The story
MERSEBURG, FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND
47 aircraft - 24 Whitleys, 12 Hampdens, 11 Wellingtons - to bomb numerous railway, bridge and road targets in France, Belgium and Holland. 35 Hampdens to the oil refinery at Merseburg near Leipzig, a very distant target for this period of the war; because of deteriorating weather conditions over the English airfields this force was recalled. 1 Hampden did not receive the recall signal and went on to bomb Merseburg.
No aircraft was lost from any of the above operations but 3 crashed in England.
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NORTHERN FRANCE
27 Blenheims to bomb German troop columns south of Arras; weather conditions were bad and only 16 aircraft bombed various targets. 3 Blenheims lost, including the aircraft of the commander of 40 Squadron, Wing Commander J. G. Llewelyn; this was the second commanding officer lost by 40 Squadron in 8 days.
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COMMUNICATIONS TO BATTLE FRONT
122 aircraft - 50 Hampdens, 48 Wellingtons, 24 Whitleys - to bomb trains, road and rail bridges and junctions over a wide area. The Hampdens were allocated targets in Germany west of the Rhine and in Holland; other aircraft were sent to France and Belgium. 2 Hampdens and 1 Whitley lost.
There's more to discover
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.