BERLIN
622 aircraft - 331 Lancasters, 176 Halifaxes, 106 Stirlings, 9 Mosquitoes. 47 aircraft - 20 Halifaxes, 17 Stirlings, 10 Lancasters - lost, 7.6 percent of the force. The Stirling casualties were 16.0 percent! Approximately two thirds of the bombers lost were shot down by German fighters operating over or near Berlin. The use of 'fighter flares', dropped by German aircraft to 'mark' the bomber routes into and away from the target, was noted for the first time in Bomber Command records.
This raid was not successful. There was some cloud in the target area; this, together with difficulties with H2S equipment and probably the ferocity of the German defences, all combined to cause the Pathfinder markers to be dropped well south of the centre of the target area and the Main Force bombing to be even further away. The main bombing area eventually extended 30 miles back along the bombers' approach route. 85 dwelling-houses were destroyed in Berlin but the only industrial buildings hit were classed as damaged - 4 severely and 3 lightly. The only important public buildings hit were the headquarters of the Berlin inland canal and harbour system, the state police hospital and some market halls. 66 civilians and 2 soldiers were killed, 109 people were injured and 2,784 bombed out.
After this raid, Gauleiter Goebbels ordered the evacuation from Berlin of all children and all adults not engaged in war work to country areas or to towns in Eastern Germany where air raids were not expected.
Minor Operations: 30 O.T.U. Wellingtons with 6 Mosquitoes and 5 Halifaxes of the Pathfinders bombed an ammunition dump in the Fort de Hesdin and 6 Mosquitoes were sent to Brauweiler. No aircraft lost.
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and flew Lancasters from Foulsham and Waterbeach until the end of the war.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
514 Squadron flew 3,675 Lancaster sorties and lost 66 aircraft (1.8 percent) in 218 bombing and 4 minelaying raids. 14 further Lancasters were destroyed in crashes.
515 SQUADRON
SERVICE
A radio-countermeasures unit flying Defiants and Beaufighters until transferred to 100 Group in December 1943. Flew Serrate and Intruder operations, using Mosquitoes, from
