Scattered raids on East Anglia and southern England.
Night: London and its suburbs attacked.
Weather: Rain and drizzle in the Channel. Visibility down to 500 yards in places.
Enemy Action by Day
Thursday, 3 October 1940, was dominated by persistent low cloud, drizzle, and poor visibility—especially along the Channel and in southeastern England—where visual range was reduced to 500 yards in places. These conditions curtailed large-scale operations by the Luftwaffe, but they did not bring an end to the day’s hostilities. Instead, German strategy shifted to a steady succession of low-level and high-speed attacks by single aircraft, which continued with particular frequency after midday. While the weather reduced the scale of bombing, it created conditions favourable to scattered intrusions. Targets included aerodromes, factories, and transport infrastructure, and in many cases, bombs fell in rural or militarily insignificant locations.
Throughout the day, RAF Fighter Command flew 173 sorties but recorded no enemy aircraft destroyed. The only confirmed enemy loss during daylight came at the hands of Light AA gunners, who successfully brought down a Ju 88 bomber after its attack on the Hatfield aircraft factory. Fighter Command’s sole loss was a Bristol Blenheim from No. 600 Squadron, which crashed following a patrol sortie from Hornchurch.
Reconnaissance and Attacks on the East Coast
Between 06:30 and 12:30 hours, nine separate reconnaissance missions were conducted by single enemy aircraft between the Yorkshire coast and Harwich. Two of these aircraft penetrated far inland. One raider reached as far as Worcester, where bombs were dropped on the Mining and Engineering Co at 12:32 hours. The damage was limited, and full production was able to resume within a week. The same aircraft continued toward Birmingham and Wellingborough, where further bombs were released. The second intruder entered via Bawdsey and flew west toward North Weald and Debden. Bombs were dropped near North Weald from approximately 1,000 feet, but no damage was reported.
A separate sortie passed over North Weald during the early morning. Although bombs were dropped in the vicinity, the airfield sustained no damage. At 09:40 hours, ten high-explosive bombs fell near Shell Mex BP Ltd on the Isle of Grain. While the facility itself remained intact, railway infrastructure in the vicinity suffered minor damage. At 10:18 hours, Rushden was hit by eighteen bombs, damaging a school, a boot factory, and an electricity substation. Rail traffic was temporarily suspended due to damage to the lines.
Hatfield Bombed: Widespread Attacks on Airfields and Factories
At 07:00 hours, low-flying Ju 88s carried out a surprise attack on RAF St Eval. The raid resulted in the destruction of two Spitfires and one Avro Anson, along with two hangars damaged. Other structures sustained only minor damage.
At 11:26 hours, a Junkers Ju 88A-1 (W.Nr. 4136, coded 3Z+BB) of I./KG 77 carried out one of the most devastating attacks of the day, diving to just 50 feet before releasing four bombs on the de Havilland Aircraft Company at Hatfield. The explosions demolished the Technical School and assembly shop, where early production of the Mosquito was underway. As workers fled for cover, the bomber strafed the site with machine-gun fire, killing 21 and injuring 70. The Ju 88 was brought down shortly afterwards by a combination of 40 mm Bofors fire, rifle-calibre machine-gun rounds from RAF personnel, and even a Hotchkiss gun operated by the Home Guard. The wreckage came down at Eastend Green Farm near Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire. The crew—Oberleutnant Siegward Fiebig (pilot), Oberfeldwebel Erich Goebel (radio operator), Feldwebel H. Ruthof, and Unteroffizier K. Seifert—were all captured unhurt by local farm workers.
At 14:40 hours, the Gas Light and Coke Company at Banbury was bombed. The damage forced a temporary suspension of operations for four days. At 15:30 hours, the BBC station at Tatsfield suffered slight damage when a single bomb fell nearby. Woodley was attacked at 15:05 hours by six bombs, three of which were delayed-action, but no damage was recorded. Cosford and Wyton were attacked at 15:17 and 15:20 hours respectively, but neither suffered damage. Stanton Harcourt was hit by six HE bombs at 16:13 hours; none caused damage. White Waltham was bombed at 16:54 hours but escaped unscathed, while RAF St Merryn was attacked at 17:50 hours, resulting in three aircraft sustaining slight damage. Upwood was targeted at 13:33 hours, though the raid failed to strike the intended facilities.
