Date: 15th October 1940 
- Weather: Fair but cloudy in the Straits. Clear, moonlit night.
- Day: London, the Thames Estuary and Kent all attacked.
- Night: Unusually heavy attack on London and Birmingham.
Enemy action by day
During the day the enemy made five fighter sweeps over Kent and Sussex, some aircraft penetrating to Hornchurch and Central London. One formation of fighters flew over the Portsmouth-Southampton area. It is estimated that about 550 enemy aircraft were employed on these sweeps.
Our fighters destroyed 17 enemy aircraft, (plus 5 probable and 10 damaged). While our losses were 15 aircraft and 6 pilots killed or missing.
First Two Attacks
At 0815 hours three raids totalling about 50 aircraft flew in over Dover and Dungeness and penetrated to the Biggin Hill and Kenley areas and then retired. This attack was quickly followed by another of about 30 bomb carrying fighters which attacked targets in East and South London.
Third and Fourth Attack
At 1130 hours two raids, totalling about 60 aircraft, flying North-West from Maidstone reached the Hornchurch area. At the same time two formations of 50 aircraft flew up the Estuary from North Foreland but turned South at Sheppey Island. Shortly afterwards about 120 enemy aircraft crossed the Kentish coast and some of these reached Hornchurch and Gravesend districts before turning back.
Fifth Attack
At about 1550 hours two formations, each of about 60 aircraft, flew in, one up the East of Kent to the Estuary and the other West of Maidstone to East London; between these several smaller raids followed and attacked the railways radiating from Ashford.
Southampton Sweep
Shortly after raids had flown in over Kent, a formation of ME110s heavily escorted by Me109s approached the Isle of Wight at about 1215 hours, and passing over the Western suburbs of Southampton returned to Cherbourg without dropping any bombs.
Reconnaissances
In the morning hostile reconnaissances were reported off East Anglia and in the Bristol and Wet-Super-Mare districts. Later single enemy aircraft reconnoitred in the Channel and Isle of Wight to Portland areas. One hostile reconnaissance was destroyed by fighters near Rochester.
Night Operations - 15th / 16th October 1940
Activity began at 1830 hours when raids were plotted leaving Holland and Dutch Islands, Somme/Fecamp area, Le Havre and Cherbourg. The main attack was delivered on London, but a steady stream of raids was plotted over the Bristol Channel up to the Midlands, where Birmingham appeared to be the principal target.
Raids from Holland and the Dutch Islands approached between Harwich and the Thames Estuary. Many of these appeared to be engaged in minelaying off Clacton and Walton. The remainder crossed the Coast and approached London from the North.
Raids from Cherbourg area to the Midlands crossed the Swanage and Lyme Bay and flew over the Bristol Channel and Western counties to Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent areas.
Isolated raids were plotted over Glasgow and Aberdeen.
After 0200 hours, activity was on a reduced scale, and was mainly concentrated on London.
A Blenheim of No 23 Squadron shot down an He111 near Cuckfield and a Defiant of No 264 Squadron destroyed a Ju88 near North Weald. It is reported, but not yet confirmed that 3 enemy aircraft were shot down by AA guns during the night.
The Country was finally clear of enemy aircraft at 0515 hours.
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Statistics
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours, 15th October 1940
- Blenheim - 53
- Spitfire - 208
- Hurricane - 405
- Defiant - 18
- Gladiator - 8
- Total – 692
Casualties:
Enemy Losses By Fighters – By Day Destroyed Probable Damaged 15 Me109 5 Me109 9 Me109 1 Me110 1 He111 1 Ju88 By Fighters – By Night 1 He111 1 Ju88 19 5 10
It is reported but not yet confirmed that AA guns destroyed 3 enemy aircraft during night operations. - Own:
- 15 Aircraft of which 9 pilots are safe.
Patrols:
- Own
- During the night of 14th / 15th October - 42 patrols involving 45 sorties.
- During the day of 15th October - 106 patrols involving 598 sorties.
