OIL, COMMUNICATIONS
120 aircraft - 49 Hampdens, 36 Whitleys, 35 Wellingtons.
24 Hampdens attacked oil refineries at Hamburg and Bremen. Hamburg records show that the raid here was not a success. Only 7 high-explosive bombs and a few incendiaries fell in the city, causing 1 small fire. One bomb fell in the Blohm & Voss shipbuilding yard and damaged the lighting system. In nearby Harburg, 3 bombs fell very close to a group of whale-oil tanks and 3,000 tons of oil leaked through the splinter holes. All but 32 tons of this was later reclaimed and pumped back into the tanks. There were no casualties in the Hamburg area.
The Whitleys attacked 6 railway yards in the Ruhr. The remainder of the Hampdens and all the Wellingtons attacked communications behind the battle front in France and Belgium.
There were no R.A.F. losses from any of these operations. A Whitley of 10 Squadron, piloted by Squadron Leader Hanafin, shot down a German fighter near Utrecht. This is believed to be the first German night fighter shot down in the war. The tail gunner whose fire hit the fighter was Aircraftman Oldridge.
28 and
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DUNKIRK
48 Blenheims by day and 34 Wellingtons and 13 Whitleys by night attacked German positions near the perimeter. 1 Blenheim and 1 Whitley lost.
29 and
