DUISBURG
118 aircraft - 60 Wellingtons, 30 Hampdens, 13 Stirlings, 9 Halifaxes, 6 Manchesters - to railway targets. 6 aircraft - 3 Wellingtons, 1 Halifax, 1 Hampden, 1 Stirling - lost. 6 further Hampdens made searchlight-suppression flights near the target; 2 of these were lost.
Good bombing was claimed in clear visibility but Duisburg reports only 63 high-explosive and 500 incendiary bombs with no details of damage or casualties.
Minor Operations: 23 Wellingtons and Whitleys to Dunkirk and Ostend, 2 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.
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6 Blenheims on Circus operation to Hazebrouck but only 1 aircraft dropped bombs on this target. 1 Fortress to DÜSSELDORF turned back. No losses.
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FRANKFURT
143 aircraft - 73 Hampdens, 62 Whitleys, 5 Halifaxes, 3 Manchesters - on the first 100-plus aircraft raid on this city, with railways and harbours as aiming points. The first sortie by an Australian squadron was flown in this raid when Squadron Leader French (no initials recorded) and his crew took a 455 Squadron Hampden to Frankfurt and returned safely. 2 Hampdens and 1 Whitley lost.
Bad weather prevented accurate bombing and crews reported that the attack became general in the Frankfurt area. Frankfurt reports only light and scattered bombing, with damage to a gasworks, a cask merchant's depot and to several houses. 8 people were killed, 7 of them in one house which was struck by a bomb.
MANNHEIM
94 Wellingtons; 2 lost.
The weather was bad and Mannheim's report confirms that bombing results were poor with only scattered damage. 5 commercial firms, none employing more than 70 people, suffered production losses because of damage. 1 person was injured.
5 'freshmen' Wellingtons were sent to Le Havre. No losses.
Total effort for the night: 242 sorties, 5 aircraft (2.1 percent) lost.
Resistance Operations
The first flights by Bomber Command in support of Resistance groups in the German-occupied countries were carried out on this night by an unknown number and type of aircraft from the newly formed 138 Squadron, based at Newmarket. This unit was joined in this work by 161 Squadron in February 1942. Both Squadrons belonged to 3 Group and a permanent base was later established for them at Tempsford. Supplies and agents were dropped regularly by parachute in many parts of Europe and sometimes agents or urgent packages were collected by small aircraft, usually Lysanders, which landed in fields. Many types of aircraft were used for the dropping of supplies or agents by parachute.
Bomber Command's Operations Record Books do not record details of these operations until the
