OPERATION MARKET GARDEN
241 aircraft made 2 diversionary sweeps - 1 to the Dutch coast and 1 into Holland - in order to draw up German fighters from Southern Holland. This intention was not achieved. No aircraft lost.
Minor Operations: 42 Mosquitoes to Bremen and 6 to Dortmund, 29 R.C.M. sorties, 29 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.
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WALCHEREN
74 aircraft - 34 Lancasters, 30 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitoes - of 6 and 8 Groups attempted to bomb a coastal battery at Domburg but the Master Bomber abandoned the raid after 8 Mosquitoes had attempted to mark the target in poor weather conditions. No aircraft lost.
7 R.C.M. sorties were flown without loss.
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BREMERHAVEN
206 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitoes of 5 Group. 100 Group's R.C.M. operations successfully kept German night fighters away from the force and only 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito were lost.
This was another successful 5 Group method raid and Bremerhaven, which had not been seriously bombed by the R.A.F. before, required only this one knock-out blow by the comparatively small force of aircraft carrying fewer than 900 tons of bombs. The centre of the town, the port area and the suburb of Geestemnde were gutted by fire. 2,670 buildings were destroyed and 369 seriously damaged. 30,000 people lost their homes; the local report says that, fortunately, the weather remained warm and the many people who had to sleep in the open for several nights until they were evacuated did not suffer too much from exposure. 618 people were killed and 1,193 were injured, the latter putting a severe strain on the only hospital left intact.
Minor Operations: 33 Mosquitoes to Berlin and 6 to Rheine, 30 R.C.M. sorties, 67 Mosquito patrols, 4 Lancasters minelaying in the River Weser. No losses.
