Slight activity. Some small attacks on airfields.
Night: Heavy raid on London, mainly in the east.
Weather: Fair early morning and evening, cloudy for the remainder of the day.
Enemy Action by Day
Sunday, 8 September 1940, began with a deceptive sense of calm. In the early morning light, the full extent of the previous night’s devastation became clear. East London was still ablaze. The Royal Albert, Queen Victoria, and King George V docks were still engulfed in flames, with thick smoke columns visible for miles. Fires at Custom House, Silvertown, Canning Town, and North Woolwich continued to rage, having been stoked by raw industrial materials ignited by incendiaries. St. Katherine’s Dock and Wapping, densely packed with bond stores and timber warehouses, suffered extensive destruction. Fire crews struggled to reach many locations due to blocked roads and damaged mains. Entire streets had been levelled.
South of the Thames, Deptford and surrounding residential districts were heavily bombed. Homes were flattened, and others rendered uninhabitable. Despite the destruction, civilians emerged with stoic determination, many salvaging belongings in prams. It was a Sunday like no other.
Reconnaissance and Limited Morning Activity
In contrast to the devastation on the ground, the morning air war was subdued. Reconnaissance flights by the Luftwaffe skirted the coasts from Kinnaird’s Head to Start Point. One flight at 20,000 feet traced the coast between Sunderland and Flamborough, but RAF fighters failed to intercept. Additional reconnaissance occurred off East Anglia and the Wash. Few aircraft penetrated inland.
At 09:40 hours, a Spitfire was claimed shot down by Fhr. Hans-Joachim Marseille of 1.(J)/LG 2 during a minor skirmish. The claim was denied.
Main Daylight Assault on Kent and Essex
At 11:30 hours, the Luftwaffe launched its principal raid of the day. A formation of around twenty Dornier Do 17 bombers, escorted by roughly thirty Bf 109s from JG 2 and JG 53, crossed the Channel near Deal. Their target was London, though they would never reach it.
Spitfires of No. 41 Squadron, already on patrol, were vectored to intercept. Hurricanes of Nos. 46 and 605 Squadrons, together with Spitfires of No. 222 Squadron, were scrambled. No. 41 Squadron was first to engage but was quickly overwhelmed by the numerically superior Bf 109 escort. One Spitfire left a trail of smoke and vanished.
No. 46 Squadron arrived to relieve the pressure, followed shortly by No. 605 Squadron. Among the casualties was Sub-Lieutenant J.C. Carpenter, Royal Navy, attached to No. 46 Squadron. While flying Hurricane P3201, he was shot down during the engagement over the Isle of Sheppey. Although he managed to bale out, he did not survive the descent. His body was later recovered near Bearsted. His aircraft was completely destroyed. Another Hurricane from No. 46 Squadron sustained damage and was forced to disengage. A Hurricane from No. 605 Squadron was shot down near Trottiscliffe after taking heavy cannon fire; the pilot baled out and survived. Two additional Hurricanes from No. 46 Squadron were claimed by the escorting Bf 109s during the running engagements.
Despite mounting losses, the RAF pressed the attack. Coordinated assaults by Hurricanes and Spitfires from Nos. 46, 222, and 605 Squadrons resulted in the destruction of a Bf 109 near Sevenoaks. Elsewhere, two Hurricanes succeeded in shooting down a Dornier Do 17 over Maidstone. As the scattered bomber formations began to withdraw, several came under sustained anti-aircraft fire. Ground defences brought down two additional Dorniers near Maidstone.
Although the bomber formation failed to reach London, bombs were dropped across Kent. Near Dartford, a station fire broke out. At 12:34 hours, West Malling was bombed, damaging the Southern Railway line, A20 road, utilities, and 50 homes. Detling was struck at 13:00 hours. Casualties on the ground were limited.
Luftwaffe Claims and Losses
Oblt. Hans Kunert of 8./JG 53 was killed in action, bringing an end to his tally of nine confirmed victories. Meanwhile, Luftwaffe pilots made multiple claims. Oblt. Helmut Wick of 6./JG 2 reported the destruction of three Hurricanes, raising his total to twenty-eight. Oblt. Hans Hahn of 4./JG 2 achieved his fifteenth confirmed victory with the downing of another Hurricane. Oblt. Ignaz Prestele (2./JG 53), Oblt. Franz Götz (7./JG 53), and Lt. Heinz Bär (1./JG 51) each claimed one Hurricane.
