Targets in south-east England, airfields and communications facilities along with airfields in the west.

Night: Little activity.

Weather: Mainly cloudy with bright patches and cloud in the Channel.

Enemy Action by Day

Poor visibility and heavy cloud across northern France and southern England curtailed Luftwaffe operations on 14 August. While no full-scale assault occurred, the Germans mounted scattered, opportunistic raids against RAF airfields, radar installations, and infrastructure. Operational tempo was markedly reduced compared with the confused but intense assault of the previous day—Adlertag. Even so, significant attacks were carried out in both the south and west of England, testing RAF response times and stretching Fighter Command’s resources.

11:40 Hours: Assaults on Manston and Dover*

At 11:40 hours, RAF radar detected a large formation assembling over Calais. Approximately eighty Ju 87 Stukas from II./StG 1 and IV./LG 1, escorted by around 100 Bf 109s of JG 26, crossed the Kent coast. Hurricanes from Nos. 32 and 615 Squadrons and Spitfires from Nos. 65 and 610 Squadrons were scrambled to intercept. The RAF fighters engaged the enemy over Dover, but three British fighters were shot down and two more damaged. Luftwaffe losses were limited to a single Bf 109 from 1 Staffel./JG 26. The German aircraft crashed at Coldred, near Dover, at 12:45 hours. Its pilot, Unteroffizier Gerhart Kemen, was seriously wounded and taken prisoner.

The Stukas struck targets in and around Dover. A Staffel of Bf 109s destroyed eight barrage balloons, and the Goodwin Lightship was sunk, killing two crewmen.

At 12:10 hours, sixteen Bf 110D fighter-bombers from 1. and 2. Staffeln of Erprobungsgruppe 210 executed a low-level precision attack on RAF Manston. The station’s Operations Record Book noted that four hangars were destroyed, the main runway cratered, and several aircraft damaged on the ground, including three Blenheims of No. 600 Squadron and a civilian Puss Moth.

Anti-aircraft defences engaged the attackers at close range. Sergeant Tom Townshend, manning a quadruple Browning mount atop the firing butts, opened fire on the nearest formation, hitting one Bf 110’s port wing and causing it to crash within seventy yards of his position. Moments later, another Bf 110—already under Bofors fire—broke apart over a hangar. In a dramatic scene, the rear gunner was thrown clear, his parachute opening just long enough to save his life before he hit the ground.

Townshend estimated firing between 250 and 300 rounds during the short, intense engagement. In total, two Bf 110s were destroyed—both falling within the airfield perimeter—with only one crewman surviving. Despite the damage to Manston’s infrastructure, the station remained operational, continuing to host fighter operations from its battered runways.

Radar Station and Southern Airfield Attacks

In the afternoon, Do 17s of KG 2 targeted the Pevensey Chain Home radar station. The first wave was intercepted and jettisoned its bombs, but a second formation achieved four direct hits. The resulting damage temporarily disrupted radar coverage along the southeast coast.

Beginning at 16:00 hours, additional Luftwaffe formations crossed the Cherbourg Peninsula and attacked airfields in Hampshire and the West Country. RAF Middle Wallop was bombed four times between 17:07 and 19:35 hours, including strikes by He 111s of KG 55 and a Ju 88 from 1./LG 1. Around twenty high-explosive bombs were dropped, damaging two hangars and killing three airmen and one civilian. Spitfires of No. 609 Squadron intercepted and downed both the Ju 88 and one of the Heinkels. Among those killed was Oberst Alois Stöckl, Kommodore of KG 55, whose Heinkel was destroyed by F/Lt John Dundas. Stöckl was succeeded the following day by Oblt. Hans Körte.

RAF Andover was also hit during this period. Fifteen bombs destroyed a critical transmitting station and killed a civilian radio operator. In nearby St Denys, Southampton, railway tracks were damaged, disrupting transport.

Western Raids and Notable Interceptions

Ju 88s of I./LG 1 bombed Whitchurch Airport and the railway station at Weston-super-Mare. At 15:51 hours, He 111s of III./KG 27 attacked the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton, a major aircraft production facility. Spitfires of No. 92 Squadron intercepted the formation over the Severn Estuary, shooting down three bombers. Two Heinkels crashed in Somerset; the third fell into the Bristol Channel.

