The 35 Sqdn left from an unknown RAF station at 1942-07-21 at an unknown time. Loc or duty Air Test
He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type II, serial R9489, code TL-T).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
(8th Air Force): Lieutenant General Dwight D Eisenhower assigns to the 8th Air Force the mission of carrying out, in collaboration with the RAF, the degree of air operations with the view of attaining air domination over W France by 1 Apr 43.
Campaign report of the RAF:
20/21 July 1942
1 Stirling on a leaflet flight to Belgium returned safely.
21 July 1942
6 Mosquitos were dispatched on single flights to different targets in the Ruhr and Northern Germany but only 3 aircraft bombed targets of opportunity seen through gaps in the cloud. One of the places bombed was believed to be the inland docks at Duisburg. No aircraft lost.
21/22 July 1942
Duisburg
291 aircraft - 170 Wellingtons, 39 Halifaxes, 36 Stirlings, 29 Lancasters, 17 Hampdens. 12 aircraft - 10 Wellingtons, 1 Halifax, 1 Hampden - lost.
253 returning crews reported that they had bombed and started many fires but photographs showed that the flares of the leading aircraft, dropped by Gee, were not accurate and part of the bombing fell in open country over the Rhine to the west.
This large raid was possibly sent on a moonless night to avoid the German night fighters. It is interesting to note that bombing results were better than on many moonlit raids but the bomber casualties, at 4.1 per cent, were heavier than normal. Returning crews reported that Duisburg's Flak and searchlight defences were not as fierce as in recent raids to that target because of the haze and most of the bomber losses were suffered in the coastal fighter belt.
Duisburg reports much damage in housing areas, 94 buildings being destroyed and 256 seriously damaged, with 49 people killed. What Bomber Command documents describe as 'ground sources' later stated that the Thyssen steelworks and 2 other important war industries were hit.
Minor Operations: 8 Blenheim Intruders to St Trond, Venlo and Vechta airfields, 9 aircraft minelaying off Texel and in the Frisians, 6 aircraft on leaflet flights to France. 1 Intruder lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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