Battle of Britain Day 5. Clear weather allows Luftwaffe to attack convoy “Bread” and other convoys in the English Channel. There are dogfights all day and only 5 ships are damaged or sunk. BBC reporter Charles Gardner describes a dogfight from the cliffs of Dover, although he gets many facts wrong in the excitement. http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/battleofbritain/11431.shtml http://www.doverwarmemorialproject.org.uk/Information/Articles/Incidents/Flames.htm Germans also bomb RAF airfield at Manston in Kent and a destroyer moored in Swanage Harbour, Dorset, causing little damage.
British armed merchant cruiser HMS Esperance Bay leaves Plymouth at 12.50 PM carrying ten million pounds in gold. 100 miles West, she is bombed (7 dead) but is able to return to Plymouth.
German armed merchant cruiser Thor sinks British steamer Gracefield, carrying 7430 tons of wheat and bran, 500 miles off the coast of Brazil. The crew of 36 is taken prisoner.
At 11.45 AM, U-boat UA sinks Norwegian tanker Sarita 100 miles West of Cape Verde. Al 29 crew abandons ship on two rafts and a lifeboat. They are picked up on July 18 by British steamer Dunstan and taken to Pernambuco. At 6.18 PM, U-52 sinks Greek steamer Thetis A. carrying grain, 300 miles West of Brest, France (9 dead, 20 survivors abandon ship in a lifeboat). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/422.html
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