Widespread limited attacks.

Night: Serious and widespread damage to London. Coventry also damaged.

Weather: Occasional rain or drizzle spreading to the south-east.

Enemy action by day

Monday, 14 October 1940, saw reduced Luftwaffe operations owing to deteriorating weather conditions, with rain and overcast skies affecting much of southern and eastern England. Nonetheless, several scattered attacks were mounted by small formations and lone aircraft, supported by high-level reconnaissance patrols in the Channel, Straits of Dover, and East Anglia. The day’s only major concentrated raid occurred late in the afternoon over the Portsmouth area.

Early Reconnaissance and Scattered Morning Raids

Enemy activity began with a weather reconnaissance at 03:45 hours, when a single Dornier Do 17 of 4.(F)/14 dropped four bombs on the Bristol area. Throughout the morning, small groups of enemy aircraft were active off the south and east coasts. At 06:45 hours, a reconnaissance flight was plotted in the Straits of Dover, with continued sporadic patrols observed in the Channel and Thames Estuary throughout the day.

At 10:15 hours, a raid from the Dutch islands entered over the Blackwater Estuary and penetrated inland to the St Albans area. Simultaneously, further isolated aircraft crossed the East Anglian coast, reconnoitring aerodromes. Between 15:00 and 17:00 hours, three enemy aircraft were tracked conducting reconnaissance over Kirton-in-Lindsey.

In the southeast, from 10:15 hours onward, roughly 45 small-scale incursions were plotted between Selsey Bill and the Thames Estuary, many reaching inland targets such as London, Hatfield, Aylesbury, Upper Heyford, and parts of the South Midlands. The volume of activity decreased markedly after 13:00 hours, with fewer than twenty plots detected.

Damage to RAF Stations and Airfields

North Weald airfield sustained further damage from a midday attack. Already bearing the scars of some 400 previous bomb hits, the aerodrome’s infrastructure was severely degraded, with few serviceable buildings remaining. Operations there now relied entirely on dispersed and improvised facilities to keep the four stationed squadrons functioning.

At 13:24 hours, Duxford airfield was narrowly missed by three high-explosive bombs that fell nearby, causing no damage. Hawkinge airfield was bombed at 15:30 hours, though no damage details were reported. Brize Norton was attacked at 15:04 hours, resulting in damage to outbuildings and seven service casualties, one of them serious.

Later in the evening, RAF St Eval was struck at 21:11 hours by six high-explosive and twenty incendiary bombs. Reports of damage were still pending. Weston-super-Mare was also attacked at 21:20 hours, but no damage was recorded.

Afternoon Engagements: Portsmouth and East Anglia

At 16:35 hours, the most substantial raid of the day was launched when a formation of thirty-four Dorniers crossed the coast at Selsey Bill at 20,000 feet. The formation split, with one section attacking the Portsmouth area and the remainder fanning inland before returning to France by 16:45 hours.

Earlier in the afternoon, between 14:40 and 16:00 hours, a Do 17 operating with false British markings was intercepted over Suffolk by Flying Officer Czernin and Pilot Officer Pittman of No. 17 Squadron, flying Hurricanes from Martlesham. The Do 17 was initially believed to be friendly due to roundels painted on the fuselage and wings, but as it turned away, black crosses were revealed beneath the wings. Czernin opened fire, setting the port engine alight, and Pittman followed up. The aircraft escaped through the Harwich balloon barrage after firing two signal rockets in incorrect colours and was last seen trailing smoke. It was claimed as damaged.

Earlier in the day, Heinkel He 111s had bombed targets in southeast England, including South London and North Weald, where Hurricanes of No. 605 Squadron, scrambled from Croydon, made an interception. Additional raids struck RAF Hawkinge and Duxford airfields. A direct hit on a public air raid shelter in Middlesex resulted in the deaths of twenty civilians.

RAF losses were light. A single Hurricane from No. 605 Squadron was lost during operations. Three enemy aircraft were damaged during the day by RAF fighters.

Enemy Action by Night

By nightfall, clearer skies and a full moon allowed the Luftwaffe to resume large-scale bombing operations over Britain. The main targets were London, Birmingham, and Coventry, though additional raids affected Liverpool, Preston, and parts of East Anglia. Activity began at 18:30 hours, with raids plotted from the Dutch islands, and shortly after 18:50 hours from the Somme region in northern France.

19:00 to 21:00 Hours: London, Birmingham and Coventry Bombed

Between 19:00 and 21:00 hours, approximately twenty-seven enemy raids entered the Thames Estuary from the Dutch islands, with most continuing toward London from the north. Simultaneously, around forty more raids originated from the French coast between Fécamp and the Somme, crossing between Shoreham and Dungeness. Many proceeded to London, while others veered west toward Birmingham and Coventry. Several raids originating from the Channel Islands crossed between Poole and Portland. Raids were also tracked over Liverpool, Blackburn, and Preston.

