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Weather: cloudy with large patches of fog
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours:
- Blenheim – 44
- Spitfire – 219
- Hurricane – 385
- Defiant – 18
- Gladiator – 8
- Total – 674
There were a number of incursions by groups of enemy aircraft with between 50 and 100 aircraft in each group. Their targets were the same as before. The main object being attacks on London and the South East. The RAF were up in strength this day intercepting these attacks. They flew 639 sorties, losing 2 aircraft in the process but destroying 11 German aircraft.
At night, Birmingham was once again attacked and the cathedral was hit. Incendiary bombs were showered on Biggin Hill without much damage being done while in London a public shelter in Southwark was hit causing many casualties.
242 Squadron Operational Record Book – 28 October
Visit to Squadron by AOC who congratulated pilots on efficiency of Squadron which he said was equal, if not superior, to any Squadron in RAF. Operational patrols carried out over London.
Reported Casualties (RAF Campaign Diary 28th October 1940):
* Enemy: 5 confirmed, 7 probable, 8 damaged
* Own: Nil.
Today’s theme: Unsung Heroes – Bomber Command and its part in the Battle
Weather: showery
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours:
- Blenheim – 55
- Spitfire – 220
- Hurricane – 392
- Defiant – 22
- Gladiator – 8
- Total – 697
As well as the continuing attack on London, the enemy also launched a good number of attacks by pockets of bombers accompanied by the usual fighters on airfields of 11 Group. In combat that day the RAF lost 21 and managed to shoot down 28 of the enemy aircraft.
The day’s fighting was followed by a night attack on London by bombers resulting in over 350 people being killed. Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham and Derby were also bombed that night.
242 Squadron Operational Record Book – 9 September
Sqdn Ldr Bader leading wing consisting of 242, 310 and 19 Squadrons patrolling over London encountered large formation of e/a. bombers and fighters. 242 Squadron led the attack and shot down 10 aircraft. No. 310 (Czech) Squadron shot down 7, and no. 19 Squadron 2. One pilot of 242 killed (PO Sclanders). 1 pilot (Sgt Lonsdale) baled out and returned to Squadron next day unhurt. Congratulations received from Air Officer Command and Chief of the Air Staff.
Reported Casualties (RAF Campaign Diary 9 September 1940):
* Enemy: 52 confirmed, 11 probable, 13 damaged
* Own: 20 aircraft with 5 pilots killed or missing.
Todays’s theme: Unsung Heroes – the Civilian Repair Units
Weather: fair.
Fighter Command Serviceable Aircraft as at 0900 hours:
- Blenheim – 52
- Spitfire – 234
- Hurricane – 410
- Defiant – 14
- Gladiator – 7
- Total – 717
On this occasion, the Luftwaffe returned to attacking a convoy. In fact, it was a feint. The real effort was an attack picked up by radar of a large formation coming in from the Pas de Calais. The enemy target turned out to be airfields south of London. A group of bombers flying at 20 000 ft struck Biggin Hill, doing considerable damage to the area but not the aerodrome itself. A little later, a second group of aircraft attacked with a large segment aiming once again at Biggin Hill. To this was, however, added Shoreham and Tangmere. Later that afternoon, a third wave of attacks came over, including a third visitation for the day on Biggin Hill, together with a number of other airfields. The most damaging raid of the day was flown by a group of 10 Ju88s which, aiming at Biggin Hill, flew north of that airfield, then turned round and came in from that direction. The bombing was extremely accurate. It left the airfield a virtual wreck. It also left 39 dead and many of the buildings demolished. Detling and Kenley were also hit in this serious attack. Detling was out of action until the following day.
Finally another group got through to Luton where bombs hit the Vauxhall works and caused a large number of casualties.
At the end of a busy day, the RAF had lost 25 fighters compared with 36 German aircraft destroyed. However, 15 RAF pilots had survived. 1050 sorties had been flown by the RAF. This was to be the highest number of sorties flown in a day during the Battle.
That night Liverpool suffered a third episode of heavy bombing.
242 Squadron Operational Record Book – 30 August
Squadron ordered to proceed to Duxford. Operations from Duxford. Enemy planes shot down north of London without any loss to Squadron. 4 e/a attacked and probably shot down. Signal received from AOC 12 Group congratulating Squadron on its achievement. The above brings the Squadron’s total bag for month to 14 certainties and 5 probables. Signal received from AOC 12 Group read: ‘heartiest congratulations on a first class show. Well done 242”. Signal received from Chief of the Air Staff which read: “magnificent fighting. You are well on top of the enemy and obviously the fine Canadian traditions of the last war are safe in your hands”. Signal received from Under Secretary of State for Air congratulating Squadron.
