Posted on 09/30/2010 5:27:22 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Plus a special guest map from Michael Korda’s, “With Wings Like Eagles,” showing the air defenses of England and Wales, August 1940.
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/sep40/f30sep40.htm
RAF fights off German raiders
Monday, September 30, 1940 www.onwar.com
Over Britain... Day 82 of the Battle of Britain. There are five German attempts to bomb London. The aircraft from the first and second raids jettison their bombs over Hastings and Rexhill. An estimated 30 Ju88 bombers from the fourth raid reach the western suburbs of London and cause some casualties. Meanwhile, about 40 He111 bombers escorted by Me110 fighters aim for the Westland Aircraft Factory in Yeovil fail to find the target and bomb Sherborne (Dorset). Four German He111 bombers and 5 British Hurricane fighters are shot down. Total aircraft losses amount to 47 German and 20 British planes. During the night, London is raided again with the bombs dropping mainly on the suburbs. Other targets include Liverpool where some fires are reported.
Over Occupied Europe... RAF bombers conduct night raids on Berlin, invasion ports, airfields and other objectives. Five British planes are lost.
In Britain... Three German agents are put ashore from a seaplane on the coast of Banff, Scotland in Operation Hummer (literally translated to Lobster). All three are captured and two are executed. The third, a double-agent, Vera von Schalburg, disappears.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/30.htm
September 30th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
Battle of Britain: During the daylight, London and the Westland factory at Yeovil are bombed. On this last day of mass daylight bomber raids the Luftwaffe reintroduces old tactics with close escorts to their bombers and pays a heavy price in bombers and fighters for negligible damage.
(Night) London bombed.
Civilian casualties of the Blitz this month are 6,954 killed and 10,615 hurt.
Wattisham, Suffolk: Wing-Cdr Laurence Frank Sinclair (b. 1908) dragged an airman from a crashed, burning plane. Unfortunately, the airman later died. (George Cross)
Bridlington, Yorks.: Mr. Thomas Hooper Alderson (1903-65), ARP, after leading many rescue attempts this month including one where he saved six people who were trapped by tunnelling for 14-feet, is awarded the George Cross. (This is the first GC to be gazetted.)
Losses: Luftwaffe, 48; RAF, 20.
RAF Bomber Command: Bombing - Reich Chancellery in Berlin.
4 Group. 10 Sqn. Whitley, N1483 ditched off Eire. Flg Off. L.D. Wood, Plt Off K. Humby, and Sgts E.R. Mounsey, C. Douglas-Browne and R.H.Thomas all rescued.
Whitley T4130 Missing from Berlin. Shot down near Badbergen. Sgts V. Snell and G.L. Ismay killed, Sgts W.D. Chamberlain, R.E. Nicholson and A.S.Shand PoW.
10 Sqn. Ten aircraft. All bombed. Opposition severe. One FTR, one ditched in Irish Sea, crew saved.
Edinburgh: An arrest was made at the left-luggage office at Waverley station tonight. A German agent had landed earlier by seaplane on a remote beach in North-East Scotland. He was travelling under the name of Werner Walti, with two accomplices, Karl Drucke and Vera Erikson. They were arrested later.
Walti deposited a suitcase. It was water-stained and proved to contain a transmitter. When he returned to claim it, a detective superintendent disguised as a porter grabbed his wrist as he reached for his pistol.
Two German agents, Karl Drucke who had a loaded 6.35 Mauser automatic which was taken from Drucke by Inspector John Simpson after a struggle, a flickknife was found in his suitcase and Vera Eriksen, were arrested at Buckie, on the Moray Firth, having first been spotted in Port Gordon. A third member of the same group, Werner Walti (real name Robert Petter), was arrested in Edinburgh, where he had deposited a wireless set in a suitcase at the Waverley Street luggage office. After extensive MI5 interrogation in London the two men were sentenced to death at the Old Bailey and hanged in Wandsworth Prison on 6 August 1941. The woman, who had been a prewar part-time informant for MI5, escaped the same penalty. (Bill Howard)
Destroyer HMS Quail laid down.
Destroyers HMS Farndale and Brocklesby launched.
Corvette HMS Cyclamen commissioned.
Light cruiser HMS Dido commissioned.
Submarine ORP Sokol (ex-HMS Urchin) launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE:
Paris: The Reich Chief Security Office sets up a special section under orders from Adolf Eichmann in Berlin. It will register France’s entire Jewish population.
GERMANY: KptLt Helmut Rosenbaum commissions U-73. (Dave Shirlaw)
U-408 laid down.
