Opening of ‘Eagle Day’ misfires. Heavy raid on Eastchurch followed by afternoon raids on Portland, Southampton and airfields in Kent and Hampshire. 1,485 German sorties.

Night: Light attacks on Midlands, Wales and the West Country.

Weather: Mainly fair. Early morning mist and slight drizzle in places and some cloud in the Channel.

Enemy Action by Day

The Luftwaffe’s long-planned opening of Adlertag—Eagle Day—descended into confusion from the outset. Scheduled to commence with coordinated strikes at 07:00 hours, the operation was severely disrupted by dense cloud cover, coastal fog, and poor visibility across occupied northern France. A recall order was hastily issued due to the weather, but it failed to reach several bomber formations already en route. As a result, what had been intended as a synchronized, overwhelming blow against RAF Fighter Command devolved into a day of staggered, piecemeal raids—many flown without full escort or clear targeting.

Despite the lack of cohesion, 13 August marked a turning point in Luftwaffe strategy. Göring’s directive to shift focus from attacks on Channel shipping toward the destruction of Fighter Command’s airfields, sector stations, and operational bases ushered in a new phase of the campaign. At 14:00 hours, Luftflotte commanders reissued the order for Adlertag to proceed in full, committing all available units with renewed force—though still hampered by disjointed execution.

04:50–06:00 Hours: Early Morning Attacks on Eastchurch and Farnborough

The Luftwaffe’s first large-scale raid of the day began before dawn. At 04:50 hours, seventy-four Dornier Do 17s of KG 2, under Oberst Johannes Fink, took off to bomb the Coastal Command airfield at Eastchurch and the Royal Navy base at Sheerness. The recall order had been issued due to poor weather over France, but it failed to reach the bomber crews. Their intended escort—Bf 110s from ZG 26—received the cancellation and turned back. One escort leader, Oberstleutnant Joachim Huth, even tried to warn the Dorniers in flight by flying in front of them and performing aerobatics. Fink ignored the signal and pressed on, unwilling to appear disobedient.

Flying through low cloud, the unescorted Dorniers reached their targets unchallenged. Between 05:00 and 05:10 hours, they dropped more than 200 high-explosive and incendiary bombs on Eastchurch, destroying hangars, an ammunition dump, and six aircraft on the ground—including five Blenheims and a Coastal Command Spitfire from No. 266 Squadron. Sixteen personnel were killed, forty-eight wounded, and vital infrastructure was heavily damaged. Yet, thanks to quick repair work, the station resumed limited operations by 16:00 hours.

On the return leg, the formation was intercepted by Hurricanes from Nos. 111 and 151 Squadrons and Spitfires of No. 74 Squadron, led by Squadron Leader “Sailor” Malan. Five Dorniers were shot down, six more damaged, and eleven airmen killed. Dornier gunners shot down two Hurricanes in return. Despite Luftwaffe claims of ten Spitfires destroyed on the ground, no RAF fighter aircraft were lost at Eastchurch. Believing the station to be a front-line fighter base, the Luftwaffe would target it repeatedly in the weeks ahead—wasting valuable resources.

Around 05:00 hours, twenty Ju 88s of I./KG 54 took off to bomb the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, followed shortly after by eighteen Ju 88s of II./KG 54 targeting RAF Odiham. The bombers were escorted by Bf 110s of V.(Z)/LG 1 and Bf 109s of JG 2, tasked with clearing the air ahead of the raids.

Hurricanes from Nos. 43, 87, and 601 Squadrons, along with Spitfires of No. 64 Squadron, were scrambled from RAF Northolt, Tangmere, and Middle Wallop to intercept. The German formations were met in a series of running engagements. Four Ju 88s and one Bf 109 were shot down. RAF losses totalled three fighters, with three pilots wounded.

On the ground, results were modest. At Farnborough, two wooden buildings belonging to the Royal Aircraft Establishment were destroyed. Odiham sustained no significant damage. Despite Luftwaffe claims of substantial RAF losses, the actual results revealed a sharp disparity between German reports and reality—a pattern that would persist throughout the campaign.

At 06:20 hours, a lone Dornier Do 17P reconnaissance aircraft from 4.(F)/11 was intercepted off the Kent coast and destroyed by Squadron Leader Malan and Flying Officer J.C. Mungo Park of No. 74 Squadron.

11:10 Hours: Failed Freie Jagd over Portland

At 11:10 hours, twenty-three Bf 110s of V.(Z)/Lehrgeschwader 1, led by Hauptmann Friedrich Liensberger, took off ahead of a scheduled bombing raid by KG 54. The operation appears to have been a freie Jagd—a free hunt to clear the airspace of enemy fighters before the main assault. Unbeknownst to Liensberger’s formation, the bomber raid had been cancelled; the recall order failed to reach V./LG 1, and the twin-engine fighters continued toward Portland.

Over the target area, the Bf 110s were intercepted by Hurricanes of No. 601 Squadron. In the sharp engagement that followed, six Bf 110s were shot down and three more damaged, while the RAF lost one Hurricane with another damaged.