- Enemy
- It is estimated that about 550 enemy aircraft operated over or near our coasts during the day of 15th October.
Balloons:
- No report.
Serviceability of Aerodromes:
- No report.
Organisation:
- No 64 Squadron moved from Biggin Hill to Coltishall.
- No 74 Squadron moved from Coltishall to Biggin Hill.
Home Security Reports
- General Summary
- Date: 15th October 1940
- Small scale attacks during the day were confined to London and South-East England. Some interference with railway traffic was caused, particularly at Waterloo Station, and damage was done to factories in West Ham and to sheds in the King George V Dock. Towns in Kent and Essex suffered slight damage during the daylight attack but casualties were not numerous.
- From nightfall onwards London was subjected to a very heavy attack, which appeared to be directed mainly on railway communications and on the City and dockyard area, where several factories suffered damage by fire. Major damage reports have been received from many districts of the Capital, and many other fires were started; it is notable that the enemy has resumed the use of the parachute mine, which has caused considerable devastation and casualties.
- Outside London the main objective was the Birmingham area, and this attack, which was maintained intermittently for over six hours, resulted in numerous fires, and damage to railway tracks as well as to house property and utility services; industrial damage, however, seems to have been comparatively slight. Bombs also fell in Bristol and Avonmouth, causing damage chiefly to roads and utility mains, as well as in Essex, Kent and Sussex, where no important damage has been done.
- Detailed Summary
- Factories
- At West Ham fires took place at Silvertown Lubricants (40 pumps), Pinchin Johnson Ltd (25 pumps) and Venesta Ltd.
- At East Ham the despatch department of Burgoyne Burbridges Ltd, Manufacturing Chemists, was damaged, but this will not cause more than one day's delay in production.
- The Handley-Page Factory at Hendon was slightly damaged by incendiary bombs, but no reduction in output is expected.
- The Fisher & Ludlow Factory at Birmingham was damaged by HE and incendiary bombs at 2341 hours, but full details are not yet available.
- Public Utilities
- At 2050 hours HE bombs caused a fire at an Electric Transformer near Falcon Wood Railway Station, Woolwich.
- The Southern Railway power station at Wimbledon was hit by HE bombs at 2150 hours, and one chimney stack was brought down.
- At 2000 hours HE bombs fell adjacent to the South Metropolitan Gas Works at Greenwich, damaging a gas holder. The gas ignited but the fire was out by 2100 hours.
- Railways and Docks
- Waterloo Station was attacked twice during the day at 0916 hours and at 2010 hours. Serious track damage resulted from the first attack, and in the second, numbers 3 and 4 platforms were hit, and a train was wrecked. A slight fire took placed in the roof of the Station.
- HE bombs fell at Queens Park Station, Willesden LMS at 2030 hours. A large crater on the line was made into which an express train from Euston overturned. Three coaches were derailed but only two casualties were caused.
- HE bombs fell at Chalk Farm and demolished part of the station platforms. The up and down lines were severely damaged.
- At Hendon, LMS lines were damaged at 2330 hours by HE bombs.
- At 0130 hours HE bombs fell in the GWR Goods Depot at Lambeth, causing a large fire.
- The Metropolitan Underground Railway at Whitechapel High Street was penetrated by HE bombs at 2005 hours.
- Brighton Road Station, Birmingham, LMS and Wylde Green Station were damaged by HE bombs at 2125 hours, and damage to the tracks caused interruption of services.
- At Victoria Dock, L Warehouse was gutted by fire, and HE bombs fell inside No 2 Shed and on a garage; No 10 Shed, Surrey Commercial Docks was damaged by HE bombs at 2035 hours.
- Other damage
- At 1940 hours HE bombs fell on Morley College, Westminster Bridge Road, which is used as a rest centre. 185 people have been rescued, but many are injured, and 90 are still trapped in the debris.
- A 40 pump fire was in progress at Ranelagh Road, Westminster.
- Considerable devastation and many casualties were caused by a mine which fell on the Pimlico area at 0215 hours.