The story
GELSENKIRCHEN
418 aircraft - 218 Lancasters, 190 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitoes. 12 aircraft - 7 Halifaxes and 5 Lancasters - lost, 2.9 percent of the force.
This raid was not successful. The Oboe equipment failed to operate in 5 of the Mosquitoes and a 6th Mosquito dropped sky-markers in error 10 miles north of the target. Gelsenkirchen reports that its southern districts were bombed and assumed that the main raid was on the neighbouring towns of Bochum and Wattenscheid, also to the south, which received many more bombs than did Gelsenkirchen. Gelsenkirchen itself suffered 10 industrial firms hit, including the all-important synthetic-oil refinery at Scholven, but damage in all places was only light. 41 people died in Gelsenkirchen.
Minor Operations: 4 Mosquitoes to Nordstern, 18 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians and off Texel. No losses.
There's more to discover
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.