The story
FRANKFURT
226 aircraft - 104 Wellingtons, 61 Lancasters, 53 Stirlings, 8 Halifaxes. 16 aircraft - 6 Lancasters, 5 Wellingtons, 4 Stirlings, 1 Halifax - lost, 7.1 percent of the force. 5 Pathfinder aircraft, including that of the commanding officer of 7 Squadron, were among the aircraft lost.
This was the second Pathfinder-led raid and the Pathfinder crews again experienced great difficulty in locating the target in cloudy conditions; most of the bombing fell in open country north and west of Frankfurt. Local reports say that some bombs fell in the city, with 17 large and 53 small fires and with moderate property damage. 5 people were killed, including 2 Flak gunners, and 95 people were injured. The Frankfurt report describes an incident where a 4-engined bomber crashed on the edge of a metalworks and its bomb load exploded. The prisoners of war, whose nationality is not recorded, in the factory barracks nearby behaved 'splendidly'. The outlying villages of Schwalbach and Eschborn were heavily bombed.
3 Lancasters of 5 Group were sent to bomb specific targets in the towns of Bingen, Mayen and Bad Kreuznach, all on the approach route of the main bomber force to Frankfurt. Bad Kreuznach was believed to be the location of the German Western Army Headquarters. All 3 Lancasters bombed and returned safely. The town records of Bingen describe the explosion of their Lancaster's 4,000-lb bomb near the famous Ehrenfels mountain overlooking the Rhine. 225 houses in Bingen were damaged by the blast!
6 Wellingtons minelaying in the Frisians without loss.
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