FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
60 Lancasters to attack the Zeppelin works at Friedrichshafen, on the shores of Lake Constance (the Bodensee). This factory made Wrzburg radar sets which were an important part of the German-fighter interception boxes through which Bomber Command had to fly every time they attacked a target in Germany.
This was a special raid with interesting and novel tactics. Like the recent Dams Raid, the attack was to be 'controlled' by the pilot of one of the Lancasters. This feature would later be known as 'the Master Bomber' technique. The plan was formulated by 5 Group which provided the Master Bomber - Group Captain L. C. Slee - and nearly all of the aircraft involved; the Pathfinders sent 4 Lancasters of 97 Squadron. Group Captain Slee's aircraft developed engine trouble and he handed over to his deputy, Wing Commander G. L. Gomm of 467 Squadron. The attack, like the recent raid on Le Creusot, was intended to be carried out from 5,000 to 10,000 ft in bright moonlight, but the Flak and searchlight defences were very active and Wing Commander Gomm ordered the bombing force to climb a further 5,000 ft. Unfortunately the wind at the new height was stronger than anticipated and this caused difficulties.
The bombing was in 2 parts. The first bombs were aimed at target indicators dropped by one of the Pathfinder aircraft. The second phase was a 'time-and-distance' bombing run from a point on the shores of the lake to the estimated position of the factory. This was a technique which 5 Group was developing. Photographic reconnaissance showed that nearly 10 percent of the bombs hit the small factory and that much damage was caused there. Nearby factories were also hit. 44 people are known to have been killed in Friedrichshafen.
The bomber force confused the German night fighters waiting for the return over France by flying on in the first shuttle raid to North Africa. No Lancasters were lost.
Minor Operations: 4 Mosquitoes to Berlin and 1 to DÜSSELDORF, 15 aircraft minelaying off La Pallice and in the River Gironde. 3 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.
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KREFELD
705 aircraft - 262 Lancasters, 209 Halifaxes, 117 Stirlings, 105 Wellingtons, 12 Mosquitoes. 44 aircraft - 17 Halifaxes, 9 Lancasters, 9 Wellingtons, 9 Stirlings - were lost, 6.2 percent of the force. This raid was carried out before the moon period was over and the heavy casualties were mostly caused by night fighters. 12 of the aircraft lost were from the Pathfinders; 35 Squadron lost 6 out of its 19 Halifaxes taking part in the raid.
The raid took place in good visibility and the Pathfinders produced an almost perfect marking effort, ground-markers dropped by Oboe Mosquitoes being well backed up by the Pathfinder heavies. 619 aircraft bombed these markers, more than three quarters of them achieving bombing photographs within 3 miles of the centre of Krefeld. 2,306 tons of bombs were dropped. A large area of fire became established and this raged, out of control, for several hours. The whole centre of the city - approximately 47 percent of the build-up area - was burnt out. The total of 5,517 houses destroyed, quoted in Krefeld's records, was the largest figure so far in the war. 1,056 people were killed and 4,550 were injured. 72,000 people lost their homes; 20,000 of these were billeted upon families in suburbs, 30,000 moved in with relatives or friends and 20,000 were evacuated to other towns.
Minor Operations: 1 Mosquito to Hamborn, 15 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.
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and flew Stirlings until again transferred, in May 1944, to 100 Group as an R.C.M. squadron. Flew Stirlings and Halifaxes from North Creake while in 100 Group.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Raids Flown
1
Group Wellingtons - 35 bombing, 23 minelaying
3
Group Stirlings - 30 bombing, 52 minelaying, 16 Resistance operations, 1 leaflet
100 Group Stirlings - 138 R.C.M.
100 Group Halifaxes - 37 R.C.M. (which were combined with some bombing in the last four weeks of the war)
Total - 65 bombing, 75 minelaying, 16 Resistance operations, 1 leaflet, 175 R.C.M. = 332 raids
Sorties and Losses
1
Group Wellingtons - 475 sorties, 12 aircraft lost (2.5 percent)
3
Group Stirlings - 681 sorties, 14 aircraft lost (2.1 percent)
100 Group Stirlings - 1,378 sorties, 4 aircraft lost (0.3 percent)
100 Group Halifaxes - 329 sorties, 2 aircraft lost (0.6 percent)
Total - 2,863 sorties, 32 aircraft lost (1.1 percent)
POINTS OF INTEREST
Believed to have carried out a greater variety of operations than any other squadron in Bomber Command.
Suffered Bomber Command's last casualties of the war when 2 Halifaxes collided near Kiel on
