Fighter-bomber attacks on London and Kent. Night: Raids on London, Liverpool and Birmingham. Weather: Bright intervals with some showers. Enemy Action by Day Thursday, 17 October 1940, brought intermittent clear spells across much of southern England, punctuated by occasional showers. This brief improvement in weather enabled the Luftwaffe to resume fighter-bomber operations over London and […]
1940
17
Oct
Hot Moments At A Fighter Station
Newsreel footage of No. 66 Squadron RAF based at Gravesend, September 1940. The film also includes a brief shot of Uffz Ernst Poschenrieder’s wrecked Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 of 7./JG 53 after it was shot down at Broom Hill, Strood, Rochester on 30 September 1940. Source: British Pathé
18
Oct
Friday 18 October 1940
Relatively quiet. Night: Raids on a reduced scale. Weather: Fog in Straits of Dover and Thames Estuary. Visibility poor. Enemy Action by Day Friday, 18 October 1940, was marked by a decline in large-scale operations across both air and sea, with prevailing weather conditions playing a decisive role in limiting enemy activity. Thick fog blanketed […]
19
Oct
Saturday 19 October 1940
Isolated patrols and reconnaissance. Night: Raids on London, Liverpool, the Midlands and Bristol. Weather: Cloudy in Channel, mist in northern France clearing later. Enemy Action by Day The morning began quietly, with overcast skies above the Channel and lingering fog across northern France limiting large-scale Luftwaffe operations. A series of isolated reconnaissance missions were plotted […]
20
Oct
Sunday 20 October 1940
Fighter-bomber raids on London and the south-east. Night: Heavy attacks on London and industrial targets in the Midlands. Weather: Mainly cloudy in most districts. Enemy Action by Day Cloud and damp weather did little to impede Luftwaffe operations over southeast England, which saw renewed efforts by Bf 109 Jabos—Messerschmitt fighter-bombers—conducting fast-moving daylight strikes. Over the […]
21
Oct
Monday 21 October 1940
Sporadic raids on London, Liverpool and the West Country. Night: London, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Birmingham and Liverpool bombed. Weather: Mainly cloudy with fog and intermittent rain. Poor visibility. Enemy Action by Day Enemy operations on 21 October were limited in scale, largely due to adverse weather conditions across southern England and the Channel. Persistent fog and […]
22
Oct
Tuesday 22 October 1940
Quiet morning and afternoon. Night: London, Coventry and Liverpool attacked. Weather: Widespread fog in the south, clearing to rain later. Enemy Action by Day A slow and cautious start to operations characterised much of the daylight hours, as foul weather grounded most aircraft and complicated coordination across RAF stations. Morning activity was limited to a […]
23
Oct
Wednesday 23 October 1940
Mainly reconnaissance. Night: Attacks on London and Glasgow. Minelaying off the Yorkshire coast. Weather: Low cloud and drizzle. Visibility poor. Enemy Action by Day Despite poor visibility throughout the day and night, the Luftwaffe maintained a low but persistent pressure, blending reconnaissance, sporadic bombing, and mine warfare as the Battle of Britain entered its final […]
24
Oct
Thursday 24 October 1940
Very quiet. Night: Raids on London and Birmingham. Weather: Overcast and hazy in the Channel, clearing to a starlit night. Enemy Action by Day Following several days of unsettled weather across the British Isles, conditions on 24 October 1940 improved sufficiently to permit renewed Luftwaffe reconnaissance activity over East Anglia, the Home Counties, and the […]
25
Oct
Friday 25 October 1940
Fighter-bomber raids on Kent and London. Night: Italian Air Force carries out an attack on Harwich. Weather: Fair but overcast. Enemy Action by Day Enemy activity on 25 October 1940 unfolded on a scale not seen for several days. From shortly after dawn, the Luftwaffe began a series of high-altitude fighter-bomber sweeps and reconnaissance flights […]