East coast shipping raided.
Night: Minelaying from Dover to the Tyne and Forth Estuary.
Weather: Slight haze in the Straits of Dover. Cloudy with occasional rain in other districts.
Enemy Action by Day
Enemy air activity on 23 July 1940 was notably reduced compared to earlier in the month. In line with Air Chief Marshal Dowding’s recommendation to route convoys via the East Coast and northwards around Scotland, the Channel was largely cleared of shipping traffic. This strategic adjustment forced the Luftwaffe to undertake longer-range missions without fighter escort, reducing the frequency and intensity of attacks. Nevertheless, reconnaissance and bombing raids persisted against coastal shipping and inland targets.
Early in the morning, RAF Hurricanes on patrol over a convoy off Yarmouth intercepted and were reported to have shot down a Junkers Ju 86, though confirmation of the kill remained uncertain. At 08:09 hours, a ‘help’ signal was received from a convoy situated off Lowestoft, but only a single bomb was observed falling from high altitude, causing no damage.
A separate inland raid penetrated deep into southern England, reaching as far as Kenley, but the formation turned back upon the approach of RAF fighters. No bombs were reported dropped over sensitive installations.
Attacks off North Foreland and Naval Strike off Harwich
At 11:20 hours, six Luftwaffe aircraft bombed a group of British trawlers operating off North Foreland. Two RAF fighter squadrons were vectored to intercept, but no contact was made and the enemy formation withdrew unscathed.
Later in the afternoon, at approximately 15:30 hours, nine German aircraft, which had evaded RDF tracking, bombed a Royal Navy vessel some 50 miles east of Harwich. No RAF fighters were on station to engage, and the outcome of the naval attack remains unknown.
Engagement over Scotland and Bombing at Pulham Market
At 15:40 hours, a Dornier Do 17 of 3./KG 3, on a reconnaissance or light bombing mission near Kinnaird’s Head in north-east Scotland, was intercepted and destroyed by three Spitfires of No. 603 Squadron. This was the most decisive RAF action of the day and marked a confirmed Luftwaffe loss.
At 16:40 hours, another raid approached inland from the coast near Yarmouth and released bombs over Pulham Market. RAF fighters attempted to intercept, but the German bombers evaded pursuit by climbing into dense cloud. Air Ministry property at Pulham, Norfolk, suffered structural damage from the sixteen high-explosive bombs dropped, but no casualties were reported.
Evening Raid over Northern Scotland
After 18:00 hours, RDF detected a raid appearing inland over northern Scotland. RAF fighters were scrambled, but the enemy aircraft escaped at high speed heading east. The incursion ended without further contact.
Activity over France
Hostile tracks were plotted along the French coast throughout the day, particularly between Calais and Dunkirk. Several enemy aircraft flew into mid-Channel but failed to cross into British airspace, suggesting reconnaissance activity rather than offensive operations.
Enemy Action by Night
Luftwaffe night operations, while less intense than earlier in the month, were widespread and focused largely on minelaying along the East Coast between Dover and the Forth Estuary. Raids extended as far north as Kinnaird’s Head, with reduced activity in the Thames Estuary and along the South Coast.
At 00:40 hours, a Heinkel He 111 was confirmed shot down by a Spitfire near Dunbar. Around the same time, Montrose Aerodrome reported a single high-explosive bomb at 00:43 hours, which failed to cause damage or casualties.
A notable feature of the night’s operations was the deployment of smoke screens. At 00:43 hours, the Observer Corps reported sighting a 100-yard-long smoke screen approximately 30 feet high off Dover, likely linked to minelaying activity.
By 01:00 hours, several raids were tracked moving north off the Welsh coast. These aircraft were later detected over Liverpool, where anti-aircraft batteries engaged and claimed one unconfirmed kill. In total, about eight raids were tracked towards Falmouth, Plymouth, and Bristol, though no significant damage was reported.
A formation of bombers crossed into England over Middlesbrough and continued south of Catterick, while another penetrated over Cornwall and South Wales. Despite the wide range of incursions, only one confirmed report of bomb damage was received—from the Hartlepool area.
Civilian and Ground Damage Reports
Home Security Reports for the night of 23/24 July noted scattered damage across several counties.
In East Yorkshire at 01:22 hours, six houses in Willerby were severely damaged by high-explosive bombs. A railway signal arm was destroyed, though the track remained intact. Four minor casualties were reported.
At 08:38 hours, bombs landed on the beach and inland at Worthing, followed by the release of “whistling bombs” in a field at Itchingfield near Horsham at 09:35 hours. No injuries or structural damage occurred.
Further bombing was recorded at Yarmouth and Brightstone on the Isle of Wight at 00:45 hours, causing minor damage to one house. Eleven high-explosive bombs fell near Ternhill Aerodrome at 01:33 hours, partially blocking a nearby road. No casualties were reported.
At 16:48 hours, structural damage was confirmed at Pulham following the German raid earlier that afternoon.
Bombs were also reported to have fallen in Norfolk, Kent, and West Sussex, but damage in those areas was negligible.
German Losses:
Airmen: 10 | Aircraft: 6
British Losses:
Airmen: 0 | Aircraft: 2
Photo Descriptions
- A Dornier Do 17Z (5K+EA) of Stab/KG 3 in France, 1940. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-345-0784-14A / Gentsch / CC-BY-SA 3.0.
- Hawker Hurricane Mark Is of No 17 Squadron taxiing at Debden, July 1940. The foreground aircraft with fuselage codes YB-C is that of the CO, Squadron Leader Harold ‘Birdy’ Bird-Wilson, who was shot down on 24 September flying P3878 YB-W. © IWM (HU 54517)