Raids on London and the Solent area.

Night: Continued attacks on London.

Weather: The Channel, Straits and Thames Estuary cloudy otherwise generally fair to fine.

Enemy Action by Day

The day opened with generally fair to fine weather across much of Britain, though the Channel, the Straits, and the Thames Estuary were marked by patches of cloud. Visibility inland was good, allowing for clear observation of air operations. The morning began relatively quietly, but by midday and into the afternoon, the Luftwaffe mounted three principal raids: two over Kent towards London, and one directed against Portsmouth and the Solent. In addition, isolated reconnaissance flights, minor attacks on convoys, and scattered raids on provincial towns punctuated the day. At night, the Luftwaffe returned to its sustained assault on London, supplemented by widespread raiding over the Midlands, East Anglia, and Liverpool.

RAF Fighter Command reported the destruction of six enemy aircraft during the day, with a further four claimed as probable and one damaged. Seventeen British fighters were lost, though seven pilots were confirmed safe. Luftwaffe losses were heavier in practice than official claims suggested, particularly among the Bf 109s that sought to dominate at high altitude.

First Main Attack: Morning Raids into Kent and London

At 09:55 hours, radar plots and Observer Corps reports confirmed a major Luftwaffe build-up across the Channel. Approximately 120 aircraft approached the Kent coast, of which around seventy penetrated inland in two distinct waves. The first wave, composed of roughly thirty bombers with heavy fighter escort, passed over Deal and headed towards Biggin Hill, with six of the bombers pressing on as far as Central London. Bombs were dropped in the districts of Poplar, Deptford, and Woolwich.

Seventeen RAF squadrons were scrambled to meet the threat. Among those committed were Spitfires of Nos. 41, 65, and 603 Squadrons, alongside Hurricanes of Nos. 17, 32, and 504 Squadrons. The German escort—principally Bf 109s from JG 26 and JG 54—operated at altitudes exceeding 25,000 feet, often diving out of the sun to gain tactical advantage. Despite this, determined interceptions by RAF fighters broke up the enemy formations over Maidstone and Tonbridge, inflicting losses among the escorting Bf 109s north of Dungeness. In the same combat, however, Hauptmann Gerhard Schöpfel of Stab III./JG 26 secured his nineteenth victory.

The second wave failed to penetrate beyond Maidstone. It was turned back after sharp engagements with Nos. 72, 229, and 253 Squadrons, which inflicted losses on both bombers and their escorts. By 10:40 hours, the raids had largely dispersed, though German patrols remained unusually active across the Straits.

Second Main Attack: Afternoon Assault over Kent and the Thames Estuary

Shortly after 13:30 hours, a larger formation of about 160 German aircraft—of which thirty-five were bombers—crossed the coast between Dungeness and Lympne. The bombers were heavily escorted by strong fighter formations from JG 2, JG 26, JG 51, and JG 54. Their intended objectives were airfields in the Maidstone sector and the Thames Estuary.

All operational squadrons of No. 11 Group were ordered into action, with Hurricanes from Nos. 85, 151, 249, and 257 Squadrons and Spitfires from Nos. 64, 222, and 603 Squadrons among those heavily engaged. Five squadrons from No. 12 Group—including Nos. 72 and 607—were directed to patrol Hornchurch and North Weald in depth, providing cover should the enemy penetrate further inland.

The Luftwaffe formations spread widely over Kent but advanced no further west than a line running from Beachy Head through Maidstone to the Isle of Sheppey. Combat reports indicate sharp fighting near Littlestone, where Major Werner Mölders of Stab/JG 51 claimed his forty-second victory, a Spitfire. Other leading German aces, including Hauptmann Helmut Wick of JG 2 and Hauptmann Walter Oesau of JG 51, also claimed victories. By 14:10 hours, the raiders were withdrawing, harried by continuous RAF attacks.

Third Main Attack: The Portsmouth and Solent Raids

Even as the Kent battles reached their height, a separate formation was tracked crossing from Cherbourg at 14:15 hours. Some sixty aircraft—principally Ju 88s and Bf 110s—headed for Portsmouth, with a smaller group diverting towards Tangmere and Thorney Island.

The response was swift. Five squadrons of No. 11 Group were diverted from the Kent fighting, while No. 10 Group committed four squadrons, including Spitfires from No. 152 Squadron and Hurricanes from Nos. 238 and 601 Squadrons. Contact was made south of the Isle of Wight. Faced with overwhelming RAF opposition, the raiders jettisoned their bombs harmlessly into the sea and turned back without crossing the coast. Several Bf 110s of ZG 26 suffered losses during the withdrawal, with at least two confirmed destroyed by RAF units.