U-73 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA:
Merchant ship losses for September: 2 ships of 6,000 tons.
Italian submarine ‘Gondar’ approaches Alexandria with human torpedoes for an attack on the base. She is located by an RAF Sunderland of No 230 Squadron and sunk by Australian destroyer HMAS Stuart.
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Battleford laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC:
Early in the month the first wolf-pack attacks are directed by Adm Donitz against the convoy SC2. Five of the 53 ships are sunk. A similar operation is mounted two weeks later against the 40 ships of HX72. The U-boats present include those commanded by the aces Kretschmer, Prien and Schepke. Eleven ships are lost, seven to Schepke’s U-100 in one night. The German B-Service is instrumental in directing U-boats to many convoys, where they hold the advantage as they manoeuvre on the surface between the merchantmen and escorts.
Losses: 53 ships of 272,000 tons and 2 escorts.
European Waters, Merchant ship losses: 39 ships of 131,000 tons.
U-37 sank SS Heminge and SS Samala in Convoy OB-220.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 396 September 30, 1940
Battle of Britain Day 83. With fair weather, Luftwaffe again mounts bombing daylight raids supported by large numbers of fighters. 4 raids consisting of 60-200 aircraft come in over Kent at 9AM, 10AM, 1 PM & 4 PM. They are intercepted and broken up but some get through to bomb London and RAF airfields. 2 raids of 100 aircraft fly across the Channel from the Cherbourg area to attack the South coast. Luftwaffe loses 14 bombers and 32 Messerschmitt fighters, while RAF loses 20 fighters (8 pilots killed). Since September 7, Luftwaffe has lost 433 aircraft compared to 242 RAF fighters lost. During the night, London, Liverpool and a number of other cities are bombed. RAF bombers conduct night raids on Berlin, invasion ports, airfields (5 British bombers lost). Since the beginning of September, British civilian casualties are 6,954 killed and 10,615 injured.
The minefield laid off Falmouth by German destroyers Eckholdt, Riedel, Lody, Galster, Ihn and Steinbrinck on September 28 claims 2 victims. British armed yacht HMY Sappho (29 killed) and minesweeping trawler HMT Comet (15 lost, 2 survivors) hit mines and sink.
British monitor HMS Erebus (a slow, lightly armored WWI-era ship, carrying 2 15-inch guns) fires 17 rounds at German gun emplacements near Calais from the middle of the Straits of Dover, escorted by destroyers HMS Vesper and Garth.
300 miles West of Ireland, U-37 sinks 2 British steamers; SS Samala carrying 1500 tons of bananas from Jamaica at 10.13 AM (all 65 crew members, 1 gunner and 2 passengers lost) and SS Heminge carrying 3300 tons of coal at 9.56 PM (1 killed, 24 crew members and 1 gunner 1 picked up by British merchant Clan Cumming and landed at Liverpool). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/570.html
Date: 30th September 1940
Enemy action by day
Four attacks of considerable weight were made over East Kent, one of which spread westwards, and two others took place in the Portland area. The second of these synchronised with the fourth attack (which spread westwards) in Kent.
Other activity consisted of reconnaissance flights along the Coasts, and investigation and attacks on shipping were again reported.
Our fighters destroyed 45 enemy aircraft (plus 32 probable and 29 damaged), and in addition one destroyed by AA.
Our losses amounted to 20 aircraft with 8 pilots killed or missing.
North and North-East Coast
At 1030 hours single enemy aircraft approached the Firth of Forth but turned away when 40 miles to sea.
East Coast
At Ju88 which made a reconnaissance of Chesterfield at 0630 hours re-crossed the Coast at the Humber and was shot down.
Later a Naval Unit was bombed off Harwich. Reconnaissance of two convoys off Yarmouth and later off Cromer, were made at 0900 and 0930 hours.
At 1010 hours a hostile reconnaissance was made over Bedford, Cardington, Duxford, Debden and Eastchurch.
Between 1200 and 1300 hours other reconnaissances were made and a convoy reported that it was being shadowed.
At 1700 hours a single enemy aircraft crossed the Coast at Bawdsey penetrating only a few miles inland.
South-East Coast
From 0635 hours single enemy aircraft were active from the Estuary to Beachy Head and inland in two cases to Farnborough and Worthing.
