HAMBURG
92 aircraft - 91 Wellingtons, 1 Stirling. 3 Wellingtons lost.
Good bombing was reported in clear conditions. Hamburg reports 88 fires - 26 large, 11 people killed, 44 injured and 1,096 bombed out. This series of 3 raids in 4 nights made a big impression on Hamburg. Brunswig reports that there were 3,000 separate bombing incidents causing damage resulting in claims for 100 million Reichsmarks (£10 million). It may be significant, however, that there was no mention of industrial damage in any of the reports; this shows the continuing tendency to attack general city areas rather than the industrial targets, which were often so difficult to find. The morale of Hamburg was further affected when the Battleship Bismarck, built in Hamburg, was sunk in the Atlantic on 27 May.
BREMEN
81 aircraft - 48 Whitleys, 31 Hampdens, 2 Manchesters. 1 Hampden lost.
62 aircraft claimed good bombing results. Bremen reports many bombs in the harbour area. A floating dock at A.G. Weser was sunk when hit by 2 bombs; several industrial premises in the dock area were damaged. The report goes on to stress, however, that most of the damage was in the general town area where 24 houses were destroyed, 49 seriously damaged and nearly 1,000 damaged. An office building at the Focke-Wulf factory was hit, by chance the Bremen report suggests. 8 people were killed and 31 injured.
Minor Operations: 4 Wellingtons to Dieppe, 2 Wellingtons to Rotterdam, 1 Stirling to Bordeaux. No losses.
Total effort for the night: 180 sorties, 4 aircraft (2.2 percent) lost.
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8 Blenheims on coastal operations in Skagerrak. 1 ship was attacked but not hit. No losses.
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MANNHEIM/LUDWIGSHAFEN
105 aircraft - 42 Wellingtons, 41 Hampdens, 18 Whitleys, 4 Manchesters. 65 of these aircraft were detailed for Mannheim and 40 for Ludwigshafen.
Haze made identification of targets difficult. The local report suggests that no more than 10 aircraft succeeded in bombing the two targets. Damage was scattered and light. 5 people were killed and 3 injured.
26 aircraft reported that they had bombed alternative targets and there is an interesting report from Cologne where 16 aircraft reported bombing. Visibility must have been better at Cologne because direct hits were scored on several industrial premises and 1 bomb which hit the Hacketuer Barracks killed 92 soldiers in an air-raid shelter. 8 other people were killed in Cologne.
Minor Operations: 4 Hampdens minelaying in the Frisians, 2 O.T.U. sorties.
111 sorties were dispatched on this night without any loss.
