The 169 Sqdn left from Great Massingham at 1944-10-06 at an unknown time. Loc or duty Training
He flew with a de Havilland Mosquito (type IV, serial DD607, code VI-).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
AIRBORNE OPERATIONS
(IX Troop Carrier Command): The 305th Troop Carrier Squadron, 442d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Weston Zoyland, England to Peray, France with C-47s.
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
Mission 667: 1,271 bombers and 784 fighter are dispatched to hit industrial targets in N Germany; with one exception, all attacks are visual; 19 bombers and 4 fighters are lost:
1. 447 B-17s are dispatched to hit Stargard Airfield (199), aircraft factories at Neubrandenburg (73) and Stettin (12); targets of opportunity are Stralsund (110), Kappeln (36), Freienwalde (1) and other (1); 1 B-17 is lost and 34 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA.
Escort is provided by 180 of 202 P-51s; they claim 3-1-3 aircraft in the air and 30-0-14 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA), 2 damaged beyond repair and 4 damaged.
2. 418 B-17s are dispatched to Berlin to hit a munitions dump at Berlin/ Spandau (144), aircraft factories at Berlin/Spandau (138) and tank factory at Berlin/Tegel (100); 10 hit a target of opportunity.
17 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 234 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 154 MIA.
Escort is provided by 363 of 414 P-51s; they claim 15-0-5 aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost and 3 damaged.
3. 406 B-24s are dispatched to hit Harburg/Rhenania oil refinery (121) with PFF methods, munitions dumb at Hamburg/Glinde (89) and aircraft factories at Hamburg/Klockner (79) and Wenzendorf (46); targets of opportunity are Stade Airfield (29), the Hamburg area (8), Nordhoz Airfield (2), Bremervorde (1) and Ottersberg (1); 1 B-24 is lost and 127 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 2 WIA and 10 MIA.
Escort is provided by 156 of 168 P-47s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air; 6 P-47s are damaged.
Mission 668: 6 B-24s and 4 B-17s drop leaflets in Germany, the Netherlands and France during the night without loss.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): 300+ B-26s and A-20s hit marshalling yards, barracks, and ammunition dump at Hengelo, the Netherlands and Duren, Germany and bridges at Arnhem, the Netherlands and Aldenhoven, Germany; in Germany, fighters fly armed reconnaissance in the Dusseldorf, Aachen, Trier, Dieuze, and Koblenz areas, sweeps and patrols in forward areas, attack railroads in the Dorsel area, and support the First, Third, and Seventh Armies' forces in E France and W Germany.
In France, HQ 397th Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Dreux to Peronne.
Campaign report of the RAF:
5/6 October 1944
531 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups on the first major RAF raid to Saarbrücken since September 1942. 3 Lancasters lost. The raid was made at the request of the American Third Army which was advancing in this direction; the intention was to cut the railways and block supply routes generally through the town. The bombing was accurate and severe damage was caused in the main town area north of the River Saar, the area through which the main railway lines ran. Damage was particularly severe in the Altstadt and Malstatt districts.
20 Mosquitos to Berlin and 26 to 5 other German targets, 36 RCM sorties, 47 Mosquito patrols, 10 Halifaxes minelaying off Heligoland and 9 Mosquitos of No 8 Group minelaying in the Kiel Canal. No aircraft lost.
6 October 1944
320 aircraft - 254 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 46 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitos of No 8 Group - attacked the synthetic oil plants at Sterkrade and Scholven/Buer. Both raids took place in clear conditions and the bombing was considered to be accurate. 9 aircraft were lost - 4 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters at Scholven and 3 Halifaxes at Sterkrade.
4 Liberators and 3 Wellingtons flew signals investigation patrols without loss.
6/7 October 1944
Dortmund: 523 aircraft - 248 Halifaxes, 247 Lancasters, 28 Mosquitos - of Nos 3, 6 and 8 Groups. No 6 Group provided 293 aircraft - 248 Halifaxes and 45 Lancasters, the greatest effort by the Canadian group in the war. This raid opened a phase which some works refer to as 'The Second Battle of the Ruhr'. 5 aircraft - 2 Halifaxes (of No 6 Group), 2 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito - lost, less than 1 per cent of the force raiding this Ruhr target on a clear night. The Pathfinder marking and the bombing were both accurate and severe damage was caused, particularly to the industrial and transportation areas of the city, although residential areas also suffered badly.
246 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 5 Groups carried out the last of 32 major Bomber Command raids on Bremen during the war. 5 Lancasters lost. The raid, based on the No 5 Group marking method, was an outstanding success. Severe damage was caused to the AG Weser shipyard, the two Focke-Wulf factories, the Siemens Schuckert electrical works and other important war industries. The 'transport network' was described as being seriously disrupted. (It is interesting to note the increased efficiency and hence destructive power of Bomber Command at this time. Bremen - with its shipyards and aircraft factories - had been the target for many carefully planned Bomber Command raids earlier in the war and was the target for one of the much publicized 1942 1,000-bomber raids. Now this raid by no more than a quarter of the total strength of Bomber Command, hardly mentioned in the history books, had finished off Bremen and this city need not be attacked by Bomber Command again.)
22 Mosquitos to Berlin, 11 to Ludwigshafen and 2 to Saarbrücken, 35 RCM sorties, 76 Mosquito patrols, 19 aircraft minelaying off Texel and Heligoland and in the River Weser, 6 aircraft on Resistance operations. 2 Mosquitos were lost - 1 from the Berlin raid and 1 Serrate aircraft.
Total effort for the night: 947 sorties, 12 aircraft (1.3 per cent) lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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