Convoys and shipping in the Channel attacked

Night: Nil.

Weather: Channel and Straits of Dover cloudy. Coastal and hill fog in western districts spreading east. Rain in most districts.

Enemy Action by Day

The day opened with an early Luftwaffe strike on Glasgow. At approximately 06:30 hours, a lone Heinkel He 111 approached the city at low altitude and released a mix of high-explosive and incendiary bombs over the Hillington Industrial Estate. The raid caused serious damage to a printing works and inflicted further harm on nearby sugar and oilcake processing facilities. Blast effects shattered windows in the vicinity, including at the Rolls-Royce factory. Eighteen civilians were injured, one of them seriously. The attacking aircraft was reportedly intercepted during its withdrawal; one engine was disabled and the rear gunner killed. The bomber dived into cloud cover and disappeared—its ultimate fate unknown, though it was considered unlikely to have returned to base.

07:30 Hours – Shipping Strike in the Bristol Channel

At approximately 07:30 hours, a Ju 88 from KG 51 attacked coastal shipping near Porthcawl in the Bristol Channel. Spitfires from No. 92 Squadron were scrambled to intercept, and the raider was ultimately brought down near Lynton, Devon, by Pilot Officer R.P. Beamont of No. 87 Squadron. Other enemy formations were detected over Bournemouth and Portland but withdrew before attacking.

Reconnaissance activity persisted throughout the day across the Channel and along the eastern and southern coasts.

08:15–11:45 Hours – The Battle of the Thames Estuary

At 08:15 hours, six Spitfires of No. 54 Squadron were scrambled from Rochford to intercept a formation of Dornier Do 17 bombers from II./KG 2 attempting to attack a small coastal convoy in the Straits of Dover. The RAF fighters intercepted in time to break up the raid before the bombers could release their payloads. No ships were hit, though two Spitfires were damaged by return fire; Pilot Officer A. Finnie was forced to land at Great Bainden Farm, Mayfield, and later returned to Rochford.

Shortly before 11:00 hours, a larger Luftwaffe formation was detected crossing the Channel towards a convoy in the Thames Estuary. No. 54 Squadron was again dispatched. The attacking force comprised eighteen Do 17s from I./KG 2, escorted by Bf 109s from JG 26 and JG 52. Upon sighting the enemy, Flight Lieutenant Alan Deere reported to sector control that the bombers were being protected by at least forty Bf 109s and requested reinforcements. Spitfires from Nos. 65 and 610 Squadrons were scrambled in response. II./JG 26 aborted its escort mission shortly after No. 610 Squadron arrived, while Bf 109s from III./JG 26 and III./JG 52 pressed on and engaged the Spitfires of Nos. 54 and 65 Squadrons.

What followed became known within No. 54 Squadron as The Battle of the Thames Estuary. Intense fighting developed over Margate, with Dorniers diving to low level and weaving among the rooftops of the seafront hotels. Spitfires and Messerschmitts clashed at close quarters, often below 1,000 feet. RAF formations were forced to split to meet the threat, leaving many pilots outnumbered. According to the squadron’s Operational Record Book, it was their fiercest action since Dunkirk.

During the combat, No. 54 Squadron claimed sixteen Bf 109s—two confirmed destroyed by Pilot Officer Colin Gray and Sergeant George Collett; four unconfirmed by Flight Lieutenant Deere, Flying Officer Desmond McMullen, and Pilot Officers Edward Coleman and Douglas Turley-George; and eight listed as probable. Two more were reported damaged. Other pilots who took part included Pilot Officers Dorian Gribble, Henry Matthews, and Flight Sergeant Philip Tew.

Two Spitfires from No. 54 Squadron were lost. Flying Officer John Allen DFC was killed after engaging Bf 109s off Margate. His engine failed during combat but briefly restarted, allowing him to turn towards RAF Manston; it then cut out again, causing his Spitfire R6812 to stall and crash in flames near the Olde Charles Inn at Cliftonville. Sergeant G.R. Collett, flying Spitfire N3192, pursued a Bf 109 for some distance but ran out of fuel and crashed at Sizewell, Suffolk. Pilot Officer H.K.F. Matthews was attacked by a Bf 109 from Stab III./JG 26 but managed to return to base despite a shattered cockpit.

German losses were heavy. Leutnant Josef Schauff of 8./JG 26 was killed when his parachute failed after bailing out over Margate. Oberleutnant Werner Bartels, Technical Officer of III./JG 26, was seriously injured after crash-landing outside the town; his Bf 109E-1 was later salvaged and used by the British Red Cross for fundraising. Hauptmann Erich Noack, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 26, was killed while attempting to land at Marquise. Hauptmann Wolf-Heinrich von Houwald, Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 52, was also killed when his aircraft crashed near Marquise-East. In total, German losses in the engagement amounted to at least three fighters from JG 26 and four from III./JG 52, as well as three Dornier bombers shot down over the estuary.

