The story
BREMEN
170 aircraft of all standard types were dispatched on the first large raid to Bremen since October 1941. 11 aircraft - 4 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings, 1 Manchester - lost.
Crews reported only indifferent bombing results but Bremen recorded this as a heavy attack, the results of which exceeded all previous raids. Housing areas were heavily hit with 6 streets affected by serious fires. Damage to the U-boat construction yards and the Focke-Wulf factory is described as 'of no importance' but there were hits in the harbour area which damaged a pier, some warehouses and the destroyer Z-25. With 83 people dead, 29 seriously and 229 slightly injured, this would turn out to be Bremen's third heaviest casualty toll in the war and was nearly as great as the raid by the 'Thousand Force' later in June.
Minor Operations: 4 Wellingtons to Dieppe, 9 Blenheim Intruders to airfields, 7 aircraft mine-laying in the River Gironde and off St-Nazaire, 5 aircraft on leaflet flights to France. No losses.
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12 Bostons to Boulogne and Dunkirk docks with accurate bombing at both targets. 1 Boston lost.
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Minor Operations
20 aircraft to Dieppe, 13 Blenheims to Schiphol airfield, 2 aircraft on leaflet flights to France. No aircraft lost.
This night represents the exact mid-point of the war between Britain and Germany but, for Bomber Command, 82 percent of its sorties, 77 percent of its aircraft losses and 94 percent of its bomb tonnage were still to come.
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