Date: 28th August 1940
- Weather: Fine and fair but cold. Cloud in Dover Straits.
- Day: Three-phase attack on airfields in Kent, Essex and Suffolk.
- Night: First major attack on Liverpool (150 bombers). Further harassing attacks over London, the Midlands and north-east coast
Enemy action by day
During the day the enemy made four major attacks in the Kentish area, some of which penetrated to the Thames Estuary.
Our fighters destroyed twenty-seven enemy aircraft plus one by anti-aircraft fire while our casualties were twenty aircraft (nine pilots plus three air gunners missing or killed).
North and East
In the evening, a single aircraft was plotted east of Yarmouth.
South East
At 0640 hours, three enemy aircraft flew along the coast from Lympne to North Foreland, possibly making a photographic reconnaissance of the Royal Air Force stations in that area.
At 0830 hours, about sixty enemy aircraft penetrated inland between Dover and North Foreland on a westerly course followed shortly afterwards by a second wave of about sixty enemy aircraft, some of which turned north to Essex. Fighters intercepted and shot down five aircraft.
At about 1300 hours, approximately one hundred enemy aircraft flew inland between North Foreland and Dungeness to the Thames Estuary, their objective being aerodromes. Rochford was attacked. Our fighters destroyed nine aircraft.
Between 1550 and 1645 hours, the enemy launched seven raids totalling over one hundred aircraft over Kent and the Estuary. Our fighters destroyed twelve aircraft.
At 1900 hours, another sixty enemy aircraft again flew inland over Kent, some heading west and some north to the Estuary following a course similar to previous attacks. Fighters intercepted and shot down one enemy aircraft.
South and West
During the morning, hostile reconnaissances were reported off Cornwall and Pembroke. Later, two small raids passed over Cardiff and flew south east to Yeovil and Swanage and returned to France.
Northern Ireland
A hostile aircraft was reported passing near to Aldergrove.
By night
Enemy activity was very heavy but more confined to specific areas than usual.
The Midlands was clearly the main objective and there were very few raids outside an arc based on Shoreham to Selsey Bill up to Liverpool, across to Sheffield and thence down to London.
At 2050 hours, a few raids commenced to cross the Kentish Coast, some passing over London and up to the Birmingham, Coventry, Derby, Sheffield, Manchester and South Yorkshire areas. Successive raids developed towards the same areas crossing the coast at many points between Beachy Head and Selsey Bill. Many of these returned over the London area keeping London 'Red' for the record period of seven hours.
Some raids flew to Bristol Channel area but activity here was lighter than usual.
Several of the raids which passed over the Midlands carried on to Sealand and this area seems to have received marked attantion.
Minelaying appears to have been taken place in the Wash, off East Anglia, Thames Estuary, Beachy Head, Shoreham, Lyme Bay and possibly Bristol Channel and Liverpool Bay.
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Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 28th August 1940
- Blenheim - 55
- Spitfire - 225
- Hurricane - 413
- Defiant - 23
- Gladiator - 7
- Total – 723
Casualties:
Enemy Losses By Fighters Destroyed Probable Damaged 4 Do17 11 Me109 1 Do17 2 Do215 2 He111 1 Do215 19 Me109 1 Do17 5 Me109 1 He111 1 Me110 1 He159 1 He111 1 Gotha* 1 Curtis Hawk 28 14 10 By Anit-Aircraft Destroyed Probable Damaged Nil Nil Nil
*NOTE – This is reported in the foregoing narrative as brought down by anti-aircraft fire, but it is since reported that it landed intact on Lewes racecourse due to pilot being lost. - Own:
- 20 aircraft. Seven pilots and three air gunners killed or missing. (NOTE: Since writing of narrative which mentions nine pilots killed or missing, this has been reduced to the above.)
Patrols:
- Own
- 187 patrols involving 778 aircraft.
- Enemy
- Estimated during the night of 27th/28th August - 200 aircraft. Estimated during the day 28th August - 400 aircraft.
Balloons:
- Flying 1549, casualties 32 (26 repairable, 2 written off, 4 by enemy action).
Aerodromes:
- Rochford unserviceable during hours of darkness. Serviceable for single aircraft by day with care.
Organisation:
- Nil.
Air Intelligence Reports
- While there is an absence of any specific reference in official communiqués to the raids on Berlin, information received from Spanish press sources confirms the success of the raids [by RAF Bomber Command] and that their effect on the population is noticeable. Those sources pay high tribute to the daring and efficiency of the British aircraft crews, who flew over the centre of the city while dropping bombs only on their targets in the suburbs. Spanish public opinion is much impressed.
Home Security Reports
- Date: 28th August 1940
- General Summary
- A number of aerodromes were attacked during the period including, amongst others, Dyce aerial lighthouse site where a number of HE were dropped by low flying aircraft. No damage of importance is reported.
- Rochford was subjected to heavy attack by fifteen He111 and it was estimated that 15 tons of bombs were dropped in and around the aerodrome. Short fires were caused to buildings and the surface of the landing ground was cut up but it is serviceable for single aircraft with care.
- Avonmouth Docks were bombed, two HE falling on the "Shell Mex" Can factory and two HE also seven IB near the plant belonging to the National Smelting Company.
- Bombs were dropped on the factory of Messrs S Smith and Sons at Cricklewood.
- A new type of incendiary bomb was reported to have been dropped at Ulceby.
- Eleven fires were reported from Coventry, all of which were extinguished in due course.
- The absence of full reports does not make it possible to give an accurate detailed summary of the latest raids.
- During the night 28th/29th August, a 50,000-gallon oil tank was on fire at Anglo-American Oil Depot, Broad Heath, Altrincham, Cheshire. It is not reported if this is due to enemy action.
- Casualties on Ground by Enemy Action: (The details given below are quoted with considerable reserve owing to the lack of accurate information).
- To RAF Personnel - nil killed, 5 injured.
- To others - 37 killed, 78 injured.
