6 Mosquitoes on cloud-cover raids to widely separated targets. 5 aircraft bombed; 1 lost.
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HAMBURG
256 aircraft - 165 from 3 Group and 91 O.T.U. aircraft - dispatched. A much larger force had been detailed for this raid but bad weather over the bases of 1, 4 and 5 Groups prevented their participation. The force which took off comprised 161 Wellingtons, 71 Stirlings and 24 Whitleys.
The weather, both on the outward flight and over the English bases, worsened and the O.T.U. aircraft were recalled, although 3 of them went on to bomb Hamburg. That part of the bomber force which did proceed became very scattered; many more aircraft turned back and only 68 bombed in the target area. Hamburg suffered 13 people killed and 48 injured with 56 fires, 15 of them large. The worst incident was a direct hit on a ward of the Eppendorf Hospital where 12 patients and nurses were killed and 39 injured.
Bomber casualties were heavy. 16 Wellingtons and 9 Stirlings were lost from 3 Group, 15.2 percent of those dispatched by the group. 4 O.T.U. Wellingtons were lost and a Whitley crashed in the sea.
30 Bostons and 13 Blenheim Intruders were dispatched. 2 Bostons and 1 Blenheim lost.
