REMSCHEID
273 aircraft - 95 Halifaxes, 87 Stirlings, 82 Lancasters, 9 Mosquitoes - were dispatched to this previously unbombed town on the southern edge of the Ruhr; only 26 people had been killed in Remscheid, by stray bombs, in the last 3 years. This raid marks the true end of the Battle of the Ruhr. 15 aircraft - 8 Stirlings, 5 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters - were lost, 5.5 percent of the force.
The Oboe ground-marking and the bombing of the comparatively small Main Force were exceptionally accurate and this was a most successful raid. Only 871 tons of bombs were dropped but the post-war British Bombing Survey estimated that 83 percent of the town was devastated. 107 industrial buildings were destroyed; the town's industry, generally, lost 3 months' production and never fully regained previous levels. 3,115 houses were destroyed. 1,120 people were killed and 6,700 were injured.
8 aircraft laid mines in the Frisian Islands without loss.
