Targets in Kent, Sussex and Weymouth attacked. Night: Raids on London, Liverpool, Manchester and Tyne and Tees. Weather: Mainly fair apart from showers in coastal areas. Fog developed during the night. Main Activity: Four fighter sweeps over Kent and Sussex and two over Weymouth by Bf 109s flying at heights of up to 33,000 feet […]
1940
11
Oct
12
Oct
Saturday 12 October 1940
London and suburbs are again the main targets. Night: Generally quiet, but some damage to the National Gallery. Weather: Widespread mist and fog during the day, clearing later. Main Activity: The point had now been reached where Hitler had to decide on his next course of action. It was evident towards the end of September […]
12
Oct
Activities At A Bomber Station
Newsreel footage of No. 139 Squadron RAF based at Horsham St. Faith, 12 October 1940. Source: British Pathé
13
Oct
Sunday 13 October 1940
Targets in Kent and London raided. Night: London, Bristol, Wales, Liverpool, Birmingham and Birkenhead all bombed. Weather: Early fog clearing to blue skies. Cloud later. Main Activity: Although Hitler had unofficially conceded victory to Fighter Command, Park, still striving to work out effective counter-measures to the Germans’ high-flying tactics, could certainly not have agreed that […]
14
Oct
Monday 14 October 1940
Widespread limited attacks. Night: Serious and widespread damage to London. Coventry also damaged. Weather: Occasional rain or drizzle spreading to the south-east. Main Activity: It was 10.15 a.m. before the Germans showed signs of serious business. Fifty small raids were then picked up heading for the south-east and the south midlands. Some passed over north […]
15
Oct
Tuesday 15 October 1940
London, the Thames Estuary and Kent all attacked. Night: Unusually heavy attack on London and Birmingham. Weather: Fair but cloudy in the Straits. Clear, moonlit night. Main Activity: At 9 a.m. thirty Messerschmitts were heading for Hornchurch and central London. They hit Waterloo Station and blocked all but two of the lines. At 9.45 another […]
16
Oct
Wednesday 16 October 1940
Quiet. Night: Limited attack on London by single aircraft. Weather: Fog widespread in Germany and France. Wet and misty night. Main Activity: Fog kept all but the more confident and competent Luftwaffe pilots on the ground. Those who flew struck out for Kent and the west of England. Seven caught by the RAF, who flew […]
17
Oct
Thursday 17 October 1940
Fighter-bomber attacks on London and Kent. Night: Raids on London, Liverpool and Birmingham. Weather: Bright intervals with some showers. Main Activity: Limited visibility did much to mask the Luftwaffe whose raids started soon after breakfast. Ninety Bf 109s and Bf 110s raided Margate, Broadstairs and Stanmore. They were back after lunch and throughout the afternoon […]
17
Oct
Hot Moments At A Fighter Station
Newsreel footage of No. 66 Squadron RAF based at Gravesend, September 1940. The film also includes a brief shot of Uffz Ernst Poschenrieder’s wrecked Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 of 7./JG 53 after it was shot down at Broom Hill, Strood, Rochester on 30 September 1940. Source: British Pathé
18
Oct
Friday 18 October 1940
Relatively quiet. Night: Raids on a reduced scale. Weather: Fog in Straits of Dover and Thames Estuary. Visibility poor. Main Activity: After a fairly busy night the morning was unusually quiet. Between lunch and tea thirty-five raids were counted flying high over East Anglia. Forty-five RAF fighter patrols were flown. Some intercepted and shot down […]