Battle of Britain

Day 28

Weather - Cloudy and overcast in most areas with strong winds.

Combat - Another quiet day, with only a few reconnaissance raids on British shipping being reported. One particular raid, at about 0630hrs, by a Do-17 off Harwich is intercepted by Hurricanes of No: 85 Squadron.

Also during the morning Spitfires of No: 72 Squadron chase a He-111 back out to sea off the Northumberland coastline. Meanwhile a bombing raid is carried out on the R.A.F. station at Llandow in South Wales.

Further raids are plotted during the day along the Channel between Dungeness and Portland, but all are turned back.

During the night a few raids appear with very little incident, apart from mines being dropped around the British coasts.

R.A.F. Losses: 5 aircraft damaged or destroyed (all due to non-combat accidents), 1 pilot killed and 2 wounded.

Luftwaffe Losses: 13 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 9 pilots and; aircrew killed or missing and 2 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

Britain, Home Front

The first contingent of Southern Rhodesian airmen arrive to help in the Battle of Britain.

East Africa

Odweina is taken by the Italians.

Mediterranean

The Italians lay extensive minefields in the Sicilian Channel in which 2 British destroyers are sunk: Hostile on Aug 23 and Gallant on Jan 10, 1941.

United States, Policy

Secretary of State Hull declares the only way for the U.S. to avoid being drawn into war is to 'continue to arm, and to arm to such an extent that the forces of conquest and ruin will not dare make an attack on us or any part of the hemisphere.'