Relatively quiet.
Night: Raids on a reduced scale.
Weather: Fog in Straits of Dover and Thames Estuary. Visibility poor.
Enemy Action by Day
Friday, 18 October 1940, was marked by a decline in large-scale operations across both air and sea, with prevailing weather conditions playing a decisive role in limiting enemy activity. Thick fog blanketed the Straits of Dover and the Thames Estuary, while widespread poor visibility across the southeast curtailed Luftwaffe movement and severely hindered both offensive and defensive aerial operations. RAF Fighter Command maintained standing patrols and responded to scramble alerts triggered by intermittent radar plots, but most German incursions during daylight were limited to reconnaissance flights and isolated single-aircraft raids. Night bombing activity resumed after dark, though on a reduced scale compared to earlier in the week, with the majority of attacks concentrated on London, Birmingham, and Liverpool.
Isolated Raids and Missed Interceptions
The morning began with scattered activity. At 06:45 hours, a single enemy aircraft was tracked flying a round-trip from Holland to Malden and back to Ostend, likely conducting weather reconnaissance or electronic monitoring. Shortly after, at 07:30 hours, another aircraft was plotted moving westward along the Channel coast from Beachy Head to Dover and Dungeness.
At 09:00 hours, a convoy off Deal came under brief surveillance by a lone raider. No damage was reported, but the incident underscored the vulnerability of British shipping even under adverse weather. At 10:25 hours, two RAF fighter sections attempted to intercept a high-flying enemy aircraft spotted 70 miles east of St Abb’s Head, heading toward the Forth Estuary. The intercept failed.
Through the late morning and early afternoon, several small-scale enemy tracks were plotted in the Thames Estuary, East Anglia, and the Channel. At 10:49 hours, two raids approached Harwich but did not advance inland. By 11:34 hours, additional aircraft circled the Thames Estuary and ranged across the Channel. At 13:30 and 17:00 hours, more isolated aircraft were observed over East Anglia and London, assessed as photographic or meteorological reconnaissance in preparation for future operations.
A more unusual flight occurred at 16:27 hours, when an enemy aircraft crossed inland at St Albans Head, flew over Wincanton and Gillingham, then reversed course and exited via the same coastal route. Between 17:00 and 18:30 hours, several similar looping tracks were observed, entering over Southwold, Dungeness, Brighton, Pevensey, and Selsey. One aircraft flew directly over Kenley and Northolt before departing over Pevensey.
Only one confirmed aerial engagement took place during the day. Hurricanes from No. 229 Squadron, operating from Northolt, intercepted a formation of Ju 88s over Kent en route to London. Although several bombers evaded interception, RAF fighters succeeded in shooting down four German aircraft, with at least one other confirmed damaged. Forty-five RAF patrols were flown, though many scrambled sections returned without contact due to persistent poor visibility.
A tragic incident marred the day’s operations. Pilots of No. 302 (Poznań) Squadron became disoriented in dense fog during a routine patrol over Surrey. With fuel exhausted and visibility near zero, four Hurricanes crash-landed. All four pilots—Pilot Officer S. Wapniarek, Pilot Officer A. Żukowski, Flying Officer P.E.G. Carter, and Flying Officer J. Borowski—were killed.
The Luftwaffe lost fourteen aircraft across all fronts during the day. Among the losses were two pilots from Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2). Fähnrich Hans-Eduard Siebold of I./JG 2 died when his Bf 109E crashed on landing at Saint-Brieuc. Later that day, 8./JG 2 lost its Staffelkapitän, Oberleutnant Walter Palting, in a crash at Grandcamp under unknown circumstances.
Enemy Action by Night
Luftwaffe night operations commenced at approximately 18:30 hours, with the first aircraft departing bases in northern France. Between 19:00 and 20:00 hours, seventy-six raids were recorded. These included twenty-eight tracks from the Somme toward Pevensey, seven from Baie de la Seine toward Shoreham, twenty-five from Cherbourg toward Poole, and sixteen from Holland to Harwich. The Cherbourg-based bombers broke into roughly equal groups, heading for the Bristol, Liverpool, and Birmingham regions. The remainder, including those from the Somme and Holland, turned toward London. A subset of the Dutch-based aircraft loitered in the Thames Estuary, likely laying sea mines.
Between 20:00 and 21:00 hours, enemy activity temporarily declined. Six raids were plotted from the Somme over Pevensey en route to London, four from Cherbourg aimed at Bristol, two from Holland into East Anglia, and three from Baie de la Seine into the Southampton region. Though fewer in number, these formations targeted key industrial and infrastructure sites.
From 21:00 to 23:00 hours, activity intensified again. Eight raids crossed from France between Selsey and Beachy Head, fifteen between Beachy Head and Dungeness, and thirty from Holland into the Thames Estuary. These focused heavily on London, Kent, and Essex, with occasional incursions into Buckinghamshire and East Anglia.
After 23:00 hours, Luftwaffe activity began to wane. Between 23:00 and 01:00 hours, only eight tracks were recorded, all bound for London. The Midlands and western cities—including Liverpool and Bristol—remained free of bombers. Between 01:00 and 03:00 hours, the country was largely clear of enemy aircraft until 03:55, when six aircraft departed Holland for brief visits to London before returning across the North Sea. By 05:50, British airspace was clear, with only one further outbound track plotted from the Continent.
Operational records indicated that all 160 Luftwaffe bombers participating in the night’s operations had returned to base by 01:45 hours. II./Kampfgeschwader 27 (KG 27) was responsible for bombing Birkenhead in the early evening, while one of its aircraft struck Bristol at 20:15 hours. Sea mine-laying was again carried out in the Thames Estuary.
