Supermarine Aviation Works, Woolston
26 September 1940 · Southampton, Hampshire
View this record on the map →- Date
- 26 September 1940
- Record type
- Reported target area
- Bomb type
- HE
- Location
- Southampton, Hampshire
- Position accuracy
- Confirmed event, landmark point
What happened
The Luftwaffe made two daylight raids on the riverside factory building Spitfires, with around 60 Heinkel He 111s escorted by Bf 110s. Most bombs overshot into surrounding residential streets and factory shelters; only seven hit the Woolston works.
Casualty note
Figures depend on which raid is counted. The Spitfire Society gives 36 killed and 60 seriously injured in Southampton on 26 September; a combined total of 110 is given for the raids of 24 and 26 September together.
Also worth knowing
Production was suspended and Spitfire manufacture was afterwards dispersed across the region — the raid achieved less than the casualty figures suggest.