Monday 25 September
Fine weather but noticeably cooler in most areas.
Today the Luftwaffe would continue to attack the British aircraft industry. The Bristol Works in Filton, in the northern outskirts of Bristol was the target for today. Located nearly 100 kilometres north of the coast at Portsmouth this was an operation that could not be escorted by any other aircraft than the Bf 110. It was beyond the range of the Bf 109. The Luftwaffe was encouraged by recent reconnaissance which showed, correctly for once, that there were no fighters on the airfield at Filton.
Shortly after 11.00 the British detected a small raid crossing the coast. This was a diversionary raid, carried out by 11 Bf 110s of Epgr 210 on Portland. Fighter Command was not drawn, a much larger raid had been detected by RDF, forming up behind this one. Epgr 210 was not intercepted. British reports show that 15 houses were destroyed, telephone lines disrupted and the main road to Portland blocked.
The main German force crossed the Channel at 11.20 This consisted of 58 Heinkel 111s from KG 55, escorted by fifty Bf 110s from ZG 26 and II./ZG 76. Robert Goetz, the gunner aboard one of the He 111s, afterwards wrote down his impressions when the aircraft set off out over the English Channel.
“We are assigned three full Zerstorer Gruppen as fighter escort! Above Cherbourg, they suddenly appear, high above us. It is reassuring to see so many twin-engined fighters up there, with their shark jaws and other similar symbols painted on the planes. These are able to follow us much further inland than the single-engined ‘109s, and they also have terrific firepower.”
Air Vice-Marshal Christopher Brand, 10 Group’s commander, judged that this raid was heading for the Westland works at Yeovil and scrambled three squadrons to protect it. As a result of his misjudgement the raid flew almost unopposed to Filton. Only No 152 Squadron managed to engage before they attacked the Bristol works. P/O Eric Marrs remembered.
“We climbed up to 16,000 ft and saw a tremendous cloud of aircraft just round Yeovil way going North. There were two large groups of bombers consisting of about 40 bombers each. Milling around and above and behind them were numerous Me 110s acting as guard. Well the two of us proceeded North, passed the enemy and came round in front of them. We waited just South of Bristol for them. Then we attacked. We went head-on straight for the middle of the foremost group of bombers firing as we went, we cut through the heart of them like a knife through cheese; but they wouldn’t break.”
At 11.45 81.5 tonnes of HE bombs and 6 tonnes of incendiaries started to fall on Filton. 132 people were killed, of which 91 were Bristol employees, and a further 315 were injured. 8 completed aircraft destroyed. Doris Botterill was a young woman working on engine assembly in the Rodney works.
“As I reached the air-raid shelter and sat down, we were thrown from side to side in quick succession, by the bomb blasts. There was quite a lot of shouting and screaming and confusion. We were soon to realise that we would be very lucky to get out alive, but a very astute foreman named Fred Hemmings pulled me out and a lot of my workmates too.
When we were pulled out, it was to a scene of devastation that had gone on all around us. There were planes on fire, bombs still exploding; and people killed by the blast, lying around everywhere. As we made our way up the hill to the Filton Canteen the scene was utter chaos, and needless to say we felt we had no stomachs left. Our names were taken, and the dead and parts of the dead were taken to Filton Church to be identified later.”
Production was severely curtailed. Lord Beaverbrook, the British Minister for Aircraft Production wrote.
“We lost the Rodney works, with complete stoppage of engine output for one week. The effect on airframe production at the plant represents a loss of two or three weeks’ output of Beauforts and Beaufighters.”
1 He 111 and 1 Bf 110 had been lost to anti-aircraft fire. As the Luftwaffe withdrew Nos 152 and 238 Squadrons engaged. 2 more He 111s were shot down and another damaged. The RAF had lost 3 fighters with another 5 damaged.
This had been a rare success for the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe magazine, ‘Der Adler’ soon proclaimed that
“This factory will not produce many more aircraft.”
Major Friederich Kless, who led the attack, was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 14 October.
Today the Bf 109s of Luftflotte 3, which had been moved to the Pas de Calais to cover Operation Sealion, returned to their bases in Brittany and Normandy. The British also noticed for the first time that the concentrations of barges around Calais were dispersing. It was the first sure sign that the threat of invasion in 1940 was receding.
There was a significant effort by the Luftwaffe tonight, 219 sorties being flown, London was again the primary target.
Bomber Command was also in action tonight.
“117 aircraft to Channel ports, Kiel docks and to six other German targets. No losses.”