Bomb Damage and Casualties
In London, damage was generally limited but not insignificant. At 20:25 hours, the Rose and Crown public house in Lambeth received a direct hit and was completely demolished. Two fatalities were confirmed, six were injured, and forty others were believed to be trapped in the rubble. Their survival prospects were grim.
Birmingham endured a more sustained assault beginning at 20:08 hours, focused on the Aston and Bordesley districts. Key sites struck included Verity’s Ltd., the Wood Carving Co., the LMS Goods Yard, and the Windsor Street Gas Works. By 21:00, fires were burning across the city centre, impacting the GPO, Corporation Bus Depot, School of Art, two timber yards in Aston, and several paper factories. Firefighters responded swiftly, and most blazes were brought under control before midnight.
In Harrow, a bomb fell near the Air Ministry Unit annexe at 22:00 hours, killing four airmen. Telephone lines were severed, but emergency functions continued. A gas main rupture was reported, though the main buildings escaped major damage. In Streatham, a direct hit at approximately 21:35 hours destroyed the fire station, killing twelve Auxiliary Fire Service members and injuring eight more. Harrow Weald Mortuary received the bodies of the airmen, while Northwood reported bombs falling near Coastal Command headquarters at 21:25. Minor structural damage was recorded, but operations were unaffected.
Other incidents included a 21:30 hours bombing at Wembley, where the Drawing Office was destroyed. At Heston Aerodrome, a long-range Spitfire was destroyed by bombing at 19:50 hours. North Weald was bombed at 03:30 hours on 18 October, but explosions occurred outside the airfield perimeter. In the Orkneys, at Null Head, sixteen bombs fell and seven unexploded devices were reported on Shapinsay Island. Hooton Park was bombed at 21:00 hours but sustained no damage.
Shelling of the Dover area also continued. Between 11:37 and 13:11 hours, ten shells were fired by German artillery. Two exploded on land, causing slight damage to a dye works and injuring three civilians.
Evacuation and Civilian Resilience
With bombing entering its sixth consecutive week, civilian evacuation resumed at pace. Over 20,000 children had already been relocated in September, and by mid-October, children were departing at a rate of 2,000 per day under the government’s “trickle” scheme. An additional 89,000 mothers and young children were scheduled for evacuation before the month’s end.
Following the September Blitz, many Londoners had already fled. An estimated 5,000 sought refuge in Epping Forest, while others stayed in hop-picker huts in Kent. Approximately 10,000 took shelter in the Chislehurst Caves, now equipped with electric lighting, a canteen, and a sick bay. Over 25,000 left London via Paddington Station for places like Reading, Basingstoke, and Oxford, where the latter alone hosted 15,000 evacuees. Although many had returned by October, the trauma of displacement lingered.
Additional Losses
The day brought further tragedy for the RAF when two Royal Engineers—2nd Lieutenant Alexander Fraser Campbell and Sergeant Michael Gibson—were killed attempting to defuse a high-explosive bomb. Having worked through the night on unexploded ordnance, the device detonated without warning. Both were posthumously awarded the George Cross for exceptional bravery.
RAF losses for the day totalled six aircraft. The Luftwaffe lost fourteen, primarily due to mechanical failure and weather-related disorientation. Nevertheless, Reichsmarschall Göring praised his forces, claiming that his bombers had “reduced the British plutocracy to fear and terror.” In reality, the day served as further proof that Britain’s defiance—and its will to resist—remained unshaken, even under relentless attack.
German Losses:
Airmen: 19 | Aircraft: 14
British Losses:
Airmen: 5 | Aircraft: 6
Spitfire R6607, No. 152 Squadron
Sgt. E.E. Shepperd killed. Crashed at Tadnoll Mill near Dorchester during afternoon. Exact circumstances not recorded.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/ShepperdEE.htm
Hurricane P3872, No. 302 Squadron
P/O S. Wapniarek killed. Crashed attempting forced landing on Nutwood Farm, Thames Ditton on return from patrol in bad weather conditions.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Wapniarek.htm
Hurricane V6571, No. 302 Squadron
P/O A. Zukowski killed. Ran out of fuel having lost bearings in deteriorating weather conditions after routine patrol.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Zukowski.htm
Hurricane P3931, No. 302 Squadron
F/O P.E.G. Carter killed. Crashed at Kempton Park Race Course returning from routine patrol in deteriorating weather conditions. Pilot baled out at 50ft.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/CarterPEG.htm
Hurricane P3930, No. 302 Squadron
F/O J. Borowski killed. Crashed and burned out at Kempton Park Race Course returning from patrol in deteriorating weather conditions.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Borowski.htm
Photo Descriptions
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk IA, P9368 ‘QV-K’, of No. 19 Squadron, being rearmed between sorties at Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire. P9368 was often flown by the Commanding Officer, Squadron-Leader B J E ‘Sandy’ Lane, and was also the preferred aircraft of ‘A’ Flight commander Flight-Lieutenant W J ‘Farmer’ Lawson. © IWM (CH 1367A)
- A huge pile of brick rubble and a large hole is all that is left of this house on Watery Lane in Birmingham following an air raid on 18 October 1940. Amazingly, the houses behind appear unscathed. © IWM (D 4113)
- Universal carrier Mk I of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry on the Sussex Downs, 18 October 1940. The crew demonstrate the use of the 2-inch mortar and Bren gun on an anti-aircraft mounting. © IWM (H 4953A)