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Bomber Command raid - night of 22/23 October 1941

Mannheim · Germany

The story

MANNHEIM
123 aircraft - 50 Wellingtons, 45 Hampdens, 22 Whitleys, 6 Halifaxes. 3 Wellingtons and 1 Hampden lost.
Crews encountered thick cloud and icing conditions and only 58 crews claimed to have reached the Mannheim area. 42 aircraft bombed alternative targets. Mannheim reports a very light attack with 25 high-explosive and approximately 30 incendiary bombs. 1 house was destroyed and 35 damaged. 6 people were killed and 1 person injured.
Minor Operations: 22 aircraft to Le Havre, 6 Stirlings to Brest. 1 Wellington lost from the Le Havre raid.

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12 Blenheims to Lannion and Morlaix airfields. Only Lannion was found, and bombed in poor weather conditions. No Blenheims lost.

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KIEL
114 aircraft - 43 Wellingtons, 38 Hampdens, 27 Whitleys, 6 Manchesters - to attack shipyards. 1 Hampden lost.
Only 69 crews reached the target area. Kiel reports a raid in two widely separated waves. The second attack caused the most damage, with hits on the Deutsche Werke U-boat yard, the naval base, a bakery, a dance-hall and several houses. 4 people were killed - one on a ship in the harbour - and 5 people injured. The diarist, Detlef Boelck, records his great satisfaction and confidence in the local defences when 3 bombers were caught in searchlights at the same time and 1 was shot down while trying to dive out of the beams.
Minor Operations: 13 aircraft to Le Havre, 9 Stirlings to Brest, 4 aircraft to Cherbourg. 1 Hampden lost on the Le Havre raid.

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