Date: 19th September 1940
- Weather: Showery.
- Day: Reduced activity, attacks mainly over Thames Estuary and East London.
- Night: Raids on London and Merseyside.
Enemy action by day
Enemy activity was on a much reduced scale. There were no major attacks, but a considerable number of single enemy aircraft reconnaissances were made over South East England, South Wales and the Liverpool area, and also over convoys. It has been noticed that raids often appeared to originate in the Liverpool area without having been previously plotted. Furthermore raids are sometimes lost some 60 miles North of Milford Haven. During the day our fighters destroyed four enemy aircraft (plus one probable) and a Ju88 force landed complete with bombs and crew undamaged at Oaklington.
South and East
At 0950 hours a raid crossed the coast at Beachy Head flew North over London to as far as the Sutton Bridge area and was shot down near Newmarket at 1050 hours.
At 1045 hours one raid which flew to Harwich and North West inland was intercepted and shot down near a convoy off Orfordness.
At 1442 hours a raid appeared 60 miles South of Tangmere crossed the coast there and went North to Kenley, Northolt and the Wittering area, thence to Peterborough. Fighters followed this enemy aircraft, which was a Ju88 and which force landed intact at Oaklington, east of Peterborough, owing to engine trouble.
Throughout the day many single reconnaissances were active in the Kent and Sussex areas, two of which were destroyed by our fighters (plus one probable).
South West and West
In the morning two raids were plotted in the Liverpool area.
At 1930 hours, two raids appeared in the Liverpool area and at that time ten enemy aircraft were off the coast of Wales approaching Liverpool. The tracks of these raids appeared to have been completely lost between South West and North Wales.
At 2005 hours 13 raids, each of one single aircraft, came from the North West corner of the Cherbourg Peninsular and went inland from the Needles to Selsey Bill.
By night
At 1956 hours London received the "red" warning as raids commenced to come from the mouth of the Scheldt. They were flying at about 20,000 feet straight up the Thames Estuary to the London area.
At 2100 hours there were about six raids operating over London. A similar number of raids was in the Isle of Wight area, in Kent and in Wales, making a total of some 30 enemy aircraft inland with many more on their way.
At 2130 hours enemy aircraft were still crossing the coast in fair numbers, but only in the sector between the Isle of Wight and Harwich. The Wales area was clearing and enemy aircraft were going South to Devon and Somerset and at 2200 hours the West Country was practically clear and enemy activity was confined to Kent, London and the Thames Estuary, off the Suffolk and possibly the Sussex Coasts. During the night considerable enemy activity occurred in the East Anglian area.
At 0023 hours it was reported that a Dornier had crashed near Kenley as a result of AA fire.
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Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 19th September 1940
- Blenheim - 51
- Spitfire - 211
- Hurricane - 364
- Defiant - 21
- Gladiator - 7
- Total – 654
Casualties:
Enemy Losses By Fighters Destroyed Probable Damaged 4Ju88 1 Ju88 4 1 Nil By Forced Landing 1 Ju88 1 Nil Nil By Anti-Aircraft 1 Dornier 1 Nil Nil - Own:
- Nil
Patrols:
- Own
- During the night of 18th/19th September - 63 patrols involving 65 sorties.
- During the day of 19th September - 108 patrols involving 237 sorties.
- Enemy
- It is estimated that about 275 enemy aircraft operated over Great Britain during the night 18th/19th September and 70 during the day of 19th September.
Balloons:
- No report.
Aerodromes:
- No report.
Organisation:
- No 234 Squadron moved from Warmwell to St Eval.
- No 238 Squadron moved from St Eval to Middle Wallop.
- No 257 Squadron whole Squadron at Martlesham.
- No 25 Squadron 1 Flight at North Weald and 1 Flight at Martlesham.
- No 222 Squadron moved from Hornchurch to Rochford.
- No 41 Squadron moved from Rochford to Hornchurch.
- No 600 Squadron moved from Hornchurch to Redhill.
- No 264 Squadron whole Squadron at Northolt.
- No 266 Squadron whole Squadron at Wittering.
- No 64 Squadron 1 Flight at Leconfield and 1 Flight at Ringway.
- No 610 Squadron moved from Croydon to Acklington.
Home Security Reports
- General Summary
- Date: 19th September 1940
- Enemy bombing activity on the 19th September was not so intensive as of recent days, but bombs were dropped in the London area and in Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Essex. A number of casualties were reported but damage was not severe.
- During the night of September 19th/20th, London was again the centre of attack and there are reports of varying damage to buildings and communications. Bombs were also dropped in Cheshire, Lancashire and Lincolnshire.
- Detailed Summary
- RAF Stations
- Scampton: Three craters were reported on the landing ground as a result of bombing at 0050 hours.
- Lyneham: Two HE and on oil IB were dropped at 1610 hours resulting on a direct hit on one hangar. Eight civilian casualties reported.
- Chivenor: Twenty-five IB were dropped at 2010 hours but damage, if any, not known.
- London Area
- Edmonton: Major damage reported on the night of the 18th/19th September. An unexploded bomb is suspected at De La Rue, Thomas & Co's factories, necessitating all production being stopped.
- Battersea: The windows of the Projectile & Engineering Co of Acre Street, have been shattered and production held up in three shops.
- Willesden: Bombing took place at 2156 hours on the 19th September and George Kent Ltd of the North Circular Road was hit but there was no damage to production machinery. However, and unexploded bomb is suspected in the East Wing.
- Tottenham: It is reported that at 2250 hours on the 19th September, an HE struck an escape hatch of a public trench shelter situated in Lordship Lane. Reports so far suggest about 60 casualties.
- Walthamstow & Hackney: These areas were machine-gunned at a low altitude at about 1455 hours on 19th September. No casualties nor damage reported.
- It is reported that there are two unexploded bombs in the quadrangle of the War Office, a fire on the roof of the Foreign Office and a burst main at the Scottish Office. The two latter incidents have been dealt with satisfactorily.
- As a result of HE bombing at 0219 hours on 20th September, Whitehall is blocked from Parliament Square to Whitehall Place.
- Elsewhere
- Liverpool: HE & IB were scattered over a wide area in the City on the night of 18th/19th September, causing damage to a church, private property, shops, gas, electricity and water mains. Fire was caused on the roof of the Electricity Power Station but it was extinguished and no interruption of supply was sustained. An unexploded bomb is reported in the Automatic Telephone Company's factory which necessitated sending 800 workers home.
- Birkenhead: HE & IB damaged railway sheds and tracks near Morpeth Docks. A barge loaded with steel billets was sunk and a hydraulic main fractured.
- Southend: HE were dropped at 1000 hours and seven houses were wrecked and several damaged. Electric, water & gas mains were fractured, the latter catching fire.
- Tilbury Fort: Damage was done to the Military Quarters at 1025 hours but no details are available.
- Lewisham: A parachute mine is reported to have been dropped at 0240 hours on the 20th September, in the grounds of the Ladywell Institution and evacuation of some 900 people is involved.