253 Squadron Operational Record Book – 30 August
14 Hurricanes took off Kenley 10:50 hours followed by 5 more at 11:25 hours when an attack on Croydon and Kenley appeared likely. The Squadron was first ordered to patrol Maidstone, but the flights were separated and were ordered back to orbit base where they were joined by the other 5 aircraft. They were then vectored off to the south, where at 18,000 feet near Redhill they saw 3 formations of 9 bombers escorted by 30 fighters, Me110s and Me109s. B Flight at once attacked the bombers, which included He111, Do215 and possibly Ju88s, but observed no results with the exception of PO Nowak (Green 3) who probably destroyed a Do215 (this pilot maintained that this bomber was a Ju88) A Flight who were behind and below followed in to attack and Yellow 3 (PO Greenwood) fired all his ammunition into a Heinkel 111 which force landed, 4 of the crew being seen climbing out. A series of individual fights took place, chiefly with Me110s and Me109s which had come to the rescue of the bombers.
303 Squadron Operational Record Book – 30 August, Northolt
First operation. In the course of training interception with 6 Blenheims in the afternoon, B Flight contacted with some 60 German bombers, 60 fighters and British fighters having a running battle near Hatfield. FO Paszkiewicz brought down one Do 17 (destroyed) while the rest of the fighters escorted the Blenheims safely back to Northolt.
Reported Casualties (RAF Campaign Diary 30th August 1940):
* Enemy: 62 confirmed, 21 probable, 29 damaged
* Own: 25 aircraft (10 pilots killed or missing)
Todays’s theme: The Squadrons – 310 Squadron
Weather: cloudy, visibility fair.
The day started with radar picking up evidence of three groups of Luftwaffe aircraft flying northwards over Cherbourg. These Luftflotte 3 aircraft were soon flying on a course that would take them to the Dorset coast where a large convoy was heading westwards. To protect the convoy, half a dozen Spitfires plus another half a dozen Hurricanes had been scrambled from Warmwell, the forward airstrip close to the Dorset coast. The Hurricanes encountered a group of Ju87 Stuka dive bombers but the latter were covered by a number of Me109 fighters. These German fighters were successful in shooting down 2 of the Spitfires and a Hurricane. However, none of the convoy ships were sunk.
Skirmishes in the air were fought in many places along the South coast. In particular, 54 Squadron, flying from Manston in Kent was operating continuous sorties in an effort to cover convoys threading their way through the Straits of Dover. It was in these sorties that Alan Deere, the young New Zealand fighter pilot who was to survive an amazing number of hair raising incidents in the Battle, experienced one of them. In a dogfight, he was in a mid-air collision with an Me109. As a result, the propeller of the Spitfire was bent completely backwards while the engine of the aircraft was put out of action. Deere tried to leave the aircraft pulling at the cockpit canopy. But it would not budge. Deere did the only thing he could do which was to try and glide the doomed aircraft towards the coast several miles away. He just succeeded in reaching the English coast. He then managed to put his powerless aircraft down on the first field he came across. After a number of heavy bumps the aircraft eventually came to a standstill. Now his frantic efforts to pull the canopy back met with success. He wrenched it free running for his life in case the aircraft blew up. The Germans would have counted his crash as being a British aircraft downed. But as with many cases later on in the fighting, the RAF pilot survived to fight another day.
The action that day then switched back to the west of England. Radar had picked up the approach of a force of 15 Ju87 Stukas with a covering force of some 30 Me110 aircraft which appeared to be heading towards Portland. 6 Hurricanes, which had taken off from Tangmere, had been vectored to intercept. Furthermore, reinforcements from nearby airfields were immediately scrambled. The result was that 2 of the Stukas were shot down before the Me110s could interfere. A major dogfight then ensued.
The next contribution from Luftflotte 3 picked up by radar was noted as heading for Portsmouth. 601 Squadron was sent forward. They intercepted 12 He111s escorted by a similar number of Me110s. That day the RAF flew 432 sorties shooting down 16 Luftwaffe aircraft for a cost of 6 British fighters.
54 Squadron Operational Record Book, 11 July 13:18 hours
Memories of the distant past were awakened this afternoon when 8 a/c were ordered on a convoy patrol. There is one big difference however, between the present and past, the excitement was the exception, now it is common place. Unfortunately our aircraft were unable to discover any enemy aircraft.
242 Squadron Operational Record Book, 11 July
Dornier shot down by Sqdn Ldr Bader over sea on dawn patrol. PO Grassick crashed Hurricane – uninjured.
Today’s theme: The Planes They Flew – The Spitfire
Battle of Britain Day by Day 
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