COLOGNE
161 aircraft - 116 Lancasters, 35 Halifaxes, 8 Stirlings, 2 Mosquitoes. 5 aircraft - 3 Lancasters, 1 Halifax, 1 Stirling - lost, 3.1 percent of the force.
This was a further experiment using a 4-engined bombing force with various forms of Pathfinder techniques. On this cloudy night, markers were dropped by both the Oboe Mosquitoes and the H2S heavy marker aircraft. Again the results were disappointing, with no clear concentration of markers being achieved and with subsequent bombing being well scattered.
The report from Cologne shows that damage was caused right across the city but was nowhere serious. No industrial premises were hit but the military airfield at Butzweiler Hof was struck by 6 4,000-lb bombs, causing 'medium to serious' damage. 65 houses were destroyed and nearly 1,600 were damaged but the report says that most of this was caused by blast from the 15 4,000-pounders which fell in the city. 14 people were killed and 63 injured.
A Pathfinder aircraft on this raid, Stirling R9264 of 7 Squadron, was shot down by a night fighter and crashed in Holland. It was unfortunate for the Pathfinders that the Germans thus obtained an example of the H2S set on only the second night that this new device was used. The set was damaged but the German firm of Telefunken was able to reassemble it. This gave the Germans an early indication of the operational use of H2S and eventually led to the development of a device, 'Naxos', which would enable German night fighters to home on to a bomber which was using its H2S set.
Minor Operations: 13 Halifaxes of 6 Group minelaying in the Kattegat but bad weather was encountered and only 5 aircraft laid their mines; there was 1 O.T.U. sortie. No aircraft lost.
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60 Venturas to various targets in France, Belgium and Holland but only 15 aircraft bombed railway yards at Abbeville and at St-Omer airfield. 2 Venturas lost.
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HAMBURG
263 aircraft - 84 Halifaxes, 66 Stirlings, 62 Lancasters, 51 Wellingtons - provided by all groups on the first 200-plus raid for more than 2 weeks.
Icing conditions in cloud over the North Sea caused many aircraft to return early. The Pathfinders were unable to produce concentrated and sustained marking on H2S and the bombing of the Main Force was scattered. The results in Hamburg were no better than the attack by a much smaller force a few nights earlier. 45 fires classed as 'large' were started, including 2 in various oil depots and 1 in a warehouse near the Elbe waterfront. 55 people were killed and 40 injured.
The German night fighters operated effectively, despite the bad weather, and 16 bombers were lost - 8 Stirlings, 4 Halifaxes, 3 Wellingtons and 1 Lancaster, 6.1 percent of the force.
Minor Operations: 8 Wellingtons minelaying off Lorient and St-Nazaire, 4 O.T.U. sorties. 1 Wellington minelayer lost.
