Raids on convoys off Orfordness, Clacton and Harwich.
Night: South Wales and midlands.
Weather: Unsettled, with drizzle and low cloud.
Enemy Action by Day
Unsettled weather covered much of Britain, with persistent drizzle and low cloud restricting visibility and preventing the Luftwaffe from mounting attacks on the scale seen over Dover the previous day. German aircraft nevertheless continued searching for convoys off Orfordness, Clacton and Harwich, producing two sharp engagements over the North Sea.
Morning: Reconnaissance off Norfolk
During the morning, Ju 88 F6+BK of 2.(F)/122 was searching for shipping off the East Coast when it suffered a sudden engine failure while flying through cloud at approximately 500 feet. The pilot, Unteroffizier Gerhard Lemm, ditched the aircraft about thirty miles off the Norfolk coast, and it sank within minutes.
Lemm, Leutnant Heinz-Jürgen Rabbow, Unteroffizier Justus Kehres and Gefreiter Rudolf Reimer escaped into their dinghy. Two of the airmen were injured, and the crew remained adrift for approximately 103 hours before a British fishing vessel rescued them on 3 August and landed them at Great Yarmouth.
Other German aircraft located at least one convoy through the low cloud and drizzle, but their bombing caused no damage. The poor visibility prevented the Luftwaffe from developing a coordinated assault against the shipping routes off Orfordness, Harwich and Clacton.
12:12 Hours: Heinkel Intercepted off Montrose
At 12:12 hours, Green Section of No. 603 Squadron intercepted a Heinkel He 111H-4 of 8./KG 26 approximately forty miles south-east of Montrose. Flight Lieutenant F.W. Rushmer led Pilot Officers R. Berry and A.P. Pease into a line-astern attack as the bomber attempted to escape through thin cloud.
The Heinkel’s rear gunner opened fire as the Spitfires approached, damaging two of the British aircraft. Both pilots nevertheless returned safely to Montrose, while the German bomber was shot down in the North Sea.
The victory was shared by Rushmer, Berry and Pease. Unteroffizier Hans Grieshaber, Feldwebel Georg Hornung, Unteroffizier Felix Büsing and Gefreiter Gerhard Wolf were killed.
15:30 Hours: Convoy Attacked East of Harwich
At approximately 15:30 hours, two Bf 110s of 1./Erprobungsgruppe 210 located Convoy Pilot off the Suffolk coast and prepared to attack the ships. Three Hurricanes of No. 85 Squadron intercepted the German aircraft about forty miles south-east of Southwold.
Flight Sergeant G. “Sammy” Allard and Flight Lieutenant H.R. Hamilton attacked one of the Bf 110s and shared its destruction. The aircraft crashed into the North Sea east of Harwich, killing Leutnant Hans Herold and his radio operator, Obergefreiter Lothar Lilienthal.
The Hurricanes returned safely, and no damage to the convoy was recorded. This was the only confirmed fighter engagement off the Suffolk coast during the afternoon.
Further Luftwaffe Losses
A Heinkel He 111P of II./KG 27 failed to return from a sortie over England and may have been brought down by anti-aircraft fire. Oberleutnant Gerhard Wiedenhoeft, Unteroffizier Karl Kieselbach, Unteroffizier Josef Röhse and Gefreiter Günter Woromus were killed.
A Ju 88 of 6./KG 76 also returned to France with combat damage and belly-landed at Creil. Its crew escaped unharmed.
Elsewhere, a Dornier Do 17Z of 2./KG 76 was destroyed at La Boissie aerodrome when one of its bombs exploded prematurely. Unteroffizier Hans Schmidt, Feldwebel Adolf Diessner, Unteroffizier Josef Pungor and Obergefreiter Rudolf von Kaler were killed.
14:05 Hours: Fighter Command Accidents
Fighter Command suffered no aircraft losses to enemy action. Two Blenheim fighters were involved in separate accidents, however, with one aircraft lost and the other badly damaged.
At 14:05 hours, Blenheim L1109 of No. 219 Squadron belly-landed at Catterick after its undercarriage was damaged during take-off. Sergeants Tom Birkett and Edward Lacey escaped unharmed, and the aircraft was subsequently repaired. The crew of the second Blenheim suffered injuries in a separate accident.
RAF Sorties over Occupied Europe
Blenheim R3764 of No. 15 Squadron failed to return from a sortie to Paderborn. Approaching the Hook of Holland, the aircraft was intercepted by a Bf 109, probably flown by Unteroffizier Joachim Schreckenberg of 8./JG 54.
Pilot Officer Peter “Red” Eames and his crew abandoned the crippled Blenheim over the sea and were picked up several hours later by a German vessel. Eames survived and was taken prisoner, but Pilot Officer F.H. Jones and Sergeant P. Murphy were killed.
Blenheim TR-N of No. 59 Squadron was attacked by two Bf 109s while conducting photographic reconnaissance over Le Havre and Trouville. Sergeant P.H. “Pat” Thirkell, the air gunner, claimed one of the fighters probably destroyed, after which the second Messerschmitt abandoned the pursuit. Pilot Officer Bob Ullman succeeded in bringing the Blenheim home.
Flying Officer Douglas Fordham of No. 82 Squadron encountered further opposition while flying Blenheim R3910 to attack Flushing aerodrome. Two or three Bf 109s attacked the aircraft about three miles from the target, damaging its port engine and riddling the airframe with bullets.
Sergeant Ken Thomas, the gunner, claimed one of the Messerschmitts probably destroyed before the Blenheim escaped into cloud. Fordham returned safely to Watton with his crew unhurt. By the end of the month, Bomber Command had lost thirty-one Blenheims on operations during July.
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.
At approximately 23:00 hours, Heinkel He 111s of I./KG 55 attacked the Bristol Aeroplane Company works at Filton and the oil-storage facilities at Avonmouth. The raid continued beyond midnight, although the poor weather and scattered nature of the bombing limited its effectiveness.
Civilian Damage
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
The German Naval Staff concluded that the Army’s proposed invasion of Britain across a broad front from Ramsgate to Lyme Bay was impractical. Tidal conditions, limited periods of suitable moonlight and the likelihood of deteriorating autumn weather restricted the number of possible invasion dates.
The shortage of suitable shipping meant that at least forty-eight hours would separate the first and second landing waves, while moving the remaining forces across the Channel could require several weeks. The Navy also warned that the Kriegsmarine lacked the strength to prevent the Royal Navy from penetrating the extensive transport area, even if the Luftwaffe achieved air superiority.
The Naval Staff therefore advised against attempting the invasion during 1940 and recommended continuing preparations for a possible landing after May 1941. It rejected the Army’s broad-front proposal as hopeless, arguing that any viable crossing would have to be concentrated within the narrow Strait of Dover.
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)