Battle of Britain

Day 45

Weather - Occasional rain with bright intervals. Cloudy in the Channel and Thames Estuary.

Combat - At about 0830hrs, Hurricanes of No: 257 Squadron are scrambled to intercept a raid of Do-17's over the Thames Estuary. Just after at 0930hrs Spitfires of No: 232 Squadron attack and shoot down a He-111 flying off the North East coast.

During the afternoon small bombing raids, by He-111's and Do-17's, are made on Tangmere airfield, Portsmouth, Cromer, Harwich, Colchester, Maidstone, Cardiff and Pembroke docks. At about 1800hrs a raid by Ju-88's is made on the airfield at Thorney Island and is intercepted by Spitfires of No: 602 Squadron, scrambling from Westhampnett.

During the night several large raids are reported on Cardiff, Bristol, Middlesborough, Harrogate, East Anglia and Birmingham. Mines are also dropped around Lands End, Bristol Channel and Portsmouth area.

R.A.F. Losses: 6 aircraft damaged or destroyed with no casualties.

Luftwaffe Losses: 12 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 19 pilots and aircrew killed or missing and 4 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

Battle of the Atlantic

• He-115 seaplanes torpedo 2 cargo ships and damage a third in Moray Firth. The cargo ships that sink are the British steamer Makalla (6677t) and Llanishehn (5053t). 12 are lost from the Makalla with survivors being picked up by the British sloop Leith. 8 are lost on the Llanishehn.
• U-37 sinks the British steamer Severn Leigh (5142t) and the Norwegian steamer Keret (1718t) from convoy OA-200 in the mid-Atlantic. 33 are lost on the Severn Leigh and 13 on the Keret.

Greece

Nets are placed in position at entrance to main Greek harbors, in particular those on the Ionian Sea, and strict routes are specified for civil air traffic.