The 425 Sqdn left from Tholthorpe at 1944-12-29 at 15:45. Loc or duty Troisdorf
He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type III, serial MZ493, code KW-H).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 769: 827 bombers and 724 fighters hit communications targets in W Germany; 4 bombers and 3 fighters are lost:
1. 219 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Frankfurt (124), and Aschaffenburg (67); 10 hit the secondary, the Frankfurt S marshalling yard; and 9 hit a target of opportunity; 1 B-17s is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 101 damaged; 5 airmen are WIA and 12 MIA.
Escorting are 267 of 282 P-51s; 2 are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair.
2. 304 B-17s are sent to hit the Bingen marshalling yard (144), Bullay rail bridge (74) and communication center at Wittlich (50); targets of opportunity are Grosslittgen (12) and one near Diekirch (13); 2 B-17s are lost and 132 damaged; 11 airmen are WIA and 15 MIA.
Escorting are 61 of 64 P-51s; 1 is lost.
3. 262 B-24s are sent to hit communications centers at Schleiden (9), Zulpich (31), Stadtkyll (32) and Drum (10), the Irlich rail bridge (51), the Gerolstein marshalling yard (26) and the Remagen Bridge (30); targets of opportunity are Fensbach (19), Duppach (8) and 10 others; 1 B-24 is lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 95 damaged; 17 airmen are KIA and 5 WIA.
Escort is provided by 106 of 119 P-51s without loss.
4. 38 B-17s are sent to hit the Lunebach communications center (35); 1 hits the Telm marshalling yard; 23 B-17s are damaged.
Escorting are 101 of 104 P-51s without loss.
5. 4 of 4 B-17s fly a screening mission.
6. 81 P-47s and P-51s fly a fighter sweep against rail transportation without loss.
7. 26 of 27 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): Weather causes the recall of 100+ bombers except for 7 which bomb Saint-Vith, Belgium communications center and Keuchingen, Germany road bridge; the XIX Tactical Air Command flies armed reconnaissance over Belgium and Germany and supports the US III, VIII, and XII Corps in the Neufchateau-Bastogne-Arlon areas of Belgium.
In France, HQ 100th Fighter Wing moves from St-Dizier to Metz; the 386th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter Group, moves from Chievres, Belgium to Metz with P-47s.
Campaign report of the RAF:
28/29 December 1944
Mönchengladbach: 186 aircraft - 129 Lancasters, 46 Halifaxes, 11 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4 and 8 Groups. No aircraft lost. The railway yards were the aiming point but little damage was caused there.
Bonn: 162 Lancasters and 16 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups. 1 Lancaster lost. The intention again was to bomb the railway installations. Bomber Command's report states that the main weight of the attack fell on the railway yards, causing 'considerable damage'.
67 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of No 5 Group attacked a 'large naval unit' and some merchant ships in Oslo Fjord but no direct hits were claimed. No aircraft lost.
87 Mosquitos to Frankfurt - 79 to the city generally and 8 to the railway yards - 35 RCM sorties, 45 Mosquito patrols, 16 Halifaxes of No 6 Group minelaying in the Skagerrak and 11 Lancasters of No 5 Group off Oslo, 12 aircraft on Resistance operations. 1 minelaying Halifax was lost and 1 Mosquito from the Frankfurt raid crashed in France.
Total effort for the night: 638 sorties, 3 aircraft (0.5 per cent) lost.
29 December 1944
Two separate forces bombed railway yards in Koblenz, one of the main centres serving the Ardennes battlefront. 192 aircraft - 162 Halifaxes, 22 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitos - of Nos 4 and 8 Groups attacked the Mosel yards, near the main city, and 85 Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the Lützel yards north of the city. No aircraft were lost from either operation. At least part of the bombing of each raid hit the railway areas. The Koblenz-Lützel railway bridge was out of action for the rest of the war and the cranes of the Mosel Harbour were also put out of action.
16 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron attacked the E-boat pens at Rotterdam, scoring several hits; 1 Hudson flew a Resistance operation. No aircraft lost.
29/30 December 1944
Scholven/Buer: 324 Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 6 and 8 Groups. 4 Lancasters lost. The raid took place in difficult conditions. There was thick cloud over the target but Oboe skymarkers were accurately placed and the oil refinery was badly hit. The local report says that 300 high-explosive bombs fell within the oil-plant area. There were two large and 10 small fires and much damage to piping and storage tanks.
197 aircraft - 159 Halifaxes, 24 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups attempted to bomb the railway yards at Troisdorf but most of the attack missed the target. No other details are available. No aircraft lost.
28 RCM sorties, 28 Mosquito patrols, 16 aircraft of No 6 Group minelaying in the River Elbe, 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group minelaying off Oslo. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 623 sorties, 4 aircraft (0.6 per cent) lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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