The story
COLOGNE
113 aircraft - 46 Wellingtons, 39 Hampdens, 25 Whitleys, 3 Stirlings - to attack railway targets but thick cloud resulted in scattered bombing. Cologne reports only minor damage and 3 people killed.
Minor Operations: 15 Wellingtons and 9 Whitleys to Rotterdam caused fires in the dock area, 9 O.T.U. sorties.
There were no aircraft losses from any operation on this night.
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13 Blenheims on coastal sweeps and shallow raids into France. No losses.
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FRANKFURT
37 Wellingtons and 34 Hampdens on the first large raid against this target. No aircraft lost.
Frankfurt does not record this as a significant raid, merely mentioning 'bomb explosions' in its records, but Darmstadt, 15 miles away, suffered 15 buildings hit and 16 people killed.
MANNHEIM
36 Wellingtons and 8 Halifaxes; the centre of the town as the aiming point. 1 Wellington lost.
Mannheim reports only 4 high-explosive bombs - of which 1 was a dud - and 17 flares or incendiary bombs in the city and in nearby Ludwigshafen. 3 of the bombs fell in a Flak position but damage and casualties are not recorded.
Minor Operations: 6 Wellingtons to Cherbourg, 2 Hampdens minelaying in the Frisians, 1 O.T.U. sortie. No losses.
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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.