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September 30th, 1940 (MONDAY)

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.

The weather is generally fair but cloudy with light winds. During the 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. In the North and North-East at 1030 hours a single Luftwaffe aircraft approached the Firth of Forth but turned away when 40 miles (64 kilometers) to sea. In the East, a Ju 88 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 German aircraft crossed the Coast at Bawdsey penetrating only a few miles inland. In the South-East from 0635 hours single Luftwaffe aircraft were active from the Estuary to Beachy Head and inland in two cases to Farnborough and Worthing. The first attack on Kent begam at 0900 hours when 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. The second attack on Kent began at 1010 hours with 75 German aircraft composed of bombers with fighter escort crossed at Dungeness and again flew to the Biggin

  Hill - Kenley area where the formations were broken up; 25 German aircraft patrolled the Straits. By 1030 hours the raids had turned South. The third attack on Kent began at 1310 hours when some 100 Luftwaffe 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 (32 kilometers) from Central London, but nine aircraft consisting of Ju 88s and Bf 109s penetrated while others approached the South-Western suburbs. The aircraft were recrossing the Coast at 1345 hours. The fourth attack on Kent began at 1608 hours when four raids totaling about 200+ Luftwaffe 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. In the South and West, the first attack on Portland began at 1055 hours when 100 German aircraft crossed the Coast at St Albans Head of which 50 came from Cherbourg, France, and 50 from the Seine in France. A split of 25 flew across Dorset and Devon to the Somerset border, but the remainder penetrated inland only some 15 miles (24 kilometers). The raid was over by 1200 hours. The second attack on Portland began 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 (32 kilometers). 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.

     During the night of 29 September/1 October, London is attacked again. There was considerable Luftwaffe 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 the Seine Bay of France. 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, France, 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 German aircraft had operated over or around this Country of which 175 penetrated to Central London. Activity continued until about 0600 hours, when the last raids were leaving the Country.

     RAF Fighter Command claimed 45-32-29 Luftwaffe aircraft and antiaircraft batteries claimed 1-0-0. The RAF lost 20 aircraft with eight pilots killed or missing.

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.

FRANCE:

Paris: The Reich Chief Security Office sets up a special section under orders from Adolf Eichmann">Eichmann in Berlin. It will register France's entire Jewish population.

GERMANY: KptLt Helmut Rosenbaum commissions U-73.

U-37 sank SS Heminge and SS Samala in Convoy OB-220.

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