Enemy Action by Night:
At 19:30 hours, another Luftwaffe force, around thirty aircraft strong, crossed the coast between Beachy Head and Shoreham, heading for London. This small-scale raid signalled the night’s coming onslaught. Two reconnaissance flights followed, reaching as far as Bedford and Hornchurch.
By 20:00 hours, as darkness fell, the first of nearly 250 bombers from Luftflotte 3 appeared over London. These included Do 17s, He 111s, and Ju 88s, loaded with high explosives, delayed-action bombs, and incendiaries. From dusk until nearly 05:00 the next morning, bombers flew in waves of five to twenty aircraft, many approaching from Cherbourg and Dieppe.
The bombing resumed with devastating effect. London’s East End, still reeling from the previous night, was struck again. Docks and warehouses along the Thames were hit; major fires engulfed Commercial Road East, Surrey Commercial Docks, Greenwich, and Wandsworth’s Vacuum Oil Co. At Wimbledon Station, a train was set alight.
Hospitals were not spared. County Hall, London Hospital, and St. Thomas’ were struck. A public shelter in Islington took a direct hit. Rail infrastructure was crippled: a train at Victoria Station was bombed, killing the driver. Tracks were blocked between London Bridge and New Cross, and unexploded bombs shut down the Waterloo to Clapham Junction line. Fulham Power Station was ablaze.
Woolwich Royal Dockyard lost several buildings. At the Royal Arsenal, multiple sections were damaged, with at least 12 fires and many casualties. Crayford’s gas mains were ignited. The Columbia Market Shelter in Bethnal Green was struck, causing severe civilian casualties.
Civilian Toll and Widespread Destruction:
Casualties during the 8th/9th September night raid totalled 412 dead and 747 injured—a higher death toll than the previous night. Fires lit up the skies as far inland as Barking, East Ham, Poplar, and Leyton. Berger Paints in Homerton was destroyed. Madame Tussauds and parts of Baker Street were damaged.
Balloons were brought down over Hyde Park and Wandsworth. Gun sites were attacked at Dulwich and Wanstead. The Thames Embankment was flooded at Chelsea. All 60 Metropolitan boroughs and local authority areas reported bomb damage.
Air Losses and Strategic Outcome:
The Luftwaffe lost 16 aircraft, with 29 aircrew killed or missing and seven wounded. One He 111 from KG 55 crashed at Villacoublay after sustaining anti-aircraft damage. Another He 111 from 5./KG 27 failed to lift off at Brest, crashing and killing two crew.
Fighter Command lost five aircraft. Two pilots were killed or missing. However, no airfields were hit during the day, allowing squadrons a brief period to recuperate. Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park noted the pause in direct attacks on airfields as a critical reprieve, calling it:
“Göring’s greatest mistake.”
The Luftwaffe’s focus on London came at a cost: while fires burned in the capital, Fighter Command’s strength slowly recovered. The battle for air superiority had entered its next brutal phase.
German Losses:
Airmen: 29 | Aircraft: 16
British Losses:
Airmen: 2 | Aircraft: 5
Spitfire R6756, No. 41 Squadron
F/O W.J. Scott killed. Possibly shot down by Bf 109. Crashed in flames.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/ScottWJM.htm
Hurricane P3201, No. 46 Squadron
Sub/Lt J.C. Carpenter killed. Shot down by E/A. Pilot baled out but killed. Aircraft crashed at Maidstone.
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/CarpenterJC.htm
Photo Descriptions
- The Prime Minister Winston Churchill visits bombed out buildings in the East End of London on 8 September 1940.
- Bomb damaged shops, Lower Road, Bermondsey. with Bermondsey Old Town Hall to the rear, 8 September 1940. © IWM (HU 131496)
- A huge crater in the middle of the road at Elephant & Castle, 8 September 1940.