Date: 6th September 1940
- Weather: Fine, but cooler. Haze in the Straits and Thames Estuary.
- Day: Three main attacks, largely broken up.
- Night: Harassing raids.
Enemy action by day
Three main attacks were launched during the day, all in the South Coast of England, and the Thames Estuary area. During the morning, a raid approached Portland, but no attack developed. A few small raids in the Bristol/North Wales/Liverpool areas and one raid appeared near Leicester and flew out to sea near Tangmere. During engagements with the enemy, our fighters destroyed 44 enemy aircraft (plus 20 probable and 17 damaged). Our casualties amounted to 22 aircraft, of which 7 pilots are killed or missing.
East
Two small raids from the Dutch Cost inland from Harwich, one penetrating to Northampton, and in the afternoon one raid 10 miles out to sea along the Norfolk coast towards the Wash.
South East
First Attack: 0840-0950 hours, raids totalling some 300 enemy aircraft crossed the Coast between Dover and Dungeness and spread out fanwise, some raids penetrating to Biggin Hill and one as far as North Weald. The raids were intercepted by our fighters and most of the day's enemy casualties were inflicted during this attack.
Second Attack: 1255-1400, raids totalling some 200 enemy aircraft crossed the coast again between Dover and Dungeness, followed by further raids. The majority of raids did not penetrate beyond Kent and Sussex, but some appeared to go as far as Debden and Hornchurch. No 11 Group was reinforced by 4½ Squadrons during this attack.
Third Attack: 1745-1845 hours. Two raids each of some 50 enemy aircraft, crossed the coast between Maidstone towards the Thames Estuary. The main target towards Hornchurch but turned back via Maidstone. Seventeen Squadrons were detailed to meet this attack by 11 Group, and one Squadron over North Weald and Hornchurch from 12 Group. It is reported that after this attack two ME110's landed almost undamaged, at Manston and Hawkinge.
South
One early reconnaissance from Cherbourg to Portland, Swanage and Selsey Bill.
One raid of 20+ aircraft from Cherbourg at 1147 hours approached Portland on a ten mile front, and a further raid of 6+ aircraft was plotted at the same time, but an attack did not develop, and only two aircraft were seen near Portland. Between 1400-1500 hours, small hostile patrol in Lyme Bay.
West
At 1700 hours, a small raid flew over North Wales to Liverpool.
North
At 1600 hours, two high reconnaissance raids off the coast at Aberdeen.
By night
Enemy activity was on a very reduced scale.
From 2015 hours, a few raids flew towards London via the Thames Estuary and Kent. There were no raids in this area after 0030 hours.
Scattered raids were plotted through the Midlands and in South Wales, but no raids were plotted into this country after 0100 hours, and up to 0400 hours activity was very slight.
Suspected mine-laying raids on East Coast as far North as the Humber.
At 2115 hours two raids were plotted off Aberdeenshire Coast in vicinity of two convoys.
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Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 6th September 1940
- Blenheim - 52
- Spitfire - 200
- Hurricane - 410
- Defiant - 29
- Gladiator - 9
- Total – 700
Casualties:
Enemy Losses By Fighters Destroyed Probable Damaged 34 Me109 14 Me109 6 Me109 3 Me110 2 Me110 1 He113 1 Do17 3 Do17 1 Do215 6 Ju88 3 Ju88 4 Ju88 44 20 14 - Own:
- 22 aircraft with 7 pilots killed or missing.
Patrols:
- Own
- During the night of 5th/6th September - 50 patrols involving 50 sorties.
- During the day of 6th September - 144 patrols involving 987 sorties.
- Enemy
- It is estimated that about 250 enemy aircraft operated over Great Britain during the night 5th/6th September and 720 during the day of 6th September.
Balloons:
- No reports.
Home Security Reports
- General Summary
- Night of 5th/6th September 1940
- It is estimated that about 190 aircraft took part in the raids during this night but except in London and Liverpool, the number of bombs dropped and damage done appears to have been less than usual. It is reported that the main damage was to railway communications. The bombing of a hospital at Dartford (Kent) was reported yesterday. Bombs were dropped in many districts in Southern England but apart from some damage in London and Lancashire, reports show that elsewhere it was not considerable.
- Date: 6th September 1940
- The enemy again made two raids on this country during the day, the first from 0900 to 1000 hours and the second from 1300 to 1345 hours. A number of bombs were dropped. The Southern Railway lines to Caterham and Oxted were temporarily blocked and very slight damage was done to the Hawker-Hurricane Aircraft Factory at Weybridge and to Pobjoy's Factory at Rochester. For the rest, the bombs were remarkably ineffective and there were very few casualties.
- Date: Night of 6th/7th September 1940
- Extensive raids have been carried out during this night but a summarised account is not yet available.
- Detailed Summary
- Bristol: A report received late on 6th September refers to damage caused to the Works of the Bristol Aeroplane Co during the night raid on 4th/5th September. One HE and one fire bomb caused some damage but apparently not of a major nature and production was not affected. No casualties.
- Date: Night of 5th/6th September 1940
- An enemy aircraft crashed on a house in Sunderland causing fires which were soon extinguished. The roof of Central Station collapsed and traffic was dislocated. Other fires were caused in parts of Durham but were also soon extinguished.