Kent - 1st Attack
At 0900 hours formations of 30 aircraft including 12 bombers and 50 aircraft all fighters, crossed the Coast East and West of Dungeness respectively. They were preceded by a single aircraft which flew in over Rye. The attack penetrated to Biggin Hill and Kenley. Meanwhile another raid of 12 aircraft patrolled Dungeness eastwards of the attack, just inland, and 50 additional aircraft remained off-shore at Dover.
Kent - 2nd Attack
At 1010 hours 75 enemy aircraft composed of bombers with fighter escort crossed at Dungeness and again flew to Biggin Hill - Kenley area where the formations were broken up. 25 enemy aircraft patrolled the Straits. By 1030 hours the raids had turned South.
Kent - 3rd Attack
At 1310 hours some 100 enemy aircraft with 18 others in advance, flew inland at Lympne. A second wave brought up the total to about 180 aircraft in all, with 40 more patrolling at Dover. The formation of 18, followed by the main body, spread inland on a general for London. It was principally held up 20 miles from Central London, but 9 aircraft consisting of JU88s and Me109s penetrated while others approached the South-Western suburbs. The aircraft were recrossing the Coast at 1345 hours.
Kent - 4th Attack
At 1608 hours four raids totalling about 200+ enemy aircraft flew from Dungeness to Biggin Hill and scattered over East Kent from Kenley to Hornchurch. Some flew West and approached Weybridge from the South. These again turned West down the Thames Valley as far as Reading. Dispersal continued and aircraft were over Middle Wallop, North of Tangmere and near Winchester. Bombers predominated in this attack which finished at about 1730 hours. 1700-1900 hours - Patrol activity continued in the Estuary, Straits and Beachy Head to Dungeness.
South & West Coasts
Portland - 1st Attack
At 1055 hours 100 enemy aircraft crossed the Coast at St Albans Head of which 50 came from Cherbourg and 50 from the Seine. A split of 25 flew across Dorset and Devon to the Somerset border, but the remainder penetrated inland only some 15 miles. The raid was over by 1200 hours. No 10 Group detailed one squadron to patrol Bristol, while the other Squadrons were detailed to counter the attack. No 11 Group sent four Squadrons to patrol Portsmouth-Southampton.
Portland - 2nd Attack
At 1635 hours, while the East Kent raid was in progress, 50 aircraft flew over Portland, a further 50 following the Coast to Lyme Bay. These joined the first formation and flew inland some 20 miles. Weymouth was bombed and damage is also reported in the Yeovil area. By 1700 hours the aircraft were returning to France. At 1730 hours a reconnaissance of Southampton was made by a single aircraft.
Night Operations - 30th September to 1st October 1940
There was considerable enemy activity over a widespread area during the earlier part of the night, but after 2330 hours raids were less in number and from 0100 hours onwards, were confined almost entirely to an area South of a line from the Wash to St David's Head.
At 1900 hours, the first night raiders were plotted leaving Seine Bay. These crossed the Coast at Selsey Bill and headed for London. Raids from the Dutch Coast crossed between Orfordness and Harwich, and some of them penetrated through Duxford/Debden areas to approach London from the North.
From 2100 hours onwards, raids from Cherbourg and Havre flew to the Isle of Wight and then to Bristol Channel, spreading to South Wales and the Midlands and up to the Liverpool and Mersey area.
From 2200 hours, raids approaching from the East crossed the Coast between the Wash and the Thames Estuary, some heading for London, whilst others spread over East Anglia, penetrating through Lincolnshire to the Nottingham area.
It was estimated at 0530 hours that 275 enemy aircraft had operated over or around this Country of which 175 penetrated to Central London.
Minelaying was suspected in the Firth of Forth, Thames Estuary and off Harwich.
Activity continued until about 0600 hours, when the last raids were leaving the Country.
________________________________________
Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 30th September 1940
Casualties:
| Enemy Losses | ||
| By Fighters | ||
| Destroyed | Probable | Damaged |
| 24 Me109 | 20 Me109 | 7 Me109 |
| 7 Me110 | 4 Me110 | 7 Me110 |
| 7 Ju88 | 3 Ju88 | 4 Ju88 |
| 1 He113 | ||
| 1 Do17 | 6 Do17 | |
| 2 Do215 | 2 Do215 | |
| 4 He111 | 2 He111 | 5 He111 |
| 45 | 32 | 29 |
| By Anti-Aircraft | ||
| 1 Me109 | ||
| 1 | Nil | Nil |
Patrols:
Balloons:
Aerodromes:
Organisation:
Air Intelligence Reports
Home Security Reports
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Note the story about the Jews released from concentration camps, being blocked from going to a place of safety - by the allies.
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