Date: 9 August 1940
- Weather: Cloudy with showers, some bright intervals. Channel still cloudy.
- Day: Quiet with isolated raids on east coast shipping.
- Night: Minelaying and attacks off east coast.
Enemy action by day
Many small raids approached the East Coast during the morning and were probably searching for shipping.
In the afternoon, several raids concentrated in mid-Channel but turned when our fighters were sighted.
One enemy aircraft was shot down off Sunderland.
In the evening, about 6 raids approached the Dover area and made an unsuccessful attack on the Balloon Barrage.
Enemy activity was generally on a much-reduced scale.
South and West
Between 1300 and 1700 hours, a hostile reconnaissance was made from the Isle of Wight are up the Channel to Dungeness. Further reconnaissance flights were in the Falmouth area and there were test flights in mid-Channel south of Start Point and Portland Bill.
At 1650 hours, two Messerschmitts machine-gunned Dover Harbour. Fighters intercepted and fired at the enemy aircraft but without results.
Later, 4 raids approached Dover and attempted to shoot down the Barrage Balloons without success. Two squadrons which were sent to intercept, saw no enemy aircraft.
Several raids were scattered all over the Channel and appeared to represent portions of reconnaissance flights.
East Coast
In the early morning, several raids were reported off the Yorkshire and Norfolk Coasts searching for shipping. A section of fighters was sent up to intercept a raid about 25 miles east of Southwold but the enemy turned away before interception could be effected.
At 1140 hours, one He111 crossed the coast near Sunderland, but after being active over Sunderland was shot down by No 79 Squadron (Hurricanes) at 1145 hours. There is a report that 1 boat was dropped by this aircraft but there is no confirmation of the crew having been saved.
Between 1400 and 1420 hours, there was one hostile reconnaissance off Spurn Head and later, one enemy aircraft, which may have been the same raid, reported on a convoy and suggests the possibility of a rendezvous with submarines 70-90 miles north east of Haisboro'. Enemy aircraft have been known to circle in this vicinity on the 1st and on the night of 8th/9th August.
By night
Increased enemy activity was noticeable during the night.
About 2100 hours, one raid came in over Kent and was active over Chatham. Six raids approached the coast between Plymouth and Portsmouth from the Cherbourg area. Several raids - apparently minelaying - were in the Thames Estuary and north of Harwich and probably between Cromer and Yarmouth. About seven raids were off the coast between the Tyne and the Wash steering in a north-westerly direction.
Between 001 and 0100 hours, approximately 12 raids - thought to be minelaying - were off the coast between Aberdeen and the Wash. Several raids came over East Anglia and one over the North London area. Further raids were over Mersey, Weymouth and Gloucester and also North Devon.
Between 0100 and 0200 hours, enemy aircraft were very active near two convoys off Amble and Hartlepool respectively.
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Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 9 August 1940
- Blenheim - 64
- Spitfire - 228
- Hurricane - 370
- Defiant - 23
- Gladiator - 2
- Total – 687
Casualties:
- Enemy: Enemy: Fighters - nil, Bombers - 1 He111 confirmed (by No 79 Squadron).
- Own: Nil.
Patrols:
- 142 patrols despatched involving 431 aircraft.
- Addendum
- With reference to yesterday's report, the following enemy casualties have been reported:
- By No 43 Squadron (Hurricanes) - 1 Ju87 unconfirmed) and 1 Me109 (unconfirmed).
Balloons:
- Flying 1475. Casualties 52.
Aerodromes:
- No reports.
Organisation:
- On 8th August
- No 41 Squadron from Hornchurch to Catterick.
- No 54 Squadron from Catterick to Hornchurch.
- On 9th August
- No 266 Squadron from Wittering to Tangmere.
Air Intelligence Reports
Home Security Reports
- Date: 9 August 1940
- General Summary
- Enemy air activity was slight. Early in the morning, bombs were dropped near Ilchester (Somerset) and also in Sunderland and its environs later in the morning. (The plane in this district was reported to be subsequently shot down).
- Bombs were dropped over a fairly wide area covering parts of Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, (including the Isle of Grain and Islae of Sheppey), Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Cornwall and Monmouthshire.
- Detailed Summary
- No summary available.