Date: 5th October 1940
- Weather: Local showers in most parts, bright periods. Winds light and variable.
- Day: Targets in Kent and Southampton attacked.
- Night: Raids on London and East Anglian airfields.
Enemy action by day
Six attacks were made by the enemy in formations of varying size, of which four were in the South East of England, (three of them developing towards London), and two in the Portsmouth-Southampton area.
Reconnaissance activity was fairly marked in the early morning, but decreased later.
Our fighters destroyed 22 enemy aircraft, plus 5 probable, plus 16 damaged. We lost 9 aircraft, but only 2 pilots.
Attacks
First Attack
At 0930 hours a small scale attack by thirty Me109s was made on Dover from 1000 feet. Interception was effected at Maidstone and the enemy aircraft were soon recrossing the Coast.
Second Attack
At 1045 hours 150 enemy aircraft crossed the coast at or near Lympne and spread fanwise through Kent. A formation of 100 enemy fighters flew towards London, but only some ten penetrated the Inner Artillery Zone. A second formation of fifty enemy bombers remained near the Coast.
Third Attack
At 1345 hours, 120 enemy aircraft flew inland between Eastbourne and Folkestone and 70 aircraft of these continued towards London, fifty penetrating the Inner Artillery Zone and twenty getting no further than South London. Twenty aircraft cruised about in East Kent and the Estuary, while the remainder patrolled the Coastal area from Deal to Beachy Head.
Fourth Attack
At 1545 hours, twenty enemy aircraft crossed the coast at Hastings and flew towards Kenley; a split from this raid went to Tangmere and Maidstone. At the same time twenty other enemy aircraft crossed at Dungeness flying towards Biggin Hill.
Until 1630 hours strong patrols were maintained in the Straits.
Portsmouth - Southampton
First Attack
At 134 hours a raid of thirty enemy aircraft approached the Needles and flew to Southampton and inland for about 25 miles. At the same time fifty enemy aircraft crossed the coast at Swanage and flew mostly over Poole and Weymouth but some elements penetrated some 30 miles before they retired. Seven Squadrons were detailed to intercept this raid. (This attack synchronised with the Third Attack on East Kent - see above.)
Second Attack
At 1715 hours fifty enemy aircraft crossed the Isle of Wight and flew inland covering Portsmouth - Southampton - Tangmere. By 1730 hours they had turned South.
Reconnaissances
Between 0645 and 0900 hours there was marked activity by single aircraft in the Straits at heights from 10,000 to 15,000 feet. Some of these flew inland and up the Estuary to Sheppey and Gravesend. In one case attacks were made at Fairlight and Hastings.
At 1245 a single aircraft attacked Dover.
There were very few reconnaissance flights in the afternoon.
Night Operations - 5th / 6th October 1940
Enemy activity although considerable, was more diluted than on the previous night.
1900 Hours to 2100 Hours
Forty enemy aircraft crossed our coasts during this period, twenty-six from Abbeville, twelve from Le Havre and two from Cherbourg areas. Practically all concentrated on London.
2100 Hours to 2300 Hours
Further raiders were plotted originating as follows:- Dutch Coast 17, Le Havre 4, Cherbourg 9, Baie Seine 10, Dieppe-Boulogne 8. The main objective continued to be London, but raids were also widespread in Essex and Cambridgeshire. Two enemy aircraft were plotted over Liverpool and minelaying was suspected in the Thames Estuary, in the Humber and off Flamborough Head.
2300 Hours to 0100 Hours
Thirty-six additional enemy aircraft entered during this period, the majority still heading for London, although Cambridgeshire and Norfolk were also widely covered.
Seventeen of these raids came from the Dutch Coast, the remainder from the usual French sources. One raider was reported burnt out near Colmworth, Beds, cause unknown.
0100 Hours to 0600 Hours
Activity continued on a similar scale until 0130, but by 0200 hours had noticeably lessened, only six enemy aircraft being then plotted inland over England.
At 0245 hours, increased effort was resumed, with about twenty enemy aircraft, operating almost entirely to the London area. Single raiders however visited Oxford, Northampton and Leicester areas. Activity then ceased, but resumed at 0350 hours on a small scale in South East England.
At 0555 hours the last enemy aircraft was reported going South from London, and no fresh raids were approaching.
The whole country was clear at 0602 hours.
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Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 5th October 1940
- Blenheim - 59
- Spitfire - 232
- Hurricane - 419 ,li>Defiant - 16
- Gladiator - 8
- Total – 734
Casualties:
Enemy Losses By Fighters Destroyed Probable Damaged 14 Me109 5 Me109 11 Me109 6 Me110 3 Me110 1 Ju88 2 Ju88 1 Do215 22 5 16
1 E A/C as at 2nd Para – 2300 Hours to 0100 Hours above. - Own:
- 9 aircraft with 2 pilots missing.
Patrols:
- Own
- During the night of 4th / 5th October - 1 patrol involving 1 aircraft.
- During the day of 5th October - 136 patrols involving 1074 aircraft.
- Enemy
- It is estimated that about 200 enemy aircraft operated over or near our coasts during the night 4th / 5th October and 540 during the day of 5th October.
Balloons:
- No report.
Serviceability of Aerodromes:
- No report.
Organisation:
- No report.
Home Security Reports
- General Summary
- Date: 5th October 1940
- The enemy attacked with larger formations of aircraft than has been their custom during the last few days. Most of their activity was again concentrated on Kent and Sussex and some of the coastal towns that suffered on the 4th October were again bombed on the 5th. Owing to indiscriminate bombing, most of the damage was mainly confined to house property, although the railways at Gillingham and Lewes received slight damage.
- In the evening, London was again the main objective and a large fire was started a the West India Dock.
- Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire were also visited.
- Detailed Summary
- RAF Stations - 5th October 1940
- Kenley: An HE bomb was dropped on the border of the aerodrome but no damage was reported.
- Ford: An attack was made on the aerodrome at 2216 hours but there appears to have been little or no damage.
- Factories - 5th October 1940
- An HE bomb near the Tecalemit Factory at Brentford caused extensive damage to glass and frames. Production was, however, only suspended for a few hours.
- Luxfer Ltd of Willesden was slightly damaged by an HE bomb but production was only affected in a very small way.
- Numerous bombs were dropped on the Borax Works at Erith which caused a fire. No further details are available.
- A thirty pump fire occurred at C & E Morton's Factory at Millwall but the extent of the damage is not yet known.
- A fire broke out at the premises of Amos & Smith King George Dock, Hull, but this was not caused by enemy activity.
- It is reported that Willesden Power Station had received a direct hit which has caused the Works to be closed for the second time in a week. Damage is feared to be extensive.
- Railways
- Major damage was done to the LMS yard at Cricklewood. The carriage sheds and goods siding suffered most. A signal cabin and the down line was destroyed by an HE bomb at 1025 hours at Gillingham, Kent.
- At Lewes, the railways services are suspended owing to the presence of an unexploded bomb.
- Elsewhere
- Portland Naval Dockyard was bombed at 2035 hours, 5th October. The extent of the damage is not yet known but the telephone communications between Portland and Weymouth have been cut.
- It was reported that just after midnight, 5/6th, a serious fire occurred at the West India Docks.