Reconnaissance along the south coast and Bristol Channel. Night: Little activity. Weather: Fair to fine early. Cloudy with bright intervals at midday, clearing in the evening. Enemy Action by Day Luftwaffe activity on 4 August 1940 remained relatively limited, likely restrained by weather conditions affecting both the Channel and northern France. During daylight hours, German […]
1940
04
Aug
05
Aug
Monday 5 August 1940
Shipping in Straits attacked. Night: Minelaying between the Wash and the Tay. Weather: Temperatures high. Fine weather with slight haze in the Channel. Enemy Action by Day The return of fine weather on 5 August 1940 brought renewed Luftwaffe activity across Britain’s skies. With clear conditions and only light haze over the Channel, reconnaissance flights […]
05
Aug
Air Attack On Dover Harbour
Newsreel footage “Air Attack On Dover Harbour”, 5 August 1940. Source: British Pathé
06
Aug
Tuesday 6 August 1940
Little activity Night: Minelaying off east and south-east coasts. Weather: Generally cloudy with fairly strong winds. Cloud ceiling 3,000 – 5,000 ft. Enemy Action by Day Luftwaffe operations on 6 August were again muted due to persistent cloud cover and moderate winds. The morning opened with a low-level bombing raid on RAF Llandow, a satellite […]
07
Aug
Wednesday 7 August 1940
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 […]
08
Aug
Thursday 8 August 1940
Three major attacks on a Channel convoy. Night: Small raids and minelaying. Weather: Showers and bright intervals. Channel cloudy. Enemy Action by Day Thursday, 8 August 1940 marked the climax of the Kanalkampf, the channel-fighting phase of the Battle of Britain, during which the Luftwaffe sought to disrupt British coastal shipping and draw RAF Fighter […]
09
Aug
Friday 9 August 1940
Quiet with isolated raids on east coast shipping. Night: Minelaying and attacks off east coast. Weather: Cloudy with showers, some bright intervals. Channel still cloudy. Following the intense and costly actions of 8 August, the Luftwaffe scaled back its daylight operations on 9 August, likely due to poor weather and the need to regroup after […]
10
Aug
Saturday 10 August 1940
Shipping and overland reconnaissance. Night: Minelaying. Weather: Squally and thundery, some bright intervals. Channel cloudy. The 10th of August was originally designated by the Luftwaffe as the launch date for Adlerangriff (“Attack of the Eagles”), the full-scale aerial offensive against RAF Fighter Command. However, poor weather across northern France and southern England delayed the operation. […]
11
Aug
Sunday 11 August 1940
Heavy attack on Portland, feints by fighter formations over Dover. Convoy attacks in Thames Estuary and off East Anglia. Night: Harassing attacks on Merseyside. Minelaying. Weather: Fair in morning, cloudy for most of the day. Although 11 August was not the official beginning of Adlerangriff (Eagle Attack)—which would commence two days later—it marked a dramatic […]
12
Aug
Monday 12 August 1940
Heavy raid on Portsmouth. Convoy in Thames Estuary, radar stations and coastal airfields attacked. Night: Widespread harassing raids. Weather: Fine with some mist patches. Enemy Action by Day On the eve of Adler Tag (Eagle Day), the Luftwaffe launched a powerful and highly coordinated assault across southern England in what amounted to a full-dress rehearsal […]