Reduced activity again with only one large fighter sweep during the afternoon. German invasion cancelled indefinitely. Night: Heavy attacks against London. Merseyside and Glasgow also raided. Weather: Squally showers with thunder and bright intervals. Unternehmen Seelöwe Cancelled Indefinitely On the morning of 17 September 1940, a critical shift occurred in German strategy. While Luftwaffe commanders […]
1940
18
Sep
Wednesday 18 September 1940
London and Merseyside bombed. Night: Heavy damage to London. Weather: Bright and squally. Enemy Action by Day Operation Sea Lion, Germany’s intended invasion of Britain, had been indefinitely postponed the previous day, but there was no respite for the RAF or the British population. Luftwaffe attacks continued by day and intensified by night, with London […]
19
Sep
Thursday 19 September 1940
Reduced activity, attacks mainly over Thames Estuary and East London. Night: Raids on London and Merseyside. Weather: Showery. Enemy Action by Day Following the indefinite postponement of Operation Sea Lion, the Luftwaffe shifted its focus to sustained reconnaissance and scattered harassment raids across southern and eastern England. Though no large-scale assaults occurred, the day was […]
20
Sep
Friday 20 September 1940
One major fighter sweep towards London, otherwise reconnaissance only. Night: Raids concentrated on London. Weather: Fair with bright periods, showery. Enemy Action by Day The early morning hours were quiet, with radar screens showing little enemy activity. However, by 10:30 hours, radar stations along the Channel began plotting formations approaching from Calais. At approximately 11:00 […]
21
Sep
Saturday 21 September 1940
Some fighter sweeps in east Kent. Night: London and Merseyside attacked. Weather: Mainly fine. Enemy Action by Day The weather over Britain on 21 September 1940 was mainly fine, with clear skies in the morning. This relative calm marked one of the quietest days of the Battle of Britain to date in terms of daytime […]
22
Sep
Sunday 22 September 1940
Reduced activity. Night: London attacked. Weather: Dull with fog in morning. Cloudy in afternoon, fair to fine late. Some rain. Enemy Action by Day The day began under a blanket of fog across much of southern England, and this, combined with overcast skies and intermittent rain, contributed to significantly reduced Luftwaffe activity. Radar plots indicated […]
23
Sep
Monday 23 September 1940
Fighter sweeps towards London. Night: Attacks on London and Merseyside. Weather: Fine. Enemy Action by Day As fog and early mist began to lift across the Southeast, radar stations from Foreness to Rye detected multiple incoming formations just after 08:40 hours. The initial estimate suggested that more than 200 German aircraft were assembling in tight […]
24
Sep
Tuesday 24 September 1940
Tilbury and Southampton raided. Night: Continued bombing of London and Merseyside. Weather: Early morning fog in northern France. Channel cloudy with haze in the Straits and Thames Estuary. Enemy Action by Day The day began with early morning fog blanketing much of northern France and the Channel, limiting visibility. As the haze began to lift […]
25
Sep
Wednesday 25 September 1940
Bristol and Plymouth bombed. Night: London, North Wales and Lancashire attacked. Weather: Fair to fine in most areas. Cool. Enemy Action by Day Fair to fine weather prevailed across much of southern Britain, with cooler air and generally good flying conditions. Following the indefinite postponement of Unternehmen Seelöwe (Operation Sea Lion), the German High Command […]
26
Sep
Thursday 26 September 1940
Supermarine factory at Southampton attacked and wrecked. Night: Raids on London and Merseyside. Weather: Mainly fair to cloudy. Enemy Action by Day The morning of 26 September 1940 began with fair weather over much of southern England, allowing the Luftwaffe to conduct widespread reconnaissance and minor attacks along the coast. Between dawn and early afternoon, […]