ESSEN
187 aircraft - 136 Wellingtons, 21 Stirlings, 15 Hampdens, 10 Manchesters, 5 Halifaxes - to continue the series of heavy Gee-guided raids to Essen. 2 Wellingtons and 1 Halifax lost.
Thick ground haze led to scattered bombing. Only 2 buildings were destroyed in Essen but 72 were damaged. Bombs also fell in 24 other Ruhr towns with particular damage in Hamborn and Duisburg. 10 people were killed, 19 were missing and 52 were injured in Essen; 74 people were killed and 284 injured in other towns.
Minor Operations: 9 Wellingtons and Stirlings to Boulogne, 5 Hampdens minelaying in the Frisians. No losses.
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4 Bostons on an uneventful shipping search off the Dutch coast.
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ESSEN
126 aircraft - 56 Wellingtons, 43 Hampdens, 13 Manchesters, 12 Stirlings, 2 Lancasters; this was the first participation by Lancasters in a raid on a German target. 4 aircraft - 2 Hampdens, 1 Stirling, 1 Wellington - lost.
This was another disappointing raid with unexpected cloud being the main cause of poor bombing. 62 crews claimed to have bombed Essen; 35 crews bombed alternative targets. The report from Essen shows that only 2 bombs fell on an industrial target - railway lines near the Krupps factory - and 1 house was destroyed and 2 damaged in residential areas. 5 Germans were killed and 12 injured and a Polish worker was killed by a Flak shell which descended and exploded on the ground.
Minor Operations: 23 'freshman' crews to Boulogne, 3 Hampdens minelaying off the French coast. No losses.
