Fighter sweeps towards London, but few bombs dropped.

Night: London attacked.

Weather: Generally fair but cloudy with light winds.

Enemy Action by Day

The weather across southern Britain remained generally fair, though cloud cover thickened during the middle of the day. Winds were light, allowing for widespread Luftwaffe operations. As September came to a close, the Luftwaffe attempted to reintroduce close escort tactics for their bomber formations, hoping to offset the heavy attrition that their unescorted raiders had faced in previous days. However, the RAF’s response was swift and coordinated, inflicting significant losses in return for minimal damage on the ground.

Early Reconnaissance and Isolated Engagements

The first signs of enemy activity appeared before dawn. At 06:30 hours, a lone Junkers Ju 88 conducted a reconnaissance over Chesterfield. On its return leg, the aircraft was intercepted and shot down as it recrossed the coast at the Humber. From 06:35 hours, other single aircraft were active between the Thames Estuary and Beachy Head, with some probing inland as far as Farnborough and Worthing.

At 10:30 hours, another enemy aircraft approached the Firth of Forth but turned back while still 40 miles offshore. Further reconnaissance was reported over Bedford, Cardington, Duxford, Debden, and Eastchurch around 10:10 hours. Coastal convoys were also shadowed, including two formations off Yarmouth and Cromer between 09:00 and 09:30 hours. One enemy aircraft bombed a naval unit off Harwich. In the late afternoon, a lone raider penetrated inland over Bawdsey.

First Wave Over Kent and London

At 09:00 hours, the Luftwaffe initiated its first concerted attack. A combined force of 30 aircraft, including 12 bombers and a strong escort of around 50 fighters, crossed the coast east and west of Dungeness. These were preceded by a single pathfinder aircraft that flew in over Rye. The formation penetrated inland toward Biggin Hill and Kenley. Concurrently, another group of 12 aircraft patrolled inland near Dungeness, while 50 fighters loitered offshore near Dover, providing top cover.

Shortly after, at 10:10 hours, a second wave of approximately 75 aircraft—again composed of bombers with heavy escort—followed a similar route toward Biggin Hill. The formations were engaged by RAF fighters and forced to break up before reaching their objectives. Twenty-five German aircraft maintained patrols over the Straits to guard the withdrawal. II./JG 26 claimed five Hurricanes during this sortie, including the first kill for Uffz. Karl Schieffer of 5./JG 26. By 10:30 hours, the remnants of the formation had turned south toward France.

Attack on Portland and the South-West

At 10:55 hours, 100 enemy aircraft—split evenly between bomb-carrying Bf 110s and escorting Bf 109s from JG 2, JG 27, and JG 51—crossed the coast at St Albans Head. The formations originated from Cherbourg and the Seine. A detachment of 25 aircraft flew as far west as the Dorset–Devon border, while the remainder penetrated approximately 15 miles inland before being intercepted. No. 10 Group dispatched one squadron to patrol over Bristol and dispatched others to intercept the raid directly. No. 11 Group contributed four additional squadrons over Portsmouth and Southampton.

Hptm. Helmut Wick of Stab I./JG 2 claimed both a Hurricane and a Spitfire, bringing his tally to 34. Oblt. Rudolf Pflanz of Stab I./JG 2 and Uffz. Kurt Bühligen of 6./JG 2 also made successful claims. Despite these fighter successes, the bombers failed to reach their primary target and withdrew by 12:00 hours.

Massive Raid Toward London and the Big Wing Response

At 13:10 hours, a larger wave of approximately 100 aircraft, with 18 aircraft flying in advance, crossed the coast at Lympne. A second wave increased the total force to nearly 180 aircraft, with 40 more patrolling near Dover. The forward formation, followed closely by the main body, spread on a direct course for London.

RAF Fighter Command responded decisively. The Duxford ‘Big Wing’ was scrambled, along with Nos. 1 (Canadian), 229, and 303 (Polish) Squadrons. As they approached 14,000 feet near Dungeness, they encountered tight formations of Do 17s with strong Bf 109 escort. No. 303 Squadron’s ‘Red Section’, led by F/O Witold Urbanowicz, broke away to pursue the bombers, claiming several victories: Urbanowicz downed two Bf 109s and one Do 17, Sgt. Karubin destroyed one Bf 109 off Beachy Head, and P/O Radomski shot down a Do 17 before crash-landing at Lydd, unhurt.

Despite this effort, nine Luftwaffe aircraft, including Ju 88s and Bf 109s of JG 27, penetrated the London perimeter. Others reached the southwestern suburbs before withdrawing at 13:45 hours. During this action, 1./JG 27 lost its Gruppe-Adjutant, Hans Bertram, killed over Sussex.

Fourth Major Attack and Return to Portland

At 16:08 hours, a fourth major assault developed. Four separate raids, totalling over 200 aircraft, crossed the coast from Dungeness toward Biggin Hill and scattered across East Kent, from Kenley to Hornchurch. Some formations veered west, reaching as far as Weybridge and Reading. Luftwaffe bombers were the dominant element in this wave, suggesting a renewed effort to hit inland targets. Aircraft were reported as far afield as Middle Wallop, Tangmere, and Winchester.

Simultaneously, at 16:35 hours, another force of fifty bombers flew over Portland, with fifty more trailing along the coast toward Lyme Bay. These formations merged and pushed about 20 miles inland, bombing Weymouth and causing damage in the Yeovil area. RAF resistance was strong and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.

Nos. 238, 504, and 609 Squadrons intercepted the bombers over the Channel during their withdrawal, downing at least four Heinkel He 111s from I./KG 55. Major Ernst Kuhl was among the survivors rescued by the German air-sea rescue service, Seeotdienst.

