Mixed force of bombers and fighters attacked Yeovil.
Night: Major raids on London and Merseyside. Lesser attacks from Harwich to Newcastle and the Firth of Forth.
Weather: Occasional showers. Visibility fair with variable cloud.
Main Activity:
In the morning 127 German planes were engaged by eighteen No. 11 Group squadrons over Kent and Sussex.
The attack resumed at 12.30 when Luftflotte 2 again sent over a series of small waves from Calais to Dover. More than 150 Bf 109s flew in and No. 11 Group had to call upon No. 12 Group to stand by. For the third attack at 3.30 p.m. the Luftwaffe again used Bf 109s and sent in fifty via Dymchurch.
These machines made for Biggin Hill and London. At the same time a mixed force of Ju 88s, Bf 109s and Bf 110s from Cherbourg in formations stepped up to 26,000 feet delivered an attack with eighty high-explosive and six oil-bombs on the Westland aircraft works at Yeovil.
Between 5 and 9 p.m. seven raids were plotted from Cherbourg to Swansea, eleven from Le Havre to Selsey Bill, twenty-seven from Dieppe to Beachy Head, two from Cap Gris Nez to Dungeness, twenty-six from Holland to Harwich, Newcastle and Spurn Head, and seven from Denmark to the Firth of Forth. Hostile efforts were mainly concentrated on London and Merseyside although bombs on Hatfield damaged three Lysanders belonging to No. 239 Squadron, an aircraft was destroyed at Ford and other bombs fell on Westhampnett, Tangmere, Eastleigh and Lee-on-Solent. Bomber Command countered the flow of traffic with a raid of 147 bombers on the German capital and the invasion ports.
In Berlin, meanwhile, Göring put a new five-point plan for the war against Britain. In it he frankly admitted that the demoralisation of London and the provinces was one aim and he described the air operations against the islands as ‘merely an initial phase’. The plan he outlined demanded:
1. Absolute control of the Channel and the English coastal areas.
2. Progressive and complete annihilation of London, with all its military objectives and industrial production.
3. A steady paralysing of Britain’s technical, commercial, industrial and civil life.
4. Demoralisation of the civil population of London and its provinces.
5. Progressive weakening of Britain’s forces.
Far from being progressively weakened, the RAF was fighting back with increased strength. On the 7th Fighter Command flew 825 sorties and lost 17 planes to the Luftwaffe’s 21 one of which was an He 115 seaplane.
Examination of eight Bf 109s shot down on the 7th revealed that they were from LG 2 and each carried a 250 kg. bomb. They were operating in small formations of 6–18 aircraft and flying 2–3 sorties per day.
Excerpt from The Narrow Margin by Derek Wood & Derek Dempster
German Losses
Airmen: 11 | Aircraft: 19
British Losses
Airmen: 9 | Aircraft: 17
Spitfire N3039, No. 152 Squadron
P/O H.J. Akroyd died of injuries 8/10/40. Shot down during combat with enemy fighters over Lyme Regis.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Akroyd.htm
Spitfire P9469, No. 222 Squadron
P/O J.W. Broadhurst killed. Shot down during an attack on enemy bombers.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/BroadhurstJW.htm
Hurricane N2707, No. 245 Squadron
P/O J.J.I. Beedham killed. Engine failure during landing.
Hurricane V6800, No. 501 Squadron
F/O N.J.M. Barry killed. Shot down over Wrotham by Bf 109s. Pilot baled out but was found dead at Wilmington, south of Dartford.
http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/as-barry.htm
Spitfire X4016, No. 602 Squadron
Sgt. B.E.P. Whall died of injuries. Aircraft damaged by Ju 88 off Beachy Head. Spun-in near Court Farm, Lullington whilst attempting forced-landing.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Whall.htm
Spitfire N3109, No. 603 Squadron
F/O H.F.K. Matthews killed. Shot down in combat with Bf 109s of II/JG 26.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/MatthewsHKF.htm
Hurricane P3677, No. 605 Squadron
P/O C.E. English killed. Shot down by Bf 109s over Westerham.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/English.htm
Hurricane L1728, No. 607 Squadron
F/O I.B. Difford killed. Mid-air collision during squadron patrol. Aircraft crashed at Eartham Farm, Slindon, Sussex.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Difford.htm
Spitfire N3238, No. 609 Squadron
Sgt. A.N. Feary killed. Shot down in surprise attack by Bf 109s over Yeovil. Pilot baled out but was too low.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Feary.htm
Photo Descriptions:
- A symbolic photograph of a British soldier standing guard on a beach in southern England, 7 October 1940. © IWM (H 4610)
- Pilot Officer Henry N. Hunt of No. 504 Squadron discusses his flight with the intelligence officer at Filton after ‘returning from aerial combat’, October 1940. © IWM (HU 104480)