A serious fire broke out at Houndstone Camp near Yeovil at 19:00 hours following the impact of high-explosive and incendiary bombs. Several huts, a garage, and part of the YMCA were destroyed. An ammunition store was ignited but safely cleared without casualties.

21:00 to 23:00 Hours: Bombing Intensifies Over London

From 21:00 to 23:00 hours, around thirty additional raids were plotted from the French coast, mainly between Dieppe and the Somme. These continued to target London, Birmingham, and Coventry. A few raids were still active over East Anglia. At 21:00 hours, high-explosive bombs struck the Popes Lane electricity distribution station in Ealing, damaging switchgear and transformers and causing a temporary blackout across the area. Fifteen minutes later, a bomb hit Croydon Gas Works, setting one large and two small gas holders ablaze. Nearby electricity facilities were unharmed.

Two Dorniers of KGr 606 dropped bombs on Bristol and the Avonmouth area at 21:00 hours. RAF St Eval was attacked ten minutes later, while Rollasons Aircraft Instruments Ltd at Mitcham was struck by high-explosive bombs at 21:55 hours, suspending production. At the same time, incendiary and oil bombs gutted the Gretti and Zambra factory at Barnesbury, N1, and set fire to the Radio Transmission Equipment Ltd works in Wandsworth. A separate fire was also reported at the Siebe Gorman plant on Old Kent Road, and another at Austins Metal Refiners in Hackney.

23:00 to 01:00 Hours: Continued Bombing in London and Midlands

Reduced activity continued after 23:00 hours. London remained the main focus, with some raids still moving toward Birmingham and Coventry. Bombs were dropped near Peterborough, Wittering, and across East Anglia. At 23:33 hours, the Metropolitan Railway Station at Praed Street, Paddington, sustained a direct hit, with many feared trapped. A high-explosive bomb that fell at 21:15 hours in Balham High Street penetrated to the Tube station below, killing 68 people.

01:00 to 06:00 Hours: Final Raids Across Southern England

After 01:00 hours, the final phase of the night’s operations saw continuing waves of bombers crossing from the French coast into southern England. Most were directed toward London and the southeast, with activity largely ceasing elsewhere after 02:30 hours. At 01:39 hours, a high-explosive bomb struck Lismore Circus, St Pancras, collapsing into the LMS tunnel and blocking the line. Raids continued sporadically until 05:33 hours, including one that crossed at Dundee. By 06:00, enemy air activity had ceased.

Civilian and Industrial Damage

The Home Security Executive reported widespread bomb damage across London, Coventry, Birmingham, and the southeast. In central London, an oil bomb ignited a fire at the Gretti and Zambra factory, and incendiaries caused further fires at Wandsworth and Hackney. The Siebe Gorman factory on Old Kent Road lost an entire section to fire. A serious blaze at Rollasons Instruments in Mitcham rendered the plant temporarily inoperable. The electricity outage in Ealing impacted large portions of west London, though supply was later restored.

In Coventry, relays of bombers dropped high explosives, followed by incendiaries and oil bombs. Fires were started across the city. Direct hits were recorded at Forde Hospital and a public shelter in the basement of a large store. A 24-inch gas main was ruptured and ignited, forcing pressure to be reduced, which disrupted industrial and residential supplies. Fires also damaged the Triumph Engineering and Alfred Herbert factories, though the full extent of destruction was not yet known.

In Middlesex, twenty civilians were killed by a direct hit on a shelter. A further twelve fatalities were reported at Balham underground station, and heavy casualties were expected at Paddington and other rail targets. Across all locations, Home Security recorded a total of 565 civilians killed and over 2,125 seriously injured.

German Losses:
Airmen: 1 | Aircraft: 4

British Losses:
Airmen: 1 | Aircraft: 1

Hurricane P3107, No. 605 Squadron
F/O R. Hope killed. Aircraft brought down by balloon cable or anti-aircraft fire.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/HopeR.htm

Photo Descriptions:

1. On the night of 14 October 1940, a bomb penetrated the road and exploded in Balham Underground station, killing 68 people. A No. 88 bus travelling in black-out conditions then fell into the crater.
2. A bus in the bomb crater caused by a German air raid on Balham in South London on 14 October 1940.
3. Sections of tram track are also visible among the debris. Workmen and others stand around the rim of the crater.
4. This view shows a cross-passage at the station, almost filled with rubble.
5. People are still moving along the footway beneath as the double decker bus is removed from the bomb crater.
6. 3.7-inch guns of 75th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery, near Dover, 14 October 1940. © IWM (H 4726)
7. Troops from the Somerset Light Infantry man an armoured train on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch miniature railway in Kent, 14 October 1940. © IWM (H 4731)
8. Men of the 5th (Doncaster) Battalion of the Home Guard under attack from an ‘enemy dive-bomber’ during a training exercise at Punch’s Hotel, Bessacarr, Doncaster, 14 October 1940. The aircraft is an RAF Miles Magister trainer. © IWM (H 4757)