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Bomber Command raid - night of 4/5 February 1945

Gelsenkirchen · Germany

The story

BONN
238 aircraft - 202 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters, 16 Mosquitoes - of 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 3 Lancasters lost.
This was a poor attack, with most of the bombing falling to the south of the target or over the Rhine in the Beuel area. 19 people were killed.
OSTERFELD
123 aircraft - 100 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitoes, 11 Lancasters - of 6 and 8 Groups attacked a benzol plant but caused no fresh damage. No aircraft lost.
GELSENKIRCHEN
120 aircraft - 96 Halifaxes, 12 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitoes - of 4 and 8 Groups attacked the Nordstern synthetic-oil plant. Some minor damage was caused but most of the bombs fell south of the target. No aircraft lost.
Minor Operations: 50 Mosquitoes to Hannover, 12 to Dortmund, 4 to Magdeburg and 3 to Wrzburg, 59 R.C.M. sorties, 42 Mosquito patrols, 15 Lancasters and 12 Halifaxes minelaying off Heligoland and in the River Elbe. 2 Mosquitoes lost, 1 each from the Hannover and Wrzburg raids.
Total effort for the night: 678 sorties, 5 aircraft (0.7 percent) lost.

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1 Halifax flew an R.C.M. sortie.

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MINOR OPERATIONS
63 Mosquitoes to Berlin, 7 to Magdeburg and 6 to Wrzburg, 1 R.C.M. sortie. 1 Mosquito lost from the Berlin raid.

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