The story
OSNABRCK
237 aircraft - 101 Wellingtons, 68 Lancasters, 38 Stirlings, 30 Halifaxes. 6 aircraft - 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings - were lost, 2.5 percent of the force.
The Pathfinders succeeded in illuminating the Dummer See, a large lake northeast of the target which was used as a run-in point. The town of Osnabrck was then found and marked. The bombing was well concentrated, with most of the attack falling in the centre and the southern parts of the target. Osnabrck's report shows that 149 houses were destroyed, 530 were seriously damaged and 2,784 lightly damaged. 6 industrial premises were destroyed and 14 damaged. Other places hit were 6 public buildings, 5 churches, 4 schools. 1 hospital and the local gasworks. 65 people were killed - 45 civilians, 16 policemen or servicemen and 4 foreign workers - and 151 were injured.
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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.