Raids on convoys off Orfordness, Clacton and Harwich.
Night: South Wales and midlands.
Weather: Unsettled, with drizzle and low cloud.
Enemy Action by Day
Tuesday, 30 July 1940, was marked by unsettled conditions, with low cloud and persistent drizzle limiting large-scale aerial activity. Despite the poor weather, several sharp encounters occurred over coastal and inland regions, and both the RAF and the Luftwaffe remained active in key sectors. On this day, Fighter Command suffered no confirmed losses, while the Luftwaffe lost at least five aircraft in combat and through anti-aircraft fire.
Behind the front lines, Adolf Hitler issued a significant directive, postponing any potential invasion of Britain until at least mid-September. German leadership remained divided on the scope and methods of such an operation, while Luftwaffe preparations for a sustained air campaign against the RAF entered their final planning phase.
Patrols and Engagements over Southern England
At approximately 09:00 hours, three separate raids composed of more than twenty aircraft approached the Swanage area. In each instance, the raiders turned away before reaching the coast, likely in response to RAF fighter patrols.
At 09:45 hours, No. 601 Squadron, conducting a patrol off the Isle of Wight, intercepted a formation of enemy aircraft and claimed a Messerschmitt Bf 109 as a probable kill. Although a Hurricane was believed to have been damaged during the engagement, no RAF pilots were lost, and all aircraft were accounted for following the action.
Between 11:00 and 13:00 hours, approximately twenty enemy aircraft approached Portland. Once again, these formations turned back before making landfall, retreating upon the approach of RAF fighters. However, No. 238 Squadron managed to bring down one Bf 109 in the process.
Later in the afternoon, at 15:30 hours, eight raids involving roughly fifty aircraft were observed forming over the Baie de la Seine. The Luftwaffe formations advanced toward the Isle of Wight, prompting three RAF squadrons to climb to patrol altitudes between 10,000 and 20,000 feet. As the British fighters closed in, the German formations split up and returned to their staging areas. One raid did penetrate the coast near Dungeness, where No. 65 Squadron successfully shot down a Bf 109 off Dover.
Just before 19:00 hours, another large formation of at least twenty-four enemy aircraft was plotted departing from the Cherbourg area. Flying in layers across a ten-mile front at approximately 16,000 feet, the formation turned west toward Portland. However, it broke into separate elements and returned directly to Cherbourg without further engagement. RAF squadrons scrambled to intercept but failed to establish contact.
Air Operations in the South and East
In the early afternoon, attention once again turned to Channel shipping. At approximately 13:00 hours, Junkers Ju 88s from KG 76 mounted a low-level bombing attack on trawlers off Dungeness. The Luftwaffe failed to inflict shipping losses, although one bomber is believed to have struck a barrage balloon cable during the assault.
The most sustained activity of the day occurred around 17:00 hours, when the Luftwaffe launched a multi-pronged assault on East Coast targets. Approximately twenty Heinkel He 111s and Dornier Do 17s attacked Harwich, while Bf 110s of Erprobungsgruppe 210 carried out a simultaneous strike on Dover. At the same time, a separate force of thirty-six Bf 110s, acting as fighter-bombers, attacked Convoy Agent off the Essex coast.
RAF Fighter Command scrambled Nos. 66, 17, 85, and 151 Squadrons to intercept the threat. No. 17 Squadron succeeded in destroying a He 111 from 2./KG 53 off Lowestoft. Hurricanes from No. 151 Squadron intercepted the Bf 110s off Orfordness, claiming two confirmed victories and one probable.
One of the German Bf 110s, operating with 1./Erprobungsgruppe 210, was shot down by No. 85 Squadron at 15:32 hours approximately ten miles east of Southwold. Altogether, six German aircraft were destroyed during the afternoon’s engagements. RAF losses included three fighters, with two Hurricanes making forced landings at Martlesham and Rochford due to damage sustained in combat.
Raids in the North and Offshore Interceptions
Northern airspace was comparatively quiet. Five raids were plotted between Flamborough Head and the Orkneys throughout the day. One of these was believed to be a meteorological reconnaissance flight.
At 12:12 hours, three Spitfires from No. 603 Squadron intercepted a Heinkel He 111 of 8./KG 26 southwest of Montrose. The bomber was brought down northeast of the town after a short engagement. Although two of the Spitfires sustained damage from return fire, all returned safely to base. The interception marked a clear success for the squadron amid limited Luftwaffe activity in the region that day.
Enemy Action by Night
Night operations were limited in scale, likely due to continued poor weather across much of the country. During the early evening, a small enemy raid was plotted over Surrey. Bombs were dropped at Esher, Chessington, Tolworth, Woldingham, and Merstham. A balloon barrage was also attacked during this incursion, though no significant damage was reported.
Later in the evening, additional raids originating from the Baie de la Seine and Cherbourg were detected over the Plymouth area. These flights progressed inland across Devon and Dorset, extending into South Wales and the Midlands. A raid approaching from the west dropped bombs on Heysham, five miles south of Lancaster. Further reports were received of bombings at Barry Docks and near Cwm Bargoed, where a railway line was damaged.
During a raid near Bristol, anti-aircraft fire brought down a Heinkel He 111, further adding to the day’s German losses. At around 23:00 hours, He 111s of I./KG 55 launched a raid targeting industrial and fuel infrastructure. Bombs were dropped on the Bristol Aeroplane Company and the oil tanks at Avonmouth. The attack continued past midnight, though the full extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Civilian Reports and Home Security Findings
According to Home Security summaries, bombing began just after midnight when shops in Hull were damaged by an early raid. During the morning, St Athan aerodrome in South Wales was struck. The married men’s quarters were demolished and additional damage was recorded, although no casualties were reported.
In Norwich, a bus station was hit by twelve high-explosive bombs dropped at 06:00 hours. Several buses were destroyed, houses and a water main were damaged, and some casualties occurred. No further bombings were reported during daylight until 22:12 hours, when Esher and Farleigh in Surrey were struck again, though without serious consequence. Overnight, bombs fell on Barry Docks and Cwm Bargoed, damaging railway infrastructure.
German Strategic Developments
On the German side, 30 July 1940 marked a turning point in strategic planning. Adolf Hitler formally delayed Operation Sea Lion, stipulating that no invasion could proceed before 15 September. In private, he preferred postponement until early 1941, though his senior commanders disagreed.
Disputes persisted between the Army and Navy regarding the most suitable landing zones. The Navy favoured a concentrated crossing in the Dover Straits, while the Army preferred a broader front reaching as far west as Lyme Regis.
Propaganda Minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels addressed the German public with familiar bravado, claiming that Britain’s resistance was faltering and that the RAF could not match the strength of the Luftwaffe. He suggested that the United States would remain uninvolved and asserted that a German victory, possibly by Christmas, was inevitable. These remarks served to bolster civilian morale, despite the operational challenges the Luftwaffe continued to face.
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)