, while Flying Officer J.L. Scott and four other members of the crew survived and were captured.
Minutes later, Pilot Officer J.H.F. Hansen, the Danish air gunner aboard Wellington R3197 of No. 99 Squadron, shot down Pack’s Bf 110. Pack and Unteroffizier Hans-Jürgen Hildebrandt were killed. Another Bf 110 of 3./NJG 1 crash-landed after colliding with a parachute flare dropped by an RAF bomber.
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 it was over the city.
On 25 July, a steamer previously beached near St Catherine’s Point on the 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 but no casualties. Further bombs fell in open fields near South Cerney Aerodrome, Cowley in Gloucestershire and Scarning in Norfolk, without casualties or damage to important infrastructure.
Summary
Thursday 25 July was one of the most destructive days for Allied shipping during the Battle of Britain. Sustained Luftwaffe attacks on Convoy CW 8, combined with E-boat attacks and coastal artillery fire, sank eight merchant vessels, damaged five others and inflicted heavy casualties aboard the destroyer HMS Boreas.
The RAF mounted repeated interceptions against numerically superior formations and submitted numerous claims, although confirmed German losses were considerably lower. No. 54 Squadron suffered particularly heavily, losing Flight Lieutenant B.H. Way and Pilot Officer A. Finnie, together with three Spitfires destroyed or written off. After flying more than 500 operational sorties in three weeks, the squadron was withdrawn from the front line for rest.
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
- 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)
- Blenheim Mk IF of No. 25 Squadron taxying at Martlesham Heath, watched by air and ground crews, 25 July 1940. © IWM (HU 104653)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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.
- 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)