- Slight fires occurred in parts of Yorkshire.
- Lincolnshire: Damage to property was caused by HE at Horncastle and many IB were dropped in other parts of Lincolnshire but no material damage or casualties have been reported.
- In Essex, a number of HE and IB were dropped and damage was mainly to overhead electric cables, a small amount to property and the main road near Rayleigh.
- Surrey, Oxford, Bucks, Somerset, Dorset and Devon were subjected to attacks but nothing of a major nature has been reported.
- The same applies to South Wales.
- Midlands: Bombs were dropped over a limited areas but with the exception of some damage to gas, water, electric light and telephone services, which in cases affected the roads, nothing of a serious nature was reported.
- In the North Western area, Liverpool was bombed and some houses were demolished and water mains were severed. At Spellow Station all lines were blocked by HE explosions and at Lime Street Station, Liverpool, all lines were affected.
- Prescot, St Helens, Rainhill (Mental Hospital), Wallasey, Birkenhead, Bolton and Wigan were also bombed and with the exception of some casualties, some of which were fatal, no major damage is said to have occurred.
- Buckinghamshire: Fifty incendiary bombs were dropped near a military camp at Iver at 0010 hours but only slight damage to property is reported.
- Kent: Service mains were damaged in the early morning at Orpington and Shoreham.
- Worcestershire: Damage to mains and other property is reported from Dudley.
- Scotland: It is reported that a mine was dropped near Kinghorn without causing any damage.
- In the South Eastern region, areas near Hastings and Brighton were subjected to bombing attacks, also near Wye and near Ashford, with only slight damage to property and telephone wires. Other bombs are reported in parts of Sussex and Kent.
- In the London area, damage is briefly recorded as follows:-
- Eltham: A Woolworth's store set on fire.
- Stepney: HE bombs in Lydia Street caused extensive damage to water mains and electric cables and there were some casualties.
- In Kensington, Paddington, Hayes, Southall, Willesden, Tottenham, Southgate, Wood Green, Enfield, Heston, Coulsdon, Purley, Bromley, Beckenham, Walthamstow, Bexley (twice bombed), Plumstead, Yiewsley and Twickenham, bombs wrecked a certain number of houses and some casualties occurred but otherwise the damage is not considered to have been of an unduly serious nature.
- At Croydon: 16 fires were caused by IB and there were 10 casualties of which 2 were fatal.
- In Hampshire: some serious grass and bush fires were started - believed due to bombs - and which it would appear from later information, are still raging and causing some anxiety. In the area near Lyndhurst where these fires occurred, several soldiers are reported to have been buried in Allum Green House (near Bank) on the explosion of HE bombs. Later, four reported killed and 14 injured.
- In Worcestershire, large forest fires reported near Stourport. Several hundred acres involved. Enemy aircraft were believed to be over this area in the early hours of 6th September.
- Southampton: At 0410 hours, 3 HE were dropped in west end of town. No damage or casualties resulted.
- Thames Haven and Coryton: A further attack was delivered at 0220 hours and fresh oil tank fires were started which were still reported burning in the early hours of 7th September. Another attack was delivered at 1800 hours on 6th September and yet another at 0024 on the 7th September.
- Date: 6 September 1940
- 0920 hours: HE and an aerial torpedo (sic) were reported dropped at Caterham.
- 0930 hours: HE at Weybridge - Slight damage to Hawker Aircraft Factory.
- 0938 hours: HE near BBC Station at Tatsfield near Oxted - At Leatherhead and Chertsey - Slight damage to property and overhead cable.
- 1300 hours: Several HE at Dymchurch. A small fire and two bungalows and a road damaged. The bombs may have been intended for Littlestone Landing Ground.
- RAF Stations
- Attacks by Enemy aircraft.
- Quedgeley (Glos): At 0250/5. One direct hit on a fully protected building which suffered only slight damage to roof and stocks. Three cottages wrecked. No casualties.
- Biggin Hill: At 1003/5. By 40 bombers accompanied by 50/60 Fighters. HE and IB were dropped but all fell in woods off the Aerodrome. No damage to aerodrome or aircraft.
- Heston: At 1100/5. Two photographic aircraft damaged but no other effect of bombing reported.
- Hemswell: At 2205/5. Flare path machine-gunned while flares were on.
- Upwood: At 0255/6. Three HE caused three craters on landing ground and land drain damaged.
- Scampton: At 0248/7. One HE reported on aerodrome.
- Biggin Hill: Details of reported attack on 6th September not yet to hand.
- Parachutist: At 1720 hours on 6th September, a German soldier dressed in civilian clothes, was captured at Denton, (Northants). He was in possession of a loaded automatic, receiving and transmitting wireless set, Swedish passport and British identity card. He reported that on landing at 0300/6 he was injured by crashing on his wireless set. Was discovered in a ditch by a farmer. Was detailed for reporting on damage to airfields and aerodromes.
- Casualties on the Ground by Enemy Action:
- To RAF Personnel - Nil killed, nil injured.
- To others - 58 killed, 298 injured approximately.