The story
ESSEN
518 aircraft - 274 Lancasters, 151 Halifaxes, 81 Wellingtons, 12 Mosquitoes. 23 aircraft - 11 Halifaxes, 6 Lancasters, 5 Wellingtons, 1 Mosquito - lost, 4.4 percent of the force.
22. Essen, 1943. The damaged Fire Brigade Headquarters carries on and, in the distance on the left, smoking factory chimneys show that some factories survive.
The weather was cloudy and sky-marking had to be used. The main bombing was scattered, with many aircraft undershooting. The limited damage caused in Essen was mainly in the central and northern districts. 488 buildings were destroyed. 196 people were killed and 547 injured. Bombs fell in 10 surrounding Ruhr towns.
Minor Operations: 23 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians, 19 O.T.U. sorties. 1 Stirling minelayer lost.
23. A Party funeral in Essen.
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12 Venturas bombed a power-station at Zeebrugge. 1 Ventura lost.
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MINOR OPERATIONS
34 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians, off Brittany ports and in the River Gironde, 5 O.T.U. sorties. No aircraft lost.
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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.