Bomber Command raid - night of 23/24 December 1944

MINOR OPERATIONS
52 Mosquitoes to Limburg railway yards, 40 to Siegburg and 7 on 'training flights' to Bremen, Hannover, Mnster and Osnabrck, 62 aircraft of 100 Group on R.C.M. and Mosquito operations (the figures cannot be broken down), 6 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft were lost. Each of the Mosquitoes shown as being on 'training flights' visited all 4 targets and dropped 1 bomb on each; these operations later became known as 'siren-sounding tours'.

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GERMAN AIRFIELDS
338 aircraft - 248 Halifaxes, 79 Lancasters, 11 Mosquitoes - of 4, 6 and 8 Groups attacked the airfields at Lohausen and Mlheim (now DÜSSELDORF and Essen civil airports). The purpose of the raids was not recorded; it is possible that they were to hinder the movement of supplies by transport aircraft from the Ruhr to the Ardennes battle area. Both attacks took place in conditions of good visibility and the bombing was accurate. 6 aircraft lost - 2 Lancasters and 1 Halifax from the Lohausen raid and 3 Halifaxes from the Mlheim raid.

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HANGELAR AIRFIELD
104 Lancasters of 3 Group carried out an accurate attack on Hangelar airfield near Bonn, 1 Lancaster lost. No results are known.
COLOGNE/NIPPES
97 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitoes of 1 and 8 Groups. 5 Lancasters were lost and 2 more crashed in England.
The Oboe marking and the resultant bombing were extremely accurate. The local report says that the railway tracks were severely damaged and that an ammunition train blew up. The nearby Butzweilerhof airfield was also damaged. 18 civilians and 1 soldier were killed, probably when houses near the railway yards were hit.
Minor Operations: 2 Mosquitoes to Mnster, 42 R.C.M. sorties, 42 Mosquito patrols, 12 Halifaxes of 6 Group minelaying off Oslo, 8 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.