After a gap of 10 nights without any operations, leaflet raids recommenced on 4/5 January and were carried out on 7 nights during this period. Only 25 sorties were flown: 10 by Whitleys, 9 by Wellingtons and 6 by Hampdens. The first leaflet flights by Wellingtons - to Hamburg on the 11/12th - and by Hampdens - to Kiel on the following night - were the first night sorties of the war for these 2 types of aircraft and represent a tentative but significant move to night operations by 2 of the 3 bomber groups previously intended only for day operations. Of the Whitley flights in this period, the new distant targets of Prague and Vienna were reached, from forward airfields in France, on 12/13 January.
There were no losses from any of the above operations.
Because of severe winter weather at the English airfields, with heavy snowfalls, there were no night operations between 20 January and the night of 17/18 February and no day operations from 2 February to 17 February.
NORTH SEA SHIPPING SEARCHES, 11 and
