BERLIN
316 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes; because of the high casualty rates among Halifaxes and Stirlings in recent Berlin raids the heavy force was composed only of Lancasters. 22 Lancasters were lost, nearly 7.0 percent of the Lancaster force. The Mosquitoes were used to drop 'spoof' flares well away from the bombers' route to attract German night fighters.
This raid approached Berlin from the north-east but the marking and bombing were, once again, mostly short of the target. That part of the bombing which did reach Berlin's built-up area fell in residential parts of Charlottenburg and Moabit and in the industrial area called Siemensstadt. Several factories were hit and suffered serious loss of production and among 'utilities' put out of action were major water and electricity works and one of Berlin's largest breweries. 422 people were listed as killed - 225 civilians, 24 servicemen, 18 men and 2 women of the air-raid services, 123 foreign workers - 92 women and 31 men. 170 further civilians were 'missing'. The Berlin records also mention the deaths of another soldier and 7 'criminal' assistants when the 2 delayed-action bombs on which they were working exploded; these 'criminals' could earn remission of their sentences by volunteering for this work on un-exploded and delayed-action bombs.
Minor Operations: 32 O.T.U. Wellingtons, 6 Mosquitoes and 6 Halifaxes to an ammunition dump in the Fort de Raismes, near Valenciennes; 44 Stirlings and 12 Halifaxes minelaying off Denmark, in the Frisians and off the Biscay coast; 4 Mosquitoes to DÜSSELDORF and 7 O.T.U. Whitleys on leaflet raids. 1 Wellington, 1 Stirling and 1 Whitley were lost.
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MINOR OPERATIONS
8 Mosquitoes to Cologne and Duisburg, 25 Wellingtons and 13 Stirlings minelaying in the Frisians, in the River Gironde and off Lorient and St-Nazaire. No aircraft lost.
