Raids on convoys off Orfordness, Clacton and Harwich.
Night: South Wales and midlands.
Weather: Unsettled, with drizzle and low cloud.
Daytime Operations
Weather conditions continued to restrict enemy raids over the Channel and southern England. Attacks were reported on convoys off Orfordness, Clacton, and Harwich. RAF Fighter Command actively engaged, with notable successes: No. 603 Squadron’s Spitfires shot down a He 111 off Montrose at 1212 hours, while No. 85 Squadron downed a Bf 110 ten miles east of Southwold at 1532 hours. No. 238 Squadron confirmed shooting down a Bf 109 near Portland, and No. 65 Squadron downed another Bf 109 off Dover.
Several large formations – up to fifty aircraft – assembled near the Bay of Seine and approached the Isle of Wight, but RAF patrols intercepted and dispersed the raids before they could reach the coast. Multiple raids approached the southern coast but turned away before engagement, demonstrating effective defensive patrolling.
Enemy Ju 88 bombers attacked a convoy in the Channel but failed to sink any ships.
Night Operations
Night activity was significantly reduced due to poor weather. A small raid over Surrey dropped bombs on Esher, Chessington, Tolworth, and attacked a balloon barrage. Bombs were also dropped near Heysham (south of Lancaster), Barry Docks, and near Cwm Bargoed, where a railway track was damaged. Anti-aircraft fire claimed a He 111 near Bristol, where KG 55 bombers repeatedly attacked key industrial targets such as the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Avonmouth oil tanks between 2300 hours and midnight.
German Strategy
On this date, Hitler confirmed no invasion of Britain would occur before 15 September 1940, likely pushing any plans into 1941. Despite disagreement among German military leadership, Hitler emphasized the necessity of destroying the Royal Air Force first to clear the way for invasion. Göring was instructed to prepare the Luftwaffe for a decisive battle against Britain on very short notice.
The German Army and Navy disagreed on invasion logistics – while the Navy favored a narrow landing area across the Dover Straits, the Army preferred multiple wider landing beaches along the southern coast from Dover to Portland.
Meanwhile, German propaganda minister Goebbels publicly downplayed British resilience, asserting that the Luftwaffe was winning air superiority and that an invasion would soon be successful, aiming to bolster German morale.
German Losses:
Airmen: 21 | Aircraft: 9
British Losses:
Airmen: 0 | Aircraft: 1
Photo Description
- Pilots of No. 85 Squadron seen running to their aircraft. © IWM (HU 49253)
- Hawker Hurricane Mk I flown by Sgt G ‘Sammy’ Allard of No. 85 Squadron, July 1940. © IWM (HU 104491)