The unsupported, poorly coordinated sweep proved costly and ineffective, further highlighting German shortcomings in tactical communications—an issue that would continue to hinder Luftwaffe air operations throughout the campaign.

14:00 Hours: Mass Afternoon Raids and Renewed Assaults

At 14:00 hours, Göring’s delayed Adlertag directive was officially reissued. The Luftwaffe responded with its most concentrated effort of the day, launching multiple large-scale raids against airfields and infrastructure across southern England.

At 15:30 hours, approximately fifty-eight Ju 88s from I., II., and III./Lehrgeschwader 1 (LG 1), escorted by Bf 110s of ZG 2 and Bf 109s of JG 53, took off to bomb RAF Boscombe Down, Worthy Down, and Andover. At the same time, fifty-two Ju 87s of StG 1 and II./StG 2, covered by Bf 109s from JG 53 and Bf 110s of III./ZG 76, were dispatched to strike RAF Warmwell and Yeovil. Hurricanes from Nos. 213, 238, 257, and 601 Squadrons, together with Spitfires from Nos. 152 and 609 Squadrons, were scrambled to intercept and engaged the enemy over the English coast.

Heavy cloud again disrupted navigation. The Ju 87s failed to locate their original targets and diverted to bomb Portland. One Staffel from II./StG 2 was intercepted by Spitfires of No. 609 Squadron, which inflicted heavy losses—six out of nine Stukas were shot down, prompting the squadron to later describe the action as their “glorious 13th.”

I./LG 1 abandoned its intended run on Boscombe Down and diverted to bomb Southampton. At 16:23 hours, Ju 88s struck industrial targets in the city, damaging Pickford’s Depository, Raleigh Cycle Works, and a cold storage depot at the Old Docks. Fires were started but quickly brought under control, and civilian casualties were relatively light.

Elsewhere, elements of III./LG 1 mistakenly dropped bombs near RAF Middle Wallop, while the rest of the formation attacked RAF Andover. Around 17:00 hours, twelve bombs struck the airfield, damaging offices, destroying one aircraft, and killing two personnel. Six Ju 88s were destroyed, with several others damaged.

17:16 Hours: Devastating Blow at RAF Detling

The most destructive single attack of the afternoon occurred at 17:16 hours. RAF Detling, a Coastal Command station with limited defences, was struck by Ju 87s of IV.(St)/LG 1, escorted by Bf 109s of JG 26. The Stukas bombed the airfield while fighters conducted strafing runs. The result was catastrophic: twenty-two aircraft destroyed on the ground, the operations block demolished, and sixty-seven personnel killed—including Station Commander Group Captain E.P. Meggs-Davis. More than forty others were wounded, among them Squadron Leader J.H. Lowe and WWI veteran Wing Commander Robert J.O. Compston. Though Detling was temporarily rendered inoperative, it was not a key station within Fighter Command’s No. 11 Group, and its loss had limited strategic impact on RAF control and interception capability. Hurricanes from No. 56 Squadron were scrambled to intercept, but four were lost in the action for the destruction of only a single Bf 109.

Additional Operations and Engagements

During the same period, eighty Dornier Do 17s of Kampfgeschwader 3 (KG 3), escorted by fighters from JG 26, JG 51, JG 52, and JG 54, crossed the coast on a mission targeting Eastchurch airfield and the Short Brothers factory at Rochester. While III./KG 3 bombed Eastchurch, II./KG 3 attacked Rochester, inflicting significant damage on the Short Stirling production line. RAF Squadrons Nos. 3, 64, 111, 151, 234, 249, 601, and 609 were scrambled in response, but according to Luftwaffe accounts, they made little impact on the bomber formations. However, three Bf 109s of JG 51 were lost in the ensuing engagements.

Elsewhere, Erprobungsgruppe 210, supported by Bf 110s from ZG 76, attempted to bomb targets near Southend but, unable to find their objectives due to cloud, instead released their bombs over Canterbury. II./StG 1, likewise tasked with attacking airfields near Rochester, failed to locate any targets and returned to base without incident.

RAF Bomber Command’s Costly Raid

In a separate operation, RAF Bomber Command dispatched twelve Bristol Blenheims from No. 82 Squadron to attack Luftwaffe airfields at Aalborg, Denmark, in an effort to strike KG 30. The mission ended in disaster: eleven aircraft were shot down by flak or enemy fighters. Twenty-four aircrew were killed and nine captured. Only one Blenheim returned to base. The pilot who turned back early due to “fuel concerns” was later court-martialled.

Notable Losses and Aerial Clashes

Luftwaffe crews claimed an inflated total of thirty British fighters destroyed, whereas official RAF records confirm only fifteen losses for the entire day, with four pilots killed.

Several prominent Luftwaffe aces were active in the day’s engagements. Oberleutnant Werner Machold of I./JG 2 claimed a Hurricane near Brighton, but his unit also suffered the loss of decorated pilot Oberleutnant Paul Temme, who bailed out over England and was taken prisoner. Hauptmann Hans-Heinrich Brustellin, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 51, likewise added to his tally with another confirmed victory.