Major Adolf Galland of III./JG 26 claimed a Spitfire during the battle, later reflecting:

“We were no longer in doubt that the RAF would prove a formidable opponent.”

The day’s fighting marked the end of No. 54 Squadron’s month-long stay at Rochford. That evening, the unit was ordered to return to Hornchurch.

15:03 Hours – Brooklands and Walton-on-Thames Bombing

At 15:03 hours, a Ju 88 approached Brooklands aerodrome posing as a friendly aircraft, mimicking the landing pattern of inbound RAF fighters. With its undercarriage lowered, it circled for seven minutes before releasing twelve bombs over the landing ground, the Vickers aircraft works, and the Wandsworth Gas Company installation at Walton-on-Thames. Six bombs fell near the gas works, causing minor damage and injuring four people. The remainder landed on St George’s Hill and the aerodrome itself, though production was not disrupted. No RAF fighters intercepted the attacker.

17:27–19:50 Hours – Shipping Strikes off Dover and the South Coast

At 17:27 hours, three German bombers attacked shipping near Dover. No. 74 Squadron responded, and one Do 17 was reportedly shot down off Manston, though this could not be confirmed. At 18:18 hours, bombs were dropped at Great Yarmouth but failed to detonate. Two minutes later, seventeen small high-explosive bombs were dropped at Wherstead near Ipswich, causing no reported damage or casualties.

At 19:50 hours, another Luftwaffe aircraft was reported machine-gunning Royal Navy inshore patrols 20 miles south of Hastings. Inclement weather prevented fighter interception.

Coastal Defence and Fighter Patrol Losses

At 19:20 hours, Spitfire N3041 of No. 66 Squadron crashed into the sea approximately 30 miles north-east of Cromer while on a routine patrol. The pilot, Sergeant A.D. Smith, was rescued unharmed. Elsewhere, several reconnaissance sorties were detected in the Aberdeen area during the day, but no interceptions occurred.

Enemy Action by Night

No major enemy operations were recorded during the night of 24/25 July. The only possible hostile movement was a suspected minelaying track off Bamburgh. Poor weather likely contributed to the lack of activity.

German Losses:
Airmen: 23 | Aircraft: 15

British Losses:
Airmen: 3 | Aircraft: 5

Spitfire R6812, No. 54 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
F/O J. L. Allen killed. Engine damaged in combat with Bf 109, but losing height crashed near the Old Charles Inn at Cliftonville.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/AllenJL.htm

Hurricane P3316, No. 151 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
P/O J. R. Hamar killed. Aircraft stalled at 500 ft and crashed nose first on aerodrome.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Hamar.htm

Hurricane P2685, No. 46 Squadron. Aircraft destroyed.
P/O A. M. Cooper-Key killed. Aircraft crashed during training exercise due to engine failure.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Cooper-Key.htm

Photo Descriptions

1. Supermarine Spitfire Mark Is of No. 610 Squadron based at Biggin Hill, flying in ‘vic’ formation, 24 July 1940. © IWM (CH 740)
2. The wreckage of a Messerschmitt Bf 109 flown by 21 year old Lt. Josef Schauff from 8./JG 26 which crashed into Byron Avenue, Margate on 24 July 1940. The pilot bailed out moments before, but he died in the grounds of the Royal School for Deaf Children.
3. Troops inspect a Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1 (W.Nr. 6296F) which crash-landed at Northdown in Kent, beside the Margate to Broadstairs railway line, having been shot down by Spitfires on 24 July 1940. It was flown by Oberleutnant Bartels, Technical Officer of Stab. III/JG 26, who was injured in the crash. © IWM (HU 69875)
4. An RAF officer inspects a Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1 (W.Nr. 6296F) which crash-landed at Northdown in Kent, beside the Margate to Broadstairs railway line, having been shot down by Spitfires on 24 July 1940. It was flown by Oberleutnant Bartels, Technical Officer of Stab. III/JG 26, who was injured in the crash. © IWM (HU 69876)
5. An RAF officer points to a bullet hole in the cockpit canopy of a Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1 (W.Nr. 6296F) which was shot down by Spitfires on 24 July 1940. It crash-landed at Northdown in Kent, beside the Margate to Broadstairs railway line. It was flown by Oberleutnant Bartels, Technical Officer of Stab. III/JG 26, who was injured in the crash. © IWM (HU 73422)
6. The wreckage of Hawker Hurricane Mk. I P2685, which crashed on 24 July 1940 after its engine failed. The pilot, P/O A M Cooper-Key of No. 46 Squadron, was killed. It is believed he tried to land in a park but when he spotted a group of young children playing he changed course and crashed on a railway embankment west of Peartree Station in Normanton near Derby.