Other Activity and Minor Raids

Enemy reconnaissance remained active throughout the day. Shortly after 10:00 hours, individual aircraft were plotted over Liverpool and Shoreham, one of which flew as far as Uxbridge before turning back south of Kenley.

Convoys were also targeted. At 15:15 hours, an attack was reported against a convoy off Spurn Head, while at 17:30 hours, Luftwaffe aircraft struck at another convoy near the Thames Estuary. Naval units off the coast reported isolated attacks at 17:32 hours, and at 19:20 hours, Dover was subjected to a brief assault by a lone raider.

Enemy Action by Night

From 20:00 hours, the Luftwaffe commenced widespread night operations. Initial raids crossed the Sussex coast and moved on London, while others—originating from the Dutch islands—entered over the Wash and pushed inland to Digby, Peterborough, and Nottingham. Additional formations reached Liverpool before returning via Wales.

At 21:00 hours, London came under heavy and sustained attack, with streams of bombers crossing near Portsmouth, Beachy Head, and Shoreham. Over the course of the night, 121 aircraft were plotted approaching the capital, 65 of which penetrated the city itself. Anti-aircraft guns engaged continuously for nine hours. Major incidents were recorded at Lambeth and Nine Elms goods yards, the Albert Embankment, and at St. Peter’s Crypt Shelter in Southwark, where a direct hit killed eighteen people and trapped many more.

After midnight, activity widened westward to Selsey Bill, St Albans Head, and as far north as Middle Wallop, though the majority of sorties still concentrated on London and its western suburbs. Several hospitals sustained damage, including West Middlesex at Heston, Staines Emergency Hospital, St. Bernard’s at Uxbridge, and Barnes Isolation Hospital. Railway communications also suffered heavily, with tracks blocked at Twickenham, Chiswick, Mortlake, Hounslow, and Eastbourne, and a major fire reported at Messrs W. Ottway & Co., Ealing.

By 02:30 hours, the tempo slackened, but renewed streams from Dieppe at 03:45 hours sustained the pressure on London until nearly dawn. Minelaying activity was also suspected off North Foreland and within the Thames Estuary.

German Losses:
Airmen: 24 | Aircraft: 12

British Losses:
Airmen: 10 | Aircraft: 17

Spitfire X4409, No. 41 Squadron
P/O H.H. Chalder. Died of injuries 10/11/40. Shot down during combat over Charing, Kent. Pilot baled out seriously wounded.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Chalder.htm

Spitfire X4426, No. 41 Squadron
F/O J.G. Boyle killed. Shot down in combat over Charing, Kent.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/BoyleJG.htm

Hurricane N2400, No. 238 Squadron
Sgt. R. Little killed. Shot down into the sea by a Bf 110 east of the Isle of Wight.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/LittleR.htm

Hurricane V6776, No. 238 Squadron
Sgt. E.S. Bann killed. Baled out over Brading Marshes, Isle of Wight but was killed when parachute failed to open.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Bann.htm

Hurricane V6778, No. 238 Squadron
P/O D.S. Harrison. Listed as missing. Shot down by Bf 109s over the Solent.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/HarrisonDS.htm

Hurricane P3417, No. 501 Squadron
P/O F.C. Harrold killed. Shot down by Bf 109s.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Harrold.htm

Spitfire L1076, No. 603 Squadron
F/Lt. H.K. MacDonald killed. Shot down by Bf 109s over Gillingham. Pilot baled out too low.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/MacDonaldHK.htm

Hurricane V6699, No. 605 Squadron
F/O P.G. Crofts killed. Shot down by Bf 109s over Ticehurst, Sussex. Pilot baled out but fell dead at Redpale Farm, near Dallington.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Crofts.htm

Hurricane P3108, No. 607 Squadron
F/Lt. W.E. Gore. Listed as missing. Shot down by Bf 109s in an action east of Selsey.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Gore.htm

Hurricane R4189, No. 607 Squadron
F/Lt. M.M. Irving. Listed as missing. Shot down by Bf 109s east of Selsey.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Irving.htm

Photo Descriptions

1. Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-7 (W.Nr. 4091) of I(Jabo)./LG 2 crash-landed near Théville due to engine failure on 28 September 1940. The pilot, Hans-Joachim Marseille, had just claimed his seventh aerial victory. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-344-0741-30 / Röder / CC-BY-SA 3.0.
2. Two Supermarine Spitfire Mark IAs of No. 616 Squadron, with their flaps down, come in to land at Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire, after a sortie. © IWM (CH 1454)
3. King George VI conferring a Bar to Flying Officer Albert G Lewis’s DFC in an awards ceremony at Duxford, Cambridgeshire. Lewis, a South African, had just returned to service with No. 249 Squadron, after being shot down and badly burnt on 28 September 1940, at which time he had himself shot down 18 enemy aircraft. © IWM (CH 1948)