Fighter-bomber and fighter sweeps.

Night: Activity greatly reduced.

Weather: Drizzle in the Channel, haze in the Thames estuary and Dover Straits.

Enemy Action by Day

The final day of October 1940 opened with only scattered Luftwaffe activity over Britain, marking one of the quietest periods since early summer and coinciding—though not yet recognised at the time—with the date now regarded as the official end of the Battle of Britain. Hostile operations consisted chiefly of single-aircraft reconnaissance flights, occasional machine-gunning attacks, and limited bombing of aerodromes and industrial sites. No large formations crossed the coast, no fighter sweeps developed over Kent or London, and no direct air combat occurred. The day’s activity resembled a reduced version of night raiding: widely dispersed, sporadic, and tactically unfocused. Fighter Command made no interceptions, and neither side suffered aerial combat casualties.

Morning Activity and Attacks on Shipping

Hostile activity along the North Sea approaches began shortly after 11:00 hours, when an enemy aircraft machine-gunned a ship off Rattray Head and also strafed the Bell Rock Lighthouse. The damaged vessel was subjected to a second attack later in the afternoon while salvage work was underway. Elsewhere in the north, single-reconnaissance aircraft roamed offshore, though none penetrated inland.

Along the southeast coast, the first inland incursion occurred at 07:20 hours when a lone enemy aircraft flew from Dover to Detling, dropping bombs at Martlesham. Additional reconnaissance flights followed in the Straits of Dover until approximately 09:00 hours, none of which were intercepted.

Reconnaissance Over East Anglia and the Midlands

From 13:00 hours onward, Luftwaffe reconnaissance intensified across East Anglia. Five single-aircraft tracks appeared between 13:00 and 17:00 hours, followed later by more determined inland penetrations. Between 17:00 and 18:00 hours, an aircraft entered at Mablethorpe, flying inland toward Kirton-in-Lindsey, while another crossed the coast at Cromer at 10,000 feet and traversed Spurn Head, Driffield, and Hull before turning south again toward Kirton-in-Lindsey.

Further reports identified hostile flights near Lowestoft, Norwich, Dereham, Mildenhall, Downham Market, and Bassingbourn—the latter being bombed with high-explosive at 13:00 hours. The pattern strongly suggested reconnaissance of aerodromes, with occasional attempts at harassment bombing.

At 11:45 hours, a separate reconnaissance aircraft crossed the coast at Worthing and flew a long inland route over Bristol, Monmouth, and Newport, where the Royal Ordnance Factory at Glascoed was attacked at 12:50 hours. Twelve bombs were released, three of which failed to explode; the aircraft then machine-gunned the works from low altitude, damaging the roof. At 12:30 hours, another enemy aircraft dropped bombs on the RAF station at Poling.

Further Movements Across the South and Midlands

Between 12:30 hours and early afternoon, single aircraft made isolated appearances as far afield as Liverpool. By mid-afternoon, additional tracks crossed the coast toward Wittering, Spurn Head, Nottingham, and the East Anglian airfields. Other raids were plotted from the Isle of Wight toward Salisbury and Swindon, and further inland to Middle Wallop, Warwick, and London. These movements were diffuse and unrepeated, consistent with reconnaissance and nuisance bombing rather than coordinated operations.

A single He 111 of III./KG 55 took off from Villacoublay at 10:45 hours for an intended mission to the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton, but the flight was abandoned soon after departure.

Daylight Bombing and Ground Damage

Bombing incidents were recorded at several aerodromes. Bassingbourn received high-explosive bombs at 13:00 hours, creating five craters but causing no further structural damage. At 13:45 hours, the aerodrome under construction at Lawford Heath was attacked by a single aircraft, which dropped five high-explosive bombs and badly damaged sixteen wooden huts. At 13:25 hours in Cambridge, an HE bomb struck the British Portland Cement Co., damaging the electricians’ shop. At 14:44 hours, five enemy aircraft machine-gunned houses near Castle Bromwich; blast and anti-aircraft splinters caused damage to roofs and windows, and the Repairable Equipment Ltd factory suffered the most serious effects.

At 17:45 hours, Newton aerodrome was machine-gunned after two unexploded bombs were dropped nearby. Additional bombs fell during the evening at Ingham, Horsham St. Faith, and Gravesend, though without significant damage. Scampton, Hemswell, Kirton-in-Lindsey, Sutton Bridge, Martlesham, and Henlow were also reported bombed, though details were not yet available.

One merchant ship, SS Hillfern (1,535 tons), sailing from Sunderland to Cork with coal, was sunk northeast of Kinnaird Head following sustained Luftwaffe attacks.

