Battle of Britain - Day 18

Day 18 – July 27th 1940

July 27, 2010 in 266 Squadron, July 1940 | by Tony Rudd | 1 comment

Weather mixed: cloudy with some rain.
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours:

Blenheim – 63
Spitfire – 242
Hurricane – 331
Defiant – 24
Gladiator – 8 (1 Flight only)
Total – 668

German operations that day started with an attack on convoys off Portland and Swanage. A little later that day two convoys off Harwich were attacked. In the course of this confrontation 2 Royal Navy destroyers were sunk, one of which was HMS Wren. Dover harbour also came under attack and yet another RN destroyer, HMS Codrington, was damaged and destroyed. In response, the Admiralty decided to close Dover as an advance base for destroyers. The RAF was consequently left to assume major responsibility for the defence of the Channel. That day the RAF flew 496 sorties, lost 1 aircraft, but destroyed 4 enemy planes.

266 Squadron Operational Record Book, 27 July
Average temperature, heavy rain showers during the day. Visibility poor, improving to good early evening. Flying 19 hours. Ac Flight at readiness, B Flight available. Practices included cine camera gun, interception with aircraft of no. 23 (Blenheim) Squadron and no. 229 (Hurricane) Squadron, Night Flying Patrol. 2 raid investigations carried out during day. PO H.M.T. Heron attached to St Athan for Fighter 3 weeks Navigation Instructors Course.