ITALY, GERMANY, FRANCE
Following Italy's declaration of war on France and Britain on 10 June, 36 Whitleys were dispatched to Italy. They refuelled in the Channel Islands before their long flight over France and the Alps to bomb factories in Turin. 23 aircraft were not able to reach Italy because of difficult weather over the Alps. 9 aircraft bombed Turin but not the designated factories; most bombed railway yards. Turin reports 17 people killed and 40 injured. 2 other aircraft bombed targets at Genoa. Both cities were fully lit up, as in peacetime, when the bombers arrived; Turin's lights were turned off during the raid but Genoa's were not. Heavy anti-aircraft fire was encountered over Turin. A Whitley of 77 Squadron crashed in flames near Le Mans on its return flight and Sergeant N. M. Songest and his crew - Sergeants R. C. Astbury, P. H. J. Budden, A. Findlay and E. Ombler - were all killed, the first casualties of Bomber Command's operations to Italy, which would continue spasmodically over the next three years. A further Whitley crashed in France.
59 aircraft - 31 Hampdens, 18 Wellingtons, 10 Whitleys - bombed various targets in Germany and France; 1 Hampden and 1 Whitley were lost. The Wellingtons all carried out incendiary raids in the Black Forest in an attempt to cause widespread forest fires. This was one of the Air Ministry's pre-war 'Western Air Plans'; there is no evidence that the forest attacks or the fire-raising attacks on the German harvest, both of which would continue for several weeks, brought any success; they were a considerable waste of effort at a time when the war was going very badly for Britain.
5 Hampdens went minelaying without loss.
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FRANCE
29 Hampdens and 8 Whitleys were sent to military objectives in France but only 15 found suitable targets. 1 Hampden was lost and another hit a balloon cable at Harwich, crashing and setting fire to a flour mill on the docks.
6 Hampdens minelaying without loss.
