27 July 1940 - attack on Dover

[Brian]

Hi guys

I have an account of an attack on Dover on the morning of 27 July 1940. Herewith some extracts from a witness:

" (At 07:15) Fifty Ju87s roared out of the clear morning skies into a hail of AA fire … Pocked with hundreds of shell bursts, the sky was alive with flying metal; and one after another German wings lurched and crashed [sic]. For some time we had anticipated a blitz on HMS Sandhurst and the [damaged] destroyer Codrington tied up alongside the supply ship in the inner harbour – the Camber – at Dover.
The enemy crossed the coast at about 2,000 feet, wheeled behind Dover Castle and attacked out of the sun in steep dives. In a twinkling all hell was let loose. As I pedalled to the fire station, heads popped from bedroom windows to cheer the destruction of a Junkers hit by two shells simultaneously. The Junkers exploded and fell in the form of iron rain. On either side, two aircraft staggered and trailed black smoke-plumes towards the sea.
“Look!” a girl shrilled. “Three men have jumped out of that plane!” But they were bombs, and the attacking Junkers came hurtling past the cliffs in almost perpendicular power-dives. Bombs crashed into the Royal Naval auxiliary HMS Gulzar, tied up in the Camber … Sandhurst was hit. By a miracle the supply ship survived the missile that entered one of her holds [without exploding]. But the Sandhurst was badly shaken; her engine- room inlets burst, and she began to settle.
Fascinated by the Junkers and the barrage, few of us noticed the approach of RAF formations, until suddenly dogfights broke out between Hurricanes and the Junkers escorts, some 40 Messerschmitt 109s. Machine-guns added to the clatter of the AA batteries and exploding bombs. Here and there wings fell out of the skies as Hurricanes chased the marauders into the guns of a second Hurricane formation waiting out to sea. Of the 27 [sic] German planes shot down in this attack, I saw six [sic] plunge to destruction.

This action doesn't seem to be verified by the records.

Please educate me!

Cheers
Brian

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi Brian,

The Luftwaffe Lagebericht issued on 28 July 1940 states:

"Gesamtverluste (Flugzeuge) am 27.7.:
a) EIGENE: 1 Ju 87, 1 He 111, 1 Bf 110, 1 He 59 (Seenotflugzeug)"

Although more losses might have been reported later. No doubt others will know more.

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com

[Peter Cornwell]

Total Lw losses on operations over Britain on 27 July 1940 were as stated in the Lagebericht quoted by Andrew.

[Brian]

Hi guys

Obviously I knew this (!) so apparently the witness had confused more than one incident!

Cheers
Brian