RAF and Luftwaffe Casualties and Claims

RAF fighters claimed 45 enemy aircraft destroyed on 30 September, with 32 more listed as probable and 29 damaged. Anti-aircraft batteries brought down one additional aircraft. Actual Luftwaffe losses were 47 aircraft, including several experienced fighter pilots. RAF losses totalled 21 aircraft, with eight pilots killed or missing.

Among the top German scorers was Oblt. Werner Machold of 9./JG 2, who brought his tally to 26 kills by day’s end. Conversely, JG 52 and JG 53 suffered significant losses, including several pilots taken prisoner.

Enemy Action by Night

Night operations began at 19:00 hours, when aircraft from Seine Bay crossed the coast at Selsey Bill, bound for London. Additional formations from the Dutch coast penetrated via East Anglia and Cambridgeshire. From 21:00 hours, further raids from Cherbourg and Le Havre spread into South Wales, the Bristol Channel, and the Midlands, extending as far north as Liverpool.

By 05:30 hours on 1 October, an estimated 275 enemy aircraft had operated over Britain during the night, 175 of which reached Central London. Minelaying was reported off Harwich, in the Thames Estuary, and the Firth of Forth.

Civilian and Infrastructure Impact

London suffered heavy bomb damage once again. A direct hit on the Uxbridge Electric Supply Company’s substation left over 1,000 homes without power. The Celotex factory in Wembley lost 500 tons of wood pulp to an incendiary fire. Factories in Acton, Chiswick, and Silvertown also sustained damage. Railway services were widely disrupted, with lines blocked at Nine Elms, Crystal Palace, and Ealing Common. A serious water main break from Kempton Park disrupted supply to large areas of North and West London.

In Bexhill, two separate attacks damaged hundreds of homes and severed gas and trolleybus lines. In Grantham, heavy bomb damage disrupted the operations of Ruston & Hornsby’s works producing naval equipment. Thirteen civilians were killed in Uxbridge, with over 100 more injured. An additional shelling attack on Dover caused further damage and casualties.

Other Notable Incidents

Wing Commander Laurence Frank Sinclair performed an act of heroism when he pulled a wounded airman from a burning aircraft wreckage, though the airman later succumbed to his injuries. Sinclair was later awarded the George Cross.

Two German spies—Karl Drucke and Werner Walti—were captured in Scotland. Vera Eriksen, part of the same spy group, was also arrested. Drucke and Walti were later tried and executed at Wandsworth Prison in 1941.

In separate training and non-combat incidents, Flying Officer C.H. Bacon (No. 610 Squadron), P/O Adrian Francis Laws (No. 64 Squadron), and three crew members from No. 219 Squadron were killed in aircraft accidents across the country.

Summary

Monday, 30 September 1940 marked one of the heaviest Luftwaffe losses since mid-September, with RAF Fighter Command successfully disrupting all major raids through aggressive interception. Despite renewed German efforts to protect bombers with dense fighter cover, the tactic failed to yield results and cost the Luftwaffe dearly in both men and machines. Civilian casualties remained high, and nighttime bombing continued to batter British cities—but RAF resilience held firm as October began.

German Losses:
Airmen: 59 | Aircraft: 47

British Losses:
Airmen: 8 | Aircraft: 21

Hurricane V6748, No. 46 Squadron
P/O J.D. Crossman killed. Shot down by enemy fighters.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/CrossmanJD.htm

Spitfire P9564, No. 64 Squadron
P/O A.F. Laws killed. Rear fuselage of aircraft struck by starboard wing of Spitfire K9805, breaking off tail. Aircraft crashed at Cranswick.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/LawsAF.htm

Spitfire L1072, No. 152 Squadron
Sgt. L.A.E. Reddington. Listed as missing. Shot down during combat over Portland. Believed to have crashed into the sea.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Reddington.htm

Blenheim L1261, No. 219 Squadron.
Disintegrated and crashed during routine night patrol.
Sgt. C. Goodwin killed.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/GoodwinC.htm
Sgt. G.E. Shepperd killed.
http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/ShepperdGE.htm
AC2 J.P. McCaul killed.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/McCaul.htm

Hurricane P2815, No. 229 Squadron
F/O M. Ravenhill killed. Shot down by Bf 109s.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Ravenhill.htm

Hurricane P3414, No 504 Squadron
F/O J.R. Hardacre killed. Shot down in combat over the south-west coast. Body washed ashore on 10/10/40.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Hardacre.htm

Photo Descriptions

1. Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1 (Wn.4851 9+), flown by Oberleutnant Karl Fischer of 7./JG 27, is lifted by a crane in Windsor Great Park in Surrey. The aircraft had made a forced-landing after being damaged by RAF fighters during a bomber escort mission to London on 30 September 1940.
2. RAF personnel inspect Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1 (Wn.4851 9+) flown by Oberleutnant Karl Fischer of 7./JG 27.
3. Junkers Ju 88A-1 (W.Nr. 2142: 3Z+DK) of 2./KG 77 on display at Primrose Hill, London during October 1940. It had been shot down at Gatwick Race Course (now Gatwick Airport) on 30 September that year, with one of its crew members killed and the other three captured but wounded. The sheer size of the bomber aircraft often meant that they were displayed as a fuselage only and without their wings.
4. The remains of Junkers Ju 88A-1 (W.Nr. 2142: 3Z+DK) of 2./KG 77 on public display at Primrose Hill in London, 10 October 1940. The bomber had been hit by AA fire and crash-landed on Gatwick race course on 30 September.