Battle of Britain - Third Phase
September
6th - October 5th
1940
Friday, September 6th : Biggin Hill airfield and Brooklands
aircraft factory were bombed. Bombing was very inaccurate.
Night: Scattered raids.
Saturday, September 7th : London was very heavily bombed. Great numbers
were killed and there were many fires. The defence of the capital by RAF
fighters was brave and unwavering.
Night: Continued savage massive bombing
of London.
Sunday, September 8th : Light attacks on Hornchurch, Detling
and West Malling airfields. Gravesend
and Sevenoaks were bombed.
Night: London was attacked by 207
bombers. 412 Londoners were killed and 747 were seriously injured.
Monday, September 9th : Purley, Norbiton, Surbiton,
Canterbury and Kingston were bombed. West Malling and Tangmere airfields were
attacked. Brooklands aircraft factory and London were attacked.
Night: London was badly hit.
Tuesday, September 10th : Tangmere was strafed, and West
Malling was bombed.
Night: London, Liverpool and south Wales were bombed.
Wednesday, September 11th : Bombs were dropped on London,
Hornchurch, Kenley, Biggin Hill, Brooklands, Eastchurch, Detling and
Colerne.
Night: London was heavily attacked, and
Merseyside was bombed.
Thursday, September 12th : Fairlight radar station was
bombed.
Night: London, Midlands, north-east and
south-east England were lightly attacked.
Friday, September 13th : London was bombed .
Night: London was bombed.
Saturday, September 14th : London was attacked.
Night: London, Ipswich, Cardiff and
Maidstone were attacked.
Sunday, September 15th : London was massively attacked by
huge formations of German planes. Bombing was not very accurate because of the determined
and highly spirited defence put up by RAF fighters.
This day was chosen as Battle of Britain Day. 27 losses for RAF / 56 for Luftwaffe
Night: London was badly hit. Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol
and Cardiff were attacked.
Monday, September 16th : London was raided but activity was
generally little.
Night: Merseyside and Bristol were
attacked. London was heavily bombed
Tuesday, September 17th : German fighter sweeps were
generally foiled by RAF.
Night: London was badly hit; raids on
Liverpool and Glasgow.
Wednesday, September 18th : The Thames Estuary was bombed .
Night: London and Liverpool were
attacked.
Thursday, September 19th : Bombers over London and Thames
Estuary.
Night: Central London and Merseyside were
attacked
Friday, September 20th : There was a German fighter sweep
over Kent.
Night: London was bombed.
Saturday, September 21st : Kenley, Biggin Hill and Hornchurch
airfields were attacked. London was bombed. Brooklands aircraft factory was
bombed.
Night: London and Liverpool were
attacked.
Sunday, September 22nd : A few German intrusions into
British airspace.
Night: London was bombed.
Monday, September 23rd : Fighter sweeps over Kent.
Night: London was bombed.
Tuesday, September 24th : Southampton and Tilbury were attacked.
Adolf Galland scored his 40th victory.
Night: London and Merseyside were bombed.
Wednesday, September 25th : Plymou h and Bristol were attacked.
Bristol aircraft factory was heavily damaged, and many workers were killed.
Night: London, north-west England and
north Wales were bombed
Thursday, September 26th : Aircraft factory at Southampton was
destroyed.
Night: London and Merseyside were
attacked.
Friday, September 27th : Some raids on London and Bristol were
driven back before they reached their targets.
Night: London, Liverpool and Midlands
were attacked.
Saturday, September 28th : Some raids on London and Portsmouth
were largely forced back.
Night: London was heavily attacked.
Sunday, September 29th : Small attacks on convoys and
on South-East England
Monday, September 30th : There were fighter sweeps over
south-east, and some enemy planes reached London. Luftwaffe bombs missed their
target of the aircraft factory in Yeovil and hit small town of Sherbourne
instead.
Night: London, Bristol and Liverpool were
bombed.
Tuesday, October 1st : Germans switched tactics.
Bombers were kept for night work, and there were daytime sweeps by groups of
100 plus fighters armed with a 250kg bomb.
London, Portsmouth and Southampton were lightly hit by fighter-bombers.
Night: London, Manchester and Liverpool
were bombed.
Wednesday, October 2nd : From 9.30am to 1.00pm
fighter-bombers continuously attacked Biggin Hill and London from high
altitude.
Night: 100 bombers attacked London.
Others hit airfields in the south, Aberdeen and Manchester.
Thursday, October 3rd : Single fighter-bombers and pairs
attacked airfields in the south and the de Havilland aircraft factory at
Hatfield.
Night: London was bombed.
Friday, October 4th : London, Canterbury and other Kent
towns were attacked by fighter-bombers.
Night: London and Liverpool were
attacked.
Saturday, October 5th : Folkstone, Southampton and Detling
were hit. Fighter-bombers over London.
Night: London and eastern airfields were
attacked.
Total Aircraft Losses from September 6th to October 5th :
RAF 271 / Luftwaffe 503