The story
WILHELMSHAVEN
506 aircraft - 257 Halifaxes, 241 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes - from all groups except 5 Group on the last of 14 major Bomber Command raids on Wilhelmshaven that began in early 1941.
Bomber Command claimed 'severe damage' to the business and residential areas. A short local report mentions only that the Rathaus was completely destroyed and that 30 people were killed and 92 injured. A further report from Wilhelmshaven, giving overall air-raid details, shows that this port town - a major naval base - escaped relatively lightly in the war. In 26 R.A.F. and American raids, only 510 civilians, 24 servicemen and 30 foreign workers were killed.
Minor Operations: 44 Mosquitoes to Hamburg, 6 to Saarbrcken and 2 each to DÜSSELDORF and Kassel, 33 R.C.M. sorties, 42 Mosquito patrols, 22 Halifaxes and 15 Lancasters minelaying off Denmark, 2 aircraft on Resistance operations. 2 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters lost from the minelaying operation.
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9 Mosquitoes of 100 Group dispatched, 5 on Ranger patrols and 4 on anti-minesweeper operations off Denmark where mines were laid the previous night; they attacked 2 coastal vessels with cannon-fire. No aircraft lost.
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COLOGNE
39 Mosquitoes dispatched. 38 aircraft bombed on the estimated position of Cologne. A local report describes minor property damage but 29 people were killed and 56 injured. No Mosquitoes lost.
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