Northern Engagements

An unusual incident unfolded in northern England when pilots from No. 7 Operational Training Unit at RAF Hawarden intercepted a Heinkel He 111P (W.Nr. 2624, 1G+FS) of 8./KG 27 during an attack on RAF Sealand near Chester. Wing Commander John R. Hallings-Pott, Squadron Leader John S. McLean, and Pilot Officer Peter V. “Decoy” Ayerst scrambled after hearing gunfire and succeeded in bringing down the bomber.

Bf 109s of JG 51 were also active over Kent. Ofw. Arthur Dau of 7./JG 51 claimed a Hurricane near Dover as his sixth victory. Hptm. Walter Oesau claimed his fourteenth, while Oblt. Josef Priller of 6./JG 51 downed a Spitfire nearby.

Enemy Action by Night

Luftwaffe night operations were limited. A He 111 operating over North Wales was brought down by anti-aircraft fire near Sealand. Scattered raids were also reported across Aberdeenshire and against convoys near Kinnaird’s Head, though little damage was caused.

A He 111 of 6./KG 55 crashed near Giessen, Germany, due to engine failure while returning from operations.

In Berlin, air raid sirens sounded at 01:35 hours, prompting the capital’s third alert of the war. The all-clear was given at 02:22 hours. No bombs were dropped, and no explanation was issued by the Propaganda Ministry.

German Losses:
Airmen: 35 | Aircraft: 20

British Losses:
Airmen: 4 | Aircraft: 9

Hurricane P3109, No. 615 Squadron.
F/O P. Collard. Killed. Shot down over Channel. Believed body washed ashore in France.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Collard.htm

Hurricane P3160, No. 615 Squadron.
P/O C.R. Montgomery. Killed. Failed to return to base. Believed shot down over Channel.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/MontgomeryCR.htm

Spitfire N3024, No. 609 Squadron.
F/O H. McD Goodwin. Killed. Shot down off coast by unknown enemy aircraft.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/GoodwinHMcD.htm

Hurricane L1739, No. 43 Squadron.
Sgt H.F. Montgomery. Killed. Last seen in combat with He 111. Failed to return to base.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/MontgomeryHF.htm

Photo Descriptions

1. An soldier examines the wreckage of a Messerschmitt Bf 110D of Erprobungsgruppe 210, one of two shot down by anti-aircraft guns at Manston aerodrome, 14 August 1940. © IWM (HU 69874)
2. A wrecked hanger at RAF Middle Wallop after a German raid on 14 August 1940.
3. Damage inside the hanger at RAF Middle Wallop after a German raid on 14 August 1940.
4. Bomb damage at RAF Middle Wallop after a German raid on 14 August 1940.
5. The Sergeants’ Mess at RAF Sealand after a Luftwaffe raid on 14 August 1940. (RAFM P021824)
6. The tail section of He 111P (W.Nr: 2624 1G+FS) of 8./KG 27 at Border House Farm near Chester in Cheshire, shot down on 14 August 1940. The aircraft was attacking RAF Sealand when it was shot down by W/C John R Hallings-Pott, S/L John S McLean and P/O Peter V “Decoy” Ayerst of No. 7 OTU from RAF Hawarden.
7. Eleven year old cousins Wendy Anderton and Cathie Jones sitting on the wing of He 111P (W.Nr: 2624 1G+FS) of 8./KG 27 at Border House Farm near Chester in Cheshire.
8. A crashed Heinkel He IIIP, 1G+NT, of III/KG 27, shot down by Blue Section of No. 92 Squadron RAF at 6 pm on 14 August 1940, lying by the side of the road at Charterhouse, Somerset. Note the machine gun projecting from the starboard side of the fuselage as protection from beam attacks. © IWM (CH 1887)
9. Flying Officer Anthony Eyre, DFC, of ‘B’ Flight, No. 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, is debriefed by his squadron’s Intelligence Officer. On 14 August 1940, he claimed a Ju 87 destroyed and shared in the destruction of another; the following day, he shared in the destruction of a Messerschmitt Bf 109.

*Special thanks to John Vasco for his invaluable contribution to this page. You can explore his excellent book on Amazon below:

Messerschmitt Bf 110: Bombsights over England Erprobungsgruppe 210 in the Battle of Britain
John Vasco
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