Editing Channel Dash (section)

====Morning====

[[File:EnglishChannel.jpg|thumb|{{centre|Satellite image of the English Channel, 2002}}]]
The only patrol over the Channel was the routine dawn patrol by Fighter Command from [[Ostend]], south to the mouth of the [[Somme (river)|Somme]], which the Brest Group passed at {{nowrap|10:00 a.m.}} From {{nowrap|8:25 to 9:59 a.m.}} RAF radar operators under Squadron Leader [[Bill Igoe]], using an un-jammed radar frequency, noticed four plots of German aircraft circling in places north of [[Le Havre]], which at first were thought to be air-sea rescue operations.{{sfn|Hinsley|1994|p=137}}{{sfn|Kemp|1957|pp=197–199}} At {{nowrap|10:00 a.m.}} [[No. 11 Group RAF|11 Group]] [[RAF Fighter Command]] realised that the plots were moving north-east at {{cvt|20|–|25|kn}} and sent two Spitfires to reconnoitre at {{nowrap|10:20 a.m.,}} about the time that news reached Fighter Command headquarters that radar-jamming had begun at {{nowrap|9:20 a.m.}} and that the station at [[Beachy Head]] was detecting surface ships. Radar stations in Kent reported two large ships off Le Touquet at {{nowrap|10:52 a.m.}} and when the Spitfire patrol landed at {{nowrap|10:50 a.m.,}} having kept [[radio silence]], the pilots reported a flotilla off [[Le Touquet]] (near Boulogne) but not the capital ships.{{sfn|Richards|1974|pp=366–367}}

News of the sighting was rushed to 11 Group and the Navy at Dover by {{nowrap|11:05 a.m.}} (One pilot then mentioned a big ship and a certain sighting was received as he was being [[Debriefing|debriefed]].) By coincidence, two senior fighter pilots from [[RAF Kenley]] had decided to fly an intruder mission to the French coast at {{nowrap|10:10 a.m.,}} while the other pilots were grounded due to the bad weather. The pair spotted two [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]]s (Bf 109) and attacked, then found themselves over a German flotilla of two big ships, a destroyer screen and an outer ring of E-boats. The Spitfires were dived on by about {{nowrap|12 German}} fighters and escaped through anti-aircraft fire from the ships, [[Strafing|strafed]] an E-boat and made off at wave-top height. After they landed at {{nowrap|11:09 a.m.,}} the pilots reported that the German ships had been {{cvt|16|nmi|mi+km}} off Le Touquet at {{nowrap|10:42 a.m.}} by {{nowrap|11:25 a.m.,}} the alarm had been raised that the Brest Group was entering the Straits of Dover with air cover.{{sfn|Hinsley|1994|p=137}}{{sfn|Richards|1974|p=367}}

At {{nowrap|11:27 a.m.}} Bomber Command had been alerted that the Brest Group was near Dover and warned the groups to be ready. Including aircraft that had flown the night before and those at four hours' notice, Air Marshal [[Richard Peirse]] had about {{nowrap|250 aircraft}} but the {{nowrap|100 bombers}} on two hours' notice had been loaded with semi-armour-piercing bombs which were effective only if dropped from {{cvt|7000|ft|m}} or higher. Visibility was poor with rain and {{nowrap|8/10ths}} to {{nowrap|10/10ths cloud}} cover, down to {{cvt|700|ft|m}} and unless there were breaks in the cloud just when needed the task was impossible. Peirse ordered general-purpose bombs to be loaded, which could only cause superficial blast damage and attacks at low altitude, in the hope that the attacks would distract the Brest Group as Coastal Command and the Navy made torpedo attacks.{{sfn|Richards|1974|p=371}}