Later Raids and West Country Activity
From 15:00 hours, a renewed wave of raids emerged from between Beachy Head and Selsey Bill, penetrating inland to various targets. One aircraft flew as far as the Bedford area before returning to bomb a convoy off Selsey. Another was tracked from near Fishguard, flying northeast toward Speke and looping back through Wales, the Bristol Channel, and into Dorset.
RAF training facilities were also among the targets. The school at Skegness was bombed at 16:13 hours, though details on damage remain scarce. At Heathrow, a pre-dawn attack on 4 October at 01:00 hours damaged the tail of a Fairey Albacore, but no further harm was done.
Enemy Action by Night
Enemy operations during the night of 3/4 October were significantly reduced compared to previous nights. Up to 21:00 hours, only eleven single-aircraft raids were reported: nine approached the London area from Dieppe, and two crossed from Calais toward Bedford. The aerodrome at Ford was struck at 19:40 hours, damaging one government building. An incendiary bomb was also dropped near Gravesend, though it caused no damage.
Between 21:30 and 23:00 hours, seven aircraft from Dieppe crossed into southeastern England, again targeting London. Another aircraft flew in from the Dutch coast and crossed Norfolk. From 23:00 to 01:00 hours, a further eighteen aircraft arrived from Dieppe, one of which continued past London to Debden. Later, three additional enemy aircraft were tracked over London and Northolt. At 02:00 hours, radar plots showed no hostile aircraft over Britain, and this period of inactivity continued until 05:30, when a lone aircraft flew from Cherbourg to Selsey Bill and toward Biggin Hill before turning back southward. By 06:05 hours, the country was once again clear of enemy aircraft.
Industrial Targets and Urban Areas
The enemy struck various civilian and industrial locations during the night. Major bomb damage was inflicted at 23:50 hours on General Aircraft Limited at Feltham, where the main hangar was hit. A fire at F. A. Lodge & Sons in Armley caused production to be halted for several days. An enemy aircraft machine-gunned a searchlight site at Whitburn at 00:20 hours, though no damage was inflicted. In addition, a bomb was dropped near the RAF Depot in Wembley at 04:55 hours but failed to explode.
Summary
Although large-scale operations were suppressed by persistent rain, low cloud, and poor visibility, the Luftwaffe maintained pressure through a series of scattered and opportunistic raids. London, the Midlands, and a number of RAF airfields and industrial sites came under attack, with the most serious consequences unfolding at the de Havilland works in Hatfield. Despite the limited scale of the assaults, the psychological impact remained high, and the steady tempo of single-aircraft harassment ensured that no corner of southern and eastern England felt entirely safe. The weather provided a partial respite, but both sides used the opportunity to regroup and repair ahead of the next major confrontations.
German Losses:
Airmen: 21 | Aircraft: 9
British Losses:
Airmen: 3 | Aircraft: 1
Blenheim L4905, No. 600 Squadron
Suffered engine failure during routine patrol in heavy rain. Crashed into trees on high ground at Broadstone Warren.
P/O C.A. Hobson killed.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/HobsonCA.htm
Sgt. D.E. Hughes killed.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/HughesDE.htm
AC2 C.F. Cooper killed.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/CooperCF.htm
Photo Description
- Soldiers guard the smouldering remains of Junkers Ju 88A-1 (W.Nr. 4136: 3Z+BB) of I/KG 77, which came down in flames at Eastend Green Farm near Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire after being hit by fire from ground defences on 3 October 1940. The crew: Oberleutnant Siegward Fiebig (pilot); Oberfeldwebel Erich Goebel (Bordfunker); Fw. H Ruthof and Uffz. K Seifert were all captured unhurt by farm workers. This aircraft had just bombed the de Havilland works at Hatfield, killing 21, injuring 70, and disrupting work on the Mosquito. © IWM (HU 70689)