Archive for October 1940

1940

19

Oct

Saturday 19 October 1940

Isolated patrols and reconnaissance. Night: Raids on London, Liverpool, the Midlands and Bristol. Weather: Cloudy in Channel, mist in northern France clearing later. Enemy Action by Day The morning began quietly, with overcast skies above the Channel and lingering fog across northern France limiting large-scale Luftwaffe operations. A series of isolated reconnaissance missions were plotted […]

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20

Oct

Sunday 20 October 1940

Fighter-bomber raids on London and the south-east. Night: Heavy attacks on London and industrial targets in the Midlands. Weather: Mainly cloudy in most districts. Enemy Action by Day Cloud and damp weather did little to impede Luftwaffe operations over southeast England, which saw renewed efforts by Bf 109 Jabos—Messerschmitt fighter-bombers—conducting fast-moving daylight strikes. Over the […]

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21

Oct

Monday 21 October 1940

Sporadic raids on London, Liverpool and the West Country. Night: London, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Birmingham and Liverpool bombed. Weather: Mainly cloudy with fog and intermittent rain. Poor visibility. Enemy Action by Day Enemy operations on 21 October were limited in scale, largely due to adverse weather conditions across southern England and the Channel. Persistent fog and […]

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22

Oct

Tuesday 22 October 1940

Quiet morning and afternoon. Night: London, Coventry and Liverpool attacked. Weather: Widespread fog in the south, clearing to rain later. Enemy Action by Day A slow and cautious start to operations characterised much of the daylight hours, as foul weather grounded most aircraft and complicated coordination across RAF stations. Morning activity was limited to a […]

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23

Oct

Wednesday 23 October 1940

Mainly reconnaissance. Night: Attacks on London and Glasgow. Minelaying off the Yorkshire coast. Weather: Low cloud and drizzle. Visibility poor. Enemy Action by Day Despite poor visibility throughout the day and night, the Luftwaffe maintained a low but persistent pressure, blending reconnaissance, sporadic bombing, and mine warfare as the Battle of Britain entered its final […]

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24

Oct

Thursday 24 October 1940

Very quiet. Night: Raids on London and Birmingham. Weather: Overcast and hazy in the Channel, clearing to a starlit night. Enemy Action by Day Following several days of unsettled weather across the British Isles, conditions on 24 October 1940 improved sufficiently to permit renewed Luftwaffe reconnaissance activity over East Anglia, the Home Counties, and the […]

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25

Oct

Friday 25 October 1940

Fighter-bomber raids on Kent and London. Night: Italian Air Force carries out an attack on Harwich. Weather: Fair but overcast. Enemy Action by Day Enemy activity on 25 October 1940 unfolded on a scale not seen for several days. From shortly after dawn, the Luftwaffe began a series of high-altitude fighter-bomber sweeps and reconnaissance flights […]

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26

Oct

Saturday 26 October 1940

Fighter-bomber raids on London and Kent. Night: Raids on London, the Midlands, Manchester and Liverpool. Weather: Cloudy with local showers chiefly in the north and east. Enemy Action by Day Weather conditions across southern Britain on 26 October 1940 were variable, with clearer skies in the southeast and scattered cloud pushing across the Channel. These […]

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27

Oct

Sunday 27 October 1940

Mainly fighter and fighter-bomber sweeps. Night: Widespread raids with London the main target. Weather: Cloudy all day except for brighter weather in the late morning. Enemy Action by Day Cloudy conditions persisted across much of the country, with brighter intervals during the late morning. Enemy activity began at first light and continued intermittently throughout the […]

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28

Oct

Monday 28 October 1940

Convoy off Dover and shipping in the Thames Estuary attacked. London attacked during the afternoon. Night: Widespread attacks across the country. Weather: Misty in northern France. Fog over the Thames Estuary and Straits clearing later. Enemy Action by Day Weather across southern Britain on 28 October 1940 was mixed, with broken cloud over the Channel […]

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