UNITED KINGDOM: Battle of Britain: Hazy conditions generate many lone aircraft operations until Bf109s of JG2 begin shooting down Dover's balloons. An increasing number of 74 Sqn. Spitfires arrive to deal with the Messerschmitts, but the 109s have a height advantage which they exploit to bring down two Spitfires for the loss of one Bf109.

Bombs fall for the first time on Morecambe and Heysham (Lancashire), Monmouth, Clun (Shropshire), Colne (Lancashire), Denbigh, Devizes, Leominster, Ross and Whitchurch and Welshpool.

RAF Fighter Command: Luftwaffe losses, 5 aircraft, RAF losses 3 aircraft.

The face of Britain is being transformed by the war as a massive effort gets under way to ensure that the country is not starved into submission. From rural hills to suburban gardens, "digging for victory" has become a patriotic duty.

Barely one-third of the nation's was produced at home when the war began - and Hitler knows it, boasting that his U-boat blockade will bring Britain to its knees. Rationing should mean that less food is consumed, but equally important is the campaign to produce more food at home. Land traditionally used for grazing, such as the Downs in southern England, is now being ploughed up to produce cereal crops such as wheat or potatoes. Arable land is expected to increase by 14% this year.

Government money is being pumped into agriculture in order to guarantee prices and because the rural depression of the 1930s left most farmers with too little money to finance tractors, milking machines and fertilizers required to boost output quickly. Although farms form the frontline of this campaign, flowers are being replaced by vegetables in gardens, and allotments are appearing in commons and parks.

British fighter production is 50% above the target figures. 1,200 aircraft have been produced since May 1, 1940. The gap with the Luftwaffe is closing.

British Prime Minister again sends a telegram to U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull asking President Roosevelt for the loan of destroyers. In the past ten day, the RN has lost four destroyers and seven others have been damaged. Churchill states that, "If we cannot get reinforcements, the whole fate of the war may be decided by this minor and easily remediable factor."

ASW trawler HMS Rumba launched.

FRANCE: VICHY FRANCE: The government decrees the death penalty for French servicemen who join a foreign army.

Chantiers de Jeunesse [Youth Workshops], a youth organisation service run by the state, is founded. (Link to French language website)

GERMANY: Oberstleutnant Ramcke joins the Fallschirmtruppe and as awarded the parachute qualification badge at the age of 51.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Operation "Hurry", the first ship launched aerial reinforcement of Malta begins. On 23 July, HMS Argus sailed from Greenock escorted by HMSs Encounter, Gallant, Greyhound, and Hotspur, bound for Gibraltar with 2 war-weary Skua IIs (to carry the lead navigators) and 12 new Hurricanes. Arriving safely, she sortied into the Western Mediterranean on 31 July for a flying off point West of Malta. The reinforcement force is covered by Force H, comprising HMSs Ark Royal, Hood, Valiant, Resolution, Arethusa, Delhi, Enterprise, Faulknor, Forester, Foresight, Foxhound, Fearless, Escapade, Active, and Wrestler. Improperly reviewed plans call for the Hurricanes to fly off on 1 August. The force is discovered by the Italians late in the afternoon. (Mark Horan)

Italian AIR FORCE GENERAL STEFANO CAGNA, commander of a bomber brigade based on Sardinia. Shot down and killed at the controls of his SM79 bomber while attacking a small British convoy to Malta. Repeated high-altitude Italian bombing attacks scored two hits on one of the three cargo ships in the convoy, which however made its destination anyway due to good damage control. Ironically, Cagna had for years been Balbo's  personal pilot on the famous Italian aviator's highly publicized pre-war "cruises" around the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic, and in fact it was Balbo personally who goaded him into pursuing a combat command when Cagna, disillusioned by his career, had considered retiring from the Air Force. (Michael F. Yaklich)

CANADA: HMCS Standard Coaster hired as harbor oiler.
AMC HMCS Prince Robert commissioned.

U.S.A.: Washington: President Roosevelt today slapped an embargo on the export of aviation fuel from the United States.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German raider 'Komet' sails for the Pacific through the North-East passage across the top of Siberia with the aid of Russian icebreakers. She operate in the Pacific and Indian Ocean until her return to Germany in November 1941. She is the last of the first wave of raiders.

BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC: Thames-out OA convoys are now joining FN East Coast ships and passing around the north of Scotland before going out through the North West Approaches. They stop altogether in October. The Thames/Forth FN/FS convoys continue along the East Coast. Two additional ones are Forth/ Clyde EN/WN around the north of Scotland. Thames/English Channel CW/CE through the Strait of Dover. [Losses in the Channel are so heavy that the latter have to be stopped for a while.] Slow Sydney, Cape Breton/UK convoys start in August with SC1. The limits of the few escorts available are only just pushed out from 15 W to 17 W where they stay until October. U-boats are patrolling well beyond this range and so many sinkings are taking place in unescorted convoys or when the ships have dispersed.

Convoys are now being re-routed through the North Western Approaches to the British Isles instead of to the south of Ireland and through the Irish Sea. North Channel and the sea lanes leading to it becomes a focal point for all shipping leaving or arriving in British waters.

At 0138, the unescorted Jamaica Progress was torpedoed by U-99 40 miles South-West of Barra Head. The ship was sunk by a coup de grâce at 0244. Six crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 24 crewmembers, one gunner and four passengers were picked up by the British trawler Newland and landed at Fleetwood. The chief officer and 16 crewmembers landed at Barra, Hebrides.

At 1324, the Jersey City in Convoy OB-191 was torpedoed and sunk by U-99 70 miles NW of Tory Island. Two crewmembers were lost. The master and 42 crewmembers were picked up by the British-flagged Gloucester City, transferred to destroyer HMS Walker and landed at Liverpool.

Destroyer HMS Whitshed struck a mine off Harwich and was badly damaged. She was towed back to port by HMS Wild Swan.

Flight Lieutenant William Garing, No. 10 Squadron RAAF, flying a Sunderland, successfully engaged three waves of German bombers attacking the Mooltan, an Armed Merchant Cruiser. The engagement lasted 12 hours during which Garing co-ordinated his crew of gunners to prevent damage to the Mooltan. Garing will be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for "coolness and courage under fire." (Mike Mitchell)

The following convoys continue:

Liverpool out - OB

UK/Gibraltar - OG

Fast Halifax/UK - HX

Gibraltar/UK - HG

Sierra Leone/UK - SL

Thames-out OA convoys are now joining FN East Coast ships and passing around the north of Scotland before going out through the North West Approaches. They stop altogether in October.

The Thames/Forth FN/FS convoys continue along the east coast.

Two additional ones are:

Forth/Clyde EN/WN around the north of Scotland.

Thames/English Channel CW/CE through the Strait of Dover.

[Losses in the Channel are so heavy that the latter have to be stopped for a while.]

Slow Sydney, Cape Breton/UK convoys start in August with SC1.

The limits of the few escorts available are only just pushed out from 15 W to 17 W where they stay until October. U-boats are patrolling well beyond this range and so many sinkings are taking place in unescorted convoys or when the ships have dispersed.

Losses:

34 ships of 173,000 tons and 1 destroyer.

1 U-boat.

European Waters: 67 ships of 192,000 tons.

Mediterranean Waters: 2 merchant ships of 7,000 tons.