RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - marshalling yards at Hamm and oil plant at Dusseldorf.

58 Sqn. Eight aircraft to Hamm. Weather bad. One bombed primary, seven bombed alternative targets.

102 Sqn. Eight aircraft to Dusseldorf. Weather bad and opposition heavy. Five bombed.

Dover: "Hellfire Corner" was attacked by the Luftwaffe again today as Stuka’s protected by Bf109s attacked shipping at Dover. The concussion of bursting bombs shook buildings and broke windows all along the seafront, while waterspouts dropped tons of water onto ships in the harbour.

RAF fighters tore into enemy formations already heavily engaged by Anti-Aircraft defences. 12 out of 80 German planes engaged were downed to three RAF machines.

41 Sqn begin the proceedings with a 07:25 scramble to engage the enemy on his northern flank, leaving ten Hurricanes of 501 Sqn. to race in from the sunward side. As they met the Luftwaffe they realised they were facing one of the largest formations yet of Bf109s escorting two waves of Stukas.

The Stuka's attacked Dover sinking the previously damaged 'Gronland' and starting a fire aboard a submarine depot ship. 41 Sqn. went in after the Stukas but Bf109s bore down upon the Spitfires. The squadron forced to split engaged both, and lost one aircraft in combat and four more in crash landings for the destruction of one Bf109. 64 and 56 Sqns. were vectored to help. 501 Sqn. penetrated to the Stukas, shooting down two into the sea. Incendiaries and HEs which had fallen on the Royal Navy oil depot broke a supply pipe from which split fuel gushed, then blazed upon the water. Dover's Anti-Aircraft guns added to the confusion and claimed 501's Ju87s.

Soon after midday attention switched to Channel convoys. Off Dungeness one was subjected to a low-level onslaught by Ju88s of KG 76, whose lead aircraft hit a ships balloon cable. Another was claimed by the ships' gunners. Convoy 'Agent' off Essex came under attack by a mixture of 36 fighter and fighter-bomber Bf110s. 151 Sqn engaged. From 45 miles off Felixstowe a reconnaissance Do 17 was chased as far as the Dutch coast, and three pilots of 85 Sqn. had a share in a He-111 approaching 'Agent'. A few minutes later another He-111 was destroyed off Lowestoft.

Night raids include nine on north-east England. At Hull five shops and a pub were damaged. Near Bury St. Edmunds, soon after midnight a Ju88 crashed .

BELGIUM: Germany annexes Eupen, Malmedy and Moresnet.

GERMANY: The German navy reports that landings on the British coast cannot take place until mid-September.

Secret Report of the SS Secret Service on German internal affairs, NO. 110 of Monday 29 July 1940 (extract);

V. The economy: The effects of night air raids on industrial production..

...Thus Dortmund reports a falling off in mining production there as a result of overfatigue and diminished resiliency. Many personnel say that they have a long way to go to get to the pits, and as a result they have only a short time to get to sleep at the end of the air raid alert. The consequence is that personnel frequently fall asleep, which is leading increasingly to short shifts. The alertness of personnel is also suffering, so that already additional accidents have occurred.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: On 21 July RN convoy AN2 (HMSs Capetown, Liverpool, Diamond, Defender, Dainty, HMAS Stuart, and 6 merchant vessels departed Alexandria for ports in the Aegean, and then picked up the returning convoy AS2 on 26 July. Covering the operation was the Adm A. B. Cunningham's Mediterranean Fleet operating off Crete with HMSs Eagle, Warspite, Malaya, Royal Sovereign, Neptune, HMAS Sydney, and 10 destroyers. Starting on 27 July, the various forces are subjected to numerous Italian air attacks, particularly on 29 July, when HMS Eagle's Sea Gladiators of 813 Fighter Flight again arise (literally) to the occasion. While breaking up several attacks, Lt. L. K. Keith, RN in N5513 and Lt. P. W. V. Massey, RN in N5512 shoot down 1 S.79. Unfortunately, Lt. Massey pursues one foe too far and with his fuel exhausted, he force lands N5512 along side HMAS Stuart. This will ultimately prove to be the only Sea Gladiator lost off HMS Eagle in 6 months of operations. During the entire three days operations, the Italian bombers achieve only a single bomb hit on HMS Liverpool which, fortunately for the RN, fails to explode. (Mark Horan)

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Chambly launched Montreal, Province of Quebec.

U.S.A.: John Sigmund of St. Louis, Missouri completes a 292-mile (470 km) swim down the Mississippi River. It took him 89 hours, 48 minutes to swim from St. Louis to Caruthersville, Missouri.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0215, the unescorted Clan Menzies was torpedoed and sunk by U-99 about 150 miles west of Loop Head, Co. Clare. Six crewmembers were lost. The master and 87 crewmembers landed at Enniscrone, Co. Sligo.