HAMBURG
88 aircraft - 40 Hampdens, 25 Whitleys, 16 Wellingtons, 4 Manchesters, 3 Halifaxes - to attack the Blohm & Voss U-boat yards and other industry. This was the first time that Manchesters and Halifaxes had been sent to a target in Germany. No aircraft were lost from this raid.
Hamburg reports that 20 high-explosive and 300-400 incendiary bombs fell in the Blohm & Voss yard, causing damage to the main office block and other parts of the premises, including two slipways on which U-boats were being built. 4 other shipbuilding firms were hit and a large harbour warehouse and its contents were burnt out. A total of 205 fires (18 classed as large) were started; 8 people were killed, 96 injured and 414 bombed out.
BREMEN
86 aircraft - 54 Wellingtons, 32 Blenheims - dispatched, the Wellingtons to attack the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory and the Blenheims the town centre. 2 Wellingtons and 1 Blenheim lost. Photographic reconnaissance showed that 12 high-explosive bombs hit the aircraft factory.
BERLIN
72 aircraft - 30 Hampdens, 28 Wellingtons, 14 Whitleys - to two targets. 3 aircraft, one of each type, lost.
The bombing was very scattered with more bombs in the southern districts of the city than elsewhere. 60 buildings of many kinds were hit, though none was classed as destroyed and only 3 as being severely damaged. 11 people were killed, 24 injured and 80 bombed out.
Minor Operations: 8 aircraft to Calais and Boulogne. 2 O.T.U. sorties, 1 Hampden minelaying in the Elbe. 1 Wellington from the Boulogne raid was lost.
Total effort for the night: 257 sorties, 7 aircraft (2.7 percent) lost.
---
6 Blenheims on a Circus operation to Calais/Marck airfield; all bombed. No Blenheims lost.
---
HAMBURG
139 aircraft - 53 Wellingtons, 34 Hampdens, 24 Whitleys, 21 Blenheims, 5 Manchesters, 2 Halifaxes. 6 aircraft - 2 Wellingtons, 2 Whitleys, 1 Blenheim, 1 Hampden -were lost and 1 Manchester was shot down soon after take-off by an Intruder, the first Manchester lost on operations. There was only one survivor from the Manchester crew, which was captained by Flying Officer Hugh Matthews of 207 Squadron.
In Hamburg, the Blohm & Voss shipyard was again hit and there was much other damage including a large fire in a timber-yard and a direct hit on the main fire station which damaged the reserve fire-hose store. A total of 119 fires - 31 large - were started; 51 people were killed, 139 injured and 95 bombed out. This was the heaviest death toll in Hamburg so far in the war.
Minor Operations: 14 aircraft to oil-storage tanks at Rotterdam, 3 O.T.U. sorties, 1 Hampden minelaying at Ameland. No losses.
