Weather: fine day.
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours:
- Blenheim – 56
- Spitfire – 234
- Hurricane – 316
- Defiant – 25
- Gladiator – 8 (1 Flight only)
- Total – 639
This was a very active day. The RAF flew 641 sorties. In a number of sporadic attacks along the south coast 16 aircraft were shot down with a loss of seven RAF fighters. However, the enemy succeeded in sinking 5 ships and damaging five more. The aerial attacks were coordinated with aggression by 9 E Boats who were fought off by 2 destroyers – one of which had to be towed into Dover following an attack by a Ju88 bomber.
PO DH Wissler – Diary, 25 July
I went over to Martlesham to relieve one of the pilots and then did two patrols of 1.40 and 1.50 hours. The pilots in blue section did 6 hours while we in green did 4 ½ all told. God were we tired this evening. I was so sore around the back and backside. I hear that I and P/O Pittman are doing the big social act tomorrow.
(Reproduced with kind permission of the Imperial War Museum and Copyright holder)
54 Squadron Operational Record Book, 25 July, Hornchurch
14:30 hours
Black Thursday. The squadron on 2 occasions bore the brunt of heavy enemy attacks on convoys between Deal and Dover. The loss of Flt Lt Way (missing) in this action was a great tragedy. That he accounted for an enemy aircraft before meeting his unknown fate is typical of his keenness and great courage in the face of odds large or small.
74 Squadron Operational Record Book, 25 July
Red Leader investigated a group of aircraft flying towards Calais and Red Leader, Flt Lt Malan, identified them as Me109s; attacked one at 150 yds and saw ammunition entering fuselage. Squadron returned to base without loss.
Today’s theme: The Planes They Flew – The Hurricane
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July 25, 2010 at 1:38 pm
John Blake
Diaries, reports provide haunting immediacy. To think that world of dragonflies and buzzing wasps “grappling in the central blue” is seventy years past! Yet tales of these bone-weary fighters, selfless and so very brave, do make us wonder– in such a deadly crunch, would we have risen to do battle as determined, even indomitable, as did these few, these very few, this band of brothers in their Finest Hour?
July 26, 2010 at 10:05 am
Andrew D. Bird
Enjoying reading the diaries – makes it very real.
Would welcome anyone reading these blogs who has documentation or photographs on the Coastal Command Blenheim fighters effort during the Battle – as these young men got clobbered too.
Embarking on writing up their operations for ‘Coastal Dawn’ due to be published by Grub Street Publishing.
Lets embraces the heroes we have left behind.