GERMAN RAILWAYS
124 aircraft - 52 Whitleys, 47 Wellingtons, 25 Hampdens - to attack German railways leading to the battle front at many places between Mnchengladbach and Euskirchen, particularly in the Aachen area. 5 aircraft - 3 Wellingtons, 1 Whitley, 1 Hampden - lost. The pilot of the lost Hampden, Flight Lieutenant Coton of 83 Squadron, ordered his 3 crewmen to bale out soon after the aircraft was hit by Flak over Germany. The pilot managed to bring his plane to England but it was hit again by British anti-aircraft guns on the Essex coast. The pilot baled out safely and the Hampden crashed near Hornchurch.
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NORTHERN FRANCE
59 Blenheims (I reconnaissance) attacked the German columns advancing to the French coast. 3 Blenheims lost.
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MERSEBURG, FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND
47 aircraft - 24 Whitleys, 12 Hampdens, 11 Wellingtons - to bomb numerous railway, bridge and road targets in France, Belgium and Holland. 35 Hampdens to the oil refinery at Merseburg near Leipzig, a very distant target for this period of the war; because of deteriorating weather conditions over the English airfields this force was recalled. 1 Hampden did not receive the recall signal and went on to bomb Merseburg.
No aircraft was lost from any of the above operations but 3 crashed in England.
