51 Sqn. Nine aircraft to Sterkrade - Holten. Five bombed. Opposition heavy.

77 Sqn. Ten aircraft to Bottrop. Opposition severe. One hit by flak and landed at Bircham Newton.

78 Sqn. Five aircraft to Ruhr. One returned early, four bombed. One fighter seen.

RAF Fighter Command: Weather fine, very heavy attacks on Channel convoy in co-operation with E-boats. 18 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed, 7 RAF aircraft lost.

Patrols covering shipping off Portland are attacked by Bf109s. Two German aircraft are destroyed.

At 10:40 Ju87s of III/StG1 try to attack Portland. 152 Sqn destroys a Do17M west of Eastfleet and a JU87. Bf109s and several bombers approach Dover around noon. 65 Sqn intercepts. Flt. Sgt. Franklin by manoeuvring extremely low in N3164 caused a Bf109 to plunge into the sea.

32 Sqns Hurricanes joined 615 Sqn in another battle. Plt. Off. V.G.Draw of 32 Sqn mixed with six Bf109s received leg wounds and force landed a badly damaged P3677.

Convoy CW8 comprising small ships carrying coal, cement and general cargo sailed at 07:00 from Southend. By 14:30 it was off Dover while many British fighters were rearming, at which time JU87s dive-bombed the convoy, sinking three small ships and damaging two. Defence rested with AA gunners, Dover Site D1 claiming a JU87 before frantic calls brought along Spitfires of 54 Sqn the 65 Sqn upon which a hoard of Bf109s pounced. They destroyed two Spitfires including the 54 Sqn’s ‘B’ Flight Commander, Flt. Lt. BH Way, who was killed. 54 Sqn. call this ‘Black Thursday’. When eight Spitfires of 64 Sqn arrived they faced 30 Ju88s of III/KG 4 accompanied by more than 50 Bf109s. Three more 64 Sqn Spitfires arrived along with 12 Hurricanes of 111 Sqn. Despite engaging the bombers they could not prevent the sinking of two more ships. One Spitfire was lost.

At 16:21 Spitfires of 54 Sqn. patrolling off Dover spotted E-boats leaving Boulogne. Two destroyers, HMS Boreas and HMS Brilliant along with two MTBs, leave Dover and attack the E-boats. Ju87s dive-bomb the destroyers which are also the targets of shore-based artillery from the French coast. Boreas is hit and calls for smoke and tugs. Both damaged destroyers head back for Dover, whose No.4 LAA gunsite claimed a Stuka. More Spitfires of 54 and 64 Sqns tried to protect the warships, along with Hurricanes of 56 Sqn even though they were challenged by over 100 enemy aircraft. Just as the destroyers came under further attack 610 Sqns Spitfires arrived to bag two Bf109s and damage several more without loss.

London: Charles de Gaulle asks Captain Jacques Philippe, Vicomte de Hautecloque [alias Philippe LeClerc] to rally Free French forces in Equatorial Africa.