Minor Operations
1 Mosquito attempted to bomb Wiesbaden but did not reach the target and 2 Wellingtons flew R.C.M. sorties. No aircraft lost.
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DUISBURG
523 aircraft - 418 Halifaxes, 81 Lancasters, 24 Mosquitoes - of 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 8 Halifaxes lost.
Duisburg was badly hit again. 346 houses were destroyed and 524 seriously damaged; industrial premises were probably hit also but few details are available. 92 people, including 18 foreigners, were killed.
ULM
317 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitoes of 1 and 8 Groups. 2 Lancasters lost.
This was Bomber Command's first and only raid on Ulm, an old city but also the home of 2 large lorry factories - Magirius-Deutz and Kssbohrer - several other important industries and some military barracks and depots. The report from Ulm states that the local Gauleiter had urged an evacuation of women and children from the inner-city area following the recent bombing of Heilbronn, a city similar in character to Ulm. The Ortsgruppenleiter delayed the evacuation until 18 December, a Monday, so that families in this Catholic city could observe Advent Sunday together. On that Sunday, however, there was a further change of mind and loudspeaker vans were sent out into the streets of the inner city, urging the people to leave at once and thousands of people departed by train or on foot even though 'a cold, damp wind blew through the streets of the city'.
46. Teenagers from the anti-Nazi 'Cathedral Firefighting Group' at Aachen.
1,449 tons of bombs were dropped during the 25-minute raid, starting in the centre and then creeping back to the west, across the industrial and railway areas and out into the country. 1 square kilometre in the city was completely engulfed by fire. 81.8 percent (it was a very detailed report) of all Ulm's property was affected in some way, including 29 industrial premises, among which were the two important lorry factories. The Gallwitz Barracks and several military hospitals were among 14 Wehrmacht establishments destroyed. The casualty figures were not as high as might have been expected; the evacuation which took place a few hours before the raid must have saved many lives. The dead were listed as follows: 606 civilians (291 women, 201 men, 114 children under the age of 14), 51 soldiers, police and air-raid workers, 50 foreigners. 613 people were injured and 20,000-25,000 were bombed out.
MUNICH
280 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes of 5 Group. 4 Lancasters lost.
Again, no local report could be obtained. Bomber Command claimed 'severe and widespread damage' in the old centre of Munich and at railway targets.
Minor Operations: 44 Mosquitoes to Hanau (a 'spoof' raid), 26 to Mnster and 5 to Hallendorf, 44 R.C.M. sorties, 50 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 1,310 sorties, 14 aircraft (1.1 percent) lost.
