FRANKFURT
846 aircraft - 620 Lancasters, 209 Halifaxes, 17 Mosquitoes. The German fighter force was again split. One part was lured north by the Heligoland mining operation but the second part waited in Germany and met the bomber stream just before the target was reached, although cloud made it difficult for these fighters to achieve much success. 22 aircraft - 12 Halifaxes, 10 Lancasters - were lost, 2.6 percent of the force.
The Pathfinders marked the target accurately and this led to heavy bombing of eastern, central and western districts of Frankfurt. The later phases of the bombing were scattered but this was almost inevitable with such a large force; new crews were usually allocated to the final waves. Extensive destruction was caused in Frankfurt. The local report gives a long list of 'cultural buildings', including the Opera House and the preserved medieval quarter, destroyed. Most of the report consists of statistics: 5,495 houses, 99 industrial firms, 412 small businesses, 56 public buildings - all destroyed or seriously damaged; many other buildings were lightly damaged. 421 civilians were killed and 55,500 were bombed out. A military train was hit and 20 soldiers in it were killed and 80 wounded but this may have been by the action of a Fighter Command Intruder aircraft; the Frankfurt report says that the train was shot up by cannon-fire.
DIVERSION AND SUPPORT OPERATIONS
17 Mosquitoes to airfields in Holland, Belgium and France, 98 aircraft on minelaying diversion in the Heligoland area, 11 Mosquitoes on a diversion raid to Kassel, 4 R.C.M. sorties, 13 Serrate patrols. No aircraft were lost and the Serrate Mosquitoes claimed 3 Ju 88s destroyed.
Minor Operations: 19 Lancasters of 5 Group (including 13 aircraft from 617 Squadron) on an accurate raid of an explosives factory at Bergerac in France, 12 Mosquitoes to Aachen, Dortmund and Duisburg, 8 aircraft on Resistance operations, 18 O.T.U. sorties. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 1,046 sorties, 22 aircraft (2.1 percent) lost.
---
MINOR OPERATIONS
21 Mosquitoes - 9 to Berlin, 8 to DÜSSELDORF and 4 to Aachen, 4 R.C.M. sorties, 3 Serrate patrols, 19 Stirlings minelaying off Dutch and French coasts, 6 O.T.U. sorties. 1 R.C.M. Wellington lost.
