STUTTGART
462 aircraft - 146 Wellingtons, 135 Halifaxes, 98 Lancasters, 83 Stirlings. 23 aircraft - 8 Stirlings, 8 Wellingtons, 4 Halifaxes, 3 Lancasters - lost, 5.0 percent of the force.
The Pathfinders claimed to have marked the centre of this normally difficult target accurately but the main bombing area developed to the north-east, along the line of approach of the bombing force. This was an example of the 'creepback', a feature of large raids which occurred when Main Force crews - and some Pathfinder backers-up - failed to press through to the centre of the marking area but bombed - or re-marked - the earliest markers visible. Bomber Command was never able to eliminate the creepback tendency and much bombing fell outside city areas because of it.
On this night the creepback extended over the suburb of Bad Canstatt, which was of an industrial nature, and some useful damage was caused, particularly in the large railway-repair workshops situated there. The neighbouring districts of Mnster and Mhlhausen were also hit and the majority of the 393 buildings destroyed and 942 severely damaged and the 200-plus civilian casualties were in these northern areas.
Only a few bombs fell in the centre of Stuttgart but the old Gedchtnis church was destroyed. In the district of Gaisburg, just east of the centre, 1 bomb scored a direct hit on an air-raid shelter packed with French and Russian prisoners of war. 257 Frenchmen and 143 Russians were killed. This tragedy brought the total death roll in Stuttgart to 619, a new record for raids to Germany.
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13 Venturas bombed a whaling factory ship in dry dock at Cherbourg. Bomb bursts were seen to straddle the target. No Venturas lost.
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Minor Operations
23 aircraft minelaying from Brest to Lorient, 5 O.T.U. sorties. No aircraft lost.
