COLOGNE
27 Wellingtons and 7 Stirlings. 3 Wellingtons lost.
Crews reported large fires in Cologne but the city recorded only a handful of bombs with no damage or casualties. Villages well east of the Rhine were hit, however, and in one of them, Lindenthal, a children's hospital was hit, though casualties are not mentioned. The synthetic-oil refinery at Wesseling, 7 miles south of Cologne, was hit by a high-explosive bomb which caused 8,000 tons of fuel production to be lost. Duisburg, 30 miles from Cologne, was also bombed, probably in error.
8 Wellingtons bombed Boulogne. No losses.
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12 Blenheims on an uneventful sweep off Cherbourg.
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DUISBURG
87 aircraft - 47 Wellingtons, 26 Hampdens, 14 Whitleys - with 8 further Hampdens carrying out searchlight-suppression flights. The target was cloud-covered and only estimated positions were bombed. 1 Wellington lost.
Minor Operations: 22 aircraft to Dunkirk, 15 aircraft to Ostend. 1 Wellington lost.