Convoy reconnaissances. Convoy off Cromer attacked.
Night: Widespread raids from Thames Estuary to Aberdeen and from Poole, Dorset, to Land’s End and Liverpool.
Weather: Mainly fair with cloud and thunderstorms in eastern districts. South-eastern districts cloudy. Winds variable.
Enemy Action by Day
The main Luftwaffe action during the day centred on convoy reconnaissance and one significant bombing attack. At 06:35 hours, Hurricanes of No. 46 Squadron, flying a patrol near the Norfolk coast, observed bombs bursting around a convoy off Cromer. Fighters from Coltishall were dispatched to intercept, but a thick blanket of cloud ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 feet frustrated their efforts, and the enemy bombers escaped unscathed. Despite the lack of damage, this engagement demonstrated the increasing precision with which German reconnaissance was able to locate and target British convoys.
Isle of Wight and Coastal Raids
Throughout the morning and into the evening, several raids were plotted in the South and West, particularly near the Isle of Wight, Start Point, and the Lizard Peninsula. One enemy aircraft was tracked inland, flying north of Bournemouth before veering over Gloucestershire and finally disappearing out to sea near the Isle of Wight. In the evening, a formation of over nine enemy aircraft approached the Isle of Wight but turned away before fighters from Tangmere and Middle Wallop could intercept. Two additional raids—one consisting of six aircraft and the other three—were plotted off Beachy Head and the Isle of Wight respectively, but both retreated southward before any RAF engagement
Scotland and Northern Raids
At 10:40 hours, a raid comprising eleven German aircraft approached to within thirty miles of Aberdeen before vanishing from radar. Later, another single enemy aircraft was plotted ninety miles east of St. Abb’s Head. Despite attempts by RAF fighters to intercept both formations, neither contact was made. The raiders appeared to be conducting long-range reconnaissance with minimal intent to engage.
Enemy Air Patrols Over France
Enemy patrols remained active over northern France during the afternoon, with small formations of three aircraft frequently visible in the Dunkirk–Calais–Gris Nez region. RAF fighters patrolling the Dover Straits made brief forays toward the French coast but were met with anti-aircraft fire near Calais. Several British fighters sustained minor damage, though no pilots were lost.
CW9 Convoy Peewit: A Gamble Begins at Sea
Amidst minimal Luftwaffe action during daylight hours, a far more consequential event was unfolding at sea. In defiance of German claims that the Channel had been closed to British shipping, the Admiralty prepared to escort another convoy—designated CW9 and code-named Peewit—through the increasingly perilous Dover Straits. Assembled from twenty merchant vessels and nine Royal Navy escorts, the convoy departed the Thames on the evening of 7 August with orders to pass through the Channel under cover of darkness and meet RAF fighter support at dawn.
Unknown to British planners, the convoy was tracked almost immediately by the German Freya radar installation at Wissant, which was optimised for detecting shipping. As Peewit edged west past Dover, it was spotted visually from Cap Gris Nez and its position relayed to Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine units. Before dawn, a flotilla of E-boats launched a surprise attack, scattering the merchant ships in a flurry of torpedo strikes and gunfire. Amid the chaos, at least two vessels collided—one sinking outright—leaving the convoy vulnerable and dispersed as the first light of 8 August broke over the Channel.
Enemy Action by Night
The Luftwaffe’s nighttime activity expanded dramatically on 7/8 August, with operations ranging from the Thames Estuary to Aberdeen in the east and from Poole to Liverpool and Land’s End in the west. Several raids were tracked over the Norfolk coast between Cromer and Southwold; these are believed to have been fighters attempting to intercept RAF bombers returning from their own missions.
Eight separate raids were plotted approaching the 13 Group area from the southeast. Three raids followed westerly courses down the Channel, while two approached Portland from the direction of Jersey. At least five raids were concentrated around Harwich, almost certainly conducting minelaying operations in the estuary. Additional mine drops were believed to have occurred in the Thames, along the southern coastline between Beachy Head and the Isle of Wight, and as far north as the stretch between the Firth of Forth and the Humber.
Several raids penetrated inland toward Yorkshire, while bombs were reported in Gloucestershire, Devon, and Glamorganshire. In Dorset, Poole was bombed and minor damage reported in Exeter and St Donat’s. In the north, explosions were heard in the Firth of Clyde and near Airdrie and Stirling. Fortunately, casualties were minimal and most damage was limited to broken windows and minor structural harm.
RAF and Luftwaffe Losses
There were no confirmed aerial victories for either side during daylight operations. However, one RAF pilot was killed in an unrelated night training incident. Pilot Officer R.A.D. Smith of No. 616 Squadron lost his life when his Spitfire crashed while night flying at Leconfield. Elsewhere, Bomber Command carried out an attack on the Haamstede airfield in the Netherlands, destroying two Bf 109s of JG 54 on the ground and damaging five more.
On the German side, Hauptmann Valesi, Staffelkapitän of 3./Erpr.Gr. 210, was killed in a crash at St. Omer. Valesi had been a key proponent of fighter-bomber tactics and his death was a blow to the experimental unit. Meanwhile, Major Werner Mölders of JG 51 returned to operations following injuries sustained on 28 July. Denying a pilot’s request for leave to marry, Mölders tersely declared:
“Why marry now when there is only England left?”
Strategic Developments: Luftwaffe Prepares for Adlerangriff
Behind the scenes, Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring issued direct orders on this day to commence full-scale attacks on British airfields. Göring had previously resisted focusing solely on the RAF, but pressure from his field commanders—especially Kesselring—had begun to sway strategic planning. The order laid the groundwork for Adlerangriff, the “Eagle Attack,” which would begin in earnest within days.
II./JG 27 was ordered to stand down for 24 hours, offering brief respite to weary pilots stationed at austere French forward airfields. Transfers and preparations continued throughout the Kanalfront, setting the stage for the next phase of the Luftwaffe’s assault.
German Losses:
Airmen: 5 | Aircraft: 3
British Losses:
Airmen: 0 | Aircraft: 4
Photo Description
- Luftwaffe air crews study maps in the summer of 1940. In the background is a Dornier Do 17 light bomber. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-341-0481-39A / Spieth / CC-BY-SA 3.0.
- Four Messerschmitt Bf 109Es of Jagdgeschwader 51 “Mölders” (IV./JG 51) in France, August 1940. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-058-1784A-14 / Eckert, Erhardt / CC-BY-SA 3.0.