Battle of Britain Campaign Diary

Date: 24th August 1940

• Weather: Fine and clear in the south, drizzle in the north.
• Day: Airfield attacks in south-east; Manston evacuated. Heavy raid on Portsmouth.
• Night: Heavier attacks over wide area. Minelaying.

Enemy action by day

The main enemy activity consisted of six large raids which crossed the Kentish coast and in two cases flew up the Estuary towards London. A large number of enemy aircraft attacked targets in the Portsmouth area.

Preliminary reports state that our aircraft destroyed 40 enemy aircraft at the cost of 20 to ourselves but only six of our pilots were lost.

North East

Reconnaissance aircraft were reported off the East Coasts of Scotland and the Orkneys during the afternoon.

In the early morning there were two small raids off East Anglia and a target at Gorleston was attacked.

South East

Between 0600 and 0800 hours, a series of raids totalling 80+ aircraft crossed the coast in the Dover-Dungeness areas and flew towards North Foreland and Gravesend. Fighters intercepted and dispersed these raids, destroying four enemy aircraft.

At 1000 hours, Dover was shelled and a little later about 100 enemy aircraft were plotted to Dover and Manston in which places were heavily attacked. Fighters again drove off the enemy inflicting a reported loss of three enemy aircraft.

At 1230 hours, about 50 enemy aircraft again approached Dover and Manston and were engaged by fighters. Enemy losses were estimated as seven aircraft.

Between 1300 hours and 1400 hours, about 30 enemy aircraft were engaged over the North Foreland and Deal areas.

At 1500 hours, four raids crossed the Kentish Coast and one of these penetrated to the eastern outskirts of London, attacking targets in Upminster, Dagenham and Essex areas. These raids were heavily engaged and it is reported fighters destroyed about 20 hostile aircraft.

At 1845 hours, 110+ hostile aircraft crossed the coast near Dover and Dungeness and penetrated to Maidstone but turned away on despatch of our fighters apparently without attacking any objectives.

South and West

Activity up to 1600 hours was limited to reconnaissance in the Channel and in the Middle Wallop district. At 1600 hours, 50+ enemy aircraft approached Selsey Bill in a wide front and attacked objectives at Portsmouth.

By night

Enemy activity was on a widespread and continuous scale over Southern and Western England, South Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and Yorkshire.

London Central was under 'Red' warning for nearly two hours, and the City of London, Millwall, Tottenham, Islington, Enfield, Hampton, Kingston and Watford were attacked.

Birmingham was visited continuously for over four hours and there were repeated raids in the Devon, Bristol, Gloucester and South Wales areas.

Raids were also reported in the Liverpool, Sheffield, Bradford, Hull and Middlesborough districts, and in Kent, Hampshire, Reading, Oxford and East Anglian districts.

Minelaying is suspected off the Lancashire coast, in the Channel off Lyme Bay and Weymouth, and extensively off the Thames Estuary, East Anglia, the North Foreland and Flamborough Head.

Enemy aircraft also attacked Newcastle and the London area received a second visit.

It is reported that one He111 was destroyed by fighter action +1 probable.

Statistics

Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 24th August 1940

• Blenheim - 63
• Spitfire - 238
• Hurricane - 408
• Defiant - 23
• Gladiator - 8
• Total - 740

Casualties:

• Own:
  • 20 aircraft with 6 pilots and 4 air gunners lost or missing.

Patrols:

• Own
  • 187 patrols involving 985 aircraft.

• Enemy
  • It is estimated that during the night of 23rd/24th August, 200 aircraft were in action, and during the day of 24th August about 500 aircraft.

Balloons:

• Flying 1462, casualties 88 (82 repairable, 4 written off, 2 by enemy action)

Aerodromes:

• Manston unserviceable
• North Weald, Abbotsinch and Hartlepool unserviceable during the hours of darkness.

Organisation:

• No changes.

Air Intelligence Reports

• Nil.

Home Security Reports

• Date: 24th/25th August 1940
  • General Summary
    • Heavy attacks have been made by enemy aircraft on Ramsgate and Portsmouth today, and damage to these towns has been extensive, but casualties were fewer than expected. Several RAF stations have been attacked during the day and night with varying results.
    • From midnight on the 24th onwards, London and southern counties in particular Surrey have been bombed.

  • Detailed Summary
    • RAF Stations
      • 24th August
        • Manston Aerodrome was attacked at 1311 hours and set on fire; a further attack was delivered at 1539 hours, resulting in the evacuation of the RAF.
        • Ramsgate. A number of bombs were dropped resulting in damage to airport buildings and houses. ARP personnel were machine-gunned by two low-flying aircraft. Casualties not reported.
        • North Weald was attacked in the afternoon and a wireless station slightly damaged. Electric, gas and water mains suffered and road A122 blocked. Many casualties reported.
        • St Athan was attacked at 2100 hours. Several HE demolished part of the RAF hospital.
        • It is also reported that Castle Bromwich, Hornchurch and Gravesend have been attacked, but no details are available.
      • 25th August
        • Driffield was reported to have been bombed at about 0130 hours. The Sergeant's Mess was hit and a searchlight bombed and put out of action. No casualties reported so far.

    • Other Areas
      • 24th August
        • Ramsgate. At 1138 hours, an attack was made which resulted in severe damage to the gas works and sulphur plant. Direct hits were made on military headquarters and Customs House. Mains were fractured and houses demolished with many casualties.
        • Portsmouth was attacked at 1623 hours and the damage in the city was heavy and widespread. Local rail services were affected and two naval units in the harbour were badly damaged. Approximately two hundred are homeless and it is reported that there are at least 55 killed and 225 injured.
      • 25th August
        • London and suburbs were attacked in the early hours and the following districts are reported as having been bombed: Canonsbury Park, Tottenham, Highbury Park, Leyton, Wood Green, Stepney, Islington, Enfield, Hampton Court, Millwall and others. A large fire was started at Fore Street spreading to London Wall. Neill Warehouse, West India Dock, was badly damaged by fire, and Warehouse Nos 3 and 4 are now reported to be ablaze. At 0240 hours, it was reported that the Imperial Tobacco Factory and Carter Patterson's Works in Goswell Road were on fire but only slight damage has since been reported.
        • The following places were also bombed: Malden, Coulsdon, Feltham, Kingston, Banstead and Epsom.
        • Birmingham. It is reported that the Nuffield and Dunlop Factories have again been bombed at 0003 hours, but no damage reported. Castle Bromwich Aeroplane Factory at Erdington was hit but no damage reported. The Moss Gear Co Ltd was hit with very slight damage.
        • Cardiff. It is reported that the main GWR line is unserviceable between Cardiff and west Wales owing to a train being bombed at Cardiff.
        • A gun site at Datchet, Buckinghamshire, was bombed at 0100 hours and the ammunition blown up.

    • Casualties on Ground by Enemy Action:
      • To RAF Personnel - no killed, 1 injured.
      • To others - 102 killed, 335 injured.

    • Enemy Action by Shell Fire
      • Reports have been received that Dover and Folkestone were shelled at approximately 1000 hours on the 24th August. Four shells fell near Hawkinge Aerodrome (Folkestone), but little damage reported otherwise. The interval between the shells fired was about 8 minutes.

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