Air Operations, Europe

British reconnaissance reports an enormous assembly of German landing craft in ports and estuaries on the other side of the Channel.

Atlantic

• The ships composing 'Force M' sail from Scapa Flow, Britain's principal naval base. The squadron is to support a landing at Dakar, French West Africa by Gen de Gaulle and 2,700 Free French, with the object of finding new adherents to his movement and especially to detach the French colonies in equatorial Africa, and possibly also those in North Africa, from Vichy France. The plan, submitted to the British government by Gen de Gaulle at the beginning of August, was enthusiastically supported by Churchill. De Gaulle had managed to convince Churchill that a surprise landing at Dakar would probably meet with little resistance. 'Force M' consists of the battleships Barham and Resolution, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, 5 cruisers, at least 16 destroyers and 2 corvettes, plus 3 corvettes of the Free French navy.
• During the night a British destroyer flotilla leaves Immingham on a mine-laying operation in the vicinity of Vlieland off the Dutch coast but runs into a German minefield near the Texel. The Esk and the Ivanhoe are lost and the Express is seriously damaged.

Battle of Britain

Day 53

Weather - Mainly fair with hazy cloud over the Thames Estuary and Channel.

Combat - At 0800hrs, several raids are reported approaching Dover and the Thames Estuary. Hurricanes of No: 1 and 501 Squadrons are scrambled to Dover to be met by a large group of Me-109's. The remaining raids of Do-17's and Me-110's headefor North Weald, Duxford and Debden airfields. After 0900hrs, the airfields at Eastchurch and Detling are also attacked and bombed. During these raids, Hurricanes of No: 56, 111, 151, 257 and 601 Squadrons and Spitfires of No: 19 Squadron are all scrambled to make interceptions.

Me-109's make small sweeps across Kent during late morning until a large raid approaches the Kent coast at about 1200hrs. Do-17's attack and bomb the airfield at Croydon as Hurricanes of No: 85 Squadron scramble to intercept. The He-111's along with the remaining Do-17's of this raid bomb the airfields at Biggin Hill and Hornchurch causing severe damage. They are subsequently engaged by Hurricanes of No: 151, 253, 310 (Czech) and 601 Squadrons and Spitfires of No: 54 and 222 Squadrons. Shortly after this raid disperses, small raids are made on radar stations and small dogfights ensue with the Spitfires of No: 17 Squadron, scrambled from Tangmere.

Later in the afternoon at 1730hrs more raids are made against Biggin Hill and Hornchurch airfields by Ju-88's, Me-110's and Me-109's with more damage being inflicted. Interceptions are made by Hurricanes of No: 1 (Canadian), 17, 85, 87 and 151 Squadrons and Spitfires of No: 54, 72, 222 and 602 Squadrons over a period of nearly two hours.

Göring is now in measurable distance of achieving his objective of superiority over southeast England. The RAF airfields at Biggin Hill, Manston, West Malling, Lympne and Hawkinge are more or less out of the fight. There are only two RAF sector stations in commission south of the Thames and three more airfields which might be used for that role. There is no reason why these might not be similarly damaged, three having been already hit. This is the RAF's most difficult period of the battle.

During the night more bombing raids are made on Liverpool, Leeds area and the Midlands with mines being dropped in the Thames Estuary, the Humber, off East Anglia and the Northumberland coastline.

R.A.F. Losses: 40 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 8 pilots killed or missing and 17 wounded.

Luftwaffe Losses: 60 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 58 pilots and aircrew killed or missing and 10 wounded.

NOTE: Losses include non-combat patrols and accidents.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British destroyer Express is damaged by a mine 40 miles northwest of Texel. Going to her aid the destroyer Esk sinks on a mine. 136 are lost from the Esk with only 2 survivors.
• U-46 sinks the Belgian steamer Ville de Hasselt (7461t) west of Lewis. All 53 of the crew are rescued the Icelandic trawler Hilmir and the Belgian trawler Transport.
• U-59 sinks the British steamer Har Zion (2508t) northwest of Bloody Foreland with the loss of 34 of her crew. The only suvivor is picked up the Polish destoyer Blyskawica.

Diplomatic Relations

Molotov protests the award of Transylvania to Hungary because Russia was not consulted. It is correctly interpreted in Moscow as anti-Russian. Italy and Germany agree to guarantee Rumania's new frontier, but Russia still covets Rumanian territory.

United States, Home Front

National Guard units begin to be federalized and incorporated into the U.S. Army. 60,000 men are included in the first induction.