10 Sqn. Eight aircraft to Bremen. All bombed.

51 Sqn. Seven aircraft to the Ruhr. Three bombed.

58 Sqn. Eight aircraft to Bremen. Two returned early, two bombed primary, three bombed alternative targets. One FTR.

2 Group ( Blenheim). 107 Sqn. Bombing - Creil - started a fire visible 40 miles away.

RAF Fighter Command: The first victory by a Blenheim Mark 1F night fighter, equipped with airborne radar.

London: The war cabinet today approved a draft document signed 19 July by Neville Chamberlain, now the Lord President of the Council, creating a new secret organisation, the Special Operations Executive (SOE). It’s aim, in Churchill’s words, is to "set Europe alight."

It will come under the Labour MP Hugh Dalton, the Minister for Economic Warfare in the coalition government, who was asked to head the planned SOE on 16 July. Both MI6, which has its own sabotage department and the army have expressed opposition to the formation of SOE because it intrudes into their territory, but Dalton is determined it will succeed.

"Regular soldiers," he argues, "are not the men to stir up revolution, to create social chaos or to use all those un-gentlemanly means of winning the war which come so easily to the Nazis."

Destroyer HMS Beagle destroyed a German Junkers JU-87 by pom-pom fire.

Destroyer HMS Brazen: loss of the ship reported. She was sunk while returning under tow, to port, after being attacked by enemy aircraft. Three planes were reported shot down. All the ship's crew was saved.

Destroyer HMS Paladin laid down.

Minesweepers HMS Lantan and Lyemun laid down.

U.S.S.R.: Soviet submarine SC-138 launched.

JAPAN: Tokyo: Prince Fumimaro Konoye is appointed prime minister.

CANADA: Corvette HMS Eyebright launched Montreal, Province of Quebec.