RAF Incidents

Although no combat occurred, several RAF units were airborne on patrol. The only loss resulted from mechanical failure: a Hurricane of No. 43 Squadron force-landed at Chirnside, Berwick, at 10:30 hours. The pilot, Sergeant B. Malinowski, escaped injury.

Enemy Action by Night

Night operations on 31 October/1 November proceeded in two distinct phases, separated by a prolonged lull caused by adverse weather conditions. The early evening raids concentrated primarily on London and the southeastern counties, while later activity developed against both London and the Midlands. Minelaying occurred off Spurn Head and in the Thames Estuary. No large formations penetrated deeply inland, and by dawn enemy activity had almost entirely subsided.

First Phase (18:25–21:00 Hours)

The first night raiders—approximately thirty aircraft—departed Dieppe at 18:25 hours, following the usual north-westerly route. Strong westerly gales forced them off course, resulting in landfalls between Hastings and Dungeness. Two additional raids from Calais joined the stream, directing their efforts toward West and Central London. Only a few aircraft succeeded in reaching their objectives; most turned south or east in response to wind drift and anti-aircraft fire.

Simultaneously, two raids were suspected of minelaying off Spurn Head. All raiders subsequently withdrew along reciprocal tracks. By 20:20 hours the London area was clear, and by 21:00 hours no hostile aircraft were plotted anywhere over Britain. London received the All Clear at 21:00 hours.

Second Phase (02:45–06:00 Hours)

A renewed period of activity began at 02:45 hours. Two separate attack streams developed: one from the south-west targeting the Midlands, the other from Dieppe and Le Havre operating against London.

The Midland raids, consisting of approximately six aircraft, made landfall in the Weymouth area before proceeding to Birmingham, with one or two continuing further north. The London attack was carried out by twenty-five to thirty aircraft approaching from the Channel coast. Bombs fell on both London and Birmingham during this period. At 05:00 hours the London raid began to diminish, and the last Midland raiders left the country shortly thereafter. A few scattered tracks persisted until dawn.

Bomb Damage and Civil Impact

Bombing during the day and night caused scattered damage at several industrial and military locations. The Royal Ordnance Factory at Glascoed sustained roof damage and temporary production delays while unexploded bombs were removed. Washwood Heath goods sidings in Birmingham suffered serious disruption from high-explosive bombs, affecting LMS rail traffic. At Stepney, an HE bomb destroyed a new five-storey block of flats at 19:55 hours, though casualties were low as most residents were in shelters.

Elsewhere, minor incidents included bomb damage at the British Portland Cement Co. in Cambridge; machine-gunning attacks in Castle Bromwich; incendiary bombs falling near Gravesend aerodrome; damage to mains at Pobjoy Ammunition & Aircraft Ltd; and attacks on aerodromes whose detailed reports were still pending.

Summary

Although the reduced scale of Luftwaffe activity on 31 October offered little indication to those still on duty, the date would later be recognised as marking the official conclusion of the Battle of Britain. After nearly four months of sustained daylight assault by three Luftflotten, Fighter Command emerged bloodied yet unbroken, its operational strength intact and its control system functioning with undiminished efficiency. The decision by the German High Command to curtail major daylight operations—prompted by prohibitive losses, the failure to secure air superiority, and the onset of deteriorating weather—confirmed that the Luftwaffe had abandoned its strategic aim of defeating Britain from the air. The significance of this day lay not in its quiet operational record, but in what it represented: the first major strategic check to Hitler’s military machine, the safeguarding of Britain from invasion, and the demonstration—watched closely abroad—that the RAF could withstand, and ultimately repel, the full weight of German air power.

German Losses:
Airmen: 0 | Aircraft: 2

British Losses:
Airmen: 0 | Aircraft: 0

Cumulative Battle of Britain Losses (July–October 1940)

• RAF Fighter Command:
  • 544 pilots killed
  • 422 wounded
  • 1,547 aircraft destroyed
• Luftwaffe:
  • 2,698 aircrew killed
  • 1,887 aircraft lost
• Foreign pilots in RAF service:
  595 non-British pilots flew in the Battle, including:
  • 145 from Poland
  • 127 from New Zealand
  • 112 from Canada
  • 88 from Czechoslovakia
  • 32 from Australia
  • 28 from Belgium
  • 25 from South Africa
  • 13 from France
  • 10 from Ireland
  • 7 from United States
  • 1 each from Jamaica, Palestine, and Rhodesia

Photo Descriptions

1. Supermarine Spitfire Mk Is of No. 19 Squadron RAF at Fowlmere near Duxford. © IWM (CH 1452)
2. Barbed wire defences on the clifftops at Birling Gap near Eastbourne, October 1940. © IWM (H 5103)