The story
ESSEN
305 aircraft - 190 Lancasters, 105 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitoes. 6 Halifaxes and 6 Lancasters lost, 3.9 percent of the force.
Cloud was expected over the target so a Pathfinder technique based solely on Oboe Mosquito sky-markers was planned. This was not expected to give such good results as ground-marking but the plan worked well and 238 crews reported that they had bombed Essen. Because of the cloud, no bombing photographs were produced. A map from Essen shows that this modest attack did produce new damage areas all over the city, although there was no major concentration. 189 buildings were destroyed and 237 severely damaged. The Krupps factory was hit again. 53 people were killed and 218 injured.
Bombs also fell on 10 other Ruhr towns, particularly in Bottrop just to the north of Essen, which was hit by 86 high-explosive bombs.
8 Stirlings and 4 Halifaxes of the Pathfinders carried out H2S training attacks on Bocholt. 1 Stirling lost.
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12 Bostons to a railway target at Caen and 6 Mosquitoes to the Philips factory at Eindhoven; both raids were abandoned because of cloud.
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MINELAYING
18 Wellingtons and 12 Stirlings laid mines off the Brittany and Biscay coasts. 1 Stirling lost.
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until the end of the war. Flew Wellingtons, Lancasters and Halifaxes from Skipton-on-Swale and East Moor.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Raids Flown
Wellingtons - 18 bombing, 29 minelaying
Lancasters - 16 bombing
Halifaxes - 167 bombing
Total - 201 bombing, 29 minelaying = 230 raids
Sorties and Losses
Wellingtons - 494 sorties, 16 aircraft lost (3.2 percent)
Lancasters - 190 sorties, 8 aircraft lost (4.2 percent)
Halifaxes - 2,416 sorties, 41 aircraft lost (1.7 percent)
Total - 3,100 sorties, 65 aircraft lost (2.1 percent)
3 Lancasters were destroyed in crashes.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Flew the most Wellington sorties in 6 Group.
433 (PORCUPINE) SQUADRON
SERVICE
Formed in 6 Group on
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