The story
KIEL
115 aircraft - 47 Wellingtons, 24 Hampdens, 20 Whitleys, 13 Stirlings, 11 Halifaxes - in an attempt to identify and bomb the Tirpitz. No aircraft succeeded in doing so and the city was attacked instead. 2 Wellingtons lost. Kiel reports: much cloud, a few bombs dropped, 1 person injured, 'Flak fire in all directions', 1 barrage balloon shot down.
Minor Operations: 5 Wellingtons to Boulogne, 4 Hampdens on unspecified 'special tasks' to Essen and Cologne, 2 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.
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23 Blenheims on coastal sweeps and a Circus operation to St-Omer airfield. The airfield was bombed and a ship attacked off the Dutch coast. 1 Blenheim was lost.
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COLOGNE
68 Wellingtons; cloud and haze were encountered. Out of 500 high-explosive and nearly 5,000 incendiary bombs carried by the bombers, none are recorded as dropping inside Cologne's boundaries, only a few in villages to the west. No aircraft lost.
DÜSSELDORF
28 Hampdens and 28 Whitleys dispatched and claimed many fires started. No aircraft lost. DÜSSELDORF reports 2 loads of bombs in the city and 1 in nearby Neuss. There were no casualties and the only damage caused was broken windows.
Minor Operations: 18 Manchesters to Boulogne, 10 Wellingtons to Dunkirk, 2 O.T.U. sorties. 1 Manchester was shot down by an R.A.F. fighter over England and its crew were killed.
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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.