The afternoon raids underscored the growing cost of the Luftwaffe’s daylight operations. Although damage was inflicted across southern England, RAF defences remained intact and operational. The continued failure to destroy any major sector station again demonstrated the effectiveness of Britain’s early warning system and the resilience of Fighter Command’s organisational structure.

Enemy Action by Night

After dusk, the Luftwaffe turned to harassment tactics and psychological warfare. Just before midnight, two Heinkel He 111s bombed the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton, damaging critical production facilities. In an unusual attempt to sow fear and confusion, German aircraft dropped parachutes, portable radios, and propaganda leaflets over parts of the Midlands and central Scotland—part of a campaign to suggest an imminent airborne invasion.

Shortly thereafter, He 111s of Kampfgruppe 100, guided by the advanced X-Gerät beam-navigation system, launched a precision attack on the Castle Bromwich aircraft factory—one of Britain’s most vital Spitfire production centres. Around 00:35 hours, a convoy north of Kinnaird’s Head broadcast a distress signal, suggesting possible Luftwaffe tracking.

Elsewhere, scattered raids struck across the Midlands, the Bristol Channel, South Wales, and East Anglia. Although these attacks caused limited physical damage, their intent was clear: to stretch Britain’s civil defences, unsettle Fighter Command’s night vigilance, and chip away at public morale through persistent disruption.

Summary

Luftwaffe records indicate that approximately 1,485 sorties were flown on 13 August, the long-awaited Adlertag—Eagle Day. In response, RAF Fighter Command launched around 727 defensive sorties. While the German attacks inflicted notable damage at Eastchurch and Detling, neither airfield was critical to Fighter Command’s air-defence network. Göring’s much-publicised opening blow of the main offensive devolved into a disjointed and poorly coordinated effort, hampered by adverse weather, flawed intelligence, and tactical missteps.

Rather than delivering a decisive blow, Adlertag exposed serious weaknesses in the Luftwaffe’s planning and command structure. British air defences held firm, and the RAF’s resilience not only preserved its fighting strength but also lifted national morale—marking a pivotal moment in the unfolding Battle of Britain.

German Losses:
Airmen: 66 | Aircraft: 39

British Losses:
Airmen: 4 | Aircraft: 15

Hurricane. P3387, No. 87 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
F/O R.L. Glyde missing. Hit by gunfire from Ju 88 and crashed into the sea.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Glyde.htm

Hurricane P3177, No. 238 Squadron. Aircraft lost.
Sgt H.J. Marsh missing. Believed shot down by Bf 109. Failed to return to base.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/MarshHJ.htm

Hurricane P3348, No. 213 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
Sgt P.P. Norris killed. Shot down off Portland and crashed into sea. Body washed ashore in France later.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/NorrisPP.htm

Spitfire R6766, No. 65 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
P/O F.S. Gregory killed. Night flying practice. Baled out too low for reasons unknown.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/GregoryFS.htm

Photo Descriptions

1. A formation of Dornier Do 17Z bombers, 1940. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-342-0603-25 / Ketelhohn [Kettelhohn] / CC-BY-SA 3.0.
2. The wreckage of Dornier Do 17Z ‘U5 + DS’ of 8 Staffel./Kampfgeschwader 2 at Seasalter, near Whitstable in Kent. The aircraft was attacked and shot down by Hurricanes of Nos. 111 and 151 Squadrons on 13 August 1940. The flight engineer baled out wounded and was captured. The rest of the crew were killed.
3. Another view of the wreckage of Dornier Do 17Z ‘U5 + DS’ of 8 Staffel./Kampfgeschwader 2 at Seasalter, near Whitstable in Kent.
4. Dornier Do 17Z ‘U5 + KA’ of Stab.Staffel./Kampfgeschwader 2 was shot down over Barham in Kent on 13 August 1940 and ended up crashing onto the Canterbury-Folkestone railway line at Pherbec Bridge.
5. Messerschmitt Bf 110C ‘M8 + D?’ of Zerstörergeschwader 76, 1940. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-382-0211-011 / Wundshammer, Benno / CC-BY-SA 3.0.
6. Hawker Hurricane Mk I P3675 ‘UF-S’ of No. 601 (County of London) Squadron stands ready, August 1940.
7. Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1 of Oberleutnant Paul Temme, Gruppe Adjutant of I/ JG 2 ‘Richtofen’, which crashed near Shoreham aerodrome in Sussex on 13 August 1940. © IWM (HU 67701, HU 88398, HU 76146)
8. The pilots from No. 609 Squadron are still wearing their so-called ‘Mae West’ life vests as they line up for a group photo after the successful combat against II/StG 2 and II/JG 53 on the afternoon of 13 August 1940.
9. P/O Andy Mamedoff of No. 609 Squadron showing the damage to his Spitfire after an encounter with a Bf 110 on 13 August 1940.
10. Pilots and ground crew of No. 609 Squadron gather around the NAAFI wagon between sorties at RAF Warmwell, 13 August 1940.