BERGEN
237 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitoes of 5 Group to attack the U-boat pens. It is probable that 5 Group had been waiting to attack this important target for several days; the Group had not flown any operations since 23 October. Clear conditions were forecast for the target area, although there were some doubts about this. Unfortunately the area was found to be cloud-covered. The Master Bomber tried to bring the force down below 5,000 ft but cloud was still encountered and he ordered the raid to be abandoned after only 47 Lancasters had bombed. 3 Lancasters lost.
The town of Bergen again provides a good report. 4 bombs did hit the roofs of the U-boat pens but the operations of the base were not affected. 35 houses were destroyed and 50 were damaged around the harbour area but the population here may have been evacuated; no one was killed in that area. There was a second bombing area, however, in the town centre. Further houses were hit and 52 civilians and 2 Germans were killed. A particularly sad loss for the people of Bergen was the Engen Theatre, 'an old wooden theatre - a magnificent, large building and the oldest theatre in Europe'.
Minor Operations: 30 Mosquitoes to Cologne, 4 to Karlsruhe and 3 to Rheine, 8 R.C.M. sorties, 5 Mosquito patrols, 14 Lancasters minelaying off Oslo. No aircraft lost.
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WALCHEREN
358 aircraft - 194 Lancasters, 128 Halifaxes, 36 Mosquitoes - of 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups attacked 11 different German ground positions. Visibility was good and it was believed that all the targets were hit. 1 Lancaster lost.
TIRPITZ
37 Lancasters - 18 from 9 Squadron, 18 from 617 Squadron and a film unit aircraft from 463 Squadron - were dispatched from Lossiemouth in Scotland to attack the battleship Tirpitz, which was now moored near the Norwegian port of Troms. The removal of the Lancasters' mid-upper turrets and other equipment and the installation of extra fuel tanks, giving each aircraft a total fuel capacity of 2,406 gallons, allowed the Lancasters to carry out this 2,250-mile operation.
A weather-reconnaissance Mosquito had reported the target area free of cloud and the Lancasters formed up at a lake near the bay in which the Tirpitz was moored and commenced their attack. Unfortunately the wind had changed and a bank of cloud came in to cover the battleship 30 seconds before the first Lancaster was ready to bomb. 32 aircraft released Tallboy bombs on the estimated position of the battleship but no direct hits were scored. 1 of 617 Squadron's Lancasters, which was damaged by Flak, crash-landed in Sweden and its crew were later returned to Britain.
Minor Operations: 3 R.C.M. sorties, 4 Ranger patrols, 1 Hudson on a Resistance operation. No aircraft lost.
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MINOR OPERATIONS
59 Mosquitoes to Cologne and 6 to Mannheim, 55 Mosquitoes on Serrate and Intruder patrols. No aircraft lost.
