The story
CHAM
90 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitoes of 5 Group attacked the railway yards in this small town deep in south-eastern Germany. The attack was completely successful, with tracks torn up and rolling stock destroyed. No aircraft lost.
Minor Operations: 61 Mosquitoes to Berlin and 43 to Ingoldstadt airfield, 28 R.C.M. sorties, 40 Mosquito patrols. 2 Mosquitoes lost from the Berlin raid.
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HELIGOLAND
969 aircraft - 617 Lancasters, 332 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitoes - of all groups attacked the naval base, the airfield and the town on this small island. The bombing was accurate and the target areas were turned almost into crater-pitted moonscapes. The present-day Brgermeister was unable to supply any local details; it is probable that the civilian population had been evacuated long before this raid. 3 Halifaxes were lost.
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KOMOTAU
114 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitoes of 5 Group attacked the railway yards in this Czechoslovak town (now known as Chomutov). This was the last major raid in the long communications offensive to which 5 Group had made a particularly effective contribution. The raid was completely successful and all the aircraft involved returned safely.
Minor Operations: 57 Mosquitoes to Berlin and 36 to Schleissheim airfield near Munich, 35 R.C.M. sorties, 33 Mosquito patrols. 1 Mosquito of 141 Squadron was lost while carrying out a napalm attack on an airfield in Northern Germany; this was a new form of weapon being used by the Mosquito squadrons of 100 Group.
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You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.