MAILLY-LE-CAMP
346 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitoes of 1 and 5 Groups and 2 Pathfinder Mosquitoes to bomb a German military camp situated close to the French village of Mailly. 42 Lancasters lost, 11.6 percent of the force.
The control of this raid in the target area failed to operate according to plan. The initial low-level markers were accurate and were well backed up by Lancaster marker aircraft. The 'Marker Leader', Wind Commander Cheshire, ordered the Main Force to come in and bomb but the 'Main Force Controller', Wing Commander L. C. Deane, could not transmit the order to do so to the waiting Lancasters because his V.H.F. radio set was being drowned by an American forces broadcast and his wireless transmitter was wrongly tuned. German fighters arrived during the delay and bomber casualties were heavy.
The main attack eventually started when the Deputy Controller, Squadron Leader E. N. M. Sparks, took over. Approximately 1,500 tons of bombs were dropped with great accuracy. 114 barrack buildings, 47 transport sheds and some ammunition buildings in the camp were hit; 102 vehicles, including 37 tanks, were destroyed. 218 German soldiers were killed and 156 were injured. Most of the casualties were Panzer N.C.O.s. There were no French casualties through bombing but some people were killed when a Lancaster crashed on their house.
The night-fighter attacks continued over the target and on the return route. Among the aircraft shot down was that of Squadron Leader Sparks, who had stayed over the target to the end. Sparks evaded capture and soon returned to England. The squadrons of 1 Group, which made up the second wave of the attack, suffered the most casualties - 28 aircraft out of their 173 dispatched. 460 (Australian) Squadron, from Binbrook, lost 5 out of its 17 Lancasters on the raid.
MONTDIDIER
84 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes attacked a Luftwaffe airfield and caused much damage among buildings and installations on the northern part of the airfield. 4 Lancasters lost.
Minor Operations: 27 Mosquitoes to Ludwigshafen and 14 to an ammunition dump at Chteaudun, 3 R.C.M. sorties, 7 Intruder and 6 Serrate patrols, 32 Halifaxes minelaying off the French coast and in the Frisians, 23 aircraft on Resistance operations, 34 O.T.U. sorties. 4 aircraft lost: 1 R.C.M. Halifax, 1 Serrate Mosquito, 1 Resistance operation Lysander and 1 O.T.U. Wellington.
Total effort for the night: 598 sorties, 50 aircraft (8.3 percent) lost.
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MINOR OPERATIONS
28 Mosquitoes to Ludwigshafen and 4 to Leverkusen, 20 Halifaxes minelaying off Channel and Biscay ports. No losses.
