GERMANY
64 Hampdens, Wellingtons and Whitleys to 6 German cities. The largest raid was by 18 Wellingtons to Berlin but only 1 aircraft reached that target. 1 Wellington and 1 Whitley lost.
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12 Blenheims dispatched but only 1 aircraft bombed (Haamstede airfield). 1 aircraft lost.
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ESSEN, COLOGNE, OCCUPIED COUNTRIES
91 aircraft. The largest raid was by 63 aircraft to the Krupps factory at Essen. The British Official History makes comment on the reports submitted by the crews of different groups (2, 3 and 5 Groups) taking part in this raid. Bomber Command Headquarters found many inconsistencies and came to the conclusion that a lot of crews who had reported successful attacks on Essen must have been some distance from that target. The only bombing photographs developed showed some woods. It was probably a typical experience of this period.
It is possible that the 'many fires' reported by some crews were at a decoy fire site in open country, an early example of a device which the Germans would later use whenever possible. The largest decoy site for the city targets in the western part of the Ruhr was near the small town of Rheinberg, a few miles north-east of Duisburg. By coincidence, it was near Rheinberg that a large post-war Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery was established for British airmen who were killed in this part of Germany. Of the 3,326 graves in the cemetery, 2,895 are of R.A.F. men.
3 Hampdens were minelaying off Brittany ports and there were 2 O.T.U. sorties.
There were no losses from any of the above operations.
